Hypothesis: To study the progression-free survival (PFS) and toxicity with 25- or 250-mg doses of temsirolimus (CCI-779) after induction chemotherapy in patients with extensive small-cell lung cancer. Methods: Patients with either stable or responding disease to four to six cycles of cisplatin or carboplatin plus etoposide or irinotecan were randomized between 4 and 8 weeks after completion of induction therapy to receive either 25 or 250 mg of temsirolimus intravenously every week until disease progression. Results: Eighty-seven patients entered between January 2002 and December 2003, of whom 85 were eligible: 44 received 25 mg (arm A), and 41 received 250 mg (arm B). The overall median follow-up time for all eligible patients was 34.6 months. Median age was 59 years (range, 39–80); 42 (49.4%) were male and 43 (50.6%) female; 12.9% had brain metastases. The overall median and 1-year PFS were 2.2 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8, 2.9) and 4.7% (95% CI: 0.2%, 9.2%), respectively. The median PFS (95% CI) for arm A was 1.9 months (1.6, 2.3); for arm B, it was 2.5 months (1.9, 3.4; p = 0.24). The median overall survival from randomization was 8 months (95% CI: 6.5, 9.5). Among the 86 patients with reported toxicities, 36 (42%) had grade 3 toxicities, the most common of which were thrombocytopenia, hypophosphatemia, and fatigue, and an additional 12 (14%) had grade 4 toxicities, the most common of which was neutropenia. No patients experienced lethal toxicities. Conclusion: Temsirolimus (CCI 779), given at 25 or 250 mg weekly, seemed not to increase the PFS in this patient population.


The relationship between cycling and tourism is increasingly attracting scholarly attention as cycling experiences a resurgence as a recreational, leisure and sporting activity. Whilst several attempts at defining bicycle tourism exist, current literature is fragmented by the use of inconsistent parameters in characterising bicycle tourists. Disparity also exists regarding the range of cycling activities and participation characteristics that distinguish bicycle tourists from other tourists. At the same time, some potentially significant tourism markets related to cycling have been overlooked or unreasonably excluded from existing definitions. This paper critically examines existing definitions and proposes a technical definition of bicycle tourism aimed at facilitating more rigorous and consistent statistical measurements regarding this form of tourism. Implications of the parameters used in the proposed definition are also discussed throughout the paper.


We build out a very vivid and real conditions environment based on the virtual reality of a simulation computer technology, so that users can be in a virtual environment through the man-machine interface with a virtual environment direct interaction. This paper studies 3d virtual model development and integration including the system design to realize the functions and systems integration. In its implementation, we use the model tool, 3 D R C to structure three-dimensional model, and the model tool, and finally we use virtools tool to achieve a three-dimensional with the establishment of virtual scene model. Virtual reality (virtual reality, VR) is a computer senior man-machine interface on the basic feature of absorbion, interactiveness and constructiveness [1,2]. Specifically, virtual reality is a computer that creates the stereoscopic spaces, and users can interact space objects in the interaction and watch the operation of some part of the objects in space, and freely move with the users' will so that a sense of integration and participation are produced[3,4]. It is used in computer technology at the core of modern high technology ,which means to build a realistic view, hear and touch the integration of a virtual environment with the necessary equipment and a virtual environment of the interaction and mutual influence, which results in the "immersion" be true of the environment and feel[5-7]. VR technology is computer technology, computer graphics, computer simulations visual and technical, visual physiology, psychology, the microelectronics visual display technique, solid technology, sensing to measure the technical, technological, information technology, and voice recognition software engineering and technology, integrated man-machine the skill interfacing, and network technology and artificial intelligence technology and the achievement of other high technology. Since the birth of a virtual reality technology, it has the huge economy, military and the internet, multimedia minded race in many areas in the application of technology in the 21st century as the three-big technologies.


Introduction: Understanding clinical characteristics of patient is important to plan human resource and logistics. Moreover, this gives understanding of pattern of disease. This study aim to find the clinical characteristics observed in patients with suspected COVID-19 admitted at Patan Hospital.
Method: This is cross sectional descriptive study conducted at Patan Hospital, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal, on April 2020. Suspected COVID-19 patient admitted from January 25 to April 20, 2020 is taken for the study. Record files were retrieved from record section and patient's age, gender, place of residence, travel history, duration of symptom onset, symptoms on admission like fever, cough, rhinorrnoea, sore throat, myalgia and shortness of breath was recorded. Signs on admission like temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were also recorded. Data were descriptive analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained.
Result: Total 40 suspected COVID-19 patients got admitted from 25 January to 20 April 2020. Of these admissions 25 (62.5%) were male, median age was 30 years, median days of return from abroad was 9 days, average duration of stay at hospital was 3.8 days. There were two COVID-19 positive patients who were asymptomatic.
Conclusion: Travel history and history of travel to the community inside the country where COVID-19 has been detected is important to suspect COVID-19.
Keyword: COVID-19, clinical characteristics, Nepal


Relativistic strongly magnetized plasmas are produced in laboratories thanks to state-of-the-art laser technology but can naturally be found around compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes. Detailed studies of the behaviour of relativistic plasmas require accurate computations able to catch the full spatial and temporal dynamics of the system. Numerical simulations of ultra-relativistic plasmas face severe restrictions due to limitations in the maximum possible Lorentz factors that current algorithm can reproduce to good accuracy. In order to circumvent this flaw and repel the limit to $\gamma\approx10^9$, we design a new fully implicit scheme to solve the relativistic particle equation of motion in an external electromagnetic field using a three dimensional Cartesian geometry. We show some examples of numerical integrations in constant electromagnetic fields to prove the efficiency of our algorithm. The code is also able to follow the electric drift motion for high Lorentz factors. In the most general case of spatially and temporally varying electromagnetic fields, the code performs extremely well as shown by comparison with exact analytical solutions for the relativistic electrostatic Kepler problem as well as for linearly and circularly polarized plane waves.


In Malaysia, drug addiction has been a big threat since 1983.As of by latest statistic by National Anti-Drug Agency in 2016, the number of drug abusers in Malaysia was 30846.Acknowledging the importance of drug abuse and relapse as a public health issue, Malaysian government had implemented Harm Reduction Programme .Under this programme, Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) was launched in Oct 2005. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of MMT programme among opiate dependent individuals in their daily life. In this study, 100 individuals from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Klinik Kesihatan Bayan Lepas (Bayan Lepas Health Clinic) and Agensi Anti-Dadah Kebangsaan (National Anti-Drug Agency) in Telok Bahang were involved. The subjects were interviewed with WHOQOL BREF questionnaires before joining the MMT programme and also after minimum 4 months of joining MMT. Results obtained were used for comparing life style implications among methadone patients before and after joining the MMT programme. Subjects were predominantly of Malay ethnicity (82%). Subjects were mostly aged between 51 to 60 years old (34%). Paired t-test was done on the WHOQOL scores at baseline (before MMT) and after minimum of 4 months enrolment for all four domains. Each domain showed significant improvement in QOL (P<0.05).The highest improvement was shown in the psychology domain with the mean value increment of 15.13±17.49. Physical domain showed the least improvement with the mean value of 9.39±16.21.This study has proven that MMT have highly contributed to improvement of quality of life among MMT clients in Klinik Kesihatan Bayan Lepas and AADK Telok Bahang. DOI :  http://dx.doi.org./10.17576/JSKM-2019-1701-07


In order to gain new insights into MIMO interference networks, the optimality of $\sum_{k=1}^K M_k/2$ (half the cake per user) degrees of freedom is explored for a $K$-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) interference channel where the cross-channels have arbitrary rank constraints, and the $k^{th}$ transmitter and receiver are equipped with $M_k$ antennas each. The result consolidates and significantly generalizes results from prior studies by Krishnamurthy et al., of rank-deficient interference channels where all users have $M$ antennas, and by Tang et al., of full rank interference channels where the $k^{th}$ user pair has $M_k$ antennas. The broader outcome of this work is a novel class of replication-based outer bounds for arbitrary rank-constrained MIMO interference networks where replicas of existing users are added as auxiliary users and the network connectivity is chosen to ensure that any achievable scheme for the original network also works in the new network. The replicated network creates a new perspective of the problem, so that even simple arguments such as user cooperation become quite powerful when applied in the replicated network, giving rise to stronger outer bounds, than when applied directly in the original network. Remarkably, the replication based bounds are broadly applicable not only to MIMO interference channels with arbitrary rank-constraints, but much more broadly, even beyond Gaussian settings.


This article investigates the dynamic relationship between economic development and the identification of ethnic minorities and argues that identification of China's ethnic minorities manifests itself at various levels. At the national level, the introduction of market mechanisms and economic growth initiatives have been concentrated predominantly in the coastal areas and metropolises, and are thus increasingly distant from ethnic minorities, a disproportionate majority of which reside in the western parts of the country. This growing regional disparity has placed ethnic regions and populations in a distinctly unfavourable position in terms of economic engagement and development. Regional development in the ethnic-minority homelands has been characterized by the representation and reinvention of ethnic cultural traditions and the production of cultural economies. Unequal economic growth has resulted in a massive migration of ethnic minorities to the cities. Simultaneously, urban development has reinforced ethnic identity, particularly through urban labour-market development. Urban and regional development has, in turn, led to the production, activation and magnification of ethnic identity at individual and group levels.


