Risk narratives are of increasing importance in contemporary social life in that they help in understanding and anticipating the shifts that characterise our late modern landscape. Our qualitative research explores risk as it relates to violence toward street-based sex workers in a suburban Australian setting. Female street-based sex workers represent a highly stigmatised and marginalised group. International studies report that they experience high levels of sexual violence perpetrated by male clients and our empirical work with street-based sex workers in Adelaide, South Australia concurs with this finding. Despite many creative and specialized skills workers reported drawing upon to minimise the risk of violence to themselves, we argue that a socio-cultural lens is vital to viewing risk in this context. We argue that in order to effect change, risk must be disembedded from increasingly individualized discourses, since it is through the personalisation of risk that violence becomes legitimised as an occupational hazard in street-based sex work.


Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States today. Prior to menopause women have lower rates of heart disease than men; however, after menopause a woman's risk for heart disease rises dramatically. This is thought to be due the ovaries' decreased production of estradiol, but the mechanisms for this effect have not been fully elucidated. The need exists to investigate the impact of healthy lifestyles on attenuating the risk of cardiovascular disease in women as they age. The majority of research on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has focused on the biomedical model suggesting that menopause reflects an estrogen "deficiency" and is treatable by pharmaceutical intervention. Little information is available that views menopause from a broader perspective which includes psychological and social factors. This research tested the hypothesis that postmenopausal women who practice positive lifestyle interventions, such as health supporting diets and regular exercise, will demonstrate positive biological, social and psychological outcomes independent of HRT. Seventy healthy postmenopausal women, aged 48-66, who had experienced a surgical or natural menopause were categorized into one of three groups: (1) no hormone replacement therapy (n = 36); (2) estrogen only (n = 11); and (3) estrogen and progestin (n = 23). Subjects donated a fasting blood sample and completed a comprehensive lifestyle and medical questionnaire that gathered information regarding health, menopause, decision making, self-esteem, and mood states. Subjects also completed a food frequency and three-day food diary. Anthropometric measurements were performed to determine body mass index and waist hip ratios. Biological assays of collected blood samples included estradiol and progesterone concentrations, lipid profiles, serum beta-carotene and vitamin E in total serum and in LDL, total antioxidants and the resistance of LDL to oxidation. Results indicated that lifestyle factors including quality of dietary intake, duration and intensity of exercise, and body weight may be better predictors of disease risk than use of HRT in postmenopausal women. Results suggest that, regardless of hormone use, positive lifestyle interventions will provide improved quality of life in women as they age.


This paper presents a water resources management strategy developed by the Brazilian National Water Agency (ANA) to cope with the conflicts between water users in the Verde Grande River basin, located at the southern border of the Brazilian semi-arid region. The basin is dominated by water-demanding fruit irrigation agriculture, which has grown significantly and without adequate water use control, over the last 30 years. The current water demand for irrigation exceeds water availability (understood as a 95 % percentile of the flow duration curve) in a ratio of three to one, meaning that downstream water users are experiencing more frequent water shortages than upstream ones. The management strategy implemented in 2008 has the objective of equalizing risk for all water users and consists of a set of rules designed to restrict water withdrawals according to current river water level (indicative of water availability) and water demand. Under that rule, larger farmers have proportionally larger reductions in water use, preserving small subsistence irrigators. Moreover, dry season streamflow is forecasted at strategic points by the end of every rainy season, providing evaluation of shortage risk. Thus, water users are informed about the forecasts and corresponding restrictions well in advance, allowing for anticipated planning of irrigated areas and practices. In order to enforce restriction rules, water meters were installed in all larger water users and inefficient farmers were obligated to improve their irrigation systems' performance. Finally, increases in irrigated area are only allowed in the case of annual crops and during months of higher water availability (November to June). The strategy differs from convectional approached based only on water use priority and has been successful in dealing with natural variability of water availability, allowing more water to be used in wet years and managing risk in an isonomic manner during dry years.


We report on the electrochemical stability of hole polarons in three conjugated polymers probed by resonant Raman spectroscopy. The materials considered are all isostructural to poly(3-hexyl)thiophene, where thiazole units have been included to systematically deepen the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO). We demonstrate that increasing the thiazole content planarizes the main conjugated backbone of the polymer and improves the electrochemical stability in the ground state. However, these more planar thiazole containing polymers are increasingly susceptible to electrochemical degradation in the polaronic excited state. We identify the degradation mechanism, which targets the C=N bond in the thiazole units and results in disruption of the main polymer backbone conjugation. The introduction of thiazole units to deepen the HOMO energy level and increase the conjugated backbone planarity can be beneficial for the performance of certain optoelectronic devices, but the reduced electrochemical stability of the hole polaron may compromise their operational stability.


New data were presented at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections that further support the importance of considering the neuroeffectiveness of antiretroviral drugs when designing treatment regimens. Two studies linked antiretroviral therapy that had estimates of better neuroeffectiveness with better global neuropsychologic outcomes in life. A third study linked estimates of better antiretroviral therapy neuroeffectiveness, particularly nonnucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors, with a lower prevalence of HIV-associated brain pathology at death. Additional findings presented at the conference focused on the correlates of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and peripheral neuropathy. Supporting the concept that viral factors influence the pathogenesis of HAND, high frequencies of HAND were identified in people infected with HIV subtype D and in people infected with subtype B and having brain-specific mutations in V3 of gp160. Supporting the importance of host correlates of HAND, important data from a macaque study identified a strong link between a major histocompatibility complex class I allele, Mane-A*10, and simian immunodeficiency virus encephalitis. Supporting the importance of comorbidities in determining risk for HAND, high levels of lipopolysaccharide in blood, likely derived from the HIV-injured intestine and bacterial translocation, were linked to HAND. Coinfections with JC virus or Treponema pallidum were topics of other presentations, identifying a prognostic marker for PML (better CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses were associated with survival) and a diagnostic one for neurosyphilis (CXCL13 levels in CSF).


Previous studies have investigated the role of volatile anaesthetic agents in myocardial protection during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and some have identified beneficial effects. However, these studies have been too small to identify a significant effect on myocardial infarction (MI) or mortality. We undertook a systematic overview and meta-analysis of all randomized trials comparing volatile with non-volatile anaesthesia in CABG surgery. We identified 27 trials that included 2979 patients. There was no significant difference in myocardial ischaemia, MI, intensive care unit length of stay or hospital mortality between the groups (allP>0.05). Post-bypass, patients randomized to receive volatile anaesthetics had 20% higher cardiac indices (P=0.006), significantly lower troponin I serum concentrations (P=0.002) and lesser requirement for inotropic support (P=0.004) compared with those randomized to receive i.v. anaesthetics. Duration of mechanical ventilation was reduced by 2.7 h (P=0.04), and there was a 1 day decrease in hospital length of stay (P<0.001). Some of these outcomes were based on a smaller number of trials because of incomplete data, largely because the individual trials focused on one or more surrogate endpoints. We found some evidence that volatile anaesthetic agents provide myocardial protection in CABG surgery, but larger adequately powered trials with agreed, defined outcomes need to be done to fully assess a possible beneficial effect of volatile anaesthetic agents on the risk of MI and mortality. Br J Anaesth 2006; 97: 127–36


An analytical compact drain current model for undoped (or lightly doped) short-channel triple-gate fin-shaped field-effect transistors (finFETs) is presented, taking into account quantum-mechanical and short-channel effects such as threshold-voltage shifts, drain-induced barrier lowering, and subthreshold slope degradation. In the saturation region, the effects of series resistance, surface roughness scattering, channel length modulation, and saturation velocity were also considered. The proposed model has been validated by comparing the transfer and output characteristics with device simulations and with experimental results. The good accuracy and the symmetry of the model make it suitable for implementation in circuit simulation tools.


This round of Euro-Barometer surveys focused on the current status of the European Community (EC), assessing respondents' awareness of and attitudes toward (1) the EC's activities and institutions, (2) various aspects of the Maastricht Treaty and the European Union, (3) EC policies, and (4) the European Parliament's work. A special set of questions focused on issues facing European societies, including family values and attitudes toward immigrants and people in other countries. Respondents were asked to rank their level of interest in European politics, and to indicate their level of support for the unification of Western Europe, including: (a) the degree to which they found European unification personally important, (b) whether they thought membership in the EC was a good thing, (c) whether membership would benefit their country, and (d) how they would feel if the EC were eliminated. They also rated how well they thought democracy worked in the EC and in their own country. Awareness of European institutions was measured by questions on how much respondents knew about the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Court, the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, and others. Several questions concerned the presidency of the EC's Council of Ministers, then held by Denmark. In addition, participants were asked about their knowledge of and attitudes toward the Maastricht Treaty on European Union and the proposed European Monetary Union. This section of the questionnaire explored the Maastricht Treaty's implications for national and EC control of drug traffic, crime, defense, immigration, and a number of other areas of public policy. With regard to defense policy, respondents were asked specifically whether the EC should intervene militarily in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. Opinions were obtained on the formation of a European Union with a European government responsible to the European Parliament. The Single European Market, in operation since January 1, 1993, was the topic of several questions, including whether respondents regarded the Single Market with hope or fear, and whether they had yet had any direct experience with the Single Market. In anticipation of the first general election of a European Parliament by the European Community's citizens in June 1994, the survey assessed respondents' awareness of the European Parliament, their overall impressions of its work, and opinions about its role in policymaking. Participants' intentions to vote and reasons for not voting in the upcoming election were also solicited. A special focus of this Euro-Barometer was the family, its composition and personal importance to respondents, and family values. The respective roles of mother and father in various parenting tasks were explored. The trend for grown children to stay at home longer was evaluated by respondents as good or bad for the children and the parents. Respondents assessed the priority for government policy on a number of family issues, such as infant care leave, availability of child care, availability of housing, and flexible working hours. Citizens' opinions of other European peoples and countries were sought through questions asking how much trust respondents placed in the people of various EC countries (as well as the United States, Japan, and Russia), which countries they favored becoming part of the European Community, and which citizens of other countries ought to be able to work and reside in the European Community. A number of questions concerned immigration and its effects on the European Community. Opinions were also solicited about Summer Time, a move to prolong daylight by putting clocks forward one hour from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in September. As in previous Euro-Barometers, questions on political party preference asked respondents which party they felt closest to, how they voted in their country's last general election, and how they would vote if a general election were held the next day. Additional information was gathered on life satisfaction, family income, number of people residing in the home, size of locality, home ownership, trade union membership, region of residence, occupation of the head of household, and the respondent's age, sex, education, religion, religiosity, subjective social class standing, socio-professional status, languages spoken, access to and use of media, left-right political self-placement, and opinion leadership.


