Background & Aim : Spiritual intelligence as the base of individual beliefs affects performance and leads to an increase in flexibility against problems. This study aims to determine spiritual intelligence and attitude towards spirituality and spiritual care in nursing and midwifery students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Material & Methods : It was a cross sectional, descriptive study. A total of 222 nursing and midwifery students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences were recruited by census. Data was collected by the 42-item Spiritual Intelligence Inventory and The Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS) and were analyzed by parametric statistical tests (i.e. t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient) using SPSS-PC (v. 20). Results : The mean score of spiritual health (150.07±16.98) and attitude towards spirituality and spiritual care (57.57±10.70) of the nursing and midwifery students was at moderate level. Among demographic variables, there was only a significant relationship between age and the mean score of attitude toward spirituality and spiritual care (P= 0.029). Conclusion : The results of this study suggest the importance of addressing spirituality among nursing and midwifery students. Accordingly, planning to improve the spirituality level of nursing and midwifery students is recommended.


A new type of political attitude survey that has gained popularity in Europe and in the United States is the voting advice application (VAA). VAAs provide users with a voting advice based on their answers to a set of attitude questions. In the calculation of this advice, no-opinion answers are excluded. We tested the hypothesis that negative VAA questions lead to more no-opinion answers than their positive equivalents. In a field experiment, visitors (N=41,505) of a VAA developed for the municipality of Utrecht in the Netherlands, were randomly guided to one of the versions of the tool in which the polarity of 16 questions was manipulated. Results do not show an overall effect of question polarity. This overall null finding appears to be caused by contrasting effects for two subtypes of negative questions: Explicit negatives (e.g. not allow) yield more no-opinion answers than their positive counterparts (e.g. allow) do, while the reverse holds for implicit negatives (e.g. forbid).


Serum concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were measured in 28 patients (18 females, 10 males) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency who were treated with oral hydrocortisone (non-salt losers) or hydrocortisone and 9-alpha-fluorohydrocortisone (salt-losers). Adequacy of therapy was assessed by clinical findings, determination of bone age, urinary excretion of 17-ketosteroids, and serum concentration of 17-hydroxyprogesterone. These allowed the separation of patients into three groups: poorly controlled, adequately controlled and overtreated. Individual values for serum levels of DHEAS were compared to mean normal values for age. In the adequately controlled and overtreated patients, mean serum concentrations of DHEAS were significantly lower than normal values for age (P less than 0.05). In the poorly treated patients, the mean serum concentration of DHEAS was not significantly different from normal values for age (P = 0.50). These data indicate that the serum concentration of DHEAS is overly suppressed in treated patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency. This finding suggests that measurement of the serum levels of DHEAS has limited value in assessing the adequacy of therapy in this disease.


Sanitary Landfill leachate treatment by a combined anaerobic fluidized bed reactor and Fenton's oxidation was investigated. Anaerobic treatability studies were performed in a pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor using the typical quartz sand media. The anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR) attained chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of 80–90% and stable biogas production yield of 0.54 L biogas/g CODrem with increasing organic loading rates (OLRs) within the range 2 and 15 kg COD/m3-day. Anaerobically pretreated landfill leachate was further treated by Fenton's oxidation to decompose the refractory organic and inorganic components in the leachate and optimum operation conditions for two different organic loadings (2 and 4 kg COD/m3-day) were examined. An optimum pH of 2.5 and an optimum H2O2 dosage of 1,200 mg/L, for the OLR of 2 kg COD/m3-day, yield a COD removal of 85%. The results have clearly indicated that landfill leachate treatment by a combined AFBR and Fenton's Oxidation system is an ...


The built environment is the history of man. The undying stones of monuments are the tables from which this history can be read. Thus, the life of man in the past, its values in the present and directions for the future are embellished on these stones. Historic cultural heritages cannot be expressed in any other better form than in buildings. Sussan Wenger's building located in Osogbo, Nigeria is one of such buildings. The fabric of the building is synonymous to the history of this Austrian woman who indigenized and became a priestess of the Osun goddess in the course of which she was named "Adunni Olorisa". The study was carried out to determine people's perceptions on the cultural significance and heritage conservation of the building because of the present non-identification of the building with Osun Grove World Heritage Site despite their obvious relationships. The building has history, features and associations with the Osun Sacred Grove which has earned recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. 203 respondents who are residents of Osogbo were randomly sampled to determine their perceptions on this historic building. The data obtained were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis of means (x) and chi squares (χ2) based on three hypotheses to find a correlation between respondents and sex, place of origin and rate of observation of the building. Result shows that attitudes towards the building favour the option of conversion of the building to a Museum of Art and Culture. Recommendations were made for the heritage promotions of the building through UNESCO.

 Key words: Conservation, Osun Grove, Sussan Wenger, cultural heritage, Osogbo, building, history.


CHOLINE TRANSPORT AND METABOLISM IN GENETICALLY DEFICIENT AND CHRONIC DISEASE STATES Laila Cigana Schenkel Advisor: University of Guelph, 2014 Marica Bakovic Choline is required for the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) by the CDP-choline Kennedy pathway and of betaine. Choline also plays a role in lipid metabolism and hepatic and muscle function. The availability of intracellular choline is regulated by the choline transporter CTL1/SLC44A1 at the plasma membrane. This thesis aims to elucidate the effect of metabolic altered states, such as lipid overload, choline deficiency and CDP:phopshoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase (Pcyt2) genetic modified models, on the choline transport and metabolism. First, we investigated the effect of high fatty acid supply in C2C12 muscle cells. Palmitic acid (PAM) reduced total and plasma membrane CTL1/SLC44A1 protein by activating lysosomal degradation, and limited the choline uptake while increasing diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis. Oleic acid (OLA) maintained total and plasma membrane CTL1/SLC44A1, increasing PC and TAG synthesis more than PAM, which offers a protection mechanism from the excess of intracellular DAG and autophagy. We next characterized the choline metabolic defect in fibroblast cells isolated from a Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) patient, who had low plasma choline. In the POTS fibroblasts, the CTL1/SLC44A1 expression and choline uptake were decreased. PC synthesis and the phospholipid pool were reduced these cells compared to control. Triacylglycerol formation increased 50% in POTS, which is a feature of choline deficiency. The characteristics of the POTS fibroblasts represent a model of choline transport dysfunction. The role of choline in protecting against lipid accumulation and metabolic disease development was elucidated by choline supplementation of Pcyt2 mice. In Pcyt2 mice the CDPethanolamine pathway is downregulated and the TAG formation increased, resulting in adultonset obesity and liver steatosis. Choline supplementation reverses the Pcyt2 phenotype by facilitating the metabolic flux through the CDP-choline pathway, reducing TAG synthesis and increasing expression of genes involved in TAG and DAG degradation. The cross-regulation between CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine pathways was also demonstrated in Pcyt2 siRNA knock-down human fibroblasts (KD5), where the rate of choline uptake and PC synthesis were higher. Altogether, this thesis established the metabolic links between CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine pathways and provided a mechanism of how choline could be an important modifier of lipid metabolism under various conditions.


This evaluation concludes that a lot more work still needs to be done for the SDCs to successfully implement their IGAs. There is need for SDCs to be assisted in coming up with the best ways of running their projects and ensuring that they sustain or increase their production. In the case of poultry IGA there has been a decrease in their poultry production per every batch ordered. IGAs should not be seen to be projects running for the sack of keeping projects alive but with the intended objective of assisting the school where there is need. There are a lot of problems that the schools are facing and amongst them are the shortage of furniture, damaged classroom blocks that need repairs and shortage of classrooms.
The implementing organization needs to keep focused and closely monitor the activities of the program so that they are informed of the progress of the project. There were no monitoring reports obtained from World Vision meaning that they were not taking stock of the progress of the program. Another identified loophole was the failure by World Vision staff in obtaining the necessary information from trainees necessary for monitoring and evaluation purposes. There is need also to assist or request facilitators to have a pre and post-test in order to set the baseline necessary for evaluation.
Lessons learnt from the computer training neither for teachers are that it is possible to train teachers who do not even have computers at school nor at home as they will forget all the staff. It would rather bear more fruit to train teachers from schools with computers first before moving to those computers.
The challenges faced in the compilation of this report were the short time frame and limited resources. More so the schools were located in the furthest wards of the district roads are very bad and they have been worsened by the heavy rains received during the rainy season. Another challenge was that the data collection coincided with the school holidays hence it was difficult to get hold of other important key informants and interviewees. It should however be noted that the study was successfully carried out and the use of both, semi-structured and focus group interviews, increased the richness and trustworthiness of qualitative data. Researcher triangulation was used to increase the credibility and validity of the results (Boeije, 2010).


SUMMARY Hong Kong has a subtropical climate and an influenza seasonality lying approximately mid-way (March–June) between those of the Northern (November–March) and Southern (June–September) hemispheres. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shares a similar seasonality to that of influenza in Hong Kong and is another important respiratory infection of childhood. Daily virus incidence data from public hospitals in Hong Kong's New Territory East Cluster, together with Hong Kong climate data were obtained for 2000–2007. Statistical time-series analysis using monthly time windows showed that influenza A and RSV incidence increased with higher environmental relative humidity, whereas influenza B incidence decreased with higher environmental temperatures. The other climate variables (including vapour pressure as a measure of absolute humidity) were not significantly related to the incidence of these respiratory viruses. Data from this study further reinforces the concept that the relationship between climate factors and respiratory virus incidence differ between subtropical/tropical and temperate countries.


