Globally, the burning of fossil fuels for energy production produces over 25 gigatons of CO2 per year and this material is released directly into the atmosphere. While approximately half of the CO2 has remained in the atmosphere long-term, most of the rest has been absorbed by the surface ocean. This has resulted in a lowering of the surface ocean pH by about 0.1 units since the beginning of the industrial revolution and if society is able to stabilize atmospheric CO2 levels at twice their pre-industrial concentrations will result in a lowering of surface ocean pH by 0.25 units. While many are asking the question of whether we should pursue direct ocean CO2 sequestration, the FOCE experiment is asking what will be the impact of the pH change on the ocean. In order to address this question, MBARI science and engineering have designed a small-scale in situ CO2 enrichment experiment to assess the chemical and biological impacts in a manner analogous to the land-based Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiments. This prototype design is testing the ability to control pH within a fixed but freely exchanging volume of sea water. The technology concept for the experiment is based on a small ring structure using a central valve to direct the flow of pH altering fluid. The initial phase of the project uses concentrated HCl mixed with sea water and includes directional and volume control to achieve a desired pH offset. Control feedback is obtained by using pH sensors in the center of the control volume. Other aspects of the design that address the inherent time delays and noise of the associated pH signal are also discussed. Test results will show the capability of the system to maintain close loop control of pH in a given volume. Sea trials then demonstrate the ability of this initial system at a selected site to control pH to specified average level over a given amount of time. Further discussion includes systems in-situ results analysis, corrective actions, upgrades, and the anticipated next phase for FOCE including the use of CO2 addition to change the local chemistry


The 'just about managing'. 'Hardworking families'. 'Alarm-clock Britain'. In recent years British political discourse has been filled with these slogans, as politicians claim to speak on behalf of families who are in work, but struggling to get by. This book allows us to hear from some of these families directly. At a time when the impact of austerity is more relevant than ever, Just Managing? cuts through the debates and sloganeering to give some of the real people behind the headlines and statistics a chance to tell their stories. It tracks the lives of thirty working families in Liverpool over one year, as they struggle to manage on incomes at or around the National Minimum Wage. Their accounts are placed within the economic and political context that has shaped their experiences and that of millions of other working families across the country. This book is required reading for anyone seeking to understand what life is like at the sharp end of 'austerity Britain'.


Abstract : This report examines the feasibility of conducting epidemiologic studies that would support inferences about effects of residential exposure to aircraft noise on nonauditory health. The type of aircraft noise of particular interest is that associated with supersonic and low altitude, high speed flight in Military Operating Areas (MOAs) and Military Training Routes (MTRs): both sonic booms and high peak level, rapid onset time subsonic noise. Potential studies considered are those with observation designs that are community-based or derived from audiometric databases. Since the primary goal of such studies is to improve Air Force's ability to predict the effects on nonauditory health of noise exposure near MOAs and MTRs, such studies must provide: a demonstration of a causal chain from aircraft noise exposure to nonauditory adverse health consequences; and a reliable quantitative relationship between amount of noise exposure (dose) and degree of specific health consequences (effect). Keywords: Epidemiology; Aircraft noise; Annoyance; Community response; Psychoacoustics; Dose-response relationships.


The main focus of this article is the legal basis of the duty of confidentiality and its content during the procedures of public procurement and during the disputes regarding the legality of decisions made by the contracting authorities. Only those cases which are associated with contracting authorities' duty to keep information of other suppliers confidential are analyzed. The actual problems are related to the requests of a supplier in order to get certain information about other suppliers in pre-trial disputes and during litigation. The legal basis of the duty of confidentiality is established in national law as well as in European Union Directives. Due to the relatively laconic legal regulation, case law becomes very important, which provides additional rules and practical solutions to the problems that arise. In order to analyze the legal basis of the duty of confidentiality, at first the conception of confidential information should be determined. The conception of confidential information is disclosed in other branches of the law. Secondly, the limits of duty to keep information confidential should be analyzed. However, the duty of confidentiality during the procurement procedures and legal disputes has its own specifics. The duty of confidentiality should be balanced with the principle of transparency, basically meaning the requirement of publicity during public procurement procedures. The principle of transparency is very important, because if this principle is violated, it is sufficient to require the court to declare illegal actions made by contracting authority. The general criteria for information to be held as confidential are also applicable to the public procurement of legal relationship, but there are some specific criteria. The principle of transparency often causes a conflict between the duty of confidentiality and publicity. However, it is necessary to disclose certain information, which means that public procurement legal regulation should be interpreted so as to allow the greatest possible opportunities to ensure transparency. Also, the duty of confidentiality quite often contradicts the public interest to ensure the transparent and legal public procedures. As a result, the public interest in public procurement litigation requires the court to be active and, if necessary, to collect evidence – if necessary, even the supplier's confidential information. The active role of the court is necessary to ensure transparent and legal public procurement procedures.


Student evidence of learning is a challenging concept for many educators in the higher education and Vocational Education Training (VET) domain. 'Digi Explanations' are a relatively new multi-media assessment technique that has recently become well-known particularly since its support from the Office of Learning and Teaching. This assessment technique is primarily based on work presented by Associate Professor Gary Hobban's and detailed within the DigiExplanation website (http://www.digiexplanations.com/). This case study reports on the findings and feedback of a trial with a cohort of Biomedical Science students from Federation University Australia (formerly known as University of Ballarat) during Semester 1 (2014). This assessment technique replaced traditional practical report assessment techniques in both a microbiology and anatomical pathology context. This assessment technique coupled with team-based learning principles, peer review and various forms of feedback has allowed for building confidence in eLearning presentation skills, student engagement and learning of scientific concepts in an alternative mind set.


Apis mellifera L. is the main pollinator of cultivated plants. With the increased emphasis on organic agriculture, the use of botanical insecticides has also increased. However, the effects of these products on bees remain to be determined. In this study, we aimed at assessing the acute toxicity and sublethal behavioral effects of botanical insecticides such as andiroba oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, and rotenone on honey bees, A. mellifera . Only andiroba oil demonstrated no lethality to A. mellifera adult workers. However, andiroba oil, garlic extract, and neem oil demonstrated an acute toxicity to bee larvae. Except for eucalyptus oil, larvae fed with syrup containing the other insecticides led to the development of lower body mass in adult workers. All these botanical insecticides were repellent to A. mellifera adult workers. In addition, the eucalyptus oil, garlic extract, neem oil, and rotenone decreased the rate of walking activity in adult workers. Our results demonstrate the potential acute toxicity and sublethal effects of botanical insecticides on honey bees and, thereby, provide evidence of the importance of assessing the risks of the side effects of biopesticides, often touted as environmentally friendly, to nontarget organisms such as pollinators.


Microfarms - or small acreage farms - are gaining popularity across the country for their astoundingly high yields and great tasting produce, as well as their profitability. This handbook reveals the secrets of successful micro eco-farming and explains what eco-farmers need to know to start their own small agribusiness. Questions such as: What can be grown? How do farmers reach their markets? and What sustainable production methods can be used? are answered in detail and supported be hundreds of real-life examples. A variety of unusual uses for crops are also provided, including producing organic spa products, building an urban greenhouse, creating a heritage rose farm, or cultivating a connoisseur apple orchard. Ecologists, amateur gardeners, farmers, and those interested in sustainable living will enjoy this in-depth look at the spiritually and financially rewarding aspects of this new field.


Steganography, the art of hiding of information in apparently innocuous objects or images, is a field with a rich heritage, and an area of rapid current development. This clear, self-contained guide shows you how to understand the building blocks of covert communication in digital media files and how to apply the techniques in practice, including those of steganalysis, the detection of steganography. Assuming only a basic knowledge in calculus and statistics, the book blends the various strands of steganography, including information theory, coding, signal estimation and detection, and statistical signal processing. Experiments on real media files demonstrate the performance of the techniques in real life, and most techniques are supplied with pseudo-code, making it easy to implement the algorithms. The book is ideal for students taking courses on steganography and information hiding, and is also a useful reference for engineers and practitioners working in media security and information assurance.


Background:Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) prevalence in patients with sulfur mustard (SM)-induced bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is higher than exposed cases with mild lung injuries. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of microaspirations using nuclear scintiscan among BO patients with SM exposure.
Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted on patients with SM-induced BO and pulmonary symptom exacerbation referred to the Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran, Iran during the year 2009. Following the endoscopy-based diagnosis of GERD by a gastroenterologist, anti-reflux medications were withdrawn for 72 hours and then the patients underwent nuclear scintigraphy scan following 12 hour ingestion of fat containing food as radionuclide dinner. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT), spirometry and bronchoscopy were also performed for all patients.
Results: In this study, 39 patients (94.9% men) with mean (± SD) age of 45.1 ± 6.2 years were enrolled. The most common clinical complaints of the patients were thick sputum (97.4%) and dyspepsia (94.7%), followed by chest tightness (89.7%), nocturnal cough (82.1%), and nocturnal dyspnea (66.7%). In HRCT, air-trapping was the most common pulmonary finding (92.1%). In spirometry, mean (±SD) FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were 52.7 ± 22.4% and 70.4 ± 13.9%, respectively. In bronchoscopy, the most common finding was airway remodeling (62.2%), followed by false vocal cord hypertrophy (24.3%). In scintigraphic imaging, only 1 patient had a remarkable finding, in whom, the radionuclide material was seen in the pharynx (proximal GERD), but did not produce marked microaspiration of gastric substances into the airways.
Conclusion:Although previous reports demonstrated high prevalence of GERD and microaspiration in patients with SM-induced BO, we did not find remarkable evidence for microaspiration in scintiscan in patients included in this study.


