Most readers will be familiar with the first and second editions of Middle Ear and Mastoid Microsurgery from these authors, also published by Thieme. Those books dealt with the full range of middle-ear procedures, but this sizable book focuses on cholesteatoma and its unique challenges. Other than one Japanese author (who trained locally), the contributors are all from Piacenza and Rome, Italy. The Preface stresses that surgery is unavoidable in cholesteatoma, even in the most unfit, and local anaesthetic is generally favoured by this team in all cases, regardless of status. I did like to read 'Many surgeons stick to a single procedure such as canal wall up or down, but we think that is not reasonable'. They later say that one needs to adapt the technique to the patient and not the converse, which is very welcome advice. The Preface highlights features in this book, such as a chapter on subtotal petrosectomy and blind sac closure, one on cochlear implant and cholesteatoma (that I did not expect, I freely admit), and another on petrous bone cholesteatoma. That term they favour over petrous apex cholesteatoma, and, while I was not entirely convinced by the terminology, I was impressed by the size of the coverage. This made up over 240 of the total of 688 text pages, essentially comprising over one-third of the book. The opening chapter illustrates anatomy, using very high quality photographs of temporal bone dissections, accompanied by high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans. A chapter on diagnosis follows, providing otoendoscopic pictures of various retraction packets, with the corresponding CT scans to show the extent of disease, which gets progressively more advanced as one reads on. A chapter on the operating theatre set-up featured many a pearl of wisdom. I did, however, experience a moment of nostalgia, seeing a 35 mm film camera attached to a microscope. Just finding the film would be a challenge these days. I almost cheered out loud on reading 'Generally we do not use facial nerve monitoring in middle ear surgery' and later 'We think it may even carry risks for beginners'. Section 4.1.1 almost justifies the cost of the book in itself, covering the techniques to be employed when wielding a drill. There is just so much common sense and wisdom in this book's coverage. The chapters then follow a common format, taking the reader througha series of different approaches to cholesteatoma,whether canal wall up or down, congenital cholesteatoma, external canal wall cholesteatoma, or its complications. Very high quality colour photographs illustrate a sequence through each operation, three photographs to a page, with explanatory text in boxes. Each chapter then closes with hints and pitfalls (often consisting of a whole pageof bullet points), and, finally, references to online videos. This description really does not do justice to the huge content, which is better appreciated by handling the book if given the chance. I particularly liked the coverage of treatment of cholesteatoma complications, although I would have liked some coverage of sigmoid sinus thrombophlebitis, which is surprisingly absent here. I noted the idea that, with a small fistula into the lateral canal, overlying matrix can be preserved, even with an intact canal wall approach. Their management results in spontaneous resolution, at a second-look, in 70 per cent of cases, and avoids the risks of opening the labyrinth. How I wish I had known that back in the day. One then reads about how to deal with tegmen erosion and dural herniation, or facial nerve damage. There is a CT scan to make one cringe, showing some very poor drilling of a mastoid, 'performed elsewhere' it is stressed, with the damage resulting and the surgical repair needed. This is a massive book, and, as its title suggests, it takes the reader well beyond the traditional atticoantrostomy or modified radicalmastoidectomyprocedures of our training years. Thepearls of wisdom from decades of experience are a real highlight, and the highly illustrated format makes for very easy reading. Obviously, this is a 'must' foranyunit training inotology, but it is avery inspiring read even for those of us with that bit more experience.


The main objective of this paper is to determine the best estimators of the shape and scale parameters of the two parameter Weibull distribution. Therefore, both classical and Bayesian approximation methods are considered. For parameter estimation of classical approximation methods maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs), modified maximum likelihood estimators-I (MMLEs-I), modified maximum likelihood estimators -II (MMLEs-II), least square estimators (LSEs), weighted least square estimators (WLSEs), percentile estimators (PEs), moment estimators (MEs), L-moment estimators (LMEs) and TL- moment estimators (TLMEs) are used. Since the Bayesian estimators don't have the explicit form. There are Bayes estimators are obtained by using Lindley's and Tierney Kadane's approximation methods in this study. In Bayesian approximation, the choice of loss function and prior distribution is very important. Hence, Bayes estimators are given based on both the non- informative and informative prior distribution. Moreover, these estimators have been calculated under different symmetric and asymmetric loss functions. The performance of classical and Bayesian estimators are compared with respect to their biases and MSEs through a simulation study. Finally, a real data set taken from Turkish State Meteorological Service is analysed for better understanding of methods presented in this paper.


The Science Indicators series has paid little heed to interdisciplinary research. This article seeks (1) to distinguish multi‐ or interdisciplinary (IDR) research from single or monodisciplinary research, and (2) to characterize IDR, i.e., begin to describe how it differs from other research. A peculiar population of "over‐cited" articles is defined by the Institute for Scientific Information's "Citation Classics." A sample of 1981 classics (which appear weekly in Current Contents) was examined for suspected interdisciplinary (IDR) content and/or usage. Between 10 and 20% were identified as possibly IDR. A subsample of these was traced through SCI and JCR categories to construct 10‐year citation histories. Content analysis of subject category concentration was also performed. We conclude that citation of a classic follows no set pattern. Time‐ and category‐sensitive indicators are discussed.


Purpose: The aim of this research study is to examine the most dominant EFL Students' approach in acquiring English vocabulary employed by the first-year students of English Department at Muhammadiyah University of Makassar. The study also investigates whether there is any difference in approach preference between male and female students in acquiring English vocabulary by first-year students at English Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Muhammadiyah University of Makassar, Indonesia
Approach/Methodology/Design: A descriptive quantitative research method is employed in data analysis. Twenty four first-year undergraduate students (42% male & 58 female) were selected as a sample for the study based on purposive sampling technique. These students chose English major at Muhammadiyah University of Makassar and were enrolled in the acedmic year 2018-2019. The instruments used were a Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and Likert Scale to assess the research participants' approach preference.
Findings: The findings of this research study reveal that the first-year students of English Department at Muhammadiyah University of Makassar dominantly adopt surface approach compared to deep approach in acquiring English vocabulary. The statistical analysis shows that the mean score for Surface is 35.12 and the mean score for Deep Approach is 34.66.  The findings also indicate a difference in approach preference between male and female.
Practical Implications: The study will contribute positively to the understanding of the students' adopted approaches for acquiring vocabulary, assisting instructors to improve their teaching strategies.
Originality/value: The study provides an avenue for exploring students' learning processes. Male students preferred Surface approach to deep approach. Male students scored high (38.10) on surface approach compared to deep approach (36.60). Meanwhile, female students got slightly higher score (33.28) on deep approach than surface approach (33.00).


The performance-driven design of SDN architectures leaves many security vulnerabilities, a notable one being the communication bottleneck between the controller and the switches. Functioning as a cache between the controller and the switches, the flow table mitigates this bottleneck by caching flow rules received from the controller at each switch, but is very limited in size due to the high cost and power consumption of the underlying storage medium. It thus presents an easy target for attacks. Observing that many existing defenses are based on simplistic attack models, we develop a model of intelligent attacks that exploit specific cache-like behaviors of the flow table to infer its internal configuration and state, and then design attack parameters accordingly. Our evaluations show that such attacks can accurately expose the internal parameters of the target flow table and cause measurable damage with the minimum effort.


Multiculturalism has been proclaimed as a failure in several European countries and has been said to divide solidarity in the United States. As many Western nations become increasingly pluralistic, multiculturalism has become one of the most socially and politically divisive issues that has been debated among citizens, scholars, and political leaders, many of which suggest multiculturalism undermines social cohesion. However, a review of the literature suggests that inconsistent findings may be due in part to differences in the conceptualisation of the term multiculturalism. As we argue in the current study, not only is multiculturalism a multi-faceted phenomenon relating to diversity of a population, policy to manage diversity, and ideologies of whether diversity is positive or negative, but also it may have different consequences for minority and majority groups. In the current study we seek to examine how these different conceptualisations of multiculturalism, are related to well-being and social cohesion using a new construct called Subjective Multiculturalism. This measure investigates participants' perceptions of how multicultural they perceive the United States to be in terms of diversity, policy that promotes equity, and ideology. Results indicate that Whites have higher levels of well-being than Hispanics and are more embedded in society. Results also indicate that perceptions that diversity is positively viewed by Americans predict social cohesion for Hispanics but not for Whites. Overall, findings suggest that multiculturalism does not exert negative effects on well-being or social cohesion, and indeed, in some cases it predicts positive outcomes, particularly for Hispanics.


Malignant brain tumors are characterized by destructive growth and neuronal cell death making them one of the most devastating diseases. Neurodegenerative actions of malignant gliomas resemble mechanisms also found in many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Recent data demonstrate that gliomas seize neuronal glutamate signaling for their own growth advantage. Excessive glutamate release via the glutamate/cystine antiporter xCT (system xc-, SLC7a11) renders cancer cells resistant to chemotherapeutics and create the tumor microenvironment toxic for neurons. In particular the glutamate/cystine antiporter xCT takes center stage in neurodegenerative processes and sets this transporter a potential prime target for cancer therapy. Noteworthy is the finding, that reactive oxygen species (ROS) activate transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and thereby TRP channels can potentiate glutamate release. Yet another important biological feature of the xCT/glutamate system is its modulatory effect on the tumor microenvironment with impact on host cells and the cancer stem cell niche. The EMA and FDA-approved drug sulfasalazine (SAS) presents a lead compound for xCT inhibition, although so far clinical trials on glioblastomas with SAS were ambiguous. Here, we critically analyze the mechanisms of action of xCT antiporter on malignant gliomas and in the tumor microenvironment. Deciphering the impact of xCT and glutamate and its relation to TRP channels in brain tumors pave the way for developing important cancer microenvironmental modulators and drugable lead targets.


