The most comprehensive bibliography on neorealism is that complied by the Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema, Il neorealismo e la critica: materiali per una bibliografia, Quaderno informativo 57 (Pesaro, 1974). It contains listings from Italy, England, France, Poland, Germany, Japan, Brazil, the United States, and Switzerland. Each of the following two books contains a bibliography on neorealism: Roy Armes, Patterns of Realism: A Study of Italian Neo-Realist Cinema (New York: A. S. Barnes, 1971); David Overbey, ed., trans., and intra., Springtime in Italy: A Reader on Neo-Realism (Hamden, Ct.: Archon Books, 1978). Both Armes and Overbey list essays and books in French and Italian as well as in English. As my title indicates, my bibliography contains only English entries. It is up-to-date (much writing on neorealism has appeared in English since Overbey did his bibliography in 1978), and I have sought to make it as comprehensive as possible (in English) by listing books with chapters or essays on neorealism (for example, Penelope Houston, "The Italian Experience," in her The Contemporary Cinema). Armes and Overbey for the most part excluded such entries from their bibliographies. [Reference] NEOREALISM BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Almendros, Nestor. "Neorealist Cinematography." Film Culture,20, pp. 39-43. 2. Anonymous. "Italy after the Liberation: Reality and Neo-realism." [London] Times Literary Supplement, No. 3111 (13 October 1961). pp. 710-711. 3. Aristarco, Guido. "ItaUanCmemz." FilmCulture, 1,No. 2 (March-April 1955), pp. 29-33. 4. _____ . Neo-realism and National Environment. Rimini: Grimaldi, 1976. 5. Armes, Roy. Patterns of Realism: A Study of Italian Neo-Realist Cinema. New York: A. S. Barnes, 1971. 6. Bachmann, Gideon. "Federico Fellini: Beyond Neorealism" (Interview). In Patterns of Italian Cinema Volume 1. Ed. Giose Rimanelli. Albany, New York: Dept. of Hispanic and Italian Studies at State Univ. of New York, 1980, pp. 425-438. Reprinted from MacCann, Richard Dyer, ed. Film: A Montage of Theories. New York: Dutton, 1966. 7. Bazin, Andre. What Is Cinema? Volume 2. Trans. Hugh Gray. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1971 . (Ch. 1 : "An Aesthetic of Reality: Cinematic Realism and the Italian School of the Liberation," pp. 16-40; Ch. 2: "La Terra Trema, pp. 41-46; Ch. 3: "Bicycle Thief, pp. 47-60; Ch. 4: "DeSica: Metteur en Scene," pp. 61-78; Ch. 5: "Umberto D: A Great Work," pp. 79-82; Ch. 6: "Cabiria: The Voyage to the End of Neorealism," pp. 83-92; Ch.7: "In Defense of Rossellini," pp. 93-101.) 8. Bennett, Joseph. "Italian Film: Failure and Emergence. " Kenyon Review, 26, No. 4 (Autumn 1964), pp. 738-747. 9. Bondanella, Peter. "Early Fellini: Variety Lights, The White Sheik, The Vitelloni." In Federico Fellini: Essays in Criticism. Ed. Peter Bondanella. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1978, pp. 220-239. 10. _____ . "Neorealistic Aesthetics and the Fantastic: The Machine to Kill Bad People and Miracle in Milan." Film Criticism, 3, No. 2 (Winter 1979), pp. 24-29. 11. _____ . Ch. 2, "The Masters of Neorealism: Rossellini, De Sica, and Visconti." In his Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present. New York: Ungar, 1983, pp. 31-73. 12. Braudy, Leo. "Rossellini: From Open City to General della Rovere." In Great Film Directors: A Critical Anthology. Ed. Leo Braudy and Morris Dickstein, New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1978, pp. 655-673. 13. Brunette, Peter. "Just How Brechtian is Rossellini? Film Criticism, 3, No. 2 (1979), pp. 30-42. 14. _____ . "Unity and Difference in Paisan." S tudies in the Literary Imagination 16, No. 1 (Spring 1983), pp. 91-111. 15. Bruno, E. "Rossellini's Originality." Framework, No. 10 (Spring 1979), pp. 46-48. 16. Burke, Frank M. "Variety Lights, The White Sheik, and Italian Neorealism." Film Criticism 3, No. 2 (Winter 1979), pp. 53-66. 17. Cannella, M. …


Adult Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) or BCR-ABL-positive (BCR-ABL+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all) is an acute leukemia previously associated with a high relapse rate, short disease-free survival, and poor overall survival. In adults, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant in first remission remains the only proven curative strategy for transplant-eligible patients. The introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) in the treatment of patients with Ph+ or BCR-ABL+ all has significantly improved the depth and duration of complete remission, allowing more patients to proceed to transplantation. Although tkis are now considered a standard of care in this setting, few randomized trials have examined the optimal use of tkis in patients with Ph+ all. Questions of major importance remain, including the best way to administer these medications, the choice of tki to administer, and the schedule and the duration to use. We present the results of a systematic review of the literature with consensus recommendations based on the available evidence.


This paper studies conditional properties of equivariant confidence intervals of a location parameter. The probability of covering the true value of the location parameter conditional on the location-and-scale configuration is computed. Also, the asymptotic distribution of this coverage probability is derived. Finally, the resulting expressions are applied to various confidence bounds such as the Wilcoxon, the Student $t$ and the Cauchy likelihood bound.


The model for the virus-cell interaction, based on von Neumann's theory of Self-Reproducing Automata, can be improved to consider the evolutionary adaptation which result from the interaction between structures subject to evolution. Theoretical considerations derived from the model are discussed.


Following a massive dose of CC1 4 in mice, a time study was made on the 2 -hour incorporation of p32 into liver DNA and on the mitotic activity of liver cells. An increase in p32 incorporation began 30 hours after CC14~ with a maximum at about 40 hours. Mitotic activity was not apparent until after DNA synthesis had reached its maximum. The radiation experiments (with varying time intervals between CC1 4 , 800 r total-body x-ray, and sacrifice) showed that DNA synthesis was depressed when the mice were irradiated 0,12,72, or 96 hours after CC14' but that it was not affected when the radiation was given between 24 and 48 hours after CC 14. Mitotic activity was absent 5 hours after radiation, began to return at 14 hours, and reached the control value at 26 hours. The results indicate that separate mechanisms are responsible for the effects of irradiation on DNA synthesis and on mitotic activity in liver.


Adults in their 50s were compared with adults in their late teens or 20s in the accuracy of relatively simple reasoning decisions involving varying amounts of information. Because the magnitude of the age differences in decision accuracy was independent of the amount of information relevant to the decision, it was suggested that adults in their 20s and 50s do not differ in the effectiveness of integrating information across multiple premises. However, the 2 groups differed in the accuracy of trials involving only a single relevant premise, and thus it was inferred that 1 factor contributing to reasoning differences within the age range from 20 to 60 may be a failure to encode, or retain, relevant information.


Until recently, autochthonous infections with Angiostrongylus vasorum were not thought to be found in the Netherlands, but in the past year four dogs have been diagnosed with angiostrongylosis. Three of them had never been abroad. These cases gave rise to further research in order to increase the plausibility of endemic foci of A. vasorum in the Netherlands. Between January 2008 and April 2008 485 faecal samples from dogs were collected by veterinarians, hunting associations and kennel clubs. First-stage larvae of A. vasorum were to be recovered by the Baermann technique. As a result larvae were identified in faecal samples from four dogs. Three of those had never been outside the Dutch borders. Although an endemic focus can't be defined by these results, A. vasorum should now be considered endemic to the Netherlands.


Traditionally, assignment and scheduling decisions are made separately at different levels of the production management framework. The combining of such decisions presents additional complexity and new problems. We present two new approaches to solve jointly the assignment and job-shop scheduling problems (with total or partial flexibility). The first one is the approach by localization (AL). It makes it possible to solve the problem of resource allocation and build an ideal assignment model (assignments schemata). The second one is an evolutionary approach controlled by the assignment model (generated by the first approach). In such an approach, we apply advanced genetic manipulations in order to enhance the solution quality. We also explain some of the practical and theoretical considerations in the construction of a more robust encoding that will enable us to solve the flexible job-shop problem by applying the genetic algorithms (GAs). Two examples are presented to show the efficiency of the two suggested methodologies.


Global value chains (GVCs) allow firms to produce and export final goods, or to perform only intermediate stages of production by processing imported inputs for re-exporting. We examine how financial constraints determine companies' position in GVCs and how this position affects profitability. We exploit matched customs and balance-sheet data from China, where exports are classified as ordinary trade, import-andassembly processing trade (processing firm sources and pays for imported inputs), and pure-assembly processing trade (processing firm receives foreign inputs for free). Conducting more steps of the supply chain increases not only value added, but also profits. However, it requires more working capital because it entails higher up-front costs. As a result, credit constraints restrict firms to low value-added stages of production, and preclude them from pursuing more profitable opportunities. Financial frictions thus affect the organization of GVCs across firms and countries, and inform optimal trade and development policy in the presence of trade in intermediates. Global supply networks may enable more firms in developing countries to share in the gains from trade. Kalina Manova Department of Economics Stanford University 579 Serra Mall Stanford, CA 94305 and NBER email@example.com Zhihong Yu Nottingham University email@example.com


In this thesis, I explore the prospects for trust in international relations. I advance an agency-centred model that paradoxically emphasises both vigilance and vulnerability between states. I argue that trust is created through the dual diplomatic pursuits of risk management (e.g. monitoring and securing individual state interests) and relationship management (e.g. promoting shared goals, institutions and values). This model is then employed to evaluate the evolution of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) into the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), 1972-2002. Despite a recent surge in the study of trust in the social sciences, trust has not been explored comprehensively in the discipline of international relations (IR). In particular, the work done in IR has neglected the kernel of trust that distinguishes it from other concepts such as prediction and cooperation; that is, the dynamic of suspension, originally elucidated by the sociologist Georg Simmel, which permits the leap from uncertainty (and unacceptable risk) to positive expectation. Rather than 'reasonable doubt', trust involves giving another 'the benefit of the doubt.' The trust model is capable of providing a novel interpretation of the history, normative declarations and activities of the CSCE during the late Cold War; and the OSCE's post-Cold War role in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict rehabilitation among its member states. For example, the OSCE's absent military capacity (e.g. vis-a-vis NATO) restricts its 'thick' risk management competence. The OSCE's limited legal capacity (e.g. vis-a-vis the EU) likewise restricts its 'thick' relationship management competence. Nevertheless, the OSCE's confidence-building activities, combined with its role as a forum for interstate dialogue explicitly linking security with international norms-especially democracy and human rights-fosters a 'propensity to trust' upon which member states are increasingly seeking to give each other the benefit of the doubt.


