This thesis reports on a research project investigating how a sample of eight teachers of P2 children in Scotland encouraged dialogic interaction in their reading groups while following prescriptive policy. The research is based on a detailed analysis of the discourse of reading sessions conducted by the eight teachers, and is informed by previous research on oral language development, the role of dialogue in children's learning, and the relationships between reading development and classroom discussion. The project uses mixed methods, applied to a framework derived from exchange structure research. Patterns of interaction have been examined quantitatively and qualitatively, with a particular focus on learners' initiations, the making of text-life links by learners and teachers, and the extent to which these are integrated into the reading experience by the teachers' use of contingent responses. The discourse analysis section of the findings is preceded by a preliminary examination of the teachers' beliefs about classroom talk, and is followed by discussion of their views on the usefulness and adaptability of the research process itself as a means for enabling them to make their reading sessions more interactive. The project finds that the interactivity of the reading sessions is shaped by the teachers' moment-by-moment decision-making about the control of centrifugal and centripetal forces in discourse; in particular, how far to allow children's personal responses to the text to deflect group attention from the central goals of skill development and text coverage laid down by reading policy. The teachers reported their own experiences of teaching reading as being characterised by a tension between encouraging children's personal engagement with, and responses to, reading material, and fulfilling the demands of a prescriptive curriculum within severe time constraints.


Simplicial complexes are widely used to discretize shapes. In low dimensions, a 3D shape is represented by discretizing its boundary surface, encoded as a triangle mesh, or by discretizing the enclosed volume, encoded as a tetrahedral mesh. High‐dimensional simplicial complexes have recently found their application in topological data analysis. Topological data analysis aims at studying a point cloud P, possibly embedded in a high‐dimensional metric space, by investigating the topological characteristics of the simplicial complexes built on P. Analysing such complexes is not feasible due to their size and dimensions. To this aim, the idea of simplifying a complex while preserving its topological features has been proposed in the literature. Here, we consider the problem of efficiently simplifying simplicial complexes in arbitrary dimensions. We provide a new definition for the edge contraction operator, based on a top‐based data structure, with the objective of preserving structural aspects of a simplicial shape (i.e., its homology), and a new algorithm for verifying the link condition on a top‐based representation. We implement the simplification algorithm obtained by coupling the new edge contraction and the link condition on a specific top‐based data structure, that we use to demonstrate the scalability of our approach.


Abstract. Glaciers and ice caps exhibit currently the largest cryospheric contributions to sea level rise. Modelling the dynamics and mass balance of the major ice sheets is therefore an important issue to investigate the current state and the future response of the cryosphere in response to changing environmental conditions, namely global warming. This requires a powerful, easy-to-use, versatile multi-approximation ice dynamics model. Based on the well-known and established ice sheet model of Pattyn (2003) we develop the modular multi-approximation thermomechanic ice model RIMBAY, in which we improve the original version in several aspects like a shallow ice–shallow shelf coupler and a full 3D-grounding-line migration scheme based on Schoof's (2007) heuristic analytical approach. We summarise the full Stokes equations and several approximations implemented within this model and we describe the different numerical discretisations. The results are cross-validated against previous publications dealing with ice modelling, and some additional artificial set-ups demonstrate the robustness of the different solvers and their internal coupling. RIMBAY is designed for an easy adaption to new scientific issues. Hence, we demonstrate in very different set-ups the applicability and functionality of RIMBAY in Earth system science in general and ice modelling in particular.


In many areas of science and engineering it is of interest to find the shape of an object or region from indirect measurements which can actually be distilled into moments of the underlying shapes we seek to reconstruct. In this paper, we describe a theoretical framework for the reconstruction of a class of planar semi-analytic domains from their moments. A part of this class, known as quadrature domains, can approximate, arbitrarily closely, any bounded domain in the complex plane, and is therefore of great practical importance. We provide an exact reconstruction algorithm of quadrature domains. Some numerical demonstrations of the proposed algorithms will be presented. In addition, relations of the present theory to computer-assisted tomography and a geophysical inverse problem will be briefly discussed.


Recent studies have proposed that one can summarize brain activity into dynamics among a relatively small number of hidden states and that such an approach is a promising tool for revealing brain function. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) are a prevalent approach to inferring such neural dynamics among discrete brain states. However, the impact of assuming Markovian structure in neural time series data has not been sufficiently examined. Here, to address this situation and examine the performance of the HMM, we compare the model with the Gaussian mixture model (GMM), which is with no temporal regularization and thus a statistically simpler model than the HMM, by applying both models to synthetic time series generated from empirical resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. We compared the GMM and HMM for various sampling frequencies, lengths of recording per participant, numbers of participants and numbers of independent component signals. We find that the HMM attains a better accuracy of estimating the hidden state than the GMM in a majority of cases. However, we also find that the accuracy of the GMM is comparable to that of the HMM under the condition that the sampling frequency is reasonably low (e.g., TR = 2.88 or 3.60 s) or the data are relatively short. These results suggest that the GMM can be a viable alternative to the HMM for investigating hidden‐state dynamics under this condition.


In our research, we focus on the image of the United States in Latin America. We use mainly data from Latinobarómetro, and we analyse Obama's last year and Trump's first year in the presidency in 18 countries in Latin America. We use logistic regression to reach conclusions. We also analyse Trump's tweets to see his Twitter rhetoric. We find that Trump's election has strongly worsened the image of the United States in the public opinion of Latin America. However, we find that people that believe more in democracy, the free market and national political institutions are more likely to have a positive opinion of the United States. Also, we find that the more left-wing citizens are, the more likely they have a bad opinion of the United States. This article contributes to the theory of trust and research on the public opinion across nations. Also, this article offers insights into the topical research agenda concerning the influence of political ideology on public opinion.


Dimensionality reduction is a classical technique widely used for data analysis. One foundational instantiation is Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which minimizes the average reconstruction error. In this paper, we introduce the "multi-criteria dimensionality reduction" problem where we are given multiple objectives that need to be optimized simultaneously. As an application, our model captures several fairness criteria for dimensionality reduction such as the Fair-PCA problem introduced by Samadi, et. al. 2018 and the Nash Social Welfare (NSW) problem. In the Fair-PCA problem, the input data is divided into $k$ groups, and the goal is to find a single d-dimensional representation for all groups for which the maximum reconstruction error of any one group is minimized. In NSW the goal is to maximize the product of the individual variances of the groups achieved by the common low-dimensinal space.
Our main result is an exact polynomial-time algorithm for the two-criterion dimensionality reduction problem when the two criteria are increasing concave functions. As an application of this result, we obtain a polynomial time algorithm for Fair-PCA for $k=2$ groups, resolving an open problem of Samadi, et. al. 2018, and a polynomial time algorithm for NSW objective for $k=2$ groups. We also give approximation algorithms for $k>2$. Our technical contribution in the above results is to prove new low-rank properties of extreme point solutions to semi-definite programs. We conclude with experiments indicating the effectiveness of algorithms based on extreme point solutions of semi-definite programs on several real-world datasets.


BACKGROUND
Measuring malignant mesothelioma (MM) occurrence is a useful means to monitor the impact of past asbestos exposure and possibly identify new sources of asbestos exposure.

OBJECTIVES
Aim of this study is to describe the results of the MM registry of the Lombardy Region, North-West Italy, the most populated (currently, 10 million inhabitants) and industrialised Italian region.

METHODS
We extracted from the Lombardy Region Mesothelioma Registry (Registro Mesoteliomi Lombardia, RML) database all incident cases of MM (pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, and tunica vaginalis testis) with first diagnosis in 2000 through 2012. For each Province, we calculated crude and standardised incidence rates using Italy 2001, European, and world (Segi's) standard populations. To examine spatial patterns of MM occurrence across municipalities we drew maps of crude rates smoothed according to the Besag, York and Mollié (BYM) method.

RESULTS
We recorded 4442 MM cases (2850 in men and 1592 in women), representing about one fourth of MM cases occurring in Italy. Occupational exposure was more frequent in men (73.6%) than in women (38.2%). The crude regional rates were 4.7 per 100,000 person-years in men and 2.5 per 100,000 person-years in women. The highest rates were observed in the Pavia Province (crude rates: 8.7 per 100,000 in men and 5.3 and per 100,000 person-years in women).

CONCLUSIONS
This study documented high MM occurrence in both genders, attributable to extensive asbestos exposure in the past.


The new developed antimicrobial agent metacid (chlorine hydrate of polyhexamethylene guanidine) has been suggested to antiseptic of hands in 0.25% water/alcohole solution resp. 0.5% water solution by reason of its good antiseptic effectivity. Admixtures in soaps the agent is able to increase their antiseptic activity distinctly. Metacid in its effectivity can be compared to chlorhexidin.


Network controllers (NCs) are devices that are capable of converting dynamic, spatially extended, and functionally specialized modules into a taskable goal-oriented group called networked control system. This paper examines the practical aspects of designing and building an NC that uses the Internet as a communication medium. It focuses on finding compatible controller components that can be integrated via a host structure in a manner that makes it possible to network, in real-time, a webcam, an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), and a remote computer server along with the necessary operator software interface. The aim is to deskill the UGV navigation process and yet maintain a robust performance. The structure of the suggested controller, its components, and the manner in which they are interfaced are described. Thorough experimental results along with performance assessment and comparisons to a previously implemented NC are provided.


