Brain serotonin and noradrenaline may be involved in the regulation of sleep and of food choice. The precursor amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine and their ratios to large, neutral amino acids (LNAA) were determined in plasma of 60 healthy females and related to sleeping and eating habits as reported on a questionnaire. There was no relation between biochemical findings and the habits of going early to bed and rising early versus late rising and going late to bed. The ratios tryptophan:LNAA and tyrosine:LNAA together were significantly related to the choice of between-meal snacks in the forenoon; the subjects with supernormal net availability of tryptophan and tyrosine selected snacks with low proportions of protein to carbohydrate contents in preference to snacks with relatively high proportions as compared with subjects with subnormal net availability. Although designed as a pilot study, the results suggest an involvement of both serotoninergic and noradrenergic mechanisms in the regulation or protein and carbohydrate intake in man.


Postmodernism is a movement that grew out of modernism. Movements in art, literature, and cinema focused on a particular stance. The visual artists who created entertainment focused on expressing the creator herself/himself beginning from German expressionism to modernism, surrealism, cubism, etc. These art movements played an important part in what an artist (literature, art, and visual) portrayed to his or her audience. As perspectives played an important part, an understanding of what the artist needed to portray was critical. Modernism dealt with this portrayal, which came about due to the changes taking place in society. In terms of the industry, where the overall product dealt with features like individualism, experimentation and absurdity, modernism dealt with a need to overthrow past notions of what painting, literature, and the visual arts needed to be. "After World War II, the focus moved from Europe to the United States, and abstract expressionism (led by Jackson Pollock) continued the movement's momentum, followed by movements such as geometric abstractions, minimalism, process art, pop art, and pop music." Postmodernism helped do away with these shortcomings. An understanding of postmodernism is explored in this paper. The main point which sets it apart is concepts like pastiche, intersexuality, and spectacle. Concerning pop culture, an understanding of referencing is a constant trait used by postmodern art. Postmodern television and the central part of this study applied to the popular animated American TV show, 'family guy' is a postmodern show in its truest form, while attempting to use certain aspects of postmodernism tropes to help emphasize that visual art can be considered a historical document while doing an in-depth analysis of the visual text of 'family guy by itself, several other research papers were used to help further put in stone that 'family guy' is a true representation of postmodern television. It is divided into two phases of data collection: context analysis, which involves a qualitative study. The second being in-depth interviews (also qualitative) which in itself helps give a subjective view of participants between the ages of 20 and 28. These comprise students who are familiar with the show and the concepts of the show. All of them, both frequent viewers of the show and those also politically informed of world politics, helped further emphasize the concept of the paper, which was the idea of how a television show in all its absurd narrative and pastiche functions as a historical document. The purpose of this study, along with the results for this research, is to help bring about the comprehension of how postmodern shows are influenced by other past events, figures of history, etc.; this understanding can explain how a television show like 'family guy could be considered a historical document – by its narrative, by the cultural references connected to these said events, and also with the help of paintings, which the makers of the show use to design the episode of the show, and which reflect and refer to the actual historical figures. Historiography is being proven to be biased in more ways than one, which leads us to an understanding of a different narrative depending on one's own opinions of history and historical documents as we know it.


Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction usually presented to emergency department complaining from severe chest pain. This pain resulted from imbalance between oxygen supply and demand leading to serious complication. Different guidelines recommended the use of morphine as a drug of choice for this pain.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to check the effect of pain and morphine use on complication rate after acute myocardial infarction.
Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to meet the purpose of this study. Data were extracted from the medical records of 371 patients with diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction from four different hospitals in Amman, Jordan by trained cardiovascular research assistants.
Results: Patients with severe chest pain have more complications (1.65 ± 1.04 vs. 0.16 ± 1.14, p < .001) and longer length of stay in the intensive care units (5.98 ± 6.13 vs. 4.17 ± 6.99, p < .05) and in the hospital (7.34 ± 14.49 vs. 3.37 ± 3.04, p < .001) compared to patients with mild and moderate pain. The use of morphine did not have any protective effect against the development of complications or length of stay.
Conclusion: Pain increased complications and length of stay after acute myocardial infarction. Morphine use did not have a protective effect on these complications. Different treatment strategies (i.e. treating the cause) are highly recommended. Randomized control trials to check the effect of morphine use in patients with acute myocardial infarction is warranted


The current state of affairs in Ontario for average and low wage earners who lose their jobs without cause is not satisfactory. These terminated employees must choose between two unappealing courses: either accept minimal entitlements to notice under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, or seek to obtain what may be a greater entitlement under common law, but which may also require engaging in long and costly litigation. Moreover, there are good reasons to question the reliability and effectiveness of the individualized approach to notice determinations undertaken by courts. The practical inaccessibility and inadequacy of these options has been recognized repeatedly, yet these weaknesses have not been addressed by statutory or common law reform. This article addresses the lack of realizable, "just notice" entitlements for employees.Rather than making a detailed proposal for reform, this article seeks to provide a focused examination of the shortcomings of the existing situation, and identify possible avenues for reform. We first provide an introduction and critique of the current individual termination entitlements at common law and under the ESA, including the purposes of such requirements and the results of empirical research. Next, earlier proposals for reform are reviewed. Finally, we set out a series of considerations for "just notice" reform.


The concept of sustainable construction has attracted an increased attention. Bridge infrastructures and their belonged construction activities consume considerable material and energy, which is responsible for large environmental burdens. However, the environmental assessment of bridges has not been integrated into the decision-making process. This paper presents a systematic LCA method for quantifying the environmental impacts for bridges. The comparison study is performed between a reinforced concrete bridge and a steel bridge as an alternative design, with several key maintenance and EOL scenarios outlined. LCA study is performed with the ReCiPe methodology with life cycle inventories data from public database. Five selected mid-point level impact categories and the energy consumption are presented. The result shows that the steel bridge has a better environmental performance due to the recycling strategy, while the initial material manufacture is the most dominant phase that contributes large environmental impact in both design solutions.


The Kallisto project aims at finding cost effective sets of measures to meet the WFD derived goals for the river De Dommel. The project reasons from the both acute and long term impacts of the urban wastewater system on the quality and ecology of the river that are studied with an integral monitoring campaign in the wastewater system (WWTP and sewers) and river. By applying impact based RTC, the project aims at minimizing additional investments in infrastructure while meeting the requirements. Moreover, uncertainty is explicitly considered in the optimization and decision making process. The paper describes the overall project strategy, some preliminary results of modelling and monitoring of the components of the urban water system and the demonstration research for treatment techniques and the planned integration into optimization and decision making.


This paper proposes a formal verification methodology which smoothly integrates with component-based system-level design, using a divide and conquer approach. The methodology assumes that the system consists of several reusable components, each of them already verified by their designers and which are considered correct under the assumption that the environment satisfies certain properties assumed by the component. What remains to be verified is the glue logic inserted between the components. Each such glue logic is verified one at a time using model checking techniques. Experiments, performed on a real-life example (mobile telephone), demonstrating the efficiency and intuitivity of the methodology, are moreover thoroughly presented. Three different properties have been verified on one part of the system.


Microvascular pericytes are believed to be involved in various functions such as regulation of capillary blood flow and endothelial proliferation. Since pericytes represent a morphologically heterogeneous cell population ranging from circular smooth musclelike to elongated fibroblast-like morphology it is possible that regulation of blood flow (via contractility) and control of endothelial proliferation (as well as other metabolic functions) may be accomplished by different subsets of pericytes. In the present study we provide evidence for heterogeneity of pericytes at the molecular level by using two novel technical approaches. These are (a) immunostaining of whole mounts of the microvascular beds of the rat mesentery and bovine retina and (b) immunoblotting studies of microdissected retinal microvessels. We show that pericytes of true capillaries (midcapillaries) apparently lack the smooth muscle isoform of alpha- actin whereas transitional pericytes of pre- and postcapillary microvascular segments do express this isoform. Thus, regulation of capillary blood flow may be accomplished by the smooth muscle-related pre- and postcapillary pericytes whereas the nonmuscle pericytes of true capillaries may play a role in other functions.


Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) are a group of medically important bacteria which have been implicated in cases of haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome. They are characterised by the ability to produce Verotoxins (VT), potent exotoxins which kill mammalian cells by inhibiting protein synthesis. Two distinct VT are known, Verotoxin 1 (VT1) and Verotoxin 2 (VT2), and variants of VT2 have been described.

VTEC adhere to intestinal cells via an attaching-effacing mechanism and many strains carry a 60-MDa plasmid which was thought to be involved in adhesion. Attachment of VTEC is thought to be an important pathogenic mechanism since it allows colonisation to occur, and facilitates delivery of toxin. The exact mechanisms of VTEC infection, however, especially the variation in severity of disease have not been established.

This study aimed to investigate the putative virulence attributes of VTEC, namely toxin production and bacterial attachment. In order to study the toxins, it was first necessary to develop a reliable method of assay, and for this, two assays were chosen; a Vero cell assay which measured biological activity, and a colony ELISA, which detected the presence of toxin antigens.

Since VT are produced by lysogenic phages, the effect of a phage inducer, mitomycin C, on VT production, was investigated. Increased levels of VT appeared to be detected and SDS-PAGE analysis of extracellular proteins revealed that the amount of toxin, and other phage proteins increased in the presence of mitomycin C, whilst bacterial protein levels remained constant. This effect was not seen when a non-VTEC strain was tested. The specific activity of VT increased inside the cell, where bacterial protein synthesis had ceased, but decreased extracellularly due to cell lysis. Extracellular phage particles were demonstrated by plaque assay.

