Introduction: Stress is a complex concept involving a wide range of interplaying factors implicated. Chronic paediatric disease has been strongly associated with increased stress levels in parents and carers. Previous studies of carers of children with established epilepsy have also exhibited this trend when compared to healthy matched controls. The number of carers and the degree of stress experienced has a wide breadth in the existing literature, with a paucity of information relating to the period of initial presentation of seizures and diagnosis. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study examining stress and other covariates associated with a new diagnosis of paediatric epilepsy. Recruitment occurred at first presentation to Alder Hey Children's Hospital subject to satisfying the selection criteria- primarily a child aged between 0-16 years with a suspected seizure disorder. Cohorts were retrospectively allocated following a diagnosis being made or not. The outcome measure was an 11 item questionnaire battery of which 9 were completed by the primary carer and 2 completed by the child, depending on their age. Each questionnaire was focused specifically on stress or another associated covariate. Data collection occurred at time of presentation and recruitment and a follow up approximately 6 months later, following a diagnosis having been made. Non-parametric analyses ensued to allow for skew in the data and investigate the differences between the 2 cohorts. Statistical tests such as Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearmans rank correlations were used to analyse whether any differences observed were significant or not and to determine the strength of the correlations between stress and the other measured covariates. Results: Of the 196 carers approached 88 were consented into the study. Although follow-up appointments are still occurring at time of writing, to date 39 complete matched data-sets have been collected with a mean time to follow-up of 6.4 months. At time of presentation no significant differences in stress and its covariates between the epilepsy and non-epilepsy cohorts based upon Mann-Whitney U analysis. However, despite this 59% of the carers regardless of their child's following diagnosis were exhibiting greater than normal levels of stress. At the second data collection point, following diagnosis, significantly higher stress levels were found in the epilepsy cohort p=0.040. This group of carers also demonstrated significantly higher levels of mental health concerns, difficult child behaviour and dysfunctional coping strategies. The degree of association found between stress and the covariates was highly variable with correlation coefficients ranging from r= -0.50 and 0.50 for child perceived quality of life and carer mental health respectively, to r=0.08 and 0.13 for carer's locus of control and carer needs. Discussion: As with the existing literature, these results suggest that a new diagnosis of paediatric epilepsy is a significant cause of stress to carers. However stress also appears to be associated with the uncertainty and experience of the pathway from first seizure event to attendance at outpatient neurology clinics. Child centred variables such as frequency of seizure events, child quality of life and child behaviour were found to be among the covariates most strongly correlated with carer stress. Future work hopes to further delineate the relationship with stress and its associated factors within the context of a new diagnosis of paediatric epilepsy. This may be achieved by larger sample sizes allowing a valid change over time analysis to be conducted.


The concept of time-cost relationship in construction projects was first introduced by Bromilow. Bromilow used the data of the superstructure projects completed in Australia in the creation of the proposed time-cost model (BTC model). The aim of this study is to determine the time-cost relationship of superstructure projects in Turkey. Time and cost data of superstructure projects completed between the years of 1999-2018 was used in the study. Data was grouped primarily on the basis of the intended use of buildings (individual buildings, educational buildings, hospitals, industrial buildings and social housing), and then time-cost relationships were separately determined for each group. In addition, the effects of the parameters such as exchange rates and the number of non-working days on the time-cost relationship were investigated statistically.


This paper proposes a new type of expression for Boolean functions called lexicographical expressions. The basic idea is to impose an input ordering for factoring logical expressions. Several algebraic properties are presented and relations with classical algebraic theory are established. The main result is that all elementary factorizations defined by (Cokernel, Kernel) pairs "compatible" with an input order are all "algebraically compatible," i.e., are all parts of a single factorization of the function. Thus for a given input order a unique factorization is defined. This leads to fast division procedures. Basic techniques for obtaining lexicographical factorizations are presented. First, a precedence matrix and an updating procedure are defined and used later to select an input order and a corresponding compatible factorization. Second, a factorization technique respecting a fixed order is detailed. This method is then applied to multilevel synthesis using standard cells which was the original motivation of this work. The goal is to reduce wiring complexity. A lexicographical factorization leads to a wiring area reduction due to the structuring of the logic into layers in which the inputs enter the layout in the order given by the factorization. Experimental results comparing this approach to classical ones are given. These results include routing ratio measurements, routing structure observation, global area measurement and critical path estimation. All these results are analyzed after place and route, using an industrial tool (COMPASS Design Automation tool). >


The past 25 years have witnessed sweeping educational reforms in Uganda. The introduction of 'free' Universal Primary Education (UPE, in 1998) and Universal Secondary Education (USE, in 2007) has raised social expectations about access to quality education. Over the same period the population of young people in Uganda has also grown dramatically. As a result hundreds of new primary and secondary schools have been established across the country. This article examines the social and economic consequences for a rural part of Southwest Uganda. Bringing together secondary data from national household surveys with detailed ethnographic research, the article highlights families' material and social investments in schooling. It explores the costs faced by even the poorest households whose children attend 'free' government schools. Despite public investment, the poor quality of state provision has led to public frustration and demands for reforms. Survey data demonstrate that, as a result, wealthier households are investing in education, sending their children to private schools to benefit from smaller class sizes and better learning outcomes. The article describes how people use a range of social arrangements, including rotating savings and credit associations to manage school fees and access credit in this part of Uganda. Drawing on recent work by Graeber and others, we argue that people are creating new social relationships within these savings clubs. Whilst managing their financial commitments, people invoke and rework existing idioms of reciprocity, interdependence and patronage. The use of human capital theory to explain schooling choices in relation to individual economic or social 'returns' downplays the sociality of these arrangements. We argue that educational commitments are now an integral part of the Ugandan social landscape, generating aspiration, nurturing networks and creating new inequalities.


Dollar spot (DS) disease (caused by Sclerotinia homoeocarpa F.T. Bennett) on bentgrass (Agrostis spp.) can be greatly reduced by implementing mowing and other cultural practices that reduce leaf wetness duration (LWD). Field studies were conducted in 2004 and 2005 to discern the effects of dew removal time (mowing at 0400, 1000, or 2200 h), method of dew removal (mowing with sharp or dull mower or squeegee), and frequency of dew removal (daily or alternate days) on the incidence of DS on fairway height (16 mm) creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). The severity of DS was studied in laboratory experiments with 6, 12, and 18 h LWD. Dollar spot incidence on field test plots was lowest when mowing treatments were conducted at 0400 h. In addition plots mowed at 2200 h had significantly lower DS incidence than plots mowed at 1000 h. Mowing with either a sharp or dull reel mower proved more effective in reducing DS than alternating mowing with a Squeegee for dew removal. Dull mower blades were as effective as sharp mower blades in reducing DS in our field studies. Dollar spot incidence was also lower when dew was removed daily than when dew was removed on alternate days. Mowing at 0400 h daily was the most effective treatment for reducing DS on creeping bentgrass plots in both 2004 and 2005. In laboratory experiments, DS lesion size increased as LWD increased. Specifically, disruption of leaf moisture after 6 h of uninterrupted LWD appeared to be most effective in reducing DS lesion diameter.


South Africa has a large refugee population. In its 2010 report the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated that South Africa received more than 222,000 new asylum requests. This made South Africa the number-one asylum destination in the world, ahead of the United States, Sweden, France, and Germany. People across the African continent go to South Africa to escapeviolence and poverty because it is a beacon of stability and economic growth on the continent. They arrive by bus and by foot after journeys that last for weeks from countries such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia and Tanzania. Whenthey get close to the border, those without legal papers walk through the bush and swim across rivers to avoid being sent back. In a strongly-worded judgment, the Supreme Court of Appeal has affirmed the principles governing legal protection for asylum seekers in South Africa (SA) and censured a High Court acting judge for flouting the "fundamental rules of litigation". Navsa JA went on to set out the approach that ought to have been followed. He said the laws governing asylum specifically required that a person who wanted to apply for asylum status should be allowed to apply, even if he had been arrested prior.


The paper sets out from a central proposition that the concept of adaptive case management (ACM) bears on the evolution of business decision support and knowledge management in modern businesses. While presenting the state of the art in efforts to blend enterprise resources planning/business process management (ERP/BPM) systems with knowledge management systems (KMS) and decision support systems (DSS), the authors observe that the classical platform combining ERP/BPM with KMS and DSS was based on the interaction of three separate layers/subsystems and that, throughout the past decade, that approach proved satisfactory. However, in the last few years it has been increasingly felt that the approach to business process management and enterprise resource planning, as well as to their integration with knowledge management and decision support, needs to be modified. The dynamic and adaptive nature of some business processes poses challenges that the classical BPM approach cannot adequately address. Adaptive case management has been developed to better cope with such challenges. It makes it, on the one hand, easier to align a business to rapidly changing requirements and conditions, and, on the other, it allows organizations to more effectively exploit the potential inherent in organizational knowledge and information resources. The paper discusses the evolution of KMS and DSS from the perspective of their application in ACM environments.


ABSTRACT This article aimed to assess the impact of school closures in Italy on children's lives, particularly in Early Childhood Education, as a result of the Covid-19 containment measures. A set of documents published by the Italian government related to the measures to contain the covid-19 were analyzed. Based on content analysis, three categories of analysis were defined: 1) containment measures and social life; 2) school closures and distance education; 3) the return of face-to-face activities in early childhood education. The results indicated that the containment measures imposed severe restrictions on children's social interaction, such as the closing of public and private spaces (parks, museums, etc.) and the impossibility of moments of interaction and collective play. They impacted the right to education by closing schools when distance education was implemented as a measure to reduce potential damage to children's learning and overall development. For the resumption of in-person activities in schools, there should be priority use of open spaces, social distancing, and measures of personal and collective hygiene. Another significant result is the consideration of daycare centers and pre-school as essential services by the Italian government.


