Summary This study was carried out between the years 2005 and 2008 in the Invertebrate Culture and Research Laboratory at Ege University, Turkey. In this work, we aimed to investigate the proventriculus morphology of Melanogryllus desertus using light and scanning electron microscopy. The general morphology of the proventriculus resembles other Gryllidae species in that sclerotized appendices are arranged in six internal rows. Structurally, sclerotized appendices are composed of a middle tooth and two lateral teeth, both adorned with denticles rounded in shape. Although four middle denticles are found in general, their numbers vary to as many as five or six. In addition, there are sclerotized lobes and sclerotized partitions among sclerotized appendices, and they are densely setose.


Introduction The prescription of an effective and well-tolerated antituberculosis (TB) treatment regimen is an important step in the management of TB. Objective The aim of the present study was comparison between fixed-dose combination (FDC) anti-TB drugs and separate drug formula (SDF) not only in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) but also in extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). Patients and methods A total of 240 patients with TB were included in the present study: 122 patients had PTB and 118 had EPTB. Both patients with PTB and those with EPTB were divided into two groups according to receiving FDC or SDF. All patients had baseline clinical and laboratory data, including blood picture, liver function tests, renal function tests, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, uric acid, and chest radiography. Follow-up clinical, laboratory, and radiology assessments were done during the course of treatment. Patients who received FDC and those who received SDF were compared for clinical, laboratory, radiological improvement, and sputum conversion in PTB during the course of treatment; moreover, they were compared for drug tolerance, compliance with treatment, and development of adverse effects. Results Both FDC and SDF in PTB and EPTB had comparable effect with respect to clinical improvement, and also sputum conversion in PTB; significant change in liver function was observed in PTB among those who received FDC, but better radiological clearance was detected with SDF. Both regimens were comparable with respect to compliance and adverse effects, except for more gastric disturbance with FDC. Conclusion SDF is recommended in patients with borderline liver function, gastrointestinal troubles, and presence of extensive radiological infiltrate.


The effectiveness of the long acting somatostatin analogues like octreotide and lanreotide depends on the expression of specific somatostatin receptors on the target cells. The immunohistochemical method performed on surgically removed tumors searches the expression of receptors at the level of receptor protein and gives us insight into receptor's cellular localization. The aim of study was to assess the presence of all the 5 subtypes of SSTR 1-5 (including 2A and 2B SSTR isoforms) in surgically treated human neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) to establish which receptor subtype is the dominant form of somatostatin receptor in particular tumor and thus to be able to predict which somatostatin analog will be effective in NETs treatment. 18 samples of neuroendocrine tumors (surgically excised tumors or biopsies) were immunostained with specific antibodies. Expression of SSTR was scored semiquantitatively. Only strong or moderate immunostaining was considered as positive reaction. The summarized expression pattern of SSTR in the investigated neuroendocrine tumors in our material was: SSTR 1> SSTR 5> SSTR 3> SSTR 2A> SSTR 2B. The receptors were distributed mainly in the area of cells cytoplasm with a few specimens showing only membranous or mixed: membranous--cytoplasmic localization. The observed pattern suggests that apart from octreotide and lanreotide, newly synthesized multiligand analogs such as SOM 230, KE 108 or SSTR 1 and SSTR 5 selective analogs could be effective in NETs treatment.


The ability of an electrical stimulus to induce a grand mal convulsion during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was investigated using four clinical treatment protocols during which the stimulus waveform, the electrical energy and/or the electrode placement were varied. The statistically significant results support the view that a pulsatile square wave stimulus is effective in inducing convulsions, provided that the d'Elia and not the Muller unilateral electrode placement is used. Higher stimulus energy may be required for older patients. The results illustrate successive attempts to remedy a previously reported problem with the effectiveness of the pulsatile waveform as a convulsive stimulus. The benefit of maintaining a database of treatment variables in order to monitor the effect of changes in the protocol under conditions of routine clinical practice is also demonstrated.


The aim of this dissertation is to highlight the effectiveness of the existing facilities for the persons with disabilities in public universities while the objectives of this research is to review the effectiveness of existing facilities for the PWD provided in public universities, to reveal users perception on the effectiveness of facilities for the PWD in public universities, and finally to outline ways to improve the effectiveness of the facilities for the PWD in public universities. This research is expected to help the disabled students to enjoy the facilities for the PWD provided in public universities as much as other people enjoy the facilities being provided. Therefore, this research will indirectly helps to improve the quality of the facilities provided for the PWD in public universities. The methods used in collecting data are through interviews, questionnaires and observations. The questionnaires were distributed to 30 respondents of normal and disabled students. From the results, it is clear that the students feel that the facilities for the PWD provided still need to be improved. From the result, we know that although the facilities for the PWD are provided in public universities, the PWD still cannot move independently and need help from the normal students. Moreover, the existing facilities are not built according to the standards. Two major recommendations were made to the study which are firstly, the number of facilities for the PWD need to be increased in public universities and secondly, the existing facilities for the PWD need to be improved so that the disabled students can use the facilities efficiently.


Conditional clauses in Dutch can be accompanied by focus particles, as in zelfs als 'even if' and
 alleen als 'only if'. The literature focuses on these additive and restrictive particles, because they may
 influence the truth-conditional meaning of the sentence, which is uncommon for particles. Most of these studies are not based on
 empirical language data, or draw largely from formal written texts in English. This study investigates which focus particles occur
 in Dutch conditionals, and to which extent their uses are associated with spoken and written modes and with formal and informal
 registers. It is shown that restrictive and additive particles are most frequent in formal written texts, and that a third type of
 particle exists, which adds iterative meaning to the conditional, as in telkens als 'evertime if [when]'. The
 results show this type of particles to be associated with informal spoken texts.


The distal reaches or flood plain of the Okavango alluvial fan of northern Botswana are characterized by gently undulating topography with local relief generally less than two meters. The entire area is blanketed by eolian sand. Although the area is semiarid with evapotranspiration exceeding precipitation, the area is subject to seasonal flooding by annual influx of floodwater from subtropical Angola to the north. Distributary channels on the flood plain are poorly defined and consist of sinuous depressions lacking normal fluvial characteristics such as levees, bars, or incision. The flood water has very little suspended load. Higher ground on the flood plain forms islands during the seasonal flood. Elevated tracts arise by displacive, subsurface crystallization of carbonate and silica, which is induced by trees that grow on the higher ground. Sedimentation on lower-lying areas occurs by a combination of: (1) accumulation of fine clastic material derived from the flood water, and phytolithic silica, both of which are mixed into the sandy substrate by illuviation and bioturbation; and (2) precipitation of fine-grained amorphous silica from the groundwater, induced by transpiration by aquatic grasses and sedges. Accumulation of silica in the soil profile produces a proto-silcrete. This sequence grades laterally into carbonate-dominated island soils. The ultimate cause of this association is an abundance of water with low suspended load in an environment with a high evapotranspiration rate. Ganisters in ancient rocks may have a similar origin.


In this paper we present a new algorithm for interactively painting onto 3D meshes that exploits recent advances of GPU technology. As the user moves a brush over the 3D mesh, its paint pattern is projected onto the 3D geometry at the current viewing angle and copied to the corresponding region in the object's texture atlas. Both operations are realized on the GPU, with the advantage that all data resides in the fast GPU memory, which in turn leads to high frame rates. A main feature of our approach is the handling of seams. Whenever the brush overlaps two or more patches, this situation is detected and the paint pattern is copied correctly to the corresponding texture charts. In this way the operation of the projection into the texture atlas is completely reduced to a single texture lookup. The performance is independent of the resolution of both the brush and the texture atlas as well as the number of mesh triangles. Citation Info Proceedings VMV 2010: Vision, Modeling & Visualization Siegen, 15–17 November 2010 Editors R. Koch, A. Kolb, C. Rezk-Salama Publisher Eurographics Association


A summary of the Retail EFTPoS 90 conference is given. The conference highlighted many developments over the past 12 months in the progress of EFTPoS UK, and was enthusiastic about its future as a leading payment method system for the country′s retailers. News of other payments was also discussed, including a futuristic look at the smart card on the one hand and an overview of how retailers would benefit from the dismantling of the credit card anti‐competitive agreements on the other. Balancing the discussion about plastic payments, a contribution from Transax Financial Services, the UK′s largest cheque guarantee company, drew attention to the continuing presence of the cheque (still Britain′s second most preferred method of payment after cash) and highlighted the increasing requirement for retailers to be able to accept cheques without the risk of fraud.


