Since 11 September 2001, a divide has grown up between opinions and a certain form of practice of Islam. Some do not hesitate to talk about a 'war of civilisations'. In this context, today's Mali appears as a playing field for competition between divergent religious currents. The proliferation of religious associations following 26 March 1991 reflects the development of a 'chapel or micro-religion' phenomenon that complicates not only interfaith relations, but also relations between religions and the state. The state is faced with an increasingly complex religious environment with widely varied means of infiltration, expansion and multiple manifestations, but we can chiefly take note of the social action of NGOs and associations (national and international), which relays the action of religious institutions. The new manifestations of religion have benefitted from the technical and technological progress of the dawning century (development of means of transportation and communications technologies) and the extension of democratic rights and freedoms. The dynamics underway are translated by the formation of divergent religious groups, or even sects, some of which, due to their rejection of any form of social compromise, are sources of conflict. The tensions between the different currents are sometimes heightened by external influences or sociological and economic antagonisms. Attempts to politicize religion also contribute to these tensions.


Abstract Aim This study examined the influence of pandemic fatigue on clinical nurses' mental health, sleep quality and job contentment, with resilience as a mediator. Background Pandemic fatigue is an emerging health concern among frontline clinical nurses as a consequence of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the various measures implemented to slow the spread of infection. As yet, no studies have investigated the link between pandemic fatigue and resilience, mental health, sleep quality and job contentment in frontline clinical nurses. Methods This was a descriptive, cross‐sectional study involving 255 frontline clinical nurses in the Philippines. The Pandemic Fatigue Questionnaire, Brief Resilience Scale, Job Contentment Scale and the Sleep Quality Scale were used to collect data through an online survey. Results The mean pandemic fatigue score was 3.086 (out of 5). Being vaccinated (β = 0.231, p < .001) and increased staffing levels (β = −0.488, p < .01) were associated with decreased pandemic fatigue in clinical nurses. Resilience partially mediated the relationships between (a) pandemic fatigue and mental health (β = −0.488, p < .001), (b) pandemic fatigue and sleep quality (β = −0.326, p < .001) and (c) pandemic fatigue and job contentment (β = −0.395, p < .001). Conclusion Clinical nurses who received a COVID‐19 vaccine and those who perceived sufficient staffing in their units reported lower levels of pandemic fatigue. Resilience reduces the effects of pandemic fatigue on clinical nurses' mental health, sleep quality and job contentment. Implications for Nursing Management By providing frontline nurses with access to COVID‐19 vaccines and ensuring sufficient staffing levels, nurse managers could effectively reduce or prevent pandemic fatigue and improve their mental health. Implementing resilience‐promoting measures are essential to support nurses' mental health, promote their sleep quality and foster job satisfaction.


A system-on-a-chip (SoC) contains several pre-designed heterogeneous megacells that have been designed and routed optimally. In this paper a new stochastic net-length distribution for global interconnects in a nonhomogeneous SoC is derived using novel models for netlist, placement, and routing information. The netlist information is rigorously derived based on heterogeneous Rent's rule, the placement information is modeled by assuming a random placement of terminals for a given net in a bounding area, and the routing information is constructed based on a new model for minimum rectilinear Steiner tree construction (MRST). The combination of the three models gives a priori estimation of global net-length distribution in a heterogeneous SoC. Unlike previous models that empirically relate the average length of the global wires to the chip area, the new distribution provides a complete and accurate distribution of net-length for global interconnects. Through comparison with actual product data, it is shown that the new stochastic model successfully predicts the global net-length distribution of a heterogeneous system.


The present study aims to evaluate, through lectin histochemistry, the alterations in the expression of cell surface carbohydrate between benign and malignant lesions of skin using computer image analysis. Skin fragments were obtained through biopsies and diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma (BCC), epidermoid carcinoma (EpC), trichoepithelioma (TE), keratoacanthoma (KA), seborrheic keratosis (SK) and actinic keratosis (AK). Lectins Con A, WGA, PNA, UEA-I and LTA were used in histochemistry study. Image analysis was carried out in a workstation using OPTIMASTM software system. PNA strong binding pattern to studied tumours evidenced the high expression of D-galactose residues in the epidermal neoplasms when compared to other sugars recognized by the other lectins. Among benign neoplasms, KA presented a high expression of glucose/mannose, a-fucose and D-galactose residues evidenced by the intense staining of Con A (94.7%), LTA (84.2%) and PNA (89.4%), respectively. Malignant tumours showed distinct binding patterns. EpC presented significant binding only by PNA lectin. BCC was differentially stained in comparison to the staining pattern observed in benign lesions such as TE. Qualitative (lectin histochemistry) and quantitative (digital image analysis) data obtained in this study evidenced those lectins are potential markers to biochemical alterations in skin neoplasms.


We present an algorithm for performing dynamic per-link admission control. It is designed to be suitable for deployment using existing quality of service and router techniques. The rationale for the algorithm is to find a bitrate limit for reserved capacity, which enables efficient capacity utilization and statistical multiplexing gain. By using simple traffic meters configured with respect to defined service levels, a network resource controller estimates an admission limit. The estimated limit reflects the ratio between reserved capacity and the aggregate behavior of current flows. Simulations indicate that reliable admission limits can be estimated already at low reservation levels.


Background: Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process,
and understanding basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
The aim of this study was to assess relationship between health literacy and knowledge of women with
type 2 diabetes.
Materials & Methods: In this cross sectional survey, 160 women with type 2 diabetes were selected
by convenience sampling method. Data collected by using a STOHFLA standard questionnaire and
knowledge was measured by self-administrated questionnaire. Obtained data analyzed by SPSS16
software in two categories of descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square and Pearson coefficient).
Results: The mean age of studied population was 52.73±8.56 years old. The means of health literacy
and knowledge was 40.57±15.87 and 21.52±2.94, respectively. There was a relation between
occupation, education and family history with knowledge and health literacy score, and also between
incomes with knowledge. There was reverse significant relation between age and disease duration with
knowledge and health literacy.
Conclusion: Results indicated that patients did not have the appropriate knowledge in type 2
diabetes, as well as health literacy which was also moderate. These results confirmed the need to
develop of education for improving and increasing the appropriate knowledge and health literacy
among studied women.


Throughout the world, there are problems in attracting young women to science and technology studies. The problem is worse in Africa than in any other region. Female enrolment figures in the sciences reveal a low trend of female participation in computer science/ICT. Hence, there is the need to investigate the trends in female representation in ICT programs and its implications for admission processes as well as barriers that could possibly account for the low females' participation in computer science/ICT at University of Cape Coast to help the nation attain equity. Two hypotheses and one research question were used to direct the study. The Evans model was used to explain Barriers to participation and Eccles et al. model was used for explaining the disparity in gender representation in Science, Technology and Mathematics. A descriptive comparative study design was used for the study. Data was extracted from the congregation list of the 2003/2004 academic year to 2009/2010 academic year. The results indicate that there was statistical difference in the number of male and female students graduating in the various programs offered in the university and that there was statistical difference in the number of male and female students graduating in computer science/ICT programs. We recommend that the Ghana Education Service must improve on the mentoring programs for basic school female pupils and within the university, management can brainstorm with students some innovative strategies that could be harnessed to help eradicate gender stereotyping as a means of improving on numbers of females who participate in ICT programs.


Objective: Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is a Secreted OXidative stress-induced Factor (SOXF) secreted by cardiovascular cells in response to Angiotensin II (Ang II) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Extracellular CyPA is a proinflammatory mediator that regulates vascular remodeling, abdominal aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis and cardiac hypertrophy. Post-translational modification of CyPA by acetylation in response to ROS has been described. Moreover, acetylation of CyPA is important in HIV pathogenesis. The mechanism and regulation of CyPA acetylation as well as its role in cardiovascular diseases are currently unknown. We hypothesized that Ang II regulates oxidative stress-induced CyPA acetylation that alters its expression and/or secretion in vascular smooth muscle cells. Methods and results: Ang II (1μM) increased acetylation of CyPA (Acyl-CyPA) in a time dependent manner, with a peak at 8hr (3.5±0.6 fold increase) in rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMC) as shown by Western blot. Mouse aortic smooth muscle cells from mice lacking CyPA (CyPA-/-) and wild type controls (WT) confirmed that Ang II induced acetylation reactivity coincided exactly with CyPA reactivity. In AT1R and CyPA cotransfected HeLa cells, Ang II increased Acyl-CyPA in a time dependent manner consistent with that in RASMC. The ROS scavengers Tiron or N-acetylcysteine significantly inhibited Ang II induced Acyl-CyPA in a dose dependent manner in RASMC. Ang II-induced CyPA acetylation was enhanced by 2 hr pretreatment with histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin (TSA) or sirtinol in a dose dependent manner. Similarly, Ang II-induced CyPA secretion was enhanced by pretreatment with TSA (1μM) in a time dependent manner. Moreover, acetyltransferase p300 and PCAF (p300/CBP-asociated factor) inhibitor anacardic acid (6-nonadecyl salicylic acid) dramatically inhibited CyPA expression, and Ang II induced Acyl-CyPA in a dose dependent manner. Conclusion: These results suggest that Ang II-induced CyPA acetylation is oxidative stress dependent, and that acetylation enhanced CyPA expression and secretion. Detailed mechanistic studies of the regulation of CyPA acetylation will help to identify a future therapeutic target for CyPA regulated cardiovascular diseases.