Information and communication technology (ICT) has been questioned extensively throughout recent years and is often considered unsatisfactory and antiquated (Society, 2012). However, a new computing curriculum will be incorporated into school systems in order to replace existing frameworks. This new paradigm focuses heavily on programing and critical thinking, largely at the primary level of schooling. The existing ICT curriculum was considered insufficient and unsatisfactory, consequently highlighting the need for change. Nonetheless, basic ICT applications need to be considered when producing new curriculum in order to expand on familiar principles that students utilize (Gov.uk, 2013). This project aims to develop a new resource to enhance collaborative programming in UK schools for pupils studying at Key Stage 3 level, i.e., 11–14 year olds. The project started with a review and evaluation of the available tools for collaborative pair programming, such as Scratch Programming (Scratch, 2014), in order to determine their suitability for use in multi-touch tables. Then, the tool Turtle Art (Turtle Art, 2014) was selected to receive further development to be run on a multi-touch table. In the final stage, the usability of the new software, in terms of collaborative pair programming, will be tested and evaluated against the project goals. The new resource software is intended to be used as an environment for collaborative learning and pair programming, and a number of studies have proven that these educational methods provide an improved quality of education within the curriculum of school systems (see, for example, Wilson et al., 1993; Yerion and Rinehart, 1995; and McKinney and Denton, 2006 for collaborative learning and Nosek, 1998; Williams et al., 2000a, 2000b; Cockburn et al., 2000; Williams et al., 2001; Mcdowell et al., 2002; Gallis et al., 2003; Cao and Xu, 2005; Brereton et al., 2009; Goel et al., 2010; Rick et al., 2011; and Harlow and Leak, 2014 for pair programming). Thus, the proposed resource software can be beneficial when used for collaborative learning and pair programming for many reasons such as the following: • It helps in collective decision-making and problem-solving, which leads to enhanced learning and development. • It focuses on the development of skills that are necessary for employment in contemporary industries. • It is more enjoyable for developers, increases work satisfaction, and promotes student learning. • It leads to better student activity engagement. • It contributes to enhancing the level of student understanding with regard to programming modules. • It makes students more confident in their work as well as more positive about programming. • It encourages the development of problem-solving aptitudes. • It provides more efficiency and quality in understanding the processes that one needs to go through in programing to solve problems. • It helps students create new ideas and ways to interact with new technologies. • It encourages participants to practice problem-solving skills in practical circumstances.


This research is about the high number of teen pregnancies, sexual acitivity and low use of contraception in the Dominican Republic. This research shows which cultural and psychological factors play a role in predicting the intention to use contraceptives (condoms and oral contraception) of Dominican girls. De cultural factors investigated were: living together, childwish, machismo and communication patterns (about contraception). The psychological factors consisted of the social cognitions from the Theory of Planned Behavior and the extra social cognitions of; response efficacy, vulnerability and severity and knowledge about oral contraception. To conduct the research a questionnaire was used. 202 Dominican girls in the age of 13 to 22 filled out the questionnaire. The average age was 18. 58% of the respondents were found in schools in and around Cabarete, 42% of the respondents were aquired in (poor) neighbourhoods in Cabarete.
 Sexual activity and teen pregnancies: Dominican girls start fairly early with sex. Before they reach the age of 15 13% has had sex. Before they reach the age of 18 this is 48%. Of all sexually active girls 51% had her first sexual encounter before the age of 16. 27% of all the respondents had been pregnant at least once. Of all sexually active girls this was 45%. From the age of 16 they generally they start to get pregnant. 24% of the 16 year old girls have been pregnant, whereas only 3% of the girls of 15 and younger have been pregnant. On the age of 19 more than half of the girls have been pregnant (53%). The use of oral contraception was a lot higher with girls that are living together (44%) then with sexually active girls that are not living together with their boyfriend (17%). Even so there are a lot more girls in the living together group that are pregnant or have been pregnant then in the not living together group. This is because the girls that are living together are constantly being exposed to the risk of getting pregnant. As you can see by these numbers, teenpregnancies are a common problem in the Dominican Republic and can be partly explained by the early sexual activity and living together on an early age.
 Oral contraception: Childwish and machismo don't play an explaining role in the intention to use oral contraception. Positive communication patterns abour oral contraception from the mother are very important for the intention to use oral contraceptives. It also correlated with the other social cognitions about oral contraception. The influence of postive communication with the mother is indirect through the social cognitions. Of the social cognitions about oral contraception only self efficacy and social norms play a significant role in explaining intention to use oral contraception. Both are being influenced by the positive communication of the mother about oral contracepton. Together they explain 23% of the intention to use oral contraception. In explaining the actual use of contraception only knowledge about oral contraception and attitudes about oral contraception play a significant role. Knowledge is working indirectly though attitudes. They explain 12% of the actual use
 Condom use: Girls that are living together use a condom a lot less (only 14%) then sexually active girls that are not living together (28%). The childwish doesn't have a significant influence on intention to use condoms. Machismo has, against all expectations, a significant positive influence on intention to use condoms. The reason is not clear, a reason might be that there is another variable at work that hasn't been measured. Communication patterns don't play a role in explaining intention to use condoms. Of the social cognitions about condom use only social norms play a significant role in the intention to use condoms. Together with machismo social norms explain 14% of the intention to use condoms.
 Prevention has to be aimed at 3 levels, the society level for posponing the age that girls start to live together, the community level where especially to mother has to be stimulated to talk more about contraception with her daughter and improving social norms and the personal level to improve skills like self efficacy and knowledge about contraception.


Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) based on IL electrolytes have attracted great attention, particularly in large-scale energy storage systems for renewable energy due to the abundance of sodium and the excellent safety resulting from the use of non-flammable ionic liquid (IL) electrolytes. In this article, a series of 15 functionalized room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) suitable as electrolytes is presented. Special emphasis was laid on the purity of the synthesized RTILs and a consistent and uniform characterization of their physicochemical properties. Evaluation of the viscosity, conductivity, and thermal and electrochemical stabilities resulted in clear structure-property relationships, rendering the ether functionalized RTILs most promising for application in SIBs. Electrochemical investigations of the ether functionalized IL electrolytes in SIB half cells (Na0.6Mn0.9Co0.1O2 as cathode material) proved their compatibility with a SIB system. Stable cycling performance was achieved with the piperidinium based RTIL IL 6 outperforming the organic electrolyte by far with a retention of 81% after 350 cycles. These results show the suitability of RTILs to enhance the performance of SIB systems and serve as a basis for the design of high performance IL electrolytes.


Scholarship on developmental idealism demonstrates that ordinary people around the world tend to perceive the level of development and the specific characteristics of different countries similarly. We build on this literature by examining public perceptions of nations and development in internet search data, which we argue offers insights into public perceptions that survey data do not address. Our analysis finds that developmental idealism is prevalent in international internet search queries about countries. A consistent mental image of national development emerges from the traits publics ascribe to countries in their queries. We find a positive relationship between the sentiment expressed in autocomplete Google search queries about a given country and its position in the global developmental hierarchy. People in diverse places consistently associate positive attributes with countries ranked high on global development indices and negative characteristics with countries ranked low. We also find a positive correlation between the number of search queries about a country and the country's position in indices of global development. These findings illustrate that ordinary people have deeply internalized developmental idealism and that this informs their views about countries worldwide.


We propagate for the first time correlated measurement uncertainties into a nonlinear behavioral model of a millimeter-wave amplifier. We make use of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Microwave Uncertainty Framework to evaluate the uncertainties in large-signal electromagnetic wave measurements of an amplifier, followed by the extraction of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$X$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-parameters using an industry standard algorithm. This extracted model is included as a component in a circuit simulator to evaluate gain and efficiency incorporating measurement uncertainty.


We exploit high-frequency/high-resolution transaction data from BBVA, the second-largest bank in Spain, to analyse the dynamics of expenditure in Spain during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our main dataset consists of the universe of BBVA-mediated sales transactions from both credit cards and point-of-sales terminals, and totals 1.4 billion individual transactions since 2019. This dataset provides a unique opportunity to study the impact of the ongoing crisis in Spain—and the policies put in place to control it—on a daily basis. We find little shift in expenditure prior to the national lockdown, but then immediate, very large, and sustained expenditure reductions thereafter. Transaction metadata also allows us to study variation in these reductions across geography, sectors, and mode of sale (e.g. online/offline). We conclude that transaction data captures many salient patterns in how an economy reacts to shocks in real time, which makes its potential value to policy makers and researchers high. ∗This is a live document and subject to ongoing changes. All analysis is preliminary. All data has been anonymized prior to treatment.


