PURPOSE
To evaluate parameters associated with astigmatism axis orientation.

METHODS
A retrospective population-based study was conducted on 67,899 (53% males) Israeli Defense Force conscripts aged 16 to 22 years with >or=0.25 D of astigmatism, using prerecruitment examination and demographic data that included a validated general intelligence score. Refractive errors were classified by the cylinder axis with the least deviation from emmetropia (LDE), a scheme intended to avoid confounding spherical classification by cylinder power. Perinatal photoperiod was determined from birth date and astronomical tables.

RESULTS
With-the-rule (WTR) axis was associated with higher LDE (P < 0.001), higher cylinder power (P < 0.001), Eastern or Western compared with Israeli origin (P < 0.001), higher body mass index (P < 0.001), lower intelligence scores (P < 0.001), and longer perinatal photoperiod (P < 0.001), using univariate analysis. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed the independent association of these parameters and identified being of the female sex as another WTR axis association. Subjects' cylinder axis also was associated with their siblings' cylinder axis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-1.90), using siblings' refractive data for the 3852 available subjects in the regression model. However, the associations of these parameters with WTR, against-the-rule, or oblique astigmatism were neither parallel as a whole nor parallel between any two sets of axis orientations. Further, the directions of the associations of these parameters with astigmatism axis and power did not consistently conform to their previously reported associations for spherical ametropias.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest both that distinctive mechanisms may account for the different astigmatism axis orientations and that mechanisms influencing astigmatism development are likely to vary from those governing the spherical component of refraction.


We investigate the signatures of neutrinos produced in the annihilation of WIMP dark matter in the Earth, the Sun and at the Galactic centre within the framework of the Inert Doublet Model and extensions. We consider a dark matter candidate, that we take to be one of the neutral components of an extra Higgs doublet, in three distinct mass ranges, which have all been shown previously to be consistent with both WMAP abundance and direct detection experiments exclusion limits. Specically, we consider a light WIMP with mass between 4 and 8 GeV (low), a WIMP with mass around 60-70 GeV (middle) and a heavy WIMP with mass above 500 GeV (high). In the rst case, we show that capture in the Sun may be constrained using Super-Kamiokande data. In the last two cases, we argue that indirect detection through neutrinos is challenging but not altogether excluded. For middle masses, we try to make the most benet of the proximity of the so-called 'iron resonance' that might enhance the capture of the dark matter candidate by the Earth. The signal from the Earth is further enhanced if light right-handed Majorana neutrinos are introduced, in which case the scalar dark matter candidate may annihilate into pairs of mono-energetic neutrinos. In the case of high masses, detection of neutrinos from the Galactic centre might be possible, provided the dark matter abundance is substantially boosted.


Social influence of the religious phenomenon, is a complex phenomenon, especially in contemporary society, which takes account of certain indicators such as: context of religious freedom, religious language or religious speech, religious affiliation, religious practice; attitudes of religious groups or religious institutions on society and on social security; the impact of specific religious groups, secret societies, mysteries on the population firms. In order to be objective and to have the right attitude towards certain aspects that define contemporary society issues on the globalization, integration, secularism, atheism indifference, pluralism, it is first necessary that these issues be carefully studied, known and understood in the context of contemporary society. The phenomenon of secularization, globalization, religious indifference, not social issues but social phenomena, specific ways of expression of contemporary society.


Lucan's Bellum Civile can be read as an epic that functions in the mode of trauma literature, i.e. a work that explicitly seeks to represent a horror that defies its very representation. Toward this end, this article applies the lens of modern trauma studies to a comparative reading of Lucan set alongside selections from two literary representations of the Rwanda genocide of 1994. By reading these ancient and modern texts alongside each other, we can gain greater insight into some of the shared rhetorical and narrative strategies that these writers from such different time periods have employed. In the face of lingering trauma, these ancient and modern strategies on one hand emphasize speechlessness ( nefas and the threat of silence) and yet on the other hand engage the audience and invite them into the space of trauma through the senses of sight, sound, and emotion. The Roman poet Lucan, like his modern counterparts, seeks to guide his readers into a haunting encounter with the deeper traumatic reality of these conflicts such that they can no longer be unwitnessed or ignored.


Transcription-dependent methylation of histone H3 at lysine 79 (H3K79) is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to mammals, critical for normal development and frequently deregulated by genetic recombination in Mixed Lineage Leukemia. Although this histone modification is associated with gene activity, little is known about the cellular mechanisms of H3K79 methylation regulation. Because no H3K79 demethylase has been discovered, the mechanism of its removal remains unclear. Utilizing chemical-induced-proximity to control histone methylation in vivo we show that the dynamics of methylation state (mono, di, tri-methylation) is genome-context specific. Further, Monte Carlo simulations coupling systems of kinetic reactions with histone turnover rates, suggest that nucleo-some turnover is sufficient to establish varied genome-wide methylation states without active demethylation.


The aim of present study was investigating effect of semantic modification over time on the choice of Persian lexical equivalences of two Iranian translations of 'taming of shrew'. In doing so, two translations of the English novel 'taming of shrew' into Persian were compared, namely "به تربیت در آوردن دختر سرکش" and " رام کردن زن سرکش ". First translation was done in 1945 by Hossein-qoli Salvar (Emado saltane) and the second one was published in 2017 by Mohsen Qasemi; with a time interval of 72 years. The present research compared these two translations to see to what semantic modifications affect Persian translators' choice in finding lexical equivalences in their translation of English novels over time. The framework adopted by the present study was Fromkin's categorizations and definitions (2003). In this sense, the required data were collected according to elements provided by classification and definitions proposed by this framework. Dada classification were analyzed based on three factors of spelling, semantic and syntactic modification. Semantic modification divided into meaninglessness, meaning modification and stylistic modification. At last, stylistic modification was found to be the most frequent modifications, within this period of time, which make the text non-sense for reader.


Continuously increasing demand of Microgrid with high penetration of distributed energy generators, specially focused on renewable energy sources is modifying the traditional structure of the electric distribution grid. In addition, DC micro grids diverted the attention of researchers and power electronics industry in recent years to stimulate renewable energy technologies (RETs) and distributed energy resources (DERs) deployment and encouraging technological innovation to reduce green house gas (GHG) emission and achieve energy security and independence to meet the growing electricity demand. So for many studies have been done on successful integration of RETs and DERs, operation and control, protection and stability issues, simultaneously and satisfactorily implemented during feasible operation of microgrid. Studies show that DC transmittable power can increase the system efficiency up as compared to AC. But still DC bus voltage fluctuation, power quality and flow during the transition between grid connected mode to islanded mode or transient load insertion which intend to DC microgrid instability are the problems which need to be investigated and resolved for the effective use of DC microgrid generation. In this concept DC microgrid voltage, power flow, power quality and energy management different controls and techniques are reviewed. This concept can be extended as Induction Motor drive Power management for DC Microgrid Application .


Ag island films with different sizes are deposited on hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (α-SiC:H) films, and the influences of Ag island films on the optical properties of the α-SiC:H films are investigated. Atomic force microscope images show that Ag nanoislands are formed after Ag coating, and the size of the Ag islands increases with increasing Ag deposition time. The extinction spectra indicate that two resonance absorption peaks which correspond to out-of-plane and in-plane surface plasmon modes of the Ag island films are obtained, and the resonance peak shifts toward longer wavelength with increasing Ag island size. The photoluminescence (PL) enhancement or quenching depends on the size of Ag islands, and PL enhancement by 1.6 times on the main PL band is obtained when the sputtering time is 10 min. Analyses show that the influence of surface plasmons on the PL of α-SiC:H is determined by the competition between the scattering and absorption of Ag islands, and PL enhancement is obtained when scattering is the main interaction between the Ag islands and incident light.


Nine new heat flow and heat production measurements are presented for the Trans-Hudson Orogen, an Early Proterozoic Province between the Archean Superior and Hearne Provinces of the Canadian Shield. Seventeen heat flow values now available in this region range between 23 and 81 mW.m−2. The highest value is anomalous and is due to heat refraction effects in and around highly conducting quartzite formations. When refraction effects are accounted for, the Flin Flon and Thompson belts appear as distinct crustal blocks with different mean heat flow values of 42±3(s.d.) mW.m−2 and 54±8(s.d.) mW.m−2. Such differences can be accounted for by variations in the amount of felsic rocks in the uppermost 15 km of the crust. Comparison between heat flow and elastic thickness studies show that variations in elastic thickness of the lithosphere are not thermally induced.


Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have powerful consequences for health and well-being throughout the life course. We draw on evidence that exposure to ACEs shapes developmental processes central to emotional regulation, impulsivity, and the formation of secure intimate ties to posit that ACEs shape the timing and context of childbearing, which in turn partially mediate the well-established effect of ACEs on women's later-life health. Analysis of 25 years of nationally representative panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY79; n = 3,893) indicates that adverse childhood experiences predict earlier age at first birth and greater odds of having a nonmarital first birth. Age and marital status at first birth partially mediate the effect of ACEs on women's health at midlife. Implications for public health and family policy aimed at improving maternal and child well-being are discussed.


