Tree species preferences of a koala population inhabiting a small area of forest and woodland in the Campbelltown area, south-west of Sydney, were investigated over a two-year period. In total, 2499 trees from 45 independent field sites were assessed, with tree species preferences determined on the basis of a comparative analysis of proportional data relating to the presence/absence of koala faecal pellets. The results established that grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata) and blue-leaved stringybark (E. agglomerata) were most preferred by koalas in the study area, but only when growing on shale-based substrates. The preferential utilisation of E. punctata and E. agglomerata on substrates derived from shales, compared with that recorded for the same species on sandstones, suggests that their use by koalas was influenced by differences in nutrient status between substrates. Regression analyses further identified a trend for use of at least one of the preferred species (E. punctata) to be more commonly associated with larger trees. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to issues of resource availability and the need to reconsider, by way of a hierarchical approach, the use of food trees by koalas generally. The presence of E. punctata and E. agglomerata and their occurrence in conjunction with shale-based substrates are considered to be important limiting factors affecting the present-day distribution and abundance of koalas in the Campbelltown area.


The conceptual hydrogeological model of the Viterbo thermal area in central Italy and the yield of the groundwater sys- tem have been examined. This area is of great geothermal interest. Through new investigations, three overlapping aquifers have been found. This study examines in detail the two shallower aquifers, characterized by different hydraulic and chemical characteristics. The first aquifer is related to the regional groundwater flow of the Cimino-Vico volcanic system and is generally characterized by cold, fresh waters used for irrigation and drinking water supply. The second aquifer, i.e. the thermal aquifer, supply thermal spas and public pools; it is present where the local hydrostratigraphic, structural and geothermal conditions permit a relatively active flow of higher salinity thermal waters (40?C - 62?C). These two aquifers interact vertically and laterally, giving rise to mixed waters circulating in the first aquifer. The first aquifer is recharged by direct infiltration and inflow from regional groundwater, as well as inflow from the second aquifer. The yield of the thermal aquifer is at least 170 L/s, discharging into thermal springs and wells, besides feeding the shallow aquifer vertically and laterally. Even if a future development of the second aquifer is potentially achievable on a global scale, the exploitation of the thermal waters is strictly dependent on the specific local hydrogeological equilibrium between the overlapping aquifers, different from place to place. The case study highlights that, in the volcanic hydrogeological environment, one of the most stringent constraints in determining the correct usage of a resource is the variable level of interaction of groundwater with different qualities.


Modern architectures become more susceptible to transient errors with the scale down of circuits. This makes reliability an increasingly critical concern in computer systems. In general, there is a tradeoff between system reliability and performance of multithreaded applications running on multicore architectures. In this paper, we conduct a performance-reliability analysis for different parallel versions of three data-intensive applications including FFT, Jacobi Kernel, and Water Simulation. We measure the performance of these programs by counting execution clock cycles, while the system reliability is measured by Thread Vulnerability Factor (TVF) which is a recently-proposed metric. TVF measures the vulnerability of a thread to hardware faults at a high level. We carry out experiments by executing parallel implementations on multicore architectures and collect data about the performance and vulnerability. Our experimental evaluation indicates that the choice is clear for FFT application and Jacobi Kernel. Transpose algorithm for FFT application results in less than 5% performance loss while the vulnerability increases by 20% compared to binary-exchange algorithm. Unrolled Jacobi code reduces execution time up to 50% with no significant change on vulnerability values. However, the tradeoff is more interesting for Water Simulation where nsquared version reduces the vulnerability values significantly by worsening the performance with similar rates compared to faster but more vulnerable spatial version.


Abstract The laterally spreading colon tumors (LST) constitute a kind of flat superficial neoplasia, which may cause colorectal cancer. There was studied the efficacy of colonoscopy and chromoscopy, using indigocarmine and acetic acid in the LST diagnosis in 897 patients. In 85 (9.5%) patients, suffering adenoma 113 LST were revealed, including 84 (74.3%) of a nongranular type (LST - NG), 29 (25.7%)--of granular type (LST - G). The diameter of LST was from 10 to 120 mm, 19.6 mm at average. Tubular adenoma was diagnosed in 67 (59%) observations, the dentate one--in 24 (21%), papillary--in 12 (11%), papillary-tubular--in 10 (9%).


This study presents a project that tests and adjusts active European learning and teaching methods in Indonesian universities to increase their external impact on enterprises and other organizations; it also assesses the implementation of the Erasmus projects funded by the European Union. The project is based on the approach of innovation pedagogy that responds to regional development needs and integrates applied research and development projects into education to create capabilities for students to participate in development work after graduation. The assessment of the Erasmus project resulted in many improvements that can be made to achieve higher quality and innovativeness. The results of this study are useful for those who want to improve the applied research and development projects of higher education institutions.


Indians being 'argumentative' can even justify the indefensible and the conventional scientific logic and rationality appear amorphous and adjustable to us, which can be tailored to justify our firmly held superstitious beliefs and obscurantist practices. Scientific temper is a requisite to evolve an 'Ask why' society to sustain and reinvigorate the Indian democracy, which needs to be re-understood in the context of popular culture and pedagogical practices of science education. In this article, we tend to problematize what is scientific temper? Why scientific temper continues to elude us despite being part of our constitutional fundamental duty and framework. The aim is to negotiate with the idea of science as understood by Indians, while simultaneously deconstructing the idea of Indian science. The article will also explore the pedagogical concerns of science education in India. The penultimate question would be about the possibility of evolving scientific temper with the contemporary science education policies and system. The paper attempts to analyze how science education in Indian classroom settings continues to evade evolvement of scientific temper.


Structural Family Therapy was developed by Salvador Minuchin and colleagues during the 1960s as part of the growing interest in systemic ways of conceptualising human distress and relationship dilemmas, and in working therapeutically with those natural systems and relationships, thought to give rise to distress. Structural family therapy is underpinned by a clearly articulated model of family functioning, and has been developed and used most consistently in services for children and families. A growing body of empirical evidence attests to the efficacy of structural family therapy. As an approach it was extensively critiqued during the 1980s by feminist writers and during the 1990s by those interested in the implications of a social constructionist position. Structural family therapy continues to evolve in response to challenges mounted from within and outwith the systemic field, and as part of integrative practice and multisystemic approaches, with practitioners ever mindful of the need for regular feedback from family members themselves.


Communicative action in the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (HART) debates in the New Zealand Parliament in 2004 is analysed in this paper using Habermasian concepts of deliberation. The marked cooperativeness of these debates, which surprised the elected participants themselves, is demonstrated through a comparison with the related and almost simultaneous Care of Children debate, using a Discourse Quality Index inspired by Steiner et al (2004), assisted by qualitative analysis software. Using the thematic content of HART debates themselves, assisted by international literature on related debates, how this cooperativeness was accomplished is examined. Our analysis suggests that "conscience" voting, intentional sequestration of potentially destructive topics, active attempts to create unity, and a degree of Habermasian "deliberative reasonableness" all had parts to play. Why these debates exhibited these features is discussed in the conclusion where we draw attention to concepts of "the greater good", the perceived importance of the topic and reference to aspects of New Zealand identity. Finally, we point to a contradiction in the resulting legislation which relegated on-going debate on HART to appointed committees meeting in private.


EDrrOR,-The European Resuscitation Council's guidelines recommend that, for the treatment of ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, intubation should be brought forward much earlier in the cycle of events and antiarrhythmic agents and alkalising agents should be relegated to the "after three loops" position.' I think that these are retrograde steps. Attempts at intubation outside hospital in patients with ventricular fibrillation after misuse of inhaled substances, such as glue or cocaine, are frequently unsuccessful but also stimulate discharge of the gastric contents into the mouth and on to an unprotected airway. Also, early intubation delays attempts at defibrillation, which are paramount for the patient's survival. The rationale behind the demotion of lignocaine to such low importance seems to be based on animal work. There is no clinical evidence to support these experimental results. All doctors have seen patients in whom lignocaine, bretylium, or other antiarrhythmic agents seemed to break the cycle of "apparent resistant ventricular fibrillation." These are observational data, but as there are no other agents that have improved the success rate of resuscitation and there is no evidence that antiarrhythmic agents decrease the success rate, they are still indicated and at a much earlier stage of this algorithm. If antiarrhythmic agents are not given at an earlier stage then recurrent ventricular fibrillation can undoubtedly develop. As metabolic acidosis in conjunction with ventricular fibrillation is particularly prevalent outside hospital, sodium bicarbonate may be particularly helpful in aiding the correction of ventricular fibrillation without compromising the success of resuscitation. Furthermore, if adrenaline is to be given as frequently as the three loops would suggest, tachycardias will occur after the correction of ventricular fibrillation; these will require the skilled administration of [3 blockers to reduce the heart rate and prevent recurrent ventricular fibrillation. Though I accept that it is difficult to carry out controlled trials in patients with a cardiac arrest, proved techniques used in successful resuscitation should not be relegated to an unimportant part of the algorithm until other, newer techniques have been shown to be more successful.