The status of nutrition and health among residents is one of the important indicators reflecting the developing level in a country or a region. China's government initiated the first China National Nutrition Survey in 1959. The Second National Nutrition Survey and the Third National Nutrition Survey were then conducted in 1982 and 1992, respectively (1–2). The China National Nutrition and Health Survey (2002) combined the nutrition and chronic diseases survey and became the fourth survey (3). The Chinese government changed the time interval between each survey from every 10 years to 3–5 years and the fifth cycle was China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2010–2013) (4). From 2010, the surveillance became a continuous program that changed the content of the survey with emerging needs in China. All the above surveys were cross-sectional, nationally representative surveys in China. The sixth round, China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2015–2017), was the latest cross-sectional survey and was nationally and provincially representative. The Chinese government financed it and it was led by the National Health Commission (NHC). The survey cycles of 1959 and 1982 were completed by national nutrition project team in Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and the rest rounds were conducted by China CDC (Former Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine)(5). The protocols were designed to collect data and assess the nutrition and health status among all ages of the population in China.


Sustainable forest management (SFM) practices have started in 1999 in Turkey. A set of criteria and indicators, composed by the General Directorate of Forestry (GDF) on the basis of the criteria and indicators defined in the Pan-European and Near Eastern Processes, was enquired via a survey to serve this purpose. GDF tested the sustainability under the following titles: Situation of forest resources, biodiversity, health and vitality, production capacity and functions, protective functions and environmental and socio-economic functions. There were problems in identification and definition of SFM criteria and indicators. Biological diversity indicators has been selected, described and developed in this study. At this phase, the survey was completed upon receiving the views of the scientists interested in different dimensions of this topic as well as the views of other interest groups affiliated with forestry. As a result, there were 13 indicators that may be used as the basis of a regional or forest management unit level for the purpose of protecting, developing and maintaining biodiversity. Furthermore, these indicators are instruments, which may easily be used by relevant decision-makers in the management of forest resources in a more effective and productive manner.


Developing safety critical products demands a clear safety argumentation for each product in spite of whether it has been derived from a product line or not. The functional safety standards do not explain how to develop safety critical products in product lines, and the product line concept is lacking specific approaches to develop safety critical products. Nonetheless, product lines are well-established concepts even in companies developing safety critical products. In this paper we present the results of an exploratory study interviewing 15 practitioners from 6 different companies. We identify typical challenges and approaches from industry and discuss their suitability. The challenges and approaches brought out by this study help us to identify and enhance applicable methods from the product line engineering domain that can meet the challenges in the safety critical domain as well.


Simple Summary Increased stress is often observed in patients with kidney diseases, contributing to renal injury progression. Flavonoids are naturally occurring plant compounds with known health benefits, including antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Flavonoids can protect the kidney by improving antioxidant status, ameliorating excess reactive oxygen species levels, and acting as Nrf2-mediators in generating antioxidant responses in the body. Flavonoids also modulate inflammatory markers, exert anti-inflammatory effects, and protect the cells from apoptotic cell death in the kidney. Interestingly, few clinical trials have reported a direct correlation between a flavonoid-rich diet and better kidney disease prognosis. However, flavonoids have a low bioavailability in the body, making it essential to understand better their molecular mechanism of action. We suggest that a flavonoid-rich diet could have promising nephroprotective effects and beneficial outcomes in treating patients with kidney diseases. Abstract The kidney is susceptible to reactive oxygen species-mediated cellular injury resulting in glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, tubular cell apoptosis, and senescence, leading to renal failure, and is a significant cause of death worldwide. Oxidative stress-mediated inflammation is a key player in the pathophysiology of various renal injuries and diseases. Recently, flavonoids' role in alleviating kidney diseases has been reported with an inverse correlation between dietary flavonoids and kidney injuries. Flavonoids are plant polyphenols possessing several health benefits and are distributed in plants from roots to leaves, flowers, and fruits. Dietary flavonoids have potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties and play essential roles in disease prevention. Flavonoids exert a nephroprotective effect by improving antioxidant status, ameliorating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and reducing oxidative stress, by acting as Nrf2 antioxidant response mediators. Moreover, flavonoids play essential roles in reducing chemical toxicity. Several studies have demonstrated the effects of flavonoids in reducing oxidative stress, preventing DNA damage, reducing inflammatory cytokines, and inhibiting apoptosis-mediated cell death, thereby preventing or improving kidney injuries/diseases. This review covers the recent nephroprotective effects of flavonoids against oxidative stress-mediated inflammation in the kidney and their clinical advancements in renal therapy.


For the past 44 yr, populations of the parthenogenetic New Mexico whiptail lizard have been allocated to either Cnemidophorus perplexus Baird and Girard 1852 or Cnemidophorus neomexicanus Lowe and Zweifel 1952. The latter name has been in general use for the past 30 yr based on an opinion that the lectotype of C. perplexus, United States National Museum (USNM) 3060, was a triploid hybrid derived from insemination of a normally parthenogenetic individual of C. neomexicanus by a male of C. inornatus. Questions concerning the genealogy of the lectotype have recently resurfaced. Therefore, we used canonical variate (CVA) and principal components analyses (PCA) of nine meristic characters and snout-vent length to test the hypothesis that the lectotype of C. perplexus is a hybrid. Because C. neomexicanus and C. inornatus are sympatric at the type locality of the former, this also provided an opportunity to verify that the type of C. neomexicanus is not a hybrid. Our reference material included two sets of geographically paired samples of the presumptive parental species, C. neomexicanus (n = 77) and C. inornatus (n = 105) from the vicinity of the restricted type locality of C. perplexus. Of 23 specimens presumed from morphological features to be C. neomexicanus x C. inornatus hybrids, 13 that were syntopic with one of the reference sets were used as our hybrid reference group. The type specimens of C. perplexus and C. neomexicanus were included in the CVA as unknowns for assignment to the hybrid group or taxon with which each shared the greatest multivariate similarity. The CVA assigned the holotype of C. neomexicanus to C. neomexicanus (Set 1: P = 0.642; Set 2: P = 0.358), and the lectotype of C. perplexus was assigned to C. neomexicanus as well (Set 2: P = 0.789; Set 1: P = 0.211). Projections of scores for both types in a principal components analysis of all specimens supported both assignments. In addition, the color pattern of the lectotype resembles C. neomexicanus and none of the 23 hybrids, and meristic scores of the lectotype are within the range limits of our reference samples of C. neomexicanus. Our analyses indicate that the lectotype of C. perplexus was misidentified as a hybrid by previous workers. However, there are two compelling reasons why we shall petition the ICZN to suppress perplexus as an available name for a species of Cnemidophorus: (1) ambiguity concerning the type locality; and (2) controversy as to whether the name C. perplexus should be associated with specimen USNM 3060. Approval of the petition will bring the issue to closure and extend the 30yr use of the name C. neomexicanus for the New Mexico whiptail.


Background: Sweet potato producers in Kenya practice either sole cropping of or relay cropping and rarely do intercropping which aims at maximizing on time and space. Objective. To assess the relative performance of sweet potato under various cropping systems. Methodology: This study was conducted in Katumani, Kenya for two seasons; 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. The treatments comprised of sole cropping of Kabode, sole cropping of Bungoma, Kabode + common bean, Bungoma + common bean, and sole cropping of common beans (Mwezi mbili) were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in 3 replications. Monocropped sweet potato and beans served as the control treatment. Weather data, leaf area, leaf area index, vine length, and percent canopy cover were collected throughout the cropping period. The data were analysed by a two-way ANOVA at 0.05% significance level followed by a Pearson's correlation analysis on the extent to which length of vines, percent canopy cover, leaf area index, and weather parameters; ETo, aridity index, and rainfall influenced the attained tuber yields. Results: Intercropping significantly (p < 0.05) reduced sweet potato yields of Kabode and Bungoma varieties by 19.3% and 44%, respectively. Monocropped Kabode yielded 31.4 t ha-1, significantly (p< 0.05) higher than monocropped Bungoma with 23.9 t ha-1 whereas their common bean intercrops yielded 26.2 t ha-1 and 18.1 t ha-1,respectively. Correlation analysis showed that rainfall, ETo, LAI, vine length, and percent canopy cover negatively affected tuber yields. Implication: Land equivalent ratio revealed that intercropping sweet potato varieties with common beans was biologically efficient and that the percentage of the land saved averagely ranged from 8% to 33%. More studies should be conducted to determine the extent of sweet potato allelopathy on companion crops and nutrient use under intercropping systems. Conclusion: Yield stability analysis showed that orange-fleshed Kabode was the most stable variety across seasons to be grown in Katumani.


Benelux is an economic union in Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It was created for the Benelux Customs Union, and was replaced by an economic union, which is still existent. Dutch and French are the commonly used languages in these countries. Out of the total of 27.2 million people living in the member states 4.7 million (17 percent) speak French and 22.5 million (83 percent) speak Dutch. Although it is not an official language of the Benelux, Belgium and Luxembourg recognise German as one of the official national languages. This union, its economic activities and the common languages reflect a shared cultural, economic, social and political background. But do these countries also share common values? In the following chapter we are going to apply one of the currently mostly used value theory in the social sciences, the human basic values theory (Schwartz, 1992), in order to try to answer this question. More precisely, we are going to try to answer the following questions: (1) Do values as proposed by Schwartz (1992) and as measured in the European Social Survey (ESS) in the second round (2004-2005) exhibit the necessary statistical conditions of invariance, which allow comparing them across the three nations?; (2) If the answer to this question is positive, to what extent does the importance attributed to these values differ across the three countries?1 The second round of the ESS provides us with an opportunity to conduct this test across the three countries. The cross-country comparability of the value measurements in this round has not been evaluated yet. Davidov, Schmidt and Schwartz (in press) conducted an invariance test of the values scale across 20 countries with the first round of the ESS, but it did not include Luxemburg, as Luxemburg did not collect data on values on that round2. We are going to start with a short presentation of the theory. Then we will provide a description of the items used in the European Social Survey to measure these values. We will proceed with statistical analyses of invariance, which is a necessary condition for comparability of constructs across cultures or groups. Finding out invariance of some values will allow us to compare only these values across the three countries. After providing results of our analyses we will finalize with some concluding remarks.


