Allergic asthma is a common chronic lung disease especially among children and adolescents but also adults. Asthma is characterised by chronic airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness and airway remodelling. Airway remodelling encompasses progressive structural changes to the airway wall, including thickening of the sub-basement membrane, goblet cell hyperplasia/metaplasia, increased sub-epithelial smooth muscle mass and collagen deposition, and angiogenesis. Elucidation of the regulatory factors controlling initiation and progression of airway remodelling would point to effective treatments for prevention of asthma, currently lacking. Activin A, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, induces inflammation and there is accumulating evidence that it plays a role in airway remodelling. Follistatin, activin A's natural antagonist, binds with high affinity to activin A, blocking the activin A receptor binding sites thus inhibiting activin A signalling and subsequent bioactivity.
A model of chronic allergen challenge with features of airway inflammation and remodelling was established. BALB/c mice were systemically sensitised to ovalbumin (OVA) and intranasally challenged (3 times/week) with OVA for 10 weeks. Mice were observed to have persistent inflammation and airway remodelling features, including increased mucus producing goblet cells, and subepithelial smooth muscle and collagen deposition. Also, epithelial expression of activin A and follistatin was lost during OVA challenge with some recovery 2 weeks post-challenge. This model of chronic allergic airway disease was used to elucidate the role of activin A and follistatin during allergic airway disease. For use in my studies, purified recombinant FS288 was produced following generation of a FS288-expressing cell line and successful optimisation of a purification protocol.
To investigate the role of activin A in airway inflammation and remodelling, mice were administered exogenous activin A in naive and acute OVA challenge settings, and activin A was over-expressed using activin A-adenovirus in the chronic challenge setting. Instillation of activin A (0.02/0.1/0.5 µg) into naive mice induced airway eosinophilia at day 1, but did not significantly alter airway remodelling. Activin A altered DC expression of F4/80 and co-stimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86) in lymph nodes, and expression of CD11b, F4/80, CD40 and CD80 on lung DC and macrophages. Lung delivery of activin A into OVA-sensitised mice (0.02/0.1/0.5 µg) 45 min prior to acute challenge increased airway eosinophilia, Th2 cytokine production and goblet cell hyperplasia. In the activin A over-expression study, mice were sensitised and challenged with OVA and an activin A-adenovirus instilled into the lung at the start of the challenge phase. Activin A over-expression caused small, but mostly not significant, increases in airway inflammation and remodelling. Collectively the data suggest that activin A plays a role in immunoregulation of airway inflammation and remodelling during allergic airway disease with exacerbation of these changes on appropriate administration of exogenous activin A.
Follistatin (FS288) was investigated as a potential therapeutic for chronic allergic airway disease. Mice were sensitised with OVA and challenged with OVA with or without concurrent FS288 (0.05/0.5/5 µg, i.n.) 3 times/week for 5 weeks. Treatment with FS288 during chronic allergen challenge inhibited goblet cell hyperplasia and sub-epithelial collagen deposition. FS288 treatment increased the CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Treg population in lymph nodes at week 1 but not in the lungs and did not affect other immune cell populations in the lymph nodes and lungs. Further studies are required to fully elucidate the mechanisms for immunoregulation of chronic airway disease via the activin/follistatin axis. In summary, follistatin, through inhibition of activin A, attenuated airway remodelling in a mouse model of allergic asthma, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic for airway remodelling in asthma and other inflammatory lung diseases.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the frequency and site of distant infraclavicular metastases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the stage of the primary tumour at presentation of metastasis and the histological trends. To determine if there is a correlation between the follow-up rate and different metastatic sites.

DESIGN
A retrospective study.

SETTING
Ear nose and throat surgical and radiotherapy clinics at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.

SUBJECTS
Case notes, radiotherapeutic and laboratory records of patients presenting with NPC between January 1981 and December 1990.

RESULTS
The frequency of distant NPC metastases was 14.6% and 92.3% manifested within 24 months of admission. It was most frequent in the males, a younger age group and early T1 disease. Bilaterality of the neck nodes had no relevance on metastatic rate. The bone (66.7%) was the most common distant metastatic destination followed by the liver (23.2%). Liver metastasis was associated with a shorter follow-up period.

CONCLUSION
Apart from the late presentation of locoregional disease, the findings are similar to studies elsewhere. The preponderance of early primary disease in patients with distant metastasis need further appraisal as it preliminarily suggests existence of specific biological markers that favour metastases. This can only be done after recruiting more cases.


The present study was designed to investigate protective effects of curcumin, in acute immobilization-induced certain behavioral and biochemical alteration in mice. Mice were immobilized for a period of 6 hr. curcumin (10 and 20mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 30 mins before subjecting the animals to acute stress. Behavioral tests (mirror chamber, actophotometer, tail flick test) and biochemical analysis (malondialdehyde level, glutathione, catalase, nitrite and protein) were done. Acute immobilization stress for a period of 6hr caused severe anxiety, analgesia and decreased locomotor activity in mice. Biochemical analyses revealed an increase in malondialdehyde, nitrite level and deplete glutathione and catalase activity in immobilized stressed brain. Pre-treatment with curcumin (10 and 20mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reversed immobilized stress-induced anxiety, analgesia and reduced locomotor activity. Biochemically curcumin treatment decreased malondialdehyde, nitrite activity and restored reduced glutathione level and catalase activity. Results suggest that curcumin has a neuro-protective effect and can be used in the treatment and management of stress and related disorders.


Starting 1991, Egypt introduced a series of financial reforms to boost the efficiency and productivity of Egyptian banks by limiting state interventions and enhancing the role of market forces. Enticed by the tremendous transformation of this industry, the current study measures the efficiency and productivity change of Egyptian commercial banks from 1995 to 2003 using non-parametric technique, namely, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist Productivity Index. Moreover, employing generalised least squares regressions it relates efficiencies results to a set of bank characteristics such as size, ownership, and governance among other bank traits. Results indicate that over the period covered of study Egyptian commercial banks' technical inefficiency was 22 percent. In general, smaller banks were found to be least efficient. Malmquist results for a panel of 24 banks indicated that commercial banks productivity on average deteriorated by 4 percent per year during the study period. Moreover, most Egyptian banks operate at incorrect scale, a large majority experienced increasing returns to scale (IRS) in their operations, implying that substantial gains could be obtained from altering scale via either internal growth or consolidation in the sector. Our main policy recommendation for the government is to adopt policies that would foster competition in the banking sector and that the industry device incentive schemes to improve managerial efficiency through greater investment in technology and skill enhancements.


TEM/AEM study of a sequence of shales from the Salton Sea Geothermal Field revealed that the mechanism for the reaction of smectite to form illite is markedly different from that for Gulf Coast sediments. Illite in Salton Sea shales occurs principally as individual, euhedral-to-subhedral, pseudohexagonal crystals in open pore space. Smectite was not observed by TEM in proximity to such illite and is shown by XRD data to decrease in amount with depth as the proportion of illite increases. Illite is thus implied to be derived by complete dissolution of smectite (and other phases?), transport of components, and crystallization of illite from solution. However, in shallow sediments detrital smectite is also observed to be in part directly replaced by illite in a manner duplicating Gulf Coast textures. The mechanism by which smectite undergoes complete dissolution to allow precipitation of illite at a distant site is compatible with an open system such as the Salton Sea sediments, characterized by high water/rock ratio and relatively high permeability. In contrast, the mechanism involving a reaction front where the smectite is directly replaced by illite, such as occurred in Gulf Coast shales, is compatible with relatively impermeable shales.


This is the final report of the sociological research project Refugees and employment: the effect of visible difference on discrimination funded by the Australian Research Council's Discovery Project scheme. Although this scheme predominantly funds 'fundamental', theoretically-oriented research, the current project lends itself to policy applications; hence this report seeks not only to communicate the findings, but to address a number of policy implications in the areas of refugee resettlement, qualification and skills recognition, employment assistance for culturally and linguistically diverse migrants and especially refugees, and equal opportunity and anti-discrimination. We are keen to communicate the findings to policymakers and service providers through this report, rather than solely addressing academic audiences. We would appreciate feedback on this report and are enthusiastic to establish research and other links with government and non-governmental agencies in the area of migrant settlement and employment, equal opportunity and anti-discrimination.
The project was based at Murdoch University and ran for three years (2004, 2005, 2006). The chief investigators were Dr Val Colic-Peisker and Dr Farida Tilbury from Murdoch University and Dr Nonja Peters from Curtin University.


Background: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) in children is considered one of the most important diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for physicians. Often there is no history of aspiration of foreign body in this population and these children present with a wide range of nonspecific signs and symptoms. The objective of the study was to study the diagnostic utility of chest computed tomography (CT) scan in children with suspected FBA in comparison to flexible bronchoscopy (FB) and the role of later as a therapeutic tool in the removal of airway foreign bodies. Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted from January 2015 to August 2019. Children admitted for persistent respiratory symptoms underwent CT chest and FB for confirmation of the diagnosis and retrieval of the foreign body if present. Results: A total of 101 patients of both genders were enrolled in the study. Fifty-three participants were boys and 48 were girls. FBA was diagnosed in 53 patients on chest CT. On FB, FBA was confirmed in 55 patients. The sensitivity and specificity of chest CT in our study were 85% and 87% respectively. In 25 of these patients, removal was successfully done by the FB. Conclusion: We conclude that a Chest CT scan is inferior to FB in the diagnosis of suspected trachea-bronchial foreign bodies in children. FB as a therapeutic tool has an excellent safety record in the retrieval of airway foreign bodies in this population.


