Background In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual health services have started to implement alternative service delivery methods that reduce in-person contact (e.g., telemedicine, virtual health). We sought to understand acceptability of alternative service delivery methods among sexual health service clients in BC, Canada. Methods We used data from an online anonymous survey administered from 21/07/2020–04/08/2020 to clients (aged ≥16 years) who had used the BC Centre for Disease Control's sexually-transmitted infection (STI) clinic and/or the GetCheckedOnline testing service in the year prior to COVID-19 public health responses (03/2020). We described participants' likelihood of using potential alternative sexual health service delivery methods, and conducted bivariate analysis to examine its association with experiencing any sexual health service access barriers during the pandemic. Results Of the 1198 survey participants (aged 17–76 years), 48% identified as men, 47% as women, and 5% as another gender; 71% identified as White, 24% as racialized minorities, and 4% as Indigenous. Overall, support for using alternative STI testing models was high, with 88% likely to use at-home self-collection kits and 79% likely to use an express testing model (i.e., phone/video triage prior to specimen collection at a clinic). More participants were likely to discuss sexual health with a healthcare provider over the phone (64%), compared with video visits (53%) and text (49%). Text messaging to receive STI test results and reminders were of high interest (71% and 63% likely to use, respectively). Likelihood of using alternative service delivery methods did not differ by participants' experience of access barriers, where 66% of total participants reported having avoided/delayed seeking services during 03/2020–07/2020. Conclusion Likelihood of using potential alternative sexual health service delivery methods was high overall, including among participants who did not avoid/delay seeking services. Sustaining and expanding such services would facilitate access during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.


A detailed investigation of the benthic prokaryot~c community from 3 permanently cold stations near Svalbard (Arctic Ocean) and 1 site near Tromss (northern Norway) was conducted. Prokaryotic abundances, determined by DAPI-staining, were in the range of ca 2 X 108 to 4 X log cells cm-3 wet sediment. They showed little variation among sampling stations. Vertical profiles were characterized by a decrease of cell numbers with increasing sediment depth. The prokaryotic community composition was investigated employing rRNA (ribosomal RNA) slot-blot hybridization with domain-specific probes. Irrespective of station and vertical depth, Eubacteria always dominated the population, and the relative contribution of Archaea never exceeded 4 %. The measured total rRNA concentration and the prokaryotic cell counts in each sample were used to calculate per cell rRNA contents. Mean rRNA content (averaging all samples) was close to 3 fg rRNA cell-'. None of our data showed considerable differences to comparable results from temperate or warm habitats; therefore our findings do not allow conclusions on special adaptations of the prokaryotic community to their existence in permanently cold systems. In all samples, but most pronounced in the 3 coldest stations, per cell rRNA contents showed steep vertical gradients with maximum values at the sediment surface. Taking into account all stations, rRNA concentration and prokaryotic abundance were strongly positively correlated below ca 5.5 cm (r2 = 0.739), whereas in the upper sediment layers (0 to ca 5.5 cm) there was no significant correlation between these 2 parameters. This implies that there may be ddferent mechanisms involved in the control of prokaryotic rRNA contents in Wferent sedment horizons. Cellular rRNA concentrations can q v e an indication of growth rate and thereby the activity of prokaryotes. This is supported by the fact that we recorded the highest per cell rRNA contents in those stations and sediment depths where other studies conducted simultaneously with our investigation demonstrated the highest rates of metabolic processes.


Health care received in health facilities depends on adequate consultation, correct prescription and dispensing with relevant information given to the patient. These are some of the indicators for rational drug use. The objective of the study was to determine the pattern of prescription among prescribers in twenty Primary Health Care Centers of Lagos State using some of these indicators used in investigating health facilities by the World Health Organisation and International Network for Rational Use of Drugs. The study was carried out using multi-stage random sampling in selecting the Primary Health Care Centers from each of the twenty Local Government Areas of Lagos State. Both prospective and retrospective data were collected and analysed using Epi-Info version 6. The results showed that there was polypharmacy, misuse of antibiotics and injections. There was no statistically significant difference between the retrospective and prospective indicators of mean drugs prescribed per encounter, percentage antibiotics prescribed and percentage of generic prescription. It was concluded that there was irrational prescription pattern in all the selected health facilities as evidenced by poly-pharmacy, misuse of antibiotics and low generic prescriptions. There is need for educational intervention to improve the prescribing habits of health professionals in these health facilities.


Abstract Based on fieldwork conducted in northwestern Argentina for the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory project, and from the study of several specimens of entomological collections from other Neotropical countries—in particular Chile and Argentina—new taxa are described, and additional nomenclatural and distributional notes are provided for some Neotropical Orthotylini taxa. The male genitalia of Biobiocoris setosus Carvalho, 1985 are illustrated, and a diagnosis is proposed for this monotypic genus. New distributional information for B. setosus is provided, which is newly recorded from Argentina. Chileria andina, sp. nov., is described from Argentina. Host-plant data are given for the new species. Conostethus pamparum Berg, 1883 is transferred to Chileria, and Saileria chilena Carvalho and Carpintero, 1991, is proposed as junior synonym of Chileria pamparum, comb. nov. Detailed male genitalia drawings are provided, including genital capsule and phallotheca, for all the known species of Chileria. Based on these changes, a diagnosis of Chileria is provided as well as a key to all the species. Female genitalic structures of Hadronemella argentina (Carvalho and Wallerstein, 1978) are described and depicted, and new distributional information is provided. Hyporhinocoris tomentosus Reuter, 1909, is regarded as a junior synonym of Hyporhinocoris fratruelis (Berg, 1879). Hyporhinocoris is thus a monotypic genus with widespread distribution in Argentina associated with Larrea spp. (Zygophyllaceae). Orthotylus chullan, sp. nov., O. kakan, sp. nov., and O. kikin, sp. nov., are described from Chile. Male and female genitalic structures are compared with the most similar described species, O. chilensis Carvalho and Fontes, 1973. A diagnosis is proposed for O. tafoensis Kerzhner and Schuh, 1995, and its male genitalia illustrated. New distributional and host-plant information is provided for O. chilensis and O. tafoensis. Platyscytus youngi, comb. nov. (Phylinae) is proposed for Saileria youngi Carvalho, 1953, and thus removed from the Orthotylinae. A diagnosis for Saileria bella (Van Duzee, 1916), the type species of Saileria, is provided and its male genitalia illustrated. Digital dorsal habitus photographs are provided for all the species treated, and distribution maps are provided for the South American taxa. Scanning electron micrographs of selected structures and illustrations of male genitalia are presented for most species.


In this paper, we consider the problem of maximizing the battery life (or duration of service) in battery-powered CMOS circuits. We first show that the battery efficiency (or utilization factor) decreases as the average discharge current from the battery increases. The implication is that the battery life is a super-linear function of the average discharge current. Next we show that even when the average discharge current remains the same, different discharge current profiles (distributions) may result in very different battery lifetimes. In particular, the maximum battery life is achieved when the variance of the discharge current distribution is minimized. Analytical derivations and experimental results underline the importance of the correct modeling of the battery-hardware system as a whole and provide a more accurate basis (i.e., the battery discharge times delay product) for comparing various low power optimization methodologies and techniques targeted toward battery-powered electronics. Finally, we calculate the optimal value of V/sub dd/ for a battery-powered VLSI circuit so as to minimize the product of the battery discharge times the circuit delay.


Strengthening STEM initiatives outlined in the 'Malaysian Blueprint 2013-20125 aims to ensure
students are equipped with the necessaryskills to meet the challenges of an increasingly industrialized
world. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to be equipped with knowledge and teaching approach
for STEMeducation starting from primary school teachers. This is to ensure that the mindset towards
STEMfields can be cultivated and sown from early schooling level. Teachers of primary and secondary
schools in Malaysia is still new in STEM education to understand let alone to apply the STEM
pedagogical approach in schools. Based on the Malaysia's STEM conceptual framework, primary
science education is responsible for ensuring that students are able to make connections and build a
foundation in science. Thus, the responsibility of a primary teacher is to ensure interest in science is
applied and maintained using an effective STEM pedagogical approach so that students are more
incline to investigate and explore matters related to science.Thus, this paper will share experiences of
how the teacher of an early engineering training program was implemented and the impact obtained by the teacher in preparation to implement STEM education in primary schools.


How can we protect the network infrastructure from malicious traffic, such as scanning, malicious code propagation, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks? One mechanism for blocking malicious traffic is filtering: access control lists (ACLs) can selectively block traffic based on fields of the IP header. Filters (ACLs) are already available in the routers today but are a scarce resource because they are stored in the expensive ternary content addressable memory (TCAM).
In this paper, we develop, for the first time, a framework for studying filter selection as a resource allocation problem. Within this framework, we study five practical cases of source address/prefix filtering, which correspond to different attack scenarios and operator's policies. We show that filter selection optimization leads to novel variations of the multidimensional knapsack problem and we design optimal, yet computationally efficient, algorithms to solve them. We also evaluate our approach using data from Dshield.org and demonstrate that it brings significant benefits in practice. Our set of algorithms is a building block that can be immediately used by operators and manufacturers to block malicious traffic in a cost-efficient way.


