Neurodegenerative diseases have been becoming increasingly threatening to human life and living quality, especially to elderly people. Ideally, such diseases can be diagnosed using simple diagnostic methods and treated at their early stages using efficient drug delivery methods. Toward these goals, some new MEMS/microfluidic devices have been developed for diagnosing and treating these neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's Disease and Glaucoma. One focus of this thesis is the multiplexed monitoring of two promising biomarkers, betaamyloid (Aβ42) and total tau (T-tau), in both buffer and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for Alzheimer's disease (AD) using label-free optical nanosensors. It has been found that 7.8 pg/ml of Aβ42 in buffer and 15.6 pg/ml of T-au in buffer can be readily detected with very good specificity. Based on our measurements, the purchased CSF itself contains Aβ42, whose concentration is estimated to be about 400 pg/ml. Aβ42 and T-tau in the mixtures of Aβ42 and T-tau spiked in CSF have been detected successfully, indicating the feasibility of the optical nanosensors to detect these biomarkers in clinical samples. For these measurements, only a small amount (~1 μl) of the samples is required. This type of sensor is suitable for point-of-care application to diagnose the AD due to its low cost and ease-of-operation. The other focus of this thesis is to develop a new power-free multifunctional soft contact lens device that can measure intraocular pressure (IOP), achieve extended drug delivery in situ, and detect glaucoma biomarkers, all within the same device. Experiments demonstrate that the contact lens sensor can detect Interleukin 12p70, one possible biomarker for glaucoma, in a concentration as low as 2 pg/ml in artificial tears. The sustained drug release of the contact lens device can last up to 30 days. In ex vivo tests using cadaver pig eyes, the sensor can detect the IOP in a range of 10 to 50 mmHg.


Morphogenic Signals and Markers In vitro and In vivo D.J. Osborne. In vitro Organogenesis and Somatic Embryogenesis T.A. Thorpe. Relation between Some Cytological, Biochemical, Molecular Markers and Plant Morphogenesis K. Tran Thanh Van, C.A. Gendy. What is the Significance of the Relatively Large Tubulin Multigene Families for Plant Morphogenesis? D.E. Fosket, et al. Polyamines and Morphogenesis in Normal and Transgenic Plant Cultures N. Bagni, et al. Polyamines and Morphogenesis in Monocots A.F. Tiburcio, et al. The Molecular Basis of Cell Cycle Control in Arabidopsis thaliana D. Inze, et al. Molecular Studies of Shoot Meristem Activity during the Vegetativeto-Floral Transition A.J. Kelly, D.R. MeeksWagner. Secreted Proteins in Plant Cell Cultures F.A. Van Engelen, S.C. De Vries. 5 additional articles. Index.


In this paper we have presented a new Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization approach to induce rules from the discrete data. The proposed algorithm initializes its population by taking into account the discrete nature of the data. It assigns different fixed probabilities to current, local best and the global best positions. Based on these probabilities, each member of the population updates its position iteratively. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated on five different datasets and compared against 9 different classification techniques. The algorithm produces promising results by creating highly accurate rules for each dataset.


Purpose: Social Media Tools (SMT) have provided new opportunities for libraries and librarians in the world. In academic libraries, we can use of them as a powerful tool for communication. This study is to determine the use of the social interactive media tools [Social Networking Tools (SNT), Social Bookmarking Tools (SBT), Image or Video Sharing Tools (IVShT), and Mashup Tools (MT)] in disseminating knowledge and information among librarians in the Limerick University, Ireland. Methodology: The study was a descriptive survey. The research population included all librarians in Glucksman library. A questionnaire survey was done to collect data. Statistical software, SPSS16 was used at two levels (descriptive and inferential statistics) for data analyzing. Findings: The findings show that the mean (out of 5.00) of using each of SMT in sharing knowledge by the librarians of Glucksman library is as the following: SNT (2.49), SBT (2.92), IVShT (2.99) and MT (2.5). It shows that most of their interaction related to share of image or video. Originality: SMT provides an excellent platform for the exchange information between students, faculty members, and the librarians themselves. The Glucksman library at the University of Limerick is using this technology. This paper gives an example of how using these tools in the field of Library and Information Science in Ireland. The issues expressed could be beneficial for the development of library services in general and knowledge sharing among librarians in particular.


The article is focused on the study of influence of genetic variation in DNA (RAPD-PCR, primer OPA 14) of oaks (Quercus pubescens L. and Q. petraea L.) on the variation of some fitness-linked traits in different genotype classes of the Tortrix viridana adults. The results show that the leafroller individuals from the same genotype class may possess the maximum fitness (fecundity and body size components) on the trees of one genotype class and the minimum fitness on the trees of another genotype class. The interaction of the "oak genotype"--"leafroller genotype" factors results in rise of the ties which are expressed in statistically reliable associations between the leafroller and oak genotype classes. The results are discussed from the point of view of the newly developed field of community or ecosystem genetics.


Graph conditions are very important for graph transformation systems and graph programs in a large variety of application areas. Nevertheless, non-local graph properties like "there exists a path", "the graph is connected", and "the graph is cycle-free" are not expressible by finite graph conditions. In this paper, we generalize the notion of finite graph conditions, expressively equivalent to first-order formulas on graphs, to finite HR graph conditions, i.e., finite graph conditions with variables where the variables are place-holders for graphs generated by a hyperedge replacement system. We show that graphs with variables and replacement morphisms form a weak adhesive HLR category. We investigate the expressive power of HR graph conditions and show that finite HR graph conditions are more expressive than monadic second-order graph formulas.


Based on the latest available data up to 2009, the health status of the Hungarian population is among the poorest in the OECD, including countries with a similar level of income per capita. While this outcome has been driven by the socioeconomic status of the population and lifestyle risks, it also reflects the relatively limited effectiveness of the health care system, for which relatively low levels of resources have been available: total health spending amounted to 7.4% of GDP in 2009, lower than in other OECD countries with similar levels of income per capita. Although the health care system is generating significant health care outputs, such as doctor's consultations and hospital discharges, problems with the quality of health services and the need to reallocate resources where they would contribute most to health outcomes suggest a need for reforms. Reforms are needed to address immediate challenges to stem the outflow of health care workers, reorganise care capacities, align incentives faced by providers and patients, and improve access to health care services. The medium–term challenge for the health care system is to increase available resources to significantly enhance health outcomes. As there are relatively weak mechanisms to regulate quality and prevent unnecessary care, further improving efficiency is also of key importance. This Working Paper relates to the 2012 OECD Economic Survey of Hungary (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/hungary)


Scheduling is the core of the worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) technology that directly aects the performance of the network. In this study, we focus on scheduling and present a novel algorithm called the channel and delay aware scheduler (CADA) for real-time applications, such as voice over Internet protocol, video- on-demand, and video streaming. CADA has 2 important modules: wireless and network delay monitoring tools. The wireless module, including the compensation and channel state monitoring modules, increases the network throughput and provides fairness among all of the ows in the network. The network delay monitoring tool calculates the estimated network delay of the paths and uses this estimated delay to calculate the packet deadline for meeting the delay requirement of the real-time application ow. The main objectives of this study are: a) fullling the delay requirements of the real- time applications using a network monitoring tool, b) providing opportunistic scheduling by taking the channel conditions and network delay into account, and c) surveying the recent trends of the existing scheduling algorithms in WiMAX as guidelines for researchers who are interested in the scheduling algorithms. The simulation results show that CADA improves the performance of the real-time applications by taking the delay metric into account, increasing the network throughput of the WiMAX network, and providing the long-term fairness among all of the ows.


In order to study cubic compressive strength of recycled coarse aggregates-filled concrete systematically, recycled coarse aggregates with the particle size from 50 to150mm are made from waste solid contents, which are artificially broken from abandoned rubble and concrete blocks. Based on the mix proportion design method of ordinary concrete and test code for hydraulic concrete, 3 groups of recycled coarse aggregates-filled concrete cubic specimens were prepared and the compressive strength of the specimens were tested. The results showed that basic failure pattern of recycled coarse aggregates-filled concrete are longitudinal splitting failure, and that cubic compressive strength is higher than that of self-compacting concrete.


We study a fundamental tradeoff issue in designing a distributed hash table (DHT) in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks: the size of the routing table versus the network diameter. Observing that existing DHT schemes have either 1) a routing table size and network diameter both of O(log/sub 2/n), or 2) a routing table of size d and network diameter of O(n/sup 1/d/), S. Ratnasamy et al. (2001) asked whether this represents the best asymptotic "state-efficiency" tradeoffs. We show that some straightforward routing algorithms achieve better asymptotic tradeoffs. However, such algorithms all cause severe congestion on certain network nodes, which is undesirable in a P2P network. We rigorously define the notion of "congestion" and conjecture that the above tradeoffs are asymptotically optimal for a congestion-free network. The answer to this conjecture is negative in the strict sense. However, it becomes positive if the routing algorithm is required to eliminate congestion in a "natural" way by being uniform. We also prove that the tradeoffs are asymptotically optimal for uniform algorithms. Furthermore, for uniform algorithms, we find that the routing table size of O(log/sub 2/n) is a magic threshold point that separates two different "state-efficiency" regions. Our third result is to study the exact (instead of asymptotic) optimal tradeoffs for uniform algorithms. We propose a new routing algorithm that reduces the routing table size and the network diameter of Chord both by 21.4% without introducing any other protocol overhead, based on a novel number-theory technique. Our final result is to present Ulysses, a congestion-free nonuniform algorithm that achieves a better asymptotic "state-efficiency" tradeoff than existing schemes in the probabilistic sense, even under dynamic node joins/leaves.