Background/Aim: The current knowledge of how self-appraised memory and cognitive function relates to informant reports and neuropsychological performances in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is limited. Methods: Sixty-nine older community-dwelling subjects with MCI and 86 adults with normal cognition (NC) were evaluated on self-appraised (Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire) and objective performance of memory and cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination, Fuld Object Memory Evaluation, Digit Span tests, Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test). Informant ratings on the subjects' cognitive and memory functioning (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly) were also obtained. The two groups (MCI, NC) did not significantly differ in mean age (79 ± 5.29 vs. 77 ± 5.33) and mean years of education (2.8 ± 3.03 vs. 3.7 ± 4.18). Results: Self-appraised satisfaction and ability of memory and cognitive functions did not correlate with informant reports and neuropsychological performances, but self-reported strategy use correlated with list recall and everyday memory tests in MCI. Conclusion: Persons with MCI may show signs of diminished awareness towards their subtle impairments of memory and cognitive function, as indicated by informant reports and neuropsychological tests.


Theorizing about communication media attitudes and behaviors has drawn upon multiple theories (e.g., media richness, social influence). But these theories have often been pitted against each other rather than considered as complementary in more comprehensive studies. Furthermore, previous research has tended to focus more on newer communication media such as electronic mail rather than more traditional media. Finally, communication media research has studied attitudes toward media, use of media, and only occasionally media choice. Yet, all three dependent variables are important.This comprehensive survey hypothesized and tested multiple influences (based on multiple theories) in a study of media attitudes and behaviors. The media included electronic mail, fax, letters, and face-to-face meetings. The outcomes included media choice (an individual's decision to use a medium in a particular communication incident), media use (an individual's general pattern of use over time), and media attitudes (an individual's general subjective evaluation of media).Results suggested that a number of factors differentiated among media choices, including medium symbolism, message equivocality, distance between message partners, perceived media richness, number of message recipients, and perceived message recipients' attitudes. General attitudes toward the different media were influenced most consistently by perceived medium richness. New media attitudes were also influenced by person/technology interaction factors. General medium use was influenced by different factors for the different media.The results generally supported a comprehensive theoretical approach to understanding media attitudes and behaviors. All of the theories have some merit in explaining media attitudes and behaviors. But different factors, derived from different theories, were more important in accounting for each of the dependent variables--media choices, attitudes, and use. We hope that this investigation will help research in this area move toward the development of more integrative theoretical models.


The incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer are increasing year by year worldwide, but the effect of prevention and treatment is not ideal. The standardized implementation of multi-disciplinary treatment (MDT) can make the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer more clear and more accurate clinical staging, surgical resection rate can be improved and the ratio of adjuvant chemotherapy and other comprehensive treatment can be improved, the treatment mode of pancreatic cancer can be optimized, combined with individual differences of patients, and to develop a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan. The standardized development of MDT is simple, fast and economical, and has the optimal health economic value.


The experimental performance of a modified turbine for driving a supersonic compressor is presented and compared with the performance of the original configuration to illustrate the effect of small changes in the ratio of nozzle-throat area to rotor-throat area. Performance is based on the performance of turbines designed to operate with both blade rows close to choking. On the basis of the results of this investigation, the ratio of areas is concluded to become especially critical in the design of turbines such as those designed to drive high-speed, high-specific weight-flow compressors where the turbine nozzles and rotor are both very close to choking.


This paper summarizes information on the importance of the objectives of agriculture and agricultural policies based on previous studies. We focus on studies that examine stakeholder preferences and provide relative weights for the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Descriptive and meta-analysis are used to evaluate the 34 identified studies. The findings show the equal importance of the economic, social and environmental objectives of agriculture, but also that the general public emphasizes social values, while economic considerations are highlighted in nation-wide studies. Of the environmental objectives, those pertaining to sustainable resource management have received most weight.


Tetraploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a genetically complex, polysomic tetraploid (2n = 4x = 48), highly heterozygous crop, which makes genetic research and utilization of potato wild relatives in breeding difficult. Notwithstanding, the potato reference genome, transcriptome, resequencing, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping analysis provide new means for increasing the understanding of potato genetics and cytogenetics. An alternative approach based on the use of haploids (2n = 2x = 24) produced from tetraploid S. tuberosum along with available genomic tools have also provided means to get insights into natural mechanisms that take place within the genetic load and chromosomal architecture of tetraploid potatoes. This chapter gives an overview of potato genetic and cytogenetic research relevant to germplasm enhancement and breeding. The reader will encounter findings that open new doors to explore inbred line breeding in potato and strategic roads to access the diversity across the polyploid series of this crop's genetic resources. The text includes classical concepts and explains the foundations of potato genetics and mechanisms underlying natural cytogenetics phenomena as well as their breeding applications. Hopefully, this chapter will encourage further research that will lead to successfully develop broad-based potato breeding populations and derive highly heterozygous cultivars that meet the demands of having a resilient crop addressing the threats brought by climate change.


Objective The aim of this study was to identify the occupational risk for a SARS-CoV-2 infection in a nationwide sample of German workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 February–31 August 2020). Methods We used the data of 108 960 workers who participated in a COVID follow-up survey of the German National Cohort (NAKO). Occupational characteristics were derived from the German Classification of Occupations 2010 (Klassifikation der Berufe 2010). PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections were assessed from self-reports. Incidence rates (IR) and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were estimated using robust Poisson regression, adjusted for person-time at risk, age, sex, migration background, study center, working hours, and employment relationship. Results The IR was 3.7 infections per 1000 workers [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.3–4.1]. IR differed by occupational sector, with the highest rates observed in personal (IR 4.8, 95% CI 4.0–5.6) and business administration (IR 3.4, 95% CI 2.8–3.9) services and the lowest rates in occupations related to the production of goods (IR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5–2.6). Infections were more frequent among essential workers compared with workers in non-essential occupations (IRR 1.95, 95% CI 1.59–2.40) and among highly skilled compared with skilled professions (IRR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07–1.72). Conclusions The results emphasize higher infection risks in essential occupations and personal-related services, especially in the healthcare sector. Additionally, we found evidence that infections were more common in higher occupational status positions at the beginning of the pandemic.


Days after Myanmar's February 2021 coup, young people took to the streets. The protests were tongue-in-cheek at first, but soon gave way to a grave civil war. Understanding this shift from nonviolent protests to armed resistance requires shedding two frames that have been applied to Myanmar in the past: those of liberal democracy and state failure. Doing so brings into focus how, to an extent unprecedented in Myanmar, the anti-coup movement is challenging entrenched divides between "democracy" and "ethnonationalism," and between "conflict" and "politics."


Five apple cultivars ('Florina', 'Golden Delicious', 'Idared', 'Jonathan' and Starkrimson), were tested in 2004 and 2005 in five commercial orchards located in different counties of Transylvania, Romania, with quite nonsimilar environments. In June, young shoots were harvested from each cultivar and taken to the laboratory by means of a refrigerating bag. Young leaves were harvested from the shoots and preserved in refrigerator at –70oC until the DNA extraction was performed. Twelve decamer primers were used for DNA amplification out of which ten produced polymorphic bands in each cultivar/location. A dendrograms was constructed based on DNA migration in agarose gel and analysis of formed bands and genetic distances, for revealing the intervarietal polymorphism in the five locations. As it has been expected, at the molecular level there were great differences among the tested cultivars, but the dendrogram also exhibited the existence of obvious differences, at the molecular level, within the same cultivar, depending on location. Such differences should be attributed mainly to the lack of uniformity of initial mother plants used in the process of planting material production for the five cultivars under study. It is concluded that RAPD analysis could successfully be used in checking the authenticity of planting material for apple trees produced in different nurseries, provided there are available standard forms of the interested cultivars from which DNA could be analyzed and used as control.


2019-nCov has caused more than 80 deaths as of 27 January 2020 in China, and infection cases have been reported in more than 10 countries. However, there is no approved drug to treat the disease. 2019-nCov Mpro is a potential drug target to combat the virus. We built homology models based on SARS Mpro structures, and docked 1903 small molecule drugs to the models. Based on the docking score and the 3D similarity of the binding mode to the known Mpro ligands, 4 drugs were selected for binding free energy calculations. Both MM/GBSA and SIE methods voted for nelfinavir, with the binding free energy of −24.69±0.52 kcal/mol and −9.42±0.04 kcal/mol, respectively. Therefore, we suggested that nelfinavir might be a potential inhibitor against 2019-nCov Mpro.


This paper analyzes the relationship between firms' innovation and growth measured by sales and labor productivity in Ecuador. The literature on this topic has focused mainly on developed countries. We apply panel data quantile regressions to analyze a sample of 99,872 private limited company and public limited company for the period 2000-2013. Quantile regression allows us to avoid conventional analysis through the study of the average impact for the average company, which can lead to the discovery of phenomena underlying relationships. The results show that firm innovation has a negative on productivity growth. In contrast, there is a positive relationship between innovation and sales growth for firms in some quantiles. These results lead us to establish a series of recommendations aimed at public policy decision-makers. In particular, the support of government entities is important for a company's R&D activities, which contribute to generating profitable intangible assets. This support can be through advice, subsidies, or tax benefits, among others. At the country level, government effort to protect intangible assets is also important, promoting competitive advantages for those companies that actually invest or buy such assets.


