We study the stellar populations of Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) host galaxies using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)-II spectroscopy. The main focus is on the relationships of SN Ia properties with stellar velocity dispersion and the stellar population parameters age, metallicity and element abundance ratios. We concentrate on a sub-sample of 84 SNe Ia from the SDSS-II Supernova Survey and find that SALT2 stretch factor values show the strongest dependence on stellar population age. Hence, more luminous SNe Ia appear in younger stellar progenitor systems. No statistically significant trends in the Hubble residual with any of the stellar population parameters studied are found. Moreover, the method of photometric stellar mass derivation affects the Hubble residual–mass relationship. For an extended sample (247 objects), including SNe Ia with SDSS host galaxy photometry only, the Hubble residual–mass relationship behaves as a sloped step function. In the high-mass regime, probed by our host spectroscopy sample, this relationship is flat. Below a stellar mass of ∼2 × 1010 M⊙, i.e. close to the evolutionary transition mass of low-redshift galaxies, the trend changes dramatically such that lower mass galaxies possess lower luminosity SNe Ia after light-curve corrections. The sloped step function of the Hubble residual–mass relationship should be accounted for when using stellar mass as a further parameter for minimizing the Hubble residuals.


In meeting the changing demands of authenticity and visibility in social media, performances of identity and connections are discussed to entail new sociotechnical labours and digital literacies. Research has looked into the construction and presentation of celebrity identities, in light of these developments, but has paid little attention on the celebrities' experiences and perspectives, which is also due to the lack of willingness of industry insiders in this culturally sensitive business to be interviewed and genuinely talk about its problems. Twelve in-depth interviews with celebrities and entertainment industry practitioners were conducted between 2014 and 2015. Particularly, this article draws on the cases of two established celebrities in Hong Kong and China, and assesses how and why they were unable to actively construct and perform their preferred media identities, highlighting the blurring boundaries among traditional celebrities, micro-celebrities and ordinary people for their construction of online identities through social media, and also elucidating the opportunities and challenges posed by today's evolving media environment. We argue that social media only superficially open up a site of counter-narratives for celebrities to resist the identities imposed on them by the mainstream media and online audiences. The interviewed celebrities' contradictory experiences in their self-presentations in social media offer alternative angles to understanding the incoherent and unstable celebrity identity production processes, the blurring boundaries between celebrities and ordinary people through such processes as well as the celebrities' capacity to reclaim control in asserting their 'true' selves.


For the characterization of the new materials and for a better understanding of the connection between structure and properties it is necessary to use more and more sensible methods to study molecular movement at nanometric scale. This paper presents the experimental basis for a new electrical method to study the fine molecular movements at nanometric scale in dielectric materials. The method will be applied for polar and non-polar materials characterization. Traditionally, the electrical methods used to study the molecular movements are based on the movements of the dipoles that are parts of the molecules. We have proposed recently a combined protocol to analyze charge injection/extraction, transport, trapping and detrapping in low mobility materials. The experimental results demonstrate that the method can be used to obtain a complex thermogram which contains information about all molecular movements, even at nanoscopic level. Actually during the charging process we are decorating the structure with space charge and during the subsequent heating we are observing an apparent peak and the genuine peaks that are related to charge de-trapping determined by the molecular movement. The method is very sensitive, very selective and allows to determinate the parameters for local and collective molecular movements, including the temperature dependence of the activation energy and the relaxation time.


This paper analyzes the economic impact of Peronism in the Nahuel Huapi region and reviews the material and symbolic aspects of this district, which borders Chile and is associated with both the existing national park in the region and the city of Bariloche. To this end, and in dialogue with the material processes of the period, self-recognition and links to other regions were analyzed. A review of the change in government policy in this geographic area demonstrates a situation with original processes that challenge the strictly national conception of space. The contribution of this manuscript is its recognition that despite Peronism having been experienced as one of the most significant development shifts in the Nahuel Huapi region, and especially in the town of San Carlos de Bariloche, documents both provide evidence of continuity processes and discuss the existing account of a break.


Pigment analysis in an intact hypersaline microbial mat by hyperspectral imaging revealed very patchy and spatially uncorrelated distributions of photopigments Chl a and BChl a/c, which are characteristic photopigments for oxygenic (diatoms and cyanobacteria) and anoxygenic phototrophs (Chloroflexaceae). This finding is in contrast to the expectation that these biomarker pigments should be spatially correlated, as oxygenic phototrophs are thought to supply the Chloroflexaceae members with organic substrates for growth. We suggest that the heterogeneous occurrence is possibly due to sulfide, whose production by sulfate-reducing bacteria may be spatially heterogeneous in the partially oxic photic zone of the mat. We furthermore mapped the near-infra-red-light controlled respiration of Chloroflexaceae under light and dark conditions and found that Chloroflexaceae are responsible for a major part of oxygen consumption at the lower part of the oxic zone in the mat. The presence of Chloroflexaceae was further confirmed by FISH probe and 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis. We assume that species related to the genera Oscillochloris and 'Candidatus Chlorothrix', in contrast to those related to Chloroflexus and Roseiflexus, depend less on excreted photosynthates but more on the presence of free sulfide, which may explain their presence in deeper parts of the mat.


The concept of BrIM (Bridge Information Modeling) is proposed and the technical features of BrIM are briefly described. A bridge CAD system based on BrIM concept is developed under the graphic platform of AutoCAD using ObjectARX. Data interface between 3D solid geometric database and each stage of bridge lifecycle is introduced. The essence of BrIM is realized that all informations including geometric data and non-geometric data are stored in the only knowledge database and all informations of bridges in different stages, such as design, construction and service, are obtained in the only database.


Purpose: This research investigates the impact of being part-time-worker students towards their academic achievement.
Methodology/Approach/Design: This research used qualitative descriptive research method which is appropriate for the design of this research. The data were collected from 44 higher students for the questionnaire and 10 students for the interview at English Department, IAIN Kediri by administering 32 questions for the questionnaire and 14 questions for the interview.
Results: The finding of this research is discovering that there are two main motivations to be a part-time-worker student, financial factor and experience factor. However, the part-time-worker students are still able to achieve good grade point average (GPA) or even they can achieve better academic achievement caused by the experience they got by being part-time-worker student and it cannot be got from only being an ordinary academic student. Therefore, higher students can be a part-time worker students by paying attention on time management which plays a pivotal role and finding out a minimum duration for working but it can cover what their purposes are.
Practical Implication: The findings of this study present various implications for concerned authorities to address the emerging issues of university students. Joining a part-time job has its merits and demerits. However, further exploration of this phenomenon has to be implemented.
Originality/Value: The study examines a social issue that is continually aggravating. The results of the study offer an insider look into the students' motifs and pressures exerted upon them to join part-time jobs.


Security of cryptographic primitives is usually proved by assuming "ideal" probability distributions. We need to replace them with approximated "real" distributions in the real-world systems without losing the security level. We demonstrate that the Hellinger distance is useful for this problem, while the statistical distance is mainly used in the cryptographic literature. First, we show that for preserving λ-bit security of a given security game, the closeness of 2−λ/2 to the ideal distribution is sufficient for the Hellinger distance, whereas 2−λ is generally required for the statistical distance. The result can be applied to both search and decision primitives through the bit security framework of Micciancio and Walter (Eurocrypt 2018). We also show that the Hellinger distance gives a tighter evaluation of closeness than the max-log distance when the distance is small. Finally, we show that the leftover hash lemma can be strengthened to the Hellinger distance. Namely, a universal family of hash functions gives a strong randomness extractor with optimal entropy loss for the Hellinger distance. Based on the results, a λ-bit entropy loss in randomness extractors is sufficient for preserving λ-bit security. The current understanding based on the statistical distance is that a 2λ-bit entropy loss is necessary.


Cataphoric pronouns have been characterized as being co-referential with a word that comes later. Considering that talk is produced in real time, with little benefit of knowing what is yet to come, participants understand cataphoric pro-forms to be projecting more talk. Projection is a crucial interactive resource, as it enables speakers to align with the ongoing talk and to initiate subsequent contributions in a timely manner. The study looks at how Estonian pro-forms are systematically used to project either a word (phrase) or a clause in interaction. The patterns discussed are not universal and it will be suggested that projecting word (phrases) with pro-forms is a characteristic of a nonprepositional language with no articles, and that pro-form projection can be especially useful in a free word order language. As many pro-forms do not end up with a co-referential word, projection provides a better account of their function. The article underlines the necessity of studying grammar as a temporal phenomenon.


The sense of accomplishment is seeing these still images come alive in the linear spatial reality in which we live, the restored concept of time reenacted amid stop-motion frames brings about the static consecution and dynamic reconstruction of moving images. Amid stop-motion frames where time can either pause or move forward, we are given a chance to rethink the definition of the recurrence of temporal consciousness. Therefore, in addition to the physical definition of time, the sense of time reshaped in space and the space constructed in time mark the instant when animated life is created. Within linear time structure, animated life and actual noumenon often form multiple overlapping senses of present space-time amid the spatiotemporal cycle of reconstructing and retracing past time and memorized moments aroused by the subconsciousness. This research essay focuses on exploring and expounding on the observation of temporal flow and spatial sense through frame by frame, as well as the observation of infinite from memory and memory points through life. The illusions created still images and frames and existing in space and time, and by discussion the subject of time-space and ponder the extension of image structures to satisfy viewers at a spiritual level. In addition, an echo can be aroused in viewers with the universal value of human activities, so that the viewers can gain an insight into this subject matter.