Author(s): Wainfan, Kathryn Tanya | Advisor(s): Thies, Michael F | Abstract: In this dissertation, I ask why certain types of parties would agree to support creating or empowering sub-national governments. In particular, I focus on nationalized parties -- those that gain support from throughout a country. Political decentralization can negatively impact nationalized parties in at least two ways. First, it reduces the amount of power a party can enjoy should it win control of the national-level government. Second, previous studies show that political decentralization can increase party denationalization, meaning regional parties gain more support, even during national-level elections. I argue that nationalized parties may support decentralization when doing so reduces the ideological conflicts over national-level policy among voters whose support they seek. By altering political institutions, a party may be able to accommodate differing policy preferences in different parts of the country, or limit the damage to the party's electoral fortunes such differences could create.I primarily focus on the case of Scottish devolution in the United Kingdom, tracing the evolution of the British Labour Party's attitudes towards the issue. I argue that devolution became an integral part of the New Labour platform because it allowed the party to moderateits economic policies to cater to English preferences without losing Scottish votes to the Scottish National Party. I then develop a formal model representing the challenges a nationalized party faces when trying to win votes in more than one region of a country. I show that a party may be able to win votes using a combination of policy and political decentralization when it would be unable to do so using a single national-level policy alone. Furthermore, I hypothesize that a nationalized party should be more likely to support political decentralization when the preferences of voters in different regions diverge from each other. After applying this model to the United Kingdom, I explore some if its implications using the cases of decentralization in Spain and Belgium.


It is widely acknowledged that a common knowledge base for European research is necessary. Research repositories are an important innovation to the scientific information infrastructure. In 2006, digital repositories in the 27 countries of the European were surveyed, covering 114 repositories from 17 European countries. In follow-up, this book presents the results of the 2008 survey. It shows an increasing number of respondents, but also a further diversification in the character of a repository. Repositories may be institutional or thematically based, and as such non-institutional as well. 178 Institutional research repositories and 14 thematic and other noninstitutional repositories from 22 European countries took part actively. European practices should be harmonized and the development of state-of-the-art technology facilitated. Authors, institutes and information users are stakeholders in this process. In presenting a state-of the art of developments, this book is a valuable guide for them in developing their policy on research repositories without losing contact with others. The ongoing process of widespread and diversification of digital repositories puts urgency on coherent approach, as a basic feature of repositories is the retrievability of information that may be dispersed over many of them. Continued monitoring of developments will be necessary.


We establish forward and backward relations between entropy satisfying BGK models such as those introduced previously by the author and the rst order ux vector splitting numerical methods for systems of conservation laws. Classically, to a kinetic BGK model that is compatible with some family of entropies we can associate an entropy ux vector splitting. We prove that the converse is true: any entropy ux vector splitting can be interpreted by a kinetic model, and we obtain an explicit characterization of entropy satisfying ux vector splitting schemes. We deduce a new proof of discrete entropy inequalities under a sharp CFL condition that generalizes the monotonicity criterion in the scalar case. In particular, this gives a stability condition for numerical kinetic methods with noncompact velocity support. A new interpretation of general kinetic schemes is also provided via approximate Riemann solvers. We deduce the construction of nite velocity relaxation systems for gas dynamics.


Background A retrospective case-control study was carried out to assess the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in liver transplantation (LT) recipients and its related risk factors. Material/Methods The study enrolled 131 patients undergoing LT from December 2017 to June 2019 at Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital, China. AKI and its classification were defined according to KDIGO guidelines. We collected patients' demographic characteristics and perioperative parameters, and identified independent risk factors of AKI by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results We included 122 patients in analysis. AKI occurred in 52 (42.6%) patients (22.1% stage I, 8.2% stage II, and 12.3% stage III). AKI was notably associated with 12 factors: sex, body mass index (BMI), hepatic etiology, MELD score, ascites, prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio of prothrombin time (INR), preoperative total bilirubin (TBIL), operative time, total fluid intake, fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and estimated blood loss (EBL) (P<0.05). The factors independently associated with AKI were BMI (adjusted odds ratio: 0.605, 95% confidence interval: 0.425–0.859; P=0.005) and intraoperative FFP infusion (adjusted odds ratio: 0.998, 95% confidence interval: 0.995–1.000; P=0.047). Compared with the non-AKI group, the AKI group showed higher likelihood of renal replacement therapy (RRT), and longer ICU and hospital stays, higher in-hospital mortality, and higher hospitalization costs (P<0.05). Conclusions There is a high risk of AKI in patients undergoing LT. BMI and intraoperative FFP infusion are factors independently correlated with AKI. AKI can result in extended hospital stays and higher hospitalization expenses.


ICT innovations, while driving technological advances, also create new services and new value chain structures. The nascent mobile multimedia services exhibit distinct attributes from conventional telecom, broadcast and Internet services. While traditional two-dimensional approach for value chain analysis serves less inadequate for the complex value system structures of converged mobile multimedia service. This paper thus, proposes a three dimensional layered approach for analyzing value chain re-organization cross ICT industries under convergent market context. The case of mobile TV is studied as a representative application of converged mobile multimedia services, by applying this approach to diagnose its value system composition in functional, industry and application dimensions


[Abstract]: There is a consistent theme woven through the literature documenting the experiences of students accessing and participating in higher education: that of deficit in dealing with diversity and difference. Inherent is the assumption that there is one mainstream discourse and that languages and literacies other than those of the mainstream represent a deficit or a deficiency on the part of students unfamiliar with them. This paper will argue that such 'deficit' approaches are not helpful for the diversity of students attempting to access, participate and succeed in the unfamiliar culture of the university. It will present an alternative approach by re-theorising transition: by arguing that a successful transition intrinsically involves gaining familiarity with, engaging, negotiating and mastering the discourses and literacies of the unfamiliar culture. The paper will also explore the responses to this re-theorisation - both for university practices and for the diversity of students negotiating their transition to the university culture


Thirty six cultures of streptomycetes taken from a collection gathered from various sources were used in this study, and an attempt made to identify them using well known bacteriological techniques. A. description of each organism is given in Appendix I and details of the media used in Appendix II. The nutrition of the organisms was examined under conditions designed to eliminate unwanted utilisable substances. All glassware was acid washed; chemicals were the finest quality available. The ability of each organism to assimilate (1) each of 30 carbon substances using ammonium sulphate as nitrogen source, and (2) each of 25 nitrogen substances using sodium pyruvate as carbon source, was investigated. The requirements of 10 of the organisms for 8 growth factors was also studied. All the nutritional experiments were aerated by shaking. The production of acid from carbohydrates was explored using several techniques. From these experiments it was concluded that:- 1). Twenty-seven of the cultures were strains of Streptomyces albus species-group; the remaining organisms each belonged to a different species. 2). Simple sugars and some organic acids were well utilised. Alcohols, with the exceptions of glycerol and mannitol, were not well assimilated, nor were simple fatty acids except acetate. 3). Ammonium and nitrate were good inorganic nitrogen sources. Nitrite supported the growth of many strains providing that the optimum concentration was used, together with a carbon source which was available under those conditions. Amino acids, except cystine, methionine, valine and tryptophane supported excellent growth. Urea, uric acid and xanthine were also excellent nitrogen sources for these organisms. 4). None of the organisms examined required any of the growth factors investigated. 5). The carbon assimilation of the Streptomyces albus strains fell into 3 patterns, suggesting that this species-group contains at least 3 nutritional types. The nitrogen assimilation pattern could not be used to differentiate between organisms. 6). No satisfactory method of investigating acid production by streptomycetes was found, and the results obtained were equivocal. A survey of the relevant literature and a bibliography are included.


RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE
Cardiovascular events are less common in women than men in general populations; however, studies in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are less conclusive. We evaluated sex-related differences in cardiovascular events and death in adults with CKD.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective cohort study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS
1778 women and 2161 men enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC).

EXPOSURE
Sex (women vs. men).

OUTCOMES
Atherosclerotic composite outcome (myocardial infarction, stroke or peripheral artery disease), incident heart failure, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death.

ANALYTIC APPROACH
Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS
During a median follow-up of 9.6 years, we observed 698 atherosclerotic events (women, 264; men, 434), 762 heart failure events (women, 331; men, 431), 435 cardiovascular deaths (women, 163; men, 274), and 1158 deaths from any cause (women, 449; men, 709). In analyses adjusted for sociodemographic, clinical, and metabolic parameters, women had lower risk of atherosclerotic events (HR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57-0.88), heart failure (HR 0.76; 95% CI: 0.62-0.93), cardiovascular death (HR 0.55, 95% CI: 0.42-0.72), and death from any cause (HR, 0.58; 95% CI: 0.49-0.69) compared with men. These associations remained statistically significant after adjusting for cardiac and inflammation biomarkers.

LIMITATIONS
Assessment of sex hormones, which may play a role in cardiovascular risk, was not included.

CONCLUSIONS
In a large, diverse cohort of adults with CKD, compared with men, women had lower risks of cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality and mortality from any cause. These differences were not explained by measured cardiovascular risk factors.


Following on from recent literature on the same subject, this paper analyses the impact of public debt on economic growth in Mexico between 1994 and 2016, against a global macroeconomic backdrop of sharp rises in public sector debt indicators, owing to expansionary fiscal strategies adopted after the 2007–2008 crisis. The main objectives of this study are to determine whether the relationship between these two variables has followed a non-linear path in the form of an inverted "U", and to find the threshold beyond which increases in debt generate marginal decreases in growth. Using a dynamic model, a non-linear inverted U-shaped relationship is demonstrated, and the threshold in the debt-to-GDP ratio is found to be 27%.