This thesis describes research to investigate the electromagnetic manipulation of microspheres and microrings. The work consists of three main thrusts: 1) the use of an electric field gradient to move dielectric microspheres, 2) the use of an AC magnetic field to move a conducting ring, and 3) the preparation of substrates for a microwave atom chip. The electrostatic movement of dielectric polyethylene microspheres was observed and recorded with a CCD imaging system. The microspheres were suspended in various liquids and placed on top of a microstrip transmission line, which consists of a conducting copper trace separated from a ground plate by an FR4 dielectric substrate. 5 kV was applied to the conducting trace. Some microspheres acted as weak field seekers and were repelled from the trace, as predicted by theoretical calculations, while others acted as strong field seekers and were attracted to the trace. Electromagnetic simulations generated using the software FEKO indicate that the dipole force experienced by the microspheres should be several orders of magnitude higher than experimentally observed. Further research is necessary to reconcile the difference between theoretical calculations and observed microsphere behavior, but it seems likely that competing electrokinetic effects impede the movement of microspheres. Several microrings were constructed and placed in the vicinity of an alternating magnetic field. Theoretical calculations were performed to estimate: a) the cutoff frequency at which microrings act inductively and b) the force experienced by microrings. No microring movement was observed in preliminary experiments, but further experiments were conducted to find the cutoff frequency using a multi-turn pickup coil and the magnetic field generated by a solenoid. Chapter


The purpose of this paper is to investigate a new type of resin of chitosan cerium encapsulated green tea extract microspheres (RCCM-GTE) prepared by the reversed-phase suspension cross-linking polymerization and study the scavenging activity against DPPH free radical. The results showed that RCCM-GTE was a type of deep brown-yellow spherical resin with smooth surface and it presented uniform and narrow particle size distribution as determined by the Laser Particles Sizer. The Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study demonstrated that there was cerium existing in RCCM-GTE. The polyphenolic compounds existed in RCCM-GTE and the total content of polyphenolic compounds encapsulated in RCCM-GTE was found to be 92.550±1.145 μg/g. It is considered that the good antioxidant activity of RCCM-GTE was the comprehensive results of the action of tea polysaccharide-protein conjugate, polyphenolic compounds, cerium and Schiff base chitosan. Investigation showed that a lot of extracts coming from agriculture and food industry contain reactive components of polyphenolic compounds and polysaccharides. It can be effective in protection of human beings from free radical damage if these extracts are directly or after the extraction and purification added to food as natural food antioxidant or they are prepared micospheres reacted with some biopolymers through coordination as a health food. Then the emerging area of research on encapsulating GTE in chitosan cerium resin must have a broad developing prospect.


Background Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa (MisSA) are a relevant sub-group for HIV-transmission in Germany. 10–15% of all newly diagnosed cases are MisSA, and approximately one third acquired HIV in Germany. Diagnosis is often at a late clinical stage of HIV-infection, potentially due to barriers to HIV-testing or health care in general. There is limited information on prevalence of STIs and on knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and practises (KABP) regarding sexual health. To gain a deeper understanding of MisSA's HIV/STI-prevention needs a research process was initiated. Methods An expert meeting took place to define specific research needs as well as a research approach. Experts were defined as persons working in HIV/STI-prevention with MisSA, key-persons from MisSA-communities and HIV/STI-researchers. A working group was established to draught a potential study design for a KABP-survey with MisSA. Recommendations of the working group were appraised by four focus groups with MisSA in different cities. Results The following guidelines for the research process were established: The research process will be participatory and MisSA have to be involved in all stages. All decisions will be evaluated by community members and an advisory board. The MisSA-community should benefit from the research. The suggested study design was a multi-centre KABP-study on sexual health. Participants will be recruited by trained peer researchers. Optional HIV/STI-testing will be offered to participants. Questionnaires will be developed in a participatory approach and be available in multiple languages depending on the respective population of MisSA. Focus group results generally supported the suggested research design. A detailed analysis of focus group discussions is still ongoing. Conclusion To conduct HIV/STI-research that is meaningful to MisSA, it is crucial to involve community partners in the research process. This will help to address the specific needs of MisSA and also assure a better reception of the study within the community.


Ciprofloxacin and tetracycline are broad spectrum antibiotics that have been used for decades to treat a wide variety of human bacterial infections. Currently, these antibiotics are routinely used to treat infections of the ear, nose, throat and urinary tract. They are also prescribed for pneumonia, bronchitis and the prevention and treatment of anthrax. Regulations for the use of prescription antibiotics usually specify that they should be stored between the temperatures of approximately 65-85 °F (18-29 °C). According to storage regulations, exposure to elevated temperatures could lead to degradation of the antibiotic and thus reduce its effectiveness. During routine use, prescription antibiotics are often inadvertently set aside in locations such as personal bags, cars, window sills, stove- tops, or outdoors. These storage locations can expose the antibiotics to high temperatures, particularly during the summer months. Therefore, there is a need to study the thermostability of these antibiotics in order to determine how severely they degrade in high temperature conditions. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has proven to be an excellent analytical tool for the detection of low concentrations of tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and many other antibiotics in a variety of aqueous matrices. Using LC-MS, a method has been developed to monitor antibiotic samples that have been exposed to elevated temperatures for various periods of time. Thermal degradation in these samples was observed via a decrease in signal when compared to LC-MS data generated from laboratory standards. It was expected that the observed thermal degradation will increase with the amount of time the sample is exposed to elevated temperatures. Thermostability data will be presented at temperatures ranging from 90-200 °F (32-93 °C). Results from the study will be used to evaluate the current recommended temperature ranges for the storage of each antibiotic.


type="main"> During the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, the compensation of non-founder managers of U.S. public companies was guided by partnership concepts. Andrew Carnegie made his senior staff coowners by selling them stock at book value. And Alfred Sloan gave the senior staff of General Motors a fixed percentage of the company's "economic profit." But in the years since World War II, such partnership concepts have largely disappeared from executive pay. The current view of executive pay is guided by the concepts of "competitive pay" and pay components. But unlike the partnership models of the past, today's "human resources model" of executive pay fails to provide useful guidance to companies on how to achieve a consistent relationship between pay and corporate performance, as reflected in returns to shareholders. As the author argues, the model's insistence on providing "competitive pay" packages that are (1) based on size (that is, on revenue not profitability) and (2) "recalibrated" every year regardless of past performance has the effect of undermining management's incentives by rewarding poor past value performance with increases (instead of reductions) in sharing percentage, and penalizing superior value performance with reductions (instead of increases) in sharing percentage. In recent years, however, three different model pay plans have been proposed that provide both competitive pay and fixed pay leverage in relation to shareholder value. The author is the source of one of the three "perfect" pay plans. The other two are (1) the Dynamic Incentive Account proposed by Alex Edmans of London Business School and Xavier Gabaix of NYU and (2) the investment manager fee structure developed and used by Don Raymond, the chief investment strategist of the Canada Pension Plan. The author shows that cumulative pay under all three plans can be expressed as a function of cumulative market compensation (that is, the pay earned by one's peers over the life of the plan, thus reflecting pay levels for average performance) and cumulative value added (as reflected, say, in the company's TSR relative to the average of its peers' over the life of the plan)—and in the case of plans with equity-like leverage, cumulative pay is the simple sum of cumulative market compensation and a fixed share of the cumulative value added. The plans reconcile retention and performance objectives more effectively than current practice because they provide competitive pay only for average performance, while using the partnership concept of fixed sharing of the value added to provide strong incentives.


Abstract Within months of taking office the Trump administration had declared its outright opposition to the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) as part of a broader turn to "strategic competition" with China. Although not overtly framed as such, the US began to create policy alternatives. Alongside the BUILD Act and Prosper Africa these included the "Blue Dot Network" (BDN) the stated purpose of which was to assess and certify the "quality" of proposed infrastructure projects in terms of their potential viability, sustainability, as well as the transparency of procurement procedures. Established in cooperation with Japan and Australia the BDN would, it was said, make potential infrastructure projects more attractive to non-Chinese backers and implicitly frame BRI projects as sub-standard. While the Biden White House sought to distance itself from much of the Trump legacy the BDN remained within the Department of State's portfolio and was relaunched in June 2021 under the auspices of the OECD. The article draws upon the literature assessing the impact of rankings and certification initiatives as well as studies of economic power. On the basis of this, it argues that although the BDN would appear from the former to have significant opportunities the "hard" and "soft" forms of economic power upon which it rests constitute an unstable amalgam that is likely to constrain the BDN's capacities and prospects.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate injection of microcrystalline sodium urate (MSU) for inducing articular pain in green-cheeked conures (Pyrrhura molinae) and the analgesic efficacy of liposome-encapsulated butorphanol tartrate (LEBT) by use of weight load data, behavioral scores, and fecal corticosterone concentration.

ANIMALS
8 conures.

PROCEDURES
In a crossover study, conures were randomly assigned to receive LEBT (15 mg/kg) or liposomal vehicle subsequent to experimental induction of arthritis or sham injection. The MSU was injected into 1 tibiotarsal-tarsometatarsal (intertarsal) joint to induce arthritis (time 0). weight-bearing load and behavioral scores were determined at 0, 2, 6, 26, and 30 hours.

RESULTS
MSU injection into 1 intertarsal joint caused a temporary decrease in weight bearing on the affected limb. Treatment of arthritic conures with LEBT resulted in significantly more weight bearing on the arthritic limb than treatment with vehicle. Administration of vehicle to arthritic conures caused a decrease in activity and feeding behaviors during the induction phase of arthritis, but as the arthritis resolved, there was a significant increase in voluntary activity at 30 hours and feeding behaviors at 26 and 30 hours, compared with results for LEBT treatment of arthritic birds. Treatment with LEBT or vehicle in conures without arthritis resulted in similar measurements for weight bearing and voluntary and motivated behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Experimental induction of arthritis in conures was a good method for evaluating tonic pain. Weight-bearing load was the most sensitive measure of pain associated with induced arthritis. Pain associated with MSU-induced arthritis was alleviated by administration of LEBT.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of short-term valproate treatment on human brain serotonin and dopamine function by means of challenge tests with ipsapirone, a partial agonist at 5-HT1A receptors, and apomorphine, a dopamine receptor agonist.

