Airbags have gained increasing acceptance as devices that reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with motor-vehicle accidents. To date, three cases of airbag-associated ocular injury, including injury directly attributable to the airbag, have been reported. These injuries range from facial and corneal abrasions 1 to hyphemas and intraocular hemorrhages. 2,3 We describe a patient who sustained severe ocular injuries, including periorbital fractures, retinal tears, and lens subluxation, directly related to an inflated airbag. Report of a Case. —A 64-year-old woman wearing a three-point lap-shoulder belt and driving a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis at 45 mph veered onto the right shoulder of a highway and struck a guard rail. The driver's-side airbag inflated during the accident; there was no passenger's-side airbag. Car damage was limited to the bumper and bumper guard on the right. The patient sustained facial abrasions on the right side and a right—lower-lid laceration, while the belted passenger


There is a substantial gap between those people in the United States who identify as being favorable toward organ donation (~90%) and those registered as donors (~30%). A growing body of evidence suggests Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices are effective sites for facilitating higher organ donor registration rates on a national scale. The goal of the current study was to determine the utility and sustainability of a message immediacy approach, which draws from theoretical concepts such as priming and cues to action. Message immediacy requires individuals be: (a) exposed to a message that prompts an action, (b) in an environment where a prescribed action or behavior can be enacted, and (c) favorable toward the promoted behavior or action. Thirty-four Michigan counties, divided into three implementation groups, received campaigns in October (Group 1), November (Group 2), and December (Group 3) of 2009. Registration rates for three to six months after campaign implementation indicate that the on-site message prompts almost doubled registration rates in DMV offices. Additionally, preliminary cost-effectiveness evidence suggests message immediacy offers a relatively inexpensive campaign strategy.


The Guthrie test, also called the PKU test, is a diagnostic tool to test infants for phenylketonuria a few days after birth. To administer the Guthrie test, doctors use Guthrie cards to collect capillary blood from an infant's heel, and the cards are saved for later testing. Robert Guthrie invented the test in 1962 in Buffalo, New York. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a congenital birth abnormality in which toxic levels of the amino acid phenylalanine build up in the blood, a process that affects the brains in untreated infants. Guthrie's test detects phenylalanine in the blood of newborns, enabling for early diagnosis of PKU. Early diagnoses of PKU prevent the development of mental disabilities in the thousands of individuals affected each year.


LLP Legislation Handbook is a new title that provides a comprehensive source of legislation as it applies to limited liability partnerships. The enactment of the Companies Act 2006 and its implementation for LLPs in 2009, makes this a timely and invaluable reference book. LLP Legislation Handbook is a unique tool for forward-thinking professional service firms and general businesses who have chosen to become LLPs, and for solicitors and barristers specialising in general corporate law and in particular LLPs. Key materials reproduced include Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000 (as amended); Limited Liability Partnerships Regulations 2001, SI 2001/1090; Application of the CA 2006 to LLPs: from (i) The Limited Liabilities Partnerships (Accounts and Audit) (Application of Companies Act 2006) Regulations 2008, SI 2008/1911 and (ii) The Limited Liabilities Partnerships (Application of Companies Act 2006)Regulations 2009; CA 1985 as still applying to LLPs; Insolvency Act 1986 as applying to LLPs; CDDA 1986 as applying to LLPs; The Small Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts) Regulations 2008, SI 2008/1912; The Large and Medium-sized Limited Liability Partnerships (Accounts) Regulations 2008, SI 2008/1913; Tax Bulletin No 50 Article on LLPs; Customs & Excise Business Brief 3/2001; Inland Revenue Statement of Practice D12 revised October 2002; and Inland Revenue Brief 03/08.


This work explores a neglected aspect of the forced migration of African laborers to the Americas. Hundreds of thousands of captive Africans continued their journeys after the Middle Passage across the Atlantic. Colonial merchants purchased and then transshipped many of these captives to other colonies for resale. Not only did this trade increase death rates and the social and cultural isolation of Africans; it also fed the expansion of British slavery and trafficking of captives to foreign empires, contributing to Britain's preeminence in the transatlantic slave trade by the mid-eighteenth century. The pursuit of profits from exploiting enslaved people as commodities facilitated exchanges across borders, loosening mercantile restrictions and expanding capitalist networks.Drawing on a database of over seven thousand intercolonial slave trading voyages compiled from port records, newspapers, and merchant accounts, O'Malley identifies and quantifies the major routes of this intercolonial slave trade. He argues that such voyages were a crucial component in the development of slavery in the Caribbean and North America and that trade in the unfree led to experimentation with free trade between empires.


In my book, Border Crimes: Australia's war on illicit migrants, I develop Green and Ward's (2004) focus on institutional deviance to argue that the Australian state's alienation, criminalisation and abuse of unauthorised migrants constitute state crime. In this context, state crime is defined by the forceful denial of the legitimate expectations of unauthorised migrants, rather than breaches of formal rights under international humanitarian law selectively bestowed by the state. This paper employs these themes to develop an analysis of the resistance by refugees to the Australian state, with a particular emphasis on escapes from detention. The paper outlines the extensive and often unreported forms of resistance undertaken by refugees before detailing particular examples of escapes. It then proceeds to analyse the High Court of Australia's decision in the case of Behrooz and its role in legitimising the mandatory detention policy. The paper then discusses how refugee resistance might be conceptualised within a state crime paradigm. It argues that in comparison to the state of absolute rightlessness epitomised by the 'Muselmann' of Auschwitz, refugees in Australian detention centres are more appropriately understood as being in a liminal state, in which they have a limited but fluid degree of agency and some capacity to engage with the civil society of the detaining state. Recognition of this liminal state is important for two reasons: in practical terms, it helps cohere opposition to state practice and policy within civil society; in conceptual terms it provides insight into the nature of the social audience capable of rejecting state practice as deviant and the ways in which such deviance can be formulated.


Spatial variability studies on soil attributes are fundamental for adoption of best agricultural practices concerned with irrigated agricultural sustainability. This study aims to infer the spatial variability patterns of soil moisture, soils salinity and soil texture in an irrigated area of Pernambuco State (Brazil) under cultivation of carrot (Daucus Carota L.), during the dry period of 2012. The area is a typical system in the semiarid under small scale agricultural practices. For the study, it was adopted a 4 × 4 m regular mesh, with 49 sampling points collected at 0-0.2 m and 0.2-0.4 m layers. Data were submitted to classical statistical procedure, followed by geostatistical analysis. For soil moisture at 0.2-0.4 m layer and clay content, the degree of variability was considered low. For soil moisture at 0-0.2 m the degree of variability was moderate, while the electrical conductivity showed a high degree of variability. Occurrence of soil salinity is higher at the soil surface. Water flow occurs from the borders to the central plot, as evidenced by contour maps. Geostatistics allowed the characterization of the spatial variability patterns for the main soil attributes in an irrigated plot in the semiarid of Brazil, and it has been shown as an important tool for the prediction of soil attributes. Such results are important for issuing guidance for sustainable small scale agriculture practices in the region.

 Key words: Geostatistics, soil moisture, salinity, texture, communal farming.


Active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce the highest intrinsic luminosities in the Universe from within a compact region. The central engine is thought to be powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole. A fraction of this huge release of energy influences the evolution of the host galaxy, and in particular, star formation. Thus, AGN are key astronomical sources not only because they play an important role in the evolution of the Universe, but also because they constitute a laboratory for extreme physics. However, these objects are under the resolution limit of current telescopes. Polarimetry is a unique technique capable of providing us with information on physical AGN structures. The incoming new era of X-ray polarimetry will give us the opportunity to explore the geometry and physical processes taking place in the innermost regions of the accretion disc. Here we exploit this future powerful tool in the particular case of changing-look AGN, which are key for understanding the complexity of AGN physics.


Under the assumption that a dynamical scalar field is responsible for the current acceleration of the Universe, we explore the possibility of probing its physics in black hole merger processes with gravitational wave interferometers. Remaining agnostic about the microscopic physics, we use an effective field theory approach to describe the scalar dynamics. We investigate the case in which some of the higher derivative operators, that are highly suppressed on cosmological scales, instead become important on typical distances for black holes. If a coupling to the Gauss-Bonnet operator is one of them, a non-trivial background profile for the scalar field can be sourced in the surroundings of the black hole, resulting in a potentially large amount of "hair". In turn, this can induce sizeable modifications to the spacetime geometry or a mixing between the scalar and the gravitational perturbations. Both effects will ultimately translate into a modification of the quasi-normal mode spectrum in a way that is also sensitive to other operators besides the one sourcing the scalar background. The presence of deviations from the predictions of general relativity in the observed spectrum can therefore serve as a window onto dark energy physics.


States of chronic inflammation such as inflammatory bowel disease are often associated with dysregulated iron metabolism and the consequent development of an anemia that is caused by maldistribution of iron. Abnormally elevated expression of the hormone hepcidin, the central regulator of systemic iron homeostasis, has been implicated in these abnormalities. However, the mechanisms that regulate hepcidin expression in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease are not completely understood. To clarify this issue, we studied hepcidin expression in mouse models of colitis. We found that dextran sulfate sodium–induced colitis inhibited hepcidin expression in wild-type mice but upregulated it in IL-10–deficient animals. We identified two mechanisms contributing to this difference. Firstly, erythropoietic activity, as indicated by serum erythropoietin concentrations and splenic erythropoiesis, was higher in the wild-type mice, and pharmacologic inhibition of erythropoiesis prevented colitis-associated hepcidin downregulation in these animals. Secondly, the IL-10 knockout mice had higher expression of multiple inflammatory genes in the liver, including several controlled by STAT3, a key regulator of hepcidin. The results of cohousing and fecal transplantation experiments indicated that the microbiota was involved in modulating the expression of hepcidin and other STAT3-dependent hepatic genes in the context of intestinal inflammation. Our observations thus demonstrate the importance of erythropoietic activity and the microbiota in influencing hepcidin expression during colitis and provide insight into the dysregulated iron homeostasis seen in inflammatory diseases.