First in a series of What if... pamphlets aiming to challenge conventional thinking on penal issues. It focuses on policing and has been written by Professor Robert Reiner, London School of Economics, who challenges the current view of the role of the police and argues for a rediscovery of the social role of policing, beyond crime control, and a frank recognition that they are primarily there as a first line response to people in distress. The pamphlet series is the first arising out of a partnership between the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Mannheim Centre at the London School of Economics.


On 26 May Hungary and Slovakia both amended their citizenship laws. Hungary removed a residence requirement for naturalisation, opening thereby the door to naturalisation of ethnic Hungarian minorities in neighbouring states, while Slovakia decided that any Slovak citizen voluntarily acquiring the citizenship of a foreign country would be deprived of her or his Slovak citizenship. Rainer Bauböck argues in his kickoff contribution that even if both laws do not violate EU law or the Council of Europe's Convention on Nationality, they ought to be seen as highly problematic and indefensible from a democratic conception of citizenship. There is a remarkable consensus among the contributors that the Slovak policy is indeed not acceptable. The controversy focuses therefore on assessing the legitimacy of the Hungarian offer of dual citizenship for its kin minorities. Peter Spiro, Andrei Stavila and Florian Bieber express various degrees of discomfort with the motivations behind the Hungarian policy, but emphasise its democratic legitimacy or potentially beneficial effects for the members of the minority, whereas Mária Kovács, Gábor Egry and André Liebich highlight the nationalist goals behind the Hungarian policy or its devaluation of a democratic conception of membership. For Joachim Blatter, a republican conception of citizenship should promote political participation across borders, while Kovács sees dual citizenship as a first step towards enfranchising an external electorate in order to entrench a nationalist majority in Hungary. Erin Jenne and Stephen Deets regard Victor Orbán's move primarily as a "dog and pony show" for domestic voters and Enikő Horváth argues that, although a policy of extending dual citizenship to transborder minorities may cause international tensions, the present law is less tainted by suspect ethnic discrimination than the 2001 Hungarian Status Law. Rainer Bauböck's concluding rejoinder argues that migrants and transborder minorities differ in their democratic claims to citizenship in an external "home country".


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether onset of mineralization of the femoral and proximal tibial epiphyses and age at closure of the femoral and acetabular triradiate growth plates was different for Labrador Retrievers that were radiographically normal or that had canine hip dysplasia (CHD).

DESIGN
Cohort study.

ANIMALS
36 Labrador Retriever puppies.

PROCEDURE
Puppies were radiographed every other day from the time they were 8 to 10 days old until ossification of the femoral heads was apparent. Radiographs were then obtained weekly until puppies were 1 month old and then monthly until puppies were 8 to 12 months old. Age at which mineralization was first observed in the proximal and distal femoral and proximal tibial epiphyses and at which the femoral capital, triradiate acetabular, and distal femoral growth plates were no longer radiographically visible were recorded. Fifteen dogs were euthanatized and necropsied to determine whether dogs had CHD.

RESULTS
There were 26 radiographically normal left and right hip joints and 10 dysplastic left and right hip joints. Onset of mineralization of the proximal femoral epiphyses and of the right proximal tibial epiphysis was significantly later in dysplastic than in radiographically normal puppies. The left femoral capital growth plates closed significantly later in dysplastic than in radiographically normal joints, but other differences in growth plate closure were not detected.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Endochondral ossification may be abnormal in dogs with CHD. The disease appears to affect multiple joints, even though it is most evident clinically in the hip joint.


It is not possible to segregate Copyright and neighboring rights so to provide a separate legal regime for protection of neighboring rights. International developments in this area of intellectual property has created so much so trade interest that WIPO, and WTO stand together on the issues of protection and compel the member-countries to bring their domestic laws in conformity with international commitment that facilitates trade. This shows that neighboring rights have acquired a status, from which no relegation is possible now, what is left is to move further and devise stringent legal regime to strengthen these intermediary rights. Both treaties particularly deal with the use of copyright protected works, performances and sound recordings in digital networks, such as the Internet. Authors, performers and phonogram (i.e. record) producers are granted a broadly worded exclusive right of communication to the public, covering interactive services and delivery on demand. Still a lot needs to be done to cope up with the developing aspects of neighboring rights. The world looks ahead to WIPO webcasting treaty in order to see a bright dawn of the neighboring rights protection regime.


This research was undertaken to evaluate staining with the fluorescent compound CFDA/SE (5-(and-6-)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester) coupled with multiple cell detection methodologies as a means to monitor bacterial transport during field-scale experiments. Stained cells of Comamonas sp. strain DA001 were injected into a shallow, aerobic aquifer in Oyster, VA, USA. Groundwater samples analyzed in the laboratory using epifluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, ferrographic separation, and microplate spectrofluorometry yielded comparable concentrations of CFDA/SE-stained DA001 cells, although each method had a different effective lower limit of detection. Determination of cell concentrations in the field using microplate spectrofluorometry allowed the track of the bacterial plume to be monitored in near-real time, but produced results that were not as accurate as laboratory analyses. The CFDA/SE stain was well retained in the cells over a 5-month period. Normal handling of samples under fluorescent and incandescent lighting did not significantly affect sample integrity, but exposure to sunlight resulted in rapid loss of total and per cell fluorescence. The combination of CFDA/SE staining and multiple detection methods was demonstrated as an effective means to study bacterial transport in groundwater.


Over a 2-month period, 200 type 1 diabetic patients attending a paediatric diabetic clinic in Cairo, Egypt were screened for anaemia and other complications of diabetes. The mean age was 11.2 years and the mean duration of diabetes was 4.0 years. Anaemia was diagnosed in 75 patients (37.5%) overall: 45 had microcytic hypochromic anaemia, 18 normocytic normochromic and 12 macrocytic hyperchromic. Of the 75, 41 patients (54.7%) had iron deficiency, 14 (18.7%) had folate deficiency and 14 (18.7%) had thalassaemia minor. Three patients (4%) had coeliac disease, and 18 patients (24%) had parasitic infections. None of the patients had hypothyroidism, renal failure or vitamin B12 deficiency.


A Theoretical Study of Relativistic Jets and Accretion Processes by Omar Jamil The following work explores different aspects of the disc:jet connection in X-ray binaries. There is a detailed description of a new jet model (iShocks) that is used, firstly, to address the re-energization problem in the conical jet geometries. The adiabatic energy losses suffered by conical jets are successfully countered to reproduce the canonical flat/inverted synchrotron spectrum associated with compact radio jets. The iShocks model uses discrete packets of plasma, or shells, to simulate a jet. The shell collisions give rise to the shocks that are used to re-energize the emitting electrons. Multiple internal shocks, all along the jet, are shown to be necessary to achieve sufficient re-acceleration. The flat/inverted spectrum (ranging from the infra-red to the radio) is successfully reproduced and the high frequency break for such a spectrum is shown to be correlated with the jet power: vb ? L0.6 W. While the flat-spectrum synchrotron flux is also correlated with the jet power via: Fv ? L1.4 W. Both these correlations are in agreement with the previous analytical predictions. Themodel is also used to explore themassive ejections scenario in the source GRS 1915+105. Various iShocks set-ups are used to model the data that display the flaring behaviour observed in different frequencies (IR-mm-radio). The X-ray binary timing properties are also investigated with the aide of the iShocks model. In particular, the optical/X-ray correlations are the focus of the present study. These correlations have been observed to show some interesting behaviours, such as: the optical lagging the X-rays, and the optical emission showing awareness of the X-ray emission in the form of pre-cognition dips. A number of these correlations are successfully reproduced by translating the simulated X-ray light curves into the jet parameters used as the input for the iShocks model. In addition to relativistic jets, a study of the electron-positron pair processes is also included in the present work. The electron-positron pair annihilation is implemented in an existing Comptonization code (simulating the corona) to explore the possibility of masking an annihilation line from the X-ray binary sources. The results show that radiative processes such as inverse Compton scattering and bremsstrahlung radiation, in addition to thermal line broadening, can be very effective in making the e?/e+ annihilation line indistinguishable from the rest of the high energy spectrum.


We have investigated whether reverse signaling via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked ephrin controls the behavior of migratory neurons in vivo. During the formation of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the moth Manduca, ∼300 neurons [enteric plexus (EP) cells] migrate onto the midgut via bilaterally paired muscle bands but avoid adjacent midline regions. As they migrate, the EP cells express a single ephrin ligand (MsEphrin; a GPI-linked ligand), whereas the midline cells express the corresponding Eph receptor (MsEph). Blocking endogenous MsEphrin–MsEph receptor interactions in cultured embryos resulted in aberrant midline crossing by the neurons and their processes. In contrast, activating endogenous MsEphrin on the EP cells with dimeric MsEph-Fc constructs inhibited their migration and outgrowth, supporting a role for MsEphrin-dependent reverse signaling in this system. In short-term cultures, blocking endogenous MsEph receptors allowed filopodia from the growth cones of the neurons to invade the midline, whereas activating neuronal MsEphrin led to filopodial retraction. MsEphrin-dependent signaling may therefore guide the migratory enteric neurons by restricting the orientation of their leading processes. Knocking down MsEphrin expression in the EP cells with morpholino antisense oligonucleotides also induced aberrant midline crossing, consistent with the effects of blocking endogenous MsEphrin–MsEph interactions. Unexpectedly, this treatment enhanced the overall extent of migration, indicating that MsEphrin-dependent signaling may also modulate the general motility of the EP cells. These results demonstrate that MsEphrin–MsEph receptor interactions normally prevent midline crossing by migratory neurons within the developing ENS, an effect that is most likely mediated by reverse signaling through this GPI-linked ephrin ligand.


