Planktonic rotifers and cyclopoid copepods were studied in two reservoirs of different trophic states (eutrophic and oligo/mesoeutrophic) in the south of Brazil. During a year, monthly samplings were carried out in three stations in each reservoir. Species richness, frequency and abundance were used to find out useful and indicatives trends of water quality based on these organisms, reinforced by literature data. Species that showed higher differences between reservoirs were chosen. For Rotifera, richness, frequency and abundance of Brachionus were higher in the eutrophic reservoir, but Plationus patulus occurred only in the oligo/mesotrophic reservoir. For copepods, Tropocyclops prasinus dominated in the eutrophic reservoir, but Thermocyclops decipiens, T. minutus, T. inversus and Microcyclops anceps were dominants in the oligo/mesotrophic reservoir. In the canonical correspondence analysis, these species were indicators of the trophic state and were related with chlorophyll-a, total phytoplankton and total phosphorus. The use of these species can be efficient in the studied regions (subtropical/temperate), but comparing with other Brazilian reservoirs of tropical climate, the results could be different. Despite the dominance of T. decipiens over T. minutus, T. inversus has been widely used in Brazil as an indicator of eutrophic waters; in those cases of excessive eutrophication, other species, more rustic, commonly dominate. In the present study, Thermocyclops was dominant in the oligo/mesotrophic reservoir. The dominance of Brachionus for rotifers and Tropocyclops prasinus and Acanthocyclops robustus for copepods were indicative of eutrophic conditions.


Single crystals of 3-Methyl 2-Vinylpyridinium Bromi de (MVPB) were grown by slow evaporation method at room temperature. Single crystal x-ray diffraction analy sis reveals that MVPB crystallizes in triclinic sys tem with space group P A« and the calculated lattice parameters are a = 7.74 4(4) A, b= 7.923(5) A, c=8.561(5) A, α =62.483(3) o , β =66.704(3) o and γ = 74.831(3) o . The structure of MVPB shows that the pyridinium m oiety is planar. The sum of the bond angles around the protonated nitrogen atom of pyridinium ring is in accordance with sp 2 hybridization.The crystal packing of the pyridinium is through weak N -H...Br, C-H...Br and ... intermolecular interactions in addition to van der Waals forces.


'Symptoms' is a core outcome domain for atopic eczema (AE) trials, agreed by consensus as part of the Harmonising Outcome Measures for Eczema (HOME) initiative. To standardize and validate the core domain symptoms and symptom instruments for AE trials the HOME roadmap is followed. Its first step is to establish if and how symptoms have been measured in published AE treatment trials. Therefore the Global Resource for Eczema Trials database was used to collect all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of treatments for AE between January 2000 and April 2014. Study selection and data extraction were performed by three reviewers independently. We identified the use of symptoms in 295 of 378 trials (78%). Symptoms as a primary end point were applied by 147 RCTs (50%). Seventeen different symptoms were measured, but mostly itch and sleep loss. Symptoms were assessed by only 37% of trials by a stand‐alone symptom measurement. Overall 63% of RCTs used a composite instrument, and 30 different instruments were identified. The Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index was the most commonly applied, but only 23% of RCTs reported the SCORAD symptom score separately. This systematic review demonstrates that symptoms, most frequently itch and sleep loss, are commonly reported in AE treatment trials, but are measured using many different instruments. Often symptoms are evaluated as part of a composite instrument, and currently it is not possible to extract symptoms‐only data from most published studies. Future trials should report symptom scores to permit meta‐analysis of the core outcomes.


Cocaine is a common drug of abuse with a potential lethal cardiac toxicity. Although cocaine abuse has reached epidemic proportions, the number of cardiovascular complications observed clinically remains low. Over 30% of men and 20% of women between the ages of 26 and 34 have used cocaine at least once. Moreover, more than 30 million Americans have used cocaine at some time, and more than five million are regular abusers. Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for cocaine users to seek medical attention. Over 64,000 patients are evaluated annually for cocaine-related chest pain, of whom more than 57% are admitted to hospital for possible myocardial ischaemia, at an annual cost of more than $83 million.


BACKGROUND The late sequelae of an acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are difficult to predict. There are many retrospective studies which suggest that the post-phlebitic syndrome is associated with the development of valvular incompetence but these have lead to little understanding of the changes involved in the venous system following an acute thrombotic event. Duplex ultrasound imaging is an useful method to study changes in the venous system because it can locate a thrombus, assess the changes which occur over time and monitor the development of recanalization and reflux of blood flow. METHODS In this study, 50 patients were followed by serial duplex ultrasound examination to determine if a more accurate prediction of patients at risk could be found. Rapid thrombolysis and extent of the thrombosis are both factors which influence the return of the vein to normal function. RESULTS Complete thrombolysis within a short period of time occurred in 24% of patients resulting in preserved valvular function. After one year there were 34% with early post-phlebitic symptoms. All of these patients had veins which recanalized slowly and developed valvular incompetence with reflux. Veins remained occluded in 14% of patients and of these 8% had competent collateral channels. This appeared to be a better outcome because none of these patients had developed symptoms after one year. Recurrent DVT's occurred in 8% within the year. Of these, 4% presented with symptoms and 4% were without symptoms but thrombus was found by ultrasound examination. CONCLUSIONS Serial duplex examination leads to better understanding of the natural history of an acute DVT. This may have clinical implications and lead to better management of acute DVT thereby reducing the long term risks of the post phlebitic limb.


Social networking services are becoming an increasingly popular medium for marketing and advertising. The growth in usage of these sites, together with an increasingly active local food system in Northern Colorado, motivated this study examines the effectiveness of social marketing for consumer-oriented agribusinesses. Initial research on social marketing suggests it is an innovation being informally used by consumers to quickly spread word of mouth on events and products. For consumer-oriented businesses, this suggests a potential opportunity to effectively grow markets or improve loyalty among customers. The case studies presented are particularly rich examples since direct marketing in agriculture benefits from authentic, word-of-mouth promotion, in contrast to traditional advertising. These case studies, which include analysis of websites and intercept surveys, show that social networking may be beneficial, but might be most effective in a multi-modal marketing strategy for small agribusiness producers and direct marketers.


The concept of financial inclusion has been tabled in the whole world where practitioners, academicians, policy makers and economists are working hard to look for the best possible opportunities in order to enable the whole society to be in the banking cycle. The Islamic banking system is considered to be one of the said opportunities. Countries like the United Kingdom, United States of America, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the whole of the United Arab Emirates and many African countries have accommodated the aspect of Islamic banking in the conventional banking system as one of the financial inclusion strategies. This paper tries to analyse the current state of affairs of the Islamic Banking system in Tanzania in order to understand the improvement of the provision of Islamic banking products and services in the said country. The paper discusses the historical background of the banking system in Tanzania, the level of penetration of banking products and services and the coming of the Islamic banking system in the country. Furthermore, the paper discusses banking regulatory bodies, legal instruments governing banking operations as well as number of legal challenges facing Islamic banking operations in the country. Following a critical literature review, the paper discovered that there is no legal instrument which talks about the introduction and provision of Islamic banking system in Tanzania. Furthermore, the Islamic banking system was considered as a banking product which is absolutely incorrect because Islamic banking is considered to be as a banking system of its own. In addition to that, it has been discovered that lack of a proper regulatory system and legal instruments to harmonize the conventional and Islamic banking systems has resulted in the closure of one Islamic window in the country, which in the end affects the credibility of the newly introduced banking system. In its conclusive remarks, the paper suggests that Tanzania should work on all legal challenges affecting the smooth operations of the Islamic banking system. This can be in a way of adopting various Islamic banking legal models which are used in countries like Malaysia and others, or a borrowing legal harmonization process which has been adopted by the UK, Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya. Keywords—Islamic banking, Islamic Windows, regulations, banks.


This article examines the exhibition of folketro [popular belief] at Norsk folkemuseum [The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History]. The exhibition was inaugurated in 1938. The display of the cultural and religious category folketro was heavily influenced by the Norwegian ethnologist Nils Lid, who in turn had applied the theories and methods of W. Mannhardt and J. G. Frazer to Norwegian ethnological material. From its inception, the museum had a clear program; to mediate between the cultures of the country and the city, and thus create a unifying «mirror image» of the cultural history of the Norwegian people that would serve a reconciliatory function in the «cultural wars» between proponents of rural and elite/city culture. In the article, we are concerned with how the exhibition of folk belief was inscribed in a museum framework established in the beginning of the century. Firstly, we argue that the museum's organization of cultural time foreshadows the histori cal multi-temporality associated with the history of the mentalities. Secondly, we demon strate that the exhibition of folketro introduced an anthropological dimension in the museum that went way beyond the national, and back to a time of origin where sacrificial customs connected to the figure of the Corn demon had constituted folk belief as a transcultural category.


