Savonius-style wind turbines are mainly gauged by two types of coefficients namely: (i) coefficient of power (CP) and (ii) coefficient of torques (CT). Coefficient of power is defined as the ratio of power generated by the turbine to the total power available to the turbine from the free-flowing wind. This is synonymous to the operational efficiency of the wind turbine. Coefficient of torque reflects the torque generating ability of the turbine. In this manuscript, experiments have been performed using three different types of rotor profiles for Savonius-style wind turbines (SSWTs) namely, classical SSWT, Benesh type SSWT and elliptical shaped SSWT using oriented jets. Using deflector plates the orientation of jets have been varied from 20° to 70°. Addition of deflector plates to the wind turbines, assists in maximizing the utilization of wind energy. Experiments have been performed in the laminar air flow. Mechanical loads have been used to study Coefficient of performance (CP) and coefficient of torque (CT) as a function of tip speed ratio (TSRs). The velocity of the wind is adjusted by varying the rheostat that controls the AC motor for the wind tunnel systems. Experimental results indicated that optimum performance could be achieved from all three types of SSWT variants at TSR ∼ 0.70. Out of the three designs studied in this manuscript, elliptic shaped SWT yielded best coefficient of performance equal to 0.39 at TSR = 0.70.


ABSTRACT Background: Many people with severe or moderate aphasia begin to use nonverbal methods of communication spontaneously, but some need special training to do so. Use of total communication, including different nonverbal techniques, is often recommended to enable communication and participation in social interaction. Emphasis has also been placed on the importance of a communication partner in facilitating interaction and co-constructing the meaning in a discussion. Aims: The aim of the present study was to examine the way people with severe or moderate aphasia perceive they communicate, and if they and their partners perceive changes in the use of different means of communication during an intervention where the aphasic participants are stimulated to use total communication and the communication partners are guided to support the interaction and to facilitate the use of different means of communication. Methods & Procedures: The data were collected during a regular rehabilitation course. The course was carried out in two parts (8 + 4 days) with a 3-month interval. A total of 38 aphasic respondents, mainly with severe or moderate aphasia, aged 26 to 65 years, and 38 of their partners aged 29 to 71 years participated in the study. The research involved an initial, interim, and delayed post-test questionnaire design stretched over a 9-month period. An investigator-constructed, self-assessment questionnaire called Use of Different Communication Methods (UDCM) was used. With the aphasic participants a pictorial version of the questionnaire was administered in the form of an interview. The partners completed the questionnaire independently. Outcomes & Results: The results indicate that persons with aphasia and their partners perceive the use of different communication methods quite similarly. The participants with aphasia perceive they use mostly the remaining ability of speech they possess and spontaneous nonverbal communicative methods and in lesser degree low-tech and high-tech devices. Both parties perceived that the use of spontaneous nonverbal means of communication and low-tech devices increased during and after the intervention. Conclusions: The results indicate that people with severe and moderate aphasia and their partners perceive that total communication, i.e., all available means of communication as for instance, limited speech, spontaneous nonverbal means of communication and low-tech devices is often in use. They also perceive that the use of these different communication methods can further be increased by training and by guiding the communication partner to facilitate and support the use of them.


Objective: To investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of preconditioning of tricarbonyldichlororuthenium (III) dimer (CORM-2)-liberated CO on LPS-induced activation of endothelial cells (HUVEC). Methods: HUVEC were pretreated with CORM-2 at the concentration of 50 or 100μM for 2 hrs, washed and stimulated with LPS (10μg/ml) for additional 4 hrs. Activation (oxidative stress) of HUVEC was assessed by measuring intracellular oxidation of DHR 123 or nitration of DAF-FM, specific H2O2 and NO fluorochromes, respectively. The expression of HO-1, iNOS (Western blot) and ICAM-1 (cell ELISA) proteins and activation of inflammation-relevant transcription factor, NF-κB (EMSA) were assessed. In addition, PMN adhesion to HUVEC was also assessed. Results: The obtained data indicate that pretreatment of HUVEC with CORM-2 results in: 1) decrease of LPS-induced production of ROS and NO; 2) up-regulation of HO-1 but decrease in iNOS at the protein levels; 3) inhibition of LPS-induced activation of NF-κB; and 4) downregulation of expression of ICAM-1, and this was accompanied by a decrease of PMN adhesion to LPS-stimulated HUVEC. Conclusions: Preconditioning of CO liberated by CORM-2 elicited its anti-inflammatory effects by interfering with the induction of intracellular oxidative stress. In addition, it also supports the notion that CO is a potent inhibitor of iNOS and NF-κB.


Abstract : This report summarizes the work conducted under the Advanced Command and Control Environment (ACCE) Integration task. The ACCE is a facility which aids in assessing the operational utility, feasibility, and acceptability of advanced display presentation systems technology to Air Force command and control problems. This task's objective was to provide basic planning and integration support for the evolutionary development and incremental expansion of the ACCE. Advanced display presentation technologies emphasized within the ACCE included three dimensional (3D) stereoscopic display technology utilizing a time-multiplexed liquid crystal stereoscopic shutter (LCSS) system, and volumetric display display technology which presents the visual equivalent of a physical model by projecting a scene onto a vibrating mirror. Under the task, Knowledge Systems Concepts (KSC), Inc. provided overall ACCE program guidance, system design support, and integration support. KSC enhanced the baseline ACCE hardware and software environment, and developed the ACCE Display Evaluation Prototype(ADEP). The ADEP simulates an Air Defense Initiative (ADI) scenario on the advanced 3D display devices resident in the environment. Advanced Command and Control Environment (ACCE), ACCE Display Evaluation Prototype (ADEP), Air Defense Initiative (ADI), 3D Stereoscopic Display, 3D Volumetric Display.


Nature generates densely packed micro- and nanostructures to enable key functionalities in cells, tissues, and other materials. Current fabrication techniques, due to limitations in resolution and speed, are far less effective at creating microstructures. Yet, the development of extensive amounts of surface area per unit volume will enable applications and manufacturing strategies not possible today. Here, we introduce chaotic printing—the use of chaotic flows for the rapid generation of complex, high-resolution microstructures. A simple and deterministic chaotic flow is induced in a viscous liquid, and its repeated stretching and folding action deforms an "ink" (i.e., a drop of a miscible liquid, fluorescent beads, or cells) at an exponential rate to render a densely packed lamellar microstructure that is then preserved by curing or photocrosslinking. This exponentially fast creation of fine microstructures exceeds the limits of resolution and speed of the currently available 3D printing techniques. Moreover, we show that the architecture of the microstructure to be created with chaotic printing can be predicted by mathematical modelling. We envision diverse applications for this technology, including the development of densely packed catalytic surfaces and highly complex multi-lamellar and multi-component tissue-like structures for biomedical and electronics applications.


Learn tips and resources to help you gather, evaluate, and cite your research for speeches. Good for students in COMM 100 or COMM 102 classes.


This study entitledEffect of Education and Training Employee Performance Against
Bathin At Head Office VIII. This study aimsto determine the effectof educationand trainingto employee performanceat thesub-district office Bathin VIII. The method used is quantitative research. Data obtained by spreading the question naire to the respondent by 39 peopleas samples. Further more, the data were processed using SPSS computer device 17, as well as regression analysis toprove the hypothesis of the study. The results showed that education and training contributes to the performance of employees at Head Office Bathin VIII with the coefficient of determination r squere of
0.399, which means 39.9% change inemployee performance variable (Y) can be explainedby the influence of Education and Training(X).

Keywords: Educationand Training, Performance and Employee


We show that any pure, two-mode, N-photon state with N odd or equal to two can be transformed into an orthogonal state using only linear optics. According to a recently suggested definition of polarization degree, this implies that all such states are fully polarized. This is also found to be true for any pure, two-mode, energy eigenstate belonging to a two-dimensional SU(2) orbit. Complete two- and three-photon bases whose basis states are related by only phase shifts or geometrical rotations are also derived.


ABSTRACT Renal disorders have always remained a major area of concern for physicians since a long time. It is the 9 th leading cause of death in United States. Incidence of kidney diseases leading to kidney failure is increasing day by day. A large number of chemicals in common use are potential renal toxins. The use of herbal drugs for the prevention and treatment of various diseases is constantly developing throughout the world. Many studies have been carried out that strongly support the contribution of antioxidants to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes mellitus, and suggest a role in the prevention of peptic ulcer. Polyphenols display a number of pharmacological properties in the renal area, acting as diuretic, anti inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antioxidant agents. The antioxidant properties of phenolic compounds have been widely studied, but it has become clear that their mechanisms of action go beyond the modulation of oxidative stress. Various polyphenolic compounds have been reported for their nephroprotective activity with a good level of renal protection. Therefore, considering the important role of polyphenolic compounds in the prevention or reduction of renal disorders induced by various nephrotoxic chemical agents, in this review, we have summarized the literature on some potent nephroprotective plants, such as, Achyrocline satureioides, Zingiber officinalis, Teminalia chebula etc having antioxidant properties.


