Unidirectionally reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMC) with matrix derived by pyrolysis of polymethylsiloxane or polymethylphenylsiloxane resins and reinforced with Nicalon or Nextel fibres were investigated. In order to assess and mutually compare their mechanical properties and stability when exposed to hot air up to 1200°C their elasticity moduli were measured prior to and after this exposure. The oxidation - induced damage of the material was monitored also in terms of microstructural features. Moreover, an attempt was undertaken to assess the bonding level by monitoring the push - through of macroscopic bundles of fibres using a flat indentor.


The great urban diversity of Mumbai has given rise to a range of religious mobilizations that are not only shaped by a history of communalism along religious lines but also driven by intra-religious rivalry and competition in their urban environment. Against the backdrop of a global megacity, contemporary Shi'ite religious activism in Mumbai provides evidence of the importance of global processes of religious mobilization, while also showing its entanglement with state regulation of religion. An advertising campaign by a Shi'ite media center illustrates that such religious activism with global ramifications can only be understood if one also takes its intersection with state-sponsored regimes of religious diversity into account. Media practices of Indian Muslims as a vulnerable minority are especially responsive to normative discourses and images of religious diversity, and mobilize alternative strands of Indian secularism in order to counteract the fragility of their citizenship.


This essay locates New Zealand's civil union legislation within the dynamic between status and contract that animates modern family law. Status concerns who we are; contract concerns the transactions we can enter. Because family law is concerned with affective relationships, it cannot apprehend people only as the atomised individuals anticipated by the modernist emphasis on contractual relations. Family law acknowledges the relevance to legal issues of messy issues of personality. Among the most complex and powerful aspects of personality with which the law concerns itself is love. Love affects who we are and law affects what love can be. Law provides and constrains the symbolic repertoire that helps organise the way we think about our affective relationships. The enactment of civil union legislation was an enormously positive step. However, by continuing to deny homosexuals the ability to marry, the New Zealand state persists in denying homosexuals a key part of the symbolic repertoire that is relevant to the way people in love can conceptualise their relationships. The transactions the state permits us to enter, particularly transactions that are expressions of love, affect the construction of our identities, illustrating once again the deep links that exist between who we are and the contracts we can enter.


A 1.8-V 2-Gb NAND flash memory has been successfully developed on a 90-nm CMOS STI process technology, resulting in a 141-mm/sup 2/ die size and a 0.044-/spl mu/m/sup 2/ effective cell. For the higher level integration, critical layers are patterned with KrF photolithography. The device has three notable differences from previous generations. 1) The cells are organized in a single (16K+512) column and 128K row array by adopting a one-sided row decoder in order to minimize the die size. 2) The bitline precharge level is set to 0.9 V in order to increase on-cell current. 3) During the program operations, the string select line, which connects the NAND cell strings to the bitlines, is biased with sub-V/sub CC/ in order to avoid program disturbance issues.


Biodegradable synthetic polymers have been widely used as tissue engineering scaffold materials. Even though they have shown excellent biocompatibility, they have failed to resemble the low stiffness and high elasticity of soft tissues because of the presence of massive rigid ester bonds. Herein, we synthesized a new thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (CTC-PU(BET)) using poly ester ether triblock copolymer (polycaprolactone-block-polytetrahydrofuran-block-polycaprolactone triblock copolymer, PCTC) as the soft segment, aliphatic diisocyanate (hexamethylene diisocyanate, HDI) as the hard segment, and degradable diol (bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate, BET) as the chain extender. PCTC inhibited crystallization and reduced the melting temperature of CTC-PU(BET), and BET dramatically enhanced the thermal decomposition and hydrolytic degradation rate when compared with conventional polyester-based biodegradable TPUs. The CTC-PU(BET) synthesized in this study possessed a low tensile modulus and tensile strength of 2.2 MPa and 1.3 MPa, respectively, and an elongation-at-break over 700%. Meanwhile, it maintained a 95.3% recovery rate and 90% resilience over ten cycles of loading and unloading. In addition, the TPU could be electrospun into both random and aligned fibrous scaffolds consisting of major microfibers and nanobranches. 3T3 fibroblast cell culture confirmed that these scaffolds outperformed the conventional biodegradable TPU scaffolds in terms of substrate-cellular interactions and cell proliferation. Considering the advantages of this TPU, such as ease of synthesis, low cost, low stiffness, high elasticity, controllable degradation rate, ease of processability, and excellent biocompatibility, it has great prospects to be used as a tissue engineering scaffold material for soft tissue regeneration.


Almost all information about interprofessional education (IPE) comes from a few western countries; little from the rest of the world. This paper helps to rectify that omission. It reports the first phase of a study of' "shared learning" between health professions in "medical sciences education" in the Islamic Republic of Iran based on a documentary search and national survey of all government affiliated medical sciences universities (MSUs) with examples which meet some of the criteria for IPE. The second phase, to be reported later, will present findings from an analysis of interviews with administrators at governmental level and teachers and organizers at institutional level regarding their perceptions, experience and expectations of such learning. The study is set in the context of reforms in the organization and delivery of higher education and health care services in Iran.


Plastic pollution has exponentially increased in recent years, becoming an international concern. Microplastics, or plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm in length, have consequently become ubiquitous and harmful in the marine environment, ultimately putting the biosphere at risk. Scientists recognize the importance of understanding the distribution of microplastics in the environment to develop policy and tools to combat this issue and promote sustainability. In this experiment, we sought to identify the concentrations of microplastic pollution in the sand of various locations along the coastline of the South Shore of Long Island, New York. This study involved an initial collection of sand followed by microplastic extraction with sodium chloride, filtration, and quantification via microscopy. We hypothesized that there would be a higher concentration of microplastics in the sand of the beaches that are closer in proximity to New York City whereas the locations farthest from the city would have lower concentrations of the contaminants. Based on the resulting p-value of 0.75, we concluded that there were no statistically significant differences between the numbers of microplastics collected from each sampling location. However, since microplastics were retrieved from each of these four sampling locations, there is evidence that microplastics are present along the South Shore, which is important to further research.


This study was done in one of the ricefields of Sorsogon State College Castilla Campus at Mayon, Castilla, and Sorsogon to determine the best rice varieties adaptable in a location specific lowland ricefield specifically under Corona clay loam condition. This experiment also evaluated and characterized the agronomic or morphologic traits of rice cultivars in farmers' field and identified the most productive and promising rice cultivars. Results of morphologic characteristics of the five varieties tested showed that for plant height NSIC Rc 222 was the tallest for wet season (WS) and NSIC Rc 212 and NSIC Rc 214 for dry season (DS). PhB71 performed just as well as NSIC Rc 214. Same variety got the highest productive tillers in both seasons and differed significantly over the four inbred varieties. NSIC Rc 222 exhibited the highest number of filled grains per panicle. This is significantly different from the other varieties. Only NSIC RC 214 gave a significantly higher weight for 1,000 grains per replication than the other varieties for both seasons. PhB 71 had the highest yield performance during the wet season and is significantly different with the other inbred varieties. It is concluded that the hybrid (PhB 71) and the inbred rice variety NSIC Rc214 were adaptable under corona clayloam condition in both seasons. Among the inbred rice varietiestested, NSIC Rc214 was found to be the most productive and promising variety in terms of yield. The hybrid variety (PhB71) is more productive than any of the inbred varieties under this present study. Keywords - hybrid rice varieties, inbred rice, corona clayloan


In this paper we propose an approach for the integration of functional models with non-functional models in the context of model-driven e-service development. Starting from the observation that current approaches to model-driven development have a strong focus on functionality, we argue the necessity of including non-functional aspects, as early as possible in the service design process, from the architectural (computational independent) level through all MDA layers. Furthermore, we distinguish between two modelling spaces (orthogonal to the MDA view), the design space and the analysis space, which could be integrated by means of model transformations. Thus, relating the analysis results to the original design models can be achieved by following a sequence of steps that entail horizontal model-to-model transformations from the design space to the analysis space, vertical model-to-model transformations (within and between the MDA layers) and proprietary analysis techniques that are used for the derivation of required (quantitative) properties. This provides a framework for incorporating nonfunctional analysis into methodological support for e-service development.


The antimicrobial effects of the Mexican medicinal plants Guazuma ulmifolia, Justicia spicigera, Opuntia joconostle, O. leucotricha, Parkinsonia aculeata, Phoradendron longifolium, P. serotinum, Psittacanthus calyculatus, Tecoma stans and Teucrium cubense were tested against several human multi-drug resistant pathogens, including three Gram (+) and five Gram (-) bacterial species and three fungal species using the disk-diffusion assay. The cytotoxicity of plant extracts on human cancer cell lines and human normal non-cancerous cells was also evaluated using the MTT assay. Phoradendron longifolium, Teucrium cubense, Opuntia joconostle, Tecoma stans and Guazuma ulmifolia showed potent antimicrobial effects against at least one multidrug-resistant microorganism (inhibition zone > 15 mm). Only Justicia spicigera and Phoradendron serotinum extracts exerted active cytotoxic effects on human breast cancer cells (IC50≤30 μg/mL). The results showed that Guazuma ulmifolia produced potent antimicrobial effects against Candida albicans and Acinetobacter lwoffii, whereas Justicia spicigera and Phoradendron serotinum exerted the highest toxic effects on MCF-7 and HeLa, respectively, which are human cancer cell lines. These three plant species may be important sources of antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents.


