Summary and Conclusions
The results of our studies of the liver in 25 cases of malaria were as follows:
1.
The thymol flocculation test and the iodine test showed positive reactions in 92 per cent and 46 per cent of the series, respectively. The iodine test was more sensitive in cases of malaria with clinical hepatitis while the thymol flocculation test showed a positive reaction in almost every case of malaria (with or without clinically evident hepatitis). Correlation between the positive reactions of these two tests was not evident in our series.
2.
In this series 28 per cent of cases showed clinical symptoms of hepatitis. The species of parasite and degree of parasitemia seem to be the important factors in causing the symptom. But hepatic dysfunction, which commonly occurred, did not depend upon either species of parasite or degree of parasitemia.
3.
Of the series of cases 83 per cent showed malarial pigment in Kupffer cells. Of these infections, 63.2 per cent were caused by Plasmodium falciparum and 36.8 per cent by Plasmodium vivax.
4.
We found that pigment could be demonstrated in the liver as early as 6 days after commencement of the clinical attack and as long as 6 months after beginning treatment. The time of disappearance of the pigment depended upon the amount of pigment deposited at the beginning of infection. The amount of pigment in the liver depended on the duration or chronicity of the disease as well as the time when biopsy was performed after the beginning of treatment.
5.
A constant relation between hepatic dysfunction, amount of pigment, degree of parasitemia and pathological changes in the liver could not be demonstrated in our series of observations.


Temporal changes in the power of the longwave radiation of the system Earth-atmosphere emitted to space always lag behind changes in the power of absorbed solar radiation due to slow change of its enthalpy. That is why the debit and credit parts of the average annual energy budget of the terrestrial globe with its air and water envelope are practically always in an unbalanced state. Average annual balance of the thermal budget of the system Earth-atmosphere during long time period will reliably determine the course and value of both an energy excess accumulated by the Earth or the energy deficit in the thermal budget which, with account for data of the TSI forecast, can define and predict well in advance the direction and amplitude of the forthcoming climate changes. From early 90s we observe bicentennial decrease in both the TSI and the portion of its energy absorbed by the Earth. The Earth as a planet will henceforward have negative balance in the energy budget which will result in the temperature drop in approximately 2014. Due to increase of albedo and decrease of the greenhouse gases atmospheric concentration the absorbed portion of solar energy and the influence of the greenhouse effect will additionally decline. The influence of the consecutive chain of feedback effects which can lead to additional drop of temperature will surpass the influence of the TSI decrease. The onset of the deep bicentennial minimum of TSI is expected in 2042±11, that of the 19 th Little Ice Age in the past 7500 years – in 2055±11.


Three main, interrelated reasons for widespread digestive disorders in the modern world might be chronic metabolic acidosis, low exocrine pancreatic function, and intestinal dysbiosis. Chronic metabolic acidosis mainly distresses two alkaline digestive glands: the liver and pancreas, which secrete alkaline bile and pancreatic juice with a great amount of bicarbonate. The acidic shift in the bile and pancreatic juice pH can cause serious biochemical/biomechanical problems. The pancreatic digestive enzymes need an alkaline milieu to function properly; therefore, low pH disables their activity. This may be the crucial cause of indigestion. Acidification of the pancreatic juice decreases its antimicrobial activity, promoting intestinal dysbiosis. Reducing the pH of the pancreatic juice can lead to the premature activation of the proteolytic enzymes inside the pancreas, potentially leading to pancreatitis. The acidification of bile produces bile stone formation and precipitates aggressive bile acids, which irritate the entire biliary system. An aggressive combination of the acidic bile and the pancreatic juice can activate irregular spasms of the duodenum's walls and consequent bile reflux into the stomach and the esophagus. The normality of the exocrine pancreatic function is the core of proper digestion. Presently, there is no efficient and safe treatment for enhancing exocrine pancreatic function. Reinstating normal acid-base homeostasis can be a pathophysiological therapeutic approach for numerous gastrointestinal disorders. There is strong scientific research and practical evidence that restoring the HCO3 capacity in the blood can improve digestion.


Objectives: To investigate the performance of a novel flat pack toric daily disposable contact lens compared with traditionally packaged toric lenses in a randomized, crossover study. Environmental attitudes to contact lens wear were also explored. Methods: Habitual contact lens wearers were recruited to wear a hioxifilcon A (Miru 1 day Flat Pack Toric, Menicon, Nagoya, Japan) test lens and a control lens: either nelfilcon A (Dailies AquaComfort Plus, Alcon, Geneva, Switzerland) or etafilcon A (1-Day Acuvue Moist, Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ). Objective lens performance was assessed at fitting, and participants wore lenses in a randomized order for three consecutive days. Subjective measures of lens performance (comfort, vision, and handling) were then assessed by a questionnaire, with further questions on overall lens preference and environmental perceptions. Results: Objective measures of lens fit were similar for the test and control lenses, except for distance VA which was better with the control lenses (P<0.05; difference of two logMAR letters). End of day comfort was greater with the test lens, but this did not reach significance. Both lenses demonstrated similar scores for overall satisfaction. 87.5% of participants indicated the environmental impact of contact lenses to be important/extremely important to them, with 100% of participants identifying the flat pack packaging as having a smaller environmental impact. Conclusion: Overall, the lenses used in the study performed to similar levels. Environmental credentials are important to contact lens wearers, which may contribute to overall lens preference.


Positron emission tomography (PET) has shown potential benefits when used in therapeutic clinical trials for children with cancer. However, existing trials are limited in scope with small numbers of patients and varied observations, making accurate conclusions about the usefulness of PET scanning impossible. This review examines PET and its applications in pediatric oncology. While evidence is limited, there appears to be a basis for rigorous evaluation of this imaging modality before widespread application without validation from clinical trials. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:1048–1061. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract This manuscript analyzes the omni-directivity error of an electromagnetic field (EM) probe and its dependence on frequency. The global directional characteristic of a whole EM probe consists of three independent directional characteristics of EM sensors - one for each coordinate. The shape of particular directional characteristics is frequency dependent and so is the shape of the whole EM probe's global directional characteristic. This results in systematic error induced in the measurement of EM fields. This manuscript also contains quantitative formulation of such errors caused by the shape change of directional characteristics for different types of sensors depending on frequency and their mutual arrangement.


Abstract. Icing on structures is an important issue for wind energy developments in many regions of the world. Unfortunately, information about icing conditions is mostly rare due to a lack of measurements. Additionally, there is not much known about the operation of wind turbines in icing conditions. It is the aim of the current study to investigate the effect of icing on power production and to evaluate the potential of icing forecasts to help optimizing wind turbine operation. A test site with two Enercon E-82 turbines was set up in the Jura region in Switzerland in order to study the turbines' behaviour in icing conditions. Icing forecasts were performed by using an accretion model driven by results of the mesoscale weather forecast model WRF. The icing frequency at the test site is determined from pictures of a camera looking at the measurement sensors on the nacelle. The results show that the site is affected by frequent icing: 11.5 days/year of meteorological icing and 41.5 days/year of instrumental icing were observed corresponding to a factor of about four. The comparison of power production with and without blade heating shows that blade heating results in a 3.5% loss and operation without blade heating results in a 10% loss of the annual power production due to icing. Icing forecasts are performed for winter 2009/2010. Simulated and observed icing events agree well and also coincide with periods of power drop. Thus, the results suggest that icing forecasts can help to optimize the operation of wind parks in icing conditions.


We examine how the virtuality of work context influences individuals' social networks within and across work groups. Given this purpose, we develop a multilevel research framework that explores the effects of different levels of virtuality on one's intra-group tie strength and extra-group network range based on the computer-mediated communication theory, the proximity theory, and the social network theory. The results of the hierarchical linear modeling indicate that the individual-level virtuality (use of personal and communal communication technologies) significantly influences one's intra-group tie strength and extra-group network range. Moreover, the results show that the effects of individual-level virtuality on social networks vary depending on the group-level virtuality, such as geographic/temporal dispersion and technological support. By illuminating how individuals' social networks can be developed through the appropriate use of personal and communal communication technologies in the context of a virtual group, this study provides useful insights into the mechanics that underlie effective virtual work.


This article presents an approach for the modulation of an asymmetric six-phase induction machine. The developed model is formed by two sets of three-phase stator windings that are displaced by 60 degrees. Since this kind of machines can have stator windings displaced with different angles this model also allows choosing another angle. Due to the fact that the induction machine was fully implemented in real coordinates, it is possible to simulate stator and rotor faults without being necessary to change system equations, only system parameters. The simulated results are used to validate the model.


The proteolytic processing of a non-structural polyprotein segment from the cytoplasmic domain of NS2A to the C terminus of NS5 of Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) virus was examined, when expressed from cDNA via a vaccinia virus recombinant, in transiently transfected COS cells, or synthesized by cell-free translation. Cleavages mediated by the virus-encoded proteinase domain in NS3 at the junctions of NS2A-2B, NS2B-3 and NS4B-5 were catalysed efficiently. However, the cleavage at the NS3-4A junction, also mediated by the NS3 proteinase, was greatly delayed. Little or no NS3 was found, but an 85K precursor molecule accumulated; this was identified as NS3-4A. Termination codons were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis at the junctions of the NS3-4A, NS4A-4B and NS4B-5 genes to generate C-terminal truncations of the MVE virus polyprotein segment. In expression studies of these constructs the predicted NS3-mediated proteolytic cleavages were catalysed, except for that at the NS3-4A junction. In co-infections and co-transfections with constructs encoding the MVE virus nonstructural polyprotein region truncated at the C termini of NS3 or NS4A, efficient processing at the NS3-4A site was induced. Thus it appears that the MVE virus polyprotein is cleaved inefficiently in cis at the NS3-4A junction, whereas the site is processed efficiently in trans by mature NS3. The NS3-4A precursor is also seen in flavivirus-infected cells. Its function remains to be determined, but it could play a role in the replication of flavivirus, in view of the importance of polyprotein processing in the regulation of gene expression of positive-stranded RNA viruses, the modulation of processing at the NS3-4A site by NS3 or NS3-containing precursors described in the present study and the importance of NS3 as an integral part of the viral polymerase complex.