Background: Overweight and obesity have become a global epidemic that presents a risk to health. Serotonin is involved in the regulation of many important functions of the body as in the periphery (as a hormone), as well as in the central nervous system as a neurotransmitter, which can be involved in central mechanisms that control food intake. The present work aimed to study the features of serotonin metabolism functioning under the effect of the kidney beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) pods extract in experimental obesity, which was induced by the consumption of high-calorie diet. Phaseolus vulgaris is the plant that possesses plenty of curative and therapeutic properties in particular for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. It has been known that plant extracts, unlike synthetic drugs, can be used practically without toxic effects. Methods: Experiments were carried out on four groups of white nonlinear male rats (10 rats per group) during a 10-week period. Studies of the serotonergic system functioning were performed using ion-exchange chromatography, spectrofluorimetric and spectrophotometric methods. Results: The consumption of kidney beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) pods extract has a therapeutic effect on the obesity development in rats, as evidenced by changes in the functioning of the central and peripheral serotonergic systems. Tryptophan and serotonin levels have increased in duodenum mucosa compared to the obese rats, also had shown an increase of the serotonin synthesis enzymes activity (tryptophan hydroxylase and tryptophan decarboxylase) and a simultaneous decrease in the activity of monoamine oxidase. Central tryptophan and serotonin levels, as well as the activity of enzymes of the serotonin synthesis have increased compared to the obese rats while a simultaneous decrease in the activity of monoamine oxidase was observed. Conclusions: The obtained results indicated a therapeutic effect of the kidney beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) pods extract on the dysfunction of the serotonergic system under obesity development. J Endocrinol Metab. 2021;11(5):123-133 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem650


This paper examines the relation between information transmission and cross-autocorrelations. We present a simple model, where informed trading is transmitted from large to small stocks with a lag. In equilibrium, large stock illiquidity induced by informed trading portends stronger cross-autocorrelations. Empirically, we find that the lead-lag relation increases with lagged large stock illiquidity. Further, the lead from large stock order flows to small stock returns is stronger when large stock spreads are higher. In addition, this lead-lag relation is stronger before macro announcements (when information-based trading is more likely) and weaker afterward (when information asymmetries are lower).


Success in Information Retrieval (IR) depends on many variables. Several interdisciplinary approaches try to improve the quality of the results obtained by an IR system. In this paper we propose a new way of using word sense disambiguation (WSD) in IR. The method we develop is based on Naïve Bayes classification and can be used both as a filtering and as a re-ranking technique. We show on the TREC ad-hoc collection that WSD is useful in the case of queries which are difficult due to sense ambiguity. Our interest regards improving the precision after 5, 10 and 30 retrieved documents (P@5, P@10, P@30), respectively, for such lowest precision queries.


This paper discusses the mechanism behind the grinding force decrease associated with ultrasonication of the grinding wheel in constant-depth-of-cut ultrasonically assisted grinding (UAG). By introducing a grinding model describing the cutting trace of an abrasive grain, an equation relating the grinding force decrease to such process parameters as the amplitude and frequency of vibration and the grinding wheel speed, is established. Experiments are conducted to confirm the theoretical prediction. Theoretical and empirical results both indicate that the decrease in grinding force is due to the grinding chips becoming smaller and fracturing more easily under ultrasonication. The results also suggest that the grinding force decrease is greater at higher vibration amplitudes and at lower grinding wheel speeds.


Problem The task of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a seminar to confront anti-Trinitarian dissidence in the Central Amazon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Brazil. In a historical study, Burt (2006) pointed out that the progression of Adventists from anti-Trinitarianism to a biblical Trinitarian view has been a difficult process (p. 126), and he also explained on the same year that "the last decade has seen an increased anti-Trinitarian agitation within the Seventh-day Adventist Church" (p. 125). Whidden, Moon, and Reeve (2002) point out that there are "increasing reports" of anti-Trinitarianism in North America and around the world, and they suggest that, as this movement gains ground, "local churches increasingly find themselves drawn into debate over the issues" (pp. 8, 9). Pastoral observation suggests that a similar problem within the Central Amazon Conference (ACEAM) has caused some polarization, and a significant number of believers have left the church. At least three churches within the conference have been visibly affected by this issue, and the phenomenon is gaining ground. These realities represent the main reason why this project was implemented. Methodology This project (which through a seminar sought to confront anti-Trinitarian dissidence in the Central Amazon Conference) belongs to the discipline of applied theology. Issues related to the concept of Trinity were studied in the light of the Bible, the writings of Ellen White, and other contributions from contemporary literature. The lessons learned from such an exploration, along with a careful analysis of the project's context, constituted the theoretical platform for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a seminar to confront anti-Trinitarian dissidence within the Amazon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Individual interviews, group discussion, and surveys served as tools to evaluate the results of the implementation of the program. Results The analysis of literature related to the subject of the Trinity allowed the creation and implementation of the seminar. With the advantages provided by the methods of naturalistic observation and contrived observation (Gravetter & Forzano, 2009, p. 358), the researcher was able to recognize behaviors otherwise impossible to observe (p. 359), and such behaviors revealed that the seminar was well received by church members. The leaders of the ACEAM especially valued the fact that this project allowed them to observe the main reasons why church members tend to accept or resist anti-Trinitarian dissidence. The surveys conducted for this project suggest that the level of doctrinal knowledge is a significant factor that causes Seventh-day Adventist church members to be prone to either accept or reject anti-Trinitarian movements. Most (73.68%) of those surveyed in a church without a history of dissidence (iglesias sin historia de disidencia, or ISHD, its acronym in Spanish), and also among those surveyed in a church with history of dissidence (iglesias con historia de disidencia, or ICHD, its acronym in Spanish) most (57.14%) do not have the book that deals with the 28 fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists (having the book might help clarify some of the related issues in the minds of new church members, if they read the book). Surveys also reveal that 52.63% of those in the ISHD and 71.42% of those in the ICHD said the subject of Trinity is hardly ever dealt with, or is dealt with merely when a doctrinal problem emerges. The surveys conducted reveal, among others, the following main factors that make a church member prone to accept anti-Trinitarian doctrines: first, a superficial knowledge about biblical beliefs in general and about the Trinity in particular; second, little historical awareness regarding Seventh-day Adventist pioneers and the development of their beliefs regarding Trinity and other issues; third, lack of participation in personal evangelism; and fourth, lack of meaningful relationships between church members and their leaders. Conclusions The results of this project suggest that the Seventh-day Adventist Church in ACEAM and around the world might find it beneficial to implement similar programs in which church members might be exposed to a deeper understanding of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs in general, and Trinity in particular. Since pastors and church elders are among the first ones church members talk to when they have questions such as those related to the Trinity, it is important to make sure pastors and other leaders have good relationships with their church members, and also that they are knowledgeable in matters related to biblical beliefs. We must recognize that a mistaken view of God will cause us to have a flawed view of all other biblical doctrines. On the other hand, a proper understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity will help us to perceive a God who is present and provides everything necessary for our salvation (the Father); who was nailed to the cross in the place of the human race (the Son); and who is with us every day (the Holy Spirit). Only through a correct concept of the Trinity will we be able to testify with conviction: God is love.


Second-order optimization methods have desirable convergence properties. However, the exact Newton method requires expensive computation for the Hessian and its inverse. In this paper, we propose SPAN, a novel approximate and fast Newton method. SPAN computes the inverse of the Hessian matrix via low-rank approximation and stochastic Hessian-vector products. Our experiments on multiple benchmark datasets demonstrate that SPAN outperforms existing first-order and second-order optimization methods in terms of the convergence wall-clock time. Furthermore, we provide a theoretical analysis of the per-iteration complexity, the approximation error, and the convergence rate. Both the theoretical analysis and experimental results show that our proposed method achieves a better trade-off between the convergence rate and the per-iteration efficiency.


Besides assays for the evaluation of efficacy new drug candidates have to undergo extensive testings for enhancement of pharmaceutical drug safety and optimization of application. The objective of the present work was to contribute to the preclinical development of cytostatically active 6-aminobenzo[c]phenanthridines through studies on the physico-chemical characterization, the metabolism and the drug-drug interaction potential. In the context of the physico-chemical characterization solubility in aqueous media, lipophilicity, and pKa values were determined. According to the "rule of five" the results showed favourable characteristics indicating a good oral availability. Nevertheless an improvement of aqueos solubility is desirable for later application as well as for further testings. The examined compounds were transformed into a variety of metabolites by human and porcine liver microsomes as well as by human recombinant CYP450-isoenzymes. Metabolites were identified by LC-MS. Several isoenzymes were involved in the metabolism, with CYP3A4 playing a major role. Studies on the drug-drug interaction potential of selected derivatives showed a high risk for BP-11 for interactions with the cytochrom P450- isoenzymes CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. BP-D7, with the highest efficacy in in vitro and in vivo assays showed only a slightly increased probability for interactions with drugs, also metabolized by CYP3A4.


The present paper investigates interactions between a main crack and a surrounding layer of crazing patterns. Analysis of the stress field distribution as well as the energy induced during these interactions is based on the resolution of some equations along with appropriate boundary conditions and the use of a numerical approach. The effect of amplification and shielding on the resulting stress field is shown through a study of mode I Stress Intensity Factor (SIF). Besides, to quantify the effects of this damage on the main crack, it is shown that the Energy Release Rate (ERR) is defined as being a superposition of the energy released due to the linear propagation of the main crack as well as the one due to the translational change in the growth of the damage. It is also proven that crazes closer to the main crack dominate the resulting interaction effect and reflect an anti-shielding of the damage while a reduction constitutes a material toughness.


