Shumkova, R. & Balkanska, R. (2021). Influence of IMMUNOSTART HERB feeding on the bee colonies development. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 27 (5), 896–902 To date, various plant-based supplemental forages, which contain key molecules, for bees are being used worldwide to improve the bee health. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the product IMMUNOSTART HERB on some physiological and biochemical parameters and the development of the bee colonies during their spring feeding. The study was conducted at the experimental apiary of the Research Center of Stockbreeding and Agriculture, Smolyan, Bulgaria. The experiment included local honey bees Apis mellifera L., settled in the Langstroth-Rut system. For the feeding of the bee colonies is used a natural product IMMUNOSTART HERB based on herbal extracts. It contains natural flavonoids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, mucus substances, amino acids, essential oils, vitamins, minerals and vitamin C. The feeding of the bee colonies in the spring was carried out as follows: the experimental group was fed with IMMUNOSTART HERB at a dose of 10 ml in 100 ml sugar solution (sugar/water 1:1) 4 times at intervals of 7 days; the control group received only sugar solution. Statistically significant differences were found for the strength of the bee colonies and the amount of sealed worker bee brood in the experimental group fed with IMMUNOSTART HERB compared to the control group. A linear positive correlation between the fresh bee head weight and the degree of development of the hypopharyngeal glands was found. The higher values of total protein in the haemolymph in the experimental group were found to be indicative of the positive effect of the product IMMUNOSTART HERB on the immunity of bees. According to this study, the supplementary feeding of the bee colonies with IMMUNOSTART HERB is good to start about 60 days before the first main pasture in the region.


Falling between seasonal cycle variability and the impact of local drivers, the sea level in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has been given less consideration, especially with large-scale modes. With multiple decades of satellite altimetry observations combined with good spatial resolution, the time has come for diagnosis of the impact of large-scale modes on the sea level in those important semi-enclosed basins. While the annual cycle of sea level appeared as a dominant cycle using spectral analysis, the semi-annual one was also found, although much weaker. The first empirical orthogonal function mode explained, on average, about 65% of the total variance throughout the seasons, while their principal components clearly captured the strong La Niña event (1999–2001) in all seasons. The sea level showed a strong positive relation with positive phase El Niño Southern Oscillation in all seasons and a strong negative relation with East Atlantic/West Russia during winter and spring over the study period (1993–2017). We show that the unusually stronger easterly winds that are displaced north of the equator generate an upwelling area near the Sumatra coast and they drive both warm surface and deep-water masses toward the West Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, rising sea level over the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. This process could explain the increase of sea level in the basin during the positive phase of El Niño Southern Oscillation events.


Histories of life and the recovery of personal images bring us to Charles Baudelaire's reflection on the artist as "a man of the crowd and the world. The association made by the French poet refers to the way of thinking of the "present" time as an essential material for recording and immortalizing a particular time and cultural history. "The world's man and" are related to the common man and the daily heroisms not found in the pages - and screens - of a mass industry that annihilates singularities. Enrapturated by this conception one can think of everyday history and present history. History of those who are alienated from it.The project "Photographed History, Shared History" is a blog-album of the daily life of residents of Cotia, centered on history fragments of photographs chosen and narrated by the central characters of the moment captured by them. The blog contains part of texts transcribed and "transcriados" by the Communication and Expression students of the Business Management and Industrial Production Management courses at Fatec Cotia. With this exercise, not only these residents but their interviewers became memory builders. Sherazades provoking the desire to hear, read and see the characters that - once again taking Baudelaire - allow a portrait of Modernity.Coinciding with this proposal, "Memories that do not fade - despite the Alzheimer", photographic exhibition that brings together memories of people from the city with the disease.This communication intends to present these projects, analyzing these memories and the importance of narrating.


Abstract Pratylenchus is one of the most limiting nematodes of Musaceae production in the world. Knowledge of the nematode species is one of the requirements for its management in the field. This study aimed to identify up to the species level Pratylenchus populations associated with plantain and banana crops in the states of Caldas, Quindío, and Valle del Cauca in Colombia. In these regions, Pratylenchus has been reported to affect these crops in the past, but with records of the nematode only up to the genus level. For this purpose, five populations of Pratylenchus extracted from samples composed of roots and rhizospheric soil, four from plantain and one from banana, were identified through morphological, morphometric, and molecular analysis (sequencing of the D2–D3 of rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I of mtDNA). All populations were identified as P. araucensis, a species reported previously in eastern Colombia, and one that the present study found in the center and southwest of the country, indicating that this species of nematode is widely distributed in the Musaceae-producing areas of Colombia. The present study reports the first COI mtDNA sequences for this species of nematode.


greek mathematical thought and the origin of algebra is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our books collection saves in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the greek mathematical thought and the origin of algebra is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Pupil dilation research was initially focused upon emotional reactions and then shifted almost entirely to information processing. In the present study we return to the initial research and addresses the question of whether pupil dilation in response to nudity reflects general arousal or more specific sexual arousal. Among heterosexual participants, pictures of opposite sex nudes should produce sexual arousal, while pictures of nudes of either sex should produce a general novelty reaction. Pupil dilation was monitored among men and women viewing pictures of clothed men, clothed women, nude men, and nude women. Pupils dilated more to nude pictures than to the clothed pictures, regardless of the sex of the participant or the sex of the target person being viewed.


Magnetic vector inversion (MVI) has received considerable attention over recent years for processing magnetic field data that are affected by remanent magnetization. However, the magnetization models obtained with current inversion algorithms are generally too smooth to be easily interpreted geologically. To address this, we have reviewed the MVI formulated in a spherical coordinate system. We tackle convergence issues posed by the nonlinear transformation from Cartesian to spherical coordinates by using an iterative sensitivity weighting approach and a scaling of the spherical parameters. The spherical formulation allows us to impose sparsity assumptions on the magnitude and direction of magnetization independently and, as a result, the inversion recovers simpler and more coherent magnetization orientations. The numerical implementation of our algorithm on large-scale problems is facilitated by discretizing the forward problem using tiled octree meshes. All of our results are generated using the open-source SimPEG software. We determine the enhanced capabilities of our algorithm on a large airborne magnetic survey collected over the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-platinum group elements (PGE) deposit. The recovered magnetization direction inside the ultramafic intrusion and in the host stratigraphy is consistent with laboratory measurements and provides evidence for tectonic deformation.


This article deals with an ethnic identity-based-power through the mobilization of Using cultures in Banyuwangi under local government policies in post-Reformation. By juxtaposing Foucauldian discourse, Gramscian hegemony, and political economy perspective, we discuss some cultural projects conducted by two Banyuwangi regents in post-Reformation periods, Samsul Hadi (2000-2005) and Abdullah Azwar Anas (2010-2015 and re-elected for 2016-2021 period). With different emphasized aspects, both of them created programs, which incorporated and mobilized Using cultures for accomplishing their political economy goals. Samsul legalized Using cultural expression, such as a local dance and language, as the way to strengthen the dominant-ethnic identity and reach consensus for his political authority. In more sparkling activities, Anas has transformed Using identity into various carnival programs, which, in one side, have supported tourism industry and, in other side, have helped him in gaining consensus for his hegemonic position. However, in the context of real cultural empowerment, those programs have not given positive effect for the cultural worker in the grass root.


Hydrogen has been long known to provide a solution toward clean energy systems. With this notion, many efforts have been made to find new ways of storing hydrogen. As a result, decades of studies has led to a wide range of hydrides that can store hydrogen in a solid form. Applications of these solid-state hydrides are well-suited to stationary applications. However, the main challenge arises in making the selection of the Metal Hydrides (MH) that are best suited to meet application requirements. Herein, we discuss the current state-of-art in controlling the properties of room temperature (RT) hydrides suitable for stationary application and their long term behavior in addition to initial activation, their limitations and emerging trends to design better storage materials. The hydrogen storage properties and synthesis methods to alter the properties of these MH are discussed including the emerging approach of high-entropy alloys. In addition, the integration of intermetallic hydrides in vessels, their operation with fuel cells and their use as thermal storage is reviewed.


The surfactant-polymer (SP) process is one of the Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR) methods used in the industry. It has been continuously studied; however, it is still a challenge for the petroleum industry due to the difficulty to design the solution to be injected and forecast process performance. This paper is intended to contribute to the design of fluids used in an SP process based on some previously known properties and conditions. Hence, reservoir and fluid properties of a Colombian Field were used as reference parameters to select the polymer and surfactant. Then, the effects of salts, temperature, and surfactant on tailor-made polymer solutions were determined through a rheological study. Ostwald-de Waele and Carreau-Yasuda models adjusted the measured viscosity data against shear rate, while Arrhenius equation fitted viscosity values at 7,8 s-1 against temperature. The surfactant performance was analyzed using phase behavior tests, and the Chun Huh equations determined the interfacial tension (IFT) values. The Bancroft's rule was used as a qualitative verification tool of the kind of micro- emulsion formed. From rheology, we concluded that the viscous modulus is predominant for all polymer solutions, and the fluid thickness is reduced due to the presence of divalent cations and raise on temperature, salts or surfactant concentration. On the other hand, the observed phase behavior corresponded to a transition Winsor II to I without finding any Winsor III micro-emulsion. Therefore, some criteria were proposed to select the optimal conditions. For the desired conditions, the reduction of IFT reached values ranging in magnitudes of 10-3 to 10-4 [mN/m]. These values are usually associated with an improved oil recovery factor.


