This article examines the place of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to reform of Western Australian law governing fitness to stand trial, with a particular focus on Indigenous youth with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This article considers whether and how the Convention might be relied upon to improve outcomes for Indigenous youth with FASD, particularly through its promotion of a social model of disability. We argue that the social model of disability embodied in the Convention can only take us so far, and that many of the aspirations of the Convention regarding disability neutrality may, in fact, be counterproductive for Indigenous youth, rendering culture invisible and denying the colonial underpinnings of the disability in Indigenous communities. The Convention must be read 'in tension' with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and with Indigenous knowledge. We argue that an appropriate response requires decolonising the justice system to break down the barriers that prevent Indigenous young people with FASD from participating on an equal basis. To do so, the role of colonisation in the production of impairment and disability must be acknowledged, and law reform must facilitate community-owned solutions - placing Indigenous organisations and practices at the centre, rather than the periphery, of intervention.


Smart hand gloves help physically disabled people to communicate with normal people. As Dump person cannot speak then this smart gloves helps him to convert this hand gesture into text or pre-recorded voice. This also help normal person to understand when he is trying to say and do accordingly this smart gloves has facility of home appliance control from which a physically impaired person become independent to live the main objective or the implemented paper is to develop a reliable easy to use light weight. Smart hand gloves system which can minimize the obstacles for disabled people.


: The Standard method of eliciting event-related potentials, the "oddball" paradigm, is insufficient as the sole technique for more differentiated problems. We therefore developed a more complex yet, in terms of variation of the stimuli, more flexible, method-competitive stimulation. This method also employs a two-stimuli paradigm, but uses independently delivered identical target and non-target stimuli with spatial separation. Since this technique requires special control mechanisms for the delivery of the stimuli, in particular with respect to the observance of time intervals between consecutive stimuli, we designed a software control program for the stimulation. This program can be run on any PC and permits great flexibility in the choice of the stimulus parameters and peripheral stimulating systems.


Objective Given findings of increased symptomatology in high school, college, and professional athletes with history of multiple concussions, we sought to identify incidence of symptom reporting at baseline, in middle-school youth athletes on the basis of concussion history. Design Pre-test only. Participants A multi-centre sample of 2,600 middle-school athletes, ages 10–14, who completed baseline evaluations, were assigned to groups on the basis of concussion history: None (N=1210), One (N=1191), Two or more (N=199). Intervention The Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) was administered during athletes' pre-season baseline evaluations. Cross-sectional analyses (ANOVAs) were used to examine symptoms reported at the time of baseline testing by concussion history group Main results Otherwise healthy middle school athletes with a concussion history were statistically (p<0.001) more likely to report symptoms of headache, light sensitivity, irritability, drowsiness, difficulty falling asleep, and sleeping less than usual, than middle school athletes with no history of concussion. Analysis of symptom clusters revealed increased endorsement of symptoms in physical and sleep clusters on the basis of concussion history (p<0.001), but not in cognitive or emotional clusters. Conclusions Developmentally, younger athletes may be less insightful in identifying their cognitive or emotional symptoms. Younger athletes who sustain multiple concussions may experience residual symptoms, which may be precursors to future concussion-related difficulties. These results raise poignant implications for: 1) symptom reporting in younger athletes, thus affecting research and clinical assessment, and 2) the possible impact of early concussion residuals on future functioning of college and professional athletes. Competing interests Dr. Schatz serves on the ImPACT Scientific Advisory Board.


Aims. Altered regulation of cell death is a feature of human cancer. The aim of this study was to explore whether the expression of the proapoptotic proteins caspase-6, caspase-9, and Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B-19kDa-interacting protein3 (BNIP3) is altered in prostate cancers. Methods. We analyzed the expression of caspase-6, caspase-9, and BNIP3 in 107 prostate adenocarcinoma tissues by immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray (TMA) method. Results. Normal glandular cells expressed caspase-6 and BNIP3 proteins in 10 (9.3%) and 9 (8.4%) prostate tissues, respectively. By contrast, the prostate cancers expressed caspase-6 and BNIP3 in 65 (60.7%) and 69 (64.5%) cases, respectively. Prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) showed caspase-6 and BNIP3 expression in 65% and 65% of cases, respectively. We observed caspase-9 expression in 40 (37.4%) normal, 8 (40%) PIN, and 45 (42.1%) cancer tissues. None of the expression of caspase-6, caspase-9 or BNIP3 was associated with pathological characteristics such as tumor size, patient age, Gleason score, or tumor stage. Conclusion. Our data showed that prostate cancer and PIN cells display higher expression of the proapoptotic proteins caspase-6 and BNIP3 than normal cells. Neoexpression of these proteins from the PIN stage suggests that apoptosis deregulation might occur in the early stage of prostate carcinogenesis, and that altered expression of proapoptotic proteins may be a feature of prostate cancer. Free full text available at www.tumorionline.it


It seems that ethics has become an important issue because more and more firms accept ethical codex and make them public as well. On contrary all of us know some stories when unethical behaviour resulted tragedy. Nowadays in business life ethics and responsibility appear as necessary value from the aspect of success. More papers state that ethical behaviour offers various benefits in business relationships. Our paper seeks these positives in empirical way by interviewing members and experts of Hungarian metal and machinery supply chains but we take into consideration the network effects as well. Our survey investigates how fair behaviour can prevent or decrease conflicts in business. The results of our qualitative research show that fair behaviour brings certain benefits but the economic reality and the direction of money flow are dominant. We have met various forms of conflict management and found that respondents want to maintain even very problematic business ties as well.


This paper discusses the findings of ethnographic fieldwork among a congregation of British Messianic Jews. After a description of the history and theology of the movement, it describes various themes expressed by informants who have come to accept Yeshua as the Messiah: An ethnic as opposed to a spiritual religious identity; dissatisfaction with Judaism; the influence of family and social networks outside the home; a religious search; a process of intellectual resolution; the importance of personal religious experience; dealing with crises; social support provided by members of the congregation; and the perceived importance of Messianic Judaism giving them a close relationship with God or Yeshua. The importance of religious experience and theological conflict are emphasized. The findings are discussed in relation to the conversion process described by Lewis Rambo.


Abstract 'Deep learning' is causing rapid technological changes in many fields of science, and conjectures about its potential for transforming everyone's work and lives is a matter of great debate. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to apply it as a 'black box' tool with little consideration of its potential limitations, especially when the data it is being applied to is less than perfect. In this Perspective, I try to put deep learning into a broader mechanistic and historical context by showing how it relates to older forms of artificial intelligence; by providing a general explanation of how it operates; and by exploring some of the challenges involved in its implementation. Examples wherein it has been applied to pest management problems are provided to illustrate how the technology works and the challenges deep learning faces. At least in the near term, its biggest impact on agrochemical development seems likely to come in automating the tedious work involved in assessing agrochemical efficacy, but getting there will require major investments in building large, well‐curated data sets to work from and in providing the expertise required to assess the resulting model predictions in real‐world scenarios. Deep learning may also come to complement the machine learning methodologies already available for use in pesticide discovery and development, but it seems unlikely to supplant them. © 2020 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.


Social Movement basically sliver bearing with social Lameness' or problem, economic, politics and cultural. In decade of this social movement in Indonesia have a lot of experiencing of drastic change since former president of second of Soeharto retire from the function as president. Slow democracy but surely start can be created, people no longer fear with power in claiming what felt rights. In case of mud Lapindo, social movement that happened at victim disaster of hot Mud of Lapindo at process of initially more because of problem of compensatory rights for land; ground damage, house therewith his building. However at his growth social movement or social movements that happened victim disaster of hot Mud Lapindo more specially the people of Tanggul angin residence 1 happened not merely because problem of compensatory uncertainty,
social movement that happened at citizen housing of Secure and prosperous Classy Tanggulangin 1 very hand in glove bearing by conspiracy of politic-economy like decision of
relocation of plus without existence of discussion with victim. The lifting of theme of social movement victim of disaster Mud of Lapindo more because want to knoe the process social movement that happened the effect of affect natural disaster of negligence cause (corporation
which in this case is PT. Lapindo Brantas), others the above theme draw to be taken also because background overshadow condition of different economy and social education and from people of Tanggul angin residence.
Social movement conceptually is off the cuff movement developed by all victim collision of Human right and supported by group like student, self-supporting institute socializes. Social movement by itself born because people majority aspiration and requirement about protection of
Human right and all commitment State to protect Human right frequently in betraying. Therefore the people majority need political ways to fight for expected difficult political party and parliament cause people rights protection to give protection to small people. Under colors of that,
hence needed by alternative approach, namely develop movement of Human right as social movements. Social movement represent political ways and at one blow as political strength oppressed and weak people to emphasize the importance of State bother Human right and coincide commitments protection to people and those who is pulled over. In hot Mud disaster case of Lapindo that happened in Porong Sidorajo, Commitment State and also the company
responsibility to bother Human right and side small people make proper questioned and draw to be checked.
In this research is approach used study case, study case represent one of social science research method. In this research the data source used data secondary and primary data. As for such primary data here is Mud Lapindo disaster victim which have status as Secure and prosperous Tanggul Angin residence and become actor from social movement that happened Tanggul Angin residence, while such secondary data here is relevant data by the this topic of problem and taken away from a media print and also the electronic, and also Tanggul Angin residence which the active pros by with refer doing social activity movement. As for method used in data collecting of field with interview focused, direct observation, and the documentation. Technique analyzed
data used by technique analyze descriptive data qualitative.
In this research can be concluded by social movement that happened Tanggul angina residence I loaded basically there will be internal conflict. This matter is happened by the target cause, mission and vision from some movement actor a lot of experiencing of difference. For a while from government by itself with policy, citizen feel conducted by discriminate and profit Lapindo like Perpres 14. On that account to date the compensatory problem become endless problem, complicated progressively and do not visit to finish. Social movement which ought to can become political movement for victim to claim rights exactly turn into political adventure arena for some of movement actor. Hereinafter the matter which cannot be obviated is the happening of economy –politic conspiracy between movement actor, power and entrepreneur. If have that way hence "natural disaster" that happened in Porong Sidoarjo will generate new disaster that is very hard social disaster and non-stooped to have continuation.


