Environmental pollution is a serious issue for human being. In the present study, we propose a C-Fe3O4 composite magnetic nanoparticles for the adsorption of dye pollutants. Since carbon shows high affinity for dye molecules and Fe3O4 shows benign response to a magnet, the material is suitable for remediation of environmental pollution in a convenient way. The material was prepared and was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption and powder X-ray diffraction. As a model dye, methyl red was used to evaluate the adsorption performance of the nanocomposite. The result demonstrates that the composite material can adsorb methyl red efficiently and it can be easily recovered by an external magnet, which simply the operational process in comparison with traditional centrifugation or filtration. It is a promising material for environmental remediation.


Background Few studies have longitudinally assessed the epidemiology of sports-related injuries and illnesses in Paralympic sport (SRIIPS). Objective The objective of this study was to develop and test a weekly e-diary for self-reports of SRIIPS in an electronic system specifically adapted for Paralympic athletes with various impairments. Design Prospective cohort pilot study. Setting Paralympic athletes. Patients (or Participants) Twenty-eight Swedish Paralympic athletes with vision (n=11), physical (n=15) and intellectual impairments (n=2) active in in 11 sports. Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) The athletes were asked to self-report SRIIPS, pain, anxiety, training load and exposure weekly during 4 weeks. Main Outcome Measurements System usability indicators and SRIIPS. Results The average weekly response rate was 95%. One athlete dropped out. There were few missing data and a majority could respond to all questions. The system worked well for athletes with physical and intellectual impairment. Some visually impaired athletes perceived it difficult to respond to multiple-choice questions. Ten of the athletes found it partly difficult to define a new injury. Fifteen new injuries and fourteen new illnesses were reported, giving a cumulative incidence of 1.8 injuries/100 hours and 1.7 illnesses/100 hours of athlete exposure. A total of 80% of the injuries were related to overuse. The typical injury severity was 1–3 days time loss of training. In 20% of the injuries and 21% of the illnesses the impairment was involved in the cause. Conclusions This is the first study of self-reported SRIIPS. Overall, the proposed method and variables worked satisfactory. The electronic data collection system needs to be adjusted to visually impaired athletes and injury definitions need to be explained in more detail and examples provided. Based on this, we prepare a prospective longitudinal study (1 year) with the aim to estimate the annual self-reported incidence of SRIIPS.


A link analysis was performed of the digital video broadcast-satellite (DVB-S) second generation waveform (DVB-S2) using a commercial (Ku band) and the wideband gapfiller satellite (WGS) satellite at X-band and Ka-band. The analysis is for the CENTCOM VSAT network (also known as the global war on terrorism [GWOT] network) that uses the EUTELSAT W6 satellite (21.5deg east) and supports both forward (DVB-S) and return traffic [DVB-return channel by satellite (RCS)] traffic in the same 72 MHz transponder. The forward traffic consists of nominal DVB-S broadcasts to receive-only terminals (1 m) as well as duplex 1.8 m and 2.4 m terminals. The return traffic consists of constant-rate, tactical, video feeds (from the 2.4m terminals) along with SIPRNET Internet protocol (IP) interactive traffic (from the 1.8 m terminals). The hub is located at Landstuhl, Germany. The paper considers 3 cases. First, the capacity of the Eutelsat W6 transponder is computed for the forward and return traffic sharing the same transponder. Next, the capacity is computed for DVB-S2 using constant coding and modulation (CCM) and variable coding and modulation (VCM) over the baseline GWOT network. Finally, the system capacity is computed using WGS (at 60deg east) again using DVB-S2 with CCM and VCM and DVB-RCS


Hoare logic is bedevilled by complex but coarse side conditions on the use of variables. We define a logic, free of side conditions, which permits more precise statements of a program's use of variables. We show that it admits translations of proofs in Hoare logic, thereby showing that nothing is lost, and also that it admits proofs of some programs outside the scope of Hoare logic. We include a treatment of reference parameters and global variables in procedure call (though not of parameter aliasing). Our work draws on ideas from separation logic: program variables are treated as resource rather than as logical variables in disguise. For clarity we exclude a treatment of the heap


Objectives Use of intravenous propofol sedation to facilitate completion of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in children. Design Retrospective, cross-sectional. Setting A university-affiliated pediatric intensive care unit. Patients A total of 115 children who received intravenous propofol to complete magnetic resonance imaging of the brain January 1 through December 31, 2001. Interventions Intravenous propofol infusion. Measurements and Main Results The mean age was 4.2 ± 3.1 yrs, and there were 63 boys and 52 girls. Sixty-nine percent of patients belonged to ASA physical status class I, and 31% belonged to ASA class II. All studies were completed with satisfactory image quality. The total dose of propofol used to complete a magnetic resonance image of the brain was 4.3 ± 1.7 mg/kg body weight. The mean duration of sedation induction was 4.5 ± 3.5 mins. The mean time to recovery (from the end of the procedure) was 20 ± 15 mins. The duration of the procedure averaged 39 ± 20 mins, and the time to discharge from the hospital was 50 ± 21 mins from the end of the procedure. No episodes of hypoxia, apnea, or a need for artificial airway were noted. Systolic blood pressure decreased 10% ± 13%, but none of the patients met the criteria for hypotension. A telephone call the next day to the family did not reveal any delayed complications. Conclusions Propofol can safely facilitate ambulatory magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in children, and it is associated with brief induction, recovery, and discharge times from the hospital. A drop in blood pressure, although mild and transient, does occur. Therefore, appropriate monitoring and preparedness for cardiorespiratory support are essential.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to explore the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision for incarcerated persons drawing on a human rights perspective.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
Seven databases were searched to identify empirical studies published from 2010 to 2020. Articles included were qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, written in English and with westernised health/prison settings, with a key focus on the psychosocial aspects of palliative care provision and human rights. The quality of the articles was appraised using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (2018).

FINDINGS
The results from 26 articles revealed multiple models of care, with the US prison hospice program depicted as optimal, because of the use of trained incarcerated caregivers, working as aides to the interprofessional team. The bereavement needs of caregivers were highlighted. The barriers to adequate psychosocial care were negative public discourse, prison processes and resources, provider attitudes and the incarcerated person's level of knowledge and trust. Identified facilitators were related to incarcerated persons' caregiving programs, a sense of purpose and visitation leniency. Human rights principles were identified in studies that featured compassionate release and advance care planning.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS
There is inconsistency in the literature regarding what constitutes psychosocial care, which meant that the authors needed to draw on multiple literature sources to formulate a definition. Additionally, the review only included studies written in English, meaning some high-quality studies could have been missed. The articles that conducted interviews with incarcerated individuals were undertaken in male prisons only and not female prisons.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Understanding the importance of psychosocial care for incarcerated persons with a life-limiting illness requires a shift in negative public discourse and the need for a stronger human rights focus. Some countries, such as the USA and UK, are achieving effective outcomes; however, countries such as Australia are yet to contribute to this knowledge base.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE
If palliative care is a human right, then its philosophy should be considered in its entirety, with the inclusion of psychosocial care.


Ice shelves play key roles in stabilizing Antarc- tica's ice sheets, maintaining its high albedo and returning freshwater to the Southern Ocean. Improved data sets of ice shelf draft and underlying bathymetry are important for as- sessing ocean-ice interactions and modeling ice response to climate change. The long, narrow Abbot Ice Shelf south of Thurston Island produces a large volume of meltwater, but is close to being in overall mass balance. Here we invert NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) airborne gravity data over the Ab- bot region to obtain sub-ice bathymetry, and combine OIB el- evation and ice thickness measurements to estimate ice draft. A series of asymmetric fault-bounded basins formed during rifting of Zealandia from Antarctica underlie the Abbot Ice Shelf west of 94 W and the Cosgrove Ice Shelf to the south. Sub-ice water column depths along OIB flight lines are suffi- ciently deep to allow warm deep and thermocline waters ob- served near the western Abbot ice front to circulate through much of the ice shelf cavity. An average ice shelf draft of 200 m, 15 % less than the Bedmap2 compilation, coin- cides with the summer transition between the ocean surface mixed layer and upper thermocline. Thick ice streams feed- ing the Abbot cross relatively stable grounding lines and are rapidly thinned by the warmest inflow. While the ice shelf is presently in equilibrium, the overall correspondence between draft distribution and thermocline depth indicates sensitivity to changes in characteristics of the ocean surface and deep waters.


Satu Data Indonesia is a policy contrive to encourage the problem of inadequate data governance in Indonesia. This policy makes 4 main principles, namely metadata, data standards, reference codes, and interoperability as metrics of success in its implementation. In this study, we analyze the satu data Indonesia implementation in Kutai Timur Regency. We found that the integration of the satu data principle is challenging to apply technically because sectoral data in Indonesia has 2 characteristics based on the preparation of the list of data needs, namely the centralized data list, and the decentralized data list. Decentralized data list is a list of data that is partially prepared in each agency without any coordination with other stakeholders for completing the satu data principles. To accommodating this condition, we design the Satu Data Metadata Framework (SDMF) a data standard framework that is in accordance with the conditions of data governance in Indonesia. SDMF utilizes contextual layer and discovery layer of metadata to provide temporal attribute called Satu Data Resource Identifier (SDRI) for integration purpose


The Greenland ice sheet has experienced an average mass loss of 142 ± 49 Gt/yr from 1992 to 2011 (Shepherd et al. 2012), making it a significant contributor to sea-level rise. Part of the ice- sheet mass loss is the result of increased dynamic response of outlet glaciers (Rignot et al. 2011). The ice discharge from outlet glaciers can be quantified by coincident measurements of ice velocity and ice thickness (Thomas et al. 2000; van den Broeke et al. 2016). As part of the Programme for monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE; Ahlstrøm et al. 2008), three airborne surveys were carried out in 2007, 2011 and 2015, with the aim of measuring the changes in Greenland ice-sheet thicknesses. The purpose of the airborne surveys was to collect data to assess the dynamic mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet (Andersen et al. 2015). Here, we present these datasets of observations from ice-penetrating radar and airborne laser scanning, which, in combination, make us able to determine the ice thickness precisely. Surface-elevation changes between surveys are also presented, although we do not provide an in-depth scientific interpretation of these.