The paper outlines aspects of economic growth after oil exports in Azerbaijan, and allocation of oil income to develop main sectors of economy: agriculture, tourism, power engineering, machine building industry, food industry and energy security. From oil contracts during 2008-2015 years the income is expected to be 35-42 billion USD. If one barrel of oil is 30 60 dollar till the last period of the project, exactly till 2029-2030 years, the total income amount taking from this area is expected to be in the amount of 120-140 billion USD. So there is great chance and obligation of developing non-oil sector. During this development main questions are how much of the oil income spend now and how much to keep for future generations; how and where to spend the oil income; how to control spending of oil money. Paper provides suggestions for those questions. In sectoral analysis, paper describes current situation in the above mentioned sectors of economy, lists problems in those sectors, and provide suggestions help making a decision about managing profits from oil industry to develop the other sectors and economy of the country as a whole.


In the present work, we investigated the interfacial reactions and shear properties between Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu flip chip solder bump and Cu UBM after multiple reflows. The quantitative analyses of the intermetallic compound layer thickness as a function of the number of reflows were performed. After six reflows, the reaction product could be distinguished by two intermetallic compounds: Cu3Sn adjacent to the substrate and Cu6Sn5 which was the dominant phase. The thickness of total intermetallic compound layers increased with the number of reflows. The shear strength value did not significantly change as a function of the number of reflows. Nearly all of the test specimens showed ductile failure mode, and this could be well explained with the results of FEM analyses.


This paper investigates whether mortgage loan servicers renegotiate a distressed loan differently depending on whether the loan is held on their own books or by private investors. Using the proprietary mortgage metrics database that has servicer-provided loan renegotiation details, we conduct a comprehensive empirical evaluation of the securitization impact on loan renegotiation. We focus on loan outcome, loan renegotiation frequency, and loan renegotiation effectiveness in influencing outcomes. We find that non-renegotiated securitized loans have a significantly higher foreclosure rate than similarly situated portfolio loans. We show that servicers actually conduct fewer loan renegotiations for securitized loans. By studying multi-stage transition probabilities, we discover that the self-cure rate and re-default rate are different between securitized loans and portfolio loans. Overall this paper reveals that loan renegotiations, in particular loan outcome, loan renegotiation frequency and effectiveness, do differ by securitization status.


Meiotic drive supergenes are complexes of alleles at linked loci that together subvert Mendelian segregation to gain preferential transmission. In males, the most common mechanism of drive involves the disruption of sperm bearing alternative alleles. While at least two loci are important for male drive— the driver and the target— linked modifiers can enhance drive, creating selection pressure to suppress recombination. In this work, we investigate the evolution and genomic consequences of an autosomal multilocus, male meiotic drive system, Segregation Distorter (SD) in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In African populations, the predominant SD chromosome variant, SD-Mal, is characterized by two overlapping, paracentric inversion on chromosome arm 2R and nearly perfect (~100%) transmission. We study the SD-Mal system in detail, exploring its components, chromosomal structure, and evolutionary history. Our findings reveal a recent chromosome-scale selective sweep mediated by strong epistatic selection for haplotypes carrying Sd, the main driving allele, and one or more factors within the double inversion. While most SD-Mal chromosomes are homozygous lethal, SD-Mal haplotypes can recombine with other, complementing haplotypes via crossing over and with wildtype chromosomes only via gene conversion. SD-Mal chromosomes have nevertheless accumulated lethal mutations, excess non-synonymous mutations, and excess transposable element insertions. Therefore, SD-Mal haplotypes evolve as a small, semi-isolated subpopulation with a history of strong selection. These results may explain the evolutionary turnover of SD haplotypes in different populations around the world and have implications for supergene evolution broadly.


This paper examines two assessment methodologies used for large-scale translating and interpreting accreditation testing: error analysis/deduction and descriptors. A report by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) (Turner and Ozolins, 2007) showed that the U.K Institute of Linguists and the American Translators Association are among international testing bodies that have moved or are moving towards using descriptors or combining negative marking and descriptors. This paper explores whether the Australian National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) might be able to move to a descriptor approach to assessment without risk to the reliability or accountability of its public examination system. The NAATI assessment system is used as a benchmark to compare it with assessment outcomes using the descriptor-based translation component of the U.K Institute of Linguists Diploma of Public Service Interpreting (DPSI). The most significant finding of the research is that there was a high correlation between assessment outcomes in the two assessment systems, indicating that a descriptor system might be as reliable and accountable as the current NAATI system.


The purposes of this study were (a) to estimate the annual prevalence of, and to identify the predictors of, sexual infidelity in a population-based sample of married women (N = 4,884); and (b) to evaluate whether the prevalence and predictors of infidelity varied as a function of whether the assessment of infidelity was based on a face-to-face interview versus a computer-assisted self-interview. Annual prevalence of infidelity was much smaller on the basis of the face-to-face interview (1.08%) than on the computer-assisted self-interview (6.13%). Although many of the predictor variables replicated results from previous studies (e.g., demographic variables, religiosity, sexual experience), findings also indicated that childhood sexual abuse (i.e., forced sex) predicted greater probability of infidelity. Finally, the magnitude of the association with infidelity for 4 of the 9 predictor variables differed between the 2 methods for assessing infidelity. This study's findings underscore the importance of assessing infidelity with methods such as computer-assisted self-interviews that minimize the influence of social desirability and impression management.


In database management systems, the need to integrate content-based image retrieval facilities has become one of the key issues. We first illustrate the importance of such facilities with example queries and give an overview of the work done in similarity-based data retrieval. Then, we propose an image repository model that supports similarity-based operations on feature vector representations of images. Moreover, we introduce a new similarity-based algebra on image tables. Thus, we define novel similarity-based algebraic operators and study their properties. We also investigate the use of the novel operators in combination with the relational operators on image and relational tables. Finally, we study the query optimization issues.


The objective of this study is to examine how relational, transactional and resource-dependence relationship dimensions influence buyers' non-economic satisfaction in Puerto Rican buyer-supplier relationships. The initial sampling frame comprises the 500 largest companies in Puerto Rico based upon revenue across multiple industries. Key informants on the buyer side were interviewed, using a mailed questionnaire. The response rate was 11%. A three step regression approach was conducted to analyse the results. The results indicate a high explanatory power of the tested dimensions affecting buyers' satisfaction. The analysis yields support to the argument that trust, cooperation, continuity and formalisation relate positively, and opportunism negatively, to buyers' non-economic satisfaction in Puerto Rican business relationships. This study of the constituents of buyers' satisfaction makes a contribution to theory since it proposes important relationship dimensions and measurement instrument for the benefit of other researchers and practitioners in the field.


AZ31 magnesium alloy profiles were prepared by continuous rheo-extrusion process, and effects of solution and aging treatments on the microstructures and mechanical properties was investigated by OLYMPUS optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy device and tensile machine. The results reveal that saturated solid solution was formed in the profile at a solution temperature of 415 °C and 16 hours. During aging treatment of saturated solid solution, β-Mg17Al12 phase nucleates firstly at grain boundaries and takes on globular growth, which is mainly due to the lower interfacial energy in coherent or semi-coherent interface between β-Mg17Al12 phase and matrix phase. Lower interfacial energy is favorable to the nucleation and growth of β-Mg17Al12 phase at grain boundary. With the increase of aging time or the rise of aging temperature, β-Mg17Al12 phase precipitates out gradually from grain interior and starts to grow in globular shape. After β-Mg17Al12 phase grows to a certain extent, it grows in lamellar shape along the orientation of lower mismatch between β-Mg17Al12 phase and matrix phase. After solution at 415°C and 16h and aging at 180°C and 8h, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure of the profile are 305MPa and 13%, respectively.


The purpose of our study is to identify the sources of economic growth based on a KLEMS model for Japan and Korea. We also identify the growth contribution of ICT assets and resource reallocation effects in the two economies. Both Japan and Korea enjoyed high TFP growth in ICT-producing sectors but suffered low TFP growth in ICT-using sectors. For Japan, we find that the main factor underlying the Lost Decade is the slow-down in TFP growth. We also found that Korea's TFP growth was slow until the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1999 but then accelerated after the crisis. It seems that before the crisis, Korea was following a catch-up process with developed economies that was predominantly input-led and manufacturing-based, as documented by Timmer (1999) and Pyo (2001). However, through the drastic economic reform undertaken during the crisis, Korea seems to have shifted to a new phase of economic growth since the end of the 1990s. TFP growth rates, especially those in manufacturing sectors, have substantially increased in post-crisis Korea. Both in Japan and Korea, productivity in service sectors is much lower than in manufacturing. The reason probably is excessive regulation and a lack of competition in service sectors. And these factors seem to have impeded introduction of ICT in service industries. As for ICT capital accumulation, the ICT investment/GDP ratio of Korea is higher than that of Japan. Especially, the speed of ICT accumulation in the ICT sector in Korea is much faster than that in Japan. Both in Japan and Korea, the largest component in ICT investment is computing equipment. In the case of resource reallocation across sectors, the reallocation effect of capital input was negligible or negative for most periods both in Korea and Japan. After the financial crisis of 1997-99, the resource allocation effect of capital in Korea remained negative, although the size of the negative effect declined. On the other hand, the reallocation effect of labor input was positive for most periods both in Korea and Japan.


