Threat of supernatural punishment can promote prosociality in large-scale societies; however, its impact in smaller societies with less powerful deities is less understood. Also, while perceived material insecurity has been associated with increasing religious belief, the relationships between insecurity, supernatural punishment beliefs, and prosocial behavior are unclear. In this study, we explore how material insecurity moderates the supernatural punishment beliefs that promote different expectations about distant, anonymous strangers among a sample of villagers living in Yasawa, Fiji. We examined this relationship by employing an economic game designed to measure local recipient favoritism vs. egalitarian, rule-following behavior. Using indices of three different "punishing" agents – the Christian God ("Bible God"), the deified ancestors (Kalou-vu), and the police – we find that increased belief in Bible God punishment predicts less local recipient favoritism at low and moderate but not high material insecurity. Punishing Kalou-vu also predicts less favoritism at low and moderate insecurity, but more favoritism at high insecurity. Police punishment poorly predicts favoritism, suggesting that secular authority has less impact on isolated communities. We discuss implications for understanding how different kinds of supernatural and secular agent beliefs impact prosocial behavior.


Some storage tank terminals located in hurricane prone regions were heavily struck by hurricanes. An example is the storage tank terminal of Stolthaven Terminals (Stolt-Nielsen Limited) which is located in New-Orleans and was severely struck by Hurricane Katrina and Isaac. Damage to the terminal was caused by high wind pressures, but mainly due to flooding of the terminal caused by the overflowing levee. The storage tanks did not possess sufficient weight to counterbalance the buoyancy load generated by the flood. Due to this, storage tanks were lifted off their foundation and damage occurred to the bottom plate and the connections. Chemical liquid stored in the tank had now found its way into the environment. This disaster resulted in high costs and insurance claims from the contamination. The problem can be formulated as: "How can storage tank damage and chemical spill best be prevented during a flood?" Alternative solutions for a flood proof storage tank are presented which are applicable to the still-to-be-built new terminal next to the present terminal. Also a combination of the flood proof tank and management of tank operations is considered. 3 of the alternatives seem structurally feasible and are further elaborated in the report. These are: 1. The use of a steel-concrete-steel sandwich slab (SCS slab) inside the tank. This consists of 2 steel plates connected to a concrete core by means of shear studs. The slab should have sufficient weight to counteract the buoyancy load. [Tank alternative A] 2. Anchoring the area of the bottom plate of the tank to the concrete foundation by means of shear studs. [Tank alternative B] 3. Constructing a floating tank. This tank is provided with guiding piles, which allows the tank to go up and down, but keeps the tank at one location. [Tank alternative C] A simplified cost-benefit-analysis (CBA) is done to compare the alternatives to one of the basic solutions like the floodwall. The flood proof storage tank is compared to the basic solution (like the flood wall) a flexible alternative, because the tank does not need to be protected against floods.


The paper describes an optical duobinary modulation scheme that reduces the waveform distortion caused by the effect of group velocity dispersion (GVD) and the combined self-phase modulation (SPM)-GVD effect as generated in non-dispersion shifted fibre (NDSF) with a length of over 300 km at 5 Gbit/s. Measured and simulated eye-opening penalties are used to compare the optical duobinary modulation scheme to the conventional non-return-to-zero (NRZ) intensity modulation scheme. A comparison of duobinary modulation with a duobinary filter against NRZ intensity modulation with a full-cosine roll-off filter shows that the former yields a compact spectrum even in the case of a single pulse, which needs the broadest bandwidth. NDSF repeaterless transmission at 5 Gbit/s and 363 km without dispersion compensation is established to confirm the effectiveness of the optical duobinary modulation scheme.


Topology Construction (TC) is a very well-known technique to save energy and extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. One common approach to implement TC is to select a small subset of nodes that can accomplish the global objective of the network and put the rest of the nodes in a low energy consumption mode to use their energy in the future. One way to select this subset of nodes is by solving the Minimum Connected Dominating Set problem (MCDS). This paper presents a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) formulation that finds the optimal solution to this problem. The formulation is proposed as a benchmarking tool to compare the performance of existing and new heuristics that approximate the solution to the same problem. In fact, the paper compares the performance of three well-known CDS-based topology construction protocols versus the MIP-MCDS formulation. The results show that, in terms of the size of the CDS, the distance between the optimal and the approximate solutions increases with the communication radius and the number of nodes. In terms of the solution time, for low density and high node degree topologies the mathematical programming formulation is comparable, and sometimes better, to that of the heuristics. However, in topologies with low node degree and high node density the heuristic solutions outperform the mathematical programming solution.


Background The use of antipsychotic medications in dementia is associated with increased mortality. A significant proportion of long-term antipsychotic use is believed to be inappropriate. The Department of Health National Dementia Strategy recently targeted a two-thirds reduction in antipsychotic usage. The aim of this review is to explore qualitative and quantitative literature to identify interventions that have been used to reduce inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotics and the barriers and enablers to the implementation of these interventions. Methods Potentially relevant papers were identified in the following ways i) electronic searches inMedline, PsycINFO, Embase, AMED, Social Policy and Practice including AgeInfo (OvidSp); CDSR, CENTRAL (Cochrane Library); CINAHL (EBSCOhost); British Nursing Index, AMED (NHS Evidence) and Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index (Web of Science) from inception to November 2012, ii) forward and backward citation chases, iii) hand searches of review papers identified in the search, iii) searching of relevant organisations' websites. All comparative studies were included. Screening of articles for inclusion, data extraction and quality appraisal were performed by one reviewer and checked by a second with discrepancies resolved by discussion with a third if necessary. Results Eleven studies (involving staff and patients in 55 care homes) met the inclusion criteria. All reported quantitative data. Studies were conducted in the UK (n = 4), Canada (n = 2), USA (n = 2) Australia (n = 1) and Norway (n = 1). Studies were of varied design with associated quality issues. No papers in which barriers to the implementation of interventions had been studied were identified. All interventions were unique and involved the delivery of an education or training package (n = 5), the use of in-reach teams in which regular visits by psychiatrists, mental health nurses and psychologists enabled regular patient review in the care home (n = 4), audit followed by feedback and re-audit (n = 1) or regular review, education and the development of a behavioural management approach (n = 1). In all studies, the proportion of residents receiving antipsychotic medication was reduced following the intervention. Conclusion There is some evidence to suggest that simple changes to the way patients are reviewed and monitored and/or enhanced education and training can reduce the prescription rates of antipsychotics for people with dementia living in residential care. In order to guide best practice in this area, further qualitative study is required to explore the barriers and enablers to successful implementation of these interventions. Large rigorous studies with extended post-intervention data collection are also necessary to ascertain the long term impact on prescribing practices.


A fourth sign of the presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS), peripheral streak lesions, is added to the common triad of disseminated punched-out atrophic spots, peripapillary atrophy, and macular disciform lesions. The streaks are of variable length, width, and pigmentation. They are almost invariably in the equatorial region and oriented parallel to the ora serrata. Streak lesions were found in 5.0% of patients with the POHS.


Objective: To study the incidence, etiology, and outcome of pulmonary infiltrates (PIs) in HIV-infected patients and to evaluate the yield of diagnostic procedures. Design: Prospective observational study of consecutive hospital admissions. Setting: Tertiary hospital. Patients: HIV-infected patients with new-onset radiologic PIs from April 1998 to March 1999. Methods: The study protocol included chest radiography, blood and sputum cultures, serologic testing for atypical causes of pneumonia, testing for Legionella urinary antigen, testing for cytomegalovirus antigenemia, and bronchoscopy in case of diffuse or progressive PIs. Results: One hundred two episodes in 92 patients were recorded. The incidence of PIs was 18 episodes per 100 hospital admission-years (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15-21). An etiologic diagnosis was achieved in 62 cases (61%). Bacterial pneumonia (BP), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), and mycobacteriosis were the main diagnoses. The incidences of BP and mycobacteriosis were not statistically different in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) versus non-HAART patients. The incidence of PCP was lower in those receiving HAART (p = .011), however. Nine patients died (10%). Independent factors associated with higher mortality were mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR] = 83; CI: 4.2-1,682), age >50 years (OR = 23; CI: 2-283), and not having an etiologic diagnosis (OR = 22; CI: 1.6-293). Conclusions: Pulmonary infiltrates are still a frequent cause of hospital admission in the HAART era, and BP is the main etiology. There was no difference in the rate of BP and mycobacteriosis in HAART and non-HAART patients. Not having an etiologic diagnosis is an independent factor associated with mortality.


Industry of Ukraine requires cardinal changes both for overcoming of the current crisis phenomena and for providing of favourable conditions for dynamic and effective increase in a long-term prospect. Actuality of problem grows under impact of scale transformations in geopolitical and geoeconomical landscapes. The key trends of industrial development in the world are determined by the processes of introduction of innovative technologies of fourth industrial revolution (4IR). However, at present starting positions of national economy and industry in particular are unfavorable for realization of such projects. The problem of disparity of necessity and possibilities transition of industrial production to the new technological level must be settled by continuous adjustment of industry development strategy and state tactics to the specific national aims and conditions (macroeconomic, institutional, foreign-policy) The aim of this article is to accent attention on actual directions, mechanisms, and instruments, which are most accessible, acceptable (economical and institutional measuring) and effective for realization of industrial development strategy under existing conditions in Ukraine. In the article the "road map" of becoming modern industrial production in Ukraine is offered. It covers five purposeful directions (blocks): science and innovation, finance and investment, institutional, structural changes, and market demand. Within each of them tendencies are analysed and priorities for public industrial policy are formulated. The significance and arguments for the urgent formation of national scientific and innovative potential as a factor in reducing the dependence of production and reproduction processes in industry on external influences are presented. The institutional block covers the issue of uncertainty of strategic prospects of industrial development in Ukraine as a deterrent factor to the necessary transformations. The importance of realization of the strategic role of the state at the present stage of industrial transformations is argued. The objective need to involve big business in the intensification of innovation processes based on various forms of partnership with the state is revealed. Emphasis is placed on the priority tasks of structural and sectoral development in the context of accelerating the implementation of modern technological solutions and product innovations. In particular, the importance of the manufacturing sectors of defence and ICT is accented. The importance of expansion and diversification of domestic and foreign markets for the development of high-tech sectors of in national industry is considered.