Rolandic epilepsy (RE) and its atypical variants (atypical rolandic epilepsy, ARE) along the spectrum of epilepsy–aphasia disorders are characterized by a strong but largely unknown genetic basis. Two genes with a putative (ELP4) or a proven (SRPX2) function in neuronal migration were postulated to confer susceptibility to parts of the disease spectrum: the ELP4 gene to centrotemporal spikes and SRPX2 to ARE. To reexamine these findings, we investigated a cohort of 280 patients of European ancestry with RE/ARE for the etiological contribution of these genes and their close interaction partners. We performed next‐generation sequencing and single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)–array based genotyping to screen for sequence and structural variants. In comparison to European controls we could not detect an enrichment of rare deleterious variants of ELP4, SRPX2, or their interaction partners in affected individuals. The previously described functional p.N327S variant in the X chromosomal SRPX2 gene was detected in two affected individuals (0.81%) and also in controls (0.26%), with some preponderance of male patients. We did not detect an association of SNPs in the ELP4 gene with centrotemporal spikes as previously reported. In conclusion our data do not support a major role of ELP4 and SRPX2 in the etiology of RE/ARE.


Background Estimating mortality risk during TB treatment in HIV co-infected patients is challenging for health professionals, especially in a low TB prevalence population, due to the lack of a standardized prognostic system. The current study aimed to develop and validate a simple mortality prognostic scoring system for TB/HIV co-infected patients. Methods Using data from the CDC's Tuberculosis Genotyping Information Management System of TB patients in Texas reported from 01/2010 through 12/2016, age ≥15 years, HIV(+), and outcome being "completed" or "died", we developed and internally validated a mortality prognostic score using multiple logistic regression. Model discrimination was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The model's good calibration was determined by a non-significant Hosmer-Lemeshow's goodness of fit test. Results Among the 450 patients included in the analysis, 57 (12.7%) died during TB treatment. The final prognostic score used six characteristics (age, residence in long-term care facility, meningeal TB, chest x-ray, culture positive, and culture not converted/unknown), which are routinely collected by TB programs. Prognostic scores were categorized into three groups that predicted mortality: low-risk (<20 points), medium-risk (20–25 points) and high-risk (>25 points). The model had good discrimination and calibration (AUC = 0.82; 0.80 in bootstrap validation), and a non-significant Hosmer-Lemeshow test p = 0.71. Conclusion Our simple validated mortality prognostic scoring system can be a practical tool for health professionals in identifying TB/HIV co-infected patients with high mortality risk.


The phenomenon of life is organized in supraorganismal systems, populations and ecosystems. The main mechanisms of sustainability of these systems are: 1) the influence of limiting factors on population growth and ecosystem development; 2) the allocation of plant and animal species into ecological niches; 3) co-adaptation of plants and animals; 4) species genetic integration; 5) biocommunications. Limiting factors inhibit populations' growth and distribution of organisms, so that populations obey the logistic growth, reaching a relatively stable climax stage. The space of limiting factors restricted by the tolerance limits of organisms forms an ecological niche of species. During long-joint evolution (co-evolution), species form co-adaptations (mutual adaptations). As a result of species genetic integrity, each new generation inherits not only adaptations for its specific ecological niche, but also a determined physical space including all the environmental factors to which the species is adapted. Consolidation of individuals with a related genotype is supported by intraspecific communication processes. Means of communication are genetically determined. Humankind is the only species on Earth that has subjugated limiting factors. As a result the population of humans shows an unlimited exponential growth, population explosion. It is a basic factor in the instability of the Nature - Society system.


The objective of this paper is to compare the robustness performance of continuous time periodic controller with conventional non-linear sliding mode controller (SMC) for a highly non-linear system cart-inverted pendulum. The goal is to determine which control strategy delivers better performance to pendulum's angle and cart's position. It is observed that although both the controllers are capable to control the multi output inverted pendulum system successfully; time varying periodic control delivers better robustness compared to nonlinear SMC control strategy by virtue of its loop zero-placement capability. Simulation study is done in MATLAB-SIMULINK environment and the responses are presented in time domain with detailed analysis.


The use of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) has been proposed for several different types of applications including hydrographic surveys (e.g., mapping the ocean floor and exploring sunken wreckage), mine detection and identification, law enforcement (e.g., enforcing certain fishing regulations), environmental and pollution monitoring, and even performing surveys to find potential drilling locations on the ocean floor for the oil industry. Recently the idea of using multiple, cooperating UUVs to execute these missions has also been proposed. There are two main factors that dictate a particular mission's success. The first factor regards creating a mission that is free from errors, in terms of both syntax and semantics. The second factor deals with properly splitting a mission into a set of sub-missions and assigning each sub-mission to a group of UUVs. Even though tools have been developed to help reduce these potential problems such as high level mission programming languages, compilers for these languages and utilities to automatically split an operator specified mission, the potential still exists for errors when creating a mission (e.g. semantic errors introduced from programming and maintaining the code for existing missions). The goal of this article is to present a programming-free, parallel mission generation utility that uses a series of tools we developed along with a commercially available graphical package. Our utility allows an operator to graphically specify a mission for a group of UUVs and automatically split the mission among the group based on an objective provided by the operator. The main contribution of this tool is twofold. First, it relieves the operator from low-level mission programming including the manual partitioning of the mission across a group of available UUVs. Second, it allows the operator to review the resulting set of generated sub-missions using the graphical interface. Thus, no matter what the particular UUV application is, this tool is another step towards successfully creating missions for UUVs.


Abstract Laboratory work showed that organic compounds have considerable promise as cloud-seeding agents. The following substances gave complete nucleation: phloroglucinol at −2C, trichlorobenzene at −12C, D(+)-Raffinose at −14C, trimesic acid at −15C, and melamine at −15C. Thirty-two organic compounds were investigated. The tests were conducted in a deepfreeze cloud chamber and a Bigg-Warner chamber. Field tests by the University of Chicago (Braham, 1963) confirmed the activity of phloroglucinol. Theoretical analysis indicates that activity of organic icing nuclei is determined by configuration of electric link-dipole moments in the molecule.


The principles of network enabled capability highlight the need for seamless information exchange. The service oriented architectural paradigm has been recognized as one of the key enablers to achieve this. At the same time, Web services have become the de facto standard for implementing service oriented architecture. However, these technologies have been developed for environments with abundant data rates, environments which are very different from military tactical networks. In this article, we present possible solutions and remaining challenges on the way toward also realizing service oriented architecture on the tactical level. Our goal is to make it possible to take advantage of the benefits promised by this architectural paradigm at all military levels, ranging from strategic to tactical networks.


The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has evolved throughout time reflecting the continuously changing concerns of European societies and its rural areas. The Mid-Term Review of the CAP, agreed on June 2003, represents a complete change in the way the EU support the farm sector. On the one hand, "decoupling" will make EU farmers more competitive and market oriented and, on the other hand, "cross-compliance" will ensure the respect of environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards. There is less emphasis on market and income support measures within Pillar 1 and an increasing importance of rural development programs. One of the particularities of the new CAP is that Member States have several options to implement the single payment scheme. That means that the CAP sets up the general guidelines but it will be for Member States and regions to decide the specific measures to adopt. The versatile nature of the new CAP will lead to a multiplicity of support schemes, rising the interest of developing economic tools flexible enough to take into account the different features and concerns of the rural areas. This motivates the aim of this paper to develop a methodology aimed to guide the design of regional or local strategies in the Spanish farming systems. The need to collect comprehensive field data is a serious limitation of traditional farm modelling methodologies to perform evaluation on a global scale. Most of existing analyses are restricted to the evaluation of impacts in limited areas making it difficult to establish general conclusions. In this context, the development of methodologies adapted to work with the limited databases available and that can be applied to diverse situations are highly valuableIn this paper we propose a methodological framework to assess the environmental and socio- economic impacts of different policy option in a large number of farming systems representing the heterogeneous characteristics that can be found throughout the Spanish territory. In this sense, we develop a positive mathematical programming model that allows us to simulate farmers' behaviour under alternative policy scenarios. One of the main limitations of positive mathematical programming is that available options to the farmers are limited to the observed activities in the actual situation. We propose a cost transfer approach which allow us to overcome this difficulty. The model interface allows friendly use and easy replication to a large number of rural areas. This modelling approach allows us to evaluate environmental and socio-economic impacts of different agricultural policy scenarios. Chosen scenarios focus on some recently envisaged policy alternatives, such as the cross-compliance option in the Agenda 2000 and the decoupling scheme in the Mid Term Review of the CAP. Model results allow us to suggest that this modelling approach may be used as a management tool to assist the design of regional programs of measures within the CAP.


This article offers a consideration of the ways that the politics of normative childhoods are shaped by discourses of happiness predicated on heteronormativity. Responding to the work of Cristyn Davies and Kerry Robinson (2013, this issue), the authors argue that non-normative families and in particular, non-normative parenting, are obliged to secure, protect and police their children's perceived entitlements to normative 'happy' childhoods in order to achieve social legitimacy. Such obligations, they contend, locate non-normative parents and families, rather than societies, as responsible for the effects of discriminatory social norms to which they are subjected. Informed by the work of Jonathan Silin, the authors support a politics of childhood that gives discursive legitimacy to children's voice and experience regarding the ways in which normativity is enforced at their and their families' expense.


