Insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are risk factors related to cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, ventricular hypertrophy, endothelial nitric oxide impairment in systemic blood vessels and the heart, atherosclerosis, and hypercoagulability of blood. The traditional focus on insulin sensitivity and blood levels of markers of risk determined in the fasted state is inconsistent with the large volume of recent data that indicates that the metabolic defect in the pre-diabetic and diabetic condition relates more strongly to postprandial deficiency than to the fasting state. Risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events can be detected in the pre-diabetic insulin-resistant subject based upon the metabolic response to a test meal even in the absence of altered fasting parameters. The normal response to a mixed meal includes a doubling of insulin action secondary to insulin-induced release of a putative hepatic insulin sensitizing substance (HISS) that acts selectively on skeletal muscle. HISS is released only in the fed state and accounts for meal-induced insulin sensitization. Blockade of HISS release leads to a condition referred to as HISS-dependent insulin resistance, which is suggested as the primary postprandial metabolic defect, accounting for postprandial hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, and increased oxidative stress in the pre-diabetic and diabetic condition. HISS-dependent insulin resistance represents a novel hypothesis and suggests a new diagnostic and therapeutic target.


This research work examines the impacts of the literacy programme on the improvement of literacy, education, reduction of poverty and community development, especially in the rural and poor communities. The work sets out to put across a measure of knowledge on how literacy could assist in making non-literates and the poor in society functionally literate, at the same time provide them with livelihood skills towards improved living standards and the development of their various communities. Non-formal education, that is the functional literacy programme, was set up in communities with the aim of providing literacy and life skills to the poor, illiterate and marginalised in the community. It makes the above population to be able to read and interact favourably with the environment. By implication, the literacy programme ultimately helps to achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of universal basic education by mopping up those who could not get access to formal education; reducing extreme poverty through training of the poor population in life skills and income generating activities; and reducing mother and child mortality, diseases and deepening democracy through the teaching of the above related topics in the adult literacy class. Findings from the research show that most of the adult learners in the four communities (Kpedze, Akome, Mawuli Estates and Beh) have acquired reading, writing and calculation skills through the literacy class organised under the National Functional Literacy Programme (NFLP). These skills were exhibited by the learners in their everyday life activities including writing down their income and expenses, creditors and debtors, reading the Bible, singing from the church hymnal, writing and reading simple letters and notes, etc. These are educational achievements made by the adult learners. Through the NFLP classes, quite a number of the learners have also acquired income generating skills and entered into gainful employment, raising their income levels, thereby contributing to the reduction of poverty in the local communities. The learners also gradually became active members of their communities, initiating and executing community development programmes that they have been learning from the NFLP activities which are indications of development efforts. However, the adult learners faced challenges such as poor infrastructure, non-availability and late delivery of teaching and learning materials, poor remuneration of their facilitators, poor monitoring and evaluation systems, difficulties in time management and health constraints on the part of the learners, and political interference in the NFLP and the NFED. What the adult learners have not fully achieved is sustainability that is easily forgetting what they have learnt due to lack of continuity in the NFLP, among other things. Non-formal education for poverty reduction and community development


The interaction between the architectural features of CMOS differential pass-transistor logic (DPTL) and the submicron process technology used to implement it are examined. Techniques that exploit the noise immunity associated with the DPTL architecture are presented to effectively enable signal-swing reductions that result in increased speed. The extent to which DPTL can benefit from this signal-swing/speed tradeoff is examined by investigating the impact of device scaling on DPTL operation. A novel DPTL buffer that enables the implementation of a single-phase clocking scheme and the exchange of signal swing for increased circuit speed is proposed. Experimental results are provided. >


BACKGROUND
Very few authors have reported sensitization to two or more different occupational sensitizers in a single patient.

OBJECTIVE
To describe a subject with occupational asthma caused by sensitization to two different agents, exposure to which occurred in dierent time periods.

METHODS
We studied a young woman with asthma-like symptoms predominantly in relationship to a sequential occupational exposure, first to methylene diisocyanate (MDI) and later to flour dust. In the first and second periods of occupational exposure, the patient was subjected to metbacholine challenge test (MCT), sputum analysis, and specific challenge test (SCT).

RESULTS
At the first observation, MCT (PD20FEV1: 0.109 mg) and SCT with MDI were positive and induced sputum analysis showed a high percentage of eosinophils (32%). The patient reduced exposure to MDI but symptoms worsened with continuing occupational exposure. After one year, she started another job exposed to flour dust. After four years, asthma symptoms persisted despite treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators, and bronchial byperreactivity and sputum eosinophbilia were still present (PD2OFEV1: 0.067 mg; sputum eosinophils: 5.3%). The patient also developed rhinitis symptoms associated with dermatitis. A SCT with flour dust showed an immediate response (deltaFEV1: 33%). The subject left work and a year later was still symptomatic:pulmonary function was within normal limits under regular therapy and induced sputum showed absence of eosinophilia.

CONCLUSIONS
This was an unusual case of double sensitization to different occupational compounds to which the patient was exposed in different time periodsj suggesting the role of a pre-existing occupational aSthma in the development and/or worsening of sensitization to other occupational agents.


The central aim of this article is to examine intersectional processes of racialisation within the academic communities: racialisation of knowledge producers and their produced knowledge. We explore what kinds of knowledge productions and knowing subject positions are rendered (im)possible in everyday academic interactions. We use our racialised scholarly experiences as a methodological entry point to contextualise the navigations and negotiations of shifting and intersecting power relations. Our analytical reasoning is presented through several steps. First, we discuss how academic habitus and affiliations maintained in various formal and informal forums are based on established, racialised norms. Second, we discuss how the presence or absence of epistemic entitlement within different academic settings and communities is established through racialised hierarchies. Thus the physical, social, intellectual and emotional spaces that we inhabit create comfort zones for some and discomfort zones for others. Third, we argue how managing the existing accent ceiling becomes a mode for navigating the conditioning norms of whiteness. In our conclusions, we reflect on the passivity, silences as well as (mis)use of the vocabulary of anti-racism and intersectionality as a form of 'white' capital for shoring their privileges further rather than undoing it.


We experimentally demonstrate 50 Gb/s transmission below an uncorrected bit error rate (BER) of 10-3 in the C band over a transmission reach that extends from 0 to 20 km using combined amplitude and phase shift (CAPS) codes. The CAPS signal, which is not required to be specifically dispersion compensated for each reach within the 20 km operating range, is amenable for simple direct detection using a single photodetector without any subsequent digital signal processing (DSP). Hence, the presented solution constitutes a potentially attractive low cost solution for mobile Xhaul applications employing single mode fiber interconnects with reaches extending to 20 km. Furthermore, the CAPS signaling is compared to other modulation schemes all delivering 50 Gb/s and is found to outperform on-off-keying (OOK), 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4) and dispersion precompensated OOK in terms of dispersion tolerance. At a lower reach of 10 km, the maximum bit rate that can be achieved using CAPS coding at a BER below 10-3 is found to increase to 67 Gb/s. In addition, using the same testbed, we experimentally tested the IQ duobinary modulation format, which is an alternative format that approximates the CAPS transmitted waveforms in order to omit the need for a power consuming digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to generate the transmitted waveforms at the expense of slightly worse dispersion tolerance. Though the IQ duobinary format can be in principle generated using a simple DAC-less analog transmitter, our proof-of-concept experiment used a DAC to emulate the analog transmitter by generating the corresponding transmitted waveforms due to unavailability of all required analog parts. The IQ duobinary format was found experimentally to enable 50 Gb/s over a reach of ~17 km; that is slightly less than a CAPS signal at the same bit rate. Finally, we verified the excellent performance of the CAPS signaling in an ASE-limited regime where the CAPS signal achieved very low OSNR penalty after 10 km relative to OOK in back-to-back.


Abstract In this study, a long short-term memory (LSTM) based estimator using rotating axis components of the stator voltages and currents as inputs is designed to perform estimations of rotor mechanical speed and load torque values of the induction motor (IM) for electrical vehicle (EV) applications. For this aim, first of all, an indirect vector controlled IM drive is implemented in simulation to collect both training and test datasets. After the initial training, a fine-tuning process is applied to increase the robustness of the proposed LSTM network. Furthermore, the LSTM parameters, layer size, and hidden size are also optimised to increase the estimation performance. The proposed LSTM network is tested under two different challenging scenarios including the operation of the IM with linear and step-like load torque changes in a single direction and in both directions. To force the proposed LSTM network, it is also tested under the variation of stator and rotor resistances for the both-direction scenario. The obtained results confirm the highly satisfactory estimation performance of the proposed LSTM network and its applicability for the EV applications of the IMs.


This article will examine how several underlying evolutionary dynamics will shape the global economy, from a European perspective. The article will also discuss some areas of multilateral cooperation focusing on climate change, the pandemic preparedness, and sustainable development. At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, international cooperation is key to avoid fragmentation and aggravating instability in the global economy.


Technical sportwear SILVINI especially for cycling, running, cross-country. We produce and sell cycling wear, cycling jersey, cycling pants, underwear, gloves


Two bacteriological methods, one to demonstrate phosphatase production and the other to demonstrate aesculin hydrolysis, were tested on sterol-requiring Mycoplasma and sterol-nonrequiring Acholeplasma strains to determine their utility in differentiating species. The phosphatase test, which gave weak and variable reactions with most of the sterolnonrequiring strains, was judged ineffectual for differentiating these strains. The aesculin test distinguished all Mycoplasma strains and Acholeplasma granularum, both of which gave negative reactions, from most Acholeplasma laidlawii strains and from Acholeplasma axanthum, which gave positive reactions.