We evaluated the impact of prophylactic nitroglycerin on the incidence of perioperative myocardial ischemia in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease who undergo noncardiac surgery. Our goals were to better define the role of nitroglycerin in the management of high-risk patients and to explore the mechanisms of perioperative myocardial ischemia. Patients were assigned randomly to either a control group (n = 23) or to receive 0.9 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 of intravenous nitroglycerin (n = 22). The diagnosis of myocardial ischemia was based on a review of Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. There was no difference in the incidence of ischemia between groups. Seven control patients (30%) and seven nitroglycerin patients (32%) exhibited ECG evidence of ischemia. The preponderance of myocardial ischemia occurred during emergence from anesthesia (of the 14 patients exhibiting ischemia, 12 did so at emergence). There was an acute increase in heart rate at the onset of ischemia in all patients exhibiting ischemia with 14 of 18 episodes associated with an increase of 20% or greater. The heart rate associated with the onset of ischemia was greater in the nitroglycerin-treated patients than in the control group. We also found that the occurrence of myocardial ischemia on a preoperative Holter recording was strongly predictive of the subsequent occurrence of perioperative ischemia. In conclusion, the addition of nitroglycerin to standard anesthetic management of these high-risk patients does not measurably reduce perioperative ischemia.


This paper is drawn from a wider research study designed to examine the factors that determine the effectiveness of nationally published police professional practice. It also aims to explore the nature of the investigation process and to identify the ways in which the professional practice publications, such as the ACPO 2006 Murder Investigation Manual (MIM) can best be used by the police service. Because the body of police professional practice publications was only introduced in the last 20 years, there has been little, if any academic interest in this area and the research aims to contribute to improved knowledge of it. Many police studies are concerned with classic themes such as discretion, accountability, and leadership. As well as the specific theme of the overall research, a contribution is offered in this short paper concerning aspects of these classic themes. The use of discretion within specific investigations will be explored and consideration given to whether the police should be able to use their own flair when carrying out investigations or whether they should be constrained by tried and tested methodologies. This study, which incorporates a US/UK international comparison, was mainly conducted using qualitative research techniques and, in particular, semistructured interviews with over 60 police officers and other significant respondents in England and the United States.


As you read the articles that I have had the pleasure to curate for this special edition of SUSHRUTA, published along with the #BAPIOAC19 conference in London this wet and frosty November, you will see glimmers of hope and aspirations of a broad-church of people that make up the health service. NHS professionals come from all over the world, bringing their cultures from distant shores that were once touched by the British Empire (now the Commonwealth) You will also witness the ambitious plans for future proofing what is arguably the best universal health system in the world. It is a time for 20/20 vision; we recognise not only the challenges that face the UK population and the NHS but we also envisage how the strengths of the diverse multi-skilled workforce come together in making the UK NHS star shine even brighter.


The use of IHAT for rapid assay of antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria causing malleus and melioidosis was shown to be possible. Pure bacterial cultures and suspensions of the spleen of infected animals were used as the investigation objects. The materials were additionally grown in meat-peptone broth with 5 per cent of glycerol at 37 degrees C with addition of an antibiotic or without it (control). Antibiotic efficacy was estimated by the difference in the titers in the main and control experiments. The test not requiring isolation of pure bacterial cultures provided a 2-3-fold decrease in the investigation time.


Twenty years ago Abelson and Sussman's Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs radically changed the intellectual landscape of introductory computing courses. Instead of teaching some currently fashionable programming language, it employed Scheme and functional programming to teach important ideas. Introductory courses based on the book showed up around the world and made Scheme and functional programming popular. Unfortunately, these courses quickly disappeared again due to shortcomings of the book and the whimsies of Scheme. Worse, the experiment left people with a bad impression of Scheme and functional programming in general. In this pearl, we propose an alternative role for functional programming in the first-year curriculum. Specifically, we present a framework for discussing the first-year curriculum and, based on it, the design rationale for our book and course, dubbed How to Design Programs. The approach emphasizes the systematic design of programs. Experience shows that it works extremely well as a preparation for a course on object-oriented programming.


Background Keloids and hypertrophic scars represent excessive scarring. They require different therapeutic approaches, which can be hampered because of an apparent lack of morphologic difference between the two diseases. Objective This study investigated the clinical and dermoscopic features of keloids and hypertrophic scars in order to help dermatologists distinguish these lesions better. Methods A total of 41 keloids and hypertrophic scars in 41 patients were examined clinically and by performing dermoscopy with a digital imaging system. Lesions were evaluated for vascular structures. Results Dermoscopy revealed vascular structures in most keloid lesions (90%) but in only 27% of hypertrophic scar lesions. The most common dermoscopic vascular structures in keloids were arborizing (52%), followed by linear irregular (33%) and commashaped (15%); these features were present but less evident in hypertrophic scars (9% for all types). The distribution frequency of the vascular structures differed significantly between diseases (p<0.001). Conclusion A strong association of vascular structures with keloids was observed on dermoscopic examination. The results suggest dermoscopic examination of vascular structures is a clinically useful diagnostic tool for differentiating between keloids and hypertrophic scars.


– The main point of medicine in sport - treatment and avoidance of damage, exhortation of elite athletes, rehabilitation and its useful impacts are considered. The kinds of donning injuries are portrayed. Crash and physical sports games have a tendency to be portrayed by injuries caused by immediate or aberrant injury, while athletic injuries tend to come about because of an assortment of variables that, rather than delivering magnificence as expected, create damage. The physiological changes in a best class sportsman may likewise be normal for disease, making analysis of damage troublesome. The significance of the sportsman's mental state of mind is pushed. Sometimes injuries can compel absolutely and just a change in the methodology practiced, as they include limited, particular disabilities, even in elite sports. In this Paper we have taken Structured Interview Method of Investigation.


Estuaries are recognised globally as areas of high production, diversity and high economic value. Exploitation of the economic potential of estuaries and attendant infrastructural development plus expansion of human populations has resulted in degradation of estuaries worldwide. Many estuaries of northern Australia, in contrast, remain in good ecological condition. The estuarine fish fauna of the South Alligator River, Kakadu region of northern Australia was investigated to determine seasonal and spatial variation in composition. Beam trawls were used at 94 locations over the wet and dry seasons of 2012. In total, 81 taxa were collected, 26 of which had not previously been recorded in the river. Sciaenidae and Engraulidae dominated species richness and abundance. Samples were heterogeneous in terms of composition and abundance in a manner unrelated to any measured aspect of the habitat over which trawls occurred. Species richness was higher in the lower estuary than the upper estuary and more species were detected during the wet season. Turnover in assemblage structure between sampling occasions was associated with seasonal variation in discharge concordant with changes in salinity and potentially productivity. Compositional variation was largely ascribed to differential spawning phenology of adults and tolerance to fluctuating salinity. The Kakadu region supports a rich fish fauna moderately distinct from that observed elsewhere in the Northern Territory. Pronounced temporal turnover in assemblage structure and spatial variation at a variety of scales (i.e. within samples, and within and between rivers) collectively pose a challenge to management in light of ongoing and proposed development of the water resources of northern Australia, including its estuaries.


Promoting HIV medication adherence is basic to HIV/AIDS clinical care and reducing transmission risk and requires sound assessment of adherence and risk behaviors such as substance use that may interfere with adherence. The present study evaluated the utility of a telephone-based Interactive Voice Response self-monitoring (IVR SM) system to assess prospectively daily HIV medication adherence and its correlates among rural substance users living with HIV/AIDS. Community-dwelling patients (27 men, 17 women) recruited from a non-profit HIV medical clinic in rural Alabama reported daily medication adherence, substance use, and sexual practices for up to 10 weeks. Daily IVR reports of adherence were compared with short-term IVR-based recall reports over 4- and 7-day intervals. Daily IVR reports were positively correlated with both recall measures over matched intervals. However, 7-day recall yielded higher adherence claims compared to the more contemporaneous daily IVR and 4-day recall measures suggestive of a social desirability bias over the longer reporting period. Nearly one-third of participants (32%) reported adherence rates below the optimal rate of 95% (range=0-100%). Higher IVR-reported daily medication adherence was associated with lower baseline substance use, shorter duration of HIV/AIDS medical care, and higher IVR utilization. IVR SM appears to be a useful telehealth tool for monitoring medication adherence and identifying patients with suboptimal adherence between clinic visits and can help address geographic barriers to care among disadvantaged, rural adults living with HIV/AIDS.


In this paper, Cu nano-powder was used to reduce CuO nano-powder by hydrogen reduction process, which was prepared by hydrothermal decomposition method taken CuSO4•5H2O and NaOH as raw materials. The reaction conditions of CuO nano-stick were that concentration of CuSO4 liquor was 0.1mol•L-1, concentration of NaOH liquor was 5mol•L-1, dropping speed was 50ml•min-1, pH value of reacting terminal was 12, stirring speed was 1200 r•min-1, reacting temperature was 60°C, reacting time was 30min. The CuO stick longness was 200nm, diameter was 30nm. The reaction conditions of CuO nano-boll were that dropping speed was 50ml•min-1, pH value of reacting terminal was 7, stirring speed 100 r•min-1, reacting temperature was 80°C, reacting time 30min. The diameter of CuO nano-ball was 50~100 nm. The Cu powder was prepared with materials CuO tick by hydrogen reduction in closed circular system. The higher the temperature, the reaction speed is faster. Hydrogen reduction time was 400s in reacting temperature 240°C. The Cu powder' size was less than 100nm.


Mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula) occupy marginal habitat that is rarely used by cattle. They are fecund, produce good quality meat and have the potential to be cropped commercially. Body condition indices including dressing % (DP), kidney fat indices (KFI), leg fat percentages (LFP) and leg muscle percentages (LMP) were investigated at two nature reserves in the Free State Province, South Africa, to examine seasonal and sexual differences and apply the findings to management decisions. Forty-one animals were shot at Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (Sterkfontein) during eight separate operations over a twoyear period. Forty-four animals were shot at Tussen die Riviere Nature Reserve (TdR) during three periods. All results reported are for adult animals. At Sterkfontein, DP was lower in spring compared to autumn, KFI were lower in spring than winter, and LFP were lower in spring than winter and autumn. At TdR, KFI in males were lower in summer than winter. Seasonal patterns of body condition were mainly related to seasonal weather patterns and changes in reproductive condition. For effective harvesting, mountain reedbuck should be cropped in autumn and winter. This would give any remaining animals a better chance of surviving the spring period before the rains when grazing conditions are at their worst.


Introduction Losses and/or gains of whole chromosomes (aneuploidy) are extremely common in most cancers. Indeed aneuploidy is thought to occur early in carcinogenesis and the genetic instability induced is thought to provide a pool of selectable clones for tumour evolution. We have been interested in aneuploidy as a biomarker for GI tract cancer for some time. It is believed that alterations in the expression of key components of the mitotic checkpoint drive aneuploidy, by impairing the ability of this checkpoint to prevent chromosome mis-segregation. Here we aimed to correlate gene expression levels of the mitotic checkpoints MAD2, Bub1, aurora kinase A and B with aneuploidy levels and histology in premalignant gastric tissues. Methods We collected over 50 cytology brush samples of gastric mucosa during routine endoscopic examination. We examined aneuploidy levels in these exfoliated cells using fluorescent in situ hybridisation, specifically looking at copy numbers of chromosome 1. Concurrently, during endoscopy, biopsy samples were obtained from the same gastric epithelium for histological assessment and for CLO testing and further biopsies were obtained and used to extract RNA to determine mitotic checkpoint gene expression levels using the real-time PCR. Specifically the expression levels Mad2, Bub1, aurora kinase A and B were assessed. Results Aneuploidy levels mirrored histological progression in the stomach as previously described (from an average of 2.6% in normal gastric epithelium to over 6% in intestinal metaplasia/atrophic gastritis). RNA was extracted from 46 samples for mitotic checkpoint gene expression analysis. Mad2 and Bub1 expression levels were found to be decreased significantly in the small number of samples with intestinal metaplasia. We also demonstrated that the levels of Mad2 and Bub1 were also diminished in the 28 patients with gastritis. Conversely, Aurora kinase A and B were upregulated in the H pylori infected tissues in particular, compared to histologically normal tissue. Comprehensive data analysis is now underway comparing mitotic checkpoint expression to histology, aneuploidy level and to key clinical parameters. Conclusion Mitotic checkpoint dysregulation occurs in pre-malignant gastric tissue concurrently with rising levels of aneuploidy. These mitotic checkpoint abnormalities may underlie the induction of aneuploidy and may represent the mechanism by which chromosomal instability is induced in early neoplasia.


Thiopeptides are structurally complex, bioactive natural products derived from ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides. A remarkable set of enzymes were recently revealed to catalyze the formation of the core trithiazolylpyridine of thiopeptides via a formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition. These pyridine synthases typically act late in thiopeptide biosynthesis to affect macrocyclization and cleavage of the N-terminal leader peptide, making them potentially useful biocatalysts for preparation of new thiopeptide variants. Herein we investigate the leader peptide requirements for TclM from thiocillin biosynthesis in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579. Through a series of truncations, we define a minimum recognition sequence (RS) that is necessary and sufficient for TclM activity. This RS can be readily synthesized and ligated to linear thiopeptide cores prepared via solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), giving an efficient and modular route to thiopeptide variants. We exploit this strategy to define C-terminal core peptide requirements and explore the differences in promiscuity of two pyridine synthases, TclM and TbtD, ultimately examining their ability to access new structural variants.


The world famous Alhambra monument in Granada, Southern Spain, listed as UNESCO world cultural heritage since 1984, represents probably the most beautiful example of Islamic art and architecture from the Middle Ages in Europe. It is visited by ca. 2 million people annually. Granada is situated in a natural basin, surrounded by mountains with altitudes up to 3500 m. Due to this topography and the prevailing low wind speeds, pollution-derived and especially traffic-derived particulate matter often accumulates in the urban air. In order to evaluate the potential conservation risks from the surrounding air, the atmospheric composition in the Alhambra monument was evaluated. Indoor temperature and relative humidity fluctuations were evaluated for their potential degenerative effects. Furthermore, the atmospheric composition in the Alhambra was analyzed in terms of inorganic gases (NO2, SO2, O3, and NH3) and black carbon. It was found that the open architecture protected the indoor environments from developing a potentially harmful microclimate, such as the build-up of humidity resulting from the huge number of daily tourists. On the downside, the strong ventilation made the indoor air hardly different from outdoor air, as characterized by strong diurnal temperature and relative humidity gradients and high traffic-derived pollutant levels.


This study was designed to inform the eyecare practitioner of accommodative dysfunction in patients with Cerebral Palsy (CP), and more importantly, to give guidelines for successful prescribing of nearpoint lenses. Files were obtained from the Oregon School for the Blind, in association with the Oregon Lions Statewide Low Vision Clinic. Inclusion criteria included a diagnosis of CP, a Monocular Estimate Method (MEM) retinoscopy finding indicating an accommodative dysfunction, and a nearpoint lens prescription prescribed. Surveys were sent to the vision teachers of these patients to assess the effect of the nearpoint lenses on daily activities. The results were analyzed and discussed; two successful examples were presented. It was found that patients who had the greatest success functioned on a higher cognitive level, received initial training with the prescription and continued support, and in addition, were given adequate time to adapt to the prescription. It was also shown that even though the patient may not appear to appreciate the aid a near prescription provides, a nearpoint lens should be attempted for those who are found to have CP with accommodative dysfunction.


Interest in the economic impacts of research and development (R&D) among forest economists is of relatively recent vintage when compared with the long history of such inquiries in agricultural economics. In contrast to the literature in agricultural economics, which can be traced to the seminal works of Schultz (1953) and Griliches (1958), such work in forest economics was not of widespread interest until 1979 when the USDA Forest Service responded to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 by initiating an examination of policy concerning public support for R&D (Callaham, 1981). In 1980 the Forest Service began a national program to develop methods for the economic evaluation of R&D in forest product technologies under the initial direction of Allen Lundgren at the North Central Forest Experiment Station. The research program established by the North Central Forest Experiment Station had five broad components ranging from the identification of the users of forestry research evaluation and their needs to the development of methods for evaluating that research (Lundgren, 1983). The bulk of the work which has been completed may be classified, following Bengston (1986), as impact evaluations and process evaluations. Impact evaluations examine effects of R&D on the economy, and are represented by estimates of the increase of producer and consumer surplus due to R&D, estimates of the marginal productivity of R&D expenditures, and studies of the effect of R&D on employment, income and income distribution, the balance of trade, the environment, and market structure. Process evaluations examine the research process itself within the economic organization in order to determine how decisions are made and R&D is carried out. Such studies focus on how the agency or firm selects, plans, monitors, and evaluates projects. The goal of this kind of evaluation is to improve the research decision-making. A broad overview of many of the impact and process evaluation studies in forestry may be found in Bengston (1986). This paper concentrates instead of two types of impact evaluation approaches which have been adopted and modified for forestry R&D evaluation from agricultural economics. Results of such studies in forest economics are presented in the next section. Following that section, methodologies are discussed. While the theoretical underpinnings of these methodologies are well known to agricultural economists, details differ to a lesser or greater extent in the forestry studies, and may be of interest. The methodology developed in Seldon (1987) and Seldon and Newman (1987) is described in detail.


Background Liver transplantation (LT) is rarely indicated in the management of iatrogenic bile duct injuries (IBDI), but occasionally, it becomes the only remaining therapy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate potential complications of IBDI and their impact on perioperative mortality, graft, and patient survival after LT. Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing database was queried for all LT performed in the United States between 1994 and 2014. Of the 101 238 liver transplants performed, 61 were related to IBDI. We performed a case matched analysis in a 5:1 ratio. Results The median age for patients with IBDI was 50.16 ± 11.7 years with a mean Model End-Stage Liver Disease score of 22.6 ± 9.8. Patients receiving LT for IBDI were more likely women (54.1%, P = 0.001), had lower incidence of hepatitis C virus infection (4.9%, P = 0.001) and longer cold ischemic time (P = 0.001). The mean body mass index was 25.5 ± 5.2 in patients transplanted for IBDI. IBDI was recognized as the strongest independent predictor associated with eightfold increased risk of early graft loss (P = 0.001; odds ratio, 8.4) and a 2.9-fold increased risk of 30-day mortality after LT in a case matched analysis (P = 0.03). Conclusions IBDI is an uncommon but challenging indication for LT. These patients have significantly increased rates of early graft loss. IBDI is an independent factor related to increased risk of perioperative death after LT. Further studies are needed to determine the causes of perioperative complications and identify potential modifiable factors to improve outcomes in patients undergoing transplantation for IBDI.