This study examines whether criminal suspects facing more severe punishments are more likely to go to trial. Sample selection makes it difficult to obtain valid proxies for severity; for instance, I expect severity to be positively related to the prosecutor's decision to indict, to indict in federal court (versus state court), and to try the suspect. Theoretical and empirical findings indicate that in samples containing only indicted, convicted, or tried suspects, reasonable proxies for severity may be negatively related to actual severity. The assignment of defendants to judges randomizes the severity of punishment in a manner that is unrelated to sample selection. Thus, by examining the effect of these assignments, I find that a 10-month increase in prison sentences raises trial rates by 1 percentage point.


Lately the short-wave infrared (SWIR) has become very important due to the recent appearance on the market of the small detectors with a large focal plane array. Military applications for SWIR cameras include handheld and airborne systems with long range detection requirements, but where volume and weight restrictions must be considered. In this paper we present three different designs of telephoto objectives that have been designed according to three different methods. Firstly the conventional method where the starting point of the design is an existing design. Secondly we will face design starting from the design of an aplanatic system. And finally the simultaneous multiple surfaces (SMS) method, where the starting point is the input wavefronts that we choose. The designs are compared in terms of optical performance, volume, weight and manufacturability. Because the objectives have been designed for the SWIR waveband, the color correction has important implications in the choice of glass that will be discussed in detail.


The results of morphological investigation of hepatic tissues in 98 patients, suffering contracture of Dupuytren, chronic hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis stages I, II i III, were adduced. The patients were operated on for calculous cholecystitis. The attempt to organize the groups with certain morphological changes, depending on the hepatic pathological process persistence (up to 5 yrs, from 5 to 10 yrs, over 10 yrs) have appeared nonfair. The changes revealed are too different and characteristic not only for the examined patients.


Fibromyalgia is considered a stress-related disorder, and hypo- as well as hyperactive stress systems (sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) have been found. Some observations raise doubts on the view that alterations in these stress systems are solely responsible for fibromyalgia symptoms. Cumulative evidence points at dysfunctional transmitter systems that may underlie the major symptoms of the condition. In addition, all transmitter systems found to be altered in fibromyalgia influence the body's stress systems. Since both transmitter and stress systems change during chronic stress, it is conceivable that both systems change in parallel, interact, and contribute to the phenotype of fibromyalgia. As we outline in this paper, subgroups of patients might exhibit varying degrees and types of transmitter dysfunction, explaining differences in symptomatoloy and contributing to the heterogeneity of fibromyalgia. The finding that not all fibromyalgia patients respond to the same medications, targeting dysfunctional transmitter systems, further supports this hypothesis.


This paper examines the installation of photography exhibitions within the unconventional gallery spaces that have been produced as a part of the relatively recent wave of "iconic" museum architecture. As a medium that has primarily been displayed within the modernist "white cube," photography presents issues adapting to this new type of gallery interior. This thesis takes, as its case study, the Roloff Beny Gallery, managed by the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) as located in Daniel Libeskind's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal – a controversial addition to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Toronto, Ontario. It examines how photographic exhibitions have addressed design and installation issues in this iconic space through three photographic exhibitions


Introduction The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) in 2009 to reduce disparities in colorectal cancer screening and increase screening and follow-up as recommended. We estimate the cost for evidence-based intervention and non–evidence-based intervention screening promotion activities and examine expenditures on screening promotion activities. We also identify factors associated with the costs of these activities. Methods By using cost and resource use data collected from 25 state grantees over multiple years (July 2009 to June 2014), we analyzed the total cost for each screening promotion activity. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the factors associated with screening promotion costs reported by grantees. Results The promotion activities with the largest allocation of funding across the years and grantees were mass media, patient navigation, outreach and education, and small media. Across all years of the program and across grantees, the amount spent on specific promotion activities varied widely. The factor significantly associated with promotion costs was region in which the grantee was located. Conclusion CDC's CRCCP grantees spent the largest amount of the screening promotion funds on mass media, which is not recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task Force. Given the large variation across grantees in the use of and expenditures on screening promotion interventions, a systematic assessment of the yield from investment in specific promotion activities could better guide optimal resource allocation.


The TCO-Asa is a 2015 established team of high-school students of the Liceo Scientifico T. Calzecchi Onesti, in Fermo (Italy), who built a detector instrumented by consumer components including a CMOS camera and a silicon photomultiplier readout by the open-source ArduSiPM kit, to study the Cherenkov effect in water.

This proceeding presents the main activities of the students that included the definition of the geometry of the detector, the realisation of the structure prepared by Scanny3D, the optimisation of the coupling between the water and the sensors, the experiences with 18F (prepared by Acom SRL) and 226Rd radioactive sources, and the results of the tests performed at the Beam Test Facility in INFN-Frascati in 2016.

The team proposed to expose the detector to a test beam at CERN in 2016 and in 2017 within the Beamline for School initiative. The project was assessed among the best in 2016, and won the competition in 2017. A test beam, with an improved detector, has been done September 2017 at CERN, with the PS beam facility.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the time to access a rheumatologist (TTAR) by early arthritis (EA) patients participating in a nationwide incidental cohort (ESPOIR) and compare it with European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations, which recommends rapid referral, ideally within 6 weeks, to a rheumatologist for patients presenting with EA.

METHODS
Eight hundred and thirteen patients with EA were included in the cohort between 2002 and 2005. The inclusion criteria were 18-70 years old, two or more swollen joints, symptom duration from 6 weeks to 6 months and possible RA diagnosis. TTAR was defined as the time between the first synovitis and first visit to a rheumatologist. TTAR and satisfaction of the EULAR guidelines were investigated by multiple linear and logistic regressions.

RESULTS
Mean TTAR was 76 days; only 46.2% of patients were seen by a rheumatologist within the EULAR-recommended time frame. Patients' patterns of accessing medical care substantially affected access to specialized care: mean TTAR was 58 days for patients who directly scheduled an appointment with the rheumatologist and 78 days for those referred by their general practitioner (P < 0.0007). Only 57.2 and 44.5%, respectively, were able to consult a rheumatologist within 6 weeks. Multivariate analysis confirmed the significant impact of indirect access on TTAR, after adjustment for EA characteristics and medical density in the region.

CONCLUSIONS
Significant disparities were identified in the care of EA patients in terms of early access to a rheumatologist. More effort is needed to optimize the physicians' knowledge about EA and to improve the efficiency of medical networks.


Aging wiring has been identified as a national concern. This paper identifies why wiring installed on legacy aircraft has taken center stage and suggests a planned maintenance approach to enhance wiring safety, improve electronic system performance and reliability. The industry must be encouraged into an awareness of the criticality of electronic systems health. The industry must also become cognizant of the technical and operational issues that govern electronic systems reliability. Several alternatives for improving avionics systems performance are discussed. With proper training and the common usage of advanced diagnostic/prognostic/verification NDT tooling and repair procedures many of the wiring problems will become non-issues. As the technology issues are understood, so too will the fire and wire event safety issues. Testing for systems performance, systems trends, and systems useful life must be understood and incorporated into avionics systems diagnostics and prognostics processes.


BACKGROUND
Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level is common in patients with chronic kidney disease, but associations between severity of chronic kidney disease, obesity, and HDL level have not been well defined.

STUDY DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS
Within a large integrated health care delivery system, we identified all adult individuals without diabetes who had measured kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]), body mass index (BMI), and HDL level, but no substantial proteinuria, confounding medications, or prior renal replacement therapy.

PREDICTORS
The primary predictors for our analyses were eGFR and BMI.

OUTCOMES
Low HDL cholesterol level was the outcome. We performed multivariable logistic regression to investigate whether the relationship between BMI and low HDL level (men, <40 mg/dL; women, <50 mg/dL) varied as a function of eGFR.

RESULTS
Of 380,207 individuals who met cohort entry criteria, there were 26,089 (7%) with chronic kidney disease by eGFR level. Compared with eGFR of 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) or greater, lower eGFR category (in mL/min/1.73 m(2)) was associated with an increased adjusted odds of low HDL level independent of BMI and other confounders. However, there was a significant interaction between eGFR and BMI (P < 0.001). In separate models stratified by eGFR category (>or=60, 45 to 59, and 30 to 44 mL/min/1.73 m(2)), greater BMI was associated with a graded increased adjusted odds of low HDL level in each eGFR category, but this relationship was attenuated in patients with lower eGFR.

LIMITATIONS
Information for undiagnosed diabetes and proteinuria was unavailable.

CONCLUSIONS
Decreased eGFR is independently associated with greater odds of having a low HDL level. Across a spectrum of eGFR, greater BMI was associated with lower HDL level, but the magnitude of this association was diminished at lower eGFR, suggesting that other factors may also contribute to low HDL levels in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.


INTRODUCTION
Anxiety increases significantly during labor, especially among nulliparous women. Such anxiety may affect the progress of labor and physiological parameters. The use of essential oils of aromatic plants, or aromatherapy, is a non-invasive procedure that can decrease childbirth anxiety. This study examined the effect of inhalation of the aroma of geranium essential oil on the level of anxiety and physiological parameters of nulliparous women in the first stage of labor.