Previous research has found that individuals performing either physical (Latane, Williams, & Harkins, 1979) or cognitive (Petty, Harkins, & Williams, 1980) tasks alone or in groups exert less effort in groups, an effect called social loafing. Need for cognition is defined as "the tendency for an individual to engage in and enjoy thinking" p. 116 (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982). Research by Petty, Cacioppo, and Kasmer (1985) compared the need for cognition with social loafing on a cognitive task. Their results showed that individuals low in need for cognition loafed on the task when they were part of a group, but that individuals high in need for cognition did not loaf on the task. The present study further investigated the influence of need for cognition on social loafing behavior. Fifty -five subjects we rerandomly assigned to group or individual treatment conditions. All subjects were asked to generate counter-arguments to a proposal involving the institution of Senior comprehensive examinations. Measures of both overt and covert cognitive activity were taken. Results indicated that differential social loafing behavior did not occur, with subjects in the individual and group conditions generating approximately the same number of counter arguments and expending an equivalent amount of cognitive effort. In addition, no differences were found between subjects high and low in need for cognition, with both groups generating the same number of counterarguments and expending the same amount of cognitive effort. Results showed that individuals low in need for cognition showed a steady decrease in performance over time. Contrary to expectations, high need for cognition subjects also showed a decrease in performance over time. Both groups generated fewer counterarguments as the task proceeded.


The objective of this study is to identify critical consumer-demographic characteristics that are associated with the consumption of hemp products and investigate their effect on total expenditure in the U.S. by utilizing Nielsen consumer panel data from 2008 to 2015. To estimate the likelihood of market participation and consumption level, Heckman selection model is employed using the maximum likelihood estimation procedure. Results indicate marketing strategies targeting consumers with higher education and income levels can attract new customers and increase sales from current consumers. Head-of-household age in different regions shows mixed effects on decisions to purchase hemp products and consumption levels. Findings will provide a basic understanding of a consumer profile and overall hemp market since no empirical studies of hemp in the U.S market exist. As the industry continues to move forward, policymakers are going to need a deeper understanding of the factors driving the industry if they are going to create regulations that support the development of the industry.


The greatest threat to potato production world-wide is late blight, caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans. A screen of 126 wild diploid Solanum accessions from the Commonwealth Potato Collection (CPC) with P. infestans isolates belonging to the genotype 13-A2 identified resistances in the species S. bulbocastanum, S. capsicibaccatum, S. microdontum, S. mochiquense, S. okadae, S. pinnatisectum, S. polyadenium, S. tarijense, and S. verrucosum. Effector-omics, allele mining, and diagnostic RenSeq (dRenSeq) were utilized to investigate the nature of resistances in S. okadae accessions. dRenSeq in resistant S. okadae accessions 7129, 7625, 3762, and a bulk of 20 resistant progeny confirmed the presence of full-length Rpi-vnt1.1 under stringent mapping conditions and corroborated allele mining results in the accessions 7129 and 7625 as well as Avr-vnt1 recognition in transient expression assays. In contrast, susceptible S. okadae accession 3761 and a bulk of 20 susceptible progeny lacked sequence homology in the 5′ end compared to the functional Rpi-vnt1.1 gene. Further evaluation of S. okadae accessions with P. infestans isolates that have a broad spectrum of virulence demonstrated that, although S. okadae accessions 7129, 7625, and 7629 contain functional Rpi-vnt1.1, they also carry a novel resistance gene. We provide evidence that existing germplasm collections are important sources of novel resistances and that "omic" technologies such as dRenSeq-based genomics and effector-omics are efficacious tools to rapidly explore the diversity within these collections.


The Extended Ellett Line is a full-depth hydrographic section between Iceland, 60°N 20°W, Rockall and Scotland. The original Ellett Line across the Rockall Trough was first occupied in 1975 when measurements were attempted four times a year. In 1996 the line was extended to Iceland and occupied approximately annually. The data form a 35 year time-series of the oceanic conditions west of the British Isles.

The section monitors the characteristics of the warm water inflow into the Nordic Seas and thence to the Arctic, and observes part of the returning cold water outflow with measurements of the Iceland-Scotland Overflow and the overflow of the Wyville-Thomson Ridge into the Rockall Trough.

The 2010 occupation, RRS Discovery Cruise 351, was completed successfully with 48 CTD stations worked between the Iceland and Scotland shelf edges. Additionally, Line G, part of the SAMS observation network of the Scottish continental shelf was completed. Samples were taken for inorganic nutrients, iron and trace metals, bioluminescence and microscope analysis. Incubation experiments were performed to investigate the role of microzooplankton grazing and the speciation of iron, and to investigate the presence of dinoflagellate bioluminescence.

In addition to the planned programme, sampling took place to investigate the extent of the fall out from the ash plume emitted by the Iceland volcano, Ejyafjallajokull, and its impact on the biogeochemistry and productivity of the upper ocean.

A trial tow of SeaSoar and a short survey of the upper ocean over the Anton Dohrn seamount were successfully completed.


The Mss4 (mammalian suppressor of yeast Sec4) is an evolutionarily highly conserved protein and is expressed in all mammalian tissues. Although its precise biological function is still elusive, it has been shown to associate with a subset of secretory Rab proteins (Rab1b, Rab3a, Rab8a, Rab10) and to possess a rather low guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity towards them in vitro (Rab1, Rab3a and Rab8a). By screening a human placenta cDNA library with Mss4 as bait, we identified several Rab GTPases (Rab12, Rab13 and Rab18) as novel Mss4-binding Rab proteins. Only exocytic but no endocytic Rab GTPases were found in our search. The binding of Mss4 to Rab proteins was confirmed by direct yeast two-hybrid interaction, by co-immunoprecipitation from lysates of mammalian cells, by immunofluorescence colocalisation as well as by direct in vitro binding studies. Analysis of Mss4 catalytic activity towards different Rab substrates confirmed that it is a somewhat inefficient GEF. These data, together with our mutational analysis of Mss4-Rab binding capacity, support the already proposed idea that Mss4 functions rather as a chaperone for exocytic Rab GTPases than as a GEF.


INTRODUCTION
Gabapentin and pregabalin have been compared in studies conducted on management of neuropathic and postoperative pain. In neuropathic pain studies, the analgesic effects of the two drugs were compared, and pregabalin has been found to be more potent. However, in postoperative pain studies, the effects of each drug were examined separately. This study compared the analgesic effects of pregabalin (300 mg day-1), gabapentin (1,200 mg day-1) and a placebo in managing postoperative pain following laminectomy and discectomy.

METHODS
90 patients were randomly assigned to three groups (pregabalin, gabapentin and placebo) of 30 patients each. Pregabalin 150 mg, gabapentin 600 mg and a placebo were administered every 12 hours, two times pre- and post surgery. Study data collected included morphine consumption, Visual Analogue Scale records, preoperative anxiety, patient satisfaction, adverse effects and observation notes.

RESULTS
In the gabapentin and pregabalin groups, overall morphine consumption, preoperative anxiety, pruritus, postoperative shivering were significantly lower (p-value less than 0.05 for all), and patient satisfaction was significantly higher than those in the placebo group (p-value less than 0.05).

CONCLUSION
This study showed that both pregabalin 300 mg day-1 and gabapentin 1,200 mg day-1 have more analgesic, anxiolytic and opioid-sparing effects, higher patient satisfaction and are more effective for preventing postoperative shivering than the placebo following lumbar laminectomy and discectomy. The findings revealed that pregabalin 300 mg day-1 had equivalent analgesic, adverse and opioid-sparing effects and patient satisfaction as gabapentin 1,200 mg day-1.


Access to credit presents a distinct problem for smallholding farmers and lenders alike. As a consequence, in the Philippines—as in many other developing economies—a sizable "agriculture credit gap" exists. This paper explores whether it is possible to rethink existing credit arrangements to support inclusive development goals. Our observations are based on a unique in-depth case study of an interlinked financing arrangement in the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP). This program is managed by the corporate foundation of Asia's biggest fast-food chain, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). The lenders in this program are FEP partner-cooperatives that interlink credit, crop buying, and other interventions to enable smallholders to sell their products to JFC and other buyers. For inclusive interlinking to materialize, significant social investments are required from program partners. Using a progressive case study method, three subunits within the study explain how financing can be made available. We use these observations to draw out possible generalizations of financing mechanisms that may be used in other commodity chains. We identify partnerships, particularly long-term relationships, as indispensable requisites for institutional voids to be filled and financing to flow into rural areas. We recommend key government interventions, especially since some of the requisites are in the nature of collective or public goods.


Abstract Identifying the anthropometric measures of successful and less successful handball players may be helpful in developing a talent identification and development model, allowing for the determination of key physical capacities required for elite performance. The purpose of the study was to describe the anthropometric characteristics, including age, standing stature, body mass and body mass index (BMI) in handball players who participated in the 2013 Men's Handball World Championships. Secondly, the objective was to identify the possible differences in these parameters in terms of individual playing positions (goalkeeper, back, center back, wing, line player). Rosters with handball player's age, standing stature, and body mass were obtained from the International Handball Federation website. The research material included 409 handball players (24 teams). National teams were organized by their ranks and sub-grouped using their continents and playing positions. The results of the analyses of variance demonstrated significant differences in age (F=2.30; p=0.044; Partial ŋ2=0.028), standing stature (F=14.02; p=0.0001; Partial ŋ2=0.148), and body mass (F=5.88; p=0.0001; Partial ŋ2=0.068) among the groups (G1-G6). Players in G1 had the highest standing stature and body mass, while players in G6 had the lowest age and body mass values. The backs and line players were the tallest. In addition, the measurement of body mass showed that the line players had the highest body mass and BMI values. In conclusion, this study presented anthropometric data that differentiated levels of success in male handball teams playing in the 2013 world championships. This information should serve as a reference for the average standing stature, body mass, and BMI of handball players for particular positions at the professional level.


