Like the Arctic, the Antarctic region hosts some of the hot spots of climatic change. At the
western Antarctic Peninsula, alterations of air and water temperature, pH, salinity and sea-ice
regime were reported and associated shifts in species abundance and changes in food web
structure have already become evident. In contrast, for most high-Antarctic regions, no
climate related changes have yet been found. However, future temperature increases are also
projected for these areas. Ocean warming affects marine ectotherms by directly impacting
their body temperature and thus physiology. Antarctic marine ectotherms, such as fish, are
highly adjusted to the very cold and stable conditions of the Southern Ocean and are
suggested to be highly temperature sensitive. Fish constitute an important link in Antarctic
food webs by being prey and predator alike. While various studies focused on the impact of
elevated temperature on lower organisational levels in Antarctic fish, trade-offs of increased
temperature for the whole organism remain unclear, but are highly relevant from an
ecological perspective.
Thus, this thesis aimed to assess the impact of increasing temperature on Antarctic fish at the
whole-organism level from an energy budget perspective. The energy taken up by an
organism can be allocated to different vital functions, such as routine metabolism, growth,
reproduction and excretion. When routine metabolic costs are covered, energy can be
allocated to growth and reproduction, the factors influencing a species abundance and
population structure. In the first study of this thesis, energy allocation to routine metabolism
as well as response patterns to an acute increase of temperature in the fish species
Lepidonotothen squamifrons, Trematomus hansoni and Lepidonotothen nudifrons were
analysed using oxygen consumption measurements. While metabolic responses to changing
temperature were comparable in all species, metabolic costs of high-Antarctic fish were
higher at habitat temperatures. Starting from higher metabolic rates at habitat temperature, it
was hypothesised that high-Antarctic species might achieve critical thermal thresholds much
earlier than low-latitude species when temperature increases. In the second study,
temperature-dependent trade-offs at the whole-organism-level in Antarctic fish were analysed
measuring different energy budget parameters. The results indicated a lower thermal tolerance
of the high-Antarctic Trematomus bernacchii compared to the low-Antarctic Lepidonotothen
nudifrons. After nine weeks of acclimation to elevated temperatures (4°C), routine metabolic
rates of T. bernacchii returned to baseline levels (0°C). However, mass growth was reduced
by 84% at 2°C, likely due to less efficient food assimilation. In nature, such severe reductions
in fish growth could delay sexual maturity and reduce production. In the third study,
temperature-dependent growth rates of fish species from different latitudes were assessed.
Polar and especially Antarctic species showed low growth and a narrow thermal tolerance
window for growth performance compared to temperate species. A further climate induced
reduction of already low growth rates could significantly affect population structures and
abundances of polar fish.
In conclusion, this thesis indicates differences in energy allocation, such as potentially higher
routine metabolism, among low- and high-Antarctic fish. These could contribute to a high
thermal sensitivity of high-Antarctic species. On the whole-organism level, this thermal
sensitivity was displayed by significant reductions of already low growth rates at elevated
temperatures. Finally, these results suggest that ocean warming may have far-reaching
consequences for Antarctic fish production and population structures with potential extensive
implications for entire Antarctic ecosystems and food webs.


The immune system was studied in 90 patients with seronegative spondylarthritis (SNSA). Of them, 60 patients had ankylosing spond- ylarthritis (30 patients with central and 30 patients with peripheral forms) and 30 patients with reactive arthritis. SNSA patients were found to have secondary immunodeficiency. Cellular immunity was characterized by a decreased count of Тц (helper cells), an increased count of Ту (cytotoxic/suppressors) and suppressed functional activity of lymphocytes, humoral immunity - by a high concentration of circulating immune complexes in an increased concentration of serum immunoglobulins. Integral assessment of the changes in the immune system and clinical data in SNSA patients leads to the conclusion that water radon baths and decimetric wave therapy reach the highest efficacy in ankylosing spondylarthritis while water radon baths and low frequency ultrasound - in reactive arthritis, a complex of water radon baths and ultraphonophoresis of hydrocortisone - in ankylosing spondylarthritis and reactive arthritis.


A grain morphology index f1 characteristic of the configuration of secondaryrecrystallized grains grown in tungsten wires is derived after making their contours clear inthree dimensions. Tensile and hardness tests are made using the wires with different grainmorphologies at room temperature. It is then investigated through f1 how the grainmorphology is connected to brittleness of doped wires. The fracture modes are classified tobe ductile and brittle at each of the two regions, which are separated so that each of them isbelow and above a certain value of f1 respectively. The morphological features of grains toprevent fatal brittleness of wires are demonstrated.


Surgical resection is the golden standard for treatment of both primary and metastatic liver tumors, and the method is associated with the highest long-time survival rates [1]. A large number of patients are however not candidates for tumor resection, for example due to un-sufficent hepatic reserve or tumor location relative to large blood vessels. In those cases, an alternative treatment strategy is to heat the tumor(s) to lethal temperatures by means of Radiofrequency (RF) current.Copyright © 2008 by ASME


Examines the potential for excessive crop uptake of nutrients, soil mineralization, and response of livestock to the usage of Ogunpa Stream, Ibadan, Nigeria. A number of surface water and soil samples were collected from the Ogunpa and small irrigated farms near the stream for physico‐chemical examination. Results show that the stream is suitable for irrigated agriculture but not for aquaculture and livestock breeding especially in the middle reaches. The added nutrients accumulated in the cultivated layer of the soil. There was some evidence of migration of some elements down from the cultivated layer. The potential hazard for pollution caused by irrigating with the polluted water threatens crop and vegetables grown on adjacent farms as well as groundwater of the nearby area. This may seriously affect the consumers. It is recommended that residents around the stream become aware of how to reduce the pollution level.


A multiplier is an important component for many analog applications. This paper presents a low power CMOS analog multiplier with performance analysis and design considerations. Experiments with SPICE simulation and results from chip testing show that this new structure has extremely low power consumption with comparable linearity and noise performance, making it very attractive for use in a variety of analog circuits.


Twenty-four nitrogen-containing aromatic molecules, mono- and dicyclic homologs from each of 12 different analog sets, were studied to determine their relative acute static toxicities, monitored as population growth impairment to the ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. Quantitative structure-activity correlations between the molecular descriptors log l-octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow) and log toxicity are reported. Using the complete data set the descriptor does not provide an adequate model for predictability. A scatter plot of log Kow versus log toxicity suggests two parallel linear correlations: one consisting of the more complex multiple H-polar nitrogen-containing compounds and the other with the single H-polar and in-ring substituted nitrogen-containing compounds.


Recent studies have reported that fibroblasts or differentiated pluripotent cells can be reprogrammed with transcription factors (TFs) into cells with hematopoietic potential. A study published in Cell now suggests that committed blood precursors may provide a source for blood stem cell transplantation after reprogramming (Riddell et al, 2014). The authors report that a combination of eight TFs reprogram murine committed blood progenitors into long‐term engrafting and serially transplantable hematopoietic stem cells with a molecular signature similar to their endogenous counterparts.


Bovine lactoferrin strongly inhibited the hemagglutination activity of type 1 fimbriated Escherichia coli. In addition, it agglutinated these bacteria. The agglutination reaction was specifically inhibited by glycopeptides derived from bovine lactoferrin or alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. These observations indicate that the glycans of bovine lactoferrin can serve as receptors for type 1 fimbrial lectin.


Satellites in low Earth orbits are subject to drag forces from the Earth's atmosphere, these forces deorbit the satellites over time. The effect of global warming on the rate at which a satellite will deorbit is investigated in this paper. It is found that, while a simplified model would predict a faster deorbit, this is not the case due to interactions at the molecular level.


There are 3 main theories used to explain the functions of humor: (1) the relief theory, (2) the incongruity theory, and (3) the superiority theory. While these theories focus on the specific role that humor plays for people in situations such as dealing with misfortune, making sense of rule violations, and bonding with others, we propose that underlying each of these theories are the physiological benefits of laughter. We draw on findings from empirical studies on laughter to demonstrate that these physiological benefits occur regardless of the theory that is used to explain the humor function. Findings from these studies have important implications for nurse practitioners working in hospice settings, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine what factors affect student achievement in reading and mathematics. The research questions addressed the perceptions of school principals and background characteristics related to student achievement in Korea and the USA with respect to differences among students in low, middle and high quantiles.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were taken from the Program for International Student Assessment 2012. Scores in the reading and mathematics were analyzed in conjunction with a principal survey. The Quantile Regression method was used for data analysis with three quantile points. T-statistics were used to test for significance. The predictor set consisted of seven school-leadership variables, and four to six additional covariates.

Findings

The most important finding for the USA was a relationship between organizational hindrance (HND) and low student achievement for the middle and upper quantiles in mathematics and for all quantiles in reading. The (HND) variable included poor teacher-student relations, low expectation of students, overly strict enforcement of rules, lack of attention to student needs, resistance to change, lateness to class, and lack of preparation. The most important finding for Korea was that there were significant associations across all groups between teacher attitude (TCHATT) and student reading achievement and with the low group in mathematics.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to knowledge about school capacity and suggests that the leadership role of the principal is to overcome negative environmental factors and create a positive organization.

Originality/value

The non-Gaussian approach of regression analysis allowed us to identify significant differences that we otherwise might not have found.