Changes in ultrastructure of the posterior lobe pituicytes during six phases (Spring premigratory, Spring postmigratory, breeding, moulting, Fall premigratory and Fall postmigratory) of the annual life cycle of the migratory Canada goose, were studied. Pituicyte nuclear volume in females was significantly greater than that in males during the Spring premigratory and moulting phases. In the Fall postmigratory phase, nuclear volume in males was greater than that in females. During Spring premigratory phase, the axonal endings in males contained fewer neurosecretory granules (NSG) than those in the Fall postmigratory phase. In females, however, the number of NSG was relatively more than that in males in the Spring premigratory phase but fewer in the moulting phase. Nuclear volume is correlated with pituicyte function in releasing NSG containing arginine vasotocin (AVT) from axonal endings. The significance of AVT release is discussed in relation to initiation of reproductive and migratory behaviour, and to osmotic and metabolic regulation.


On September 21, 2022, the FDA granted accelerated approval to selpercatinib (Retevmo, Eli Lilly and Company) for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with a rearranged during transfection (RET) gene fusion that have progressed on or following prior systemic treatment or who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options. The approval was based on data from Study LOXO-RET-17001 (LIBRETTO-001; NCT03157128), an international, non-randomized, multi-cohort clinical trial that included patients with advanced solid tumors harboring RET alterations. The overall response rate in 41 patients with locally advanced or metastatic RET fusion-positive solid tumors other than non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or thyroid cancer was 44% [95% confidence interval (CI), 28%-60%], with median duration of response 24.5 months (95% CI, 9.2-not evaluable). Patients with 10 of 14 tumor types with a variety of fusion partners had objective responses, including patients with the following tumors: pancreatic adenocarcinoma, colorectal, salivary, unknown primary, breast, soft-tissue sarcoma, bronchial carcinoid, ovarian, small intestine, and cholangiocarcinoma. The recommendation for approval was supported by results from LIBRETTO-001 in patients with RET fusion-positive NSCLC and thyroid cancer, which formed the basis of prior approvals in these tumor types. The most common adverse reactions (>25%) were edema, diarrhea, fatigue, dry mouth, hypertension, abdominal pain, constipation, rash, nausea, and headache. This is the first tissue-agnostic approval of a RET-directed targeted therapy.


An agrochemical assessment of the soils fertility under organic farming practices has been performed in The Research and Development Station for Vegetable Growing in Bacău. Fertility parameters, including soil pH, varied very little along the fifteen years of organic trials. The results oppose other findings recently published on an investigation carried in Romania revealing that soil acidification is a reality of organic farming. There are plenty of important papers that give a better insight of the effect that certified organic practices have on soils. Yet, the advocates of soil acidification induced by organic farming practices have used references that cannot back the conclusion that soil acidification is a common pattern in organic farming. Generalizing that organic farming leads to soil acidification does not make sense. Moreover, the statement made that it makes scientific and practical sense to use the pH as indicator of organic management of the soils is based on local findings only and should not be considered as a reliable proposal. The present paper findings stands for the already recognized environmental benefits of the organic farming carried under a proper management.


The Temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) is the most active joint in the body as it needs to open and close up to 2000 times per day to account for a full day's worth of chewing, talking, breathing.The jaw, cervical spine, and alignment of the teeth are integrally related, and dysfunction in one of these regions may lead to a TMJ disorder.Also, the major and minor salivary glands produces whole saliva which is a clear, slightly acidic mucoserous exocrine secretion. It is most valuable and critical for the preservation and maintenance of oral health. Trans Cutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive analgesic technique that is used to relieve nociceptive, neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain. TENS can be used in TMD, Xerostomia, Post-operative Third Molar Impaction, Healing of the fracture line.Therapeutic ultrasound also as an adjuvant therapy has been used to enhance the effectiveness of drug delivery, reduce the recovery time of injuries, improve muscle mobility, decrease joint stiffness, reduce muscle pain. The effectiveness of TENS and therapeutic ultrasound in themanagement of TMDs and other disorders, both combine with other therapies to improve Stomatognathic system functionally is worth


The local heat transfer measurements in the cooling flow passage having both flat surface and semi-cylindrically grooved surface geometries inside the automobile disc brake were made. A uniform wall heat flux boundary condition on both surface geometries was created using gold film Intrex. Liquid crystal was used to measure the surface temperature. The experiments were made at Reynolds number (based on the hydraulic diameter of the rectangular duct) of Re=23,000, groove pitch-to-width (P/D) from 3 to 7, and groove depth-to-width (H/D) from 0.15 to 0.2. The results show that the magnitudes in the average Nusselt number on the grooved surface are maximum 92.8% higher than those on the flat surface without groove. A computer program utilizing the coupled FEM numerical technique that can predict the temperature distributions on the disc brake to analyze the thermal deformation has been developed.


This qualitative study explores recent textile and apparel industry dynamics from the point of view of the news media to understand how such dynamics are presented to the general public. North Carolina, having been home to many jobs in these industries, was used as a case study. Data were a total of 600 articles from two of the state's primary newspapers spanning the period from 1998 to 2003. Content of these articles was analyzed via a hermeneutic, interpretative framework to develop a thematic interpretation of the image of the two industries provided by the news media. Several themes were tied together through three broad topical areas—industry changes, strategic initiatives, and the impact of loss—and provide a multidimensional view of the industries as presented to the public. Further research is needed to understand the impact this image might have on public perceptions of the future of these industries.


The article is an analysis of the impact of acts issued by the professional and business chambers (corporations) in Poland on two constitutional freedoms: freedom of establishment, and freedom of choice and execution of profession. The considerations are carried out in the context of the legal position of the two self-governed kinds of chambers', in particular within their constitutional provisions. The author concludes that the constitutional law in Poland does not prevent the effective degree of excessive interference in both freedoms, following the issue of a very different form of legal acts resolved by the chambers (corporations) under public law. Consequently, this paper formulates demands referred to the conditions to be met by internal acts of these chambers (corporations). It is also noted that a clear division of chambers (corporations) governed by public law on chambers of professionals' and business, is not adequate to modern conditions.


Can voluntary disclosure be used to enhance insiders' insider-trading profits while providing legal cover? We investigate this question in the context of Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Prior literature suggests that insiders reduce opportunities to profit from trades if their planned trades are disclosed. But disclosure might increase such opportunities because of an unappreciated characteristic of how rules of judicial procedure interact with SEC trading rules. Courts can only consider publicly available evidence from defendants at the motion-to-dismiss phase of litigation, and this practice can enhance legal protection for firms that disclose planned trades, especially those disclosing detailed information. This suggests that voluntary disclosure, which is conventionally thought to reduce information asymmetries, can create legal cover for opportunistic insider trading.


The Craig interpolation property (CIP) states that an interpolant for an implication exists iff it is valid. The projective Beth definability property (PBDP) states that an explicit definition exists iff a formula stating implicit definability is valid. Thus, the CIP and PBDP transform potentially hard existence problems into deduction problems in the underlying logic. Description Logics with nominals and/or role inclusions do not enjoy the CIP nor PBDP, but interpolants and explicit definitions have many potential applications in ontology engineering and ontology-based data management. In this article we show the following: even without Craig and Beth, the existence of interpolants and explicit definitions is decidable in description logics with nominals and/or role inclusions such as ALCO, ALCH and ALCHIO. However, living without Craig and Beth makes this problem harder than deduction: we prove that the existence problems become 2EXPTIME-complete, thus one exponential harder than validity. The existence of explicit definitions is 2EXPTIME-hard even if one asks for a definition of a nominal using any symbol distinct from that nominal, but it becomes EXPTIME-complete if one asks for a definition of a concept name using any symbol distinct from that concept name.


Undershooting, a technique for acquisition of seismic data beneath areas that are difficult to access at the surface of the Earth, has long been practised in the field of 3D seismic exploration. The publication of new guidelines by the OGP for the Conduct of Offshore Drilling Hazard Site Surveys specifies that seismic data greater than ten years old are no longer valid for this application. Hence, there is a need to be able to use the undershoot technique in the evaluation of shallow sub-sea hazards beneath existing structures such as Production Platforms if new wells are planned to be drilled from these structures. This paper outlines the approach taken using two multi-role site survey vessels to acquire a high-resolution undershoot dataset, with the emphasis being to ensure that this was suitable for shallow geohazard evaluation. We describe the techniques and equipment, including specifically designed in-house navigation software routines, the trials undertaken, and the successful acquisition of a useable dataset. Examples are provided that demonstrate the high quality of the seismic dataset acquired. It was only possible to achieve this using a 3D approach for the binning and processing of the seismic data.


