Conversion of natural habitat into agricultural landscape has been identified as one of the major drivers of habitat loss. Human-modified ecosystems, such as agricultural land, have gained significant attention in terms of the conservation of their native biodiversity. We studied the effectiveness of organic agroecosystems in conserving odonate diversity by comparing organic terrace rice cultivation with a nearby natural forest system with streams in Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, India. We sampled adult odonates using a transect count method (laying six permanent transects) covering two villages (Lingmoo in South Sikkim and Dzongu in North Sikkim), making a total of 48 transect counts. A total of 881 individual odonates representing 31 species under two suborders (16 Anisoptera and 15 Zygoptera) and seven families were recorded during this study. Of these, 20 species representing three families and 18 species representing seven families were observed in terrace rice cultivation and the natural forest system, respectively. Beta diversity estimates showed that the community composition of the odonates differed qualitatively (incidence measure) and quantitatively (abundance measure) between the two land use types. Turnover component (abundance balance in case of abundance based beta diversity measure) had higher contribution in the overall beta diversity, suggesting that one assemblage of species is being replaced by another due to environmental sorting. The variation in community composition between the two habitats was statistically significant. Our results suggest that organic wetland habitats are important for conservation of odonates and associated biodiversity (especially herpetofauna) in the Himalaya and require urgent conservation attention.


Hybrid sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] seed production relies exclusively on cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems and almost all hybrid sorghum seed is produced using the A1 CMS system. However, the reliance on a single CMS system increases the vulnerability of the crop to diseases and stresses that may attack that particular CMS system. Alternative CMS systems have been described and even used on a limited basis for hybrid seed production, but a direct comparison of the agronomic effects of different cytoplasms has not been possible because male-sterile lines with a common genetic background (and different cytoplasm) were not available. The recent development of isocytoplasmic A-lines allows more direct comparison of cytoplasmic effect on agronomic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine by means of a set of isocytoplasmic hybrids if cytoplasm per se influences agronomic performance. Twelve hybrid genotypes were created in three different cytoplasms (Al, A2, and A3 for a total of 36 hybrids), and they were evaluated for plant height, days to anthesis, and grain yield at Weslaco and College Station, TX, in 1998 and 1999. As expected, significant differences existed among hybrids for plant height, days to anthesis, and grain yield. Cytoplasm type had no effect on plant height and was of minimal practical effect on days to anthesis, but a significant reduction in yield was observed in A3 cytoplasm hybrids as compared with A1 and A2 cytoplasm hybrids. The specific reason for the reduced yield of A3 hybrids is not known, but seed set data indicated that it was not associated with fertility restoration. The results indicate that hybrids created in A2 cytoplasm yield comparably to the commonly used A1 cytoplasm and therefore, the A2 system will provide a suitable alternative for hybrid seed production should problems be encountered in the A1 CMS system.


The use of victim impact statements ('VISs') from family victims in homicide matters, particularly as evidence of aggravating factors, is contentious in NSW courts. Until July 2014, the law prevented VISs influencing penalties imposed on homicide offenders (Previtera). However, the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 was amended in 2014 in order to overrule Previtera and enable VISs to 'count' in sentencing homicide offenders. This article draws on a case study of 39 homicide sentencing judgments, July 2014–April 2017, to determine whether, and if so the extent to which, the new law has changed the role of VISs from family victims in sentencing. It also considers the practical implications of these findings for future family victims and argues that not only has the new law made little practical difference to the use of VISs in homicide matters, but there are also potential adverse consequences for family victims in the sentencing process.


The development of psychological skills is an important, but often neglected part of sport. This study aimed to determine the effects of a psychological skills training (PST) programme delivered to underserved club rugby players. Twenty-four (n=24) rugby  union players (Age: M=27.02 years) shared their views about psychological skills  development in rugby and completed the Psychological Skills Inventory (PSI) and the Peak Performance Profile (PPP). A quasi-experimental research design was used in which 11 participants took part in a six-week PST programme, with 13 participants  acting as non-attentional controls. Repeated measures two-way ANOVAs revealed  significant main time effects, with paired t-tests showing statistically significant pre- to post-test improvements for 10 of the 11 psychological skills among the experimental group. The programme's effectiveness was further validated by the experimental group's feedback. Recommendations are made for future research, as well as practical  application within existing rugby development programmes in South Africa.Keywords: Mental skills; Psycho-educational programme; Rugby development; Sport performance.


Summary

1. There is considerable evidence for the negative impacts of habitat alteration on pollinators in highly disturbed regions of the world. However, it remains unclear whether these findings reflect a global crisis for crop pollination. Understanding the extent to which world agriculture is endangered by pollinator decline is essential if the economic valuation of nature is to be used to promote conservation.

2. We assess the susceptibility to pollinator limitation of one of the most important tropical and subtropical fruit crops, mango Mangifera indica L., commonly planted in a region of South Africa located between two large biodiversity-rich protected natural areas. We conducted flower visitor surveys, exclusion experiments and spatial analysis of flower visitation and fruit production patterns.

3. Our results show that both ants and flower visitors were effective pollinators of mango, the latter significantly declining (in abundance and species richness) with distance to natural habitat while ants were not affected. Neither the absence of pesticides nor the supplementation of flower visitors by using managed honeybees served to offset these negative impacts. Food-web data suggest that maintaining diversity of flower resources within farmland can help maintain pollinator communities.

4. Moreover, models based exclusively on pollinator abundance underestimated the negative effect of distance from natural habitat on production (42% less at 500 m from natural habitat). As soil nutrient levels and water content are regularly measured and corrected in all study sites, these results suggest that pollinator diversity may also be important.

5. Synthesis and applications. This study provides one of the first examples of marked pollination limitation in farms surrounded by well-protected natural habitat. For mango farming to be sustainable, it is essential to limit contiguous growth of farmland and consider practices that restore the complexity of plant-pollinator networks within farms, for example through the creation and maintenance of pollinator-friendly areas. By highlighting the economic gains of adopting pollinator-friendly practices in agriculture, this work contributes to a growing body of studies that reveal that making farmland more suitable for pollinators benefits both agriculture and nature conservation.


Based on the questionnaire survey for 431 new generation minority migrant workers in Kunming City, we carried out empirical research on education demands of these migrant workers and its influence factors. Survey results show mat their education demands have significant features in learning purposes, contents, expenses, willingness, and manners, which are subject to subjective mentality, economic income, social relation network, as well as shortage in social supply of education and training. Therefore, apart from solving training problem of new generation minority migrant workers, government should also highly value their demands of training and arouse their enthusiasm for participation in training in accordance with cultural and psychological characteristics and living environment of these migrant workers.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between radiographic progression of joint space narrowing and cartilage loss on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA), and to investigate the location of MRI-based cartilage loss in the knee and its relation to radiographic progression.

METHODS
Two hundred twenty-four men and women (mean age 66 years) were studied. Radiographs and MRI of the more symptomatic knee were obtained at baseline and at 15- and 30-month followup. Radiographs of the knee (with weight-bearing) were read for joint space narrowing (scale 0-3), with progression defined as any worsening in score. We used a semiquantitative method to score cartilage morphology in all 5 regions of the tibiofemoral joint, and defined cartilage loss as an increase in score (scale 0-4) at any region. We examined the relationship between progression of joint space narrowing on radiographic images and cartilage loss on MRI, using a generalized estimating equation proportional odds logistic regression, adjusted for baseline cartilage score, age, body mass index, and sex. The medial and lateral compartments were analyzed separately.

RESULTS
In the medial compartment, 104 knees (46%) had cartilage loss detected by MRI. The adjusted odds ratio was 3.7 (95% confidence interval 2.2-6.3) for radiographic progression being predictive of cartilage loss on MRI. However, there was still a substantial proportion of knees (80 of 189 [42%]) with cartilage loss visible on MRI when no radiographic progression was apparent. Cartilage loss occurred frequently in the central regions of the femur and tibia as well as the posterior femur region, but radiographic progression was less likely to be observed when posterior femur regions showed cartilage loss. Radiographic progression appeared specific (91%) but not sensitive (23%) for cartilage loss. Overall findings were similar for the lateral compartment.

CONCLUSION
While our results provide longitudinal evidence that radiographic progression of joint space narrowing is predictive of cartilage loss assessed on MRI, radiography is not a sensitive measure, and if used alone, will miss a substantial proportion of knees with cartilage loss.


Radiotherapy is an important treatment modality against cancer resulting in apoptosis and inhibition of cell growth. Survivin is an important cancer biomarker conferring to tumour cells increased survival potential by inhibiting apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the implication of breast cancer cells features, as hormone receptors and p53 status, in the radio-resistance of breast cancer cells and in the regulation of survivin's expression by nuclear factor (NF)B and c-myc. Six breast cancer cell lines Michigan Cancer Foundation (MCF-7), MCF-7/Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (HER)2, M. D. Anderson – Metastatic Breast (MDA-MB-231), SK-BR-3, BT-474 and Human Breast Lactating (HBL-100) were irradiated and cell viability as well as cell cycle distribution were evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Survivin mRNA and protein levels were evaluated by real time PCR and Western blot analysis. Survivin and HER2 gene knockdown was performed with siRNA technology and investigation of transcription factors binding to survivin and c-myc gene promoters was assessed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Student's t-test and F-statistics were used for statistical evaluation. Our results demonstrated that only HER2 breast cancer cells up-regulated survivin upon irradiation, whereas HER2 knockdown in HER2 cells led to survivin's down-regulation. Survivin and especially HER2 knockdown abolished the observed G2/M cell cycle checkpoint and reduced the radio-resistance of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer cells. Additionally, HER2 was found to regulate survivin's expression through NFB and c-myc transcription factors. This study revealed the significance of HER2 in the radio-resistance of HER2 breast cancer cells through induction of transcription factors NFB and c-myc, leading to activation of survivin, a downstream target oncogene preventing apoptosis.