This was a single case study, which explored the mental health issues affecting a Jewish woman who immigrated to Canada as a principal applicant. The study looked at the coping strategies "Cecile," a 69-year-old participant who emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1986, used during her integration vs. settlement process. There were three semi-structured interviews.

The theory of intersectionality was used to examine the intersecting impact of social identities such as racialized status, ethnicity, gender and class have on the participant's mental health. Cecile provided insight into the resilience of Jewish immigrant women.

The social identities Cecile identified with were Judaism, professional status, citizenship, country of origin and immigrant status. The results also show that Cecile displayed resilience in overcoming obstacles. Further research is needed to understand whether other women who have immigrated as independent applicants, Jewish or not, share this resilience.

Key Words: Case Study, Mental Health, Resilience, Intersectionality, Coping Strategies


Science is about conceptualizing the natural world in a way that can be understood by human beings while at the same time reflecting as much as possible what we can empirically infer about how the world actually is. Among the crucial tools that allow scientists to formulate hypotheses and to contribute to a progressive understanding of nature are the use of imagery and metaphors on the one hand, and the ability to assume certain starting points on which to build new avenues of inquiry on the other hand. The premise of this work is that, in the words of philosopher of science Daniel Dennett, "There is no such thing as philosophy-free science; there is only science whose philosophical baggage is taken on board without examination." The purpose here is precisely to examine some of this philosophical baggage, and to see where such analysis may lead us. Obviously, it is not possible for a single project to take on science as a whole, or even an entire discipline such as physics, or ecology. Therefore, the core of this work is constituted by a series of eight case studies drawn from the field of evolutionary biology, with which I am particularly familiar as a practicing biologist. The hope is that combining expertise in both philosophy and science in one person, the resulting insights might be useful for the practicing scientist as well as because of their value as philosophical inquires. The dissertation is a combination of conceptual analysis and science criticism applied to specific questions in organismal biology, largely of an evolutionary nature, with the eight case studies grouped into three broad categories: IUnexamined Baggage, II-Bad Habits, and III-Good and bad metaphors.


This paper reviews physical, geologic and environmental parameters of Louisiana barrier islands to support the definition of regional strategies and management practices for long-term coastal restoration. For management purposes the barrier island systems of Louisiana are divided into a series of coastal segments to be maintained over the long term. Recommendations are drawn for each coastal segment on the basis of biophysical properties. Two separate design approaches for barrier island restoration are elucidated (stable location design and retreat design) including sediment volume requirements for the restoration of specific barrier islands. In order to maintain long-term stability, intensive restoration programs require barrier island nourishment, vegetative plantings, and coastal structures in some cases. Restoration strategies, practices, and design approaches are refined by employing monitoring data in an adaptive management process.


Phlebotomine sand flies are haematophagous dipterans of primary medical importance. They represent the only proven vectors of leishmaniasis worldwide and are involved in the transmission of various other pathogens. Studying the ecology of sand flies is crucial to understand the epidemiology of leishmaniasis and further control this disease. A major limitation in this regard is that traditional morphological‐based methods for sand fly species identifications are time‐consuming and require taxonomic expertise. DNA metabarcoding holds great promise in overcoming this issue by allowing the identification of multiple species from a single bulk sample. Here, we assessed the reliability of a short insect metabarcode located in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA for the identification of Neotropical sand flies, and constructed a reference database for 40 species found in French Guiana. Then, we conducted a metabarcoding experiment on sand flies mixtures of known content and showed that the method allows an accurate identification of specimens in pools. Finally, we applied metabarcoding to field samples caught in a 1‐ha forest plot in French Guiana. Besides providing reliable molecular data for species‐level assignations of phlebotomine sand flies, our study proves the efficiency of metabarcoding based on the mitochondrial 16S rRNA for studying sand fly diversity from bulk samples. The application of this high‐throughput identification procedure to field samples can provide great opportunities for vector monitoring and eco‐epidemiological studies.


Although Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) is often cited as the founding text of the U.S. environmental movement, in The Malthusian Moment Thomas Robertson locates the origins of modern American environmentalism in twentieth-century adaptations of Thomas Malthus's concerns about population growth. For many environmentalists, managing population growth became the key to unlocking the most intractable problems facing Americans after World War II-everything from war and the spread of communism overseas to poverty, race riots, and suburban sprawl at home. Weaving together the international and the domestic in creative new ways, The Malthusian Moment charts the explosion of Malthusian thinking in the United States from World War I to Earth Day 1970, then traces the just-as-surprising decline in concern beginning in the mid-1970s. In addition to offering an unconventional look at World War II and the Cold War through a balanced study of the environmental movement's most contentious theory, the book sheds new light on some of the "big" stories of postwar American life: the rise of consumption, the growth of the federal government, urban and suburban problems, the civil rights and women's movements, the role of scientists in a democracy, new attitudes about sex and sexuality, and the emergence of the "New Right."


A large proportion of students competing for first year university places are selected on the basis of their Year 12 performance according to the Equivalent National Tertiary Entry Rank (ENTER). The ENTER ranks each student in relation to all other students. Year 12 students strive to achieve the highest ENTER possible, in order to optimise their choice of university and course. Students from Government schools produce lower ENTERs (on average) than students from other types of schools. One also reads, from time to time, that high ENTERs are not a good predictor of university success. This paper examines the situation at the start of the twenty-first century, using Monash University as a case study.


ABSTRACT In ancient storm-influenced prograding shoreline sequences, sole marks (mainly tool marks) from hummocky crossstratified storm deposits are commonly oriented normal to paleoshoreline and the trend of paleobathymetric contours in the basin. Asymmetrical tool marks typically indicate flows directed offshore. Several workers have attributed their formation to storm-generated, shallow marine turbidity currents. This interpretation conflicts with observations from modern shelves, where storm-driven circulation generally is geostrophically balanced, and time-averaged bottom currents approximately parallel bathymetric contours and the local shoreline. The resolution of these apparently conflicting observations may lie in the realization that tool marks (and many other small paleoflow indicators) form almost instantly as the result of instantaneous flow conditions very near the bed. Beneath storm-generated flows in the shallow ocean, instantaneous and time-averaged characteristics of the bottom boundary layer generally exhibit little similarity. Storm-generated tool marks are formed by the movement of large tools within the thin (less than 1 m) inner boundary layer resulting from the superimposition of waves and currents. The orientation of the peak instantaneous shear stress moving large tools under such combined flows mainly reflects wave-orbital motions, which typically are normal to shore. The magnitude of stress is great y increased in the offshore direction (and decreased in the onshore direction) by superimposition of a steady current with an offshore component of flow, but the direction of stress is only slightly affected. In ancient storm-influenced sequences, therefore, shore-normal tool marks generally were not formed by turbidity currents; rather, their orientation is best attributed to shoaling waves approaching the coast at a very high angle. Asymmetrical tool marks are directed offshore due to enhanced shear stress on the offshore stroke of waves superimposed on a geostrophic current with an offshore flow component. Tool marks do not reflect the time-averaged bottom-flow direction; in fact, they provide almost no information concerning steady bottom currents. In contrast, high-angle cross-beds (formed in coarser sediment by the migration of dunes and sandwaves), although relatively rare in offshore storm deposits, generally reveal approximately shore-parallel flows in ancient systems. Cross-beds closely reflect the time-averaged flow direction in the outer boundary layer of a geostrophic current, for three reasons: 1) the net transport direction for sand moving as bed load beneath a combined flow lies between the directions of peak instantaneous shear stress and time-averaged shear stress; 2) large ripples disrupt the thin inner boundary layer; and 3) long time intervals (relative to wave-induced velocity oscillations) are required to form large ripples.


Sensing of lactate in perspiration provides a way to monitor health and control exercise. The volume of perspiration is miniscule, and the efficient collection of perspiration is desired for its effective sensing. We developed mesh-type enzymatic electrodes fabricated on textile meshes and integrated the meshes into an enzymatic biofuel cell. We tested them as self-powered lactate sensors for a small volume of lactate solution. A fluid-permeable enzymatic anode was fabricated based on an insulating textile mesh that was coated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and lactate oxidase. The anode was further coated with polyurethane to increase the linear range by limiting the diffusion of lactate while maintaining the advantages of the original textile mesh, such as flexibility, stretchability, and permeability. Permeability of the mesh-type lactate-oxidizing anode allowed a vertically stacked structure of the anode and a previously developed air-breathing cathode. This resulted in a small overall device size (1 cm2). The mesh-type sensor was tested using a small flow rate of lactate solution, and a moderate linearity of amperometric response for a wide concentration range (5 to ≥20 mM) was confirmed. The fluid-permeable anode and enzymatic biofuel cell show the potential of the sensor for continuous monitoring of lactate in perspiration on skin.