This study concentrates on the free pure radial vibrations of hollow spheres made of hypothetically functionally simple power rule graded materials having identical inhomogeneity indexes for both Young's modulus and the density in an analytical manner. After offering the exact elements of the free vibration coefficient matrices for free-free, free-fixed, and fixed-fixed restraints, a parametric study is fulfilled to study the effects of both the aspect ratio and the inhomogeneity parameters on the natural frequencies. The outcomes are presented in both graphical and tabular forms. It was seen that the fundamental frequency is mostly affected by the inhomogeneity parameters rather than the higher ones. However, the natural frequencies except the fundamental ones are dramatically affected by the thickness of the sphere. It is also revealed that there is a linear relationship between the fundamental frequency and others in higher modes of the same sphere under all boundary conditions.


The effect of soil properties on the natural attenuation of the herbicide atrazine was investigated in soil samples from the irrigation district 063. Adsorption and mineralization of atrazine in soils were evaluated using guidelines recommended by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and radiolabeled (14C) atrazine. Confi dence limits of 99% for mean of adsorption coeffi cients were 0.297–0.587 L kg-1 and for the half life 2.0–5.8 yr. Atrazine adsorption isotherms were linear and adsorption coeffi cients of the herbicide were in the range reported in the literature for agricultural soils. The mineralization of atrazine in the soil samples was slow, an indicator that soil microorganisms are not adapted to the herbicide. This may be due to a reduction in the application rate of atrazine. Soil samples were characterized for sand, silt, clay contents, as well as organic matter, nitrates, ammonium, pH, and electrical conductivity. The correlation analysis between the natural attenuation of atrazine and soil properties shows a negative relationship between adsorption and soil depth as well as between atrazine mineralization and organic matter, ammonium and electrical conductivity. This means that atrazine is more mobile due to its lower adsorption in deeper soils and more persistent due to the increase in concentrations of such components. The results obtained in this work will be useful in the formulation of better scenarios of atrazine lixiviation in agricultural soils.


FEVER in children with acute leukemia may be a manifestation of the underlying disease or herald the onset of an infectious complication. 1 Microorganisms that are generally considered to be of low virulence may become primary pathogens in patients whose innate defense mechanisms are altered by malignancy and immunosuppressive chemotherapy. The coliform bacteria, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli , and fungi of the Candida and Aspergillus species frequently occur in this role of opportunistic invader. 2 Protozoa have been infrequently documented as significant pathogens in children with neoplasia. 3 This report describes the clinical, morphologic, hematologic, and immunologic data of a child with acute toxoplasmosis acquired during a drug-induced remission of lymphoblastic leukemia. The diagnosis was made by microscopic identification of the nonencysted form of Toxoplasma gondii in aspirated bone marrow smears and confirmed by a rising fluorescent antibody inhibition titer. Recognition of the protozoan in bone marrow smears was


Multimedia event detection (MED) and multimedia event recounting (MER) are fundamental tasks in managing large amounts of unconstrained web videos, and have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Most existing systems perform MER as a post-processing step on top of the MED results. In order to leverage the mutual benefits of the two tasks, we propose a joint framework that simultaneously detects high-level events and localizes the indicative concepts of the events. Our premise is that a good recounting algorithm should not only explain the detection result, but should also be able to assist detection in the first place. Coupled in a joint optimization framework, recounting improves detection by pruning irrelevant noisy concepts while detection directs recounting to the most discriminative evidences. To better utilize the powerful and interpretable semantic video representation, we segment each video into several shots and exploit the rich temporal structures at shot level. The consequent computational challenge is carefully addressed through a significant improvement of the current ADMM algorithm, which, after eliminating all inner loops and equipping novel closed-form solutions for all intermediate steps, enables us to efficiently process extremely large video corpora. We test the proposed method on the large scale TRECVID MEDTest 2014 and MEDTest 2013 datasets, and obtain very promising results for both MED and MER.


Communications technology is being used increasingly for telemedicine applications to improve access to medical care in rural areas. The most cost-effective applications are those that are paid for by insurers, such as the use of telemedicine for radiology, prisoner health care, psychiatry, and home health care. Other applications enhance access to care but are not cost-effective because third-party payers do not pay for related costs for professional fees or the implementation of the technology. Before implementing telemedicine programs, healthcare providers should determine whether they would receive a reasonable return on investment by evaluating all associated costs and estimating the amount of payment they can expect. As the use of telemedicine services increases, it is expected that third-party payers will pay for more of these services to control medical costs.


It is well known, that thermally grown oxide (TGO) forms at the interface between the thermal barrier top coating (TBC) and the bond coating during service. In previous work, SEM images showed that the TGO layer contained at least two layers with different oxides. One layer was Al2O3, and the other was a mixed oxide of NiO, CoO, Cr2O3, and their spinels. It was supposed that a reason for macro-crack formation near an interface is due to a decrease in bond strength or to the formation of stress concentration sites caused by the formation of pores in the mixed oxide. In order to improve the bond strength, a modified bond coating material was developed, which is MCrAlY with Ce and Si added. Four- point bending tests were carried out to measure the bond strength of conventional TBC and of the modified TBC with MCrAlYCeSi bond coating. As a result, the TBC with modified bond coating had a bond strength superior to the conventional one. It is likely that the reason for the superior bond strength is due to a notable difference in oxidation behavior.


Mangrove is one important coastal vegetation that provides natural habitat for much marine life and serves as protection to the shoreline. Most mangrove areas in Kota Belud are located in the southern part (Kuala Abai and Ambong Bay) of this district. However the mangrove along the shoreline of Ambong Bay belongs to the Sabah state government. High demand of the mangrove area for personal use and exploitation of the resource have contributed to the destruction of mangrove ecosystem and its function as shoreline protection. The objectives of the study are to identify the change of mangrove cover and to identify the dependency level, human impact and conservation knowledge of local communities on mangroves along the shoreline of Ambong Bay, Kota Belud. The evaluation of spatial and temporal changes in mangrove areas were conducted based on Landsat TM imagery in 2001 and 2005. The data was analysed by using Erdas Imagine 9.1 version software. Field trips were conducted for ground checking and questionnaires were randomly distributed at 3 villages to assess their dependence on and conservation knowledge of mangrove. Small changes of mangrove cover can be seen from satellite images however ground checking indicated that this area was highly exploited by the local community for human settlement, conversion to paddy fields and aquaculture activities. During high tide and heavy rain, some areas are flooded which affects the human activities along the roads. Most of the respondents were unaware of the importance of the mangrove as shoreline protection, source of food and habitat for marine life. The local communities are keen to participate in any mangrove conservation activities but so far no related programme has been conducted in that area. Therefore, an awareness programme and sustainable management of the remaining mangrove should be implemented. Strong support from government and local authorities are also needed to ensure the success of the programme.


Summary Policy deployment is the process by which policy editing commands are issued on firewall, so that the target policy becomes the running policy. Due to the sensitive nature of information transmitted during a policy deployment, the communication between management tool and firewall should be confidential [1]. Much research has already addressed to the specification of policies, conflict detection and optimization, but very little research is devoted to the security and correctness of firewall policy deployment. In this paper, we make some contributions to the correctness of Firewall Policy Deployment and propose an effective solution that will allow us to secure the deployment process of a political target. We show that the category of type I policy editing [2] is incorrect and could lead to security vulnerabilities. We then provide a correct algorithm for Type I Deployment. Our algorithm can be used even for the deployment of policies whose size is very large. Key words: Target Policy Deployment (TPD), Firewall Policy Management (FPM), Securing Exchanges (SE), Security of Policy Deployment (SPD).


Variations in the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and its regional manifestation, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), generate much of the nonseasonal variability in the winter climate over the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes. Despite being an internal mode of the atmosphere, the Arctic and North Atlantic Oscillations (N/AO) exhibit a slightly red spectrum, varying on quasi-biennial (2-3 years) and quasi-decadal time scales. Such low-frequency variability is likely due to the coupling of the atmosphere to boundary conditions and/or external forcings. Here we show that Eurasian snow cover, particularly over eastern Siberia (ESB), exhibits quasi-biennial persistence similar to the N/AO. Furthermore, the snow-AO mechanism operates on quasi-biennial timescales, with fall ESB snow cover significantly related to vertically propagating Rossby wave activity and the N/AO for the next two to three winters. On the basis of land surface model simulations from the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), the interseasonal carryover of ESB snow is related to soil moisture anomalies and an evaporation-convection feedback. These findings suggest quasi-biennial persistence of the N/AO is partly due to land surface forcing in the form of both ESB snow and soil moisture anomalies.


A novel process for continuous production of microcellular foams has been developed and applied to make flat microcellular strips from PVC. The first novel aspect of the process consists of the way in which the blowing agent, or gas, is delivered to the extruder. We pre-saturate the solid PVC pellets with carbon dioxide. The gas- saturated pellets are then put in the extruder hopper. The second novel aspect of the process is in applying nucleation in the solid state to continuous extrusion. As the pellets are crushed and heated in the extruder, a large number of bubbles nucleate as the temperature reaches the Tg of the CO2 plasticized PVC. The melt thus is full of nucleated bubbles that are not able to grow in size due to the pressure that develops in the barrel. When the melt exits at the die, where the pressure is atmospheric, the bubbles have a chance to grow larger and create foam. The process employs effective cooling strategies at the die exit, including lower melt temperatures, to keep the bubbles in the microcellular range.