It is often stated that IT is able to transform entire industries. The emergence of digital technologies enables, among other things, new business models and therefore, obviously constitutes an industry transformation potential. However, IS research that actually deals with digitally enabled industry transformation is still rare. Motivated by its IT intensive nature, the research focus of this paper lies within the financial service industry. Prior research that deals with individual units or sectors is synthesized with the aim to draw inference on the financial service industry. The identified research articles are categorized into business, customer and technology relationship. The results include that digital technologies enables new business models, cause (dis-)intermediation and customer centricity becomes increasingly important for financial service providers. Additionally, the interaction between user and technology changes and information is increasingly digitized. Finally, possible future research questions are named.


Over the last 10 years, maturity of the business landscape has unlocked new opportunities in Africa, especially the entry of accelerators, incubators, and other start-up ecosystem players. These organizations are constantly adapting their models to respond to the ever-changing needs of the ventures they support. Therefore, there is need for existing literature to keep abreast with this vitality to strengthen the ecosystems in Kenya. The paper analyses the drivers, challenges and opportunities within the start-up ecosystem in Kenya. The paper is based on cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Human-centred purposive and proportionate stratified random sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 74 respondents who filled an electronic survey; coupled with interview of 50 start-ups ecosystem players. Descriptive statistics and content analysis was used in data analysis. The study reveals that Kenya has made significant strides in the start-up scene, however, there is a heavy concentration of activity in Nairobi the capital city, leading to disparity within the country. Opportunities for collaboration are bypassed in favour of duplication of programs and consequently funds that should ultimately support entrepreneurs are spread thin. a number of challenges bedevilled start-ups, access to financing and risk capital, lack of sector coordination, weak start-up culture, me too businesses, insufficient policies and guidelines on incubation and commercialization, and lack of a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning system. The study recommends that the national government should provide matching funds for venture capital, standardization and decentralization of innovation and incubation centres countrywide, central database for start-ups and sensitization and awareness-building programs


Mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 genes are common in low grade gliomas and secondary GBM and are known to cause a distinct epigenetic land-scape in these tumors. To interrogate the epigenetic vulnerabilities of IDH -mutant gliomas, we performed a chemical screen with inhibitors of chromatin modifiers and identified 5-azacytidine, Chaetocin, GSK-J4 and Belinostat as potent agents against primary IDH1 -mutant cell lines. Testing the combinatorial efficacy of these agents, we demonstrated GSK-J4 and Belinostat combination as a very effective treatment for the IDH1 -mutant glioma cells. Engineering established cell lines to ectopically express IDH1R132H , we showed that I DH1R132H cells adopted a different transcriptome with changes in stress-related pathways that were reversible with the mutant IDH1 inhibitor, GSK864. The combination of GSK-J4 and Belinostat was highly effective on IDH1R132H cells, but not on wt glioma cells or nonmalignant fibroblasts and astrocytes. The cell death induced by GSK-J4 and Belinostat combination involved the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. RNA sequencing analyses revealed activation of inflammatory and unfolded protein response path- ways in IDH1 -mutant cells upon treatment with GSK-J4 and Belinostat conferring increased stress to glioma cells. Specifically, GSK-J4 induced ATF4-mediated integrated stress response and Belinostat induced cell cycle arrest in primary IDH1 -mutant glioma cells; which were accompanied by DDIT3 /CHOP-dependent upregulation of apoptosis. Moreover, to dissect out the responsible target histone demethylase, we undertook genetic ap- proach and demonstrated that CRISPR/Cas9 mediated ablation of both KDM6A and KDM6B genes phenocopied the effects of GSK-J4 in IDH1 - mutant cells. Finally, GSK-J4 and Belinostat combination significantly de-creased tumor growth and increased survival in an orthotopic model in mice. Together, these results suggest a potential combination epigenetic therapy against IDH1 -mutant gliomas. is one of the aggressive with a vival rate of The standard treatment is maximal safe resection, followed by radiation therapy and temozolomide (TMZ). Clinically, the resistance to TMZ is a big problem. Cancer cells have been revealed to show different metabolism from normal cells. The object of this study is to evaluate whether cancer metabolism, especially asparagine, could be a new target of treatment in primary and recurrent glioblastoma. by exogenous asparagine. The combined treatment induced greater apoptosis and autophagy than did single-drug treatment. Several clones of TMZ-resistant U251 were obtained after long treatment of TMZ to U251. The expression of MSH6, one of the mismatch repair proteins, was suppressed in these resistant clones. The synergistic effect of L-asparaginase and DON was detected in these U251-derived TMZ-resistant clones. These results suggest that the combination of L-asparaginase and DON could be a new therapeutic option for patients with primary and recurrent glioblastoma. an increased dependence on SCD1 activity. Through immunoblot analyses, we demonstrated that SCD1 inhibition exacerbates ER stress through accumulation of SFA and SCD1- mediated UFA synthesis mitigates ER stress. Survival analyses between SCD1 inhibitor-treated group and control group showed significant survival benefit in SCD1-inhibitor-treated group, in both mesenchymal (p=0.008, 35 days vs 18) and proneural (p=0.0002) type glioma cells (n=8/groups). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that SCD1, the fatty acid desaturase, is essential for the maintenance of glioblastoma cancer stem cells. SCD1 is activated by ER stress and exerts a cytoprotective function by regulating ER homeostasis, thus favoring survival and tumor growth. Pharmacological targeting of SCD1 exhibits potent therapeutic efficacy in brain tumor mouse models. is malignant brain noted for its extensive vascularity, aggressiveness, and highly invasive nature. Glioma stem cells (GSC) are a subpopulation of cells resistant to treatments and considered responsible for tumor recurrence. GSC are found in the vas-cular niches of the tumors, where endothelial cells (EC) secrete factors that stimulate GSC self-renewal. There are several studies regarding the effects of the vasculature on CSC and tumorigenesis, but little is known about how GSC affects the vasculature. Resistance to therapies and tumor recur-rence greatly rely on the pro-angiogenic nature and aberrant vasculature of GBM. The endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) supports the pro-angiogenic and invasive characteristics of GBM. Hence, blocking the EndMT would be a promising approach to inhibit tumor progression and recurrence. We have examined the dynamic cross-talk between GSC and EC during EndMT. We demonstrate that GSC induce EndMT in brain endothelial cells (BEC), through a collaboration between TGF- β and Notch pathways, nicotinamide N-methyltransferase upregulation and other key signaling routes. Elucidating the cells and molecular pathways responsible for this process represents a milestone in the understanding of the tumor microenvironment and will help develop novel treatments in glioma therapy. One promising treatment, developed by our research group, is the conju-gate of temozolomide and perillyl alcohol (POH), NEO212. This drug blocks EndMT induction in BEC and reverts the mesenchymal phenotype of tumor-associated BEC (TuBEC), reducing the invasiveness and pro- angiogenic properties of GBM in vitro and in vivo. We are currently per-forming Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies, and we foresee that NEO212 will be of great clinical value for the treatment of GBM.


Root-crown ratio is an important feature in the prognosis of teeth. The unbalanced root-crown ratio can be a factor of trauma from occlusion, which diagnosed subjectively through the radiographic examination. This study was conducted to confirm the subjective assessment into objective assessment. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical root-crown ratio of first molar which cause trauma from occlusion. Measurement root-crown ratio using method of Lind and its modifications to measure the decrease in alveolar bone height. The mean of clinical root-crown ratio for maxillary first molar is 0.814±0.308, and for mandibular first molar is 0.741±0.295. There are four categories of clinical root-crown ratio based on ROC curve test, which are: ratio >1.51=good; 1-≤1.50= pretty good; 0.510.99= poor; ≤0.50= very bad. Significant result of the correlation between clinical root-crown ratio with: gingival recession (rs:0.221 on mesial, -0.266 on buccal and -0.179 on lingual/palatal); loss of attachment (rs:-0.340 on mesial, -0.427 on buccal, -0.295 on distal and -0.382 on lingual/palatal); tooth mobility (rs:-0.358) and the thickening of lamina dura (-0.252). There is a relationship between clinical root-crown ratio of maxillary and mandibular first molar with trauma from occlusion that aggravated periodontitis. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2017; 10(2): pp. 265-269)


The objective of this study was to determine the effect of hybridisation with Trifolium uniflorum L. on drought resistance of Trifolium repens L. (white clover). Shoot dry weight of backcross 1 (BC1) hybrids was reduced less by water stress than for backcross 2 (BC2) hybrids and white clover, as were key morphological traits such as leaf area. Under water stress, important differences for the BC1 generation compared to white clover also included lower senescence, higher stolon density, increased root dry weight, and a higher maximum nodal root diameter. Drought decreased the net photosynthetic rate by up to 48% in BC2 and white clover, but there was no significant effect on the BC1 generation. BC1 hybrids were therefore more resistant to water stress than white clover. Smaller effects on stolon morphology suggest BC1 hybrids were better able to maintain cell turgor and growth, and maintenance of photosynthesis under drought may have contributed to smaller reductions in productivity. The findings suggest that BC1 hybrids may be able to maintain higher water uptake during drought than white clover by increased allocation to root biomass.