The efficiency of automated multi-issue negotiation depends on the available information about the opponent.
In a competitive negotiation environment, agents do not reveal their parameters to their opponents in order to
avoid exploitation. Several researchers have argued that an agent's optimal strategy can be determined using the
opponent's deadline and reserve points. In this paper, we propose a new learning agent, so-called Evolutionary
Learning Agent (ELA), able to estimate its opponent's deadline and reserve points in bilateral multi-issue
negotiation based on opponent's counter-offers (without any additional extra information). ELA reduces the
learning problem to a system of non-linear equations and uses an evolutionary algorithm based on the elitism
aspect to solve it. Experimental study shows that our learning agent outperforms others agents by improving its
outcome in term of average and joint utility


Expression of the esterase S gene of Drosophila virilis was studied in transgenic experiments. Truncated genomic copy of this gene including 400 bp of 5' regulatory region was integrated into the genome of Drosophila melanogaster. The products of the transferred gene were detected. It was found that strict temporal and tissue specificity of the esterase S gene expression is conserved in transformed flies. The results suggest that this specificity is evidently determined by the regulatory region of the esterase S gene and controlled by cis mechanism.


Celastrol is well known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. In this study, the efficacy of celastrol against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice was established and the mechanism was investigated using lipidomics. Celastrol treatment significantly alleviated DSS-induced colitis in mice, as revealed by the body weight, colon length, scores of rectal bleeding and diarrhea, serum TNF-α level, and histological analysis results. Lipidomics analysis based on UPLC/MS revealed characteristic changes in the metabolic profiles of the colitis mice, with altered levels of lipid markers associated with IBD, including LPC18 : 0, LPC18 : 1, LPC18 : 2, sphingomyelin (SM), and increased LPC18 : 0/LPC18 : 1 and LPC18 : 0/LPC18 : 2 ratios. For the celastrol-treated colitis mice, however, levels of the above lipid markers were restored, together with recovered saturated LPC/unsaturated LPC ratios. Accordingly, using GC-MS analysis, increased stearic acid (C18 : 0)/oleic acid (C18 : 1) and stearic acid (C18 : 0)/linoleic acid (C18 : 2) ratios were observed in colitis mice, which were later recovered after celastrol treatment. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the liver expression of stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1), the key enzyme controlling the desaturation of saturated fatty acid, was dramatically inhibited in IBD mice, and was obviously recovered after celastrol treatment. These results suggest that the increased saturated LPC/unsaturated LPC (and saturated fatty acid/unsaturated fatty acid) ratios associated with SCD1 down-regulation could be regarded as biomarkers of colitis, and celastrol alleviates DSS-induced colitis partially via up-regulation of SCD1, restoring the altered balance between stearic acid- and oleic acid-derived lipid species, which plays an important role in alleviating colitis. In all, this study provided the scientific basis for further development of celastrol in treating IBD.


Recent reports from the Democratic Republic of Congo highlight the ongoing use of rape as a weapon of war and illustrate how the effects of rape may extend beyond the individual.1 2 War rape is defined as "a deliberate and strategic decision on the part of combatants to intimidate and destroy 'the enemy' as a whole by raping and enslaving women who are identified as members of the opposition group."3 Rape is a sinister tool used to inflict terror and control for a range of political objectives. These include establishing territorial ownership, damaging community cohesion and morale,4 5 ethnic cleansing, and genocide (for example in Rwanda6 and Bosnia-Herzegovina).7 8

Rape has both acute and long term physical and psychological effects on the individual. Psychological responses to trauma in the immediate and longer term include feelings of powerlessness, worthlessness, and self disgust, as well as depression, suicidal thoughts, post traumatic stress disorder, sexual dysfunction, social phobia, and recurrent feelings of shame.8 9 10 Destroyed relationships and enforced, unwanted pregnancies cause further distress and …


The overall hospital mortality‐rate of 315 patients with benign obstructive prostatic disease and renal failure was 21 per cent. One hundred and ninety‐four patients (61.6 per cent) were dealt with by prostatic surgery, in the majority of whom a significant improvement in renal function followed a short period of bladder drainage. Only to per cent of the patients managed by preliminary suprapubic cystostomy underwent definitive surgery, the greater proportion dying within 15 months of this minor procedure. The importance of fluid and electrolyte imbalance following the acute relief of a chronic lower urinary‐tract obstruction is emphasized and the possible use of preoperative dialysis discussed.


A case-control study conducted on fertile and infertile men in Coimbatore population. The study, aimed to identify and associate the following two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2030259 and rs5911500 in genes KDM3A (lysine (K)-specific demethylase 3A) and LOC203413.The SNPs were identified by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique in 17 normospermic individuals and in 13 infertile males (9 oligospermic and 4 azoospermic) and results were analysed using fisher's exact test. Although the polymorphisms were found in both fertile and infertile men, no significant association is found for both 2 SNPs with infertility from the samples observed.


We propose 3DSmoothNet, a full workflow to match 3D point clouds with a siamese deep learning architecture and fully convolutional layers using a voxelized smoothed density value (SDV) representation. The latter is computed per interest point and aligned to the local reference frame (LRF) to achieve rotation invariance. Our compact, learned, rotation invariant 3D point cloud descriptor achieves 94.9% average recall on the 3DMatch benchmark data set, outperforming the state-of-the-art by more than 20 percent points with only 32 output dimensions. This very low output dimension allows for near realtime correspondence search with 0.1 ms per feature point on a standard PC. Our approach is sensor- and scene-agnostic because of SDV, LRF and learning highly descriptive features with fully convolutional layers. We show that 3DSmoothNet trained only on RGB-D indoor scenes of buildings achieves 79.0% average recall on laser scans of outdoor vegetation, more than double the performance of our closest, learning-based competitors. Code, data and pre-trained models are available online at https://github.com/zgojcic/3DSmoothNet.


: One hundred and thirty cases of cholelithiasis were studied in the surgical wards of the Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research, Dacca. Geographical distribution, pattern of clinical features, results of biochemical, microbiolgical, histopathological and other investigations have been recorded.


Bacterial extracellular alkaline proteases have been found to have broad spectrum industrial applications because of their stability characteristics among the bacteria. The Actinomyces are of enormous importance as they can be recovered easier than other bacteria after fermentation. Thus, the study was aimed at sourcing for potential protease producers among the Actinomycetes species and determining the cultural conditions for their optimal protease yields. Among 67% of the recovered soil isolates that demonstrated potentials for protease production on skimmed milk agar, only Norcardia sp-A2 2 , Micromonospora sp-A2 3 , Streptosporangium A-5 2 , and Streptomyces sp-A5 4 produced protease with higher activity(18.5-20.5mm) than the others (8.5-16.5mm). Preliminary protease assay in submerged shake-flask fermentation confirmed Streptomyces sp-A5 4 as the highest producer. Further studies on protease production by Streptomyces sp-A5 4 showed that maximum protease yield was achieved within 72h at 0.4% inoculum concentration. All the test organic carbon and nitrogen substrates supported protease yield (> 1.5/2.0 u/ml) but soybean and sweet potato meal gave the highest support (> 2.5/2.53 u/ml). However, their protease yields were significantly (p< 0.05) less than that of refined glucose and peptone when substituted as the carbon and nitrogen sources. The produced crude enzyme demonstrated optimal activity at pH 8.0 and temperature of 50 0 C. Therefore, the ability of Streptomyces sp-A5 4 to produce thermostable protease at a relatively low concentration indicated its potential as a good source for industrial applications. AbstractBacterial extracellular alkaline proteases have been found to have broad spectrum industrial applications because of their stability characteristics among the bacteria. The Actinomyces are of enormous importance as they can be recovered easier than other bacteria after fermentation. Thus, the study was aimed at sourcing for potential protease producers among the Actinomycetes species and determining the cultural conditions for their optimal protease yields. Preliminary protease assay in submerged shake-flask fermentation yield was achieved within 72h at 0.4% inoculum concentration. All the test organic carbon and nitrogen substrates supported protease yield (> 1.5/2.0 u/ml) but soybean and sweet potato meal gave the highest support (> 2.5/2.53 u/ml). However, their protease yields were significantly (p< 0.05) less than that of refined glucose and peptone when substituted as the carbon and nitrogen sources. The produced crude enzyme demonstrated optimal activity at pH 8.0 and temperature of 50 0 C. Therefore, the ability of Streptomyces sp-A5 4 to produce thermostable protease at a relatively low concentration indicated its potential as a good source for industrial applications. AbstractBacterial extracellular alkaline proteases have been found to have broad spectrum industrial applications because of their stability characteristics among the bacteria. The Actinomyces are of enormous importance as they can be recovered easier than other bacteria after fermentation. Thus, the study was aimed at sourcing for potential protease producers among the Actinomycetes species and determining the cultural conditions for their optimal protease yields. only Norcardia 2 Micromonospora sp-A2 Preliminary protease assay in submerged shake-flask fermentation confirmed Streptomyces sp-A5 4 as the highest producer. Further studies on protease production by Streptomyces sp-A5 4 showed that maximum protease yield was achieved within 72h at 0.4% inoculum concentration. All the test organic carbon and nitrogen substrates supported protease yield (> 1.5/2.0 u/ml) but soybean and sweet potato meal gave the highest support (> 2.5/2.53 u/ml). However, their protease yields were significantly (p< 0.05) less than that of refined glucose and peptone when substituted as the carbon and nitrogen sources. The produced crude enzyme demonstrated optimal activity at pH 8.0 and temperature of 50 0 C. Therefore, the ability of Streptomyces sp-A5 4 to produce thermostable protease at a relatively low concentration indicated its potential as a good source for industrial applications.


