[Introduction]. The draft Constitution is on the table. Attention is moving towards the traditional intergovernmental game that will be played out at the intergovernmental conference (IGC) during autumn 2003 – and quite possibly into early 2004 (despite the intentions of the Italian presidency). Much of the structure and the detailed substance of the draft treaty will stay but the IGC will be far from a rubber-stamp exercise. Moreover, despite the pessimists' (or perhaps realists') view that the IGC will only make the draft Constitution worse, the governments do have an opportunity to improve and clarify many areas. Certainly a number of issues will still be hotly contested not least on the core institutional questions. In many ways, the results of the Future of Europe Convention represent an important step forward. The operation of the Convention itself, through its relative openness, was a significant development. The existence of a single Constitutional Treaty is an important move in the right direction. The Convention also achieved considerable simplification in some areas, and some very important democratic steps were taken. But the Convention has also thrown up a number of problems. Despite its openness, the core institutional debate was conducted largely behind closed doors and in considerable haste. It is far from clear that the procedures followed for the Convention's institutional work were even as good as, let alone better than, an IGC. In this respect the procedures deviated strongly from that followed for all other areas of the Convention's work. In some ways, the draft Constitutional Treaty introduces more complexity than more simplicity – particularly in the dual presidencies of Commission and European Council. Crucially, there are some big gaps on the democratic front, notably on the accountability of the executive. The result of the Convention was a compromise and consequently it is not easy or necessarily advisable to try to identify winners and losers. Nevertheless, it is clear by looking at the three main institutions that the European Parliament has been strengthened in important ways. But the picture is much less clear for the Commission and Council, where turf-fighting and confusion looks likely to be one of the legacies of the changes proposed, with neither institution ending up substantially strengthened. Many of the divides in the Convention were between larger and smaller countries as much as the inevitable conflict between intergovernmental and integrationist points of view. All sides can claim some successes. But the compromises that were necessary to balance these points of view have produced an outcome that, on the one hand, could function fairly well and represent a step forward but that could, on the other hand, equally result in institutional malfunctioning. Which of these two outcomes occurs will depend not only on the political personalities involved but also on relations between the institutions (and whether member states get involved in any of the ongoing battles that may develop between personalities or institutions). Overall, the draft treaty is at least a substantial step forward from the inadequacies of the Nice Treaty. Its structure will act as the basic framework for the EU's politics and policies for many years to come – though revisions will certainly occur. But some of its central and messy compromises leave much uncertainty as to the future functioning of the enlarged EU.


The optical conductivity of impurity-doped parabolic quantum wells in an applied electric field is investigated with the memory-function approach, and the analytic expression for the optical conductivity is derived. With characteristic parameters pertaining to GaAs/Ga1−xAlxAs parabolic quantum wells, the numerical results are presented. It is shown that, the smaller the well width, the larger the peak intensity of the optical conductivity, and the more asymmetric the shape of the optical conductivity; the optical conductivity is more sensitive to the electric field, the electric field enhances the optical conductivity; when the dimension of the quantum well increases, the optical conductivity increases until it reaches a maximum value, and then decreases.


The study of business models is an important topic for strategic management research because business models affect firms' possibility for value creation and value capture (Amit and Zott, 2001).
The thesis provides additional evidence to the theory of business models, and the understanding of whether some business model types deliver higher firm performance than others, and whether a higher adherence to a certain business model type delivers above-industry firm performance (the "business model coherence premium").
There is little prior theorising on business models on which to draw in the study of business model coherence. For that reason, a new measurement scale is proposed that allow for better investigating of the business model coherence and the constructs for each company. To calculate the adherence to a certain business model type, the measurement scale sums up the dominant business model score, less the sum of the other business model scores plus 1.
Using a sample of 97 large Consumer Goods companies, a triangulation research method was deployed to determine the business model coherence. For each company, a business model profile was completed and compared to the findings from an external survey with 77 executives.
Based on the findings from the research, the thesis identifies four dominant business model types in the Consumer Goods industry: (i) Network Model, (ii) Solutions Model, (iii) Product Model and (iv) Operational Model, hereby adding to the Configuration theory and to Miles and Show's theory of strategy, structure and process (1978), and to existing empirical evidence around business model types (see: Zott and Amit (2008), Libert et al. (2014)).
By deploying a multiple correlation analysis, the thesis empirically demonstrates that the construct of business model coherence is positively associated with firm performance (adjusted R2 = 0.204), thereby adding a new dimension to the theory of business model, by introducing the notion of business model coherence premium.
This research found that the business model type was not the main factor of firm performance, and superior performance can be achieved with any business model type in the Consumer Goods industry.


This paper asserts there can be no situation where a worker is  more vulnerable or in a more precarious position than after suffering a  work-related injury or contracting a work-related disease causing  incapacity to work. It sets out the British system which imposes liability  on employers to pay damages to employees who have suffered injury or  disease because of their employer's fault. Acknowledging the faults of this  system, it looks at an International Labour Organisation publication  which refers to systems in other states and supplements this by further  research. It then returns to the ILO paper's criteria for a good system and  measures the British system against that criteria. Finally, it questions the  fate of those whose incapacity is not work related. This paper considers  age discrimination in financial services, focusing on the United Kingdom.  It does this by examining the 'Demographic transition Model', population  size and Age Dependency Ratio. Acknowledging the negative impact of  age discrimination on national economic trends, it looks at the inactivity  of older workers and how it has been tackled by the Equality Act 2010  and the Technical Guidance 2016. Therefore, this analysis defines older  people both as vulnerable workers and vulnerable customers. Finally, it  questions on the conflict in financial services between economic interests,  equality and their link to population aging.


Amputation is commonly performed in an attempt to both treat and diagnose conditions affecting the digits of cats. The records of multiple veterinary diagnostic laboratories were searched to identify submissions of amputated digits from cats. Eighty-five separate submissions were reviewed for diagnosis, age, sex, limb of origin, and digits affected; and the original submitting clinics were surveyed to determine clinical outcome. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to determine the disease-free interval and survival time. Neoplastic disease was identified in 63 of 85 submissions, with exclusively inflammatory lesions composing the other 22 cases. In 60 (95.2%) of the neoplastic cases, a malignant tumor was identified. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most commonly identified malignant tumor (n = 15; 23.8%) and was associated with a median survival time of 73 days. Other diagnoses included fibrosarcoma (n = 14; 22.2%); adenocarcinoma, likely metastases of a primary pulmonary neoplasm (n = 13; 20.6%); osteosarcoma (n = 5; 7.9%); mast cell tumor (n = 4; 6.3%); hemangiosarcoma (n = 5; 7.9%); malignant fibrous histiocytoma (n = 2; 3.2%); giant cell tumor of bone (n = 2; 3.2%); and hemangioma (n = 2; 3.2%). Giant cell tumor of bone has not been previously described in the digits of cats. Various neoplasms can occur in the digits of cats, and submission of the amputated digit for histopathologic diagnosis is essential to determine the histogenesis and predict the clinical outcome.


The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) is a significant structure in the ulnar side of the wrist. Serving as the primary stabilizer of the distal radius ulnar joint (DRUJ), it also acts as a load-bearing structure. It divides into two parts, a relatively avascular central cartilaginous portion, and a peripheral highly vascular ligamentous part. It arises from the radius and inserts on the distal ulna and ulnar carpus. It can often be a cause of ulnar sided wrist pain, with injury classified as traumatic or degenerative.


Synthetic aperture measurements of a reverberation chamber's unstirred wireless channel are used to compare the observed power, time-of-arrival, and angle-of-arrival of unstirred multipath components to that predicted by ray/image theory for a rectangular cavity. An examination of the ray paths corresponding to erroneously predicted unstirred multipath components revealed that these ray paths intersect the reverberation chamber's mode-stirring paddles, absorber blocks, and various other objects in the chamber. This inspired a simple image-blocking model for the reverberation chamber's unstirred wireless channel, whereby contributions from ray paths intersecting the chamber's mode-stirring paddles and absorbers are neglected. This model elucidates the unstirred wireless channel's geometry-based multipath structure, justifies established best practices for reverberation chamber measurements, and enables the development of more effective techniques for mitigating the reverberation chamber's unstirred field components.


Current line-pipe steels have significantly higher Charpy upper-shelf energy than older steels. Many newer line-pipe steels have Charpy upper-shelf energy in the 300 to 500J range, while older line-pipe steels (pre-1970) had values between 30 and 60J. With this increased Charpy energy comes two different and important aspects of how to predict the brittle fracture arrestability for these new line-pipe steels.The first aspect of concern is that the very high Charpy energy in modern line-pipe steels frequently produces invalid results in the standard pressed-notch DWTT specimen. Various modified DWTT specimens have been used in an attempt to address the deficiencies seen in the PN-DWTT procedure. In examining fracture surfaces of various modified DWTT samples, it has been found that using the steady-state fracture regions with similitude to pipe burst test (regions with constant shear lips) rather than the entire API fracture area, results collapse to one shear area versus temperature curve for all the various DWTT specimens tested. Results for several different materials will be shown. The difficulty with this fracture surface evaluation is that frequently the standard pressed-notch DWTT only gives valid transitional fracture data up to about 20-percent shear area, and then suddenly goes to 100-percent shear area.The second aspect is that with the much higher Charpy energy, the pipe does not need as much shear area to arrest a brittle fracture. Some analyses of past pipe burst tests have been recently shown and some additional cases will be presented. This new brittle fracture arrest criterion means that one does not necessarily have to specify 85-percent shear area in the DWTT all the time, but the shear area needed for brittle fracture arrest depends on the pipeline design conditions (diameter, hoop stress) and the Charpy upper-shelf energy of the steel. Sensitivity studies and examples will be shown.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


INTRODUCTION
Little is known about the impact of MST on chronic pain conditions among female Veterans. The primary objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of chronic pain conditions among U.S. female veterans with a history of military sexual trauma (MST) to those without a history of MST. We anticipated that female Veterans with a history of MST would have higher associations with chronic pain conditions than the female Veterans without a history of MST.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a large-scale, retrospective study using the Veterans' Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse with institutional approval (15-H175). International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes from the outpatient visits, outpatient problem lists, and inpatient discharge diagnoses were used to identify chronic pain diagnoses. Baseline demographic data including date of birth, self-identified race/ethnicity, and body mass index were obtained. Significant findings in the univariate analysis were then placed into a multivariable logistic regression model to adjust the effect of each predictor for the presence of others. Significance was set at p < 0.01 because of multiple comparisons made.