We present MAGICS, a mobile agent-based system for supporting business-to-consumer electronic commerce (e-commerce) or mobile commerce (m-commerce) applications. To use the system, consumers first provide their buying requirements to a proxy/agent server through a Web browser or a wireless application protocol (WAP) terminal. Having obtained the requirements, mobile agents are generated to carry out tasks for the consumers including getting offers from merchants, evaluating offers, and even completing purchases. In the case of mobile commerce, consumers can generate a mobile agent to conduct a search and evaluation in the digital marketspace before making a purchase in the physical marketplace. To make it possible to choose an offer that best satisfies the consumer's requirement(s), we present a mathematical model for evaluating multiple decision factors. To test the basic functions of the mobile agent-based Internet commerce system (MAGICS), we have built a prototype system. To minimize the average cost of a product (including the cost of sending agents), we have also developed an analytical model that can determine how many agents should be sent to compare prices. Four different price distributions and some real price information are analyzed based on the model. The analysis provides valuable insights into the design of mobile agent-based shopping applications for m-commerce, in particular, and for e-commerce, in general.


Multidrug efflux systems belonging to the resistance-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily are ubiquitous in Gram-negative bacteria. RND efflux systems are often associated with multiple antimicrobial resistance and also contribute to the expression of diverse bacterial phenotypes including virulence, as documented in the intestinal pathogen Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the severe diarrheal disease cholera. ABSTRACT Multidrug efflux systems belonging to the resistance-nodulation-division (RND) superfamily are ubiquitous in Gram-negative bacteria. RND efflux systems are often associated with multiple antimicrobial resistance and also contribute to the expression of diverse bacterial phenotypes including virulence, as documented in the intestinal pathogen Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the severe diarrheal disease cholera. Transcriptomic studies with RND efflux-negative V. cholerae suggested that RND-mediated efflux was required for homeostasis, as loss of RND efflux resulted in the activation of transcriptional regulators, including multiple environmental sensing systems. In this report, we investigated six RND efflux-responsive regulatory genes for contributions to V. cholerae virulence factor production. Our data showed that the V. cholerae gene VC2714, encoding a homolog of Escherichia coli OmpR, was a virulence repressor. The expression of ompR was elevated in an RND-null mutant, and ompR deletion partially restored virulence factor production in the RND-negative background. Virulence inhibitory activity in the RND-negative background resulted from OmpR repression of the key ToxR regulon virulence activator aphB, and ompR overexpression in wild-type cells also repressed virulence through aphB. We further show that ompR expression was not altered by changes in osmolarity but instead was induced by membrane-intercalating agents that are prevalent in the host gastrointestinal tract and which are substrates of the V. cholerae RND efflux systems. Our collective results indicate that V. cholerae ompR is an aphB repressor and regulates the expression of the ToxR virulence regulon in response to novel environmental cues.


The Joukowski –Chaplygin condition, which allows us to determine the circulation of the flow past contour with a sharp edge, is one of the most important achievements of S.A.Chaplygin, whose 150 birthday is celebrated this year. This research is devoted to this problem. We consider the flow past of a lattice of airfoils by a potential fluid flow. The profile line is determined parametrically by an equation in the form of two dependences of the Cartesian coordinates on the parameter. For a smooth closed loop the Cartesian coordinates are periodic analytical functions. Their Fourier series coefficients decrease exponentially depending on the harmonic number. In the meantime, for a sharp edge loop they decrease much slower — inversely to the square of the harmonic number. Using the symmetric continuation of the profile with a sharp edge, a method of presenting it as a Fourier series with exponentially decreasing coefficients is proposed. Based on this idea, a quickly converging numerical scheme for the computation of the flow past airfoils lattice with a sharp edge by a potential fluid flow has been developed. The problem is reduced to a linear integro-differential equation on the lattice contour, and then, using specially developed quadrature formulas, is approximated by a linear system of equations. The quadrature formulas converge exponentially with respect to the number of points on the profile and can be rather simply expressed analytically. Thanks to its quick convergence and high accuracy, this method allows one to optimize profiles by using a direct method by any given integral characteristics. We can find the distribution of the shear stress and the breakaway point on the calculated velocity distribution on the profile from the solution of the boundary layer equation. In the method suggested we do not need to perform the difficult work of constructing the lattice. Also, the problem of scheme viscosity at high Reynolds numbers is omitted.


The exigencies of the situation and the increasing dynamics of managing today's business, and the realizations that today's customers are the source of competitive advantage, should compel marketers and firms to build bridges across oceans not walls, in order to dig and uncover hidden treasures, missed opportunities and latent wants. The quests to amass wealth and out-perform competitors have led most marketers to put their selfish interests ahead of customers'. This has created spatial gap between the marketing firm, its products and services on one hand and the customer, and his needs, on the other hand. In the new dispensations, marketers must act decisively to redeem their lost image. Over the years the integrity and reputations of most organizations have been hung in the balance due to shoddy and ineffective marketing practices, leading to sub-optimal performance, poor customer retention, and poor service delivery, and negative perception about their true identities. The existing marketing practices that defined relationships in terms of meeting the immediate needs of both marketers and customers based on pre-defined set of rules, have increasingly become inadequate and inconsequential in the emerging turbulent marketing climates. It has therefore become self-evident that the 21 st century marketing firms must design strategies and practices that allow them to partner with customers by giving attention to the psychological aspect of the bargain. Evidently, this study portends to be the first of its kind to examine the psychological thrust of building and sustaining relationships with customers in a social contract exchange platform particularly within the context of Sub-Sahara Africa.


: Six surveillance spots were set up in Jiaozhou Bay to examine the contamination of Ruditapes Philippinarum (R. P) by HAV. Specimens were collected regularly every month. Seventy-five specimens were collected in July 1991-Aug 1992. The precursor RNA of HAV was detected by methods of PCR, RNA dot-blot hybridization and HAV isolation. It showed that R. P. had been contaminated by HAV in some areas of the bay at times, but the virus was in a state of inactivity. Epidemiologic investigation in the same period proved that R. P. was not the direct cause of HA epidemic in Qingdao. However, the domestic sewage is directly drained into the Jiao zhou Bay so the control of the city sewage drainage system must be enforced and health education serve for people in taking sea food and drink should be strengthened.


Background Fifth metatarsal stress fracture (Jones fracture) is one of the issues of sports-related injuries. Objective Exploration of unknown risk factor for developing Jones fractures. Design Case control study. Setting Retrospective cohort study in male Japanese professional football (soccer) players. Patients (or Participants) Case control study conducted between with (n=20) and without (n=40) the history of Jones fractures. Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) Reviewed the medical check data regarding the joint and muscle tightness at the time they joined the team, and compared them between two groups. Main Outcome Measurements Risk factors to develop developing Jones fracture. Results The mean age sustaining Jones fracture was 20.5 years old (95% CI, 19.1–21.8, range 17–28). The fracture occurred in their non-dominant (standing) legs in 60% (12/20) of players. Among the physical examination data, Hip internal rotation (HIR) was significantly restricted in players with history of Jones fracture (25.9 degrees on average) compared with those without Jones fractures (40.4 degrees, p<0.0001). Logistic regression demonstrated that the wider range of HIR was associated with a statistically significantly decreased odds of Jones fracture (OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.75–0.91), while other physical examination data were not significant. A post-estimation analyses demonstrated that a 10-degree reduction in HIR of the right hip significantly increased the odds of Jones fracture in ipsilateral or contralateral foot (OR=3.11, 95% CI=1.35–7.16, and OR=2.24, 95% CI=1.22–4.12, respectively). Similarly, a reduction in HIR of the left hip significantly increased the odds of Jones fracture in ipsilateral or contralateral foot (OR=2.77, 95% CI=1.08–7.08, and OR=4.88, 95% CI=1.56–15.28, respectively). Conclusions Restriction of HIR was significantly associated with increased risk of Jones fracture in professional football players in Japan.


Stem cells are self-renewable and multipotent, and exist in various tissues including fetal brains. There is a growing knowledge of how stem cells differentiate into mature cells and how the niche, a microenvironment surrounding stem cells, regulates their proliferation and differentiation. Consequently, establishment of a cell replacement therapy to treat many neurological disorders that are presently incurable is strongly anticipated. In this report, we present a survey of experimental trials of treatment using neural stem cells in animal models of various neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal cord injury, and perinatal hypoxia-ischemia. In some of these trials, neural stem cells were transplanted in combination with modulation of the extracellular matrix of host tissues. Although many problems remain to be solved in advance of clinical use, stem cell transplantation combined with niche modulation could be a novel strategy for treatment of various neurological disorders.


ABSTRACT This article reports on the findings of a pioneering study of formal, non-formal and informal language learning experiences of postgraduate research students in the UK. The research involved a large-scale survey followed by semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis shows that the language needs and interests of postgraduate students are barely met due to limited institutional provision of formal language learning opportunities. The study confirms some known facts, such as the composition of the student body (e.g. mostly young, fully-funded full-time students with a significant proportion of international students), and reveals other possibly less-known realities, from a remarkable interest in language learning among research students to the reasons for their interest and the potential impact greater access to language learning could have on their research and beyond. Half of the respondents reported having funded provision of language tuition but one third were not even aware of the existence of a Language Centre at their institution. Student suggestions for alternative language provision are included as these can inform policy and decision-making at postgraduate level in the UK and serve as a basis for further research in this area.


Transgenic antisense tobacco plants with a range of reductions in sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) activity were used to investigate the role of photosynthesis in stomatal opening responses. High resolution chlorophyll a fluorescence imaging showed that the quantum efficiency of photosystem II electron transport (Fq′/Fm′) was decreased similarly in both guard and mesophyll cells of the SBPase antisense plants compared to the wild-type plants. This demonstrated for the first time that photosynthetic operating efficiency in the guard cells responds to changes in the regeneration capacity of the Calvin cycle. The rate of stomatal opening in response to a 30 min, 10-fold step increase in red photon flux density in the leaves from the SBPase antisense plants was significantly greater than wild-type plants. Final stomatal conductance under red and mixed blue/red irradiance was greater in the antisense plants than in the wild-type control plants despite lower CO2 assimilation rates and higher internal CO2 concentrations. Increasing CO2 concentration resulted in a similar stomatal closing response in wild-type and antisense plants when measured in red light. However, in the antisense plants with small reductions in SBPase activity greater stomatal conductances were observed at all Ci levels. Together, these data suggest that the primary light-induced opening or CO2-dependent closing response of stomata is not dependent upon guard or mesophyll cell photosynthetic capacity, but that photosynthetic electron transport, or its end-products, regulate the control of stomatal responses to light and CO2.