Mutants of 0157:H7 strain ATCC 35150, were produced by chemical mutagenesis. They did not possess the 60-MDa plasmid, found in the parent strain, and had an altered biochemical profile. Immunological assays revealed that they were altered in the O side chain of the LPS and it was shown by immunoblotting, that only the major outer membrane proteins reacted with anti-0157:H7 although they were not rough mutants. Analysis of the LPS neutral sugars showed that the mutants contained rhamnose, instead of fucose which was present in the parent strain. Despite these changes, however, the hydrophobicity of the mutants, or their ability to attach to colonic mucus or HeLa cells was unaffected, indicating that the 60-MDa plasmid is not significant in attachment. The mutants appeared to produce toxin with little activity, which was also biologically unstable. Secretion of the toxin appeared to be reduced, possibly as a result of the LPS mutations.

The internalisation and intracellular processing of VT1 and VT2 was studied, and it was shown that the toxins were internalised by receptor- mediated endocytosis, but could probably by-pass this pathway. There was no requirement for exposure to an acidic environment, although fusion of endosomes with lysosomes was essential. It was also necessary for cells to possess physiologically functioning calcium channels for intoxication to occur.


This book draws together from the last dozen years a selection of Dr. Towers's essays and other occasional writings. They deal with themes as specialist as " Life before Birth: Human Embryology and the Law of Complexity-Consciousness," as intriguing as " Medical Scientists and the View that History is Bunk," and as perennial as "Science and Religion: A Summary of the Problems and Future Prospects." Altogether a rich and lively collection, and by no means haphazardly heaped together. As might be expected of the author-a " cradle-Catholic," an eminent scientist whose Cambridge career has " reached that happy point where I can afford to say almost anything I like to almost anybody I like," and the chairman of the Teilhard de Chardin Association in Britain-his basic convictions inform and give coherence to the different parts of the book. According to Dr. Towers our century is experiencing a deep-seated malaise, symptoms of which are " sick " pessimism, shallow cock-a-hoopness, triviality, and aimlessness in what pass for serious pursuits. The fundamental cause of this sickness is that the three essential approaches to man's understanding of the universe and himselfreligion, philosophy, and science-are hardly on speaking terms with one another. Hence the basic problem of our day is to discover on what terms these three can attain the right kind of interplay and alliance. To be promising in this twentieth century, any such rapprochement must desert the kind of device by which the triumvirs trisected the Roman state, temporarily patching up their disagreements and hiding murderous intentions behind false smiles. Religion, philosophy, and science are all universalist in the scope of their interest. Each must not only respect the other two, but also learn deeply to understand their aims and claims and appreciate their achievements. This attitude will demand effort as costly as the crisis calling for it is menacing to mankind's progress. The pioneering work of Teilhard is immensely important for this enterprise. Dr. Towers claims that " as time goes on Teilhard's ideas . . . are stimulating millions of people to think. He is also leading millions of people to pray. ... He has restored to science, and to the world in general, a sense of direction. Without such a sense the human spirit tends to wander aimlessly in pursuit of mere diversion." In a longer notice many sayings in this substantive and lively book would demand to be quoted. Here two must suffice: " The Church simply cannot afford another episode like that of Galileo," and " Palaeontology is a fascinating science, but fossilized philosophy has little to recommend it." A. C. CRAIG.


To investigate regulatory domains of the thromboxane A2 (TxA2) receptor, we constructed a truncated form of the mouse TxA2 receptor and expressed it in a mesangial cell line. The mutant receptor lacked 22 amino acids in the C-terminus including four potential phosphorylation sites. Ligand binding of mutant receptors was identical with the wild type. Stimulation with TxA2 agonist induced increases in inositol trisphosphate (IP3) generation and [Ca++]i by both wild-type and mutant receptors. However, the initial increase in IP3 generation by the mutant receptor was only approximately 50% of that seen in the wild type. Exposure of wild-type receptors to TxA2 agonist caused desensitization of IP3 and calcium responses. Pretreatment with TxA2 agonist caused some desensitization of mutant receptors, but the extent of desensitization was reduced compared with the wild type. The protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine attenuated TxA2-induced desensitization of wild-type receptors, but had little effect on TxA2-induced desensitization of mutant receptors. Pretreatment with low concentrations of the phorbol ester, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (100 nM), reduced subsequent responsiveness of wild-type but not mutant TxA2 receptors. In contrast, high-dose phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (1 microM) produced a similar degree of desensitization of both receptor types. These data suggest that: 1) the C-terminus participates in coupling of the TxA2 receptor to its effector systems; 2) the C-terminus contributes to agonist-specific desensitization of the TxA2 receptor; and 3) protein kinase C-induced desensitization of the TxA2 receptor is complex and depends, in part, on C-terminal domains of the TxA2 receptor.


This article is a comparison of statutory and effective marginal tax rates in Canada. It is similar to a recent study by the Joint Committee on Taxation in the United States, except that both the personal income tax and social security programs are considered. The data source is the Social Policy Simulation Database and Model, which is a Statistics Canada database of tax information on 200,000 individuals. Nineteen separate sources of differences between effective and statutory rates are ranked in terms of their impact on effective marginal tax rates in Canada, with the benefit reduction of the guaranteed income supplement for seniors heading the list. It is found that 16.6 million Canadians, or 56 percent of the population, experience some difference between their effective and statutory marginal tax rates. More than one-fifth of the population has at least a 10-percentage-point difference. These Canadian figures are higher than those previously calculated for individual taxpayers in the United States. High effective tax rates are concentrated in the 17-percent federal statutory rate bracket; more taxpayers with effective rates above 45 percent come from this bracket than from the supposedly "top" bracket of 31.32 percent. Almost 1 million Canadians, two-thirds of whom are seniors, have an effective marginal tax rate of 60 percent or more.


America, as a culture and a society, has embraced the zombie as the new apocryphal myth in a Post 9/11 culture as a subconscious coping mechanism to deal with fear and terror and to train itself for an eventual breakdown of society in an apocalyptic event. The Post 9/11 America has latched on both consciously and subconsciously to the figure of the zombie because it easily represents and embodies a wide range of fears to a wide range of people's anxieties in a terrorist filled global world. This is examined by analyzing Robert Kirkman's comic series The Walking Dead, and Max Brooks' novels World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide in context of the cultural themes present in the works which reflect American society in wake of the 9/11 attacks. Fear of the unknown and lurking dangers of terrorism is a direct parallel to the modern zombie narrative, as well as examining a heightened sense of paranoia and issues of trust of Americans when dealing with government, foreigners, and even their own neighbours, as illustrated by character interaction in the modern zombie narrative. A brief history of the modern zombie narrative also highlights the evolution of the Romero zombie in the late 60's to the current modern zombie of the post 9/11 generation, in terms of how the zombie myth/narrative has changed and what core elements have endured to keep this monster alive in society.


The direct method [Fan, Hao, Gu, Qian, Zheng & Ke (1990). Acta Cryst. A46, 935-939] was used to break the phase ambiguity intrinsic to one-wavelength anomalous scattering data from a known protein of moderate size, core streptavidin, which was solved originally with three-wavelength anomalous diffraction data [Hendrickson, Pähler, Smith, Satow, Merritt & Phizackerley (1989). Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 86, 2190-2194]. Unlike that in the previous test with a small protein, the Fourier map calculated with the direct-method phases could not clearly reveal the moderate-sized protein structure. However, the phases can be improved step by step using Wang's solvent-flattening method, non-crystallographic symmetry averaging and the skeletonization method. The final electron-density map clearly shows most Calpha positions and some side chains and it is traceable without prior knowledge of the structure. It is concluded that the direct method is capable of breaking the OAS phase ambiguity of a moderate-sized protein at moderate resolution such as 3 A, while the combination of direct methods with macromolecular techniques may produce phases good enough for unknown protein structure to be traced.


In object recognition, soft-assignment coding enjoys computational efficiency and conceptual simplicity. However, its classification performance is inferior to the newly developed sparse or local coding schemes. It would be highly desirable if its classification performance could become comparable to the state-of-the-art, leading to a coding scheme which perfectly combines computational efficiency and classification performance. To achieve this, we revisit soft-assignment coding from two key aspects: classification performance and probabilistic interpretation. For the first aspect, we argue that the inferiority of soft-assignment coding is due to its neglect of the underlying manifold structure of local features. To remedy this, we propose a simple modification to localize the soft-assignment coding, which surprisingly achieves comparable or even better performance than existing sparse or local coding schemes while maintaining its computational advantage. For the second aspect, based on our probabilistic interpretation of the soft-assignment coding, we give a probabilistic explanation to the magic max-pooling operation, which has successfully been used by sparse or local coding schemes but still poorly understood. This probability explanation motivates us to develop a new mix-order max-pooling operation which further improves the classification performance of the proposed coding scheme. As experimentally demonstrated, the localized soft-assignment coding achieves the state-of-the-art classification performance with the highest computational efficiency among the existing coding schemes.


Ubiquitous knowledge environment with five salient features is transferring from concept to reality. The library based on ubiquitous knowledge environment not only faces the rare development opportunities with three levels, but also encounters unprecedented challenges and crises. Building a system with characteristics of high-quality mass knowledge resources, creating a personalized intelligent service system and establishing human values, achieving transfer from the information services to knowledge services, and constructing a highly collaborative library alliance are the only ways for the healthy development of Chinese libraries under ubiquitous knowledge environment.