ABSTRACT This article analyzes the relationship between comedy and tragedy through a rereading of the gravedigger scene in Hamlet, which is full of comic quality, yet is inserted before the 'climax' of the play, by, first, discussing the relationship between comedy and materialism, and, second, examining the mutuality between comedy and tragedy. It discusses how comedy links with the material, class struggle, and death and castration, arguing that the comic quality of the gravedigger is inseparable from his materialism, suggesting that if tragedy is about the spiritual, comedy would be about the interruption of the spiritual by the material, and these two qualities coincide in the grinning skull. If comedy signifies the material life from within, the tragic hero may be the person who resists this heterogeneous motion of life, which explains why Hamlet abhors Yorick's skull. This article rethinks the interrelation between comedy and tragedy: while most scholars treat them as separate genres, they are interrelated, and the thin line that distinguishes them is class differences, which is significant, as it illustrates the material power of comedy to usurp the bourgeois society.


Exactly what will change if the UK adopts the Alternative Vote (AV) system in next May's referendum? Reformers argue that AV removes any need for large numbers of voters to choose to vote tactically, rather than supporting their top preference party. But social science theory insists that tactical voting can occur under all voting systems, although showing up in different ways. Rafael Hortala-Vallve makes clear that AV will probably cut the incidence of tactical voting, but cannot get rid of it altogether.


Unit activities of the principal sulcus area were recorded in three monkeys (Macaca mullata). Two of them were trained to perform visual discrimination task, and the other had not received any training. The sequence of the task is as follows: (1) a cue of presentation of red (in R Model) or blue (in B Model) light (1.3s); (2) a delay period (2.1s); (3) a reaction period of presentation of white light (4.88s). The monkey should draw a bar after the onset of the white light of R Model to avoid a electric shock, and should not draw the bar after the onset of the white light of B Model in which the monkeys would not receive the electric shock. Of 127 prefrontal units recorded from the two trained monkeys when they were performing the task, 80 units (63%) were related to the events of the task. Ninety six units were recorded for the test of responses to click and flash in the intertrial interval, and 23 units (24%) responded to click and/or flash. Fifteen out of 23 units were event-related. Twelve out of 103 units responded to the red, blue and white flash in the intertrial interval. A hundred units were recorded from the untrained monkey a only 4 units showed nonspecific responses to the indifferent stimuli. The results showed that after training much more prefrontal neurons involved in processing of the information of signal stimuli than those in response to the indifferent stimuli. In other words, the prefrontal neurons possess plasticity and change their activities during the training of visual discrimination task.


We present new observations of the [Ne ii] emission from the ionized gas in Sgr A West with improved resolution and sensitivity. About half of the emission comes from gas with kinematics indicating it is orbiting in a plane tipped about 25° from the Galactic plane. This plane is consistent with that derived previously for the circumnuclear molecular disk and the northern arm and western arc ionized features. However, unlike most previous studies, we conclude that the ionized gas is not moving along the ionized features, but on more nearly circular paths. The observed speeds are close to, but probably somewhat less than expected for orbital motions in the potential of the central black hole and stars and have a small inward component. The spatial distribution of the emission is well fitted by a spiral pattern. We discuss possible physical explanations for the spatial distribution and kinematics of the ionized gas, and conclude that both may be best explained by a one-armed spiral density wave, which also accounts for both the observed low velocities and the inward velocity component. We suggest that a density wave may result from the precession of elliptical orbits in the potential of the black hole and stellar mass distribution.


A trial was made with growing Wistar rats receivine 15N labelled tracers. The animals were fed maize grains (Opaque). Subsequently, the level of urinary and faecal N excretion was measured and the 15N frequency was determined in the urine, faeces and different blood fractions. On the basis of the model established by Czarnetzki for the nitrogen metabolism in monogastric animals the estimated values were used to calculate the proportion of endogenic faecal N in the total amount of faecal nitrogen. In agreement with previous trails it was found that increase in protein intake produced a significant increase in endogenic faecal N; similarly, a higher value was found for the true digestibility of maize protein (by 9.3 units) compared with that established by the conventional regression technique.


Multi-methodological research approaches have been strongly recommended for adoption to guide information systems (IS) research and deal with the complexities involved in the research. These research approaches require appropriate mapping and integration of multiple research methodologies. However, this is not an easy task to accomplish due to a series of philosophical, cultural and psychological issues involved. By reviewing and analyzing existing representative multimethodological design science approaches, we identify that each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses. There is a clear gap between the need of multi-methodological approaches and the support from the existing research frameworks. To address these problems and issues, we propose an integrated multi-methodological research framework, which integrates strengths of the representative multi-methodological approaches and remedies their deficiencies. We demonstrate the application of the proposed framework by applying it to guide a research project in the field of information visualization, and discuss how the framework is deployed to address research problems/issues/ requirements and fulfill research objectives.


Purpose - This paper aims to introduce the reader to investigate some aspects of investment decision making from a constructivist perspective. Design/methodology/approach - The constructivist perspective is introduced in its dual nature of epistemology and of modelization. From constructivist epistemology, the paper mentions the corollaries of theoretical pluralism and cognitive pragmatism. From Kruglanski and Ajzen's Lay epistemology theory, the paper presents in more detail a constructivist modelization for the study and improvement of formal processes of investment decision making. Findings - Beginning from the proposed framework, the paper indicates the lines for the development of a critical (or reflective) investment decision-making attitude. This is an investment decision making which is able to reflect on its own constructs and cognitive processes in order to develop investment processes with a higher "constructivist awareness" and efficacy. Originality/value - The proposed modelization can contribute to the work of those dedicated to the development of better formal processes of investment. The paper presents three examples of possible applications potentially useful for the improvement of the processes of asset valuation of value investors.


The Management and Automation of a Commercial building Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (H.V.A.C) System has got enormous benefits from the use of all the available information sources. The modern H.V.A.C using direct digital control methods have provided useful performance data from the building occupants. The untapped data can be cultivated with the help of modern maintenance management databases. This research work has got the integration and application of these fundamental sources of information, using some modern and novel techniques. The cost and scalability of these techniques can be positively influenced by the recent technological advancement in computing power, sensors and databases. The important theme of this research paper is to increase the computational efficiency and practical usefulness of techniques, via some clever approximations.


Traditionally an earthquake is located by using the arrival times of P and S phases. This uses only a limited portion of the information on a seismogram. A large part of the information carried by the waveform is not used. In this study we investigate the applicability of the Time Reversed Acoustics (TRA) technique, and thus the whole waveform of the recorded signal, for earthquake locations and source characterization. The basic concept involved in TRA is the fundamental symmetry of time reversal invariance. Injecting the recorded signal, with time running backwards, reconstructs the whole wave field within the medium and can focus the wave field to the source. TRA has emerged as an important technique in acoustics with applications to medicine, underwater sound, and many other disciplines. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of applying TRA to seismological data by means of simulating the relevant features using a finite-difference approach. The following subjects are investigated: (1) Locating the earthquake hypocenter; (2) finding the source space-time function; and (3) characterizing the direction of fault rupture during an earthquake. The results show that the TRA technique can focus back to the source reasonably well in a layered earth model and can recover the source time function. The results also show that TRA has a good tolerance to noise. For efficient applications, calculation time can be reduced by generating a medium response library. The source location and source time function can then be determined by convolving the medium response library with the time-reversed signals recorded at the seismic stations.


Market-inspired healthcare reforms have been introduced in Sweden: Freedom of Choice in Healthcare in 1989 and the National Healthcare Guarantee in 2005. After the general election 2006 the idea of the Healthcare Voucher has followed. Built on a theoretical framework composed of Foucault's concept of 'discursive formation' supported by Butler's concept of the 'performativity of discourse' the purpose is to analyse the emergence, formation and dissemination of this idea into healthcare in Sweden. The Voucher is disseminated in a form reminiscent of a chain linking a series of texts, referring to each other and building on each other's formulations strengthening each other's messages. It circulates under designations such as healthcare voucher and money and seems to be disseminated by being combined with 'freedom of choice' forming the theme customer choice. The Healthcare Voucher then becomes a means of being able to realise an idea of a political nature, building markets in healthcare. The paper offers a way of analysing how ideas influence the policy agenda, in particular for the voucher/s. Distinctions could be made between the voucher idea and 'money following the patient' in quasi markets. A critical issue in introducing choice and competition, not explored here, is the issue of 'cream skimming'.


Knowledge Graphs typically suffer from incompleteness. A popular approach to knowledge graph completion is to infer missing knowledge by multihop reasoning over the information found along other paths connecting a pair of entities. However, multi-hop reasoning is still challenging because the reasoning process usually experiences multiple semantic issue that a relation or an entity has multiple meanings. In order to deal with the situation, we propose a novel Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning framework to learn chains of reasoning from a Knowledge Graph automatically. Our framework is inspired by the hierarchical structure through which human handle cognitionally ambiguous cases. The whole reasoning process is decomposed into a hierarchy of two-level Reinforcement Learning policies for encoding historical information and learning structured action space. As a consequence, it is more feasible and natural for dealing with the multiple semantic issue. Experimental results show that our proposed model achieves substantial improvements in ambiguous relation tasks.


In dynamic grid environment failures (e.g. link down, resource failures) are frequent. We present a fault tolerance scheme for hierarchical dynamic scheduler (HDS) for grid workflow applications. In HDS all resources are arranged in a hierarchy tree and each resource acts as a scheduler. The fault tolerance scheme is fully distributed and is responsible for maintaining the hierarchy tree in the presence of failures. Our fault tolerance scheme handles root failures specially, which avoids root becoming single point of failure. The resources detecting failures are responsible for taking appropriate actions. Our fault tolerance scheme uses randomization to get rid of multiple simultaneous failures. Our simulation results show that the recovery process is fast and the failures affect minimally to the scheduling process.


