Export of photosynthetically produced organic matter, from the sunlit to the dark ocean, in the form of sinking particles represents the major mechanism of the biological carbon pump that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Most of the organic matter bound in sinking particles undergoes microbial remineralisation while traversing the water column, thereby causing CO2 and inorganic nutrients to be released. Increasing evidence indicates that most remineralisation does not occur directly on sinking particles, but rather on suspended particles and dissolved organic matter resulting from their disaggregation and solubilisation. Most particulate organic carbon in the mesopelagic ocean is bound to suspended particles, which represent a major substrate for heterotrophic organisms. Despite their crucial importance, suspended particles and their associated microbial communities have been largely overlooked in favour to sinking particles. This thesis presents the first comparison of diversity and functionalities between microbial communities associated with suspended and sinking particles. Using amplicon sequencing of small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes on particles collected with a marine snow catcher deployed in the Southern Ocean, this thesis demonstrates that prokaryotic communities associated with suspended and sinking particles differ significantly. Particle-associated remineralising bacteria showed a clear preference for either particle-type likely relating to differential organic matter composition. Suspended particles from the upper-mesopelagic were predominately composed of prymnesiophytes and soft-tissue animals, while more efficient carbon export from diatoms was indicated by their prevalence in sinking particles. Eukaryotic sequences associated with suspended and sinking particles were largely dominated by heterotrophic protists, highlighting their major contribution to particulate organic matter remineralisation in the upper-mesopelagic. Finally, remineralisation activities, as well as nitrogen and sulphur cycling, were investigated by comparing metatranscriptomes of various particle-types collected in the North Atlantic. Free-living, small sinking and small suspended particle-associated microbes appeared most active in the remineralisation of simple organic compounds, while large suspended particles acted as the main venue of complex organic matter remineralisation. Additionally, actively expressed genes related to anaerobic processes in small particles corroborate recent postulations that marine particles may serve as oxygen-deficient microniches, and hence, may be key to redox cycling of elements in the ocean. Overall, this dissertation highlights differences between suspended and sinking particles as well as their potential biogeochemical implications in the ocean and provides further insights into constraints shaping the oceanic biological carbon pump.


A large-scale numeracy research project was commissioned by the Australian Government, involving 4732 Australian students from 91 NSW primary schools. Rasch analysis was applied in the construction of a Numeracy Achievement Scale (NAS) in order to measure numeracy growth. Following trialling, a pool of 244 items was developed to assess number, space and measurement concepts. Link items were included in test forms within year levels and across adjacent year levels to enable linking of the forms and the construction of a scale spanning Kindergarten to Year 6 (5 to 13 years of age). However, results from the scaling were not consistent with expectations of increases in student abilities or item difficulties across year levels. Differential item functioning determined the problematic role of link items across year levels. After a different set of items was used for linking test forms, the results were consistent with expectations. A key finding was that items used to link forms must not exhibit differential item functioning across those levels.


This paper studies a problem of learning surface mesh via implicit functions in an emerging field of deep learning surface reconstruction, where implicit functions are popularly implemented as multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) with rectified linear units (ReLU). To achieve meshing from learned implicit functions, existing methods adopt the de-facto standard algorithm of marching cubes; while promising, they suffer from loss of precision learned in the MLPs, due to the discretization nature of marching cubes. Motivated by the knowledge that a ReLU based MLP partitions its input space into a number of linear regions, we identify from these regions analytic cells and analytic faces that are associated with zero-level isosurface of the implicit function, and characterize the theoretical conditions under which the identified analytic faces are guaranteed to connect and form a closed, piecewise planar surface. Based on our theorem, we propose a naturally parallelizable algorithm of analytic marching, which marches among analytic cells to exactly recover the mesh captured by a learned MLP. Experiments on deep learning mesh reconstruction verify the advantages of our algorithm over existing ones.


Abstract Wildlife managers often resort to prescribed fire to restore sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems thought to have been affected by fire exclusion. However, a fire mosaic of burned and unburned areas may be tolerated by certain wildlife but can be detrimental to sagebrush obligates. This article assesses evidence about the historical frequency and pattern of fire in sagebrush ecosystems and the need for prescribed fire. Fire-scar data from nearby forests require adjustment to estimate fire rotation, the time required to burn once through a sagebrush landscape. Estimates from forests require correction for unburned area and because sagebrush burns less often than forests. Recovery time also might indicate fire rotation. Mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) recovers within about 35–100 or more years after fire, and Wyoming big sagebrush (A. t. ssp. wyomingensis) requires 50–120 or more years. Fire rotation in other ecosystems is 2 or more times the recovery period. Together, the evidence suggests fire rotations may be a minimum of 325–450 years in low sagebrush (A. arbuscula), 100–240 years in Wyoming big sagebrush, 70–200 years or more in mountain big sagebrush, and 35–100 years in mountain grasslands with a little sagebrush. Given these long rotations, fire exclusion likely has had little effect in most sagebrush areas. If maintaining and restoring habitat for sagebrush-dependent species is the goal, fire should be suppressed where there is a threat of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Elsewhere, fire does not need to be reintroduced until native understory plants can be restored, so that sagebrush ecosystems can fully recover from fire. (WILDLIFE SOCIETY BULLETIN 34(1):177–185; 2006)


The present investigation was carried out to investigate the clinicopathology of aspergillosis in broiler chicken at Kamrup district of Assam. The disease was diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs, gross & microscopic lesions and isolation of the fungus. Gross lesions were characterized by presence of whiteyellowish caseous nodules in the lung, airsacs, heart, thorasic wall and abdominal serosa. Microscopically focal granulomatous reaction was observed in the lungs which were characterized by central necrotic area with infiltration of heterophils, macrophages, epithelioid cells and formation of giant cell. Invasion of fungal hyphae at the peribronchiolar and interstitial tissue and haemorrhages were noticed. On the 4 day post incubation, appearance of velvety, bluish green colonies were observed on the SDA plates. Therapeutic treatment with copper sulphate orally and replacement of the litter responded rapidly with decreased mortality.


Objectives: The objective of present research work is to develop simple, rapid and accurate high performance thin layer chromatographic method for quantitative estimation of silymarin in marketed hepatoprotective formulation. Methods: The separation was performed on silica gel 60 F254 precoated TLC aluminum plates and toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid: methanol as mobile phase. Determination and quantitation were performed by densitometric scanning at 288 nm. Validation of method is carried out as per International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. Results: Accuracy, precision and recovery were all within the required limits. Conclusion: In conclusion, the developed HPTLC method is precise and accurate for implementation in routine quality control. The selected marketed hepatoprotective formulation contains the sufficient amount of the active ingredient which is required for its therapeutic efficiency.


Holographic gratings are recorded in photorefractive near-stoichiometric iron-doped lithium niobate crystals in the presence of an external electric field close to the coercive field of the material. The holograms are erased by homogeneous illumination. Subsequent application of an external field well above the coercive field reveals the holographic grating partly and transiently. The diffraction efficiency of the revealed grating increases for longer recording times and for larger grating period lengths. All results can be understood by a process known as electrical fixing: During recording the space-charge pattern is transferred to a pattern of ferroelectric domains.


The constrained stress-induced ε reverse martensitic transformation characteristic of Fe-17Mn-5Si-10Cr-5Ni shape memory alloy wire embedded in cement matrix was studied by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and metallographical. The results show that the finish temperature (Af) of the constrained reverse transformation of Fe-17Mn-5Si-10Cr-5Ni shape memory alloy in cement matrix, compared with the unconstrained alloy, is elevated. With increasing the pre-strain, the Af is higher, and reverse transformation temperature zone is broadened. The main result which causes martensitic reverse transformation harder is that Fe-Mn-Si alloy deformation coordination is limited by cement matrix constrained.


This paper addresses some of the likely challenges that the DOJ would face should it seek to terminate the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees.
In Part I, we provide some background on ASCAP and BMI, the consent decrees, and market structure. In Part II, we discuss how these two decrees have become an important part of the legal scaffolding for licensing music over the past 70 years.
Given the important role the decrees have played in mitigating the antitrust risks from ASCAP and BMI while promoting the efficiencies from collective licensing, Part III examines the legal standard the federal court would likely apply in determining whether to terminate the decrees. One problem is that if the ASCAP and BMI consent decrees were terminated, the duopoly would remain, and licensees and consumers would bear the risk of unduly restrictive anticompetitive practices. A second problem is the difficulties the DOJ would likely face in convincing the court that terminating the decrees would benefit the public, given that it reached the opposite conclusion a couple of years ago. Moreover, the concerns the DOJ heard during its review process from licensees, such as Netflix, Pandora, and religious broadcasters, would undercut the argument that the public would somehow benefit from the decrees' termination.
Part IV examines the interplay between competition and regulation. One assumption is that an antitrust agency's mission to promote competition is in tension with prescriptive government regulation. This is certainly true at times. But at other times, particularly in markets with high transaction costs and dominant players, regulation may be needed to promote competition. So this Part explores how behavioral regulatory decrees, like ones in ASCAP, BMI, and other notable antitrust cases, can actually promote, rather than undermine, competition.
If terminating the decrees will harm, rather than help, competition and consumers, what are the alternatives? Part V offers three potential paths going forward.