BACKGROUND
Fruit and vegetables have health and nutritional value, but can also be a source of toxic contaminants such as pesticide residues.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate presence of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetable crops from the central and eastern region of Poland in order to check the compliance of these products with the maximum residue levels' (MRLs) requirements set in legal EU regulation for products present in the market.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Samples of fruit and vegetables were obtained from production farms as a part of an official premarket monitoring of pesticide residues conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, implemented in cooperation with the regional Inspectorates of Plant Health and Seed Inspection. The tests covered determination of 207 pesticides.

RESULTS
In 2014, a total of 317 samples of fruit and vegetables, collected from the central and eastern region of Poland, were analysed for the presence of pesticide residues. Pesticide residues were detected in 89 (28.1%) analysed samples: in 65 (38.2%) samples of fruit, and in 24 (16.3%) samples of vegetables. MRLs were exceeded in 2 samples (0.6%). Most often, the pesticide residues were found in gooseberry (100% of gooseberry samples) and apple (71.4%).

CONCLUSIONS
Monitoring of pesticide residues in the agricultural crops at premarket stage should be continued to prevent market from the penetration by products with non-acceptable residues of pesticides and to protect consumers against excessive exposure to pesticide residues.


Previous studies suggest that sequential technetium-99-hydroxymethyl diphosphonate bone scanning and indium-111 leukocyte scintigraphy may play a role during revision arthroplasty. Preoperative sequential imaging was compared with joint aspiration and clinical assessment during revision knee or hip arthroplasty. Scans were considered positive if indium-111 leukocyte uptake was incongruent or focally more intense than that of technetium-99-hydroxymethyl diphosphonate uptake. Of 166 cases, 22 were infected. Sequential technetium-99-hydroxymethyl diphosphonate and indium-111 leukocyte imaging was 64% sensitive and 78% specific. Fever, physical findings, or sedimentation rate did not identify infection reliably, and preoperative aspirate culture was only 28% sensitive. Positive scintigraphy increased the likelihood of finding infection intraoperatively from 14% to 30%, although negative scintigraphy decreased this likelihood to 7%. Based on the current study, the routine use of sequential technetium-99-hydroxymethyl diphosphonate and indium-111 leukocyte imaging cannot be advocated for differentiating occult infection from mechanical failure in painful, loose total joint arthroplasties.


The incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a noninvasive form of breast cancer, has increased markedly in recent decades, and DCIS now accounts for approximately 20% of breast cancers diagnosed by mammography. Laboratory and patient data suggest that DCIS is a precursor lesion for invasive cancer. Controversy exists with regard to the optimal management of DCIS patients. In the past, mastectomy was the primary treatment for patients with DCIS, but as with invasive cancer, breast-conserving surgery has become the standard approach. A mini-review of the management of ductal carcinoma in situ is presented, and the roles and dilemmas of surgery, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy are discussed.


ABSTRACT The communicative role of nonlinear vocal phenomena remains poorly understood since they are difficult to manipulate or even measure with conventional tools. In this study parametric voice synthesis was employed to add pitch jumps, subharmonics/sidebands, and chaos to synthetic human nonverbal vocalizations. In Experiment 1 (86 participants, 144 sounds), chaos was associated with lower valence, and subharmonics with higher dominance. Arousal ratings were not noticeably affected by any nonlinear effects, except for a marginal effect of subharmonics. These findings were extended in Experiment 2 (83 participants, 212 sounds) using ratings on discrete emotions. Listeners associated pitch jumps, subharmonics, and especially chaos with aversive states such as fear and pain. The effects of manipulations in both experiments were particularly strong for ambiguous vocalizations, such as moans and gasps, and could not be explained by a non-specific measure of spectral noise (harmonics-to-noise ratio) – that is, they would be missed by a conventional acoustic analysis. In conclusion, listeners interpret nonlinear vocal phenomena quite flexibly, depending on their type and the kind of vocalization in which they occur. These results showcase the utility of parametric voice synthesis and highlight the need for a more fine-grained analysis of voice quality in acoustic research.


The main objective of this study was to describe the cortical patterns of brain activity during a gross dexterity task and develop a behavioral profile of children experiencing isolation. A cross-sectional assessment was conducted during one visit. Sample: Four pediatric patients who had undergone isolation within a hospital comprised the full data collection. During the collection, participants completed the Box and Blocks Test of gross manual dexterity while undergoing imaging of the motor cortex using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Participants also completed a Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) self-report, which was analyzed along with a parent report to quantify their emotional and social behaviors. All participants displayed lower gross dexterity levels than normative data. Furthermore, three out of the four participants displayed ipsilateral dominance of the motor cortex during the dexterity task. Three of the participants displayed behavioral measures reported within clinically significant or at-risk scores. Clinically significant behavioral scores coupled with lower than expected manual dexterity values and ipsilateral hemispheric dominance indicate that neuroplastic changes can occur in populations undergoing hospitalized isolation. While the impacts of the treatments and isolation in this case cannot be separated, further studies should be conducted to understand these impacts of isolation.


The common determination method of pile point and pile bearing capacity always depends on the practical experiences. The accuracy of pile survey data should be verified in the field. To predict the pile point and pile bearing capacity, a prediction model based on support vector regression algorithms has been developed. The friction resistance around piles and the static-load settlement are the inputs. The pile point bearing capacity characteristic value and the characteristic value of pile bearing capacity are the outputs. The prediction model is trained by the data in the adjacent block and validated by the field data in the project. The calculations of 40mm settlement and the prediction of other piles in the project can then be acquired. Compared to the survey data, the predicted values has 16% surplus. This will be beneficial to reduce construction work significantly and to save about 5% foundation cost.


The overall hypothesis of this thesis project was that bleomycin hydrolase (BLMH) has biologically specific and unique functions in the central nervous system (CNS). BLMH is a multifaceted papain superfamily cysteine protease that has importance in drug metabolism. The physiological functions of this protease are unknown as are factors regulating its expression. Immunohistochemical examination of B6.129Blmhtm1Geh/J null and control animals showed no gross abnormalities; however, marked global astrogliosis was observed in the null aged animals. To define the role of BLMH in the brain, the behavioral phenotype of hybrid [129S6-Blmhtm1Geh/J X B6.129 Blmhtm1Geh/J]F1 null and littermate controls was characterized using multiple behavioral paradigms. Deletion of Blmh was found to result in deficits among young animals in water maze probe trials. Retention of target platform location during the probe trials requires both learning and memory as well as sensory and locomoter skills. No overt sensory or motor deficits were noted in Blmh null F1 hybrids. The profile of BLMH expression and its regulation in the CNS was studied next. Inducible transcription of BLMH was evaluated in the context of a putative role in the processing of MHC I epitopes. BLMH was found to be differentially regulated in microglia and astrocytes. In microglia, Blmh protein was significantly induced by gamma interferon or tumor necrosis factor a, whereas in astrocytes, no change in protein expression was observed. Treatment of microglial derived cell lines with both gamma interferon and tumor necrosis factor a revealed synergistic effects between the cytokines. BLMH protein induction was accompanied by increased Blmh mRNA. These results suggest that cell specific regulation of BLMH is an important control mechanism for this protease. These data also provide further evidence for a targeted immune related biological function for BLMH. It is concluded that BLMH potentially has multiple unique and biologically important functions within the brain.


In this article, we examine the extent to which the timing of reforms to the tort liability system coincides with changes in medical malpractice insurance market conditions. Our research is motivated by the fact that, while policy discussions and academic research pertaining to the merits of tort reform often center on ex post effects, it is unclear whether reforms to the tort liability system are responsible for softening conditions in a medical malpractice insurance market that was previously deteriorating. Our analysis of tort reforms in the mid‐2000s finds little evidence that state‐level medical malpractice insurance losses incurred, premiums earned, or incurred loss ratios were increasing in the years immediately prior to the enactment of various tort reforms, making it difficult to attribute the observed softening of the medical malpractice insurance market that occurred in the mid to late 2000s to the enactment of tort reforms. Our conclusion is that, while tort reforms are effective policy tools for lowering levels of medical malpractice insurance losses incurred and improving insurer profitability, there is little evidence to suggest that reforms are an effective method for softening a medical malpractice insurance marketplace that is otherwise steadily deteriorating.


The optimization machinery model was developed to aid decision-makers and farm machinery managers in determining the optimal number of tractors, scheduling the agricultural operation and minimizing machinery total costs. For purpose of model verification, validation and application input data was collected from primary & secondary sources from Elsuki agricultural scheme for two seasons namely 2011-2012 and 2013-2014. Model verification was made by comparing the numbers of tractors of Elsuki agricultural scheme for season 2011-2012 with those estimated by the model. The model succeeded in reducing the number of tractors and operation total cost by 23%. The effect of optimization model on elements of direct cost saving indicated that the highest cost saving is reached with depreciation, repair and maintenance (23%) and the minimum cost saving is attained with fuel cost (22%). Sensitivity analysis in terms of change in model input for each of cultivated area and total costs of operations showing that: Increasing the operation total cost by 10% decreased the total number of tractors after optimization by 23% and total cost of operations was also decreased by 23%. Increasing the cultivated area by 10%, decreased the total number of tractors after optimization by(12%) and total cost of operations was also decreased by 12% (16669206 SDG(1111280 $) to 14636376 SDG(975758 $)). For the case of multiple input effect of the area and operation total cost resulted in decrease maximum number of tractors by 12%, and the total cost of operations also decreased by 12%. It is recommended to apply the optimization model as pre-requisite for improving machinery management during implementation of machinery scheduling.