RESULTS
For the entire cohort (516,950 women), 28.9% (149,540) were diagnosed with headaches, 18.3% (94,393) with chronic pelvic pain, 14.4% (74,216) with chronic back pain, 10.5% (54,302) with nonspecific joint pain, 9% (48,509) with fibromyalgia, 6.2% (32,037) with generalized abdominal pain, 4.2% (21,911) with irritable bowel syndrome, and 3.2% (16,309) with dyspareunia. Most women had more than one chronic pain diagnosis. At baseline, women with a history of MST were younger (63.3 ± 15.9 vs. 67.4 ± 17.9 years p < 0.001), heavier (29.5± 6.2 vs. 28.8 ± 6.1 kg/m2 p < 0.001), smokers (49.3 vs. 38.8% p < 0.001), and more likely to be non-Hispanic white (56.3 vs. 52.3% p < 0.001) than women without a history of MST. Women with a history of MST had more pain diagnoses than those without the history of MST (all p < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio of women with history of MST presenting with any pain condition compared to a women without a history of MST was 1.26 (95% confidence interval 1.24-1.28). In the multivariable model there remained an association between MST and chronic pain conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain, back pain, chronic joint pain, fibromyalgia, dyspareunia, chronic abdominal pain, and headaches after adjusting for baseline differences in age, body mass index, smoking, and ethnicity. Importantly, drug abuse, and overdose were also associated with MST.

CONCLUSION
A history of MST is associated with chronic pain diagnoses. Weaknesses of this study are those applicable to analyses of any retrospective database study. Specifically, the data are limited by the accuracy of physician coding and reporting. The strength of this study is that it represents a comprehensive, retrospective evaluation of potential sources for chronic pain within the female veteran population. In summary, we found that female veteran survivors of MST face an increased burden of chronic pain, including a broad range of pain conditions independent of the psychological effects of MST.


E-markets' growing popularity has given business-to-business trading an unprecedented boost. In supply chains connecting enterprises that trade services and goods, an organization's success depends on its ability to maintain stable and profitable relationships with other supply chain participants. We evaluate how predictive scheduling strategies and aggressive pricing schemes can help suppliers exploit market niches in B2B supply chains. Robust, opportunistic scheduling strategies can significantly improve suppliers' competitiveness by identifying market opportunities and strategically positioning and pricing available resources to exploit them.


This paper reports on the application of Taguchi method in modelling a 22nm gate length high-k/metal gate NMOS transistor. The Nominal-the-Best Signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR) using Taguchis optimization technique was utilized to optimize the process parameters in determining the best threshold voltage (Vth) value where it was used as the evaluation variable. The high permittivity material (high-k) / metal gate device consists of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and tungsten silicide (WSix) respectively. The simulation work was executed using a TCAD simulator, which consist of ATHENA and ATLAS as a process and device simulator respectively. In this research, the Halo implantation tilting angle was identified as the most influencial factor in affecting the Vth with a percentage of 87%, followed by the oxide growth anneal temperature (8%), the metal gate anneal temperature (4%) and lastly the Halo implantation dose (1%). As a conclusion, the Halo tilting angle is the dominant factor in optimizing the process parameter. Meanwhile the Halo implantation dose can be considered as an adjustment factor in order to achieve the target Vth value of 0.289 V which is in line with projections made by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).


This paper presents development and applications of Control Systems (CS). Several characteristics of CS can be linked to human behavior. CS can "think" in the sense that they can replace to some extent, human operation. CS can distinguish between open-loop and closed-loop CS and it is a concept or principle that seems to fundamental in nature and not necessarily peculiar to engineering. In human social and political organizations, for example, a leader remains the leader only as long as she is successful in realizing the desires of the group. CS theory can be discussed from four viewpoints as: an intellectual discipline within science and the philosophy of science, a part of engineering, with industrial applications and Social Systems (SS) of the present and the future. In global communication, developed countries and developing countries should build several attractive and sound symbiosis bridges, to prevent loss of universe balances. CS applications have social impacts not only in developed countries but also in developing countries. A new work force strategy without denying the existing of CS is established by retooling the work forces, thus the challenges of social impacts could be answers wisely and would be bright opportunities to improve human standards of living.


Abstract Cambodia's unequalled cultural heritage — and in particular Angkor — was not spared the sufferings that country endured from 1970 onwards. Cambodia went through 30 years of conflict, with the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979) marking the peak of cruelty and ideological barbarity. These years have left a permanent scar on the country and its memory. Monuments and archaeological sites in particular suffered the consequences of abandonment, vandalism, looting and lack of maintenance, together with the effects of military use. However, despite the traces of vandalism that bear witness to the sites' having been subjected to military occupation, the temples suffered less during the fighting than had been feared. The application of certain of the provisions contained in the Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict of 14 May 1954 played a crucial role in protecting Cambodian heritage. The Convention constitutes one of the most important tools for the protection of cultural property under international humanitarian law. It clearly helped to protect cultural property by providing the Cambodian authorities with a legal basis and, above all, by legitimizing the action they undertook in this area.


In order to study the strength and deformation properties of rock joint under different shear velocities, normal stresses and undulation angles, series testes are conducted by a RMT-150C testing machines with artificial concrete rock joint samples in the present paper. Base on the experimental results, it can be found that the peak shear strengths decrease with the increment of shear velocity, and the decreasing rates tend to decrease with the increasing shear velocity. The shear strength of rock joints increase with the increasing undulation angles, and linearly increase with the increment of normal stress. It is also indicated that the shear stiffness increase with the increasing normal stress, undulation angle as well as the shear velocity with a decreasing tendency.


Cyberinfrastructure (CI) Facilitation is the process of helping researchers to use research computing systems and services to advance their computing-intensive/data-intensive research goals. The growing need for CI Facilitation isn't being met by traditional academic degree and certificate programs, so informal education is required. The Virtual Residency (VR) is a program that teaches key CI Facilitation skills to CI Facilitators. Using a combination of (a) workshops, (b) biweekly conference calls, (c) a Grant Proposal Writing Apprenticeship and (d) a new Paper Writing Apprenticeship, the VR has been teaching CI Facilitation since 2015. During the summers of 2015-17, the annual VR workshop was at an introductory level, driving demand for a higher level workshop. In 2018, the VR workshop was presented at a level described as intermediate, but in practice it included a great deal of advanced content, concentrated on institutional CI leadership. The 2018 focus areas were: (1) in-depth CI expertise in areas of rapidly changing technology; (2) CI leadership; (3) funding acquisition skills; (4) outreach strategies, techniques, and skills; (5) communication skills. The 2018 VR workshop served 216 participants from 147 institutions in 42 US states and 2 US territories plus 2 other countries.


Defects of the external nose and nasal septum were corrected using bone-matrix transplants (bone matrix-BM and embryonic matrix-EM) in 220 patients. EM transplants were more osteoinductive. Functional studies show that demineralized transplants, especially EM, activate both microcirculation in the implantation focus, adjacent tissue and metabolic processes which improve the results of the functional tests in rhinoplasty.


In recent years there has been significant debate regarding the potential of participatory forms of governance to engage with diverse groups and the 'politics of difference'. This paper explores these debates in the context of disabled people's engagement in urban policy processes, as an arena in which participative imperatives have become manifest under the UK's New Labour government. Drawing on a case study of a Single Regeneration Budget partnership, I argue that there are significant limits to disabled people's engagement in urban policy, ranging from their perceived legitimacy and constitution as a 'relevant public', through to the processes of partnership in which managerialist objectives clash with participative agendas. The paper therefore raises issues about the rationale for participation and the extent to which notions of deliberative democracy are equipped to deal with issues of 'difference'.


Abstract The unconventional monetary policy of the Federal Reserve (Fed) during the global financial crisis of 2007–2009 and its aftermath is often credited with averting another Great Depression. The Fed's interventions unfolded over two periods, which can be distinguished with regards to the particular tools employed and goals pursued. Lowering risk and liquidity premiums by propping up the prices of private assets was deemed essential for restoring the flow of credit and the orderly function of financial markets during the first period and in the early months of the second period. Reducing interest-rate spreads for the purpose of lowering borrowing costs and boosting total spending in the economy became a major goal of monetary policy during the second period. The purpose of monetary policy changed over time, but the targeted channels of its effects remained largely unaltered. While conventional monetary policy targets interest rates, unconventional monetary policy targeted asset prices. Starting with an overview of the two periods in the conduct of monetary policy, this article explores the theoretical justifications and practical implications of unconventional monetary policy. It further interrogates the effects of the Fed's policies on government bond yields and asset prices as well as their macroeconomic and distributional effects. A key observation is that the effects of quantitative easing have been most acutely felt not in a revival of domestic investment and employment but in the staggering distortions in asset prices domestically and globally. The macroeconomic effects of unconventional monetary policy pale in comparison with its distributional effects.