This thesis examines the reliefs of Trajan's Column in Rome (dedicated A. D. 113). It explores sculptural processes and provides a full and critical commentary on the relief content. Section 1 reviews prior work on the column and explains how the present research was conducted whilst taking advantage of scaffolding erected in conjunction with conservation studies. Section 2 examines the role of the column as a propaganda monument, exploring the value of the depictions of Trajan's wars as a source of historical information. This runs parallel to an enquiry into the imperial propaganda functions of the project. These two lines of approach are set against the column's immediate architectural environment which suggests how the reliefs were observed by the public audience. Section 3 is a technical enquiry into the methods by which the column was fabricated, and the sculptures were planned and executed, based on minute observation and computer-assisted recording of the reliefs. Section 4 deals with each of the potential sources of information concerning historical events, warfare, architecture and the Roman army available to, and employed by the sculptors working in Rome. It concludes that input from the war zone on the Danube was minimal in comparison with models and verbal information available in the capital. In Section 5, the sixteen categories of human figures on the spiral frieze ('Figure Types') are dealt with in turn and examined in the light of comparative textual, artefactual and representational evidence with regard to their accuracy. Relationships with other contemporary monuments are also examined. The last Section reviews the place of Trajan's Column in Roman monumental art, examining its innovative features and-its influence on later works.


A new type of composite sandwich hollow column is prepared through using glass fiber and paulownia wood by the way of vacuum infusion resin method for the first time. The structure of the column is cylindrical sandwich shell. After preparation of columns, mechanical properties under axial compression of the composite column are also studied. The results show that increasing the core material thickness or the surface material thickness can improve the load-carrying capacity of the composite column under axial compression. The characteristics of the column are low-price, cost-effectiveness, fast preparation, product stability, lightweight, high strength and corrosion- resistance, so it can be widely used as a building's column, a supporting column of coalmine's roadway, and a part of retaining structure of deep excavation.


This paper proposes a conceptual implementation model for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to follow as part of their digital transformation. The conceptual model can be translated into a practical step-by-step guide for SMEs to apply during their digital transformation. The model is based on gradually developing industrial capabilities that can influence production processes performance. We employed a comparative case study approach to capture the lessons learned by SMEs in their journey to develop and implement a production digitalization system for deviation management and performance improvement. The model was validated in the cases of study capturing the actual SMEs' needs. Managerial capabilities of production processes such as monitoring and control demonstrate to influence the performance positively. The proposed model aims for a full digital transformation by following a gradual approach to being resource-efficient and integrating their business needs. This paper is an extension of work originally presented in APMS 2020, IFIP AICT 592.


This paper employs Data Warehouse theory, theory of Decision Support System, and the ASP.net technology to implement the Power Marketing DSS (Decision-making Support System) and put forward the realization of entire system architecture. In the data layer, various data from Applications which are running for the Power Business are integrated to establish the data warehouse, and then we build the multi-dimensional data cube to provide online analytical processing. In application layer, the Webservice technology as well as its Registration Model and query technology based on UDDI registry will be introduced to Power consumption forecasting module. The forecasting models include Quadric Exponential Smoothing prediction model, Curve Fitting, Multiple Linear Regression Model and the Gray Model, each model will be packaged into a Web service, so the models can be called through the network for Distributed Collaborative Forecasting. Through these technologies, a complete and well-established Power Marketing DSS was created with following functions: on-line analysis, report service, distributed collaborative power forecasting models work in parallel, etc.


The primary purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of extension agents in Bhutan on the professional competencies they considered important and possessed. The results of the study showed that extension agents have lower confidence on the technical knowledge they possessed in the respective subject areas. The other priority training requirements for extension agents identified by the study were on: how to conduct situational analysis, ability to prepare visual aids, finding ways to encourage farmers to adopt innovations, visualizing future extension prospects and problems, introducing new extension methods, building confidence in meeting objectives, creating awareness of the government policy and ability to organize and present a seminar. The junior extension agents have a higher confidence on some competencies compared to their seniors. Therefore, the departments of agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry in the Ministry of Agriculture should regularly conduct training needs analysis and provide in-service training to update the knowledge and skills of extension agents.


Conventional myths such as the poor are misfit to manage smart technologies or women-led rural enterprises generally fall through faster than men have since been broken as evidenced by various empirical studies. In the context of solar energy enterprises managed by women particularly in rural or peri-urban areas are much understudied, however, the impact of such women-led entrepreneurial energy-based start-ups has significant personal, social and community level consequential impact. A range of institutional arrangements that support these entrepreneurs starting from identifying, training to building and sustaining of such start-ups are highlighted in this paper. Not only do women collectively run these enterprises but they also help incubate others in their business model. The context of solar energy in rural communities has become all the more important for both a practitioner as well as a theoretical understanding of women entrepreneurship. This research deploys a qualitative method approach that uses both primary and secondary data; this is then put through a lens of systematic thematic analysis for a deeper discussion. The work concludes with an objective to contribute to policy discussions as well as build an empirical knowledge of how women-led solar technology-based enterprises are built, managed, sustained and scaled in rural areas.


Across the Levant "libation installations" have been identified at numerous ancient archaeological sites. This paper examines these claims in light of both the surrounding material remains and the surviving texts of the region that mention libations of wine and water. It shows that libation, the ritual pouring out of a liquid offering to a god, in ancient Syria-Palestine did not require a receptacle for successful completion of the act. Rather, the category "libation installation" exists not because of solid evidence but to fulfill the needs of modern scholars and any such claim must be carefully scrutinized before being accepted.


Background: Many patients with rotator cuff tears suffer from nocturnal shoulder pain, resulting in sleep disturbance. Purpose: To determine whether rotator cuff tear size correlated with sleep disturbance in patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of unilateral full-thickness rotator cuff tears (diagnosed via magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a visual analog scale (VAS) quantifying their shoulder pain, and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) questionnaire. Shoulder MRI scans were analyzed for anterior-posterior tear size (mm), tendon retraction (mm), Goutallier grade (0-4), number of tendons involved (1-4), muscle atrophy (none, mild, moderate, or severe), and humeral head rise (present or absent). Bivariate correlations were calculated between the MRI characteristics and baseline survey results. Results: A total of 209 patients with unilateral full-thickness rotator cuff tears were included in this study: 112 (54%) female and 97 (46%) male (mean age, 64.1 years). On average, shoulder pain had been present for 24 months. The mean PSQI score was 9.8, and the mean VAS score was 5.0. No significant correlations were found between any of the rotator cuff tear characteristics and sleep quality. Only tendon retraction had a significant correlation with pain. Conclusion: Although rotator cuff tears are frequently associated with nocturnal pain and sleep disruption, this study demonstrated that morphological characteristics of full-thickness rotator cuff tears, such as size and tendon retraction, do not correlate with sleep disturbance and have little to no correlation with pain levels.


An increasing number of online graduate study programs require students to participate in collaborative work projects. And yet, educational research examining instructional strategies that facilitate learning in small groups online is limited. This article describes findings from a qualitative research project that investigated instructor immediacy at different stages of group development. The research was framed from a constructivist theoretical perspective and a descriptive research design. Participants were health care practitioners from two WebCT online graduate study programs. Data sources included four focus groups and twenty individual audio recorded transcribed interviews. The data was collected in person over a three year period, analysed for themes by two researchers, and confirmed with participants through ongoing member checking. Instructional immediacy strategies that students believed facilitated meaningful learning in small groups are presented in the three overarching stages of first, beginning/ engagement; second, middle/ encouragement; and third, ending/ closure. Findings suggested that, in the beginning/ engagement stage, learners valued knowing their instructors were available "if you need me" and that it was "safe" to contact them. In the middle/ encouragement stage, they appreciated personal help with networking and managing conflict, particularly in relation to participation and marking and they valued private feedback. And, in the ending/ closing stage, they needed opportunities to debrief and reflect.


— Integration of sustainable development in the business and supply chain is potentially a source of competitive differentiation for firms. Sustainable supply chain (SSC) management is the management of material, information and capital flows as well as cooperation among companies along the supply chain while taking goals from all three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e., economic, environmental and social, into account which are derived from customer and stakeholder requirements. By using the quality function deployment (QFD) as a product/system development tool, an effective SSC structure can be obtained. The objective of this study is to apply an extended QFD methodology in SSC by introducing a new group decision making (GDM) approach that takes into account incomplete information of decision makers by means of fuzzy set theory. This methodology is compatible with the requirements of the various stakeholders, suppliers, manufacturers and clients, involved in the supply chain. Finally, to assess the validity of the proposed approach, a specific supply chain example is given.


We here describe abundant new snake material from the late Miocene (MN 13) of Salobreña, Spain. Vertebral morphology suggests a referral of the specimens to the extant psammophiid Psammophis, documenting the first occurrence of this genus in Europe. The diversity and disparity across the vertebral morphology of different psammophiid genera are discussed. We identify vertebral features that could diagnose Psammophis and therefore enable the recognition of the genus in the fossil record. A comparison of the new Spanish form with other taxa is conducted. We provide a detailed review of the psammophiid fossil record. Material previously described from the middle Miocene of Beni Mellal, Morocco is here tentatively referred to as ?Psammophis sp., an action that renders that occurrence as the oldest (probable) record of the genus and Psammophiidae as a whole, providing thus a potential calibration point. On the other hand, Eastern European Pliocene material that had been previously supposedly referred to Psammophis is here discarded as being rather fragmentary, not affording any more precise determination. The two psammophiid genera Psammophis and Malpolon appear almost simultaneously in the European fossil record (MN 13), with the former achieving only a short‐lived and apparently geographically limited distribution in the continent, while the latter still exists in its modern herpetofauna. We assess biogeographic implications of the new find, suggesting a direct dispersal event from northwestern Africa to the Iberian Peninsula during the late Miocene, facilitated by the Messinian Salinity Crisis.