Aims Pneumomediastinum is a known radiological finding after major thoracic trauma; however, its significance and required investigative workup are not standardized. Furthermore, there is little evidence to suggest that traumatic pneumomediastinum is indicative of oesophageal injury. Our study sets out to investigate the incidence of oesophageal injury for these patients at our centre, and the relevant investigative workup is required. Methods Medical records were retrieved from our trust (Major Trauma Centre: 2012 to present, Upper Gastro-Intestinal (UGI) Centre: 2009 to present) to include trauma patients with radiological pneumomediastinum admitted between 2010 and 2021. Demographics, mechanism of injury, length of stay, and other significant findings were collected retrospectively using the electronic patient record. Results The data search retrieved 37 patients with traumatic pneumomediastinum. One patient was excluded due to incomplete records. Road traffic collisions were the most common presentation (18 patients), followed by falls (13 patients), penetrating trauma (three patients), assault (two patients), and workplace injury (one patient). The median length of stay was six days, with two inpatient deaths. One patient had a confirmed tracheobronchial injury on initial imaging which was managed conservatively, while six other patients underwent further oral contrast CT for suspected oesophageal injury. No patients in our dataset had a confirmed oesophageal injury. Conclusion Oesophageal injury is rarely seen in traumatic pneumomediastinum and is usually secondary to other chest injuries causing an air leak into the mediastinum. Oral contrast CT is the recommended investigation to exclude oesophageal injury.


This paper presents verification data for a multimedia software application intended to enhance carers' ability to respond to everyday difficulties and emergency situations. The program provides educational information about first aid, how to deal with everyday problems and a number of emergency situations such as bleeding, falling and choking. An evaluation plan was developed, including instruments for measuring and assessing usability. These included a questionnaire, scenarios and a pro-forma for user trials; a questionnaire for evaluation of the program; log diaries, field notes and technical diaries. User trials were carried out with both healthcare professionals and family carers. Casual users were encouraged to test the programs at the professional sites. Users' views on usability were utilized for the development of further prototype of the software application.


Abstract The East Texas Oil Field, one of the largest oil producing fields in the lower 48 (yielding approximately 5.2 billion dollars of oil since its discovery), comprises of a major structural trap created by the tectonically driven truncation of the Eagle Ford Group and much of the Woodbine Group by the Austin Chalk. This highlights the importance of regional tectonics on the depositional history of East Texas Basin during the Upper Cretaceous. From a dataset of wells centered around the Mexia-Talco Fault System in Rockwall, Collin, Hunt, Hopkins, and Delta counties of north Texas, we correlated 3rd order stratigraphic surfaces to get unit thicknesses. We observed a high-dip angular unconformity between the Woodbine and the Eagle Ford, which is more prominent across the northern flank of the Mexia-Talco Fault in Hopkins and Delta counties. We propose that the angular unconformity is evidence of the occurrence of a second Sabine Uplift between the Woodbine and Eagle Ford happening concurrently with a reactivation of the Mexia-Talco Fault and driven by Laramide tectonics and that the deposition of the Eagle Ford sediments occurred syndepositionally with uplift and related faulting.


Background The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the most common form of deletion disorder in humans. Low copy repeats flanking the 22q11.2 region confers a substrate for nonallelic homologous recombination (NAHR) events leading to rearrangements which have been reported to be associated with highly variable and expansive phenotypes. The 22q11.2DS is reported as the most common genetic cause of congenital heart defects (CHDs). Methods A total of 42 patients with congenital heart defects, as confirmed by echocardiography, were recruited. Genetic molecular analysis using a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique was conducted as part of routine 22q11.2DS screening, followed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), which serves as a confirmatory test. Results Two of the 42 CHD cases (4.76%) indicated the presence of 22q11.2DS, and interestingly, both cases have conotruncal heart defects. In terms of concordance of techniques used, MLPA is superior since it can detect deletions within the 22q11.2 locus and outside of the typically deleted region (TDR) as well as duplications. Conclusion The incidence of 22q11.2DS among patients with CHD in the east coast of Malaysia is 0.047. MLPA is a scalable and affordable alternative molecular diagnostic method in the screening of 22q11.2DS and can be routinely applied for the diagnosis of deletion syndromes.


Abstract. Hydro-climatic variability plays a pivotal role in structuring the biophysical environment of riverine and floodplain ecosystems. Variability is natural, but can also be enhanced by anthropogenic interventions. Alterations of hydro-climatic variables can have significant impacts on the ecohydrological functions of rivers and related ecosystems. Loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems have caused increasing concern about the current situation of the Dinder and Rahad River basins (D&R), particularly the ecosystems of the Dinder National Park (DNP). However the causes are not yet fully understood. Conservation of the DNP ecosystems for direct and indirect human benefit is one of major challenges facing the country. This paper examines the long-term variations of streamflow, rainfall and temperature over the D&R and its implications on DNP ecosystems. Statistical tests of Mann–Kendall (MK) and Pettitt were used. The analysis was carried out for twelve precipitation, one temperature, and two streamflow gauging stations over different time periods. Streamflow characteristics of magnitude, duration, timing, frequency and rate of change in flow that likely impact the ecological functions of the ecosystem of the DNP, were analysed using the Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations (IHA). The MK test showed statistically significant increasing trends of temperature. The mean annual and monthly mean precipitation showed no significant change. Streamflow of the Rahad River showed a significant increasing trend in annual and monthly means at Al-Hawata station, while no significant trend in Dinder River flows at Al-Gewisi station could be observed. However, the Dinder river showed significant decreasing trend in maximum annual and monthly mean and maximum flow during August (month of high flow), and increasing trend during November (month of low flow). The IHA analysis indicated that the Rahad River flow was coupled with significant upward alterations in some of the hydrological indicators. In contrast, the Dinder River flow was coupled with significant downward alterations. This alterations in Dinder river flow are likely affect the ecosystems in DNP negatively. Alterations in magnitude and duration of the annual flood peaks that reduce the amount of water flowing to the river-floodplain, may diminish the production of native flora and fauna, and animal migration that may be linked to floodplain inundation.


Past research suggests that parsing processes in a bilingual's first language (L1) can undergo changes as a function of exposure to a second language (L2). Evidence for this claim comes from studies that have examined how Spanish-English bilinguals resolve temporarily ambiguous sentences containing a complex noun phrase followed by a relative clause, as is the case in "Peter fell in love with the daughter of the psychologist who studied in California." Previous studies indicate that whereas monolingual Spanish speakers attach the relative clause to the first noun in the complex noun phrase (non-local attachment), monolingual English speakers interpret the relative clause locally (i.e., attach the relative clause to the noun immediately preceding it). With respect to bilinguals, recent research with Spanish-English bilinguals and professional translators (e.g., Dussias 2001, 2003; Parede, 2004) have shown that bilinguals attach the relative clause to the second noun in the complex noun phrase, when reading in Spanish, their first language. The differences observed between monolingual and bilingual speakers have been attributed to experience in a second language immersion environment. For example, Dussias (2003) argues that extensive exposure to a preponderance of English constructions resolved in favor of local attachment can render this interpretation more available, resulting in the low attachment preference observed in Spanish-English bilinguals. Of interest in the present paper is to assess whether speakers with fewer years of immersion experience in the L2 environment than those reported in previous studies employ the correct strategy in each of their languages. To this end, eye-movement data was collected while proficient L1 Spanish/L2 English speakers read ambiguous sentences of the type described above, in their first language, and their performance was compared to a monolingual Spanish group. Analyses revealed that the L1 Spanish speakers of English favored local over non-local attachment when reading in their first languages. The results are most congruent with exposure-based or parallel interactive models of sentence parsing as postulated by Brysbaert & Mitchell (1996), Mitchell & Cuetos (1991) and Mitchell, Cuetos, Corley & Brysbaert (1995), given the assumption within these models that frequency-based exposure affects parsing decisions.


Tractograms are mathematical representations of the main paths of axons within the white matter of the brain, from diffusion MRI data. Such representations are in the form of polylines, called streamlines, and one streamline approximates the common path of tens of thousands of axons. The analysis of tractograms is a task of interest in multiple fields, like neurosurgery and neurology. A basic building block of many pipelines of analysis is the definition of a distance function between streamlines. Multiple distance functions have been proposed in the literature, and different authors use different distances, usually without a specific reason other than invoking the "common practice". To this end, in this work we want to test such common practices, in order to obtain factual reasons for choosing one distance over another. For these reason, in this work we compare many streamline distance functions available in the literature. We focus on the common task of automatic bundle segmentation and we adopt the recent approach of supervised segmentation from expert-based examples. Using the HCP dataset, we compare several distances obtaining guidelines on the choice of which distance function one should use for supervised bundle segmentation.


This article analyses the life cycle of three Australian public policies (Tasmania Together [TT], South Australia's Strategic Plan [SASP,] and Western Australia's State Sustainability Strategy [WA's SSS]). These policies were formulated at the state level and were structured around sustainable development concepts (the environmental, economic, and social dimensions). This study highlights contexts that led to the making of these public policies, as well as factors that led to their discontinuation. The case studies are based on analysis of parliamentary debates, state governments' budget reports, public agencies' annual reports, government media releases, and stakeholders' feedback. The empirical findings highlight the importance of understanding the political dimension of sustainable development. This fact highlights the need to look beyond the traditional three-dimensional view of sustainability when assessing the success (or lack thereof) of sustainable development policies. Equally important, the analysis indicates that despite these policies' limited success (and even one of these policies not being implemented at all), sustainability policies can have a legacy beyond their life cycle. Hence, the evaluation of these policies is likely to provide insight into the process of policymaking.


OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of allergic asthma has been rising continually which is correlated with the increasingly closed living environment. House dust mites are the major sources of indoor aeroallergens which induce asthma in sensitized people. To monitor the seasonal variation of house dust mite (HDM)-allergens exposure level in the asthmatic children, which was evaluated to show its correlation with the level of asthma control, HDM allergic sensitization and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide, and to provide basic data for HDM environmental control.

METHOD
A total of 48 HDM-allergic asthmatic children were enrolled from the asthma clinic in the hospital from March 2011 to January 2012 (boys 34 and girls 14, aging from 3 to 14 years, mean age 8 years and 4 months) in the present study. Dust samples from mattresses, pillows, bedroom floor, living room floor and sofas were collected in each season within one year in the household of all the enrolled patients. The concentrations of Der p 1 and Der f 1 were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To record the Asthma Control Test (ACT) score or Children Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) score for each patient and to collect the data of doctor monitoring asthma control level each time when the patient was clinic visited. The concentration and its classification of the serum specific IgE to HDM was determined by fluoroenzyme-immunometric assay.

RESULT
The average concentration of Der f 1 of all dust samples was significantly higher than that of Der p 1 (0.13 µg/g vs 0.02 µg/g, P < 0.05). The concentrations of Der f 1 from mattresses, pillows and sofas dust samples were significantly higher than those from bedroom floor and living room floor dust samples (0.69 µg/g, 0.42 µg/g and 0.22 µg/g vs 0.07 µg/g and 0.07 µg/g, P < 0.05). The Der f 1 exposure level from mattress dusts in summer but no others was negatively correlated with asthma control level (r = -0.318, P = 0.036). The Der f 1 exposure level from any area dusts in summer and the Der p 1 exposure level from pillows dusts in autumn was negatively correlated with ACT/C-ACT score respectively. The Der f 1 from mattress dusts in winter was positively correlated with classification of sIgE to Der f 1. The Der p 1 exposure level from most areas in each season was positively correlated with classification of sIgE to Der f 1 and Der P 1.

CONCLUSION
Der f 1 was the predominant mite allergen in household dust and mainly came from mattresses, pillows and sofas. The role of the HDM allergen exposure level on the asthma control level and HDM allergic sensitization for the asthmatic children were depended on its area, season and HDM species, which suggested that the future assessment of clinical effect by the HDM environmental control should consider these factors.


ABSTRACT Based on museological participant-observation conducted at the Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, this article considers the role of karakuri, or subtle trickery, referring to devices that evoke a sense of awe and wonderment through concealment of their inner workings. The author critically assesses Miraikan's Tearoom of Zero/One gallery space as well as its ASIMO demonstrations in terms of their utilization of this quality.


Lawmakers are building momentum towards codifying our insider trading laws to clarify which kind of trading is illegal. In May 2021, the US House of Representatives passed the Insider Trading Prohibition Act for the second time in two years. In January 2020, a Securities and Exchange Commission sponsored task force on insider trading released a report containing proposed legislation. Both the House Bill and the task force proposal would prohibit trading while in possession of "wrongfully obtained" information and prohibit trades that involve a "wrongful use" of information. This article explains why the concept of "wrongful" trading is too ambiguous to improve insider trading law and explores the requirements of effective legislative reform. For decades, scholars have described insider trading doctrine as mystifying and called for reform. Many explain the confusion by pointing to the stark difference in how enforcement officials and federal courts apply insider trading law. Others argue that the confusion is caused by policymakers failing to choose between fostering efficient markets and fostering fair or equitable markets. This article argues that the conflict between courts and enforcement officials is a symptom of two deeper conceptual problems—one at the doctrinal level and one at the policy level. The doctrinal confusion is more precisely caused by the attempt to simultaneously invoke two conflicting concepts of "fairness." Fairness meaning consensual transactions, versus fairness meaning transactions in which all parties enjoy equal access to all material information and other economic values. Attempting to simultaneously apply these mutually exclusive notions of fairness has caused a slow and inconsistent conceptual creep, resulting in an incoherent doctrine. The policy confusion is caused by officials relying on economic models that use misidentified theories of "economic efficiency." Officials describe the policy goal of our insider trading regime as encouraging capital formation in US securities markets and economic growth in general. These goals imply an exclusive commitment to promoting "allocational efficiency"—or maximizing wealth. However, scholars usually rely on the concept of "market efficiency" when evaluating the law and practice of insider trading. The definition of market efficiency relies on assumptions that embody an unacknowledged focus on economic distribution—equalizing wealth. This includes the assumptions that all investors (1) trade at the same price (the correct price) and (2) have equal access to all available information. Conflating these forms of efficiency causes officials to unintentionally oscillate between promoting opaque distribution goals and promoting economic growth. This article recommends clarifying insider trading law by prioritizing one of the two conflicting fairness doctrines and a compatible policy goal. Clarity requires specifying whether consent is a defense against insider trading liability. Enforcing only one fairness doctrine gives everyone the option of attempting to privately adhere to both principles while successfully applying one of the principles through law.


Both general practitioners and dentists acknowledge the importance of the patient's perspective and the demand for care, and, consequently, of good communication with their patients. In general practice, the concept of reason for encounter has proved to be very useful for gaining more insight in the nature and the importance of the patient's perspective. Data from the Amsterdam Transition project show that the general practitioner understands the patient's reasons for encounters very well, and that the nature of the patient's reasons for encounter clearly affect the subsequent interventions. In this article, 260 letters concerning people's experiences with their dentist are used in order to provide an impression of communication problems in dentist practice in the Netherlands. Three major problem areas are identified, with a total of ten subcategories. Several of these are well known to the general practitioner as well. In addition, some problems are characteristic for the dentist practice. It is suggested to incorporate the concept of reason for encounter in dental care as an essential part of the description and analysis of the communication between dentists and their patients.


The droplets population and spectrum produced during a spraying influence the pesticides distribution efficiency. Through the droplets population and spectrum is possible to determine the quality of spraying and the implications on applicator and consumer safety, application efficiency and environmental impact. Droplet density (droplets cm -2 ), percentage of coverage, coefficient of uniformity and relative amplitude were studied in this experiment. The experimental design was a factorial scheme 3 x 2: three spray volumes and two insecticides doses. During the tests all factors were analyzed on six parts of the plant canopy: on the top and external, top and internal, middle part and external, middle part and internal, bottom and external, and bottom and internal, using the completely randomized design with three replications. The objective of this study was to assess the characteristics of droplets population and spectrum produced during the hydraulic spraying. In general, for all factors assessed there was no significant difference between the parts of the plant canopy studied, having the greater values on the external parts of the plant canopy.


The essay deals with the themes of digital representation of architecture starting from several years of teaching activity which is growing within the course of Automatic Design of the degree course in Engineering/Architecture in the University of Trento. With the development of CAD systems, architectural representation lies less in the tracking of a simple graph and drawn deeper into a series of acts of building a complex digital model, which can be used as a data base on which to report all the stages of project and interpretation work, and from which to derive final drawings and documents. The advent of digital technology has led to increasing difficulty in finding explicit connections between one type of operation and the subsequent outcome; thereby increasing need for guidelines, the need to understand in order to precede the changes, the desire not to be overwhelmed by uncontrollable influences brought by technological hardware and software systems to use only in accordance with the principle of maximum productivity. Formation occupies a crucial role because has the ability to direct the profession toward a thoughtful and selective use of specific applications; teaching must build logical routes in the fluid world of info-graphics and the only way to do so is to describe its contours through method indications: this will consist in understanding, studying and divulging what in its mobility does not change, as procedural issues, rather than what is transitory in its fixity, as manual questions.