The use of the coinage metals copper, silver, and gold enables an efficient and stereo-selective assembly of bioactive heterocycles via allenic intermediates. The synthesis of functionalized allenes by SN2'-substitution or SN2'-reduction is mediated or catalyzed by copper, whereas silver and gold are the catalysts of choice for subsequent 5- or 6-endo-cyclizations. Overall, this sequence proceeds with efficient center-to-axis-to-center chirality transfer.


Background Oral route is safer and less costly than intravenous route; however, sometimes intravenous therapy is used longer than necessary. Paracetamol and omeprazole are two widely used drugs in hospitalised patients whose oral presentation have a biodisponibility similar to intravenous presentation; therefore, both are good options for sequential therapy. Purpose To implement and to analyse a program to promote sequential therapy with paracetamol and omeprazole in a general public hospital with 120 beds. Materials and methods Prospective study in hospitalised patients for 2 months (July–August 2011). The program consisted on a daily checking of intravenous paracetamol and intravenous omeprazole prescriptions by a pharmacist. If the patient could tolerate oral diet, a proposal to change to oral presentation was made. The recommendation is transmitted to prescribers by the electronic prescription program. Interventions were registered in a database and classified as accepted: change to oral presentation and rejected: no change after 5 days. Demographic characteristics were collected. Economic impact was assessed, analysing costs reduction with regard to cost drugs. Results 76 interventions were recorded (86.8% paracetamol, 13.2% omeprazole). 73 patients (53.9% men) were included; mean age 77.5 years. Mainly, patients were admitted to internal medicine (67.1%). 39.5% (paracetamol: 30.3%, omeprazole: 50.0%) of recommendations were accepted; 15.8% (paracetamol: 15.2%, omeprazole: 20.0%) of patients were discharged or medication was removed the same day; 44.7% (paracetamol: 45.5%, omeprazole: 30%) of recommendations were rejected due to patients' oral tolerability worsened. Mean response time was 0.9 days. Cost savings were 342 (paracetamol: 327, omeprazole: 15) euros. Conclusions 39.5% of recommendations resulted in change in patients' pharmacotherapy. Pharmaceutical validation improves efficiency of pharmacotherapy. Cost savings is not very high since the cost of these drugs is low. Similar programs could be implemented in some antibiotics to achieve greater savings.


This paper reviews relevant literature on quality management concepts, its brief history, its applicability by profit-making institutions and how it is now finding its way into non-profit making institutions (e.g. libraries) due to current developments. Researches done have shown that incorporating quality management in today's organisations cannot be avoided. The paper identifies common practices in libraries which are no longer relevant in today's environment and proposes the need for re-evaluation to allow for the adaption of quality management method. This paper also explains why there is a need for a paradigm shift in today's libraries or information units and suggests what could be done by the librarians to bring quality to information service unit. In addition, the paper highlights barriers encountered while attempting to apply quality management in information services in libraries/information units in today's libraries.


Although the key concept of a quota is simple - to set a limit on production - the market and welfare implications of operating a quota system are relatively complex. The purpose of the analysis reported in this paper is to address two aspects relevant to an evaluation of quota systems. First, quota is typically contingent on the existence of another policy, namely market price support, and as such, interacts with other policy tools in pursuing defined policy objectives. The paper examines analytically and empirically the trade-offs that exist among the individual policy tools for a given policy objective. Second, the paper discusses some important welfare effects of quota systems that are not often considered in the literature. It illustrates that if parts of the primary factors of production are not owned by the milk farmer and prices for purchase farm inputs are not perfectly elastic the conventionally used measure of producer surplus may understate net benefits to farmers of a quota system. Under the quota, the share of benefits flowing to owners of farm resources is magnified at the expense of input suppliers and the rent accruing to quota reduces the surplus accruing to traditional resources. A fact that aggravates the vested interests inherent to a quota.


In the southeastern Ebro basin of Spain, analysis of sequential fold history in combination with stacking patterns of conglomerate deposited in a growing syncline demonstrates the impact of local uplift attendant upon fold growth on nonmarine depositional systems in a foreland basin. The Penyagalera syncline is part of a belt of asymmetric folds developed in proximal Paleogene foreland-basin deposits by foreland-directed propagation of a detachment beneath the basin. Foreland-basin strata form a progradational succession of interbedded siltstone, sandstone, and evaporite overlain by conglomerate. Stratal stacking patterns and fold history indicate that conglomerate of the syncline marks the transition within the foreland-basin succession from foredeep to wedge-top depositional zones. The conglomerate is divided into three informal members separated by unconformities. The members are divided in turn into lithosomes separated by prominent bounding surfaces. Lithosomes represent depositional elements deposited by episodic progradation of alluvial-fan lobes. Older conglomerate members are more tightly folded than younger members, demonstrating that folding accompanied conglomerate deposition. The uplift of opposing limbs of the Penyagalera syncline was diachronous. The asymmetric syncline comprises an overturned interior (southeastern) limb and a gently dipping exterior (northwestern) limb. The interior limb rotated to a steep to slightly overturned attitude before significant rotation and uplift of the exterior limb took place. Rotation of the interior fold limb was episodic and punctuated by periods of erosion of older conglomerate. Uplift rates during rotation events along the interior limb generally were more rapid than sediment-accumulation rates and caused sediment bypass to the foreland basin; however, sediment-accumulation rates overtook uplift rates during late limb rotation, causing alluvial-fan lithosomes to onlap previously formed unconformities. Offlap, signifying a slight excess of uplift over sediment-accumulation rates, is not observed in the syncline. On the exterior limb, sedimentation rates exceeded early limb-uplift rates, but the relationship of later folding and deposition is not preserved. Most synclinal closure postdated the youngest preserved lithosomes in the fold. Young lithosomes occupy a paleocanyon incised deeply into the interior limb of the syncline and Mesozoic strata of the thrust belt. The paleocanyon was backfilled during late aggradation of the Ebro basin, an event independent of local folding.


With the growing popularity and availability of mobile communications, our ability to stay connected while on the move is becoming a reality instead of science fiction as it was just a decade ago. An important research challenge for modern location-based services is the scalable processing of location monitoring requests on a large collection of mobile objects. The centralized architecture, though studied extensively in literature, would create intolerable performance problems as the number of mobile objects grows significantly. This paper presents a distributed architecture and a suite of optimization techniques for scalable processing of continuously moving location queries. Moving location queries can be viewed as standing location tracking requests that continuously monitor the locations of mobile objects of interest and return a subset of mobile objects when certain conditions are met. We describe the design of MobiEyes, a distributed real time location monitoring system in a mobile environment. The main idea behind the MobiEyes' distributed architecture is to promote a careful partition of a real time location monitoring task into an optimal coordination of server-side processing and client-side processing. Such a partition allows evaluating moving location queries with a high degree of precision using a small number of location updates, thus providing highly scalable location monitoring services. A set of optimization techniques are used to limit the amount of computation to be handled by the mobile objects and enhance the overall performance and system utilization of MobiEyes. Important metrics to validate the proposed architecture and optimizations include messaging cost, server load, and amount of computation at individual mobile objects. We evaluate the scalability of the MobiEyes location monitoring approach using a simulation model based on a mobile setup. Our experimental results show that MobiEyes can lead to significant savings in terms of server load and messaging cost when compared to solutions relying on central processing of location information


A survey of the comparative cytological effects of growth in the presence of mercury by a group of mercury-resistant bacterial cultures and a characterization of the process of bacterial adaptation to Hg2+ ion was accomplished. Mercury resistance was found to be dependent upon the ability to volatilize mercury from the medium and upon the amount of mercury accumulated by the cells. The results indicate that most cultures which adapt to growth in the presence of HgCl2 exhibit extensive morphological abnormalities. Significant effects are delay in the onset of growth and cell division and numerous structural irregularities associated with cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane synthesis and function. A detailed analysis of the adaptation process and the resulting effects on morphology was performed on an Enterobacter sp. During the period preceding active multiplication, a selection for mercury-resistant mutants occurred. It was also demonstrated that growth commenced only at a specific threshold concentration of HG2+.