Summary This article seeks to highlight the emerging linkage between the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). This relationship is seen against a background of liberalisation, and more generally of profound changes in the structure of global governance. Indeed, after having promoted deregulation on a massive scale, the time seems to be ripe to reintroduce regulation, albeit in a new format. Standards, especially environmental standards, appear to provide new forms of global regulation. As a result, we witness the emergence of new forms of actor arrangements, dominated by private, as opposed to public actors.


The bacterial transcriptome is a dynamic entity that reflects the organism's immediate, ongoing and genome‐wide response to its environment. Microarray expression profiling provides a comprehensive portrait of the transcriptional world enabling us to view the organism as a 'system' that is more than the sum of its parts. The vigilance of microorganisms to environmental change, the alacrity of the transcriptional response, the short half‐life of bacterial mRNA and the genome‐scale nature of the investigation collectively explain the power of this method. These same features pose the most significant experimental design and execution issues which, unless surmounted, predictably generate a distorted image of the transcriptome. Conversely, the expression profile of a properly conceived and conducted microarray experiment can be used for hypothesis testing: disclosure of the metabolic and biosynthetic pathways that underlie adaptation of the organism to chang‐ing conditions of growth; the identification of co‐ordinately regulated genes; the regulatory circuits and signal transduction systems that mediate the adaptive response; and temporal features of developmental programmes. The study of bacterial pathogenesis by microarray expression profiling poses special challenges and opportunities. Although the technical hurdles are many, obtaining expression profiles of an organism growing in tissue will probably reveal strategies for growth and survival in the host's microenvironment. Identifying these colonization strategies and their cognate expression patterns involves a 'deconstruction' process that combines bioinformatics analysis and in vitro DNA array experimentation.


In this paper we carried out an analysis of the path to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) aiming to introduce some reflections in the light of the proposals put forward by the EU Commission. The series of four reforms has radically changed the face of the CAP and today we are moving to a new act on this long road, but one which seems set in a very different scenario from that experienced in the past. We present the reasons and implications of the unusual scenario in which the post-2013 CAP is set. An era of declining prices had accompanied the so-called �green revolution� and the formulas used in government intervention to stabilize agricultural markets had been rendered anachronistic. Today the situation is different and the rise and volatility in agricultural commodity prices recorded in recent years are pushing us towards a horizon of systematic market instability, in which the issue of security of supply has returned to the top of the agenda. In this context, we emphasized both the new institutional framework into which the reform is set, and the 2020 Strategy and the financial prospects of Europe against the backdrop of the economic crisis. We analyzed in details the key points of the Commission�s proposal, in the light of the evolution of the economic and institutional scenario, underlining the implications of the reform proposal for the Mediterranean areas.


SIR,-The implication in the title of the article by Dr J F O'Reilly and others (14 May, p 1548) is that the conical spacer is an effective alternative to the nebuliser in all forms of chronic stable asthma. The patients studied, however, were a group in whom, by no stretch of the imagination, would one wish to use either device, for their mean lung function values were good and their control was satisfactory. It is therefore questionable whether the findings in this experiment can be extrapolated to patients whose asthma is unstable and in whom control with aerosols is inadequate, which is the group in which I might consider using a nebuliser. Dr O'Reilly and others point out that the advantage of a conical spacer and nebuliser is that there is a slowly moving cloud of small drug particles which are inhaled in a relatively large volume over several breaths if necessary. Surely the experiment should be conducted in patients in whom this facility is essential for control of asthma. Perhaps this title should be rewritten to read: "Pressurised aerosol with conical spacer is an effective alternative to nebuliser in patients with chronic stable asthma who require neither device."


Data are presented on the phenology of dry weight allocation of plant tissue to major component parts for six herbaceous perennials, in relation to a successional sequence. Individual reproductive effort is shown to be constant throughout the succession. Reproductive effort at the population level however is shown to be highest in an early successional quarry site and lowest in an ungrazed grassland site. Populations from the successionally more advanced scrub site generally show a level of reproductive effort between the other two. Significant intra-specific differences between populations from the three sites are demonstrated for mean total plant dry weight, time of anthesis, leaf area and stem length. These are interpreted as plastic responses to environmental variables and the level of competition. Leaf palatability experiments show that leaves taken from different parts of the succession are not different in their palatability to a generalised herbivore.


Atypical mitochondria generate ATP released through nearby CALHM1 channels in unconventional synapses in taste receptor cells. Tasting with ATP The savory taste of umami, the sweetness of sugar, and the bitterness of quinine are transduced by type II taste cells. Unlike most other receptor cells, type II taste cells release their neurotransmitter, ATP, through voltage-gated CALHM1 channels instead of neurotransmitter-containing vesicles. Romanov et al. found that the source of ATP was unusual, large mitochondria, closely opposed to clusters of CALHM1 channels within the plasma membrane of type II taste cells. This arrangement enables an alternate method of chemical neurotransmission that does not rely on vesicles. Conventional chemical synapses in the nervous system involve a presynaptic accumulation of neurotransmitter-containing vesicles, which fuse with the plasma membrane to release neurotransmitters that activate postsynaptic receptors. In taste buds, type II receptor cells do not have conventional synaptic features but nonetheless show regulated release of their afferent neurotransmitter, ATP, through a large-pore, voltage-gated channel, CALHM1. Immunohistochemistry revealed that CALHM1 was localized to points of contact between the receptor cells and sensory nerve fibers. Ultrastructural and super-resolution light microscopy showed that the CALHM1 channels were consistently associated with distinctive, large (1- to 2-μm) mitochondria spaced 20 to 40 nm from the presynaptic membrane. Pharmacological disruption of the mitochondrial respiratory chain limited the ability of taste cells to release ATP, suggesting that the immediate source of released ATP was the mitochondrion rather than a cytoplasmic pool of ATP. These large mitochondria may serve as both a reservoir of releasable ATP and the site of synthesis. The juxtaposition of the large mitochondria to areas of membrane displaying CALHM1 also defines a restricted compartment that limits the influx of Ca2+ upon opening of the nonselective CALHM1 channels. These findings reveal a distinctive organelle signature and functional organization for regulated, focal release of purinergic signals in the absence of synaptic vesicles.


Abstract We sought to determine the comparative benefit and harm of rehabilitation interventions for patients who have undergone elective, unilateral total knee arthroplasty for the treatment of primary osteoarthritis. We searched PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Register of Clinical Trials, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 1, 2005, through May 3, 2021. We included randomized controlled trials and adequately adjusted nonrandomized comparative studies of rehabilitation programs reporting performance-based, patient-reported, or healthcare utilization outcomes. Three researchers extracted study data and assessed risk of bias, verified by an independent researcher. The team assessed strength of evidence. Evidence from 53 studies randomized controlled trials suggests that various rehabilitation programs after total knee arthroplasty may lead to comparable improvements in pain, range of motion, and activities of daily living. Rehabilitation in the acute phase may lead to increased strength but result in similar strength when delivered in the postacute phase. No studies reported evidence of risk of harms due to rehabilitation delivered in the acute period after total knee arthroplasty; risk of harms among various postacute rehabilitation programs seems comparable. All findings were of low strength of evidence. Evaluation of rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty needs a systematic overhaul to sufficiently guide future practice or research including the use of standardized intervention components and core outcomes.


We propose a semantically-enhanced architecture to address the issues of interoperability and service integration in e-government web information systems. An architecture for a life event portal based on Semantic Web Services (SWS) is described. The architecture includes loosely-coupled modules organized in three distinct layers: User Interaction, Middleware and Web Services. The Middleware provides the semantic infrastructure for ontologies and SWS. In particular a conceptual model for integrating domain knowledge (Life Event Ontology), application knowledge (E-government Ontology) and service description (Service Ontology) is defined. The model has been applied to a use case scenario in e-government and the results of a system prototype have been reported to demonstrate some relevant features of the proposed approach.


In this article, we present Power Agent—a pervasive game designed to encourage teenagers and their families to reduce energy consumption in the home. The ideas behind this mobile phone-based game are twofold; to transform the home environment and its devices into a learning arena for hands-on experience with electricity usage and to promote engagement via a team competition scheme. We report on the game's evaluation with six teenagers and their families who played the game for ten days in two cities in Sweden. Data collection consisted of home energy measurements before, during, and after a game trial, in addition to interviews with participants at the end of the evaluation. The results suggest that the game concept was highly efficient in motivating and engaging the players and their families to change their daily energy-consumption patterns during the game trial. Although the evaluation does not permit any conclusions as to whether the game had any postgame effects on behavior, we can conclude that the pervasive persuasive game approach appears to be highly promising in regard to energy conservation and similar fields or issues.


Propafenone is a class Ic anti-arrhythmic agent with mild beta-blocking properties which has recently become available in South Africa. We have used the drug in 3 patients with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia not due to ischaemic heart disease. All had normal left ventricular function; 1 had Wegener's granulomatosis and 2 had arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. In the latter 2, propafenone provoked incessant monomorphic ventricular tachycardia which persisted for more than 24 hours despite repeated efforts at termination. The morphology was similar to the patients' spontaneous ventricular tachycardia, but the rate was slower and the QRS complexes broader, consistent with propafenone's marked ability to slow intraventricular conduction. It is postulated that incessant tachycardia results from perpetuation of re-entry due to marked conduction slowing produced by the drug. Previous reports have suggested that this is most likely to occur in patients with poor left ventricular function, but our experience indicates that those with normal left ventricular function are also at risk, particularly if the substrate for re-entry is present. Propafenone, like all other powerful anti-arrhythmic agents, may provoke life-threatening arrhythmias and should be used with great caution after due consideration of the indications, even in patients with normal left ventricular function.