The current study evaluated whether goal-setting practices that account for seasonal developmental patterns of reading growth decreased the number of weeks data needed to be collected in order to yield accurate response to intervention decisions for a sample of 224 third-grade students. The extent to which more complex decision-making practices improve upon the accuracy of current frameworks across periods of 4 to 8 weeks was also explored. Spring proficiency status on a curriculum-based measurement of reading assessment was used as the reference for classification accuracy. Using a goal line based upon fall to winter grade-level benchmarks tended to produce higher levels of accuracy, kappa, and sensitivity than goal lines based upon fall to spring benchmarks. Collectively, the observed results highlight the potential benefit of establishing seasonal goal lines and suggest that relatively simplistic and accessible approaches to decision-making may result in similar decisions when compared with analytically complex approaches.


The atomic structure of recently synthesized thiolate-protected Au76 cluster is theoretically predicted via a simple structural rule summarized from the crystal structures of thiolate-protected Au44(SR)28, Au36(SR)24, and Au52(SR)32 clusters. We find that Au76(SR)44 (N = 7) and recently reported Au52(SR)32 (N = 4), Au44(SR)28 (N = 3), Au36(SR)24 (N = 2), and Au28(SR)20 (N = 1) belong to a family of homologous Au20+8N(SR)16+4N clusters whose Au cores follow a one-dimensional polytetrahedral growth pathway. The Au76(SR)44 cluster is predicted to contain an anisotropic face-centered-cubic (fcc) Au core, which can be viewed as combination of two helical tetrahedra Au4 chains and is remarkably different from the well-known spherical Au core in ligand-protected gold clusters in the size region of 1–2 nm. The intense near-infrared (NIR) absorption of Au76(SR)44 is attributed to the synergistic effect of anisotropic Au core structure and ligand protections. A plausible cluster-to-cluster transformation mechanism ...


An approach is presented to learning high dimensional functions in the case where the learning algorithm can affect the generation of new data. A local modeling algorithm, locally weighted regression, is used to represent the learned function. Architectural parameters of the approach, such as distance metrics, are also localized and become a function of the query point instead of being global. Statistical tests are given for when a local model is good enough and sampling should be moved to a new area. Our methods explicitly deal with the case where prediction accuracy requirements exist during exploration: By gradually shifting a "center of exploration" and controlling the speed of the shift with local prediction accuracy, a goal-directed exploration of state space takes place along the fringes of the current data support until the task goal is achieved. We illustrate this approach with simulation results and results from a real robot learning a complex juggling task.


Abstract. Among the meteorological disasters, heavy rainfalls cause the second largest
damage in Korea, following typhoons. To manage the potential disasters
due to heavy rainfalls, understanding the observational characteristics of
precipitation is of utmost importance. In this study, we investigate the
spatial and temporal characteristics of warm-season precipitation in Korea,
according to the precipitation types, by conducting the geostatistical
analyses such as an autocorrelogram, Moran's I and general G on the
composite (radar + station) precipitation data. The e-folding distance
of precipitation ranges from 15 to 35 km, depending on the spatial
distribution, rather than intensity, of precipitation, whereas the
e-folding time ranges from 1 to 2 h. The directional analyses revealed
that the warm-season precipitation systems in Korea, especially those with
a high precipitation amount, have high spatial autocorrelations in the
southwest–northeast and west–east directions, in association with the
frontal rainfalls, convection bands, etc. Furthermore, the cluster versus
dispersion patterns and the hot versus cold spots are analyzed through
Moran's I and general G, respectively. Water vapor, represented by the
brightness temperature, from three Himawari-8 water vapor bands also shows
similar characteristics with precipitation but with strong spatial
correlation over a much longer distance (∼ 100 km), possibly due to the
continuity of water vapor. We found that, under the e-folding-based
standard, the current observation network of Korea is sufficient to capture
the characteristics of most precipitation systems; however, under a strict
standard (e.g., autocorrelation of 0.6), a higher-resolution observation
network is essentially required – especially in local areas with frequent
heavy rainfalls – depending on the directional features of precipitation
systems. Establishing such an observation network based on the
characteristics of precipitation enables us to improve
monitoring, tracking, and prediction skills of high-impact weather phenomena as
well as to enhance the utilization of numerical weather prediction.


We present the R package bild for the parametric and graphical analysis of binary longitudinal data. The package performs logistic regression for binary longitudinal data, allowing for serial dependence among observations from a given individual and a random intercept term. Estimation is via maximization of the exact likelihood of a suitably defined model. Missing values and unbalanced data are allowed, with some restrictions. The code of bild is written partly in R language, partly in Fortran 77, interfaced through R. The package is built following the S4 formulation of R methods.


The integration of gender concerns in crop breeding programs aims to improve the suitability and appeal of new varieties to both women and men, in response to concerns about unequal adoption of improved seed. However, few conventional breeding programs have sought to center social inclusion concerns. This community case study documents efforts to integrate gender into the maize-focused Seed Production Technology for Africa (SPTA) project using innovation history analysis drawing on project documents and the authors' experiences. These efforts included deliberate exploration of potential gendered impacts of project technologies and innovations in the project's approach to variety evaluation, culminating in the use of decentralized on-farm trials using the tricot approach. Through this case study, we illustrate the power of active and respectful collaborations between breeders and social scientists, spurred by donor mandates to address gender and social inclusion. Gender integration in this case was further facilitated by open-minded project leaders and allocation of funding for gender research. SPTA proved to be fertile ground for experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration around gender and maize breeding, and has provided proof of concept for larger breeding projects seeking to integrate gender considerations.


Abstract Epigenetic inheritance has been suggested to contribute to adaptation via two distinct pathways. Either, stable epigenetic marks emerge as epimutations and are targets of natural selection via the phenotype, analogous to adaptation from DNA sequence-based variation. Alternatively, epigenetic marks are inducible by environmental cues, possibly representing one mechanism of transgenerational phenotypic plasticity. We investigated whether both postulated pathways are detectable in nature and sequenced methylomes and genomes of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) across a natural salinity gradient in a space-for-time approach. Consistent with local adaptation patterns, stickleback populations showed differentially methylated CpG sites (pop-DMS) at genes enriched for osmoregulatory processes. In a two-generation salinity acclimation experiment with fish from the mid salinity, we found the majority (62%) of pop-DMS to be insensitive to experimental salinity change, suggesting that they were shaped by selection and facilitate local salinity adaptation. Among the experimentally inducible DMS, two-thirds increased in similarity to anticipated adaptive patterns in wild populations under exposure to the novel salinity. This study demonstrates the presence of two types of methylation marks, inducible and stable, that contribute to adaptive transgenerational plasticity and local adaptation in natural populations.


Abstract. The successful modelling of the observed precipitation, a very important variable for a wide range of climate applications, continues to be one of the major challenges that climate scientists face today. When the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to dynamically downscale the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) over the Indo-Pacific region, with analysis (grid-point) nudging, it is found that the cumulus scheme used, Betts–Miller–Janjic (BMJ), produces excessive rainfall suggesting that it has to be modified for this region. Experimentation has shown that the cumulus precipitation is not very sensitive to changes in the cloud efficiency but varies greatly in response to modifications of the temperature and humidity reference profiles. A new version of the scheme, denoted "modified BMJ" scheme, where the humidity reference profile is more moist, was developed. In tropical belt simulations it was found to give a better estimate of the observed precipitation as given by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 data set than the default BMJ scheme for the whole tropics and both monsoon seasons. In fact, in some regions the model even outperforms CFSR. The advantage of modifying the BMJ scheme to produce better rainfall estimates lies in the final dynamical consistency of the rainfall with other dynamical and thermodynamical variables of the atmosphere.


The aim of this study was to examine the opinions of farmers on a consulting project, which was established for organic dairy farms in Northern Germany involving different animal health experts who participated in the meetings. Furthermore, the properties of measures that are of decisive importance for implementation on the farms were identified to improve consultancy services for dairy farming. Once a year, the farmers met on a host-farm in one of three groups consisting of five to nine farms, a facilitator and an expert. At each meeting, a host-farm was visited and the analysed data of all participating farms of the previous year were presented to the group members. Each farmer had the possibility to report on success stories and issues concerning his herd. During discussions, the farmers first proposed mutual farm-specific measures for improving herd health and animal welfare. Afterwards, the expert named possible interventions and commented on the given measures of the farmers. All measures were noted by the facilitator. At the end of each meeting, each farmer could choose which of the given measures he wanted to implement. Open group-interviews as well as anonymous questionnaires for the farmers were used at the meetings in winter 2016/2017 to evaluate their perception of this consulting project and to determine which properties of measures were important for implementation on the farms. Based on the results of this study, the participating farmers were very positive towards this kind of consulting project. They favoured the participation of an expert during the meetings and the analysis of farm specific data. Farmers mostly chose measures for implementation proposed by farmers and approved by the expert, followed by those proposed by the expert only. Measures were chosen when they were practical in the implementation, effective, efficient and took a low additional workload for implementation.


The authors proposed and tested a model of fable comprehension and appreciation. They proposed that fables are metaphoric in that they teach moral lessons about human activity, and that apprehension of the moral derives from a belief in a just world. In Study 1, children from kindergarten to 8th grade and college students received Aesop fables, reversed-outcome Aesop fables, and fable-like stories. As predicted, kindergartners and some 1st graders did not demonstrate a belief in a just world and did not differentiate between normal and reversed-outcome Aesop fables. Quality of morals provided by older participants was superior to that of younger participants. In Study 2, the quality of fable moral was found to be significantly correlated with quality of proverb and metaphor interpretation. Also, memory for goal or intention story elements was found to be related to quality of moral produced. Directions for future research are identified.


