The crystal structure of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide was determined through the geometry optimization of the molecular unit with density functional theory and conformational analysis, and then through the calculation of the packing via a crystal structure prediction protocol, based on lattice energy minimization. All the calculated structures were ranked, comparing their powder pattern with the laboratory low-quality X-ray diffraction data. Rietveld refinement of the best three proposed structures allowed the most probable crystal arrangement of the molecules to be obtained. This approach was essential for disentangling the twinning problems affecting the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, collected on samples obtained via recrystallization of powder, which definitely confirmed the predicted model. It was found that N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide shows a monoclinic structure in the space group C2/c, with lattice parameters a = 17.822 (12), b = 4.850 (3), c = 19.783 (14) A, β = 102.370 (9)°, V = 1670 (2) A3. Two strong interactions between the amide protons and the carbonyl groups of neighbouring molecules were found along the b axis, determining the crystal growth in the form of wires in this direction. This work provides a further example of how computational methods may help to investigate low-quality molecular crystals with standard diffraction techniques.


Background: University students have specific risk factors for suicide, necessitating targeted prevention programs. This preliminary study evaluated the efficacy of the Crisis-management, Anti-stigma, Mental health literacy Program for University Students (CAMPUS) for reduction of risk factors and promotion of preventative behaviors. Methods: A total of 136 medical students attended the CAMPUS as a required course at the national university in Japan. The CAMPUS consisted of a lecture and two group sessions covering mental health literacy, self-stigma, and gatekeeper efficacy (e.g., identifying and helping at-risk individuals). The students were asked to role-play based on a movie about gatekeepers and scripts about self-stigma and suicide-related issues. Participants completed questionnaires on suicidal thoughts, depression, help-seeking intentions, self-efficacy as gatekeepers, self-concealment, and self-acceptance. A total of 121 students completed the questionnaires pre- and post-program, and 107 students also responded six months later. Results: Students demonstrated significantly reduced overall suicide thoughts six months post-program compared to before the program. In addition, gatekeeper self-efficacy, help-seeking intentions for formal resources, and self-acceptance were improved in the students six month after the program. Conclusions: The CAMPUS suggested effective at reducing suicidal people


Alluvial fans and fluvial terraces occur in nearly all climatic settings and often coexist within the same drainage basin. These landforms play an important role in understanding the geomorphic, hydrologic, sedimentologic and erosional histories of a basin. The juxtaposition of fans and fluvial terraces, in some instances, can lead to misinterpretation in distinguishing traditional fluvial terraces from the truncated toe of tributary alluvial fans. This becomes particularly troublesome for those attempting to interpret results from published field studies where fan-cut terrace, truncated alluvial fan, toe-cut alluvial fan, alluvial terrace, and incision of the lower end of a fan piedmont all refer to the same genetic landform. We call for use of the term "toe-cut terrace" to represent this landform. We also present criteria to aid in the identification of toe-cut terraces, defined as an abandoned alluvial surface, formed by the truncation of the distal portion of tributary alluvial fans by streams flowing obliquely or perpendicular to the fan surface. Truncation occurs through lateral erosion ("toe-cutting") or through vertical incision by the trunk drainage lowering the base-level of the alluvial fan. This results in incision into the fan surface abandoning the fan's depositional surface at a higher level above the modern floodplain – a form that often resembles a fluvial terrace. A case study from the Sonoran Desert in central Arizona illustrates a sequence of abandoned alluvial surfaces that resemble fluvial terraces, but use of the proposed criteria reveal the presence of both toe-cut terraces and traditional fluvial terraces formed by the abandonment of the rivers former floodplain.


Oat straw samples were allowed to decompose for periods varying up to 15 months; changes in functional groups and chemical properties followed as a function of time. Carbon increased in the whole residues and decreased in the lignin fraction while hydrogen decreased in both. Selective demethylation occurred in the lignin but methoxyl content of the complete residues remained about constant. Carboxyl groups as determined by esterification increased progressively, accompanied by decreases in hydroxyl. Carboxyl in the lignin fraction was in good agreement with exchangeable hydrogen determined by an iodometric titration procedure in contrast to lack of agreement between corresponding values in the whole residues. Cation exchange capacity of the straw residues and of their lignin component increased as decomposition progressed. Absorption of oxygen by alkaline suspensions of the residues was determined in a Warburg respirometer and found to increase with length of decomposition period. Most of the total oxygen uptake during an arbitrary 8-hour period could be attributed to the lignin fraction. Some chemical properties of organic matter preparations from five soils were compared with corresponding values for the decomposed residues.


Phosphorus is a key macronutrient being strongly enriched in the deep ocean as a result of continuous export and remineralization of biomass from primary production. We show that phosphorus incorporated within the skeletons of the cosmopolitan cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus is directly proportional to the ambient seawater phosphorus concentration and thus may serve as a paleo-oceanographic proxy for variations in ocean productivity as well as changes in the residence times and sources of deep-water masses. The application of this tool to fossil specimens from the Mediterranean reveals phosphorus-enriched bottom waters at the end of the Younger Dryas period.


We investigated the relationship between being bullied and measured body weight and perceived body weight among adolescents of a middle-income sub Saharan African country. Our data originated from the Global School-based Health Survey, which targets adolescents aged 13–15 years. Student weights and heights were measured before administrating the questionnaire which included questions about personal data, health behaviors and being bullied. Standard criteria were used to assess thinness, overweight and obesity. Among 1,006 participants who had complete data, 16.5% (95%CI 13.3–20.2) reported being bullied ≥3 days during the past 30 days; 13.4% were thin, 16.8% were overweight and 7.6% were obese. Categories of actual weight and of perceived weight correlated only moderately (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.37 for boys and 0.57 for girls; p < 0.001). In univariate analysis, both actual obesity (OR 1.76; p = 0.051) and perception of high weight (OR 1.63 for "slightly overweight"; OR 2.74 for "very overweight", both p < 0.05) were associated with being bullied. In multivariate analysis, ORs for categories of perceived overweight were virtually unchanged while ORs for actual overweight and obesity were substantially attenuated, suggesting a substantial role of perceived weight in the association with being bullied. Actual underweight and perceived thinness also tended to be associated with being bullied, although not significantly. Our findings suggest that more research attention be given to disentangling the significant association between body image, overweight and bullying among adolescents. Further studies in diverse populations are warranted.


Microelectrodes have shown outstanding performance in neural signal recording, neural stimulation and electrochemical sensing1,2. Compared with their micro-sized counterparts, microelectrodes normally exhibit improved signal-to-noise ratio, fast response time and can work with limited sample volumes. Microelectrodes are required to have good biocompatibility, low electrical impedance and long-term stability in many biomedical applications. Carbon fibres are manufactured from polymeric precursor fibres through carbonization, and high carbon content makes carbon fibres electrically conductive, corrosion resistant, biologically safe and inert3. Therefore, carbon fibre has been considered as an ideal candidate for making microelectrodes. In this work, single carbon fibres were loaded into capillary tubes and fabricated into microelectrodes. The surface of the microelectrodes was functionalized with electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets, decorated with carbon dots (CDs). It has been demonstrated that this surface modified microelectrode could achieve a high sensitivity and selectivity in detecting dopamine (DA), in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA).


Two stratigraphic sections of carbonate sediments with significant thickness differences and without appreciable tectonic deformation were studied near the trough and on a threshold zone at the Álava Trough. Such characteristics make them appropriate to analyze the influence of a slow progression of the diagenesis over the original clay suite. X Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM) techniques were applied in natural and alkylammonium-treated samples. Diagenesis slightly modified the clay mineralogy, the disappearance of smectite, and the variation in the content and ordering of the I/S mixed layer, with burial being the most noteworthy process. The total charge in the 2:1 expandable layers of smectite and I/S shows a slight increase, preferentially located on tetrahedral sheets, with depth. The data suggest a moderate diagenesis grade for the studied materials. The combination of techniques allowed identification of several types of detrital micaceous phases, as well-crystallized K-rich micas, Na-K micas, mica-chlorite stacks, and illites, with an expandable behaviour after the alkylammonium treatment. The total charge of illites did not change with diagenesis, suggesting their detrital origin. This research shows that the detrital assemblage masks the diagenetic evolution in the basin, which indicates the importance of the combination of different techniques to infer correctly the diagenetic grade in a sedimentary basin.


Relations between Tendency to Forgive, PTSD and Well-Being in a Non-Combatant Population during Wartime
Objective: The study examined the association between the tendency to forgive (self, others, and situations); each of the DSM 5 clusters of post-traumatic stress symptom levels; and well-being among civilians during wartime.
Method: A sample of 501 Israeli civilians was assessed through web administration in real-time exposure to missile and rocket attacks during the Gaza war in the summer of 2014.
Results: A structural equation model design revealed that the various dimensions of the tendency to forgive were associated differently with the four clusters of traumatic symptoms and wellbeing. Of all the dimensions of tendency to forgive, only forgiving the situations was associated with lower traumatic symptom levels in all four clusters and in higher well-being. Additionally, the tendency to forgive the situation was the only mediating variable between subjective exposure and the four clusters of traumatic symptoms and well-being.
Conclusions: During war the dimensions of tendency to forgive interact differently with traumatic symptoms clusters and wellbeing. Thus, attention should be directed to this diversity, allowing for better understanding and intervention. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.