This study examined civic-mindedness among a sample of social work educators, community practitioners and new graduates. Using a web-based survey, researchers administered Hatcher's (2008) Civic-Minded Professional scale. Results indicated that traditional and field faculty were more civic-minded than new graduates and other practitioners. Social work educators who focused on raising civic awareness in courses were more civic-minded than colleagues. New graduates who had participated in club service events were more civic-minded; however, there was no significant differences between groups based on number of community service courses completed. Social workers, whether faculty or not, who had participated in collaborative research were more civic-minded. The authors conclude that how social workers view their commitment to civic engagement has implications. Social workers need to be vigilant in our commitment to well-being in society. Intentional practices could be implemented to strengthen the partnership among groups.


The increase in the number of mobile devices accessing the Internet creates new problems. A specific case is when a large number of wireless clients try to access the same video stream in the same hot spot, which requires multicast transmission. However, multicast packets are unconfirmed and to compensate their higher loss rate we propose using a feedback repeat request mechanism per client. Then, the number of clients is scaled up by adequately scheduling their feedback in the streaming server. This mechanism also allows managing the QoS provided to the clients controlling their feedback rate independently. Our preliminary results confirm the desired scalability with reliable streaming.


Effective management of solid wastes is a goal that is yet to be achieved in many countries, even developed ones. In attempt to carry out a study on effective waste management system as a solution to the menace marine litters posed on coastal communities, three coastal areas in Lagos State Nigeria which are known for fishing, recreation, housing, and other various coastal activities were selected. Three groups of research questions were formulated based on the problem perception and impacts, actors and level of governance, and strategy and instrument; and each question was examined, and specific strategy was developed for necessary data gathering. This study was based on the observational findings and interviews conducted for various actors; and conclusion and recommendations were based on the evaluation of the research questions. While a clear cut of marine littering resulting from ineffective solid waste management was the case at Makoko and Ebute-metta, the dividend of relatively effective solid waste management system with multi-actor approach was seen clearly at Victoria Island bar beach, as this location was found to be relatively clean, thus reducing the chances of litters escaping into the marine system. Generally, the major impacts identified are aesthetics impairment, health issues, and economic downscale. Based on the studied sites, the framework for requisite actions to address the problem of marine littering in an effective and sustainable manner is documented herein.

 Key words: Solid waste, waste management, marine litter, Makoko, Ebute-metta, Victoria Island, multi-actor approach, pollution, coastal community.


Ninety female gamblers identified barriers to gambling treatment. These data suggest that the women in this study are a homogeneous group: middle aged (M = 47 years), Caucasian (86%), married or living with their partner (46%), had children (77%), completed a post secondary education (53%), employed full or part-time (67%), with personal incomes less that $35,000 (61%), and household incomes between $35,000 to $79,999 (51%). Moreover, most were recruited by referral from the GA conferences or GA members (70%) and were living in Ontario, Canada (37%).The Gamblers Anonymous 20 Questions and the South Oaks Gambling Screen were the two instruments used in this study to measure gambling severity. The average score on the GA20 was 17 and the SOGS was 13. Almost the entire sample (99% for the GA20 and 98% for the SOGS) can be considered to be compulsive or probable pathological gamblers. The majority (81%) of women in this study received some type of formal help for their gambling problem. Forty-three percent received outpatient treatment, 41% received crisis help, and 27% received residential or in-patient treatment. All but one woman accessed informal help, including 91% who sought help from Gamblers Anonymous and 38% received help from the Internet support group CGHub. Eighty-four percent reported feeling seriously depressed; 74% related their depression to gambling. Thirty-three percent reported having attempted suicide; 57% related their suicide attempt to gambling. Almost half (47%) received treatment in adulthood for a mental health or addictive disorder other than gambling, of which 60% were treated for depression. Barriers to treatment were identified within 3 broad domains: individual, socio-environmental and programmatic issues. Correlations among the three barriers subscales were positive and statistically significant. Individual barrier items were identified most often and programmatic barriers were identified least often. The barrier item "gamble to deal with the stress of daily life" was most frequently endorsed. Respondents who received formal treatment reported statistically more barriers and had higher individual and socio-environmental barrier subscale scores than non-formal treatment seekers. These findings suggest that women gamblers in this study have sought help from both formal and informal help systems. Key barriers to treatment are psychological and emotional issues. The women disclose turbulent personal and family histories and significant issues of comorbidity and concurrent life stressors, which may have important clinical implications in providing appropriate and effective treatment to women addicted to gambling.


The species Calyptra minuticornis is divided into two subspecies: C. minuticornis novaepommeraniae (Strand) and C. minuticornis minuticornis (Guenée) based on minor morphological differences, geographic distribution, and differential feeding behaviors in the adults. In this study, museum specimens were examined, including the holotypes of C. novaepommeraniae and C. minuticornis. A comprehensive distribution map was generated for C. minuticornis. A permutational multivariate analysis of variance provided some statistical evidence for minor differences between the male genitalic morphology. Additionally, the maximum parsimony analysis of the C. minuticornis subspecies complex resulted in a polytomy and did not represent natural groupings. From these results, it can be concluded that C. minuticornis novaepommeraniae and C. minuticornis minuticornis should be synonymized. A redescription of the species and a revised checklist for the genus is also provided. This includes synonymization of Wolframmeyia Behounek, Hacker & Speidel with Calyptra and evidence that Percalpe Berio is an unavailable name.


Results are reported of a socio-hygienic study of a very important biometric parameter--reproduction of the population on a regional level. Changes are analyzed of the average life span (ALS) during the period of three postwar censuses. The ALS in women tended to increase as compared with men and was more pronounced in the rural localities. The main causes of mortality are analyzed. Reduction of ALS due to circulatory diseases which tended to increase during the intercensus periods. Recommendations are given for optimization of population reproduction and increase of ALS.


Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who suffer an acute ischemic stroke are at risk for both hemorrhagic transformation and recurrent ischemic stroke in the acute post‐stroke period. Oral anticoagulants are recommended for secondary stroke prevention in patients with AF. The optimal time to initiate anticoagulant therapy after acute ischemic stroke in patients with AF is uncertain. There is concern that early initiation increases the risk of hemorrhagic transformation, whereas delayed initiation leaves the patient at risk for recurrent ischemic stroke. In this article, we provide a review of the risk of hemorrhagic transformation of acute ischemic stroke as well as review the literature and major guidelines addressing the timing of anticoagulation initiation after an acute ischemic stroke in patients with AF. Relevant articles published from 1990 to the present were identified using the PubMed and Embase databases. The majority of available literature is observational data. Large ischemic lesions, cerebral microbleeds, thrombolytic therapy, and other clinical factors may increase the risk of hemorrhagic transformation of an acute ischemic stroke. Parenteral anticoagulation within 48 hours is associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic transformation and is not recommended. Insufficient data exist to support the safety of routine oral anticoagulant (direct oral anticoagulants or warfarin) initiation within 48 hours of an acute ischemic stroke. Direct oral anticoagulant initiation within 2 days of an acute ischemic stroke is associated with a 5% rate of hemorrhagic transformation. Infarct size and presence of hemorrhage are important factors in identifying the optimal time to initiation and should guide decisions when available. A recommended framework for patient decision making is provided. Randomized controlled trials in this area are needed to identify the optimal timing of anticoagulation initiation, and such trials are under way.


Nursing homes are considered lagging behind in adopting health information technology (HIT). Many studies have highlighted the use of HIT as a means of improving health care quality. However, these studies overwhelmingly do not provide empirical information proving that HIT can actually achieve these improvements. The main research goal of this dissertation is to review the current development of HIT in nursing homes, to determine the nursing homes use of HIT features in MDS software, and to examine whether these uses result in better quality of care as measured by Nursing Home Compare (NHC) quality measures. This dissertation includes three parts and each part has its own emphasis and methodology centered on the main topic of the use of HIT in nursing homes.The first paper reviews the background and definitions of HIT as well as the most important applications and several standards that are currently used or under development. The second paper examines the use of commercial Minimum Data Set (MDS) software in nursing homes and identifies the HIT features that are available in the most commonly used software package. The frequency of use of each HIT feature in MDS software is also reported. The third paper evaluated whether the use of such HIT features is associated with better quality of care as measured by NHC.This dissertation reviews the HIT, summarizes a list of top 12 advanced HIT features in commercial MDS software used by the surveyed nursing homes. The study also evaluates the frequency of use of each feature. It concluded that although nursing homes were often viewed as technologically impaired, many of them had used quite advanced HIT in commercial MDS software. The findings are helpful in prioritizing the importance of future HIT development in nursing homes. Understanding the highlighted issues and the evidence of HIT use for promoting quality of care in nursing homes is a top research and public health concern. Future research should extend the list of HIT features in the current commercial MDS software and interconnect such features with available EHR systems in the continuum of health care.