DESIGN
Experimental challenge-rechallenge, within-subjects repeated measures, before and at the end of 14 days of treatment with valproate at a dosage of 625 mg/d (reached gradually over the first 5 days).

PARTICIPANTS
Eight healthy male volunteers (mean age 38 years) selected for good physical and mental health who were nonsmokers.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Pharmacological probes were used to evaluate the effects of valproate. In the ipsapirone challenge, changes in adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and body temperature were measured, and in the apomorphine challenge, growth hormone (GH) and prolactin were the dependent variables.

RESULTS
Valproate treatment did not significantly alter the ACTH, cortisol or body temperature responses to ipsapirone (20 mg by mouth), which reached equivalent plasma levels at each challenge. Similarly, valproate treatment did not alter the GH or prolactin responses to apomorphine (5 micrograms/kg subcutaneously).

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that short-term treatment with valproate at a dose of 625 mg/d does not alter hypothalamic or pituitary 5-HT1A or dopamine receptor responses to challenges with ipsapirone and apomorphine, respectively.


We report a case of isolated, unruptured extracardiac aneurysm of the right coronary sinus of Valsalva. The aneurysm was detected incidentally in a 75-years-old woman during the treatment of angina pectoris. A 30×35 mm sized aneurysm was located in the right sinus of Valsalva with extracardiac protrusion. It was repaired by obliterating its orifice with an autologous pericardial patch reinforced by a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) patch. Early surgical repair should be a treatment of choice for this entity to prevent catastrophic event.


BACKGROUND
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common developmental disorders experienced in childhood and can persist into adulthood. The disorder has early onset and is characterized by a combination of overactive, poorly modulated behavior with marked inattention. In the long term it can impair academic performance, vocational success and social-emotional development. Meditation is increasingly used for psychological conditions and could be used as a tool for attentional training in the ADHD population.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness of meditation therapies as a treatment for ADHD.

SEARCH STRATEGY
Our extensive search included: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, C2-SPECTR, dissertation abstracts, LILACS, Virtual Health Library (VHL) in BIREME, Complementary and Alternative Medicine specific databases, HSTAT, Informit, JST, Thai Psychiatric databases and ISI Proceedings, plus grey literature and trial registries from inception to January 2010.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials that investigated the efficacy of meditation therapy in children or adults diagnosed with ADHD.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors extracted data independently using a pre-designed data extraction form. We contacted study authors for additional information required. We analyzed data using mean difference (MD) to calculate the treatment effect. The results are presented in tables, figures and narrative form.

MAIN RESULTS
Four studies, including 83 participants, are included in this review. Two studies used mantra meditation while the other two used yoga compared with drugs, relaxation training, non-specific exercises and standard treatment control. Design limitations caused high risk of bias across the studies. Only one out of four studies provided data appropriate for analysis. For this study there was no statistically significant difference between the meditation therapy group and the drug therapy group on the teacher rating ADHD scale (MD -2.72, 95% CI -8.49 to 3.05, 15 patients). Likewise, there was no statistically significant difference between the meditation therapy group and the standard therapy group on the teacher rating ADHD scale (MD -0.52, 95% CI -5.88 to 4.84, 17 patients). There was also no statistically significant difference between the meditation therapy group and the standard therapy group in the distraction test (MD -8.34, 95% CI -107.05 to 90.37, 17 patients).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
As a result of the limited number of included studies, the small sample sizes and the high risk of bias, we are unable to draw any conclusions regarding the effectiveness of meditation therapy for ADHD. The adverse effects of meditation have not been reported. More trials are needed.


The paper proposes a new sonic resonance test for a elastic modulus measurement which is based on time-average electronic speckle pattern interferometry(TA-ESPI) and Euler-Bernoulli equation. Previous measurement technique of elastic constant has the limitation of application for thin film or polymer material because contact to specimen affects the result. TA-ESPI has been developed as a non-contact optical measurement technique which can visualize resonance vibration mode shapes with whole-field. The maximum vibration amplitude at each vibration mode shape is a clue to find the resonance frequencies. The dynamic elastic constant of test material can be easily estimated from EulerBernoulli equation using the measured resonance frequencies. The proposed technique is able to give high accurate elastic modulus of materials through a simple experiment set up and analysis.


National screening for congenital hypothyroidism was established in the United Kingdom in 1982. During 1982-4, 488 infants with primary congenital hypothyroidism were detected by the 25 regional screening laboratories in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In addition, one infant had signs of cretinism at birth and was investigated before the screening test was done and four infants were known to have been missed by the screening programme; among these four infants the initial thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations were normal in two with inherited defects of synthesis of thyroxine, not measured in one, and false negative in one. The overall incidence of primary hypothyroidism was 1:3937 births (boys 1:6640, girls 1:2756). The incidence seemed to be reduced in infants born to black mothers (two cases only) and increased in those born to Asian mothers (61 cases). Congenital anomalies other than those of the thyroid gland were reported in 36 children (7%), and 15 (3%) died from various causes before the age of 4. Infants who were considered to show unequivocal evidence of hypothyroidism started treatment at a median age of 17 days (5th and 95th centiles 10 and 42 days) compared with a median age of 14 days (5th and 95th centiles 9 and 21 days) for infants with classic phenylketonuria also detected by national screening.


It is often assumed that initial conditions for the evolution of a cosmological mode should be set at the time its physical wavelength reaches a cut-off of the order of the Planck length. Beyond that scale, trans-Planckian corrections to the dispersion relation are supposed to become dominant, leading to the breakdown of cosmological perturbation theory. In this paper, we apply the effective field theory approach to the coupled metric-inflaton system in order to calculate the corrections to the power spectrum of scalar and tensor perturbations induced by higher-dimension operators at short wavelengths. These corrections can be interpreted as modifications of the dispersion relation, and thus open a window to probe the validity of cosmological perturbation theory. Both for scalars and tensors, the modifications become important when the Hubble parameter is of the order of the Planck mass, or when the physical wave number of a cosmological perturbation mode approaches the square of the Planck mass divided by the Hubble constant. Thus, the cut-off length at which such a breakdown occurs is finite, but much smaller than the Planck length.


To solve the fracture problem of pin round punch when stamping small holes on stainless steel sheets, the retaining structure was analyzed and the structure optimization design of pin round punch was presented. It is shown that during stamping stainless steel sheets, it can prevent pin punch from being fractured effectively by adopting clearance fit between pin punch and retainer plate, precise guide of stripper plate and making working part free in the stripper plate .The optimization results show that the B-type round punch is better than A-type in resisting fracture, and the resistance fracture capability of pin round punch is the best when the transition radius between guiding part and working part is R10mm. Aimed at pin punch damaged in biggish progressive dies, the quick replaced structure is designed, which can replace the pin punch in 3 minutes. So this type of structure can save time very much.


Word embeddings derived from human-generated corpora inherit strong gender bias which can be further amplified by downstream models. Some commonly adopted debiasing approaches, including the seminal Hard Debias algorithm, apply post-processing procedures that project pre-trained word embeddings into a subspace orthogonal to an inferred gender subspace. We discover that semantic-agnostic corpus regularities such as word frequency captured by the word embeddings negatively impact the performance of these algorithms. We propose a simple but effective technique, Double Hard Debias, which purifies the word embeddings against such corpus regularities prior to inferring and removing the gender subspace. Experiments on three bias mitigation benchmarks show that our approach preserves the distributional semantics of the pre-trained word embeddings while reducing gender bias to a significantly larger degree than prior approaches.


Diversity is a key concept in urban and planning theory and policy with important physical,social and economic dimensions. It is also central to the sustainable city and a key component of vital and viable urban centres. Urban form plays a key role in physical diversity, however, its relationship with other social and economic aspects of diversity remains poorly understood. Urban grain is a key part of the urban form of all places, and it too has suffered from a lack of research and investigation. Urban grain is essentially a description of the pattern of plots in an urban block and when this pattern is dominated by small plots it is described as fine urban grain. Fine urban grain is notable as it is surrounded by numerous claims about the range of benefits that it provides for mix of use, mix of ownership, mix of business, streetscape and street life in the urban centre. These claims are very significant as they are all, in one way or another, related to the important concept of diversity. In spite of the significance of the claims, there is a lack of awareness of the role and potential benefits of fine urban grain for diversity, particularly in practice. This, alongside current processes of urban planning and property development, is slowly but surely leading to a depletion of fine urban grain in many urban centres in Ireland and Britain. A greater understanding of fine urban grain and its benefits is urgently required as its continued loss may irreversibly damage the diversity that all urban centres rely on for their survival.

This research explores the role of fine urban grain in securing the diversity of the urban centre. In particular, it explores the rhetorical claims linking fine urban grain and mix of use, mix of ownership and mix of business. The lack of empirical evidence behind these claims is a significant gap in the knowledge in this area and a part of a larger issue around the need for more research on urban form, particularly at the local level. A case study approach, investigating two precincts in Dublin city centre, is adopted for the research and it utilises a range of existing and new techniques for data collection and analysis. Significantly, new advanced spatial analysis techniques for measuring urban grain and mix of use are developed for this research. The findings show the robustness of research methodology and present
significant new evidence in this area. The research highlights the implications of the findings for theory and practice and it makes recommendations for change in current planning practice. The research also identifies areas where further investigation would help to reduce further the knowledge gaps in this area.