Background Disorders of the pituitary gland and the sellar region present a wide spectrum of clinical problems. A variety of lesions in this area tend to present with similar problems; namely, headache, hormonal disorders, and loss of vision. Benign adenomas of the pituitary gland are by far the most common disorders of sellar region. Rarely, patients with pituitary adenoma may present with blindness in one eye and visual field cut (temporal hemianopia) in the contralateral eye. This rare clinical entity is called Foster-Kennedy Syndrome (FKS). Case Presentation We present a 21-year-old male patient, presented with progressive visual disturbance of the left eye, associated with global headache. The headache was refractory to over-counter medications. In addition, he had history of sleep disturbance and loss of appetite. Neurological examination was pertinent for left side visual loss with optic atrophy and right eye temporal visual field cut with disc edema. Brain MRI showed 4 cm X 3.5 cm sized lobulated intra and supra sellar mass with heterogeneous contrast enhancement and minimal surrounding edema. Serum prolactin level was 6,705 ng/mL. Otherwise, the other pituitary hormones were in normal range. Conclusion This case highlighted that pituitary adenoma may present with the full picture of Foster Kennedy syndrome. Therefore, we recommend considering pituitary adenoma as a possible differential diagnosis of intracranial lesions presenting as Foster Kennedy syndrome, as early detection and management could potentially salvage patients' vision and quality of life.


Bayesian optimization (BO) is a flexible and powerful framework that is suitable for computationally expensive simulation-based applications and guarantees statistical convergence to the global optimum. While remaining as one of the most popular optimization methods, its capability is hindered by the size of data, the dimensionality of the considered problem, and the nature of sequential optimization. These scalability issues are intertwined with each other and must be tackled simultaneously. In this work, we propose the Scalable3-BO framework, which employs sparse GP as the underlying surrogate model to scope with Big Data and is equipped with a random embedding to efficiently optimize high-dimensional problems with low effective dimensionality. The Scalable3-BO framework is further leveraged with asynchronous parallelization feature, which fully exploits the computational resource on HPC within a computational budget. As a result, the proposed Scalable3-BO framework is scalable in three independent perspectives: with respect to data size, dimensionality, and computational resource on HPC. The goal of this work is to push the frontiers of BO beyond its well-known scalability issues and minimize the wall-clock waiting time for optimizing high-dimensional computationally expensive applications. We demonstrate the capability of Scalable3-BO with 1 million data points, 10,000-dimensional problems, with 20 concurrent workers in an HPC environment.


Under analysis were the results of intraoperative observations during surgical treatment of 243 patients with extravasal stenosis of the celiac trunk. Special attention was given to anatomical correlation of the celiac trunk, celiac plexus, median arcuate ligament and median crura of the diaphragm involved in the compression of the celiac trunk. For the development and substantiation of optimal methods of decompression of the celiac trunk 106 anatomical preparations were investigated. The variants of the anterior diaphragm arteries and of the celiac trunk vessels were revealed whose injuries can result in intraoperative bleedings. Different variants of the operative technique depending on the anatomical conditions are proposed.


The archaeological site La Garma is located in northern of Spain, close of Santander city (Cantabrian Region). This Palaeolithic camp is almost entirely in a cave, whose geomorphology is linked to the karstic dynamics making a complex network of galleries, halls and wells. The principal particularly of this site is the collapse of the cave entrance during the Late Glacial blocked the gallery and interrupted the geological and anthropogenic processes producing the sedimentary accumulation. That has allowed the preservation on the surface of the cave of around 800 square meters; around 76,000 archaeological items (bones, flint and antler implements, marine mollusc shells, portable art objects…) are spread on the floor of the cave. Moreover, very clear indices of the human transformation of the space have been found, among them six evident stone structures. In this situation, La Garma is an ideal laboratory for study (i)The multiples spatial distributions of different collections remains into the site. (ii) It is also an ideal environment for apply new spatial analytical toolkit (geostatistical approach and analitical visualization)and re-thinking some aspect in archaeological spatial analysis. In La Garma , the main argument of archaeological spatial analysis: " Reconstruction the activity performed in locations from partial distribution of remains" , it acquires a new dimension, possibility and opportunities. This is possible because the particular conditions of preservation, stability and potential information of the archaeological records are very significance. Probably; we are working with an archaeological recording where we can detect and measurement the last action took place in every sets of material localization. We think the most important opportunity in this site is the possibility of mapping causal actions in theirs more probably spatial location, beyond the classical spatial study where the principal object is mapping spatial distributions of remains in term of theirs nominal categories. This contribution is an empirical proposes where we can establish quantitative relations between possible causal action and theirs spatial distribution of materials effects. Of course, learning and applying new approach in spatial analysis into La Garma will give us an experience which we can export and apply to others archaeological spatial problems in others archaeological complexities.


Introduction: Punica granatum Linn. fruit (Family: Punicacea), known as Pomegranate is ethno-medicinally prescribed in various part of world for treatment of different diseases it is used as antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anticancer and antiparasitic agent. Method: The present study was thus undertaken to find out the necessary pharmacognostical standards for evaluating the fruit of P. granatum. Different assessment such as macroscopical characters, microscopical studies, physicochemical evaluations (loss on drying, moisture content by Karl Fischer titration, ash values, extractive values) and TLC/HPTLC finger print profiling were performed and the relevant quantitative and qualitative parameters were reported. Invitro antioxidant activity is also performed by HPLC-DPPH method. Results: Fruit of P. granatum are Reddish brown in color, Globular and Oval, smooth, 5.0 o 12.0 cm in diameter. Powdered fruit confirmed the presence of Stone cell, Endospermic cell, Group of stone cells, Nonlignified fiber, Starch grain and Lignified fibers and vessels. TLC of the extracts was also carried out in the current study. Physicochemical standards quantified include loss on drying (36.62 ± 4.17 %), moisture content (32.15 ± 3.64 %) total ash (8.58% ± 1.06 %), water soluble ash (7.15 ± 0.97 %), acid insoluble ash (0.45 ± 0.03 %). Safety profile of plant part was recognized by quantify microbial limit test, pesticide residue and heavy metals (Cd, As, Hg and Pb) evaluation. Here is no visible microbial growths were seen in sample. Pesticide residue and heavy metals were observed to be present within the acceptable limits. Conclusion: Scientific investigations do not yet exist to identify the exact plant part and to determine its quality and purity. These studies provided referential information for accurate identification and standardization of this herbal material. These analyses will also be useful to distinguish P. granatum from the closely associated to other species of Punica.


After Choson Korea was forced to open its ports in 1876 by Japan, Korea was incorporated into a regional East Asian economy based on the unequal treaty system and predicated on a structure of core and periphery relationships between the industrialized and industrializing nations. As the first modern bank in Japan, Daiichi Bank was the first Japanese bank to establish operations in the Korean open ports. Daiichi was heavily dependent on its business in Korea for survival, but it ultimately thrived within the fierce competition of the time. Daiichi also demonstrated the inherent contradiction of functioning as the erstwhile Korean central bank as well as a private commercial bank. After annexation in 1910, Daiichi Bank transferred nearly all of its operations into the Bank of Chosen. The internal Japanese debate over the establishment of a stand-alone central bank between the Bank of Japan, Ministry of Finance, and colonial government established the Bank of Chosen with a separate-but-equal yen currency which placed colonial Korea on the periphery and insulated Japan from the Korean economy. Also, the Bank of Chosen aggressively expanded into Manchuria to remedy the colonial contradictions of a perpetual trade imbalance, but it also reinforced a new core-periphery relationship between colonial Korea and the Manchuria. The post-WWI economic crash, the 1923 Kanto Earthquake, and the 1927 Showa Financial Crisis presented new challenges for the Bank of Chosen which was forced to rely on a government-sponsored rescue. After 1945, the Bank of Chosen continued to play a pivotal role in the southern economy under American occupation authority. Despite the internal power struggle between the Bank of Chosen and the Ministry of Finance over the creation and independence of the South Korean central bank, the prominence and authority of the Bank of Chosen ensured continuity in the institution and personnel in the new Bank of Korea. The histories of Daiichi Bank, the Bank of Chosen, and the Bank of Korea thus demonstrate the continuity and contingent adaptations of these institutions with the demands of the state as they traversed late nineteenth and early twentieth century Korea, Japan, and Manchuria.