In this paper we present a CCD image sensor system with high dynamic range. This feature is achieved through double analog-to-digital convertors'(ADC) architecture and field programmable gate arrays(FPGA). By doing so, the system outputs high dynamic range images in real time. The proposed scheme is a low-cost solution in the sense that it can be built on top of any traditional sensor system with minor modifications on the system-level analog-to-digital module. Through the post-layout sensor system we show the experimental images to demonstrate the effectiveness.


Using newly available data from the Survey of Consumer Finances, this paper updates and extends the literature exploring the racial wealth gap. We examine several hypotheses proposed by previous researchers, including the importance of inherited wealth and other family support and that of trends in local real estate markets, and also extend the literature by exploring the gap across the distribution of wealth and simultaneously considering white, African American and Hispanic households. The findings indicate that observable factors account for all of wealth gap between white and Hispanic households and most of the gap between white and black families – more than in most previous research – but a substantial unexplained portion remains. Wealth differences between black and white families are completely due to different asset holdings, while wealth differences between black and Hispanic families are mostly a result of different debt holdings. Home ownership and educational attainment are the single largest observable factors that account for the racial wealth gaps, with income and financial assistance from family members playing important roles as well. The unexplained portion of the wealth gap between white and non-white families is greater at the top of the wealth distribution.


The results of an experimental investigations on the natural characteristics of tuned bladed disk and forced dynamic responses of mistuned bladed disks are reported. Three experimental bladed disks are discussed: a tuned specimen of periodic symmetry with 12-blades which are nominally identical, and two mistuned specimens, which feature small blade-to-blade variations by adding slight blocks to blade tips. All the specimens are subject to travelling wave excitation produced by piezo-electric actuators sticking on the root of blades. The primary objective of this experiment is to observe the natural characteristics of tuned bladed disk, and to research the impact of mistuning on the forced response blade amplitude magnification. Analytical predictions about the blade amplitude magnification factor are verified by the experimental results.


Introduction: Disease burden estimations based on sound epidemiological research provide the foundation for designing health services. Patients visiting a primary care often present with symptoms and signs. Understanding the burden is crucial for developing countries including India. The project aimed to record the reasons for encounter (RFE) at primary care settings for estimating the burden at the health-care facility. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was undertaken at four urban health dispensaries of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, with the aim to explore the prevailing patterns of diseases among patients attending these facilities. Data collection spanned from May to October 2012. At each center, patients' information on age, sex, religion, and presenting illness was extracted from the outpatient records over these time period. Data were entered and analyzed in SPSS version 20, and the International Classification of Primary Care-2 was used for coding the illnesses. Results: In total, 2249 patient's records were extracted over 12 weeks. Out of them, 1241 (55.2%) were male with mean age of 41.8 (±15.8) years vis-à -vis 38.2 (±14.1) years for females. Around 151 (6.7%) had 2 or more symptoms or conditions. Overall, the most common categories were general and unspecified followed by digestive-related symptoms in both sexes. The most common symptoms among males were fever (11.4%), heart burn (8.1%), and vertigo or dizziness (3.6%). Similar pattern was seen among females. Respiratory (17.0%) and cardiovascular (10.2%) problems were the most common RFEs among males and females. The most common RFEs for acute care among males and females were fever, allergic rhinitis, upper respiratory tract infection, and acute bronchitis. Leading RFEs for chronic care among males were hypertension uncomplicated, heart burn, low back pain, whereas among females, hypertension and heartburn were mostly seen. Conclusion: Primary care settings are experiencing both communicable and non-communicable diseases along with injuries. Understanding the distribution of the diseases are essential to design appropriate service package at primary care.


The anionic ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of epoxides, namely of ethylene oxide (EO), with anhydrides (AH) generally produces strictly alternating copolymers. With triethylborane (TEB)-assisted ROCOP of EO with AH, statistical copolymers of high molar mass including ether and ester units could be obtained. In the presence of TEB, the reactivity ratio of EO (rEO), which is normally equal to 0 in its absence, could be progressively raised to values lower than 1 or higher than 1. Conditions were even found to obtain rEO equal or close to 1. Samples of P(EO-co-ester) with minimal compositional drift could be synthesized; upon basic degradation of their ester linkages, these samples afforded poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) diol samples of narrow molar mass distribution. In other cases where rEO were lower or higher than 1, the PEO diol samples eventually isolated after degradation exhibited a broader distribution of molar masses because of the compositional drift of initial P(EO-co-ester) samples.


Whole chromosome gains or losses (aneuploidy) are a hallmark of ~70% of human tumors. Modeling the consequences of aneuploidy has relied on perturbing spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) components but interpretations of these experiments are clouded by the multiple functions of these proteins. Here we used a Cre recombinase-mediated chromosome loss strategy to individually delete mouse chromosomes 9, 10, 12 or 14 in tetraploid immortalized murine embryonic fibroblasts. While the aneuploid cells generally display a growth disadvantage in vitro, they grow significantly better in low adherence sphere-forming conditions and 3 of the 4 lines are transformed in vivo, forming large and invasive tumors in immunocompromised mice. The aneuploid cells display increased chromosomal instability and DNA damage, a mutator phenotype associated with tumorigenesis in vivo. Thus, these studies demonstrate a causative role for whole chromosome loss in tumorigenesis and may shed light on the early consequences of aneuploidy in mammalian cells.


The dynamic behavior of railway bridges carrying high-speed trains can be analyzed with or
without the consideration of the vehicle's own structure. However, due to the amount of
kinetic energy carried at high speeds, the train may interact significantly with the bridge,
especially when resonance occurs. Equally important is the riding comfort and the stability of
the track and train cars, which are usually the most critical limit states in the design of this
type of structures. With the aim of studying this problem a computer code was developed,
being the interaction between the bridge and the train implemented by means of contact
conditions between each train wheel (nodal point) and the structure (point inside a finite
element). The treatment of the interaction between a train wheel and a point on the surface of
a finite element is directly and efficiently implemented by means of an extended stiffness
matrix, which includes stiffness, flexibility and additional terms that stem from the
compatibility equations between the displacements of the vehicle and the bridge. This
methodology was applied to the study of the dynamic behavior of a bowstring arch bridge and
proved to be very accurate and efficient


Goth festivals and parties are unlike any other type of nightlife. At the Whitby Gothic Weekend or Gala Nocturna, Goths dress up in the most elaborate outfits, they listen to poetry, watch Gothic films, witness cabaret or fetish performances, drink absinthe, smoke clove cigarettes, dance to Goth music. With their lush settings and Victorian figures dancing in slow-motion to darkly romantic music, Goth nightlife offers a world outside the day-to-day, a twilight zone in which gender, history and sexual normativity are not boundaries but possibilities. All of this is accompanied by the sounds of carefully construed soundtracks, which typically start off with old school Goth evoking past times, then change to the drones of electronic body music (EBM), and end with the martial stomp of Cybergoth music. Goth clubbers dance the night away, and with it go the here and now. Only when the night is over they feel their feet, and the bleak lights outside the club return them to 21st century reality.

Through analyses of Goth music, lyrics, and social practices, this paper explores the ways in which music contributes to the alternate realities established at Goth parties. Because of the immense range of Goth substyles, such realities may vary greatly in style and sound: some parties aim to recreate the atmosphere of London's 1980s Batcave club, others thematise the rituals of pagan pasts, and yet others celebrate futuristic aesthetics. Despite their differences, though, all these types of Goth music present a timeless memory space inspired by romantic nostalgia and dark fantasy.


The genus Herschelia (Disinae, Orchidaceae) is revised. Sixteen species, one subspecies and one variety are recognized. Two new species from tropical Africa (H. chimanimaniensis Linder and H. praecox Linder) and a new variety from the Cape Province H. lugens (H. Bol.) Kraenzl. var. nigreseens Linder are described. Three new com binations are made by transferring the two species of Forficaria and Disa sect. Microperistera (one species) to Herschelia. Thirteen species are illustrated, and the nomenclature and the available information about the habitats of the taxa are discussed. The species are grouped into two subgenera, one of which is further divided into two sec tions and four series. This classification is based on the putative phylogeny, as determined by the method devised by Wagner (1962).


Immunization is a mandatory program by government for every child in Indonesia. In 2016, however, the vaccine used for children"s immunization was found under standardized or unqualified. It was mixed with particular substances which might lead the users into some allergies, minor or severe injuries, trauma, and even danger their lives. Parents certainly fully entrusted their children"s immunization to the competent. The crime of producing, distributing, and using non-standard vaccines involved many parties both individuals and corporations, ranging from the task of producing, distributing, and up to injecting the vaccines into children. With the enormous profits of the crime, however, only private parties were sued while the corporations were still free from any accusation and thus, it made them have potential chances to redo such crime, violating medical laws, consumer protection laws, Money laundering legislation, and up to brand and geographical indications. This study was a legal research with statute and conceptual approaches. It aimed to investigate the provisions of producing and distributing non-standard vaccines by corporations and to analyze their liability on such crime. The results, conclusions, suggestions, and recommendations for the problem were discussed.