Dominant behavior has been related to lower quality romantic relationships. The present study examined two processes through which dominant behavior affects the quality of romantic relationships: (1) the extent to which the partner's dominance increases the person's negative affect by thwarting the person's sense of autonomy and (2) the degree to which the person's negative affect in reaction to the partner's dominant behavior affects relationship satisfaction. Using an event-contingent recording (ECR) methodology, 92 cohabiting couples reported their dominant behavior, negative affect, and autonomy in interactions with each other during 20 days. Relationship satisfaction was measured at the end of the ECR period. The results indicated that when a partner engages in dominant behavior, the person experiences greater negative affect in part due to a sense of thwarted autonomy and that greater negative affective reaction in association with the partner's dominant behavior is related to lower relationship satisfaction in the person.


The development of new technologies creates affordances with the potential to remove barriers to learning faced by young people. New technologies have therefore been seen as both a panacea for problems in developing inclusive education, and as a way of allowing a diverse range of learners to access and engage with the curriculum in its broadest sense. This chapter critically considers these views by drawing on a range of selected research. This research uses different methodologies and educational contexts to sample different levels of use, and different aspects of new technology. The case studies included here illustrate particular issues in developing and using technology. The cases studies cover: using Tablet PCs in schools, developing educational robotics as an inclusive curriculum activity, developing pedagogic practice with morphing software and interactive software designed for dyslexic learners and Schome Park, an interactive virtual environment. The chapter considers how technology is used in these cases and the degree to which is has supported, educational inclusion. This offers an insight into innovative educational practice and research and supports an analysis of the factors which influence the impact of potentially inclusive technology.


Primary uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults, and effective adjuvant treatment is lacking. Despite definitive treatment of the primary tumor, systemic metastases occur in up to 50% of patients. Valsecchi et al. performed a retrospective study of patients with high-risk primary uveal melanoma to compare survival rates between those who received adjuvant sunitinib and those who did not (institutional historical controls). The adjuvant treatment pro duced promising results that warrant investigation in prospective studies. For their study, the authors utilized records from the uveal melanoma cytogenetic database of the Wills Eye Hospital Oncology Service. Outcomes for adults who received adjuvant sunitinib for 6 months (n = 54; median age, 56 years) were compared with outcomes for historical controls in the same risk category (n = 74; median age, 62 years). Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess overall survival, and propensity scores were used to adjust for nonrandom assignment to sunitinib therapy. Patients in the sunitinib group exhibited worse cytogenetic or molecular features, had smaller tumors, and were younger. There were 51 deaths: 14 (26%) in the sunitinib group and 37 (50%) among controls. According to univariate analysis, patients treated with sunitinib had longer survival (hazard ratio, 0.53; p = .041). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed a significant relationship between sunitinib use and age as a dichotomous variable (p = .003). Factors that were significant in predicting over all survival were cytogenetic/ mole cular status (p = .015), T-size category (p = .022), gender (p = .040), and adjuvant sunitinib in patients under 60 years of age (p = .004). These findings were confirmed by propensity score analysis. Although adjuvant sunitinib was associated with longer survival in this study, the findings are limited by the retrospective nature of the research. As a follow-up to this work, the authors are conducting a randomized noncomparative trial of sunitinib and valproic acid. Data obtained from that trial will dictate whether a placebo-controlled study of adjuvant sunitinib should be considered. Challenges of Type I Boston Keratoprosthesis in Children February 2018


: Medicine combines the characteristics of both a science and an art. The main objective is to cure the patient (or at least to alleviate symptoms). The first step of the global medical approach is to make a diagnosis, which will determine the therapy. Since Hippocrates, semiology, i.e. the study of both symptoms and signs, is crucial to make or guide the disease diagnosis. The development of more and more sophisticated medical technologies may lead to believe that semiology is not useful anymore in medical practice. It is absolutely not true because a careful semiology can provide precise diagnoses in a majority of cases or, at least, can lead to a limited differential diagnosis that helps in the selection of a few well defined complementary investigations. The aim of this article targeting mainly medical students is to emphasize the key rules of a well done medical interviewing, which should progress from an "analytical" approach to a "syndromic" approach, combining knowledge, know-how and self-management skills.


Background Early diagnosis of infants infected with HIV (EID) and early initiation of treatment significantly reduces the rate of disease progression and mortality. One of the challenges to identification of HIV-1-infected infants is availability and/or access to quality molecular laboratory facilities which perform molecular virologic assays suitable for accurate identification of the HIV status of infants. Method We conducted a joint site assessment and designed laboratories for the expansion of DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing based on dried blood spot (DBS) for EID in six regions of Ethiopia. Training of appropriate laboratory technologists and development of required documentation including standard operating procedures (SOPs) was carried out. The impact of the expansion of EID laboratories was assessed by the number of tests performed as well as the turn-around time. Results DNA PCR for EID was introduced in 2008 in six regions. From April 2006 to April 2008, a total of 2848 infants had been tested centrally at the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI) in Addis Ababa, and which was then the only laboratory with the capability to perform EID; 546 (19.2%) of the samples were positive. By November 2010, EHNRI and the six laboratories had tested an additional 16 985 HIV-exposed infants, of which 1915 (11.3%) were positive. The median turn-around time for test results was 14 days (range 14–21 days). Conclusion Expansion of HIV DNA PCR testing facilities that can provide quality and reliable results is feasible in resource-limited settings. Regular supervision and monitoring for quality assurance of these laboratories is essential to maintain accuracy of testing.


In order to reduce costs and increase the operating temperatures in aero-turboengines and space propulsion systems, net-shape or near net-shape production processes have been developed for static parts through HIPing (Hot Isostatic Pressing) of nickel base superalloys prealloyed powders. The presented results hereafter are related to the manufacturing processes and the mechanical properties (tensile, creep and LCF) characterisation. The effects of net shape surfaces and of surface conditioning have been investigated too. Examples of actual parts (CFM56 turbine casing and Vulcain rocket engine gas generator) illustrate the presentation. This study has confirmed the interest of this production route and future potential for development.


Healers in the treatment of figure in this study, in treatment that can be performed by traditional healers through drug ingredient from the leaves and roots of trees. Traditional healers figures outlines in the discussion chapter. Traditional medicine does not mean that treatment with the occult, this study does not discuss the treatmeant that uses magic, but the healer figures by way of treatment.
 In this regard, based on preliminary studies researchers, meaning that there is a healer caracterin Toumbulu community has its own caracteristics in treatment in the community. Traditional medicine that they do a very important role in improving public health as a part or element of culture. Furthermore, traditional medicineis an alternative treatment for people who have known in modern medicine. The purpose of this study, describe and identifi caracteres healers in the treatment of community; second, the language descibing and clacificate Toumbulu used as one means to communicatetdeas relatedto the figures on a healer in the treatment of people in the region Toumbulu.
 To achieve this objectives study, researches used the approach etnosains. The study was conducted base on combining linguistic and cultural order to get the public mindset. The questionare used as tool for data collection. Research sites in the districs of Tombariri Minahasa regency. Location determination is base on thought and consideration that the local community still uses the same language as a communication tool Tombariri society. The informants consisted of community leaders, traditional healers who were deemed able to provide information relateng to the character of traditional healers in treatment .
 The results of this study was obtained several domains of public knowledge obout the healing figure, namely:1) the realm of healing physical ailments figures; 2) taxonomic characters healer;3) components meaning healer character. In addition to figures healer of physical diseas, foundealso some other consepts namely: 1) Nonphysical diseases; 2) the tern kind of disease;3) the realmof the treatment/ prevention of disease; 4) character domains healers, and 5) the influens of black magic.


The research presented in this paper is based on the space syntax theory saying that pedestrian movement strongly correlates with some topological properties of urban spaces. Since crime is closely related to the urban environment in which it happens it makes a sense to analyse urban crime through the prism of urban network. Thus, residential burglaries committed in the city of New Haven, USA, during 2009-2013 were analysed by the application of space syntax method with the combination of GIS and statistical analysis (correlation and linear regression analysis). Crime risk band analysis was applied for the calculation of burglary risk for each street segment. Research results reveal relations between mostly all the topological properties and risk band. According to the regression analysis the further a street segment with residential dwelling is from the main routes the higher burglary risk is on that segment, and also that well-connected street segments are more vulnerable to residential burglaries. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.9.4.7225