Diabetic Retinopathy is the Leading cause of blindness in the ongoing life. It is the major problem in worldwide. Recent health studies estimates that 54 million American have diabetes and most of them don't know it. WHO reveal that 347 million people have this diabetes worldwide? As many as 25,000 people have lose their vision because of diabetic retinopathy every year. When the retina is damaged due to fluid leaks from blood vessels into the retina is the sign of diabetic retinopathy. In extreme cases, the patient will become blind. Damage to the tiny blood vessels in the retina due to diabetes is named as (DR) Diabetic Retinopathy. It is the dieses for the person who having high blood sugar. Diabetic retinopathy can affect both the eyes of person without any pre sign or symptoms. But Proper screening for diabetic retinopathy will reduce the risk of blindness at earlier stage.


The aim of this article is to investigate the institutionalisation of the state Public Defender's Offices before and after the reform that granted independence and new functions to the Public Defender's Offices in Brazil. We attempt to understand these processes based on theories of judicial empowerment (ideational and governance perspectives), analyse them in the Brazilian states by means of an analysis of two indicators in three different time periods (before, during and after the reform) and verify to what extent the formal (de jure) advances were involved in the exercise of autonomy in the states. The analysis reveals that in spite of the formal achievement of independence, the majority of state Public Defender's Offices are not actually independent and there is a great gap between what the laws stipulate and what actually happens in the public provision of access to justice in Brazil.


Trans-admittance mammography (TAM) is a bioimpedance technique for breast cancer detection. It is based on the comparison of tissue conductivity: cancerous tissue is identified by its higher conductivity in comparison with the surrounding normal tissue. In TAM, the breast is compressed between two electrical plates (in a similar architecture to x-ray mammography). The bottom plate has many sensing point electrodes that provide two-dimensional images (trans-admittance maps) that are induced by voltage differences between the two plates. Multi-frequency admittance data (Neumann data) are measured over the range 50 Hz–500 kHz. TAM aims to determine the location and size of any anomaly from the multi-frequency admittance data. Various anomaly detection algorithms can be used to process TAM data to determine the transverse positions of anomalies. However, existing methods cannot reliably determine the depth or size of an anomaly. Breast cancer detection using TAM would be improved if the depth or size of an anomaly could also be estimated, properties that are independent of the admittivity contrast. A formula is proposed here that can estimate the depth of an anomaly independent of its size and the admittivity contrast. This depth estimation can also be used to derive an estimation of the size of the anomaly. The proposed estimations are verified rigorously under a simplified model. Numerical simulation shows that the proposed method also works well in general settings.


Ephemeral resource and productivity peaks are characteristic of temperate woodland ecosystems. An ecological model system, which both exhibits and exploits these ephemeral peaks, and is the focus of this thesis, is the deciduous tree-herbivorous caterpillar-insectivorous bird food chain. Phenological synchrony within food chains, displaying ephemeral peaks, is crucial to maximise fitness of higher trophic levels. In the well-studied oak-winter moth-insectivore system, the phenology of all levels are highly temperature sensitive, and given atmospheric warming since the mid-20th century has been, and is predicted to continue, occurring at an unprecedented rate, this tri-trophic system is at risk of phenological mismatch. The effects of climate change on this system have been well studied in oak (Quercus spp.) dominated woodlands across Europe, as oak supports a wide variety of invertebrates. However, little is known about the importance of other deciduous tree species, which also support a variety of invertebrate species that are likely to be important to nesting blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleaus). Understanding the predictors of phenology and productivity across multiple trophic levels is required to understand the pressures on this food chain with a changing climate.
The overarching aim of this thesis is to explore the effects of both climate and habitat on the phenology and productivity of both blue tit and herbivorous caterpillars. The effect of tree leafing phenology and air temperature on herbivorous caterpillar phenology was investigated at a local scale, across an extensive woodland site in Durham (UK) through collecting fallen frass. Frass fall phenology was not predicted by temperature or tree phenology, and did not differ across four common deciduous tree species. However, frass fall was most abundant under oak trees, corroborating the importance of oak for Lepidoptera. Across the same Durham study site, nestling blue tits faecal sacs were collected, with a view of using next-generation sequencing to elucidate nestling diet and resource usage, to expand the food chain into a more complex food web. Due to difficulties extracting and amplifying DNA from blue tit nestling faecal sacs, sequencing was unable to be undertaken. However, I provide a method for extracting DNA from difficult faecal samples, which are likely inhibitor-rich and contain highly degraded DNA. The effects of climate and habitat on blue tit phenology and productivity were then considered, by combining bird nesting data from 34 sites across the UK with local temperature and habitat variables. Overall, climatic factors were more important predictors of blue tit phenology and productivity than habitat. Decreased clutch size and earlier breeding phenology, but decreased risk of nest failure, is predicted at higher temperatures. These results, combined, depict a mixed picture for how blue tits may fare with changing climate. To further work presented in this thesis, the effects of climate and habitat on recruitment need to be explored to understand the full implications of the results presented here on blue tit population dynamics.


Abstract The quantum vacuum plays a central role in physics. Quantum electrodynamics (QED) predicts that the properties of the fermionic quantum vacuum can be probed by extremely large electromagnetic fields. The typical field amplitudes required correspond to the onset of the 'optical breakdown' of this vacuum, expected at light intensities >4.7×1029 W/cm2. Approaching this 'Schwinger limit' would enable testing of major but still unverified predictions of QED. Yet, the Schwinger limit is seven orders of magnitude above the present record in light intensity achieved by high-power lasers. To close this considerable gap, a promising paradigm consists of reflecting these laser beams off a mirror in relativistic motion, to induce a Doppler effect that compresses the light pulse in time down to the attosecond range and converts it to shorter wavelengths, which can then be focused much more tightly than the initial laser light. However, this faces a major experimental hurdle: how to generate such relativistic mirrors? In this article, we explain how this challenge could nowadays be tackled by using so-called 'relativistic plasma mirrors'. We argue that approaching the Schwinger limit in the coming years by applying this scheme to the latest generation of petawatt-class lasers is a challenging but realistic objective.


Different forms of insurance are important parts of
our every day life. We buy car insurance, health
insurance, traveling insurance and other types of
contracts when we agree to pay a relatively small
price in order to get a protection against
significantly large uncertain prospective losses.
One of the fundamental questions in the insurance
industry is haw much a certain contract should cost.
Price for the contract cannot be too low, because in
this case, the insurance company will not have
enough money to cover all the claims, and, at the
same time, price for the contract cannot be too high
because the contract will not be attractive for the
customers. As we see, it is very important to keep
the right balance when we price a contract.
This book is devoted to the analysis of the most
widely used methods for pricing of insurance
contracts with known distributions of the future
losses.
Book can be interesting for practitioners working in
insurance industry, students of actuarial and
financial study programs, and for other readers with
some knowledge of probability calculus.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
To compare the clinical results of two consecutive therapeutic protocols including autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) for patients with de novo acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1).

DESIGN AND METHODS
Between November 1989 and January 1997, 50 patients with AML in CR1 underwent ABSCT using two consecutive protocols. In the first one (Group A, 25 patients) peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were collected after induction and consolidation chemotherapy courses, and ABSCT was performed immediately thereafter. In the subsequent 25 patients (Group B), PBSC were collected after consolidation alone, and a further chemotherapy course with intermediate dose cytarabine (Ara-C 1 g/m2/12 h x3 days) and mitoxantrone (12 mg/m2/d x3 days) was administered as early intensification. The conditioning regimen consisted of busulfan (16 mg/kg) and cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg) in every case.

RESULTS
Hematopoietic engraftment was slightly quicker in Group B, with median times to reach 0.5 x 10(9) neutrophils/L and 20 x 10(9) platelets/L being 13 and 12 days in Group A and 12 and 11 days in Group B, respectively. There were three graft failures (8%) (2 in Group A and 1 in Group B) and three transplant-related deaths (8%) (2 in Group A and 1 in Group B). No significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of relapse (64% at 4-years in Group A and 81% in Group B). Likewise, the actuarial 4-year disease-free survival (DFS) was not significantly different between the two groups (32% v 18%).

INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
Our study confirms that AML patients in CR1 receiving ABSCT have rapid engraftment with low mortality. However, autologous transplants with PBSC collected after consolidation chemotherapy were still associated with a high rate of relapse (RR). This RR was not apparently reduced by the administration of intermediate dose Ara-C before transplantation.


Nationalism plays a critical role in creating and reformulating collective identity and membership in a political community, notably the nation-state. Yet precisely how it does so and with what consequences for the colonial society remains unclear. Tracing the change of nationalist discourses during the Japanese colonial period in Korea, this essay examines the mechanism through which various forms of anticolonial nationalism provoked ideological schism among indigenous people. It directs particular attention to how Korean nationalist groups integrated notions of the 'nation' and 'people' into their anticolonial narratives in different ways and why they engaged in political and ideological conflicts among themselves through their interactions with the colonial state. Highlighting the fragmentation of the 'nation', 'state' and 'people' through the dynamics of nationalist groups and colonial power, the essay advances the argument that Japanese colonialism led to internal boundaries in Korea, thus rearticulating the meaning and people's perception of the nation and a sense of belonging. Based on this historical analysis, the essay illuminates the effect of a colonial context as a particular political field upon the formulation of nationalist frameworks.