A field study was conducted in the Italian context to examine the longitudinal effects of contact on improved intergroup relations, and to test whether the effects were different for majority and minority group members. Furthermore, we examined the processes underlying contact effects. Participants were 68 Italian (majority) and 31 immigrant (minority) secondary school students, who completed a questionnaire at two time points. The results of regression analyses showed that, consistent with the contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954), quantity and quality of contact longitudinally improved outgroup evaluation and increased the attribution of positive stereotypes to the outgroup; the reverse paths were non-significant. Notably, whereas quantity of contact improved intergroup attitudes and stereotypes for both majority and minority participants, quality of contact had reliable effects only for the majority group. Intergroup anxiety and empathy mediated the longitudinal effects of quantity of contact for both Italians and immigrants; the cross-lagged effects of contact quality on criterion variables for the Italian group were mediated by intergroup empathy. The theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


BACKGROUND
The diagnosis of acute lung injury (ALI) is based on a consensus clinical definition. Despite the simplicity of this definition, ALI remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Severe trauma is a well-described cause of ALI that represents a relatively homogeneous subset of patients with ALI. The aims of this study were to develop a panel of plasma biomarkers to facilitate diagnosis of trauma-induced ALI and to enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of human ALI.

METHODS
A retrospective nested case control of 192 patients admitted to the trauma intensive care unit at a university hospital between 2002 and 2006. We compared 107 patients with ALI to 85 patients without ALI. Plasma was collected within 72 hours of intensive care unit admission. Twenty-one plasma biomarkers were measured in duplicate in each plasma sample.

RESULTS
Patients with ALI had higher severity of illness scores, more days of mechanical ventilation, longer hospital stays, and higher mortality versus controls. Seven biomarkers (receptor for advanced glycation end products, procollagen peptide III, brain natriuretic peptide, angiopoietin-2, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-8) had a high diagnostic accuracy as reflected by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.82-0.92) in differentiating ALI from controls.

CONCLUSIONS
A model using seven plasma biomarkers had a high diagnostic accuracy in differentiating patients with trauma-induced ALI from trauma patients without ALI. In addition, use of a panel of biomarkers provides insight into the likely importance of alveolar epithelial injury in the pathogenesis of early ALI.


The development of this work aimed the emergy evaluation of an open cycle gas cogeneration power plant. This study also sought to assess the emergy efficiency of the cogeneration process in question, and, in addition to the energy flows, the quantification of the flows of matter, services and information involved in the production of steam and electrical power. The obtained emergy table shows that the non-renewable resources are the main contributors to the total flow of emergy required by the system, and renewable resources are the ones that contribute the least to the emergy of the system. Results indicate that the process has a considerable dependence on economic resources and the energy producer is harmed when selling energy because he gives more emergy than that he receives from money. Results also show that the process has a large dependence on the non-renewable resources, and therefore is not sustainable in the long term, from the standpoint of emergy. Keywords Cogeneration, Energy, Emergy evaluation.


A growing body of empirical literature finds that consumers are relatively limited in how much they search over product characteristics. We assemble a dataset of search and purchase behavior from eBay to quantify the returns, and thus implied costs, to consumer search on the internet. The extensive nature of the eBay data allows us to examine a rich and detailed set of questions related to search in a way that previous structural models cannot. In contrast to the literature, we find that consumers search a lot: on average 36 times per purchase over 3 (distinct) days, with most sessions ending in no purchase. We find that search costs are relatively low, in the region of 25 cents per search page. We pursue the analysis further by, i) examining how users refine their search, ii) how search behavior spans multiple search sessions, and iii) how the amount of search relates to finding lower prices.


Spatially distributed excitation and inhibition collectively shape a visual neuron's receptive field (RF) properties. In the direction-selective circuit of the mammalian retina, the role of strong null-direction inhibition of On-Off direction-selective ganglion cells (ON-OFF DSGCs) on their direction selectivity is well-studied. However, how excitatory inputs influence the On-Off DSGC's visual response is underexplored. Here, we report that On-Off DSGCs have a spatially displaced glutamatergic receptive field along their preferred-null motion axis. This displaced receptive field contributes to DSGC null-direction spiking during interrupted motion trajectories. Theoretical analyses indicate that population responses during interrupted motion may help populations of On-Off DSGCs signal the spatial location of moving objects in complex, naturalistic visual environments. Our study highlights that the direction-selective circuit exploits separate sets of mechanisms under different stimulus conditions, and these mechanisms may help encode multiple visual features.


Human activities have altered continental ecosystems worldwide and generated a major environmental crisis, prompting urgent societal questions on how to best produce goods while at the same time securing sustainable ecological services and raising needs to better understand and predict biodiversity and ecosystems dynamics under global changes. To tackle these questions, experimentation on ecosystems is necessary to improve our knowledge of processes and to propose scientifically sound management strategies. Experimental platforms able to manipulate key factors of global change and including state of the art observation methodologies are available worldwide but how to best integrate them has been rarely addressed. Here, we present and discuss the case of the national research infrastructure AnaEE France dedicated to the study of continental ecosystems and designed to congregate complementary experimental approaches in order to facilitate their access and use through a range of distributed and shared services. The conceptual design of AnaEE France includes five modules. Three modules gather experimental facilities along a gradient of experimental control ranging from highly controlled Ecotron facilities, semi-natural field mesocosms to in natura experimental sites covering major continental ecosystems (forests, croplands, grasslands and lakes). In addition, AnaEE France also includes shared instruments that can be implemented in experiments and analytical platforms specifically dedicated to environmental biology. To promote reuse of data, generalize results and improve predictive models, AnaEE France further gathers modelling and information systems. The implementation of AnaEE France allowed for mutual synergies, improved the technical skills, stimulated new experiments and helped our scientific community to enter into the big data sharing era.


This paper presents a semi-active fuzzy logic control (FLC) strategy designed for a semi-trailer truck suspension system which consists of magnetorheological (MR) damper and linear spring. The objective of the controller is to improve the ride comfort by suppressing the vibrations that result from the road irregularities. The dynamic system is modelled in MATLAB/Simulink simulation environment. Simulations are carried out under standardized random road excitation generated according to ISO 8608 to investigate dynamic behaviour of seven degrees of freedom (DOFs) semi-trailer truck model. The Bouc-Wen model is utilized to characterize the hysteresis phenomenon of the MR dampers. Performance of designed controller is evaluated and the results indicate the effectiveness of the applied control algorithm on the vibration reduction compared to uncontrolled suspension system.


Industrial recommender systems are frequently tasked with approximating probabilities for multiple, often closely related, user actions. For example, predicting if a user will click on an advertisement and if they will then purchase the advertised product. The conceptual similarity between these tasks has promoted the use of multi-task learning: a class of algorithms that aim to bring positive inductive transfer from related tasks. Here, we empirically evaluate multi-task learning approaches with neural networks for an online advertising task. Specifically, we consider approximating the probability of post-click conversion events (installs) (CVR) for mobile app advertising on a large-scale advertising platform, using the related click events (CTR) as an auxiliary task. We use an ablation approach to systematically study recent approaches that incorporate both multitask learning and "entire space modeling" which train the CVR on all logged examples rather than learning a conditional likelihood of conversion given clicked. Based on these results we show that several different approaches result in similar levels of positive transfer from the data-abundant CTR task to the CVR task and offer some insight into how the multi-task design choices address the two primary problems affecting the CVR task: data sparsity and data bias. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that standard multi-task learning is a sensible approach to modelling related events in real-world large-scale applications and suggest the specific multitask approach can be guided by ease of implementation in an existing system.


The drip irrigation systems have been a common irrigation method in the world due to the shortage of water in wide areas. Dripper is the key factor of drip irrigation systems, that deliver slow and uniformity water to the plants. The drippers can be suffering from clogging due to escape some particles of sand from the filters. The emitter clogging problem has a significant effect on the drip irrigation system efficiency. In this study, computer aid design, CAD was used to design a new anti-clogging emitter. The water flow behavior in the diaper was simulated by using two phases –CFD analysis to confirm the new design can provide the lowest chance to block. Comparative the simulation results for the new driver with the simulation results for three drip emitter design include eddy channel, pre-depositing channel and round-flow channel, it is clearly seen that the new design has a better ability to resist the clogging. Additionally, CFD simulation results introduce a good observation about the relation between the pressure applied and the water flow rate. This result was obtained due to the integration of the characteristic of great sieving and good pressure dropping in the new designed drip emitter. Keywords— Evaluation, simulation, drippers, CFD analysis.


Empirical models of spatial voting allow legislators' locations in a policy or ideological space to be inferred from their roll-call votes. These are typically random utility models where the features of the utility functions other than the ideal points are assumed rather than estimated. In this article, we first consider a model in which legislators' utility functions are allowed to be a mixture of the two most commonly assumed utility functions: the quadratic function and the Gaussian function assumed by NOMINATE. Across many roll-call data sets, we find that legislators' utility functions are estimated to be very nearly Gaussian. We then relax the usual assumption that each legislator is equally sensitive to policy change and find that extreme legislators are generally more sensitive to policy change than their more centrally located counterparts. This result suggests that extremists are more ideologically rigid while moderates are more likely to consider influences that arise outside liberal-conservative conflict.