Background Practice guidelines recommend that chronic insomnia be treated first with cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and that hypnotic medication be considered only when CBT-I is unsuccessful. Although there is evidence of CBT-I's efficacy in research studies, systematic reviews of its effects in primary care are lacking. Aim To review the effects on sleep outcomes of CBT-I delivered in primary care. Design and setting Systematic review of articles published worldwide. Method Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched for articles published from January 1987 until August 2018 that reported sleep results and on the use of CBT-I in general primary care settings. Two researchers independently assessed and then reached agreement on the included studies and the extracted data. Cohen's d was used to measure effects on sleep diary outcomes and the Insomnia Severity Index. Results In total, 13 studies were included. Medium-to-large positive effects on self-reported sleep were found for CBT-I provided over 4–6 sessions. Improvements were generally well maintained for 3–12 months post-treatment. Studies of interventions in which the format or content veered substantially from conventional CBT-I were less conclusive. In only three studies was CBT-I delivered by a GP; usually, it was provided by nurses, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, or counsellors. Six studies included advice on withdrawal from hypnotics. Conclusion The findings support the effectiveness of multicomponent CBT-I in general primary care. Future studies should use standard sleep measures, examine daytime symptoms, and investigate the impact of hypnotic tapering interventions delivered in conjunction with CBT-I.


During typical movements, signals related to both the kinematics and kinetics of movement are mutually correlated, and each is correlated to some extent with the discharge of neurons in the primary motor cortex (M1). However, it is well known, if not always appreciated, that causality cannot be inferred from correlations. Although these mutual correlations persist, their nature changes with changing postural or dynamical conditions. Under changing conditions, only signals directly controlled by M1 can be expected to maintain a stable relationship with its discharge. If one were to rely on noncausal correlations for a brain-machine interface, its generalization across conditions would likely suffer. We examined this effect, using multielectrode recordings in M1 as input to linear decoders of both end point kinematics (position and velocity) and proximal limb myoelectric signals (EMG) during reaching. We tested these decoders across tasks that altered either the posture of the limb or the end point forces encountered during movement. Within any given task, the accuracy of the kinematic predictions tended to be somewhat better than the EMG predictions. However, when we used the decoders developed under one task condition to predict the signals recorded under different postural or dynamical conditions, only the EMG decoders consistently generalized well. Our results support the view that M1 discharge is more closely related to kinetic variables like EMG than it is to limb kinematics. These results suggest that brain-machine interface applications using M1 to control kinetic variables may prove to be more successful than the more standard kinematic approach.


The nature of colonialism is examined in this comparison of British colonial policy in Ireland and Canada toward Indigenous people. The histories and realities of Indigenous peoples' experiences of colonizing violence are not adequately addressed by the dominant approaches of the democratic peace theory's universalist neoliberal technocratic values, expectations, and assumptions (see Mac Ginty, 2013). PACS scholars and practitioners need new interpretive frames to make sense of the impact and consequences of colonialism and the intent of genocidal destruction across different colonial contexts in order to understand the deep roots of conflict (economic exploitation, internalization of oppression, racist ideology), and how we should go about critical and emancipatory peace building, theory building, and practice. The study of colonialism is required to understand conflict milieus characterized by structural violence in order to create a justpeace (see Lederach, 1997) that includes restorative and reconciliatory processes, and recognition of local people's resilience and resistance to structural violence and social injustice (see Chandler, 2017).


Like the inhabitants of the mystical Avalon, readers of Lady of Avalon will feel they have been transported to another world - a world of myth, magic, romance, and history. This novel spans the creation of Avalon itself and foreshadows the birth of the legendary King Arthur. Here, we meet three remarkable holy women who steer the fortunes of Roman Britain as they struggle with their own destinies: . Caillean retreats to the island of Avalon with a small band of priestesses. There she establishes a sisterhood to serve the Great Goddess, raises the heir to the mystic royal line, and veils Avalon from a hostile world in its everlasting mists. The astute Dierna guides Avalon through treacherous political waters by marrying a young priestess to a Roman general ... only to discover that love - especially her own - cannot be so easily controlled. Ana gives birth to a baby girl who will be the mother of the great King to come. But it is her beautiful and feisty oldest daughter, Viviane, who is destined for true greatness - as the famed Lady of the Lake and guardian of the Grail.


Concentration of Zn, Br, and Rb in intact and denervated rat muscles was estimated by X-ray fluorescent analysis. Differences in the content of these elements at different times after denervation were found. Concentration of microelements (microgram/g dry weight) in denervated muscles was shown to increase by the end of the third week, while that in the intact muscle decreased. The analysis of microelement content in the intact muscle revealed two steps of postdenervational changes: hypertrophic and atrophic ones. Differences between the above changes in microelement concentrations and their content in the intact muscle suggest a hypothesis that protein dissociation and utilization of microelements in muscle cells after denervation proceeds with different rates.


Background/Aims: Gastric atrophy can be diagnosed by serum pesinogen I/II ratio. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the changes of serum pepsinogen I/II ratio can be predicted by gastroscopy. Materials and Methods: Sixty healthy subjects who underwent screening for serum pepsinogen I/II levels, serum Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) antibody, and gastroscopy for two sequential years were included. Endoscopic findings were classified into four different categories according to the degree of chronic atrophic gastritis; none, mild, moderate, and severe. Changes of the serum pepsinogen I/II ratio, body mass index, H. pylori antibody, and endoscopic findings were analyzed after a year. Results: The serum pepsinogen I/II ratio showed a tendency to decrease after a year in subjects with H. pylori infection (P=0.013) and those with moderate to severe atrophic gastritis (P=0.004), whereas it increased in subjects without H. pylori infection and those with none to mild atrophic gastritis. On multivariate analysis, the degree of atrophic gastritis was the only factor that was related to the changing trends of the serum pepsinogen I/II ratio (odds ratio=5.385, P=0.023). Conclusions: The degree of atrophic gastritis on endoscopic findings can predict the changes of the serum pepsinogen I/II ratio after a year. Regardless of the current status of H. pylori infection, the serum pepsinogen I/II ratio decreases after a year in subjects with moderate to severe atrophic gastritis. (Korean J Helicobacter Up Gastrointest Res 2012;12:96-102)


PURPOSE
To present a combining pyelolithotomy and endoscopy, an alternative approach for treating staghorn calculi in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We treated 1414 children (age, 10 months to 17 years) with urolithiasis between 2009 and 2013 in the Pediatric Surgery Department and in the Pediatrics and Nephrology Department, Military Institute of Medicine in Warsaw. Most patients were treated conservatively. In 162 cases, an extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) procedure was needed. Surgery was only used in patients who had failed SWL. We performed minimally invasive procedures, ureterolithotripsy using semi-rigid and flexible ureterorenoscopes or percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in 126 patients.

RESULTS
In the most serious cases of staghorn or multifocal calculi, we performed a combined operation of pyelolithotomy with endoscopic removal of concrements from all calyces of the diseased kidney. In 15 out of the 18 combination treatments (83.3%), concrements were completely removed from the kidney in a single procedure. In three cases, fine concrements (5 to 6 mm) remained after the procedure, and these were candidate for SWL. In one case, a boy aged 4 years, symptoms of infection in the urinary tract occurred 2 days after the procedure.

CONCLUSION
Combining pyelolithotomy with endoscopy to remove concrements clears the diseased kidney without causing parenchymal damage in one procedure. The method is safe in children, does not require blood transfusion, and helps maintain kidney function.


Lithium zoning in zircon and olivine provides a powerful record of crystal histories and magmatic processes in volcanic systems. Characterizing Li behavior in olivine is important because it is one of the few elements in basaltic systems that track short-duration magmatic processes (e.g., less than a few days). However, the potential for trace element coupling and the competing effects of crystal growth and subsequent diffusion obfuscate interpretations of Li zoning patterns and their use for geospeedometry. Here, we use diverse analytical techniques (EPMA, LA-ICPMS, nanoSIMS) to untangle records of growth and diffusion in carefully oriented olivine crystals from Kīlauea (Hawai'i). Li, P, and Al are targeted because they show correlations despite contrasting behaviors during growth and diffusion. Lithium zoning exhibits two styles: (1) non-coupled, wherein Li (1–3 ppm) shows diffuse zoning over 10s–100s of μm between the crystal core and rim with low (10s of ppm) and homogeneous P, and (2) coupled, wherein sub-ppm Li enrichments <40 μm wide are correlated with P-rich zones (100s of ppm) that preserve a blueprint of crystal growth. Non-coupled Li zoning modeled for diffusive re-equilibration yields hours–days timescales, reflecting magma-mixing events that primed the system for eruption. Coupled Li peaks consistently occur where analyses traverse the dendritic framework of P zoning that reflects rapid crystal growth. This correlation results from Li+ ions partially satisfying charge balancing requirements of P5+ ions in the olivine lattice. Aluminum balances most of the P budget in olivine but has non-systematic correlations with Li peaks. Transects can exhibit both non-coupled and coupled Li behaviors, preserving histories of both crystal growth and diffusive re-equilibration. Modeling a near-rim Li enrichment peak with the Li diffusion coefficient yields a timescale of <3 min, too short to represent the time elapsed following crystallization. If the near-rim Li and P peaks are modeled using the diffusion coefficient for P, congruent timescales of 5–11 days suggest that they have the potential to record magmatic processes. Several caveats such as poorly constrained initial conditions and analytical challenges limit the practicality of enrichment peak geospeedometry. Only broad zoning of non-coupled Li should be modeled for timescales of magmatic processes.


