N1-isonicotinoyl-N2-3-methyl-4-chlorobenzoylhydrazine (IMCBH) is a selective inhibitor of vaccinia virus multiplication. In concentrations up to 50 µg/ml, IMCBH causes neither toxic morphologic changes, nor does it inhibit the multiplication of cells. Viruses other than vaccinia are not affected by IMCBH. The virus-inhibitory effect of IMCBH is dependent on the type of host cell used, i.e., the compound is effective in chick embryo fibroblasts and monkey kidney cells but not in L cells. IMCBH does not exhibit any protecting effect on vaccinia virus-infected mice or rabbits. IMCBH interferes with virus release: in single cycle experiments in chick embryo fibroblasts, IMCBH strongly blocks the release of vaccinia virus at concentrations as low as 3 µg/ml, while intracellular virus synthesis is hardly affected. Viral cytopathic changes are completely suppressed by IMCBH within the span of a single cycle infection, although extensive changes eventually occur. By inhibiting virus release from initially infected cells, IMCBH markedly inhibits the multiplication of vaccinia virus in cell cultures infected at low virus/ cell multiplicities. IMCBH does not inhibit the early toxic cytopathic changes induced by large inocula of vaccinia virus in BHK21 cells.


Activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) by interleukin-1β (IL-1) usually results in an anti-apoptotic activity that is rapidly terminated by a negative feedback loop involving NF-κB dependent resynthesis of its own inhibitor IκBα. However, apoptosis induced by ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) is not attenuated, but significantly enhanced by co-stimulation with IL-1 in human epithelial cells. Under these conditions NF-κB remains constitutively active and turns into a pro-apoptotic factor by selectively repressing anti-apoptotic genes. Two different mechanisms have been separately proposed to explain UV-induced lack of IκBα recurrence: global translational inhibition as well as deactivation of the Ser/Thr phosphatase PP2Ac. Using mathematical modelling, we show that the systems behaviour requires a combination of both mechanisms, and we quantify their contribution in different settings. A mathematical model including both mechanisms is developed and fitted to various experimental data sets. A comparison of the model results and predictions with model variants lacking one of the mechanisms shows that both mechanisms are present in our experimental setting. The model is successfully validated by the prediction of independent data. Weak constitutive IKKβ phosphorylation is shown to be a decisive process in IκBα degradation induced by UVB stimulation alone, but irrelevant for (co-)stimulations with IL-1. In silico knockout experiments show that translational inhibition is predominantly responsible for lack of IκBα recurrence following IL-1+UVB stimulation. In case of UVB stimulation alone, cooperation of both processes causes the observed decrease of IκBα. This shows that the processes leading to activation of transcription factor NF-κB upon stimulation with ultraviolet B radiation with and without interleukin-1 costimulation are more complex than previously thought, involving both a cross talk of UVB induced translational inhibition and PP2Ac deactivation. The importance of each of the mechanisms depends on the specific cellular setting.


Abstract The oldest known Carboniferous rugose coral fauna in the Canadian Arctic Islands was collected in the Yelverton Inlet area of northern Ellesmere Island, from Bashkirian carbonates of the lower Nansen and Otto Fiord formations. It includes the genera Dibunophyllum Thomson and Nicholson, Lonsdaleia McCoy, Palaeosmilia Milne-Edwards and Haime and Tizraia? Said and Rodríguez. Such a generic assemblage is unknown elsewhere above the Serpukhovian. An upper? Bashkirian specimen of Paraheritschioides Sando, collected above the main fauna, is the oldest known representative of that genus. Faunal comparisons suggest Novaya Zemlya or northern Timan as the most likely source areas for the Yelverton Inlet fauna.


ABSTRACT The 'lyric' is a celebrated mode of expression and a catch-all term used to describe a great deal of admired poetry, including ancient works, Romantic poetry and contemporary poetry. However, no-one agrees on exactly how 'the lyric' might be defined or how the lyric 'I' might be understood – some see this as an autobiographical 'I' and others interpret it as a persona enabling lyric poets to activate language in particular ways. Furthermore, although the term lyric has been applied to short forms of poetry, it has much less often been applied to prose poetry. Yet prose poetry, which often invokes the quotidian, is frequently lyrical and often employs the lyric 'I'. Importantly, in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, prose poetry written by American women has found new and experimental ways to position the lyric 'I' and, in doing so, much of it transgresses conventional lyric boundaries in order to re-assess and critique the experiences of women. Khadijah Queen's book, I'm So Fine: A List of Famous Men and What I Had On provides a powerful example as it makes use of a compelling lyric voice that comments on the everyday experiences of women as they are objectified in contemporary society.


Reviewing the current status of the public administration discipline in the Indian universities, this paper raises questions about the relevance of so-called theories and approaches in public administration, developed in an alien context, to Indian realities. It is argued that the management science orientation and the practical concerns of the discipline have taken it away from its broader social science moorings. A meaningful discipline of public administration in India has to reckon with the undifferentiated nature of administration and politics and the deep involvement of the administration in the social structure and processes. The theories of the state, especially the theoretical developments in the conceptualisation of the 'third world' state, need to be related to the structure and operation of public organisations. Public administration as a subject of study has thus to be located within a broader field of political theory. A discipline that avoids analysing the role of administration in sustaining a structure of domination, repression and injustice, is not a genuine social science but a courtier subject.


ABSTRACT Sediments in the 5-25 m deep lagoon of Davies Reef, a typical mid-shelf reef in the Central Great Barrier Reef, are described, based on data gleaned from 19 soft sediment cores (75 mm diameter, up to 7.5 m penetration), 22 surface sediment samples and air lift surveys. The Holocene sediment pile, which averages 5-10 m thickness, is entirely skeletal in origin and has a very poorly sorted, coral gravel-rich base which grades up into poorly sorted muddy sands with infaunal molluscan gravel. These muddy sands (mainly derived from the reef rim as opposed to being produced in situ on the lagoon floor) have been intensely bioturbated by callianassid shrimps, leaving the infaunal molluscan gravel patchily distributed and the bivalves disarticulated and preferentially oriented sub-hori ontally, concave-up. There are no vestiges of primary depositional sedimentary structures such as bedding or cross-bedding. Radiocarbon dating suggests that significant accumulation of muddy-sand in the center of the lagoon did not begin until about 2,500-3,000 yr BP, and that sediment accumulation rates have increased through time from an average of 1.4 mm/yr between 2,400 and 640 yr BP, to 3.4 mm/yr over the past 640 years. Interpreting these data, the coral gravel-rich base to the sediment pile represents a period of prolific coral growth across the top of Davies Reef Platform following flooding by the Holocene transgression but before the outer reef rim caught up with sea level to form a lagoon. When the rim did reach sea level (about 3,000-4,000 yr BP?), it started to shed large qua tities of mud and sand grade sediment into the center of the reef platform and this, combined with decreased water circulation, led to the demise of coral growth in the newly formed lagoon. As the area of reef rim at sea level increased, so too did the supply of sediment to the lagoon, which explains the observed increase in sediment accumulation rate through time. Using previously published data to aid speculation into the future development of the lagoon, a shallowing-upwards model for reef lagoon sedimentation is developed. In this model, a complete sequence consists of a fining-upwards base (reflecting the gradation from coral gravel up into bioturbated muddy sands) and a coarsening-upwards top (reflecting a gradation from bioturbated muddy sands up into a zone of shallow subtidal co al rubble and patch reefs, then inter- and supratidal windward storm shingle ramparts and leeward sand cays).


ABSTRACT Fish make C-starts to evade predator strikes. Double-bend (DB) C-starts consist of three stages: Stage 1, in which the fish rapidly bends into a C-shape; Stage 2, in which the fish bends in the opposite direction; and a variable Stage 3. In single-bend (SB) C-starts, the fish immediately straightens after Stage 1. Despite fish moving in three-dimensional (3D) space, fast-start responses of adult fish have mainly been studied in a horizontal plane. Using automated 3D tracking of multi-camera high-speed video sequences, we show that both SB and DB fast-starts by adult female least killifish (Heterandria formosa) often contain a significant vertical velocity component, and large changes in pitch (DB up to 43 deg) and roll (DB up to 77 deg) angles. Upwards and downwards elevation changes are correlated with changes in pitch angle of the head; movement in the horizontal plane is correlated with changes in yaw angle of the head. With respect to the stimulus, escape heading correlates with the elevation of the fish at the onset of motion. Irrespective of the initial orientation, fish can escape in any horizontal direction. In many cases, the centre of mass barely accelerates during Stage 1. However, it does accelerate in the final direction of the escape in other instances, indicating that Stage 1 can serve a propulsive role in addition to its preparatory role for Stage 2. Our findings highlight the importance of large-scale 3D analyses of fast-start manoeuvres of adult fish in uncovering the versatility of fish escape repertoire. Summary: The fast-start response of the least killifish entails a rich three-dimensional kinematic repertoire including complex combinations of roll, pitch and yaw motions.


Juvenile myasthenia gravis usually presents with ocular findings. Rarely, children may present with generalized weakness, sometimes with accompanying bulbar symptoms (dysphagia, facial weakness). However, presentation with isolated bulbar symptoms is extremely unusual. We present four consecutive cases of JMG presenting with predominant bulbar symptoms including voice nasality, dysarthria, and swallowing difficulty (even leading to significant weight loss). Our cases emphasize that primary care physicians should suspect neuromuscular disease such as JMG in children with bulbar symptoms and signs.