Introduction The nature and extent of social inequality has been of interest to us for over 20 years (Dwan & Western 2003, Western 1983, Western et al. 1998, Western & Turrell 1993, Western & Western 1988), so when invited to contribute to the 40th edition of Australian Journal of Social Inequality we resolved to take the concept of inequality, as we understand it, and apply it to the Journal's publications over the past 40 years. This seems appropriate and feasible since the inaugural editorial asserted that the AJSI was broadly interested in "social problems as that term is usually understood." Of interest to us, and hopefully to you, were the following two questions: What issues pertaining to social inequality were of most interest to the readers and editors of AJSI? How were these issues perceived and empirically understood? Our analysis of journal contributions identifies various dimensions of social inequality, that is, factors affecting quality of life and human wellbeing, and their determinants or the bases of social inequality, namely factors that give rise to inequality. In addition, we highlight the structurally patterned nature of relationships among the dimensions and bases. This framework is then used to classify some 240 AJSI contributions, and we propose some reasons why certain dimensions and bases are more visible in the Journal than others. Before we begin, however, it is important to distinguish between the terms poverty and inequality, and define what we mean by social inequality. Poverty Inequality and poverty are often conflated in the minds of the general public, but also by service providers and scholars in the field. The term poverty carries a lot of emotional weight and should be used judiciously (Greenwell et al. 2001: 25), for any definition of poverty clearly reflects one's "value judgements" (Saunders 2002b: 2). Much Australian research tends to use "poverty lines" that is, some proportion (usually one-half) of the average income (Greenwell et al. 2001: 19), with those below the poverty line being "in poverty". Debate abounds about whether it is more accurate and/or appropriate to use the mean or the median income as the discriminator. However, like much in the area the debates and the choices being discussed appear to be driven by the individual's normative position, more so than by their methodological arguments. Further muddying the waters is the distinction between absolute and relative poverty. Some authors, commentators and policy makers choose to equate absolute poverty with some sort of objective measurement of the phenomenon in question--as if that were possible--while others insist that the standard of living and the values of the community must be taken into consideration in determining what constitutes poverty, and therefore they believe that poverty should be understood in comparison with the living standards of the majority of the community (Saunders 2002a: 2,4). The recent Australian Senate report on poverty and financial hardship, entitled A hand up not a hand out (Australian Senate Community Affairs References Committee 2004) helpfully published the definitions of poverty provided by many of the key stakeholders, including the government department responsible for families and community services, the peak body representing social service delivery agencies in Australia, several religious organisations and a couple of research institutions (1). All these definitions emphasise different but equally important aspects of social inequality and poverty. For instance, submissions from both the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Brotherhood of St Lawrence refer to a lack of "opportunity", and while the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS)focuses on the "material resources" lacked by disadvantaged people, Mission Australia and Uniting Care urge one not to forget the "social elements". As Peter Saunders of the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) rightly pointed out to the Senate Committee, definitions of inequality usually "embody community perceptions" (Australian Senate Community Affairs References Committee 2004: 8), and it was indeed the differing normative views of poverty and inequality that recently led to the academic equivalent of fisticuffs. …


Currently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing regulatory requirements for 86 compounds as a part of the Safe Drinking Act (SDWA) Amendments. Additionally, 25 new compounds will be regulated every three years and added to the existing list. More specifically, the SDWA Amendments require enhanced filtration and thorough disinfection of all surface waters. With these new regulations, the EPA has defmed treatment technologies which can be implemented to meet the regulations. These technologies include less common, and potentially very expensive, treatment techniques, such as ozone and granular activated carbon. Faced with changing federal regulations, consumerdemands for safe water, and potentially high costs, water suppliers need an effective way of determining acceptable treatment technologies for the least cost. Pilot studies offer an economical method to test alternative and often innovative treatment technologies without affecting the existing process. The following describes the benefits of performing pilot studies and outlines a case study done in Charleston, South Carolina.


The fountain mural discovered in 2000 in the Tuscan town of Massa Marittima has drawn international attention due to its rare iconographic allusions to fertility and witchcraft in late thirteenth century Italy. The mural, which depicts eight women underneath a deciduous tree with phalli hanging from its branches in lieu of fruit, raises numerous questions. In this thesis, I examine the positive classical iconographic associations to fertility and auspiciousness and how these symbols came to be reinterpreted within a Christian context as elements of sin and temptation. Furthermore, the connections between the lingering classical prototype of a woman as a being of unbridled sexuality, temptation, and bearer of prophetic knowledge continued to manifest themselves in medieval folklore beliefs of witchcraft and its artistic representations in the high and late Middle Ages. The mural is evidence of how these anxieties were effectively appropriated into the genre of propagandistic political art during a time of civil unrest in central Italy. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my committee members, Dr. for your encouraging ideas, input, and mentorship in this endeavor. This work is dedicated to my family, whose unwavering love and support continues to inspire me. Venti Baci.


Older non natives are often excluded from using new technological devices and little research literature is available on their ability to interact with technology. This research aims at studying how people excluded from technological use because of their education and age interact with each other and with a tablet during new technologies training courses.  A Focused Ethnography approach was used to study six groups of 18/20 participants to a training course for tablet use. Four focuses were considered for ethnographic observations: 1. relationship between trainer and the group of participants, both mediated and non mediated by the tablet 2. relationship between the trainer and the single participant, both mediated and non mediated by the tablet 3. interaction between participant and her/his tablet  4. interaction between a group of participants and the tablets. Results help us to understand the difficulties in interactions between tablet and trainer. Evidence is shown that most diffi culties in training sessions were related to the translation from digital culture to participants' culture.


An eleven year old girl presented with a three months history of chronic oral ulcerations. The oral ulcerations affected her normal oral functions. Intra-oral examination revealed multiple erosive, erythematous lesions on anterior gingiva and soft palate  (Figure-1). There were no skin lesions, as confirmed by a dermatologist. Medical history of the patient was non–relevant, hence the possibility of lichen planus/lechenoid reaction was ruled out. 1,2 Based on clinical examination provisional diagnoses of pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid were made. A tzank smear was taken from an unroofed blister of buccal mucosa with the help of a spatula. The material was transferred to a glass slide and giemsa stain was performed. Cytological examination of the smear showed round keratinocytes having large nucleus with increased nucleo–cytoplasmic ratio and a perinuclear halo. We decided to perform an incisional biopsy, as cytology has its own limitations. Incisional biopsy was performed and the tissue was sent to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Microscopic examination revealed a suprabasilar splitting; a single layer of basal cell was attached to the basement membrane. (Figure-2) Numerous acntholytic cells were also found. (Figure-3). IgG positivity was observed with direct immunofluorescence (Figure-4) A final diagnosis of Oral pemphigus vulgaris was made. 40 mg prednisolone along with calcium supplements and cimetidine were prescribed. There was a significant improvement in 2 weeks noted. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic muco-cutaneous intraepithelial blistering disease. PV is an uncommon condition affects males and females in the 4–5 th decade of life. The etiology of pemphigus vulgaris is uncertain. In some cases it may have a strong genetic basis as it has been reported in more frequently in certain racial groups. 3 Oral pemphigus vulgaris in a pediatric patient is extremely rare, only few case reports have been found in the literature. Dentists should be aware of the existence of PV in children and adolescent so that such cases may be referred to the specialists without undue delay.


Introduction As clinical trials move toward earlier intervention, we sought to redefine the β-amyloid (Aβ)-PET threshold based on the lowest point in a baseline distribution that robustly predicts future Aβ accumulation and cognitive decline in 3 independent samples of clinically normal individuals. Methods Sequential Aβ cutoffs were tested to identify the lowest cutoff associated with future change in cognition (Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite [PACC]) and Aβ-PET in clinically normal participants from the Harvard Aging Brain Study (n = 342), Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle study of aging (n = 157), and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (n = 356). Results Within samples, cutoffs derived from future Aβ-PET accumulation and PACC decline converged on the same inflection point, beyond which trajectories diverged from normal. Across samples, optimal cutoffs fell within a short range (Centiloid 15–18.5). Discussion These optimized thresholds can help to inform future research and clinical trials targeting early Aβ. Threshold convergence raises the possibility of contemporaneous early changes in Aβ and cognition. Classification of Evidence This study provides Class II evidence that among clinically normal individuals a specific Aβ-PET threshold is predictive of cognitive decline.


Neuronal activity of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) experimentally observed in the hippocampus is widely believed to play a key role for mammalian ability to associate concepts and make decisions. For this reason, RNNs have rapidly gained strong interest as computational enabler of brain-inspired cognitive functions in hardware. From the technology viewpoint, nonvolatile memory devices such as phase change memory (PCM) and resistive switching memory (RRAM) have become a key asset to allow for high synaptic density and biorealistic cognitive functionality. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time associative learning and decision making in a hardware Hopfield RNN with 6 spiking neurons and PCM synapses via storage, recall and competition of attractor states. We also experimentally demonstrate the solution of a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) namely a Sudoku with size 2×2 in hardware and 9×9 in simulation. These results support spiking RNNs with PCM devices for the implementation of decision making capabilities in hardware neuromorphic systems.


Subdivision algorithms have emerged recently as a powerful and useful technique in modeling free-form surfaces. Subdivision algorithms exited at present however, being their disadvantages, can't meet the demand of wide application in modeling surfaces and don't still belong to a general theory. In this paper, a general subdivision algorithm is presented which is a general conclusion inferred from classical Catmull-Clark subdivision algorithm and can produce existing subdivision algorithm by selecting reasonable vertical weights and horizontal weights. The subdivision algorithm is an ideal resolution for keeping shape feature such as crease, corner and dart contrast to all existing subdivision algorithms, it also have the advantage of flexible weights selection, easily control of shape and high compute speed. Therefore, the algorithms are extensively applicable for shape modeling in computer aided geometric design, industrial prototype design and reverse engineering.


