The transition from low Earth orbit 200-1500 (km) to geostationary Earth orbit 42162 (km) was studied in this work by many methods of transfer. The delta-v requirement (Δv), the time of flight (Δt), the mass ratio of propellant consume (Δm/m) and total mass was calculated for many values altitude in the same plane also when the plane is change. The results from work show that (Δv) that required for transfer when the plane of orbit change is large than (Δv) required when the transfer in coplanar maneuvers while the bi-elliptical transfer method need time of transfer longer than a Hohmann transfer method. The most energy efficiency was determined when the transfer in coaxial between elliptical orbits, the result show the most efficiency transfer orbit occur at apogee on the original orbit where the total of velocity required is (0.7864 km/s) that least from total velocity at perigee (0.7975 km/s).


Environmental context Trafficked streets are air pollution hot spots where people experience high exposure to hazardous pollutants. Although monitoring networks provide crucial information about measured pollutant levels, the measurements are resource demanding and thus can be performed at only few selected sites. Fast and easily applied street pollution models are therefore necessary tools to provide information about the loadings in streets without measurement activities. We evaluate the Operational Street Pollution Model, one of the most commonly applied models in air pollution management and research worldwide. Abstract Traffic emissions constitute a major source of health hazardous air pollution in urban areas. Models describing pollutant levels in urban streets are thus important tools in air pollution management as a supplement to measurements in routine monitoring programmes. A widely used model in this context is the fast and easy to apply Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM). For almost 20 years, OSPM has been routinely used in many countries for studying traffic pollution, performing analyses of field campaign measurements, studying efficiency of pollution abatement strategies, carrying out exposure assessments and as reference in comparisons to other models. OSPM is generally considered as state-of-the-art in applied street pollution modelling. This paper outlines the most important findings in OSPM validation and application studies in literature. At the end of the paper, future research needs are outlined for traffic air pollution modelling in general but with outset in the research performed with OSPM.


Modern petroleum geology in the United States had its beginning in the first decade of the 20th Century when the U.S. Geological Survey began mapping the structure of the rocks in and near old fields in order to discover the various types of structural conditions under which oil and gas are trapped. Structural geology has evolved as a branch of the broader science far more rapidly than have methods of mapping the attitude of rocks at the surface. This volume, published in the late 1920s, was designed to afford authoritative and modern descriptions of the structure of typical oil fields in the United States. Each of the 30 fields contained here is described by an author who is intimately familiar with the available data. The relationship of structure at the surface and at depth for different terranes is clearly set forth wherever the strata are not parallel. Fields include: McKittrick, California; Fairport, Kansas; Urania, Louisiana; Artesia, New Mexico; Burbank, Oklahoma; Cabin Creek, West Virginia; and Luling, Texas.


Abstract In situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) through liquids is a promising approach for exploring biological and materials processes. However, options for in situ chemical identification are limited: X-ray analysis is precluded because the liquid cell holder shadows the detector and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is degraded by multiple scattering events in thick layers. Here, we explore the limits of EELS in the study of chemical reactions in their native environments in real time and on the nanometer scale. The determination of the local electron density, optical gap, and thickness of the liquid layer by valence EELS is demonstrated. By comparing theoretical and experimental plasmon energies, we find that liquids appear to follow the free-electron model that has been previously established for solids. Signals at energies below the optical gap and plasmon energy of the liquid provide a high signal-to-background ratio regime as demonstrated for LiFePO4 in an aqueous solution. The potential for the use of valence EELS to understand in situ STEM reactions is demonstrated for beam-induced deposition of metallic copper: as copper clusters grow, EELS develops low-loss peaks corresponding to metallic copper. From these techniques, in situ imaging and valence EELS offer insights into the local electronic structure of nanoparticles and chemical reactions.


Abstract The representation and processing of numerosity is a crucial cognitive capacity. Converging evidence points to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) as primary "number" region. However, the exact role of the left and right PPC for different types of numerical and arithmetic tasks remains controversial. In this study, we used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to further investigate the causal involvement of the PPC during approximative, nonsymbolic mental arithmetic. Eighteen healthy participants received three sessions of anodal HD-tDCS at 1-week intervals in counterbalanced order: left PPC, right PPC, and sham stimulation. Results showed an improved performance during online parietal HD-tDCS (vs. sham) for subtraction problems. Specifically, the general tendency to underestimate the results of subtraction problems (i.e., the "operational momentum effect") was reduced during online parietal HD-tDCS. There was no difference between left and right stimulation. This study thus provides new evidence for a causal involvement of the left and right PPC for approximate nonsymbolic arithmetic and advances the promising use of noninvasive brain stimulation in increasing cognitive functions.


Capital is the dominant economic power in bourgeois society. The capitalist economic system has undergone tremendous changes since its birth, while the nature of private capital for the sole purpose of maximizing proliferation has never changed. It is under the control of this capital nature that a series of profound changes have taken place in the contemporary capitalist economic system.The first change is the transformation from the first generation of globalization to the second generation of globalization, namely, from colonialism to hegemonism. It has resulted in a new center-periphery international structure consisting of the international industrial chain and the international financial chain, as well as the international political and military chain thereon based on them.The second one is the development of human and knowledge capitalization besides material capital. The most typical feature of this change is that the human capital is as important as material capital, which enables workers to obtain higher wages than the general labor force, and its difference is the value of human capital.The third one is the welfare of developed countries based on the opposition between poor producer countries and rich consumer countries, which is a forced choice that capital has to make under external pressure, and the development of capital and global expansion provides the possibility for it.The fourth one is the second generation financialization, which aims at dividing up and grabbing surplus value, tries to make all the illiquid assets securitized, and creates a virtual capital world free from industrial capital.All these changes are aimed at alleviating and resolving the inherent contradiction of capitalism, that is, the contradiction between socialization of production and private ownership of capital, objectively expanding the capacity of capitalist production relations for the development of productive forces. As a result, there are two major results in the international industrial structure: one is the industrial hollowing" of developed countries and the international industrial chain it produces; the other is the economic virtualization" of developed countries and the international financial chain it produces. The overall goal is to make developing countries as producing countries impoverished forever, which is the paradise where capital earns surplus value of labor force, and at the same time to flow the surplus value of division and plunder to the home country of capital, so that the home country becomes the paradise of consumer market. Thus, the fundamental contradiction inherent in the capitalist mode of production seems to lead to an almost perfect solution".However, the fundamental contradiction of capitalism cannot be solved, and it just becomes more complex, which results in a series of new contradictions. Developed countries have launched international trade wars, technological wars and financial wars in order to recover their declining situation in these contradictions, which will constitute new challenges and opportunities to China.


Author(s): Iturriaga, Nicole Aimee | Advisor(s): Saguy, Abigail C; Kligman, Gail | Abstract: Scholars have argued that the state has the power not only to decide who lives and who dies, but also has multiple "modalities of power deployment over the production and management of the dead," known as necropower. However, the emergence of a forensics-based human rights social movement raises larger questions about how activists in post-conflict states are using forensic science to seize this nexus of state necropower. My research thus focuses on understanding: How are human rights activists using forensics and DNA testing to reframe histories of violence? How are these human rights activists using various mechanisms (globalized conceptions of human rights, transnational activist networks, international law, pedagogy, performance, embodiment)to further their goals of restoring identity, memory, and justice within a globalized context? This study seeks to explore these questions through a case study of the silencing of the past in Spain. My analysis draws on a mixed methods approach, including a 15-month participant observation study, over 234 in-depth interviews, and a historical analysis of secondary literature. Chapter 2, Human Rights Forensics, A Global Movement Born in Death, focuses on the work of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) and the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, who initiated and globalized this movement in response to the violent military regime that terrorized Argentina from 1976-1983 and left at least 30,000 people missing. It draws from a variety of data sources, including historical secondary literature, legal cases, and interviews with the leaders of the EAAF and the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, as well as two months of observational data collected in Argentina in 2015. This chapter builds the groundwork of how forensics-based human rights transnational movement began, flourished, and spread. It shows that the Argentinean example may be one of the only fully successful cases of activists seizing control of a dominant narrative of state terror. Furthermore, chapter 2 problematizes the unforeseen challenges that forensics-based human rights can face when it reifies genetic kinship ties over other types of familial connections. I further analyze the impact of the EAAF and the Grandmothers' globalization of this movement in an in-depth case study of Spain's most prolific human rights forensic organization—the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH). My analyses draw on a 15-month participant observation of the ARMH, over 230 in-depth interviews, and a discourse analysis of visitors' guest books from ARMH exhumations. I approach the case study through an in-depth analysis of three key dimensions: Performance, Pedagogy, and International Connections. I argue that these three dimensions illustrate the complex, overlapping, and sometimes-contradictory tactics that ARMH activists use in their reframing of Spain's violent past. Chapters 4-6 thus represent the core of the research, with each chapter directly corresponding to each of these dimensions. In sum, I find that, by basing their claims in science, human rights activists transform perceptions of them from prejudiced activists with political goals into objective experts. Using science, international protocols, and tropes of modernity; activists depoliticize their version of state terror. I illustrate how, by using this 'depoliticized approach,' human rights activists successfully seize necropower from the state, meaningfully change how people understand and remember past violence, mold transitional justice efforts, restitute the identities of missing persons, and facilitate important death rituals for victims' families. I further find, that in the Spanish case, due to an old and long history of institutionalized silence and fear, activists have to work harder to break the silence of the past. To do this, they use performative actions, such as teaching forensics classes to local Spaniards who are visiting mass grave exhumations. These performances promote the ARMH's 'de-politicized' science driven narrative of Spain's violent history, as well as introduce moral claims about the rights of the victims' families and the need for transitional justice. Moreover, I find that the ARMH, as members of a transnational social movement, is influenced by the growth of the larger movement, whose sovereignty and legitimacy has risen—in many cases—above that of the nation-state.