Container-Based Sanitation (CBS) has rapidly progressed from its inception less than a decade ago to its recent classification as a type of improved sanitation facility by the Joint Monitoring Programme. CBS in many ways represents a sustainable service, as it addresses the entire sanitation service chain; offers a variety of service-based business models; and is affordable to people living in marginalized and informal urban settlements. At the same time, CBS services which have been operating for a number of years have grown relatively slowly. Taking CBS to scale will require solving several diverse challenges, particularly the need for government mandates; regulation; and innovative financing. This paper presents the collective views of some of the world's leading CBS practitioners in an effort to summarize the potential, research gaps, and major challenges to scaling CBS.


This paper extends an analysis developed for tubular permanent-magnet machines to account for the effect of fringing associated with the finite length of the ferromagnetic armature core. The magnetic field distribution, established by using an analytical technique formulated in the cylindrical coordinate system, provides an accurate means of evaluating the effect of the fringing flux on the thrust force and the back-electromotive force. Finite-element calculations confirm the analytically derived results. In Part II of the paper, the analysis is used to predict the cogging force that results from end effects and to facilitate minimization of the force.


In a weak positional game, two players, Maker and Breaker, alternately claim vertices of a hypergraph until either Maker wins by getting a complete edge or all vertices are taken without this happening, a Breaker win. For the class of almost-disjoint hypergraphs of rank three (edges with up to three vertices only and edge-intersections on at most one vertex) we show how to find optimal strategies in polynomial time. Our result is based on a new type of decomposition theorem which might lead to a better understanding of weak positional games in general.


The effects of vitamin C on progesterone and oestradiol 17β synthesis, and fertility rate were studied in Merino sheep. A total of 60 sheep, aged between 2 and 7 years, of which 30 had low, and the other 30 had high plasma vitamin C levels were used. Each low and high vitamin C group was divided into 2 subgroups. Each subgroup had equal numbers of sheep. Subgroups 2 and 4 served as controls in the low and high vitamin C groups, respectively. 500 mg of vitamin C was injected intramuscularly into the subgroups 1 and 3 in the low and high vitamin C level groups, respectively. Plasma vitamin C and ceruloplasmin levels were determined using spectrophotometric methods. Plasma progesterone and oestradiol 17β levels were determined using the microtitration enzyme immunoassay technique. Although vitamin C levels were low during the sexual cycles in all groups, there was an increase with the start of pregnancy. On the other hand, the changes in the plasma ceruloplasmin levels were irregular. The low and high oestradiol 17β levels of the low and high vitamin C groups showed the importance of vitamin C in steroid hormone synthesis. There was a positive correlation between ascorbic acid levels and body weight of the mother sheep and new-born. The vitamin C and progesterone increases were observed in the sheep pregnant with twins. It was concluded that exogen vitamin C increases the fertility rate along with body weight of pregnant sheep and new-born. Key Words: Vitamin C, ceruloplasmin, progesterone, oestradiol 17β, reproduction, sheep * ÒVitamin CÕnin Koyunlarda ReprodŸksiyon †zerine EtkileriÓ isimli Doktora Tezinden …zetlenmißtir.


The US Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) have had a transformative impact on clinical and translational research and research education and training. As a member of the first cohort of funded CTSAs in 2006, the University of California Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center has taken full advantage of the mandate provided to achieve institutional transformation. To achieve these goals, a spectrum of initiatives was launched that challenged the existing institutional culture and resulted in the development of novel mechanisms and tools to engage trainees, investigators, institutional leaders, the community, and external partners. Examples of such initiatives include an expanded and integrated research education program, full leverage of institutional information technology resources, a versatile pilot project program, and the creation of an effective evaluation resource. Similar efforts throughout US CTSA institutions are contributing to expand resource utilization and efficiencies for national clinical and translational research capabilities.


The Joya Mair oil field lies in the south-southeast of the Salt Range-Potwar Foreland Basin (SRPFB). It is the result of Tertiary Himalayan collision between the Indian and Eurasian Plates. The SRPFB represents the Precambrian to Recent rocks of the Indian Plate which covers an area of about 2250 Km 2 . The Himalayan thrusting and folding formed the structural traps in SRPFB. Seismic interpretation has resulted in time and depth contour map, which helps to understand the subsurface structural geometry. Seismic interpretation of the 2D data reveals that the study area has undergone severe deformation illustrated by the development of thrusts and backthrusts. The Joya Mair structure appears to be an open anticlinal structure on the surface. It is a combination of thrust and backthrust, forming a triangle zone in the subsurface. The general trend of these structures is northeast-southwest which is indicative of the fact that the area was subject to southeast northwest compressive stress. The decollement surface is provided by the Salt Range Formation. The reservoir rocks are of Eocene age that occurs at a depth of ~2023 m as interpreted from seismic data. The petrophysical analysis of Minwal X-1 well is done on the basis of well logs which gives approximately 75% hydrocarbon saturation in the reservoir rocks.


Abstract Classic hieroglyphic texts do not describe Maya political organization, nor do colonial documents, forcing archaeologists to look elsewhere for clues. I propose that continuities in calendrically-based geopolitical rhetoric are recognizable in imagery and literary devices that can be traced from Preclassic/Formative times into the Colonial period. Imagery revolves around God K, k'awiil, and manikin scepters. The Classic manikin scepter materializes God K/K'awiil as a symbol of legitimate rulership, particularly at accession; the Postclassic analogue in the Dresden and Paris Codices is a God K effigy head, God K also symbolizing k'atuns. Related literary devices are kennings, specifically the took'-pakal or "flint-and-shield," which appear in Classic texts and in the Chilam B'alam books in the context of defeat in warfare, the latter particularly referring to k'atun wars. Interrelated concepts, including obsidian, mirrors, serpents, and one-legged deities in the Popol Vuh and in Mexico (Tezcatlipoca), amplify these proposed continuities.


In Experiment 1 four groups (N = 10) of individually housed mice were given access to deionized water for 30 min daily. When fluid consumption stabilized, they were given 30-min access to a 0.3% saccharin solution. This was followed by oral doses of 3, 10 or 30 mg/kg trichloromethane (TCM) or the vehicle (Emulphor). Beginning 24 hr later the subjects were given a two-bottle choice test (saccharin vs water) followed by the appropriate injection in that group. This procedure continued for 10 days. A dose of 30 mg/kg produced a taste aversion on the first choice test and a reduction in total fluid intake which continued throughout the 10-day test period, while doses of 3 and 10 mg/kg TCM or vehicle did not affect either measure. To determine whether the aversion produced by 30 mg/kg TCM was specific to gavage, animals in Experiment 2 received IP injections of 10, 30 or 100 mg/kg TCM or vehicle. All TCM groups showed taste aversions which lasted for the 10-day test period. Although concomitant fluid reductions occurred for all doses on day one, only the 100 mg/kg group maintained this drop throughout the 10-day test period. Thus, TCM produces taste aversions when given at relatively low doses by both oral and IP routes of administration.


Objective: Family violence and peer deviance have been shown to be related to bullying perpetration. Although there are several cross-sectional investigations of these two factors in relation to bullying behavior, no known studies have examined their interactive associations. The current study examines the longitudinal associations of both factors on bullying perpetration using a multilevel approach. Method: Participants included 1,194 Grade 5, 6, and 7 students from four middle schools in a Midwest county. We examined the main and interactive relations between how individual reports of family violence and peer deviance fluctuated over time (i.e., within-person effects) and how average reported differences between individuals (i.e., between-person effects) were associated with levels of bullying perpetration. Results: Positive main effects were found for both family violence and peer deviance on levels of bullying perpetration. Within-person effects indicated that, on average, fluctuations from one's "typical" levels in family violence and peer deviance were associated with contemporaneous increases in bullying perpetration. A statistically significant time-variant interaction revealed that within-person family violence significantly exacerbated the relationship between within-person peer deviance and bullying perpetration. Furthermore, a statistically significant cross-level interaction revealed that the association between within-person peer deviance and bullying perpetration was stronger for individuals with higher average levels of between-person family violence (+1 SD) compared with lower levels (−1 SD). Implications: These findings provide a more nuanced lens from which to view the co-occurring relations between family and peer ecologies. Prevention and intervention efforts should target peer relations to reduce the effect of family violence on bullying behavior.


As a result of the successful implementation of the industrialization plan in 1985; Malaysia has changed from an agricultural economy into industrial based economy. The industrial sector represents the highest consuming sector across all other sectors and accounts for about 48% of all total energy demand. This paper is concerned with an energy saving, economic and environmental analysis of industrial boilers in Malaysia when using variable speed drives (VSD). The results obtained when reducing the speed of water pumps by 60% show that 4 GWh, 93.6% of energy, RM 863,375 and 2,160 ton of CO2 could be saved annually. These results represent high energy saving, environmental and economic benefits associated with this energy saving technology. ABBREVIATIONS