The coupling between an inductive source and the plasma determines the power transfer efficiency and the reflected impedance in the primary circuit. Usually, the plasma coupling is analysed by means of a transformer equivalent circuit, where the plasma inductance and resistance are estimated using a global plasma model. This paper shows that, for planar RF antennas, the mutual inductance between the plasma and the primary circuit can be calculated using partial inductances and the complex image method, where the plasma coupling is determined in terms of the plasma skin depth and the distance to the plasma. To introduce the basic concepts, the mutual inductance is calculated here for a linear conductor parallel to the plasma surface. In the accompanying paper part II Guittienne et al (2015 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 24 065015), impedance measurements on a RF resonant planar plasma source are modeled using an impedance matrix where the plasma-antenna mutual impedances are calculated using the complex image method presented here.


Purpose: To validate new computed tomography (CT)–applied software used to determine endograft limb position and apposition after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Materials and Methods: Twelve EVAR patients (mean age 81±6 years; 10 men) with distal stent-graft extensions for 15 (3 bilateral) type Ib endoleaks during follow-up were selected based on the availability of the following CT studies: pre-EVAR, 1 month, and the penultimate scan prior to the scan disclosing the type Ib endoleak. Twelve patients (mean age 82±7 years; 11 men) without endoleak and a similar interval between the primary EVAR procedure and the penultimate CT scan of the endoleak group were selected as controls using measurements from both endograft limbs (n=21, 3 excluded). Prototype Vascular Imaging Analysis software was adapted to calculate 6 parameters for the distal apposition zone: fabric distance, shortest apposition length, endograft diameter, iliac seal surface (ISS), iliac endograft apposition surface (IEAS), and percentage of iliac surface coverage (IEAS/ISS × 100). Measurements were performed on the preoperative, first postoperative, and penultimate/matched follow-up CT scans. Interobserver variability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Continuous data are presented as the median [interquartile range (IQR) Q1, Q3]. Results: CTA follow-up was not significantly different between the endoleak and control groups [30 months (IQR 18, 58) vs 36 months (IQR 21, 59), p=0.843]. Interobserver agreement was good to excellent for all parameters (ICC 0.879–0.985). Preoperative anatomy and endograft dimensions on the first follow-up CTA scan did not differ significantly between the groups. When the penultimate CTA scan was compared with the first postoperative CT scan, endograft dimensions had significantly changed in the endoleak group; importantly, apposition was significantly decreased, and fabric distance was significantly increased, indicating limb retraction. Differences in changes in endograft dimensions were significant between the groups. Conclusion: New CT-applied software was introduced to visualize apposition and position changes of endograft limbs during follow-up. The software demonstrated good-to-excellent interobserver agreement and enabled accurate analysis of post-EVAR endograft dimensions. Significant changes in apposition and position were observed with the software on the penultimate CT scan prior to diagnosis of type Ib endoleak.


Use of aluminium materials has increased in the vehicle industry in the last years due to their low weight. Machining of aluminium by industrial lasers is a more complex task than that of steel because of the lower absorption, higher heat conduction, higher heat capacity and oxide layer on the surface. The low absorption ability of the Al surface can be significantly improved by using appropriate brazing flux suspension on the wavelength of CO2 lasers. In this paper the role of brazing flux components and their influence are investigated in the heating efficiency in case of Nd:YAG lasers, which are widely used in the laser joining technology. This research work presents the differences between the effects of the brazing flux in case of CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers.


The Papuan Foreland is a structurally simple region and is generally under-explored relative to the Papuan Foldbelt where significant oil and gas fields have been discovered. Despite several gas discoveries in the Foreland, well results suggest an oil based petroleum system exists. This study aimed to define the origin of these oils, explain both the charge and migration history and use the results to define areas for future oil exploration. The study focused on two areas of the Foreland: The Turama River (north) and Fly River Delta (south). The organic geochemistry of thirty-five oils were described from ten wells and two seeps in the study area. These were divided into five oil families, consisting of; Family L (lacustrine), Family MC (marine carbonate), Family LJ (Late Jurassic sourced), Family O (Cretaceous-Tertiary sourced), Family C (coal sourced). A sixth family, Family X represented mixed oil families. Oil to source correlations were performed for the oil families. Biomarker and isotopic data demonstrated that oils from Family L appear to be sourced from Late Triassic mudstones which were drilled at Kanau 1 deposited in a synrift environment. Family MC oils may also be sourced from this synrift based on biomarker evidence but the correlation is less certain with respect to isotopic data. Oil to source correlations appear simple for Families LJ and C since low oil maturity suggests in-situ generation for most of the oils from these families. Lack of data and probable deep erosion of the Late Cretaceous means that the source for Family O oils is uncertain. Source rock evaluation data was investigated for the greater study area which showed that using Total Organic Carbon and Hydrogen Index cut offs, oil prone source rock typically of poor to fair quality is developed in the Magobu, Barikewa and Lower Imburu Formations. Source potential for the Triassic is fair to good. Coals within the Magobu are also shown to be oil prone. Assessment of algal rich units in the Barikewa to Lower Ieru section at Kimu 1 were also assessed for oil source potential but appear gas prone. Using knowledge of the source rocks and stratigraphy from wells and seismic, Basin Mod 1D models were created to evaluate the charge history; one model was based in the Darai Plateau at Kanau 1, with two pseudo-wells used to model the Omati Trough. Basin history indicates two charge events:
1) a Late Cretaceous event recorded by biodegraded Family L oil on footwall highs or in fluid inclusions.
2) A Miocene to Present Day charge which likely contributed Family MC and/or L oils either as seeps or as fresh oil 'overprints' upon previously biodegraded oils. Biodegradation of Late Cretaceous oil is believed to be a likely origin of biogenic gases such as at Kimu 1 and Koko 1.
A play fairway map was created for the study area, indicating the Turama River and Fly River Trough areas have oil potential. Basin modelling suggests late oil charge is possibly limited in volume in the Turama River area.


The steering column assembly which connects the steering wheel and the steering gear is a very important part of the steering system. This paper presented the optimization design and testing of the steering column upper bearing of an upcoming automobile targeting the 2010-2015 Chinese market. The design problems were formulated into an optimization problem and were solved by Simulated Annealing Algorithm. 6 sample bearings were produced according to the optimization results and tests of steering upper bearing durability, steering shaft looseness and rotation effects performed on each sample to verify the optimized design. According to the test results, the optimal design of the steering column upper bearing is reliable. By using the Simulated Annealing Algorithm, the design time and costs of the steering upper bearing were reduce at least by 2 months and 60,000 USD, respectively.


The paper treats an inverse problem posed in the time domain for a circuit described by a stiff system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Identification of model parameters (circuit elements) is performed by processing transient characteristics measured in the circuit. An illustrative example discussed throughout the paper shows that reducing the identification problem to curve fitting, which is the most general way, may be hardly used for a stiff model due to a ravine shape of the objective functional. Moreover, a necessity of solving the stiff ODE system to get a functional value makes the inverse problem be practically unsolvable. It has been shown that the initial inverse problem may be simplified significantly by taking into account linear relations which are observed between the experimental characteristics measured for a stiff system. The relation coefficients are discussed in the paper with regard to the accuracy of the approximation. Finally the initial identification problem has been reduced to a nonlinear system of algebraic equations which may be easily solved considering different sensitivity of the relation coefficients to the model parameters. The final solution is presented for different levels of "measurement" error involved in the simulation.


In this study, we utilise a new, non-parametric efficiency measurement approach which combines the semi-oriented radial measure data envelopment analysis (SORM-SBM-DEA) approach for dealing with negative data (Emrouznejad et al., 2010) with the slacks-based efficiency measures of Tone (2001, 2002) to analyse productivity changes for Indonesian banks over the period Quarter I 2003 to Quarter II 2007. Having constructed the Malmquist indices, using data provided by Bank Indonesia (the Indonesian central bank), for the banking industry and different bank types (i.e., listed and Islamic) and groupings, we then decomposed the industry's Malmquist into its technical efficiency change and frontier shift components. Finally, we analysed the banks' risk management performance, using Simar and Wilson's (2007) truncated regression approach, before assessing its impact on productivity growth. The first part of the Malmquist analysis showed that average productivity changes for the Indonesian banking industry tended to be driven, over the sample period, by technological progress rather than by frontier shift, although a relatively stable pattern was exhibited for most of the period. However, at the beginning of the considered period, state-owned and foreign banks, as well as Islamic banks, exhibited volatile productivity movements, mainly caused by shifts in the technological frontier. With respect to the risk management analysis, most of the balance sheet variables were shown to have had the expected impact on risk management efficiency. While the risk management decomposition of technical efficiency change and frontier risk components demonstrated that, by the end of the sample period, the change in risk management efficiency and risk management effects had the same dynamic pattern, resulting in the analogous dynamics for technical efficiency changes. Therefore, a strategy based on the gradual adoption of newer technology, with a particular focus on internal risk management enhancement, seems to offer the highest potential for boosting the productivity of the financial intermediary operations of Indonesian banks.