An atomic force microscope colloidal probe technique has been employed to probe normal and friction forces between silica surfaces coated with adsorbed layers of a diblock copolymer of the composition poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(48)-block-poly(3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethyla mmonium chloride)(20), abbreviated PNIPAAM(48)-b-PAMPTMA(+)(20). The interactions between the PNIPAAM(48)-b-PAMPTMA(+)(20)-coated surfaces across a 0.1 mM NaCl (pH 6) solution at 25 degrees C are purely repulsive, due to a combination of steric and electrostatic double-layer forces. However, when the temperature is increased to 35 degrees C, and subsequently to 45 degrees C, an attractive force develops at short separations due to the unfavourable PNIPAAM-water interaction at these temperatures. The temperature-dependent polymer-water interaction has implications for the friction force between the layers. At 25 degrees C a frictional force that increases linearly with increasing load is observed once the surfaces are brought into close contact. At higher temperatures significantly higher friction forces appear as a consequence of attractive segment-segment interactions. Further, a clearly expressed hysteresis between friction forces encountered on loading and unloading is detected. Our results demonstrate that both normal and friction forces between surfaces can be controlled by temperature changes when temperature-responsive polymers are employed, and friction forces can be adjusted as required from low to high.


Introduction: Stress in the workplace is a well-known phenomenon. With the current COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to counteract it has led to a psychological toll on employees of almost all sectors. We aim at exploring the self-perceived stress, screen for anxiety, and depression, and sleep problems among the employees of a corporate business house.
Material And Method: An online survey using a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling was conducted during the lock-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal among the employees of a corporate house before conducting a stress management session. The tools used were semi-structured proforma and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ4), and Single-item sleep quality scale (SQS). A descriptive statistical analysis was performed.
Results: The majority of the respondents were male (64.9%), unmarried (78.9%), and lived with their family (92.8%). A moderate level of stress was present among 86.0% and a high level of stress among 5.2% of respondents. 24.6% and 33.3% of individuals were screened positive for anxiety and depression respectively. 17.5% of the individuals had poor sleep and 15.8% perceived their work efficiency was decreased.
Conclusion: The stress and psychological problems reported by the respondents strongly suggest a need for regular stress management programs. Further studies are warranted with a larger sample size and from different sectors to look at the real impact of COVID-19 on the employees.


Silencers and enhancer-blockers (EBs) are cis-acting, negative regulatory elements (NREs) that control interactions between promoters and enhancers. Although relatively uncharacterized in terms of biological mechanisms, these elements are likely to be abundant in the genome. We developed an experimental strategy to identify silencers and EBs using transient transfection assays. A known insulator and EB from the chicken beta-globin locus, cHS4, served as a control element for these assays. We examined 47 sequences from a 1.8-Mb region of human chromosome 7 for silencer and EB activities. The majority of functional elements displayed directional and promoter-specific activities. A limited number of sequences acted in a dual manner, as both silencers and EBs. We examined genomic data, epigenetic modifications, and sequence motifs within these regions. Strong silencer elements contained a novel CT-rich motif, often in multiple copies. Deletion of the motif from three regions caused a measurable loss of silencing ability in these sequences. Moreover, five duplicate occurrences of this motif were identified in the cHS4 insulator. These motifs provided an explanation for an uncharacterized silencing activity we measured in the insulator element. Overall, we identified 15 novel NREs, which contribute new insights into the prevalence and composition of sequences that negatively regulate gene expression.


BackgroundDiabetes is a strong predictor of a poor outcome after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The prevalence of prediabetes and its impact on the prognosis after CABG is not well described. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence and prognostic impact of the different states of abnormal glucose regulation (AGR) after CABG. Patients and methodsIn this prospective study, we included 244 patients undergoing CABG. An oral glucose tolerance test was used to stratify patients into three groups: normoglycaemia, prediabetes and diabetes. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality and hospitalization for a nonfatal cardiovascular event. ResultsAmong the patients, 86 (35%) were normoglycaemic and 58 (24%) had prediabetes; 100 (41%) patients had diabetes, of whom 28 (28%) had newly diagnosed diabetes on the basis of oral glucose tolerance test. During a mean follow-up period of 5.3 years, 25% of the study population suffered the primary outcome. There was a successive increase in the primary outcome rate from normoglycaemia through prediabetes to diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio 1.40; 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.96; P=0.045). ConclusionWith increasing severity of AGR, there is an increasing risk of new cardiovascular events after CABG. AGR is prevalent and predicts a poor outcome after CABG. Systematic screening for AGR seems reasonable to identify these high-risk patients.


Abstract The effects of temperature on prey capture kinematics were investigated in the Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides. Five individuals were first acclimated to 22 C and then acutely exposed to temperatures of 15, 20, 25, and 30 C. At each temperature, feeding events were recorded using high-speed video at 500 frames s−1. An analysis of variance on the five fastest feeding events from each individual at each temperature resulted in a significant trend for the fastest feeding events to occur at 25 C. This effect confirmed the expectation of thermal dependence of mouth opening movements, which was based on an inverse relationship between water viscosity and temperature and the assumption that temperatures outside optimum decrease muscular power and contraction rates. However, the Q10 value between 15–25 C was only 1.28, well below the minimum expected value of 2.0. Thus, we suggest the possibility that Largemouth Bass partially compensate for the effects of acute temperature changes by recruiting additional motor units at lower temperatures. The capacity of Largemouth Bass to mitigate the impact of acute temperature change on muscle physiology and the physical properties of water may represent a physiological adaptation to a predatory lifestyle in a thermally variable environment.


Census of mycorrhizae in Shorea javanica agroforests has been made periodically in the district of Krui, Lampung, Sumatra. Amanita hemibapha (Amanitaceae), Cantharellus cibarius (Cantharella-ceae), Lactarius spp., Russula spp. (Russulaceae) and Scleroderma sp. (Sclerodermataceae) were commonly encountered on the agroforest floor. These mycorrhizal fungi are naturally associated with  the planted trees. The significance of mycorrhizae for the maximization of growth and sustained productivity of resin is discussed as well as the need to design well defined agroforestry systems to facilitate growth and to improve production management techniques.


This paper focuses on the contractual mechanisms that will help to achieve a fair allocation of risk between operators and contractors in the oil and gas projects. Companies that are actively dealing with a wide range of activities which engage volatile hydrocarbons are exposed to substantial risks and liabilities. In this regard, most of the petroleum contracts for upstream projects depart from the common law tradition of risk allocation by shifting the risk to another party; this is done to protect commercial interests. To achieve this goal, contractual provisions are used in allocating the risks; especially those related to people, property and the environment. Risk allocation provisions deal with hypothetical events — this means that the identity of the person bearing the liability which will accrue if certain events take place is determined in advance. Such clauses are intended to ensure that, where harm arises, oil companies take responsibility for such harm and can meet the costs of mitigating that harm, including requirements for insurance and the allocation of liability. These clauses are also known as risk allocation provisions. Contractual risk allocation is one element of risk management between or among the parties involved in an undertaking. This is particularly challenging in the oil and gas industry where several parties are involved in one project. A range of risk allocations are used in oil and gas contracts, including exclusion of liability and liability caps. The paper discusses several mechanisms of risk allocation in oil and gas contracts and the issues pertaining to this matter.


The on-off pressure mechanism has an important function to the printing press, the quality of which concerns the working performance of the printing machine and the quality of printed products directly. In this paper, the pneumatic on-off pressure mechanism is discussed; the work demand of order on-off pressure is analyzed. In addition, the three-dimensional digital model and the kinematic analysis process can be achieved on the basis of ADAMS software. What's more, the on pressure value in the process of on pressure is derived from the kinematic analysis. Lastly, the relation between the motion of on-off pressure mechanism and cylinder's angular displacement is analyzed, an important basis to the on-off pressure mechanism's optimal design will be provided.


Cancer cachexia is associated with elevated lipolysis, proteolysis and gluconeogenesis. ATP infusion has been found to significantly inhibit loss of body weight, fat mass and fat-free mass in patients with advanced lung cancer. The present study was aimed at exploring the effects of ATP on whole-body glucose turnover, alanine turnover and gluconeogenesis from alanine. Twelve patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were studied 1 week before and during 22-24 h of continuous ATP infusion. After an overnight fast, turnover rates of glucose and alanine, and gluconeogenesis from alanine, were determined using primed constant infusions of ?6, 6-(2)H(2)glucose and ?3-(13)Călanine. Thirteen NSCLC patients and eleven healthy subjects were studied as control groups without ATP infusion. During high-dose ATP infusion (75 microg.min(-1).kg(-1)), glucose turnover was 0.62+/-0.07 mmol.h(-1).kg(-1), compared with 0. 44+/-0.13 mmol.h(-1).kg(-1) at baseline (P=0.04). For gluconeogenesis a similar, but non-significant, trend was observed ?baseline, 0.30+/-0.16 mmol.h(-1).kg(-1); during ATP, 0.37+/-0.13 mmol.h(-1).kg(-1) (P=0.08). At lower ATP doses (37-50 microg. min(-1).kg(-1)) these effects were not detected. The relative increase in glucose turnover during ATP infusion compared with baseline showed a significant correlation with the ATP dose (r=0.58, P=0.02). No change in alanine turnover was observed at any ATP dose. The results of this study indicate an increase in glucose turnover during high-dose ATP infusion compared with baseline levels. During high-dose ATP infusion, glucose turnover was similar to that during low-dose ATP infusion and to that in control NSCLC patients. Between ATP infusions, however, glucose turnover in patients treated with high-dose ATP was significantly lower than that in the low-dose and control NSCLC patients (P=0.04 and P=0.03 respectively), and similar to that in healthy subjects. This would suggest that repeated high-dose ATP infusions may inhibit glucose turnover between infusion periods.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the outcome after conventional sutured loop ileostomy closure with stapled ileostomy closure.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA
A defunctioning loop ileostomy is now widely used in colorectal surgery. Subsequent closure may be associated with early complications, particularly bowel obstruction. The results of a preliminary nonrandomized study suggested that there was no significant difference in the rate of complications between sutured and stapled closure of loop ileostomy.