FRA-1 forms activator protein-1 complexes in association with members of the JUN family and drives gene transcription. FRA-1 has been implicated in the development of airway squamous metaplasia and is frequently overexpressed in squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus and stomach. We and others have shown a high level of persistent induction of FRA-1 by lung carcinogens, such as cigarette smoke and asbestos, in pulmonary epithelial cells. However, the exact roles of FRA-1 in regulating lung epithelial cell growth and invasion are poorly understood. To examine this aspect, we have stably overexpressed FRA-1 in human type-II-like alveolar malignant cell line (A549) and a nonmalignant bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B). FRA-1 greatly enhanced the rate of proliferation, motility, and invasion of A549 and BEAS-2B cells. In athymic nude mice, FRA-1, but not the control vector, rapidly enhanced tumor formation and metastasis by A549 cells. In contrast, FRA-1 failed to promote tumor formation by BEAS-2B. We suggest that FRA-1 can promote motility, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth of lung epithelial cells in vitro, but is insufficient for tumor formation.


Organisms are locally adapted when members of a population have a fitness advantage in one location relative to conspecifics in other geographies. For example, across latitudinal gradients, some organisms may trade off between traits that maximize fitness components in one, but not both, of somatic maintenance or reproductive output. Latitudinal gradients in life history strategies are traditionally attributed to environmental selection on an animal's genotype, without any consideration of the possible impact of associated microorganisms ("microbiota") on life history traits. Here, we show in Drosophila melanogaster, a key model for studying local adaptation and life history strategy, that excluding the microbiota from definitions of local adaptation is a major shortfall. First, we reveal that an isogenic fly line reared with different bacteria varies the investment in early reproduction versus somatic maintenance. Next, we show that in wild fruit flies, the abundance of these same bacteria was correlated with the latitude and life history strategy of the flies, suggesting geographic specificity of the microbiota composition. Variation in microbiota composition of locally adapted D. melanogaster could be attributed to both the wild environment and host genetic selection. Finally, by eliminating or manipulating the microbiota of fly lines collected across a latitudinal gradient, we reveal that host genotype contributes to latitude‐specific life history traits independent of the microbiota and that variation in the microbiota can suppress or reverse the differences between locally adapted fly lines. Together, these findings establish the microbiota composition of a model animal as an essential consideration in local adaptation.


Dissociative chemisorption probabilities for H 2 (v, j) + Ni(100) collision systems have been estimated by using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). For training, previously determined probability values via molecular dynamics simulations have been used. Performance of the ANN, for predicting any quantities in the molecule-surface interaction, has been investigated. Effects of the surface sites and the rovibrational states of the molecule on the process are analyzed. The results are in good agreement with the related previous studies.


Background: The photograph is one method that has been used for the evaluation of skin color. The numeric values extracted from the photographs could be of value for statistical assessment.
Objective: To assess the correlation between skin color evaluation using a narrowband reflectance spectrophotometer (Mexameter MX18) and digital photographic RGB scores.
Methods: The participants were evaluated for skin color by a narrowband reflectance spectrophotometer (Mexameter MX18) and had taken the photographs for RGB scores assessment from the photography computer program (Adobe® Photoshop CS2 version 9). Skin color was measured on four different anatomical skin sites of each participant. These sites were on the medial aspect of the volar and the dorsal regions of both forearms.
Statistical analysis used: Pearson correlation
Results: A total of 208 records from 52 participants were established. The average of R, G, B and sum of the RGB scores from photographs were 162.4±11.9, 147.5±17.6, 135.4±24.8 and 445.3±51.9 respectively. The correlation coefficient of the digital photographic RGB scores and each index; M, E and M plus E indices were at -0.85, -0.81 and -0.85 respectively with a statistical significance of P < 0.001.
Conclusions: Skin color evaluation using a narrowband reflectance spectrophotometer has shown an inverse correlation with a digital photographic RGB scores.

Key Words: Digital photographic RGB scores, mexameter MX18, narrowband reflectance spectrophotometer
Key Messages: What was known? Photographs can have a role in skin color evaluation. Nevertheless, the photograph is a subjective assessment.


Charcoal is an important product of pyrolysis of biomass sources. Charcoal can be used for domestic, agricultural, metallurgical, and chemical purposes. In this study different characteristics of charcoal one of the rape seed plant straw-stalk pyrolysis product was researched and presented as candidates.


Rationale Biomarkers in easily accessible compartments like peripheral blood that can predict disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) would be clinically useful regarding clinical trial participation or treatment decisions for patients. In this study, we used unbiased proteomics to identify relevant disease progression biomarkers in IPF. Methods Plasma from IPF patients was measured using an 1129 analyte slow off-rate modified aptamer (SOMAmer) array, and patient outcomes were followed over the next 80 weeks. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated sensitivity and specificity for levels of each biomarker and estimated area under the curve (AUC) when prognostic biomarker thresholds were used to predict disease progression. Both logistic and Cox regression models advised biomarker selection for a composite disease progression index; index biomarkers were weighted via expected progression-free days lost during follow-up with a biomarker on the unfavorable side of the threshold. Results A six-analyte index, scaled 0 to 11, composed of markers of immune function, proteolysis and angiogenesis [high levels of ficolin-2 (FCN2), cathepsin-S (Cath-S), legumain (LGMN) and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFsR2), but low levels of inducible T cell costimulator (ICOS) or trypsin 3 (TRY3)] predicted better progression-free survival in IPF with a ROC AUC of 0.91. An index score ≥ 3 (group ≥ 2) was strongly associated with IPF progression after adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, immunomodulation, forced vital capacity % predicted and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide % predicted (HR 16.8, 95% CI 2.2–126.7, P = 0.006). Conclusion This index, derived from the largest proteomic analysis of IPF plasma samples to date, could be useful for clinical decision making in IPF, and the identified analytes suggest biological processes that may promote disease progression.


textabstract"Being man is not tied to a certain shape and might thus also happen by
various shapes which are not congruent with those we know."
Helmuth Plessner (1975, p. 293)
The practice of medicine is a practice of judgement. When a patient presents
himself to a doctor, the patient will first be subjected to anamnesis
and physical examination. The outcome of this inspection constitutes the
first judgment of the doctor: is the patient healthy or ill? Subsequently,
a second judgement is made: does the patient have to be treated or not?
Therefore, two central divides will be applied to patients when they enter
the domain of medical healthcare: health versus disease and treatment versus
no treatment. However, some patients present themselves with other
intentions than being treated for a disease. Let us consider two medical
fields in which these patients are encountered.
The first field is sports medicine. Professional athletes strive to be the
best in their discipline. Therefore, all of their efforts are focused on enhancing
the capabilities which are involved in their performances. Commonly,
when an athlete achieves these enhancements through physical training,
adhering to a strict diet and taking adequate amounts of rest, such
improvements are considered as being natural. However, some athletes
use performance enhancing drugs or technologies – labelled as doping –
which present an advantage over their competitors. The Spanish sports
doctor Eufemiano Fuentes is a well-known example of a doctor aiding in
these kinds of practices. In the past decade Fuentes was involved in the
administration of blood transfusions to road racing cyclists with the aim
to increase oxygen levels in the blood circulation of athletes (Verschuren,
2016). These kinds of enhancements are, however, considered unnatural,
and each athlete being involved in these practices is judged a cheater with
reference to the presupposed 'normal' conditions of his sport.
The second field is plastic surgery. In general, plastic surgery consists
of two subfields: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. According
to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: "reconstructive surgery is performed
to treat structures of the body affected aesthetically or functionally
by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection,
tumors or disease. It is generally done to improve function and ability,
but may also be performed to achieve a more typical appearance of the
affected structure" (ASPS, n.d.-b). The procedures in reconstructive surgeries
include, for example, skin grafting, skin cancer removal and cleft
lip repair. Cosmetic surgery, however, includes "surgical and nonsurgical
procedures that enhance and reshape structures of the body to improve
appearance and confidence", in which "healthy individuals with a positive
outlook and realistic expectations are appropriate candidates" (ASPS, n.d.-
a). This includes procedures as breast enhancements, facelifts and lower
eyelid surgeries. It is evident from the objectives and procedures of these
subfields that in the field of reconstructive surgery the intent is to restore
health in patients, while treatments in the domain of cosmetic surgery are
focused on the improvement of aesthetical bod


Paramount among issues relating to the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (also known as prion diseases) is the absence of any effective therapy. This need has been heightened by the substantial European and emerging global problem of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and consequent variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease. Stimulated by the recent reports of a potent antiprion effect in cell culture–based clearance assays, we studied the utility of quinacrine in a well‐characterized in vivo model of mouse‐adapted transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Our results failed to show any evidence that quinacrine is effective when using the simple but objective measure of survival prolongation.


The government of Indonesia has been rolling out the Food Security and Energy Credit (KKP-E) with interest rate subsidy since 2008 for the people who have no access to banking but have a feasible business. This study aims (1) to analyze the level and influence variables of respondents' financial literacy and (2) to analyze the variables that influence the farmers' accessibility to KKP-E. The methods used are multiple regressions and logistic analysis. The results show that the levels of financial literacy are in the medium categories, which variables affected consist of age, education duration, distance to the capital regency location, annual income, bank account ownership, and financial education experiences. The variables influence of KKP-E accessibility consists of farms' income, the width of the cultivated area, collateral, interest rate, financial literacy index, farmer group legal status, credit accessibility experiences, and loan amount. Financial literacy significantly influences the KKP-E accessibility.