Acclimation and flexible response mechanisms are ancient survival modes allowing prokaryotic cells to conquer diverse habitats and maintain viability in nature. Evidently, lack of water significantly impacts cellular response making it vital for individual cells to benefit from population support and access survival means available beyond the cell boundaries. Microscopy of dried bacterial cells at solid-air interfaces suggested that cell membrane breakdown didn't occur for months. Viable counts for Gram-positive Arthrobacter spp. and Gram-negative Pseudomonas stutzeri were significantly higher for larger population density during prolonged periods of desiccation and nutrient starvation. Presence of homogenized cells extended short-term survival of Arthrobacter spp. cells, while heat-killed cells significantly extended viability of all populations. It appeared that huddled zombielike cells allow preservation and recycling of essential survival components within a population. Understanding population-mediated survival at solid-air interfaces is key for monitoring and controlling bacteria including in deep geological repositories for nuclear waste management.


Damage detection in structural health monitoring (SHM) using piezoelectric transducers has received attention in recent decades for increasing safety and reducing maintenance costs of various types of engineering structures. Among the various methods to detect structural damage, the impedance-based method performs the measurement of the electrical impedance of piezoelectric transducers attached in the monitored structure, which is related to the mechanical properties of the structure due to the piezoelectric effect. Therefore, the impedance measurement is critical to ensure the correct diagnosis of the structure and this paper presents an analysis of the main techniques of signal acquisition from piezoelectric transducers that have been proposed in the literature to replace the conventional impedance analyzers. Experimental tests were carried out with a piezoelectric transducer attached to an aluminum bar and the acquisition techniques were analyzed and compared regarding the precision and sensitivity to damage. The analysis was performed using the real part of the impedance signatures and a basic damage index based on the correlation coefficient. The results indicate that the signal acquisition techniques have important differences regarding the precision and sensitivity to structural damage that should be considered in the development of impedance-based SHM systems.


Undoped ZnO and doped ZnO films were deposited on the MgO(111) substrates using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam expitaxy. The orientations of the grown ZnO thin film were investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and ex situ x-ray diffraction (XRD). The film roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy, which was correlated with the grain sizes determined by XRD. Synchrotron-based x-ray absorption spectroscopy was performed to study the doping effect on the electronic properties of the ZnO films, compared with density functional theory calculations. It is found that, nitrogen doping would hinder the growth of thin film, and generate the NO defect, while magnesium doping promotes the quality of nitrogen-doped ZnO films, inhibiting (N2)O production and increasing nitrogen content.


This paper presents the application of a new hydroelectric generator air gap measurement system. It is a continuous on-line system using optical triangulation, fiber-optics, a microprocessor-based monitor, specially developed instrumentation and power supplies. This system is non-invasive, insensitive to EMI and has 0.2% accuracy over a range of 2 to 40 mm. The paper presents air gap data obtained from B.C. Hydro's Mica Creek Unit G2 (457 MVA) during March 1986. Readings were taken from stator-to-rotor and from rotor-to-stator to determine the unit's characteristics prior to rotor rim shrink modifications. This data assisted in determining the individual contributions of the rotor and the stator to the generator's behavior and provides a comparison for post-modification testing.


1. Inhibition of endogenous microsomal NADPH oxidase by CO enables membrane-bound glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase (EC 126.96.36.199) to be assayed conveniently by a linked assay involving NADPH and glutathione reductase (EC 18.104.22.168). 2. The specific activity of the enzyme in rat liver microsomal preparations is of the order of 1 nmol of oxidized glutathione formed/min per mg of membrane protein. 3. The specific activity of the enzyme is comparable in rough and smooth microsomal fractions, and the activity is not affected by treatment with EDTA and the removal of ribosomes from rough microsomal fractions. 4. Membrane-bound glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase is not affected by concentrations of deoxycholate up to 0.5%, whereas protein disulphide-isomerase (EC 184.108.40.206) is drastically inhibited. 5. On these grounds it is concluded that, in rat liver microsomal fractions, glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase and protein disulphide-isomerase activities are not both catalysed by a single enzyme species.


Deep neural networks (DNNs) are shown to be vulnerable to adversarial examples. A well-trained model can be easily attacked by adding small perturbations to the original data. One of the hypotheses of the existence of the adversarial examples is the off-manifold assumption: adversarial examples lie off the data manifold. However, recent research showed that on-manifold adversarial examples also exist. In this paper, we revisit the off-manifold assumption and want to study a question: at what level is the poor performance of neural networks against adversarial attacks due to on-manifold adversarial examples? Since the true data manifold is unknown in practice, we consider two approximated on-manifold adversarial examples on both real and synthesis datasets. On real datasets, we show that on-manifold adversarial examples have greater attack rates than off-manifold adversarial examples on both standard-trained and adversarially-trained models. On synthetic datasets, theoretically, We prove that on-manifold adversarial examples are powerful, yet adversarial training focuses on off-manifold directions and ignores the on-manifold adversarial examples. Furthermore, we provide analysis to show that the properties derived theoretically can also be observed in practice. Our analysis suggests that on-manifold adversarial examples are important, and we should pay more attention to on-manifold adversarial examples for training robust models.


Recent advances in sequencing methods have prompted an upsurge in research into the modification of diseaseassociated genes or genes involved in drug resistance. In the early days of genome-editing, immunogenic and difficult to deliver tools with high off-target effects such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription activatorlike effector nucleases (TALENs) proteins were used. This was followed by the discovery of the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat s, CRISPR/Cas9 system. This "self-non-self-discriminatory" natural defence mechanism in bacteria and archaea identifies and degrades extrachromosomal genomes or foreign genetic elements to prevent them from integrating into the prokaryotic genomes. Unlike traditional gene therapies that can merely insert a gene in a random pattern, the inexpensive and expedient CRISPR/ Cas9 system was harnessed by scientists to precisely cut, add or manipulate multiple DNA sequences at specific sites.
This review will focus on the most recent studies in genome-editing by giving an overview of the past and modern methods in this field with an emphasis on the bacterial adaptive immune system called CRISPR/Cas9. This article will also analyze the applications of CRISPR/ Cas9 in rewriting the human genome in clinical and research settings and its potential future therapeutic applications. In addition, we shall consider the technical complexities which need to be overcome for the safe and effective delivery of this novel therapy and how the ethical concerns associated with this revolutionary genome engineering technique have constrained research in germ-line genome-editing. Furthermore, we shall highlight the role of scientific regulatory committees in evaluating and assessing safety issues such as potential complications before translating this proof-of-concept evidential approach to clinical reality. More research is required to explore the risk of hazardous genome edits and to fine-tune and improve this novel therapeutic system. Although the inexpensive and easy to use CRISPR/ Cas9 platform paves new ways for precise genome editing, clinical application is still at an early stage.


BACKGROUND
The traumatic diaphragmatic hernia (TDH) may appear acutely after a blunt or penetrating trauma, or it can remain missed also for many years. The discussion about the utility of a laparoscopic repair in acute and chronic TDH is controversial.

METHODS
In this paper, we present two cases of chronic TDH that were successfully treated with laparoscopy. The first patient was treated 1 year after a stab wound and the second one 10 years after a firearm injury.

RESULTS
In both cases, the diaphragmatic defects were easily laparoscopically detected and treated. The defects were repaired with a direct running suture owing to the acceptable dimensions of the tears. The mean operative time was 135 minutes (range, 75-195). The blood loss during the operations was unremarkable. No intraoperative complications occurred, and the conversion rate was null. The postoperative course was uneventful in the first patient, whereas the second patient, owing to the intraoperative respiratory problems, needed an accurate respiratory monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit. The mean length of stay after the operation was 7 days (range, 6-8). At follow-up, the clinical examination and the chest X-rays documented no recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS
We recommend the use of laparoscopy in left chronic TDH repair, performing a direct suture of the diaphragm when possible.


INTRODUCTION
Myasthenia gravis is a rare and chronic autoimmune disease. The study aimed to evaluate the influence of symptom severity and fatigue on sleep quality in patients with myasthenia gravis.

METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study, and the population consisted of patients with MG throughout Turkey. The study was completed with 163 patients on 1 April and 31 July 2022.

RESULTS
 It was found that the mean Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living Scale score was 6.32 ± 3.9, the Fatigue Severity Scale score was 37.01 ± 23.26, and the total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score was 9.04 ± 2.69. The variables affecting the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were age, Body Mass Index, Fatigue Severity Scale ≥ 4, Myasthenia Gravis-Activities of Daily Living Scale ≥ 5.5, duration of diagnosis, and income level; a multiple regression model was created with these variables, and the variables in the resulting model explained 26.4% of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. In addition, those with clinically significant symptom severity (MG-ADL ≥5.5) in daily living and those with severe fatigue (FSS ≥4) explained 17.2% of the PSQI scores, and the model was statistically significant (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
The study determined that the participants had clinically significant symptom severity in daily living, severe fatigue, and poor sleep quality. The participants with clinically significant severe symptoms in daily living and fatigue had higher sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and poor sleep quality.


This machine targets the small scale farmers who have land area of less than 2 acres. This machine is compact and can cut up to two rows of soybean plant. It has cutting blades which cut the crop in a scissoring type of motion. It runs on diesel engine of 3HP, this power from engine, is provided through pulley and gear box arrangement to the cutter. A collecting mechanism is provided for the collection of crops to one side after cutting. This mechanism is also powered by pulley arrangement. This compact harvester is manufactured using locally available spare parts and thus, it is easily maintainable. This harvester might be the solution to the problems faced by a small scale farmer regarding cost and labour implementation. After testing this machine in farm it is found that the cost of harvesting using this harvester is considerably less as compare to manual harvesting.