Purpose: We investigated the effect of prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the dissection plan of the neurovascular bundle and the oncological results of our patients who underwent robotic radical prostatectomy operation. Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated 30 consecutive patients, 15 of whom had prostate MRI before the operation, and 15 of whom did not. With the findings of MRI, the dissection plan was changed as intrafascial, interfascial, and extrafascial technique in the MRI group. Two groups were compared in terms of age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and Gleason scores (GSs). Surgical margin status was also checked with the final pathology. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, PSA, biopsy GS, and final pathological GS. MRI changed the initial surgical plan to a nerve-sparing technique in 7 of the 15 patients. Only one patient in the MRI group had a positive surgical margin on bladder neck. MRI was confirmed as the primary tumour localisation in the final pathology in 93.3% of patients. Conclusion: Preoperative prostate MRI influenced the decision to carry out a nerve-sparing technique in 46% of the patients in our study; however, the change to a nerve-sparing technique did not seem to compromise the surgical margin positivity.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of percutaneous radiofrequency (RF) ablation versus nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) in patients with small (<or=4-cm) renal cell carcinoma (RCC), given a commonly accepted level of societal willingness to pay.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A decision-analytic Markov model was developed to estimate life expectancy and lifetime costs for 65-year-old patients with a small RCC treated with RF ablation or NSS. The model incorporated RCC presence, treatment effectiveness and costs, and short- and long-term outcomes. An incremental cost-effectiveness analysis was performed to identify treatment preference under an assumed $75,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) societal willingness-to-pay threshold level, within proposed ranges for guiding implementation of new health care interventions. The effect of changes in key parameters on strategy preference was addressed in sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS
By using base-case assumptions, NSS yielded a minimally greater average quality-adjusted life expectancy than did RF ablation (2.5 days) but was more expensive. NSS had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $1,152,529 per QALY relative to RF ablation, greatly exceeding $75,000 per QALY. Therefore, RF ablation was considered preferred and remained so if the annual probability of post-RF ablation local recurrence was up to 48% higher relative to that post-NSS. NSS preference required an estimated NSS cost reduction of $7500 or RF ablation cost increase of $6229. Results were robust to changes in most model parameters, but treatment preference was dependent on the relative probabilities of local recurrence after RF ablation and NSS, the short-term costs of both, and quality of life after NSS.

CONCLUSION
RF ablation was preferred over NSS for small RCC treatment at a societal willingness-to-pay threshold level of $75,000 per QALY. This result was robust to changes in most model parameters, but somewhat dependent on the relative probabilities of post-RF ablation and post-NSS local recurrence, NSS and RF ablation short-term costs, and post-NSS quality of life, factors which merit further primary investigation.


ABSTRACT Despite recent feminist scholarship on women's roles in the American Civil War (1861–65), their photographic participation remains poorly understood. As a result, women's wartime entrepreneurialism has not been recognised, and neither has their agency in shaping the image economy and visual history of a nation-defining conflict. This article presents the first dedicated research on Elizabeth Beachbard, an elusive figure who ran an ambrotype portrait business in Louisiana during the conflict. This article charts her trajectory from downtown New Orleans to a military camp in rural Louisiana where she photographed soldiers during the summer of 1861 until her death only months later. I consider the gendered constraints on women's photography of the epoch and the methodological challenges for researching female photographers, examining the historical context for women's entrepreneurialism and the circumstances that led to Beachbard's business model. As well as analysing her practice as a female operator in a military camp, this article presents new evidence for an ambrotype hitherto unattributed to Beachbard, which constitutes only the third extant example of her work. I contend that Beachbard should be seen as a pioneering figure in the history of women's photography, and might be considered America's first identifiable female photographer of war.


Background: Several previous studies have examined the effect of CYP2D6 gene polymorphism on the efficacy and metabolism of tamoxifen (Tamoxifen Teva, Nolvadex) in the treatment of breast cancer. In the present study, the metabolic profiles associated with various CYP2D6 genotypes were evaluated. Method: In the present study 92 Turkish breast cancer patients with early-stage hormone receptor-positive tumors treated with adjuvant tamoxifen (20 mg) were evaluated for CYP2D6 genotype and metabolic profiles. Known side effects of tamoxifen treatment, including endometrial thickening, changes in serum lipid levels and bone density, and hepatosteatosis, were evaluated according to the CYP2D6 polymorphism. Result: The distribution of metabolic characteristics in the Turkish population was as follows: 77.1% normal metabolism, 11.5% intermediate metabolism, 5.2% ultrarapid metabolism, and 2.1% poor metabolism. The CYP2D6 genotypes associated with rapid metabolism were CYP2D6 3X*1/*1 duplication (DUP) and CYP2D6 2X*1/*2, while poor metabolism was associated with the genotypes CYP2D6 *3/*4 and CYP2D6 *6/*6. There was no statistically significant relationship between metabolic characteristics and bone density or hepatosteatosis. A statistically significant difference in total cholesterol and triglycerides was detected in lipid profile analysis (p = 0.003, p = 0.02). Assessment of endometrial thickness revealed a significant association of hyperplasia and poor metabolism, and an association between atrophy and ultrarapid metabolism (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Significant development of endometrial hyperplasia was identified among individuals with poor tamoxifen metabolism. As a result, tamoxifen may be a significant predictor of endometrial thickening among individuals with poor metabolic characteristics.


Diffuse pollution has a complex nature depending on various land‐use activities like agriculture, livestock breeding and forestry. In this study, an alternative methodology is applied for decreasing the spatial uncertainty of diffuse nutrient load estimations. It is applied in the Melen Watershed, Turkey, which is an important watershed from where additional water will be supplied for the megacity Istanbul via interbasin water transfer. Monthly diffuse nutrient loads were estimated for each subwatershed by utilizing remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS). Estimated nutrient loads were considerably different in various months due to the temporally irregular fertilizer application and meteorological conditions. Temporal differences were also predicted in the spatial distribution of the nutrient loads. The methodology is applicable in watershed protection studies, especially where necessary etudes should be conducted in the short term and with limited data. Such efforts in identifying and determining the diffuse loads are important for sustainable management of the watershed.


English Heritage and the National Heritage Protection Commissions Team (NHPCT) submitted a request for the provision of a detailed 3D metric survey of the Stonehenge circle and its immediate surroundings known as" the triangle". Our project team was fortunate in being awarded the contact for providing such data and this paper outlines the subsequent methodologies used to capture high resolution 3D imagery and spatial data for the purpose of providing high quality colourised meshed models to all features of the site, with data being represented at various levels of resolution and decimation. To for fill the requirements of the brief for this project, terrestrial laser scanning in both long and short range form was successfully integrated with current digital photogrammetric techniques to provide a harmonious combination of  3 dimensional survey data suitable for providing high quality, colourised meshed models. All laser scanning and engineering activities were undertaken by the Greenhatch Group Ltd using the very latest scanning technology and total stations available and all photographic and photogrammetric elements of the project were undertaken by Akins Geospatial using an inspirational high level boom, digital photographic data capture technique to provide the high level 3d information required.


As a high-quality imaging method for non-linear motion SAR, back projection (BP) algorithm's huge computational cost hinders its applications. In recent years, the emergence of GPU as a high-performance computing platform counteracts this disadvantage greatly, and brings the BP algorithm into people's perspective. In accord with the SAR's working procedures, the streaming structure is suitable for massive SAR data processing. Thus, a streaming BP algorithm and a piecewise high-order polynomial fitting method for IMU data preprocessing that is compatible to the streaming structure are proposed in this paper. The validity and performances of the fitting method are verified and discussed using actual IMU data. We find that the 9th-order polynomial fitting can meet the requirement of typical actual IMU data processing. The validity of the streaming BP for non-linear motion compensation is verified via actual SAR data, and its computing performance is analyzed and optimized on NVidia's GTX 590. The total runtime of the streaming BP on the GPU platform for an image with size 8192x8192 pixels is about 160 s, which can meet the requirements of many off-line SAR imaging applications.