With a changeable geological environment, there exist several viewpoints on the chronology of Quaternary sediments in the modern Pearl River Delta region. Based on AMS14 C and optically stimulated luminescence(OSL) dating in conjunction with sea level records from the South China Sea, the authors have found that the age of the oldest Quaternary sediments at the bottom of drill hole QZK4 is about 43.71 ka BP, which is located at the center of the Pearl River Delta region. The Quaternary environment recorded is responding well to the sea level changes reconstructed from the South China Sea in the drill core: the fluvial deposits and the weathered layers were formed during a low stand of the sea level from the last glacial period to the early Holocene, and the estuarinecoastal sediments were deposited following the high stand of sea level since the early to middle Holocene. It is inferred that the bottom of Quaternary sediments in the modern Pearl River Delta region is probably older than the record from this drill hole according to the environmental analysis.


Introduction Of the 130 million babies born yearly, nearly 4 million die in the neonatal period. Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) 2014 places neonatal mortality rate at 22 deaths per 1,000 live births, well above the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 that aims to reduce these mortalities to at least 12 deaths per 1000 live births by 2030. The aim of the study was to assess maternal knowledge on selected components of essential newborn care: breastfeeding, cord care, immunisation, eye care and thermoregulation. Methods A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 postnatal mothers in Kenyatta National Hospital. Interviews were conducted using structured pretested questionnaires. A score of one was given for correct response and zero for incorrect. Data were analysed using SPSS version 18. Results Modes of thermoregulation identified included kangaroo care (7%), warm room (4%) and warm clothing (93%). Almost all mothers knew of breastfeeding on demand, exclusive breastfeeding and colostrum use. Only 17.8% of mothers identified Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) were birth vaccines. Only 4 mothers knew no substances should be applied to the cord. In logistic regression, factors significantly associated with poor knowledge included lack of education on newborn care during pregnancy, incomplete (less than 3) or no antenatal visits with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.3 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5 to 7.4 ), 2.5(1.5 to 4.2), 5.1(1.3 to 19.3) and p values of 0.003, 0.001 and 0.018 respectively. Conclusion Knowledge gaps existed regarding cord care, eye care, and immunization. Mothers had good knowledge on breastfeeding practices. Those who fail to fully attend antenatal clinics should be targeted for newborn care education.


The present experiment was conducted to optimize protocols for in vitro propagation of banana (Musa sp.) cv. 'Patakpura' (AAB), supplemented with different growth regulators. Shoot tips obtained from sword suckers were cultured aseptically on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of cytokinins like 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and Kinetin (KN) for multiplication of shootsand auxins such as indole acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) for induction of roots. The best result from the initial culture was obtained from MS medium supplimented with 4 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l IAA. The highest shoot fresh weight, shoot length and number of shoots per explant were recorded from MS medium supplemented with 4 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l IAA + 0.25 mg/l NAA. Therefore, the MS medium supplemented with 4 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l IAA + 0.25 mg/l NAA was found to be most effective and productive combination for shoot multiplication and proliferation of the culture in vitro. IAA at a concentration of 1 mg/l was found to be most suitable for rooting of the shoots.
Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 44(4): 641-648, December 2019


In the N.W.‑Mediterranean area, exchange networks and social relationships gain an increasing complexity in the course of the Neolithic: varied goods diffuse in considerable quantities and distances. In particular, obsidian, Bedoulian and Oligocene flints, jadeite and eclogite are known to have been exchanged over long distances as shown by research that began thirty years ago. Surprisingly, the place of colouring materials (" ochre " , bauxite, cinnabar), naturally abundant in the Mediterranean Franco‑Italian area, has received scant attention despite their technical and symbolic value; very few is thus known on the ways of their procurement and on their geographic and geological origin. With this purpose, the study of colouring materials from both archaeological sites and putative sources was under‑ taken in the Liguro‑Provencal arch. Geological surveys were carried out in order to establish a reference collection of colouring materials. Their geological nature has been determined by a combination of complementary imaging, elemen‑ tary and structural techniques (petrography, SEM‑EDS, X‑ray diffraction). By this way, a wide range of raw materials was determined: Permian sandstones, Middle Cretaceous bauxites, Toar‑ cian or Hauterivian oolithic ironstone, Cretaceous oxidized marcasite and ferruginous rocks derived from weathered glauconitic limestones (in the same diagenesis conditions as Roussillon ochre). In addition, two archaeological series, from Early and Middle Neolithic, were investigated by same methods: those of Pendimoun (Castellar, France), a rock‑shelter site occupied by Impressa and Cardial groups (Early Neolithic: 5750‑ 5200 cal. BCE) and those of the open‑air site of Giribaldi (Nice, France) that belongs to Pre‑Chassey and formative stages of Chassey culture (Middle Neolithic: 4700‑4050 cal. BCE). The results compared to the frame of reference highlight two contrasting economic systems: one based on the procurement of local resources (Pendimoun) and the second one that shows a more complex acquisition network (Giribaldi). At Pendimoun which represents the colonization stages of the Early Neolithic, the colouring materials imported are varied and heterogeneous, but widespread in the rock‑shelter itself or in the close environment (less than 5 km): oxidized marcasites, oolithic ironstone, goethitic calcareous rocks derived from glauconite. The sources are thus local and these results have to be considered in the context of an occupation assigned to specific functions (agriculture, pottery, sheep pen), as previously shown by other data. At Giribaldi, colouring materials assemblage consists of close geological materials (ferruginous rocks derived from glauconite) but also of two types of exogenous rocks: yellow Permian sandstones and orange kaolinitic bauxites, respec‑ tively 60‑70 and 70‑90 km away. This Middle Neolithic settlement is known to be well inserted in complex exchange networks including western Provence (Bedoulian and Oligocene flint), French and Italian Alps (quartz, jadeite, eclogite), Liguria (jadeite, eclogite) and Lipari island (obsidian). The presence of these three types of rocks all along the occupation shows the permanence of exploitation of these colouring materials, which gives evidence of procurement regularity, the stability of exchange networks and the durability of relationships and technical practices.


Abstract The definition of trafficking in the United Nation (UN) Protocol on Trafficking from 2000 is the starting point of different countries' definition of trafficking. In Norway, as in other countries, there are still difficulties in identifying victims of trafficking in the day-to-day work of the police, social workers and others. The definitions of and demarcation between human trafficking and human smuggling have grave consequences for legal approaches, policies and help offered. It is thus necessary to continually discuss how to define trafficking if we want the term to be a fruitful tool in framing the phenomenon—which in turn impacts the ability to aid victims, prevent victimization and to prosecute traffickers. In this article we approach this matter through two qualitative studies among Nigerian women in prostitution in Norway. Their stories are complex and their travels long, and along the way, their migration and prostitution has been organized by different agents. These agents were sometimes human traffickers; other times smugglers of migrants. In this article, we explore which is which, with the definition in UN's Trafficking Protocol as our starting point. This article is an attempt to analyze the complexities of the women's situation in order to link theoretical debates on trafficking definitions with women's lived experiences.


Introduction Electrocardiogram (ECG), behind medical examination, is the easiest way to check the heart diseases, especially in an emergency department. Although the acquisition of Terrace from patients in the right method does not require a high level of expertise, the interpretation of this Terrace needs adequate knowledge, proficiency, and experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of using the checklist in the ECG interpretation by medical interns. Methods The present cross-section descriptive study was carried out on medical interns of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2015. 40 students who were attending a one-month emergency medicine course were randomly divided into two groups of 20. In one group, 9 standard tracings classified with equal difficulty level (easy, medium, and hard) with a standard checklist form and a questionnaire for each were completed and in the other group, the same tracings of the first group were first handed without checklists and then handed with checklists for the second time. Finally, the scores of completing the checklists and the correctness of tracing interpretations were recorded in both groups. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of baseline variables. The first group identified 41.6% of the terraces correctly using the checklist. The second group, without using the checklist, correctly identified 25.5% of the terraces; and after using the checklist, this indicator increased to 32.7% in this group. Considering at least three correct responses in the ECG interpretation as "desirable response", it was found that 50% of the subjects in the first group (using the checklist) (n=10) and only 15% (n=3) of the second group (without using the checklist) had desirable responses (p = 0.531). On the other hand, the comparison of responses before and after the use of the checklist in the second group showed a significant improvement in the number of desirable responses (15% (n=3) versus 25% (n=5), p = 0.009). Conclusion The use of a checklist for the ECG interpretation by interns of emergency medicine did not affect improving the accuracy of the interpretation than the object-oriented system, but was effective in the diagnostic review and confirmation step.


From access to a detailed curriculum vitae written by Dr. Grant when he was about 75 years old, the author has learned some little-known facts of his background and life. His ancestors came from France and had been ennobled. One predecessor was a mayor of Paris. Several of his family decided to emigrate to Great Britain with the Huguenot movement. Grant graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1908 in the same class as his future brother-in-law, William Boyd. When World War I was declared, he immediately volunteered for the army. During service on the Western Front, he was mentioned in dispatches in 1916, won the Military Cross in 1917 and a bar to the Military Cross in 1918. At the outbreak of World War II, Grant, who had been a professor of anatomy first in Winnipeg and then in Toronto for many years, volunteered again for war service, but was rejected as being too valuable a teacher to be allowed to enlist.


Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) incorporated into commercial products are reactive on plants. Here, the influence of a root-associated bacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 (PcO6) on the responses of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) to commercial ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) was examined. ZnO NPs (250–1000 mg Zn/kg) significantly (p = 0.05) impacted root elongation after 7 days; only at 1000 mg/kg was shoot growth significantly inhibited. Zn solubilized from ZnO NPs correlated with root growth inhibition (r2 = 0.8709); solubility of Fe (r2 = 0.916) and Mn (r2 = 0.997), and shoot accumulation of Zn (r2 = 0.9095), Fe (r2 = 0.9422) and Mn (r2 = 0.789). Root ferric reductase activity diminished 31% in NP-exposed plants. Amendments with Zn ions at 6 mg/kg, corresponding to Zn solubilized from the NPs, did not replicate the responses, suggesting a nano-specific contribution of the ZnO. Neither NPs (500 mg Zn/kg) nor Zn ions affected root colonization by PcO6. Siderophore production by PcO6 increased 17% by exposure to NPs and 11% with Zn ions (18 mg/kg). PcO6 restored plant ferric reduction under NP exposure, but decreased uptake of Zn and Fe, 58 and 18%, respectively, suggesting soil bacteria could reduce plant accumulation of metals under toxic exposure levels, while negatively affecting uptake of essential elements. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that growth and balance of essential metals in bean exposed to ZnO NPs were influenced by the NPs and bacterial colonization of NP-exposed roots, indicating subtle effects of NPs in plant nutrition.


Data storage requirements have constantly evolved over time. In recent times, the rate of increase in volume of data has been exponential, partly because of regulations and partly because of increase in richness of data. This trend has led to an equally explosive increase in cost of management. Intelligent storage devices built using object- based storage (OSD) interfaces have gained increased acceptance due to the benefits of reduced management costs. The command set of the current OSD standard does not work well with tape-based storage solutions. In this work we propose a few extensions to the OSD standard in order to facilitate easier integration of tape devices into the object storage ecosystem. Further, we propose an intelligent buffering mechanism to maximize the utility of network attached tape devices, and we also propose mechanisms to make tape cartridges more portable within any object storage ecosystem. Our results for the intelligent buffering mechanism show that our scheme adapts better to mismatches in network and tape drive bandwidths. Specifically, our scheme helps minimize the repositioning of the tape, leading to better utilization and increased lifetime of the tape.


In this work, a novel electroless deposition process on the anion exchange membrane (AEM) is proposed. AEM surface has a positively charged functional group, which in general do not allow the catalyst particle, such as Pd, to be formed on the surface. Hence, a di ff erent strategy from the conventional catalyzation process was required. We found that the sensitization process using Sn-containing solution, which is widely applied in the electroless plating on nonconductive substrates, hindered the Pd particle modi fi cation, which hence inhibited the following deposition reaction. Our several experiments and density functional theory analyses suggest that for Pd particle modi fi cation, anion in the bath turned out to play a key role. In particular, Cl − provides the su ffi ciently strong connection between the precursor Pd 2+ and positive functional group of the substrate. This leads to favorable deposition of Pd catalyst particles and metal layer formation on the AEM. Therefore, we conclude that just a single pre-treatment to immerse the AEM fi lms into PdCl 2 /HCl solution is capable to perform electroless plating on it. We applied the novel process to the electrode formation, such as Pt and Ni – P, on the AEM for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as a case study. Both Pt and Ni – P was successfully formed on the AEM. The electrochemical measurements show that those electrodes are able to serve as the catalytic electrode for HER. The electroless process proposed here opens possibility of the direct metal fabrication on ion exchange membrane surface.


Lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and from normal donors were cultured with 1-methyl,3-isobutyl xanthine (MIX) and N6-2'-o-dibutyryl adenosine-3',5'cyclic monophosphate (dbcAMP). MIX decreased the survival of CLL and normal lymphocytes during one day in culture; the magnitude of the MIX-sensitivity of the populations was similar to their colchicine-sensitivity, i.e. high for CLL and low for normal. dbcAMP increased cell death in one day cultures of lymphocytes from seven of fifteen CLL donors but inhibited the death of lymphocytes from the other eight donors. The protective effect of dbcAMP was not mimicked by adenosine monophosphate or adenosine diphosphate. The difference in sensitivity to dbcAMP provided a method for subdividing CLL lymphocyte populations which was examined for possible clinical significance.


The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lockdowns across the world in many sectors, including education. In this paper, we conduct a primary survey among undergraduate students, particularly the graduating seniors, across India on their perceptions about online education in the context of COVID-19 crisis. Student's sentiments on conducting exams during the pandemic was modelled on 15 independent variables characterising social sensitivity, infrastructure, psychological implications and future uncertainties. The results of the exercise show that the mindset of students, parents' willingness and the perception of safety factor of public transport are some of the most influencing variables affecting the sentiments of students. Statistical significance is also observed for students with a lack of experience in giving online examinations and those with poor socioeconomic status. Significant number of students are also expected to feel unfair if the exams were not conducted.


Research interests in the Department cover experimental and computational, molecular and cellular structure, function, and biology, membrane biology, and biomolecular energetics. The teaching and research activities of the faculty bring its students in contact with biophysical scientists throughout the university. Regardless of their choice of research area, students are exposed to a wide range of problems of biological interest. For more information, and for the most up-to-date list of course offerings and requirements, consult the department web page at biophysics.jhu.edu (http://biophysics.jhu.edu/).


Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is a technique for the delivery of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) whereby the linear accelerator (linac) delivers dose continuously while rotating around the patient. VMAT has gained attention due to its ability to produce complex dose distributions, deliverable in a much shorter treatment time than IMRT. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the clinical application of VMAT, and to identify any benefits over IMRT in the areas of treatment planning, delivery, and imaging. A VMAT planning strategy was developed which demonstrates that complex dynamic arc deliveries can be sequenced from static, IMRT-based control points. For prostate patients, the VMAT solution demonstrated superior sparing of critical structures compared to IMRT plans. A further comparison of VMAT and IMRT was performed with the development of an automated planning methodology, which aimed to reduce the impact of planner bias. Applied over a series of nasopharynx patients, the technique showed that VMAT achieved an improvement in parotid sparing compared to IMRT.To investigate the limitations on the delivery of VMAT plans, a software emulator was produced to accurately simulate linac motion. The emulator was used to determine 'ideal' linac parameters for a range of VMAT plans. Leaf speed was found to be a limiting factor for the achievable plan complexity, along with the availability of continuous variable dose rate (CVDR). For a commercial CVDR system, experiments confirmed the improved delivery efficiency, and an improvement in dosimetric accuracy compared to the binned dose rate (BDR) system.An independent dose calculation methodology was developed for VMAT, such that accurate pre-treatment plan QC can be performed. It was found that the accuracy of a Monte Carlo simulation was improved when accounting for the effects of realistic linac motion. Finally, the impact of MV scatter on simultaneously-acquired cone beam CT images was investigated, and a scatter correction methodology was developed and validated.This thesis shows that VMAT can offer an alternative to static-field IMRT, provided that knowledge of the limitations of dynamic linac motion are accounted for within planning. Results suggest that modern linac designs (i.e. faster MLC speed, and a higher, continuously-variable dose rate) are required to achieve robust delivery of complex plans. The workflow benefits of VMAT can also be optimised through the use of independent dose calculations incorporating delivery characteristics, and through the use of image guidance from CBCT scans acquired during treatment.


Stem cells have a great potential for regeneration of injured or degenerated tissues or organs. In delivery of cell therapy, stem cells are normally subjected to different levels of shear stress which may have a great impact on their prolif- eration and differentiation after they reach the target site. Although the shear stress has been recognized as one of key fac- tors, the study on how it affects single stem cell mechanobiologically is not available. This paper reports an application of optical tweezers for manipulating the human mesenchymal stem cells which are exposed to various levels of shear stress in flow chambers. Our preliminary results show different responses of stem cells (the tether formation, cell shrinkage, presence of cell surface nanoparticles, cell rotation before aligning the flow direction) under shear forces in different flow chambers. Also, a few interesting optical characteristics of stem cells have been noticed; for example, the variation of re- fractive index within the cell may lead to different behaviors when they are manipulated by optical tweezers.


Mutations of the MED13L gene, which encodes a subunit of a transcriptional regulatory complex, result in a complex phenotype entailing physical and cognitive anomalies. Deep language impairment has been reported, mostly in patients with CNV. Case presentation. We report on a child who presents with a non-synonymous change p.Cys63Arg in MED13L (Chr12:116675396A>G, GRCh37) and who exhibits profound language impairment in the expressive domain, cognitive delay, behavioral disturbances, and some autistic features. Conclusions. Because of the brain areas in which MED13L is expressed and because of the functional links between MED13L and the products of some candidate genes for language disorders, the proband's linguistic phenotype may result from changes in a functional network important for language development.


We studied the transmission bandwidth required for accurate diagnoses when performing realtime fetal tele-ultrasound consultations. The study was divided into three phases. In phase I, three experienced clinicians evaluated the quality of ultrasound images transmitted at various bandwidths (internally looped back within Brisbane) using eight commercially available codecs at random. The two codecs that performed best proceeded to phase 2, in which a realtime video-link of up to 2Mbit/s was set up between Brisbane and Townsville (1500 km apart). Testing with a standard video-tape was performed at seven different bandwidths selected at random, with four clinicians (who were blinded to the equipment and bandwidths used). The optimum line rates for transmission were determined, and testing was then performed using these line rates for fetuses with various anomalies (phase 3). The results showed significant differences in performance according to bandwidths used, but not according to observers. Bandwidths were grouped into three levels. At level I (256 kbit/s) the performance was significantly worse than at level II (384, 512 or 768 kbit/s), which was in turn worse than that at level III (1, 1.5 or 2Mbit/s). However, within each level, performance at one bandwidth was not significantly different from that at the others. The most cost-effective transmission rates therefore appeared to be 384kbit/s and 1Mbit/s. Further testing with fetuses affected by various anomalies confirmed that the majority could be diagnosed using a 384 kbit/s link, with slight improvement in evaluation when the bandwidth was increased to 1 Mbit/s.