Objectives Historically VPS failure and infection rates are higher for neonates than for older children. We compared our one year VPS failure and infection rates in under 3-month-olds with those of older children. Design A retrospective, single centre study comparing 1 year survival and infection rates of VPS in under 3-month-olds verses older children. Subjects 58 children under 3 months of age underwent VPS insertion between January 2007 and December 2016. Methods Data was collected by three independent reviewers from electronic files and case notes. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and one year shunt survival curves were produced. Results For children under 3 months there was a 29.3% one-year shunt failure rate, of which 2 were shunt infections (3.4%). In patients greater than 3 months, the shunt malfunction rate was 23.4% and the infection rate was 4.3%. There were no shunt-related mortalities in either group. Conclusions Children under 3-months-old undergoing VPS insertion should not automatically expect an increased 1 year failure or infection rate compared with older children. Reasons for this may be increased sub-specialisation, improved neonatal care and use of antibiotic impregnated catheters.


Aerosol physiochemical properties over a varied mining plateau region at the eastern end of a monsoon trough are reported for the first time and analyzed at different time scales. Aerosol optical depth (single scattering albedo, SSA) is found to be 0.49 (0.9) in pre-monsoon, 0.4 (0.94) in monsoon, 0.46 (0.92) in post-monsoon, and 0.36 (0.89) in winter, with an annual mean of 0.43 (0.91). The volume-size distribution is tri-modal, with 0.02 (ultra-fine), 0.2 (accumulation) and 7 (coarse) µm, but with seasonal signatures. The angstrom exponent (AE) varies along with the AOD, especially in winter, although they are inversely related to each other during monsoons; the increase in size may be due to the effect of humidity. AODbc varies between 13.4%–4.7% of the total aerosols, with the highest contribution in March, when forest burning in the north east is at its peak. BC is the lowest in July, the mid monsoon month with the minimum biomass burning and brick-kiln activities. It is likely that the interactions of various minerals and intermittent rains help keep the aerosol size in a mixed state with regard to the relation between AE and AOD, although more work is needed to confirm this. The chemical composition of aerosols is derived from an aerosol chemical model based on the measured amount of black carbon and the assumed components. These components are selected based on back trajectories and earlier reports from the region. Their concentrations are adjusted by constraining the model output AOD and SSA to match (±2% @ 500 nm) that observed by a sun-sky radiometer. The chemical compositions of the winter and post-monsoon months are similar, while pre-monsoon period has more coarse mode minerals, and the monsoon period has more sea-salt (accu.). The component mass concentrations were grouped into various size bins based on their modal radii, and the results indicate that PM1 is at its maximum in winter whereas PM2.5 is highest in the post-monsoon period. Monsoons leads to the effective washout of 2.5–10 µm sized particles.


Due to the widespread application of geographic information systems (GIS) and GPS technology and the increasingly mature infrastructure for data collection, sharing, and integration, more and more research domains have gained access to high-quality geographic data and created new ways to incorporate spatial information and analysis in various studies. There is an urgent need for effective and efficient methods to extract unknown and unexpected information, e.g., co-location patterns, from spatial datasets of high dimensionality and complexity. A co-location pattern is defined as a subset of spatial items whose instances are often located together in spatial proximity. Current co-location mining algorithms are unable to quantify the spatial proximity of a co-location pattern. We propose a co-location pattern miner aiming to discover co-location patterns in a multidimensional spatial data by measuring the cohesion of a pattern. We present a model to measure the cohesion in an attempt to improve the efficiency of existing methods. The usefulness of our method is demonstrated by applying them on the publicly available spatial data of the city of Antwerp in Belgium. The experimental results show that our method is more efficient than existing methods.


Aim and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the morbidity profile and health care needs of elderly veterans and their elderly dependants residing in an urban gated society. Methodology: This cross -sectional observational study was done by house to house survey of veterans and their dependents more than 60 years residing in gated urban cooperative housing society. A predesigned questionnaire to assess the comorbidities (lifestyle diseases, geriatric syndromes, and reversible disabilities) and perceived health-care needs was administered. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by SPSS 22 software. Results: Four hundred and six elderly veterans and their dependents were interviewed, which included 53.7% females. The mean age was 71.69 years. It was noted that 14.5% of the veterans were staying alone and required the help of a caregiver hired from outside. Chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs) were common with more than 70% of veterans having two or more comorbidities. Hypertension was the commonest disease with a prevalence of 51.5% followed by diabetes (30.8%), decreased vision (28.6%), dental problems (25.1%), osteoarthritis (19.7%), and hearing impairment (18.7%). Only 4.2% of the subjects gave history of falls. Malignancy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were reported by 3% each. Dementia was prevalent in 14.5% of the subjects. The greatest felt needs of the elderly were: A separate geriatric outpatient clinic, availability of transport for elderly within the hospital, separate queues at the dispensary and blood collection centres, and a geriatric helpline. Conclusion: CNCDs were present in more than 80% of elderly subjects surveyed. Hypertension was the commonest comorbidity followed by diabetes. Potentially, treatable disabilities were seen in one-third of the veterans. Separate geriatric clinic, separate facility for dispensing medicine, and blood collection centers and a geriatric helpline were the most felt needs by the elderly veterans and their dependents.


Studying Arabic nominal sentences is important to analyze and annotate successfully Arabic corpora. This type of sentences is frequent in Arabic text and speech. Transducers can be used to realize local grammars and treat several linguistic phenomena. In this paper, we propose a parsing approach for Arabic nominal sentences using transducers. To do this, we first study the typology of the Arabic nominal sentence indicating its different forms. Then, we develop a set of lexical and syntactic rules dealing with this type of sentences and respecting the specificity of the Arabic language. After that, we present our parsing approach based on the transducers and on certain principles. In fact, this approach allows the annotation of Arabic nominal sentences but also the Arabic verbal ones. Finally, we present an idea about the implementation and experimentation of our approach in NooJ platform. The obtained results are satisfactory.


Romano Prodi's speech describes the competitive scenario of the European Industry. In particular he analyzes its relations with United States, China, and the Mediterranean countries. He also investigates the impact on the economic and social equilibrium of the European Union of the introduction of the Euro and of the enlargement to the Eastern countries.


'Engaging With Everyday Sounds' is a rich and inspiring exploration of the role of sounds in everyday life, including their impact on human actions, emotions, and imagination. Marcel Cobussen intertwines sonic studies with philosophy, sound art, sociology and more to create an impressively lucid and innovative guide to sonic materialism, calling for a re-sensitization to our acoustic environment and arguing that everyday sounds have (micro)political, social, and ethical impact to which we should attend.
 Exploring the intellectual history of sound studies as well as local, global, and temporal sonic geographies, Cobussen weaves audio files, images, and journal excerpts into his work to create a multimodal monograph that explores the relationships of humans, nonhumans, and their environments through sound. This accessible and interdisciplinary collection of short, powerful essays will be valuable reading for both academics and the general reader interested in sound studies, sound art, philosophy, or the sociology of everyday life—and for anyone keen to think about the sonic in new and engaging ways.


In April 2005, Alexandra was the owner of an Australian farm that produced olives, including Kalamata table olives. Alexandra had invested in the expansion of her farm in anticipation of the evolution of her market from domestic trade in Australia to international export. There was, however, a disruptive dispute before a WTO tribunal between Australia and the EU regarding the protection of Geographical Indications, which identify a product's origins and are treated as trademarks in some respects by international trade rules. Though Alexandra prepared her Kalamata olives in the traditional Kalamata technique, her use of the regionally specific name was threatened by the intellectual property rights provided by GIs. The case focuses on what should be the legal outcome of the WTO dispute, as well as possible business strategies by Alexandra in the event of an adverse outcome to Australia.