The implications of nutrient starvation due to aging on the degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is yet to be fully explored. We examined the involvement of AMPK activation in mitochondrial homeostasis and its relationship with the maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial population and epithelial characteristics of RPE cells under nutrient starvation. Nutrient starvation induced mitochondrial senescence, which led to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RPE cells. As nutrient starvation persisted, RPE cells underwent pathological epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the upregulation of TWIST1, a transcription regulator which is activated by ROS-induced NF-κB signaling. Enhanced activation of AMPK with metformin decelerated mitochondrial senescence and EMT progression through mitochondrial biogenesis, primed by activation of PGC1-α. Thus, by facilitating mitochondrial biogenesis, AMPK protects RPE cells from the loss of epithelial integrity due to the accumulation of ROS in senescent mitochondria under nutrient starvation.


Health is a vital human endowment which detennines the amount and quality of time available for the maximization of individuals' and households' potentials in life. By utilizing the datasets obtained from the first two completed panel waves of the ongoing Nigerian Living Standard Measurement Study, Integrated Survey on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA), this study investigates the effects of ill-health disability on agricultural households' production, labour market productivity and welfare. Using the health infonnation in the LSMS-ISA panel dataset, different measures of household members' health status were constructed. These are: ill-health disability experience, ill-health disability days and categories of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) indexes (physical ability, participation difficulties, and sight and hearing impainnents). Endogeneity issue between ill-health disability, labour market outcomes and welfare were addressed with Instrumental Variable (IV) estimation methods. Likewise, possible bias arising from self-selection of individuals into labour market participation and healthcare utilization were addressed and corrected.
In the first part of the thesis, panel data time-varying Stochastic Frontier Production (SFP) model was employed to examine the influence of ill-health disability on agricultural production through the dual pathway of reduction in households' labour capacity and the efficiency of agricultural inputs used in production. The results revealed that ill-health disability significantly lowers the value of agricultural output produced, but increases the inefficiency of agricultural production. The efficiency of agricultural production could be improved by about 50 percent of the current level through agricultural households' health improvement, encouragement of participation male heads and more members of the household in production and increasing the number of cultivated agricultural plots. The second part examines the influence of ill-health disability on working-age household members' participation, labour supply and earnings in wage employment using sample selection and IV estimation models. We found that increased days lost to ill-health disability pushes the individuals, particularly the males and rural ones into wage employment, but with poorer returns. Moreover, good physical and mental health enhances individuals' wage employment participation, labour supply hours and earnings. However, wage employed individuals with basic and physical difficulties in ADL worked more hours in a year compared to their counterparts without disability.
Using IV estimation and poverty dynamics models, the third part of this thesis investigates the consequences of ill-health disability on agricultural households' welfare indicators and poverty dynamics. Findings showed that ill-health disability experience imposed significant costs on households' economic resources. Ill-health disability impairs households' welfare through: increased out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure; reduced adult-equivalised monthly food consumption expenditure; and increased households' likelihood of poverty, either persistently or transitory. Lastly, findings from healthcare demand and utilization behaviour of ill-health affected households' members revealed that urban individuals' healthcare consultation was more at hospitals or clinics, but at chemists and pharmaceutical stores for the rural ones. Thus, there is need to carefully investigate issues limiting effective utilization of fonnal healthcare services for curative purposes in rural areas of the country.


1 ABSTRACT This paper analyzes a number of design proposals submitted within the framework of a large architectural competition in view of their eco-efficiency. As all new or refurbished buildings in Central Europe need to meet certain minimum energy performance requirements, many architectural competition announcements encourage participating planners to propose low-energy, passive or even plus-energy buildings, and also to take into account the ecological performance of building parts. Especially for public buildings, which are often seen as role models, competition announcements feature many environmental criteria addressing building envelope, HVAC-systems, and eco-impact of materials. It is difficult to compare project submissions (for example in terms of energy performance), as the quality and amount of information for each project varies widely. In most competitions, a professional jury chooses the "best" projects and it is debatable if ecological and energy performances are considered in the process. In this context, this paper presents results of a case study conducted in Austria. The entries of a competition for refurbishment and extension of a school building are analyzed using submitted project narratives as well as simple heating demand calculations. The outcome is subsequently compared with the Jury's final ranking of the submissions. The results can shed some light on the following questions: Do the competition entries provide sufficient information to evaluate their thermal and ecological behavior in general? Did the ecological and thermal performance influence the outcome of the competition and final Jury's ranking of the submitted proposals?


Soft skills may be grouped into intrapersonal, interpersonal and situational skills. Intrapersonal skills are those skills individuals need to possess and perfect in order to manage themselves and as a prerequisite to interpersonal skills. Personal soft skills are intrapersonal skills that lead to personal development. Interpersonal skills are required for smooth interaction between co-workers on one hand and with clients on the other. Situational skills are those skills that have relevance in given situation and may be firm or individual specific. These may be a combination of various personal and interpersonal skills applied to specific situations and hence exhibit characteristics of situational analysis. The skill endowment position is empirically verified in an emerging economy like Oman taking banking and oil cases in the context of managerial employees. The skills are assessed before and after training programmes for skill enhancement scores in respect of junior and senior managers. Leadership, communication, team management, time management, emotional intelligence and customer care have been some of the intervention programmes adopted by the sample institutions. Keywords: Management, soft skills; personal; interpersonal; situational; intervention;training; coaching; mentoring; descriptive design, Oman, UAE


The false neurotransmitter metaraminol labeled with fluorine-18 has been used to noninvasively assess regional adrenergic nerve density in the canine heart. Intravenous administration of 6-[18F]fluorometaraminol (FMR) results in high, selective accumulation of radioactivity in the heart; drug blocking studies with desipramine and reserpine confirm the neuronal locus of FMR. Iodine-125 labeled metaraminol, however, shows no selective accumulation in the canine heart. Positron emission tomography (PET) analyses with FMR of closed-chest dogs bearing left ventricular neuronal defects clearly delineate the region of neuronal impairment; blood perfusion in the left ventricle wall was homogeneous as determined by [13N]NH3 tomograms. The accumulation of FMR in regionally denervated dog heart correlates closely (r = 0.88) with endogenous norepinephrine concentrations. PET-generated 18F time-activity curves demonstrate marked kinetic differences between normal and denervated myocardium. FMR/PET analysis could be used to assess the heterogeneity of sympathetic innervation in human heart disease contingent on the development of FMR with sufficiently high specific activity to clearly avoid pressor activity.


In this paper we examine the stability of the real exchange rate and the macroeconomic effects of alternative exchange-rate regimes, including currency union, on real exchange-rate behaviour. We focus on the Irish punt in order to exploit its diversity of experience over different nominal exchange rate regimes. We make both temporal and cross-country comparisons of real-exchange-rate stability for the Irish punt with sterling, the US dollar and the German mark. We reach two conclusions on the basis of our results. The first is that for Ireland, as for most other countries, purchasing power parity provides a reasonably good description of actual exchange rate behaviour over the long run. Our second principal conclusion concerns regime effects. Currency union appears to matter. The real exchange rates we analyse are unambiguously less variable under currency union than under alternative exchange-rate systems. Otherwise, however, we find no clear-cut differences in behaviour across regimes.


This richly illustrated book provides the first comprehensive review of the natural history of these islands. The islands became a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 2003 and have been nominated as a World Heritage site. While documenting Socotra's geology, biodiversity, ecology, human history and culture, the book also highlights aspects of the islands' biogeography, evolution, and conservation. Thoroughly researched, with contributions from numerous international and local specialists, the book is packed with up-to-date scientific, historic and cultural information. 300 color photos, 10 maps.


Cancer (re)admission time interval, or Out-of-Hospital Days (OHD) between two consecutive hospital (re)admissions, is commonly considered as an indicator of health service quality. Despite its importance, the risk factors of OHD are largely unknown because of limited access to cancer patients' data and the lack of relevant characteristics (e.g., geographic factors) in the data. To explore the association between patients' conditions and readmission events, we analyze a sample of 22,231 admissions (OHD>30), consisting of demographic, medical, and financial factors, extracted from Electronic Health Records (EHR) of 635,261 cancer patients from 190 hospitals in China. Geographic factors are also included by applying text mining to the free-form address fields of patients' homes and hospitals. Using hierarchical linear regression, we find that various factors significantly influence OHD: age, marital status, number of admissions, and whether the treating hospital is in the same province as the patient's home address.


Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) alloy is difficult to be machined and fabricated due to its properties of rapid work-hardening and superelasticity. Traditional manufacturing methods, such as casting, vacuum arc melting, and hot-isostatic pressing, have disadvantages of high cost, time-consuming, and limitation in the complexity of parts' fabrication. In order to reduce or solve these problems, laser additive manufacturing methods have been studied in the fabrication of NiTi alloy. Among the investigations, laser engineered net-shaping (LENS) in-situ synthesis of NiTi from blended Ni and Ti powders shows its unique advantage of cost-effectiveness and flexibility in tailoring NiTi's phase transformation properties. In addition, it is reported that LENS in-situ synthesized NiTi parts have comparable properties with NiTi alloys fabricated from pre-alloyed powders. However, there are no existing investigations on the effects of processing parameters on the mechanical properties of the LENS in-situ fabricated NiTi parts. The processing parameters would have great influences on the properties of the LENS in-situ synthesized NiTi parts. This paper, for the first time, reports the effects of laser power, powder feeding rate, and Z increment of the deposition head on microstructure, microhardness, and Young's modulus of the LENS in-situ synthesized NiTi parts.