Academic dishonesty is an issue of concern for teachers, students, and institutions of higher education. Because students and faculty do not interact directly in web-based classes, it is often perceived that cheating will be more abundant in these classes. Using data from a survey administered to students who had an online course during the 2001 fall semester, we find evidence that academic dishonesty in online classes is no more pervasive than in traditional classrooms. Introduction Academic dishonesty is issue of concern for teachers, students, and institutions of higher education. Studies consistently show that a significant number of students cheat in college (Michaels & Miethe 1989; Whitley, 1998; Brown & Emmett, 2001), and that cheating impacts the attitudes and opinions of both students and teachers. Cheating appears to be endemic across cultures and pedagogies (Magnus at al., 2002). Academic research on the extent of and motivation for cheating has helped illuminate practitioners on the degree of cheating in different disciplines and by students of different demographic profiles. The focus of this paper is on academic dishonesty in online courses. To make comparisons with prior studies, online academic dishonesty includes cheating on exams or assignments, including plagiarism. Currently, evidence on academic dishonesty in online courses is nonexistent, but some claim that because students and faculty do not interact directly in such classes, online classes will invite more cheating than traditional classes. For example, Kennedy et al. (2000, p. 311) state, "Because both students and faculty believe it is easier to cheat in a distance learning class, ... as the number of distance learning class increases so will academic dishonesty." Conversely, Smith, Ferguson and Caris (2003, p. 2) claim that enhanced communication and the breaking down of social barriers leads to less cheating, stating, "This emergence of online identity may make the whole worry of online cheating a moot point. Often stronger one-to-one relationships ... are formed in online courses than in face-to-face classes." Because of the growth in online education at the university level and because of the untested presumption that academic dishonesty will be greater in these classes than in the traditional classroom this study fills an important void in the literature of academic dishonesty. A Model of Cheating. Most researchers view the decision to cheat as the result of a cognitive process which involves substantial planning (Bunn, Caudill, & Gropper, 1992; Alschuler & Blimling, 1995; Mixon, 1996), but survey evidence suggests that students break down actual cheating behavior into two categories: planned cheating and panic cheating (Bunn, Caudill, & Gropper, 1992). Although both types of cheating involve weighing costs and benefits, if social norms differ for planned and panic cheating, the subjective costs and benefits may be different for planned and panic cheating. Planned cheating may involve making crib sheets for tests, copying homework, or plagiarizing a paper; it occurs with full knowledge that it is wrong. Panic cheating, on the other hand, occurs during a test when the student finds herself at a loss for an answer. Although she did not plan to cheat, she looks at another student's paper and copies the answer. Being premeditated, planned cheating may be viewed as more dishonest than panic cheating and perceived as having a greater social cost. Bunn, Caudill and Gropper (1992) report that the majority of students believe the most common type of cheating is panic cheating with 358 of 476 students at Auburn University stating that they primarily observe panic cheating. Some type of pedagogies may be more susceptible to one type of cheating. In online classes, planned cheating may be a much greater threat than panic cheating simply because circumstances engendering panic cheating may be relatively rare compared to a traditional classroom. …


Deep learning models with convolutional and recurrent networks are now ubiquitous and analyze massive amounts of audio, image, video, text and graph data, with applications in automatic translation, speech-to-text, scene understanding, ranking user preferences, ad placement, etc. Competing frameworks for building these networks such as TensorFlow, Chainer, CNTK, Torch/PyTorch, Caffe1/2, MXNet and Theano, explore different tradeoffs between usability and expressiveness, research or production orientation and supported hardware. They operate on a DAG of computational operators, wrapping high-performance libraries such as CUDNN (for NVIDIA GPUs) or NNPACK (for various CPUs), and automate memory allocation, synchronization, distribution. Custom operators are needed where the computation does not fit existing high-performance library calls, usually at a high engineering cost. This is frequently required when new operators are invented by researchers: such operators suffer a severe performance penalty, which limits the pace of innovation. Furthermore, even if there is an existing runtime call these frameworks can use, it often doesn't offer optimal performance for a user's particular network architecture and dataset, missing optimizations between operators as well as optimizations that can be done knowing the size and shape of data. Our contributions include (1) a language close to the mathematics of deep learning called Tensor Comprehensions offering both imperative and declarative styles, (2) a polyhedral Just-In-Time compiler to convert a mathematical description of a deep learning DAG into a CUDA kernel with delegated memory management and synchronization, also providing optimizations such as operator fusion and specialization for specific sizes, (3) a compilation cache populated by an autotuner. [Abstract cutoff]


The present study was designed to assess the bacterial isolation and their antibiogram from endometritis in slaughtered buffaloes. A total 110 uterine swabs at horn-body junction of slaughtered buffaloes were collected from local abattoir in Junagadh. Out of 110 uterine swabs 56 (50.90%) uterine samples showed the growth of various bacteria and remaining 54 swabs (49.10%) were found to be sterile. Among 56 uterine samples 50 swabs (89.28%) showed single isolate and remaining 06 (10.72%) exhibited mixed infection. The Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. isolates (24.19%) top the list followed by Corynebacterium spp. (17.74%), Micrococcus spp. (14.52%), Fusobacterium spp. (8.06%), Pseudomonas spp. (4.84%), Bacillus spp. (4.84%) and Streptococcus spp. (1.61%). The antimicrobial susceptibility of these bacterial isolates were showed highest sensitivity against Chloramphenicol (83.9%) followed by Gentamicin (80.6%), Levofloxacin (77.4%), Oxytetracycline (77.4%), Ceftriaxone/Sulbactam (69.3%), Cefoperazone/Sulbactam (61.2%) and Amoxicillin/Sulbactam (33.9%).


This paper studied the axial tensile properties of the multidirectional filament wound tubes (MFWT) both theoretically and experimentally. Based on the Classical Laminate Theory, the mechanical analysis model of the tubes was established and implemented by the program of Matlab language, from which the axial tensile strength was predicted. Then the specimens with different parameters were fabricated and tested under axial tensile load respectively. The theoretical model met the experimental results well. Furthermore, the test results, the stress-strain curve and the failure form were analyzed, which showed that the axial properties of the MFWT were obviously strengthened with the incorporation of the axial reinforcement.


Unipolar Quantum Cascade (QC) lasers are easily recognized by the cascading scheme, in which electrons traverse a stack of many, typically 30 but sometimes up to 100, active regions alternated with injector regions, rather than only a single active region, as in conventional semiconductor lasers. So far, QC-lasers shared the characteristic, that all stages of the cascade were essentially identical. This makes perfect sense for lasers with optimized performance, with a low threshold current density and high optical output power. The possibility of heterogeneous cascades was sometimes discussed. However, it was uncertain if optimal operating conditions could be achieved for all components of the cascade. Here, we experimentally discuss three types of QC-lasers with heterogeneous cascades. The first type contains two sub-stacks, each using a previously optimized QC structure, connected by a thin InGaAs layer. This results in a QC-laser emitting simultaneously at 5.2 and 8.0 micrometers wavelength, with performance levels similar to those of the respective homogeneous stack lasers. It was not necessary to adjust the design electric field of the two stacks to match each other. Each sub-stack is apportioned the appropriate fraction of the applied bias. In addition, an etch-stop layer inserted between the two sub-stacks allowed fabrication of a tap into the cascade. The latter was used to selectively manipulate the laser threshold of one sub-stack, turning the 8.0 micrometers laser on and off while the adjacent 5.2 micrometers QC-laser was operating undisturbed. We also fabricated a doubly-single mode QC-distributed feedback laser with single-mode emission at 5.0 and 7.5 micrometers with simultaneous single-mode tunability. The second type of QC-laser contains a waveguide core with an interdigitated cascade of two different active regions with matching injectors and emitting at 8.0 and 9.5 micrometers wavelength simultaneously. Finally, the third type of QC-laser with heterogeneous cascade was designed to generate a broadband continuum. We observe gain from 5 to 8 micrometers and laser action continuously from 6 to 8 micrometers .


This paper describes recent experience in the development and application of several ultrahigh-speed miniature centrifugal compressors with an impeller diameter less than 30 mm and using high speed electric motors to provide rotational speeds between 200,000 and 600,000 rpm. In a growing number of applications at low flow rates such micro-compressors can be successfully used to replace much larger positive displacement devices or to replace larger centrifugal compressors operating at lower rotational speeds. A range of applications for heat pumps, fans and general air supply are considered in which the typical features of the stages developed are the low size, very low mass flows and high speeds. Dimensional analysis is used to show how the scaling laws for the compressor match those of the motor. These also show that a range of designs of different design styles are required; from low flow coefficient stages with two-dimensional geometry to high flow coefficient mixed flow stages. In addition to a description of the applications, and the stages developed for these, some information is provided on the design strategy, design tools and performance prediction methods used in the design process. Test data from a range of devices demonstrates that that an overall efficiency around 65% can be achieved. The measured performance is shown to agree well with the predicted performance of the stages to validate the design techniques used.


Our appreciation of glaciological processes in Antarctica suffers from a lack of observations in regions where numerical models indicate the ice sheet to be susceptible to ocean and/or atmospheric warming. The solution lies in the use and development of glacier geophysics. In this volume we present a series of papers that demonstrate how geophysics can be deployed in Antarctica to comprehend: (1) boundary conditions that influence ice flow such as subglacial topography, the distribution of basal water and ice-sheet rheology; (2) phenomena that might affect ice-flow processes, such as complex internal ice-sheet structures and the proposition of large stores of hitherto unappreciated groundwater; and (3) how glacigenic sediments and formerly glaciated terrain on, and surrounding, the continent can inform us about past ice-sheet dynamics. The volume also takes a historical view on developments leading to current knowledge, examines active ice-sheet processes, and points the way forward on how geophysics can advance quantitative understanding of Antarctic ice-sheet behaviour.


Cognitive gambling research has focused mainly on the irrational beliefs and cognitive biases that differentiate problem (PGs) and non-problem (RGs) gamblers. Whilst this research has been informative by highlighting that greater irrational beliefs are associated with gambling severity, the research has failed to determine cause and effect. This thesis proposes that metacognition is an area that may play a central role in the development and/or maintenance of problem gambling. Type-2 Signal Detection Theory (SDT) was used to analyse the data to measure three cognitive and metacognitive components of gambling performance: accuracy, resolution (metacognitive monitoring) and gambling criterion (metacognitive control). Optimality of gambling decisions was also explored. Experiment 1 used a simplified blackjack task, which demonstrated resolution differences between non-gamblers(NGs) and RGs. Experiments 2 to 5 examined the transference of gambling expertise of RGs and NGs in a novel dice gambling task. Experiment 6 demonstrated that the type of task can account for some cognitive and metacognitive variation observed between PGs and RGs, but impaired gambling criterion setting is a pertinent component of PGs' gambling performance that is not dependent on gambling task. Finally, Experiment 7 showed that feedback enables participants to effectively shift gambling criteria to a more optimal position - and may have considerable implications for the treatment of problem gambling. The results are discussed in relation to four specific research questions and underscore the relative contribution of using a SDT approach in the study of gambling behaviour.