The study was carried out at the Experimental field of Agricultural Faculty, Gorontalo State University from the rainy season (November 2018 – May 2019) to dry season (June – October 2019). The examined variety was dwarf–odot elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott). The first experiment was planting density. The planting density are high density (16 plants/m2, 25 cm × 25 cm of spacing), medium density (8 plants/m2, 50 cm × 25 cm), and low density (4 plants/m2, 50 cm × 50 cm). The second experiment was the implementation of inorganic fertilizer, namely single inorganic and compound inorganic fertilizers. Plant spacing density from high density to low density has a significantly effected (P> 0.05) on the growth characters of dwarf-odot elephantgrass were tiller number (TN), mean tiller dry matter weight (MTW) and total dry matter weight (TDMW), herbage dry matter yield (HDMY) and percentage leaf blade (PLB). The level of inorganic fertilizer, both single and compound fertilizer, showed a very significantly effected (P> 0.01) on the character of growth and production of dwarf-odot elephantgrass biomass. Single NPK level yields higher than compound NPK level on plant height (PH) growth, TN, HDMY and PLB. PH, TN, HDMY and PLB increased with the increase in levels of fertilizer dosage in both single and compound fertilizers. Achievement of HDMY per one TN dwarf-odot elephantgrass were 50%, 60% and 69% for treatment without fertilizer, compound fertilizer and single fertilizer, respectively.


The propensity of WTO always ensure to strengthening and consolidating the integration approach with country to country. Manifold accession like TRIMS, TRIPS and trade liberalization agenda facilitate to enlarge the attractiveness of foreign direct investment in many more developing countries. This study is concentrates on judgment of the WTO accession like liberalization, TRIMS and TRIPS stimulate the flow of FDI in developing countries and also to observe that the other relevant important variables such as macroeconomic stability, infrastructure, human capital, geographic location, financial development, agglomeration, market size has helped the incessant inflow of FDI for developing country. Some research penetratingly interpreted that TRIMS, TRIPS and trade liberalization accession are controversial subject matter for the developing countries. For accomplishing the research work the paper has used panel data of 58 different developing countries over the years 1990-2014. Through that work the paper has explore that because of the adopting liberalization polices, relinquishing market distortions with the connection of TRIMS and harmonization of IPR standards throughout TRIPS escalate the foreign direct investment in the developing countries, it means that there is a significant relationship of FDI along with TRIPS, TRIMs and trade openness. Other pertinent factors like market size, macroeconomic stability, agglomeration and engagement of WTO membership have also significant impact on FDI inflows. Others common factors like infrastructure, human capital, financial development, geographical location also make significant impact on facilitating foreign direct investment. Developing countries always requires strengthening their superiority and protecting rights and ensuring negotiation process and encouraging market liberalization process for accomplishing economic competitiveness.


Continuous loess sequences in China provide not only information for paleoclimatic reconstructions, but also permit the establishment of a reliable absolute time scale for the Quaternary. An empirical relationship is developed between the grain size of the loess and the sedimentation rate in a short, well-dated reference section (step 1). This relationship is extrapolated to the complete Quaternary section (step 2). After derivation of the sedimentation rate (by measuring the grain size) in all the layers of the sequence, the duration of deposition of each layer is obtained (by dividing thickness by sedimentation rate) and subsequently the age of each point in the sequence is calculated (by adding together all the duration values of the overlying layers). The chronology of the extrapolated part of the section obtained in this way is independent of dates provided by other methods and may also be checked by them.


Indonesia has been developing Islamic Banking since 1992. As the biggest muslim population in the world, it is expected that Islamic bank will have a significant role in the whole national banking system. A number of regulations have been issued by government and Bank Indonesia to accelerate the growth of Islamic Banking. Two most influential Islamic organizations –Majelis Ulama Indonesia and Muhammadiyah- have also issued fatwa on the haramness of interest and interest based banking. The fact shows, however, that the growth of Islamic Banking is not as fast as expected. Although having above national growth rate, Islamic banking is still minority to the whole national banking system. For instance, in 2010 the asset proportion of Islamic banking is still less than 3 percent of national banking asset. The aim of this paper is to identify the problems and challenges of the growth of Islamic banking in Indonesia. More specific, a survey has been conducted to identify factors influencing society not to choose Islamic banking products. The result shows that most of society are conventionally rational. Religious aspects have nothing to do with choice decision. They did not choose Islamic banking products because of economic factors such as quality of services, pricing, banking technology, and office location. This findings conclude that exploitation of religious aspect to develop Islamic Banking is less relevant Keywords : Islamic banking, rational, economic factor, religious aspects


We consider a problem of persistent magnetization precession in a single domain ferromagnetic nano particle under the driving by the spin-transfer torque. We find that the adjustment of the electronic distribution function in the particle renders this state unstable. Instead, abrupt switching of the spin orientation is predicted upon increase of the spin-transfer torque current. On the technical level, we derive an effective action of the type of Ambegaokar-Eckern-Sch\"on action for the coupled dynamics of magnetization (gauge group $SU(2)$) and voltage (gauge group $U(1)$).


The article describes processes occurring in a container after releasing pressure and presents various scenarios of a leak. Relations for assessing the proportion of the gas volume (from the container) which escapes into the environment after releasing pressure are given, and relations for the proportion of the liquid volume which rapidly evaporates after releasing pressure due to the heat accumulated in the liquid as overheating above the normal boiling point, The article further specifies relationships for assessing the volume work associated with the gas and vapour expansion after releasing pressure. The data ior assessing the course of evasion of liquefied industrial gases when stored at 20 oC are given in the paper.


The capacity of photoautotrophs to fix carbon depends on the efficiency of the conversion of light energy into chemical potential by photosynthesis. In nature, light input into photosynthesis can change very rapidly and dramatically. To analyze how genetic variation in Arabidopsis thaliana affects photosynthesis and growth under dynamic light conditions, 36 randomly chosen natural accessions were grown under uniform and fluctuating light intensities. After 14 days of growth under uniform or fluctuating light regimes, maximum photosystem II quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm) was determined, photosystem II operating efficiency (ΦPSII) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) were measured in low light, and projected leaf area (PLA) as well as the number of visible leaves were estimated. Our data show that ΦPSII and PLA were decreased and NPQ was increased, while Fv/Fm and number of visible leaves were unaffected, in most accessions grown under fluctuating compared to uniform light. There were large changes between accessions for most of these parameters, which, however, were not correlated with genomic variation. Fast growing accessions under uniform light showed the largest growth reductions under fluctuating light, which correlated strongly with a reduction in ΦPSII, suggesting that, under fluctuating light, photosynthesis controls growth and not vice versa.


Lung transplantation, a cure for a number of end-stage lung diseases, continues to have the worst long-term outcomes when compared with other solid organ transplants. Preclinical modeling of the most common and serious lung transplantation complications are essential to better understand and mitigate the pathophysiological processes that lead to these complications. Various animal and in vitro models of lung transplant complications now exist and each of these models has unique strengths. However, significant issues, such as the required technical expertise as well as the robustness and clinical usefulness of these models, remain to be overcome or clarified. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) convened a workshop in March 2016 to review the state of preclinical science addressing the three most important complications of lung transplantation: primary graft dysfunction (PGD), acute rejection (AR), and chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). In addition, the participants of the workshop were tasked to make consensus recommendations on the best use of these complimentary models to close our knowledge gaps in PGD, AR, and CLAD. Their reviews and recommendations are summarized in this report. Furthermore, the participants outlined opportunities to collaborate and directions to accelerate research using these preclinical models.


The first high-resolution time series of pre- and post-bomb radiocarbon measurements is reported for surface waters in the western Mediterranean Sea. The Δ14C record was obtained from the aragonite skeleton of Cladocora caespitosa using a 50-yr-old corallite collected in the Ligurian Sea in 1998. Laser-ablation ICP measurements of trace elements (Li/Mg and Sr/Ca) show a strong seasonal variability, enabling the chronology of the Δ14C record to be determined at annual timescales. The mean Δ14C of pre-bomb surface water is -56 ± 3%, corresponding to a reservoir age of 262 ± 29 yr. The post-bomb maximum occurs in 1972 with a Δ14C value of 90%, significantly lower than the peak of 150% observed in the North Atlantic. The dilution of the peak-amplitude of Δ14C in western Mediterranean surface waters is attributed to mixing of North Atlantic Central Water inflow with relatively depleted underlying Intermediate Mediterranean and Levantine Intermediate waters. Intensification of this mixing is observed in 1963–1964, consistent with the change in atmospheric circulation from a positive to negative NAO phase (1960–1967). The post-peak Δ14C variability is relatively limited, reflecting mainly local vertical mixing forced by wind stress.


More and more manga and manga-based anime are brought into our country from the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan; translated into either Malay or into English language. Manga reading, anime watching and cosplaying (manga and anime costume playing) culture in Malaysia is growing gradually day by day. Even so. unlike in Japan, there is not until now a special spot for these fans to read as many manga as they like, meet other manga fans, in their favorite manga characters costumes (or not); and share common interests, here. Therefore, this manga gallery project is to fill the emptiness of a manga fan's heart. The client of said project is Viz Media, a California-based publishing company. From its establishment in 1986, Viz Media has been importing a lot of fame-climbing manga volumes and weekly manga magazines from Japan and translating them into English to introduce this culture to the people of United States. This first ever proposed manga gallery in Malaysia is located at the first floor of newly renovated MARA Headquarters on Jalan Sultan Ismail, which can be accessed easily by visitors since it is a public zone since the ground floor up to the second floor have always been allocated for business premises. About the surrounding of the manga gallery site, it is surrounded by offices, shopping malls and shopping complex, such as Maju Junction, Pertama Complex and SOGO. In other words, a lot of people either work or go to these places and thus, manga gallery will attract these people to go to this gallery. Talking about concept, this manga gallery takes the concept of "Heaven Fantasy", a concept that will make the manga fans to feel they belong somewhere, the manga heaven- a peek of the almost fantasy they have always thought of only happen in manga and anime but now it is them to feel.