Abstract The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small seabird found on the western coast of North America, listed as federally threatened in the US. It has been in decline for a prolonged period over most of its range. To better understand this population trend, we analyzed relative abundance from at-sea survey transects of Marbled Murrelets throughout the California, Oregon, and Washington region, 2001–2017. We assessed the consistency of trends at different spatial extents, evidence of among-region movements, and consistency between long-term trends and published estimates of demographic parameters. Yearly changes in population survey estimates in Oregon and northern California versus Washington were negatively correlated, suggesting significant bird movement between the 2 regions. Observed declines in the north and gains in the south may be due to Marbled Murrelet movements rather than differing regional demographics. Annual fluctuations were, in some cases, greater than what observed at-sea recruitment rates would allow for the species, especially at the state and zone scales, and were more variable by year in smaller regions. Trends for smaller spatial extents did not align with the 3-state stable trend estimate, suggesting that larger survey regions may be more reliable. The lifespan/recruitment rate scenarios that would allow persistence (λ=1) were also evaluated. Recruitment levels of 0.06/y require a longevity of 16.7 y for population stability, whereas a 0.1/y recruitment only requires a 10-y lifespan. Better resolution of Marbled Murrelet movement and vital rates is needed to resolve the contradiction between demographic analyses that project population declines and the observed stability of Marbled Murrelets quantified through the 3-state at-sea survey transects.


Background: Several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been implemented across the world to control the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic Social distancing (SD) interventions applied so far have included school closures, remote working and quarantine These measures have been shown to have large impacts on pandemic influenza transmission However, there has been comparatively little examination of such measures for COVID-19 Methods: We examined the existing literature, and collated data, on implementation of NPIs to examine their effects on the COVID-19 pandemic so far Data on NPIs were collected from official government websites as well as from media sources Results: Measures such as travel restrictions have been implemented in multiple countries and appears to have slowed the geographic spread of COVID-19 and reduced initial case numbers We find that, due to the relatively sparse information on the differences with and without interventions, it is difficult to quantitatively assess the efficacy of many interventions Similarly, whilst the comparison to other pandemic diseases such as influenza can be helpful, there are key differences that could affect the efficacy of similar NPIs Conclusions: The timely implementation of control measures is key to their success and must strike a balance between early enough application to reduce the peak of the epidemic and ensuring that they can be feasibly maintained for an appropriate duration Such measures can have large societal impacts and they need to be appropriately justified to the population As the pandemic of COVID-19 progresses, quantifying the impact of interventions will be a vital consideration for the appropriate use of mitigation strategies


Abstract : The Department of Defense (DoD) relies on the para-dropping of resources to meet different objectives in order to accomplish missions during peace-time, war-time, or military operations other than war. The resources dropped to the ground via parachute range from supplies and equipment to the most valued asset, people. Tactics have been developed to increase the safety of troops parachuting into areas of conflict. These tactics include high-altitude high-opening (HAHO) jumping and night jumping. HAHO jumping allows paratroopers to travel large distances in the air away from the path of the delivering aircraft. While night jumping, done with the aid of night vision goggles (NVGs), provides paratroopers with the cover of night. Both of these tactics aid in avoiding detection. These techniques, however, have their drawback: low cloud cover and fog can often delay mission accomplishment due to a lack of visibility. However, low cloud cover and foggy conditions also provide a tremendous aid in covert insertion missions and enhance the element of surprise. This research introduces a novel application combining three-dimensional graphics and GPS for a primary navigation reference for paratroopers. It uses three-dimensional graphics to realistically portray a paratrooper's movement in the physical world, measured by GPS, as movement in a computer generated scene. This reference, presented as a heads-up display on the NGVs paratroopers already wear, facilitates mission accomplishment in cloudy and foggy conditions. Evaluation of a prototype system validates the effectiveness of such a three-dimensional navigation reference for paratroopers.


The Cincinnati Post published its last edition on New Year's Eve 2007, leaving the Cincinnati Enquirer as the only daily newspaper in the market. The next year, fewer candidates ran for municipal once in the suburbs most reliant on the Post, incumbents became more likely to win re-election, and voter turnout fell. We exploit a difference-in-diffrences strategy comparing changes in outcomes before and after the Post's closure in suburbs where the newspaper offered more or less intensive coverage and the fact that the Post's closing date was fixed 30 years in advance to rule out some non-causal explanations for these results. Although our findings are statistically imprecise, they demonstrate that newspapers even underdogs such as the Post, which had a circulation of just 27,000 when it closed can have a substantial and measurable impact on public life.


An analytical method was developed to predict the heavy-ion-induced upset rate of static random access memory (SRAM) cells. The method was applied to the design of a memory with asymmetrical cells where the goal was to increase the upset rate in order to increase the number of observed upsets in a space environment. The asymmetry is achieved by increasing the drain area of selected transistors in the cell. Results from the analytical model for a space environment indicate the upset rate for the experimental asymmetrical cell (17.2 upsets/l kbit-year) will be 4.7 times larger than the upset rate for the minimum-geometry balanced cell (3.6 upsets/ 1 kbit-year). The asymmetrical SRAM was designed into a test chip intended for the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES).


Majority of people who might benefit from mental health care either opt not to pursue it or do not fully adhere to treatment regimes once begun. They choose not to pursue mental health services because they do not want to be labeled a "mental patient" or suffer the prejudice and discrimination that the label entails. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of self esteem, locus of control and self efficacy on self and perceived stigma among mentally ill patients. Also, to examined the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in symptoms reduction. The first stage of the study as a cross sectional study which adopted expost-facto design. The sample size is one hundred and thirty (130 patients) with mean age of forty (16-65) and the standard deviations .456. For the intervention stage, the researcher adopted quasi-experimental design with ten (10) participants. The instrument for data collection was Rosenberg self-esteem scale, Perceived self-efficacy scale, Craig locus of control scale, Self stigma scale and perception of stigmatization scale. The result indicated that self esteem has a significant effect on self-stigma (t=5.35, df=118, p<.001). Also, there was significant effect of self-efficacy on patients self-stigma (t=2.80, df=118, p<.001). In addition, there was a significant interactive effect of selfefficacy and locus of control on perceived stigma (F(1,116) 9.54, p<.001). The study was able to establish the efficacy of Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in improvement of self-esteem (t=-8.67, df=18, p<.001), self efficacy (t=-9.16, df=18, p=<.001) and reduction of self stigmatization (t=8.24, df=18, p<.001). It is thereby concluded that self-esteem and self-efficacy significantly influence self-stigma. Also, there similarly, CBT also led to the reduction in self stigmatization among the patients. It is therefore recommended that certain psychological factors have been implicated in the level at which mental patients will perceive or stigmatize themselves. In addition, Cognitive behavioral therapy should be employed among mental health practitioner as a intervention package for reduction of self stigma among mentally ill patients. Keywords : Self-Esteem, Self-Stigma, Perceived Self-Efficacy, Locus Of Control Ife PsychologIA , 20(2), September 2012


: The aim of the study is to improve removal of trace organic contaminants dissolved in activated sludge by the process of filtration with membrane bioreactor combined with modified activated carbon, for a maximum removal of organic compounds characterized by low molecular weight. Special treatment was conducted in laboratory on activated carbon. Tow reaction parameters: The pH of aqueous middle and the type of granular activated carbon were very important to improve the removal and to motivate the electrostatic Interactions of organic compounds with modified activated carbon in addition to physical adsorption, ligand exchange or complexation on the surface activated carbon. The results indicate that modified activated carbon has a strong impact in removal 21 of organic contaminants and in percentage of 100% of the process.


