Objective. The aim of this study was to learn about the morphological characteristics of the supraorbital foramen and to determine its precise position in relation to the surrounding anatomical landmarks in the adult population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Material and Methods. For this purpose, 60 skulls from the Bosnia and Herzegovina population of known sex (32 males and 28 females), taken from the osteological collection of the Department of Human Anatomy of the Medical Faculty in Sarajevo, were subjected to morphological and morphometric analysis. Morphometric measurements were performed using a digital vernier caliper (Mitutoyo Corporation, Japan). Results. The study showed that most supraorbital nerves exit the orbit through the supraorbital notch (73.8%) and the rest through the foramen (26.2%). Of this number, bilateral supraorbital notches were recorded in 58.33% of cases, a bilateral supraorbital foramen in 18.34% of cases, while in 23.33% of cases a notch was recorded on one side and a foramen on the contralateral side. Morphometric measurements performed to determine the exact position of the supraorbital foramen relative to the surrounding landmarks showed different values in males and females. An accessory foramen was also observed on the examined skulls in 16.67% of cases. Conclusion. Detailed knowledge of anatomical variations of the supraorbital foramen is required for safe and successful administration of regional anesthesia, in order to avoid iatrogenic nerve injuries during orbitofacial region surgery.


Biodiversity Observation Networks (BONs) are important sources of information about the health and wealth of biodiversity in our world. By observing the presence or absence of species in different environments and by coupling with measurements of environmental parameters, they contribute important information to our knowledge of the natural world and to our ability to model and predict the effects of climate change. Knowledge gained from BONs can also be used to assist wider society (political, social, and economic bodies) in making biodiversity-sensitive decisions.
 For the data outputs from BONs to be useful to a wide audience, management of those data is crucial: the data should be published openly and they must be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). It is important that the data can be found and understood by anyone who could use them. For BON data to lead to new science, it is necessary that the data can be accessed programmatically, that full provenance is provided, and that data from different sources are interoperable. Semantic and technical interoperability should be coupled with user-friendly data archiving, managing, discovery, and User Interfaces (UIs) for those creating and for those using the data. The importance of lowering the hurdle to creating and sharing data in a FAIR way is not to be underestimated; the hardest part of the FAIR journey is often its uptake rather than its technology.
 The importance of eDNA (environmental DNA) to BONs, highlights the particular challenge to the management of BON data because of the complexity of the practical workflow (many parties involved doing the actual sampling, samples being shipped as well as biobanked, highly technical procedures involved at various stages), the complexity of the analysis of the DNA to measure "occurrences", and the rapid evolution of the field of biotechnology. Version management to accommodate updates to biotechnology pipelines and reference databases, the use of IDs to allow data to be linked to evolving knowledge rather than to static information, semantic annotation aimed at multiple audiences (omics-expert and less-expert), and linking multiple-distributed datasets (omics, image, environmental, etc.) are all crucial aspects to FAIR management of omics data. As data standards evolve much more slowly than the scientific possibilities, it is also important to archive, annotate, and link all the data in a flexible way so it can be exported into today's and tomorrow's data formats. All of the above expectations are added as extra weight onto the field scientists and lab workers dealing with the actual samples and producing their digital outcomes.
 At the Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ) we are managing data from several BONs, and for this we are developing a data management approach that is based on Research Object Crate (RO-Crate) data packaging including the following elements: a GitHub entry point for holding the RO-Crates, uploaded data (co-located files or links to data held or published elsewhere), a straight-forward GitHub-Action workflow to publish and uplift the contents as linked open data, and UIs for data upload, search, and select. BON contributors and data managers will be able to upload the BON data (e.g., sampling log sheets, ENA (European Nucleotide Archive) accession codes, SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), etc.), interfacing directly with GitHub or through our assisting tool to upload and create the RO-Crate descriptions, and to semantically describe their data. Scientists who analyse data will also be able to upload their workflow outputs and provenance metadata descriptions and link those to the BON data that their analysis is based on. By collecting the data and metadata in one place, the BON outputs can be rearranged into whatever published formats are required.
 The advantages of this approach are multiple:

 It relocates the authority on "what can and should be said about the data" back to the authors, who are not then limited by the data formats of the publishers. The application profile and required fields they themselves agree upon allow for expressing all the nuance and targeted information that they want, and thus create an overall stronger affinity between the produced content and its maintainers.

 Embracing the semantic web techniques marries a high-level uniform processing and indexing with a diversity of added detail that can be retrieved by drilling down. Similarly, clear cross-references to managed terms in managed vocabularies allows further serendipitous connections to apparently unconnected domains.

 Providing digital assistance allows automated provenance tracking, easy linking to agreed managed vocabularies, as well as hiding cumbersome low-level technical details (such as Git operations, format specifications, etc.). By doing so as early as possible in the processing of the information, it avoids lost memory details, late quality checking, and lengthy round trips that all add to the cost of publishing, interpreting and reusing the produced data.

 Finally, the available open semantics in the datasets themselves allow for advanced additional post-processing that is not limited to that provided by centralised aggregation services, but also allows for providing fragmentations, indexes and navigational indicators that support a more scalable, distributed and federated real-time pathway to selecting and analysing data in the context of specific research questions.

 It relocates the authority on "what can and should be said about the data" back to the authors, who are not then limited by the data formats of the publishers. The application profile and required fields they themselves agree upon allow for expressing all the nuance and targeted information that they want, and thus create an overall stronger affinity between the produced content and its maintainers.
 Embracing the semantic web techniques marries a high-level uniform processing and indexing with a diversity of added detail that can be retrieved by drilling down. Similarly, clear cross-references to managed terms in managed vocabularies allows further serendipitous connections to apparently unconnected domains.
 Providing digital assistance allows automated provenance tracking, easy linking to agreed managed vocabularies, as well as hiding cumbersome low-level technical details (such as Git operations, format specifications, etc.). By doing so as early as possible in the processing of the information, it avoids lost memory details, late quality checking, and lengthy round trips that all add to the cost of publishing, interpreting and reusing the produced data.
 Finally, the available open semantics in the datasets themselves allow for advanced additional post-processing that is not limited to that provided by centralised aggregation services, but also allows for providing fragmentations, indexes and navigational indicators that support a more scalable, distributed and federated real-time pathway to selecting and analysing data in the context of specific research questions.


This technical note presents a detailed review of Costa Rica's recent innovation policy. It discusses how far Costa Rica is from having innovation ecosystems (human networks that generate extraordinary creativity and output on a sustainable basis), and shows that the low innovative capacity of Costa Rican firms explains their low productivity, which in turn determines the moderate level of economic growth in the country. Among the main challenges that Costa Rica faces in moving toward an innovation-based economy, according to the evidence presented herein, is the low level of investment in research and development (R&D). Strengthening Costa Rican innovation ecosystems, creating closer linkages between SMEs and large companies including multinationals, in addition to increasing the domestic value-added of SME exports, and reduction (or even better, elimination) of the principal obstacles to the growth of companies, must be part of an innovation policy agenda. Costa Rica's economic success will depend on how well it can design and implement policies and programs that lead toward achievement of an innovation-driven economy in the near future. Document Type: PDF Country: Costa Rica [1] LinkToContentAt: https://www.innovationpolicyplatform.org/sites/default/files/CTI_TN_Innovation_Productivity_and_Gro wth_Costa_Rica_0.pdf Knowledge Type: Case study [2] Other Tag: innovation [3] productivity [4] growth [5] research and development [6] investment [7] export [8] multinationals [9] SMEs [10] ecosystems. [11]


Objectives: Recent study revealed that over 50 % of stroke patients had some form of attention deficits. However, few reports focused on acute phase and mild stroke patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of attention disorders and the change of their symptoms during the hospitalization in the patients with first-onset mild hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: Study subjects were 231 consecutive patients diagnosed as hemorrhage stroke and treated at our hospital from 2011 to 2012. Patients with severe hemorrhage (i.e., amount of bleeding >5cc), with previous history of cerebrovascular diseases or dementia, with decreased level of consciousness or with impaired activity of daily living were not eligible to this study. Neuropsychological assessments were conducted by speech therapists at 1 and 2 week after stroke onset using Clinical Assessment for Attention (CAT) and examined how they changed. CAT was a test battery developed by the Japan Society for Higher Brain Dysfunction to evaluate deficit of attention disorders. Results: Among the study subjects, 46 patients met the selection criteria and 16 patients (34.8%, 6 men, mean age was 66) were identified as having attention disorders. Bleeding lesions were left putamen (n=3), right putamen (n=9) and right thalamus (n=4). Significant improvements were observed in two types of focused attention and auditory selective attention measures: percentage of correct answers of Visual Cancellation Task (VCT, p=0.027) and Auditory Detection Task (ADT, p = 0.01). Additionally, working hours in VCT was significantly shortened, and the false-negative rate was also significantly decreased (p= 0.028). In ADT, the false-positive rate was significantly decreased (p= 0.012). No significant changes were observed in other type of tasks. Discussion: More than one-third of patients showed attention deficits even though they had mild stroke. Only focused and selective attentions were improved in acute phase of mild stroke. These results suggested that improvement in focused and selective attention precede improvement in other attentional functions.