The ideal dermal matrix should be able to provide the right physical and biological environment to ensure homogenous cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) distribution, as well as the biocompatible interactions with tissue. Chitosan (CS)/poloxamer semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (SIPNs) was prepared by crosslinking of poloxamer macromer in the presence of CS in order to improve its mechanical property required in skin tissue engineering application. Furthermore, we also prepared CS/poloxamer SIPNs with ShebaTM, human acellular dermis, to overcome a low biocompatibility of the CS/poloxamer SIPNs. The CS/poloxamer SIPNs/ShebaTM showed remarkably highly cell attachment and viability in the two-dimensional (2D) culture and similar cell morphology on the CS/poloxamer SIPNs/ShebaTM compared with on tissue culturing polystylene (TCPS) as a positive control. These results suggest that CS/poloxamer SIPNs containing ShebaTM have good possibility for artificial skin system application.


This manuscript provides an empirical documentation of the existence and magnitude of heterogeneous bid shading in the discriminatory auction. Unlike existing empirical work that uses aggregate data, this manuscript makes use of a unique data set collected at the individual bidder level containing bidding behaviour and detailed cost information covering a natural experiment in which the format of the auction switches from uniform to discriminatory pricing. Preliminary regression results indicate that bid prices in the discriminatory auction are $1,813 lower than bid prices in the uniform auction. In other words, the magnitude of bid shading in the discriminatory price auction is on average 6.3% of bidders' willingness to pay. Capacity utilization, housing type and milking system are bidder-specific characteristics identified as determinants in explaining heterogeneity in bid shading across bidders. In terms of allocative efficiency, the uniform auction achieves a higher average efficiency of 91% compared to an average efficiency of 74% reached by the discriminatory auction. The majority of the inefficiency of the discriminatory auction is attributed to the use of bid-spreading strategies while the remaining portion of inefficiency is due to heterogeneous bid shading across bidders. All auction inefficiency identified in the uniform auction is attributed to the use of bid-spreading strategies.


A simple, precise, accurate visible spectroscopic method was developed and validated for the determination of Orlistat by using Hydroxylamine reagent and ferric chloride solution in co-solvent ethanol and subsequently diluted with distilled water. At the λ max of 515 nm, it was proved linear in  the  range  5-15 μg/ml, and exhibit good correlation coefficient  ( R 2 =0.9978) and excellent mean recovery (98.82-102.3% w/w). The developed method was validated for accuracy, precision, robustness, ruggedness according to ICH guidelines. All these parameters showed adaptability of the method for the quality control analysis of Orlistat API.


This thesis investigates the conceptual and methodological issues for the development of
Intelligent Spatial Decision Support Systems (ISDSS). These are spatial decision support
systems (SDSS) integrating intelligent systems techniques (Genetic Algorithms, Neural
Networks, Expert Systems, Fuzzy Logic and Nonlinear methods) with traditional modelling and
statistical methods for the analysis of spatial problems.
The principal aim of this work is to verify the feasibility of heterogeneous systems for
spatial decision support derived from a combination of traditional numerical techniques and
intelligent techniques in order to provide superior performance and functionality to that achieved
through the use of traditional methods alone.
This thesis is composed of four distinct sections: (i) a taxonomy covering the
employment of intelligent systems techniques in specific applications of geographical
information systems and SDSS; (ii) the development of a prototype ISDSS; (iii) application of
the prototype ISDSS to modelling the spatiotemporal dynamics of high technology industry in
the South-East of England; and (iv) the development of ISDSS architectures utilising
interapplication communication techniques.
Existing approaches for implementing modelling tools within SDSS and GIS generally
fall into one of two schemes - loose coupling or tight coupling - both of which involve a tradeoff
between generality and speed of data interchange. In addition, these schemes offer little use
of distributed processing resources.
A prototype ISDSS was developed in collaboration with KPMG Peat Marwick's High
Technology Practice as a general purpose spatiotemporal analysis tool with particular regard to
modelling high technology industry. The GeoAnalyser system furnishes the user with animation
and time plotting tools for observing spatiotemporal dynamics; such tools are typically not found
in existing SDSS or GIS. Furthermore, GeoAnalyser employs the client/server model of
distributed computing to link the front end client application with the back end modelling
component contained within the server application. GeoAnalyser demonstrates a hybrid approach
to spatial problem solving - the application utilises a nonlinear model for the temporal evolution
of spatial variables and a genetic algorithm for calibrating the model in order to establish a good
fit for the dataset under investigation.
Several novel architectures are proposed for ISDSS based on existing distributed systems
technologies. These architectures are assessed in terms of user interface, data and functional
integration. Implementation issues are also discussed.
The research contributions of this work are four-fold: (i) it lays the foundation for ISDSS
as a distinct type of system for spatial decision support by examining the user interface,
performance and methodological requirements of such systems; (ii) it explores a new approach
for linking modelling techniques and SDSS; (iii) it investigates the possibility of modelling high
technology industry; and (iv) it details novel architectures for ISDSS based on distributed
systems.


Pancreatobiliary tract strictures result either from malignancies of the biliary tract and pancreas or from nonmalignant etiopathogenesis. The goal of this study was to determine whether KRAS mutations could be identified in residual pancreatobiliary stricture brushings and to compare the performance characteristics of KRAS mutation analysis to cytology and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the detection of carcinoma. Residual brushing cytology cell pellets were retrieved from 132 patients with subsequent clinicopathologic follow-up of cholangiocarcinoma (n = 41), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 35), gallbladder cancer (n = 2), and nonmalignant strictures (n = 54). All specimens had a prior cytology and FISH UroVysion results as part of clinical practice. KRAS mutation analysis was performed using the quantitative PCR DxS KRAS Mutation Test Kit. KRAS mutation analysis was successful in 130 of 132 specimens. KRAS mutations and polysomic (ie, positive) FISH results were identified in 24 (69%) and 22 (63%) pancreatic adenocarcinoma specimens, respectively, with a combined sensitivity of 86% (30/35). KRAS mutations and polysomic FISH results were identified in 12 (29%) and 17 (41%) cholangiocarcinoma specimens, with a combined sensitivity of 54% (22/41). KRAS mutations were identified in two patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, and benign follow-up. Residual cytology specimens can be used to detect KRAS mutations by quantitative PCR. Combined KRAS mutation and FISH analysis appear to increase the cancer detection rate in patients with pancreatobiliary strictures.


Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most detrimental health, social, and economic problems in the United States. Limited studies suggest providing tailored nutrition education during SUD treatment correlates with positive recovery outcomes. The University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program conducted two focus group sessions to explore and determine educators' instructional and programmatic needs who deliver nutrition education to clients in substance use recovery throughout Kentucky. The study team identified four emerging themes and several subthemes related to Nutrition Education Program educators working with clientele in recovery. The four emerging themes included: (1) current experiences working with the audience, (2) relevant components in the current curriculum, (3) suggested new and expanded resources for future curriculum, and (4) guidance to assistants new to the audience. Our research findings contribute to the development of new programmatic materials that are better suited to meet clients' needs in recovery and ultimately improve SUD recovery outcomes. With increased knowledge on this emerging research topic, the University of Kentucky Nutrition Education Program will directly benefit Kentucky residents who suffer from SUD and experience its detrimental social and health implications.


L. a. administration of 4.2% KCl was followed by contractile responses of the resistance intestinal vessels, whereas contractile-dilatatory responses were observed in the skeletal muscles. The intestinal capacitance vessels responded with insignificant increase of the venous outflow, while the contractile-dilatatory responses of the resistance vessel were not followed by any increase of the venous outflow in skeletal muscles. After papaverin administration, contractile responses of the resistance intestinal vessels were insignificant, while the contractile-dilatatory responses of the skeletal muscles resistance vessels became contractile only. After noradrenaline injections only contractile responses were observed in the resistance intestinal vessels.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Caregiver burden is a multidimensional construct, addressing tension and anxiety (stress burden), changes in dyadic relationships (relationship burden), and time infringements (objective burden) resulting from caregiving. The study aims were to assess (a) whether the dimensions of burden were the same for caregiving spouses and adult children, (b) the role of assisting with problem behaviors (PBs) and activities of daily living (ADLs) on each dimension of burden, and (c) the role of each dimension of burden on self-rated health and intention to institutionalize the care receiver.

DESIGN AND METHODS
This study included 280 spouse/partner and 243 adult child caregivers of persons with chronic illnesses.

RESULTS
Analysis using 2-group structural equation modeling showed that the factor structure of burden was equivalent for spouses and adult children. For both groups, assisting with ADLs was directly related with objective burden, whereas PBs were directly related to all dimensions of burden. For both groups, stress burden was the only predictor of self-rated health, whereas PBs were significantly linked with intention to institutionalize. However, stress burden among spouses and relationship burden among adult children were significantly linked with intention to institutionalize.

IMPLICATIONS
We discuss the research and practice implications of the differing needs of spouses and adult children.