Background:Intrathecal morphine infusion leads to intrathecal granulomas. In dogs, the authors examined time course of granuloma formation and the role of concentration in granuloma development. Methods:Dogs were prepared with lumbar intrathecal catheters and vest-mounted pumps. To define the time course of granuloma formation, serial magnetic resonance imaging was performed in animals receiving 10 or 31 days of morphine infusion (12.5 mg/ml at 40 &mgr;l/h). At these times, morphine was removed from the infusate, and further magnetic resonance images were acquired over 14–35 additional days. To assess dose versus concentration, dogs received 28-day infusions of vehicle, 12 mg morphine/day as 12.5 mg/ml at 40 &mgr;l/h, or 1.5 mg/ml at 334 &mgr;l/h (12 mg/day) for 28 days. Additional dogs received 3 mg/day as 12.5 mg/ml at 10 &mgr;l/h. Results:Serial magnetic resonance images in dogs receiving morphine (12.5 mg/ml at 40 &mgr;l/h) revealed pericatheter-enhancing tissues as early as 3 days with a prominent signal by 10 days. Removal of morphine reduced the mass volume within 7 days. At a fixed infusion rate, the incidence of granuloma formation with the continuous intrathecal infusion of morphine ranged from 0 in vehicle-treated dogs to 100% in dogs treated with 12.5 mg/ml at 40 &mgr;l/h (12 mg/day). Infusion of 12 mg/day at 1.5 mg/ml (334 &mgr;l/h) resulted in granuloma in one of four animals. The authors found that infusion of morphine in different concentrations at a fixed rate resulted in a dose-dependent increase in concentration, with the granuloma-producing, dose-yielding lumbar cerebrospinal fluid morphine concentrations around 40 &mgr;g/ml. Conclusions:Serial magnetic resonance imaging showed a rapid formation and regression of the masses initiated by intrathecal morphine infusion. These masses are dependent on local concentration.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Intraventricular hemorrhage prevention bundles (IVHPBs) can decrease the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in premature infants. Our center had a high rate of severe (grade III/IV) IVH (9.8%), and poor adherence (24%) to an IVHPB in neonates born ≤1250 g or ≤30 gestational weeks. Improvement initiatives were planned to decrease the incidence of severe IVH by 30% over 2 years.

METHODS
A multidisciplinary team undertook interventions including in-service training, prompt initiation of IVHPB, revision of guidelines, and process standardization. Baseline data were collected from May 2016 to June 2018, with interventions occurring from July 2018 to May 2020. Adherence to the IVHPB was the primary process measure, and incidence of severe IVH the primary outcome measure. Control charts were used to analyze the effect of interventions on outcome. Balancing measures included use of breast milk at discharge, use of mechanical ventilation after initial resuscitation, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

RESULTS
A total of 240 infants were assessed preintervention, and 185 during interventions. Adherence to the IVHPB improved from 24% to 88%. During this period, the incidence of severe IVH decreased from 9.8% to 2.4%, a 76% reduction from baseline. A higher adherence score was associated with reduced odds of IVH (odds ratio 0.30; 95% confidence interval 0.10-0.90, P = .03).

CONCLUSIONS
Interventions focused on enhancing adherence to an IVHPB were associated with a reduced rate of severe IVH in high-risk neonates, highlighting the importance of assessing adherence to clinical guidelines.


Philo of Alexandria holds a significant place in the intellectual environment in which Christianity originated and an examination, therefore, of his thought is of value in appreciating the influences which affected the development of that religion. The aspect of his thought considered in this study is his treatment of the Jewish cultus. The two major English works on Philo published during this century are by H.A. Wolfson and E.R. Goodenough respectively. The former sees Philo primarily as a philosopher and says little of his cultic or mystical interest. Goodenough, however, maintains that Philo transformed the Jewish cultus into a Hellenistic mystery. Turning to the writings of Philo, his treatment of various aspects of the cult are considered in turn, beginning with the Temple. From this it emerges that, on the one hand, he reads a spiritual meaning into the various parts of the Temple and, on the other, uses the Temple imagery to describe his personal mysticism. This twofold approach is also employed in his treatment of the remainder of the cult, namely the priesthood, sacrifice and the festivals. It is important that the two methods used by Philo in handling cultic material be clearly distinguished from each other. The spiritualising of the cult is very different from the metaphorical use of cultic imagery to describe another type of religion and passages in which the latter method is being used are not indicative of Philo's attitude to the cult, a fact which Goodenough fails to appreciate. Contrary to Goodenough's view, Philo did not turn the Jewish cultus into a mystery, rather he held it in tension with his personal mysticism in a way which enabled him to remain a practising Jew while continuing his study of mystic philosophy.


Smart agriculture farming system is a new idea of farming in agriculture, because which
uses IoT technology to monitor the crop 24/7 and sends the information to the cloud. This
emerging system increases the quality and quantity of agricultural products. IoT
technology provides the information about farming fields and then takes action depending
on the farmer input. In this paper, we can design an IoT based advanced solution for
monitoring the soil conditions and atmosphere for efficient crop growth is presented. The
developed system is capable of monitoring temperature, humidity, soil moisture type
using NodeMCU and different sensors connected to the microcontroller. Also, a
notification is shown in farmer's phone using Wi-Fi about environmental condition and
water levels of the crop field


Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with potential as antiplatelet for stroke prophylaxis . Several approaches of aspirin formulations in various dosage forms have been performed. Formulations of aspirin in conventional tablet dosage form often cause gastric irritation. Aspirin is rapidly absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract, especially the first small intestine. Therefore f ormulation of floating drug delivery system are designed to improve the bioavailability of aspirin. The floating system will retain the tablet in stomach, allowing sufficient absorption time for aspirin in stomach and upper intestine. Aim of this study was to determine relative bioavailability of aspirin floating tablets c ompared to the aspirin enteric coated t ablet s in rabbits with crossover design method. Serial blood samples were collected from rabbit ear marginal vein over a 10-h period. Drug s concentration in plasma (aspirin and salisylic acid ) w ere determined by HPLC with benzoic acid as internal standard . The results showed that the floating aspirin tablet has better bioavailability with shorter t max and more uniform of aspirin levels compared to enteric coated tablets, though the parameters AUC and Cp max both of those products were not significant (p> 0.05).


Abstract Evaluations of vocational education and training (VET) programs play a key role in informing training policy in Australia and elsewhere. Increasingly, such evaluations use observational data from surveys or administrative collections to assess the effectiveness of VET programs and interventions. The difficulty associated with using observational data is that they are inherently prone to selection bias, which results from individuals self-selecting into a given VET program based on differences in background characteristics or other external factors. The effects of the VET program on outcomes of interest are thus confounded with the effects of pre-existing systematic differences between program participants and non-participants. Propensity score matching (PSM) can mitigate selection bias in evaluation studies with observational data by statistically balancing program participants and non-participants post hoc on observed background characteristics. This article seeks to offer a general introduction to PSM and to provide interested VET researchers with an initial stepping stone for using the method in their own work.


e% Founded1985 % R d Society Home Page: http://www.isdr.org Research into diatoms commenced with the advent of the light microscope and progressed to an advanced state in the 1950s. Since then the application of transmission and scanning electron microscopy has provided additional stimulus to the study of these micro-organisms which play a vital role in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Their siliceous cell walls are amongst the best preserved micro-fossils and thus feature greatly in micro-palaeontology and its applied aspects. Ease of culture has also led to considerable use of diatoms in physiological, cell biological and biochemical studies. In spite of a long history of research there had never been an International Society serving all diatomists whatever their interest. The foundation of the Society in 1985 has provided a focus for the continuing development of diatom research. The publication of this journal provides a forum for studies that will draw together much scattered work. often in relatively inaccessible publications.


Retroviruses utilize cellular dNTPs to perform proviral DNA synthesis in infected host cells. Unlike oncoretroviruses, which replicate in dividing cells, lentiviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus, are capable of efficiently replicating in non-dividing cells (terminally differentiated macrophages) as well as dividing cells (i.e. activated CD4+ T cells). In general, non-dividing cells are likely to have low cellular dNTP content compared with dividing cells. Here, by employing a novel assay for cellular dNTP content, we determined the dNTP concentrations in two HIV-1 target cells, macrophages and activated CD4+ T cells. We found that human macrophages contained 130-250-fold lower dNTP concentrations than activated human CD4+ T cells. Biochemical analysis revealed that, unlike oncoretroviral reverse transcriptases (RTs), lentiviral RTs efficiently synthesize DNA even in the presence of the low dNTP concentrations equivalent to those found in macrophages. In keeping with this observation, HIV-1 vectors containing mutant HIV-1 RTs, which kinetically mimic oncoretroviral RTs, failed to transduce human macrophages despite retaining normal infectivity for activated CD4+ T cells and other dividing cells. These results suggest that the ability of HIV-1 to infect macrophages, which is essential to establishing the early pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection, depends, at least in part, on enzymatic adaptation of HIV-1 RT to efficiently catalyze DNA synthesis in limited cellular dNTP substrate environments.