Background Chloroplast genomes supply valuable genetic information for evolutionary and functional studies in plants. The past five years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of completely sequenced chloroplast genomes with the application of second-generation sequencing technology in plastid genome sequencing projects. However, cost-effective high-throughput chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) extraction becomes a major bottleneck restricting the application, as conventional methods are difficult to make a balance between the quality and yield of cpDNAs. Methodology/Principal Findings We first tested two traditional methods to isolate cpDNA from the three species, Oryza brachyantha, Leersia japonica and Prinsepia utihis. Both of them failed to obtain properly defined cpDNA bands. However, we developed a simple but efficient method based on sucrose gradients and found that the modified protocol worked efficiently to isolate the cpDNA from the same three plant species. We sequenced the isolated DNA samples with Illumina (Solexa) sequencing technology to test cpDNA purity according to aligning sequence reads to the reference chloroplast genomes, showing that the reference genome was properly covered. We show that 40–50% cpDNA purity is achieved with our method. Conclusion Here we provide an improved method used to isolate cpDNA from angiosperms. The Illumina sequencing results suggest that the isolated cpDNA has reached enough yield and sufficient purity to perform subsequent genome assembly. The cpDNA isolation protocol thus will be widely applicable to the plant chloroplast genome sequencing projects.


Survivin expression in melanoma is inversely correlated with patient survival. Transgenic mice harboring melanocyte-specific overexpression of survivin exhibit increased susceptibility to UV-induced melanoma and metastatic progression. To understand the mechanistic basis for metastatic progression, we investigated the effects of survivin on the motility of human melanocytes and melanoma cells. We found that survivin overexpression enhanced migration on fibronectin and invasion through Matrigel, whereas survivin knockdown under subapoptotic conditions blocked migration and invasion. In melanocytes, survivin overexpression activated the Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Akt phosphorylation was required for survivin-enhanced migration and invasion, whereas Erk phosphorylation was required only for enhanced invasion. In both melanocytes and melanoma cells, survivin overexpression was associated with upregulation of α5 integrin (fibronectin receptor component), the antibody-mediated blockade or RNA interference-mediated knockdown of which blocked survivin-enhanced migration. Knockdown of α5 integrin did not affect Akt activation, but inhibition of Akt phosphorylation prevented α5 integrin upregulation elicited by survivin overexpression. Together, our results showed that survivin enhanced the migration and invasion of melanocytic cells and suggested that survivin may promote melanoma metastasis by supporting Akt-dependent upregulation of α5 integrin.


This paper focuses on importance of the loyalty, types of the loyalty, strategies of faithful translation and interferences of absolute loyalty in science and technology translation. In terms of importance of the loyalty in translation, this paper probes into the roles and the embodiment of loyalty in practice; Then centering on types of the loyalty, this paper analyses the translator's pursuit of perfect translation; Next, in light of strategies of faithful translation and with a large amount of supporting examples, it points out that science and technology translation activities are carried out with specific aims. Meanwhile the principles of faithfulness are feasible but have limitations. In the end, an analysis is given about interferences of absolute loyalty in English and Chinese translation to expound that pursuit of loyalty is faced with the obstacles. At last this paper reveals that there is no absolute loyalty in translation. This paper is hoped for helping people understand and master the skills of translation and to enrich the database of science and technology translation.


SIR,-We cannot share the (optimistic?) view of Dr A R P Walker and others (27 February, p 657). It is certainly true that the compulsions of urban life mean a falling in birth rate. Other important factors are social upgrading and a decrease in infant and child mortality. These socioeconomic changes cause a fall in birth rate even without medicalised contraception. But these changes hardly occur in most of (rural) sub-Saharan Africa. We are inundated continuously with literature on small-scale projects in which the response to contraception is invariably high. Although this probably pleases the sponsors, it obscures the fact that the population on the whole does not participate at all, for multiple reasons, in contraception-for example, in Kenya only 7%1 and in Rwanda less than 1%. We think also that the capacity for food production in countries such as Zaire and Uganda is vastly underexploited. So we have a more realistic view: Chinese-style population restriction is impossible. Medicalised contraception in Africa is not a panacea, and we can expect, without profound socioeconomic changes occurring, a near doubling of the population of sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2000. A DE CLERCQ


This study gathered health inspectors' opinions about appropriate weightings of critical, noncritical, and repeat violations under the current food inspection system, and developed a classification of violations for high-, medium-, and low-risk restaurants. Results showed that health inspectors thought that the appropriate weights were five points for a critical violation, one point for a noncritical violation, and double points for a repeat violation. In addition, health inspectors thought that the maximum numbers of critical violations for a high-, medium-, and low-risk category were 2.05, 3.02, and 4.83, respectively, and for noncritical violations, 4.59, 7.30, and 10.37, respectively. A paired t-test was used to compare these values with estimations based on the traditional health inspection scoring system. Results indicate that the maximum number of critical violations for medium risk and maximum numbers of noncritical violations for low-, medium-, or high-risk restaurants were significantly different between health inspectors' opinions and mathematical estimations. Health inspectors appear to be stricter than the traditional health inspection scoring system about violations, particularly repeat violations, and their importance in enforcement of food safety.


Purpose of reviewEpinephrine is a life-saving medication in the treatment of anaphylaxis, in which it has multiple beneficial pharmacologic effects. Here, we examine the evidence base for its primary role in the treatment of anaphylaxis episodes in community settings. Recent findingsWe review the practical pharmacology of epinephrine in anaphylaxis, its intrinsic limitations, and the pros and cons of different routes of administration. We provide a new perspective on the adverse effects of epinephrine, including its cardiac effects. We describe the evidence base for the use of epinephrine in anaphylaxis. We discuss the role of epinephrine auto-injectors for treatment of anaphylaxis in community settings, including identification of patients who need an auto-injector prescription, current use of auto-injectors, and advances in auto-injector design. We list reasons why physicians fail to prescribe epinephrine auto-injectors for patients with anaphylaxis, and reasons why patients fail to self-inject epinephrine in anaphylaxis. We emphasize the primary role of epinephrine in the context of emergency preparedness for anaphylaxis in the community. SummaryEpinephrine is the medication of choice in the first-aid treatment of anaphylaxis in the community. For ethical reasons, it is not possible to conduct randomized, placebo-controlled trials of epinephrine in anaphylaxis; however, continued efforts are needed towards improving the evidence base for epinephrine injection in this potentially fatal disease.


Hydraulic phenomena in the downcomer of a conventional pressurized water reactor have an important effect on the transient evaluations of a postulated large-break loss-of-coolant accident (LBLOCA). In particular, safety analyses using best-estimate codes show that downcomer boiling is one of the important phenomena in the postulated LBLOCA because it can degrade the hydraulic head in the downcomer and consequently affect the reflood flow rate for core cooling. To experimentally identify the thermal-hydraulic behavior in the downcomer, a downcomer-boiling test facility was constructed for simulating downcomer boiling in the reflood phase of a postulated LBLOCA. The test facility was designed by adopting a full-pressure, full-height, and full-size downcomer-gap approach but with the circumferential length reduced 47.08-fold. The test was divided into two phases: (a) visual observation and acquisition of the global two-phase flow parameters and (b) measurement of the local two-phase flow parameters. This paper presents the test results from Phase I. The major measured parameters were the axial void fraction and the fluid temperatures and pressures in the test section. The measured data were used to evaluate a safety analysis code, MARS 2.1b, to investigate its modeling accuracy and identify weaknesses of the thermal-hydraulic models therein.


This paper identifies different forms of linguistic inequalities in Nigeria resulting from natural endowment, socio-political factors and language attitude. In the country, the value placed on linguistic resources varies – English, major languages (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) and minority languages (i.e. all other indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria) – in that (descending) order. While English is the official language of the country used as a medium of instruction from primary to tertiary education levels, Nigeria's major languages (also recognized as 'national' languages) are taught as subjects in the school system and also serve as media of instruction up to the third year of primary education within the geographical zones in which they are used as L1. Most of the minority languages are neither used as media of instruction nor taught as subjects in schools. To address this imbalance, the paper suggests the use of minority languages in formal education based on the strong conviction that education is the best means of raising the value of languages, and consequently reducing linguistic inequality. It also recommends a reform of the education policy in Nigeria, which should aim at achieving high levels of bilingualism or multilingualism for both the minority and majority groups.


Soil quality is usually assessed through the measurement of selected soil properties. However, in spite of the diversity of the chosen properties, use of the soil water retention curve, like the pressure head or the specific water capacity at the inflection point, provides relevant information of degradation or improvement of soil. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the methods based on these indices in the evaluation of short-term changes of olive cropped soils under typical Mediterranean agricultural conditions. For this reason, soil properties (bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, aggregates stability, and organic matter content) were measured in a short-term trial settled in two olive orchards under different soil managements: tillage and cover crop. Several sampling areas were also distinguished: (i) along the inter tree row and under the canopies' projection and (ii) at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm depth. In addition, water retention curves were determined and fitted using two models (van Genutchen's and Kosugi's) in order to obtain the inflection point and therefore the S index. This index is the maximum value of the slope of the soil water retention curve and is related to soil quality. At the two sites, changes in soil management, even after a brief period of two years, had a relatively quick effect, especially in organic matter content along the inter tree row. The use of indices based on soil water retention curves helps to detect soil degradation or improvement changes. Future research, including the inclusion of more soil types and longer time periods, might lead to the development of more refined tools for the assessment of soil health.


In this paper, we propose a model-based approach to the computation of line outage angle factors (LOAFs), which relies on the use of angle factors (AFs) and power transfer distribution factors (PTDFs). A LOAF provides the sensitivity of the voltage angle difference between the terminal buses of a transmission line in the event the line is outaged to the pre-outage active power flow on the line. Large angle differences between the terminal buses of an outaged line can prevent the successful reclosure of the line-such an event was a significant contributing factor to the 2011 San Diego blackout. The proposed model-based LOAFs, along with the AFs and injection shift factors (ISFs), enable the fast computation of the impact on the angle across lines of line outages and active power injections, and provide system operators a systematic mean by which to assess line outage angles and undertake the appropriate dispatch actions necessary to alleviate large phase angle differences. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed LOAFs with a case study carried out on the IEEE 14-bus test system.