Traditional vibration inspection systems, equipped with separated sensing and communication modules, are either very expensive (e.g., hundreds of dollars) and/or suffer from occlusion and narrow field of view (e.g., laser). In this work, we present an RFID-based solution, Tagbeat, to inspect mechanical vibration using COTS RFID tags and readers. Making sense of micro and high-frequency vibration using random and low-frequency readings of tag has been a daunting task, especially challenging for achieving sub-millisecond period accuracy. Our system achieves these three goals by discerning the change pattern of backscatter signal replied from the tag, which is attached on the vibrating surface and displaced by the vibration within a small range. This work introduces three main innovations. First, it shows how one can utilize COTS RFID to sense mechanical vibration and accurately discover its period with a few periods of short and noisy samples. Second, a new digital microscope is designed to amplify the micro-vibration-induced weak signals. Third, Tagbeat introduces compressive reading to inspect high-frequency vibration with relatively low RFID read rate. We implement Tagbeat using a COTS RFID device and evaluate it with a commercial centrifugal machine. Empirical benchmarks with a prototype show that Tagbeat can inspect the vibration period with a mean accuracy of 0.36ms and a relative error rate of 0.03%. We also study three cases to demonstrate how to associate our inspection solution with the specific domain requirements.


The surface renewal (SR) method was used to determine the long-term (12 months) total evaporation (ET) from the Mfabeni Mire with calibration using eddy covariance during two window periods of approximately one week each. The SR method was found to be inexpensive, reliable and with low power requirements for unattended operation. Despite maximum ET rates of up to 6.0 mm day −1 , the average summer (October to March) ET was lower (3.2 mm day −1 ) due to early morning cloud cover that persisted until nearly midday at times. This reduced the daily available energy, and the ET was lower than expected despite the available water and high average wind speeds. In winter (May to September), there was less cloud cover but the average ET was only 1.8 mm day −1 due to plant senescence. In general ET was suppressed by the inflow of humid air (low vapour pressure deficit) and the comparatively low leaf area index of the wetland vegetation. The accumulated ET over 12 months was 900 mm. Daily ET estimates were compared to the Priestley-Taylor model results and a calibration α = 1.0 ( R 2 = 0.96) was obtained for the site. A monthly crop factor ( K c ) was determined for the standardised FAO-56 Penman-Monteith. However, K c was variable in some months and should be used with caution for daily ET modelling. These results represent not only some of the first long-term measurements of ET from a wetland in southern Africa, but also one of the few studies of actual ET in a subtropical peatland in the Southern Hemisphere. The study provides wetland ecologists and hydrologists with guidelines for the use of two internationally applied models for the estimation of wetland ET within a coastal, subtropical environment and shows that wetlands are not necessarily high water users.


Currently, patients with end-stage lung disease are limited to lung transplantation as their only treatment option. Unfortunately, the lungs available for transplantation are few. Moreover, transplant recipients require life-long immune suppression to tolerate the transplanted lung. A promising alternative therapeutic strategy is decellularization of whole lungs, which permits the isolation of an intact scaffold comprised of innate extracellular matrix (ECM) that can theoretically be recellularized with autologous stem or progenitor cells to yield a functional lung. Nonhuman primates (NHP) provide a highly relevant preclinical model with which to assess the feasibility of recellularized lung scaffolds for human lung transplantation. Our laboratory has successfully accomplished lung decellularization and initial stem cell inoculation of the resulting ECM scaffold in an NHP model. Decellularization of normal adult rhesus macaque lungs as well as the biology of the resulting acellular matrix have been extensively characterized. Acellular NHP matrices retained the anatomical and ultrastructural properties of native lungs with minimal effect on the content, organization, and appearance of ECM components, including collagen types I and IV, laminin, fibronectin, and sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAG), due to decellularization. Proteomics analysis showed enrichment of ECM proteins in total tissue extracts due to the removal of cells and cellular proteins by decellularization. Cellular DNA was effectively removed after decellularization (∼92% reduction), and the remaining nuclear material was found to be highly disorganized, very-low-molecular-weight fragments. Both bone marrow- and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) attach to the decellularized lung matrix and can be maintained within this environment in vitro, suggesting that these cells may be promising candidates and useful tools for lung regeneration. Analysis of decellularized lung slice cultures to which MSC were seeded showed that the cells attached to the decellularized matrix, elongated, and proliferated in culture. Future investigations will focus on optimizing the recellularization of NHP lung scaffolds toward the goal of regenerating pulmonary tissue. Bringing this technology to eventual human clinical application will provide patients with an alternative therapeutic strategy as well as significantly reduce the demand for transplantable organs and patient wait-list time.


BACKGROUND
The desire to have children among mothers living with HIV remains a serious public health issue in nations with low coverage for antiretroviral therapy and the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, even if it is feasible to have an HIV-negative child. Therefore, this study aimed to assess fertility desire and associated factors among antiretroviral therapy-attending HIV-positive women at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, in Harari, Ethiopia.

METHODS
A facility-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 639 anti retro-viral therapy attending HIV - positive women by systematic random sampling method selected from June 15 to November 30, 2020. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify the associated factors with fertility desire. Descriptive results were presented in percentages, whereas analytical results were reported in adjusted ORs (AORs) with a 95% CI. At p=0.05, statistical significance was declared.

RESULTS
A total of 639 participants were included in the study; 69.5%(95% CI 65.7 to 72.9%) of the participants had fertility desire. Younger age (<35 years) (AOR=2.35, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.35), married women (AOR=3.02, 95% CI 1.32 to 12.25), childless women (AOR=2.86, 95% CI 1.17 to 4.82) and women whose duration of HIV diagnosis was ≤5 years (AOR=0.41, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.71) were significantly associated with fertility desire.

CONCLUSION
The majority of the study participants have a desire to have children. In light of the high prevalence of fertility desire among antiretroviral therapy-attending HIV-positive women, it is recommended to counsel younger women on reproductive planning and encourage partner testing.


This paper describes two new ideas by which an HPF compiler can deal with irregular computations effectively. The first mechanism invokes a user specified mapping procedure via a set of compiler directives. The directives allow use of program arrays to describe graph connectivity, spatial location of array elements and computational load. The second mechanism is a simple conservative method that in many cases enables a compiler to recognize that it is possible to reuse previously computed information from inspectors (e.g. communication schedules, loop iteration partitions, information that associates off-processor data copies with on-processor buffer locations). We present performance results for these mechanisms from a Fortran 90D compiler implementation.


In electric energy systems based on renewable generation plants supply and demand often do not occur in the same period of time. Consequently demand side management is gaining importance whereby decentralized automation offers opportunities in industrial environments. Compressed air systems on industrial plants consist of air compressors, compressed air reservoirs and compressed air lines. With suitable dimensioning those industrial compressed-air systems can be used for demand side management purpose. As power consumption of industrial air compressors ranges between a few and several hundred kilowatts each, swarms of communicatively connected air compressors can contribute to the stabilization of power grids. To avoid costly production downtime it is to ensure, that a reliable, non-disruptive supply of compressed air can be maintained at all time. Industrial compressed air systems equipped with automation technology and artificial intelligence, which hereinafter are referred to as Cyber-Physical Compressed Air Systems (CPCAS), allow new business models for utilities, industrial enterprises, compressor manufacturers and service providers. In addition to basic operating parameters like current air pressure and status, those systems can process further information and create, for example, profiles on compressed air consumption over time. By enriching those profiles with data on pressure, volumes, system restrictions and current production requirements (plans), the CPCAS can identify the available potential for demand side management. Ipso facto predictive power on electricity consumption is increasing. By providing the information obtained to the power company or a service provider, savings in electricity costs may be achieved. Expenses within the industrial company may be lowered further as compliance with agreed load limits is being improved by automatic shutdown of air compressors upon reaching the load limit. Within this article the structure of the aforementioned Cyber-Physical Compressed Air Systems is presented in more detail, relations between the major actors are being shown and possible business models are being introduced.


Considering the particular nuances of the nurses who exert management function, the following problem was delimited: what is the profile of the nurse leader in a management role? The objective of the study was to delineate the profile of the nurse in a management position according to personal and professional characteristics. The research was performed in 2007, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using the descriptive method, applying a questionnaire to 66 nurses in managerial positions. The predominant age group was 44 to 48 years, in a stable relationship and having one child. Most participants (89.39%) have two public jobs, graduated from 21 to 25 years ago (39.39%), have theoretical preparation for leadership (80.39%), and have postgraduate diplomas either lato sensu (36.36%) or stricto sensu (36.06%). In conclusion, nurses in leadership roles have, predominantly, specialization in clinical areas and leadership is essential for the care process. Future studies should correlate their profile to managerial styles and to leadership dimensions.


In this paper I differentiate between two types of benefits of open innova- tion. Network externalities e¤ect happens when open innovation increases the participation of one group of users which increases the value of adoption for another group of users. Learning e¤ect happens when economic actors increase their knowledge through access to external sources of knowledge. I investigate how each effect can be dominant depending on nature of products, by drawing upon previous research in product modularity. In addition I discuss the fac- tors which will strengthen or weaken the e¤ects of each dimension. The main variables which influence learning are, tacitness of knowledge, technological op- portunities, appropriability of knowledge and turbulence. Network externalities e¤ect can be strengthened by increased user innovation.