In a country where Sunni Islam is hegemonic and the place of worship of Alevis, called cemevi, is not recognized by the state, mosques function as symbolic manifestations of power. The cemevi can be interpreted as space of a counterculture or as a counter-space in urban life of Turkey. Because it is the place of worship of an oppressed community, its meaning exceeds the boundaries of religion. Throughout the country, cemevis are not only the gathering places of Alevis but also serve as the milieu in which counterhegemonic approaches flourish. These places are legally "undefined" and embrace people who do not belong to that form of Sunni Islam controlled and shaped in accordance with the needs of the regime. At the beginning of the 2000s, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government claimed to embrace Alevi population through democratic openings, in the context of religious freedom governance of religious and ethnic minorities and supported the construction of cemevis although it seems to still disregard giving them legal status. This paper examines spatial interventions of the AKP government in order to reconfigure Alevism. In this context it firstly examines the "joint mosque-cemevi project" consisting of complexes attempted to be built in the Alevi-populated neighbourhoods. Secondly, it focuses on the case of Dersim and scrutinizes in detail the removal of open places of worship; nature cults – trees, stones, mountains, caves, some animals, and water – treated with great reverence and worshipped by Kurdish Alevi people who live in this city. In other words, this paper seeks to introduce how a Sunni-conservative government tended to regulate or reshape conflicts between Sunni and Alevi populations in spatial scale. It discusses through which mechanisms the AKP government approaches Alevi population in cities and analyses the dynamics of negotiations and resistance between Alevis and the Turkish state in spatial scale.


Objective: Pulmonary cryptococcosis typically occurs in immunocompromised patients, but can also occur in immunocompetent patients. According to the host9s immune status, inhaled spores may remain dormant in the lung or may spread to other parts. Thus, clinical manifestations of crytococcosis can be highly variable, from asymptomatic pulmonary disease to life-threatening meningitis depending on the immunity. Our objective was to describe the clinical manifestations, radiologic findings, management and prognosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 12 cases of immunocompetent patients with pathologically proven pulmonary cryptococcosis during ten years. Results: Mean patients age was 50 years (20-72 years) and 6 patients were male. The major clinical manifestations were cough (4 patients), chest pain (3 patients), and hemoptysis (1 patients). Four patients were asymptomatic. On CT findings, 10 patients showed single or multiple nodules (7 patients vs 3 patient), while 2 patients showed multiple consolidations. One patient was diagnosed by open lung biopsy, 11 patients by needle biopsy. Eight patients were treated with oral fluconazole and 2 patients with itraconazole. Seven patients of 10 patients with treatment with oral antifungal agents showed completed resolution, 2 patients showed partial resolution, and one patient showed no interval change. During follow-up period, all patients showed favourable outcome without relapse. Conclusion: These results suggest that pulmonary crypotoccosis was found in all-aged immunocompetent patients with no or mild symptoms. Also treatment with oral fluconazole or itraconazole could achieve favorable outcome.


Power electronic converters are expected to be significant contributors to system mass, system loss, and system cost in the all-electric ship, and are therefore a significant area of interest. This paper investigates the reduction of switching losses in high power (MW level) converters. These losses remain a major obstacle to the development of converters capable of operating at higher frequencies and higher power densities. The Auxiliary Resonant Commutated Pole (ARCP) soft-switching converter topology offers the potential for minimization of switching losses but has some inherent limitations. This paper examines two new converter designs based on the ARCP soft-switching topology that allow for more compact units by reducing the semiconductor switching losses generated within them. These concepts have been proven in principle by preliminary laboratory testing of a scaled 20 kW converter prototype. The new proposed topologies are described and simulation results and experimental waveforms obtained on the prototype unit are also reported.


We address the problem of strategic asset allocation (SAA) with portfolios that include illiquid alternative asset classes. The main challenge in portfolio construction with illiquid asset classes is that we do not have direct control over our positions, as we do in liquid asset classes. Instead we can only make commitments; the position builds up over time as capital calls come in, and reduces over time as distributions occur, neither of which the investor has direct control over. The effect on positions of our commitments is subject to a delay, typically of a few years, and is also unknown or stochastic. A further challenge is the requirement that we can meet the capital calls, with very high probability, with our liquid assets. We formulate the illiquid dynamics as a random linear system, and propose a convex optimization based model predictive control (MPC) policy for allocating liquid assets and making new illiquid commitments in each period. Despite the challenges of time delay and uncertainty, we show that this policy attains performance surprisingly close to a fictional setting where we pretend the illiquid asset classes are completely liquid, and we can arbitrarily and immediately adjust our positions. In this paper we focus on the growth problem, with no external liabilities or income, but the method is readily extended to handle this case.


In this paper, we adopted a novel semi-analytical method to calculate the carbon geosequestration capacity of shale reservoir. Our methodology has the ability to calculate carbon geosequestration capacity of shales by considering Knudsen diffusion, molecular diffusion, Langmuir's adsorption, and stress-sensitivity of the permeability. Our model is more in line with the actual situations, allowing us to accurately estimate the carbon storage capacity by capturing the transient pressure solutions of the injection well. Additionally, the model verification in this paper shows that the error is 3%, indicating the reliability of the model. Sensitive analysis presents that the CO2 geosequestration capacity is proportional to fracture half-length and fracture conductivity. The change in the property for hydraulic fractures only affects the early period of the CO2 geosequestration process. For the adsorption coefficient, with the increase of the adsorption coefficient, the CO2 geosequestration capacity also become greater. This phenomenon has become more apparent with the continuous progress of the CO2 storage process.


The effects of soil compaction on certain soil properties and the growth of potatoes, sugarbeets, and wheat were observed in two years of a fallow-sugarbeet-potatowheat-wheat rotation. Compaction resulted in higher soil moisture and soil strength, with the effect still observable in the second year. Potato growth and yield were reduced in the compacted treatments significantly in the first year. Potato yields were reduced in the second year also, but not significantly for that year. Compaction affected wheat growth inconsistently though wheat yield and quality were reduced in the second year. Damage to the sugarbeets by 2,4-0 early in the season from adjacent production wheat fields confounded treatment effects both years, though interestingly 2,4-0 damage was generally less severe in compacted plots, possibly due to greater water availability in the compacted treatment. Bulk densities immediately below the zone of fall tillage (6-12 in.) remained elevated over winter in the compacted treatment.


Vaccination is used as a control and prevention tool for infectious bursal disease (IBDV) in poultry. A new strategy for improving vaccination efficiency is the use of in-feed immune modulating ingredients. The aim of this study was to test if the use of beta-(1,3)-glucans in feed can enhance IBDV vaccination. The trial was conducted in ROSS 308 broilers. In the study, a negative control group (not vaccinated, not supplemented), a positive control group (vaccinated, not supplemented) and a treated group (vaccinated, supplemented with beta-(1,3)-glucan) were included. All broilers, except the negative control, were orally vaccinated at 18 days of age with a live IBDV vaccine. Blood samples were taken at day 18 and 35 to measure antibody titers against IBDV. Serological analysis showed the presence of maternal derived antibodies at time of vaccination in some birds. The beta-(1,3)-glucan supplemented birds showed decreased CV% (coefficient of variation) and significantly increased average antibody titers compared to non-supplemented vaccinated birds. Additionally, the beta-(1,3)-glucan group showed increased number of birds with antibody titers above the titer threshold for protective immunity. The results obtained in the current trial clearly indicate that beta-(1,3)-glucan can increase seroconversion and serological response to IBDV vaccination.


This essay endeavors to clarify the paradoxes of Jamaica Kincaid's grief in her AIDS memoir, My Brother (1997). By analyzing two related motifs—the memoir's pattern of botanical metaphors and the descriptions of her brother Devon's dying and of his corpse—the essay explores how Kincaid's melancholic commitment to Devon complicates her approach to biographical and autobiographical writing. Weighed down and consumed by her brother's affliction, Kincaid traces how Devon—or, rather, her memory of him—possesses independent powers of articulation, forcing her to confront her own implication, as a relatively privileged expatriate writer, in the political, social, and economic contexts that shape his suffering. A self-theorizing text that testifies to the changing demographics of the AIDS pandemic, My Brother also overlaps with and significantly redirects current theoretical understandings of mourning and melancholia, through its relocation of melancholic subjectivity at the intersection of postcolonial and racial anxieties.


The Lienzo de Guevea, an important Zapotec pictographic document from 1540, contains historical information about the geographic expanse and the lords of the indigenous community of Guevea. An extensive investigation has clarified the complex relation between the different copies or versions of this particular document. The iconographic analysis of the pictorial scenes and the study of several documents related to the lienzo (large cotton cloth) shed a new light on the form and contents of Zapotec historiography, on the indigenous perception of the local political structure, and particularly on the transformations caused by the Spanish colonization.


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been identified as a cause of the mutations required for carcinogenesis. One of the cellular responses to ROS is to upregulate the production of an array of detoxifying enzymes. The interaction between the ubiquitination facilitator protein Keap1 and the transcription factor Nrf2 plays a crucial role in this antioxidant response. Disruption of the Keap1/Nrf2 complex by chemopreventive agents allows translocation of Nrf2 to the nucleus where it interacts with antioxidant response elements (ARE) leading to increased transcription of a range of antioxidant gene products. A diverse range of compounds are able to disrupt this complex. A common structural feature found among these molecules is the Michael-acceptor. These interact with the sulfhydryl groups of key cysteine residues in Keap1, causing a conformational change which prevents Keap1-dependent ubiquitination of Nrf2. A motif which has been of particular interest to our group is the quinol, a cyclic cross-conjugated cyclohexadienone unit containing two Michael-acceptors. In this study a number of quinol-containing natural products and some closely related analogs have been synthesized and evaluated for their ability to induce Nrf2 activity. A small series of compounds were synthesized, including quinolic glucosides found in green olives and brominated quinols found in marine sponges. A number of different strategies were employed in the synthesis of these molecules, largely involving the functionalization of phenols followed by oxidation using either a hypervalent iodide reagent or oxone. The compounds were assessed for their ability to induce Nrf2-dependent transcription using an assay to quantify the activity of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), an enzyme with an ARE in its promoter region. Briefly, mouse hepatocyte Hepa1c1c7 cells were treated with varying concentrations of the compounds and NQO1 activity was determined colorimetrically. Sulforaphane, a known potent inducer of Nrf2 activity was used as a positive control. A large variability to induce Nrf2 activity was found among the compound series, the most potent being jacaranone ethyl ester and a closely related dibrominated quinol ester that induced NQO1 activity at ∼1μM concentrations. However, it was observed that these compounds were cytotoxic at ten-fold higher concentrations. Those compounds that showed the most promising activity in the NQO1 induction assay were evaluated further to characterize their activity on the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway and their effects on other Nrf2 dependent gene products. The SAR data generated in this study will be applied to the development of potent Nrf2 inducing agents with low cytotoxicity. Citation Format: Gavin Jones, Geoff Wells. The synthesis and evaluation of quinol-containing natural products as cancer chemopreventive agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B46.