The contribution describes part of the work carried out on a wider research project aimed to set up a new tool to study rotational effects on the heat transfer distribution inside realistic cooling passages for gas turbine blades. Transient thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC) measurement technique is chosen in order to obtain spatially resolved heat transfer data. This obliges to perform the transient measurements with a cold temperature step on the coolant flow, in order to replicate correctly the buoyancy effects induced by rotation. This target is achieved by a new facility which components and working principle have been the subject of previous contributions. In the present paper, the progresses made in the development of the data processing methodology are described at first. Successively, a first step into the demanding rig and methodology validation process is commented by exploiting the results of a wide test campaign on a simple cooling channel geometry.


For optical interferometry, a new quality-guided phase unwrapping algorithm based on the reliability evaluation of each pixel of the wrapped phase is proposed. First, the parameters used as quality measures in the past quality-guided algorithms are classified into the reliability measure and the quality measure, and the intensity of the object image belongs to the reliability measure. Then, by computing and applying a threshold to the intensity of the object image, the valid region (i.e., the interference region) is distinguished into the reliable region and the doubtful region. The wrapped phase in the reliable region is subsequently unwrapped by the way of multipaths integration, and different paths are guided by separate quality measures. Finally, starting from the reliable region, the doubtful region is unwrapped by the way that each path takes in the reliable region. Experimental results have shown that the proposed algorithm not only performs well, but also computes efficiently.


The marriage of computer, electronic technology and traditional machining disciplines has given birth to revolutionary new disciplines, Mechatronics. Therefore Mechatronics requires mechanical, electronic and computer knowledge together. The main aim of this article is to present the mechatronics approach for desk-top CNC milling machine design. Construction of computer controlled (CNC) Machine differs greatly from that of conventional machine tools. This difference arises from the requirement of higher performance levels. Machine Structure, guide ways, feed drives, spindle and spindle bearings, measuring systems, machine control unit, software and operator interface, gauging and tool monitoring should be considered as mechatronics approach. Servo motors, motor drivers and motor control unit were used in this CNC milling machine to make it flexible and easy programming. Ball screws were used to X-Y –Z axes to eliminate backlash of the slides. Non-contact home and Limit switches were used to prevent possible damages against over travels. Necessary torque and power have been calculated to select the motors by taking care of the load, ball screws, motor inertia and required cutting tools and etc. and developed CNC milling machine has been tested several times for reliable machining of machine parts.


This work focuses on interactions between wave energy converters (WEC) in array configuration. The arrays are simulated in the time domain by a coupled hydrodynamic-electromagnetic model. The hydrodynamic parameters of the model are estimated by boundary element code while the electrical ones are obtained by finite element code. Wave parks of two and four devices are simulated considering different layouts. The ultimate goal of the work is to identify the optimal array design at four Italian locations. The results show that: (i) * it is possible to find an array configuration which performs better than four isolated devices, at each study sites, (ii) the highest energy production is obtained with the linear layout at all the locations, (ii) optimum WEC distance varies between ten and twenty diameters, depending on the deployment site and (iv) the difference in energy production between the best and worst array configuration (i.e. over all the possible combinations of geometrical layout, spatial orientation and WEC distance) ranges from 3% to 7%, depending on the deployment site..


Although the practice of Context-Sensitive Solutions instructs transportation designers to respect community values, the focus is typically on the surroundings of the project rather than the direct and indirect stakeholders who will be affected by a solution. Therefore, the team designing the OneBusAway transit traveler information system turned to the Value-Sensitive Design (VSD) process from information and computer science to help determine what transit rider information tools to build next. Through conceptual, empirical, and technical investigations, the OneBusAway team has developed a list of potential transit information tools and begun to prioritize projects based on the needs of riders of all types and effects on indirect stakeholders. The use of VSD has helped guide the use of limited resources, so that they are spent meeting the actual needs of the larger public-transit-using community. The principles of VSD can be applied throughout the transportation industry, especially when considering broader transportation planning goals.


Failure of a pipeline due to local wall thinning is getting more attention in the nuclear power plant industry. Although guidelines such as ANSI/ASME B31G and ASME Code Case N597 are still useful fer assessing the integrity of a wall thinned pipeline, there are some limitations in these guidelines. For instance, these guidelines consider only pressure loading and thus neglect bending loading. However, most Pipelines in nuclear power plants are subjected to internal pressure and bending moment due to dead-weight loads and seismic loads. Therefore, an assessment procedure for locally wall thinned pipeline subjected to combined loading is needed. In this paper, three-dimensional finite element(FE) analyses were performed to simulate full-scale pipe tests conducted for various shapes of wall thinned area under internal pressure and bending moment. Maximum moments based on true ultimate stress(u,t/) were obtained from FE results to predict the failure of the pipe. These results were compared with test results, which showed good agreement. Additional finite element analyses were performed to investigate the effect of key parameters, such as wall thinned depth, wall thinned angle and wall thinned length, on maximum moment. Also, the effect of internal pressure on maximum moment was investigated. Change of internal pressure did not show significant effect on the maximum moment.


Engineered long-acting GDF15-Fc fusion molecules reduce food intake and body weight and improve metabolic profiles in animal models of obesity. A bigger molecule to help slim down Obesity is becoming increasingly common worldwide, and the available interventions do not fully address this problem. Surgery is currently the most effective intervention, especially for severe obesity, but it carries more risks than noninvasive treatments and produces permanent side effects. Xiong et al. searched for metabolically regulated proteins and identified the growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) pathway as a potential target for intervention. The loss of this protein in mice is associated with weight gain and worsened metabolic parameters. Conversely, the authors showed that treating with GDF15 improved metabolic health in mice, rats, and monkeys. They also designed a modified version of GDF15 (GDF15-Fc fusion) that has a longer half-life and would thus be a better candidate for clinical testing. In search of metabolically regulated secreted proteins, we conducted a microarray study comparing gene expression in major metabolic tissues of fed and fasted ob/ob mice and C57BL/6 mice. The array used in this study included probes for ~4000 genes annotated as potential secreted proteins. Circulating macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 (MIC-1)/growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) concentrations were increased in obese mice, rats, and humans in comparison to age-matched lean controls. Adeno-associated virus–mediated overexpression of GDF15 and recombinant GDF15 treatments reduced food intake and body weight and improved metabolic profiles in various metabolic disease models in mice, rats, and obese cynomolgus monkeys. Analysis of the GDF15 crystal structure suggested that the protein is not suitable for conventional Fc fusion at the carboxyl terminus of the protein. Thus, we used a structure-guided approach to design and successfully generate several Fc fusion molecules with extended half-life and potent efficacy. Furthermore, we discovered that GDF15 delayed gastric emptying, changed food preference, and activated area postrema neurons, confirming a role for GDF15 in the gut-brain axis responsible for the regulation of body energy intake. Our work provides evidence that GDF15 Fc fusion proteins could be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of obesity and related comorbidities.


In this paper, we propose an approach for cross-layer optimization with power control for a direct sequence-code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) visual sensor network where nodes monitor scenes with varying levels of motion. Our technique simultaneously assigns a source coding rate, a channel coding rate, and a power level to all nodes in the network based on two criteria that maximize the quality of video of the entire network as a whole, subject to a constraint on the total chip rate. One method minimizes the average end-to-end distortion amongst all nodes, while the other method minimizes the maximum distortion of the network. To reduce the computational complexity of the solution, universal rate-distortion characteristics (URDCs) are obtained experimentally to relate bit errors probabilities to the distortion of corrupted video. The URDCs are used in conjunction with channel characteristic plots obtained by using rate-compatible punctured convolutional (RCPC) codes for channel coding.


OBJECTIVE To compare the physical activity levels of overweight and non overweight 3- to 5-y-old children while attending preschool. A secondary aim was to evaluate weight-related differences in hypothesized parental determinants of child physical activity behavior. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS A total of 245, 3- to 5-y-olds (127 girls, 118 boys) and their parent(s) (242 mothers, 173 fathers) recruited from nine preschools. Overweight status determined using the age- and sex-specific 85th percentile for body mass index (BMI) from CDC Growth Charts. MEASUREMENTS Physical activity during the preschool day was assessed on multiple days via two independent objective measures direct observation using the observation system for recording activity in preschools (OSRAP) and real-time accelerometry using the MTI/CSA 7164 accelerometer. Parents completed a take-home survey assessing sociodemographic information, parental height and weight, modeling of physical activity, support for physical activity, active toys and sporting equipment at home, child's television watching, frequency of park visitation, and perceptions of child competence. RESULTS Overweight boys were significantly less active than their nonoverweight peers during the preschool day. No significant differences were observed in girls. Despite a strong association between childhood overweight status and parental obesity, no significant differences were observed for the hypothesized parental influences on physical activity behavior. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that a significant proportion of overweight children may be at increased risk for further gains in adiposity because of low levels of physical activity during the preschool day.


Analysis of CO-OFDM single-mode optical fiber transmission system model, studied the timing deviation on the system synchronization performance, and used the Zadoff-Chu pilot sequence to realize the system synchronization, and concludes that the four QAM is to achieve 100 Gbps long distance transmission of the optimal modulation mode. In addition, the Zadoff-Chu pilot frequency sequence also has constant amplitude, zero auto correlation properties, which can reduce the amplifier nonlinear effects, improve the performance of channel estimation. Based on Optisystem software simulation platform, built based on the CO-OFDM technology transfer rate for 100 Gbps long distance transmission system simulation system, and research the transmission distance for 1000 km error performance and the relationship between the transmission power. We research in single channel transmission and WDM transmission system of the two cases, random filling and consistent filling effect the performance of the system.