ABSTRACT Since 2005, Sebelas Maret University of Surakarta already has an on line service through the portals of Academic Information System (SIAKAD) for each faculty in UNS. This system is a facility for students and lecturers of UNS to access a various of academic data via the Internet from anywhere and anytime. By visiting the website: http://siakad.uns.ac.id user can access biographical data and a various of academic data such as Kartu Hasil Studi, Kartu Rencana Studi, class schedules, and other academic information. Basicly, the manager of SIAKAD UNS has an intention to continuosly provide the best service to users. Unfortunately it is still often appears many complaints related to its use. Complaints from users has not yet been structured so that the administrator is difficult to formulate appropriate and effective solutions.
The objective of this study are to determine the usability attributes from user perceptions of SIAKAD TI UNS as the preparation of the development suggestion. This study consists of five stages. The first stage is searching relevant attribute by literature study to get a list of initial usability attributes of SIAKAD. The second, identifying the attributes to get additional attributes by reponden. The third, determining the important attributes by using association analysis to get the attributes that have the same weight of importance. The fourth, analysing using factor analysis to find new factors extraction. The fifth stage is composing the development suggestion of SIAKAD TI UNS through Focus Group Discussion to identify usability issues in greater detail in the SIAKAD TI UNS obtained in the previous stage and to find solutions to existing problems.
This research produced 27 usabilities attributes of SIAKAD TI UNS that can be extract by 8 factor, they are Simplicity and Reliability, Feature Availability, Information Quality, Efficiency, Responsivness and Learnability, Acceleration and Record Availability, Accessibility and Problem Solve, Consistency and Security. Finally, 20 development suggestion of SIAKAD TI UNS are generated according to its usability factors.

Key words: Usability, Website, Cochran Test, Factor Analysis.


The design and development of fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) emitting in the red region of the visible spectrum is at present of great interest for bioimaging studies. However, despite the wide variety of CPEs available, stable bright red-emitters remain scarce due to their low solubility and instability in aqueous media, consequently limiting their applications. In this work, we have synthesized and characterized a new red-emitting cationic conjugated polyelectrolyte copoly-{[9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl]-2,7-(fluorene)-alt-1,4-(naphtho[2,3c]-1,2,5-thiadiazole)} bromide (HTMA-PFNT), based on the incorporation of naphtha[2,3c][1,2,5] thiadiazole on fluorene backbone to increase the bathochromic emission, extending the conjugation length in the polymer backbone. Water stabilization was achieved by binding the polyelectrolyte to two different biological systems which are currently used as nanocarriers: human serum albumin (HSA) and lipid vesicles. Using both systems, stable nanostructures of different composition were obtained and their properties were characterized. The properties of the protein-based nanoparticles are consistent with polyelectrolyte aggregates covered with HSA molecules, while the liposome system is composed of lipid vesicles coated with polyelectrolyte chains partially inserted in the bilayer. Both protein and vesicle structural integrity were not affected after their interaction with HTMA-PFNT, as well as the carrier properties, allowing for the binding and transport of ligands. In addition, the nanoparticles displayed the ability of labeling the cell membrane of living cells. All these results extend the potential applications of these novel multifunctional nanoparticles as therapeutic carriers and bioimaging probes.


Net primary productivity (NPP) is a key flux in the terrestrial ecosystem carbon balance, as it summarizes the autotrophic input into the system. Forest NPP varies predictably with stand age, and quantitative information on the NPP‐age relationship for different regions and forest types is therefore fundamentally important for forest carbon cycle modeling. We used four terms to calculate NPP: annual accumulation of live biomass, annual mortality of aboveground and belowground biomass, foliage turnover to soil, and fine root turnover in soil. For U.S. forests the first two terms can be reliably estimated from the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data. Although the last two terms make up more than 50% of total NPP, direct estimates of these fluxes are highly uncertain due to limited availability of empirical relationships between aboveground biomass and foliage or fine root biomass. To resolve this problem, we developed a new approach using maps of leaf area index (LAI) and forest age at 1 km resolution to derive LAI‐age relationships for 18 major forest type groups in the USA. These relationships were then used to derive foliage turnover estimates using species‐specific trait data for leaf specific area and longevity. These turnover estimates were also used to derive the fine root turnover based on reliable relationships between fine root and foliage turnover. This combination of FIA data, remote sensing, and plant trait information allows for the first empirical and reliable NPP‐age relationships for different forest types in the USA. The relationships show a general temporal pattern of rapid increase in NPP in the young ages of forest type groups, peak growth in the middle ages, and slow decline in the mature ages. The predicted patterns are influenced by climate conditions and can be affected by forest management. These relationships were further generalized to three major forest biomes for use by continental‐scale carbon cycle models in conjunction with remotely sensed land cover types.


Dissociation constants at 15 degrees C were measured by equilibrium dialysis for the binding of rCrUrCrU, dCrUrCrU, rCdUrCrU, rCrUdCrU, and rCrUrCdU to the L-21 ScaI form of the self-splicing group I LSU intron from Tetrahymena thermophila. Substitution of deoxyribose for ribose in each of the middle two positions makes the free energy change for binding 1-2 kcal/mol less favorable, compared to about 0.3 kcal/mol less favorable for each of the terminal positions. Dissociation constants for binding of the same oligomers to rGGAGAA were measured by optical melting methods. Substitution of a single deoxyribose for ribose makes the free energy change for binding less favorable by 0.4-0.9 kcal/mol for this simple duplex formation. Comparison of the effects for binding to ribozyme and to rGGAGAA indicate that ribozyme-specific tertiary interactions dependent on the middle two 2' OH groups of rCrUrCrU add about 2 kcal/mol of favorable free energy for binding to L-21 ScaI. Comparisons are made with results from gel retardation studies [Pyle, A. M., McSwiggen, J. A., & Cech, T. R. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 8187-8191; Pyle, A. M., & Cech, T. R. (1991) Nature (London) 350, 628-631].


The present contribution is a tutorial on selected aspects of prosody, the rhythms and melodies of speech, based on a course of the same name at the Summer School on Contemporary Phonetics and Phonology at Tongji University, Shanghai, China in July 2016. The tutorial is not intended as an introduction to experimental methodology or as an overview of the literature on the topic, but as an outline of observationally accessible aspects of fundamental frequency and timing patterns with the aid of computational visualisation, situated in a semiotic framework of sign ranks and interpretations. After an informal introduction to the basic concepts of prosody in the introduction and a discussion of the place of prosody in the architecture of language, a selection of acoustic phonetic topics in phonemic tone and accent prosody, word prosody, phrasal prosody and discourse prosody are discussed, and a stylisation method for visualising aspects of prosody is introduced. Examples are taken from a number of typologically different languages: Anyi/Agni (Niger-Congo>Kwa, Ivory Coast), English, Kuki-Thadou (Sino-Tibetan, North-East India and Myanmar), Mandarin Chinese, Tem (Niger-Congo>Gur, Togo) and Farsi. The main focus is on fundamental frequency patterns, but issues of timing and rhythm are also discussed. In the final section, further reading and possible future research directions are outlined.


Episodic memory and semantic memory interact very closely. In particular, episodic memory encoding (EE) tends to elicit semantic memory retrieval (SR), and vice versa. Thus, similar activations for EE and SR in functional neuroimaging studies may reflect shared memory processes, or they may reflect the fact that EE and SR are usually confounded. To address this issue, we used a factorial functional magnetic resonance imaging approach to disentangle the neural correlates of EE and SR. Within the left temporal lobe, the hippocampus was associated with successful EE, whereas a posterior lateral region was associated with successful SR. Within the left inferior prefrontal cortex, a posterior region was involved in SR, a mid region was involved in both SR and EE, and an anterior region was involved in EE, but only when SR was also high. Thus, the neural correlates of EE and SR are dissociable but interact in specific brain regions.


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to find out the prospects and the factors which militate against the smooth operations of the University of Cape Coast satellite libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

A well-structured questionnaire was used to solicit data from all the staff of the 31 satellite libraries on the Campus of the University of Cape Coast. To ensure reliable findings, the survey approach was used. The first part of the questionnaire looked at the status of staff of the satellite libraries. The second part dealt with the information resources of the libraries, services provided by the libraries and staff developmental issues, while the last part solicited information on the challenges of these libraries. The quantitative data obtained mainly from the questionnaire were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Findings

Some of the major findings are as follows: staff of the satellite libraries have the opportunity to upgrade themselves academically; the Main Library organised a series of in-service training for the staff of the satellite libraries; majority of the staff of the satellite libraries were non-professional and inadequate; and the majority of the satellite libraries were ill equipped, lack of simple working materials like accession registers and stamps, and lack of recognition of library staff by administrators, lecturers and students.

Research limitations/implications

The major components of a library are the building, staff and information resources; however, the study was limited to the staff and information resources, but excludes the building in which the libraries were housed.

Practical implications

Functional satellite libraries are required to support the activities of the main libraries.