Convolutional neural network (CNN) can be used to quickly identify crop seed varieties. 1200 seeds of ten soybean varieties were selected, hyperspectral images of both the front and the back of the seeds were collected, and the reflectance of soybean was derived from the hyperspectral images. A total of 9600 images were obtained after data augmentation, and the images were divided into a training set, validation set, and test set with a 3:1:1 ratio. Pretrained models (AlexNet, ResNet18, Xception, InceptionV3, DenseNet201, and NASNetLarge) after fine-tuning were used for transfer training. The optimal CNN model for soybean seed variety identification was selected. Furthermore, the traditional machine learning models for soybean seed variety identification were established by using reflectance as input. The results show that the six models all achieved 91% accuracy in the validation set and achieved accuracy values of 90.6%, 94.5%, 95.4%, 95.6%, 96.8%, and 97.2%, respectively, in the test set. This method is better than the identification of soybean seed varieties based on hyperspectral reflectance. The experimental results support a novel method for identifying soybean seeds rapidly and accurately, and this method also provides a good reference for the identification of other crop seeds.


This study relates corpus-driven discourse analysis to the concept of collaborative knowledge construction. It demonstrates that the traditional synchronic perspective of meaning in corpus linguistics needs to be complemented by a diachronic dimension. The fundamental assumption underlying this work is that knowledge is understood not within the traditional epistemological framework but from a radical social epistemological perspective, and that incremental knowledge about an object of the discourse corresponds to continual change of meaning of the lexical item that stands for it. This stance is based on the assumption of the discourse as a self-referential system that uses paraphrase as a key device to construct new knowledge. Knowledge is thus seen as the result of collaboration between the members of a discourse community. The thesis presents, in great detail, case studies of asynchronous computer-mediated communication that allow a comprehensive categorisation of a wide range of paraphrase types. It also investigates overt and covert signs of intertextuality linking a new paraphrase to previous contributions. The study then discusses ways in which these new insights concerning the process of collaborative knowledge construction can have an impact on teaching methodologies.


A key challenge for positive psychology interventions is promoting sustained engagement to improve long-term outcomes. One way to increase engagement is to introduce variety to reduce hedonic adaptation. Here, we propose supplementing intervention prompts with items from a person's social media archive to add variety. Through a one-week pilot study of six positive psychology activities via a Facebook application, we explore whether Facebook content is useful to keep people engaged in activities and what attributes of content make it most useful. A total of 260 participants used our application, and analysis of usage showed that displaying content is engaging. By looking at which content was marked as useful by participants, we find that useful content is in itself meaningful and engaging (photos, longer texts, and content about close friends). We also find that certain intervention activities are more engaging and better suited for making use of Facebook content than others.


Open architecture NC orienting MEDM application was studied and the "IPC + UMAC motion controller" architecture was presented. And then, the integration method and principle, that the motion system, WEDG (Wire Electrical Discharge Grinding) system, coolant system, visual supervising and measuring system, micro-energy pulse Generator with NC, were investigated. Based on the PComm32, control software with general NC machine tool HMI style, was developed and whole machine tool was integrated successfully. At last, a lot of experiments were carried out, and the results demonstrated that the MEDM machine tool has the capabilities of manufacturing micro- electrode, micro hole, complex 2D micro workpiece and milling 3D model.


Cattle farming remains one of the lucrative agricultural ventures among rural settlers in the Northern parts of Ghana and is kept for both commercial and subsistence purposes. However, the emergences of cattle-associated infections remain a threat to cattle production and the human population. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards zoonotic diseases among cattle farmers in the Tamale Metropolis. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study, involving a mixed method. The quantitative approach involved the use of a semi-structured questionnaire and the qualitative approach involved the use of focused group discussions using a focus group guide. A total of 100 cattle farmers were selected using a purposive sampling method, from March to July 2020. A chi-square test analysis was performed to identify the factors that are associated with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards cattle-related zoonotic diseases. A 95% confidence level and statistical significance of p<0.05 were used. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Males were the most represented (98%). The overall knowledge, attitude, and practices towards cattle-related zoonotic diseases good scores were 52%, 67%, and 16%, respectively. Age (p=0.022), ethnicity (p=0.039), and educational background (p=0.042) of the study participants showed a significant association with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards cattle-related zoonotic diseases. In conclusion, their practices towards zoonotic diseases were largely poor. The study, therefore, recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Tamale Metropolis, and other stakeholders ought to organize periodic training for cattle farmers on zoonotic diseases.


A backstepping controller is designed for lateral guidance of the passenger car in automated highway systems. In this design, the vehicle lateral tracking error is viewed as the output regulated by the relative yaw angle of the car with respect to the road centerline, and the relative yaw angle is controlled by the vehicle's front wheel steering angle. The closed loop performance of lateral and yaw dynamics can be specified and guaranteed simultaneously in this approach. A smooth road model is used in calculating the feedforward part of the steering command. Nonlinear position feedback, which acts as low gain control at small tracking errors and high gain control at larger tracking errors, is introduced to compromise between passenger ride comfort and tracking accuracy. Simulation results conducted on the complex vehicle model show the effectiveness of the backstepping design approach.


Author(s): Potirniche, Ionut-Dragos | Advisor(s): Altman, Ehud | Abstract: Isolated, many-body quantum systems, evolving under their intrinsic dynamics, exhibit a multitude of exotic phenomena and raise foundational questions about statistical mechanics. A flurry of theoretical work has been devoted to understanding how these systems reach thermal equilibrium in the absence of coupling to an external bath and, when thermalization does not occur, investigating the emergent non-equilibrium phases of matter. With the advent of synthetic quantum systems, such as ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices or trapped ions, these questions are no longer academic and can be directly studied in the laboratory. This dissertation explores the non-equilibrium phenomena that stem from the interplay between interactions, disorder, symmetry, topology, and external driving. First, we study how strong disorder, leading to many-body localization, can arrest the heating of a Floquet system and stabilize symmetry-protected topological order that does not have a static analogue. We analyze its dynamical and entanglement properties, highlight its duality to a discrete time crystal, and propose an experimental implementation in a cold-atom setting.Quenched disorder and the many-body localized state are crucial ingredients in protecting macroscopic quantum coherence. We explore the stability of many-body localization in two and higher dimensions and analyze its robustness to rare regions of weak disorder.We then study a second example of non-thermal behavior, namely integrability. We show that a class of random spin models, realizable in systems of atoms coupled to an optical cavity, gives rise to a rich dynamical phase diagram, which includes regions of integrability, classical chaos, and of a novel integrable structure whose conservation laws are reminiscent of the integrals of motion found in a many-body localized phase.The third group of disordered, non-ergodic systems we consider, spin glasses, have fascinating connections to complexity theory and the hardness of constraint satisfaction. We define a statistical ensemble that interpolates between the classical and quantum limits of such a problem and show that there exists a sharp boundary separating satisfiable and unsatisfiable phases.


Religion is a central and comprehensive identity for billions of people all over the world. Politicians and other political actors recognize the vitality of religion and use it for political purposes, deliberately signaling religion, religiosity, or religious values and connecting them to political outcomes or behaviors in an effort to influence the political preferences of religious practitioners. The most efficient way to make the connection between religion and politics is through religious cues. Religious cues create information shortcuts linking religious identity or values with a political candidate or issue. Religious cues are used by political and religious actors in secular and religious contexts and are typically one of two general types: identity cues, which engage an individual's religious identity and activate an in-group/out-group effect, and linkage cues, which link religious values or beliefs with an issue or candidate. Identity cues are particularly tricky to use in secular contexts because they have been shown to have strong alienating effects on nonreligious people, thereby defeating the intended purpose of the cue sender. For this reason, coded religious language called "implicit cues" is used with greater frequency in political discourse where only the religious cue receiver recognizes the religious cue for what it is. This strategy allows a political candidate to reap the benefits of the cue without risking alienation.
 While scholars have made substantial progress in using experimental methods to disentangle the ways religious cues influence political behavior, there is ample opportunity for more research exploring different types of religious cues and the way they interact with other forms of cues and identities. Furthermore, most of the research on religious cues has focused on Christian cues in the United States, and a more diverse range of religions and contexts should be explored to understand the way religious cues influence political behavior. Researchers should also expand the definition of "religious practitioners" to explore how religious cues influence the growing number of people who do not affiliate with a religion or engage in practices traditionally associated with religiosity but do identify as religious. This would help to expand conceptualization of political behavior to more accurately reflect lived political experiences. Embracing these opportunities will allow the scholarly community to gain a better understanding of the varied political dynamics of religious cueing, which offers insights into how fundamental identities and attitudes are linked, thereby shedding more light on the complex dynamics of political behavior.


Granular cell tumor (GCT) is a morphologic designation for tumors of varied histogenesis. Most GCTs in human beings are derived from Schwann cells, and rat meningeal GCTs are believed to originate in the neural crest. Three equine pulmonary GCTs from aged horses were studied immunohistochemically with primary antibodies directed against vimentin, cytokeratins (AEl/AE3), S-100, Leu 7, desmin, and neuron- specific enolase (NSE) using a steptavidin-biotin procedure. All three tumors stained similarly with strong and diffise staining of neoplastic cells for vimentin and S-100 and negative staining with all other antibodies. On the basis of the immunohistochemical results and the previously described histologic and ultrastructural char- acteristics, equine pulmonary GCT is designated as neural crest and possibly Schwann cell derived, similar to GCT in rats and human beings.