This thesis explores to what extent the fusion approach can explain the role of local
government in the European integration process. It assesses the efficacy of the fusion
approach for the study of local government and subsequently offers insights how to
advance the approach by giving it a local government perspective. Among the existing
research of local-supranational relations, hardly any attempts have been made to provide a
comprehensive, albeit differentiated, theoretical perspective to understand how the local
level links into the macro-trajectories of the EU's governance system. Fusion assumes that
the transfer of competences from the national to the European level reflect a 'third way'
integration between supranational integration and intergovernmental cooperation. In the
fusion account, public resources and policy instruments are 'fusing' under a sub-optimal
multilevel compound. Existing integration theories focus primarily on the state level,
whilst concepts such as multilevel governance and Europeanisation do not explain the
evolution of the EU's polity. The thesis shows that the fusion approach accounts for both
multilevel realities and for Europeanisation processes in the context of European
integration.
The thesis assesses whether the fusion approach is able to explain a) systemic linkages
between European integration and changes at the local level; b) a fusion of competences
and accountabilities for policy outcomes in Europe's multilevel compound; c) the attitudes
of local actors towards the integration process. For the purpose of applying and testing the
fusion approach for the study of local government, the study deduces five empirical
indicators from the fusion literature and investigates their relevance at the local level in the
North West of England and North Rhine-Westphalia. The indicators assess 1) the
absorption of European legislation and policy by local government; 2) the Europeanisation
of local actors' attention towards supranational policies and legislation; 3) institutional and
procedural adaptation processes at all relevant levels of government; 4) vertical and
horizontal, as well as direct and indirect, action of municipal authorities in relation to EU
policies; 5) local actors' attitudes towards European policies and governance. The
empirical findings are based on qualitative elite-interviews, secondary literature and
primary documents. Although there are limitations to the efficacy of fusion for explaining
local-supranational relations, as an advanced version of the approach, the thesis delivers
insights into the systemic linkages between European integration and changes at the local
level; the fusion of local government and the attitudes of local actors towards the EU.


PurposeThis paper addresses nurses working in public hospitals in order to find out how gender may affect their perception of both diversity management and organisational inclusion. Moreover, and given the novelty of workplace fun and the lack of research in this field in the context of developing countries, the authors explore the relationship between diversity management and organisational inclusion and explore workplace fun as a predictor of organisational inclusion.Design/methodology/approachA total of 360 questionnaires were collected from nurses in three public hospitals in Egypt. The authors applied a t-test to identify how gender may affect perceptions of diversity management. Moreover, the authors employed hierarchical regressions to test gender and diversity management as predictors of organisational inclusion and to test whether workplace fun can predict organisational inclusion, too.FindingsThe findings indicate that compared to their male colleagues, female nurses respond to diversity management practices more positively. Second, no significant statistical differences in the mean values for female and male nurses were observed regarding their perceptions of organisational inclusiveness. Third, diversity management is positively associated with organisational inclusion for the nurses. Finally, workplace fun mediates the relationship between diversity management perceptions and organisational inclusion.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling a gap in human resources (HR) research in the health-care sector, in which empirical studies on the relationship between gender, workplace fun and organisational inclusion have been limited so far.


Anthropogenic disturbance can modify habitat structure and resource availability, potentially disrupting ecological interactions. This issue may be critical for pollination and seed dispersal, which determine natural regeneration. The mistletoe Tristerix corymbosus is almost exclusively pollinated by a hummingbird (Sephanoides sephaniodes) and dispersed by a marsupial (Dromiciops gliroides). We examined the extent to which human-induced habitat change and resource availability influence the interaction rate of this plant–pollinator–seed disperser system, along a forest transformation gradient (from native forest to exotic plantations). We estimated visitation rates of S. sephaniodes and D. gliroides on 70 T. corymbosus mistletoes using camera traps. We related visitation rates to habitat structural features and resource availability (flowers and fruits of the mistletoe and the neighborhood) using spatially explicit models. Sephanoides sephaniodes and D. gliroides visitation rates responded positively to shrub and bamboo cover, moss abundance, and mistletoe spatial arrangement. Pollination and seed dispersal interactions were sensitive to the flower and fleshy-fruit neighborhoods, being variable across months. Further, D. gliroides showed a non-random spatial association with fleshy-fruited plants. A larger sunlight incidence on disturbed habitats may prevent the disruption of key ecological interactions by increasing resource availability. This effect would result from the presence of shade-intolerant plants, which are benefited by sunlight exposure. Patches of disturbed habitat may enhance landscape heterogeneity, providing complementary resources to the native remnants.


This presentation is a co-constructed dialogue between Helen, a teacher, who until recently, was a new scheme secondary teacher appointed to a remote school in western NSW, and Kevin, a teacher, curriculum manager and post graduate researcher. During 2012 they met regularly to discuss Helen's professional and personal journey as a teacher, and her endeavours to reach out to students and parents with a view to affect an authentic change in the classroom experiences of students in her care. At its core are reflections on, Aboriginal Education; the provision of quality educational experiences to all students; efforts to 'know' and build connections into the community; and views on teacher capacity within such a context. During her 3 years, Helen explored ways to connect with the community so as to deepen the investment that she felt she could make in her students' learning, while also enriching her own family's life experiences. Helen, like all other colleagues, was asked to respond to the demands of delivering educational programs that would 'close the gap' – a space she thought of as an educational chasm, that would ever widening if there wasn't a major intervention. It was only later that she came to realise was that her need to establish a meaningful educational relationship with students and parents was paralleled by a largely hidden, but even greater need on their part for the same thing. Through story, reflection and evaluation, this presentation demonstrates how, along the way, Helen learnt the meaning of building teacher capacity; what it doesn't take to connect with community, and the meaning of 'getting these kids to learn.'


Mammalian mesocarnivores play critical roles in ecosystems via trophic interactions. The fluctuation of mesocarnivore abundance may cause trophic cascading throughout the ecosystems. However, little was known about density dependence and spatiotemporal dynamics of mesocarnivore populations. Northern raccoon Procyon lotor is a common mammalian mesocarnivore in North America, and is the host of many human infectious diseases. Few studies have investigated density dependence and hierarchical spatiotemporal dynamics of raccoon populations. We used 23-year time series of raccoon relative abundance from 14 wildlife management areas in Mississippi, USA, to test for spatial synchrony of raccoon populations with nonparametric correlation functions. We developed non-Gaussian state space models to detect density dependence of raccoon populations, and also used dynamic factor analysis (DFA) to determine the structure of the spatiotemporal dynamics of raccoon populations. The 14 raccoon populations lacked common trends, and were not synchronized. Strength of density dependence varied among raccoon populations, but was not related to the amount of hardwood forests. Differences in the structure of density dependence probably prevented populations from being synchronize by climatic variability. The raccoon populations exhibited greater local or idiosyncratic variability than regional variability in Mississippi. Northern raccoons have plastic life history traits permitting their population dynamics to closely track local variations in resource availability.


Potential health effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation from mobile phones arouse widespread public concern. RF fields from handheld devices near the brain might trigger or aggravate brain tumors or neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Aggregation of neural a-synuclein (S) is central to PD pathophysiology, and invertebrate models expressing human S have helped elucidate factors affecting the aggregation process. We have recently developed a transgenic strain of Caenorhabditis elegans carrying two S constructs: SC tagged with cyan (C) blue fluorescent protein (CFP), and SV with the Venus (V) variant of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). During S aggregation in these SCþSV worms, CFP, and YFP tags are brought close enough to allow Foerster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). As a positive control, S aggregation was promoted at low Hg2þ concentrations, whereas higher concentrations activated stress-response genes. Using two different exposure systems described previously, we tested whether RF fields (1.0GHz CW, 0.002-0.02Wkg ; 1.8GHz CW or GSM, 1.8Wkg ) could influence S aggregation in SCþSV worms. YFP fluorescence in similar SV-only worms provided internal controls, which should show opposite changes due to FRET quenching during S aggregation. No statistically significant changes were observed over several independent runs at 2.5, 24, or 96 h. Although our worm model is sensitive to chemical promoters of aggregation, no similar effects were attributable to RF exposures. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:116–129, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The structure of mayenite, Ca(12)Al(14)O(33), was investigated by neutron powder diffraction up to 1323 K. It has been described previously as a calcium-aluminate framework, in which 32 of the 33 oxygen anions are tightly bound, containing large cages, 1/6 of them being filled randomly by the remaining 'free' oxygen. At ambient temperature excess oxygen was found, corresponding to the composition Ca(12)Al(14)O(33.5) which was attributed to the presence of hydroxide, peroxide and superoxide radicals in the cages. Above 973 K these are lost under vacuum conditions and the composition becomes stoichiometric. From the refined structural parameters it is concluded that the structure is more adequately described as a relatively stable aluminate framework consisting of eightfold rings of AlO(4) tetrahedra with disordered Ca and 'free' O distributed within. At high temperatures the density of the 'free' oxygen is extremely spread out, with the expansion being related to the high ionic conductivity of this material. Since no continuous density distribution between adjacent cages was found and the 'free' O forms bonds with part of the Ca, the diffusion proceeds via a jump-like process involving exchange of the 'free' oxygen with framework oxygen. The results confirm the recent theoretical predictions of Sushko et al.