METHODS
In study, was carried out on 100 nulliparous women admitted to Bent al-Hoda Hospital in the city of Bojnord in North Khorasan province of Iran during 2012-2013. The women were randomly assigned to two groups of equal size, one experimental group (geranium essential oil) and one control (placebo) group. Anxiety levels were measured using Spielberger' questionnaire before and after intervention. Physiological parameters (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, pulse rate) were also measured before and after intervention in both groups. Data analysis was conducted using the x2 test, paired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcox on test on SPSS 11.5.

RESULTS
The mean anxiety score decreased significantly after inhalation of the aroma of geranium essential oil. There was also a significant decrease in diastolic blood pressure.

CONCLUSION
Aroma of essential oil of geraniums can effectively reduce anxiety during labor and can be recommended as a non-invasive anti-anxiety aid during childbirth.


The Russian wheat aphid (RWA, (Diuraphis noxia) and the Bird cherry-oat aphid (BCA, (Rhopalosiphum padi L.) cause severe damage to grain crops, including barley. An investigation of the effects of these aphids on a susceptible cultivar revealed that BCA-infested barley plants remained healthy looking for 2 weeks after feeding commenced. In contrast, signs of stress and damage, including chlorosis and leaf necrosis were evident in RWA-infested plants. Our study suggests that damage to the vascular tissue because of sustained feeding by BCA was not as extensive as that caused by RWA. In addition, there is a marked difference in the salivary secretion pattern within xylem elements punctured by aphids tapping the xylem for water. RWA deposit electron-dense, amorphous to smooth saliva, which completely encases the inner walls of affected elements, and saliva encases pit membranes between xylem elements, and between xylem vessels and xylem parenchyma. Xylem tapped by BCA contained more granular saliva, which apparently does not occlude vessel wall apertures or the pit membranes to the same extent, as was observed with RWA. Damage to phloem tissue, including phloem parenchyma elements, sieve tube-companion cell (CC-ST) complexes as well as thick-walled ST, was extensive. Plasmodesmata between phloem parenchyma elements as well as pore plasmodesmata between the CC and ST were occluded by callose. We conclude that severe, perhaps permanent damage to conducting elements in RWA-infested leaves may be responsible for the detrimental chlorosis and necrosis symptoms. These symptoms are absent in BCA-infested plants.


This research is to examine the "lawlessness" trends committed by children who are commonlycalledchilddelinquentbehaviorwiththeirsupportingfactorsandimpacton "social order" and "legal culture" that undergoing changes in the diverse environment of both urban and rural communities. The long-term goal of this research is to find the right criminological theoretic concepts in understanding the child's deviant behavior in society, so that the development and application of the criminology concept that comes from the country's own research is more compatible with the indigenization of science, especially criminology. The main research method that will be used is a qualitative method with a criminolgy research approach. In the field research, will be focused on 6 (six) research location. In an effort to find the exact criminology concept of child delinquency phenomenon, it will be pursued by stages of research stages, starting from determine the object and place of research, and also unit analysis and observationunit,tointensiveresearchinthefield.Thephasingisanexplorationstage, the field data collection phase, as well as the processing and interpretation phase of the data. Based on the approach of criminology research, it will reveal the background ofchilddelinquentbehaviorandthelinkbetweensocialbondelementstodelinquency of children, and finally it will be concluded to the theoretical concept of criminology that is appropriate in discussing child delinquent in society. The results of this study will be summarized in textbooks, reference books, procceding in the seminar that can be used as learning materials and criminology studies for the research course of criminology.


This paper presents the orientation control of a differential mobile robot through the synchronization of the motions of two driving wheels, using an adaptive coupling control algorithm. The orientation error is usually caused by the synchronization error between two driving wheels and has the largest impact on the motion accuracy. The proposed controller incorporates the cross-coupling technology into an adaptive control architecture and guarantees asymptotic convergence to zero of the position tracking errors of two wheels as well as the synchronization error between them. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed control method exhibits better motion performance than traditional control methods especially in the orientation control.


The aim of this study was to estimate the adhesive and cohesive fracture energies, and frictional characteristics of 7 types of cooked starch and flour sheets and combine these into a model framework for textural analysis. Cutting tests with wires of diameter 0.30 to 0.89 mm were performed with and without lubrication. Plots of the work done, normalized to the area cut by the wire, showed that this to be linearly related to wire diameter irrespective of lubrication. The oil had little impact on the intercept of these plots, giving cohesive fracture energy (Gc ) ranges for these foods between 6.8 and 32.5 J/m(2) . However, lubrication had a strong influence on the slope of the plots. From a comparison of the slopes for lubricated versus unlubricated tests, the kinetic coefficient of friction μkcould be calculated. Values for μk between 0.007 and 0.521 for different foods were obtained. Peeling tests were performed by lifting sheets vertically away from a fresh mica surface. The adhesive fracture energy Ga , varied from 2.5 to 4.8 J/m(2) . The results can be modeled by plotting the ratio of cohesive to adhesive fracture energy against the coefficient of friction. Thresholds in both axes suggest a physical basis for distinguishing textural perceptions. However, sensory testing with 12 subjects using the 7 food types could not establish whether this framework, however well-established physically, would apply to oral sensations. A much larger test would be required.


BACKGROUND
Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is common in the community and may result in hospitalization or death. This observational study aimed to investigate the role of antibiotics in the management of LRTI in the primary care setting in the United Kingdom.

METHODS
Patients receiving a first diagnosis of LRTI during 2004 and satisfying inclusion and data quality criteria were identified in the General Practice Research Database. Factors associated with respiratory infection-related hospital admissions and death in the 3 months following the initial diagnosis were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS
Antibiotic prescribing on the day of diagnosis was associated with a decreased rate of respiratory infection-related hospital admission (hazard ratio [HR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58 to 0.92), while antibiotic prescribing in the previous 7 days (HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.96) and prior referral or hospitalization (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.83) were associated with an increased risk of hospital admission. Female sex (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.84), allergic rhinitis (HR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.83), influenza vaccination (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.87), prior inhaled corticosteroid use (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.76), and antibiotic prescription on the day of diagnosis (HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.37) were associated with decreased respiratory infection-related mortality, while a Charlson comorbidity index of >or= 2 (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.72 to 2.92), antibiotic prescription in the previous 7 days (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.20 to 2.03), and frequent consultation (HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.09 to 2.40) were associated with increased mortality.

CONCLUSIONS
Antibiotic prescribing on the day of LRTI diagnosis was associated with reductions in hospital admissions and mortality related to respiratory infection. Antibiotics may help to prevent adverse outcomes for some patients with LRTI.


We have used retrograde transport of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase to examine the origin of thalamic input to the two premotor areas with the densest projections to the motor cortex: the arcuate premotor area (APA) and the supplementary motor area (SMA). Retrograde transport demonstrated that the two premotor areas and the motor cortex each receive thalamic input from separate, cytoarchitectonically well defined subdivisions of the ventrolateral thalamus. According to the nomenclature of Olszewski (Olszewski, J. (1952) The Thalamus of the Macaca mulatta. An Atlas for Use with the Stereotaxic Instrument, S. Karger, AG, Basel), input to the APA originates largely from area X, input to the SMA originates largely from the pars oralis subdivision of nucleus ventralis lateralis (VLo), and that to the motor cortex originates largely from the pars oralis subdivision of nucleus ventralis posterior lateralis (VPLo). These observations, when combined with prior studies on the termination of various subcortical efferents in the thalamus, lead to the following scheme of connections: (1) rostral portions of the deep cerebellar nuclei project to the motor cortex via VPLo; (2) caudal portions of the deep cerebellar nuclei project to the APA via area X; and (3) the globus pallidus projects to the SMA via VLo. Thus, each thalamocortical pathway is associated with a distinct subcortical input.


Diabetes is the common chronic disease and a major health challenge in all population. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes developed in women at the time of pregnancy. We present a Data mining (DM) approach to identify the risk factors of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using different data mining techniques. Dataset used for analysis contains the details of the pregnant women admitted the local hospital of Mysuru, India. The data mining techniques used are k-means clustering, J48 Decision Tree, Random-Forest and Naive-Bayes classifier. Classification accuracy is enhanced by using feature subset selection wrapper approach. Data imbalanced problem is handled by using Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE). The performances of the algorithms have been measured and compared in terms of Accuracy.


The present study has two main interests. First, some pending issues about the psychometric properties of the CTAC (an anxiety questionnaire for blind and visually-impaired people) are assessed using item response theory (IRT). Second, the linear model is compared to the graded response model (GRM) in terms of measurement precision, sensitivity to change, and person fit, and the results are also used to illustrate the functioning and advantages of IRT models. The participants were 670 blind or visually-impaired people from different Spanish cities. The results showed that the CTAC scores are accurate enough for practical purposes, and that respondents are quite consistent in their responses. Model-data fit was acceptable in both cases, and both models lead to similar results regarding the trait estimates, with the exception of extreme respondents who were better assessed with the linear model. The GRM assessed measurement precision better, and both models showed high sensitivity to change around cut-off values. Person-fit results were also similar in both models.


Despite all economic and social transitions that have occurred in the last centuries we still find that people go to church. Somehow religious beliefs have not vanished over time. Since there is no material reward for going to church or praying religiosity has to create utility through other means. It could raise peoples' personal well-being. In this paper we use information from the World Values Survey about subjective happiness and life satisfaction. We relate this information to revealed religiosity and measure if religiosity makes people happier. We use different methods and also control for economic factors, family matters, health, and democracy. The key finding is that there seems to be a U-shaped relationship between personal well-being and religiosity, especially so for happiness. This result is consistent throughout all our estimations. Our analysis also gives hints that higher income might lead to higher subjective well-being.