Zic3 regulates early embryonic patterning in vertebrates. Loss of Zic3 function is known to disrupt gastrulation, left-right patterning, and neurogenesis. However, molecular events downstream of this transcription factor are poorly characterized. Here we use the zebrafish as a model to study the developmental role of Zic3 in vivo, by applying a combination of two powerful genomics approaches – ChIP-seq and microarray. Besides confirming direct regulation of previously implicated Zic3 targets of the Nodal and canonical Wnt pathways, analysis of gastrula stage embryos uncovered a number of novel candidate target genes, among which were members of the non-canonical Wnt pathway and the neural pre-pattern genes. A similar analysis in zic3-expressing cells obtained by FACS at segmentation stage revealed a dramatic shift in Zic3 binding site locations and identified an entirely distinct set of target genes associated with later developmental functions such as neural development. We demonstrate cis-regulation of several of these target genes by Zic3 using in vivo enhancer assay. Analysis of Zic3 binding sites revealed a distribution biased towards distal intergenic regions, indicative of a long distance regulatory mechanism; some of these binding sites are highly conserved during evolution and act as functional enhancers. This demonstrated that Zic3 regulation of developmental genes is achieved predominantly through long distance regulatory mechanism and revealed that developmental transitions could be accompanied by dramatic changes in regulatory landscape.


Over the past number of years, polymers with delocalised [pi]-orbitals have been of interest due to their electrical conducting properties. Exposing these polymers to electron donating or accepting dopants, remarkably alters the nature of these materials.
In this project it was planned to synthesise and investigate the physical and chemical and electrochemical properties the "polyquinoxaline" family of materials. In order to investigate these materials, synthesis of 5,14-dihydro-5,7,12,14-tetraazapentacene(L5H[sub]2),7,16-dihydro-5,7,9,14,16,18-hexaazaheptacene (L7H[sub]2),7,20-dihydro-5,7,9,11,16,18,20,22-octaazanonacene (L9H[sub]2) and "Polyquinoxaline" (poly[1,6-dihydropyrazino(2,3 -g)-quinoxaline-2,3,8-triyl-7(2H)-ylidene-7,8-dimethylidene was carried out.
A number of techniques such as FTIR, solid state NMR, Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy have been used in characterising these compounds. Thermogravimetric Analysis and annealing studies of the oligomers were carried out in order to establish optimum crystals growth conditions to aid crystallographic studies.
The oligomers (L5H[sub]2) and (L7H[sub]2) were vacuum evaporated on ITO glass substrate. Studies using cyclic voltammetry (CV), and in-situ spectroelectrochemical techniques were used to measure the electrochromic changes and diffusion kinetics in the oligomers upon doping. A comparison with phenazine (L3) has been made where possible in order to complete the available series.


The intestinal mesentery undergoes a torsion in early fetal life, during which the right colon, that is, the cecum, ascending colon and nearly half of the transverse colon travel from left to right across the duodenum and toward the right kidney. According to most of our textbooks, the normal location for the hepatic flexure is in front of the right kidney and near the right border of the liver. It is a fact, however, revealed by fluoroscopic examinations and by surgical inspections, that the hepatic flexure in many persons has failed to rotate sufficiently far to the right to become fixed by the phrenocolic ligament in the classic situation just mentioned. For the purpose of determining the position of the hepatic flexure in healthy persons, a series of fluoroscopic examinations with barium meal were carried out by my associate, Dr. V. J. LaRose, on twenty-five undergraduate nurses, all with normal


4 patients with primary exotropia of divergent excess type and 6 patients suffering from secondary exotropia and raised AC/A ratio have been operated with combined external rectus recession interal rectus 'Fadenoperation' and, if necessary, internal rectus resection. In all patients, the far-/near angle difference has been diminished, and in most of them microstrabism was achieved. Lateral gaze incomitance or a significant reduction of the motility of the globe did not occur. Thus, this kind of operation can be recommended for both groups of patients.


This article applies a discourse analytical approach to the reporting of speech and thought in order to explore the parameters of core ethical quandaries in literary journalism, focusing in particular on the reconstruction or re-imagining of dialogue and thought. It thus focuses on the journalists' duties, firstly, towards their sources (specifically, to both the propositional content and the verbatim words of their subjects' truth claims), and, secondly, their perceived obligations towards their readers (regarding narrative accessibility, drama, resolution and lucidity). It then proceeds to discuss recent book-length examples of literary journalism from Spain and France. The article's central claim is that an alternative approach to such issues is identifiable in Spanish journalist Javier Cercas's work, in particular in his widely acclaimed re-exploration (2009) of the attempted coup d'etat in Madrid in 1981. Cercas's text, like many notable examples of literary journalism, is informed by a comprehensive set of interviews and by exhaustive archival research. Cercas goes further, however, in the thoroughness and rigour of the attribution of his reconstructions of speech and thought. The book incorporates, moreover, many explicit or implicit markers of a reported idea's dubitative or tentative status, a concern which continually shapes the text's overall representational choices, and which can be seen as a timely response to calls for writers working within a literary journalism tradition to develop a form of implicit ethical contract with their readers.


OBJECTIVES
A novel optical segment tracking (OST) approach reliant upon motion capturing was previously proposed to assess human tibia segment deformation. The purposes of the present study were to validate the OST approach and assess the contribution of muscular forces to the bone deformation in a well-defined ex vivo human model.

METHODS
A custom-made Lower Extremity Loading Device (LELD) was developed to simulate physiological muscle contractions in six human cadaveric lower extremities. Tibia segment deformation was measured by tracking the relative movement between two marker clusters which were affixed into the proximal and distal tibia, respectively.

RESULTS
Compared to the physiological norms, the simulated muscle forces remained at a low level. When quadriceps muscle was loaded with forces from 198 N to 505 N, posterior bending (0.12°-0.25°) and lateral bending (0.06°-0.21°) of the tibia segment were found. Large tibia bending angles were found when simulating the co-contraction of upper leg muscles and plantar flexors, and of all leg muscles, respectively. The standard deviations of the deformation angles between the repetitions remained at a low level.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that the OST approach has the potential to be applied in vivo and quantify muscle-induced bone deformations.


The model was designed to investigate (1) to what extent the effective population size of a cultural trait departs from the cultural equivalent N under non-ideal conditions, and (2) how the differences between Shennan's (2001) and Henrich's (2004) model assumptions influence the effect of demography on the rate of change in the mean skill level of a cultural trait. The model was programmed and run in NetLogo 5.1. The source code may need to be modified to run in later versions of NetLogo.

The model shows how natural selection and cultural selection affect the effective population size of a cultural trait, in many cases causing it to depart not only from census population size but also from the number of potential (and even actual) teachers in the population. Although Shennan (2001) is correct that the positive nonlinear effect of N on equilibrium mean fitness is explained by the fact that the relative strength of drift is a function of N, N does not "represent" Ne under non-ideal conditions. The results of this model show that the two are not equivalent under the conditions of Shennan's model due to the fact that natural selection and directly biased oblique cultural transmission both drive down Ne.

The observation that increasing the probability of learning from the most skilled member of one's subset of potential teachers increases Ne under Shennan's model conditions but decreases Ne under Henrich's model conditions reflects the fact that Shennan's and Henrich's models showcase different demographic effects. The effect of N on the rate of change in mean skill level in Henrich's model is driven by the absolute number of oblique learners who attempt to copy the most skilled member of the parental generation.


INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disease, associated with high risk to health. It is a world public health problem that affects children and adolescents. It is present in rich and poor countries. Type 2 diabetes, systemic arterial hypertension, blood lipid disorders, and cardiovascular disease together compose the metabolic syndrome (BMI > 95th percentile, weight circumference ≥ 85th percentile, serum glucose ≥ 100 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≤ 40 mg/dL, serum triglycerides ≥ 110 mg/dL); orthopedic lesions and psychosocial problems (marginalization and depression) are present early in life in obese individuals. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of comorbidity in a cohort of 185 obese Mexican children and adolescents. METHODS: A total of 185 obese Mexican children and adolescents were included in the study. The following parameters were measured: BMI, serum lipid profile, serum glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and serum uric acid. Complete physical examinations were performed, including blood pressure measurements. RESULTS: BMI was at the 95th percentile in 97% of cases; 75% had ≥1 clinical indicator of comorbidity associated with obesity. Skin lesions (nigricans acanthosis; folliculitis; and grooves in hip, abdomen, and upper and lower extremities), serum lipid disorders (high level of serum triglycerides, low level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), systemic arterial hypertension, and others (eg, hypertransaminemia, hyperuricemia, orthopedic lesions) were the most common. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity in children and adolescents is a severe world public health problem. Obese children and adolescents frequently had associated comorbidity. It is necessary to improve health, juridical, and educational world policies that prevent and support the treatment of obesity in early life.