This investigative radio documentary asks what is being done to clean up New Zealand's lakes and rivers and it is being done fast enough? Water quality is tipped to become a big issue in the lead up to this year's general election. Those working to improve streams, rivers and lakes affected by nutrient leaching, faecal contamination from stock, storm water run-off and sewage overflows have said a great deal of work is already underway. But others have questioned whether there is enough urgency in the planning.


During the early nineties, central, east and southeast European countries set on liberalizing their economies on an unprecedented scale, including more or less speedy or profound external liberalizations in country-specific approaches. Since then, we have observed increasingly differentiated changes in these countries' legal institutions. Based on a small but growing literature, we may conjecture that both observations do not only describe a chronological sequence but a causal relationship. This note discusses this conjecture and argues that the globalization of production processes acts as a channel in this causal relationship. Whether or not trade liberalization helps in improving countries' domestic legal institutions depends on the nature of openness emanating from liberalization: some countries firms' joined fragmented, globalized production processes, for others, the dependence on primary products even increased.


A quarter-century of conventional detective work failed to track down the killer responsible for the deaths of at least 10 young women in south Los Angeles dating back to the mid-1980s. But a discarded piece of pizza and a relatively new method of DNA testing have finally cracked the case, police announced last week. On 7 July, L.A. police arrested Lonnie Franklin Jr., 57, a former garage attendant and sanitation worker they suspect is the serial killer nicknamed the "Grim Sleeper."


Purpose

City has a continuous need to diversify its products and services to ensure longer tourists' stays and a profitable tourism industry. Kuala Lumpur is one of the most popular cities in the world, and within its vicinity, Batu Caves are not only an important Hindu religious site, but also a popular tourist attraction. Guided by the four realms of experience dimensions (Pine and Gilmore, 1998), the purpose of this paper is to analyze 54 essays written by university students, to examine the experience of their visit to Batu Caves. The findings confirmed the application of all the four realm dimensions – entertainment, educational, esthetic and escapist – revealing both positive and negative aspects of the experience. Batu Caves may capitalize on the positive experiences as pointers to create an effective marketing communication, while negative experiences are opportunities to devise appropriate corrective measures, and perhaps further develop tourism products and services that would appeal to the visitors' experience.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a qualitative research strategy to examine visitors' experiences at Batu Caves using the four realms of experience theory as coined by Pine and Gilmore (1998). A total of 54 undergrads were asked to describe their visit to Batu Caves (Lucia-Palacios et al., 2016) providing a complete insight of their opinions, feelings and perceptions (Juttner et al., 2013) using the essay writing method.

Findings

The authors discovered firm evidence of the theory's application, revealing the expected four experiential dimensions in explaining experience at a cultural religious site, extending the description to include its positive and negative aspects, all of which are useful for destination management. The study points out a lot of aspects that must be managed by the site, such as the poor esthetic experience (e.g. smell, rubbish, graffiti, etc.), controlling the animal aggression (i.e. monkeys) and perhaps develop new products and services which could enhance some experiences (e.g. cultural escapism through cultural performances in which visitors could participate).

Research limitations/implications

The main weakness of the research is perhaps the qualitative research work in which data were collected from essays written by the university students. Data of this nature prevent us from being able to generalize the findings and reflect on the experience to the general public.

Practical implications

Tourist stays in Kuala Lumpur could be enhanced by providing meaningful, deep and memorable experiences. Tourist attractions such as Batu Caves should continuously examine the experience that they provide to the visitors. Batu Caves' management could continuously measure its tourists' experience provisions, as tourists' needs evolve over time. From the results they could revamp their products and services offering to ensure the sustainability of Batu Caves' natural and cultural appeal among visitors and tourists alike.

Originality/value

The outcome provides a better understanding of the current tourism product and services at the destination that have an impact on a visitor's experience. The findings will assist the Batu Caves' management to revise and develop the products and service offerings to the visitors.


A comparative study of the complexes between DNA and H1 histones from calf thymus (H1-T) and sea urchin sperm (H1-S) has been performed using methods of flow birefringence, viscometry and circular dichroism (CD). Both nucleohistone complexes undergo a conformational transition with the increase of protein content. A two-fold drop of intrinsic viscosity was observed when the histone content in the complex increased up to 9-12%. The transition is not accompanied by essential changes in the nucleohistone anisotropy, the latter coincides with the anisotropy of DNA in H1-T containing complexes and is close to that in H1-S containing complexes. CD spectra of the two types of complexes are not the same. For the H1-S containing complexes the decrease of the amplitude of the CD positive band and the shift of its maximum to the longwave region are observed while the spectrum of H1-T containing complex coincides with that of DNA. The spectral changes are partly due to slight aggregation of the H1-S containing complexes. It is also possible that changes in the local structure of DNA within the H1-S containing nucleohistone complexes take place.


Protein-protein bond formations, such as antibody-antigen complexation or aggregation of protein monomers into dimers and larger aggregates, occur with bimolecular rate constants on the order of 10(6) M-1.s-1, which is only 3 orders of magnitude slower than the diffusion-limited Smoluchowski rate. However, since the protein-protein bond requires rotational alignment to within a few angstroms of tolerance, purely geometric estimates would suggest that the observed rates might be 6 orders of magnitude below the Smoluchowski rate. Previous theoretical treatments have not been solved for the highly specific docking criteria of protein-protein association--the entire subunit interface must be aligned within 2 A of the correct position. Several studies have suggested that diffusion alone could not produce the rapid association kinetics and have postulated "lengthy collisions" and/or the operation of electrostatic or hydrophobic steering forces to accelerate the association. In the present study, the Brownian dynamics simulation method is used to compute the rate of association of neutral spherical model proteins with the stated docking criteria. The Brownian simulation predicts a rate of 2 x 10(6) M-1.s-1 for this generic protein-protein association, a rate that is 2000 times faster than that predicted by the simplest geometric calculation and is essentially equal to the rates observed for protein-protein association in aqueous solution. This high rate is obtained by simple diffusive processes and does not require any attractive or steering forces beyond those achieved for a partially formed bond. The rate enhancement is attributed to a diffusive entrapment effect, in which a protein pair surrounded and trapped by water undergoes multiple collisions with rotational reorientation during each encounter.


IALP For IALP contacts, please see Journal Affiliations International Journal of Phoniatrics, Speech Therapy and Communication Pathology Founded in 1947 by R. Luchsinger, M. Seeman and J. Tarneaud Edited by R. Luchsinger 1947–1966; R. Luchsinger and E. Loebell 1967–1975; E. Loebell 1976–1995; S. Fex 1995–2001; H.K. Schutte 2001–2010; G. Weismer 2011–2016 Official Organ of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP)


Foundational work on the Lottery Ticket Hypothesis has suggested an exciting corollary: winning tickets found in the context of one task can be transferred to similar tasks, possibly even across different architectures. This has generated broad interest, but methods to study this universality are lacking. We make use of renormalization group theory, a powerful tool from theoretical physics, to address this need. We find that iterative magnitude pruning, the principal algorithm used for discovering winning tickets, is a renormalization group scheme, and can be viewed as inducing a flow in parameter space. We demonstrate that ResNet-50 models with transferable winning tickets have flows with common properties, as would be expected from the theory. Similar observations are made for BERT models, with evidence that their flows are near fixed points. Additionally, we leverage our framework to study winning tickets transferred across ResNet architectures, observ-ing that smaller models have flows with more uniform properties than larger models, complicating transfer between them.


Development of miniaturized electrochemical sensing systems for in vitro and in vivo biomedicalapplications is discussed. The systems are based on high sensitivity potentiostatic instrumentation, which issuitable for chemical and biochemical sensors. The in vitro application is an 8 channel hand-held PCcontrolledsystem with user-friendly interface. This is capable of implementing different electrochemicalpotentiodynamic techniques. The in vivo applications are realized using two approaches: a small sized PCBwith commercially available ICs, and a specially developed on-chip system. The performance of thesystems is validated through electrochemical characterization of a microarray sensor.