Although previous studies have indicated the importance of flood events in the mobilization, transport and deposition of gold by streams, there have been no estimates of actual transport rates of sediment and gold as discharge varies both within and between years. Here, we use Helley–Smith bed load samples from Harris Creek, a gold-rich gravel-cobble bed stream in British Columbia, to develop equations of the form Ri = aQb that relate transport rates (Ri) of sediment, magnetite and gold to discharge (Q). These equations have then been used to estimate the amounts of sediment, magnetite and gold transported by Harris Creek in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Results show that the amount of material transported can vary by up to three orders of magnitude from year to year depending on the magnitude and duration of the snowmelt flood. Combined with the preferential deposition of Au at bar-head sites, it seems likely these large annual variations in the amount of Au transported result in similar year-to-year variations in the strength of stream sediment geochemical anomalies for Au.


This paper proposes a general learning framework for a class of problems that require learning over latent intermediate representations. Many natural language processing (NLP) decision problems are defined over an expressive intermediate representation that is not explicit in the input, leaving the algorithm with both the task of recovering a good intermediate representation and learning to classify correctly. Most current systems separate the learning problem into two stages by solving the first step of recovering the intermediate representation heuristically and using it to learn the final classifier. This paper develops a novel joint learning algorithm for both tasks, that uses the final prediction to guide the selection of the best intermediate representation. We evaluate our algorithm on three different NLP tasks -- transliteration, paraphrase identification and textual entailment -- and show that our joint method significantly improves performance.


This chapter has summarized practical aspects of key analog and analog/digital interaction problems: Sources of noise; Methods of coupling; Effects of power distribution on chip noise; Effect of substrate referencing on coupled noise; Effects of chip signal isolation/shielding techniques on noise; Effect of package on noise; and Effect of card layout and circuit topology on noise. Techniques related to semiconductor processing; circuit architecture and design; chip floorplanning; chip wiring; design systems; packaging that enhances control or reduction of undesired analog or analog/digital interaction in mixed signal and analog monolithic ICs were surveyed. Consideration was given to substrate coupling, power rail and I/O driver resonances, near field capacitive and inductive as well as package interaction. Spe cial attention was given to distribution of substrate contacts and how the substrate is referenced in highly doped substrates. Actual hardware experiences along with techniques, methodologies, and strategies for analog mixed signal noise reduction were shared. Data results on noise isolation achieved and performance of an actual hardware along with what special techniques were used was discussed. For a more detailed treatment of this subject and software algorithms Reference is an exhaustive treatment of this subject and presents a method for rigorous simulation of the substrate effects.


The origin and social position of Chaucer's Franklin has long been a subject of controversy. Scholars have been in disagreement as to how the Franklin fits in the society of his times. Chaucerian students have examined sources looking for information about him in his day, but most of them accepted the findings of others and have not deliberately taken the trouble to examine primary sources to substantiate their present views and to find additional material which would contribute to findings already made. Only a few men have dared to venture into historical fact to examine documents, records and contemporary works, in addition to Chaucer's own works, to find answers adequate enough to change the entire picture of the Franklin's position. I have examined both primary and secondary materials and have amassed much evidence to establish a point that has been variously accepted for over a hundred years. As I have explained on page five of this thesis, gentry is the class ranking below the nobility. Among the gentry, a squire is immediately below a knight in rank and a franklin, also of the gentry class, follows further down the line. On page twenty of this thesis, I have quoted from John Russell's Book of Nurture, which is a book of etiquette, that a squire's table may honor sergeants of law, late mayors of London, masters of chancery, preachers, residencers, and persons that are agreeable, apprentices of law, merchants, and franklins. I had a great deal of difficulty finding the right material for this thesis. Material on the subject of the franklin seemed to be very limited in Forsyth Library, but I was able to find source materials from books obtained by the inter-library loan which were listed in books containing secondary source material. Mr. Marc Campbell has been exceptionally helpful in obtaining books for me through the inter-library loan and the Forsyth Library staff have been helpful in assisting with checking materials out and in. In addition to this, Mr. Gene Mullen has been especially helpful and cordial and has given the finest of service.


Obstruction of the upper respiratory tract (OURT) will cause mouth breathing that is known to influence neuromuscular activity. This will lead to malformation of face growth pattern and head posture that can result in dentocraniofacial deformity. This research aimed to identify the differences in soft tissue profile characteristics in OURT patients compared to normal subjects, and to analyze the differences between boys and girls in this respect. An analytic descriptive study with cross sectional design was applied. The sample consists of 96 subjects including 64 OURT patients (32 boys and 32 girls) and 32 normal subjects (11 boys and 21 girls). The results showed that the OURT patients had convex profile and longer distance than the normal subjects between upper or lower lip to esthetic line (p<0.05). Furthermore, normal male subjects had longer distance of upper lip to E-line than females (p=0.039). The same was also shown in OURT patients, i.e. male patients had longer distance of upper and lower lip to E-line compared to females (p<0.05). DOI:  10.14693/jdi.v15i1.83


Traditional recommendation systems produce static rather than interactive recommendations invariant to a user's specific requests, clarifications, or current mood, and can suffer from the cold-start problem if their tastes are unknown. These issues can be alleviated by treating recommendation as an interactive dialogue task instead, where an expert recommender can sequentially ask about someone's preferences, react to their requests, and recommend more appropriate items. In this work, we collect a goal-driven recommendation dialogue dataset (GoRecDial), which consists of 9,125 dialogue games and 81,260 conversation turns between pairs of human workers recommending movies to each other. The task is specifically designed as a cooperative game between two players working towards a quantifiable common goal. We leverage the dataset to develop an end-to-end dialogue system that can simultaneously converse and recommend. Models are first trained to imitate the behavior of human players without considering the task goal itself (supervised training). We then finetune our models on simulated bot-bot conversations between two paired pre-trained models (bot-play), in order to achieve the dialogue goal. Our experiments show that models finetuned with bot-play learn improved dialogue strategies, reach the dialogue goal more often when paired with a human, and are rated as more consistent by humans compared to models trained without bot-play. The dataset and code are publicly available through the ParlAI framework.


This investigation aimed to study the relationships established between the variables conscientiousness, perceived partner support, housework engagement and work productivity associated with sickness presenteeism, based on the motivational process of job demands and resources theoretical model (JD-R; Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), among couples. The effects of housework on work productivity associated with sickness presenteeism are particularly relevant due to the visible inequalities that still exist between men and women, not only at work (Simpson, 1998), but also at home, specially on the distribution of domestic work (Rodrigues, Cunha & Wall, 2015). Hence, this study seeks to fill in literature gaps regarding the relationship between housework demands and resources and the phenomenon of sickness presenteeism. With a sample of 180 Portuguese heterosexual couples (N = 360), where both members of the couple were employed, an integrator model of house reality has been proposed. Therefore, we tested the effects of personal and social resources on work productivity associated with presenteeism, and the mediating effect of housework engagement, for both couple members. To test the formulated hypotheses two models were tested: one without mediation, and another with mediation, through structural equations modeling (SEM). Based on the results we verified that: (a) the higher the degree of women's conscientiousness, the greater their level of productivity despite health problems; and (b) the higher the perception of partner support, the greater the level of work productivity, despite health problems, for both men and women. It was also possible to verify that housework engagement mediates the relationship between: (a) conscientiousness and work productivity despite health problems, for women; and (b) between perceived partner support and work productivity, despite health problems, for both couple members. These results provide a significant advance in the literature supporting the applicability of the JD-R model to housework. The study demonstrates that the availability of personal resources, and especially of social resources, such as partner support, can enable individuals to deal with demanding house tasks and fulfill them successfully, with less work productivity losses due to presenteeism. Consequently, we can affirm that the availability of personal and social resources can reduce productivity losses associated with feelings of exhaustion resulting from high work demands on both home and work domains. The results also allow to consider the existence of a positive side of presenteeism, especially for more conscientious individuals whose work productivity will be less affected when going to work experiencing minor health problems (Johns, 2010). Finally, the adaptation of the scales of the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS-8: Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison & Sowa, 1986) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9: Schaufeli, Bakker & Salanova, 2006) for the family domain are also an important theoretical implication, hence they are useful tools for future studies that seek to study the family domain using the JD-R model. From an organizational point of view these results have important practical implications, showing how personality traits and family resources, such as partner support, can be managed by companies in order to turn them into important organizational advantages. At the end, study limitations and future research suggestions are also discussed.


Protein quality control (PQC) is pivotal for eukaryotic cells to eliminate misfolded proteins and maintain cellular homeostasis. A decreased or increased capacity of PQC is associated with various diseases, e.g., neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. Recently, increasing evidences have suggested that tripartite motif-containing family proteins (TRIMs) are the key players in PQC regulation. Most TRIMs are E3 ubiquitin ligases, such as TRIM11/19/25, which, through the ubiquitination modifications, can contribute to effectively remove the cellular misfolded proteins or protein aggregates via the UPS pathway. In this review, we summarized the participation of TRIM members in misfolded protein elimination through distinct pathways, including the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS), autophagy system, and ER-associated degradation (ERAD).