Author(s): Giracello, Robert Francis | Advisor(s): Labor, Tim | Abstract: Stations combines staged theater, live and recorded music, video installation, and electronic audio effects via ChucK music processing software to create a "tragic drama." Symbolically, Stations retells the story of the traditional Via Dolorosa, the Catholic Stations of the Cross. The theatrical, symbolic, and metaphysical manifestations of elements of the Via Dolorosa that exist in Stations create an aesthetic phenomenon wherein an object's perceived identity conflicts with its physical presence in reality. The works of James Joyce, Ulysses in particular, served as an artistic model for Stations, because the fictional story of Ulysses serves as a symbolic signifier for the quasi-historical events in Homer's epic poem. Similarly, the actors in Stations exist simultaneously as performing musicians (their reality), characters in a play, and symbolic icons of the Via Dolorosa, making a consistent allusion to the Christian ceremony. The musical and theatrical design of Stations reflects the influence of three American composers for theater, Broadway's Stephen Sondheim, American composer and musicologist Arthur Farwell, and avant-garde opera composer Robert Ashley. Sondheim's muti-faceted treatment of ensemble, presenting large groups as a Greek chorus as well as a party made up of individuals, influenced the character and story development of Stations. Farwell's dedication to American folk music and the presentation of community dramas as a unique American art form became the inspiration for the source material of Stations, the American hymns "Were You There," "In the Garden," "Beach Spring," and the Venezuelan Christmas Carol "Nino Lindo." Ashley's Perfect Lives utilizes video as a commentary on the action, in the same way that the electronic elements of Stations act as an actor in the drama. The form of Stations reflects the dichotomy between the biblically accurate accounts of the Via Dolorosa and the apocryphal, traditionally accepted events. The representations of true historical accounts, fictional events, and commentary on religion and the afterlife combine to create the tragic drama in a multimedia theater environment.


The 1940s are undoubtedly the years most neglected by scholars of Italian Futurism. The movement had long supported Fascism, but its vocal endorsement of Mussolini's regime and its military adventures at this time is widely considered to represent Futurism's ultimate betrayal of those 'progressive', counter-cultural values popularly associated with the avant-garde. For many, the movement's apparent engagement with the forces of reaction and conservatism is reflected in the work produced by its artists throughout the war years, which is invariably presented in terms of propaganda imagery, characterised by an unchallenging and retrogressive figurative vocabulary. However, this thesis argues that the 1940s cannot be said to reveal a rupture in either the ideological or aesthetic foundations of the movement, and that common assumptions regarding the crude, rhetorical and one-dimensional nature of Futurist painting (and poetry) during this period are not necessarily borne out by the works themselves.

The text also examines the movement's status within the cultural establishment at this time. It challenges the notion that the reverberations within Italy of Nazism's campaign against modern art during the late 1930s were irrevocably to prejudice the Fascist regime and its institutions against Futurism. Indeed, it is argued that one can no more consider the 1940s a period of decline from the point of view of the movement's political fortunes than one can from an artistic perspective.

Of course, Futurism did not survive the war. However, it is suggested that whilst the cataclysmic events of 1943-44 were to seal its fate, they also served to liberate the imaginations of Marinetti and his followers, reawakening the movement's original, visionary spirit, and inspiring a final burst of creativity that anticipated 'the future of Futurism'.


A double interspecific oross {Triticum turgidum (AB) var. rubroatrum H-l-1 x Ae. ventvicosa (DM°) AP-l} x T.aestivum (ABD) cv. Almatense H-10-1S was carried out in 1950 by M. Alonso Pena (Cuenca, Spain) and 70 Unes were devived from it by vepeated selfing (Unes H-93-1 thvough 70). Pveliminavy biochemical evidence indicated genetic tvansfev fvom the M° genome of Ae.ventvicosa into some of these Unes. A more detailed biochemical and cytological characteriza tion of the H-93- Unes was undertaken. A progress report of these studies is presented here. Fourten biochemical systems, each representing a set of up to 4 homoeologous loci, weve investigated in the vavental material, in the H-93- Unes, and in Ae. squavrosa (DD), Ae. comosa (MM) and Ae. uniaristata (M^-M11). Biochemical markers controlled by the A or B genomes of one or both wheat parents weve distributed in the H-93- Unes as expected if the egcells fvom the self-stevile ABDM0 hybvid, rescued by the ABD polen, cavvied the complete A and B genomes from T. tuvgidum. The distvibution of biochemical mavkevs contvolled by the D genomes of one ov both D genome parents indicated that most of the eggcells from the ABDM0 hybrid carvied most of the D genome, i.e. 3 out of 8 markers of the former tupe were absent in a few Unes each, ind.icating incomplete homology between the two D genomes, non-homologous transfer or deletion. Biochemical characters present in Ae. ventricosa (DM°), Ae. comosa (M), Ae. uniaristata (M11) and absent in T. aestivum (ABD), Ae. squarrosa (D) and T. tuvgidum (AB) were selected as M° genome markers. Two of these markers were not transmited to the H-93- Unes, three were tvansmitted with low fvequency and one with a high fvequency. Resistance to Erisiphe graminis was determined by Dosba and Doussinault at Rennes and was found to be transmitted with low fvequency. Somatic chromosome numbers of the H-93- Unes were counted and all weve found to be hexaploid. Meiosis was studied in Unes cavvying M° genome mavkevs and in their hybrids with the T. aestivum parent, to determine the maximum numbev of alien chvornosornespvesent in each Une. The joint considevation of the biochemical and the cytological evidence se^me to indicate that the genetic tvansfev has taken place by chvomosome substitution and by vecombination.


A common assumption in the literature on cartels is that the cartel is all-inclusive. However, many known cartels did not include all firms in the relevant market. This thesis is about such incomplete cartels. It is organized around four main research questions: What explains optimal cartel size to be less than all-inclusive? What are the traits of firms that join the cartel? What is the relationship between industry structure and optimal cartel size? and, How can economics be used to detect (incomplete) cartels? It is found that the optimal cartel size is all-inclusive when colluding is costless, but less than all-inclusive when colluding is costly and the smallest firms in the industry are sufficiently small. Moreover, the incentive to take part in a cartel is positively correlated with firm size. We therefore should not expect full collusion in an industry with one or more relatively small suppliers. In addition, the thesis discusses how economics can be used to detect (incomplete) cartels. The main focus is on basing-point pricing; a pricing method that is known to have been abused by incomplete cartels to protect local markets against distant competitors. It is shown that the basing-points applied by a cartel differ from that of competitive firms and that collusive basing-point pricing is difficult to detect with known methods. Based on this, a novel detection test is developed that is hard to beat for cartels using this otherwise elusive form of price-fixing.


A gene encoding a Δ9 fatty acid desaturase (Δ9-desaturase) was isolated from L. edodes. The open reading frame of this gene (named Le-FAD1) consisted of 1416 bp. The predicted protein of 471 amino acids shares 47-57% sequence identity with Δ9-desaturases from other fungi. Expression of the Le-FAD1 ORF complemented genetic disruption of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae OLE1 gene (Sc-OLE1). Fatty acid analysis of the Le-FAD1-expressing S. cerevisiae ole1-disrupted strain showed that Le-FAD1 protein had slight activity with palmitic acid (16:0) as the substrate and high activity with stearic acid (18:0). Analysis of transcriptional expression showed that the levels of Le-FAD1 mRNA in the primordium and fruiting body of L. edodes were higher than in mycelia cultivated at 18°C as well as 25°C. These results correlated with the increase of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in total lipids during fruiting-body formation.


The epidemiological evidence that the offspring of women exposed to influenza in pregnancy are at increased risk of schizophrenia is conflicting. In an attempt to clarify the issue we explored the relationship between the monthly incidence of influenza (and measles) in the general population and the distribution of birth dates of three large series of schizophrenic patients - 16 960 Scottish patients born in 1932–60; 22 021 English patients born in 1921–60; and 18 723 Danish patients born in 1911–65. Exposure to the 1957 epidemic of A2 influenza in midpregnancy was associated with an increased incidence of schizophrenia, at least in females, in all three data sets. We also confirmed the previous report of a statistically significant long-term relationship between patients' birth dates and outbreaks of influenza in the English series, with time lags of - 2 and - 3 months (the sixth and seventh months of pregnancy). Despite several other negative studies by ourselves and others we conclude that these relationships are probably both genuine and causal; and that maternal influenza during the middle third of intrauterine development, or something closely associated with it, is implicated in the aetiology of some cases of schizophrenia.


This study evaluated the effect of pentoxifylline (PTX) on the incidence of regimen-related toxicity in patients receiving allogeneic marrow transplants from related donors. All patients received a regimen of methotrexate and cyclosporine as prophylaxis against acute graft- versus-host disease (GVHD). Patients were randomized to receive PTX or a placebo for 70 days and the outcome was examined in a blinded fashion. Forty-four patients were evaluate in each study arm. PTX had no significant effect on engraftment, the incidence of GVHD, venocclusive disease of the liver, infection, the need for oxygen, posttransplant survival, or the duration of hospitalization. Patients receiving PTX were significantly more likely to develop major elevations of serum creatinine levels. PTX was poorly tolerated and induced significantly more vomiting than the placebo. PTX as administered in this randomized study was associated with significant toxicity and offered no benefit in reducing transplant-related morbidity or mortality.