A theoretical prediction by Wang et al. [Phys. Rev. B 82, 054405 (2010)] suggests the preferential transmission of majority-spin states with Δ1 symmetry across a magnesium interlayer in Fe/Mg/MgO/Fe based magnetic tunnel junctions. Here, we report experiments to probe this question in CoFe/Mg/CoFe structures. We find that the strength of the interlayer coupling decays exponentially with increasing the spacer thickness, however, a non-monotonic variation of the magnetoresistance as a function of the Mg layer is observed. These data may help revisit the role of the insertion of a Mg interface layer in MgO-based devices.


The in vitro activity of ceftizoxime was compared with that of other beta-lactam antibiotics against 538 isolates. Ceftizoxime was the most active agent tested against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella, inhibiting 80% at 0.025 microgram/ml. It was more active than cefotaxime against Enterobacter cloacae and E. aerogenes. Ceftizoxime was more active than cefoxitin, cefotaxime, cefoperazone, and carbenicillin against Proteus mirabilis and indole-positive Proteus. It inhibited 97% of multiresistant Serratia isolates at 12.5 microgram/ml, whereas cefotaxime inhibited only 19%. Ceftizoxime was less active than cefotaxime and cefoperazone against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but was more active than carbenicillin. It was more active than cefotaxime and cefoxitin against Bacteroides. It was not appreciably destroyed by beta-lactamases of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, or Pseudomonas.


The automation of the diagnosis and monitoring of speech affecting diseases in real life situations, such as Depression or Parkinson's disease, depends on the existence of rich and large datasets that resemble real life conditions, such as those collected from in-the-wild multimedia repositories like YouTube. However, the cost of manually labeling these large datasets can be prohibitive. In this work, we propose to overcome this problem by automating the annotation process, without any requirements for human intervention. We formulate the annotation problem as a Multiple Instance Learning (MIL) problem, and propose a novel solution that is based on end-to-end differentiable neural networks. Our solution has the additional advantage of generalizing the MIL framework to more scenarios where the data is stil organized in bags but does not meet the MIL bag label conditions. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed method in labeling the in-the-Wild Speech Medical (WSM) Corpus, using simple textual cues extracted from videos and their metadata. Furthermore we show what is the contribution of each type of textual cues for the final model performance, as well as study the influence of the size of the bags of instances in determining the difficulty of the learning problem


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to create a computationally efficient reduced model (RM) for the moments of droplet size distribution (DSD) in condensing flow. Design/methodology/approach - The kinetic equation (KE) exactly describes the time dependence of the DSD and can be regarded as the most rigorous representation of a system with condensation. Because of the typical wide range in droplet size, the KE requires excessive computational time and is not attractive for most practical applications. To reduce the overall computational efforts, a novel set of moment equations, derived from the KE has been proposed. Findings - To demonstrate the simplicity and accuracy of the model, the authors employ a typical nucleation pulse experiment for which benchmark KE-solutions have also been computed. Comparison of predicted moments from both the RM and the KE approach reveals that the RM is capable of capturing the evolving feature of moments with reasonable accuracy. Originality/value - The authors have created a novel reduced method for numerical computations of the lower-order moments of the DSD in condensing flow. Unlike the typical method of moments, the RM eliminates the need for assumptions on the shape of the distribution function and could estimate the moments at very low computational cost.


[1] In this paper, we present comprehensive ground-based and space-based in situ geosynchronous observations of a substorm expansion phase onset on 1 October 2005. The Double Star TC-2 and GOES-12 spacecraft were both located within the substorm current wedge during the substorm expansion phase onset, which occurred over the Canadian sector. We find that an onset of ULF waves in space was observed after onset on the ground by extending the AWESOME timing algorithm into space. Furthermore, a population of low-energy field-aligned electrons was detected by the TC-2 PEACE instrument contemporaneous with the ULF waves in space. These electrons appear to be associated with an enhancement of field-aligned Poynting flux into the ionosphere which is large enough to power visible auroral displays. The observations are most consistent with a near-Earth initiation of substorm expansion phase onset, such as the Near-Geosynchronous Onset (NGO) substorm scenario. A lack of data from further downtail, however, means other mechanisms cannot be ruled out.


The ice loading process has a clear stochastic nature due to variations in the ice conditions and in the ice-structure interaction processes of offshore wind turbine. In this paper, a numerical method was applied to simulate a monopile fixed-bottom and a spar-type floating wind turbine in either uniform or randomly varying ice conditions, where the thickness of the ice encountered by the spar were assumed to be constant or randomly generated. A theoretical distribution of the ice thickness based on the existing measurements reported in various literatures was formulated to investigate the response characteristics of the monopile wind turbine and spar wind turbine in such ice conditions. The effect of the coupling between the ice-induced and aerodynamic loads and responses for both operational and parked conditions of the rotor was studied. Moreover, the dynamic response of wind turbine in randomly varying ice was compared and verified with that of the wind turbine in constant ice.


Because supernova remnants are short-lived, studies of neutron star X-ray binaries within supernova remnants probe the earliest stages in the life of accreting neutron stars. However, such objects are exceedingly rare: none were known to exist in our Galaxy. We report the discovery of the natal supernova remnant of the accreting neutron star Circinus X-1, which places an upper limit of t < 4600 yr on its age, making it the youngest known X-ray binary and a unique tool to study accretion, neutron star evolution, and core-collapse supernovae. This discovery is based on a deep 2009 Chandra X-ray observation and new radio observations of Circinus X-1. Circinus X-1 produces type I X-ray bursts on the surface of the neutron star, indicating that the magnetic field of the neutron star is small. Thus, the young age implies either that neutron stars can be born with low magnetic fields or that they can rapidly become de-magnetized by accretion. Circinus X-1 is a microquasar, creating relativistic jets that were thought to power the arcminute-scale radio nebula surrounding the source. Instead, this nebula can now be attributed to non-thermal synchrotron emission from the forward shock of the supernova remnant. The young age is consistent with the observed rapid orbital evolution and the highly eccentric orbit of the system and offers the chance to test the physics of post-supernova orbital evolution in X-ray binaries in detail for the first time.


A newly designed dense SiOx@carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite with a high conductivity of 3.5 S cm−1 and tap density of 1.13 g cm−3 was prepared, in which the CNTs were stripped by physical energy crushing and then coated on SiOx nanoparticles. The composite exhibits high capacities of 835 and 687 mAh g−1 at current densities of 100 and 200 mA g−1, which can be finely persevered over 100 cycles. Benefiting from this promising anode, two new full cells of SiOx@CNTs/LiMn2O4 and SiOx@CNTs/LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with high energy densities of 2273 and 2747 Wh kganode−1 (i. e. 413 and 500 Wh kgcathode−1), respectively, were successfully assembled and can cycle more than 400 cycles. Even with further cycling at the elevated temperature of 45 °C, the cells can still deliver relatively high capacities of 568 and 465 mAh ganode−1, respectively, over 100 cycles. Such desired high-energy lithium-ion batteries with working voltages over 4.0 V can be widely developed for diverse applications (e. g. in handheld devices, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles). The easy extension of the presented synthetic strategy and the configuration of high-energy battery system would be significant in materials synthesis and energy-storage devices.


We give a single-letter outer bound for the two-descriptions problem for independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) sources that is universally close to the El Gamal and Cover (EGC) inner bound. The gaps for the sum and individual rates using a quadratic distortion measure are upper-bounded by 1.5 and 0.5 bits/sample, respectively, and are universal with respect to the source being encoded and the desired distortion levels. Variants of our basic ideas are presented, including upper and lower bounds on the second channel's rate when the first channel's rate is arbitrarily close to the rate-distortion function; these bounds differ, in the limit as the code block length goes to infinity, by not more than 2 bits/sample. An interesting aspect of our methodology is the manner in which the matching single-letter outer bound is obtained, as we eschew common techniques for constructing single-letter bounds in favor of new ideas in the field of rate loss bounds. We expect these techniques to be generally applicable to other settings of interest.


Natural cotton fibers were pretreated with DMSO, NaOH, or ultrasonic waves and hydrolyzed by cellulase (Trichoderma vride G) to prepare nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). The as-prepared samples were characterized by TEM, DLS, XRD, and FT-IR. The influences of the pretreatment on the yield and morphology of NCC were investigated. The alterations of the crystalline phase and chemical structure of NCC were also measured during the enzymolysis process. The experimental results proved that the pretreated cotton fibers could be hydrolyzed by the Trichoderma cellulase to prepare a nanosized strip (10 to 40 nm ´ 70 to 280 nm) and grainy (20 nm or 6 nm) crystalline cellulose, in which the different morphologies resulted from the different manners of pretreatment. The unaltered crystalline phase and chemical composition of NCC prepared by enzymolysis of pretreated cotton fibers were measured. The highest yield of NCC reached was 32.4%.


To evaluate a new approach towards tackling the undeclared economy, which views participants as social actors rather than rational economic actors, this article reports evidence from 27,563 face‐to‐face interviews conducted across the European Union during 2013. Multilevel logistic regression analysis reveals a strong association between participation in undeclared work and the level of tax morale. Finding that higher tax morale (and thus a lower propensity to engage in undeclared work) is strongly correlated with greater levels of state intervention but also with individual‐level characteristics such as gender, age, education and employment status, the article concludes not only by confirming a political economy approach and refuting modernization and neo‐liberal explanations and remedies, but also by revealing for the first time the importance of solutions not so far considered, including improving educational attainment, older citizens mentoring for younger people and improving women's participation in the labour force.