Following the largely unimpressive performance of the public sector in the provision of solid waste services in many cities of African countries, the search for alternative strategies for addressing this challenge became inevitable. One of the strategies is the involvement of the private sector in solid waste management. As of today, the contribution by the private sector to solid waste service provision is now a common phenomenon in most cities in developing countries. However, SWM cannot be easily left to be handled by the private sector alone because it has strong external effects and markets may not achieve socially acceptable levels of equity. Therefore, public intervention is necessary for example in form of regulation of the private sector. Public intervention has sometimes involved governments allocating huge sums of money for beautification of cities especially when major events are hosted in those cities with upgrading of waste management services given a special consideration. Even without government involvement, a proportion of people who make a living from activities in the informal sector have played a big role in solid waste management in many cities in the developing world. Despite the active involvement of many actors in SWM and the policies and initiatives introduced and implemented in recent decades in East Africa, many urban centres are still facing major problems. Even where successes have been registered, the question is whether that success can be sustained for a long time. This study addresses the situation of household waste collection in Kampala. It is one of the key factors in ensuring the health and safety of the population. This study is part of the Partnerships for Research on Viable Environmental Infrastructure in East Africa (PROVIDE), towards sustainable waste water and solid waste infrastructures in East African cities. It contributes to the PROVIDE project by addressing issues of governance and management of solid waste in Kampala. The study's contribution is a deeper understanding of the various actors in solid waste collection and the performance of the interventions and policies so far implemented in the solid waste management sector in Kampala. Specifically, the study compares the operations and assesses the effectiveness of public and private provision of solid waste collection in Kampala; examines the effect of removal of communal containers popularly known as 'skips' in Kampala; examines how the informal sector co-exists with the formal sector in solid waste collection in Kampala and lastly examines the environmental legacies related to solid waste management from hosting the 2007 CHOGM event in Uganda. Chapter two compares the operations and discusses the effectiveness of public and private sector provision of solid waste collection in Kampala, Uganda. Household data suggest that the private sector is more effective than the public sector. Private sector companies provide services like container provision and providing timely and fixed collection time tables. Contrary to popular perception, fees charged by private companies are moderate. Public sector clients are charged fees even when the service is supposed to be free. Clients of private sector providers are more satisfied than those of public sector providers. It is however, revealed that while public sector serve mainly the low incomes, the private sector serves mainly the rich. In spite of these notable differences, clients of both public and private sector perceive the problem of solid waste management (SWM) in Kampala to be very serious. The effectiveness of public and private sector operations in solid waste collection in Kampala is hampered by corruption and lack of transparency. Chapter three examines the impact of the removal of communal containers (skips) in Kampala. From the analysis related to the choices made and the perceptions after most of the skips were removed, the major alternative to skips was the use of the commercial services, mainly private sector's services. When asked to rate the skips system, the respondents in the surveys indicated a strong association of skips with lack of cleanliness. The lack of satisfaction with the skip system (and appreciation of the current system) was most notably recorded in high-income areas. On average the present system was much better evaluated. We found that the evaluation of skips is negatively affected by not only the income level of the neighbourhood but also the household income and education level. In addition, we found a weak positive effect of the current fees paid. The effects of income are strong enough to render the evaluation of the skips system equal, if not superior to the current system for the households with lower income and education and outside the rich areas. The removal of many of the skips not only induced the former skip-users to switch to commercial services, but also enabled many non-users of skips to avail of these services. The lowest benefits are derived from mere dumping and many households have chosen to abandon this practice in exchange for commercial solid waste collection services, typically much more expensive. Formerly many households paid people (informal workers) to take their waste to collection points, including the skips. These informal workers continued to do so, though some shifted to using commercial services especially (formal) private sector. The advent of the (formal) private sector thus led to a decrease of the demand for informal services. The evaluation by households of the waste disposal services before and after the removal of skips shows that richer households are clearly pleased with the removal, but that poorer households, particularly those with low levels of education do not feel better served than they were before. Chapter four addresses the co-existence of formal and informal providers in solid waste collection in Kampala. Study findings show that the informal collectors distinguish themselves from the formal waste collectors by providing 'first-line' services only, taking garbage away from households, but not taking this all the way to the dumpsite. They avoid regulation more than large firms. As the opportunities for restricting themselves to this stage are typically enhanced by KCC that offers (free-access) container services, informal collectors can be seen as structurally linked to the formal public sector. And the informal providers provide a cheaper, but lower rated level of service, and more often (but certainly not exclusively) to poorer households. The fairly large market shares of informal collectors can be explained by their competitiveness vis-a-vis the formal private sector: their fees are substantially lower than private sector fees. The informal collectors can do so as they provide less packaging material, have little equipment, and do not carry waste far. In fact they exploit the lapse in enforcement of environmental regulation. Their continued role next to public service provision is explained by them filling a niche in taking garbage from the households to collection points, while earning incomes at par with alternative occupations. Chapter five examines the environmental legacies of major events in cities of the developing world. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala is taken as a case study. Although CHOGM was not a mega-event (in terms of infrastructure construction, masses of people attending, and intense global media coverage), for Uganda and Kampala it was a major event with international visibility. Hence, significant efforts were made by the Uganda and Kampala authorities to invest in the city in the road towards CHOGM 2007. Solid waste management was one of the main areas that received additional resources and faced institutional changes. This resulted in considerable improvements in solid waste management practices during CHOGM, as could be expected. As solid waste management often differs throughout metropolitan cities in developing countries and major events are not equally spread over these cities one can expect that environmental legacies are unequally distributed over the city. Following CHOGM, we found that there are no longer significant different perceptions in solid waste management between Central and Kawempe divisions. Central division and Kawempe division are perceived as equally clean (or equally dirty), suggesting that solid waste management innovations are gradually spreading across divisions. In a more fine-tuned comparison between citizens living close to places where the CHOGM events took place and locations more peripheral to CHOGM, the distinction in solid waste management started to fade somewhat during CHOGM, but there are signs of a reemerging distinction, indicating the erosion of leveling effects. However, this does not dispute the fact that, one year after CHOGM, solid waste management was perceived to be still significantly better than before CHOGM. Generally, this research has shown the dynamics involved in the public and private provisioning of solid waste services. The reform initiatives introduced have had an impact on the general organization of SWM. What clearly comes out of this study are the challenges faced in public and private provisioning of solid waste services. It is also clear that certain policies like privatization if not well thought out could end up being not helpful to some sections of the population especially the marginalized ones. Finally, in agreement with the modernized mixtures approach, we can derive the conclusion that SWM initiatives and reforms are likely to have a positive impact if all actors and stakeholders are involved. The mixture of actors and strategies are required for solid waste management to improve for instance an appropriate mix of public and private service (formal and informal).


This chapter addresses the key issues of chemical plume mapping and tracing via swarm robots. First, the authors present the models of turbulent odor plumes with both non-buoyant and buoyant features, which can efficiently evaluate strategies for tracing plumes, identifying their sources in two or three-dimensions. Second, the authors use the Monte Carlo technique to optimize moth-inspired plume tracing via swarm robots under formation control, which includes a leader to perform plume tracing maneuvers and non-leaders to follow the leader during plume tracing missions. Third, the authors introduce a variety of robot-based plume tracers, including ground-based robots, autonomous underwater vehicles, or unmanned aerial vehicles. Finally, the authors prospect the further research in this area, e.g., applying swarm robots to detect oil or gas leak, or to investigate subsea chemical pollution and greenhouse gases.


In this paper we examine the relationship between the timing of food stamp receipt and consumption patterns. We combine data on state distribution dates of food stamps with scanner data on a panel of households purchases tracked between 2004 and 2011. We find that purchases of a variety of goods are meaningfully higher on receipt days, suggesting that recipients are very impatient. Additionally, and importantly, estimates indicate that when food stamp receipt days fall on weekends, total monthly consumption within the same households is affected. In particular, monthly purchases of beer are higher when food stamps are distributed on weekend rather than in months where benefits are distributed on weekdays. For these households, total beer purchases are between 4 and 5 percent higher in those months. Among households ineligible for food stamps, no effect is identified.


Essential oils and extracts of various species of edible and medicinal plants, herbs, and spices constitute very potent biological active agents. They have a complex composition, containing from a few to several hundred constituents, mainly hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds. Both, hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds are responsible for odors and flavors, generated by aromatic plants as secondary metabolites (Ebrahimi et al., 2008). Clove oil (CO) is an essential oil contained in the dried flower buds, leaves and stem of the tree Syzygiu aromaticum (Eastern Hemisphere) or Eugenia caryophyllata and Eugenia aromaticum (Western hemisphere) (Schmid, 1972). It has been used for centuries as an anesthetic for toothaches, headaches and joint pain (Shelef, 1983; Soto et al., 1995). Clove has received attention as an ideal fish anesthetic (Ackerman et al., 2002; Wagner et al., 2003; Hoskonen and Pirhonen, 2004; Roubach et al, 2005) and it has been used as a fragrant and flavoring agent in a variety of food and cosmetic products (Atsumi et al., 2001; Fujisawa et al., 2002., Ito et al., 2005). Eugenol (EG) (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) is the principal constituent of the essential CO, accounting for 90-95% of the total oil amount (Briozzo et al., 1989; Gulcin et al., 2010). It has a strong phenolic smell and sharp acrid taste (Mouchreck, 2000; Ozturz et al., 2005). This phenolic compound has shown several biological activities such as anti-inflammatory activity, analgesic activity, anti-oxidative activity and anti-bacterial activity. In the food industry, clove is often used in the form of ground, extracted essential oil or oleoresin, but always in a small amount due to its intense flavour. However, the use of CO could be a problem in industrial applications due to its high volatility and low stability. Hence, irritation the mucosa and skin, pungent taste, volatility, light sensitivity and poor water solubility make it unsuitable to use as such. Considering the effectiveness and convenience of the application of essential CO and its main compound EG, the introduction of these compounds into food and cosmetic products has many challenges. These food ingredients are susceptible of degradation due to environmental stress conditions such as temperature, humidity, light, oxygen, interaction with other food ingredients and volatility of the aromatic compounds. Encapsulation is the technique by which one material or a mixture of materials is coated with or entrapped within another material or system. The coated material is called active or core material, and the coating material is called shell, wall material, carrier or encapsulant. The development of microencapsulation products started in the 1950s with the research on pressure-sensitive coatings for the manufacture of carbonless copying paper (Green and Scheicher, 1955). Encapsulation technology is now well developed and accepted within the pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, foods and printing industries (Augustin et al., 2001; Heinzen, 2002). In food products, fats and oils, aromatic compounds and oleoresins, vitamins, minerals, colorants and enzymes have been encapsulated (Dziezak, 1988; Jackson and Lee, 1991; Shahidi and Han, 1993). The simplest form of microcapsules may consist of a core surrounded by a wall of uniform or non-uniform thickness. The core material may be composed of just one or several distinct types of ingredients whereas the carrier could be single or multilayered. The microcapsules are generally additives to a larger system and must be adapted to that system. Consequently, there are a number of performance requirements placed on microcapsules. A limited number of encapsulating methods exist (Versic, 1988) (Figure VI.1.1), but an enormous range of di?erent materials can be used including proteins, carbohydrates (CDs, MDs, gums) and lipids (Brazel, 1999). The choice of wall materials depends upon a number of factors including: expected product objectives and requirements; nature of the core material; process of encapsulation; economics and whether the coating material is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (US) or European Food Safety Authority (Europe) (Amrita et al., 1991) Being aware of the problems associated with the use of essential CO and its main compound EG, the aim of this study was using encapsulation as a tool in order to protect these sensitive bioactive compounds from degradation, eliminating unwanted effects and improving the effectiveness of their use in the industry.