A key element in the history of the missions that departed from Rome as of the middle of the sixteenth century is the functioning of the mediating structures that ensured the maintenance of the relationship between Rome as the center of the Holy Roman Empire and the territories where the missionaries did their work. On the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, Ragusa, which today is the city of Dubrovnik, was the most important bridgehead, but Cattaro, today Kotor, also played a significant role as a point of mediation between Rome and the Ottoman Empire. My intention in this essay is to present the many roles of Cattaro in the region, focusing in particular on its role in the maintenance of communication between Rome and missions to the Balkans. Cattaro never lost its Balkan orientation, even following the weakening of economic ties and the loss of its episcopal jurisdiction, which had extended over parishes in Serbia in the Middle Ages. Rather, in the sixteenth century it grew with the addition of a completely new element. From 1535 to 1786 Cattaro was the most important center of the postal service between Venice and Istanbul. As of 1578, the management of the Istanbul post became the responsibility of the Bolizza family. Thus the family came to establish a wide network of connections in the Balkans. I examine these connections and then offer an analysis of the plans concerning the settlement of the Jesuits in Cattaro. As was true in the case of Ragusa, the primary appeal of the city from the perspective of members of the Jesuit order was the promise of missions to the Balkans. In the last section of the essay I focus on the role Cattaro played in the organization of missions for a good half-century following the foundation of the Propaganda Fide Congregation in 1622. Four members of the Bolizza family worked in the Balkans as representatives of the Propaganda Congregation in the seventeenth century: Francesco, Vincenzo, Nicolo and Giovanni. I provide a detailed examination of the work of the first three, including the circumstances of their appointments, their efforts to unite the Orthodox Serbs with the Catholic Church and protect the Franciscan mission to Albania, their roles as mediators between Rome and the areas to which missionaries traveled, the services they rendered involving the coordination of missions, their influence on personal decisions and the appointments of pontiffs, and their political and military roles during the Venetian–Ottoman war.


This paper presents a new technique, called Symbolic Program Decomposition (or SPD), for symbolic execution of multiple paths that is more scalable than existing techniques, which symbolically execute control-flow paths individually. SPD exploits control and data dependencies to avoid analyzing unnecessary combinations of subpaths. SPD can also compute an over-approximation of symbolic execution by abstracting away symbolic subterms arbitrarily, to further scale the analysis at the cost of precision. The paper also presents our implementation and empirical evaluation showing that SPD can achieve savings of orders of magnitude in the path-exploration costs of multiple-path symbolic execution. Finally, the paper presents a study that examines the use of SPD for a particular application: change analysis for test-suite augmentation.


Purpose: To compare the trifocal TFNT00 and extended depth-of-focus (EDF) ZXR00 intraocular lenses (IOLs) with respect to overall satisfaction with near and distance vision, visual acuity, dysphotopsia symptoms, spectacle dependence, and mesopic best corrected contrast sensitivity (MBCCS). Materials and Methods: This non-randomized, retrospective, single-centre, comparative study took place at the Kensington Eye Institute in Toronto, Canada. Subjects implanted with either the TFNT00 IOL (n = 11) or ZXR00 IOL (n = 13) were assessed up to 4 years post operatively. Overall satisfaction with distance and near vision, corrected distance visual acuity, uncorrected visual acuity at distance, intermediate (60 cm) and near (40 cm) (UNVA), dysphotopsia symptoms, spectacle dependence and monocular MBCCS were evaluated. Results: Forty-eight eyes of 24 subjects (mean age 68 years, 54% female) were assessed. There was no difference in overall satisfaction; both groups had a median score of 10/10 for overall distance vision, and 7/10 and 8/10 for near vision for EDF and trifocal, respectively. MBCCS at the higher spatial frequencies was significantly better with the ZXR00 IOL. Potentially clinically relevant but not statistically significant differences were found; the trifocal group (vs the EDF group) had better binocular UNVA (20/ 24 vs 20/32) and less spectacle dependence at least some of the time (54% vs 85%). Conclusion: The ZXR00 may be preferred for those who want optimal contrast sensitivity in dim lighting. Consistent with previous studies, the TFNT00 trifocal IOL may be a better choice for those who want to optimize UNVA. More studies in North America are required to further investigate spectacle dependence.


The development of telecommunication technology specified the Internet Protocol (IP) based technology for the next generation network. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been introduced to overcome future telephony demand. However, these rapid changes encountered some issues, and the most critical is how to provide the services availability and reliability equally to circuit based telephony. Virtualization is widely used not only for hardware efficiency and maintenance, but also for High Availability support. Virtualized environment provides the ability among servers to migrate or replicate into another machine, even when they are running their services, which is known as Live Migration. In this paper, the voice quality of VoIP service when running on the High Availability system in virtualized environment is studied and examined. The objective analysis by using quality of services (QoS) attributes is conducted as well as the subjective analysis using Mean Opinion Score (MOS). The work utilizes Xen® Hypervisor with modified Remus extensions to provide the High Availability environment. Remus approach using checkpoint based is deployed to copy the primary server to the backup server. A range of 40ms – 900ms has been applied as time interval of checkpoint. The results show that the mean jitter is 9,98 ms, packet loss 3,12% and MOS 3.61 for Remus 400ms checkpoint. MOS with different checkpoint time interval is also presented.


Cellulose nanofibers were obtained from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) by the action of hydrodynamic forces associated with ultrasound. Nanofibers isolated from MCC by applying different ultrasonication conditions were characterized to elucidate their morpho-structural features by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and dynamic light scattering. Several differences were observed regarding the size of the nanofibers obtained in different ultrasonic conditions, but no significant changes in the crystalline structure of cellulose nanofibers were detected. The obtained cellulose fibers were used at low levels (1 to 5 wt.%) as reinforcements in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. The mechanical and thermal properties of the PVA/cellulose fibers nanocomposites films were determined. The tensile strength and modulus of the PVA film were significantly improved by the addition of cellulose nanofibers. Slightly higher onset degradation temperatures were obtained for PVA composites in comparison to neat PVA, showing an increase of the thermal stability caused by the addition of cellulose fibers.


This article addresses Western views of the Japanese animation form known as 'anime' through an analysis of a lesser-known film by one of the most important anime filmmakers, Hayao Miyazaki. In seeking to build what scholar Thomas Lamarre refers to as a 'relational' understanding of anime, we address Miyazaki's film Porco Rosso through the lens of film studies concepts of auteur theory, and also in relation to the medium of animation. In a range of aspects, from visual approach to its deeper themes, Miyazaki's work is found to draw on a distinctive set of strategies that might be described as 'creative traditionalism'. Using Porco Rosso as a case study, our broader argument is that anime, as a form of postmodern popular culture, can be best understood in the West through a triangulation of different approaches that balance issues of form, medium, cultural context, and individual creators.


The authors have analyzed distinctions of transfusion correction of massive blood loss in Russia and abroad. National protocols of massive transfusions suppose using plasma volumes 3-4 times greater than similar protocols in other developed countries. Russian standards of quality of blood components do not correspond to the tasks of modem transfusion therapy.


Various object-oriented (OO) coupling metrics have been proposed for capturing the level of class coupling in object-oriented systems. Since product complexity plays a major role in determining the quality of software, metrics developed to characterize internal attributes such as coupling need to be validated to determine the usefulness of the measures. In this paper, we present an analysis of some OO coupling metrics. An interaction coupling metric, the modified coupling metric (MCC), is proposed as an extension of coupling between object (CBO) [1] and message passing coupling (MPC) [2]. We also perform a theoretical validation of the suite of OO inheritance coupling metrics proposed in [3] using wellknown coupling properties.


In this paper, an algorithm of dynamic bandwidth allocation is proposed for group services in passive optical network, where group bandwidth limitation is used to limit the total bandwidth for a group of users, instead of general individual bandwidth limitation for each user. Simulation results show that proposed group dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm provides better quality of service for grouped users who tend to use bandwidth alternatively than that for users who tend to use bandwidth synchronously. Therefore, it is avoided that synchronous acting users occupy too much bandwidth, and the performance of group services is assured.


Localization is a key capability for autonomous vehicles especially in urban scenarios. We propose the use of pole-like landmarks as primary features in these environments, as they are distinct, long-term stable and can be detected reliably with a stereo camera system. Furthermore, the resulting map representation is memory efficient, allowing for easy storage and on-line updates. The localization is performed in real-time by a stereo camera system as a main sensor, using vehicle odometry and an off-the-shelf GPS as secondary information sources. Localization is performed by a particle filter approach, coupled with an Kalman filter for robustness and sensor fusion. This leads to a lateral accuracy below 20 cm in various urban test areas. The system has been included in our autonomous test vehicle and successfully demonstrated the full loop from mapping to autonomous driving.


Global disaster reports continue to present a disturbing steady growth in the frequency and magnitude of disasters. The same reports also tell of escalating disaster effects and impacts on the myriad of at-risk communities. Despite the avalanche of these concerning reports, both literature and practitioner field views bemoan the current disconnect between upper (global and national) level disaster risk reduction (DRR) rhetoric and abysmal support to local level DRR action.