Summary: Climate change is affecting the spatio-temporal distribution of environmental conditions, forcing species to shift their range in response. Species not capable of dispersing naturally may benefit from conservation translocations. A key aspect of translocation planning is release site selection: under the 2012 IUCN guidelines for reintroductions and other conservation translocations, selected sites are expected to match the biotic and abiotic needs of the candidate species now and in the future. Here we present a methodological framework to identify optimal translocation sites under climate change. Our method is the first to explicitly combine statistical and predictive population modelling to understand the relationship between climate, climate change and population dynamics, in order to perform robust habitat suitability analyses for conservation decision-making. We use the hihi Notiomystis cincta, a bird endemic to New Zealand, as a case study. We focus on the population of Tiritiri Matangi Island, which has been provided with ad libitum supplementary food since 1996. This offers the unique opportunity to study the direct impact of climate and future change in climatic conditions on a population free of confounding constraints. Climate is found to drive hihi population dynamics, even though they are not limited by the availability of food. Thus, despite the current management of the species, climate change remains a major threat to its long-term persistence. Moreover, under predicted climate change for the country, hihi suitable habitat will shift southward: the two current largest hihi populations will face unsuitable climatic conditions in the coming decades, and habitat that was not part of the species' historical range may become suitable. Synthesis and applications. Assisted colonization is increasingly being considered as an adaptation tool for species threatened by climate change. Justifying the use of this extreme conservation action, however, requires robust evidence that it is necessary and clear guidance on where to translocate individuals of threatened populations. We show how both requirements can be met using habitat suitability modelling if knowledge of the relationship between climate, climate change and the species' population dynamics is systematically used to guide the modelling process. Assisted colonization is increasingly being considered as an adaptation tool for species threatened by climate change. Justifying the use of this extreme conservation action, however, requires robust evidence that it is necessary and clear guidance on where to translocate individuals of threatened populations. We show how both requirements can be met using habitat suitability modelling if knowledge of the relationship between climate, climate change and the species' population dynamics is systematically used to guide the modelling process.


Background: Because industry influence – in the form of study sponsorship and authorial conflicts of interest (COI) – can bias the results and conclusions of systematic reviews, there is a need to understand their role in systematic reviews, particularly for common conditions like psoriasis. Objectives: This study identifies conflicts of interest and industry-author relationships in systematic reviews on psoriasis treatment. Methods: Consistent with our cross-sectional design, we searched MEDLINE and Embase for systematic reviews and meta-analyses focused on psoriasis treatment. We then performed a subgroup analysis to determine further industry ties within the systemic reviews funded by industry. Results: Our study consisted of 27 systematic reviews and meta-analyses by 146 researchers. We found that 22 (81.5%) of the included systematic reviews contained at least 1 conflicted author. Six authors (of 47; 4.1%) disclosed all COI within the systematic review, 23 (of 47; 15.7%) partially disclosed COI but were also found to have undisclosed COI, and 18 (of 47; 12.3%) did not disclose any COI. Thirteen (of 22; 59.1%) contained narratives that favored the treatment group and 19 (of 22; 86.4%) reported conclusions favoring the treatment group. Importantly, 3 systematic reviews were industry-sponsored. In terms of our subgroup analysis, we found several additional industry ties within the primary studies. Conclusion: Our study calls attention to conflicts of interest, industry sponsorship, and their influence on research outcomes in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Further, we provide examples of how specific industry ties can influence systematic reviews and recommendations for reporting.


Background The antifungals are among the pharmacological groups that contribute more to the increase in the number of drugs used each year in Spanish hospitals. One of the strategies adopted to contain the increase in pharmaceutical waste is the agreement of departments to optimise the use of drugs. Purpose To analyse the changes in the trend towards using antifungals of the Haematology department in a tertiary hospital, after the creation and introduction of a protocol for use of those drugs was agreed as an objective for 2011. Materials and methods A descriptive study was made of all the antifungals used by the Haematology department between January-September, performing a comparative analysis 2010-2011. The differences in use of groups of antifungals were found in terms of the number of defined daily doses (DDDs) used, as well as in the financial repercussions. Results The number of antifungals purchased annually by the Haematology department decreased by 20.9%, compared with the overall decrease in the hospital of 22.04%. An increase in the use of echinocandins was noted, the number of DDDs prescribed increasing by 2.88%, Caspofungin being the most used (73.5%). The total DDDs of azoles decreased by 5.93%, oral voriconazole being the drug used less (-33.19%), while an increase in the use of posaconazole was observed (80.18%). The polyene antifungals experienced a higher reduction in use, the DDDs used dropping by 55.49%. The financial repercussions of this reduced use in the Haematology department represented a decrease in the amount of this pharmacological group of 102,200.68 €, contributing 31.36% of the savings achieved by this department in the hospital's total drugs bill. Conclusions The objective agreed for 2011 has modified the trend in antifungal use in the Haematology department. The decrease in the use of polyene antifungals has been the change with the most effect. These modifications have contributed to containing pharmaceutical waste in our hospital.


Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a neurotropic parasite that is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. Rodents infected with T. gondii display a plethora of behavioural alterations, and Toxoplasma infection in humans has been strongly associated with disorders such as schizophrenia, in which impaired social behaviour is an important feature. Elucidating changes at the cellular level relevant to neuropsychiatric conditions can lead to effective therapies. Here, we compare changes in behaviour during an acute and chronic T. gondii infection in female mice. Further, we notice that during chronic phase of infection, mice display impaired sociability when exposed to a novel conspecific. Also, we show that T. gondii infected mice display impaired short-term social recognition memory. However, object recognition memory remains intact. Using c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity, we show that infection leads to an impairment in neuronal activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus as well as the amygdala when mice are exposed to a social environment and a change in functional connectivity between these regions. We found changes in synaptic proteins that play a role in the process of neuronal activation such as synaptophysin, PSD-95 and changes in downstream substrates of cell activity such as cyclic AMP, phospho-CREB and BDNF. Our results point towards an imbalance in neuronal activity that can lead to a wider range of neuropsychiatric problems upon T. gondii infection.


Objective:
The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether interrelationship among lipid profiles including nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and lipid ratio, arterial stiffness and vascular smooth muscle cell function are demonstrated in a cross-sectional setting of the community-based Japanese women.

Methods:
We studied 42 women were enrolled in this study. The lipid parameters were assessed including non- HDL-C, triglyceride/HDL-C (TG/HDL-C) ratio, total cholesterol/HDL-C (TC/HDL-C) ratio and low density lipoprotein cholesterol/HDL-C (LDL-C/HDL-C) ratio. Arterial stiffness was evaluated by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) procedure. Brachial artery measures including flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), nitroglycerinmediated vasodilation (NMD), brachial artery diameter (BAD), FMD/NMD ratio and post-nitroglycerin brachial artery diameter (P-NTGD) examinations were studied in all subjects by using brachial artery ultrasonography. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function was assessed by NMD.
Results:
There were significantly positive correlations between non-HDL-C and right baPWV (r=0.47, p=0.003), between TG/HDL-C and right baPWV (r=0.42, p=0.01), and between TC/HDL-C and right baPWV (r=0.44, p=0.006). There were significantly positive correlations between non-HDL-C and left baPWV (r=0.48, p=0.003),
between TG/HDL-C and left baPWV (r=0.35, p=0.035), and between TC/HDL-C and left baPWV (r=0.37, p=0.026). There were significantly negative correlations between non- HDL-C and NMD (r=-0.45, p=0.003), between TG/HDL-C and NMD (r=-0.35, p=0.025), and between TC/HDL-C and NMD (r=-0.36, p=0.021).Correlations between NMD and right baPWV (p=-0.42, p=0.009) and between NMD and left ba PWV (p=-0.51, r=0.001) were also significantly recognized. Interrelationship among non-HDL-C, baPWV, and NMD and among lipid ratios including TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C, baPWV, and NMD was found.

Conclusion:
Interrelationship among lipid fractions, arterial stiffness and VSMC function was shown and lipid profiles may be respectively associated with structure and function alterations of VSMC rather than endothelial dysfunction. We will suggest that lipid fractions may reflect the structure and function changes of VSMC in the cross-sectional setting of the community-based Japanese women.


textabstractBackground: Recently, the phase 3 keynote-189 trial showed that in previously untreated
patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC without targetable mutations, the
progression-free and overall survival were significantly longer with addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy than with chemotherapy alone. Both chemotherapy and pembrolizumab can give renal toxicity, which can be a major challenge in the clinical setting.
Methods: In a prospective multicenter observational real-life cohort study [Visser Eur
Respir J 2018], we evaluated the incidence of acute/chronic kidney disease (AKD/
CKD), its related treatment discontinuation frequency and associated clinical variables
with AKD in patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC treated with platinum/pemetrexed. In
addition, the Keynote 189 toxicity data was used for the combination treatment. We
thereafter reviewed literature to generate an algorithm for diagnosis and treatment in
increased creatinine levels.
Results: 149 patients received pemetrexed platinum, of whom 44 patients (30%) continued
maintenance. During induction therapy 48 patients (50%) treated with cisplatinum/pemetrexed developed AKD and 15 patients (29%) treated with carboplatin/pemetrexed. During
maintenance 13 patients (30%) developed AKD, leading to CKD and treatment discontinuation in eight patients (62%). In the Keynote 189 trial combining pembrolizumab with chemotherapy, nephritis has been reported in 1,7% of patients in any grade (1,5% grade 3-4).
However, when looking at an increased blood creatinine in the group that was treated with
carboplatin, a total of 12,2% of patients showed any increase (0,7% grade 3-4).
Conclusions: Increased blood creatinine levels from pemetrexed and pembrolizumab
is a common entity, probably more common in a real-life setting. This elevation is clinically challenging in a population that receives three agents that can cause a creatinine
increase. Currently, there are no markers to distinguish between renal failure due to
chemotherapy of immunotherapy. We will present an algorithm based on current
knowledge for clinicians as guidance for renal dysfunction in patients treated with chemotherapy and pd-(l)1 checkpoint inhibitors.