METHODS
One hundred forty-one consecutive patients who underwent loop ileostomy between 1993 and 1998 were randomized before surgery to either sutured or stapled loop ileostomy closure. Seventy-one patients had stapled closure and 70 had sutured closure.

RESULTS
Both groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, original operation, duration after original operation, and level of operating surgeon. Postoperative bowel obstruction occurred in 10/70 (14%) patients after sutured closure compared with 2/71 (3%) patients after stapled closure. Subgroup analysis of ileostomy closure in patients having an ileal pouch showed no significant difference in bowel obstruction between stapled and sutured closure (2/30 vs. 7/29). The incidence of other complications, readmissions, and reoperations did not differ between the two groups. The stapled closure was only 4 minutes quicker than sutured closure. The mean total hospital stay tended to be shorter after the stapled closure than the sutured closure, but this did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS
Bowel obstruction occurred less frequently after stapled closure, but the mean hospital stay and readmission and reoperation rate did not significantly differ between the two groups.


The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between opportunity for innovation and organizational citizenship behaviour in the Nigerian hospitality industry. The cross sectional survey was conducted with a sample size of 1450 workers drawn from a population of 3768 workers in the South-South geopolitical region of Nigeria. The scales used were within the acceptable Cronbach Alpha values of 0.7, which was interpreted to be reliable. A total of 1,093 copies of completed and usable questionnaire were used for data analysis. Furthermore, the data obtained were analysed using the Spearman Rank Order Coefficient. The results reveal that opportunity for innovation is strongly related to altruism, conscientiousness, civic virtue, courtesy and sportsmanship. The findings suggest that organizations conducive for innovation tends to promote extra discretionary employee behaviour. The study concluded that in the presence of opportunity for innovation of the worker, organizational citizenship behaviour is activated.


Background: Knee osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal progressive disorder that affects nearly 303 million people worldwide. This condition prevails in 10% males and 13% females among the elders above 60. Although there is conventional nonsurgical and surgical treatment available for knee osteoarthritis, there is a fascinating interest in bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) as well as adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC), including enzymatically treated stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and mechanically treated (microfat/nanofat) injections among physicians. Hence, this systematic review aims to determine the efficacy of BMAC and AD-MSCs (enzyme and mechanically treated) injections for knee osteoarthritis treatment. Methods: A systematic review was performed on the following data sources (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) published on March 31, 2021. The keywords or MeSH terms include 'Knee Osteoarthritis with 'Bone marrow aspirate concentrate' OR 'BMAC' or with 'Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC)' or with 'Stromal vascular fraction' OR 'SVF' or 'Mechanically treated AD-MSC (mfat/nanofat)'. In addition, the retrieved articles were further reviewed to identify relevant research studies. Results: The authors reviewed and tabulated data based on the year of study, study type, therapy protocol, patient population, outcome measures, and interpretation. Among the 382 records screened, 43 studies (16 on BMAC and 27 on AD-MSCs) were included in the systematic review study. Among them, only 5 were randomized controlled trials. These selected studies demonstrated short-term positive outcomes such as improvement in knee pain and function with no adverse side effects. Moreover, researchers reported varied administration methods of BMAC or AD-MSC either as standalone or in combination with other conservative procedures such as PRP (Platelets Rich Plasma), HA (Hyaluronic acid), or surgery. Conclusions: BMAC and AD-MSC (enzymatically and mechanically treated) injections prove safer and more efficacious in patients with knee osteoarthritis for a shorter duration of 2 years. However, the available literature lacks high-quality studies with no varied clinical settings and long-term follow-up of more than two years.


The increased use of returnable packaging have given rise to the trend of packaging logistics.The operation of returnable packaging is challenging for global companies due to thecomplexity in the process and information flows. Companies invest in returnable packagingsystems in order to ensure quality throughout the supply chain. Despite the large investments inan returnable packaging fleet, it is often poorly controlled, leading to vast tied-up capital andshrinkage.This thesis proposes how the visibility and control of the system is affected by thecategorization of packaging and the allocation of responsibilities throughout the packaginghandling process. Theoretical and empirical studies were carried out, the theoretical part helpeddefine the problem. A case study were performed at Scania CV AB in Sodertalje, Sweden.Results of this study shows that categorization of packaging is not sufficient to attain a suitablelevel of control in an packaging handling process. Although it could be used as a supporting orgoverning documents for standardization in the process. Findings showed that theresponsibilities in the process should be centralized in as large extent as possible. Although ifthe current process is lacking visibility and control, the benefits of centralized control may belost.


FUNDING: DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology; South African National Research Foundation (grant TTK190117408656) Roads and rivers act as conduits of alien plant invasion; however, little is known regarding the abundance and invasion extent of Lantana camara, an invasive shrub, along road–river interchanges and roadsides in South Africa. We assessed the effects of road–river interchanges and roadsides as invasion corridors that facilitate L. camara invasion. A road survey method was used to measure the invasion extent of L. camara along road–river interchanges and roadsides from national and regional roads covering 446 km in Soutpansberg, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. L. camara occurred along 21 of the 48 surveyed road–river interchanges and its abundance and cover were similar between road–river interchanges and roadsides, although height and diameter of L. camara were greater along road–river interchanges than roadsides. Other alien species that dominated road–river interchanges were Solanum mauritianum, Caesalpinia decapetala and Rubus rigidus. Our results indicate that L. camara dominates both road–river interchanges and roadsides, therefore roads and bridges should be considered important targets for L. camara control.


The need to achieve competitive advantageous among companies have made international purchasing an attractive option. Acting on international markets could be beneficial from many perspectives; one of the main driving forces is to cut costs. However, there are also a lot of challenges related to international purchasing. CSR and Sustainability issues seems so becoming increasingly important in society and this will of course affect companies work with international purchasing. This paper investigates the driving forces and challenges related to international purchasing and the role of CSR and Sustainability in this context. The findings are then applied on the construction industry and the case company NCC. The methods used are both a literature study and an empirical study. The empirical study is based on interviews with representatives from varying industries.The study indicates that the importance of CSR and Sustainability is rapidly increasing. Companies must balance the driving forces in terms of e.g. cost and quality with CSR issues and other challenges that distance causes. Supplier relationships have turned out to be a crucial factor for the success of international purchasing and CSR. Building supplier relationships is therefore suggested as a strategy for NCC to embrace.


IN the recent numiibers of the BRITISII MIEDICAL JOURNAL, there have appeared several interestin-g notices on the therapeutical effects of " erythroxyloni coca". This substance has been for some years pretty extensively employed at home, but particularly on the continent, as a stimulant and tonic in a variety of diseases, and, it is said, with considerable success. Still, comparatively little is yet known about the action of the plant. The following observations may not be uninteresting to those who are clinically investigating the properties of the drug, which, as our knowledge of it aclvances, will doubtless prove a valuable addition to the Pharnzacopa-ia. My attention was directed to the action of the coca leaves several years ago; and at different times, and from various sources, I have obtained quantities sufficient for experimental purposes. My object was first to ascertain the effects of the drug upon the healthy human subject, with special reference to its stated stimulant and antitriptic properties ; and, with this object, I administered to myself and to others the leaves in doses varying from one to eight drachms in the form of infusion and of extract, and also by chewing them along with different alkalies, after the manner described by travellers as adopted by the natives of Bolivia and Peru. After a series of experiments carefully conducted, I was not able to convince myself that the drug thus administered had any special effects, with the exception of a sensation of slight local tingling of the tongue and mouth when the leaves were masticated for any length of time. Whether this inert action is due to the leaves having lost their active properties by exportation, to their being improperly selected or prepared, to an insufficient quantity having been administered, or to a defective method of application, I am not in a position to decide. After every precaution and variety of treatment with different samples of the leaves, and in as large quantities as could be conveniently administered, I have failed to satisfy myself that there was even any approach to the powerful and somewhat startling results graphically described by many authors as occurring when the leaves are chewed by the inhabitants of the countries where the plant abounds. I next directed my attention to the neutral principle of the coca leaves, and after great difficulty, with the aid of Messrs. Macfarlane and Co., chemists, Edinburgh, I succeeded in obtaining a small quantity of the crystalline substance cocaine (C'6 Hl9 NO4). With this I conducted a series of experiments and observations on the lowver animals, as far as I am aware, for the first time in this country, and arrived at results vhich appeared to me of considerable importance, ascertaining that cocaine wvas a powerful poison with special actions on the nervous system. As coca is extensively employed in South America as a beverage, and as cocaine bears close chemical relations to the neutral principles of tea, coffee, guarana, chocolate, and other well known stimulants, I proceeded to make a series of experiments also with theine, caffeine, guaranine, andl theobromine, with the view of determining the actions of each, and the relations, if any, which existed among them. In the Edinbuigh Medical 7ournal for October I873 will be found a description in detail of these observations. The general results at which I arrived may be given shortly as follows. I. The physiological actions of coca, tea, coffee, guarana, and cocoa, are mailnly, if not entirely, due to their neutral principles. 2. Cocaine, theine, caffeine, guaranine, and theobromine are powerful poisons, inducing a series of symptoms affecting the nervous, respiratory, circulatory, vaso-motor, and glandular systems, which terminate, if the dose be large enough, in death. 3. These five principles are, to all appearances, identical in physiological action. 4. In small doses not ending fatally, these five substances producea. Cerebral excitement not succeeded by coma, and b. Partial loss of sensibility. 5. In large doses they produce-a. Cerebral excitement, b. Complete paralysis of sensibility, c. Tetanic spasms and convuliions, and d. Death. 6. They paralyse the entire posterior columns of the spinal cord also the entire system of peripheral sensory nerves; but the anterior columns of the cord and the peripheral motor nerves are not paralysed. 7. They frequently produce convulsions of a clonic character, but occasionally they cause tetanic spasms, which latter are sometimes so severe as to iniduce opisthotonus. 8. They do niot produce muscular paralysis. 9. They at first increase, then impede, and lastly stop, the respirations. io. They at first increase, and finially diminish, both the force and frequency of the heart's contractions. II. They produce at first contraction, and afterwards dilatation, of the capillaries and small blood-vessels, with stasis of the blood, indicating first irritation, and subsequent paralysis, of the vaso-motor nierves. 12. They affect the temperature by first slightly lowering, and secondly increasing, it. 13. They usually produce contraction of the pupil. 14. They produce an increase of the salivary secretion. 15. They induce a peculiar form of tenesmus, accompanied by a copious discharge of clear mucus from the bowels. These conclusions have been arrived at after a careful series of experiments conducted on more than one hundred animals of different kinds; and it is extremely interesting to learn that those agents, which the different nations of the world have found by experience to produce refreshing and stimulating beverages, although unlike one another and procured from totally different sources, possess in common proximate principles, which not only are almost identical in chemical composition, but also appear similar in physiological action. According to the above observations, cocaine has the same actions as theine, etc.; so, for clinical purposes, the latter is at present preferable on account of the enormous expense of the former. That the effects of the beverages themselves are mainly, if not entirely, due to the neutral principles they contain, is highly probable; but of their beneficial action in medical practice I am not yet in a position to give an opinion. However, from their stimulant action and effect on the nervous, system generally, there is every reason to hope that the concentrated forms of these drugs, or the neutral principles themselves, will prove powerful and useful agents in the hands of the physician for the treatment of disease. Before the medical man can practise his profession scientifically, he should be acquainted, not only with the natural course of the malady he proposes to alleviate, but also wvith the physiological effects of the drug by which he hopes to reach this end. By observations upon the lower animals, he may also obtain suggestions and informationi which will materially assist him in relieving and benefiting the human being. With this object, the above investigation was undertaken; and, although the research is yet in its infancy, I venture to hope that my conclusions will not be found deficient in interest and importance to those who desire to establish a sound system of therapeutics upon careftl physiological experiment.