Technological progress has been enabling companies to add disparate features to
their existing products. This research investigates the effect of adding more features
on consumers' evaluation of the product, by examining in particular the role of the
congruity of the features added with the base product as a variable the moderates the
effect of increasing the number of features. Grounding on schema-congruity theory, I
propose that the cognitive elaboration associated with the product congruity of the
features added explains consumers' evaluation as the number of new features
increases. In particular, it is shown that consumers perceive a benefit from increasing
the number of features only when these features are congruent with the product. The
underlying mechanisms that explains this finding predicts that when the number of
incongruent features increases the cognitive resources necessary to elaborate such
incongruities increase and consumers are not willing to spend such resources.
However, I further show that when encouraged to consider the new features
thoughtfully, consumers do seem able to infer value from increasing the number of
moderately incongruent features. Nonetheless, this finding does not apply for those
new features that are extremely incongruent with the product. Further evidence for
consumers' ability to resolve the moderate incongruity associated with adding more
features is also shown, by studying the moderating role of temporal construal. I
propose that consumers perceive an increase in product evaluation as the number of
moderately incongruent features increases when consumers consider purchasing the
product in the distant future, whereas such an increase is not predicted for the near
future scenario. I verify these effect in three experimental studies. Theoretical and
managerial implications, and possible avenues of future research are also suggested.


Foreign exchange hedging ratios are simultaneously estimated alongside freight and commodity ratios in a time-varying portfolio framework. Foreign exchange futures are found to be by far the most important derivative instrument to be employed in order to reduce uncertainty for traders. Our results lend support to the decision by LIFFE to cease trading the BIFFEX freight futures contract because of its low levels of trading activity, which likely resulted from its apparent unattractiveness as a hedging instrument.


Over the past 10 to 15 years there has been a rising interest in interactions between aeolian and fluvial processes from geomorphologists and sedimentologists. This reflects recognition of the limitations of a reductionist perspective examining single process systems in understanding landform and landscape development. This paper focuses on the rise of aeolian-fluvial interaction research in dryland environments. We first explore the background to the contemporary situation then review existing research on aeolian-fluvial interactions at global/regional and local scales. From this review it is suggested that landscape sensitivity, or the effectiveness of links between the process systems, spatial environmental transitions and temporal environmental change are the three main driving forces determining the geomorpho-logical significance of aeolian-fluvial interactions. The importance of the first two of these driving forces is explored in more detail using Australia as a case study. We conclude by highlighting some future possible research directions in this field.


UNLABELLED Precancerous changes in the epithelium of the cervix uteri include low- and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL and HGSIL). Morphologically, these must be differentiated, among other conditions, immature squamous metaplasia (ISM) of the cervix uteri. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study involved 119 cases divided into 3 groups: 1) LGSIL (n = 28); 2) HGSIL (n = 56); 3) ISM (n = 35). An immunohistochemical study was conducted using antibodies to p16INK4a, CK17, and Ki-67 according to the standard protocol. RESULTS Ki-67 expression was mainly low and moderate in 67.9% of cases in the LGSIL group; it was seen in 100% of cases in the HGSIL group, being significant in 73.5%. In the ISM group, Ki-67 was identified in 65.7% of cases, most of which demonstrated a low-to-moderate expression. In the LGSIL group, the expression of p16INK4a was recorded in 46.4% of cases. In the HGSIL group, the reaction was observed in 73.2% of cases; of them 57.2% it was strong. In the ISM group, the reaction was chiefly low in 38.6% of cases. In the LGSIL group, CK17 expression was found in 17.9% of cases. In the HGSIL group, the reaction was recorded in 19.7% of cases, the expression being predominantly low. In the ISM group, the marker was detectable in 88.5% of cases; of them 51.4% showing a high expression. The expressions of p16NK4a and Ki-67 were statistically significantly higher in the HGSIL group (p < 0.05) than those in the LGSIL and ISM groups. On the contrary, the expression of CK1 7 was significantly higher in the ISM group (p < 0.05) than in the HGSIL and LGSIL groups. Thus, evaluation of p16INK4a, Ki-67, and CK17 expressions is a valuable diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis of HGSIL, LGSIL, and ISM.


Nigeria currently has some of the worst and persistent poor access to education, social inequality and the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. In the literature, some of the identified reasons for these include poverty, early marriage, religious and cultural values (Humphreys and Crawfurd, 2014; Save the Children, 2016; UNESCO, 2019). While there has been a multiplicity of interventions to address these and promote access to basic education in the past two decades, the number of out-of-school children has continued to escalate, having both gender and regional dimensions. In 2006, the number of out-of-school children stood at around 7.4 million, which increased to about 10.5 million in 2010 and 13.2 million in 2016. These suggest a need to look beyond the mainstream approaches to interrogate gender constructions in the dominant ethnocultural domains in Nigeria. From a postcolonial feminist perspective, the study, therefore, examined possible influences of social constructions of maleness (masculinity) on access and completion of basic education in the three dominant ethnocultural groups (Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba) in Nigeria. Qualitative data were collected, using a semi-structured interview guide, from 30 (15 female and 15 male) adult respondents that had experiences of dropping out of basic education in Anambra (southeast), Sokoto (northwest) and Oyo (southwest) states in Nigeria. Findings indicate that colonialism (and its aftermaths) contributed to the shaping of the postcolonial males' character, dominant position and subordination of females in ways that affect an individual's educational development. Masculinity is directly and indirectly implicated in the state of access and completion of basic education in all the three ethnocultural zones for creating and exacerbating conditions that push and pull both females and males out of school. The study recommends exploration of homegrown initiatives and effective ways for addressing barriers to education that emanate from the social construction of masculine characters. The study also highlights the inappropriateness of the Western liberal feminist approach to the study of masculinity in a non-Western society.


A mathematical model that describes the recruitment and growth of ovarian follicles was fitted to data on ovulation rate and the measurements of plasma estradiol collected at times during the estrous cycle for individual gilts. The method of least squares was used to obtain estimates of the parameters of the mathematical model. The estimated model parameters were the maximum estradiol production for a follicle, development of each follicle after commitment, and a function describing the initial estradiol production of committed follicles. The estimated parameters for each pig were classified by estrogen receptor (ER) genotype (AA or BB) and analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance. There were differences between genotypes (P < 0.05) for the parameter that described the initial distribution of individual follicles at recruitment. Gilts with ER genotype BB recruited follicles that varied more in size but had fewer very small follicles, indicating that the ER gene affects the relative estradiol secretion of the follicles at commitment. This analysis is an example of a general approach to genetic studies that uses a mathematical model of the physiology as a statistical basis for estimating gene action.


The aim of research was to develop a new kind of flexible anti-trauma pads (including non- Newtonian materials) for the lightweight bulletproof vests which could decrease the behind armour blunt trauma (BABT) more effectively than present solutions. In the study shear thickening fluid (STF) based on silica nanoparticles dispersed in liquid polypropylene glycol and silicone elastomer based on homogeneous methyl-phenyl-borosiloxane polymer composition were tested for their energy dissipation capability. Different variants of the anti- trauma pads with non-Newtonian materials were designed and investigated: high performance polyurethane foams filled with STF and foams produced with addition of STF. The anti-trauma pads in samples were placed between the aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene layers. For comparison there were also investigated analogical samples with the commercial anti-trauma pads. The scope of research included ballistic tests (the .44 Magnum SJHP bullet) of armour samples fixed to a box with a clay backing material.


Background: A new functional cellular analysis platform, the CELx HER2 Signaling Profile (CELx HSP) Test, uses a label-free impedance biosensor to measure HER2 signaling activity in live tumor cells. A recently completed study quantified HER2-driven signaling activity in epithelial cell samples extracted and cultured from fresh breast tissue specimens obtained from 34 patients with HER2-negative breast cancer (DAKO 0 or 1+). Of the cell samples tested, 7 of 34 HER2-negative breast tumor patients (20.5%; 95% CI=10%-37%) were found to have abnormal HER2 signaling activity (HER2S+). The current study set out to: 1) evaluate the primary cells with abnormal HER2-driven signaling with four HER2 signal inhibitors - pertuzumab, lapatinib, neratinib, afatinib; and 2) evaluate the same four HER2 signal inhibitors with 9 HER2-positive cell lines. The objective was to quantify the percentage of HER2-driven signaling activity each drug could inhibit ex vivo in the primary cell samples and cell lines. Comparing the results between the HER2-negative primary cells and the HER2-positive cell lines was also of interest. The anti-HER2 drug, trastuzumab, was not studied because its primary mechanism of action does not appear to be direct mediation of HER2-driven signaling. Methods: Epithelial cells from the 7 HER2-negative tumor specimens with abnormal HER2-driven signaling (HER2S+) and the 9 HER2-positive cell lines were obtained. Real time live cell response to NRG1, a specific HER2/HER3 agonist, with or without a HER2 targeted drug (pertuzumab, lapatinib, neratinib, afatinib) was measured and quantified using an xCELLigence RTCA impedance biosensor (ACEA Biosciences, San Diego, CA). Clinically relevant concentrations of the HER2 drugs were used. From these responses, the percentage inhibition of the HER2-driven signaling initiated by NRG1 by the HER2 drugs was determined. Results: Each of the HER2 drugs inhibited an average of at least 69% of the HER2-driven signaling activated by NRG1 stimulation in the HER2-negative primary cell samples; the highest level of inhibition was found with the two irreversible covalent dual RTKi9s, afatinib and neratinib. All of the HER2 drugs inhibited a greater percentage of HER2-driven signaling in the HER2-negative primary tumor cells than in the HER2-positive cell lines. Conclusions: These findings provide strong evidence that HER2 signal inhibitors are effective in blocking abnormal levels of HER2-driven signaling (HER2S+) ex vivo in live primary cells from breast cancer patients with normal expression levels of HER2. These results suggest a new group of breast cancer patients, HER2-negative with abnormal HER2 signaling (HER2-/HER2S+), may benefit from the addition of HER2 signal inhibitors to current combination therapeutic regimens. Additional studies to confirm these findings are underway. Citation Format: Laing L, Burns D, Huang Y, MacNeil I, Rich B, Myhre S, Soltani S, Sullivan B. Quantification of HER2-driven signaling (HER2S) inhibition of four different anti-HER2 drugs tested ex vivo in live primary HER2-negative breast cancer cell samples with abnormal HER2 signaling activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-12-06.