The Third Generation ENose is an air quality monitor designed to operate in the environment of the US Lab on the International Space Station (ISS). It detects a selected group of analytes at target concentrations in the ppm regime at an environmental temperature range of 18 - 30 o C, relative humidity from 25 - 75% and pressure from 530 to 760 torr. This device was installed and activated on ISS on Dec. 9, 2008 and has been operating continuously since activation. Data are downlinked and analyzed weekly. Results of analysis of ENose monitoring data show the short term presence of low concentration of alcohols, octafluoropropane and formaldehyde as well as frequent short term unknown events.


Reactive microglia respond within hours to central nervous system ischemic injury as exhibited by increased surface molecules, including the scavenger receptor. It is at least several days after an insult, however, before these activated mononuclear phagocytes reach a peak of secretory activity with the release of neurotoxins. This period of cytotoxin secretion is associated with a delayed neuronal loss seen in tissues neighboring sites of ischemia. Microglia-suppressing drugs reduce tissue production of neurotoxic factors and improve functional outcome after ischemic injury. Immunosuppressive therapy may offer a means to reduce late neuronal damage associated with stroke. (Stroke. 1993;24[suppl 11:1-84-I-90.)


Background Sexual violence against women is a global phenomenon. This is a particular issue in South Africa, where it is estimated with evidence provided that up to half of all women will encounter gender-based and/or sexual violence from a partner during their lifetime. Therefore, evidence suggests that addressing the needs of women in South Africa is a priority. Objective This qualitative review aimed to explore the experiences of women seeking care from first contact healthcare facilities in South Africa after sexual violence and during follow-up care. Method This systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews and in line with a published protocol (PROSPERO, CRD42019121580) and searched six relevant databases in 2022. A total of 299 sources were screened, with 5 forming the overall synthesis. Results Two synthesised themes of women's experiences emerged at the time of reporting and during attendance at follow-up healthcare services. Conclusion South Africa does have an established legal framework for prosecution and can provide support for survivors of sexual violence through established Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs). The review identifies that survivors' needs are not clearly established when seeking medical attention initially nor identifying support or appropriate pathways. Contribution The review has the potential to characterise the support available for women, the type and nature of sexual violence and interventions that may be used by healthcare professionals to support survivors especially during follow-up care.


Copper reinforced by tungsten particles has high potential applications in the fields of electronics and electric contacts where high strength accompanied with good electrical conductivity is required. The effects of different scaling parameters (deformed volume, tungsten volume fraction and the tungsten particle size) affect the force needed for the machining of the W/Cu particle reinforced composites. W/Cu composites with different weight percentages of tungsten (80, 70 and 60 wt.%) were tested under compression loading. Different sizes of the compression specimens were tested; the specimen diameter DS was varied to be 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mm. The effect of the tungsten particle size was varied to be 10 and 30-m. The compression tests were done at strain rates of 0.1s-1. The experiments were carried out within a temperature range from 20 °C to 800°C. The mechanically tested specimens were metallographically investigated to determine the degree of deformation of the tungsten particles in different specimen geometries. A clear dependence of the flow stress on the volume of the deformed specimens and the tungsten volume fraction was found. This size effects were more obvious with increase of the tungsten volume fraction at lower temperatures. The metallographic investigation was helped to understand the observed size effect of the composites in relation to the volume fraction and the specimen size


Metal halide perovskite (MHP) derivatives, a promising class of optoelectronic materials, have been synthesized with a range of dimensionalities that govern their optoelectronic properties and determine their applications. We demonstrate a data-driven approach combining active learning and high-throughput experimentation to discover, control, and understand the formation of phases with different dimensionalities in the morpholinium (morph) lead iodide system. Using a robot-assisted workflow, we synthesized and characterized two novel MHP derivatives that have distinct optical properties: a one-dimensional (1D) morphPbI3 phase ([C4H10NO][PbI3]) and a 2D (morph)2PbI4 phase ([C4H10NO]2[PbI4]). To efficiently acquire the data needed to construct a machine learning (ML) model of the reaction conditions where the 1D and 2D phases are formed, data acquisition was guided by a diverse-mini-batch-sampling active learning algorithm, using prediction confidence as a stopping criterion. Querying the ML model uncovered the reaction parameters that have the most significant effects on dimensionality control. Based on these insights, we propose a reaction scheme that rationalizes the formation of different dimensional MHP derivatives in the morph-Pb-I system. The data-driven approach presented here, including the use of additives to manipulate dimensionality, will be valuable for controlling the crystallization of a range of materials over large reaction-composition spaces.


A protocol for the preparation of preserved flowers retaining natural color and texture of 'Moondust Velvet Blue' carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) was developed. This three-step process consists of soaking flowers in ethyl alcohol, then soaking them in polypropylene glycol, followed by a rinse with ethyl alcohol. Some kinds of flowers processed in this manner retained their natural color and texture for at least 6 months. The physicochemical properties of appropriate solvents used for retaining natural pigmentation and texture are discussed. This protocol is applicable to 13 kinds of flowers among 30 kinds of flowers tested and adds a new dimension to postharvest techniques for cut flowers.


A mathematical model for flue gas desulfurization using pyrolusite pulp in jet bubbling reactor (JBR) was described. Firstly, based on the concept of two stages mass balance with chemical reaction, two models were set up, for jet bubbling zone and rising bubble zone, respectively, according to the construction of JBR. The models consist of two coupling differential equations and were solved simultaneously by integral and separation of the variables. Then the SO2 absorption efficiency expression was developed, considering the great discrepancy existing between the gas-side mass transfer coefficients of the jet bubbling zone and gas bubble rising zone. The final expression associates SO2 absorption efficiency with process conditions and JBR structure parameters, which can give some instruction and guidance for the study of reactor operation process. Predicted results from the theoretical model, including effect of pH value of the pulp, flue gas temperature and inlet SO2 concentration of flue gas on SO2 absorption efficiency, were found to be in good agreement with experimental data obtained in a jet bubbling reactor. The model provides a basis for the process scale up and operating guide.


Abstract. The Liguria coastal region in Italy was affected by two heavy rainfall episodes and subsequent severe flooding that occurred at the end of October and the beginning of November 2011. In both cases, the very large accumulated precipitation maxima were associated with intense and quasi-stationary convective systems that developed near the coast, both related to orographic lift and similar low-level mesoscale flow patterns over the Ligurian Sea, giving rise to pronounced convergence lines. This study aims at analysing the main dynamical processes responsible for the onset, lifecycle, intensity and localisation/propagation of the precipitating systems, using the ISAC convection-permitting model MOLOCH applied at different spatial resolutions and comparing model output fields with available observations. The ability of the model in quantitative precipitation forecasting (QPF) is tested with respect to initial conditions and model horizontal resolution. Although precipitation maxima remain underestimated in the model experiments, it is shown that errors in QPF in both amount and position tend to decrease with increasing grid resolution. It is shown that model accuracy in forecasting rainfall amounts and localisation of the precipitating systems critically depends on the ability to represent the cold air outflow from the Po Valley to the Ligurian Sea, which determines the position and intensity of the mesoscale convergence lines over the sea. Such convergence lines controls, together with the lifting produced by the Apennines chain surrounding the coast, the onset of the severe convection.


The immune system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. The host may modulate periodontal inflammatory reactions and it determines variances in the individual susceptibility and in the periodontal disease progression speed. Osteoporosis and alcoholism are described as risk indicators of periodontal disease among the systemic acquired factors. Objective: The current study aims to analyze chronic alcohol consumption influence on induced periodontitis in rats presenting estrogen deficiency. Material and Methods: Sixty rats approximately 90 days old were used in the experiment; they were divided into two groups: correlated surgery (OVZ) or surgical ovariectomy simulation (SHAM). Each group was divided into three subgroups: (C) control diet, (A) ethanol containing 20% liquid diet and (I) par-fed control diet. Thirty days after castration the diet and the experimental periodontitis induction were kept for 56 days. Interproximal regions between the first and the second lower left molar and the respective contralateral site without periodontal disease induction were assessed for inflammatory features. Results: Hormone deficiency resulted in important inflammatory changes concerning the meaning of SHAM-C and OVZ-C. The ethanol diet has resulted in inflammatory changes to both groups SHAM-A and OVZ-A in the absence of periodontitis, with also greater severity when combined with ovariectomy. Conclusion: It was concluded that the association between estrogen deficiency and 20% ethanol was just relevant for sites without periodontitis disease induction, since it induces stronger severity in the inflammatory process in the presence of the inflammatory cells scattered in the conjunctive tissue and of the disorientation of periodontal ligament fibers. Keywords Alcoholism; Osteoporosis; Ovariectomy; Periodontal disease.


