Colonialism destroyed Africa's long-standing intra-African trade. Hence, at independence there was a move for regional integration to diversify Africa's economy. Nigeria had been at the driving seat of Africa's regional integration. In West Africa, Nigeria pioneered the formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975. Though Africa has 21.2% of the global landmass and 13.7% of world population, its share of global economic activities is a meagre 2.6%. Its intratrade is 12%, paralleled to an average of 53.5% in other regions of the world. However, Nigeria over time has engaged in anti-trade policies like border closure, the latest being on 20 August 2019, three months after signing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). This has caused ripples within Nigeria, West Africa and Africa at large. This study interrogates Nigeria's constant border closures, with questions on whether it is in Nigeria's national interest and if its objective were achieved? The study uses the Regional Leader Role framework of analysis, a sub-set of National Role theory (NRC). The study is a qualitative and non-experimental study and is based on the single case ex-post-facto (after-the-fact) design. Documentary method of data collection is used. The study concludes that Nigeria with over 1,499 illegal land routes into the country, cannot even 'close' its border, hence border closure is a lose-lose policy for Nigeria and recommends collaborative actions with her neighbours, the strengthening of border and ports infrastructures as the way forward.


In the last 10 years, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles have confounded scientists. The normal role of these bundles of protein and fat is to ferry cholesterol from the rest of the body to the liver, which eliminates it from the body. More of something good should mean better health, and people who naturally have higher HDL levels are usually better off. But drugs that increase HDL cholesterol have flopped in clinical trials, and genes that help raise it don9t seem to track with less heart disease. Now, a new study that included a subgroup of people with high HDL suggests that it can sometimes be a signal not of heart health, but of the opposite: a cholesterol system unable to siphon the fatty particles from circulation.


Most adults over 65 years old live in mainstream housing in the United Kingdom, yet these can often be unsuitable for an individual's needs. With increased understanding of the relationship between housing, and health and well-being, the importance of modifying the home to suit individuals is recognised as being paramount. However, it is often difficult to monitor the ways in which home adaptations and equipment are used in the home. This study used innovative wearable technology to explore everyday, lived experiences of using home adaptations and equipment. Six older adults who had received a major home adaptation in the last 24 months took part in this study. Each participant used a wearable camera for one day and participated in a semi-structured interview while watching the images back as a 'slideshow'. Using this novel approach, three themes were generated from the data: acquiring adaptations and equipment, adapting routine and changing behaviour, and inconsistent and unintended uses. The findings of this study open up the complexity of the lived experience of using home adaptations and equipment. Experiences from access to long-term outcomes are personal, and individuals modify and use the adaptations in various ways to suit their own needs. The wearable camera allowed additional insight into lived experience that would otherwise not have been captured without its use, as the photographs acted as a way of stimulating conversation and highlighting taken-for-granted behaviours not often consciously considered by the individuals.


The objective of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of different policies in facilitating the diffusion of green innovations through trade. Focusing on developing countries, this paper develop analyses the effectiveness of policies such as information, subsidies, and banning the use of the incumbent technology in encouraging the use of a clean technology. The empirical model uses a novel dataset of a sample of 72 low and middle-income countries, spanning the period 1993-2013 to evaluate the effectiveness of these policies, and analyse the determinants of policy choice. Results suggest that domestic policies pay a pivotal role in facilitating the transfer of CFL, especially subsidies; however, simultaneous implementation of policies need not necessarily be effective. Moreover, countries learn from the experiences of other countries in deciding whether to implement a particular policy. Results also suggest a role for trade policy instruments, such as trade agreements with top exporters, to facilitate clean technology diffusion.


Seventy consecutive lung fine needle aspirates (FNA) from 69 patients were examined by cytology/cell block histology, by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and, where available, at histological follow up to determine the value of TEM in interpreting lung FNAs. Of 70 FNAs, 50 were suitable for TEM. Transmission electron microscopy was helpful in classifying seven of 10 poorly differentiated tumours, and two case histories are reported. In 26 of 30 well differentiated tumours TEM confirmed diagnosis by light microscopy. Two TEM false negatives, but no TEM false positives, were recorded. It is concluded that transmission electron microscopy of cells aspirated from lung can be helpful when unequivocal diagnosis has not been achieved.


Training and competition planning and designing is based on the collection and processing of computer information available via the Internet.
 This work will refer to certain specialized applications, mainly, to 3D maps and GPS locating systems (Global Positioning System), which can be used for the training and live monitoring of athletes during a competition, this fact decisively influencing the results obtained.
 These efficient technologies available on any IT terminal, with a high accuracy level, enable us to have a virtual approach of the competition tracks under an unlimited number of versions.
 The simulation shows all the characteristics for covering the track under real conditions, the advantage consisting in the fact that the generated options can be changed depending on the competition-imposed strategy or depending on the weather conditions forecasted for the next period.
 Such race scenarios can be achieved with the most different variables having good effects, especially, for the extreme sports being performed over thousand kilometres where it is practically impossible for the athletes to recon the terrain during the preliminary stage of the competition
 In this study, we have imagined a virtual competition training method for the Romanian Team present at the start of the Red Bull x Alps Race, organized during 07.07.2013-21.07.2013, between Salzburg and Monaco.
 The research methods used were: the documentation method, the virtual simulation method, data processing and interpretation method, the graphic method.
 The computer-simulation application has enabled a decrease of training costs and a substantial time saving, the athletes being able to better focus in the field, in reality, on the key segments of the track.


The rendering of anthroponyms in children's cartoons, although being a rather challenging task for translators, is a virtually uninvestigated field in Lithuania and worldwide. The present study focuses on subtitling of semantically meaningful anthroponyms in 11 children's cartoons from English into Lithuanian. The aims of the study are: to identify the most commonly used translation strategy for the rendering of semantically meaningful anthroponyms which were found in the corpus; to find out whether the Lithuanian renderings of semantically meaningful anthroponyms were more foreignized or domesticated; to identify and discuss problematic issues that subtitlers of the cartoons faced while dealing with semantically meaningful anthroponyms which were found in the corpus. The main objectives of the study are to classify the findings of the study according to a foreignization – domestication continuum and to analyze critically all the challenging situations which were dealt with by subtitlers in terms of anthroponym translation. The anthroponyms which are found in the corpus are subdivided into two groups: charactonyms and semantically meaningful anthroponyms with no character defining qualities. The results of the study reveal that the vast majority of the anthroponyms found in the corpus have character defining qualities. The majority of such names are domesticated in the Lithuanian subtitles. In opposition to charactonyms, the majority of anthroponyms with no characterizing qualities are foreignized. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sal.0.24.6722


Recent works on constraint relaxation [Jussien, 1997; Jussien and Boizumault, 1997b] provided the decorum system (Deduction-based Constraint Relaxation Management). In this paper, we show how the ideas developed in that system can be used in order to integrate Constraint Propagation within the Dynamic Backtracking algorithm [Ginsberg, 1993]. Dynamic Backtracking replaces the backtracking process by a much less blind behaviour that consists in local modi cations of the choices made up to the current situation.


This study is an examination of the hero image in the work of G.A. Henty (1832-1902) and George MacDonald (1824-1905) and a reassessment of the hitherto oppositional critiques of their writing. The argument driving the reassessment is that their writing is not oppositional but is complementary and that the ideology embedded in their work is communicated through the character of the hero through genre and through their interpretation of their historical period.
 The central hypothesis is that the reflexive characteristics of the hero image demonstrate a complete identity commensurate with the hero figure of the Victorian ideal. This hypothesis is demonstrated through the analysis of chosen texts from the work of Henty and MacDonald categorised by critics as written for children and by the application of ethical, genre and new historic theory. The relationship between the expansion of the British Empire and youthful heroism is established through investigation of the Victorian political, social and religious milieu, the construct of the child and the construct of the hero. The connection between the exotic geographical space of empire and the unknown psychological space is conducted through examination of the representation of the 'other' in the work of Henty and MacDonald.
 The study demonstrates that Henty's work is more complex than the stereotypically linear, masculine, imperialistic critique of his stories as historical realism allows and that MacDonald's work displays more evidence of historical embedding and ideological interpellation than the critical focus on his work as fantasy and fairy tale considers.
 The contribution of this study to existing research on Henty and MacDonald is firstly by an examination of the ideology embedded in the construct of the hero figure as this construct impacted Victorian culture and secondly by reassessing the existing criticism of their work. Greater understanding of the effect of this heroic ideal on nineteenth century society leads to a greater understanding of the implications for subsequent cultures including that of the twenty first century. This aspect is examined in relation to the current reprinting programmes for Henty and MacDonald and is proposed as a subject for continued research.