The invention discloses an unfired calcium carbonate foaming acoustical board. According to the technical scheme, the unfired calcium carbonate foaming acoustical board is characterized in that a built-in frame is horizontally placed on a mold, after short steel pipes in the built-in frame are inserted into stand columns, calcium carbonate cement foaming agent is poured on the periphery of the built-in frame, the built-in frame is totally inlaid in the calcium carbonate cement foaming agent, maintenance is performed according to a conventional cement product maintenance method, and packaging is performed to form an unfired calcium carbonate foaming acoustical board finished product; the calcium carbonate cement foaming agent is prepared from light calcium carbonate, high-viscosity attapulgite clay powder, cement and other raw materials; the calcium carbonate cement foaming agent and the built-in frame form an integrated whole after the calcium carbonate cement foaming agent is cured, and thus the overall strength, the bending resistance and the actual using effect of the unfired calcium carbonate foaming acoustical board are improved. The unfired calcium carbonate foaming acoustical board not only can be used for effectively controlling noise pollution but also has the functions of heat preservation and air purification and is suitable for being mounted in facilities such as expressways, viaducts, urban light rails, subways, public places and the like.


Successful implantation of blastoctcyst requires a suitable environment of uterus. Ovarian hormones are responsible for induction of endometrial receptivity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different luteal support hormones on the ultrastructural changes in superovulated mice in the implantation window time.

 Materials & Methods : Adult male and female mice were used for induction of pesudopregnancy. The mice were divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. Female mice in the experimental group were superovulated and then were mated with vasectomised mice to induce psudopregnancy experimental group based on hormone injection were subdivided to five groups: sham group, estrogen, progesterone, estrogen + progesterone, and antiprogesterone + estrogen. The control group obtained without any hyperstimulation. The uterine of all groups were collected after 4.5 days of pregnancy and were prepared for the assessment of ultrastructural changes with TEM .

 Results : Our results showed that progesterone injection decreased the high of microvilli in the apical cell and increased the development of pinopods but estrogen increased the growth of microvilli while esterogen + progesterone injection increased the growth of pinopodes.

 Conclusion : The results obtained from this study showed that progesterone could not provide suitable condition of endometrium for implantation in comparison to the control group and adding estrogen to progesterone may improve endometrial condition to implant at luteal phase


This work proposes a framework that improves the dexterous manipulation capabilities of two fingered grippers by: i) optimizing the finger link dimensions and the interfinger distance for a given object and ii) analyzing the effect of finger symmetry and the distance between the finger base frames on their manipulation workspaces. The results of the workspace analysis motivate the development of a multi-modal, adaptive robotic gripper. In particular, the finger link lengths optimization problem is solved by a parallel multi-start search algorithm. The optimal link lengths are then used for the workspace analysis. The results of the analysis demonstrate that different inter-finger distances lead to completely different workspace shapes and that the ratio defined by the area of the optimized workspace (nominator) and the union of all workspaces (denominator), is always significantly less than 1. This means that the area of the union of all workspaces is always larger than the area of the "optimized" workspace. Based on these results the proposed robotic gripper is equipped with reconfigurable finger bases that vary the inter-finger distance as well as with selectively lockable robotic finger joints, offering an increased dexterous manipulation performance without sacrificing grasping efficiency. The device is considered multi-modal as it can be used both as a parallel jaw gripper and as an adaptive robotic gripper.


Abstract. Digital photogrammetric systems combined with image processing techniques have been used for structural monitoring purposes for more than a decade. For applications requiring sub-millimetre level precision, the use of off-the-shelf DSLR cameras is a suitable choice, especially when the low cost of the involved sensors is a priority. The disadvantage in the use of entry level DSLRs is that there is a trade-off between frame rate and burst rate – a high frame rate is either not available or it cannot be sustained long enough. This problem must be overcome when monitoring a structural element undergoing a dynamic test, where a range of loads are cycled through multiple times a second. In order to estimate deflections during such a scenario, this paper proposes a new least-squares adjustment for sinusoidal fitting. The new technique is capable of processing multiple back-to-back bursts of data within the same adjustment, which synthetically increases the de-facto temporal resolution of the system. The paper describes a beam deformation test done in a structures laboratory. The experimental results were assessed in terms of both their precision and accuracy. The new method increased the effective sampling frequency three-fold, which improved the standard deviations of the estimated parameters with up to two orders of magnitude. A residual RMSE as low as 30 μm was attained, and likewise the RMSE of the computed amplitudes between the photogrammetric system and the control laser transducers was as small as 34 μm.


Multiple myeloma (MM) constitutes 1% of malignant diseases and 15% of haematological malignancies. In virtually all patients MM is preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). The cause of monoclonal gammopathies and the mechanisms of progression are unknown. The diagnosis of MM requires the presence of an M-protein in serum and/or urine, increased bone marrow plasma cells and related organ or tissue impairment. Cytogenetic status, serum β2-microglobulin and response to therapy are the key prognostic factors. The treatment of younger patients with MM should include a triple-agent induction regimen (i.e. bortezomib/thalidomide/dexamethasone), autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and consolidation and maintenance incorporating novel agents along with sequential minimal residual disease studies to determine for how long treatment is still of benefit. Allogeneic transplantation with reduced-intensity conditioning is promising but remains experimental. For patients not eligible for ASCT the best initial regimens are melphalan/prednisone/thalidomide (MPT), melphalan/prednisone/bortezomib (MPV) and lenalidomide/dexamethasone. In relapsing patients, the choice of salvage therapy should depend on: (i) the components of initial therapy, (ii) the degree and duration of response, (iii) type of relapse: aggressive versus indolent, (iv) previous toxicities and (v) age and performance status. A sequential approach is preferred over combination of multiple agents. Supportive measures include the use of bisphosphonates and erythropoietin according to the updated guidelines.


This paper investigates the constitutionalisation of the test for statutory illegality (the test) in South African contract law, firstly through a careful evaluation of the manner in which the Constitutional Court (CC) applied the test in Cool Ideas v Hubbard, secondly through the manner in which the CC purports to constitutionalise the test in the said case, and thirdly through asking if such a method is desirable in the constitutional dispensation. It can be conceded that the approach taken by the main judgment to the application of the test in this case is more compelling than that taken by Froneman J. However, the fundamental differences in these approaches, particularly in the determination of the impact of the Constitution and its underlying values, highlight the need for an investigation into the test and the way it should operate in the constitutional dispensation. The paper begins by setting out the test and shows that it is capable of reflecting the values that underlie the Constitution (while maintaining a workable level of legal certainty) and that the test can operate in a manner that enhances the vision and goals of the Constitution. It also proposes a framework within which the various factors of the test should be weighed up, with a view to determining whether the contract under investigation is valid or invalid. Then the paper evaluates the CC's application of the test. It criticises the main judgment for its incomplete undertaking of the enquiry envisaged in sections 8(1) and (2) of the Constitution, as it took into account neither the "spirit, purport and objects" underpinning section 25(1), nor the fundamental values of the Constitution. It also criticises Froneman J's judgment for not connecting the value of fairness with the "spirit, purport and objects" underpinning section 25(1) or the broader fundamental values of the Constitution. Thereafter, it considers the manner in which the CC purports to constitutionalise the test. It points out that equity considerations apply in all matters, whether a substantive right is implicated or not, as they ensure that the "application" and "interpretation" of a statute enhance and are in line with the "objective normative value system" that is the Bill of Rights. Lastly, it considers the desirability of the CC's approach to the application of the test and its constitutionalisation. It points out that the main judgment goes to the extremes of objectivity in interpreting the relevant provisions of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998 (within the application of the test), while Froneman J goes to the extremes of subjectivity. In this regard, it suggests that courts can use the "balance of convenience" test to adjust their decisions to accommodate the circumstances of each case. Therefore, it concludes that the approach to constitutionalising the test lies somewhere between that of the main judgment and that of Froneman J. Keywords : Contract law; statutory illegality; constitutionalisation; Cool Ideas v Hubbard.


Admissions to the psychiatric emergency service of an inner-city university hospital are analyzed from two perspectives. (1) Characteristics of patients and the areas in which they reside are described with focus directed toward social characteristics found to be associated with high admission rates. (2) The ways in which a hospital, by virtue of its organizational structure, might contribute to misuse of its emergency facilities by patients are explored. Based on both modes of analysis, suggestions are offered for ways in which services may be altered to more effectively meet the treatment needs of inner-city populations.


INVESTIGATION OF THE MECHANISMS GOVERNING CARRIER DOMAIN TRANSLOCATION IN S. AUREUS PYRUVATE CARBOXYLASE Joshua H. Hakala, B.S., B.A. Marquette University, 2019 A central debate in protein biochemistry focuses on the mechanism by which ligands contribute to conformational changes in proteins. Two primary hypotheses describe this process: the induced-fit hypothesis and the conformational ensembles hypothesis. In contrast to the induced-fit hypothesis, the conformational ensembles hypothesis states that the protein pre-exists in multiple conformational states, with ligand binding shifting the equilibrium towards a preferred conformation. The contribution of ligand binding to large-scale conformational changes is particularly relevant to multidomain "swinging-arm" enzymes, for which pyruvate carboxylase (PC) serves as a well characterized paradigm system. PC catalyzes the ATP-dependent carboxylation of pyruvate to oxaloacetate. The biotin cofactor on the biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) domain is carboxylated via a MgATP-dependent reaction in the biotin carboxylase (BC) domain. The BCCP domain then travels to the carboxyltransferase (CT) domain where the carboxyl group is transferred from the biotin cofactor to pyruvate, generating oxaloacetate. There have been conflicting proposals for how ligand binding governs carrier domain translocation in PC but, to date, there have been no attempts to directly observe the positioning of the carrier domain independent of catalytic turnover. To directly observe the equilibrium positioning of the BCCP carrier domain, site-specific cross-linking was used to trap the BCCP domain in two separate orientations during translocation. This approach enabled a detailed analysis of how BCCP domain positioning responds to substrates and allosteric effectors. These studies show that carrier domain positioning is governed by conformational selection, with the carrier domain accessing intermolecular positions irrespective of the presence or identity of the ligand(s). Further, interactions between biotin and several conserved active site residues in both the BC and CT domains serve to shift the carrier domain positioning equilibrium. These studies offer the first compelling evidence that carrier domain positional equilibrium in PC is governed by conformational selection and offer new insights into the molecular level interactions contributing to these conformational changes.