Pseudorotaxane nanofibers based on biomedical polymers, such as poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL), and α-cyclodextrins (α-CD) open new horizons for a variety of biomedical applications. From our recent report on pseudorotaxane suspensions and nanofibers, we inferred several unique characteristics, such as improvements in mechanical properties and a several-fold increase in viscosity values at low concentrations. In this report, through in-depth characterization employing techniques, such as rheological measurements, we investigate the reasons behind the unusual viscosity values observed in their suspensions. Additionally, combining rheology and TEM, we examine the phenomena responsible for the fiber diameter variation within a single nanofiber. Although, both 2D-wide angle X-ray diffraction patterns and selected area electron microscopy showed poor molecular orientation of the polymer chains along the fiber axis in the pseudorotaxanes, we attribute the observed higher modulus values to the denser nature and crystal packing of the PCL chains emanating from the surfaces of the columnar host α-CD crystals in the pseudorotaxanes, which was evidenced by crystallite size analyses. Finally, dynamic mechanical analyses illustrated that the interlacing of polymer chains protruding from the columnar α-CD cavities have a profound impact on the mechanical properties of these composites.


The classical theory of continuous distributions of dislocations has traditionally focused on the Burgers' vectors and the dislocation density tensor as descriptions of defectiveness. We prove that, generally, there is an infinite number of tensor densities with similarly descriptive properties, and that there is a functional basis for this list which strictly includes the Burgers' vectors and dislocation density. Moreover the changes of state which preserve these densities turn out to represent slip in certain surfaces associated with crystal geometry, so that the basic mechanism of plasticity emerges naturally from abstract ideas which neither anticipate nor involve the kinematics of particular types of crystal defects.


The social development gains made by Latin America and the Caribbean have driven the need for differentiated services to enhance the inclusion of specific groups and to respond more effectively to their vulnerabilities. In the case of adolescence-a key stage in life during which skills are accumulated and conditions created for a full and independent adult life-tutoring programs have emerged as a promising alternative to reduce risk behaviors and encourage positive life paths. Establishing a bond of trust with an unrelated adult peer acts as a protective factor by offering a positive behavioral model at a key moment of the transition into adulthood. The expectation is that the mentoring process will generate impacts on the young person's social-emotional and cognitive development and the formation of his or her identity. In this study, we propose to analyze some recent evidence on individual mentoring programs. Aspects including mentor profile, length of relationship, and frequency and type of activities, among others, determine the effectiveness of this methodology. Outcomes also vary depending on the objective the program seeks to achieve, such as academic performance, self-esteem enhancement, or reduction of risk behaviors. In addition, the study presents three promising programs in the region that incorporate professional mentoring into their work with at-risk youth: Caminho Melhor Jovem, the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Abriendo Caminos, the Security and Opportunities Subsystem of the Social Protection System, Chile; and Jovenes en Red, the national government of Uruguay.


Background & Objectives : Although ionizing radiation is effective in the diagnosis of illnesses, it is dangerous from the perspective of protection for patients and radiographers working in radiology sections. Therefore, knowledge, understanding, and application of radiation protection can play an important role. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the radiation protection principles in radiation workers in medical imaging centers and hospitals in Fasa, Fars, Iran. Materials & Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional one among all 50 radiation workers employed in radiology departments of this city. A questionnaire was the means of evaluation which contained demographic information and questions about the knowledge, attitude, and practice of radiology staff regarding the radiation protection. All of the completed questionnaires were analyzed, using SPSS19 software. Results: Radiographers' participation rate was 100%, and the mean score of knowledge, attitude, and practice of radiation workers in the field of radiation protection was 42.36, 62.4, and 48.54, respectively. Depending on the degree of their knowledge, there was no statistically significant difference between the radiographers' age, gender, and work experience, and the relationship between the following factors was not substantial. Conclusion: The results showed that by increasing the level of education, the awareness of radiation workers increases, too. To raise awareness of radiation protection for radiation workers, it is better to hold training courses.


: The significance of increased placental resistance for the development of fetal distress was examined in 800 pregnant women by pulsed Doppler flow velocimetry of the umbilical arteries. Moderately elevated resistance with reduced diastolic flow velocities with forward flow throughout the diastole, leads to an increased frequency of cesarean section for fetal distress and to a more negative fetal outcome. Severely elevated resistance of the fetal placental circulation shows absent diastolic velocities or even a diastolic reverse flow in the umbilical arteries. In 90% of 25 pregnancies this flow pattern leads to a premature delivery by cesarean section for fetal distress or to intrauterine fetal death. Standardised conditions of the Doppler signal measurement are required, before an absence of diastolic flow velocities is diagnosed. Acute changes in the resistance of the fetoplacental circulation were measured in 6 fetuses showing variable decelerations of the fetal heart rate (FHR). In 3 fetuses the flow curves showed a rapid change from normal to absent and to reverse diastolic flow during a period of time of 20-25 sec, which can indicate an acute resistance and a mechanical occlusion of the umbilical cord. Nevertheless, we found in 2 fetuses variable decelerations without any changes in the flow pattern of the umbilical arteries except for a frequency effect. One fetus showed both types of flow changes. Since two completely different sorts of flow changes exist, we conclude, that umbilical cord compression is not always the cause of variable decelerations of the FHR.


This thesis presents a reconstruction of Deleuze's theory of literature as health. What I refer to throughout as the literary clinic relates to how Deleuze characterised literary practice in clinical terms as an engagement with both vital and semiotic processes. The fundamental intuition in this regard is that there is a way of conceiving health as a strength or vitality distinct from the organic and socio-linguistic categories which give to experience a liveable form. There is a form lessor unliveable element attending every instantiation of form, and this is what positions the question of the inorganic life of the body alongside issues relating to literary creativity and formal renewal. It is this simultaneous concern with living and semiotic processes that characterises literary criticism as a type of clinic: the pathological exceeds organic construction just as the author discovers a mode of enunciation beyond the terms of socio-linguistic convention. However, Deleuze's own writings on these issues are extremely disparate, and his conception of literature as health was never realised in a completed form in his work. The reconstruction presented here follows the literary clinic from its origins in Deleuze's early philosophical readings and tracks its course through some of the major turning points in his career, most notably his collaboration with Guattari. I argue that, despite its incompleteness, the literary clinic constitutes a coherent account of literary theory and practice, one which, furthermore, is responsive to the philosophical and political issues most salient to the Deleuzian corpus. My goal has been not only to provide an analysis of this neglected area of Deleuze studies, but also to open paths towards a properly Deleuzian critical practice.


The paleopathological record of neoplastic conditions in the past is considered scarce. The detection of tumours in ancient populations is hindered by the quality and quantity of signs visible on the skeleton, the methodological approach, the preservation of remains, and by difficulties of differential diagnosis. The aims of this paper are to report the extensive and multiple osteolytic lesions observed in an adult male and to discuss the possible etiology of these lesions. The individual, a 71-year-old male who died in 1932, is part of the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection. Records indicate that he died of a 'heart lesion'. The present study used macroscopic, radiological, and computerized tomography examinations to analyse the skeletal remains of the individual number 439. The type and pattern of the lesions detected, which were most prominent on the skull, were compared with both clinical and paleopathological diagnostic criteria for different nosologic groups. The differential diagnosis addresses problems expressed both in clinical and in paleopathological literature with regard to the difficulties in distinguishing metastatic tumours from multiple myeloma. The nature of the lesions represented by this individual precludes an exact diagnosis. Therefore, we employed a broader category, neoplastic condition, instead of choosing a more specific diagnosis that would likely have resulted in a misdiagnosis due to overlapping features on this individual's condition. Further investigations are necessary to establish more replicable indicators and to improve confidence in retrospective diagnosis of these types of conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Since time began there has been a strong fascination in foreseeing the behavior of buildings and constructions.  Now In order to predict this behavior, we use experimental, and increasingly more time- and cost-effective, computational simulations. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a method that has become increasingly prevalent and has become firmly established in aviation and vehicle construction for decades. In recent years, there has been a marked growth in the use of numerical simulations for the verification of adhesive bonds, particularly in facade development where polymeric materials such as sealants or thermoplastic spacers are becoming increasingly important. This is partly driven by their expansion stress behavior, which differs greatly from the classic linear behavior of established materials such as aluminum, steel or glass. The present work uses non-linear material laws for FEA and exhibits the behavior of the sealant joint in various load scenarios on several projects. The presented case studies show that the developed calculation methods can be used to describe polymeric materials very precisely and thus simulate a wide variety of load scenarios on glued components in time and money saving manner.


During ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia (VAH), the relationship between ventilation (VE) and end-tidal PCO2 (PETCO2) changes. This study was designed to determine 1) whether these changes can be seen early in VAH and 2) if these changes are present, whether the responses differ between isocapnic and poikilocapnic exposures. Ten healthy volunteers were studied by using three 8-h exposures: 1) isocapnic hypoxia (IH), end-tidal PO2 (PETO2) = 55 Torr and PETCO2 held at the subject's normal prehypoxic value; 2) poikilocapnic hypoxia (PH), PETO2 = 55 Torr; and 3) control (C), air breathing. The VE-PETCO2 relationship was determined in hyperoxia (PETO2 = 200 Torr) before and after the exposures. We found a significant increase in the slopes of VE-PETCO2 relationship after both hypoxic exposures compared with control (IH vs. C, P < 0.01; PH vs. C, P < 0.001; analysis of covariance with pairwise comparisons). This increase was not significantly different between protocols IH and PH. No significant changes in the intercept were detected. We conclude that 8 h of hypoxia, whether isocapnic or poikilocapnic, increases the sensitivity of the hyperoxic chemoreflex response to CO2.