Abstract Cutting forces play a significant role in machining because they directly affect the mechanics of machining, the energy requirements, and the tool stability required. In this study, the cutting forces occurring during the turning of AISI 4340 material with 30 Rockwell C hardness scale have been analyzed both experimentally and numerically. Many types of research have been conducted via 2-D simulation using the finite element analysis method. In other words, in most studies, the workpiece was modeled as a flat specimen. Therefore, this paper presents a real 3-D turning simulation model using cylindrical specimens. The cutting forces were measured using a Kistler 9129AA model piezoelectric dynamometer. The ABAQUS/Explicit finite element method was used, and a model by Johnson and Cook was assigned as a material model in the numerical analysis. A new PVD AlTiN coated carbide insert was incorporated to prevent wear. Experimental results obtained from cutting tests were compared with numerical results to establish the accuracy of the FEM. It was observed that experimental and numerical results overlapped each other. Thus, this method can be used directly in the industry to reduce high processing costs.


Nuclear magnetic resonance and the Overhauser effect type dynamic nuclear polarization experiments were performed to study suspensions of asphaltene in the xylene isomers at a low magnetic field of 1.44 mT at room temperature. Intermolecular spin-spin interactions occur between nuclear spins of hydrogen in the solvent medium and the free electron spins in the asphaltene micelles. The samples were prepared in three different asphaltene concentrations at vacuum. The samples were waited for four years and dynamic nuclear polarization parameters were found via dynamic nuclear polarization experiments performed again. Thus, it was investigated the effect of sample age to dynamic nuclear polarization parameters. In addition, the medium concentrations of each sample were exposed to radiation for 48 hours and neutron radiation effects to the dynamic nuclear polarization parameters were investigated. The results are discussed.


Changes in bone characteristics during soft tissue putrefaction were investigated over 140
days, equating to between 638 and 1450 cumulative cooling degree days (CCDD)
depending on ambient temperature using a porcine experimental model in surface and
burial depositions. The hypothesis that changes observed in bone characteristics during
soft tissue putrefaction could be utilised for possible forensic applications was proved.
Human bones were tested for comparison. The techniques used were colorimetric
analysis of staining, measurement of micro-crack lengths (in the order of 0.1 to 1.0 mm)
on fractured bone surfaces under scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled
plasma optical emission spectroscopy elemental profiling, thermogravimetric analysis
(TGA), zoological mass spectrometry profiling non-collagenous peptide content, and
Vickers hardness testing. The findings pertaining to the experimental porcine bone
samples were as follows. Stain colour did not equalise between periosteal and fractured
cortical bone surfaces. The fracture is widely considered perimortem if said surfaces are
homogeneous in colour and postmortem if different. Observed inconsistences in colour
change limit the potential of this technique as a potential forensic test of postmortem
interval (PMI). After 28 CCDD, shorter intersecting micro-cracks changed to longer
linear micro-cracks tracking lamellae. A longitudinal to tangential Vickers hardness (HV)
ratio of 1.5 to 1 associated with minimal decomposition indicated 250 CCDD or less
elapsed. The same ratio associated with marked decomposition indicated 1450 CCDD or
more elapsed. A ratio of less than 1:1 indicated 250 to 1450 CCDD. Decreases in iron,
sodium and potassium concentrations associated with tissue fluids can determine if bone
is in the early stages of decomposition. TGA correlation of water loss between 22 and
100˚C with observed changes in micro-crack lengths, HV, and elemental profiles
suggested progressive dehydration as the underlying common factor. These techniques
demonstrated some potential to be developed as forensic tests of PMI. As no correlation
with PMI was evident with proteomic profiling of non-collagenous peptides, no such
potential was demonstrated.


In the search to understand the onset of life's biochemistry, scientists attached a great deal of importance to unravelling the replication mechanism of a cell, and the cell membrane was accepted as an indispensable entity. In this review, we give an account of the recent progress of the understanding that the cell membrane has also continuously evolved over the long-term, leading to the important insight that the membrane unsaturation index (USI) – a measure of unsaturation – plays a pivotal role in the basal metabolic rate of a cell and in the aetiology of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It is now clear that increasing the USI with long- term interventions – in the form of aerobic exercise and caloric restriction – can contribute to the prevention or postponement of the onset of T2DM, gestational diabetes, and prediabetic obesity.


The growing use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) has led to an increase in the number of qualitative studies on the subject, thus justifying a meta-synthesis of the resulting material. The current article presents a systematic review of qualitative studies on CAM published in international journals. The review was conducted according to the metasynthesis methodology. A search was performed in journals through the Periodicals Periodical of CAPES, the National Agency for the Evaluation of Graduate Studies, and 32 articles were selected for analysis. The reviewed studies raise questions focusing on: patients, their therapeutic experiences, and their social and cultural contexts; professionals, professional relations, and the process of professionalization of CAM; and CAM and their relationship to biomedicine. The article concludes that qualitative studies on CAM call for an exploratory view of the theme, seeking to identify the experiences of patients and professionals with these therapies and discussing the impact of their use on conventional medicine or biomedicine.


Over the last fifty years, nonunion employers have increasingly adopted formal grievance procedures, which allow employees to challenge a company decision or policy and appeal manager adjudications of the challenge. Employers have adopted these procedures to minimize liability and ensure employee productivity. But while these procedures signal that employees are treated fairly, the psychological theory of escalation of commitment suggests that complaint-and-appeals procedures exacerbate workplace conflict. This Note presents this unintended consequence of formal grievance procedures and discusses its implications for workplace dispute resolution. Part I explains the adoption of formal grievance procedures as employer efforts to signal that employees are treated fairly. Part II applies the psychological theory of escalation to grievance procedures, and Part III argues that escalation undermines the purpose of formal grievance procedures and proposes mediation as an escalation-reducing alternative.


The hospital environment with its schedules, tests and procedures can adversely affect a patient's nutritional intake. Malnutrition has many negative repercussions not only for patients but also for the health service. Nurses have a key role in assessing patients' nutritional status and needs, providing a comfortable environment for eating and assistance at mealtimes.


The scope of this study was to determine the satisfaction levels of users of public pharmacies and verify the knowledge of pharmacists in relation to dispensing of medicines. This is a descriptive study, conducted in municipalities in the State of Espírito Santo, in the period from May to August 2013. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and SPSS20 software was used for statistical analysis. The Student t or ANOVA test was used for data with normal distribution, while the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test was applied for data without normal distribution. The Spearman correlation was used to evaluate patient satisfaction with the service time and the waiting time. The significance level for the tests was 5%. The main results obtained were the high level of dissatisfaction among users and the correlation with the waiting time to be attended. Apart from this, the knowledge of pharmacists in relation to the medication dispensed was classified as satisfactory/regular. The conclusion drawn is that actions are necessary in the management of pharmaceutical service to address the expectations of users in the dispensation of drugs.


The use of sugarcane bagasse, straw, and chaff for electrical power generation in sugar-ethanol mills has been established; more recently, the recovery of forest biomass has been increasing in an attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels and to increase electrical power generation focused on self-consumption. The potential for power generation in this segment is considerable, but the use of biomass in cogeneration processes depends on an attractive return on investments. This study was designed to analyze the economic feasibility of investment in thermal and electrical power generation equipment that makes it possible to use forest and logging residues and wood chips to replace the current gas-fired power generation in an engineered wood panel industry facility (Scenario 1) or investment only in thermal generation equipment (Scenario 2). Results showed that the investment to replace natural gas with forest biomass is economically viable not only for the generation of both types of energy but also for the generation of thermal energy itself. High costs of energy inputs such as natural gas and electricity for the industry explain the results, despite the requirement for high investments in cogeneration systems.


KOSAR, Cultivated and Industrial Factory, with an area about 6 hectares, is located near the beach in the north of IRAN (RAMSAR). This factory is considered as a convertible industry (Converting low quality citrus fruits into juice) and most of its operation is done during harvesting season. This factory releases its sewage into the sea through channel without any suitable refinement or management. Due to the great importance of the seashore and its organisms, this research was carried out to investigate a proper environmental management in the factory above mentioned. In this research, SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) considered as an important method in environmental management method was used. By this method and field studies, the internal weakness and strength of the area also the external opportunities and threats were specified. Consequently some strategies were taken to eliminate the weakness and threats also to strengthen the strength points and opportunities. The strategies categorized were scored according to their priorities and regarded in the environmental management of area.


A performance comparison of SiC MOSFETs and JFETs in a high-power (1kW) DC-DC converter to form part of a single phase PV inverter system is presented. The drive design requirements for optimum performance in the energy conversion system are also detailed. The converter which is based on 1.2 kV 20A SiC switches and 600 V 8A SiC diodes was tested under continuous conduction mode at frequencies up to 250 kHz. The converter power efficiency, switch power loss and temperature measurements are then compared with the ultra high speed CoolMOS switches and SiC diodes. The high voltage, high frequency and high temperature operation capability of the SiC DUTs are also demonstrated. Increasing the frequency from 100 kHz to 250 kHz resulted in case temperatures of up to 191°C and an observed decrease in efficiency from 95% to 92.5% for the CoolMOS. The all SiC converters showed more stable efficiencies of 95.5% and 96% for the switching frequency range for the SiC MOSFET and JFET, respectively. A comparison of radiated noise showed the highest noise signature for the SiC JFET and lowest for the SiC MOSFET. The negative gate voltage requirement of the SiC MOSFET introduces up to 6 dBμV increase in radiated noise, due to the induced current in the high frequency resonant stray loop in the gate drive negative power plane.