As silicon ICs continue to scale down, several reliability issues have emerged. Electromigration- the transportation of metallic atoms by the electron wind- has been recognized as one of the key damage mechanisms in metallic interconnects. It is known that there is a threshold current density of electromigration damage in via-connected lines. The evaluation of the threshold current density is a matter of the great interest from the viewpoint of IC reliability. In this study, Al polycrystalline lines with two-dimensional shape, i.e. angled lines are experimentally treated for the evaluation. Comparing the experimental result with that of straight-shaped line, the effect of line-shape on the threshold current density of electromigration damage is discussed.


For process assignment that is strongly cohesive and weakly coupled, an evaluating model based on activity relation matrix is constructed on the similarities between software programs and the process. In this model, activity relationship matrix is employed to describe constraint-dependent relationships among activities, and this matrix is presented for calculating the numbers of controlling elements to improve the efficiency and rate of getting cohesion coefficients. In additional, the inspiration for the introduced notion is derived from cohesion metrics in software engineering. Also, a heuristic qualitative analysis method is provided that is based on this model to decide between various process assignment alternatives. Both a theoretical and an empirical evaluating method give a positive support its soundness. Lastly, several examples are given to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the model.


Abstract Objective In the management of facial nerve schwannoma (FNS), surgical tumor resection is now often being replaced with more conservative approaches, such as observation with serial imaging or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Given the scarcity of these lesions, determining the optimal management of FNS remains challenging and subject of debate with multiple treatment approaches supported in the literature. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed in two academic centers for patients diagnosed with FNS between 1996 and 2017. The clinical presentation, treatment modalities employed, tumor control rates, and facial nerve function (FNF) outcomes (House–Brackmann system) were assessed and analyzed. Results The study comprised 50 adult patients. Initial treatment modalities included observation with serial clinicoradiologic review in 27 patients (54%), surgery in 17 patients (34%), and SRS in 6 patients (12%). The FNF were decreased in more than half of the patients who had surgery. Nonetheless, more than 80% of the patients who were initially managed with observation or SRS had stable or improved FNF. Conclusion A prevailing trend toward more conservative treatment modalities for FNS has evolved over time, providing relatively long-term preservation of FNF. As there are multiple management options available, it is of paramount importance that the treating physician be familiar with all treatment modalities and outcomes and counsel patients appropriately. The surgery should be reserved for large tumors and poor FNF at initial presentation or follow-up while watchful observation with imaging is the treatment of choice for rest of the patients.


Johannes Brahms was a consummate professional musician, and a successful pianist, conductor, music director, editor and composer. Yet he also faithfully championed the world of private music-making, creating many works and arrangements for enjoyment in the home by amateurs. This collection explores Brahms' public and private musical identities from various angles: the original works he wrote with amateurs in mind; his approach to creating piano arrangements of not only his own, but also other composers' works; his relationships with his arrangers; the deeper symbolism and lasting legacy of private music-making in his day; and a hitherto unpublished memoir which evokes his Viennese social world. Using Brahms as their focus point, the contributors trace the overlapping worlds of public and private music-making in the nineteenth century, discussing the boundaries between the composer's professional identity and his lifelong engagement with amateur music-making.


We live in a time of great anxiety and change; a time of shifting allegiances where the certainties upon which we have relied have simply vanished. Our once familiar political landscape is in flux; pandemics, civil rights, China, Brexit, Trump, interminable wars and nationalism, have led us to seek answers in ways that are simple and easy to understand. The fingerprints of identity politics are everywhere.


Engagement with non-human animals is a rapidlygrowing field of study within the animal science and social science sectors, with human-interactions occurring in many forms; interactions, encounters and animal-assisted therapy. To our knowledge, there has been a wide array of research published on domestic and livestock human-animal interactions, however, there appear to be fewer publications relating to zoo animals and the effect these interactions have on the animal, human and establishment. The aim of this study was to identify if there were any perceivable benefits from the human-animal interaction for the cheetah, the human and the establishment. Behaviour data were collected before, during and after the interaction on the behaviour of the cheetah and the human participants to highlight any trends with nine interactions conducted. All 35 participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire prior to the interaction and immediately after to ascertain if their perceptions changed following an interaction with the cheetah. An online questionnaire was also distributed for three months to gain an understanding of the perceptions of human-animal interactions from members of the public, gaining 229 responses. Both questionnaires contained qualitative and quantitative questions to allow for specific definitive answers to be analysed, but also expansion on the participants perceived perception of human-animal interactions. In conclusion, it was found that participants' perceptions of humananimal interactions saw a positive change, with 64% of participants altering their opinion and viewing the interaction as beneficial for the cheetah (reduction in stress assumed behaviours) following participation in a 15-minute interaction. However, it was noted that many participants felt the interaction lacked educational values and therefore this is an area in which zoological establishments can work to further improve upon. The results highlighted many positive benefits for the human, animal and establishment, however, the study does indicate further areas for research in order to promote positive perceptions of human-animal interactions and to further increase the welfare of the animal during these interactions, with recommendations to create and regulate legislation. Keywords—Acinonyx jubatus, encounters, human-animal interactions, perceptions, zoological establishments.


We provide a new proof of the known partial regularity result for the optimal transportation map (Brenier map) between two sets. Contrary to the existing regularity theory for the Monge-Amp{e}re equation, which is based on the maximum principle, our approach is purely variational. By constructing a competitor on the level of the Eulerian (Benamou-Brenier) formulation, we show that locally, the velocity is close to the gradient of a harmonic function provided the transportation cost is small. We then translate back to the Lagrangian description and perform a Campanato iteration to obtain an $\epsilon$-regularity result.


Seasonal change in cold hardiness has frequently been associated with metabolic induction of osmolytes that may play a role in acclimation to low temperatures in cool season crop plants. The present research was aimed to examine the association of common endogenous sugars with cold hardiness in acclimated and non-acclimated plants of winter-hardy and non-hardy lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) genotypes under controlled conditions. The genotypes were highly significantly (p<0.01) different for cold tolerance at -5EC and the winter hardy genotypes had no foliar damage but 75% injury was observed in the non-hardy genotypes when freeze tested after complete acclimation under controlled conditions. Comparatively, sorbitol concentrations in the tips and basal leaves of young and old shoots of acclimated plants were consistently and highly significantly (p<0.01) higher in the non-hardy cultivars than in the winter-hardy lines. A highly significant (p<0.001) positive correlation (0.74 ± 0.09) was found between cold injury and sorbitol concentration in these tissues. Except for the presence of comparatively high sorbitol in non-hardy genotypes, there was no significant association of other endogenous sugars nor with total soluble sugars and cold hardiness in lentil.


In this work, we explore how the emergence of collective motion in a system of particles is influenced by the structure of their domain. Using the Vicsek model to generate flocking, we simulate two-dimensional systems that are confined based on varying obstacle arrangements. The presence of obstacles alters the topological structure of the domain where collective motion occurs, which, in turn, alters the scaling behavior. We evaluate these trends by considering the scaling exponent and critical noise threshold for the Vicsek model, as well as the associated diffusion properties of the system. We show that obstacles tend to inhibit collective motion by forcing particles to traverse the system based on curved trajectories that reflect the domain topology. Our results highlight key challenges related to the development of a more comprehensive understanding of geometric structure's influence on collective behavior.


A substantial proportion of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have mutations in the Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor type‐2 (BMPR2) gene. PAH due to BMPR2 mutations is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with several unique features, including a wide variety of mutations, reduced penetrance, a skewed gender ratio, variable expressivity and genetic anticipation. To address the genetic background of these unique features of BMPR2 mutation, we conducted a systematic analysis of 15 PAH families with BMPR2 mutation. The exonic protein coding sequence of BMPR2 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and the products were sequenced directly to detect point mutations in BMPR2. Parental identification was carried out to confirm the parental relationship using multiplex 15 loci analysis. Combining mutation detection in family members with parental identification, we described three cases of de novo mutation in the BMPR2 gene by different modes in a PAH family. These de novo mutations may account for the wide variety of mutations in BMPR2. Taken together with the juvenile onset of the disease, there is possibly some balance of de novo mutations and untransmittable mutations which keeps the frequency of PAH low in the general population.


Surfactants may affect soil structure differently depending upon the soil or the quality of rainfall or irrigation water. This study examined whether the water‐stable aggregation of 11 wettable soils was affected by surfactants and the water in which the soils were sieved. The study also examined whether the wettable soils' water drop penetration time (WDPT) was affected by surfactants, water drop quality, and elapsed time since the surfactants were applied. Two nonionic surfactants and a surfactant‐free water control were sprayed (by misting) upon air‐dry soil, then WDPT was measured 1 and 72 h thereafter. Subsequently, this treated soil was slowly wetted with an aerosol to its water content at a matric potential of −3 kPa, then immediately sieved for 600 s in water that contained either appreciable or few electrolytes. Water‐stable aggregation, quantified as mean weight diameter (MWD), varied widely among soils, ranging from 0.10 to 1.36 mm. The MWDs were affected (at p = 0.06) by surfactant treatments, depending upon the soil but not sieving water quality. Surfactants affected the MWD of an Adkins loamy sand and Feltham sand, two of the three coarsest‐textured soils. Although WDPTs never exceeded 5 s, depending upon the soil WDPTs were affected by surfactant treatments but not by water drop quality. After surfactant application, WDPTs generally decreased with time for three soils but increased with time for one soil. Findings suggested that surfactants interacted (1) with clay mineralogy to affect MWD and (2) with soluble calcium to affect WDPT for certain soils. Surfactant treatments but not water quality affected both MWD and WDPT for some but not all of 11 wettable, US soils. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.