Traditional feedback linearization approach (TFL) requires a priori knowledge of plant, which is difficult and the computational efficiency of controller is low due to complex dynamics of plant. In order to improve the tracking performance of hydraulic parallel machine tool and limit the drawbacks of TFL, a novel approximate feedback linearization approach is proposed in this paper. The mathematical models of hydraulic parallel machine tool are established using Kane method and hydromechanics. The approximate feedback linearization control is designed for the parallel machine tool in joint space, with the position and the stored data in the previous time step are employed, as a learning tool to yield improved performance. Under Lyapunov theorems, the stability of the presented algorithm is confirmed in the presence of uncertainties. Simulation results show the proposed control is readily and effective to realize path tracking, it exhibits excellent performance and high efficiency without a precision dynamics of plant. Moreover, the presented algorithm is well suitable for most industrial applications.


The crypt of the church of Santi Sergio e Bacco on Piazza Madonna dei Monti in Rome preserves the partial remains of a Roman structure showing multiple building phases. Tuff piers approximately 5 m tall belong to the atrium of a republican atrium house, with the surrounding rooms reflected in the adjacent spaces of the modern basement. During the Imperial period, this atrium was closed off, and a bath complex was added in adjacent rooms. The rooms preserve marble revetment, figural painted plaster of various styles, and floors of opus sectile. As a residential structure with a long occupation history, the house clarifies our impression of the lower Subura and its development as a neighborhood. When considered with other examples of atrium houses nearby, a standard lot size and house form for elite residential development can be suggested for the Subura and the southern Viminal slopes during the Republican period. Later renovations to the structure provide material evidence that a socially mixed population continued to occupy the valley of the Subura, and they demonstrate the persistent importance of the Argiletum as the primary thoroughfare of the area from the Imperial period through late antiquity.


: Outmoded glaucoma and corneal trephines may be used to obtain incisional and excisional biopsies from eyelid lesions. The wounds created in doing the incisional biopsy are ignored and those created by doing excisions are closed by grafts using the same trephine.


Background: Good quality of semen is required for artificial insemination technology in ex-situ conservation efforts of green jungle fowl. This study was aimed to investigate semen quality of green jungle fowl during storage at 5oC for 48 hours with the addition of combination lactose astaxanthin in egg yolk phosphate dilution. Method: The semen used in the study was collected from eight healthy male green jungle fowls by using massage techniques. The semen quality was analyzed with macroscopic and microscopic examinations. The semen was diluted with egg yolk phosphate with the addition of 0.6% lactose, 0,004% astaxanthin and combination 0.6% Laktose-0,004% astaxanthin, and was stored at 5oC for 48 hours. Following 48-hour treatment, the semen quality was evaluated based on its progressive motility, and DNA fragmentation. Data were firstly analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and were then proceeded by using Duncan Multiple Range test. Results: The results showed that the progressive motilities of semen diluted in 0.6% lactose combined with astaxanthin 0.004% %, (79,66 + 1.50%) was significantly higher than those diluted in 0.6% lactose (66,77 + 2.16%,) and in astaxanthin 0.004% (68,11 + 3.01 %). The DNA fragmentation of semen diluted inn 0.6% lactose combined with astaxanthin 0.004% %, (7,55 + 1,66%) was significantly lower than those diluted in 0.6% lactose (12,33 + 1,93%) and in astaxanthin 0.004% (13,55 + 1,81%). Conclusions: In conclusion, the combination of l 0.6% lactose -astaxanthin 0.004% showed the best results for progressive motility, and DNA fragmentation.


The synthesis of metal free, magnesium and zinc tetrakis(2-benzoyl-4-chlorophenoxy) phthalocyanine derivatives (2–4) is described along with their characterization by elemental analysis, IR, UV-visible absorption, and 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Trends observed in the fluorescence, triplet state, singlet oxygen and photodegradation quantum yields and the triplet state lifetimes are also analyzed. The compounds exhibit high solubility in a wide range of organic solvents and no evidence of aggregation was observed over a wide concentration range. The Zn(II) complex (4) was found to have a very high singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ = 0.78) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and a reasonably large triplet state quantum yield (ΦT = 0.82). The photophysical and photochemical properties clearly demonstrate that these compounds could prove useful in singlet oxygen applications such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). DFT and TD-DFT calculations were used to assess the impact of the positional isomerism of the 2-benzoyl-4-chlorophenoxy substituents on the electronic structures and optical spectroscopy.


Understanding the anomalous radii of many transiting hot gas-giant planets is a fundamental problem of planetary science. Recent detections of reinflated warm Jupiters orbiting post-main-sequence stars and the reinflation of hot Jupiters while their host stars evolve on the main sequence may help constrain models for the anomalous radii of hot Jupiters. In this work, we present evolution models studying the reinflation of gas giants to determine how varying the depth and intensity of deposited heating affects both main-sequence reinflation of hot Jupiters and post-main-sequence reinflation of warm Jupiters. We find that deeper heating is required to reinflate hot Jupiters than is needed to suppress their cooling, and that the timescale of reinflation decreases with increasing heating rate and depth. We find a strong degeneracy between heating rate and depth, with either strong shallow heating or weak deep heating providing an explanation for main-sequence reinflation of hot Jupiters. This degeneracy between heating rate and depth can be broken in the case of post-main-sequence reinflation of warm Jupiters, as the inflation must be rapid to occur within post-main-sequence evolution timescales. We also show that the dependence of heating rate on the incident stellar flux inferred from the sample of hot Jupiters can explain reinflation of both warm and hot Jupiters. TESS will obtain a large sample of warm Jupiters orbiting post-main-sequence stars, which will help to constrain the mechanism(s) causing the anomalous radii of gas-giant planets.


In theatre we make little attempt to define or study creativity, yet we often demand it of our students. It is hard to define but we owe them a duty to clarify what we mean. My studies examine creativity as a phenomenon embedded in a particular culture - in theatre, the culture of the 'company' and the interrelationships within it. This paper looks at what the (somewhat scant) literature perceives the director/scenographer relationship to be and then focuses in on one production at the Oldham Coliseum, using ethnographic techniques: observations of design meetings; interviews with the scenographers and director; and the production itself. Its conclusions reinforce the importance of the director–scenographer relationship as a major factor in the manifestation of scenographic creativity but find that in a 'traditional' rep there can be a real relationship of differently-skilled equals, and asks is this better for all? And if so, how can we train our scenography (and directing) students to develop that relationship?


Diffuse sclerosing osteomyelitis may indicate the mandibular localisation of the SAPHO syndrome. Twelve patients with diffuse sclerosis of the mandible were examined for symptoms of the SAPHO syndrome. Nine patients were found to have primary chronic osteomyelitis and eight of these represented a SAPHO syndrome. Results in this series support the hypothesis of an association between primary chronic osteomyelitis and the SAPHO syndrome.


In this paper we describe the approach adopted and experiences gained during a project to develop a general architecture that aims to harness advanced sensor, modelling and Grid technologies to assist emergency responders in tackling emergencies (specifically fire emergencies). Here we focus on the command and control aspects of this architecture, and in particular, on a query-based approach that has been adopted to allow end users to interact with available models of physical and other phenomena. The development of this has provided a number of insights about the use of such models, which along with the approach itself, should be of interest to any considering similar applications.


Future wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are projected to run multiple applications in the same network infrastructure. While such multi-application WSNs (MA-WSNs) are economically more efficient and adapt better to the changing environments than traditional single-application WSNs, they usually require frequent code redistribution on wireless sensors, making it critical to design energy efficient post-deployment code dissemination protocols in MA-WSNs. Different applications in MA-WSNs often share some common code segments. Therefore when there is a need to disseminate a new application from the sink node, it is possible to disseminate its shared code segments from peer sensors instead of disseminating everything from the sink node. While dissemination protocols have been proposed to handle code of each single type, it is challenging to achieve energy efficiency when the code contains both types and needs simultaneous dissemination. In this paper we utilize an adaptive buffer management approach to achieve efficient code dissemination in MA-WSNs. Our experimental results show that adaptive buffer management can reduce the completion time and the message overhead up to 10% and 20% respectively.


This study was undertaken for the purpose of ascertaining just what pathologic changes were present in the lungs of children to account for shadows in the roentgenograms of the chest. A careful history of every patient was taken, with repeated physical examinations and the necessary laboratory work. Roentgenograms of the chest were made at intervals during life. If the patient died, films were taken of the chest post mortem, and finally films were made of the excised lungs in many cases. In a previous paper, 1 general roentgenographic interpretation, the normal chest, and the hilar and linear markings were discussed. Here, only the observations on tuberculosis in children will be considered. No children with open tuberculosis are admitted to the hospital. This study covered a period of more than one year. Because of the fact that tuberculosis in children is an aerogenous infection in at least 90 per cent 2


The following research revisits, re-examines and builds on previous and ongoing critical work into the rise of non-traditional fruit exports in Chile. The work is principally concerned with the negative distributional impacts on small-scale producers in light of the country's extensive neoliberal reforms of the mid 1970s and 1980's and their continuation under successive Concertacion governments since 1990. Attention is placed on revisiting and better understanding the phenomenon observed by Murray (1997) ten years earlier, that saw small-scale producers enter into grossly uneven bargaining relationships with large fruit export firms that tended to expose them to a disproportionately high proportion of the risks associated with exporting in the global marketplace. At the time, these processes were shown to be driving many small-scale producers into a cycle of debt- resulting in land concentration and greater inequality in the locality. In the absence of government intervention, it was predicted that these patterns would continue to threaten the livelihood and economic sustainability of the Chilean peasantry. The following dissertation demonstrates that in the ten years since 1994 significant land concentration has indeed continued to take place as predicted within the original research locality, El Palqui. But unlike in the past, where land was dominated by large haciendas, today, it is equally large, capital intensive producers - including a handful of internationally owned export firms - who are progressively extending their grip over the Chilean countryside. In light of these changes, it could therefore be argued that the Chilean countryside is developing a character gravely reminiscent of Chile's pre-reform 'semi-feudal' system. With even those small producers, who have supposedly 'successfully inserted' into the global economy facing serious financial hardship, the future looks bleak for the Chilean peasantry. This thesis argues that the continuation of land concentration is a by-product of successive Chilean governments' persistent failure to assist small-producers during and after the critical transitional phase from an inward oriented development model to an outward oriented export-led model. This failure to act represents a missed opportunity to effectively integrate smaller producers into the export sector in a manner which might have been conducive to growth with equity.