Understanding why females mate multiply is a major issue in evolutionary ecology. We investigated the consequences of an asynchronous arrival pattern on male competition and multiple paternity in the apparently monoandrous agile frog (Rana dalmatina). The largest frogs arrived first and both males and females lost weight significantly during the spawning period. Asynchronous arrival at breeding sites resulted in a male-biased operational sex ratio (OSR). The OSR was more strongly male-biased at the beginning and at the end of the breeding period when the number of satellite males increased. All females mated only once, but multiple paternity within clutches occurred at the beginning and the end of the breeding period. The influence of asynchronous arrival and biased sex ratio suggests that reduced variance or bet-hedging promoting female fitness had only a reduced role in the evolution of polyandry, and polyandry is likely to be associated with male benefits. Polyandry in frogs can be explained either by forced mating as a result of sexual conflict or by clutch piracy. By modifying intrasexual competition, asynchronous arrival and changes in OSR may have a decisive influence upon the evolution of mating systems and favour both polyandry and stable coexistence of alternative mating behaviour.


Late adolescence (i.e., the age-group between 16 and 20 years) is characterized by significant changes in neurological and cognitive processes, behavioral and social functioning, and relational and physical contexts as the individual moves toward adulthood. In this age-group, major role transitions affect almost every aspect of life. Moreover, brain development continues—and with it the development of cognitive functions, working memory, emotional and behavioral self-regulation, and decisionmaking. The adolescent's social and emotional development also continues to evolve, affecting interactions with parents, siblings, peers, and first romantic relationships. All of these changes impact drinking behavior during late adolescence, and, in fact, alcohol use, binge drinking, and heavy drinking are particularly prevalent in youth ages 16–20. Determining the common trajectories of drinking behavior in this age–group is important for understanding how adolescent alcohol use helps shape adult outcomes and for identifying risk and protective factors. It also is important to study the short- and long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol use and abuse, including alcohol's effects on the developing adolescent brain and accomplishment of important developmental tasks of this age.


Introduction: The main objective of the current study is to enhance the solubility and dissolution of poorly water-soluble drug flurbiprofen, a propionic acid derivative, used as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug by formulating into solid dispersion (SD) employing various hydrophilic polymers as carriers in the formulation. Materials and Methods: The solubility of drug in various polymers such as AQOAT AS, PVP-K30, hydroxypropryl methyl cellulose, Soluplus, and Kollidon VA 64 was studied. Total 15 SD formulations were prepared by solvent evaporation technique with different polymers and were evaluated for particle size analysis, % practical yield, drug content determination, and in vitro dissolution studies. Results: Based on the evaluation parameters and dissolution studies, SD6 was found to be optimized formulation. The SD6 prepared using flurbiprofen:AQOAT AS:sodium lauryl sulfate as drug:polymer:surfactant in 1:5:2 ratios showed maximum drug release of 99.86 in 15 min when compared with other formulation and the solubility of the formulation SD6 was enhanced 44 folds when compared to that of pure drug. Drug excipient compatibility studies were conducted using FTIR and XRD and scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies were also conducted. FTIR studies showed the compatibility between drug and polymers. XRD and SEM studies showed that the optimized formulation was in amorphous form which fetched in better dissolution of the drug from the SD formulation when compared to the pure drug. Conclusion: This indicates the formulation technology employed with a potential of enhancing bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drug by improving its dissolution rate.


The author considers results of inestigation for studying an efficiency of permanent intramesenteric (retroperitoneal) blockade and applying lymphotropic therapy for prevention of incompetence of sutures of intestinal anastomosis against the background of diffuse peritonitis and acute intestinal obstruction. An infusion was carried out 4-6 times a day with a special solution (novocain 0.5% (7 ml/kg/day); heparin (150 units/kg/days); proserin (0.03 mg/kg/day) and seftriakson (15 mg/kg/days)) in order to obtain the effect of permanent intramesenteric blockade and lymphotropic therapy. The solution is administered by droplet injection with the rate 100-120 drops a minute (80-120 ml per each infusion). Due to the application of the given method the frequency of cases of the incompetent sutures of intestinal anastomoses in patients of the main group decreased from 15.5% to 3.4% (X2 = 16.2; p < 0.001) as compared with the other patients.


In recent years, different concepts have been expressed about organizational change in which business processes are considered as the conceptual bases for organizational design. Knowledge and knowledge management are the most important factors of progressive organizations that must be used as factors for organizational change and improvement. Acceptance of change and improvement is a primitive assumption to focus on appropriate response to what customers require. The other main factor for organizational change and competition in the recent world is knowledge obtained by employees, where these factors-competition and changeare basic for agile supply chain management. Because the important factors of agile supply chain management are data, information and knowledge, the researchers tend to review the relationship between knowledge management and agile supply chain management. In the present research, the sample size consists of 162 employees (34 women and 137 men) that were selected at random from about 900 personnel of East Azerbaijan Jihad-e-Agriculture Organization. Data analysis was carried out by using the statistical program packages SPSS 17.0 and LISREL 8.54. The results of the present study illustrated that there is a significant relationship between knowledge management (KM) and its dimensions and agile supply chain (ASCM) in the present organization. The results of Enter Regression showed that predictor variables significantly (knowledge creating, knowledge sharing, knowledge structuring, knowledge using and knowledge auditing) determined 76.5% of the variance of ASCM together. Also the result of LISREL statistical software illustrated that the data of present study involve significant goodness of fit.


In an exhibition of international contemporary art, "Century City: Art and Culture in the Modern Metropolis," at London's Tate Modern Gallery during the spring of 2001, an installation artwork, "sentimentexpress.com," by a young woman artist, Shilpa Gupta from Mumbai [Bombay], invited viewers to participate in an unusual declaration of love. A booth, extravagantly decorated with deep rose satin, a traditional colour of passion and emotion, offered the opportunity to sit down and compose a love letter. Composition would not be with the expected pen and paper, but rather on a keyboard and computer screen; the letter would then be e-mailed to Mumbai where Gupta and her collaborators would copy it out in ink on paper and send it (regular post or "snail mail" this time) back to the designated recipient. Gupta's installation challenges our thinking about a whole range of pressing issues in contemporary literary, cultural, and postcolonial studies: How is the status of writing altered in a world of increasingly complex communication technologies? How might these new technologies function in the ways that, to borrow the title of Bill Ashcroft, Helen Tiffin and Gareth Griffiths's influential book, the empire "writes back"? What innovative strategies are required to represent the emergent relations between regions of a globalized world? In its bizarre interconnection of the impersonal processes of high technology and the individual intensity of love letters, Gupta's "sentiment-express.com" explores the uncanny mixture of the transindividual forces of globalization and the deeply felt effects of their inscription on individual lives. Her use of both the new technologies of fiber optic internet communication and the labour-intensive acts of letter writing draws attention to the strange interconnections of globalized economies. In a world in which telephone call centres in India, run by large corporations, employ young people, pretending to be in England on Greenwich Mean Time working for an English company, to answer telephone inquiries from people who believe they are connected to an English number, the layers of colonization and independence, mimicry, exploitation of "third world" labour, and the integration of national economies into global systems are only some of the questions and issues that Gupta's artwork seeks to investigate and represent. She reminds those who visit "sentiment-express.com" how complex relationships between individuals and social communities have become in the twenty-first century. Similar complexities will be familiar to readers of the contemporary international English literatures that are explored, debated, explicated, critiqued, and theorized in ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature. The first issue of ARIEL was published in 1970 at the University of Calgary under the editorship of A. Norman (Derry) Jeffares. It succeeded A Review of English Literature, opening out the narrower focus of English as a national literature to "literature written in English throughout the world" (7). Coming as it did at the beginning of a decade that would initiate a questioning of formalist approaches, ARIEL was well positioned at the cusp of the growing interest in the emergent literatures from former British colonies. Following upon the independence of India in 1947 and the many African countries throughout the 1950s to 1960s, and building on the explorations of what national cultural traditions might be in Canada and Australia, the body of writings in what came to be known as "Commonwealth literature," offered complex, critical, passionate and sometimes troubled dialogues with the "great tradition" of literature in English. In the editorial of the first ARIEL issue, Jeffares wrote about how "areas of settlement or colonization moved in their own ways to [...] self-expression," about how "Africa and the Caribbean blend their new urban societies with older traditions and enrich the common stock" (8). …


During the 1960s there was extensive formation of anchor ice to depths of 30 meters at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. During this period the sponge Homaxinella balfourensis was rare, as were its predators in that depth zone. Most of the existing sponges were killed by anchor ice. During the 1970s, anchor ice formation was reduced, and there was a massive recruitment of Homaxinella, which covered as much as 80 percent of the substrata in that zone. Many predators appeared but did not control the sponge population, and it continued to grow through that decade. The early 1980s were characterized by ice formation and almost all of the Homaxinella were eliminated, leaving an order of magnitude more predators in that zone. The interdecadal increases in anchor ice probably result from local upwelling of extremely cold deep water, possibly in response to shifts in the strengths of regional currents.