The effect of daily dietary supplements of 30 gm of arginine HCl for 7 days on peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) mitogenic reactivity in vitro was measured in 21 healthy human volunteers. Arginine significantly increased stimulation indices of PBL following concanavalin A (Con A) (57.9 +/- 11.4 versus 216.9 +/- 46.6, P less than 0.01) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) (84.1 +/- 12.8 versus 307.0 +/- 59.4, P less than 0.001) stimulation in a microculture assay utilizing RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated autologous serum. Similar enhanced blastogenesis was observed using medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated pooled AB normal human serum. In six volunteers studied following 3 days of similar arginine supplementation, blastogenic responses of their peripheral blood lymphocytes were already significantly enhanced, although not as greatly as after 7 days. Arginine had no effect on total peripheral blood lymphocyte counts and on T- and B-cell ratios. The effects of supplemental dietary arginine could not be duplicated in vitro by increasing the arginine concentration in the culture medium. Furthermore, dietary arginine supplementation did not increase cell viability in culture. Minimal side effects were noted, such as nausea or diarrhea, which responded to lowering the dose ingested at one time. No deleterious effects were noted on liver function test results. We conclude that supplemental dietary arginine is a safe nutritional stimulator of lymphocyte immune reactivity in healthy human beings.


We have investigated beta interferon (IFN-beta) and IFN-alpha4 gene expression and activation of related transcription factors in mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-infected fibroblasts. mRNA analysis demonstrated an initial phase of IFN gene induction upon MCMV infection, which was followed by a sustained MCMV-mediated simultaneous downregulation of IFN-beta and IFN-alpha4 gene expression. The induction of IFN transcription resulted from the activation of the components of the IFN-beta enhanceosome, i.e. IFN regulatory factor (IRF) 3, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, activating transcription factor (ATF)-2 and c-Jun. Activation of the transcription factors occurred rapidly and in a sequential order upon infection, but only lasted a while. As a consequence, IFN-alpha/beta gene expression became undetectable 6 h post-infection and throughout the MCMV replication cycle. This effect is based on an active interference since restimulation of IFN gene induction by further external stimuli (e.g. Sendai virus infection) was completely abolished. This inhibition required MCMV gene expression and was not observed in cells infected with UV-inactivated MCMV virions. The efficiency of inhibition is achieved by a concerted blockade of IkappaBalpha degradation and a lack of nuclear accumulation of IRF3 and ATF-2/c-Jun. Using an MCMV mutant lacking pM27, a signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 2-specific inhibitor of Jak/STAT signalling, we found that the initial phase of IFN induction and the subsequent inhibition does not depend on the positive-IFN feedback loop. Our findings indicate that the MCMV-mediated downregulation of IFN transcription in fibroblasts relies on a large arsenal of inhibitory mechanisms targeting each pathway that contributes to the multiprotein enhanceosome complex.


A numerical simulation of corrosion in a tube is performed with the solution velocity effect taken into account. A two dimensional tube, the cross-section of which is widening or narrowing with increase in distance, is considered. The velocity distribution in the tube is calculated with the Finite Volume Method (Open FOAM), and the derivatives of velocity with respect to the distance from the tube wall is determined at any location of the tube. The corrosion rate of the tube wall is estimated under the assumption that the corrosion rate depends on the velocity gradient, i.e. , it is estimated by solving the Laplace equation under the boundary conditions given with the polarization curves measured under various velocity gradients. The Boundary Element Method (3D-CAFE) is used to solve the Laplace equation. It is shown that the distribution of corrosion rate, including the maximum corrosion rate and its location, is different between the widening and narrowing tubes, even if the average velocities in the two tubes are equal.


A technique for improving the output uniformity in fast-discharge large-aperture lasers is described. Spatial variation of the X-ray preionization flux is used to compensate for the discharge-plasma skin depth and nonuniformity in the initial electric-field distribution. The technique was demonstrated using a 4.25/spl times/4.25 cm clear-aperture KrF laser that produces 2.7 J in a 15 ns FWHM pulse. >


In 1995, the world celebrated William Grant Still's centennial. The centennial of a composer's birth date or death date offers an opportunity for retrospection. Customarily, numerous concerts devoted to the honored composer are slated, bringing his or her works before a new audience for that calendar year. A centennial also offers an opportunity for new assessment as scholars appraise past research and outline new areas of inquiry. Consider, for example, the number of performances, recordings, and publications in 1985 for the tercentenary anniversaries of Scarlatti, Handel, and Bach (Williams 1985). The magical centenary number provided similar results for William Grant Still. The one-hundredth anniversary of his birth stimulated a burst of scholarship and performances as scholars, performers, and conductors began to interpret and reinterpret various aspects of his life and music. Since the centennial twelve years ago, there has been a renaissance in Still studies. The purpose of this article is to provide a bibliography of this new scholarship and a selected discography to serve as a bibliographic tool, a reference guide of articles, books, recordings, dissertations, and master's theses that have appeared since 1995. Reference Works The scholarship generated by the Still centennial promised to document further Still's life, critique his musical compositions, and suggest areas in which further studies are needed. Still has long been included in important biographical dictionaries on music in general and on African-American music specifically. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Smith 2000a) includes the most up-to-date article on Still's biography, an overview of his accomplishments and importance as a composer, and a selected works list. Still has always been included in biographical reference sources specializing in African-American composers, such as in Eileen Southern's (1982) germinal Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. Published seventeen years after Southern's pioneering work, the International Dictionary of Black Composers includes an article on Still's biography and a selected works list of landmark musical compositions (Murchison 1999). Still is now recognized as an important figure in American cultural life in reference works outside the field of music. An extensive article appears in the standard biographical dictionary American National Biography (Leab 1999). Reference books devoted exclusively to Still appeared during or immediately following the centennial year. In 1995, Judith Anne Still, Celeste Anne Headlee (the composer's daughter and granddaughter, respectively), along with others, edited and published the second edition of William Grant Still and the Fusion of Cultures in American Music (Still, Headlee, and Headlee-Huffman 1995). An updated and revised version of Robert Haas's 1972 book, the Still-Headlee volume includes many essays from the first edition as well as several new ones, including eleven essays by Still and his closest creative collaborator (and second wife), Verna Arvey. These essays provide information on his childhood, career, method of composition, and musical aesthetic. The volume expanded Still studies by presenting for the first time original essays on specific works written by Anne K. Simpson, Donald Dorr, Paul Harold Slattery, Louis and Annette Kaufman, Jean F. Matthew, and Carolyn L. Quin. The analytical articles by Slattery, Matthew, and Quin focus on either a specific work or a group of related works. Dorr's essay on Still's operas is particularly valuable because it marks one of the first attempts to assess Still's importance as a composer of American and African-American opera. The centennial year also saw the publication of Dominique-Rene De Lerma's (1995) William Grant Still: A Register of His Works--A Tribute on the Centenary of His Birth. De Lerma has devoted his career to compiling numerous important bibliographies of African-American music, recognizing that before scholarly studies of African-American music can develop at a rapid pace, researchers must have reliable, thorough bibliographic tools. …


The first successful surgically treated case of penetrating heart injury, specifically the right ventricle, caused by a fragment of coat hanger wire thrown by a lawn mower, is reported. Though traumatic heart injuries are rare, this case represents accurate surgical management and judgment, especially in the preoperative phase which resulted in early operating and excellent postoperative results. It is our feeling that if the patient can be transferred safely to the operating room the mortality rate is considerably lowered; however, emergency room thoracotomy, which will undoubtedly result in a greater survival rate from these spectacular injuries, should be performed in the emergency center if cardiac activity ceases or the patient's condition deteriorates considerably. Language: en


The author analyses the upper tail of the distribution of tourism supply in Portugal from 2002 to 2009, using data from the Instituto Nacional de Estatística database. Tourism supply is defined in terms of the lodging capacity of hotel establishments in about 250 tourist destinations. The paper shows that the empirical distribution of tourism supply in Portugal is heavy-tailed and consistent with a power law behaviour in its upper tail. Such behaviour seems to be stable over the years, provided that, for the time horizon covered by the data sets, the scaling parameter is always close to the value of two. The power law hypothesis is tested positively through the use of graphical and analytical methods. Cooperation among stakeholders and the enlargement of the base for tourism supply are the main policy implications drawn from the power law analysis to avoid the threat of a fall in tourist arrivals in Portugal.


Clutter plays a very important role in the area of human-in-the-loop target acquisition. A great deal of interest has recently been shown in defining clutter for electro-optical images. In spite of so many definitions available, no single clutter definition has been agreed on by the electro-optical community as being the best. We modify the structure similarity index, which is extensively used for image quality assessment, to be clutter metrics and call them target structure similarity measures (TSSIMs). Two different methods for calculating the TSSIM metrics are suggested. The TSSIMs of many images in Search/spl I.bar/2 dataset have been analyzed. Experimental results show the proposed metrics correlate very well to the detection probability of the observers.


The functional relationship between the transformations of chromosome structure and parallel changes of its major components, i. e. DNA, histones and non-histone proteins (NHP) has been analysed. These changes of chromosome have been checked in the early development, in the highly differentiated undividing cells, in the mitotic and meiotic cells, till the gamete formation. The analysis performed enable us to propose that chromosomal non-histone proteins play the main role in the transformation of chromosome structure, decreasing its genetic activity. NHPs aged without renewal in the undivided nuclei and chromosomes. These proteins take part in the formation of synaptonemal complex (SC) in the early meiotic prophase during chromosome pairing; SC is subsequently eliminated in the diplotene. Thus mature sperms and eggs are characterized by NHP deficiency. NHPs are synthesized de novo in the chromosomes after fertilization providing genetic function of the chromosomes in the development and differentiation of cell systems in new generation of organisms.