As the most widely used measure of implicit social cognition, Implicit Association Test(IAT) has been applied in many areas since 1998. Applications of IAT mainly involve seven areas: mental health and behavioral problems, development and education, employment, politics, forensics, consumer behavior and decision-making, and intimate relationships. Ample evidence showed that IAT can be used to assess a diversity of implicit constructs and to predict various outcomes over and beyond parallel explicit measures. Although many studies on IAT have also been done in China, applications are still limited. To fill the gap, Cloud Psychology Lab(www.cpsylab.com) provided a large number of free online IATs to facilitate the applications of IAT in China.


Abstract Using data from direct numerical simulations, linear models of the compressible flow past a rectangular cavity are found. The emphasis is on forming simple models which capture the input–output behaviour of the system, and which are useful for feedback controller design. Two different approaches for finding a linear model are investigated. The first involves using input–output data of the linearized cavity flow to form a balanced, reduced-order model directly. The second approach is conceptual, and involves modelling each element of the flow physics separately using simple analytical expressions, the parameters of which are chosen based on simulation data at salient points in the cavity's computational domain. Both models are validated: first in the time domain by comparing their impulse responses to that of the full system in direct numerical simulations; and second in the frequency domain by comparing their frequency responses. Finally, the validity of both linear models is shown most clearly by using them for feedback controller design, and then applying each controller in direct numerical simulations. Both controllers completely eliminate oscillations, and demonstrate the advantages of model-based feedback controllers, even when the models upon which they are based are very simple.


In the stee[-making processes, it is well known that suspended non-metallic inclusions can be removed by Ar gas bubbles injected in the steel baths. This study aims to remove the inclusions through a bubble accumulated zone (namely, bubble curtain) created by swirling motion imposed on the flow in a submerged entry nozzle. The results obtained through water model experiments and numerical calculations (Eulerian/Lagragian, Eulerian/Eulerian method) show as follows; the swirling motion works effectively to form a bubble curtain through that al] the flow pass, and the half vertical angle of the bubble curtain increases with the increasing swirl strength. On the other hand, inclusions pass nearly parallel to the axis of the submerged entry nozzle, the trajectories of them being simiiar to the liquid-phase flow pattern. Therefore, a chance for a bubble and an inclusion to meet with each other would significantly increase.


Businesses rely on accounting technology (AT) to provide relevant and reliable information to internal and external users with for decision making. As a response to new governance requirements, information technology (IT) governance has been under development for several years. Just as business management is governed by generally accepted good practices, IT, including AT, should be governed by practices that help ensure an enterprise's IT resources are used responsibly, its risks are managed appropriately and its information and related technology support business objectives. AT governance is the process by which decisions are made around AT investments. How these decisions are made, who makes the decisions, which is held accountable, and how the results of the decisions are measured and monitored are all parts of AT governance. This paper evaluates the AT governance using COBIT Maturity Model (CMM) in Syrian organizations listed in the Syrian Commission on Financial Markets and Securities (SCFMS) and examines the associations between maturity levels of AT governance and the reliability of accounting information.


The failure of load-bearing structures by fracture is generally important in all phases of our society. It may concern small household items as well as expensive structures of civil or space applications and accordingly may cause varying degrees of economic distress. While the state of failure is usually easily determined as either "not failed" or "completely failed," the estimation of how close to either state a structure is, poses a much more difficult problem. It is important to recognize, however, that from an engineering point of view, the latter problem is the important one because it would allow, in principle, the prediction of the conditions leading to fracture and thus to a close estimate of the service life of a structure.

Inasmuch as failures by fracture involve the growth of cracks it appears that keeping track of the size of a crack in a particular structure provides a means of assessing *quantitatively* the strength prior to complete failure. If one agrees that the description of structural strength is rationalized in terms of the size of the defects, it foll0ws that one must attempt to understand the laws that govern the growth of such defects in order to predict complete failure.

Fracture of materials is a complicated process which encompasses atomistic aspects, as well as microscopic and large-scale continuum mechanical considerations. Although one of these aspects should not be considered without the other we shall be concerned with the continuum-mechanical formulation of the problem of fracture growth in viscoelastic materials. From this viewpoint the prediction of failure comprises three phases: first an examination of the physical situation presented by a static or growing defect in a material, second the translation of this physically observable situation into a mathematical model which is amenable to analysis by currently available or extendable tools of mathematics, third the theoretical exploitation of the mathematical model in an attempt to predict the behavior of defects under load and the comparison of these results with experimentally observable phenomena to assess the validity of the modelling process as given from phase one and phase two.

While there are many important details that have bearing on such a development we shall be concerned more with the principles of the analysis and show how the various considerations of the three phases enter into the overall structure of the crack propagation problem. In keeping analytic work as simple as possible it is intended to emphasize what type of results may be obtained with the aid of continuum mechanics and where continuum mechanics requires support by microscopic considerations.


The mechanism of action of cellulose-degrading enzymes is illuminated through a multidisciplinary collaboration that uses molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and expands the capabilities of MD codes to allow simulations of enzymes and substrates on petascale computational facilities. There is a class of glycoside hydrolase enzymes called cellulases that are thought to decrystallize and processively depolymerize cellulose using biochemical processes that are largely not understood. Understanding the mechanisms involved and improving the efficiency of this hydrolysis process through computational models and protein engineering presents a compelling grand challenge. A detailed understanding of cellulose structure, dynamics and enzyme function at the molecular level is required to direct protein engineers to the right modifications or to understand if natural thermodynamic or kinetic limits are in play. Much can be learned about processivity by conducting carefully designed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the binding and catalytic domains of cellulases with various substrate configurations, solvation models and thermodynamic protocols. Most of these numerical experiments, however, will require significant modification of existing code and algorithms in order to efficiently use current (terascale) and future (petascale) hardware to the degree of parallelism necessary to simulate a system of the size proposed here. This work will develop MD codes that can efficiently use terascale and petascale systems, not just for simple classical MD simulations, but also for more advanced methods, including umbrella sampling with complex restraints and reaction coordinates, transition path sampling, steered molecular dynamics, and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical simulations of systems the size of cellulose degrading enzymes acting on cellulose.


. Performance metrics (Evaluation metrics or error metrics) are crucial components of regression analysis and machine learning-based prediction models. A performance metric can be defined as a logical and mathematical construct designed to measure how close the predicted outcome is to the actual result. A variety of performance metrics have been described and proposed in the literature. Knowledge about the metrics' properties needs to be systematized to simplify their design and use. In this work, we examine various regression related metrics (14 in total) for continuous variables, including the most widely used ones, such as the (root) mean squared error, the mean absolute error, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and the coefficient of determination, among many others. We provide their mathematical formulations, as well as a discussion on their use, their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and limitations, through theoretical analysis and a detailed numerical example. The 10 unitless metrics are further investigated through a numerical analysis with Monte Carlo Simulation based on (i) random guessing and (ii) the addition of random noise with various noise ratios to the predicted values. Some of the metrics show a poor or inconsistent performance, while others exhibit good performance as evaluation measures of the "goodness of fit". We highlight the importance of the usage of the right metrics to obtain good predictions in machine learning and regression models in general.


As a step towards understanding the structure and function of phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), five cDNAs encoding Trimeresurus flavoviridis venom gland PLA2 isozymes have been sequenced. They revealed that the 5′ and 3′ un translated regions are much more homologous than the protein‐coding regions and that mbase substitutions have occurred at similar rates for the three positions of codons in the protein‐coding regions. Such novel findings are of great interest from the viewpoint of molecular evolution. To gain a further insight into this evolutional phenomenon, we have isolated and sequenced six T. flavoviridis PLA2 isozyme genes. Each gene consisted of four exons and three introns and encoded protein of 138 amino‐acid residues, including the signal sequence of 16 amino‐acid residues. The introns were much more homologous than the protein‐coding regions of exons except for the signal peptide‐coding region of the first exon. The absence of apparent functional role in the introns suggested that the protein‐coding regions, expect for the signal peptide‐coding domains, have evolved at greater substitution rates than introns. The fact that the numbers of nucleotide substitutions per non‐synonymous site are close to or larger than the number of nucleotide substitutions per synonymous site for relevant pairs of genes revealed that Darwinian‐type accelerated substitutions have occurred in the protein‐coding regions of exons. This is compatible with the presence of PLA2 species with diverse physiological activities in the venom.


EDITOR, - In their audit of patients with breast cancer treated in the Thames regions A M Chouillet and colleagues show and comment on wide variations in the treatment delivered in early 1990 to women of the same age and with disease of the same stage.1 Reasons for these variations are not hard to identify. Women are referred to many general surgical clinics, which lack the range of skill required for managing women with breast problems. Multidisciplinary breast clinics achieve a measure of uniformity and quality by working according to agreed protocols, whose implementation can be audited prospectively.