Social implications

Satellite libraries are to support the main library to achieve its vision and mission; hence, their ineffectiveness affects the parent institution.

Originality/value

Satellite libraries support the main libraries in accomplishing their vision and mission, but it can be noted that much has been written on the main libraries, and is it high time the state, management and challenges of satellite libraries were exposed.


Background. There is a growing body of knowledge related to stress levels in parents of children diagnosed with developmental challenges. However, limited research has focused on the stress levels among parents raising children with ASD in the South African context. Objectives. To determine the stress levels experienced by parents raising children with ASD and whether experiences differ between mothers and fathers. Methods. An independent-sample t-test was conducted to understand the differences between mothers' and fathers' stress levels. Results. The study found that parents raising children with ASD experience significant stress and that mothers experienced higher parental stress levels than fathers. Conclusion. The results of this study are pertinent to understanding challenges experienced by parents of children with ASD. Genderbased differences in parenting roles are still experienced. Mothers of children with ASD experienced more stress as measured according to the Parenting Daily Hassle Scale. The results suggest that a qualitative follow-up study is required to understand the nature of and background associated with struggles experienced by mothers


The aim of this study was to determine the heat-penetration characteristics using stationary and rotary retorts to manufacture Kimchi soup. Both heat-penetration tests and computer simulation based on mathematical modeling were performed. The sterility was measured at five different positions in the pouch. The results revealed only a small deviation of F0 among the different positions, and the rate of heat transfer was increased by rotation of the retort. The thermal processing of retort-pouched Kimchi soup was analyzed mathematically using a finite-element model, and optimum models for predicting the time course of the temperature and F0 were developed. The mathematical models could accurately predict the actual heat penetration of retort-pouched Kimchi soup. The average deviation of the temperature between the experimental and mathematical predicted model was 2.46% (R2=0.975). The changes in nodal temperature and F0 caused by microbial inactivation in the finite-element model predicted using the NISA program were very similar to that of the experimental data of for the retorted Kimchi soup during sterilization with rotary retorts. The correlation coefficient between the simulation using the NISA program and the experimental data was very high, at 99%.


This study investigated a model of entertainment education that combined drama theory (Kincaid, 2002) and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and tested it in a field study of a government-sponsored health campaign in Ethiopia. Specifically, we explored if the relationships between reported exposure to the Journey of Life radio drama and intentions to practice at least one behavior to prevent HIV transmission (abstinence, monogamy, or condom use) were mediated by emotional involvement, character identification, and perceived efficacy. As listeners (n=126) reported listening to more episodes of the radio serial drama, they identified more with the female protagonist and felt more emotionally involved in the drama. In turn, they reported stronger perceptions of personal efficacy in HIV prevention behaviors, and consequently, reported stronger intentions to practice at least one prevention behavior. Additionally, identification with another character, one who contracts HIV due to noncompliance with these behaviors, correlated positively with stronger behavioral intentions. The results of this study indicate that both drama theory and social cognitive theory explain behavioral intentions.


Reality differs according to the individual's perception: this is a statement of the obvious. How to deliver appropriate library and information services to fulfill those individuals' requirements is not obvious. Measures of success are needed to form the basis of service planning.These measures must be meaningful for individuals, both users and managers, if the goal of designing and delivering library and information services to meet individuals' realities is to be realised. Contexts are changing for individuals: the fast developing world of electronic information services (EIS) provides individuals with new opportunities and new threats. It is against this background that the JUBILEE project was launched.This paper will use evidence from JUBILEE to present the issues underlying the development of an evaluation toolkit for managers of EIS, which will take into account differences between individuals, between disciplines, and between institutions.


The growing recognition of enforceable rights to privacy across the common law world creates tensions with the existing protections afforded to another dignitary interest, reputation, through the tort of defamation. One area in which this tension is acute is the disposition towards injunctive relief. Defamation law has consistently taken a restrictive approach to injunctive relief, based on a commitment to freedom of speech and an aversion to prior restraint. Yet courts, particularly in the United Kingdom, have shown a readiness to grant injunctions to protect privacy. The interaction between reputation and privacy has not been adequately explored. Taking as its starting-point the decision of Tugendhat J in Terry v Persons Unknown, this article analyses the potentially conflicting approaches to injunctive relief in defamation and privacy. It argues that seeking to ascertain whether the essence of the proceedings in reputation or privacy does not provide a principled approach to the resolution of this problem. The interaction between defamation and privacy poses a problem for the coherent and orderly development of the law. Viewed from this perspective, the article argues that a novel cause of action needs to develop to ensure coherence with the well-established cause of action for defamation. In doing so, it examines a difficult issue of principle raised by this interaction, such as the concept of 'false privacy', as well as challenging the view that an award of damages vindicates a plaintiff's reputation, whereas a plaintiff's privacy can only be protected by an injunction.


Bloom syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disorder with characteristic clinical features of primary microcephaly, growth deficiency, cancer predisposition, and immunodeficiency. Here, we report the clinical and molecular findings of eight patients from six families diagnosed with BS. We identified causative pathogenic variants in all families including three different variants in BLM and one variant in RMI1. The homozygous c.581_582delTT;p.Phe194* and c.3164G>C;p.Cys1055Ser variants in BLM have already been reported in BS patients, while the c.572_573delGA;p.Arg191Lysfs*4 variant is novel. Additionally, we present the detailed clinical characteristics of two cases with BS in which we previously identified the biallelic loss‐of‐function variant c.1255_1259delAAGAA;p.Lys419Leufs*5 in RMI1. All BS patients had primary microcephaly, intrauterine growth delay, and short stature, presenting the phenotypic hallmarks of BS. However, skin lesions and upper airway infections were observed only in some of the patients. Overall, patients with pathogenic BLM variants had a more severe BS phenotype compared to patients carrying the pathogenic variants in RMI1, especially in terms of immunodeficiency, which should be considered as one of the most important phenotypic characteristics of BS.


Abstract Spatial planning axes are an important instrument of spatial planning to help connect urban areas and ensure the accessibility of rural areas and their development. The planning of such axes can steer population and traffic flows, decisions on the locations of economic developments as well as infrastructures such as cable networks. In this paper, current spatial planning axes and their continuity are analysed regarding their suitability to promote sustainable cross-border European development. Two neighbouring regions are investigated as examples, namely the Regional Planning Authority Oberes Elbtal/Osterzgebirge (Germany, Saxony) and the Ústí nad Labem Region (Czechia). The overarching research question is how transboundary spatial planning axes can be harmonised? This can be broken down into the following three sub-questions: (1) Which differences exist between the Saxon and Czech planning systems? (2) How is the need for harmonisation assessed by planning practitioners? (3) Which transboundary recommendations can be given from a scientific perspective? To answer these research questions, expert interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders from spatial planning authorities as well as scientific and political institutions.


The purpose of this paper is to unveil how Peter McLaren's revolutionary brand of pedagogy, multiculturalism, and research colored my two-year qualitative research study, which unearthed twenty White female future teachers' experiences and perceptions in relationship to computing technology and male-centered computing culture. His ideas positioned me to see beyond technocentric discourses generated by political, economic, and education leaders, as I was enabled to pinpoint how larger social relations of power perpetuate computing technology as a "boy's toy," designed to amass wealth and power for elite White male corporate leaders at the expense of the vast majority of global citizens. His scholarship also proved to be a source courage and inspiration. It prodded me to believe my research project has the potency to bludgeon unjust practices that perpetuate women's and girls' technological reticence, fuel the corporate takeover of teacher education, and perpetuate Western imperialism, environmental degradation, and hopelessness across the globe. Not coincidently, the critical study served as an educative space for several pre-service teachers. They uncovered how several constitutive forces merge with unjust practices to create women's and girls' computing reticence as well as perpetuate women's marginalization in schools, the business world, and in other social contexts. They appear to possess the critical mindset and courage to create classroom practices bent on forging an egalitarian society.


As the requirements for overhead contact line systems increase due to higher train speeds, the need of safety equipment for these systems increases as well. Developing a component for the case of a contact wire cut to prevent further damage from the overhead contact line system requires an extensive knowledge about the system behaviour. Therefore, a comprehensive multi body system model (MBS) is developed in Matlab SimMechanics environment. In order to validate the datas generated from the simulations, a contact wire test stand has been constructed where cutting experiments can be run by releasing a pretensioned wire. Consequently, the force distribution during the contact wire cut is analyzed and these values are compared with the simulation results. For the comparisons, much attention is given to the period after the contact wire cut.


A novel type of liquid crystalline polyimide with good electroactive properties has been successfully synthesized through polycondensation in the component solvent of benzene sulfonyl chloride, dimethyl formamide and pyridine by N,N'-hexane-1,6-diylbis(trimellitimides), p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 4,4'-dihydroxybenzophenone and double amino-capped aniline trimer (N1,N1'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(benzene-1,4-diamine)). The structure of the obtained polymer was characterized and verified. The polymer can be dissolved in the component solvent of phenol and chloroform or DMF, NMP alone, et al. The molecular weight (Mn=1.7×104, Mw=8.2×104,PDI=4.8) was determined by gel permeantion chromatography using DMF as eluent. By combining the excellent properties of both polyimide and oligoaniline, such material could be used in more broad fields. Furthermore, due to the orientation properties of liquid crystalline property, the conductivity of this polymer is anisotropic, with 10-6 S/cm along the shear direction vs. 10-7 S/cm perpendicular to the shear direction.


Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major global threat to patient safety. Systematic surveillance is crucial for understanding HAI rates and antimicrobial resistance trends and to guide infection prevention and control (IPC) activities based on local epidemiology. In India, no standardized national HAI surveillance system was in place before 2017. Methods: Public and private hospitals from across 21 states in India were recruited to participate in an HAI surveillance network. Baseline assessments followed by trainings ensured that basic microbiology and IPC implementation capacity existed at all sites. Standardized surveillance protocols for central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) were modified from the NHSN for the Indian context. IPC nurses were trained to implement surveillance protocols. Data were reported through a locally developed web portal. Standardized external data quality checks were performed to assure data quality. Results: Between May 2017 and April 2019, 109 ICUs from 37 hospitals (29 public and 8 private) enrolled in the network, of which 33 were teaching hospitals with >500 beds. The network recorded 679,109 patient days, 212,081 central-line days, and 387,092 urinary catheter days. Overall, 4,301 bloodstream infection (BSI) events and 1,402 urinary tract infection (UTI) events were reported. The network CLABSI rate was 9.4 per 1,000 central-line days and the CAUTI rate was 3.4 per 1,000 catheter days. The central-line utilization ratio was 0.31 and the urinary catheter utilization ratio was 0.57. Moreover, 3,542 (73%) of 4,742 pathogens reported from BSIs and 868 (53%) of 1,644 pathogens reported from UTIs were gram negative. Also, 1,680 (26.3%) of all 6,386 pathogens reported were Enterobacteriaceae. Of 1,486 Enterobacteriaceae with complete antibiotic susceptibility testing data reported, 832 (57%) were carbapenem resistant. Of 951 Enterobacteriaceae subjected to colistin broth microdilution testing, 62 (7%) were colistin resistant. The surveillance platform identified 2 separate hospital-level HAI outbreaks; one caused by colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae and another due to Burkholderia cepacia. Phased expansion of surveillance to additional hospitals continues. Conclusions: HAI surveillance was successfully implemented across a national network of diverse hospitals using modified NHSN protocols. Surveillance data are being used to understand HAI burden and trends at the facility and national levels, to inform public policy, and to direct efforts to implement effective hospital IPC activities. This network approach to HAI surveillance may provide lessons to other countries or contexts with limited surveillance capacity. Funding: None Disclosures: None


This article deals with the planning of water quality management studies of the "Sakarya River Basin Management Project" which was submitted to NATO Science Committee for support through the Science for Stability Program. The background and justification of the project are described and then the objectives are presented by phases. The activities that have already been carried out in the planning and the feasibility phases are discussed. A detailed account is given of the procedure for mathematical model development and application, and the methodology for monitoring system design.


BACKGROUND/AIM
Scars develop at the end of the natural wound-healing process and are characterized by excessive collagen deposition, particularly types I and III collagen. This study aimed to investigate the genetic association of COL1A1 -1997 G/T (rs1107946) and COL1A1 Sp1 +1245 G/T (rs1800012) polymorphisms with the incidence of scars.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A case-control association study was conducted with 84 volunteers from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (47 patients and 37 controls). The allele frequency distribution and nucleotide genotypes of -1997 G/T, +1245 G/T were ascertained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis.

RESULTS
Our results indicated that the distribution of COL1A1 (rs1107946) genotypes was significantly different between patients and controls (P = 0.00). The incidence of COL1A1 (rs1107946) genotype GG was significantly associated with a risk of scars. The distribution of the (rs1107946) genotype was drastically higher in women with scars (P= 0.00). One haplotype block in COL1A1 was documented by the pair-wise linkage disequilibrium between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The frequency of the GG haplotype constructed by the two SNPs was robustly high and associated with risk of scars.

CONCLUSION
Our results strengthen the evidence for the association between polymorphisms of -1997 G/T, +1245 G/T of the COL1A1 gene in the genetic etiology of keloid scars.


This report summarises the findings from the Northern Consortium on the Impact of the
Reducing Burglary Initiative (RBI). The Northern Consortium was responsible for evaluating
projects in the north of England.
The consortium evaluated 21 Strategic Development Projects (SDPs) under Round 1 of the
RBI and found that these SDPs varied greatly in their attributes. There was variation in the
leadership of the projects along with variation in the demographics and crime problems they
were addressing.
The Northern Consortium Evaluation developed several new tools for evaluating crime
prevention initiatives including innovative methods for measuring crime displacement and for
attributing crime changes to policy interventions.
Using a wide range of data, both qualitative and quantitative the team derived a scoring
system for each SDP that allowed ranking of success to occur. Whilst this showed variability
in burglary reduction across the group, it shows success is possible, but there are many
elements of success, and implementation is a key driver of this. There were also many
lessons to be learnt by all crime reduction stakeholders including the Home Office, local
authorities, partnerships and evaluation teams from the work carried out, on how to ensure
sustainability, cost effectiveness and replicability in the future.


Recently, preservation of the skills of experts has become a serious problem in the medical and production fields. It is difficult to acquire human motion, including touching motion, by means of a conventional visual-based system. Touching motion is inherently bilateral, since an action is always accompanied by a reaction. Bilateral force feedback control is necessary to acquire another person's skill. This paper proposes a haptic teletraining system using multilateral force feedback control. Since the multilateral control transmits haptic information among three or more remote systems, it is possible to train multiple remote trainees simultaneously using one skilled trainer. In the proposed haptic teletraining system, each local system consists of a master-slave system. Since a touching motion is subject to the law of action and reaction, it is possible to decompose the force information into an action force and a reaction force by using bilateral control. Thus, the skilled motion of a trainer is acquired and saved as a digital database integrated with his haptic information. The proposed system is applied to a one-trainer/two-trainee system. As a result, motion including contact with the environment is transmitted and trained with vivid force feedback. The experimental results show the viability of the proposed method. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 93(12): 26–34, 2010; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.10237


The main goal pursued in this Thesis is to contribute towards the design and development of an end-to-end solution/system that would assist in reliable, consistence, less packet-loss delivery of high-quality video signals of pre-recorded presentations, training lectures, live events such as seminars over standard IP networks. This Thesis will focus on the existing Internet Service Provider, Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and its best delivery of high-bandwidth data such as video to its Local and regional offices and departments over IP networks. This video-over-IP system aims to accumulate the technical scientific knowledge required to be able to offer high-quality video, which is fully scalable over IP networks. It aims to convert this knowledge into experimental prototypes, which, after the Thesis, can be developed into an integrated generic environment for Video-over-IP service development and content production. The objective is to initially define the functionality of content Services that can be incorporated into the operations of Oman telecommunications company networks. Then define the functional characteristics and system requirements necessary for the deployment of content streaming services over Omantel IP based networks. The design of this system would be combined with streaming high-quality video, while maintaining scalability and bandwidth efficiencies required for large-scale enterprise deployment. The design would encompass various components that are needed to capture, store and deliver streaming video to desktops. It will investigate on what is required to deliver quality video over Omantel IP networks and will recommend the actual products and solutions for achieving the end result.


This paper proposes an adaptive proportional-integral-derivative (PID) speed control scheme for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives. The proposed controller consists of three control terms: a decoupling term, a PID term, and a supervisory term. The first control term is employed to compensate for the nonlinear factors, the second term is made to automatically adjust the control gains, and the third one is designed to guarantee the system stability. Different from the offline-tuning PID controllers, the proposed adaptive controller includes adaptive tuning laws to online adjust the control gains based on the gradient descent method. Thus, it can adaptively deal with any system parameter uncertainties in reality. The proposed scheme is not only simple and easy to implement, but also it guarantees an accurate and fast speed tracking. It is proven that the control system is asymptotically stable. To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, the comparative experiments between the proposed adaptive PID controller and the conventional PID controller are performed on the PMSM drive. Finally, it is validated that the proposed design scheme accomplishes the superior control performance (faster transient response and smaller steady-state error) compared to the conventional PID method in the presence of parameter uncertainties.


The aim of the conference is to meet and discuss and get more knowledge of the challenges of road infrastructure asset management. The effects of increasing traffic, climate change and need of safety as well as the need of well-being has to be met by even more effective road management. A holistic approach covering a lifetime view of road keeping (e.g. LCA) and preserving the assets is essential. The challenge Europe is facing is to use environmental friendly materials and technologies providing a sustainable and safe road infrastructure system. The conference covers all aspects of the road infrastructure including assets such as pavements, engineering structures and road equipment.


The refrigerated shelf life of soymilk fermented with single cultures of Lactobacillus fermentum, L. casei, Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, and Bifidobacterium longum was evaluated. During storage at 4 degrees C for 28 days, the stability of the microflora differed markedly among the starter cultures. After 28 days, the average numbers of S. salivarius subsp. thermophilus decreased by two log cycles to 6.0 x 10(7) CFU/ml, whereas those of L. casei increased gradually by more than two log cycles to 4.6 x 10(9) CFU/ml. Numbers of B. longum and L. fermentum remained moderately high (8.7 x 10(8) CFU/ml and 3.7 x 10(8) CFU/ml, respectively) even after 28 days of storage. S. salivarius subsp. thermophilus and L. casei continued to metabolize sucrose during the storage period, but the pattern of consumption was different among the strains. The other starter cultures did not seem to have significant activity (P > 0.05) on the residual sugars. In most cases, L(+)-lactate predominated.