This book examines a number of the dilemmas and practical problems responsible investment practitioners face daily when implementing their decisions. Our approach emphasises the importance of questions as well as answers and of process as well as product. We stress diversity of opinion and variety of approach. We raise fundamental questions about the purpose of investment and the responsibilities of investors, both economic and societal.


ABSTRACT Purpose of the Study: Taking care of admitted patients has usually been as much a responsibility of family members as that of hospital staff in India, but caregiver burden in caregivers of admitted patients has seldom been explored. The current study attempts to understand the prevailing situation in terms of burden of caregiving, among caregivers of neurosurgical inpatients of a tertiary care hospital, through identification and quantification of the same. All dimensions of the expected impact were recognized and explored among family caregivers. Design and Methods: This study followed a cross-sectional design and included adult caregivers of 100 neurosurgery inpatients from the neurosurgery ward of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed accordingly. Results: Univariate analysis showed most caregivers to be male young adults. More than 70% were immediate family members of the patients. Severe disturbance in the lives of caregivers was observed through thematic analysis of qualitative data, although less than 20% accepted caregiving to be a burden on them. Ninety percent of respondents mentioned disturbed sleep patterns, and average Caregiver Strain Index scores came out to be 11.65, depicting the overall strain levels to be moderate. Conclusions: Burden of caregiving in caregivers of neurosurgery patients is a real problem, with deep-rooted causes and far-reaching potential consequences. Efforts need to be made to take stock of this issue, for the benefit of both neurosurgery patients and their caregivers.


This paper describes a compact transformer-coupled balun bandpass filter design based on integrated circuit technology. Using a planar transformer with high-density fully symmetrical wiring not only greatly reduces the component size, but also provides a superior balance at the differential output ports. In addition, applying the tapped feed-line structure to the balun bandpass filter is accomplished by carefully studying the impedance-matching method and transmission-zero mechanism. Interestingly, the proposed balun bandpass filter can guarantee an optimal common-mode rejection ratio level in a specific operating frequency range by precisely controlling the fractional bandwidth of the filter passband.


Revellibre-LCpaux. The revisionist case in favor of the point on freedom and political democracy argued by such scholars as Isser Woloch (1970). Martyn Lyons (1975), Denis Woronoff (English trans. 1986), and James Livesey (2001) is not overturned in my mind hy Martin's argument. There can be no dispute whatsoever, on the other hand, that Napoleon, a thoroughgoing autocrat and the first modem dictator, categorically rejected any and all notions of human freedom, real or potential, and that is clearly seen in Martin's analysis of the Napoleonic Civil Code, which, in my mind, is the most useful and valuable part of thc book. In conclusion, this is definitely not a book for a neophyte, but rather for the serious and advanced student who is widely and deeply read in the literature of the Enlightenment. the revolution, and Napoleon. Even though I disagrce with some of Martin's points and interpretations. I strongly recommend his book for specialists and advanced scholars of the period.


In this paper, we describe a measurement-analytic approach for estimating the overflow probability, an important measure of the quality of service (QoS), at a given multiplexing point in the network. A multiplexing point in the network could be a multiplexer or an output port of a switch or router where resources such as bandwidth and buffers are shared. Our approach impinges on using the notion of the dominant time scale (DTS), which corresponds to the most probable time scale over which overflow occurs. The DTS provides us with a measurement window for the statistics of the traffic, but is in fact itself defined in terms of the statistics of the traffic over all time. This, in essence, results in a chicken-and-egg type of unresolved problem. For the DTS to be useful for on-line measurements, we need to be able to break this chicken-and-egg cycle, and to estimate the DTS with only a bounded window of time over which the statistics of the traffic are to be measured. In this paper, we present a stopping criterion to successfully break this cycle and find a bound on the DTS. Thus, the result has significant implications for network measurements. Our approach is quite different from other works in the literature that require off-line measurements of the entire trace of the traffic. In our case, we need to measure only the statistics of the traffic up to a bound on the DTS. We also investigate the characteristics of this upper bound on the DTS, and provide numerical results to illustrate the utility of our measurement analytic approach.


Learning the syntax of a second language (L2) often represents a big challenge to L2 learners. Previous research on syntactic processing in L2 has mainly focused on how L2 speakers respond to "objective" syntactic violations, that is, phrases that are incorrect by native standards. In this study, we investigate how L2 learners, in particular those of less than near-native proficiency, process phrases that deviate from their own, "subjective," and often incorrect syntactic representations, that is, whether they use these subjective and idiosyncratic representations during sentence comprehension. We study this within the domain of grammatical gender in a population of German learners of Dutch, for which systematic errors of grammatical gender are well documented. These L2 learners as well as a control group of Dutch native speakers read Dutch sentences containing gender-marked determiner–noun phrases in which gender agreement was either (objectively) correct or incorrect. Furthermore, the noun targets were selected such that, in a high proportion of nouns, objective and subjective correctness would differ for German learners. The ERP results show a syntactic violation effect (P600) for objective gender agreement violations for native, but not for nonnative speakers. However, when the items were re-sorted for the L2 speakers according to subjective correctness (as assessed offline), the P600 effect emerged as well. Thus, rather than being insensitive to violations of gender agreement, L2 speakers are similarly sensitive as native speakers but base their sensitivity on their subjective—sometimes incorrect—representations.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide; it is characterized by dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta, but its etiology is not fully understood. Astrocytes, a class of glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS), provide critical structural and metabolic support to neurons, but growing evidence reveals that astrocytic oxidative and nitrosative stress contributes to PD pathogenesis. As astrocytes play a critical role in the production of antioxidants and the detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), astrocytic oxidative/nitrosative stress has emerged as a critical mediator of the etiology of PD. Cellular stress and inflammation induce reactive astrogliosis, which initiates the production of astrocytic ROS/RNS and may lead to oxidative/nitrosative stress and PD pathogenesis. Although the cause of aberrant reactive astrogliosis is unknown, gene mutations and environmental toxicants may also contribute to astrocytic oxidative/nitrosative stress. In this review, we briefly discuss the physiological functions of astrocytes and the role of astrocytic oxidative/nitrosative stress in PD pathogenesis. Additionally, we examine the impact of PD-related genes such as α-synuclein, protein deglycase DJ-1( DJ-1), Parkin, and PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) on astrocytic function, and highlight the impact of environmental toxicants, such as 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), rotenone, manganese, and paraquat, on astrocytic oxidative/nitrosative stress in experimental models.


The conversion of two-lane roadways to four-lane, divided expressways has become a common solution to the need for high-speed, higher capacity travel between rural and suburban communities. As traffic volumes increase on these facilities there are seemingly inevitable increases in intersection crashes. A frequently proposed solution to intersection crashes is the installation of traffic signals, with results that can at best be described as mixed. In some cases there have been reductions in crash risk following signalization while in others there has been no change or even an increase. The public perception seems to be that signals are the universal fix, while transportation safety specialists at present cannot state with assurance that installing signals at a particular intersection will be successful at reducing the frequency of problem crashes. In an effort to provide some indicators for the safe signalization of high-speed intersections, this study focuses on an analysis of a variety of intersection characteristics and how they relate to crash risk at these intersections. This project expands upon work by Souleyrette and Knox (2005) that evaluated the safety of signalized intersections on high-speed expressways.


The mechanical integrity of many electronic devices and their components is determined by the strength of the interfaces between dissimilar materials. Therefore, the knowledge of interfacial strength is important to the design for reliability of these devices. A few examples are die/die attach interface, leadframe/molding compound interface, and copper/resin interfaces in multilayer printed circuit boards. Failure of these interfaces results in reduced reliability and performance of such electronic devices. Two important issues are raised in terms of applying the interfacial fracture to the bimaterial interface reliability prediction. The first issue is the quantification of strength (fracture toughness) in such interfaces as a function of mode mixity. The second issue is the computing of actual energy release rate (a generalized crack driving force) and comparing it with the measured fracture toughness so as to predict the crack initiation, growth, and failure of electronic devices. This study emphasizes on a unified methodology and demonstrates the feasibility of application of the rigorous interfacial fracture mechanics for the delamination growth. The proposed numerical scheme was verified by three examples: a DCB unidirectional composite beam, a DCB resin/copper beam, and an ENF resin/copper beam. Using a crack closure technique, the energy release rate and mode mixity are evaluated and used to predict the behavior of the specimens before and after delamination growth. Good agreement between testing and prediction has been achieved. >


The challenges associated with determining fair compensation for expropriated land have been extensively discussed and debated among scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and the public. However, to date, a comprehensive study of national-level compensation procedures established by law considering whether such procedures meet internationally recognized standards on compensation valuation has not been conducted. This article aims to bridge this gap by serving as a reference point and informing "fair compensation" debates among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. This article examines national-level legal provisions on compensation in 50 countries/regions across Asia, Africa, and Latin America against a set of legal indicators that are based on international standards on the valuation of compensation. The legal indicators focus on the substantive and procedural requirements pertaining to the calculation of compensation. The indicators ask whether laws require assessors to account for various land values when calculating compensation, and whether there are legal processes in place that allow affected persons to negotiate compensation amounts, receive prompt payments, and hold governments accountable by appealing compensation decisions in courts or before tribunals. The results of the study show that most of the 50 countries/regions assessed do not have national laws that comply with internationally recognized standards on the valuation of compensation. Based on the findings from the legal indicator analysis, this paper presents a set of recommendations for reforming compensation procedures to bring them into conformity with international standards.


