Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 was found to grow in a minimal mineral medium supplemented with millimolar amounts of aluminum, a known environmental toxicant. During the stationary phase of growth, the trivalent metal was localized in a phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)-containing residue. The concentration of PE in pellets ranged from 1.7 to 13.9 mg ml of culture(sup-1) in media supplemented with 1 to 30 mM aluminum. Although the gelatinous residue was observed during the stationary phase of growth, ultracentrifugation and dialysis experiments revealed that PE was produced from earlier stages of incubation and was associated with aluminum. A sharp diminution in the levels of PE and aluminum in the spent fluid was concomitant with the formation of the insoluble deposit. The aluminum content of the soluble cellular fraction increased during growth and reached an optimum of 1.85 mM of test metal at 45 h in cultures with 15 mM aluminum. Further incubation, however, led to a marked decrease in the cellular aluminum content, and during the stationary phase of growth, only trace amounts of the trivalent metal were detected in this fraction. When 45-h cells were incubated in fresh citrate medium, most of the intracellular aluminum was secreted in the spent fluid and citrate was rapidly consumed. Aluminum efflux was also observed in cultures in which d-glucose was substituted for citrate. However, no efflux of this trivalent metal was evident in media devoid of either citrate or d-glucose. Scanning electron microscopic studies and X-ray energy-dispersive analyses of the dialyzed supernatant aided in the visualization of nodule-like aluminum- and phosphorus-rich bodies associated with thread-like carbon-, oxygen-, and phosphorus-containing structures. Transmission electron microscopic and electron energy loss spectroscopic analyses revealed the presence of aluminum within bacteria after 45 h of incubation. Cells harvested after aluminum insolubilization did not shown aluminum inclusions. This aluminum-tolerant microbe may have potential application in bioremediation processes.


The Indonesian tax system has undergone a series of reforms since 1983. Ongoing tax reforms will need to deal with the basic tax principles of equity and efficiency, in addition to revenue adequacy. As is typical in a developing country, a significant proportion of Indonesia's taxes are collected via an indirect system, so there is a critical link between the prices of the consumer goods to which taxes are applied, the welfare of households, and government revenue. Accordingly, the major challenge facing Indonesia's tax reformers is to determine how best to collect revenue in an efficient and equitable manner.

This thesis examines whether the trade off between efficiency and equity occurs in tax reform in Indonesia. More specifically, the study aims to answer the following research questions: (1) Can Indonesia's commodity tax system be reformed in a way that maintains revenue while improving social welfare? (2) Which commodity taxes should be altered so as to increase overall tax revenues at (the) least social cost? To address these questions, the way in which demand for different commodities change in response to changes in tax rates must first be determined and the degree of inequality aversion in Indonesia must be assessed. The estimated demand elasticities and the estimated inequality aversion can then be used to answer these research questions.

Data from a survey of 64,422 households across 26 Indonesian provinces was obtained from the 2002 SUSENAS and this data was used to estimate demand equations for 13 different food groups using two different models. The basic model of tax reform analysis used in this study including the relevant variables involved is mainly derived from the approaches outlined by Olivia and Gibson (2005), by Deaton (1997) and by Ahmad and Stern (1984, 1991). The first model (Model I, Hicksian Model), where the budget share of any commodity group is assumed to be a function of total expenditure and family size was one commonly used by other researchers. The second model (Model II, Marshallian model) uses total food expenditure as a denominator of the budget share (instead of the total expenditure) of the regressand and includes an income variable to reflect quality variations and high income earner behaviour. The Unit Value Index approach is used for computing unit values for the observed commodity groups and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression is used in Deaton's three stage procedure to calculate price elasticities. "Lambda" (the Benefit Cost Ratio of Ahmad and Stern) is used to estimate the relative welfare costs of raising revenues from different commodities, providing guidance on directions for tax reform. To do this, two different tax rate regimes are considered: the MIX tax rate regime (which assumes a 10% uniform tax rates across commodity groups, except for Cereals and Prepared foods and drinks); and the MAX tax rate regime (which assumes higher tax rates on some commodity groups).

This study demonstrates that Model II produced "better" outcomes compared to Model I in terms of not only the correct signs on own price elasticity estimates but also more plausible estimates of the marginal welfare impacts of tax changes. Furthermore, income elasticities and / or expenditure shares were found to be small, indicating that, essentially, the Marshallian welfare estimates associated with Model II are likely to provide reasonable approximations to compensating and / or equivalent variation.

Overall, the findings of the study suggest that a trade – off between efficiency and equity aspects exists in tax reform in Indonesia. Accordingly, this research sought to determine the level of inequality aversion evident in Indonesia. This study used the modified Atkinson Index approach to estimate a unique inequality aversion parameter of 1.5 (instead of using a series "trial and error" numbers as previous studies have mostly done).

Using Model II and an inequality aversion parameter of 1.5, the recommendations of tax reform policy that arise from this analysis are that policy makers should raise tax on Meat, Fruits, and Other consumption and lower taxes on Tubers, Beverages, and Eggs and milk. These products were generally identified as being price elastic of demand and as both the most expenditure elastic and the most income elastic commodities for the majority of Indonesians, especially for villagers and low income groups. Hence, an increase of the tax on the suggested goods, excluding Meat and Other consumption, may be relatively inefficient (since most of the goods are price elastic) but more "equitable". Similarly, lower taxes on Tubers, Beverages and Eggs and milk are likely be offsetting towards a shift of Tubers, Eggs and milk and Beverages Demand.

Recommendations derived from Model II using (a) only urban areas; (b) only rural areas are also considered in this thesis. When the analysis focuses only on urban areas, the analysis indicates that policymakers should increase tax on Cereals and Pulses and lower tax on Meat and Vegetables if considering only efficiency. However, policymakers should raise tax on Pulses and reduce tax on Vegetables if equity considerations are important. When rural areas are the focus for the tax reform policy, then the analysis suggests that policy makers should increase tax on Fruits and Prepared foods and drinks and lower tax on Tubers and Meat. More commodity groups are subject to the reform when allowing for more variation in the tax rates applied in the tax system. This regime suggests that apart from the former recommendation, the policymakers should also raise tax on Fish and reduce tax on Beverages when equity aspect is also considered.

It is important to note that the policy recommendations are likely to differ if analysing different commodity groups and / or if analysing different regions. It may therefore be important to conduct further research using smaller commodity groups as well as to analyse regional variations of consumption patterns among households. Inaddition, the unit values used in this study may not accurately represent true prices Accordingly, further research could usefully test the techniques used to estimate unit values by comparing estimates with market prices that have been collected 'in the field'. Finally, this study was unable to include non-food commodity groups within its analysis (due to an absence of quantity data; that would allow for the calculation of unit values). Further research should aim to include these commodity groups to ensure that the analysis relates to a complete demand system (using econometric estimation technique appropriate to complete systems of demand).


With the advance in computer and network technologies, multimedia systems and Internet applications are becoming more popular. As broadband network is prevailing, more clients are able to watch streaming videos or to play multimedia data over the Internet in real-time. Consequently, there is an increasing demand in the Internet for streaming video systems. As the run-time environment of such applications tends to be dynamic, it is imperative to handle transient overloads effectively. The goal of this work is to develop an algorithm that would provide a robust and controlled behavior of the video system so that important data is delivered on time to the video clients. In order to address this problem, we propose a QoS-sensitive approach that is using the technique of imprecise computation and is based on the principle of tuning. Our algorithm is aimed to provide the best possible QoS to the clients in the current available network capacity. As an environment to work with we have used a video system called QMPEGv2. A set of experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Through experiments, we show that the system can adapt to dynamic changes in network conditions and provide almost always the best possible QoS to its clients. Guaranteeing a certain minimal QoS level to all clients is only possible when, in run time, an admission controller adjusts the number of clients admitted to the system according to the capacity of the network and video servers.


In Tanzania, as in many other developing countries, the conventional wisdom is that economic reforms may have stimulated economic growth, but the benefits of this growth have been uneven, favoring urban households and farmers with good market access. This idea, although quite plausible, has rarely been tested. In this paper, we develop a new approach to measuring trends in poverty and inequality and apply it to Tanzania in order to explore the distributional aspects of economic growth and the relationship between rural poverty and market access. We find that, over the 1990s when significant economic reforms were implemented, the overall rate of poverty fell. Poverty fell the least in Dar es Salaam and the most in small urban areas. The degree of poverty reduction was similar between rural and urban areas, across educational categories, and across income groups, though female-headed households seem to have lost relative to male-headed households. We find that rural poverty is associated with remoteness, but the relationship is surprisingly weak and it varies depending on the definition used. Rural poverty is more closely related to access to regional urban centers than distance to roads or to Dar es Salaam. Although poverty is somewhat higher in more remote rural areas, we find little evidence that remote areas are being "left behind", either in relative or in absolute terms.


Learning low-dimensional representations (embeddings) of nodes in large graphs is key to applying machine learning on massive biological networks. Node2vec is the most widely used method for node embedding. However, its original Python and C++ implementations scale poorly with network density, failing for dense biological networks with hundreds of millions of edges. We have developed PecanPy, a new Python implementation of node2vec that uses cache-optimized compact graph data structures and precomputing/parallelization to result in fast, high-quality node embeddings for biological networks of all sizes and densities. PecanPy software and documentation are available at https://github.com/krishnanlab/pecanpy.