The analgesic properties of nicotine have prompted attempts to develop compounds that specifically target nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the nervous system, with the beneficial effects of nicotine but without its side effects. Thus far, only nAChR agonists have been reported as being in development for pain, although nAChR antagonists could also have a potentially analgesic action. Various problems associated with the use of nAChR agonists as analgesics have been identified and measures suggested to overcome some of them. This review describes the nAChR agonists A-85380, tebanicline, ABT-366833, ABT-202, ABT-894, epibatidine analogs and SIB-1663, of which ABT-366833, ABT-202 and ABT-894 are currently undergoing development as pain therapeutics. In vivo studies of the pathomechanism of neuropathic pain indicate that targeting alpha3beta4 does not have a specific action on neuropathic pain, and that alpha3beta4 ligands cause side effects. On the other hand, alpha4beta2 receptors are specific for neuropathic pain, and ligands that bind preferentially to these receptors both effectively relieve pain and do not cause many adverse effects. This is the basis of the difference between the action of tebanicline, which binds with greater specificity to alpha3beta4 receptors, and ABT-366833, which binds more specifically to alpha4beta2 receptors.


The kinetics of the action of local anesthet- ics upon firefly luciferin and luciferase systems is presented. Clinical concentrations of local anesthetics inhittited this ATP-induced luminescence in a dose-dependent manner. From the effects of temperature and pH upon the inhibitory action of the local anesthetics, it is concluded that hlydropho- bic ligand-enzyme interaction is the predominant cause of the inhibition, but hydrophilic interaction also contributes to the inhibition to a lesser degree. A molecular theory of anes- thesia is outlined which postulates that release of electro- stricted water molecules from the hydrophilic parts of the en- zyme due to the protein conformational changes induced by anesthetics is the cause of the decreased luminescence. A similar mechanism is expected to occur at the cell mem- brane, which probably dehydrates the sodium channel and suppresses the conductance of this ion across the membrane. These events lead to a volume expansion of the total system, and the system becomes reactive to a pressure which reverses the anesthesia by shifting the equilibrium to the nonanesthe- tized original volume. The pressure antagonism of anesthesia can be explained by this overall volume expansion and not by a mere swelling of the cell membrane.


0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
 {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
 mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
 mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
 mso-style-noshow:yes;
 mso-style-parent:"";
 mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
 mso-para-margin:0cm;
 mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
 mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
 font-size:10.0pt;
 font-family:"Times New Roman";
 mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
 mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;
 mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;}
 As we know, one of the most interesting themes at 21 st century is the environmental problems. Also, so many people interested sustainable development and the economic growth. Both of them adhere closely. They are related with environmental sustainability. With a line of connection, "Green Growth" is more interesting theme for Asia-Pacific region people. The Asia-Pacific region has 61 per cent of the world's population and it covers 40 per cent of the Earth's land area. Facing Second Millenniums Era, dramatic economic growth has facilitated poverty alleviation and social progress in many parts of the region. But, increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic and human security, all these added pressures make big issues. How are they satisfied with their increasing demands? How meet they the difficult global challenges before them, while simultaneously improving people's lives and conserving their natural resources? As a result, the Governments in the Asia-Pacific region have unanimously agreed to respond to these challenges through the promising path of environmentally sustainable economic growth, as "Green Growth" I'd like to research the Asia-Pacific countries' efforts for environmentally sustainable economic growth, as "Green Growth" by Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS). CAS is dynamic systems able to adapt in and evolve with a changing environment. It is important to realize that there is no separation between a system and its environment in the idea that a system always adapts to a changing environment. Rather, the concept to be examined is that of a system closely linked with all other related systems making up an ecosystem. Within such a context, change needs to be seen in terms of co-evolution with all other related systems, rather than as adaptation to a separate and distinct environment. Also, I intend to add software for achieving the Green Growth as Asia-Pacific region people wanted.


Obese individuals maintained for 64 days on either of two low-calorie diets (600-800 kcal/day), consisting of protein alone or protein plus carbohydrate, varied widely in the extent of their cumulative nitrogen deficits. Rates of weight loss showed little correlation with rates of nitrogen loss after the first 28 days of the study. The low-calorie diet consisting entirely of protein increased blood beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations far more than did a diet consisting of equal parts of protein and carbohydrate. The diet which consisted almost entirely of protein did not spare body protein better or induce a greater rate of weight loss than did the mixture of protein and carbohydrate.


This study analyzed the relationships between the inclination to help the others and prosocial moral reasoning (PMR) in a sample of 548 Italian adolescents and young adults. We used the Italian version of Prosocial Tendencies Measure to evaluate the tendencies to adopt prosocial behaviors in different conditions (public, anonymous, and helping behavior in emotionally critical and dire situations) and the two Italian versions of Prosocial Reasoning Objective Measure (respectively for adolescents and adults) in order to assess the general level (composite PMR) and the five typologies of PMR (hedonistic, needs oriented, approval oriented, stereotypical, and internalized prosocial moral reasoning). Results showed that girls scored higher than boys in helping behaviors in emotionally critical and dire situations, while boys scored higher than girls in public behaviors; furthermore, young adults expressed higher levels than adolescents in anonymous behaviors while adolescents scored higher than young adults in public behaviors. In relation to prosocial moral reasoning, girls expressed higher scores than boys in composite PMR and, specifically, in internalized and hedonistic PMR, while boys showed higher levels than girls in stereotypical, needs oriented, and approval oriented PMR. Moreover, young adults reached higher levels than adolescents in composite PMR, especially in internalized and hedonistic PMR; additionally, adolescents obtained higher levels than young adults in stereotypical, needs oriented, and approval oriented PMR. Significant relationships between prosocial behavior and PMR were found: the inclination to use helping behaviors in emotionally critical and dire situations was related positively to levels of composite PMR, especially to internalized PMR, but negatively to approval oriented PMR; public behaviors were related positively to approval and needs oriented PMR, but negatively to composite PMR and, specifically to internalized PMR. Future research will analyze the effects of these dimensions on other psychological constructs such as moral disengagement and value orientations in educational context.


Nanotechnology is giving to materials science new opportunities to develop even further all engineering materials. This paper details the preparation of a nanocomposite aimed to be used as a bitumen modifier, the modification itself, and evaluation of some rheological properties of the modified asphalts intended to build long life asphalt pavements. The bitumen was modified with a polymer nanocomposite and its conventional material (without nanostructure) at three different compositions, while their rheological behavior was compared with the asphalt conditioned under the same temperature and stirring time than the modified binders. Evaluation of the binders was carried out to the samples as prepared and to their residues after Aging—Rolling Thin Film Oven Test. According to the experimental results, the Colombian bitumen modified with the new polymer nanocomposite could undergo much less mass loss under aging conditions than the bitumen modified with its standard material getting, at the same time, higher mechanical resistance, and less accumulated strain without being stress sensitive at high temperatures.


Two patients had infantile phytanic acid storage disease. Patient 1 had nystagmus from early infancy, epicanthal folds, esotropia, and a pigmentary retinopathy. The second case had similar manifestations; however, no nystagmus was present. Both patients were hypotonic as infants, had a severe hearing impairment, and were moderately severely developmentally delayed. Serum phytanic acid levels in both cases were clearly elevated. The fundus and fluorescein angiogram showed macular and diffuse retinal pigment epithelial defects, vascular attenuation, and pigmentary dispersion. The electroretinogram demonstrated severely subnormal rod- and cone-mediated responses, with greater involvement evident for responses generated by middle and inner retinal neurons compared with responses mediated by photoreceptors. The ophthalmologist may be the first to recognize the characteristic features of this disorder. Early diagnosis may be important because this disorder may be ameliorated by dietary restriction of phytanic acid.


With the increasing fault rate on high-end supercomputers, the topic of fault tolerance has been gathering attention. To cope with this situation, various fault-tolerance techniques are under investigation; these include user-level, algorithm-based fault-tolerance techniques and parallel execution environments that enable jobs to continue following node failure. Even with these techniques, some programs with static load balancing, such as stencil computation, may underperform after a failure recovery. Even when spare nodes are present, they are not always substituted for failed nodes in an effective way. This article considers the questions of how spare nodes should be allocated, how to substitute them for faulty nodes, and how much the communication performance is affected by such a substitution. The third question stems from the modification of the rank mapping by node substitutions, which can incur additional message collisions. In a stencil computation, rank mapping is done in a straightforward way on a Cartesian network without incurring any message collisions. However, once a substitution has occurred, the optimal node-rank mapping may be destroyed. Therefore, these questions must be answered in a way that minimizes the degradation of communication performance. In this article, several spare node allocation and failed node substitution methods will be proposed, analyzed, and compared in terms of communication performance following the substitution. The proposed substitution methods are named sliding methods. The sliding methods are analyzed by using our developed simulation program and evaluated by using the K computer, Blue Gene/Q (BG/Q), and TSUBAME 2.5. It will be shown that when failures occur, the stencil communication performance on the K and BG/Q can be slowed around 10 times depending on the number of node failures. The barrier performance on the K can be cut in half. On BG/Q, barrier performance can be slowed by a factor of 10. Further, it will also be shown that almost no such communication performance degradation can be seen on TSUBAME 2.5. This is because TSUBAME 2.5 has an Infiniband network connected with a FatTree topology, while the K computer and BG/Q have dedicated Cartesian networks. Thus, the communication performance degradation depends on network characteristics.