Surface modification of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane was accomplished by the adsorption of ferric hydroxide sol to impove its hydrophilicity. The adsorption curves of the membranes were analyzed by weight measurements, and the typical results showed a two-platform character in low concentration. The effects of the adsorption time, the ferric hydroxide sol concentration, the test temperature, as well as the water cleaning time on the adsorption amount were observed. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR/ FTIR) analysis showed that the adsorption of ferric hydroxide sol on poly(vinylidene fluoride) microporous membranes (PVDFMM) is effective. The membranes hydrophilic performance was represented by water contact angle measurements. The water contact angles changes from the virgin 128°to the lowest value 81.90° in the range of 0~0.10 mol/L ferric hydroxide aqueous solution. The results indicated that ferric hydroxide sol can be immobilized on the PVDF films by adsorption, and the membrane hydrophilic performence increases with the increase of the adsorption amount of the ferric hydroxide sol onto the PVDF membrane surface.


This novel book introduces cellular automata from a rigorous nonlinear dynamics perspective. It supplies the missing link between nonlinear differential and difference equations to discrete symbolic analysis. A surprisingly useful interpretations of cellular automata in terms of neural networks is also given. The book provides a scientifically sound and original analysis, and classifications of the empirical results presented in Wolfram's monumental "New Kind of Science."


: The use of antibiotics takes places by following a series of norms, which are called the antibiotics policy. The importance of their correct use is based on the influence which the antimicrobial agents may have on the development of resistance by the endogenous agents in a specific hospital or department, and on the other hand, by their capacity to predispose patients for colonization with resistant flora. This is specially important in critical patients who are hospitalized in the Intensive Medicine Department, where the use of antibiotics affects more than 50% of those admitted, and where the appearance of multiresistant pathogens is frequent. The choice of the antibiotics which are used for the empirical and/or focused treatment of the majority of infections, is the basis of the antibiotics policy. It is based on the knowledge of the there essential pillars of the problem: the pathogenic agents which are predominant in each area, the patients' characteristics which favor the appearance of specific micro-organisms, and the antibiotics which can be used for their treatment. In the hospital, the establishment diffusion, and enforcement of these rules, is conducted by a multi-disciplinary committee, in which an intensive care physician specialized in infectious pathology participates, in close collaboration with other specialists (microbiology, pharmacy, infectious diseases), all of whom are committed to the control and correct use of antibiotics.


Objectives: To study group changes over time after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Prospective cohort. Setting and Participants: TBI Model System Database with 1160 subjects using cohort with complete data. Main Outcome Measures: Functional Independence Measure (FIM TM ) and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) at rehabilitation discharge and annually after injury. Results: Statistically significant differences existed between FIM TM -Total, FIM TM -Motor, FIM TM -Cognitive subscales, and DRS at rehabilitation discharge and year 1. Comparisons of year-to-year intervals, years 1 and 3, 1 and 5, and 3 and 5, revealed no statistically significant differences except between years 1 and 3 and 1 and 5 with DRS, and years 1 and 5 with FIM TM . Including only those more dependent at year 1 revealed statistically significant differences between years 1 and 2 and 1 and 5 on FIM TM -Cognitive and DRS, but not the FIM TM -Motor. The proportion of change for FIM TM and DRS items from year 1 to years 2 and 5 revealed DRS Level of Functioning and Employability items accounted for most DRS change, whereas FIM TM change was more spread across its components. Conclusions: DRS is more sensitive to changes during a shorter time period than FIM TM and seems to be more appropriate for detecting long-term deficits. However, research studies aimed at detecting meaningful changes year to year after TBI may need to use other tools or consider changes among individuals instead of group changes. DRS Level of Function and Employability Items represent complex functions expected to recover later than the more basic DRS items. Sole use of these two DRS items might provide an efficient means of measuring long-term recovery when resources


A small number of upstream master genes in "higher hierarchy" controls the expression of a large number of downstream genes and integrates the signaling pathways underlying the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases with or without autoimmune inflammatory mechanisms. In this brief review, we organize our analysis of recent progress in characterization of forkhead (FOX) transcription factor family members in vascular pathology, diabetes and regulatory T cells into the following sections: (1) Overview of the FOX transcription factor superfamily; (2) Vascular pathology of mice that are deficient in FOX transcription factors; (3) Roles of FOX transcription factors in endothelial cell pathology; (4) Roles of FOX transcription factors in vascular smooth muscle cells; (5) Roles of FOX transcription factors in the pathogenesis of diabetes; and (6) Immune system phenotypes of mice that are deficient in FOX transcription factors. Advances in these areas suggest that the FOX transcription factor family plays important roles in vascular development and in the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammatory cardiovascular diseases.


Composites have created a niche in today's world market. Polypropylene is the second largely used plastic in the world. Polypropylene in its pure form cannot be used in many applications. Reinforcements are made into the pure polypropylene in order to enhance its mechanical properties. In the present paper, a review has been made on the recent advances for the various reinforcements being made into the polypropylene. The effect of fiber length and different fibers such as carbon, natural fibers and the effect of fillers such as carbon nanotubes have been discussed in the present paper. Cite this ArticleSrikaanth GV, Sanketh Yeli. Effect ofdifferent fibers on mechanical propertiesof Polypropylene. Journal of Polymer C 5(2): 50–56p.


Photocoagulation of peritoneal implants of endometriosis was performed in five women during laparoscopy to evaluate infertility. A 600-microns flexible quartz fiber was passed into the abdomen through a suprapubic incision using an instrument with a steerable operating tip. Thirty-one implants of the uterosacral ligaments, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and sigmoid were photocoagulated without complication or perforation. Because of the selective absorption of the argon laser by the hemoglobin of the endometriosis implants and the ease of photocoagulating implants at laparoscopy, this technique may eventually be an important therapeutic modality for the treatment of endometriosis.


The operators of a maritime surveillance system are hardpressed to make complete use of the near real-time informationflow available today. To assist them in this matterthere has been an increasing amount of interest in automated systems for the detection of anomalous trajectories.Specifically, it has been proposed that the framework of conformal anomaly detection can be used, as it provides the key property of a well-tuned alarm rate. However, inorder to get an acceptable precision there is a need to carefully tailor the nonconformity measure used to determine if a trajectory is anomalous. This also applies to the features that are used by the measure. To contribute to a better understandingof what features are feasible and how the choice of feature space relates to the types of anomalies that can be found we have evaluated a number of features on real maritime trajectory data with simulated anomalies. It isfound that none of the tested feature spaces was best for detecting all anomaly types in the test set. While one feature space might be best for detecting one kind of anomaly,another feature space might be better for other anomalies.There are indications that the best possible non conformity measure should capture both absolute anomalies, such asan anomalous position, as well as relative anomalies, such as strange turns or stops.


Polypropylenes (PPs) of various molecular weights were mixed with a thermotropic liquid crystal polymer (LCP) to prepare unidirectional sheets (prepregs), quasi-isotropic and unidirectional laminates. The mechanical properties and the morphology of the prepregs and the laminates at 0° and 90° with respect to the machine direction were investigated as a function of draw ratio, LCP concentration and molecular weight of the PP. The results for prepregs and laminates showed that both drawing and LCP concentration generally enhanced modulus and tensile strength in machine direction. The morphology of LCP changed from spherical or ellipsoidal droplets to elongated fibrils as the draw ratio increased. The diameter of LCP fibrils decreased with increasing molecular weight of the PP matrix, indicating more effective droplet breakup and better mixing in the case of high molecular weight PP.


Building on three theoretical paradigms (student model, ICAI model, and multi-dimension education immune agent), some intelligent techniques are proposed and designed to teach Fuzzy Mathematics and Science of Artificial Immune System in a web-based way. The goal of the teaching methodology is a new learning, which is interactive, sharing, open, cooperative, and autonomous. The great difference between traditional approaches for teaching such knowledge and the new approach in this paper is the centre of teaching. The traditional teaching is centered with teachers but the new teaching is centered with students. The teaching system for Fuzzy Mathematics and Science of Artificial Immune System is a virtual classroom based on the web, and the two courses are designed as web-based courses. Moreover, for Science of Artificial Immune System, the web-based course system is a typical artificial immune system in fact, and students can learn more real knowledge from the web-based course immune system.


The purpose of this research was to find the best formulation of corn tempe flour and wheat flour to produce chemically, physicochemically and organoleptically acceptable sweet noodle. The formulation consisted of 4 levels ratio of 100% corn tempe flour and wheat flour L1 (10:90), L2 (20:80), L3 (30:70), L4 (40:60) w/w with 6 replications. The experiment was arranged in Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD). Data were analyzed by using analysis of variance, further were tested by using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test in 5% level of significance. The result showed that the best formula was L3 treatment (30% corn tempe flour  and 70% wheat flour). The characteristic  of this noodle were 23.31% moisture content, 1.55% ash, 8.50% fat,   9.11% protein, 57,2% carbohydrate, 9.85% cooking loss, and 13.50 %water absorption. The wet noodle score sensory of texture was 2,88 (rather chewy), taste's and aroma score was 3.05 (typical corn), and the overall of acceptance was  2.93 (like). Keywords: chemical-physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics, corn tempe flour,  wet noodle,wheat.