Purpose: Women undergoing surgery for breast cancer experience side effects, such as fatigue, reduced quality of life (QOL) and depression. Physical activity (PA) is associated with improved psychological adjustment during treatment and survivorship, yet little is known about how PA relates to fatigue, depression and QOL in the period following surgery for breast cancer. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between these constructs in women who recently underwent surgery for breast cancer. Methods: At 2–10 weeks post-surgery, 240 women with non-metastatic breast cancer reported intensity and duration of moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA), fatigue (intensity and interference), depressed mood, clinician-rated depression and functional QOL. Results: In the path analysis models tested, women that reported greater weekly MVPA reported less fatigue interference, greater functional QOL, less depressed mood, and lower clinician-rated depression. Tests of indirect effects suggested that fatigue interference may be an intermediate pathway by which MVPA relates to functional QOL, clinician-rated depression and depressed mood. Conclusion: Women who are more physically active in the months after breast cancer surgery show greater psychological adaptation in the initial phases of their treatment.


The Hamilton‐Zuk hypothesis proposes that the genetic benefits of preferences for elaborated secondary sexual traits have their origins in the arms race between hosts and parasites, which maintains genetic variance in parasite resistance. Infection, in turn, can be reflected in the expression of costly sexual ornaments. However, the link between immune genes, infection and the expression of secondary sexual traits has rarely been investigated. Here, we explored whether the presence and identity of functional variants (supertypes) of the highly polymorphic major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which is responsible for the recognition of parasites, predict the load of lung and gut parasites and antler development in the red deer (Cervus elaphus). While we found MHC supertypes to be associated with infection by a number of parasite species, including debilitating lung nematodes, we did not find support for the Hamilton‐Zuk hypothesis. On the contrary, we found that lung nematode load was positively associated with antler development. We also found that the supertypes that were associated with resistance to certain parasites at the same time cause susceptibility to others. Such trade‐offs may undermine the potential genetic benefits of mate choice for resistant partners.


OŒine writer veriˆcation is an important security measure and is related to human traits. However, even with modern techniques, maximizing the amount of information from the limited number of available samples remains a challenging task. We propose a new oŒine writer veriˆcation system inspired by the expertise of forensic document examiners. The system combines the shape and pen pressure information in multiple characters captured by a multiband image scanner. From the visible images, the shape information is extracted as a weighted direction code histogram, and the local pen pressure information (which is based on ink intensity) is extracted as local directional pattern features with adaptive zoning. From the infrared images, the global pen pressure information (which is based on the writing indentations) is extracted as ˆrstand second-order texture statistics. In an experimental comparison study at less than 0.1 error rate, the proposed system reduced the number of required Japanese Kanji characters from six (in the conventional system) to three. After combining these techniques, the error rate per character (averaged from 54 volunteers) was reduced from 4.8 in the conventional method to 1.3.


The enormous generation of wastewater has become the highest rated problem worldwide and day by day photocatalysis is gaining importance as the best option for wastewater treatment. In the context of recent studies for the development of photocatalysts, a novel MnO2@CQDs nanocomposite (carbon dots decorated on MnO2 nanorods) was prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The optical properties revealed an excitation edge at 540 nm and a band gap of 1.3 eV for the nanocomposite. Structural and morphological studies revealed open-ended MnO2 nanorods (length and breadth are 510 nm and 110 nm, respectively) and spherical CQDs are seen deposited on the surface of MnO2. The nanocomposite also possesses a high surface area (95.3 m2 g−1) with mesopores (diameter 39 nm) which directly influences ionic transport. Using MnO2@CQDs the photocatalytic degradation of phenol was tested under various operational parameters. Under optimum operational parameters, phenol degradation efficiency was found to be ∼90% with a high rate constant R = 0.029 min−1. The mechanism for the higher activity of the MnO2@CQDs nanocomposite was elucidated using different scavengers and cyclic voltammetry studies. These results underline the prospective application of the MnO2@CQDs photocatalyst in water treatment.


Purpose:To determine the effect on aqueous flow of topical dorzolamide 2%, topical timolol 0.5%, or oral acetazolamide 250 mg when used alone or when dorzolamide is combined with either timolol or acetazolamide. Methods:In 30 patients with ocular hypertension, aqueous flow and intraocular pressure (IOP) were determined at baseline and on the following combinations of drugs in a crossover design: (1) vehicle alone, (2) dorzolamide alone, (3) acetazolamide alone, (4) timolol alone, (5) dorzolamide + acetazolamide, and (6) dorzolamide + timolol. Treated eyes were compared with control eyes and comparisons were made between treatments. Results:Compared with baseline, significant (P < 0.04) IOP reductions in the order of efficacy were: dorzolamide + timolol > dorzolamide + acetazolamide = acetazolamide = timolol > dorzolamide. Aqueous flow was reduced more by dorzolamide + timolol than by each drug alone (P < 0.04) and more by dorzolamide + acetazolamide than by dorzolamide alone (P < 0.04). Conclusion:The combination of dorzolamide and timolol demonstrated significant aqueous flow additivity and had greater IOP efficacy than the combination of dorzolamide and acetazolamide.


P241 Background and objective: Patients with massive hemispheric strokes are threatened by cardiac arrhythmias secondary to autonomic dysregulation. We evaluated ECG abnormalities in patients with massive MCA infarction to identify patients at risk for cardiac complications. Methods: From the placebo arm of the LUB-INT-9 study we identified a group of 144 patients with massive anterior circulation stroke. Patients with a history of myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation or with febrile infection within 96h after admission where excluded. 52 patients remained and were assigned according to presence or absence of temporal lobe involvement, multiple territory involvement, brainswelling in CT scan and according to outcome (death due to neurological deterioration) and side of infarction. A groupwise comparison of ECG findings between patients with presence or absence of the previous findings was performed using Wilcoxon rank sum test and considered significant with a p-value Results: HR was significantly lower in case of temporal involvement (n=15) after 48h , in case multiple territory involvement (n=11) after 12h and 48h and swelling in the initial CT scan (n=33, 1h-72h). PR interval was prolonged in patients with right hemispheric infarcts (n=28), while HR did not differ according to side of infarction. ECG parameters did not differ between the outcome groups. Critical bradycardia ( Conclusion: Bradycardia is a potential complication in patients presenting with large hemispheric infarcts and mass effect with high incidence also in patients with no history of cardiac disease. Highest incidence 48h after infarction underlines that ECG-monitoring should extend the first 24h. The observed PR-prolongation is consistent with clinical studies and indicates a higher incidence of autonomic impairment in case of right sided infarction.


Road safety is imperative theme because increasing road fatalities deaths in world. Besides road fatalities, traffic jam is increasing, human is frustrated for uncomfortable journey. The roads safety and passengers comfortable of the roadway system are vastly depended on the Car following (CF) and Lane Changing (LC) features of drivers. CF and LC theory describe the driver behavior by following paths in a traffic stream. In this research, researchers have compared to US-101 Next-Generation-Simulation (NGSIM) data with Beijing forth ring road, China freeways real trajectory data by CF and LC models. The CF data has been calibrated with Genetic Algorithm (GA). Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) is generated the LC beginning and finishing points. Findings revealed that the CF parameters as maximum acceleration, minimum deceleration, free speed, minimum headway and stopping distance percentages of Chinese data are 74.71%, 79.95%, 66.57%, 0.018% and 65.65% respectively of NGSIM data. After completing the comparison, researchers have been found out optimization safety and comfortable acceleration-deceleration and LC beginning-finishing points of driver behavior. Here this analysis generates the driver behavior at real traffic network on the express highways of specific two roads US-101 (NGSIM) data and Chinese freeways data. Since NGSIM data is well simulated so road traffic is more safety and comfortable for journey.


OF THESIS FAILURE RATE STUDIES AND DESIGN ALTERNATIVES FOR STANDUP FORKLIFT TRUCKS Standup forklift trucks are extensively used primarily for material handling in high density warehouses. These forklifts over the years have been involved in severe accidents causing injuries and taking lives of the operator and that of people on the floor. The major accidents involving these trucks are tip-over, off the dock accidents, compartment intrusions and under the rack injuries. The objective of the work is to analyze the accident data and to provide a conceptual design to ensure safety of the operator riding the standup forklift trucks. The operator is assumed to be safe when retained within the compartment similar to that of the safe space environment of a sit down forklift truck or tractors. Thus a door on the standup forklift would provide a safer compartment. This design would help in preventing severe injuries to the operator in case of any accidents. The important criterion of this design is to provide a door with latch and slide mechanism to ensure easy egress and ingress of the operator. The compartment is designed ergonomically for 95 percentile industrial male population. The accident data is studied by performing statistical and failure analysis. Weibull plots are fitted for life time distribution data and are found to be of increasing rate. This suggests that present safety precautions are increasingly ineffective.


Seismic barriers are used widely to protect buildings from traffic-induced ground vibrations, mainly from propagating Rayleigh surface waves. Experimental investigations of real size seismic barriers at frequencies typical for traffic-induced ground vibrations, i.e. at 10-100 Hz, are costly and time consuming. In the present work, an alternative and much less expensive approach is proposed - a reduced-scale experimental modelling using ultrasonic Rayleigh wave propagation over very small-scale replicas of real seismic barriers. Experimental investigations of propagation of Rayleigh wave pulses with the central frequency of 1 MHz have been carried out for seismic barriers formed by periodic arrays of vertical holes in Aluminium samples. Measurements of transmission and reflection coefficients of Rayleigh waves for different types of arrays and for different incident angles have been carried out and compared with the earlier published results obtained for real seismic barriers.