1. The history of the chickpea or gram, Cicer arietinum L., has been described from Homer's time and the earliest finds, 5450 B.C. in Hacilar, Turkey, up to the present day. The crop was first domesticated in Asia Minor and was introduced in India either from Central Asia or Asia Minor, the two main centres of origin. Some forms were even introduced rather recently. Ethiopia is a secondary centre of domestication; connections with Egypt or Asia remain speculative. Several pieces of evidence oppose the opinion of DE CANDOLLE (1882) that the ancient Egyptians and Jews had only known the chickpea for two millenia. Medical uses, no longer widely practised, are discussed. The spread to the present areas of cultivation is described and mapped. 2. The genus Cicer L. has been revised. Popov (1929) accepted 22 species, now 39 species (8 annual, 31 perennial) are known. One species is described for the first time: C. multijugum from Afghanistan. A key to the species is prepared. The species, arranged alphabetically, are described and accompanied by detailed illustrations. The synonymy and typifications are given, as well as notes on geography, ecology and morphology. The geographical distribution of each species of the genus, occurring in Central Asia, Asia Minor and the Medi terranean, is presented in maps. It is stressed that the variability and geography of many species is not known sufficiently. The poor availability of fresh material of the wild species is a handicap to research. The relation to the other genera in Vicieae is discussed. Cicer occupies a somewhat peculiar place with its glandular hairs, inflated fruits and seed shape. The infraspecific classification in the cultivated species is reviewed; an informal classification is presented on base of the work of POPOVA (1937) without rejecting the older varieties distinguished by JAUBERT and SPACH, and ALEFELD. 3. The importance of the chickpea as the third pulse crop in the world after beans and peas is presented in a map, graphs and tables. The crop ranks l5th among all crops in area occupied yearly. Yields, at present an average of about 700 kg per ha, are highest in Egypt (1670 kg) and Turkey (1220 kg). About 83 of the world production is in the Indian subcontinent. The weather is the main reason for fluctuation in area. The partial recession in area, due to the expanding new cereal cultivars, will be met by higher yields per unit area and aided by higher prices. 4. Some anatomical particulars, e.g. the glandular hairs, are shortly reviewed. 5. The chickpea is generally cultivated in a traditional way. The resistance to drought (deep roots) and ability to grow in poor soils has not increased the care of the crop. However, with good soil preparation, proper sowing on rows, cultivation and fertilization the crop can yield reasonably. The sowing date is very important. Sowing early in the growth season is to be preferred, except in case of wilt disease. Plant density, sowing depth and sowing seed are discussed. Irrigations, needed in some countries, should be practised with care so as not to induce soil anaeroby. Often the chickpea is grown mixed with wheat or mustard, against crop failures and for utilization of different soil layers. In rotation the chickpea is a well esteemed crop. It has maintained soil fertility at a certain level for centuries in the densely populated areas of India. The plants are harvested mainly by hand. Threshing machines need good adjustment to prevent breakage of seeds. Storage is an important problem, since much loss may occur. 6. Ecological trials were carried out on light, daylength, temperature and relative humidity. The photosynthesis rate varied from 250-500 μg CO 2 -uptake per cm 2 and per h at about 26°C, but at 18°C, the rate was not much less. Leaves of two-weeks old are the most effective in photosynthesis and may use twice as much CO 2 as the four-week old leaves. Estimated calculated production appeared to be 12-14 tons of total dry matter, or about 5-7 tons of grains, similar to the highest yield ever obtained on a small plot. The chickpea is a quantitative LD plant. Under 16-h days the flowering was advanced by e.g. 20-35 days, if compared with 9-h days. Short days did not prevent flowering. Dry matter yield was improved in LD. The influence of the photoperiodic effect alone of the daylengths following different sowing dates on flowering and yield is small. Increasing photoperiods appeared to be more favourable than decreasing ones. The optimum temperature for early vegetative growth ranges from 21-29°C (night and day) to 24-32°C for different cultivars. Over the entire growth period the optimum temperature is somewhat lower, 18-26°C and 21-29°C, which is also optimum for flowering. The relative humidity was found to have little influence on fruit-setting. A decrease in light intensity of 25 % of the available amount during May and June, however, was found to decrease the number of pods by 25-50%. Data on soils and nutrients are summarized. As yet the chickpea does not respond to dressings of more than 10 kg N and 30 kg P 2 O 5 per ha. Moderately heavy soils are preferred, but both heavy and light soils are used in some areas. Growth substances usually have a negative influence on the growth of chickpeas. Scarcity of practical trials prohibits any recommendation. Topping appears to be an old practice to stimulate branching. Regeneration, however, takes a long time and is only sufficient under optimum conditions and if applied at an early stage. 7. Breeding has not yet improved yields over large areas. A review on cytogenetics is given. Some new reports on the somatic number of chromosomes of some wild species are added. As crossing technique is a delicate operation, hybridization on a large scale is at present not possible, but pollination at an early stage without emasculation may be a solution. The introduction of new cultivars has not been very successful because they have not shown large differ ences with local cultivars. 8. The most important insect pests of the chickpea are the podborer and the pulse beetles, which are described in some detail. Geographical distribution and way of control is given. All reported pests are mentioned. Nematode attacks seem to be underestimated at present. Rats may cause important damage in stores. 9. The diseases of the chickpea, their occurrence, possible way of control are described. Most damage is done by wilt, caused by both a soil fungus and by physiological drought, and blight. Several other diseases such as rust and foot rots are not yet serious over large areas. As for pests, chemical control is often uneconomic. 10. The chickpea is mainly used as human food, whether fresh, boiled, or roasted in many preparations. As a part of balanced foods it can form an important supplement to the protein nutrition of children. The proteins of chickpea constitute an important part of the protein intake in India. The chemical composition of the seeds (e.g. up to nearly 30% of protein) is given, as well as the amounts of essential amino acids. Except sometimes for methionine and for tryptophan the chickpea appears to be an excellent source of amino acids.


We have studied on the use of a GaN powders for growing gallium oxide (Ga2O3) nanoribbons and nanosheets by the thermal evaporation technique. We used x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to characterize the samples. The results showed that the produced Ga2O3 nanomaterials had single crystalline monoclinic structures. The proportion of wider nanoribbons or nanosheets to nanoribbons increased by increasing the growth temperature and by employing the mixture of GaN and ZnO powders.


INTRODUCTION
Clinical assessment (CA) is frequently used for the evaluation of volume status in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients despite its subjectivity. Multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA) is objective, accurate, and quick, proving to be a promising technique for measuring volume status. The aim of this study was to assess volume status in PD patients using CA and MF-BIA and to compare results.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Incident PD patients were prospectively analyzed between January 1, 2014, and January 1, 2016, at the Clinical Hospital Center of -Rijeka, Croatia. Volume status measurements were performed once a month for 6 consecutive months. The presence of symptoms and signs associated with hyper- or hypovolemia were detected by CA. Euvolemia was defined as a symptom-free state or up to 2 symptoms maximum. Patients lacking up to 1.2 L of volume or with up to 1.2 L in excess were considered euvolemic, as measured by MF-BIA.

RESULTS
A total of 45 PD patients were analyzed; 51% were men, 27% were diabetic, the mean age was 52 ± 26 years, and PD duration was 11.5 ± 6.5 months. In comparison to MF-BIA, CA showed a significant difference in detected hypervolemia between baseline and follow-up (p = 0.708 vs. p = 0.01, respectively) and among all measurements (p < 0.01). Contrary to CA, volume status measured by MF-BIA correlated significantly with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (R = 0.29; p ≤ 0.01 and R = 0.26; p ≤ 0.01, respectively). CA showed low sensitivity (0.24) and high specificity (0.92) in detecting hypervolemia.

CONCLUSION
MF-BIA is an effective, objective, and safe method for assessing volume status in PD patients. Longitudinal monitoring of body composition changes - including hydration state - leading to adequate therapeutic intervention is a promising and potential application of MF-BIA along with CA.


ABSTRACT One of the potential avenues for former professional football players to pursue their career is to become a head coach of a club's first team. An important question is how to best prepare for such a reconversion. This letter is the first in the academic literature quantifying the association between success as a professional head coach and prior experience of former professional players as a youth coach, player-coach, head coach at a lower division, assistant coach, in other staff positions and in club management positions. Our regression analyses, based on unique coach career data, show a significant positive association for the jobs of assistant or youth coach.


This article reports results of a corpus-based evaluation of 14 syntactic complexity measures as objective indices of college-level English as a second language (ESL) writers' language development. I analyzed large-scale ESL writing data from the Written English Corpus of Chinese Learners (Wen, Wang, & Liang, 2005) using a computational system designed to automate syntactic complexity measurement with 14 measures that have been proposed in second language writing development studies (Lu, 2010). This analysis allows us to investigate the impact of sampling condition on the relationship between syntactic complexity and language development, to identify measures that significantly differentiate between developmental levels, to determine the magnitude at which between-level differences in each measure reach statistical significance, to assess the pattern of development associated with each measure, and to examine the strength of the relationship between different pairs of measures. This research provides ESL teachers and researchers with useful insights into how these measures can be used effectively as indices of college-level ESL writers' language development.


An endoscopic sensing electrode for measuiring mucosal potential differences along the duodenum, stomach and esophagus is described. Potential profiles were plotted for 31 humans. The profiles of 11 patients with documented carcinoma differed in shape from the profiles of 20 reference subjects with no such documentiation. The profiles of all the reference subjects demonstrated a distinct concave shape with a single pronounced dip. On the other hand, carcinoma profiles did not manifest such a dip but were flattened out and/or manifested an undulatory trend.


Nowadays a few concepts of games and game design are used in different non-entertainment domains (this is also called gamification). Part of this gamification is also emerging in the health sector. This work-in-progress paper tries to define a methodology and an architecture how an achievement based service in healthcare can be designed, analyzed and implemented. This service uses patient data from different sources (e.g., from a patient's personal health record) to share anonymized health related information/achievements with other people. Thus, it might build up a comparative behavior between patients and motivate them to increase the usage of a personal health record.