A BSTRACT . Camellia oleifera is an important plant species that produces edible oils. Understanding the double fertilization of this plant is critical for studies concerning crossbreeding, self-incompatibility, and the biological mechanisms underlying hybridization. We aimed to characterize pollen tube growth and double fertilization in C. oleifera . The female and male parent cultivars (Huashuo and Xianglin XLC15, respectively) were used for artificial pollination. Growth of the pollen tube in the style, ovary, and ovule from pollination to fertilization and the cytological characteristics of female and male gamete fusion during double fertilization were observed using fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Numerous pollen grains germinated 2 to 4 hours after pollination. The pollen tubes entered the interspaces between the papillar cells, grew along the stylar canal, and aggregated at the one-third site of the style. They grew in the gradually narrowing stylar canal, entering the locule. The tubes turned 90 8 and entered the embryo sac through the micropyle; subsequently, they entered a degenerated synergid, where the spermatids were released. One sperm nucleus fused with the polar nucleus, forming the primary endosperm nucleus, whereas the other sperm fused with the egg, forming the zygote. The polar nucleus was fertilized earlier than the egg. Double fertilization of C. oleifera is characterized as pre-mitotic gametogony. The current results lay a theoretical foundation for studies concerning the crossbreeding and embryology of C. oleifera


Abstract The kilt is one of the most recognizable garments in the world and is an important element in Scottish national culture, and although the Scottish kilt has existed for approximately 500 years, there is scant literature available that documents Scottish kiltmaking design and production processes. Due to this lack of attention it is important to understand kilts and kiltmakers more deeply. Therefore, the purpose of the present research was to understand common skills and production techniques used by Scottish kiltmakers. The present study utilized interviews with kiltmakers (n = 17), observations and video recordings, and creation of a kilt prototype to document the kiltmaking process. Emergent themes included indigenous knowledge, skill set, planning, sewing processes and techniques key to the process of kiltmaking. The research successfully explored: (a) the learning process that kiltmakers undergo, (b) the unique aspects of the Scottish kiltmaking process that differentiate it from other forms of tailoring and apparel professions, and (c) the salient design and production process utilized by Scottish kiltmakers. Limitations and future research are outlined.


Background: High grade fever and atypical pneumonia in a susceptible Asian epidemic area could construe fatal consequences attributable to specific prevalence factitious organism: i.e Bukholderia pseudomallei.
Case report: A 59 years old Indonesian man with predisposing factors of meliodosis initially presented with acuteshortness of breath and severe frontal headache associated in Emergency Department of Hospital Teluk Intan,Malaysia. He had history of prolonged low grade fever and non-productive cough for 5 days.
Methods/Results: Culture and sensitivity test for blood and pleural fluid were negative for pathogenic organism.The specific tests for tuberculosis were non-reactive for Tuberculos bacilli. The specific oxidase-negative culture and sensitivity for psedomonas was positive after day 3 of hospitalisation and the IGM-ELISA titre antibody level for meliodosis was positive. The patient was well responded to immediate treatment and was discharged for a regular outpatient follow-up for eradication therapy.
Conclusion: This case report documents the potential symptoms associated with atypical pneumonia in recognising Meliodosis in an epidemic Asian area. Early suspicion may avert untowards fatal consequences and improved the quality of life.


With the growing number of surgical instruments with cavities, e.g. narrow channels, it is important that steam penetration in surgical instruments is sufficient to ensure sterilization conditions on inner surfaces in every process. Recent literature demonstrates that measuring only temperature and pressure is insufficient to ensure these conditions. Using an Electronic Test System (ETS model 4108 3M™) the steam penetration capacities of the steam sterilization processes in the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) of the Heilig Hart Ziekenhuis in Leuven (Belgium) were monitored from April 2009 to June 2015 with a daily steam penetration test, as required in the standard ISO 17665 part 1. In the period from January 2015 to June 2015 a steam penetration was performed additionally in every load. The ETS was chosen as steam penetration test because it can be used in every process, regardless the duration of the plateau period. Apart from this, it was the only commercially available steam penetration test that quantities steam penetration, making quantitative analyses of the acquired data possible. The results demonstrate a wide range in steam penetration between the individual processes when every load monitoring is performed. In some cases (approximately 1%) sterilization conditions are even jeopardizing because the large amount of None Condensable Gases (NCGs) prevented saturated steam sterilization conditions. Combined with the possibility to reduce operational costs, monitoring the steam penetration in every process of these CSSD sterilizers indicates the necessity of Every Load Monitoring of steam sterilization processes.


The mechanisms, pathways, and rates of CO2 and CH4 production are central to understanding carbon cycling and greenhouse gas flux in wetlands. Thawing permafrost regions are of particular interest because they are disproportionally affected by climate warming and store large reservoirs of organic C that may be readily converted to CO2 and CH4 upon thaw. This conversion is accomplished by a community of microorganisms interacting in complex ways to transform large organic compounds into fatty acids and ultimately CO2 and CH4. While the central role of microbes in this process is well-known, geochemical rate models rarely integrate microbiological information. Herein, we expanded the geochemical rate model of Neumann et al., (2016, Biogeochemistry 127: 57–87) to incorporate a Bayesian probability analysis and applied the result to quantifying rates of CO2, CH4, and acetate production in closed-system incubations of peat collected from three habitats along a permafrost thaw gradient. The goals of this analysis were twofold. First, we integrated microbial community analyses with geochemical rate modeling by using microbial data to inform the best model choice among equally mathematically feasible model variants. Second, based on model results, we described changes in organic carbon transformation among habitats to understand the changing pathways of greenhouse gas production along the permafrost thaw gradient. We found that acetoclasty, hydrogenotrophy, CO2 production, and homoacetogenesis were the important reactions in this system, with little evidence for anaerobic CH4 oxidation. There was a distinct transition in the reactions across the thaw gradient. The collapsed palsa stage presents an initial disequilibrium where the abrupt (physically and temporally) change in elevation introduces freshly fixed carbon into anoxic conditions and the fermentation products build up over time as the system transitions through the acid phase and electron acceptors are depleted. In the bog, fermentation slows, while methanogenesis increases. In the fully-thawed fen, most of the terminal electron acceptors are depleted and the system becomes increasingly methanogenic. This suggests that as permafrost regions thaw and dry palsas transition into wet fens, CH4 emissions will rise, increasing the warming potential of these systems and accelerating climate warming feedbacks.


Traditional anomaly detection algorithms cannot effectively identify spatial–temporal anomalies in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), so we take the CO 2 concentration obtained by WSNs as an example and propose a spatial–temporal anomaly detection algorithm for WSNs. First, we detected outliers through the adaptive threshold. Then, we extracted the eigenvalue (average) of the sliding window to be detected, constructed the spatial–temporal matrix for the relationship between neighboring nodes in the specified interval, used the fuzzy clustering method to analyze the eigenvalue of adjacent nodes in spatial–temporal correlation and classify them, and identified the abnormal leakage probability according to the results of the classification. Finally, we used real datasets to verify this algorithm and analyze the parameters selected. The results show that the algorithm has a high detection rate and a low false positive rate.


Shipping, an important factor in the operation of the world economy is a digital age laggard. Digitization can make it more efficient, sustainable, and safer. For IS researchers this domain is also relatively unexplored, and there are opportunities for IS scholars to provide theoretical advances in describing, modeling, and redesigning the maritime ecosystem. This article introduces a research agenda for maritime informatics. Building on complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory, capital creation systems thinking, and episodic tight coupling, the maritime industry is conceived as a self-organizing ecosystem (SOE). In an SOE, autonomous organizations emerge to meet the various needs of a central, but not coordinating, entity. A systematic approach is applied to develop eight research questions about SOEs, based on three of their major characteristics identified by network analysis, namely (1) An SOE is an aggregation of agents whose diverse capabilities are identified by tags; (2) Actions by agents, both intentional and unintentional, change an ecosystem's environment and can have non-linear effects on other agents, including the initiating agent; (3) As part of the capital creation process, agents episodically tightly couple to create physical and informational flows and capital. System dynamics and object orientation are applied to provide validity for, and to suggest methods for answering the research questions. These questions provide a grounding for maritime informatics research, as well as exploring SOEs generally.


The compositionality degree of multiword expressions indicates to what extent the meaning of a phrase can be derived from the meaning of its constituents and their grammatical relations. Prediction of (non)-compositionality is a task that has been frequently addressed with distributional semantic models. We introduce a novel technique to blend hierarchical information with distributional information for predicting compositionality. In particular, we use hypernymy information of the multiword and its constituents encoded in the form of the recently introduced Poincaré embeddings in addition to the distributional information to detect compositionality for noun phrases. Using a weighted average of the distributional similarity and a Poincaré similarity function, we obtain consistent and substantial, statistically significant improvement across three gold standard datasets over state-of-the-art models based on distributional information only. Unlike traditional approaches that solely use an unsupervised setting, we have also framed the problem as a supervised task, obtaining comparable improvements. Further, we publicly release our Poincaré embeddings, which are trained on the output of handcrafted lexical-syntactic patterns on a large corpus.


Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales commenced the Palaeolithic Settlement of Wales research project in 1978 with a first season of excavation at Pontnewydd Cave, Denbighshire under the direction of Stephen Aldhouse-Green who became Keeper of Archaeology & Numismatics 1988–1996. The research project led to the investigation and publication of a further six caves across Wales.
Prior to the commencement of the Pontnewydd Cave excavations our knowledge and understanding of the Palaeolithic occupation of Wales was very patchy. Archaeological evidence was scanty with just a handful of surface finds and a limited number of excavated site assemblages including Paviland Cave, Hoyle's Mouth and the Tremeirchion caves. With the National Museum's research programme this was all to change, as it pushed back the knowledge of a human presence in Wales from 50,000 to 230,000 years ago. The discovery in 1980 of a tooth that Chris Stringer was to identify as Neanderthal transformed the whole nature of the project. The research now attracted funding from many international research bodies and drew together a team of scientists from across the globe who, as the contributors list for this volume demonstrates, are all leaders and highly regarded in their respective fields. In 1984 the first interim report published by the National Museum provided the taster for this long-awaited volume and it is to Stephen and his team's credit that the research commenced over thirty years ago is now drawn together into this new book. Inevitably scientific knowledge has developed in leaps and bounds after three decades, and the Editors of this book have involved the original scientists as well as embracing a new generation along the way.


DISCLAIMER The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the information presented herein. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation University Transportation Centers Program, in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. Transportation in the United States is responsible for a disproportionate amount of global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. To address the issue, strategies that seek to mitigate transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and adapt transportation systems to the threats of a more inhospitable climate should be developed through the transportation planning process. The transportation plans and related documentation of 60 metropolitan planning organizations, 13 domestic cities, and 27 large international cities were reviewed to ascertain if climate change considerations are being incorporated into transportation planning. The review of transportation plans revealed that climate change considerations are often not incorporated into the planning process, especially in regard to adapting transportation systems to the effects of climate change due to the inherent uncertainties in climate data and risk analysis. On the other hand, greenhouse gas mitigation is more frequently included in the planning process, when compared to climate change adaptation, because the required data collection techniques and analysis tools are better developed and already in place within many planning organizations. This research has shown that there is much room for improvement in terms of including climate change into transportation planning through a variety of recommendations presented in the body of this report. Many of the identified mitigation and adaptation recommendations could be worked into existing transportation planning requirements, processes, and strategies at the metropolitan and local level. However, due to the influence by federal and state governments on the planning process, completely addressing climate change through transportation systems will require these high levels of government to redefine transportation regulations and planning requirements in addition to partnering with metropolitan planning organizations and local governments to develop more reliable climate data and increase its availability.


A total of 80 patients with postnatal purulent mastitis were treated with gentamicins. The main causative agent was Staph. aureus resistant to the traditionally used antibiotic and sensitive to gentamicin, fusidin, rifampicin and semisynthetic penicillinase-stable penicillins. Gramnegative bacteria contaminated the purulent foci after opening. Gentamicin was highly effective in treatment of postnatal purulent mastitis in cases with mixed Staphylococcus-Proteus infection.


This essay investigates how literature can provide insights into the ways human beings perceive the world and themselves. I discuss how Siri Hustvedt uses her fiction and nonfiction to explore questions of visual perception, focusing on its connection to perspective, embodied self, and context. I demonstrate that, being an intersubjective concept, perception in Hustvedt's writings is always in flux and shaped by the "embodied minds." The tracing of the mechanisms involved in perception provides insights int o Hustvedt's novels' narrative unraveling and a key to understanding her characters.


Looks at the generality and reliability of multi‐item measures that are based upon the perception of one or more individuals. Proposes that at least an overall time aspect is missing, which would contribute to the measurement of the perceived direction of change in a specific empirical context. The issues raised in current marketing research literature on the use of multi‐item measures relate to the generality and reliability of the findings regarding time and space. Emphasises the limits of the issues of time. The characteristics of data collected using a particular multi‐item measurement scale determine the reliability of the findings. Determines, by a methodological procedure, the generality of the empirical outcome. The results may lack reliability and generality over time even if the same items of measurement are used in the same context. Therefore, introduces an overall trend dimension in multi‐item measures in order to incorporate the time aspect for each dimension in a construct. The trend dimension makes it possible to measure the perceived direction of change, and complements the facets, as well as the perceptual degree, of a phenomenon or object in a specific empirical context.


As the coronavirus pandemic continues apace in the United States, the dizzying amount of data being generated, analyzed and consumed about the virus has led to calls to proclaim this the first 'data-driven pandemic'. But at the same time, it seems that this plethora of data has not meant a better grasp on the reality of the pandemic and its effects. Even as we have the potential to digitally track and trace nearly every single individual who has contracted the virus, we have no idea exactly how many people have had the virus, been hospitalized, or died because of it, largely due to a confluence of factors, particularly active obfuscation and mismanagement by public authorities and misinformation spread through social media and right-wing media channels. But beyond these dynamics, there also lies the less nefarious ways that the everyday, subjective practices of data collection, analysis and visualization have the potential to themselves (re)produce these very same dynamics where data is at once valorized and ignored, preeminent and completely useless. That is, the pandemic has revealed only the general inadequacy of our data infrastructures and assemblages to solving pressing social issues, but also the more general shift towards a 'post-truth' disposition in contemporary social life. But, as this paper argues, it would be a mistake to see the centrality of data as being somehow the opposite from the larger post-truth apparatus, as the two are instead fundamentally intertwined and co-produced.


This prospective study was planned to assess whether quantitative EEG (qEEG) can give an estimate of the timing of achievement of three endpoints (loss of activities of daily living, incontinence, and death) in 72 consecutive patients (53 females, 19 males; mean age, 70.8) affected with probable Alzheimer's disease, as defined according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Power-weighted, log-transformed relative values of the four conventional EEG bands were considered in a central-posterior temporal region for each hemisphere. The hypothesis was tested by the lifereg procedure of the Statistical Analysis System package (first significance level accepted, P < or = 0.01). Because patients were in different stages of the disease, the statistical analysis was performed in the entire group as well as in the subgroup of 41 patients (mean age, 69.6) with mild dementia (scoring 3 or 4 on the global deterioration scale). In the whole group, the loss of activities of daily living was predicted by delta power in either side (P = 0.01), incontinence was predicted by alpha power in the right side (P < 0.01), whereas the statistical significance was not reached for death (P < 0.05). In the subgroup of mild demented patients, the loss of activities of daily living was predicted by delta power in the left side (P = 0.01), incontinence by both delta (P < 0.01) and alpha (P < 0.001) power in the right side, and death was not significantly predicted (P = 0.08). Quantitative EEG is a low-cost, discomfort-free technique which may be used to obtain information on the timing of disease evolution. The results showed in mild Alzheimer's disease appear especially interesting to attempt a prediction of the future time course of the disease from its beginning.


In this report, we present a methodology for assessing the benefits of different vehicle coordination strategies on the safety of a platoon during emergency braking. One can say that a coordinated braking strategy B is more beneficial than a strategy, if strategy B leads to a larger reduction in the probability of a collision, the expected number of collisions, and the expected relative velocity at impact as compared to strategy .We consider an emergency braking scenario, in which the lead vehicle brakes at its maximum capability and the following vehicles brake while obeying a vehicle following control law. The sequence of maximum deceleration of vehicles in the platoon is assumed to be a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables; this distribution is assumed to be discrete and known. Due to coordination, however, the "executive "deceleration of a following vehicle may not necessarily be its maximum value. The problem of assessing the benefits of coordination can be formulated as three subproblems: the first subproblem deals with determining the probability distribution of the "executive" deceleration of following vehicles during emergency braking. It is intuitive that the smaller the variance of this distribution, the greater the safety benefits are. The second subproblem deals with determining the probability of an intervehicular collision, the expected number of collisions and the expected relative velocity at impact as a function of the difference in the braking capabilities of successive vehicles in a platoon. The probability of an intervehicular collision and the expected number of primary collisions are computed via a Markov chain. Here, the asymptotic behavior (as the size of the string increases indefinitely) of the probability of an intervehicular collision and the expected number of primary collisions is computed. The third subproblem deals with conducting Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate the safety benefits of coordination during emergency braking and the viability of our analytical approach to estimate them.


The aim of the present study was to determine if the pattern of DNA fragmentation determined by the single cell gel electrophoresis assay can be used to determine apoptosis induced by siRNA in Colo 320 cells. When the frequency of appearance of apoptotic cells following was observed over a period of time, there was a significant increase in appearance of apoptosis when using single cell gel electrophoresis assay. The present report demonstrates that the characteristic pattern of apoptotic comets detected by the comet assay corresponds to cells undergoing apoptosis.