This study recognizes therefore that while there is a growing worldwide interest in DRR, poor local capacity for DRR remains probably the biggest impediment to speeding up required global DRR progress. The study also recognizes that community capacity building for disaster risk reduction (CCB4DRR) is a pivotal enabler to local DRR with knock-on effects to global DRR progression. In order to accelerate global DRRprogress therefore, it is imperative to challenge the current state of key stakeholder prioritization and support for community capacity building for disaster risk reduction (CCB4DRR).

The study adopts case study research strategy and uses interviews, document reviews and observations to investigate the state of CCB4DRR within 6 INGO and donor case studies in Kenya. In addition, the study identifies factors behind one of Kenya's most successful CCB4DRR initiative---Yatta's Operation Mwolyo Out (OMO). The analysis of case study data reveals that while there's an overall general understanding of the importance of supporting local DRR action, support to CCB4DRR is at varying degrees within the 6 INGO and donor case studies. The analysis of factors behind OMO's great success reveals how it is one thing for DRR stakeholders to understand the importance of prioritising and supporting CCB4DRR and yet another for the same stakeholders to grasp how to practically get it right. This is the reason one case donor reflected, "I think we are still very limited in the understanding of DRR and how to translate it into the practical things."

The study adds nuance to our understanding of the present state of CCB4DRR in Kenya. It also underscores the importance of donors being intentional at providing informed guidelines on how funds allocated to government Disaster Risk Management (DRM) agencies should be prioritized between different DRM activities. The study recommends that donor guidance to respective partners should emphasize the need for targeting larger amounts of allocated funds to resilience-building DRR activities versus the on-going practice of allocating more to emergency preparedness and response. Probably the most important output of the study is the proposed conceptual framework aimed at helping DRR stakeholders in the country understand which critical pieces of information are required for them to be able to make informed in-country DRR choices.


In the present scenario, ever-increasing antibiotic drug resistance with human pathogens commonly been reported. In requirement, development of new antibiotics also remains the thrust area. The present study attempted to isolate antibiotic producing actinomycetes from soil surface which finds commonplace in the ability to control human pathogen. The study detected Amycolatopsis equina, Amycolatopsis keratiniphila and Amycolatopsis speibonae able to provide bioactive agent by which uro-pathogens like Pseudomonas sp and Salmonella species prominently get inhibited by the partially purified antibiotic like molecule.
In a conclusive remark, actinomycetes of Nagpur soil able to produce many bioactive compounds which find commonplace in controlling MDR as well as sensitive uro-pathogens mainly Pseudomonas species.


Lateral pontine syndrome or Marie Foix Alajouanine syndrome refers to the brainstem stroke syndrome involving lateral pons due to the infarction in the distribution of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery. It involves the lateral inferior part of the pons, middle cerebellar peduncle, and floccular region. Computed Tomography (CT) is less sensitive in brainstem infarction than  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). With the introduction of MRI, it is possible to precisely locate the brainstem infarcts. We present a case with a typical clinical picture of brainstem stroke with radiological findings consistent with the lateral pontine syndrome. Proper correlation with the clinical picture and radiological findings is important for the diagnosis of brainstem infarctions.


Literature shows that there are a number of different frameworks for managing international development co‐operation (IDC) projects. Those frameworks have their own strengths and weaknesses and they vary from being highly abstract to relatively practical. However, none of the frameworks provide help in situations where IT professionals are incapable to identify potential project risks when entering a new project milieu. The situation is common in the context of IDC projects. For this purpose, Kemppainen et al. (2012) designed a taxonomy‐based risk identification tool. The tool addresses potential risks by 55 quantified yes/no‐questions. The quantification specifies the significance of each issue to project success. The tool is aimed at guiding IT professionals, planners, donors, field staff, and other stakeholders to identify and mitigate potential threats that may materialize in an unfamiliar project context. The tool's questions were designed based on the literature analysis, their classification into five groups was derived from Tedre et al. (2011), and their taxonomy based scoring was derived from the researchers' own data. Hence, the tool lacked wider empirical evidence. This study validated the tool based on empirical data of a sample of 83 IT experts and IT department leaders from a number of organizations, institutes, universities and international development co‐operation projects in Tanzania. The mode value of the Likert‐scale questionnaire answers were used to adjust the question‐scoring scheme, and reliability analysis were conducted for testing internal consistency of the question groups' questions. Systematic reorganization of the questions with reliability analysis and content considerations led to three distinct question groups instead of the five original ones. In addition, two of the original questions were combined together due to their similarity. Hence, the validated risk identification tool contains three question groups, namely; Institutional, Societal, and Technical characteristics, including totally 54 quantified questions. Those three question groups determine the risk level of the prospective project.


Formation of bonded dicarbon C-C centers is deduced from the observation of Raman lines at 1742, 1708, and 1674 cm-1 in GaAs codoped with 12C and 13C after annealing at 850 °C with concomitant loss of vibrational scattering from CAs. The frequencies agree with results of ab initio theory for a C-C split interstitial (deep donor) formed by the trapping of a mobile interstitial C (displaced CAs) atom by an undisplaced CAs acceptor. Other mechanisms of carrier loss are inferred since a weaker Raman triplet is detected at 1859, 1824, and 1788 cm-1 from a different C-C complex.


BACKGROUND
Implantation is a complex initial step in the establishment of a successful pregnancy. Although embryo quality is an important determinant of implantation, temporally coordinated differentiation of endometrial cells to attain uterine receptivity and a synchronized dialog between maternal and embryonic tissues are crucial. The exact mechanism of implantation failure is still poorly understood.

METHODS
This review summarizes the current knowledge about the proposed mechanisms of implantation failure in gynecological diseases, the evaluation of endometrial receptivity and the treatment methods to improve implantation.

RESULTS
The absence or suppression of molecules essential for endometrial receptivity results in decreased implantation rates in animal models and gynecological diseases, including endometriosis, hydrosalpinx, leiomyoma and polycystic ovarian syndrome. The mechanisms are diverse and include abnormal cytokine and hormonal signaling as well as epigenetic alterations.

CONCLUSIONS
Optimizing endometrial receptivity in fertility treatment will improve success rates. Evaluation of implantation markers may help to predict pregnancy outcome and detect occult implantation deficiency. Treating the underlying gynecological disease with medical or surgical interventions is the optimal current therapy. Manipulating the expression of key endometrial genes with gene or stem cell-based therapies may some day be used to further improve implantation rates.


Embroidery was invented in China more than 3000 years ago. The earliest record on the role of embroidery in the court dress was found in the Chinese classic texts of Western Zhou (1077–730 B.C.). And the oldest fragments of embroidered Chinese export silks were discovered before the Second World War at the foot of Altay Mountains in the Scythian kurhans of Pazyryk (4th century B.C.). Many more well-preserved silk embroideries were excavated in the sand-buried oases of Turfan (in today's Xinjiang) and found in the rock temples of Dunhuang (in the Thousand Buddas' Grottoes). These were mostly the Tang Dunasty (618–907) embroideries on the Buddhist or Manichean religious banners, as well as costume or shoe decorations. Around the 6th century A.D. embroidery found its way from China to the Kingdom of Khotan and to other countries lying along the Silk Road, together with silkworm rearing and silk manufacture secret skills. From the Kingdom of Khotan they spread to the Central Asian states and finally to the Roman Orient.
In later times the art of embroidery was conveyed by Arabs to Sicily where the intermixing of Latin, Greek and Arab cultures stimulated a rise of new art forms and designs clearly visible in the Sicilian textile and embroidery designs. It was a well-known silk manufacture workshop Hotel du Thiraz in Palermo where the famous coronation mantle for Roger II was probably manufactured.
Many original Chinese stitches (cross-stitch, satin-stitch) were later introduced in Europe and became universally known under their new European names, such as Holbein stitch, Bargello stitch known as Florentine stitch, Assisi embroidery, etc. Beginning from the 16th century embroidery became very fashionable at the court and religious circles in Europe.
Female and male costumes, table-clothes, head decorations, shoes, ornates and other objects used by clergy in churches – all were richly covered with embroidery. During the next two centuries, as the Eastern infl uence of the Silk Road cultures diffused in Europe more known as Orientalism, it touched the European dress as well (in particular the European court and wealthy bourgeois) being a source of inspiration for the local artists and such motives as phoenixes and dragons, lions and tigers, the exotic plants, animals and birds became common in the decoration of textiles and embroidery till the modern times


The mathematical simulations of the galvanic coupling intra-body communication (IBC) with different signal transmission paths have been introduced. Firstly, a galvanic coupling IBC circuit model was developed and the transfer function was derived. Secondly, the corresponding parameters were discussed. Finally, the signal attenuation characteristics of the galvanic coupling IBC were measured along the different signal transmission paths of the actual human bodies, while the corresponding mathematical simulations based on the proposed transfer function were carried out. A close agreement between the simulation results and measurement results has been demonstrated.


How can WebCT be integrated into classroom teaching? How can it be used to enhance the learning experience of students? Students are often hesitant about using new technology, especially if they are asked to communicate publicly in some way. The use of WebCTprovides students with valuable learning experiences as well as flexibility by offering a virtual classroom, wherever and whenever (within reason) that it suits the students. In addition, WebCT can enhance communication by encouraging online participation and overcoming students'fear ofdealing with new technology. This paper presents the result of research based on student evaluations of the integration ofthe use of WebCT into Management Accounting. Student responses to the introduction of WebCT indicate four general trends. First, that there was overall satisfaction with the quality of the subject and the way in which substantial resources were offered online. Secondly, that the use of WebCT enhanced the learning experience and promoted independence, essential criteria for evolving life long learning skills. Thirdly, that WebCT made access to learning materials more readily suitable to the practical constraints of the learners' individual situations. Fourthly, that many students' valued highly their relationship with the Management Accounting teaching team, whether in person in tutorials or lectures, or more distantly, as email or bulletin board correspondents.