The mechanism of dynamic instability of large span spatial structures under high wind speed should be studied carefully, but it has seldom been done before. In this paper, a double-layer cylindrical reticulated shell under a typical wind flow is taken as an example to study the dynamic instability of large span spatial structures under wind flows. The interaction of the shell and the flow is ignored and unsteady wind forces on the shell are obtained from wind tunnel tests. The dynamic instability status of the shell is determined by the Budiansky-Roth criterion. The results show that the double-layer cylindrical reticulated shell will become dynamically instable under high wind speed.


Nature" without "Law"?! or "Law" without "Nature"?! We have the conviction or at least we believe that the great majority of the respondents answering these questions would agree with the affirmation "Nature needs law too, but also law needs nature!". Why? For the simple reason that nature is a common "good" of humanity, for its protection is necessary to exist a well defined legal framework which able to contribute to its protection and conservation, which necessitates a permanent actualization taking into account the specific conditions of the protected area. Protecting the nature means protecting of people. Therefore, starting from the basic principle enunciating that "environment protection constitutes the obligation and responsibility of the local and central public authorities, and also of all natural persons or legal entities" and from the principle "Conservation of biodiversity and of ecosystems specific to natural biogeographical background", the present paper proposes to analyzes the stipulations of the main legislative documents in force in the field of environmetal protection in Romania, applicable to natural habitats of grassland. Of course, even in the field of nature protection is applicable the well-known principle of law "Specialia generalibus derogant" (special departs from general), and this is the reason way there will be found generally applicable norms and particularly applicable norms in the area of grassland habitat protection. Also, depending on location of the natural habitat, can be found situations when the available juridical norms are insufficient to assure a special protection regime for that habitat, in this case appearing as very important the role of the authorities and organisms with attributions in the field to permanently actualize the specific legislation by adopting new legislative documents or by modifying and completing those already existing. Taking into account that before adopting a measure is imperiously necessary to study the determinative cause that led to negative phenomenon, a very important role belonging to field studies and researches, their conclusions being a basic instrument in promoting the corrective legal norms and/or the special permissive norms regarding the protection, rational exploitation, organization and arrangement of the natural habitats of grassland in order to assure a favorable status of conservation and development.


Abstract This paper makes a contribution to the refinement of systems which involve search by proposing a simple non-deterministic model for rule based transition systems and using this to define a meaning for rule based refinement which allows each stage of the software development path to be verified with respect to the previous stage. The proposal allows a system which involves search to be specified in terms of all the possible outcomes. Each stage of refinement will introduce complexity to the rules and therefore develop the search space in ever more sophisticated ways. At each stage of the refinement it will be possible to be precise about which collections of outcomes have been deleted, thereby achieving a verified (prototype) implementation.


Research Summary: We evaluate how the value appropriated by employees varies in response to an exogenous shock to the price of the firm's product and how this variation depends on institutional and ownership structures. Institutional and ownership structures that favor employees can influence firms' location decisions and shareholders' incentives to invest. Using data from the main copper mines in the world, we show that the value appropriated by employees rises in response to an exogenous increase in the price of minerals. Our results indicate that the magnitude of the increment in the value captured by employees is larger in stated‐owned companies, when labor regulations promote productivity‐based payments, when wages are determined through a centralized bargaining process, and when regulations associated with hiring and firing are more flexible. Managerial Summary: We show how labor regulations and state ownership affect the value appropriated by employees when there are exogenous changes in the price of the firm's products. Since the value generated by a firm is distributed among different stakeholders, a higher appropriation of value by employees results in lower appropriation by another party. Therefore, by changing the distribution of value, managerial decisions about location and entry could be affected. For instance, shareholders of firms with positive future expectations about the prices of their products might prefer to enter markets in which salary negotiations are not centralized or where partnership with the local government is not mandatory. Overall, our analysis calls for the consideration of the external environment when evaluating value appropriation by different types of stakeholders.


We address the problem of multiuser detection in fast fading multipath environments for DS-CDMA systems. In fast fading scenarios, temporal variations of the channel cause significant performance degradation even with the Rake receiver. We use a previously introduced time-frequency (TF) Rake receiver based on a canonical formulation of the channel and signals to simultaneously combat fading and multipath effects. This receiver uses the Doppler spread caused by rapid time-varying channel as another means of diversity. In dealing with multiaccess interference and as an attempt to avoid the prohibitive computational complexity of the optimum maximum-likelihood (ML) detector, we use the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm to derive an approximate ML detector. The new detector turns out to have an iterative structure very similar to the well-known multistage detector with some extra parameters. At the two extreme values of these parameters, the EM detector reduces to either one-shot TF Rake or generalized multistage detector. For the intermediate values of the parameters, it combines the two estimates to obtain a better decision for the bits of the users. Because of using the EM algorithm, this detector has better convergence properties than the multistage detector; the bit estimates always converge, and if an appropriate initial vector is used, they converge to the global maximizer of the likelihood function. As a result, the new detector provides significantly improved performance while maintaining the low complexity of the multistage detector. Our simulation results confirm the expected performance improvements compared to the base case of the TF Rake as well as the multistage detector used with the TF Rake.


Technical and vocational education that has been laid out approximately a century ago provides animportant route for secondary school leavers to gain access to post-secondary technical and vocationaleducational and training and be successfully employed. Polytechnics of Ministry of Higher Educationwere established to produce semi-skilled employees to fulfil the needs of public and private sectors inthe field of commerce, engineering and hospitality. However, a majority of graduates from polytechnicsdo not join the work force straight away but instead further their studies first to seek their bachelordegrees from universities and colleges before entering the work force. In the effort to improve theemployability skills of graduates of Polytechnics, the Annual Report of Tracer Study 2007 proposes anaction plan that comprises strengthens problem solving skills and enhances creativity throughinnovative teaching. The action plan also suggests for the strengthening of student oriented learningapproaches through interactive learning practices in e-learning environment, increase group learningactivities and improve the lecturers' skills in the aspect of outcome-based learning.