Interview in two sessions, June 27 and July 20, 2005, with Robert A. Rosenstone, professor of history in the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Dr. Rosenstone, a native of Montreal, received his BA (1957) in literature and his PhD (1965) in history from UCLA. He taught for a year and a half at the University of Oregon in Eugene, then came to Caltech as a visiting assistant professor. He joined the faculty of the humanities division in 1968, received tenure the following year, and became a full professor in 1975, specializing in the Modern Age and in history in film, a subfield of which he is the leading exponent.
In this interview, he discusses how his interest in film developed. In 1975, he began teaching a pioneering course at Caltech on history as it is presented in movies. He recalls his early association with the Academy Award-winning 1981 movie Reds, and later with The Good Fight, a feature-length 1984 documentary on the Lincoln Brigade, for both of which he was the historical consultant, and how these associations contributed to his development of the subfield of history in film. He recalls his stint as executive officer for the humanities (1983-1986) and his involvement in the art world at Caltech, where he served on the Institute Art Committee for twenty years and oversaw the Baxter Art Gallery. He discusses the early art exhibitions in Dabney Lounge in the late 1960s and the subsequent founding of the Baxter Art Gallery in the early 1970s, in collaboration with the Pasadena Art Allliance. There is a lengthy discussion of the Baxter Gallery's history and the possible reasons for its demise in 1985. He also recalls the latest art flap at Caltech, over the proposed installation of a Richard Serra wall on the lawn in front of the Beckman Institute, the campus opposition to it, and his decision to resign from the Institute Art Committee as a result of its precipitous cancellation by Caltech president David Baltimore. He concludes by commenting on the division and the disconnect within it between the humanities and the social sciences.


SiC lateral double RESURF MOSFETs have been fabricated on the 4H-SiC (000-1)C face. By utilizing the C face, the channel resistance can be reduced because the C-face MOSFETs show higher channel mobility than the Si-face MOSFETs. In addition, by employing the double RESURF structure, the drift resistance is decreased and the breakdown voltage is increased with increasing the RESURF doses. The fabricated RESURF MOSFETs on the 4H-SiC (000-1)C face have demonstrated a low on-resistance of 40 mΩcm2 at an oxide field of 3 MV/cm and a breakdown voltage of 1580 V at zero gate bias. The figure-of-merit of the MOSFET is 62 MW/cm2, which is more than 10 times better than the conventional "Si limit" and the highest value among any lateral MOSFETs to date.


ABSTRACT This study explores the intersection of culture, new media, and social context—an essential component of intercultural new media studies—by investigating the social uses of smartphones, tablets, and laptops in university classrooms in Denmark and the US. American and Danish university students differed significantly in (1) frequency of new media use, (2) preferred classroom policies regulating use, (3) perceived impact of use on learning, attention, and student participation, and (4) preferred instructor strategies for handling distracting uses. Danes and Americans also differed significantly in authority values that are linked to students' new media use in the classroom.


Thermal burn on the back of rat (20% TBSA full-thickness burn) was used to study the changes in free radicals and lipid peroxidation and function of the antioxidation of erythrocytes postburn. It was found that there were increase in the concentration of lipid peroxides and decrease in activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx) in plasma. The activity of RBC GSHpx increased significantly on day 1 postburn. When RBC GSHpx could not resist the injury, the function of antioxidation decreased, such as the activities of G6PD, GSHpx and the concentration of GSH and NPSH. RBC LPO increased, which cross-linked with sulfhydryl proteins and inflicted injury to RBC membrane. It might be concluded that the mechanism of damage of RBC after burn injury is due to chain reactions of free radicals and lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane. It also proved that there were changes in functional capability of antioxidation in vivo after burn injury. Further study is needed to locate the site of production of free radicals within or/and in the neighborhood of RBC and elucidate the transfer of the messages which cause the change.


Background: Thailand is exposed to multiple climate-related hazards. Those cause disaster, instability and destruction to human life and property. People affected by disasters need self-help capabilities. Therefore, local administration organizations (LAOs) and local community networks are critical. They act as social capital in communities who can contribute meaningfully to disaster management systems. Objective: The study aimed to assess procedures and activities of community networks focusing on disaster management and how social capitals are utilized. Methods: The qualitative study was conducted with 65 informants recruited through purposive sampling and snowball techniques from six outstanding LAOs. We analyzed data from in-depth interviews, observations, and focus group discussions with key informants. An inductive thematic analysis was performed to identify themes on procedures and activities related to social capital. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: We identified three main outcomes. The social capital involved and collaborated with LAOs included civil groups, community organizations, community leaders, and other public and private organizations. Procedures and activities related to social capital working in disaster management in communities included predisaster phase, disaster phase, and postdisaster and recovery phase. The overall local community network was key to help disaster affected people in communities effectively. Conclusion: The findings suggest that social capital participation builds up a sustainable community self-management. The potential enhancement of the local community self-management is strongly based on relationships within the community structure. Community disaster self-management and is likely reducing risk factors and mitigate vulnerability.


Multiculturalism is on the retreat in many Western countries. As an ideology, it is criticized for failing to engender national belonging and social cohesion and thereby to encourage groups of citizens to have parallel lives. In this article, we present the case of Mauritius that is often viewed as a successful plural society. We discuss the conditions that are conducive to a working multiculturalism in Mauritius as well as the challenges. We use empirical findings from our relatively large-scale survey research among adolescents from the three main ethnic groups (i.e., Hindus, Creoles, Muslims). The metaphorical representation of the nation as a rainbow or fruit salad means that cultural diversity forms part of the national self-image, but within a secular state where individual rights prevail. Our findings show that all participants reported strong and compatible national, ethnic, and religious group identifications and that dual identity was the most chosen identity option. Furthermore, intergroup relations tended to be positive but there was a strong preference for ethnic endogamy. Additionally, there were social psychological processes that work against harmonious intergroup relations. The article concludes by discussing what can be learned from Mauritian style multiculturalism.


ABSTRACT This study aimed to illuminate factors that undermine the healthy habits of adolescents from a multicultural community with low socioeconomic status (S.E.S.) in Sweden with regard to physical activity (P.A.) and food, as stated in their own voices. Adolescents (n = 53, 12–13 y/o) were recruited from one school situated in a multicultural community characterized by low S.E.S. Embracing an interpretive approach, 10 focus-group interviews were conducted to produce data for the study. The focus-group interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in two major themes: (1) the availability of temptations is large, and support from the surroundings is limited; and (2) norms and demands set the agenda. The adolescents' voices illuminate a profound awareness and the magnitude of tempting screen-based activities as undermining their P.A. and healthy food habits. Moreover, several gender boundaries were highlighted as undermining girls' P.A. and healthy food habits. The adolescents' stories illuminated that it is difficult for them, within their environment, to establish healthy habits with regard to P.A. and food. To facilitate the adolescents' healthy habits, we suggest that support from family, friends, the school, and society at large is essential.


The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition, digestibility, energy content, and digestible dry matter yield of 4 mixtures of different vetch varieties intercropped with the same barley at 3 different planting times under Eastern Anatolian conditions. Four different vetch species, i.e. common (Farukbey-2001), Hungarian (Tarim Beyazi-98), hairy (Selcuklu-2002), and wooly pod (Segmen-2002), intercropped with barley (Tokak-157) were utilized. The mixtures of vetches intercropped with barley were planted on 7 October 2003 (I), 7 November 2003 (II), and 10 April 2004 (III), and each variety/planting time was randomly assigned to 3 replications. The mixtures of vetches intercropped with barley were harvested by hand using clippers when the barley started spiking and vetches were at 1/4 flowering. All samples were analyzed for dry matter (DM), ash, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of the samples was also determined. While DM and organic matter (OM) content did not differ, CP, NDF, and ADF content were significantly different among the different mixtures of vetch intercropped with barley (P < 0.05). IVDMD, metabolizable energy (ME), and net energy lactation (NEL) values were also significantly different among the mixtures of vetch intercropped with barley (P < 0.05). Digestible DM and ME yield of the mixtures were significantly affected by planting time (P < 0.05), but not variety. However, CP yield of the vetch-barley mixtures was significantly affected by both planting time and variety (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that all of the mixtures of vetch intercropped with barley had significantly higher digestible DM and CP yield when planted on 7 October 2003. Thus, October should be preferred for planting of the mixtures of vetch intercropped with barley in Eastern Anatolia. If a greater CP yield in addition to digestible DM yield is desired from vetch-barley hay, then common vetch should not be the choice.


A pipeline robot is brought forward using the energy of fluid medium transmitting within the pipeline to perform the driving and timing. The robot is soaking in the pipeline full of flowing fluid medium and getting the driving force from the press and velocity energy of medium itself to push forward it. It is discovered during the research that robot need to overcome the gravity and influence of the friction resistance with the pipe wall while driving alone, so for the different mediums and applying situation the robot required to velocity adjustment automatically. According to the condition of the hydrodynamics within the pipe and designing in reason for the size and configuration of the robot, a velocity controlling device is worked out and realized its velocity adjustable.