The paper approaches the question of the role of the three different sectors in rural population development. A regression with data from 1606 rural Swiss municipalities shows that activity in the farming sector enhances population growth to a greater degree than activity in the industrial sector. Employment in the service sector was not found to sustain population growth in rural municipalities, whereas commuting possibilities had a strongly stabilising impact. Other important determinants were wealth, the number of holiday homes and demographic factors. A qualitative study of four rural municipalities largely confirmed the findings of the regression, but also showed the importance of non-economic factors influencing the relative attractiveness of a rural municipality.


Historically, labour dispute resolution in South Africa has been synonymous with being
expensive, unnecessarily lengthy and ineffective. The Labour Relations Act (LRA) 66 of
1995 set out to change this through the creation of the Commission for Conciliation,
Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The design of the CCMA is centred on a dispute
resolution institution that adopts a quick, cheap and non-legalistic approach to dispute
resolution. Through the introduction of compulsory arbitration for specified dismissal and
unfair labour practice disputes, the LRA granted the CCMA the mandate of upholding the
objectives of industrial peace and reducing exorbitant legal costs. The outcome of arbitration
proceedings conducted under the auspices of the CCMA are final and binding. Accordingly,
this sui generis type of proceedings aimed at being cheap and informal has several
implications. The adherence to traditional legal principles, in particular the rules relating to
the presentation and admissibility of evidence cannot be adhered to rigorously in a forum
where parties are unrepresented and that has informality as a defining feature. This paper set
out to examine the proposition that based on various statutory powers; arbitrations are to be
conducted informally and free from legalism- which necessarily entails a relaxation if not
elimination of the traditional exclusionary rules pertaining to the presentation and admission
of evidence.


This paper uses newly available data on Chinese trade flows to establish novel and confirm existing stylized facts about firm heterogeneity in trade. First, the bulk of exports and imports are captured by a few multi-product firms that transact with a large number of countries. Second, the average importer imports more products than the average exporter exports, but exporters trade with more countries than importers do. Third, compared to private domestic firms, foreign affiliates and joint ventures trade more and import more products from more source countries, but export fewer products to fewer destinations. Fourth, the relationship between firms' intensive and extensive margin of trade is non-monotonic, differs between exporters and importers, and depends on the ownership structure of the firm. Fifth, firms frequently exit and re-enter into trade and regularly change their product mix and trade partners, but foreign firms exhibit less churning. Finally, most of the growth in Chinese exports between 2003-2005 was driven by deepening and broadening of trade relationships by surviving firms, while reallocations across firms contributed only 30%. These stylized facts shed light on the cost structure of international trade and the importance of foreign ownership for firms' export and import decisions.


Polyneuropathy is a disease involving multiple peripheral nerves injuries. Axon regrowth remains the major prerequisite for plasticity, regeneration, circuit formation, and eventually functional recovery and therefore, regulation of neurite outgrowth might be a candidate for treating polyneuropathies. In a recent study, we synthesized and established the methylene-cycloalkylacetate (MCAs) pharmacophore as a lead for the development of a neurotropic drug (inducing neurite/axonal outgrowth) using the PC12 neuronal model. In the present study we extended the characterizations of the in vitro neurotropic effect of the derivative 3-(3-allyl-2-methylenecyclohexyl) propanoic acid (MCA-13) on dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord neuronal cultures and analyzed its safety properties using blood biochemistry and cell counting, acute toxicity evaluation in mice and different in vitro "off-target" pharmacological evaluations. This MCA derivative deserves further preclinical mechanistic pharmacological characterizations including therapeutic efficacy in in vivo animal models of polyneuropathies, toward development of a clinically relevant neurotropic drug.


Causal inference in a program evaluation setting faces the problem of external validity when the treatment effect in the target population is different from the treatment effect identified from the population of which the sample is representative. This paper focuses on a situation where such discrepancy arises by a stratified sampling design based on the individual treatment status and other characteristics. In such settings, the design probability is known from the sampling design but the target population depends on the underlying population share vector which is often unknown, and except for special cases, the treatment effect parameters are not identified. In this paper, we propose a method of constructing confidence sets that are valid for a given range of population shares. When a benchmark population share vector and a corresponding estimator of a treatment effect parameter are given, we develop a method to discover the scope of external validity with familywise error rate control. Finally, we derive an optimal sampling design which minimizes the semiparametric efficiency bound given a population share associated with a target population. We provide Monte Carlo simulation results and an empirical application to demonstrate the usefulness of our proposals.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) as an emerging technology faces numerous challenges. Sensor nodes are usually resource constrained. Sensor nodes are also vulnerable to physical attacks or node compromises. As the projected applications for wireless sensor networks range from smart applications such as traffic monitoring to critical military applications such as measuring levels of gas concentration in battle fields, security in sensor networks becomes a prime concern. In sensitive applications, it becomes imperative to continuously monitor the transient state of the system rather than steady state observations and take requisite preventive and corrective actions. The network is prone to attack by adversaries who intend to disrupt the functioning of the system by compromising the sensor nodes and injecting false data into the network. So it is important to shield the sensor network from false data injection attacks. We use a novel bandwidth-efficient cooperative authentication (BECAN) scheme for filtering injected false data based on Bloom Filter.


Pyrophosphates are the key intermediates in the biosynthesis of isoprenoids, and their concentrations could reveal the benefits of statins in cardiovascular diseases. Quantitative analysis of five pyrophosphates, including isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP), geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP), was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in negative ion- ization mode. After dilution with methanol, samples were separated on a 3 µm particle multi-modal C18 column (50 ×2m m) and quantified within 10 min. The gradient elution consists of 10 mM ammonium bicarbonate and 0.5% triethylamine (TEA) in water and 0.1% TEA in 80% acetonitrile was used at the flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Overall recoveries were 51.4-106.6%, while the limit of quantification was 0.05 µg/mL for GPP and FPP and 0.1 µg/mL for IPP, DMAPP, and GGPP. The precision (% CV) and accuracy (% bias) of the assay were 1.9-12.3% and 89.6-111.8%, respectively, in 0.05-10 µg/mL calibration ranges (R 2 > 0.993). The devised LC-MS/MS technique with the multi-modal C18 column can be used to estimate the biological activity of pyrophosphates in plasma and may be applicable to cardiovascular events with cholesterol metabolism as well as the drug efficacy of statins.


QBF solvers implementing the QCDCL paradigm are powerful algorithms that
successfully tackle many computationally complex applications. However, our
theoretical understanding of the strength and limitations of these QCDCL
solvers is very limited.
 In this paper we suggest to formally model QCDCL solvers as proof systems. We
define different policies that can be used for decision heuristics and unit
propagation and give rise to a number of sound and complete QBF proof systems
(and hence new QCDCL algorithms). With respect to the standard policies used in
practical QCDCL solving, we show that the corresponding QCDCL proof system is
incomparable (via exponential separations) to Q-resolution, the classical QBF
resolution system used in the literature. This is in stark contrast to the
propositional setting where CDCL and resolution are known to be p-equivalent.
 This raises the question what formulas are hard for standard QCDCL, since
Q-resolution lower bounds do not necessarily apply to QCDCL as we show here. In
answer to this question we prove several lower bounds for QCDCL, including
exponential lower bounds for a large class of random QBFs.
 We also introduce a strengthening of the decision heuristic used in classical
QCDCL, which does not necessarily decide variables in order of the prefix, but
still allows to learn asserting clauses. We show that with this decision
policy, QCDCL can be exponentially faster on some formulas.
 We further exhibit a QCDCL proof system that is p-equivalent to Q-resolution.
In comparison to classical QCDCL, this new QCDCL version adapts both decision
and unit propagation policies.


In this paper we investigate the relationship between education and completed fertility decisions at couple level for some EU countries. For this purpose we control for demographic, social and economic conditions, by using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) dataset. In order to handle the endogeneity issue in fertility decisions, we use the Linear Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) method, where female's education is instrumented by her partner's education. The contribution to the literature is to investigate the extent to which the effect of education on fertility may be intensified by the postponement and the career effects.


Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) consists mainly of water, but also contains semivolatile and nonvolatile compounds. The aim of this study was to develop a system in which two condensers are simultaneously used in series to clarify the mechanisms of EBC condensation. Two aliquots of EBC (EBC1 and EBC2) were collected from 20 asymptomatic smokers and 20 healthy young nonsmokers using a specifically designed device having two condensers in series in which total volume, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), ammonium (NH(4)(+)), and conductivity before and after lyophilization were measured. Water, NH(4)(+) levels and conductivity before lyophilization were significantly lower in the EBC2 than in the EBC1 of smokers and nonsmokers; the contrary was true for H(2)O(2) levels. Almost all nonvolatile salts were collected in the first condenser, because more than 50% of postlyophilization conductivity was below the detection limit in EBC2. The recovery of volatile molecules and their derivatives (water and NH(4)(+)) was partial in the first condenser, but appreciable amounts of both were measured in the second; however, the condenser immediately in contact with exhaled air was more efficient in terms of water, NH(4)(+) and conductivity before lyophilization. On the contrary, nonvolatile ions (conductivity after lyophilization) were mainly collected in the first condenser. Finally, the behavior of H(2)O(2) cannot be explained on the basis of its chemical and physical properties, and the most probable explanation is that some was byproduced by a radical reaction in the gas phase or during the condensation process in water.


BACKGROUND
A phase 3 trial in patients with cancer who received chemotherapy has shown that subcutaneous (SC) APF530, a sustained-delivery formulation of granisetron, is noninferior to palonosetron in preventing acute (0-24 hours) and delayed (>24-120 hours) chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

OBJECTIVES
To investigate the sustainability of APF530 antiemetic responses during multiple chemotherapy cycles.