We consider quantum chromodynamics (QCD) with Nc colors and Nf quark flavors at finite quark chemical potential mu_q or isospin chemical potential mu_I. We specifically address the nature of the ``Silver Blaze'' behavior in the framework of 1/Nc expansion. Starting with the QCD partition function, we implement Veneziano's Nf/Nc expansion to identify the density onset. We find the baryon mass M_B and the pion mass m_pi appearing from different order of Veneziano's expansion. We argue that the confining properties are responsible for the Silver Blaze in the region of m_pi/2 < mu_q < M_B/Nc. We point out, however, that Veneziano's expansion brings about a puzzling subtlety along the same line as the baryon problem in finite-density quenched simulations. We emphasize that the large-Nc limit can allow for the physical ordering of M_B and m_pi thanks to the similarity to the quenched approximation, while the unphysical ghost quarks contaminate the baryon sector if Nc is finite. We also discuss the ``orientifold'' large-Nc limit that does not quench quark loops.


The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Indian Health Service Diet therapy for minority diabetic patients must be directed to NIDDM, the most prominent form of diabetes in minority populations. Diet programs must be tailored to the cultural framework, and traditional foods with desirable characteristics can be encouraged. To teach patients about diet, educators must use educational techniques appropriate to culture and literacy of the patient and family. Single-concept messages such as "eat less fat" or "eat less food" promote learning and minimize failure. Nutrition information can be divided into sequenced manageable steps that can then be individualized to the patient's setting. No single set of exchange lists will suffice for all minority groups, nor are exchange lists themselves appropriate for all situations. To meet the needs of minority patients, nutrition educators must use a variety of tools and techniques relating to the foods of a particular ethnic group. Sound education strategies and simplified materials for NIDDM patients should also be employed.


HbA1c is being used to assess the glycemic control for many years. This study was done to evaluate the importance of HbA1c in predicting dyslipidemia and atherogenecity in type 2 Diabetes. Methods: 200 type 2 diabetic patients were taken as subjects. Fasting and post meal blood sugar, Glycated haemoglobin(HbA1c), lipid profile, lipid ratios and atherogenic index of plasma(AIP) was analysed in these patients. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on their HbA1c; Good Glycemic Control was defined as having HbA1c ≤ 7.0% and Poor Glycemic Control as HbA1c >7.0%. Results& Discussion: We found a significant increase in the levels of blood glucose, total serum cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, LDL cholesterol(LDL-C) and VLDL cholesterol(VLDL-C),TC/HDL-C,LDL-C/HDL-C, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and a significant decrease in the levels of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) in patients with HbA1c>7% as compared to patients with HbA1c ≤ 7%. HbA1c had a direct and significant correlation with TC, TG, VLDL-C, LDL-C, TC /HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C, and an inverse correlation with HDL-C. AIP correlates with cardiovascular risk very well, and the association between HbA1c with various lipid parameters and atherogenic ratios suggests the importance of glycemic control in order to control dyslipidemia and future risk of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetics. KEYWORDS: Lipid profile, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Glycosylated haemoglobin, glycemic control, atherogenic index of plasma.


We generalize Lusztig's geometric construction of the PBW bases of finite quantum groups of type ADE under the framework of [VaragnoloVasserot, J. reine angew. Math. 659 (2011)]. In particular, every PBW basis of such quantum groups is proven to yield a semi-orthogonal collection in the module category of the KLR-algebras. This enables us to prove Lusztig's conjecture on the positivity of the canonical (lower global) bases in terms of the (lower) PBW bases. In addition, we verify Kashiwara's problem on the finiteness of the global dimensions of the KLR-algebras of type ADE.


Staging of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is complex and relies on multiple factors including tumor extent and hepatic function. No single staging system is applicable to all patients with HCC. The staging of the American Joint Committee on Cancer / International Union for Cancer Control should be used to predict outcome following resection or liver transplantation. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer scheme is appropriate in patients with advanced HCC not candidate for surgery. Dual phase computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging can be used for pretreatment assessment of tumor extent but the accuracy of these methods remains poor to characterize < 1 cm lesions. Assessment of tumor response should not rely only on tumor size and new imaging methods are available to evaluate response to therapy in HCC patients. Liver volumetry is part of the preoperative assessment of patients with HCC candidate for resection as it reflects liver function. Preoperative portal vein embolization is indicated in patients with small future liver remnant (≤ 20% in normal liver; ≤ 40% in fibrotic or cirrhotic liver). Tumor size is not a contraindication to liver resection. Liver resection can be proposed in selected patients with multifocal HCC. Besides tumor extent, surgical resection of HCC may be performed in selected patients with chronic liver disease.


The Editorial on the Research Topic

Trends in Neuroendocrinology

Neuroendocrinology is the field of research that explores the interplay between the central nervous system and the endocrine glands. The neuroendocrine system controls a number of essential physiological processes, including biological rhythms, stress, social behaviors, appetite, growth, and reproduction. The present Research Topic is a compilation of contributions stemming from the 8th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN2014) held in Sydney, NSW, Australia, that illustrates various facets of current neuroendocrinological investigations.

Most studies on circadian rhythms have been conducted on male animals only, based on the assumption that females display higher variability caused by the interaction of sex hormones with biological rhythms. The review on sex differences in circadian behavioral rhythms by Krizo and Mintz points out the need to include both female and male animals in such studies to elucidate the influence and mechanism of action of gonadal steroids on behavioral rhythmicity. This review also raises the question of the impact of sex hormone changes across the lifespan, notably during the pubertal period, on the circadian system.

The hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis (also called the stress axis) is another fruitful "playground" for neuroendocrinologists. Chen et al. summarize the literature pertaining to the effects of glucocorticoid stress hormones on the nitrergic system notably in the brain. This review clarifies the complex cross-talk between the neuroendocrine stress axis and the nitrergic system that are both implicated in various pathological conditions, including anxiety and depressive disorders. In a sister review, Spiers et al. raise the important question of the effect of glucocorticoids and neuronal oxidative stress. They present the different mechanisms through which cortisol or corticosterone induces oxidative stress, particularly in the hippocampus.

There is now strong evidence that oxytocin influences social behavior in various animal models and even in human. Miller and Caldwell examine the organizational role of oxytocin in the postnatal and peripubertal periods on the brain and behaviors. This review highlights the developmental effects of oxytocin on sexual, affiliative, parental, and aggressive behaviors, as well as on non-social behaviors, such as nociception and addiction. It also investigates the neurochemical systems that mediate the effects of oxytocin on these behaviors.

Given the effects of oxytocin on prosocial behaviors, a role of oxytocin in the etiology and symptom severity of schizophrenia has been hypothesized. In this context, Rich and Caldwell analyze the possible implication of the oxytocin system in the negative symptoms and deficit in social cognition associated with schizophrenia, and discuss its potential for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Reciprocally, early-life adversity and social environment can affect the oxytocinergic system. Alves et al. review the influence of prenatal and postnatal stressors as well as maternal mental health on the development of the oxytocin system in animal models. For studies in human infants, the major challenge is clearly to collect plasma or CSF samples suitable for measurement of oxytocin levels.

Vasopressin, like oxytocin, acts both as a neurohormone released by the neural lobe of the pituitary and as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator within the brain. Bester-Meredith et al. review the evidence that links vasopressin with the processing of olfactory, auditory, taste, and visual information, and explore how alteration of sensory processing can shape behavioral responses to these stimuli.

The role of neuroendocrine factors in the control of feeding behavior and energy homeostasis has been extensively studied. Thus, the implication of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in the regulation of the hypothalamic centers that govern appetite and energy expenditure is now relatively well understood (1–7). Mequinion et al. introduce the different animal models that can be used to decipher the physiological, metabolic, and neurobiological alterations associated with anorexia nervosa.

Steroid hormones, including glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens, exert their genomic actions through transcription factors known as nuclear receptors. They can also act via membrane receptors that mediate rapid, non-genomic signaling. Rainville et al. describe the various candidates for membrane estrogen and glucocorticoid receptors and focus on the contribution of non-genomic signaling in the control of hypothalamic-driven behaviors by steroid hormones.