The optical properties of metallic nanostructures are of interest to scientists and engineers. They allow the manipulation of light on a microscopic level, which has applications in photonics, optoelectronics and energy conversion. In this dissertation, we investigate the surface plasmon resonances, near fields and scattering properties of these structures and their interaction with semiconductors. The optical properties of metallic nanoparticles are analyzed by EM theory and finite element simulation. We perform experiments where the scattered fields of the nanoparticles are coupled to semiconductor photodiodes. From the results we study how the near fields and scattering properties can influence the optical absorption response spectrum in such devices. We find that the quasi-static behavior of the nanoparticles can explain the observed modulation in the absorption spectra. We also apply the same methods of simulation and experiment to Silicon-on-Insulator photodetectors. The coupling between the nanoparticles and waveguide modes in the silicon film leads to large increases in absorption, particularly in the infrared wavelengths, where silicon is a poor absorber. We find that we can engineer the absorption enhancement spectra by controlling the nanoparticle distribution. Another application that we investigate is in UV multi-spectral imaging. We study dielectric overlayer transmission grating structures and exploit the surface plasmon and dielectric waveguide properties of our structures to engineer UV band reject filters. The exploitation of metallic nano-structures is necessary as traditional materials for resonating optical structures do not work well in the UV. Finally, we investigate metallic scattering backside reflectors for optimal light trapping in ultrathin film solar cells. Such solar cells suffer from poor quantum efficiency at certain wavelengths due to long photon absorption length. Therefore coupling of incident light into waveguide modes is an effective way to increase the quantum efficiency. By numerical analysis we study the performance of random vs periodic texturing of the backside reflector. The results are useful for designing optimal solar cells with very thin absorber layers.


To determine how the cost of reproduction varies with brood size, a population of blue tits (Parus caeruleus) breeding in Wytham Wood, England, was manipulated over a three year period. Two hundred sixteen pairs were randomly assigned 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 nestlings; nestlings were exchanged soon after hatching. Survival of adult females (as measured by the proportion recaptured in the following winter and/or spring) declined significantly with increasing brood size in two out of three years; there was significant year‐to‐year variation in the relationship of recapture rate to brood size. Mean female recapture rates (averaged over the three years) declined in a linear fashion (P < 0.01). There was no significant linear or curvilinear relationship between male‐recapture rate and brood size in any of the three years nor was there a significant linear or curvilinear relationship for the data averaged over the three years. Nevertheless, recapture proportions for males differed significantly with respect to brood size (χ2 test, P < 0.05). The possibility that experimental brood size influences subsequent dispersal (and therefore biases measures of survival based on recapture rates to differing degrees) was examined by comparing distances moved by breeding adults from one year to the next. There was no relationship between brood size and dispersal distance within the study area for either sex, except that females given broods of three were significantly more likely to move more than 300 m than were those given broods of 6–15 young. Both males and females showed evidence of a cost with respect to future fecundity: as brood size increased, the number of surviving offspring produced in the following year decreased from 1.5–1.6 (for adults that had reared 3–6 young) to 0.4 (for those that had reared 15 young). The relationship of future reproductive success to experimental brood size did not differ among years or between the sexes. The number of eggs laid and number of young hatched in year n + 1 did not differ significantly with respect to brood size in year n; rather, differences in future fecundity reflected differences in the survival prospects of young reared in year n + 1.


Pericytes are perivascular cells with multifunctional activities which are now being elucidated. The functional interaction of pericytes with endothelial cells (EC) is now being established, using current molecular and cytochemical techniques. The detailed morphology of the pericyte has been well described. Pericytes extend long cytoplasmic processes over the surface of the EC, the two cells making interdigitating contacts. At points of contact, communicating gap junctions, tight junctions and adhesion plaques are present. Pericytes appear to show both structural and functional heterogeneity. The coverage of EC by pericytes varies considerably between different microvessel types and the location of pericytes on the microvessel is not random but appears to be functionally determined. Interaction between pericytes and EC is important for the maturation, remodelling and maintenance of the vascular system via the secretion of growth factors or modulation of the extracellular matrix. There is also evidence that pericytes are involved in the transport across the blood-brain barrier and the regulation of vascular permeability. The long-standing view that pericytes are the microvessel equivalent of larger vessel smooth muscle cells and are contractile is being reassessed using current methods. An important role for pericytes in pathology, and neuropathology in particular, has been indicated in hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and CNS tumour formation.


This thesis deals with Statistical Relational Learning (SRL), a research area combining principles and ideas from three important subfields of Artificial Intelligence: machine learn- ing, knowledge representation and reasoning on uncertainty. Machine learning is the study of systems that improve their behavior over time with experience; the learning process typi- cally involves a search through various generalizations of the examples, in order to discover regularities or classification rules. A wide variety of machine learning techniques have been developed in the past fifty years, most of which used propositional logic as a (limited) represen- tation language. Recently, more expressive knowledge representations have been considered, to cope with a variable number of entities as well as the relationships that hold amongst them. These representations are mostly based on logic that, however, has limitations when reason- ing on uncertain domains. These limitations have been lifted allowing a multitude of different formalisms combining probabilistic reasoning with logics, databases or logic programming, where probability theory provides a formal basis for reasoning on uncertainty.

In this thesis we consider in particular the proposals for integrating probability in Logic Programming, since the resulting probabilistic logic programming languages present very in- teresting computational properties. In Probabilistic Logic Programming, the so-called "dis- tribution semantics" has gained a wide popularity. This semantics was introduced for the PRISM language (1995) but is shared by many other languages: Independent Choice Logic, Stochastic Logic Programs, CP-logic, ProbLog and Logic Programs with Annotated Disjunc- tions (LPADs). A program in one of these languages defines a probability distribution over normal logic programs called worlds. This distribution is then extended to queries and the probability of a query is obtained by marginalizing the joint distribution of the query and the programs. The languages following the distribution semantics differ in the way they define the distribution over logic programs.
The first part of this dissertation presents techniques for learning probabilistic logic pro- grams under the distribution semantics. Two problems are considered: parameter learning and structure learning, that is, the problems of inferring values for the parameters or both the structure and the parameters of the program from data. This work contributes an algorithm for parameter learning, EMBLEM, and two algorithms for structure learning (SLIPCASE and SLIPCOVER) of probabilistic logic programs (in particular LPADs). EMBLEM is based on the Expectation Maximization approach and computes the expectations directly on the Binary De- cision Diagrams that are built for inference. SLIPCASE performs a beam search in the space of LPADs while SLIPCOVER performs a beam search in the space of probabilistic clauses and a greedy search in the space of LPADs, improving SLIPCASE performance. All learning approaches have been evaluated in several relational real-world domains.

The second part of the thesis concerns the field of Probabilistic Description Logics, where we consider a logical framework suitable for the Semantic Web. Description Logics (DL) are a family of formalisms for representing knowledge. Research in the field of knowledge repre- sentation and reasoning is usually focused on methods for providing high-level descriptions of the world that can be effectively used to build intelligent applications.
Description Logics have been especially effective as the representation language for for- mal ontologies. Ontologies model a domain with the definition of concepts and their properties and relations. Ontologies are the structural frameworks for organizing information and are used in artificial intelligence, the Semantic Web, systems engineering, software engineering, biomedical informatics, etc. They should also allow to ask questions about the concepts and in- stances described, through inference procedures. Recently, the issue of representing uncertain information in these domains has led to probabilistic extensions of DLs.

The contribution of this dissertation is twofold: (1) a new semantics for the Description Logic SHOIN(D) , based on the distribution semantics for probabilistic logic programs, which embeds probability; (2) a probabilistic reasoner for computing the probability of queries from uncertain knowledge bases following this semantics. The explanations of queries are encoded in Binary Decision Diagrams, with the same technique employed in the learning systems de- veloped for LPADs. This approach has been evaluated on a real-world probabilistic ontology.


The importance of the plant for the human being and the environment led to deeply been studied and classified in detail. The advancement of the technology is the main factor in finding many ways for plant identification process. Some kind of initial intelligence systems in order to identify plant, followed by many theories and concepts using methods like; Moment Invariant (MI), Zernike Moments (ZM) and Polar Fourier Transform (PFT), and technologies for classification like; Neural Network (NN), K-Nearest Neighbor Classifier (KNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were used by many researchers through past years. In this paper is Centroid-Radii (C-R) combined with geometric features of the leaves, in order to cover most of shape feature of the leaves, color moments and Grey-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) to improve the accuracy of the system identification. in addition to the above features, Veins also involved in the method been used plus Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which is used to convert features into orthogonal features and the results were inputted to the classifiers that used Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN). Two datasets have been used for test, first dataset is created especially for this work and collected from 24 kinds of plants and second dataset is called Flavia which contains 32 kinds. The results were clearly improved to identify the plants. the maximum accuracy reached up to %98.50 when using the first data set and 98.16% for the second dataset.