Instability of ultrathin surface oxides on alloys under environmental conditions can limit the opportunities for applications of these systems when the thickness control of the insulating oxide film is crucial for device performance. A procedure is developed to directly deposit self-assembled monolayers (SAM) from solvent onto substrates prepared under ultra-high vacuum conditions without exposure to air. As an example, rhenium photosensitizers functionalized with carboxyl linker groups are attached to ultrathin alumina grown on NiAl(1 1 0). The thickness change of the oxide layer during the SAM deposition is quantified by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and can be drastically reduced to one atomic layer. The SAM acts as a capping layer, stabilizing the oxide thin film under environmental conditions. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy elucidates the band alignment in the resulting heterostructure. The method for molecule attachment presented in this manuscript can be extended to a broad class of molecules vulnerable to pyrolysis upon evaporation and presents an elegant method for attaching molecular layers on solid substrates that are sensitive to air.


Abstract
 Detailed quantitative data has previously been collected from plant megafossil assemblages from a Middle Jurassic (Aalenian) plant bed from Hasty Bank, North Yorkshire, UK. We conducted a similar analysis of palynological dispersed sporomorph (spore and pollen) assemblages collected from the same section using the same sampling regime: 67 sporomorph taxa were recorded from 50 samples taken at 10 cm intervals through the plant bed. Basic palynofacies analysis was also undertaken on each sample. Both dispersed sporomorph and plant megafossil assemblages display consistent changes in composition, diversity (richness), and abundance through time. However, the dispersed sporomorph and plant megafossil records provide conflicting evidence for the nature of parent vegetation. Specifically, conifers and ferns are underrepresented in plant megafossil assemblages, bryophytes and lycopsids are represented only in sporomorph assemblages, and sphenophytes, pteridosperms, Caytoniales, Cycadales, Ginkgoales and Bennettitales are comparatively underrepresented in sporomorph assemblages. Combined multivariate analysis (correspondence analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling) of sporomorph occurrence/abundance data demonstrates that temporal variation in sporomorph assemblages is the result of depositional change through the plant bed. The reproductive strategies of parent plants are considered to be a principal factor in shaping many of the major abundance and diversity irregularities between dispersed sporomorph and plant megafossil data sets that seemingly reflects different parent vegetation. Preferential occurrence/preservation of sporomorphs and equivalent parent plants is a consequence of a complex array of biological, ecological, geographical, taphonomic, and depositional factors that act inconsistently between and within fossil assemblages, which results in notable discrepancies between data sets.


: The rate of psychotropic drug use in primary care units in Nigeria was found to be 23.6%. The older age group, female sex, those with less education, those who were either separated, divorced or widowed and patients with mental morbidity on GHQ-12 were observed to be significantly more likely to have psychotropic drug prescription. It is suggested that part of efforts aimed at ensuring a more rational use of psychotropic drugs at primary health care (PHC) level of developing countries would need to include improving the ability of PHC workers to detect and manage common mental health problems in primary care.


The sociomathematics' norm is a social norm of mathematical nuance, with sociomathematics' norms; the social intelligence possessed by learners can be developed because this norm is strongly associated with negotiation and interaction. The purpose of this article is to know the improvement of sociomathematics' norms student of mathematics education by using cooperative learning of Team Accelerated Instruction. This research uses pretest-posttes control only group design. Sample size in this research is 38 people in class C of course of Numerical Method taken by cluster random. The sociomathematics' norm is obtained using an observation sheet. The data obtained were analysed using N-gain and t-test (paired-samples T Test). The calculation result shows that the pre-test average of 8,526, post-test, significance coefficient of 0.000, and N-Gain mean equal to 0,5. Based on the result, it can be concluded that the learning model of Team Accelerated Instruction can improve students' sociomathematics' norm ability through numerical method.


OBJECTIVE
The present study aims at describing the frequency of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species identified through laboratory testing of samples collected from non-sterile sites (sputum), as well as its frequency in HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected individuals in the Baixada Santista region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the period from 2000 to 2005.

METHODS
Retrospective analysis of sputum smear microscopy results and culture was conducted based on the records on file at the Instituto Adolfo Lutz-Santos, the regional tuberculosis laboratory.

RESULTS
We analyzed 194 NTM strains isolated from 125 individuals, of whom 73 (58.4%) were HIV-negative and 52 (41.6%) were HIV-positive. Thirteen different species were identified: Mycobacterium kansasii; M. avium complex; M. fortuitum; M. peregrinum; M. gordonae; M. terrae; M. nonchromogenicum; M. intracellulare; M. flavescens; M. bohemicum; M. chelonae; M. shimoidei; and M. lentiflavum. In 19.2% of the cases, the bacteriological diagnosis was confirmed by isolation of the same species in at least two consecutive samples.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results show the importance of including systematic identification of NTM in the laboratory routine, and that its integration into the clinical routine could improve the characterization of the disease, thereby informing the planning of effective control measures in specific populations, such as individuals presenting tuberculosis/HIV co-infection.


Autosomal recessive interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK)-4 and myeloid differentiation factor (MyD)88 deficiencies impair Toll-like receptor (TLR)- and interleukin-1 receptor-mediated immunity. We documented the clinical features and outcome of 48 patients with IRAK-4 deficiency and 12 patients with MyD88 deficiency, from 37 kindreds in 15 countries. The clinical features of IRAK-4 and MyD88 deficiency were indistinguishable. There were no severe viral, parasitic, and fungal diseases, and the range of bacterial infections was narrow. Noninvasive bacterial infections occurred in 52 patients, with a high incidence of infections of the upper respiratory tract and the skin, mostly caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The leading threat was invasive pneumococcal disease, documented in 41 patients (68%) and causing 72 documented invasive infections (52.2%). P. aeruginosa and Staph. aureus documented invasive infections also occurred (16.7% and 16%, respectively, in 13 and 13 patients, respectively). Systemic signs of inflammation were usually weak or delayed. The first invasive infection occurred before the age of 2 years in 53 (88.3%) and in the neonatal period in 19 (32.7%) patients. Multiple or recurrent invasive infections were observed in most survivors (n = 36/50, 72%). Clinical outcome was poor, with 24 deaths, in 10 cases during the first invasive episode and in 16 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease. However, no death and invasive infectious disease were reported in patients after the age of 8 years and 14 years, respectively. Antibiotic prophylaxis (n = 34), antipneumococcal vaccination (n = 31), and/or IgG infusion (n = 19), when instituted, had a beneficial impact on patients until the teenage years, with no seemingly detectable impact thereafter. IRAK-4 and MyD88 deficiencies predispose patients to recurrent life-threatening bacterial diseases, such as invasive pneumococcal disease in particular, in infancy and early childhood, with weak signs of inflammation. Patients and families should be informed of the risk of developing life-threatening infections; empiric antibacterial treatment and immediate medical consultation are strongly recommended in cases of suspected infection or moderate fever. Prophylactic measures in childhood are beneficial, until spontaneous improvement occurs in adolescence. Abbreviations: CRP = C-reactive protein, ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, IFN = interferon, IKBA = I&kgr;B&agr;, IL = interleukin, IL-1R = interleukin-1 receptor, InvBD = invasive bacterial disease, IRAK = interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase, MyD = myeloid differentiation factor, NEMO = nuclear factor-kappaB essential modulator, NInvBD = noninvasive bacterial disease, TIR = Toll/IL-1R, TLR = Toll-like receptor, TNF = tumor necrosis factor.


This paper presents the main Italian "research projects", i.e. these sets of research works more or less coordinated having in common the analysis of a specific theoretic or applied problem in the field of IO, produced in the last decade. With respect to the previous times there are continuities, but also meaningful novelties. The main continuity is connected with the pervading presence of small firms in Italy. Researches regarding district organization, but also firms demography and innovation are numerous and often quite interesting. At the same time the dramatic decline of big firms in Italy draws less attention, even if theoretical contributions in the field of corporate governance are not missing. The idea of industrial policy changes radically: studies in competition policy, privatization and public utilities regulation substitute those showing the role of state intervention and the effects of incentive policies. A certain propensity of Italian economist in favour of heterodox approaches is confirmed by interesting contributions in the area of evolutionary economics and organizations dominated by limited rationality. At the same time there is a completely new flourishing of studies published on international journals following the mainstream (oligopoly theory, game theory, and applied IO).


Hydrogen has great potential as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engines (ICE) because of its high energy density by mass, high specific heat ratio, free of CO2 and PM emission, and ultra-low NOx emission. In the present paper, a premixed spark-ignition engine fueled by hydrogen was simulated. 3D combustion CFD was employed to simulate and optimize the engine combustion. Parametric studies of equivalence ratio were conducted to identify the appropriate range for practical operation. It was found that higher equivalence ratio in H2ICE is not feasible since it exhibits very high pressure rise rate and strong pressure oscillations. It is due to its much fast flame speed and detonabiltiy. Frequency analysis was conducted on the predicted pressure trace. The dominant frequencies were compared with the first four drum mode. It was found that the dominant resonance frequency corresponds to the drum mode of (0,1). This is due to the fact that the pressure wave originates from the center of combustion chamber. With an equivalence ratio of 0.4, the engine produces similar pressure trace as the baseline gasoline engine, while its close-cycle work is less than half of the gasoline engine, due to low equivalence ratio and hydrogen's low energy density per unit volume. NOx emission is two order of magnitude lower than the stoichiometric gasoline engine. However, for lean burn PFI H2ICE, N2O emission is much higher than stoichiometric gasoline engine, which needs special attention in the future. Spark timing was swept for the equivalence ratio 0.4 case to further optimize the engine. The mechanisms of NO and N2O formation at different operating conditions are compared and discussed. It was found that NO emission is sensitive to spark timing, while N2O emission is not. The engine-out N2O emission is about one order of magnitude lower than the engine-out NO emission.