Droplet-based microfluidics is used to fabricate thin shell hydrogel microcapsules for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The microcapsules composed of a poly(methacrylic acid) hydrogel shell exhibit unique properties, including permeation, separation, purification, and reaction of molecular species. Photocatalytic TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles encapsulated in the microcapsules, i.e. photocatalyst in capsule (PIC), are used to remove organic pollutants using an adsorption–oxidation mechanism. A prototype flow microreactor is assembled to demonstrate a controllable water purification approach in short time using photocatalysts. Our studies of aqueous and homogeneous hydrogel environments for the photocatalysts provide important insights into understanding the effectiveness of MB removal. Hydrogel capsules have MB removal rate comparable to homogeneous particles. Further reduction of both capsule and photocatalyst sizes can potentially aid in quicker water purification.


Purpose Both CT and PET radiomics is considered as a potential prognostic biomarker in head and neck cancer. This study investigate the value of fused pre-treatment functional imaging (18F-FDG PET/CT) radiomics for modeling of local recurrence of head and neck cancers.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Firstly, 298 patients is divided into a training set (n = 192) and verification set (n = 106). Secondly, PETs and CTs are fused based on wavelet transform. Thirdly, radiomics features are extracted from the 3D tumor area from PETCT fusion. The training set is used to select the features reduction and predict local recurrence, and the random forest prediction models combining radiomics and clinical variables are constructed. Finally, the ROC curve and K-M analysis are used to evaluate the prediction efficiency of the model on the validation set.

RESULTS
Two PET / CT fusion radiomics features and three clinic parameters are extracted to construct the radiomics model. AUC value in the verification set 0.70 is better than no fused sets 0.69. The accuracy of 0.66 is not the highest value (0.67). Either consistency index CI 0.70 (from 0.67 to 0.70) or the p-value 0.025 (from 0.03 to 0.025) get the best result in all four models.

CONCLUSION
The radiomics model based on the fusion of PETCT is better than the model based on PET or CT alone in predicting local recurrence, the inclusion of clinical parameters may result in more accurate predictions, which has certain guiding significance for the development of personalized precise treatment scheme.


With the benefit of hindsight, this paper provides a fresh and comprehensive look at the causes of the 2014-16 collapse in oil prices and its impact on the global economy. It disentangles the contribution of supply and demand factors, assesses the impact on activity in oil exporters and oil importers, and reviews policy responses in these countries. The main conclusions are: (i) the decline in oil prices was predominantly triggered by supply factors, particularly rapid efficiency gains in U.S. shale oil production, but softening demand prospects played a substantial role as well; (ii) the short-term benefits of falling oil prices for the global economy were muted by economic rebalancing in China, a low responsiveness of activity in other oil-importing emerging markets, and a sharp slowdown in U.S. investment as energy sector activity declined and a the U.S. dollar strengthened; (iii) oil exporters with flexible exchange rates and relatively large fiscal buffers fared better than others, but most oil-exporting economies still face significant policy challenges as their medium-term prospects for growth and fiscal revenues have deteriorated; (iv) fundamental changes in the oil market make a return to the oil price levels of the early 2010s unlikely, pointing to the need for accelerated reforms, particularly among oil exporters.


Summary.  Duck hepatitis is a convenient model of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but the lack of immunological reagents hampers investigation of pathogenesis and vaccine development. The aim of this study was to define T‐cell epitopes in the surface peptide recognized by vaccinated immune birds. Blastogenesis assays were used to test the proliferative response of spleen mononuclear cells to synthetic peptides spanning the pre‐S/S region in 22 naïve and 13 immunized and challenged immune ducks. Roughly ≥50% of the immune ducks responded to five immunodominant peptides eliciting a statistically greater proliferative response than in naïve birds. Fewer ducks responded to an additional six peptides. No statistically significant difference could be shown for the response to 11 peptides between the immune ducks and the naïve ducks. There was no clustering of the immunodominant peptides which were located throughout the surface antigen at sites of major swings in hydrophobicity. A number of peptides which induce lymphoblastogenesis in vaccinated immune ducks have been identified. Their role in spontaneous recovery from duck hepatitis B infection merits investigation.


This paper discusses the Akshaya E-Government project. The paper uses general concepts borrowed from actor network theory to discuss the ongoing negotiation that shapes E-Government projects. We aim at shedding light on the importance of the dynamic interactions that shape the impact of ICT on government polices. In particular, we show that the nature of the service delivered and the socioeconomical development supported by the project are constantly shaped by the negotiation that occurs among the different actors involved and the consequent changes the project itself experiences. We therefore suggest to study e-Government in its making and not as results of planned action and sequential evolutionary phases.


Property distribution and polarization characteristics of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) under cathode starvation conditions were investigated numerically and experimentally for a unit cell. The polarization curves of a lab‐scale PEMFC were measured with increasing current density for different cell temperatures (40°C, 50°C, and 60°C) at a relative humidity of 100%. To investigate the local temperature, water content and current density on the membrane, and gas velocity in the channel of the PEMFC, numerical studies using the es‐pemfc module of the commercial flow solver STAR‐CD, which were matched with experimental data, were conducted. Temperature, current density on the membrane, and water content in the MEA were examined to investigate the effect of cell temperature on performance under the cathode starvation condition. At cathode starvation conditions, the performance of a higher cell temperature condition might drop significantly and the mean temperature on the membrane increase abruptly with increasing cell temperature or current density. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract: This study was conducted to identify metacognitive skills consisting of monitoring skills, evaluating skills and regulating skills among TVET students in problem solving of mathematic subject. The cognitive development of university students to solve the problem is an important factor in education. Metacognitive is a set of cognitive skills and process to our mind to think deeply and critically on the task. Survey questionnaire was used to collect the data of 135 respondents. Descriptive and inferential statistics was employed to analyze the data.  The means score of respondents' metacognitive skills were investigated. The results show that respondents have high metacognitive skills in solving mathematical problems. Monitoring skills are the dominant among the three metacognitive skills. From the T-test (independent sample T-Test), there was no significant difference in metacognitive skills across gender. In conclusion, students have high metacognitive skills and need to be applied in the teaching and learning process to improve their result in mathematical subjects.


We propose three novel solvers for estimating the relative pose of a multi-camera system from affine correspondences (ACs). A new constraint is derived interpreting the relationship of ACs and the generalized camera model. Using the constraint, we demonstrate efficient solvers for two types of motions assumed. Considering that the cameras undergo planar motion, we propose a minimal solution using a single AC and a solver with two ACs to overcome the degenerate case. Also, we propose a minimal solution using two ACs with known vertical direction, e.g., from an IMU. Since the proposed methods require significantly fewer correspondences than state-of-the-art algorithms, they can be efficiently used within RANSAC for outlier removal and initial motion estimation. The solvers are tested both on synthetic data and on real-world scenes from the KITTI odometry benchmark. It is shown that the accuracy of the estimated poses is superior to the state-of-the-art techniques.


Centralized and decentralized procedures to assess the impacts of water demand management on a water system and its users are investigated and compared. Within the centralized approach, a system-wide optimization technique is firstly utilized to estimate the overall optimal net benefits when the water demand management initiatives are implemented. Cooperative game-theoretic methods are used to fairly redistribute the additional net benefits. In terms of the decentralized perspective, an agent-based modelling framework is adopted to permit each user to make independent decisions on whether to conserve water or consume extra water and how much to conserve or consume by solving individual optimization problems. For comparison purposes, both the centralized and decentralized approaches are applied to a case study reflecting an actual situation in the South Saskatchewan River basin in Alberta, Canada. Both methods provide positive incentives to encourage users to conserve water while maintaining at least the same level of economic benefits such that system-wide productivity is improved. Moreover, the study demonstrates that the centralized method produces greater overall net benefits, but the users may be less motivated to participate.


The Blued Trees project is a transdisciplinary thought experiment, physically manifested across miles of the North American continent. It melds ideas about music, acoustics, art and environmental policy. Hundreds of GPS-located individual trees in the path of proposed natural gas pipelines were painted with a sine wave sigil. Each "treenote" contributed to an aerially perceivable composition employing the local terrain. The score is the formal skeleton for systemic changes challenging several laws. A mock trial explored how this project might open new directions in legal activism for Earth rights and contribute to an operatic libretto.


As a step toward better document-level understanding, we explore classification of a sequence of sentences into their corresponding categories, a task that requires understanding sentences in context of the document. Recent successful models for this task have used hierarchical models to contextualize sentence representations, and Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) to incorporate dependencies between subsequent labels. In this work, we show that pretrained language models, BERT (Devlin et al., 2018) in particular, can be used for this task to capture contextual dependencies without the need for hierarchical encoding nor a CRF. Specifically, we construct a joint sentence representation that allows BERT Transformer layers to directly utilize contextual information from all words in all sentences. Our approach achieves state-of-the-art results on four datasets, including a new dataset of structured scientific abstracts.