Microsystems will play an important role in the agrofood field as many different safety and quality assurance procedures may benefit from the inherent advantages of small, fast and reliable devices. An example is proposed for the detection of gases of interest in the control of fruit with a microsystem that combines optical and semiconductor gas sensors. A simple process step is also introduced that allows to improve the performances of such devices.


The self-configuring ability of nodes in Mobile Adhoc Network (MANETs) made it popular among critical applications like military use or natural emergency recovery. Most of the proposed protocols assume that all nodes in the network are cooperative, and do not address any security issue. To adjust such trend, it is vital to address its potential security issues. The main objective of this paper is to define the path for security and to further improve delay, energy, throughput, routing overhead, packet delivery ratio and at the same time to create energy enhanced way with excellent security. In this paper, performance analysis of hybrid cryptography with reactive protocol Elliptic Curve Cryptography - Ad hoc On- Demand Distance Vector Routing (ECC-AODV) designed for MANET. In this design there is a two key encryption technique based on elliptic curve based theory that can be used to create faster, smaller, and more energetic and efficient cryptography. Network Simulator (NS2) is used to implement and test the proposed system.


This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the annual budgets and of gross domestic product (GDP) changes in Kenya over the last six years to identify and understand the economic trends and some factors that have influenced the growth and development of the country. Kenya is considered to be an emerging country in Africa and in the countries of the East African Community, of which it is a member. The study uses a quantitative technique to assess the annual budgets of Kenya, focusing primarily on revenue and expenditure, including some important areas such as infrastructure, health care, and education. It also examines the internal and external variables that influence the evolution of GDP and, finally, it identifies the financing mechanisms. The study revealed fluctuations in annual budgets and GDP over the last six years. But in general, increasing changes indicate a growing economy. The study recommends a genuine inclusive approach to budget preparation, evaluation of tax policies to create positive attitudes of citizens towards taxes, and improved debt management to reduce the risk of indebtedness.


This paper analyzes the attitudes Saudi university students hold toward Western culture. Saudi participants completed an open-ended questionnaire about attitudes toward Western culture, consisting of five open-ended questions. This paper presents questionnaire responses from 210 university students in Saudi Arabia (male and female). This paper finds that most of these students are integratively motivated and therefore show a positive disposition toward Western culture. It also shows a correlation between instrumental motivation and students who study on science and engineering tracks. The study shows that a clear majority of students like some aspect of the West or Western culture. The study concludes that these Saudi students are predisposed to interact favorably with the West.


In order to investigate the effect of confining pressures on rock dynamic fracturing under dynamic loads, a 2D finite difference dynamic numerical model for a circular rock sample with a single centralized borehole is developed. According to the material properties and loading conditions, shock and linear equations of state are combined and applied to the rock material in this model. A modified principal stress failure criterion is applied to determining material status. It is shown that as the increase of mining depth, the extent of blasting-induced damage of rock increases significantly.


The 2016 Global Strategy (GS) made resilience central to the European Union's (EU's) external activities. However, many aspects of resilience were ambiguous. Three of these aspects are identified in this article: whether resilience is about risks or resources, whether resilience means stability or change, and what is the role of values. These ambiguities created a space for the policy work of EU bureaucracy. This work is examined in development and neighbourhood fields, and in relations with Russia. Documents' analysis and semi-structured interviews reveal a difference in how three ambiguities were interpreted. Differences were identified among policy fields but not between EU institutions. These differences reflect the efforts of EU officials to preserve consistency in 'their' fields. This policy work undermines one important goal for introducing resilience in the GS, the enhanced coherence of EU external activities. Finally, the study revealed that some interpretations moved closer to the theoretical writings on resilience compared with the GS.


Sovereignty and Consensus Defining the security concerns of the Caribbean and developing strategies for dealing with these concerns vary considerably among its nations. Yet there are certain "realities" affecting that security upon which most analysts and policy makers find consensus. These realities include: the multidimensionally of security, the saliency of drugs to security, and the necessity for cooperation. Security is Multidimensional Security in the Caribbean has not been viewed just as protection from external military threats, or as military force, equipment, or even military activity. Security is multidimensional, with military, political, economic, and environmental dimensions. The Caribbean approach to security has been concerned not only with protection from external threats; the internal arena is very much part of the security purview. Moreover, the prevailing view does not focus on the state as the only unit of analysis. Non-state actors are equally important. Some non-state actors have more assets than those of some Caribbean nations. For instance, the operating budgets of some cruise lines are larger than those of several Eastern Caribbean states combined. Moreover, some drug traffickers have more and better weapons than some law enforcement agencies in the region. Drugs are the Primary Threat There is near-universal agreement among officials in various Caribbean, North American, and European capitals that the top security concerns of the region are drug production, consumption and abuse, trafficking, and money laundering. The Caribbean has the misfortune of being close to South America, a major drug supply source, and to North America, a major drug demand area. Most of the world's cocaine is produced in South America, and a significant amount of its heroin and marijuana also comes from South and Central America. And, the United States has the dubious distinction of being the world's largest drug consuming nation. Yet, not all the drugs trafficked through the Caribbean are destined for North America. Europe is also a huge drug consumer, and a considerable amount of the drugs consumed there comes through the Caribbean. A glimpse at drug seizures over the past five years (see Table 1) indicates the scope and scale of trafficking. Other narcotics problems are drug production, consumption and abuse, and money laundering. Although the three main "danger drugs" in the Caribbean are cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, only marijuana is produced there. Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Lucia are among the countries with the highest marijuana production. Drug consumption and abuse are not limited to any social or economic group. Marijuana, for example, is predominantly a working class drug of choice. Crack cocaine is widespread among lower and middle class people because it is cheap and has the attributes of being "hard" and a "status" drug. Heroin, on the other hand, is a rich man's drug. Apart from the cost factor, the impact of heroin abuse in the region has been mitigated by a needle phobia in the region. Like production, drug abuse differs from place to place. The greatest drug abuse problems are in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Belize, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and in parts of the Eastern Caribbean. Money laundering is another aspect of the narcotics phenomenon. Indeed, it is partly the money laundering "reputation" of the Caribbean that made Anguilla the choice for Operation Dinero, a major money laundering under-cover operation that ran from January 1992 through December 1994. By the time the operation ended, U.S. and British authorities had seized nine tons of cocaine and $90 million worth of cash and assets. They also made 116 arrests and gathered a wealth of intelligence on world-wide drug trafficking and money laundering operations. Caribbean countries are vulnerable to money laundering because of their relative political stability, bank secrecy, low taxation, and relatively well-developed telecommunications. …


Background: Coronary microembolization (CME) is a severe complication in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It is a distal microvascular embolism caused by the shedding of atherosclerotic plaque debris, which can directly lead to "no blood flow" or "slow blood flow". Aims: This study investigates the dynamic changes and the relationship between cardiac function damage and GSK-3β expression induced by coronary microembolization (CME) in rats. Materials and Methods: Specific Sprague Dawley rats (SD rats) were evenly divided into a microembolization group (CME group) and a sham operation group (Sham group). Each group of rats was randomly subdivided into 0h, 3h, 9h, and 24h groups. Results: Echocardiographic parameters showed that the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the CME group was significantly lower than that of the sham group with the exception of the 0h time point (P < 0.05). The results of ELISA showed that the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in myocardial tissue of the CME group began to increase at 3h, reached a peak at 9h, and decreased at 24h (P < 0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the protein expression of NF-κB p65 in the CME group began to increase at 3 h, peaked at 9h, and decreased at 24h. The protein expression of phospho-GSK-3β(Ser 9) began to decrease at 3 h, reached a low peak at 9 h, and increased at 24 h (P < 0.05). Conclusion: GSK-3βis involved in the damage of cardiac function induced by CME and shows obvious time-variation, which may be achieved by regulating the expression of TNF-α in myocardium.