This study explored disaster emergency preparedness at Onandjokwe Lutheran Hospital in Northern Namibia. It utilized quantitative and qualitative research methods, using a self-administered questionnaire, semi-structured key informant interviews, and a hospital disaster plan checklist. A stratified sample of 120 participants was used with a response rate of 75% and the sample included all staff categorises within the hospital. Five key informants were purposively selected from the management team. In addition, one environmental health officer was selected from non-managerial staff members. The key informants were members of the hospital emergency preparedness committee and command and control unit. The questionnaires were self-administered which enabled the respondents to respond freely and at their convenience. The questionnaire was pre-tested, adjusted and finalised. Face-to-face semi-structured key informant interviews allowed for clarifications and followup questions on overall disaster emergency preparedness process. Through the use of open-ended questions the respondents were encouraged to express their opinions and offer more information. The checklist was used to check and determine the components of the hospital's disaster plan against the actual processes in the hospital. Most of the respondents were young females aged between 20 and 30 years. The results indicated a fair knowledge of the principled conduct and abilities to respond to emergencies including disease outbreaks. It was established that positive efforts in disaster preparedness were being effected. However, even though the hospital has a good draft disaster plan, more is to be done on training, revisions, and infrastructure alignments. Keywords: disaster emergency preparedness, hospitals, disaster, disaster management, Namibia


Starting out from describing an orthopaedic institute with an orthopaedic-rehabilitative approach, established in 1780 by Venel in the Suisse canton of Waadt, a historical retrospective is given of the field of rehabilitation of the physically disabled, going back for some notable industrial and social medicine aspects to Graeco-Roman times. Reference is in particular made to the peculiarities of 19th century private, residential care, and the development of modern-day facilities for persons with a physical disability is outlined.


This research include the study of flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams with and without addition of super absorbent polymer (SAP) to concrete, two groups of concrete mixture were used; each one have five concrete mixture (Reactive Powder Concrete RPC, Modified Reactive Powder Concrete, Self Compact Concrete SCC, High Strength Concrete HSC and Normal Strength Concrete NSC) four of them with high compressive strength and the last one with normal compressive strength. Group A casting concrete without addition of SAP, group B casting concrete with addition of SAP. Ten beams are molded of (200*300*1700) mm dimension with same steel reinforcement. Flexural tested for all beams was doing and load-deflection relationships of beams with and without SAP were established. Test results had shown that beams casting with addition of SAP (group B) proved to have larger load carrying capacity and llower deflection compared with group A.


This study presents a solution for reducing the frequency oscillations in multi-area interconnected power system by means of using an VSC-HVDC interconnection transmission line. The upcoming power-electronics based HVDC transmission system offers new features that can be advantageous for improving the frequency control and thus for enhancing the stability in transmission networks. This paper is structured in two main parts; the first one is be devoted to introduce the basic elements of HVDC links and the second part will be focused on the effects of the HVDC links in the frequency control of interconnected power systems. In order to show the positive effects of HVDC links under random load disturbance, a model with parallel AC-DC interconnected power system, including a new power modulation controller of bi-directional VSC-HVDC link, is proposed and simulated. Comparisons between HVAC and HVDC transmissions are presented and its performance is evaluated using Matlab/Simulink.


It is usual to hear a strange short sentence: «Random is better than...». Why is randomness a good solution to a certain engineering problem? There are many possible answers, and all of them are related to the considered topic. In this thesis I will discuss about two crucial topics that take advantage by randomizing some waveforms involved in signals manipulations. In particular, advantages are guaranteed by shaping the second order statistic of antipodal sequences involved in an intermediate signal processing stages.
The first topic is in the area of analog-to-digital conversion, and it is named Compressive Sensing (CS). CS is a novel paradigm in signal processing that tries to merge signal acquisition and compression at the same time. Consequently it allows to direct acquire a signal in a compressed form. In this thesis, after an ample description of the CS methodology and its related architectures, I will present a new approach that tries to achieve high compression by design the second order statistics of a set of additional waveforms involved in the signal acquisition/compression stage.
 The second topic addressed in this thesis is in the area of communication system, in particular I focused the attention on ultra-wideband (UWB) systems. An option to produce and decode UWB signals is direct-sequence spreading with multiple access based on code division (DS-CDMA). Focusing on this methodology, I will address the coexistence of a DS-CDMA system with a narrowband interferer. To do so, I minimize the joint effect of both multiple access (MAI) and narrowband (NBI) interference on a simple matched filter receiver. I will show that, when spreading sequence statistical properties are suitably designed, performance improvements are possible with respect to a system exploiting chaos-based sequences minimizing MAI only.


Unrepeatered 40 Gbit/s RZ single channel transmission over 150 km of standard singlemode fibre at 1.55 /spl mu/m is reported using passive dispersion compensation. The authors investigate the influence of signal power, the compensation scheme, and the word length. Error-free transmission (BER=10/sup -9/) is achieved with a receiver sensitivity of -27 dBm. Post-compensation allows for higher input powers and therefore for a higher system margin.


ABSTRACT This paper reviews several studies on attitudes of regular and special educators toward inclusion of all children, regardless of disability, in the regular education environment and on attitude changes occurring as a result of staff development activities. Special education teachers (n-100) and regular education teachers (n=100) who were working for the Chicago (Illinois) Public School System and participated in an inservice training session on inclusion were given a questionnaire before and after the training. The majority of the teachers, in both special and regular education, revealed more favorable attitudes toward inclusion after their inservice training than they did before. Special education teachers showed an attitude gain on 8 of 12 questions, remained neutral on 3, and showed a slight drop on 1 question. Regular education teachers showed a positive attitude change on 11 of the 12 questions and a decline on 1. Both regular and special education teachers showed the greatest change on a question addressing the need for all teachers and administrators to become involved in inclusion. The study concludes that staff development is the key to the success of inclusion. (Contains 13 references.) ODD)


Digital Image Correlation (DIC) together with in-situ tensile testing has been used to measure in DP1000 steel the evolution of plastic strains at the microstructure scale. Interrupted tensile tests were performed on specially designed samples and scanning-electron micrographs were taken at regular applied strain intervals. Patterns defined by the microstructural features of the material have been used for the correlation carried out using LAVision software. The full field strain maps produced by DIC show a progressive localisation of deformation into bands at about 45o with respect to the loading direction. Plastic strains as high as 130% have been measured within the ferrite phase.


Abstract The FDR administration waged a war on crime starting in 1933. I argue that this war on crime had three primary effects. First, it created a ratchet effect whereby expanded institutions did not return to previous levels after the campaign ended. Second, it instilled enduring institutional and racial logics into law enforcement in America. By building a state through a war on crime, these leaders constructed a criminal justice system designed to make war. Moreover, they perpetuated the surveillance of Black leaders and eschewed calls from Black organizations demanding protection from widespread racial violence. Third, these political entrepreneurs induced an issue realignment that defined crime policy around a politics of consensus—a consensus that included every major political bloc but Black Americans, who unsuccesfully called on the federal government to hold local police accountable and address racial inequality. This coalition diffused their methods to states and deployed future wars on crime, and the racial logics cemented in the FDR era set the stage for these future wars to be deployed disproportionately against the Black community.


Influence of the cutter rake angle to the surface quality of crystal KDP is analyzed theoretically in this paper. Analysis result shows that the tension stress reaches minimum in the crystal KDP cutting region and optimal value of the surface quality is obtained as cutter rake angle is about -45°. Cutting experimental of different cutter rake angle is realized on the machine tool. Experimental results show that the surface roughness of the crystal KDP reach minimum (rms is 6.521nm, Ra is 5.151nm) as the cutter rake angle is about -45°, this experiment certifies the correctness of this theory analysis. Theory analysis and experimental results show that influence of the cutter rake angle to surface quality of the crystal KDP is very large, for ultra-precision machining of the crystal KDP, when large negative rake diamond cutter (-45°) is adopted, the super-smooth surface can be obtained.


Synthetic humans are computer-generated characters that are designed to behave like humans for the purpose of training or entertainment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of subjects interacting with synthetic humans to determine their responses to nonverbal behaviors, realism, and character personality. This study was part of a research program to develop a virtual game to train awareness of nonverbal communication for cross-cultural competency (3C).Three synthetic humans were created with different levels of realism with respect to their facial movements and skin textures. Low realism characters were defined as models purchased from the company Evolver, with additional facial action units (FAU) added to the character's face. High realism characters were created based on a model of a real person's head using 3D imaging cameras and a digital video camera. The same FAUs available in the Evolver characters were also coded into the high realism character as well as more realistic skin texture. During a virtual scenario the subject was asked to interview three characters in the U.S. Army. The subject interviewed each character one-on-one. The three computer characters included two white males, and one black female.The results of this study showed that it is possible to create synthetic humans that include nonverbal behaviors and personalities that are perceived by subjects, and that the subject's own personal lens affected how they perceive the character. For example, the character Brent was rated similarly by most subjects with respect to personality traits as defined by the Big Five Factor Model. However, half the subjects indicated they liked him (friendly and confident), while about half the subjects did not like him (too confident as to be arrogant).Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Weighted least squares phase unwrapping is a robust approach to phase unwrapping that unwraps around (rather than through) regions of corrupted phase. Currently, the only practical method for solving the weighted least squares equations is a preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) technique. In this paper the authors present a new method for weighted least squares phase unwrapping. Their method is a multigrid technique that solves the equations on smaller, coarser grids by means of Gauss-Seidel relaxation schemes and transfers the intermediate results to the finer grids. A key idea of their approach is to maintain the partial derivatives of the given phase data in separate arrays and to correct these derivatives at the boundaries of the coarser grids. This correction maintains the boundary conditions necessary for convergence to the correct solution. Another key idea of their approach is to transfer the weighting values to the coarser grids in a carefully defined manner. They also present methods for defining the initial phase weights in an automated fashion. The resulting multigrid algorithm converges in only one or two multigrid cycles and is generally 15-25 times faster than the PCG technique.