Abstract. Ballast water treatment is required for vessels to prevent the introduction of potentially invasive neobiota. Some treatment methods use chemical disinfectants which produce a variety of halogenated compounds as disinfection by-products (DBPs). One of the most abundant DBP from oxidative ballast water treatment is bromoform (CHBr3) where we find an average concentration of 894 ± 560 nmol L-1 (226 ± 142 μg L-1) in the undiluted ballast water from measurements and literature. Bromoform is a relevant gas for atmospheric chemistry and ozone depletion, especially in the tropics where entrainment into the stratosphere is possible. The spread of DBPs in the tropics over months to years is assessed here for the first time. With Lagrangian trajectories based on the NEMO-ORCA12 model velocity field, we simulate DBP spread in the sea surface and try to quantify the oceanic bromoform concentration and emission to the atmosphere from ballast water discharge at major harbours in the tropical region of Southeast Asia. The exemplary simulations of two important regions, Singapore and the Pearl River Delta, reveal major transport pathways of the DBPs and the anthropogenic bromoform concentrations in the sea surface. Based on our simulations, we expect DBPs to spread into the open ocean, along the coast and also an advection with monsoon-driven currents into the North Pacific and Indian Ocean. Furthermore, anthropogenic bromoform concentrations and emissions are predicted to increase locally around large harbours. In the sea surface around Singapore we estimate an increase in bromoform concentration by 9 % compared to recent measurement. In a moderate scenario where 70 % of the ballast water is chemically treated bromoform emissions to the atmosphere can locally exceed 1000 pmol m-2 h-1 and double climatological emissions. In the Pearl River Delta all bromoform is directly outgassed which leads to an additional bromine (Br) input into the atmosphere of 495 kmol Br (∼42 t CHBr3) a-1. From Singapore ports the additional atmospheric Br input is calculated as 312 kmol Br (∼26 t CHBr3) a-1. We estimate the global anthropogenic Br input from ballast water into the atmosphere of up to 13 Mmol a-1. This is 0.1 % global Br input from background bromoform emissions and thus probably not relevant for stratospheric ozone depletion.


Abstract Objective The aim of this review was to systematically search and critique relevant literature on the potential psychological impact of earthquakes on peripartum women to synthesize existing knowledge for further action. Methods A search through 5 databases was conducted for relevant publications in English, and the results were screened through a set of inclusion and exclusion processes. Results Eight articles were included. Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder were the most often reported mental disorders. Some factors (eg, family relationships and social support) were associated with mental disorders suffered by peripartum women after earthquakes. An assessment of the quality of the studies showed that most did not have high levels of evidence because of their cross-sectional design and limitations. Conclusions Among the factors that influenced the mental health of pregnant and postpartum women after earthquakes, family function appears to be one of the most important and deserves further exploration. Other mental health conditions such as minor psychiatric disorders should also be studied for their relationship with disasters and pregnancy. Well-designed studies are needed to enable a better understanding of the relationship between earthquakes and the mental disorders of peripartum women so that the most appropriate interventions can be proposed. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1–11)


Abstract In this paper a cheap joint probabilistic data association (CJPDA) with the neural network state filter (NNSF) is presented for tracking multiple targets in low and high cluttered environrnents. The state update step of the CJPDA filter (CJPDAF) is realized with the NNSF instead of Kalman filter. Through simulation, a comparison is made to show the performance difference between the CJPDA with NNSF (CJPDA-NNSF) proposed in this paper and the CJPDAF for different tracking scenarios. It was shown that the tracking performance of the proposed method is better than that of the CJPDAF.


The carbonyl ylide 1,3-dipoles generated by dirhodium tetraacetate-catalyzed decomposition from 1-diazo-5-phenylpentane-2,5-dione (4) and 1-(1-acetylcyclopropyl)-2-diazo-ethanone (5) cycloadd to substituted methylenecyclopropanes2a–e and bicyclopropylidene (3) to give substituted mono-, di-, and trispirocyclopropanated 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-2-ones 7, 8, and 11 and 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-ones 10 and 12 in 6–75 % yields with different regio- and stereoselectivities. The structures of the two isomeric cycloadducts endo- and exo-10d formed from the carbonyl ylide derived from 5 and methyl 2-chloro-2-(cyclopropylidene)acetate (2d) were confirmed by X-ray crystal structure analyses. (Diphenylmethylene)cyclopropane and trans-3-methylenecyclopropane-1,2-dicarboxylate (diethyl ester of Feist's acid) did not undergo such cycloadditions, while methylenecyclobutane (13) afforded a mixture of [3+2] and [2+1] cycloadducts 14 and 15 in 28 and 29 % yields, respectively. The scope and limitations of these cycloadditions as well as the influence of different factors upon their regio- and stereoselectivities are discussed. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005)


Rebecca E. Williams, PhD, the first author of The mindfulness workbook for addiction received her master's degree from Harvard University and her PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a clinical psychologist specialized in recovery from mental illness and addictions and also the coauthor of Couple therapy for alcoholism (Wakefield, Williams, Yost & Patterson, 1996). She is currently the director of the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System's Wellness and Vocational Enrichment Clinic. She represents not only the practical, but also the scientific field of psychology, as she is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego and an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Diego. The other author, Julie S. Kraft, MA, received her master's degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences. She works at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System as a counselor, and provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families and groups in community settings. In her current position at Sharp HealthCare she treats clients struggling with both addiction and mental health concerns. She is also familiar with acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy/REBT, contemplative psychotherapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, emotionally focused couples therapy, emotionally focused therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, mindfulness-based approaches, object relations, person-centered/Rogerian therapy and narrative therapy. The mindfulness workbook for addiction is a self-help book, not an academic one. There are several approaches of treating addictive behaviors, however, this book presents an altogether new and holistic direction. The book offers useful practices for the addicted individuals. Furthermore, it is also profitable for professionals, mainly due to the fact that it compounds the elements of several therapeutic interventions, therefore offers an extensive approach for addiction treatment. The way in which the authors guide the reader is logically coherent and encompasses a real therapeutic depth. At the very beginning of the book we can read about the story of a fictional couple. The husband, Tony Gomez, has alcohol problems and his wife, Carmen, is a compulsive buyer. After getting to know the story of the Gomez family, we can keep track of their increasing self-awareness and recovery while their life becomes more and more meaningful. The couple – and possibly most readers – has a negative attitude towards some of the chapters or exercises. The authors, however, offer coping strategies for these problems throughout the book to facilitate compliance. After the introduction of the family comes the guideline to aid the use of the book and to establish the reader's goals. The workbook consists of three main parts and ten chapters. The chapters will be introduced one after the other for a deeper understanding. The chapters of the first part start relatively far from the topic of addictions. The issues of emotions, thoughts and behaviors are discussed thoroughly, so that the reader can acquire several mindfulness practices. In Chapter 1 (Emotions) Williams and Kraft draw attention to the incorrect schemes ingrained in childhood and they suggest some exercises – for example one including a sort of cognitive restructuring – to break them down. They reveal how can we feint our emotions – often by the addictive behavior – and then they present some exercises which can help the individual to identify emotions emerging in various situations. This chapter also includes a useful chart that contains a systematized and sophisticated variety of emotions. The authors rely on Beck's theory (1991), namely that thoughts evoke emotions which contribute to the birth of further thoughts. In Chapter 2 (Thoughts) there is a strong emphasis on repeat-offender thoughts. Brief descriptions of the cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are also common in this chapter, and there are a lot of examples and exercises as well. This section provides a variety of options and good practices for restructuring maladaptive thought patterns. The authors describe five types of disturbing thoughts, so that the reader can easily recognize them in his or her own way of thinking. After recognizing, understanding and rectifying emotions and thoughts Chapter 3 (Behaviors) focuses on behavior and behavioral change. The authors describe exercises connected mainly to two therapeutic interventions, the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). At this point, the authors describe


PURPOSE
To compare 3 upper eyelid retraction repair techniques and introduce novel metrics, which enhance the analysis of postoperative aesthetic outcomes.

METHODS
Retrospective review with Image J 1.48 digital analysis of patients who underwent repair of thyroid-related upper eyelid retraction at the University of Iowa from 1996 to 2014 via 1 of 3 surgical techniques, septum-opening levator recession with Muellerectomy, modified septum-preserving levator recession with Muellerectomy, and modified septum-preserving full-thickness blepharotomy, was conducted. Photographs were obtained preoperatively, 3 to 6 months postoperatively, and at last follow up (>6 months) and evaluated by digital image analysis (denoted by "i"). Outcome measures assessed were marginal reflex distance (iMRD1), temporal-to-nasal ratio, tarsal platform show (iTPS), pupil to visible eyelid crease, brow fat span (iBFS), tarsal platform show to brow fat span ratio (iTPS:iBFS), and tarsal platform show minimizing power (iTPS-minimizing power).