: In this work, the relationships of pendunctulate and Turkey oak tree-ring width and stable carbon isotope ratio (δ 13 C) with climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) through 50-year chronology were analyzed. Tree sensitivity over time was assessed in terms of Pearson's correlation strength and the moving correlation with a 20-year window (presented in the form of heat maps) was calculated for the 1960−2010 timespan. The obtained results indicate that ongoing intensive climate changes induce variations in the correlation strength between climatic variables and the tested tree-ring parameters. Moreover, compared to tree-ring width, stable carbon isotope records were found to be more sensitive to, and to vary more strongly with, climate variations. The strongest correlations were obtained between temperature and precipitation during the late spring months and isotope content. Likewise, climatic conditions in the preceding year strongly correlated with tree-ring width, while isotope ratio was more sensitive to the climate in the current year. Although species-specific differences in correlation strength were noted, their variations were rather weak and did not follow a discernible pattern. with precipitation. Our results further indicate that precipitation in the preceding year exerts a stronger effect than temperature on both radial increment and δ 13 C. In all cases, analyzed trees were shown to be most sensitive to the climatic conditions in the spring months, whereby QR was more sensitive than QC.


Author(s): Crews, Leslie Anne | Abstract: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment, progressive neurodegeneration, and formation of amyloid-[Beta] (A[Beta])-containing plaques. These neuropathological features are accompanied by deregulation of signaling cascades such as the cyclin-dependent kinase- 5 (CDK5) pathway. Recent studies have revealed that neurodegeneration in AD is also associated with alterations in hippocampal neurogenesis, which may play a critical role in cognitive impairments and memory loss. The main objectives of this dissertation were to investigate the cellular mechanisms of defective hippocampal neurogenesis in an animal model of AD, and to examine the role of A[beta] and CDK5, downstream targets, and other potential candidate regulators in the mechanisms of defective neurogenesis in AD. To address these aims, in vitro and in vivo studies designed to inhibit CDK5 activity using pharmacological and genetic approaches demonstrated that CDK5 is critical for hippocampal neurogenesis. In an in vitro model of CDK5 hyperactivation, and in the hippocampus of amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic (tg) mice, markers of neurogenesis and neurite outgrowth were reduced. I identified the CDK5 substrate collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP2) as a critical regulator of the effects of hyperactive CDK5 on neuronal maturation in AD. CDK5-mediated hyperphosphorylation of CRMP2 contributed to reduced neurite outgrowth by disrupting microtubule polymerization, and this effect could be rescued by down-regulating CDK5 or blocking CRMP2 phoshorylation. In addition to the role of the CDK5 pathway in neurogenesis in AD, other factors may be involved. In this context, defective hippocampal neurogenesis in AD patients and in APP tg mice was accompanied by increased expression levels of bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP6). In vitro studies in NPCs showed that Aβ increased BMP6 levels, and that BMP6 treatment reduced proliferation, supporting a role for BMP6 in hippocampal neurogenesis in AD. Lastly, we found that treatment of APP tg mice with a neurotrophic compound (Cerebrolysin) rescued hippocampal neurogenesis, and this effect was associated with down-regulation of the CDK5 signaling pathway. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that the CDK5 and BMP signaling cascades play important roles in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Future therapeutic approaches could target these molecular pathways to rescue defective neurogenesis in AD


Lettuce image segmentation which based on computer image processing is the premise of non-destructive testing of lettuce quality. The traditional 2-D maximum entropy algorithm has some faults, such as low accuracy of segmentation, slow speed, and poor anti-noise ability. As a result, it leads to the problems of poor image segmentation and low efficiency. An improved 2-D maximum entropy algorithm is presented in this paper. It redistricts segmented regions and furtherly classifies the segmented image pixels with the method of the minimum fuzzy entropy, and reduces the impact of noise points, as a result the image segmentation accuracy is improved. The improved algorithm is used to lettuce object segmentation, and the experimental results show that the improved segmentation algorithm has many advantages compared with the traditional 2-D maximum entropy algorithm, such as less false interference, strong anti-noise ability, good robustness and validity.


Social media posts containing hate speech are reproduced and redistributed at an accelerated pace, reaching greater audiences at a higher speed. We present a machine learning system for automatic detection of hate speech in Turkish, along with a hate speech dataset consisting of tweets collected in two separate domains. We first adopted a definition for hate speech that is in line with our goals and amenable to easy annotation; then designed the annotation schema for annotating the collected tweets. The Istanbul Convention dataset consists of tweets posted following the withdrawal of Turkey from the Istanbul Convention. The Refugees dataset was created by collecting tweets about immigrants by filtering based on commonly used keywords related to immigrants. Finally, we have developed a hate speech detection system using the transformer architecture (BERTurk), to be used as a baseline for the collected dataset. The binary classification accuracy is 77% when the system is evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation on the Istanbul Convention dataset and 71% for the Refugee dataset. We also tested a regression model with 0.66 and 0.83 RMSE on a scale of [0-4], for the Istanbul Convention and Refugees datasets.


Purified hematopoietic stem cells reveal that mitophagy plays a key role in their expansion. How to maintain hematopoietic stem cells Hematopoiesis provides the body with a continuous supply of blood cells (see the Perspective by Sommerkamp and Trumpp). Taya et al. report that amino acid content is important for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance in vitro and in vivo. Dietary valine restriction seems to "empty" the mouse bone marrow niche. Ito et al. used single-cell approaches and cell transplantation to identify a subset of HSCs at the top of the HSC hierarchy. Self-renewal relied on the induction of mitophagy, a quality-control process linked to a cell's metabolic state. Both studies may be helpful in improving clinical bone marrow transplantation. Science, this issue p. 1103, p. 1152; see also p. 1156 A single hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is capable of reconstituting hematopoiesis and maintaining homeostasis by balancing self-renewal and cell differentiation. The mechanisms of HSC division balance, however, are not yet defined. Here we demonstrate, by characterizing at the single-cell level a purified and minimally heterogeneous murine Tie2+ HSC population, that these top hierarchical HSCs preferentially undergo symmetric divisions. The induction of mitophagy, a quality control process in mitochondria, plays an essential role in self-renewing expansion of Tie2+ HSCs. Activation of the PPAR (peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor)–fatty acid oxidation pathway promotes expansion of Tie2+ HSCs through enhanced Parkin recruitment in mitochondria. These metabolic pathways are conserved in human TIE2+ HSCs. Our data thus identify mitophagy as a key mechanism of HSC expansion and suggest potential methods of cell-fate manipulation through metabolic pathways.


Space-partitioning trees, like the disk-based trie, quadtree, kd-tree and their variants, are a family of access methods that index multi-dimensional objects. In the case of indexing non-zero extent objects, e.g., line segments and rectangles, space-partitioning trees may replicate objects over multiple space partitions, e.g., PMR quadtree, expanded MX-CIF quadtree, and extended kd-tree. As a result, the answer to a query over these indexes may include duplicates that need to be eliminated, i.e., the same object may be reported more than once. In this paper, we propose generic duplicate elimination techniques for the class of space-partitioning trees in the context of SP-GiST; an extensible indexing framework for realizing space-partitioning trees. The proposed techniques are embedded inside the INDEX-SCAN operator. Therefore, duplicate copies of the same object do not propagate in the query plan, and the elimination process is transparent to the end-users. Two cases for the index structures are considered based on whether or not the objects' coordinates are stored inside the index tree. The theoretical and experimental analysis illustrate that the proposed techniques achieve savings in the storage requirements, I/O operations, and processing time when compared to adding a separate duplicate elimination operator in the query plan.


Titanium and its alloys have been widely used for medical and aerospace applications because of their excellent attributes of light metal, high strength, high corrosion resistance and high biocompatibility. Especially, Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy has been developed as a more suitable biomaterial to replace Ti-6Al-4V alloy, because vanadium is toxic element to the biological body. However, it is not easy to fabricate the complex shaped and precise parts by the conventional methods due to their poor castability and machinability. In this study, laser forming technique has been applied to solve the above problems. The precise structure was obtained by optimizing the laser forming parameters. Using this technique, a honeycomb structure was fabricated effective to grow the neighboring tissue and also encourage osseointegration. Finally, mouse osteoblasts were cultured on the formed structures, resulted in the effectiveness of the honeycomb structure for biocompatibility.


In this increasingly complex world of Medicare reimbursement, physicians must constantly review their billing practices to ensure compliance with all Medicare requirements. "Incident-to" billing and provider-based billing are two areas that present unique challenges for providers, especially those practicing in hospital-owned practices such as hospital outpatient departments. Both incident-to and provider-based billing limit providers' abilities to bill for and receive reimbursement in those practice settings. The Office of Inspector General's 2012 Work Plan Report identified both incident-to billing and place-of-service errors as two of the many areas for investigation and compliance efforts in 2012. This article focuses on identifying the unique point-of-service challenges presented by physicians practicing in hospital outpatient departments or hospital-owned clinics.


Childhood maltreatment is associated with adverse affective and cognitive consequences including impaired emotion processing, inhibition and attention. However, the majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in childhood maltreatment have examined emotion processing, while very few studies have tested the neurofunctional substrates of cognitive functions and none of attention. This study investigated the association between severe childhood abuse and fMRI brain activation during a parametric sustained attention task with a progressively increasing load of sustained attention in 21 medication-naïve, drug-free young people with a history of childhood abuse controlling for psychiatric comorbidities by including 19 psychiatric controls matched for psychiatric diagnoses, and 27 healthy controls. Behaviorally, the participants exposed to childhood abuse showed increased omission errors in the task which correlated positively trend-wise with the duration of their abuse. Neurofunctionally, the participants with a history of childhood abuse, but not the psychiatric controls, displayed significantly reduced activation relative to the healthy controls during the most challenging attention condition only in typical attention regions including left inferior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, insula and temporal areas. We therefore show for the first time that severe childhood abuse is associated with neurofunctional abnormalities in key ventral frontal-temporal sustained attention regions. The findings represent a first step towards the delineation of abuse-related neurofunctional abnormalities in sustained attention, which may help in the development of effective treatments for victims of childhood abuse.