In this paper we address the destructiveness and constructiveness of conflict in a Dynamical Systems Theory framework. We propose that destructive and constructive conflict processes constitute two relatively orthogonal dimensions, of which each is associated with specific variables and components, and has its own distinct dynamics.Destructive processes form a coherent system aimed at inflicting psychological, material or physical damage on the opponent, while constructive processes form a coherent system aimed at achieving one's goals while maintaining or enhancing relations with the opponent. We have constructed Destructive and Constructive Conflict Intensity Scales to assess the intensity of conflict processes in 10 conflicts on internet discussions forums and analyzed these discussions using language analysis software (LIWC). Linguistic analyses were also conducted on 5 military versus 5 human rights blogs. Results of the two studies confirm that constructive and destructive conflict processes are indeed two distinct, relatively independent dimensions, with different dynamics and different correlates. Theoretical and practical implications of this model are discussed.


For many of his fans, the animation films of Australian-born, Academy Award winner Bob Godfrey are insightful, often hilarious satires of the essence of 'Britishness', so much so that he was awarded an MBE. Although he is best known in the UK for his hugely popular Roobarb and Henry's Cat series, Godfrey's internationally acclaimed, award-winning talents are expansive, ranging from humane, humorous tales of erotic obsessions to biting political satire and brilliantly simple series. Godfrey's career spans almost 60 years, moving between commercial and independent filmmaking, and his artistic work reflects both political and stylistic currents of these eventful decades.

Like many other animators, Godfrey's filmmaking involves enormous amounts of developmental artworks and production materials. In addition to films and original painted cels on display, visitors will have unprecedented access to the creative processes of Bob Godfrey and to that of his studio artists that culminate in his films. The exhibition presents a thematic selection – satire,surrealism, sex – chosen from thousands of artefacts (drawings, sketches,storyboards, photographs, cutouts, documents, multilayer cels, productionequipment) from the Bob Godfrey Collection at the Animation ResearchCentre's ARC Archive, University College for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK.

Curated by Professor Suzanne Buchan, Director of the Animation Research Centre and curatorial assistants, Seymour Lavine and Aaron Wood. We are grateful to Bob Godfrey and to his family, and for support from the University College for the Creative Arts, Animation Unlimited Conference 2008, and The Gallery at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth.


The noise emitted by axial fans plays an integral role in product design. When conventional design procedures are applied, aeroacoustic properties are controlled via an extensive trial-and-error process. This involves building physical prototypes and performing acoustic measurements. In general, this procedure makes it difficult for a designer to gain an understanding of the functional relationship between noise and geometrical parameters of the fan. Hence, it is difficult for a human designer to control the aeroacoustic properties of the fan. To reduce the complexity of this process, we propose an inverse design methodology driven by a genetic algorithm. It aims to find the fan geometry for a set of given objectives. These include, most notably, the sound pressure frequency spectrum, aerodynamic efficiency, pressure head and flow rate. Individual bands of the sound pressure frequency spectrum may be controlled implicitly as a function of certain geometric parameters of the fan. In keeping with inverse design theory, we represent the design of axial fans as a multi-objective, multi-parameter optimization problem. The individual geometric components of the fan (e.g., rotor blades, winglets, guide vanes, shroud and diffusor) are represented by free-form surfaces. In particular, each blade of the fan is parameterized individually. Hence, the resulting fan is composed of geometrically different blades. This approach is useful when studying noise reduction. For the analysis of the flow field and associated objectives, we utilize a standard RANS solver. However, for the evaluation of the generated noise, a meshless Lattice-Boltzmann solver is employed. The method is demonstrated for a small axial fan, for which tonal noise is reduced. NOMENCLATURE N … number of blades [1]


This article shows how maps and mapping can be used as a tool in work with communities for creating a dialogue between generational and cultural groups. Through different examples, I will try to show how maps and their subsequent nature of representation can reveal much more about one's personal identity. Using maps in different ways besides simply navigating through the city can be an empowering exercise that gives us the feeling of appropriation and ownership of the wider physical, monumental and impersonal spaces that we often perceive the city to be made up of. Touching, modifying, making graphical or other interventions on the map can awaken our sense of space and our connection with the place.


Control over borders and access to the common market are key issues in the Brexit negotiations. We explore a sequential model, where the UK can commit to mobility, and the EU may constrain trade to dissuade future secession, or to punish the UK. The model highlights the importance of whether the EU views trade and labor mobility as substitutes, in line with standard trade theory, or as complements, as suggested by EU statements about inseparable freedoms. In the former case, the UK can attain its preferred mobility with impunity. Mobility and trade restrictions are higher in the latter case. While the EU's bargaining position hinges on a willingness to constrain trade, the EU does not benefit from strengthen this, say by fueling resentment about Brexit. The sequence of moves is clearly important. Our model implies that the UK moving first is optimal for both parties. This sequence is also in line with the phased approach guiding the negotiations. With uncertainty about preferences, the EU benefits from claiming to have complements preferences, irrespective of its true preferences. Uncertainty harms the UK. Nevertheless, it is worse off moving second, despite the EU's preferences then being revealed. Also, if the EU has substitute preferences it could gain from committing to complement preference behavior. Finally, we discuss the scope for efficient bargaining taking the inefficient equilibrium points as points of departure. We note that contributions to the EU budget could potentially substitute for trade restrictions, thereby contributing to a more efficient outcome.


Spurious back-reflections can be a source of concern in photonic integrated circuits. This is especially true in circuits containing amplifiers, but even in passive circuits, small reflections can already have a strong influence on circuit performance. It is known that strong back-reflections can be present when using a 2×1 MMI as a combiner. We investigate methods for reducing these spurious reflections in a generic integration technology. We present a novel MMI shape which is able to reduce reflections by more than 20 dB.


BACKGROUND
Melioidosis is less common in children than adults. The clinical spectrum of disease varies greatly between the 2 groups. Treatment guidelines are currently based on adult studies, and revision of existing guidelines is necessary to instruct specific pediatric management.

METHODS
Culture-confirmed cases of melioidosis in the Northern Territory between 1989 and 2013 were identified from the Prospective Melioidosis Study. The epidemiology and clinical spectrum of disease for children aged ≤ 16 years were analyzed and compared with the adult data.

RESULTS
Forty-five pediatric patients were identified, representing 5% of the total 820 melioidosis cases over 24 years. Most children (84%) had no recognized risk factors for melioidosis, and 80% presented during the wet season. Primary cutaneous melioidosis was the commonest presentation in children (60% vs 13%; P < .001), whereas pneumonia predominated in adults (54% vs 20%; P < .001). Bacteremia was less common in children than in adults (16% vs 59%; P < .001). Brainstem encephalitis occurred in 3 children without risk factors. Children were more likely to report an inoculating event (42%; P < .001). There was no difference in mortality between the groups (P = .178), with 3 children dying (7%); all had identifiable risk factors. Four children with cutaneous melioidosis were successfully treated with oral therapy alone, while 2 had skin lesions that resolved spontaneously.

CONCLUSIONS
Pediatric melioidosis commonly manifests as localized cutaneous disease in immunocompetent hosts. The disease can be fatal, especially in individuals with risk factors for disease. Melioidosis with encephalomyelitis can result in severe residual disability. Prompt diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion in endemic areas.


The age at which students enter school is increasing. More parents are delaying their child's entry, and U.S. states are moving school entry cutoffs earlier, mainly because older students outperform younger ones on many educational outcomes. Much of the literature interprets advantages held by older students as benefits to entering school older, but because entering older means being older when students take tests, it is unknown if performance differences are attributable to entry age or test age. Policy and parent behavior depend on which age effect matters more. Using a natural experiment from the province of British Columbia, Canada, that temporarily altered entry dates, I estimate an upper bound of the test age effect and a lower bound of the entry age effect. Results show that the upper bound of the test age effect is much larger than the lower bound of the entry age effect.