Abstract Teachers of English literature in non-Western environments may find it more challenging to bring their students to an appreciation of English literature, which offers social, moral, and cultural values different from their own. This paper depicts the experience of teaching English literature in the Arab/Moslem world and recommends that, to avoid alienating students, literature should be taught amorally and encourage free interpretation. ********** The language in which we are speaking is his before it is mine. How different are the words home, Christ, ale, master, on his lips and on mine. I cannot speak or write these words without unrest of spirit. His language, so familiar and so foreign, will always be for me an acquired speech. I have not made or accepted its words. My voice holds them at bay. My soul frets in the shadow of his language James Joyce. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Teaching English literature in a non-Western environment may entail more than the usual task of interpreting a text in the light of current critical methodology, or helping students acquire analytical skills which enable them acquire an appreciation of literary works. The teacher of English literature in a cultural milieu that holds sets of values and codes of morality different from its Western counterpart finds the teaching mission both taxing and challenging. On the one hand, he/she needs to construe the text by positioning it within the cultural and social setting that originally produced it, on the other, he/she needs to relate the students to the assigned work by creating a certain degree of referentiality within their mental and emotional constructs so as to liaise them to it and trigger identification and empathy. This, naturally, touches on the major issue of how to address the act of reading. Should not reading be viewed as an act leading to a comprehension of a certain text, hence to a cognitive end? Or should the reader/learner primarily seek an ethical use of that text? The present paper wishes to explore, through examples chosen from personal teaching experiences, the relationship between cognitive and ethical knowledge of texts taught to Arab learners of English literature. More specifically, it hopes to highlight the need to train students to read the 'foreign' text cross-culturally by trying to bestride the cultural divide, and traverse moral controversy. The task is not an easy one. My personal experience as both a teacher and formerly a student of English literature in the Arab World testifies to this. Regardless of my academic status, the problem of striding worlds and bridging cultural divides seemed always to be both thorny and pressing, in my younger years, I was aware of differences that existed between the culture I belonged to and the one I was in the process of acquiring, To my simplistic mind then, I had imagined the chasm to be merely of geography and perhaps of some social habits: of trying to imagine in my mind's eye why T.S. Eliot wrote that April was the cruelest of months or that winter had "kept us warm"; or why Shakespeare wished to compare his sweetheart to a summer's day when 'my' summer was unpleasantly hot and disagreeably enfeebling of the senses. Coming from a closely knit family and a warm and affable social background with strong community ties, I also found it hard to understand Eliot's description of the self being locked up in its own prison, each "Thinking of the key, each confirms a prison / Only at nightfall, aethereal rumours / Revive for a moment a broken Coriolanus." Slowly but surely, I began to parrot remarks on alienation and estrangement engendered by readings not of Eliot, who seemed to appeal to us Muslim Arabs (for his respect of the past, of tradition, and his call for a return to faith) but by other western authors and thinkers such as Colin Wilson, Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, and Franz Kafka. …


This study is concerned with the social production of adolescent readers of fiction and with the formation of their responses to the fiction they read. It was conceived from within the mainstream "progressive" tradition of secondary English teaching, but is written from a perspective informed by more recent developments in literary theory. The overall problem addressed is: how do adolescents become confirmed readers of fiction? It is investigated in two ways. The first seeks to identify those working practices and social relations in secondary schools most likely to promote adolescent fiction reading. The second seeks to understand the perceptions that adolescents have of the fiction that they read. The report is based upon a longitudinal study of six teaching groups in three comprehensive schools. A combination of ethnographic and survey methods was employed. In two of the schools fiction reading was found to decline sharply over the two year period. Readership patterns were closely associated with social class origins, gender and school ability grouping. In the third school, however, which had the highest proportion of working class students, fiction reading did not decline, nor was it influenced by ability grouping, gender or social class. These different reading outcomes are shown to relate closely to the working practices and the exercise of power within the schools. One school functions as a reaing community; the other two do not. The significance of the findings is discussed in relation to contemporary theories of cultural and social reproduction. Schools, it is concluded, have the capacity to do very much more than reproduce and legitimate existing socio-economic differences at and by the cultural level. As for the individual response to literature, the original intention was to present case studies of representative readers from the sample. All three schools sought to initiate their students,ith varying degrees of success, into a particular discourse, the discourse of personal growth, in which fiction reading is held to contribute to the reader's enhanced understanding of the self, others and the world. This view, however, rests upon assumptions about language and texts, the reading process and subjectivity which the intervention of structuralism and later developments in literary theory have rendered untenable. In order to understand the theoretical limitations of this discourse, its disabling classroom consequences and the possibilities for its transformation to more radical and liberating approaches to texts, the case study presented here is of the discourse itself, rather than of those readers who sought access to it.


The objective of the study was to explore the relationship between gender, group formation, mobility, age and innovation transfer in cowpea innovation transfer. Data collection was achieved through formal surveys, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and observations. A hundred and twenty individual interviews were conducted for the formal survey guided by questionnaire. While 275 community members made up of both male and female farmers, elders, the youth and traders were involved in five Focal Group Discussion Workshops. Results showed that group formation enhanced collective reaction and for that matter technological uptake to others within the group. Results indicated that linkages between men and between women point to a potential for sharing within and between families and villages. Rural urban migration was found to influence the likelihood of innovation adoption. This was a result of their exposure to innovative methods of farming outside the rural farming settings. In terms of age, younger farmers were found to adopt technologies faster though the younger farmers do not have the same years of farming experience. This was because, the young male farmers is prepared to be daring and to take risks, particularly if they control a substantial amount of finance. The high rate of adoption among young farmers also reflects their ability to understand and apply complex technological knowledge. However, the older men found it difficult to change their farming practices because they do not trust new innovations. In adopting an agricultural innovation, the research suggests depends upon a number of factors and these include: age, gender, mobility, being part of a group, availability of inputs and finance, effectiveness of the innovation, the role of traditional norms and values and the level of formal or informal education or what might be referred to as enlightenment. It must be noted that people adopt new agricultural innovations at different times and for different reasons. Group formation was found to positively influence the adoption of new and improved innovations. To promote the adoption of an innovation, age must be critically considered. It has been argued here that young farmers are more ready to adopt innovations than members of other age groups. Older farmers change their practices if there is no alternative to having good quality produce but practice local innovations in the main. In conclusion mobility, gender, group formation and age facilitates innovation adoption and transfer. Keywords: Gender; Group Formation; Mobility; Age; Innovation Transfer; Farmer Field School


The present study aimed to investigate the direct as well as indirect effect (through identity processing styles) of cognitive reasoning processes (rational-experiential processing systems) on identity achievement. In this model, identity processing styles serve as a catalyst for cognitive reasoning and identity achievement. For this purpose, a sample of 250 boys and 250 girls with age ranging from 15-20 years (M = 17.62; SD = 1.85) was taken. Identity Style Inventory-3 (Berzonsky, 1992), Rational Experiential Inventory-Adolescents (Marks et al., 2008), and Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity (Bennion & Adams, 1986) were administered on the sample. The mediating role of identity processing styles in the relationship of cognitive reasoning and identity achievement was investigated. The results of Multiple Hierarchical Regression analyses revealed that the relation between rational processing system and identity achievement was partially mediated by informational identity processing style. In addition, the relationship between experiential processing system and identity achievement was completely mediated by two identity processing styles-informational and normative. The current study findings were considered in terms of socio-cognitive model of formation of identity.


The performance of coherent direct-sequence spread-spectrum communications over specular multipath fading channels is investigated. The average probability of error of the correlation receiver is derived for an arbitrary number of paths with deterministic or random gain coefficients. The gain coefficients, delays, and phase angles of any two distinct paths are modeled as mutually independent random variables. Numerical results for several values of the system and channel parameters are presented. I


Windows 7 Shortcuts is like salvation sent into computing world to help windows 7 users to do greater than they have been doing. It is awesomely organized in a tabular form with its Shortcut Keys and Actions neatly separated. Use your computer to the amazement of others and attract appreciation from your boss, colleagues, neighbours, friends and well-wishers through the use of windows 7 shortcut keys listed in this book.


Intracranial hemorrhage is an extremely rare complication following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Only a few cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage during the post-resuscitation period have been reported in the literature. A 55 year-old man, who was resuscitated following a cardiac arrest, sustained an intracranial hemorrhage during the post cardiac arrest period. His brain computerized tomography (CT), performed 4 hours after return of spontaneous circulation, showed no signs of intracranial hemorrhage. However, a brain CT performed 7 days after cardiac arrest revealed a massive intracerebral hemorrhage in both basal ganglia and thalami with an associated subarachnoid hemorrhage. This paper reports the first case of intracerebral hemorrhages in bilateral basal ganglia and thalami that developed following cardiac arrest and resuscitation.


Proper infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices are essential to promote child's optimum health and improve their survival. Women's empowerment is believed can mediate intra-household resources towards optimal IYCF practice. However, the evidence is limited in South-East Asia. This study was aimed to determine the association of women's empowerment and sociodemographic characteristics with IYCF practice in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study used the 2017 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) data. Samples were 4,923 women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) whose last child was aged 6-23 months old. Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the association of women's empowerment and sociodemographic characteristics with IYCF practice. Child's age 18-23 months old (AOR=6.58; 95% CI=5.121-8.456), husband's occupation in non-agricultural sector (AOR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.17-4.07), the richest household (AOR=2.83; 95% CI=2.007-4.002), and high level of women's empowerment (AOR=1.311; 95% CI=1.085-1.584), significantly associated with Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD). Living in urban residence is significantly associated with Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) (AOR = 1.23; 95% CI=1.026-1.481). Child's age 18-23 months old (AOR=2.31; 95% CI=1.916-2.785), living in the richest household (AOR=1.46; 95% CI=1.121-1.905), in urban residence (AOR=1.224; 95% CI=1.033-1.451), and high level of women's empowerment (AOR=1.27; 95% CI=1.093-1.488), significantly associated with Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD). While women aged 45-49 years had significant negative association with MAD (AOR=0.342; 95% CI=0.141-0.833; coef. =-1.072). It can be concluded that women empowerment and sociodemographic characteristics are associated with IYCF practice. Therefore, enhancing women's Empowerment through health promotion is inevitable, considering their sociodemographic background.