Conventional blood flow velocity measurement using ultrasound is capable of resolving the axial component (i.e., that aligned with the ultrasound propagation direction) of the blood flow velocity vector. However, these Doppler-based methods are incapable of detecting blood flow in the direction normal to the ultrasound beam. In addition, these methods require repeated pulse-echo interrogation at the same spatial location. In this paper, we report additional data on a new method recently introduced. This method estimates the lateral component of blood flow within a single image frame using the observation that the speckle pattern corresponding to the blood reflectors (typically red blood cells) stretches (i.e., is "smeared") if the blood is moving in the same direction as the electronically-controlled transducer line selection in a 2D image. The situation is analogous to the observed elongation of a subject photographed with a moving camera. Experiments were performed with a blood flow phantom and high-frequency transducer of a commercially available ultrasound machine. Data was captured through an interface allowing access to the raw beamformed data. Blood flow with velocities ranging from 50 to 110 cm/s were investigated in this paper. Previously, we showed results indicating a linear relationship between the reciprocal of the speckle stretch factor and blood flow velocity when the scan velocity is greater than the blood flow velocity [1]. When the scan velocity is 64.8 cm/s, compared with the theoretical model, fitting results based on experimental data gave us a linear relationship with average flow estimation error of 1.74±1.48 cm/s. When the scan velocity is 37.4 cm/s, the average estimation error is 0.65±0.45 cm/s. The new experiments reported here include blood flow velocities that are close to and greater than the scan velocity. Results show that the linear relationship degrades under these conditions, which we hypothesize is due to speckle decorrelation and flow gradients.


The design, operation, and application of a novel solar simulator based on a high-power supercontinuum fiber laser are described. The simulator features a multisun irradiance with continuous spectral coverage from the visible to the infrared. By use of a prism-based spectral shaper, the simulator can be matched to any desired spectral profile, including the ASTM G-173-03 air-mass 1.5 reference spectrum. The simulator was used to measure the efficiency of gallium arsenide (GaAs), crystalline silicon (Si), amorphous Si, and copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells, showing agreement with independent measurements. The pulsed temporal characteristic of the simulator was studied and would appear to have a negligible influence on measured cell efficiency. The simulator light was focused to a spot of approximately 8 μm in diameter and used to create micrometer-scale spatial maps of full spectrum optical-beam-induced current. Microscopic details such as grid lines, damage spots, and material variations were selectively excited and resolved on GaAs and CIGS cells. The spectral shaping capabilities were used to create output spectra appropriate for selectively light-biasing multijunction cell layers. The simulator was used to create variable blue-rich and red-rich spectra that were applied to a GaInP/GaAs tandem solar cell to illustrate the current-limiting behavior.


Plasmodium sporozoites are the infective stage of the malaria parasite. Though this is a bottleneck for the parasite, the quantitative dynamics of transmission, from mosquito inoculation of sporozoites to patent blood-stage infection in the mammalian host, are poorly understood. Here we utilize a rodent model to determine the probability of malaria infection after infectious mosquito bite, and consider the impact of mosquito parasite load, blood-meal acquisition, probe-time, and probe location, on infection probability. We found that infection likelihood correlates with mosquito sporozoite load and, to a lesser degree, the duration of probing, and is not dependent upon the mosquito's ability to find blood. The relationship between sporozoite load and infection probability is non-linear and can be described by a set of models that include a threshold, with mosquitoes harboring over 10,000 salivary gland sporozoites being 7.5 times more likely to initiate a malaria infection. Overall, our data suggest that the small subset of highly infected mosquitoes may contribute disproportionally to malaria transmission in the field and that quantifying mosquito sporozoite loads could aid in predicting the force of infection in different transmission settings. Author Summary Malaria is a leading cause of death in many parts of the world. Infection is initiated when infected Anopheles mosquitoes inject sporozoites as they look for blood. Though transmission is a bottleneck for the parasite and thus a good point for intervention, many aspects of transmission remain poorly understood. In this study, using a rodent model of malaria, we found that less than 20% of infectious bites result in disease, demonstrating that the majority of infective bites do not result in malaria infection. Furthermore, we found that the bites of mosquitoes with heavy parasite burdens are 7.5 times more likely to result in disease. These data have important implications for designing interventions targeting transmission stages of the malaria parasite as they suggest that reducing parasite loads, even without completely eliminating them, could be effective against disease spread. We also found that mosquitoes that probe but do not succeed in finding blood are equally likely to initiate infection, an important finding for human vaccine trials. Together, this work adds to our understanding of malaria transmission dynamics and our capacity to develop malaria elimination strategies.


Stanley has conjectured that the h-vector of a matroid complex is a pure O-sequence. We will prove this for cotransversal matroids by using generalized permutohedra. We construct a bijection between lattice points inside a r-dimensional convex polytope and bases of a rank r transversal matroid.


We present an 8-month-old female with severe retardation of growth and development, multiple congenital anomalies, and an interstitial deletion del(2)(q31 leads to q33) including results of cytogenetic and gene marker studies. The manifestations of this infant are compared with those of four other known patients with a partial del(2q).


Background Sexually transmitted infections are caused by a relatively well defined group of pathogens. Their individual detection using cultural and molecular techniques is time-consuming and costly. Multiplex real-time PCR is a rapid and more cost-effective alternative and allows the detection of multiple infections. Methods We have validated the Anyplex IITM STI-7, a semiquantitative, highly multiplexed real-time PCR kit (Seegene), using a selection of specimens positive by routine methods (culture, PCR, cytology) for at least one of the 7 different targets. Specimens were assumed to be negative for those parameters not previously tested. DNA was isolated using the easyMAG® (bioMérieux) followed by melting curve analysis-based PCR on a CFX96TM thermocycler (BioRad) and automatic data interpretation with the Seegene Viewer software. Discrepant results were resolved with independent molecular tests. Results Resolved results showed 100% sensitivity and specificity for Chlamydia trachomatis (17 positive/73 negative specimens), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (13/71), Trichomonas vaginalis (6/84), Mycoplasma genitalium (18/72) and Mycoplasma hominis (30/60). For Ureaplasma species (57/30) 100% sensitivity and 93.3% specificity were observed. The STI-7 test (the only test capable of separating the two major species) revealed that among the 57 Ureaplasma-positive specimens 7 (12.3%) were positive for U. urealyticum, 39 (68.4%) for U. parvum and 11 (19.3%) for both species. Often, 2 or more targets were detected, e.g. of the 17 C. trachomatis-positive specimens 8 were positive for 1 and 7 for 2 additional organisms. Ureaplasmas were the most prevalent species being present in about 2/3 of the specimens. Conclusion We conclude that the STI-7 multiplex PCR is a rapid and reliable test for the simultaneous detection of the most important sexually transmitted pathogens providing an efficient means for a more thorough evaluation of the clinical significance of the various organisms.


Maintaining the consistency of multiple program representations in a program manipulation tool is difficult. I describe a hybrid software architecture for a meaning-preserving program restructuring tool. Layering is the primary architectural paradigm, which successively provides increasingly integrated and unified abstract machines to implement the tool. However, layering does not provide adequate control over extensibility or the independence of components, so I also adopt the paradigm of keeping the key program abstractions separate throughout the layering, providing independent columns of abstract data types. A pair of columns is integrated by a mapping column that translates elements in one column's data type into related elements in the other column's data type. Thus, integration of function and separation of representation can be achieved simultaneously. This hybrid architecture was crucial in overcoming severe performance problems that became apparent once the basic tool was completed. By taking advantage of the independence of the columns and the special characteristics of meaning-preserving restructuring, it was possible to extend one representation column of the architecture to the uppermost layer to provide the required access for efficient updating without compromising independence. The cost of the extended architecture is that the upper layers are no longer as simple because they expose operations that only guarantee consistency under careful usage. However, the structural constraints of the hybrid architecture and the models for building the more complicated layers minimizes the negative impact of this tradeoff. >


This work aims to empirically clarify a recently discovered perspective that label smoothing is incompatible with knowledge distillation. We begin by introducing the motivation behind on how this incompatibility is raised, i.e., label smoothing erases relative information between teacher logits. We provide a novel connection on how label smoothing affects distributions of semantically similar and dissimilar classes. Then we propose a metric to quantitatively measure the degree of erased information in sample's representation. After that, we study its one-sidedness and imperfection of the incompatibility view through massive analyses, visualizations and comprehensive experiments on Image Classification, Binary Networks, and Neural Machine Translation. Finally, we broadly discuss several circumstances wherein label smoothing will indeed lose its effectiveness. Project page: http://zhiqiangshen.com/projects/LS_and_KD/index.html.


Attacks of cerebral spasm occur in 1.5 to 5 per thousand newborn post partum. Basing on the rare Ohtahara's syndrome it is shown that the obstetrician can be exonerated from the suspicion of a trauma occurring during childbirth and causing the spasms, only if a precise and detailed documentation of the entire obstetric procedure is prepared an differentiated neuropaediatric diagnosis is performed.


Novel Corona Virus Disease-19 (nCov-19, COVID-19) was recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. As of June 14, 2020, this contagious viral disease has afflicted 188 out of 195 countries in the world with 7,893,700 confirmed cases and 432,922 global deaths. Canada has 98,787 people infected and 8,146 deaths. COVID-19 is thought to transmit through contact, droplets and aerosolization. A rapid review showed limited information on the benefits of conducting lung ultrasound (LUS) versus chest radiograph (CXR) or studies correlating lung ultrasound to chest computed Tomography (CT) in patients positive for Covid-19. The literature review confirmed that CT and LUS cannot diagnose this disease, but that both can help in the management and staging of this disease. There is no literature to prove that LUS at the bedside may be beneficial from the view of decreased transmission to other health care workers and bystanders due to reduced transit but comparing the transit pathway and contact leads one to propose that this would be so. Pregnant patients with COVID-19, young children and patients in the reproductive stage would also benefit from LUS since there is no radiation dose and the critical patient in distress will benefit from testing at the bedside.