We present the architecture of digit-serial normal basis multiplier over GF(2m). The multiplier was derived from the multiplier of Agnew et al. Proposed multiplier is scalable by the digit width of general value in difference of the multiplier of Agnew et al. that may be scaled only by digit width that divides the degree m. This helps designers to trade area for speed e.g. in public-key cryptographic systems based on elliptic-curves, where m should be a prime number. Functionality of multiplier has been tested by simulation and implemented in Xilinx Virtex 4 FPGA.


Abstract Fluid-assisted mass transport reactions by dissolution-precipitation, where a precursor mineral reacts with a fluid, play an important role in metamorphism and metasomatism. We investigated titanite growth on rutile in time series experiments between one and 107 days at constant P-T conditions of 600 °C and 400 MPa in the system TiO2-CaO-SiO2-Na2O-HCl-H2O. A two-capsule assemblage allows for transport of Ca and Si from dissolving wollastonite to dissolving rutile, the Ti-source, in a NaCl-bearing aqueous fluid, according to the general reaction CaSiO3 + TiO2 = CaTiSiO5. Complete overgrowth of rutile by titanite occurred after just one day of experiment. Fine-grained lozenge-shaped titanite crystals of short-time runs (up to 14 days) reorganize to larger predominantly prismatic crystals after >14 days. After investigation by scanning electron microscopy, the titanite overgrowth was removed from the rutile by hydrofluoric acid, to provide a three-dimensional view of the dissolution-reaction front on the rutile surface. The morphology of the rutile surface is dominated by humps or ridges beneath the central region of a titanite crystal and valleys at the grain boundaries between adjacent titanite crystals. The dissolution pattern on the rutile surface mimics the titanite overgrowth and changes with changing grain size and shape of the titanite with longer run times. The preferred dissolution of rutile in the valleys is clearly linked to the position of the titanite grain boundaries, which served as pathways for fluidassisted element transport. Rutile-titanite and titanite-titanite boundaries show a significant porosity in transmission electron microscopy images of foils prepared by focused ion beam milling. The large-scale dissolution pattern on the rutile surface is independent of the crystallographic orientation of the rutile and entirely dominated by the arrangement of titanite crystals in the overgrowth. Dissolution features on a scale smaller than ~1 μm are dominated by stepwise dissolution and etchpits following the crystallographic orientation of the rutile. Similar observations were made in experiments with an additional Al-source, although these experiments result in a different overgrowth pattern; i.e., an exposed rutile surface is always present and solitary titanite crystals are accompanied by partial overgrowths. Quantitative characterization of the surface morphology by whitelight interference microscopy demonstrates that, with increasing grain size of titanite, dissolution of rutile is strongly enhanced at the titanite grain boundaries. Natural examples of titanite overgrowths on rutile show the same relations between element pathways, arrangement of titanite crystals and 3D dissolution pattern on rutile as in the experimental systems. We conclude that the transport of Ti away from the rutile and of Ca + Si into the reaction rim occurred in a grain boundary fluid, the composition of which must have been strongly different from the composition of the bulk fluid in the experiment, as well as in the natural system. The reaction progress depends on the availability of a fluid, and relicts of rutile in titanite indicate restricted availability of fluid in the natural system (e.g., a fluid pulse that was consumed by the reactions). The reaction examined here can serve as a proxy for other reactions of the conversion of oxide minerals (e.g., spinel or corundum) into silicates.


We focus on a type of linguistic formal reasoning where the goal is to reason over explicit knowledge in the form of natural language facts and rules (Clark et al., 2020). A recent work, named PRover (Saha et al., 2020), performs such reasoning by answering a question and also generating a proof graph that explains the answer. However, compositional reasoning is not always unique and there may be multiple ways of reaching the correct answer. Thus, in our work, we address a new and challenging problem of generating multiple proof graphs for reasoning over natural language rule-bases. Each proof provides a different rationale for the answer, thereby improving the interpretability of such reasoning systems. In order to jointly learn from all proof graphs and exploit the correlations between multiple proofs for a question, we pose this task as a set generation problem over structured output spaces where each proof is represented as a directed graph. We propose two variants of a proof-set generation model, multiPRover. Our first model, Multilabel-multiPRover, generates a set of proofs via multi-label classification and implicit conditioning between the proofs; while the second model, Iterative-multiPRover, generates proofs iteratively by explicitly conditioning on the previously generated proofs. Experiments on multiple synthetic, zero-shot, and human-paraphrased datasets reveal that both multiPRover models significantly outperform PRover on datasets containing multiple gold proofs. Iterative-multiPRover obtains state-of-the-art proof F1 in zero-shot scenarios where all examples have single correct proofs. It also generalizes better to questions requiring higher depths of reasoning where multiple proofs are more frequent.


Objectives: The purpose of the study was relationship between spot urinary protein/creatinin ratio and HbA1c, metabolic parameters and other complications in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The retrospective study was carried out in type 2 diabetes patients followed up for at least 2 years; during March 2016. Biochemical parameters in the last 3 visits were recorded. BMI, waist circumference and physical examination findings were recorded at the time of last visit. Patients were divided into groups according to their spot urine protein/creatinine ratios. Results: This study was consisted of 198 patients, 113 females and 85 males. The mean age was 60.6±10.68. The total outpatient clinic follow-up time was 13.02±7.2 years in the entire patient group. In 198 patients evaluated, the average of HbA1c(first, second, last) and spot urine protein/creatinine ratios(first, second, last). There was an increase in both groups but no correlation was found between these increases. When urine protein/creatinine ratios of the last control were examined, the relationship between these rates and age, urea, creatinine, GFR, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, AST, ALT, CRP, HbA1c values were investigated. When the patients were compared according to their spot urine protein/creatinine ratios being <150 mg/g and >150 mg/g; metabolic syndrome was detected 2,351 times (OR) higher in second group. Conclusion: We found positive correlation between microalbuminuria and spot urinary protein/creatinine ratios. We also found a relationship between metabolic syndrome, frequency of retinopathy and spot urine protein/creatinine ratios.


In arid and semi-arid climates, tile must maintain the plant rootzone as a low-salt environment. Through evapotranspiration, the rootzone serves to concentrate salts in the soil water, and the tile system provides egress for the saline water below that rootzone. "Envelopes" are material placed around tile to improve water movement from the soil into the tile. "Filters" are envelopes having the additional function of excluding loose soil particles that might enter and clog the tile. The need for filters is demonstrated only in alluvial soils. Periodic flushing out of tile appears to be an alternative to using filters. Materials clogging tile lines have been in the D\D50\N size range of 0.06 mm to 0.12 mm. Satisfactory filter design criteria are based on the standard deviation of normally distributed particle sizes in a large sample, and the well established filter to aquifer ratio. For the size materials that have been found to clog tile lines, filters with D\D50\N = 1.0 mm and σ ≥ 1.0 mm are desirable. A technique to protect tile lines during "subbing-in" and to lessen envelope requirements is discussed.


Aims: Recently, relationships between CEBP/beta and hard tissue formation such as osteogenesis, chondrogenesis, and odontogenesis have been reported. Regarding osteogenesis, CEBP/beta regulates IGF1, Runx2, osteocalcin and Cdknlc. As for odontogenesis, CEBP/beta is associated with DSPP which influences differentiation of dentinoblasts. Here we report supernumerary teeth in mice with CEBP/beta deficiency, with an approach of morphological analysis.

Materials and Methods: The maxilla and mandible of 12-week-old CEBP/beta deficient mice were examined with micro-CT and HE stain methods.

Results: Under micro-CT, supernumerary teeth were identified in CEBP/beta deficient mice. The supernumerary teeth were located near the radicular area of upper incisors. Under microscopy, the supernumerary teeth located near upper incisors were also confirmed. The supernumerary teeth showed an evidence of dentine and pulp tissue. This implied to formation of normal dental tissues.

Conclusions: Formation of supernumerary teeth was related to CEBP/beta mutation. Because the cause of formation of supernumerary teeth remained unclear, future investigation in mechanisms of CEBP/beta on tooth formation is indicated. In addition, succeeding studies into supernumerary teeth of humans are required.


The efficacy of homologous neutralization of the lethal activity of Myanmar Russell's viper venom (MRV) and Thai Russell's viper venom (TRV) by Myanmar antivenom (MAV) and Thai antivenom (TAV), respectively, were studied and compared with the heterologous neutralization of the lethal activity of MRV and TRV by TAV and MAV, respectively, in experimental mice. Although MRV and TRV were the same subspecies, their lethal activities and protective efficacy of MAV and TAV were apparently different from each other. However, there was some extent of cross reactivities between MRV and TAV, and TRV and MAV. The findings of this study suggested that it is necessary to administer heterologous antivenom in dosage of 1.7-4 times greater than that of homologous antivenom to achieve an equal potency.


The teaching of pathology at the Royal Free Hospital has evolved over the past few decades in a stepwise manner, moving away from a didactic lecture- and classroom-based approach to one in which staff time is mainly spent in small-group teaching. We present an outline of our current teaching programme in the belief that it differs substantially from that in many other medical schools.


BACKGROUND: Depression is frequent in elderly population. Recognizing the predisposing factors that trigger depression in the elderly is the right step to prevent the worsening prognosis of depression in the elderly.

AIM: This study tried to identify essential comprehensively factors contributing to increasing happiness and quality of life (QoL) in the elderly depression.

METHODOLOGY: A systematically article abstracts search from EBSCO, ProQuest, Science Direct, Willey Online Library, Scopus, and SINTA. This method of writing was carried out and reported by the guidelines of diagram Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Risk of bias in included studies assessed by Cochrane systematic reviews of intervention.