Background: Hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis accounts for up to 15 % of all acute pancreatitis admitted to hospitals. It is important to diagnose the etiology to provide adequate and timely management of the case and reduce complications. Epidemiological and clinical data on hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are scarce, especially in Middle Eastern countries. We are reporting a case series of 18 patients admitted managed in the ICU over a period of 10 months. Methods: All patients above 18 years of age were diagnosed with hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis admitted to the ICU and High Dependency Unit (HDU), were included. Our objectives were to characterize the clinical and epidemiological features of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis (HTG-AP) and calculate the number of insulin infusion days required to manage HIP. Results: Patients were mostly middle-aged males from different ethnicity. Most of the patients presented with abdominal pain elevated pancreatic enzymes, and triglyceride. The mean triglyceride level on admission was 15.68 mmol/L. Most clinical findings were resolved when the triglyceride level dropped to below 5.6 mmol/L within 3.5 days. All patients presented with mild forms of pancreatitis without major complications. Fifty percent of our patients showed radiological features of acute pancreatitis, but no one developed local complications. Conclusion: Our case series showed that hypertriglyceridemia is a common cause of acute pancreatitis in Qatar. Upon admission, the mean triglyceride level was 15.68 mmol/L and the cause of the hypertriglyceridemia was unclear but could be related to ethnicity. Patients were primarily managed with insulin therapy and supportive care. None of the patients developed any local complications such as necrotizing pancreatitis or abscess formation. Around 16% of the patients had systemic complications, which were managed successfully.


Magnesium alloys, on account of their lightweight, find useful applications in the automotive sector. During service, they experience very high number of fatigue cycles. Therefore, the understanding of their long life fatigue behavior becomes extremely important. This is possible by using ultrasonic fatigue testing, which is the only feasible way of doing it. In this study, the two such alloys viz. AE42 and AM60 has been investigated for their long life fatigue characteristics under fully reversed loading conditions, using a piezoelectric fatigue testing machine operating at a frequency of 20 kHz. The S-N data does not reach a horizontal asymptote at 107 cycles in either of the alloys. However, the alloy AM60 seems to show a fatigue limit at about at 109 cycles. The fractures examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were found to be brittle in character. In very high cycle fatigue conditions, the crack was found to initiate from the specimen subsurface.


Internal combustion engines are the most applied energy converters in passenger cars. In order to increase their efficiency, energy integration techniques are used to recover waste heat. An adapted methodology is required to design the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) as a waste heat recovery technology and to test the influence of the external temperature on its efficiency. The idea is to cluster the external temperature profile on typical external temperature multi-periods. The energy system design is then tested on these typical multi-periods. In this article the methodology is applied on a vehicle with a diesel engine, in order to define the energy integrated configuration of the vehicle and to estimate the cost of the additional equipment. The performance indicators of the energy integration technology of the internal combustion engine is done and discussed, according to the multi-periods. The energy recovery potential of a single stage ORC for a diesel engine is assessed for different temperature profiles. The ORC equipment is simultaneously pre-sized and its cost is estimated.


Infection of young domestic cats by cowpox virus isolated from sick rodents (family Muridae) revealed their high susceptibility to the virus; a severe disease with 100% lethality developed after oral inoculation as well as upon skin scarification. The disease in dermally infected animals was accompanied by eruptions on the site of inoculation. High concentration of the virus was detected in lungs of animals infected by either of inoculation routes. The data testify the possible participation of domestic cats as intermediate hosts in the circulation of cowpox virus.


The dynamics of biomolecules, in particular the folding of peptides and proteins, is a highly complex process. The temporal and configurational resolution of experiments is typically too poor to yield a detailed picture of this process.The network of forces which enter the equations of motion governing this process, on the other hand, are too complex to
be analyzed directly. Numerical integration of the equations of motion, however, provides a means to obtain a detailed trajectory of a biomolecule. In particular, numerical integration of the classical equations of motion on an atomic level, known as molecular dynamics (MD), has proved a very powerful tool for the elucidation of the dynamics of biomolecules.

One reason for its success is that MD cannot only be used to generate trajectories but at the same time is an efficient method to sample the equilibrium distribution of the configurations of a molecule. Once the equilibrium distribution is known, most macroscopic properties can be calculated by averaging. But the equilibrium distribution also represents the gate-way to a more detailed understanding of the dynamics of
the molecule. The metastable states of the molecules correspond to regions of high probability density in the configurational space and can, in principle, be extracted directly from the equilibrium distribution. The equilibrium distribution also contains information on how the degrees of freedom of a molecule interact with each other. Analyzing these dependences, one can understand how the conformations of a molecule and ultimately also its dynamics arise from its structural properties.

The development of algorithms used in MD and the tremendous increase in computer power over the last thirty years has generated a need for tools to categorize and concisely represent the enormous amount of data which can be generated by modern MD simulations. Markov models of the dynamics of biomolecules provide such a tool. Using these models the dynamics of the relevant degrees of freedom even of large molecules can be represented by a square matrix with a dimension in the order of 1000. The equilibrium distribution emerges naturally as the first eigenvector of this matrix and metastable states can be extracted simply by grouping states according to their kinetic proximity.

In this thesis methods to analyze the equilibrium distribution of biomolecules are discussed and tested. Chapter 1 shows how the equations of motion for a single system are linked to equations of motion of the probability distribution and how the equilibrium distribution arises from these. We show how thermodynamic properties can be calculated from the equilibrium distribution and discuss the thermodynamics of protein folding. In the last part of chapter 1 we give a short overview of the technical details of molecular simulation and of the historic development of this method.

Chapter 2 treats the construction of stochastic Markov models from deterministic simulations. Emphasis is placed on the assumptions that are made when mapping the equations of motion onto the central quantity of Markov models, the transition matrix. Using a simple two-bit model and simulations of butane, we illustrate in which cases the assumptions are violated and in which cases they are fulfilled. We also review the mathematical properties of transition matrices and discuss their physical interpretation.

Chapter 3 discusses the categorization of an equilibrium distribution in terms of metastable states.The metastable states of a small $\beta$-peptide are identified using a kinetic cluster algorithm (which is based on a Markov model
of the peptide) and compared to results of geometric cluster algorithms (which are based on a data set which represents the equilibrium distribution). We find that geometric cluster algorithms which use a density estimate as their cluster criterion rather than a cutoff have the best chance of reliably identifying the metastable states of a molecule.

In chapter 4 we establish a link between the equilibrium distribution of the same beta-peptide (and some structurally related peptides) to the features of its atomic configuration. For that we test to which degree the conformations of its dihedral angles depend on each other and show how the marginal distributions of the backbone dihedral angles arise from the atomic configuration of the residues. In particular, we can show that structural features which stabilize the folded conformation in beta-peptides
are not the same as in natural peptides.

Chapter 5 examines the calculation of ensemble averages of properties which depend non-linearly on the configuration of the system on the example of (3)J-coupling constants. When comparing MD data to experimental results, errors in the equilibrium distribution which can be due to force-field or sampling errors, are often corrected by restraining the simulation to the experimental result. This approach is valid as long as the underlying dynamics is not substantially distorted. We discuss in detail why in the case of a non-linear dependence between the configuration and a given property,
common restraining methods lead to unrealistic dynamics and based on that propose a modification of these methods.

The last chapter of this thesis gives an outlook on the development of analysis tools for MD data. We discuss a personal choice of questions and challenges the field will face in the coming years and also try to envision how sophisticated analysis tools could help to improve our understanding of biomolecular processes.


BACKGROUND
Constipation is one of the most frequent disorders in Gastroenterology. Radiologic and physiologic studies are essential to the diagnosis and treatment of constipated patients.

OBJECTIVE
We aimed to assess the usefulness of manometry and defecography in constipated patients with suspect of dyssynergic defecation.

METHODS
Dyschesic patients referred for anorectal testing, all patients underwent anorectal manometry and defecography.

RESULTS
Fifty eight patients consecutive patients referred from 1998 to 2003. According to manometric findings patients were classified in patients without dyssynergia (group I, n = 16) and patients with dyssynergia (group II, n = 42). Group I patients had intussusception (75%), abnormal rectal emptying (56%), rectocele > 2.5 cm (56%), perineal descending (50%) and inadequate opening of the anal canal (38%). Group II patients had inadequate opening of the anal canal (69%), rectocele < 2.5 cm (55%), perineal descending (17%), intussusception (45%) and abnormal rectal emptying (55%). Group I had a higher frequency of perineal descending (p = 0.01) and intussusception (p = 0.044). Group II had a higher frequency of inadequate opening of the anal canal (p = 0.03), and not for inadequate opening of the anorectal angle.

CONCLUSIONS
Defecography showed disorders in group I that may contribute to symptomatology, and in group II the inadequate opening of the anal canal suggests the participation of different parts of the external anal sphincter other than puborectalis in the genesis of dyssynergia.


Sport is a global phenomenon, which can make sport an important arena for integration into new societies. However, sport is also an expression of national culture and identities. The aim of this study is to explore images and experiences that newly-arrived immigrant children in Sweden have about sport in their country of origin, and challenges that can arise in processes of integration through sport. We asked 20 newly arrived children aged 10 to 13 to make drawings about sporting experiences from their countries of origin. Three themes emerged: sport as feeling joy, where activities were performed with friends during leisure time; sport as acting formally, where activities were carried out in clubs; and sport as a spectator, where children were non-participants. We emphasise that development of sport should be two-way processes, where cultural learning should be mutual processes. Immigrant children's experiences should be foregrounded when utilising and developing sports programmes.