A test program was conducted in the Bellshill Lake field, Alberta, Canada, to investigate the application of seismic techniques to finding the stratigraphic trap formed by the irregular sand bar type build-up within the Basal Quartz section controlling production in the field. The seismic interpretative criteria were postulated from synthetic seismograms. Controlled field tests were conducted to find the factors which influenced record quality, to examine the effect of each factor on the signal-to-noise ratio, and to evaluate the field techniques developed from the test results. Critical field techniques were the selection of charge sizes and hole depths yielding both suitable shot wave forms and a means for attacking the ghost reflection problem, the attenuation of shot generated boundary waves through wave length filtering with arrays of multiple seismometers, and the preservation of true amplitude information in the recording procedure. Special data processing techniques included the application of a velocity filter, the "pie-slice" process, to improve the signal-to-noise ratio without signal distortion and the stacking of verticall distributed charges with a process designed to eliminate the ghost over a broad frequency range without signal distortion. The emphasis in the experimental survey was in the methods of investigation and the particular balance in techniques which must be struck to solve an exploration problem rather than in a demonstration of techniques as such. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1770------------


In the present study, the thermal behavior of pure Al6061 and fly ash reinforced Al6061 with varying particulate sizes were investigated for the first time. Metal matrix syntactic foams of ceramic fly ash (4 – 16 wt. %) embedded in aluminum (Al6061) matrix have been fabricated by using stir casting technique with different fly ash particulate sizes of size below 50µm and 53µm-100µm, respectively. The microstructural characteristics were studied by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It has been observed that there is a uniform distribution of lower particulate size fly ash as compared to higher particulate size in the aluminium matrix respectively. For all the cases, the accumulation of fly ash in Al6061 decreases the thermal conductivity and increases the specific heat carrying capacity of a hybrid composite. Increase in weight percentage of fly ash in Al6061 decreases thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity respectively.


Northern Ireland has its own devolved parliament and government, and significant Northern Irish developments have been ongoing in the sphere of climate law and governance. National Parliament at Westminster has a Climate Change Act 2008 in place, which calls for pronounced action in the area of greenhouse gas emissions reductions to be undertaken across the UK. The Northern Irish administration has been reluctant to engage with its obligations under this framework, and Northern Ireland has fallen behind national emissions reduction standards. Legal research has shown that Northern Ireland has enjoyed stronger opportunities than the rest of the UK's subnational jurisdictions to legislate and innovate in the sphere of decarbonisation since the arrival of contemporary devolution in 1998. It is therefore recommended that Northern Ireland's Devolved Administration listens to Friends of the Earth (NI) and other progressive voices that are presently calling for substantially improved, progressive action to be taken in the jurisdiction.


The study of the geographic distribution of poverty has gained considerable attention in recent times. Several methods have been developed and tested in different countries with the aim of producing disaggregated poverty incidence estimates that can be portrayed in maps. For the case of Latin America, countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Paraguay have joined these efforts and produced updated geographic poverty profiles. These profiles can serve as support for the identification of priority areas, the allocation of public expenditure, and for policy making. As well, they can aid in the formulation of hypotheses as regard causal factors of poverty and the validation of estimation results. Poverty maps are created by classifying poverty incidence estimates into groups that reflect various degrees of poverty. Several classification approaches are available and very often, they produce different geographic profiles. In spite of this, most of the current poverty mapping exercises lack of precise documentation about the classification approach used and their rationale. This work reviews alternative classification approaches and their implications for map display and interpretation. Using data from selected Latin American countries, the analysis begins with the exploration of the spatial trend observed in the poverty incidence estimates. Afterwards, alternative classification approaches are used for the creation of poverty profiles and compared for consistency with the observed trend. The results clearly show how clusters of certain degrees of poverty appear or disappear depending on the classification approach used and how certain profiles deviate from the observed trend in the unclassed data. It is strongly recommended that poverty map makers evaluate the consistency of their displays with the data trend in order to transmit their findings, and that the proper documentation of the mapping process is included for an adequate map interpretation.


Accurate reporting of energy and carbon usage is essential for understanding the potential climate impacts of machine learning research. We introduce a framework that makes this easier by providing a simple interface for tracking realtime energy consumption and carbon emissions, as well as generating standardized online appendices. Utilizing this framework, we create a leaderboard for energy efficient reinforcement learning algorithms to incentivize responsible research in this area as an example for other areas of machine learning. Finally, based on case studies using our framework, we propose strategies for mitigation of carbon emissions and reduction of energy consumption. By making accounting easier, we hope to further the sustainable development of machine learning experiments and spur more research into energy efficient algorithms.


Vapor-Liquid-Solid was used for growing boron doped homoepitaxial SiC layers on 4HSiC( 0001) 8°off substrates. Si-based melts were fed by propane (5 sccm) in the temperature range 1450-1500°C. Two main approaches were studied to incorporate boron during growth : 1) adding elemental B in the initial melt, with two different compositions : Si90B10 and Si27Ge68B5; the growth was performed at 1500°C; 2) adding B2H6 (1 to 5 sccm) to the gas phase during growth with a melt composition of Si25Ge75; the growth was performed at 1450°C. In most cases, the growth time was limited by liquid loss due to wetting on the crucible walls. The longer growth duration (1h) was obtained when adding B2H6 to the gas phase. In the case of Si90B10 melt, the surface morphology exhibits large and parallel terraces whereas the step front is more undulated when adding Ge. Raman and photoluminescence characterizations performed on these layers confirmed the 4H polytype of the layers in addition to the presence of B which results in a strong B-N donor-acceptor band. Particle induced γ-ray emission was also used to detect B incorporation inside the grown layers.


Introduction Small sized aneurysms with <3 mm in maximum diameter and having a wide aneurysm neck remain a challenge for endovascular coil embolisation. We report our experience with stent-assisted coil embolisation (SACE) of such aneurysms, long-term angiography results and patient clinical follow-up. Material and Methods All patients who underwent SACE or stent placement for small aneurysms at our institution between 2009 and 2012 were identified and included in our retrospective analysis. In addition, we collected information on patient vascular risk factors, mRS on admission, aneurysm characteristics, Hunt and Hess and Fisher grade, angiography follow-up and patient clinical outcome at discharge, 90 days, 6 and 12 months. Results We included a total of 14 patients (9 females and 5 males) in our study. Mean age of the patients was 57.9 years. Median mRS on admission was 0. Patients' vascular risk factors included smoking (85.7%) and hypertension (64.3%). The majority of the aneurysms were located in the anterior circulation (78.6%). Mean maximum diameter of the aneurysms was 2.0 mm (range 1.0 to 2.8 mm). Median Hunt and Hess and Fisher grade was 0.5. Twelve patients were treated with SACE and 2 with stent placement only. Periprocedural development of vasospasm was seen in 2 ruptured aneurysm cases (14.3%). One of these patients died eventually from complications of vasospasm. Aneurysm perforation during coil placement occurred in the third ruptured aneurysm case but was managed with SACE. Two patients had thrombus formation during the procedure which was successfully treated with Abciximab. Near complete and complete aneurysm occlusion after treatment was seen in 12 patients. No patient required retreatment. Median mRS at discharge was 1.5 with 13 patients (92.6%) having an mRS ≤2 at the time of discharge. Six-month angiography follow-up was available for the remaining 13 patients (100%). One patient showed stable mild residual filling of the aneurysm and another patient presented with mild focal in-stent stenosis (Y-stenting case). No significant recanalisation could be detected at this time point. No aneurysm re-growth was seen. Median mRS at 90 days, 6 and 12 months was 1. Further angiography follow-up examinations were available for 2 patients (15.4%) at 12 and 36 months, respectively. Control angiography revealed stable aneurysm occlusion in both cases. Conclusion SACE and stent placement is a safe and efficient treatment option for patients with wide necked small sized aneurysms with stable long-term angiography results and good clinical outcome. Abstract E-048 Figure 1 Disclosures A. Puri: None. A. Kuhn: None. S. Hou: None. M. Khan: None. M. Gounis: None. A. Wakhloo: 1; C; Philips Healthcare. 2; C; Stryker Neurovascular, Boston Biomedical Assoc. 3; C; Harvard Postgraduate Course. 4; C; Boston Scientific. 6; C; NIH.


Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. We systematically reviewed the literature towards estimating the prevalence of MetS among apparently "healthy" Ghanaian adults. Methods We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Africa Journals Online, African Index Medicus, and Google scholar as well as the websites of the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health service through September 2016. Only studies conducted among apparently "healthy" (no established disease, e.g., diabetes and hypertension) adults aged ≥ 18 years were considered. Only studies that utilised the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP), World Health Organization (WHO), or International Diabetes Federation (IDF) classifications for MetS were included. Results Data from nine studies involving 1,559 individuals were pooled. The prevalence of MetS based on NCEP-ATP, WHO, and IDF classifications was 12.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.3–17.4%), 6.0% (95% CI = 1.4–13.1%), and 21.2% (95% CI = 12.4–30.9), respectively. Prevalence of MetS was higher among women than men. Conclusion Among a population of adult Ghanaians deemed "healthy," there is a high prevalence of MetS. Preventive measures are required to address the risk components of MetS such as obesity and hypertension which are rapidly rising in Ghana.


Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an economically devastating respiratory disease of pigs. The disease is caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV), an Arterivirus which is a highly mutating RNA virus. Widely used modified live PRRSV vaccines have failed to prevent PRRS outbreaks and reinfections; moreover, safety of the live virus vaccines is questionable. Though poorly immunogenic, inactivated PRRSV vaccine is safe. The PRRSV infects primarily the lung macrophages. Therefore, we attempted to strengthen the immunogenicity of inactivated/killed PRRSV vaccine antigens (KAg), especially in the pig respiratory system, through: 1) entrapping the KAg in biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (NP-KAg); 2) coupling the NP-KAg with a potent mucosal adjuvant, whole cell lysate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb WCL); and 3) delivering the vaccine formulation twice intranasally to growing pigs. We have previously shown that a single dose of NP-KAg partially cleared the challenged heterologous PRRSV. Recently, we reported that NP-KAg coupled with unentrapped M. tb WCL significantly cleared the viremia of challenged heterologous PRRSV. Since PRRSV is primarily a lung disease, our goal in this study was to investigate lung viral load and various immune correlates of protection at the lung mucosal surfaces and its parenchyma in vaccinated heterologous PRRSV-challenged pigs. Our results indicated that out of five different vaccine-adjuvant formulations, the combination of NP-KAg and unentrapped M. tb WCL significantly cleared detectable replicating infective PRRSV with a tenfold reduction in viral RNA load in the lungs, associated with substantially reduced gross and microscopic lung pathology. Immunologically, strong humoral (enhanced virus neutralization titers by high avidity antibodies) and cell-mediated immune responses (augmented population of interferon-γ secreting CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes and reduced secretion of immunosuppressive cytokines) in the lungs were observed. In conclusion, combination of NP-KAg and soluble M. tb WCL elicits broadly cross-protective anti-PRRSV immunity in the pig respiratory system.


Seed germination and early growth of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) seedlings were significantly reduced when irrigated with a mixture of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb at concentrations of sewage water. Leaf content of photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates, nucleic acids and total nitrogen also decreased. Cd and Pb significantly inhibited the activity of alpha and beta-amylases and protease enzymes during germination. Treatment of the mixture solution by precipitation, rice residue or EDTA decreased its retarding effect. The effect of precipitation was more pronounced. Whilst the lower concentration of Cu and Zn stimulated germination, growth and metabolism of bean seedling, the higher concentrations showed inhibitory effects. Even at very low concentrations of Cd and Pb germination, growth and metabolism of bean significantly decreased. Precipitation treatment alleviated the adverse effects of higher concentrations of Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb. Whilst rice residue and EDTA treatments slightly enhanced germination of seeds treated with high concentrations of Zn and Cu, they did not affect germination of seeds treated with Cd or Pb.


Background and Objectives Recent studies in our laboratory have revealed that a significant portion of SS patients manifests significantly impaired phagocytosis of apoptotic cells (ApoCell-phagocytosis), in a manner similar to SLE, a fact which probably leads to the inflammatory and autoimmune responses that characterise these two disorders. Furthermore, our data indicate that approximately 80% of sera from patients with SS and SLE, but not those with RA and healthy individuals, inhibit the clearance of early apoptotic cells from healthy monocytes. In the present study, we sought to investigate the role of IgG immunoglobulins from patients with SLE and SS in the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Materials and Methods Total IgG immunoglobulin was isolated from the serum of patients with SS (n = 24), SLE (n = 12) and RA (n = 8) and healthy donors (n = 11) using Melon Gel Resin columns. Apoptotic Jurkat cells (induction of apoptosis by UV-radiation) were incubated with purified IgG (50 µg/ml) in PBS/BSA 1%. The binding of IgG on the surface of apoptotic cells was assessed by flow cytometry and analysed with the binding index (% positive cells × mean fluorescence intensity). ApoCell-phagocytosis was assessed by flow cytometry using monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) from healthy individuals (n = 3) that were incubated (90 min) with CFSE-labelled early apoptotic Jurkat cells which had been opsonised with IgG from patients or healthy individuals or with PBS (control). Results IgG from patients with SS and SLE exhibited high binding levels in apoptotic cells compared to healthy donors and patients with RA (all for p < 0.0001). Pre-incubation of apoptotic cells with IgG from patients with both SS and SLE had a significant inhibitory effect on the phagocytosis process (comparative ApoCell-phagocytosis: after pre-incubation with PBS [x = 100%], with IgG from healthy individuals [n = 11, x = 100%], with IgG from RA patients [n = 4, x = 100%], with IgG from SS patients [n = 17, x = 75%, p < 0.0001], with IgG from SLE patients [n = 10, x = 71%, p = 0.0002]). Finally, negative correlation was found between the apoptotic cell binding levels of IgG from patients and healthy individuals and the results of ApoCell-phagocytosis assays using apoptotic cells pre-incubated with the corresponding IgG (n = 42, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Our results indicate that the impaired phagocytosis of apoptotic cells observed in patients with SS and SLE is primarily due to the presence of antibodies reactive with the surface of apoptotic cells. Further studies need to focus on the mechanism by which immunoglobulins exert such blocking effect, as well as its immunological consequences.


Experiments have been conducted to investigate the effect of fluid mixing on the depressurization of a large liquid hydrogen storage tank. The test tank is approximately ellipsoidal, having a volume of 4.89 m 3 and an average wall heat flux of 4.2 W/m 2 due to external heat input. A mixer unit was installed near the bottom of the tank to generate an upward directed axial jet flow normal to the liquid-vapor interface. Mixing tests were initiated after achieving thermally stratified conditions in the tank either by the introduction of hydrogen gas into the tank or by self-pressurization due to ambient heat leak through the tank wall. The subcooled liquid jet directed towards the liquid-vapor interface by the mixer induced vapor condensation and caused a reduction in tank pressure. Tests were conducted at two jet submergence depths for jet Reynolds numbers from 80 000 to 495 000 and Richardson numbers from 0.014 to 0.52. Results show that the rate of tank pressure change is controlled by the competing effects of subcooled jet flow and the free convection boundary layer flow due to external tank wall heating. It is shown that existing correlations for mixing time and vapor condensation rate based on small scale tanks may not be applicable to large scale liquid hydrogen systems.


Profound transformations in the composition, performance and reception of modernist music have taken place in recent decades. This collection brings fresh perspectives to bear upon key questions surrounding the forms that musical modernism takes today, how modern music is performed and heard and its relationship to earlier music. In sixteen chapters, leading figures in the field and emerging scholars examine modernist music from the inside, in terms of changing practices of composition, musical materials and overarching aesthetic principles, and from the outside, in terms of the changing contextual frameworks in which musical modernism has taken place and been understood. Shaped by a 'rehearing' of modernist music, the picture that emerges redraws the map of musical modernism as a whole and presents a full-scale re-evaluation of what the modernist movement has been all about.


Provincial agricultural production statistics show that grain crop yields have generally increased over the past 35 years while tame hay yields peaked in 1980 and have since been in decline. Weather data from 16 sites across Saskatchewan for the April, May, and June (AMJ) period were examined to explain this decline. As expected, precipitation during AMJ was positively correlated to hay yield but temperature was not. Hay yield was subsequently expressed as water use efficiency (WUE) based on published annual mean hay yield and AMJ precipitation. The WUE exhibited a negative correlation to year since 1980 and to the harvested hay acreage per year. After de-trending both WUE and harvested hay acreage for the year effect, the residual variation in both variables was still negatively correlated. We propose that older and lower-yielding hay fields are being harvested more frequently over the last two decades to provide feed for a growing Saskatchewan beef cow herd. This suggests that forage extension efforts should focus on hay field rejuvenation and agronomic management for improved productivity.


Metagenomics approaches have been developing rapidly in marine sciences. However, the application of these approaches to marine eukaryotes, and in particular to the smallest ones, is challenging because marine microbial communities are dominated by prokaryotes. One way to circumvent this problem is to separate eukaryotic cells using techniques such as single-cell pipetting or flow cytometry sorting. However, the number of cells that can be recovered by such techniques remains low and genetic material needs to be amplified before metagenomic sequencing can be undertaken. In this methodological study, we tested the application of whole-genome amplification (WGA) to photosynthetic eukaryotes. We performed various optimization steps both on a mixture of known microalgal strains and on natural photosynthetic eukaryote populations sorted by flow cytometry. rRNA genes were used as markers for assessing the efficiency of different protocols. Our data indicate that WGA is suitable for the amplification of photosynthetic eukaryote genomes, but that biases are induced, reducing the diversity of the initial population. Nonetheless, this approach appears to be suitable for obtaining metagenomics data on microbial eukaryotic communities.


Abstract DIII-D has studied thermal and particle transport in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)-relevant regimes. In order to better distinguish between thermal transport models, it is important to test both the steady-state and time-dependent predictions of models against experimental results. Based on experiments in DIII-D, models containing the full spectral range of drift wave physics from ion temperature gradient to electron temperature gradient modes were in closest agreement with experimental observations. Inclusion of E × B flow shear stabilization effects was found to be important. Although some aspects of the experimental observations were well matched by various models, no individual model did well matching both the equilibrium and time-dependent electron and ion behavior, which clearly indicates that further improvement in transport models is required. Helium transport studies in DIII-D are encouraging for ITER in that they indicate that the measured particle diffusivity is sufficient to remove helium ash fast enough to avoid deleterious fuel dilution, but other factors for ITER such as divertor geometry and pumping speed must also be assessed.


Using Drosophila melanogaster larvae we asked whether distinct aversive stimuli have a common neuralrepresentation during associative learning. We tested the interchangeability of heat shock and electroshock punishments when used within a single olfactory associative conditioning experiment. We find that compared to animals trained with the repetitive use of a single punishment, the use of two alternating punishments results in similar associative learning. Additionally, the two punishments are shown to have different sensory origins. Therefore, while punishments are processed differently by the larvae of Drosophila melanogaster, the value of the stimulus is preserved.