A new methodology for the layout design of several classes of useful VLSI structures is proposed. The approach produces a structured layout for commonly found computation structures, using regular elements called layout slices. Algorithms for optimal array realization are described that offer several significant advantages over existing layout schemes. Any network that can be decomposed into instances of these structures can therefore be realized using layout slices. Algorithms for the array realization of a class of arbitrary networks are also described. Several well-known structures such as trees, carry-save adders and cube-connected cycles can be realized using the proposed array layout methodology, not only with optimal area but also with several features necessary for practical implementation, e.g., access to key nodes, high area utilization and global signal routing. The proposed methodology is illustrated with actual layouts of useful circuits.


The aim of this computational study is the investigation of the effects of the transverse oscillations of a cylinder on the flow pattern and on the hydrodynamic forces exerted on the body. The finite element technique was used for the solution, which comprised numerical flow visualization and evaluation of the hydrodynamic forces, at a constant Reynolds number equal to 106. The cylinder oscillation frequency was varying between 0.8 and 1.2 of the natural shedding frequency, and the oscillation amplitude was equal to 40% of the cylinder diameter. For values of the cylinder oscillation frequency lower or equal than the natural shedding frequency the vortex pattern is similar to that observed for a fixed cylinder, whereas for higher, a more complicated aperiodic pattern is obtained. The effects of the frequency of the cylinder oscillation on the lift force, the phase angle between the lift and the cylinder displacement and on the timing of vortex shedding are also discussed.


nerves of the thigh with loss of knee extension, developed I0 minutes after injection. This persisted for over 30 hours. There was patchy sensory loss on the thigh a t 48 hours, but :it this stage she was able to stand and walk slowty with support. The leg did not feel subjectively normal for 72 hours. Discharge from hospital was delayed for 24 hours and the patient suffered considerable distress. This case emphasises that 0.504 bupivacaine is a n inappropriate concentration for local anacsthesia for minor procedures o f the lower limb, after which the patient could be mobiliscd within 24 hours. 1ii.iection of local anaesthetic into the fibrous sheath around the femoral nerve results in B very low rate of systemic a b ~ o r p t i o n . ~ There was no evidence of block of either lateral cutaneous nerve of thigh or obturator nerve block.


Self-supervised monocular depth estimation has achieved impressive performance on outdoor datasets. Its performance however degrades notably in indoor environments because of the lack of textures. Without rich textures, the photometric consistency is too weak to train a good depth network. Inspired by the early works on indoor modeling, we leverage the structural regularities exhibited in indoor scenes, to train a better depth network. Specifically, we adopt two extra supervisory signals for self-supervised training: 1) the Manhattan normal constraint and 2) the co-planar constraint. The Manhattan normal constraint enforces the major surfaces (the floor, ceiling, and walls) to be aligned with dominant directions. The co-planar constraint states that the 3D points be well fitted by a plane if they are located within the same planar region. To generate the supervisory signals, we adopt two components to classify the major surface normal into dominant directions and detect the planar regions on the fly during training. As the predicted depth becomes more accurate after more training epochs, the supervisory signals also improve and in turn feedback to obtain a better depth model. Through extensive experiments on indoor benchmark datasets, the results show that our network outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. The source code is available at https://github.com/SJTU-ViSYS/StructDepth.


In this study, we recorded and analyzed the growth data of 40 children with acute meningitis (age 5.8 ± 3.1 years) for a year or more after treatment, and compared them with their age and sex matched healthy siblings (n = 100). None of the patients had any meningitis complications that could affect linear growth. None of them were underweight and/or stunted for one year or more after treatment. The height standard deviation scores (HtSDS) of patients decreased significantly from -0.06 ± 0.95 at the onset of meningitis to -0.46 ± 1 after a year or more of follow-up and were significantly lower than those for their normal siblings (controls) (0.31 ± 0.5). Fifteen out of the 40 patients had decreased HtSDS > -0.5, while 3 had decreased HtSDS > -1 after > 1 year of follow-up. The body mass index (BMI) of patients significantly increased after 1 year or more of the acute attack, but did not differ from the BMI for the controls. One patient and none of the controls had BMISDS > 2 at presentation. Furthermore, 5/40 patients and 2/100 children from the control group had BMISDS > 2 after 1 year or more of follow-up. The HtSDS decreased and BMI increased significantly in both groups with septic (n = 10) and aseptic meningitis (n = 30) with no significant difference among the 2 groups. It was concluded that long term growth delay and overweight and/or obesity appear to be risk factors following an acute attack of both septic and aseptic meningitis. Key words:


Background High sensitive-C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is associated with coronary risk, which may be explained by an association with (unstable) coronary artery disease (CAD). Until now, histopathological and angiographic studies have failed to consistently demonstrate a strong relationship. However, most of these studies were limited by a cross-sectional design. Our aim was to prospectively evaluate the association between hs-CRP and plaque instability. Therefore, firstly, we investigated the relation between hs-CRP measured long before coronary angiography (CAG) and angiographic characteristics of stable and unstable CAD. In addition, we investigated the association with coronary events during follow up in the total PREVEND population. Methods and results Of the population based Prevention of REnal and Vascular ENdstage Disease (PREVEND) study, 8,139 subjects without previous documented CAD were followed for the incidence of CAG and coronary events from 1997-2003. For the qualitative angiographic analysis, 216 CAGs were available. Mean time to CAG was 37±19 months. The 864 coronary vessels were graded as follows: 436 coronary vessels as normal, 175 as non-obstructive CAD, 179 as stable obstructive CAD and 74 as unstable obstructive CAD. Multilevel ordinal regression analysis was performed to study associations between baseline clinical variables and angiographic findings. HsCRP contributed significantly to the multivariate model after adjustment for age, gender, smoking, lipids and blood pressure. In 8,139 subjects, two-hundred-andone (2.5%) first coronary events occurred during follow up. Cox survival analysis showed ageand sexadjusted hazard ratios for hs-CRP 1-3 mg/L and >3 mg/L of, respectively, 1.26 (95% CI 0.67-2.40) and 3.16 (95% CI 1.26-3.16), relative to hsCRP <1 mg/L. Conclusions In the prospective PREVEND study of subjects without previous documented CAD, hsCRP levels at baseline were associated with angiographic characteristics and clinical consequences of plaque instability during follow up. This observation supports the concept that hs-CRP significantly contributes to coronary atherogenesis.


In this paper, a novel and highly efficient hydroxyapatite (HA) carrier for cultivating hydrocarbon degradation bacteria (HDB) is introduced. The HA particles synthesized through a sol-gel method and different heat treatments were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and BET method. The microbial amount and activities of HDB cultivated on HA carriers were quantitatively investigated in order to assess their enriching capabilities. The results showed that HA synthesized at 550°C and the one without calcination could enrich HDB 3 and 2 magnitude orders more than the activated carbon, respectively. Mechanisms of bacterial enrichment on HA and activated carbon were also studied, and it is believed that the high bioactivity and the surface morphology of HA were responsible for the efficient reproduction of HDB. It is concluded that HA is a potential candidate to replace the conventionally used activated carbon as a novel carrier applied in the filed of bioremediation for oil contaminated soil.


The metabolite of dihydrotestosterone, 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (3α-Diol), is a potent inhibitor of estrogen-induced gonadotropin and prolactin secretion and lordosis behavior in the female rat. This study examined whether 3α-Diol can counteract the ultrastructural changes which are known to occur in the ventromedial nucleus (VMN) of the hypothalamus following estrogen treatment. Ovariectomized rats were treated with estradiol (E2; n = 7), 3α-Diol (n = 5), E2 and 3α-Diol (n = 6), or received control (n = 6) treatments. E2 was administered in subcutaneous capsules for two discontinuous 2-hour periods separated by 5 h, a 'pulsed' treatment regimen known to mimic the timing of endogenous E2 action and to influence neuronal ultrastructure in the VMN. Animals given 3α-Diol received subcutaneous injections (6 mg/kg) 3 h prior to each implantation of E2 or empty capsules. Control animals received vehicle 3 h prior to implantation of blank capsules. Animals were perfused 24 h after initial hormone treatment and neurons from the ventrolateral portion of the VMN were examined using electron microscopy. Separately, both E2 and 3α-Diol treatment increased somal and nuclear size, altered somal and nuclear shape, and increased the numbers of lysosomes present in the cytoplasm above control levels. E2 treatment resulted in increased stacking of the rough endoplasmic reticulum while 3α-Diol treatment resulted in an unusual plexiform rough endoplasmic reticulum distribution. In contrast, combined treatment with E2 and 3α-Diol resulted in cells which were similar to ovariectomized control cells on these measures. All steroid treatments decreased the amount of heterochromatin present within the nucleus compared to that seen in controls. Thus, 3α-Diol influences the ultrastructural characteristics of neurons within the VMN in a manner somewhat though not altogether similar to E2. However, 3α-Diol given in combination with E2 counteracts or prevents the actions of E2 within these same neurons.