Author(s): Morris, Jonathan Michael | Advisor(s): Fleming, Graham R | Abstract: In photosynthesis, solar energy is absorbed and converted into chemical energy. Chlorophyll embedded in proteins absorb light and transfer excitation energy to reaction centers where charge separation occurs. However, the solar flux incident on photosynthetic organisms is highly variable, requiring complex feedback systems to regulate the excitation pressure on reaction centers and prevent excess absorbed energy from causing damage. Upon exposure to transient high intensity light, processes to dissipate excess absorbed energy are activated. This is routinely observed upon exposure of a photosynthetic sample to actinic light as the quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence, and often broadly referred to as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Understanding NPQ and its regulation at a quantitative and mechanistic level is an important challenge for optimizing crop yields and design of biomimetic solar devices for energy harvesting.The regulation of NPQ allows for photosynthetic organisms to responds to changes in light intensity that occur on multiple timescales, from as little as a few seconds due to e.g. changes in shading of a leaf, to daily oscillations due to the position of the sun in the sky, and even seasonal oscillations. Various biochemical regulators of NPQ have been identified from measurements of the chlorophyll fluorescence of model organisms upon chemical and genetic manipulation. In vascular plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, the rapidest regulation of NPQ is triggered by a pH gradient across the thylakoid membrane (∆pH) that is mediated by the PsbS protein. ∆pH simultaneously regulates the concentration of various xanthophylls, that are thought to influence direct photochemical mechanisms of quenching via the chemical composition of pigment-protein complexes and structural aspects of pigment-protein complex fluctuations and membrane organizations. However, the various regulatory responses often depend on shared biochemical regulatory components, such as the accumulation of the carotenoid zeaxanthin or the presence of the pH-sensitive PsbS protein. This makes distinguishing contributions of different regulatory responses to the overall response a challenging problem.The biochemical regulation of NPQ ultimately activates photochemical mechanisms of energy dissipation, where excess solar energy absorbed by chromophores is dissipated via a non-radiative process to prevent photodamage. Proposed mechanisms include the nonradiative decay of an excited state of xanthophylls, a xanthophyll radical cation formation and recombination, and chlorophyll-chlorophyll charge separation and recombination. However, the electronic states of the chromophores proposed to be involved in energy dissipation indicate that even small fluctuations in the protein environment could preference which mechanisms are most favorable for any particular chromophore and therefore suggests that the quenching process is heterogeneous and dependent on a number of factors including protein conformation and membrane organization. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms through which photosynthetic systems dissipate excess energy and regulate excitation pressure in response to variable light conditions requires extensive quantitative measurements and modeling of the photosynthetic system and energy dissipation.Developing a comprehensive understanding of the regulation of NPQ and the underlying photochemical mechanisms of energy dissipation is an challenging question in the study of NPQ and photosynthesis. Although numerous elements of the regulatory response of NPQ have been identified, each of the elements of the regulatory response occur on various timescales that contribute to the overall response. What are the timescales of these regulatory responses? What are the mechanisms of energy dissipation and which do various regulatory processes activate? How much do these mechanisms contribute to the overall quenching response? This work describes attempts to address these questions through the use of time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) measurements of the chlorophyll fluorescence of Arabidopsis thaliana over multiple periods of exposure to high intensity actinic light and subsequent dark recovery to inform kinetic modeling of the regulation in order to attempt to distinguish features of the regulatory processes and connect the regulatory processes to proposed photochemical mechanisms of energy dissipation in a quantitative manner. The work makes important steps toward the ability to incorporate energy dissipation into first principles models of the photosynthetic system that relate membrane scale models of energy transfer to experimental observations, and establishing predictive models of how modifications of the regulatory systems will influence the resulting quenching and yields of photosynthesis for the optimization of crop yields.Chapter 1 contains a review discussing efforts to model energy dissipation, or quenching, in Arabidopsis thaliana and their connections to models of regulatory systems that control quenching. First, theory used to describe energy transfer and experimental data obtained to construct energy transfer models of the photosynthetic antenna system that underlie the interpretation of chlorophyll fluorescence quenching is reviewed. Second, experimental evidence leading to proposed molecular mechanisms of quenching and the implications for modeling are discussed. The initial incorporation of depictions of proposed mechanisms into quantitative energy transfer models is reviewed. Finally, the necessity of connecting energy transfer models that include molecular models of quenching mechanisms with regulatory models is discussed.Chapter 2 discusses experimental TCSPC measurements were performed on Arabidopsis thaliana to quantify the dependence of the response of NPQ to changes in light intensity on the presence and accumulation of zeaxanthin and lutein. Measurements were performed on wild type and mutant plants deficient in one or both of the xanthophylls, as well as a transgenic line that accumulates lutein via an engineered lutein epoxide cycle. Changes in the response of NPQ to light acclimation in wild type and mutant plants were observed between two successive light acclimation cycles, suggesting that the character of the rapid and reversible response of NPQ in fully dark-acclimated plants is substantially different than in conditions plants are likely to experience due to changes in light intensity during daylight. Mathematical models of the response of zeaxanthin- and lutein-dependent reversible NPQ were constructed that accurately describe the observed differences between the light acclimation periods. Finally, the wild-type response of NPQ was reconstructed from isolated components present in mutant plants with a single common scaling factor, which enabled deconvolution of the relative contributions of zeaxanthin- and lutein- dependent NPQ.Chapter 3 discuses measurements undertaken In order to simultaneously resolve timescales of regulatory processes operating on different timescales, but with shared biochemical regulators, TCSPC measurements were performed on several Arabidopsis thaliana mutants during periodic actinic light exposure. Over successive periods of actinic light, TCSPC measurements show distinct intra-period and inter-period dynamics and demonstrate complex roles of the biochemical regulators PsbS and zeaxanthin in both fast and slow timescale responses of NPQ. Comparison between mutant lines suggests evidence of a role of PsbS in the longer timescale quenching response not previously emphasized. Finally, a mathematical model was constructed demonstrating how short timescale, rapidly reversible quenching processes and longer timescale quenching processes combine to produce the overall quenching response.Chapter 4 discusses aspects of analyzing and interpreting snapshot fluorescence lifetime data obtained from in vivo samples using complex actinic exposure patterns to probe and quantify aspects of the regulatory response of quenching. First, a technique involving interleaving data from measurements on separate leaves to achieve increased actinic timescale resolution is discussed, including the application of filters to remove artifacts of leaf-to-leave systematic variability that introduce high frequency oscillation in the data. Second, the application of singular value decomposition on complex data sets for validation and filtering is discussed.Chapter 5 summarizes conclusions of this work and provides an outlook towards future steps necessary for the optimization of crop yields.


Simple modeling is proposed to represent the screening of gene polymorphisms for association with a progressive disease of insidious onset such as Alzheimer's disease. The modeling demonstrates that when a polymorphism affects the rate of progression as well as the risk of disease, the correct interpretation of DNA data requires an accurate sampling of the living, diseased population. Furthermore, in this population, the effect of the polymorphism on disease risk cannot be distinguished from a corresponding effect on the rate of progression of the disease, and a null result does not preclude a significant effect of the gene on the disease. By contrast, when the population is sampled either at time of diagnosis or at autopsy, the effect of the polymorphism on disease frequency can be directly related to the frequency of the polymorphism in the sample, but evaluating the rate of disease progression requires additional data. When the only available data are obtained from a live patient population, substantial differences in interpretation can result from subtle differences in the patient selection protocol. When existing DNA databases are used in which this protocol is not well characterized, there is a corresponding uncertainty introduced into the deduced effect of the polymorphism on disease risk and rate of progression.


Calliphora augur (Fabricius) and Calliphora dubia (Macquart) are two widespread and endemic Australian blowflies of applied importance. In order to better understand the biology of these species, this study used historical, field and laboratory data to determine and interpret their distributions. Locality records from insect collections and the literature were used to determine the known distributions of each species. The resultant maps were partially verified with field trapping data for each species. Calliphora augur was found to dominate in the east of Australia, while C. dubia dominates in the west. Comparative laboratory and field experiments were also used to derive parameters defining the distributions of these two closely related species, particularly in relation to temperature and moisture. Calliphora dubia had a greater tolerance for dry stress and high temperatures than C. augur, although maggots of both species displayed similar developmental temperature preferences. No difference was seen between species in the impact of low temperatures on the development of maggots through to the pupal stage. The greater ability of C. dubia to tolerate adverse environmental conditions is most likely linked to the shared evolutionary history of both species, in which increased aridity in central Australia is proposed to have triggered speciation by separating ancestral populations: C. dubia evolved in the hot, dry conditions in the west of Australia, while C. augur evolved in the cooler, moist environment of the east. Improved understanding of the influences on the distributions of these common Australian blowflies will assist in the further study of their application to agriculture and forensic science.


: Self-driving vehicles must perceive and predict the future positions of nearby actors to avoid collisions and drive safely. A deep learning module is often responsible for this task, requiring large-scale, high-quality training datasets. Due to high labeling costs, active learning approaches are an appealing solution to maximizing model performance for a given labeling budget. However, despite its appeal, there has been little scientific analysis of active learning approaches for the perception and prediction (P&P) problem. In this work, we study active learning techniques for P&P and find that the traditional active learning formulation is ill-suited. We thus introduce generalizations that ensure that our approach is both cost-aware and allows for fine-grained selection of examples through partially labeled scenes. Extensive experiments on a real-world dataset suggest significant improvements across perception, prediction, and downstream planning tasks.


This article reflects upon a decade of developments in the organization of organized crime policing, particularly within the international context. The review illustrates that the policing (in its widest sense) of organized crime is based on certain prerequisites. Other actors besides law enforcement agencies have key roles to play. The creation of an appropriate instrumental framework is equally as important as having competent and appropriate agencies in place. The multiplicity of interests beg questions about what is feasible in the co-ordination of organized crime policing, given that organized crime is a global phenomenon beyond the scope of any one agency or jurisdiction to deal with alone.