Aim: To formulate Diclofenac sodium extended release tablets as per the standards given for extended release tablets of Diclofenac sodium in USP. Materials and Methods: The extended release tablets of Diclofenac sodium was prepared by using different concentration of polymers such as hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose sodium K4M (HPMC K4M) and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose sodium K15M (HPMC K15M). The drug polymer interactions were studied by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The in vitro drug release and drug release kinetic studies of all the formulations were performed and compared with the marketed product Fenac SR. The optimization done by considering the factors such as drug release limit given as per USP standard, t50% and release exponent ('n' value as per Korsmeyer Peppas). Results and Conclusions: The FT-IR spectroscopy studies revealed that there was no interaction between drug and excipients. The drug release observed that it depends on the concentration and nature of the rate controlling polymers used. The ANOVA studies revealed that the formulations show significant effect in drug release. The optimization studies proved that the formulation containing drug, polymer (HPMC K4M) ratio of 1:1.5 (Formulation M3) is the most satisfactory formulation. The stability studies proved that the formulation is stable.


A two-step self-tuning phase-shifting method is presented. The phase-step between the two interferograms is not known when the experiment is performed. Our demodulating method finds, in a robust way, this unknown phase-step. Once the phase-step is estimated we proceed to phase demodulate the interferograms. Moreover our method only requires the fringe patterns to have a constant unknown phase-shift between them. As a consequence, this technique can be used to demodulate open and closed-fringed patterns without phase-sign ambiguity. The method may be regarded as a self-tuning quadrature filter, which determines the phase-shift between the two fringe patterns and finally estimates the demodulated phase map. The proposed technique has been tested with simulated and real interferograms obtaining satisfactory results.


World Health Organization (WHO) reported that heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections and chronic obstructive lung disease have remained the top major killers in the world during the past decade. In Indonesia, it covers 37% or about 1.8 millions mortality cases. Hence, human vital sign monitoring such as electrocardiograph (ECG) monitoring system is very essential for mitigating and preventing people hearth's fail to be handled a proper assistance from healthcare physicians. For that purpose, we propose a real time ECG monitoring system, which the ECG data is monitored wirelessly directly without any server for data pooling (centralized database). ECG QRS wave and arrhythmia detection are important features for ECG monitoring system. Up to now, there are several studies ECG wave detection, however, they are mainly focus on internet of things - based telemedicine system for data transfer. In this case, real time monitoring system could be disrupted by a pooling time and packet loss due to its IP-based connection. Hence, we propose a wireless ECG patient monitoring system based on point to point communication scheme at 2.4 GHz band by using 3-lead acquisition system on single channel wireless ECG device. The system is developed based on AD8232 chip for acquisition, NRF24101 wireless link platform for data transfer and Arduino™microcontroller for ECG data processing. In order to evaluate the performance of wireless ECG system, our developed wearable textile antennas (as Tx and Rx antenna) are attached on the human body and experimentally evaluated within indoor environment, simulating off-/on-body communication system. The wearable textile antenna is lightweight, small and insensitive to the resonant frequency due to the human body effect. The measurement is conducted by embedding the antennas at some body positions of the volunteers. The experimental results show that the proposed ECG monitoring system is able to transfer and display real time ECG signals well for off-/on-body communication schemes. In addition, to validate the results, the obtained ECG data are compared and analyzed with the healthcare clinic equipment. According to QRS wave analysis, the ECG signals have reasonable RR, PR, QRS and ST wave interval in comparison with the standard ECG signals. We convince that our developed ECG patient monitoring system is stable by applying our developed textile antennas and it is promising to be adopted in the hospital for future implementation.


Rural communities in the low-lying plains and lower hills of Nepal remain vulnerable to changes in watershed dynamics. A range of coping and adaptive strategies are being implemented to address technical and infrastructural needs relating to agriculture, ecosystem management and disaster prevention. However, to ensure the equity and equality of these measures in relation to water, effective governance mechanisms that link different water users (e.g. upstream and downstream) emerged as an important, yet contested, component. Conflict exists between local water users (both within and between villages in the same watershed), the resolution of which has been hampered by ineffective and inactive water user committees that lack proportional representation and the institutional capacity for sufficient responsiveness. The paper concludes with suggestions for reviving effective committees at the community scale, bearing in mind the need for institutional and organizational stability, equality and sustainability.


This guide offers basic writing tips to help students make the transition to seminary education. Additional resources are listed for more indepth work.


Cross-cultural suicide research on spiritual faith as a protective factor in youth is limited. The aim of this study is to examine spiritual faith as a predictor of passive suicidal ideation in a racially and religiously diverse sample of college-aged youth. Participants (N = 243) completed self-report instruments to assess suicidality, social support, reasons for living as well as existential and religious well-being. Over 50% of the sample reported identifying with a racial group including Asian, Hispanic and Black. Approximately 81% of participants reported they had spiritual beliefs (N = 196) representing a variety of religions, including Catholicism, Judaism and Islam. Analyses of variance were used to assess any mean group differences for race, gender and having a religious affiliation using each of the predictor variables. Although racial group differences were not found significant, the analysis yielded significant results for gender, where females reported more reasons for living than males. And for those with religious affiliation, participants reported higher levels of social support, religious well-being and reasons for living. In the final regression model, over and above the influence of gender and religious affiliation, positive faith-based beliefs along with social support was associated to lower levels of passive ideation. Implications of findings and future research are also discussed.


The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of anesthesia depth on postoperative serum Adiponectin (ADP), MMP-9, S-100β protein concentration, and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients with general anesthesia. A total of 120 elderly patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery under general anesthesia were divided into 2 groups: Group A (n=60) was applied Closed Loop Target Controlled Infusion (CLTCI) to maintain the Bispectral Index (BIS) value of Electroencephalograph (EEG) as 45, and Group B (n=60) maintain the BIS value of EEG as 55. The MoCA scores in the two groups were decreased by different degrees after surgery. The MoCA scores in Group B on d's 1 and 3 after surgery were higher than Group A (P<0.05). The serum concentrations of MMP-9 and S-100β in the two groups were significantly higher at T1, T2, and T3 (P<0.05), but the serum ADP concentrations were decreased. The serum concentrations of MMP-9 and S-100β in group B were lower than group A (P<0.05), while the serum ADP level was higher than group A (P<0.05). The anesthesia depth with the BIS value as 55 has less impairment toward the early postoperative cognitive function in elderly patients than that with BIS as 45, which may be related to the increased serum ADP and decreased serum MMP-9 levels.


Frog populations are rapidly disappearing throughout the world. An important issue for ecologists to resolve is why some frog species are more susceptible to decline than others. Here, we performed a comparative study of the endemic Australian frog fauna to determine whether the life history and ecology of declining species have predisposed them to extinction. Decline was consistently found to be correlated with geographical range size across contemporary species and in analyses based on phylogenetically independent contrasts (PICs). Species with narrow geographical ranges have been disproportionately more susceptible to decline. Across species, decline was also correlated with large body size and a high proportion of the geographical range overlapping with the distribution of cane toads and landscape stress (e.g. land clearing). We show that with the exception of range size, however, correlates of decline across species are underpinned by a small number of evolutionary events. Hence, the suite of traits that correlate with decline in the cross-species analysis is only relevant to a small number of clades. We also found that clutch size, testes mass, ova size and distributional overlap with feral pigs were not significantly related to decline. In the ongoing search for life-history and ecological correlates of decline and extinction, our results highlight the importance of performing analyses across contemporary species and using PICs.


The enantiomeric enrichment of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) atropisomers has been reported in both wildlife and in humans. The biological processes causing this enrichment are only poorly investigated, a fact that limits the use of enantiomeric fractions (EFs) as a tool to study various processes of environmental relevance. To further understand these enantioselective processes, this study investigates the tissue distribution and EFs of some PCB atropisomers after administration of PCB mixtures to immature male Sprague-Dawley rats. The mixtures selected for this study, Aroclor 1254 and an environmental mixture extracted from Chlorofen-contaminated soil, are qualitatively different and are known to induce different groups of hepatic enzymes. Animals were sacrificed 6 days after dosing, PCBs were extracted, and, whenever possible, the EFs of PCBs 84, 91, 95, 149, 174, and 176 were determined by chiral gas chromatography. The EFs of PCB 95 (adipose tissue, liver, and skin) and PCB 149 (adipose tissue, liver, skin, and blood) in tissues from Aroclor 1254-treated animals differed significantly from EFs in the Aroclor standard, while only EFs of PCB 95 (blood) and PCB 174 (adipose tissue) in tissues from soil-extract-treated animals were different from those of the Chlorofen soil extract. PCB 149 in tissues from soil-extract-treated animals underwent no statistically significant enantiomeric enrichment. These differences in the EFs clearly suggest that the enantioselective enrichment of PCB atropisomers may correlate with exposure history, and with the induction of hepatic enzymes, and that EFs may be useful chemical markers of physiologic and biochemical changes following exposure to PCBs.


BACKGROUND
Conventional guidelines have limited effect on changing physicians' test ordering. We sought to determine the effect of patient-specific ratings vs conventional guidelines on appropriate investigation of angina.

METHODS
Randomized controlled trial of 145 physicians receiving patient-specific ratings (online prompt stating whether the specific vignette was considered appropriate or inappropriate for investigation, with access to detailed information on how the ratings were derived) and 147 physicians receiving conventional guidelines from the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology. Physicians made recommendations on 12 Web-based patient vignettes before and on 12 vignettes after these interventions. The outcome was the proportion of appropriate investigative decisions as defined by 2 independent expert panels.