The Kentucky Department of Highways (DOH) has been trying to remove water from its pavements since the early 1970s. Aggregate-filled trenches were used to remove water in the early 70s and perforated pipe edge drains were introduced in the mid-1970s. These systems remained relatively unchanged until the late 1980s. In 1987, after a number of localized pavement failures throughout Kentucky, the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) and the Kentucky DOH started evaluating the effectiveness and performance of these edge drains systems. It was found that most of the panel edge drains were significantly damaged during installation and that approximately 50% of the outlet pipes were crushed and/or the headwalls were clogged. As a result of these findings, several design changes were made in 1989. Research conducted between 1989 and 1991 indicated that the performance of the system had improved but failures still existed. In 1997, after the completion of an in-depth research study on the performance and construction of these systems the Kentucky DOH required that all edge drain outlets be inspected with a pipeline inspection camera. The contractor was made possible for inspecting and repairing his own work. This was the early stages of a quality control (QC) program for edge drains in Kentucky. The camera inspections decreased the number of edge drain outlet failures from approximately 20% to approximately 3% to 5%. Of the 3% to 5% found damaged, the contractor was responsible for complete repairs. Current failure rates for mainlines are approximately 2%. At this time only 1/3 of the mainline is inspected (headwall to approximately 150 ft into the mainline). In May 1998, the Kentucky DOH established a mission to incorporate quality into their construction projects by transitioning, where possible, from method specifications to QC/QA, performance related, warranty, and other innovative specifications for the year 2000. In 1998, a term was formed to evaluate the current edge drain specification and make recommendations and revisions towards a full fledged QC/QA specification. This paper discusses the historical performance of edge drains in Kentucky and the recent changes in the specification.


This volume is based on the first set of formal conversations which brings together the dynamic philosophies of two eminent thinkers: Judith Butler and Alfred North Whitehead. Each has drawn from a wide palette of disciplines to develop distinctive theories of becoming, of syntactical violence, and creative opportunities of limitation. In bringing together internationally renowned interpreters of Butler and Whitehead from a variety of fields and disciplines-philosophy, rhetoric, gender and queer studies, religion, literary and political theory-the editors hope to set a standard for the relevance of interdisciplinary philosophical discourse today. This volume offers a unique contribution to and for the humanities in the struggles of politics, economy, ecology, and the arts, by reaching beyond their closed circles toward understandings that may serve as the basis for the activation of humanity today. Considered together, Butler and Whitehead delineate a whole new cadre of approaches to long-standing problems as well as never-before asked questions in the humanities.


Terrain models that permit multiresolution access are essential for model predictive control of unmanned aerial vehicles in low-level flights. The authors present the extreme learning machine (ELM), a recently proposed learning paradigm, as a mechanism for learning the stored digital elevation information to allow multiresolution access. We give results of simulations designed to compare the performance of our approach with two other approaches for multiresolution access, namely: 1) linear interpolation on Delaunay triangles of the sampled terrain data points and 2) terrain learning using support vector machines (SVMs). The results show that to achieve the same mean square error during access, the memory needed in our approach is significantly lower. Additionally, the offline training time for the ELM network is much less than that for the SVM


In this work, micro-computed tomography was employed to characterize the effect of rib and channel compression on the through-plane porosity distributions of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) gas diffusion layers (GDLs). Two GDLs with micro-porous layers (MPLs): a paper based GDL (GDL A), and a felt GDL (GDL B) were compressed at 1.2 MPa in an ex situ flow field apparatus with 1mm x 1mm channels. Porosity distributions of compressed GDLs were compared with those of uncompressed GDLs, and the microstructural differences caused during the manufacturing of paper, felt, and cloth GDLs are discussed. The results of this study will aid modellers in generating realistic stochastic GDL pore structures for multiphase flow simulations.


Distributed participatory design aspires to standards of inclusivity and humanity in introducing technology to the workplace that are hard to attain. The demands it makes upon the development and use of computing technology are particularly topical, as the potential for automation and distribution through embedded and mobile devices continues to develop. Standard views of computation propose ways in which to interpret all products of computing as programs, but give limited conceptual support for understanding computer-based design artefacts whose role in communication and elaboration eludes capture in a functional specification. This motivates our brief account of the alternative conceptual framework for computing afforded by Empirical Modelling, a body of principles and tools that can be applied to the development of a variety of computer-based artefacts relating to analysis, design and use that are most appropriately interpreted as construals rather than programs. The paper concludes by hinting at some of the ways in which developing construals using Empirical Modelling can assist distributed participatory design.


A project report presented to the Department of Building Technology of the Faculty of Architecture and Building Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a degree of Master of Science in Construction Management,August-2007


Parental tradition transfer to children is pivotal for their socialization, identity formation, and culture perpetuation. But what motivates parents to transfer traditions to their children? We hypothesized that nostalgia, an emotion strengthening interpersonal bonds, would promote tradition transfer through parent-child relationship closeness. We tested these hypotheses using cross-sectional (Studies 1 and 4), cross-lagged (Study 2 and preregistered Study 5), and experimental (Studies 3 and 6) designs. In Studies 1 to 3, nostalgia was associated with, had lagged effect on, and promoted tradition transfer. In Studies 4-6, parent-child relationship closeness mediated the link between nostalgia and tradition transfer. The findings enrich our understanding of the vertical transmission of knowledge, customs, and values, offering insight into how intergenerational bonds are reinforced and cultural heritage is maintained.


Aiming at regulating the toll evasion behaviors in highway weight charges and reducing charge disputes caused by jumping, this article studied the algorithm that tracks vehicle beating when it is passing the scale. Based on license plate location, vehicle movement could be characterized by tracking the plate centroid using Lucas-Kanade optical flow algorithm. The optical flow vector of the centroid was calculated frame by frame, which could be used for drawing trajectory of centroid coordinates, and calculating beating parameters. In order to expand the detection range and adaptability of the algorithm, through calculating optical flow hierarchically combined with Gaussian pyramid, then tracking centroid from high lever to low in the image pyramid, it could achieve the capture of the vehicle' fast moving. Through experiments, trajectory reflected vehicle beating information well, which provides a strong evidence means for levy problem of the highway weight charges.


Natural resource management organisations in Australia routinely establish resource condition targets in their regional plans and catchment strategies. We reviewed biodiversity, water and community resource condition targets set by Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) in Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) over planning cycles since 1997 against criteria of being specific, measurable and time-bound (SMT). The overall quality of targets is poor, with less than 30 per cent of targets meeting the three criteria. Disturbingly, there are no SMT targets in the most recent NSW CMA catchment strategies. We identify three major reasons for poor target setting: a lack of appropriate standards and guidelines from governments to enable high quality target setting; a lack of realism about the budgetary and technical feasibility of ambitious environmental targets amongst those involved in natural resource management; and a lack of adequate focus on outcomes by both CMAs and governments. Improvements to target setting can be achieved through stronger signals and commitment by governments, including by rewarding performance of regional bodies practising outcome-focused accountability.


African nightshade (Solanum scabrum Mill.) is important for its nutrition, health promoting compounds and its contribution in providing a secure food supply and livelihood for smallholder farmers in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in Kenya. However, inadequate postharvest handling practices result in high losses. To address this issue, studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on improving storability, nutritional and health promoting compounds of 'Olevolosi' African nightshade. Plants were cultivated in a climate chamber for four weeks and three weeks under greenhouse conditions. Leaves were harvested and either packaged in MAP (Xtend®) or left in the open (control). The leaves were stored for 8 days to simulate retail conditions (20°C and RH 56%) and 15 days in cold storage (7°C and RH 86%). Fresh weight loss, leaf colour, antioxidative compounds (i.e., β-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin E, and vitamin C), chlorophylls, protein, microbial counts, and gas composition within MAP were evaluated. The results showed that leaf colour was retained by MAP, more so at 7°C. MAP reduced weight loss by 76.4-83.9% at 20°C and 71.0-84.8% at 7°C compared with the control. Moreover, MAP maintained or even increased the content of protein, vitamins C and E, β-carotene, lutein, lycopene and chlorophylls in both storage conditions in comparison to the control. During storage, the concentration of CO2 increased to 0.7-3.3%, while O2 was reduced by 0.9-3.3% being more pronounced at 20°C, compared to ambient conditions. However, the use of MAP did not reduce microbial counts. The findings indicate the potential of using MAP to improve shelf life and preserve bioactive quality compounds of African nightshade. This could be a vital step to improve nutrition, health and the economic status of smallholder farmers in developing countries such as Kenya.


Purpose

The paper aims to identify the relationship between the use of storytelling and innovative work behavior (IWB) in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The research took place in a human resource development (HRD) training session for leaders of Alpha Group. In this session, storytelling was adopted to discuss innovation and IWB. Following the training, the leaders completed a questionnaire about the effectiveness of the stories for the construction of knowledge and IWB. Data were collected from 97 leading sectors. Subsequently, data analysis was performed to identify correlations between the aspects.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about the use of storytelling, the effectiveness of the stories, as well as their relationship with the innovative behavior of sectors leaders in a Brazilian organization. It has identified the relation between effectiveness of stories and level of innovative behavior.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the chosen research approach, the research results cannot be generalized. Because it is a study of a single organization, the results concern to the reality experienced in the organization studied. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test this relationship in other organizations to contribute to the discussion and practice of innovation in HRD.

Practical implications

Stories can contribute to innovative behavior, and innovative behavior contributes to helping understand the stories. HRD practitioners can provide the use of storytelling, combined with other forms of interventions, to enhance IWB to promote collaborative learning culture and work engagement.

Originality/value

Previous papers have identified the role of HRD in the development of IWB in organizations. Theoretically, previous papers have also highlighted that storytelling can be a tool for the development of innovative behavior. The paper empirically has tested these contributions, identifying emerging aspects of this relationship.