Abstract This paper discusses the influence of fat type in the structure of ice cream, during its production by means of rheo-optical analysis. Fat plays an important part in the ice cream structure formation. It's responsible for the air stabilization, flavor release, texture and melting properties. The objective of this study was to use a rheological method to predict the fat network formation in ice cream with three types of fats (hydrogenated, low trans and palm fat). The three formulations were produced using the same methodology and ratio of ingredients. Rheo-optical measurements were taken before and after the ageing process, and the maximum compression force, overrun and melting profile were calculated in the finished product. The rheological analysis showed a better response from the ageing process from the hydrogenated fat, followed by the low trans fat. The formulation with palm fat showed greater differences between the three, where through the rheological tests a weaker destabilization of the fat globule membrane by the emulsifier was suggested. The overrun, texture measurements and meltdown profile has shown the distinction on the structure formation by the hydrogenated fat from the other fats.


Abstract A 40-year old female presented to physical therapy with a one-year history of insidious right anteromedial and anterolateral knee pain. Additionally, the patient had a history of multiple lateral ankle sprains bilaterally, the last sprain occurring on the right ankle 1 year prior to the onset of knee pain. The patient was evaluated and given a physical therapy diagnosis of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), with associated talocrural and tibiofemoral joint hypomobility limiting ankle dorsiflexion and knee extension, respectively. Treatment included a high-velocity low amplitude thrust manipulation to the talocrural joint, which helped restore normal ankle dorsiflexion range of motion. The patient also received tibiofemoral joint non-thrust manual therapy to regain normal knee extension mobility prior to implementing further functional progression exercises to her home program (HEP). This case report highlights the importance of a detailed evaluation of knee and ankle joint mobility in patients presenting with anterior knee pain. Further, manual physical therapy to the lower extremity was found to be successful in restoring normal movement patterns and pain-free function in a patient with chronic anterior knee pain.


The Supreme Court granted certiorari on July 1, 2014, in the Fourth Circuit case of Young v. United Parcel Service, to resolve a fundamental disagreement between the federal courts of appeals over the extent to which employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. Prior to granting certiorari, the Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General to submit an amicus curiae brief providing the position of the United States. It was the opinion of the Solicitor General that the Fourth Circuit "erred in holding that petitioner failed to establish a prima facie case of pregnancy-related sex discrimination," and moreover that "[a] majority of the courts of appeals…to have considered claims similar to petitioner's have erred" in interpreting the second clause of the PDA. If the Court agrees with the opinion of the Solicitor General, its decision will reverse the current approach in the majority of federal circuits, thereby substantially altering the litigation of pregnancy discrimination claims.


With increased automation in the manufacturing industry, the demand for a quick and accurate mass measurement system is growing. Currently, an active belt conveyer is in demand by many enterprises. However, there is a problem that the active the active belt conveyer causes mechanical noises. The main noises are three kinds, which are the natural oscillation of measurement conveyer, oscillation by rotation of motor and belt pulley. They cause observable signals within the active belt environment. Therefore, we have to remove those noises to acquire a greater accuracy. In the current mass measurement system, the moving method is objected to remove those noises. Unfortunately, it is inadequate only in the current system method for more quick and accurate measurement. In this paper, we propose a frequency analysis method using the LMS algorithm. Moreover, we develop the system which applied this method and moving average method. Finally, we use device actually marketed in order to verify the utility of the system by comparative experiment between current system and proposed system.


Sectoral supply shocks can trigger shortages in aggregate demand when strong sectoral complementarities are at play. US data on sectoral output and prices offer support to this notion of 'Keynesian supply shocks' and their underlying transmission mechanism. Demand shocks derived from standard identification schemes using aggregate data can originate from sectoral supply shocks that spillover to other sectors via a Keynesian supply mechanism. This finding is a regular feature of the data and is independent of the effects of the 2020 pandemic. In a New Keynesian model with input-output network calibrated to three-digit US data, sectoral productivity shocks generate the same pattern for output growth and inflation as observed in the data. The degree of sectoral interconnection, both upstream and downstream, and price stickiness are key determinants of the strength of the mechanism. Sectoral shocks may account for a larger fraction of business-cycle fluctuations than previously thought.


A male pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina), approximately 5 years old, was found to be vision-impaired and to have profound behavioral abnormalities, including hyperactivity and self-injurious behavior that was not amenable to amelioration by environmental enrichment. Facial and skeletal dysmorphisms also were noted. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning revealed areas of possible infarction in the occipital lobes and megaventriculosis. At necropsy, following euthanasia for humane reasons, severe polio- and leukoencephalomalacia accompanied by megaventriculosis were seen in both occipital lobes and in several sulci of the parietal and frontal lobes. Light microscopic findings included loss of neocortical structure, with necrosis, neuronal loss, astrogliosis, vascular proliferation, mild spongiosis, and demyelination. The extent and severity of lesions were most pronounced in the occipital lobes and were greater in the left than in the right hemisphere. Other lesions included mild bilateral atrophy of the optic nerves, thymic involution, necrotizing dermatitis due to trauma, and a spectrum of spermatozoal abnormalities. The imaging and gross and light microscopic changes found in this animal resemble the mitochondrial encephalopathies of humans; this was corroborated by results of immunohistochemical analysis demonstrating decreased expression of enzymes of the mitochondrial oxidative complex ([OC]-I, -III, and -IV) in brain and muscle, and detection of fibrinogen immunoreactivity in neurons and glial cells. The spermatozoal defects may represent yet another aspect of a mitochondrial defect.


During the period of nation building, the spirit of place (genius loci), attributing uniqueness to specific locations and ascribing to them close attachment to the nation, became a central vehicle for defending and appropriating territories and even for establishing a diaspora in exile. It was evoked through discursive practices reminiscent of religious rhetoric and around monumental works of art, thereby staging history as mythical sacred theatre. The process of establishing imagined national geographies during the long period of nation building from the nineteenth century to the post-communist period is analysed in comparative perspective in two multi-religious and multi-ethnical regions in southeast Europe—Kosovo and Bosnia. The leading question I will try to answer is why the Field of Blackbirds in Kosovo was successfully established as a national holy place in the collective memory of the Serbs, whereas similar efforts in Bosnia did not result in inscribing mythic places into national memory.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the feasibility, safety, and initial estimates of efficacy of a yoga program in postoperative care for women at high risk for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL).

DESIGN
Single-group pretest-post-test design.

SETTINGS/LOCATION
Patients were recruited from the University of California, San Francisco Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center.

SUBJECTS
Twenty-one women were enrolled in the study. Women were >18 years of age, had undergone surgical treatment for breast cancer, and were at high risk for BCRL.

INTERVENTION
The women participated in an Ashtanga yoga intervention for 8 weeks. Sessions consisted of once/week instructor-led practice and once/week home practice. Particular attention was given to poses that emphasized upper body strength and flexibility, while avoiding significant time with the upper extremity (UE) in a dependent position.

OUTCOME MEASURES
UE volume was assessed through circumferential forearm measurement, which was converted to volume using the formula for a truncated cone. Range of motion (ROM) was assessed for the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, using a standard goniometer. UE strength was assessed for shoulder abduction, elbow flexion, wrist flexion, and grip using a dynamometer.

RESULTS
Twenty women completed the yoga intervention, with 17 returning for final assessment. Mean age was 52 (±9.1) years and body mass index was 24.8 (±5.1) kg/m2. Postintervention, mean volume in the at-risk UE was slightly reduced (p = 0.397). ROM for shoulder flexion (p < 0.01) and external rotation (p < 0.05) significantly increased bilaterally. Shoulder abduction ROM significantly improved for the unaffected limb (p = 0.001). Following intervention, strength improved on the affected side for shoulder abduction and grip strength, and bilaterally for elbow flexion (p < 0.05 for all).

CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary findings suggest that yoga is feasible and safe for women who are at risk for BCRL and may result in small improvements in shoulder ROM and UE strength.


We study the 2-loop resummed propagator in hot g2φ4 theory. The propagator has a cut along the whole real axis in the complex energy plane, but for small g, the spectral density is sharply peaked around the plasmon. The dispersion relation and the width of the plasmon are calculated at zero and finite momentum. At large momenta the spectral width vanishes, and the plasmon looses its collectivity and behaves like a non-interacting free particle. PACS numbers: 12.38Cy, 12.38Bx, 11.10Wx, 12.38Mh Typeset using REVTEX 1


Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) are systems enabling hu- mans to communicate with machines through signals generated by the brain. Several kinds of signals can be envisioned as well as means to mea- sure them. In this paper we are particularly interested in even-related brain potentials (ERP) and especially visually-evoked potential signals (P300) measured with surface electroencephalograms (EEG). When the human is stimulated with visual inputs, the P300 signals arise about 300 ms after the visual stimulus has been received. Yet, the EEG signal is often very noisy which makes the P300 detection hard. It is customary to use an average of several trials to enhance the P300 signal and reduce the random noise but this results in a lower bit rate of the interface. In this contribution, we propose a novel approach to P300 detection using Kalman ltering and SVMs. Experiments show that this method is a promising step toward single-trial detection of P300.


Even though literature studying the determinants of non-financial disclosure (NFD) is pervasive, Latin America has been overlooked in this tradition. In this sense, scholars have not evidenced which factors compel companies in this context to report this information despite its voluntary nature. Drawing on Stakeholder Theory as a basis, we derive eight possible antecedents of NFD from extant literature and test them in a sample of 643 Latin American firms for a 10 year span (2006–2015). Using a logit panel model, our evidence indicates that firm size, market-to-book ratio, systematic risk, and industry membership are factors that pressure companies to report. However, contrary to our conceptual development we find that profitability and regulatory quality inversely affects NFD. This leads us to posit that Latin America is unique in terms of reporting because agency costs may arise when disclosing data and also that feeble regulations could summon firms to fill this void through NFD. We thus contribute to this strand by revealing that stakeholders in this milieu are essentially different than in developed countries, and therefore the underlying reasons to engage in NFD also differ.