On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) formally declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a worldwide pandemic as the virus spreads rapidly with new cases and deaths rising exponentially in many countries. As of March 12, there were 125,048 confirmed cases and 4,613 deaths, and the numbers are still surging affecting 118 countries (1). Now we know that regional efforts to contain individual outbreaks have failed. The next phase of epidemic control is mitigation, and China has implemented multiple effective measurements such as mandatory citywide lockdowns to isolate and block the spread since January 2020. Recent data has shown evidence of controlling the epidemic (2).


Sexual pleasure has been identified as an important consideration in decision-making surrounding condom use. We examined the impact of perceived pleasure loss associated with condom use on recent history of insertive and receptive unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) living in the United States. A total of 482 Dominican, Colombian, and Brazilian immigrant MSM were surveyed regarding sexual attitudes and practices via computer-assisted self-interviewing technology with audio enhancement (ACASI). Participants rated the pleasure they derived from protected and unprotected anal intercourse in each position (insertive and receptive) and also reported their HIV status, relationship status, and recent sexual history. Men who had engaged in both positions, with and without condoms (n=268), perceived a greater pleasure loss associated with condoms during anal intercourse in the insertive versus receptive position. Logistic regression analyses controlling for HIV status, relationship status, and age revealed that men who perceived greater pleasure loss from condoms were more likely to have engaged in UAI over the past 3 months (n[insertive]=297; n[receptive]=284). Findings indicate that the pleasure loss associated with condoms may be a key deterrent for their use in either sex position among Latino MSM. Therefore, pleasure needs to be prioritized in the development of condoms and other sexual safety measures as well as in the promotion of their use.


A structural steel, 35CrMoV steel, has been attempted firstly by explosive powder compaction followed by sintering (EPC-sintering). The nitrogen content of the steel was 0.15wt%, which was accordant with the definition of high nitrogen steel (HNS). The final density of the EPC-sintering steel was only about 6.9g/cm3, which indicated that the processing parameters must be modulated further. In the sample of this steel, some radial cracks were found around the center of the cross-section of the steel, resulting in no mechanical tests carrying out. Observing the majority of the rim region of the sample of this steel, the microstructures were very tight, suggesting that it was possible and successful to manufacture HNS through EPC-sintering. The characteristics of the EPC-sintering high nitrogen 35CrMoV steel were that the cementites in the pearlites were found to be extremely fine. There were many (Cr,Mo)23(C,N)6 carbonitrides precipitates in the matrix. Some precipitates were round and others were needle-like. Some were distributing orderly in matrix and crossing over the dislocations. The dislocation density in the EPC-sintering steel remained high.


This paper tackles several issues under-studied concerning agri-environmental schemes (AES), namely requirements related to ecological focus areas (EFA) and collective participation. For this purpose, choice experiment was used to assess farmers' preferences towards AES in olive growing of Southern Spain. A high heterogeneity was found, being identified four different classes of farmers, from potential participants to intermediate and non-participants. Almost half of the farmers would implement EFA at low monetary incentives (€8-9/ha per 1%-EFA) and the rest would do it at moderate to high monetary incentives (€41-151/ha per 1%-EFA). Most of farmers would not participate collectively with an up-to-30% bonus.


ABSTRACT We present a mixed-methods approach to community-based assessment design that engages tribal college and university faculty, students, and science educators, as well as experts in cultural knowledge from the Blackfeet and Diné (Navajo) nations. Information from cultural experts, gathered through a combination of sequential surveys and focus group sessions, was analyzed to identify important themes with regard to assessment and geoscience content within the context of these communities. While experts use a variety of assessment approaches in their classrooms, only pre- and posttesting and portfolios were found to be most valuable. Experts indicated that the primary role of assessment was to monitor student progress, steer instruction, and prepare students for success; thus, assessment should be tied to the course goals. Experts differed on their views regarding sources of bias in testing, but overall they agreed that test language and content were both strong sources of bias. They indicated that input on assessment would help to incorporate local context and provide a mechanism for combating bias. Surveys completed by tribal college faculty and Native American students from Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and Arizona State University (ASU) provided information on the themes of geoscience, native science, place, and culture. Participants provided a variety of examples of important geoscience concepts that focused on (1) traditional geoscience concepts (e.g., the composition of Earth materials), (2) Earth system concepts (e.g., the environment and ecosystems), and (3) interactions between native culture and geoscience (e.g., incorporation of native language in science curriculum). Combined, these data offer the basis for developing place-based and culturally informed geoscience assessments by revealing geoscience content that is important to the local community. To aid in assessment design, one-on-one interviews with tribal college faculty and science educators, as well as students from BCC and ASU, provided specific feedback on the question validity of select items from an existing instrument: the Geoscience Concept Inventory (GCI). Emergent themes from the interview transcripts address assessment content, language, and format and reference school science, cultural knowledge, physical places, and connections to the local landscape (e.g., sense of place). Together, these data (1) address the validity of the GCI as a standardized assessment measure in these student populations and (2) provide the basis for developing open-ended assessment questions and concept inventory–like questions that incorporate this feedback.


During the course of a 3‐year ecological study on Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) at the Kagwene Mountain in Cameroon, we observed three cases of tool use which may be unique to the gorillas of this region and possibly learned through interactions with humans. A non‐habituated group of Cross River gorillas threw fistfuls of grass toward humans in display contexts. An individual gorilla was also observed to throw a detached branch toward researchers during another encounter. The third encounter occurred between the focal group and a local man, in which the man threw stones at the gorillas and they reacted by throwing fistfuls of grass back at him. We describe these observations and speculate that this sub‐population of gorillas developed this display behavior as a response to particular local conditions. Am. J. Primatol. 69:1307–1311, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Chemotherapy is the mainstream treatment modality for invasive breast cancer. Unfortunately, chemotherapy-associated adverse events can result in early termination of treatment. Paradoxical effects of chemotherapy are also sometimes observed, whereby prolonged exposure to high doses of chemotherapeutic agents results in malignant states resistant to chemotherapy. In this study, potential synergism between doxorubicin (DOX) and pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy was investigated in: 1) MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro; 2) MCF-7 tumors implanted onto a chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and; 3) human patient-derived and MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenografts implanted into NOD-SCID gamma (NSG) mice. In vivo, synergism was observed in patient-derived and breast cancer cell line xenograft mouse models, wherein PEMF exposure and DOX administration individually reduced tumor size and increased apoptosis and could be augmented by combined treatments. In the CAM xenograft model, DOX and PEMF exposure also synergistically reduced tumor size as well as reduced Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 1 (TRPC1) channel expression. In vitro, PEMF exposure alone impaired the survival of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, but not that of non-malignant MCF10A breast cells; the selective vulnerability of breast cancer cells to PEMF exposure was corroborated in human tumor biopsy samples. Stable overexpression of TRPC1 enhanced the vulnerability of MCF-7 cells to both DOX and PEMF exposure and promoted proliferation, whereas TRPC1 genetic silencing reduced sensitivity to both DOX and PEMF treatments and mitigated proliferation. Chronic exposure to DOX depressed TRPC1 expression, proliferation, and responses to both PEMF exposure and DOX in a manner that was reversible upon removal of DOX. TRPC1 channel overexpression and silencing positively correlated with markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), including SLUG, SNAIL, VIMENTIN, and E-CADHERIN, indicating increased and decreased EMT, respectively. Finally, PEMF exposure was shown to attenuate the invasiveness of MCF-7 cells in correlation with TRPC1 expression. We thus demonstrate that the expression levels of TRPC1 consistently predicted breast cancer sensitivity to DOX and PEMF interventions and positively correlated to EMT status, providing an initial rationale for the use of PEMF-based therapies as an adjuvant to DOX chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancers characterized by elevated TRPC1 expression levels.


The unprecedented changes the information and communication technology[ICT] revolution brought to the human society have been immense. In all elements theinfluence of technology can be seen in a remarkable way. In studying the accumulationof knowledge also it is understood that the older generation relies more on the printedmaterials like books, newspapers, journals and magazines. But the present, youngergeneration has become more interested in utilizing the sophisticated technology in theireducational and recreational purposes. Castells" [2005] concepts"network society" and"the informational mode of development" indicate the nature of technologicalglobalization. Simon [2001], Carol et al [2008], Siemens and Nahachewsky [2010]andMardis et al [2010] have studied the e-reading of the children whereas Twyla et aland Doiron [2011] on the adult readers. Li [2008] and Schlozer [2011] have studied thee-reading industry in detail. This particular study aims at investigating the type ofimpact the technology has imposed on the present younger generation especially inrelation to e-reading. Simultaneously it tries to gather the changesthat have gotestablished among parents and children in utilizing technology in reading. The present,younger generation is prone towards digital technologies than their parents. In thissurvey hundred [100] families of Colombo have been selected randomly and the readinghabits of the parents and children were compared by using a structured questionnaire todocument the changes established in relation to readership. In analyzing the quantitativedata it was understood that mostly the youth have become addicted to the digitized formof materials like e-book reading or referencing while the elder generation too utilize it ina limited manner. Key words: Readership, Digitised age, Information and Communication Technology,Information society, E-book reading


Manna ash (Fraxinus ornus L.) is a typical deciduous tree of South European distributioin reaching the northern border of its range in the Carpathian Basin. The correlation between age and basal diameter of this tree was analysed in three ecologically contrasting habitats, as follows. (1) Succesional habitat. Abandonedframland with scattered occurrence of manna ash as a colonisong tree of this area. (2) Austrian pine plantation, where manna ash often forms a spontaneous subordinate tree or shrub layer. (3) Cotino-Quercetum pubescentis, the naturla vegetation on south facing calcareous hillslopes in Hungary, where Quercus pubescenes Willd. and Fraxinus ornus codominate in the low canopy. At each sampling site 21 individuals were selected with an even distribution within circumference categories ranging  from 6cm to 60cm. Circumference measurements were made at the base of the trunk, or cores were taken by a driller. Linear regression analysis was applied to test the correlation between age and diameter.