Objective: To determine the association of liver function derangement with disease severity in COVID-19 patients
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted in department of Pathology, Army Medical College and Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Apr 2020 to May 2020.
 Methodology: Data collection was done for the 96 patients having RT-PCR positive for COVID-19 admitted in the hospital over a period of one month. Patients with history of liver disease were excluded from the study. Patients were categorized as mild, moderate or severe according to the symptoms as well as the location of the patient in different wards. Patients in regular wards were considered as mild, while those in High dependency unit (HDU) were considered to have moderate disease. Whereas patient admitted to intensive care unit (ICU/ITC) were considered as cases with severe disease.
Results: A total of 96 patients were included in the study, out of which 90 were males and 6 were females. Bilirubin levels were significantly deranged in all groups with p-value of <0.001 and same the case for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p-value<0.001), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) (p-value<0.006) and albumin (p-value <0.001). Post Hoc analysis of the significant parameters showed that levels of total bilirubin, ALT and ALP although increased with severity of disease but were found to be non-significantly associated with mild to moderate disease status.
Conclusion: Majority of the Patients with COVID-19 had deranged liver function test, irrespective of disease severity status.


In precision forestry, tree species identification is key to evaluating the role of forest ecosystems in the provision of ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and assessing their effects on climate regulation and climate change. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of tree species classification of urban forests using aerial-based HyMap hyperspectral imagery and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. First, we conducted an object-based image analysis (OBIA) to segment individual tree crowns present in LiDAR-derived Canopy Height Models (CHMs). Then, hyperspectral values for individual trees were extracted from HyMap data for band reduction through Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) transformation which allowed us to reduce the data to 20 significant bands out of 118 bands acquired. Finally, we compared several different classifications using Random Forest (RF) and Multi Class Classifier (MCC) methods. Seven tree species were classified using all 118 bands which resulted in 46.3% overall classification accuracy for RF versus 79.6% for MCC. Using only the 20 optimal bands extracted through MNF, both RF and MCC achieved an increase in overall accuracy to 87.0% and 88.9%, respectively. Thus, the MNF band selection process is a preferable approach for tree species classification when using hyperspectral data. Further, our work also suggests that RF is heavily disadvantaged by the high-dimensionality and noise present in hyperspectral data, while MCC is more robust when handling high-dimensional datasets with small sample sizes. Our overall results indicated that individual tree species identification in urban forests can be accomplished with the fusion of object-based LiDAR segmentation of crowns and hyperspectral characterization.


Background Treatment of intracranial aneurysms using stent assisted coiling (SAC) has broadened the range of endovascular therapies for these aneurysms. Objective Our goal was to assess the long term durability of SAC with specific attention to progressive aneurysm occlusion anecdotally observed in these patients. Materials and methods A total of 84 aneurysms in 80 patients were initially assessed. Of these, 59 patients on whom long term follow-up was available were included. Immediate post-treatment and follow-up angiograms were evaluated by two independent observers and graded for aneurysm coil coverage (>95%; 85–95%, <85% of the aneurysm volume containing any loop of coil) and intra-aneurysmal flow (no flow, neck remnant, flow beyond the neck). Aneurysm morphology (spherical vs ellipsoid), orientation (sidewall vs bifurcation) and volume were also recorded, as was the packing density of the coil mass. Progressive occlusion was defined as decreased intra-aneurysmal flow or increased coil coverage on the follow-up angiogram. Results The mean follow-up duration was 20.6 months (range 1.2–57.2 months). The mean aneurysm size was 8.4 mm (maximum dimension) and the mean packing density was 32.6%. On the initial treatment, >95% coil coverage was achieved in 81% of patients. On the immediate post-treatment angiogram, 71.1% of the patients had either no intra-aneurysmal flow or flow at the neck while 28.9% demonstrated flow beyond the neck. On the follow-up study, however, 91.5% of the patients had no flow or flow limited to the neck while the percentage of patients with flow beyond the neck was reduced to only 8.4%. Thus 35.6% (21/59) of patients demonstrated progressive reduction in the intra-aneurysmal flow on follow-up imaging. The most important predictor for progressive aneurysm occlusion was the aneurysm orientation; side wall aneurysms demonstrating a higher propensity for progressive occlusion than bifurcation aneurysms (p=0.02). This was independent from aneurysm volume, packing density and initial coil coverage. After orientation, aneurysm shape was the strongest predictor, with a spherical shape showing greater progressive occlusion than a complex or ellipsoid shape (p=0.05). Conclusion Sidewall aneurysms with a relatively homogeneous shape have the greatest propensity of showing progressive aneurysm occlusion when treated with SAC. This could possibly be secondary to a higher degree of flow diversion seen in the side wall as opposed to bifurcation aneurysms. This is also important because in these aneurysms leaving a neck remnant or small amount of intra-aneurysmal flow as opposed to taking the added risk of complete occlusion by additional coils may be a safe choice.


: Between 1968 and 1987, seventy children below the age of 14 years were treated at one institution for cerebellar medulloblastoma. There were 41 boys and 29 girls. The 70 children included one pair of siblings. All the children have been followed up by one of the authors. During the first ten years, postoperative mortality within the first month was 17.5%. During the last ten years there was only one such death (3.5%). All children from the first ten-year period are dead. In the last ten-year period 25 of 35 children have survived (observation time 1-12 years, mean six years). This improvement is due to better surgical care and the use of post-operative irradiation and chemotherapy. Cerebral computerized tomography and magnetic imaging tomography are the investigational methods of choice for medulloblastoma today.


OBJECTIVES
Serum adiponectin levels have been found to be lower in patients with obesity, hypertension, and coronary artery diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate serum adiponectin levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and to correlate these levels with the severity of OSAS.

STUDY DESIGN
In 62 OSAS patients (39 males, 23 females) and 32 controls (23 males, 9 females) determined by polisomnography, serum adiponectin levels were analyzed by the ELISA method. Patients were classified as having either mild (apnea hypopnea index, AHI: 5-14), moderate (AHI: 15-29) or severe (AHI ≥30) OSAS, and controls were defined as AHI <5. Plasma fasting glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high (HDL-C) and low (LDL-C) density lipoprotein cholesterols were analyzed, and the results were compared between the groups.

RESULTS
There was no significant difference in mean age (51.6±10.7 years for patients, 48.3±10.8 years for controls) or body mass index (32.9±6.0 kg/m2 for patients, 31.3±5.6 kg/m2 for controls, p>0.05) in our study population. There was no significant difference in the number of hypertensive, diabetics, or smokers between the patients and controls. While serum TC, TG, and HDL cholesterol levels were not significantly different between two groups, the serum adiponectin levels of patients (3.0±3.4 µg/dl) were significantly lower than those of the controls (5.2±5.2 µg/dl, p=0.01). While serum adiponectin levels showed a significantly negative correlation with AHI (r=-0.221, p=0.03), there was a significantly positive correlation with minimum and mean oxygen saturations (r=0.213, p=0.04 and r=0.205, p=0.05).

CONCLUSION
Serum adiponectin levels were significantly lower in patients with OSAS, especially for those in the severe OSAS group. Serum adiponectin levels are related to the severity of OSAS and arterial oxygen saturation.


The author has carried out the analysis of dynamic-coupled automatic transmissions and regarded the prospects of their application and development. New design of continuously variable transmission based on differential hydra-mechanical gear train was developed and covered by RF patents No2298125 and No2347966. Principles of work performance for high-torque differential hydra-mechanical gear train based on interoperation equableness of moments opposing one another that are produced at the gear carrier owing to inner forces of differential stages as well as self-actuated pressure variation and hydraulic fluid consumption change when it comes through hydraulic pump and hydraulic actuator.


This thesis focuses on the application of nanocrystalline transition metal oxide TiO2, WO3 and NiO thin films in new "green" building technologies. Specifically, their physicochemical properties in photocatalytic, self-cleaning and gas sensing applications are studied. There is an intimate connection between comfort issues, health, with connections to energy efficiency, leading to a need for intelligent building materials and green architecture. The importance of good indoor environment is augmented by the fact that modern man in developed countries spends some 90 % of his time inside buildings and vehicles. Poor air quality may lead to discomfort of the person inhabiting a building and in ultimately cause adverse health effects. Thin films of nanocrystalline TiO2 were prepared using reactive DC magnetron sputtering. Crystalline mesoporous films of WO3 and NiO were prepared using advanced gas deposition technique (AGD). The crystal structure, morphology, optical and chemical properties of the films were characterized by using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV/Vis spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The photocatalytic properties and adsorption of both organic and inorganic molecules on pure and functionalized films were probed by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The gas sensing properties of sensors based on TiO2, WO3 and NiO were investigated by conductivity measurements and noise spectroscopy. It was found for the first time that NiO based thin film sensors can be used to detect H2S and NO2 at low temperatures – down to room temperature. Hybrid WO3 sensors functionalized with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used to detect NO2, CO and NH3 gases. These hybrid gas sensors show improved recovery properties compared to unmodified WO3 sensors. TiO2 based gas sensors were able to detect low concentrations of H2S by noise spectroscopy provided that the sensors were irradiated by UV light. Furthermore we show that sulphur is photo-fixated in crystalline TiO2 films upon simultaneous SO2 gas exposure and UV irradiation. Studies of the kinetics and identity of the photo-fixated sulphur complexes show that these are formed by photo-induced reactions between oxygen and SO2 at oxygen surface vacancy sites in TiO2. The sulphur modified TiO2 films show interesting self-cleaning properties compared to the pure films.