Retinal vasculitis (RV) is the most aggressive lesion of ocular manifestations of Behcet's disease, seen in 32.1% of patients. Although visual acuity (VA) improves with early and aggressive treatment, in the long run it is seen in only 48% of patients. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation (MSCT) can theoretically reverse the RV process.


Methods developed to determine the amount of water required (EWR) to sustain ecosystem services in non-perennial rivers need a different approach to those used in perennial rivers. Current EWR methods were mostly developed for use in perennial rivers. Non-perennial rivers differ from perennial ones in terms of variability in flow, periods of no-flow and related habitat availability. A DRIFT-ARID method (an adaptation of the Downstream Response to Imposed Flow Transformation (DRIFT) method) was developed, tested and adjusted, using the semi-permanent Mokolo River. Field data from five study sites was collected from April to May 2010 by a multidisciplinary team. The results were used in a DRIFT-ARID Decision Support System (DSS) to determine the impact of five chosen development scenarios in the Mokolo River Catchment. An integrated groundwater–surface water MIKE-SHE hydrological model was used to simulate the hydrology of the chosen scenarios. Specific non-perennial river indicators such as onset of dry phase were identified and included in the DRIFT-ARID DSS. DRIFT-ARID has the potential to be used in non-perennial rivers and, once set up, can provide results for future scenarios. The method now needs to be tested on other non-perennial river types, especially episodic rivers where data are scarce or non-existent. Keywords : DRIFT-ARID, non-perennial, EWR, flow method, Mokolo River


Parasitic infections affect tens of millions of pregnant women worldwide. Lymphatic filariasis is a vector-borne disabling parasitic infection and is an endemic disease in many parts of Southeast Asia, especially South India, with most infections caused by Wuchereria bancrofti. The aim of this article is to present a rare case of incidental filariasis in pregnancy with unexpected outcome. We report a normotensive 45-year-old multigravida with 7 months gestation, moderate anemia, fever, inguinal lymphadenopathy, and elephantiasis. Her peripheral smears were positive for microfilaria while ultrasound revealed intrauterine fetal death and chronic abruption. She was negative on risk factors for abruption, except for advanced maternal age. This case warrants more global attention to the management of parasitic infection in pregnancy.


Some of the phenotypic characteristics of a slow-growing, nongerminating variant of a commonly studied strain of Candida albicans are described. The variant arose as a chance isolate. The rate of occurrence was about 0 X 1% and the reversion rate was about 1 per 10(6) cells. The colony size was typically smaller than that of the parent and the yeast cells tended not to separate from one another so that catenulate strands of cells (pseudohyphae) were formed. Under standard conditions the generation time of the small-colony variant in liquid shake cultures was about twice that of the parental strain. Growth of the variant was suppressed by antimycin A, indicating that the small colony form was not the consequence of a defect in the cytochrome system. The colony size of the variant was not influenced by chlorobenzotriazole, which suggested that adenine metabolism was not involved in the small-colony phenotype. The pseudohyphal growth pattern was not relieved by high concentrations of utilizable carbohydrates, which means the catenulate microscopic appearance of the yeast cells was not simply an exaggeration of the normal growth pattern of isolates of C. albicans but more probably represented the growth of a cell-cycle mutant defective at the cell separation step. The cytoplasmic proteins of the variant and the parent were very similar though some unique peptides were displayed by each.


This article describes how researchers used a culturally responsive case study approach to understand how Native Hawaiian students made postsecondary decisions and the lessons they learned through this process. Unique to this study were the steps taken in gaining entry to the research site and building relationships with the gatekeepers and student participants through culturally appropriate communication styles and activities. Concerted efforts were employed prior to and during the interviews to promote culturally responsive interactions (e.g., sharing of food). Implications are discussed for individuals teaching, counseling, and researching Native Hawaiian students and their families and include strategies for building relationships to gain entry and to gain confidence of participants; investigating social context prior to entry, discussion of rituals and routines, values and priorities; and viewing participant responses with respect to their worldview.


Background Fungus balls typically are innocuous lesions found in immunocompetent hosts. They are located most commonly in the maxillary sinus but may be life-threatening when found in the sphenoid sinus. Methods We review our series of four sphenoid fungus balls with skull base erosion. Results Our average patient age was 68.7 years old (56–86 years) with three women and one man. One patient was insulin-dependent diabetic, the other three patients were otherwise healthy. The most common presenting symptoms were headache and dizziness with relatively few sinus-specific complaints. Endoscopy revealed polyps in two of the four patients. Computerized tomography scans revealed thickened osteitic bone in three cases and two of the four computed tomography scans showed microcalcification. All patients had bony erosion over the internal carotid arteries. Additionally, one patient internal carotid artery thrombosis, one patient had erosion of the planum sphenoidale, and a third patient had erosion to the brainstem inferior to the sella turcica. Three patients had magnetic resonance imaging that revealed heterogeneous lesions. Two magnetic resonance images showed hypointense T1 and T2 imaging. The third was isointense on T1 and hypointense on T2. All patients were treated with endoscopic marsupialization and removal of all gross fungal debris without complications. All pathological specimens were diagnostic for fungus balls. One of four cultures was positive for fungus. All patients are asymptomatic at time of last follow-up. Conclusions Sphenoid fungus balls present with vague, non-rhinological symptoms, but may have significant local expansion and destruction. These potentially lethal lesions usually can be suspected on preoperative imaging and are best treated with endoscopic removal.


The virtual reality (VR) is scientifically recognized as an interactive tool and simulation that allows a specific form of communication. Recently it has been considered as a tool of therapy in the rehabilitation of neurodegenerative and some psychological disorders, making it a useful adjunct (and not replacing) of the classic techniques of psychotherapy, in that, acting as a Cognitive-Experiential Therapy, succeeds is to mediate between the study of the therapist and the real world, both to overcome some obstacles related to some classic treatments exhibition of imaginative type. The recreated environments using the VR technology, in fact, may represent a further context for social interaction through which the user has the opportunity to experience real-life situations, objects and feared contexts, to have feelings, emotions and thoughts (past or present) on his psychological distress and increase the level of self-esteem, self-efficacy and safety, testing new adaptation strategies. And the VR protocol can also be useful as an additional diagnostic tool than traditional methods, since it allows to acquire specific information regarding the cognitive and behavioral sphere of patients undergoing these investigations. For this reason, even today, clinical psychology can utilize VR as a valid means of assessment, diagnosis and intervention


Mountain regions are typically characterized by rugged terrain which is susceptible to different types of landslides during high-intensity precipitation. Landslides account for billions of dollars of damage and many casualties, and are expected to increase in frequency in the future due to a projected increase of precipitation intensity. Early warning systems (EWS) are thought to be a primary tool for related disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation to extreme climatic events and hydro-meteorological hazards, including landslides. EWS are highly complex systems, and it is therefore difficult to understand the effect of the different components and changing conditions on the overall performance, ultimately being expressed as human lives saved or structural damage reduced. In this paper we utilize a numerical model using 6 hour rainfall data as basic input. A threshold function based on a rainfall-intensity/duration relation was applied as a decision criterion for evacuation. Correct evacuation was assessed with a 'true' reference rainfall dataset versus a dataset of artificially reduced quality imitating the observation system component. Performance of the EWS using these rainfall datasets was expressed in monetary terms (i.e. damage related to false and correct evacuation). We applied this model to a landslide EWS in Colombia that has been implemented in recent years within a disaster prevention project. We evaluated the EWS against rainfall data with artificially introduced error and computed with multiple model runs the probabilistic damage functions depending on rainfall error. Then we modified the original precipitation pattern to reflect possible climatic changes e.g. change in annual precipitation as well as change in precipitation intensity with annual values remaining constant. We let the EWS model adapt for changed conditions to function optimally. Our results show that for the same errors in rainfall measurements the system's performance degrades with expected changing climatic conditions. The obtained results suggest that EWS cannot internally adapt to climate change and require exogenous adaptive measures to avoid increase in overall damage. The model represents a first attempt to integrally simulate and evaluate EWS under future possible climatic pressures. Future work will concentrate on refining model components and spatially explicit climate scenarios.


Increased longevity and improved medical management of children with chronic illnesses has led to a focus on the short- and long-term consequences of these conditions on bone health. Bone loss is influenced by diet, malabsorption, and disease-related imbalances in bone turnover. It may be exacerbated by common medications, especially corticosteroids. Assessment of bone mass and quality, calcium absorption, kinetically derived rates of bone turnover, and biochemical markers of bone turnover have increased our knowledge of the pathophysiology of bone loss in these children as well as provided insights into possible therapeutic interventions. Increased intake of calcium and vitamin D, while useful, is unlikely to prevent or resolve bone loss in many chronically ill children. Emphasis on combination of nutritional interventions with exercise and newer bone-sparing therapies may be necessary.


The shift from 'passive' to 'activating' welfare states has made labour market participation of citizens a core objective of contemporary active social policies. This shift is reflected in the nature of various social services for vulnerable groups and, by consequence, the roles and responsibilities of social workers. 'Activation work', consisting of services to promote labour market inclusion of vulnerable groups, has become a common aspect of social services. Nowadays, social workers in various public, private and non-governmental contexts deal with issues of labour market inclusion and exclusion of their clients, often with managerial and political imperatives to find the shortest pathway to work and to implement disciplinary policies such as financially sanctioning certain behaviours of their clientele.