With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictive visitor policies have curtailed the ability of family caregivers to be present to partner in the care of loved ones. Building on the success of the "Better Together" campaign, Healthcare Excellence Canada - the newly amalgamated organization of the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute - has co-developed policy guidance and "Essential Together" programming that recognizes the significant role of essential care partners. This work aims to support the safe reintegration of essential care partners into health and care organizations across Canada during the pandemic and beyond.


In the UK, end-of-life management of used apparel is of increasing concern. The emergence of 'fast
fashion' retail models, characterised by low prices and frequent changes in style, has encouraged greater levels of consumption and more rapid disposal of fashion apparel (Bianchi and Birtwistle,2011). It is estimated that annually, over fifty items of clothing are purchased per capita (Carbon Trust, 2011) and approximately two million tonnes disposed of nationally, 50% direct to landfill(DEFRA, 2011). The post-consumer apparel which is diverted from landfill is sorted by textile recyclers and sent on to a range of existing markets. Most is destined for reuse in its original form; a small proportion is
resold in the UK, but the majority is exported to sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe (Tanzania is
a major export destination). Apparel that is not suitable for resale may be reused as rags and
wipers or remanufactured into secondary products, but there are significant challenges to both
these markets, particularly in the UK. Technological change in the printing industry and the decline in heavy engineering have led to decreased demand for rags and wipers. Meanwhile, the heterogeneous material composition of post-consumer apparel waste means that remanufactured products are generally of low quality and value. A feasibility study undertaken in 2006 identified potential technologies and end markets which would add value to post-consumer recycled materials, but there has been little commercial interest in the outcomes (Morley et al, 2006; Morley et al, 2009). There is currently a thriving second-hand clothing trade in Tanzania but this is under increasing pressure from cheap Asian imports which have increased since the phasing out of quota restrictions following the expiration of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement in 2005. In addition, solid waste management in Tanzania is highly inefficient and it is likely that at end-of-life the second-hand clothing exported from the UK will be landfilled along with Asian imports (Sinha and Mahwera, 2011). Poor waste management infrastructure has given rise to an informal labouring sector of
scavengers or 'waste pickers' who recover and sell valuable waste materials (Scheinberg, 2001; cited in Uiterkamp et al, 2011). However, a recent small-scale study found that end markets for textile waste are small and of low value in comparison to other waste streams. This is particularly true when the textiles are badly damaged or shredded (Palfreman, 2010).
The European Union's 2005 Waste Framework Directive places emphasis on diverting material from landfill. In the absence of strong domestic or overseas reuse and recycling markets for post-
consumer apparel, waste-to-energy processes such as incineration or mechanical biological
treatment may become the predominant waste management strategy for this waste-stream in the
UK, as has become the case in Northern Europe (EEA, 2007). Whilst preferable to landfill, this
represents a less satisfactory waste management strategy than reuse or recycling and does not
address the solid waste management issues evident in Tanzania.

The lack of value placed on textile fragments in Tanzania is in contrast to the situation in India,
where a strong mungo and shoddy industry converts post-consumer apparel imported from the UK
into yarn and blankets for the domestic and export markets. Low labour costs mean that the time-intensive sorting and processing stages in manufacturing remain economically feasible (Norris,2005). This indicates that low-labour cost countries can gain benefit from post-consumer apparel waste if the appropriate skills and infrastructure are in place.

This paper explores three supply chain scenarios aimed at tackling the problem of UK post-consumer
apparel waste from a global perspective.

In the first scenario, a global supply chain is described in which Tanzanian-base low-technology
reuse and recycling industries create value from post-consumer apparel waste. An existing case
study on Tanzanian tailors (Sinha and Mahwera, 2010) will be used to provide a basis for assessing the feasibility of reuse and remanufacture of post-consumer apparel. As not all post-consumer apparel is fit for this end use, we will also explore the possibility of developing a low-technology textile recycling industry making goods for domestic and overseas agricultural and horticultural markets. Both industries are important to the Tanzanian economy, and a previous feasibility study
has identified that post-consumer apparel waste can be used in producing nonwoven capillary
matting and growing media (Morley et al, 2006).

The second scenario explores the diversion of post-consumer apparel waste into a UK-based
company. The design and manufacturing processes of a leading UK automotive textiles
manufacturer will be analysed in order to determine whether this is a viable market for post- consumer apparel. This scenario addresses the predicted reduction in second-hand clothing exports to Tanzania.

The final scenario applies existing knowledge regarding the effect of waste-to-energy waste
management strategies have had on second-hand clothing exports from Europe to the UK-Tanzanian
context. A case study on Swedish waste management will provide the basis for this scenario.
For each scenario, we will discuss material flows, economic factors, environmental and social
benefits/impacts and the resources required for the scenarios to be implemented.

References:
Bianchi, C. and Birtwistle, G. (2011), 'Consumer clothing disposal behaviour: a comparative study',
International Journal of Consumer Studies [online]. Available from: Wiley Online Library
 , [Accessed 13/12/2011].
Carbon Trust (2011). 'International Carbon Flows – Clothing (CTC-793)' [online]. Available from
 , [Accessed
12/12/2011]
DEFRA (2011). 'Sustainable Clothing Roadmap – Progress Report 2011' [online]. Available from:
 , [Accessed
12/12/2011].
EEA (2007). 'The Road from Landfilling to Recycling: common destination, different routes'.
Morley, N., McGill, I. and Bartlett, C. (2009). 'Maximising Reuse and Recycling of UK Clothing and
Textiles EV0421. Technical Report for Defra' [online]. Available from:
 , [Accessed 12/12/2011].
Morley, N. Slater, S., Rusell, S., Tipper, M. and Ward, G. (2006). 'Recycling of Low Grade Clothing
Waste. Technical Report for Defra [online]. Available from:
 , [Accessed 12/12/2011].
Sinha, P. and Mahwera, D. (2011). 'Proposed Innovation(s) for Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain'. In
Preparation.
Uiterkamp, B. J. Schoot, Azadi, H. and Ho, P. (2011). 'Sustainable recycling model: A comparative
analysis between India and Tanzania'. Resources Conservation and Recycling 55 (3) 344 -355.


The U.S. Supreme Court is the authority in the interpretation of U.S. law that acts both within an activity system and as an activity system itself. The written slip opinion contains a case's complete history and the Court's holding on the case—a distinct genre of legal documents that act as a powerful tool of the judiciary. However, the complexity of the legal dialect, and the Court's operation as a discourse community often muddle the public's ability to understand and engage with the Court. As such, nuances in legal interpretation that would otherwise explain the framework behind major political and social decisions are often lost in communication. This paper analyzes the role of the Court Opinion as an object of the Supreme Court activity system, and the effect of the concept of the "discourse community" on the Opinion's effectiveness and clarity, through the 2018 "travel ban" case, Trump v. Hawaii.


The power patterns and input impedances of four types of planar antennas on a dielectric-filled parabola are presented. The measurements were made on a microwave scale model of a proposed submillimeter-wave receiver front end. The dipoles have the lowest input impedance (generally preferred for matching to most nonlinear elements used in low noise receivers), while the log spiral has the broadest bandwidth and the most circularly symmetric patterns. If cross polarization is a consideration, the log-periodic antennas are likely to give less satisfactory performance. The bow-tie has the most compact impedance locus but its H-plane patterns vary widely with frequency. All of the antennas slightly underilluminate the dielectric-filled parabola. The input impedances of the antenna on the dielectric-filled parabola differ from those of the same antennas in free space and in general the real part decreases.<<ETX>>


Swedish students in the upper secondary school will recieve informaition regarding religion from multiple sources. If we look past the students surroundings like the family, friends or multimedia school is still the primary arena for religous education. Discussions about religion will take place in other lessons than just the subject religion. History is in my opinion the subject closest related to religion and the two makes up for a lot of the values work in swedish schools. Textbooks is still one of the most important tools for education and that makes them important as objects to study. This essay examines how religion is portrayed in textbooks for the history courses in swedish upper secondary schools. By using a qualitative text analysis I have been able to identify and discuss a few important issues that future teachers have to be aware of. The most apparent issue is how the presentation of Islam differs from other religions. Knowledge about how the textbooks present religion makes it possible for teachers and students to critically analyze the texts they are working with.


BACKGROUND
Cervical ripening during pregnancy is associated with ultrastructural alterations, presumably correlated with structural changes of the ultrasonographic image. Analysing these changes might allow conclusions on cervical consistence without necessarily performing manual examination.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Ultrasound findings of 112 patients with normal pregnancy (14th to 41st week of pregnancy) have been compared to those of 57 patients admitted because of cervical insufficiency (20th to 35th week). A representative region of interest was analysed using a computer based texture analysing system ("Ultra" written in "Interactive Data Language"). 125 parameters derive from various texture algorithms: 1st order gray scale statistics, row, slit and area statistics, gradient statistics, cooccurrence statistics. By means of factor and multiple regression analysis those parameters could be determined, which contribute significantly to the clinical assessment of cervical consistence. Weighting these parameters a so called texture score (TS) and--implementing the other parameters of the Bishop-Score (BS)--a texture based cervical score (TBCS) could be established.

RESULTS
Manual assessment of cervical consistence could be reproduced excellently by noninvasive texture analysis. TBCS was highly correlated to BS, correlation to remaining duration of pregnancy (RDOP) was highly significant for TBCS but insignificant for BS.