Social entrepreneurship has grown in popularity since Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2006. Pollinate Energy is an Australian social business working to improve the lives of the urban poor in India. The purpose of this study is to investigate the portability of the organisation's business model to other geographical locations, e.g what adjustments might be needed if transferring and implementing the concept in new cities and locations. A qualitative case study approach was conducted by gathering experiences from Bangalore through interviews and secondary sources and field observations from a field study conducted in Hyderabad, India.The results indicate that the local cultural context shapes the structure of the concept. It was found to be easier to establish relationships through products with immediate tangible benefits, which indicates that products are highly context dependent. Therefore, local trials of products are needed for the concept to be effective. Moreover, further investigations of the model would be required if the concept were to be transferred to other geographical locations. The model can generate spin-off effects contributing to development, and can thus be a catalyst for social change.


In a constant race to overcome pesticide resistance by pests and pathogens, this research aimed to discover bioactive inhibitory compounds from natural products. I tested extracts from 10 different fungal isolates that were previously shown to have antifungal activity, and 5 commercially available natural products. Assays were developed to test natural products for antibiotic activities against model pathogens and pests including fungi, insects, and molluscs. The objectives of this research were to develop and determine the effectiveness of bioassays, and to identify potentially interesting natural products. Of the 10 fungal isolates tested, reconstituted broths of Penicillium virgatum, Ramularia vizellae, and Trichoderma sp. showed pronounced anti-fungal activity. Further, P. virgatum and Trichoderma sp. shows anti-insect activity while broths of Ramularia vizellae and Trichoderma sp. exhibited anti-mollusc activity. A preliminary metabolomic study identified potentially interesting metabolites that requires further investigation to determine the chemical structure(s), mode of action, and other attributes.


The purpose of this paper is to consider the social meaning of "ownership" of sago palm ( Metroxylon spp.) in Seram, eastern Indonesia. In the highland community under study, local people depend heavily on sago starch as a staple food. Every sago clump belongs to a certain holder of sago palm ( ipia kua ). Although the number of sago palm clumps held by each household varies, there is no significant difference in the frequency of sago intake among households. This is because people who have harvestable, mature sago palms transfer the right to utilize sago palm to people who do not. Sago palm is not regarded as a resource that can be utilized exclusively by an "owner." Ipia kua are expected to give usufruct rights in sago palm to the needy without compensation. At the same time, i pia kua maintain the sago groves in good condition in order to secure effective utilization by the community. Taking this point into consideration, ipia kua should be regarded as "custodians" or "managers" of sago palm rather than right holders with total ownership to sago palm.


A new finishing method of holes that uses an effective electrode and a nonconductive roller to execute the design of synchronous processes of ultrasonic electrochemical finishing and rolling-leveling is investigated. The submitted processes can be used among the traditional techniques of various holes machining. Through simple equipment attachment, ultrasonic electrochemical finishing and rolling-leveling can follow to execute the finishing process on the same machine. Among the factors affecting finishing processes, the performance of rolling-leveling combined with ultrasonic electrochemical finishing is primarily discussed. In the experiment, the electrode is used with continuous and pulsed direct current. The controlled factors include roller material, roller geometry, chemical composition and concentration of the electrolyte, and flow rate of electrolytes. The experimental parameters are frequency and power level of ultrasonics, feed rate of electrode and roller, rotational speed of the finish-tool, die material, electrical current rating, and pulsed period. The design of the synchronous processes through rolling-leveling is the most influential parameter in this study. An adequate finish-tool rotational speed produces better finishing. The average effect of the ultrasonic is better than the pulsed current while the machining time needs not to be prolonged by the off-time. An effective and low-cost finishing process through the ultrasonic electrochemical finishing and using the rolling-leveling assistance after the process of traditional holes machining make the surface of the holes smooth and bright is presented.


Total nitrogen and available phosphorus concentration of soils in three secondary forest fields aged 1, 5 and 10 years of age regenerating from degraded abandoned rubber plantation ( Hevea brasiliensis ) and a mature forest in the west African Rainforest belt in southern Nigeria were investigated in order to determine the trend of change in the properties of soil in secondary forest during the course of forest restoration from degraded deserted rubber plantation ( Hevea brasiliensis ). There was a continuous increase in the concentration of total nitrogen in the soil (both topsoil and subsoil). The concentrations of total nitrogen and available phosphorus in the topsoil are higher than the subsoil. The concentration of available phosphorus during the first five years of secondary forest regeneration increased, after which their values declined by the tenth year in both the topsoil and the subsoil. Should this trend of decline in the concentration of phosphorus continue phosphorus may become a limiting factor to plant growth the older the secondary forests become. Keywords: Total nitrogen, Available phosphorus, Rubber plantation, Degraded, Orogun, Southern Nigeria.


Solvent-extractable monomeric methoxyphenols in aerosol samples conventionally have been used to indicate the influence of biomass combustion. In addition, the presence of lignin oxidation products (LOP), derived from the CuO oxidation of vascular plant organic matter, can help trace the source and inputs of primary biological particles in aerosols. Ambient aerosols (coarse and fine) collected in Houston during summer 2010 were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to characterize monomeric and polymeric sources of LOPs. This is the first time polymeric forms of the LOPs have been characterized in ambient aerosols. The absence or small concentrations of solvent-extractable monomeric LOPs and levoglucosan isomers point to the limited influence of biomass burning during the sampling period. The trace levels of anhydrosugar concentrations most likely result from long-range transport. This observation is supported by the absence of co-occurring lignin monomers that undergo photochemical degradation during transport. The larger concentration (142 ng m(-3)) of lignin polymers in coarse aerosols shows the relative importance of primary biological aerosol particles, even in the urban atmosphere. The LOP parameters suggest a predominant influence from woody tissue of angiosperms, with minor influence from soft tissues, gymnosperms, and soil organic matter.


In the present study, we were able to produce composites of wheat gluten (WG) protein and a novel genetically modified potato starch (MPS) with attractive mechanical and gas barrier properties using extrusion. Characterization of the MPS revealed an altered chain length distribution of the amylopectin fraction and slightly increased amylose content compared to wild type potato starch. WG and MPS of different ratios plasticized with either glycerol or glycerol and water were extruded at 110 and 130 °C. The nanomorphology of the composites showed the MPS having semicrystalline structure of a characteristic lamellar arrangement with an approximately 100 Å period observed by small-angle X-ray scattering and a B-type crystal structure observed by wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis. WG has a structure resembling the hexagonal macromolecular arrangement as reported previously in WG films. A larger amount of β-sheets was observed in the samples 70/30 and 30/70 WG-MPS processed at 130 °C with 45% glycerol. Highly polymerized WG protein was found in the samples processed at 130 °C versus 110 °C. Also, greater amounts of WG protein in the blend resulted in greater extensibility (110 °C) and a decrease in both E-modulus and maximum stress at 110 and 130 °C, respectively. Under ambient conditions the WG-MPS composite (70/30) with 45% glycerol showed excellent gas barrier properties to be further explored in multilayer film packaging applications.


: Academic governance and leadership are two inter-related concepts that set the tone and direction for the development of higher education at the system as well as institutional levels. This article examines the academic governance and leadership in Malaysian higher education by focusing on two national higher education strategic initiatives: the National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007-2020 and Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education) 2015-2025. From analysing the two national strategic initiatives, we discuss the ways in which academic governance and leadership have been articulated at the systemic and institutional levels. We find that, centralisation persists despite corporatisation and granting of autonomy status, and leadership has become subjected to external yardsticks of quality, performance and standardised transformation agenda, driven predominantly by the ideology of neoliberalism and New Public Management (NPM). Unpacking these drivers of policy provides a basis for reflecting on the purpose, philosophy and fundamental idea of universities in Malaysia for nation building and societal development.


This thesis broadly concerns with the challenges to the introduction of substantial arms
control, an important dimension of the theory and praxis of arms control, between rival
states. It specifically focuses on the Pakistan-India case and explains why arms control
efforts between them have remained unsuccessful between 1988 and 2008. The extant
literature on the topic comprises of shallow, fragmented, and secondary source-based
commentary. Moreover, it does not provide an overarching theoretical argument. Drawing
on the arms control theory, this thesis prioritizes four contributing causal factors and
explains their link and impact in restricting Pakistan-India from undertaking substantial
arms control. These causal factors include the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) issue, China as a
third party, dissimilar military doctrines, and hostile domestic politics. Coupled with this,
this thesis synthesises an overarching proposition that asserts the presence of a causal
mechanism between these four causal factors and arms control.
Methodologically, this thesis employs the within-case study analysis anchoring in
qualitative research tradition. This methodological setting incorporates tools of focusedstructured comparison and process tracing. There are five core findings. Firstly, there was
presence of interaction between four causal factors and arms control. Secondly, different
causal factors yielded different forms of impacts: a) procedural effects, and b) substantive
effects. Thirdly, different factors caused varying impacts. In this regard, the J&K issue
produced the strongest impact. Fourthly, collective impact of these four factors was
stronger on arms control than their individual impact. Fifthly, these four causal factors and
arms control constituted a complex causal mechanism, where the causal factors had exerted
greater effect over the arms control than the opposite.
This thesis has both theoretical and policy implications. There are three main theoretical
implications. Firstly, the arms control theory is more compatible with the English School
than the other theories of international relations. Secondly, the arms control theory is
neither opposite nor orthogonal to the other mid-range theories of strategic studies,
particularly deterrence, arms race, and war. Importantly, it has conceptual breadth and
width to encompass these mid-range theories than the opposite. Thirdly, there is a deep and
complex relationship between political conflict and arms control: both interact in an
interweaving manner. There are also three policy implications. Firstly, rival states show
preference for holistic and integrated approach for the outstanding political issues and arms
control. Part of the reason behind this approach is the lack of trust and political will between
rival states. Secondly, rival states can explore the option of addressing the outstanding
issues and arms control in a more loosely manner. Thirdly, there is a need for better
institutionalisation of arms control at national level.