To extend our previous light microscopic observations concerning the distribution of trigeminal sensory nerves in the synovium of the rat temporomandibular joint, we investigated the detailed distribution and fine structure of sensory nerve endings at the light and electron microscopic level by the anterograde transport method using wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) injected into the trigeminal ganglion. At the light microscopic level, HRP-labeled nerve fibers were observed in the joint capsule and peripheral portion of the disc. The anterior portion of the disc was more densely innervated than the posterior portion, while no nerves were found in the central portion. At the electron microscopic level, HRP reaction products were observed intra-axonally in the thinly myelinated (AS) and unmyelinated (C) axons in the anterior portion of the joint capsule, and were also localized in the extracellular space surrounding the unmyelinated fibers and terminals. In the subsynovial layer of the synovial membrane, the majority of labeled axons located near blood vessels or among the collagenous fibrils were covered by Schwann cell sheaths, although some naked axon terminals without sheaths were also found. These unsheathed terminals contained mitochondria, small clear vesicles, and large granular vesicles, and were close to the synovial A and/or B cells near the joint cavity. The minimum distance between the terminals and synovial cells was 75 nm. This is the first demonstration of trigeminal sensory nerve terminals close to synovial lining cells or joint cavity and suggests that neuropeptides such as substance P may be released close to the synovial lining cells or joint cavity.


This research study investigates the identities of a group of adolescent Turkish Cypriot (TC) students in their final year of secondary education in northern Cyprus, which it is argued, lies on the periphery of Europe. The main aim is to explore the linguistic construction of TC youth identities within school contexts but primarily the classroom in a political context in which the uniquely ambiguous status of Turkish Cypriots within the European Union (EU) continues, and where Turkish Cypriots are considered to be Europeans as individuals but not as a separate political entity. A secondary focus is upon the students' investment in learning the English language. Identity is defined as a lifelong process of 'the social positioning of self and the other' (Bucholtz and Hall, 2005:586) which is endlessly re-created (Tabouret-Keller, 1997) and the distinction between the terms 'identity' and 'identities' is discussed. The study explores the social construction of TC students' identities using an ethnomethodological case study. By using Conversation Analysis of selected extracts from the data collected through observations of classroom interactions, focus group discussions and interviews, the thesis shows that TC students perceive and enact 'in-betweener identities' in terms of their ethnicity, societal values, age, religion, languages and Europeanness. Being on the periphery of the EU, it is argued that the Turkish Cypriots of northern Cyprus are the 'peripheral members of the EU, remaining present yet absent. They are personally EU citizens but not as a society and cannot be represented within EU institutions. But will they ever acquire full membership, as any peripheral member would aspire to have or will they remain in between occident and orient? The possible answers to this question and the resulting ideological associations will shape how and to what extent these TC students perceive and enact their identities.


Usage-based theories of syntax predict that words and syntactic constructions are probabilistically interconnected. If this is true, then words that occur in similar distributions of syntactic constructions should prime each other. These effects should be fine-grained; even small differences between the syntactic distributions of pairs of words of the same grammatical category should cause variation in priming. Prior research from production suggests that this prediction should hold even in tasks without any syntactic requirement. In this study, we introduce a measure of the similarity between the syntactic contexts in which two nouns occur. We show that this similarity measure significantly predicts visual lexical decision priming magnitudes between pairs of nouns. This finding is consistent with the predictions of usage-based theories where fine-grained similarity of syntactic usages between prime-target pairs affects decision latencies, over and above any effects attributable to semantic similarity.


Over 70% of the Earth s economically recoverable nickel (Ni) resides in laterite ore deposits, however they account for less than half of the current global nickel production. During laterization, nickel and other soluble ions are taken into solution before re-precipitating within iron oxide minerals in the limonite zone, or as serpentines and other phyllosilicates in the layers below this zone. It is these laterite deposits that show the greatest potential for low energy, environmentally conscious processing.

The major host of nickel in the limonite zone is the iron-oxyhydroxide mineral goethite, α-FeOOH, where up to 4 mol% Ni has been reported in natural specimens, and even higher levels in synthetic samples (5.5 mol%). The Ni is assumed to be incorporated in the crystal structure of the goethite, but previous characterisation work only demonstrated a weak to moderate correlation of mineral structure change with the nickel content in goethite.

Mining companies working on the extraction and recovery of nickel from the limonite zone of lateritic deposits have noticed that the ease with which nickel can be extracted varies greatly; goethite rich ores that appear to have similar mineralogies/geologies can display extreme variation in their leachability. It is not clear why the ores behave in this way, but in order for extraction techniques and subsequent recovery of nickel to be improved, the reasons behind this variability need to be understood.
The lateritic ore materials from which nickel is extracted are generally made up of a number of different mineral phases. The multiphase nature of the samples means that characterisation of the goethite-type phases from these materials is challenging. To simplify the system and allow the association of Ni into goethite and/or other iron oxyhydroxide phases to be studied in a controlled environment, a synthetic study was carried out. Ni-bearing goethites have been synthesised at a series of different temperatures and characterised by a range of analytical techniques including PXRD, IR, Raman, TGA, ICP-OES, SEM and TEM. It was found that a second phase, ferrihydrite, co-existed with the goethites, the proportion of which increased at lower synthesis temperatures and with increasing amounts of Ni.

Ferrihydrite is known to be a precursor phase in the formation of goethite, but its poorly crystalline nature makes it difficult to identify using standard characterisation techniques such as PXRD. The introduction of Ni to the system increases the stability of the ferrihydrite phase, inhibiting its transformation to goethite. It is believed that some of the Ni thought to be incorporated into goethite could actually reside in an undetected ferrihydrite phase, which could account for the differences observed in the leachability of natural materials. Characterisation techniques were investigated to try and determine a simple way to identify ferrihydrite in these systems, which could ideally be used in the field to identify the presence of ferrihydrite in goethite rich ore materials. Thermal analysis proved to be particularly promising as a technique which could be used to identify ferrihydrite rich deposits before extraction, enabling the most efficient and environmentally conscious metal recovery process for each deposit to be identified.

In order to investigate the way in which Ni partitions itself between structural incorporation into goethite and association with a secondary ferrihydrite phase, a new washing technique was developed using EDTA, which is capable of selectively removing the ferrihydrite phase whilst leaving the goethite intact. This investigation suggests that a maximum of ~2.5 mol% of Ni is structurally incorporated into goethite, regardless of how much is added during the synthesis. Any excess nickel, above that which is substituted into the goethite structure, was found to be associated with the poorly crystalline ferrihydrite phase.

Despite being considered a metastable phase, the increased stability of ferrihydrite resulting from the presence of Ni suggests that it may persist in laterite deposits within geological systems. If ferrihydrite is indeed present in nickeliferous laterites, it may be a significant host for Ni, and potentially many other critical elements. Based on the methodology developed whilst studying synthetic samples, a characterisation program for materials from lateritic ore deposits was conducted to investigate the presence of ferrihydrite in natural systems.

From the research presented and discussed in this thesis, proof of the presence or absence of ferrihydrite in laterite systems, causing variations in the leachability of the ore materials, could not be conclusively established. The thermal analysis technique developed here successfully identified and quantified ferrihydrite in the presence of goethite in synthetic systems, and showed great potential when used to characterise the lateritic goethite samples, certainly suggesting that ferrihydrite could be present in these natural ore materials. With further refinement of the methodology, to enable a larger range of sample types to be accurately analysed, TGA is a technique which could be used as a screening tool for laterite ores.


The t-CWT, a novel method for feature extraction from biological signals, is introduced. It is based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and Student's t-statistic. Applied to event-related brain potential (ERP) data in brain- computer interface (BCI) paradigms, the method provides fully automated detection and quantification of the ERP components that best discriminate between two samples of EEG signals and are, therefore, particularly suitable for classification of single-trial ERPs. A simple and fast CWT computation algorithm is proposed for the transformation of large data sets and single trials. The method was validated in the BCI Competition 2003 , where it was a winner (provided best classification) on two data sets acquired in two different BCI paradigms, P300 speller and slow cortical potential (SCP) self-regulation. These results are presented here.


This study was conducted to investigate the milk production performance of Black Bengal goats in different parities reared in a semi-intensive system. The 112 female Black Bengal goats were selected on the basis of their phenotypic characteristics and ancestral history from Goat Farm, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, India. Milk production records of the Black Bengal goat were recorded in the 9th week of kidding from September, 2007 to August, 2008. The overall milk production of 112 goats in the 9th week was within the range of 0.240 to 1.73 kg. On an average, the initial yield, peak yield, average peak yield, days to attain peak yield, total milk yield and daily milk yield was 0.250 kg, 0.380 kg, 0.310 kg, 11.35 days, 7.21 kg and 0.210 kg, respectively. The milk production increased in the fourth week of lactation and then decreased afterwards. Milk production of those goats which gave birth to more than three kids was highest, followed by those that gave birth to two and one kids. Milk production performance of Black Bengal goat in the third parity was better than that of the first and second parities. In conclusion, Black Bengal goats tend to have a potentiality of milk production.