The in situ-generated N-aryl nitrile imines derived from trifluoroacetonitrile react efficiently with 2,3-diphenylcyclopropenethione to give spirocyclic 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives as products of a regio- and chemoselective (3+2)-cycloaddition in good to excellent yields. A stepwise mechanism via initial nucleophilic attack of the S-atom onto the electrophilic C-atom of the electron-deficient 1,3-dipole leading to a zwitterionic intermediate is postulated to explain these formal (3+2)-cycloaddition reactions. The presence of the CF3 group is necessary to activate the nitrile imine for the efficient trapping of the cyclopropenethione. These are the first examples of a successful reaction of this C=S dipolarophile affording 1,3,4-thiadiazoles as formal (3+2)-cycloadducts.


BACKGROUND
Cataract is the most common cause of blindness, responsible for 50 to 80% of all blindness in South-East Asia. Method of cataract surgery that has cost-effective, low technology procedure and a low complication rate in the shortest amount of time is needed. This study provides the useful resources comparing clinical outcomes and cost of phacoemulsification (PE) and manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) based on hospital perspective.

OBJECTIVE
To compare the costs and effectiveness of two-cataract-surgery methods, MSICS and PE, using the hospital's perspective.

SETTING
Department of Ophthalmology, Phrapoklao hospital, Thailand.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
This study was prospective and comparative. Data was collected from medical charts and through patient interviews using data collection forms. Labor material and capital cost were recorded for both surgical methods. The effectiveness was measured in visual acuity (VA), astigmatism and complications occurring at 90 days after surgery.

RESULTS
The average total cost was 10,043.81 bath/case for MSICS and 11,590.72 bath/case for PE. After 90 days after surgery, the average VA of MSICS and PE groups were 0.83 +/- 0.225 (0.10-1.00) and 0.76 +/- 0.268 (0.06-1.00). There was no statistically significant difference in both groups. The average astigmatism at 90 days after surgery was 1.01 +/- 0.733 (0.00-3.50) D and 0.99 +/- 0.713 (0.00-4.25) D for MSICS and PE method. The average change in astigmatism was 0.15 and 0.20 D for the MSICS and PE groups. The intraoperative complication was vitreous loss (1.40%) in the PE group. The postoperative complication was corneal edema (5.60%) in the MSICS group. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of postoperative complications in both groups (p = 0.16).

CONCLUSION
The effectiveness of MSICS and PE methods was not significantly different, but PE method had higher costs. Therefore, MSICS has better cost-effectiveness than PE thus, MSICS should be a preferred cataract surgery method to PE method, based on the hospital's perspective.


Objectives To generate contemporary age-specific mortality rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians aged <65 years who died from rheumatic heart disease (RHD) between 2013 and 2017, and to ascertain the underlying causes of death (COD) of a prevalent RHD cohort aged <65 years who died during the same period. Methods For this retrospective, cross-sectional epidemiological study, Australian RHD deaths for 2013–2017 were investigated by first, mortality rates generated using Australian Bureau of Statistics death registrations where RHD was a coded COD, and second COD analyses of death records for a prevalent RHD cohort identified from RHD register and hospitalisations. All analyses were undertaken by Indigenous status and age group (0–24, 25–44, 45–64 years). Results Age-specific RHD mortality rates per 100 000 were 0.32, 2.63 and 7.41 among Indigenous 0–24, 25–44 and 45–64 year olds, respectively, and the age-standardised mortality ratio (Indigenous vs non-Indigenous 0–64 year olds) was 14.0. Within the prevalent cohort who died (n=726), RHD was the underlying COD in 15.0% of all deaths, increasing to 24.6% when RHD was included as associated COD. However, other cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular conditions were the underlying COD in 34% and 43% respectively. Conclusion Premature mortality in people with RHD aged <65 years has approximately halved in Australia since 1997–2005, most notably among younger Indigenous people. Mortality rates based solely on underlying COD potentially underestimates true RHD mortality burden. Further strategies are required to reduce the high Indigenous to non-Indigenous mortality rate disparity, in addition to optimising major comorbidities that contribute to non-RHD mortality.


This article reports on plasma treatment of SU-8 epoxy in order to enhance adhesive strength for metals. Its samples were fabricated on standard silicon wafers and treated with (O2 and Ar) RF plasma at a power of 25 W at a low pressure of (3 × 10−3 Torr) for different time spans (10–70 s). The sample surfaces were characterized in terms of contact angle, surface (roughness and chemistry) and using a tape test. During the contact angle measurement, it was observed that the contact angle was reduced from 73° to 5° (almost wet) and 23° for (O2 and Ar) treated samples, respectively. The root mean square surface roughness was significantly increased by 21.5% and 37.2% for (O2 and Ar) treatment, respectively. A pattern of metal squares was formed on the samples using photolithography for a tape test. An adhesive tape was applied to the samples and peeled off at 180°. The maximum adhesion results, more than 90%, were achieved for the O2-treated samples, whereas the Ar-treated samples showed no change. The XPS study shows the formation of new species in the O2-treated sample compared to the Ar-treated samples. The high adhesive results were due to the formation of hydrophilic groups and new O2 species in the O2-treated samples, which were absent in Ar-treated samples.


Lately, there has been increased interest in hybrid excitation electrical ma- chines. Hybrid excitation is a construction that combines permanent magnet excitation with wound field excitation. Within the general classification, these machines can be classified as modified synchronous machines or inductor machines. These machines may be applied as motors and generators. The complexity of electromagnetic phenomena which occur as a result of coupling of magnetic fluxes of separate excitation systems with perpendicular magnetic axis is a motivation to formulate various mathematical models of these machines. The presented paper discusses the construction of a unipolar hybrid excitation synchronous machine. The magnetic equivalent circuit model including nonlinear magnetization curves is presented. Based on this model, it is possible to deter- mine the multi-parameter relationships between the induced voltage and magnetomotive force in the excitation winding. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of the impact of additional stator and rotor yokes on above relationship. Induced voltage deter- mines the remaining operating parameters of the machine, both in the motor and gene- rator mode of operation. The analysis of chosen correlations results in an identification of the effective control range of electromotive force of the machine.


We propose a new procedure for optimally estimating high dimensional Gaussian graphical models. Our approach is asymptotically tuning-free and non-asymptotically tuning-insensitive: It requires very little effort to choose the tuning parameter in finite sample settings. Computationally, our procedure is significantly faster than existing methods due to its tuning-insensitive property. Theoretically, the obtained estimator simultaneously achieves minimax lower bounds for precision matrix estimation under different norms. Empirically, we illustrate the advantages of the proposed method using simulated and real examples. The R package camel implementing the proposed methods is also available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network.


The chemistry of various 5H-1,2,3-dithiazoles is investigated with emphasis on assisted ring opening and ring closure reactions leading to new heterocycles. Thus on treatment with catalytic tetraalkylammonium iodide N-(2-chloropyrid-3-yl)and N-(4-chloropyrid-3-yl)-4-chloro-1,2,3dithiazol-5H-imines 19 and 20 give thiazolo[5,4-b]pyridine-2-carbonitrile 16 and thiazolo[4,5-c]pyridine-2-carbonitrile 17 respectively. Similar treatment of bisdithiazoles 29 and 30 afford high yielding routes to 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dicarbonitrile 31 and thiazole-2,4,5tricarbonitrile 32 respectively. N-(Pyrid-3-yl)-4-chloro-1,2,3-dithiazol-5H-imine 36 reacts with secondary alkylamines to give as main product pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines 37 and several minor byproducts including a deep green quinoidal 2,2'-bithiazole 40. Dithiazolylidenacetonitriles 43 react with either anhydrous HBr or tetraalkylammonium chloride to afford a series of 3-halo-4substituted-isothiazole-5-carbonitriles 45 and 52 respectively. The reactions of dithiazoles 43 with tetraalkylammonium chloride are complicated owing to the formation of isothiazolopentathiepin-8-carbonitrile 53, isothiazolodithiin-4,5,7-tricarbonitrile 54, tetracyanothiophene 56 and an unidentified compound 55 whose possible structures are proposed. The mechanistic rationales for the formation of the identified products are proposed.


This paper is prompted by the concluding comments to a recent paper (Denis "Hypostatisation"), which suggests that the neoclassical use of the concept of equilibrium expresses a formal mode of thought. Heterodox tendencies from Marxian to Austrian and Post Keynesian economics, that paper continues, exemplify a dialectical mode of thought in their common rejection of neoclassical equilibrium theorising. Heterodox currents in economics are-particularly in terms of their analysis and policy prescription-often as divided amongst themselves as they are from the orthodoxy. Nevertheless, the present paper suggests, there may be something profound uniting these disparate heterodox trends: the adoption of a dialectical method. The paper draws on the work of Sciabarra ("Marx", "Total"), who argues that Marxian and Austrian economics are intellectual cousins sharing a methodological approach. He suggests that making process primary, which we might expect of Austrian economists, is the essence of dialectics, which we might identify with Marxism. If that is the case, then perhaps (a) we can only understand the method of neoclassical economics by contrasting it with a dialectical approach, and (b) we can explore methodological common ground between the various heterodox currents by examining their attitude, both implicit and explicit, to dialectics. Pluralism in economics requires, not merely toleration-though indeed it does require that-but mutual engagement, a conversation. For that to take place we need an understanding of what divides and unites the various approaches. This paper is offered as a contribution to the development of that mutual understanding.