Insulin does not only act on liver, muscle, and adipose tissue to regulate glucose homeostasis, but also exerts a central effect on neurophysiological processes. Akintola and van Heemst review the current knowledge on the role of insulin in the central nervous system and the potential implication of insulin signaling in the brain for healthy longevity. The neurotrophin-induced gene VGF encodes a precursor protein that is exclusively expressed in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. VGF is processed by prohormone convertases to generate a series of biologically active neuropeptides. Lewis et al. describe the various effects of VGF-derived peptides on energy homeostasis, water balance, reproduction, nociception, memory, and learning.

In fish, as in mammals, reproduction is finely regulated by complex neuroendocrine mechanisms. Prasad et al. review the role of serotonin in the control of the reproductive system in teleost fish. Their report provides evidence for coordinated actions of the serotonergic system at different levels of the hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis, supporting the functional significance of serotonin in the control of fish reproduction.

I wish that this Research Topic becomes a major set of references for neuroendocrinologists and raises the interest of other scientists who are not yet working in this fertile domain.


This paper presents a hybrid control strategy for learning the switching boundaries between primitive controllers that maximize the translational movements of complex locomoting systems. Through this abstraction, the algorithm learns an optimal action for each boundary condition instead of one for each discretized state and action of the system, as is typically in the case of machine learning. This hybridification of the problem mitigates the "curse of dimensionality". The effectiveness of the learning algorithm is demonstrated on both a simulated system and on a physical robotic system. In both cases, the algorithm is able to learn the hybrid control strategy that maximizes the forward translational movement of the system without the need for human involvement.


We present a novel approach for detailed crop type and tree species classification exploiting high spatio-temporal resolution Sentinel-2A data. Here, we address the challenge of frequent cloud coverage in satellite observations by defining, purely data driven, adaptable time periods to create image composites from training pixels. A set of composites from all established time periods within the classification year serve as multi-temporal input data for an adaptable classification approach that uses multiple random forest models for a Germany-wide pixel-based land-use classification. For crop types, we achieved an overall classification accuracy of 88.5 %. The same method will be applied for nationwide tree species mapping. A pre-study on tree species identification showed an an overall accuracy of 74.7 %. The map was used to define tree species composition to better determing conservation status of forests.


At the National University of Singapore, many departments have compute resources that are not well utilized all the time. To improve utilization and enable resource sharing among the departments, a computational grid test bed was developed. Called NUSgrid, the test bed creates a virtualized pool of computing resources larger than that available at any one location. This enables the University research community to access a greater number of compute resources for their research needs. Access to the grid is made easy and convenient through a friendly Web interface. In this paper, some design and implementation issues are discussed


The Bandafassi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Bandafassi HDSS) is located in south-eastern Senegal, near the borders with Mali and Guinea. The area is 700 km from the national capital, Dakar. The population under surveillance is rural and in 2012 comprised 13 378 inhabitants living in 42 villages. Established in 1970, originally for genetic studies, and initially covering only villages inhabited by one subgroup of the population of the area (the Mandinka), the project was transformed a few years later into a HDSS and then extended to the two other subgroups living in the area: Fula villages in 1975, and Bedik villages in 1980. Data have been collected through annual rounds since the project first began. On each visit, investigators review the composition of all the households, checking the lists of people who were present in each household the previous year and gathering information about births, marriages, migrations and deaths (including their causes) since then. One specific feature of the Bandafassi HDSS is the availability of genealogies.


Books Reviewed: Michael L. Lahr and Ronald E. Miller (eds.), Regional Science Perspectives in Economic Analysis: A Festschrift in Memory of Benjamin H. Stevens Graham Clarke and Moss Madden (eds.), Regional Science in Business Luis Suarez-Villa, Invention and the Rise of Technocapitalism Sam Bass Warner, Jr., Greater Boston: Adapting Regional Traditions to the Present Jameson W. Doig, Empire on the Hudson: Entrepreneurial Vision and Political Power at the Port of New York Authority Alex Hirschfield and Kate Bowers (eds.), Mapping and Analysing Crime Data: Lessons from Research and Practice Aura Reggiani and Daniele Fabbri (eds.), Network Developments in Economic Spatial Systems: New Perspectives Joseph Persky and Wim Wiewel, When Corporations Leave Town: The Costs and Benefits of Metropolitan Job Sprawl Koichi Mera and Bertrand Renaud (eds.), Asia's Financial Crisis and the Role of Real Estate Massimo Livi Bacci, The Population of Europe: A History Byron A. Miller, Geography and Social Movements: Comparing Antinuclear Activism in the Boston Area Rosalind Greenstein and Wim Wiewel (eds.), Urban-Suburban Interdependencies Heather Nicol and Greg Halseth (eds.), (Re)Development at the Urban Edge: Reflections on the Canadian Experience Marco Verweij, Transboundary Environmental Problems and Cultural Theory: The Protection of the Rhine and the Great Lakes Jonathan Raper, Multidimensional Geographic Information Science


Ion imprinted nano-magnetic composite polymers for selective removal of hexavalent uranium were prepared by a precipitation polymerization technique in the presence of γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS) coated magnetite and other pre-polymerization reagents. The synthesized magnetic polymers were then leached with NaHCO 3 to produce magnetic ion imprinted polymers (IIPs) with fabricated adsorption sites complementary to the uranyl ions in terms of size and shape. Several parameters were investigated to obtain conditions which gave the optimum adsorption of the uranyl onto the magnetic IIPs and their corresponding controls, magnetic ion non-imprinted polymers (NIPs). The optimum amount of magnetic sorbent, initial concentration and contact time were 50 mg, 2.5 mg L –1 and 45 min, respectively. The adsorption capacity of the magnetic IIP (1.15 ± 0.01 mg g –1 ) was higher than that of the magnetic NIP (0.93 ± 0.02 mg g –1 ). This indicated that the former had a somewhat higher affinity for U(VI) than the later. The magnetic polymers also displayed good selectivity of the order: U(VI) > Ni(II) > Mg(II). After six cycles of use, the magnetic polymers illustrated good stability and reusability. KEYWORDS  Complex matrices, magnetic ion imprinted polymers, precipitation, selectivity, uranium.


Abstract Microfossil tubes with internal thickenings, so-called banded tubes, are a conspicuous but enigmatic element of terrestrial palynomorph assemblages of Silurian to Early Devonian age. Their biological affinities and functions are controversial. Most researchers favor derivation from nematophytes, themselves an enigmatic group of organisms that are often considered to represent early terrestrial fungi-like organisms. Here we present the first transmission electron microscope (TEM) ultrastructural analysis of these banded tubes and show that their walls are homogeneous and lack preserved ultrastructure. Gross wall structure is extremely variable with respect to the nature of the thickenings, suggesting that the tubes were derived from a variety of sources or were highly variable within the source organism. Ultrastructurally, the tubes differ markedly from contemporaneous vascular plant tracheids. We discuss the affinities of the tubes based on the new ultrastructural and structural information, and we conclude that they most likely derive from nematophytes, heterotrophic organisms with fungal-like ecology, where they served as hyphal-like structures, anchoring the organism and transporting nutrients.


This paper presents empirical evidence on the e¢ cacy of forecast averaging using the ALFRED real-time database. We consider averages taken over a variety of di¤erent bivariate VAR models that are distinguished from one another based upon at least one of the following: which variables are used as predictors, the number of lags, using all available data or data after the Great Moderation, the observation window used to estimate the model parameters and construct averaging weights, and for forecast horizons greater than one, whether or not iteratedor direct-multistep methods are used. A variety of averaging methods are considered. Our results indicate that the bene…ts to model averaging relative to BIC-based model selection are highly dependent upon the class of models being averaged over. We provide a novel decomposition of the forecast improvements that allows us to determine which types of averaging methods and models were most (and least) useful in the averaging process. JEL Nos.: E52, E58, C53


Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading global cause of mortality owing to an infectious agent, accounting for almost one-third of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) deaths annually. We aimed to identify synergistic anti-TB drug combinations with the capacity to restore therapeutic efficacy against drug-resistant mutants of the causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ABSTRACT Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading global cause of mortality owing to an infectious agent, accounting for almost one-third of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) deaths annually. We aimed to identify synergistic anti-TB drug combinations with the capacity to restore therapeutic efficacy against drug-resistant mutants of the causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We investigated combinations containing the known translational inhibitors, spectinomycin (SPT) and fusidic acid (FA), or the phenothiazine, chlorpromazine (CPZ), which disrupts mycobacterial energy metabolism. Potentiation of whole-cell drug efficacy was observed in SPT-CPZ combinations. This effect was lost against an M. tuberculosis mutant lacking the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) efflux pump, Rv1258c. Notably, the SPT-CPZ combination partially restored SPT efficacy against an SPT-resistant mutant carrying a g1379t point mutation in rrs, encoding the mycobacterial 16S rRNA. Combinations of SPT with FA, which targets the mycobacterial elongation factor G, exhibited potentiating activity against wild-type M. tuberculosis. Moreover, this combination produced a modest potentiating effect against both FA-monoresistant and SPT-monoresistant mutants. Finally, combining SPT with the frontline anti-TB agents, rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid, resulted in enhanced activity in vitro and ex vivo against both drug-susceptible M. tuberculosis and a RIF-monoresistant rpoB S531L mutant. These results support the utility of novel potentiating drug combinations in restoring antibiotic susceptibility of M. tuberculosis strains carrying genetic resistance to any one of the partner compounds.


and malaria prophylaxis. Nineteen agents recognised that there was a risk of acquiring HIV infection in Bangkok, but only four of these advised customers of that risk. The Department of Health booklet The Travellers Guide to Health contains information on HIV infection and the measures to take to avoid infection.2 This booklet was available in 18 of the agencies: for reference only in two, on request in 11, and given to all booking customers in five. We were concerned to discover that two commonly quoted reference sources ABC Guide to International Travel1 and World Travel Guide' did not mention the risk ofHIV infection to travellers. We recommend that the Department of Health booklet should be readily available to all travellers. Though we recognise worldwide distribution of HIV and that the risk of infection relates to particular activities and not to the area per se, perhaps known high risk areas should be identified specifically. Clearly, travel agents already assume some responsibility for providing health information to travellers. We suggest that this should be extended to include advice about the risks of contracting HIV while abroad and ways to minimise this risk.