The article discusses the pathogenetical approach to an early prophylaxis of local disorders of blood circulation in the cases of gunshot fractures of limbs. The authors emphasize the negative influence of the post-traumatic edema of muscles inside osseous-fascial bursas. On the background of blood losses and centralization of blood circulation edema causes the decompensation ischemia of tissue, which leads to the appearance of centres of secondary necrosis. An early recovery of optimal tissue blood circulation is propounded as one of the goals during the primary surgical management of wounds. A rational sequence of immediate surgery, which was practically tested is proposed. Basic methods of operations on limb segments are enclosed. Language: ru


The authors describe and interpret the shifting language identities of teachers-caregivers 1 in an infant-toddler classroom who identified themselves as Heritage Speakers of Spanish. Using a qualitative research design, the authors document and make meaning of the processes and interactions that took place during the first year of program implementation. Data collected and analyzed stem from semi-structured qualitative interviews and highlight postructural themes of subjectivity and language. Drawing heavily from the work of Weedon, the authors develop a conceptual model to highlight (1) the multiple nature of the subject; (2) subjectivity as a site of struggle, and (3) subjectivity as changing over time. The constructs of personal agency, assigned vs. claimed identities, and the impact of shifting contexts are used to position the multilingual classroom as a 'third space' that allowed participants to expand their understandings of themselves, the infants they worked with, and the sociocultural environment within which they conducted their work, thus creating, re-creating, and performing/enacting multiple language identities. Findings are relevant to the work of early childhood teacher education as caregivers' enactment of linguistic identities influences the classroom contexts and the infants/toddlers being served.


Inflammatory reactions involve a network of chemical and molecular signals that initiate and maintain host response. In inflamed tissue, immune system cells generate opioid peptides that contribute to potent analgesia by acting on specific peripheral sensory neurons. In this study, we show that opioids also modulate immune cell function in vitro and in vivo. By binding to its specific receptor, the opioid receptor-specific ligand DPDPE triggers monocyte adhesion. Integrins have a key role in this process, as adhesion is abrogated in cells treated with specific neutralizing anti-alpha5beta1 integrin mAb. We found that DPDPE-triggered monocyte adhesion requires PI3Kgamma activation and involves Src kinases, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav-1, and the small GTPase Rac1. DPDPE also induces adhesion of pertussis toxin-treated cells, indicating involvement of G proteins other than Gi. These data show that opioids have important implications in regulating leukocyte trafficking, adding a new function to their known effects as immune response modulators.


SCG10 is a neuronal growth-associated protein that shares an amino acid sequence similarity with an 18- to 19-kDa phosphoprotein named stathmin (also called p19, p18, Op18, pp17, prosolin, pp20, 19K, and leukemia-associated phosphoprotein, Lap18), which is more broadly expressed in a variety of cell types of the neural, immune, and reproductive systems. The sequence similarity has suggested that SCG10 and stathmin have been derived from structurally and evolutionarily related genes. To explore the structural and evolutionary relationships between these genes, we have isolated a series of cosmid and phage clones that covers the entire region of the mouse stathmin gene and most of the mouse SCG10 gene. The SCG10 transcription unit spans at least 30 kb, while the stathmin gene is 6 kb in length. Both genes consist of five exons, and many of the intron/exon boundaries fall into the homologous regions of conserved domains of these two proteins. However, the promoter-proximal regions are distinct in the two genes, suggesting that they have evolved by fusion of the duplicated coding exons to unique promoters. Southern blot analysis indicates that SCG10 mRNA is encoded by a single gene in the mouse genome, while stathmin cDNA probes detect multiple genes. Chromosome mapping experiments reveal that the SCG10 gene is localized at the proximal region of mouse chromosome 3 and is linked to Il-7, while the stathmin gene loci are distributed to three chromosomes; the authentic stathmin gene lies on chromosome 4, whereas the loci on chromosomes 9 and 17 are likely to be pseudogenes. These data are consistent with the idea that the neuron-specific SCG10 gene evolved by duplication and modification of the more broadly expressed stathmin/Lap18 gene.


An experimental trial was carried out over three years at Cavacurta (Po valley, Italy) on continuous barley. The soil was a coarse-loamy over sandy, mixed, mesic Fluventic Ustochrept. The experimental design was a split-plot with four replicates; the main factor was the soil management system (conventional tillage, CT, and no-tillage, NT), while the secondary factor was the nitrogen fertilization (N0 = 0, N1 = 50 and N2 = 90 kg N ha-1 year-1). At the end of the third year soil samples were taken in all plots at four depths (0-5, 5-10, 10-15 and 15-20 cm). For these samples, pH, organic matter, total N, available P and cation exchange capacity were determined. On the contrary, water aggregate stability was determined for a single layer (0-20 cm depth), excluding the N1 level of fertilization. The biological indicator, QBS-ar index, was studied only in the layer 0-10 cm. Statistical analysis shows that no-till positively influenced all the indices except for CEC and QBS-ar. N fertilization had significant effects on CEC only; in the upper layer, the value in N2 subplots was of approx. 1 cmol+ kg-1 higher than in N0 and N1 subplots. There was no significant interaction for any of the indices. As regards only the 0-20 cm layer, the most important results are as follows. The organic matter content in NT plots was significantly higher than in CT plots (32.6 vs 29.8 g kg-1), as was the total N (2.11 vs 1.97 g kg-1). No-till also had a very clear effect on the Olsen-P (12.3 vs 9.3 mg kg-1). The most remarkable result was found for the water aggregate stability: for NT plots the value was 246% higher than for CT plots (34.3 vs 9.9%). As regards the microarthropod community, the value of the QBS-ar index was between 90 and 126, a typical range for soil under barley.


The 2011 Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of the NigerianCameroon Chimpanzee recommends that wherever possible estimates should be made of chimpanzee abundances, because these data will illustrate population declines and the seriousness of the conservation situation facing the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. The aim of this study was to estimate the encounter rate of the isolated population of P. t. ellioti in the Kimbi-Fungum National Park (K-FNP) and Kom-Wum Forest Reserve (K-WFR), to determine their distribution and human influence within their habitat range. Data collections were obtained through recces walk, whereby direct and indirect (dung, tools and nests) observations of bio-indicators of chimpanzees and human signs (farms, hunter's camp, grazing areas) were recorded. The zone was subdivided into quadrates of 2km x 2km giving a total of 22 and 21 quadrates K-FNP and K-WFR respectively. Inside each sampled quadrate, a recce of 2km long oriented in a random manner was established which generated a sampling effort of 86km. From the result, four (4) chimpanzees were directly observed in the K-WFR giving an encounter rate of 0.1 signs per km. Up to 48 and 474 chimpanzees nests were registered with encounter rateof 1.09 and 11.3 signs per km in the K-FNP and K-WFR respectively. Spatial distribution maps show high concentrated of chimpanzee's signs in the Northern sections of the K-WFR and few observations in the northern section of the K-FNP. Farming and hunting were the highest anthropogenic activity recorded in the K-FNP and K-WFR with an encounter rate of 0.48 and 1.19 signs per km respectively. As a result of high human influences, effective conservation strategies through sensitization campaign and participatory approach should be intensify to preserve the fast declining chimpanzees remaining in the study areas.


This article discusses the ingrained impediments which are likely to stifle India's rise and growth - a phenomenon which has figured prominently in scholarly and official assessments, in India and outside, for over a decade now. Intriguingly India's rise as a global power has already been adjudged a certainty in these assessments, but the author contends that there exists an apparent disjuncture between how the world sees India and the prevailing internal impediments. Therefore, any assessment of India as a global power without incorporating these impediments would be incomplete, misplaced and hyperbolic. Of late, in the light of India's growing internal and external socio-economic and political difficulties, more and more writings and proclamations by Indian and international experts indicate emerging scepticism over India's potential as a global power. This paper takes a rollcall of India's internal impediments including, human development, institutional and security challenges which according to the author have already begun restraining India's global ascent.


In this paper, we describe a Non-Parametric Kernel (NPK) method for localization of mobile users in the indoor CDMA2000 environment. This method makes use of CDMA2000 reference pilot, pilot delays, and pilot signal strength measurements to build a mobile signal fingerprint map in a given indoor environment in the off-line stage, and uses this fingerprint map to estimate the location of a mobile user in the on-line stage. The signal fingerprint map is in the form of a probability distribution function of the measurements created by the application of a kernel function to the off-line training data. The method is non-parametric in that no signal propagation model or parameter is used, and therefore avoids issues caused by the complicated signal propagation pattern often found in the indoor environment. We also propose the use of multiple consecutive observations to localize the user. Experiments are performed and the resulting Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in localization accuracy demonstrates the advantage of our proposed method over other fingerprinting methods such as KNN.


Most of the process systems exhibits non-linear behaviour, so conventional controllers are not able to provide accurate data. At present, various soft computing techniques are used to overcome imprecision and uncertainty effects of conventional controllers. Various soft computing techniques like fuzzy logic, genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization have been suggested for optimum setting of PID controller parameters. In this paper, the performance of all the three soft computing techniques is compared for three tank level process control system. This comparative study is carried out for set point tracking of three tank level process using MATLAB/ SIMULINK. The simulation results shows that tuning the PID controller using PSO provides fast and stable system with low overshoot.