CONCLUSIONS
Manual assessment of cervical consistence may be replaced by noninvasive texture analysis. Using RDOP as target parameter TS and TBCS turn out to be superior to manual assessment and BS respectively.

DISCUSSION
Computer aided texture analysis of cervical ultrasound imaging provides a useful information, which can be obtained easily and might help to reduce palpatory controls and increase the accuracy of prediction of pregnancy prolongation.


A good knowledge of terrain characteristics and movement possibilities within it are crucial conditions for operations success. If a commander and his staff have enough information about the terrain, he can optimize a combat formation and its movement in an open terrain. Such as optimization can finally spare manpower as well as equipment and decrease probability of loss of life. This paper deals with a complex mathematical model of terrain passability, which respects both geographical and meteorological conditions in the terrain and with its adaptation to calculation in the environment of geographic information systems (GIS). Such a model can be directly implied into command and control system to support decision-making processes. The main problem of an off-road vehicle movement in an open terrain consists in considering the properties of a given surface; also, technical properties of a particular off-road vehicle have to be considered. The model of terrain passability is based on measurable factors that characterize the natural environment, which is possible to calculate using the data saved in GIS databases. While calculating parameters for a complex model, it is necessary to consider data quality, which influences the level of vagueness of the resulting calculations. In order to express this level of vagueness, a method of fuzzy functions was selected and applied while calculating the individual deceleration coefficients given by the natural factors. The method of cost map was selected for the final evaluation of possibilities of vehicles movement. The complete procedure was debugged in the environment of ArcGIS 10.


This thesis consists of an introductory chapter followed by four separate papers. The papers deal with various aspects of human capital, ability and migration.

Using the Swedish Military Enlistment test, the first paper, Ability and Rates of Return to Schooling ? making use of the Swedish Enlistment Battery Test, estimates the return to schooling for individuals belonging to different parts of the ability distribution. It also attempts to predict whether an endogenous test score causes bias in the ?ability-specific? returns to schooling that varies with the test score. A significant finding is that a higher score in the test is associated with a higher return to schooling, but that the positive association is diminishing in the test score. In general, the bias in the ability-specific returns to schooling does not seem to vary with the test score level.

The second paper, Immigrants? Return to Schooling in Sweden, aims to find out if the returns to immigrants? schooling are lower than the returns to natives? schooling. In addition the paper tries to establish whether immigrants who invest in different amounts of Swedish education also differ in their returns to schooling. The results show that the difference in returns to schooling between immigrants and natives is generally quite small. Moreover, the returns to schooling are considerably higher for immigrants who arrived in Sweden during compulsory school age than for immigrants who arrived in Sweden after compulsory school age. Moreover, immigrants who complete their schooling in Sweden show, in general, much higher returns than immigrants with only foreign schooling.

The third paper, The Income Gap Between Natives and Second Generation Immigrants in Sweden: Is Skill the Explanation?, analyze whether the income gap between second generation immigrants and natives is caused by a skill gap rather than ethnic discrimination. Once the result of the Swedish Military Enlistment Test is controlled for, the income gap almost disappears for second generation immigrants with both parents born in Southern Europe or outside Europe. However, when using a regular set of control variables the income gap becomes overestimated. This difference in results is most likely explained by the fact that schooling is a bad measure of productive skills for these groups of second generation immigrants. It indicates that they compensate for their lower probability of being employed by investing in (in relation to their skill level) more schooling than otherwise similar natives.

The purpose of the final paper, Ethnic Segregation and Educational Attainment in Sweden, is to study whether youths who have attended ethnically segregated schools differ in their educational attainment compared to youths from less segregated schools in metropolitan Sweden, after controlling for family characteristics. To locate the ethnically segregated schools, we use the share of first and second generation immigrants among pupils graduating from a particular school. If the effect on educational attainment increases with the rate of ethnic school segregation, an association between ethnic segregation and individual educational attainment can be established. The results indicate that there is an association between attending an ethnically segregated school and educational attainment.


Today, environment protection and safe crop production are very important. The management of soil elements by bio-fertilizers is considered as important point for sustainable agriculture. Mode of action of fertilizers is very different in drought stress conditions. To evaluate biological fertilizers (agrohumic, nitroxin, superabsorbent and vermicompost) and compare them with current chemical fertilizers (N, P and K) in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) at different drought stress levels (100% as control, 75%, 50% and 25% field capacity), a greenhouse experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with 20 treatments and 3 replications at College of Agriculture, Shiraz University in 2010. Results showed that drought stress effect was significant on plant height, head diameter, biological yield (BY), grain yield (GY), and harvest index (HI); however, it did not affect oil percentage. Highest HI was obtained at 50% F.C, Also the highest grain yield and plant height were observed in bio-fertilizers and chemical fertilizer, respectively. The most grain yield achieved under control and severe drought stress conditions were found in nitroxin and superabsorbent, respectively. Fertilizers had significant effect on plant height and grain yield. Generally, bio-fertilizers particularly superabsorbent and vermicompost had better responses to drought stress, compared to chemical fertilizers, which was due to higher ability of them in water maintenance. According to results of this investigation, bio-fertilizers seem to be useful under limited moisture conditions to alleviate water deficit effects.


Numerical study using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was carried out to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of an innovative inclined gravity‐driven reactor (KIMM‐fast pyrolysis reactor). For the simulation of multiphase flow and thermal fields, we applied an Eulerian–Eulerian approach. The flow and thermal characteristics of the reactor were fully investigated with varying inlet width, inlet location, and inclined angle of the reactor. In particular, the contributions of the solid particle flows on the wall heat transfer were studied. To scrutinize the wall heat transfer, time‐averaged wall heat transfer coefficient was obtained and probability density function between gas volume fraction and wall heat transfer coefficient was analyzed. From the predicted results, it is fully elucidated that the particle packing density and gas volume fraction mainly govern the wall heat transfer, which are closely related to particular near‐wall solid motions. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2012


European, North American and Australasian welfare states are not being retrenched as much as restructured. Gender relations and changes in the social construction of individuals and families form a key dimension of this restructuring. Significantly, social changes associated with gender have worked to extend and reshape welfare states, to respond to new claims and political constituencies, at the same time that other forces have sought to contract them. How secure are women's welfare state gains likely to be in an era of retrenchment and reform? This paper describes and compares the restructuring of the gender models of the Australian and Swedish welfare states in the 1980s and 1990s. It considers three questions in particular: how have the gender models changed in this period; how has the restructuring of gender been situated in wider social policy change; and how securely established are these changes?


Randomization is an important technique for assessing the significance of data analysis results. Given an input dataset, a randomization method samples at random from some class of datasets that share certain characteristics with the original data. The measure of interest on the original data is then compared to the measure on the samples to assess its significance. For certain types of data, e.g., gene expression matrices, it is useful to be able to sample datasets that have the same row and column distributions of values as the original dataset. Testing whether the results of a data mining algorithm on such randomized datasets differ from the results on the true dataset tells us whether the results on the true data were an artifact of the row and column statistics, or due to some more interesting phenomena in the data. We study the problem of generating such randomized datasets. We describe methods based on local transformations and Metropolis sampling, and show that the methods are efficient and usable in practice. We evaluate the performance of the methods both on real and generated data. We also show how our methods can be applied to a real data analysis scenario on DNA microarray data. The results indicate that the methods work efficiently and are usable in significance testing of data mining results on real-valued matrices. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company


A radical anion based functionalization of the basal plane of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and other two-dimensional materials is proposed in the present study. The resulting materials can reversibly be oxidized without the detachment of the functional groups from the basal plane and can thus serve as surface-intercalation type cathode electroactive species and fast solid ion conductors at the same time. The functionalization of h-BN with [·OBX3]− radical anions (X=F, Cl) in the presence of Li, Na or Mg cations provides one example of such systems. This material can be realized in a proposed simple, two step synthesis. In the first step, a symmetric Lewis adduct of the corresponding Li, Na or Mg peroxides is formed with BX3. In the second step, the anion of the Lewis adduct is thermally split into two identical [·OBX3]− radical anions that covalently functionalize the B atoms of h-BN. In the maximum density surface packing functionalization, the product of the synthesis is A n [(BN)2OBX3] (A = Li, Na with n = 1 or A = Mg with n = 0.5). Its ionic conductivity is predicted to be in the order of 0.01-0.1 S cm-1 at room temperature, on the basis of Grotthus-like (or paddle-wheel) ion transport. In the highly oxidized states (0 ≤ n ≤ 1 for Li and Na and 0 ≤ n ≤ 0.5 for Mg), the electronic conductivity of this material is in the order of 1 S cm−1, similar to carbon black. In the fully reduced states (n = 2 for Li and Na and n = 1 for Mg), the material becomes an insulator, like h-BN. The tunability of the electronic properties of A n [(BN)2OBX3] via the cation concentration (n) allows for its application as multifunctional material in energy storage devices, simultaneously serving as cathode active species, solid electrolyte, electroconductive additive, separator, heat conductor and coating for metal anodes that enables dendrite-free plating. This multifunctionality reduces the number of phases needed in an all-solid-state battery or supercapacitor and thus reduces the interfacial impedance making energy storage devices more efficient. For example, Li[(BN)2OBF3] is predicted to have 5.6 V open circuit voltage versus Li metal anode, capacity of 191 mAh g− 1, specific energy of 1067 Wh kg− 1 and can store energy at a (materials only) cost of 24 USD kWh− 1.