To improve the performance of transactional memory (TM), researchers have found many eager and lazy optimizations for conflict detection, the process of determining if transactions can commit. Despite these optimizations, nearly all TMs perform one aspect of lazy conflict detection in the same manner to preserve serializability. That is, they perform commit-time validation, where a transaction is checked for conflicts with previously committed transactions during its commit phase. While commit-time validation is efficient for workloads that exhibit limited contention, it can limit transaction throughput for contending workloads.
 This paper presents an efficient implementation of commit-time invalidation, a strategy where transactions resolve their conflicts with in-flight (uncommitted) transactions before they commit. Commit-time invalidation supplies the contention manager (CM) with data that is unavailable through commit-time validation, allowing the CM to make decisions that increase transaction throughput. Commit-time invalidation also requires notably fewer operations than commit-time validation for memory-intensive transactions, uses zero commit-time operations for dynamically detected read-only transactions, and guarantees full opacity for any transaction in O(N) time, an improvement over incremental validation's O(N2) time. Our experimental results show that for contending workloads, our efficient commit-time invalidating software TM (STM) is up to 3 x faster than TL2, a state-of-the-art validating STM.


The TVPA does not sufficiently protect victims, especially victims caught up in large trafficking schemes. From identification of victims by law enforcement or ICE to the ability of the FBI to actually interview every victim to DHS' willingness to grant Continued Presence to Victims and DOJ to support their T-visa application, victims are presented with barriers that they must overcome in order to pursue justice, receive restitution, gain protection and try to move forward with their lives. These barriers are unnecessary, and damage the TVPA's mandate to protect victims and prevent trafficking.


ABSTRACT Zhang, Y., 2020. Labor rights protection of marine enterprise employees based on the labor law. In: Al-Tarawneh, O. and Megahed, A. (eds.), Recent Developments of Port, Marine, and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 110, pp. 206–210. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The issue of labor-capital relationship is related to the stability of the society, and a harmonious labor-capital relationship is an important prerequisite for building a harmonious society. To this end, this paper conducted a research on the labor rights protection of marine enterprise employees based on the labor law, and elaborated the main content of the labor rights of enterprise employees. With a marine enterprise H as an example, this paper analyzed the current situation of labor rights protection of the employees in marine enterprise H, and the research results showed that: the employees of enterprise H generally work overtime and their right to rest has not been protected, their overtime wages have not reached the standards required by the law, the rate of signed labor contract needs to be further improved, the enforcement of labor contract is average, there're large differences in the five types of social insurances the enterprise bought for the employees, the work-related injury insurance and the medical insurance are the most. The vocational skills training of the employees is unprofessional and unsystematic, which needs to be normalized further. From the four aspects of perfecting labor contract system, emphasizing the social responsibility of the enterprise, improving the social security system, and increasing input in human resources and employee training, this paper proposed several countermeasures for the protection of the labor rights of enterprise employees. Meanwhile, to better guarantee the protection of the labor rights of enterprise employees, it's necessary to perfect legislation of labor law, establish a two-way credibility system, strengthen the supervision of government and prevent the abuse of power. From the perspective of labor law, this paper put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for promoting the protection of the labor rights of marine enterprise employees, and the study is of certain practical application value.


Three independent nerves supply the cutaneous innervation of the hand. From lateral to medial these nerves include the superficial branch of the radial nerve, the median nerve, and the ulnar nerve. These peripheral nerves originate from the C5 to T1 levels of the spinal column. The sensory distribution discussed here includes both the ventral and dorsal aspects of the hand ending proximally at the level of the wrist. Also briefly discussed here will be a set of muscles innervated by these nerves as they supply the cutaneous innervation of the hand.


Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been identified as a model feedstock for the emerging biofuels industry. Its selection was based, in part, upon the observation that switchgrass can produce high yields in marginal production environments. This trait may become particularly valuable in coming years, as renewable fuel mandates begin to take effect and concerns over the food-versus-fuel debate increase. Relatively little research information exists about how management practices and production costs vary across different production environments. The objectives of this research were (a) to compare switchgrass yields as influenced by seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization rates in low-, intermediate-, and high-yielding switchgrass production environments, (b) to determine the economically optimal seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization rate for each environment, and (c) to calculate per-ton production costs. Experimental yield data from four locations were utilized for this study. Plots were seeded in 2004 with treatments of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 lbs/acre. Nitrogen was applied in subsequent intervals at 0, 60, 120 and 180 lbs/acre. For an expected stand lifespan of 10 years, production costs ranged from $45 per ton in a well drained level upland environment ideal for the production of row crops to $70 per ton in a marginal, poorly drained flood plain in which the switchgrass stand was slow to establish and which demonstrated lower overall yields.


The effects of active flow control by oscillatory blowing at the leading edge of a nonslender delta wing with a Λ=50° sweep angle have been investigated. Pressure measurements and Particle Image Velocimetry measurements were conducted on a half wing to investigate the formation of leading edge vortices for oscillatory blowing, compared to the stalled flow for the no blowing case. Stall has been delayed by up to 8, and significant increases in the upper surface suction force have been observed. Velocity measurements show that shear layer reattachment is promoted with forcing, and a vortex flow pattern develops. The time averaged location of the centre of the vortical region moves outboard with increased excitation. The near-surface flow pattern obtained from the PIV measurements shows reattachment in the forward part of the wing. There is no measurable jet-like axial flow in the vortex core, which seems to break down at or very near the apex. This highlights that unlike slender delta wings, vortex breakdown is not a limiting factor in the generation of lift for nonslender delta wings. Phase averaged measurements reveal the perturbation due to the pulsed blowing, its interaction with the shear layer and vortex, apparent displacement of the vortex core, and relaxation of the reattachment region. The flow in a phase averaged sense is highly three dimensional. Experiments indicate that unsteady blowing at Strouhal numbers in the region of St=0.5 to St=0.75, and in the region of St=1.25 to St=1.5 can be a highly effective. Reattached flow can develop from stalled flow after pulsing has been initiated with a time constant of tU/c=5 for unsteady blowing at St=0.75, and tU/c=7 for St=1.5. Experiments with excitation from finite span slots located in the forward half of the wing show that partial blowing can be more effective at low momentum coefficients. Force measurements of a full delta wing confirmed that the effectiveness of this method of flow control was not only confined to half delta wings.


Modelling the removal of micropollutants (MPs) in stormwater treatment systems is essential in a context that is characterized by a general lack of measurements. This paper presents an innovative dynamic model for the prediction of the removal of MPs in stormwater treatment systems (Stormwater Treatment Unit model for Micro Pollutants--STUMP). The model, based on a conceptual model of two-compartment (water and sediment) serial Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactors (CSTRs), can predict the fate of MPs based on their inherent properties, which are often the only information available regarding this kind of substances. The flexible structure of the model can be applied to a wide range of treatment units and substances. Based on the most relevant removal processes (settling, volatilization, sorption, biodegradation, and abiotic degradation), the model allows the dynamic simulation of the MP behaviour in the different compartments of stormwater treatment systems. The model was tested for heavy metals (copper and zinc) and organic substances (benzene and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate). The results show that volatilization plays a big role for removal of benzene while the removal of substances with high sorption capacity is mainly driven by settling. The model was proven to be able to predict the importance of the various fate processes for selected substances with different inherent properties. A thorough assessment of the influence of the various fate process parameters will allow a reliable assessment of the treatment performances for a wide range of MPs.


This paper shows the existence of a coordination dilemma in multi-level countries that hold elections for different parliaments, at different territorial levels, and with different electoral rules. With evidence from Spain, our analysis identifies interaction or contamination effects between national and sub-national electoral arenas that generate, just as in most mixed-member electoral systems, a centrifugal force that increases the number of electoral parties in national elections. The incentives that solve this coordination dilemma faced by small regional or local parties are theoretically discussed and empirically tested.


In this paper, the impact of gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) on overall leakage of submicron VLSI circuits is studied. GIDL constitutes a serious constraint, with regards to off-state current, in scaled down CMOS devices for DRAM and/or EEPROM applications. Our research shows that the GIDL current is also a serious problem in scaled CMOS digital VLSI circuits. We present the experimental and simulation data of GIDL current as a function of 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS technology parameters and layout of CMOS standard cells. The obtained results show that a poorly designed standard cell library for VLSI application may result in extremely high leakage current and poor yield.


A survey was conducted to solicit data related to health professionals' image of librarians. Physicians, residents, nurses, medical students, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists were questioned about their experiences with and opinions of librarians, particularly the skills and characteristics needed by helpful, successful librarians. Health sciences librarians were also questioned about their own professional image and their perceptions of their patrons' impression of librarians. Librarians and health professionals alike ranked good communication as the most important skill for librarians. Computer or technological skills were ranked fourth by librarians but second by health professionals. Although librarians tended to describe themselves in slightly more positive terms than did their patrons, health professionals viewed librarians as approachable, responsive, supportive, and open to change. Health professionals also reported that they received accurate, reliable, and timely information from librarians and that this information was valuable.


1. Analysis of the static and dynamic conditions in spastic cerebral palsy leads to the conclusion that contractures of the hip, knee and ankle should be released from above downwards, and that the full benefit is obtained only when all contractures have been corrected. 2. Only when these joints are mobilised by removal of the significant contractures is the spastic patient able, despite other handicaps, to sit, stand and walk with the least hindrance and the least cosmetic fault. 3. In our Danish experience, inadequate or poor results from the orthopaedic surgery of cerebral palsy are mainly due to the fact that patients with contractures are operated on too little and too late, or not in the correct sequence.