Many studies in agriculture sector have indicated that agrifood cooperatives play a vital role in socioeconomic terms. By acting collectively, cooperative organizations can improve performance and enhance their contribution to local areas. In Greece, the Agricultural Co-operative is by far the most popular form of collective action, however, since "Producers Groups and Associations" is a rabidly increasing type of collective action in the Greek agri-food sector, the study is carried through the Fruit and Vegetable Producer Groups that are grouping Agricultural Cooperatives in Imathia Prefecture, that is one of the most important agriculture regions in Greece. The paper explores historical and cultural issues and focuses on trends and main challenges related to the socioeconomic impact of Producer Organizations on the Imathia rural community. By adopting the case study approach, the paper attempts to quantify their contribution to the economic situation of Imathia, by estimating their performance results in terms of members, annual production, employment, and sales. In Imathia Prefecture operate 23 Producers Groups. The underlying goal of this case study is to determine whether or not Producer Groups business/organisational model offer a promising option for farmers and rural communities in Imathia Prefecture. We argue that Producers Groups can have the potential for contributing to the


BACKGROUND
Blood brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are influenced by both addiction and mood disorders, as well as somatic conditions, gender, and genetic polymorphisms, leading to widely varying results. Depressive symptoms and episodes are frequently observed in patients with alcohol use disorder, and vary widely over time, making it a challenge to determine which aspects are specifically involved in variations of serum BDNF levels in this population.

METHODS
We assessed 227 patients with alcohol dependence involved in a detoxification program, at baseline and after a follow-up of 6 months, for the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score, the length of alcohol dependence, and the number of past detoxification programs. The Beck Depression Inventory and information on current tobacco and alcohol use, suicidal ideation, body mass index, age, gender, and psychotropic treatments were also collected. Serum BDNF (ELISA) and 2 genetic polymorphisms of the BDNF gene (Val33Met and rs962369) were analyzed.

RESULTS
The presence of the Met allele, 2 markers of the history of alcohol dependence (gamma glutamyl transferase and the number of past treatments in detoxification programs), and the presence of a depressive episode (but not depressive score) were significantly associated with the 2 blood levels of BDNF at baseline and after 6 months. After controlling for baseline BDNF levels, the presence of the Met allele and an ongoing depressive episode were the only variables associated with changes in BNDF levels after 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS
Low serum BDNF levels are associated with characteristics related to alcohol consumption and mood disorders, and variants of the BDNF gene in alcohol use disorder patients. The factors that most strongly influenced changes in serum BDNF levels following treatment in an alcohol detoxification program were variants of the BDNF gene and ongoing depression.


This study implemented a three-stage problem-based estimation instruction scenario and combined it with mobile technology to provide elementary teachers with an effective e-tool for observing student estimation and leading effective class or group discussions on the selection and assessment of appropriate strategies for solving daily estimation problems. Twenty-eight fourth graders were randomly sampled and assigned to two groups: the experimental group (problem-based estimation instruction using mobile devices) and the control group (problem-based estimation instruction without mobile devices). The analytical results demonstrated that problem-based estimation instruction could effectively help students learn computational estimation skills. Moreover, using mobile devices for problem-based computational estimation instruction appeared to help students discuss and cooperate with others, and moreover the mobile-device-supported problem-based estimation scenario helped students develop metacognition knowledge of estimation strategies.


| Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are of the maximum generic of human infections international, causing extensive morbidity and mortality particularly in children. Our aim was to estimate the situation of IPIs in stool and fingernails samples among elementary schoolchildren in Sohag, Egypt. In this cross-sectional research stool specimens from 200 schoolchildren were inspected macroscopically and microscopically by formol-ether sedimentation, after that staining with Kinyoun's modified acid-fast stain. Fingernails cuts of the children were gathered, put in tubes including 10% KOH before examination by light microscope for detection of parasites. A detailed questionnaire about clinical symptoms was done. Univariate also multivariable logistic relapse models were calculated for interpretation of the danger figures for parasitic infection. 63.5% of children harbored at least one type of intestinal parasite. There were significant differences regarding infections in contrast to residence and family size. Monoparasitized children constituted 40% while 23.5% were polyparasitized. Protozoa were more frequent than helminths parasitizing (53.5% vs 4%) of the studied children. Cryptosporidium sp., G. duodenalis and E. histolytica/ dispar were the majority regular parasites found, with prevalence rates of 34%, 14.5% and 13% respectively. The predominant helminthic infection was H. nana (5%). Polyparasitzed children were more frequently symptomatized than monoparasitized children. A significant difference was detected between diarrhea and polyparasitzed children. E. vermicularis and H. nana eggs were found in 2% of the fingernail clippings. Age, gender, residence, also family size were not danger figures to polyparasitism after calculation of univariate what's more multivariable logistic relapse models. IPIs were very common among Sohag schoolchildren. Hence, there is an insistent requirement to execute an integrated project to decrease the predominance and intensity of these infections.


Tourism is one of the selling point that BandarLampung City has. The information about the location oftourist attraction and the supporting facility was given inbooklet and tourism map. The information distributionthrough those media haven't use the technology thatappropriate to the current development.Some research methods were used in thisresearch such as, data collection methods and systemdesign methods. The data collection methods were donein several ways such as interview with the respondents,literature study and observation. The system designmethods use UML (Unified Modelling Language).The output from this research is a design ofgeographic information system that interactive with theuser and able to attract the tourist attention to visit BandarLampung City and the tourist attraction. With this designhopefully can bring more information about a touristattraction in Bandar Lampung City and gain more touristto visit Bandar Lampung City. KEY WORDS: Geographic Information System, Design, Tourism


Production forecasts for petroleum reservoirs are essentially uncertain due to the lack of data. The unknown parameters are calibrated so that the simulated profile can match the observed data. A Bayesian framework has been applied to the evaluation of CO2 injection test in a tight oil reservoir. The observed data used for history-matching include the bottom-hole flowing pressure at the injector well and the gas composition at the wellhead of the producer wells. The key is starting with a simple model, because it is much quicker to adjust large-scale heterogeneity in a simple model than in a detailed model. The in-place volumes and connectivity between the wells have been calibrated in the simple models using a stochastic sampling method called the Neighbourhood Approximation algorithm. The aim of our study is to quantify uncertainty of reservoir connectivity. A Bayesian framework along with Markov Chain Monte Carlo and Neighbourhood Approximation in parameter space is used to calculate the posterior probability. We showed the best fit model for the gas breakthrough and the P10-90 envelopes in the forecast of the CO2 mole fraction in the produced gas. Our results contribute to the evaluation of the pilot test for a continuous CO2 injection.


In the Gaza Strip irrigation practices are only based on the farmer's own experience, they determine when and how to irrigate crops based on the appearance of the soil and the climatic conditions. Even though FAO-CropWat model is used for many countries to estimate irrigation water requirements, it is rarely used for Gaza Strip. In the current research, it is the first attempt to model the historical available meteorological data to estimate the irrigation water requirements for the most common cultivated crops (citrus, almonds, date palms, grapes) and to compare the results with the farmer irrigation practices. The model results show that, the reference evapotranspiration accounts for 1451 ± 5 mm/year. Therefore the irrigation water requirements estimated to be 763, 722, 1083, 591 mm/year in average for Citrus, Almonds, Date palm, Grapes, respectively. The farmer irrigation practice exceeding the irrigation water requirement by 30%. The spatial distribution of irrigation water requirements in the entire area of Gaza Strip is shown on maps derived by GIS technique based on data from eight meteorological stations. Irrigation water quality is not optimal in the Gaza Strip, chemical analysis of irrigation wells indicate high salinity and SAR ratio. The obtained results from the model could be a good management tool for the planners and decision makers to minimize the overexploitation of the groundwater and to build fair and strict regulations to optimize the water use in agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip which characterized by semi-arid region.


Abstract Objective: This study is the first to examine the influence of e-cigarette emission phrasing on perceived harm of secondhand exposure, and whether harm perception was associated with support for a tobacco-free campus policy. Participants: In the fall 2018 and spring 2019 semesters, 52 sections of a college English course (N = 791 students) were cluster randomized to one of three conditions ("vapor," "aerosol," or "chemicals") assessing harm of secondhand exposure to e-cigarette emissions. Methods: Regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics, tobacco use, and other potential confounders. Results: Compared to the "vapor" condition, "chemicals" and "aerosol" conditions were associated with increased odds of perceiving secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes to be harmful/very harmful (AOR = 2.0, p < 0.01). Greater perceived harm of secondhand e-cigarette exposure was associated with increased odds of supporting a tobacco-free campus policy (AOR = 2.22, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Health campaigns should use accurate terminology to describe e-cigarette emissions, rather than jargon that conveys lower risk.