Scanning impedance imaging (SII) uses a noncontacting electrical probe held at a known voltage and scanned over a thin sample on a ground plane in a conductive medium to obtain images of current. The current image is related in a nonlinear way to the conductivity of the sample. This paper develops the theory behind SII showing how the measured current relates to the desired conductivity. Also included is the development of a simplified, linear model that is effective in explaining many of the experimental results. Good agreement of the linear model with step-response data over an insulator is shown. The linear model shows that the current is a blurred version of the conductivity. Simple deblurring methods can, therefore, be applied to obtain relative conductivity images from the raw current data. Raw SII data from a flower-petal and a leaf sample are shown as well as relative conductivity images deblurred using the linear model


The Implications of Tax Reforms on Firm Valuation and Management Decisions* Due to accounting conventions and accrual concepts, actual cash receipts and actual cash outlays resulting from investment in real assets vary from the reported accounting numbers. Firms may accelerate or delay recognition of investment expenditures as represented by depreciation schedules and are permitted discretion in the assignment of inventory expense according to standard accounting practices. Public Policy that ultimately aims to encourage real investment must balance the needs for disclosure and public welfare with investment incentives. As a result, public policy makers should desire to encourage investment, while at the same time they should lead capital markets to anticipate the benefits of such activities. Management, on the other hand, needs to synchronize investment and policy decisions with the financial market. Thus, management must anticipate how the financial markets will view its actions following tax law changes. The tax reform acts in the early 1980's had a number of countervailing influences with regard to new investment. Meyer [16] documents an increase in capital expenditures following the implementation of the tax acts. Dopuch and Pincus [19] examine the results with regard to inventory valuation and produce inconclusive findings. However, a major unanswered question is how the financial markets reacted to the new investment. Thus, the need exists for a comprehensive model to determine the impact of accounting tax law changes on the value of the firm. The purpose of this research is to develop a model and methodology to measure market reaction to firm behavior following tax law changes and to determine whether the impact is favorable or unfavorable on firm valuation. This model will allow the management of a firm to anticipate the impact of government policy decisions that after the fundamentals of firm valuation. Economic conditions of high inflation and low business investment rates that existed in 1980 led to several policy decisions aimed at stimulating economic activity. A large portion of these policies were implemented through the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA) and its successor, the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA). ERTA and TEFRA affected real investment by altering accounting conventions regarding depreciation, investment tax credits, and inventory valuation. By focusing on the impact on the market of these tax reform acts, we also hope to be able to anticipate the impact of more recent reforms for which insufficient empirical evidence exists. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACCOUNTING CONVENTIONS AND FIRM VALUE The theories of corporate accounting and finance relate the impact of information to the market value of ownership claims of the enterprise. Information pertaining to the value of an enterprise represents signals that describe the distribution of possible returns resulting from future cash flows to investors. This information affects firm value and aggregate wealth in the economy to the extent that firms' management alter their decisions and investors alter their expectations of future behavior. As a foundation, this study follows the basic research that establishes that accounting information facilitates the process of valuing an enterprise (Beaver, Kettler, and Scholes [2], Gonedes [11], Griffin [12], Eskew and Wright [10]). Thus, we use the financial data in accounting statements to develop our model of market response to changes in tax policy. A major objective of public policy is to influence the behavior of corporate management to invest in real assets since these increase aggregate net worth. Firms will do so if they anticipate a favorable market reaction either due to increased profitability or a redistribution of profits resulting from a change in tax structure. Public policy may affect the enterprise in two ways: (1) the book value of the enterprise as changes are reflected in the financial statements and (2) the market price of the enterprise as investors revise their estimates of future returns based on the new information. …


The determination of total arsenic (tAs), inorganic As (iAs = As(III) + As(V)) and As speciation in Mexican maize tortillas has been undertaken for the first time. Hydride generation – microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry (HG-MP-AES) with tellurium (sodium tellurite Te(IV)) as the internal standard (IS) yielded tAs results in good agreement with those provided by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In seven products from local markets, tAs was found in the range of 21.8–192 μg As kg−1. Analysis of As(III), As(V), MMAs(V), and DMAs(V) by an established anion exchange liquid chromatography – ICP-MS procedure showed that iAs corresponded to 72.3–98.0% of tAs. A non-chromatographic procedure was envisioned for iAs: diluted tortilla extract or calibration solution (pH 9.0) was loaded on a strong anion exchange cartridge modified with silver chloride, iAs fraction was collected and analyzed by HG-MP-AES with IS. For tAs by HG-MP-AES (with IS) the method quantification limit was 47.6 μg As kg−1 whereas for iAs it got worse (95 μg As kg−1) due to the low recovery of this As form in SPE ( 93% while analyzing natural water with off-line quantification by any of the two atomic spectrometry techniques, indicating that the chemical matrix of tortillas was responsible for poor SPE performance. It is concluded that HG-MP-AES with IS is a cost-effective alternative for the determination of tAs that offers improved precision under a non-rigorous protocol; however, efficient separation/preconcentration of iAs by SPE is still a challenge.


As the killing of those at the margins of liberal and neoliberal sovereignty continues to be glamorized and fetishized in the name of 'democracy,' we are confronted with urgent questions about the ways in which life, death, and desire are being (re)constituted in the current political moment. The intensification of carnage wrought by empire has brought with it a renewed thrust to draw in precisely those who are the most killable into performing the work of murder. As we are seduced into empire's fold by participating, often with glee and pleasure, in the deaths of those in our own communities as well as those banished to the 'outsides' of citizenship and subjectivity, we must ask: How are these seductions produced and naturalized?1 What forms of (non)spectacular violence must be authorized to heed the promises being offered by empire? These are the central problematics this paper engages.2


We discuss an upper bound on the free distance for a rate k/n convolutional code with complexity /spl delta/. Using this bound we introduce the notion of a MDS convolutional code. We also give an algebraic way of constructing binary codes of rate 1/2 and large complexity. The obtained distances compare favorably to the distances found by computer searches and probabilistic methods.


The biomimetic diiron complex 4-(N2)2, featuring two terminally bound Fe-N2 centers bridged by two hydrides, serves as a model for two possible states along the pathway by which the enzyme nitrogenase reduces N2. One is the Janus intermediate E4(4H), which has accumulated 4[e-/H+], stored as two [Fe-H-Fe] bridging hydrides, and is activated to bind and reduce N2 through reductive elimination (RE) of the hydride ligands as H2. The second is a possible RE intermediate. 1H and 14N 35 GHz ENDOR measurements confirm that the formally Fe(II)/Fe(I) 4-(N2)2 complex exhibits a fully delocalized, Robin-Day type-III mixed valency. The two bridging hydrides exhibit a fully rhombic dipolar tensor form, T ≈ [- t, + t, 0]. The rhombic form is reproduced by a simple point-dipole model for dipolar interactions between a bridging hydride and its "anchor" Fe ions, confirming validity of this model and demonstrating that observation of a rhombic form is a convenient diagnostic signature for the identification of such core structures in biological centers such as nitrogenase. Furthermore, interpretation of the 1H measurements with the anchor model maps the g tensor onto the molecular frame, an important function of these equations for application to nitrogenase. Analysis of the hyperfine and quadrupole coupling to the bound 14N of N2 provides a reference for nitrogen-bound nitrogenase intermediates and is of chemical significance, as it gives a quantitative estimate of the amount of charge transferred between Fe and coordinated N, a key element in N2 activation for reduction.


The application of a 3-dimensional Lagrangian vortex particle method has been assessed for modelling the near-wake of an axisymmetrical actuator disc and 3-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine with prescribed circulation from the MEXICO (Model EXperiments In COntrolled conditions) experiment. The method was developed in the framework of the opensource Parallel Particle-Mesh library for handling the efficient data-parallelism on a CPU (Central Processing Unit) cluster, and utilized a O(N logN)-type fast multipole method for computational acceleration. Simulations with the actuator disc resulted in a wake expansion, velocity deficit profile, and induction factor that showed a close agreement with theoretical, numerical, and experimental results from literature. Also the shear layer expansion was present; the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the shear layer was triggered due to the round-off limitations of a numerical method, but this instability was delayed to beyond 1 diameter downstream due to the particle smoothing. Simulations with the 3-bladed turbine demonstrated that a purely 3-dimensional flow representation is challenging to model with particles. The manifestation of local complex flow structures of highly stretched vortices made the simulation unstable, but this was successfully counteracted by the application of a particle strength exchange scheme. The axial and radial velocity profile over the near wake have been compared to that of the original MEXICO experiment, which showed close agreement between results.


Background Researching people with herpes simplex virus (HSV) is challenging because of poor data quality, low user engagement, and concerns around stigma and anonymity. Objective This project aimed to improve data collection for a real-world HSV registry by identifying predictors of HSV infection and selecting a limited number of relevant questions to ask new registry users to determine their level of HSV infection risk. Methods The US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2015-2016) database includes the confirmed HSV type 1 and type 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively) status of American participants (14-49 years) and a wealth of demographic and health-related data. The questionnaires and data sets from this survey were used to form two data sets: one for HSV-1 and one for HSV-2. These data sets were used to train and test a model that used a random forest algorithm (devised using Python) to minimize the number of anonymous lifestyle-based questions needed to identify risk groups for HSV. Results The model selected a reduced number of questions from the NHANES questionnaire that predicted HSV infection risk with high accuracy scores of 0.91 and 0.96 and high recall scores of 0.88 and 0.98 for the HSV-1 and HSV-2 data sets, respectively. The number of questions was reduced from 150 to an average of 40, depending on age and gender. The model, therefore, provided high predictability of risk of infection with minimal required input. Conclusions This machine learning algorithm can be used in a real-world evidence registry to collect relevant lifestyle data and identify individuals' levels of risk of HSV infection. A limitation is the absence of real user data and integration with electronic medical records, which would enable model learning and improvement. Future work will explore model adjustments, anonymization options, explicit permissions, and a standardized data schema that meet the General Data Protection Regulation, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and third-party interface connectivity requirements.