In this paper we analyze, evaluate, and improve the performance of training Random Forest (RF) models on modern CPU architectures. An exact, state-of-the-art binary decision tree building algorithm is used as the basis of this study. Firstly, we investigate the trade-offs between using different tree building algorithms, namely breadth-first-search (BFS) and depth-search-first (DFS). We design a novel, dynamic, hybrid BFS-DFS algorithm and demonstrate that it performs better than both BFS and DFS, and is more robust in the presence of workloads with different characteristics. Secondly, we identify CPU performance bottlenecks when generating trees using this approach, and propose optimizations to alleviate them. The proposed hybrid tree building algorithm for RF is implemented in the Snap Machine Learning framework, and speeds up the training of RFs by 7.8x on average when compared to state-of-the-art RF solvers (sklearn, H2O, and xgboost) on a range of datasets, RF configurations, and multi-core CPU architectures.


Oxygen isotope analyses were made of phenocryst and glass separates from four Quaternary rhyolite flows and domes in the Mineral Mountains, southwest Utah. With the exception of biotite in all samples and alkali feldspar in the rhyolite domes, all minerals appear to be in close oxygen isotope exchange equilibrium. The geothermometry equations proposed by Bottinga and Javoy (1973) and Javoy (1977) for quartz, alkali feldspar and magnetite produce the best agreement with temperature results fom two-feldspar and iron-titanium oxide geothermometry for these rhyolites. If the rhyolites were generated by partial melting in the crust, their whole-rock (glass) delta/sup 18/O values (6.3 to 6.9 permil) are consistent with generation from I-type (Chappell and White, 1974, O'Neil and Chappell, 1977; O'Neil et. al., 1977) sources.


Background: Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is meant to preserve the natural appearance of the breast; however, tissue volume deficits cannot always be compensated by soft tissue mobilization. A three-dimensional (3D) interstitial tissue marker (BioZorb) was designed to delineate the lumpectomy cavity for targeting boost irradiation, but an unexpected secondary benefit may be in guiding wound contraction and restoring contour to the lumpectomy bed. We analyze tissue volume excised at the time of lumpectomy as a function of device size selected. Methods: In total, 134 consecutive lumpectomy patients implanted with BioZorb between May 2015 and February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed for tissue volume excised, device size used, location, and re-operation rates, including explantation of the device. Results: An estimated 113 patients underwent device implantation at initial lumpectomy, and 21 at margin re-excision. Twenty-seven patients underwent re-excision, while 14 elected mastectomy for positive margins following insertion; 22 had the same device reimplanted. Mean lumpectomy volume was 79.0 cm3 (range 10.3–275.8 cm3) during the first implant procedure. Large-volume lumpectomies, averaging 136.5 cm3, were associated with selection of larger devices, which aided in restoring volume and maintaining breast contour. Three (2.2%) patients requested removal of the device. Conclusions: BioZorb implantation can be a safe and useful oncoplastic technique for restoring volume with BCS. Large-volume lumpectomies can be performed without contouring defects using the device. An unexpected secondary benefit of the device may be scaffolding for wound contraction.


ABSTRACT Therapists are familiar with the basics of seating and mobility evaluations. The identification of best practice provides justification for conducting seating and mobility evaluations in a certain manner and can be utilized to assist in identifying services that are of highest quality. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of occupational and physical therapists who specialize in seating and mobility evaluations about the current best practices of the leaders in the field. The Delphi technique was utilized in the study. As a result of the data elicited from this panel of expert practitioners in the area of seating and mobility, best practices can be defined as a multivariant complex series of interactions in which the expert clinician uses experience, hands-on techniques, skills, technology, resources, self-directed learning, follow-up, and a relationship with the consumer in the provision of services.


We conducted a feasibility study of a system for non-invasive monitoring of subjects at home. Electrical activity was recorded from room lights and from electrical domestic appliances; this was translated into the probability of physical activity or a particular Activity of Daily Living (ADL). Thirteen volunteer subjects were monitored for a period of 6.4 months (range 3–8). The mean age of the subjects was 80 years and they all lived alone at home; one had moderate Alzheimer's disease. A one-week validation was carried out to ascertain whether the recorded activity actually occurred. The results showed that daily and nocturnal activity could be well differentiated. The probability of having eaten, taken a bath and going to the toilet could be calculated each day. Eating was the most accurately measured ADL; toileting and bathing results were less accurate. The system appears to be a promising component of home telecare.


In this paper, we propose physical layer security for cooperative cognitive radio networks (CCRNs) with relay selection in the presence of multiple primary users and multiple eavesdroppers. To be specific, we propose three relay selection schemes, namely, opportunistic relay selection (ORS), suboptimal relay selection (SoRS), and partial relay selection (PRS) for secured CCRNs, which are based on the availability of channel state information (CSI) at the receivers. For each approach, we derive exact and asymptotic expressions for the secrecy outage probability. Results show that under the assumption of perfect CSI, ORS outperforms both SoRS and PRS.


Since independence, Zambia has had five major constitutional amendments (an average of one every 10 years), a fact that has raised concerns about the country's constitutional foundations. The constitution has been made a campaign issue in every presidential election since Zambia's return to multiparty politics in the 1990s. In recent years, constitutional reform has become increasingly politicised and intransigent. The latest constitutional amendment, announced in January 2016, offered Zambians provisions that had long formed part of their aspirations and demands. Why then was the 2016 constitution recently defeated in a national referendum? This policy briefing demonstrates how the interests of citizens have continually been placed behind the interests of Zambia's political elite, including in the 2016 referendum. RECoMMEndATIonS


Extreme weather conditions represent serious nat- ural hazards to ship operations and may be the direct cause or contributing factor to maritime accidents. Such severe envi- ronmental conditions can be taken into account in ship design and operational windows can be defined that limits hazardous operations to less extreme conditions. Nevertheless, possi- ble changes in the statistics of extreme weather conditions, possibly due to anthropogenic climate change, represent an additional hazard to ship operations that is less straightfor- ward to account for in a consistent way. Obviously, there are large uncertainties as to how future climate change will af- fect the extreme weather conditions at sea and there is a need for stochastic models that can describe the variability in both space and time at various scales of the environmental con- ditions. Previously, Bayesian hierarchical space-time models have been developed to describe the variability and complex dependence structures of significant wave height in space and time. These models were found to perform reasonably well and provided some interesting results, in particular, pertain- ing to long-term trends in the wave climate. In this paper, a similar framework is applied to oceanic windiness and the spatial and temporal variability of the 10-m wind speed over an area in the North Atlantic ocean is investigated. When the results from the model for North Atlantic windiness is com- pared to the results for significant wave height over the same area, it is interesting to observe that whereas an increasing trend in significant wave height was identified, no statisti- cally significant long-term trend was estimated in windiness. This may indicate that the increase in significant wave height is not due to an increase in locally generated wind waves, but rather to increased swell. This observation is also consistent with studies that have suggested a poleward shift of the main storm tracks.


In 2011, we upgraded a 201 MHz buncher in the proton injector for the alternating gradient synchrotron (AGS) - relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) complex. In the buncher we installed four grids made of tungsten to improve the transit time factor. The grid installed drift tubes have 32 mm of inner diameter and the each grid consists of four quadrants. The quadrants were cut out precisely from 1mm thick tungsten plates by a computerized numerically controlled (CNC) wire cutting electrical discharge machining (EDM). The 3D electric field of the grid was simulated.


This survey describes the current state-of-the-art in the development of automated visual surveillance systems so as to provide researchers in the field with a summary of progress achieved to date and to identify areas where further research is needed. The ability to recognise objects and humans, to describe their actions and interactions from information acquired by sensors is essential for automated visual surveillance. The increasing need for intelligent visual surveillance in commercial, law enforcement and military applications makes automated visual surveillance systems one of the main current application domains in computer vision. The emphasis of this review is on discussion of the creation of intelligent distributed automated surveillance systems. The survey concludes with a discussion of possible future directions.


Objective Organic psychosis (OP) is where psychosis is due to an identified medical illness and have been considered separately from nonorganic psychotic (NP) disorders. Despite being a clinically important topic with different treatment options and healthcare pathways very little is known about OP in terms of prevalence, the relative frequency of causes and whether it differs from nonorganic psychoses in terms of key clinical variables such as demographics, symptomatology and outcomes. Furthermore there is growing criticism of the potentially artificial distinction between OP and NP. The objective was to investigate the occurrence and demographics of patients with OP as well as type and duration of hospital admission. Aetiology and characterisation of symptoms within medical sub-categories was also investigated, with the aim of updating the literature at a scale previously not undertaken. Method We conducted an observational electronic case register study using an anonymised dataset of over 2 50 000 patients from the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Results OP accounted for 553 cases (3%) of a total of 18 297 psychosis patients. Dementia, epilepsy and infectious and inflammatory disorders were the most common causes of OP. As expected, high rates of visual hallucinations were found in OP, particularly in patients with movement disorders (75%), cerebrovascular disease (75%) and dementia (65%). High rates of auditory hallucinations were found in patients with cerebral trauma (55%), epilepsy (50%) and infectious and inflammatory disorders (35%). Paranoid delusions were reported most commonly in patients with dementia (50%), infectious and inflammatory disorders (45%) and movement disorders (40%). OP patients were 12 years older at diagnosis (p<0.001), more likely to be female (p<0.01) and twice as likely to be white (p<0.001) compared to NP. They were also less likely to have a long stay (>30 days) and were less likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act (p<0.001). Furthermore, patients with OP were 38% less likely to have multiple admissions (>2) and had significantly (p<0.001) fewer documented alcohol and drug problems, worse cognitive problems and worse physical illness scores. Conclusion These novel findings characterise, with an unprecedented sample size, an under-researched but clinically important diagnosis. These data suggests OP is relatively rare but more common in female and white patients although it is not known if this is due to differences in aetiological risk factors, e.g. inflammatory disorders, or other reasons such as variation in rates of investigation and diagnosis. Differences in hospitalisation rates and outcome suggest differences in effective treatment between groups. It has been proposed that a large proportion, and possibly even all, psychoses are in fact organic and is increasingly important to research this relatively neglected group, particularly to ensure early detection and, where appropriate, aetiologically specific treatment.