Background In the evaluation of childhood obesity interventions, few researchers undertake a rigorous feasibility stage in which the design and procedures of the evaluation process are examined. Consequently, phase III studies often demonstrate methodological weaknesses. Purpose Our aim was to conduct a feasibility trial of the evaluation of WATCH IT, a community obesity intervention for children and adolescents. We sought to determine an achievable recruitment rate; acceptability of randomisation, assessment procedures, and dropout rate; optimal outcome measures for the definitive trial; and a robust sample size calculation. Method Our goal was to recruit 70 participants over 6 months, randomise them to intervention or control group, and retain participation for 12 months. Assessments were taken prior to randomisation and after 6 and 12 months. Procedures mirrored those intended for a full-scale trial, but multiple measures of similar outcomes were included as a means to determine those most appropriate for future research. Acceptability of the research and impact of the research on the programme were ascertained through interviewing participants and staff. Results We recruited 70 participants and found that randomisation and data collection procedures were acceptable. Self-referral (via media promotion) was more effective than professional referral. Blinding of assessors was sustained to a reasonable degree, and optimal outcome measures for a full-scale trial were identified. Estimated sample size was significantly greater than sample sized reported in published trials. There was some negative impact on the existing programme as a result of the research, a lesson for designers of future trials. Limitations We successfully recruited socially disadvantaged families, but the majority of families were of White British nationality. The composition of the participants was an added valuable lesson, suggesting that recruitment strategies to obtain a more heterogeneous ethnic sample warrant consideration in future research. Conclusions This study provided us with confidence that we can run a phase III multi-centre trial to test the effectiveness of WATCH IT. Importantly, it was invaluable in informing the design not only of that trial but also of future evaluations of childhood obesity treatment interventions.


The 1964 Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada is currently under review. Under the treaty, the river is jointly operated by the two countries for hydropower and is the largest producer of hydropower in the western hemisphere. In considering the next phase of international river governance, the degree of uncertainty surrounding the drivers of change complicates efforts to predict and manage under traditional approaches that rely on historical ecosystem responses.At the same time, changes in social values have focused attention on ecosystem health, the decline of which has led to the listing of seven salmon and four steelhead populations under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Although adaptive management is considered one approach to resource management in the face of uncertainty, an early attempt at its implementation in the U.S. portion of the basin failed. We explore these issues in the context of resilience, taking the position that while adaptive management may foster ecological resilience, it is only one factor in the institutional changes needed to foster social-ecological resilience captured in the concept of adaptive governance.


The objective of the study was to compare the morphoanatomical characters of the species of Drynaria found in Bukidnon, Philippines .The species identified were Drynaria quercifolia (Linn) Sm., D. sparsisora (Desv.) and Moore, D. rigidula (Sw.) Bedd. Morphoanatomical comparisons of the three species of Drynaria showed some similarities such as long creeping and branched rhizome, mature fertile fronds green and sterile fronds brown, leathery and with shiny upper surface and exindusiate sori. On the other hand, differences were observed in the plant height, type of lamina, presence or absence of groove in the stipe, costa and rachis, length and width, margin, fertile and sterile fronds attachment to the rhizome, base, apex, paleae, hair shape and sori arrangement. Anatomically, the five species also differed in the attachment of paleae to the rhizomes, length, width, number and shape of vascular bundles in the stipe, costa and rachis, presence and absence of hypodermis, type of stomata, length, width, number of subsidiary cells, walls of epidermal cells, the cortical arrangement of the tissues in the costa and midvein of the pinna. Based on their morpho-anatomical differences, a taxonomic key was constructed to identify the three species of Drynaria . Keywords - morphology, anatomy, systematic, Drynaria , Bukidnon


By treating organic wastes as a resource, and applying a different method of waste management, organic wastes could contribute significantly to global energy needs. The ethanol distillation process waste product, stillage, is a soup-like waste stream that contains substantial organic content. By digesting this material three resources are recovered – biogas (80 per cent methane), biosolids (high in nutrients equivalent to high grade fertiliser) and recyclable water. Current waste treatment in ethanol production focuses on drying the stillage waste and using the resultant material as mulch to be spread over crops. This is an energy intensive, low-benefit, process that increases production cost. If a waste treatment process could convert the waste into a recoverable resource, this would reduce the cost of ethanol production and would ensure all externalities are valued. For example, methane could be re-used as a source of energy in distillation and production. Unless an economic advantage can be established, there is no true benefit of this type of waste treatment – this is how the economy currently works. All industry and business decisions relate to the bottom line and whether the project will make money (profitability). When a value is put on externalities, it is possible to show whether a project will be profitable. This is so even when considering the impact on the environment and society, not just the economy. Ultimately, when all externalities can be quantified, valued and shown to be positive, the project is sustainable. This research has been carried out to establish the importance of valuing externalities in relation to the triple bottom line of ethanol production. By using waste treatment to recover resources in ethanol distillation, and using those resources directly in operation, process and production, while at the same time valuing foregone and used externalities, the cost of production should decrease Values for the externalities can be derived from various references, such as current market value. Carbon now has a value per tonne of emissions established in several markets around the world – these values can be attributed directly to energy use. The value of water has been established through research and can also be attributed to water use.


Spectral induced polarization or complex conductivity is a promising electric method in hydrogeophysics because of its sensitivity to water saturation, permeability, and particle size distribution (PSD). However, the physical and chemical mechanisms that generate the low-frequency complex conductivity of clays are still debated. To explain these mechanisms, the complex conductivity of kaolinite, smectite, and clay-sand mixtures was measured in the frequency range 1.4 mHz-12 kHz with various clay contents (100%, 20%, 5%, and 1% in volume of the clay-sand mixture) and salinities (distilled water, 0.1 g L-1, 1 g L-1, and 10 g L-1 of NaCl in solution). The results indicated the strong impact of the cation exchange capacity of smectite upon the complex conductivity of the material. The quadrature conductivity increased steadily with the clay content and was fairly independent of the pore fluid salinity. A mechanistic induced polarization model was also developed. It combined a Donnan equilibrium model of the surface electrochemical properties of clays and sand, a conduction model of the Stern and diffuse layers, a polarization model of the Stern layer, and a macroscopic conductivity model based on the differential effective medium theory. It also included the effect of the PSD. Our complex conductivity model predicted very well the experimental data, except for very low frequencies (<0.1 Hz) at which membrane polarization may dominate the observed response


Political liberals usually assume the coercion account, which argues that state actions should be publicly justified because they coerce citizens. Recently some critics object this account for it overlooks that some policies are non-coercive but still require public justification. My article argues that, instead of understanding coercion as particular laws or policies, it should be understood as the exercise of collective political power that shapes the basic structure. This revised coercion account explains why those ostensibly non-coercive policies are in fact coercive. Moreover, I argue that the alternative accounts suggested by critics fail, unless they assume the revised coercion account.


Plasma-catalytic and thermo-catalytic methanation were assayed in the presence of a CeZrOx-supported Ni catalyst, proving that high CO2 conversions and high methane yields can be obtained under dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma conditions and that they are maintained with time-on-stream over 100 h operating time. The characterization of the spent catalysts through TPD-MS, ATR-FTIR, TEM and HR-TEM and XRD evidenced the coexistence of a Ni0/NiO phase together with an increased presence of Ce3+ cations and oxygen vacancies, on the surface of the catalyst submitted to plasma catalytic operation. The different facts collected through physicochemical characterization point to our catalyst behaving like a PN junction, or like a fuel cell, with a P-side, the anode, i.e. the Ni-side releasing electrodes, while the CeZrOx support, N-side and cathode, acts as an acceptor. The DBD plasma, rich in ionic species and free electrodes, acts as the electrolyte, conducting the electrodes in the right direction. Oxygen accumulation on the surface of the catalyst during thermo-catalytic methanation leads to the formation of non-reactive adsorbed species, whereas Ni-sintering is favored. Under DBD plasma conditions, electron transfer is guaranteed and the adsorption–desorption of reactants and products is favored.


At the time of writing, the business world is currently recovering from a recession that struck globally in the late 2008. The financial crisis brought many consequences, not least in the labor market. In meantime, media is reporting of the increasing trends of companies outsourcing their employment needs, by using staffing companies. Could it be that there is a correlation between the recession and the companies' choices to do so? By revising literature on the topic we have found that the companies need for flexibility seem to be their main reason for using staffing companies. We have also come to review the first reports on the current increase of staffing company use in the US claimed to be caused by the current recession. Regarding the recession, we have come to find that it does have a structural impact on the labor market according to literature. An impact, that many claims is not temporary, but is here to stay. We have departed from retroduction with a touch of abduction when investigating our research problem. In practice, we have conducted a study based on surveys where we have asked 37 people in managerial positions at the top 100 largest employers in Sweden about their views on the recession and their attitudes towards the staffing industry. In addition, we have conducted an interview with a manager from a staffing company in Sweden to get another view on the use of staffing companies. The findings of this study include; even though several references in this paper forecast rapid growth during times of expansion for the staffing companies, this is not reflected within the responses in our sample. The companies perceive the situation of temporary staff as being better than what some theory suggests. There is reason to suggest that large companies that use staffing companies are moving towards a permanent need of temporary labor, and the respondent of such companies generally perceive staffing companies as a good option for mitigating labor-associated risks. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions based on our findings. We have opted to give the reader some insight as to how the companies perceive the staffing industry, and how a manager of a staffing company perceives its current state. We would like to encourage further research to use the questions and suggestions raised in our paper to conduct tests in the area of temporary staffing from a corporate perspective to nourish the debate in the society with a scientific point of view.