Nominal schemas have recently been introduced as a new approach for the integration of DL-safe rules into the Description Logic framework. The efficient processing of knowledge bases with nominal schemas remains, however, challenging. We address this by extending the well-known optimisation of absorption as well as the standard tableau calculus to directly handle the (absorbed) nominal schema axioms. We implement the resulting extension of standard tableau calculi in a novel reasoning system and we integrate further optimisations. In our empirical evaluation, we show the effect of these optimisations and we find that the proposed approach performs well even when compared to other DL reasoners with dedicated rule support.


Following the approaching of knowledge economy, countries worldwide pay increasing attention on technology innovation; especially at the time of a changing global economical and trade environment, technology has great influence on national competitiveness. Hence, regardless of the establishment of technological policy, the investment of R&D funds and manpower, they are all closely connected to national overall objectives, which have crucial impact on the promotion of national competitiveness. This research is an exploratory study, mainly combining competitiveness index and NIS to establish a two-stage R&D efficiency evaluation model. We gathered the information from World Competitiveness Yearbook made public by IMD, Main Science and Technology Indicators (MSTI) from OECD, statistical data from US Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO), CD-ROM data of National Science Indicators (NSI) published by International Statistical Institute (ISI) and used two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) to analyze 15 countries' R&D efficiency and its ranking in evaluation. The research found the R&D activities in six countries on technological objectives are effective after applicable NIS determined.


Implantable devices can be developed for the simultaneous monitoring of a specific group of key metabolites, identified by more complex techniques, such as mass spectroscopy- or nuclear magnetic -based analysis.. Since there is a strong correlation between metabolite concentration in the blood and in the extracellular space, often it is more convenient to locate the implant into the subcutaneous tissues, to avoid coagulation problems and long-term pharmacological therapies.


Oral lichen planus has a variable prevalence and incidence. Six distinct types of oral lichen planus have been highlighted in the literature, which can make the diagnosis difficult, especially since a patient may have two or more types at a time. The etiology and pathogenesis of this condition are the basis of a correct diagnosis, which leads to a correct treatment. Unfortunately, both etiology and pathogenesis are not completely elucidated.


Abstract: Most studies on intermarriage between groups rely on the prevalence of intermarriage to assess social boundaries. Yet the characteristics underlying the intermarriage pairings are seldom examined. In this study, I analyze intermarriage across hukou, China's household registration status of designating people as "rural" or "urban" categories based on parents' place of origin. Using Chinese General Social Surveys, I show that the intermarriage pairings do not follow the patterns of endogamous marriage across three marriage cohorts. Rather, intermarriages build on group inequalities based on hukou in which urban hukou holders are able to marry more educated rural spouses because of their urban status advantage even after controlling for the general likelihood of intermarriage, educational homogamy, and marginal differences in education between rural and urban hukou holders. However, such a status exchange relationship has weakened in the recent marriage cohort, implying a gradual blurring of hukou boundaries.


Objectives: Standards for Canadian obstetrician-gynecologists' ultrasound skills are limited and vague, especially when compared to other international oversight bodies. The primary objective was to audit the current curriculum administered to Canadian Ob/Gyn residents and secondarily, to understand self-perceived competency of final-year residents in performing Ob/Gyn ultrasound. Lastly, we sought to identify perceived barriers to incorporation of ultrasound into future practice. Methods: A paper-based cross-sectional questionnaire, distributed to two cohorts of final-year Canadian Ob/Gyn residents, asked about formal and informal ultrasound training opportunities and their perceived competency with respect to specific ultrasound skills. Participants also identified perceived obstacles to independently using ultrasound in their future practice. Results: All 16 Canadian residency programs were represented in the 81 out of the possible 167 participants (49%). Ultrasound training varied in its delivery and quantity, with 25% of programs offering no formal rotation. Formal training time was disproportionately dedicated to obstetrics compared to gynecology (85% vs. 15%). Self-reported competency for basic obstetric ultrasound skills, including presentation, placentation, and biophysical profile, was high (85-90%). Conversely, self-reported competency for gynecologic ultrasound skills, including visualisation of uterus, measurement of endometrial thickness, and ovarian morphology, was variable (20-90%). The main barrier to incorporating ultrasound into future practice was lack of adequate training. Conclusions: Canadian Ob/Gyn programs lack standardisation of ultrasound training. The imbalance in training between obstetric and gynecologic ultrasound may influence the generally low levels of self-reported competency in gynecologic skills in residents. Standardisation of ultrasound education and increasing gynecologic ultrasound training in residency are the necessary first steps in preparing Ob/Gyn graduates to use ultrasound.


Using the immunoperoxidase technique and antisera to the specific beta (beta) subunits of bovine and rat TSH, selective immunocytochemical staining was localized in a specific cell population in the pars distalis of the dog pituitary gland. These TSH cells were found to be positive to aldehyde fuchsin, alcian blue, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and aniline blue. With the performic acid-alcian blue (pH 0.2) -PAS-orange G procedure these cells stained blue-purple, demonstrating FSH/LH cells (blue or turquoise), ACTH/MSH cells (red-purple) and PRL cells (orange-red). The TSH cells were further differentiated from other functional cell types of the pars distalis on the basis of their typical cytological features, intraglandular distribution and by immunocytochemical double staining. In the pars distalis of adult male dogs the TSH cells were mostly shown to be smaller in size and less numerous than in bitches in the anestrous phase of the sexual cycle. Moreover, cytological alterations in the immunoreactive thyrotrophs in the pituitary of male and female dogs generally paralleled the spontaneous changes in thyroid function associated with thyroid atrophy and/or pituitary insufficiency, and thyroid hyperplasia or goiter. In conclusion, because of their specificity and high potency, the antisera to the beta-subunits of bovine and rat TSH represent an effective tool for the selective immunocytochemical localization of TSH in the dog pituitary. This allows the study of the morphology and function of TSH cells under different physiological, pathological and experimental conditions.


Graph neural networks (GNNs) are able to leverage the structure of graph data by passing messages along the edges of the graph. While this allows GNNs to learn features depending on the graph structure, for certain graph topologies it leads to inefficient information propagation and a problem known as oversquashing. This has recently been linked with the curvature and spectral gap of the graph. On the other hand, adding edges to the message-passing graph can lead to increasingly similar node representations and a problem known as oversmoothing. We propose a computationally efficient algorithm that prevents oversquashing by systematically adding edges to the graph based on spectral expansion. We combine this with a relational architecture, which lets the GNN preserve the original graph structure and provably prevents oversmoothing. We find experimentally that our algorithm outperforms existing graph rewiring methods in several graph classification tasks.


Background Cognitive impairment is increasingly being found to be a common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study sought to understand the relationship of comprehensively measured cognitive function with COPD severity, quality of life, living situation, health care utilization, and self-management abilities. Methods Subjects with COPD were recruited from the outpatient pulmonary clinic. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). Self-management abilities were measured using the Self Management Ability Score 30. Quality of life was measured using the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire. Pearson correlation was used to assess the bivariate association of the MOCA with other study measures. Multivariate analysis was completed to understand the interaction of the MOCA and living situation on COPD outcomes of hospitalization, quality of life, and self-management ability. Results This study included 100 participants of mean age 70±9.4 years (63% male, 37% female) with COPD (mean FEV1 [forced expiratory volume in 1 second] percentage predicted 40.4±16.7). Mean MOCA score was 23.8±3.9 with 63% of patients having mild cognitive impairment. The MOCA was negatively correlated with age (r=−0.28, P=0.005) and positively correlated with education (r=+0.24, P=0.012). There was no significant correlation between cognitive function and exacerbations, emergency room (ER) visits, or hospitalizations. There was no association between the MOCA score and self-management abilities or quality of life. We tested the interaction of living situation and the MOCA with self-management abilities and found statistical significance (P=0.017), indicating that individuals living alone with higher cognitive function report lower self-management abilities. Conclusion Cognitive impairment in COPD does not appear to be meaningfully associated with COPD severity, health outcomes, or self-management abilities. The routine screening for cognitive impairment due to a diagnosis of COPD may not be indicated. Living alone significantly affects the interaction between self-management abilities and cognitive function.


The article deals with the study of dynamics of population mortality in the Russian Federation as a result of acute intoxications in 2001-2010. In the Russian Federation, during the examined period, population mortality due to casual acute alcoholic intoxications decreased up to 2.1 times. The most rapid race of mortality decrease occurred in the Central Federal Okrug and the slowest race was established in the Siberian Okrug. The highest population mortality rate as a result of alcoholic intoxications is in the Siberian Okrug and the lowest ones--in the South Okrug. The analysis of mortality rates as a result of chemical intoxications and their dynamics will allow to assess the toxicological situation and to determine the strategic directions of preventive activities in the area of chemical security on the regional level.