METHODS
1,395 patients receiving moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy (MEC and HEC, respectively) were randomized either to APF530 250 or 500 mg SC (containing granisetron 5 or 10 mg, respectively) or palonosetron 0.25 mg intravenously before cycle 1 of chemotherapy. Patients who received palonosetron in cycle 1 were rerandomized in cycles 2-4 to APF530 250 or 500 mg; those who received APF530 in cycle 1 continued their APF530 dose. Between-group response rates were compared using the Fisher exact test.

RESULTS
Complete response (CR; no emesis, no rescue medication) for APF530 500 mg with HEC increased from 81.3% to 87.8% over 4 cycles in the acute phase of CINV, and from 67.1% to 83.1% in the delayed phase. Rates were slightly lower with MEC. Within-cycle CR rates between APF530 doses showed no significant differences. With HEC, APF530 500 mg provided sustained CRs through 4 cycles of chemotherapy in 68.4% of patients in the acute phase and in 57.9% in the delayed phase; with MEC, corresponding CRs were 56.5% and 41.3%. Nausea prevention was nearly as effective as emesis prevention.

LIMITATIONS
Chemotherapy emetogenicity was classified according to Hesketh criteria during the time of this study. However, subsequent post hoc analyses indicate that reclassification according to newer ASCO emetogenicity guidelines did not alter the original study noninferiority conclusions.

CONCLUSIONS
CR rates with APF530 during the acute and delayed phases of CINV in MEC and HEC were maintained over multiple cycles.


Abstract The Ediacara biota of the late Neoproterozoic is justly famous as a biological puzzle. Studies of Ediacaran biology have commonly used analogy with living organisms as a cipher for the decoding of biological affinity, and consequently the life mode and habit. Here, we discuss the problems of using such analogous reasoning and put forward our alternative approach, that of using Morphospace Analysis for the study of growth, form and phylogeny. This tool, we suggest, has the potential to be used for testing the unity of an evolutionary clade, such as 'rangeomorphs' and 'dickinsoniomorphs'. Preliminary data from the members of the Ediacara biota do indeed show such a unity within our preliminary morphospace model (all k values are low). This method reveals no clear relationships, between these forms and more recent biological groups such as the sea pens or the Foraminifera.


INTRODUCTION: The social, language, and behavioral problems that occur with autism suggest that the syndrome affects a functionally diverse and widely distributed set of neural systems. The temporal lobe is an important part of the social brain, and manifests morphological and functional alterations in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). AIM. To describe the relationship between autism, epilepsy and temporal lobe dysfunction. DEVELOPMENT: Psychopathology is common in children with temporal lobe epilepsy, with over-representation of ASD and unusual disruptive behaviour disorders. Behaviors associated with damage to the amygdala and related temporal lobe structures in humans and nonhuman primates are strikingly similar to those seen in autism. The anatomic alterations observed in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy involve those structures responsible for social brain functioning, mainly amygdala, hippocampus and superior temporal sulcus. This is supported by studies demonstrating associations among temporal lobe epilepsy, ASD, and neuroimaging alterations in the hippocampus and amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: The complex relationship between autism and epilepsy, as reflected in the autism-temporal lobe epilepsy phenotype, provides a bridge to further knowledge of shared neuronal networks that can account for both the autisms and the epilepsies. There is a critical early stage of brain maturation during which temporal lobe epilepsy perturbs the development of brain systems that underpin social intelligence and possibly other cognitive skills, disrupting normal cortical organization and circuitry, thereby inducing an ASD. It's difficult to know if these patients became autistic because of repetitive epileptic seizures and/or persistent epileptiform activity on the EEG or because of the epileptogenic and psychopathological effects of temporal lobe lesions during early development (infancy and early childhood).


Abstract Few North American studies have quantified differences in bat community composition between summer and winter. In southerly regions, especially the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico, winters are mild and experience only short periods of freezing weather annually. In regions such as this, there may be a substantive community of bats that are active in the winter. We examined seasonality of the bat community in the Kisatchie National Forest of Louisiana. We mist-netted bats for 130 nights during winter and 51 nights during summer and caught 200 and 190 bats, respectively, from 10 different species. Corynorhinus rafinesquii (Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat), Lasiurus borealis (Eastern Red Bat), and Lasionycteris noctivagans (Silver-haired Bat) were more frequently captured in winter, all other species were captured more frequently in summer. Significant differences existed between summer and winter in species richness and abundance of bats, but not for Shannon's diversity index. Across the entire year and in winter, more bats were caught on nights with higher temperature than on nights with lower temperatures. Although there was much temporal variation in species composition, we found a substantial bat community that is active in the winter in the Kisatchie National Forest of Louisiana.


Asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy, or Jeune syndrome, is an autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia with multiorgan involvement. Most patients develop progressive respiratory insufficiency related to the abnormally small thorax and renal insufficiency. Other clinical manifestations include cystic lesions of the pancreas and retinal abnormalities. Hepatic abnormalities have been described both clinically and at autopsy, but the pathogenesis of the liver disease is not clear. A patient with Jeune syndrome developed complications because of progressive portal hypertension necessitating transplantation. We pres-ent a discussion of the gross and histopathologic findings in the explanted liver, along with a review of the pathology of liver disease in Jeune syndrome.


Although women have proved to be competent in adopting new aquaculture technologies, their role is very much restricted and often ignored. One of the major reasons is the location of aquaculture sites and several sociocultural taboos against women who strive to earn for their familyAEs subsistence in rural areas. There is a gender bias in many aquaculture activities. To ensure that women utilize their full potential in profitable activities like aquaculture, it is necessary to provide capacity building support to rural women, which will eventually lead to their empowerment. In countries like India, the technology provided to women must take into account cultural aspects. One such project - backyard ornamental fish breeding and management - has been found to offer immense scope for improving the livelihood of rural women. This paper gives some practical tips for dissemination of technology in the rural sector, particularly to rural women.


In restinga soils with sand-quartzous constitution the influence of the organic fraction and biological activity on soil key functions is increased, e.g., the capacity of recycling and storing nutrients. The analysis of soil attributes and edaphic fauna at sites under different vegetation cover types is important to understand the behavior of these environments. In this study, chemical, physical and microbiological soil attributes of restinga sites and their relationships with ant populations under different vegetation types in the state of Sergipe were evaluated. Samples of six vegetation types (three sites per cover) were collected, four of which in the area of Caju (forest, ginger-grass, coconut palm plantation and brushwood) and two in the area of Pirambu (dune plateau forest and dune footslope forest). Chemical attributes were analyzed in samples collected from the layers 0-5 and 5-20 cm and the microbial activity evaluated by hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate, in samples collected from the 0-10 cm layer. The organic fragment mass was evaluated at different depths. Ant communities with activity on the soil surface were considered for evaluation. The principal component analysis was used to compare the sites. The organic compartment attributes (organic C, dissolved organic C and organic fragments) were very sensitive to modifications in the vegetation cover at Caju sites, isolating the native forest sites from the disturbed ones and the ginger-grass site from the coconut palm and brushwood sites. Soil solution attributes influenced by sea-salt spray (electric conductivity, K, Na and Mg) distinguished the Pirambu from the Caju sites. The ant groups had a high level of specialization. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated a low percentage of variance of distribution of these groups and isolated the forest sites from other uses, indicating the existence of other attributes to be considered for distribution.


Role is very crucial in our daily life. People play different roles at different places and times. Their role can change from being staffs at the office, customers at shop, and parents at home. Moreover, people's role influences their motivation level, job satisfaction, peace of mind and security to resources or belongings. Role is vital in networked collaborative virtual environment (NCVE) as all the users are invisible. They do not see each other like in face to face situation. Thus, role representation must be clearly defined and set in order to enhance communication, coordination and cooperation which lead to the achievement of shared goals in the virtual space. This paper studies roles in five organizational structures within real world organizations. In addition, investigation of roles in various applications within virtual world is also carried out. The main focus of the study is to extract the core elements of roles with respect to their involvements and authorities. The findings show that there is no direct correlation between both parameters due to the uniqueness of such elements. We conclude that there are six generic roles available in any organization.


Cancer is a result of a number of genetic alterations that disturb normal, controlled cell growth and differentiation. Mutational events leading to the activation of oncogenes or the inactivation of tumor-suppressor genes have been linked causally to the formation of tumors. p53 is one of the most important regulators of transcription, cellular cycle, DNA repair and apoptosis detected to date. Anti-p53 antibodies have been detected in the serum of cancer patients. This immune response is probably due to a self-immunization process linked to the strong immunogenicity of the p53 protein, and is associated predominantly with p53 missense mutation and p53 accumulation in the tumor. Auto-antibodies have also been proposed as potential diagnostic biomarkers for early stage diagnosis of cancers, since an increase in serum levels of certain auto-antibodies has been shown to precede the development of disease symptoms and correlate with cancer incidence for various cancers including breast and lung cancer. Here we systematically evaluate reactivity of antibodies in p53 positive serum samples and identify reactive epitopes to normal and mutant peptides using a high-density (2.9 Million) peptide microarray. We assess the effect of linker length, peptide length, and flanking serines on antibody detection. We propose peptide array design parameters that can be applied to a whole proteome level to enable biomarker discovery and validation of novel auto-antibody epitopes associated with cancer. Citation Format: Ken C. Lo, John C. Tan, Eric Sullivan, Ryan Bannen, Todd Richmond, Florian Grupp, Stefan Weiser, Dieter Heindl, Klaus-Peter Stengele, Albert Thomas. Anti-p53 auto-antibody serum profiling using high-density peptide arrays. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A156.