Despite some controversies, it is generally suggested that obesity imparts a higher risk of breast cancer, the most common cancer among women all over the world. Since obese people usually have higher serum levels of leptin, a hormone secreted by white adipose tissue, the hormone is suspected as the link between adiposity and breast cancer. In this study we tried to explore a possible causal association of obesity and serum leptin with breast cancer by studying a sample of healthy controls and patients from Malaysian population. The control group comprised 40 women with negative mammogram for breast cancer, while the patient group comprised 51 women with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of breast, who were going to be operated. We measured the common obesity parameters, confirmed the diagnosis of IDC of breast in the patients by standard histopathologic examination using hematoxylin and eosin stain, and estimated serum leptin levels using ELISA procedure. We estimated both pre- and postoperative samples of leptin from the patient group. Our results showed a highly significant difference in the serum leptin level between the control group and the patient group with a mean of 20.59 ± 14.4 ng/ml and 38.71 ± 12.2 ng/ml, respectively, having a P value of s = 0.598, P s = 0.217, P > 0.05). Our results suggest that compared to BMI, serum leptin has a much stronger association with IDC; since the source of high leptin in serum is not breast cancerous tissue, leptin cannot be a marker for IDC of breast; however, the hormone most likely is causally associated with the tumorigenesis of breast cancer. The results also indicate that obesity, as indicated by BMI, is weakly associated with IDC; however, broader studies with much larger sample sizes are needed to draw any definitive conclusion. We hypothesize that reducing leptin levels, blocking its downstream tissue specific signal transduction, and/or blocking the upstream leptin receptor pathway might help in the prevention and therapy of breast cancer. Citation Format: Shaikh M. Rahman, Saad M. Al-Shibli, Nasser M. Amjad, Muna K. Al-Kubaisi, Norra B. Harun, Emad M. Nafie. The leptin transduction pathway may be targeted against invasive ductal carcinoma of breast [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A198.


This paper studies the interaction between public and private health care provision in a National Health Service (NHS), with free public care and costly private care. The health authority decides whether or not to allow private provision and sets the public sector remuneration. The physicians allocate their time (effort) in the public and (if allowed) in the private sector based on the public wage income and the private sector profits. We show that allowing physician dual practice 'crowds out' public provision, and results in lower overall health care provision. While the health authority can mitigate this effect by offering a higher wage, we find that a ban on dual practice is more efficient if private sector competition is weak and public and private care are sufficiently close substitutes. On the other hand, if private sector competition is sufficiently tough, a mixed system, with physician dual practice, is always preferable to a pure NHS system.


Student Dormitory is a desirable place to live for all overseas Aceh students that far from home, Student Dormitory be exclusive if the existence of a dormitory is located very far from the government and from the student's hometown, so the presence of dormitory is felt not exist and far from elegant impression , there are many Aceh students dormitory are not recorded by the Regional Government , that recorded only dormitory under the auspices of the government, when in fact the most dormitory are located under other institutions. Along with the development of, make it even easier people's lives in their daily live. During its development, mobile technology can determine the position of users, find the location you want to target, and provide a route to that location. The use of mobile devices for the Aceh Government, Society, and students in particular is to facilitate them in the course of a visit to Student Dormitory. The geographic information system created using the Java programming language with SDK (Software Development Kit) Android and using MySQL and SQLite databases, the system is a client-server. The process of making and development of Geographic Information System using SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) using prototyping life cycle. By using the life cycle of prototyping, the design can be quickly created and tested by users. Users can participate in helping the development of a system to provide feedback on the prototype that has been tried before, so that the system be made better. The result of this application design is the realization of a mobile application that can allow users to find information and search for Aceh Student Dormitory in Java Island, Indonesia. The Geographic Information System uses technology of LBS (Location Based Service), this allows users to find the location of dormitory that wish to visit. This system will be developed on mobile devices using the Android operating system.


Purpose: To determine the relationship between boxed warnings issuance by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the proportional reporting rates of the associated adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for multiple myeloma (MM) drugs. Methods: We compiled a list of all FDA approved MM drugs and identified their associated ADR boxed warnings, through FDA's website and physician desk reference. Drugs that were issued boxed warnings after their market launch were included in the analysis, i.e., melphalan, thalidomide, vincristine, carmustine and doxorubicin. For each drug/ADR boxed warning combination, we retrieved all reported cases from the FAERS and calculated their Empiric Bayes Geometric Means (EBGMs), in pre- and post-boxed warning periods. Chi-square tests were performed to compare serious adverse drug events before and after boxed warnings for all drug/ADR combinations. Results: A total of 10 drug/ADR boxed warning combinations were identified, of which EBGM signals increased for six combinations after a boxed warning was issued. Reports of serious adverse drug events also increased significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Boxed warnings were associated with increased FAERS reporting, indicating increased awareness of ADRs for MM drugs. Proactive pharmacovigilance programs, such as the FDA's Mini-Sentinel Project, may improve timeliness of detection of rare ADRs.


This paper shows the results of an in-depth techno-economic analysis of the public transport sector in a small to midsize city and its surrounding area. Public battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses are comparatively evaluated by means of a total cost of ownership (TCO) model building on historical data and a projection of market prices. Additionally, a structural analysis of the public transport system of a specific city is performed, assessing best fitting bus lines for the use of electric or hydrogen busses, which is supported by a brief acceptance evaluation of the local citizens. The TCO results for electric buses show a strong cost decrease until the year 2030, reaching 23.5% lower TCOs compared to the conventional diesel bus. The optimal electric bus charging system will be the opportunity (pantograph) charging infrastructure. However, the opportunity charging method is applicable under the assumption that several buses share the same station and there is a "hotspot" where as many as possible bus lines converge. In the case of electric buses for the year 2020, the parameter which influenced the most on the TCO was the battery cost, opposite to the year 2030 in where the bus body cost and fuel cost parameters are the ones that dominate the TCO, due to the learning rate of the batteries. For H2 buses, finding a hotspot is not crucial because they have a similar range to the diesel ones as well as a similar refueling time. H2 buses until 2030 still have 15.4% higher TCO than the diesel bus system. Considering the benefits of a hypothetical scaling-up effect of hydrogen infrastructures in the region, the hydrogen cost could drop to 5 €/kg. In this case, the overall TCO of the hydrogen solution would drop to a slightly lower TCO than the diesel solution in 2030. Therefore, hydrogen buses can be competitive in small to midsize cities, even with limited routes. For hydrogen buses, the bus body and fuel cost make up a large part of the TCO. Reducing the fuel cost will be an important aspect to reduce the total TCO of the hydrogen bus.


Severe community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a medical emergency and thus, it should be managed as such. Prompt recognition of severe CAP and timely, appropriate initiation of antimicrobials and execution of resuscitation bundles in the emergency department (ED) will save lives and reduce the burden of disease in hospital and patient morbidities downstream. However, these are complex multifaceted interventions which require deliberate planning and design, careful implementation sustained by close monitoring and maintenance efforts. Widespread implementation of these measures is further hampered by uncertainties, controversies and debates between researchers on the evidential basis for the precise strati cation of CAP disease severity and the relative merits of different treatment options. Physicians in the ED however should not hesitate to act but apply the best available evidence in the local settings heuristically with pragmatic interventions to improve critical outcomes for patients with severe CAP. In this regard, we have performed a qualitative, aggregative type review of the management of severe CAP in the ED concluding each section with a realist synthesis. We describe the implementation of resuscitation bundles in the management of severe CAP in the ED and the process of sustaining such an enterprise.


School counselors experience unique challenges as they struggle to provide students with coping skills geared to the outside world including acts of terrorism. Schoolaged students in the United States are one of the most vulnerable populations in the event of a terrorist act. This article offers a review of the current and most relevant literature on the topic of helping students cope in an age of terrorism. The authors provide an overview of a six-step strategic model for school counselors to help prepare students to live and cope in an age of terrorism.


Since 1992, three national metrology institutes (NMI) have submitted four samples of known activity of 124Sb to the International Reference System (SIR) for activity comparison at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. The activities ranged from about 1.9 MBq to 6.8 MBq. The degrees of equivalence between each equivalent activity measured in the SIR and the key comparison reference value (KCRV) have been calculated and the results are given in the form of a matrix for three NMIs. A graphical presentation is also given. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by Section II of the Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI(II)), comparison identifier BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Sb-124, according to the provisions of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).


The combined action of ascorbic acid and two commercial enzymatic complexes containing amylase and xylanase/amylase was analyzed to determine their effects on dough rheology and bread quality. Seven bread formulations containing different concentrations of these improvers were used in the analysis. The rheological properties of each dough formulation were determined by moisture, gluten and farinograph tests. The breads were also characterized in general aspect - especially shelf-life - based on the presence of fungi. The dough rheology results showed that the formulation developed in the presence of 0.01% xylanase/amylase and 200 ppm of ascorbic acid was more efficient. Improved shelf-life was obtained from the formulations containing xylanase. The results showed that some technological characteristics of dough rheology and gluten index produced from the combination of these improvers can indicate in order to obtain specific features of the bread.