Unsatisfactory outcomes in medicine are too common. There are multiple causes, one of which is medical errors. In our society the response to medical error is typically legal, rather than investigative and remedial. This should be deplored by both the profession and the public. The clash between the legal and medical systems rarely leads to a decrease in the likelihood of future error. Rather, a defensive approach is fostered that encourages concealment of error and the attribution of blame. This balkanises the parties and makes solutions more difficult to find. The legal response to error and harm is reflective not only of our culture and history but also of the need for patients to ascertain information about the error and receive a financial remedy if loss has occurred. Given that this is the setting in which we find ourselves, the availability of the defence of "peer professional practice" (that an action is not negligent if the professional acts in a way that is widely accepted by his or her peers) gives some comfort. Mahar and Burke, in this issue of the Journal (page 253), draw attention to some important limitations of this defence. They point out that the defence is not a substitute for the need to properly warn patients of the material risks involved in a procedure. They also demonstrate that the requirement to practise according to widely accepted professional standards implies the need to be abreast of contemporary clinical practice. Surely this is the purpose of continuing professional education. Consequently, there is no justification for the practice of purely "defensive" medicine. Mahar and Burke's article also highlights a negative interaction between the legal and medical cultures. In a recent case that relied on the peer professional practice defence, the testimony of one of the expert witnesses was discounted because, when forming his opinion, he consulted a colleague about her views on the case, which led the court to doubt the witness's standing as an expert. In contrast, the medical view is that consultation in the face of doubt is protective of the patient and not a sign of weakness. As a doctor, the legalistic approach of the court in this regard reinforces the perception that the law is an ass, that it will never be understandable or reasonable, and that the solution to medical errors will never lie in the legal sphere. As a profession, this mandates that we make the study and minimisation of medical error and unfavourable outcomes our own. It is time to responsibly admit and embrace error and empower ourselves to grow. While "the truth will set you free",* US President James Garfield was probably closer to the reality of the process when he supposedly added, "but first it will make you miserable".


This paper covers ongoing research on pulsed-power-produced plasmas using wire arrays and foil loads at four universities in the U.S. It is directed toward prospective and current students, as well as program managers at government agencies, and others who have a general interest in applications of pulsed power. This paper presents several pinch configurations (Z-pinches, X-pinches, planar wire arrays, radial, and suspended foils), specific physics issues (e.g., wire ablation), applications (plasma jets, X-ray hohlraums), diagnostics (e.g., ultraviolet laser probing), and modeling. The areas covered are not meant to be comprehensive, but rather, the discussion demonstrates the breadth and vibrancy of the activities at these institutions and collates extensive references on this work over primarily the past six years.


Confidence intervals of growth curves are calculated to assess the uncertainty of index flood method as a regional frequency analysis. The asymptotic variance of quantile estimator for the generalized logistic distribution is introduced to evaluate confidence intervals. In addition, the variances of at-site frequency estimator and regional frequency estimator are used to evaluate an efficiency index. The efficiency indexes for 14 homogeneous regions based on 378 stations show that index flood method estimators are more efficient than at-site frequency estimators. It is shown that the number of sites in a region needs to be limited for regional gain.


Extinction and Mammalian Introductions on Oceanic Islands'' We previously reported a positive correlation between the number of mammalian predator species established by Europeans on 220 islands and the extinction probability of bird species on those islands after European arrival (1). We argued that this suggests that introduced mammalian predators have been an important cause of avian extinctions on islands across the world. In establishing this correlation, we carefully controlled for other potentially confounding factors, including biogeographic features of islands (such as area and isolation) and time since human colonization. In particular, we showed that, although the number of introduced mammal predator species is correlated with extinction probability, the numbers of introduced mammal herbivores and introduced bird species are not. This argues against a spurious correlation due simply to more extensive habitat modification leading to both more native extinction and more exotic species establishment (1). Didham et al. (2) argue that we focused on a single-factor explanation and failed to consider other causes of extinction, notably habitat loss, that may correlate with the number of introduced predator species across islands, thus leaving open the question of causality. We certainly do not argue that extinctions are caused by a single factor; there is considerable unexplained variation in our data, and our other work has shown that, in addition to predation, factors such as habitat loss are important (3). Furthermore, we show that the number of introduced predator species fails independently to explain variation in the current levels of threat faced by island bird assemblages, so that other factors must be important (1). Nevertheless, our analyses do strongly suggest that mammal predators have played a major role in post-European avian extinctions on islands across the world. In this, they generalize the results of many studies linking the decline and extinction of birds on oceanic islands to the impact of exotic predators (4–7). As Didham et al. (2) observe, habitat loss data are not readily available for all islands in our data set, which is why we used other approaches to account for such confounding factors. However, a study published at the same time as ours (8) includes data on the extent of pre-European forest loss and replacement by exotic cover for a small subset of the islands we studied, and Didham et al. use these data to argue that rates of avian extinction, mammalian introduction, and forest modification are confounded. There are correlations in these data, but they do not support the point that Didham et al. wish to make. Our study (1) was restricted to an analysis of post-European (historic) introductions and extinctions. (We noted that our findings held when we included the available data for preEuropean introductions and extinctions, but this result must be regarded as provisional, given the incomplete and much less reliable pre-European record.) The habitat data that Didham et al. use (8) records the extent of preEuropean forest modification, which they correlate with the total (preand post-European) proportion of avian extinctions Efigure 1A in (2)^ and the number of post-European introduced mammal species Efigure 1B in (2)^ across islands. It is unclear what these comparisons mean, given that they mix events in different time periods. Pre-European deforestation typically pre-dates European arrival and the subsequent wave of European-induced extinctions by several hundred years, as in New Zealand (9). This may explain why Didham et al. do not find a significant correlation between the extent of deforestation (pre-European) and the number of introduced mammal species (post-European) (2), a correlation we would expect if habitat loss, extinction, and mammalian introductions were confounded. What Didham et al. do report is a strong negative correlation between the number of introduced mammal species and an index of forest replacement (2): Islands that have suffered greater habitat modification through forest replacement by exotic cover have fewer introduced mammal species. This result contradicts the argument that greater habitat conversion leads both to more introduced species and to more extinctions. The trend for introductions is in the wrong direction, unless we argue that more exotic cover equates to less habitat modification. Didham et al. use New Zealand as an example to support their arguments, noting that the probability of avian extinction in this archipelago is consistent with that expected on the basis of habitat loss. We have concerns with this analysis, but here simply note that Brooks et al. (10) performed identical analyses on data from New Zealand (and other areas) with quite different conclusions: BFor birds, the extent of habitat loss only significantly underestimates threat Eincluding extinction^ in two hotspots: New Zealand and Polynesia-Micronesia,[ because BOceanic islands have suffered massive recent extinctions due to the naivete of their species[ (10). The New Zealand avifauna is perhaps unique in that it suffered heavily from extinction following human colonization, but its composition has been reconstructed more or less in its entirety by extensive and exemplary paleontology (11). This work has allowed predictions to be tested about which characteristics should make species vulnerable to different extinction drivers. In all cases, the species that became extinct are predominantly those predicted to be vulnerable to introduced predators (including Homo sapiens) (6, 7, 12). An analysis that incorporates both habitat loss and introduced predators as predictors of island bird extinction would certainly be worthwhile. As Didham et al. note, both factors currently threaten extant species. Meanwhile, conservation agencies in New Zealand are struggling to save tiny populations of native birds on predator-free islands and behind expensive predator-proof fences, while vast areas of native forest harbor introduced mammalian predators but are largely empty of native birds. We maintain that current evidence points most strongly to the importance of exotic mammalian predators in driving island bird extinctions following European colonization, albeit not to this driver alone.


VR has enjoyed a steep growth in awareness in society in recent years and is regarded a promising tool for the design and enhancement of experiences. However, as research and use cases in the hospitality context are expanding rapidly, it is crucial to define a clearer research direction that aligns the number of scattered studies across various fields. It is time to overcome the boundaries of the technological dimension and explore methods for purposeful VR design. This research note calls for more user-centric VR studies and developments to define the future direction of VR implementations in the hospitality and tourism industry. To achieve this, the authors recommend the use of design methodology with a focus on the first steps in the design process to clearly identify and understand issues concerning the customer. The customer needs and desires need to be analyzed at the core independent of VR technology. The need to shift the focus from technology to the purpose for the user is identified.


The populations of European societies are heterogeneous and a crucial part of effective crisis preparedness is to customize contingency planning and crisis communication to these populations. The aim of this study is therefore to develop a theoretically based model of organizations' crisis preparedness in heterogeneous societies. Through theoretical and empirical analyses the model for 'Organizational Crisis Preparedness in Heterogeneous societies', the OCPH model, is developed. The model provides a theoretical foundation for the understanding of organizational crisis preparedness and also has practical implications: It offers a tool with which to develop organizational contingency planning further. For authorities that supervise municipalities or other local authorities, the OCPH model can be used to analyse and evaluate organizations.


Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) obtained by autohydrolysis of rice husks were demonstrated in a previous study to act as fermentable substrates by the intestinal microbiota in human fecal slurry cultures, leading to the generation of acetic and lactic acids and supporting the growth of bifidobacteria (Gullon et al. 2011). The purpose of the present study was to provide new insights into other possible targets of XOS action by determining (in the same fecal cultures) the levels of some relevant intestinal microbial groups and the profile of Bifidobacterium species by quantitative and qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. XOS-containing concentrates promoted the growth of Lactobacillus-Weissella, Bacteroides-Prevotella, and Clostridium cluster XIVa groups, as well as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species. Preliminary results point to possible variation in the profile of some bifidobacteria species in fecal cultures caused by XOS that should be further investigated. These results support XOS as potential prebiotics for the design of functional food products.