Lewis argues that there are a variety of generative cognitive processes that are more likely to occur in technology education than elsewhere in the curriculum 1 . Design based Technology Education supports the development of higher cognitive thinking and problem solving skills, where students have the capacity to express their creativity and innovation through the completion of the artefact they design, manufacture, and report on 2 . For effective higher order cognitive learning to occur students are encouraged to record and evidence their design evolution and development as the design journey progresses. Many of the current assessment models adopted in Design based Technology Education inadvertently encourage students to adopt a structured, linear approach in reporting on design activities. This structured approach can often lead to reverse engineering of the design portfolio subsequent to the students' convergence on their initial design idea. The reverse engineering of portfolios places greater emphasis on the end-product and removes the focus from the design journey undertaken. This study investigates a cohort of initial teacher education students (n=27) as they participate in a design-based module to solve a semi-open design brief. Throughout the design journey students were encouraged to simultaneously collect data which they felt was relevant in the communication of their capability and learning throughout the design task. This data was then presented through the use of a non-criterion referenced e-portfolio system. The usage of common media types emerged and are presented in relation to the four stages of Kolb's learning cycle. The findings identify six predominant media types utilised by the students in the collection and representation of data which informed their final design outcome. These findings are presented under the four stages of Kolb's learning cycle and identify the occurrences of each stage throughout the portfolios. The manner in which students utilised different media at different stages of their learning is analysed and outlines the dominance of various media types to communicate various stages of student learning. This is of significant importance to Design based Technology Education as it outlines the importance of constructivist eportfolios in addressing the linear design approach and allows for a clearer interpretation of students' learning. The evidence presented clearly demonstrates how students represented the various stages of learning through the media available which has significance for course designers planning to use electronic portfolios.


From all the psychological ways to relieve anxiety, relaxation exercises and hypnotherapy have been recommended long ago, evidence of their effectiveness if applied alone was difficult to determine, so in practice we recommend an integrative approach.Beskin and (1980) also noted that these relaxation exercises are ineffective for the treatment of chronic anxiety, unless other methods are applied at the same time.Barlow et al. (1984) presented one of the first well-controlled research and could determine the effectiveness of a "package" of treatments combining cognitive processes and methods of hypnosis/relaxation. They compared the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy with the changes observed on patients in the control group.Package treatment of cognitive-behavioral intervention includes the following components: relaxation training, stress immunization training and cognitive procedures.The treatment effects were assessed by multiple measurements: clinical evaluation, various self-assessment tools, daily self-evaluation of anxiety, anxiety questionnaire and psycho-physiological measurements. So it was established the procedures' effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy combined with relaxation.


This article focuses on health care for dependent seniors in relation to chronic illnesses. Expectations about family support for the dependent elderly are related to the role of family caregivers, but care requires support from the public and private sectors. Governments throughout the developed countries are examining their role in the provision of social welfare programs, especially in the public health sector. To recommend home care and family assistance, the context of changing family structures, the type of care needed, and professional follow-up must be taken into account.


Gneissic clasts occur in Carboniferous volcanic vents in the Scottish Midland Valley. Samples from two widely separated areas are closely similar in petrography and are interpreted as fragments of the same gneiss complex. They exhibit mineral assemblages and textures typical of granulite-facies metamorphism. Mineral chemistry is used to suggest that pressure and temperature of metamorphism exceeded 11 kbar and 850°C in part of the complex. The gneisses are geochemically similar to Lewisian granulites in their depletion in K, Rb, and Y. Seismic evidence indicates derivation from a basement now lying 7 to 8 km down which is unconformably overlain by Ordovician and later rocks. This basement complex may have been an area of positive relief in late Precambrian and early Palaeozoic times, and its existence provides an important constraint on plate tectonic models of the Lower Palaeozoic.


The adequate provision of educational materials, not only in analog, but also particularly in digital form, is of central importance in open and distance learning.

Much has been said about the impact of copyright and the intellectual property system on the use of protected material for educational purposes. Much ink has flowed and even more has been expressed orally about the opportunities, challenges and difficulties that digital technologies have posed for authors and creative industries, on the one side, and for the users of their creations, on the other side. The search for workable solutions that balance the needs of those who have interests at stake is a major issue which the international community needs to tackle as a matter of urgency.

An important development in the discussions of WIPO Member States has been the inclusion of the issue of exceptions and limitations to copyright and related rights for the purposes of education, and for the benefit of libraries and disabled persons, in the current agenda of its Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. The aim is to strengthen international understanding on the matter, exploring existing and proposed models of protection, and moving towards agreement regarding these specific exceptions.

An interdisciplinary group of leading experts in this panel will address the most salient aspects of the operation of the copyright system in the area of education, with particular emphasis on Commonwealth countries. They will present the views of the stakeholders and the available options for national governments and legislators


Abstract. Before white-nose syndrome arrives in Nebraska, it is important to document the preexposure distributions of cave bats in the state. We examined the distributions of Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis), Myotis septentrionalis (northern long-eared myotis), and Perimyotis subflavus (tri-colored bat) in eastern Nebraska by setting acoustic detectors for a single night at 105 sites in wooded habitats during summers of 2012 and 2014. We compared 2 methods of determining presence at each site. Results of our analyses are fine-scale distributional maps for these bats and some range extensions from published records. Results for M. septentrionalis and P. subflavus are largely consistent with previous reports. Results for M. lucifugus vary depending on the method of determining presence; however, our preferred method creates a pattern consistent with the known vouchered distribution of this species. The differences between published distributions of these species and distributions based on acoustic detection from our study might result from a lack of extensive netting in many areas of eastern Nebraska, underrepresentation of P. subflavus from mist net surveys in Nebraska, and a recent westward range expansion of P. subflavus and M. septentrionalis in southern Nebraska.


This thesis concerns the estimation and description of curvature for computer vision applications. Different types of multi-dimensional data are considered: images (2D); volumes (3D); time sequences of images (3D); and time sequences of volumes (4D). The methods are based on local Fourier domain models and use local operations such as filtering. A hierarchical approach is used. Firstly, the local orientation is estimated and represented with a vector field equivalent description. Secondly, the local curvature is estimated from the orientation description. The curvature algorithms are closely related to the orientation estimation algorithms and the methods as a whole give a unified approach to the estimation and description of orientation and curvature. In addition, the methodology avoids thresholding and premature decision making. Results on both synthetic and real world data are presented to illustrate the algorithms performance with respect to accuracy and noise insensitivity. Examples illustrating the use of the curvature estimates for tasks such as image enhancement are also included.


Peptides are well known for bio-friendly properties are being designed as the hepatoprotective agents in this research study. After the analysis of all the results using Swiss Dock against different targets, it was observed that particular peptides (Arg-Lys-Pro, Lys-Glu-Leu) were identified as a best lead against the asialoglycoprotein receptor 1, TLR-2 and nulear receptor subfamily 5 group a member 2. Later, when these compounds were subjected to docking against the P-glycoprotein, it was found that Arg-Lys-Pro and Lys-Glu-Leu were having fullfitness energy as -175561.75 kJ/mol (lesser binding energy) and -155255.80 kJ/mol (lesser binding energy). In similarity, the same tripeptides (Arg-Lys-Pro, Lys-Glu-Leu) which are effective against and receptor targets are having very less binding energy with P-gp, indicating P-gp efflux mechanism for these drugs is low and hence they surely may have enhanced bioavailability even if tested in various phases of clinical trials. Hence, these peptides are discovered as one of the leads against their respective target sites, which can be utilised in the liver ailments and further needs investigation in pre-clinical & clinical studies as suitable hepatoprotective agents in near future.


Methods are described for the analysis of electron micrographs of biological objects with helical symmetry and for the production of three-dimensional models of these structures using computer image reconstruction methods. Fourier-based processing of one- and two-dimensionally ordered planar arrays is described by way of introduction, before analysing the special properties of helices and their transforms. Conceiving helical objects as a sum of helical waves (analogous to the sum of planar waves used to describe a planar crystal) is shown to facilitate analysis and enable three-dimensional models to be produced, often from a single view of the object. The corresponding Fourier transform of such a sum of helical waves consists of a sum of Bessel function terms along layer lines. Special problems deriving from the overlapping along layer lines of terms of different Bessel order are discussed, and methods to separate these terms, based on analysing a number of different azimuthal views of the object by least squares, are described. Corrections to alleviate many technical and specimen-related problems are discussed in conjunction with a consideration of the computer methods used to actually process an image. A range of examples of helical objects, including viruses, microtubules, flagella, actin, and myosin filaments, are discussed to illustrate the range of problems that can be addressed by computer reconstruction methods.


Staff scheduling has received increasing attention over the past few years because of its widespread use, economic significance and difficulty of solution. For most organizations, the ability to have the right staff on duty at the right time is a critically important factor when attempting to satisfy their customers' requirements. The purpose of this study is to develop a genetic algorithm (GA) for the retail staff scheduling problem, and investigate its effectiveness. The proposed GA is compared with the conventional, linear integer programming approach. The GA is tested on a set of six real-world problems. Three are tested using a range of population size and mutation rate parameters. Then all six are solved with the best of those parameters. The results are compared to those obtained with the branch-and-bound algorithm. It is shown that GA can produce near-optimal solutions for all of the problems, and for half of them, it is more successful than the branch-and-bound method.