Without doubt, a great deal of fieldwork is monitored or influenced by government or intelligence services;yet, ethnography about such circumstances is rather exceptional. The reason for this, as I understand it, is the power that is attributed to the publication and through it also to the ethnographer possibly being harmful, due to the notion that publications can harm the researcher him- or herself, interlocutors or subsequent researchers. But is the researcher really as powerful as such a view proposes? Taking ethnography as a comprehensive project, i.e. comprising both ethnography and an ethnographic process, it should be clear that the ethnographer is often far from being in a position of power, regarding both ethnographic counterparts as well as powerful institutions and bureaucratic organisations. These elements affect not only the lives of the people anthropologists use to study, as Laura Nader (1972) proposed, but the fieldworker as well, by influencing his or her research possibilities and experiences and thus the ethnographic view and output. Examining my fieldwork under surveillance in Gilgit-Baltistan, the main concern of this contribution is to look at such power relations and how they influence the research. Setting the stage with an ethnographic encounter with intelligence officers, the article continues with a short discussion of the challenges of carrying out fieldwork under surveillance, followed by an overview of common surveillance practices in the region where the fieldwork took place. Subsequently, it offers a concise ethnography of fieldwork under surveillance, followed by an analysis of the premises on which the intelligence officers I encountered may have engaged as well as the local and cultural logic behind their engagement. I conclude with the proposition that the researcher is often far from being the one who decides about defining the terms of the research, ethnographic relationships or encounters.


Network on chip is proposed as new reusable and scalable communication system
for applications with important number of IPs. The NoC architecture characteristics are based on
several factors: the implementation strategy of IPs, the power dissipation, the placement of IPs, data
transfer time, the requirements of the given application, etc. The N×M Mesh topology combined with
the XY routing algorithm are generally chosen in many studies. Hardware IPs proposed in the literature,
for various applications as example video encoders, operates at different frequencies and generally implemented
according to several strategies and different bus sizes. Connecting these IPs using the same
communication system is very difficult.

 In this paper, we present a new topology based on multi-layer mesh topology and adapted for
video coding applications. The proposed topology exploits the video coding information regarding
groups of cores that communicate through two cores only. The idea is to use a specific NoC for each
group of cores and connect the NoCs with bridge in the positions of two communication cores. The
choice of parameters in each NoC depends on the characteristic of IPs in the same group in order to
maximize communication adaptivity and performance.

Synthesis results show that the proposed multi-layer mesh topology NoC uses much less resources
than the traditional NxM mesh topology NoC.

 This reduction in term of resources is assured by the considerable reduction in the length
and number of global interconnects, resulting in an increase in the performance and decrease in the
power consumption and area of wire limited circuits.


This paper treats programs in which firms voluntarily agree to meet environmental standards as "green clubs": clubs, because they provide non-rival but excludable reputation benefits to participating firms; green, because they also generate environmental public goods. The model illuminates a central tension between the congestion externality familiar from conventional club theory and the free-riding externality familiar from the theory on private provision of public goods. We compare three common program sponsors--governments, industry, and environmental groups. We find that if monitoring of the club standard is perfect, a government constrained from regulating club size may prefer to leave sponsorship to industry if public-good benefits are sufficiently low, or to environmentalists if public-good benefits are sufficiently high. If monitoring is imperfect, an important question is whether consumers can infer that a club is too large for its standard to be credible. If they can, then the government may deliberately choose an imperfect monitoring mechanism as a way of regulating club size indirectly. If they cannot, then this reinforces the government's preference for delegating sponsorship.


Background: INTRODUCTION Rituximab (RTX) induces a rapid and almost complete depletion of B cells in peripheral blood. It is used for patients with poor response to other therapies. The pharmacologic effect of RTX. appears to be independent of the CD20 function and is associated to complement mediated lyses, antibody cellular dependent cytotoxicity and the induction of apoptosis. (1-3) Objectives Ponder efficacy defined by the improvement of the activity index of systemic Lupus Erythemathosus, (SLEDAI) and the progression of B lymphocyte depletion in patients treated with RTX. Correlate SLEDAI with the number of administered rituximab infusions. Define whether there is reduction of the dosage or suspension of the gluco-corticosteroids, by oral route, after the treatment with RTX. Methods 13 patients that had received RTX. were analyzed retrospectively. Data reviewed before and after therapy, consisted of : anti-DNA antibody, (anti-DNA), SLEDAI and prednisone dosage. B cell depletion was measured after treatment, (defined as B-lymphocyte Results 13 patients (76,92% female and 23,07% male), with a mean age of 44 years with the diagnosis of systemic lupus Erythematosus in the prior 1,5 to 35 years (median 14,5 years of disease progression) that had arthritis30,76%, lupus nephritis 23,07%, recurrent pericarditis 15,38%, hematological features 15,38%, shrunken lung 7,69%. were studied. All patients had a reduction of anti-DNA and SLEDAI was statistically significant. (P= versus mean dosage after treatment, 5 mg) (P= 0,004: Wilcoxon test). Even though all patient improve by SLEDAI, this was more so in the patients that received a larger number of infusions, establishing that the diminution of SLEDAI was depended of the number of infusions received by the patients, and this diminution was statistically significant. (P=0,003 :ANOVA) There was no correlation between the the depletion of B lymphocites and the Sledai value. (P= 0,532 : ANOVA) Conclusions RTX is a therapeutic option that is efficient in patients with moderate to severe SLE that are refractory to other therapies. The efficacy measured by SLEDAI correlates with the number of received infusions and is not related with with the B-lymphocyte depletion. Treatment with rituximab permits to decrease significantly the dose of Prednisone. References Jennifer H. Anolik, Jennifer Barnard, Amedeo Cappione, Aimee E. Pugh-Bernard, Raymond E. Felgar, R. John Looney, and Inaki Sanz. Rituximab Improves Peripheral B Cell Abnormalities in Human Systemic Lupus Erythematosus arthritis rheum 2004; 56: 3580–90. J. Silverman. Anti-CD20 Therapy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Step Closer to the Clinic Gregg. Arthritis rheum 2005; 57: 371–7 Bang SY, Lee CK, Kang YM, Kim HA, Suh CH, Chung WT, Park YB, Choe JY, Kim TJ, Park YW, Yoo DH, Bae SC, Lee HS. Multicenter retrospective analysis of the effectiveness and safety of rituximab in korean patients with refractory systemic lupus erythematosus. Autoimmune Dis. 2012 Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Combined GLC–mass spectrometry revealed that an unidentified sparteine isomer was the major component of an alkaloid extract of the aboveground portions of Lupinus argenteus Pursh. var. stenophyllus (Rydb.) Davis (Leguminosae). After isolation, this alkaloid was characterized as the least common of the known sparteine isomers, (–)-α-isosparteine. A preliminary pharmacological study showed (–)-α-isosparteine to have a more rapid onset and a shorter duration of action when compared with (–)-sparteine on rat myocardium.


The development of agriculture and rural areas depends on a large extent on the level of society's awareness on agriculture. One of the areas of agricultural awareness of citizens is their attitude towards the welfare of farmed animals. The findings of many studies indicate that the level of social awareness in Poland in this area is low, especially among young people. The aim of the study is to determine the attitudes of Polish academic youth towards the welfare of farmed animals and pinpoint selected factors determining this level. The main source of the data used for the analyses and applications was the primary information obtained from personal research. The research was done in 2016 by using PAPI method on the group of 450 people. The statistical analysis of the studied material encompassed aggregate statistical indicators as well as the non-parametric test "chi square" ( χ 2 ). Apart from the primary sources they also used secondary sources which encompassed both domestic as well as foreign literature. According to the conducted study, the majority of the participants had an average level of farmed animal welfare awareness (55%). One in three respondents had a low level of farmed animal welfare awareness, and the remaining group represented the high level. The determining factors were: gender, studied faculty, place of residence, and ownership of agricultural holding by the respondents or their parents. A higher level of farmed animal welfare awareness was characterized by women, students of humanistic faculties, people from rural areas as well as the respondents who didn't run a farm. Keywords: academic youth, animal welfare, farm animals Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.188


The metabolism of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) was studied in neoplastic and non‐neoplastic cells of human gynecological origin, in monolayer cultures. The neoplastic cells were derived from epidermoid vaginal carcinoma, epidermoid cervical carcinoma and endometrial adenocarcinoma, in various degrees of differentiation. The non‐neoplastic cells were cervical fibroblasts and epithelial cells from proliferative endometrial glands. Both neoplastic and non‐neoplastic cells assimilated and degraded LDL in a similar fashion to other human cells (e.g. skin fibroblasts). However, the neoplastic cells metabolized LDL at a higher rate than the non‐neoplastic cells (e.g. epidermoid cervical cancer cells metabolized LDL at a 20 times higher rate than did cervical fibroblasts). Such a high rate of LDL metabolism probably enables continuously replicating cancer cells to obtain the large amounts of cholesterol required for cell membrane synthesis. If a high rate of LDL metabolism proves to be a general property of cancer cells, such a property could prove useful for tumor chemotherapy, providing cytotoxic chemicals could be incorporated within the LDL molecule.