RESULTS
A total of 121 eyelids (28 septum-opening levator recession with Muellerectomy, 66 septum-preserving levator recession with Muellerectomy, and 27 septum-preserving full-thickness blepharotomy) from 74 patients were evaluated with a mean follow up of 24.2 months. There were no statistically significant differences between techniques in terms of iMRD1 or temporal-to-nasal ratio reduction at either time point (intertechnique p values of 0.17 to >0.99). The percentage of eyelids from subjects undergoing bilateral intervention that achieved a final iMRD1 between 2.50 mm and 4.50 mm was similar (intertechnique p value of 0.23), with no difference regarding the number of subjects demonstrating iMRD1 symmetry within 1 mm (intertechnique p value of 0.15). Though iTPS elongation was greater at 3 to 6 months with septum-opening compared with the combined septum-preserving techniques (p value of 0.04), this difference was not maintained at final follow up (p value of >0.99). There was no difference in terms of iTPS symmetry at time of final follow up (intertechnique p value of 0.69). The pupil to visible eyelid crease was unchanged in all techniques (p values >0.99). Mean changes in iBFS at final follow up were -1.27 mm, -0.44 mm, and +0.55 mm for septum-opening levator recession with Muellerectomy, septum-preserving levator recession with Muellerectomy, and septum-preserving full-thickness blepharotomy (p values of 0.01, 0.49, and >0.99, respectively). Mean iTPS:iBFS ratios at final follow up were not statistically different between techniques (intertechnique p value of 0.10) and no difference in symmetry was demonstrated (intertechnique p value of 0.47). Median values for iTPS-minimizing power were: -0.83, -0.93, and -1.01 for septum-opening levator recession with Muellerectomy, septum-preserving levator recession with Muellerectomy, and septum-preserving full-thickness blepharotomy, respectively (intertechnique p value of 0.54).

CONCLUSIONS
Each technique appropriately lowered the eyelid and improved contour without intertechnique variability. Septum-preserving techniques demonstrated less iTPS elongation initially, but this difference was not maintained. The visible eyelid crease height (pupil to visible eyelid crease) remained stable in all techniques, indicating that the iTPS elongation seen with each technique was secondary to reduction in iMRD1 and the iBFS reduction seen with septum-opening levator recession with Muellerectomy was due to brow descent. No intertechnique differences in the amount of iTPS elongation relative to iMRD1 reduction (i.e., the novel iTPS-minimizing power) were seen. Given that each procedure evaluated yielded similar results, technique selection may be guided by surgeon experience and preference.


Our present situation finds us navigating a ship while avoiding at least three treacherous and menacing icebergs. The first is the global environmental crisis we face.  By itself, this iceberg threatens to sink our ship, yet we seem blissfully to voyage along, either completely unaware of the dangers it poses or in complete denial that anything so menacing could possibly be lurking just over the rail of our ship.  The second iceberg is the global pandemic all of us recently experienced.  It is no exaggeration to say that this crisis prompted every government on earth to put its economy into a "coma".  No one had a way out, nor did we have any idea how long the problem would last, and experts now tell us this will not be our last pandemic.  The third iceberg is the spate of violence and state-sanctioned murders that have been directed toward persons of color, especially toward young black men.  Prejudicial, inequitable arrangements found in state configurations across the globe seem to be baked into our world economic order and—alongside the other two icebergs—these threaten to sink our ship unless we come up with social and economic solutions rather quickly.
            Our present financial and economic order—our ship—seems ill-equipped to navigate these waters.  In this article, I take a rather detailed look at the educational as well as the financial makeup of our ship.  It seems that our vessel needs a radical rebuild, a deep-grammar remodification that requires a rethink of our views on education and of the outsized role high finance plays on our world stage today.  We are in desperate need of a deeply probing realignment, changes helpfully suggested by way of looking at these crises through an "ESG Impact Investing" lens.  ESG approaches offer us deeply insightful environmental, socio-spiritual, and governance/power critiques, provided all three of these factors are deeply appraised and sincerely and holistically considered.


The use of corpora has conventionally been envisioned as being either corpus-based or corpus-driven. While the formal definition of the latter term has been widely accepted since it was established by Tognini-Bonelli (2001), it is often applied to studies that do not, in fact, fullfil the fundamental requirement of a theory-neutral starting point. This volume proposes the term pattern-driven as a more precise alternative. The chapters illustrate a variety of methods that fall under this broad methodology, such as the extraction of lexical bundles, POS-grams and semantic frames, and demonstrate how these approaches can uncover new understandings of both synchronic and diachronic linguistic phenomena.


This paper reports the case of a 16-year-old woman with idiopathic short stature (ISS) who was detected to be haploinsufficient in only exon 1 of the short stature homeobox-containing (SHOX) gene by RQ-PCR and had two copies of the other six exons intact. The translation of the SHOX protein and of the SHOX promoter may be potentially affected if the deletion of exon 1 is extended further upstream. Further studies may help in determining the significance of partial exonic deletions of the SHOX gene in relation to ISS.


Species identification of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes is crucial for planning vector control program. The progress of molecular entomology tool supports a better understanding of the species identification. In the molecular study, it has grown ITS2 sequences which are used as a potential marker for species identification and phylogenetic analysis. The genetic diversity of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes has been reported worldwide, but until now there has been no study of diversity of Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to determine the genetic diversity of Culex quinquefasciatus as a filariasis vector in Central Java on the basis of ITS2 genes from ribosomal DNA. This study is done descriptively by collecting samples from filariasis endemic areas in Central Java. Results of the morphological and molecular analysis showed a difference of identification. ITS2 sequence alignment results of Cx. pipien complex from Central Java isolates have similarities with some isolates in many worlds. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ITS2 sequence of mosquitoes in this study is not monophyletic. The further results indicate the fact of introgression history ITS2 from Cx. pipien toCx. quinquefasciatus in Central Java. The introgression may occur before Cx. quinquefasciatus proliferate and spread in the Central Java region.


Vezi, M.S.; Downs, C.T.; Wepener, V., and O'Brien, G., 2020. Macrobenthic communities in selected river-dominated estuaries in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: Effects of contrasting environmental variables and seasonal flow changes. Journal of Coastal Research, 36(5), 992–1004. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Globally, estuaries are ecologically important, but many are threatened by anthropogenic activities. Macrozoobenthos organisms are suitable ecological indicators in estuaries because they can detect the effects of stress and pollution. Spatial and temporal composition of macrozoobenthos communities were quantified and compared within and between the three estuaries (uMvoti, Thukela, and aMatikulu estuaries) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with different levels of human pressure in their catchments. Macrozoobenthos of each estuary was also related to its respective environmental variables. The aMatikulu estuary was selected as a reference site because of its relatively good ecological condition. Sampling dates represented low flow (August and September) and high flow (March and April) from 2014 to 2016. Macrozoobenthos abundance expressed as individuals per square meter (ind m ) was highest in aMatikulu estuary (39,167 ind m ), followed by Thukela estuary (29,299 ind m ) and then uMvoti estuary (10,336 ind m ). Within estuaries, number of taxa and abundance between years were significantly different (p , 0.05), and number of taxa and species diversity between estuaries were also significantly different (p , 0.05). Coarse and very coarse sand were the important environmental determinants in structuring the macrozoobenthos community in the uMvoti estuary, whereas turbidity and water temperature were the important determinants in structuring the macrozoobenthos community in the Thukela estuary. Very fine sand, mud, and salinity were among the most important environmental variables in structuring macrozoobenthos communities in the aMatikulu estuary. Environmental variables differed between estuaries; consequently, macrozoobenthos communities differed between these three systems. Outcomes of the present study indicated that macrozoobenthos communities respond to changes in environmental variables. Results of this study showed that different levels of human pressure in the catchments of these three estuaries could explain variation in their environmental variables. Such variation could increase differences in taxon composition and abundances between the three estuaries, although they are from the same geographical region with similar river-dominated functions. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Macrozoobenthos, river inflow, human pressure, benthic habitat, ecological indicators, water quality.


The ongoing arrival of a number of immigrants to the Spanish educational system is triggering deep social transformations. Year after year, schools clearly see the number of newcomers from different countries increase. Immigrant youth are often linked to negative student attitudes toward school and low educational expectations but few studies inquire about these representations from students' own perspectives. The research method involved conducting interviews with 189 students in secondary and junior high schools of Seville province (Spain) who had immigrant backgrounds from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and countries of Eastern Europe. The study concludes that these immigrant students feel strongly committed to their studies, demonstrating a high sense of educational expectation, and differences existed according to the geographical origin and time in Spain. These data question the stereotyped, reductionist generalizations linking immigrant youth with poor school performance and poor positive attitudes towards school.


Extinctions of anuran amphibians are more alarming compared to all other vertebrates. Several reports of declines come from Atlantic Forest, which currently holds only 1.62% of natural vegetation under full protection. However, despite this degradation, the Atlantic Forest still shelters a great diversity of anurans with a high diversity of specific ecological characteristics. Thus, our objective was to identify which ecological characteristics of anurans from the Atlantic Forest can be associated to this extinction risk, in order to understand how these characteristics can promote the species persistence against environmental disturbance. For each species, we gathered biological/ecological characteristics from literature, as well the extinction risk based on the National List of Endangered Species of Wildlife. In 2015, 547 anuran species had been assigned to the Atlantic Forest, of which 406 had their extinction risk defined. However, we considered only 295 species in our analyses due to the availability of biological/ecological information. We observed that the clutch size and the altitudinal distribution are related to the extinction risk of anurans. Threatened species had a small clutch size and were distributed in low or high areas, whereas non-threatened species had a larger clutch size and were distributed in intermediate altitude areas. Studies that investigate ecological characteristics that determine the extinction risk of species can be useful to assist conservation actions, concentrating efforts to species more sensitive to environmental alterations, besides highlighting the importance of natural history and the ecology of organisms in conservation decisions.