Fix a coloring c: V(G) → N of the vertices of a graph G and let W=v_1 ... v_{2r} be a walk in G. We say that W is repetitive (with respect to c) if c(v_i) = c(v_{i+r}) for i = 1,..., r; and that W is boring if v_i=v_{i+r}, for every i = 1,...,r. Finally, we say that c is a walk-nonrepetitive coloring of G if every repetitive walk is boring, and we denote by σ(G) the walk-nonrepetitive chromatic number, i.e., the minimum number of colors in a walk-nonrepetitive coloring of G. In this paper we explore the maximum number of edges in a graph G with n vertices for which σ(G) = k, for k≥ 4. In [Barát and Wood 2008] it was shown that e(G) ≤ (1/2)(k -1)n. We prove that the corresponding extremal graph is unique. More specifically, we show that e(G) ≤ (1/2)(k -1)n if and only if G is a union of disjoint copies of K_k. We also show that this upper bound can be improved for connected graphs for the case k = 4: if G is a connected graph for which σ(G) = 4 and |V(G)| ≥ 5, then e(G) ≤ (4/3)|V(G)|.


Non-motile mutants of Vibrio cholerae were isolated after transposon insertion mutagenesis with either Tn5 on a plasmid or Tn10ptac mini-kan in bacteriophage lambda. The physical location and number of transposon insertions was determined. Eighteen Tn5 insertion mutants and 11 Tn10ptac mini-kan insertion mutants had single unique insertion sites. The 18 Tn5 insertions were contained within six different EcoRI fragments and the 11 Tn10ptac mini-kan insertions were contained within eight different fragments of V. cholerae chromosomal DNA. These data suggest that multiple genes are involved in motility. Immunoblot analysis of non-motile mutants with antibody to wild-type flagellar core protein indicated that two of the non-motile mutants made flagellar core protein. Three additional mutants reacted weakly with the antibodies. However, these mutants with immunopositive reactions did not produce any structures which resembled flagella by transmission electron microscopy. In addition, none of the other non-motile mutants produced wild-type flagella. However, five mutants which did not react in the immunoblot produced a structure which resembled a flagellar sheath without the internal flagellar core. In addition to having no filamentous core, the sheaths often extended from the sides of the bacteria, rather than from the poles where the flagellum is normally located. The data suggest that sheath formation is independent of flagellar filament formation, but that proper positioning of the sheath may require the flagellar filament.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence and predictors of symptoms of depression in a large sample of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).

METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional, multicenter study of 376 patients with SSc from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group Registry. Patients were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and through extensive clinical histories and medical examinations. Hierarchical multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship of sociodemographic and clinical variables with symptoms of depression.

RESULTS
The percentages of patients who scored > or =16 and > or =23 on the CES-D were 35.1% and 18.1%, respectively. Patients with less education; patients who were not married; patients with higher physician-rated overall disease severity; and patients with more tender joints, more gastrointestinal symptoms, and more difficulty breathing had significantly higher total CES-D scores. As a group, specific symptom indicators (tender joints, gastrointestinal symptoms, breathing) predicted the most incremental variance in depressive symptoms (DeltaR(2) = 14.2%, P < 0.001) despite being added to the model after demographic, socioeconomic, and global disease duration/severity indicators.

CONCLUSION
High levels of depressive symptoms are common in patients with SSc and are related to overall SSc disease severity, as well as specific medical symptoms. Screening for depression among patients with SSc is recommended, although more research is needed to determine the best method for doing this. Successfully treating dyspnea, gastrointestinal symptoms, and joint pain may improve mood, although this has not yet been demonstrated.


Previous reports indicate IL18 is a novel candidate gene for diastolic dysfunction in sickle cell disease (SCD)-related cardiomyopathy. We hypothesize that IL-18 mediates the development of cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia (VT) in SCD. Compared to control (CTR) mice, a "humanized" mouse model of SCD exhibited increased cardiac fibrosis, prolonged action potential duration (APD), higher VT inducibility in vivo, higher cardiac NFκB phosphorylation and circulating IL-18 levels, as well as reduced voltage-gated potassium channel expression, translating to reduced outward potassium current (Ito) in isolated cardiomyocytes. IL-18 administration to isolated mice hearts resulted in VTs, originating from the right ventricle, and further reduced Ito in SCD mice cardiomyocytes. Sustained IL-18 inhibition via IL-18 binding protein resulted in decreased cardiac fibrosis and NFκB phosphorylation, improved diastolic function, normalized electrical remodeling and attenuated IL-18-mediated VT in SCD mice. Patients with SCD and either myocardial fibrosis or increased QTc displayed greater IL18 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), with QTc strongly correlated with plasma IL-18 levels. PBMC-derived IL18 gene expression was increased in non-surviving over surviving subjects. IL-18 is a mediator of sickle cell cardiomyopathy and VT in mice and a novel therapeutic target in patients at risk for sudden death.


The article is an attempt to analyse 15 Turkish cities with national standards in a comparable way. In order to analyse the cases in the bigger picture socio-economic residential segregation is defined as a key issue to understand how those cities are differentiated in terms of urban divisions, group structures, and national inequalities. The article shows that concentration of the "national socio-economic wealth" is on Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir which points to a greater gap between the major cities of the country and "the others" in terms of socio-economic characteristics and this is defined both the cause and the reason of different urbanisation processes at work in the country.


The explosion in popularity of digital photography and printing has meant that people produce, use and buy digital output prints without really thinking about what they have in their hands. Is it inkjet or electrophotographic, chromogenic or dye diffusion? Although most home-made images are produced on inkjet printers, there are still a variety of media and support types that we need to be familiar with. Each of these types has different treatment, storage and display issues, so an accurate identification of the print type is essential. This paper will provide an introduction to some of the various output systems, covering the possible paper and ink types, and how the image is produced on the paper. It will then move into preservation concerns for this new media. It will also pose the question – "are these prints really photographs at all?"


This study explored the relationship between foreign aid and economic growth in Nigeria from 1984 to 2017. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag Bounds method to cointegration was employed for this study. The results revealed that foreign aid did not contribute to economic growth in Nigeria. Also, the macroeconomic policy environment did not contribute to economic growth in both the short-run and long-run. Furthermore, the results revealed that the impact of foreign aid on economic growth in Nigeria was contingent on the quality of the macroeconomic policy environment. Hence, the claim that the effectiveness of aid is dependent on the q policy environment was valid for Nigeria. The study, therefore, recommends that the policymakers of the government should put in place a sound macroeconomic policy environment that is stable to stimulate domestic saving and ensure the effective utilization of foreign aid. Besides, there is a need for the diversification of the economy through viable alternatives such as agriculture, industrialization and trade to lessen heavy reliance on foreign aid as a major means of stimulating economic growth. Furthermore, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, established to fight corruption should be effective in their job and convince development partners and other aid donors that it is no longer business as usual for those that divert public resources including foreign aid funds for personal gains and the government should provide incentives to private investors and good enabling environment for the thriving of private businesses.


Optimization can be defined as the use of the specific methods to determine the most effective and economical solution to a problem in a process. Optimization is one of the most important decision-making tools in the industry. Optimization uses the effective quantity methods by choosing the best answer or solution among the possible solutions. Of course, computers and the related software have made the necessary calculations feasible with the least cost. In this paper, an energy optimization has been done for condensations stabilization unit of Ilam gas refinery (IGTP). At first, the stabilization unit has been simulated and examined in the environment of the commercial HYSYS Refinery software by taking into account all the details. Then, it has been defined by using integration techniques and scenario processing facilities with the purpose of losing Electricity consumption. Again, the presented scenario was defined in the software. The obtained results from the simulation reveal that in case of using feed stream as the energy integration factor (for cooling) and using heat exchanger Instead of the present air conditioner, 1/1 Mega Watt electric power will be saved in addition to the omission air conditioner 1060/1360 AC (this equipment is currently being used for cooling) and the reduction of operating costs amounted to be more than $ 522,240 a year.


We show that the conversion of a known intercalating dye (i.e., thiazole orange) into a bivalent protein binder could lead to the realization of a novel class of 'turn-on' fluorescent molecular probes that detect proteins with high affinity, selectivity, and a high signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated with monomolecular probes that light-up in the presence of three different proteins: acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione-s-transferase (GST), or avidin (Av) at low concentrations and with minimal background signal. The way by which such probes can be used to detect individual protein isoforms and be applied in inhibitor screening, cell imaging, and biomarker detection is described.


Marketing has become obsessed with word of mouth. Though long known to be important for consumer decisions, social media has put it into overdrive, providing the infrastructure to launch big campaigns that nonetheless enters people's consciousness on a very personal level thanks to messages being passed along by friends. This thesis explores what social media users think about this part of their user experience, attempting to answer how widespread awareness is and how their attitude to it affects their own use. Results show that a large majority of users in Sweden are aware that their spreading the word about a product or service can be considered a form of advertising, and that it also affects their own method of sharing. However, how much they use these services is not affected. Implications for social media providers and marketers are discussed.


The e-Learning paradigm shift capitalises on two main aspect: the elimination of the barriers of time and distance, and the personalisation of the learners' experience. The current trend in education and training emphasises on identifying methods and tools for delivering just-in-time, on-demand knowledge experiences tailored individual learners, taking into consideration their differences in skills level, perspectives, culture and other educational contexts. This paper reviews the shift towards personalised learning, from an educational, technological and standardisation perspective.