In calculating the internal force and deformation of a thin-walled member, the influence of the free torsion rigidity must be considered and it makes the study complicated. Actually, from the analogy relations between the equilibrium equation in the constraint torsion theory of a thin-walled member and that in the plane bending theory of a tension-bending solid bar, the action of the free torsion rigidity can be regarded as a tension effect on a thin-walled member with torsion, i.e. the action can be described as a second-order effect like the tension action in the plane bending theory. Taking cantilever bars for example, the simple calculation method of the internal force and deformation of thin-walled members are deduced by the Taylor series in mathematics, and then verified by ANSYS.


An algorithm for the segmentation of fingerprints and a criterion for evaluating the block feature are presented. The segmentation uses three block features: the block clusters degree, the block mean information, and the block variance. An optimal linear classifier has been trained for the classification per block and the criteria of minimal number of misclassified samples are used. Morphology has been applied as postprocessing to reduce the number of classification errors. The algorithm is tested on FVC2002 database, only 2.45% of the blocks are misclassified, while the postprocessing further reduces this ratio. Experiments have shown that the proposed segmentation method performs very well in rejecting false fingerprint features from the noisy background.


Learning curve extrapolation aims to predict model performance in later epochs of training, based on the performance in earlier epochs. In this work, we argue that, while the inherent uncertainty in the extrapolation of learning curves warrants a Bayesian approach, existing methods are (i) overly restrictive, and/or (ii) computationally expensive. We describe the first application of prior-data fitted neural networks (PFNs) in this context. A PFN is a transformer, pre-trained on data generated from a prior, to perform approximate Bayesian inference in a single forward pass. We propose LC-PFN, a PFN trained to extrapolate 10 million artificial right-censored learning curves generated from a parametric prior proposed in prior art using MCMC. We demonstrate that LC-PFN can approximate the posterior predictive distribution more accurately than MCMC, while being over 10 000 times faster. We also show that the same LC-PFN achieves competitive performance extrapolating a total of 20 000 real learning curves from four learning curve benchmarks (LCBench, NAS-Bench-201, Taskset, and PD1) that stem from training a wide range of model architectures (MLPs, CNNs, RNNs, and Transformers) on 53 different datasets with varying input modalities (tabular, image, text, and protein data). Finally, we investigate its potential in the context of model selection and find that a simple LC-PFN based predictive early stopping criterion obtains 2 - 6x speed-ups on 45 of these datasets, at virtually no overhead.


There is a growing literature on what is now termed ecosystem services, including in particular the ways in which the environment augments agricultural productivity. The services are many, they are critical and we are still learning ways in which we can enhance the benefits of positive services and mitigate the damages of negative services. There are many challenges confronting this quest, and in many cases the problems bridge biological and economic systems, necessitating work integrating facets of biology, ecology and economics in a holistic framework.A few of these challenges are gaining particular prominence in the literature. Measuring the services provided in terms of monetary value, what might seem like an initial step in the process, is proving to be a stumbling block as valuation methodologies are many and produce conflicting measures. In this thesis I look at the existing valuation studies for a particular context -- crop pollination by bees -- and develop a framework that relates the existing methodologies, explain the differences in values they produce, and then propose a new approach that better incorporates the biology of the plants and economics of the farmer. Another set of challenges arise from the fact that the benefits of ecosystem services are heterogeneous over space and time. More than that, actions at a particular location and time will often have dynamic consequences for other locations on the landscape and into the future. Analysis that incorporates both spatial and temporal dynamic elements are complex, and few studies have been able to effectively deal with both and result in meaningful policy implications. Continuing within the context of crop pollination, I address a trade-off that is of growing concern to producers -- determining whether to invest in the managed and recently troubled honey bee for crop pollination, or whether to invest in on-/off-farm habitat that can enhance native bees providing pollination services. The results of the model demonstrate that even in cases when an ecosystem and a domesticated organism/technology provide substitutable services -- as perhaps the case for native bee and honey bee pollination, investments to enhance the respective services will not necessarily be substitutable but can rather be necessary compliments. Ultimately, these research efforts aim to inform appropriate policy and the potential role for government intervention and/or improvements to market institutions. In most cases, ecosystem service problems boil down to externality problems. Even barring the problems of quantifying these externalities at the margin or internalizing them over space and time, the policy implications are still not always clear. There are still in many cases important institutional organizational considerations, such as when the product used to substitute or mitigate the service is provided by a patent-generated monopoly. In such cases, the monopolist's restricted supply of the product affects the role of government intervention. In the last part of this thesis I look at the case of pesticides and the rising biological resistance to them, addressing the implications of having a patent-generated monopoly producer of the pesticide on the buildup of resistance to the product. The results of the dynamic optimization model argue for sensitivity of policy to market structure and the life of relevant patents.


An elastic model, based on distributions of dislocations, of the stress-strain distribution around implantation boundaries in bubble materials is presented. X-ray imaging under conditions of plane wave illumination serves to check upon the general validity of the model. Finally, the distribution of stress-induced easy magnetization directions around non implanted patterns is discussed.


Enterprises are creating domain-specific knowledge graphs by curating and integrating their business data from multiple sources. Ontologies provide a semantic abstraction for such knowledge graphs to describe their data in terms of the entities involved and their relationships. There has been a lot of effort to build systems that enable efficient querying over knowledge graphs, represented as property graphs. However the problem of schema optimization in the property graph setting has been largely ignored. In this work, we show that graph schema design has significant impact on query performance, and propose two algorithms to generate an optimized property graph schema from the domain ontology. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to present an ontology-driven approach for property graph schema optimization. The rich semantic relationships in an ontology contain a variety of opportunities to reduce edge traversals and consequently improve the graph query performance. Our experimental study with two real-world knowledge graphs shows that our algorithms produce high-quality schemas, achieving up to 2 orders of magnitude speed-up compared to alternative schema designs.