RESULTS: Twenty-five studies were eligible for inclusion in the review from 993 screening process records identified through database searching, duplicates removed, and full-text articles excluded with reasons. Essential factors influencing the QoL in the elderly depression are lack of developmental tasks stimulation, religious belief, satisfaction regarding the QoL, suffering from more chronic disease, experiencing an adverse event, and lack of ability to take self-care. The most influential factor in increasing happiness in the elderly is a feeling of satisfaction with life achievement.

CONCLUSION: Clear understanding of the depression predisposing factors in the elderly is critical to better and effectively achieving happiness. The elderly perception about the QoL and how it contributes to their lives is essential information for providing practical nursing interventions in geriatric settings.


The tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure has become the most frequently performed surgical technique for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence with cure rates reported at greater than 85%. 1-3 Nevertheless, these excellent results are associated with specific complications such as bladder perforation 2-4 and vaginal, urethral and bladder erosion. 5-8 Any undetected perforation or gradual erosion of the bladder wall may lead to a delayed recognition of an intravesical mesh. Herein, we describe a novel technique concerning mesh removal which requires minor instrumentation and results in the effective resection of intravesical tape.


Post operative DVT  is believed to be rare in Indonesia, and so is trombophilia. It is necessary to know  the incidence of postoperative DVT in Indonesia and thrombophlia profile (protein C, S, AT III deficiency and hyperfibrinogenemia) in DVT and non DVT patient who underwent orthopedic surgery involving the hip and knee (high risk surgery). A cross sectional study was conducted in 20 patients who underwent surgery  involving the hip (total hip replacement  and fixation of proximal femoral fracture) and knee (total knee replacement and fixation of  distal femoral fracture). Protein C, protein S, antithrombin III, and fibrinogen were examined in day 5 post operative, as well as with compression/Doppler USG between day 10 to 21 post operative, and confirmed by venography  if USG findings was positive. Post operative DVT were found in 5 of  20  patients (25%). Deficiency of protein C (P= 0.46) protein S (P= 0.81), antithrombin III (P= 0.46), and hyperfibrinogenemia (P= 0.0547) did not correlate to post operative DVT. However, hyperfibrinogenemia was found to be a risk factor to post operative DVT (attributable risk= 1). Other confounding factor such as diabetes mellitus (P= 1.0), obesity (P= 0.28), hypertention (P= 1.0), hypertrigliseridemia, and hypercholesterolemia did not correlate to post operative DVT. The study suggested  the existence of postoperative DVT cases  in Indonesia. Hyperfibrinogenemia is a risk factor to promote post operative DVT. Deep vein thrombosis  did not correlate to protein S, protein C, and antithrombin III deficiency. (Med J Indones 2004; 13: 24-30) Keywords: Thrombophilia, hip, knee, venography


Contamination of fresh produce with Salmonella may occur during any point from fork to table. It may occur during produce production, harvest, processing, and transportation. Fresh produce has been recognized as a common source for Salmonella since the bacteria has the ability to attach and internalize in produce. Salmonella has been isolated from produce including mangoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, and lettuce. Bacteria from fresh produce include a number of opportunistic human pathogens which may be resistant to several antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria may have the poten- tial to make their way over to fresh produce through contaminated irrigation water and manure applied to agricultural fields. Salmonella resistant to antibiotics including vanco- mycin, erythromycin, ampicillin and penicillin has been isolated from vegetables. With the increasing foodborne illness associated with fresh produce, there is a lot of emphasis on good agricultural practices (GAPs) to validate that farms are producing fresh produce in the safest means possible. With proper education and training on GAPs, produce growers will be able limit the occurrence of Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens in fresh produce.


Advanced analysis of motor currents during transient operation has proven to be a valuable source of information to reach a reliable assessment of the rotor condition. This novel approach may help to overcome some of the drawbacks of the classical Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA). One of the advantages of the approach is the robustness obtained due to its twofold perspective: 1) Qualitative identification of fault-related time-frequency patterns + 2) Computation of quantification indicators to determine the severity of the fault. Nonetheless, since the research in this area is still incipient, few transient-based fault severity indicators have been hitherto proposed in the literature. Moreover, most of them have been validated for specific startup conditions (the majority for line-started motors). This paper presents a study about the variation of different wavelet-based fault severity indicators for different types of motor starting methods. An experimental test-bed enabling the development of different types of startups with different rotor fault levels enables to obtain real startup currents that are used for the study. Results show the robustness of the indicators even in situations where the classical MCSA does not lead to correct results.


Alliance management capabilities (AMCs) are typically perceived as higher-order resources that can affect an organization's ability to derive value from inter-organizational collaboration. Extant research has predominantly focused on business-to-business relationships. In this paper, we examine AMCs in a nontraditional (non-market) context: nongovernment-business collaboration (NBC). Furthermore, we assess AMCs from the perspective of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Using qualitative data obtained from interviews with 38 employees (who represented 26 UK- based NGOs), along with evidence from organizational documents, we identified three distinct groups of NGO-specific AMCs: pre- collaboration, post-collaboration, and hybrid capabilities. These capabilities embody the way in which NGOs attract, establish, and manage collaborative linkages with businesses. In particular, the hybrid capabilities, which are utilized before and during the collaboration, emphasize the importance of learning processes and stakeholder management throughout the collaboration process. More general, the findings show that NGOs leverage their AMCs through two strategic actions, namely exploring and exploiting, which contributes to the Resource-Based View theory by explaining the pathway between capabilities and realized value.


Aptamers specific for mouse and human tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells allow anticancer drug delivery to the tumor microenvironment in mouse models. Chemo hitches a ride Anticancer agents such as chemotherapy are widely used; however, their efficacy and safety are hampered by off-target effects in surrounding healthy cells and tissues. To improve anticancer drug delivery, De La Fuente et al. identified four RNA aptamers that specifically recognized mouse and human myeloid cells infiltrating head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Conjugating chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin to these aptamers allowed drug delivery to the local tumor microenvironment in mouse models of breast cancer and fibrosarcoma via tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells and increased survival over the unmodified drug. This preclinical study suggests that RNA aptamers are a candidate approach to target drugs to tumors in humans. Local delivery of anticancer agents has the potential to maximize treatment efficacy and minimize the acute and long-term systemic toxicities. Here, we used unsupervised systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment to identify four RNA aptamers that specifically recognized mouse and human myeloid cells infiltrating tumors but not their peripheral or circulating counterparts in multiple mouse models and from patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The use of these aptamers conjugated to doxorubicin enhanced the accumulation and bystander release of the chemotherapeutic drug in both primary and metastatic tumor sites in breast and fibrosarcoma mouse models. In the 4T1 mammary carcinoma model, these doxorubicin-conjugated aptamers outperformed Doxil, the first clinically approved highly optimized nanoparticle for targeted chemotherapy, promoting tumor regression after just three administrations with no detected changes in weight loss or blood chemistry. These RNA aptamers recognized tumor infiltrating myeloid cells in a variety of mouse tumors in vivo and from human HNSCC ex vivo. This work suggests the use of RNA aptamers for the detection of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in humans and for a targeted delivery of chemotherapy to the tumor microenvironment in multiple malignancies.


In the French liberalised electricity market, the Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and the Transmission Network Operator (TNO) are both financed by an access fee paid by any client connected to their network. Within this frame, any DNO's is a client of the TNO as a user of the transmission grid. It is regulated by the French Government, following the recommendation of the national energy regulation committee (CRE).The access fee to the transmission network is a major expenditure for ERDF, the national DNO. It is also a rather new matter of concern since the electrical system was previously vertically integrated. One aim of this master thesis is to feed the evolutions of ERDF's cost control strategy. In order to emphasize the academic interest, this report takes the point of view of a DNO looking for the best behaviour in response to the regulatory frame, based on ERDF's example.In addition to that, it provides an introduction to this specific piece of regulation and it should bring new elements toward a better understanding of the access fee behaviour. The regulation, decided for at least the four years following the master thesis, is taken as an assumption in this study.This present report is solely the result of the author's personal interpretation, including when referring to ERDF's strategy. The reflections, perspectives and propositions do not commit thencompany.


Intra-industry trade in agri-food products between Hungary and the EU is shown to be low and dominated by vertically rather than horizontally differentiated products, suggesting higher economic adjustment costs. Following recent empirical studies, we then test econometrically for the determinants of this trade using different measures of horizontal and vertical trade, and employing an array of popular explanatory variables. Results suggest that separating the measure of intra-industry trade into vertical and horizontal provides for better estimation and supports the contention that the determinants may differ by type of trade. In the regression analysis, the level of intra-industry trade is found to serve as a better dependent variable than the degree or share of intra-industry trade.


In this note, we investigate the problem of remote stabilization via communication networks involving some time-varying delays of known average dynamics. This problem arises when the control law is remotely implemented and leads to the problem of stabilizing an open-loop unstable system with time-varying delay. We use a time-varying horizon predictor to design a stabilizing control law that sets the poles of the closed-loop system. The computation of the horizon of the predictor is investigated and the proposed control law explicitly takes into account an estimation of the average delay dynamics. The resulting closed loop system robustness with respect to some uncertainties on the delay estimation is also considered. Simulation results are finally presented.