GeneView is a semantic search engine for the Life Sciences. Unlike traditional search engines, GeneView analyzes texts upon import to recognize and properly handle biomedical entities, relationships between those entities, and the structure of documents. This allows for a number of advanced features required to work effectively with scientific texts, such as entity disambiguation, ranking of documents by entity content, linking to structured knowledge about entities, userfriendly highlighting of entities etc. As of now, GeneView indexes approximately ~21,4M abstracts and ~358K full texts with more than 200M entities of 11 different types and more than 100K relationships. In this paper, we describe the architecture underlying the system with a focus on the complex pipeline of advanced NLP and information extraction tools necessary for achieving the above functionality. We also discuss open challenges in developing and maintaining a semantic search engine over a large (though not web-scale) corpus.


A new kind of flexible strain sensor based on a reduced graphene oxide field‐effect transistor (rGO FET) with ultrasensitivity, stability, and repeatability for the detection of tensile and compressive strains is demonstrated. The novelty of the rGO FET strain sensor is the incorporation of a rGO channel as a sensing layer in which the electrical resistance can be greatly modified upon application of an extremely low level of strain resulting in an intrinsically amplified sensing signal. The rGO FET device is ultrasensitive to extremely low strain levels, as low as 0.02%. Due to weak coupling between adjacent nanosheets, therefore, upon applying small levels of strain into the rGO thin film, a modulation of the internanosheet resistance (Rinter) is expected, inducing a large change in the transconductance of the rGO FET. Using a simple printing and self‐assembly process, the facile fabrication of an rGO FET array over a large area is also demonstrated. In addition, the device can detect small and rapid physical movements of the human body.


Abstract Adaptive survey designs can be used to allocate sample elements to alternative data collection protocols in order to achieve a desired balance between some quality measure and survey costs. We compare four alternative methods for allocating sample elements to one of two data collection protocols. The methods differ in terms of the quality measure that they aim to optimize: response rate, R-indicator, coefficient of variation of the participation propensities, or effective sample size. Costs are also compared for a range of sample sizes. The data collection protocols considered are CAPI single-mode and web-CAPI sequential mixed-mode. We use data from a large experiment with random allocation to one of these two protocols. For each allocation method we predict outcomes in terms of several quality measures and costs. Although allocating the whole sample to single-mode CAPI produces a higher response rate than allocating the whole sample to the mixed-mode protocol, we find that two of the targeted allocations achieve a better response rate than single-mode CAPI at a lower cost. We also find that all four of the targeted designs out-perform both single-protocol designs in terms of representativity and effective sample size. For all but the smallest sample sizes, the adaptive designs bring cost savings relative to CAPI-only, though these are fairly modest in magnitude.


This is the first differential expression proteomics study on a human syngeneic cellular in vitro progression model of the colorectal adenoma-to-carcinoma sequence, the anchoragedependent non-tumorigenic adenoma derived cell line AA/C1 and the derived anchorage-independent and tumorigenic carcinoma cell line AA/C1/SB10C. The study is based on quantitative 2-DE and is complemented by Western blot validation. Excluding redundancies due to proteolysis and posttranslational modified isoforms of over 2000 protein spots, 13 proteins were revealed as regulated with statistical variance being within the 95th confidence level and were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting in MALDI MS. Progressionassociated proteins belong to the functional complexes of anaerobic glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, steroid biosynthesis, prostaglandin biosynthesis, the regulation and maintenance of the cytoskeleton, protein biosynthesis and degradation, the regulation of apoptosis or other functions. Partial but significant overlap was revealed with previous proteomics and transcriptomics studies in colorectal carcinoma. Among upregulated proteins we identified 3-HMG-CoA synthase, protein phosphatase 1, prostaglandin E synthase 2, villin 1, annexin A1, triosephosphate isomerase, phosphoserine aminotransferase 1, fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1), while glucose-regulated protein 78, cathepsin D, lamin A/C and quinolate phosphoribosyltransferase were downregulated. 748 Proteomics Clin. Appl. 2010, 4, 745–771


The ambition of this paper is to contribute to the growing literature of understanding potentials and challenges of citizens' involvement in state financial planning, i.e. participatory budgeting (PB). The paper traces the development and underlying nature of PB experiments in a comparative perspective: we explore whether and how PB experiments form Participatory Governance (PG) in two Northern municipalities of Russia, one in the High North and the other outside the Barents region. Theoretically, we combine previous knowledge on the role of PB in the PG discourse with ideas of neo-institutional theory capturing external pressures and internal dynamics of PB. The findings show that both PB cases formed limited PG practices. Interestingly, despite the comprehensive rhetoric of "local voice" in the case of the High North municipality, there was much less potential for PG in practice than in the middle-sized municipality outside the Barents Region with less rhetoric. We propose that the combination of various institutional aspects influenced the potentials of PB to form PG – and that even though PB in the High North was supposed to involve the local inhabitants, it was rather designed and adopted by mimetic and coercive pressures. As a result, decisions continued to be kept far away from the "local" High North and its internal dynamics. Another PB case, less strategically important than the municipality in the High North, was mainly designed and developed through a CITIZENS' INVOLVEMENT IN FINANCIAL PLANNING IN THE RUSSIAN NORTH: EXTERNAL PRESSURES AND INTERNAL DYNAMICS OF PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING EXPERIMENTS EVGENII ALEKSANDROV AND ELENA KUZNETSOVA | Pages 65– 86 66 BARENTS STUDIES: Governance in the High North: Rhetoric and reality in the Barents region VOL. 6 | ISSUE 1 | 2019 SPECIAL ISSUE combination of normative pressures and internal managerial logic. Our paper thus shows the significance of existing institutional relations (external pressures and internal dynamics) between the central and local authorities in the formation of participatory mechanisms such as PB.


Abstract Although somatostatin receptors have been detected in many normal and neoplastic tissues, little is known of their expression and function in peripheral nerve tumors. In the present study, we examined the expression of all 5 somatostatin receptor subtypes (sst1-5) in 3 normal peripheral nerves, 3 traumatic neuromas, 27 schwannomas, 18 neurofibromas, and 177 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) by immunohistochemistry as well as by Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction investigations in 2 normal peripheral nerves, one neurofibroma, 5 schwannomas, and 5 MPNSTs. Immunoreactive somatostatin receptors were not detectable in normal peripheral nerve and in nonneoplastic Schwann cell proliferations. In contrast, sst2A mRNA and protein was present in 89% of schwannomas. This receptor subtype was less frequently detected in neurofibromas (22%) and MPNSTs (15%). Interestingly, sst4 was seen in 32% of MPNSTs and was almost exclusively expressed in this malignant tumor type. In support of a role in Schwann cell tumor growth control by somatostatin was the observation of induced internalization of sst2A and inhibition of cell proliferation in an NF1-associated MPNST cell line. Moreover, administration of an sst2A-selective agonist resulted in induction of MPNST cell apoptosis. We conclude that peripheral nerve sheath tumors often express at least one functional somatostatin receptor. Furthermore, our findings suggest a potential clinical role for somatostatin receptor agonists in tumor imaging and/or treatment of schwannomas and MPNSTs.


The article discusses the efficacy of the remedies offered to successful applicants by the European Court of Human Rights in the cases coming from the armed conflict in the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation. It submits, firstly, that proper establishment of facts constitutes a remedy in itself for victims of human rights violations in an armed conflict. It then analyses the establishment of facts by the Court in the Chechen cases and argues that the assessment of evidence under the Court's burden of proof 'beyond reasonable doubt' was applied unevenly in different cases. The paper suggests that the Court obtains evidence proprio motu , which it has never done in the Chechen cases. Secondly, this paper evaluates the European Court's practice to limit the just satisfaction by monetary awards and to consistently deny the applicants' requests for non-monetary awards. It then discusses the developments in the international law on reparations for human rights violations under the ECHR and in the Inter-American and UN systems, and argues for a need to enhance the European Court's awards of just satisfaction. Finally, the paper assesses the supervision of the execution of judgments in the Chechen cases, finds it ineffective, and suggests that more actions are required from the Court in order to deal effectively with alleged human rights violations arising from armed conflicts.


In what could turn into the most ambitious effort yet to systematically study Earth9s ecosystems, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has begun planning what may become a global system of biodiversity observatories. The idea appears to be on a fast track at NSF as one of several environmental initiatives promoted by new director Rita Colwell (see p.
 1944). The observatories program would build on a spate of NSF-funded activity in recent years to study biodiversity and ecological processes.


Plant functional types (or guilds) increasingly are being used to predict vegetation response to global changes. Continued human population growth coupled with projected warmer and drier climate will alter the hydrologic regimes of many arid‐zone rivers, including intermittent rivers. We aimed to identify (i) woody plant guilds associated with distinct stream types of an arid region and (ii) plant traits indicating adaptation to the selective pressures of water availability and fluvial disturbance. We used hierarchical clustering to identify 11 plant guilds from floodplains, terraces and uplands of eight Arizona rivers that vary in surface flow permanence, depth to ground water and intensity of fluvial disturbance. Six guilds were riparian pioneers with small, wind‐dispersed seeds, three guilds were late‐seral, shade‐tolerant riparian taxa with large animal‐dispersed seeds, and two guilds were composed of desert xerophytes. Within the riparian pioneer and seral groups, guilds varied in water acquisition and productivity traits including wood density and rooting depth. The community‐weighted traits varied or covaried with water availability and fluvial disturbance. Root: shoot ratio, canopy height and leaf area were influenced strongly by water availability, with the latter two showing a nonlinear response to changes in water table depth. Leaf length increased, and wood density decreased, as sites become wetter and more fluvially disturbed. Community‐weighted seed mass, seed dispersal and spinesence varied most strongly with elevation above thalweg (an indicator of decreasing fluvial disturbance). These analyses will enable prediction of changes in the relative abundance of plant types and plant traits in response to changes in stream flow regimes, such as shifts towards greater intermittency. The distribution patterns of guilds among riparian habitat types emphasise the importance of focusing conservation efforts not only on the limited number of perennial rivers remaining in arid regions, but also on intermittent and ephemeral rivers with shallow water tables.