A novel process, of melt infiltration combined with diffusion annealing technique, was developed to prepare Ti-Al intermetallics at temperature lower than ingot melting point. In this process, a porous Ti preform was firstly fabricated and the Al melt was reheated to temperature slightly higher than Al melting point to infiltrate the porous Ti preform by capillary force spontaneously. After long-time high-temperature diffusion annealing, Ti-Al intermetallic compound can be finally synthesized from the bulk Tip+melt Al via diffusion. As example, Ti-46Al intermetallics has been fabricated, and the microstructures and the phases of the as-synthesized intermetallics were characterized by XRD and SEM. The compressive behavior of the as-synthesized Ti-Al at elevated temperatures has been studied and the reaction mechanism involved in the process finally analyzed.


A method for the numerical estimation of the final hardness distribution of heat treated aluminum alloys was developed and implemented into a commercial finite element (FE) tool. Jominy end-quench tests were carried out in order to determine the quench sensitivity of the aluminum alloy EN AW-6082. The hardness distribution of the alloy after end-quenching was related to the corresponding cooling rates. The derived relation was tested for an industrial application by investigating the local heat treatment of a prototype crash absorbing structure. Numerical estimations were validated with experimental measurements. Effectiveness of the derived method and possible improvements were discussed.


In this paper, we use a new property-level dataset to estimate the price of land since 2000 for nearly 600,000 detached single-family homes in the Washington, DC metro area. We employ these estimates to characterize the recent boom/bust cycle in land prices and house prices in the Washington area at a fine level of geography. The data show that land prices were more volatile than house prices everywhere, but especially so in the areas where land was inexpensive in 2000. In those areas, the land share of property value jumped during the boom, and this rise in the land share was a useful predictor of the subsequent crash in house prices. These results highlight the value of focusing on land for assessing house-price risk. In ongoing work, we are exploring how much of the spatial variation in land-price changes can be linked to high-risk mortgage lending and fundamentals such as housing rents, income growth, and employment.


A key aspect of the May Fourth Movement was the critical discussion of Western tragedy. While the interest in tragedy was sparked by the assumption that China lacked an analogous genre, its interpretation and adaptation to the Chinese context suggests that a traditional 'indigenous' filter was applied to define its supposed 'modernity'. Through cross-comparing Chinese conceptions of beiju 悲剧 in the May Fourth era and traditional Chinese views of bei 悲, this paper will seek to show that the Chinese reception of tragedy was informed by the rejuvenation of traditional ideas rather than the introduction of purely 'Western' theories.


In HIV infection, continuous immune activation leads to accelerated ageing of the adaptive immune system, similar to that observed in elderly people. We investigated the expression of WRN and BLM (genes involved in disorders characterized by premature ageing, genomic instability and cancer predisposition) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) activated in vitro with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and infected with different HIV‐1 strains. The steady state levels of mRNA were analysed by reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), and protein expression was assayed using immunocytochemistry and Western blot techniques. In uninfected PBMC, PHA stimulation induced an increase in BLM mRNA and protein expression, while WRN expression remained virtually unchanged. When PBMC were infected in vitro with a lymphotropic HIV‐1 strain, the level of BLM mRNA showed a peak at 24 h of infection, followed by a decline to uninfected culture levels. A similar result failed to be seen using an R5‐tropic HIV‐1 strain. In accordance with mRNA expression, in HIV‐infected cultures PBMC were stained more frequently and more intensely by a BLM‐specific antibody as compared to uninfected cultures, staining peaking at 24. Conversely, WRN expression was not modulated by HIV‐1. The proportion of cells showing BLM up‐regulation, established by immunocytochemical staining, was much greater than the proportion of productively infected PBMC, as established by proviral DNA measurement. This result indicates that BLM up‐regulation is probably a result of an indirect bystander cell effect. Activation of the BLM gene in infected PBMC suggests that premature ageing could be a further immunopathogenetic mechanism involved in HIV‐induced immunodeficiency, and points to a possible new candidate target for innovative therapeutic intervention.


We aim to provide a theoretical framework for enhancing the Catholic Church's culture of transparency. We therefore define concepts of culture and transparency, stressing some of the institutional consequences due to their interaction. Finally, we apply these principles to the ecclesial institution's fields that are attractive for the public square: the administration of temporal goods, the use of information and the dispensation of sacraments and religious teachings. Defining culture as the setting up of behavioral standards, we realize that the ones regarding transparency have been constantly raised in the last years by society, while the Church has remained stable in its long-term organizational principles. Applying a culture of transparency for the Church would therefore require to understand the dynamic of cultural change within the Church that is essentially united to the preservation of its own spiritual purposes. Also builds within itself a culture that sustains a culture of accountability.  Ecclesial institutions as any institution, builds and sustains trust through its diligent and consistent refusal to abuse the power given. The ecclesiastical institution would change its standards of transparency when it is needed to keep up with its original mission not when it is just an exigency of its cultural environment.


We present a new high-fidelity method of calibrating a cross-track scanning microwave radiometer using Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (GPSRO) measurements. The radiometer and GPSRO receiver periodically observe the same volume of atmosphere near the Earth's limb, and these overlapping measurements are used to calibrate the radiometer. Performance analyses show that absolute calibration accuracy better than 0.25 K is achievable for temperature sounding channels in the 50-60-GHz band for a total-power radiometer using a weakly coupled noise diode for frequent calibration and proximal GPSRO measurements for infrequent (approximately daily) calibration. The method requires GPSRO penetration depth only down to the stratosphere, thus permitting the use of a relatively small GPS antenna. Furthermore, only coarse spacecraft angular knowledge (approximately one degree rms) is required for the technique, as more precise angular knowledge can be retrieved directly from the combined radiometer and GPSRO data, assuming that the radiometer angular sampling is uniform. These features make the technique particularly well suited for implementation on a low-cost CubeSat hosting both radiometer and GPSRO receiver systems on the same spacecraft. We describe a validation platform for this calibration method, the Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) CubeSat, currently in development for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth Science Technology Office. MiRaTA will fly a multiband radiometer and the Compact TEC/Atmosphere GPS Sensor in 2015.


In some deployments of all-optical networks, it is necessary to concentrate the lightpaths from some fibers to fewer fibers. An NtimesM lightpath concentrator is an optical component for this purpose, and it concentrates the lightpaths from N incoming fibers to M outgoing fibers. In this paper, three designs of NtimesM lightpath concentrators are proposed. The first design is a generalization of optical crossconnects, and it requires MtimesM optical switches. The second design incorporates the concept of partial concentration so that it requires only mtimesm optical switches (where m<M) at the expense of a larger blocking probability. The switch size m can be selected to make a tradeoff between cost and performance. In the third design, it is assumed that small lightpath concentrators are available, and these concentrators are used as building blocks to construct large lightpath concentration networks


We aimed to discuss the prenatal diagnosis and pathological features of sirenomelia, and to review current embryogenic theories. We observed two sirenomelic fetuses that were at the 19th and 16th gestational week respectively. In the former, transvaginal ultrasound revealed severe oligohydramnios and internal abortion, whereas bilateral renal agenesis, absence of a normally tapered lumbosacral spine, and a single, dysmorphic lower limb were detected in the latter. In both cases, X-rays and autoptic examination allowed categorization on the basis of the skeletal deformity. Subtotal sacrococcygeal agenesis was present in both cases. Agenesis of the urinary apparatus and external genitalia and anorectal atresia were also found. Classification of sirenomelia separately from caudal regression syndrome is still debated. Recent advances in the understanding of axial mesoderm patterning during early embryonic development suggest that sirenomelia represents the most severe end of the caudal regression spectrum. Third-trimester ultrasonographic diagnosis is usually impaired by severe oligohydramnios related to bilateral renal agenesis, whereas during the early second trimester the amount of amniotic fluid may be sufficient to allow diagnosis. Early antenatal sonographic diagnosis is important in view of the dismal prognosis, and allows for earlier, less traumatic termination of pregnancy.


The folklore of 43 species of 'medicinal plants' belonging to 27 families was recorded form Leepa Valley, Muzaffarabad. Out of 43 medicinal plants, 4 gymnosperms, 38 angiosperms and 01 fern species were used against different diseases. The major problems cured by 'medicinal plants' were digestive problems (24 spp), dermal system problems (13 sp), hepatic problems (11 spp) and respiratory problems (7 spp). Further, 4 species were used as spices and vegetables and six species recorded have biological activities; whereas joint problems and cardiac problems were treated by 3 species each. Most of the medicinal plants were uprooted by the inhabitants for selling or for local use. The results also indicated that among the recorded species, 44% were used as 'medicinal food plant', 23% as 'medicinal gathered food plant' and 'orally administrated medicinal plant' were 32.56%. The utility of these plants for different purposes posses a great threat to the plant resourses in the area. Huge quantities of MPs were lost every year owing to lack of proper collection, over exploitation and deforestation.

 Key words: Medicinal plants, folk uses, over exploitation, local residents, cure.