RESULTS
Decisions for exercise electrocardiography were more appropriate with patient-specific ratings (819/1491 [55%]) compared with conventional guidelines (648/1488 [44%]) (odds ratio [OR], 1.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-1.82). The effect was stronger for angiography (1274/1595 [80%] with patient-specific ratings compared with 1009/1576 [64%] with conventional guidelines [OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.90-2.62]). Within-arm comparisons confirmed that conventional guidelines had no effect but that patient-specific ratings significantly changed physicians' decisions toward appropriate recommendations for exercise electrocardiography (55% vs 42%; OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 2.14-3.22) and for angiography (80% vs 65%; OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.79-2.47). These effects were robust to physician specialty (cardiologists and general practitioners) and to vignette characteristics, including older age, female sex, and nonwhite race/ethnicity.

CONCLUSION
Patient-specific ratings, unlike conventional guidelines, changed physician testing behavior and have the potential to reduce practice variations and to increase the appropriate use of investigation.


OBJECTIVE
To compare and contrast the manifestations and surgical management of subglottic stenosis in patients with airway obstruction attributed to granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), previously known as Wegener granulomatosis, and those with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS).

DESIGN
Retrospective medical chart review. Review of subglottic stenosis cases seen in the otolaryngology department of an academic medical center from 2005 through 2010. Data were obtained on disease presentation, operative management. and findings.

SETTING
Tertiary referral center.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 24 patients with iSGS and 15 patients with GPA-associated subglottic stenosis (GPA-SGS).

RESULTS
All individuals with iSGS were female, and 40% of patients with GPA-SGS were male (P < .01). Patients with iSGS tended to have a higher Myer-Cotton stenosis grade at the time of dilation than those with GPA-SGS (P = .02). Individuals with GPA-SGS were more likely to undergo tracheotomy as a result of disease-related complications than individuals with iSGS (P < .01). No patients with an open airway reconstruction in the iSGS group required follow-up mechanical dilation. In contrast, all patients with open airway reconstructions in the GPA-SGS group underwent more than 1 subsequent airway dilation (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS
While surgical utilization is the mainstay of treatment in iSGS and GPA-SGS, iSGS occurs almost exclusively in females and presents with a greater degree of stenosis at the time of endoscopic dilation. In contrast, GPA-SGS is associated with greater rates of tracheotomy. Open airway reconstruction may be used in the treatment of iSGS and GPA-SGS but is much more effective in iSGS.


Our main concern was that a relatively new drug was used in this trial on babies who appeared to be perfectly healthy and that a large dose was administered in a situation in which pethidine antagonists would not normally have been considered. We wholeheartedly support their view that no drug should be given without a clinical indication and this is especially true in neonates. In their letter they mention that naloxone was not given routinely to babies included in the trial but only to those who had a clinical problem associated with pethidine used in labour. We are unable to find an explanation of exactly what this problem was. The criteria mentioned by the authors in their -paper seem only to emphasise what fine fettle the babies were in at birth and it is difficult to envisage what problem occurred in the first 60 s of life that necessitated the use of naloxone. Furthermore, the authors persistently refer to the subjects of the trial as "healthy mature neonates." It seems to us of fundamental importance that normal babies should not be exposed to the unnecessary risks associated with trials of new drugs. That drug effects may be more clearly demonstrated in healthy babies is hardly a justification for such conduct, for the effects of prematurity, asphyxia, and birth trauma should be excluded by subjecting the results of a large trial to conventional statistical analysis. Their trial failed to show how naloxone acts in the clinical situations in which pethidine antagonists are conventionally employed. It would be unethical to use a placebo in such instances, but most paediatricians have used nalorphine and levallorphan quite successfully for years, and this was why we suggested that a trial comparing naloxone with the older antagonists would have given more meaningful results. What effect a drug has on adults or anaesthetists may be irrelevant to the neonate and is certainly not a justification for dismissing the conventional antagonists out of hand. Similarly, substances innocuous in the adult may be toxic to the newborn and one need only quote bilirubin and oxygen to illustrate the point. On what grounds Dr Rosen and his colleagues abandoned use of conventional pethidine antagonists "years" ago is uncertain. A safe and wellestablished drug should be superseded by a newer one only after scientific proof of superior efficacy or safety. At the present time we question whether there is sufficient evidence to justify widespread use of naloxone. For the most part significant pethidine depression is easy to diagnose and, in our experience, responds well to nalorphine. We have had very few problems with the older antagonists. If pethidine toxicity is in doubt-for example, if asphyxia has also occurred-and if further depression would be deleterious then we use intravenous naloxone as a diagnostic aid. With these restrictions we use the newer drug rarely but have been impressed with its performance.


This paper analyzes the effects of a pilot program that enables cross-market investment between Hong Kong and Shanghai's stock exchanges. Among the companies that are concurrently listed in both markets, the announcement of the program causes the price disparity between shares in both markets to reduce by an average of 16.6 percent within the same day of announcement. The price convergence is directly proportional to the magnitude of preexisting price disparity. Despite the large institutional differences between both markets, the prices converge symmetrically via initial share price increases in the market that traded the stock at a relative discount. The results suggest that capital control plays an important role in explaining the disparity of equity prices between markets.


Abstract : This report presents a system for classifying nineteenth century and early twentieth century material culture from archaeological contexts. It consists of three parts, a codebook, a codebook manual, and a computer software package. The codebook provides a system for classifying artifacts and artifact fragments according to material of manufacturing techniques of functional and chronological significance. The codebook manual contains instructions for making critical classification decisions along with illustrations and references to facilitate the process. The software manual is not compatible with the current version of the codebook but is an illustration of the utility of computer assisted enumeration and retrieval.


Starting from a Gaussian distribution of scatterers around a mobile station, expressions are provided for the probability density function (PDF) in the angle of arrival, the power azimuth spectrum, the PDF in the time of arrival, and the time delay spectrum, all as seen from a base station. Expressions are also provided for some of the quantities of practical interest such as the root-mean-square (RMS) angular spread, the RMS delay spread, and the spatial cross-correlation function. Results for the Gaussian scatter density model are compared with those for the circular scattering model and the elliptical scattering model as well as with experimental results available for outdoor and indoor environments. Comparison is shown for the PDFs as well as for the power spectra in angle and delay. It is shown that the present model, in contrast to the previous models, produces results that closely agree with experimental results. With an appropriate choice of the standard deviation of the scattering region, the Gaussian density model can be made suitable both for environments with very small angular spreads as well as those with very large angular spreads. Consequently, the results provided in the paper are applicable to both macrocellular as well as picocellular environments.


In reverse engineering, in order to analyze the accuracy of formed work-piece, the shape error between the formed work-piece and its CAD model need to be calculated. In this paper, a matching method on the basis of triangle mesh is proposed. This matching method includes three parts: pre-positioning, rough registration and fine registration. Firstly, the maximum projective plane of cloud data is designed to parallel to the xy plane through translation and rotation, and cloud data is translated by a vector which can be obtained with the point with the maximum z coordinate and the origin of coordinates. Secondly, cloud data is gradually rotated 360 degree around z axis confirm the angle making the error minimum. In this way, an initial value of ICP algorithm can be obtained, which can avoid the local convergence in the algorithm. Finally, ICP algorithm can be applied to calculate the surface error further. After matching, the error between work-piece and the CAD model can be calculated by interpolation based on triangle mesh. The results show that the matching method can obtain the higher matching accuracy.


Partial evaluation is becoming ever more promising as a programming tool. Early partial evaluators depended over much on the source program being written in a particular style, and needed certain ad hoc optimisations to produce good results. The practice of partial evaluation is now fairly well developed but the theoretical underpinnings are not equally well understood. A partial evaluator takes a program, together with some of the input to the program, and produces a new program. This new, or residual, program is an optimised version of the old, having taken the input data into account. Work undertaken at DIKU in Copenhagen has shown the importance of prior analysis of the program. This binding-time analysis discovers which values within the program may bo computed during partial evaluation-called static values and which values may not the dynamic values. In this thesis we propose using domain projections in binding-time analysis. This allows a greater level of data separation than before because values are no longer treated atomically. In particular, we are able to pinpoint static values within data structures containing both static and dynamic parts. An interesting consequence of using domain projections is that we are able to demonstrate an intimate relationship between binding-time analysis and strictness analysis. Dependent sum and product are familiar from constructive type theory. We give a less familiar domain-theoretic definition and show how projections determine particular dependent sums. The practical application of this result is to generate residual functions whose types depend on the static values from which they wore produced. Certain optimising techniques, such as tag removal and arity raising, arise as a direct, consequence. We extend the use of projections to polymorphic programs, giving a practical application of developments in the theory of polymorphism. Polymorphic functions are regarded as natural transformations between appropriate functors. This leads to three benefits: polymorphic functions are analysed once and the result reused; the static input to polymorphic functions is described by polymorphic projections, which reduces the search space of the analysis; and polymorphic functions are specialised to polymorphic values, leading to polymorphic residual functions.