Results on the study of localized fluctuations in the multiplicity of charged particles and photons produced in 158A GeV/c Pb+Pb collisions are presented for varying centralities. The charged versus neutral particle multiplicity correlations in common phase space regions of varying azimuthal sizes are analyzed by two different methods. Various types of mixed events are constructed to probe fluctuations arising from different sources. The measured results are compared to those from simulations and from mixed events. The comparison indicates the presence of nonstatistical fluctuations in both the charged particle and photon multiplicities in limited azimuthal regions. However, no correlated charged-neutral fluctuations, a possible signature of formation of disoriented chiral condensates, are observed. An upper limit on the production of disoriented chiral condensates is set.


We believe a holistic approach to problems in childhood and adolescence will benefit the child, adolescent, and the whole family. As a rule, children have far less to say in the family than their parents. Therefore, it is the parents who set the agenda and decide how things are done at home and in relation to the child. Most often, it is also the parents who have a problem when the child is not thriving. The child thus acts as the thermometer of the family. When children are not feeling well or are sick, the parents are not doing well either. Most problems arising from dysfunctional patterns are almost impossible for the parents to solve on their own, but with help and support from the holistically oriented physician, we believe that many problems can be discovered and solved. Not only can health problems be addressed, but also problems of poor thriving in the family in general. With the physician in the role of a coach, the family can be provided with relevant exercises that will change the patterns of dysfunction. Consciousness-based medicine also seems to be efficient with children and adolescents, who are much more sensitive to the psychosocial dimensions than adults. Five needs seem to be essential for the thriving and health of the child: attention, respect, love, acceptance (touch), and acknowledgment. The physician should be able to see if the child lacks fulfillment in one or more of these needs, and he can then demonstrate to the parents how these needs should be handled. This should be followed by simple instructions and exercises for the parents in the spirit of coaching. This approach is especially relevant when the child is chronically ill.


Objective: To asses the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and risk factors among hospital patients in District Headquarter Hospital Mardan.
Material and Methods: We used ACON Laboratories, Inc. HCV One Step Test Device (USA) kit to test for the qualitative detection of antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus in serum. All patients were asked and completed an HCV questionnaire. The questionnaire asked, what factors or activities put people at risk for getting HCV and question about their own risk factors and general habits. In each case, details regarding socioeconomic status were recorded.
Result: The study population comprised of 700 patients, 523 (74.7%) males and 177 (25.3%) females with mean age 32.16  13.08 years. The overall seroprevalence was found to be 9%. The seroprevalence in males and females was 7.8% and 12.4% respectively. History of reused syringes, blood transfusion, dental procedure and surgical operation were significant risk factors for acquiring HCV infection. General weakness was the commonest symptom in HCV positive patients. Smoking and naswar (tobacco) were common in HCV positive male patients.
Conclusion: The overall seroprevalence was found to be 9% in Mardan. History of reused syringes, blood transfusion, dental procedures and surgical operations were significant risk factors for acquiring HCV infection. The prevention of HCV infection can be achieved by blood screening for HCV before donation, avoiding sharing needles or any injecting equipment and following safe sexual practices. (Rawal Med J 2004;29:57-60)


We have investigated the experience of individuals at play to better understand how narrative is constructed by collaboration in pretend object play. Our study was conducted with dyads that would play together in two distinct play sessions, with each session being video recorded. Each dyad was shown the video in a retrospective protocol collection. We utilized Grounded Theory as a means of developing and testing hypotheses based on the recorded play session. This process is meant to reveal information about how individual player cognition and interaction develops narrative during pretend play. This paper presents initial findings related to narrative development in collaborative pretend object play with the ambition to use these and future analyses to create intelligent agents capable of pretend play. Present findings demonstrate the construction of narrative and collaborative play is crafted through the making and accepting of play-advancing offers, similar to scene-advancing offers found in improvisational acting.


The transition from school to vocational education and training (VET) is becoming more difficult for an increasing number of adolescents. Despite the growing significance of this phase, the - re is hardly any research regarding interventions targeting stu - dents' resilience, especially with regard to their capacity to join the labour market. This paper aims at describing the research process of developing three different interventions in coopera - tion with a number of practitioners who teach in so-called in - terim solutions. The goal of the paper is, thus, to illustrate how design-based research (DBR) can be conducted in the context of vocational education. The comprehensive three-cycle develop - ment of three interventions with the aim of fostering students' conflict management competence, attribution and self-efficacy will be used as a single case study to illustrate a complex DBR project. Each step in the design-research process will be reflec - ted, resulting in a discussion of the possibilities and obstacles of combining formative and summative evaluation in the DBR process.


Nursing education puts theory into practice. Patient safety is indispensable in nursing education. During clinical practice, nursing students make medication errors and have difficulty deciding on what interventions to perform in unusual situations and communicating with patients or other healthcare professionals. All these problems put patient safety at risk. However, "First, do no harm" is a fundamental human right and an ethical principle, which nurses should always consider when they perform interventions. Nursing students can help develop a culture of patient safety through experience in line with their knowledge, skills, and affective goals. Clinical settings can be equipped with real-life laboratories, mannequins, etc. Virtual reality simulations show nursing students what it is like to be in a real-world clinical setting and what problems and risks they may encounter there, and thus, helps them develop skills, build confidence, and prepare for clinical practice. This section addressed the effect of virtual reality simulations on skill development and patient safety in nursing education.


Distinctly organized microtubule networks contribute to the function of differentiated cell types such as neurons, epithelial cells, skeletal myotubes, and cardiomyocytes. In striated (i.e. skeletal and cardiac) muscle cells, the nuclear envelope acts as the dominant microtubuleorganizing center (MTOC) and the function of the centrosome—the canonical MTOC of mammalian cells—is attenuated, a common feature of differentiated cell types. We summarize the mechanisms known to underlie MTOC formation at the nuclear envelope, discuss the significance of the nuclear envelope MTOC for muscle function and cell cycle progression, and outline potential mechanisms of centrosome attenuation.


Background DSC (delayed sternal closure) is most frequently utilized in neonates and infants undergoing complex repairs. In the early days of cardiac surgery, primary closure of the sternum at the end of the operation was mandatory because of the concern of mediastinal infection. Potential risks of delayed sternal closure include sepsis, mediastinitis, bleeding, and late sternal instability. Does longer duration before DSC increase the risk of adverse outcomes or mitigate the negative effect of other risk factors? To assess this, we checked the outcomes of delayed sternal closure in our centre. Methods We did retrospective study. All patients were studied who required delayed sternal closure post cardiac surgery in our centre in Our Lady's Children' hospital Crumlin between March 2010 and March 2017. Results Total 3737 procedures to repair congenital cardiac anomalies were done between March 2010 and March 2017. 199 patients required delayed sternal closure (5.32%). Among these patients, 123 patients (61.81%) were male and 76 patients (38.19%) were female. Mean body weight at the time of surgery was 4.8 kg (median 3.6 kg). There were different types of primary cardiac surgeries performed. Truncus arteriosus repair was done in 13 patients (6.5%).59 patients (29.6%) were having arterial switch operation. In eight patients (4.0%) TAPVD repair was done. AVSD repair was done in eight patients (4.0%).19 patients (9.5%) were having IAA repair. Norwood procedure was done in 49 patients (24.6%). In 13 patients, Tetralogy of Fallot repair was done. Mean total cross clamp time was 103 min. Mean circulatory arrest time was 10.87 min. 62 patients (31%) required ECMO after primary surgery. Duration of mean days of sternum remained open was 3.6 days (88 hours). 52 patients (26.1%) were having positive culture. 24 patients (12.1%) required antibiotics more than 10 days. Mean stay in ICU was 17.2 days (413 hours). Overall mortality was 7 patients (8.5%) and 182 patients (91.5%) were alive (figure 1).Abstract 62 Figure 1 Mortality frequency & mortality percentages Conclusion Delayed sternal closure is an important strategy for congenital cardiac surgery, particularly for very young infants. Elective delayed sternal closure does not reduce the morbidity but it confirms the efficacy of the cardiac procedure. Instead of delayed sternal closure in case of ECMO, cannulation through neck vessels by experienced hands with closed sternum may be preferred.


The transference number of protons and the hydrogen transport behavior through tungsten phosphate glass have been measured through the use of a concentration cell. Based on measurement of the electrical motive force by changing the hydrogen partial pressure of both sides of a specimen glass kept in the concentration cell, the ionic transference number was estimated to be 48%. When one side is kept in hydrogen and the other in nitrogen, hydrogen transport is observed and its quantity is accelerated by applying a positive dc bias on the hydrogen side. After applying the dc bias continuously for over 1 h, the hydrogen transport is abruptly increased with no cracks and the hydrogen flux is 1.510-3 molcm-2s-1.


This paper presents a versatile direct built-in test architecture for integrated radar receiver front-ends. It is used for determination of the gain and noise figure of a direct down-conversion receiver. The general test structure is introduced and a detailed analysis of different approaches for the test signal injection and calibration are given.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the associations between breastfeeding intensity and underexplored features of maternal-child interaction quality over and above the influence of breastfeeding initiation.

METHODS
The current study leveraged an on-going, multisite randomized controlled trial of a tiered parenting program for 462 Medicaid-eligible mothers and their infants in the United States. We examined whether breastfeeding intensity and exclusivity was associated with observed maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, and detachment, as well as self-reported maternal verbal responsiveness, 6 months infant age. Analyses controlled for breastfeeding initiation, demographics, and early parenting experiences.

RESULTS
Higher intensity breastfeeding at 6 months was significantly related to higher maternal sensitivity (β = 0.12, p = 0.004) and lower maternal intrusiveness (β = -0.10, p = 0.045). There was no significant association between breastfeeding intensity at 6 months and detachment (β = -0.02, no significant [ns]) or self-reported verbal responsiveness (β = 0.11, ns). Results were the same when intensity was measured as a dichotomous indicator for exclusive breastfeeding. Effect sizes were small-to-moderate, ranging from Cohen's d = 0.26 to 0.31. Associations did not vary by site, race/ethnicity, infant difficultness, or household poverty.