Black culture centers provide important university support and services, such as advising, career development, mentoring, and leadership skill building. This article examines the existing literature related to this vital campus resource and identifies existing gaps for further exploration. A review of relevant literature indicates that though Black culture centers (BCCs) have existed at traditionally White institutions for over forty years, there have been relatively few empirical investigations into their roles, functions, and perceptions and even fewer studies examining culture centers generally. In light of declining financial resources and demands that directors demonstrate that BCCs are helping to create positive student outcomes, a common theme within the discourse surrounding BCCs involves validating their existence. Opponents often downplay the contributions of BCCs, arguing that they foster self-segregation and prevent African American students from integrating with the broader campus community. They claim that the roles of BCC are too narrow in that they are solely for African American students and merely serve a social mission. These widely held misconceptions pose a challenge to BCCs and ultimately present a threat to their existence. It is imperative that BCC researchers move beyond the anecdotal and develop more empirical evidence of the necessity of these race-specific culture centers.


Background Significant variability exists for the relative risk (RR) of testicular malignancy in isolated cryptorchidism. Objective To perform a meta-analysis to clarify the true magnitude of this risk, allowing clinicians to better counsel patients and their families. Setting Secondary research conducted by undergraduate researchers, clinical academics and a clinical statistician. Design, data sources, and methods A search of the English literature was performed for studies relating to testicular cancer and cryptorchidism, published between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 2010, using Embase and Medline databases. 735 papers were identified and analysed by four authors independently in accordance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies reporting an association between cryptorchidism and subsequent development of testicular malignancy were included. Genetic syndromes or other conditions which predisposed to the development of cryptorchidism were excluded. Pooled estimates and 95% CIs for the RRs were calculated. Results Nine case–control studies and three cohort studies were selected. The case–control studies included 2281 cases and 4811 controls. Cohort studies included 2 177 941 boys, with a total of 345 boys developing testicular cancer (total length of follow-up was 58 270 679 person-years). The pooled RR was 2.90 (95% CI 2.21 to 3.82) with significant heterogeneity (p<0.00001; I2=89%). Conclusion Boys with isolated cryptorchidism are three times more likely to develop testicular cancer. The limitations of this study must be acknowledged, in particular, possible publication bias and the lack of high-quality evidence focusing on the risk of malignancy in boys with isolated cryptorchidism.


Background: The most important bottleneck in the management of obesity is a lack of a gold standard measuring tool. Although body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly used index to identify obesity, other indices such as waist circumference and skinfold thickness are more specific in measuring fatness. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the agreement between BMI, waist circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT) against body fat percentage calculated using 7-site skinfold thickness in South Indian adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in selected government-run schools in Chennai from May 2016 to October 2016. Schoolchildren of age 10–16 years without any medical illness which are known to cause discordant body proportions were included in the study. Sample size was fixed at 700. Date of birth, gender, and the anthropometric parameters, namely, height, weight, waist circumference, and skinfold thickness at triceps, chest, axilla, abdomen, thigh, subscapular, and suprailiac regions were measured by standard procedure and noted. Body fat percentage was calculated from 7-site skinfold thickness using Jackson-Pollock formula. Participants were classified as obese and non-obese based on BMI, waist circumference, TSFT, and body fat percentage using appropriate standards. Agreement between various indices was determined using Cohen's kappa statistic. Results: BMI, waist circumference, and TSFT showed moderate agreement with body fat percentage calculated from 7-site skinfold measurement. BMI and TSFT showed substantial agreement (k=0.608 for BMI and k=648 for TSFT) with body fat percentage in girls and only fair agreement (k=0.366 for BMI and k=0.291 for TSFT) in boys. Waist circumference showed moderate agreement with body fat percentage in boys (k=0.523) and girls (k=0.575). Conclusion: BMI, waist circumference, and TSFT show moderate agreement with body fat percentage calculated from 7-site skinfold measurement in South Indian adolescents. Measurement of waist circumference is recommended to classify an adolescent as obese, especially boys.


The H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard is a high efficiency and flexible video coding standard compared to previous standards. The high efficiency is achieved by utilizing a comprehensive full search motion estimation method. Although the H.264 standard improves the visual quality at low bitrates, it enormously increases the computational complexity. The research described in this thesis focuses on optimization of the computational complexity on H.264 scalable and multiview video coding.
Nowadays, video application areas range from multimedia messaging and mobile to high definition television, and they use different type of transmission systems. The Scalable Video Coding (SVC) extension of the H.264/AVC standard is able to scale the video stream in order to adapt to a variety of devices with different capabilities. Furthermore, a rate control scheme is utilized to improve the visual quality under the constraints of capability and channel bandwidth. However, the computational complexity is increased. A simplified rate control scheme is proposed to reduce the computational complexity. In the proposed scheme, the quantisation parameter can be computed directly instead of using the exhaustive Rate-Quantization model. The linear Mean Absolute Distortion (MAD) prediction model is used to predict the scene change, and the quantisation parameter will be increased directly by a threshold when the scene changes abruptly; otherwise, the comprehensive Rate-Quantisation model will be used. Results show that the optimized rate control scheme is efficient on time saving.
Multiview Video Coding (MVC) is efficient on reducing the huge amount of data in multiple-view video coding. The inter-view reference frames from the adjacent views are exploited for prediction in addition to the temporal prediction. However, due to the increase in the number of reference frames, the computational complexity is also increased. In order to manage the reference frame efficiently, a phase correlation algorithm is utilized to remove the inefficient inter-view reference frame from the reference list. The dependency between the inter-view reference frame and current frame is decided based on the phase correlation coefficients. If the inter-view reference frame is highly related to the current frame, it is still enabled in the reference list; otherwise, it will be disabled. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme is efficient on time saving and without loss in visual quality and increase in bitrate.
The proposed optimization algorithms are efficient in reducing the computational complexity on H.264/AVC extension. The low computational complexity algorithm is useful in the design of future video coding standards, especially on low power handheld devices.


Variables often show evidence of clustering at extreme values and of graininess, that is, of a limited number of distinct values. Scores on two subscales of a quality-of-life measure, traditionally analyzed with OLS regression or ANOVA models, provide examples. Ignoring or failing to detect such features of the data will result in poor estimates of effect size.


Four instrumented subsoilers were developed for alleviation of compaction on agricultural land.  Draughts and soil disturbance of the subsoilers were measured during operation at the outdoor soil bin. Straight shank subsoiler (SSS), semi-parabolic subsoiler (SPS), parabolic 'C' shank subsoiler (CSS) and winged subsoiler (WSB) were designed and constructed for use by the tool carrier in loosening soil hard pan. Soil cone penetrometer (CP40II, 333 mm 3 , 60 o cone tip angle) and electronic moisture meter were used to take readings at various locations and depths on the soil bin before and after subsoiling. Soil samples were taken to laboratory for analysis for physico-chemical properties. Each of the shanks was hitched to the tool bar of the carrier. A 100 kN calibrated load cell was connected to the tool carrier via the drawbar of a 31.6 kW (MF 415) Massey Fergusson tractor. The load cell was connected to the data logger via instrumentation amplifier. Laptop computer system was connected to the data logger to download the draught data for each shank which was operated at four levels of depth - 20, 30, 40 and 50 cm. Profilometer of dimension 80 by 75 cm height and width respectively was used to measure the area of soil disturbance by each subsoiler. Data collected were analyzed to establish relevant relationships between subsoiler draughts and tillage parameters in the form of correlation, regression models and graphs. Results showed that the best subsoiler in terms of draught reduction was parabolic C-shank subsoiler (CSS) with 4.581 kN, followed by semi-parabolic subsoiler (SPS) with draught of 4.905 kN at depth of 40 cm. At this working depth the SSS, WSB and SSS37 had draughts of 6.874, 7.003 and 7.385 kN respectively. Thus WSB had the highest power requirement followed by straight shank subsoiler at 37 0 rake angle (SSS37), both had 34.09 and 31.20 kW at 50 cm depth respectively. Thus at 20 cm depth of operation WSB and SSS37 subsoilers had 13.95 and 14.29 kW respectively. CSS had the lowest power requirement followed by SPS with 5.55 and 7.76 kW respectively. Straight shank subsoiler at 37 0 rake angle, SSS37 showed the highest soil loosening ability at all the depths followed by WSB, SPS, SSS and CSS respectively. Thus, at 50 cm highest working depth SSS had 0.0451 m 2 followed by SPS with 0.0487 m 2 , while CSS, WSB and SSS37 had 0.0403, 0.0683 and 0.1061 m 2 respectively. Regression equations were established for the draught of each subsoiler. They all had R 2 of more than 99 %. Draught of subsoilers had high positive correlation with depth, cone index (CI) and bulk density (BD), and negative correlation with soil moisture (MC) and porosity (PR).