The use of computational fluid dynamics for simulation of combustion processes has made significant advances in recent years particularly for the design of individual burners and the prediction of pollutant formation and emission. However, the computational requirements of these models can still be too great for overall furnace thermal design purposes particularly if the transient performance is required. Thermal radiation is usually the dominant mode of heat transfer to the load or stock in industrial fuel-fired furnaces since the contribution of convection is relatively small. Thus prediction of the thermal performance of a furnace requires an accurate calculation of the complex radiation interchange between the surfaces and the combustion products. This can be achieved by the so-called Hottel zone method of radiation analysis and as a result this method has been applied to a wide range of industrial heating processes. The method sub-divides the non-isothermal furnace enclosure into a series of isothermal volume and surface zones and energy balances are then formulated and solved simultaneously for each zone. The computational demands are modest so that the process can be repeated successively throughout a period of furnace operation to simulate the transient behaviour of the system. However in these models all the surfaces are usually assumed to be grey and the radiation properties of the combustion products are normally represented by a mixture of grey and clear gases. These assumptions can lead to errors in the predictions, in applications such as the installation of high emissivity coatings on the furnace lining, where it is necessary to allow for the spectral variation in surface emissivity and the banded nature of the radiation properties of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the combustion gases. Consequently the proposed paper describes the development of "spectral" zone model, which takes these effects into account, to predict the transient performance of a furnace heating steel bars to a discharge temperature of 1200°C. The model also allows for broadening of the spectral bands with changes in the temperature of the combustion products. The work differs from that in previous papers on this type of model, which have been confined to steady-state simulations and do not allow for broadening. Finally the model is applied to investigate the effect of coating the refractory lining of the furnace with high emissivity materials.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Spermatozoal haplotypic DNA is prone to damage, leading to male fertility problems. So far, the assessment of sperm DNA breakage has been challenging because protamines render the nuclear chromatin highly compacted. Here, we report the application of a new test to quantify DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa of an externally fertilizing teleost fish. The sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test uses a species-specific lysing solution to generate controlled protein depletion that, followed by DNA-specific fluorescent labelling, allows an easy morphological discrimination between nuclei affected by DNA damage. Using tench (Tinca tinca) as our model, we first trialled the test against established, but more technically demanding, assays employing in situ nick translation (ISNT) and the comet assay. The SCD test showed high concordance with ISNT, comet assay measures and a chromatin-swelling test, confirming the application of this straightforward SCD technique to various aspects of reproductive biology. Second, we examined between-male variation in DNA damage, and measured changes through time following spermatozoal activation. Between-male variation in the basal levels of average DNA damage ranged from 0 to 20% of sperm showing damage, and all showed increases in DNA fragmentation through time (0-60 min). The rates of DNA damage increase are the fastest so far recorded in sperm for a living organism, and may relate to the external fertilization mode. Our findings have relevance for broodstock selection and optimizing IVF protocols routinely used in modern aquaculture.


There has been growing concerns about the rising costs of doing business and environmental degradation world over. Green ICT has been proposed to provide solutions to the two issues yet it is not being implemented fully in developing economies like Kenya. For its implementation, it is critical to establish the level of green ICT readiness of organisations to inform where to start and where to put more emphasis. Over the past few years this has been done using Molla's G-readiness model. However this model assumes the basic level of G- readiness to be same for both developed and developing economies to be the same with regard to ICT personnel preparedness. Based on green ICT readiness in Kenya, the relationship between ICT personnel's gender, age and training with the G-readiness variables as proposed in Molla's G- readiness model was investigated. The study surveyed ICT personnel in four cases using a questionnaire on a seven scale likert scale. It established that there exists a significant relationship between the ICT personnel related variables and the G-readiness variables. Based on the findings on the relationship, the study extended Molla's G-readiness model to include a sixth dimension of personnel readiness.


Business environment in Malaysia has become more competitive due to the advancement of technology and globalisation including the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs have so long devised various marketing strategies in order to penetrate the online advertisement clutter alongside improving their performance. Past studies have shown that using ICT such as social media help to improve SMEs' performance. The owner-managers themselves determine the adoption of social media in their marketing due to the process of information collection and analysis are highly relied on them. Most of the SMEs have their own websites but these are primarily used as an information tool only. Thus, this study investigated the mediating role of social media marketing adoption between technological support, organisational support, government support and competitive intelligence towards the performance of SME. The theoretical framework of this study is substantiated by Resource-based View (RBV) theory and supported by Technology, Environment and Organisation (TOE) framework. This study has been carried out in the East Coast region of Malaysia consisting of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang states and also employed a questionnaire survey method. From 1920 questionnaires distributed, 339 responses were returned and found usable for the final analysis using the structural equation model partial least square (SEM-PLS). The findings revealed that the adoption of social media marketing mediates the relationship between these technological, organisational, and government supports, the competitive intelligence, and SME performance. Finally, the study's theoretical and practical implications as well as the limitations and directions for future research were provided and discussed.


William J. Rainbird; received his B.E.(Mech) at Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand in 1947, and was awarded a Government scholarship to the College of Aeronautices, Cranfield, England, where he left in 1950 with a Post Graduate Diploma, with distinction, specializing in aerodynamics. After a year in Stockholm, Sweden working on transonic and supersonic wind-tunnel design at F.F.A., he returned to New Zealand and lectured at Canterbury University until September 1954. Returning to the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield that year, he was Lecturer in General and Experimental Aerodynamics for 3 years. Mr. Rainbird worked at the National Aeronautical Establishment, a Division of the National Research Council, Ottawa, from January 1958 to July 1970 and was a Senior Research Officer and Head of the High Speed Aerodynamics Section. In July 1970, Mr. Rainbird was appointed Professor of Engineering and Chairman of the Division of Aerothermodynamics, at Carleton University, Ottawa. In 1967, Mr. Rainbird spent a year's study and refresher leave at the University of California, San Diego, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Sciences. He is a Fellow of the C ASI, Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Member of the AIAA, and was a Canadian Member of the AGARD Fluid Dynamics Panel from 1964-1969. His main field of specialization and interest in aerodynamics is in threedimensional boundary layers and separation. David J. Peake is a graduate of University of Bristol, England, Department of Aeronautical Engineering [B.Sc., 1960 (First Class Honors); M.Sc., 1962], Concurrent with University training, Mr. Peake completed an Engineering Student Apprenticeship at National Gas Turbine Establishment, Pyestock, Farnborough, England, during 1956- 1960. He remained at NGTE until May 1962 as Scientific Officer, working with Dr. Brian Stratford on the control of supersonic turbulent boundary layers with tangential air injection, and supersonic inlet design. Mr. Peake moved to National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada in May 1962, joining the Council's National Aeronautical Establishment in January 1964, in the High Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory. He worked with W. J. Rainbird in the investigation of three-dimensional separations in both subsonic and supersonic flow; transonic jet-flapped aerofoils, and axisymmetric turbulent boundary layers, all at high Reynolds numbers. Mr. Peake is studying for Ph.D. (parttime) at Carleton University, Ottawa and has membership in AIAA, RAeS and CASI. He has recently been awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Bristol for submitted published work. Edward G. Atraghji is a graduate of University of London (B.Sc., 1962). He conducted research on slender delta wing configurations at Queen Mary College, London, between 1962 and 1966. He joined the National Research Council, NAE Division, High Speed Aerodynamics Laboratory, 1966. Topics of research have included the flows about various aircraft and missile configurations.


Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all childhood brain tumors. New treatment strategies are needed to improve patient survival outcomes and to reduce adverse effects of current therapy. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) intracellular signaling pathway plays a key role in cellular metabolism, proliferation, survival and angiogenesis, and is often constitutively activated in human cancers, providing unique opportunities for anticancer therapeutic intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pre-clinical activity of BKM120, a selective pan-class I PI3K inhibitor, on MB cell lines and primary samples. IC50 values of BKM120 in the twelve MB cell lines tested ranged from 0.279 to 4.38 μM as determined by cell viability assay. IncuCyte ZOOM Live-Cell Imaging system was used for kinetic monitoring of cytotoxicity of BKM120 and apoptosis in MB cells. BKM120 exhibited cytotoxicity in MB cells in a dose and time-dependent manner by inhibiting activation of downstream signaling molecules AKT and mTOR, and activating caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways. Furthermore, BKM120 decreased cellular glycolytic metabolic activity in MB cell lines in a dose-dependent manner demonstrated by ATP level per cell. In MB xenograft mouse study, DAOY cells were implanted in the flank of nude mice and treated with vehicle, BKM120 at 30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg via oral gavage daily. BKM120 significantly suppressed tumor growth and prolonged mouse survival. These findings help to establish a basis for clinical trials of BKM120, which could be a novel therapy for the treatment of medulloblastoma patients.


We investigate various factors that might influence the general public's confidence in the security of Australian banknotes, using a unique series of online banknotes surveys conducted by the Reserve Bank of Australia since 2010. We find that past encounters with counterfeits, and past experience of problems using banknotes, significantly worsen an individual's perceived counterfeit risk. Females, younger adults, and people with low income are also found to assess the counterfeit risk more negatively. Conversely, and with the exception of being a younger adult or having had serious problems using banknotes, confidence in the system to remove counterfeits is largely unaffected by demographic factors or past exposure to counterfeits. Awareness of a banknote upgrade program does not seem to have much effect on confidence, while knowing more security features of banknotes is associated with higher confidence. To assess the relationship between media coverage and public confidence in banknotes we use monthly data on media reports on counterfeiting, genuine banknotes mistakenly submitted as counterfeits, and actual counterfeit detections. As more unique counterfeit incidents are reported in the media, more genuine banknotes are mistakenly submitted as counterfeits, which we interpret as media coverage heightening the sense of counterfeit risk. JEL Classification Numbers: D10, J11, J18


Objective and Background: Bile leakage is a serious postoperative complication and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) may be an option when endoscopic treatment is not feasible. In this retrospective study, we established technical and clinical success rates as well as the complication rates of PTBD in a large group of patients with postoperative bile leakage. Methods: Data on all patients with nondilated intrahepatic bile ducts who underwent a PTBD procedure for the treatment of bile leakage between January 2000 and August 2012 were retrospectively assessed. Data included type of surgery, site of bile leak, previous attempts of bile leak repair, interval between surgery and PTBD placement. Outcome measures were the technical and clinical success rates, the procedure-related complications, and mortality rate. Results: A total of 63 patients were identified; PTBD placement was technically successful in 90.5% (57/63) after one to three attempts. The clinical success rate was 69.8% (44/63). Four major complications were documented (4/63; 6.3%): liver laceration, pneumothorax, pleural empyema, and prolonged hemobilia. One minor complication involved pain. Conclusions: PTBD is an effective treatment with low complication rates for the management of postsurgical bile leaks in patients with nondilated bile ducts.