Ensuring security is essential in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) since a variety of applications of WSNs, including military, medical and industrial sectors, require several kinds of security services such as confidentiality, authentication, and integrity. However, ensuring security is not trivial in WSNs because of the limited resources of the sensor nodes. This has led a lot of researchers to focus on a symmetric key cryptography which is computationally lightweight, but requires a shared key between the sensor nodes. Public key cryptography (PKC) not only solves this problem gracefully, but also provides enhanced security services such as non-repudiation and digital signatures. To take advantage of PKC, each node must have a public key of the corresponding node via an authenticated method. The most widely used way is to use digital signatures signed by a certificate authority which is a part of a public key infrastructure (PKI). Since traditional PKI requires a huge amount of computations and communications, it can be heavy burden to WSNs. In this paper, we propose our own energy efficient and scalable PKI for WSNs. This is accomplished by taking advantage of heterogeneous sensor networks and elliptic curve cryptography. Our proposed PKI is analyzed in terms of security, energy efficiency, and scalability. As you will see later, our PKI is secure, energy efficient, and scalable.


In this paper, we present architecture, circuit implementation and integration issues of an embedded smart system for innovative, long-range interconnected identification/sensor network in warehouse and intelligent goods distribution systems. The network is interconnected via IEEE 802.11 and ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless air interfaces. A self-powered, ultra-low power UWB transceiver with BPSK modulation is designed for transponders and implemented in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. Low power consumption is achieved by developing innovative circuit and system architectures. Instead of pumping up energy from the Gaussian pluses emitted by the reader, a power converter draws energy from the 802.11 access point and its surrounding electromagnetic waves. Functionality of the transceiver is verified and integration issues for smart labels are investigated on thin foils of liquid crystal polymer.


Natural gas in the Polish Rotliegend Basin occurs in porous and permeable aeolian sandstones, and traps are mostly structural. Lithological traps are rare and occur on the northern slope of the Wolsztyn Ridge where fluvial and aeolian sandstones overlap with alluvial facies. Both fluvial and aeolian sandstones are reservoir rocks in this area. The X-ray micro computed tomography (MCT) results and microscopic observations indicate that the sandstones in lithologic traps on the northern slope of the Wolsztyn Ridge form highly compartmentalized vertical reservoir rocks composed of four types of sandstones. The profiles are dominated by very low-porosity fluvial sandstones (F2), and low-porosity aeolian and fluvial sandstones (A2, F1). The A1 type of sandstones with high porosity (10%) occurs only in some sections of the profiles. The most important diagenetic processes that reduced porosity were compaction and cementation by carbonate cements. All studied sandstones were subjected to the same diagenetic processes. However, each of the processes ran with varying intensity in different types of sandstones. Detailed analyses of pore distribution by MCT methods with respect to primary depositional or lithofacies effects, and secondary diagenetic effects, help to understand the 3D geometry of pores and pore shape-size distributions. The results can be used in the studies of other sandstones with a different origin and age


Superficial bladder cancer is characterized by a high incidence of recurrence and a low risk of progression. Cystoscopy has been the mainstay for bladder cancer detection with additional information provided by urine cytology. Several new markers, including the BTA series of markers, NMP22 and FDP, have been approved for clinical use; numerous others continue to be evaluated. Markers help to detect clinically occult bladder cancer and to increase the interval of cystoscopic evaluation. The former indication emphasizes specificity (if a marker has high specificity, the marker-directed biopsies are frequently positive) and the latter, sensitivity (if a marker has high sensitivity, there is a low risk of deferring cystoscopy when bladder cancer is present). Because no marker or combination of markers has 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity, the selection of markers for clinical use rests on the desired objective and the performance characteristics of the available assays.


Background: The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 allows doctors and others to act on behalf of adult patients deemed incapable of making, communicating or understanding decisions, by reason of mental disorder or inability to communicate due to physical disability.Aims: We reviewed the knowledge and understanding of the Act in a sample of healthcare workers in a Teaching Hospital. Methods: A sample of healthcare workers working in acute Medicine of the Elderly wards in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was surveyed between July and August 2009 with the aid of a questionnaire. Participants were then given a one-page information sheet about the Act, after which the questionnaire was repeated to assess learning. Results: Both questionnaires were analysed anonymously using paired t-tests. All eighteen doctors surveyed, twenty-one (87.5%) nurses and three (50%) auxiliaries were aware of the Act. The level of understanding and prior training in the Act varied amongst the groups. Specifically, knowledge regarding the role of relatives in decision making was poor in all cgroups. Perceived confidence levels in use of the Act were low.Provision of a simple information sheet significantly improved understanding of the Act in nurses (p=0.0001) and nursing auxiliaries p=0.0042, but not in doctors (p=0.1881).Conclusions: Awareness of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 varied amongst staff groups in an acute Medicine of the Elderly ward with doctors being more aware than other groups. Provision of a simple information sheet improved understanding of the Act in nurses and nursing auxiliaries but not in doctors who had a higher baseline knowledge.


The Functional Mobility Assessment (FMA) instrument is a self-report outcome tool, designed to measure the effectiveness of Wheeled Mobility and Seating (WMS) interventions for people with disabilities (PWD). To describe the psychometric properties of the FMA's test-retest reliability, a repeated-measures cohort study was conducted. The specific aims of the study included examining the test-retest reliability of the FMA and determining to what extent each self-reported performance item remained stable when clients responded twice to the same questions over a time period of no less than one week and no more than three weeks. Participants were recruited from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's (UPMC) Center for Assistive Technology (CAT). The study sample involved 20 participants who were non-wheelchair or scooter users but in the process of being evaluated for a device (Non-WMS users) and 21 participants who were being evaluated for a replacement device (Existing WMS users). These 41 participants completed an initial FMA questionnaire. After obtaining the initial assessment, the FMA was administered a second time, within 7-21 days. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were computed to determine agreement between the two scores. Test-retest reliability scores for all items and participants were above the acceptable value of > 0.80 for a clinical assessment tool, except "Health Needs" and "Reach" for the Non-WMS users, and "Transfers" and "Carry out daily routine" for Existing WMS users. Existing WMS users had higher total scores (greater satisfaction) on the FMA than Non-WMS users. Results indicate that the FMA was a reliable and stable tool for assessing satisfaction of individuals who use or need WMS interventions. Future studies should include larger samples and recruit participants from multiple sites.


The work reported in this thesis involved the exploration of 12 year old children's conceptions of inheritance. Results derived from interviews and from videotaped recordings of small group discussions, indicate that children's conceptions of inheritance are well developed before they are formally taught these notions in school. A series of open-ended problem solving tasks were designed to elicit student's conceptions and to facilitate group discussion. Results suggest that children's conceptions of inherited characteristics are heterogeneous and 'organized' in a highly flexible way. A research model, based on the notion of conceptual ecosystems, was developed to provide a framework for data analysis. Features of conceptual ecosystems are described. It is suggested that such systems are characterised by their 'openness', adaptiveness and resilience. Results suggest that the heterogeneity, flexibility and fluctuating character of such ecosystems confer on conceptions the ability both to transform well and to resist change well. The study describes how these characteristics of resilience and adaptiveness are displayed in the cognitive and social interactions of individual students. A theory of conceptual change is advanced which considers learning as a series of continuous qualitative changes made by the learner to existing personal conceptions. The significance of these 'metatransitions' is discussed in the light of existing teaching and learning strategies. It is suggested that conceptual change can be facilitated by helping students to make their existing conceptions explicit, co-active and interactive within conceptual ecosystems. The social and cognitive consequences of conceptual conflict, disagreement and consensus are described. It is proposed that an ecosystemic view of children's conceptions may help explain and overcome the difficulties experienced by students when they try to reconcile scientific concepts with their existing conceptions.


The residual stress distribution in plasma-sprayed zirconia thermal barrier coatings subjected to cyclic thermal gradient testing was evaluated using Raman piezospectroscopy and finite element computation. The thermal gradient testing (approximately 440°C /mm at temperature), consisted of repeated front-side heating with a flame and constant cooling of the back-side of the substrate either with front-side radiative cooling only or with additional forced air cooling between the heating cycles. The coatings exhibited characteristic "mud-cracking" with the average crack spacing dependent on the cooling treatment. This is consistent with finite element calculations and Raman spectroscopy measurements in which the sudden drop in coating surface temperature on initial cooling leads to a large biaxial tension at the surface. The key to proper interpretation of the Raman shifts is that the stress-free Raman peaks need to be corrected for shifts associated with the evolution of the metastable tetragonal phase with aging. DOI: 10.1115/1.4002209


Abstract This study compared the acceptability judgment task (AJT) and translation task (TT) in 10 simultaneous Turkish–Italian bilinguals with age-matched Turkish and Italian monolinguals as a control group. The position of subjects occurring with unaccusative verbs was investigated as the linguistic property. The results of the AJT in Turkish revealed no significant difference between the groups. However, in the Italian AJT, high variability was found in the younger bilinguals. Only bilinguals could participate in the TT. The participants, while translating into Turkish, always produced pragmatically appropriate sentences. In the case of translation to Italian, a significant effect correlated with the position of the subject in the Turkish stimulus was found.