Referral to specialised breast clinics will not eliminate variation in treatment altogether because of differences of opinion between experts. Differences in treatment practices reflecting clinical uncertainty should act as a spur to participation in large randomised trials rather than to pressure for consensus guidelines. Where the adjuvant systemic treatment of early breast cancer is concerned, a worldwide meta- analysis carried out in 1992 showed conclusively that tamoxifen, chemotherapy, and ovarian suppression each reduce 10 year mortality in premenopausal and perimenopausal women.2 About 5-10 extra women with early breast cancer are alive at 10 years for every 100 women treated with any of these modalities. Tamoxifen and chemotherapy are each effective in postmenopausal women. Tamoxifen has a relatively favourable toxicity profile and is simple to administer. Five years' treatment at 20 mg a day costs just under pounds sterling200. It should therefore be considered for most women with early breast cancer, regardless of age. The optimal duration of tamoxifen treatment is being tested in the Cancer Research Campaign's trial and the "adjuvant tamoxifen treatment - offer more?" (aTTom) trial, and participation in these should be encouraged.

The overview carried out in 1992 also raised the possibility of appreciable further reductions in …


Strategies that integrate conservation and development are especially critical in regions where ecosystems provide direct and indirect benefits for local users and others, and where because of institutional conditions there is a commons dilemma. State intervention is sometimes thought necessary and desirable to correct the externalities arising from the conflict between short-term needs to extract a resource from the common-pool and the long-term need for preserving the ecosystem for its renewability and its capacity to provide other indirect ecological services. In this paper we question the assumption that state intervention will always improve what a group of users may achieve through self-governing institutions— even when users do not coordinate their individual actions. State intervention, we will argue, may also generate other unexpected changes in human behavior that may work against the goals of balancing conservation and development, and eventually do more harm than good. Through an analysis of economic experiments in three villages of Colombia we explore such arguments and derive some results that can contribute to the challenge of designing better policies and institutions for the effective management of ecosystems. Further, the results will provide grounds for an emerging literature on the possibilities of conservation through community institutions and mitigation of the so-called 'tragedy of the commons' (Hardin 1968). Combined, these two results, on social losses due to state regulation, and the potential of community management, may be important for the design of policies in regions like Latin America where states have been unsuccessful in enforcing conservation mechanisms in protected areas and where traditional


The prevailing view among economists and policy makers is that money has no impact on production in a longer term characterised by full price and wage flexibility and rational expectations. This book presents a revisionist view of monetary policy and monetary regimes. It presents several new mechanisms, indicating that money affects long-term production. The consequent policy implications are also discussed, including: the uses of monetary policy and monetary regimes in achieving macroeconomic goals; the impact of an independent central bank; the effects of a movement from floating exchange rates to fixed exchange rates in a monetary union. In addition to the theoretical and policy discussions the book also contains a comprehensive survey of the current state of scholarship in this area. Designed as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in macroeconomics, labour economics and finance, this book will also appeal to scholars and policy-makers.


A planned and integrated geophysical approach, using all available data, has proven effective in detecting shallow tunnels and buried objects in different geological environments. Elements of the integrated approach included information from intelligence, historical reviews, computer modelling, and multiple geophysical survey methods. The use of the integrated approach resulted in a higher rate of success in detecting tunnels and small objects at shallow depths; however, no single survey technique has been universally effective. Several different survey methods were used to determine specific characteristics of a potential target. Magnetic sensors detected ferromagnetic materials used in tunnel construction. Analyses of the magnetic anomaly characteristics and the surface patterns of the anomalies indicated the depth and path of the tunnel. Tunnels were also detected by intrinsic parameters of observed electromagnetic anomalies and the surface patterns of instrument responses. Both methods have successfully differentiated materials used in tunnel construction and operational support systems from surface features such as utility or sewer lines. Cross-borehole radar was used to confirm the existence of a deep tunnel through crystalline rock in the southern part of the Demilitarized Zone in the Republic of Korea. Additional indications of tunnels were obtained from analyses of migrated seismic compression waves (P-waves) collected by a vertical stack, common- midpoint method. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic and EM sensors were effective in detecting shallow-depth caches constructed of various materials.


The aims of the research were to find out firstly, the growth rate of the mud crab Scylla Serrata ) reared under different salinity levels and secondly, the range of the salinity where the mud crab optimally grows.   The experiment was conducted at the Laboratory of Aquaculture Technology, FPIK, UNSRAT, from April to May 2017.  The experiment was set up according to the Randomized Block Design, with 3 treatments, which were 3 different salinity levels, 10 ppt, 20 ppt and 30 ppt.  The tested level of salinity was determined based on the preliminary experiment.  Each treatment was triplicated, and each replicate represents the group of the initial weight of the tested crab, which was 80-89 grams (group-1), 70-79 grams (group-2), and 60-69 grams (group-3).  The tested mud crabs were collected from the estuarine waters of Inobonto river, which has salinity level of 12 ppt.  The tested crabs were weighed at the beginning and at the end of the experiment, and at the interval of 7 days during the experiment period.  The weight of the tested crabs data were converted into Absolute Growth Rate (AGR) and Daily Growth Rate (DGR), which in turn were statistically analyzed using Anova for Randomized Block Design, and then Least Significant Difference Test.  The results of the Least Significant Difference Test show that the absolute and daily growth rate of the tested crabs in the salinity of 10 ppt are not significantly different with those in the salinity of 20 ppt.  While the lowest absolute and daily growth rate of the tested crabs were in the salinity of 30 ppt and are significantly different with those in the salinity of 10 and 20 ppt.  Hence, in order to get a maximal production, the mud crab, Scylla serrata , should be cultured in the waters with a range of salinity between 10 and 20 ppt. Keywords : Mud crab, salinity, growth


We reassessed data from a previous study on the transcerebral net exchange of large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) using a novel mathematical model of blood–brain barrier (BBB) transport. The study included twelve healthy volunteers who received a 4‐h intravenous lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infusion (total dose: 0·3 ng/kg), a human experimental model of the systemic inflammatory response during the early stages of sepsis. Cerebral blood flow and arterial‐to‐jugular venous LNAA concentrations were measured prior to and after LPS, and the BBB transport and brain extracellular concentrations of LNAAs were calculated. The arterial concentration and unidirectional cerebral influx of phenylalanine increased after LPS. The BBB transport of tyrosine was unaffected, while its concentration in the brain extracellular fluid increased. These findings suggest that LPS infusion leads to an increased cerebral uptake of phenylalanine, which is then metabolized to tyrosine. This may reflect a neuroprotective mechanism that 'detoxifies' excess intracerebral phenylalanine in the clinical setting of sepsis.


Immersive virtual environments use a stereoscopic head-mounted display and data glove to create high fidelity virtual experiences in which users can interact with three-dimensional models and perceive relationships at their true scale. This stands in stark contrast to traditional PACS-based infrastructure in which images are viewed as stacks of two dimensional slices, or, at best, disembodied renderings. Although there has substantial innovation in immersive virtual environments for entertainment and consumer media, these technologies have not been widely applied in clinical applications. Here, we consider potential applications of immersive virtual environments for ventral hernia patients with abdominal computed tomography imaging data. Nearly a half million ventral hernias occur in the United States each year, and hernia repair is the most commonly performed general surgery operation worldwide. A significant problem in these conditions is communicating the urgency, degree of severity, and impact of a hernia (and potential repair) on patient quality of life. Hernias are defined by ruptures in the abdominal wall (i.e., the absence of healthy tissues) rather than a growth (e.g., cancer); therefore, understanding a hernia necessitates understanding the entire abdomen. Our environment allows surgeons and patients to view body scans at scale and interact with these virtual models using a data glove. This visualization and interaction allows users to perceive the relationship between physical structures and medical imaging data. The system provides close integration of PACS-based CT data with immersive virtual environments and creates opportunities to study and optimize interfaces for patient communication, operative planning, and medical education.


Two transgenic potato lines, csr2-1 and csr4-8, containing two different antisense genes, csr2 and csr4, respectively, were crossed to investigate the possibility of achieving reduction in cellulose content in the tuber cell walls of the progeny. The progeny containing both transgenes (double csr2/csr4 transformant) exhibited reduction of 63% in cell wall cellulose content, while the single transformants csr2 and csr4 had a 44% and 22% reduction in cellulose content, respectively. Keywords : Cellulose content, cellulose synthase, double transformant, genetic crossing, Solanum tuberosum Cameroon Journal of Experimental Microbiology Vol. 4 (2) 2008: pp. 80-83


This thesis describes the synthesis, by a solid-phase synthesis approach, of nanoparticles of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the recognition of proteins. Molecularly imprinted polymers are biomimetic receptors synthesized by a nanomolding process of the polymer around single molecules. They therefore possess specific recognition cavities for their target molecule. The technique of molecular imprinting for small target molecules is well established, while protein imprinting remains a challenge due to the flexibility and complexity of their native structure and functional sites, but also because of their low stability under unusual conditions. Therefore, a solid-phase synthesis approach has been developed where the protein is immobilized on a support before the synthesis of water-soluble MIP nanogel particles by radical polymerization. The MIPs obtained have affinities comparable to those of antibodies, and low cross-reactivities. They have advantages such as better stability, lower cost, and can potentially be regenerated and reused, thus becoming promising alternatives to real antibodies. We have synthesized MIPs against serine proteases such as trypsin, and kallikrein, but also against a peptide epitope of the HIV gp41 protein. Thermosensitive MIP nanogels were synthesized in a thermostated column-type reactor or a petri dish, by thermally or photo-initiated radical polymerization. Their thermosensitivity allows the MIPs to be released from the immobilized protein by a simple temperature change. They are water-soluble as a function of temperature and have a diameter of less than 100 nm. Their affinity for their target is strong, with a Kd in the nano or picomolar range. These 'synthetic antibodies' have been applied in binding assays with quartz crystal microbalance, but also as 'synthetic chaperones'. Preliminary studies of the protection of proteins from thermal denaturation or from denaturation by an unfavorable pH have been carried out. The use of an iniferter to initiate the living photopolymerization of MIP made it possible to synthesize nanogels of core-shell type. By introducing fluorescent markers into MIPs, immunoassay applications in biological fluids have been demonstrated, indicating the great potential of these MIPs in clinical diagnostics. In conclusion, we have developed a novel approach to the synthesis of soluble MIP nanoparticles having high affinity for a protein, usable in place of antibodies in real world applications such as the detection of biomarker proteins in complex samples, and potentially as an active principle in vivo.