The mechanisms underlying the association between air pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are unknown. This study aimed to determine whether controlled exposure to elemental carbon ultrafine particles (UFP) affects electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters describing heart rate variability; repolarization duration, morphology, and variability; and changes in the ST segment. Two separate controlled studies (12 subjects each) were performed using a crossover design, in which each subject was exposed to filtered air and carbon UFP for 2 hours. The first protocol involved 2 exposures to air and 10 μg/m3 (∼ 2× 106 particles/cm3, count median diameter ∼25 nm, geometric standard deviation ∼1.6), at rest. The second protocol included 3 exposures to air, 10, and 25 μg/m3 UFP (∼ 7× 106 particles/cm3), with repeated exercise. Each subject underwent a continuous digital 12-lead ECG Holter recording to analyze the above ECG parameters. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare tested parameters between exposures. The observed responses to UFP exposure were small and generally not significant, although there were trends indicating an increase in parasympathetic tone, which is most likely also responsible for trends toward ST elevation, blunted QTc shortening, and increased variability of T-wave complexity after exposure to UFP. Recovery from exercise showed a blunted response of the parasympathetic system after exposure to UFP in comparison to air exposure. In conclusion, transient exposure to 10–25 μ g/m3 ultrafine carbon particles does not cause marked changes in ECG-derived parameters in young healthy subjects. However, trends are observed indicating that some subjects might be susceptible to air pollution, with a response involving autonomic modulation of the heart and repolarization of the ventricular myocardium.


Abstract A substantial complication to using the oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of vertebrate bioapatite in paleoclimate studies is the need to distinguish variation due to temporal changes in the δ18O of surface waters from that due to temperature-dependent fractionation during biomineralization. One solution is multiple-taxon comparisons using data from coexisting homeothermic and heterothermic animals. Fossil emydid turtles have been suggested to be potentially useful as functional homeotherms because (1) modern emydids employ behaviors, such as basking, to restrict skeletal growth to a narrow temperature range; (2) their aquatic habitat constrains the isotopic variability of dietary inputs; and (3) emydids have a dense fossil record. But because turtles lack teeth and therefore tooth enamel, sampling must focus on bone, which is potentially more susceptible to diagenetic alteration. This study examines the δ18O of carbonate (δ18Oc) and phosphate (δ18Op) in hydroxylapatite from co-occurring emydids and heterotherms (crocodilians and gars) from the Paleocene–Eocene of the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming. Previous isotopic studies of this area provide an extensive data set for comparison with the results of this study. Bone and enamel δ18Oc values measured here exhibit a greater range (16‰–32‰ Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water) than previously observed, suggesting alteration, while the range of δ18Op values (9‰–15‰) is within that predicted by presumably unaltered mammalian tooth enamel δ18Oc. While high crystallinity indices (0.28–0.55) and a lack of covariation between δ18Oc and δ18Op suggest alteration of one or both of these constituents, a strong correlation between crocodilian enamel and bone δ18Op suggests bone phosphate may be reliable.1


In the present time, which is between the post-modernism and late-modernism, the question of the fate of history is becoming ever more urgent, to that extent that today many ask whether it is possible to raise philosophy and theology of history to the level of science, which is at the same time increasingly uncertain considering the content of what essentially history is. The aim of this article is to thoroughly analyze and show that the issue is not entirely new, but it is both in philosophical and theological reflexion of the 20th century, which is evident in the analysis of all the works of a famous Belgian theologian Gustave Thils, who was, among other things, the founder and first editor of the well-known journal Revue Theologique de Louvain. The article deals with three interesting theses of Gustave Thils, which are the synthesis of his research and speak about the fact that history continues to exist although Christ's incarnated history is divided into two: ante and post Christum natum (before and after Chris's birth). Reading Thils, the first thesis (the incarnative) states that history continues to the extent it refers to the world reality, which Jesus Christ deals with too. The second thesis, the eschatological one, confirms the opposite, i.e. the necessity of entering into the time of flashes of eternity, allowing historical processes, "at a certain distance", to better interpret spiritual meaning. In the third thesis Thils unambiguously declares that the content of history is a permanent impulse that comes from the Holy Spirit, coming from the outside, and, therefore ensures that history exists and that it can be theologically and philosophically contemplated. Thils stands for neither the first nor the second thesis, but, using a balanced dialectics between transcendence and immanence (incarnation), he certainly contributes to the restoration of Christology as such. Therefore, the main thesis is this: Jesus Christ has become incarnate in history though history is bound to disappear.


Brommethan (Methyl bromide): Addendum BAT value documentation (2016)

The German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area has re‐evaluated the "Biologischer Leitwert" (BLW) for methyl bromide, using bromide in serum/plasma to characterize the internal exposure. The critical effect of methyl bromide is a high acute and chronic neurotoxicity. It can pass through the skin so that biological monitoring is highly recommended.

On the basis of results of a human study the occurrence of abnormal findings in the EEG is comparable for unexposed persons and persons with exposure to methyl bromide in concentrations below 12 mg bromide/l plasma. Thus the BLW value of 12 mg bromide/l plasma or serum was confirmed. The sampling time is at the end of exposure/shift after several previous shifts.


A pot trial was carried out to evaluate the effect of Chicken manure, Tithonia diversifolia and Albizzia spp on maize plant height and dry matter production at the University of Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Increasing levels of organic inputs (5, 10 & 20 t/ha) plus a control (0 t/ha) were used as treatments (10) replicated 3 times in completely randomized design. Experimental soil was analyzed for water soluble anions and cations. Application of organic inputs resulted in positive responses. All chicken manure levels and 20 t/ha level of Tithonia diversifolia resulted in highly significant maize plant heights and dry matter production compared to all other treatments. . Mean maize plant heights ranged from 34 cm (control) to 54 cm (20 t/ha chicken manure). Dry matter production followed a similar trend with figures ranging from 0.19 t/ha (control) to 0.63 t/ha (chicken manure 20 t/ha). The effectiveness of organic input followed the order: Chicken manure > Tithonia diversifolia > Albizzia > Control.


A hydrostatic pressure of only 68 atmospheres prevented swimming Paramecium caudatum from "avoiding" or reversing direction; 170 atmospheres stopped or decreased forward velocity by more than 75 percent. A decompression of 40 atmospheres invoked a single reversal, even at ,80 atmospheres. In contrast, 170 atmospheres did not significantly affect swimming behavior of paramecium "models" that were reactivated in a solution containing adenosine triphosphate and magnesium ions after their membrane had been disrupted by Triton X-100.


We study perturbative amplitudes in a large class of theories obtained by marginal deformations of the = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We find that planar amplitudes in the deformed theories are closely related to planar amplitudes in the original = 4 SYM. For some classes of deformations the amplitudes essentially coincide with the = 4 amplitudes to all orders in planar perturbation theory. For more general classes of marginal deformations, the equivalence holds at up to four loops, and at five loops it is likely to break down. This implies that the iterative structure of planar MHV amplitudes recently discovered by Bern, Dixon and Smirnov in [1] for the = 4 theory also manifests itself in a wider class of theories.


There are unacceptable delays in the implementation of many findings of research. This results in suboptimal care for patients. A number of approaches may be effective in speeding up implementation, including evidence based guidelines, the influence of opinion leaders, and computer based decision support systems. An integrated approach to speeding up this process by means of a number of mechanisms is likely to be most effective. The results of systematic reviews of the research literature should be incorporated into programmes of continuing medical education and clinical audit. Professional associations have an important role to play in ensuring that research based information is included in educational activities and clinical guidelines. Purchasers of health care could promote the uptake of research findings during contract negotiations. Improved methods of informing health care users and the public about evidence of effectiveness could also have an impact. Policy makers should take more account of the results of research when formulating recommendations. Methods of improving the implementation of research findings require further investigation and greater resources devoted to them.


This study was carried out in Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city and Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city of Dang valley. It was aimed to analyze socioeconomic status of poultry egg producing farms and constraints limiting their operations. A sample size of 60 poultry egg producing farm were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data collected from the pretested questionnaire were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. The result revealed that in Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city the poultry layers farms have mean flock size of 3345 birds and in Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city mean flock size of 3666 was found. An average producer in the farms of Tulsipur sub-metropolitan was 40 and that of Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city was 36 years. The result revealed that majority (83.33%) of poultry layers farms are male dominant in research area, majority (86.66%) of the layers producers belongs to ethnicity brahmin/chhetry, majority (41.66%) of the poultry layers farms owners belongs to SLC level education,majority (90%) of the layers farm owners main occupation is agriculture,  majority (96.66%) of the layers farms in the dang valley are individually owned,majority (95%) of the layers farms do not get any support from government, majority (90%) of the layers farm are found to supply egg regularly and BC ratio of Tulsipur sub-metropolitan and Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city was found to be 1.21 and 1.44 respectively. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that the poultry egg producing farms are profitable and they possesses high growth potentials which are achievable through increased investment and proper management of identified constraints.
Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 7(2): 289-290


The fabrication and performance of a wavelength-insensitive 8*8 star coupler is described. The integrated-optic star coupler consists of two fan-shaped channel waveguide arrays facing each other and a slab waveguide region located in between. The wavelength-insensitive light splitting was realized by properly tailoring the mode coupling in the input array region. The coupler exhibits low-average excess losses of alpha =1.4 dB (standard deviation sigma =0.40 dB) at lambda =1.3 mu m and alpha =1.7 dB ( sigma =0.44 dB) at lambda = 1.55 mu m, respectively.<<ETX>>


While Kant's pedagogical lectures present an account of moral education, his theory of freedom and morality seems to leave no room for the possibility of an education for freedom and morality. In this paper, it is first shown that Kant's moral philosophy and his educational philosophy are developed within different theoretical paradigms: whereas the former is situated within a transcendentalist framework, the latter relies on a teleological notion of human nature. The second part of this paper demonstrates that the core ideas of Kant's moral philosophy are also present in his pedagogy. This means that the problem of moral education must be solved within the transcendentalist framework. It is finally claimed that Kant himself outlines a solution to this problem in his pedagogical lectures.