Clinical Intensive Care and Acute Medicine is intended as a handbook or minitextbook for residents and serious medical students rotating through the intensive care unit (ICU). As such, it joins a relatively "crowded" field filled with numerous manuals, guides, and pocket references. Despite this fact, the authors succeed in making the book both relevant and unique. As with many books about ICU care, the book begins with several chapters dedicated to general patient treatment, discussing principles common to all patients in the ICU. Issues including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, fluid management, nutrition, and sedation are discussed in detail. The remainder of the book is dedicated to discussion of specific disease processes. In addition, the book also includes several unique chapters aimed at providing young physicians with information that might otherwise be difficult to find in a single source. For example, the book includes an entire chapter dedicated to the interpretation of the portable chest film. Indeed, there are few things as beguiling to the junior house officer as incorporating data from a chest film into a plan when a patient is rapidly deteriorating (often, in the early morning). The book provides a step-by-step guide for general interpretation before discussing specific disease processes, such as the interpretation in patients with blunt chest trauma. The relative conversational tone of the book provides for easy and interesting reading. Each chapter begins with several bulleted points that emphasize the key aspects of each subject. Every chapter ends with a short bibliography that refers the reader to more detailed information on each topic. The book includes several "troubleshooting" sections designed to provide on-call physicians with ready, bulleted advice regarding commonly encountered problems. In addition to the somewhat routine subjects common to many handbooks such as "arterial blood gas tricks" or "hypoxia: where to go when the patient is already on 100% oxygen," the authors also include a discussion of unique topics. This is the only book that includes a discussion of the transportation of ICU patients around the hospital. In addition, I was particularly fond of the tips regarding assessment of patients by telephone. A discussion designed to help on-call residents to manage ICU transfers and referring physicians is absent from most textbooks. Many chapters include mnemonics that help to remind young physicians of important principles. Nevertheless, some of the specific information, especially regarding infection pharmacotherapy, is somewhat out-of-date. For example, the authors suggest benzylpenicillin as first-line treatment of communityacquired pneumococcal pneumonia. This approach is inconsistent with guidelines published by the American Thoracic Society (New York, New York), the British Thoracic Society (London, United Kingdom), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (Alexandria, Virginia). In addition, the authors should have included a chapter regarding the care of victims of bioterrorism. Although I hope for such information never to be necessary, it should probably be included in any current text. Despite these few problems, I believe this is an excellent book. I am certain that its practical approach to ICU care will be popular among medical students and residents rotating through the ICU.


We describe the apparatus, software, and measurement procedures for a pulsed inductive microwave magnetometer (PIMM). PIMM can measure the dynamical properties of materials used in recording heads for magnetic storage applications, and it can be used as a general magnetodynamics diagnostic tool. PIMM uses a coplanar waveguide as both a source of fast pulsed magnetic fields and as an inductive flux sensor.Magnetic field pulses are provided by a 10 V, 55 ps risetime pulse generator; a 20 GHz digital sampling oscilloscope is used to acquire the fast pulse data; and orthogonal Helmholtz pairs provide the bias and saturating fields required for the measurement. The system can measure dynamical behavior as a function of several variables, including applied magnetic bias field, magnetic pulsed field amplitude and width, and sample orientation. Using a fast Fourier transform, PIMM can determine the frequency dependence of the complex magnetic permeability, as well as the step and impulse responses of the magnetic system. Data from 50 nm Ni–Fe and rare-earth-doped Ni–Fe thin films are presented.


This paper presents a new correction technique for linear amplification with nonlinear component transmitters. During the transmit mode, the algorithm modulates and filters the baseband signal as a normal signal component separator, while during the correction mode, by use of a downconversion mixer, the gain and phase imbalance are measured and compensated by introducing a correction. This system is free of adjacent channel interference during the correction period. Analytical results and simulations demonstrate that this system is sufficient to suppress the out-of-band spectrum for mobile communications.


A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature, Ninth Edition,gives future teachers, practicing teachers, librarians, and parents many examples of quality children's literature to guide them in choosing the best books for the classroom, library, or home. The Handbook analyzes children's books that showcase positive examples of the literary elements, formats, and genres that are the focus in the field of children's literature. The books are noteworthy children's books, from classics to favorites to just-published titles, all selected as thought-provoking, important, or motivating choices. The authors suggest that readers examine the Handbook and then apply the literary concepts to additional reading from today's ever-expanding selection of children's books.


How concerned are today's students about environmental issues? Do they sense urgency for change towards a more environmentally compatible life? Who should act and what impact does one's individual action have? And last but not least, does ecological consciousness and action go together with a sense of nature relatedness? More than 1600 South Korean, Swiss, and Czech students have participated in this comparative survey. Nearly all of them affirm that ecological considerations influence their daily behavior. Whereas most of them see the main agent of change in themselves, the impact of one's individual action, however, is seen differently along the East and West cultural divide. Also when it comes to one's personal sense of closeness to nature, we can observe an East West cultural variation. On average the South Koreans reveal a greater closeness towards nature than Swiss and Czech students, this despite the fact that they have the largest percentage in urban background, and consequently reveal the least physical familiarity with the natural world. In our effort to interpret these results, we have included a discussion about the diverging cultural background of the three sample groups. While they all agree on the urgency of the issue and the necessity of a more pro-environmental change, depending on their culture their ideas about the right means to introduce a change in behavior differ.


The article describes the phenomenon of COVID-somnia, which includes a specific spectrum of changes in sleep from insomnia to behavior disorder during the REM sleep phase. Various effects of COVID-19 on sleep disorders have been shown. Manifestations of covid-associated sleep disorders (chronic insomnia, restless legs syndrome) are described. A model of the relationship between covid-associated anxiety, insomnia and suicidal thinking is presented. The psychological factors influencing the phenomenon of COVID-somnia are systematized. The predicted insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic consists of the presence of intolerance to uncertainty, covid-associated anxiety, feelings of loneliness, the presence of symptoms of depression and anxiety. The algorithm of screening assessment of the patient's condition during the COVID-19 pandemic and the specifics of a complete psychological examination of the COVID-somnia phenomenon in the patient are described for the first time. A protocol for short-term remote cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by Anderson to minimize chronic insomnia is presented.


Rasagiline (Azilect) is a potent, highly selective and irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type B of the second generation. Rasagiline is indicated for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) as monotherapy (without levodopa) or as adjunct therapy (with levodopa) in patients with end of dose fluctuations. The efficacy and tolerability of rasagiline has been demonstrated in large-scale, controlled clinical studies in patients with early PD as well as with more advanced PD. This multicentred post-marketing observational study included an investigation of the efficacy and tolerability of rasagiline in a large patient population under conditions of the daily routine in neurologic practice with a special attention on the collection of data regarding a patients' subjective evaluation of quality of life. A total of 754 patients with Parkinson's disease were enrolled, 545 of the patients (63% male patients, mean age 68 years, mean duration of PD 6 years, Hoehn & Yahr stage II to III in 69% of the patients) started rasagiline 1 mg/day as adjunct therapy for up to 4 months. The PD symptoms were rated by the physicians using the Columbia University Rating Scale (CURS) and the clinical fluctuations subscale of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS, part IV B). Different aspects of quality of life were rated by the patients using the self-rating Parkinson's Disease Questionaire (PDQ-39). In addition, patients documented the number of hours spend in the OFF-state in "24-hour" home diaries prior to each of the assessment visits. During the treatment period rasagiline was most frequently co-administered with levodopa/DCI (81.7%) and/or dopamine agonists (65.8%). The mean treatment duration was 117.4 (+/-36.4) days, during which PD medication remained unchanged in 86.6% of the cases. The improvement rates in each of the CURS items ranged between 31.1% to 48.4% and the total score was reduced by 22% under the therapy of rasagiline. In the motor part (tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia) the total score was reduced from 6.2 to 4.8, within the other items from 14.7 to 11.5. The proportion of patients without OFF-periods increased from 33.3% to 49.5%. Determined from "24-hours" home diaries, time spend in the OFF-state during wake time decreased from 120 minutes to 45 minutes. In all 8 aspects of quality of life rated by the patients an reduction of the disability could be documented. The PDQ-39 total score was reduced from 36.4 by 7.3 points (20.1%). In total, 29 of the 545 patients who received rasagiline as combination therapy had switched directly from previous combination therapy with selegiline. In this subgroup CURS total score improved from 17.0 to 12.9 points during treatment. The proportion of patients without OFF-periods increased from 36% to 48% and the daily time spent in the OFF-state was reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. The PDQ-39 total score improved by 6.5 points (22.2%). All in all, adverse events were reported by 8.4% of the patients. In conclusion this post-marketing observational study has shown that in patients with pre-existing combination therapy the add-on medication of rasagiline resulted in improvements of motor and non-motor functions. Furthermore, motor complications were significantly reduced and led to an improved quality of life in the self-estimation of the patients. This also applies to those patients with selegiline pre-treatment.


: Drugs, not designed as antibiotics, and whose primary mode of action is modulation of active and passive ionic transport-mechanisms in the eucaryotic cell, also act on procaryotic cell-walls, and the action is antimicrobial. The drugs may be classified, non-antibiotics. Anaesthetic gases are bactericidal in the fluid state, and in the vaporous state at high concentrations. Local anaesthetics of the ester type have stronger antimicrobial actions than the amidetype, and synergy is found between local anaesthetics and antibiotics. Barbiturates show antimicrobial action at high concentrations, and there is a possible synergy with antibiotics. Synthetic analogs of morphine have stronger antimicrobial action than the natural derivatives. Aspirin (ASA) inhibits the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae at concentrations within the range of that in plasma in normal clinical usage; but induces non-genetical resistance to antibiotics. Increasing problems of bacterial resistance to common antibiotics might render non-antibiotics subject to development into antibiotics, and to be utilized in combination treatment of resistant infectious diseases.