Abstract The mineralogy and geochemistry of the clay fraction of Victoria Land Basin (Ross Sea, Antarctica) sediments was investigated, to determine the origin of clay minerals and the features of authigenic smectite. The investigated core (CRP-3) is ~800 m long, mostly of Oligocene age. The clay fraction of the upper sequence consists of mica, chlorite and detrital smectite, while that of the central and lower part is largely made up of authigenic smectite. Authigenic smectites are ditrioctahedral, with a composition close to saponite, while detrital smectites such as Al-Fe beidellites are dioctahedral. Authigenic smectites have no illite mixed layers, show a higher degree of crystallization, higher MgO, Fe2O3, V, Cr, Co, Ni and Sc contents and lower SiO2, Al2 O3, K2O, TiO2, Ba, Rb and Zr contents with respect to detrital clay minerals, and a clear depletion of LREE with respect to HREE. Authigenic smectite formed from the alteration of volcanic materials and clay minerals.


The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recently introduced more stringent arsenic regulations by lowering the maximum contaminant level (MCL) to 10 ig l -1 (ppb) arsenic in drinking water. During the present study, an iron solution injection sand filtration process was designed and tested to selectively remove arsenic (As(V)), chromate (Cr(VI)) and cadmium (Cd(II)) from aqueous solutions down to trace level. Bench scale sand columns with a chemical feeding system were used to conduct the filtration study. The filtration results demonstrate that As(V) could be removed by ferric solution-treated sand filters from 2,000 ig l -1 (ppb) down to less than 5 ig l -1 (ppb) using two sand filters connected in series (two stage filtration). During the filtration, ferric concentrations in the first and second filters were maintained at 5 and 2 ppm, respectively, through a continuous injection scheme. Bench scale filtration results suggest that Cr(VI) could also be effectively removed by injection of ferrous solution into the sand columns. Similar ferric treatment of the sand columns also significantly increased Cd(II) removal. Batch adsorption experimental results suggest that when solution pH is lower than 8, arsenate can be removed by iron-treated sand. Arsenate-saturated sand can be regenerated using a high pH (pH > 12) solution. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) studies suggest that very little amount of Fe on the sand surface was dissolved when the sand was regenerated using a dilute NaOH solution (pH = 13).


IzuMI, H., HOSHI, S., MUE, S., TAKISHIMA, T., SATO, H. and AOKI, T. The Determination of Blood Histamine in Asthmatic Patients with a Simple and Sensitive Method. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1984, 143 (1), 79-85 The histamine level of whole blood and plasma in asthmatic patients was estimated by means of a simple, sensitive and specific method, which was developed to measure low histamine levels. This method consists of the following procedures ; the partial purification of histamine with a small P-cellulose column ; its further purification with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) ; and fluorometric detection with precolumn o-phthaldehyde (OPT) reaction. The present assay could detect as little as 0.5 ng of histamine concentration. Blood histamine levels in patient with asthmatic attack, 57+34 ng/ml (mean +S.D. N=14), were significantly different from those in symptom-free period, 37±15 ng/ml (N =15) as well as those in normal subjects, 36±17 ng/ml (N =12). However, there were no significant differences among plasma histamine levels in normal subjects, 1.6+ 1.7 ng/ml (N =12) and, in asthmatic patients during attacks, 1.6± 1.8 ng/ml (N =14 ) and symptom-free periods, 1.6+ 1.7 ng/ml (N =15). These results indicate that plasma histamine concentration does not increase during asthmatic attacks, even though there was significant increase of blood histamine concentration.-histamine; HPLC ; bronchial asthma


The Indian peninsular shield, in particular the Deccan Volcanic Province, has experienced significant seismicity during the past three decades, with the Koyna (M w = 6.3), Latur (M w = 6.2) and Jabalpur (M w = 6.0) events of moderate magnitude. Focal depths of these stable continental region (SCR) earthquakes vary over a wide range from around 6 to 35 km. Corresponding to the wide range of focal depths reported, the electrical structure as deduced from magnetotelluric studies seems to vary considerably among these regions and suggests existence of different subsurface conditions and operation of different mechanisms. While the Latur and Koyna events occurred in a relatively thick and high resistive upper crust, the Jabalpur earthquake had its focus in a conductive region at Moho levels. It is suggested that electrical characterization of crust through electromagnetic imaging helps in broadly demarcating tectonic domains characterized by differing rheology and heterogeneity.


On the basis of the energy distribution of eigen-images of an image, a new watermark attacking method is proposed. For most removal attacking methods, they regard watermark as noise and adopt denoising methods to remove watermark. However, when the energy of watermark is removed from a watermarked image, the energy of the original image is also removed at the same time. To solve this problem, we predict the watermark energy using just-noticeable-distortion (JND). Then remove watermark energy from watermarked image based on the characteristic of eigen-images. From the experiment results, the proposed method is a very effective watermark attacking method.


Summary Morphology and ecology of the testate amoeba Arcella gibbosa Penard 1890 isolated from different microbiotops was investigated. A detailed morphometric description of Arcella gibbosa is presented. Size frequency distribution analysis indicates that A. gibbosa is a sizemonomorphic species. Shell diameter and shell height are the most stable characters, whereas length of apertural collar is the most variable one. Moreover, collar length has no significant correlations with other shell measurements. The main characters determining the distinctions between populations are shell diameter and shell height. These features are stable within a separate population and various in different ones. Populations from one biotope are more similar than those from different ones. There is no discreteness in distribution of the characters between the populations, which demonstrates significant monomorphism and stability of this species. A. gibbosa is a highly eurybiontic species, which may dwell in both acidic and toxic conditions, in a great variety of microbiotopes.


A long-term program of surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated in the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Region (WHO WPR GASP) continued in 2001. Seventeen focal points contributed data on about 10,000 gonococci. Resistance to quinolone and penicillin antibiotics remained widely dispersed and at high levels. Gonococci with decreased susceptibility to third generation cephalosporins were again observed in four centres. Spectinomycin resistance was infrequently encountered. Control of gonorrhoea in the WHO WPR is compromised by the further reduction in options for cheap and effective treatment of gonorrhoea. Commun Dis Intell 2002;26:541–-545.


Thousands of IT professionals are being asked to make Scrum succeed in their organizationsincluding many who werent involved in the decision to adopt it. If youre one of them, The Scrum Field Guide will give you skills and confidence to adopt Scrum more rapidly, more successfully, and with far less pain and fear. Long-time Scrum practitioner Mitch Lacey identifies major challenges associated with early-stage Scrum adoption, as well as deeper issues that emerge after companies have adopted Scrum, and describes how other organizations have overcome them. Youll learn how to gain quick wins that build support, and then use the flexibility of Scrum to maximize value creation across the entire process. In 30 brief, engaging chapters, Lacey guides you through everything from defining roles to setting priorities to determining team velocity, choosing a sprint length, and conducting customer reviews. Along the way, he explains why Scrum can seem counterintuitive, offers a solid grounding in the core agile concepts that make it work, and shows where it can (and shouldnt) be modified. Coverage includes Getting teams on board, and bringing new team members aboard after youve startedCreating a definition of done for the team and organization Implementing the strong technical practices that are indispensable for agile successBalancing predictability and adaptability in release planningKeeping defects in checkRunning productive daily standup meetingsKeeping people engaged with pair programmingManaging culture clashes on Scrum teamsPerforming emergency procedures to get sprints back on trackEstablishing a pace your team can truly sustainAccurately costing projects, and measuring the value they deliverDocumenting Scrum projects effectivelyPrioritizing and estimating large backlogsIntegrating outsourced and offshored components Packed with real-world examples from Laceys own experience, this book is invaluable to everyone transitioning to agile: developers, architects, testers, managers, and project owners alike.


ObjectiveIt has been recognised that the Covid -19 pandemic positively accelerated digital adoption (Greenway et al., 2021;Issa, 2020). However, rapid deployments of technology do not often assess and understand patient safety risks;resulting in harm, which have ethical and legal considerations (HEE, 2019). The NHS has received caution of the potential risks of the use of new digital solutions during the pandemic (Hutchings, 2020). To nurture digital health safety, clinical safety risk management practice is worthy of study. Further, identifying factors that support the promising adoption and implementation of safety guidelines will develop maturity of the professional practice.MethodsConducted for a Master's Dissertation in Digital Health Leadership with The Institute of Global Health Innovation Imperial College, this study uses a promising practice model to identify assets of the Australian healthcare system to achieve patient safety when deploying digital health technologies. The question guiding the study is: what are the factors that need to be evaluated to support the scaled adoption and implementation of digital health safety guidelines as a professional practice in Australia? Taking into consideration the socio-technological factors of digital health safety, the research strategy uses a mixed method to generate a creative and innovative study. Qualitative data has been collected from stakeholders including the Australasia Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) members and Certified Health Informatician Australasia (CHIA) Alumni via surveys, interviews and focus group. This will be analysed alongside data mined from existing documents and artifacts to understand trends, implications and what is grounded in national policy and strategy. It is expected data mining of resources will provide further insights into the maturity digital health safety practices.ResultsThe promising practice investigation is related to the larger problem of the adoption of safety standards to ensure innovative new ways of working do not compromise patient safety. The presentation will share results from the international literature review and early insights of the first phase of data analysis. Evidence from the literature has exposed the current healthcare information technology safety practice challenges. There were few studies that focused on the factors influencing the adoption of digital health safety standards. However, the review surfaced six key areas that need to be understood to improve safety practice and culture, which will be summarised in the presentation. A comparison of safety frameworks from England and Australia will be presented. In addition, a review of the unique assets of the Australian healthcare system will be provided. Finally, a maturity model to guide the professional practice to assist organisations determining their status in adopting digital health safety into governance, policy, process, culture, and other facets of operations will be shared (Rowlands, Zelcer & Williams, 2017).ConclusionAs a science, measuring the impact digital health and patient safety remains rudimentary (Singh & Sittig, 2016). The health science community recognises digital health safety is challenging and international efforts are being made to understand the socio-technical dynamics to ensure patient safety (Sittig et al., 2020). Given the national focus 'to embed digital clinical safety across health and care' (NHS X, 2021, p. 25), it is timely to look beyond to source exemplar organisations and best practice to participate in research (Gandhi et al., 2016). In contrast to the approach taken by the NHS Digital to mandate digital clinical safety standards, in Australia the Patient Safety Electronic Health (E-Health) Professional Practice Guidelines empowers organisations to establish 'best fit' with their strategic and operating context. This study is framed alongside the NHS Digital Clinical Safety Strategy and searches for evidence of a promising practice related to the Australian healthcare system and patient safety cult re. This presentation will be beneficial for Digital Clinical Safety Officers and Chief Clinical Information Officers developing a clinical safety risk management process, investing in team building, recourses, and capability.