MEMBER STATES, NORWAY, AND ICELAND  Johanna Ortiz, Juliane Grimée and Taylor Prichard Georgia Institute of Technology Econ 3161 November 20, 2015         Abstract  This paper analyzes the impact immigration has on unemployment in European Union member   states, excluding Bulgaria, and Norway and Iceland in both 2005/2006 and 2011/2012. Given the  importance of the current Syrian refugee crisis and political debates, particularly those featuring  Eurosceptic politicians in various European nation states and those featured in the 2016 US Presidential  campaign, about the impact immigration has on a nation state, we decided that it is vital that   immigration's impact on unemployment is studied empirically. Our hypothesis was that immigration is   positively correlated with unemployment in the short run (up to 3 years after immigration occurs). Our   rationale for this was that a lot of adult immigrants are immediately added to the labour force, thereby  increasing the labour force more quickly than if there was no immigration, while not all of these   immigrants will be employed immediately upon arrival to a new country. This would increase the labour  force by the number of adult immigrants, while the number of employed members in the labour force may  not increase by the total number of adult immigrants, thereby increasing the unemployment rate. We ran a   simple regression between immigration and unemployment and several multiple regressions that included   other independent variables, including GDP growth, a binary variable for whether or not a country has a  national minimum wage, and how much the countries spend on social welfare programs. All but one of  these regressions suggest that increases in immigration in a country decrease unemployment in that    country in the short run. After running a robustness test on a couple of our multiple regression models,  including the only one that suggested that increases to immigration lead to increases in the unemployment   rate, we determined that Model 2 was our best model. In this model log(immigration) is statistically   significant at the 1% level and the coefficient on log(immigration) is negative. This suggests that our   initial hypothesis was incorrect and that increased immigration in a nation state leads to a decrease in the  unemployment rate in the short run.


The relationship between a species and its habitat is complex but it is essential to study the distribution and habitat use of a protected species in order to identify regions where human activities and disturbances are likely to impact its population. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive informs that studies focusing on spatial and temporal species distribution and ecosystem variations (including links between habitats and species of marine mammals) are recommended to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) of the EU's marine water by 2020. However, the current level of information on the spatial-temporal distribution of marine mammals is often lacking. The striped dolphin is the most abundant cetacean of the Mediterranean Sea; nevertheless its Mediterranean population is listed as "vulnerable" by IUCN experts. In order to investigate the spatial distribution of striped dolphin within the Adriatic-Ionian Region, a cooperative project among different research groups was set up and a multi-source data approach was employed. Presence data collected during monitoring activity carried out from 2008 to 2018 were analysed by means of Maxent. Main topographic variables as bathymetry, slope and distance from coastline were considered and five distribution models were performed to highlight suitable areas for striped dolphin within the entire study area. Models are presented and discussed. The results of this study show that to investigate the distribution of a species at a regional scale it is necessary to monitor area with different environmental characteristics. In this regards, cooperative regional projects represent an opportunity for pooling together data that taken singularly would not necessarily reflect the distribution of species at a larger scale, but that analysed together would allow to acquire information on suitable habitats at a regional level.


Background In January 2011, an increased number of gonococcal (GC) isolates was noted within the local bacteriology department. A "look back" exercise was initiated for all incidences of GC infections during the previous 13 months, while new episodes of GC infection were monitored to ascertain whether this increase represented an outbreak. Aims To determine the epidemiology of GC infection observed during an outbreak of Neisseria gonorrhoeae within the local area. Methods Cases of GC infection within our Health Board area were identified by culture or nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for the period December 2009 to April 2011. N gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) was performed on positive isolates or NAAT samples. Patient demographics were gathered at the local sexual and reproductive health (SRH) clinic. Results 73 episodes of GC infection were recorded in one geographically distinct area of our Health Board between December 2010 and April 2011 (the outbreak). Nineteen cases were documented for the same period the previous year. No similar increase in GC diagnoses was observed in neighbouring areas. Chlamydia cases remained relatively stable. Patient demographics were available for 62 of the 67 cases diagnosed at the local SRH clinic. Of these, the majority of cases were male (66.1%) (of which 22% were MSM), under 25 years of age (71%), heterosexual (78.5%) and of White Scottish ethnicity (95.2%). 40 (64.5%) patients (29 male and 11 female) presented with symptoms of GC infection and 19 (29.2%) as GC contacts. The predominant NG-MAST sequence type was ST26. Discussion The epidemiology of this outbreak is atypical, since GC infection and NG-MAST ST26 has been more commonly found in men who have sex with men in Scotland. Despite enhanced surveillance, no sexual networks or links to specific venues were identified. A gonorrhoea awareness campaign was launched in May 2011.


The paper investigated the effectiveness of guidance and counselling strategies at promoting career decision making skills among youths in Nigeria. The purpose of the study is to find out the effectiveness of group career guidance, group career counselling and group career guidance and counselling put together. The study employed the use of quasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test of three experimental groups. Two questions were raised to guide the study and one null hypothesis tested at 0.05 level of significant. Research instruments were two namely, Career Development Inventory (CDI) and Group Career Guidance and Counselling Strategies (Package used for treatment). Treatment procedure took place in three different school locations where students were pre-tested and post-tested before and after treatment with Group Career Guidance (GCG), Group Career Counselling (GCC) and Group Career Guidance and Counselling (GCG+GCC). The results of the study revealed a general low career maturity and decision making skills before treatment. The study revealed improvement of the maturity and the skills after the treatment. It is thus recommended that the group career guidance should be compulsorily made to be part of secondary school curriculum in Nigeria.


The next evolutionary step in enhancing video communication fidelity over wired and wireless networks is taken by adding scene depth. Three-dimensional video using integral imaging (II) based capture and display subsystems has shown promising results and is now in the early prototype stage. We have created a ray-tracing based interactive simulation environment to generate II video sequences as a way to assist in the development, evaluation and quick adoption of these new emerging techniques into the whole communication chain. A generic II description model is also proposed as the base for the simulation environment. This description model facilitate optically accurate II rendering using MegaPOV, a customized version of the open-source ray tracing package POV-Ray. By using MegaPOV as a rendering engine the simulation environment fully incorporate the scene description language of POV-Ray to exactly define a virtual scene. Generation and comparability of II video sequences adhering to different II-techniques is thereby greatly assisted, compared to experimental research. The initial development of the simulation environment is focused on generating and visualizing II source material adhering to the optical properties of different II- techniques published in the literature. Both temporally static as well as dynamic systems are considered. The simulation environment's potential for easy deployment of integral imaging video sequences adhering to different II-techniques is demonstrated.


We use numerical simulations to study the kinematic structure of remnants formed from mergers of equal-mass disk galaxies. In particular, we show that remnants of dissipational mergers, which include the radiative cooling of gas, star formation, feedback from supernovae, and the growth of supermassive black holes, are smaller, rounder, have, on average, a larger central velocity dispersion, and show significant rotation compared to remnants of dissipationless mergers. The increased rotation speed of dissipational remnants owes its origin to star formation that occurs in the central regions during the galaxy merger. We have further quantified the anisotropy, three-dimensional shape, minor-axis rotation, and isophotal shape of each merger remnant, finding that dissipational remnants are more isotropic, closer to oblate, have the majority of their rotation along their major axis, and are more disky than dissipationless remnants. Individual remnants display a wide variety of kinematic properties. A large fraction of the dissipational remnants are oblate isotropic rotators. Many dissipational remnants, and all of the dissipationless ones, are slowly rotating and anisotropic. The remnants of gas-rich major mergers can well reproduce the observed distribution of projected ellipticities, rotation parameter (V/σ)*, kinematic misalignments, Ψ, and isophotal shapes. The dissipationless remnants are a poor match to this data. We also investigate the properties of merger remnants as a function of initial disk gas fraction, orbital angular momentum, and the mass of the progenitor galaxies. Our results support the merger hypothesis for the origin of low-luminosity elliptical galaxies provided that the progenitor disks are sufficiently gas-rich, however our remnants are a poor match to the bright ellipticals that are slowly rotating and uniformly boxy.


Root hairs (RH) are a terminally differentiated single cell type, mainly involved in water and nutrient uptake from the soil. The soybean RH cell represents an excellent model for the study of single cell systems biology. In this study, we identified 5702 proteins, with at least two peptides, from soybean RH using an accurate mass and time tag approach, establishing a comprehensive proteome reference map of this single cell type. We also showed that trypsin is the most appropriate enzyme for soybean proteomic studies by performing an in silico digestion of the soybean proteome using different proteases. Although the majority of proteins identified in this study are involved in basal metabolism, the function of others are more related to RH formation/function and include proteins involved in nutrient uptake (transporters) or vesicular trafficking (cytoskeleton and ras‐associated binding proteins). Interestingly, some of these proteins appear to be specifically detected in RH and constitute promising candidates for further studies to elucidate unique features of this single‐cell model.


Harmonic balance is a powerful technique for the simulation of mildly nonlinear microwave circuits. This technique has had limited application for tie analysis of almost-periodic circuits, such as mixers, due to the difficulties of transforming waveforms from the time domain to the frequency domain and vice versa. In this paper, a new Fourier transform algorithm for almost-periodic functions (APFT) is developed that is both efficient and accurate. Unlike previous attempts to solve this problem, the new afgorithm does not constmin the input frequencies and uses the theoretically minimum number of time points.


This research dealt with factors that may impact the number of enteric and fecal coliform bacteria and the antibiotic resistance of the bacteria present on the hands of children ages one to 15. The targeted bacteria were the subset enteric bacteria, which cause potentially lethal cases of diarrhea in the United States and worldwide. Further exacerbating the mortality rate associated with enteric bacterial infections is the degree of antibiotic resistance acquired by the bacteria. The sterile bag method was used to acquire bacteria from the hands of children; the bacteria were counted and tested for degrees of antibiotic resistance using antibiotic disks. I investigated the relationship between the quantity and antibiotic resistance of the bacteria colonies and the sex, age, and antibacterial soap use of the subject. I found that there was a weak correlation between age and number of bacteria per hand: R2 = 0.3654, while for fecal coliforms per hand, the correlation was stronger: R2 = 0.8464. These data indicated that age was a factor in the number of fecal coliforms per hand, while age was less of a factor in the number of bacteria per hand on children. There was no correlation between the sex or age of children and the antibiotic resistance that each bacterium had acquired. This study indicated that a high percentage of bacteria sampled were multi-drug resistant, which hints at a relationship in the mechanism of acquiring antibiotic resistance.