A ground radioactivity survey report and it geological analyses are presented in this work. The survey was aimed at delineating possible zones of concentration of pegmatite intrusions, a rock whose components are useful in the in the electrical and ceramic industries among others. The survey covers longitude 12°54'-13°00'E and latitude 10°7'-10°15'N, with a total surface area of 155.52 km2. Dominant plutonic rocks in the area are coarse grained/pegmatitic granites which occur as intrusion in the metamorphic rocks (gneiss and migmatite). The survey was undertaken with a Geiger counter at station spacing of 1 min (1ꞌ) following mostly a system of grid lines. A total of 48 stations were occupied and measurements of the radiometric field variations were made. Thirteen radio-lineaments have been mapped, majority (7) align with pan African deformational direction (N-S, NE-SW). Others align in the NW and E-W directions. Some radio-lineaments correlate or align with geomorphologic features of hills and straight channel streams. Based on high radiometry and ground truthing results the northern sector of the study area is designated as a pegmatite zone. Other high radiometric zones are suggested as targets for investigation for possible pegmatite occurrences because of the economic importance of this rock.

 Key words: Radiometric anomalies, basement complex rocks, pegmatites, lineaments and geomorphic features.


A classic response to systemic hypoxia is the increased production of red blood cells due to hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-mediated induction of erythropoietin (EPO). EPO is a glycoprotein hormone that is essential for normal erythropoiesis and is predominantly synthesized by peritubular renal interstitial fibroblast-like cells, which express cellular markers characteristic of neuronal cells and pericytes. To investigate whether the ability to synthesize EPO is a general functional feature of pericytes, we used conditional gene targeting to examine the von Hippel-Lindau/prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD)/HIF axis in cell-expressing neural glial antigen 2, a known molecular marker of pericytes in multiple organs. We found that pericytes in the brain synthesized EPO in mice with genetic HIF activation and were capable of responding to systemic hypoxia with the induction of Epo. Using high-resolution multiplex in situ hybridization, we determined that brain pericytes represent an important cellular source of Epo in the hypoxic brain (up to 70% of all Epo-expressing cells). We furthermore determined that Epo transcription in brain pericytes was HIF-2 dependent and cocontrolled by PHD2 and PHD3, oxygen- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent prolyl-4-hydroxylases that regulate HIF activity. In summary, our studies provide experimental evidence that pericytes in the brain have the ability to function as oxygen sensors and respond to hypoxia with EPO synthesis. Our findings furthermore suggest that the ability to synthesize EPO may represent a functional feature of pericytes in the brain and kidney.


A preliminary study is reported in which six human subjects were scanned while performing a simple form of computer programming. Functional magnetic resonance imaging typically precludes the use of ordinary computing equipment due to safety concerns when items with metallic parts are in the scanning room. We used a special visual programming environment, "Kokopelli's World," for which an optics-only trackball was sufficient. This research methodology is described. Aspects of the experience of programming, by one of the authors, in the fMRI scanner are reported. An analysis of the data from the scanning is presented, and brain areas where activity for coding exceeded activity for a control task were identified and are presented here. These observations suggest hypotheses and directions for future research. One hypothesis is that particular aspects of programming are inherently and measurably pleasurable.


A discrepancy exists between the ideal and the actual roles played by vice‐principals (VPs). This gap between roles influences the level of job satisfaction, which, in turn, affects their desire for a principalship. This study used a questionnaire survey of about 300 Hong Kong VPs to examine the core responsibility dimensions pertaining to their work and how these contribute to the success of their schools. It also explores the deviation in the responsibilities undertaken by VPs with different school backgrounds and career orientations. The study identified seven core responsibility dimensions of VPs. The results show that the dimension leader and teacher growth and development is a predictor of a VP's desire for principalship. Issues of attention included staff management and leader and teacher growth and development, as well as a call for better alignment between the actual and ideal responsibilities and roles of VPs.


One of the most endangered assemblages of species in Europe is saproxylic beetles associated with old trees. To be able to conserve these species there is a need of developing methods to survey the fauna and to evaluate the conservation value of different oak habitats, develop instruments for landscape planning and detailed knowledge of species habitat requirements. The results are based on a data set from window and pit-fall trapping of saproxylic beetles at 94 different sites spread over four regions in southern Sweden. Additionally, 48 wooden boxes with artificial wood mould, consisting mainly of oak saw dust and oak leaves and some varying additional substrates, were studied for three years at three of the sites and their vicinities. A comparison of three methods to assess species richness and composition of the saproxylic beetle fauna in standing hollow oaks showed that all trapping methods were effective in detecting species, but as they partially target different assemblages of species it is profitable to combine the methods. Window traps gave most species but wood mould sampling is the cheapest method to sample the fauna. It was possible to predict the conservation value individual oak patches with sets of indicator species of saproxylic beetles with regard to number of species or presence of conservation priority species. Indicator sets of species effectively caught with pitfall traps gave the overall best predictions. When comparing different treatment of species indata, the explanatory power of predictions was strongest for presence/absence data. Predictions of species number and an index worked well within the same regions but gave varied result for three other regions, which shows that transferability of indicators between regions may be doubtful. Species richness was greatest in stands with large, free-standing trees. Among individual trees, large girth as well as low canopy cover, increased frequency of occurrence for several species. Forest regrowth was found to be detrimental for many beetle species. An evaluation of to what extent artificial habitats, mimicking the conditions in hollow oaks, can be exploited by saproxylic beetles showed that nearly 70% of the species found in hollow oaks was found in artificial wood mould boxes. A dead hen added to the artificial wood mould gave a higher number of beetle specimens. The number of species associated with tree hollows in oak decreased with distance from sites with hollow oaks. An analysis of species assemblages at 38 sites and positions of 33 000 large/hollow oaks showed that different beetle species dependent on a single substrate, hollow oaks, responded to different scales. The total species richness responded to a scale of 859 m and the characteristic scale of response for single species varied between 52 m and 5284 m. Several species were sensitive both to smaller and larger scales. As most sites with endangered beetles living in old oaks are small and isolated, ongoing management directed to keep old oaks free standing and sun exposed and to ensure the recruitment of young oaks, and the restoration of abandoned pasture woodlands should have a high priority in nature conservation. Artificial habitats may in critical areas be created to fill gaps in old oak habitat for parts of the species assemblage. To preserve the saproxylic beetle fauna dependent on old oaks, it is important to retain and create suitable habitats both in local stands and at the landscape level, from single hectares up to hundreds of hectares depending on the species. In some landscape, creations of new oak areas in the fragmented landscape are crucial for long-term survival of sensitive species.


The focus of this paper is on computer-aided process planning (CAPP) for parts manufacture in systems of definite processing capabilities, involving multi-axis machining centers. A methodical approach is developed to optimally solve for process planning problems, which consists in the identification of process alternatives and sequencing working steps. The approach involves the use of the branch and bound (B&B) concept from the field of artificial intelligence (AI). A conceptual scheme for generation of alternative process plans in the form of a network is developed, based on part design data modeling in terms of machining features. A relevant algorithm is proposed for creating such a network and searching for the optimal process plan solution from the viewpoint of its operational performance, under formulated process constraints. The use of the approach is studied numerically with regard to a real life case study and diverse machine tools with relevant tooling are considered. Generated process alternatives for complex machining with given systems are studied using models programmed in the Matlab environment.


Remarkable progress over the last decade has put Bangladesh on track for Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 for child survival and achieved a 40% decline in maternal mortality. However, since neonatal deaths make up 57% of under-five mortality in the country, increased scale up and equity in programmes for neonatal survival are critical to sustain progress. We examined change for newborn survival from 2000 to 2010 considering mortality, coverage and funding indicators, as well as contextual factors. The national neonatal mortality rate has undergone an annual decline of 4.0% since 2000, reflecting greater progress than both the regional and global averages, but the mortality reduction for children 1-59 months was double this rate, at 8.6%. Examining policy and programme change, and national and donor funding for health, we identified various factors which contributed to an environment favourable to newborn survival. Locally-generated evidence combined with re-packaged global evidence, notably The Lancet Neonatal Series, has played a role, although pathways between research and policies and programme change are often complex. Several high-profile champions have had major influence. Attention for community initiatives and considerable donor funding also appear to have contributed. There have been some increases in coverage of key interventions, such as skilled attendance at birth and postnatal care, however these are low and reach less than one-third of families. Major reductions in total fertility, some change in gross national income and other contextual factors are likely to also have had an influence in mortality reduction. However, other factors such as socio-economic and geographic inequalities, frequent changes in government and pluralistic implementation structures have provided challenges. As coverage of health services increases, a notable gap remains in quality of facility-based care. Future gains for newborn survival in Bangladesh rest upon increased implementation at scale and greater consistency in content and quality of programmes and services.


1994 Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109-9096. N.d. Various paging. This profile study is conducted monthly during the fiscal year and is reported annually to provide an ongoing assessment of Las Vegas visitors and trends in visitor behavior over time. This report presents the findings from the 2,400 personal interviews conducted by GLS Research throughout the fiscal year and includes information on reasons for visiting, travel planning, trip characteristics and expenditures, gaming behavior and budgets, entertainment, attitudinal information, and visitor demographics.