Non-dual meditation aims to undo maladaptive cognitive and affective patterns by recognizing their constructed and transient nature. We previously found high-amplitude spontaneous gamma (25–40 Hz) oscillatory activity during such practice. Nonetheless, it is unclear how this meditation state differs from other practices, in terms of perceptual information processing. Here, we hypothesized that non-dual meditation can downregulate the automatic formation of perceptual habits. To investigate this hypothesis, we recorded EEG from expert Buddhist meditation practitioners and matched novices to measure two components of the auditory evoked response: the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and the Late Frontal Negativity (LFN), a potential observed at a latency sensitive to attentional engagement to the auditory environment, during the practices of Open Presence (OP) and Focused Attention (FA), as well as during a control state, in the context of a passive oddball paradigm. We found an increase in gamma oscillatory power during both meditation states in expert practitioners and an interaction between states and groups in the amplitude of the MMN. A further investigation identified the specific interplay between the MMN and the LFN as a possible marker to differentiate the two meditation states as a function of expertise. In experts, the MMN increased during FA, compared to OP, while the opposite pattern was observed at the LFN latency. We propose that the state of OP in experts is characterized by increased sensory monitoring and reduced perceptual inferences compared to FA. This study represents a first attempt to describe the impact of non-dual meditation states on the regulation of automatic brain predictive processes.


International migratory movements tend to produce the reality of divided families that are located in at least two different places. The literature on divided or transnational families and family reunification movements has shown how the socio-demographic determinants in origin and the socio-economic and institutional factors in destination drive these processes. Assuming that migratory movements are the result to a large extent of specifically familial dynamics and strategies, in this paper we are interested in exploring whether other elements associated to the country of origin and to the relationship between country of origin and country of destination have a discernible influence on the family results of migration and, specifically, on the separation and subsequent reunification of the immigrant families. This complex set of elements builds on the playing field where migratory decisions are taken. The Spanish case, characterized by a sudden explosion of international immigration between 2000 and 2007 and significant numbers of Latin American migrants arriving during these years, is a particularly suitable scenario to investigate this phenomenon. The empirical analysis will be mainly based on the National Immigrant Survey of Spain (2007).


This article argues that religious groups sustain organizational vitality by preserving core teachings and promoting adaptive innovations. The core teachings guard the sacred beliefs and practices held as timeless, and the innovations adapt these teachings to new cultures and contexts-with the most successful innovations building on the core. Using organizational theory and previous research, I explain how core teachings sustain vitality and I uncover the organizational mechanisms stimulating and blocking innovations. Historical examples are used to illustrate how denominations struggle to preserve the continuity of distinctive core teachings and promote adaptive innovations. Finally, I discuss the implications this thesis holds for the study of American religion, both past and present.


This thesis presents a compositional methodology for the verification of reactive and real-time systems. The correctness of a given system is established from the correctness of the system''s components, each of which may be treated as a system itself and further reduced. When no further reduction is possible or desirable, global techniques for verification may be used to verify the bottom-level components. Transition modules are introduced as a suitable compositional model of computation. Various composition operations are defined on transition modules, including parallel composition, sequential composition, and iteration. A restricted assumption-guarantee style of specification is advocated, wherein the environment assumption is stated as a restriction on the environment''s next-state relation. Compositional proof rules are provided in accordance with the safety-progress hierarchy of temporal properties. The compositional framework is then extended naturally to real-time transition modules and discrete-time metric temporal logic.


1. Responses of spinothalamic tract (STT) neurons to mechanical and thermal stimulation of skin were recorded under urethane and pentobarbital anesthesia in 12 control rats and in 20 rats with experimental neuropathy. Activity of the STT cells in neuropathic rats was recorded 7, 14, and 28 days after inducing the neuropathy by placing four loose ligatures on the sciatic nerve. 2. All neuropathic animals showed guarding of the injured hindpaw and a shorter withdrawal latency from a radiant heat source of the neuropathic hindpaw than that of the sham-operated paw. 3. STT neurons in neuropathic animals showed the most profound changes 7 and 14 days after the nerve ligation. When compared with STT cells in unoperated animals, approximately half of the neurons had high background activity, responses to innocuous stimuli represented a larger percentage of the total evoked activity in wide dynamic range neurons, and the occurrence and magnitude of afterdischarges to mechanical and thermal stimuli were increased. 4. The mean threshold temperatures of heat-evoked responses of the STT cells in neuropathic animals were not different than those of cells from control animals. However, in neuropathic rats, cells reacting to small heat stimuli usually already had afterdischarges. 5. The increase in the background activity of STT cells is consistent with behavioral observations of spontaneous pain in this model of experimental neuropathy. Furthermore, the afterdischarges of STT cells may parallel the prolonged paw withdrawal in response to noxious stimuli that is seen in these animals and that is evidence for hyperalgesia. However, there was no indication of a lowered threshold for thermal stimuli as might be expected if the animals have thermal allodynia. Mechanical allodynia may have resulted from a relative increase in responsiveness to innocuous mechanical stimuli. However, responses to noxious mechanical stimuli were reduced compared with control, at least at 28 days after the ligation. Peripheral and central mechanisms responsible for the changes in responses of STT cells in neuropathic animals are suggested.


What are the mechanisms underlying the emergence of mind from the activity of groups of neurons? This is a dif cult question that has to be addressed at many levels of neural organization, all of which need to be integrated. The following discussion of the set of neural mechanisms, neural activity patterns, and animal behaviors sketches a few simple, but general and robust, neural mechanisms at all the different levels ranging from synapses to neurons, to networks and behavior, and is illustrated using experimental observations primarily from cortical and hippocampal activity patterns during behavior. The focus is on a few key mechanisms such as energy-ef cient sparse codes of mental representations, need for synchrony among sparse codes for information transmission, and the contribution of recurrent connections between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in generating synchronous activity, oscillations, and competition among networks to facilitate fast and exible behavior. At the level of the mind, animals can perceive different components of a rapidly changing natural scene such as luminance, contrast, local features (e.g., lines), and global features (e.g., shapes). Similarly, when an animal navigates in the world, neurons can exibly represent the position of the animal in a given environment, the composition of the environment, the head direction, the running speed, etc. These mental representations of the world are exible and dynamic, determined and modulated by a range of environmental, behavioral, and neural parameters. What are the mechanisms by which the brain generates these exible mental representations? How do these mental representations across different brain regions interact to generate perception and decision making?


Background  There has been considerable speculation on whether the COVID-19 pandemic had an effect on childbearing behaviour. Based on the experience of other social and economic disruptions, many researchers suggested that births would decline, while others argued that there could be a positive effect.
Aims  This paper considers the uncertainties associated with the impacts of COVID-19, particularly the relationship between the timing of COVID-19 events and subsequent births.
Data and methods  Publicly available birth data from birth registers, perinatal databases, and public hospital data were compiled and analysed to document changes in numbers and patterns of recorded births during 2020 and 2021.
Results  Births declined in 2020 but then rebounded in 2021. Quarterly birth data from New South Wales and Western Australia suggest that the sharpest drop in conceptions occurred in the January-March 2020 quarter. This coincided with the period when the pandemic was first taking off and when uncertainty about the future was at its highest.
Conclusions  The uncertainty associated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable impact on births in 2020. It also shows, where data is available, that this impact was relatively short-lived, and births rebounded in 2021. We note that data is still sparse for Victoria, a state which was substantially more affected by lockdowns.


In this paper we study the Tits geometry of a 3-dimensional graphmanifold of nonpositive curvature. In particular we give an optimal upper bound for the length of nonstandard components of the Tits metric. In the special case of a π/2-metric we determine the whole length spectrum of the nonstandard components.


The study was initiated to contribute to the meager knowledge of the anatomy of the African palm squirrel. Skin of the trunk and paw pads was the subject of interest. Basic gross and histological techniques were employed. The dorsal fur was grey with golden brown free endings, while the ventral fur was greyish white. The fur covered the entire trunk, extended through the dorsal surface of the distal carpal joint to the dorsal surface of the digits. Five digital pads, three inter-digital pads and two metacarpal pads were observed on the forefoot. There was no observable digital pad on the hind foot; four inter-digital and two metacarpal pads were observed. Surface grooves were evident in the cornified layer of the trunk skin, but not in the paw pad skin. The mean thickness of the cornified layer of the epidermis of the palmar pad was 75.54±3.45 μm, while the entire epidermis was 102.32±4.23 μm thick. The non-cornified layer of the trunk skin was made of only three distinct layers, as the stratum lucidum was not evident. Conversely, the stratum lucidum was evident in the paw pad skin. Dermal papillae observed in the paw pad skin were more numerous and progressed deeper into the non-cornified epidermis than those observed in the trunk skin. There were more melanocytes in the dorsal than in the ventral trunk skin. The study concluded that the trunk and paw pad skin of the African palm squirrel enable its adaptation to arboreal habitat.


Pollen viability and stigma receptivity are prerequisite for successful pollination and fruit and/or seed set in flowering plants. The present paper deals with dependence of tree canopy height on pollen viability and stigma receptivity of Shorea robusta in a cultivated mature Dipterocarp forest. Pollen and stigma samples were collected from different canopy height and brought to the laboratory for direct assay. Pollen viability were studied following different stain tests using malachite green, acid fuchsin and TTC respectively and also using in vitro pollen germination in a nutrient medium consisting of sucrose and different salts of boron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Stigma receptivity was studied by softening the tissues using sodium hydroxide and stained with water soluble aniline blue. The frequency of pollen viability increased steadily from low to high canopy height. The percentage of viable pollen was different for three different assays showing similar trend of increase. The middle and high canopy height did not show much variation in pollen viability compared to low canopies. The percentage of stigma receptivity increased steadily from low to high canopy height showing minor differences between them compared to pollen viability. So the tree canopy height may attain a vital role in determining pollen viability and stigma receptivity, the major factors for new offspring production in natural/cultivated forest settings. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v9i1.5732