Finding articles, books & background information on management topics; case studies & the case method of teaching; corporate social responsibility & business ethics; international business; strategy; writing & citing. Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics


Background : Gynaecological malignancies are important component of reproductive health and contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality in women. They have a world-wide distribution which varies from region to region. Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of gynaecological malignancies at Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu South Eastern Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all patients with histologically confirmed genital tract malignancies at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Imo State  University Teaching Hospital Orlu in South Eastern Nigeria from 1 st of January, 2004 to 31 st of December, 2013. Results: Out of 218 cases of gynaecological malignancies, 131 (60.1%) were cervical cancer, 45(20.6%) were ovarian cancer, 23 (10.6%) were cancers of the corpus uteri, 12(5.5%) were choriocarcinoma, 11(5.1%) were endometrial cancers while vaginal cancer accounted for only 1 (0.5%). The age distribution was mainly within the 30-69 age range 184 (84.4%) with a peak occurrence at the 40-49 age group 75 (34.4%). The incidence of cervical and ovarian cancers peaked at 40-49 years with 52 (39.7%) and 11 (24.5%) of the individual cancers respectively. The gynaecological malignancies appeared to occur less at the extremes of age (<20 years and ≥70 years). Conclusion: Cervical cancer was the commonest type of gynaecological malignancy in this study, despite the fact that it is the most preventable of all the gynaecological malignancies and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Nigeria. Establishment of a nationwide health insurance scheme that covers cervical cancer screening and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination augmented by health education and awareness creation is very vital towards curbing this ugly trend.


In order to remain in operation by maintaining a balance between demand and supply, grid operators in many developing countries often resort to disconnecting the load on parts of the grid from supply. This measure, known as load shedding, is often necessitated by shortages in their supply capacity. A consequence of load shedding is that households in disconnected parts are left without supply. In addition, existing load shedding schemes do not take fairness into consideration at the household level, meaning that some homes bear the brunt of load shedding. Against this background, we present a number of fair household-level load shedding solutions in this thesis. We first simulate a representative dataset for formulating and evaluating our solutions from a Pecan Street Inc. dataset. Thereafter, we model homes as agents and, in so doing, create a vector of values (i.e., the comfort vector) to embody their electricity needs. Thereupon, we develop a first set of solutions which result in homes being connected to electricity for even durations. Following this, we develop a second set of solutions which make up for the limitations of the first, in that they factor the comfort values of agents into consideration. In developing the second set of solutions, we establish agent utilities in terms of the number of hours they are connected to supply, the comfort they derive from supply, and the level at which their demand is satisfied. Then, we model the solutions as Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) problems, with objectives and constraints that maximize the groupwise and individual utilities of agents and minimize the pairwise differences between their utilities. Using a number of experiments, we show how the MIP solutions outperform the heuristics, by producing results which outperform and Pareto dominate those of the heuristics in terms of all utilities. When taken together, this thesis establishes a set of benchmarks for fair load shedding schemes. In addition, it provides insights for designing fair allocation solutions for other scarce resources.


On the basis of monthly samples, we measured the secondary production of the amphi- pod Jassa slatteryi Conlan 1990, on a Zostera marina L. seagrass bed in Gwangyang Bay, southern Korea. The standing crop of seagrass showed 2 peaks in spring and fall, with maximum biomass in May. Biomass distribution of J. slatteryi was positively correlated with the standing crop of seagrass (p < 0.05), suggesting that there is a biological interaction between these 2 species. J. slatteryi dis- plays 2 main breeding periods during the year; in spring (March to May) and in fall (October to December). The biomass of J. slatteryi and the standing crop of seagrass in the spring was much higher than in the fall. The annual secondary production of J. slatteryi in the Gwangyang Bay sea- grass bed (20.07 g dry weight m -2 yr -1 ) is the highest reported in amphipods inhabiting seagrass beds. However, the annual production:biomass (P:B) ratio, at 5.21, was lower than recorded previously in both temperate and tropical seagrass beds because the number of generations decreases the P:B ratio. The combination of high abundance and secondary production suggests an important role for J. slatteryi in the seagrass-bed ecosystem as a trophic link from primary producers to higher con- sumers.


Central EU-level documents concerning the bioeconomy were reviewed, focusing on carbon and climate issues. The bioeconomy is connected to most UN Sustainable Development Goals, and tied to several EU policy sectors and priorities, incl. climate and energy, biodiversity, circular economy, agriculture, forestry, industrial policy, regional policy, and research and innovation. Their interlinkages with the bioeconomy have not been taken sufficiently into account in current EU policy. Work is needed on building the coherence and addressing sustainability. A wider group of actors is needed to fulfil the potential of the bioeconomy, including consumers, cities, regions, the educational and research sectors, service providers, and small-scale biomass producers, as the bioeconomy is not only about large-scale industry. Circular economy and the bioeconomy need to be developed in tandem. Standards, sustainability criteria and other types of regulation will increasingly be needed. The situation is also constantly evolving, as new issues and topics emerge. New sectors, e.g., construction, should also be included, as well as services and ecosystem services. The bioeconomy can offer solutions to the carbon issue in three ways. First, the biomass-producing sectors can upkeep and increase carbon sinks. Post-2020 CAP and climate-smart forestry may emphasise this function. Second, biobased products having a long lifetime, such as wooden buildings, may constitute carbon sinks. The cascade principle, waste prevention and sector specific regulations are relevant. Third, bio-based products may substitute non-renewable products, e.g., in chemical industry, packaging, and energy. Public procurement, product standards and sectoral policies may be harnessed to increase their markets. It must be ensured that the bio-based products have (significantly) lower GHG emissions over their life-cycle. It is also vital that the use of bio-based products implements substitution rather than additional production and consumption. There are tradeoffs between the ways in which the bioeconomy can contribute to the climate challenge. Competing uses for biomass as well as the competition between sinks and harvests are inbuilt risks in the bioeconomy. The focus in the bioeconomy discussion is on production, economic growth and employment. Critical views about consumption and material growth are largely absent. All currently used fossil and other non-renewable resources cannot be replaced with biomass. Circularity, waste prevention and energy efficiency should be emphasised, and discussion on sustainable lifestyles should be more prominent. Publisher Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Distributed by/ publication sales Distribution by: julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi Publication sales: julkaisutilaukset.valtioneuvosto.fi


The need for committed and competent public interest lawyers has never been greater. We are at a unique juncture in U.S. history where there is both a supply and demand for social justice lawyers. Law schools, however, still fall short in their support and preparation of students who want to be public interest lawyers. Legal education still tends to reproduce social hierarchies, channeling top students into high paying jobs at big firms, with only the very top and most persistent students qualifying for judicial clerkships or a handful of prestigious fellowships. It is vital that students see from Day One of law school that they can use their legal training to make a positive difference in the world, and that throughout their three years of law school they learn the doctrine, develop the litigation skills, and have the kinds of experiential opportunities that will prepare them for this work.

This article demonstrates how experiential learning in law school can prepare students for the practice of law and, if done well, instill in them a life-long commitment to social justice. The success of these efforts ultimately turns on working collaboratively with student leaders with a shared commitment to immigrant justice, winning the support of key people in the administration, and ensuring that the experience for students is both emotionally and intellectually rewarding. Our signature achievement was the Karnes Pro Bono Project. Teams of students have, on three separate occasions, worked side by side with attorneys and staff from RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, at the Karnes family detention center, assisting Central American parents and children through the credible fear screening process and helping them qualify for asylum and release from detention. Not only have the students acquired a deeper understanding of the legal, political, and practical obstacles to asylum faced by refugees at the border. They have had the deeply moving and transformative experience of meeting with detained families seeking asylum, hearing their testimonials, preparing their statements, counseling them, helping them through the credible fear screening process, and ultimately learning their fates.


This paper examines the effect of consanguineous marriages on fertility and infant and child mortality in Egypt using country's Demographic Health Survey 2000 data a nationally representative sample of 16957 households from six governorates of Egypt that includes 15573 ever-married women aged 15-49. These women have been grouped into three separate categories of marriages, namely, 'close consanguineous', 'remote consanguineous' and 'nonconsanguineous'. GLIM and logistic regression models have been used to see the impact of consanguinity on fertility and offspring's mortality, respectively after exercising statistical controls on selected socio-economic variables. The results show higher fertility among close consanguineous and remote consanguineous couples. The risk of infant mortality was higher by 30% and 19% in these two groups of women, respectively. Similarly, the risk of child mortality is found elevated among the close consanguineous couples by more than 50% and among remote consanguineous couples by 27% as compared to non-consanguineous unions.


There are limitations associated with the application of non-market valuation techniques, including choice experiments, in subsistence economies. In part, this is due to the concern that using money as a mode of contribution may not capture the potential contribution of low-income households. To address this limitation, respondents in this study were provided with the option of contributing towards the management of invasive plants in labour terms if they were unwilling to contribute in monetary terms. The results show that the existing practice of using dollar values to estimate willingness to contribute may disproportionately exclude the concerns of some groups within the community. The analysis also indicates that allowing respondents to express their willingness to contribution in labour increases their participation in environmental decision-making processes and hence, increases the estimated value of forest ecosystem services. This study contributes to the limited empirical literature on the development of non-market valuation surveys, including CEs, in low-income countries in general and rural areas in particular.


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We propose a scheme of iterative adjustments to the profile score to deal with incidental-parameter bias in models for stratified data with few observations on a large number of strata. The first-order adjustment is based on a calculation of the profile-score bias and evaluation of this bias at maximum-likelihood estimates of the incidental parameters. If the bias does not depend on the incidental parameters, the first-order adjusted profile score is fully recentered, solving the incidental-parameter problem. Otherwise, it is approximately recentered, alleviating the incidental-parameter problem. In the latter case, the adjustment can be iterated to give higher-order adjustments, possibly until convergence. The adjustments are generally applicable (e.g., not requiring parameter orthogonality) and lead to estimates that generally improve on maximum likelihood. We examine a range of nonlinear models with covariates. In many of them, we obtain an adjusted profile score that is exactly unbiased. In the others, we obtain approximate bias adjustments that yield much improved estimates, relative to maximum likelihood, even when there are only two observations per stratum.