Distraction osteogenesis method (Do) in bone lengthening and rapid midpalatal expansion have shown the great ability of osteognic tissues for rapid bone formation under distraction force and special protocol with optimum rate of one millimeter per day. Periodontal membrane of teeth (PDM) is the extension of periostium in the alveolar socked. Orthodontic force distracts PDM fibers in the tension side and then bone formation will begin.Objects: Rapid retraction of canine tooth into extraction space of first premolar by DO protocol in order to show the ability of the PDM in rapid bone formation. The other objective was reducing total orthodontic treatment time of extraction cases.Patients and Methods: Tweleve maxillary canines in six patients were retracted rapidly in three weeks by a custom-made tooth-born appliance. Radiographic records were taken to evaluate the effects of heavy applied force on canine and anchorage teeth.Results: Average retraction was 7.05 mm in three weeks (2.35 mm/week). Canines rotated distal- in by mean 3.5 degrees.Anchorage loss was from 0 to 0.8 mm with average of 0.3 mm.Root resorption of canines was negligible, and was not significant clinically. Periodontium was normal after rapid retraction. No hazard for pulp vitality was observed.Discussion: PDM responded well to heavy distraction force by Do protocol. Rapid canine retraction seems to be a safe method and can considerabely reduce orthodontic time.


Two successive waves of reform have fundamentally altered the structure and organization of Kenya's vibrant power sector, which boasts a tradition of strong technical and commercial performance. In the first wave -- beginning in 1996 and largely donor-driven -- policy and regulatory functions were separated from commercial activities; generation was unbundled from transmission and distribution; cost-reflective tariffs were introduced; and generation was liberalized. In the second wave -- beginning in 2002 and led by domestic reform champions -- the thrust of first-wave reforms was continued, with the strengthening of independent regulation, partial privatization of the generation company (KenGen), and establishment of complementary entities. Although the government retains majority ownership of the largest power utilities in the country (Kenya Power, ~51 percent; KenGen, ~70 percent), Kenya has been able to position itself as one of the foremost destinations in the region for private energy investment. The reforms have improved the operational efficiency of the sector, increased cost recovery, and captured a significant amount of private sector investment. At the same time, the state has remained an important investor, playing a pivotal role in expanding generation capacity, scaling up electrification at an exceptionally rapid pace, and leading diversification toward geothermal energy. Political influence in sector decisions remains significant, in planning and tariff reviews.


In this paper, a tecto-sedimentary evolution model of the northwestern external Rif zones (Morocco) is proposed. It is based on the study of structural relationships and the biostratigraphic and sedimentologic analysis of different Tertiary syn-tectonic units. This zone shows alternating foredeep basins and anticlinal ramps with a NNW-SSE structural trend and a vergence toward the WSW. The trend of turbiditic bodies and palaeocurrent directions (from the SSE to the NNW) are parallel to the regional tectonic strike. Sidi Mrayt and El Habt basins are filled with syn-tectonic middle Eocene to middle Miocene sediments; The Habt basin is subdivided in two sub-basins: Asilah-Larache and Rirha-Gzoula. The deposits are distributed in two separated turbiditic complex, each one including a stacking of turbiditic systems. The Rirha-Gzoula and Asilah-Larache sub-basins are located in front of two anticline ridge structures made up of Upper Cretaceous and Lower Eocene material; they are respectively Boujediane and Arbaa Ayacha anticlines. The distribution of turbiditic bodies, unconformities and structural relationships within the thrusts and folds system in the northwestern external Rif indicate the progression toward the external zones of fault-propagation folds and associated basins.


Changes in the endothelium of the cerebral vasculature can contribute to inflammatory, thrombotic and malignant disorders. The importance of defining cell type-specific genes and how they are modified in disease is increasingly recognised. Here, we developed a bioinformatics-based approach to identify normal brain cell-enriched genes, using bulk RNAseq data from 238 normal human cortex samples from 2 independent cohorts. We compared endothelial cell-enriched gene profiles with astrocyte, oligodendrocyte and neuron profiles. Global modifications to the endothelium in malignant disease were characterised, using RNAseq data from 516 human lower grade gliomas and 401 human glioblastoma multiforme samples. Lower grade glioma appeared to be an 'endothelial intermediate' between normal brain and glioblastoma multiforme. We identify the most highly glioblastoma multiforme-specific endothelial cell biomarkers, providing potential diagnostic or therapeutic targets. In summary, we provide a roadmap of endothelial cell identity in normal and malignant brain tissue, using a bioinformatics-based method developed to resolve bulk RNAseq datasets into constituent cell type-enriched profiles.


Older people living in residential aged care facilities tend to be physically as well as socially inactive, which leads to poorer health and reduced wellbeing. A lack of recognition of the importance of social support, limited resources, lack of training and task-oriented work routines leave little time for staff to meet the social needs of residents. Through qualitative ethnographic fieldwork, this study investigates the potential for new technologies to enhance quality of life and facilitate meaningful engagement in physical and social activities among culturally and linguistically diverse residents and staff in care facilities. A continuum from nonparticipation to full participation among residents was observed when Touch Screen Technology activities were implemented. Data indicate that resident's engagement is impacted by five interdependent factors, including environmental, organisational, caregiver, patient, and management- &government-related. Findings show that new technologies can be used to increase meaningful physical and social engagement, including transcending language and cultural barriers. However, the successful application of new technologies to enhance quality of life is dependent on their integration into the daily routine and social relationships of staff and residents, with the full support of management. Guidelines governing the use of new technologies to support meaningful engagement of older people in residential care are lacking: this project highlights the importance of attention to the social relational dimensions of technology interventions to support best practice in their use.


: During long-term fractionated irradiation (0.5 Gy, daily) the molecular weight of single-stranded DNA of the thymus of exposed rats remained the same as that of intact animals till the dose of 25 Gy had been cumulated. The integrity of the DNA structure was ensured by the repair of DNA and elimination of cells with unrepaired lesions. The role of repair decreased and the elimination of cells increased with increasing cumulative dose.


OBJECTIVE To estimate the rate of gastric emptying of a solid pancake carbohydrate meal in recently diagnosed asymptomatic type II diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic control subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Gastric emptying studies using radiolabeled meals were performed on eight recently diagnosed asymptomatic diabetic patients and on eight sex-, BMI- and age-matched nondiabetic control subjects. Although a liquid protein drink was administered along with the pancake meal, the radioactivity was adherent to only the pancake portion of the meal. Plasma glucose and serum insulin levels were measured in fasting and postprandial blood samples collected at 15-min intervals up to 120 min after ingestion of the mixed nutrient meal. RESULTS The average gastric half-emptying time (time it takes for one-half of the meal to empty) was significantly more rapid for the diabetic patients (45.3 ± 4.8 min) when compared with the nondiabetic control subjects (60.4 ± 5.1 min; P = 0.05). The serum insulin concentrations were not statistically different between the two groups. Plasma glucose values were significantly higher in the diabetic patients compared with the nondiabetic control subjects. CONCLUSIONS Type II diabetic patients with no clinical evidence of neuronal dysfunction have a significantly more rapid rate of gastric emptying of a solid high-carbohydrate meal when compared with nondiabetic control subjects.


Brain injury is a debilitating mental impairment. It can cause aggression, impulsivity, and other socially challenging behaviours, including criminal offending. This is largely a consequence of damage to the frontal lobes, the part of the brain that facilitates selfregulation and emotional control. Remedying this requires specialist rehabilitation, preferably in dedicated facilities. However, rather than being in such facilities, a disproportionate number of brain injured New Zealanders are in prison, often for violent or sexual offences. By contrast, other mentally impaired offenders, such as the intellectually disabled and mentally ill, are not kept in prison but instead transferred to the health jurisdiction to receive treatment or care. This raises a question as to why brain injured offenders do not receive the same therapeutic response by our criminal justice system. This paper explores that question by examining the current legislative framework for diverting mentally impaired offenders into healthcare through therapeutic dispositions on sentencing. It demonstrates the inadequacy of this framework for violent or sexual offenders with brain injury by showing how the gateway definitions of "intellectual disability" and "mental disorder" exclude that condition. It then explores the appropriateness of imprisoning serious offenders with brain injury by examining whether their detention breaches the state's statutory obligations, and argues that the status quo violates both the Corrections Act 2004 and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Finally, in recognition of the current exclusion of brain injured offenders from therapeutic dispositions, and the potential illegality of their detention in prison, this paper argues for an expansion of the court's therapeutic jurisdiction and examines mechanisms to achieve this.