We examined early energy allocation patterns of eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) reared on three dietary regimes by measuring growth and lipid storage at several points during the first 40 days of life. A high food treatment produced growth increments similar to those previously found in natural mosquitofish populations, whereas intermediate (one-half the quantity of high) and low (one-quarter the quantity of high) food treatments produced significantly lower growth increments. Lipid content was about 20% of dry mass at birth and declined for the first five days of life in all three treatments. After this initial period of lipid use, lipid levels increased asymptotically in all treatments. Lipid content was positively correlated with feeding level and plateaued at significantly different levels for each treatment. These three laboratory-reared groups had significantly higher percent somatic lipids than two populations of wild fish of similar size, probably because of differences in food and activity levels between laboratory and field environments. Size at birth was positively correlated with size at two weeks of age but was not significantly correlated with size beyond 15 days of age. Birth size was uncorrelated with subsequent growth or lipid content. No trade-offs between growth and lipid storage were found at any level examined in this study. We suggest that differences in energy acquisition or metabolic efficiency may swamp differences in resource allocation between these two energy compartments.


Abstract For many EFL learners, listening poses a grave challenge. The difficulty in segmenting a stream of speech and limited capacity in short-term memory are common weaknesses for language learners. Specifically, reduced forms, which frequently appear in authentic informal conversations, compound the challenges in listening comprehension. Numerous interventions have been implemented to assist EFL language learners, and of these, the application of captions has been found highly effective in promoting learning. Few studies have examined how different modes of captions may enhance listening comprehension. This study proposes three modes of captions: full, keyword-only, and annotated keyword captions and investigates their contribution to the learning of reduced forms and overall listening comprehension. Forty-four EFL university students participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. The results revealed that all three groups exhibited improvement on the pre-test while the annotated keyword caption group exhibited the best performance with the highest mean score. Comparing performances between groups, the annotated keyword caption group also emulated both the full caption and the keyword-only caption groups, particularly in the ability to recognize reduced forms. The study sheds light on the potential of annotated keyword captions in enhancing reduced forms learning and overall listening comprehension.


"The greatest shortcoming of human race is our inability to understand the exponential function" -Albert.A.Bartlett In a bid to achieve the twin goals of boosting economic growth and ending extreme poverty, nations have exploited the existing resources without understanding the true cost of its depletion. They are confronted with a resource scarcity crisis as they are unable to satisfy the unlimited wants of human beings with the limited resources. Resources have been used, abused and misused over and above their rate of replenishment. At this juncture, it becomes imperative for nations to understand the concept of "Sustainable Development". Sustainable development refers to development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The questions for nations is not "whether" to embrace sustainable development but "how" to embrace it. The answer lies in an older school of thought. In ancient India, the inhabitants of the river Indus(Hindus)followed certain practices that were environment friendly with or without their knowledge. They embraced nature as an integral part of their life. Hindus have long had a palpable and organic connection with nature. In this paper, "Hinduism" is considered as "a way of life" that was practiced by our forefathers and not merely as a religion. Ancient Indian texts like Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads clearly describe the eco-friendly attitude of Hindus. Plants and trees are valued so highly in Hindu sacred texts that their destruction is connected with doomsday scenario. For the same reason, almost every temple in South India dedicated to Lord Shiva or Vishnu, or to a manifestation of the goddess, has a "sthalavriksha", a special tree regarded as sacred to that area. The sthalavriksha symbolizes all trees and reminds pilgrims that all trees are worthy of respect. Similarly, in older days, people revered rivers, mountains, forests and animals. For example, many villages had a sacred lake, and around it a grove of trees to catch rainfall and protect the banks from erosion. The lake and its grove would store rainfall to irrigate surrounding fields and also to provide drinking water to the local community. In recent times, the neglect of these simple techniques for gathering and protecting clean water has led to serious water shortage crisis. These are just few among many traditions followed by our forefathers. The objective of this paper is to study the traditional techniques of environmental protection that were followed in ancient India and to provide suggestions to government entities, NGO's and International organizations for embracing those techniques for a sustainable future. It is high time to seek lessons from the spiritual heritage of our country as they offer a unique set of moral values and customs that serves as a guide in nurturing the relationship between man and nature, thereby, leading to a sustainable future.


The direct sol–gel encapsulation of an ionic liquid comprising a long alkyl chain imidazolium cation (1-methyl-3-octyl-imidazolium) and ibuprofenate anion, an active pharmaceutical ingredient, has been investigated. Silica ionogels either in the form of centimeter sized monoliths or nanometer sized particles were obtained depending on the conditions used. In both cases, the ionic liquid acted as a templating agent and a catalyst, promoting its own encapsulation. Monolithic ionogels were prepared by a simple hydrolytic method using tetramethoxysilane as the silica source. High pore volumes were measured after removal of the ionic liquid, in relation with the bulkiness of the ions. Typically, surface areas and pore volumes as high as 812 m2 g−1 and 1.25 cm3 g−1 were obtained using a low ionic liquid to silica ratio equal to 0.25, but still representing a high Ibuprofen loading equal to 46 wt%. At the same time, the ibuprofenate anion acted as a catalyst for the sol–gel reaction and a relatively high condensation degree was obtained (88%). Moreover, it was possible to benefit from the fact that the ionic liquid self-organized into micelles in aqueous solutions to incorporate it into mesoporous silica nanospheres in the absence of any organic solvent or other additives using tetraethoxysilane as the silica source. The mechanism involved was evidenced by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spherical silicate micelles of 30–40 nm were first formed, followed by their aggregation into spherical nanoparticles. Effects of time, temperature, and ionic liquid concentration on the formation of these silica nanospheres were also investigated.


Genetic data can provide a powerful tool for those interested in the biology, management and conservation of wildlife, but also lead to erroneous conclusions if appropriate controls are not taken at all steps of the analytical process. This particularly applies to data deposited in public repositories such as GenBank, whose utility relies heavily on the assumption of high data quality. Here we report on an in-depth reassessment and comparison of GenBank and chromatogram mtDNA sequence data generated in a previous study of Baltic grey seals. By re-editing the original chromatogram data we found that approximately 40% of the grey seal mtDNA haplotype sequences posted in GenBank contained errors. The re-analysis of the edited chromatogram data yielded overall similar results and conclusions as the original study. However, a significantly different outcome was observed when using the uncorrected dataset based on the GenBank haplotypes. We therefore suggest disregarding the existing GenBank data and instead using the correct haplotypes reported here. Our study serves as an illustrative example reiterating the importance of quality control through every step of a research project, from data generation to interpretation and submission to an online repository. Errors conducted in any step may lead to biased results and conclusions, and could impact management decisions.


Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a hormone with pleiotropic cardioprotective properties. Previously in our noneplacebo-controlled non-blinded pilot study (BELIEVE) in human ST-segmentelevation anterior acute myocardial infarction (AMI), a 72-hour intravenous (IV) infusion of recombinant human BNP (nesiritide) at a dose of 0.006 m gk g � 1 min � 1 suppressed plasma aldosterone, reduced cardiac dilatation, and improved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) at 1 month compared with baseline. Methods and Design: The BELIEVE II study is a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled, single-center clinical trial to assess the efficacy of 72-hour IV infusion of nesiritide therapy (0.006 m gk g � 1 min � 1 ) in humans with first-time ST-segment-elevation anterior AMI and successful reperfusion, in preventing adverse LV remodeling and preserving LV function. A total of 60 patients will be randomized to placebo or nesiritide therapy. The primary efficacy end point is LV end-systolic and end-diastolic dimensions determined by multiple gated acquisition scan between placebo and nesiritide groups at 30 days; secondary end points include 30-day LVEF, diastolic function, infarct size, LV mass, and combined total mortality and heart failure hospitalization. Conclusions: This will be the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the clinical efficacy of nesiritide in human ST-segment-elevation anterior AMI. (J Cardiac Fail 2013;19:533e539)


Abstract : The mechanized system used in the Technical Library at the Bureau of Ships (BUSHIPS) is called the SHips Analysis and Retrieval Project (SHARP). SHARP is a computer-oriented information storage and retrieval system developed to resolve some of the problems inherent in the handling, storage and retrieval of scientific and technical literature at the BUSHIPS Technical Library. The IBM 7090 computer was used during the development and early operational stages of the SHARP system; conversion to the Livermore Atomic Research Computer (LARC) at David Taylor Model Basin has been completed. The computer is being used to automate bibliographic searches; subject matter searches; coordinated searches; issuance of library catalog cards and accessions bulletins; control of periodicals and journals; and other aspects under development, such as complete automatic generic computer searching, automatic posting of descriptive terms by the computer in the indexing procedure, and user interest registers. Both the Library and the users appear to be satisfied with the results of the systm programs that are operational. (Author)


Ferroelectric hosts such as LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 are increasingly widely used materials for optical, nonlinear optical, electro-optic and pyroelectric devices. Domain manipulation within these hosts, at scale-lengths of order a few micron has further extended their role in applications such as quasi-phase-matching, and the supply of periodically poled materials such as PPLN and PPLT is now routine. To date, the piezoelectric properties of LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 have not yet been as fully explored in the context of micro-optical or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and this is the area we are currently exploring. So far however, reliable and accurate methods for machining and microstructuring LiNbO3/LiTaO3 single crystals have been lacking. We have recently been investigating several such methods, which are sensitive to ferroelectric domain orientation.[1] A sample that has been domain-engineered shows a large difference in etch characteristics: the +z face does not etch at all, whereas the -z face etches normally. Microstructured devices can be fabricated therefore, via spatially selective domain poling followed by etching. The extreme sensitivity of the etch process to domain orientation has enabled us to fabricate ridge waveguides for electro-optic modulator applications [2], alignment grooves for efficient fibre-pigtailing to LiNbO3 modulators, and micro-cantilevers using a novel technique of contact bonding of dissimilar ferroelectric hosts. Other routes exist for such microstructuring that do not depend on previous domain patterning. Light can be used to manipulate local domain inversion characteristics, and light itself can also be used to pattern the etching behaviour of LiNbO3 immersed in solutions of HF/HNO3 acids. The talk will describe our progress in microstructuring techniques, followed by our recent results in fabrication of piezoelectric cantilevers, total internal reflection electro-optic switches, and our intentions to fabricate sub-micron sized domains for tunable Bragg filters.