This study applies a sociolinguistic and discourse-analytical methodology to the study of features and manifestations of Nigerian English in computer-mediated communication, particularly informal emails. The data comprise 133 email samples consisting of messages received or sent within a seven-year period, i.e. between 2002 and 2009, from typical Nigerian environments, as well as by the youth, adults and the elderly. Analyses reveal that the rise of new media technologies and digital communication has provided a resource for the use and dissemination of Nigerian English alongside Nigerian cultures. The study shows that Nigerian English in informal emails comprises the construction of local thoughts through a range of characteristic properties. In non-standard Nigerian English features like misuse of words, grammatical inconsistencies and a mixture of local pidgin also exist. The study of Nigerian English in informal emails reveals that email samples provide resourceful data for the study of English regional varieties in computer-mediated communication. It also shows that a variety of English is a cultural medium for expressing language habits and socio-cultural practices.


Abstract:  Moderate size series have reported successful nipple‐sparing mastectomy using a variety of surgical techniques. This study aimed to understand which aspects of these techniques are safe, necessary, and successful. Eight skin‐sacrificing mastectomy specimens were used as ex vivo models of nipple‐sparing mastectomy. After inking the resection margins of the specimen, the skin ellipse was elevated in the subcutaneous plane using a scalpel. The retroareolar breast tissue was taken as a margin specimen. The nipple was inverted and the nipple core removed. The hollowed‐out nipple remnant (which would have remained with the patient in a true nipple‐sparing mastectomy) was submitted for confirmatory histopathologic analysis. Precise identification of the duct margin directly beneath the nipple proved difficult once the duct bundle had been divided. Successful retroareolar margin identification was achieved by grasping the duct bundle with atraumatic forceps as soon as it became exposed. A cut made below and above the forceps resulted in a full cross‐section of the duct bundle. Nipple core tissue was difficult to excise in one piece and cannot be oriented, thus complete evaluation of the specimen required examination of multiple levels. Histologic artifacts caused by freezing may be present in frozen sections of nipple core and retroareolar margin specimens; the impact of such changes must be considered when developing institutional protocols for this procedure. Evaluation of the hollowed‐out nipple revealed that the inverted nipple must be substantially thinned to remove all ducts. Modification of technique resulted in more complete excision of duct tissue. This series of ex vivo procedures provides information that can be used to modify surgical and pathologic techniques for nipple‐sparing mastectomy. When performing nipple‐sparing mastectomy for breast cancer, these measures may be advisable as complements to careful patient selection.


Before adjustment, low and high frequency data sets from national accounts are frequently inconsistent. Benchmarking is the procedure used by economic agencies to make such data sets consistent. It typically involves adjusting the high frequency time series (e.g. quarterly data) so that they become consistent with the lower frequency version (e.g. annual data). Various methods have been developed to approach this problem of inconsistency between data sets. The paper introduces a new statistical procedure, namely wavelet benchmarking. Wavelet properties allow high and low frequency processes to be jointly analysed and we show that benchmarking can be formulated and approached succinctly in the wavelet domain. Furthermore the time and frequency localization properties of wavelets are ideal for handling more complicated benchmarking problems. The versatility of the procedure is demonstrated by using simulation studies where we provide evidence showing that it substantially outperforms currently used methods. Finally, we apply this novel method of wavelet benchmarking to official data from the UK's Office for National Statistics.


This paper presents three-dimensional numerical simulation of UHPFRC-NSC composite beam with Diana. An elastic-plastic fracture model is proposed to describe material properties of UHPFRC. Differing from other concrete constitutive model, this one considers strain hardening in tension because of characteristic of UHPFRC. A total strain rotating crack model is used to describe material properties of NSC. The results of relevant push-out tests are used to describe the shear force-slip relationship of shear connection between UHPFRC girder and NSC slab. The numerical investigation focuses on the evaluation of load-deflection behavior, failure mode and shear connection. The agreement of test results and numerical results indicates the reliability of model.


Scientific CommunityNobel Prize–winning biologist Paul Nurse is stepping down as president of Rockefeller University in New York City to become president of the Royal Society in London, the United Kingdom's science academy. Last week, the society's council nominated Nurse to succeed University of Cambridge astrophysicist Martin Rees, who ends his 5-year term in November. The society's 1327 fellows will vote in July.


This paper proposes a novel, bi-objective mixed-integer mathematical programming for an open shop scheduling problem (OSSP) that minimizes the mean tardiness and the mean completion time. To obtain the efficient (Pareto-optimal) solutions, a fuzzy multi-objective decision making (fuzzy MODM) approach is applied. By the use of this approach, the related auxiliary single objective formulation can be achieved. Since the OSSP are known as a class of NP-hard problems, a tabu search (TS) method is thus used to solve several medium to large-sized instances in reasonable runtime. The efficiency of the results obtained by the proposed TS for small, medium and large-sized instances is evaluated by considering the corresponding overall satisfactory level of all objectives. Also the adaptability of the yielded solutions of the proposed TS for the small-sized instances is evaluated by comparing the results reported by the Lingo software. Several experiments on differentsized test problems are considered and the related results are indicated the ability of the proposed TS algorithm to converge to the efficient solutions.


Thailand has joined the ranks of middle-income countries, but further growth will have to come from innovation and efficiency improvements in the manufacturing and services sectors. Since the 1980s, economic performance has depended on foreign investment and exports. Thailand has become a key production base for global automotive and electronics firms from Japan, the United States and Europe. The agricultural sector employs over 40% of workers and Thailand continues to be one of the world's largest rice exporters. Services carry great potential for growth, but tourism has been threatened by political instability. Economically, Thailand is in a "middle-income" trap. On the one hand it is under pressure from lower-cost but more dynamic economies such as China, India, Viet Nam and Indonesia; on the other, it is threatened by the more technological, learning-intensive economies of the original four Asian Tigers (Singapore; Korea; Hong Kong, China; and Chinese Taipei). The government has adopted a dual track policy to enhance the capabilities of Thai firms while increasing international competitiveness by expanding foreign investment, exports and tourism. The cluster concept, focused on automobiles, food, fashion and software, underpins industrial and innovation policy. Programmes to encourage R and D and technology development have had limited results. Thailand has derived few technological capabilities from multinational firms, which primarily transfer technology embodied in equipment. Levels of R and D spending, S and T workers and patents are below those of Thailand's principal competitors. Thailand can boost performance in the long term by improving the skills level of the labour force, investing in ICT infrastructure, and better co-ordinating and implementing S and T policies. Upgrading the country's innovative capabilities depends, in part, on enhancing the quality of teaching and research at Thai universities, investing in targeted public research facilities, and providing R and D incentives to foreign and local firms. To move beyond labour-intensive parts production and assembly, firms in Thailand's manufacturing sector will need to strengthen collaborative innovation linkages. Country: Thailand [1] LinkToContentAt: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264128712-11-en Knowledge Type: Country report [2] Other Tag: scientific articles [3] national innovation systems [4] public research and development lab [5] technological development [6] Parent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264128712-en [7]


Nanoporous zinc oxide films can be prepared by electrochemical co-deposition with the dye eosin Y (EY) as template. A subsequent desorption of the dye with aqueous KOH is a key step for the increased efficiency of such dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC). In this contribution, the partial dissolving and reorganization of the zinc oxide film during the desorption step has been studied in detail by X-ray diffraction, Kelvin probe force microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) as well as scanning electron microscopy. It is found that the reorganization leads to an enhancement of crystal orientation and a reduction of the defect concentration at the surface of zinc oxide, being a possible reason for suppressed recombination of electrons in these films. Also, an increased defect concentration in ZnO was found when co-deposited with EY. For these co-deposited films, AFM investigations showed a coverage of the surface with dye aggregates. High resolution AFM investigations revealed the nanocrystalline and highly porous structure of the inorganic matrix after desorption of the dye.


Purpose To examine the effect of active warm-up duration on short-term maximal performance assessed during Ramadan in the morning. Methods Twelve healthy active men performed four Wingate tests for measurement of peak power and mean power before and during Ramadan at 09:00 a.m. The tests were performed on separate days, after either a 5-min or a 15-min warm-up. The warm-up consisted in pedaling at 50% of the power output obtained at the last stage of a submaximal multistage cycling test. Oral temperature was measured at rest and after warming-up. Furthermore, ratings of perceived exertion were obtained immediately after the Wingate test. Results Oral temperature was higher after the 15-min warm-up than the 5-min warm-up throughout the study. Moreover, peak power and mean power were higher after the 15-min warm-up than the 5-min warm-up before Ramadan. However, during Ramadan, there was no significant difference between the two warm-up durations. In addition, ratings of perceived exertion were higher after the 15-min warm-up than the 5-min warm-up only during Ramadan. Conclusions There is no need to prolong the warm-up period before short-term maximal exercise performed during Ramadan in the morning.


The engineering design community needs to development tools and methods now to support emerging technological and societal trends. While many forecasts exist for technological and societal changes, this paper reports on the findings of a workshop, which addressed trends in engineering design to 2040. The paper summarises the key findings from the six themes of the workshop: societal trends, ways of working, lifelong learning, technology, modelling and simulation and digitisation; and points to the challenge of understanding how these trends affect each other


Stackebrandtia nassauensis Labeda and Kroppenstedt (2005) is the type species of the genus Stackebrandtia, and a member of the actinobacterial family Glycomycetaceae. Stackebrandtia currently contains two species, which are differentiated from Glycomyces spp. by cellular fatty acid and menaquinone composition. Strain LLR-40K-21T is Gram-positive, aerobic, and nonmotile, with a branched substrate mycelium and on some media an aerial mycelium. The strain was originally isolated from a soil sample collected from a road side in Nassau, Bahamas. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. This is the first complete genome sequence of the actinobacterial suborder Glycomycineae. The 6,841,557 bp long single replicon genome with its 6487 protein-coding and 53 RNA genes is part of the GenomicEncyclopedia ofBacteria andArchaea project.