We present high spatial resolution (5.″1 × 2.″7) Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) millimeter array observations of HCN (J = 1-0) and HCO+ (J = 1-0) emission in the inner 3 pc of the Galaxy (0.04 pc ~ 1′′). The HCN and HCO+ emission of the circumnuclear disk (CND) is distributed in a well-defined ring with a peak at a radius of 1.6 pc. The observed radial velocities are generally consistent with rotation at ~110 km s-1 (except along the western edge of the CND). The HCO+/HCN emission ratio is typically ~0.4 but with significant variations. The variations in the HCO+/HCN emission and absorption ratios can be attributed to greater abundances of HCO+ in lower density regions both within the CND and along the line of sight. The HCN emission is well correlated with the H2 emission at 2.12 μm both in the main emission lobes of the CND and also in four H2 and HCN filaments. Multiple areas of interaction between the ionized gas and the CND are also seen; the western arm of the minispiral is spatially and kinematically consistent with being the ionized inner edge of the CND, and the northern arm may be connected to the CND northeastern extension. With the enhanced spatial resolution of the HCN maps, we resolve numerous dense molecular gas cores within the CND with characteristic diameter ~7'' (0.25 pc). For 26 of the more isolated cores, we have measured sizes, velocity widths, and integrated fluxes. From these properties we estimated three masses for each core: a virial mass assuming the cores are gravitationally bound, an optically thick mass from observed column densities of HCN, and a lower limit mass assuming the HCN emission is optically thin and shock excitation is negligible. The virial and optically thick masses are in good agreement with a typical mass of (2-3) × 104 M☉ and a total CND gas mass of 106 M☉. The internal densities implied by these core masses (assuming a uniform density distribution for each core) are on average (3-4) × 107 cm-3. The core densities are high enough to be stable against tidal disruption from Sgr A* and the central stellar concentration. This tidal stability suggests a longer lifetime for the CND. The high densities and masses within the cores might support star formation either in the CND itself or within a core infalling toward the inner parsec, thus providing a mechanism for the formation of the young stellar population observed in the inner arcseconds of the Galaxy.


Machine learning techniques are applied to the NASA Langley Research Center's expansive database of helicopter noise measurements containing over 1500 steady flight conditions for ten different helicopters. These techniques are then used to develop models capable of predicting the operating conditions under which significant Blade-Vortex Interaction noise will be generated for any conventional helicopter. A measure for quantifying the overall ground noise exposure of a particular helicopter operating condition is developed. This measure is then used to classify the measured flight conditions as noisy or not-noisy. These data are then parameterized on a nondimensional basis that defines the main rotor operating condition and are then scaled to remove bias. Several machine learning methods are then applied to these data. The developed models show good accuracy in identifying the noisy operating region for helicopters not included in the training data set. Noisy regions are accurately identified for a variety of different helicopters. One of these models is applied to estimate changes in the noisy operating region as vehicle drag and ambient atmospheric conditions are varied.


Background. Diarrhoeal disease (DD) is a major cause of childhood mortality in developing countries. In South Africa (SA), it ranks as one of the top five causes of under-5 mortality. Local and global guidelines on the management of acute DD are readily available. The Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) and Essential Drugs List for Hospital Level Paediatrics are a recognised standard of care for children in SA hospitals. However, children still die from this preventable disease. Objective. To determine whether doctors adhered to standard treatment guidelines when treating children under 5 years of age presenting to Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal Province, with acute DD. Methods. The study was a retrospective clinical audit of individual patient records. Results. One hundred and thirty-five patient records were reviewed. Forty-seven percent had a correct nutritional assessment, 41% were correctly assessed for shock and 27% for dehydration. Appropriate investigations were undertaken in 12%. Ninety-seven percent of patients had appropriate fluid plans prescribed. Zinc was prescribed in only 39% of patients, whereas 84% were appropriately not prescribed antibiotics and no patients received anti-diarrhoeal medication. In 90% of patients, the correct post-care patient referral was made, and 47% of caregivers were adequately advised about ongoing care of their children. Conclusion. This study identifies substantial non-adherence to the SA STGs for the management of young children with acute DD.


THERE are days—and even seasons—when to the enthusiastic walker his favourite books make but a slight appeal. Indeed on such occasions you need not be surprised if you find him asserting, heretically and dogmatically, that there is no book that will rival in his affection the frayed and tattered and rain‐stained map that has so often been his companion on hill and moor. On the winter evenings, when the curtains are drawn and the rain‐storm whips the window pane, he will pore over it for many an hour, following again in fancy the paths he has trodden in the long summer days, recapturing perhaps the view that opened up before him when, rounding the hillside above Durisdeer, he looked over the gently swelling hills of Nithsdale with their woods, their trim fields, their white farm houses, set against the grey‐blue background of far‐off mountains of Galloway.


Robotics is a growing field that is reaching a wide variety of application areas. The employment of robots for the implementation of a task is not anymore a prerogative of certain branches of the industry. In fact, more and more frequently robots are utilized to support humans during the execution of an assignment and this requires a flexible system, able to adapt to the environment.
Moreover, given the number of contexts in which robots are used, there is an increasing need for modular and reusable tools for the description of tasks. The robotic applications considered in this work are mainly related to robotic surgery, since minimally invasive surgery is a challenging field in which the employment of robots has enabled significant improvements in terms of quality of the procedures.
This study provides a set of patterns aimed to the design and the development of a component-based software architecture for the description of a complex robotic task. The best practices illustrated in this work are built on the concept of separation of concerns and have been defined to promote the creation of a reusable framework of components for the robotics. The proposed patterns are first introduced and then applied to different case studies to demonstrate their adaptability to describe a complex robotics task in different application domains.


Multinationals are without doubt the most controversial of all non-state actors. In the eyes of many critics they act as the motor of capitalism in the contemporary markets, accused of toppling elected governments, exploiting under-developed countries, engaging in illegal activities, ignoring human rights, and willfully damaging the environment. At the same time, defenders of multinational corporations portray them as engines of progress, innovative in research and development, a modernizing force in international relations, and the best hope for overcoming the chronic under-development and poverty in the Third World. Against this background, the aim of this work, however, is to examine the character and function of multinationals as agents of imperialism. It tries to provide empirical validation for the basic Marxist thesis that the serious problems of third world countries can be linked to the operations of imperialist forces whose most powerful catalysts are the multinational enterprises.


Background and Objective: Ignoring pain especially in infancy causes serious complications. Considering recent studies about sedative effect of breast-feeding and oral glucose on neonates, this study was performed to survey each method after neonatal period. Materials and Methods: This study is a triple blind clinical trial on 211 infants aged 2, 4,and 6 months, which were randomly categorized into control, breast-fed, and oral glucose groups. Interventions were performed two minutes before injecting DPT vaccine. The infants' reactions were recorded before, during, and after intervention. Two experts evaluated pain intensity by Modified Behavioral Pain Scale (MBPS). The crying duration was measure by chronometer in second. Results: Pain intensities for breast-fed, oral glucose, and control groups were 5.77±0.18, 6.63±0.16, and 5.87±0.22, respectively. Least Significant Difference (LSD) test showed that MBPS was significantly lower in breast-fed compared to oral glucose group (P value=0.014). The difference between breast-fed and control groups was not significant. Crying duration did not have significant difference among the three groups. Conclusion: It seems that breast-feeding has better effect on vaccination pain compared to oral glucose.


The land which is a complex problem in the cities provides a mature readiness for the exam. The establishment of a simple rental apartment (rusunawa) was allegedly the best solution to overcome the problem. What's more with room prices that always show a high price increase every time periodically. However, the establishment of flat towers does not always benefit the wearer (residents). This article provides information for the ideal definition of a flat, can be used to make other flat towers so that residents can fulfill their prosperous wishes in inhabiting (housing welfare) in a flat land. This research was conducted with a qualitative approach in Rusunawa Buring, Kota Malang involving 10 informants who lived for a period (3 years). Data collection techniques are carried out by in-depth interviews, observation, and focus group discussions. The results of the research data show that residents live have the ideal perception of flat-lined apartments when physical, social, and system factors can provide live satisfaction


What are physicists to do if they make a discovery that promises to transform industry but also threatens to revolutionize warfare? Should they investigate the phenomenon within their traditions of free and open inquiry or keep the deadly secret to themselves? This is the dilemma that was faced by several groups of physicists who studied uranium fission in 1939 and 1940. In the spring of 1939 one group, foreseeing the unprecedented power of nuclear weapons, made a concerted attempt to restrict knowledge of chain reactions. But it was not until over a year later that censorship—imposed by the community of physicists on itself—became fairly complete.


In this white paper, we review the theoretical evidence about the computational efficiency of dependency parsing and machine translation without the widely used, but linguistically questionable assumptions about projectivity and edge-factoring. On the basis of the heuristic local optimality parser proposed by (Buch-Kromann, 2006), we propose a common architecture for monolingual parsing, parallel parsing, and translation that does not make these assumptions. Finally, we describe the elementary repair operations in the model, and argue that the model is potentially interesting as a model of human translation.


Host genetic factors can confer resistance against malaria, raising the question of whether this has led to evolutionary adaptation of parasite populations. In this study we investigated the correlation between host and parasite genetic variation in 4,171 Gambian and Kenya children ascertained with severe malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum. We identified a strong association between sickle haemoglobin (HbS) in the host and variation in three regions of the parasite genome, including nonsynonymous variants in the acyl-CoA synthetase family member PfACS8 on chromosome 2, in a second region of chromosome 2, and in a region containing structural variation on chromosome 11. The HbS-associated parasite alleles are in strong linkage disequilibrium and have frequencies which covary with the frequency of HbS across populations, in particular being much more common in Africa than other parts of the world. The estimated protective effect of HbS against severe malaria, as determined by comparison of cases with population controls, varies greatly according to the parasite genotype at these three loci. These findings open up a new avenue of enquiry into the biological and epidemiological significance of the HbS-associated polymorphisms in the parasite genome, and the evolutionary forces that have led to their high frequency and strong linkage disequilibrium in African P. falciparum populations.