In this report, a process of converting an Arduino Mini board onto paper substrate is presented. As the component size on the original Arduino Mini is too small; a redesign on Eagle has been performed. Following on from this, the pattern is printed using a DMP ink-jet printer and a comparison of path resistance shows that the path re-sistance after sintering (thermal heating: 110 °C, 15 Minutes) dropped by almost a half as compared to that without sintering. Meanwhile, four different kinds of material were evaluated by mounting via holes and different types of components. The experimental results indicate that 3M 9705 Conductive tape is the optimal material for mounting the chip Atmega 328P-AU, moreover conductive epoxy is the first-ranked mate-rial for mounting via hole and other types of components. Finally, the circuit is evaluated by means of +5V power source, +3V soft battery and +6V soft battery and this showed that when the circuit is powered by +5V power source and +6V soft battery, the LED on board can lights up. The +3V battery is not able to light up the LED because of the low cur-rent through the whole circuit.


The dependence of the matrix element of the probability of interprotein electron transfer on the mutual orientation of the donor and acceptor centers and the distance between them was calculated. The calculations were made under the assumption that electron transfer proceeds mainly by a collective excitation of polaron nature, like a solvated electron state. The results obtained are consistent with experimental data and indicate the nonexponential behavior of this dependence in the case when the distance transfer is less than 20 A.


This document defines a mobility extension to the Host Identity
Protocol (HIP). Specifically, this document defines a "LOCATOR_SET"
parameter for HIP messages that allows for a HIP host to notify peers
about alternate addresses at which it may be reached. This document
also defines how the parameter can be used to preserve communications
across a change to the IP address used by one or both peer hosts. The
same LOCATOR_SET parameter can also be used to support end-host
multihoming (as specified in RFC 8047). This document obsoletes RFC
5206.


The objective of this paper is combining Genetic Algorithm and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) neural network for Eigenvalue Grads Method (EGM) to estimate the number of sources in wireless mobile communications. The Eigenvalue Grads Method (EGM) is a popular method for estimation the number of sources impinging on an array of sensors, which is a problem of great interest in wireless mobile communications. This paper proposed a new system to estimate the number of sources by applying the output of genetic algorithm and PCA neural network with Complex Generalized Hebbian algorithm (CGHA) to EGM technique. In the proposed model, the initial weight and learning rate values for CGHA neural network can be selected automatically by using Genetic algorithm. The result of computer simulation for proposed system showed good response by fast converge speed for neural network , efficiency and yield the correct number of the sources. The important feature of new system is that, the PCA of covariance matrix are calculated based on CGHA neural network instead of determining the covariance matrix because computation of covariance matrix is time consuming.


Adsorption of three sulfonamide antimicrobials to clay minerals was investigated as a function of pH, ionic strength, and type of exchangeable cation. Sulfonamide antimicrobial adsorption exhibited pronounced pH dependence consistent with sorbate speciation and clay properties. Sulfonamide antimicrobials did not intercalate into montmorillonite, and surface charge density influenced sorption by determining adsorption domain size. Adsorption edge data were best fit to a model including terms for the cationic and uncharged species. Adsorption of uncharged sulfamethazine to montmorillonite was relatively insensitive to pH, ionic strength, and type of exchangeable cation, while that to kaolinite was highly sensitive to ionic strength. Adsorption of cationic sulfamethazine to montmorillonite exceeded that of the neutral species by 1-2 orders of magnitude, but was unimportant for kaolinite atthe pH values examined. Cation exchange appeared to contribute to sorption of cationic sulfonamide species to montmorillonite. Anionic sulfamethazine adsorption was negligible. The nature of the sulfonamide R group influenced the degree of adsorption of cationic and neutral species. Our results highlight the importance of considering sulfonamide speciation and clay surface charge density in predicting the transport of these antimicrobials.


For strongly non-linear and high-dimensional inverse problems, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods may fail to properly explore the posterior probability density function (PDF) given a realistic computational budget and are generally poorly amenable to parallelization. Particle methods approximate the posterior PDF using the states and weights of a population of evolving particles and they are very well suited to parallelization. We focus on adaptive sequential Monte Carlo (ASMC), an extension of annealed importance sampling (AIS). In AIS and ASMC, importance sampling is performed over a sequence of intermediate distributions, known as power posteriors, linking the prior to the posterior PDF. The AIS and ASMC algorithms also provide estimates of the evidence (marginal likelihood) as needed for Bayesian model selection, at basically no additional cost. ASMC performs better than AIS as it adaptively tunes the tempering schedule and performs resampling of particles when the variance of the particle weights becomes too large. We consider a challenging synthetic groundwater transport inverse problem with a categorical channelized 2D hydraulic conductivity field defined such that the posterior facies distribution includes two distinct modes. The model proposals are obtained by iteratively re-simulating a fraction of the current model using conditional multiple-point statistics (MPS) simulations. We examine how ASMC explores the posterior PDF and compare with results obtained with parallel tempering (PT), a state-of-the-art MCMC inversion approach that runs multiple interacting chains targeting different power posteriors. For a similar computational budget, ASMC outperforms PT as the ASMC-derived models fit the data better and recover the reference likelihood. Moreover, we show that ASMC partly retrieves both posterior modes, while none of them is recovered by PT. Lastly, we demonstrate how the power posteriors obtained by ASMC can be used to assess the influence of the assumed data errors on the posterior means and variances, as well as on the evidence. We suggest that ASMC can advantageously replace MCMC for solving many challenging inverse problems arising in the field of water resources.


Ecosystem management is emerging as an important concept in managing forests. Although the basic conceptual idea is not new, important defining principles are developing that elucidate some of the specific attributes of ecosystem management. These principles include: the maintenance of all ecosystems in the managed forest, rhe emulation of natural disturbance patterns on rhe landscape and the insurance that structure and function of forested ecosystems are conserved. Forest management has an impact on woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), although the presence of wolves (Canis lupus) and moose (Alces alces) in the same northern ecosystems also affects the caribou-forestry interacrion. Specific management for caribou as a featured species has been proposed, based on managing large landscape blocks. Ecosystem management would also produce habitat in a manner that might accomplish the goal of conserving woodland caribou as well as maintaining other important ecosystem functions.


Over the past decade, several CO2 emissions trading schemes have been introduced around the world. The first, and by far largest scheme, is the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Despite early hopes that the scheme could seriously trigger investments in greenhouse gas reduction technologies around Europe, its ability to do so has fallen far below prior expectations. Policymakers now face the challenging task to revitalize the EU ETS and bring its ability to trigger investment in line with policy objectives. In this thesis, we take a closer look at the performance drivers of the EU ETS by developing a dynamic stochastic simulation model of the scheme. Based on the analysis with that model, we offer several policy recommendations that can help to align the EU ETS performance more closely with the policy objectives of the EU and its individual member-states. First, we take the perspective of potential investors in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to assess to what extent the EU ETS is able to structurally trigger investments in such capital intensive technologies with a high lead time. We test the impact of both the current EU ETS design, as well as amended designs, on the scope for investments in CCS. Subsequently, we examine to what extent the performance of the EU ETS incentive is affected by instruments that have been introduced in parallel to the scheme.


Forced convection heat transfer of supercritical carbon dioxide in circular horizontal tube, d = 8.7 mm, at relatively high Reynolds number (2×104 < Re < 105) is investigated. Experiments are carried out at two mass flow rates of 0.011 and 0.014 kg/s, for fluid inlet temperatures from 20 to 70°C, system pressures from 75 to 90 bar and constant heat flux of 20 kW/m2. Averaged heat transfer coefficients at several locations are obtained to investigate the influence of the fluid bulk temperature and pressure, respectively, on the forced convection heat transfer in the tube. The, the experimental results are then compared with a widely used empirical correlation. The results indicate that the effect of buoyancy on the heat transfer coefficient cannot be ignored in the near-critical and pseudocritical regions of fluid in this flow geometry. This dependency is believed to be due to the extreme dependence of fluid properties to temperature and pressure in this region.© 2012 ASME


The demand for wireless communications services has increased the amount of spectrum resources required, promoting research interest in dynamic spectrum allocation schemes. There exist many promising solutions to allocate spectrum on a dynamic basis in order to get an efficient spectrum usage. One particular form is auction mechanism, tailored for allocating transmission rights on a short term basis to provide efficient allocation of scarce resources. However, most existing approaches are focused on homogeneous settings where all channels are treated as if they have the same propagation characteristics. In this work we consider two distributed auction schemes; sequential and concurrent, based on sequential ascending and combinatorial bidding, respectively, taking into account the propagation conditions of the channels (heterogeneous settings). The performance of these schemes is compared to two reference cases: (i) distributed homogeneous channels allocation (channel-agnostic case), and (ii) the centralized allocation scheme. Experimental results suggest that auction mechanisms which take into account the channel characteristics improve spectrum utilization under energy constraint. For wireless cellular networks with high unit energy cost (low coverage) concurrent access gives a better utilization of the spectrum and energy resources with higher service providers utility.