Summary Objective: The amount of clinical information that anesthesia providers encounter creates an environment for information overload and medical error. In an effort to create more efficient OR and PACU EMR viewer platforms, we aimed to better understand the intraoperative and post-anesthesia clinical information needs among anesthesia providers. Materials and Methods: A web-based survey to evaluate 75 clinical data items was created and distributed to all anesthesia providers at our institution. Participants were asked to rate the importance of each data item in helping them make routine clinical decisions in the OR and PACU settings. Results: There were 107 survey responses with distribution throughout all clinical roles. 84% of the data items fell within the top 2 proportional quarters in the OR setting compared to only 65% in the PACU. Thirty of the 75 items (40%) received an absolutely necessary rating by more than half of the respondents for the OR setting as opposed to only 19 of the 75 items (25%) in the PACU. Only 1 item was rated by more than 20% of respondents as not needed in the OR compared to 20 data items (27%) in the PACU. Conclusion: Anesthesia providers demonstrate a larger need for EMR data to help guide clinical decision making in the OR as compared to the PACU. When creating EMR platforms for these settings it is important to understand and include data items providers deem the most clinically useful. Minimizing the less relevant data items helps prevent information overload and reduces the risk for medical error. Citation: Herasevich V, Ellsworth MA, Hebl JR, Brown MJ, Pickering BW. Information needs for the OR and PACU electronic medical record. Appl Clin Inf 2014; 5: 630–641 http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2014-02-RA-0015


[1] In geochronology, isotopic ages are determined from the ratio of parent and daughter nuclide concentrations in minerals. For dating of geological material using the K‐Ar system, the simultaneous determination of Ar and K concentrations on the same aliquot is not possible. Therefore, a widely used variant, the Ar/Ar technique, involves the production of 39Ar from 39K by neutron bombardment and the reliance on indirect natural calibrators of the neutron flux, referred to as "mineral standards." Many mineral standards still in use rely on decades‐old determinations of Ar concentrations; resulting uncertainties, both systematic and analytical, impede the determination of higher accuracy ages using the K‐Ar decay system. We discuss the theoretical approach and technical design of a gas delivery system which emits metrologically traceable amounts of 40Ar and will allow for the sensitivity calibration of noble gas mass spectrometers. The design of this system is based on a rigorous assessment of the uncertainty budget and detailed tests of a prototype system. A number of obstacles and proposed resolutions are discussed along with the selection of components and their integration into a pipette system.


The use of technology has a positive and negative impact in the world of education. The positive impact, among others, is to make it easier for teachers to deliver material in a way that is no longer manual. By using technology, we can also provide a more concrete picture when conveying material about something. And another impact is that it can make it easier for us to process information, for example by using the internet. The negative impacts of using technology in education include, among others, the existence of technical disturbances that make the learning process disrupted. In this case, it turns out that the technology we use is no longer helpful. For example, if in the learning process that utilizes the LCD suddenly the power goes out, it will be difficult for us to convey the material that has been prepared (Susilana & Riyana, 2008). Another negative impact is, due to technological advances, individuals tend to be individualistic and less social in life. And sometimes some individuals often misuse technology, thus wasting their time with activities that are less useful.


This study assesses access to productive resources amongst People withdisabilities, (PWD). Specifically, the study examines the constraints to accessing productive resources among them and proposes an effective strategy towards addressing the constraints. One hundred and five respondents that were members of PWD associations were interviewed through the use of a structured interview schedule. Frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviation, and parson correlation were used to analyze the data. The results showed that more than half (63.6%) of the PWD were males and were of working age. The majority (74.4%) were illiterates. All the PWD claimed that access to productive resources was of the necessity for sustainable livelihood but in the real sense it has turned to ordinary dream. Most of the PWD claimed that productive resources such as accessibility to education and information, employment, appropriate technology, health and rehabilitation facilities were not provided and those ones provided were inadequate. Positive and significant correlations exist between PWD access to productive resources and socio-economic characteristics such as education, income, and source of information at p ≤ 0.05. In conclusion, there is a need to create an enabling environment through the provision of adequate productive resources in order to make life momentous for PWD.


Background: Specific learning disability (SLD) is known to cause a great amount of psychological and mental stress to the children and their parents. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of SLD among children in Gwalior and to find out the risk factors associated with SLD. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2016 and 2017 in two government and two private schools of Gwalior. A total of 800 students from the 3rd to 6th standard were included in the study. The details of every student were filled in a pro forma which included their academic performance. Based on this, last 10% of the low-performing students from each class were recruited and they were subjected to visual, hearing, IQ assessment, and NIMHANS index for SLD. Results: A total of 23 students were identified as having SLD, with a prevalence of 2.87%. The most common type was combined type (dyslexia and dyscalculia). The prevalence of arithmetic disability was found to be around 2.25%, reading disability was 2.5%, and that of writing disability was around 1.37%. The mean age of students diagnosed as SLD was 9.8. Among the learning-disabled students, 19 students (82%) were having only one sibling. SLD was diagnosed mostly in class IV students (p=0.023). Among SLD students, a history of prematurity was found in 11 students (48%), low birth weight in 13 students (57%), and head trauma in 13 students (57%) with SLD. Among SLD students, 7 were having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No students were identified as having ADHD in the remaining students and it was highly significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of SLD was 2.87%, with the most common type being combined type. The antenatal risk factors associated with SLD were prematurity, low birth weight, and a history of head trauma. The most common comorbid condition associated with SLD was attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.


The photocycle of aqueous ruthenium-(trisbipyridine) [Ru(bpy)3]2+ was studied under high laser excitation intensities and high sample concentrations with picosecond resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In a pump-probe scheme a femtosecond laser pulse promotes a 4d electron from the ruthenium to the ligand orbitals, thus creating a metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer (MLCT) complex. A hard x-ray pulse from a synchrotron source probes the ruthenium L3 and L2 edges, monitoring the electronic and molecular structure of the ruthenium over the photocycle. The measured x-ray absorption spectrum of the MLCT state is in good agreement with the predictions of a theoretical calculation (TT-multiplet software). We extract from the spectrum that the excited-state complex can be described by D3 symmetry and has a 4d5 configuration. The decay kinetics of the MLCT state are found to be strongly dependent on the sample concentration, especially for solutions near the solubility limit of [Ru(bpy)3]Cl2 in water. Besides ground-state quenching and triplet-triplet annihilation a third fast decay component quenches the life-time of the MLCT state, tentatively attributed to a cluster effect. This study is the first application of sub-nanosecond time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy on solvated systems and demonstrates its capability as a new tool for the observation of chemical dynamics in solvated systems.


Summary The following compounds inhibited incorporation of thymidine-3H into the DNA of HeLa cells without significantly impairing cellular incorporation of uridine-3H into RNA or leucine-3H into protein; they are listed in order of potency. Dihydroxyurea > N-methylhydroxyurea > N-acetylhydroxyurea = hydroxyurea = N-hydroxyguanidine = N-hydroxyurethane = N-ethylhydroxyurea > 3-phenyl-1-hydroxyurea = formamidoxime > N-methylacetohydroxamic acid = N-methylhydroxylamine > acetohydroxamic acid. Hydroxylamine, N-hydroxyglycine amide and 3-phenyl-1-hydroxy-2-thiourea inhibited incorporation of all three labeled precursors. Methoxyamine, methoxyurea, and N-methylmethoxyurea had no effect upon thymidine uptake. Addition of three deoxyribonucleosides, deoxyadenosine (0.1 mm), deoxyguanosine (0.1 mm), and deoxycytidine (1.0 µm), to the culture medium provided partial protection against the inhibitory effects of hydroxyurea, hydroxyurethane, acetohydroxamic acid, hydroxyguanidine, formamidoxime, and N-methylhydroxylamine. The data suggest that all of these agents inhibit a reaction in the biosynthesis of deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides. The relationship between chemical structure and inhibitory activity is discussed and some possible inhibitory mechanisms examined.


We evaluated the ability of close to 100 organic acids to form water-soluble salts with methadone, cyclazocine, naloxone, naltrexone and, more recently, diprenorphine. About half the acids yielded insoluble salts. Polybasic acids affording insoluble salts were evaluated for their ability to form drug:acid:metal complexes with the polyvalent metal ions, Zn++, Al+++, Mg++ and Ca++. Optimum conditions for forming complexes have been developed and the consistency of their composition has been established. Salts were analyzed spectrophotometrically for drug content, and complexes were analyzed for drug and metal content. The in vitro degree of dissociation at equilibrium was measured for the preparations suspended in a simulated physiological buffer, pH 7.3. Preparations of the narcotic antagonist drugs showing relatively low degrees of dissociation in vitro, since it early appeared that a high degree of dissociation contraindicated a prolonged duration of pharmacological action, were evaluated in mice after intramuscular administration at several dose levels by the mouse tail-flick test for the potency and duration of their morphine antagonist activity. Our most promising preparations to date, showing the most prolonged durations of action without evidence of gross toxicity, are naltrexone zinc tannate and naltrexone aluminum tannate. These are undergoing detailed evaluation as potential clinical candidates. Thus far, the most useful of several dosage forms studied is s suspension in an aluminum monostearate gel.


Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are emerging as an important new class of genes deregulated in cancer. Orphans snoRNAs are encoded outside of ribosomal protein genes and are involved in either gene splicing or are microRNA precursors. In this issue of JCI, Chu et al. find that ACA11, an orphan snoRNA encoded in an intron of the WHSC1 gene, is aberrantly overexpressed in t(4;14)-positive patients with multiple myeloma (MM), in which it influences growth of MM cells, resistance to chemotherapy, and oxidative stress. These findings represent the first identification of a snoRNA overexpressed as a consequence of a chromosomal translocation, a potent driving force of the neoplastic process in general and hematopoietic malignancies in particular.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the results of posterior sub-tenon triamcinolone acetonide in patients of refractory macular oedema suffering with retinal vascular disorders.

METHODS
This quasi-experimental study was conducted at Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust, Lahore, Pakistan, from October 2014 to March 2015, and comprised eyes of patients with refractory macular oedema. The central macular thickness of all patients was determined with ocular coherence tomography before giving injection of 40mg/ml posterior sub-tenon triamcinolone acetonide. After the injection, central macular thickness of each eye was measured in follow-ups at 1st week, 1st month and 2nd month with ocular coherence tomography.

RESULTS
Of the 40 participants, 26(65%) were men and 14(35%) women. The mean age was 61.80±7.20 years. The mean central macular thickness before injection was 488.70±34.93, while it was 337.60±146 after 1st week of injection, 420.60 ± 76.13 after 1st month and 477.98±72.30 after two months. Comparisons of central macular thickness at various follow-ups showed a significant difference from the baseline to the last follow-up (p<0.001). Moreover, 4(14%) subjects showed consistent improvement in central macular thickness.

CONCLUSIONS
Posterior sub-tenon triamcinolone acetonide can be considered a short-term treatment option in cases of refractory macular oedema.


In this paper we present the Exemplar Encoder-Decoder network (EED), a novel conversation model that learns to utilize similar examples from training data to generate responses. Similar conversation examples (context-response pairs) from training data are retrieved using a traditional TF-IDF based retrieval model and the corresponding responses are used by our decoder to generate the ground truth response. The contribution of each retrieved response is weighed by the similarity of corresponding context with the input context. As a result, our model learns to assign higher similarity scores to those retrieved contexts whose responses are crucial for generating the final response. We present detailed experiments on two large data sets and we find that our method out-performs state of the art sequence to sequence generative models on several recently proposed evaluation metrics.


The Mexican petrochemical industry, Morelos S.A. de C.V. is one of the biggest and most important petroleum industries in Mexico and in Latin America. It has an activated sludge system to treat its wastewater flow, which is about 7000m3/d. The wastewater contains volatile organic carbon substances classified as toxic. The old surface aeration system was changed for fine bubble diffusers; however, one major drawback of the new aeration system is that the temperature in the bioreactor has increased due to the compression of the air, which at the compressor exit reaches up to 85oC. This effect produces a temperature in the aerated bioreactor of 32oC during the fall, whereas in the spring and summer, the bioreactor temperature reaches higher values than 40oC. The high temperatures reduce the microorganisms' activity and cause higher volatilization rates of volatile compounds, among other effects, which affect the performance of the biological treatment. In this work we performed a stability analysis at different equilibrium points in different scenarios of temperatures, recycle flowrate and wastage flowrate. The eigenvalues of the state matrix of dynamical model of the petrochemical wastewater treatment were evaluated. The model describes the effect of the temperature on the soluble and volatile pollutants removal rate, heterotrophic organism growth rate, oxygen uptake rate and biomass concentration in the settler. The model was obtained from tests that were done in laboratory reactors with 14 L of capacity, which were operated at different temperatures (from 30oC to 45oC), with the same conditions as the actual system. Simulations were done based on the model obtained manipulating the operation variables Qw and Qr. The stability analysis was also done to the reactor without recycle (Qr = 0 m3/d). In all the cases the stability analyses was performed. The stripping of VOC´s is an important process of COD removal at high operation temperatures.


Objective. To investigate the reliability and validity of five squat-based loading tests that are clinically appropriate for jumper's knee. The loading tests were step up, double leg squat, double leg squat on a 25-degree decline (decline squat), single leg decline squat, and decline hop. Design. Cross-sectional controlled cohort. Subjects without knee pain comprised controls, those with extensor tendon pain comprised the jumper's knee group. Setting. Institutional athlete study group in Australia Participants. Fifty-six elite adolescent basketball players participated in this study, thirteen comprised the jumper's knee group, fifteen athletes formed a control group. Intervention. Each subject performed each loading test for baseline and reliability data on the first testing day. Subjects then performed three days of intensive (6 h daily) basketball training, after which each loading test was reexamined. Main outcome measures. Eleven point interval scale for pain. Results. The tests that best detected a change in pain due to intensive workload were the single leg decline squat and single leg decline hop. This study found that decline tests have better discriminative ability than the standard squat to detect change in jumper's knee pain due to intensive training. The typical error for these tests ranged from 0.3 to 0.5, however, caution should be exercised in the interpretation of these reliability figures due to relatively low scores. Conclusions. The single leg decline squat is recommended in the physical assessment of adolescent jumper's knee. The decline squat was


Along with the rise of digital media technologies, digitisation disrupted and reconfigured the established practices of previously discrete media markets. The erosion of conventional media divisions has resulted in wide-ranging ramifications for sports broadcasts as it shifts from the historically dominant platform of broadcast television to the digital environment of the Internet in the new mediascape. This paper considers how these emergent practices from the advent of media technology have represented significant challenges to the mediascape of sports broadcasts in Singapore. Given the popularity of mediated Western sports in Singapore, it comes as no surprise that the challenge of sports broadcasts piracy is acute in the country. Singapore has an exceedingly high degree of online infringement compared to other countries in the region. Data discloses that Singapore's per capita infringement ranks first in Asia and fifth highest globally. This paper seeks to review the phenomenon in Singapore, examining the drivers that created the unique market dynamics which shaped the piracy of sports broadcasts in the country. The paper goes on to discuss provisions in Singapore in terms of copyright law and enforcement that are in place for the deterrence of sports broadcasts piracy. It considers the adequacy of these current approaches and concludes with an observation of how Singapore will seek to adjust to the continual digital advancement in its battle against digital sports piracy. The outcome of this assessment helps provide an additional account for its comparison with existing discourse on the challenges of digitisation on sports broadcasts development in advanced capitalist Asian countries.


The use of soil cover plants has varied effects on crops grown in succession, depending on the cover plant used. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil cover plants from the Poaceae and Fabaceae families grown in the autumn and winter on yields of corn and soybean grown in succession. The experiment was carried out for two years and the experimental design used was randomized block design, with six replications. Both in the first year and the second, the plots consisted of the cultivation of corn or soybeans on the different biomasses of four cover crops cultivated in autumn and winter intercropped with corn. The cover crops were two Poaceae plants (black oats and brachiaria) and two Fabaceae plants (forage pea and white lupine). The production and productivity parameters of summer corn and soybean commercial crops were evaluated Cover plants of the Poaceae (black oat and brachiaria) and Fabacea (pea and white lupine) families intercropped with corn grown in autumn-winter did not affect their yield components and yield; as well as the productivity of soybeans in succession. According to the results of this work, the cultivation of black oat, brachiaria, forage pea and lupine increases the number of species that the farmer can cultivate intercropped with corn, favoring the crop rotation system in no-till.


Some institutions of higher education in Kenya have adopted e‑Learning with the aim of coping with the increased demand for university education and to widen access to university training and education. Though there are advantages that accrue from adopting e‑Learning; its implementation and provision has not been smooth sailing. It has had to contend with certain national, organisational, technical and social challenges that undermine its successful implementation. This paper therefore aims to present a literature review of the challenges faced in the implementation and provision of e‑Learning in universities in Kenya. The scoping review method was used to identify and analyze the literature of the e‑Learning challenges. Some of the challenges revealed include: lack of adequate e‑Learning policies, inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, the ever evolving technologies, lack of technical and pedagogical competencies and training for e‑tutors and e‑learners, lack of an e‑Learning theory to underpin the e‑Learning practice, budgetary constraints and sustainability issues, negative perceptions towards e‑Learning, quality issues, domination of e‑Learning aims by technology and market forces and lack of collaboration among the e‑Learning participants. These challenges need to be addressed to minimise their impact on implementation and delivery of e‑Learning initiatives in institutions of higher education in Kenya. This analysis of the e‑Learning challenges forms the basis for the ongoing research that seeks to explore and establish possible strategies to address some of these challenges.


In view of various shortcomings of the traditional MVC model and PAC model in mobile applications, this paper presents a new type of mobile user interface model named MD to guide the mobile user interface design and prototyping. MD model reasonably distributes the tasks between front-end and back-end: input and output are closely coupled as front code put in the D to achieve macro-communication, application model can be considered as back code put in the M. This model effectively solves the power restricted and other problems of mobile devices. By applying this model to the prototype development of Android-based Interactive Graphics Toolkit—AIGT, we verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the model.