The performance and wear mechanisms of two types of polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tools (marked as PCD 010 and PCD 030) have been investigated in this paper. Continuous turning of round granite bars has been selected as the test method. The Taylor equation has been developed to describe the tool performance. The experimental results indicate that PCD 010 has a greater thermal wear resistance than PCD 030 at high cutting speeds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate wear mechanisms of PCD tools, our results show that the dominant wear mechanisms for PCD 010 is abrasion wear while that for PCD 030 is inter-granular and cleavage wear.


In his well known 1971 paper the mathematical sociologist James S. Coleman, proposed three measures of voting power: (1) "the power of a collectivity to act", (2) "the power to prevent action" and (3) "the power to initiate action". (1) is a measure of the overall decisiveness of a voting body taking into account its size, decision rule and the weights of its members, while (2) and (3) are separate indices of the power of individual members, in being able to block or achieve decisions. These measures seem to have been little used for a variety of reasons, although the paper itself is widely cited. First, much of the power indices literature has focused on normalised indices which gives no role to (1) and means that (2) and (3) are identical. Second, Coleman's coalition model is different from that of Shapley and Shubik which has sometimes tended to dominate in discussions of voting power. Third, (2) and (3) are indistinguishable when the decision quota is a simple majority, the distinction becoming important in other voting situations. In this paper I propose that these indices, which are based on a fundamentally different notion of power than that assumed by game-theoretic approaches, have a useful role in aiding a better understanding of collective institutions in which decisions are taken by voting. I use them to illustrate different aspects of the design of a weighted voting system such as the governing body of the IMF or World Bank, or the system of QMV in the European Council.


In Arabidopsis thaliana, canonical auxin-dependent gene regulation is mediated by 23 transcription factors from the AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) family, most of which interact with 29 auxin/indole acetic acid (Aux/IAA) repressors, themselves forming, in the presence of auxin, coreceptor complexes with one of six TRANSPORT INHIBITOR1/AUXIN-SIGNALLING F-BOX PROTEINS (TIR1/AFB). Different combinations of co-receptors drive specific sensing outputs, allowing auxin to control a myriad of processes. Considerable efforts have been made to discern the temporal and spatial specificity of auxin action. However, owing to a lack of obvious phenotype in single loss-of-function mutants in Aux/IAA genes, most genetic studies have relied on gain-of-function mutants, which are highly pleiotropic. In this article, we describe a molecular framework for the role of several members of the auxin sensing machinery. Using loss-of-function mutants, we demonstrate that TIR1 and AFB2 are positive regulators, whereas IAA6, IAA9 and IAA17 are negative regulators of adventitious root (AR) formation. The three Aux/IAA proteins interact with ARF6 and/or ARF8, which we have previously shown to be positive regulators of AR formation upstream of jasmonate, and likely repress their activity. Our data also suggest a dual role for TIR1 in the control of JA biosynthesis and conjugation, as revealed by upregulation of several JA biosynthesis genes in the tir1-1 mutant. In conclusion, we propose that in the presence of auxin, TIR1 and AFB2 form specific sensing complexes with IAA6, IAA9 and/or IAA17 that modulate JA homeostasis to control AR initiation. Significance Adventitious root (AR) formation is a quantitative trait with high phenotypic plasticity and auxin plays a major role in its control. In previous studies, we have shown that, in Arabidopsis hypocotyls, AR formation is negatively regulated by jasmonate, whose homeostasis is controlled by a regulatory module composed of three AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS (ARF), two of which are positive regulators of three auxin inducible Gretchen Hagen3 (GH3) genes. The present work demonstrates that the two F-box proteins, i.e., TIR1 and AFB2, together with at least three Aux/IAA proteins are likely to interact in a combinatorial manner to control the activity of the two activator ARFs upstream of JA biosynthesis and/or homeostasis, thereby controlling AR initiation in Arabidopsis hypocotyls.


Case report A 3 year old neurodevelopmentally intact girl presented with a history of recurrent anoxic seizures from infancy, which were typically precipitated by minor injury or upset. During the attacks, which could be provoked by eyeball compression, she exhibited a combination of breath holding ('blue attacks') in expiration, with up to 24 seconds of cardiac asystole. On occasion, there was a marked clonic seizure during the recovery phase, and on ambulatory electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings this was associated with bilateral symmetrical cortical discharges. The attacks occurred between 10 and 40 times a day. A trial of atropine had failed to abolish her events, and had produced unacceptable side effects including blurred vision and dry mouth. In February 1995 a temporary ventricular pacing lead was introduced via the femoral vein. Subsequent provocation by eyeball compression was undertaken with continuous video EEG and electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring, with and without cardiac pacing via an external generator. Without pacing, asystole for 12 seconds occurred, associated with syncope and a 'flat' EEG recording. With pacing (VVI, rate 70 bpm), all components of the attack and EEG changes were abolished. On this evidence, a permanent transvenous ventricular lead was implanted (VVI), with a subpectoral generator. Over the next 12 months, her pallid syncopal attacks have been virtually abolished, and she is able to attend nursery school full time. She continues however to have minor episodes of uncertain nature, but without loss of consciousness. Twelve months after permanent pacemaker implant, she attended the cardiac outpatient department for three consecutive days, during which the generator was randomly switched either off or on with the family, patient, and physicians 'blinded'. Several minor events were recorded by the parents in a diary, but without EEG or ECG accompaniments. However, within 36 hours of the pacemaker being turned off, she had a typical reflex asystolic/anoxic event with 23 seconds of asystole accompanied by 'flattening' of the EEG recording followed by high amplitude slow waves. This was the first typical attack after the pacemaker implant. While typical reflex anoxic seizures are generally benign, fatal and near fatal cases have been reported.3 Treatment was required in this case because of failed medical treatment in the face of the severe social and emotional disability caused by the high frequency and severity of attacks. The long term effects of frequent episodes of moderately prolonged cerebral anoxia are unknown. There are few studies documenting the effectiveness of atropine3 ; however, it may well be that our patient was not completely atropinised despite exhibiting side effects. By eliminating asystole, cardiac pacing has prevented this child from having her usual reflex asystolic/anoxic seizures and has produced a significant improvement in the quality of life for the child and her family.


In flooded soils, soil–water interface (SWI) is the key zone controlling biogeochemical dynamics. Chemical species and concentrations vary greatly at micro- to cm-scales. Techniques able to track these changing element profiles both in space and over time with appropriate resolution are rare. Here, we report a patent-pending technique, the Integrated Porewater Injection (IPI) sampler, which is designed for soil porewater sampling with minimum disturbance to saturated soil environment. IPI sampler employs a single hollow fiber membrane tube to passively sample porewater surrounding the tube. When working, it can be integrated into the sample introduction system, thus the sample preparation procedure is dramatically simplified. In this study, IPI samplers were coupled to ICP-MS at data-only mode. The limits of detection of IPI-ICP-MS for Ni, As, Cd, Sb, and Pb were 0.12, 0.67, 0.027, 0.029, and 0.074 μg·L–1, respectively. Furthermore, 25 IPI samplers were assembled into an SWI profiler using 3D printing in a one-dimensional array. The SWI profiler is able to analyze element profiles at high spatial resolution (∼2 mm) every ≥24 h. When deployed in arsenic-contaminated paddy soils, it depicted the distributions and dynamics of multiple elements at anoxic–oxic transition. The results show that the SWI profiler is a powerful and robust technique in monitoring dynamics of element profile in soil porewater at high spatial resolution. The method will greatly facilitate studies of elements behaviors in sediments of wetland, rivers, lakes, and oceans.


The relevance of the problems of ideology, patriotism, and national identity, the manipulation of consciousness is gaining a new reflection in the conceptual picture of the world and society. This scientific article is devoted to the study of concepts in the public speeches of American and Kazakh politicians. The issues of political linguistics are becoming an increasingly relevant research object for many linguists. The purpose of the scientific article is to identify and consider methods of language representation and implementation of the system of concepts in the speeches of the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the president of the United States of America. Using content analysis, we identified a system of concepts in the president's inaugural speech. An analysis of the concepts of the political picture of the world revealed and understood the target orientation of speech influences, the motives, and the true meaning of the statements of political figures, shedding light on the nature and essence of political processes. © 2021


This paper discusses the feasibility of electrifying medium to heavy urban goods distribution trucks. As a case study, an existing transport system in the Swedish city of Gothenburg is used. The project is a joint research effort between a vehicle OEM, an electric utility, a fleet operator, the Swedish Transport Administration and two research organizations.

One main objective is to determine if and when different electrified powertrains are cost efficient to the end user. The results indicate that by 2015 conventional powertrains are still probably the most cost effective alternative in all applications studied. But in 2025, electrified powertrains are most cost efficient for most transport scenarios. These results indicate a transition in preferred powertrain technology for urban trucks within the coming ten years. It is important to point out that this result may not be general. Driving patterns, energy price developments and technology maturity of components such as batteries and motors greatly influence the total cost of ownership and large regional differences in when such a transition may occur are expected.

In addition to the total cost of ownership, important issues for a successful deployment are policies (e.g. restricting access to urban areas for noisy and polluting vehicles), information and communication solutions (e.g. adapted route planning), access to a cost effective charging infrastructure (and low-carbon electricity production) and new business models. These must all be developed in parallel to the vehicle and powertrain technology. The large number of different stakeholders involved in this transition is also a challenge in itself.