Proponents and opponents of a universal basic income all acknowledge that the most significant political challenge to its adoption in the United States is that a universal basic income would not have a work requirement attached. Often, this is characterized as a problem involving incentives—the availability of a universal basic income would cause many people to stop working (or significantly curtail the number of hours that they work) and simply live off the universal basic income. This Article makes three contributions to the literature related to a universal basic income: First, it provides a typology for understanding the many reasons for valuing work; second, it argues that the United States is unlikely to implement a universal basic income because a universal basic income does not account for several aspects of the value of work; and, third, it argues that advocates of a universal basic income should instead focus on the more modest goal of redefining the activities that constitute work and broadening the social safety net by expanding existing policies through the use of a broader definition of work. This Article proposes that the value of work in American political culture has four primary dimensions: 1) reciprocity, that one receives rewards for one's labor, that one gets what one gives and that no one should be a free rider, one who gets but does not give; 2) calling or vocation, that work is a calling or vocation that one should have or pursue, and that only those that have or pursue such a calling or vocation have moral standing; 3) self sufficiency, that work promotes self sufficiency, which is a necessary component of liberty and which is necessary to avoid dependency; and 4) incentives, of an economic kind, that society should encourage work because it increases the size of the economic pie. These categories provide a new framework for thinking about the value of work and for evaluating policies that relate to the working lives of Americans. As an alternative to the adoption of a universal basic income, this Article proposes that proponents of a universal basic income should focus on expanding and redefining current policies, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit so that they more closely resemble a participation income. In fact, a broader definition of work has even been used in recent conservative policy ideas, such as the Medicaid work requirements that some states have introduced, which include within their definition of work the activities of education, job training, and community service. This Article closes with an outline of a proposal to adopt an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit that resembles a participation income and addresses each of the dimensions of the value of work.


Despite there being a significant development in polymer composites for multiple applications over the past few decades, there are still many difficulties relating to the effective distribution of nanoparticles such as Graphene and other 2D materials in preparing structure and minimising aggregation. To overcome these obstacles a simple method for modulating the properties of the composites by controlling the organization of the fillers, using an ordered lattice of polymer particles as a template, is described. This technique can facilitate the self-assembly of nanomaterials while preserving their useful properties and allows well-defined interface between the polymer and the nanomaterial resulting in a honeycomb-like arrangement. The ideal case would be to obtain a segregated percolating network whereby low loadings of nanoparticles are added to obtain high performance systems and thus reduce the cost for possible industrial applications. The enhancement of the mechanical and electrical properties of the composites suggests the use of these materials for different applications such as transport applications, where the combination of high strength and lightweight is required. Moreover, to reinforce systems that are very delicate such as membranes or fibres or for possible applications in sensor technology, molecular electronics, supercapacitors, electrochromic devices and pressure sensitive adhesives materials. The physical properties of these composites can be tailored using different matrices such as natural rubber, or a bimodal particle system, to create materials with high density and low void fractions, and hence very low percolation threshold. Furthermore, the combination of excellent monolayer fraction and homogenous dispersion of the GO within the polymer dispersion leads to highly uniform films, with good distribution of the filler throughout, in a segregated network. A reduction in situ proceeds to improve the innate properties of the GO, but also to modify the polymer in close proximity through and exothermic process, thus providing a much improved interface between filler and matrix, improving both the electrical and mechanical properties. The advantage of this method to organize the graphene nanoparticles in a segregated pathway does not require the use of expensive equipment or materials, and it is a promising way to open up pathways to tunable electronic composite materials on a large scale.


C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death in general populations. However, studies of these factors in type 2 diabetes are limited. We studied their associations with the risk of major macrovascular events, microvascular complications, and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) Study. Plasma CRP, fibrinogen, and IL-6 levels were determined in a case-cohort study (n = 3,865) nested within the 11,140 men and women with type 2 diabetes and baseline CVD or risk factors in the ADVANCE Study. All three biomarkers of inflammation were associated with an increased risk of macrovascular events and death in analyses adjusted for age, sex, and treatment groups. After further adjustment, only IL-6 was an independent predictor of macrovascular events (hazard ratio per SD increase 1.37 [95% CI 1.24–1.51]) and death (1.35 [1.23–1.49]). IL-6 significantly improved the prediction of macrovascular events and death. After adjustment, none of the markers predicted microvascular complications. We conclude that IL-6 levels, but not CRP or fibrinogen levels, add significantly to the prediction of macrovascular events and mortality in individuals with type 2 diabetes who have baseline CVD or risk factors.


Most Web and other on-line service providers ("Internet Services") only support legacy ID (or email) and password (ID/PW) credential authentication. However, there are numerous vulnerabilities concerning ID/PW credentials. Scholars and the industry have proposed several improved security solutions, such as MFA, however most of the Internet Services have refused to adopt these solutions. Mobile phones are much more sensitive to these vulnerabilities (so this paper focuses on mobile phones). Many users take advantage of password managers, to keep track of all their Internet Service profiles. However, the Internet Service profiles found in password managers, are normally kept on the PC or mobile phone's disk, in an encrypted form. Our first contribution is a design guideline, whereby the Internet Service profiles never need to touch the client's disk. Most users would benefit, if they had the ability to use MFA, to login to a legacy Internet Service, which only supports ID/PW credential authentication. Our second contribution is a design guideline, whereby users can choose, for each legacy ID/PW Internet Service, which specific MFA they wish to use. We have also presenting conceptual design guidelines, showing that both of our contributions are minor changes to existing password managers, which can be implemented easily with low overhead.


The author notes that the elderly in our society have not been provided with treatment, research, and services commensurate with their needs. These needs are reflected in the increasing incidence of psychopathology, suicide, and poverty with increasing age. The psychiatric profession's therapeutic nihilism toward the elderly may reflect unresolved countertransference issues that result in a form of prejudice called "ageism." Many of the conditions labeled "senility" are actually manifestations of socioeconomic or medical problems that could be resolved with prompt, appropriate treatment. The author makes several recommendations--the creation of a multidisciplinary nongovernmental commission on mental health and illness of the elderly, reexamination by psychiatrists of their attitudes toward the elderly, and proportionate representation of older individuals in psychiatric services, training, and research.


Forecasting pasture growth in hill country landscapes requires information about soil water retention characteristics, which will help to quantify both water uptake, and its percolation below the root zone. Despite the importance of soil moisture data in pasture productivity predictions, current models use low-resolution estimates of water input into their soil water balance equations and plant growth simulations. As a result, they frequently fail to capture the spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture in hill country soils.

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are promising in-situ measurement systems for monitoring soil moisture dynamics with high temporal resolution in agricultural soils. This paper presents the deployment of a soil moisture sensing network, utilising WSN technology and multi-sensor probes, to monitor soil water changes over a hill country farm in the northern Wairarapa region of the North Island. Processed capacitance-based raw data was converted to volumetric water content by means of a factory calibration function to assess sensor accuracy and to calculate soil water storage within the pasture root zone.

The derived volumetric soil moisture data was examined in terms of its dependence on the variability and influences of hill country landscape characteristics such as aspect. The integration of spatially distributed sensors and multi-depth soil moisture measurements from various hillslope positions showed that slope and aspect exerted a significant impact on soil moisture values. Furthermore, considerable differences were identified in soil water profile responses to significant rainfall events and subsequent soil water redistribution.

Initial indications are that high-resolution time series of accurate multi-depth soil moisture measurements collected by a WSN are valuable for investigating root zone water movement. Sensor evaluation and data analysis suggest that these devices and their associated datasets are able to contribute to an improved understanding of drying and wetting cycles and soil moisture variability. Potentially, this will create an opportunity to generate improved pasture growth predictions in pastoral hill country environments.


This research was conducted on inseptisol soils, especially for vegetable plantations, aimed to determine the ability of the soil layer to distribute nutrients and restore soil health and fertility due to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Through microbial activity that is controlled by spreading through a horizontal biohole, this study observes in real time through a micro controller the changes in soil acidity, infiltration rate, electrolyte conductivity levels and porosity levels through soil infiltration rates. Through simulations with the variable microbial population, it can be seen the level of EC and other parameters against the time of observation in real time. From the observations of graphs and EC standards, it can be seen that the ability of the soil. Until day 45 the soil fertility level has not reached=1500 uS/cm with a microbial population=103/cfu. Support the planting schedule both during the vegetative growth period and during the generative growth period, so that we will know when the right time to do is: Soil recovery, initial planting and when the tubers/flowers/fruit begin to be conditioned. until cooked based on nutrient values observed through sensors that convert analogue parameters by the micro controller into digital information transmitted by Wi-Fi in real time. The initial condition before simulating the soil fertility value with the Electrolyte Conductivity (EC) parameter is 744 uS/cm, the simulation results are: Simulation A: To start the growth period (vegetative) is achieved on the 15th day with a EC E=1050 uS/cm and in the generative period it is reached on the 23th day with a EC=1518 uS/cm. Simulation B: To start the growth period (vegetative) is achieved on the 22th day with a EC=1008 uS/ cm and at the generative period it is reached on the 38nd day with a EC=1539 uS/cm . Simulation C: to start the growth period (vegetative) is achieved on day 37 with a EC=1025 uS/cm and during the generative period it cannot be observed because on observation until day 45 the electrolyte conductivity has not reach=1500 uS/ cm.