One of the most challenging drilling applications in Vietnam is granitic basement drilling, where the formation is very hard (35-40Kpsi UCS), not drillable with polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters, and high vibration levels are experienced. There are many common issues and risks, but despite the challenges, Thang Long Joint Operating Company planned to drill a 3217m 3D horizontal granite section hitting all three targets: building inclination from 20 degrees to 85.6 degrees, holding the lateral, and turning from 62°to 14.3°azimuth, total depth (TD) at 6280m measured depth (MD).
 A scientific approach using torque and drag modelling, relevant offset data, and an axial oscillation tool (AOT) to prove drilling to TD is achievable within the acceptable cost and time frame was proposed. A torque and drag model was built from the longest extended reach drilling (ERD) basement section drilled in 2014 (Well X, a 2D well, TD at 7300m MD, 3035m basement section) to understand drilling conditions and limitations. The results were applied in the torque and drag model of the subject well (Well Y). Bent motor bottom hole assemblies (BHAs) were then designed and optimized to minimize string buckling. The modelling was run again, and axial oscillation tools were placed in appropriate zones of each BHA.
 The first eight BHAs from the beginning of the granite section at 3063m MD to 5071m MD (completed the horizontal turn at 4313m MD, then held tangent) performed well and stayed close to the planned trajectory. The torque and drag model was continuously updated after each run to predict and prepare the BHA for the next run. From 5071m MD to TD at 6280m MD, optimized bent motor BHAs in combination with two axial oscillation tools were utilized to achieve the directional drilling plan and hit all targets. Two rotary steerable system (RSS) BHAs were used to test an alternative steering solution in granite basement. Both BHAs were unsuccessful in holding the well angle, and repeatedly failed to correct the well path.
 The use of axial oscillation technology provides a solution to drilling the granitic basement in Vietnam, which has proven to save operators time and reduce costs, as well as facilitate a more complex and longer basement section to connect multiple pay zones to be planned in the future.


A characteristic of our rural policies is that we seem to treat farm policy and other rural policy as if agriculture and the rest of the rural economy and society are separate. Literature from each perspective tends to ignore the existence and context of the other. There has been enough change in the rural context, however, to require a different approach to rural policy analysis and formulation. We must start from a comprehensive view of the rural economy, including both the agricultural and nonagricultural rural economies. The paper discusses issues that have changed the rural policy context: the changed rural economic structure, macro forces, farm-nonfarm interdependence, and the political arena. These changing contexts create new opportunities for rural policy formulation. The paper concludes by suggesting that agricultural economists will contribute more to systematic knowledge and policy formulation if they base analysis on the changed objective conditions in rural areas, and utilize more theoretically-based analysis.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of morphine, methadone, hydromorphone or oxymorphone on the thermal threshold in cats, following buccal and intravenous (IV) administration.

STUDY DESIGN
Randomized crossover study.

ANIMALS
Six healthy adult female ovariohysterectomized cats weighing 4.5 ± 0.4 kg.

METHODS
Morphine sulfate (0.2 mg kg-1 IV or 0.5 mg kg-1 buccal), methadone hydrochloride (0.3 mg kg-1 IV or 0.75 mg kg-1 buccal), hydromorphone hydrochloride (0.1 mg kg-1 IV or 0.25 mg kg-1 buccal) or oxymorphone hydrochloride (0.1 mg kg-1 IV or 0.25 mg kg-1 buccal) were administered. All cats were administered all treatments. Skin temperature and thermal threshold were measured in duplicate prior to drug administration, and at various times up to 8 hours after drug administration. The difference between thermal threshold and skin temperature (ΔT) was analyzed.

RESULTS
Administration of methadone and hydromorphone IV resulted in significant increases in ΔT at 40 minutes after drug administration. Buccal administration of methadone resulted in significant increases in thermal threshold, although no significant difference from baseline measurement was detected at any time point. IV administration of morphine and oxymorphone, and buccal administration of morphine, hydromorphone and oxymorphone did not cause significant thermal antinociception.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
At the doses used in this study, IV administration of methadone and hydromorphone, and buccal administration of methadone resulted in transient thermal antinociception. The results of this study do not allow us to predict the usefulness of these drugs for providing analgesia in clinical patients.


Alloys that have a lower bandgap than silicon can extend the infrared response of a silicon cell and hence increase the current generation. One group of materials that are compatible with silicon is Si Ge alloys as silicon is completely miscible with germanium. One problem associated with this method is that, because the introduced material has a lower bandgap, it will therefore also cause the device to suffer a loss in voltage. Most research to date has focused on single-junction bulk devices and shows that the loss in voltage overrides the increase in current except for very low germanium content alloys. This work looks at incorporating these Si Ge alloys into a thin- film multilayer structure where the flexibility offered through controlling the number and location of junctions facilitates the achievement of high collection probabilities even in thin regions of high germanium concentration where the diffusion lengths are extremely short. PC1D (a one-dimensional circuit simulation package) has been used to simulate the effect of incorporating a layer of Si Ge alloy into the multilayer structure. Results show that considerable efficiency enhancement is achieved with this structure, especially for high germanium concentration al- loys. The whole range of germanium concentrations is explored.


The sensorimotor theory of cognition holds that human cognition, along with that of other animals, is determined by sensorimotor structures rather than by uniquely human linguistic structures. The theory has been offered to explain the use of bodily terminology in nonphysical contexts, and to recognize the role of experienced embodiment in cognition. This paper defends a version of the theory which specifies that reasoning makes use of mental models constructed by means of action-planning mechanisms. Evidence is offered from cognitive psychology, the neurosciences, and work in primatology and evolutionary theory. Further scientific and philosophical advantages of the theory are discussed: the theory is more parsimonious than its rival, and it offers better accounts of intrinsic intentionality and consciousness. The paper concludes with observations concerning the role of language in thought.


When studying tax issues in Latin America, along with any regional perspective, individual country differences must be taken into account. Despite this regional diversity, the tax systems of the vast majority of Latin America's countries share certain key characteristics: the composition of their tax structures; the technical, economic, political and administrative constraints they face; current trends in tax policy and administration; and a high estimated level of tax evasion. Today's globalized world calls for the need to align tax policies and administrations with those used in other countries more advanced in the subject. A task not exempt of profound changes, in the process of improving tax administration to eradicate some of the restrictions mentioned above, it is essential to institute tax reforms that promote convergence, among the region's countries, towards a tax structure system that facilitates increased tax collections. The purpose of this paper was to study the evolution and major features of the typical level and structure of the tax burden in the region over the last 20 years, identifying important differences between the countries and highlighting the principal obstacles and constraints that most of the countries have encountered in attempting to increase their tax revenues and modify their tax structures.


The food-aid community almost unanimously condemns policies that encourage crop production for fuel. Both food-aid donors and recipients are concerned that biofuels will increase foodgrain prices and leave donors unable to meet commitments. The effects of biofuel-induced higher cereal prices on food-aid recipients are complicated functions of several factors, each of which must be considered in an analysis of the effects of biofuel policies. These factors include the level of biofuel-induced price increases, changes in relative commodity prices, donor-recipient relationships and the sources from which food aid is procured. This article analyses the effects of biofuel policies on the food-aid supply chain and concludes that the more reliant a recipient is on emergency (vs. programme and project) food aid, the smaller will be biofuel-related decreases in shipments. Also, the larger is the share of maize (relative to wheat and rice) in a recipients' food-aid basket, the more detrimental will be the impact of higher foodgrain prices. Movements toward local and regional food-aid procurement are unlikely to significantly insulate food-aid shipments from biofuel-related price increases.


Background: The world health organization (WHO) estimate that about 536,000 women of reproductive age die each year from pregnancy related complications. In addition in Ethiopia Delivery attended by health professionals was poor where most deliveries occur at home, they are attended by non-professional personals. This situation very well explains the high MMR in Ethiopia.
Method: Community based cross- sectional study was conducted on Women of reproductive age groups who gave birth within 5 years preceding the survey. Study was conducted from March 14 to 23, 2014 in Tahtay-Adiabo district of the North West regional sate of Tigray. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select samples. Data was collected by structured questionnaire and edited and tallied and analyzed for percentage, frequency by dummy table. Cross tabulation was performed on variables to compare & explore relationships. Statistical analysis was made by chi square.
Result: The prevalence of institutional delivery service utilization was 16.22%. The majority of the mothers 83.78% were giving birth at home. Among 83.78% clients, who gave birth at home 42.74% of them were attended by trained traditional birth attendants and so no need to go to health institution, 28.22% of them stated their reason for home delivery as sudden onset of labor, 4.84% of them as had no previous history of difficulty in birth and 24.19% as lack of transport. Mother's preference, always passing through normal labor and Economical problem were some of the reasons mothers reported not to give birth in health institution.
Conclusion: Presence of trained birth attendants at home, sudden onset of labour, no previous history of difficult labour, lack of transport are associated with low prevalence of institutional delivery service utilization.