The appearance of the water is just one aspect of a waterscape that can be appreciated aesthetically. Water appearance is affected by water clarity and water colour. Here, an aesthetic assessment model of waterscape was suggested. In the model, water clarity and colour have direct effects, whereas water quality and phytoplankton biomass have indirect effects, on tourists' aesthetic assessment of water bodies. The preferred water colour is aquamarine to blue, regardless of depth of clarity. Water colour ranges from pastel yellow to yellow-green are not favoured by tourists. Four water-quality parameters were correlated with water clarity and phytoplankton biomass. The coefficient of indirect effect of river pollution index on tourists' aesthetic valuation of aquamarine to blue water colour was -0.457, and for pastel yellow to yellowgreen, it was -0.209. The research results showed observation of water colour could not only reflect waterscape aesthetic value, but also serve as a guide of judging water quality, and the status of phytoplankton benefited to simplify the process of water-quality management for waterscape.


In the context of Information Retrieval, Arabic stemming algorithms have become a most research area of information retrieval. Many researchers have developed algorithms to solve the problem of stemming. Each researcher proposed his own methodology and measurements to test the performance and compute the accuracy of his algorithm. Thus, nobody can make accurate comparisons between these algorithms. Many generic conflation techniques and stemming algorithms are theoretically analyzed in this paper. Then, the main Arabic language characteristics that are necessary to be mentioned before discussing Arabic stemmers are summarized. The evaluation of the algorithms in this paper shows that Arabic stemming algorithm is still one of the most information retrieval challenges. This paper aims to compare the most of the commonly used light stemmers in terms of affixes lists, algorithms, main ideas, and information retrieval performance. The results show that the light10 stemmer outperformed the other stemmers. Finally, recommendations for future research regarding the development of a standard Arabic stemmer were presented.


The aim of the study was to conduct systematic review the articles on long term effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy for treatment of major depressive disorder. Articles in English and Turkish published between the years of 2000 and 2015 (January) were searched in national and international databases. The articles that did not include follow-up studies were excluded. Although the main aim of this study is to evaluate permanent effect of the cognitive behavioral group therapy, 21 articles that met the criteria were examined also in terms of some other variables such as research method, therapy characteristics and post test results. The findings of the articles revealed that cognitive-behavioral group therapy is effective for major depressive disorder and post therapy gains are maintained for a long time.


Background: Hypertonic saline (HTS) is an effective treatment for patients with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The ideal concentration for use in these patients is not well defined. The aim of our study was to compare Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and mortality of patients after administration of 3% vs. 23.4% HTS in the initial resuscitation. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) under the trauma service with a diagnosis of TBI who received HTS during initial resuscitation. Patient medical records were reviewed to collect data including in-hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, GCS at the time of admission and discharge, serum sodium and serum osmolality values at 24, 48 and 72 h after arrival, acute kidney injury and severe hypernatremia. Results: Patients ≥ 18 years of age admitted to trauma ICU with a diagnosis of TBI. Pregnant, incarcerated, or non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage patients were excluded. Thirty-one patients were included in the study. The 3% arm included 21 patients, and 23.4% arm had 10 patients. All patients received 3% HTS continuous infusion following initial bolus. Median injury severity scores (ISS) were 22 vs. 25 in the 3% vs. 23.4% HTS groups, respectively (P = 0.37). There was no difference in in-hospital mortality between the two groups (52.4% vs. 50.0%, P = 0.45). There was a significant improvement in GCS at discharge, 8.3% vs. 44.4% in 3% HTS vs. 23.4% HTS arms, respectively (P = 0.029). Patients reaching goal serum sodium and serum osmolality at 24 h was significantly higher in the 23.4% group (33.3% vs. 70.0%; P = 0.028 and 35.7% vs. 77.8%; P = 0.026, respectively). Significant increase in incidence of severe hypernatremia in the 23.4% arm was noted (0.0% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.009). Conclusion: This study demonstrates no significant difference in in-hospital mortality for patients who received 3% vs. 23.4% HTS. Significantly higher percentage of patients receiving 23.4% HTS reached goal serum sodium and osmolality levels at 24 h with a concomitant significantly increased rate of severe hypernatremia. J Curr Surg. 2019;9(4):39-44 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jcs389


We have previously shown that cytosolic acidification-stimulated Na(+)-H+ exchange in LLC-PK1 cells is inhibited by calmodulin antagonists. To investigate further the role of Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent processes in intracellular pH (pHi) regulation in these cells, we studied the effects of pHi changes on cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). In fura-2/acetoxymethylester (fura-2/AM)-loaded cells maintained in isotonic Na(+)-free buffer containing 1.8 mM CaCl2, [Ca2+]i was 168 +/- 59 nM (n = 5). After NH4Cl-induced alkalinization, [Ca2+]i decreased to 83 +/- 28 nM and partially recovered to 126 +/- 42 nM. Cytosolic acidification, after NH4Cl washout, caused an increase in [Ca2+]i to 481 +/- 166 nM (P less than 0.05; n = 5) that was dependent on extracellular Ca2+. An increase in [Ca2+]i was also observed in cells acidified with KCl-nigericin, with a return of [Ca2+]i to baseline with cell alkalinization. No increase in 45Ca2+ efflux occurred in association with initial NH4Cl-induced [Ca2+]i decrease, suggesting Ca2+ flux into an intracellular store during alkalinization. Membrane depolarization did not alter [Ca2+]i. The acidification-induced [Ca2+]i increase was inhibited by preincubation with verapamil or the calmodulin antagonist N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7). Na(+)-dependent pHi recovery in 2,'7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethylester (BCECF/AM)-loaded LLC-PK1 cells and cytosolic acidification-stimulated basolateral Na(+)-H+ exchange activity in LLC-PK1/CL4 cells were both attenuated in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. The results indicate that cytosolic acidification activates an influx of extracellular Ca2+ in LLC-PK1 cells. Furthermore, in the absence of Ca2+ influx, Na(+)-H+ exchange is inhibited.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Up to now, montane rain forest of Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park, faces problem in the form of invasion of exotic plant species into the area. Location of the area that borders with various land uses, such as Botanical Garden and agricultural land, make it very susceptible toward invasion of plant species from outside the area. The collapse of large trees which normally constitute a mechanism of natural regeneration, was in fact stimulating the development of exotic species, particularly those which were invasive, inside the area. The objective of this research was to test the competitive ability of endemic species, which in this case was represented by Cleystocalyx operculata and Mischocarpus pentapetalus, toward exotic plant species, represented by Austroeupatoriun inulaefolium and Passiflora ligularis, during 5 months of study. Growth rate of exotic plant species, as well as the dry weight biomass, were larger than those of endemic species. Indirect estimation of competitive ability showed that competitive ability (β) of endemic species were 4-5 times less, namely 0.0274 (for C. operculata) and 0.0251 (for M. pentapetalus); as compared with those of exotic species, namely 0.125 (for P. ligularis) and 0.1104 (for A. inulaefolium). Direct test also proved that competitive ability (β) of endemic species was lower than that of exotic species, as shown by relative crowding value < 1. Estimation of future competitive ability, using diagram of input/ output ratio, showed also the disability of endemic species to compete with exotic species, where position of input/output ratio points were parallel with equilibrium line y=x . Considering those facts, there is urgent need for controlling these invasive exotic species inside the National Park area to maintain the sustainability of biodiversity and regeneration of endemic species in montane rain forest of Gunung Gede–Pangrango National Park.


The Teton Whitewater Kayak case is designed to provide students with a challenging hands-on exercise in relational database design. It is extensive enough to provide a stimulating exercise, but not so large as to be overwhelming. This case can be utilized for a group project in a database management or database design course. The case is sufficiently detailed to challenge students as they apply the design concepts explained in class to a problem that closely simulates a real-world problem. An associated project can be broken into deliverables, or individual components that cover a single task, to make the project more manageable. Some of the suggested deliverables associated with this project include the design of entityrelationship diagrams, normalization of the database schema, table creation, SQL query design, form and report design, and stored procedure and trigger design. The problem was designed to be extensible. For example, while it does into include credit card processing or selling equipment on consignment, those features can be easily added to make the case more complex. The case can even be extended for use in an analysis and design class, as the services provided by the company are presented as a set of processes that can be easily represented in a data flow diagram.


Prior work inspired by compression algorithms has described how the Burrows Wheeler Transform can be used to create a distance measure for bioinformatics problems. We describe issues with this approach that were not widely known, and introduce our new Burrows Wheeler Markov Distance (BWMD) as an alternative. The BWMD avoids the shortcomings of earlier efforts, and allows us to tackle problems in variable length DNA sequence clustering. BWMD is also more adaptable to other domains, which we demonstrate on malware classification tasks. Unlike other compression-based distance metrics known to us, BWMD works by embedding sequences into a fixed-length feature vector. This allows us to provide significantly improved clustering performance on larger malware corpora, a weakness of prior methods.


The aim of this final thesis is to make it easier for the customer of a new designed house to get a picture of what the house will look like inside before it has been built.A method, which can be applied by any construction company who likes to visualize there buildings, has been designed and tested. One works after a regular design planning which is transformed into a three dimensional model of the house. In a rendering program, materials and surfaces are chosen for the model and then a picture of the finished product is made. The programs used for this work are ADT 2006 and VIZ Render.To evaluate the use of this method I've chosen to cooperate with LB-Hus which is a housing company that is specialized in building detached houses. I applied the method on one of their new houses and together with their salesman we evaluated the result.The pictures fills its aim and makes it easier for the customer. The method is something LB-Hus could think of using in the future.