High strength rail steels are used in heavy haul railway in Australia. However, there is still lack of understanding on the microstructures of these rail steels. Three high strength rail steels were investigated in this research. This study has three major purposes: (1) to determine microstructure quantitatively and qualitatively using SEM; (2) to investigate mechanical properties such as Young's modulus and hardness using nanoindentation and microhardness test; (3) to correlate microstructure with mechanical properties for the high strength rail steels. In the first part, microstructure characterized by interlamellar spacing was determined quantitatively along the depth from gauge corner (GC) surface of a rail head. The results show that the interlamellar spacing increases with the depth from GC surface. This study then investigated the mechanical properties of these rail steels using nanoindentation. The Young's modulus obtained from nanoindentation is in good agreement with monotonic tensile tests for the same grade of steels which obtained from literature. Pileups were observed in this study and this issue has been corrected using a method suggested in literature. Furthermore, the correlation between the interlamellar spacing with the mechanical properties obtained from nanoindentation has been examined. It shows that the microstructure-mechanical relationship in nanoscale cannot be described by the Hall-Petch relation, while the Hall-Petch relation can be used to describe the relationship between the interlamellar spacing and the hardness at microscale. The Hall-Petch relation at microscale obtained in this study was HV0.1=155+2185λt−1/2 HV, while the Hall-Petch relation at nanoscale was HN=19.8+4.8λt−1/2.


The rectangular waveguide grating slow-wave structure (SWS) is a new type of RF system of millimeter traveling wave tube (TWT). However, it has narrow pass band. For the purpose of broadening the bandwidth of this circuit, it is necessary to study the influence of groove shapes on the characteristics. In this paper, the dispersion equation of a rectangular waveguide grating SWS with arbitrary grooves is derived by means of an approximate field-theory analysis, in which the continuous profile of the groove is approximately replaced by a series of steps, and the field continuity at the interface of two neighboring steps and the matching conditions at the interface between the groove region and the interaction region are ensured. The cold test on dispersion characteristics of a rectangular groove SWS shows that the theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental results. We have calculated the dispersion characteristics and the coupling impedance of the slow-wave structures with some special groove shapes. It shows that the dispersion characteristics of the triangle-groove structure is the weakest and the coupling impedance of it is the lowest, while the dispersion characteristics of the inverted-trapezoid-groove structure is the strongest and the coupling impedance of it is the highest.


This paper will take the opportunity to reflect upon the question of cultural policy in the 21st Century. It highlights the factors to be taken into account. It argues that the old models will no longer work due to the changing nature of culture and the cultural economy. The paper will map out these changes as a prelude to rethinking cultural policy making. The presentation will note the growth of the cultural economy in the last 50 years and highlight the trends in an international context. It will explore issues associated with the changing definition of culture and the cultural economy; in particular, the re-positioning of the cultural economy in relation to: the formal/informal, not-for-profit/for profit, production/consumption, and the economic/socio-cultural. The paper discusses the changing nature of cultural production and of cultural work; and, the 'culturalisation' of the economy. Finally, it highlights the 'instrumentalisation' of culture and its utilisation in marketing places and 'creativity' strategies.


Years ago, I believed that rationality could manufacture understanding. I lived in physical and social environments that were real and I wanted to understand the social realities. I wanted to create a genuine 'behavioral science' based on mathematical models, computer simulation, and systematic experiments. Various experiences over the years have challenged these beliefs. I discovered that rationality can not only be a deceptive tool but a potentially dangerous one, and I learned a few techniques to help me challenge my rational thought. I discovered that research findings have very low reliabilities, that some fields make no discernible progress over many decades, and that societal cultures strongly influence researchers' judgments about what constitutes useful knowledge. I saw that much that passes for research is merely random noise dressed up in pretentious language. Rather than realities, the social systems I was studying proved to be arbitrary categories created by observers or social conventions. I became an advocate for research that actively attempts to change situations rather than merely to observe what happens spontaneously.


In order to understand the determinants of schistosome-related hepato- and spleno-megaly better, 14,002 subjects aged 3-60 years (59% male; mean age = 32 years) were randomly selected from 43 villages, all in Hunan province, China, where schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma japonicum is endemic. The abdomen of each subject was examined along the mid-sternal (MSL) and mid-clavicular lines, for evidence of current hepato- and/or spleno-megaly, and a questionnaire was used to collect information on the medical history of each individual. Current infections with S. japonicum were detected by stool examination. Almost all (99.8%) of the subjects were ethnically Han by descent and most (77%) were engaged in farming. Although schistosomiasis appeared common (42% of the subjects claiming to have had the disease), only 45% of the subjects said they had received anti-schistosomiasis drugs. Overall, 1982 (14%) of the subjects had S. japonicum infections (as revealed by miracidium-hatching tests and/or Kato-Katz smears) when examined and 22% had palpable hepatomegaly (i.e. enlargement of at least 3 cm along the MSL), although only 2.5% had any form of detectable splenomegaly (i.e. a Hackett's grade of at least 1). Multiple logistic regression revealed that male subjects, fishermen, farmers, subjects aged > or = 25 years, subjects with a history of schistosomiasis, and subjects who had had bloody stools in the previous 2 weeks were all at relatively high risk of hepato- and/or spleno-megaly. In areas moderately endemic for Schistosoma japonicum, occupational exposure and disease history appear to be good predictors of current disease status among older residents. These results reconfirm those reported earlier in the same region.


South Africa is a regional hub for international immigration and the country currently hosts at least two million international migrants. Public opinion surveys in South Africa have shown clear evidence of the public's animosity towards international immigrants and immigration. Non-quantitative researchers have highlighted the role of nationalism and racial alienation in shaping these attitudes. But the influence of these factors has not been tested using quantitative public opinion data. Existing quantitative attitudinal research on international migration in the country is instead mainly focused on discerning changes in public opinion. As a result, significant gaps in the scholarship have emerged that impair our understanding of how attitudes towards immigrants and immigration form in post-apartheid South Africa. The aim of this study is to investigate what micro-level sociological indicator factors are shaping attitudes. The study examines four different types of attitudes: (i) general evaluations; (ii) prejudice; (iii) perceived threat; and (iv) policy preferences. The thesis expands on previous public opinion research by using quantitative research methods to quantify different determinants of these attitudes. Nationally representative public opinion data from the South African Social Attitude Survey was used. The study examines how adult South African public's attitudes towards international migrants are affected by three key clusters of micro-level sociological indicators: (i) socio-economic status; (ii) group identities; and (iii) intergroup contact. This thesis provides new insight into how we understand antiimmigrant sentiment in the country and sheds new light on areas that past academic literature has either neglected or overlooked. The study follows the 'papers model' and consists of five peer-reviewed research articles. Each paper uses quantitative research methods to discern what micro-level sociological indicators are influencing attitudes towards foreign nationals in post-apartheid South Africa. Two main conclusions can be drawn from the study. First, individual socio-economic status was not a central driver of attitudes towards international migrants and immigration. Second, intergroup contact and group identities (and the key factors related to group identity) tend to be better drivers of attitudes. The most influential group identity factors driving attitudes are: (i) social ties with neighbours; (ii) national identity; (iii) societal interest; and (iv) racial alienation. The results of this study suggest that anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa can be confronted by changing patterns of intergroup contact and group identifications. This will require a war of ideas, a battle for ordinary South Africans' hearts and minds.


In response to recent mining disasters and new mine rescue team legislation, NIOSH researchers conducted meetings across the United States with mine emergency response experts to investigate current needs and issues. Some of the issues include emergency response preparedness, mine rescue contests, real-life training capabilities, and training facilities. Many new teams are being formed that must be trained for mine rescue team competitions as well as be ready to respond to a variety of mine emergencies including a fire or explosion, a massive roof collapse, mine inundations, or vertical shaft rescue situations. Therefore, it is important that these teams are adequately prepared and trained. This paper presents a summary of domestic and international coal mine rescue training facilities and identifies those that provide unique, real-life, and/or state-of-the-art training. Research findings from this report will be used in further NIOSH investigations to improve coal mine rescue training. DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.


Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the causative agent of the pandemic disease Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV acts to disrupt the immune system which makes the body susceptible to opportunistic infections. Untreated, AIDS is generally fatal. Twenty years of research by countless scientists around the world has led to the discovery and exploitation of several targets in the replication cycle of HIV. Many lives have been saved, prolonged and improved as a result of this massive effort. One particularly successful target has been the inhibition of HIV protease. In combination with the inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase, protease inhibitors have helped to reduce viral loads and partially restore the immune system. Unfortunately, viral mutations leading to drug resistance and harmful side-effects of the current medicines have identified the need for new drugs to combat HIV.This study presents computational efforts to understand the interaction of inhibitors to HIV protease. The first part of this study has used molecular modelling and Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) to help explain the structure-active relationship of a novel series of protease inhibitors. The inhibitors are sulfamide derivatives structurally similar to the cyclic urea candidate drug mozenavir (DMP-450). The central ring of the sulfamides twists to adopt a nonsymmetrical binding mode distinct from that of the cyclic ureas. The energetics of this twist has been studied with ab initio calculations to develop improved empirical force field parameters for use in molecular modelling.The second part of this study has focused on an analysis of the association and dissociation kinetics of a broad collection of HIV protease inhibitors. Quantitative models have been derived using CoMFA which relate the dissociation rate back to the chemical structures. Efforts have also been made to improve the models by systematically varying the parameters used to generate them.