When the Coalition Government came to power in the UK in 2010, David Cameron announced the Big Society initiative claiming it to be a "serious reform agenda to take power away from politicians and give it to people' (cited in Slocock, 2013: 6). An independent audit conducted in 2013 found that the Big Society was "failing to live up to its own rhetoric in key areas", but that it is nonetheless inspiring: "not only has it spawned many new initiatives with real impact on the ground, many people...are also continuing to turn to civil society as a positive force for social change" (2013: 6). One example of such a civil society initiative is a local community group called One Good Turn, which set up in Huddersfield during 2010. The group initially operated through a number of Facebook sites, where members listed the things they no longer required and those in need put their names forward to receive the items on a first come-first-served basis. Sophia Crawshaw took over the running of the sites in the summer of 2011, and in an article published in the local newspaper six months later, she explained that the group was set up "as everyone is struggling right now during the recession and even charity shops are becoming expensive." The Facebook sites have a varied membership from teenagers to pensioners; "lots of young mums and first home buyers" and Sophia enthused that "it's so lovely to see people giving things away to help others – it's seeing the best side of human nature and kindness..." (Huddersfield Examiner, 2012). Within a short period of time under the stewardship and kind-heartedness of Sophia, One Good Turn became a registered charity, which now liaises "closely with other Kirklees Council Agencies and several other local charities to help as many people as possible" who are in need within Huddersfield and its surrounds (www.onegoodturncharity.org.uk ).


ABSTRACT Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas' disease, promotes neuron survival through receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glial cell-derived family ligand receptors (GFRα). However, these receptors are expressed by only a subset of neurons and at low levels or not at all in glial cells. Thus, T. cruzi might exploit an additional neurotrophic receptor(s) to maximize host-parasite equilibrium in the nervous system. We show here that T. cruzi binds TrkC, a neurotrophic receptor expressed by glial cells and many types of neurons, and that the binding is specifically inhibited by neurotrophin-3, the natural TrkC ligand. Coimmunoprecipitation and competition assays show that the trans-sialidase/parasite-derived neurotrophic factor (PDNF), previously identified as a TrkA ligand, mediates the T. cruzi-TrkC interaction. PDNF promotes TrkC-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, neurite outgrowth, and survival of genetically engineered PC12 neuronal cells and glial Schwann cells in a TrkC-dependent manner. Thus, TrkC is a new neurotrophic receptor that T. cruzi engages to promote the survival of neuronal and glial cells. The results raise the possibility that T. cruzi recognition of TrkC underlies regenerative events in nervous tissues of patients with Chagas' disease.


The central goal of the present exploratory study was to investigate the nature of the content-related interactions in study groups independently organized by college organic chemistry students. We were particularly interested in the identification of the different factors that affected the emergence of opportunities for students to co-construct understanding and engage in higher levels of cognitive processing. Our results are based on the analysis of in situ observations of 34 self-initiated study sessions involving over a 100 students in three academic semesters. The investigation revealed three major types of social regulation processes, teaching, tutoring, and co-construction in the observed study sessions. However, the extent to which students engaged in each of them varied widely from one session to another. This variability was mostly determined by the specific composition of the study groups and the nature of the study tasks in which they were engaged. Decisions about how to organize the study session, the relative content knowledge and conceptual understanding expressed by the participants, as well as the cognitive level of the problems that guided group work had a strong impact on the nature of student interactions. Nevertheless, group talk in the observed study groups was mostly focused on low-level cognitive processes. The results of our work provide insights on how to better support students' productive engagement in study groups.


We are more than Pleased to Present You With the fourth issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research . This issue covers 1 review article ,6 original research articles and Clinical case report-based studies. The review article discusses the the distinctive pattern of abdominal obesity with an increased cardio vascular disease risk in South Asians read more.


Consumption of strawberry has gone up worldwide due to its proven health benefits. Strawberry growers are using synthetic fertilizers and pest management products to maximize yield. This situation posed a risk by affecting sustainability of strawberry production and tainting reputation of a healthy fruit by placing it in the list of dirty dozen due to pesticide residues on fruit. Alternative approaches for increasing yield and pest management of strawberry to minimize environmental and health hazards are possible. Recent studies on alternative natural products (e.g., chitosan) and beneficial microbes (e.g., Bacillus, Paraburkholderia , etc.) indicated that growth, yield, and fruit quality enhancement are supported by these products and may help in sustainable strawberry production. This chapter reviews and updates our knowledge on the health benefit of strawberry and research findings on the use of natural products and probiotic bacteria for yield and quality improvement in strawberry.


Retina Macula Institute, Torrance, CA, USA Purpose: To evaluate epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal utilizing internal limiting membrane (ILM) forceps and visualization with triamcinolone acetonide (TA). Methods: Retrospective interventional case series of eyes undergoing ERM removal with TA visualization with follow-up of up to five years. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and incidence of complications were reviewed. Results: A total of 132 eyes were included with 54 and 16 eyes completing 3and 5-year follow-up, respectively. Mean BCVA and CMT improved significantly at all postoperative evaluations compared to baseline (p<0.001). Pre-operative presence of PVD did not affect outcome measures. No intraoperative complications were reported. Immediate post-operative complications included one case of sterile endophthalmitis and one case of vitreous and perimacular hemorrhage. At one year, complications included progression of cataract in phakic eyes (65.4%), steroid-induced glaucoma (2.2%), retinal tear (0.8%), recurrent ERM (4.5%), and recurrent macular edema (11.3%). No further complications were reported at threeand five-year follow-up. Conclusion: Combination ILM forceps and TA visualization offers an affordable and safe option for ERM removal with comparable or better outcomes than traditional methods of ERM surgery.


Low cost short wavelength infrared (SWIR) photovoltaic (PV) detectors and solar cells are of very great interest, yet the main production technology today is based on costly epitaxial growth of InGaAs layers. In this study, layers of p-type, quantum confined (QC) PbS nano-domains (NDs) structure that were engineered to absorb SWIR light at 1550 nm (Eg = 0.8 eV) were fabricated from solution using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The layers were grown on top of two different n-type CdS intermediate layers (Eg = 2.4 eV) using two different CBD protocols on fluoride tin oxide (FTO) substrates. Two types of CdS/PbS heterojunction were obtained to serve as SWIR PV detectors. The two resulting devices showed similar photoluminescence behavior, but a profoundly different electrical response to SWIR illumination. One type of CdS/PbS heterojunction exhibited a PV response to SWIR light, while the other demonstrated a photo-response to SWIR light only under an applied bias. To clarify this intriguing phenomenon, and since the only difference between the two heterojunctions could be the doping level of the CdS layer, we measured the doping level of this layer by means of the surface photo voltage (SPV). This yielded different polarizations for the two devices, indicating different doping levels of the CdS for the two different fabrication protocols, which was also confirmed by Hall Effect measurements. We performed current voltage measurements under super bandgap illumination, with respect to CdS, and got an electrical response indicating a barrier free for holes transfer from the CdS to the PbS. The results indicate that the different response does, indeed, originate from variations in the band structures at the interface of the CdS/PbS heterojunction due to the different doping levels of the CdS. We found that, unlike solar cells or visible light detectors having similar structure, in SWIR photodetectors, a type I heterojunction is formed having a barrier at the interface that limits the injection of the photo-exited electrons from the QC-PbS to the CdS side. Higher n-doped CdS generates a narrow depletion region on the CdS side, with a spike like barrier that is narrow enough to enable tunneling current, leading to a PV current. Our results show that an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of ∼2% and an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of ∼20% can be obtained, at zero bias, for CBD grown SWIR sensitive CdS/PbS-NDs heterojunctions.


Problem statement: Transformational leadership is one of the modern ideas in the field of organizational leadership. On the other hand the ability to communicate with employees and understand the cultural differences between them in a multicultural environment is One of the key skills that managers need to them in the nowadays organizations. These skills are introducedas cultural intelligence in organizations that are ability to respond to many challenges in multicultural environments. Approach: This article was aimed to analysis the relationship between cultural intelligence and transformational leadership.in order to collecting data the questionnaire had been used. These questioners were distributed between 152 managers at the trade office in the city of Qom. in order to analyzing data and concluding results, SPSS and Amos graphics used and then one sample Kolmogorov-smirnov and Pearson correlation used. Also our research was based on structural equation model. Results: The result indicated that there was positive significant relationship between cultural intelligence with transformational leadership (0/99). Also there was positive significant relationship between each dimension of cultural intelligence with transformational leadership. Conclusion/Recommendations: The findings show that cultural intelligence is a basic factor in transformational leadership and confirming the main hypothesis of this study also represents the existence of a positive and meaningful relation between cultural intelligence and transformational leadership. Furthermore, the results show that the teams which have a high variety and a high possibility of creating opposition, having cultural intelligence could be effective in the managers' trend to use transformational leadership method.