In this study, styrene 70 wt.%-butyl acrylate 30 wt.% copolymer-based surface-sizing materials were synthesized using semi-batch emulsion polymerization and applied on the paper. Four different emulsifiers, with different ethylene oxide numbers, at ratios of 10%, 7% and (2, 2'-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (A)) as initiator were used for emulsion polymerization. Eight different copolymers were synthesized. Synthesized copolymers were used as surface sizing agents for the paper surface. Ion exchange capacity, pH, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis were used for the characterization of the copolymer properties. Contact angle measurements, Cobb test, and scanning electron microscopy analysis were carried out to determine the surface properties of the paper samples. Presence of copolymer formations was proven with the Fourier transform infrared analysis. Contact angle measurements of the copolymer sized paper surface have shown hydrophobic behaviour in samples, with the exception of E-3/7/A sample. The lowest Cobb value was observed for E-2/7/A sample. The highest thermal stability was also observed for E-2/7/A sample. The scanning electron micrographs show that the paper loses its fibrous structure and it is seen that the copolymer adheres to the fibrous tissue.


The basic concept of postponement is to delay activities until the latest possible point in time when more accurate information is available. In the Bucklin-type postponement-speculation model of inventory decision, to shorten the delivery lead time or lessen the delivery lot size from suppliers to retail stores is considered postponement. In a competitive environment, a given retailer cannot gain a competitive advantage alone by conducting longer postponement than other retailers. This is because other retailers can also achieve postponement by making transactions with wholesale and manufacturing companies which have established the logistics information system. The ability to construct the postponed system that is difficult to imitate is called postponement capability. The postponement capability can be realized under at least four conditions; partnership with suppliers, order management at retail stores, strategic expansion of scale, and brand strategy. These conditions can allow a retailer to establish a competitive advantage based on the postponed distribution system.


Electronic commerce is becoming increasingly common at international level and is the object of analysis by various fields and scientific disciplines. Guaranteeing the security of transactions is of fundamental importance if electronic commerce is to expand correctly. In this regard, legal protection for electronic commerce transactions is an area that is gaining in interest for scientific literature. The Spanish Information Society Services and Electronic commerce Act describes various aspects that need to be further developed in this field. This document analyses the new contractual forms arising from the "Information Society" and the legal issues associated to the latter, as well as the Spanish legal system for providing legal protection to consumers in electronic contracts.

 Key words: Electronic commerce, legal protection, consumers.


This study uses the concept of meta-frontier function to examine the technical efficiency and varietal-gap of rice production in Nigeria. A random sample of 675 farmers was selected from three out six geographical zones in Nigeria. The farmers in this study were classified into three groups according to the variety of rice they planted. The three main varieties of rice planted are local (Ofada), improved (Mai-Nasara) and New Rice for African (NERICA). The technical efficiency indices were computed using the meta-frontier approach because production varieties and technologies were expected to differ between the three varieties. This method allows the measure of the varietal-differences which is the Technology Gap Ratio (TGR). Estimates of the frontier were obtained assuming a translog functional form. Results revealed mean technical efficiency of 55%, 58% and 57% for Ofada, Mai-Nasara and NERICA varieties, respectively. Farm size, hired labour, fertilizer, seed, age, gender, household size and amount of credit are the determinants of technical efficiency of farmers in Nigeria rice production. The average values of varietal technology gap are more than 0.83 in all the varieties. This suggests high differences between the varieties and a need for application of frontiers that accommodate such differences. To increase efficiency in rice production in Nigeria, farm size, fertilizer usage, seed quantity and credit need to be increased.


The paper first shows that the transient stability status of a power system following a large disturbance such as a fault can be early predicted based on the measured post-fault values of the generator voltages, speeds, or rotor angles. Synchronously sampled values provided by phasor measurement units (PMUs) of the generator voltages, frequencies, or rotor angles collected immediately after clearing a fault are used as inputs to a support vector machines (SVM) classifier which predicts the transient stability status. Studies with the New England 39-bus test system and the Venezuelan power network indicated that faster and more accurate predictions can be made by using the post-fault recovery voltage magnitude measurements as inputs. The accuracy and robustness of the transient stability prediction algorithm with the voltage magnitude measurements was extensively tested under both balanced and unbalanced fault conditions, as well as under different operating conditions, presence of measurement errors, voltage sensitive loads, and changes in the network topology. During the various tests carried out using the New England 39-bus test system, the proposed algorithm could always predict when the power system is approaching a transient instability with over 95% success rate.


Results are presented for the climate of the late Cretaceous period (∼75–65 Ma) as simulated by a global climate model that is interactively coupled to a primitive equation global ocean model. Increased values of atmospheric CO2 and altered land surface albedos are invoked to produce the warm Cretaceous temperatures that have been proposed from biogeographic reconstructions. For comparison, a control simulation of the present climate is performed. The globally averaged atmospheric temperature in the Cretaceous simulation stabilizes after 20 years of integration at a value that is 4°C greater than that of the present day. The lower troposphere in high latitudes contributes a majority of the globally averaged warming as a result of the elimination of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Nevertheless, equatorial surface temperatures are raised by ∼5°C above those of the control simulation and offset somewhat the reduction in near-surface baroclinicity caused by the absence of the high-latitude ice sheets. In the Cretaceous simulation, global precipitation is approximately 10% greater than in the present day, with the only region of reduced precipitation occurring beneath the south Eurasian monsoon. Additionally, the amplitude of the seasonal cycle in near-surface temperatures is smaller in the Cretaceous and, in conjunction with increased mean annual temperatures, precludes the presence of any year-round snow or ice in the simulation. In high latitudes, however, there are regions that seasonally drop below freezing. The temperatures in these regions are warmer than have been previously observed in atmosphere-only simulations as a result of poleward heat transport by the ocean's surface currents.


A total of 409 serum and cerebrospinal fluid specimens from human subjects with proven coccidioidomycosis, with other infections, or with no apparent illness were tested for antibodies to Coccidioides immitis by the Premier EIA (Meridian Diagnostics, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio), which tests for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM responses to coccidioidal antigens, and by the conventional complement fixation (CF) or immunodiffusion (ID) assays for antibodies corresponding to those detected by the tube precipitin (TP) or CF tests. Of the 409 specimens, 47 were from persons with confirmed coccidioidomycosis and all were positive for C. immitis antibodies in IDCF tests and enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for both IgG and IgM. The EIA for detecting both IgG and IgM antibodies proved to be sensitive for detecting coccidioidomycosis case sera positive by the IDCF, IDTP, and CF tests. Maximal sensitivity for diagnosing coccidioidomycosis is dependent upon detection of both IgG and IgM antibodies in the EIA. The EIA, however, was not absolutely specific, since some sera from patients with confirmed blastomycosis and some from patients with noncoccidioidal disease produced false-positive reactions.


Increased β-cell death coupled with the inability to replicate existing β-cells drives the decline in β-cell mass observed in the progression of both major forms of diabetes. Understanding endogenous mechanisms of islet cell survival could have considerable value for the development of novel strategies to limit β-cell loss and thereby promote β-cell recovery. Insulinoma cells have provided useful insight into β-cell death pathways but observations made in cell lines sometimes fail to translate to primary islets. Here, we report dramatic differences in the temporal regulation and engagement of the apoptotic program in primary rodent islets relative to the INS-1 derived 832/13 cell line. As expected, 832/13 cells rapidly induced cell stress markers in response to ER stress or DNA damage and were fully committed to apoptosis, resulting in >80% cell death within 24 h. In contrast, primary rat islets were largely refractory to cell death in response to ER stress and DNA damage, despite rapid induction of stress markers, such as XBP-1(s), CHOP, and PUMA. Gene expression profiling revealed a general suppression of pro-apoptotic machinery, such as Apaf-1 and caspase 3, and sustained levels of pro-survival factors, such as cIAP-1, cIAP-2, and XIAP, in rat islets. Furthermore, we observed sustained induction of autophagy following chronic ER stress and found that inhibition of autophagy rendered islet β-cells highly vulnerable to ER stress-induced cell death. We propose that islet β-cells dampen the apoptotic response to delay the onset of cell death, providing a temporal window in which autophagy can be activated to limit cellular damage and promote survival.


Gedunin is one of the major compounds found in the neem tree (Azadirachta indica). In the present study, antiproliferative potential of gedunin was evaluated in human embryonal carcinoma cells (NTERA-2, a cancer stem cell model) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), using Sulforhodamine (SRB) and WST-1 assays, respectively. The effects of gedunin on expression of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), its cochaperone Cdc37, and HSP client proteins (AKT, ErbB2, and HSF1) were evaluated by real-time PCR. Effects of gedunin on apoptosis were evaluated by (a) apoptosis associated morphological changes, (b) caspase 3/7 expression, (c) DNA fragmentation, (d) TUNEL assay, and (e) real-time PCR of apoptosis related genes (Bax, p53, and survivin). Gedunin showed a promising antiproliferative effect in NTERA-2 cells with IC50 values of 14.59, 8.49, and 6.55 μg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 h after incubations, respectively, while exerting a minimal effect on PBMCs. Expression of HSP90, its client proteins, and survivin was inhibited and Bax and p53 were upregulated by gedunin. Apoptosis related morphological changes, DNA fragmentation, and increased caspase 3/7 activities confirmed the proapoptotic effects of gedunin. Collectively, results indicate that gedunin may be a good drug lead for treatment of chemo and radiotherapy resistant cancer stem cells.