Background : Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a significant public health problem and poses a threat to global tuberculosis (TB) control. In 2015, at least 504 new MDR-TB cases were identified in Indonesia. Treating MDR-TB patients is very challenging. It may take more than two years for MDR-TB treatment. Therefore, it is crucial healthcare workers (HCWs) are knowledgeable about MDR-TB. The aim of this study was to measure level of knowledge and attitude regarding MDR-TB among HCWs in public health centres. Methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted at 73 Public Health Centres in Bandung the capital of West Java Province from August until November 2015. The samples were 73 TB nurses and 32 laboratory staff. A self-administered questionnaire was given comprising 27 knowledge questions and 29 attitude questions. Correlation between knowledge and attitude scores was calculated by Pearson correlation test. Results : The majority of study participants were women (82.9%), married (92.4%), nursing staff (65.7%) with history of TB training (98.1%). Most of the participants were 40-59 years old (69.5%) with working experience in TB programme < 10 years (69.5%). Less than half (38.1%) of study participants had good knowledge. In terms of attitude, more than half (53.3%) of study participants had a positive attitude towards MDR-TB. Conclusions : The level of knowledge among HCWs about MDR-TB is still at an unacceptable level. Certain educational interventions aim to ensure prompt diagnosis, implement infection control and accurate treatment should be established among those HCWs. [AMJ.2016;3(4):509–13] DOI:  10.15850/amj.v3n4.932


In full electric (EV) or hybrid electric (HEV) vehicles the onboard communication is a crucial issue, that can take advantage from a reliable and robust interaction among the embedded units (ECUs) providing among others the power and batteries management, services, accessories and supervision; an updated global view of the system under control (the car) can improve the quality of control, reliability, safety and comfort. Power Line Communication technology (PLC), that take advantage of the DC power line as a physical medium to exchange messages, according to standard protocols, is a candidate at substituting the actual wired solutions, by substantially reducing the cabling burden. The present paper aims at i) reviewing PLC technology for DC bus in the automotive sector; ii) defining the requirements of a reliable communication systems within a car environment, with special attention given to the data exchange needed by the more critical systems in EV and HEV, and namely the control of electrical actuators for traction; iii) describing a benchmark for testing the data transfer characteristics and performance, including details on proposed protocols and architectures and presenting experimental results on data channel characterization and transmission.


Thermal shock is a mechanism often leading to failure of ceramic materials that may occur during rapid heating or cooling. These tests were performed in order to compare the thermal shock resistance of ceramic materials by cooling with that of the heating method and hence to evaluate parameters such as thermal shock strength (R1c) and thermal shock fracture toughness (R2c). During the present study, thermal shock resistance of alumina and mullite ceramics was estimated experimentally and theoretically using the thermal shock parameters. The critical thermal stress at the onset of thermal shock fracture was calculated using fracture time, which is measured by an acoustic emission. Results show that thermal shock parameters of alumina specimens decreased with increasing temperature of fracture point. This effect can be attributed to the temperature dependence of the thermal properties. The experimental values of thermal shock parameters evaluated by IRH and WFC techniques were in good agreement at the temperature of fracture point. The thermal shock parameters enabled the definition of a unified thermal shock resistance of ceramics, which is independent of the nature of the testing techniques.


Abstract
Purpose
The CANAMEX Trade Corridor plays an important role in routing food supplies for fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and meats in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Over 400,000 trucks per annum travel this north-south corridor. Industries, consumers, and federal agencies cooperate to make sure food safety and food security works for all participants.

Methodology/approach
This chapter outlines the underlying factors in North American food supply efforts and highlights some of the disputes and settlements that constitute an important part of the North American food safety system.

Findings
Along the CANAMEX Trade Corridor cooperative efforts are being made by all three nations to improve the food safety and food security system for North America. Food safety and food security information is provided in three major languages (English, French, and Spanish) and in over 50 Native American languages.

Practical implications
The modal view of trade in the CANAMEX Trade Corridor shows that 75% of goods move by truck, 18% by rail, and 7% by air (United States Department of Transportation. (2001). US international trade and freight transportation trends. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation). As border security and food safety/security technology issues heighten, CANAMEX becomes increasingly important in NAFTA negotiations.


PURPOSE
This study examined the effects of an 8-week Nordic-hamstring exercise (NHE) training on components of physical performance in young female handball players.

METHODS
Participants were allocated to an experimental (EG; n=10; age: 15.9 ± 0.2 years) and a control group (CG; n=9; age: 15.9 ± 0.3 years). The EG performed NHE (2-3 sessions/week) in replacement of some handball-specific drills whereas the CG followed regular handball training. Pre- and post-training, tests were carried-out for the assessment of sprint speed (5 m, 10 m, 20 m), jump performance (countermovement jump [CMJ] height), change-of-direction (CoD [T-test]), and repeated-sprint-ability (RSA total-time [RSAtotal], RSA best-time [RSAbest], RSA fatigue-index [RSAFI]). Data were analyzed using magnitude-based inferences.

RESULTS
Within-group analyses for the EG showed moderate performance improvements for 5 m, 10 m, 20 m (effect-size [ES] = 0.68-0.82), T-test (ES=0.74), and CMJ (ES=0.85). Trivial-to-small improvements were observed for RSA (ES=-0.06-0.35). For the CG, within-group outcomes showed performance decrements with moderate (T-test [ES=0.71]), small (5 m [ES=0.46], and RSAbest [ES=0.20]), and trivial magnitude (10 m [ES=0.10], 20 m [ES=0.16] and RSAtotal [ES=0.00]). Further, trivial-to-small performance improvements were found for CMJ (ES=0.10) and RSAFI (ES=0.5). Between-group analyses revealed small-to-large effects in favor of EG for 5 m (ES=1.07), 10 m (ES=0.66), 20 m (ES=0.53), T-test (ES=1.38), and RSA (ES=0.68 to 0.78). A trivial between-group difference was demonstrated for CMJ (ES=-0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
The NHE training intervention, in replacement of some handball-specific drills, was more effective than regular handball training in improving physical performance (i.e., linear sprint-time, jumping, CoD, and RSA) in young female handball players.


This is a survey of nonlinear approximation, especially that part of the subject which is important in numerical computation. Nonlinear approximation means that the approximants do not come from linear spaces but rather from nonlinear manifolds. The central question to be studied is what, if any, are the advantages of nonlinear approximation over the simpler, more established, linear methods. This question is answered by studying the rate of approximation which is the decrease in error versus the number of parameters in the approximant. The number of parameters usually correlates well with computational effort. It is shown that in many settings the rate of nonlinear approximation can be characterized by certain smoothness conditions which are significantly weaker than required in the linear theory. Emphasis in the survey will be placed on approximation by piecewise polynomials and wavelets as well as their numerical implementation. Results on highly nonlinear methods such as optimal basis selection and greedy algorithms (adaptive pursuit) are also given. Applications to image processing, statistical estimation, regularity for PDEs, and adaptive algorithms are discussed.


Poor people are not served well by the kinds of advocacy currently taught and reinforced in most law clinics. The canonical approaches to clinical legal education, which focus nearly exclusively on individual client empowerment, the transfer of a limited number of professional skills, and lawyer-led impact litigation and law reform, are not sufficient to sustain effective public interest practice in the current political moment. These approaches rely on a practice narrative that does not accurately portray the conditions poor people face or the resistance strategies that activist, organized groups deploy. At the margins of the field, a growing number of law school clinics and innovative legal advocacy organizations have played a key role in developing a new public interest practice. These lawyers and law students support and stimulate radical democratic resistance to market forces by developing litigation, legislative, and community education methods aimed at advancing collective mobilization. This article offers a typology of clinical approaches, a critique of the canon, and a description of the features of an emerging alternative clinical model that promises to reconfigure public interest law.


The paper presents the organization as a collaboration of multiple and diverse constituencies and interests, referred to as stakeholders. Stakeholder approach in the organization integrates stakeholder relationships within a company's resource base, industry setting, and sociopolitical arena into a single analytical framework. The key relationships for a business go far beyond the relationships with its customers and include the relationships with its employees, as well as those with suppliers and partners, investors and market analysts, and even government regulators, trade associations and other entities that influence the general business climate in which a given business operates. In all cases stakeholders are inseparable part of management strategy. This concept helps people and organizations to agree upon joint goals, participation, boundaries and benefit, i.e. flexibly to plan the activity.


We prepare a well-defined C84 monolayer on the surface of Ag (111) and study the geometric structure by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The C84 molecules form a nearly close-packed incommensurate R30° lattice. The lattice is long-distance ordered with numerous local disorders. The monolayer exhibits complex bright/dim contrast; the largest height difference between the molecules can be greater than 0.4 nm. Annealing the monolayer at 380 °C can desorb part of the molecules, but more than sixty percent molecules stay on the Ag (111) surface even after the sample has been annealed at 650 °C. Our analyses reveal that the 7-atom pits form beneath many molecules. Some other molecules sit at the 1-atom pits. Ag adatoms (those removed substrate atoms, accompanying the pit formation) play a very important role in this system. The adatoms can either stabilize or destabilize the monolayer, depending on the distribution manner of the adatoms at the interface. The distribution manner is determined by the co-play of the following factors: the dimension of the interstitial regions of the C84 overlayer, the number of the adatoms, and the long-distance migration of part adatoms.