Certain autosomal recessive disease conditions are more prevalent in individuals of Eastern European Jewish (Ashkenazi) descent. Previously, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that individuals of Eastern European Jewish ancestry be offered carrier screening for Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease, and cystic fibrosis as part of routine obstetric care. Based on the criteria used to justify offering carrier screening for Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease, and cystic fibrosis, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Genetics recommends that couples of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry also should be offered carrier screening for familial dysautonomia. Individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent may inquire about the availability of carrier screening for other disorders. Carrier screening is available for mucolipidosis IV Niemann-Pick disease type A, Fanconi anemia group C, Bloom syndrome, and Gaucher's disease.


A NKS-B workshop on radioanalytical chemistry for radioecology and waste management was hold at Risø, Roskilde, Denmark in 16-20th November 2009. The workshop was organized as 3 days lectures and presentations and two days laboratory practice. 48 peoples participited the workshop, including 32 young participants from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania and Ireland. This report gives a brief description of the workshop and an evaluation of the workshop by statistic analysis of questionnaires feed back from the participants. The book of abstracts and proceedings presented in the workshop is enclosed


ABSTRACT Due to space limitations, screw anchors may be used closer to the edge of the substrate than distances recommended by manufacturers, e.g. to connect bottom plates, base plates or handrails in residential buildings. This paper intends to investigate some of the adverse effects of such improper practices on the performance of screw anchors in such special close-to-edge applications that are common in the Australian residential building industry. This paper is therefore not intending to overrule the product prequalification/approval documents or the specifications provided by anchor manufacturers. More than 60 tests are carried out. The experimental results are compared with the predicted values from the literature and provided by the manufacturer. The type of failure modes and the effect of anchor installation method are scrutinised. It is found that the tensile strength reduces by up to 50% when anchors are installed closer to edge than the edge distances recommended by the manufacturer. Using the described installation method, single anchors of the type investigated in this study could potentially be installed as close as 2.2 the nominal diameter of the anchor to the edge of the substrate. For an edge distance of three times the diameter, the tensile strength is found to be slightly less than the value suggested by the manufacturer.


Arbitrarily primed PCR allows genetically different bacterial strains to be distinguished with great sensitivity and efficiency. We report that informative, reproducible arbitrarily primed PCR profiles can be obtained from Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains by using boiled stationary-phase cultures, without the need for time-consuming phenol extraction. This simple template preparation procedure should be especially useful in large epidemiologic studies when many strains must be typed.


Background and Aim Childhood cancer survivors are at high risk of long-term adverse effects of cancer and its treatment, including cardiac events. The pan-European PanCareSurFup study determined the incidence and risk factors for cardiac events among childhood cancer survivors. The aim of this article is to describe the methodology of the cardiac cohort and nested case-control study within PanCareSurFup. Methods Eight data providers in Europe participating in PanCareSurFup identified and validated symptomatic cardiac events in their cohorts of childhood cancer survivors. Data on symptomatic heart failure, ischemia, pericarditis, valvular disease and arrhythmia were collected and graded according to the Criteria for Adverse Events. Detailed treatment data, data on potential confounders, lifestyle related risk factors and general health problems were collected. Results The PanCareSurFup cardiac cohort consisted of 59,915 5-year childhood cancer survivors with malignancies diagnosed between 1940 and 2009 and classified according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer 3. Different strategies were used to identify cardiac events such as record linkage to population/ hospital or regional based databases, and patient- and general practitioner-based questionnaires. Conclusion The cardiac study of the European collaborative research project PanCareSurFup will provide the largest cohort of 5-year childhood cancer survivors with systematically ascertained and validated data on symptomatic cardiac events. The result of this study can provide information to minimize the burden of cardiac events in childhood cancer survivors by tailoring the follow-up of childhood cancer survivors at high risk of cardiac adverse events, transferring this knowledge into evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and providing a platform for future research studies in childhood cancer patients.


Abstract. The availability of the micronutrient iron (Fe) in surface waters determines
primary production, N2 fixation, and microbial community structure in
large parts of the world's ocean, and thus it plays an important
role in ocean carbon and nitrogen cycles. Eastern boundary upwelling systems
and the connected oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are typically associated with
elevated concentrations of redox-sensitive trace metals (e.g., Fe, manganese
(Mn), and cobalt (Co)), with shelf sediments typically forming a key source.
Over the last 5 decades, an expansion and intensification of OMZs has
been observed and this trend is likely to proceed. However, it is unclear
how trace-metal (TM) distributions and transport are influenced by
decreasing oxygen (O2) concentrations. Here we present dissolved (d;
<0.2 µm) and leachable particulate (Lp; >0.2 µm) TM data collected at seven stations along a 50 km transect in the
Mauritanian shelf region. We observed enhanced concentrations of Fe, Co, and
Mn corresponding with low O2 concentrations (<50 µmol kg−1), which were decoupled from major nutrients and nutrient-like and
scavenged TMs (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu)).
Additionally, data from repeated station occupations indicated a direct link
between dissolved and leachable particulate Fe, Co, Mn, and O2. An
observed dFe (dissolved iron) decrease from 10 to 5 nmol L−1 coincided with an O2
increase from 30 to 50 µmol kg−1 and with a concomitant decrease
in turbidity. The changes in Fe (Co and Mn) were likely driven by variations
in their release from sediment pore water, facilitated by lower O2
concentrations and longer residence time of the water mass on the shelf.
Variations in organic matter remineralization and lithogenic inputs
(atmospheric deposition or sediment resuspension; assessed using Al as
indicator for lithogenic inputs) only played a minor role in redox-sensitive
TM variability. Vertical dFe fluxes from O2-depleted subsurface-to-surface waters (0.08–13.5 µmol m−2 d−1) driven by
turbulent mixing and vertical advection were an order of magnitude larger
than atmospheric deposition fluxes (0.63–1.43 µmol m−2 d−1; estimated using dAl inventories in the surface mixed layer) in the
continental slope and shelf region. Benthic fluxes are therefore the
dominant dFe supply to surface waters on the continental margins of the
Mauritanian upwelling region. Overall, our results indicated that the
projected future decrease in O2 concentrations in OMZs may result in
increases in Fe, Mn, and Co concentrations.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of bone marrow cells (BMC) in the induction of antigen induced arthritis (AIA), the expression of 3 major proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6, was examined in the bone marrow (BM) of mice with AIA. We also examined whether AIA could be transferred by bone marrow transplantation (BMT).

METHODS
Expression of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 in BMC was assessed by immunohistochemistry throughout the course of AIA. BMT experiments were performed using 2 different mouse genotypes, wild type (IL-6+/+) and IL-6 deficient (IL-6-/-) mice, as a donor. The gradation of AIA was evaluated histologically.

RESULTS
IL-6 was highly expressed in the BM at induction as well as during progression of AIA, while TNF-alpha showed a marginal expression, and no significant expression of IL-1beta was detected throughout the course of AIA. In BMT experiments, all irradiated IL-6+/+ mice developed typical AIA by transplantation of BMC from immunized IL-6+/+ mice, whereas almost no irradiated IL- 6+/+ mice transplanted with BMC from the immunized IL-6-/- mice developed definite arthritis.

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that BMC play a critical role and IL-6 is a key cytokine for the induction and progression of AIA. There may be clinical benefits in the blockade of IL-6 and BMT in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.


Teaching continues to develop in English Sixth Form Colleges as teachers look to improve their professional practice. However, despite improvements in terms of practice and students' outcomes, teachers continue to be closely managed and experience ever closer mechanisms of scrutiny. For those observers who adopt a critical position of Government policy and the impact of New Public Management, recent experience has led to the redefinition of teachers' work and their professional identity. The autonomy of the professional in the classroom has been replaced by the panopticon of a bureaucratic audit culture in which teachers are evaluated according to their 'performativity' (Ball, 2003). It is within this environment that toxic leadership is able to emerge and indeed flourish. This paper explores the nature of toxicity in the post compulsory sector and offers some strategies to address this issue.


Forest management affecting most of the world ' s forests is based on the implementation of forestry interventions. Their execution requires preliminary preparation based on technical documents, submission of the administrative procedures, and the execution of the forest harvesting. Market value of wood is achieved by determining the most probable transformation value. It is obtained as the difference of the revenues derived from the sale of marketable timber net of all the costs involved in transforming the tree into salable products. The chapter provides a theoretical framework of the evaluation approaches and the calculation methods of the timber value, considering the different forms of assignment of the forestry intervention to the logging company, as well as the types of ground and the types of product achievable based on the level of mechanization.