Recent studies have shown a decrease in annualized relapse rates (ARRs) in placebo groups of
randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). This dissertation
aimed to describe this trend in a different set of RCTs and to investigate whether patient baseline
characteristics, eligibility criteria and other study design features could explain this
phenomenon.
A literature search of randomized, placebo-controlled trials in RMS offering data on relapses
in placebo groups identified 56 suitable trials. Data on eligibility criteria and baseline
characteristics were extracted and tested for significant trends over time.
Several temporal trends were identified: The number of years considered for the calculation of
pre-trial ARR as well as pre-trial ARRs themselves decreased, as did the duration of placebocontrolled follow-up. Pre-trial ARRs of the first and second preceding year before baseline
showed major inconsistencies. Limits of eligible age as well as mean age increased, as did the
mean disease duration, the number of eligibility criteria and the number of words and characters
describing them, scores on the OQS, the number of treatment arms and the average number of
patients per treatment arm.
A meta-regression was conducted to estimate the contribution of these temporal trends to the
decrease of trial ARRs over time. In the final meta-regression modeling of the trial placebo
ARR, the date of publication was found to be insignificant in explaining the variation in trial
placebo ARR, whereas pre-trial ARR, the number of years used to calculate pre-trial ARR,
disease duration and the duration of follow-up became major contributors.
In conclusion, the decline in trial ARRs most likely results from decreasing pre-trial ARRs and
a shorter time period over which these were calculated. Increasing duration of illness may also
contribute to the phenomenon.


In auralization of room sound fields, most conventional approaches base their computations on geometrical-acoustics assumptions, which fail at lower frequencies (or for scattering from small facets) due to the neglect of edge diffraction and to coarse approximations of surface scattering, e.g., approximations based on Lambert-scattering models. This paper investigates the physical and subjective effects of three main approaches to modeling surface scattering for inclusion in transient room impulse responses for auralization, as the impulse response is the temporal characteristic of the roomis acoustical quality. These scattering models include the following: Lambert surface scattering from rough surfaces, edge-diffraction, and boss surface-scattering. In particular, a parametric approach to modeling edge-diffraction is developed and compared with the high-accuracy model; the parametric approach uses four output parameters to collectively model the physical behavior of edge diffraction and retains the phase effects that reproduce the basic firstorder scattering behavior from finite facets.


Although the primary jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights is the one relating to applications, the Court also has advisory jurisdiction which was established by adopting Protocol 2 in 1963. However, the scope of this Protocol was limited in a twofold manner: the circle of entities authorized to request an advisory opinion was very narrowly defined and there were also uncertainties as to the type of legal issues that may require review. Only the Committee of Ministers had the authority to request an advisory opinion, provided that the decision was made by a two-thirds majority vote. Moreover, the advisory opinion could only be requested on the questions that did not fall within the scope of content, interpretation and/or effects of the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention and the related protocols. As a result of this restrictive approach, Protocol 2 has been applied in only three cases so far, for which reason it is considered to have little practical significance. The idea of expanding the Court's advisory jurisdiction was revived in the process of reforming the European human rights protection mechanism. The result of these endeavors was the adoption of Protocol 16 in 2013, which is yet expected to enter into force. Protocol 16 aims to achieve a dual objective: 1) to intensify and strengthen the dialogue between higher national courts and the European Court; and 2) to reduce the large backlog of applications. During the drafting process, the debate was concentrated on four key issues: a) the nature of the authorized national courts; b) the legal effect of advisory opinions; c) the category and type of questions which may be referred; and d) the process of adoption of advisory opinions. However, despite some good legal solutions, there are some reservations on the likelihood of accomplishing the goals envisaged in Protocol 16. Key words : Protocol 2, Protocol 16, European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, European Court of Human Rights, advisory jurisdiction, advisory opinion.


This school-based study reports on the development and preliminary analysis of the new pictorial semi-structured Child Anxiety and Coping Interview (CACI). Participants included 195 children (Mage = 6.71; SDage = .76) drawn from 29 primary schools located in Western Sydney, Australia. The study used a mixed qualitative and quantitative design. The CACI was used to elicit the children's self-report on their problems, emotions, coping strategies, and coping self-efficacy. Qualitative content and thematic analysis were used to code the children's nominated coping strategies for their problems in the home and school contexts. The top five most common problems reported were as follows: fear of spiders or insects, fear of the dark, going places without parents, doing badly at school, and heights. The top five most common coping strategies reported by the children were support seeking, behavioural avoidance, solving the problem, facing the challenge, and behavioural distraction. Self-reported negative emotional intensity was highest for fear of the dark. Coping self-efficacy for fear of the dark was also high, suggesting the children found their coping strategies helpful, including those that were maladaptive. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.


This paper discusses and illustrates seven of the most interesting and beautiful curved Islamic star patterns, found either on historic monuments in Egypt and Syria or illustrated in Bourgoin's 1879 book, entitled Arabic Geometrical Pattern and Design [1], or both. The patterns – some considered masterpieces from the Mamluk period – were found on bronze or wooden doors or carved wooden minbars and are comprised of circular arcs, alone or in combination with line segments. Many of these curved patterns also have analogous "twins" constructed only of line segments. We present plausible Euclidean constructions of three of the patterns, which may all be categorized as belonging to the p4m, p6m or cmm crystallographic groups.


This study aimed to develop an automatic classification system, namely ACTIVE, for generating immediate and individualised feedback on students' reflective entries about their second language (L2) learning experiences. It also aimed to explore students' attitudes towards using the system to support the development of their reflective skills in L2 learning. A total of 466 undergraduate students took part in the study. One hundred and twenty-seven participants were involved in the development phase, where their reflective entries were manually annotated according to a classification framework for critical reflection on L2 learning, and the annotated entries were then used to develop the ACTIVE system. The remaining participants were asked to generate automated feedback reports on their reflective entries for improvement by using the system. To solicit their views towards the system, the participants were administered an online questionnaire and some of them were also invited to attend a semi-structured interview. The overall results indicate that the classification accuracy of the system is comparable to that of human annotators. They also suggest that both teacher and machine feedback types have strengths and limitations, highlighting the need to further explore the use of multi-channel, multi-layer feedback in improving students' reflective skills in L2 learning.


Carbon fibers (CFs) have been widely applied in the manufacture of polymeric composites. The mechanical properties of these composites depend on the adhesion in the matrix/CF interface. Since the CFs have poor adhesion properties, a surface treatment of the CFs becomes necessary. The plasma process used in this work was the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The DBD treatment of twill weave carbon fi bers (2×2) was performed during 2.0; 5.0; 7.5 and 10.0 minutes. CF/polypropylene (PP) composites were produced by hot pressing method. The surface morphology, structure and mechanical properties of CFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, interlaminar shear test (ILSS) and dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA), respectively. SEM images show great changes on the CF surface after the treatment, AFM results show that the fi ber treated for 2.0 min exhibited the highest roughness and Raman spectra revealed that the carbon fi ber crystalline structure did not change after the treatment. The ILSS and DMA results show an increase of the mechanical strength and no major change in the glass temperature of the composites after the DBD treatment, respectively. Some results were compared to those obtained in our previous study, in which the plain weave fiber (1×1) was evaluated.


In situ experiments were conducted at various depths in the water column to determine the impact of solar UV radiation (280 to 400 nm) upon photosynthesis and DNA of natural phyto- plankton assemblages from mid-latitudes of Patagonia (Bahia Bustamante, Chubut, Argentina; 45° S, 66.5° W). The effects of UV radiation were significant at the surface; however, the impact decreased rapidly with depth: at 3 m there was no measurable DNA damage accumulation, whereas at 6 m photosynthetic inhibition was almost zero. UV-A radiation (315 to 400 nm) was mostly responsible for photosynthetic inhibition, while UV-B radiation (280 to 315 nm) had a lesser effect on this process. However, UV-B radiation was very effective in damaging the DNA through the formation of cyclo- butane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) in surface waters. The high initial CPD level found in the natural phytoplankton assemblage decreased when samples were incubated at 3 or 6 m, indicating that at these depths repair, dilution or disappearance of damage occurred. Phytoplankton assemblages were dominated by cells less than 2 µm in effective diameter; this cell size category seems to be more re- sistant to photosynthetic inhibition, but vulnerable to CPD accumulation, as compared with larger eukaryotic phytoplankters (i.e., Phaeodactylum sp.).