ABSTRACT Background: The study design was a retrospective case series. The objective was to find the clinical success rate of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic disc surgery in patients suffering from discogenic chronic low back pain who were showing high intensity zone (HIZ) with degenerated disc as the only abnormality in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The HIZ in the posterior annulus in degenerated disc is recognized as a pain generator. There are only a few studies available in the literature addressing the effect of identification and treatment of HIZ in the chronic low back pain patient. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the case records of all the patients who were treated by percutaneous endoscopic disc surgery for relief of symptoms as determined by visual analog scale (VAS) score, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Mac Nab criteria, and the consumption of analgesics, who had the predominant symptom of chronic low back pain, and whose lumbar spine MRI showed degenerated disc with HIZ and no other cause of back pain, like facet joint arthritis or sacroiliac joint arthritis. Results: A total of 23 patients were identified to include in the study. Mean preoperative duration of low back pain was 13.1 months. Mean follow up after the procedure was 29 months. At final follow up, 69.6% of the patients were not taking any pain medicines, 17.36% were on frequent analgesic medicines, 13.04% were on occasional analgesics. There was statistically significant reduction in VAS at 6 weeks postop and final follow up after surgery and the ODI at final follow up; 82.6% of patients had an excellent/good outcome as per Mac Nab criteria. There were no complications or reoperations in any of the patients. Conclusions: Visualization and ablation of the chronic annular pathology in HIZ may give an effective and minimally invasive treatment for one of the back pain causes.


Study Design. A retrospective study. Objective. To assess the mechanisms and the independent risk factors associated with proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) in patients treated surgically for adult spinal deformity with long fusions to the sacrum. Summary of Background Data. The occurrence of PJK may be related to preoperative and postoperative sagittal parameters. The mechanisms and risk factors for PJK in adults are not well defined. Methods. Consecutive patients who underwent long instrumented fusion surgery (≥6 vertebrae) to the sacrum with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were retrospectively studied. Risk factors included patient factors, surgical factors, and radiographical parameters such as thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), sagittal vertical axis, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence. Results. Ninety consecutive patients (mean age, 64.5 yr) met inclusion criteria. Radiographical PJK occurred in 37 of the 90 (41%) patients with a mean follow-up of 2.9 years. The most common mechanism of PJK was fracture at the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) in 19 (51%) patients. Twelve (13%) patients with PJK were treated surgically with proximal extension of the instrumented fusion. Preoperative TK more than 30°, preoperative proximal junctional angle more than 10°, change in LL more than 30°, and pelvic incidence more than 55° were identified as predictors associated with PJK. Achievement of ideal global sagittal realignment (sagittal vertical axis <50 mm, pelvic tilt <20°, and pelvic incidence-LL <±10°) protected against the development of PJK (19% vs. 45%). A multivariate regression analysis revealed changes in LL more than 30°, and preoperative TK more than 30° were the independent risk factors associated with PJK. Conclusion. Fracture at the UIV was the most common mechanism for PJK. Change in LL more than 30° and pre-existing TK more than 30° were identified as independent risk factors. Optimal postoperative alignment of the spine protects against the development of PJK. A surgical strategy to minimize PJK may include preoperative planning for reconstructions with a goal of optimal postoperative alignment. Level of Evidence: 3


The critique of the Legal Aid scheme is on two levels. Firstly 'technical' problems are discussed. It is in the nature of these problems that they can be resolved within the present structural arrangement of the scheme. The administrative procedures, use and coverage of the scheme are examined, taking into account the view point of the consumer. Privately paying and legal aid clients are compared in terms of the quality of the service they receive, solicitors' attitudes to them, and the differing nature of the problems of poor people. The argument then concentrates on the 'structural' defects of the scheme, avoiding the minutiae of its workings. The proprietry of a scheme created to provide legal services to poor people through solicitors in private practice is questioned. The legally orientated theory underlying the Legal Aid scheme is contrasted to social and consumer based theories, and to the practical model of the American Neighbourhood Law Firm. Empirical research is used to highlight the deficiency in the distribution of private practice solicitors to meet the needs of the poor; and the compensatory role of advice agencies in providing the relevant legal services to them. The Legal Aid Act 1988 is subjected to a close analysis with particular emphasis on the Lord Chancellor's powers, and the creation of the Legal Aid Board. The role and agenda of the Board, and future of the Legal Aid scheme are considered by outlining and examining the proposals contained in the preceding White Paper. Conclusions are drawn as to the possible results of the Act, and its value in relation to the previous critique of the Legal Aid scheme.


This thesis consists of three essays concerned with endogenous …scal policy and its interaction with political economy constraints. The …rst essay presented in Chapter 2 examines the cyclical behavior of endogenous government consumption over the business cycle absent a commitment mechanism in a neoclassical economy with Total Factor Productivity (TFP) shocks and investment shocks. Tax rates that …nance public consumption are chosen in a time consistent way in a dynamic game between the government and a representative agent that values public goods in his utility. It is found that government consumption set without commitment behaves procyclical in response to the mentioned shocks. The government-consumption-output ratio is mildly procyclical or countercyclical depending on the selected calibration. Particularly, the elasticity of substitution between private and public goods plays an important role. The second essay showed in Chapter 3 extends the model studied in Chapter 2 adding agent heterogeneity in wealth and labor productivity. The aim of this study is to identify how policy outcomes are a¤ected by inequality of households, particularly the median voter's choice of tax rates that …nance public goods. For a standard RBC calibration to the U.S. economy the result is a strong procyclical comovement of public consumption with output, and a relatively weak procyclical comovement of the output share of public consumption with output, that becomes stronger with rising inequality. The politico-economic channel induces causality from output to lagged tax rates, therefore after a Hicks neutral productivity shock the median voter tries to delay the increase in the tax rate, such that the increment will take place just after the accumulation of more capital. In the case of equal agents the response is to decrease the tax rate in the …rst year after the shock. Additionally, the model predicts that the size of government consumption decreases with inequality. The last essay in Chapter 4 presents a stylized model of external sovereign debt that incorporates corruption in the form of rent-seeking groups by which the choice to cooperate or non-cooperate in providing public goods, in extracting rents and in issuing debt, is endogenized. More than one rent-seeking group originates a "tragedy of the commons" over …scal resources that make the borrower economy to show collective …scal impatience. External creditors envision that impatience and require higher interest rates for buying bonds, exacerbating the problem of high debt. The high level of interest rates decreases the wealth of the country and endangers its ability to repay the debt. We show that bailout plans, de…ned as temporary loans with lower than market level interest rates, are not e¤ective in such economies.


CAR is one indicator used to measure the bank capital adequacy. Capital for bank is used to absorb loss emerged from banking activities, and as the basis of some policies releasead by Indonesia Bank. This research tries to investigate whether the independent variables of LDR, IPR, APB, NPL, IRR, PDN, BOPO, FBIR, ROA, and ROE both simultaneous-ly and partially have significant effect on CAR and which variable has the dominant effect on CAR. This research uses secondary data taken from financial statements from period I Quarterly of 2010 until II Quartely in 2014 of the go-public national private banks. The sample consists of PT. Internasional Indonesia Bank, Tbk, PT. Permata Bank, Tbk, and PT. Pan Indonesia Bank, Tbk. The data were processed by using SPSS 11.5 input results and F-test to see the effect simultaneously as well as t-test to see the effect partially. It shows that LDR, IPR, APB, NPL, IRR, PDN, BOPO, FBIR, ROA, and ROE simultaneously have significant effect on CAR. Yet, partially, only IPR, APB, and PDN have significant effect on CAR. The most dominant is APB that is 23.45 percent.


. In a complex system, the interplay between the internal structure of its entities and their interconnection may play a fundamental role in the global functioning of the system. Here, we define the concept of metaplex, which describes such a trade-off between the internal structure of entities and their interconnections. We then define a dynamical system on a metaplex and study diffusive processes on it. We provide analytical and computational evidence on the role played by the size of the nodes, the location of the internal coupling areas, and the strength and range of the coupling between the nodes on the global dynamics of metaplexes. Finally, we extend our analysis to two real-world metaplexes: a landscape and a brain metaplex. We corroborate that the internal structure of the nodes in a metaplex can dominate the global dynamics (brain metaplex) or play a regulatory role (landscape metaplex) in the influence of the interconnection between nodes.


In democracies, policy ambitions hinge upon governments' ability to collect tax revenue from their citizens. Ongoing funding cuts at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) undermine the U.S. government's ability to fulfill this function. Yet, despite its central importance, funding for IRS enforcement activities has received scant scholarly attention, limiting our understanding of the factors that underlie public attitudes on this issue. In this article, we report the results of pre-registered experiments that test whether citizens' attitudes regarding the IRS can be shaped by framing efforts. Specifically, we test both information-based and value-consistent frames that invoke partisans' core ideological concerns. Results show that these frames significantly increase public support for the IRS, as well as citizens' willingness to learn more and become politically active. Thus, to ensure state capacity, information about the consequences of IRS under-funding and appeals to partisans' ideological concerns can be implemented to increase support for tax collection.


BACKGROUND
Group schema therapy (GST) is increasingly popular as a treatment for personality disorders (PDs), including Cluster-C PDs. Individual ST has proven to be effective for Cluster-C PD patients, while the evidence for GST is limited. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of GST for Cluster-C PD. Moreover, differences between the specific Cluster-C PDs (avoidant PD, dependent PD and obsessive-compulsive PD) were explored.

METHODS
A multicentre open trial was conducted, including 137 patients with a Cluster-C PD (avoidant PD: n = 107, dependent PD: n = 11 and obsessive-compulsive PD: n = 19). Patients received 30 weekly GST sessions with a maximum of 180 min of individual ST and five optional monthly booster sessions. Outcome measures including Cluster-C PD severity, general psychopathological symptoms, quality of life, functional impairment, happiness, PD-related beliefs, self-esteem, self-ideal discrepancy, schemas and schema modes were assessed at baseline until 2-year follow-up with semi-structured interviews and self-report measures. Change over time and differences between the specific Cluster-C PDs were analysed with mixed regression analyses.