This study presents the rich resource of medicinal plants used by the tribes of Ramghat region of Western Ghats (Maharastra, India) against diabetes. It was aimed to identify and screen the important species used in the management of Diabeties and these plants create a basis for phytochemical evaluation which can lead to the discovery of biologically active compounds. In the present study, Pet-ether, Chloroform, Ethyl acetate and Ethanol extracts of fruits of Bredilia retusa, Habenaria rarifolia, Syzigium hemisphericum, Hydnocarpus pentandra were comparatively evaluated for their blood glucose lowering and hyperlipidaemic activity. The ethyl acetate and ethanolic extract showed significant activity in acute study as compare to diabetic control, but none of the extract showed significant results in prolonged study. The experiment also confirmed that ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts significantly reduced the elevated total cholesterol, triglyceride level, SGOT, SGPT, ALD and Urea level. Our data suggests a significant antidiabetic and hyperlipidaemic effects of all the fruit extracts in alloxan diabetic rats.


Background: Breast cancer is the most common in female malignancy world-wide with about 1 million new cases per year. Surgeons play a major role in the management of breast cancer with mastectomy constituting the most common and important surgical intervention needed for these patients especially in our setting. Seroma constitute most common complication of mastectomy with some surgeons now considering it a side effect of the surgery rather than a complication. The objective of this study was to determine the role of flap-fixation on seroma formation after mastectomy in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. Patients and Methods: This was a single Centre prospective study carried out from August 2017 to September 2018 with the studied population being women with breast cancer undergoing mastectomy. Recruitment was at the surgical outpatient clinic. The patients were randomized into two groups with group A having flap fixation after mastectomy and group B having conventional closure with no flap fixation. Seroma formation was then compared within the two groups. Results: A total of 60 patients were involved in the study with 30 patients per group. The mean age of patients is 44.2 ± 6.1 for group A and 46.3 ± 7.4 in group B. Majority of the patients had modified radical mastectomy with prolongation of the surgery by up to 20 min in group A. The duration of drainage, amount of fluid drained and incidence of seroma was higher in group B. Conclusion: Flap fixation to pectoralis major significantly reduces seroma formation after mastectomy for breast cancer.


The nature of marketing of high value agricultural products such as Organic products has evolved over time, resulting into well coordinated physical, exchange and facilitating functions. However, the degree of market efficiency and effectiveness of these functions is highly influenced by the nature of interactions between the actors and their attributes. The current study aimed at offering policy options for improving marketing of organic products in Kenya through an analysis of the marketing channels. First, the study identified the actors and activities involved in marketing of organic products in Nairobi urban area. Secondly, the commodity (organic fruits and vegetables) attributes, the actors and the activities were analysed with view of determining how they influence two key outcomes: transaction costs and profitability. Primary data for the study was collected through a survey among 31 traders dealing in organic fruits and vegetables within Nairobi city. The data were analysed within the Institutions Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework. Results indicate that although transaction costs exist in the three channels identified, the nature and magnitude of such costs greatly varies across the channels depending on the number of players and their attributes. Traders incur transaction costs while searching and screening for reliable suppliers and customers, transporting the product and enforcing contracts. Furthermore, the type of transaction costs incurred within each marketing channel highly depends on the level of information asymmetry between actors, the actors' attributes and existing institutional arrangements that are necessary to maintain transactions and counter opportunistic behaviour. The nature of activities and actors within each channel was also found to influence the transaction costs. The study draws imperative policy implications that can be used to reduce the transaction costs incurred in the business of marketing organic products. Some suggested policy options include: improving market information transmission, reforms in legal framework to facilitate contract farming and improved transport infrastructure.


The influences of curing agents and the water absorption on the microstructure have been studied by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and gravimetric measurement for epoxy resins DER331 (E51). We found that the o-Ps lifetime 3τ dramatically decreases with the immersion time from 0h to 6h, and then reaches a saturate level in higher water absorption, while the o-Ps intensity almost remains a constant for all samples. This fact indicated that the water was first filled into free volume holes at low water content. The observation of the constant of I3 suggested that the free volume concentration was not affected by the water sorption. Experimental results indicated that both chemical reaction between the positronium and chlorines and electronegative chlorines attracting positrons can reduce the positronium formation.


In this paper, we apply visual surveillance techniques to in-house abnormal event detection, where (elderly) persons are monitored in order to assure their well-being. By means of a camera installed in a living room, we are able to spot not only if the person falls, but also other, more subtle abnormal events. We summarize two existing methods and compare them on two video sequences. The approaches both appear to perform well and additionally permit a semantic reasoning on the nature of the (abnormal) human behavior in the scene. Keywords-visual surveillance; independent living; abnormal behavior detection; human tracking;


Chambourcin' (Vitis sp.) is a French-American hybrid cultivar that has the propensity to overcrop, and its performance under cool climate and short growing season is not known. This study was conducted for five years (2000 to 2004) to evaluate the ef- fect of three levels of cluster thinning (10, 20, and 30 clusters per vine) on yield and fruit composition of 'Chambourcin' grown in northeastern Ohio. Cluster thinning reduced yield per vine and crop load, but increased pruning, cluster and berry weights. Cluster thinning also improved juice composition by increasing soluble solids and pH but not acidity. It was concluded that under the climatic conditions of this study, thinning to 10 clusters per vine (or 8 clusters per meter of row) produced the lowest yield but the highest vine size with the most optimum fruit composition. Therefore, vines from the 10-cluster treatment were considered the most balanced in the 5-year study. Additionally, due to the repeated coincidence of harvest with the first fall frost, it was suggested that the site in continental Northeast Ohio is risky for commercial production and longer and warmer seasons are thus preferred.


Indigenous Australians experience a significant health burden from chronic hepatitis B infection; however, the strain of hepatitis B virus (HBV) found among Indigenous Australians has not been well characterized. Blood samples were collected from 65 Indigenous Australians with chronic HBV infection from across the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory. Phylogenetic analysis of HBV from these samples revealed that 100% of the isolates were genotype C, sub‐genotype C4, expressing the serotype ayw3. This strain is a divergent group within the HBV/C genotype, and has only been described in Indigenous Australians. Evidence of recombination was suggested by discordant phylogenetic clustering of the C4 sequences when comparing the full genome to the surface region and confirmed by recombination analysis which showed the surface gene region to be most closely related to genotype J, while the remaining regions of the genome were most similar to genotype C sequences. Mutational analysis revealed the presence of multiple mutations that have been linked with more rapid liver disease progression and an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. These mutations were detected in the majority of sequences examined. Variants associated with vaccine failure were detected as the predominant viral quasi‐species in 3/35 samples. In summary, the HBV C4 variant found in this population has a high potential to cause advanced liver disease and to escape vaccination programs. Further in vitro functional and natural history studies are warranted in order to determine the clinical and public health consequences of infection with the HBV C4 variant in these communities. J. Med. Virol. 86:695–706, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The compressed (.zip) file contains Datawell MK-III Directional Waverider binary and unpacked data files as well as a description of the data and manuals for the instrumentation. The data files are contained in the two directories within the zip file, ''Apr_July_2012'' and ''Jun_Sept_2013''. Time series and summary data were recorded in the buoy to binary files with extensions '.RDT' and '.SDT', respectively. These are located in the subdirectories 'Data_Raw' in each of the top-level deployment directories. '.RDT' files contain 3 days of time series (at 1.28 Hz) in 30 minute "bursts". Each '.SDT' file contains summary statistics for the month indicated computed at half-hour intervals for each burst. Each deployment directory also contains a description (in 'File.list') of the Datawell binary data files, and a figure ('Hs_vs_yearday') showing the significant wave height associated with each .RDT file (decoded from the filename). The corresponding unpacked Matlab .mat files are contained in the subdirectories 'Data_Mat'. These files have the extension '.mat' but use the root filename of the source .RDT and .SDT files.


This article explores the usefulness of sentiment analysis and Google trends data for car sales forecasting. Previous research has demonstrated the use of both techniques for sales forecasting, but current literature is more ambiguous in its results for forecasting the sales of high involvement goods like cars. In this study, about 500,000 social media posts for eleven car models on the Dutch market are analyzed using linear regression models. Furthermore, this study compares these outcomes to the predictive power of Google Trends. The results suggest that social media sentiments have little predictive power towards car sales while Google Trends data and social mention volume show significant results and can be incorporated into an effective prediction model. A prediction model with time lags using decision tree regression is built that can be used by the car industry as an addition to traditional forecasting methods.


A quality of multi-parameter approximation of the stress and displacement fields around a crack tip in a non-brittle material test specimen is studied in the paper. The stress field approximation using Williams power series is intended to be utilized for estimation of the nonlinear zone extent which potentially plays a role within methods for determination of true values of fracture parameters of materials exhibiting nonlinear failure. Considering the fact that in the case of elastic-plastic and especially quasi-brittle materials the size of this zone is substantial in comparison to the specimen dimensions, it is necessary to take a large region around the crack tip into account for this task. An automatic utility created to determine the values of coefficients of the higher order terms of Williams power series by usage of over-deterministic method applied on results of finite element analysis of arbitrary mode I test geometry is one of the tested procedures. The second one provides a backward reconstruction of the crack-tip stress field analytically by means of truncated Williams expansion. The developed procedures are based on the support of Java programming language and considerably simplify analyses of the mechanical fields' description in a farther distance from the crack-tip. The presented research is focused on optimization of selection of FE nodal results for improvement of accuracy of the approximation.