A semi- blind algorithm to perform channel identification for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems in frequency and time-selective fading environments is proposed. It contains two steps:training and tracking.In training phase, improved Kalman filtering,namely robust Kalman filtering (RKF), is exploited to identify channel impulse response(CIR). After that,in tracking stage,the RKF and minimum meansquare error feedback decision equalizer (MMSE-DFE) cooperate to track the time-varying channel.The RKF recursions is presented and a closed-form solution for baud rate MIMO MMSE-DFE under perfect knowledge of CIR and correct past decisions conditions is derived. In addition, it regards unknown dcoffset due to zero intermediate frequency(IF) at the receiver as the mean of measurement noise, which is estimated as a byproduct through robust Kalman filters. Finally, it is compared with well-known ones, such as least mean- square(LMS),recursive least square (RLS),Kalman filtering (KF).All these show that the proposal exhibits better performance.


Plants are gifts of God for mankind and are the basis of life on earth. The tradition of consuming wild plants as a source of food still persists in rural communities, despite their primary reliance on agriculture and animal husbandry. District Bilaspur lies between 31° 12' 30" and 31° 35' 45" N latitude and between 76° 23' 45" and 76° 55' 40" E longitude with an altitude ranging from 300 1930 meter in Shivalik hills of the Himalayas in the basin of river satluj. A total of 103 species of wild edible plants belonging to 76 genera and 49 families have been recorded in district Bilaspur. Among the total studied plants, maximum species were used as fruit (40.77%) followed by leaf (17.47%), flower (6.79%), seed (5.82%), shoot (5.82%), root (2.91%), gum (1.94%), bulb (0.97%), leaf and shoot (4.85%), leaf and fruit (3.88%), fruit and flower (1.94%), fruit and stipule, flower and seed, leaf and seed, leaf and bark, leaf and root, wood and gum (0.97% each); flower, fruit and shoot (.97%) were consumed by the inhabitants of the area. According to mode of utilization, plants were eaten as raw, cooked pot-herb "saag/bhuju" and vegetable, pickle, beverages "chatni", "pakoda", "rayata", flavour, additive and special dishes like "behadi/patrodu/bharuni/panjeeri". It is evident from the present study that traditional knowledge of wild edible plants is vanishing among modern generations of district Bilaspur, and is at the verge of erosion. So there is an urgent need to recognize, conserve and comprehensively study these wild plants for phytochemical analysis and neutraceutical potential.


A number of techniques have been proposed during the last two decades for Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) estimation in images. The majority of these techniques are based on the cross-correlation function of two images of the same area. However, the need for two images to estimate SNR value confines these techniques to non-stored images and thus limits their applications. In this paper the second order statistics of image corrupted by additive white noise are modeled by Autoregressive-model and the relationship between AR model and linear prediction is utilized in estimating the predictor coefficients. The predictor is then used to estimate the zero-offset autocorrelation value and accordingly obtain the power of the noise-free image. Unlike others, the proposed technique is based on single image and offers the required accuracy and robustness in estimating the SNR values.


Neural interfaces have traditionally been fabricated on rigid and planar substrates, including silicon and engineering thermoplastics. However, the neural tissue with which these devices interact is both 3D and highly compliant. The mechanical mismatch at the biotic-abiotic interface is expected to contribute to the tissue response that limits chronic signal recording and stimulation. In this work, novel ternary thiol-ene/acrylate polymer networks are used to create softening substrates for neural recording electrodes. Thermomechanical properties of the substrates are studied through differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis both before and after exposure physiological conditions. This substrate system softens from more than 1 GPa to 18 MPa on exposure to physiological conditions: reaching body temperature and taking up less than 3% fluid. The impedance of 177 µm(2) gold electrodes electroplated with platinum black fabricated on these substrates is measured to be 206 kΩ at 1 kHz. Specifically, intracortical electrodes are fabricated, implanted, and used to record driven neural activity. This work describes the first substrate system that can use the full capabilities of photolithography, respond to physiological conditions by softening markedly after insertion, and record driven neural activity for 4 weeks.


An analysis of the familial relationships in Brian DePalma's five major horror films reveals a persistent unconscious fantasy formation involving the nuclear family. These single-parent, only-child families are all tragically destroyed because of an inability to adequately mourn the absent parent. Although the asexual young adults in the films are spared the completely disastrous effects of madness and violence, they are still psychologically traumatized. This hidden subtextual theme involving the family parallels DePalma's bleak view of authority figures outside the home, as well as American society in general. Adequate identity formation requires that people both inside and outside the family accept the adolescent as a separate person. The grim psychological truth threading its way throughout DePalma's horror films is that these young adults are psychically devastated by the effects of a primitive, fused symbiotic relationship in interaction with a society that does not provide an adequate role for the developing person. Consequently, their attempt to psychologically move outside the family, which includes the maturation of their sexuality, results in the destruction of the family itself.


Integrin activation involves global conformational changes as demonstrated by various functional and structural analyses. The integrin β hybrid domain is proposed to be involved in the propagation of this activation signal. Our previous study showed that the integrin β2-specific monoclonal antibody 7E4 abrogates monoclonal antibody KIM185-activated but not Mg2+/EGTA-activated leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1; αLβ2)-mediated adhesion to ICAM-1. Here we investigated the allosteric inhibitory property of 7E4. By using human/mouse chimeras and substitution mutations, the epitope of 7E4 was mapped to Val407, located in the mid-region of the β2 hybrid domain. Two sets of constitutively active LFA-1 variants were used to examine the effect of 7E4 on LFA-1/ICAM-1 binding. 7E4 attenuated the binding of variants that have modifications to regions membrane proximal with respect to the β2 hybrid domain. In contrast, the inhibitory effect was minimal on variants with alterations in the αL I- and β2 I-like domains preceding the hybrid domain. Furthermore, 7E4 abrogated LFA-1/ICAM-1 adhesion of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-treated MOLT-4 cells. Our data demonstrate that interaction between the hybrid and I-like domain is critical for the regulation of LFA-1-mediated adhesion.


People notice the pain is aggravated after a bite of ice cream or spoon of hot soup intake. The tooth sensitivity otherwise called as 'Dentin Hypersensitivity'; the Dentin hypersensitivity is not a personal problem and it is easily rectified by the regular oral hygiene method.  The main objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of sensitive tooth paste with herbal extract to decrease the Dentinal Hypersensitivity issue.  The primary objective is to estimate of this study sensitivity of teeth through the Mean Visual Analogue Scale Scores method. The secondary objective is to estimate the recovery of gum inflammation reduction, gum strengthening, smoothening effect, cleaning. The Primary efficacy analysis was done by comparison of Screening and EOS of all variables using Non Parametric (Non Normal) Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Tes; it is similar to Paired t test. Mean visual Analogue scale score reduced up-to 66.3% in Air evaporative stimuli and 74.6% in Thermal stimuli.  Gingival index score reduced before and after treatment. Gum strengthening was confirmed by reduction of redness, edema and glazing from the all the patients who have used the Sensitive toothpaste. Gum Soothening was confirmed from the reduction towards bleeding on probing after the use of sensitive toothpaste by the patients. The plaque Index score helps to quantify the deposit of plaque on the teeth. There was a considerable decrease in plaque Index score from screening to End Of Study (EOS). Mean change of plaque index score at screening was 1.56 and it was declined to 0.96 at EOS.  The present study confirms that the toothpaste decreases plaque and gingivitis scores at significant levels. It is suggested that an herbal extract containing toothpaste could be a useful approach for gingivitis prevention and that it may be recommended for daily oral hygiene procedures. Regular use of herbal active tested tooth paste will helps to relief from the sensitivity issue and makes a happy smile.


The International Energy Agency (IEA) was established in 1974 within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to implement an international energy programme. A basic aim of the IEA is to foster international co-operation among the 28 IEA participating countries and to increase energy security through energy research, development and demonstration in the fields of technologies for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
The IEA Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme
The IEA co-ordinates research and development in a number of areas related to energy. The mission of the Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Programme is to develop and facilitate the integration of technologies and processes for energy efficiency and conservation into healthy, low emission, and sustainable buildings and communities, through innovation and research. (Until March 2013, the IEA-EBC Programme was known as the Energy in Buildings and Community Systems Programme, ECBCS.)
The research and development strategies of the IEA-EBC Programme are derived from research drivers, national programmes within IEA countries, and the IEA Future Buildings Forum Think Tank Workshops. The research and development (R&D) strategies of IEA-EBC aim to exploit technological opportunities to save energy in the buildings sector, and to remove technical obstacles to market penetration of new energy efficient technologies. The R&D strategies apply to residential, commercial, office buildings and community systems, and will impact the building industry in five focus areas for R&D activities:
 Integrated planning and building design
 Building energy systems
 Building envelope
 Community scale methods
 Real building energy use


The frequency and predictors of separation were examined in a large community sample in the United Kingdom. Over an approximately 2-year time span, from pregnancy to 21 months postnatal, the rates of change varied greatly among different family types, from 5% in families with 2 biological parents and no stepchildren to 38% in complex stepfamilies and 43% in stepmother families. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that separation in 2-parent families was predicted by a complex combination of individual and life-course history variables, including number of previous relationships, cohabiting status, poor relationship quality, low socioeconomic status and younger age. The findings are discussed in the context of previous psychological and sociological studies, and the substantial overlap among identified risk factors is highlighted.