RESULTS
The outcome measures showed significant improvements for all Cluster-C PDs, with medium to large effect sizes after 2 years. A treatment dropout rate of 11.7% was found. There were some indications for differences between the Cluster-C PDs in severity at baseline, change trajectories and effectiveness of GST.

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that GST is a promising treatment for Cluster-C PDs. The following step is a randomized controlled trial to further document the (cost-)effectiveness of GST.


: In aviation navigation systems such as the Ground-Based and Space-Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS and SBAS) for GPS, it is critical for users to compute a conservative navigation-error bound during precision approach and landing. This paper describes a method for overbounding outputs of linear systems (i.e., conservatively describing their error distributions). Whereas earlier overbounding methods apply only to sets of independent samples, the methods developed in this paper handle samples drawn from correlated time series, so long as those samples have a probability distribution which a linear mapping can make spherically symmetric. Conservative error bounds constructed with these methods are useful in modeling the worst-case performance of filters under a wide range of environmental conditions. An example illustrates how symmetric bounding could enable aircraft to apply user-customized filtering to differential GPS corrections in GBAS.


This paper outlines the historical development of the wheel and rail profiles currently used on railway vehicles. It also presents the key damage mechanisms involved in wheel-rail contact and summarises the methods that have recently been developed by railway engineers to predict the level of wheel and rail damage from these mechanisms. Tools for predicting the key damage modes of wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) are explained. Methods of optimising the wheel and rail profiles to reduce the overall damage and therefore improve the efficiency of the railway system are discussed and a case study from the UK of an 'anti-RCF' wheel profile is presented. Finally a novel method using a genetic algorithm is discussed which uses a penalty index to optimise the wheel profile for good running, low track forces and rail stress, low wear and RCF.


Our world faces unprecedented, intense and rapid change. As such, it is difficult to fathom how we might monitor related impacts on the wellbeing of population(s) affected. In the past, the world has typically relied upon measures of economic health or wellbeing such as gross domestic product (GDP). As the world ends its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and embarks on a commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, questions about where we as a global society should continue our investments in wellbeing and efforts to measure those outcomes are now up for debate. These questions are particularly poignant for those populations most vulnerable to change: low to middle income countries (LMICs). This paper reviews existing "beyond GDP" measures of population wellbeing as a foundation for developing a truly global index of wellbeing (GLOWING) that can be used by LMICs to document change, and measure the impact of policy, across space and over time. The paper describes a proposed index of wellbeing that is simple, meaningful, and built on the use of available secondary data at the ecological level. It is built on the foundation of the innovative Canadian Index of Wellbeing, and hinges on plans for a proof of concept inEast Africafollowed by a scaling up, all of which is founded on the twin pillars of capacity building and empowerment.


The hemodynamic interference of serial stenoses poses challenges for identifying the functional severity using the fractional flow reserve (FFR) method. The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR), i.e., the distal-to-proximal pressure ratio at 75% of diastole, was recently proposed to overcome the disadvantages of the FFR. However, the underlying mechanism remained ambiguous due to the lack of quantitative definition of hemodynamic interference. The objective of this study is to quantitatively define the hemodynamic interference and then examine its role on the FFR and iFR measurements. Pressure distributions, velocity fields, and Q-criterion which identifies vortices, were obtained through the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for five cases with spacing ratios at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. The hemodynamic interference was identified using vortex structures which were quantified by Q-criterion. Results have shown that a spacing ratio of 7 or larger was interference-free. Serial stenoses with a closer spacing ratio led to a larger hemodynamic interference, and thus, larger errors in the FFR measurements compared to the spacing ratio of 7. Moreover, the underestimation of the first stenosis lesion has been observed, even in interference-free cases due to the nature of hyperemia. However, the hemodynamic interference of the serial stenoses has a negligible impact on the iFR measurement, regardless of the spacing ratio. Our results demonstrated that the quantification of the hemodynamic interference in serial stenoses provided a better understanding of its role on the pressure measurements, which could be further exploited for the optimal treatment of serial stenoses.


Area of Consensus and Rules of the Sociedad Argentina de Cardiología together with the Council of Pediatric Cardiology of the Sociedad Argentina de Cardiología decided to launch something unpublished until now, the development of a Pediatric Cardiologic Consensus. This document will be a material of continuing consultation by cardiologists across the country, especially pediatricians. Throughout 2010, the pediatric cardiologists led by the Director of the Council of Pediatric Cardiology, Dr. Ana de Dios, gathered together and worked hard to develop the first part of the Consensus that is published today. They had meetings with the Area of Consensus and Rules, which oversaw the work. Today we are pleased with the publication of the first three chapters, which will be of great help to all cardiologists: a) Chapter 1: Coarctation of the aorta b) Chapter 2: Therapeutic Interventionism: ductus arterious, interatrial communication, interventricular communication c) Chapter 3: Physiology of univentricular heart As in other Consensus, in each one of the subjects, the recommendations are classified according to the degree of reached agreement (Table 1). Likewise, it sometimes refers to the level of evidence on which is based the consensual recommendation (Table 2). The purpose of this Consensus is to guide mainly to pediatricians for the management of these pathologies, but, of course, it does not intend to supplant the judgement of the physician in charge in front of each patient. We should not ignore that the implementation of measures may be affected by the availability and experience of the environment in which the patient is.


This paper proposes a novel upper extremity rehabilitation system with virtual arm illusion. It aims for fast recovery from lost functions of the upper limb as a result of stroke to provide a novel rehabilitation system for paralyzed patients. The system is integrated with a number of technologies that include Augmented Reality (AR) technology to develop game like exercise, computer vision technology to create the illusion scene, 3D modeling and model simulation, and signal processing to detect user intention via EMG signal. The effectiveness of the developed system has evaluated via usability study and questionnaires which is represented by graphical and analytical methods. The evaluation provides with positive results and this indicates the developed system has potential as an effective rehabilitation system for upper limb impairment.


Men, along with the progress in his civilization and daily life, felt the need more and more every day that in addition to all the facilities and tools he had created for himself to move horizontally, he needed a tool to move himself and his tools and loads in the horizontal direction. Is. Images have been recorded in history that show that he invented methods for vertical movement in the distant past. Initially, this was done by levers and animals. An elevator is a permanent public vehicle that moves between predefined levels. The elevator is the only means of transportation used by all age groups and is the most common means of vertical movement in the world. The elevator is installed inside an environment that consists of three parts: 1. Engine room 2. Elevator well 3. Well. The gearbox motor acts as the heart of the elevator and the control panel acts as the core of the elevator. The aim of this research is to simulate and build the circuit and the building of the elevator so that it can be equipped with new facilities and sensors by using reprogramming if necessary to make its operation safer and provide more comfort for the passengers. Here we have programmed the AVR microcontroller using codevisionAVR software and performed the simulation using Proteus software.


With advancing age, glucose-induced insulin release is decreased in vitro, yet circulating insulin levels after glucose challenge are not decreased in the elderly. Age-related changes in insulin clearance may contribute to this discrepancy. We employed the 2-h euglycemic clamp technique to examine insulin clearance (C1) during steady-state insulin infusions (N = 53) at rates of 20, 80, and 200 mU/m2/min in healthy young (N = 16, age range 22–37 yr, relative weight 1.07 ± 0.03) and old (N = 10, age range 63–77 yr, relative weight 1.14 ± 0.03) men. Steady-state insulin levels were statistically significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the elderly at each infusion rate. C1 was 40% lower (p < 0.01) in the infusion rate. There was no effect of increasing relative weight on C1 within age groups. Within each age group, C1 was similar in insulin infusion rates of 20 and 80 mU/m2/min (young P < 0.05, old P < 0.001), implying a saturable system for insulin clearance. Alterations in C1 contribute to changes in insulin levels with age and may reconcile the discrepancy between in vivo and in vitro studies of glucose-induced insulin release. These results indicate the value of evaluating C1 as one determinant of circulating insulin level in states of abnormal insulin physiology.


Background & Objective: Increase trend of overweight in recent years has become a concerning matter, which is a health alarm for children. Therefore, the present study investigated the impact of health promotion programs with collaborative approach on the weight of overweight school age girls. Materials & Methods : This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2013, in which 80 overweight students in Firozabad were selected by non-randomized method and were divided into case and control groups. The data collecting tools were demographic information check list, electronic scale, and stadiometer. In the case group, health promotion programs with three stages of assessment, supportive planning, and evaluation was administered for three months. Children's weights in both groups were evaluated before and three months after intervention. The results were analyzed by SPSS software version 16. Results: Case and control groups were equal from the view point of average weight before the intervention (P>./05).While after intervention, "independent T test" showed a significant different between two groups in average weight after intervention (P<0/05). The paired T-test showed that the mean scores of weight for the case group decreased from 48/95 to 47/39 after intervention (P<0/05). However, the results showed that the mean scores of weight in the control group increased from 50/08 to 52/76 after study (P<0/05). Conclusion : Health promotion programs with collaboration of children, parents, and teachers could reduce the weight of overweight children. Therefore, it is proposed for using this program in order to prevent overweight and obesity in school age children.