CONCLUSION
The finding that breastfeeding intensity was significantly and independently associated with maternal sensitivity and intrusiveness is novel in the literature on low-income families from the United States. These findings have implications for breastfeeding promotion strategies and indicate that future research should explore synergistic or spillover effects of interventions aimed at maternal-child interaction quality into the infant feeding domain, particularly in the primary care setting.


Governance Ethics and business: Kenya at a Cross Road in the 21 Century is an intellectual investigation into what has not worked well so far despite all attributed good reasons. The author has touched on spheres of public behavioural conduct in business affairs to reveal the rot in the entire system. The exploration is backed by tangible cases of how ethical standards are influencing the national economy. The essay acknowledges and compliments reform process and affirmative action especially the legal transformation. But also he admits that change of law and adjustments within the institutions have not transformed governance, public accountability, and work ethics. Reading from the essay one shall get to understand that ethical problems are not a question of having good laws in place but also change of attitude, and winning hearts and minds of leaders.


Objective: To identify novel modifiable factors that may help prevent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) by examining associations of plant-based diet indices with GDM risk. Methods: We included 15,999 women (22,524 singleton pregnancies) in the Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2001), who reported at least one singleton pregnancy between 1991 and 2001. Pre-pregnancy plant-based diets (i.e., overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI)) were assessed every 4 years using a food frequency questionnaire. Incident first time GDM was ascertained from a self-reported physician diagnosis of GDM, which was previously validated to have high concordance with medical records. We used log-binomial models with generalized estimating equations to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for quartiles of PDI, hPDI, and uPDI and GDM with adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and other factors. Results: We documented 891 GDM cases over the 10 years of follow-up. Both PDI and hPDI were significantly and inversely associated with GDM (PDI: adjusted RR for extreme quartiles (highest vs. lowest) 0.75, (95% CI: 0.62, 0.92), p trend = 0.01; hPDI: RR for extreme quartiles 0.76, (0.61, 0.94), p trend = 0.01). Further adjustment for pre-pregnancy BMI attenuated the associations (RR for extreme quartiles for PDI: 0.87 (0.71, 1.06); for hPDI: 0.81 (0.65, 1.00)). We estimated that pre-pregnancy BMI mediated 61.3% (95% CI: 21.7%, 90.1%) of the association between PDI and GDM, and 44.4% (18.1%, 74.3%) of the association between hPDI and GDM. uPDI was not significantly associated with GDM. Conclusions: Our study suggests that pre-pregnancy adherence to overall and healthful plant-based diets may be associated with a lower risk of GDM. These associations were substantially mediated through pre-pregnancy BMI. Disclosure Z. Chen: None. F. Qian: None. G. Liu: None. M. Li: None. T. Voortman: None. S.H. Ley: None. J.E. Chavarro: None. S. Bhupathiraju: None. Q. Sun: None. F. Hu: None. C. Zhang: None.


Background Recent studies show that individual single-session psychological debriefing does not prevent and can even aggravate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Aims We studied the effect of emotional ventilation debriefing and educational debriefing v. no debriefing on symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Method We randomised 236 adult survivors of a recent traumatic event to either emotional ventilation debriefing, educational debriefing or no debriefing (control) and followed up at 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 6 months. Results Psychiatric symptoms decreased in all three groups over time, without significant differences between the groups in symptoms of PTSD (P=0.33). Participants in the emotional debriefing group with high baseline hyperarousal score had significantly more PTSD symptoms at 6 weeks than control participants (P=0.005). Conclusions Our study did not provide evidence for the usefulness of individual psychological debriefing in reducing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression after psychological trauma.


Abstract The aim of this study is to provide the first detailed mineralogical and fluid-inclusion description of emeralds from the Delbegetey deposit (Kazakhstan). The characteristic features of Delbegetey emeralds are established: they have dissolution figures on crystal faces, bluish colour and distinct colour zoning; the refractive indices are ω = 1.566-1.570, ε = 1.558-1.562, and the specific gravity is 2.65±0.005, relatively low for natural emeralds; they have very small concentrations of the impurities (Fe, Mg, Na and others) typical of other emeralds, and contain Cr and V; there is a significant preponderance of vapour in fluid inclusions of all types and there is liquid-to-vapour homogenization of primary fluid inclusions (at 395-420°C). The lattice oxygen isotope composition data obtained (δ18O SMOW value of 11.3‰) situate the deposit within the range characteristic of other granite-related emerald deposits. Emerald crystallization took place in low-density (0.40-0.55 g/cm3) aqueous fluid, with the following chemical composition (mol.%): 75.6-97.4 H2O, 0.0-18.4 CO2, 0.0-0.9 CH4, and 4.06-9.65 wt.% NaCl equiv. salinity. According to the calculated isochores, the pressure of formation of the Delbegetey emeralds can be estimated at 570-1240 bar.


Background: Despite current medications, there remains an unmet need for asthma control in patients with moderate asthma receiving at least ICS. We analysed ACQ data in patients treated with once-daily long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator tiotropium who had symptomatic asthma despite treatment with medium-dose ICS (400-800 µg budesonide equivalent).

Methods: 2103 patients were randomised in 2 identical Phase III, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group studies ([NCT01172808][1] and [NCT01172821][2]). Patients received tiotropium 2.5 µg or 5 µg or placebo (all doses via Respimat® Soft Mist™ Inhaler). A salmeterol arm (active comparator) was included with no inferential analysis. Key inclusion criteria included a pre-bronchodilator FEV1 60-90% of predicted and ACQ score ≥1.5. A pre-planned pooled analysis was performed for ACQ responder rate, a co-primary end point; responders were defined as ACQ improvement ≥0.5 at 24 weeks.

Results: Baseline characteristics in patients were similar across both trials and all treatment groups. Mean baseline ACQ total score was 2.18 (SD 0.49). Both doses of tiotropium significantly improved the ACQ responder rate at 24 weeks compared with placebo (299/518 responders; 57.7%): tiotropium 2.5 µg, 332/515 (64.5%; p=0.03); tiotropium 5 µg, 330/513 (64.3%; p=0.03); salmeterol 356/535 (66.5%; p=0.004).

Conclusion: In patients with symptomatic asthma despite ICS therapy, the addition of once-daily tiotropium provided a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in asthma control. A similar ACQ responder rate was observed with tiotropium (2.5 µg and 5 µg) and the active comparator salmeterol.

 [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01172808&atom=%2Ferj%2F42%2FSuppl_57%2FP4130.atom
 [2]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01172821&atom=%2Ferj%2F42%2FSuppl_57%2FP4130.atom


Silicon Photomultipliers have the ability to replace photomultiplier tubes when used as light sensors in scintillation gamma-ray detectors. Their timing properties, compactness, and magnetic field compatibility make them interesting for use in Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Imaging compatible Positron Emission Tomography. In this paper, we present a new fully digital Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) based detector fabricated in CMOS image sensor technology. It contains 16x8 pixels with a pitch of 610x571.2 μm2. The Dark Count Rate and the Photon Detection Probability of each SPAD has been measured and the homogeneity of these parameters in the entire 92000 SPAD array is shown. The sensor has been optically coupled to a single LYSO needle and a LYSO array. The scintillator crystal was irradiated with several gamma sources and the resulting images and energy spectra are presented.


The systemic, ecological, family-centered approach (FCA) has been shown to be the most effective approach to follow worldwide. In Spain, however, the expert-centered approach remains in force and determines the actions of professionals. The objective of this study is to present the training needs perceived by professionals in six early intervention (EI) centers in Spain in which a research process was introduced, namely, the FCA. Two focus groups were held. The needs stated by professionals were for more knowledge about the philosophy of the approach: supervision, learning in reference centers, and exchange sessions with families as the most appropriate training methods; the observation of role models; collaboration between professionals and the trainer as effective instructional designs; and organizational aspects such as training within the work day. A discussion of the results is carried out in the context of current literature and the practical implications are explored.


AIMS
Replicate the previously reported association of elevated alcohol craving, measured by Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) during residential treatment, with post-treatment relapse and explore whether elevated craving scores 3 months post-treatment are also associated with subsequent relapse.

METHODS
Alcohol craving was assessed with the PACS on admission and at several time points post-treatment in 190 subjects with DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence admitted to residential treatment. Data about relapse to any drinking (primary outcome measure) was collected at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment. Cox regression models were used to determine whether PACS scores were associated with relapse. Statistical models were adjusted for meaningful demographic and clinical covariates.

RESULTS
Follow-up data was available for 149/190 (78%) of subjects. Elevated PACS scores at discharge were associated with increased relapse risk within the first 3 and 12 months after discharge (P = 0.032 and P = 0.045, respectively). Elevated PACS scores at 3 months were associated with increased risk of subsequent relapse within 12 months after treatment in contacted subjects (P = 0.034) and in the intent-to-treat analysis (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate strong association of post-treatment relapse with elevated alcohol craving measured at treatment completion and at 3 months after treatment and justify the use of this measure to guide relapse-prevention efforts.