We combined distribution data of bryophyte species with protected areas in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, using models of potential distribution of species, in order to assess the effectiveness and representativeness of Conservation Units for bryophyte species. We performed potential distribution models for ten bryophyte species classified as bio-indicators for environmental quality and/or endemic to the Atlantic Forest, or endemic to Brazil (key species). Data from online herbarium collections, literature, and sampling were used to estimate the potential distribution of the species, based on the MAXENT method. We performed an intersection between the maps with > 50% of environmental suitability for the occurrence of the studied species and the maps of the Brazilian protected areas. Areas with the greatest potential presence of bryophyte species not superimposed on protected areas were considered areas of gaps in protection. The habitat suitability of the models for nine species was explained by the Mean Diurnal Temperature Range. The consensus map of high environmental suitability for all species showed significant gaps in knowledge about their distribution. However, three centers of potential distribution were recognizable: one in the Northeast, one Central and another one in the Southeast. The total potentially suitable area overlapped with 83 Conservation Units (only 27%), less than adequate for efficient conservation of the species. The Central Corridor was the region with the highest environmental suitability but also has only a few Conservation Units in the Atlantic Forest, and is therefore a priority for conducting inventories and creating reserves.


Most computer vision algorithms are based on strong assumptions about the objects and the actions depicted in the image. To safely apply those algorithms in real world image sequences, it is necessary to verify that their assumptions are satissed in the context of the visual process. We propose the use of approximate world models { coarse descriptions of objects and actions in the world | as the appropriate representation for contextual information. The approximate world models are employed to verify the applicability of a vision routine in a given situation. Under these conditions, a task module can reliably use the outputs of the contextually-safe vision routines, without having to refer to an accurate reconstruction of the world. We are using approximate world models in a project to control cameras in a TV studio. In our Intelligent Studio automatic cameras respond to verbal requests for shots from the TV director. Contextual information is obtained from the script of the TV show and from the imagery provided by wide-angle, low-resolution cameras monitoring the studio. Some examples of the cameras' responses to diierent requests are shown in the domain of a cooking show.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to determine the expression levels of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA, regulator of reprogramming (linc-ROR) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to further explore the prognostic value of this lncRNA.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
In our investigation, we determined the expression of linc-ROR in human NSCLC tissues and matched normal lung tissues by quantitative Real-time-PCR analysis. Also, correlations between linc-ROR expression and the clinicopathological features were evaluated. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences in survival rates were analyzed using the log-rank test. Cox regression analyses were performed to explore the effect of linc-ROR as an independent predictor of survival.

RESULTS
We found that linc-ROR had high expression in NSCLC specimens than that in matched adjacent normal lung tissues (p < 0.01). In addition, higher linc-ROR expression levels were positively correlated with advanced TNM stage (p = 0.007), positive distant metastasis (p = 0.001) and LN metastasis (p = 0.011). Furthermore, significantly shorter 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were observed in patients with higher expression of linc-ROR (both p < 0.001). In a multivariate Cox model, it was found that linc-ROR expression was an independent prognostic factor for both 5-years OS (p = 0.001) and 5-year DFS (p = 0.001) in NSCLC.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that linc-ROR plays an oncogenic role in NSCLC development and may function as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for NSCLC.


Abstract Interface coupled dissolution-reprecipitation reactions (ICDR) are a common feature of fluid-rock interaction during crustal fluid flow. We tested the hypothesis that ICDR reactions can play a key role in scavenging minor elements by exploring the fate of U during the experimental sulfidation of hematite to chalcopyrite under hydrothermal conditions (220-300 °C). The experiments where U was added, either as solid UO2+x(s) or as a soluble uranyl complex, differed from the U-free experiments in that pyrite precipitated initially, before the onset of chalcopyrite precipitation. In addition, in UO2+x(s)- bearing experiments, enhanced hematite dissolution led to increased porosity and precipitation of pyrite+magnetite within the hematite core, whereas in uranyl nitrate-bearing experiments, abundant pyrite formed initially, before being replaced by chalcopyrite. Uranium scavenging was mainly associated with the early reaction stage (pyrite precipitation), resulting in a thin U-rich line marking the original hematite grain surface. This "line" consists of nanocrystals of UO2+x(s), based on chemical mapping and XANES spectroscopy. This study shows that the presence of minor components can affect the pathway of ICDR reactions. Reactions between U- and Cu-bearing fluids and hematite can explain the Cu-U association prominent in some iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits.


Modernity, according to some views, poses the problem of homo politicus - the problem of how to act in a moral universe without a "master narrative," without a final foundation. From this angle, the oeuvre of Heinrich von Kleist - novellas, dramas, and essays - addresses problems emerging from a new universe of Kantian provenance, in many ways the same universe we inhabit today. This volume of new essays investigates Kleist's position in our ever-changing conception of modernity, employing aesthetic, narrative, philosophical, biographical, political, economic, anthropological, psychological, and cultural approaches and wrestling with the difficulties of historicizing Kleist's life and work. Central questions are: To what extent can the multitude of breaking points and turning points, endgames and pre-games, ruptures and departures that permeate Kleist's work and biography be conceptually bundled together and linked to the emerging paradigm of modernity? And to what extent does such an approach to Kleist not only advance understanding of this major German writer and his work, but also shed light on the nature of our present modernity? Contributors: Sean Allan, Peter Barton, Hilda Meldrum Brown, David Chisholm, Andreas Gailus, Bernhard Greiner, Jeffrey L. High, Anette Horn, Peter Horn, Wolf Kittler, Jonathan W. Marshall, Christian Moser, Dorothea von Mucke, Nancy Nobile, David Pan, Ricarda Schmidt, Helmut J. Schneider. Bernd Fischer is Professor of German at the Ohio State University. Tim Mehigan is Professor of German in the Department of Languages and Cultures at the University of Otago, New Zealand.


ABSTRACT Background An increase in Japanese cedar pollen counts is the probable reason for the increase in the number of Japanese cedar hay fever patients. To determine whether local antigen exposure dose affects sensitization with cedar pollen, we compared serum levels of specific IgE antibody in rats exposed to higher and lower doses of cedar pollen antigen through the nose. Methods Serum levels of cedar pollen-specific IgE antibody was examined in Brown Norway rats exposed to a higher dose of (20 μg) Cry j I, a lower dose (2 μg) of Cry j I or no dose for 6 months. Serum levels of cedar pollen-specific IgE antibody were measured by reverse IgE-capture ELISA. The extent of local eosinophilia in the nasal, laryngeal and tracheal mucosa of rats exposed higher and lower doses of cedar pollen antigen and controls were observed microscopically. Results The mean serum levels of specific IgE antibody in rats exposed to the higher dose were significantly higher than those in rats exposed to the lower dose, and the mean levels in rats in the lower-dose group were significantly higher than in controls. The extent of eosinophilia in the nasal mucosa in the higher-dose group was significantly greater than in controls, but no significant differences between the lower-dose group and controls were found. The extent of eosinophilia in the laryngeal mucosa in the higher-dose group was significantly greater than that in the lower-dose group and in controls. Only a small degree of eosinophilia was observed in the trachea of all three groups. Conclusions Local exposure dose of the upper airway to cedar pollen may affect sensitization.


The niche hypothesis predicts that some introduced species establish and spread successfully because their new environment provides expanded niche opportunities compared with their native environments. By investigating nestling survival, growth and body condition in relation to diet composition and prey abundance, we tested the prediction that the success of Yellow-hammers Emberiza citrinella in New Zealand could be explained by the availability of better quality food resources in its introduced range compared with its native range. We found that Yellowhammer nestlings in New Zealand were larger and heavier than those in Britain, but that nestling survival and body condition did not differ between countries. The preferred prey items, which had some influence on nestling development and survival, were more prevalent in the diet of nestlings in New Zealand, suggesting that nestlings in the introduced range had a superior quality diet. However, there was little evidence to support the prediction that the preferred prey were more abundant in the introduced range, implying that some other factor such as prey accessibility or adult fitness may account for the differences in diet between countries.