In times of drought, the availability of feed is reduced, and the use of concentrate ingredients, such as wheat bran, becomes costly for animal production. Thus, the use of spineless cactus emerges as a potential solution to the shortage of feed and water during prolonged drought periods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing wheat bran with spineless cactus plus urea (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) in sugarcane-based diets for sheep on nutrient intake, feeding behaviour, nitrogen balance and microbial protein synthesis. Five male Santa Ines sheep with average initial bodyweight of 34.0 ± 3.6 kg were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square. The maximum intakes of dry matter (DM) (1414 g/day), organic matter (OM) (1281 g/day), crude protein (CP) (204 g/day), neutral detergent fibre corrected for ash and protein (NDFap) (425 g/day), and total digestible nutrients (TDN) (890 g/day) were estimated with replacement levels of 80.2%, 75.3%, 88.6%, 50.5%, and 79.3% respectively. Feeding behaviour was not altered by replacing wheat bran with spineless cactus plus urea. Nitrogen retention increased by 0.10 g/day, while plasmatic urea nitrogen increased by 0.20 mg/day for every 1% level of replacement. The maximum production of microbial nitrogen (15.9 g/day) and microbial protein synthesis (99.4 g/day) were estimated with replacement levels of 45.8 and 45.7%, respectively. It is concluded that up to 80% wheat bran could be replaced with spineless cactus plus urea in sugarcane-based diets for sheep. Keywords: Alternative feed, drought, feeding behaviour, intake, microbial protein


This paper explores Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan's performance art piece Lesbian National Parks and Services, in which they enact the persona of lesbian park rangers. After investigating ways that white European settler surveyors and early park rangers formulated a narrative of Canadian wilderness embedded with colonialism and heteronormativity, this paper questions how Dempsey and Millan subvert these myths with their effective enactment of the park ranger persona. Dempsey and Millan's ventures into the frontiers of the previously uncharted lesbian wilds thus serve to redo what the original park wardens and surveyors did, but this time without the omission of their own queer identities. Finally, this paper considers how we might move even further into this frontier—away from the masculinist colonial construction of Canadian wilderness, toward a narrative of nature shaped by desire, including queer desire.


In order to increase the efficiency of the solar photovoltaic (PV) system, accurate electrical modeling of the system under different environmental conditions is necessary. The double-diode electrical model of solar PV is known to be more accurate than its single diode model counterpart since it takes into account the effect of recombination. However, because of its nonlinear characteristics, the parameters of the double-diode model (DDM) have to be identified using optimization algorithms. In this paper, the wind-driven optimization (WDO) algorithm is proposed as a potential new method for identifying the parameters of a 12-parameter DDM of the solar PV. The accuracy and flexibility of the proposed method are verified using three different sets of data: first, experimental data at the controlled environmental condition; second, data sheet values of different solar PV modules; and third, real-time experimental data at the uncontrolled environmental condition. Additionally, the performance of the WDO is compared with other well-known existing optimization techniques. The obtained results show that the WDO algorithm can provide optimized values with reduced mean absolute error in power and reduced root mean square error for different types of solar PV modules at different environmental conditions. We show that the WDO can be confidently recommended as a reliable optimization algorithm for parameter estimation of solar PV model.


Within Religious Education in the Irish post primary sector, there is little evidence of smartphone use for supporting mobile learning. This research aims to address this shortcoming by exploring our experience of smartphone microblogging supporting mobile learning. A participatory action research (PAR) methodology was employed. Research participants involved one teacher-researcher and a hundred and five first year post primary students of Religious Education from an Educational Training Board (ETB) school. A mixed method design was employed using both quantitative and qualitative data from pre and post online surveys, pre and post-research questionnaires, focus groups, online posts from Edmodo and the teacher-researcher's own reflective journal. The research question was 'What were our experiences of smartphone microblogging supporting mobile learning on 'Images of God?' 'Images of God' is a module from the Junior Certificate Religious Education syllabus. Mobile learning was defined as consisting of three aspects: the device, learner and social aspect as theorised in Koole's (2009) Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) model. First, the device aspect of mobile learning examined Edmodo's technical challenges and conveniences as well as measuring research participants' perceptions through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) research instrument (Davis 1989). Second, the learner aspect of mobile learning explored students' use of Edmodo for supporting cognitive learning, collaborative learning and deeper learning within post primary Religious Education. Third, the social aspect of mobile learning investigated Edmodo as a virtual learning community and a safe space for the students to disclose and discuss their personal images of God that included agnostic and atheist worldviews. The social aspect also provided an insight into suitable pedagogy stemming from relevant mobile learning theories for supporting smartphone microblogging. This research concluded with recommendations for practising smartphone microblogging for supporting mobile learning within post primary Religious Education.


Entomological indices based on larval surveillance methods are not sensitive enough to accurately monitor Aedes aegypti population densities in areas differing in levels of infestation. Here, we present and discuss results obtained from a pilot program using a new approach, the Monitoring System and Population Control of Aedes aegypti (SMCPAedes), based on spatial information technology utilizing data on the spatial and temporal distribution of Aedes. The SMCP-Aedes data was continuously generated by a set of sentinel-ovitraps (OVT-S) in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe and Ipojuca urban areas, two municipalities of Pernambuco, Brazil, which have different patterns of settlement and biogeography. The first results, recorded in June 2008, showed that both areas were highly infested by A. aegypti, with more than 90% of OVT-S positive for A. aegypti, and detected densities of 1223 eggs/OVT-S/month in Sta Cruz and 561.2 eggs/OVT-S/month in Ipojuca. A significant reduction in population densities to 363.5 eggs/OVT-S/month and 138.6 eggs/OVT-S/month, respectively, was observed after six rounds of control intervention consisting of massive egg elimination using 8,000 control-ovitraps (OVT-C). Over this period, approximately 5 million eggs and 2,700 adult mosquitoes were removed from those areas. The strategies and tools used in the SMCP-Aedes allowed us to quantify the active population of A. aegypti, indicating periods and places of higher human exposure to the mosquito. The instruments used for mechanical removal of eggs and adults are effective and can be integrated in a sustainable control program.


The Gulf of Maine northern shrimp Pandalus borealis population once supported a significant commercial winter fishery for the New England states. However, the fishery has been on moratorium since 2014 due to consecutive recruitment failures. The issue of parasite-infected eggs, so-called 'white eggs,' has long been identified for the Gulf of Maine northern shrimp, which makes shrimp eggs nonviable and subsequently hampers the recruitment potential. Furthermore, the proportion of infected females was observed to increase with water temperature. As Gulf of Maine temperatures have been increasing for decades, it is important to re-visit issues related to white eggs to evaluate possible impacts of climate-induced environmental changes on the white egg infection rates. We used biological samples collected by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in 2012-2016 to evaluate the probability that a female shrimp was infected (Pinf) and the proportion of white eggs in an infected female shrimp (pwe). Although Pinf was high, with an average of 73.81% over the Gulf of Maine, pwe was mostly <5%. The variation in both Pinf and pwe examined in this study was not well explained by environmental factors or female body size. However, the average rates of both Pinf and pwe observed in this study were higher than those observed in the 1960s when the bottom temperatures were cooler. The results can be used to account for egg mortality and provide information on potential impacts of possible climate-induced variability on shrimp population dynamics.


Trust is a construct that is dynamic, dyadic, deep in scope and wide in breadth. A new model of interpersonal trust called the Framework for Trust Management (FTM) builds on established models of trust and behavior, amalgamating important constructs and sub-constructs into a new dyadic and dynamic model. This new model hasn't had its scales validated, nor has its survey been tested for parsimony. Additionally, a gap in the literature has been identified, in which most studies into trust do so generally, without looking at specific contexts or sub-populations. Using Exploratory Factor Analysis and data gathered from 271 Ryerson University students and employees at a staffing company, I looked at which questions in the survey represented their respective sub-constructs, how many extracted factors matched their theorized sub-constructs, whether I can increase parsimony by trimming the survey, and what the similarities and differences were between the two groups of respondents.


Attention, learning and emotional problems can have different causes that cannot be easily and clearly distinguished by clinical testing methods. But, QEEG and, even more so, live 19-channel Z-score training under different task conditions can both give very detailed insights about the specific functioning and dysregulations of an individual's brain. The clinical intake evaluation of the child is optimized by including a quantitative, neurometric analysis of an eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) EEG acquisition combined with a real-time analysis of the child's (in vivo) brain functioning during a specific set of conditions, as described below. This method was developed and refined with more than 300 children who were tested between June 2012 and April 2014. The goal is to get as much information as possible in only one session lasting 45 to 60 minutes.  The different parts of the evaluation consist of: eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) collection of data, display of the actual brain waves, listing of the Z-score values (also presented as plots or instant brain maps with different task conditions), followed by games to play with a challenge condition. In addition, current source density (CSD) sLORETA of the different wave frequencies (usually delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands), distribution and velocity are shown as they change, as well as when the brain evaluates emotions.  The session ends with a brief, individual 19-channel training with video feedback.  Because of the usefulness of the information obtained from using this QEEG method, the author recommends that QEEG and an interactive neurofeedback session be included as a standard component in the diagnosis of and treatment planning for children with attention, learning and emotional problems.