I t cannot have escaped readers' attention that the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harold Varmus, proposes to create an all-encompassing online electronic archive for biomedical research data, called E-biomed. In its 5 May 1999 iteration and 20 June addendum, parts of the oft-changing plan would be partly modeled on the Los Alamos National Laboratory ePrint Server and would create an electronic repository for life science research. The plan, addendum, and reactions from some 200 respondents are accessible at .

How would it work? There would be two modes of submission: one through cooperating journals and the other directly to the E-biomed site without peer review. An advisory board would set general policies as well as rules for submission to the repository of unreviewed reports. The stated goals of the E-biomed proposal are to provide free access to research results for all and to take full advantage of electronic formats. Proponents acknowledge that cooperating journals could lose subscription income and suggest that journals recover their costs through submission and acceptance fees charged to authors. E-biomed may be free to users, but it will not be free to taxpayers or authors submitting through peer review.

Would it work? The e-mail expressions of support and dissent received so far by NIH show no clearly predominant view. Editorial assessments in the New England Journal of Medicine (see ), Wall Street Journal , and New York Times reflect very serious concerns about the proposal. To be sure, there is also much support from quarters long known to advocate a more open scientific literature that would banish the alleged cabals of editors, biased reviewers, and expensive commercial presses with generally irrelevant content.

Lurking behind the public discussions are some potentially troubling elements: What if the major journals choose not to cooperate out of concern that their ability to survive and maintain quality control and timeliness are threatened by the diversion of authors and competent reviewers into the NIH system? Will societies whose members' future careers rely on NIH funding be willing to resist the cooptation of their journals' editorial and peer review systems? What will the real costs be to authors, peer-reviewed journals, and scientific societies? Does a monopolistic archive under government control by the major research funder enhance scientific progress better than the existing journal hierarchy, which provides multiple alternatives to authors and readers? What about research in disciplines outside what the National Library of Medicine considers biomedical? What about research not sponsored by NIH or even U.S. federal funds? Without answers to these and other questions, it is hard to determine the feasibility of the proposal.

Science and other journals are eager to identify the advantages of the E-biomed proposal and are actively looking for changes that could benefit scientific publishing. For example, the E-biomed server would provide a venue for online publication of negative results and thus allow others to avoid experimental repetition. On the other hand, if NIH really wants to improve access to the literature, they could digitize the peer-reviewed literature published before 1995. In addition, all would benefit if NIH developed software for online journal submittals and provided access to a common search engine that could survey all peer-reviewed sciences across all journal lines.

It may be instructive to recall an earlier congressional reaction, as Albert Henderson, editor of Publishing Research Quarterly did in his response to E-biomed on 6 May. In the Sputnik aftermath, an E-biomed-like proposal was made that Congress accelerate U.S. scientific research by establishing a unified information system similar to what had been created in the Soviet Union. The Senate's advisory panel responded: "The case for a Government-operated, highly centralized type of center can be no better defended for scientific information services than it could be for automobile agencies, delicatessens, or barber shops." Surely other creative solutions can be found to what NIH considers problems. Are they prepared to listen, or is this a done deal?

Tell us what you think about E-biomed via our new dEbate feature for readers' responses. See box at the top of this page for details.


AIM
This registry study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with pycnogenol on altered endothelial function (EF) in borderline hypertensive, hyperlipidemic and hyperglycemic subjects without atherosclerotic changes in their main arteries and no coronary artery disease.

METHODS
Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and endothelium-independent (EID) dilatation were measured with brachial ultrasound after occlusion. Also, after occlusion, laser Doppler (LDF) flux and distal straingauge flow were measured. Oxidative stress (oxstress) was evaluated at 8 and 12 weeks. 93 subjects with borderline symptoms were enrolled into the study: 32 hypertensives, 31 hyperlipidemics, 30 hyperglycemics. All participants were instructed to follow the best available management to control their symptoms. In addition to best management, half of the subjects in each group used 150 mg/day Pycnogenol(®). 31 normal subjects were included as control.

RESULTS
After 12 weeks metabolic values and blood pressure were back to normal in all subjects. Values were slightly better under Pycnogenol(®). FMD increased after 8 weeks from an average 5.3;3.4% to 8.2;2.2% with a further increase to 8.8;3.1% (P<0.05) at 12 weeks. No effects were found in controls and normal subjects. EID of normal subjects was consistently higher with 26%. LDF skin flux increased with Pycnogenol(®) at 8 weeks and 12 weeks. The final flux increase was not different from normal values. In controls flux after occlusion was not improved at 8 weeks; there was a significant but minor increase at 12 weeks. Flux increases were superior in all Pycnogenol(®) subjects. In Pycnogenol(®) subjects, limb flow after occlusion increased at 8 weeks with a further increase at 12 weeks. In controls inclusion flow after occlusion was comparable at 8 and 12 weeks. Oxidative stress was significantly decreased in Pycnogenol(®) subjects at 8 and 12 weeks. Minor differences were observed in controls.

CONCLUSION
This open registry study indicates that Pycnogenol(®) improves EF in preclinical, borderline subjects in a macro-microcirculatory model. This observation may suggest an important preventive possibility for borderline hypertensive, hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic subjects.


This looseleaf contains the text of conventions, protocols, etc., within the various fields of transport law: maritime law, inland navigation, air law, road transport, transport by railway and miscellaneous, in chronological order. The publication aims to save time and trouble to all who are concerned with the application, the interpretation or the drafting of transport law and regulations. The texts are given in English as well as in French, if this is the authentic version or the official translation. They are accompanied by a systematic and chronological table of contents in English and French to facilitate easy and quick reference. Dates of signature, ratification and accession and entry into force, as well as details of proviso applicable to some treaties and protocols are updated four times a year in "Transport News," an extra service provided to the subscribers to Transport.


INTRODUCTION The November 1994 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting(1) in Bogor, Indonesia, ended with a bold call for "free and open trade and investment" in the Asia Pacific region by the year 2020.(2) Accomplishing this ambitious goal presents many challenges. The region's economic interdependence provides strong incentive for greater cooperation; however, its diversity creates many questions as to the ability of APEC members to agree on common approaches. Economic, political, and cultural differences among APEC members dwarf those among the countries of the Western Hemisphere or Europe and preclude facile comparisons between APEC and the early days of the European Common Market or the expanding North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). APEC links Chile, the United States, and other NAFTA countries to the world's fastest growing economic region.(3) Between 1965 and 1990, East Asia grew more than twice as quickly as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries generally, and it is expected that the region will surpass North America and Europe as the world's largest economic zone by the year 2000.(4) As a result of this rapid growth, the Asian share of U.S. trade is expected to rise to about forty percent by the end of the decade.(5) Trans-Pacific trade relations have spawned many rancorous international disputes over issues relating to market access, intellectual property protection, labor, and human rights. One of the keys to APEC's success will be its ability to better manage or avoid these disputes. Though there have been various proposals for the creation of an APEC dispute resolution mechanism, this Article argues that an effective dispute resolution mechanism in APEC is a somewhat illusory goal; the real need is for greater policy harmonization among APEC members. Furthermore, this Article argues that the most effective way to achieve harmonization is through consultative processes rather than formal rule-making. I. INTRODUCTION TO APEC Interest in some form of regional economic group in the Pacific Rim dates back to the early sixties. It was stimulated by the success of the European Common Market and growing awareness of the economic potential of East Asia. An early Japanese proposal for a Pacific Free Trade Area led to formation of a group of economists known as the "Pacific Trade and Development Conference" (PAFTAD), which has met annually since 1968.(6) At about the same time, a group of business leaders began annual meetings under the banner of the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC).(7) When these efforts began, there was surprisingly little intellectual contact across the Pacific or among Asian elites. Many Asian countries had ties to former colonial powers but little knowledge of their neighbors. Meetings of PAFTAD and PBEC began to establish a new sense of the Pacific Ocean as a link among diverse and distant countries. In the mid-seventies, Japanese Prime Minister Ohira gave impetus to the emerging notion of a "Pacific Community."(8) This idea evolved into the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), which began in 1982 to hold regular tripartite (government, business, and academic) conferences on Pacific issues.(9) These meetings generated many useful ideas and projects, but, over time, participants increasingly felt that real progress could not be made without more direct governmental involvement. In 1989, Bob Hawke, then Prime Minister of Australia, presented the idea of an intergovernmental forum for strengthening economic ties.(10) The original proposal would have excluded the United States, the aggressive trade policies of which were generating considerable resentment among Asian countries. However, Japan did not want to be seen as the center of a new "Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere" and insisted on inclusion of the United States as well as Canada. The concept of an East Asian grouping, however, remains alive in the proposals of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir for an East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC). …


These new translations present Plato's remarkable dramatization of the momentous events surrounding the trial of Socrates in 399 BC, on charges of irreligion and corrupting the young. The Euthyphro, Defence of Socrates , and Crito form a dramatic and thematic sequence, raising fundamental questions about the basis of moral, religious, legal, and political obligation. Plato explores these issues with a freshness and directness that have never been surpassed. In the Defence of Socrates , Plato seeks not only to clear his master's name, but also to defend the whole Socratic way of life, and therefore philosophy itself. The result is an oratorical masterpiece. The Euthyphro , an inquiry into the nature of piety, probes the relationship between religion and morality. The Crito discusses the citizen's obligation to the state, in the context of a life-or-death issue confronting Socrates himself - whether or not to escape from prison. David Gallop's Introduction provides a stimulating philosophical and historical analysis of these texts, complemented by useful explanatory notes and an index of names, to make this edition invaluable to readers new to these timeless classics. This book is intended for a-level students of Greek, Ancient History, and Classical Civilization. First- to third-year undergraduate students of same and Philosophy. Edited and translated by: Gallop, David (Trent University, Ontario);


The current pandemic's effect on mental health is uncertain with reports of it being largely negative related to loneliness and unemployment. There are different responses to pandemic stress with regards to cultural differences and social environment. Athletes are special in their experience of psychological resilience – there is a trend of positive adjustment to adversity and stress. However, further systematic review is required to confirm these findings along with an athlete-specific psychological resilience instrument. Key themes in relationships include a dichotomous mental health state marked by maladjustment and subsequent resilience, biopsychosocial factors as well as an array of cultural, social and environmental support and demands marked by stressors within and outside of sport. Digital mental health implementation is a logical next step for advancing the construct of athlete psychological resilience towards complementing an effective prevention and early intervention. However, mental health practitioners are grappling with digital mental health in a hybrid model of care. There is a need for converging on methodologies due to the rapid development of digital technologies which have outpaced evaluation of rigorous digital mental health interventions. The functions and implications of human and machine interactions require explainable and responsible implementation for more certain and positive outcomes to arise.