These studies demonstrate that the cytotoxic activity of splenic natural killer (NK) cells is augmented in both nu/nu and nu/+ mice during systemic cryptococcosis. Both the kinetics and the regulation of NK cell activity differed in Cryptococcus neoformans-infected nu/nu and nu/+ mice. Greater augmentation was observed following challenge with 10(5) cells than with smaller inocula, and augmented NK cell activity was not always associated with enhanced control of systemic cryptococcosis. Infection with a nonencapsulated strain of C. neoformans induced an early but transient increase in splenic NK cell activity in nu/nu and nu/+ mice. Injection of capsular polysaccharide induced a transient augmentation of splenic NK cell activity in nu/+ mice but caused a persistent increase in splenic NK cell activity in nu/nu mice. In vivo treatment with monoclonal antibody to gamma interferon abrogated the augmentation of splenic NK cell activity induced during cryptococcal infections in both nu/nu and nu/+ mice and enhanced the susceptibility of nu/+ mice to C. neoformans to a greater extent than it did that of nu/nu mice. These results suggest that gamma interferon is an important mediator of resistance to C. neoformans.


Thermo-electrochemical cells (also called thermocells) are promising devices for harvesting waste heat for the sustainable production of energy. Research into thermocells has increased significantly in recent years, driven by advantages such as their ability to continuously convert heat into electrical energy without producing emissions or consuming materials. Until relatively recently, the commercial viability of thermocells was limited by their low power output and conversion efficiency. However, there have lately been significant advances in thermocell performance as a result of improvements to the electrode materials, electrolyte and redox chemistry and various features of the cell design. This article overviews these recent developments in thermocell research, including the development of new redox couples, the optimisation of electrolytes for improved power output and high-temperature operation, the design of high surface area electrodes for increased current density and device flexibility, and the optimisation of cell design to further enhance performance.


This article addresses revitalization of a dormant language whose prospective speakers live in scattered geographical areas. In comparison to increasing the usage of an endangered language, revitalizing a dormant language (one with no living speakers) requires di¤erent methods to gain knowledge of the language. Language teaching for a dormant language with a scattered community presents di¤erent problems from other teaching situations. In this article, we discuss the types of tasks that must be accomplished for dormant-language revitalization, with particular focus on development of teaching materials. We also address the role of computer technologies, arguing that each use of technology should be evaluated for how e¤ectively it increases fluency. We discuss methods for achieving semi-fluency for the first new speakers of a dormant language, and for spreading the language through the community.


Objective: The aim of the present work was formulation and evaluation of the ethosomal gel of tazarotene for topical delivery. Materials and Methods: Preparation of tazarotene-loaded ethosomes and gel base, optimization of ethosomes by varying criteria - lipid concentration, ethanol concentration, drug concentration, and stirrer time. The optimized formulation code found as F-13. Characterization of ethosomes performed by vesicle size, surface charge, entrapment efficiency, and stability study. Characterization of ethosomes containing gel performed by the measurement of viscosity, pH measurements, drug content, extrudability study, spreadability, and in vitro drug diffusion study. Results: Gel was prepared and evaluated for viscosity, % entrapment, extrudability, spreadability, and drug release study. It was found that viscosity of prepared gel EG-13 was 178.37 ± 5.07 cps, pH was 6.9, % assay was 97.57 ± 2.49, extrudability was 170 g, and spreadability (g.cm/sec) was found as 5.16 (g.cm/sec), respectively. In vitro drug release from ethosomes was studied using Franz diffusion cell method and found 76.65 ± 0.48% in 12 h. Drug release from ethosomal formulation was found in very sustained and controlled manner. Conclusion: It was concluded that prepared gel containing tazarotene-loaded ethosomal formulation was optimized and successfully formulated in the gel form can be of use for topical preparation for its antiacne affect.


This study was conducted to determine the possible influence of job characteristics on job satisfaction of pediatric nurses. Eighty-nine pediatric nurses working in the pediatric units of the Maternity and Children Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia comprised the subject of the present study. A questionnaire of three parts was synthesized for this study. Part I is a multifaceted measure of job satisfaction (Smith et al., 1969) and known as job Descriptive Index. Part II is a job Characteristics Inventory (J.C.I) of 30 items developed by (Sims et al., 1976) to determine nurses perception of six characteristics, namely, variety, autonomy, task identity, feed back, dealing with others, and friendship opportunities. Part III comprised five demographic items. The study revealed that the overall degree of satisfaction of pediatric nurses was found to be relatively low with a mean percentage score of only 58.52%. Regarding the five job satisfaction subscales, nature of work (nursing of children) showed the highest mean percentage score. The study illustrates a positive strong correlation between job characteristics and job satisfaction with variety, task identity, and feedback being the statistically significant individual characteristics.


Understanding and forecasting water resources and components of the water cycle require spatially and temporally resolved observations of numerous water-related variables. Such observations are often obtained from wireless networks of automated weather stations. The "WeSenseIt" project develops a citizen- and community-based obser- vatory of water to improve the water and risk management at the catchment scale and to support decision-making of stakeholders. It is implemented in three case studies addressing various questions related to flood, drought, water resource management, water quality and pollution. Citizens become potential observers and may transmit water-related measurements and information. Combining the use of recent technologies (wireless communication, internet, smartphone) with the development of innovative low cost sensors enables the implementation of hetero- geneous observatories, which (a) empower citizens and (b) expand and complement traditional operational sensing networks. With the goal of increasing spatial coverage of observations and decreasing cost for sensors, this study presents the examples of measuring (a) flow velocity in streams using smartphones and (b) sensible heat flux using simple sensors at the nodes of wireless sensor networks.


The unit that directly evolves under the action of higher‐level natural selection "among species" must be the higher‐level analogue of the population. Contrary to present formulations of "species selection," clades (or other higher taxa) do not fulfill the basic structural and dynamic criteria to be so considered. Clades are not localized, their members do not share an environment, and they cannot be said to respond to local selective regimes. Traditional species selection does not provide a causal mechanism for evolutionary change in terms of the interaction of the units of selection with a shared environment in the way that conventional organismic selection does; as used by some authors, species selection is a purely descriptive term. Communities do fulfill the criteria required by a theory of natural selection. Within communities, selection is among the populations of different species that make up the community, here termed "avatars" of those species. Avatars are the closest analogues of individual organisms in traditional selection theory. Just as populations evolve by organismic selection, communities evolve by avatar selection, and more inclusive units, the higher‐level analogues of the species, evolve as their component communities do. This formulation of higher‐level selection reveals a congruence with processes at the lower, organism‐based level and suggests the most profitable direction to be taken in attempts at formal extension of selection theory.


In the four decades since two university computers were first linked to each other over the prototype internet, scientific researchers have been innovators, early adopters and prolific adapters of internet technologies. Electronic mail, file transfer protocol, telnet, Gopher and the World Wide Web were all developed and applied first in research communities. The Web's development for sharing of information in the high-energy physics community unexpectedly heralded the internet's extension into many aspects of commerce, community, entertainment and governance. But despite the rapid proliferation and diversification of both over the past 15 years, the internet in its various forms has scientific communication indelibly inscribed into its fabric, and internet communication is thoroughly integrated into the practice of science.
This chapter reviews some effects of the internet's emergence as a principal means of professional scientific communication, and of public communication of science and technology. It notes several paradoxes that characterise these developments, for example the contradictory trends towards easier collaboration across continents, and towards greater fragmentation. It notes the very significant disturbances caused by electronic publishing in the all-important field of scientific journals. It suggests that these and other developments have made more completely porous than before the boundaries between professional and public communication, facilitating public access to previously private spaces, and thus 'turning science communication inside-out'.


The sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor signaling system has biological and medical importance and is the first lipid G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) structure to be solved to 2.8-Å resolution. S1P binds to five high-affinity GPCRs generating multiple downstream signals that play essential roles in vascular development and endothelial integrity, control of cardiac rhythm, and routine oral treatment of multiple sclerosis. Genetics, chemistry, and now structural biology have advanced this integrated biochemical system. The S1P receptors have a novel N-terminal fold that occludes access to the binding pocket from the extracellular environment as well as orthosteric and bitopic ligands with very different physicochemical properties. S1P receptors and metabolizing enzymes have been deleted, inducibly deleted, and knocked in as tagged or altered receptors in mice. An array of genetic models allows analysis of integrated receptor function in vivo. We can now directly understand causal relationships among protein expression, signal, and control points in physiology and pathology.


Aim: To ratify previous validations of the CONUT
nutritional screening tool by the development of two
probabilistic models using the parameters included in the
CONUT, to see if the CONUT's effectiveness could be
improved.
Methods: It is a two step prospective study. In Step 1,
101 patients were randomly selected, and SGA and
CONUT was made. With data obtained an unconditional
logistic regression model was developed, and two variants
of CONUT were constructed: Model 1 was made by a
method of logistic regression. Model 2 was made by
dividing the probabilities of undernutrition obtained in
model 1 in seven regular intervals. In step 2, 60 patients
were selected and underwent the SGA, the original
CONUT and the new models developed. The diagnostic
efficacy of the original CONUT and the new models was
tested by means of ROC curves. Both samples 1 and 2
were put together to measure the agreement degree
between the original CONUT and SGA, and diagnostic
efficacy parameters were calculated.
Results: No statistically significant differences were
found between sample 1 and 2, regarding age, sex and
medical/surgical distribution and undernutrition rates
were similar (over 40%). The AUC for the ROC curves
were 0.862 for the original CONUT, and 0.839 and 0.874,
for model 1 and 2 respectively. The kappa index for the
CONUT and SGA was 0.680.
Conclusions: The CONUT, with the original scores
assigned by the authors is equally good than mathematical
models and thus is a valuable tool, highly useful and efficient
for the purpose of Clinical Undernutrition screening.