The prediction and experimental confirmation of a previously unsuspected kinetic effect occurring in electro- lyte solutions are presented herein. Kinetic polarization defi- ciency may be described as a reduction, with respect to the pure solvent, in the static permittivity of the solution; the decrement in Co is shown to be proportional to the product of the dielectric relaxation time of the solvent and the low frequency conduc- tivity of the solution. The kinetic ion-solvent interaction affects the capacitive admittance in two closely related ways: as an ion migrates, the surrounding volume elements of the liquid tend to rotate according to the laws of hydrodynamics, and although dielectric relaxation tends to restore an equilibrium polarization appropriate to the local electric field, this adjustwmmnt is not instantaneous; rather it lags behind by the dielectric relaxation time. Conversely, the force that an external field exerts on an ion does not develop its full strength instantly because the ion is driven partly by the external field and partly by the polar- ization that develops in response to the applied field, the po- larization field evolving with a time constant that is the relax- ation time for the orientation of solvent dipoles. -~~~~~~~~~~~ 2Fel = |D + (v 2 V)PD + 2PDX(VX (2) KD ?t 2


Combining unilateral denervation of anterior tongue taste buds with a low-sodium diet in rats results in a rapid, dramatic, and selective attenuation of neurophysiological sodium taste responses from the intact side of the tongue. The transduction pathway responsible for the attenuated response is through the epithelial sodium channel (Hill and Phillips, 1994). Current experiments extend these findings by detailing the effects of experimentally induced injury on taste responses from anterior tongue taste receptors in sodium-restricted rats. Experiments focused on functional salt taste responses from the intact chorda tympani nerve in sodium-restricted rats in which a gustatory nerve was sectioned that innervates the anterior tongue (chorda tympani), the posterior tongue (glossopharyngeal), or palatal taste receptors (greater superficial petrosal) or in which a nongustatory nerve was sectioned that also has its target in the anterior tongue (trigeminal). An additional group was studied that received thermal injury to the anteroventral tongue. Substantial and selective suppression of sodium salt responses occurred in a graded manner generally related to the distance from the target field of the injury to anterior tongue taste buds. The order of effectiveness was: chorda tympani section > trigeminal section > thermal injury = glossopharyngeal section > greater superficial petrosal section. These results support the hypothesis that local, diffusible factors liberated from immune-derived cells as a result of neural and/or epithelial damage are involved in regulating the transduction pathway responsible for sodium salt sensation, and that these factors may become evident through dietary sodium restriction.


This paper studies optimal tracking performance issues for multi-input-multi-output linear time-invariant systems under networked control with limited bandwidth and additive colored white Gaussian noise channel. The tracking performance is measured by control input energy and the energy of the error signal between the output of the system and the reference signal with respect to a Brownian motion random process. This paper focuses on two kinds of network parameters, the basic network parameter-bandwidth and the additive colored white Gaussian noise, and studies the tracking performance limitation problem. The best attainable tracking performance is obtained, and the impact of limited bandwidth and additive colored white Gaussian noise of the communication channel on the attainable tracking performance is revealed. It is shown that the optimal tracking performance depends on nonminimum phase zeros, gain at all frequencies and their directions unitary vector of the given plant, as well as the limited bandwidth and additive colored white Gaussian noise of the communication channel. The simulation results are finally given to illustrate the theoretical results.


Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is degraded in an ATP-dependent manner in vitro by the 26 S proteasome in the presence of antizyme, an ODC destabilizing protein induced by polyamines. In the present study we examined whether the proteasome catalyses ODC degradation in living mammalian cells. Lactacystin, the most selective proteasome inhibitor, strongly inhibited the degradation of ODC that had been induced in hepatoma tissue-culture (HTC) cells by refeeding with fresh medium. Furthermore the inhibitor inhibited the rapid degradation of ODC that had been induced by hypotonic shock. Interestingly, hypertonic shock was found to increase the proportion of OD present as a complex with antizyme (the ratio of ODC-antizyme complex to total ODC). Cycloheximide, which partly inhibited rapid ODC degradation caused by hypertonic shock, also part inhibited the increase in the ratio of ODC-antizyme complex total ODC. These results suggest that a common ODC degradation pathway, namely the antizyme-dependent and 26 proteasome-catalysed ODC degradation pathway, is also operating in intact cells for osmoregulated ODC degradation.


This paper illustrates various digital-nature artefacts, which emerged from a reflective design journey to enhance and support novel connections to nature in a garden. The research imperative is to explore possibilities for the design of digital technologies for changing people's interpretation of a National Trust garden, encouraging encounters through the artefacts that take visitors off the garden path and reawaken them to the "presence" of the garden. The process began with an exploration of the criticisms and possibilities of technologies suggested within the writings of Heidegger, Borgmann and Feenberg, which were complemented by insights from natural history writers such as Deakin. These writings guided the design sensibilities for the creation of a collection of interpretation artefacts including Audio Apples, Rhubaphones and a Nature Meditation Egg. Much of the work was situated in a Walled Kitchen Garden managed by National Trust. Research through design complements the research philosophy because it demands space for reflection and conversation, and enables inclusion of different voices within the design journey. The methodology has helped address the question of whether a design lens that begins with criticism of technology can change the way we design, and the artefacts produced.


were undergoing endoscopy for clinical reasons. These patients were of similar age distribution to the study group (their mean age was 61). No patient had active ulceration at the time of endoscopy. The question is, therefore, whether or not it is ethical to do gastric biopsies on patients with previous duodenal ulceration during routine endoscopies to look for premalignant lesions or early gastric cancer.


The growing interest in energy efficient and sustainable technologies has created significant demand for novel heat transfer and thermal energy storage materials, such as nanofluids. The importance of nanoparticle science cannot be underestimated, since the motivation for the manipulation, through nanoparticle addition, of the properties of existing thermofluids (e.g. molten salt) arises from their poor thermal properties which represent a major limitation to the development of more energy-efficient processes. In this work, consideration is given to investigating the role of heat transfer in nanofluids in three-dimensional flows using an advanced computational modelling approach to simulate such flows. In the present work, we use direct numerical simulation coupled with a Lagrangian particle tracking technique. The heat transfer behaviour of a nanofluid within a turbulent wall-bounded flow is investigated, with the fluid phase properties chosen to represent a solar molten salt (NaNO3-KNO3, 60:40 weight ratio) thermofluid typical of those present in solar thermal power plants. The configuration is a fully developed channel flow with uniform heating/cooling from both walls. The continuous phase is modelled using the open source spectral element-based solver, Nek5000. Predictions of a statistically steady turbulent channel flow at shear Reynolds number Reτ = 180 and high turbulent Prandtl number Prt = 5.0 are first obtained and validated. A particle tracking routine is implemented to simulate the dispersed phase which can accommodate one-, two- and four-way coupling between the fluid and discrete phases. To investigate the effect of particles on the turbulent heat flux and temperature field, the nanoparticle concentration response to temperature variations and turbulence is obtained across the channel, with the associated first and second-order flow and temperature field statistics presented. The advantage of the model developed is its ability to study in detail phenomena such as interparticle collisions, agglomeration, turbophoresis and thermophoresis, with the approach also being of value in investigations of the heat transfer performance and long-term thermal stability of nanoparticle dispersions which as yet have not been considered in detail. The outcome of this study allows conclusions to be reached regarding the implications of nanoparticle-seeded molten salts for solar thermal energy storage systems.


Ventricular fibrillation (VF) after releasing an aortic cross clamp in patients undergoing open heart surgery procedures is not rare. Ischemia-reperfusion injury after release of the aortic clamp, increased adrenergic tone, and insufficient protection of the myocardium are the possible causes. Amiodarone, lidocaine, and beta blockers have been added to the cardioplegia solutions as a preventive measure for reperfusion VF. We report a case of life-threatening, shock-resistant VF during the weaning period of a cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in a 61-year-old male who underwent a mitral valve repair surgery for mitral valve regurgitation. After several defibrillation attempts, refractory VF was turned to normal sinus rhythm shortly after ultra-short acting, beta blocking agent esmolol administration. CPB was terminated successfully following this. In conclusion, VF is still a major problem for clinicians and the treatment of refractory VF is not well defined. In contrast with the absence of the sufficient randomized controlled human studies, theoretically beta blockers could be a choice alternative for shock refractory VF.


The relationship between creativity and androgyny was studied in 163 women and men with the Creative Functioning Test (CFT) and the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). A 2 (femininity: high/low) x 2 (masculinity: high/low) x 2 (sex) ANOVA was conducted on subjects' CFT scores. A significant interaction effect between femininity and masculinity was found showing that subjects high on both femininity and masculinity (androgynous) and low on both scales (undifferentiated) reached higher CFT scores than female-typed and male-typed subjects. Further, a significant three-way interaction including sex of subject indicated that the former two-way interaction was accounted for by men only.


The advent of globalization has resulted in extensive global economic opportunities for many countries around the world. Most countries, fueled by the desire for survival and the spectacle of historical excess, accept various plans, programs and agreements available for trade and economic improvement. The cycle of working through the same processes of signing agreements and paying back loans continues for developing countries, such as the countries making up the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), even as their economic situation remains the same or hardly improves. Since the objective is survival, the outcomes indicate a need for evaluation of the benefits and consequences of this excess history. This article presents the struggle for survival experienced by the countries making up the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). Through an analysis of historical excess we present the impact of the assistance on the struggle of CARICOM countries to survive. Nietzsche's critical species of history is used to re-situate and re-story the history of survival for these countries.


In the time span of just a few years, wireless networking has emerged from a novelty to revolution. The speed with which wireless networking has caught on is not surprising owing to large bandwidth and range of several hundred feet Moreover multiple wireless access points can be easily installed on same network to cover more areas. Our main challenge in design of these networks is their exposure to security attacks. Routing protocols for wireless networks are still an active research area. There is no single standard routing protocol. Therefore we aim to consider common security threats into account to provide guidelines to secure routing protocols. In this paper a study has been carried out for the threats on wireless networks and security goals to be achieved.


Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) is characterised by elevated systolic (SBP) and somewhat lowered diastolic blood pressure (DBP). ISH occurs predominantly in elderly hypertensives as a result of aortic stiffness, which increases with age. Elevated SBP and even more so widened pulse pressure (PP=SBP-DBP) are recognised as important risk factors for stroke and ischaemic heart disease. ISH therefore requires consistent drug therapy, combined with lifestyle advice. It is important to lower SBP without reducing DBP too much, in order to avoid a further widening of the PP.