Establishing, assessing and matching needs with available services and client expectations is the essence of joint community care planning, within the new United Kingdom legislation (1). Continuous audit and case review by two fieldworkers have described common themes and recurrent scenarios in community HIV care management within health and social care structures. This poster describes working scenarios, care management practice and care issues encountered by two HIV service consultants: Community Care Coordinator (CCC) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) within one inner London borough and the coterminous health district, respectively.

The community care coordinator for HIV (CCC) within the Islington Neighbourhood Services department provides access to and advice about, the available social and housing services for people living with HIV-related disease. The postholder offers referral to other agencies, a dedicated casework service and an advisory role to field social workers, homecare organisers, community occupational therapists and various social services personnel. A specialist domiciliary home care team is available and operates within the borough's existing generic structure for domiciliary care.

The clinical nurse specialist HIV/AIDS (CNS) within Camden and Islington Community Services NHS Trust, provides a consultant nursing service in association with and complimentary to, the existing generic nursing services. The postholder offers clinical support and advice to clients, health and social care professionals, in order to maximise the involvement of primary health care teams in homecare provision. Furthermore, education and training for health care professionals in clinical manifestations, intravenous therapy, treatments and psychosocial care is available within the CNS-led continuing education programme (2).

Access to both postholders by field staff is increased through message pager aircall. CCC and CNS work jointly on casework, liaising with and working alongside their colleagues in health and social services structures to provide client care management (3). The case studies presented from monthly audit and case review are recurrent and typical of the workload together with the difficulties associated with trying to maintain quality care with cost-limited community resources, blending generic and specialist services for clients with HIV disease.


One of the least understood areas of shark research is the interaction between animals and humans, from factors influencing face‐to‐face encounters to the causes of incidents and behavior patterns. Although some of these questions can be addressed through studies outside of the water, most interaction‐related questions have to be tested by direct observa‐ tion of the sharks. The main goal of our research is to better understand sharks, and what influences them the most when they are in the vicinity of a human being. Our improved understanding of this animal substantiates the notion that sharks are no different from other animal species and do not reflect the still too often presented media monster. Understanding the true nature of this animal transforms this wrongfully described creature into the rather shy and intelligent animal that it truly is.


Secondary lymphedema is the most common type of lymphedema. Malignancy, mainly breast carcinoma, is the main cause of upper extremity lymphedema, while groin dissection, irradiation and trauma are the cause of lower extremity lymphedema. Early recognition of the pathology followed by early referral to a vascular surgeon, leading a multidisciplinary team, who takes care of those patients, can prevent a miserable Life from these patients. Lifelong commitment of the patients, prolonged financial support of the health insurance supplier, as well as team work of the group taking care of the patient, is the only way to help these patients.


This paper explores additional features, provided by stepwise logistic regression, which could further improve performance of fault predicting model. Three different models have been used to predict fault-proneness in NASA PROMISE data set and have been compared in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and false alarm rate: one with forward stepwise logistic regression, one with backward stepwise logistic regression and one without stepwise selection in logistic regression. Despite an obvious trade-off between sensitivity and false alarm rate, we can conclude that backward stepwise regression gave the best model.


Background: A higher frequency of premature ventricular complexes is associated with a higher risk of premature ventricular complex-induced cardiomyopathy. Although there are several studies on the systolic functions of the left ventricle in this patient group, it is clearly not known how the diastolic functions of the left ventricle are affected. This study examined the effect of premature ventricular complex on left ventricle diastolic functions using diastolic strain rate. Methods: The trial included 57 patients with frequent premature ventricular complexes and 54 healthy volunteers. The patient was evaluated using echocardiography in its entirety. The vendor-independent software system determined systolic and diastolic strain parameters via 2-dimensional speckle tracking analysis. Using the auto strain 3P semi-automated endocardial boundary tracking instrument, the global longitudinal strain was measured from the apical 4-chamber, 2-chamber, and long axis. The diastolic strain rate was determined by averaging the strain rates of 17 cardiac segments at 2 distinct periods of diastole. Results: In the patient group, early diastolic strain rate was significantly lower than that in the control group (1.62 ± 0.58 vs. 1.25 ± 0.38, P < .001). There were found to be significant negative connections between PVC's electrocardiographic QRS wave length and early diastolic strain rate and coupling interval and early diastolic strain rate. Significant positive associations between coupling interval and early diastolic strain rate were discovered (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Conclusions: Patients with premature ventricular complex exhibited a lower early diastolic strain rate than healthy individuals. The early diastolic strain rate can be used to predict left ventricle diastolic dysfunction, and persons with premature ventricular complex may have a higher risk of left ventricle diastolic dysfunction than the general population.


In response to recent developments in the labour market, in occupational structure and in occupational practice, many aspects of vocational education and training are subjects of discussion and in transition. The tertiary sector is growing, some occupations are integrating while others are differentiating. New methods of production and organization require new types of employee competencies: problem-solving and social-communicative skills are becoming more and more important. The article focuses on the importance and the possibilities of shaping these developments from a gender perspective. First, the significance of changing qualification requirements is discussed for the technical sector, the service and care sector and the economic-administrative sector. Second, two innovations in vocational education and training are discussed: the recognition of prior learning and the development of flexible, modular educational pathways.


Humanities and the sciences have long been considered polar opposites that exist in separate realms of academia and require different cognitive skills. However, neuroscience has brought about renewed interest in what we can learn about the human brain by investigating links between disciplines. For example, studies related to English literature have revealed that the benefits of reading narratives (fiction and nonfiction stories) extend far beyond language development and include increased competence in social and emotional functioning. By combining the results of an original dissertation study and a review of past and current research in education, psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience, this essay explores how reading narratives serves as practice for managing emotions and social interactions in everyday life. In fact, several studies suggest that reading narratives strengthens nearly every part of the brain because the brain is designed—or "wired"—to think and learn in terms of narratives, regardless of subject matter. This essay provides several types of support for the claim that reading narratives facilitates social and emotional development. Research discussed includes studies showing that reading narratives is not a solitary activity but "a surprisingly social process" (Krakovsky, 2006, p. 1) and is linked to increased ability to view people and events from multiple perspectives, increased empathy for others, and increased ability to interpret social cues (Atkins, 2000; Courtright, Mackey, & Packard, 2005; Davis, 1980; Greif & Hogan, 1973; Harrison, 2008; Mar, 2004; Mar, Oatley, Hirsh, dela Paz, & Peterson, 2006; Stanovich & West, 1989). Understanding how the brain processes narratives and relates them to real life functioning has important implications for many disciplines, such as psychology, in its attempt to understand and treat post-traumatic stress disorder. This essay, however, focuses on the implications for education. Teachers striving to help students develop the perspective-taking abilities necessary for critical thinking and the empathy necessary to become responsible adults may be more effective if they understand the role narratives play in students' social and emotional development.


MEDI0382 is a potent glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucagon receptor dual agonist that inhibits feeding and induces weight loss in mice. To test whether MEDI0382-mediated improvements in metabolism require leptin signaling, we determined its acute effects on food intake in rodents lacking either leptin ( ob/ob mice) or the leptin receptor ( fa/fa rats). An acute dose response study in ob/ob mice was performed with mice dosed subcutaneously (SC) with GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide (30 nmol/kg), glucagon receptor agonist G1437 (30 nmol/kg), or MEDI0382 (1, 3, 10 or 30 nmol/kg). At 24 h, liraglutide and G1437 treatment reduced food intake by 50% and 16% vs. controls, respectively. MEDI0382 inhibited food intake in a dose-dependent manner, and exerted superior inhibition of food intake compared to equimolar doses of liraglutide and G1437. The fa/fa rats were also dosed once with liraglutide, G1437 (both at same doses as above), or MEDI0382 (3, 10 and 30 nmol/kg) and food intake measured. Liraglutide and G1437 treatment decreased 24 h food intake by 55% and 27% respectively and MEDI0382 dose-dependently decreased food intake (32%, 67% and 77%). Also, fa/fa rats treated with MEDI0382 had an additional reduction in food intake than equimolar doses of either liraglutide or G1437. Finally, lean C57BL/6 mice housed in the BioDaq food intake monitoring system were dosed SC once with MEDI0382 (0.3, 1, 3, 10 and 30 nmol/kg), and a dose-dependent effect on inhibition of food intake was observed. Further analysis showed MEDI0382 decreased total meal number and increased satiety ratio. In summary, MEDI0382 exerted potent anorexigenic effects in mice independent of the leptin pathway, characterized by decreased number of meals consumed and increased satiety. Disclosure V.G. Howard: Employee; Self; AstraZeneca. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AstraZeneca. S. Oldham: Stock/Shareholder; Self; AstraZeneca. Employee; Self; MedImmune. A. Konkar: Employee; Self; Sanofi. Other Relationship; Self; MedImmune. J. Trevaskis: Employee; Self; MedImmune. Stock/Shareholder; Self; AstraZeneca. S. Will: Employee; Self; MedImmune. Stock/Shareholder; Self; AstraZeneca.