This groundbreaking book examines portable art collections assembled in the courts of Greater Iran in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Made for members of the royal families or ruling elites, albums were created to preserve and display art, yet they were conceptualised in different ways. David Roxburgh, a leading expert on Persian albums and the art of the book, discusses this diversity and demonstrates convincingly that to look at the practice of album making is to open a vista to a culture of thought about the Persian art tradition. The book considers the album's formal and physical properties, assembly, and content, as well as the viewer's experience. Focusing on seven albums created during the Timurid and Safavid dynasties, Roxburgh reconstructs the history and development of this codex form and uses the works of art to explore notions of how art and aesthetics were conceived in Persian court culture. Generously illustrated with over 175 images, many rare and previously unpublished, the book offers a range of new insights into Persian visual culture as well as Islamic art history.


Viable Coxiella burnetii organisms were isolated from the culture medium of persistently infected Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK-21) fibroblasts. When these organisms were incubated in host-cell-free medium at low pH, some of the de novo-synthesized protein made by the bacteria was translocated to the exterior of the cell. The exported protein was detectable after 2-7 h incubation at 37 degrees C. No evidence was found to suggest that protein accumulation in the medium was due to leakiness caused by cell damage. Both DCCD (dicyclohexylcarbodiimide) and CCCP (carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone) inhibited the process to some extent. Exported protein was represented largely by three polypeptides with molecular masses of 34, 24 and 12 kDa. De novo-synthesized proteins corresponding to these molecular masses were not detected in cytoplasmic fractions, but a membrane fraction might possess a similar form. It was concluded that a physiological process of protein translocation occurred in C. burnetii during acid activation in a defined medium. Organisms that were extracted directly from the cytoplasm of infected fibroblasts by a mechanical disruption procedure were also active in de novo protein synthesis; however they exported much less of the protein.


Hypoxemia is the most life threatening condition experienced in the intensive care units. The health care professionals should be well versed with the management of hypoxemia. There are several oxygen therapy devices used starting with Low flow systems, high flow systems and reservoir system. Each oxygen therapy device has its own pros and cons and the clinician choses the best device based upon the experience as well as evidence based practice. Recently a device known as High Flow Nasal Cannula oxygen Therapy (is been used to improve oxygenation in critically ill patients. High Flow nasal cannula has control over three parameters such as flow, Fio2, and temperature. All these parameters are important for the patient where high flow oxygen is going through the nasal cannula. HFNC is used in the conditions such as early ARDS, Hypoxemia, acute COPD, postextubation, sleep related disorders, acute heart diseases. However more studies should be conducted in patients with High Flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy to use it more frequently in intensive care units.


Building a computing system in bacteria Finite state machines are logic circuits with a predetermined sequence of actions that are triggered depending on the starting conditions. They are used for a variety of devices and biological systems, from vending machines to neural circuits. Roquet et al. have taken a finite state machine approach to control the expression of integrases, or enzymes that insert or excise phage DNA into or out of bacterial chromosomes. The integrases altered the DNA sequence of a plasmid to record all five possible combinations of two inputs. Such circuits can be used to record the states that the cell experienced over time and can be deployed in state-dependent gene expression programs. Science, this issue p. 363 Designed circuits in bacteria can record input events and alter gene expression output. INTRODUCTION Living systems execute regulatory programs and exhibit specific phenotypes depending on the identity and timing of chemical signals, but general strategies for mimicking such behaviors with artificial genetic programs are lacking. Synthetic circuits that produce outputs only depending on simultaneous combinations of inputs are limited in their scale and their ability to recognize dynamics because they do not uniquely detect or respond to temporally ordered inputs. To address these limitations, we developed and experimentally validated a framework for implementing state machines that record and respond to all identities and orders of gene regulatory events in living cells. RATIONALE We built recombinase-based state machines (RSMs) that use input-driven recombinases to manipulate DNA registers made up of overlapping and orthogonal pairs of recombinase recognition sites. Specifically, chemical inputs express recombinases that can perform two types of irreversible operations on a register: excision if their recognition sites are aligned, or inversion if their recognition sites are anti-aligned. The registers are designed to adopt a distinct DNA sequence ("state") for every possible "permuted substring" of inputs—that is, every possible combination and ordering of inputs. The state persists even when inputs are removed and may be read with sequencing or by polymerase chain reaction. Using mathematical analysis to determine how the structure of a RSM relates to its scalability, we found that incorporating multiple orthogonal pairs of recognition sites per recombinase allows a RSM to outperform combinational circuits in scale. Genetic parts (made up of promoters, terminators, and genes) may be interleaved into RSM registers to implement gene regulation programs capable of expressing unique combinations of genes in each state. In addition, we provide a computational tool that accepts a user-specified two-input multigene regulation program and returns corresponding registers that implement it. This searchable database enables facile creation of RSMs with desired behaviors without requiring detailed knowledge of gene circuit design. RESULTS We built two-input, five-state RSMs and three-input, 16-state RSMs capable of recording every permuted substring of their inputs. We tested the RSMs in Escherichia coli and used Sanger sequencing to measure performance. For the two-input, five-state RSM, at least 97% of cells treated with each permuted substring of inputs adopted their expected state. For the three-input, 16-state RSM, at least 88% of cells treated with each permuted substring of inputs adopted their expected state, although we observed 100% for most treatment conditions. We used these two- and three-input RSMs to implement gene regulation programs by interleaving genetic parts into their registers. For the two-input, five-state system, we designed registers for various gene regulation programs using our computational database and search function. Four single-gene regulation programs and one multigene regulation program (which expressed a different set of fluorescent reports in each state) were successfully implemented in E. coli, with at least 94% of cells adopting their expected gene expression profile when treated with each permuted substring of inputs. Lastly, we successfully implemented two different three-input, 16-state gene regulation programs; one of these—a three-input passcode switch—performed with at least 97% of cells adopting the expected gene expression behavior. CONCLUSION Our work presents a powerful framework for implementing RSMs in living cells that are capable of recording and responding to all identities and orders of a set of chemical inputs. Depending on desired applications, the prototypical inducible systems used here to drive the RSMs can be replaced by sensors that correspond to desired input signals or gene regulation events. We anticipate that the integration of RSMs into complex living systems will transform our capacity to understand and engineer them. Summary of a three-input, 16-state RSM. (A) The RSM mechanism. A chemical input induces the expression of a recombinase (from a gene on the input plasmid) that modifies a DNA register made up of overlapping and orthogonal recombinase recognition sites. Distinct recombinases can be controlled by distinct inputs. These recombinases each target multiple orthogonal pairs of their cognate recognition sites (shown as triangles and half-ovals) to catalyze inversion (when the sites are anti-aligned) or excision (when the sites are aligned). (B) The register is designed to adopt a distinct DNA state for every identity and order of inputs. Three different inputs—orange, blue, and purple—are represented by colored arrows. Unrecombined recognition sites are shaded; recombined recognition sites are outlined. State machines underlie the sophisticated functionality behind human-made and natural computing systems that perform order-dependent information processing. We developed a recombinase-based framework for building state machines in living cells by leveraging chemically controlled DNA excision and inversion operations to encode states in DNA sequences. This strategy enables convenient readout of states (by sequencing and/or polymerase chain reaction) as well as complex regulation of gene expression. We validated our framework by engineering state machines in Escherichia coli that used one, two, or three chemical inputs to control up to 16 DNA states. These state machines were capable of recording the temporal order of all inputs and performing multi-input, multi-output control of gene expression. We also developed a computational tool for the automated design of gene regulation programs using recombinase-based state machines. Our scalable framework should enable new strategies for recording and studying how combinational and temporal events regulate complex cell functions and for programming sophisticated cell behaviors.


This paper presents results of theoretical and experimental research on skew rolling process of balls with diameter;30 mm in multiple helical tools. Numerical analysis of the process was conducted basing on finite element method (FEM), using the commercial software Simufact Forming in version 10.0. Simulations were made in the three-dimensional state of strain with consideration of complex thermal analysis, due to which progression of the products shape was determined. Distributions of strains and temperatures as well as the process force parameters were also determined. The results of numerical calculations were experimentally verified in laboratory conditions. The obtained results confirmed the possibility of semi-finished products of balls type manufacturing by means of rolling in multiple helical impressions.