Information about mechanical reinforcement of decorative organs could help development of a novel technique that would give flowers with robust floral organs and broadly contribute to postharvest flower preservation. Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) exhibit remarkable characteristics in terms of mechanical reinforcement of decorative sepals. Although decorative sepals at the flowering stage shrink when they are desiccated, decorative sepals after flowering maintain their shape even after desiccation. In this study, the lignifications of the vein cells in decorative sepals were analyzed using phloroglucinol/HCl-staining. The microstructure of the cell wall was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The threedimensional structure of vein cells was analyzed using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM). Tubularand spindle-shaped dead cells with a lignified pitted secondary cell wall were observed around the vessel elements in decorative sepals after flowering. These cells were observed as living cells without a secondary cell wall in the veins of decorative sepals at flowering and in fully expanded leaves. Further, 10 hydrangea cultivars were analyzed for development of mechanical reinforcement in vein cells, and some of them were compared by desiccation testing. Decorative sepals of a cultivar lacking those cells exhibited shrinkage after flowering when they were desiccated. In conclusion, dead cells with a lignified pitted secondary cell wall contribute to the reinforcement of veins in decorative sepals of hydrangeas and become sclerified parenchyma cells. Axial parenchyma sclerifying in veins after flowering is essential for robust hydrangea floral organs and represent a new type of mechanical reinforcement tissue in plant decorative floral organs.


The skull anatomy of uropeltines is reviewed, and new data is presented on the highly derived otico-occipital region. A phylogenetic analysis of uropeltine interrelationships using parsimony is performed using characters derived from skull structure. The basal position of the genus Melanophidium is confirmed; Pseudotyphlops is a relatively derived uropeltine, in spite of its relatively large size. The monophyly of the genera Melanophidium and Rhinophis requires further testing.


An inexpensive and simple approach using ultraviolet-spectroscopy to distinguish vinegar samples was developed. Vinegar samples were diluted with distilled water(water/vinegar was 6/1, v/v), then distilled with rotary evaporator at 45°C. The distilled liquid was introduced into the UV-Vis 2550 spectrophotometer to scan the UV spectrum from 245 nm to 330 nm, distilled water was used as reference solution. Once spectra were collected, principal components analysis (PCA) and artificial neural network (ANN) were employed for the exploratory analysis and the development of classification models, respectively. The criteria for discrimination were various raw materials and the different fermentation process of vinegars. The correct rate of the classification according to the production process was more than 90% and it was 100% according to the raw materials. The ANN model also could be used to class vinegar samples according to the raw materials, the correct rate was 80.95% in this research.


Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common source of genetic variation in populations and are thus most likely to account for the majority of phenotypic and behavioral differences between individuals or strains. Although the rat is extensively studied for the latter, data on naturally occurring polymorphisms are mostly lacking. We have used publicly available sequences consisting of whole-genome shotgun (WGS), expressed sequence tag (EST), and mRNA data as a source for the in silico identification of SNPs in gene-coding regions and have identified a large collection of 33,305 high-quality candidate SNPs. Experimental verification of 471 candidate SNPs using a limited set of rat isolates revealed a confirmation rate of approximately 50%. Although the majority of SNPs were identified between Sprague-Dawley (EST data) and Brown Norway (WGS data) strains, we found that 66% of the verified variations are common among different rat strains. All SNPs were extensively annotated, including chromosomal and genetic map information, and nonsynonymous SNPs were analyzed by SIFT and PolyPhen prediction programs for their potential deleterious effect on protein function. Interestingly, we retrieved three SNPs from the database that result in the introduction of a premature stop codon and that could be confirmed experimentally. Two of these "in silico-identified knockouts" reside in interesting QTL regions. Data are publicly available via a Web interface (http://cascad.niob.knaw.nl), allowing simple and advanced search queries.


The purpose of this research was to determine whether there is a relationship of senile cataract with blood sugar levels for people with diabetes who checked in BKIM (Balai Kesehatan Indera Masyarakat) Medan. Research was done through two stages, blood sampling and examination of blood glucose levels and data analysis. The patient's blood is taken at any time from the patient's fingertip. Data were analyzed calculated the correlation relationship where the cataract as the parameters x and y are the blood sugar levels. Correlation calculation results indicate the number r = 0:46, which means there is less close relationship between cataracts and blood sugar levels but percentages show increased in the percent of patients with both cataracts relation to blood sugar levels as well as cataracts with age. From a study of 60 patients aged 45-65 years who suffer from cataracts are less significant association between cataract with blood sugar levels.


OBJECTIVE In the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), we evaluated associations of baseline levels of a lipoprotein-based insulin resistance (IR) index (LP-IR), IR-related lipoprotein particles, mean particle sizes, and lipids, with incident type 2 diabetes, independent of confounders, glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Among 5,314 adults aged 45–84 years without baseline diabetes or cardiovascular disease, 656 cases of diabetes were identified during a mean follow-up of 7.7 years. Lipoprotein particle concentrations, size, and LP-IR were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of stored baseline plasma. Potential effect modification, by race/ethnicity, sex, baseline use of lipid-lowering medications or hormone therapy, or glucose strata (<90, 90–99, and ≥100 mg/dL), was also evaluated. RESULTS Higher levels of LP-IR, large VLDL particles (VLDL-P), small LDL particles, triglycerides (TG), and TG–to–HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio and lower levels of large HDL particles, smaller HDL and LDL size, and larger VLDL size were significantly associated with incident diabetes adjusted for confounders and glucose or insulin. These also were similar by race/ethnicity, sex, and treatment group. Associations were similar for LP-IR, large VLDL-P, mean VLDL size, TG, and TG–to–HDL-C ratio; they persisted for LP-IR, large VLDL-P, or mean VLDL size adjusted for HOMA-IR or TG–to–HDL-C ratio and glucose but not for the TG–to–HDL-C ratio adjusted for LP-IR or for HOMA-IR or insulin if adjusted for LP-IR and glucose. CONCLUSIONS Among ethnically diverse men and women, LP-IR, large VLDL-P, large VLDL size, TG, and TG–to–HDL-C ratio were associated with incident diabetes independent of established risk factors, glucose, insulin, or HOMA-IR, as well as the use of lipid-lowering medications or hormone therapy.


Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered as a painless and effective treatment for mania, catatonia, suicidality, and psychosis. The nurses' duties in the ECT treatment are to assist the patient undergoing the treatment, giving information about the treatment process and address any fears that the patient or family members may have. The National ECT Quality Register aims to improve thequality and increase the treatment availability in Sweden. Patient-centered variables as defined by the Swedish Society of Nursing, is "data that includes nursing care in the structure, process, and/or performance levels." Currently there are no patientcentered variables in the ECT Quality Register. Aim: Defining the nurses' opinions about patient-centered variables, which can improve the quality of care in the ECT treatment. Method: A quantitative online survey that was constructed based on the results of qualitative interviews with ECT nurses. Results: The patient-centered variables that most participants in the study suggested to be included in the Quality ECT register, are the variables that highlight the efforts for the patient regarding the observation and prevention of side-effects, written andoral information regarding ECT treatment, any expected effects and side effects,follow-up after discharge, their experience of the treatment, pre-medication,information on early signs of relapse, support during and after the ECT treatment, participation in the planning of ECT treatment, continuity of the care process and assistance with anxieties before and after the ECT treatment.Conclusion: The study shows that the patient-centered variables are requested to be included in ECT Quality Register.


Melting and solidification are both phase transformations involving a liquid and a solid phase. In a simplifying procedure melting could be treated as the inverse process of solidification. However, there are substantial differences in the thermodynamics and kinetics of melting and solidification. The elaboration of a model for melting of binary alloys has lead to the possibility to also describe solidification processes more consistently. Input parameters in the model are the Gibbs Free Energy curves and the diffusion coefficients in the liquid and solid phase, respectively. Assumptions about the thermodynamic state of the interface like local equilibrium are not necessary, recently developed interface thermodynamics is coupled with the kinetic equations. Simulations results for steady-state melting and solidification are compared. The treatment of both solidification and melting yields some insight in the proper¬ties of the liquid/solid interface and its role during the phase transformation.


Seizures were produced in rat pups by ambient hyperthermia. Seizure threshold temperatures, measured rectally and intracerebrally, increased between 2 and 10 days of age. Electrocortical paroxysmal discharges were confirmed in hyperthermic 6- and 10-day-old pups. The increasing resistance to hyperthermic seizures with maturation and the electroencephalographic changes induced by hyperthermia are similar to those in young children.


Let the non-negative random variable X denote the life time of a unit, then the random variable X (t) = t – X for X ≤ t for a fixed t ∈ {x : FX (x) > 0}, is known as inactivity time or reversed residual life time. In this paper, we define a new non-parametric class of life distributions based on the median of the random variable X (t) and study its reliability properties. Some new results concerning the proposed class are given including some closure properties and characterizations. We also introduce and study a new stochastic ordering based on the median of X (t) and find its relationship with other well-known order relations. Finally, we provide the median inactivity time function of some well-known life time distributions.