Objective: To assess the evidence demonstrating efficacy, tolerability, and safety of seven new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) (gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, tiagabine, oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, and zonisamide—reviewed in the order in which these agents received approval by the US Food and Drug Administration) in the treatment of children and adults with newly diagnosed partial and generalized epilepsies. Methods: A 23-member committee, including general neurologists, pediatric neurologists, epileptologists, and doctors in pharmacy, evaluated the available evidence based on a structured literature review including MEDLINE, Current Contents, and Cochrane library for relevant articles from 1987 until September 2002, with selected manual searches up until 2003. Results: There is evidence either from comparative or dose-controlled trials that gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, and oxcarbazepine have efficacy as monotherapy in newly diagnosed adolescents and adults with either partial or mixed seizure disorders. There is also evidence that lamotrigine is effective for newly diagnosed absence seizures in children. Evidence for effectiveness of the new AEDs in newly diagnosed patients with other generalized epilepsy syndromes is lacking. Conclusions: The results of this evidence-based assessment provide guidelines for the prescription of AEDs for patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy and identify those seizure types and syndromes where more evidence is necessary.


This paper demonstrates the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) in order to develop an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) devised to perform a wide variety of outdoor tasks. There are many applications for autonomous UGVs such as tactical and surveillance applications, exploration of areas inaccessible by humans. Capable to navigate to a specific location, and control their motion depending on their surroundings without human intervention. The inertial navigation system makes use of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to measure the change to the UGV's positional parameters, orientation and speed which are continuously monitored and updated. With the advent of GPS, and the positional data from the inertial system the positional information is computed leading to a more accurate control of the UGV; which otherwise suffers from integration drift that occurs with the implementation of inertial systems alone. Autonomous control of the UGV is implemented by coupling GPS sensor and Mission Planner, a tool to map waypoints from Google Maps. Furthermore, system stability and ideal PID (Proportional, Integral and Derivative) values are determined using bicycle modeling analysis to achieve better estimates and control of the UGV. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v4i3.5183


The back-illuminated electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) camera is having a profound influence on the field of low-light dynamic cellular microscopy, combining highest possible photon collection efficiency with the ability to virtually eliminate the readout noise detection limit. We report here the use of this camera, in 512 x 512 frame-transfer chip format at 10-MHz pixel readout speed, in optimizing a demanding ultra-low-light intracellular calcium flux microscopy setup. The arrangement employed includes a spinning confocal Nipkow disk, which, while facilitating the need to both generate images at very rapid frame rates and minimize background photons, yields very weak signals. The challenge for the camera lies not just in detecting as many of these scarce photons as possible, but also in operating at a frame rate that meets the temporal resolution requirements of many low-light microscopy approaches, a particular demand of smooth muscle calcium flux microscopy. Results presented illustrate both the significant sensitivity improvement offered by this technology over the previous standard in ultra-low-light CCD detection, the GenIII+intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD), and also portray the advanced temporal and spatial resolution capabilities of the EMCCD.


Abstract. We have implemented a new stratospheric ozone model in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) system, and tested its performance for different timescales, to assess the impact of stratospheric ozone on meteorological fields. We have used the new ozone model to provide prognostic ozone in medium-range and long-range experiments, showing the feasibility of this ozone scheme for a seamless NWP modelling approach. We find that the stratospheric ozone distribution provided by the new scheme in ECMWF forecast experiments is in very good agreement with observations, even for unusual meteorological conditions such as Arctic stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs) and Antarctic polar vortex events like the vortex split of year 2002. To assess the impact it has on meteorological variables, we have performed experiments in which the prognostic ozone is interactive with radiation. The new scheme provides a realistic ozone field able to improve the description of the stratosphere in the ECMWF system, we find clear reductions of biases in the stratospheric forecast temperature. The seasonality of the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex is also significantly improved when using the new ozone model. In medium-range simulations we also find improvements in high latitude tropospheric winds during the SSW event considered in this study. In long-range simulations the use of the new ozone model leads to an increase in the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index correlation, and an increase in the signal to noise ratio over the North Atlantic sector. In our study we show that by improving the description of the stratospheric ozone in the ECMWF system, the stratosphere-tropospheric coupling improves. This highlights the potential benefits of this new ozone model to exploit stratospheric sources of predictability and improve weather predictions over Europe on a range of time scales.


Bagasse fiber was acetylated with acetic anhydride alone to various levels of acetyl weight gain. Acetylation causes the bagasse fiber to become more hydrophobic, as evidenced by a lowering of the equilibrium moisture content as the level of acetylation increased. Acetylated bagasse fiber and fiberboard~ made from acetylated fiber at acetyl weight gains of about 17% had an equilibrium moisture content of about one-third that of controls at all relative humidities tested. Fiberboards made from acetylated fiber swelled at a much slower rate and to a lesser extent as compared to control fiberboards. Internal bond strength was higher in acetylated fiberboards, while moduli of rupture and elasticity were slightly lower in acetylated boards than in control boards.


in May 1977. She was receiving no other medication. At the end of 1977 she complained of pain and swelling in both wrists, which subsequently spread to involve the knees, ankles, hands, and elbows. In July 1978 there was clinically detectable synovitis of the promixal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, and wrist joints. Her blood pressure was 150/80 mm Hg and her general examination was otherwise normal. There was no history suggestive of pleuropericardial disease or skin involvemenit. Investigations showed haemoglobin 9-6 g/dl, white blood cells 3 7x 10'/1, erythrocyte sedimentation rate 50 mm in the first hour, Coombs test negative, antinuclear antibody (ANA) test positive (titre 1/320), urea and electrolytes normal; the urine contained no protein, the Rose-Waaler test was negative, C3 and C4 levels were normal, DNA binding activity was <25 units/ml (normal), and the test for extractable nuclear antibodies was negative. Radiographs of the hands, feet, and chest were normal. She continued to have evidence of a low-grade synovitis and in December 1978 she developed painful, pitting oedema of the right hand and left foot. The ANA titre remained at 1/320, the DNA binding was normal, and the leucopenia persisted. Labetalol was stopped in January 1979 and the patient was started on propranolol longacting 160 mg daily. By February 1979 the symptoms had resolved; there was no evidence of synovitis and the ESR had fallen to 16 mm in the first hour. The ANA titre had then fallen to 1/80 and by April 1979 it was 1/20; and the patient remained asymptomatic.


To clarify the origin of a characteristic fine grain structure formed under the high burn-up of the nuclear fuel, the comprehensive first-principles calculations for UO2 containing various types of point defect have been performed by the PAW-GGA+U with lattice relaxation for supercells containing 1, 2 and 8 unit cells of UO2. The electronic structure, the atomic displacement and the defect formation energies of defective systems are obtained, and the effects of supercell size on these properties are discussed. Based on this relatively high precise self-consistent formation energies dataset, thermodynamic properties of various types of point defects in UO2 are further investigated in the framework of the point defects model.


A patient with ring 14 chromosome is reported. On the basis of this case and of a review of 28 cases published in the literature, the frequency of clinical signs and symptoms is determined, the constant and early incidence, of epileptic seizures is emphasized and their characteristics are described. The associated congenital malformations are listed and their importance for karyotyping and consequent detection of new cases is emphasized.


Since the early 1990s, credit expanded relative to income, especially after 2001. It is hypothesized that traditionally uneven credit access and gaps in the costs of credit by demographic characteristics shrank during this period. Relying on data from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finance, this study looks at financial constraints, the costs of credit and a number of contributions to the costs of credit, including sources and types of loans. The results indicate that taste-based discrimination and structural discrimination may have persisted and possibly increased over time. Gaps in credit access and costs of credit have widened by race, remained high by income, but shrank by ethnicity. Part of the overall differences in credit access was a varying reliance on professional information when making decisions on debt.


This paper discusses the issue of the relationship of history and memory. Memory becomes a topic in historical discourses as it deals with identity, especially when we speak of collective memory. The paper presents the history of the relationship of history and memory and suggests a thesis according which the close interaction between these two concepts can solve the crisis of identity that has been most urgent in our days.


INTRODUCTION
The regional Board of Health in Stockholm, Sweden, established the Pharmacotherapy Centre (PTC) to enhance the rational use of medicines. The PTC initiated computerised decision support systems and developed a range of electronic service products to sustain rational prescribing. However, knowledge about which determinants have supported or hindered the sustainability of this type of healthcare organisation is limited.

OBJECTIVE
This study aims to identify and explore determinants that support or challenge the development and sustainability of the PTC organisation, as well as investigate the key elements of their implementation efforts.

METHODS
An in-depth interview study among key informants involved in the establishment of the PTC organisation was conducted. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS
Findings suggest that determinants enabling the development and expansion of this organisation include the presence of innovative characteristics among the PTC leadership and the ability of leaders to nurture visionary innovation in others, as well as the instigation of informal social networks and to identify end-user needs. Challenges included an ambiguous relationship to the pharmaceutical industry, an underestimation of the innovation-system fit and to undertake systematic evaluation of created impact by the organisation. Although prescriber use of electronic service products and adherence to an essential drug list increased over time, it remains difficult to identify methods required for demonstrating patient effects.

CONCLUSION
Whereas some determinants enabled the successful expansion of the PTC organisation, others served to substantially hinder it. The determinants identified can pave the way for systematic investigations into organisational change and development research in the pharmaceutical field.


The Pleiades mission is part of the French-Italian ORFEO system (Optical and Radar Federated Earth Observation) and has the aim to provide very-high resolution optical imagery from space for civilian and military needs. Within the Pleiades evaluation program, the 3DOM Unit at the Bruno Kessler Foundation in Trento (Italy) received a triplet by Pleiades-1A over Trento testfield for research purposes. The images composing the triplet were acquired on August 28, 2012 with across-track angles close to nadir and alongtrack angles of 18°, -13° and 13° in average with respect to the flight direction (Fig. 1) and a mean GSD between 0.72 m and 0.78 m. The aim of this paper is to investigate the quality of the Pleiades triplet and derived Digital Surface Model (DSM). The image analysis was conducted by evaluating the radiometric properties of the images (noise characteristics, image artifacts, spilling) and the geometric accuracy. After image orientation, three DSMs were generated with advanced image matching algorithms using two image combinations and the triplet. The DSMs were compared to the reference Lidar DSM (1 m grid spacing) for quality analysis in areas with different characteristics (land use and cover, topography). Thanks to the availability of other very high resolution satellite imagery in the testfield, the results were compared to those previously obtained using WorldView-2 ad GeoEye-1 stereopairs acquired on the same area.