The nipples of male tan guinea pigs were used to test the effects on the skin of oral contraceptive pills and drugs. The daily topically applied doses were 1/2,000 of a pill. After 3 weeks, the nipples treated with solutions of ethinyloestradiol-containing pills had grown (200–300%), the epidermis showed acanthosis (150–250%) and strong hyperpigmentation. Mestranol-containing pills as well as pure progestogen substances did not produce these effects.


Genetically modified plants can serve as an efficient tool for remediation of diverse dangerous pollutants of the environment such as pesticides, heavy metals, explosives and persistent organic compounds. Transgenic lines of Nicotiana tabacum containing bacterial bphC gene from the degradation pathway of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were tested. The product of the bphC gene – enzyme 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl-1,2-dioxygenase is responsible for cleaving of the biphenyl ring. The presence of bphC gene in transgenic plants was detected on DNA, RNA and protein level. The expression of the bphC/His gene was verified after purification of the enzyme from plants by affinity chromatography followed by a Western blot and immunochemical assay. The enzyme activity of isolated protein was detected.Efficient transformation of 2,3-DHB by transgenic plants was achieved and the lines also exhibited high production of biomass. The transgenic plants were more tolerant to the commercial PCBs mixture Delor 103 than non-transgenic tobacco. And finally, the higher decrease of total PCB content and especially congener 28 in real contaminated soil from a dumpsite was determined after cultivation of transgenic plant in comparison with non-transgenic tobacco. The substrate specificity of transgenic plants was the same as substrate specificity of BphC enzyme.


There appears to have been a shift in the nature of forced migration since the end of the Cold War: the total number of refugees worldwide has been declining since the latter part of the 1990s, while the number of internally displaced people has risen. This paper reflects on some aspects of this shift. First, it attempts to place internal displacement in the broader arena of forced migration: it locates internally displaced people within a simple schema which seeks to account for different forms of forced migration and to show the connections between them. Some cases of internal displacement in Sri Lanka are examined to show the close links between different kinds of migratory movement. The paper then suggests some reasons, apart from the increase in numbers, for the increase in interest in internally displaced persons in both the academic and policy arenas. Specifically, it attempts to set the issue of internal displacement within the current debate on the 'refugee regime', especially the controversy abo...


We would like to draw attention to the fact that norepinephrine as provided by Abbott Laboratories (Queenborough, UK) appears to have insufficient information on the ampoule. Each 4-ml ampoule contains 4 mg of norepinephrine tartrate. On the packaging, the description includes number of ampoules in a pack, the concentration (1 : 1000), and the amount of norepinephrine base and norepinephrine tartrate in mg per ml. On the ampoule, however, the description includes the amount of content in millilitres and concentration as 1 : 1000, but it does not state the amount of norepinephrine in mg per ml or units per ml. More often than not the information on the ampoule is what is available to anaesthetists during emergency situations. The ampoule is labelled as containing 1 : 1000 units, suggesting that the whole ampoule is 1 : 1000 units (1 mg). Although more detailed information is written on the pack, and the information leaflet within it, insufficient information on the ampoule may predispose a patient to the danger of overdose. Although there is no international standard for labelling of drugs, the World Health Organization states that the packaging should state the name, strength, quantity and physical description or identification of the medicinal product, that the labels should permit the identification of each active ingredient, and give the dosage form [1, 2]. The labelling of these norepinephrine ampoules does not meet the NHS specification devised in 1991 by the National Pharmaceutical Supply Group which states that units should be SI and the amount ⁄ concentration should be expressed as the amount of 'x' in 'y' ml, where 'y' is the total volume of the ampoule [1, 3]. Furthermore, EU directive 92 ⁄ 27EEC states that an ampoule label should include a statement of the active ingredients expressed qualitatively and quantitatively, the pharmaceutical form and the contents by weight, by volume or by number of doses [4]. The labelling displayed on this ampoule does not satisfy this directive either. Critical incidents in the peri-operative period as a result of faulty drug labelling practice are well recognised [5]. As a result of the awareness of the dangers of improper labelling of drugs in the clinical setting, we have moved on from the days when syringes were unlabelled and the drug contained in each syringe was determined by the volume of each syringe. Although the norepinephrine ampoule labelling may satisfy the minimum British legal requirement and the WHO document, and the NHS specification and the EU directive are not legal requirements in the same way that the Medicine Act 1968 is, the norepinephrine ampoule labelling still falls short of what could be regarded as best labelling practice. We believe that the description given on the norepinephrine ampoules should include the concentration of the drug per ml, as well as the dose of the drug in mg per ml.


To exchange electrons with extracellular substrates, some microorganisms employ extracellular electron transfer (EET) pathways that physically connect extracellular redox reactions to intracellular metabolic activity. These pathways are made of redox and structural proteins that work cooperatively to transfer electrons between extracellular substrates and the cytoplasmic membrane. Crucial to the bacterial and archaeal EET pathways are the quinol oxidases and/or quinone reductases in the cytoplasmic membrane where they recycle the quinone/quinol pool in the cytoplasmic membrane during EET reaction. Up to date, three different families of quinol oxidases and/or quinone reductases involved in bacterial EET have been discovered. They are the CymA, CbcL/MtrH/MtoC, and ImcH families of quinol oxidases and/or quinone reductases that are all multiheme c-type cytochromes (c-Cyts). To investigate to what extent they are distributed among microorganisms, we search the bacterial as well as archaeal genomes for the homologs of these c-Cyts. Search results reveal that the homologs of these c-Cyts are only found in the Domain Bacteria. Moreover, the CymA homologs are only found in the phylum of Proteobacteria and most of them are in the Shewanella genus. In addition to Shewanella sp., CymA homologs are also found in other Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, such as of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In contrast to CymA, CbcL/MtrH/MtoC, and ImcH homologs are much more widespread. CbcL/MtrH/MtoC homologs are found in 15 phyla, while ImcH homologs are found in 12 phyla. Furthermore, the heme-binding motifs of CbcL/MtrH/MtoC and ImcH homologs vary greatly, ranging from 3 to 23 and 6 to 10 heme-binding motifs for CbcL/MtrH/MtoC and ImcH homologs, respectively. Moreover, CymA and CbcL/MtrH/MtoC homologs are found in both Fe(III)-reducing and Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria, suggesting that these families of c-Cyts catalyze both quinol-oxidizing and quinone-reducing reactions. ImcH homologs are only found in the Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, implying that they are only the quinol oxidases. Finally, some bacteria have the homologs of two different families of c-Cyts, which may improve the bacterial capability to exchange electrons with extracellular substrates.


The Helmholtz free energy, A, of a rigid body is a function of temperature, and of the six homogeneous strain components. If the crystal is to be rigid, three inequalities must be satisfied for the derivatives of A with respect to the six strain components, for a regular (cubic) lattice. This enables one to limit the pressure‐temperature range for which the crystal is stable. The violation of the condition c44>0, that the crystal resist shearing, is interpreted as leading to melting. From a knowledge of the forces between the molecules the phase integral, and therefore the free energy, may be calculated as a function of T, V, and the six strain components. The numerical calculations are carried out for a body‐centered cubic lattice. The product of all the frequencies is calculated directly, so that the assumption that the Debye equation for the frequency distribution holds, is not necessary. The melting curve, pressure against temperature, is then determined.


We aimed to predict an individual suicide risk level from longitudinal posts on Reddit discussion forums. Through participating in a shared task competition hosted by CLPsych2019, we received two annotated datasets: a training dataset with 496 users (31,553 posts) and a test dataset with 125 users (9610 posts). We submitted results from our three best-performing machine-learning models: SVM, Naïve Bayes, and an ensemble model. Each model provided a user's suicide risk level in four categories, i.e., no risk, low risk, moderate risk, and severe risk. Among the three models, the ensemble model had the best macro-averaged F1 score 0.379 when tested on the holdout test dataset. The NB model had the best performance in two additional binary-classification tasks, i.e., no risk vs. flagged risk (any risk level other than no risk) with F1 score 0.836 and no or low risk vs. urgent risk (moderate or severe risk) with F1 score 0.736. We conclude that the NB model may serve as a tool for identifying users with flagged or urgent suicide risk based on longitudinal posts on Reddit discussion forums.


Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) regulates pathophysiological processes, including liver regeneration, vascular tone control, and immune response. In patients with liver cirrhosis, acute deterioration of liver function is associated with high mortality rates. The present study investigated whether serum S1P concentrations are associated with disease severity in patients with chronic liver disease from compensated cirrhosis (CC), acute decompensation (AD), or acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF). From August 2013 to October 2017, patients who were admitted to the University Hospital Frankfurt with CC, AD, or ACLF were enrolled in our cirrhosis cohort study. Tandem mass spectrometry was performed on serum samples of 127 patients to assess S1P concentration. Our study comprised 19 patients with CC, 55 with AD, and 51 with ACLF, aged 29 to 76 years. We observed a significant decrease of S1P according to advanced liver injury from CC and AD up to ACLF (P < 0.001). S1P levels further decreased with progression to ACLF grade 3 (P < 0.05), and S1P highly inversely correlated with the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease score (r = −0.508; P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, S1P remained an independent predictor of 7‐day mortality with high diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve, 0.874; P < 0.001). Conclusion: In patients with chronic liver disease, serum S1P levels dramatically decreased with advanced stages of liver disease and were predictive of early mortality. Because S1P is a potent regulator of endothelial integrity and immune response, low S1P levels may significantly influence progressive multiorgan failure. Our data justify further elucidation of the diagnostic and therapeutic role of S1P in ACLF.