We examine the effectiveness of the individual-punishment mechanism in larger groups, comparing groups of four to groups of 40 participants. We find that the individual punishment mechanism is remarkably robust when the marginal per capita return (MPCR), i.e. the return to each participant from each dollar that is contributed, is held constant. Moreover, the efficiency gains from the punishment mechanism are significantly higher in the 40-participant than in the four-participant treatment. This is true despite the coordination problems inherent in an institution relying on decentralized individual punishment decisions in the context of a larger group. It reflects increased per capita expenditures on punishment that offset the greater coordination difficulties in the larger group. However, if the marginal group return (MGR), i.e. the return to the entire group of participants, stays constant, resulting in an MPCR that shrinks with group size, no such offset occurs and punishment loses much but not all of its effectiveness at encouraging voluntary contributions to a public good. Efficiency is not significantly different from the small-group treatment.


In the fourth industrial revolution, information and communication technology (ICT) has posed a paradox. On the one hand, ICT plays an important role in human life, not only as information and communication devices but also as the booster of economic activities to enhance revenue. On the other hand, ICT has also created disruption in various aspects of life which resulting in disadvantages to some groups in the society. This study aims to examine whether technology still has a positive effect on the economy. To achieve this objective, it took a case study from East Java Province, Indonesia. The data is panel consisting of gross regional product and the number of ICT users in East Java. More specifically, the number of ICT users consists of several variables, i.e. the number of the mobile phone users, the number of computer users, the number of internet users, the number of internet users for transactions of goods and services, and the number of the internet users for financial facilities. The analysis employed least square panel regression with gross regional product as the response variable and the number of ICT users as a predictor variable. However, there was a high correlation between the predictor variables that caused the model regression not proper. This problem was solved by combining least square panel regression with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Using PCA method, the dimension of the variable was reduced to be one principal component. This principal component is a linear combination of the predictor variables. Then, this principal component was regressed with the gross regional product. The best panel regression model is the Fixed Effect Model. This model shows that all predictor variables have positive coefficients. It means that ICT still has a positive impact on economic growth.


To analyse the effects of long-term different professional training on brain development. First, EEG singals of 12 students are collected under thinking different mental tasks, after long-term different professional training. Second, to use DFT to extract frequency features and then use BP network and 10-fold cross validation to classify. The classification accuracy can amount to 90 percent around. The result indicates that EEG signals can change specially under special mental tasks, after long-term different professional training. It can reflect the different brain development patterns after different professional training directly.


Corporate claims about environmental performance have increased rapidly in recent years, as has the incidence of greenwash, that is, communication that misleads people into forming overly positive beliefs about an organization's environmental practices or products. References to greenwash in the literature have grown rapidly since the term was introduced more than 2 decades ago, with a sharp increase in articles since 2011. We review and synthesize this fragmented and multidisciplinary literature, showing that greenwash is a broad umbrella term that encompasses a variety of specific forms of misleading environmental communication. More research is needed that identifies and catalogues the varieties of greenwash, theorizes and models their mechanisms drawing on existing social science research, and measures their impacts on corporate performance and social welfare.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of previous-day excessive alcohol consumption on laparoscopic surgical performance.

DESIGN
Study 1 was a randomized controlled trial. Study 2 was a cohort study.

SETTING
Surgical skills laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS
Sixteen science students (laparoscopic novices) participated in study 1. Eight laparoscopic experts participated in study 2.

INTERVENTIONS
All participants were trained on the Minimally Invasive Surgical Trainer Virtual Reality (MIST-VR). The participants in study 1 were randomized to either abstain from alcohol or consume alcohol until intoxicated. All study 2 subjects freely consumed alcohol until intoxicated. Subjects were assessed the following day at 9 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm on MIST-VR tasks.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Assessment measures included time, economy of diathermy use, and error scores.

RESULTS
In study 1, both groups performed similarly at baseline, but the alcohol group showed deterioration on all performance measures after alcohol consumption. Overall, although the time score differences between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (P = .29), there was a significant difference between the 2 groups' diathermy (P < .03) and error (P < .003) scores. There was also a significant effect for time of testing (P < .003), diathermy (P < .001), and errors (P < .001). In study 2, experts demonstrated a similar postalcohol performance decrement for time (P < .02), diathermy (P < .001), and error scores (P < .001).

CONCLUSION
Excessive consumption of alcohol appeared to degrade surgical performance the following day even at 4 pm, suggesting the need to define recommendations regarding alcohol consumption the night before assuming clinical surgical responsibilities.


This paper presents an adaptive algorithm that improves the energy efficiency of VoIP applications over IEEE 802.11 networks. The algorithm seeks to achieve the largest energy savings subject to reaching a minimum speech quality under the prevailing network conditions. The control mechanism used is the dynamic selection of the packet size during the communication. This algorithm has been implemented in an experimental testbed and the results demonstrate that our packetization period control algorithm can provide energy savings in uncongested IEEE 802.11 networks (up to 30%). Furthermore, under poor network conditions the algorithm can prolong the duration of the call before it is dropped at the expense of a higher energy consumption. Palabras Clave—Energy efficiency, VoIP, IEEE 802.11 jitel, telemática


Background: Pain management is important for ensuring early mobilization after hip arthroplasty; however, the optimal components remain controversial. Recently, the quadratus lumborum block has been proposed as an analgesic option. The current study tested the hypothesis that the posterior quadratus lumborum block combined with multimodal analgesia decreases morphine consumption after hip arthroplasty. Methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Before general anesthesia, 100 participating patients scheduled for elective total hip arthroplasty were randomly allocated to receive a 30-ml injection posterior to the quadratus lumborum muscle with either 0.33% ropivacaine (n = 50) or normal saline (n = 50). For all patients, multimodal analgesia included systematic administration of acetaminophen, ketoprofen, and a morphine intravenous patient-controlled analgesia. The primary outcome was total intravenous morphine consumption in the first 24 h. Secondary outcomes recorded intraoperative sufentanil consumption; morphine consumption in the postanesthesia care unit; pain scores at extubation and at 2, 6, 12, and 24 h; motor blockade; time to first standing and ambulation; hospital length of stay; and adverse events. Results: There was no significant difference in the 24-h total morphine consumption (ropivacaine group, median [interquartile range], 13 [7 to 21] versus saline group, 16 [9 to 21] mg; median difference, −1.5; 95% CI, −5 to 2; P = 0.337). Pain scores were not different between the groups (β = −0.4; 95% CI, −0.9 to 0.2; P = 0.199). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in intraoperative sufentanil consumption, morphine consumption in the postanesthesia care unit, motor blockade, times to first standing (median difference, 0.83 h; 95% CI, −1.7 to 3.4; P = 0.690) and ambulation (median difference, −1.85 h; 95% CI, −4.5 to 0.8; P = 0.173), hospital length of stay, and adverse events. Conclusions: After elective hip arthroplasty, neither morphine consumption nor pain scores were reduced by the addition of a posterior quadratus lumborum block to a multimodal analgesia regimen. In the context of a multimodal postoperative analgesic strategy, providing a quadratus lumborum block using ropivacaine resulted in no less morphine consumption or pain in the first 24 postoperative hours compared to saline injection. Quadratus lumborum block also provided no advantages in terms of time to first standing, ambulation, or hospital stay.


Industry 4.0 is currently considered the structural implementation of networked and cooperative digitalisation and the next step in technological and social development. The aim of this paper is to examine how these structures are also suitable for agriculture and whether there are already approaches to this. Therefore, the main aspects of Industry 4.0 will be analysed and compared with agricultural examples from arable farming and livestock farming. The study shows that the approaches of Industry 4.0 are also useful for agriculture. However, they must be adapted to agriculture, as it has a different basic structure. As in industry, it is also evident in agriculture that there is still a need for action in the organisational and technical networking of systems.


Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the impact of an infographic-based training program on improving the visual motor memory among EFL students. Methods/statistical analysis: The study used a semi-experimental approach and the program was applied on 60 EFL students enrolled in the schools of the Directorate of Education in Asir region, Saudi Arabia. The students were divided into two groups: an experimental and control groups. The researcher applied the training program on students after training the teachers on how to better utilize all the elements of the training program effectively. Findings: The results showed statistically significant differences in the post-test of visual motor memory skills between the experimental and control groups, which were in favor of the experimental group. The results also revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the visual motor memory posttest due to the variables of gender and interaction between group and gender. The study concluded that using infographics enhanced the participants' visual motor memory skills in learning English as a second language regardless of their gender, which indicates the appropriateness of the training program for such students. Application/improvements: The study recommended this training program to be used by EFL teachers and EFL curricula designers to consider integrating infographics in the design of these courses.


In The Political Power of Bad Ideas, Mark Lawrence Schrad looks on an oddity of modern history-the broad diffusion of temperance legislation in the early twentieth century-to make a broad argument about how bad policy ideas achieve international success. His root question is this: how could a bad policy idea-one that was widely recognized by experts as bad before adoption, and which ultimately failed everywhere-come to be adopted throughout the world? To answer it, Schrad uses an institutionalist approach, and focuses in particular on the US, Russia/USSR (ironically, one of the only laws the Soviets kept on the books was the Tsarist temperance law), and Sweden. Conventional wisdom, based largely on the U.S. experience, blames evangelical zealots for the success of the temperance movement. Yet as Schrad shows, "prohibition was adopted in ten countries other than the United States, as well as countless colonial possessions-all with similar disastrous consequences, and in every case followed by repeal." Schrad focuses on the dynamic interaction of ideas and political institutions, tracing the process through which concepts of dubious merit gain momentum and achieve credibility as they wend their way through institutional structures. And while he focuses on one episode, his historical argument applies far more broadly, and even can tell us a great deal about how today's policy failures, such as reasons proffered for invading Iraq, became acceptable.