Human Goodpasture syndrome is a lethal form of autoimmune disease that is characterized by pulmonary hemorrhage and glomerulonephritis. The tissue injury is mediated by autoantibodies that bind to glomerular and alveolar basement membrane. The target autoantigen is alpha 3(IV) collagen, one of six genetically distinct chains that comprise type IV collagen, and the epitope is sublocalized to the noncollagenous domain (NC1) of the alpha 3 chain. The present study reports the unique capacity of alpha 3(IV)NC1 dimer from bovine kidney to aberrantly engage the immune system of rabbits to respond to self, mimicking the organ-specific form of the human disease, whereas the other chains of type IV collagen are nonpathogenic. However, alpha 3(IV)NC1 hexamer was nonpathogenic, suggesting the exposure of a pathogenic epitope upon dissociation of hexamer into dimers. Exposure of the pathogenic epitope by infection or organic solvents, events which are thought to precede Goodpasture syndrome, may be the principal factor in the etiology of the disease. The pathogenicity of alpha 3(IV) collagen brings full circle a decade of research that has identified four novel chains (alpha 3-alpha 6) of type IV collagen.


Objective. To examine the Qatar University Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program for evidence of incorporation of communities of practice (CoP) learning theory. Methods. A developed CoP framework was used as a theoretical instrument to analyze the evidence of CoP theory in QU PharmD program, utilizing a case study research approach. Results. The research suggests that the evidence of the CoP framework in the PharmD program falls into three categories. The first category represents elements of CoP that were fully evident, such as knowledge recontextualization, social and professional acceptance, and effective assessment measures. The second category represents elements that were partially evident, such as the formation of a co-development team, informal learning, mentoring strategies, and preceptors' orientation to assessment. The third category represents elements that were not evident, such as collaboration between faculty and preceptors and ensuring the reliability and validity of assessment tools. In cases where elements of CoP were implemented, this was an implicit rather than explicit application of CoP theory. Therefore, it was theorized that the disconnect between CoP learning theory and educational practices is at the "implicit disconnect" level. Conclusion. This research indicates that the CoP framework facilitated the identification of areas for future quality improvement and suggests that the theoretical CoP framework could be used by other programs to identify areas for improvements. We theorize that a full and explicit implementation of learning theory into educational practices is crucial, which calls for the collaboration of academic, practice, accreditation, and governmental sectors in pharmacy educational reform initiatives.


Adsorption is a key water pollution remediation measure used to achieve stormwater quality improvement in Sustainable urban Drainage Systems (SuDS). The level of contamination of detained sediment within SuDS assets is not well documented, with published investigations limited to specific contaminant occurrence in ponds, wetlands or infiltration devices (bioretention cells) and generally focused on solute or suspended sediment. Guidance on contamination threshold levels and potential deposited sediment contamination information is not included in current UK SuDS design or maintenance guidance, primarily due to a lack of evidence and understanding. There is a need to understand possible deposited sediment contamination levels in SuDS, specifically in relation to sediment removal maintenance activities and potential impact on receiving waterways of conveyed sediment. Thus, the objective of the research presented herein was to identify what major elements and trace metals were observable in (the investigated) SuDS assets detained sediment, the concentration of these major elements and trace metals and whether they met/surpassed ecotoxicity or contaminated land thresholds. The research presented here provides evidence of investigated SuDS sediment major element and trace metal levels to help inform guidance and maintenance needs, and presents a new methodology to identify the general cause (anthropocentric land use) and extent of detained SuDS fine urban sediment contamination through use of a contamination matrix.


Dedication To my husband, Craig, who is my earthly rock, and to my son, Joshua, in whose eyes I am reminded that " I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength. " v Acknowledgements The author expresses a sincere thank you to her mentor, Dr. Hirofumi Tanaka, for the privilege of working in his laboratory and assistance in gaining the necessary skills to become an independent researcher. A heartfelt thank you goes to my parents who support me in all my endeavors and have always encouraged me to pursue my education. Michael Delp for their valuable suggestions in all aspects of this dissertation. A special thanks to Dr. Ivy and his laboratory, for the mentoring and research support they provided when Dr. Spina left. The effects of strength training on arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults were comprehensively assessed in central and peripheral arteries using the ultrasound derived method, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and wave reflection techniques. The latter two methods, which have the most clinical utility, were quantified with an automatic medical device designed to reduce the subject testing time and investigator measurement variability. Validation of the automatic medical device with respect to criterion methods, its test-retest reliability and sensitivity to detect change following strength training were confirmed. After a 13 week, whole body strength training program performed three times per week, central arterial stiffness, as measured by the ultrasound derived method at the carotid artery, increased 17% (P<0.05) and was associated with a significant increase in relative wall thickness. Wave reflection, as measured by carotid vii augmentation index, and carotid-femoral PWV was not increased. These data suggest that in older adults, strength training may increase age-related central arterial stiffness, but that the stiffening of the elastic arteries may be localized to the most proximal portions where buffering of cardiac pulsations is highest. Unlike the carotid artery, the femoral artery adapted to the strength training stimuli with a 15% decrease (P=0.10) in stiffness and significant decrease in relative wall thickness. There was a trend for femoral-ankle PWV to decrease as well. This suggests that the muscular peripheral arteries may not be subjected to the same mechanical and/or physiological stimuli resulting from strength training as the carotid artery. Despite the increase in central arterial stiffness with strength training, there was no increase in left ventricular hypertrophy, loss of left ventricular diastolic function or decrease in cardiovagal …


DNA damage caused by irradiation has been studied for many decades. Such studies allow us to better assess the dangers posed by radiation, and to increase the efficiency of the radiotherapies that are used to combat cancer. A full description of the irradiation process involves multiple size and time scales. It starts with the interaction of radiation—either photons or swift ions—and the biological medium, which causes electronic excitation and ionisation. The two main products of ionising radiation are thus electrons and radicals. Both of these species can cause damage to biological molecules, in particular DNA. In the long run, this molecular level damage can prevent cells from replicating and can hence lead to cell death. For a long time it was assumed that the main actors in the damage process were the radicals. However, experiments in a seminal paper by the group of Leon Sanche in 2000 showed that low-energy electrons (LEE), such as those generated when ionising biological targets, can also cause bond breaks in biomolecules, and strand breaks in plasmid DNA in particular (Boudaiffa et al 2000 Science 287 1658–60). These results prompted a significant amount of experimental and theoretical work aimed at elucidating the role played by LEE in DNA damage. In this Topical Review we provide a general overview of the problem. We discuss experimental findings and theoretical results hand in hand with the aim of describing the physics and chemistry that occurs during the process of radiation damage, from the initial stages of electronic excitation, through the inelastic propagation of electrons in the medium, the interaction of electrons with DNA, and the chemical end-point effects on DNA. A very important aspect of this discussion is the consideration of a realistic, physiological environment. The role played by the aqueous solution and the amino acids from the histones in chromatin must be considered. Moreover, thermal fluctuations must be incorporated when studying these phenomena. Hence, a special place in this Topical Review is occupied by our recent first-principles molecular dynamics simulations that address the issue of how the environment favours or prevents LEEs from causing damage to DNA. We finish by summarising the conclusions achieved so far, and by suggesting a number of possible directions for further study.


In this paper thin films of Tin oxide SnO2 was prepared by spray pyrolyess method on glass and pure silicon substrates at deposition temperature(300,400,500) Cᵒ, from Tin chloride at concentration(0.1 M) . The films thickness were about 0.1 ±0.02 µm and Atomization rate was about (1 nm/s). The test was done on prepared film by XRD and optical microscopy addition to sensitivity to nitrous oxide gas at different test temperature (25, 50, 75,100) Cᵒ. Result shows that the crystallization increased by increasing deposing temperature and the sensitivity increased by rising the gas concentration or temperature. Keyword: SnO2, thin film, gas sensor, spray pyrolyess, NO2 gas, XRD.


In recent years, a number of classical scholars have turned their attention to prostitution in the ancient world. Close examination of the social and legal position of Roman meretrices and Greek hetairai have enriched our understanding of ancient sexual relationships and the status of women in these societies. These studies have focused, however, almost exclusively on the legal and literary evidence. McGinn approaches the issues from a new direction, by studying the physical venues that existed for the sale of sex, in the context of the Roman economy. Combining textual and material evidence, he provides a detailed study of Roman brothels and other venues of venal sex (from imperial palaces and privates houses to taverns, circuses, and back alleys) focusing on their forms, functions, and urban locations. The book covers the central period of Roman history, roughly from 200 B.C. to A.D. 250. It will especially interest social and legal historians of the ancient world, and students of gender, sexuality, and the family. Thomas A. J. McGinn is Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Vanderbilt University.


For one to infer the structures of a gene regulatory network (GRN), it is important to identify, for each gene in the GRN, which other genes can affect its expression and how they can affect it. For this purpose, many algorithms have been developed to generate hypotheses about the presence or absence of interactions between genes. These algorithms, however, cannot be used to determine if a gene activates or inhibits another. To obtain such information to better infer GRN structures, we propose a fuzzy data mining technique here. By transforming quantitative expression values into linguistic terms, it defines a measure of fuzzy dependency among genes. Using such a measure, the technique is able to discover interesting fuzzy dependency relationships in noisy, high dimensional time series expression data so that it can not only determine if a gene is dependent on another but also if a gene is supposed to be activated or inhibited. In addition, the technique can also predict how a gene in an unseen sample (i.e., expression data that are not in the original database) would be affected by other genes in it and this makes statistical verification of the reliability of the discovered gene interactions easier. For evaluation, the proposed technique has been tested using real expression data and experimental results show that the use of fuzzy-logic based technique in gene expression data analysis can be quite effective.