Introduction In vivo, the state of latency allows HIV-1 to persist in cellular reservoirs and avoid eradication. Intracellular heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) was shown to contribute to HIV-1 reactivation from latency, so that cell-permeable inhibitors of the Hsp90 chaperone activity can prevent this reactivation and be considered as potential anti-AIDS agents. However, the Hsp90 activity inhibitors provoke up-regulation of inducible Hsp90, Hsp70, Hsp27 and we suggested that such accumulation of chaperones in cellular reservoirs assists the virus and impairs the beneficial effects of Hsp90-inhibiting treatment. Here we examined whether the suppressive action of Hsp90 inhibitors on the HIV-1 reactivation is enhanced by targeting the Hsp induction and/or the chaperone function of Hsp70. Methods The HIV-1 reactivation was studied in cultured J-Lat cells. 17AAG and AUY922 were used as the Hsp90 activity inhibitors. The Hsp accumulation in the Hsp90 inhibitor-treated cells was blocked by co-treatments with quercetin or KNK437. The Hsp70 chaperone function was inhibited by 2-phenylethynesulfonamide (PES). Results Inhibition of the Hsp90 chaperone activity with 17AAG or AUY922 does suppress the HIV-1 reactivation in the drug-treated cells but this is also accompanied by the up-regulation of Hsp90, Hsp70 and Hsp27. In the case of inhibitory co-treatments (17AAG or AUY922 + quercetin or KNK437 + PES), no increase in the cellular Hsp levels occurred despite of the dysfunction of Hsp90-,Hsp70-dependent chaperone machine. Such a combination of the inhibitors simultaneously targeting the chaperone activities of Hsp90 and Hsp70 and the Hsp induction much stronger suppressed the chaperone-dependent HIV-1 reactivation, as compared with the action of Hsp90 inhibitors alone. Conclusion Intracellular Hsp70 appears to contribute to the HIV-1 reactivation from latency. The suppressive effects of Hsp90-inhibiting drugs on the HIV-1 reactivation from latency can be enhanced by parallel inhibiting both the Hsp induction and the Hsp70 chaperone activity.


A substantial body of scholarship focused on the processes involved in message planning has accumulated in the communication literature. One of the central tenets of memory models upon which most of the message planning models are based is that dynamic memory systems organize and reorganize knowledge structures to maximize information processing efficiency. Accordingly, efficiency can be achieved by merely retrieving and enacting plans that have achieved goals previously under similar conditions. Plan failure, however, requires alteration or even production of an original plan. Although researchers have relied exclusively on output (e.g., response latency, memory tests) to draw inferences about planning processes, it is possible to observe cognitive processes more directly by measuring cortical responses. In the present study, electrical activity was monitored in the region of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during verbal planning. Results indicated that (a) electrical activity while planning under conditions that permitted enactment of verbal plans that required no modification was significantly lower than during planning in the initial trial but, (b) electrical activity while planning under conditions in which previous efforts failed was significantly higher than during planning in the initial trial. These results provide physical evidence for the hypothetical cognitive processes proposed in the cognitivist models of routine formation.


This presentation will examine the restructuring of the Bachelor of Exercise Science at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. There are several motivations behind the restructuring of undergraduate degree programs. Perhaps the most common is to improve the education experience of the students. Changes in the curriculum also allow students more flexibility to select courses to meet their educational objectives. Thirdly, the restructured program will hopefully produce highly qualified graduates who are competitive in the job market. The Bachelor of Exercise Science was introduced in 1995 to prepare graduates to meet emerging employment needs for specialist practitioners in Exercise Science. Crucial to the development of the program was its importance in the proposed graduate entry Physiotherapy program, which commenced in 1999. The program was constructed to also meet the needs of the wider community in the areas of ageing and specialist sporting initiatives. The first graduates completed their studies in 1997. Changes were made to the program based on the results of a graduate survey and focus group discussions. The courses offered in the program have changed significantly since its introduction. By 2003 the program structure was well established with perceived high levels of satisfaction among students and employers. The number of commencing students has increased considerably with the degree being incorporated into a number of double/combined degree programs offered by the School. In 2010 significant changes in the curriculum will be introduced to provide third year students with more electives to assist in creating opportunities for employment.


A common simplifying assumption that there exists, at most, a single fault in the system at any given time does not hold for complex systems with large number of components or systems with little opportunity for maintenance during operation. By employing concepts from rough sets theory, information theory and heuristic search approach, a novel dynamic testing algorithm based on rough sets is presented for multiple fault diagnosis, which can efficiently improve the diagnostic precision, substantially reduce the expected testing cost and realize the real-time dynamic diagnosis independent of the priori probability of system.


Abstract. The year 1980 has often been used as a benchmark for the return of Antarctic ozone to conditions assumed to be unaffected by emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), implying that anthropogenic ozone depletion in Antarctica started around 1980. Here, the extent of anthropogenically driven Antarctic ozone depletion prior to 1980 is examined using output from transient chemistry–climate model (CCM) simulations from 1960 to 2000 with prescribed changes of ozone-depleting substance concentrations in conjunction with observations. A regression model is used to attribute CCM modelled and observed changes in Antarctic total column ozone to halogen-driven chemistry prior to 1980. Wintertime Antarctic ozone is strongly affected by dynamical processes that vary in amplitude from year to year and from model to model. However, when the dynamical and chemical impacts on ozone are separated, all models consistently show a long-term, halogen-induced negative trend in Antarctic ozone from 1960 to 1980. The anthropogenically driven ozone loss from 1960 to 1980 ranges between 26.4 ± 3.4 and 49.8 ± 6.2 % of the total anthropogenic ozone depletion from 1960 to 2000. An even stronger ozone decline of 56.4 ± 6.8 % was estimated from ozone observations. This analysis of the observations and simulations from 17 CCMs clarifies that while the return of Antarctic ozone to 1980 values remains a valid milestone, achieving that milestone is not indicative of full recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer from the effects of ODSs.


Background: Per COSMIC database, RAS mutations are uncommon events in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Refametinib (BAY 86-9766) is a potent (IC50=17-60 nM) allosteric dual MEK 1/2 inhibitor, which exhibits high selectivity for MEK as compared to other kinases as well as strong preclinical synergy in combination with sorafenib, suggesting it may have potential utility in treating HCC patients. As part of a phase II study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of refametinib plus sorafenib in Asian patients with HCC, a biomarker analysis was performed using plasma DNA to investigate a possible correlation between mutational status and clinical outcome. Methods: Refametinib was tested in a kinase panel of 205 enzymes at 10 μM and in a variety of cancer cell lines for antiproliferative effects. In vivo refametinib was tested for tumor growth inhibition in monotherapy or in combination with sorafenib mouse xenograft HCC models. Mutational analysis of clinical plasma specimens was performed by Inostics GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) using BEAMing (Beads, Emulsions, Amplification, and Magnetics) technology on DNA isolated from plasma samples collected at baseline. Mutational status was correlated with clinical outcome using descriptive analyses. Plasma from 69 patients was evaluated for the following mutations: KRAS (G12A, C, D, R, S, V; G13D; Q61H; A146T); NRAS (Q61H, K, L, R) and BRAF (V600E). Results: Based on it allosteric binding mode refametinib shows more than 100-fold selectivity for MEK. There was strong antiproliferative activity of BAY 86-9766 in HCC cell lines being most active in an NRAS amplified model (HepG2). In the orthotopic HBV-driven human Hep3B xenograft model, BAY 86-9766 (25 mg/kg) monotherapy was more effective than sorafenib at its maximally tolerated dose (30 mg/kg) in prolonging survival and exhibited strong synergism in improving this endpoint when combined with sorafenib. Based on the BEAMing data, the frequency of HCC patients with mutant RAS identified in our study (5.8%) was similar to the frequency of RAS mutations reported in HCC patients (5%) (COSMIC). A RAS mutation was identified in 4 patients, 3 of whom were still receiving study treatment at the cut-off date used for the final data analysis. These 3 patients had achieved confirmed PR, with duration of responses ranging from 128 to 382 days. The fourth patient with a RAS mutation discontinued study treatment after 41 days on therapy due to PD. No mutations in BRAF were identified in these 69 samples. Conclusions: In this exploratory retrospective study, HCC patients with mutant RAS exhibited a particularly robust clinical response to refametinib plus sorafenib compared to patients with wild-type RAS. Further investigation is required to assess the clinical activity of this drug combination in HCC patients with mutant RAS. Accordingly, we have initiated two single-arm phase 2 studies in patients with prospectively identified, BEAMing-confirmed RAS-mutated HCC; sorafenib and refametinib in first-line (NCT01915602), and refametinib as first- or second-line monotherapy (NCT01915589). Citation Format: Ho Yeong Lim, Heiko Krissel, Michael Teufel, Florian Puehler, Joachim Reischl, Frank Diehl, Barrett H. Childs, Josep M. Llovet. RAS mutations detected by cell-free plasma DNA (BEAMing) assay may portend a favorable response to refametinib +/- sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on RAS Oncogenes: From Biology to Therapy; Feb 24-27, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2014;12(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B42. doi: 10.1158/1557-3125.RASONC14-B42


The effective dynamics of a colloidal particle immersed in a complex medium is often described in terms of an overdamped linear Langevin equation for its velocity with a memory kernel which determines the effective (time-dependent) friction and the correlations of fluctuations.
Recently, it has been shown in experiments and numerical simulations that this memory may depend on the possible optical confinement the particle is subject to, suggesting that this description does not capture faithfully the actual dynamics of the colloid, even at equilibrium.
Here, we propose a different approach in which we model the medium as a Gaussian field linearly coupled to the colloid.
The resulting effective evolution equation of the colloidal particle features a non-linear memory term which extends previous models and which explains qualitatively the experimental and numerical evidence in the presence of confinement. This non-linear term is related to the correlations of the effective noise via a novel fluctuation-dissipation relation which we derive.