We consider the evolution of accretion discs that contain some turbulence within a disc dead zone, a region about the disc midplane of a disc that is not sufficiently ionised for the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) to drive turbulence. In particular, we determine whether additional sources of turbulence within a dead zone are capable of suppressing gravo-magneto (GM) disc outbursts that arise from a rapid transition from gravitationally produced to MRI produced turbulence. With viscous $\alpha$ disc models we consider two mechanisms that may drive turbulence within the dead zone. First, we examine a constant $\alpha$ parameter within the dead zone. This may be applicable to hydrodynamical instability, such as baroclinic instability, where the turbulence level is independent of the MRI active surface layer properties. In this case, we find that the disc will not become stable to the outbursts unless the dead zone turbulent viscosity is comparable to that in the MRI active surface layers. Under such conditions, the accretion rate through the dead zone must be larger than that through the MRI active layers. In a second model, we assume that the accretion flow though the dead zone is a constant fraction (less than unity) of that through the active layers. This may be applicable to turbulence driven by hydrodynamic waves that are excited by the MRI active surface layers. We find that the instability is hardly affected by the viscous dead zone. In both cases however, we find that the triggering of the MRI during the outburst may be due to the heating from the viscosity in the dead zone, rather than self-gravity. Thus, neither mechanism for generating turbulence within the dead zone can significantly stabilise a disc or the resulting outburst behaviour.


This paper concerns a resource planning system for a VLSI assembly facility. The algorithm used for planning is based on the M/M/m queueing model with an incoming buffer and two kinds of resources (the number of machines and the number of operators) are considered simultaneously. This planning system has been examined in an actual facility for 5 months and was evaluated to have enough accuracy and a very short calculation time for a real application in planning machinery resources and turnaround times.


Protective action of 3-oxypiridine and succinic acid derivatives (emoxipin, reamberin and mexidol) was studied in mice under acute alloxan-induced intoxication conditions. All these drugs exhibited protective action with respect to hyperglycemia and hyperglycemia-connected elongation of desperate behavior in the tail-suspension test and reduced activity level on the open field test. Mexidol exceeded emoxipin in the dose range of protecting action with respect to alloxan-induced hyperglycemia and was superior to reamberin in the treatment of desperate behavior in the tail-suspension test.


gained from the literary-critical approach. A synthesis would require more attention to the historical approach which is here virtually dismissed as 'psychologism', 'the art of one ego trying to plumb the depths of another's ego'. In contrast, literary-criticism's aim is said to be 'to break free from one's ego and open oneself to the text'. Loosed from any real form of historical discipline however, the text in fact becomes controlled by presuppositions derived from a particular interpretation of the whole Christ-event. Both Jesus and the New Testament writers are loosed from their place in history, and less than value is given to the full humanity of Jesus which the book sets out to


Propolis is a resinous mixture collected and used by the honey bees to construct and repair their hives. The component of propolis varies depend on the type of the plants collected. Propolis and its constituents have been subjected to many studies and are known for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic properties. In our study, antioxidant and antitumor capacity of propolis from Konya Sakyatan and Kiziloren regions were investigated. According to our result, Kızıloren propolis sample possesses higher antioxidant component and antioxidant capacity than Sakyatan sample. Accordingly, Kiziloren sample showed antiproliferative effect at much lower doses compared to the Sakyatan sample. Both samples effectively inhibited the migration of cancer cells at their determined IC50 dosages. Obtained data indicates that constituents of propolis can greatly vary from one sample to another even in the same region and propolis selections for cancer prevention and treatment studies should be carefully considered.


Impact of feeding migration pattern on growth rate of whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus L.) from River Kemijoki was investigated. River Kemijoki is located in the northernmost Gulf of Bothnia (Baltic Sea). Whitefish ascending the river to spawn show major growth rate variations. To study whether these variations are related to different feeding areas (migratory connectivity), whole otoliths from fast-growing (FASTG) whitefish (n = 9, age 4 years, average weight 790 g) and slowly growing (SLOWLYG) whitefish (n = 9, age 8 years, average weight 600 g) were analysed for elemental (Ba, Sr, Mg, Zn, Mn, Ca) concentrations by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Results showed that the FASTG whitefish had much lower otolith Ba concentration (~45%, p ≤ .01) than SLOWLYG whitefish, revealing that FASTG whitefish have spent more time in water of higher salinity/lower latitude, that is at feeding grounds in the southern Gulf of Bothnia. Otoliths of the FASTG whitefish had also higher Mg (~25%, p ≤ .001) and Zn (~20%, p ≤ .05) concentrations, but lower Ca (~5%, p ≤ .01) concentrations, than the otoliths from SLOWLYG whitefish. These results further reveal that FASTG and SLOWLYG whitefish have been spatially separated. In conclusion, bulk otolith elemental analysis revealed spatial separation and migration differences in river-spawning whitefish subpopulations in the Gulf of Bothnia, which apparently lead to differences in fish growth rate. Our results increase the understanding of river-spawning whitefish biology and its population structure and dynamics and may contribute to a sustainable management of river-spawning whitefish stocks.


ECG Feature Extraction plays a significant role in diagnosing most of the cardiac diseases. One cardiac cycle in an ECG signal consists of the P-QRS-T waves. This feature extraction scheme determines the amplitudes and intervals in the ECG signal for subsequent analysis. The amplitudes and intervals value of P-QRS-T segment determines the functioning of heart of every human. Recently, numerous research and techniques have been developed for analyzing the ECG signal. The proposed schemes were mostly based on Fuzzy Logic Methods, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and other Signal Analysis techniques. All these techniques and algorithms have their advantages and limitations. This proposed paper discusses various techniques and transformations proposed earlier in literature for extracting feature from an ECG signal. In addition this paper also provides a comparative study of various methods proposed by researchers in extracting the feature from ECG signal. Keywords—Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Cardiac Cycle, ECG signal, Feature Extraction, Fuzzy Logic, Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Support Vector Machines (SVM).


In 1999, Davis and Jedwab gave an explicit algebraic normal form for m!/2 - 2h(m+1) ordered Golay pairs of length 2mmiddot over Z2h, involving m!/2 - 2h(m+1) Golay sequences. In 2005, Li and Chu unexpectedly found an additional 1024 length 16 quaternary Golay sequences. Fiedler and Jedwab showed in 2006 that these new Golay sequences exist because of a "crossover" of the aperiodic autocorrelation function of certain quaternary length eight sequences belonging to Golay pairs, and that they spawn further new quaternary Golay sequences and pairs of length 2m for m > 4 under Budisin's 1990 iterative construction. The total number of Golay sequences and pairs spawned in this way is counted, and their algebraic normal form is given explicitly. A framework of constructions is derived in which Turyn's 1974 product construction, together with several variations, plays a key role. All previously known Golay sequences and pairs of length 2m over Z2h can be obtained directly in explicit algebraic normal form from this framework. Furthermore, additional quaternary Golay sequences and pairs of length 2m are produced that cannot be obtained from any other known construction. The framework generalizes readily to lengths that are not a power of 2, and to alphabets other than Z2h .


Background: The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that is responsible for most of the excess cardiovascular morbidity amongst persons with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM). The metabolic syndrome increases the risk for coronary heart disease and stroke by three-fold with a marked increase in cardiovascular mortality.
Objectives: This study set out to find the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome amongst type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and the commonest metabolic abnormalities in them in Uyo, South-South Nigeria.
Subjects and Methods: A prospective cross sectional study carried out at the diabetes clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, between January and August, 2008. Data obtained included anthropometric indices, blood pressure and fasting serum lipids. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 10.
Results: Two hundred and forty subjects (106 males, 134 females) were enrolled for the study. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 62.5%. . Majority of the subjects with metabolic syndrome were aged between 41-70 years with a mean age of. 53±7years. Hypertension was the most common metabolic abnormality present in 130 (86.6%) of the subjects with metabolic syndrome, while low high density lipoprotein (HDL) was the least common abnormality present in 26 (17.3%) of the subjects with metabolic syndrome. Two metabolic abnormalities were present in 114 (76%) of the subjects, while four abnormalities were present in 4 (2.6%) of the subjects with metabolic syndrome.
Conclusion: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in type 2 DM patients in Uyo, South-South of Nigeria is high. With the cardiovascular risk associated with this syndrome, efforts must be geared towards addressing these abnormalities through lifestyle modification, health awareness and medications in order to reduce this complication in type 2 DM patients.

 Keywords: Metabolic syndrome, Type 2 DM, Uyo.


Abstract: On 26-29 June 1997, the Austrian Institute for Advanced Studies (Vienna) and the National Endowment for Democracy's International Forum for Democratic Studies (Washington, DC) co-sponsored the Third Vienna Dialogue on Democracy on "Institutionalizing Horizontal Accountability: How Democracies Can Fight Corruption and the Abuse of Power." The conference sought to address one of the most pressing concerns in young democracies namely, how state agencies can prevent other parts of the government from abusing their power or, more broadly stated, from becoming unaccountable. After an initial session of exploring the historical roots of the concept of horizontal accountability and its theoretical status within the comparative study of democratization, four sessions focused on the following institutional fields: judicial systems, electoral administration , central banks, and corruption control agencies. This report summarizes the presentations and comments made during the conference.Every effort has been made to include the most important points made during the discussions, but space and organizational considerations did not allow the reporting of every single argument or nuance.;