Abstract. Critical Load (CL) methodology is currently used throughout Europe to assess the risks of ecological damage due to sulphur and nitrogen emissions. Critical acid neutralising capacity (ANC CRIT ) is used in CL estimates for freshwater systems as a surrogate for biological damage. Although UK CL maps presently use an ANC value of 0 μeq l -1 , this value has been based largely on Norwegian lake studies, in which brown trout is chosen as a representative indicator organism. In this study, an ANC value specific for brown trout in Scottish streams was determined and issues were addressed such as salmon and trout sensitivity in streams, episodicity, afforestation and complicating factors such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and labile aluminium (Al-L). Catchments with significant forest cover were selected to provide fishless sites and to provide catchment comparisons in unpolluted areas. Chemical factors were the primary determinant with land use a secondary determinant of the distribution of salmonid populations at the twenty-six study sites. ANC explained more variance in brown trout density than pH. The most significant index of episodicity was percent of time spent below an ANC of 0 μeq l -1 . An ANC CRIT value of 39 μeq l -1 was obtained based on a 50% probability of brown trout occurrence. The use of this revised ANC CRIT value in the CL equation improved the relationship between trout status and exceedance of CLs. Uncertainties associated with variations in Al-L at any fixed ANC CRIT , particularly within forested catchments, and the role of DOC in modifying the toxicity of Al-L are discussed. Keywords: Critical Load, Critical acid neutralising capacity, brown trout, episodes, streams


Traditional Coptic music is composed of liturgical chants sung homophonically by men. Its first musical nota tions date only from the nineteenth century. Music cultures do not exist in isolation but tend to adapt to their surroundings. Hence often even some folkloristic elements can be found in them. Copts prefer to seek their identity in the pharaonic past. However, stylistically musicologists of the nineteenth/twentieth century were colored in their vision of this, for them unknown, mysterious music, by their own time in their efforts to bring it within the scope of their understanding. In this article I want to draw attention to the influences of the three most important music cultures that have surrounded Egypt for such a long time, both in the past and partly still today.
http://dx.doi.org/10.5913/jcscs.2020.49876213


Objectives: The use of social media, including Facebook, as a tool for learning is becoming increasingly important in health professional education programs including pharmacy. This study aimed to evaluate undergraduate pharmacy students' informal use and attitudes toward Facebook in professional pharmacy education in Jordan.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional web-based survey using a 38-item questionnaire that was developed through a multi-phase iterative process. The study targeted all professional year pharmacy students, both BSc and PharmD, at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST).
Results: Seven hundred twenty pharmacy students responded to the survey (response rate 31.3%). The majority of the students (98.8%) had personal accounts on Facebook. Of this, the majority (82.4%) reported that they unofficially used Facebook as a tool for studying or academic purposes beside other social purposes. Overall, the students demonstrated positive attitudes toward the use of Facebook in pharmacy education. About 78.6% of the respondents reported that Facebook contributed to their academic success. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of the students found Facebook well acceptable in teaching and learning environment (55.2%) and believed that pharmacy schools should formally encourage students to use Facebook for academic purposes (54.1%).
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that pharmacy students in Jordan frequently and highly utilize Facebook as an unofficial tool for communication, teaching and learning. Pharmacy schools should make every effort to create appropriate learning environment within Facebook that could positively impact students' academic success. Interventions to improve attitudes toward social media e-professionalism should be in place before formally implementing Facebook and other social media platforms within the pharmacy academic environment.
Conflict of Interest We declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received), employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties.
Treatment of Human Subjects: IRB review/approval required and obtained

Type: Original Research


Greece has one of the most sustained problems of political terrorism anywhere in the world. From the mid-1970s to the present, the country's political and socioeconomic institutions have been confronted by systematic terrorist violence mainly at the hands of revolutionary guerrilla groups. The long story of Greek terrorism was thought to have ended in the summer of 2002 with the collapse of the country's premier terrorist group and one of Europe's longest-running gangs, the notorious Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N). 17N's dismantling and imprisonment, rather than demoralizing and emasculating the country's armed struggle movement, led instead to the emergence of new urban guerrilla groups and an increase and intensification of revolutionary violence. In consequence, the article places Greek extremist violence in a broader political and cultural perspective and explains why it has become a permanent fixture of national public life. Language: en


Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine how academically successful Upward Bound students overcome the barriers to high-school graduation. While Upward Bound students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, similar to those of many students who fail to graduate from high school, 90% of them graduate. Method The research design for this study was Padilla's Student Success Model (SSM). Student Success Model (SSM) is a qualitative technique to portray successful student methods by capturing the perceived reality of the particular students being studied. Results In response to the first research question—What do students and staff perceive to be the barriers to successful completion of high school?—the primary barriers identified by the Upward Bound students and staff from all three programs were lack of motivation, peer pressure, and family responsibilities. In response to the second research question—What do the student and staff identify as the knowledge and actions for overcoming the barriers that successful students encounter?—the primary knowledge the students and staff identified were a sense of self and high standards; the primary actions they identified were initiative and priorities. Conclusion Upward Bound students and staff agree that successful students are able to overcome barriers they encounter because they have a strong sense of self and high standards. They combat the barriers they encounter using their ability to take initiative and to prioritize their educational responsibilities. These characteristics and abilities depicted in this study are influenced by the social and cultural capital the students acquire through their participation in Upward Bound's programs and use of the services provided by the staff. In addition, acquirement of those two forms of capital also builds within the Upward Bound students the ability to be resilient against the various barriers they encounter during their high-school years.


The difficulty in finding clean water is issued to become Indonesia's problem in 2025. Seawater processing to produce clean water for commonly used or called water desalination will be a promising solution to solve the problem of clean water scarcity. One of the seawater desalination processes is to utilize micro-bubbles generated from air entrainment. Air entrainment is a phenomenon where the surrounding air is trapped in the water and forms a bubble. Using the vertical plunging jet setup will lead to bubble formation as a result of the collision between the vertical water jet and the pond surface below it. This study determines the effect of downcomer diameter on the parameters that influence the parameter of air entrainment quality by using a vertical plunging jet configuration. Some set up tools that support research consists of pumps, nozzle, downcomer, airflow meter, anemometer, and water pond. Results of the research are in the form of qualitative data such as videos and photos, by using a high-speed camera with backlighting. The qualitative data obtained will be processed with an image processing program to acquire quantitative data. The results of the study revealed that the downcomer diameter affects the air entrainment rate. On the other hand, jet velocity affects the area of dispersion and depth of penetration.


Background: Uterine rupture (UR) in pregnancy is a rare devastating obstetrical complication that can have catastrophic consequences. Perinatal morbidity and mortality is significant and maternal mortality due to extensive damage to the uterus and blood loss has been documented.
Objective: To review the incidence and maternal and perinatal outcome of uterine rupture in pregnancy, to compare risk factors, site of rupture, and outcome of uterine rupture among patients with a scarred versus an unscarred uterus, and Highlights the management approach taken to preserve the women's fertility potential with follow-up of subsequent pregnancies in these patients.
Results: Hospital records indicated that between January 1987 and December 2017, there were 91 documented cases of complete uterine rupture. Over the study period, 91 pregnancies out of 178,453 deliveries were complicated by complete uterine rupture. The overall incidence was calculated to be 0.05% (1 per 1961 deliveries). Out of the 91 patients, 70 had prior history of a scarred uterus and 21 had no scarred uterus. The average age of patients with an unscarred uterus was significantly older (34.0 ± 1.6 years) than that of patients with a scarred uterus (27.2 ± 0.8 years). In terms of parity, almost a third of the overall study population (30.7% n=28) was defined as grand multipara (≥ 5 previous deliveries) with a higher proportion amongst the unscarred uterus group (71.4%, n=15) compared to patients with a scarred uterus (25.7%, n=18). The gestational age at which the rupture occurred was significantly more advanced for the patients with an unscarred uterus (39+6 weeks ± 3 days) in comparison to patients with a scarred uterus (37+6 weeks ± 6 days).
Conclusion: Antenatal care is vital, not to prevent or predict uterine rupture but to highlight the high-risk cases that need more care. For all patients in labor there should be a low threshold of suspicious for ruptured uterus, in particularly high risk patients that develop abnormality in fetal heart pattern or any abnormal per vaginal bleeding. The most senior expert obstetrician should deal with the surgical management. Reservation of fertility should be a target especially in conservative communities without compromising maternal health.


We consider variational inequalities coming from monotone operators, a setting that includes convex minimization and convex-concave saddle-point problems. We assume an access to potentially noisy unbiased values of the monotone operators and assess convergence through a compatible gap function which corresponds to the standard optimality criteria in the aforementioned subcases. We present a universal algorithm for these inequalities based on the Mirror-Prox algorithm. Concretely, our algorithm simultaneously achieves the optimal rates for the smooth/non-smooth, and noisy/noiseless settings. This is done without any prior knowledge of these properties, and in the general set-up of arbitrary norms and compatible Bregman divergences. For convex minimization and convex-concave saddle-point problems, this leads to new adaptive algorithms. Our method relies on a novel yet simple adaptive choice of the step-size, which can be seen as the appropriate extension of AdaGrad to handle constrained problems.


This article discusses the aspect of terminology study and translation of BERNAMA Arabic into Malay and English languages as a learning field for students specializing in the area of current Arabic language and literature. The research objective is to examine the accuracy of terminology usage from BERNAMA Arabic into Malay and English languages, and the translation BERNAMA Arabic text in all aspects into Malay and English languages. The purpose of this article is also to show the matching terminology from BERNAMA Arabic with Malay and English terminologies. On the whole, this research uses qualitative methodology in applying content analysis of primary reference material based on books, dictionaries and journals, besides primary reference materials from the internet website BERNAMA.com and other related websites. Research findings show that terminologies are matched according to their appropriate meanings and directly show terminology which enables the reading public to understand the terms frequently used. In addition, research results show that there are words that have the same terms and meanings, language styles which carry different meanings as well as proper nouns. It is hoped that research results will have a positive impact and contribute to the restoration of learning Arabic language in a more effective virtual way.