The aim of this study is to compare the water and photosynthetic characteristics of two xerophilic ecotypes of Atriplex halimus (L.). Seeds collected from two different sites Djelfa and Oran are germinated in controlled greenhouse. After 6 months, the plantlets were treated 21 days with increasing concentrations of abscisic acid (0M, 10-6 M and 10-3 M). The results show that ecotype of Djelfa reduced water loss through transpiration because of high stomatal resistance. Consequently the content of chlorophyll a and b decrease significantly compared to Oran ecotype which show an increase of the osmotic potential and relative water content. Osmotic adjustment to reduce dehydration and maintain a good photosynthesis seems efficient in Oran ecotype. Keywords: Phytohormone; drought; xerophyte; water status; stomatal resistance; chlorophyll


Since the date of my letter of the 8th of August last, in which I mentioned that organic remains were found in our limestone at Mill Bay quarry, various shells and fossils have been discovered in our limestone at other places. The limestone between the Tamar and Plym rivers, extends over a tract above three miles in length; its strata run nearly parallel to one another from north-west to south-east, dipping towards the south-west, this being also the position of nearly all the stratified rocks in the neighbourhood. The westernmost point at which shells have hitherto been found is the Dock Yard. A few weeks ago some workmen found petrified bivalve shells imbedded in the solid rock, twenty feet below the surface, while removing the remains of a small mount called Bunker's Hill, which had been left when the Dock Yard was excavated. I have since visited the spot myself, and found several specimens in situ. Further to the eastward organic remains have been noticed, on Stonehouse Hill, both above and below the road at the entrance of Stonehouse, and in other parts of the hill near Mill Bay. Some of the specimens of shells and madrepores, which I now send, are from a part of Stonehouse Hill, a little to the west of the quarry at Mill Bay. They were broken from detached stones lying in undisturbed ground considerably below the surface, and agreeing in appearance with the solid rock. The quarry at Mill Bay lies about a mile


The prognosis of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma remains poor and although it is clear that multimodal therapy is necessary to improve long-term results, precise treatment schemes have not yet been unequivocally established. Single-modality therapy does not have a major impact on long-term survival and combined-modality therapies are being further evaluated. However, the relative contributions of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery have not been clearly determined at the present time. Moreover, the extent of resection and precise surgical procedure remain a highly debated topic. To better compare and combine results from different institutions and trials, uniform definitions of surgical procedures including extrapleural pneumonectomy and different forms of pleurectomy have recently been introduced. Due to the relatively higher morbidity and mortality of extrapleural pneumonectomy, there is currently a shift towards pleurectomy/decortication when a macroscopic complete resection of all tumour can be obtained by this procedure. In most recent trials, induction chemotherapy was administered to improve surgical resection rates but pathological complete responses are infrequently observed. The role of post-operative radiotherapy has to be further elucidated. Further treatment options that are currently explored include hyperthermic intrapleural chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy and photodynamic therapy. However, no randomised comparisons are available yet. Treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma remains controversial http://ow.ly/sNCYl


The Miocene Karamağara volcanics (KMV) crop out in the Saraykent region (Yozgat) of Central Anatolia. The KMV include four principal magmatic components based on their petrography and compositional features: basaltic andesites (KMB); enclaves (KME); andesites (KMA); and dacites (KMD). Rounded and ellipsoidal enclaves occur in the andesites, ranging in diameter from a few millimetres to ten centimetres. A non‐cognate origin for the enclaves is suggested due to their mineralogical dissimilarity to the enclosing andesites. The enclaves range in composition from basaltic andesite to andesite. Major and trace element data and primitive mantle‐normalized rare‐earth element (REE) patterns of the KMV exhibit the effects of fractional crystallization on the evolution of the KME which are the product of mantle‐derived magma.


There are three common methods used to analyse Indoor Air Quality in buildings: in-site measurements, laboratory measurements, or the simulation of indoor spaces using a validated computational model. Each have their advantages, but computational models are generally used to predict air quality in a wide range of indoor environments because they are quick, cheap, and non-invasive. A wide range of inputs are required to accurately simulate airflow and pollutant transport. However, this information may not exist or may only exist in abstract forms. Furthermore, the collation and processing of data can be time consuming and can introduce systematic error when it is undocumented. A documented database containing a range of building archetypes with statistically representative values of related parameters can facilitate the simulation process. The archetypes might then be used to predict and evaluate the impacts of new policies on the indoor air quality of a stock of houses. This paper describes a method to identify sets of archetypes that are statistically representative of the Chilean housing stock. The Santiago housing stock comprises 41% of the Chilean housing stock and is well documented (55% of all dwellings are surveyed), and so it used to represent the Chilean stock. All available data on the Santiago housing stock, including CENSUS data and annual building statistics reports, are utilised. The archetypes account for elements of building design that affect indoor pollutant concentrations, which can be used for indoor environment modelling. Some similarities are found between houses belonging to Santiago and the rest of country, and although a database that encompassed both Santiago and the remaining stock is desirable, the houses outside Santiago are more difficult to categorise and so an independent analysis is required. Dwellings were categorised according to relevant factors, such as geometry and total floor area, and allocated to weighted groups by dwelling type to form a series of archetypes. Notable architectural elements and values of relevant parameters are used to identify each archetype. These can be used to model the air quality found across the entire Chilean housing stock using validated tools, such as CONTAM or EnergyPlus. The representative archetypes provide a better understanding of the current Chilean housing stock and will enable the testing of a range interventions designed to improve indoor air quality in Chilean houses. Existing databases are non-exhaustive and contain errors and so knowledge gaps are highlighted. This information can be used to inform future surveys of the Chilean housing stock.


Abstract We examine the effect of overtone interference on fundamental‐mode Love‐wave phase measurements made using single‐station and array‐based techniques at 25–100 s periods. For single‐station teleseismic measurements on USArray Transportable Array data, the contamination effects are small, less than 1% of the path‐averaged phase velocity, consistent with previous studies. Single‐station amplitude measurements provide complementary constraints on the interference pattern. For array‐based measurements on the same data set, contamination effects are much larger: up to ∼10% of the phase velocity for two‐station measurements and up to ∼20% for mini‐array measurements. The interference pattern for single‐station measurements from shallow earthquakes can largely be explained by interactions between only two modes, the fundamental mode and the first higher mode. This interpretation is confirmed using measurements on both mode‐summation synthetic waveforms for a 1D Earth model and synthetic waveforms calculated using SPECFEM3D Globe and a 3D Earth model. Array‐based phase measurements are calculated from differences of the single‐station phase delays, and we demonstrate that the overtone interference pattern for array‐based measurements can be approximated using gradients of the single‐station interference pattern with distance. This relationship can lead to an overall bias to higher phase velocities when combined with common quality selection and data‐reduction procedures for array measurements. Our results indicate that array‐based Love‐wave phase measurements must be carefully scrutinized for overtone contamination and suggest the possibility of new approaches for measuring overtone phase velocities.


People use various criteria for choosing routes, which may vary depending on location and time, purpose of trip, and personal preferences. Common routing criteria supported by current navigation services include shortest, fastest, least traffic, and least expensive (e.g., less fuel cost, toll free). While each optimal route is computed by using one of these criteria, there is currently no criterion that can be used to compute routes that are health-optimal. In this paper, we focus on a new routing criterion to compute health-optimal routes with the main objective of increasing physical activity. Those who are physically capable and motivated to walk can adapt a lifestyle that includes walking as a means to mitigate or prevent obesity. To that end, a routing criterion for computing health-optimal routes suitable for those who are concerned with obesity must take into account both environmental and individual factors. Computing optimal routes requires that each road segment of a road network be assigned a weight; like, distance for shortest routes and travel time for fastest routes. In this paper, we present and discuss a new weight for segments of pedestrian paths used in pedestrian navigation services to compute health-optimal routes. While health-optimal routes may address various health conditions, the objective of this work is to provide options for walking routes to increase regular physical activity as one means to help mitigate or prevent obesity. Weights are calculated by considering both environmental and individual parameters. The optimal-health weight is simulated using various scenarios. The results of the simulations show that the computed weights can be used to find health-optimal routes that are meaningful and consistent with walkability and obesity standards.


This study evaluates seven irrigation systems for use in production of grain sorghum and corn. These systems are medium pressure center-pivot (MPCP), low pressure center-pivot (LPCP), low drift nozzle center-pivot (LDN) , low energy precision application center-pivot (LEPA), furrow flood (FF) , surge flood (SF), and subsurface drip (SD). After-tax net present value estimates from investing in and using each system over a 10-year period to produce grain sorghum and corn are compared. The surge flood system, has the highest net returns under typical conditions for irrigation of both grain sorghum and corn. The furrow flood system generates the next highest net returns for both crops, followed by the subsurface drip system. The medium pressure center-pivot system is the least profitable for both crops. Of the center-pivot systems, the low pressure system has the highest net return, but is followed very closely by the low drift nozzle system. The results of the sensitivity analysis indicate that the net return estimates and ranking of the subsurface drip system are very sensitive to the yield response to irrigation. Lower than average crop prices also have a substantial impact on the ranking of this system. The original investment cost is also an important determinant of its net return.