OBJECTIVE
To measure general practitioners' knowledge of, confidence with and attitudes to the diagnosis and management of dementia in primary care.

SETTING
20 general practices of varying size and prior research experience in Central Scotland, and 16 similarly varied practices in north London.

PARTICIPANTS
127 general practitioners who had volunteered to join a randomised controlled trial of educational interventions about dementia diagnosis and management.

METHODS
Self-completion questionnaires covering knowledge, confidence and attitudes were retrieved from practitioners prior to the educational interventions.

RESULTS
General practitioners' knowledge of dementia diagnosis and management is good, but poor awareness of its epidemiology leads to an over-estimate of caseload. Knowledge of local diagnostic and support services is less good, and one third of general practitioners expressed limited confidence in their diagnostic skills, whilst two-thirds lacked confidence in management of behaviour and other problems in dementia. The main difficulties identified by general practitioners were talking with patients about the diagnosis, responding to behaviour problems and coordinating support services. General practitioners perceived lack of time and lack of social services support as the major obstacles to good quality care more often than they identified their own unfamiliarity with current management or with local resources. Attitudes to the disclosure of the diagnosis, and to the potential for improving the quality of life of patients and carers varied, but a third of general practitioners believed that dementia care is within a specialist's domain, not that of general practice. More experienced and male general practitioners were more pessimistic about dementia care, as were general practitioners with lower knowledge about dementia. Those reporting greater difficulty with dementia diagnosis and management and those with lower knowledge scores were also less likely to express attitudes endorsing open communication with patient and carer.

CONCLUSION
Educational support for general practitioners should concentrate on epidemiological knowledge, disclosure of the diagnosis and management of behaviour problems in dementia. The availability and profile of support services, particularly social care, need to be enhanced, if earlier diagnosis is to be pursued as a policy objective in primary care.


Introduction The purpose of ESD and Hybrid ESD (circumferential excision and snaring) is to obtain en bloc specimen. Margins are checked for residual tissue and APC applied if appropriate Methods Single endoscopist using ESD and Hybrid ESD (H-ESD) technique was retrospectively audited from April 2004 to August 2012. Service evaluation data of 38 patients with large sessile polyps who underwent ESD and Hybrid ESD was reviewed from a cohort of 224 colonoscopies referred for large polyp EMR. All procedures were intended as ESD. NICE recommendations for case selection were followed in 92% cases. Due to challenges in submucosal dissection of the large lesions, piecemeal resection was done after circumferential cutting. First follow-up endoscopy was performed at 3–6 months and the second at 12–14 months. Results Mean age was 70 with 16 males and 22 females. Mean size of polyp in ESD group was 26mm. Range 15–50mm. Mean size in the H-ESD group was 49mm. Range 20–100mm. Complete resections were achieved in 17 (44%) out of 38 cases. Due to piecemeal resection pathologists were not able to confirm adequacy of excision in 12 cases. In 9 cases resection was reported incomplete on index procedure. ESD performed in 13 (34%) cases. Complete resection achieved in 6. Out of 7 incomplete resections in the ESD group, 3 were reported by pathologists as lesion extending to the lateral margin hence incomplete excision. Histology did not comment on margin clearance in 3 ESD. 1 ESD was a sub mucosal lipoma on histology. This was an unintentional ESD for lipoma. Histology: ESD group: TVA with LGD 7, TVA with HGD 5. H-ESD was performed in 25 (65.7%) cases. Complete resection achieved in 11 cases, incomplete resection in 7 and lateral margin clearance not confirmed in 7 H-ESD cases due to piecemeal resection. Histology: H-ESD group: TVA with LGD 16, TVA with HGD 6 and adenocarcinoma in 2 cases-one's lateral and deep margins were clear and the other was incomplete and referred to MDT In 4 ESD and 7 H-ESD cases there was minor bleeding controlled endoscopically at the time. 1 delayed post- H-ESD bleeding required 11 days of hospital stay and 2 units of blood transfusion. 1 retroperitoneal perforation and 1 case of serosal cut managed conservatively with clips and antibiotics. APC performed in 16 (42%) out of 38. Recurrence was identified in 6 H-ESD cases (15.7%). 5 local recurrences detected at 3 months and 1 local recurrence detected at 24 months. In 13 ESD cases no perforation or recurrence upto 14 months was noted despite 5 histologically incomplete dissections. Conclusion ESD in bowel is challenging and has a long learning curve. These procedures should be performed by trained endoscopists in accredited units and a national registry should be maintained. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


The present study was carried out to determine the ability of Acipenser baerii in utilizing carbohydrate (dextrin) as a non protein energy source substituted with animal oil. A total of 65 juveniles A. baerii with an initial mean weight of 689 ± 62 g were distributed in 15 fiber glass tanks. Five diets were formulated including 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% of dextrin and fed for 8 weeks. Fish were weighed monthly and growth was evaluated in each treatment. At the end of experiment, body composition and hepatosomatic index were analyzed. There was no significant differences in body weight increase (BWI) and final weight (FW) among different groups (p>0.05). Increase of dextrin levels in diets led to an increase in feed conversation ratio (FCR) in fish fed diets containing 15 and 20% dextrin as compared to that in the control group and in fish fed the diet containing 10% dextrin although the differences were not significant (p>0.05). The specific growth rate (SGR) in all treatments were the same (p>0.05). The highest body protein and lipid were observed in fish fed diets containing 10 and 20 % dextrin, respectively (p<0.05). The hepatosomatic index (HSI) showed no significant differences in experimental groups compared to the control (p>0.05). In conclusion, juvenile A. baerii can be fed diets with high levels of dietary dextrin as a non protein energy source with no deleterious effects and a partial replacement of cheap carbohydrate with lipid is suggested to obtain the necessary energy in commercial diets.


The environmental impact of systems managing large (kg) tritium amount represents a public scrutiny issue for the next coming fusion facilities as DEMO. Furthermore, potentially new dose limits imposed by international regulations (ICRP) shall impact next coming devices designs and the overall costs of fusion technology deployment. Refined environmental tritium dose impact assessment schemes are then overwhelming. Detailed assessments can be procured from the knowledge of the real boundary conditions of the primary tritium discharge phase into atmosphere and into soils. Lagrangian dispersion models using real-time meteorological and topographic data provide strong refinement. Advance simulation tools are being developed in this sense. The tool integrates modeled numerical records from European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) with a lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model (FLEXPART). The model results can be coupled with tritium dose secondary phase pathway assessment tools. Nominal tritium discharge operational reference and selected incidental ITER-like plant systems tritium form source terms have been assumed. The real-time daily data and mesh-refined records together with lagrangian dispersion model approach provide accurate results for doses to population by inhalation or ingestion in the secondary phase.


This study was carried out to determine effect of the potassium fertilizer rate on yield and fruit quality of day-neutral strawberry cultivar 'Albion' during 2013-2015 years. Frigo seedlings of Albion cultivar were planted in June 2013. In the experiment, 0-5-10-15 kg/da K2O fertilizer was applied and identified as K-0, K-5, K-10 and K-15. Fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, yield per plant, total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, total phenolic and anthocyanin were determined. Applications exhibited a range of 10.95-27.94g for fruit weight, 24.95-37.91mm for fruit width, 34.44-52.18mm fruit length, 3.87-4.26 for pH, 7.00-8.10% for total soluble solids and 0.97-1.20% for titratable acid. Total phenolic content was observed in 650.28-900.02mg (Gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100g) and anthocyanin content was observed 155.06-204.18mg/100g. We can recommend the K-10 and K-15 applications according to obtained data in our research for producers.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the availability, practices and knowledge of radiation safety measures among invasive cardiologists in a tertiary care hospital.

METHOD
A cross sectional survey of invasive cardiologists working in academic institutions was conducted using a questionnaire.

RESULTS
A total of 28 cardiologists completed the questionnaire with a mean working experience of 10.5 + 7.6 years. All were of the opinion that radiation safety is extremely important and 93% always used lead aprons. Less than half of them used other radiation protective measures including thyroid collar, lead eyeglasses and lead shields. Only 7% regularly utilized a radiation dose badge to monitor the exposure. This may be related to the availability, as lead aprons are readily available but other devices i.e. lead glasses, lead shield and radiation dose badge is available to less than a third of them. On evaluating knowledge only one fourth knew more than 60% of the answers to questions testing the basic principles of radiation safety. When working experience of cardiologists was correlated with their knowledge and practice of radiation safety surprisingly a paradoxical relationship was noted. Mean number of correct answers in those with experience of > 10 years vs < 10 years was 45% vs 56%, p < 0.03. All of the above findings are probably because less than 50% have received any formal education in this important field.

CONCLUSIONS
There is a lack of standard radiation safety measures and equipments in cardiac catheterization laboratories. Significant lapses exist in practice and lack of knowledge of radiation safety among invasive cardiologists in this part of the world. With rapid growth in the number of cardiac catheterization laboratories in developing countries significant improvement in knowledge, practice and availability of radiation safety measures is needed.