Background : Dental caries is recognized as the most important oral burden. It is caused by the formation of lactate acid formed through reaction of bacteria and carbohydrates. Streptococci viridans has been proven as the primary etiologic agents for dental caries. Low accessibility in oral care services leads the Indonesian community to use plants in order to prevent dental caries. One of those plants is Psidium guajava (pink guava). The leaves were suggested to have antimicrobial effects on some gram-positive bacteria. When the organism is resistant to specific substance tested on media, a circular/inhibition zone around a disc containing antimicrobial substance was formed. The purpose of this study was to identify the presence of inhibition zones by infusion of Psidium guajava leaf on Streptococci viridians in vitro. Methods : This laboratory experiment was carried out in September to October 2014 at the Microbiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran. Infusions of Psidium guajava leaf were made into four different concentrations (10%, 25%, 50% and 100%, respectively) and the identification of inhibition zones on Streptococci viridans obtained from the laboratory was tested using modified disk diffusion test. Distilled water acted as negative control. The results were then interpreted after 24 hours of incubation. Every procedure was repeated three times. Results : All four concentrations of Psidium guajava leaf infusions have formed inhibition zones on the media, with the highest concentration (100%) producing largest average diameter. Conclusions : The infusion of Psidium guajava leaf produces inhibition zones on Streptococci virdans in vitro. [AMJ.2016;3(3):345–8] DOI: 10.15850/amj.v3n3.877


Both the professional code of conduct required in the practice of psychiatry, and the broader set of moral and ethical problems distinctive to, or at least magnified by, the mental health care setting are reviewed here. Some perennial aspects of mental disorder and its cultural history are introduced, together with problems resultant from recent scientific advances and policy changes. Psychiatric patients' vulnerability to stigma and discrimination will likely persist, it is noted, even when science demystifies mental disorder, and nothing short of the elimination of mental disorder will obviate the need for a serious and sustained attention to ethical issues in psychiatry.


Abstract Objective: This study aims to determine the correlation between risk factors and erosive esophagitis development. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study on a consecutive series of 19.672 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy between 01.01.2011-31.12.2017. A total of 3005 patients, diagnosed with erosive esophagitis, were included in the present study and stratified according to Los Angeles classification. Results: During the studied period we found 3005 patients with erosive esophagitis, sex ratio male to female was 1.3/1, the most common forms of esophagitis being grade A and B: 74.54% patients with esophagitis grade A, 14.80% patients with grade B; 5.29% patients were with grade C and 5.35% patients with esophagitis grade D. In severe esophagitis the male predominance was more prevalent (249 males, 71 female), with a sex ratio 3.50/1. The correlation of male gender with severe esophagitis was highly statistically significant (p < 0.0001, OR 2.97; 95% CI 2.25-3.91). Hiatal hernia was diagnosed in 1171 patients, the presence of large hiatal hernias, being an important predictor, with statistical significance (p < 0.0001, OR 3.41; 95% CI 2.22-5.21), for severe esophagitis development. Incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 11.51%, in the entire study group, with no statistical significant difference between patients with mild or severe esophagitis (12.02% vs 7.18%). Conclusion: Erosive esophagitis is a frequent disease, the most common forms being grade A and B. Male gender and the presence of hiatal hernia are the most important risk factors for erosive esophagitis development, in our study group.


RNA molecules from nuclear and cytoplasmic polyribosomes of adenovirus-infected HeLa cells were compared by hybridization to analyse the sequence content. Nuclear polyribosomes were released by exposure of intact detergent-washed nuclei to poly(U) and purified. Cytoplasmic polyribosomes were also purified from the same cells. To show that nuclear polyribosomes contain ribosomes linked by mRNA, polyribosomes were labelled with methionine and uridine in the presence of actinomycin D in adenovirus-infected cells. Purified nuclear polyribosomes were treated with EDTA under conditions which dissociate polyribosomes into ribosomes and subunits with a simultaneous release of mRNA, and sedimented. The treatment dissociated these polyribosomes, releasing the mRNA from them. Radiolabelled total RNA from each polyribosome population was fractionated in sucrose gradients into several pools or hybridized to intact adenovirus DNA to select virus-specific RNA. Sucrose-gradient-fractionated pool-3 RNA (about 28S) and virus-specific RNA were then hybridized to fragments of adenovirus DNA cleaved by restriction endonucleases SmaI, HindIII and EcoRI by the Southern-blot technique and by filter hybridization. The results showed that nuclear RNA contained sequences, from about 0 to 18 map units, which were essentially absent from cytoplasmic RNA. Furthermore, the amount of virus-specific RNA for a particular sequence was also different in the two populations.


Cambridge University Library is the recipient of a grant from the Arcadia Trust to investigate issues and challenges in delivering academic library services in the digital era. One project under this auspice has been IRIS: Induction, Research and Information Skills, which attempted to map the information skills and needs of students at Cambridge University. The results of this study will be used to provide information in planning future services and facilities for students. Students were invited to complete an online survey asking about which online information resources they use most frequently, from whom they hear about new resources, and where they go for help with information-seeking. Librarians across the tripartite Cambridge system, in 60 college, department, and University libraries, were also surveyed with regard to what training, induction, and support they offered and to whom. This article will focus on the responses of 115 medical students who participated in the survey, accounting for 6.5% of the total survey responses. While acknowledging that student respondents were self-selecting, the results raise questions about how well the librarians' message is getting across and how librarians can better serve students in the digital age.


In the fifth book of his De aspectibus, the medieval Latin version of Ibn al-Haytham's Kitāb al-Manāẓir, Alhacen undertakes to determine precisely where a given ray of light will reflect to a given center of sight from a variety of convex and concave mirrors based on circular sections. As applied specifically to convex and concave spherical mirrors, this problem exercised several seventeenth-century thinkers, Christiaan Huygens foremost among them, and in that context it soon became known as ''Alhazen's Problem.'' By current standards, Alhacen's solution (or solutions) of this problem is deficient in comparison to that of Huygens and later mathematicians. It is my purpose in this paper to show by reconstruction that in fact, far from deficient in any absolute sense, Alhacen's approach to this problem was remarkably ingenious and elegant in its conceptual simplicity.


Spiral density waves are known to exist in many astrophysical disks, potentially affecting disk structure and evolution. We conduct a numerical study of the effects produced by a density wave, evolving into a shock, on the characteristics of the underlying disk. We measure the deposition of angular momentum in the disk by spiral shocks of different strengths and verify the analytical prediction of Rafikov for the behavior of this quantity, using shock amplitude (which is potentially observable) as the input variable. Good agreement between theory and numerics is found as we vary the shock amplitude (including highly nonlinear shocks), disk aspect ratio, equation of state, radial profiles of the background density and temperature, and pattern speed of the wave. We show that high numerical resolution is required to properly capture shock-driven transport, especially at small wave amplitudes. We also demonstrate that relating the local mass-accretion rate to shock dissipation in rapidly evolving disks requires accounting for the time-dependent contribution to the angular momentum budget caused by the time dependence of the radial pressure support. We provide a simple analytical prescription for the behavior of this contribution and demonstrate its excellent agreement with the simulation results. Using these findings, we formulate a theoretical framework for studying the one-dimensional (in radius) evolution of shock-mediated accretion disks, which can be applied to a variety of astrophysical systems.


Surely, moral education is not merely intended to result in theoretical knowledge, but instead attempts to change people's behavior. However, when examining and evaluating current trends in moral education, it appears that hitherto moral education has fallen short of its goal to make people better. In this paper, I try to determine what has caused this perceived failure of moral education and conclude that approaches that focus on teaching moral reasoning skills rather than on teaching actual moral content, i.e., values and virtues, are generally ineffective for moral improvement. However, a more traditional form of moral education, namely character education, appears to be a viable alternative to the moral reasoning methods. Since character education can be regarded as the practical application of virtue ethics, I first describe and evaluate virtue ethics and defend it against potential criticisms. I then examine what methods are effective for teaching virtues, and how such methods can potentially be incorporated into the curriculum. Since virtues cannot be taught through theoretical instruction, the acquisition of good habits constitutes the necessary foundation for the establishment of good moral character. Some methods that have been suggested for laying the foundation for virtue are the use of stories, role play, as well as the inclusion of physical and outdoor activities, etc. Furthermore, habituation constitutes the basis for the acquisition of good habits, and as such it requires the application of rewards and punishment by a caring tutor, who at the same time can serve as a role model for virtuous behavior. Finally, I extrapolate if and how character education can be employed to make people more environmentally conscious citizens. I conclude that environmental virtue or character education is the most effective method of environmental education, since it affects how an individual understands, views, and subsequently interacts with the natural environment.


The methods used in the past to detect anticancer agents should be replaced by new approaches, where the aim is specifically to find treatments for the common solid cancers. Programmes have now been introduced which allow the rapid preclinical development and clinical trial of new classes of chemical. Provided sensitive markers of tumour response can be developed, new types of anticancer agent with activity against solid cancer should be discovered.


Abstract:Behrouz Boochani's political prison writings authored from Manus Prison from 2013 to 2019, especially his notion of kyriarchal power, strike at the heart of colonial Australia and its ongoing imperial ordering. The vast body of intellectual work Boochani produced during his imprisonment makes a powerful and embodied contribution to an already established and influential body of work produced in the last two decades that has articulated the patriarchal and imperializing function of Australian sovereignty, while drawing crucial links between Indigenous dispossession and refugee imprisonment. Australia's history as a colonial state is indissociably bound to incarceration as a practice that is critical to the exercising of illegitimate and colonial sovereignty. This violence is traceable to the foundational and ongoing function of the colonial nomopoly.


The benefits of carbohydrate ingestion before and after prolonged exercise are well
known to scientists, coaches and athletes alike. However, the type of carbohydrate
consumed can have a significant effect on substrate metabolism both at rest and during
exercise. The glycaemic index (GI) is a method of classifying carbohydrate-containing
foods according to their postprandial glycaemic responses. This is a useful tool to aid the
selection of appropriate carbohydrates for both pre- and post-exercise meals. This thesis
examined the influence of ingesting mixed meals with different glycaemic indices both
before exercise and during the post-exercise recovery period in male and female subjects. [Continues.]