Realism has preoccupied philosophers, literary theorists, and art theorists for generations. Yet in neither of these disciplines have discussions concerning realism reached a conclusive state or a clear definition. Typically, the conception of realism is subject to considerable disagreement regarding its very meaning, its implications (on any level of theory or practice, of semantics or ontology), and even regarding its place in the overall structure of the disciplines in question. Exemplary cases in this context are the debate over the mimetic value(1) of perspective in Renaissance art, the debate over the realism of the novelistic genre in literary studies, and the debate over the kind of truth conception realism entails in philosophy or over how tenable realism can be in view of the possibility that future science will refute the existence of its current theoretical position. All these discussions continue to stir the verbal energies of both philosophers and art and literary theorists with an intensity that varies at different times. Facing the profound multivalence surrounding the concept of realism, this paper will suggest that realism stands to gain in clarity and productivity if discussed within an interdisciplinary framework. Specifically this paper aims to suggest ways in which the philosophical debate between realists and antirealists can illuminate the position of critics towards questions of representation in literature. This aim will be attained, however, without positing philosophical tools as privileged or prior but rather as analogous to the conceptual tools offered by literary theorists. Rethinking realism in interdisciplinary terms evidently offers vast possibilities; these will be delimited to the question of what constitutes a realist position in philosophy and how such a position can be identified in the context of literary theory. Once spelled out, the complex of assumptions of the philosophical realist will lead to a consideration of some of the assumptions guiding the work of literary theorists of postmodernism. I shall examine whether the practice of formulating a poetics of postmodernism as implemented in literary studies by necessity contradicts a realist perspective, one that privileges notions such as "reality" and "representation." Examining the case of postmodernist poetics against the assumptions of philosophical realism will reveal that a gap exists between the perspective that allegedly dominates postmodernist theories, one that is a professed antirealist perspective, and the practice of postmodernist criticism. Thus, while postmodernist discourse often includes formulations that signal cultural relativism or even a radical antirealism, critical approaches to literary postmodernism are in fact much less extreme in their practices. THE PROBLEMATICS OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF REALISM Although realism is a concept already present in various disciplines, the idea of creating an interdisciplinary domain for discussing the problem of realism takes this interdisciplinary reality a step further. The idea is not to move back and forth between philosophy and literary theory to find places where realism in the philosophical sense is discussed by literary theorists and vice versa. Rather, the purpose of this kind of project is to show that realism, although operative within particular disciplines, can also become operative across disciplines. Despite the fact that philosophy has contributed mostly to the formulation of the problem of realism on a metatheoretic level while literary and art theory contributed mostly to defining the problem of realism as a problem in and of representation, this paper attempts to construct a level of interaction between the disciplines. The attempt to discuss realism across disciplines conflicts with a certain diffuseness that characterizes current discussions of realism in each of the disciplines concerned. This diffuseness can be attributed to the following factors: (1) The question of realism, both in philosophy and in literary theory, has opened vistas of problems; realism has turned out to touch on the very foundations of each of the disciplines involved. …


A 40 year old man presented with severe muscle (biceps) pain and rhabdomyolysis following a session of weight lifting. He denied use of anabolic steroids or other drugs. Total serum creatine kinase was 76,080 IU/l. The patient was treated with intravenous sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and mannitol. He did not develop renal failure and his symptoms resolved after two weeks. Cases of rhabdomyolysis associated with other forms of excessive physical exertion are commonly reported, however cases associated with weight lifting are reported relatively infrequently. Probably many cases in this setting go unrecognized and are diagnosed as simple muscle strain. The exact incidence of rhabdomyolysis in this setting of body building exercise remains unknown. Treatment is essentially the same as for rhabdomyolysis due to other causes.


Abstract Lower urinary tract symptoms, including urgency, urgency incontinence, frequency, and nocturia, are highly prevalent in older adults and are associated with significant morbidity and impairment in quality of life. When conservative measures such as bladder training fail to improve symptoms, pharmacological management is recommended by national and international guidelines. Mirabegron, an agonist of the β3 adrenergic receptor, demonstrates similar efficacy to the anticholinergic drugs without the risk of anticholinergic effects, but experience and evidence in the very elderly population are limited. This narrative review examines the current evidence base for mirabegron in very elderly adults.


As a critical basis of functional brain imaging, neurovascular coupling describes the link between neuronal and hemodynamic changes. The majority of in vivo neurovascular coupling studies was performed by inducing sensory stimulation via afferent inputs. Unfortunately such an approach results in recruiting of multiple types of cells, which confounds the explanation of neuronal roles in stimulus evoked hemodynamic changes. Recently optogenetics has emerged to provide immediate control of neurons by exciting or inhibiting genetically engineered neurons expressing light sensitive proteins. However, there is a need for optical methods capable of imaging the concurrent hemodynamic changes. We utilize laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) to obtain high resolution display of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the vicinity of the targeted neural population. LSCI is a minimally invasive method for imaging CBF in microvessels through thinned skull, and produces images with high spatiotemporal resolution, wide field of view. In the integrated system light sources with different wavelengths and band-passing/blocking filters were used to allow simultaneous optical manipulation of neuronal activities and optical imaging of corresponding CBF. Experimental studies were carried out in a rodent model expressing channalrhodopsin (ChR2) in excitatory neurons in the somatosensory cortex (S1). The results demonstrated significant increases of CBF in response to ChR2 stimulation (exciting neuronal firing) comparable to the CBF response to contralateral forepaw stimulation. The approach promises to be an exciting minimally invasive method to study neurovascular coupling. The complete system provides a novel approach for broad neuroscience applications.


Provision of integrated care for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected tuberculosis (TB) patients is challenging. Many persons with TB and HIV co-infection are not yet receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and initiation of ART is not always timely. This study investigated ART uptake among HIV co-infected TB patients and its time of initiation in an urban primary health care facility in Ethiopia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using routine program data. All adult HIV co-infected TB patients registered in a large TB-HIV clinic in Addis Ababa from September, 2008 to August, 2014 were included. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize and analyse findings. A total of 993 TB patients were registered in the study period and included. HIV counselling and testing was offered to 738 (74.5%) and HIV testing was performed for 678 (68.3%) patients. Of those tested, 226 (33.3%) were HIV co-infected of whom 125 (57.6%) were started on ART. The median period from commencement of TB treatment to starting of ART was 41 days. ART initiation was delayed beyond the period advised in the National TB-HIV Guideline for 31 (27%) of HIV co-infected TB patients. For 109 (48.2%) of co-infected TB patients the ART status evaluation could not be done due to missing data. A considerable proportion of HIV co-infected TB patients did either not receive ART or started it later than recommended by national guidelines. For better outcomes to HIV co-infected TB patients, the actual implementation of national recommendations on when to start ART needs to be monitored closely.

 Key words: ART-uptake delay, TB-HIV, primary health facility.


Food traceability is mandatory since 1st January 2005 in the EU. Traceability of products and activities in the food supply chain is a new factor of competitiveness in agribusiness that connects producers to consumers and is deemed to be an important criterion of perception of food product quality and safety for consumers. Within the food industry, traceability is absolutely essential to provide consumer assurance about the sources and safety of food, to allow identification of the source of infected or substandard product, for disease control and residue monitoring, for support measure verification, and to satisfy the requirements of labelling regulations. Despite growing interest in traceability systems and recognition of the need to act more market oriented, very little research has been done on consumer needs and perception of traceability. Researchers as well as managers have mainly focused on technical solutions. This paper tries to contribute to i) get a deeper understanding of the role of the "ability-to-trace" in consumer decision-making process with respect to food, ii) measure consumers' acceptability for food traceability, iii) check the differences of these matters across France and Germany.


One of the most severe problems for ray casting architectures is the waste of computation cycles and I/O bandwidth, due to redundant sampling of empty space. While several techniques exist for software implementations to skip these empty regions, few are suitable for hardware implementation. The few which have been presented either require a tremendous amount of logic or are not feasible for high frequency designs (i.e. running at 100 MHz) where latency is the one of the biggest issues. In this paper, we present an efficient space leaping approach which requires only a small amount of SRAM (4 Kbit for a 256/sup 3/ volume) and can be easily integrated into ray casting architectures. For each subcube of the volume, a bit is stored in an occupancy map, indicating whether the subcube is empty or not. Using a set of real-world datasets, we show that frame-rates well above 15 frames per second can be accomplished for the VIZARD II volume rendering architecture.


Unity 3D is a powerful game development tool that has taken game developers by storm. It's a hit for developing games for the web, iOS, PCs, Macs, and even Android, and even the Nintendo Wii. Unity combines serious power with a friendly, easy-to-use interface. Best of all you can download it for free. This LITE book will give you a fast, quick overview of Unity and how to work with it to create fun, playable casual games. You will get a tour of Unity, learn the basics of programming, and be taken step-by-step through building your first game. The skills you learn from this LITE book will set you on the path to your own game design and development. To find out more about upgrading to the full edition, visit www.packtpub.com/lite-editions and log into your account for offers and help. If you don't have an account on PacktPub.com, visit today and set one up!


The traditional methods of research was linearistic and parochial, creating a bounded field of scientific enquiry. This methodological contraption suffocated research and it's applicability to practical situations. This trend affected negatively the ability to switch between and among methodologies to draw on the best methods for best results. Triangulation is a theoretical framework that releases research from the deadly clutches of linearism and boundedness to accommodating diverse methodologies in order to utilize best methods and achieve best and most practical results. It accommodates Tran spatial and trans methodological research that switches among methods drawing on their strength and reducing their weaknesses. It is the only hope that will achieve a research regime that will be scientific and capable of bringing about National development and the attainment of the millennium Development Goals. This is the contention of this paper.