Non-aqueous emulsification solvent evaporation method was used to prepare sustained release diclofenac sodium (DS) particles having high DS content while minimizing formulation time. Microparticles were evaluated on the basis of batch yield, encapsulation efficiency, particle size and particle size distribution, effect of surfactant concentration, phase volume ratio, different internal phases, and Eudragit RSPO or Eudragit RLPO used singly or in a 1:1 combination. The 1:1 combination of acetone and isopropanol as the internal phase produced microparticles with higher batch yield and higher encapsulation efficiency. A combination of 1: 1 Eudragit RSPO and Eudragit RLPO formed sustained release microparticles having higher encapsulation efficiency than microparticles formulated using individual polymers. The release of DS was faster from formulations prepared using 3% surfactant concentration than those prepared using 1% or 2% surfactant concentration. Formulations prepared using 60 ml and 80 ml external phase formed microparticles with higher encapsulation efficiency and slower DS release than those prepared using 100 ml external phase. With internal phase volume kept constant at 40 ml, the volume of external phase affected formulation time taking about 1.5 h when the external phase was 60 ml and about 3.5 h when the external phase volume was 100 ml.


The quality of information from communication media is a topic that has been dealt with by various theorists through the analysis of the final products of information. This research work offers an analysis model of the quality of information of printed news media by the use of three indexes of categories and structured dimensions that will allow for the assessment and evaluation of the quality of information from the media, and the identification of the incidence of political-economic conditions of the journalistic environment's macro-environment. For this, an experimental test of two Venezuelan media outlets was performed. Their use allowed us to conclude that political polarization and discourse of social confrontation, as well as economic factors such as inflation and pay scales had a proportionally direct effect on the quality of information products.


Abstract. Setyanto A, Sumarno, Wiadnya DGR, Prayogo C, Kusuma Z, West RJ, Tsamenyi M. 2023. Fishing methods and fishing season of the tropical lobster fisheries of southern Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 778-783. Tropical lobster fisheries represent a relatively small-scale but valuable export industry in Indonesia, but in many ways may fall within the category of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries. The absence of useful fisheries information means the management strategies and plans to manage the fisheries is severely limited. This research aimed to provide information about the fishing gear, methods, and fishing season of the fisheries, as a precursor to the development of fisheries management strategies. The study was conducted at Watukarung, Pacitan (East Java) and Baron, Gunungkidul (Yogyakarta). Fisheries data on lobster catch, fishing methods and fishing effort were collected through direct observation and interviews with fishers, fishery officers and port managers. Catch data were analyzed using ordinations technique to determine the fishing season. Lobsters were captured in various fishing gears throughout the year, but fishers targeting lobsters primarily used specialized lobster nets deployed by small boats and "krendet" (traps) deployed from clifftops as well as from small boat. The main fishing season for lobsters was from November to February each year. Future research needs to investigate fishing capacity and population parameters before any comprehensive fisheries management can be undertaken.


Learning to read has a substantial effect on the representations of spoken and meaning forms of words. In this paper we assess literacy effects beyond representational changes, focusing on adaptations to the architecture of the reading system that maps between these representations. We present a connectionist model of reading that predicted distinct processing of pre- and post-literacy acquired words. For reading for meaning, words learned prior to literacy were processed more indirectly via phonological representations, whereas for post-literacy acquired words, processing was more direct along the orthography to semantics pathway. This more computationally intensive route was prioritised because indirect phonology to semantics mappings were unavailable. Such an effect was less apparent for naming, because learning direct orthography to phonology mappings is less computationally intensive. These results were confirmed in an analysis of naming and lexical decision behavioural data. The effect of literacy onset remains an observable artefact in adult reading.


Seriously ill patients presenting with purpura fulminans, sepsis and multi-organ failure often require extensive diagnostic workup for proper diagnosis and management. Host of common infections prevalent in the tropics, e.g. malaria, dengue; other septicemic infections e.g. meningococcemia, typhoid, leptospirosis, toxic shock syndrome, scarlet fever, viral exanthems like measles, infectious mononucleosis, collagen vascular diseases (Kawasaki disease, other vasculitis) diseases, and adverse drug reactions are often kept in mind, and the index of suspicion for rickettsial illness is quite low. We present a case of Indian tick typhus presenting with purpura fulminans (retiform purpura all over the body), sepsis and multiorgan failure without lymphadenopathy and eschar, successfully treated with doxycycline and discharged home. Hence, a high index clinical suspicion and prompt administration of a simple therapy has led to successful recovery of the patient.


Here is a vividly written and fully illustrated assessment of the figured decoration on Late Bronze Age vessels from the Greek mainland, Cyprus, and the Aegean islands. It will become a standard source on the Mycenaean imagination. Emily Vermeuele and Vassos Karageorghis describe the hunting scenes, chariots, sphinxes and griffins, bulls and birds, people dancing or fighting, and cult scenes on Mycenaean pottery. They analyze forms and styles, sources and influences, and the development of conventions. They relate what is known about hte painters and their workshops, and the overseas trade. A catalogue of the 700 remaining whole and broken examples, now in museums around the world, is appended. Over 950 illustrations provide a comprehensive view of the art. This study tells us much about Bronze Age civilization, and it opens the way to an understanding of the relationship of Greek art to figure drawing in pre-Classical times.


Background Understanding the impact of a patient's social history forms part of medical assessments and wider NHS data collection. To date, there has been little work examining the extent of social history recording by ambulance clinicians. The aim of this service evaluation is to examine how frequently staff complete social history fields on electronic patient records and to identify patterns in completion rate when comparing categories of call, localities of crew, conveyance or non-conveyance, and individual fields of social history data. Method A retrospective review of one NHS ambulance trust's electronic patient records (attended 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2019) was conducted. 10% of the records were analysed due to software limitations (n = 134434 adult cases). Results Very few cases (<0.05%) had every field completed, with 28.6% of all cases having no fields completed at all. In 45% of cases, between 8 and 11 fields were completed. The mean number of fields completed per case was 5.79 and the median number was 7. 'Mobility' and 'Home circumstances' were the most frequently completed and 'Sexual Orientation' and 'Language' were the least. Category of call appears to have minimal impact on completion rates. Localities and specialists had more variation, ranging from 21.3% to 49.9% with no fields completed at all. Conclusion Social history documentation is very infrequently fully completed by frontline ambulance crews within this service. The majority of cases have a partially complete social history however, due to software limitations, it is unknown whether the same fields are consistently completed throughout these cases. Further research, including qualitative work, is recommended to understand the low rate of recording of social history data and how this information is used by ambulance staff.


The velocity fields associated with a variety of flows which may be described by perturbations of the Blasius solution are considered. These are flows which, for example, because of localized mass transfer, involve the initial-value problem of boundary-layer theory, or which involve a variable ratio of the viscosity-density product, or finally which involve mass transfer. The perturbation solutions are presented so that in accord with the usual linearization procedures further applications for the determination of first-order effects can be readily made. In addition, each of these perturbations involves a common differential operator whose eigenfunctions form a complete orthogonal set. Accordingly, a procedure for systematically improving each perturbation solution to obtain higher-order effects by quadrature is presented. The results of applications in several cases are given and are compared to more accurate solutions where available.


1. Carnitine acetyltransferase (EC 126.96.36.199) activity in sheep liver mitochondria was 76nmol/min per mg of protein, in contrast with 1.7 for rat liver mitochondria. The activity in bovine liver mitochondria was comparable with that of sheep liver mitochondria. Carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity was the same in both sheep and rat liver mitochondria. 2. The [free carnitine]/[acetylcarnitine] ratio in sheep liver ranged from 6:1 for animals fed ad libitum on lucerne to approx. 1:1 for animals grazed on open pastures. This change in ratio appeared to reflect the ratio of propionic acid to acetic acid produced in the rumen of the sheep under the two dietary conditions. 3. In sheep starved for 7 days the [free carnitine]/[acetylcarnitine] ratio in the liver was 0.46:1. The increase in acetylcarnitine on starvation was not at the expense of free carnitine, as the amounts of free carnitine and total acid-soluble carnitine rose approximately fivefold on starvation. An even more dramatic increase in total acid-soluble carnitine of the liver was seen in an alloxan-diabetic sheep. 4. The [free CoA]/[acetyl-CoA] ratio in the liver ranged from 1:1 in the sheep fed on lucerne to 0.34:1 for animals starved for 7 days. 5. The importance of carnitine acetyltransferase in sheep liver and its role in relieving ;acetyl pressure' on the CoA system is discussed.


We present results for the negative differential mobility and the distribution function in GaAs and InP for electric fields less than 40 kV/cm based on the analytic solution of the Boltzmann equation for a model with two valleys and three relaxation times. Using the measured low field mobility, lower valley mass, and valley separation energy Δ while adjusting three upper valley parameters, we obtain good agreement with the experimental velocity‐field curves. The distribution function in the lower valley shows structure at energies ≊Δ due to the intervalley scattering.