Image-guided small animal irradiators have the potential to make a significant impact on facilitating the translation of radiobiological research into the clinic. To fully exploit the improved precision in dose delivery to the target/tumour while minimizing dose to surrounding tissues, minimal positional error in the target is required. However, for many sites within the thorax and abdomen, respiratory motion may be a critical factor in limiting the accuracy of beam delivery and until now, very little attention has been paid to the impact and management of this motion. We report on the implications of respiratory motion with respect to the negative impact of delivered dose distributions and their assessment, ways being developed to effectively manage this motion, so that beam delivery only occurs during the stationary resting phase of the breathing cycle, and comment on the need to effectively integrate these developments into the software used to plan and control beam delivery. Altogether, the implementation of respiratory-gated imaging and beam delivery will lead to significant improvements in the precision in dose delivery and constitutes an important development for preclinical radiotherapy studies. CURRENT STATUS The recent development of image-guided small animal irradiators has the potential to make a significant impact on facilitating the translation of radiobiological research into the clinic. These devices are particularly useful when targeting and treating orthotopic tumours at internal sites, with imaging at treatment time to determine the size and location of the tumour and precise treatment with tightly collimated beams. Associated treatment-planning software also enables complex treatments to be planned and the three-dimensional dose distribution to be calculated, through either the use of multiple beams or delivering beams using dynamic arcs in conjunction with gantry or couch rotation. In order to fully exploit this improved precision, minimal positional error in the target is required. While this can relatively easily be achieved in anatomic sites with minimal movement during treatment (such as the brain), organs within the thorax and abdominal regions will be affected by breathing to varying degrees depending on their location. As is the case with human radiotherapy, there is an increasing need to take into account organ motion during beam delivery in order to achieve the required precision in dose delivery to the target while minimizing dose to the surrounding tissues, especially critical organs, and so achieving the highest therapeutic index. Until now, very little attention has been paid to respiratory motion, its negative impact on delivered dose distributions or ways to address this. However, this was the topic of several presentations at the Third Symposium on Precision Image-guided Small Animal Radiotherapy held recently from 21–23 March 2016 in Ghent, Belgium. IMPLICATIONS OF RESPIRATORY MOTION For many sites within the thorax and abdomen, respiratory motion may be a critical factor in limiting the accuracy of beam delivery. The degree of motion is dependent on position and can be up to the order of 5mm in places in mice and is likely to be greater in rats. The movement of the tumour in and out of the treatment field will typically lead to an increase in the heterogeneity of the dose across the tumour, with an associated reduction in the average dose. Not only does the target/tumour move during the breathing cycle, but also the relative position of organs and therefore the dose to these organs. Unlike humans, the breaths taken by an anesthetized rodent tend to be pulsatile in nature, consisting of short gasps separated by an extended resting phase. As a result, the effects of respiratory motion are likely to become more significant with increasing breathing rates, owing to a decrease in the fraction of time during the breathing cycle taken by the stationary resting phase. One option would be to increase the overall dose to the tumour to ensure that all parts of the tumour receive the required dose, but this would also increase dose to the surrounding normal tissue. In addition, if the extent of the motion is known, then the field size could be increased to encompass tumour movement. However, this will result in an increase in the volume of the irradiated normal tissue and associated dose, which may have implications on the effectiveness and consequences of the treatment protocol. In either case, current treatment-planning software will typically use a stationary image and the calculated dose distributions to the tumour and surrounding organs will not take this motion into account. Therefore, in order to accurately assess dose distributions, it is important to assess this movement as a function of time, using time-weighted images to determine the dose distribution through various stages of the cycle. Using this approach with the four-dimensional MOBY phantom (Duke University, Durham, MC), van der Heyden et al from Maastro (Maastrict, Netherlands) investigated the impact of breathing motion on mouse lung tumour irradiation and predicted an 11% reduction in mean dose to a tumour located near the diaphragm, compared with planned dose (without motion). However, in order to achieve maximum accuracy when using image-guided irradiators for moving targets, X-ray beam delivery needs to account for respiratory motion. Four-dimensional cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging is not presently available on current-generation image-guided small animal irradiators and would be difficult to perform without a significant increase in the imaging dose. Other imaging modalities thus need to be exploited to assess movement. If such imaging is performed on independent devices, then great care must be taken to minimize overall animal movement and associated internal organ movement during transport to the irradiator, prior to co-registration with on-board CBCT images. MANAGEMENT OF RESPIRATORY MOTION Optimal beam delivery requires effective management of respirator motion, so that beam delivery only occurs during the stationary resting phase of the breathing cycle. One way to address the problem would be to intubate and ventilate the rodent in order to externally control the breathing cycle, so that breaths occurred only while X-rays were off. However, this is a highly skilled procedure in view of the small size of the trachea and care is needed to avoid damage to the trachea. Alternatively, the motion can be monitored to provide an external signal with which the irradiation can be synchronized. This is generally performed indirectly by following surface motion with the actual tumour/target position derived by correlating output with previous imaging. Movement is dependent on depth of anaesthesia and follows, in general, a pulsatile pattern. While it would be beneficial to minimize the depth of anaesthesia due to potential effects on physiology, this would reduce the fraction of time spent in the resting phase and increase the chance of a gross movement of the animal so the target and body position no longer agrees with that used for planning. This in turn may lead to major issues with beam delivery. It is important that respiratory-gated delivery be able to deal with changes in the period between breaths and minimize the impact of an unexpectedly early breath. On the other hand, it is important that the on/off duty cycle of the beam is not so low that it leads to a decrease in the biological effective dose owing to ongoing repair during delivery. RESPIRATORY-GATED BEAM DELIVERY To address this issue, the University of Oxford have developed a gated treatment head assembly for the Xstrahl's SARRP irradiator (Xstrahl Ltd., Camberley, UK), which incorporates a fast rotating X-ray shutter, along with optical breathing monitoring technology and associated adaptive gating control (study in preparation). The system can cope with all realistic breathing rates, as well as irregularities in the breathing period. The fast response time of the shutter (,20ms latency) means that the Xrays can be quickly turned off, should a breath be detected earlier than expected, thereby restricting delivery to breathing cycle periods when tissue movement is minimal. The successful application of this technology has been demonstrated in vivo on an anaesthetized mouse for breathing rates from 40 to 100bpm, by comparing movies obtained using planar X-ray imaging and dose profiles obtained using a collimated beam with and without respiratory gating. The optical breathing monitor can also be used to obtain respiratory-gated MR images for use in treatment planning. Respiratory gating is being addressed using a linear shutter (120ms open/close time) in conjunction with a commercial pressure balloon-based system at the Advanced Resource Center for Hadrontherapy in Europe in France. A dynamic phantom developed by this group suggests that gating can be used to successfully compensate for a sinusoidal motion and minimize image blur for positron emission tomography and CT imaging. An alternative to gated beam delivery enabling continuous beam delivery would be to employ beam tracking rather than gating. However, this is a tough engineering challenge on current commercial platforms owing to the significant power required to move heavy items with appropriate acceleration/deceleration. It would be easier to stop the rotation/translation of the animal, but care would be needed to ensure accuracy. Since the compliance (low stiffness) of most small animals tends to be high, the challenge will be to ensure that the required high accelerations and decelerations do not affect the position of the internal target. Treatment planning Treatment planning for respiratory-gated beam delivery should ideally be performed with images also taken during the resting phase of the breathing cycle. This is not always possible; the onboard CBCT image obtained using these platforms w


The object of this paper is to show the predominance of the influence of geometrical ideas in Aristotle's account of first principles in the Posterior Analytics— to show that his analysis of first principles is in its essentials an analysis of the first principles of geometry as he conceived them. My proof of this falls into two parts. I. A consideration of the parallel between Aristotle's and Euclid's account of first principles. II. A comparison between the general movement of thought in the Aristotelian ⋯παγωγ⋯ and ⋯π⋯δειξις and in the δι⋯νοια and ν⋯ησις of the Platonic dialectic.


Clinically relevant cardiovascular parameters, such as pulmonary blood volume (PBV) and ejection fraction (EF), can be assessed through indicator dilution techniques. Among these techniques, which are typically invasive due to the need for central catheterization, contrast ultrasonography provides a new emerging minimally invasive option. PBV and EF are then measured by a dilution system identification algorithm after detection of multiple dilution curves by an ultrasound scanner. In this paper, dilution systems are represented by parametric models. Since the measured indicator dilution curves (IDCs) are corrupted by measurement artifacts and outliers, the use of conventional least square error (LSE) estimator for estimating system parameters is not optimal. Different estimators are therefore proposed for estimating the system parameters. Comparison of these estimators with the LSE estimator in assessing EF and PBV is performed on simulated, in vitro and patient data. The results show that the proposed total least absolute deviation estimator (TLAD) outperforms other estimators. The measured IDCs are highly corrupted by noise, which affect the estimation of EF and PBV. Therefore, a two stage denoising method capable of removing outliers is also proposed for removing noise in IDCs. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


To investigate the causes of false-negative discograms, 181 lower thoracic and lumbar intervertebral discs that had been removed as part of en bloc specimens during thirty autopsies were studied first by discography and then histologically. Comparison of the results of the two methods showed that if fissures and cysts were present in a degenerated anulus fibrosus, but did not establish continuity between the nuclear cavity and the site of a herniation, the discogram was false-negative. Under these circumstances, the inner fiber bundles of the anulus fibrosus were intact and their orientation was often reversed, so that they bulged inward. This finding suggested that a protrusion or a prolapse of tissue from just the anulus fibrosus might have been developing. Ten of the fifty-seven discs that had such changes in the orientation of the fibers had a histologically proved protrusion or prolapse of the anulus fibrosus. However, the discograms showed protrusion in only six of the ten discs and demonstrated a false-negative result in the other four. The cases of seventy-seven patients in whom discography had been performed and a herniation had been subsequently confirmed at operation were also studied. Fifty-nine of the patients had a protrusion and eighteen had a prolapse of the disc. The discograms were falsely interpreted as negative in 32 per cent (nineteen) of the fifty-nine patients who had a protrusion and in 56 per cent (ten) of the eighteen who had a prolapse. Histologically, the prolapses were interpreted as protrusions of a portion of the anulus fibrosus. It was concluded that false-negative discograms are more frequent when a protrusion or a prolapse involves the anulus fibrosus rather than the nucleus pulposus, and that a negative discogram does not exclude the possibility of extensive degeneration of the anulus fibrosus.


Isozyme biochemical marker may be useful tool for genomic analysis of maize populations undergoing recurrent selection. Thus, isozymes markers was utilized for assess the changes in the genetic variability and distance in a Brazilian composite population of popcorn following four cycles of recurrent selection for yield. One hundred and ninety-six half-sib families were evaluated from each cycle and the ten highest-yielding families (5.2%) were recombined to produce the next cycle. Isozyme analysis considered 80 seedlings per cycle. Simple linear regression equations were estimated among the allele frequencies in each locus in function of the selection cycles, the genetic distances among the cycles and the average heterozygosity per locus for each cycle. Regression analysis did not reveal any common trend for changes in allele frequencies presumably due to selection. The estimates of the number of polymorphic locus, of the mean of allele per locus and the mean heterozygosity did not reveal any reduction in variability. It was concluded that four selection cycles did not cause relevant changes in the variability or genetic distance among the selection cycles of CMS-43 popcorn population. Isozymes markers analysis showed that the number of recombined half-sib families in recurrent selection was suitable.


In this study, the kinetics of gas hydrate formation in the presence of tetra-n-butyl ammonium fluoride (TBAF) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide surface active ingredient (CTAB) with zinc nano oxide (ZnO) are investigated and the most important kinetic parameters of hydrate formation such as their induction time and storage capacity were measured. The kinetic experiments were carried out in a constant volume temperature method in a high pressure reactor. The storage capacity of carbon dioxide hydrate in water in the presence of ZnO and surfactants at different temperatures, pressures and concentrations of TBAF and CTAB additives was calculated and measured using time induction measurements. The results show that with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature, the storage capacity of CO2 in hydrate increases. Finally, statistical analysis of the parameters affecting the induction time of hydrate formation showed that zinc oxide can reduce the induction time of hydrate formation compared to other additives.