Abstract Aristolochia maurorum L. of Jordanian origin has been investigated phytochemically, quantitatively, and biologically. Three atypical alkaloids, namely aristolochic acid I (1), aristolochic acid II (2) and aristolochic acid IIIa (3), have been isolated and identified. Of these known 1-phenanthrenecarboxylic acids, 2 and 3 are reported for the first time from this species. The identified compounds 1-3 were first evaluated biologically as cytotoxic agents against the brine shrimp lethality test (BST), in which compound 1 was found to be the most potent (LC50, 4.9 μg/mL). The antiplatelet activity of the methanolic extracts, the acidic fractions of aerial and root parts, and the identified compounds 1-3 were evaluated using an automatic platelet aggregometer and coagulation tracer (APACT 2). Using external reference standards, and a reverse-phase isocratic method, the distribution of aristolochic acid I and aristolochic acid II in different plant parts of Aristolochia maurorum L. during flowering stage was analyzed by PDA-HPLC. A quantitative comparison between two previously reported extraction methods was also made. Roots were found to be the main storage of aristolochic acid I and aristolochic acid II during flowering stage with about 0.22 and 0.108% (w/w), respectively.


Dynamic replication schemes for cost-effective, scalable content delivery networks (CDNs) are discussed. Based on content replication granularity, current dynamic replication approaches can be classified into entire replication (entire content is replicated) and object replication (individual objects are replicated) schemes. The drawbacks of these schemes are low replication performance and low scalability, respectively. We propose two schemes delivering replication performance close to that of object replication scheme with replication granularity close to that of entire replication scheme. The schemes aggregates objects in the origin server into multiple content groups and then replicate them on per-group granularity. The content groups are either statically created in advance or dynamically created upon replication. Simulation of the proposed scheme showed that the scheme of dynamic group creation can achieve almost the same performance as the optimal scheme of object replication. Even the scheme of static group creation provides much better performance than entire replication under skewed request distribution. The effect of the number of content groups on performance is also investigated.


Health problems will appear along with the increasing aging of someone that can reduce the quality of life. Many factors can decreases in quality of life. The purpose of this study was to find the determinants of the quality of life to the pre-elderly and elderly population in the working area of Harapan Raya public health center Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia. The design of the research was cross sectional in the pre-elderly population (45–59 years) and the elderly population (60 years and above). There were 103 respondents participated in this study gathared with consecutive sampling techniques. Quality of life was measured using WHOQOL SF-36 questionnaire. Independent variables were body mass index, physical activity, chronic disease, smoking behavior, employment status, residence status, marital status, education, age, and sex. Data were analyzed by univariate, bivariate with Chi square test, and multivariate with multiple logistic regression. The proportion of subjects with low quality of life was 18.4%. Variables related to bivariate were body mass index, smoking behavior, chronic disease, employment status, and sex. Chronic disease (OR=5.5; 95% CI=1.173–25.674) significantly affected the quality of life after being controlled by sex. The quality of life could be explained by this factor about 17%. It is necessary to manage chronic diseases in the public health center and provide information to the pre-elderly and the elderly through counseling, print and electronic media.


This discussion looks at how strong spirituality provides role models to women entrepreneurs in Kuwait and Thailand. Although they lag some parts of the world at closing the gender gap (WEF 2016), both Kuwait and Thailand are among the leaders in their respective regions (MENA, ASEAN). However, there is still sometimes resistance to women in entrepreneurial activities from more traditional elements of society. Women, however, can point to religious figures who are well established in traditional society. In Kuwait, one such prominent figure is Khadijah, the Prophet's first wife, who was a prominent businesswoman. In Thailand, this is Kuan Im (Chinese Kuan Yin), a prominent bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who is a patron of women and, among other professions, merchants. These women religious figures can provide inspiration to women entrepreneurs and provide ample justification that their entrepreneurial activities are not at all contrary to traditional culture.


A targeted review was conducted of school-based, controlled intervention studies that promoted good nutrition, physical activity, or smoking cessation/prevention, and were published in one of 12 leading health behavior journals between 1996 and 2000. The RE-AIM framework was used to evaluate the extent to which each paper reported on elements of reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Thirty-two publications were reviewed. Reporting rates across the RE-AIM dimensions varied substantially: Reach = 59.3%; Efficacy = 100%; Adoption = 14.8%; Implementation = 37%; Maintenance = 25.9% for individuals, 0% for schools. Few studies reported if characteristics of the study sample were representative of those found in the broader population of students or schools. Among studies reporting on the RE-AIM dimensions, participation rates generally were high (median 82%), adoption rates were moderate (median 72.5%), and reports of implementation were high (87%). To increase the potential to translate controlled research to "real-world" practice conditions, a stronger emphasis should be placed on reporting the representativeness of the sample of students and schools.


Abstract. New plant remains from the upper section of the Paso Flores Formation, at the Cañadón de Pancho locality, western area of the Collón Curá River, Neuquén Province, Argentina, are herein described and illustrated. These are: Lutanthus ornatus, Rissikistrobus plenus, Rissikistrobus reductus, Rissikia media, Umkomasia sp., Sphenobaiera argentinae, Pseudoctenis spatulata, Taeniopteris crassinervis and Yabeiella brackebuschiana. Additionally, Baiera triassica, in replacement of the homonymous species previously identified in Argentina as Baiera taeniata, Ginkgo taeniata and Sphenobaiera taeniata, is herein described. Furthermore, species previously described for other localities in the Paso Flores Formation are recorded for the first time for the Quemquemtreu area of the Cañadón Pancho locality. These species are: Asterotheca rigbyana, Marattiopsis muensteri, Cladophlebis kurtzii, C. indica, Dictyophyllum (Dictyophyllum) tenuifolium, Goeppertella stipanicicii, Dicroidium incisum, D. odontopteroides, D. lancifolium, Pachydermophyllum praecordillerae, Heidiphyllum elongatum, Baiera furcata, Sphenobaiera robusta, Pseudoctenis carteriana and P. falconeriana. The Voltziales male cone Lutanthus herein described from the Paso Flores Formation represents its second record for the Gondwana realm while the Podocarpaceae female cone Rissikistrobus is hereby reported for the first time from Triassic strata of Argentina and constitutes its third record for Gondwana. Comparisons with the plant diversity recorded from other localities of the Paso Flores Formation throughout the Neuquén Province are analyzed. The Cañadón de Pancho microflora assemblages suggest a Late Triassic (Latest Norian= Rhaetian) age and therefore the fossil flora is the youngest recorded from Argentinian Triassic basins to date.


Many techniques have been developed to produce landslide susceptibility maps. However, mapping the spatial distribution of landslide susceptibility involves critical steps. This study evaluated susceptibility to the occurrence of shallow landslides in upstream areas of the Jingshan River, Taiwan, where heavy rainfall has resulted in increased landslide occurrence and reservoir sedimentation. The landslide susceptibility case study was conducted using logistic regression, an instability index method, and support vector machine (SVM). A selection procedure was first developed to identify the factors influencing landslide occurrence. Historical landslide data were used to assess the corresponding parameters of each model. The receiver operating characteristic curve was then used to evaluate the accuracy of model results. The results indicated that the instability index method underestimated landslide susceptibilities in areas near the river. The instability index method was highly affected by the classifications of model factors. Of the models, the SVR model was the most accurate regarding landslide susceptibility in the study area. Employing this framework, governments may implement suitable, cost-effective improvements to structural measures and land-use planning.


To the Editor. —May I be permitted to add a short note to the excellent and exhaustive "Sickle Cell Symposium" published in the April issue of theArchives? The term "sickle cell disease " was first used in 1940 by me. 1 I had become fascinated by this new experience with the clinical pathology of Negroes, after my immigration to New Orleans from Vienna, Austria. At that time, only the distinction of the harmless sickle cell trait (sicklemia) from the serious sickle cell anemia had been known. Extensive clinical studies at Charity Hospital of New Orleans and later at the General Hospital of Los Angeles prompted me to coin the term "sickle cell disease" because anemia, though the best known and most frequent sign of this disease, is not the essential and not the most dangerous one. Circulatory stasis in the small blood vessels of the internal organs is the primary