What should you do when your three-year old Sesame-Street afficianado suddenly announces that he wants to study the violin? Or when your seven-year old informs you that he does not want the shiny new red bicycle you just bought him for his birthday, nor the spiffy new box of high-tech paints, but really wants to have piano lessons-today? What should you say when your ten-year old shouts that she hates that nasty new $1500 violin you just invested in, hates violin period, and is never going to practice again? Are there any software packages that can teach that teen-age Jimi Hendrix rehearsing in the garage next door how to read music? How should you answer the bewildered parent whose little girl wants to study the tuba and can take it for free at school? These and many other commonly asked and often puzzling questions are answered in Sound Choices: Guiding Your Child's Musical Experiences . This invaluable resource empowers over-busy, frequently harried, and technically- savvy twenty-first century parents to be consumer-wise participants in the music education of their children. Written by nationally recognized music educators who have been asked-and have answered-all these questions thousands of times, this user-friendly book offers information and practical advice about a large and varied number of issues in an accessible format that will enable parents to make informed decisions about music experiences and training for their children. Beginning with an ages and stages organization from infancy to adolescence, Sound Choices offers concise, age-specific information on musical experiences from generating interest to motivating practice and life-long enjoyment. Subsequent chapters provide detailed suggestions for choosing an instrument, finding a qualified teacher, and assessing the financial implications of musical study. Here also are practical strategies for such troublesome issues as evaluating the student-teacher relationship, changing teachers, monitoring practice, and useful comparisons of the varying points-of-view of parents, teachers, and children. A separate section discusses how parents might deal with a musically gifted child or how music might enhance the development of a child with special needs. Concise, comprehensive, and easy-to-use, Sound Choices features wide margins and useful icons to highlight key information and helpful questions. It is also a treasure trove of annotated resources that serves as an outstanding reference source for music related books, recordings, CD-ROMs, software, videos, movies, magazines, games, teaching aids, catalogs, and directories (including a directory of national sources for finding a qualified teacher). There are over thirty-one million family households in the United States with young children under the age of eighteen. Parents in these households now, more than ever, are looking outside and beyond the public school system to furnish educational opportunities for their children. For many parents, enrolling their children in music instruction is an attractive option. Yet most parents have no idea how to go about this. Sound Choices provides the answers for those who want to create an environment that will prepare their children for a lifetime of active involvement with music.


The long-range order (LRO) in underground water (North Germany) that was excited by gravitation was investigated in the period of August 13th to 14th, 2009. The average molecular mass of water clusters, the forms of the base water cluster (H2O)12 and of the Chaplin cluster (H2O)280, were found to correlate with a series of gravitation excitation which is connected with the earthquake on the Java island. It has been investigated how earthquakes at distance influence the general energy capacity of the water cluster ensembles. Amechanism describing generation and development of gravitation tensions in the epicenter on Java as the result of changed hydrogen bridges in water under the influence of impulse pressure up to 0.46 GPa has been suggested. Periodically changing water cluster forms prior to the earthquake and dominating collapsed clusters in the post seismic time were observed. Asystem of underground "boilers"- geysers (~ 25 pieces) in the epicenter under Java was concluded. These "boilers" are characterized by thewhole mass of ~ 179·106 t of circulatingwater and steam (model of Soxhlet apparatus), those overheating cause destruction, explosion and finally the earthquake of a middle power. Furthermore, a structure model of the epicenter was given. Water erosion of "boilers" was suggested to be the reason for future earthquakes.


Background Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) was developed with the aim of further improving the diagnostic performance of endoscopic ultrasound. Although novel puncture needles have been specifically designed for collecting sufficient tissue specimens, clinical studies have indicated no clear difference in diagnostic performance between these novel needles and conventional puncture needles. Recently, a needle with Franseen geometry was developed specifically for EUS-FNA biopsy. Due to the characteristic shape of its tip, the Franseen needle is expected to be effective for scraping tissues, thus potentially increasing the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA biopsy. We plan to carry out a prospective, multicenter, open-labeled, randomized, controlled trial to compare conventional and Franseen needles in terms of the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for evaluating the malignancy of pancreatic mass lesions. Methods/design The study will enroll 520 patients with pancreatic mass managed at any of 21 participating endoscopic centers. Lesion samples obtained using 22G conventional and Franseen needles will be assessed to compare the efficacy and safety of these two types of needles in EUS-FNA for evaluating the malignancy of mass lesions in the pancreas. Tissue samples will be fixed in formalin and processed for histologic evaluation. For the purpose of this study, only samples obtained with the first needle pass will be used for comparing the: (i) accuracy of the malignancy diagnosis, (ii) sensitivity and specificity for the malignancy diagnosis, (iii) procedure completion rate, (iv) sample cellularity, and (v) incidence of complications. Discussion The outcomes of this study may provide insight into the optimal needle choice for evaluating the malignancy of pancreatic solid lesions, thus aiding in the development of practice guidelines for pancreatic diseases.


Commercial sheep farming in the Highlands of Scotland has had a considerable influence on the landscape, ecology and economy of the region. The hill sheep industry developed in the Highlands in the mid 18th Century and remains the dominant form of agriculture in the hills and uplands. The hill grazings used by these sheep are dominated by unimproved semi-natural grassland, heather moorland and blanket bog. There is considerable concern from conservationists over the impact that sheep grazing is having on these semi-natural habitats, in particular the loss of heather moorland and the expansion of Nardus stricta-dominated grasslands. The government response to this has revolved around encouraging hill farmers to reduce sheep numbers (i.e. extensify). The semi-natural hill grasslands are of considerable economic importance to the sheep industry. Nardus stricta and Juncus squarrosus dominate a large proportion of these grasslands. The production and grazing utilisation of these semi-natural hill grasslands, and their response to extensification are therefore of considerable interest. This study investigated the effect that changes in grazing management had on species composition, vegetation structure, above-ground biomass, production and utilisation of a range of hill grassland and mire communities. The data collected from the study was then used to test and evaluate the vegetation component of the Hill Grazing Management Model (HGMM). The HGMM is a computer model designed to assist grazing management decision-making on British hill farms. The HGMM has a number of weaknesses, the main one being the limited range of vegetation types. The model does not include communities dominated by Juncus squarrosus, and although it does include Nardus stricta grassland it is only considered in terms of the Festuca - Agrostis growing between the Nardus stricta tussocks. One of the main aims of this study was to modify the HGMM to improve its predictive ability for sites with high proportions of Nardus stricta and Juncus squarrosus dominated grassland, using data collected from the study site. The study was carried out at a system scale level, using three large enclosures of approximately 40 hectares each. Two enclosures were grazed by sheep at mean annual stocking rates of 0.074 LU ha-1 and 0.051 LU ha-1, and the third enclosure was grazed by sheep and summer grazing cattle at a mean annual stocking rate of 0.096 LU ha-1. A quadrat survey and a vegetation mapping exercise were carried out to provide detailed information on the floristic composition of the vegetation community types, their areas, and spatial and altitudinal distributions. A detailed vegetation map was produced using a total survey station and a geographic information system. The study site consisted of a complex mosaic of twenty-two NVC vegetation types. Communities dominated by Nardus stricta covered over half the study area. Permanent nested quadrats and monthly sward surface height measurements were used to monitor changes in the composition and structure of the vegetation under the different grazing treatments. Few changes in species composition or the abundance of dominant species were observed, and none of the monitored vegetation types changed their NVC type. A number of ruderal and grazing tolerant species increased in frequency within the sheep and cattle grazed enclosure, as did the area of bare ground. The sward was also significantly shorter in the sheep and cattle grazed enclosure. Monthly above-ground biomass values of four vegetation types were estimated by harvesting strips of vegetation, sub-sampling, sorting, drying and weighing. Biomass varied significantly through the year. Mean summer biomass values varied from year to year. The biomass of both the Nardus stricta grassland and Juncus acutiflorus mire were significantly lower in the enclosure with the sheep and summer grazing cattle. The work presented in this thesis indicates that in the short term, extensification has very little impact on the species composition of hill grasslands and only minor effects on the structure and biomass of these grasslands. Entering into short-term management agreements to reduce sheep numbers is unlikely to result in any major environmental benefits if Nardus stricta and Juncus squarrosus dominate the hill vegetation. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


Advanced breeding lines from the IAC tomato breeding program and several tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cultivars and F1 hybrids were screened for tospovirus and potyvirus resistance under field conditions, at Campinas, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, during the 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 growing seasons. During the first season, only Tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) was detected in plants of the experimental area. On both evaluations, all seven lines (IAC group) were resistant to TCSV, with under 28% of infected plants. The tomato cultivars and hybrids were highly susceptible, with greater than 85% of infected plants, except for 'Franco', with 55% of infected plants. During the 2003/2004 growing season, the number of IAC lines evaluated was raised from seven to ten, and they were compared to five cultivars/F1 hybrids and to L. peruvianum LA-444-1. On this experiment, only Potato virus Y (PVY) was detected in plants. Evaluations were carried out using a symptom intensity scale and ELISA. Considering both criteria, it was verified that only LA-444-1 displayed high resistance to PVY. In addition, 'Tyrade' displayed an intermediate behavior while all other lines, cultivars and hybrids behaved as susceptible to this potyvirus. These results highlight the need of introgressing resistance to multiple viruses in tomato breeding programs, taking into consideration the economical importance and relative incidence of each virus in different geographical regions and natural variations on incidence from year to year.