This paper analyzes the governance practices in the dimension of the family and ownership, and its impact in the financial and family performance. From an empirical perspective, we provide a exploratory evidence on how the governance practice in the structures of governance in the family and ownership, impacts in the financial results and the socioemotional wealth of the family.The results show that the implementation of corporate governance practices in the family and ownership dimensions is not a reliable indicator of a direct relationship with business performance. In addition, we found strong tendencies to preserve the family's socioemotional wealth. Furthermore, unity, honesty, transparency and amity are factors boosting both family and business success.This study has some limitations, the qualitative method used, such as the case study, allows an analytic exploration of the findings. However, it would be suitable further future quantitive approaches to generalize our results and extract more objective conclusions.


Eigentrust is a simple and popular method for trust computation, which uses both direct and indirect information about individual performance to provide a global trust rating. This final trust value is based on eigenvectors computed through the Power Method. However, under certain network topologies, the Power Method cannot be used to identify appropriate eigenvectors. After characterising these cases, we overcome Eigentrust's limitations by extending the algorithm's core ideas into the Max-Plus Algebra. An empirical evaluation of our new approach demonstrates its superiority to Eigentrust.


STKE
Behavioral sensitization to cocaine, which occurs following repeated administration, involves long-lasting changes in glutamatergic transmission in the nucleus accumbens. Cocaine elicits changes in the expression of genes encoding Homer scaffolding proteins [which exist in complexes with metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs)], and Szumlinski et al . have now investigated the effects of Homer deletion. Mice lacking Homer1 or Homer2 showed enhanced sensitivity to cocaine-induced place conditioning (preference for environments associated with cocaine administration), as well as an enhanced locomotor response to cocaine. Furthermore, these mice had decreased basal extracellular glutamate concentration in the nucleus accumbens compared to wild-type mice (as occurs with repeated cocaine administration) and, like rats in withdrawal from repeated cocaine administration, showed increased extracellular glutamate following cocaine exposure. Restoring Homer2 reversed the effects on conditioning and on the behavioral and neurochemical response to cocaine. Homer2 knockout also led to more rapid development of cocaine self-administration and, as in cocaine-sensitized animals, attenuated the increase in extracellular glutamate produced by a mGluR1 agonist. Thus, lack of Homer2 mimics many aspects of the sensitization seen with withdrawal from repeated cocaine administration, leading the authors to propose that Homer proteins may play a key role in cocaine addiction. — EMA

Neuron 43 , 401 (2004).


Strategic management is an approach to strategizing by public organizations or other entities that integrates strategy formulation and implementation, and typically includes strategic planning to formulate strategies, ways of implementing strategies, and continuous strategic learning. Strategic management can help public organizations or other entities achieve important goals and create public value.
 Strategy is what links capabilities and aspirations. Four broad types of strategists (as individuals, teams, organizations, and collaborations) in public administration exist: the reactor (low aspirations, low capabilities), the dreamer (high aspirations, low capabilities), the underachiever (low aspirations, high capabilities) and the savvy strategist (high aspirations, high capabilities).
 There are eight approaches to strategic planning. More comprehensive process approaches include those influenced by the Harvard Policy Model, logical incrementalism, and stakeholder management. More partial process approaches include strategic negotiations, strategic issues management, and strategic planning as a framework for innovation. Finally, two content approaches also exist, namely, portfolio and competitive forces analyses.
 Seven approaches to strategic management systems can be discerned. These include: the integrated units of management approach (or layered or stacked units of management), strategic issues management approach, contract approach, collaboration approach (including the lead organization, shared governance, and network administrative organization approaches), portfolio management approach, goal or benchmark approach, and hybrid approaches.
 Strategic planning and management are approaches to identifying and addressing challenges. Neither is a single invariant thing but is instead a set of concepts, processes, procedures, tools, techniques, and practices (and structures in the case of strategic management systems) that must be drawn on selectively and adapted thoughtfully and strategically to specific contexts if they are to help produce desirable results. While there are a variety of generic approaches to both, the boundaries among them are not necessarily clear, and strategic planning and management in practice are typically hybridic. Research is accumulating about which approaches to strategic planning and management work under which circumstances, how, and why, but much work remains to be done.


Two key facilities for the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG project; the central processing facility (CPF) and floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO), were constructed in South Korean ports and towed to offshore Australian waters. To meet regulatory requirements for their importation, and mitigate potential invasive marine species (IMS) introduction, species-specific biofouling risk assessments were completed, and a series of management measures implemented. Risk assessments quantified the theoretical likelihood of the facilities introducing IMS via biofouling. The assessments considered (but were not limited to) the type of antifouling coating (AFC), time alongside, niche areas, and likelihood of IMS surviving in offshore waters at the Ichthys Field if translocated. The two facilities had different AFCs on their submerged hulls (CPF: biocidal, FPSO: non-biocidal). The theoretical risk of introducing IMS to Australian waters was considered 'uncertain', requiring completion of an extensive pre-mobilisation cleaning program in-water (CPF >600 dive hours and FPSO 2381 dive hours). The FPSO was cleaned twice due to a delay and recolonisation on the non-biocidal AFC. To determine the most efficient cleaning methods, various in-water cleaning technologies were trialled. Due to the size and complexity of the facilities, biofouling inspectors were deployed throughout the operation to increase confidence in the outcomes. After the arrival of the facilities at the Ichthys Field, dedicated underwater surveys were conducted to assess biofouling communities and collect specimens for molecular analysis, using a specially designed sampling tool. The associated outcomes demonstrated that the risk was acceptable and had been reduced to as low as reasonably practicable, validating the novel approach taken.


We studied physiological conditions during the spinning of dragline silk by the garden cross spider, Araneus diadematus. Silk is converted from the liquid feedstock in the gland into a solid thread via a tapering tubular duct and exits at a spigot. The distal part of the tubule appears specialized for ion transport and the management of the pH inside the lumen. Thus, it appears that spider silk in vivo, like some industrial polymers in vitro, is spun through an acid bath.


The expansion of neuroimaging techniques over the last decades has opened a wide range of new possibilities to characterize brain dysfunction in several neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the lack of specificity of most of these techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived measures, to the underlying molecular and cellular properties of the brain tissue poses limitations to the amount of information one can extract to inform precise models of brain disease. The integration of transcriptomic and neuroimaging data, known as 'imaging transcriptomics', has recently emerged as an indirect way forward to test and/or generate hypotheses about potential cellular and transcriptomic pathways that might underly specific changes in neuroimaging MRI biomarkers. However, the validity of this approach is yet to be examined in-depth. Here, we sought to bridge this gap by performing imaging transcriptomic analyses of the regional distribution of well-known molecular markers, assessed by positron emission tomography (PET), in the healthy human brain. We focused on tracers spanning different elements of the biology of the brain, including neuroreceptors, synaptic proteins, metabolism, and glia. Using transcriptome-wide data from the Allen Brain Atlas, we applied partial least square regression to rank genes according to their level of spatial alignment with the regional distribution of these neuroimaging markers in the brain. Then, we performed gene set enrichment analyses to explore the enrichment for specific biological and cell-type pathways among the genes most strongly associated with each neuroimaging marker. Overall, our findings show that imaging transcriptomics can recover plausible transcriptomic and cellular correlates of the regional distribution of benchmark molecular imaging markers, independently of the type of parcellation used to map gene expression and neuroimaging data. Our data support the plausibility and robustness of imaging transcriptomics as an indirect approach for bridging gene expression, cells and macroscopical neuroimaging and improving our understanding of the biological pathways underlying regional variability in neuroimaging features. a certain gene, we selected the probe with the highest consistency in expression across the 6 donors. We used partial least squares regression (PLS) to rank all genes according to their association with the regional distribution of each neuroimaging marker. Finally, we performed gene set enrichment analyses for gene ontologies and genes expressed in different cell-types (using single cell transcriptomic data from the human brain, as derived from previous studies). The gene set enrichment analyses were implemented with WebGestalt. cell adhesion mediated by integrins and immune response (Supplementary data S2). The cell-type enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment for all non-neuronal cells. Oligodendrocytes emerged as the strongest enrichment hit.


Research on the growth response of Red Cockscomb Plant Celosia plumosa (Voss) Burv. on contaminated soils heavy metal Cadmium (Cd) has been carried out from March to July 2016 in Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Hasanuddin University. The aims of this research is to find out the  growth response of  red Cockscomb  Celosia plumosa (Voss) Burv. on the ground of cadmium heavy metals (Cd) and its potential as phytoremediation agent of Cd metal on soil. The study was arranged in a Randomized Block Design, 4 treatments (source of sewage sludge land, garden soils, rice field and landfill or final waste disposal) and 3 groups. The cadmium content analysis was performed at Centerfor Health Laboratory of Makassar, South Sulawesi, using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The data were tested by F test, the different significant result was followed by the Smallest Differential Test (SDT). The results of the analysis showed that the growth of Red Cockscomb Plant Celosia plumosa (Voss) Burv. plants  able to live better (higher plants, more leaves and wet or dry weight higher) on the land from landfills (final waste disposal ) is compared to the other three sources of land.


Accelerating international trade and climate change make pathogen spread an increasing concern. Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, the causal agent of ash dieback is one such pathogen, moving across continents and hosts from Asian to European ash. Most European common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees are highly susceptible to H. fraxineus although a small minority (~5%) evidently have partial resistance to dieback. We have assembled and annotated a draft of the H. fraxineus genome which approaches chromosome scale. Pathogen genetic diversity across Europe, and in Japan, reveals a tight bottleneck into Europe, though a signal of adaptive diversity remains in key host interaction genes (effectors). We find that the European population was founded by two divergent haploid individuals. Divergence between these haplotypes represents the 'shadow' of a large source population and subsequent introduction would greatly increase adaptive potential and the pathogen's threat. Thus, EU wide biological security measures remain an important part of the strategy to manage this disease.