Cigarette smoking throughout life causes serious health issues in the lungs. The electronic cigarette (E-Cig) use increased, since it was first introduced in the world. This research work compared the short-term exposure consequences to e-cigarette vapor and cigarette smoke in male mice. Forty-five C57BL/6 mice were randomized into control (C) in an ambient air exposition cigarette smoke (CS) and aerosol electronic cigarette (EC), both were exposed to 120 puffs, 3 times/day during five days. Then, in the experimental protocol, the euthanized mice had their tissues removed for analysis. Our study showed that CS and EC resulted in higher cell influx into the airways, and an increase in macrophage counts in CS (209.25 ± 7.41) and EC (220.32 ± 8.15) when compared to C (108.40 ± 4.49) (p < 0.0001). The CS (1.92 ± 0.23) displayed a higher pulmonary lipid peroxidation as opposed to C (0.93 ± 0.06) and EC (1.23 ± 0.17) (p < 0.05). The EC (282.30 ± 25.68) and CS (368.50 ± 38.05) promoted increased levels of interleukin 17 when compared to C (177.20 ± 10.49) (p < 0.05). The EC developed shifts in lung histoarchitecture, characterized by a higher volume density in the alveolar air space (60.21; 55.00-65.83) related to C (51.25; 18.75-68.75) and CS (50.26; 43.75-62.08) (p =0.002). The EC (185.6 ± 9.01) presented a higher respiratory rate related to CS (133.6 ± 10.2) (p < 0.002). Therefore, our findings demonstrated that the short-term exposure to e-cig promoted more acute inflammation comparing to cigarette smoke in the ventilatory parameters of the animals.


Caching at edge servers can smooth the temporal traffic variability and reduce the service load of base stations in wireless streaming. However, the assignment of the cached content for possibly multiple versions of different video sequences is still a challenging question in the context of adaptive streaming. In this paper, we propose a wireless video caching placement optimization problem for dynamic adaptive video streaming that properly takes into account the different rate-distortion (R-D) characteristics of the video sequences. Our objective is to minimize the expected video distortion by the optimal caching of compressed video sequences, such that the clients can effectively access video content storage and bandwidth constraints. We prove that our optimization problem is a submodular maximization problem subject to a knapsack constraint. A cost benefit greedy algorithm is developed to obtain an approximate solution with polynomial time complexity and theoretical approximation guarantees. Simulation results demonstrate significant video distortion reduction relative to different baseline caching placement schemes.


Pablo Minguet y Yrol's Academia Musical of 1752, M891 in the Biblioteca Nacional of Madrid, is a loosely organized collection of tutors for thirteen musical instruments: guitar, tiple, mandola, cittern, bandurria, psaltery, clavichord [i.e., keyboard], organ, harp, violin, transverse flute, recorder, and flageolet. The tutors concerning the guitar and related instruments are by far the most comprehensive; topics covered include basic playing technique, figured-bass accompaniment, and notation, both mensural and tablature. Most musical examples are given in both types of notation. The thesis is a complete translation of the Academia Musical, including the texts of the illustrations, with an introductory commentary giving the historical background of music education in eighteenth-century Spain, a brief review of European musical-instrument tutors in general, and an analysis of Minguet's tutors in particular.


Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the most aggressive type of common cancers, and in 2014, nearly 40000 patients died from the disease in the United States. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which accounts for the majority of PC cases, is characterized by an intense stromal desmoplastic reaction surrounding the cancer cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main effector cells in the desmoplastic reaction, and pancreatic stellate cells are the most important source of CAFs. However, other important components of the PC stroma are inflammatory cells and endothelial cells. The aim of this review is to describe the complex interplay between PC cells and the cellular and noncellular components of the tumour stroma. Published data have indicated that the desmoplastic stroma protects PC cells against chemotherapy and radiation therapy and that it might promote the proliferation and migration of PC cells. However, in animal studies, experimental depletion of the desmoplastic stroma and CAFs has led to more aggressive cancers. Hence, the precise role of the tumour stroma in PC remains to be elucidated. However, it is likely that a contextdependent therapeutic modification, rather than pure depletion, of the PC stroma holds potential for the development of new treatment strategies for PC patients.


This paper proposes an empirical study of the lender's strategy in the specific context of the Project Finance approach. More specifically we focus on the banks loans as they represent the major part of financing sources. The main goal is to define, through a global analysis, the main factors that have a significant impact on the bank loan cost, called spread. The results have shown that the loan spread in the context of Project Finance is mainly affected by the presence of guarantees and also the level of the country risk.


In a clinical trial conducted at different dairy farms cases of clinical mastitis in cows with high frequency of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas areuginosa was recorded before treatment. Subsequently six cows not responding to antibiotic therapy were given treatment with phage cocktail (3x1012 PFU/ml) by intramammary infusion in each affected teat. Follow up of each case was done at regular intervals (0, 5 and 10 days). Four animals showed complete recovery (66.66%) adjudged on the basis of arbitrary scale set for qualitative assessment of recovery from mastitis. In remaining two animals, yeast was predominant causal agent besides other mastitic pathogens tested. It could be concluded from present finding that phage cocktail efficiently reduced carrier load of udder bacteria, revealing its potential as an effective approach to prophylaxis or treatment of mastitis in dairy cows.


The global emergence of the spirit and ethos of Afro-Anglicanism was harnessed by the initiatives of African-American Episcopalians, chronicled by a wider array of Black Anglicans, and codified in the first Afro-Anglican Conference in Barbados, West Indies, in 1985. It represented a major thrust of Anglican ecumenism that enabled the whole Communion to take on broad issues, priorities, and inter-cultural linkages that have altered the course of traditional debates at Lambeth conferences and elsewhere. The Codrington Consensus spoke not only for Afro-Anglicans, but also to Anglicans in general, charting a new method of engaging in Global Anglicanism. The Codrington Consensus also assured Afro-Anglicans themselves that they were neither strangers nor servants within such an ecclesial fellowship. Rather, they are active participants in the full recognition and realization of Anglican comprehensiveness. Still, much remains to be done in the fiaithul Afro-Anglican response to the imperatives of the Condrington Consensus.


There is a commonly held conviction among governance scholars and practitioners that increasing the number of non-executive directors may have beneficial effects on board practices. This view has gained momentum after each wave of scandals. Given the relevance of the issue in governance studies and practices, the aim of this paper is to investigate how independent, competent and incentivized non-executive directors should be according to governance scholars and board best practices. To answer this question, we conducted a review of the literature on non-executive directors. We then collected corporate governance codes developed worldwide at the end of 2005, and made a comparative analysis of their recommendations about the independence, the competencies and the incentives of non-executive directors. Our results show that (i) non-executive directors' independence is a commonly recommended governance practice, the meaning of which differs widely among countries; (ii) non-executive directors' competencies and incentives are not considered a governance issue to be regulated in detail; (iii) agency theory and the search for appropriate board demography tend to dominate the recommendations of governance literature and codes. Our findings have implications for both research and practice.


Abstract. Current cloud and aerosol identification methods for multi-spectral radiometers, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), employ multi-channel spectral tests on individual pixels (i.e. field of views). The use of the spatial information in cloud and aerosol algorithms has been primarily statistical parameters such as non-uniformity tests of surrounding pixels with cloud classification provided by the multi-spectral microphysical retrievals such as phase and cloud top height. With these methodologies there is uncertainty in identifying optically thick aerosols, since aerosols and clouds have similar spectral properties in coarse spectral-resolution measurements. Furthermore, identifying clouds regimes (e.g. stratiform, cumuliform) from just spectral measurements is difficult, since low-altitude cloud regimes have similar spectral properties. Recent advances in computer vision using deep neural networks provide a new opportunity to better leverage the coherent spatial information in multi-spectral imagery. Using a combination of machine learning techniques combined with a new methodology to create the necessary training data we demonstrate improvements in the discrimination between cloud and severe aerosols and an expanded capability to classify cloud types. The training labeled dataset was created from an adapted NASA Worldview platform that provides an efficient user interface to assemble a human labeled database of cloud and aerosol types. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) labeling accuracy of aerosols and cloud types was quantified using independent Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and MODIS cloud and aerosol products. By harnessing CNNs with a unique labeled dataset, we demonstrate the improvement of the identification of aerosol and distinct cloud types from MODIS and VIIRS images compared to a per-pixel spectral and standard deviation thresholding method. The paper concludes with case studies that compare the CNN methodology results with the MODIS cloud and aerosol products.


Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer in men though many men will not die of this disease and may not require definitive treatment. Active surveillance (AS) is an increasingly utilized potential solution to the issue of overtreatment of prostate cancer. Traditionally, prostate cancer patients have been stratified into risk groups based on clinical stage on digital rectal examination, prostate-specific antigen and biopsy Gleason score, though each of these variables has significant limitations. This review will discuss the potential role for prostate multiparametric MRI and targeted biopsy techniques incorporating MRI in the selection of candidates for AS, monitoring patients on AS and as triggers for definitive treatment.


Patients' experiences have been used as an indicator for hospital quality for a long time. The concept of patient experiences has many facets. One aspect of particular importance for optimal treatment and patients' quality of life is efficient and understandable information and communication between patients and health professionals. In this paper, we look closer into patients' experiences in breast cancer care by following patients through their narratives related to their treatment trajectory 7–8 years after diagnosis. The specific aim has been to explore their perceptions and experiences regarding received information from and communication with health professionals during their breast cancer disease trajectory in a long-term perspective. Findings show that even though the participants expressed high levels of satisfaction with care, they also highlighted elements that they experienced as problematic during their treatment trajectory. Three major themes emerged: 1) the need to be taken seriously and for immediate action; 2) evolving information needs across stages of treatment; and 3) finding the right network.