Phosphorylation of bone matrix proteins is of fundamental importance to all vertebrates including humans. However, it is currently unknown whether increase or decline of total protein phosphorylation levels, particularly in hypophosphatemia‐related osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and rickets, contribute to bone fracture. To address this gap, we combined biochemical measurements with mechanical evaluation of bone to discern fracture characteristics associated with age‐related development of skeletal fragility in relation to total phosphorylation levels of bone matrix proteins and one of the key representatives of bone matrix phosphoproteins, osteopontin (OPN). Here for the first time, we report that as people age the total phosphorylation level declines by approximately 20% for bone matrix proteins and approximately 30% for OPN in the ninth decade of human life. Moreover, our results suggest that the decline of total protein phosphorylation of extracellular matrix (ECM) contributes to bone fragility, but less pronouncedly than glycation. We theorize that the separation of two sources of OPN negative charges, acidic backbone amino acids and phosphorylation, would be nature's means of assuring that OPN functions in both energy dissipation and biomineralization. We propose that total phosphorylation decline could be an important contributor to the development of osteoporosis, increased fracture risk and skeletal fragility. Targeting the enzymes kinase FamC20 and bone alkaline phosphatase involved in the regulation of matrix proteins' phosphorylation could be a means for the development of suitable therapeutic treatments. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


Human feedback can prevent overtly harmful utterances in conversational models, but may not automatically mitigate subtle problematic behaviors such as a stated desire for self-preservation or power. Constitutional AI offers an alternative, replacing human feedback with feedback from AI models conditioned only on a list of written principles. We find this approach effectively prevents the expression of such behaviors. The success of simple principles motivates us to ask: can models learn general ethical behaviors from only a single written principle? To test this, we run experiments using a principle roughly stated as"do what's best for humanity". We find that the largest dialogue models can generalize from this short constitution, resulting in harmless assistants with no stated interest in specific motivations like power. A general principle may thus partially avoid the need for a long list of constitutions targeting potentially harmful behaviors. However, more detailed constitutions still improve fine-grained control over specific types of harms. This suggests both general and specific principles have value for steering AI safely.


Facilitated by the intensification of global trading, the introduction and dispersal of species to areas in which they are historically non‐native is nowadays common. From an evolutionary standpoint, invasions are paradoxical: not only non‐native environments could be different from native ones for which introduced individuals would be ill‐adapted, but also small founding population size should be associated with reduced adaptive potential. As such, biological invasions are considered valuable real‐time evolutionary experiments. Here, we investigated the population structure and adaptive potential of the highly invasive topmouth gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva) across Europe and East Asia. We RAD‐sequenced 301 specimens from sixteen populations and three distinct within‐catchment invaded regions as well as two locations in the native range. With 13,785 single nucleotide polymorphisms, we provide conclusive evidence for a genome‐wide signature of two distinct invasion events, in Slovakia and Turkey, each originating from a specific area in the native range. A third invaded area, in France, appears to be the result of dispersal within the invasive range. Few loci showed signs of selection, the vast majority of which being identified in the Slovakian region. Functional annotation suggests that faster early stage development, resistance to pollution and immunocompetence contribute to the invasion success of the local habitats. By showing that populations in the invasive range have different evolutionary histories, our study reinforces the idea that populations, rather than species, are the units to consider in invasion biology.


Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a perennial herb with natural sweetening compounds that are 230 times sweeter than sucrose with no calorific value. It belongs to the family Asteraceae (Compositae) and is native to Paraguay. It is a good source of carbohydrates, protein, crude fibers and minerals. Stevioside and rebaudioside A are the two major sweetening compounds. Stevia is a short day plant which form flowers when day length is less than 12 hours and it is resulting in low biomass production. In this study, a set of stevia genotypes collected from different sources were evaluated for yield components and flowering characteristics both under short day length (12 hours) and long day length (14 hours) environments. Genetic variation among those genotypes was also investigated using ISSR molecular markers. A total of twenty-six stevia genotypes including two hybrids were collected. The propagation of all collected stevia genotypes was achieved through stem microcutting within six months. Eight genotypes namely, CHV1, Morita2, MS012, MS012 (4x), SA18, TPU, and hybrids IIUM-F1 and UiTM-F1 which had shown good propagation ability under mist-chamber propagation boxes and were evaluated for the agronomic performance under short day length (12 hours) and long day length (14 hours) environments using a split plot design. In general, all the agronomic characteristics of pooled genotypes were increased significantly under the extended light (14 hours). Stevia plants under sunlight (12 hours) started to flowering after 52 days after transplanted. On the other hand stevia plants under extended light were not flowered up to 134 days at harvesting stage. Combined biomass fresh weight mean of the eight genotypes was increased 728% under extended light compared to genotypes kept under sunlight. The biomass fresh weight mean and plant height of genotype SA18 was the highest in both extended and sunlight conditions (35.82 g and 3.96 g; 92.47 cm and 24.92 cm respectively). The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that biomass fresh weight had strongly positively correlated with all the characters except number of branches. Genetic variation and cluster analysis based on ISSR markers showed that genotypes CHV1 and H2 were the most closely related genotypes with the highest similarity index (54%). On the other hand, genotypes MS012 and TPU were the distantly related genotypes with the lowest similarity index (24%). In conclusion, stevia plants kept under extended light showed better performance than under sunlight. Three genotypes, SA18, TPU and CHV1 were shown better performance than other genotypes, and are recommended for further utilization in future stevia breeding programs.


Previous research indicates that followers tend to contingently match particular leader qualities to evolutionarily consistent situations requiring collective action (i.e., context-specific cognitive leadership prototypes) and information processing undergoes categorization which ranks certain qualities as first-order context-general and others as second-order context-specific. To further investigate this contingent categorization phenomenon we examined the "attractiveness halo"—a first-order facial cue which significantly biases leadership preferences. While controlling for facial attractiveness, we independently manipulated the underlying facial cues of health and intelligence and then primed participants with four distinct organizational dynamics requiring leadership (i.e., competition vs. cooperation between groups and exploratory change vs. stable exploitation). It was expected that the differing requirements of the four dynamics would contingently select for relatively healthier- or intelligent-looking leaders. We found perceived facial intelligence to be a second-order context-specific trait—for instance, in times requiring a leader to address between-group cooperation—whereas perceived health is significantly preferred across all contexts (i.e., a first-order trait). The results also indicate that facial health positively affects perceived masculinity while facial intelligence negatively affects perceived masculinity, which may partially explain leader choice in some of the environmental contexts. The limitations and a number of implications regarding leadership biases are discussed.


Recently, a tight correlation between the dynamical radial acceleration and the baryonic radial acceleration in galaxies - the radial acceleration relation - has been discovered. This has been claimed as an indirect support of the modified gravity theories. However, whether the radial acceleration relation could also be found in galaxy clusters is controversial. In this article, we derive and present an analytic radial acceleration relation for the central region of galaxy clusters. We examine the data of some large galaxy clusters and we find that the resulting radial acceleration relation has a very large scatter. Moreover, although the radial acceleration relation for galaxy clusters shows some agreement with the one discovered in galaxies for a certain range of baryonic radial acceleration, their functional forms are somewhat different from each other. This suggests that the radial acceleration relation may not be a universal relation in general.


A lot of companies lost money because they chose the wrong software development methodology. For example, Knight Capital Group lost $440 million in 30 minutes when its trading software flooded the market with erratic trades. The bug was the result of a faulty development cycle that did not account for communication about possible errors and adequate testing before the product was launched. That's why choosing the right system and style of management is the key to successful software development. Today, we have many approaches, and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. It's a difficult and crucial task for future or ongoing projects to choose the most suitable strategy as well as define objectives, budget, and deadlines. The following article analyses the main differences and characteristics of the most popular software development methodologies with emphasis on performance, meeting deadlines, and team morale. The results are synthesized from a survey completed by more than 100 IT&C domain professionals based on their expertise and will be interpreted using a statistical approach. The objective of this study is to determine which methodologies tend to produce the best results regarding the team's main goals. It was targeted a wide array of IT professionals, emphasizing their experience level in the industry, regarding both the time in which they applied a certain methodology to a project and how applying it affected the project's success. Through this research, we hope to provide a clearer view of the outcome of the usage of different methodologies in various endeavors, so that, before starting a software development project, the best way for organizing it will be chosen.


Abstract. The spatial and temporal sea surface height energy distribution of the Northeast Pacific Ocean is described and discussed. Using an altimetric data set covering 15 years (1993–2007), the energy within the 3–9 month band is primarily located within 10° of the coast. In the Gulf of Alaska, this energy signal is on the shelf, while further south, west of the California/Oregon coast, the significant energy in this band is west of the shelf break. In both cases, it is primarily forced by the local wind. Within the 2–3 year band, the signal reflects energy generated by local changes to the wind stress from large atmospheric shifts indicated by the Pacific North American Index and by advective or propagating processes related to El Nino-Southern Oscillation. Over the two 4–6 year periods within this data set, the change is primarily due to the large scale shift in atmospheric systems north of about 30° N which also affect changes in current strengths. Based on the distribution of the energy signal and its variability, a set of three winter-time indices are suggested to characterize the distinct differences in the SSH anomalies in these areas.


We consider a very natural problem concerned with game manipulation. Let G be a directed graph where the nodes represent players of a game, and an edge from u to v means that u can beat v in the game. (If an edge (u, v) is not present, one cannot match u and v.) Given G and a "favorite" node A, is it possible to set up the bracket of a balanced single-elimination tournament so that A is guaranteed to win, if matches occur as predicted by G? We show that the problem is NP-complete for general graphs. For the case when G is a tournament graph we give several interesting conditions on the desired winner A for which there exists a balanced single-elimination tournament which A wins, and it can be found in polynomial time.