In the first half century of Dissent's history, Karl Polanyi almost never made an appearance in the magazine's pages. On one level this is surprising, because Polanyi was a presence in socialist circles in New York City from 1947 through the mid-1950s, the period of Dissent's gestation. On another level it is unsurprising, in that Polanyi was a heterodox thinker—even among fellow socialists. With some significant exceptions, it has taken decades to recognize the extraordinary theoretical contributions to socialist thought that he made in his masterpiece, The Great Transformation: The Social and Political Origins of Our Time,first published in 1944.


In this study, hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) bentonite was synthesized by placing alkylammonium cation onto bentonite. Adsorption of some textile dyes such as Everdirect Supra Yellow PG, Everdirect Supra Orange 26 CG, Everdirect Supra Rubine BL, Everdirect Supra Blue 4BL and Everdirect Supra Red BWS on Na-bentonite and HDTMA-bentonite was investigated. While the Na-bentonite had no affinity for the dyes, the HDTMA-bentonite showed significant adsorption from aqueous solution. The Langmuir and Dubinin-Rasdushkevich (D-R) isotherm equations were applied to the data and values of parameters of these isotherm equations were evaluated. The mean energy of adsorption, E, was also calculated from the adsorption energy constant K' values determined from the D-R isotherm equation.


Trends in skill bias and greater turbulence in modern labor markets put wages and employment prospects of unskilled workers under pressure. Weak incentives to utilize and maintain skills over the life-cycle become manifest with the ageing of the population. Reinvention of human capital policies is required to avoid increasing welfare state dependency among the unskilled and to reduce inefficiencies in human capital formation. Policy makers should acknowledge strong dynamic complementarities in skill formation. Investments in the human capital of children should expand relative to investment in older workers. There is no trade-off between equity and efficiency at early ages of human development but there is a substantial trade-off at later ages. Later remediation of skill deficits acquired in early years is often ineffective. Active labor market and training policies should therefore be reformulated. Skill formation is impaired when the returns to skill formation are low due to low skill use and insufficient skill maintenance later on in life. High marginal tax rates and generous benefit systems reduce labor force participation rates and hours worked and thereby lower the utilization rate of human capital. Tax-benefit systems should be reconsidered as they increasingly redistribute resources from outsiders to insiders in labor markets which is both distortionary and inequitable. Early retirement and pension schemes should be made actuarially fairer as they entail strong incentives to retire early and human capital is thus written off too quickly.


Training embodied agents in simulation has become mainstream for the embodied AI community. However, these agents often struggle when deployed in the physical world due to their inability to generalize to real-world environments. In this paper, we present Phone2Proc, a method that uses a 10-minute phone scan and conditional procedural generation to create a distribution of training scenes that are semantically similar to the target environment. The generated scenes are conditioned on the wall layout and arrangement of large objects from the scan, while also sampling lighting, clutter, surface textures, and instances of smaller objects with randomized placement and materials. Leveraging just a simple RGB camera, training with Phone2Proc shows massive improvements from 34.7% to 70.7% success rate in sim-to-real ObjectNav performance across a test suite of over 200 trials in diverse real-world environments, including homes, offices, and RoboTHOR. Furthermore, Phone2Proc's diverse distribution of generated scenes makes agents remarkably robust to changes in the real world, such as human movement, object rearrangement, lighting changes, or clutter.


Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Neurological symptoms occur in 5-15% of patients with sarcoidosis and are related to a whole spectrum of possible pathologies, including pachymeningitis, leptomeningitis, parenchymal involvement with mass lesions and/or white matter disease, myelitis, cranial neuropathies, peripheral neuropathy, and myopathy. Diagnosis can be challenging in patients without apparent intrathoracic involvement. We present a case of a patient with chronic leptomeningitis and resulting nonobstructive hydrocephalus in whom the presence of granulomatous inflammation was proven by the biopsy of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)-avid mediastinal lymph nodes detected on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Prior computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed that they were normal in size. The patient was treated with glucocorticoids and infliximab, which resulted in clinical and radiographic improvement of the disease. This case argues for the important role of FDG-PET/CT in establishing the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping (KT) to prevent and/or reduce scrotal swelling following castration of stallions. Methods: Ten healthy horses aged between 4 and 12 were included in our study. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the KT group (n=5) or Control group (n=5). KT EDF (Epidermis-Dermis-Fascia) technique was applied to scrotal area postoperatively for edema control and wound healing on alternate days. Measurements were taken at pre-surgery, 45 minutes post-surgery, after 3, 24, 48, 72 hours and at the 7th day of the surgery. Thermal camera imaging was performed to assess the skin temperature in scrotal area. Edema and post-surgical pain assessment was rated by two veterinarians using a four-point scale (none, mild, moderate, or severe) and Composite Pain Scale (CPS) respectively. Results: Significant linear decreasing for KT group was found in skin temperature, edema and pain at 45 minutes post-surgery, after 3, 24, 48, 72 hours and at the 7th day of the surgery. Conclusion: KT EDF method applied to scrotal area postoperatively had positive effects on wound healing and edema control in equine. We believe that KT EDF method has made a considerable effect on ensuring homeostasis of the postoperative tissue compared with control group.


Research was undertaken on the economics of crop-livestock integration in the Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria. The aim of the study was to quantify the reciprocal contributions of crops and livestock and also the factors affecting the integration of crops and livestock production in the area. Field data were collected during the 1996/97 farming season from 150 respondents randomly selected at two locations (Zaria and Bauchi) and classified into crop farmers (CF) and crop-livestock farmers (C-LF). The two locations represent different levels of market opportunities. The Zaria area is hypothesized to follow a market-driven path of agricultural intensification while the Bauchi area follows a population-driven path of agricultural intensification. Results of the study showed that the CF in the Zaria area recorded a gross margin (GM) of NGN62,035. This was about three and a half times the GM in Bauchi (NGN17,262). Similarly, the C-LF in the Zaria area recorded a much higher GM (NGN145,334) over that recorded by the C-LF in the Bauchi area (34,367). Among the general factors affecting crop-livestock integration are land, labour, availability of feed, availability of organic and inorganic fertilizer, age and level of education of the farmers. The study concluded that by integrating and using crop-livestock farm linkages, farmers can improve their economic gains more substantially especially in areas with better market opportunities (Zaria). Therefore efforts should be made to substantially improve the market infrastructure and solve some or the problems affecting crop-livestock integration in the NGS of Nigeria.


Fatigue describes the presence of a pronounced and advanced state of weariness. People with fatigue need more energy and it takes more effort to perform different activities than expected when compared to the patients disability. Fatigue can be observed in up to 92 % of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. In the presented study, the German fatigue severity scale (dFSS) was established following the English "Fatigue Severity Scale". We enrolled 20 patients suffering from a primary relapsing multiple sclerosis and compared them to 20 healthy controls. Fatigue was detected if at least 4 points were reached in the dFSS. The dFSS demonstrated high validity and reliability. The dFSS is able to differentiate patients with fatigue from healthy controls. As consequence, the dFSS can be used to evaluate fatigue in German speaking individuals. The presented data demonstrated a good internal consistence. The scale is able to measure fatigue in an economic and rapid fashion. Therefore, it can be used in clinical situations for measuring fatigue in German speaking individuals.


Two typescripts of "My Protocol for Our Sister Americas" exist in the Maria Cristina Mena Chambers Papers.' The earlier version, reprinted below, is from 1943. The later version lacks a date, but one added line in Mena's handwriting notes Vice President Richard Nixon's "recent unfortunate experience" in South America, which is likely a reference to Nixon's run-ins with angry protestors during a 1958 diplomacy trip. A published version of the essay has not yet been uncovered. In the version below, I incorporated all the corrections that Mena herself made in handwriting and have explained the nature of each correction in an endnote. I have retained misspellings, errors, and her somewhat idiosyncratic punctuation, including her use of semicolons and long ellipses. Occasionally, the typescript omits a space after a comma or semicolon. I have silently inserted a space in these places. The essay is reprinted here with permission from Arte Publico Press. Perhaps because back there in 1916 I was the first Mexican woman to write Magazine-stories in English--and have continued "shuttling" through the years between Station U.S. of America., and US. of Mexico in my stories--I am accepting the challenge to write on "How to approach the Latin-American mind." I say "challenge" because the request is not a simple one and a great deal is being written, these days, on the various ways and means to best accomplich a gracious but difficult task. In letters from childhood friends in Mexico and other more recent friendships in South-America, I sense clearly how truly sincere and mutual is their desire to be known and understood by the people of the United States., for what they really are, for what they truly feel. Letters are, sometimes, powerful weapons and I have one before me, on the desk, which I've kept many years. At the moment this letter becomes my weapon with which to meet this challenge and its contents make me feel spiritually armed for any fate. The letter is from the late poet and editor, Robert Underwood Johnson, who published my first story in the Century Magazine, when I was twenty years old. I shall quote one passage: "...... I think your story is the first Mexican story where the Mexicans are not called "greasers" ........ It is, in my opinion, the first story of authentic Mexican life, where the people think and move as human beings. ......" (3) I feel extremely humble about this letter and I am mentioning it only in the hope that what I have to say might bring with it some small measure of that authority which comes from years of dedication to any problem very near to one's mind and heart. To me the problem of having the people of the United States know and understand the country of my birth (Mexico) has been my life's work. My protocol--or correct proceeding--for the "approach to the Latin-American mind," begins with several, simple, "don'ts," which although simple they are in reality important to remember. I don't think that we should call the inhabitants of Central and South-America "Latin-Americans." In Mexico or Bolivia or Peru, the people never think of themselves anything but Mejicanos or Peruanos, and etc, etc. And, on the other side, it is more to their way of thinking to call the natives of the Unites States, Norteamericanos. Although I was born in Mexico, and it is of the Mexicans I can speak with inner-knowledge; I have lived several years in the Argentine and in Brazil, have visited Puerto Rico and Cuba; and I think that most of my observations in this article apply equally to the natives of these countries. I don't think we can approach the mind of our friends and neighbors south of the Border if we persist in thinking of them as "old-fashioned," or as belonging to the 18th, or some other old century; because they chose to cling to the proprieties and social ways they have found best for them. Some of these "old ways" are not only charming but they are not old at all. …