BACKGROUND
The function of human olfaction declines with advancing age. An important question centers on whether functional alterations to olfactory brain structures accompany age-related behavioral changes. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that aged adults have intact though reduced activity in the central olfactory system using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

METHODS
University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) was used to test the smell function of 11 young (23.9 +/- 1.6 years) and 8 aged (66.4 +/- 4.4 years) healthy participants. Then, the participants received fMRI at 3.0 T with lavender and spearmint as stimulants. After fMRI, the participants provided ratings for the odorants' intensity and pleasantness.

RESULTS
The average UPSIT score of the aged adults was 34.1 +/- 1.5, which was significantly lower than that of the young adults (37.3 +/- 1.1) (p =.0004). Both age groups showed significant activation in major olfactory brain structures, including the primary olfactory cortex, entorhinal cortex, hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, orbitofrontal cortex, and insular cortex and its extension into the inferior lateral frontal region. The aged adults showed less brain activity in olfactory structures (p =.022), consistent with lower ratings of odor intensity and UPSIT scores. Activation intensity in bilateral primary olfactory cortex areas and right insular cortex was also comparatively weaker (p <.019).

CONCLUSION
Results demonstrate that significant activation in aged adults can be observed in all the olfactory brain structures that are activated in young adults, but with lower activation volume and intensity. This finding provides a necessary baseline for further investigations in olfaction and aging.


This paper explores the overlaps between the Control community's work on System Identification (SysID) and the Physics, Mathematics, Chaos, and Complexity communities' work on phase-space reconstruction via time-delay embedding. There are numerous overlaps between the goals of each community. Nevertheless, the Controls community can gain new insight as well as some new very powerful tools for SysID from the latest developments within the Physics, Mathematics, Chaos, and Complexity communities. These insights are gained via the work on phase-space reconstruction of non-linear dynamics. New methods for discovering non-linear differential based equations that evolved from embedding operations can shed new light on hybrid-systems theory, Nyquest-Shannon's Theories, and network based control theory. This paper strives to guide the Controls community towards a closer inspection of the tools and additional insights being developed within the Physics, Mathematics, Chaos, and Complexity communities for discovery of system dynamics, the first step in control system development. The paper introduces the concepts of phase-space reconstruction via time-delay embedding (made famous byWhitney, Takens, and Sauer's Thoreoms), intergrate-and-fire embedding, and non-linear differential equation discovery based on Perona's method.


The aim of this study was to contribute to strengthening the efficiency in the treatment of the salivary gland tumours in the Stomatology
and Maxillo-facial surgery service at the University Hospital Centre/Yalgado OUEDRAOGO
of Ouagadougou. It has been a retrospective and descriptive study covering seven
(7) years [January 2006-December 2012] on epidemiology and the treatment of 54
cases of the salivary glands tumours histologically confirmed. Benign tumours (non-malignant tumours were prevalent (61.11% of cases). The annual incidences were 4.71 cases for non malignant tumours
and 3 cases for malignant tumours. The average age was 34-45 years for non malignant
tumours and 44-33 years for malignant ones. In both groups, the tumour was discovered
lately with an average 32-48 months before consulting in case of non malignant tumours and 18-29 months for malignant tumours. The location of non malignant tumours was very often
the parotid (42.42%), under mandible gland (27.28%). Malignant tumours very often
concerned the parotid (76.18%) and the under mandible gland (14.29%). The histology
has revealed that pleomorphic adenoma was the leading type of non-malignant tumours
(93.94% of cases) whereas carcinoma was predominant in malignant tumours (80.95%
of cases). Long term track keeping was difficult and it has been complicated by
the loss of contact with some patients. The low living standard, the time wasted
before consulting, limited human resources and therapeutic means constitute handicaps
to the treatment in our African context.


Rice growing countries are having environmental problems eliminating large amounts of rice husks. rice husks are the by-product of rice paddy. Rice husks are burnt in the boilers for processing paddy. About 20 million tones of rice husk ash are produced annually. This is a great environmental threat causing damage to the land and the surrounding area in which it is dumped. Lots of ways are being thought of for disposing rice husk ash by recycling it into building materials. Rice husk ash consists of 95% silica and 5% metal ions (iron, aluminum, etc.) The particle size is 25 microns. This material is being used as a refractory brick as it has a good radiation absorption property. It has been used for insulation of molten metal in tundish and ladle in slab caster since it is an excellent insulator and as a pozzolana in the concrete. Silica is the major raw material in the glass composition. The glass industry obtains sand from sea coasts and riverbeds. This causes decline on the ecology of nektons and other organisms. Rice husk ash may be used instead of silica to prevent any sand erosion. In this research rice husk ash has been used instead of sand in the glass composition. The result is a gray colored 'heat absorbing glass'. This study suggests that heat absorbing glass from rice husk ash helps stabilizing build environment and soil ecology by means of waste utilisation. Producing glass from this material helps to solve a number of environmental problems. Heat absorbing glass would enable better heat control in buildings and therefore this ecological synthesis would create a sustainable environment.


Summary
The aim of these experiments was to determine whether exposure to leaf-canopy shade induces a light requirement for germination in Bidens pilosa seeds.

Seeds of this species were pretreated by placing them in the shade of a natural canopy for 12 days and then setting half of them to germinate in full light and the other half in darkness.

Canopy-treated seeds acquired a marked light requirement. The pretreatment was more effective if the seeds were imbibed during it. Fresh and old seeds gave similar results.

In a second experiment the effect of time of exposure to canopy shade on the induction of a light requirement was investigated. It was found that only 1 h exposure to leaf-transmitted light is required to induce an almost complete light requirement in this species. The ecological implications of the results are discussed.


There has been an increased initiative to realize smart tourism in the world. However, most attempts have yet to be realized completely. The lack of theoretical discussion and modelling in tourism governance is a major contributing factor. This paper empirically explores the potential of systematic governance in achieving sustainable competitive advantage in smart tourism. We conducted a case study via qualitative interviews with tourism initiators from one of the leading tourism cities in Tokyo, Japan. In the theory building process, we adopted absorptive capacity as the theoretical foundation, and we could synthesize the outcome of our analysis into the proposed framework— Smart tourism dynamic capability governance Model. The model demonstrates how a city could dynamically manage their tourism resource and capabilities in their ecosystem toward sustainable tourism prosperity. Throughout this study, we contribute to the body of knowledge by introducing a successful tourism governance approach to compete with tourism resource rich cities.


In adversarial team games , a team of players sequentially faces a team of adversaries. These games are the simplest setting with multiple players where cooperation and competition coexist, and it is known that the information asymmetry among the team members makes equilibrium approximation computationally hard. Although much effort has been spent designing scalable algorithms, the problem of solving large game instances is open. In this paper, we extend the successful approach of solving huge two-player zero-sum games, where a blueprint strategy is computed offline by using an abstract version of the game and then it is refined online , that is, during a playthrough. In particular, to the best of our knowledge, our paper provides the first method for online strategy refinement via subgame solving in adversarial team games. Our method, based on the team belief DAG, generates a gadget game and then refine the blueprint strategy by using column-generation approaches in anytime fashion. If the blueprint is sparse, then our whole algorithm runs end-to-end in polynomial time given a best-response oracle; in particular, it avoids expanding the whole team belief DAG, which has exponential worst-case size. We apply our method to a standard test suite, and we empirically show the performance improvement of the strategies thanks to subgame solving


In gesture and sign language video sequences, hand motion tends to be rapid, and hands frequently appear in front of each other or in front of the face. Thus, hand location is often ambiguous, and naive color-based hand tracking is insufficient. To improve tracking accuracy, some methods employ a prediction-update framework, but such methods require careful initialization of model parameters, and tend to drift and lose track in extended sequences. In this paper, a temporal filtering framework for hand tracking is proposed that can initialize and reset itself without human intervention. In each frame, simple features like color and motion residue are exploited to identify multiple candidate hand locations. The temporal filter then uses the Viterbi algorithm to select among the candidates from frame to frame. The resulting tracking system can automatically identify video trajectories of unambiguous hand motion, and detect frames where tracking becomes ambiguous because of occlusions or overlaps. Experiments on video sequences of several hundred frames in duration demonstrate the system's ability to track hands robustly, to detect and handle tracking ambiguities, and to extract the trajectories of unambiguous hand motion.


This paper examines how and why the Right to Buy (RTB) scheme changed drastically in the UK from 1980 to 2016 through the lens of Hall's model of social learning and Sabatier's advocacy coalition framework (ACF). This paper argues that changes were made to the Right to Buy scheme from 1980 to 2016 in order to increase the attractiveness of the policy. The study was conducted using a non-positivist approach to research. The findings of this study revealed that that the UK government's decision to reduce the residency requirement from 3 years to 2 years in the RTB scheme in 1984 and to increase the percentage of discounts in the scheme constitutes a first-order policy change as described by Hall. On the other hand, the introduction of the new Right to Acquire in the RTB policy by the Labor party in 1997 constitutes a second-order change. While abolishing the RTB policy in Scotland by the Scottish National Party in July 2016 constitutes a third-order change. Furthermore, the results of this paper showed that the shared core beliefs in the virtues of private ownership between the Conservative party and the "New Labour" that came to power in 1997 in the UK can better be understood through the lens of Sabatier's ACF.