: Objectives: We conducted a study to investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in an opportunistic. Sample of women in odissa, India. We inquired about risk factors associated with HPV infections and linked the HPV results with the cervical cancer screening history of the patients. Methods: The study population included 200 symptomatic and asymptomatic women patients attending Papanicolaou (Pap) test at AHRCC. After signing a consent form, patients were given a self-administered questionnaire (after approving by local ethics committee) on risk factors and received a conventional Pap test. Residual cells from the Pap tests were collected and sent for HPV testing. Results: The mean age of the population was 48 years. A total of 116patients (58.0%) had an HPV infection, 84 (42.0%) of whom had a normal Pap test or HPV -ve, 44(37.93%) were affected by hpv typing 16 and 18, which are mostly prevalent and 54(46.55%) had affected by multiple infection. Of those who were HPV positive, the most consistent risk factors were young age, higher number of pregnancy, low socio-economic status, diet, tobacco and living status. We cannot find any relation between cervical cancer risk factors with OCP and family history of patients of higher age. Conclusion: As Odissa is a socio-economically backward state of India, these data provide baseline information on HPV prevalence specially 16 and 18 in an unvaccinated population and can be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of the HPV immunization programs. An added benefit is in this study is a risk behavior survey to assess early and late outcomes of HPV infection, which is very helpful to save the life of women


In this work we consider $(1,1)-$dimensional resonant Dirac fermionic states on tube-like topological defects. The defects are formed by rings in $(2,1)$ dimensions, constructed with two scalar field $\phi$ and $\chi$, and embedded in the $(3,1)-$dimensional Minkowski spacetime. The tube-like defects are attained from a lagrangian density explicitly dependent with the radial distance $r$ relative to the ring axis and the radius and thickness of the its cross-section are related to the energy density. For our purposes we analyze a general Yukawa-like coupling between the topological defect and the fermionic field $\eta F(\phi,\chi)\bar\psi\psi$. With a convenient decomposition of the fermionic fields in left- and right- chiralities, we establish a coupled set of first order differential equations for the amplitudes of the left- and right- components of the Dirac field. After decoupling and decomposing the amplitudes in polar coordinates, the radial modes satisfy Schr\"odinger-like equations whose eigenvalues are the masses of the fermionic resonances. With $F(\phi,\chi)=\phi\chi$ the Schr\"odinger-like equations are numerically solved with appropriated boundary conditions. Several resonance peaks for both chiralities are obtained, and the results are confronted with the qualitative analysis of the Schr\"odinger-like potentials.


Radioiodine ((131)I) has been widely used in the treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Since radiation can carry a known risk of mutagenic abnormalities, we decided to study the outcome of pregnancy in females with DTC and evaluate the genetic risks and health status of their offspring. We retrospectively studied the medical records of these patients in our Institute from 1999 to 2004. A total of 1110 women were hospitalized for treatment with high doses of (131)I, at least 3700MBq. During this period, 653 of these women were in their reproductive period. A hundred of them who had at least one pregnancy after (131)I treatment, were studied. These women had a total of 126 pregnancies (1-6 pregnancies each) after treatment and 101 pregnancies before treatment. We also reviewed the (131)I dose administered last, as well as the cumulative dose of (131)I. Our results show that the incidence of abortions before (131)I treatment was 16.83% (all were spontaneous abortions) and increased to 26.19% after (131)I treatment (15.87% induced and 10.3% spontaneous abortions). Spontaneous abortions were decreased. There was no significant difference between the mean last (131)I dose and the cumulative dose in patients with or without a history of abortions. Mean interval between the last dose of (131)I treatment and abortions versus the last dose and live child births showed a significant difference. All children had normal birth weight. Three congenital anomalies: Down's syndrome, cardiac abnormalities and macrocephaly were diagnosed. Three episodes of intrauterine death were also recorded. In conclusion, our findings indicate that in women with DTC, treated with high doses of(131)I: a) There was no evidence of increased spontaneous abortions, b) Increasing the interval between the last dose of (131)I treatment and time to pregnancy might be beneficial for decreasing the entire risk of abortions and c) It appears that (131)I treatment had no obvious adverse effects on the risk of congenital anomalies.


Australian football (AF) is a physically demanding game, requiring players to engage in a range of anaerobic activities interspersed with prolonged aerobic exercise. Coupled, players have to perform a range of technical skills, the most fundamental of which being to effectively kick (dispose) the ball. The aim of this study was to ascertain the extent to which aerobic capacity influenced kicking performance in AF. Twenty four elite U18 players competing in the same U18 competition performed the Australian Football Kicking test (AFK) three times with the yo-yo IR2 completed twice (between each AFK), with no rest between all three AFKs. Linear mixed models (LMM) reported the extent to which kicking speed and accuracy scores were influenced by the level reached on the yo-yo IR2. Results indicated that players who recorded a higher level on the yo-yo IR2 produced a faster average kicking speed following each AFK (P <0.01), while for all players, kicking speed was faster and more accurate on their dominant kicking leg regardless of score on the yo-yo IR2 (P <0.01). The LMMs also reported that those who maintained kicking speeds following two yo-yo IR2 also had higher competition kicking efficiency than those who reported reduced kicking speeds. These results show that aerobically proficient U18 AF players who attain a relatively higher score on the yo-yo IR2 may be better equipped at preserving their kicking speed. Thus, coaches may wish to integrate both technical and aerobic drills in an attempt to preserve a player's capability to execute ball disposals with a high velocity.


Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been applied for wastewater treatment since 1987 in Mainland China. There were about 150 public owned CWs operated to treat different types of wastewater, including urban domestic wastewater, rural sewage, effluent from secondary treatment, industrial wastewater, urban and agricultural runoff. About 44% of the CWs are designed for urban and rural sewage treatment. Hybrid CW takes a majority role for wastewater treatment in China. There are 24 full-scale hybrid CWs among the surveyed 59 systems in this paper. The most frequently used filtration media for vegetated beds are gravel and cobble. Phragmites australis is the dominate plant used in CWs in north China, while cyperus alternifolius and Typha latifolia are commonly applied in south China. The statistical average removal efficiencies of CWs for industrial wastewater treatment are the highest in terms of COD and BOD5, followed by the efficiencies of treating urban domestic wastewater, rural sewage, effluent from secondary treatment, urban and agricultural runoff in a decline order with a revise trend of the designed hydraulic loading rates.


The Melammu Project investigates the continuity, transformation and diffusion of Mesopotamian culture throughout the ancient world. A central objective of the project is to create an electronic database collecting the relevant textual, art-historical, archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic evidence, which is available on the website, alongside bibliographies of relevant themes. In addition, the project organizes symposia focusing on different aspects of cultural continuity and evolution in the ancient world.


This paper discusses the aspects of modern MOS modeling requirements. Starting from the fact, that even the Compact Model Council (CMC) outlined BSIM3v3 as a standard MOS simulation model, many other models are used throughout the semiconductor community. Their common approach is they are all highly scalable to cover a wide range of transistor dimensions. To cover this effect, a strategy for efficient model parameter extraction with a special emphasis on scalability is illustrated. This leads to a software architecture and a data base concept, which enables modeling engineers to handle the parameter extraction for different simulation models from one common measurement base in a very efficient and flexible way.


We have treated 33 patients who presented with reflux in 40 ureters following transurethral resection (TUR) for bladder cancer. One or two injections of Teflon were made under the submucosal intramural ureter. Among the 32 ureters that could be correctly evaluated, we observed that vesicoureteral reflux disappeared in 18 (56.3%), and decreased the grade of reflux in 5 (15.6%). There were no modifications in the 9 remaining ureteral units (28.1%). Control urogram and/or sonogram scan were performed in all cases and demonstrating the absence of obstructive uropathy.


TOMITA, H., SOGAWA, H. and WATANABE, A. Congenital Secondary Hypothyroidism with Low Serum GH and Prolactin Levels in a 27-Day-Old Male Infant. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1982, 136 (4), 413-418 A male infant with secondary hypothyroidism is described. Within the first month after birth, the patient manifested feeding difficulties, lethargy, persistent jaundice, umbilical hernia, and large anterior and open posterior fontanels. The roentgenogram of the knee joints at 27 days showed absence of the distal femoral epiphyses. His serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level was low despite decreased levels of triiodothyronine (T3) and tetraiodothyronine (T4) in serum. Assessment of the hypothalamic-pituitary function showed neither TSH or prolactin responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) nor growth hormone (GH) responses to L-arginine and insulin, while responses of both luteinizing hormone (LH) and folliclestimulating hormone (FSH) to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to insulin were within normal limits. The malady of the patient in this case was not detected by newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism due to the fact that in the Aomori district of Japan thyroid screening involves only the measurement of TSH. Such measurement cannot detect cases of secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism such as our patient. Replacement therapy was initiated at 58 days and his physical and mental development has been regarded as normal since treatment. congenital hypothyroidism; newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism; secondary hypothyroidism


Were it simply a collection of fascinating, previously unpublished folktales, Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales would merit praise and attention because of its cultural rather than political approach to Palestinian studies. But it is much more than this. By combining their respective expertise in English literature and anthropology, Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana bring to these tales an integral method of study that unites a sensitivity to language with a deep appreciation for culture. As native Palestinians, the authors are well-suited to their task. Over the course of several years they collected tales in the regions of the Galilee, Gaza, and the West Bank, determining which were the most widely known and appreciated and selecting the ones that best represented the Palestinian Arab folk narrative tradition. Great care has been taken with the translations to maintain the original flavor, humor, and cultural nuances of tales that are at once earthy and whimsical. The authors have also provided footnotes, an international typology, a comprehensive motif index, and a thorough analytic guide to parallel tales in the larger Arab tradition in folk narrative. Speak, Bird, Speak Again is an essential guide to Palestinian culture and a must for those who want to deepen their understanding of a troubled, enduring people.