This dissertation describes progress on programming with domain-specific specification logics in dependently typed programming languages. Domain-specific logics are a promising way to verify software, using a logic tailored to a style of programming or an application domain. Examples of domain-specific logics include separation logic, which has been used to verify imperative programs, and authorization logics, which have been used to verify security properties in security-typed languages. The first goal of the research described here is to show that it is possible to define, study, automate, and use domain-specific logics within a dependently typed programming language. We demonstrate this fact with a significant new example, showing how to embed a security-typed language using dependent types.
This example suggests that better support for programming with logics in type theory will facilitate this style of program verification. The central notion in logic is consequence—entailment from premises to conclusions—and two notions of consequence are necessary for programming with logics: derivability, which captures uniform reasoning, and admissibility, which captures inductive proofs and functional programs. Presently, derivability is better supported in LF-based proof assistants, such as Twelf, Delphin, and Beluga, whereas admissibility is better supported in proof assistants based on Martin-La type theory, such as Coq, Agda, and Epigram. Our second contribution is to show that it is possible to implement, within a dependently typed programming language, a logical framework that allows derivability and admissibility to be mixed in novel and interesting ways.
The above framework is simply-typed, which makes it suitable for programming with abstract syntax but not logical derivations. Our third contribution is to generalize this framework to dependent types, which we accomplish as an instance of a more general problem: We describe Directed Type Theory (DTT), a new notion of dependent type theory, inspired by higher-dimensional category theory, which equips each type with a notion of transformation on its elements. The structural properties of a logic arise as a special case, by considering a type of contexts equipped with an appropriate notion of transformation. DTT is an exciting development independently of our application, as it generalizes recent connections between type theory, homotopy theory, and category theory to the asymmetric case.


Author(s): Chakravarti, Ritadhi | Advisor(s): de Janvry, Alain | Abstract: The relationship between democracy and inequality and the role of democratic participation in fostering redistribution has been a critical question of interest to economists over time. My dissertation focuses on a key aspect of democratic participation - the ability of citizens to form political parties and contest elections - and empirically identifies the relationship between the distribution of political power, and the distribution of public resources. To this effect, I study the economic impacts emanating from the political mobilization of historically underprivileged and socio-economically disadvantaged citizen groups in India - the low caste and indigenous communities - which has occurred over the past three decades. While comprising over half the nation's population, citizens from these groups have faced institutionalized discrimination through the hierarchical caste system, severely restricting their access to education, public institutions and basic services. This process of political mobilization by low caste citizens resulted in the formation of powerful caste-based political parties which contested elections in an attempt to capture political power through the democratic process, and subsequently, use their nascent state power to redirect public resources to their communities. The core chapters of this dissertation empirically document the economic and social impacts emanating from this change in the distribution of political power through democratic processes, resulting in the political empowerment of marginalized citizen groups. The first chapter of my dissertation identifies the economic impacts of this process of political mobilization. Using the outcome of close elections between parties exclusively representing low caste interests and other mainstream parties as the source of exogenous variation, the paper shows that the marginal legislator from low caste parties increases the share of state expenditures allocated towards targeted and untargeted welfare schemes benefitting low caste citizens by 2 and 1 percent. In a departure from existing studies in the literature which have exploited the system of mandated representation of low caste politicians in India, my paper shows that the mandated representation of low caste politicians has no impact on welfare transfers for low caste citizens when unaccompanied by a strong ex-ante party commitment in favour of low caste welfare. This paper also highlights the trade-offs emanating from the redistributive spending choices of fiscally constrained legislators by identifying the negative impact of the marginal legislator from low caste parties on public investments in road construction and electricity generation. Using tests of heterogeneity, the paper argues that the redistributive spending preferences of legislators from low caste parties is one of the mechanisms explaining the negative causal impact between the electoral success of these parties and regional inflows of private investment. Low caste citizens in India have often been victims of targeted violence by social elites in an attempt to preserve the existing social hierarchy and consolidate economic rents. This forms the motivation for the second chapter of my dissertation, identifying the causal impact of low caste parties on the incidence of targeted crimes against low caste citizens. The empirical results from this paper show that the marginal legislator from low caste parties reduces the incidence of violent crimes against low caste citizens by 4-14 percent and contribute significantly to the protection of civil rights. The paper also identifies the mechanisms explaining the reduced form impact - first, through higher rates of arrest, prosecution and diligence with which law enforcement agencies pursue such cases of targeted violence; second, through changes in the attitudes of low-caste citizens towards state institutions which affect the enforcement of criminal law.Finally, the third chapter of my dissertation focuses on a major question of interest in the field of development economics and economic growth - the role of agricultural growth in the process of structural transformation. Using data from a panel of 273 Indian districts over a twenty-five year period and rainfall shocks as an instrument for agricultural growth, I present causal evidence that rainfall-induced agricultural growth has a significant impact on the structural transformation process by increasing the share of rural workers employed in the manufacturing sector. My results show that the non-farm employment gains from higher agricultural growth is concentrated amongst unskilled workers with relatively low levels of education, signalling the poverty alleviating aspect of agricultural growth. By studying the differential impact of agricultural productivity across regions with initially low levels of agricultural productivity and urbanization, I also document the potential of agricultural growth to facilitate convergence across regions in terms of rural employment diversification.


What are the effects of a temporary lockdown of the economy? Do firms' deteriorating balance sheets and labor market frictions propagate and prolong the effects? We answer these questions in a model with financial and labor market frictions. The model makes quantitative predictions about the effect of lockdowns of varying magnitude and duration on output, employment and firm dynamics. We find that the effects are not persistent if (i) workers on temporary layoff can be recalled by their previous employers without having to go through the frictional labor market and (ii) the government provides employment subsidies to firms during the lockdown. However, the effects are heterogeneous and young non-essential firms are disproportionately affected. In addition, if lockdowns lead to more permanent reallocation across industries, the recession becomes more protracted. Although the paper is motivated by the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic, the framework can be readily applied to large, temporary shocks of different nature.


The construction of reduced order models for flow control via a direct discretization of the input/output behavior of the system is discussed. The spatially discretized equations are linearized such that an explicit formula for the corresponding input/output map can be used to generate a matrix representation of the input/output map. Estimates for the approximation error are derived and the applicability is illustrated via a numerical example for the control of a driven cavity flow.


Our research investigates the treatment of public interests in sovereign debt litigation by domestic courts. For our initial dataset, we have collected and coded about 200 decisions of US courts since 1970 (including only selected landmark cases against Argentina). Debtor states usually introduce their public interests into the lawsuit by invoking specific types of legal defenses. We therefore code all legal defenses invoked by the respondent debtor states in the sample and track their success as well as the reasoning of the court with respect to these defenses (e.g., dismissing them summarily or after careful discussion) and the degree of judicial discretion claimed.
We find that the use of these defenses and their success has varied considerably over time. Public interest defenses had considerably high success rates in the 1980s and in the 1990s. Only the 2000s saw a decline in their success rate. At the same time, the success rate of private law-based, mostly contractual defenses rose. In the current decade since 2010, the success rate of public interest defenses has plummeted while the effectiveness of private law-based defenses has stagnated. We also discover that the success of both public interest and private law-based defenses is strongly correlated with discretionary reasoning.
The upshot of this is that US courts are generally receptive to the political context of their decisions. They have endorsed and supported the spread of holdout litigation during the last decades as an integral part of the deliberate privatization and atomization of sovereign debt markets during the last decades. Even recently, the US government has barely shown its disapproval of such practices and declined to support numerous global initiatives to improve the situation of debtor states. This stands in contrast to the experience of the 1990s, when US courts were still much more receptive to public interest defenses, in line with the political views of the US government and international institutions at the time. It also stands in contrast to the reaction of European courts to challenges of safeguard measures on the level of the European Union and in international arbitration, which is mapped here only anecdotally. On the whole, it seems unlikely that courts are able to preserve the public interest without the support of the political system. This is bad news, as there is currently too little political momentum for a binding international sovereign debt restructuring mechanism, or even a weaker, soft law version of it.
Methodologically, this paper tries to bridge the gap between the hermeneutic approach of classical legal scholarship, and empirical legal studies. We make the hermeneutics of court decisions the object of our empirical study. In the future, we plan to expand our research to other jurisdictions to take account of the practice of courts in countries and regions where the hyper-privatization of the market for sovereign debt is viewed more skeptically.


Polish experience in molecular pancreatology mostly involves experimental work on intracellular signal transduction mechanisms in pancreatic acinar cells. It was found that stimulation with cholecystokinin (CCK) or exposure of pancreatic acini to reactive oxygen species induces three separate signaling cascades leading to activation of ERKs, JNK/SAPKs and p38 MAPK. In pancreatic acini, ERK cascade is also activated by epidermal growth factor (EGF). However, CCK and EGF activate this cascade by different mechanisms. EGF activates the cascade in a classical Ras-dependent manner, while CCK-induced activation of the ERK cascade is Ras-independent. Furthermore, stimulation with CCK leads to a rapid activation of PKC, which in turn may directly activate Raf family of kinases. Freshly isolated pancreatic acini contain pancreatic stellate cells which respond to EGF by activation of ERK cascade. It is possible that stimulation with CCK and EGF induces a cross-talk between acinar and stellate cells. Isolated pancreatic acinar cells irradiated with UV-B die predominantly by apoptosis while necrosis predominates among the cells subjected to supraphysiological concentrations of CCK. In pancreatic acini subjected to stressful stimuli the regulation of apoptosis may involve interaction between ERK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Acute pancreatitis in rats and in humans is associated with a marked increase in the plasma level of leptin which is caused by increased production of this peptide in the inflamed pancreas. It is possible that exogenous leptin protects the pancreas against development of acute pancreatitis by the activation of nitric oxide pathway.