In mammals, macrophages are multifunctional cells. Apart from their scavenger role in the clearance of non-self materials such as microorganisms and altered-self materials such as apoptotic cells, senescent erythrocytes, immune complexes, and inflammatory products, they play a crucial role in the regulation of both innate and acquired immunity. Whereas the former activity is based on phagocytosis and intracellular degradation, the latter activity largely depends on the production and secretion of a panel of regulatory molecules such as cytokines, chemokines, and nitrogen oxide (NO). Depletion of macrophages and blocking of phagocytosis form important approaches to study the role of these cells in various host defense mechanisms. Moreover, the efficacy of drug- and gene-targeting, based on the application of particulate carrier devices, can be improved in this way. However, compounds originally described as efficacious blockers of phagocytosis simultaneously activate their production of cytokines and NO. Moreover, elimination, blocking, as well as activation of macrophages are all dependent on the concentration of such compounds. When administered in vivo, they will reach some macrophages in a high and others in a low concentration. As a consequence, the former cells may be eliminated or blocked, whereas the latter are activated by the same treatment. In this review, the various methods for suppression of macrophage functions are compared and requirements for the development of new, selective, and organ-specific macrophage-suppressing devices are discussed.


This study is done against a background of perennial negative variances between the projected and actual tax collections in Zimbabwe. Studies that look at the influence of mental accounting, perceived trust and power of tax authorities on tax compliance seem to be lacking in Africa. The target population comprise of self-employed tax payers because these currently comprise the highest form of employment among Zimbabweans. Their compliance depends to some extent on their mental accounting practices, perceived trust and power of the tax authorities. The study objectives are therefore to i) examine the influence of mental accounting on tax compliance ii) examine the influence of trust in revenue authorities on tax compliance and iii) examine the influence of perceived authority of revenue officers on tax compliance. This study used mental accounting theory, slippery slope framework, perceived trust and perceived power of tax authorities to explain tax compliance behaviour among SME owners in Harare, Zimbabwe. A questionnaire is used as the data collection tool, with constructs adopted from some scholars. Self-employed tax payers registered under the Small to Medium Enterprises Association of Zimbabwe (SMEAZ).  Those which are based in Harare are selected using simple random selection method. The STATA software package is used to analysis data. The nature of relationships that exist among the variables under study are established and reported on. It is on the basis of these findings which include that there was a strong positive relationship between perceived trust in tax authorities and voluntary compliance that recommendations are made.

 Key words: Mental accounting, mental accounting theory, slippery slope framework, perceived trust, perceived power of tax authorities, tax compliance, ZIMRA.


Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in North America and western Europe. The majority of these deaths are due to myocardial or cerebral infarction, atherosclerosis being the principal cause (Report of the Working Group of Arteriosclerosis of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1981). The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is being elucidated and some predisposing factors defined.


The meiotic cell cycle in mouse oocytes is arrested in prophase, and then restarted when luteinizing hormone (LH) acts on the surrounding granulosa cells. The granulosa cells keep meiosis arrested by providing a source of cGMP that diffuses into the oocyte through gap junctions, and LH restarts the cell cycle by closing the junctions and by decreasing granulosa cell cGMP, thus lowering oocyte cGMP. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation is an essential step in triggering LH-induced meiotic resumption, but its relationship to the cGMP decrease in the follicle is incompletely understood, and its possible function in causing gap junction closure has not been investigated. Here we use EGFR agonists (epiregulin and amphiregulin), and an EGFR kinase inhibitor (AG1478) to study the function of the EGFR in the signaling pathways leading to the release of oocytes from prophase arrest. Our results indicate that the EGFR kinase contributes to LH-induced meiotic resumption in two different ways. First, it is required for gap junction closure. Second, it is required for an essential component of the decrease in follicle cGMP. Our data show that the EGFR kinase-dependent component of the cGMP decrease is required for LH-induced meiotic resumption, but they also indicate that an as yet unidentified pathway accounts for a large part of the cGMP decrease.


Poverty criteria must include various aspects (widely and comprehensively), with speci c valuation standard. this argument is based on case study of poor families in Java. Using observation and interview method, found three groups of poor family, namely 1) the factual poor family; 2) the well-off but considered poor; and 3) the poor but considered well-off. A number of poverty aspects occurred to poor families are: income, consumption, education, health, powerlessness in public domain, inability to voice their aspiration, and the low quality of human capital. In the current local autonomy era, to prevent the gap between the rich and poor, the role of local elites with objectivity and pro-poor attitude should be encouraged.


Structure-from-Motion (SfM) methods can be broadly categorized as incremental or global according to their ways to estimate initial camera poses. While incremental system has advanced in robustness and accuracy, the efficiency remains its key challenge. To solve this problem, global reconstruction system simultaneously estimates all camera poses from the epipolar geometry graph, but it is usually sensitive to outliers. In this work, we propose a new hybrid SfM method to tackle the issues of efficiency, accuracy and robustness in a unified framework. More specifically, we propose an adaptive community-based rotation averaging method first to estimate camera rotations in a global manner. Then, based on these estimated camera rotations, camera centers are computed in an incremental way. Extensive experiments show that our hybrid method performs similarly or better than many of the state-of-the-art global SfM approaches, in terms of computational efficiency, while achieves similar reconstruction accuracy and robustness with two other state-of-the-art incremental SfM approaches.


N-2-hydroxyethyl-glucamine (NHEG) was converted into 6-deoxy-6-hydroxylethyl-amino-L-sorbose (DHES) by the regioselective oxidation of Gluconobacter oxydans, and then the generated intermediate of this process was produced to N-hydroxyethyl-deoxynojirimycin (Miglitol) by reductive ring closure reaction. Regioselective oxidation reaction was catalyzed by the high activity sorbitol dehydrogenase of Gluconobacter oxydans biomass which was obtained in preliminary studies. Reductive ring closure reaction was carried out under the conditions of 10%Pd/C as catalyst, at 45~55°C and 0.6MPa of hydrogen. Reaction mixture by the separation and purification of strong acidic exchange resin column has been the Miglitol. In addition, the structure and properties of synthetic product was characterized by thin layer chromatography (TLC), melting point, mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The results showed that the miglitol yield is 77.3%.The regional specificity of the high activity sorbitol dehydrogenase of Gluconobacter oxydans has been verified. Moreover, combinating the technology of the Pd/C- catalyzed reductive ring closure reaction, an effective synthesis process of miglitol is achieved.


This preliminary study explored gambling in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex (LGBTI) community, recognising this as an under researched area. Several factors were considered alongside gambling, namely mental health, substance use, alcohol use and self-control. Participants were recruited to take part in an online survey, with a final sample of 69 obtained.  Findings revealed that gambling activities such as pub slot machines/games (58%) were the most common form of gambling, followed by scratch cards (43.5%).  The most common motive for engaging in gambling was for 'fun', followed by 'because you like the feeling'.  Twenty percent of participants appeared to meet the criteria for gambling disorder, as defined by the DSM–V. Mental health variables, namely depression and anxiety, did not distinguish between problematic and non-problematic gambling whereas alcohol, drug use and self-control did; higher levels of alcohol and higher levels of drug use were present in the problematic gambling group which appeared to confirm gambling as a difficulty best placed within the addiction spectrum.  Self-control was also lower in the problematic gambling group and represented a significant predictor of problematic gambling.


ABSTRACT This article discusses three sets of insights generated in this special issue relating to the intended objectives and desired outcomes of coproduction, the inherent tensions in coproduction activities, and important factors for designing and implementing coproduction processes. It also identifies several problems with coproduction research, and asserts that scholars must get back to the basics and address the need for a clear and consistently applied definition, the need to develop and apply frameworks, typologies, and theories, and the need for more explanatory research. The article concludes with a set of research questions to advance the study and practice of coproduction.


The excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT‐2 is physiologically expressed in astrocytes. This study demonstrates that distinct subclasses of neurons exhibited EAAT‐2 immunoreactivity in cases with Alzheimer's disease (AD). EAAT‐2 was identified in the following types of neurons: Cortical pyramidal cells, fascia dentata granule cells, neurons of the basal nucleus of Meynert, the substantia nigra, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, oral and central raphe nuclei, locus coeruleus, parabrachial nucleus, and neurons of the reticular formation of the brain stem. All EAAT‐2‐positive neurons displayed cytoskeletal abnormalities with abnormal Γ‐protein and often showed condensed and shrunken nuclei. None of the control cases without AD‐related pathology showed EAAT‐2‐immunoreactive neurons. These results indicate that AD‐related neurodegeneration is associated with the expression of the glutamate transporter EAAT‐2 in altered neurons. Since an aberrant expression of EAAT‐1 in neurons has recently been described, the finding of a neuronal expression of EAAT‐2 strongly supports the hypothesis that abnormalities in the glutamate transport play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD.


This dissertation examines substantial change as explained by St Thomas Aquinas in a number of his works. It provides a systematic exposition, explanation and defence of his account of substantial change, arguing that it is not only satisfactory but also in accord with a sound philosophy of nature as well as being metaphysically consistent.

The central aim of the dissertation is to explain how substantial changes are said to occur, that is, to explain the process of substantial change. This process involves a transition from potency to act, which constitutes the essence of change. The explanation of the process of substantial change is said to be a hylomorphic explanation, in that it involves the postulation of two per se principles of nature, namely prime matter as the potential principle and substantial form as the actuating principle, and one per accidens principle, namely privation.

This dissertation deals with its topic in five chapters. The first chapter deals with some considerations preliminary to the investigation of substantial change. It considers what is meant by substance, the argument that there are many different substances, and the evidence of substantial change. There is then examined three possible explanations of substantial change, namely annihilation/creation, transubstantiation and a substratum theory. St Thomas's explanation is identified as a substratum theory, and more particularly as a hylomorphic version of a substratum theory. According to this substratum theory, substantial change involves one substantial form replacing another in the underlying substratum of prime matter. The central aim of the dissertation is to explain how the prime matter undergoes the transition from potentially possessing a substantial form to actually possessing it. The second chapter examines the three principles of change, namely matter, form and privation, beginning with accidental change and then arguing by way of analogy to substantial change. At the end of the chapter, five difficulties or objections are raised, which are then answered in subsequent chapters. The fifth difficulty is in fact the principal problem addressed in the dissertation, namely how to explain the origin of the new substantial form in the prime matter.