The taxonomic relationships among 56 strains of 16 species of the genus Bacillus were studied by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridization. In general, no significant DNA homology was detected between two strains of different species, except for a group of species consisting of B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis, and B. pumilus and for another group of species including B. cereus and B. thuringiensis. Species of the former group were related, but they were independent of each other as their DNA homologies were 19% or less. The DNA homology indexes of three strains of B. thuringiensis to B. cereus T, so far tested, showed high DNA homologies (54 to 80%). This fact indicates that B. thuringiensis should be an identical species to B. cereus. The intraspecific DNA homology indexes of 16 strains of B. pumilus were 51% or more to strain IFO 12092 as the standard, and those of 10 strains of B. coagulans were 76 to 113% to strain ATCC 7050 as the standard. Thus, the species identification of B. pumilus and B. coagulans by the conventional taxonomic method was well in accord with the DNA homology data. On the other hand, significant heterogeneities were suggested among the strains of B. circulans and among those of B. sphaericus by the DNA homology data of the three and five strains so far tested, respectively. Although B. lentus was described to be closely related to B. firmus in Bergey's Manual (8th ed., 1974), the interspecific DNA homology index between these two species was 3%. It was concluded that these two species are independent.


Background: Mental health care professionals across the globe should be prepared to contain the spread of COVID-19 among clients with mental illness and should adopt appropriate strategies to manage them effectively. Objective: The objective of this review was to summarize the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health delivery. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was done to identify the effect of COVID-19 global pandemic in mental health delivery. Articles addressing mental health concerns of COVID-19 and its impact on preexisting mental illness and mental health care delivery, available free download in English language were included. A total of nine primary studies published from the onset of COVID-19 until 15th July 2020 were referred to prepare this narrative review. Result: There is evidence that patients with preexisting mental illnesses shows increase in stress, anxiety, sleep disturbances and COVID-19 related delusions and hallucinations during this global pandemic. The proposed drug treatment for COVID-19 and the imposed restrictions on the public to prevent the spread of the disease had resulted in exacerbation of existing mental illness or triggered new mental illness. Conclusion: There should be more research coming up to understand the real effect of COVID-19 on mental health care delivery and possible alternatives to global mental health delivery at the time of global pandemic.


OBJECTIVE
To report the computed tomographic (CT) documentation of humeral intracondylar fissure (HIF) developing after complete ossification of the humeral condyle (HC).

STUDY DESIGN
Clinical report.

ANIMALS
Male 3 year old working (English) Cocker Spaniel.

METHODS
Sequential CT screening (659-day interval between analyses).

RESULTS
A sagittal hypodense fissure typical of incomplete ossification of the humeral condyle (IOHC) was identified ≈ 22 months after screening CT examination documented a normal elbow joint.

CONCLUSION
Even in dogs with clinical features typical of the condition most commonly termed IOHC, fissure formation and propagation can occur after ossification is complete.


Aspartame (ASP) is a synthetic sweetener consumed by more than half the adult population in 75 countries. Its metabolites can be toxic, principally to the retina, and there are a few studies on the effect of aspartame use in the liver. The present study was designed to examine the ability of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and folic acid (FA),naturally occurring antioxidants, to attenuate ASP-induced hepatotoxicity in adult albino rats. Forty adult male Wistar rats, weighing 150-170 g, were randomly divided into four groups as follows: first group was given distilled water and served as control group I, Group II: received aspartame (ASP) dissolved in distilled water in a dose of 500 mg /kg. b.wt./day, Group III: received both NAC and FA dissolved in distilled water in a dose of 600 mg /kg b.wt./day and 12 mg/kg b.wt./day, respectively, and Group IV: Rats received and both NAC and FA dissolved in distilled water in a dose of 600 mg /kg b.wt./day and 12 mg/kg b.wt./day, respectively and aspartame (ASP).Administration of ASP at a dose level of500 mg/kg b.wt. to rats for 42 days significantly elevated the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gammaglutamyltransferase(GGT),tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and hepatic alphafetoprotein (AFP) activity which indicate injury to the liver function. Also, total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) increased significantly. On the other hand ASP decreased serum protein, albumin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and liver glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). While, ASP induced lipid peroxidation as indicated by markedly increased of malondialdehyde (MDA), these results reflects that ASP intoxication induced marked alterations in liver functions and caused liver atrophy. Combination of NAC (600 mg/kg b.wt.) and FA(12mg/kg b.wt), which administered 1h before ASP ameliorated the hepatotoxicity induced by ASP. This was evidenced by a significant reduction in serum ALT, AST, GGT, TNF-α and hepatic AFP activity and a significant restoration in serum protein, albumin, HDL, GSH and SOD. Also, MDA decreased significantly after treatment with combination of NAC and FA. These results indicate that combination of N-acetylcysteine and folic acid has a strong potential effect against Aspartame-induced damage to liver. This reflects the beneficial role of N-acetylcysteine and folic acid in treatment of liver injury.


Interactive multimedia system usually represents computations as a dataflow graph – the patching model. Nowadays , dataflow graphs integrate multiple medias from various dedicated languages and systems, with multiple rates, for instance audio rate, video rate, control rate, but also the rate of FFT frames, as well as requirements on buffer sizes, or on what kind of data they consume or produce. We design a type system for the DSP extension of Antescofo that makes it possible to safely combine effects in such a heterogeneous graph. We show how to infer the types given known types in the graph, and how we use this type system to compute buffer sizes and to schedule the graph. Our approach is exemplified on an Antescofo program that does speed tracking of a foreground object in a video stream to drive an audio effect.


Ayurveda comprises of various types of medicines including Asavas (fermented infusions), Arishtas (fermented decoctions), Curnas (fine powder) and Kvatha curnas (coarse powder). These are regarded as valuable therapeutics due to their efficacy and desirable features. Identification and quality evaluation of crude drugs is a fundamental requirement of industry and other organizations dealing with natural health products. Thus, there is an urgent need to evaluate such parameters which can be adopted by the pharmaceutical industries. In present communication, attempt has been made to standardize Darvyadi Kvatha Curna an Ayurvedic compound formulation which is used to treat Pradara (Excessive vaginal discharge) and formulated by eight ingredients, viz. Berberis aristata DC. - stem , B. aristata DC. - solid extract stem ,  Adhatoda zeylanica Nees. - root, Cyperus rotundus L. - rhizome,  Swertia chirayita (Roxb.) Buch.-Ham. ex C.B.Clarke - whole plant,  Aegle marmelos Corr. - fruit pulp, Semecarpus anacardium L.f. - fruit and  Nymphaea alba L. - flower. Three samples procured from different manufacturers were subjected to powder microscopic characterization, HPTLC fingerprinting and physico-chemical analysis. It was observed that the pharmacognostic and chromatographic analysis complements each other and can be implemented effectively for the identification of raw materials used in the compound formulation.


The paper deals with the boundary value problem on
the whole line

$u'' - f(u,u') + g(u) = 0 $

$u(\infty,1) = 0$, $ u(+\infty) = 1$
    $(P)$

where $g : R \to R$ is a continuous non-negative function
with support $[0,1]$, and $f : R^2\to R$
is a continuous function.
By means of a new approach, based on a combination of
lower and upper-solutions methods and phase-plane
techniques, we prove an existence result for
$(P)$ when $f$ is superlinear in $u'$;
by a similar technique, we also get a non-existence one.
As an application, we investigate the attractivity of the singular point $(0,0)$ in the phase-plane
$(u,u')$. We refer to a forthcoming paper [13] for a
further application in the field of
front-type solutions for reaction diffusion equations.


Aquasomes are one of the most recently developed delivery system for bioactive molecules like peptide, protein, hormones, antigens and genes to specific sites. Aquasomes are spherical in shape with 60–300 nm particles size. These are nanoparticulate carrier systems but instead of being simple nanoparticles these are three layered self assembled structures, comprised of a solid phase nanocrystalline core coated with oligomeric film to which biochemically active molecules are adsorbed with or without modification. These structures are self assembled by non covalent and ionic bonds. The solid core provides the structural stability, while the carbohydrate coating protects against dehydration and stabilizes the biochemically active molecules. The delivery system has been successfully utilized for the delivery of insulin, hemoglobin, and enzymes like serratiopeptidase etc. This reviews the principles of self assembly, the challenges of maintaining the conformational integrity and biochemical activity of immobilized surface pairs, the convergence of these principles into a single functional composition and its application in various fields of pharmacy.


This study aimed to evaluate the use of conventional polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis from stool samples in tropical areas. Stool samples were collected from individuals and were determined to be positive for Strongyloides stercoralis (group I), negative for S. stercoralis (group II) and positive for other enteroparasite species (group III). DNA specific to S. stercoralis was found in 76.7% of group I samples by cPCR and in 90% of group I samples by qPCR. The results show that molecular methods can be used as alternative tools for detecting S. stercoralis in human stool samples in tropical areas.


Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae is found to play an important role in the development and transmission of pneumococcal diseases. In this study, we assessed the nasopharyngeal carriage, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and associated risk factors of S. pneumoniae among children under five. A total of 361 children under five attending the outpatient department of Shanan Gibe Hospital in Jimma, Southwest Ethiopia were enrolled from June to September 2014. Nasopharyngeal specimens were collected using sterile plastic applicator rayon tipped swab and inoculated on tryptone soy agar supplemented with 5% sheep blood and 5 µg/mL gentamycin. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the modified disk diffusion method. The overall prevalence of S. pneumoniae carriage was 43.8% (158/361) among children under five. Resistance to tetracycline, cotrimoxazole, penicillin, chloramphenicol and erythromycin was observed in 53.2% (84/158), 43.7% (69/158), 36.1% (57/158), 13.3% (21/158) and 8.9% (14/158) of isolates respectively. Multidrug resistance was seen in 17.7% (28/158) of isolates. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, children living with sibling(s) < 5 years old (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.798; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.169–2.766) and malnutrition (AOR = 2.065; 95% CI, 1.239–3.443) were significantly associated with S. pneumoniae carriage. A high nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae was observed among children under five in Southwest Ethiopia. There should be a strategy to prevent S. pneumoniae nasopharyngeal colonization and identify the appropriate antibiotic to the individual child.