ABSTRACT Location-based services (LBS) provide more useful, intelligent assistance to users by adapting to their geographic context. For some services that context goes beyond a location and includes further spatial parameters, such as the user's orientation or field of view. Here, we introduce Gaze-Informed LBS (GAIN-LBS), a novel type of LBS that takes into account the user's viewing direction. Such a system could, for instance, provide audio information about the specific building a tourist is looking at from a vantage point. To determine the viewing direction relative to the environment, we record the gaze direction relative to the user's head with a mobile eye tracker. Image data from the tracker's forward-looking camera serve as input to determine the orientation of the head w.r.t. the surrounding scene, using computer vision methods that allow one to estimate the relative transformation between the camera and a known view of the scene in real-time and without the need for artificial markers or additional sensors. We focus on how to map the point of regard of a user to a reference system, for which the objects of interest are known in advance. In an experimental validation on three real city panoramas, we confirm that the approach can cope with head movements of varying speed, including fast rotations up to to 63 degrees per second. We further demonstrate the feasibility of GAIN-LBS for tourist assistance with a proof-of-concept experiment in which a tourist explores a city panorama, where the approach achieved a recall that reaches over 99%. Finally, a GAIN-LBS can provide objective and qualitative ways of examining the gaze of a user based on what the user is currently looking at.


Word2vec (Mikolov et al., 2013) has proven to be successful in natural language processing by capturing the semantic relationships between different words. Built on top of single-word embeddings, paragraph vectors (Le and Mikolov, 2014) find fixed-length representations for pieces of text with arbitrary lengths, such as documents, paragraphs, and sentences. In this work, we propose a novel interpretation for neural-network-based paragraph vectors by developing an unsupervised generative model whose maximum likelihood solution corresponds to traditional paragraph vectors. This probabilistic formulation allows us to go beyond point estimates of parameters and to perform Bayesian posterior inference. We find that the entropy of paragraph vectors decreases with the length of documents, and that information about posterior uncertainty improves performance in supervised learning tasks such as sentiment analysis and paraphrase detection.


The purpose of this study was to review the development of self-efficacy for trade and industrial (T&I) teachers. Specifically, this study investigated how T&I teachers develop self-efficacy in classroom management, pedagogical practices, and content knowledge. Finally, the study reviewed key performance measures that indicate T&I teacher development of efficacious practices. Each performance measure was considered as it related to the aforementioned focus areas. This qualitative study was informed by phenomenology. Twelve T&I teachers were interviewed in an effort to capture the essence of their experience as T&I teachers. The study was conducted at two career technical schools in Southeastern Virginia. Data were collected using open-ended interviews that focused on the participants' classroom management, pedagogy, and content knowledge. In addition, participants' levels of motivation, competence, and self-regulation were reviewed as a measure of their development of self-efficacy in the aforementioned areas of focus. The results of this study suggest that the development of trade and industrial teacher self-efficacy is impacted by each of the performance measures. Trade and Industrial teachers learn to become efficacious through a combination of experiences. Some formal training is required for teacher development and preparation for instructional delivery. Nevertheless, the participants expressed a high regard for the informal, collegial, and on-the-job training that prepared them for delivery of relevant content knowledge. Consequently, trade and industrial teacher development of selfefficacy is contingent upon several formal and informal learning experiences.


Rapide is a language for prototyping large, distributed systems. Rapide allows the scale design of a system to be constructed and analyzed before resources are applied to the construction of the actual system. Two important facets of designing reliable systems are (1) system architecture -- the components in the system and the communication paths between the componnts, and (2) system behavior -- the requirements on the components and the communication. Rapide facilitates the design of system architecture and behavior by (1) providing language features to realize system designs, (2) providing an expressive model for capturing the execution behavior of systems, and (3) providing techniques and tools for analyzing system execution behavior. This paper introduces the essential concepts of Rapide and gives an example of system design using Rapide. Rapide has 4 sublanguages -- (1) a type language, (2) an architecture definition language, (3) a constraint language and (4) an executable language. The paper introduces the Rapide architecture sublanguage and the Rapide constraint sublanguage. The Rapide model of system execution is a set of significant events partially ordered by causality (also called posets). This paper discusses Rapide execution models and compares them with totally ordered event based models. Rapide provides tools to check constraints on posets to browse posets and to animate events on a system architecture. This paper briefly discusses the Rapide analysis tools.


The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has recently increased support for inclusion of Veterans and family caregivers as collaborators on the research that affects them. In this article, the authors—two VA investigators, two Veterans, and two caregivers—draw from nearly a decade of participatory action research to highlight the methods we have employed to build and sustain collaboration. These methods include the following: using ethnographic approaches to engender trust, treating informed consent as an ongoing process, and sustaining engagement through shared dissemination of findings. We also consider impacts of engaged research that lie outside the parameters of what traditionally "count" as outcomes and that have helped us maintain our collaborative relationships even during periods between funding. We provide examples of how community engagement has bridged Veteran communities and VA, and how the use of visual and narrative methods of dissemination has led to social connectedness and repurposing of Veterans' and caregivers' mission as advocates. Our goal is to inform those who wish to conduct this type of research, to further pull research efforts in this direction, and to demonstrate the value of collaborative research from the point of view of those who have been engaged in it.


Complementary DNA encoding three catalytic subunits of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1α, PP1β, and PP1γ) and the insulin-stimulated protein kinase 1 (ISPK-1) was analyzed for variations in the coding regions related to insulin-resistant glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle of 30 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The human ISPK-1 cDNA was cloned from T-cell leukemia and placental cDNA libraries and mapped to the short arm of the human × chromosome. Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis identified a total of six variations in the coding regions of the PP1 genes: two in PP1α at codons 90 and 255; one in PP1γ at codon 67; and three in PP1γ at codons 11,269, and 273, respectively. All were, however, silent single nucleotide substitutions. SSCP analysis of the ISPK-1 gene identified one silent polymorphism at codon 266 and one amino acid variant at codon 38 (Ile→Ser). This variant was primarily found in one male NIDDM patient. This subject, however, did not exhibit an impairment of muscle insulin-stimulated glycogen synthase activation. No significant differences were found in mRNA levels in muscle of the four genes between 15 NIDDM patients and 14 healthy subjects. Our findings suggest that 1) genetic abnormalities in the coding regions of PP1α, PP1β, PP1γ, and ISPK-1 are unlikely to be frequently occurring causes of the reduced insulin-stimulated activation of the glycogen synthesis in muscle from the analyzed group of NIDDM patients; 2) the mRNA levels of PP1α, PP1β, PP1γ, and ISPK-1 are normal in muscle from the NIDDM patients; and 3) putative inherited defects in insulin-stimulated activation of muscle glycogen synthesis in patients with insulin-resistant NIDDM may be located further upstream of ISPK-1 in the insulin action cascade.


The self-propagating spraying coating was prepared by Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis(SHS). The effects of the rare earth(RE) on microstructure and the abrasive resistence of self-propagating spraying coating was investigated. The obve1rvations and analysis of the microscopic appearances of the worn surfaces of the coating were conducted by the use of SEM. The results showed: the RE can impove the properities of the self-propagating spraying coating, the suitable small amount(0.2%) of RE can refine the self-propagating spraying coating and improve the hardness and the wear resistence efficiently. When the excessive RE(0.5%) was added into the self-fluxing alloy power, the properties of the self-propagating spraying coating became worse.


The model analyzed represents circumstances as faced by a grain farmer when his harvest is known and he is making storage and hedging decisions. The scope of the analysis is limited in several respects. A one-period model is employed; only a limited number of options are recognized; and interrelations between the grain enterprise and other economic activities of the decision maker are neglected.


Several ceramics exhibit specific biological affinity, i.e. direct bone integration, when implanted in bony defects. They are called bioactive ceramics and utilized as important bone substitutes. However, there is limitation on clinical application, because of their inappropriate mechanical properties such as high Young's modulus and low fracture toughness. Novel bioactive materials exhibiting high machinability and flexibility have been desired in medical fields. Mixing bioactive ceramic powders and organic polymers have developed various organic-inorganic composites. Their mechanical property and bioactivity are mainly governed by the ceramics content. It is known that bioactive ceramics integrate with the bone through bone-like hydroxyapatite layer formed on their surfaces by chemical reaction with body fluid. This is triggered by a catalytic effect of various functional groups. On the basis of these facts, novel bioactive organic-inorganic nanocomposites have been developed. In these composites, inorganic components effective for triggering the hydroxyapatite nucleation are dispersed in polymer matrix at molecular level. Concept of the organic-inorganic composite is also applicable for providing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement with the bioactivity.