 Key words: Food biotechnology, xylanase, amylase, dough properties, bread improvers.


This paper is a survey which was designed to ascertain the various Information and Communication technology resources available for teaching and learning in  the Secondary Schools in the two local government areas in Ardo kola and Jalingo Taraba state  The population of the study is made up of all the. secondary school teachers and principals in all the forty Secondary Schools in A sample she of 264 respondents was selected for the study using stratified - random sampling technique. The instrument used for the collection of data was a set of researcher—made questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using frequency counts and simple percentage it  shows that the extent of availability of ICT resources in secondary schools in Ardokola and Jalingo is very low. The extent of utilization of ICT resources in teaching and learning is equally very low. ICT resources were not available in the schools for the use of teachers and students for learning activities. It was also found out that many factors were perceived by the teachers and principals as constraints to the effective utilization of ICTs in teaching and learning in secondary schools. They include; poor power supply. Lack of adequately trained teachers in the use of lCTs in teaching, high cost of computers and accessories among others. It was concluded that much has not been done by government in the area of provision of ICT resources for teaching and learning in this era of ICT based learning. The paper recommends governments', non-governmental organizations' and private individuals' intervention in the provision of needed ICT resources in the schools among others.


This paper presents ACROMUSE, a novel Genetic Algorithm (GA) which adapts crossover, mutation and selection parameters. ACROMUSE's objective is to create and maintain a diverse population of highly-fit (healthy) individuals, capable of adapting quickly to fitness-landscape change and well-suited to the efficient optimisation of multimodal fitness landscapes. A new methodology is introduced for determining Standard Population Diversity (SPD) and an original measure of Healthy Population Diversity (HPD) is proposed. The SPD measure is employed to adapt crossover and mutation, while selection pressure is controlled by adapting tournament size according to HPD. In addition to selection pressure control, ACROMUSE tournament selection selects individuals according to healthy diversity contribution rather than fitness. This proposed selection mechanism simultaneously promotes diversity and fitness within the population. The performance of ACROMUSE is evaluated using various multi-modal benchmark functions. Statistically significant results are presented comparing ACROMUSE's fitness and diversity performance to that of several other GAs. By maintaining a diverse population of healthy individuals, ACROMUSE responds to fitness-landscape change by restoring better fitness scores faster than other GAs. Analysis of the adaptive operators illustrates that the key benefit of ACROMUSE is the synergy of the operators working together to achieve an effective balance between exploration and exploitation.


Abstract Contemporary democratic politics involves, not just constitutions, elections, and representative bodies, but complex processes of more direct consultation with the public. The value of these processes depends on their openness to voices, topics, and styles of expression that might be excluded from other forums. In this paper I analyze focus group discussions, one of the genres used for public consultation, and the ways that discussions are framed by facilitators. The facilitators' turns are seldom in the form of free-standing questions or statements requiring a response from the participants. Instead, the kinds of interventions they make—probes, prompts, formulations, and metacomments—can be understood in terms of what Sacks (1992) called second-speaker tying rules; that is, they construct coherence by presenting the facilitators' turns as following from what has already been said by a participant. These turns signal that participants are entitled to speak and the facilitator is listening; they also signal the kind of additional response that is wanted. These additional responses call for wider range, greater specificity and personal context, or further reflection on the wording or form of the statement. I argue that a forum does not extend consultation with the public just by removing institutional constraints to allow opinions to be spoken; it should also enable talk that would not otherwise have had an occasion to happen.


The explosive growth of scientists, scientific journals, articles and findings in recent years exponentially increases the difficulty scientists face in navigating prior knowledge. This challenge is exacerbated by uncertainty about the reproducibility of published findings. The availability of massive digital archives, machine reading and extraction tools on the one hand, and automated high-throughput experiments on the other, allow us to evaluate these challenges at scale and identify novel opportunities for accelerating scientific advance. Here we demonstrate a Bayesian calculus that enables the positive prediction of robust, replicable scientific claims with findings automatically extracted from published literature on gene interactions. We matched these findings, filtered by science, with unfiltered gene interactions measured by the massive LINCS L1000 high-throughput experiment to identify and counteract sources of bias. Our calculus is built on easily extracted publication meta-data regarding the position of a scientific claim within the web of prior knowledge, and its breadth of support across institutions, authors and communities, revealing that scientifically focused but socially and institutionally independent research activity is most likely to replicate. These findings recommend policies that go against the common practice of channeling biomedical research funding into centralized research consortia and institutes rather than dispersing it more broadly. Our results demonstrate that robust scientific findings hinge upon a delicate balance of shared focus and independence, and that this complex pattern can be computationally exploited to decode bias and predict the replicability of published findings. These insights provide guidance for scientists navigating the research literature and for science funders seeking to improve it.


The Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis uses glucose and malate as the preferred carbon sources. In the presence of either glucose or malate, the expression of genes and operons for the utilization of secondary carbon sources is subject to carbon catabolite repression. While glucose is a preferred substrate in many organisms from bacteria to man, the factors that contribute to the preference for malate have so far remained elusive. In this work, we have studied the contribution of the different malate-metabolizing enzymes in B. subtilis, and we have elucidated their distinct functions. The malate dehydrogenase and the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase are both essential for malate utilization; they introduce malate into gluconeogenesis. The NADPH-generating malic enzyme YtsJ is important to establish the cellular pools of NADPH for anabolic reactions. Finally, the NADH-generating malic enzymes MaeA, MalS, and MleA are involved in keeping the ATP levels high. Together, this unique array of distinct activities makes malate a preferred carbon source for B. subtilis.


Leaf (brown) rust (LR) and stripe (yellow) rust (YR), caused by Puccinia triticina and P. striiformis f. sp. tritici, respectively, significantly reduce wheat production worldwide. Disease-resistant wheat varieties offer farmers one of the most effective ways to manage these diseases. The common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Arableu#1, developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and released as Deka in Ethiopia, shows susceptibility to both LR and YR at the seedling stage but a high level of adult plant resistance (APR) to the diseases in the field. We used 142 F5 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from Apav#1 × Arableu#1 to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for APR to LR and YR. A total of 4,298 genotyping-by-sequencing markers were used to construct a genetic linkage map. The study identified four LR resistance QTLs and six YR resistance QTLs in the population. Among these, QLr.cim-1BL.1/QYr.cim-1BL.1 was located in the same location as Lr46/Yr29, a known pleiotropic resistance gene. QLr.cim-1BL.2 and QYr.cim-1BL.2 were also located on wheat chromosome 1BL at 37 cM from Lr46/Yr29 and may represent a new segment for pleiotropic resistance to both rusts. QLr.cim-7BL is likely Lr68 given its association with the tightly linked molecular marker cs7BLNLRR. In addition, QLr.cim-3DS, QYr.cim-2AL, QYr.cim-4BL, QYr.cim-5AL, and QYr.cim-7DS are probably new resistance loci based on comparisons with published QTLs for resistance to LR and YR. Our results showed the diversity of minor resistance QTLs in Arableu#1 and their role in conferring near-immune levels of APR to both LR and YR, when combined with the pleiotropic APR gene Lr46/Yr29.


Initially, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) aroused major interest due to its preferential toxic effect against malignant cells. However, subsequent studies revealed that the TRAIL system, comprising the family of signal-mediating and decoy TRAIL receptors, (i) can also induce death of non-transformed cells, (ii) has potent immunoregulatory functions, and (iii) exhibits a unique expression pattern in the central nervous system (CNS). Indeed, TRAIL is not expressed within the human brain, while apoptosis-inducing TRAIL receptors are found differently distributed on neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. These findings rule out a major contribution of TRAIL to the so-called "immune privilege" of the brain, in which local inflammation is limited, although such a role has previously been suggested for the CD95 (Fas) ligand belonging to the same TNF/nerve growth factor (NGF) family. If, under pathologic circumstances, the CNS is inflamed, immune cells such as macrophages and T cells upregulate TRAIL upon activation and use this death ligand as a weapon, not only against tumor cells but also against neurons and oligodendrocytes within the inflamed CNS. In parallel, a profound immunoregulatory impact of TRAIL on activation and proliferation of encephalitogenic T cells outside the brain has also been shown. Thus, these studies have uncovered a complex action of TRAIL on CNS pathology, indicating the possible value of targeted manipulation of the TRAIL system for the treatment of inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.


Abstract Background: Male drivers in the 16- to 19-year age group have a nine-fold increase in their crash risk compared with 25- to 34-year-olds who have a relative risk of 2.3. Crash risk in young drivers has been directly linked to risk-taking behaviour. This paper reports the development of a video risk assessment tool for use with drivers. Aim/objective: This paper reports on the process of validating and investigating the reliability of the Occupational Therapy Risk Propensity Test (OT-RiPT) to measure risk-taking propensity. Material and methods: 20 healthy male participants were recruited. OT-RiPT scores were correlated with driving experience. Internal consistency was investigated using Cronbach's alpha. Face validity was established. The OT-RiPT and a validated driver behaviour questionnaire were administered and the results correlated to establish discriminant validity. Results: There was no significant correlation between driving experience and OT-RiPT scores. Good internal consistency was established. OT-RiPT has high face validity. Discriminant validity was demonstrated. Conclusion and significance: Pending further testing, OT-RiPT shows promise as a reliable and valid measure of risk-taking propensity in young drivers.