This article discusses the quality aimed at education process that is the most important of all processes at school and therefore its quality is a crucial element for the quality of schools as well. We primarily emphasize the teaching preparations in the short term, thus preparing the teaching notes, which is an indicator of a successful, efficient and above all quality course. In the article we present the results of the already carried out surveys and the results of our previous questionnaire survey, which will seek the opinions of teachers of secondary vocational schools on prepared teaching notes for the subject Enterprise Economics.


Water-soluble metal working fluids are used for processing of aluminium alloy materials. This short article describes properties of new additives in water-soluble metal working fluids for aluminium alloy materials. Many half esters or diesters were prepared from the reactions of higher alcohols with acid anhydrides. Interestingly, diesters of PTMG (tetrahydrofuran oligomer, MW=650 and 1000) and polybutylene glycol with maleic anhydride and succinic anhydride showed both of an excellent anti-corrosion property against aluminium alloy and a good hard water tolerance. The industrial soluble type processing oils including these additives also showed anti-corrosion property and hard water tolerance.


The Patents (Amendment) Act 2005 (hereafter '2005 Act') was India's last step towards achieving complete TRIPS compliance. This Act has had a long fairly long innings and generated considerable debate, both domestically and internationally. Despite the passing of this Act, which contained a number of safeguards against non meritorious pharmaceutical patents, the Left Parties wanted more and in particular wanted to introduce a provision that would have limited patent grants to only New Chemical Entities (NCEs).Sensing that this could violate TRIPS, the government referred this issue to an expert committee headed by noted technocrat, Dr RA Mashelkar. In particular, it requested the Committee (or Technical Expert Group or TEG) on April 5, 2005 to study: "a) whether it would be TRIPS compatible to limit the grant of patent for pharmaceutical substance to new chemical entity or to new medical entity involving one or more inventive steps; andb) whether it would be TRIPS compatible to exclude micro-organisms from patenting."The Technical Expert Group (TEG) solicited the opinions of IP stakeholders and others interested in the issues that it was meant to resolve. In this regard, I was requested by the Intellectual Property Institute (IPI), London to provide a comprehensive and independent opinion on the foregoing issues. My report finds as follows: 1. Limiting the grant of patents to new chemical entities and thereby excluding other categories of pharmaceutical inventions (the 'proposed exclusion') is likely to contravene the mandate under Article 27 of TRIPS to grant of patents to all 'inventions'. Neither Articles 7 and 8 nor the Doha Declaration can be used to derogate from this specific mandate under Article 27.2. The proposed exclusion amounts to an 'unjustified differentially disadvantageous treatment' of pharmaceutical inventions and is therefore likely to violate the 'non discrimination' mandate under Article 27. 3. If the aim of the proposed exclusion is to prevent a phenomenon loosely referred to as 'ever-greening', this can be done by a proper application of patentability criteria, as present in the current patent regime. 4. Lastly, it is important to distinguish the phenomenon of 'ever-greening' from what is commonly referred to as 'incremental innovation'. While 'ever-greening' refers to an undue extension of a patent monopoly, achieved by executing trivial and insignificant changes to an already existing patented product, 'incremental innovations' are sequential developments that build on the original patented product and may be of tremendous value in a country like India.


A 43-year-old woman with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), euthyroid on levothyroxine since 1999, developed thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) in February 2002. She had involvement of the eye muscles, as shown by computed tomography (CT) scan. She was started on methylprednisolone pulse therapy 7.5 mg/kg of body weight, (one cycle every 2 weeks, each cycle comprising two infusions on alternate days), with rapid improvement of soft tissue inflammation and of eye motility, as confirmed by the reduction of clinical activity score (CAS) and eye muscles size on CT scan. At the end of treatment the patient showed a marked and rapid increase of serum aminotransferases (up to 1200 U/L). She had negative hepatitis A, B, and C viruses serology, but circulating antinuclear antibodies. A liver biopsy, performed at 4 weeks after the discontinuation of intravenous steroids, led to the diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). The patient was treated with oral steroids with a rapid reduction of serum aminotransferases concentrations. To our knowledge, there have been only two reports of liver dysfunction after intravenous steroids for TAO, but the etiology of such hepatitis had not been established. AIH may develop in patients with multiple autoimmunity and may not become overt until immune rebound occurs (i.e. after cessation of or between immunosuppressive treatment cycles). Steroids are the first line of treatment for AIH, hence their use would not be contraindicated when patients with TAO have chronic hepatitis, provided that the modalities of treatment are appropriate.


Little is known about how families systemically incorporate the work of caring for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood brain tumors who often remain dependent on their families well into adulthood. The primary aim of this study was to develop a typology of family management (FM) patterns for AYA survivors. The secondary aims were to compare them with FM patterns previously described for children with chronic health conditions and to validate the patterns using quantitative and qualitative data. Guided by the Family Management Styles Framework, a sequential, mixed-methods design was used to gather quantitative data from 186 mothers (primary caregivers) and 134 AYA survivors. FM patterns (family focused; somewhat family focused; somewhat condition focused; and condition focused) were identified using cluster analysis of data from the Family Management Measure. FM patterns were found to be similar to those for children with chronic health physical conditions and were significantly related to maternal quality of life, survivor quality of life (health-related quality of life [self- and mother proxy report]), cancer-related variables (treatment intensity, medical late effects), and family functioning in theoretically meaningfully ways. Significant demographic characteristics included private insurance and AYA survivors' engagement in school or employment. Qualitative analysis of data from 45 interviews with mothers from the larger sample provided additional support for and elaborated descriptions of FM patterns. Identification of FM patterns moves the science of family caregiving forward by aggregating data into a conceptually based typology, thereby taking into account the complex intersection of the condition, the family, and condition management.


In future wireless networks, different traffic classes will exhibit a large variety of characteristics and QoS requirements, such as transmission rate, maximum tolerable bit error rate and timeout specifications. However, currently there is no standard way of guaranteeing QoS in wireless access networks like wireless LAN based on IEEE 802.11. In this paper, we propose medium access control protocol enhancements and a distributed scheduler for QoS guarantees and fairness over IEEE 802.11 WLAN. The proposed scheme uses distributed scheduling at both the access point and the user terminals to schedule the transmission of packets according to their delay requirements. The algorithms used for both scheduling are the same. A flexible and fair resource allocation method among the traffic classes and the user terminals is provided by this scheme. Its performance has been evaluated using the UCB/LBNL/VINT Network Simulator and an implementation in the Linux kernel.


In contrast to traditional therapy (beta-adrenoblocker and nitrates), energostim improves the systolic and diastolic functions of myocardium during 120-min occlusion of the left descending coronary artery. The energostim-induced improvement in the central hemodynamics is correlated with an adaptive increase in activity of the antioxidant system enzymes in response to the ischemic production of reactive oxygen species, which is evidence of the mobilization of reserves of the enzymatic link in the antioxidant defense system of cardiomyocytes. Analogous pattern is observed in the blood. In the control group of traditional therapy, a decrease in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the redox potential (NAD/NADH) in myocardium are correlated with a decrease in the maximum rate of pressure increase in the left ventricle (R 6.4, p < 0.01) observed 2 h after the coronary occlusion. In the energostim treated group, there is a correlation between the SOD activity and the content of cytochrome C in mitochondria (R 6.1, p < 0.01): a change in the level of cytochrome C during 2-h acute ischemia is correlated with the decrease in redox potential (NAD/NADH) and in the ratio of glutathione peroxidase to Mn-dependent SOD (r 0.64, p < 0.01). Thus, disturbances in the antioxidant defense system of both myocardium and blood plasma of the patients with acute myocardium infarction are correlated with inability of the energy supply system to utilize oxygen in the process of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. Stable adaptive increase in activity of the antioxidant defense system enzymes and a decrease in the content of cytochrome C in the blood plasma are probably the independent indications of beneficial prognosis and high efficacy of the proposed treatment of the ischemic damage of myocardium.


To explore why urine pH affects myoglobin (M)-induced renal injury, rats were infused with M under aciduric (NH4Cl) or alkalinuric (KHCO3) conditions with or without additional solute loading. Acute renal M retention (R) was highly pH dependent (pH 5.77, 68% R; pH 6.45, 49% R; pH 8.0, 28% R), the % R positively affecting the severity of renal injury (azotemia, proximal tubular necrosis, M casts, medullary vascular congestion, assessed 3 and/or 24 hours later). However, nonreabsorbable, nonalkalinizing salts (SO4) equiosmolar to KHCO3 decreased M retention to 21% and produced comparable functional/morphologic protection as HCO3. Equiosmolar reabsorbable salt (NaCl) did not decrease M retention (67%) or confer significant protection. M, when suspended in urine, but not in 0.45% NaCl, was highly acid precipitable (73% versus 10%). Electrophoretic/solubility studies indicated that M, not hematin, precipitated. M infusion did not decrease renal cortical soluble thiol groups (principally glutathione) or raise malondialdehyde concentrations at a time that tubular damage was apparent. Neither deferoxamine nor 2 hydroxyl radical scavengers (dimethylthiouria, Na benzoate) conferred significant functional/morphologic protection. These results indicate that aciduria promotes myoglobinuric-renal injury by acutely trapping M within the kidney, not by causing hematin formation. HCO3 protects by increasing urinary M solubility and by providing nonreabsorbed solute, both facilitating its excretion. Fe-stimulated hydroxyl radical formation does not appear to be necessary for M to cause renal damage.