We review recent results with D. Chelkak and K. Izyurov, where we rigorously prove existence and conformal invariance of scaling limits of magnetization and multi-point spin correlations in the critical Ising model on an arbitrary simply connected planar domain. This solves a number of conjectures coming from physical and mathematical literatures. The proof is based on convergence results for discrete holomorphic spinorobservables

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/200290/files/Conformal Invariance of Ising Model Correlations - thesis.pdf


This paper describes an ongoing collaboration between a textile practitioner-mathematician and a textile practitioner-researcher, and their investigation of certain knotted textiles from a mathematical viewpoint. The paper examines (1) how mathematical diagrams that characterize an individual craft knot may facilitate the design and production of a new knotted structure and (2) how other connected mathematical concepts, such as braid theory, may be used to characterize knotted textiles. The results of this collaboration are expected to shed light on the role of mathematics in making the experiential knowledge of a knotting process more explicit and the significance of collaborative projects on textile design development.


A new dewaxing method for low-pressure injection molded ceramics is presented. Supercritical extraction with carbon dioxide was used to remove paraffin wax from the ceramic green parts. The composition of organic additives for low-pressure injection molding feedstock and the extraction condition for the green parts were investigated. Moreover, the properties of sintered ceramic samples dewaxed by supercritical carbon dioxide were compared with those by thermal dewaxing. The results show that the new binder system containing 50wt% paraffin wax, 35% bee wax and 15% stearic acid fulfills the requirements of both low-pressure injection molding feedstocks and supercritical dewaxing, where the feedstock has high fluidity, low viscosity and quick solidification. The efficient extraction condition for supercritical dewaxing from the green parts is at 30MPa pressure and 45°C. Under this condition, defect free ceramic green parts can be obtained. Dewaxing methods have significant influence on the properties of sintered parts. The mechanical properties of the sintered sample can be improved by supercritical dewaxing. With this method, the bending strength of sintered samples (σ = 331.6 MPa) is higher than that obtained by thermal treatment (σ = 312.3MPa). The sintered samples dewaxed by supercritical CO2 have shown the property of higher density and less distortion compared to the thermal dewaxing method. Moreover, with supercritical extraction the dewaxing time can be reduced to about one tenth of the time required by thermal dewaxing.


A specific type of gene mutation affecting the LDL receptor has been found in many Finnish patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). The mutant allele is characterized by a 9.5-kb deletion extending from intron 15 to exon 18. Molecular cloning and sequencing of a cDNA segment corresponding to the deleted allele indicated that the mutant receptor differs radically from the normal one because of loss of the domains encoded by exons 16, 17, and 18. The carboxy-terminal portion of the normal receptor, comprising the amino acids 750-839, has been replaced by an unrelated stretch of 55 amino acids. The mutant allele was found to occur in 23 (50%) of 46 unrelated FH patients with an established functional defect in the LDL receptor. In cultured fibroblasts from the FH patients with the 9.5-kb deletion, both receptor-mediated binding and internalization of 125I-LDL were lower than normal, the former, on average, by 25%, and the latter, on average, by 50%. This combined functional defect probably results from both impaired attachment and impaired internalization of the mutated receptor. It remains to be investigated whether this Finnish type of LDL receptor gene mutation, here designated FH-Helsinki, occurs in other ethnic groups.


Over the last ten years the sharing of nude images or videos (sometimes known as "sexting") by young people has emerged as a concern. Despite this, no research had been conducted on the prevalence of the sharing of nudes among young New Zealanders. This study addresses this and raises important questions for all those with a role in supporting young people's healthy development. We believe this report makes an important contribution to the overall understanding of young people's experience of these behaviours. However, it only provides a snapshot, and more work is required to understand how best to support young people as they navigate the challenges and potential risks. This report is being released as part of a larger project exploring young people's experiences of digital risk and harm, carried out by a partnership between Netsafe and the Ministry for Women.


Abstract
Cercariae and adult males and females of Schistosoma mansoni were studied by scanning electronmicroscopy, and the eggs of this species were studied by this technique as well as by transmission electronmicroscopy. The observations of the eggs by the transmission technique revealed shell pores, epicuticular microbarbs, and other structures noted in our previous study. The various observations with the scanning technique used to study the eggs, cercariae, and adult worms are noted and illustrated by selected micrographs.


Background: There have been few longitudinal studies investigating the impact of coping on psychological morbidity in caregivers of people with dementia (CG), and those have conflicting or unreplicated findings. About a quarter of caregivers of people with dementia (CG) experience clinically significant anxiety, but anxiety is relatively neglected in this group.;Main Hypothesis: The relationship between burden at baseline (T1) and anxiety a year later will be mediated by more dysfunctional coping strategies, and less emotion-focussed and problem-focussed coping strategies at T1.;Methods: 126 people with Alzheimer's disease and their family carers were recruited, of whom 93(73.8%) were re-interviewed a year later. Sampling was designed to ensure that the participants were representative of people living in the UK with Alzheimer's disease in terms of dementia severity, gender and care setting. I used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to measure carer anxiety, and the Brief COPE to measure coping strategies, to explore our hypothesis that the relationship between carer burden and anxiety and depression is mediated by coping style.;Results: Using relatively fewer emotion-focussed strategies and more problem-focussed strategies mediated the relationship between caregiver burden and anxiety a year later, after controlling for potential confounders. Using fewer emotion focussed strategies also predicted higher psychological morbidity in general. More use of dysfunctional coping strategies mediated this relationship cross-sectionally but not on longitudinal analysis.;Conclusion: Carers who used more emotion-focussed coping strategies in response to carer burden were protected from having higher anxiety levels a year later, while those using problem-focussed strategies were not. Most current psychological interventions are based on problem-solving coping strategies, but our results suggest that a psychological intervention package to encourage emotion-focussed coping may be a rational approach to reduce anxiety in dementia carers. Studies are needed to test such interventions.


In an Interconnected power system, as a power demand varies randomly, both area frequency and tie-line power interchange also vary. Load frequency control (LFC) is of importance in electric power system operation to damp frequency and voltage oscillations originated from load variations or sudden changes in load demands. The objectives of load frequency control (LFC) is to minimize the transient deviations in these variables (area frequency and tie-line power interchange) and to ensure their steady state errors to be zeros. The control error signal in LFC is called area control error (ACE) which is a linear combination of net tie-line power error and frequency error. This paper presents the analysis of the load frequency control (LFC) of a realistic two area interconnected power system having diverse sources of power generation. A Thyristor Controlled Phase Shifter (TCPS) is used in series with AC tie line for improving the dynamic performance of the LFC system. The power system simulation is done using MATLAB Simulink and control problem is solved using MATLAB programming. An optimal integral controller with and without TCPS are obtained following a step load perturbation in either of the areas using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm with a strong ability to find the most optimistic results. Simulation results show that due to the presence of TCPS, the dynamic performance in terms of settling time and overshoot is greatly improved. The system with TCPS is capable of suppressing the area frequency and tie line power deviations more effectively under the occurrence of area load perturbations.


A guide to materials on globalization in the SAU Library in connection with the tenth annual College of Arts and Sciences theme, Faces of Globalization.


The black movement that began in the United States in the mid-1950s and the women's movement that followed in the late 1960s not only shook and in some cases shattered social structures but also changed the way U.S. social theorists think about race and gender. A characteristic response of radical social theorists was to proclaim that Marxism, however useful it might have been in the nineteenth century when class was the dominant social force in the industrializing West, could not deal with this new awareness of race and gender. Marxism was dead, though for sentimental reasons new social theories might still call themselves Marxist. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


This study assessed levels of depressive symptomatology in a household probability sample of Alaskan Native (N = 188) and Euro-American (N = 371) residents of 13 communities in Alaska. Our objective was to examine ethnic differences in both the association between depressive symptomatology and exposure to the Exxon Valdez oil spill and subsequent cleanup efforts, and in the role of family support as a moderator of exposure to this technological disaster. Level of exposure was significantly associated with mean Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale scores in both Natives (p <.05) and Euro-Americans (p <.01). Both ethnic groups also reported significant declines in traditional relations with increasing levels of exposure (p <.001). However, Natives had a significantly higher mean Exposure Index score than Euro-Americans and were more likely to report working on cleanup activities, damage to commercial fisheries, and effects of the spill on subsistence activities. Depressive symptomatology was associated with reported participation in cleanup activities and other forms of contact with the oil in Natives, and reported damage to commercial fisheries, use of affected areas, and residence in a community in geographic proximity to the spill in Euro-Americans. Perceived family support was not directly associated with depressive symptoms in either ethnic group, but did serve to buffer the effects of exposure on depressive symptoms in Euro-Americans. The results suggest that cultural differences play an important role in determining the psychosocial impacts of a technological disaster, particularly with respect to exposure, appraisal of an event as stressful, perceived family support as a moderator of stress, and expression of depressive symptomatology.