Large-scale intervention studies (SHEP, SYST-EUR, SYST-China, and INSIGHT) have demonstrated that thiazide diuretics and calcium antagonists are the drugs of choice to protect against stroke and MI. ACE inhibitors, AT1-blockers and omapatrilate may be considered because of their haemodynamic effects and their additional benefit in patients with heart failure or diabetes. Nitrates and NO-donors reduce SBP more than DBP because of their effects on the large conduit arteries. Spironolactone is of potential interest since it may reduce aortic stiffness.


Abstract This paper investigates pedestrians' traffic gap acceptance for mid-block street crossing in urban areas. A field survey was carried out at an uncontrolled mid-block location in Athens, Greece. Pedestrians' decisions and traffic conditions were videotaped in terms of the size of traffic gaps rejected or accepted, waiting times and crossing attempts and vehicle speeds. A lognormal regression model was developed to examine pedestrian gap acceptance. It was found that gap acceptance was better explained by the distance from the incoming vehicle, rather than its speed. Other significant effects included illegal parking, presence of other pedestrians and incoming vehicles' size. A binary logistic regression model was developed to examine the effect of traffic gaps and other parameters on pedestrians' decisions to cross the street or not. The results reveal that this decision is affected by the distance from the incoming vehicles and the waiting times of pedestrians.


The relationship between a predator and its prey is multifaceted and this study aims to expand one of the keystone concepts within predator prey interactions. The spatial and temporal changes in a prey animal's behaviour when there is a perceived risk of predation.
Hyrax, a small African mammal, plays an integral role in rocky habitats as a key food source for many predators. The purpose of this study was to test the impact of predation on hyrax using giving-up density (GUD) experiments to establish a landscape of fear. Due to the absence of interaction from the hyrax with the GUD experiments a camera trapping protocol was implemented to collect behavioural data on hyrax in the Soutpansberg Mountains in northern South Africa.
The study aimed to test a number of conclusions made in the literature about hyrax including their classification as a diurnal species, the potential for nocturnal activity and the impact of predation on the diel cycle. Behavioural plasticity with respect to seasonal and environmental changes is also explored including the extent to which they display behavioural thermoregulation.
Hyrax showed nocturnal activity with 8.4% of activity occurring within the dark hours of the 24-hour period but the level of predation pressure may be limiting the level of nocturnality. Hyraxes were also significantly impacted by environmental variables. Activity increased with temperature in all four seasons and rainfall had an immediate effect of reducing activity. It was shown that hyrax demonstrate site specific activity that is consistent over time but can vary within a location.
This study is novel in its methods for studying hyrax and has presented new information on this understudied species that may have far reaching implications for future studies on hyrax and their predators.


This article analyse the new trends in cultural tourism, namely at the Portuguese Algarve region. Algarve is internationally known as a "Sun & Beach" destination. However, the new trends in Algarve tourism are associated with segments linked to unique and local aspects, such as: the landscape, the gastronomy, the rural and the urban heritage. Actually, the local culture consists an important variable to improve satisfaction and to create experiences for the Algarve visitors. The accessible tourism is a segment referenced in the Algarve tourism strategy. The project "Accessible beaches/beaches for all", the "Requalification Plan of Vilamoura Downtown Resort" and the "Municipality Local Plan of Accessibility of the Portimao City" are some examples of accessible tourism implemented in Algarve. In this domain, one promotes the physical and psychological accessibility in public spaces by applying "universal design" principles. Responding to the consumers' needs, several cultural venues in Algarve have implemented measures to accessible good practices. These measures include the historical and heritage buildings accessibility, providing a better mobility in Algarve cities. With this article we also intend to analyse the state of art of the accessibility in cultural tourism as well as to understand the importance given at accessible cultural tourism for the development of Algarve tourism industry.


The Cretaceous family Cretapsychidae Wichard, 2021 belongs to the superfamily Sericostomatoidea Stephens, 1836 and is characterized by the five-segmented maxillary palps, with the second segment being the longest and the following three segments becoming successively smaller, and the tibial spur formula 2/2/4. In addition, the wing venation is characterized by apical forks II, III, and V in the forewings and forks I, III, and V in the hindwings. The two newly described species (C. kachini sp. nov. and C. myanmari sp. nov.) extend the genus Cretapsyche Wichard, Neumann, Müller & Wang, 2018 to six extinct species, all of which were found in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber from Kachin State, Myanmar.


Semi-controlled artificial incubation methods of crocodile eggs use low technology devices where one or more parameters cannot be controlled, but with the advantage that they are less expensive and logistically more feasible. This study evaluated the effect of different artificial incubation depths on the hatching success of eggs of Crocodylus acutus, under semi-controlled conditions, and analyzed biometric data of the hatchlings. The crocodile nests were collected from sandbanks of the two rivers (Río Negro and Río Santa Rosa), both located at Machiques de Perijá, Zulia state, Venezuela. The results showed a significant and positive effect on hatching success when the eggs were buried at 2 cm depth, compared to those at 10 cm and 20 cm. The hatching success at 2 cm depth was 82.43%. Also, we found that the size and weight of the hatchlings, as well as the relationships between these biometric variables, depend on the place of origin of the nests. The highest hatching percentage obtained at 2 cm was probably due to the effect of optimal incubation temperatures at this depth. The isolation and controlled heating system of the incubation room would prevent extreme fluctuations in temperature, favoring greater hatching at 2 cm depth. Differences in the biometric aspects of the hatchlings could be associated with differences in the size and the physiological status of the females from both sites.


Although originally considered merely structural components of cellular membranes, glycosphingolipids (GSL) are now recognized as having critical effects on cellular physiology, including proliferation, differentiation, viral transformation and ontogenesis. In addition, a vast majority of human cancers have modified GSL composition compared to parental normal cells. These modifications may contribute to both tumor survival and exert striking effects on anti-tumor immunity. In this review, we discuss mechanisms of immune modulation by tumor-secreted GSL.


A randomized crossover study was designed using the chronically instrumented pregnant sheep preparation to study the possible effects of epidural injection of adrenaline as a single compound on the circulation of mother and fetus. Three consecutive identical doses of adrenaline were administered epidurally with a 30 min interval between treatments. In a randomized crossover fashion two dosages (10 and 15 micrograms) were tested on different days. The day after the last epidural experiment the same doses of adrenaline were given intravenously (i.v.). Between the two i.v. doses a 30 min interval was allowed for values to return to baseline. Twenty-seven experiments were performed in eight ewes. Epidural administration of adrenaline did not affect maternal mean arterial pressure, maternal heart rate, uterine blood flow, fetal mean arterial pressure, fetal heat rate, or maternal and fetal blood gases and acid-base status. After i.v. administration of adrenaline the uterine blood flow decreased in a dose-dependent fashion, but the other haemodynamic variables were not affected. In conclusion, this study indicates that consecutive epidural injections of adrenaline have no significant effect on maternal and fetal haemodynamic responses, uterine blood flow, blood gases and acid-base status in the gravid ewe. However, an i.v. injection of 10 or 15 micrograms adrenaline decreases the uterine blood flow and could compromise the fetus.


Bonded repair offers significant advantages over mechanically fastened repair schemes as it eliminates local stress concentrations and seals the interface between the mother structure and the patch. However, it is particularly difficult to assess the efficiency of the bonded repair as well as its performance during service loads. Thermography is a particularly attractive technique for the particular application as it is a non-contact, wide field non destructive method. Phase thermography is also offering the advantage of depth discrimination in layered structures such as in typical patch repairs particularly in the case where composites are used. Lock-in thermography offers the additional advantage of on line monitoring of the loaded structure and subsequently the real time evolution of any progressive debonding which may lead to critical failure of the patched repair. In this study composite systems (CFRP plates) with artificially introduced defects (PTFE) were manufactured. The aforementioned methods were employed in order to assess the efficiency of the thermographic technique. The obtained results were compared with typical C-scans.


The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most widespread organic environmental pollutants. PAHs are found in motor vehicle exhaust. Some PAHs are found in medicines, dyes, plastics, pesticide, naphthalene balls and wood preservatives. The compounds under the presences of Sun light generally activated and inhibited the cell growth. Hence the present investigation was focused on the maintenances and culturing of NIH-3T3 and L-929 cell lines derived from mouse fibroblast as well as the phototoxicity assessment of PAHs compounds (Anthracene and Benzanthrone) in these cell lines. Monolayer culture of cell lines was grown in DMEM culture medium. Live cells were attached in cryovial check surface and dead cell was mixed in the medium and rise up on the upper layer on the medium. The result showed that the singlet oxygen (1O2) generation by benzanthrone (5-50 ppm) and Anthracene (20-50 ppm) showed the phototoxicity under the exposure of UV-A (5.76 J/cm2), UV-B (2.16 J/cm2) and sunlight 60 min. Rose Bengal (50 ppm) was used as the positive control. Benzanthrone generated the more amount of singlet oxygen as compared to Anthracene while Benzanthrone generated more superoxide as compared to Anthracene.


The Chinese rail transportation system has been going through a period of rapid improvement and innovation. Despite this rapid development, the railroad lines are far from meeting the country's expanding travel and freight transportation needs. According to some recent estimates, the current systems meet only 35 percent of the freight orders on a typical day. The shortfall has significant negative economic impact on many sectors of the economy. During major national holidays and festivals, getting a railway ticket and making the trip are major endeavors for travelers. As a national response to these gaps between capacities and needs, the government is investing heavily in the rail transportation system. This rapid expansion is bringing significant opportunities as well as challenges to both academia and industry. The next-generation Chinese rail transportation system will require major advances in related technologies. Intelligent rail transportation systems represent a critical enabling framework