Sharks are kind of ETP biota (Endangered, Threatened, and Protected), and are generally caught as by catch during fishing operations. In addition, sharks are one of the biota that plays a role in the life cycle in coastal waters. The Electro Shield System (ESS) was a device with an electromagnetic wave source that the shark can detect and make it afraid. ESS can be applied to set gill net operation to prevent the shark from getting caught. The objective of the study was to analyze the ESS on shark catches during set gill net operations. The research method was experimental fishing, conducted in March-May 2017 in Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia. Design the study by comparing shark catches during set gill net operation between those without using ESS (control) and using ESS with frequency 55 Hz. The shark catch by using Electro Shield System was 5.26% lower than control (7.80%). T-student analysis (sign 0.05) indicates that there was a significant difference between the set gill net without ESS and using the ESS against shark biota as bycatch. This indicates that the application of ESS in set gill net can reduce the capture of shark as by catch.


The advent of new sources of spatial data and associated information (e.g. Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI)) allows us to explore non-expert conceptualisations of space, where the number of participants and spatial extent coverage encompassed can be much greater than is available through traditional empirical approaches. In this paper we explore such data through the prism of landscape preference or scenicness. VGI in the form of photographs is particularly suited to this task, and the volume of images has been suggested as a simple proxy for landscape preference. We propose another approach, which models landscape aesthetics based on the descriptions of some 220000 images collected in a large VGI project in the UK, and more than 1.5 million votes related to the perceived scenicness of these images collected in a crowdsourcing project. We use image descriptions to build features for a supervised machine learning algorithm. Features include the most frequent uni- and bigrams, adjectives, presence of verbs of perception and adjectives from the "Landscape Adjective Checklist". Our results include not only qualitative information relating terms to scenicness in the UK, but a model based on our features which can predict some 52% of the variation in scenicness, comparable to typical models using more traditional approaches. The most useful features are the 800 most frequent unigrams, presence of adjectives from the "Landscape Adjective Checklist" and a spatial weighting term.


The rise of online learning in higher education presents a unique challenge for educators committed critical pedagogy. While Paulo Freire formulated his ideas about teaching in a pre-Internet era, he did not object to the use of technology in the teaching-learning process. He urged educators to think critically about the use of technology and to find new ways of seeking and creating knowledge with the aid of technology. This article offers a brief review of the development of online learning. Then with the assistance of Feenberg's Critical Theory of Technology, I analyze the practice of online teaching and learning through the lens of several Freirean concepts. Then I conclude with a series of problem-posing which guide our exploration moving forward.


Considering the asymmetry of return distributions and asymmetric impact of positive and negative returns on the quantiles, the paper puts forth a new conditional autoregressive value-at-risk by regression quantiles model with asymmetric absolute values and slops (AAVS-CAViaR) quantile specification for heavy-tail data applications. An empirical study on the evolution patterns of market risk of wheat futures in Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange is performed. The dynamic quantile test, the regression quantile criteria and back testing results support our new model works well. It is found that the asymmetric impacts of price news on the quantiles of returns exist in Chinese wheat futures market. A rule to select proper VaR predicting model is suggested, and we also find AAVS model performs better than indirect GARCH model for our selected sample.


CONTEXT
Population study data about relations of coffee drinking to arrhythmia are sparse.

OBJECTIVE
To study relations of coffee drinking to risk of cardiac arrhythmia in 130,054 persons with previous data about coffee habits.Design and Outcome Measure: We used Cox proportional hazards models with 8 covariates to study coffee-related risk in 3137 persons hospitalized for cardiac arrhythmia. We conducted a similar analysis of total caffeine-related risk in a subgroup with data about other caffeine intake (11,679 study participants; 198 hospitalized).

RESULTS
With non-coffee-drinkers as the referent, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for any arrhythmia at the level of <1 cup of coffee per day was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.9-1.1; p = 0.7); for 1-3 cups/day, it was 0.9 (CI, 0.8-1.0; p = 0.2), and for ≥4 cups/day, it was 0.8 (CI, 0.7-0.9; p = 0.002). With coffee intake as a continuous variable, the HR per cup per day was 0.97 (CI, 0.95-0.99; p = 0.001). RESULTS were similar for several strata, including persons with history or symptoms of possible cardiore-spiratory disease and those without such history or symptoms. Coffee had similar relations to atrial fibrillation (48% of participants with arrhythmia) and most other specific arrhythmia diagnoses. Controlled for number of cups of coffee per day, total caffeine intake was inversely related to risk (HR highest quartile vs lowest = 0.6; p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION
The inverse relations of coffee and caffeine intake to hospitalization for arrhythmias make it unlikely that moderate caffeine intake increases arrhythmia risk.


IMPORTANCE
Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare cause of nasal airway obstruction in newborns. The decision to operate is made clinically. Although pyriform aperture width is used for diagnosing CNPAS, it does not fully characterize stenosis of the nasal cavity.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the utility of additional metrics for evaluating CNPAS.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
The medical records of 13 patients with CNPAS treated from 2007 through 2012 at a single tertiary pediatric facility were retrospectively examined. Data on patient demographic characteristics, known genetic abnormalities, and hospital courses were extracted. Computed tomographic images were evaluated for pyriform aperture width; maxillary-nasal angle (MNA), defined as the angle between the anterior maxilla and anterior-posterior nasal axis; and choanal width.

INTERVENTIONS
Medical management and surgical management.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Pyriform aperture width, MNA, and choanal width.

RESULTS
Six of 13 patients underwent medical management, and 7 patients underwent surgical treatment. For patients who were managed medically as compared with those managed surgically, the evaluation revealed a larger pyriform aperture width (median [interquartile range {IQR}], 5.6 [5.4-6.1] vs 4.6 [4.5-4.7] mm; P = .03) and MNA (median [IQR], 70° [63°-73°] vs 59° [59°-64°]; P = .048) but no significant difference in choanal width (median [IQR], 11.0 [9.6-12.2] vs 11.9 [10.3-11.9] mm; P = .76).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The MNA, when used in conjunction with pyriform aperture width, provides additional pertinent information to supplement clinical decision making in the evaluation of patients with CNPAS. These measurements may be helpful in identifying patients who should undergo surgical intervention, although additional studies would be required to allow predictive use of the MNA.


Abstractγ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a drug of abuse, exhibits saturable renal clearance and capacity-limited metabolism. The objectives of this study were to construct a mechanistic toxicokinetic (TK) model describing saturable renal reabsorption and capacity-limited metabolism of GHB and to predict the effects of inhibition of renal reabsorption on GHB TK in the plasma and urine. GHB was administered by iv bolus (200–1,000 mg/kg) to male Sprague-Dawley rats and plasma and urine samples were collected for up to 6 h post-dose. GHB concentrations were determined by LC/MS/MS. GHB plasma concentration and urinary excretion were well-described by a TK model incorporating plasma and kidney compartments, along with two tissue and two ultrafiltrate compartments. The estimate of the Michaelis-Menten constant for renal reabsorption (Km,R) was 0.46 mg/ml which is consistent with in vitro estimates of monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)-mediated uptake of GHB (0.48 mg/ml). Simulation studies assessing inhibition of renal reabsorption of GHB demonstrated increased time-averaged renal clearance and GHB plasma AUC, independent of the inhibition mechanism assessed. Co-administration of GHB (600 mg/kg iv) and l-lactate (330 mg/kg iv bolus plus 121 mg/kg/h iv infusion), a known inhibitor of MCTs, resulted in a significant decrease in GHB plasma AUC and an increase in time-averaged renal clearance, consistent with the model simulations. These results suggest that inhibition of renal reabsorption of GHB is a viable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of GHB overdoses. Furthermore, the mechanistic TK model provides a useful in silico tool for the evaluation of potential therapeutic strategies.


Today, use of cloud computing is rapidly growing for several purposes, mainly for large data storage and sharing data in clouds. Here, users can share data for dynamic groups with cost-effectively. Membership is frequently changing in a cloud. The Existing system is using the protected (secure) commutation channel for data sharing. This implementation is difficult for practice. Still, the existing system is suffering from collusion attack and insecure key distribution with a single cloud. There is no assurance of the data confidentiality and accessibility. In the proposed system, multiple cloud services are used to store data. The System is proposing a safe way for key distribution without using any protected communication channels, and the user can safely get their private keys from group administrators (managers).Any users in the gathering can use the source in the cloud and denied users cannot get to the cloud once more. The system provides fine-grained access control. Also, the system supports the anti-collusion attack with an untrustworthy cloud. Our system is proposing triple levels of encryption techniques and a file is stored in a split format on multiple clouds in different groups using a hybrid cloud. The system is providing secure revocation.


Planning models are usually defined in lifted, i.e. first order formalisms, while most solvers need (variable-free) grounded representations. Though techniques for grounding prune unnecessary parts of the model, grounding might – nevertheless – be prohibitively expensive in terms of runtime. To overcome this issue, there has been renewed interest in solving planning problems based on the lifted representation in the last years. While these approaches are based on (heuristic) search, we present an encoding of lifted classical planning in propositional logic and use SAT solvers to solve it. Our evaluation shows that our approach is competitive with the heuristic search-based approaches in satisficing planning and outperforms them in a (length-)optimal setting.


The study aimed to investigate corrective feedback and uptake that occurs in ESL classrooms in a public secondary school in Malaysia. It looked at the kind of corrective feedback that teachers give to students when they made spoken errors as well students' response or uptake following the given corrective feedback. The
study was sparked by similar studies in the field particularly the one done by Lyster and Ranata (1997) which indicates that certain types of corrective feedback is more effective in eliciting students' uptake. The study involved 174 Form 3 students from four classes; two classes of the higher English proficiency and another two classes of the lower English proficiency. The researcher observed 12 hours of English lessons in order to find out the kind of corrective feedback which teacher employed as well as students' uptake following it. The researcher also interviewed the two English teachers observed in the classroom observation in order to find out more on their corrective feedback practice. The study found recast to be the most preferred corrective feedback and also the least likely to lead to students' uptake.Students were most likely to produce uptake following metalinguistic feedback, elicitation and repetition. Metalinguistic feedback was also found to be most effective in leading towards student-generated repair as opposed to teachergenerated
repair. The interview revealed that teacher's choice of corrective
feedback was not guided by formal knowledge on corrective feedback and uptake but by instinct and practicality. The findings were followed with discussion on implications as well as several recommendations.