Supply chains, or supply networks (SNs), exist in a multitude of different topologies, yet little is known concerning how such topologies grow, evolve, and adapt over time. To study this complex phenomenon, we begin by identifying some primary topo- logical structures that SNs may form. Then, to investigate the evolu- tion of such structures, a theory-based framework is developed that combines aspects of complex adaptive systems theory, industrial growth theory, network theory, market structure, and game theory. This framework specifies categories of rules that may evoke differ- ent behaviors in the two fundamental components of any adaptive SN, i.e., the environment and the firms in that environment. The framework is implemented as a multiparadigm simulation utiliz- ing software agents and it joins discrete-time with discrete-event simulation formalisms. This methodology allows the spontaneous generation of network structures so that it is possible to examine the potential factors behind the evolution of different SN topologies. Using data and parameters extracted from 80 years of the U.S. au- tomobile industry, we have been able to "grow" a wide range of SN topologies and preliminary results show that certain environmen- tal and firm-level factors may impact the eventual evolution of such structures.


Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are rare tumors with a relatively better prognosis as compared to other pancreatic cancers. They may be mistaken for pseudocysts. Seventeen patients who underwent surgical resection were analyzed. Seventy percent of the patients were females and 76.7% of the tumors were located in the tail of the pancreas. Preoperative diagnosis was made on the basis of ultrasonography and/or computed tomography findings in 60% of patients. Retrospective review of the imaging modalities revealed one or more findings suggestive of cystic neoplasms in 90% of the patients. These included multiloculated cysts, thickened cyst wall, intracystic mass or calcifications, and presence of liver metastasis. All the tumors were completely or partly excised. The final histopathological diagnosis was microcystic adenoma in 2, mucinous cyst adenoma in 1, papillary cystic neoplasm in 3, cystic neuroendocrine tumor in 5, and cystadenocarcinoma in 6. Of the 17 patients, 10 had malignant tumors. Seven patients with benign tumors and 3 patients with malignant tumors are disease free 12–30 months after resection. Cystic neoplasm must always be considered as a possibility when dealing with cystic lesions of the pancreas and a careful evaluation of ultrasonography and computed tomo‐graphic scan may give a clue to the diagnosis. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The diffusion of manufacturing supply chains worldwide has provoked a fierce debate over how to effectively monitor and promote compliance with labor standards in supply chain factories (Frenkle and Scott 2002; Fung, O'Rourke, and Sabel 2001; O'Rouke 2003; Weil 1996). In this paper we aim to identify the factors that lead to better working conditions through a structured comparison of two factories in the same supply chain. In an earlier quantitative study of the labor compliance audit records of all 830 suppliers of a leading multinational corporation (MNC), we found that after country-level variables—such as rule of law and level of economic development—and basic factory characteristics—such as factory age and ownership—are controlled, there are still considerable variations in labor compliance (Locke, Qin, and Brause 2007). The in-depth case study presented in this paper is designed to understand the underlying mechanisms driving these variations. Specifically, we focus on three linked questions: First, why do working conditions vary across factories located in the same region and producing for the same global brand? Second, what are the root causes of the prevalent labor problems in supply chains? And last, what accounts for the improvements in labor conditions among global suppliers? We argue that some of the most prevalent problems in compliance with labor standards are deeply rooted in the way that supply chains are coordinated. To achieve sustainable improvements in working conditions and labor standards, systematic interventions aimed at tackling these root causes are critical—in particular, improving the ability of suppliers to better schedule their work and stabilize and motivate their workforce through new forms of work organization.


The ultimate goal of structural assessment is to ensure that a given design is able to accomplish its mission without suffering a structural failure. Traditional structural analysis accomplishes this by using mathematical models to determine the maximum internal stress and strain state of the material and then compare that to measured critical values of the material to determine a margin-of-safety. Those critical properties are directly measurable for metallic materials. Yield and ultimate tensile stress and strain can be directly observed from simple coupon tests. The Von Mises yield criterion for example, provides a reliable, conservative criteria for evaluation of a material subjected to combined loading. Safety margins are based on comparisons to critical material properties. Except in rare cases, analysis and simulation do not attempt to predict catastrophic, two-piece failure.


In a world where schools are accountable for ensuring that all of their students are academically well prepared to enter 'the knowledge society', using assessment in the service of learning is a critical skill for teachers. This article contends that in order to prepare teachers to use assessment for learning, we need to understand student teachers' values about and conceptions of assessment, as well as how they learn to use assessment during their teacher education programmes. We review the literature on assessment learning by student teachers and compare this with research on teachers' values, conceptions and the critical skills needed to implement assessment aligned with improving learning. We then develop an argument for investigating student teacher assessment learning in the New Zealand context in order to understand how our student teachers think about assessment as well as how they learn to become assessment-capable teachers.


The Weddell Sea region of the Southern Ocean has a particular significance to ocean circulation, transport of ice masses and global climate variations due to its giant Weddell Sea gyre. This clockwise circulating ocean gyre system is responsible for the exchange and mixing of Antarctic Deep Water with the global circulation as well as the transport of ice masses from the Filchner-Ronne Ice-Shelves of the Antarctic mainland to the Atlantic Ocean. Understanding the development of the Weddell Sea gyre system is linked to the reconstruction of the development of sedimentation and the resulting paleobathymetry. The main objective of this project is to analyze the seismostratigraphic records and to create a digital paleobathymetric map series of the greater Weddell Sea region from pre-glacial times (about 50 Ma) to the present. The data include all existing seismic data and drilling information from the area. Here, we present the construction of a unified stratigraphic model and sediment thickness grids as a first step in developing a paleobathymetric grid series.

Three transects with a total of up to 4000 km long multichannel seismic reflection profiles from various organizations were initially used to interpret horizons in order to define the basin-wide seismostratigraphy(fig.1, fig.2). We integrated local stratigraphic models of Miller et al. (1990), Rogenhagen et al. (2004), Maldonado et al. (2006) and Rebesco et al. (2008) and expanded the 2D transect model from across the Weddell Sea of Lindeque et al. (2013) by adding more than 200 seismic lines and identified the pre-glacial to glacial sedimentary units. Borehole data of ODP Leg 113 and SHALDRIL constrain sediment ages locally. Three basic sedimentary units are identified as being deposited under pre-glacial (~148-34Ma), transitional (~34-12Ma) and full-glacial (~12-1Ma) conditions. We generated sediment depth and thickness grids of these three units. The sediment thickness grids allow us to compare the pre-glacially dominated and glacially dominated sedimentary development of the Weddell Sea. The thickest sediments are present in the southern and southwestern Weddell Sea with a maximum thickness of up to 10 km. The largest deposition centers are located in front of the Filchner Ronne Ice Shelf. In a next step of this project we will calculate paleobathymetry grids to be used to set boundary conditions for ocean circulation and climate models which help us to understand the regional ice sheet dynamics and regional oceanic circulation in previous warm periods.

References

Lindeque, A., Martos, Y., Gohl, K. and Maldonado, A. (2013). Deep-sea pre-glacial to glacial sedimentation in the Weddell Sea and southern Scotia Sea from a cross-basin seismic transect. Marine Geology, 336: 61-83, doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2012.11.004.

Maldonado, A., Bohoyo, F., Galindo-Zaldivar, J., Hernandez-Molina, F.J., Jabaloy, A., Lobo, F.J., Rodriguez-Fernandez, J., Surinach, E. and Vazquez, J.T. (2006): Ocean basins near the Scotia-Antarctic plate boundary: Influence of tectonics and paleoceanography on the Cenozoic deposits. Marine Geophysical Researches, 27: 83-107.

Miller, H., Henriet, J.P., Kaul, N. and Moons, A. (1990): A fine-scale stratigraphy of the eastern margin of the Weddell Sea. In: Geological history of the polar oceans: Arctic versus Antarctic (U. Bleil and J. Thiede, eds.), pp. 131-161.

Rebesco, M. and Camerlenghi, A., (2008): Late Pliocene margin development and mega debris flow deposits on the Antarctic continental margins: Evidence of the onset of the modern Antarctic Ice Sheet? Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 260: 149-167.

Rogenhagen, J., Jokat, W., Hinz, K. and Kristoffersen, Y. (2004): Improved seismic stratigraphy of the Mesozoic Weddell Sea. Marine Geophysical Researches, 25: 265-282.


The disposal of solid waste in a conventional landfill is inevitably associated with potential adverse environmental impacts, resulting in the migration of landfill gas and offensive odors on the surrounding areas. In addition to the obnoxious fumes and hazardous leachate, heat generation is continuously observed within the landfill during the aerobic and anaerobic phases. Despite the negative impacts, such "heat generation" phenomenon can turn into valuable information to aid in detecting unauthorized landfill activities and tracing unrecorded dumping regions. The spatial distribution of waste buried under the ground can be approximated and revealed through measuring the ground surface heat flux. In this study, we demonstrate how to utilize thermal remote sensing techniques to measure the land surface temperature (LST), which can aid in outlining the waste dumping regions within a landfill. The Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh landfill, located in Kuwait, was used to demonstrate the proposed method, where the record of the exact dumping location was missing during the Gulf war. Ten-year Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM)/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images (1985–1994) were acquired and processed in order to compute the LST within the landfill. Through combining the multi-temporal LST contours and overlay analysis, the most probable dumping regions within the landfill were outlined. A probability map was created to indicate the possible location of waste dumping within the studied landfill. With reference to the 50 boreholes drilled by the Environmental Protection Authority of Kuwait, our results derived during the summer and winter seasons both yielded an overall accuracy of 72%.


Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors in combination with endocrine therapy are a preferred treatment option for premenopausal and postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HER2–) metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Palbociclib is a potent, first-in-class oral inhibitor of CDK4/6. To provide optimal care to patients with HR+/HER2– mBC receiving palbociclib, advanced practitioners require a thorough understanding of the efficacy and adverse event (AE) profile of palbociclib as well as the diverse characteristics and support needs of patients eligible for palbociclib treatment. This Grand Rounds uses two hypothetical patient scenarios to illustrate core issues in the management of premenopausal and postmenopausal patients receiving palbociclib-based therapy for mBC. In addition to providing an overview of key efficacy and safety data, each case offers practical guidance on providing individualized, patient-centered care, the identification and management of treatment-related AEs, management of concomitant medications, and best practices to promote adherence to therapy.


We developed and validated an assay utilizing a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique to quantify the KRAS inhibitor adagrasib in mouse plasma and seven tissue-related matrices. The straightforward protein precipitation technique was selected to extract adagrasib and the internal standard salinomycin from the matrices. Gradient elution of acetonitrile and water modified with 0.5% (v/v) ammonium hydroxide and 0.02% (v/v) acetic acid on a C18 column at a flow rate of 0.6 ml/min was applied to separate the analytes. Both adagrasib and salinomycin were detected with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with positive electrospray ionization in a selected reaction monitoring mode. A linear calibration range of 2-2,000 ng/ml of adagrasib was demonstrated during the validation. In addition, the reported precision values (intra- and inter-day) were between 3.5 and 14.9%, while the accuracy values were 85.5-111.0% for all tested levels in all investigated matrices. Adagrasib in mouse plasma was reported to have good stability at room temperature, while adagrasib in tissue-related matrices was stable on ice for up to 4 h (matrix dependent). Finally, this method was successfully applied to determine the pharmacokinetic profile and tissue distribution of adagrasib in wild-type mice.


The diversity and abundance of benthic malacological communities associated to Thalassia testudinum beds was studied at four localities of Mochima Bay, Sucre state, Venezuela. At each locality, samples were taken monthly on perpendicular transect at different depths (0-4 m), from January 1991 to December 1991, using a quadrate (0.25 m2) for collecting mollusks and sediments. A total of 2,988 organisms of infauna and epifauna belonging to 81 species of the classes Gastropoda (41) and Bivalvia (40) were collected. More abundant species were Anadara notabilis, Codakia orbicularis, Cerithium litteratum, Cerithium eburneum, Batillaria minima, Modiolus squamosus, Modulus modulus, Chione cancellata, Turritella variegata, Arca zebra, y Laevicardium laevigatum. There were significant differences in number of organisms between depth and month at La Gabarra which presented the highest value of total (4.51 bits/ind) and monthly diversity (2.71-3.90 bits/ind). Biomass and abundance were low in the Mochima Bay while Varadero station presented the highest value. The bivalve A. notabilis and gastropod M. modulus were species common to the four stations.


Background and Purpose— Mortality after stroke remains high for years, mostly because of cardiovascular causes. Given that cardiovascular pathology plays an important role in causing the initial stroke, such prestroke pathology might also influence the prognosis after stroke. Within the population-based Rotterdam Study, we examined the proportion of deaths after stroke that are attributable to pre-existent cardiovascular risk factors before stroke (the population attributable risk). Methods— We examined 1237 patients with first-ever stroke and 4928 stroke-free participants (between 1990 and 2012), matched on age, sex, examination round, and stroke date (index date). Cardiovascular risk factors measured on ≈4 years before index date were used as determinants. Participants were continuously followed up for mortality (≈6 years) after the index date. We calculated separate and combined population attributable risk of hypertension, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, smoking, transient ischemic attack, and atrial fibrillation. Results— Nine hundred and nineteen patients with stroke and 2654 stroke-free participants died. The combined population attributable risk in patients with stroke was 27% (95% confidence interval, 14%–45%) and in stroke-free participants was 19% (95% confidence interval, 12%–29%). Population attributable risks of diabetes mellitus, smoking, and atrial fibrillation were higher in patients with stroke than in the reference group because of a higher prevalence of risk factors. In addition, people with atrial fibrillation and stroke had a higher hazard ratio for death than those with only atrial fibrillation. Conclusions— One quarter of deaths after stroke could theoretically be prevented with rigorous cardiovascular prevention and treatment, but this should preferably start before stroke occurrence. In addition, research into factors explaining the remaining deaths needs to be encouraged.


The study area is located in the central Iranian tectono-magmatic zone, which is known for its world-class IOA-type Iron ore deposits. The Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image-processing techniques, were used in satellite imagery through conventional and also modern processing methods including band ratios, color composite ratio images and spectral angle mapper to study the spectral discrimination of metasomatically altered rocks based on their mineral assemblages and to investigate critically the link between the distribution of Na-metasomatism and occurrence of REE mineralization through plotting the image processing results on preexisting airborne radiometric data. The achieved information points the matter that the distribution of the metasomatized rocks, in common, and Na-metasomatized rocks, in particular, are coincide with the areas with high radioactivity revealed during an airborne radiometry program. A stage of field study associated with ground spectrometry survey carried out to control some localities and showed such correlation mainly around and within some magnetite ore deposits through which two phases of albitization were revealed, namely, a widespread albitization phase within which the spectrometric survey showed normal amounts of radioactive elements and another phase that affected smaller areas and showed REE anomaly and the Na-metasomatites of which are, experimentally, more reddish in colure (meaty color in hand specimens). The Iron deposits are, chronologically, hosted in upper Proterozoic-lower Cambrian volcano-magmatic units associated with a widespread phase of Na-metasomatism, economically, resulted in enrichment of the host rocks in REE bearing mineral phases.


Heat dissipation during mechanical testing can disturb experimental characterisation of polymers. In this work it is demonstrated that these effects are not limited to extreme loading conditions such as impacts. A viscohyperelastic, visco-plastic constitutive model is proposed that accounts for thermo mechanical coupling in a fully 3D thermodynamics approach. Strain-rate and temperature dependencies are coupled using a concept close to the well known time-temperature superposition principle. Constitutive and coupling parameters are identified at the same time using an inverse analysis protocol. An experimental data base is generated for mechanical measurements at different temperatures and strain rates but also for temperatures during tests measured using IR technology. Such a protocol allows investigation on the strain-rate sensitivity in a much more relevant manner than classical one and the value of the so-called Taylor-Quinney coupling parameter is discussed.


Aims Vaccination of young women against human papilloma virus (HPV) has important health benefits, not least in reducing lifetime cervical cancer risk. Young women who are 'looked after' are a vulnerable group, known to face disadvantage in several areas, including in relation to their health. Are we able to achieve HPV coverage rates in this group comparable to the general population in order to safeguard their future health? We set out to study this in our own Health Board area. Methods We studied young women aged 12–18 years, 'looked after' by three Local Authorities co-terminus with our Health Board's geographical area, who by virtue of their age should have received a 3 dose HPV vaccination course. We compared vaccination coverage in this group, using their recorded vaccination status on the All Wales Child Health Database, with a cohort of young women who were not 'looked after', and who had completed academic year 9 and were resident in the same Health Board area, using NPHS Wales 'COVER' data. We statistically analysed differences observed. We established that ethical approval was not required to undertake this study. Results Of 2555 young women who had completed year 9 and who were not 'looked after', 2308 had completed a 3 dose HPV vaccination course (90.3%). Of the 157 eligible young women 'looked after', 131 had received a comparable 3 dose vaccination course (83.4%). The difference was statistically significant (X2 7.763, p 0.005). Conclusion Our study of young women who should have completed a 3 dose HPV vaccination course highlights that those 'looked after' were significantly less likely to be vaccinated. We have identified yet another area of health disadvantage for this group which could have important consequences for their future health. Action is required to address this and our own recommendations will be discussed, in addition to what we see as the possible reasons for this difference. We suggest that HPV vaccination coverage rates in young women 'looked after' should be reviewed across the United Kingdom by those health professionals who work with this vulnerable group.


Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane is
fundamental for protein sorting and secretion in all kingdoms. Translocation occurs
through a protein-conducting channel in the ER membrane, which is formed by
Sec61. Targeting of ribosome-nascent chain complexes (RNCs) to Sec61 is mediated
by the signal recognition particle (SRP) and its cognate receptor (SR). However,
Sec61 has a high affinity for nontranslating ribosomes and it is largely occupied in
vivo.
We addressed how RNC-SRP complexes can efficiently associate with the rER
membrane, although most Sec61 seems to be occupied. We found that the
spontaneous dissociation of ribosomes from the ER membrane is extremely slow.
Surprisingly, membrane binding of RNC-SRP complexes does not require or cause
the dissociation of prebound ribosomes. Instead, RNC-SRP complexes use a Sec61
population for translocation that cannot be bound by nontranslating ribosomes or
RNCs alone. Complex formation between RNC-SRP and SR at the ER membrane
facilitates the interaction between the RNC and the free Sec61.
We have used biochemical and structural approaches to investigate why the free
Sec61 fails to be bound by nontranslating ribosomes. Our data suggests that Sec61 is
present in two interconvertible forms in the membrane, that are in an equilibrium with
each other and provide high-affinity and low-affinity binding sites for ribosomes. The
former are quickly occupied, while the latter remain free. The high-affinity binding
sites are formed by tetrameric rings of Sec61, which provide several connections that
each can break and reform, but together prevent the ribosome from detachment. In
contrast, the low-affinity binding sites may correspond to lower oligomeric states of
Sec61. Consistent with that, we could capture monomers or dimers of Sec61 bound to
eukaryotic ribosomes by electron cryo-microscopy. A ribosome-bound Sec61 dimer
was only observed in presence of a nascent chain, which could indicate that Sec61
oligomerization is induced by translocation of a nascent chain. We obtained similar
results for bacterial ribosome-channel complexes. However, the low-affinity binding
site seems to be more abundant in bacterial membranes, which indicates that the
prokaryotic equilibrium between low- and high-affinity binding sites is adjusted
differently from eukaryotes.
1
We propose a model, in which Sec61 exists in different oligomeric states in the ER
membrane. Tetrameric Sec61 provides a high-affinity binding site for ribosomes and
is readily occupied in vivo. Monomeric or dimeric Sec61 is accessible for targeting by
the SRP pathway, which facilitates the interaction between RNC and free Sec61.
After transfer of the nascent chain into the channel and dissociation of SR and SRP,
more Sec61 molecules could be recruited to stabilize the interaction with the
translating ribosome. A dynamic oligomerization equilibrium of Sec61 is thus the
core of a mechanism that would guarantee efficient protein translocation in vivo.