The hepatitis B virus or Dane particle has been linked to hepatocellular carcinoma and is a major cause of chronic liver disease. Hepatitis B virus is found in blood and many body fluids including human tears. A 31-year-old White male was inadvertently discovered to have chronic active hepatitis secondary to a hepatitis B infection, during an autoimmune disorder work-up for recurrent episcleritis. It was also discovered that two of the patient's family members had developed chronic disease from the virus. Optometrists should be aware of the serious implications of this disease and take the proper precautions when examining hepatitis patients so that the possible risk of contracting infection through contaminated tears will be reduced.


During the growth transition of E. coli from exponential phase to stationary, the genome expression pattern is altered markedly. For this alteration, the transcription apparatus is altered by binding of anti-sigma factor Rsd to the RpoD sigma factor for sigma factor replacement, while the translation machinery is modulated by binding of RMF to 70S ribosome to form inactive ribosome dimer. Using the PS-TF screening system, a number of TFs were found to bind to both the rsd and rmf promoters, of which the regulatory roles of 5 representative TFs (one repressor ArcA and the four activators McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA) were analyzed in detail. The results altogether indicated the involvement of a common set of TFs, each sensing a specific environmental condition, in coordinated hibernation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus for adaptation and survival under stress conditions. ABSTRACT In the process of Escherichia coli K-12 growth from exponential phase to stationary, marked alteration takes place in the pattern of overall genome expression through modulation of both parts of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. In transcription, the sigma subunit with promoter recognition properties is replaced from the growth-related factor RpoD by the stationary-phase-specific factor RpoS. The unused RpoD is stored by binding with the anti-sigma factor Rsd. In translation, the functional 70S ribosome is converted to inactive 100S dimers through binding with the ribosome modulation factor (RMF). Up to the present time, the regulatory mechanisms of expression of these two critical proteins, Rsd and RMF, have remained totally unsolved. In this study, attempts were made to identify the whole set of transcription factors involved in transcription regulation of the rsd and rmf genes using the newly developed promoter-specific transcription factor (PS-TF) screening system. In the first screening, 74 candidate TFs with binding activity to both of the rsd and rmf promoters were selected from a total of 194 purified TFs. After 6 cycles of screening, we selected 5 stress response TFs, ArcA, McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA, for detailed analysis in vitro and in vivo of their regulatory roles. Results indicated that both rsd and rmf promoters are repressed by ArcA and activated by McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA. We propose the involvement of a number of TFs in simultaneous and coordinated regulation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. By using genomic SELEX (gSELEX) screening, each of the five TFs was found to regulate not only the rsd and rmf genes but also a variety of genes for growth and survival. IMPORTANCE During the growth transition of E. coli from exponential phase to stationary, the genome expression pattern is altered markedly. For this alteration, the transcription apparatus is altered by binding of anti-sigma factor Rsd to the RpoD sigma factor for sigma factor replacement, while the translation machinery is modulated by binding of RMF to 70S ribosome to form inactive ribosome dimer. Using the PS-TF screening system, a number of TFs were found to bind to both the rsd and rmf promoters, of which the regulatory roles of 5 representative TFs (one repressor ArcA and the four activators McbR, RcdA, SdiA, and SlyA) were analyzed in detail. The results altogether indicated the involvement of a common set of TFs, each sensing a specific environmental condition, in coordinated hibernation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus for adaptation and survival under stress conditions.


Past self-organizing models of collectively moving "particles" (simulated bird flocks, fish schools, etc.) typically have been based on purely reflexive agents that have no significant memory of past movements or environmental obstacles. These agent collectives usually operate in abstract environments, but as these domains take on a greater realism, the collective requires behaviors use not only presently observed stimuli but also remembered information. It is hypothesized that the addition of a limited working memory of the environment, distributed among the collective's individuals can improve efficiency in performing tasks. This is first approached in a more traditional particle system in an abstract environment. Then it is explored for a single agent, and finally a team of agents, operating in a simulated 3-dimensional environment of greater realism. In the abstract environment, a limited distributed working memory produced a significant improvement in travel between locations, in some cases improving performance over time, while in others surprisingly achieving an immediate benefit from the influence of memory. When strategies for accumulating and manipulating memory were subsequently explored for a more realistic single agent in the 3-dimensional environment, if the agent kept a local or a cumulative working memory, its performance improved on different tasks, both when navigating nearby obstacles and, in the case of cumulative memory, when covering previously traversed terrain. When investigating a team of these agents engaged in a pursuit scenario, it was determined that a communicating and coordinating team still benefited from a working memory of the environment distributed among the agents, even with limited memory capacity. This demonstrates that a limited distributed working memory in a multi-agent system improves performance on tasks in domains of increasing complexity. This is true even though individual agents know only a fraction of the collective's entire memory, using this partial memory and interactions with others in the team to perform tasks. These results may prove useful in improving existing methodologies for control of collective movements for robotic teams, computer graphics, particle swarm optimization, and computer games, and in interpreting future experimental research on group movements in biological populations.


Through transformational leadership, pesantren are able to make institutional changes to achieve success. Because this leadership style can build a strong organizational culture for the effectiveness of Islamic education in pesantren. Therefore, KHMA in PNIA is very effective in carrying out the construction of pesantren culture and shapes the behavior of all pesantren human resources. Therefore, this research uses a qualitative approach with a phenomenological type; which aims to identify and analyze the kiai's transformational leadership style in building an organizational culture in pesantren. The theoretical framework used to analyze the dynamics of the kiai's leadership is the paradigm of Bass & Riggio. He divided the four dimensions of transformational leadership, i.e: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual motivation, and individual consideration. This research found KHMA constructs pesantren 68 AKADEMIKA, Vol. 24, No. 01 January – June 2019 culture by taking from the thoughts of ulama' salaf which are contained in the book of salaf -which is commonly called Kitab Kuning. On the one hand, the effectiveness of KHMA's self-leadership in PNIA is also inseparable from the normative doctrinal values of Islam, so that the kiai's leadership style is based on Islamic values. The implication is that the construction of organizational culture ranging from a philosophical framework to the practical values of pesantren needs to be bound by the basis of social-religious transformation.


Managing complexity requires appropriate governance structures and effective coordination, communication, and action within the incident response network. Governance structures serve as a framework to understand the interrelated relationships that exist during a crisis. Governance structures can be classified as either hierarchical and managed, autonomous and networked, or a hybrid of hierarchies and networks, and represent a continuum of crisis response systems. As such, effective crisis management is first a function of a leader's ability to leverage hierarchical, hybrid, and network forms of crisis management governance to manage complex disasters. Second, it hinges on the proficiency of the disaster response network in managing distributed information, coordinating operations, and collaborating among jurisdictions. Combining these two points results in high-performing disaster response networks that operate fluidly between governing structures and across jurisdictions, thus increasing our national capacity to manage complex disasters.


Although the presidential coattail effect has been an object of frequent study, the question of whether popular congressional candidates boost vote shares in return for their parties' presidential candidates remains unexplored. This article investigates whether so-called "reverse coattails" exist using a regression discontinuity design with congressional district-level data from presidential elections between 1952 and 2004. Taking incumbency to be near-randomly distributed in cases where congressional candidates have just won or lost their previous elections, I find that the numerous substantial advantages of congressional incumbency have no effect on presidential returns for these incumbents' parties. This null finding underscores my claim that the existing coattail literature deserves greater scrutiny. My results also prompt a rethinking of the nature of the advantages that incumbents bring to their campaigns and may help deepen our understanding of partisanship in the United States.


Introduction: Pruritus is a common and unpleasant symptom associated with multiple skin diseases. As histamine plays a central role in pruritus pathology, H1 antihistamines are frequently used in its management. Bilastine is a potent second-generation antihistamine approved for the management of urticaria. However, there are few studies showing its effectiveness and safety in pruritus associated with skin diseases. Materials and Methods: In this multicenter, open-label study, patients with pruritus associated with various skin diseases received bilastine 20 mg once daily for 4 weeks. Patients were evaluated for improvement in their pruritus based on the 5D itch score and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Safety of bilastine was assessed by monitoring the incidence of adverse events during the study period. Results: A total of 116 patients with urticaria (n = 22), eczema/dermatitis (n = 27), lichen planus (n = 9), pPsoriasis (n = 11), dermatophytosis (n = 42), and others (n = 5) were included in the study. There was a significant improvement in the 5D itch score at the end of therapy (16.18 ± 2.81 vs. 6.20 ± 1.38 P < 0.0001) in all patients. Bilastine improved the DLQI at week 4 in all disease groups (11.83 ± 4.97 vs. 2.15 ± 2.68; P < 0.0001). The treatment was well tolerated. Conclusion: Bilastine is associated with significant improvement in pruritus associated with multiple dermatological disorders with a very good safety profile.