The aging human population with age-associated diseases has become a problem worldwide. By 2050, the global population of those who are aged 65 years and older will have tripled. In this context, delaying age-associated diseases and increasing the healthy lifespan of the aged population has become an important issue for geriatric medicine. CDGSH iron-sulfur domain 2 (CISD2), the causative gene for Wolfram syndrome 2 (WFS2; MIM 604928), plays a pivotal role in mediating lifespan and healthspan by maintaining mitochondrial function, endoplasmic reticulum integrity, intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis, and redox status. Here, we summarize the most up-to-date publications on CISD2 and discuss the crucial role that this gene plays in aging and age-associated diseases. This review mainly focuses on the following topics: (1) CISD2 is one of the few pro-longevity genes identified in mammals. Genetic evidence from loss-of-function (knockout mice) and gain-of-function (transgenic mice) studies have demonstrated that CISD2 is essential to lifespan control. (2) CISD2 alleviates age-associated disorders. A higher level of CISD2 during natural aging, when achieved by transgenic overexpression, improves Alzheimer's disease, ameliorates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis, and maintains corneal epithelial homeostasis. (3) CISD2, the expression of which otherwise decreases during natural aging, can be pharmaceutically activated at a late-life stage of aged mice. As a proof-of-concept, we have provided evidence that hesperetin is a promising CISD2 activator that is able to enhance CISD2 expression, thus slowing down aging and promoting longevity. (4) The anti-aging effect of hesperetin is mainly dependent on CISD2 because transcriptomic analysis of the skeletal muscle reveals that most of the differentially expressed genes linked to hesperetin are regulated by hesperetin in a CISD2-dependent manner. Furthermore, three major metabolic pathways that are affected by hesperetin have been identified in skeletal muscle, namely lipid metabolism, protein homeostasis, and nitrogen and amino acid metabolism. This review highlights the urgent need for CISD2-based pharmaceutical development to be used as a potential therapeutic strategy for aging and age-associated diseases.


Aims: Thanks to advances in osseointegration, oral rehabilitation
specialists have had the option of using implants to improve retention
and stability in treatments with complete dentures. This study compared
the masticatory muscle electromyographic activity in implant-supported
overdenture wearers, complete denture wearers and dentate individuals.
The electromyographic activity of the right and left masseter muscles,
and the right and left anterior temporalis muscles was analyzed in 10
implant-supported overdenture wearers (Group 1), 10 conventional
complete denture wearers (Group 2), and 10 dentate individuals (Group
3), with mean age of 65 years, at rest and during postural position
maintenance. The analysis was performed using the MyoSystem-Br1
electromyographer with differential active electrodes. Analysis of
variance tests were carried out to compare the groups and muscles and
revealed different electromyographic values that were statistically
significant at 1% significance level. Duncan s pos-hoc test showed
that Group 3 presented the smallest values (pd 0.01). The
electromyographic contraction pattern was similar between Groups 1 and
3 (p>0.01), and hyperactivity of anterior temporalis muscles was
observed in Group 2 (pd 0.01). Conclusions: dentate individuals
had smaller electromyographic values of masticatory muscles and the
overdenture use caused electromyographic contraction patterns similar
to those of dentate individuals in both positions.


Pan-sharpening is a fundamental task of remote sensing, aiming to produce a synthetic image having high spatial and spectral resolution of original panchromatic and multispectral images. In recent years, as in other tasks of the remote sensing field, deep learning based approaches have been developed for this task. In this research, a detailed comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the performance and visual quality of pan-sharpening results from traditional algorithms and deep learning-based models. For this purpose, the deep learning based methods that are CNN based pan-sharpening (PNN), Multiscale and multi-depth convolutional neural networks (MSDCNN) and Pan-sharpened Generative Adversarial Networks (PSGAN) and traditional methods that are Brovey, PCA, HIS, Indusion and PRACS were applied. Analysis was performed on regions with different land cover characteristics to evaluate the stability of the methods. In addition, effects of the filter size, spectral indices, activation and loss functions on the pan-sharpening were investigated. For the accuracy assessment, commonly used with-reference and withoutreference quality metrics were computed in addition to visual quality evaluations. According to results, the deep learning-based methods provided promising results in both the reduced resolution and full resolution experiments, while PRACS method outperformed other traditional algorithms in most of the experimental configurations.


Yersinia spp. is currently an antibiotic resistance concern and a re-emerging disease. The essential virulence factor Yersinia protein kinase A (YpkA) contains a Ser/Thr kinase domain whose activity modulates pathogenicity. Here, we present an approach integrating a machine learning method, homology modeling, and multiple conformational high-throughput docking for the discovery of YpkA inhibitors. These first reported inhibitors of YpkA may facilitate studies of the pathogenic mechanism of YpkA and serve as a starting point for development of anti-plague drugs.


The study evaluates the possibility of using polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) in the form of mucoadhesive matrix tablets to achieve a prolonged drug release profile of Pentoxifylline suitable for peroral administration. PECs were formed by different ratios and combination of polymers (chitosan–alginate, chitosan-carbopol and chitosan– carrageenan) and were dried by lyophilisation. Characterization was performed by Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies. The tablets were formulated by direct compression method. The influence of polymer ratio on drug release was studied by swelling index and dissolution studies and ex-vivo studies gave the bioadhesive strength. The formulation were subjected to accelerated stability testing as per ICH guidelines. The release data were examined kinetically. All the lyophilized PECs had some degree of prolonged release properties. The chitosan-carbopol complex matrices CC4 and CC3 were the best candidates compared to the other systems in prolonging the drug release profile of Pentoxifylline.


To differentiate between the effects of volatility trading and direction trading on an option market, this study decomposes net buying pressure of options into volatility‐motivated demand and direction‐motivated demand and examines their information content accordingly. With the two proposed measures, we find that changes in implied volatility of TAIEX OTM put options are driven by both volatility trading and directional trading over the sample period before the onset of the 2011 U.S. debt‐ceiling crisis, though the volatility trading effect is less than the directional trading effect. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 37:238–259, 2017


Subnational governments in several countries struggled to borrow on credit markets during and after the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. Canadian municipalities were not immune. They, like many governments, were unable to borrow for a brief period after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy of 2008. But municipal credit conditions improved markedly after the peak of the crisis. Interest rates plunged, demand for long-term bonds increased, and the investor base expanded. Municipal borrowers did not, however, fare as well as the federal and provincial governments, which saw even sharper declines in interest rates. This paper seeks to explain these developments. It links municipal success to factors underpinning low interest rates and stellar municipal creditworthiness, and attributes the superior conditions of federal and provincial borrowers to volatility in global financial markets and patterns of foreign investment in Canada's government bond markets. The analysis reveals the resilience of Canada's municipal borrowers in the face of global credit shocks and the virtues of Canada's tightly regulated system of municipal borrowing.


We present the design and implementation of Your Body of Water, a display that wirelessly gathers heart rate data using a 3D camera and then visualizes the viewer's heart rate as water. As heart rate goes up the water gets livelier (with larger and faster waves) and as heart rate goes down the water gets calmer. The purpose of the display is to use aesthetic biofeedback data to help participants reflect on their felt bodily experience. The device went through system critique using somaesthetic appreciation design heuristics, and we describe the design themes that arose from those critiques.


The connected foundation is an effective structural type of foundation that can improve the sustainability of electrical transmission towers in soft soils to serve as a resilient energy supply system. In this study, the performance of electrical transmission towers reinforced with connected beams was investigated using a series of field load tests. Model transmission tower structures were manufactured and adopted into the tests. Based on the load capacity mobilization and failure mechanism, a criterion to define the load carrying capacity for connected foundation was proposed. It was found that the performance of connected foundation varies with the mechanical property of connection beam. The load capacity and differential settlement increased and decreased, respectively, with increasing connection beam stiffness. Such effect of connection beam was more pronounced as the height of load application point or tower height (zh) increases. Based on the load test results, a design model was proposed that can be used to evaluate the sustainable performance and load carrying capacity of connected foundations. Field load tests with prototype transmission tower structure models were conducted to check and confirm the performance of connected foundation and the proposed design method.


Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non-Langerhans cell form of histiocytosis that can affect the central nervous system. ECD predominantly affects adults, and only a few pediatric cases have been reported. The co-occurrence of ECD and Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is exceedingly rare. An 11-year-old boy, who was diagnosed with LCH 7 years previously, presented with multiple giant intracranial lesions. At the time of his initial diagnosis, only one intracranial lesion was observed, and it began to enlarge. Currently, up to 7 intracranial lesions can be observed in this patient. However, the diagnosis of ECD was not confirmed until this most recent open resection. The BRAF V600E mutation was detected in both LCH and ECD lesions. Dabrafenib therapy exhibited dramatic efficacy in this pediatric patient. This case represents the first successful application of dabrafenib in a pediatric patient with intracranial ECD lesions as well as mixed ECD and LCH. In this article, the authors describe the intricate diagnosis and treatment processes in this patient. Recent studies regarding treatment with BRAF inhibitors for neurological involvement in mixed ECD and LCH are also reviewed.


The purpose of this study was to examine the academic performance and competence of children and Youth, both in primary and Secondary schools living with disabilities in Tanzania, specifically in Temeke District in Dar es Salaam region.
Both purposive and stratified sampling techniques were employed to obtain sample respondents. The method used in collecting data was interviews which had both structured and semi – structured questions, Focus Group Discussions and observations. Three hundred and twenty six 326 respondents were involved. Among whom sixty seven (67) were teachers and two hundred and fifty nine (259) were pupils and students of whom one hundred and sixteen (116) were secondary three (143) were primary pupils all living with disabilities
The findings revealed that the academic performance and competences of children living with disabilities are relatively heterogenous due to the types, categories and degrees of impairment, environment, resources, subjects and interests of individuals and society's perception. It was found out that, there is a need for recognizing challenges they face in order to assist and facilitate them in improving their learning processes and raise their academic performance and competences.
Finally, the area for further research is recommended particularly for identification of children living with disabilities and their particularized needs, training to educators, allocation of financial and human resources .The prevalent problem should be national issues to be resolved efficiently and sustainably.