The effect of counterion was evaluated on the photodegradation behavior of six prazosin salts, viz., prazosin hydrochloride anhydrous, prazosin hydrochloride polyhydrate, prazosin tosylate anhydrous, prazosin tosylate monohydrate, prazosin oxalate dihydrate, and prazosin camsylate anhydrous. The salts were subjected to UV–Visible irradiation in a photostability test chamber for 10 days. The samples were analyzed for chemical changes by a specific stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography method. pH of the microenvironment was determined in 10% w/v aqueous slurry of the salts. The observed order of photostability was: prazosin hydrochloride anhydrous > prazosin camsylate anhydrous ∼ prazosin-free base > prazosin hydrochloride polyhydrate > prazosin tosylate anhydrous > prazosin oxalate dihydrate ∼ prazosin tosylate monohydrate. Multivariate analysis of the photodegradation behavior suggested predominant contribution of the state of hydration and also intrinsic photosensitivity of the counterion. Overall, hydrated salts showed higher photodegradation compared to their anhydrous counterparts. Within the anhydrous salts, aromatic and carbonyl counterion-containing salts showed higher susceptibility to light. The pH of microenvironment furthermore contributed to photodegradation of prazosin salts, especially for drug counterions with inherent higher pH. The study reveals importance of selection of a suitable drug salt form for photosensitive drugs during preformulation stage of drug development.


As providers design and launch branchless banking (BB) services, our work has identified that one crucial element that tends not to be given sufficient attention is the customer's experience with the service. This paper examines how customers experience a BB service and the process that they go through to reach adoption of the service. This paper highlights the consumer challenges that prevent adoption of BB in three countries: India, Philippines, and Zambia. It then discusses how consumer education can be used as a tool to address them. The paper draws on previous theories of technology adoption and applies them to the innovative use of branchless banking for delivering financial services. The insights presented in the paper contribute to the current discussions around adoption of BB by highlighting how consumer education can support the adoption of this technology by addressing potential use challenges and enhancing the customer's experience with the BB service.


We have investigated the differences between normal and impaired auditory processing for a frequency discrimination task by analyzing the responses of a computational auditory model using signal detection theory. Two detectors, one using all of the information in the signal, the other using only the number of neural responses, were implemented. An evaluation of the performance differences between the two theoretical detectors and experimental data may provide insight into quantifying the type of information present in the auditory system as well as whether the human auditory system uses this information efficiently. Results support previous hypotheses that, for lowand mid-range frequencies, the auditory system is able to use temporal information to perform frequency discrimination (see Moore, B.C.J., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., vol.54, p.610-19, 1973). The results also suggest that some temporal information is represented in the neural spike train, even at high frequencies However, the ability of the auditory system to use this information deteriorates at higher frequencies.


Linear or zosteriform patterns of hyperpigmentation often involving large areas of the body have been described infrequently. There is confusion about the nomenclature of speckled pigmented lesions. One of these, speckled lentiginous nevus (SLN), is a specific1acquired lesion, although congenital cases have been reported. We have observed the case of a previously unreported inherited giant SLN in which an extensive pattern of pigmentation is combined with ichthyosis. Both skin conditions were first present in the patient's grandfather. Report of a Case. A 16-year-old white boy came to us for evaluation of widespread pigmented cutaneous lesions that dated back to birth and extended progressively. Physical examination revealed numerous darkly pigmented macules and papules not invariably located on a background of tan to light-brown macular hyperpigmentation. The lesions were extensively distributed on the face and trunk (Figure 1), with the exception of some areas that were spared. The tan patches were


This thesis studies the West Indian press from three perspectives. The fIrst examines newspapers as economic entities, and involves an analysis of capital, equipment, patterns of ownership, and workforce. This section concludes with an examination of the social and economic standing of colonial editors. The second approach concentrates on the political role of the press during a period of tension. The relationships between the press and the component parts of colonial society are discussed seperately. The complex relationship between whiteowned newspapers and the non-white sectors of the populace is considered. Much of this section is devoted to the free coloured press. The volatile relationship between newspapers of all political persuasions and the various branches of colonial Government is examined. The third facet of the thesis grows naturally from the previous two modes of analysis, and is more implicit than explicit. It acknowledges the dangers in crudely identifying editorial columns as public opinion, but suggests that events involving the press constitute a series of snapshots exposing details of colonial life largely absent from official correspondence. The conclusion of the thesis attempts to chart some aspects of the political culture of the colonies. It argues that participatory impulses, long present in white society, received a series of stimuli during the 1820's and 1830's which greatly increased colonial political activity. For the press this led to the development of politically-motivated free coloured newspapers and a defensive invigoration of planter newspapers. Thus, there was a broadening of colonial political culture, but in ways which reflected the different priorities of the white and free coloured groups. In slavebased societies these differences generated irreconcilable conflicts, many of whIch were both revealed and sharpened by the involvement of the press.


Objective:Studies have shown that earlier age at menarche is associated with a higher risk of midlife obesity; however, the mechanism underlying this association is not known. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the association between age at menarche and midlife obesity is due to variation in circulating androgen concentrations. Methods:Baseline data were analyzed from 748 women aged 45 to 54 years enrolled in the Midlife Women's Health Study, a prospective cohort study conducted in the Baltimore, MD region. Information on age at menarche was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using height and weight measured at a clinic visit. Obesity was defined as a BMI between 30 and 34.9 kg/m2; super obesity was defined as a BMI greater than 35 kg/m2. Testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone-binding globulin were measured in blood samples using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The free androgen index (FAI) was calculated using the formula: (testosterone × 3.467)/sex hormone-binding globulin × 100. Results:After adjustment for covariates, for each year increase in age at menarche, the odds of obesity and super obesity decreased by 31% (odds ratio (OR) 0.69; 95% confidence limits (CL) 0.59, 0.81) and 34% (OR 0.66; 95% CL 0.52, 0.83), respectively. Addition of the FAI into the models did not attenuate the observed estimates. Conclusions:The results of this study indicate that age at menarche is associated with midlife obesity independent of free testosterone concentrations measured in adulthood.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), ranging from relatively benign simple steatosis to progressive nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis, is an increasingly common chronic liver disease. Liver biopsy is currently the only reliable tool for staging the subtypes of NAFLD; therefore, noninvasive serum biomarkers for evaluation of liver disease and fibrosis are urgently needed. We performed this study to describe changes in the serum proteome and identify biomarker candidates in serum samples from 69 patients with varying stages of NAFLD (simple steatosis, NASH, and NASH with advanced bridging [F3/F4] fibrosis) and 16 obese controls. Using a label‐free mass spectrometry‐based approach we identified over 1,700 serum proteins with a peptide identification (ID) confidence level of >75%, 605 of which changed significantly between any two patient groups (false discovery rate <5%). Importantly, expression levels of 55 and 15 proteins changed significantly between the simple steatosis and NASH F3/F4 group and the NASH and NASH F3/F4 group, respectively. Classification of proteins with significant changes showed involvement in immune system regulation and inflammation, coagulation, cellular and extracellular matrix structure and function, and roles as carrier proteins in the blood. Further, many of these proteins are synthesized exclusively by the liver and could potentially serve as diagnostic biomarkers for identifying and staging NAFLD. Conclusion: This proteomic analysis reveals important information regarding the pathogenesis/progression of NAFLD and NASH and demonstrates key changes in serum protein expression levels between control subjects and patients with different stages of fatty liver. Future validation of these potential biomarkers is needed such that these proteins may be used in place of liver biopsy to facilitate diagnosis and treatment of patients with NAFLD. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)


Measurements of photometric variability at different wavelengths provide insights into the vertical cloud structure of brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects. In seven Hubble Space Telescope consecutive orbits, spanning ∼10 hr of observing time, we obtained time-resolved spectroscopy of the planetary-mass T8 dwarf Ross 458 C using the near-infrared Wide Field Camera 3. We found spectrophotometric variability with a peak-to-peak signal of 2.62 ± 0.02% (in the 1.10–1.60 μm white light curve). Using three different methods, we estimated a rotational period of 6.75 ± 1.58 hr for the white light curve, and similar periods for narrow J- and H-band light curves. Sine wave fits to the narrow J- and H-band light curves suggest a tentative phase shift between the light curves with wavelength when we allow different periods between both light curves. If confirmed, this phase shift may be similar to the phase shift detected earlier for the T6.5 spectral type 2MASS J22282889–310262. We find that, in contrast with 2M2228, the variability of Ross 458C shows evidence for a color trend within the narrow J-band, but gray variations in the narrow H-band. The spectral time-resolved variability of Ross 458C might be potentially due to heterogeneous sulfide clouds in the atmosphere of the object. Our discovery extends the study of spectral modulations of condensate clouds to the coolest T-dwarf, planetary-mass companions.


B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels have been shown to predict ventricular arrhythmia (VA) and sudden death in patients with heart failure. We sought to determine whether BNP levels before left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation can predict VA post LVAD implantation in advanced heart failure patients. We conducted a retrospective study consisting of patients who underwent LVAD implantation in our institution during the period of May 2009-March 2013. The study was limited to patients receiving a HeartMate II or HeartWare LVAD. Acute myocardial infarction patients were excluded. We compared between the patients who developed VA within 15 days post LVAD implantation to the patients without VA. A total of 85 patients underwent LVAD implantation during the study period. Eleven patients were excluded (five acute MI, four without BNP measurements, and two discharged earlier than 13 days post LVAD implantation). The incidence of VA was 31%, with 91% ventricular tachycardia (VT) and 9% ventricular fibrillation. BNP remained the single most powerful predictor of VA even after adjustment for other borderline significant factors in a multivariate logistic regression model (P < 0.05). BNP levels are a strong predictor of VA post LVAD implantation, surpassing previously described risk factors such as age and VT in the past.