ABSTRACT Kim, M.J.; Chun, S.B.; Kim, W.K., and Lee, C.W., 2014. Analysis of beach safety perception and satisfaction among Haeundae Beach visitors through CIT method. This study was designed to look into the safety status of Haeundae Beach in Busan city from its visitors' perspective. Rather than researching based on the perspective of experts, as is typical in research, the authors of this study analyzed the experiences regarding beach safety of the actual users of the beach, who expressed both positive and negative emotional perceptions. The Critical Incident Technique was used for the analysis, with the selection of 104 research subjects. The research subjects were asked to answer a questionnaire which included open questions about positive and negative experiences during their visits to Haeundae Beach. The results showed that the research subjects were satisfied the most with the dedicated and hard work of the lifeguards and the Coast Guard, according to an analysis of their reported positive experiences. On the other hand, the research subjects were mostly concerned about the relatively small number of lifeguards, dangerous trash on the sand, and misbehaving drunken people at night, in that order. From the result of the study, the researchers concluded that specialization and increasing the number of lifeguards are the key points if seeking to develop a higher standard of safety at Haeundae Beach and at other beach sites in Korea. To achieve this, it is strongly recommended that Haeundae officials and local governments take beach safety into account and promote more mature citizenship.


We characterize optimal income taxation and unemployment insurance in a search-matching framework where both voluntary and involuntary unemployment are endogenous and Nash bargaining determines wages. Individuals differ in utility when voluntarily unemployed (non-participants in the labour market) and decide whether to participate as a job seeker and if so, how much search effort to exert. Unemployment insurance trades off insurance versus moral hazard due to search. We show that it is optimal to have a positive linear wage tax without any redistributive concerns even if search is efficient so the Hosios condition is satisfied. We also allow for different productivity types so there is a redistributive role for the income tax and show that a proportional wage tax internalizes the macro effects arising from endogenous wages. Lump-sum income taxes and transfers can then redistribute between individuals of differing skills and employment states. Our analysis embeds optimal unemployment insurance into an extensive-margin optimal redistribution framework where transfers to the involuntary and voluntary unemployed can differ, and nests several standard models in the literature.


Tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)methane (TBPM) as a tetrahedral unit and a diboronic acid as a linker were selected to couple the phenyl rings into a porous aromatic framework, PAF-11. PAF-11 was polymerized via a Suzuki coupling reaction. A TG analysis showed that PAF-11 is thermally stable up to 400 °C in air. PAF-11 also has a high chemical stability and cannot be dissolved or decomposed in common solvents or concentrated hydrochloric acid. A N2 sorption measurement on activated PAF-11 revealed a surface area of 952 m2 g−1 in the Langmuir model. PAF-11 also shows a considerable adsorption capacity for H2. Interestingly, PAF-11 is a highly hydrophobic material but with a high methanol uptake (654 mg g−1 at saturated vapour pressure and room temperature). PAF-11 also exhibits high adsorption abilities for small aromatic molecules such as benzene and toluene (874 and 780 mg g−1, respectively, at saturated vapour pressure and room temperature) due to its aromatic framework. This ability of PAF-11 could be very useful to eliminate harmful small aromatic molecules produced by industry.


The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC, a multi-billion dollar infrastructure investment project, is heralded as a game changer for Pakistan's economy and regional cooperation. Being a crucial part of a major development initiative led by China, known as 'One Belt, One Road' (OBOR), to connect Asia with Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the CPEC is much linked to hopes, interests, as well as regional and global geopolitics. However, such a megaproject raises numerous questions especially regarding the feasibility of its implementation, the impact on the region as well as the nature of India's position towards the endeavour.To begin with, one should shed some light on Pakistani and Chinese interests: First, Pakistan is in urgent need for major investments to boost its flailing economy. Second, Islamabad is looking to diversify its foreign aid and investment. In this context, it is obviously keen on reducing its financial dependence vis a vis the US. Third, Pakistan expects to expand the build-up of its infrastructure, deepen energy capacities, and manufactural hubs, improve the living conditions in its poorer provinces, reduce unemployment, increase know how, and reverse negative processes of brain drain and capital flight.


The effect of variation in platelet function in platelet donors on patient outcome following platelet transfusion is unknown. This trial assessed the hypothesis that platelets collected from donors with highly responsive platelets to agonists in vitro assessed by flow cytometry (high-responder donors) are cleared more quickly from the circulation than those from low-responder donors, resulting in lower platelet count increments following transfusion. This parallel group, semirandomized double-blinded trial was conducted in a single center in the United Kingdom. Eligible patients were those 16 or older with thrombocytopenia secondary to bone marrow failure, requiring prophylactic platelet transfusion. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a platelet donation from a high- or low-responder donor when both were available, or when only 1 type of platelet was available, patients received that. Participants, investigators, and those assessing outcomes were masked to group assignment. The primary end point was the platelet count increment 10 to 90 minutes following transfusion. Analysis was by intention to treat. Fifty-one patients were assigned to receive platelets from low-responder donors, and 49 from high-responder donors (47 of which were randomized and 53 nonrandomized). There was no significant difference in platelet count increment 10 to 90 minutes following transfusion in patients receiving platelets from high-responder (mean, 21.0 × 109/L; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.9-37.2) or low-responder (mean, 23.3 × 109/L; 95% CI, 7.8-38.9) donors (mean difference, 2.3; 95% CI, -1.1 to 5.7; P = .18). These results support the current policy of not selecting platelet donors on the basis of platelet function for prophylactic platelet transfusion.


The city of Ushuaia, located in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), and other urban conglomerates in Latin America, are undergoing into a crisis in urban areas, where the housing problem is shown as the witness and most obvious symptom of the crisis. The explosive population growth that has experienced Ushuaia from the '70s to these days has triggered various crises of urban and social type. Among the housing problems that have been generated we can stress the strong friction between different sectors of the people, neighbours with unsolvable housing problem that intrude state land. On the other hand there are neighbours who are opposed to these intrusions, but there are government sectors that sympathize with the intruders, so there are no government actions to prevent such activities and a significant number of laws are violate. All these factors generate the frame of a strained social situation in the city.
The native forest deforestation, pollution of freshwater rivers, the precarious living conditions of some people, the lack of systemic and coordinated politics driving by government agencies, the intransigence of some neighbours and the culture of citizens in general, result in a social crisis from which no one knows the outcome
The resilience of this society involved as a voluntary emergent property of it, can be one of the references approaches to begin a path in order to search of sustainable solutions that contribute to governance for a young State with a whole future ahead.
There are several management tools to address complex problems such as the one we have just described. These management tools and its applications will be discussed on this paper, hoping that can contribute to create the foundations for a possible settlement of the conflict. We believe that this analysis can drive to a sustainable self-organizing social system of the city of Ushuaia, in an almost immediate future.


Whale skeletons on the deep-sea floor provide sulfide-rich habitats that may act as stepping stones for the dispersal of animals dependent on chemoautotrophic production. However, the phylogenetic relationships between the faunas of whale falls, hydrothermal vents and colds seeps are not fully evaluated. To examine vesicomyid phylogenetic relationships, we collected 10 vesicomyid clams from 2 whale falls on the California margin, one at 1240 m in the Santa Catalina Basin and one at 960 m on the slope west of San Nicolas Island. We then compared DNA sequences for a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene from the whale-skeleton clams to those from other clam populations in this taxonomically difficult family. Seven adult whale-fall vesicomyids clustered with clams identified as Vesicomya gigas, a species also found near hydrothermal vents in Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California) and Middle Valley (Juan de Fuca Ridge). A single small whale-fall individual clustered with clams identified as Calyptogena kilmeri, a species found at cold seeps in Guaymas Basin, Monterey Bay, and along the Oregon Subduction Zone. A single small whale-fall clam clustered with Calyptogena elongata, a species found in anoxic California basins. Finally, a single adult clam was difficult to assign to any previously examined species group and could represent a new species in the 'gigas/kilmeri' cryptic species complex. With the inclusion of these vesicomyids, whale falls are known to share a total of 16 species with the faunas of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.


According to estimations sports exploit approximately two percent of world GDP. In addition sports represent an important function in culture, socialization and also in education, act an outstanding role in economy, as well, though academic researchers cannot find positive relationship between sports financing and economic growth. Sports were originally civil actions, with non-profit nature, where they did not aspire to reach high returns, but fulfilment of sport itself. However returns can be realized and reinvested in sports. This paper tries to collect the different aspects of sports financing in order to highlight its relevance.


A new type of integrated hollow core anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) with low intrinsic photoluminescence (PL) fabricated with plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) films is demonstrated. The waveguide is fabricated by surrounding the hollow core with alternating layers of SiN and SiO2. The thicknesses and indices of the layers are designed to meet an anti-resonance condition. Compared to earlier ARROW structures made by depositing high-temperature (HT) SiN (250 °C), the PL background decreases by a factor of ~ 10 when low-temperature (LT) SiN (100 °C ) films are used. Therefore, LT SiN ARROWs are attractive platforms for sensitive fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy measurements of biomolecules.


Abstract. An FSSP-100 Optical Particle Counter designed to count and size particles in the micron range and a backscattersonde that measures in-situ particle optical properties such as backscatter and depolarization ratio, are part of the payload of the high altitude research aircraft M55 Geophysica. This aircraft was deployed in tropical field campaigns in Bauru, Brasil (TROCCINOX, 2004) Darwin, Australia (SCOUT-Darwin, 2005) and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (SCOUT-AMMA, 2006). In those occasions, measurements of particle size distributions and optical properties within cirrus cloud were performed. Scope of the present work is to assess and discuss the consistency between the particle volume backscatter coefficient observed by the backscattersonde and the same parameter retrieved by optical scattering theory applied to particle size distributions as measured by the FSSP-100. In addition, empirical relationships linking the optical properties measured in-situ by the backscattersonde, which generally can be obtained by remote sensing techniques (LIDAR), and microphysical bulk properties like total particle number, surface and volume density will be presented and discussed.