Abstract. We report a systematic study of the feasibility of using directed self-assembly (DSA) in real product design for 7-nm fin field effect transistor (FinFET) technology. We illustrate a design technology co-optimization (DTCO) methodology and two test cases applying both line/space type and via/cut type DSA processes. We cover the parts of DSA process flow and critical design constructs as well as a full chip capable computational lithography framework for DSA. By co-optimizing all process flow and product design constructs in a holistic way using a computational DTCO flow, we point out the feasibility of manufacturing using DSA in an advanced FinFET technology node and highlight the issues in the whole DSA ecosystem before we insert DSA into manufacturing.


Hardbound. This book contains a selection of fully peer-reviewed papers which were presented at the 2nd ESIS TC4 Conference, held in Les Diablerets, Switzerland 13 - 15 September 1999. The meeting was designed to reflect the activities of the Committee over the last 15 years, and to plan future activities. The papers have been divided into four chapters under the headings of Composites, Elastic-Plastic Fracture, Adhesion, and Impact and General Fracture. These are convenient groupings, but there are many interactions between the areas, with the common theme of Fracture Mechanics underlying it all.


This paper talks about the process of developing a game called "Virtual Reality Falconry". The game is a simulation of the traditional Qatari hunting sport. Falconry refers to the process of hunting wild preys in their natural environment, by using falcons. It has a great significance among the Qatari society. Thus, the importance of having such games is critical with all the rapid growth of the gaming industry. This paper will discuss the problems faced during development, the proposed solutions, trade-offs and solutions chosen at the end. It will also give ideas about the future work that can be done to expand the game.


Background Medical price is one of the hotly discussed topics in health economics as it involves detailed and usually controversial assumptions to analyze it. More importantly, medical prices are highly crucial when talking about equity and social protection. Objectives The objective of this study is to look at how health-related prices respond to and cause price movements in other goods and services markets in the Philippines in a quasi-natural experiment setting by introducing environmental shocks as instrumental variables. Methods The study uses monthly regional prices data in the Philippines from July 2012 to March 2015. In addition, we use environmental shocks data such as monthly rainfall, number of affected people and costs of typhoons per region. These shocks are used as instrumental variables to introduce quasi-natural experiment in order to identify how prices of other goods affect health-related prices such as outpatient care price, hospital services prices and medical products and appliance prices. The following methods will be implemented: (a) Recursive Vector Autoregressive (VAR) method; (b) Instrumental variable (Two stage least squares) fixed effects method; (c) Arellano-Bond dynamic panel method. Result Initial results reveal that health commodity group price is sensitive to changes in (a) recreation and culture commodity group price; (b) lag of health commodity group price; and (c) education commodity group price. Conclusion The intial results reveal that health-related prices do not respond instantaneously to price movements of necessity commodities like food, water, electricity, and transportation but on service oriented industries like education, and recreation and culture.


The dromedary camel is considered an integral species of the arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) in Kenya. It's adaptation to the climatic and geographical conditions of the ASAL had enabled the camel to be regarded as the most important animal source of food as well as source of transport, draught and cultural significance. Camel milk is to a great extent utilized in the ASAL at subsistence level, but also makes way to the peri-urban centres and ultimately to the capital city, where there is high demand for the product. The main purpose of this review is to consolidate research done on camel milk value chain in Kenya, to establish the contribution of camel milk to the pastoral and national economy, to determine opportunities for investment by the county governments and private sectors as well as to recommend milk value chain upgrading strategies in a bid to increase livelihoods of pastoral communities and other actors involved in the camel milk value chain. Keywords: camel milk, value chain, marketing, upgrading strategies DOI : 10.7176/JMCR/58-06 Publication date :July 31 st 2019


Ethanol is a renewable source of energy and significant attention has been directed to the development of a validated chemical kinetic mechanism for this fuel. The experimental data for the autoignition of ethanol in the low temperature range at elevated pressures is meager. In order to provide experimental data sets for mechanism validation at such conditions, the autoignition of homogeneous ethanol/oxidizer mixtures has been investigated in a rapid compression machine. Experiments cover a range of pressures (10–50 bar), temperatures (825–985 K) and equivalence ratios of 0.3–1.0. Ignition delay data is deduced from the experimental pressure traces. Under current experimental conditions of elevated pressures and low temperatures, chemistry pertaining to hydroperoxyl radicals assumes importance. A chemical kinetic mechanism that can accurately predict the autoignition characteristics of ethanol at low temperatures and elevated pressures has been developed and this mechanism is compared with other models available in the literature.


Developmental and behavioral problems are the emerging morbidity in childhood. Early social/emotional development and physical health provide the foundation upon which cognitive and language skills develop. Early childhood is considered a critical but often vulnerable period in a child's development where early identification and intervention can be crucial for improving children's developmental outcomes. There is an urgent and substantial need to identify as early as possible those infants and toddlers in need of services to ensure that intervention is provided when the developing brain is most capable of change. Neural circuits, which create the foundation for learning, behavior and health, are most flexible or "plastic" (Neuroplasticity) during the first three years of life. Over time, they become increasingly difficult to change. Early childhood intervention is the process of providing specialised support and services for infants and young children with developmental delays or disabilities, and their families, in order to promote development, well-being and community participation. It consists of identifying a baby who already has a handicapping condition or is at a potential risk for developing one, and then providing services to lessen the effects of that condition. The term encompasses a range of stimulation and training activities over and above the minimal care traditionally provided for all babies. Intervention is likely to be more effective and less expensive when it is provided earlier in life rather than later. The services can be Preventive, Curative, Supportive or Remedial. It's not a drug, it's not a vaccine and it's not a device. It is a group of therapists working together, solving problems and enhancing capabilities. Let's strive hard to find the ability in their disability.


We experienced a 5-year-old male case of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia accompanying Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) activity in pleural effusion. Chest roentgenograms revealed the infiltration in the left upper lung field and the left pleural effusion. In serum, the M. pneumoniae CF titer increased to 1:512. The pleural effusion was yellowish in color, with a specific gravity of 1.030, protein 3.7 g/dl, glucose 101 g/dl, and ADA 50 IU/l. Pleural effusion accompanying M. pneumoniae pneumonia is rare, and the high ADA activity in this case has been reported only in one other case. This is a report of a high activity of ADA in the pleural fluid by M. pneumoniae pneumonia.


This paper intends to propose a new and simple printed dual-band planar monopole antenna for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications in IEEE 802.11 a/b/g. The proposed antenna effectively covers both 2.4/5-GHz bands. The antenna comprises of a central arm and two side arm monopoles of different sizes, which generate two separate resonant modes for the desired dual-band operations. The smaller side arms resonate at the 5 GHz band while the central larger arm resonates at the 2.4-2.5 GHz band. This antenna can easily be fed by using a 50 ohm probe feed with SMA connector. Prototypes of the proposed antenna designed for WLAN operations in the 2.4 and 5.2 GHz bands have been constructed and successfully tested. The measured VSWR and radiation patterns indicate the suitability of this antenna for WLAN applications


The phytochemical and bioactivity studies on Mitrella kentii species from Annonaceae family have been performed. The extraction of phytochemicals from dried and ground plants were performed using conventional method extractions; Soxhlet extractor and Cold-extraction. The isolation of pure compounds from crude extracts were carried out by using various chromatographic methods such as column chromatography (CC), thin layer chromatography (TLC) and preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC). The structural elucidations of the isolated compounds were established based on the spectroscopic techniques such as UV-Vis, IR, MS, 1D-NMR (1H-NMR and 13C-NMR), 2D-NMR (COSY, DEPT, HSQC and HMBC) and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.
From this study, nine known compounds have been isolated and characterised from the stem bark of Mitrella kentii. These compounds are chalcones, desmosdumotin C MK1 and its tautomer, 2'-cinnamoyl-3'-hydroxy-5'-methoxy-4',6',6'-trimethylcyclohexa-1',1-dienone MK2, terpenoids, stigmasta-4-en-3-one MK3 and stigmasta-4,22-diene-3,25-dione MK4, flavanone, 6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxy-2-phenylchroman-4-one MK5, benzyl benzoate MK6, oxybis(ethane-2,1-diyl) dibenzoate MK7, oxoaporphine alkaloids, liriodenine MK8 and atherospermidine MK9. All these compounds were isolated for the first time from Mitrella kentii species except for MK8. The isolated compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques and by comparison of their spectral data with those previously reported in the literatures.
For the bioactivities study, only the major compound; MK1 in this species was investigated further in the bioactivities. Firstly, the toxicity study on MK1 showed that there are no abnormal physiological or behavioural changes, body weight alteration at any time of observation at the doses used during the 14 days. The anti-ulcer experiment was performed for the MK1 and result showed that the rat pretreated with MK1, or omeprazole (standard) considerably reduced ulcer area formation compared to ulcer control group. MK1 at doses of 5, 10, 20 mg/kg b.w, was observed to inhibit ulcer formation by 69.77%, 90.18% and 86.56%, respectively. MK1 at doses 10 and 20 mg/kg protect stomach from ulceration significantly (p<0.05) higher than that obtained by omeprazole at dose 20 mg/kg with 79.07%. Therefore, MK1 demonstrated better result than omeprazole.
In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity experiment also showed that MK1 represents minimum inhibitory concentration MIC of >250 μg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration MBC >250 against H. pylori NCTC11637 strain and moderately MIC of 125 μg/ml and MBC of 250 μg/ml against H. pylori J99. Hence, MK1 displayed good result for anti- H. pylori effect. For the FRAP experiment, MK1 exhibited FRAP value of 120.7 ± 0.001 significantly (p < 0.05) which was lower than the positive controls used in this study; quercetin, 2046.7± 0.024, gallic acid, 2562.7± 0.024 and ascorbic acid, 879.3 ± 0.005, respectively. Meanwhile the DPPH assay did not show any significant inhibition in the dose dependant manner used in the study. Therefore, it can be concluded that MK1 exerts its antiulcer effect through indirect antioxidant mechanism. In addition, MK1 also maintained non protein sulfhydryl (NP-SH) content, glutathione (GSH) level, decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level but didn't affect nitric oxide (NO) level or cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity. MK1 also showed an increase 70 kilodalton heat shock proteins (HSP-70) activity and decrease of control Bax proteins expression in ulcerated tissue.