Background The ubiquitin-proteasome system participates in the pathogenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As an E3 ubiquitin ligase, RNF128 has been proved vital in carcinogenesis, whereas, little is known about the oncogenic mechanisms of RNF128 in HCC. Materials and Methods Through tissue microarray from HCC patients, we analyzed RNF128 expression and its relationship with clinical outcomes in HCC. Western blot and quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were performed to examine expression levels of RNF128 in HCC tissues and cell lines. Effects of RNF128 on HCC cellular biological functions and the potential mechanism were evaluated through knockdown and overexpression assays in vitro and in vivo methods. Results RNF128 expression was found to be remarkably elevated in HCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, the overexpression of RNF128 enhanced hepatoma cells proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and apoptotic resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, RNF128 activated EGFR/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and the EGFR inhibitor, gefitinib partially reversed RNF128-enhanced proliferation, invasion, and migration in hepatoma cells. Conclusion RNF128 promotes HCC progression by activating EGFR/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, which might function as a novel prognostic molecular signature with the potential to be a candidate therapeutic target for HCC patients.


The viability of giant buttercup (Ranunculus acris) seed buried at three depths in four different soils in the Waikato region was evaluated over a 16 year period. Most seed buried in the top 2 cm soil layer disappeared within the first year. When buried at 4 ‐ 6 cm, numbers declined rapidly over the first two years and were no longer found at three of the four sites within 16 years. At the end of the study, up to 22% of the seed was still viable at the 19 ‐ 21 cm depth. If left undisturbed and assuming exponential decay, it could take up to 51 years for deeply buried viable seed numbers to be reduced to 1% of the original number depending on soil type.


South Africa, an emerging economy has evolved a relatively sophisticated code of corporate governance (CG). The latest iteration, King III, introduced in 2010 provides a laboratory for evaluation of the influence of a key element of CG, board independence (BI) on firms' financial performance (FP). Prior studies produced mixed and weak results regardless of developed or developing economy and are likely compromised by endogeneity. Invoking the essentially exogenous investment opportunity set (IOS), modelling of cross-sections of data bracketing 2010 yields evidence for a synergistic, positive effect of BI and the IOS on FP for one measure of board independence, strength of non-executive board directorship, post-King III introduction. In contrast to earlier conjecture and evidence, no indication is found for a direct let alone negative influence of the IOS on FP. Some implications are drawn for strengthening of the CG regime in South Africa and the importance of CG in capital market functioning, notably attraction of foreign investment to emerging economies such in the Asia-Pacific.


OBJECTIVES To estimate the relative risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). DESIGN Population-based case-control study. SUBJECTS Cases were 953 people identified in a population register of coronary events, and controls were 3189 participants in independent community-based risk factor prevalence surveys from the same study populations. SETTING Newcastle, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Acute myocardial infarction or coronary death. RESULTS After adjusting for the effects of age, education, history of heart disease, and body mass index, women had a statistically significant increased risk of a coronary event associated with exposure to ETS (relative risk (RR) = 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40–2.81). There was little statistical evidence of increased risk found in men (RR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.81–1.28). CONCLUSION Our study found evidence for the adverse effects of exposure to ETS on risk of coronary heart disease among women, especially at home. For men the issue is unclear according to the data from our study. Additional studies with detailed information on possible confounders and adequate statistical power are needed. Most importantly, they should use methods for measuring exposure to ETS that are sufficiently accurate to permit the investigation of dose-response relationships.


This article focuses on anti-Muslim racism as a discourse that collapses race and religion and cannot be reduced to phobia. It is instead about a racial project of accumulation based on European superiority and how cultural racism upholds the European civilizational project. The author argues that Islamophobia should be traced back to colonial modernity, its regimes of othering, and its perception of Islam as Mohammedanism that conceals its nature as a fetishistic, primitive, barbaric, patriarchal, and irrational set of beliefs. To illustrate anti-Muslim racism, the author elaborates briefly on three interconnected ideas: the construction of Islam as a unified religious and cultural mindset, its fetishistic character, and its enigmatic image of the woman to reflect on how Islam is presented as the antonym of Western civilization.


We have conducted comprehensive rheological and rheo-birefringence characterizations of a series of semidilute ethyl cellulose (EC)/α-terpineol dispersions under steady shear flow. The EC dispersions investigated have commonly been utilized as a binder agent in fabricating metal/metal-oxide pastes for a number of industrial applications, and were recently demonstrated to foster nearly monodisperse spherical aggregates under dilute conditions. Herein, semidilute EC dispersions are shown to exhibit rheological features practically no different from those known for standard entangled polymer solutions. The corresponding rheo-birefringence responses, however, reveal microstructural features that are reminiscent of general colloidal systems. The steady-state feature reveals a universal stress-birefringence relationship at various EC concentrations, along with a common critical stress (∼200 Pa) at which the EC network breaks into smaller clusters. The transient feature displays prominent and long-persisting periodic oscillations that have previously been observed only for nearly monodisperse rod-like colloids or liquid crystals. The overall findings shed new light on the role of EC serving as a commonplace polymer binder in industry and, from a scientific perspective, raise interesting questions related to the characteristic rheological and microstructural features of general polymer dispersions in overlapped regimes.


Objective: The association of autism and Down syndrome (DS) is comparatively uncommon, especially in females. We report a female patient with both DS and autism with detailed clinical information. Methods: The diagnosis of DS based on a particular set of facial characteristics, delayed growth and chromosomal analysis. Autism Behavior Checklist and the DSM-IV criteria of autism were used for the diagnosis of autism. Case presentation: A five-year-old girl was sent to our department due to unusual social development, language delay and restricted behaviour. At 8 months, she was diagnosed to have DS with the karyotype of 47, XX, +21. Autism was diagnosed based on the behaviour and the DSM-IV criteria. On the modified ABC, the score given by her mother was 90, which further supported the diagnosis. Conclusion: With low index of suspicion, autism/autism spectrum disorders can easily be missed in patients with DS. Increase in awareness that the 2 conditions can coexist in the same patient is important to paediatricians.


Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) consists of focal coagulation necrosis and of more diffuse and mild white matter involvement as gliosis and lesions of immature oligodendrocytes. PVL affects essentially the premature newborn and has become the dominant form of perinatal neurological insults. Its diagnosis remains difficult to assess as neurological examination is poorly contributive. Diagnostic imaging plays an important role as it completes clinical, biological and electrophysiological data in depicting the cerebral lesions. Cerebral ultrasound remains the first imaging modality to perform in order to investigate and follow ill neonates. However ultrasound has a low sensitivity and specificity in depicting non cavitated PVL. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the acute stage, provides additional information about the extension and the depiction of hemorrhagic component of the lesions. Furthermore, diffusion-weighted MRI appears useful for the early identification of the diffuse component of PVL. MRI in the chronic stage is the only imaging method to study the progress of myelination and precise the extension of sequellar lesions.


Due to unavailability of therapeutic
approach for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the drug repurposing
approach would be the fastest and efficient way of drug development against this
deadly disease. We have applied bioinformatics approach for structure-based
drug repurposing to identify the potential inhibitors through drug screening,
molecular docking and molecular dynamics against non-structural
protein 9 (Nsp9) replicase and spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 from the
FDA approved drugs. We have performed virtual screening of 2000
FDA approved compounds including antiviral, anti-malarial, anti-parasitic,
anti-fungal, anti-tuberculosis and active phytochemicals against Nsp9 replicase and spike proteins of
SARS-CoV-2. Molecular docking was performed using Autodock-Vina. Selected hit compounds
were identified based on their highest binding energy and favourable ADME
profile. Notably, Conivaptan, an arginine vasopressin antagonist drug exhibited
highest binding energy (-8.4 Kcal/mol) and maximum stability with the amino
acid residues present on the active site of Nsp9 replicase. Additionally,
Tegobuvir, a non-nucleoside inhibitor of hepatitis C virus exhibited maximum
stability with highest binding energy (-8.1 Kcal/mol) on the active site of spike
protein. Molecular docking scores were further validated with the molecular
dynamics using Schrodinger, which supported strong stability of ligands with
proteins at their active site through water bridges, hydrophobic interactions,
H-bond. Overall, our findings highlight the fact that Conivaptan and Tegobuvir could
be used to control the infection and propagation of SARS-CoV-2 targeting Nsp9
replicase and spike protein, respectively. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo
validation of these findings will be helpful in bringing these molecules at the
clinical settings.


A voice is a sound which is created by vibration of the vocal cords, which means that, the vocal cords approach to each other by passing the air through the larynx and followed by different sounds. This vibration is under the influence of the statuses of tongue, teeth and lips, as well as the other effective factors. This vibrating air causes some minor changes around the individual speaker, which is called the voice. Some of the most important procedures in the voice signal analyzing is the signal processing methods in frequency and time-frequency domains; the most conventional approach in frequency domain is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method, on the other hand the time-frequency signal processing methods can identify the frequency components of the signal and extract its time-varying characteristics; moreover they are effective tools for extracting the information of non-stationary signals. Time-frequency analysis methods can be classified into linear and nonlinear categories. The Short-Time Fourier Transform and the Wavelet Transform are the most conventional linear methods. This paper investigates the differences in the energy levels of explosive consonants in voiced mode and unvoiced mode using the most conventional frequency analysis and linear time-frequency analysis methods; these approaches are very effective and profitable in phonetic science and biomedical engineering science in order to diagnosing and determining the severity of laryngeal diseases and brain injuries. Results of this study indicate that the energy level of explosive consonants in voiced mode is more than unvoiced mode; also using Fast Fourier and Wavelet Transforms presents the results in better resolution and better image quality than the short-time Fourier Transform.