The simultaneous absorption of NO and O2 in aqueous Fe(EDTA) solutions was studied experimentally in a stirred cell contactor in the range T = 298 323 K, CFeII(EDTA) = 10 50 mol/m, CNOin = 100 500 vppm and CO2in = 5 – 10 vol%. The process is an interesting example of the simultaneous absorption of two gases followed by dependent parallel reactions with a third reactant. Explicit expressions for the enhancement factors for this system have not been reported to date. A volume-element model based on the film theory for reactive gas absorption was developed and novel, explicit analytical relations for the enhancement factors for both gases will be provided. The experimental results were modeled successfully using these relations. To promote NO and to suppress oxygen absorption, it is advantageous to perform the absorption process at low temperatures and low oxygen concentrations.


Purpose: Extracts of Picralima nitida seeds, Detarium microcarpum stem bark, Aframomum melagueta seeds, Terminalia catappa leaves, Acacia nilotica pods, and Morinda lucida stem bark, are under consideration for development into suitable dosage forms for treating diabetes mellitus, sickle cell anemia and malaria. This study aimed at evaluating the extracts for features that would influence decisions on them in the course of the project. Methods: Physicochemical determinations, including proximate analysis, were done by sensory examination, and gravimetric and electrochemical techniques. Thin layer chromatography was carried out with normal silica plates using various solvent systems. Metallic content analyses were carried out by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results: The extracts were dry but hygroscopic, with a loss on drying range of 0.26 – 12.00 %w/w. The pH of the 5 - 10 % solutions ranged 5 - 7. No harsh sensory effects, such as lacrimation, were detected in any of the extracts. Total ash ranged from 3.79 – 20.68 %w/w, while acid insoluble ash values were below detection. The extracts yielded reproducible chromatograms on normal silica plates developed with various solvent systems. Copper, present at 0.16 - 0.58 mg/100g, was the lowest occurring microelement while calcium content was highest, at 41 - 216 mg/100g. The level of lead, a heavy metal, was 0.05 - 0.22 mg/100g. Conclusion: The results confirm that the extracts require no special handling, possess characteristics that would allow their possible development into solid dosage forms, and that their lead contents complied with official limits. Keywords: Aqueous extract, Picralima nitida, Detarium microcarpum, Aframomum melagueta, Terminalia catappa, Acacia nilotica, Morinda lucida.


This chapter reviews the thermal stability of ultra-fine grained (UFG) microstructure in selected magnesium and titanium-based materials prepared by severe plastic deforma tion (SPD). The focus is on the wide palette of experimental methods applicable for inves - tigation of microstructural stability. These methods include scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), microhardness measurement, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), and electrical resistance measurement. Microstructural stability of UFG commercially pure (CP) Ti and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy produced by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is studied ex situ after annealing by SEM, by micro hardness measurements, and in situ during heating, by high precision electrical resistance measurements. Both materials show stable UFG structure up to 440°C. Further annealing causes recovery and recrystallization of the microstructure. At 650°C, the microstructure is completely recrystallized. Magnesium alloy AZ31 is prepared by hot extrusion fol lowed by ECAP. UFG microstructure recovers and continuously recrystallizes during annealing. The microstructure of UFG AZ31 alloy is stable up to 170°C and subsequent grain growth is analyzed. Special attention is paid to interpret the activation energy of the grain growth. The superplastic properties of UFG AZ31 alloy are investigated in the temperature range of 170–250°C.


This study involved the application of response surface methodology to recover amylase-inhibiting protein fractions from oats, rice and wheat, in order to promote strategic procedures to reduce the risk of fungal contamination. The parameters studied were ethanol concentration, agitation time and type of grain using fractional factorial design 33-1. Fungal amylase (Fungamyl®) inhibition was used as the response. The results showed that in oats and wheat, optimum recovery of protein extracts capable of inhibiting Fungamyl® activity was achieved using 70% ethanol for 12 hours' agitation, whereas for rice, the best condition was obtained with 95% ethanol and 7 hours' agitation. It was shown that statistical treatment to combine process variables and enzyme activity measurement can be adopted for the selection and subsequent purification of enzyme inhibitors with antifungal activity.


Several channel-degrading effects are present in nonstatic and dynamically reconfigurable wavelength-division-multiplexed systems and networks due to various types of dispersion in the optical transmission fiber. These effects must be addressed by tunable methods so that data signals do not fade with time. The relevant effects for which we demonstrate tunable compensation include: chromatic dispersion accumulated in a single channel and in multiple channels, polarization mode dispersion, and periodic RF power fading. We utilize a nonlinearly chirped fiber Bragg grating that provides a dispersive function that can be varied continuously by tuning a single mechanical stretching element.


Abstract Serum amyloid P component (SAP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are opsonins that react with nuclear autoantigens targeted in systemic autoimmunity. CRP and SAP bind to apoptotic and necrotic cells, which are potential sources of these autoantigens. We have recently determined that the receptors for CRP on phagocytic cells are Fcγ receptors. The goal of this study was to determine whether CRP and SAP promote phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and to identify the receptors involved. Apoptosis was induced in human neutrophils (PMN) and the Jurkat T-cell line by UV-irradiation. SAP treatment of apoptotic human PMN increased ingestion by autologous macrophages. Both SAP and CRP increased ingestion of apoptotic, but not normal Jurkat cells by J-774 macrophages and mouse peritoneal macrophages. Neither SAP nor CRP increased ingestion of apoptotic Jurkat cells by macrophages from FcR γ-chain deficient mice, which lack FcγRI and FcγRIII. Inhibition of FcγRIII-mediated uptake using mAb 2.4G2 eliminated opsonization by SAP, but not by CRP. These results indicate that pentraxins promote uptake of apoptotic cells through FcγRI and/or FcγRIII. Ingestion through these receptors is expected to alter the pattern of cytokine production and antigen presentation in response to apoptotic cells.


Background Trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an effective treatment for high risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. As with all prosthetic valves, it is important to document accurate post-procedural gradients for future comparison. This study aimed to determine whether there was a difference between gradients measured immediately post-procedure by trans-oesophageal echocardiography (TOE) compared with the pre-discharge trans-thoracic echocardiogram (TTE). We also compared pre-TAVI gradients obtained by TTE vs. TOE. Methods We used local and national databases to gather demographics on TAVI patients from our centre and to identify peak and mean aortic gradients measured by TTE and TOE prior to TAVI and also immediately following TAVI deployment (TOE) and prior to discharge (TTE). Data were compared using the paired t-test. Results We identified 106 TAVI patients with complete echocardiographic data-sets. The mean age was 81+/-8 yrs and 62(54%) were male. All patients received an Edwards Sapien valve. Pre-TAVI, there were no significant differences between TOE and TTE for both peak (72.2+/-24.8 mmHg vs 71.9+/- 24.0 mmHg, p = 0.83) and mean (41.4+/-15.0 mmHg vs 42.4+/-14.9 mmHg,p = 0.22) gradients. However, following TAVI, the peak trans-valvular gradients by TOE vs. TTE were 12+/-6 mmHg vs 22+/-9 mmHg (p < 0.001) and mean trans-valvular gradients were 6+/-3 mmHg vs 11+/-5 mmHg (p < 0.001). There were 36 patients with LV dysfunction: the results were unchanged after excluding these patients (peak gradient 12+/-6 mmHg vs. 23+/-9 mmHg, p < 0.001). Conclusions Although TTE and TOE perform similarly prior to TAVI, the immediate post-procedural assessment of trans-aortic gradients by TOE leads to significant under-estimation compared to TTE. Intra-procedural TOE should not be used to define baseline peak and mean aortic gradients after TAVI.Abstract 37 Figure 1 Pre-TAVI TTE (A) vs TOE (B) and post-TAVI TOE (C) vs TTE (D)


Abstract Objective: To identify factors related to the postnatal increase in superior mesenteric artery blood flow velocity (SMA BFV). Study design: SMA BFV was measured in 35 infants (birth weight 1047±246 g) on day of life (DOL) 1, 3, 5, 7 10 and 14. Latent curve modeling (LCM) was used to measure the longitudinal change in BFV for each subject, and the correlation between changes in BFV and baseline values. Non-parametric correlations were calculated between BFV and variables previously reported to be related to SMA BFV. Results: There was significant variability in SMA BFV on DOL 1, a significant increase from DOL 1–14, and significant variability in the postnatal increase. Infants with higher enteral feeding volumes had greater increases, while infants receiving positive pressure ventilation or hyperalimentation had lower increases. Conclusions: Several clinical factors affect the postnatal increase in SMA BFV. The use of LCM is useful in longitudinal studies of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, who are clinically and demographically heterogeneous.


The current study looked at the impact of British regional accents on evaluations of eyewitness testimony in criminal trials. Ninety participants were randomly presented with one of three video recordings of eyewitness testimony manipulated to be representative of Received Pronunciation (RP), Multicultural London English (MLE) or Birmingham accents. The impact of the accent was measured through eyewitness (a) accuracy, (b) credibility, (c) deception, (d) prestige, and (e) trial outcome (defendant guilt and sentence). RP was rated more favourably than MLE on accuracy, credibility and prestige. Accuracy and prestige were significant with RP rated more highly than a Birmingham accent. RP appears to be viewed more favourably than the MLE and Birmingham accents although the witness's accents did not affect ratings of defendant guilt. Taken together, these findings show a preference for eyewitnesses to have RP speech over some regional accents


We report here the synthesis of a novel branched quasi-dendric system, 9,9′-(9,9′-dihexylfluorene-2,7-diyl)bis[3,6-bis(2,5-bis(2-thienyl)pyrrol-1-yl)carbazole], (FCSNS), in four steps, followed by coating onto an ITO-coated glass surface by an electropolymerization process to give a very stable cross-linked polymeric film (poly-FCSNS). The yellowish-green color of this film in its neutral state changed reversibly to black upon oxidation. An electrochromic device, assembled in the sandwich configuration [ITO/anodically coloring polymer (poly-FCSNS)//gel electrolyte//cathodically coloring polymer/(PEDOT)/ITO], exhibited a relatively short response time (about 1 s), a high redox stability, and a high coloration efficiency (1624 cm2C−1). In addition to electrochromic studies, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) work was also carried out using FCSNS. A multilayer OLED having a configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/FCSNS/Alq3/LiF : Al was fabricated, and it showed a turn-on voltage of approximately 6 V and exhibited a bright green emission with a luminance of 3700 cd m−2. The maximum luminous efficiency was found to be 2.0 cd A−1 at 14 V and 11.75 mA cm−2. The emitted light from the OLED device is green, and has the color coordinates of (x, y) (0.33, 0.54) according to CIE. Electrochemical and optical properties were also studied by using cyclic voltammetry, UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively.