Teaching programming as a way to express ideas, communicate with others, and understand our world is one of the oldest goals for computing education. The inventor of the term "computer science" saw it as the third leg of STEM literacy. In this talk, I lay out the history of the idea of universal computational literacy, some of what it will take to get there, and how our field will be different when we do.


Efficient support of semantic location queries in distributed hash table (DHT) P2P systems is a key challenge. It is difficult to handle since object distribution criteria among data providers are not related to semantic criteria. This paper focus on range queries which are particularly expensive or impose strong restrictions in current proposals. We propose meta-data indexing to support queries involving inequalities and "like" operators in a scalable way. The proposed solution is portable, it can be used on top of any current DHT P2P system


A microwave thruster system that can convert microwave power directly to thrust without a gas propellant is developed. In the system, a cylindrical tapered resonance cavity and a magnetron microwave source are used respectively as the thruster cavity and the energy source to generate the electromagnetic wave. The wave is radiated into and then reflected from the cavity to form a pure standing wave with non-uniform electromagnetic pressure distribution. Consequently, a net electromagnetic thrust exerted on the axis of the thruster cavity appears, which is demonstrated through theoretical calculation based on the electromagnetic theory. The net electromagnetic thrust is also experimentally measured in the range from 70 mN to 720 mN when the microwave output power is from 80 W to 2500 W.


SUMMARY:
The research work on "PAKKAVAADHAM" was chosen with an intention to give
solace to the patients who are suffering from the disease. The author had a chance of
referring many siddha literatures and collected more information.
Medicines meant for research study where towards the patient is collected from both siddha system as well as modern system to medicine and a case sheet was
prepared. (Model case sheet is affixed at the end of this dissertation book)
Separate case sheets were maintained for every patient who were admitted in
the In-patient ward. Twenty patients were treated in the In-patient and another twenty
patients in the out patient ward. The internal medicine Manosilaikattu chenduram 100-
200 mg twice a day with neem oil after food and the external medicine Malkingini thylam
for the external application with Thokkanam at the sides where affected to the patients.
The patients who were also treating with Yogaasanam Piranaayaamam,
Thiyanam, Thokkanam, Varmam as supportive therapies along with main theraphy
have got good and quick relief than the other patients.
The favourable effects of the drugs of the treatment good relief was reported
within 10 days in mild cases, within 20 days in moderate cases and within 25 days in
severe cases. The follow up study was done in the out-patient department.
Exercises to affected limbs and face were also advised to all patients.
At the time of discharge relief or improvement was observed clinically and there
was maintenance of physiological conditions seen in all patients.
The twenty patients who were treated in out-patient ward also good relief.
Medicines were given to the patients until most of the symptoms were relieved as
per siddha medicine it was regarded as a cure from the disease.
No toxic or side effects were observed clinically or reportedly in any patients
during the course of treatment and the follow up study.
From the clinical study it could be inferred that treatment with trial drugs
considerably improves the functions of,
1. Viyaana, which is responsible for all the movement in the body and also sensory
and motor activities.
2. Abaanan, which is responsible for defaecation micturition, menstruation,
parturirtion and ejaculation.
3. Naagan, which is responsible for movement of the eye ball, laziness, lassitude,
quarrelling and arguing
4. Dhevathaththan which is responsible for movements of the eye ball, laziness,
lassitude, quarreling, arguing begging and much anger.
5. And samaanan which is responsible for normal digestion and correction of other
vaayus.
It could be also inferred that the trial drugs inhibit further vascular disorders and
regulate the other physiological and biological processes of the body.
Research findings reveal bout the disease and its impact in the body. Statistics
taken the help of details in the case sheet were give clear knowledge about the disease.
Available investigations in modern medicine were also considered for diagnosis
and to follow the prognosis of the patients.
The efficacy of the trial drugs were studied by bio-chemical analysis and pharmacological evaluations.
CONCLUSION:
When the internal medicine manosilai kattu chenduram administered to the pakka vaadham patient along with malkingini thailam for external application have a
good relief.
Good clinical improved was observed in 14 (70%) patient out of 20 in-patient and 12 (60%) out patient.
Moderate clinical improvement was observed in 2 patients out of 20 inpatients
and 4 out-patients.
Partially clinical improvement was observed in 4 patients out 20 in-patient and 4
out-patient ward.
Patient who had followed Yoga, Pranayamam, Thiyanam, Thokkanam, and Dietary advice have got good relief than others.
Because of engorging result clinically study may undertake with large number of patient with same drug with create a new era in the field of siddha medicine especially in the treatment of this diseases Pakkavadham. It may through light on relieving the patient from the clutches of crippling by this disease.


The prevalence ofvaricocele in second adulthood and elderly men was evaluated. It was found that varicocele in this age group occurs in 15.8 % of cases , whereas in men up to 35 years - in 18.3 % of cases. 88.5 % of men older than 35 years had children. Varicocele is often asymptomatic. The course of varicocele includes compensation and decompensation stages. Proportion of adulthood and elderly patients with decompensated stage ofvaricocele in the structure ofurological disease was 0.34 %. Pain is the main manifestation of varicocele at the stage of decompensation in second adulthood and elderly men. For surgical correction of varicocele in such patients, Sayfan technique seems appropriate, which uses transinguinal mini assess (2.5-3 cm incision) allowing to identify and eliminate most of the possible causes of pain: infantile hernia, benign tumors of adipose tissue, fibrotic changes in the tissues along the ilioinguinal nerve. This minimally invasive technique can be used in outpatient surgery. 18 patients underwent surgery using this technique. There were no early postoperative and long-term complications. At 1 to 3 years after surgery, 13 patients were re-examined, and relapses were not revealed.


In contrast to the traditional study of composites containing ellipsoidal inclusions, we highlight some calculated results for the effective moduli when the inclusion shape can be described by the superspherical equation, , such that when p = 2 it reduces to a sphere and when p → ∞ it becomes a perfect cube. We consider the cases of both aligned and randomly oriented superspherical inclusions with isotropic, cubic, and transversely isotropic properties, and show how the shape parameter, p, affects the overall moduli of the composites during the spherical to cuboidal transition.


Background: The aim of this study was to study the level of the WHO drug use indicators and drug prescription indicators in the OPD of orthopedics department and find out the rationality of use of various drugs.
Materials & Methods: An observational, prospective, descriptive, study of prescription patterns of 200 patients for six months duration in 2013 was done. Patients demographic details were noted on predesigned forms downloaded from WHO website. Considering WHO indicators of drug utilization & prescription indicators, Generic name and cost of the drugs were evaluated using Indian drug review 2014. NLEM 2011 was used.
Results: Of the 200 patients, 60.2% were male and 39.8% females. About 70.7% patients coming to OPD are senior citizens having Cold orthopedics causes like  low back pain, cervical & lumbar radicular pain, Rheumatoid ,Gouty arthritis, stiffeness of joints, Cervical Spondylities, Osteoporosis etc. requiring mainly medicines only. Around 29.3% patients were fractures related complications. Analgesics(39.6%), NSAID, Tramadol plus Paracetamol fixed drug combinations, Diclofenac, Aceclofenac, Piroxicam were the most common. Average drugs per prescription were 5.1. Polypharmacy is the rule. Analgesics(39.6%) were used in most of the cases. Second were peptic ulcer prevention drugs(20.2%). Third were anti-microbials(19.6%). Around 98% drugs were branded. NLEM drugs were 84% were from essential drug list. Oral route was common in 99%. Injectables were less than 1%. Topical gels containing Diclofenac, Methyl Salicylate, transdermal Fantanyl are used in inflammatory conditions. Senior citizens 20.2% were already receiving anti-hypertensives and anti-diabetics, anti-gout drugs anti-anginal, Glucosamines, Vitamin D & Calcium(5.7%) etc. Mean cost of drugs per prescription was Rs. 250 INR. Because of chronic nature duration of drugs was mentioned only in 74%. The frequency of drug administration was recorded in 100% cases.
Conclusion: Polypharmacy is the rule, use of generic drugs is also very low, Rational use of drugs must be promoted through regular interaction between pharmacology and orthopedics department. Regular workshops on rational drug use should be organized. There are seasonal variations which need to be further be explored in larger population for longer duration.

Keywords: OPD, Rheumatoid arthritis, Gout, Rational, Irrational, NSAIDS. Cold Orthopedics. National model list of essential medicines, NLEM, EDL, DMARDs, Transdermal patches, gels


This is an in-depth, vibrantly illustrated survey of palm-leaf architecture: its history and traditions, its present and its future. Traditional buildings made from the leaves of date palms have provided shelter from the extreme climate of the Arabian peninsula for centuries. In many regions this is referred to as Arish. The book contains five sections: an overview in historical photographs; a comparison of regional variations in the United Arab Emirates; a focus on architectural and stylistic details; contemporary applications; and, a resources section, including a step-by-step introduction to the making of Arish, from raw material to built form. Sandra Piesik, who has worked extensively in the United Arab Emirates, celebrates this unique, indigenous building and craft tradition and provides the foundation for a genuine understanding of the region, critical in the context of the fast-developing global economy it has become today.