Offering a personal reflection on the experience of seeing 'seven Shylocks on a single day' in Venice in the summer of 2016 this essay takes the form of an itinerary through three separate events related to the 500th anniversary of the establishment of the Ghetto of Venice. Footage of Laurence Olivier at the Doge's Palace, the performance of the "Hath not a Jew Eyes?" speech in a "Mock Appeal: Shylock v. Antonio", and the five Shylocks who appeared in Karin Coonrod's production of The Merchant of Venice performed in the Ghetto, inspire a lively review and ironical companion piece to Sinclair's posthumous anthology, Shylock Must Die.


Background: Many variables, including woman`s age, embryo quality and endometrial receptivity, influence the success rate of either fresh embryo transfer (ET) or frozen-thawed ET (FT-ET) cycles. The aim of this study is to examine whether the results of a fresh in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle correlates with its frozen-thawed embryos transfer outcomes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary medical center single IVF unit between 2014 and 2017. The study population was comprised of women who underwent fresh ET with the remaining embryos frozen using vitrification and at least one consecutive FT-ET cycle. Comparison of FT-ET cycle's details and outcomes were assessed in relation to the outcome of the preceding fresh ET cycle . Results: A total of 599 women underwent fresh ET and at least one consecutive FT-ET cycle. Significantly higher rates of successful FT-ET cycle outcomes were observed in the group of patients with a successful fresh cycle compared to the group with an unsuccessful fresh cycle (48.9% vs. 20.8%, p<0.001). Logistic regression demonstrated an adjusted OR of 5.02 for successful FT-ET after a successful fresh cycle. Conclusions: Frozen-thawed embryos generated from successful fresh IVF cycles have higher potential to implant when compared to frozen-thawed embryos obtained in an unsuccessful fresh cycles.


Infectious salmon anemia (ISA) has been described as the hoof and mouth disease of salmon farming. ISA is caused by a lethal and highly communicable virus, which can have a major impact on salmon aquaculture, as demonstrated by an outbreak in Chile in 2007. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for ISA resistance has been mapped to three microsatellite markers on linkage group (LG) 8 (Chr 15) on the Atlantic salmon genetic map. We identified bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones and three fingerprint contigs from the Atlantic salmon physical map that contains these markers. We made use of the extensive BAC end sequence database to extend these contigs by chromosome walking and identified additional two markers in this region. The BAC end sequences were used to search for conserved synteny between this segment of LG8 and the fish genomes that have been sequenced. An examination of the genes in the syntenic segments of the tetraodon and medaka genomes identified candidates for association with ISA resistance in Atlantic salmon based on differential expression profiles from ISA challenges or on the putative biological functions of the proteins they encode.One gene in particular, HIV-EP2/MBP-2, caught our attention as it may influence the expression of several genes that have been implicated in the response to infection by infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV). Therefore, we suggest that HIV-EP2/MBP-2 is a very strong candidate for the gene associated with the ISAV resistance QTL in Atlantic salmon and is worthy of further study.


Each year, millions of marine aquarium fish and invertebrates are harvested from coral reefs and enter the complex and largely unregulated marine aquarium trade (MAT). It is challenging to identify species at risk of overexploitation in this trade due to its data-limited and poorly monitored nature. We developed a new analytical approach based on a productivity-susceptibility analysis (PSA) to assess the vulnerability of wild-captured marine aquarium fish. The PSA was originally developed to assess food fisheries; however, species and operational characteristics between food fisheries and the MAT differ. Thus, we improved a prior PSA framework to assess the data-limited MAT through customization of productivity and susceptibility factors to align with the target fishery, improved data binning, calculation of susceptibility, and characterization of the vulnerability scores. Our vulnerability results align well with the most recent IUCN assessments, showing improved accuracy using this revised PSA compared to prior adaptions of the PSA to the MAT. Further, we show that this PSA approach can be used to assess species on either a global or country-specific scale. A Gaussian mixture model clustering algorithm was applied to the PSA results to objectively classify fish along a sustainability continuum. Among 32 species, a majority of species clustered as highly sustainable or sustainable indicating little management or over-harvest concern; however, the Bangaii cardinalfish Pterapogon kauderni and blue tang Paracanthurus hepatus indexed as unsustainable. This novel PSA method, and use of a clustering algorithm to classify results, provides a predictive tool for a wide range of fisheries. In addition to informing species management plans, the compilation of sustainability status data generated by our PSA can inform a consumer guide, allowing consumers and other stakeholders to make sustainable decisions when purchasing fish.


Objectives: To investigate the experience of playing the harmonica for individuals with COPD. Methods: A qualitative, phenomenological study using semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Eight people living with COPD (six females, two males) were recruited, who had attended at least six weeks of harmonica group sessions, either face-to-face prior to the COVID-19 pandemic or remotely. Five themes were generated. Themes included 'hard in the beginning', 'holding the condition', 'breathing control', 'gives you a high' and 'needing the Zoom class'. Discussion: Playing the harmonica with COPD is difficult at first, particularly drawing a breath through the harmonica. With practice, experience in a fun activity and quality teaching, individuals were able to become more attuned and embodied with their breathing, and playing the harmonica offered a breathing control strategy. Songs, rather than breathing, became the focus, and participants were able to escape living with respiratory disease when playing. Participants reported the harmonica helped mucous expectoration. The group was a priority in the weekly lives of participants, even though the 'buzz' of being part of a group was lost when participating online. Further mechanistic studies and randomised controlled trials are needed to investigate the biopsychosocial benefits of playing the harmonica with COPD.


OBJECTIVE
Transforming growth factor beta receptors (TGFbetaRs) are known to be expressed at high levels in several fibrotic diseases, including systemic sclerosis. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of up-regulation of TGFbetaR expression.

METHODS
The levels of expression of TGFbetaR type II (TGFbetaRII) messenger RNA (mRNA), with or without stimulation by epidermal growth factor (EGF), were evaluated by Northern blot analysis, and the protein levels were determined by immunoblotting. The transcription activity of the TGFbetaRII gene was examined with luciferase assays using the -1670/+35 TGFbetaRII promoter luciferase construct.

RESULTS
EGF up-regulates the expression of TGFbetaRII mRNA and protein in human dermal fibroblasts. Actinomycin D, an RNA synthesis inhibitor, significantly blocked the EGF-mediated up-regulation of TGFbetaRII mRNA expression, whereas cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, did not block this up-regulation. In addition, EGF treatment did not significantly affect the TGFbetaRII mRNA half-life. EGF-mediated induction of TGFbetaRII expression was inhibited by treatment of fibroblasts with the selective phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitors wortmannin or LY294002, and Akt inhibitor also blocked EGF-induced expression of TGFbetaRII. In addition, EGF induced TGFbetaRII promoter activity, and this induction was significantly blocked by wortmannin, LY294002, or Akt inhibitor. Cotransfection with a dominant-negative mutant of p85 (the regulatory component of PI 3-kinase) or Akt significantly reduced the induction of TGFbetaRII promoter activity by EGF. Moreover, a constitutive active form of p110 (a catalytic component of PI 3-kinase) induced TGFbetaRII promoter activity. In addition, scleroderma fibroblasts expressed increased levels of TGFbetaRII but did not show further up-regulation of TGFbetaRII expression by EGF.

CONCLUSION
These results indicate that EGF-mediated induction of TGFbetaRII expression occurs at the transcription level, does not require de novo protein synthesis, and involves the PI 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway, and that abnormal activation of EGF-mediated signaling pathways, including PI 3-kinase or Akt, might play a role in the up-regulation of TGFbetaRII in scleroderma fibroblasts.


Extracellular vesicles, whether microvesicles (MVs) or exosomes, shed by pathogens transfer virulence factors and biomolecules to host cells, thereby altering the host's susceptibility to infection. We have previously demonstrated that MV release is increased during the interaction between the infective forms of Trypanosoma cruzi and host cells. MVs confer parasite resistance to complement-mediated lysis and enhance parasite invasion. In this study, we show that differences exist in the levels of MVs released during the interaction between metacyclic trypomastigotes of different T. cruzi strains (with varied sensitivity to complement-mediated lysis, namely sensitive G strain TcI and resistant Y strain TcII) and host cells. MVs produced during the interaction between TcII parasites and host cells increased parasite resistance to complement lysis from 50% to 80% and parasite invasion was increased to over 50%. MVs purified during the interaction between TcI parasites and host cells have a stronger effect, doubling complement resistance and parasite invasion. The complement-mediated lysis assays showed that all MVs inhibit mainly the lectin pathway. Interestingly, MVs derived from parasites of one class did not alter complement resistance and the invasion process of parasites from the other class. This is the first description of MVs from T. cruzi with strain-dependent phenotypic effects.