The Cascais Canyon delivers contaminated sediments from the shelf to the deep marine environment. Multi-core PE252-32, located at 2100 m water depth in the canyon, records the latest 300 years of sedimentation. It was dated by 210 Pb and analyzed texturally and geochemically for major elements and selected trace metals (Cu, Cr, Hg, Li, Ni, Pb and Zn). Cluster analysis performed on the down-core geochemical data identified four groups of variables related by grain-size, geochemical source and composition. Mercury, Pb and Zn were grouped in a cluster representing the anthropogenic component. Cluster analysis was applied again particularly to the latter cluster relatively to depth, in order to constrain the onset and temporal evolution of anthropogenic contamination. A second clustering, made on the basis of Hg, Pb and Zn, grouped samples by age and degree of anthropogenic contamination. One cluster contained relatively uncontaminated samples older than 1900 AD, and another cluster samples younger than 1900 AD with distinct metal enrichment. Maximum enrichments occurred during the early 1980s, followed by a slight recovery from the mid-1980s to the present. Mercury was the element with the highest enrichment factor (EFHg=5). Despite relatively low accumulation rates at this core location, our results show the importance of the Cascais Canyon as a transport route for contaminated sediments from the Tagus prodelta into the deep regions of the Portuguese Margin.


Background Recurrent malignant ascites poses a significant burden to oncology patients approaching the final phase of life. This is, in part, due to recurrent hospital admissions for intermittent paracentesis. In March 2012, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence approved the insertion of indwelling, long-term, peritoneal drains for recurrent malignant ascites. Guidance concluded clinical efficacy, low complication rates, cost efficiency (estimated saving £679 per patient) and improvement in patient quality of life. Aims The Royal Berkshire Hospital had no long-term drain provision. The intention was to implement a trust-wide protocol for the insertion of long-term peritoneal drains in patients with recurrent malignant ascites. Methods A pilot group was established with members from Oncology, Palliative Care and Radiology. A protocol was developed, presented and accepted at Clinical Governance by all relevant departments. The protocol was instituted via the trust intranet. Education regarding the process and the practicalities of the drains was provided at departmental level. Data was collected on patient experience. Results Since introduction, eight months ago, twelve long-term drains have been placed. Malignant sites include ovarian (5), endometrial (3), urological (2), breast (1) and colorectal (1). Average drain duration is 37.5 days (range 2–215 to date). Placement of long-term drains enabled two patients to consider hospice care and two patients to die at home in their preferred place of care. Seven patients remain at home with ongoing community management of their ascites. Complication rates have been low with no insertion complications. In one case, two drains had to be inserted due to pocketed ascites. A further case displayed localised cellulitis at the insertion site but was not associated with systemic illness. Conclusion The implementation of a trust-wide protocol has allowed the insertion of twelve long-term drains with optimisation of patient's quality of life, maximised time out of hospital and an estimated trust saving of £8,148.


A Cu–10Fe–3Ag alloy was produced by means of induction melting. The effects of aging processes on microhardness and conductivity of Cu–10Fe–3Ag alloy were studied. The microstructure of the alloy was examined using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that: presence of Ag can accelerate γ-Fe precipitation from in the Cu matrix, but also reduces the thermal stability of Fe fibers. As the annealing temperature increasing, the microhardness and conductivity of Cu-10Fe-3Ag in-situ composite increase at first and then decrease. Annealed at 475 for 6h, the alloy has an excellent combination of microhardness and conductivity, the microhardness and conductivity reach 209HV and 58.4% IACS, respectively. The Fractures of the alloy are all ductile rupture and the dimples are smaller with the annealing temperature increasing.


This paper presents a self-adapting synchronized-switch harvesting (SA-SSH) interface circuit to extract energy from vibration-based piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs). The implemented circuit utilizes a novel switching technique to recycle optimum amount of harvested charge on piezoelectric capacitance to strengthen the damping force, and simultaneously achieve load-independent energy extraction with a single inductor. Charge recycling is realized by adjusting extraction time, and optimized through a maximum power point tracker based on charge-flipping dissipation. The circuit has been implemented using 180 nm HV CMOS technology with 0.9 × 0.6 mm2 active area. Self-adapting SSH circuit has been validated with both macro-scaled and MEMS PEHs with different inductor values. The interface circuit provides maximum energy extraction for the full storage voltage range of 1.8–3.7 V. The implementation harnesses have 500% more power compared to an ideal full-bridge rectifier, and output 3.4 μW for 2.24 V peak-to-peak open-circuit piezoelectric voltage from MEMS PEH excited at its resonant frequency.


The rise of electric vehicles has driven the extensive adoption of Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) due to their favorable attributes—- compactness, low resistance, high power density, and minimal self-discharge. To enhance LIB reliability, an efficient battery thermal management system is imperative. This paper introduces a finite volume-based aerothermal analysis framework for a 32-cell high-energy density LIB pack. We also explore the effectiveness of various turbulence models in capturing local hotspots, discharge rates, and current levels across different geometries and inlet velocities. Our approach involves modeling the battery using Simcenter Battery Design Studio, and importing it into Simcenter STARCCM+ for aerothermal simulations in which temperature distribution, discharge rates, current levels, and maximum temperature across are monitored for aligned, cross, and staggered configurations of the battery-pack under varying inlet velocities. Our findings highlight the significant impact of boundary condition modeling on simulation stability. Also we observed that the standard k - e model provides the most accurate predictions, with prediction accuracy within 3–10% of experimental data. Moreover, we identify substantial dependencies between heat generation and discharge current, as well as thermal gradients and inlet velocity. Finally, we conclude that he aligned cell arrangement offers the best thermal uniformity and cooling efficiency.


Many chiral compounds have become of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry as they possess various biological activities. Concurrently, the concept of "memory of chirality" has been proven as a powerful tool in asymmetric synthesis, while flow chemistry has begun its rise as a new enabling technology to add to the ever increasing arsenal of techniques available to the modern day chemist. Here, we have employed a new simple electrochemical microreactor design to oxidise an L-proline derivative at room temperature in continuous flow. Flow performed in microreactors offers up a number of benefits allowing reactions to be performed in a more convenient and safer manner, and even allow electrochemical reactions to take place without a supporting electrolyte due to a very short interelectrode distance. By the comparison of electrochemical oxidations in batch and flow we have found that continuous flow is able to outperform its batch counterpart, producing a good yield (71%) and a better enantiomeric excess (64%) than batch with a 98% conversion. We have, therefore, provided evidence that continuous flow chemistry has the potential to act as a new enabling technology to replace some aspects of conventional batch processes.


Context: A secular trend of progressively earlier attainment of menarche has been described in various populations. The existence of this trend in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, has not been documented. Aim: To determine the current age of menarche and its trend in comparison with previous studies among secondary school girls in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Settings and Design: School-based cross-sectional analytical study. Materials and Methods: Three-hundred secondary school girls in the lower four classes (JSS 1--SSS 1) were studied. Sociodemographic and menstrual data such as cycle length, duration of menstrual flow, and presence of dysmenorrhoea were obtained using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The mean age at menarche was compared with figures from previous local studies to determine the trend in Ile-Ife. Menstrual characteristics were also analyzed. Statistical Analysis: Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. Means and standard deviations were generated for continuous variables, while frequencies and proportions were determined for categorical variables. Results: Out of the 300 subjects studied, a total of 198 (66%) had attained menarche at the time of this study. Their reported ages at menarche ranged from 11 to 17 years with a mean of 13.08 ± 1.61 years. This was lower than the 13.98 ± 1.30 and 13.94 ± 1.31 years reported in Ile-Ife in 1992 and 1997, respectively. These three figures show a trend of progressive decline in the mean age at menarche. The subjects' mean duration of menstrual flow was 4.26 ± 0.87 days, with 97.5% of them reporting flow of ≤5 days. Only 22 (11.1%) of the respondents had a cycle length of 28 days. Dysmenorrhoea was reported by 75% of the respondents and 24% reported loss of concentration during periods. Conclusion: Similar to the widely reported secular trend, menarche indeed appears to be occurring progressively earlier in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.


The foot is a complex mechanical structure of the human body composed of 33 joints, 26 bones, and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments that all work together to bear weight, allow for locomotion, and transmit force. The joints of the foot are made wherever two or more of the foot bones meet. The joints between the tarsal bones of the foot are known as the intertarsal joints. The specific intertarsal joints of the foot include the subtalar joint, talocalcaneonavicular joint, calcaneocuboid joint, cuneonavicular joint, cuboideonavicular joint, and the intercuneiform joint. All the toes of the foot except the big toe have three joints which include the metatarsophalangeal joint (MCP) found at the base of the toe, the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) found in the middle of the toe, and the distal phalangeal joint (DP) found near the tip of the toe. The big toe has the metatarsophalangeal joint and one interphalangeal joint. A layer of cartilage covers the surfaces of the joints where the bones meet which allows them to glide smoothly with each other as they move. A thin membrane called the synovium encloses the joint and secretes a fluid to lubricate them.