Objectives: Patients with extended periods of time spent with low or absent absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) are at risk for bacterial infections. Febrile neutropenia is a complication in this patient population, requiring administration of antibiotics. The use of daptomycin in treating patients with febrile neutropenia is not well described. Our objective was to describe the clinical course of febrile neutropenic patients that received daptomycin therapy. Methods: This was an open-labeled, pilot study of 30 patients with documented febrile neutropenia treated with empiric daptomycin. Eligible patients received daptomycin 6 mg/kg/day, in addition to concomitant broad-spectrum antimicrobials. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate the median days to reach an afebrile state and negative bacterial cultures. Results: A total of 30 febrile neutropenic patients were enrolled and received daptomycin as part of an empiric antimicrobial regimen. All patients had severe neutropenia with ANC <100 cells/mm3. Two patients were removed from study due to the development of pneumonia. Clinically, 87% patients improved on daptomycin in combination with Gram-negative coverage, with 73% of patients succeeding therapy. A total of 18 of 19 (95%) subjects with positive blood cultures had microbiological eradication, with the median time to reach an afebrile state of 4.3 days (range 1–13). Four patients were discontinued from daptomycin due to a suspected related adverse event or to clinical failure. Conclusions: This pilot study supports future evaluation of the use of empiric daptomycin therapy in combination with Gram-negative coverage compared with vancomycin in patients with neutropenic fever in a large, randomized controlled trial.


We present an iterative schedule optimisation for multi-rate system specifications, mapped onto heterogeneous distributed architectures containing dynamic voltage scalable processing elements (DVS-PEs). To achieve a high degree of energy reduction, we formulate a generalised DVS problem, taking into account the power variations among the executing tasks. An efficient heuristic is presented that identifies optimised supply voltages by not only "simply" exploiting slack time, but under the additional consideration of the power profiles. Thereby, this algorithm minimises the energy dissipation of heterogeneous architectures, including power managed processing elements, effectively. Further, we address the simultaneous schedule optimisation towards timing behaviour and DVS utilisation by integrating the proposed DVS heuristic into a genetic list scheduling approach. We investigate and analyse the possible energy reduction at both steps of the co-synthesis (voltage scaling and scheduling), including the power variations effects. Extensive experiments indicate that the presented work produces solutions with high quality.


Author(s): Akhtar, Asif Ali | Abstract: This article is concerned with tracing an onto-epistemological break through the archeology of colonial penal law, whereby a historical restructuring of the "visible" and the "articulable" produces modern ways of "seeing" and "knowing." This epistemic break will be investigated through eighteenth and nineteenth century "Regulation" of Islamic sharīʿa penal law by British administrators of the East India Company in colonial Bengal. The juridico-discursive body, which came to be known as Anglo-Muhammadan law, will be analyzed through court records compiled by Company jurists and their Regulations modifying sharīʿa jurisprudence. Islamic penal law is based on hermeneutical practices of juridical reasoning formed through particular ways of seeing, knowing, and verifying the truth through eye-witness and testimony. In this article I will show that when the British commandeered this system of justice towards their own ends, the regulatory changes they instituted inadvertently brought about visual transformations of the ways in which legal life-worlds of the colony come to be recorded, articulated, and expressed. Under the British administration of colonial Bengal, this dual-process of appropriation and subversion of the law took shape through translation and transliteration of fiqh treatises, to legal amendments and sweeping legislations in substantive law. This process not only provided colonial power access to the bodies of colonial subjects, but also conditioned the relations between criminality, visuality, and juridical veridiction through penal legislation. As this article will show, the East India Company's regulation of Islamic penal law began incorporating modern forms of evidentiary proofs, indexicality, and documentary formats that restructured the lifeworld of colonial law in 19th century Bengal.


ABSTRACT As a reliable and valid measures of perceptual auditory laterality, dichotic listening has been successfully applied in studies in many countries and languages. However, languages differ in the linguistic relevance of change in initial phoneme of words (e.g., for word identification). In the present cross-language study, we examine the effect of these differences on dichotic-listening task performance to establish how characteristics of one's native language affect the perception of nonnative phonological features. We compared 33 native speakers of Norwegian, a language characterized by a clear distinction between voiced and unvoiced initial plosive consonants, with 30 native speakers of Estonian, a language that has exclusively unvoiced initial phonemes. Using a free-report dichotic-listening paradigm utilizing pairs of voiced (/ba/, /da/, /ga/) and unvoiced (/pa/, /ta/, /ka/) stop-consonant vowels as stimulus material, the Norwegian native speakers were found to be more sensitive to the voicing of the initial plosive than the Estonian group. "Voicing" explained 69% and 18% of the variance in the perceptual auditory laterality in the Norwegian and the Estonian sample, respectively. This indicates that experiential differences, likely during acquisition of the mother tongue in early development, permanently shape the sensitivity to the voicing contrast.


ABSTRACT Flute casts, groove casts, and convolute laminations have been observed in the nongraded continental Barakar sediments which are interpreted as river-laid deposits. Formation of these structures is generally attributed to the turbidity currents and are regarded as turbidites as the structures are frequently reported from flysch sediments. This study suggests that the turbidite structures should not be restricted to any particular environment since they may occur in any environment provided favorable conditions are present.


Why do people behave in ways that are bad for them in the long term? People are bad at resisting temptations at the expense of their long-term goals, they for instance have unprotected sex despite their long term goal to stay healthy. Impulsivity is often coined as reason for these kinds of behavior. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate why impulsiveness leads to riskier decisions. We first investigated the intuitively appealing, but unlikely, notion that people in impulsive states are less influenced by their long-term goals. Specifically, we found that sexual risk decisions of people in impulsive and reflective states are equally influenced by the importance of their long-term goals. We further showed that, when health goals are important, people in reflective states make riskier decisions as temptations become stronger, while decisions of people in impulsive states are not influenced by temptation strength. Subsequently, we investigated other possible reasons why impulsiveness leads to riskier decisions, namely difference in attention and perception. Specifically, we hypothesized and established, using eye-tracking, that people in impulsive states focus their attention on the most salient information, whereas people in reflective states distribute their attention. This attentional difference was found to affect sexual attractiveness judgments. Additionally, we found that people in impulsive states estimate the size of goal-relevant objects in biased ways. Specifically, sex-primed heterosexual men estimated a woman's breasts as larger than men primed with a neutral stimulus. When primed with a sex goal, larger cup size, and thus sexual maturity, is goal congruent. Women showed the reverse effect, estimating cup size of a competitor as smaller is goal congruent, because for women another woman is competition, and estimating her cup size as smaller puts themselves in a more positive light (i.e., more sexually mature). That people in impulsive states are influenced by motivation, whereas people in reflective states are not, suggests that biased size estimation is a spontaneous process that promotes readiness for goal pursuit in people in impulsive states. Lastly, we tested whether changing a 'simple' environmental factor can possibly change the cognitive state people are in and possibly reduce risk taking. Based on widespread notions in our language, we hypothesized that temperature influences risk taking behavior. We found that imagery, such as 'in the heat of the moment', can be taken literally; people make riskier sexual decisions when temperatures are higher than when temperatures are lower.


A survey of the white-flippered penguin (Eudyptula minor albosignata) nesting colonies on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand was made during the 2000/01 and 2001/02 breeding seasons. Sixty-eight colonies were found of which 51 contained 5-20 nests, 12 21-50 nests, and 5 >50 nests. Altogether there were 2112 nests which equates to a population of c. 5870 birds. Adding the estimated 1650 nests on Motunau Island gave a total population for the subspecies of c. 10,460 birds. The colonies were distributed right around the peninsula with their occurrence increasing from west to east. Most were situated either on the peripheral coast (47%) or inside bays within 1 km of their entrance (38%). All but three of the colonies were on debris slopes below coastal bluffs with the nests concentrated mainly in rock piles. One colony was on an islet, and the other two were on farmland around the heads of bays. Thirty-four of the colonies were considered accessible to introduced mammalian predators, and 14 contained evidence predators had been present. If predator numbers remain high it seems inevitable that many of the surviving penguin colonies will be lost and others reduced in size.


Local hemispherical effective emissivities and integrated cavity emissivities are computed for isothermal and nonisothermal diffuse double cones (a conical section joined to a conical frustum) with and without lids, and are compared with corresponding values for cylindrocones. The local emissivities increase and become more uniform with increasing taper of the frustum. They are also considerably higher when there is a lid. For cavities with the same conical section, length, and aperture, a lidded double cone is blacker than a lidded cylindrocone when the front half of the frustum is invisible, but less black otherwise. For double cones of the same length, diameter, and aperture, the best choice of cone and frustum angles depends upon the particular viewing conditions. The integrated cavity emissivities vary only slightly with the angles of cone and frustum when the frustum is relatively long, and the normal emissivity (for a small on-axis detector a large distance away) is higher than the hemispherical emissivity (for a detector that fills the cavity aperture). When the frustum is relatively short, all of these vary substantially with angle, and the hemispherical emissivity can be higher than the normal emissivity. There is a marked variation of both local and integrated emissivities with wavelength in nonisothermal double cones; e.g., for the particular cases illustrated, the normal spectral emissivities change by from 4% to 6% and the hemispherical spectral emissivities by from 17% to 20% between 0.3 and 1 μm for a 1% temperature variation at 1300 K. The amount of the change in these spectral emissivities also depends upon the geometry of the cavity.