1. Define corrections and the role it has in the criminal justice system. 2. Identify early historical developments and justifications in the use of punishment and corrections. 3. Discuss the influence of the Enlightenment and key persons on correctional reform. 4. Discuss the development of punishment in early American history. 5. Describe the changes to prison systems brought about by the Age of the Reformatory in America. 6. Identify the various prison systems, eras, and models that developed in the early and mid-1900s in America. 7. Explain how state and federal prisons differ and identify the Top Three in American corrections. ©iStockphoto.com/f8grapher


In a highly technological post-industrial society the quality of education is an important factor in providing such a level of life and professional competency of a person that would satisfy both the demands of an individual and the state. The quality of the whole higher education is influenced by the quality of students' knowledge which is acquired at educational classes. Development of studactive classes has brought forward the problem of research of their efficiency, in particular in the aspect of potential quality of knowledge. The results of the experiment are outlined, the main aim of which was to identify the effect of studactive classes on knowledge quality of university students. Monitoring of quality of students' knowledge at studactive classes is realized. It is revealed that students who were taught in a studactive way have better features of knowledge quality (fullness, deepness, system character, operative character and flexibility) comparing with those who were taught in a traditional way. It is proved that knowledge quality of university students can be improved through implementing studactive classes into the pedagogical process. The study was conducted in Ukraine.


Postherpetic intercostal neuralgia proved to be an incapacitating pain often recalcitrant to therapy. Acute pain that accompanied Herpes zoster usually subsides spontaneously but in 10% of patients the pain persists and intensifies. The incidence of postherpetic neuralgia incrises up to 50% among elder patients. We report the case of the two 42 and 48 yers old male patient who were succesfuly relieved from the chronic postherpetic intercostal neuralgia employing the DREZ surgery (Dorzal Root Entry Zone lesion). DREZ surgicall treatment of this pain should be considered when medical therapies failed in controling pain. Subjective sensory nature of the pain should play an important role in setting the indication for DREZ surgical treatment. The most favourable pain pattern for DREZ operation is the pain of intermittent rhythm, confined theritory accompanied with the phenomenon of alodinic pain that could be provoked from the pain theritory.


Abstract High-density regions within the spiral arms are expected to have profound effects on passing stars. Understanding of the potential effects on the Earth and our Solar System is dependent on a robust model of arm passage dynamics. Using a novel combination of data, we derive a model of the timings of the Solar System through the spiral arms and the relationship to arm tracers such as methanol masers. This reveals that asteroid/comet impacts are significantly clustered near the spiral arms and within specific locations of an average arm structure. The end-Permian and end-Cretaceous extinctions emerge as being located within a small star-formation region in two different arms. The start of the Solar System, greater than 4.5 Ga, occurs in the same region in a third arm. The model complements geo-chemical data in determining the relative importance of extra-Solar events in the diversification and extinction of life on Earth.


Antonis Anastasopoulos - Eleni Gara, Ottoman perceptions of crime andpunishment The present essay deals with aspects of Ottoman justice and consists offour parts. Part I (Law transgression and court) discusses the prerequisitesfor a case to come up for hearing at the Ottoman sheriat court. Aseventeenth-century litigation from the town of Veria (Karaferye) servesas a model in order to define criminal behaviour and to demonstratehow private differences acquire both a public and legal meaning whenbrought to court. Part II (Proving an accusation) is focused on the issuesof evidence and testimony as a vital part of the legal procedure, usingas example an eighteenth-century litigation from Istanbul. Part III(Sentence and settlement) deals with the issues of the sentences that the kadi passed, and of out-of-court settlements as an alternative legalinstitution, which was recognized and respected by the Ottoman judges.Part IV (Authority abuse as a crime) treats justice as protection of thereaya from the abuses of the askeri in the context of the official stateideology. Stress is put on the use of formulas in documents. Those formeda code that allowed both the subjects of the empire and its authoritiesto enter a variety of illegal acts under the easily recognizable headlineof «oppression» and to treat them accordingly.The basic idea that permeates the article is that Ottoman justicewas dispensed on the basis of fixed principles and procedures, and thatit is incorrect to treat the kadi as an arbitrary judge who adjudicatedat whim. These principles and procedures, though originating to a greatextent in the Islamic holy law, can be considered as Ottoman in thesense that they were redefined and given a new meaning within theEmpire's legal framework. Lastly, throughout the article special emphasisis put on the use of records of litigations, especially kadi sicilleriand ahkâm defterleri, as a means of reconstructing the Ottoman systemof dispensation of justice and of establishing the degree of its conformityto and deviation from the Islamic sheriat.


Various random combinatorial objects, such as mappings, trees, forests, and subsets of a nite set, are constructed with probability distributions related to the binomial and multinomial expansions due to Abel, Cayley and Hurwitz. Relations between these combinatorial objects, such as Joyal's bijection between mappings and marked rooted trees, have interesting probabilistic interpretations, and applications to the asymptotic structure of large random trees and mappings. An extension of Hurwitz's binomial formula is associated with the probability distribution of the random set of vertices of a fringe subtree in a random forest whose distribution is dened by terms of a multinomial expansion over rooted labeled forests.


The effects of stretch on the determination of the laminar flame speed are experimentally studied by using the positively-stretched stagnation flame and negatively-stretched bunsen flame, and by using lean and rich mixtures of methane, propane, butane, and hydrogen with air whose effective Lewis numbers are either greater or less than unity. Results demonstrate that flame speed determination can be influenced by stretch through two factors: (1) Preferential diffusion which tends to increase or decrease the flame temperature and burning rate depending on the effective Lewis number, and (2) Flow divergence which causes the flame speed to assume higher values when evaluated at the upstream boundary of the preheat zone instead of the reaction zone. Recent data on flame speed including the present ones are then examined from the unified viewpoint of flame stretch, leading to satisfactory, resolution of the discrepancies between them. The present study also proposes a methodology of determining the laminar flame speeds by using the stagnation flame and linearly extrapolating the data to zero stretch rate.


The birth of the Internet is one of the most important developments in the past 2 decades. It is a new medium, especially in the sense that the initiative now rests on the information user, who is no longer just a receiver of information. In part, the use of the Internet to find answers to health-related questions (medical, but also psychological, social, financial, legal) is linked to problems within existing practices. People use the Internet for several reasons: to obtain information that they could not get from their physicians, to verify a medical opinion or treatment, or to overcome reticence in discussing personal issues. Physicians' experience is changing because their patients are using the Internet. Many patients are better informed, and they ask more questions and demand more from their physicians. As a result, there is increased interaction concerning health issues. In addition, there is greater differentiation among patients, precisely because of their different information-seeking behavior. In coping with this inequality, physicians can select among 3 approaches, each with associated costs and benefits: 1) the medical model, in which the physicians follow the "essentials" of the profession (treatment and advice); 2) the client-oriented model, in which the physicians adapt to patients' needs, approaching patients as they would any other consumers; and 3) the educational model, in which physicians promote the proper use of the Internet as a profitable and equalizing medium.


Despite the recent growth in popularity of personal mobility devices (e.g., e-scooters and e-skateboards), they still suffer from limited safety and narrow design form factors, due to their rigid structures. On the other hand, inflatable interfaces studied in human-computer interaction can achieve large volume change by simple inflation/deflation. Inflatable structure also offers soft and safe interaction owing to material compliance and diverse fabrication methods that lead to a wide range of forms and aesthetics. In this paper, we propose poimo, a new family of POrtable and Inflatable MObility devices, which consists of inflatable frames, inflatable wheels, and inflatable steering mechanisms made of a mass-manufacturable material called drop-stitch fabric. First, we defined the basic material properties of a drop-stitch inflatable structure that is sufficiently strong to carry a person while simultaneously allowing soft deformation and deflation for storage and portability. We then implemented an interactive design system that can scan the user's desired riding posture to generate a customized personal mobility device and can add the user's shape and color preferences. To demonstrate the custom-design capability and mobility, we designed several 3D models using our system and built physical samples for two basic templates: a motorcycle and a wheelchair. Finally, we conducted an online user study to examine the usability of the design system and share lessons learned for further improvements in the design and fabrication of poimo.


Background: Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) are the fastest growing minority in the United States. Cancer is the leading cause of death for AANHPIs, despite relatively lower cancer morbidity and mortality. Their recent demographic growth facilitates a detailed identification of AANHPI populations with higher cancer risk. Methods: Age-adjusted, sex-stratified, site-specific cancer mortality rates from California for 2012 to 2017 were computed for AANHPI groups: Chinese, Filipino, South Asian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian (i.e., Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Thai), and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI). Regression-derived mortality rate ratios (MRR) were used to compare each AANHPI group to non-Hispanic whites (NHW). Results: AANHPI men and women (total 40,740 deaths) had lower all-sites-combined cancer mortality rates (128.3 and 92.4 per 100,000, respectively) than NHWs (185.3 and 140.6) but higher mortality for nasopharynx, stomach, and liver cancers. Among AANHPIs, both NHOPIs and Southeast Asians had the highest overall rates including for colorectal, lung (men only), and cervical cancers; South Asians had the lowest. NHOPI women had 41% higher overall mortality than NHWs (MRR = 1.41; 95% CI, 1.25–1.58), including for breast (MRR = 1.33; 95% CI, 1.08–1.65) and markedly higher for endometrial cancer (MRR = 3.34; 95% CI, 2.53–4.42). Conclusions: AANHPI populations present with considerable heterogeneous cancer mortality patterns. Heightened mortality for infection, obesity, and tobacco-related cancers in Southeast Asians and NHOPI populations highlight the need for differentiated priorities and public health interventions among specific AANHPI populations. Impact: Not all AANHPIs have favorable cancer profiles. It is imperative to expand the focus on the currently understudied populations that bear a disproportionate cancer burden.