The thesis aims at the optimization of the regulatory systems inherent in domestic architecture through choice of orientation, building materials and the use of natural resources of energy, to achieve comfort conditions without the need for mechanical heating and cooling for the Cypriot climate.

The thesis is classified in six chapters as follows:

CHAPTER 1 In this chapter, analysis of the energy situation in Cyprus to investigate the potential for energy saving in houses and the possible environmental improvement is carried out.

For this, existing and newly built houses are evaluated to identify deficiencies in the regulatory systems inherent in the built form that result in heating and cooling demands.

CHAPTER 2 The prevailing climatic conditions in Cyprus are analyzed, in this chapter, to assess how energy demands for heating and cooling arise in domestic buildings and to evaluate the free energy systems available to contribute to these requirements.

Moreover in this chapter standards of comfort for single family detached houses in Cyprus are established, through investigation of current thermostat settings and reviews of thermal comfort studies, so that they may be taken as a basis in the optimization study.

CHAPTER 3 This chapter deals with the optimization of a specific house type, to be designed in an ideal environment, to the point of zero fuel consumption for heating and cooling with the aid of microcomputer programmes for thermal analysis. Initially simplified thermal calculations are carried out by using "Method 5000°, a well established method adopted by the Commission of the European Community Handbook. These are followed by detailed hourly simulations of selected variants using dynamic simulation model SERIRES.

CHAPTER 4 This chapter also makes use of thermal calculations as chapter 3, and concludes to comparative assessment of results obtained under chapter 3, and design recommendations for new houses through economic analysis of the varied design measures. From those the profile of the "Zero Energy House for Cyprus" is outlined.

CHAPTER 5 The study in this chapter identifies the occupants' factors that influence the efficiency of building performance and the thermal environmental conditions of the "Zero Energy House". It analyses the intervention of the occupants in the design, which is reflected in the variable of fenestration. The analysis is carried out interdependently, in various combinations of shading and ventilation profiles, in computer simulations using thermal analysis programme "AGRI". A case-study further investigates the thermal effects of the user interaction with the building and confirms the validity of the simulation results. The proposed strategies, at the end of the chapter, aim at reducing the operational counter-effects on the building design.

CHAPTER 6 The conclusions are outlined in the form of criteria for the selection of different design alternatives. These are based on flexibility, operational ease, potential thermal efficiency and elimination of constraints for securing optimal performance for "Zero Energy Houses" for Cyprus.


We previously reported that both nuclear retinoic acid receptor (RAR, retinoid) and retinoid X receptor (RXR, rexinoid) agonists can trigger proteasomal degradation of cyclins. This confers check point arrest and repair of carcinogenic DNA damage in bronchial epithelial cells. Mechanisms responsible for this induced degradation were discovered. These included ubiquitin-dependent as well as ISG15-dependent programs that independently destabilized expression of cyclin D1 and other G1 cyclin proteins. The critical receptor that confers this cyclin destabilization was RARβ. Yet, silencing of RARβ; and specifically of the previously unrecognized isoform that we cloned and designated as RARβ1 likely accounts for clinical resistance to classical retinoids (like 13-cis-retinoic acid and all-trans-retinoic acid) in lung carcinogenesis. We sought to learn whether RXR/RAR heterodimer complex activation with a rexinoid was able to trigger cyclin destabilization. This was found to be the case in in vitro studies. This finding implied that the same pathway would be engaged in the in vivo setting. To establish if this occurs, we engineered transgenic mice independently with human surfactant C-driven wild-type cyclin E or a proteasome-degradation resistant cyclin E species. This mouse model was developed because human pre-malignant and malignant lung lesions frequently deregulate cyclin expression. Intriguingly, these mice recapitulated many features of lung carcinogenesis found in patients. Neoplastic changes were enhanced by transgenic expression of the degradation-resistant cyclin E species. We built on this finding by showing that a rexinoid and an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) each chemoprevented lung cancers in vinyl carbamate-induced lung tumors within strain A/J mice. Notably, the rexinoid was more potent that the EGFR-TKI in conferring this chemoprevention. Both agents also reduced cyclin expression, but did so through distinct mechanisms. We sought to learn if a rexinoid (bexarotene) cooperated with an EGFR-TKI (erlotinib) in exerting anti-tumorigenic effects in lung cancer. Cooperation between these agents was found in both murine and human lung cancer cells and even in those cells that exhibited KRAS/p53 mutations. Over the past decade, we translated this work into the cancer clinic through a series of five clinical trials that moved this work through successive phase 0, phase I, and phase II trials of lung and aerodigestive tract cancers. In window of opportunity trials, pharmacodynamic responses (cyclin repression and induced necrosis and inflammatory responses) were seen when intratumoral levels of these drugs were comparable to those necessary to trigger in vitro effects. A phase II trial in heavily pre-treated stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases was performed. EGFR and cyclin expression profiles as well as KRAS mutations were searched for in these NSCLC cases. Findings revealed substantial cyclin repression and reduction of lung cancer growth by combined therapy with a rexinoid (bexarotene) and EGFR-TKI (erlotinib). Cyclins were repressed while necrosis and inflammation were induced in post-treatment versus pre-treatment lung tumor biopsies obtained in this window of opportunity trial. Objective anti-tumor responses occurred whether or not KRAS or activating EGFR mutations were detected. This refractory NSCLC trial had 3 major clinical responses (2 had KRAS or EGFR mutations) with prolonged survival (583, 665, and 1460+ days, respectively). Median survival was 22 weeks (16 weeks for controls). Hypertriglyceridemia or rash significantly increased median overall survival to 24 weeks. Thus, this combination regimen revealed substantial clinical anti-tumor activity against NSCLCs. Taken together, these findings indicate that cooperation between a rexinoid and EGFR-TKI can chemoprevent and treat lung cancers by causing cyclin destabilization. These agents are also useful tools to identify other antineoplastics that repress lung cancers by destabilizing cyclin expression or by inhibiting their associated kinases. Evidence for this will be presented in this session. Citation Format: Konstantin H. Dragnev, Vincent Memoli, Sarah J. Freemantle, Samuel Waxman, Ethan Dmitrovsky. Cooperation between a rexinoid and EGFR-TKI for lung cancer prevention via Cyclin D1 destabilization. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr CN05-03.


Dealing with ethical issues is a central aspect of many professions. Consequently, ethics is taught to diverse student groups in universities and colleges, alongside philosophy students. In this paper, we address the question of how ethics is best taught to such "non-philosophy" student groups. The standard way of introducing ethics to non-philosophy students is to present them with a set of moral theories. We refer to this approach as the "smorgasbord approach", due to the impression it is likely to make on non-philosophy students approaching ethics as an academic discipline for the first time. This approach invites the assumption that adopting an ethical position is mainly a matter of choosing from this smorgasbord of different theories. We argue that this approach is problematic for several reasons, both theoretical and practical, and we suggest a methodsbased approach – focusing on methods for moral reasoning – as a more fruitful alternative. The main purpose of this paper is to explain and defend this methods-based approach to teaching ethics to non-philosophy students. In so doing, we also consider and meet some expected objections to this approach.


Histoplasmosis and blastomycosis are caused by dimorphic fungi, can be epidemic or endemic, and can produce a spectrum of illness, from subclinical infection to progressive disseminated disease. Diagnosis of both is best made by visualization of yeast in tissue or by culture. Itraconazole is the drug of choice for treatment of both histoplasmosis and blastomycosis, except in cases of life-threatening infection, for which amphotericin B is indicated. A heavy inoculum of Histoplasma capsulatum may cause acute pulmonary infection in an otherwise healthy host, resulting in fever, hypoxia, and pulmonary infiltrates. Opportunistic histoplasmosis develops as chronic pulmonary histoplasmosis in those with a structural defect in the lung (emphysema) or as disseminated histoplasmosis in patients with cellular immune deficiency (due to immunosuppressants or AIDS). Blastomyces dermatitidis causes both pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease. Lung involvement may mimic bacterial pneumonia, while chronic presentations mimic lung cancer or tuberculosis. Skin is the most common extrapulmonary site of disease, followed by bone, prostate, and central nervous system.


International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Applications is a peer-reviewed, open access scholarly journal that publishes original research works in the areas of the Mechanical, civil Computer , Communicatins and many Applications Including Applied Mathematics .IJMCA mainly focuses and prefers papers with original  work. IJMCA provides a platform for academic, scientists and industrial professionals to refer and discuss recent progress in the area of Mechanical, EEE, computer and telecommunication. Authors are encouraged to contribute articles which is not published or not under review in any other journal.The aim of the journal is to promote and strengthen the quality of research work in the field of Engineering and  technology.


This work explores hardware-oriented optimizations for the CORDIC (COordinate Rotation Digital Computer) algorithm investigating the power-efficiency improvements employing N-point Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) hardware architectures. We introduced three hardware-oriented optimizations for the CORDIC: (a) improving the signal extension, (b) removing the angle accumulation and (c) eliminating the redundancies in the iterations, both unnecessary when processing the FFT processing. Fully sequential FFT architectures of 32, 64, 128, and 256 points were synthesized employing ST 65 nm standard cell libraries. The results show up to 38% of power savings on average when using our best CORDIC optimization proposal to the FFT architecture comparing to the explicit multiply-based butterfly version. Moreover, when combining our best CORDIC optimization with the clock-gating technique, the power savings rises to 78.5% on average for N-point FFT.