The Wingless or Wnt signaling pathway has crucial functions in development and also contributes to formation of certain human cancers. The β-catenin protein functions in the Wnt pathway as a coactivator of transcription where it works with the transcription factors Tcf and Lef. Takemaru et al. conducted a screen for proteins that interact with β-catenin and isolated a protein they call Chibby. The protein is evolutionarily conserved from flies to humans. In Drosophila, inhibition of Chibby function by RNA interference caused developmental defects like those known to occur when Wnt signaling is overstimulated. Epistasis experiments placed Chibby action downstream of wingless and uptream of β-catenin. In co-transfection experiments in mammalian HEK 293 cells, Chibby competed with Lef-1 for binding to β-catenin, providing a potential mechanism for its inhibitory actions. Thus, Chibby appears to be a new physiological regulator of Wnt signaling. The authors cite preliminary studies indicating that expression of Chibby is reduced in some cancers, supporting a potential role for Chibby as a tumor suppressor. K.-I. Takemaru, S. Yamaguchi, Y. S. Lee, Y. Zhang, R. W. Carthew, R. T. Moon, Chibby, a nuclear β-catenin-associated antagonist of the Wnt/Wingless pathway. Nature 422, 905-909 (2003). [Online Journal]


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a nosocomial outbreak of tuberculosis caused by multiple-drug-resistant bacilli among patients with tuberculosis and HIV infection.

DESIGN
A case-control study.

PATIENTS
Patients with HIV infection and culture-proven tuberculosis.

MEASUREMENTS
Patient characteristics, date of diagnoses of HIV infection and disease, date of diagnosis of tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis susceptibility results, and medical center contact.

RESULTS
Sixty-two patients who had tuberculosis caused by multiple-drug-resistant bacilli (cases) and 55 patients who had tuberculosis caused by susceptible or single-drug-resistant bacilli (controls) were identified. Controls were more likely to be black (odds ratio, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.9) or Haitian (odds ratio, 0.2; CI, 0.1 to 0.6) compared with cases, who were more likely to be homosexual men (odds ratio, 2.9; CI, 1.3 to 6.4). Forty-four cases (71%) had previous contact with an HIV clinic compared with 15 controls (27%) (P less than 0.0001). Cases were more likely to have had AIDS (odds ratio, 7.7; CI, 1.5 to 53.7), to have been hospitalized on an HIV ward (odds ratio, 8.3; CI, 2.3 to 29.7), to have been seen in an HIV clinic (odds ratio, 7.8; CI, 3.4 to 18.1), to have received intravenous therapy in an HIV clinic (odds ratio, 13.0; CI, 4.6 to 37.0), or to have received inhalation pentamidine in an HIV clinic before a diagnosis of tuberculosis was made. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a diagnosis of AIDS (odds ratio, 11.2; CI, 3.1 to 40.6) and HIV clinic visits (odds ratio, 13.0; CI, 2.7 to 63.7) before a diagnosis of tuberculosis were significantly associated with tuberculosis caused by multiple-drug-resistant bacilli. Using susceptibility patterns and appointment dates, we found that 22 cases had previous contact with a person who had tuberculosis caused by multiple-drug-resistant bacilli in the HIV clinic.

CONCLUSIONS
Nosocomial transmission of M. tuberculosis from other HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis caused by multiple-drug-resistant bacilli can occur. These findings have serious public health implications and demand strict adherence to acid-fast bacilli isolation precautions.


The effect of changed chromatic adaptation of the eye under source A (incandescent-lamp light), as compared with its adaptation under source C (average daylight) has been approximately explained by Helson, Judd, and Warren by means of a form of three-components theory. By this theory, each object-chromaticity point (x,y) for source A determines a corresponding object-chromaticity point (x′,y′) from which the predicted chromaticness (hue and saturation) of the color perception is read by interpolation in the Munsell renotation system. The present paper gives a geometrical interpretation of the theory directly in terms of the CIE chromaticity diagram, whereby without any computation it is possible to find the corresponding object-chromaticity point (x′,y′). The basic data for such an interpretation are given, not only for adaptation to source A, but also for adaptation to any source whatever.


The knowledge of the pathologies that in acute phases lead to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and associated ventilatory stimuli like hipercapnia, is fundamental at the moment of making the proper configuration of the mechanical ventilation for patients who suffer ARDS. The specialists in the treatment of respiratory diseases in chronic stages face enormous difficulties to use partial ventilatory modes without sedation of the patient with ARDS due to the lack of information about the utility of these ventilatory modes and because the ignorance around the specific state of the patient. One knows that the ventilatory demand increased, but in most of the cases, the severity of the pathology that originates this state is not known, because at a first moment, when the patient enters in the unit of critical care and is intubated, its clinical record is unknown, and therefore is difficult to know what ventilatory pattern is adapted for his condition.
This thesis is the initial phase of a research line that has the objective of designing and to evaluate new tools that allow simulating and to predict properly the response of the respiratory system when it is under different stimuli and affected by pathologies with the purpose of analyzing in the future the interaction with different ventilatory modes provided by a simulated mechanical ventilator.
Experimental data of healthy subjects and patients with common respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD and restrictive pulmonary disease, RPD) are studied during basal state and during increased breathing demand. The study of breathing pattern in healthy people is made from noninvasive measures, diverse parameters are formulated and studied (muscular and ventilatory) and it is identified which of them are more sensitive to the hypercapnic stimulus. Additionally, different respiratory system models are studied, doing parameter fitting, a comparative study and introducing modifications in order to predict properly the response of the respiratory system in healthy subjects and respiratory patients during increased ventilatory demand. The former is made, introducing nonlinear ventilatory mechanical characteristics in deep respiratory system models and is the main contribution of this thesis, because currently, there is not knowledge about deep respiratory models capable of predicting properly during spontaneous breathing the ventilatory pattern of COPD and RPD patients. In addition, this profit allows to project new studies that lead to the development of tools to help in the decision-making when the mechanical ventilator is formed.
It is evaluated the relation of respiratory parameters obtained of experimental data with work and respiratory cost indexes provided by a model simulating the respiratory pattern of healthy subjects under stimulus of hypercapnia.Parameters from pressure signals allow the estimation of the respiratory work that each subject is making better than parameters from muscular or flow signals.
It is described a practical application of the knowledge and experience acquired modeling the respiratory system by means of the design of a virtual laboratory (RespiLab) and related practical sessions for the teaching of the human respiratory control system function with application in studies of Biomedical Engineering within the framework of the European Space for Higher Education. This virtual laboratory has an educational aim initially, but its applicability can be extended to the field of research and training or learning of therapists and physiologists, constituting the base for the development of new and more complex tools with application in the clinical scope.


Abstract We report the occurrence of unusual lamellar (random and regular subparallel) intergrowths of corundum and symplectic intergrowth of spinel with orthopyroxene in an ultrahigh-temperature Al-Mg granulite from the Southern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt, South Africa. Separate compositions are suggested for the homogenous phase that might have existed prior to the formation of the two types of lamellar intergrowths of corundum with orthopyroxene. In the case of random lamellar corundum + orthopyroxene intergrowth, the estimated precursor composition is similar to Fe-Mg garnet, while, although speculative, an ultrahigh-Al orthopyroxene precursor is suggested to account for the exsolution nature of the unique regular subparallel corundum lamellae in orthopyroxene. Considering that the stability field of Fe-Mg-rich garnet relative to orthopyroxene + corundum extends to lower pressures, the estimated garnet composition (XMg = ~0.65) is most likely stable at low pressures of ~5 kbar. Such low pressures are further supported by the Fe-Mg-rich garnet compositional nature of the pre-spinel-intergrowth orthopyroxene. Given the rare preservation of the mineral assemblages typical of prograde metamorphism in granulite facies rocks, our discovery of corundum lamellar intergrowth with orthopyroxene from an ultrahigh-temperature Al-Mg granulite is unique.


In this study, a comprehensive electron dosimetry model of newborn skeletal tissues is presented. The model is constructed using the University of Florida newborn hybrid phantom of Lee et al (2007 Phys. Med. Biol. 52 3309–33), the newborn skeletal tissue model of Pafundi et al (2009 Phys. Med. Biol. 54 4497–531) and the EGSnrc-based Paired Image Radiation Transport code of Shah et al (2005 J. Nucl. Med. 46 344–53). Target tissues include the active bone marrow (surrogate tissue for hematopoietic stem cells), shallow marrow (surrogate tissue for osteoprogenitor cells) and unossified cartilage (surrogate tissue for chondrocytes). Monoenergetic electron emissions are considered over the energy range 1 keV to 10 MeV for the following source tissues: active marrow, trabecular bone (surfaces and volumes), cortical bone (surfaces and volumes) and cartilage. Transport results are reported as specific absorbed fractions according to the MIRD schema and are given as skeletal-averaged values in the paper with bone-specific values reported in both tabular and graphic format as electronic annexes (supplementary data). The method utilized in this work uniquely includes (1) explicit accounting for the finite size and shape of newborn ossification centers (spongiosa regions), (2) explicit accounting for active and shallow marrow dose from electron emissions in cortical bone as well as sites of unossified cartilage, (3) proper accounting of the distribution of trabecular and cortical volumes and surfaces in the newborn skeleton when considering mineral bone sources and (4) explicit consideration of the marrow cellularity changes for active marrow self-irradiation as applicable to radionuclide therapy of diseased marrow in the newborn child.