The serogroup/serotypes (SGTs) and antimicrobial susceptibilities to 10 antimicrobial agents of 110 clinical strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae were determined. Strains intermediately resistant or highly resistant to penicillin G (80 of 110) belonged predominantly to SGTs 23 (45.0%), 19 (13.7%), 6 (10.0%), 9 (6.2%), and 14 (3.7%). The MICs of all cephalosporins, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and chloramphenicol increased along with the MICs of penicillin G. However, erythromycin resistance and clindamycin resistance were observed more frequently among the intermediately penicillin-resistant strains. Multiple resistance was observed for 32 strains, of which 25 were highly resistant to penicillin G and belong to SGT 23F. All strains were susceptible to vancomycin.


Recognizing the activities of humans through computer vision techniques is an important area of research. This area of research leads to various applications such as patient monitoring, fall detection, surveillance and human-computer interface. The capability for recognizing these acts lays foundation for developing highly intelligent and decision making systems. Generally, most of the mentioned applications requires automatic recognition of high-level activities, consisting of simple actions of multiple persons. Usually, the intelligence to the system is delivered only if these activities are properly classified. This paper addresses various machine learning algorithms used in classifying various activities such as Multi-Layer Perceptron, Random Forest, Naïve Bayes and SVM algorithms. This paper provides classification of general to complex human activities through comparison study and performance evaluation of these mentioned algorithms using very large set of images. This review will provide much needed information for further research in more productive areas.


In view of resolving rising environmental concern arising out of fossil fuel based power generation, more electricity has to be generated from renewable energy sources. Out of the several renewable energy options available today, wind energy is considered to be the most promising one due to its high energy conversion efficiency compared to one of its competitors, i.e. the solar photovoltaic system. Now-a-days, large wind farms are generating thousands of megawatts of power feeding to the grid. In literature, number of controllers such as conventional proportional integral (PI) control, linear parameter varying (LPV) control, gain scheduling control, robust control, model predictive control have been proposed for both torque and pitch control. In these controllers, some of the important issues such as robustness for nonlinear dynamics of wind turbine and stability are not considered simultaneously. Hence, it is necessary to design appropriate controllers for extracting maximum power from the wind turbine whilst the robustness and stability of the Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) are ensured. Hence, in this thesis, firstly the focus is made to design control system for the wind turbine coupled with the DFIG (torque and pitch control) using one of the very promising robust control paradigm called sliding mode controller for achieving robustness, reducing chattering phenomenon and stability of the WECS. Since the number of terms in control inputs (i.e. torque and pitch angle) and outputs (i.e. DFIG output power and speed) are more in wind control dynamics, selection of significant terms is important for reducing the complexity of controlling. Therefore, a Nonlinear Autoregressive Moving Average with exogenous input (NARMAX) model of the WECS has been developed. The parameters of this NARMAX model are estimated by suitably designing an on-line adaptive Recursive Least squares (RLS) algorithm. Subsequently for controlling speed and achieving efficient power regulation of the WECS a nonlinear model predictive controller (NAMPC) has been developed in which the control variables (torque and pitch) are optimised by formulating a cost function. Subsequently for the WECS, the power converters connecting the DFIG to the grid have been designed. For controlling stator active and reactive power of DFIG connected to the grid, a state feedback controller for the DFIG has been developed using a linear quadratic optimal theory with preview concept. This Linear Quadratic Regulator Optimal Preview Control (LQROPC) scheme is employed with a stator voltage oriented control (SVOC) technique. This Optimal preview control is used to solve the tracking and rejection problems with an assumption that the signals to be tracked or rejected are available a priori by a certain amount of time. Even though the OPC provides very good tracking and disturbance suppression performance, but it is sensitive to the DFIG circuit parameters which makes the WECS system unstable. Hence, to address the parameter uncertainty of the DFIG, a sliding mode controller has been proposed and the robustness of the WECS have been verified by using the Lyapunov criterion. Then, a 2 kW DFIG based WECS experimental setup has been developed in the laboratory to study the effectiveness of the controllers developed.


In recent decades Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) emerged into an en vogue investment philosophy. Originating from religious and moral considerations, SRI evolved in the wake of socio-political deficiencies and corporate social conduct. In the global rise of financial social conscientiousness, differing national legislations and regulatory traditions have led to various SRI practices, which are harmonized by the United Nations (UN). Building on the historic advancement of Financial Social Responsibility in the wake of socio-ethical deficiencies, this paper highlights the future potential of SRI in the aftermath of the 2008/09 World Financial Crisis as a means to avert economic market downfalls. During the current financial market reform, additional micro- and macro-research on financial social conduct could foster the idea of Financial Social Responsibility and aid a successful implementation of SRI.


It is established that the most informative blood biochemical indicators of destructive process in patients with onycholysis are to be considered concentration of oxiproline in blood. The changing of ratio of fractions oxiproline, balance between concentration of enzymes of antioxidant defense and metalloproteinase and concentration of hemoglobin in blood make it possible to diagnose the mixed type of hypoxemia which is a possible cause of destruction of kerato-hyaline tissue in patients with onycholysis.


This work shows that the political and legal resources available to citrus farmers have become as strategic as financial, technological and organizational resources. The study presents an analysis of the Brazilian citrus business governance, which is defined by the use of different strategies among citrus farmers and processing plants: the citrus farmers and their main association use political resources, while some big juice processing plants resort to legal resources. This opposition represents a new obstacle to the achievement of positive results by citrus farmers in the current power network. Court orders demonstrate that orange supply contracts have become a fundamental empowering instrument in the sector, leading to strategic gains for the juice processing plants after four years of significant political conquests by citrus farmers, especially in Sao Paulo state.


Southern Africa is a region marked by huge tensions caused by the longevity of colonial rule and racial discrimination. Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa all achieved independence only years after most of Africa, and only with protracted militarized struggle. Even those countries that did enter independence in the 1960s, alongside most of Africa, were marked by the struggles of their neighbors—Zambia, host to exile liberation movements, was a frequent military target; and wars, sponsored or supported by apartheid South Africa, continued to rage in Angola and Mozambique even after they achieved independence. This has marked the post-independence politics of most countries of the region, almost all of whom have gone through, or remain within, an era of one-party politics or dominant party rule. In part, this can be read as a residual longing for stability. In other part it can be read as a "liberation generation" using its history as a lever by which to hang onto power. Having said that, the politics of each country has distinctive characteristics—although one has certainly been protracted effort to adhere to forms of ethics, such as "Humanism" in Zambia, and truth and reconciliation in South Africa. The contemporary politics of the region, however, is one with forms of authoritarianism and corruption and, in many cases, economic decline or turmoil. The rise of Chinese influence is also a new marker of politics in the region as all of Southern Africa, with many different former colonial powers, enters a new era of problematic cosmopolitanism—with the international jostling with already sometimes-volatile elements of ethnic diversity, balancing, and conflict.


Carbonaceous fiber has high strength, high modulus and high thermal conductivity. Preforms were fabricated by suction filtration method. Regardless of fiber type, the buckling strength and elastic modulus of preforms increased with quantity of aluminum borate (AlBO) whisker addition. The carbon nano tube (CNT) preforms were not buckled but only elastically compressed. Carbonaceous fiber reinforced Al, Mg composites were fabricated by squeeze casting. CF+AlBO hybrid reinforced composites were fabricated with 5% or less deformation. On the other hand, 60% deformation was found in CNT+50AlBO hybrid reinforced composites.


Background: Despite
advances in surgical and first-line adjuvant treatment, glioblastoma multiforme
(GBM) always recurs as disease natural history. Currently, there is no
consensus as to the optimal second-line treatment of recurrent GBM. Patients
and Methods: This is a retrospective
study of a series of adult patients consecutively treated at a single
institution for supratentorial cerebral GBM at first relapse. All patients had
previously received the standard concomitant radiochemotherapy protocol as
first-line therapy. At recurrence/progression, all patients were treated with a
metronomic temozolomide (TMZ) schedule at a daily dosage of 50 mg/m2 of body surface. Radiologic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected for
all patients, with a minimum follow-up of 18 months. Results: From January 2010 to June 2011, 43 patients were
treated at our facility. A mean of 10 metronomic TMZ cycles (range, 3 - 21)
was administered. Radiologically, we observed 2 complete responses (4.6%), 16 partial responses
(37.2%), 18 stable disease (41.9%) and 7 progressive disease (16.3%). Steroids
administration was safely tapered in 23 patients (53.5%). Karnofsky-Performance-Status
(KPS) results improved in 20 patients (46.5%), stabilized in 20 (46.5%), and
worsened in 3 patients (7.0%), with a mean KPS score increased from 65.1 at
baseline to 75.3 at follow-up. Six-month progression-free survival was 53.5.
One year after recurrence/progression diagnosis, 22 patients were still alive,
with a 1-year overall survival rate of 51.6%. Conclusions: The proposed TMZ schedule seems a safe and
effective option for patients with recurrent GBM, with high radiologic response
rates and good clinical impact. Strict clinical observation of patients may
enable obtaining better results than those already present in the literature
and further investigation appears auspicable.