People generally do not know the value of what they have until it is gone. Basic functions such as eating unaided are never noticed until one is no longer able to perform them. This paper attempts to answer the question of whether terminally ill, and or severely disabled people have the right to choose when to end their lives on their own terms or not. The paper uses the UDHR, EU convention, ICCPR and constitutions of specific states as well as court cases regarding the issue to dissuade whether assisted suicide is a right or not. The theoretical frame work of this paper is based on the Global Model of Human Rights by Kai Moller. There is more to life than just existing. Being alive is not what matters, but the quality of the life lived that does. If life was about merely existing we would be no different than shrubs.


Natural resources directly support rural livelihoods and underpin much of the wealth of rural and regional Australia. Climate change manifesting as increasing frequency and or severity of extreme weather events poses a threat to sustainable management of natural resources because the recurrence of events may exceed the resilience of natural systems or the coping capacity of social systems. We report the findings of a series of participatory workshops with communities in eight discrete landscapes in South East New South Wales, Australia. The workshops focused on how natural resource management (NRM) is considered in the Prevent-Prepare-Respond-Recover emergency management cycle. We found that NRM is generally considered only in relation to the protection of life and property and not for the intrinsic value of ecosystem services that support communities. We make three recommendations to improve NRM under extreme climate events. Firstly, the support to communities offered by emergency management agencies could be bolstered by guidance material co-produced with government NR agencies. Secondly, financial assistance from government should specifically target the restoration and maintenance of green infrastructure to avoid loss of social-ecological resilience. Thirdly, action by natural resource dependent communities should be encouraged and supported to better protect ecosystem services in preparation for future extreme events.


Data mining is to discover previously unknown, potentially useful and nontrivial knowledge, patterns or rules. Because databases may have some sensitive information which should not be leaked out, it is nontrivial to study data mining techniques without neglecting sensitive information, i.e., privacy-preserving data mining. In this paper, a new technique has been proposed for privacy-preserving mining of sequential patterns based on data perturbation. Experimental results show that the reconstructing support of frequent sequences can achieve a rather high level of accuracy.


Alternatives to pine bark for nursery crop substrates have been proposed, including the use of straw materials such as switchgrass. While straw substrates can be developed with suitable physical properties measured immediately after mixing, little is known about how the physical properties of straw-based substrates change over time. The objective of this research was to measure the change in air space (AS), container capacity (CC), total porosity (TP), and bulk density (Db) over time of a switchgrass-based substrate compared to a pine bark substrate. Switchgrass and pine bark substrates were packed into 15 cm (6 in) tall aluminum cores and placed in a production greenhouse with or without a single hibiscus plant. Physical properties of the substrates were measured at the beginning of the experiment and 9 to 10 weeks later when the plants were nearly too large for their containers. Air space decreased over time, primarily as a function of root growth and shrinkage. Container capacity increased slightly across all treatments over time. Bulk density changed very little over time. The switchgrass substrate was more prone to shrinkage than the pine bark substrate, although vigorous hibiscus root growth reduced shrinkage in switchgrass substrates.


Following a 120‐h exposure period to 3 concentrations of oil dispersions (0.022 mg L−1, 1.8 mg L−1, and 16.5 mg L−1, plus controls) generated from a North Sea crude oil and a subsequent 21‐d recovery, mortality, and several reproduction endpoints (egg production rates, egg hatching success, and fraction of females participating in reproduction) in Calanus finmarchicus were studied. Concentration‐dependent mortality was found during exposure, averaging to 6%, 3%, 15%, and 42% for the controls and 3 exposure levels, respectively. At the start of the recovery period, mean egg production rates of surviving females from the highest concentrations were very low, but reproduction subsequently improved. In a 4‐d single female reproduction test starting 13 d postexposure, no significant differences in egg production rates or hatching success were found between reproducing control and exposed copepods. However, a significantly lower portion of the surviving females from the highest exposure participated in egg production. The results indicate that although short‐term exposure to oil‐polluted water after an oil spill can induce severe mortality and temporarily suspend reproduction, copepods may recover and produce viable offspring soon after exposure. The results might imply that for C. finmarchicus populations, the impact from short‐term exposure to an oil spill might be predicted from acute mortality and that delayed effects make only a limited contribution to population decrease. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2045–2055. © 2013 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., on behalf of SETAC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐Non‐Commercial License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.


Chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction (CIPO) is a rare entity characterized by recurrent clinical episodes of intestinal obstruction in which no mechanical cause is identified. There are multiple causes for this syndrome but two main groups can be distinguished: a) secondary to a systemic non-gastrointestinal disease; and b) primary or idiopathic originated from alterations in the components of the intestinal wall. The latter forms are the most uncommon and their diagnosis is generally difficult. In the present article, we describe nine patients with CIPO that were diagnosed in our center over the last six years. Four of them were diagnosed with primary or idiopathic form of CIPO and another four were clearly secondary to a systemic disease. The ninth case, which was initially diagnosed as secondary, is probably also a primary form of the disease. The number of patients diagnosed in our center, even thought small, makes us to hypothesize that the prevalence of CIPO is probably greater than is generally believed and that the reasons of its rarity are the incomplete understanding of its physiopathology and the difficulties to achieve a correct diagnosis.


Abstract Knowledge of collocations is essential for English academic writing. However, there are few academic collocation referencing tools available and there is a pressing need to develop more. In this paper, we will introduce the ACOP (Academic Collocations and Phrases Search Engine), a newly developed corpus-based tool to search large academic corpora. Using the AntCorGen corpus crawling tool, 100,000 articles from 10 academic areas were downloaded from the PLOS One journal database. A multidisciplinary 500-million-word academic corpus was thus created. Our team further developed the ACOP to allow users to search for collocations and phrases in the academic corpus that we compiled. Additionally, this new tool will allow learners to search for not only bigrams but also for three- to five-word strings. Learners can further search using parts of speech. To validate whether the new tool can assist EFL learners in finding appropriate academic collocations, we compared this tool with BYU's state-of-the-art COCA corpus search tool. The 35 students who participated in the study were randomly divided into two groups. One group used BYU's COCA tool and the other used the ACOP tool. Both groups were asked to identify suitable collocates for 25 gap-fill questions. Paired t-tests and independent t-tests were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that both groups showed a significant improvement in the posttest when they had access to the collocation retrieval systems. However, statistically, the results showed no significant difference between the two tools, as they were equally useful in helping the students find appropriate collocates. According to the users' surveys, compared with the COCA group, the participants in the ACOP group found the ACOP easier to use and the interface was clearer and simpler. The Mann-Whitney U tests of the two groups showed significant differences in the aspect of the interface. The preliminary results indicated that the ACOP can assist EFL learners in finding suitable academic collocations and phrases, and the users' surveys showed positive results.


Background: Many publications discussed the potential role of medicinal plants in the management of COVID-19. However, clinical studies of the efficacy and safety of specified phytochemical(s) are limited.
Objectives: To explore the pharmacological profile of specified compounds against COVID-19
Method: Systematic literature search of academic databases to explore specified phytochemicals for the management of COVID-19 using appropriate search terms. Rayyan software was used to organize 786 citations of which. 236 articles were included in this review.
Results: Initially 70 compounds were identified to have a potential role in the management of COVID-19. In this review, 18 compounds were selected for further search
Conclusion: In vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2activity has been demonstrated for a variety of natural compounds. However, preclinical research for most phytochemicals is scarce, and only a few compounds have been evaluated in clinical trials against COVID-19. A comprehensive pharmacological profile of these phytochemicals is urgently needed.


Introduction : In 2016, Children's Health Queensland (CHQ) launched its new organisational values; respect, integrity, care and imagination, as well as pursuing a more integrated approach to service delivery.  Delivering paediatric healthcare across the continuum in a state as diverse as Queensland presents many inherent challenges.  Through a successful Integrated Care Innovation Fund grant for CHQ to deliver telementoring to general practitioners in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the first paediatric hub in Australasia for Project ECHO® launched in May 2017.  This was a successful example of fostering a strategic, sustainable, and mutually-beneficial relationship with a dynamic and dedicated consumer. Change implemented : By living the organisation's commitment to its new values and integrated care agenda, the medical lead and project manager engaged a consumer who identified as a mother of four children with behavioural health needs.  Consultation occurred with the consumer to identify how the project could acknowledge the value-add that consumers bring to implementation science, and how CHQ could benefit to consumers outside of enhanced clinical service delivery resulting from the project implementation. While caring for four children, participating on a project steering committee, weekly teleECHO clinics and completing undergraduate human services studies, the consumer was supported by the project team to design a student placement plan that would expose the consumer to frontline project management in a large-scale, multi-site health service, while maintaining objectivity as an advocate for families, and maintaining compliance to objectives of the undergraduate course. The project manager coordinated a comprehensive onboarding and networking agenda, including weekly full-day project management supervision for the duration of the semester placement.  This included providing coaching and debriefing for the consumer to maintain the 'real life' experience and reflective element of how CHQ engages with consumers to enhance the implementation of the Project ECHO® hub.  With this support infrastructure in place, the medical lead could test the efficacy of the project's implementation, with consistent focus on effects impacting the families. Target population and stakeholders : Consumers, advocates, patients, families, clinicians, hospital executives and GPs. Timeline : Two years, with an evaluation to be completed in June 2018. Highlights : Consumer co-design at all stages of the project lifecycle to implement the ECHO® hub. Consumer achieved a High Distinction for her placement. Consumer empowerment to apply university study with real-life experience and co-designing innovative new models of service. Mutual benefit, recognition and trust built between stakeholders. Enhanced value in new service models by GP audiences. Pairing traditional project management methodology with organisational values to empower consumers to be key partners of co-designing innovation. Sustainability and transferability : This consumer engagement approach, and value-add of co-design is directly sustainable and transferable to other project contexts.  Through delivering innovative new models of service, health services can empower and inspire consumer representatives to become professionals, formally acknowledged and accepted for their lived experience and academic pursuits. Conclusions : CHQ has successfully launched the ECHO® hub, and continues to foster a positive and mutually-beneficial consumer developmental relationship.  Participating clinicians and management have unanimously accepted the ongoing consumer participation to continue innovating.