Background: Alcohol intoxication plays a major role in the causation of road traffic accidents (RTAs) and assault. On April 1, 2017, the honorable Supreme Court of India banned liquor shops on all national and state highways to a distance of 500 m from them. Out of 231 liquor shops, 178 were closed in Vellore district after the ban. This, we assumed, would have reduced the number of drunken drivers and pedestrians, resulting in the fall in the number and severity of the accidents. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study done in a tertiary hospital in South India. All RTA patients presented to the emergency department (ED) 1 month before the liquor shop ban (March 2017) were included in the preban group and who presented to the ED 1 month after the liquor shop ban (April 2017) were included in the postban group; their incidence and severity of trauma were assessed and compared. A bivariate analysis was done to identify the relationship between these variables and potential determinants, and their 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. For all tests, a two-sided P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study cohort included 438 patients, in which 194 were in preban group and 244 in the postban group. Both groups showed male predominance, with a mean age of 37.57 and 35.12 years, respectively. Majority of the RTAs in both groups involved two-wheelers (75.3% vs. 77.9% [odds ratio (OR): 0.87, 95% CI: 0.55–1.35, P = 0.52]). There was no decrease in the incidence of RTA victims under the influence of alcohol (45.2% vs. 45%, OR: 1.6, 95% CI: 0.89–2.90, P = 0.11). There was no decrease in the incidence of severe head injuries (19.1% vs. 15.6%, OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.78–2.10, P = 0.33) or injuries to extremities (42.8% vs. 35.2%, OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 0.93–2.02, P = 0.11). Conclusions: Although three-fourth of the liquor shops in the district were closed, it did not have a significant impact on the incidence and severity of RTAs presenting to the ED.


The level of impairment shown by the 1.3 million residents of nursing homes in the United States varies significantly, and this raises considerable challenges for how to address the sexual and romantic interests and needs of these diverse individuals. Unfortunately, bright-line rules and a onesize- fits-all approach are often taken when addressing these challenges. This article proposes a novel taxonomy for classifying the potential sexual and romantic relationships of cognitively impaired nursing home residents that includes relationships between unmarried residents, relationships between residents and their own spouses, and adulterous relationships. We explore the ethical and logistical challenges distinctive to each category of relationship.


Hemolytic anemia is recognized as a rare complication of mitral valve replacement or repair. We report on a 44-year-old man with shortness of breath and hemolytic anemia, 23 years after mitral valve replacement (Hall-Kaster), and a 63-year-old woman diagnosed of hemolytic anemia, 4 years after mitral and tricuspid annuloplasty (Tailor ring, An-core ring). Routine 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography revealed paravalvular leakage around the prosthesis. Subsequent real-time 3-dimensional (3D)transesophageal echocardiography helped the perceptional appreciation of the leakage and the measuring of the regurgitant orifice area using the anatomically correct plane. Surgical findings of each case fit those of 3D volumetric images.


Many Catholic school principals have limited assistance from their respective central offices in the recruitment and selection of teachers, especially if their objective is to recruit candidates of color or candidates for a particular subject area. Aware that teacher quality is related to student achievement, Catholic school principals must employ up-to-date, effective recruitment and hiring strategies to compete for qualified candidates in today's market. Mindful that teacher recruitment programs alone will not solve staffing problems, principals must remain vigilant for causes of low retention and strategize to retain their high-quality teachers. Implementing an intensive induction and mentoring program with expert colleagues throughout the year can reduce teacher turnover and expenses.


The dependency of many rural people on restricted access and use of natural resources of national parks for livelihoods sustenance is poorly acknowledged and detailed surveys clarifying usages and dependency on forest resources by local people are often lacking, especially for regulations and laws improvement purposes. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to six villages of 252 households (152) in close and (100) far areas following about 80% sampling intensity coupled with focus groups' discussions, to clarify usages and the dependency of rural people on indigenous fruits' species around the Ivindo National Park in Gabon. The results of the study revealed that these forest products collected represent an important component of the household livelihoods as source of food and income generation. Almost all the people, 250 (99.2%) reported harvesting all the six forest products in both locations of the park. Among the harvested products, three out of the six were considered as most popular such as Coula edulis, Dacriodes buettneri and Irvingia gabonensis while the others three were perceived as less popular ones, for example Baillonella toxisperma, Gambeya lacourtiana and Trichoscypha abut. In addition, purpose of forest products harvesting were both directed to household consumption, 250 (100.0%) and income generation, 88 (75.2%). Moreover, two out of the three most popular fruit species are sold at higher price per unit including C. edulis and I. gabonensis. Since the trends on usage were different mainly by ethnic group, distance and residential period, therefore it is necessary to be flexible when designing future rules and regulations on resources utilization of the Ivindo National Park that ensure livelihood of rural people in the meanwhile.

 Key words: Usages, dependency, indigenous fruits species, regulation, Ivindo National Park, Gabon.


Two experiments examined whether video game expertise transfers to performance on measures of spatial ability. In Experiment 1, skilled Tetris players outperformed non-Tetris players on mental rotation of shapes that were either identical to or very similar to Tetris shapes, but not on other tests of spatial ability. The pattern of performance on those mental rotation tasks revealed that skilled Tetris Players used the same mental rotation procedures as non-Tetris players, but when Tetris shapes were used, they executed them more quickly. In Experiment 2, non-Tetris players who received 12 hours of Tetris-playing experience did not differ from matched control students in pretest-to-posttest gains on tests of spatial ability. However, Tetris-experienced participants were more likely to use an alternative type of mental rotation for Tetris shapes than were Tetris-inexperienced participants. The results suggest that spatial expertise is highly domain-specific and does not transfer broadly to other domains. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract Household mortgage debt unleashed devastating consequences for the global economy in 2007–2008. Despite the growing importance of household debt in financial markets, international political economy and comparative political economy have not theorized why it varies so much across Europe. We argue that variation in household debt can be explained by the intersection of two domestic institutions: labor market institutions (and by extension the welfare state) that enable households to withstand negative employment/income shocks, and mortgage finance institutions that govern households' credit access. We empirically demonstrate via a panel analysis of 17 advanced capitalist democracies that the impact of these institutions on household debt is co-dependent. Strong collective bargaining institutions (and generous welfare states), which protect borrowers from income and employment insecurity, are associated with higher household indebtedness, but only if housing finance institutions that encourage mortgage lending are present (i.e. in Scandinavia and the Netherlands). In contrast, liberal (financialized) economies have comparatively lower household indebtedness because their labor market institutions inhibit income security for borrowers. As household debt becomes more central to comparative political economy, our findings suggest that scholars who study financialization need to integrate labor market (and welfare state) institutions into their analysis to understand how domestic financial systems function.


Background
The estimated prevalence of smoking and proportion of deaths due to tobacco in Eastern European countries are among the highest in the world. Existing estimates of mortality attributable to smoking in the region are mostly indirect. The aim of this analysis was to calculate the proportion of tobacco-attributed deaths in three Eastern European countries using individual level cohort data.

Methods
The PrivMort project established a cohort of relatives of participants in population sample surveys in Russia, Belarus and Hungary. Survey participants provided data on smoking habits and vital statistics of their close relatives between 1982 and 2013. Population attributable risk fractions (PARF) in men (n = 99528) and women (n = 77848) aged 40-79 years were calculated from the prevalence rates of smoking and hazard ratios of mortality for smokers versus non-smokers. Trends in PARF over four 8-year time periods (1982-1989, 1990-1997, 1998-2005, and 2006-2013) were examined.

Results
In men in the most recent period (2006-2013), the proportions of deaths attributable to tobacco were 23% in Russia, 22% in Belarus, and 22% in Hungary. The respective estimates in women were lower (2%, 2%, and 13%), possibly due to underestimation of smoking prevalence. PARF estimates have declined slightly since the early 1990s in men but increased in women.

Conclusions
Consistently with existing indirect estimates, our results based on individual level cohort data suggest that over one fifth of all deaths in men aged 40-79 years are attributable to tobacco. While these proportions are lower in women, the increasing trend is a major concern.

Implications
This is the first large scale, individual-level cohort study that estimated the mortality attributable to tobacco smoking directly in Eastern European population samples. The results confirm previous indirect estimates and show that more than 20% of all deaths in Eastern European men can be attributed to tobacco. The study also confirms the increasing trend in smoking-related deaths among women. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted policy interventions in Eastern European countries.


We prove that the Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator (DtN) has no spectrum in the lower half of the complex plane. We find several applications of this fact in scattering by obstacles with impedance boundary conditions. In particular, we find an upper bound for the gradient of the scattering amplitude and for the total cross section. We justify numerical approximations by providing bounds for the difference between theoretical and approximated solutions without using any a priori unknown constants.