Automation in smart manufacturing depends on many parties in the supply chain and distribution networks. A smart manufacturer needs to track the location and state of materials from its suppliers and products to its customers/distributors to manage the corresponding production schedule. The need for such information can be fulfilled by the use of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices installed at each respective party. However, even though all parties may trust one another, they have confidential data produced by the IIoT devices that are not allowed to be shared with other parties, or only allowed to be exchanged with certain parties. Even though the data are not confidential, they may still be required to share partial data based on the needs of each party. On the other hand, all parties have their independent systems that differ from each other, which leads to complex integration. Regarding those situations, a private-blockchain-based IIoT is promising to bridge the need for product and material tracking information exchange between parties while maintaining the respective confidentiality.


A clinical trial on Alprostan (prostaglandin E1) use for management of critical lower limb ischemia (Fontaine-Pokrovsky stages III and IV of chronic limb ischemia) was carried out in A. V. Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery from March, 2003 till April, 2004. The study aimed at appraisal of Alprostan effectiveness (administered alone or combined with reconstructive interventions) in coping with critical ischemia in patients with lower limb arterial occlusive lesions.


Using daily data stemming from inflation-indexed markets, we analyse the effects of numerous macroeconomic surprises on inflation compensation data - the sum of inflation expectations, risk and liquidity premia - in the euro area between 2 January 2004 and 31 December 2007. Our results suggest that when gauging short and medium-term inflation compensations, market operators are sensitive to surprises related to real activity and prices. Interestingly, oil futures prices tend to impact at some point on the short- and medium-ends of the inflation compensation curve. Notwithstanding, long-term inflation compensations remain generally unresponsive to macroeconomic surprises, attesting the high ECB's credibility.


This study investigated patterns of beliefs concerning CAM (complementary/ alternative medicine) in 403 subjects in Israel. Multidimensional scaling and Generalised linear model analyses of their answer to a questionnaire evidenced two sources of organizing factors : (1) commitment to CAM approaches and techniques is dependent on the specific approach, and this differentiation may be related to corresponding explanatory principles such as Powerful Action, Healthy Living, and Fighting Stress and (2) broad support for CAM in general, correlated with New Age ideological cultural themes (ecology, the paranormal, Eastern wisdom) which share an underlying framework of demedicalization. It did not prove possible to cluster respondents into types, and factor analysis uncovered but a single factor. This suggests that subjects combine the organizing factors in a pragmatic blend, a finding congruent with a post-modern interpretation that emphasises the blending of high and low, ideological and practical.


Background Sugar–sweetened beverages (SSBs) are an increasing contributor to rising rates of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. The media has an important role in framing perceptions of these products and therefore has significant potential to influence public health policy. We assessed the extent of media-based public health advocacy versus pro-industry messaging regarding SSBs. Methods We conducted a systematic analysis to identify and examine all articles regarding SSBs published in mainstream British print newspapers and their online news websites from 1st January 2014 to 1st January 2015. We initially conducted a brief literature search to develop appropriate search terms and categorisations for grouping and analysing the articles. Articles were then coded according to the publishing newspaper, article type, topic, prominence and slant (pro- or anti-SSB). A contextual analysis was undertaken to examine key messages in the articles. Results 1295 full-text articles published during 2014 were assessed for eligibility of which 374 were included in this analysis. The majority of articles (81%) suggested that SSBs are unhealthy. Messaging from experts, campaign groups and health organisations was fairly consistent about the detrimental effects of SSB on health. SSBs were associated with a large variety of topics and sub-topics, most frequently health effects, followed by regulation and product consumption. Of those articles discussing the health impact of SSBs, the most prominent subtopic was youth's consumption of SSBs. However, relatively few articles assessed any approaches or solutions to potentially combat the problems associated with SSBs. Only a quarter (24%) suggested any policy change. 31% placed the responsibility for combating consumption of sugar on individuals and 36% offered no solutions, merely highlighting the problems associated with SSBs over-consumption. Meanwhile, articles concerning the food industry produced consistent messages emphasising consumer choice and individual responsibility for making choices regarding SSB consumption, and promoting and advertising their products. The food industry thus often managed to avoid association with the negative press that their products were receiving. Conclusion Sugar–sweetened beverages featured heavily in mainstream British print newspapers and their online news websites during 2014. Public health media advocacy was prominent throughout, with a growing consensus that sugary drinks are bad for people's health. However, the challenge for public health will be to mobilise supportive public opinion to help implement effective regulatory policies. Only then will our population's excess consumption of sugar sweetened beverages come under control.


Abstract We present an algorithm to calculate horizontal strains (or strain rates) through interpolation of geodetically derived displacements (or velocities). This is an underdetermined inverse problem to derive smoothly distributed strains (or strain rates) using spatially discretized geodetic observations. A priori information, in the form of weighted smoothing, is critical to facilitate the solution. At a given site, the horizontal displacement (or velocity) field in its vicinity is approximated by a bilinear function and represented by rigid block translation, rotation, and strains (or their rates). The weighted displacement (or velocity) data in the neighborhood are used to estimate the field parameters through a least‐squares inversion procedure. Optimal weightings are prescribed for the neighboring data, based on their distances to the interpolation site and their spatial coverage. Nonelastic strains resulted from surface fault rupture and creep may also be excluded from the solution. We apply this method to the Southern California Earthquake Center Crustal Motion Map version 4.0 velocity field and derive the strain‐rate field in southern California. Our result shows that (1) distance‐dependent weighting can be optimally achieved by employing either a Gaussian or quadratic decay function, with the former offering a slightly sharper result than the latter. (2) Spatially dependent weighting is important to improve the interpolation, and can be done by invoking either an azimuthal weighting or a Voronoi cell areal weighting function. (3) The strain‐rate pattern in southern California is dominated by dextral shear of the San Andreas fault (SAF) system, and the secondary faults surrounding the Big Bend of the SAF strike at oblique angles with respect to the maximum shear direction, suggesting that tectonic deformation field on and off the SAF is dominated by mechanic processes of the SAF.


Background Spermidine is a dietary polyamine that is able to activate protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2). As PTPN2 is known to be a negative regulator of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)-induced responses, and IFN-γ stimulation of immune cells is a critical process in the immunopathology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we wished to explore the potential of spermidine for reducing pro-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Methods Human THP-1 monocytes were treated with IFN-γ and/or spermidine. Protein expression and phosphorylation were analyzed by Western blot, cytokine expression by quantitative-PCR, and cytokine secretion by ELISA. Colitis was induced in mice by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) administration. Disease severity was assessed by recording body weight, colonoscopy and histology. Results Spermidine increased expression and activity of PTPN2 in THP-1 monocytes and reduced IFN-γ-induced phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1 and 3, as well as p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in a PTPN2 dependent manner. Subsequently, IFN-γ-induced expression/secretion of intracellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 mRNA, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, and interleukin (IL)-6 was reduced in spermidine-treated cells. The latter effects were absent in PTPN2-knockdown cells. In mice with DSS-induced colitis, spermidine treatment resulted in ameliorated weight loss and decreased mucosal damage indicating reduced disease severity. Conclusions Activation of PTPN2 by spermidine ameliorates IFN-γ-induced inflammatory responses in THP-1 cells. Furthermore, spermidine treatment significantly reduces disease severity in mice with DSS-induced colitis; hence, spermidine supplementation and subsequent PTPN2 activation may be helpful in the treatment of chronic intestinal inflammation such as IBD.


A nationwide programme for the treatment of all patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) was launched in Iceland in January 2016. By providing universal access to direct‐acting antiviral agents to the entire patient population, the two key aims of the project were to (i) offer a cure to patients and thus reduce the long‐term sequelae of chronic hepatitis C, and (ii) to reduce domestic incidence of HCV in the population by 80% prior to the WHO goal of HCV elimination by the year 2030. An important part of the programme is that vast majority of cases will be treated within 36 months from the launch of the project, during 2016–2018. Emphasis is placed on early case finding and treatment of patients at high risk for transmitting HCV, that is people who inject drugs (PWID), as well as patients with advanced liver disease. In addition to treatment scale‐up, the project also entails intensification of harm reduction efforts, improved access to diagnostic tests, as well as educational campaigns to curtail spread, facilitate early detection and improve linkage to care. With these efforts, Iceland is anticipated to achieve the WHO hepatitis C elimination goals well before 2030. This article describes the background and organization of this project. Clinical trial number: NCT02647879.


In order to study the effect of pre-deforming on the wearability of austenitic high manganese steel, domestic and foreign scholars did many pre-deforming tests. While the study of rolling pre-deformation is almost blank. By taking the cold asynchronous rolling technique, simulated roll test was carried out on austenitic high manganese steel. The microstructure and the performance after rolling showed that a great deal of high density twin crystals merged , the capability of work hardening and impact abrasion resistance enhanced greatly, wear-resisting performance improved with the increase of deformation.