The article provides evidence that the current criminal justice approach to sex crimes is based on a presumption that individuals who commit sex-based offenses are both pathological and evil and, therefore, at high risk of recidivism. This model relies on a law-psychiatry interface by drawing from psychiatry's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). To justify a particularly punitive approach to sex offenders, officials use the DSM's mental disorders of sexual deviance. A diagnosis of a DSM-based mental disorder can drive various legal consequences in that they impact such issues as bail, sentencing, parole, and civil commitment.This article provides legal, empirical, and theoretical critiques of the law-psychiatry interface employed to control the sex offender population. Defendants have contended, but generally without success, the use of the DSM-based disorders of sexual deviance violates the due process clause or the Frye/Daubert evidentiary standards for the admissibility of scientific expert testimony. The article reasons that these DSM disorders lack sufficient empirical support and diagnostic integrity. Vagueness in the DSM criteria have led to forensic experts basing their diagnoses — not on evidence of any underlying pathology — but merely upon a history of sexual offending. Thus, sex crimes become conflated with mental disease. The law-psychiatry interface here appears pretextual in preferentially serving the interests of the prosecution. Various examples are offered, including the recent introduction in case law of new disorders, such as hebephilia (sexual interest in teenagers) and rape paraphilia. The article posits that the mental diseases of sexual deviance are a poor fit to answer legal questions when constitutional rights of liberty and privacy are at risk.


Many people are trying to be smarter every day. How's about you? There are many ways to evoke this case you can find knowledge and lesson everywhere you want. However, it will involve you to get what call as the preferred thing. When you need this kind of sources, the following book can be a great choice. postgraduate obstetrics gynecology infertility and clinical endocrinology is the PDF of the book.


Objective: The etiology of postpartum psychosis (PP) remains unclear. In this study, we examined thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T4, free T3, cortisol, prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels in PP. Method: The study included 23 patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of PP within the first 4 weeks after delivery and 30 age-matched healthy controls. Organic etiological factors were excluded. Blood samples were obtained from all participants at the same time of the day. In PP patients, blood samples were obtained within the first 24 h after hospitalization. Results: Mean ages of PP and control groups were 26.2±5.5 and 27.6±5.1 years, respectively. The frequency of vaginal delivery was significantly higher in the PP compared with the control group (p=0.011). The fT3 levels were significantly lower in the PP compared with the control group, while the fT3 levels were within normal physiological limits (p=0.034) and no significant differences were found with regard to other hormones. To examine the effect of breastfeeding on the results, the control group was further divided into two subgroups: breastfeeding (BFC) and non-breastfeeding (NBFC). The fT4 levels (within normal physiological limits) and prolactin levels were significantly higher in the PP compared with NBFC (p=0.013 vs p=0.007). LH levels were 3.11±3.47 mIU/mL in the PP group, 1.48±2.45 mIU/mL in BFC and 4.56±3.69 mIU/mL in NBFC, but for the LH levels, the only significant difference was between the control groups (p=0.027). Conclusion: The results of thyroid function tests in our study suggest a condition that develops impaired thyroid functions secondary to acute psychotic episode rather than an underlying thyroid disease. Comprehensive prospective studies, including follow-up data, may better explain the relationships between thyroid function and PP. In our study, there was no evidence for the possible role of DHEAS, prolactin, and LH hormones. However, changes in the hormone profile according to breastfeeding status suggest that the effects of breastfeeding on hormones may also be important.


It has been well documented that β-carboline alkaloids, particularly the 9-methyl derivatives, are efficient photosensitizers. However, structure-activity relationships are missing and the photochemical mechanisms involved in the DNA photodamage still remain unknown. In the present work, we examined the capability of three 9-methyl-β-carbolines (9-methyl-norharmane, 9-methyl-harmane and 9-methyl-harmine) to induce DNA damage upon UVA excitation at physiological pH. The type and extent of the damage was analyzed together with the photophysical and binding properties of the β-carboline derivatives investigated. The results indicate that even at neutral pH most of the DNA damage is generated from the protonated form of the excited β-carbolines in a type-I reaction. Oxidized purine residues are produced in high excess over oxidized pyrimidines, single-strand breaks and sites of base loss. In addition, the excited neutral form of the β-carbolines is responsible for significant generation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) by triplet-triplet-energy transfer. In the case of 9-methyl-norharmane, the yield of CPDs is increased in D2O, probably due to less rapid protonation in the deuterated solvent.


Comparative Public Budgeting and Finance is a collection of original chapters examining public budgeting issues, methods, and techniques in countries around the world. Each chapter: --explores the history of the budget system and how it fits within the political system in the country, as well as the legal foundation and any reforms that affect the budget system. A discussion of revenue and expenditure allocations is included in each section. --provides the reader with political, demographic and economic background information on each country along with a detailed analysis of the budgeting process. This information is reinforced with charts, tables and figures. In addition, questions at the end of each chapter will provide the students with key concepts to focus on. --also examines topics such as: budget behavior and decision making, capital budgeting, analytical processes, budget processes, intergovernmental relations, budget reform, performance budgeting, and financial management. --concludes with a list of thought provoking questions, an appendix, end notes and a glossary which provides a point of departure for classroom discussion as well as individual student research on each country. Appropriate Courses: Primary Course Title: Comparative Budgeting. Primary Department: Public Administration. Secondary Course: Budget and Finance. Secondary Department: Public Affairs, Department of Political Science, or Public Affairs. This book is specifically designed for a graduate level course in budgeting. There are no other books currently on the market that examine budgeting in a comparative sense that focuses on individual countries. So, rather than utilize a lot of articles from journals a faculty member can use one text and use the articles as supplemental documents. This is the greatest benefit. The second benefit is the instructor's manual with the lecture outline and power point slides. The instructor should have minimal preparation for the course and students can simply read the questions at the end of the chapter to see where they should focus their attention. The book stands out because it is a one of kind in an area that has massed considerable attention in the last year given the credit crunch that has occurred world wide. It is important from a pedagogical standpoint to provide the instructor with as much information and tools as possible given the need to fully utilize technology in the classroom. 1. Does the book have questions at the end of the chapters? 2. Does the book provide power point slides? 3. Does the book provide an instructor's manual. 4. Does the book critically assess the subject matter and cause students to think? 5. Does the book address the issues in a coherent fashion? There are no books that examine comparative budgeting utilizing this paradigm, a country by country examination. Books that are on the market utilize a thematic approach and then use country examples when discussing those themes. For example: Anwar Shah (ed). Budgeting and Budgetary Institutions, 2007/ The World Bank.


Leiopelma pakeka is an archaic frog native to New Zealand, and until recently was restricted to a 15ha forest remnant on the south-east face of Maud Island. The L.pakeka population appears to be growing and spreading out from the forest remnant. This study investigated the population size, structure, and distribution of L. pakeka on Maud Island in 2006. The forest remnant was searched using 106 randomly placed 25m2 plots. Population size was estimated using a bootstrap method repeated 10,000 times, adjusted for likelihood of emergence, likely maximum plot population size, and area. The average population size was 34,449 frogs, which is much higher than a 1994 minimum number alive estimate of 19,312. The new figure, however, is similar to another recent estimate of 39,563, based on an update of the 1994 figure. Distributional patterns within the forest remnant were similar to the 1994 study, with most frogs between 90-170m above sea level. The comparability of the population size estimates indicates that L. pakeka numbers have reached the carrying capacity of the forest remnant. The distribution of the remnant L. pakeka population was determined by thoroughly searching the south-east face of Maud Island, thereby minimising the possibility of missing frogs. A total of 232 frogs were found. Frogs generally colonised areas within 50m of the remnant; movement was greater in regenerating forest (75m in the southwest and 100m in the north east) than in pastoral areas (<25m). The size of frogs increased with distance from the forest remnant (weight, girth, condition index, and average snout-vent and tibio-fibula lengths). The size increases may be indications of competitive release, as frog density decreased with distance from the forest remnant. The size range of Leiopelma pakeka was extended by the current study from 50.5mm to at least 52mm snout-vent length. A total of 15 L. pakeka were found on Fort Road, approximately 350m from the remnant. These frogs were most likely in the area before 1994. The Fort Road frogs were compared to the forest remnant L. pakeka, and were not morphologically distinct as only patterning differed significantly. Fort Road L. pakeka may belong to a separate subpopulation. L. pakeka distribution was significantly affected by habitat. Important variables were vegetation type, and rock, canopy, sub-canopy, and leaf litter cover. The size of emergent frogs (tibio-fibula length) was significantly and positively correlated with relative humidity.


As people migrate to cities in increasing numbers, infrastructure, resources and resilience becomes
taxed and fragile. An urban challenge is to create a more sustainable and resilient city that can
provide affordable food and housing for it's inhabitants. This paper identifies key related issues,
and explores a number of systemic approaches to integrating food and housing to build capacity and
create a more resilient city ecology. Considered, as a systemic problem, Toronto being a large multicultural
centre is a good case study with a serious need for affordable access to nutritious, culturally
appropriate food, and housing to serve families, the working poor, and new Canadians, many of
which are looking for rental accommodations. Consideration of mixed-use space that includes low,
medium and high-density residential space, and possible options of urban food production
highlights opportunities. The need for a local self sufficient food system, is paired with the
competing need of an affordable place to live, to consider merged alternatives of growing local food
within the emerging new contexts of affordable urban communities. Summary points are outlined as
a series of next step recommendations to suggest a way forward to the built environment of the
alternative city of the future, which must be self-sufficient, and build the capacity to generate its
own resources in terms of energy and food from within the city itself.