Changing family and work structures in Nigeria makes coping with work and family roles a challenging one for women to handle even with organizational interventions. The study specifically examined the determinants of work-family balance experience among women in the banking sector. A review of literature was carried out while the study was anchored on two theoretical platforms: Role Theory and Social Exchange Theory. The research employed both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested for the study. The first hypothesis revealed that age of the respondents, children ever born (parity), marital status, staff category and religion are significant determinants of work-family balance. Women with children in parity ratio of 1-2, 3-4 and 5 and above are 1.654, 1.455 and 1.235 times more likely to be unable to balance work-family roles compared to those with zero parity (i.e. the reference category). The third hypothesis estimated significant influence of work status on the work-family balance; this is statistically significant at p-values of 0.005, 0.003, and 0.01 for senior staff, supervisors and junior staff respectively. The study concludes that if work demands become heavy, marital roles cannot be shelved or neglected and tension between the two boundaries will require a compromise. In this instance, women will prefer to stake the job rather than losing their families. The study suggests effective policy intervention from organisation and effective family support from the family-base to reduce the complexities of balancing work and family demands. Key w ord s : Work-family conflict, copping strategies, women


This report summarises the findings from case studies of seven schools that are part of the Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide (PB4L-SW) initiative. Schools were selected for their effective practice. In this report, commonalities and differences in practice are summarised, and key themes are illustrated by short narratives from the schools. The report also discusses the contribution PB4L-SW is making towards change at the schools. The main audiences for this report are schools and Ministry of Education staff who provide support and training to schools. Executive Summary What does effective practice in PB4L-SW schools look like in a New Zealand context? At the case study schools, staff and students were strongly supportive of PB4L-SW mainly because the initiative had assisted them to build a stronger and more positive school community. For the case study schools, effective implementation of PB4L-SW rested on these interconnected features. Deliberate leadership. Generally, schools had: leaders who had a moral purpose and a long-term vision about supporting the academic and social learning of students leaders who were skilled change managers and who committed ongoing resources to PB4L-SWa PB4L-SW team with a mix of the "right people" who could work collaboratively to build approaches and find creative solutions to issues embedded the use of PB4L-SW data within problem-solving and decision-making processes. An ongoing commitment to staff and school learning relating to PB4L-SW. Generally, schools had: a commitment to taking all staff on the PB4L-SW journey processes for working at the pace of staff to build practice and consistencya planned process of in-house and external professional learning and development (PLD) which built staff capabilities over time a commitment to building new school leaders through the PB4L-SW team  processes for working with staff who found it harder to adjust to PB4L-SW relationships with external people who provided support or acted as a critical frienda commitment to sharing practice through local PB4L-SW school clusters. Clear processes for teaching expectations and acknowledging behaviours. Generally, schools had: time set aside and clear processes for teaching and acknowledging behaviour expectations multi-layered approaches to teaching expectations that included just-in-time approaches based on current data and longer-term processes that were embedded in the curriculum resources that were collaboratively developed to support the teaching of expectations multi-layered award systems that aimed to address different settings and student needs systems for collecting data about awards to strategically target students who might miss out consistent and well-known systems for addressing behaviour incidents, and training for staff ways of working that were effective for diverse groups of students including Māori, Pasifika, and students with special education needs. Ways of bringing students, parents, and whānau communities onboard. Generally, schools had:  processes for building student leaders and ownership over PB4L-SW through seeking feedback a commitment to sharing students' successes and school approaches with parents and whānau processes that built early and positive relationships with vulnerable students and their whānau built relationships with Māori or Pasifika community leaders who could support the school to consult with whānau and families, and inform the direction of the school. A few schools had: woven PB4L-SW and te ao Māori together to realise their commitment to supporting the success of Māori students developed a wider web of PB4L-SW practice through reaching out to share their approaches with local education providers or community groups. A commitment to long-term sustainability: Generally, schools had: processes for "keeping PB4L-SW fresh" through PLD and ongoing improvement processes ongoing PLD relating to PB4L-SW for all staff and processes for training new staff and relievers interwoven PB4L-SW practice or philosophies within other school practices to enhance these practices and ensure that PB4L-SW became part of the fabric of the school. What outcomes or changes were schools seeing in connection to PB4L-SW? Most of the expected medium-term outcomes associated with PB4L-SW were evident at these schools. Staff considered PB4L-SW was a key contributing factor to these changes. Some of the main shifts included: a safer, more respectful and inclusive school culture and a stronger sense of community. For students fewer major behaviour incidents including suspensions and exclusions improved ability to relate well to others, and model school values a sense of pride and belonging to their school. For teachers a shift in teacher practice towards a more positive mindset and approaches to behaviour less time spent managing behaviour incidents increased job satisfaction. For school leadership, culture, and systems a clearer "brand" and shared sense of purpose and values that drove the school a stronger collegial and team-based problem-solving culture shared systems and more consistency in teaching and acknowledging positive behaviour and in addressing behaviour incidents a coherent PLD system and opportunities to build expertise and practice. What hindered change or challenged schools? Building shared beliefs and practices across all staff and maintaining consistency over time Sourcing integrated data systems to manage data Developing consequence systems that supported learning Finding a way to balance a focus on extrinsic and intrinsic acknowledgements of behaviour Finding ways to support the small number of students for whom PB4L-SW tier 1 did not "work" Forming stronger links with parents and whānau particularly Māori and Pasifika communities. Where to next for schools and the wider education system? Building stronger connections to Māori and Pasifika worldviews, families, and communities Finding ways to support schools to manage data Finding joined-up ways to work with other agencies to support vulnerable students.


William Shakespeare is one of the prominent and leading authors who have been beyond the times and inspired the following authors with their Works. His Works, the plays in particular, not only demonstrate the historical and cultural characteristics of the period but also opens some doors for the societies of every century. That is because he focuses on the universal themes, matters and problems which have been and are still the issues discussed on. The play King Lear, for example, is so significant that it contains the problem seen in any family all around the world. The main idea of the play is the father (King Lear) experiences tragic events due to that he believes the lies of two of his daughters (Regan and Goneril), distrusts the frankness and honesty of his third daughter (Cordelia); and portions his heritage out among them unrighteously. Indeed, as a tragic character King Lear commits a tragic flaw and gets punished. The plot of the play is fundamentally constructed on the process of this punishment. On the other hand, there is another story about a father (Earl of Gloucester) and his mistake. In the study the stories of the father King Lear and Earl of Gloucester are discussed and analyzed within the scope of the wheels of fortune. Finally, the aim of the study is to compare and contrast King Lear's story as the main plot and the Earl of Gloucester's story as a sub-plot so as to find out the differences between the tragic hero and a pathetic man.


Microstructural materials design is one of the most important applications of inverse modeling in materials science. Generally speaking, there are two broad modeling paradigms in scientific applications: forward and inverse. While the forward modeling estimates the observations based on known parameters, the inverse modeling attempts to infer the parameters given the observations. Inverse problems are usually more critical as well as difficult in scientific applications as they seek to explore the parameters that cannot be directly observed. Inverse problems are used extensively in various scientific fields, such as geophysics, healthcare and materials science. However, it is challenging to solve inverse problems, because they usually need to learn a one-to-many non-linear mapping, and also require significant computing time, especially for high-dimensional parameter space. Further, inverse problems become even more difficult to solve when the dimension of input (i.e. observation) is much lower than that of output (i.e. parameters). In this work, we propose a framework consisting of generative adversarial networks and mixture density networks for inverse modeling, and it is evaluated on a materials science dataset for microstructural materials design. Compared with baseline methods, the results demonstrate that the proposed framework can overcome the above-mentioned challenges and produce multiple promising solutions in an efficient manner.


We re-examine the abnormal stock return over the ex-day of stock splits, stock dividends, and rights offers with an extended version of the model by Frank and Jagannathan (1998). Regression analysis suggests that an underlying nuisance cost in the amount of 0.57% of the stock price and a bid-ask bounce that occurs with probability 23% capture the essential cross-section variation in the abnormal stock return. Further analysis of bid and ask quotes questions the bid-ask-bounce interpretation. The nuisance cost of stock distributions decreases over time, and it vanishes with high-frequency trading. With the development of internet, share price management falls out of fashion, and stock distributions are no longer a concern.


SUMMARY: A mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardii with abnormal cell division is described. Cultures of the mutant consist of cells with between one and about seven nuclei. The number of pairs of flagella per cell is the same as the number of nuclei, except in large moribund cells which lack flagella. Pyrenoid division lags behind nuclear division in some cells. The expression of the mutation is modified by the age of the culture, pH of the environment or by the presence of certain other mutations. Genetic analysis is slightly complicated by the presence of multinucleate gametes, but it is shown that cytokinesis deficiency is inherited as a single gene mutation which maps close to the ac 29 locus on linkage group VI.


Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of various endoscopic sampling techniques in diagnosis of gastroesophageal malignancies.Methods: Fifty two suspected gastro-esophageal malignancies were studied from 2005-2007. The gross appearances of the suspected lesions were noted following endoscopy, and three cytological sampling techniques were applied in all the cases along with biopsy , like brushing before and after biopsy and fine needle aspiration cytology. Cytology smears were fixed and routinely stained .Tissue obtained on biopsy was routinely processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin.Results and Conclusion : Brush cytology revealed- sensitivity(92.3%), specificity(82%) and diagnostic accuracy(84.2%), proving better in diagnosing tumours with ulcerated surface. Endoscopic FNAC was found to have sensitivity(96%), specificity(90%) and diagnostic accuracy(98%), the efficiency of this technique was better in necrotic, stenotic and infiltrative gastro-esophageal malignancies. Biopsy showed-sensitivity(92.4%), specificity(95%) and diagnostic accuracy(96%). As various combination of the techniques increased the overall diagnostic accuracy drastically, the final diagnosis after performing such sampling methods and considering the nature of the tumour, would contribute to higher efficiency in diagnosis of gastroesophageal neoplasms.