In the present study, the effect of thermo-mechanical treatments on the shape memory and the superelastic characteristics of Cu73Al16Mn11 (at%) shape memory alloy were investigated. 10%, 50% and 70% cold rolling and subsequent heat treatment processes were conducted to achieve strengthening via grain size refinement. 70% grain size reduction compared to the homogenized condition was obtained using 70% cold rolling and subsequent recrystallization heat treatment technique. Moreover, 10% cold rolling was applied to homogenized specimen to reveal the influence of the low percentage cold rolling reduction with no heat treatment on shape memory properties of Cu73Al16Mn11 (at%) alloy. Stress free transformation temperatures, monotonic tension and superelasticity behaviors of these samples were compared with those of the as-aged sample. Isobaric heating–cooling experiments were also conducted to see the dimensional stability of the samples as a function of applied stress. The 70% grain-refined sample exhibited better dimensional stability showing reduced residual strain levels upon thermal cycling under constant stress compared with the as-aged material. However, no improvement was achieved with grain size reduction in the superelasticity experiments. This distinctive observation was attributed to the difference in the magnitude of the stress levels achieved during two different types of experiments which were the isobaric heating–cooling and superelasticity tests. Intergranular fracture due to the stress concentration overcame the strengthening effect via grain refinement in the superelasticity tests at higher stress values. On the other hand, the strength of the material and resistance of material against plastic deformation upon phase transformation were increased as a result of the grain refinement at lower stress values in the isobaric heating–cooling experiments.


Slab-like copper films with a thickness of 9 nm (~70 atoms) and sheet resistance of ≤ 9 Ω sq−1 are shown to exhibit remarkable long-term stability toward air-oxidation when passivated with an 0. 8 nm aluminium layer deposited by simple thermal evaporation. The sheet resistance of 9 nm Cu films passivated in this way, and lithographically patterned with a dense array of ~6 million apertures per cm2, increases by < 3.5% after 7,000 h exposure to ambient air. Using a combination of annular-dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, nanoscale spatially resolved elemental analysis and atomic force microscopy, we show that this surprising effectiveness of this layer results from spontaneous segregation of the aluminium to grain boundaries in the copper film where it forms a ternary oxide plug at those sites in the metal film most vulnerable to oxidation. Crucially, the heterogeneous distribution of this passivating oxide layer combined with its very low thickness ensures that the underlying metal is not electrically isolated, and so this simple passivation step renders Cu films stable enough to compete with Ag as the base metal for transparent electrode applications in emerging optoelectronic devices.


The market for parallel and distributed computing systems keeps growing. Technological advances in processor power, networking, telecommunication and multimedia are stimulating the development of applications requiring parallel and distributed computing. An important research problem in this area is the need to find a robust bridge between the decentralisation of knowledge sources in information-based systems and the distribution of computational power. Consequently, the attention of the research community has been directed towards high-level, concurrent, distributed programming. This work proposes a new hypermedia framework based on the metaphor of the actor model. The storage and run-time layers are represented entirely as communities of independent actors that cooperate in order to accomplish common goals, such as version management or user adaptivity. These goals involve fundamental and complex hypermedia issues, which, thanks to the distribution of tasks, are treated in an efficient and simple way.


The developing world is rapidly urbanizing. One of the challenges associated with this growth will be to supply water to growing cities of the developing world. Traditional planning tools fare poorly over 30–50 year time horizons because these systems are changing so rapidly. Models that hold land use, economic patterns, governance systems or technology static over a long planning horizon could result in inaccurate predictions leading to sub-optimal or paradoxical outcomes. Most models fail to account for adaptive responses by humans that in turn influence water resource availability, resulting in coevolution of the human–water system. Is a particular trajectory inevitable given a city's natural resource endowment, is the trajectory purely driven by policy or are there tipping points in the evolution of a city's growth that shift it from one trajectory onto another? Socio-hydrology has been defined as a new science of water and people that will explicitly account for such bi-directional feedbacks. However, a particular challenge in incorporating such feedbacks is imagining technological, social and political futures that could fundamentally alter future water demand, allocation and use. This paper offers an alternative approach – the use of counterfactual trajectories – that allows policy insights to be gleaned without having to predict social futures. The approach allows us to "reimagine the past"; to observe how outcomes would differ if different decisions had been made. The paper presents a "socio-hydrological" model that simulates the feedbacks between the human, engineered and hydrological systems in Chennai, India over a 40-year period. The model offers several interesting insights. First, the study demonstrates that urban household water security goes beyond piped water supply. When piped supply fails, users turn to their own wells. If the wells dry up, consumers purchase expensive tanker water or curtail water use and thus become water insecure. Second, unsurprisingly, different initial conditions result in different trajectories. But initial advantages in piped infrastructure are eroded if the utility is unable to expand the piped system to keep up with growth. Both infrastructure and sound management decisions are necessary to ensure household water security although the impacts of mismanagement may not manifest until much later when the population has grown and a multi-year drought strikes. Third, natural resource endowments can limit the benefits of good policy and infrastructure. Cities can boost recharge through artificial recharge schemes. However, cities underlain by productive aquifers can better rely on groundwater as a buffer against drought, compared to cities with unproductive aquifers.


Background Serious concerns have been raised over the safety of quad bikes in Australia and New Zealand (NZ). Previous studies have sought to describe quad fatalities within each country. Given the economic similarities between Australia and NZ, cross-country comparisons could untease geographical and policy influences to inform injury prevention initiatives in both countries. This presentation describes and compares the personal, injury and environmental factors associated with quad fatalities for the period 2007–2012 using Coronial case files for Australia and NZ. Methods Coronial case files for the period 2007 to 2012 held by the National Coronial Information System, Australia were used to identify fatalities involving a quad for both Australia and NZ using key word and mechanism searches. Information on the decedent was extracted from coronial case files. The circumstances surrounding the fatal incident was coded using the Australian Farm Injury Optimal Dataset coding framework. Comparison of the distribution of decedent, injury characteristics and event circumstances were undertaken. Results A total of 101 quad-related fatalities were identified: 69 in Australia and 32 in NZ. The pattern of decedent characteristics was similar between both countries. Month of incident differed with 63% of Australian fatalities occurring January-June, while 66% of NZ fatalities occurred July-December. Differences where observed for primary mechanism of injury with Australian fatalities mainly involving collisions with stationary objects while NZ fatalities mainly involved quad roll-over. The presence of a slope was more commonly observed in NZ quad-related fatalities. Conclusions Given patterns of quad-related fatalities are similar between Australia and NZ consolidation of injury prevention initiatives, particularly around quad manufacturing standards and controls, could be undertaken to develop effective prevention interventions to address commonly held quad safety concerns.


: To study a possible relationship between the content variability of immunocompetent cells of peripheral blood and changes in their physiological activity, 43 healthy subjects were examined by means of the spontaneous and active rosette-formation tests with the use of levamisol. The evidence obtained suggest that variation in the number of spontaneous and active rosette-forming cells are consequent on changes in the physiological properties of these cells, depending on the functional state of the body.


The centrifugal slurry pump is the most common slurry flow pump used in mining industries. The pump head and efficiency are affected by the size, concentration, and density of solid particle when these pumps are applied for the control of slurries. Because the suspended solids in the liquid could not well absorb, store, and transmit pressure energy, they cause quite different changes in efficiency and performance curve shape. This study was conducted to investigate the variations of the mentioned factors at different flow rates using a numerical simulation of the centrifugal slurry pump. For this purpose, the 3D turbulent flow was solved by applying Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations using the Shear Stress Transfer (SST) turbulence model based on Eulerian-Eulerian for 45% to 120% flow rates in CFX software. The accuracy of the numerical solution was investigated by comparing the characteristic curves resulting from the numerical solution with experimental data. The obtained results show a satisfactory fitting among the calculated values from the numerical analysis and experimental data to predict pressure and velocity distribution and global performance. Moreover, by simulating the effect of different parameters of the slurry flow, their effect on the characteristic curves of the slurry pump was compared. These results reveal that the numerical solution can efficiently predict the variation trend of the slurry flow parameters.


Processing shredder residues of metal-containing waste comprises producing, during processing of the shredder light fraction and the shredder heavy fraction in pre-processes and a main process, a raw granulate fraction by separating at least one ferromagnetic fraction, a non-ferrous metal-containing fraction, a lint fraction and a sand fraction; and separating the raw shred fraction in a finishing process. An independent claim is also included for a device for processing shredder residues of metal-containing waste.


Mobility of top incomes matters for both the openness of the income elite and the share of total income that this group receives. It is thus an important complement information to the growing snapshot literature on top income concentration. I use microlevel panel data of German income tax files that is highly representative for top income households. Top income mobility is assessed in four dimensions: (i) its stability over time, (ii) the degree of mobility between top income fractiles, (iii) the degree of mobility between equally sized groups and mobility in ranks, both of which do not depend on fractile sizes, and (iv) mobility's impact on distributional results. Mobility in terms of annual fractile changes is high between the richest top income fractiles, which is primarily due to tiny fractile sizes. When the fractiles' sizes are controlled for, top income recipients' mobility is lower than that of lower income tax units.