The concrete slab in a pavement structure curls due to a temperature gradient and warps in the presence of a drying shrinkage gradient. The curling is upward (downward) when the slab is cooler (warmer) at the top than the bottom. Warping is consistently upward because the slab is more susceptive to drying at the top. Since the slab is not free to curl, tensile stresses form in the slab. These stresses when combined with traffic loadings can result in cracking of the slab. Slabs do not remain flat in the absence of daily gradients. This is because of the temperature/moisture gradient that exists in the slab at zero-stress time. Zero-stress time occurs after the placement of the slab, during curing and following the final set time. These gradients, known as built-in or permanent curl temperature gradients, lock into the slab and either decrease or increase the curling due to the transient gradients. One more factor that influences the future shape of the slab is the permanent warp temperature gradient. A portion of the drying shrinkage in drier seasons can reverse in wet seasons, known as reversible drying shrinkage. Permanent warp is due to the irreversible portion of the drying shrinkage, which progressively increases as the concrete ages and eventually reaches a plateau. This study puts forward a procedure, including three tasks, to establish realistic values for permanent curl/warp in the slab. Task 1 includes identifying the zero-stress time in the slab. This is performed by using the data from four different instrumented pavement structures in Western Pennsylvania. Task 2 focuses on establishing the built-in temperature gradient based on the measured temperature. As part of this task, a computer temperature model is developed to predict the temperature within the pavement based on the ambient conditions and the heat of hydration. Task 3 focuses on estimating the permanent warp in the slab. This is achieved by using long-term strain measurements in two different test sections in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. The drying shrinkage development is also predicted by using a computer relative humidity model. The difference between the predicted and measured drying shrinkage is attributed to the effects of creep and base restraints.


Micro finance serves as a vital role for women entrepreneurship development in the developing countries as well as in Sri Lanka. As a result of 30 years conflict situation, women lost their male relatives in struggle, and forced to take a responsibility of their family in order to look after their children, aged parents and their male relatives. Micro finance institutions help the poor people particularly women in effective ways in order to create income generating activities. This study focuses the challenges and Scenarios associated with the adoption of microfinance as an instrument for empowering women entrepreneurs in Jaffna District in Sri Lanka. The prime objective of this study is to identify the challenges and scenarios in empowering women entrepreneurs through micro finance in Jaffna District. In this study the rural areas of Jaffna, Nallur, Kopay Divisional Secretariat Divisions, were selected as the sample size of population of women entrepreneurs who were involving in numerous self employable activities around 76 women. Both primary and secondary data were used for gathering information and quantitative and qualitative analysis was carried out to find out the results. To find out the results and check the validity and reliability of quantitative analysis the case study method also used in this study. In the quantitative analysis the correlation and regression method was used to find out the association between the variables of entrepreneurship challenges and needs and micro finance objectives by using SPSS. Three case study method also was included in this study that the women entrepreneurs were improved their activity by the support of micro finance institutions facing many challenges. The result of this study concluded that there is no significant relationship between the objectives of micro finance institutions and the needs of the respondents. In addition to this, using micro finance facilities create more job opportunities and variety of economic activities and improve household education, family welfare and empowering women themselves. Further this study shows that even though micro finance scheme is a strategy for increasing women entrepreneurs those who express their feelings on challenges and issues on marketing activities due to transport problem and financial difficulties. It is suggested that if much awareness will be created to enlighten the women entrepreneurs on record keeping, building assets, managing risk and increasing savings, it would be identified as the best strategy for helping poor women entrepreneurs' access on financial and non-financial services in MFIs.


Purpose Accumulating evidence indicates that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are closely involved in canceration and cancer progression. However, the role of circRNAs in cervical cancer (CC) is largely unknown. Here, we characterized the role of circRNA_101308 in CC. Materials and Methods The expression of circRNA_101308 in CC tissues was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Then, circRNA_101308 was overexpressed in CC cells to detect its function by proliferation and apoptosis assays, Transwell assays and animal experiments. The potential mechanism of circRNA_101308 in CC was explored by RNA pull-down, Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analyses. Results CircRNA_101308 was significantly downregulated in CC tissues. The level of circRNA_101308 was much lower in CC patients with lymph node metastasis or deep myometrial invasion compared to those patients without lymph node metastasis and superficial myometrial invasion. CircRNA_101308 overexpression inhibited CC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. MiR-26a-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-335-3p, and miR-1307-3p were found to be sponged by circRNA_101308 in CC cells. Further, GO and pathway analyses predicted the potential functional processes and pathways of circRNA_101308 in CC. Conclusion CircRNA_101308 is downregulated and acts as a tumor suppressor in CC. CircRNA_101308 can participate in many different processes by sponging different miRNAs in CC cells. This exploration of circRNA_101308 provides new directions for research on cancer development and the clinical treatment of CC.


Abstract To calculate left ventricular (LV) global performance values in heart transplant (HT) recipients by three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) and to observe the changes in LV global performance over time after HT and investigate the correlated factors. The 30 HT patients were divided into 2 groups according to postoperative time: 1 month postoperatively (HT-1) group and 6 months postoperatively (HT-2) group. Thirty healthy subjects were enrolled as control group. 3D-STI was performed to assess LV torsion, LV systolic dyssynchrony index (SDI), and LV global strain (GS). Global performance index (GPI) was calculated, and correlations factors with GPI were studied. Heart rate (HR), left atrium (LA), interventricular septum thickness (IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), and left ventricular mass (LVM) in both HT groups were higher than those in the control group. Compared with the control group, SDI was significantly higher in both HT groups, and SDI of the HT-1 group was much higher than that of HT-2 group. Compared with the control group, apical rotation (RoA), twist and torsion in the both HT groups decreased significantly. There were no significant differences in these values between the 2 HT groups; Basal rotation (RoB) showed no significantly difference among the 3 groups. GS in the both HT groups decreased significantly compared with the control group, and there were no significant differences in these values between the 2 HT groups. GPI of the both HT groups was significantly lower than that of the control group; however, GPI of HT-2 group was higher than that of HT-1 group. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis identified global left ventricular longitudinal peak systolic strain (GLS), the time length since surgery, left ventricular mass (LVM), and RoA as predictors of LV GPI. GLS was the most influential to GPI. The values of LV rotation, twist and SDI can be used to assess the LV systolic function and dyssynchrony. The GPI value based on 3D-STI may accurately reflect LV performance changes over time after HT. The GPI value has potential applications in clinical practice. GLS, the time length since surgery, LVM and RoA values can be the predictors of LV global performance, and as long as the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is preserved, the left ventricular global performance of HT recipients remains stable, and tends to improve over time after HT.


A New Zealand Book of Beasts is a groundbreaking examination of the interactions between humans and 'nonhuman animals' - both real and imagined - in New Zealand's arts and literature, popular culture, historiography, media and everyday life. Structured in four parts - Animal Icons, Animal Companions, Art Animals and Controversial Animals - the Book of Beasts touches on topics as diverse as moa-hunting and the SPCA, pest-control and pet-keeping, whaling and whale-watching; on species ranging from sheep to sperm whales and from pekepeka to possums; and on the works of authors and artists as various as Samuel Butler and Witi Ihimaera, Lady Mary Anne Barker and Janet Frame, Michael Parekowhai and Don Binney, Bill Hammond and Fiona Pardington. In examining through literature, art and culture the ways New Zealanders use and abuse, shape and are shaped by, glorify and co-opt, and describe and imagine animals, the authors tell us a great deal about our society and culture: how we understand our own identities and those of others; how we regard, inhabit and make use of the natural world; and how we think about what to buy, eat, wear, watch and read. This is an engaging, original and scholarly rigorous book of cultural criticism and a thoughtful addition to New Zealand literature.


The expression of c-erbB-2 oncogene and p53 tumor suppressor gene was studied in methacarn-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens from 58 benign breast lesions and 129 sporadic breast carcinomas, using the supersensitive monoclonal antibodies CB 11 and BP 53-12-1 and the biotin-streptAvidin-amplified methodology. None of the benign lesions studied, which included 36 fibrocystic lesions with mild or florid epithelial hyperplasia, 12 fibrocystic lesions with ADH or ALH and 10 fibroadenomas, demonstrated membrane staining for c-erbB-2 or nuclear immunoreactivity for p53. Overall, 48.06% of primary breast carcinomas showed membrane expression of c-erbB-2, while 28.68% were p53 positive. Those showing p53 immunoreactivity displayed a nuclear and/or cytoplasmic staining type. A significant correlation was seen between c-erbB-2 and p53 expression (r = 0.213, p < 0.05), as well as between c-erbB-2 status and PSNA score (r = 0.221, p < 0.05). In addition, c-erbB-2 and p53, separately or in combination, correlated significantly with the prognostic index. In conclusion, immunohistochemistry of c-erbB-2 and p53 immunohistochemistry allows a better definition of intraductal proliferative lesions and assists in the differentiation between ADH and DCIS. It provides additional clues with regard to the biologic behavior of invasive ductal carcinomas (NOS and medullary).


In this paper I propose a methodology for paying short-term general hospitals on the basis of prospective cost-based case-mix revenue budgets. A hospital's budget is divided into patient care--related components and other components. The patient care--related budget is based on the case mix of patients treated by the hospital. Diagnosis-related groupings of patients are developed and a revenue per case amount is calculated for each group, based on reasonable costs of treatment, with a profit incentive for cost reduction resulting from improvements in productivity, efficiency, or more rational delivery of hospital services. The institutional budget is calculated on the basis of interinstitutional comparisons using a peer grouping method. I discuss various fundamental issues related to payment including paying for bad debt and indigency, the effect of insurance coverage, and a regional approach to capital funding. Case-mix payment allow for closer integration of payer programs with the activities of Professional Standards Review Organizations and health planning agencies. Additionally, payment based on the treatment of patients encourages a clear-cut management relationship between physician activities and hospital programs.