3-Dimensional (3D) technology has seen an increasingly widespread use over the last years, although the concept of 3D has been around for many years. Large studio movies being released in 3D and the development of 3DTVs and 3D games are the major reasons for its increasing popularity. The purpose of this thesis is to specify future collaboration space services based on the use of autostereoscopic 3D technology and propose possible business models. The collaboration spaces are geographically separated and let participants collaborate in a near-natural way through the use of autostereoscopic 3D technology. The business model analysis use the framework of Alexander Osterwalder's business model ontology. Different business aspects are studied in detail, including identification of products, customers and partners. A thorough financial analysis of the services are conducted and the basis for the estimates of the revenue and cost items are found in today's market prices. The results show that the services have a market viability even for small-scale environments.


An equity securities loan is an arrangement in which one party (the lender) agrees to transfer an equity security to another party (the borrower) temporarily, usually in exchange for collateral and a fee. The market for securities loans is an important component of Australia's equity market and contributes to its efficiency and smooth functioning. Regulatory developments since the global financial crisis are contributing to significant changes to the equity securities lending market globally, including in Australia. This article discusses some of these changes and how participants in the market could respond.


Through its life cycle from the insect vector to mammalian hosts Trypanosoma cruzi has developed clever strategies to reach the intracellular milieu where it grows sheltered from the hosts' immune system. We have been interested in several aspects of in vitro interactions of different infective forms of the parasite with cultured mammalian cells. We have observed that not only the classically infective trypomastigotes but also amastigotes, originated from the extracellular differentiation of trypomastigotes, can infect cultured cells. Interestingly, the process of invasion of different parasite infective forms is remarkably distinct and also highly dependent on the host cell type.


Susceptibility to insect bites is similar in humans and animals. The physiology underpinning these hypersensitivity responses can be well interpreted only by studies done on animal populations. Bites of Culicoides insects, caused an IgE-mediated dermatitis of horses in Iceland. Skin testing, serum specific IgE, and sting challenge tests aided in the diagnosis of ant hypersensitivity. Numerous drug therapies are available for the treatment and management of hypersensitivity like epinephrine, corticosteroids, antihistamines, bronchodilators, supportive fluid resuscitation with oxygen therapy, and re-sting avoidance with immunotherapy as a preventive measure. Permethrin-impregnated clothing gave protection against mosquitos. Intralymphatic and intradermal vaccination with recombinant allergens in IC31(®) adjuvant under experimental conditions induced an immune response in horses, without adverse effects and without IgE production.


Now is not the time to consider capping interest deductions for business taxes, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In "Adjusting to Reality: As Proposed, Restricting Corporate Interest Deductibility is Ill-Advised," authors Jack Mintz and V. Balaji Venkatachalam note that the proposal, the implementation of which is currently under serious consideration in Ottawa, would have added $1.45B to Canada's 2019 corporate tax bill.


Mindfulness meditation programs, which train individuals to monitor their present-moment experience in an open or accepting way, have been shown to reduce mind wandering on standardized tasks in several studies. Here we test 2 competing accounts for how mindfulness training reduces mind wandering, evaluating whether the attention-monitoring component of mindfulness training alone reduces mind wandering or whether the acceptance training component is necessary for reducing mind wandering. Healthy young adults (N = 147) were randomized to either a 3-day brief mindfulness training condition incorporating instruction in both attention monitoring and acceptance, a mindfulness training condition incorporating attention monitoring instruction only, a relaxation training condition, or an active reading-control condition. Participants completed measures of dispositional mindfulness and treatment expectancies before the training session on Day 1 and then completed a 6-min Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) measuring mind wandering after the training session on Day 3. Acceptance training was important for reducing mind wandering, such that the attention-monitoring plus acceptance mindfulness training condition had the lowest mind wandering relative to the other conditions, including significantly lower mind wandering than the attention-monitoring only mindfulness training condition. In one of the first experimental mindfulness training dismantling studies to-date, we show that training in acceptance is a critical driver of mindfulness-training reductions in mind wandering. This effect suggests that acceptance skills may facilitate emotion regulation on boring and frustrating sustained attention tasks that foster mind wandering, such as the SART.


A rare case of secondary amyloidosis was found in a cadaver with amoebiasis and intrathoracic complications of amoebic liver abscess related with Helminthiasis and Maduromycosis, which proved the peculiarity of Amoebiasis to combine with polyparasitoses, namely Enterobiasis, strongyloidiasis and Wuchereriasis. The authors confirmed that the progression of secondary amyloidosis, most likely hepatopathic amyloidosis, can be accelerated by longstanding course of advanced, severe underlying illness with the development of amoebic complications, especially combined with Helminthiasis and Mycosis.


Due to the high computational complexity of discrete cosine transform (DCT) computation, prediction of zero quantized DCT (ZQDCT) coefficients has been extensively studied to reduce the computational complexity of DCT computation. In this letter, we propose a reconfigurable architecture to support ZQDCT computation. Twelve different modes of DCT computations including zonal coding, multiblock processing, and parallel-sequential stage mode can be performed using proposed architecture. We develop a hybrid model-based quality priority algorithm to reduce power consumption, required hardware resources, and computation time with a small quality degradation.


Bacterial colonization of the epithelial cells precedes infection. Mucins of the epithelial cell secretions modulate bacterial colonization. This study was designed to understand the mechanism of mucin-bacterial interactions and in particular binding between nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae and nasopharyngeal mucin(s). In an overlay assay, binding appears to be mediated by outer membrane proteins P2 and P5 of bacteria and sialic acid-containing oligosaccharides of mucin.


This paper addresses two key technological barriers to the wider adoption of patient telemonitoring systems for chronic disease management, namely, usability and sensor device interoperability. As a great percentage of chronic patients are elderly patients as well, usability of the system has to be adapted to their needs. This paper identifies (from previous research) a set of design criteria to address these challenges, and describes the resulting system based on a wireless sensor network, and including a node as a custom-made interface that follows usability design criteria stated. This system has been tested with 22 users (mean age 65) and evaluated with a validated usability questionnaire. Results are good and improve those of other systems based on TV or smartphone. Our results suggest that user interfaces alternative to TVs and smartphones could play an important role on the usability of sensor networks for patient monitoring. Regarding interoperability, only very recently a standard has been published (2010, the ISO IEEE 11073 Personal health devices) that can support the needs of limited computational power environments typical of patient monitoring sensor networks.


Animation in computer graphics is implemented mostly by deforming solid objects. In this approach, dynamic motion is not coupled with deformation. In this proposed work, an attempt is made to deform surfaces to implement animation. Instead of deforming solid objects, deforming surfaces will take much less time as the number of graphic primitives (such as lines and curves) will be less compared to solid objects like spheres, cylinders etc. The main objective of this research work is to implement deformation of regular objects using OpenGL. Open GL codes are rarely found in the literature for implementing regular deformation.


Abstract A major component of tax administration reform in sub-Saharan Africa for the last 30 years has been the creation of semi-autonomous revenue authorities (SARAs). The effects of their creation on revenue performance have been much debated, although there are only a few quantitative studies. The core argument of this paper is that existing research suggesting diverse and contradictory outcomes has not taken account of trends in revenue performance in the years before the establishment of SARAs. Allowing for this revenue history our analysis, based on 46 countries over the period 1980–2015, provides no robust evidence that SARAs induce an increase in revenue performance. This does not imply that SARAs may not provide benefits for tax collection, but they do not demonstrably increase (or decrease) revenue collected.


The preservation of Synsepalum dulcificum has been researched by using chitosan coating as the antistaling agent at room temperature. The physicochemical indexes, such as rot rate, weight loss ratio, scavenging capability of DPPH• radical, total acidity and sensory quality, were assayed during the process of storage. The optimum formulation of the fresh-keeping agent was as follows: 1.5% chitosan, 1% ascorbic acid, 0.1% Tween-80 and 1.0% glycerol. The results showed that the coating films could effectively decrease the loss of fruit nutrition and weight-loss ratio, inhibited the respiration and delayed the senescent course during storage.


BACKGROUND:The optimal management of subtotally resected atypical meningiomas is unknown. OBJECTIVE:To perform a retrospective review of patients with residual or recurrent atypical meningiomas treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). METHODS:Twenty-five patients were treated, either immediately after surgery (n = 15) or at the time of radiographic progression or treatment failure (n = 10). SRS was delivered to with a median marginal dose of 22 Gy (range, 16-30) in 1 to 4 fractions (median, 1), targeting a median tumor volume of 5.3 cm3 (range, 0.3-26.0). RESULTS:With a median follow-up time of 28 months (range, 3-67), the 12-, 24-, and 36-month actuarial local and regional control rates for all patients were 94%, 94%, 74%, and 90%, 90%, 62%, respectively. There were 2 cases of radiation toxicity. On univariate analysis, the number of recurrences before SRS (P = .046), late SRS (ie, waiting until tumor progression to initiate treatment) (P = .03), and age at treatment ≥60 years (P = .01) were significant predictors of recurrence. Of the 20 radiation-naïve patients, 2 patients failed with the targeted lesion and 3 elsewhere in the resection bed, resulting in 12-, 24- and 36-month actuarial local and regional control rates of 100%, 100%, 73% and 93%, 93%, 75%, respectively. The overall locoregional control rates at 12, 24, and 36 months were 93%, 93%, and 54%, respectively. CONCLUSION:Irradiation of the entire postoperative tumor bed may not be necessary for the majority of patients with subtotally resected atypical meningiomas. Patients in this series achieved outcomes comparable to that of historical control rates for larger volume, conventionally fractionated radiotherapy.