The third and fourth chapters examine the process of substantial change and in particular respond to the principal problem of the dissertation. Three possible explanations for the origin of substantial forms are examined, namely that the form was actual but latent in the prime matter, that it was created by an external agent or that it was educed from the potency of prime matter. St Thomas argues for the third explanation of eduction, from the Latin ex ducere, meaning 'to bring out of.' The fourth chapter examines in detail the process of eduction by which a new substantial form is produced. In particular the role of dispositions in prime matter is examined. Prime matter is said to be indirectly disposed by means of changes in the accidents inhering directly in the composite supposit, i.e., the individual substance. The fifth and final chapter considers the objections raised at the end of chapter two in light of some modern authors and replies are given to these objections. It is concluded that St Thomas's account is sufficiently robust to provide a philosophical explanation of substantial change based upon metaphysical principles.


Previous studies of the cohesion of organized armed groups (OAGs) have made great progress, but they have mostly focused on units fighting for modern Western states. I argue that the study of OAGs that contain their own legitimacy requires a broadened theoretical framework. Such groups may be conceptualized as "ruling organizations" in Max Weber's terminology. Examples of such groups range from early medieval warbands to modern militias and guerrillas. Members of ruling organizations obey commands for a combination of three reasons: rational, traditional, and charismatic—these in turn form the basis of the legitimacy of the organization. Pinpointing the foundations of obedience in a group provides us with another way of emphasizing weak points that we want to either target or reinforce. This study contributes theoretically to the study of cohesion by linking it to theories of legitimacy in political orders.


Investigations focusing on wellhead encrustations within select zones of emergence of mineral water, in different hydrogeological provinces, were conducted from 2014 to 2017 in Serbia. They included: well BB-1 in Bogatic (Inner Dinaric Alps of western Serbia), wells LB-4 and LB-5 in Lukovska Banja (Sumadija-Kopaonik-Kosovo Province), and wells VG-2 and VG-3 in Vranjska Banja (Serbian Crystalline Core). The studied occurrences belong to the group of hot mineral waters, with temperatures ranging from 62°C to 93.9°C, and total dissolved solids (TDS) from 600 to 1267 mg/L. They are mildly acidic to mildly alkaline (pH 6.6 – 8.0) and their genetic types are HCO3--Na++K+ (Bogatic and Lukovska Banja) and SO42-, HCO3--Na++K+ (Vranjska Banja). Macroscopic, optical and diffraction assessment revealed that the encrustations comprised calcite and aragonite minerals, along with some local quartz, muscovite, albite and clinochlore. The conclusion was that there was a predominant presence of calcium carbonate in all the occurrences, represented by crystalline calcite grains, characteristically birefractive, and dark, semitranslucent grains in the form of microcrystalline calcite highly stained by iron hydroxides (Bogatic), as well as crystalline calcite with radially developed carbonate - aragonite (Lukovska Banja) and rod-like and filamentous aggregates of aragonite and calcite, highly translucent in places (Vranjska Banja).The texture of the samples exhibits alternating horizontal or wavy carbonate laminae. In Vranjska Banja, they include thin micritic to medium crystalline laminae and laminae composed of aggregates of aragonite needles in the form of bunch. In Bogatic and Lukovska Banja, there are thick micritic and highly porous laminae, 0.025 to 1 mm thick, or interlayers of a coarser crystalline structure. Apart from encrustations, all the occurrences exhibit phototrophic microbial mats, which were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The onset and progress of encrustation are primarily influenced by the physical and chemical composition of the mineral water (T, pH, TDS, HCO3-, Ca2+, CO2, etc.), as corroborated by hydrogeochemical modeling software PHREEQC 3.4.0. In addition, phototrophic biofilms might be contributing to the creation and accumulation of minerals in the encrustations.


Summary

Nutrient enrichment is a widespread environmental problem in freshwater ecosystems. Eutrophic conditions caused by nutrient enrichment may result in a higher prevalence of infection by trematode parasites in host populations, due to greater resource availability for the molluscan first intermediate hosts.

This study examined relationships among land use, environmental variables indicating eutrophication, population density of the pleurocerid snail, Leptoxis carinata, and trematode infections. Fifteen study sites were located in streams within the Shenandoah River catchment (Virginia, U.S.A.), where widespread nutrient enrichment has occurred.

Snail population density had a weak positive relationship with stream water nutrient concentration. Snail population density also increased as human activities within stream catchments increased, but density did not continue to increase in catchments where anthropogenic disturbance was greatest.

Cercariae from five families of trematodes were identified in L. carinata, and infection rate was generally low (<10%). Neither total infection rate nor the infection rate of individual trematode types showed a positive relationship with snail population density, nutrients or land use.

There were statistically significant but weak relationships between the prevalence of infection by two trematode families and physical and biological variables. The prevalence of Notocotylidae was positively related to water depth, which may be related to habitat use by definitive hosts. Prevalence of Opecoelidae had a negative relationship with orthophosphate concentration and a polynomial relationship with chlorophyll a concentration. Transmission of Opecoelid trematodes between hosts may be inhibited by eutrophic conditions.

Leptoxis carinata appears to be a useful species for monitoring the biological effects of eutrophication and investigating trematode transmission dynamics in lotic systems.


Objectives We used findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 to report the burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Methods The burden of musculoskeletal disorders was calculated for the EMR's 22 countries between 1990 and 2013. A systematic analysis was performed on mortality and morbidity data to estimate prevalence, death, years of live lost, years lived with disability and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Results For musculoskeletal disorders, the crude DALYs rate per 100 000 increased from 1297.1 (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 924.3–1703.4) in 1990 to 1606.0 (95% UI 1141.2–2130.4) in 2013. During 1990–2013, the total DALYs of musculoskeletal disorders increased by 105.2% in the EMR compared with a 58.0% increase in the rest of the world. The burden of musculoskeletal disorders as a proportion of total DALYs increased from 2.4% (95% UI 1.7–3.0) in 1990 to 4.7% (95% UI 3.6–5.8) in 2013. The range of point prevalence (per 1000) among the EMR countries was 28.2–136.0 for low back pain, 27.3–49.7 for neck pain, 9.7–37.3 for osteoarthritis (OA), 0.6–2.2 for rheumatoid arthritis and 0.1–0.8 for gout. Low back pain and neck pain had the highest burden in EMR countries. Conclusions This study shows a high burden of musculoskeletal disorders, with a faster increase in EMR compared with the rest of the world. The reasons for this faster increase need to be explored. Our findings call for incorporating prevention and control programmes that should include improving health data, addressing risk factors, providing evidence-based care and community programmes to increase awareness.


Purpose To examine ocular growth in nonhuman primates (NHPs) from measurements on ex vivo eyes. Methods We obtained NHP eyes from animals that had been killed as part of other studies or because of health-related issues. Digital calipers were used to measure the horizontal, vertical, and anteroposterior globe diameters as well as corneal horizontal and vertical diameters of excised globes from 98 hamadryas baboons, 551 cynomolgus monkeys, and 112 rhesus monkeys, at ages ranging from 23 to 360 months. Isolated lens sagittal thickness and equatorial diameter were measured by shadowphotogrammetry. Wet and fixed dry weights were obtained for lenses. Results Nonhuman primate globe growth continues throughout life, slowing toward an asymptotic maximum. The final globe size scales with negative allometry to adult body size. Corneal growth ceases at around 20 months. Lens diameter increases but thickness decreases with increasing age. Nonhuman primate lens wet and dry weight accumulation is monophasic, continuing throughout life toward asymptotic maxima. The dry/wet weight ratio reaches a maximum of 0.33. Conclusions Nonhuman primate ocular globe and lens growth differ in several respects from those in humans. Although age-related losses of lens power and accommodative amplitude are similar, lens growth and properties are different indicating care should be taken in extrapolating NHP observations to the study of human accommodation.


This article argues that transgression provides an illuminating critical category to examine the narrative construction of John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006). Boyne's decision to entrust his testimonial narrative to Bruno, the son of an SS commander, produces a representational uncertainty that is reminiscent of Theodor Adorno's claims on post-Auschwitz aesthetics. Bruno's fictional testimony is marked by a difficulty in conceptualising experience via language, which reveals voids in his cognizance of reality. This epistemic modality, however, is transgressed by the interaction of words and images in the film version of the novel.


Silk cultivation in Italy started in the eleventh century CE. Initially, silkworms were cultivated using only indigenous black mulberry trees. For several centuries following, manufacturers in Italian towns manufactured luxury silk fabrics utilizing only imported foreign silk threads. In the fifteenth century, however, the practice of cultivating non-native white mulberry trees made its way from China to Italy. Due to the better quality of their leaves, this facilitated the production of domestic Italian silk threads for use in the manufacture of luxury products. Rural silk cultivation then expanded sharply.


There are 35 proton-rich isotopes between 74Se and 196Hg that cannot be synthesized through neutron captures and β− decays (s- and r-processes). A third process is therefore required for the production of these nuclei, the so-called p-process. The abundance and the origin of the p-nuclei are still not fully understood even though significant experimental and theoretical efforts in astrophysical modeling have been expended in the last two decades. The experimental studies with the activation method to measure cross sections of the relevant reactions have some limitations: the reaction product must be radioactive, should have an appropriate half-life, and its decay should be followed by proper γ-radiations. If the cross section cannot be calculated with the radiation followed by the first beta decay of the product, it can be measured using the second beta decay as an alternative method. In this study, the method and candidate reactions for the cross-section measurements via the second beta decay of the reaction product using the activation method are discussed.