Abstract: A critical issue affecting the long‐term management of koalas is their perceived conservation status. Koalas still occur in many areas throughout their historical range, but numbers of animals are estimated to vary from <100,000 to at least one order of magnitude higher. Complex factors limit free‐ranging koala populations, including food tree preferences, history of disturbance, and Chlamydia infection, all of which make longer‐term population trends of many populations difficult to predict. Lack of consensus regarding the size and viability of remaining populations and regarding the extent of and reasons for decline, overabundance or in some instances, hinders the conservation task. A reappraisal of population trends suggests that, notwithstanding localized management issues in Victoria and South Australia, overall the species is "vulnerable" on the basis of current World Conservation Union criteria. Recommendations for more effective conservation of koalas include (1) acknowledging the legitimacy of differing perspectives, (2) recognizing the uncertainty and assumptions inherent in population estimates and trends, (3) applying greater rigor and developing better standards for monitoring population trends, and (4) being cautious in assigning conservation status to national, state, and regional populations.


This project entitled 'analysis of fiber optic concept for glucose sensor development' is to investigate the chemical properties of the material that produce as the importance of blood-glucose control for both diabetic and non-diabetic
patients continues to increase, there is a need for more advanced glucose-sensing technologies. In particular, an in vivo glucose sensor is needed that exhibits high
accuracy when operating in a continuous manner for a relatively long period of time. Development of such sensors has been hampered, as low accuracy and sensor drift
become major problems with in vivo environments, especially for enzyme-based electrochemical glucose sensors. This paper reports on the use of a novel, binding polypeptide-based, fluorescent, glucose sensing system that promises to overcome many drawbacks of an enzyme-based system while showing the potential for high accuracy, especially at hypoglycemic levels. Fluorescently labeled glucose recognition polypeptide elements were immobilized in a polyacrylamide hydrogel matrix placed on the tip of an
optical fiber to realize a continuous glucose-sensing device towards in vivo applications.
In vitriol validation was performed in both buffered solutions and whole blood to characterize sensor parameters such as sensitivity and response time. Testing
demonstrated that the reagent less polypeptide-based glucose-sensing system has extreme sensitivity in the hypoglycemic levels while providing high precision across the entire human physiologic glucose range. Additionally,the sensor was shown to function at
physiologic temperature (viz., 37◦C) and displayed high selectivity for glucose without interference from other sugars (viz., fructose).This represents the first report of
implementing immobilized glucose binding protein-like elements in a sensing device for continuous glucose monitoring, and establishes proof-of-concept as an excellent
alternative to overcoming problems of current long-term, continuous glucose-sensing technologies.


To the Editor: March et all quote research by Sorenson and Pace in 19922 as Level 1 evidence that regional anaesthesia, compared with general anaesthesia, is associated with decreased mortality and morbidity (confusion and thromboembolic disease) in patients having surgery for fractured proximal femur. This statement is misleading. The meta-analysis by Sorenson and Pace looked at 13 randomised controlled trials published between 1978 and 1987 and concluded that no important differences exist between regional and general anaesthesia. Further, postoperative confusion was not discussed in Sorenson and Pace's article, The incidence of deep venous thrombosis, however, was 31% higher in patients receiving general compared with regional anaesthesia, but, unfortunately, none of the studies observing for deep venous thrombosis used prophylaxis with subcutaneous heparin and thus these findings may have little relevance to today's practice. There are many reasons for morbidity and mortality in this elderly population. A randomised trial with a sufficient number of patients to detect a difference between regional and general anaesthesia is yet to be done. Until such time it is incorrect to suggest that one technique of anaesthesia is safer than another.


Background: The findings of COMPASS, a randomized phase II study, suggested that the regimens and courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for locally advanced gastric cancer (GC) did not affect the pathological response. However, pathological complete response was achieved in 10% patients who received four courses of either S-1/cisplatin or paclitaxel/cisplatin. We hypothesized that if relevant biomarkers could be used to predict the suitable NAC regimen before treatment initiation, further improvements could be ensured in the outcomes of locally advanced GC. Materials and Methods: mRNA extraction, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed using endoscopic biopsy specimens of primary tumors, collected prior to NAC, to determine the clinically relevant biomarkers. Results: TIMP1, DSG2, RRM1, MUC2, EGFR, ZDHHC14, and CLDN18.2 were identified as biomarker candidates, since their expression was significantly associated with the pathological responses to each NAC regimen. Furthermore, TIMP1 and DSG2 were identified as predictive biomarkers of the pathological response to each NAC regimen. Conclusions: The effective prediction of the pathological response to NAC regimens in locally advanced GC using biomarkers identified from endoscopic biopsy specimens indicates the possibility of personalizing NAC based on biomarker analysis.


This paper describes a rigorous summer research experience and curriculum development opportunity for teachers, supported by professional development and classroom support, culminating with a citywide student design competition. The goal of this Research Experience for Teachers program was to bring real world innovative design into several urban, high school classrooms. The 8-week summer program comprised an engineering component and a learning science component. The goal of the engineering component was to provide an authentic research experience. Teams of 2-3 teachers were paired with a researcher in a school of engineering to further ongoing research of a product realization project. The goal of the learning science component was to scaffold teachers to develop a design-based immersion unit that they would implement in their science classrooms. Teams were organized by their content areas and provided professional development at a learning research center around relevant curriculum development strategies. This paper presents results related to common sets of knowledge and skills that teachers learned from both engineering design and learning science from the cohorts of teachers over the last three years. Findings include documentation of implementation success, changes of teachers' and students' beliefs about engineering and increases in student interest in engineering careers. © 2009 TEMPUS Publications.


Monolithic 3-D (M3D) integration technology has demonstrated significant area reduction in digital systems. Recently, its applications to other fields have been considered as well. To fully investigate the potential of M3D for radio-frequency/analog-mixed signal (RF/AMS) circuits and systems, the behavior of inductors in this technology needs to be evaluated. Toward this, in this paper, the effect of M3D integration on their inductance densities and quality factors has been analyzed. The impact of shields on M3D inductors has been investigated, as well as the shunting of multiple metal layers to form multimetal inductors. In an attempt to improve the area efficiency of M3D RF/AMS circuits, the potential of placing bottom-tier blocks underneath top-tier inductors has been identified, and a set of guidelines has been proposed to maximize the inter-tier electromagnetic isolation. These guidelines deal with the suitable position of both low- and high-frequency blocks, their wiring, as well as the type of shield that is needed between them and the inductors. To prove the efficiency of these guidelines, an array of bottom-tier resistors has been placed underneath a top-tier inductor, resulting in more than 50 dB of inter-tier isolation for frequencies up to 20 GHz.


This paper uses the choice experiment method to analyse social preferences towards a set of agricultural policy instruments that are likely to play a key role in the post 2013 design of the EU Common Agricultural Policy. It contributes to the choice experiment literature by incorporating different attribute processing strategies into stated choice models. By comparing models that consider attribute non-attendance for individual choice tasks and for the whole sequence of choices, we demonstrate the impact of different ways of accounting for attribute non-attendance on model performance and preferences. Additionally, we test if 'non-attendance to alternatives', which describes the elimination of alternatives due to the presence of attribute levels deemed unacceptable to a respondent, is a relevant information processing strategy in a choice experiment context. The results clearly show that individuals allocate attention over a reduced array of information and jointly apply decision strategies that involve attribute non-attendance and non-attendance to alternatives. The joint consideration of these information processing strategies results in a significant improvement of model fit to data, and in a better description of respondents' preferences.


Background: The
conventional HIV testing algorithm in most of the developed countries consists of two tests: an HIV enzyme immunoassay capable of
identifying HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies and a confirmatory HIV-1 Western
blot or immunofluorescence assay. However, the current algorithm for HIV
diagnosis in India uses three sequential antibody assays. There has always been
doubt regarding the benefits of this algorithm. Objective: To determine the
utility of the current diagnostic algorithm and to find out the proportion of
indeterminate or discrepant results. Methods: Retrospective analysis of HIV
antibody testing data was carried out over a period of five years after
institutional ethics committee approval. The
specimens positive with the screening test and negative with both the
supplemental tests were labeled as discrepant. Specimens positive with any of
the two tests (screening and one of the supplemental tests) and negative with
the remaining supplemental test were labeled as indeterminate. These
indeterminate specimens were confirmed by immunoblotting. Results: A total of 141,296
samples were tested. Of these, 71 (0.05%) samples were indeterminate and 292
(0.21%) were discrepant. Western blot was done on 60 indeterminate
samples of which 10 (16.67%) were positive for HIV 1 antibodies, 14 (23.33%)
were negative for HIV antibodies and 36 (60%) had indeterminate result.
Conclusion: In view of the low numbers of
indeterminate and discrepant results, the current algorithm appears to be
appropriate in our resource constrained setting. However, the algorithm for HIV
testing should also include DNA PCR testing facility to resolve western blot
indeterminate results.


Large groups, IT suites, internet connected computers and plenty of other distractions, a recipe for difficult delivery and inconsistent learning environment?

It doesn't have to be so.

We can combat these issues by sharing best practice within institutions and across the sector.

Two years ago a dramatic shift in our delivery of AVID Pro Tools workshops happened; we started to team teach the four two day workshops scheduled for our first term second year undergraduates. The results were self evident from the first session.

The two of us were able to begin to challenge some of the preconceptions of software workshop delivery, as well as enable a greater understanding of the role of sound in moving image projects. The learning and teaching methods used included the standard 'chalk and talk' approach as well as using other more contemporary tools such as VLEs and online resources such as Lynda.com.

Better student understanding, more developed assessment work and a highly engaged cohort have resulted.

This is just the beginning; we are still developing our approaches and hope to further refine all aspects of these workshops for the future.