Deproteinization of natural rubber was achieved in the latex stage. The structure of deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The thermo degradation of DPNR was studied by thermogravimetry analysis (TG) under air atmosphere and nitrogen atmosphere. The kinetic parameters apparent activation energies (Ea) of the thermal decomposition reaction been calculated from the TG curves using the method described by Broido. And the results were compared with the thermo degradation of natural rubber (NR) under the same conditions. The effect of proteins in natural rubber latex on thermal/ thermo-oxidative stability of NR was discussed. The results show that: the absorptions of the proteins in DPNR at 1546 ㎝-1, compared to NR, become significantly weaker, nearly disappear, which indicates most of proteins has been removed from NR. The thermo degradation of DPNR in nitrogen atmosphere is a one-step reaction. The initial degradation temperature (T0) 、the maximum degradation temperature(Tp) and the final degradation temperature(Tf)as well as the Ea of DPNR are higher than those of NR, which indicates that DPNR represents a better thermal stability than NR under nitrogen atmosphere. Thermo-oxidative degradation of DPNR and NR are two-step reaction. The characteristic temperatures (T0, Tp and Tf) of DPNR are lower than those of NR. The Ea during the First Step of Thermooxidative Degradation of DPNR are also lower than those of NR. These results prove that the thermo-oxidative stability of DPNR is worse than that of NR. Protein is the key role to the thermal stability of natural rubber.


Purpose: To examine the correlation between limb muscle function (endurance and strength) and functional capacity in upper limbs (ULs) and lower limbs (LLs) of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Method: This article describes a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial. A stationary dynamometer was used to measure isokinetic muscle strength and endurance; the 6-minute walk test, the 6-minute pegboard and ring test, and the unsupported UL exercise test were used to measure functional capacity. Results: Participants were 44 adults with COPD. Muscle strength and endurance in ULs and LLs demonstrated a moderate to strong correlation with functional capacity. When controlling for muscle strength, muscle endurance was moderately correlated with functional capacity in ULs and LLs, but when controlling for muscle endurance, there was no positive and significant correlation between muscle strength and functional capacity for the ULs or LLs. Conclusions: Functional capacity seems to be more closely related to limb muscle endurance than to limb muscle strength in people with COPD.


Flicker severity is a parameter defined in the Standard EN 50160 that involves both power quality and physiological features. Due to practical and theoretical reasons, the flickermeter described by the relevant International Standard may lead to incorrect results when used to correlate voltage variations with annoyance caused by fluctuations of light emitted by other types of lamps different from those based on the incandescent-filament principle. Therefore, its replacement is under consideration by some international organizations, given that this last type of lamps will no longer be available on the market starting next year. This paper aims at providing a contribution to the study of a new theory to be used for the design of next-generation flickermeters that must account for a wider variety of luminous sources. In particular, the research is focused on finding a new method for detecting human being annoyance in the presence of luminous flicker that is based on the measurement of the pupil diameter under flicker conditions. In this connection, this paper first investigates on the performance of an ad-hoc test system with the main goal to prove and evaluate its accuracy. Then, the results of tests on six volunteers are presented and discussed.


The emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) technology is expected to offer new promising solutions in various domains and, consequently, impact many aspects of everyday life. However, the development and testing of software applications and services for IoT systems encompasses several challenges that existing solutions have not yet properly addressed. Particularly, the difficulty to test IoT systems - due to their heterogeneous and distributed nature -, and the importance of testing in the development process give rise to the need for an efficient way to implement automated testing in IoT. Although there are already several tools that can be used in the testing of IoT systems, a number of issues can be pointed out, such as focusing on a specific platform, language, or standard, limiting the possibility of improvement or extension, and not providing out-of-the-box functionalities. This paper describes Izinto, a pattern-based test automation framework for integration testing of IoT systems. The framework implements in a generic way a set of test patterns specific to the IoT domain which can be easily instantiated for concrete IoT scenarios. It was validated in a number of test cases, within a concrete application scenario in the domain of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL).


Since Race and Ethnic Relations in Canada was first published in 1990, changes have occurred in Canadian society and academics have developed fresh ideas on studying human relations. In this second edition, materials and arguments in the original collection have been updated and refined, and new topics have been added. The contributors, all leading Canadian sociologists and social scientists, discuss a wide range of topics, including theories of race and ethnicity, demographic trends, the 'vertical mosaic', immigration, multiculturalism, employment equity, policy on native people, and language policy. Race and Ethnic Relations in Canada is essential reading towards such an understanding as Canada enters the new millennium.


Two in vitro experiments were conducted to determine the rates of lipolysis and biohydrogenation of fat from raw or processed soybeans and to examine subsequent effects upon fiber digestibilities. In experiment 1, substrates containing soy oil; raw soybeans; extruded soybeans; and soybeans roasted at 270,295, or 325 °F were incubated with ruminal contents for 2, 4, 6, 12, or 24 hr, and release of free fatty acids was measured. The fatty acids released from substrates containing soy oil, extruded soybeans, and raw or roasted soybeans reached maximums at 4, 6, and 12 hr incubations, respectively. Fatty acids in roasted soybeans were subjected to less biohydrogenation than those in raw or extruded soybeans, suggesting that fatty acids of roasted soybeans are protected partially from ruminal bacteria. At all incubation times, the substrates containing soy oil or extruded soybeans had lower and those containing roasted soybeans had higher fiber digestibilities.; Dairy Day, 1993, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 1993;


Abstract - This paper tries to look at the interactions of a swarm of two at an elementary level. The change in the swarm entropy during the interactions is investigated. The characterization of swarm behavior has been subsumed in four modes, i.e. normal-free, normal-swarm, feeding and obstacle modes. Based on these modes, an entropy based algorithm is constructed to observe pair-wise interactions for each mode. For these modes, individuals of swarm are taken into account as self-driven interacting particles in the mathematical model. Statistical entropy definitions are used to control individual's behavior in feeding and obstacle modes. Individuals lose interactions enabling swarm behavior in feeding mode because of the priority of feeding for individuals as in nature. On the other hand, when swarm confronts an obstacle, individuals interact as much as they can. However they may lose interaction, depending on the size of the obstacle and position of the individuals. For feeding and obstacle modes, it is observed that Tsallis Entropy fits in the simulation better than other entropy definitions such as Shannon and Renyi.


The objectives of this paper are to propose a method that can accurately estimate the human heart rate (HR) using an ultrawideband (UWB) radar system, and to determine the performance of the proposed method through measurements. The proposed method uses the feature points of a radar signal to estimate the HR efficiently and accurately. Fourier- and periodicity-based methods are inappropriate for estimation of instantaneous HRs in real time because heartbeat waveforms are highly variable, even within the beat-to-beat interval. We define six radar waveform features that enable correlation processing to be performed quickly and accurately. In addition, we propose a feature topology signal that is generated from a feature sequence without using amplitude information. This feature topology signal is used to find unreliable feature points, and thus, to suppress inaccurate HR estimates. Measurements were taken using UWB radar, while simultaneously performing electrocardiography measurements in an experiment that was conducted on nine participants. The proposed method achieved an average root-mean-square error in the interbeat interval of 7.17 ms for the nine participants. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. The significance of this study for biomedical research is that the proposed method will be useful in the realization of a remote vital signs monitoring system that enables accurate estimation of HR variability, which has been used in various clinical settings for the treatment of conditions such as diabetes and arterial hypertension.


Resumen In 2022, 2 years on from the start of the pandemic, the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS, Mexican Institute for Social Security) has been reorganizing its services at full, out of which blood banks play a key role. In addition, on June 14 it is celebrated the World Blood Donor Day by the World Health Organization and this year Mexico was the host country for the celebration. Therefore, it is important to highlight the work carried out in blood banks, ranging from their main activity, which is the recruitment of blood donors and the blood components production, to the different interventions they have in the field of transplantation, diseases emerging diagnosis and the development of new therapeutic modalities, such as, for example, cell therapy.


The ambient temperature is the major parameter that influences wind speed. When temperature rises, air will be extended and wind will flow with different speeds in all directions, increasing of temperature means that wind speed will be increased and vice versa. The relative humidity and atmospheric pressure affected with temperature, too. Climate changes making significant effects on the atmospheric temperature. In this project, the data of thirty four years (1981 – 2004) has been analyzed to get an idea about the changes occurred in the meteorological parameters in Al-Nasiriya city, which was chosen because it has a distinctive wind speed.


Changes in freshwater inflow can cause changes in the distribution and diversity of marsh vegetation in estuarine habitats. In the fall of 2002 bankside vegetation was surveyed along the 24 km length of the Altamaha River estuary (n= 14 sites). Sites were quantified for multiple plant and edaphic parameters, including plant density, height, and tiller diameter. In this paper we present the characteristics of the bankside marsh vegetation as they change along the estuarine salinity gradient, and evaluate the use of a proportional relationship between two marsh grasses, Spartina cynosuroides and S. alterniflora, as a way to identify a transition line between salt and brackish marsh communities. S. alterniflora densities were greatest at the mouth of the estuary and decreased upstream and S. cynosuroides densities showed the opposite pattern, but there was not a well defined transition between these two plant communities. The percent S. cynosuroides cover along the estuary is a potentially useful way to document the response of the estuary to changing amounts of freshwater inflow.