Smoking is a major public health threat resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of current smoking among different adult populations in Jordan, including Jordanians, refugees, and migrants and determine the factors associated with smoking. A cross-sectional survey was conducted during the period of June–September 2021 among Jordanians, Syrian refugees (both urban and camp refugees), and migrants living in four governorates in Jordan, including Amman, Zarqa, Mafraq, and Irbid. The selection of the four governorates was based on criteria related to the presence of Syrian refugees in host communities. The highest prevalence of cigarette smoking was among urban Jordanians (51.1%), followed by non-camp refugees (46.7%), while the highest prevalence for waterpipe (43.2%) and dual smoking (28.7%) was among non-camp refugees. Being male, aged 25–45 years old, unemployed, and having less than a high school education, as well as being urban Jordanians, were all associated with higher odds of cigarette smoking. Being male, unemployed, and urban Jordanians or non-camp refugees were variables associated with higher odds of waterpipe smoking. The study findings indicate that the identification of smoking prevalence in Jordan and its associated factors, including gender, educational level, employment status, regional area, migration, and exposure to traumas, should be considered by healthcare providers to formulate smoking cessation programs tailored to their needs and ultimately reduce smoking prevalence.


Among 334 patients (aged 15-57 years) with malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma there were 14 who developed CNS complications, none in 144 with lymphoma of low malignancy. Lymphoblastic lymphoma predominated amoung those with CNS involvement. In adults with this form treatment should therefore be undertaken to prevent such complications. The study confirms the need for histological subclassification in malignant non-Hodgkins's lymphoma.


The membrane paradigm is the remarkable view that, to an external observer, a black hole appears to behave exactly like a dynamical fluid membrane, obeying such pre-relativistic equations as Ohm's law and the Navier-Stokes equation. It has traditionally been derived by manipulating the equations of motion. Here we provide an action formulation of this picture, clarifying what underlies the paradigm, and simplifying the derivations. Within this framework, we derive previous membrane results, and extend them to dyonic black hole solutions. We discuss how it is that an action can produce dissipative equations. Using a Euclidean path integral, we show that familiar semi-classical thermodynamic properties of black holes also emerge from the membrane action. Finally, in a Hamiltonian description, we establish the validity of a minimum entropy production principle for black holes. PACS: 03.50.-z, 04.20.-q, 04.70.-s, 04.70.Bw, 04.70.Dy


Governmental efforts to strengthen marriage through a variety of approaches have become increasingly common in the last decade. Societal trends related to family formation, marriage, and divorce have shaped interest in marriage and its stability as a social institution. The public sector has targeted efforts at key stages in the life history of the family system, including preparation for marriage, formation of marriage, rights and responsibilities within marriage, and dissolution of marriage. Particular governmental approaches to preserving and promoting marriage in these contexts are reviewed and discussed, and implications for practitioners and policymakers are outlined.


BACKGROUND
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are associated with increased human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) susceptibility and viral shedding in the genital tract, but the mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood.

METHODS
Direct activation of HIV long terminal repeats (LTRs), a proxy measure for HIV-1 replication, was measured after treatment of 1G5 T cells with Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2 (HSV-1/2), or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. For indirect activation, 1G5 T cells were incubated with supernatants from female primary genital epithelial cells (GECs) previously exposed to these agents. Proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were measured in GEC supernatants. Proinflammatory pathways were blocked to determine the mechanisms of direct and indirect HIV-LTR activation.

RESULTS
HSV-1/2, N. gonorrhoeae, and TLR ligands FimH (TLR-4), flagellin (TLR-5), and Poly (I:C) (TLR-3) directly induced HIV-LTR activation in 1G5 T cells. Supernatants collected from GECs incubated with these agents indirectly induced HIV-LTR activation. Production of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 6, interleukin 8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was elevated in GECs exposed to copathogens. Inhibition of nuclear factor κB and activator protein-1 (AP-1) signaling pathways in 1G5 T cells abrogated both direct and indirect HIV-LTR activation.

CONCLUSIONS
STIs may increase HIV-1 replication in the female genital tract via proinflammatory signaling pathways directly and indirectly via their effects on GECs. This increased HIV-1 replication may enhance sexual and vertical HIV transmission.


A retrospective data analysis was carried out to find the trends in frequency and distribution of different STDs at Chengalpattu during 1988-1994. Of the 4549 patients who attended the clinic 3621 (79.6%) were males and 928 (20.4%) were females. The commonest STD was Chancroid (24.4%) in men and Syphillis (29%) in women. Balanoposthitis (11.4%) ranked third among STDs in males. Though the STD attendance showed a declining trend, most diseases showed a constant distribution. The percentage composition of secondary and latent syphillis, Genital Warts, Genital Herpes and the Non-Venereal group showed an increased composition in recent years. Primary syphillis in females showed a definite declining trend. The HIV sero-positive detection rate was 2.06%. Of the 1116 patients screened for HIV antibody, 23 patients were detected sero-positive. Time Series Regression Analysis was used to predict the number of patients who would attend the STD clinic with various STDs in 1995 and 1996 to help in the understanding of the disease load and pattern in future, in resources management and in developing and evaluating preventive measures.


It has often been claimed that there is a natural or universal language of gesture, one that communicates directly without words. The present essay critically scrutinizes some older efforts to recover such a natural language of gesture, including John Bulwer's seventeenth-century Chirologia and Chironomia, and the classical South Asian systems of Natyashastra and Tantra. Although these older systems lay claim to communicate and even to represent nature directly, often by virtue of a posited iconic or mimetic relationship to nature, closer examination reveals that they signify only in terms of a conventional code. Moreover, the very effort to replace gesture with a verbal gloss held to constitute its "meaning" reveals a gap between signifier and signified that is analogous to the gap between culture and nature, as well as present and past, that these systems of gesture attempt to bridge rhetorically. These systems demonstrate, not the existence of a natural language of gesture, but rather the function of the idea of such a language in an ideology in which gesture is to nature as speech is to culture. Although the failure of such earlier systems does not vitiate modern, scientific studies of gesture, it does suggest greater circumspection regarding what may be hoped to be achieved by such studies.


INTRODUCTION
Shigellosis is still a major public health problem in sub-Saharan countries, especially among children.

METHODOLOGY
The prevalence of shigellosis in children presenting with diarrhoea in the Complexe Pédiatrique de Bangui, Central African Republic, was determined. Stools were analyzed in the bacteriology laboratory of the Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central African Republic, where identification of Shigella species and analysis of antibiotics susceptibility were performed.

RESULTS
A total of 15 strains of Shigella were isolated from 156 stools; Shigella flexneri was the only species found. Two infected children died of dehydration. Most strains were resistant to antibiotics except quinolones, which were active on all of these strains.

CONCLUSIONS
The control of Shigella infections should be reinforced in Bangui, and accurate, affordable and rapid methods of diagnosis would be helpful.


The OceanGliders program started in 2016 to support active coordination and enhancement of global glider activity. OceanGliders contributes to the international efforts of the Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS) for Climate, Ocean Health, and Operational Services. It brings together marine scientists and engineers operating gliders around the world: (1) to observe the long-term physical, biogeochemical, and biological ocean processes and phenomena that are relevant for societal applications; and, (2) to contribute to the GOOS through real-time and delayed mode data dissemination. The OceanGliders program is distributed across national and regional observing systems and significantly contributes to integrated, multi-scale and multi-platform sampling strategies. OceanGliders shares best practices, requirements, and scientific knowledge needed for glider operations, data collection and analysis. It also monitors global glider activity and supports the dissemination of glider data through regional and global databases, in real-time and delayed modes, facilitating data access to the wider community. OceanGliders currently supports national, regional and global initiatives to maintain and expand the capabilities and application of gliders to meet key global challenges such as improved measurement of ocean boundary currents, water transformation and storm forecast.


The increasing availability of renewable electricity at costs competitive with, and even lower than, electricity from fossil sources along with growing interest and recent technological advancements in reducing carbon emissions through CO2 capture is challenging the status quo in the way that we produce and consume energy and products. Renewable electricity can be leveraged to produce fuels and chemicals from CO2, offering sustainable routes to reduce the carbon intensity of our energy and products-driven economy. A number of approaches have been developed for the electron-driven reduction of CO2 to products, including both direct and indirect (via an energy carrier such as H2) pathways and spanning from electrochemical to biological to thermocatalytic conversion. While these approaches are at various stages of development, there are technical barriers related to each core conversion technology that need to be addressed in order to accelerate commercialization and drive the transition towards a circular carbon economy. In this perspective, we assess and characterize the top technical barriers for utilizing renewable electricity for CO2 reduction across five different conversion approaches (direct electrochemical, direct bioelectrochemical, direct non-thermal plasma, indirect bioelectrochemical, and indirect thermochemical) under state-of-technology conditions, outline the R&D needs to overcome each barrier, and identify the most promising C1–C3 hydrocarbons and oxygenates based on their relative ease of formation, economic viability, CO2 utilization potential, and energy storage capacity. Our analysis suggests, based on current reported states of technology, that indirect pathways paired with the formation of C1 products offer the most technically feasible approach for electron driven CO2 reduction in the near term. However, as we strive for longer carbon chain molecules, and as technologies continue to advance, there are a multitude of advantages and limitations to be considered for all five approaches.