Previous studies on reaching movements have shown that people can adapt to either visuomotor (e.g., prism glasses) or mechanical distortions (e.g., force fields) through repetitive practice. Recent work has shown that adaptation to one type of distortion might have implications on learning the other type, suggesting that neural resources are common to both kinematic and kinetic adaptation. This study investigated whether training with a novel force field might benefit the learning of a visual distortion–specifically, when forces were designed to produce aftereffects that aligned with the ideal trajectory for a visual rotation. Participants training with these forces (Force Group) were tested on a visual rotation. After training with this novel field, we found that participants had surprisingly good performance in the visual rotation condition, comparable to a group that trained on the visual rotation directly. A third group tested the rate of learning with intermittent catch trials, where we zeroed the forces and switched to the visual rotation, and found a significantly faster learning rate than the group that trained directly on the visual rotation. Interestingly, these abilities continued to significantly improve one day later, whereas the direct training showed no such effect. All participants were able to generalize what they learned to unpracticed movement directions. We speculate that when forces are used in training, haptic feedback can have a substantial influence on learning a task that heavily relies on visual feedback. Such methods can impact any situation where one might add robotic forces to the training process.


Objective Early detection of gastric cancer has been the topic of major efforts in high prevalence areas. Whether advanced imaging methods, such as second-generation narrow band imaging (2G-NBI) can improve early detection, is unknown. Design This open-label, randomised, controlled tandem trial was conducted in 13 hospitals. Patients at increased risk for gastric cancer were randomly assigned to primary white light imaging (WLI) followed by secondary 2G-NBI (WLI group: n=2258) and primary 2G-NBI followed by secondary WLI (2G-NBI group: n=2265) performed by the same examiner. Suspected early gastric cancer (EGC) lesions in both groups were biopsied. Primary endpoint was the rate of EGC patients in the primary examination. The main secondary endpoint was the positive predictive value (PPV) for EGC in suspicious lesions detected (primary examination). Results EGCs were found in 44 (1.9%) and 53 (2.3%; p=0.412) patients in the WLI and 2G-NBI groups, respectively, during primary EGD. In a post hoc analysis, the overall rate of lesions detected at the second examination was 25% (n=36/145), with no significant differences between groups. PPV for EGC in suspicious lesions was 13.5% and 20.9% in the WLI (50/371 target lesions) and 2G-NBI groups (59/282 target lesions), respectively (p=0.015). Conclusion The overall sensitivity of primary endoscopy for the detection of EGC in high-risk patients was only 75% and should be improved. 2G-NBI did not increase EGC detection rate over conventional WLI. The impact of a slightly better PPV of 2G-NBI has to be evaluated further. Trial registration number UMIN000014503.


International sports sanctions against the apartheid government resulted in the isolation of South African cricket from 1970 to 1991. When South Africa was readmitted to world cricket, India was the first to welcome the 'new' South Africa onto the international scene and the team played three one-day internationals in India to much fanfare and capacity crowds. The game of cricket has changed dramatically since South Africa's readmission. These changes include the emergence of powerful television stations and mega-dollar payments, which has shifted the power away from administrators, the 'invention' of a shorter version of the game (T20 cricket), and the formation of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which attests to the power of India in world cricket, as well as betting and match-fixing. As a result of television, cricket is now a global game that can be watched all year round. This growth has been accompanied by seedier developments, with betting scandals involving some of the great names in international cricket being one example. All though this period, India and South Africa enjoyed a 'special relationship', one that culminated in the sacking of Gerald Majola, the Chief Executive of Cricket South Africa, and Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL, followed by a souring of that relationship with the appointment of Haroon Lorgat as CEO of Cricket South Africa (CSA) in July 2013 against the wishes of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).


In the numerical calculation of geotechnical project, it's difficult to confirm the parameters because of the complexity and the uncertainty of them as the time is changing. However, the back-analysis provides us an effective way. Based on the result of the triaxial test on rock-fill of Shui Bu Ya CFRD, the thesis adopts the direct back-analysis method which combines the BP Neural Network and Genetic Algorithm to calculate the Tsinghua non-linear K-G model parameters of the rock-fill. The back-analysis parameters are used to simulate the filling process of Shui Bu Ya CFRD and predict the displacement of the dam. The thesis provides a technical reference for displacement back-analysis of soil parameters for CFRD.


ABSTRACT Previously available primer sets for detecting anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria are inefficient, resulting in a very limited database of such sequences, which limits knowledge of their ecology. To overcome this limitation, we designed a new primer set that was 100% specific in the recovery of ∼700-bp 16S rRNA gene sequences with >96% homology to the "Candidatus Scalindua" group of anammox bacteria, and we detected this group at all sites studied, including a variety of freshwater and marine sediments and permafrost soil. A second primer set was designed that exhibited greater efficiency than previous primers in recovering full-length (1,380-bp) sequences related to "Ca. Scalindua," "Candidatus Brocadia," and "Candidatus Kuenenia." This study provides evidence for the widespread distribution of anammox bacteria in that it detected closely related anammox 16S rRNA gene sequences in 11 geographically and biogeochemically diverse freshwater and marine sediments.


In recognition of the need to widen the scope of fatherhood scholarship, this article centered on examining paternal involvement but in a socio- cultural context and developmental stage that has headed little attention in previous research. An attempt was made to investigate the nature of paternal involvement (ways, desires and roles) among adolescent students in Addis Ababa. Rating- type (N= 554) and forced- choice (N= 360) questionnaires were administered to secondary school (grades 9-12) students (ages 14-19 years). Results generally indicated that paternal involvement was multidimensional in the sense that adolescents considered direct and indirect ways, acting and capacity building roles and caring and masculine- oriented desires of fathers. involvement with children. Significant differences and relationships were also documented between the two components of ways, roles, and desires. In fact, interactions between ways and roles, ways and desires, and roles and desires were all significant. Results were interpreted and implications were drawn against a backdrop of the respondents. developmental and socio- cultural backgrounds.


The present study explores and analyzes the relationships between countries of the ancient Near East by studying the complaints of neglect and detaining of foreign messengers and emissaries at the Egyptian royal court—and the courts of other the countries—during the fourteenth and thirteenth centuries BCE. This analysis also considers the traveling speeds of the messengers, the expected lengths of detention, and the credibility of the complaints of mistreatment and detention. The study reveals that the level of Egyptian maltreatment of the messengers of other countries reflected the significance and status of those countries at the Egyptian court. Moreover, messengers and envoys could be delayed or ill-treated for political and bureaucratic reasons, or issues related to crime and misconduct.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5913/jarce.54.2018.a002


The pattern of increasing species body size with increasing latitude has been noticed in different groups of animals. Here, we used seven key environmental factors and independent contrasts to assess body size latitudinal clines in Cyprinidae at two phylogenetic levels (inter- and intragenera), which were defined using a genus-level supertree. Model selection procedures revealed that environmental factors shaping body size variation in Cyprinidae differed according to the phylogenetic scale considered. At the higher phylogenetic level, we found that both temperature (negative effect) and habitat availability (positive effect of drainage basin surface area) constituted mechanistic explanations of large-scale body size distribution. No temperature-related body size cline was observed at the intragenus level. Instead, competitive interaction (negative effect of species richness), habitat availability (positive effect of drainage basin surface area), migration ability and available energy (positive effects of glacial coverage and actual evapotranspiration) constitute alternative explanations at this lower phylogenetic scale. We conclude that (i) at the intergenus level, cyprinids do show a tendency to be smaller at high temperatures and larger at low temperatures, (ii) this tendency no longer exists at the intragenus level, (iii) latitude per se is a weak predictor of body size clines whatever the taxonomic level analysed, (iv) generalising geographical body size patterns may be rendered difficult by the superimposition of a series of mechanisms across different taxonomic scales, and (v) habitat size, here acting positively at both taxonomic scales, may play a major role in shaping riverine species body size clines.


Motivation: Cryo electron microscopy (EM) is currently one of the main tools to reveal the structural information of biological macromolecules. The re-construction of three-dimensional (3D) maps is typically carried out following an iterative process that requires an initial estimation of the 3D map to be refined in subsequent steps. Therefore, its determination is key in the quality of the final results, and there are cases in which it is still an open issue in single particle analysis (SPA). Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a well-known technique applied to structural biology. It is useful from small nanostructures up to macromolecular ensembles for its ability to obtain low resolution information of the biological sample measuring its X-ray scattering curve. These curves, together with further analysis, are able to yield information on the sizes, shapes and structures of the analyzed particles. Results: In this paper, we show how the low resolution structural information revealed by SAXS is very useful for the validation of EM initial 3D models in SPA, helping the following refinement process to obtain more accurate 3D structures. For this purpose, we approximate the initial map by pseudo-atoms and predict the SAXS curve expected for this pseudo-atomic structure. The match between the predicted and experimental SAXS curves is considered as a good sign of the correctness of the EM initial map. Availability and implementation: The algorithm is freely available as part of the Scipion 1.2 software at http://scipion.i2pc.es/. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com VC The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: email@example.com 2427 Bioinformatics, 35(14), 2019, 2427–2433 doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty985 Advance Access Publication Date: 30 November 2018