In an effort to determine why there is continued scarcity of all women and of men of color in the sciences, this study turns the lens of the social sciences onto social aspects of the sciences. Interviews with academic science faculty examined gender and racial/ethnic issues in the professional domain of a variety of scientists for clues as to how the culture of science might influence demographic participation in science programs. As a study of culture with an explicitly sociopolitical agenda, this study adheres most closely to the traditions of Critical Ethnography. Interviews were conducted with 34 practicing scientists sampled demographically across science and applied science fields with respect to sex and racial/ethnic background. The interviewees were half female, half male, half Caucasian, and half people of color (from several ethnic groups). Results indicate that the scientific method and its associated worldview are the most readily identifiable source of the problem of minority representation in the sciences. Scientists believe they can remove subjectivity from their treatment of people, because they are convinced they can do this in their empirical work. Responses, however, in interviews indicate that people in the sciences are not treated equally or equitably. Contains 24 references. (PVD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************


Brillouin spectroscopy is a well-established technology in condensed matter physics to characterize the mechanical properties of inert materials, and it has been extended very recently to the study of biological samples. Transparency is beneficial for samples to be properly analyzed by Brillouin spectroscopy. Here, we explored the efficacy of optical tissue clearing techniques to improve the acquisition of Brillouin spectra from biological tissues in order to analyze their biomechanical properties. We describe the first application of Brillouin scattering to optically cleared biological tissues with CUBIC protocol. We conclude that, within the range of error, tissue clearing does not modify the mechanical properties of the studied biological tissues.


OF THESIS NANOINDENTATION OF A ZINC METAL SOAP MIXTURE FOR USE IN A LASER PRINTER At the start of this project, the possible choices of metal soaps had already been narrowed to include some of the zinc soaps used in this project. These zinc soaps are mixtures of zinc stearate and zinc palmitate of varying ratios purchased from a supplier. Zinc soap was chosen as result of its common use in various industries as a lubricant and mold release, which implied potential benefits in an electrophotographic printing system. These potential benefits include, but are not limited to, a more efficient transfer from a photoconductive drum and protection of the drum from mechanical and chemical degradation. Nanoindentation of these soaps was implemented in an effort to characterize each soap mixture and compare how the soap types differed from one another. Each sample was indented under a variety of different maximum loads and at different holding times to observe effects on the modulus, hardness, and, creep. The mechanical properties measured were then used to help distinguish differences between each type and provide an insight as to how or why one mixture may be preferable over another. The data could be utilized in conjunction with further testing to be used in a simulation of an interface of interest.


World Health Organisation estimated that about 80% of Africans use herbal remedies for illness. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection which was believed to have no cure led many HIV patients to source for alternative or complementary therapy. A structured questionnaire was administered to 640 HIV patients in selected Nigerian HIV/AIDS clinics from 2009 to 2011 to assess their attitudes to the use of herbal remedy. Six hundred and ten (610) of the respondents were diagnosed by medical doctor and 6.3% (40) had lived with HIV for 4 years and above. Twenty (20) respondents had sought for medical therapy after diagnosis, 310 applied herbal remedy and 180 of the respondents opted for spiritual solutions. Although, majority (73.4%) would denied the use of herbal remedy when asked by a medical practitioner, 100 respondents combines herbal remedy with HAART and 67.2% of the entire respondents are of the opinion that herbal therapy is effective in HIV infection management. 64.1% of the respondents wanted herbal remedy as complementary therapy and 54.7% concluded that non availability of herbs could stop them from using herbal remedy. This study concluded that the use of herbal remedy for HIV infection is high despite advice by medical doctors thus there is a need for caution when prescribing orthodox medicines that could interfere with hepatic metabolism.


: Photochemical ligation is important in biomaterials engineering for spatiotemporal control of biochemical processes. Such reactions however generally require activation by high energy UV or short wavelength blue light, which can limit their use as a consequence of the potential of these high energy light sources to damage living cells. Herein, we present an additive-free, biocompatible, chemical ligation triggered by mild visible light. BODIPY dyes with a pendant thioether attached at the meso -position undergo photolysis of the [C-S] bond under green light ( λ = 530 nm) excitation, producing an ion pair intermediate that can react specifically with a propiolate group. The utility of this photochemical ligation in materials science is demonstrated by the fabrication of hydrogels with specific architectures, photo-immobilization of biomacromolecules, and live cell encapsulation within a hydrogel scaffold.


Photoacoustic tomography is a new medical imaging technology with the advantages of high resolution, high contrast and high penetration depth. There are three common photoacoustic imaging methods in practical applications: photoacoustic microscopic imaging (PAM), photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), photoacoustic tomography (PAE). As an important branch of photoacoustic imaging, photoacoustic microimaging combines high contrast of optical imaging with high resolution of ultrasonic imaging. In photoacoustic microimaging system, acoustooptic coupling prism is a very important component, which is usually composed of irregular prism and spherical concave acoustic lens at the bottom. Its function is to carry out optical transmission and ultrasonic detection. The ultrasonic depth of field of spherical concave acoustic lens is limited. In order to overcome this defect, researchers propose to use conical concave acoustic lens to produce Bessel sound beam to realize large depth of field ultrasonic detection. But the conical concave acoustic lens affects laser focusing and imaging. In order to solve this problem, we propose an optimization method to eliminate the influence of conical concave acoustic lens on beam transmission. A calibration mirror is added to the acoustooptic coupling prism with conical concave acoustic lens at the bottom, and the deterioration of the cone concave acoustic lens to the beam transmission is eliminated by optimizing the surface shape and thickness of the calibration mirror by Zemax. The optimization effect is evaluated by analyzing the spot. The simulation results show that the optimization method can eliminate the influence of the conical concave acoustic lens on the beam transmission, make the focal point and the focal point keep the coaxial focus, and improve the detection efficiency of the photoacoustic signal. This work is of theoretical significance for the systematic study of large depth of field photoacoustic microimaging.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Although digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is considered the criterion standard for depiction of intracranial aneurysms, it is often difficult to determine the relationship of overlapping vessels to aneurysms when using 2D DSA. We compared 2D and 3D DSA in evaluation of intracranial aneurysms.

METHODS
Thirty-six consecutive patients with cerebral aneurysms underwent 2D and 3D DSA. After standard 2D DSA, rotational DSA was performed. Maximum intensity projection (MIP) and shaded surface display (SSD) images were created from the rotational DSA data sets. All images were assessed randomly for overall image quality, presence of aneurysm, presence of aneurysmal lobulation, visualization of aneurysmal neck, and relationship to adjacent vessels. Data analysis was conducted for 40 aneurysms treated by clip placement.

RESULTS
One aneurysm that was not detected at 2D DSA was classified as uncertain on the basis of rotational DSA. All aneurysms were classified as probably or definitively present on the basis of MIP and SSD findings. Overall image quality of rotational DSA, MIP, and SSD was statistically inferior to that of the standard 2D DSA for visualization of distal arteries. However, MIP and SSD images were significantly superior to those of standard 2D DSA for all other evaluations. For detection of lobulation, SSD images were significantly superior to other images, and for visualization of aneurysmal neck and relationship to neighboring arteries, SSD images were significantly superior to those of rotational DSA. For evaluation of the relationship to neighboring arteries, MIP images were significantly superior to those of rotational DSA.

CONCLUSION
Three-dimensional DSA, especially SSD, provided more detailed information for evaluating cerebral aneurysms than did standard 2D and rotational DSA.


A series of TiO(2) flint glasses has been developed for producing GRIN glass by ion exchange. Both positive and negative axial and radial gradients were fabricated in high index glasses by exchange of Li(+) for Na(+) and Na(+) for Li(+), respectively. Index changes to 0.05 and depths up to 6 mm were achieved and a wide variety of index profiles are shown.


Introduction. Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is commonly perceived as a risk factor for decline in renal function. Hypothermia, hypoxia, hypotension, non-pulsatile blood flow during CPB, use of ACE inhibitors, inotropic and (or) vasoactive support affect kidney and contribute to the acute kidney injury (AKI). Objective. To evaluate incidence and outcome of AKI in children undergoing open heart surgery. Methods. We conducted a prospective, non-randomized observational study at the tertiary care of the University Children's Hospital Pediatric ICU. We enrolled 30 patients, 12 boys and 18 girls with CHD. Their median body weight was 6.8 kg (IQR 5.2 < 8.2 kg) and the median age was 7 months (IQR 5  <  10  months). SCr was determined and preoperative and postoperative creatinine clearance (ClCr) was estimated using the Schwarz formula. During surgical repair and till the end of the first 24  hours urine was collected to measure ClCr, using the difference in urine (UCr) and SCr concentrations. Urine output, body temperature, duration of aortic cross clamping and cardiopulmonary bypass were recorded. Results. Median intraoperative urine output was 2.4  ml/kg/h (IQR 1.29  <  3.15  ml/kg/h). Median CPB time was 147  min, IQR 116.75 < 205 min, median aortic cross-clamping time was 95 min, IQR 70.5 < 133 min, cooling during CPB to 29.75 °C. Intraoperative SCr rised to 35 µmol/l (IQR 27.5 < 50.5) vs. preoperative SCr 29  µmol/l (IQR 24  <  32.9), P  <  0.0001. GFR declined from pre operative 98.4 ml/min/1.73 m2 (IQR 89.6 < 123.04) to intraoperative 39.8 ml/min/1.73 m2 (IQR 24.9 < 65.5), P < 0.0001. Observed incidence of AKI was 30% (9/30). We observed statistically significant (P = 0.006) inverse correlation (r = 0.522) between CPB time and ClCr. Conclusions. Open heart surgery in children has severe, but transient effect on expression of renal biomarkers. Observed incidence of AKI was 30% (9 from 30 of our patients). Before discharge from the hospital both biomarkers returned to normal values.