The electron-doped material Nd2–xCexCuO4 becomes superconducting with a Ce4+ composition around 0.16, but only after removal of a minuscule amount of extraneous oxygen. This enigmatic behavior was addressed here. A small fraction of copper in the CuO2 planes of Nd2–xCexCuO4 was substituted by cobalt-57, which serves as a microprobe of the chemical environment. Deoxygenation brought about little change in the M�ssbauer spectra both above and below the optimal superconducting concentration; however, for x = 0.16 a change was observed. In the latter, a major fraction of the magnetically split, five-coordinate species showed itself as a paramagnetically relaxed doublet upon deoxygenation. The abundance of the paramagnetically relaxed species corresponds closely to the diamagnetic volume fraction and thus provides a microscopic signature of the superconducting phase.


Objective To use evidence from systematic reviews of environmental influences on childhood overweight to prioritise areas for development of public health interventions. Design Systematic literature reviews of intervention and longitudinal studies of environmental factors which could influence overweight via diet and/or physical activity, followed by a questionnaire-based ranking exercise for (a) the strength of the evidence for a causal association between the environmental factor and childhood overweight and (b) the likely effect size of public health actions on each factor on the prevalence of overweight in children. Environmental factors for which there was both strong evidence of causality and a larger effect size were selected for detailed modelling of the likely impact of public health interventions in children in Scotland. Setting Children up to 8 years in Scotland. Participants Academics and policy makers with experience of reviewing evidence of public health interventions on obesity. Main Outcome Measure Ranking of environmental factors to identify those which should be prioritised for future public health interventions. Results Of the twenty-four environmental factors initially identified at stakeholder workshops, no studies were found for three factors influencing physical activity and one factor affecting diet. For the remaining twenty factors a median of six (range 1–28) studies were identified and summarised in tabular form. Fourteen academics and policy makers were given the tables to complete the rating exercise, which took approximately 1 h. The strength of the evidence and the likely effect size of actions were rated on a scale of 0 (low) to 5 (high). Eight of the environmental factors obtained mean ratings >3 for both strength of evidence and likely effect size: six were factors related to diet (high energy-dense snacks, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, infant feeding, availability of high fat, sugar and salt foods and portion size of manufactured foods and of restaurant and cafeteria items) and two were related to physical activity (physical education in schools and sedentary leisure activity). The ratings were lowest for access to local amenities, safe routes to schools and provision of healthy foods in schools. Conclusion The ranking exercise provided a structured approach for obtaining a consensus view on priorities for public health action using tables of evidence from a systematic review. Use of this approach with a larger number academics and policy makers from different sectors would be useful to assess whether the area of expertise and sector (academia vs policy) influences the rating of the evidence.


Abstract 3D seismic data can play a vital role in hydrocarbon exploration and development especially with regard to mitigating risk associated with presence of reservoir, source, and seal facies. Such data can afford direct imaging of depositional elements, which can then be analyzed using seismic stratigraphy and seismic geomorphology to yield predictions of lithologic distribution, insights to compartmentalization. and identification of stratigraphic trapping possibilities. Benefits can be direct, whereby depositional elements at exploration depths can be identified and interpreted, or they can be indirect, whereby shallow-buried depositional systems can be clearly imaged and provide analogues to deeper exploration or development targets. Examples of imaged depositional elements from both shallow and deep sections are presented.


In all Central and East European countries (CEECs) land reform was a key part of the overall agrarian reforms. Various land reform procedures have been chosen and the selected procedures were not the most efficient ones in several cases. The efficiency and distributional impacts depend on the privatization and land reform process. The paper therefore explains the choice of the land reform processes by analyzing their efficiency and distributional effects -- and how they differ between CEECs. It starts with an overview of the post-1989 land reforms in CEECs. The second section discusses the most efficient reform processes and compares these with the effectively chosen processes, identifying in which cases governments clearly have not chosen efficient land reforms. The third part indicates several key factors which have constrained CEEC governments in their choice of the land reform procedures and which have caused the choice of inefficient land reform process. Key factors are the history of the land ownership, including the postcollectivization ownership status, the ethnicity of precollectivization owners, and the equality of precollectivization asset distribution. These factors affect the distributional implications of the land reform, the (potential) conflict between efficiency, equity historical justice, and thus the political economy equilibrium. The last sections discuss two important issues in the CEEC land reforms: compensation of those who do not benefit from the reforms and the impact on effective property rights.


Objective  to describe the existence of social capital in managing dengue fever in buang ngern subdistrict, Thailand. Method this study use case study based on the thepry pof social capital as the foundation of the data analysis Result In the case study on Buang Ngern shows that the community which have high level of social capital could be able to reduce the incidence of dengue fever significantly by cooperating with various sectors, such as; Household Members, Housewife Group, Village Health Volunteers, Local Administrative Organization, Village Committee Health, Health Volunteers And Health Workers In Health Centers. Cooperation which involving several community groups will be difficult to occur in the absence of a high level of trust between groups, social norms and networks among community members. Conclusion Social capital as one of the features that exist in the community is having advantage if could be used appropriately. In the community based  dengue fever prevention and control program which require inter-sectoral cooperation, social capital can become a bridge between groups in giving contribution based on the role and function of each group.


An earthquake with a dozen faults The 2016 moment magnitude (Mw) 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake was one of the largest ever to hit New Zealand. Hamling et al. show with a new slip model that it was an incredibly complex event. Unlike most earthquakes, multiple faults ruptured to generate the ground shaking. A remarkable 12 faults ruptured overall, with the rupture jumping between faults located up to 15 km away from each other. The earthquake should motivate rethinking of certain seismic hazard models, which do not presently allow for this unusual complex rupture pattern. Science, this issue p. eaam7194 At least 12 faults spaced up to 15 kilometers apart ruptured during the magnitude 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake. INTRODUCTION On 14 November 2016 (local time), northeastern South Island of New Zealand was struck by a major moment magnitude (Mw) 7.8 earthquake. The Kaikōura earthquake was the most powerful experienced in the region in more than 150 years. The whole of New Zealand reported shaking, with widespread damage across much of northern South Island and in the capital city, Wellington. The earthquake straddled two distinct seismotectonic domains, breaking multiple faults in the contractional North Canterbury fault zone and the dominantly strike-slip Marlborough fault system. RATIONALE Earthquakes are conceptually thought to occur along a single fault. Although this is often the case, the need to account for multiple segment ruptures challenges seismic hazard assessments and potential maximum earthquake magnitudes. Field observations from many past earthquakes and numerical models suggest that a rupture will halt if it has to step over a distance as small as 5 km to continue on a different fault. The Kaikōura earthquake's complexity defies many conventional assumptions about the degree to which earthquake ruptures are controlled by fault segmentation and provides additional motivation to rethink these issues in seismic hazard models. RESULTS Field observations, in conjunction with interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), Global Positioning System (GPS), and seismology data, reveal the Kaikōura earthquake to be one of the most complex earthquakes ever recorded with modern instrumental techniques. The rupture propagated northward for more than 170 km along both mapped and unmapped faults before continuing offshore at the island's northeastern extent. A tsunami of up to 3 m in height was detected at Kaikōura and at three other tide gauges along the east coast of both the North and South Islands. Geodetic and geological field observations reveal surface ruptures along at least 12 major crustal faults and extensive uplift along much of the coastline. Surface displacements measured by GPS and satellite radar data show horizontal offsets of ~6 m. In addition, a fault-bounded block (the Papatea block) was uplifted by up to 8 m and translated south by 4 to 5 m. Modeling suggests that some of the faults slipped by more than 20 m, at depths of 10 to 15 km, with surface slip of ~10 m consistent with field observations of offset roads and fences. Although we can explain most of the deformation by crustal faulting alone, global moment tensors show a larger thrust component, indicating that the earthquake also involved some slip along the southern end of the Hikurangi subduction interface, which lies ~20 km beneath Kaikōura. Including this as a fault source in the inversion suggests that up to 4 m of predominantly reverse slip may have occurred on the subduction zone beneath the crustal faults, contributing ~10 to 30% of the total moment. CONCLUSION Although the unusual multifault rupture observed in the Kaikōura earthquake may be partly related to the geometrically complex nature of the faults in this region, this event emphasizes the importance of reevaluating how rupture scenarios are defined for seismic hazard models in plate boundary zones worldwide. Observed ground deformation from the 2016 Kaikōura, New Zealand, earthquake. (A and B) Photos showing the coastal uplift of 2 to 3 m associated with the Papatea block [labeled in (C)]. The inset in (A) shows an aerial view of New Zealand. Red lines denote the location of known active faults. The black box indicates the Marlborough fault system. (C) Three-dimensional displacement field derived from satellite radar data. The vectors represent the horizontal displacements, and the colored background shows the vertical displacements. On 14 November 2016, northeastern South Island of New Zealand was struck by a major moment magnitude (Mw) 7.8 earthquake. Field observations, in conjunction with interferometric synthetic aperture radar, Global Positioning System, and seismology data, reveal this to be one of the most complex earthquakes ever recorded. The rupture propagated northward for more than 170 kilometers along both mapped and unmapped faults before continuing offshore at the island's northeastern extent. Geodetic and field observations reveal surface ruptures along at least 12 major faults, including possible slip along the southern Hikurangi subduction interface; extensive uplift along much of the coastline; and widespread anelastic deformation, including the ~8-meter uplift of a fault-bounded block. This complex earthquake defies many conventional assumptions about the degree to which earthquake ruptures are controlled by fault segmentation and should motivate reevaluation of these issues in seismic hazard models.


Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is knowledge that is been held in peoples mind and it faces a danger of extinction as its holders die without having conserved it in formats that can be retrieved. This study sought to determine ways to conserve and access indigenous knowledge of the Samia people of Funyula Division, Samia District, Kenya. The specific objectives were to: identify the existing indigenous knowledge of the Samia people; ascertain the IK that is still in use among the Absamia; determine means and ways of access to Samia IK; Determine factors that impact on Samia IK; and determine ways of conservation of Samia IK. The study used symbolic interactionism for its theoretical framework. Data was gathered using face to face interviews and focus group discussions with persons aged eighteen years and above, sampled using purposive and snowball methods. Narrative analysis method was employed to analyse the data. Findings reveal there is IK currently held by the Samia, but not in retrievable formats. The IK used by an individual in influenced by their surrounding environment; Costly to document and conserve Samia IK; Few people within the community still use and value IK; there is need to document and conserve this knowledge. Super-ordinates included: family life; land ownership and use; knowledge acquisition, religion and health. With "modernization" the current Samia generation seems to water down their ways of life in favour current trends. The researcher recommends that the government put in place policies and allocate funds to enhance conservation of IK from grassroot up to district level. Educationists to come up with strategies to incorporate IK into formal school curriculum to increase awareness and support. It is hoped the findings of this study will benefit the Samia community understand their background, appreciate, and embrace some of their traditional practices. The collected Samia IK may also serve as references for scholars, researchers and the general public.


The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the characteristics and effectiveness of community-based interventions designed to increase physical activity participation in older adults (aged 65 years or more) living in rural or regional areas. Relevant peer-reviewed literature was obtained, using four primary electronic search engines, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses statement. The initial search identified 4,690 articles. After removal of duplicates and excluded articles, seven articles were included in the review. Few consistencies existed between intervention types, duration, outcome measures, and follow-up. Results provide some evidence to support the effectiveness of community-based interventions that include low- to moderate-intensity exercise to increase physical activity, physical function, and psychological state. However, without more rigorous studies it is difficult to identify the most critical characteristics of community-based interventions for older adults in rural and regional settings.


In online networks, the polarization of opinions (e.g., regarding presidential elections or referenda) has been associated with the creation of "echo-chambers" of like-minded peers, secluded from those of contrary viewpoints. Previous work has commonly attributed such phenomena to self-regarding preferences (e.g., confirmation bias), individual differences, and the pre-dispositions of users, with clusters forming over repeated interactions. The present work provides a proof of concept Agent-Based Model that demonstrates online networks are susceptible to echo-chambers from a single opinion cascade, due to the spatiotemporal order induced by lateral transmission. This susceptibility is found to vary as a function of degree of interconnectivity and opinion strength. Critically, such effects are found despite globally proportionate levels of opinions, equally rational agents (i.e. absent conformity, confirmation bias or pre-disposition architecture), and prior to cyclical interactions. The assumptions and implications of this work, including the value of Agent-Based Modelling to cognitive psychology, are discussed.


Based mainly on the simplicity of its calculation, the urea reduction ratio (URR) has been suggested as an alternative to urea kinetic modeling (Kt/V) as a measure of hemodialysis adequacy. However, recent studies have raised questions concerning the accuracy of URR, particularly in the presence of residual kidney function (KrU). This study was initiated to evaluate the relationship between URR and Kt/V under a variety of dialysis conditions. Equations based on the variable-volume, single-pool model described by Gotch were used to construct a model incorporating the variables used in the estimation of URR and Kt/V. The model's prediction of URR correlated closely with measured URR in 30 patients (r = 0.9987, p < 0.000001). This analytic approach showed that changes in each of several dialysis parameters caused divergence in the values of URR and Kt/V. The model showed that URR could be less than 0.65, while total Kt/V was greater than 1.2, whether or not KrU was present. In fact, when KrU was greater than 1.0, URR could be less than 0.65, while Kt/V might be 2.0 or higher. On the other hand, the model showed instances where URR could be greater than 0.65, when Kt/V was less than 1.2. This occurred only when KrU was less than 1.0. To determine the prevalence of these anomalies in clinical practice, 767 kinetic modeling determinations were evaluated in 207 patients. One of the above discrepancies was observed at least once in 30.9% of the patients, representing 12.1% of all determinations. In addition, it was found that omitting KrU from the calculation of Kt/V generally leads to a Kt/V <1.2. This, when associated with a URR <0.65, could erroneously imply inadequate dialysis. The patient data are consistent with the view that URR and Kt/V are the net result of several variables that may act together or even in opposing directions. Based on this mathematical model and the observed clinical data, the use of URR alone to assess dialysis adequacy, or neglecting the contribution of KrU to Kt/V, may lead to changes in the dialysis prescription that are neither correct nor necessary.


This thesis exam ines the work o f three philosophers - Jacques M aritain, Bernard
Lonergan and Terence H. M cLaughlin - with a view to recovering from their
educational w ritings important insights and approaches pertinent to the task o f giving
new articulation to Catholic philosophy o f education today.
Having noted the virtual disappearance o f the Thom ist-A ristotelian tradition in Catholic
educational discourse over the past half-century, the thesis seeks to identify in these
authors elements that suggest new perspectives on the Catholic educational tradition in
a postm odern age.
The thesis selects aspects of the work o f these thinkers that m erit critical appraisal in
any attempt to give a systematic and detailed expression to the Catholic tradition o f
educational thought today, namely: (1) M aritain's integral Christian humanism, (2)
Lonergan's transcendental method, and (3) M cLauglin's notion and practice o f
pedagogic phronesis.
This study concludes with a reflection on how selected aspects o f the work o f these
scholars m ight complement and strengthen the Congregation for Catholic Education's
discourse in term s o f the provision of a philosophic basis and fram ew ork o f analysis.


If you're like most Americans, you probably think Election Day is some time in November. But for local contests in Los Angeles – like many other cities – elections are held at a lesser-known point on the calendar. Now, new figures show just how great an effect election timing has on mayoral contests. On average, mayoral elections held off cycle in California have less than half the voter turnout of mayoral elections that coincide with presidential contests.


In this research paper, free decay method is proposed to identify the hydrodynamics coefficient of ROVs. This method is preferable for smaller-scale testing as it is a smaller and simpler method. In order to carry the experiment, an experimental rig is designed and constructed. The experimental rig is used to create an underwater environment which is important in the identification of the hydrodynamics coefficient. First, the equations of motion are formulated that can be used to describe the motion of pendulum given a set of parameters which included measured parameters such as mass and length of pendulum and also the unknown hydrodynamic coefficient which are added mass and the damping coefficients. Then, experiments are conducted where the displacement of the pendulum is recorded over time by using camera. The desired parameters are found by finding the combination of parameters such that the mathematical model fits the experimental data. Through this research project, it was found that the results obtained from this method are not reliable as claimed by a few authors. Although the data processing procedure was a success, the results obtained vary widely with different initial condition. This research project shows that in the current state, this method is not a good method in evaluating the hydrodynamic coefficient of the ROVs. Thus, an alternative method should be proposed or improvements should be made to produce a better result.


SUMMARY: μ particles of stock 540 (syngen 1) of Paramecium aurelia were isolated and studied. Electron microscopy showed that isolated μ particles were very similar to bacteria in fine structure, the general appearance being similar to that found by earlier workers. Contamination of the preparations with other cell particles and with the paramecium food bacteria was low. The isolated μ particles contained DNA, RNA, protein and probably carbohydrate and lipid. The DNA of the particles was characterized by density-gradient centrifugation in CsCl and by determination of Tm. The density of the DNA was estimated to be 1·694 g./c.c., a value very similar to that for the DNA of Paramecium aurelia 540 macronuclei, which was estimated to be 1·693 g./c.c. The Tm was likewise similar, being 82·0°, against 81·8° for Paramecium macronuclear DNA. However, this DNA was associated with the μ particle, as no such DNA could be prepared from genotypically identical P. aurelia which did not possess μ particles, and the DNA associated with the μ particles was not susceptible to DNase action on treatment of isolated μ particles with the enzyme before DNA extraction. Hence it seems that the μ particle has a membrane-protected DNA of a similar buoyant density to the P. aurelia DNA. Isolated μ particles possessed an active DNA-dependent system capable of the incorporation of ribonucleoside triphosphates into an acid-insoluble product. The reaction needed the presence of ATP, GTP, and UTP for optimal activity, and had an absolute dependence on Mg2+. The reaction was inhibited by actinomycin D, and a ribonuclease-sensitive product was synthesized.