Estimating the number of spectral signal sources, denoted by p, in hyperspectral imagery is very challenging due to the fact that many unknown material substances can be uncovered by very high spectral resolution hyperspectral sensors. This paper investigates a recent approach, called maximum orthogonal complement algorithm (MOCA) developed by Kuybeda for estimating the rank of a rare vector space in a high-dimensional noisy data space which was essentially derived from the automatic target generation process (ATGP) developed by Ren and Chang. By appropriately interpreting the MOCA in context of the ATGP, a potentially useful technique, called maximum orthogonal subspace projection (MOSP) can be further developed where a stopping rule for the ATGP provided by MOSP turns out to be equivalent to a procedure for estimating the rank of a rare vector space by the MOCA and the number of targets determined by the MOSP to generate is the desired value of the parameter p. Furthermore, a Neyman-Pearson detector version of MOCA, referred to as ATGP/NPD can be also derived where the MOCA can be considered as a Bayes detector. Surprisingly, the ATGP/NPD has a very similar design rationale to that of a technique, called Harsanyi-Farrand-Chang method that was developed to estimate the virtual dimensionality (VD) where the ATGP/NPD provides a link between MOCA and VD.


The application of manure phosphorus at rates above crop uptake has resulted in water pollution for some regions. In response, new manure management standards will require some farms to match manure phosphorus application rates with crop uptake. For some regions, this will lead to more crop acres and a shift toward crops with greater nutrient uptake, both of which will increase nitrogen runoff. The greater nitrogen runoff could offset the lower phosphorus runoff to result in greater water pollution. This demonstrates the law of unintended consequences, which results when policy does not consider how economic agents respond to incentives.


The green flagellate Euglena gracilis was treated for seven days with concentrations of copper ranging from 0.02 mg L-1 to 2.0 mg L-1. No inhibiting effects were detected in any physiological parameters measured. In general, it seems that enhanced copper concentrations stimulated photosynthetic efficiency (PE) of E. gracilis. Concentrations of copper reported to be critical for the other algae studied (from 0.10 mg L-1 to 0.14 mg L-1) did not show any severe negative effects on E. gracilis. An unusual trend was observed where an increase in PE was followed by an increase in light irradiance necessary to achieve light compensation point. High capacity of E. gracilis to adapt to copper stress is being discussed as a possible explanation for the trends detected.


A formal specification of a security protocol cannot be limited to listing the messages exchanged. In MSR, each construct is associated with typing and data access specification (DAS) rules, which describe under which circumstances a principal can access keys and other information. A protocol specification is completed with a description of the intruder in the style of Dolev and Yao, the wolf in the protocol world. In this paper, we show that the protocol determines the intruder: the wolf is deep within. More precisely we show that the Dolev-Yao intruder rules can be automatically reconstructed from the DAS rules, and that the DAS rules can themselves be inferred from annotated typing declarations for the various message constructors.


Aplastic anemia (AA) is characterized by hypocellular marrow and peripheral pancytopenia. Because interferon gamma (IFN-γ) can be detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of AA patients, it has been hypothesized that autoreactive T lymphocytes may be involved in destroying the hematopoietic stem cells. We have observed AA-like symptoms in our IFN-γ adenylate-uridylate-rich element (ARE)-deleted (del) mice, which constitutively express a low level of IFN-γ under normal physiologic conditions. Because no T-cell autoimmunity was observed, we hypothesized that IFN-γ may be directly involved in the pathophysiology of AA. In these mice, we did not detect infiltration of T cells in bone marrow (BM), and the existing T cells seemed to be hyporesponsive. We observed inhibition in myeloid progenitor differentiation despite an increase in serum levels of cytokines involved in hematopoietic differentiation and maturation. Furthermore, there was a disruption in erythropoiesis and B-cell differentiation. The same phenomena were also observed in wild-type recipients of IFN-γ ARE-del BM. The data suggest that AA occurs when IFN-γ inhibits the generation of myeloid progenitors and prevents lineage differentiation, as opposed to infiltration of activated T cells. These results may be useful in improving treatment as well as maintaining a disease-free status.


Background: Hypertension and thyroid nodules (TNs) are common medical problems that are increasing in prevalence globally. Hence, we conducted this study to assess the prevalence and associated predictors of hypertension in adult patients with TNs at the Royal Commission Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2021. Patients with documented TNs based on the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) were recruited to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors for hypertension. Result: Three hundred ninety-one patients with TNs were recruited for this study. The median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 46.00 (20.0) years, and 332 (84.9%) of the patients were females. The median (IQR) body mass index (BMI) was 30.26 (7.71) kg/m2. There was a high prevalence of hypertension (22.5%) in adult patients with TNs. In the univariate analysis, there were significant associations between diagnosed hypertension in patients with TNs and age, sex, diabetes mellitus (DM), bronchial asthma, triiodothyronine (FT3), total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). In the multivariate analysis, age (OR = 1.076 [95% CI 1.048 – 1.105]), sex (OR = 2.28 [95% CI 1.132 – 4.591]), DM (OR = 0.316 [95% CI 0.175 – 0.573]) and total cholesterol levels (OR = 0.820 [95% CI 0.694 – 0.969]) were significantly associated with hypertension. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertension in patients with TNs. Age, female sex, DM and elevated total cholesterol are significant predictors of hypertension in adult patients with TNs.


The main focus o f the study was to investigate the business models applied by supermarkets in Mombasa and the factors influencing the choice o f the business models. The study adopted a descriptive survey design that was both qualitative and quantitative. The study was carried out in 36 supermarkets classified into large, medium and small depending on the number of employees and the branch network. A total of 21 managers, 8 proprietors, 1 shelf Stocker and 6 supervisors representing each o f the 36 supermarkets in Mombasa participated in the study. The main research instrument was the questionnaire. Reliability of the instruments was measured using the split halves method. Content validity, was done through a panel of experts. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to prepare code books, tabulations and draw up statistical inferences. The study findings indicated that supermarkets in Mombasa applied a number o f business models in their operations and that a variety o f factors influenced the choice o f model applied. The main challenges faced by small and medium supermarkets were procuring financing from banks and unfriendly government policies. Additionally, the aforementioned have not invested in technology. Conclusions of the study were that supermarkets need to do an assessment of their vision, strategy and resources first before embarking on a specific model. The study recommended that the government should create a friendly environment for investment by working to reduce the cost o f production.


Non-geometric high dielectric constant stress relef has been used successfully since the 1960' s for terminating shielded power cable primarily in tape form. Unique problems occurred when adapting the early tape form of this technology to formulate high dielectric constant elastomers which could be molded or extruded. Balancing material selections, and the synergism between materials is a complex compromise of chemical, electrical, and physical factors. The resultant work provides an economical elastomer for terminating primary voltage cable, and effective distribution of the electrical field along the termination surface.


Abstract Destinezite, ideally Fe23+(PO4)(SO4)(OH)·6(H2O), is found as nodular lumps in hematite-rich epiclastic sediments accumulated in small crater lakes on the slopes of El Laco volcano. These lumps are almost entirely dominated by fine-grained destinezite replacing earlier lipscombite, and associated with gray hematite. The crystal structure of destinezite has been re-examined to test for possible differences with respect to the earthy and poorly crystalline destinezite that forms by weathering in cave soils and mine waste dumps. The structural refinements confirm that the differences are minor. The El Laco destinezite was refined in space group P1 with a = 9.5828(2), b = 9.7440(3), c = 7.3302(3) Å, and α = 98.796(3)°, β = 107.985(3)°, γ = 63.898(2)°, V = 584.50(4) Å3, and Z = 1. We measured by calorimetry the enthalpy and derived the entropy and the Gibbs free energy of formation of destinezite (–4051.7 ± 4.3, –1518.5 ± 20.0, and –3598.9 ± 7.1 kJ/mol, respectively). This has allowed us to estimate the equilibrium constant in the temperature range 0–300 °C (log K = –27.97 ± 1.1). We can predict that destinezite coexists with hematite over the range of conditions that typically encompass the steam-heated hydrothermal environments recognized at El Laco. The presence of destinezite along with hematite and the occurrence of alunite, jarosite, and variscite in the system provide evidence of intense hydrothermal alteration during the extrusion of Fe-rich melts at El Laco volcano. The mineral assemblage and the available geochemical data suggest that destinezite formed in hydrothermal conditions by "maturation" of an immiscible Fe–P-rich melt. An unknown Fe–P–O phase produced by this melt was first replaced by lipscombite and later, owing to intense sulfidation, by destinezite. This replacement took place in the vadose zone above the paleowater table by relatively cool (<150 °C) groundwaters acidified by oxidation of magmatic SO2 to aqueous sulfate in a steam-heated system. Our model precludes other modes of formation, such as devitrification of hypothetical Fe–P–S–O-rich melts ejected from the volcano and supergene crystallization.