This chapter outlines the core tenets of critical social theory and describes inherent issues facing evaluators conducting critical theory evaluation. Using critical pedagogy as an example, the authors describe the issues facing evaluators by developing four of the subtheories that comprise a critical social theory: (a) a theory of false consciousness, (b) a theory of crisis, (c) a theory of education, and (d) a theory of transformative action. They conclude by advocating for more, not less, attention being paid to a critical theory approach in evaluation. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.


stenosis). We report first two cases of WBS detected prenatally using SNP array analysis (HumanCytoSNP-12v2.1 Illumina). Case 1: 31-year-old primigravida, with normal first-trimester combined test, nuchal translucency of 1.8 mm and normal triple test, presented for ultrasound scan in 20 weeks. We found intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) below 5th centile and no organ anomalies. Parents after genetic counselling preferred invasive testing. Amniocentesis was performed with normal karyotype 46, XY. We went on with SNP array analysis which revealed microdeletion of 1.4 Mb in the region 7q11.23 critical for WBS. Finding was verified using FISH. Being aware of this result, an ultrasound scan (including 3D) confirmed the presence of typical facial features of WBS (long philtrum, wide mouth, bulbous nasal tip) but with no sign of VCC. Parents opted for termination of pregnancy. Autopsy found no organ anomalies. Case 2: 31-year-old primigravida with low-risk first-trimester combined test (however low PAPP-A 0.38 MoM), nuchal translucency 1.69 mm and lower t-hCG (0.43 MoM) in triple test underwent ultrasound scan at 20 weeks. The IUGR below 5th centile and serious VCC (hypoplastic left heart syndrome with valvular aortic stenosis, interrupted aortic arch) were found. Amniocentesis was performed with normal karyotype 46, XY. However, subsequent SNP array analyses revealed microdeletion of 1.4 Mb in the region 7q11.23. Parents opted for termination of pregnancy. Autopsy confirmed the previous findings. Our cases show the indispensable contribution of SNP array for prenatal diagnosis, especially in cases of IUGR, which may be the only prenatal sign of WBS as in our case one.


Abstract. The Upper Ganga River basin is socioeconomically the most important river basin in India and is highly stressed in terms of water resources due to uncontrolled land use and land cover (LULC) activities. This study presents a comprehensive set of analyses to evaluate the population growth, LULC transformations, and water quality nexus for sustainable development in this river basin. The study was conducted at two spatial scales: basin scale and district scale. First, population data were analyzed statistically to study demographic changes, followed by LULC change detection over the period of February–March 2001 to 2012 (Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data) using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) techniques. Trends and spatiotemporal variations in monthly water quality parameters, viz. biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO, measured in percentage), fluoride (F), hardness (CaCO3), pH, total coliform bacteria and turbidity, were studied using the Mann–Kendall rank test and an overall index of pollution (OIP) developed specifically for this region, respectively. A relationship was deciphered between LULC classes and OIP using multivariate techniques, viz. Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression. From the results, it was observed that population has increased in the river basin. Therefore, significant and characteristic LULC changes were observed. The river became polluted in both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, pollution is due to agricultural practices, mainly fertilizers, whereas in urban areas it is mainly contributed from domestic and industrial wastes. Water quality degradation has occurred in the river basin, and consequently the health status of the river has also changed from acceptable to slightly polluted in urban areas. Multiple linear regression models developed for the Upper Ganga River basin could successfully predict status of the water quality, i.e., OIP, using LULC classes.


Strategic narrative is a useful frame for the history-theory relationship in qualitative, historical research. It suggests that some stories and ways of constructing stories will promote theory building more than will others, enabling historical sociologists to help cumulate knowledge more effectively. Four aspects of strategic narrative are discussed and illustrated: (a) concurrent construction and mutual adjustment of history and theory, with each defined and built with reference to the other; (b) selection and construction of history in response to a clearly developed abstract, general theoretical backdrop, with attention to how that backdrop conditions building of history; (c) construction of a theoretical and historical anomaly as the starting point for a phased-in comparative research design, with each phase building narratives and comparisons around key events to answer specific theoretical questions, and all phases cumulating to respond to the full range of general theoretical issues motivating the design; and (d) formulation of clear, precise concepts, measures, and coding techniques to build history as both path-dependent action sequence and complex institutional and cultural context/conjuncture.


Social choice theory contains a number of deductive theorems on voting Methods' properties, in particular "non-existence" theorems, stating that there is no voting method complying particular rationality condition (as insusceptibility to strategic voting). These theorems, though theoretically important, have limited practical implications. When no voting method guarantees rational choice, the question of risk level connected with particular methods is raised. Such a question can be partly answered by means of computer simulations. Although simulations' results have no deductive quality, often they could be treated as statistical hypotheses. Even if statistical interpretation is impossible, simulations' results could be helpful in resolving practical problems.


Diabetes is common amongst patients with cancer. The co-occurrence of diabetes and cancer may lead to poorer prognosis and complications in patients undergoing cancer therapy. There is no randomized trial evidence that treating hyperglycaemia in patients with cancer improves outcomes, and therefore a pragmatic approach to managing hyperglycaemic in such patients is required. We discuss the management of hyperglycaemia in relation to cancer chemotherapy, glucocorticoids and enteral feeding. We also discuss management of glucose in diabetic patients with cancer approaching end of life care.


Heavy oil and tar sands are important hydrocarbon resources that are destined to play an increasingly important role in the oil supply of the world. A huge proportion of total world oil resources are in the form of these highly viscous fluids. The main recovery mechanism for these kinds of reservoirs is to somehow reduce their viscosity by the application of heat. In these extra heavy oil reservoirs, the reservoir has almost no injectivity, and therefore conventional steam flooding is hard to conduct. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), however, reduces the viscosity of bitumen in place and the heated bitumen drains due to gravity forces towards the production well, where it is produced. Modeling and evaluating the production mechanisms in this process requires a thorough understanding of multi-phase flow parameters like relative permeability.Relative permeability data depend on a number of different parameters among others temperature and fluid viscosity. Viscosities of the flowing fluids drop with temperature, which can affect the relative permeability data. There has been a long debate on the actual impact of temperature on the relative permeabilities. Although some authors have reported saturation range shifts and relative permeability curve variations by temperature, others have attributed these variations to artifacts inherent in the methods used and the systems tested. Viscous instabilities and fingering issues have been blamed for temperature dependencies reported, and some researchers have reported that relative permeability data changes due to oil/water viscosity ratio changes at different temperatures.The variations in the experimental conditions have resulted in different and even contradictory results. There is specifically few experimental works conducted on Athabasca oil systems, and previously reported trends mainly apply to less viscous oils. This implies that the actual effect of temperature on flow behavior of fluids in the rock is case specific. Due to the contradictory reports and conclusions, which are due to variation in the systems being tested, it seemed necessary to conduct our own core flooding experiments, and investigate the curves of relative permeability. The objective was to obtain the imbibition relative permeability curves in an Athabasca oil type reservoir at different temperatures and oil viscosities, and figure out any possible trends of variations with temperature.Before conducting the core flooding experiments, some fluid behavior experiments were done to figure out the properties of bitumen used in this study. These include fluid compositions, density, viscosity, molecular weight and oil/steam interfacial tension. These properties were further used in numerical simulation studies.Core floodings were conducted on glass bead packs and sand packs saturated with heavy oils with varying viscosities. Displacement experiments with water were performed at different temperatures, and unsteady-state method of relative permeability measurement was conducted. The relative permeability data were determined by history matching the oil production data and pressure differential data in each experiment.Results indicated a change in the water saturation range in the oil-water relative permeability curves. The shift was towards higher water saturations, meaning an increase in irreducible water saturation and a decrease in residual oil saturation. Regarding the shape of relative permeability data, no unique trend of either rising or falling with temperature was found for oil and water relative permeability curves. The viscous instabilities are believed to be present in the experiments.As the same saturation range shift occurs by comparing the results at the same temperature level and by only changing the oil viscosity, this suggests that the temperature dependency of relative permeabilities can be attributed to the drop in oil to water viscosity ratio by temperature.The variations of relative permeability data with temperature was therefore found to be more related to artifacts in the experimental procedures like viscous fingering, and fluid viscosity changes than fundamental flow properties.Numerical simulations were accomplished on field scale SAGD and ES-SAGD (Expanding Solvent SAGD) operations testing the effect of relative permeability curves. Temperature dependent relative permeability data were tested and Oil production was found to be strongly dependant on the end point data. It is therefore suggested to use this option as a matching criterion when trying to history match SAGD field data.Since the main experimental part of this study deals with temperature dependency of relative permeability data, the introduction of this thesis is totally devoted to introducing this concept and its measurement methods and a literature review on the works performed so far. The main thesis is composed of three main parts, the fluid behavior experiments on bitumen, one-dimensional flow studies and multi-dimensional flow part. The results of fluid behavior experiments are given in chapter 2. Chapters 3 and 4 are devoted to one-dimensional flow works and chapters 5 and 6 present the part of this thesis dealing with two and three-dimensional flow. It should, however, be mentioned that chapters 4 to 6 can be read independently, as the contents of these chapters are taken from previously published papers with some minor revisions.


Since decades, the dental profession has been challenged by pain and dysfunction of the masticatory system. In recent years, a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of masticatory pain paralleled the increase of basic and clinical research focusing on pain in general. Consequently, so-called diagnostic techniques and treatment procedures, based upon hypothetical, sometimes dogmatic, etiological mechanisms, are increasingly questioned, and the ill-supported thoughts are gradually replaced by research-based insights. In addition, a better communication between basic scientists, researchers, and medical or dental practitioners focusing on musculoskeletal pain, has led to an improved quality of research on pain and dysfunction of the masticatory muscles and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This paper will try to review this progress, comment on the clinical implications, and give some suggestions for future research.