The question is examined whether OPEC is in a position to collect a risk premium to effectively insure others against a macroeconomic downturn, which may, in turn, result from a rise in the price of crude oil. Contingent exchange is modeled such that parties whose consumption is elastic with respect to aggregate consumption hedge; they pay risk premia to smooth consumption. Parties whose consumption is inelastic or negatively related to aggregate consumption collect risk premia. OPEC's revenues are estimated, insofar as they are explained by OPEC's cartel pricing, to be strongly negatively related to aggregate consumption. Insofar as they are explained by exogenous macroeconomic changes, they are highly inelastic with respect to the aggregate. Either way, OPEC is in a strong position to collect a risk premium from volatility in the market for crude oil. This may incent it to destabilize the market, which would lower macroeconomic output because of the asymmetric effects of oil prices on the macroeconomy.


PURPOSE
Modular nanotransporters (MNTs) are artificial multifunctional systems designed to facilitate receptor-specific transport from the cell surface into the cell nucleus through inclusion of polypeptide domains for accomplishing receptor binding and internalization, as well as sequential endosomal escape and nuclear translocation. The objective of this study was to develop a new MNT targeted at folate receptors (FRs) for precise delivery of therapeutic cargo to the nuclei of FR-positive cells and to evaluate its potential, particularly for delivery of therapeutic agents (eg, the Auger electron emitter 111In) into the nuclei of target cancer cells.

METHODS
A FR-targeted MNT was developed by site-specific derivatization of ligand-free MNT with maleimide-polyethylene glycol-folic acid. The ability of FR-targeted MNT to accumulate in target FR-expressing cells was evaluated using flow cytometry, and intracellular localization of this MNT was assessed using confocal laser scanning microscopy of cells. The cytotoxicity of the 111In-labeled FR-targeted MNT was evaluated on HeLa and U87MG cancer cell lines expressing FR. In vivo micro-single-photon emission computed tomography/CT imaging and antitumor efficacy studies were performed with intratumoral injection of 111In-labeled FR-targeted MNT in HeLa xenograft-bearing mice.

RESULTS
The resulting FR-targeted MNT accumulated in FR-positive HeLa cancer cell lines specifically and demonstrated the ability to reach its target destination - the cell nuclei. 111In-labeled FR-targeted MNT demonstrated efficient and specific FR-positive cancer cell eradication. A HeLa xenograft in vivo model revealed prolonged retention of 111In delivered by FR-targeted MNT and significant tumor growth delay (up to 80% growth inhibition).

CONCLUSION
The FR-targeted MNT met expectations of its ability to deliver active cargo into the nuclei of target FR-positive cells efficiently and specifically. As a result of this finding the new FR-targeted MNT approach warrants broad evaluation.


Size composition and reproductive cycle of Pseudupeneus grandisquamis (Pisces: Mullidae) in the Central Mexican Pacific. From June 1995 to December 1998 we used shrimp trawl nets to capture 492 Pseudupeneus grandisquamis in soft-bottom grounds off the central Mexican Pacific (Jalisco and Colima). The ength-weight ratio indicates allometric growth (p = 0.0035L(3.46) y r2 = 0.97). The total sex ratio was 1:1.15 (females: males). Mean total length was 153.8 mm (range 77-236 mm). A progression in length was found: the highest means were observed at the end of 1996 and during 1997. The mean length of females (162 mm) was longer than in males (150 mm). Four gonadic maturity stages were observed in both sexes; in females the most frequently stage was stage IV (mature gonads, 48.6%), while in males it was stage III (gonads in maturation, 45.0%). Seven microscopic oocyte development stages were identified. Oocyte development seems to be asynchronous. The mature testicle showed sperm inside the lobular lumen and in the duct. The highest values of the gonadosomatic index, as well as the largest percentages of individuals with mature gonads (at macroscopic and microscopic levels), were observed during winter and summer, suggesting that this species has two reproduction peaks by year. The length at which 50% of the individuals show gonads in maturation (L50) was 183 mm for the females and 181 mm for the males.


In part because of the complexities of the German tablature system, lute music preserved in manuscripts from German-speaking regions has been much less studied than music from sources notated in French or Italian tablature. This thesis provides editions and analysis of music from three important German manuscripts of the sixteenth century: M6983, stored in the University Library in Lodz, Poland; F.IX.70, kept in the Offentliche Bibliothek der Universitat in Basel, Switzerland; and G.1.4, stored in the Wurttembergische Landesbibliothek in Stuttgart, Germany. This is the first transcription, edition, and analysis of this music. The thesis shows relationships between these three manuscipts and other sources of the period through comparison with other German and European manuscripts and prints. More detailed analysis of selected forms – Passamezzi; free forms such as the Prelude, Intrada and Fantasia; and intabulations – provided a method for selecting material for edition as well as for further comparisons with better known sources from elsewhere in Europe. I also consider instructions on playing the lute, included in many German sources, comparing them to the pedagogical texts in the selected manuscripts. The main goal of this work is to shed considerable new light on manucripts that have never been studied in detail, providing new knowledge about their notation, contents, and possible users. In addition to insights on the individual sources, by studying more than one source from the region, I can advance secure hypotheses about the cultivation of the lute in a defined geographical and linguistic area. Finally, by looking more closely at the German lute tablature system, from the perspective both of research and of performance, the significance of this music can be shared with the wider community including lute players familiar with French, English, Italian, and Spanish repertory. Examination of the three selected manuscripts shall show their place in the history of Renaissance music.


In this study, six tunable sinusoidal oscillator topologies, two of them known from the literature, are proposed using only CMOS operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) and grounded capacitors. The oscillator configurations have the properties of oscillation frequency control using the transconductance gain without affecting the oscillation condition, the suitability for very large scale integration (VLSI) since they are composed of only OTAs and grounded capacitors, and the capability of operation at high frequency. For the proposed topologies, the non-ideality effects of an OTA such as finite output conductance, and finite bandwidth are investigated, and for one of the proposed OTA-C oscillator circuits the maximum output signal level is determined using a simple formula that does not cause clipping and the slew-rate-limiting problem. The theoretical results are verified by SPICE simulation results. The oscillator topologies are simulated with the SPICE computer program and the resulting output v...


A 31-year-old pregnant woman with a history of several episodes of deep vein thrombosis was scheduled for Caesarian section. The patient had an increased risk of intraoperative pulmonary thromboembolism due to thrombi isolated from deep veins. This is because a thrombus can be formed easily in deep veins by the influence of hypercoagulability in the third trimester and by the disturbance of venous return due to the pressure of the enlarged pregnant uterus. A temporary IVC filter (Filtre Thery, France) was inserted preoperatively. The filter basket was set in the IVC cephalad from the left renal vein and caudad from the hepatic vein. The operation was completed without any trouble. Rehabilitation was safely initiated just after the surgery by insertion of the filter and then the filter was removed on the third postoperative day. We conclude that the preoperative insertion of a temporary IVC filter is a useful technique to prevent intraoperative pulmonary thromboembolism in a patient with a history of deep vein thrombosis.


Background: Stress levels among healthcare professionals including doctors are high compared with the general working population. General practice appears to be one of the most stressful workplaces for health service employees.

Objective: To examine whether primary health care (PHC) physicians have a higher level of work stress than hospital physicians and identify the work characteristics leading to stress among physicians.

Material and Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 184 general practitioners and hospital physicians at Riyadh Military Hospital in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire based on the Reeder scale to measure psychological stress level and the Health and Safety Executive's Stress Indicator Tool to explore the sources of work stress among workers was used. Data were collected over the first two weeks of May 2009. Statistical analysis used multiple linear regressions to determine predictors of work stress and work stress factors.

Results: Hospital physicians reported higher Reeder scores than PHC physicians (3.28 vs 2.94, P = 0.001) and specifically
in the relationships domain (1.31 vs 1.16, P = 0.004). Reeder and demand domain scores decreased with the increase

in age while control and role domain scores increased with the increase in age. Gender and marital status had no
statistically
significant effect on stress level or work stress factors. Consultants had higher control scores compared to specialists (3.28 vs 2.97, P = 0.012). Reeder and demand scores were higher among current smokers compared with non-smokers. Being a hospital physician, younger age, married, or a smoker was predictive of work stress among physicians. The Reeder Score was a positive predictor of demand and relationship domains, and a negative predictor for the other domains, except for the domain of change, where it had no influence.

Conclusion: Work stress is higher among hospital physicians compared with PHC physicians in Riyadh. Hospital physicians are subjected to higher workloads, conflicts, and unacceptable behavior at work. Actions to reduce work stress among hospital physicians are indicated in this workplace.


Despite impressive improvement in the next-generation sequencing technology, reliable detection of indels is still a difficult endeavour. Recognition of true indels is of prime importance in many applications, such as, personalized health care, disease genomics, population genetics etc. Recently, advanced machine learning techniques have been successfully applied to classification problems with large-scale data. In this paper, we present SICaRiO, a gradient boosting classifier for reliable detection of true indels, trained with gold-standard dataset from genome-in-a-bottle (GIAB) consortium. Our filtering scheme significantly improves the performance of each variant calling pipeline used in GIAB and beyond. SICaRiO uses genomic features which can be computed from publicly available resources, hence, we can apply it on any indel callsets not having sequencing pipeline-specific information (e.g., read depth). This study also sheds lights on prior genomic contexts responsible for indel calling error made by sequencing platforms. We have compared prediction difficulty for three indel categories over different sequencing pipelines. We have also ranked genomic features according to their predictivity in determining false indel calls.