We propose a method to characterize the mechanical properties of cells using a robot-integrated microfluidic chip (robochip) and microscopy. The microfluidic chip is designed to apply the specified deformations to a single detached cell using an on-chip actuator probe. The reaction force is simultaneously measured using an on-chip force sensor composed of a hollow folded beam and probe structure. In order to measure the cellular characteristics in further detail, a sub-pixel level of resolution of probe position is required. Therefore, we utilize the phase detection of moire fringe. Using this method, the experimental resolution of the probe position reaches 42 nm. This is approximately ten times smaller than the optical wavelength, which is the limit of sharp imaging with a microscope. Calibration of the force sensor is also important in accurately measuring cellular reaction forces. We calibrated the spring constant from the frequency response, by the proposed sensing method of the probe position. As a representative of mechanical characteristics, we measured the elastic modulus of Madin-Darby Cannie Kidney (MDCK) cells. In spite of the rigid spring constant, the resolution and sensitivity were twice that achieved in our previous study. Unique cellular characteristics can be elucidated by the improvements in sensing resolution and accuracy.


Regional osseous blood flow (OBF) to various regions of the femur and tibia was measured using radioactively labeled 15-micrometers microspheres injected into the right atrium of neonatal, skeletally immature, and skeletally mature canines. Each bone was divided into as many as 41 anatomically distinct sections to assess developmental and regional comparisons in OBF. A quantitative decrease in OBF with increasing chondro-osseous maturity was observed for both the whole bones as well as many regions within a given bone. This was particularly significant in the tibia in which OBF to the mature tibia was much lower than in the immature tibia or even the mature femur. In the immature and neonatal bones, the epiphyseal and metaphyseal regions nearest the physes had the highest flow. The physis had a statistically significant high flow rate. Furthermore, regional differences in OBF correlated well with known regional functions in both endochondral and membranous (periosteal) bone formation. OBF tended to be greater in regions of greater metabolic activity associated with hematopoiesis and endochondral osteogenesis. OBF values correlated well with regional predilections of various diseases such as acute hematogenous osteomyelitis prior to skeletal maturity and osseous metastases, and, by extrapolation, strongly support a physiological reason for delayed healing and nonunion in tibial fractures in the skeletally mature human.


Free transplants of hair-bearing scalp as "plugs" or "strips" are an adequate treatment for male alopecia. Cooling the grafts eliminates hematoma and infection and allows successful take and growth of larger plugs. However the result of grafting wide hairstrips is unreliable.


A simple technique for the generation of equal-amplitude high repetition rate pulses from a rational harmonic mode-locked fibre ring laser is demonstrated. The principle is based on the combination of the nonlinear characteristics of the modulator and the effect of rational harmonic mode-locking. The two sources act on each other and the integrated effect eventually leads to the pulse amplitude-equalization. We obtain amplitude-equalized short pulses up to the fifth-order rational harmonic mode-locking with an optimum bias level and modulation depth of the modulator, which demonstrates the efficiency of this method.


The learning organization concept and its practice is still somehow a novelty, especially in the sphere of primary and secondary education in Malaysia. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop a list of best leadership practices as a guide for schools to become learning organization. Data were collected using three iteration rounds of Delphi technique. In the fi rst iteration round, interviews were conducted with 15 education experts. Meanwhile, in the second and third iteration rounds, questionnaires were distributed to the same experts. Interviews data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data for the second and third iteration rounds were analyzed using descriptive statistics such mod scores, median scores and inter-quartile range (JAK). Results found fi ve elements of best leadership for learning organization. The elements were providing learning space and opportunities for teachers, becoming role model for learning, encouraging innovation activities, giving rewards and recognition, developing the potential of school members. 42 leadership practices were given high level of consensus by the experts as best leadership practices for "learning organization" school. This research suggested that school headmasters and principals implement the best practices in order to develop their schools as learning organization


The 1982 eruptions of the El Chichon volcano injected large quantities of sulfur dioxide gas and silicate ash into the stratosphere. Several studies have shown that the long-lived sulfuric acid aerosols derived from these volcanic effluents produced measurable changes in the radiative heating rates and the global circulation. The radiative and dynamical perturbations associated with the short-lived but more strongly absorbing sulfur dioxide and ash clouds have received much 1ess attention. The authors therefore used an atmospheric radiative transfer model and observations collected by satellites, aircraft, and ground-based observers to estimate the amplitudes of the stratospheric radiative heating rate perturbations produced by each of these components during the first few weeks after the El Chichon eruption. One week after the 4 April 1982 eruption, net radiative heating rate perturbations exceeding 20 K per day were found at altitudes near 26 km. The absorption of sunlight by the silicate ash accounts for the majority of this heating. The sulfur dioxide gas and sulfuric acid aerosols each produced net heating perturbations that never exceeded 3 K per day. In spite of the intense heating by the ash, observations indicate that stratospheric temperatures never increased by more than a few degrees Kelvin. The authors therefore concluded that this radiative heating was largely balanced by upwelling and adiabatic cooling. The amplitude and spatial extent of this upwelling was estimated with a diagnostic, two-dimensional dynamical model. The ash heating rates may have been balanced by a global enhancement in the stratospheric meridional circulation, with zonally averaged upward velocities of about 1 cm sec^(−1) near the latitude of the plume. This enhanced stratospheric circulation persisted only for a few weeks but it may have played a major role in the vertical and horizontal dispersal of the plume. The vertical transport needed to balance the heating by sulfur dioxide gas was only 5%–10% as large, but this perturbation may have produced a 2-km increase in the altitude of the plume. These results suggest that the radiative forcing by the ash and the sulfur dioxide gas should be included in more comprehensive models of the plume evolution. They also suggest that particle size distributions inferred from ash fallout rates could be wrong if the upwelling associated with this radiative heating is not considered.


As we know that safety of the vehicle is the first and the fore most thing to be considered in 2-wheelers the safety of the vehicle from accident was understated on two major factors: Directional stability and the Aerodynamic force both are correlated to each other. The former is stability of a moving body or vehicle about an axis which is perpendicular to its direction of motion. Stability of a vehicle concerns itself with the tendency of a vehicle to return to its original direction in relation to the oncoming medium (water, air, road surface, etc.). The latter is the force exerted on a body by the air (or some other gas) in which the body is immersed, and is due to the  relative motion between the body and the gas.  Aerodynamic force arises from two causes: the  normal force due to the  pressure on the surface of the body and the  shear force due to the  viscosity of the gas, also known as  skin friction . To be protected to the risk of injury the best solution is to fabricate the personal mobility which leads to the proper vehicle stability with its tilting wheel and cabinet cover body and also requires less traffic space as compared to the 4-wheelers with less fuel consumption.


There is no doubt that the Nigerian banking industry is visible in the global sustainable banking radar and this traceable to its embrace of international trends and practices. However, given a number of factors, its uptake of clean technology as a means of attaining environmental sustainability remains challenging. Relying on survey method and content analysis of secondary data this study assessed three clean technology adoption issues – propensity, intensity, and staff awareness among two strategic groups of the banking industry. The findings showed that propensity for adoption and level of staff awareness differ significantly between the international and national groups of banks. But the variation between them in terms of intensity was not significant. One of the policy implications of the findings is that the key regulatory (policy) framework, the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles needs to be strengthened in the area of e-waste and intensity of adoption.


This study describes a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model suitable for the analysis of high strength reinforced concrete arched beams under static load. The twenty node isoperimetric brick element has been used to model the concrete and reinforcing steel bars have been idealized as axial members embedded within the brick elements. Perfect bond was assumed to occur between the concrete and the reinforcing bars. The behavior of concrete in compression is simulated by an elasto-plastic work hardening model followed by a perfectly plastic response, which is terminated at the onset of the crushing. In tension, a smeared crack model with fixed orthogonal cracks has been used. High and normal strength reinforced concrete arched beams have been analyzed in the present study. Parametric studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of radius to span length ratio, boundary conditions, (α2) [the sudden loss of stress at the instant of cracking], and effect of compressive strength. In general good agreement between the finite element solutions and the experimental results have been obtained.


argument is often, if not acrimonious, at least heated. It gives an impression of the fluidity of opinion on many fundamental ideas under discussion and of the urgency with which cardiac cyanosis in the newborn is regarded. When Dr. William Muscott says that the earliest he has operated for pulmonary stenosis is on an infant 3 days old, and Sir Russell Brock agrees that the earlier in the first month that operation is undertaken the better, and when Dr. Varco asks Dr. Senning 'so far as I know they have never yet catheterized any child intrauterine in Sweden, but they have done it through the delivery canal sometimes-would you tell us the indications of the Scandinavian group for catheterization in the immediate newborn period?', one is indeed being kept up with the times. But that was two years ago and already some of the questions then debated have since been answered. This beautifully printed and well-illustrated stiff paperbacked volume is, and will for a few years yet remain, an invaluable companion to a full-scale textbook on congenital heart disease.


The book addresses the most current ISPN and APNA competencies and presents content designed to foster self-growth, and critical thinking and decision-making skills, as well as to implement therapeutic interventions. It offers an overview of theories of mental illness and a detailed discussion of commonly seen psychiatric disorders, and addresses mental health care settings across the lifespan and different populations. Clinical case studies and first-hand accounts vividly describe the realities of living with specific mental illnesses, "What would you do?" questions stimulate discussions, and sample and practice care plans for chronic mental illness facilitate integration of concepts into practice. Evidence-based practice summaries from psychiatric nursing and related research literature are included, and DSM-IV and NANDA guidelines are integrated throughout.