The primary production of Pb via the sinter plant-blast furnace method resulted in a large number of Pb and other phases, reflecting the complex reactions occurring within each of the processes. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques have been used to characterize fugitive emissions and dusts generated during sintering, smelting, Cu drossing, refining, and slag fuming at a primary Pb-Zn smelter. The results displayed a complex array of phases, with the mineralogy of the dusts and fume reflecting conditions of the particular metallurgical operation. The principal Pb species followed a transformation from PbS through PbSO4 and PbO to Pb(o) (metal) from raw materials to the refinery. The fugitive emissions generated by the blast furnace were of a finer size with more complex chemistry than fugitive material from other source areas. XRD identified a mixture of PbS, ZnO, and ZnS, associated with one or more of the Cl-bearing phases Pb(OH)Cl, PbCl2, Pb4O3Cl2, Na3Pb2(SO4)3Cl, Pb10(SO4)Cl2O8, Pb4SCl6, and Pb7S2Cl10. The presence of Cl-bearing phases in the fume has possible health implications.


The passionate world of the artist and his muse ranges from devotion to the sometimes tormented obsessions that have unlocked the creative genius of the most significant artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. For centuries artists have been inspired by muses to create their most poignant works of art and literature; this volume is a celebration of thirty-three such women and the artists they influenced. American Lee Miller was a successful model before traveling to Paris to become the apprentice, lover, and muse of surrealist artist and photographer Man Ray; Nancy Cunard, British writer, heiress, and political activist, was a lover to numerous members of the twentieth centurys art and literary circles, including Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot; Parisian-born artist and poet Dora Maar had a profound influence on her infamous lover, Pablo Picasso. While the lives of these women were dissimilar in most aspects, they shared the ability to awaken fervor within some of the greatest artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and to influence the work of their Pygmalion painters, writers, or photographers. The vision of the artist and his muse remains an integral part of our notion of artistic creation, and the collaboration of these interwoven destinies continues to fascinate historians, art-appreciators, feminists, and general readers alike. Author Farid Abdelouahab recounts the stories of thirty-three women who, through their temperament, beauty, talent, and pure magnetism, enthralled societys artistic geniuses and thus inspired the creation of some of the greatest works of the past centuries.


Background Primary care pharmacists found an increase in osteoporosis drugs use and expenditure. This concern was forwarded to the hospital management team, which approved the implementation of a multidisciplinary strategy involving Pharmacy and Rheumatology Department. Purpose To improve osteoporosis treatment and assess the impact of a cost-saving strategy in a health care area. Materials and methods To carry out the project we made evidence-based abstracts about osteoporosis drugs of concern (teriparatide, parathyroid hormone and strontium ranelate) that were sent to physicians and we also called patients to attend an appointment with the rheumatologist. After that, we analysed the number of prescriptions and expenditure coming from general practitioners and hospital physicians 6 months after the beginning of the project and compared with data from the previous year when no intervention was made. Results From July to December 2012 the number of drug prescriptions and expenditure decreased compared to the previous year as follows: Teriparatide, 41% fewer prescriptions and 6,159 € saving (-37%); parathyroid hormone, 78.4% fewer prescriptions and 88,272 € saving (-80%); strontium ranelate, 22.2% fewer prescriptions and 43,988 € saving (-30%). Overall, we estimate global savings of 192,419 € (-46%) compared to the previous year. We find some limitations with these conclusions as the introduction of law 16/2012 could have contributed to the decrease in prescriptions as well as cost savings due to a greater patient contribution. Nevertheless, the overall reduction in number of prescriptions and pharmaceutical spending were 16% and 23%, less than the results we achieved with these three drugs. Conclusions Simple actions like promotion of cost-effective use of medicines, providing evidence-based information to physicians, as well as the creation of a specialised osteoporosis consultation, were implemented in our hospital with positive initial results. No conflict of interest.


In areas with high levels of soil boron, symptoms of boron (B) toxicity often appear under droughts. This greenhouse study examined the interactions of B-toxicity, drought, and genotypes on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) root growth, B-toxicity symptoms, B concentrations of straw, and yield. Plants were grown in tubes 65 cm tall. Three factors were studied: B, water supply, and genotypes. There were 2 B levels, B0 v. B50, in the subsoil (20-60 cm). There were 4 levels of water supply: no drought (control), and early, mid-season, and terminal drought. Two barley lines were compared: Sahara (B-toxicity tolerant) and BOL (drought tolerant, B-toxicity sensitive). Significant B-by-drought interaction was detected in straw B concentration, root growth in subsoil, and straw and biological yield for BOL. Mean root growth in the 40–60-cm soil section was much higher under mid-season drought than under the control. At B50, plants under drought had 1-fold higher straw B concentrations and more B-toxicity symptoms than the control plants. This is the first study to provide data to explain the frequent association of B-toxicity symptoms with droughts in the field. The results clearly showed that tolerance to B-toxicity, as well as drought, is needed in dry areas having high levels of subsoil B.


Despite high sexual activity among adolescent girls in Kenya, contraceptive uptake is very low with only about 26 percent sexually active adolescent girls currently using a contraceptive method. This exposes them to HIV infections and unplanned pregnancies which consequently lead to school dropouts, unsafe abortions, and lack of employment opportunities. The study aimed at assessing the utilization of contraceptives among secondary school adolescent girls in Karuri Town Council, Kiambu County. The specific objectives were to establish the level of contraceptive uptake and factors influencing contraceptive utilization amongst secondary school adolescent girls in Karuri Town Council, Kiambu County. This was a cross-sectional study, employing stratified random sampling technique. The research instruments were selfadministered semi-structured questionnaires and Focused Group Discussions (FGDs). Quantitative data from questionnaires was checked daily for completeness and coded for appropriate computer entry. Quantitative data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS 21.0 and involved univariate and bivariate analysis. Chisquare values were used to test the significance of the association between the dependent and independent variables. Qualitative data from FGDs was transcribed and analyzed by thematic content analysis technique. Overall, 421 girls aged between 13.0 to 19.0 years (mean age: 16.3±1.4 years) took part in the study. Findings showed that despite majority (77.5%) of the adolescent girls having had sexual debut by the age of 15 years, contraceptive utilization was low (43%) with majority of this (83.6%) using the Emergency pill. Age, knowledge on contraceptives, Accessibility and perception were cited as the major factors influencing utilization. Other factors identified included transactional sex, culture, unplanned sexual activity and sexual violence. The results revealed that age of the adolescent, knowledge of contraceptives, perception and accessibility had positive significant effect on contraceptive utilization. Adolescents aged 18 years and above were more likely to utilize contraceptives as compared to those of a lesser age (p=<0.001; OR: 9.870 (95% CI: 3.781-25.763)). Those with knowledge on contraceptives were OR 3.2 times more likely to use contraceptives p=0.025 similarly, accessibility was significantly associated with increased contraceptive utilization (p=0.34, 95% CI: 1.054-4.187). Adolescents who perceived use of contraceptives as wise were more likely to use a contraceptive than those of a divergent opinion (OR: 2.053, (95% CI: 1.024-4.115): p=0.041). Despite a high level of knowledge (90.1%) and an early age at sexual debut among secondary school adolescent girls; the study depicted that contraceptive utilization among secondary school adolescent girls remains low (43%). There exists a gap between contraceptive knowledge and practice among secondary school adolescent girls, indicating that knowledge does not always amount to practice. There is therefore need to develop age specific reproductive health messages to guide school education curriculum as well as parent or guardian child communication. Developing adolescent friendly health services will improve adolescent's sexual and reproductive health which will subsequently improve contraceptive utilization.


Abstract The new genus Tigrosa is established for five Nearctic species originally described in the genus Lycosa Latreille 1804. Four of the species are transferred from Hogna Simon 1885: H. annexa (Chamberlin & Ivie 1944), H. aspersa, (Hentz 1844), H. grandis (Banks 1894) and H. helluo (Walckenaer 1837). The remaining species, Allocosa georgicola (Walckenaer 1837) is transferred from Allocosa Banks 1900. The presumed synapomorphy that supports Tigrosa is the color pattern on the dorsum of the cephalothorax, which is described and illustrated. In addition to their distinct color pattern, Tigrosa species are very similar in characteristics of the male palpus and epigynum, details of the eye arrangement, leg length in relation to body dimensions, as well as foraging habits. Comparisons made between Hogna, as defined by the type species H. radiata, Latreille 1817, and Tigrosa, as defined in this paper, demonstrate distinct differences in dorsal color pattern, structure of the epigynum, dimensions of the eye rows, color pattern of the venter and habitat preferences.