The hospital accreditation of 2012 version assessment, performed through the evaluation of the implementation of hospital accreditation standards. It's consisting of four (4) standards groups. The laboratory service is one component of the Assessment of Patients (AOP) chapters. The role of Clinical Pathologist in this accreditation can be internal as well as external. In the laboratory services standard, there are 13 sections each with element of judgment. Some of the challenges are still encountered in the meeting for the accreditation standards include the need for an agreement between the Clinical Pathologist and the Physician, perhaps even the role of the Indonesian Association of Clinical Pathologist and Laboratory Medicine (IACPLM) to determine the values of which one has the critical value, that should be reported by the laboratory to physician. In addition, most laboratories currently in Indonesia do not have a reference value corresponding to the population and geography. This would be the task of the specialist (us) together/IACPLM to be able to formulate the reference value or discuss it with the Hospital Accreditation Committee in order to obtain the same perception of the reference value. But considering the determination of the reference value is not a simple matter and this will require cost as well. Another challenge is controlling the laboratory equipment used in wards, such as Point of Care Testing (POCT) devices. Most POCT is used in wards is not provided by the laboratory. The hospitals should regularly receive reports and review the quality control of the reference laboratory. But so far, most of the reference laboratories do not report the results of quality control to the hospital laboratory. In one assessment standard, stated that the hospitals should have access to contact an expert of diagnostics specialist such concerned to parasitological, virological, or toxicological. The question is whether the Clinical Pathologist can not be regarded as an expert in parasitological and virological diagnostics?


ABSTRACT Zaire and Sudan ebolavirus species cause a severe disease in humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs) characterized by a high mortality rate. There are no licensed therapies or vaccines against Ebola virus disease (EVD), and the recent 2013 to 2016 outbreak in West Africa highlighted the need for EVD-specific medical countermeasures. Here, we generated and characterized head-to-head the immunogenicity and efficacy of five vaccine candidates against Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) and Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) based on the highly attenuated poxvirus vector modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing either the virus glycoprotein (GP) or GP together with the virus protein 40 (VP40) forming virus-like particles (VLPs). In a human monocytic cell line, the different MVA vectors (termed MVA-EBOVs and MVA-SUDVs) triggered robust innate immune responses, with production of beta interferon (IFN-β), proinflammatory cytokines, and chemokines. Additionally, several innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells, neutrophils, and natural killer cells, were differentially recruited in the peritoneal cavity of mice inoculated with MVA-EBOVs. After immunization of mice with a homologous prime/boost protocol (MVA/MVA), total IgG antibodies against GP or VP40 from Zaire and Sudan ebolavirus were differentially induced by these vectors, which were mainly of the IgG1 and IgG3 isotypes. Remarkably, an MVA-EBOV construct coexpressing GP and VP40 protected chimeric mice challenged with EBOV to a greater extent than a vector expressing GP alone. These results support the consideration of MVA-EBOVs and MVA-SUDVs expressing GP and VP40 and producing VLPs as best-in-class potential vaccine candidates against EBOV and SUDV. IMPORTANCE EBOV and SUDV cause a severe hemorrhagic fever affecting humans and NHPs. Since their discovery in 1976, they have caused several sporadic epidemics, with the recent outbreak in West Africa from 2013 to 2016 being the largest and most severe, with more than 11,000 deaths being reported. Although some vaccines are in advanced clinical phases, less expensive, safer, and more effective licensed vaccines are desirable. We generated and characterized head-to-head the immunogenicity and efficacy of five novel vaccines against EBOV and SUDV based on the poxvirus MVA expressing GP or GP and VP40. The expression of GP and VP40 leads to the formation of VLPs. These MVA-EBOV and MVA-SUDV recombinants triggered robust innate and humoral immune responses in mice. Furthermore, MVA-EBOV recombinants expressing GP and VP40 induced high protection against EBOV in a mouse challenge model. Thus, MVA expressing GP and VP40 and producing VLPs is a promising vaccine candidate against EBOV and SUDV.


The relationship between sealer penetration into dentinal tubules and the bond strength of two new calcium silicate-based and epoxy resin-based endodontic sealers was evaluated. Thirty recently extracted human maxillary incisors were instrumented and divided into three groups according to the sealer used: (1) AH Plus; (2) iRoot SP; and (3) MTA Fillapex. Sealer penetration into dentinal tubules was measured using CLSM. Then, a universal testing machine was used to compare the push-out bond strengths of the sealers to the root canal dentin. AH Plus and MTA Fillapex exhibited significantly higher sealer penetration than iRoot SP did (p > .05). The push-out bond strengths of AH Plus and iRoot SP were higher than that of MTA Fillapex. We concluded that greater penetration of the sealer into the dentinal tubules was not associated with higher bond strength among the three sealers tested.


BACKGROUND
Worldwide, the number of home visits has been decreasing over past decades. Lack of time and long journeys have been reported to hinder general practitioners (GPs) from conducting home visits. In Switzerland also, home visits have declined. Time constraints in a busy GP practice could be one reason. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the time requirements of home visits in Switzerland.

METHODS
A one-year cross-sectional study involving GPs from the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance System (Sentinella) was conducted in 2019. GPs provided basic information on all home visits performed throughout the year and additionally detailed reports of up to 20 consecutive home visits. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were run to identify factors affecting journey and consultation duration.

RESULTS
In total, 95 GPs conducted 8489 home visits in Switzerland, 1139 of which have been characterised in detail. On average, GPs made 3.4 home visits per week. Average journey and consultation duration were 11.8 and 23.9 minutes, respectively. Prolonged consultations were provided by GPs working part-time (25.1 minutes), in group practice (24.9 minutes) or in urban regions (24.7 minutes). Rural environments and short journey to patient's home were both found to lower the odds of performing a long consultation compared to a short consultation (odds ratio [OR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.16-0.44 and OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.46-0.77, respectively). Emergency visits (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.21-4.01), out-of-hours appointments (OR 3.06, 95% CI 2.36-3.97) and day care involvement (OR 2.78, 95% CI 2.13-3.62) increased the odds of having a long consultation. Finally, patients in their 60s had markedly higher odds of receiving long consultations than patients in their 90s (OR 4.13, 95% CI 2.27-7.62), whereas lack of chronic conditions lowered the odds of a long consultation (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.00-0.43).

CONCLUSION
GPs perform rather few but long home visits, especially for multimorbid patients. GPs working part-time, in group practice or in urban regions devote more time to home visits.


The purpose of this study was to determine speciŽ c characteristics of endolymphatic sac (ES) cells of the developing rat that are considered to be involved in endolymph homeostasis. Because intermediate Ž lament proteins (IFPs) are regarded as markers of cell differentiation and basal lamina proteins (BLPs) are essential in cell matrix interactions, we determined the presence of IFPs [cytokeratins (CKs) and vimentin] and BLPs [collagen IV, heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG) and laminin] at different developmental stages before and after birth. In addition, we studied the expression of two enzymes of oxidative metabolism: cytochrome oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase. The presence of CKs 8, 18 and 19 in all epithelial cells of the ES during the embryonic stage is characteristic of simple (glandular) epithelial cells. Interestingly, a distinct population of these cells shows additional expression of CK 7, which is a feature of secretory cells. These CK 7-positive cells also contain a high concentration of oxidative enzymes and are rich in mitochondria, indicating that they are light cells. It is suggested that light cells possess speciŽ c energy-requiring transport capabilities. Loss of CK 19 expression in the distal part and in a large region of the intermediate part of the ES implies that these cells do not differentiate any further and acquire the capacity to proliferate. Furthermore, prominent co-expression of vimentin with the CKs in the distal part of the ES may confer viscoelastic properties on this epithelium. This may facilitate expansion and thus enable cushioning of pressure  uctuations. Finally, the early prominent occurrence of HSPG in the basal lamina of the ES enables transport of ions. In this light our recent observations of early functioning NaK-ATPases in certain ES cells are interesting.


A complete stage of an axial-flow compressor designed to produce a high pressure ratio was investigated at speeds from 110 to 130 percent of design speed (836 ft/sec). The data obtained and the results of a previous investigation of the same compressor at speeds from 50 to 100 percent of design speed were used to determine the effect of Mach number on over-all performance. The peak total-pressure ratio increased from 1.095 to 1.515 and the peak adiabatic efficiency decreased from 0.93 to 0.89 as the relative inlet Mach number increased from 0.34 to 0.77. At a relative inlet Mach number of 0.91, a total-pressure ratio of 1.635 was obtained at an adiabatic efficiency of 0.74.


Purpose of this study was to find out how the learning outcomes of class X Marketing students on business communication material using cooperative-based learning models, knowing how to learn Marketing class X students on business communication material using inquiry-based learning models, find out whether there are differences in learning outcomes of class X Marketing students on business communication material with cooperative learning and inquiry models. It is said that cooperative learning models are due to teaching strategies designed to educate group cooperation and interaction between students. While the inquiry learning model is learning that is centered on the activities of students to find their own experiences and knowledge. The design of this study is pre-test, treatment of learning models, and post-test. The results of this study are that there are differences in the learning outcomes of experimental class 1 students (X Pm 1) with an average value of 74.75 and experimental class 2 (X Pm 2) with an average value of 77.00. And the calculation using the t-test obtained tcount= 2.086> ttable = 0.39. Based on the results of these studies it can be concluded that the experimental class 2 which uses the inquiry learning model is better than the experimental class 1 which uses the cooperative learning model.


Research evidence has established the importance of mothers' education and their children's educational achievement. However, little has been done to establish the association between mothers' education with girls' literacy and numeracy scores, while linking it with self-efficacy. Using baseline data collected in Kibera informal settlement in 2015 as part of the Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K), this article tests the mother–child education achievement hypothesis while taking into account girls' self-efficacy. Results show a significant association between parental education and numeracy and cognitive scores at the bivariate level. In addition, interaction effects of mother's and father's education showed that girls whose mothers had at least some secondary education significantly performed better in numeracy, while the performance increased even more with increased father's level of education. Findings also show that on average, girls' numeracy and cognitive scores significantly increased by half of a standard deviation for a unit increment in self-efficacy. One policy implication is that investments into the secondary education of mothers in support of their daughter's education need to strengthen individual attributes of girls in self-efficacy.