Aims: Effect of the deductibles on moral hazard has been approved in commercial insurance. But in medical care organizations that strategies are based on non-profitability conditions and major part of costs are funded through governmental supports, this can be different. In this survey evaluated the effect of the deductibles on moral hazard among insured's of a Healthcare Organization in Tehran. Methods: This cross sectional study was performed among insured's of military healthcare organization in Tehran. 554 households have been selected from household budgeting survey data from 2010 that filtered based on membership in the Healthcare Organization. For data analysis Eviews software and Minitab statistical software were used. Results: Results showed that there is a negative relationship between moral hazard and deductibles (with significance level of 85%). Also observed that increasing in income and age lead to increasing in moral hazard (with significance level of 90& 95%) but analysis showed that there was no significant relationship between marital status and moral hazard. Conclusion: When insured's participate in medical losses in case of involving deductibles, it prevents enhancing using of unnecessary medical services by them


The Yang-Baxter equation appear in various situations in physics and mathematics. For example it arises as a consistency condition in integrable models. The reflection equation (boundary Yang-Baxter equation) is a generalization of the Yang-Baxter equation to systems with a boundary. A further generalization to systems with defects which admits both reflection and transmission can be made, which results in reflection-transmission Yang-Baxter equations.In this thesis the Yang-Baxter equation and the reflection equation are presented. Representations of the Temperley-Lieb algebra and the blob algebra are used to construct matrices which solve the respective equations. For the reflection-transmission Yang-Baxter equations, steps toward a solution are taken by using a similar approach as for the first two cases, namely by finding an algebra whose representations can be used to construct matrices which solve the equations.


NASA's Human Space Flight program depends heavily on spacewalks performed by pairs of suited human astronauts. These Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs) are severely restricted in both duration and scope by consumables and available manpower. An expanded multi-agent EVA team combining the information-gathering and problem-solving skills of human astronauts with the survivability and physical capabilities of highly dexterous space robots is proposed. A 1-g test featuring two NASA/DARPA Robonaut systems working side-by-side with a suited human subject is conducted to evaluate human-robot teaming strategies in the context of a simulated EVA assembly task based on the STS-61 B ACCESS flight experiment.


Alfalfa stems and ground aspen were exposed to peracetic acid (0.5 to 9% on biomass) at temperatures ranging from 40 to 100° C and reaction times from 1 to 5 hours. Glucose release as a percentage of total cellulose content was determined using subsequent standard enzymatic hydrolysis. Statistical analysis confirmed that aspen showed a strong response to peracetic acid addition rate. 9% peracetic acid removed 14% of the original lignin and increased the rate of glucose release from 23% to 44%. Temperature and reaction time played a less significant role. For alfalfa stems, low levels of peractic acid (0.5%) increased glucose release from 30 to 47%. The addition of larger doses of peracetic acid did not show any significant improvement; this effect appears to be closely related to rate of lignin removal. While peracetic acid effectively removed lignin from aspen, 98% of the original lignin was still present in alfalfa after higher level peracetic acid treatments; the yield loss observed during pretreatment of alfalfa stems originates from other biomass components.


In Bangladesh, there is a lack of knowledge about the large body of informal sector practitioners, who are the major providers of health care to the poor, especially in rural areas, knowledge which is essential for designing a need-based, pro-poor health system. This paper addresses this gap by presenting descriptive data on their professional background including knowledge and practices on common illnesses and conditions from a nationwide, population-based health-care provider survey undertaken in 2007. The traditional healers (43%), traditional birth attendants (TBAs, 22%), and unqualified allopathic providers (village doctors and drug sellers, 16%) emerged as major providers in the health care scenario of Bangladesh. Community health workers (CHWs) comprised about 7% of the providers. The TBAs/traditional healers had <5 years of schooling on average compared with 10 years for the others. The TBAs/traditional healers were professionally more experienced (average 18 years) than the unqualified allopaths (average 12 years) and CHWs (average 8 years). Their main routes of entry into the profession were apprenticeship and inheritance (traditional healers, TBAs, drug sellers), and short training (village doctors) of few weeks to a few months from semi-formal, unregulated private institutions. Their professional knowledge base was not at a level necessary for providing basic curative services with minimum acceptable quality of care. The CHWs trained by the NGOs (46%) were relatively better in the rational use of drugs (e.g. use of antibiotics) than the unqualified allopathic providers. It is essential that the public sector, instead of ignoring, recognize the importance of the informal providers for the health care of the poor. Consequently, their capacity should be developed through training, supportive supervision and regulatory measures so as to accommodate them in the mainstream health system until constraints on the supply of qualified and motivated health care providers into the system can be alleviated.


Abstract The equations describing planar magnetoacoustic waves of permanent form in a cold plasma are rewritten so as to highlight the presence of a naturally small parameter equal to the ratio of the electron and ion masses. If the magnetic field is not nearly perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation, this allows us to use a multiple-scale expansion to demonstrate the existence and nature of nonlinear wave solutions. Such solutions are found to have a rapid oscillation of constant amplitude superimposed on the underlying large-scale variation. The approximate equations for the large-scale variation are obtained by making an adiabatic approximation and in one limit, new explicit solitary pulse solutions are found. In the case of a perpendicular magnetic field, conditions for the existence of solitary pulses are derived. Our results are consistent with earlier studies which were restricted to waves having a velocity close to that of long-wavelength linear magnetoacoustic waves.


Gwynn hopes to transcribe Professor Schaeffer's new tablet and the Louvre tablet fairly soon. She has already prepared a comparative table of scripts of Crete and Cyprus for Professor Schaeffer. Her paper on the Enkomi II tablet outlines a preliminary framework, leading up to the argument that it is an early Homeric text. It did not find an audience at either the Journal of Hellenic Studies or the Mycenaean Seminar. Gwynn cites this anecdote to say that Brice's outline and her full transcriptions might only have a venue at KADMOS.


Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have yielded the excellent performance in a variety of computer vision tasks, where CNNs typically adopt a similar structure consisting of convolution layers, pooling layers and fully connected layers. In this paper, we propose to apply a novel method, namely Hybrid Orthogonal Projection and Estimation (HOPE), to CNNs in order to introduce orthogonality into the CNN structure. The HOPE model can be viewed as a hybrid model to combine feature extraction using orthogonal linear projection with mixture models. It is an effective model to extract useful information from the original high-dimension feature vectors and meanwhile filter out irrelevant noises. In this work, we present three different ways to apply the HOPE models to CNNs, i.e., {\em HOPE-Input}, {\em single-HOPE-Block} and {\em multi-HOPE-Blocks}. For {\em HOPE-Input} CNNs, a HOPE layer is directly used right after the input to de-correlate high-dimension input feature vectors. Alternatively, in {\em single-HOPE-Block} and {\em multi-HOPE-Blocks} CNNs, we consider to use HOPE layers to replace one or more blocks in the CNNs, where one block may include several convolutional layers and one pooling layer. The experimental results on both Cifar-10 and Cifar-100 data sets have shown that the orthogonal constraints imposed by the HOPE layers can significantly improve the performance of CNNs in these image classification tasks (we have achieved one of the best performance when image augmentation has not been applied, and top 5 performance with image augmentation).


AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a critical cellular and whole body energy sensor activated by energy stress, including hypoglycemia, which is frequently experienced by people with diabetes. Previous studies using direct delivery of an AMPK activator to the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) in rodents increased hepatic glucose production. Moreover, recurrent glucoprivation in the hypothalamus leads to blunted AMPK activation and defective hormonal responses to subsequent hypoglycemia. These data suggest that amplifying AMPK activation may prevent or reduce frequency hypoglycemia in diabetes. We used a novel brain-permeable AMPK activator, R481, which potently increased AMPK phosphorylation in vitro. R481 significantly increased peak glucose levels during glucose tolerance tests in rats, which were attenuated by treatment with AMPK inhibitor SBI-0206965 and completely abolished by blockade of the autonomic nervous system. This occurred without altering insulin sensitivity measured by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps. Endogenous insulin secretion was not altered by R481 treatment. During hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamp studies, R481 treatment reduced exogenous glucose requirements and amplified peak glucagon levels during hypoglycemia. These data demonstrate that peripheral administration of the brain permeable AMPK activator R481 amplifies the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia in rats, which could have clinical relevance for prevention of hypoglycemia.


: Marijuana is not a plant. It is a crude drug made from the Cannabis plant. Many other crude drugs are also made from this plant. Their chemical composition varies with the plant parts used in producing the particular drug. This paper describes the chemical composition of Cannabis, the uses to which these chemicals are put in the manufacture of crude drugs, and the effects of these drugs.


To determine whether disruption of the hepatic sinusoidal endothelium will facilitate engraftment of transplanted cells, we treated Fischer 344 (F344) rats lacking dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) activity with cyclophosphamide (CP). Electron microscopy showed endothelial injury within 6 hours following CP, and, after 24 and 48 hours, the endothelium was disrupted in most hepatic sinusoids. CP did not affect Kupffer cell function. Similarly, CP had no obvious effects on hepatocytes. Intrasplenic transplantation of F344 rat hepatocytes followed by their localization with DPPIV histochemistry showed 3‐ to 5‐fold increases in the number of transplanted cells in CP‐treated animals. Transplanted cells integrated in the liver parenchyma more rapidly in CP‐treated animals, and hybrid bile canaliculi developed even 1 day after cell transplantation, which was not observed in control animals. To demonstrate whether improved cell engraftment translated into superior liver repopulation, recipient animals were conditioned with retrorsine and two‐thirds partial hepatectomy (PH), which induces transplanted cell proliferation. CP treatment of these animals before cell transplantation significantly increased the number and size of transplanted cell foci. In conclusion, disruption of the hepatic sinusoidal endothelium was associated with accelerated entry and integration of transplanted cells in the liver parenchyma. These results provide insights into hepatocyte engraftment in the liver and will help in optimizing liver‐directed cell therapy.