Introduction: Automated hand‐held nerve conduction study (NCS) devices are being marketed for use in the diagnosis of lumbosacral radiculopathy (LSR). In this study we compared the specificity and sensitivity of a hand‐held NCS device for the detection of LSR with standard electrodiagnostic study (EDX). Methods: Fifty patients referred to a tertiary referral electromyography (EMG) laboratory for testing of predominantly unilateral leg symptoms (weakness, sensory complaints, and/or pain) were included in the investigation. Twenty‐five normal "control" subjects were later recruited to calculate the specificity of the automated protocol. All patients underwent standard EDX and automated testing. Results: Raw NCS data were comparable for both techniques; however, computer‐generated interpretations delivered by the automated device showed high sensitivity with low specificity (i.e., many false positives) in both symptomatic patients and normal controls. Conclusions: The automated device accurately recorded raw data, but the interpretations provided were overly sensitive and lacked the specificity necessary for a screening or diagnostic examination. Muscle Nerve, 2011


The paper deals with the structure of detectors, the function of commanding neurones and the problem of relationship between detectors and commanding neurons. An example of hierarchial organization of detectors is provided by the colour analyser in which a layer of receptors, a layer of opponent neurones and a layer of colour-selective detectors are singled out. The colour detector is selectively sensitive to a certain combination of excitations at the input. If the detector is selectively activated by a certain combination of excitations at the input, the selective activation of the commanding neurone through a pool of motoneurones brings about a reaction at the output, specific in its organization. The reflexogenic zone of the reaction is determined by the detectors which converge on the commanding neurone controlling the given reaction. The plasticity of the reaction results from a plastic convergence of the detectors on the commanding neurone which controls the reaction. This comprises selective switching off the detectors from the commanding neurone (habituation) and connecting the detectors to the commanding neurone (facilitation).


The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of the social field as described by Pierre Bourdieu as well as to explore the possibility of creating a more focused and tailored set of conditions in the form of a model to repurpose the field theory to more clearly be applicable to bilateral negotiations.The methodological approach is conceptual analysis based on the epistemology of critical realism. The supporting theories for the approach are a combination of systemic, chaos and complexity theory while the fundaments for the implementation of the methodological approach are the four main concepts in Bourdieu's theory of the social field: the field, habitus, illusio and symbolic capital. One of the main points of repurposing this specific dynamic is to explicitly allow for deliberate human agency within the field.Analytical data consists purely of the secondary type. This essay is not empirically based but rather theoretical and abstract. The paper is founded on the basic principles of macrosociology and presumes social agency where appropriate.This paper focuses on creating a tentative framework model based on repurposed concepts derived from Bourdieu. The results are arguably interesting but are mostly limited to affecting further development of this tentative model and prefacing application of it through attempting to implement it in an analytical manner on empirical data.


Between 1929 and 1935, the Bata Shoe Company planned the construction of a series of modern industrial satellite towns in Europe, Asia, and America. By 1935, however, their development was far from advanced, and their original town plans, following a modernist grid, had been replaced with new ones, based on garden city ideas. A transnational explanation of the conditions that complicated their construction and motivated changes in their design remains as a gap in the existing literature on the Bata Shoe Company. The conceptual framework of sociological institutionalism is used to study how questions of meaning and social legitimacy influenced the design and construction of Bata's industrial towns in the 1930s. The methodology employed involved the triangulation of the study of secondary sources and research into Bata's archives, with the analysis of how the urban form of the towns changed through time. The research reveals the institutionalization of ideas on urban planning and architecture within Bata's structure, and the role of external legitimation in justifying their utilization or withdrawal. Finally, this article will posit that interdisciplinary readings on contemporary urban history can bring new insights into the transformation of the built environment by multinational organizations.


Innovation is not a skill that belongs to a single individual that cannot be improved. Instead innovation should be addressed as a social event where the unified working knowledge stands the chance of leveraging regular work activities, enhancing the status quo. The purpose of this paper is to describe how an engineering student project can produce radical new output working in a highly self-regulated project team. The paper investigates how learning objectives, creative activities and team performance is centralized around committed individuals working as one. Using a full year academic graduate course, observational data and participant's reflections has been directed to better understand the relationship between functional knowledge, problem-based learning and creative activities. The findings emphasize that clear stated learning objectives in combination with an open and flexible coaching could have a positive affect on students' motivation to learn, participate and understand future work roles and processes.


The Catanduanes State Colleges started its operation in 1972 by virtue of Republic Act No. 6341, amended by Republic Act No. 6590 and later repealed by Presidential Decree No. 1437 on June 10, 1978. On July 22, 1996, the Tenth Congress of the Republic of the Philippines enacted and approved Republic Act No. 8292, a law which provides for the uniform compositions and powers of the governing boards, the manner of appointment and term of office of the president of chartered state universities and colleges, and for other purposes. This Act repealed and amended all laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, letters of instruction and SUC charters contrary to or inconsistent with this law.


The high strength to weight ratio and good corrosion resistance of titanium alloys, have led to an increasing use of these materials, particularly in the aerospace industry. The laser cutting technique may be a promising tool in machining titanium alloy parts like those with subsequent welding requirement: in this case, surface quality of the kerf edges is of great importance. The low thermal conductivity and the high chemical activity of titanium alloys lead, in fact, to alterations of the surface properties of the machined zone. This paper presents the results of titanium alloy laser cutting using a 2 kW fiber laser. The cutting process was performed in continuous wave mode and using Argon as shear gas. Laser cuts were realized on titanium alloy Ti6Al4V sheets 1mm thick. Image analysis and microscopy, were carried out to examine the cutting edge quality features including thickness of the recast layer and heat-affected zone.


We compute the wall velocity in the MSSM with W, tops and stops contributing to the friction. In a wide range of parameters including those which fulfil the requirements of baryogenesis we find a wall velocity of order v_w=O(0.01) much below the SM value.


The objective of this work was to simulate the bands of the WorldView-2 sensor from laboratory specters, in order to study its potential to detect iron oxides, besides proposing a spectral index based on the depth of the spectral feature (RHGtPf). The iron index (IFe) and the hematite index (IHm), developed by Madeira Netto for bands of Landsat TM-5 sensor, were adjusted for WorldView-2 to test the potential of the new yellow band. The results showed that the yellow band degrades to 2% compared to the red one. This is due to fact that mineral quantification and identification are in the absorption feature, not in the reflectance one, and it is only improved in the visualization of color. A new spectral index, the RHGtPF, based on the depth feature with the continuum-removed spectra, was proposed, since the new bands of the WorldView-2 sensor – the coastal blue and yellow bands – allow a better individualization of the absorption features for goethite and hematite separately. The new index is statistically similar to the ratio Hm / Gt + Hm; however, it is not similar to the mineralogical relation obtained with Munsell colors.


The present exploratory and descriptive study brings some thoughts and inferences about the relationships between rainfall, climate changes and environmental migrations in the small-sized municipalities of the northeastern semiarid, that is, the ones which are a part of the Caatinga biome. For this purpose, it was examined the case of Santana de Mangueira, municipality of Paraiba state, which currently has less than six thousand habitants, according to data from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica – IBGE (2010), bordering in the South with Serra Talhada/PE, which was used as the rainfall data collection source, due to the lack of such records in Santana de Mangueira/PB. The studied municipality presented a significant decrease in population, in approximately eigth per cent, according to the IBGE census performed during the years of 2000 and 2010, respectively. The central inquiry that subsidized the present studywas: How are the relationships between climate changes and rainfall affecting small-sized municipalities' citizens' lives in the Caatinga biome?As for the conclusions, it was found, through obtained data analysis, that the small-sized municipalities of the northeastern semiarid region, traditionally used to lose their citizens for bigger cities in the pursuit for better living conditions, tend to suffer an increase of the migration flow with the climate changes consequences worsening, as: drought period increase, desertification, and, consequently, family agriculture and cattle raising reduction. Key words : Caatinga, Environmental migrations, Climate changes, Rainfall.


The first gynecologic exam for adolescents can be a positive experience in which they learn about their own body, or it can be a traumatic event. For the practitioner who may not do frequent gynecologic exams it can also be anxiety producing. The exam begins with a complete patient history including menstrual history, sexual history, and contraceptive history. The physical exam includes examination of thyroid, heart, lungs, breasts, abdomen, and genitalia. The nurse's approach can provide the tools the adolescent needs to make it a positive experience.


Salinity has become a serious problem in the production of food crops in Indonesia, especially in coastal areas. Mungbeans is one of commodities which can be grown in coastal areas during the dry season. Research to evaluate tolerance of mungbean genotypes to salinity stress was conducted on saline soil (EC 11.4 dS m-1) at Lohgung Village, Brondong Sub District, Lamongan District during dry season May-July in 2016. A 100 of mungbean genotypes were evaluated using a randomized block design, replicated twice. The majority of the genotypes (82%) were categorized between sensitive to very sensitive to salinity stress. All of the genotypes grew normally to generative phase and produced 2-9 pods per plant with seed yield ranged 0.04-0.60 ton ha-1. The tolerant genotypes had higher plant height, stover weight, and yield than the sensitive genotypes. Six genotypes indicated as very tolerant to salinity stress (EC: 9.24 to 15.06 dS m-1) i.e., MLG 1065/Vima1-279, MMC 464c-gt-4-0-3, MMC 678-8c-gt-5, Vima 1/MLG 1065-286, MLG 1065/Vima1-276 and Vima1/Sampeong//Vima1-249. Seven genotypes indicated as tolerant to salinity stress i.e., Vima1/MLG1065-290, MLG1065/Vima1-272,  MLG1065/Vima1-274, Vima1/MLG 1065-287, Vima1/MLG 1065-276, MMC 267c-mn-1-1-11, and VIMA 1/MLG 1065-288. These selected genotypes were potential to be developed into new mungbean variety tolerant to salinity.Keywords: electrical conductivity, growth, yield, selection, Vigna radiata


We report a case of unexplained recurrent stupor for which, given the current knowledge and the lack of easily available diagnostic tools, we were unable to reach a definite diagnosis. In the patient the syndrome was associated with an ominous prognosis. Worldwide accepted and easily available proceeding method is needed to manage patients with recurrent stupor for which a toxic origin may be supposed.