Abstract. As visual oestrus detection is difficult to perform in large herds, different technical devices were developed to facilitate oestrus detection. In this investigation the significance of the traits activity, milk yield, milk flow rate and electrical conductivity due to oestrus was analysed. The traits were recorded automatically during each milking on a commercial dairy farm. Oestrus detection was performed for 862 cows on basis of time series consisting of 15 days before oestrus, the day of oestrus and 15 days after oestrus. The day of oestrus was determined by the insemination which caused a calving after 265 to 295 days. The univariate analyses of traits were performed by the time series methods day-to-day comparison, moving average, exponential smoothing and Box-Jenkins three parameter smoothing. For multivariate analyses a fuzzy logic model was developed and modified for the different combinations of traits. The efficiency of the detection models and traits was determined by the parameters sensitivity, specificity and error rate. A moving average was the best suited time series method for oestrus detection by activity data. Sensitivity ranged between 94.2 and 71% and error rate was between 53.2 and 21.5% for threshold values between 40 and 120%. The traits milk yield, milk flow rate and electrical conductivity were not suitable for univariate oestrus detection. Depending on the considered traits multivariate analyses resulted in sensitivities between 87.0 and 87.9%. The error rate varied between 28.2 and 31.0%. Further analyses should include previous information such as time since last oestrus.


Abstract : The WRNMMC Clinical Breast Care Project/Winder Research Institute will help lead the way in the 21st century in the crusade against breast disorders. The project will utilize a multidisciplinary approach as the standard of care for treating breast diseases and breast cancer. This multidisciplinary model integrates prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and continuing care, but the project is further unique in the incorporation of advances in risk reduction, informatics, tissue banking and research. These efforts focus on decreasing the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer among American women.


The impact of climate change on specific biotic constrainers like pathogens and on the host-pathogen relationship is associated with changes in pathogens life cycles, increased incidence, pathogenicity, genetically recombination and aggressiveness traits, which require rethinking the integrated management strategies. However, the results of investigations are inconsistent and poorly understood in the context of climatic change. The present review is focused on the influence of crop management on Septoria Tritici Blotch (STB) disease in winter wheat in the context of climate change taking into consideration case studies in order to understand better how the components of disease cycle are affected and to identify disease risk of different agricultural practices. The response of Zymoseptoria tritici pathogen to climate change is of high interest currently in order to estimate disease risk on a large scale and to introduce new understandings in developing management strategies. Soil tillage, crop rotation, sowing date and nitrogen fertilization are considered important tools in disease control which need to be adjusted according with climatically factors for each area which affect the dispersal of ascospores and pycnidiospores of the pathogen. However, further investigation need to be done in order to highlight the impact of climate change on foliar wheat pathogens and which are the most appropriate management tools in order to control these pathogens and to enhance global food security in a changing climate.


To provide additional knowledge on the long term effects of railway and road traffic noise socio-acoustic surveys were performed in two residential areas exposed to road traffic noise (highway and major roads) and two areas exposed to railway noise (124 trains per day). Results were obtained for 974 individuals exposed to comparative sound levels ranging from LAeq,24h 45 to 65 dB. Road traffic caused significantly more noise annoyance than railway traffic, however, the difference decreased somewhat at higher sound levels above LAeq,24h 60 dB. For Lden the difference in annoyance between the two noise sources was larger and the difference increased at higher sound levels. At all sound levels, road traffic noise caused more disturbances of rest/relaxation (LAeq,24h) and sleep quality (Lnight) but less disturbance of conversation than railway noise. It was concluded that noise from railway traffic overall causes less adverse health effects than road traffic noise, in cases with a relatively moderate number of trains per day.


We calculate a new equation of state for baryons at sub-nuclear densities meant for the use in core-collapse simulations of massive stars. The abundances of various nuclei are obtained together with the thermodynamic quantities. The formulation is the nuclear statistical equilibrium description and the liquid drop approximation of nuclei. The model free energy to minimize is calculated by relativistic mean field theory for nucleons and the mass formula for nuclei with atomic number up to ∼1000. We have also taken into account the pasta phase, thanks to which the transition to uniform nuclear matter in our equation of state (EOS) occurs in the conventional manner: nuclei are not dissociated into nucleons but survive right up to the transition to uniform nuclear matter. We find that the free energy and other thermodynamical quantities are not very different from those given in the H. Shen's EOS, one of the standard EOSs that adopt the single nucleus approximation. On the other hand, the average mass is systematically different, which may have an important ramification to the rates of electron captures and coherent neutrino scatterings on nuclei in supernova cores. It is also interesting that the root mean square of the mass number is not very different from the average mass number, since the former is important for the evaluation of coherent scattering rates on nuclei but has been unavailable so far. The EOS table is currently under construction, which will include the weak interaction rates.


Recent works have proposed to craft adversarial clothes for evading person detectors, while they are either only effective at limited viewing angles or very conspicuous to humans. We aim to craft adversarial texture for clothes based on 3D modeling, an idea that has been used to craft rigid adversarial objects such as a 3D-printed turtle. Unlike rigid objects, humans and clothes are non-rigid, leading to difficulties in physical realization. In order to craft natural-looking adversarial clothes that can evade person detectors at multiple viewing angles, we propose adversarial camou-flage textures (AdvCaT) that resemble one kind of the typical textures of daily clothes, camouflage textures. We leverage the Voronoi diagram and Gumbel-softmax trick to parameterize the camouflage textures and optimize the parameters via 3D modeling. Moreover, we propose an efficient augmentation pipeline on 3D meshes combining topologically plausible projection (TopoProj) and Thin Plate Spline (TPS) to narrow the gap between digital and real-world objects. We printed the developed 3D texture pieces on fabric materials and tailored them into T-shirts and trousers. Experiments show high attack success rates of these clothes against multiple detectors.


A method was developed for the determination of micro amounts of iodide in dairy products by ion chromatography with direct amperometric detection. The eluent used was 0.04 mol/L NaOH. The relative standard deviations of retention times and peak heights for 1 mg/L and 2 micrograms/L iodide solutions were 0.67%, 3.9% (n = 8) and 0.97%, 1.8% (n = 8), respectively. Calibration curves showed good linearity with r = 0.9991 (n = 8, from 10 micrograms/L to 160 micrograms/L), and with r = 0.9986 (n = 8, from 400 micrograms/L to 5 mg/L). The detection limit of iodide by this method was 1 microgram/L. The method has been used to analyse two kinds of milk powder and a kind of fresh milk. The recoveries were 89.0%, 86.0% and 84.1% for infant formula milk powder, mother's milk powder and fresh milk, respectively.


Vegetable oil is an important commodity that functions as food, feed and fuel. Palm oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are the main vegetable oils (90%) traded on the world market. Changes in external factors allegedly affect the performance of exports and imports of each type of vegetable oil on the world market. This study aims to analyze the impact of changes in external factors (increase in world prices of crude oil and demand for vegetable oils) on the world trade performance of vegetable oil.Analysis using econometric models in the form of simultaneous equations consists of 45 structural equations and 8 identity equations which are estimated by the Two Least Square (2SLS) method using the annual data series 1991-2015. Simulation method with Newton method, the results of the study showed that the increase in world prices of crude oil has a positive impact on improving the performance of the trade in palm oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil, but the trade performance of soybean oil has declined. Imports of Chinese palm oil experienced the highest increase of 9.53%. Palm oil exports from Indonesia and Malaysia have increased, but the increase is smaller than the increase in palm oil imports from China, Europe, the United States and India so that the world price of palm oil is still increasing.The increasing GDP of the United States has the greatest impact on exports, imports and prices of world palm oil. While the increase in China's GDP has the most impact on imports and world prices of rapeseed oil.


The application of casing treatments to compressor stages has proven suitable to achieve an extended operating range towards lower mass flow rates and to increase the stage pressure ratio. The responsible effect of the casing treatment on the blade passage flow is the reduction of blockage in the tip region mainly caused by the tip leakage vortex. In transonic compressors the tip leakage flow interacts with the shock induced by the subsequent blade. The position and strength of this shock effects the behavior of the vortex and can lead to higher blockage. At highly throttled operating points the shock detaches from the blade leading edge. Hence, the distance between tip leakage vortex development and the shock interaction is reduced. Aims of this investigation are to determine the effect of an advanced axial slot casing treatment on the shock detachment and to estimate the recirculation activity inside the slots. A casing treatment was applied on a modern one and a half stage high speed test rig with steady and unsteady instrumentation. The test rig allows the direct comparison with the conventional smooth wall configuration. Static wall pressure in the blade tip region was measured using unsteady pressure taps to resolve the shock structure close to the casing. Inside one casing treatment slot a hot wire probe was used to measure the recirculation velocity depending on the operating point. Additionally a five hole probe was used to measure the rotor outflow. The results show an increased operating range of the axial compressor towards lower mass flow rates along with a higher stage pressure ratio. A reduced detachment distance of the shock compared to the smooth wall configuration is observed at low mass flow rates. The dependency of the recirculation activity on the shock position is derived from the data. Over a wide range of mass flow rates the velocity inside the slot rises with the detachment of the shock and hence the pressure ratio. Only at highly throttled operating points the recirculation velocity decreases while the pressure ratio still rises. This is a possible indicator for repeated recirculation of flow through adjacent slots. The measurements are used as a validation for numerical simulations presented in Part 2 of this publication, showing a good agreement in the observed flow features including shock position. A comparison of numerical and experimental pressure distributions is given and the results are analyzed with similar methods to quantify the shock detachment and strength.