The literature has been replete with the staid standard textbooks of gynecology. Here, indeed, is a book not only written about and in part by women, but also beautifully dedicated to two women—the authors' wives. Besides the usual chapters on anatomy, reproduction, endocrinology, and malignancy, there is one on "Women in Modern Society," with four parts— "Legal Issues in Gynecology and Obstetrics," "Femaleness," "Sexuality," and "Rape." "Legal Issues in Gynecology and Obstetrics," is by Angela Holder, associate clinical professor of pediatrics (law) and counsel for medicolegal affairs at Yale. Dr Holder sets the theme by stating that the overriding standard of care is simple respect for the patient's dignity and personhood. That ethical principle is the source of all the patient's legal rights. Dr Holder discusses abortion, prenatal diagnosis, amniocentesis, genetic counseling, abandonment, and advice to minors. Another chapter by Mary Swigar, Department of Psychiatry at Yale, discusses basic aspects


Objectives To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of hand- held ultrasound (HUD) examinations with realtime automatic decision- making software for ejection fraction (autoEF) and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (autoMAPSE) by novices (general practitioners), intermediate users (registered cardiac nurses) and expert users (cardiologists), respectively, compared to reference echocardiography by cardiologists in an outpatient cohort with suspected heart failure (HF). Design Feasibility study of a diagnostic test. Setting and participants 166 patients with suspected HF underwent HUD examinations with autoEF and autoMAPSE measurements by five novices, three intermediate- skilled users and five experts. HUD results were compared with a reference echocardiography by experts. A blinded cardiologist scored all HUD recordings with automatic measurements as (1) discard, (2) accept, but adjust the measurement or (3) accept the measurement as it is. Primary outcome measure The feasibility of automatic decision- making software for quantification of left ventricular function. Results The users were able to run autoEF and autoMAPSE in most patients. The feasibility for obtaining accepted images (score of ≥2) with automatic measurements ranged from 50% to 91%. The feasibility was lowest for novices and highest for experts for both autoEF and autoMAPSE (p≤0.001). Large coefficients of variation and wide coefficients of repeatability indicate moderate agreement. The corresponding intraclass correlations (ICC) were moderate to good (ICC 0.51–0.85) for intra- rater and poor (ICC 0.35–0.51) for inter- rater analyses. The findings of modest to poor agreement and reliability were not explained by the experience of the users alone. Conclusion Novices, intermediate and expert users were able to record four- chamber views for automatic assessment of autoEF and autoMAPSE using HUD devices. The modest feasibility, agreement and reliability suggest this should not be implemented into clinical practice without further refinement and clinical evaluation.


A new analytical mutagenesis technique is described that involves randomizing the DNA sequence of a short stretch of a gene (3-6 codons) and determining the percentage of all possible random sequences that produce a functional protein. A low percentage of functional random sequences in a complete library of random substitutions indicates that the region mutagenized is important for the structure and/or function of the protein. Repeating the mutagenesis over many regions throughout a protein gives a global perspective of which amino acid sequences in a protein are critical. We applied this method to 66 codons of the gene encoding TEM-1 beta-lactamase in 19 separate experiments. We found that TEM-1 beta-lactamase is extremely tolerant of amino acid substitutions: on average, 44% of all mutants with random substitutions function and 20% of the substitutions are expressed, secreted, and fold well enough to function at levels similar to those for the wild-type enzyme. We also found a few exceptional regions where only a few random sequences function. Examination of the X-ray structures of homologous beta-lactamases indicates that the regions most sensitive to substitution are in the vicinity of the active site pocket or buried in the hydrophobic core of the protein. DNA sequence analysis of functional random sequences has been used to obtain more detailed information about the amino acid sequence requirements for several regions and this information has been compared to sequence conservation among several related beta-lactamases.


Ample evidence suggests that monolingual adults can successfully generate lexical and morphosyntactic predictions in reading and that correct predictions facilitate sentence comprehension. In this eye-tracking corpus reading study, we investigate whether the same is true for reading in heritage language. Specifically, we ask whether heritage speakers (HSs) of Russian are able to anticipate lexical and/or morphosyntactic information of the upcoming words in the sentence and whether they differ in the predictions from monolingual children and L2 learners. We are also interested in whether the literacy level (i.e., Russian literacy experience or reading fluency in English) influences lexical and morphosyntactic prediction. Our results indicate that HSs as well as other groups were able to anticipate the specific lexical item, and the ability was contingent on the Russian literacy experience and reading fluency in dominant English as evident in some of the early and late eye-tracking measures. Similar to children and L2 learners, the word class and the verb number predictability affected reading times in HSs, but HSs were the only group to anticipate the number of the upcoming noun. We discuss findings in respect to the utility account of the bilingual prediction and divergent attainment trajectory of the heritage language development.


Abstract Disaster preparedness and response have gained increased attention in the United States as a result of terrorism and disaster threats. However, funding of hospital preparedness, especially surge capacity, has lagged behind other preparedness priorities. Only a small portion of the money allocated for national preparedness is directed toward health care, and hospitals receive very little of that. Under current policy, virtually the entire funding stream for hospital preparedness comes from general tax revenues. Medical payers (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance) directly fund little, if any, of the current bill. Funding options to improve preparedness include increasing the current federal grants allocated to hospitals, using payer fees or a tax to sub- sidize preparedness, and financing other forms of expansion capability, such as mobile hospitals. Alternatively, the status quo of marginal preparedness can be maintained. In any event, achieving higher levels of preparedness likely will take the combined commitment of the hospital industry, public and private payers, and federal, state, and local governments. Ultimately, the costs of pre- paredness will be borne by the public in the form of taxes, higher healthcare costs, or through the acceptance of greater risk.


We developed methods for enriching fetal hepatoblasts by combining panning and multiparametric fluorescence‐activated cell sorting. In unpurified, dissociated fetal liver cell suspensions of embryonic age day 15, 3.2% ± 1.3% and 2.5% ± 0.7% cells expressed albumin and α‐fetoprotein, respectively. The remainder exhibited a hemopoietic, endothelial or stromal cell phenotype. Cells were panned first with an antibody to red blood cells to remove erythroid cells and then with monoclonal antibodies OX‐43/OX‐44 to remove hemopoietic and endothelial cells. This procedure eliminated 84% of fetal hepatic cells, with enrichment of the remainder for albumin or α‐fetoprotein expression (up to sixfold increase). Flow cytometric analysis of unlabeled cells revealed two populations, which differed in granularity and autofluorescence. After panning, fluorescence‐activated cell sorting for agranular cells yielded OX‐43/44‐positive cells that were essentially all hemopoietic precursor cells or OX‐43/44‐negative cells that were mostly hemopoietic precursor cells, along with 3.0% ± 0.7% α‐fetoprotein‐positive cells. In contrast, sorting for granular, OX‐43/44‐negative cells enriched for predominantly α‐fetoprotein‐positive, parenchymal precursor cells (75.1% ± 4.7%). Multiparametric flow cytometric analysis of the expression of an oval cell antigen, OC.3, which is a bile duct and putative liver stem cell marker, showed that most OC.3‐positive cells coexpressed OX‐43/OX‐44 and morphologically were hemopoietic precursor cells. However, approximately 30% of the OX‐43/44‐negative, granular cells expressed OC.3. Although the physiological significance of OC.3‐positive hepatoblasts remains to be determined, the ability to isolate distinct liver cell populations by means of fluorescence‐activated cell sorting should facilitate further studies. In addition, because panning alone produced significantly enriched populations of fetal hepatoblasts, applications not requiring further cell purification could be performed with this simple technique. (HEPATOLOGY 1994;19:999–1006.)


High-cycle pressure-ratio (38–42) gas turbines being developed for future aircraft and, in turn, industrial applications impose more critical disk and casing cooling and thermal-expansion problems. Additional attention, therefore, is being focused on cooling and the proper selection of materials. Associated blade-tip clearance control of the high-pressure compressor and high-temperature turbine is critical for high performance. This paper relates to the use of extracted steam from a steam turbine as a coolant in a combined cycle to enhance material selection and to control expansion in such a manner that the cooling process increases combined-cycle efficiency, gas turbine output, and steam turbine output.


: The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has greatly impacted healthcare systems and society more generally around the world. The management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 has primarily impacted emergency departments, medical teams, and intensive care units. However, the impact on health systems as a whole, including surgical specialties, has been wide ranging. We aimed to establish the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown on the number and characteristics of general surgical patients reviewed and/or admitted by the surgical team within a district general hospital. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of patients admitted in the 2-week period from start of the lockdown (Monday 23rd March 2020 to 5th April 2020), and the same period 1 year earlier (Monday 25th March 2019 to 7th April 2019). Number of patients reviewed and admitted were compared between the two cohorts. Data including diagnosis, operation/procedural interventions, and length of stay were analyzed. The overall number of patients reviewed and admitted by the surgical team was substantially lower during the period of lockdown (61 vs 126). Of the patients seen during lockdown, a smaller proportion were admitted to hospital after initial surgical review (59% vs 77%, p< 0.05). Interventional/operative procedures were performed in a similar proportion of patients in both cohorts (31%). Our data show that there has been a substantial reduction in the number of patients being referred to and admitted by the general surgical team at our center during the COVID19 pandemic. Explanations for this include reduced attendance due to risk perception of the patients, the impact of lockdown messages and advice regarding self-isolation, as well as an increased threshold for patient admission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key learning points include the possible benefits of a reduction in admission to hospital of patients with non-urgent conditions.


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