OBJECTIVE
To determine, using computer tomography (CT), whether the retention of a small number of teeth in the older adult used to support overdentures could affect the cross-sectional area (CSA) and X-ray density of two jaw closing muscles.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional study of a group of older patients subdivided into dentate, edentulous and those wearing overdentures supported by two to five teeth.

SUBJECTS
The sample consisted of 24 subjects aged 55-68 years.

OUTCOME MEASURES
CSA and X-ray density of two jaw closing muscles, masseter and medial pterygoid were measured and evaluated using CT.

RESULTS
There were no significant differences between left and right jaw muscles, but the CSA of the masseter muscles were significantly larger than the medial pterygoid muscles. The CSA of the masseter and medial pterygoid muscles was significantly smaller in edentulous subjects compared with dentate subjects but no significant difference was observed between subjects wearing overdentures and those with a natural dentition. No significant differences were observed with the X-ray density between different muscles or dental states.

CONCLUSION
The retention of a small number of teeth in the older adult used to support overdentures appears to sustain the CSA of two jaw closing muscles and therefore could enhance these patients' masticatory ability compared with those who were edentulous.


Present-day changes in land use and management are increasingly resulting in the loss of landscape identity. With a view to ensuring effective protection, management and planning of historic landscapes, more and more European countries are undertaking comprehensive programmes aimed at recognizing and assessing historic landscape values. This paper presents the assumptions and the possible applications of selected systems for assessing historic landscapes character in Great Britain and in Germany.


Neonatal retinoblastoma is more widely reported in developed countries than in developing countries. We have conducted a retrospective case series to understand the nature of neonatal retinoblastoma in Malaysia due to lack of data from developing countries. A retrospective record review of 295 patients was conducted from the Retinoblastoma Registry on the National Eye Database (NED) between January 2005 and December 2019. Six out of 295 patients (2.03%) were identified as neonatal retinoblastoma in Malaysia from 2005 until 2019 compared to developed countries, in which the detection rate were 3.5 to 10 times higher. Lack of awareness among survivor parents about the risk of their newborns developing retinoblastoma in may be a contributing factor. Neonatal retinoblastoma is difficult to manage, thus close and continuous monitoring is needed in centres dedicated to retinoblastoma management.


We undertake an assessment of our two decades of research on financial literacy, building on our empirical research and theoretical work casting financial knowledge as a form of investment in human capital. We also draw on recent data to determine who is the most—and least—financially savvy in the United States, and we highlight the similarity of our results in other countries. A number of convincing studies is now available, from which we draw conclusions about the effects and consequences of financial illiteracy, and what can be done to fill these gaps. We conclude by offering our thoughts on implications for teaching, policy, and future research.


Four "giant" mechanoreceptive cells form part of a stretch receptor organ at the base of the uropod in the sand crab, Emerita (Crustacea, Anomura). Injection of the fluorescent dye Procion Yellow revealed that these sensory cells are monopolar with somata located in the central nervous system. No such cells have previously been described in arthropods. These neurons are also unusual in that they do not generate propagated action potentials; rather, they mediate stretch reflexes by transmission of graded, decremental potentials.


We discuss here the use of non-local models in space and fractional order operators in the characterisation of structural complexity and the modeling of propagation in heterogeneous biological tissues. In the specific, we consider the application of space-fractional operators in the context of cardiac electrophysiology, where the lack of clear separation of scales of the highly heterogeneous myocardium triggers peculiar features such as the dispersion of action potential duration, that have been observed experimentally, but cannot be described by the standard monodomain or bidomain models. We describe the methodology and compare the results of a standard monodomain model with results of a model with a non-local component in space.


Temptation for tenants to under-report output levels under share contracts is undoubtedly high. There is evidence that theft of product occurs and that this affects the design of share contracts. In this case, the optimal output share is chosen to not only induce effort but also to reduce theft of product, while meeting the landlord's limited liability obligation. The tenant's share thus rises with his desire and ability to steal. The optimal contract allows both residual inefficiency in the provision of effort and residual cheating. This contract is also modified by process utility in cheating, ability of the landlord to supervise, risk of revenge with abusive surveillance, and switch to products less prone to theft.


Children have special duties to their parents: there are things that we ought to do for our parents, but not for just anyone. Three competing accounts of filial duty appear in the literature: the debt theory, the gratitude theory and the friendship theory. Each is unsatisfactory: each tries to assimilate the moral relationship between parent and child to some independently understood conception of duty, but this relationship is different in structure and content from any that we are likely to share with anyone apart from a parent. A more promising account will concentrate on what is unique about the parent-child relationship. I articulate and defend the 'special goods theory', according to which filial duties arise from the distinctive kinds of goods that healthy parent-child relationships typically involve.


Abstract In this paper we question the importance of social capital as a primary indicator of a community's ability to engage in sustainable development as social capital can have both hindering and facilitating effects. We suggest that actor agency allows an individual or group to increase access to other critical forms of capital to overcome barriers and solve problems. We present 'bonding' social capital consisting of strong network ties as a negative in excess quantity as it can lead to the enforcement of social norms that hinder innovative change, and 'bridging' social capital consisting of weak network ties as a benefit that allows actors to bring about critical social changes. Communities achieve agency through a dynamic mix of bonding and bridging ties. We close with suggestions for fostering community agency and flag the need for further research in this area.


Aims: To explore the clinical course of children with "single kidney" (defined as either a solitary or single functioning kidney) with reference to renal function (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and proteinuria), body height and particularly sonomorphological features. Patients and methods: This retrospective monocentric study evaluated 119 children with a solitary or single functioning kidney (>90% unilateral function on isotope scan) between 1997 and 2007. Patients were followed for 6.3 years (median, range 1–17) and had at least three renal ultrasound examinations (median 8). During recruitment six children were identified with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage III or worse. These patients were analysed separately. Results: The aetiology of "single kidney" was attributed to contralateral multicystic dysplastic kidney (26%), tumournephrectomy (24%), renal agenesis (18%), hypo/dysplasia (11%) and obstructive or refluxive uropathy (18%). Irrespective of aetiology, the sonographic dimensions of "single kidneys" were in the upper range of normal paired kidneys and showed adequate growth. Compensatory renal hypertrophy (defined as >95% CI on two or more recent measurements) occurred in a third of patients. All six patients with CKD and GFR less than 60 ml/minute per 1.73 m2 had pathological sonomorphology of their "single kidney" with inadequate renal growth (6/6), abnormal echogenicity (5/6), hypo/dysplasia (5/6). In addition, proteinuria (5/6) and short stature (3/6) were found. Conclusions: New reference centiles were generated to assess renal size of "single kidneys" in paediatric patients. These charts will facilitate counselling of patients and parents. Further evidence for a benign clinical course of children with "single kidney" and absent additional pathology of the remnant kidney is presented.


Sticky florestina (Florestina tripteris DC.) is an annual exotic weed that has become naturalised near the townships of Tambo and Barcaldine in central western Queensland, Australia. Three experiments conducted near Barcaldine identified foliar herbicides effective in killing sticky florestina plants and in providing residual activity to reduce recruitment from the soil seed bank. An initial chemical screening experiment evaluated the efficacy of 28 herbicide treatments. The most promising herbicides were then further evaluated in two response-rate experiments. Overall, 2,4-D/picloram, aminopyralid/fluroxypyr, clopyralid, metsulfuron-methyl and triclopyr/picloram proved to be the most effective selective herbicides. Two of these, metsulfuron-methyl at 18 g active ingredient (a.i) ha–1 and 2,4-D + picloram at 900 g a.i. ha–1 + 225 g a.i. ha–1 have now been included in a minor use permit (PER11920) with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for the control of sticky florestina in pasture, stock route, roadside and non-crop situations using both spot and boom-spray applications (APVMA 2010). The permit also allows the use of 2,4-D amine for the control of seedlings only.


Pulmonary varices are rare lesions reflecting localized dilation of one or more pulmonary veins. The etiology of pulmonary varices is unknown, but the lesions may be classified as congenital or acquired. Acquired pulmonary varices are most commonly associated with mitral valve disease, typically valvular stenosis. Other associations include pulmonary artery hypertension, coarctation of the aorta, or pulmonary valve stenosis. Pulmonary varices are usually detected asymptomatically; complications, such as thromboembolic disease or rupture, are rare and are generally unassociated with congenital pulmonary varices. Although pulmonary varices may not be visible at chest radiography, these anomalies may appear as a solitary pulmonary nodule, generally adjacent to the left atrium. Tortuous, serpiginous vessels without a vascular nidus and with normal-appearing pulmonary arteries may be seen in thoracic computed tomography scan in patients with pulmonary varices. Catheter pulmonary angiography has traditionally been used to confidently diagnose pulmonary varices and exclude the presence of arteriovenous malformations—the diagnosis is established by identifying a dilated vessel that leads to the left atrium, opacifying on the delayed phase of contrast injection in a manner similar to other pulmonary veins, in the presence of normal pulmonary arteries. Treatment is unnecessary, unless the vein is rapidly increasing in size. Typically, in the case of acquired pulmonary varices, treatment of the underlying cause for elevated left atrial pressure is the preferred approach.