Metal matrix composites (MMCs) constitute an important class of design and weight-efficient structural materials that are encouraging every sphere of engineering applications. There has been an increasing interest in composites containing low density and low cost reinforcements. Among various discontinuously dispersed solids used, fly ash is one of the most inexpensive and low density reinforcement available in large quantities as solid waste by-product during combustion of coal in thermal power plants. Hence, composites with fly ash as reinforcement are likely to overcome the cost barrier for wide spread applications in automotive and small engine applications. To produce Al matrix cast particle composites, wettaility of the ceramic particles by liquid Al is essential. To improve wettabilty, elements such as Mg and Si are added into Al melt to incorporate the ceramic particles. The present investigation has been focused on the utilization abundant available industrial waste fly ash in useful manner by dispersing it into aluminium/aluminium-magnesium/aluminium-silicon matrix to produced composites by liquid metallurgy route. Wide size range (0.1-100μm) fly ash particles were used. These composites were observed with the help of optical micrography, x ray micro analysis, x ray diffraction, wet chemical analysis, and image analysis. The dry sliding wear behavior of the composites in the cast conditions was studied at different loads and different sliding velocities with the help of Pin-On-Disc wear test machine. The worn surfaces and wear debris were analyzed using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. The mechanical properties such as hardness and tensile strength have been investigated.


Homologues of the human HLA-A and -B MHC class I loci have been found in great apes and Old World primates suggesting that these two loci have existed for at least 30 million years. The C locus, however, shows some sequence similarity to the B locus and has been found only in gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. To determine the age of the MHC class I C locus and to examine the evolution of the A and B loci we have cloned, sequenced, and in vitro translated 16 MHC class I cDNAs from two unrelated rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) using both cDNA library screening and PCR amplification. Analyses of these sequences suggest that the C locus is not present in the rhesus monkey, indicating that this locus may be of recent origin in gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. The rhesus monkey's complement of MHC class I genes includes the products of at least one expressed A locus and at least two expressed B loci, indicating that a duplication of the B locus has taken place in the lineage leading to these Old World primates. Comparison of rhesus monkey MHC class I cDNAs to their primate counterparts reveals fundamental differences between MHC class I and class II evolution in primates. Although MHC class II allelic lineages are shared between humans and Old World primates, no such trans-species sharing of allelic lineages is seen at the MHC class I loci.


The "gambler's fallacy" is the belief that the probability of an event is lowered when that event has recently occurred, even though the probability of the event is objectively known to be independent from one trial to the next. This paper provides evidence on the time pattern of lottery participation to see whether actual behavior is consistent with this fallacy. Using data from the Maryland daily numbers game, we find a clear and consistent tendency for the amount of money bet on a particular number to fall sharply immediately after it is drawn, and then gradually to recover to its former level over the course of several months. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that lottery players are in fact subject to the gambler's fallacy.


IJRP 8: Special Issue — Role-playing and Simulation in Education 2018
Table of Contents
Sarah Lynne Bowman, "Editorial"
This special issue contains five articles chosen from among those presented at the Role-playing and Simulation in Education Conference at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, on May 17, 2018.
Ken Koziej and Mikael Hellström, "Year Zero Economics: Using Edu-Larping to Explore Economic Systems in the Ninth Grade"
This paper describes the process of converting elements of the game Mutant: Year Zero for teaching a ninth grade unit on economics, how students played the unit, and the post-game evaluation.
Magdalene Loh, "Edu-Larping for Career Design"
This paper explains the basis and structure of the Career Design Life Game, which helps participants better understand the job market by mimicking the actual world of school and jobs.
Rian Rezende, Sabrina Araujo, and Denise Portinari, "Wonder Cards Storytelling: Imagination, Storytelling, and Role-playing in the Creation of Objects, Spaces, and Experiences"
This article explores storytelling and role-playing as resources to create objects, spaces, and experiences in the design of the Wonder Cards.
Susan Weiner, "Case Studies as Tabletop RPGs"
This paper introduces a method of implementing case studies in the college classroom by using a tabletop framework, allowing students the agency to make decisions that have impact within the world of the case study.


Multilayered thin films, with high oxygen barrier, were deposited from water using chitosan (CH), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and montmorillonite (MMT) clay. Layer-by-layer assembly of ten "quadlayers" of CH/PAA/CH/MMT (<100 nm thick) on polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, commonly used for food packaging, reduced the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of PLA and PET films by two orders of magnitude under dry conditions. At 38°C and 90% RH, the OTR of 500 μm PLA was reduced from 50 to 4·6 cc/(m2 day atm), which is lower than 179 μm PET film under the same conditions. This high gas barrier is believed to be due a to a nanobrick wall structure present in this thin film, where clay platelets act as bricks held together by polymeric mortar. These assembled thin films are also very transparent, which combined with ambient processing and the use of renewable and food contact approved ingredients, makes this a promising foil replacement technology.


Gender disparity exists generally in academia and specifically in research and education among academic medical specialists. Reasons for this disparity include overt and unconscious biases that result in women getting fewer opportunities to lead, receiving less compensation, being excluded from networking channels in which privileged positions are discussed, and facing bias in research, including in the peer review grant process. The recent spotlight on these disparities in other sectors pushes us to focus attention on the causes and consequences of gender disparity in academic medicine and to advocate for structural changes to ensure gender equity in academic departments of hospitals and universities.


Social integration ensures that all groups of people have fair and reasonable stake in the affairs of a defined society irrespective of one's social categorization such as ethnicity, gender, and age. It facilitates meaningful participation in the mainstream activities as well as access to social and economic opportunities. A society that aspires to higher socio-economic height should therefore make conscious and systematic efforts in ensuring social integration. Superficially, however, most societies currently experiencing conflicts exhibit trappings of social integration, yet the reality depicts the contrary with extreme ethnocentrism featuring prominently in such societies. Conflict though inevitable, strategies have to be established to prevent its frequent occurrence. This paper argues that one strategy to prevent conflicts is to ensure authentic social integration in society. Authentic social integration is therefore proposed as a precursor to conflict prevention. Further, the paper makes a case for discursive engagement based on Habermas' communicative rationality theory as a conduit in bringing about authentic social integration. The conviction is that discursive engagement holds a stronger promise for societal harmony than strategic engagement based on one-sided communicative rationality, which directly and/or indirectly has been playing a major part in triggering off conflicts in Ghana. The paper recommends that discursive engagement with its principles of responsibility, self-discipline, respect, cooperation, and struggle, should inform social interaction among individuals and groups in order to encourage consensus-formation aimed at building solidarity, and individual and collective empowerment. The proposed engagement, it is suggested, should be premised upon empathetic relationship as an antecedent to conflict prevention. Keywords: Social Integration, Conflict Prevention, and Discursive Engagement.


Abstract In ethanomedicinal practices the the tradicinal healers use the roots of Cissampelos pareira in the treatment of various ailments related to urinary problems, skin infections,in tumor inhibitor activity,antibacterial, antimalarial, diuretic activity and anticonvulsant activity etc. Macro- and microscopical characters, behaviour of drug on treatment with different chemical reagents, fluorescence analysis, extractive values, ash values and preliminary phytochemical tests were carried out to study the distinctive features of the drugs. Such parameters provide basis for standardisation/characterisation of genuine drug. A serious limitation encountered in the use and research of traditional medicine is the lack of standardisation and quality control of raw material forming the drug. The ultimate objective of the pharmcognostic investigation is identification of the genuine crude drug and determining the extent of adulteration/substitution, if any. Advancement in recent years in pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and physicochemical techniques can be of immense value in removing this major shortcoming of traditional medicine. These techniques can be utilised for correct botanical identification of plants. The details of organoleptic, macro- and microscopic characters, various evaluative parameters, fluorescence analysis, results of preliminary phytochemical analysis established in the present study will facilitate in identifying the g drug from any substitute or spurious samples and will also be useful in preparation of monographs on these plants.


We consider the initial value problem for a massless scalar field in the Schwarzschild geometry. When constructed using a complex-frequency approach the necessary Green's function splits into three components. We discuss all of these in some detail. (1) The contribution from the singularities (the quasinormal modes of the black hole) is approximated and the mode sum is demonstrated to converge after a certain well-defined time in the evolution. A dynamic description of the mode excitation is introduced and tested. (2) It is shown how a straightforward low-frequency approximation to the integral along the branch cut in the black-hole Green's function leads to the anticipated power-law falloff at very late times. We also calculate higher order corrections to this tail and show that they provide an important complement to the leading order. (3) The high-frequency problem is also considered. We demonstrate that the combination of the obtained approximations for the quasinormal modes and the power-law tail provide a complete description of the evolution at late times. Problems that arise (in the complex-frequency picture) for early times are also discussed, as is the fact that many of the presented results generalize to, for example, Kerr black holes.


Fatigue failure behaviors caused by wire ropes bending-over-sheaves are discussed in the paper. Stress conditions of wire ropes bending-over-sheaves and the mechanism of damage to wire rope caused by fleet angel and angle of wrap is analyzed, the fatigue failure mechanism of wire ropes is investigated in the paper. The investigation indicates that the load and the mechanical damage of ropes bending-over-sheaves is very complex, and the fatigue failure of ropes bending-over-sheaves is the result of combined action of bending fatigue and various kinds of damage. The research will have implications to design and use of wire rope.