Green exercise, defined as physical activity in natural environments, might have positive effects on stress-related physiological measures. Little is known about the acute effects of green exercise bouts lasting longer than 60 min. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the acute effects of a three-hour green exercise intervention (mountain hiking) on stress-related physiological responses. Using a randomized crossover design, 42 healthy participants were exposed to three different conditions in a field-based experiment: outdoor mountain hiking, indoor treadmill walking, and sedentary control condition (three hours each). At baseline and at follow-up (five minutes after the condition), stress-related physiological responses (salivary cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate variability) were measured. Salivary cortisol decreased in all conditions, but showed a larger decrease after both mountain hiking and treadmill walking compared to the sedentary control situation (partial η2 = 0.10). No differences were found between mountain hiking and treadmill walking in salivary cortisol. In heart rate variability and blood pressure, changes from baseline to follow-up did not significantly differ between the three conditions. The results indicate that three hours of hiking indoors or outdoors elicits positive effects on salivary cortisol concentration. Environmental effects seem to play a minor role in salivary cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate variability.


Various studies have been done to assess the wound healing potential of Aloe barbadensis and Bidens pilosa. Plant materials/ extracts that have been used in most of those studies have shown superior/ comparable efficacy with respect to positive controls used. However, there remains a big gap concerning standardisation of doses to use since there is no information on how the doses used in these experiments are determined. This study aimed at formulating and preparing a herbal ointment (BILOE-8) from Aloe barbadensis and Bidens pilosa; establishing the quality, wound healing efficacy and toxicity profile of the prepared herbal ointment. Ethanolic extracts of the leaves of the study plants were prepared and screened for presence of alkaloids, flavonoids (B. pilosa), and anthraquinones (A. barbadensis). Formulation of BILOE-8 was by fusion. Standard tests for ointment quality and microbiological stability were done. An experimental controlled study was carried out to determine the efficacy of BILOE-8 which appears black with a smooth surface, is consistent, spreads easily on dry skin, washable but leaves a green stain that disappears with time. No observable physical, chemical, and microbiological changes were observed. BILOE-8 had the fastest rate of wound reduction, and the shortest epithelialization and healing times compared to the other treatments. No cutaneous changes were observed within 24 hours. A herbal ointment formulated from Aloe barbadensis and Bidens pilosa is therefore an efficacious wound healing remedy that should be considered as an alternative medicine for wound management.


The kinetics of egg phosphatidylcholine oxidation induced by an artificial prooxidant Fe2+--ascorbate system or hematine was followed by oxygen uptake. The protective effect of natural free radical scavangers--polyhydroxynaphthoquinones, ionol (BHT), alpha-tocopherol and EDTA was estimated by the decrease of the phosphatidylcholine oxidation rate. EDTA was shown to inhibit the Fe2+--ascorbate-induced oxidation but had no effect on the hematine-induced oxidation. The inhibiting effect of polyhydroxynaphthoquinones on Fe2+--ascorbate-induced oxidation was 10-100 times as high as that on hematine-induced oxidation. The effects of BHT and alpha-tocopherol were the same in both models. Natural polyhydroxynaphthoquinones interacted with the free radical diphenylpicrylhydrazyl in stoichiometric ratios coinciding with the number of beta-hydroxyls in naphthoquinone molecules; the methylation of these hydroxyls fully suppressed such an interaction. Two possible mechanisms of action of polyhydroxynaphthoquinones as antioxidative agents are discussed. The first of these is coupled with the formation of Fe2+--PHNQ complexes, while the second one--with their effect as free radical scavengers. In both cases, beta-hydroxyls of naphthoquinone molecules were shown to play a key role.


During the exploitation of the atomic power stations the tubing metal is exposed to the influence of temperatures in the range of 290-320С. It can lead to thermal ageing and to the decrease of the embrittlement resistance. The critical embrittlement temperature is the main value which is needed to calculate the embrittlement resistance of materials. The metal properties degradation is taking into account by introduction of the shift of critical embrittlement temperature. The presented data ensure the prognosis of tube steels properties and shift of the critical embrittlement temperature for 60 years resource.


Background: Researchers have provided evidence that physical activity (PA) improves health for women with and without a history of breast cancer (BC). More specifically, they have shown that PA helps reduce cancer-related symptoms (e.g., fatigue, depression, subjective stress, anxiety) and improves overall physical functioning in women with a history of BC. Yet, few researchers have examined the relationship between PA and physiological measures of stress. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether self-reported aerobic PA was associated with diurnal and reactive cortisol patterns, and whether these associations differed for women with and without a history of BC. Methods: Participants were 25 women with a history of BC (M time since diagnosis = 6.5 years) and 23 women without a history of BC who self-reported their PA level. To assess salivary diurnal cortisol patterns, participants provided five saliva samples collected on two consecutive days at the following times: upon awakening, 30 minutes after waking, 12PM, 4PM, and 9PM. To measure reactive cortisol patterns, participants provided seven saliva samples collected before, during, and after the Trier Social Stress Test. Data were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mixed-design ANOVAs. Results: Cortisol patterns differed statistically based on women's history of cancer, whereby women without a history of BC had significantly higher overall cortisol reactivity to an acute stressor, but patterns did not differ statistically based on participants' aerobic PA level. Conclusions: Findings suggest that aerobic PA may not have the same effect on women with and without a BC experience.Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all participants for their generous collaboration. We also would like to acknowledge funding for this study from the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance.


GPGPU (General Purpose computing on Graphic Processing Unit) systems attract a great deal of attention, which are used for general-purpose computations like numerical calculations as well as graphic processing, but the peak power consumption of the GPU is relatively high. On the other hand, fractal image coding is one of the most prominent compression technologies. It can be also used for industrial applications like image indexing methods and image retrieval methods. In this paper, we implement parallel programs for the fractal image coding algorithms on GPGPU systems by using CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) and discuss the power-aware evaluation of the application. We also consider the availability of the GPU from the point of view of the green computing.


This investigation aimed to look at the existing stigmas that surround schizophrenia and how newspapers are contributing to them through their choice of language and imagery. A critical discourse analysis was conducted on newspapers dated between 1990- 2016 from a range of sources. Whilst looking at these papers three stigmas were prominent above the rest: violence and danger, incorrect diagnosis, public lack of understanding and symptom misunderstandings and family blame. However, as research by Cross (2014) had previously suggested there was a difference in representations of schizophrenia between broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. Broadsheets were more progressive in their representations of schizophrenia. Although they suggested that they still exist, almost all articles had a 'turning- point' moment that emphasised the need for these stigmas to be abolished. On the other hand tabloid papers were less progressive in their perceptions of schizophrenia and almost all tabloids represented individuals with schizophrenia that had committed a crime. However, tabloids focused mostly on the violence associated with schizophrenia rather than incorrect diagnosis, public lack of understanding, symptom misunderstandings and family blame. Yet it could be argued that their unsympathetic attitude throughout could be due to the journalist's lack of understanding of the illness. In future replications of this study, comparison could be made between papers prior to 1990-2016 and those papers to analyse how there is some progression in the twenty-first century.


Nietzsche's 1886 claim that psychology is the 'queen of the sciences' demands that we attend to the results of actual psychology. Such attention reveals Nietzsche to be prescient on several moral psychological issues. The aim of this article is to outline four such issues and thereby present readers with Nietzsche's promise for empirically-informed philosophical psychology. First, Nietzsche holds that moral responses are products of a two-tier structure of the affects; secondly, that each person has a relatively stable psycho-physiological constitution qualifying him or her as a 'type'; thirdly, that the real causes of action are frequently hidden from introspection and retrospectively confabulated; and lastly — a view of Nietzsche's that is yet to receive due treatment — that the practically significant question regarding one's will is to be understood on a 'strength-model' of self-control. After discussing the evidence in support of these claims, we conclude with a brief discussion of how, given his lack of access to contemporary experimental methods, Nietzsche could have nonetheless been the astute moral psychologist that he appears to be.


Bovine mastitis is the single most costly disease usually caused by Bacteria. The genus Staphylococcus is major bacteria that cause mastitis in dairy cattle. Staphylococci that cause bovine mastitis are commonly divided into two major groups such as 1) Staphylococcus aureus and 2) non-aureus staphylococci (NAS). Staphylococcus aureus causes clinical and subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. Accurate diagnosis of Staphylococcus species can be made by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF), 16S RNA gene sequencing, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In well-managed dairy farms that fully applied mastitis control measures, the incidence of S. aureus mastitis significantly reduced. However, staphylococcal mastitis is still major problem in most farms due to variation in management and presence of some species of non-aureus staphylococci in the environment. There is no effective vaccine that prevent staphylococcal mastitis. Treatment with antibiotics is increasingly less effective and increases development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Sustainable non-antibiotic staphylococcal mastitis prevention measures such as vaccines, probiotics, good herd health management and other improved methods are required. To develop an innovative control tool detailed understanding of staphylococcal virulence factors, pathogenesis, and host immunological responses is critically important. This chapter discusses the pathogenesis, host responses and current control and prevention methods.