Abstract. Multi-rotor wind turbines (MRWTs) have been suggested in the literature as a solution to achieving wind turbine systems with capacities greater than 10 MW. MRWTs utilize a large number of small rotors connected to one support structure instead of one large rotor with the aim of circumventing the square cube law. Potential benefits of MRWTs include cost and material savings, standardization of parts, increased control possibilities, and improved logistics for assembly and maintenance. Almost all previous work has focused on mechanical and aerodynamic feasibility, with almost no attention being paid to the electrical systems. In this research eight different topologies of the electrical collection network for MRWTs are analysed to assess which are the most economically and practically viable options. AC and DC collection networks are presented in radial, star, cluster and DC series topologies. Mass, capital cost and losses are estimated based on scaling relationships from the academic literature and up-to-date commercial data. The focus of this study is the assessment of the type of electrical collector topology, so component type and voltage level are kept consistent between topology designs in order to facilitate a fair comparison. Topologies are compared in terms of four main criteria: capital cost, cost effectiveness, total mass and reliability. A comparison table is presented to summarize the findings of the research in a convenient way. It is found that the most cost-effective solutions are the AC radial and AC star topologies, with the least cost-effective being the DC series–parallel and DC cluster topologies. This is due to the high cost of DC–DC converters and DC switchgear along with the lower efficiency of DC converters. Radial designs perform best in terms of efficiency and annual energy capture. DC systems achieve a slightly lower nacelle mass compared to their equivalent AC systems. DC topologies are generally found to be more expensive when compared to their AC counterparts due to the high cost of DC–DC converters and DC switchgear. Star topologies are considered to have the best reliability due to having no shared equipment. The most suitable collection topology for MRWTs is shown to be of the star type, in which each turbine is connected to the step-up transformer via its own cable.


In recent years, researchers have explored component-based synthesis, which aims to automatically construct programs that operate by composing calls to existing APIs. However, prior work has not considered efficient synthesis of methods with side effects, e.g., web app methods that update a database. In this paper, we introduce RbSyn, a novel type- and effect-guided synthesis tool for Ruby. An RbSyn synthesis goal is specified as the type for the target method and a series of test cases it must pass. RbSyn works by recursively generating well-typed candidate method bodies whose write effects match the read effects of the test case assertions. After finding a set of candidates that separately satisfy each test, RbSyn synthesizes a solution that branches to execute the correct candidate code under the appropriate conditions. We formalize RbSyn on a core, object-oriented language λsyn and describe how the key ideas of the model are scaled-up in our implementation for Ruby. We evaluated RbSyn on 19 benchmarks, 12 of which come from popular, open-source Ruby apps. We found that RbSyn synthesizes correct solutions for all benchmarks, with 15 benchmarks synthesizing in under 9 seconds, while the slowest benchmark takes 83 seconds. Using observed reads to guide synthesize is effective: using type-guidance alone times out on 10 of 12 app benchmarks. We also found that using less precise effect annotations leads to worse synthesis performance. In summary, we believe type- and effect-guided synthesis is an important step forward in synthesis of effectful methods from test cases.


Deep Neural Network (DNN) models have been shown to have high empirical privacy leakages. Clinical language models (CLMs) trained on clinical data have been used to improve performance in biomedical natural language processing tasks. In this work, we investigate the risks of training-data leakage through white-box or black-box access to CLMs. We design and employ membership inference attacks to estimate the empirical privacy leaks for model architectures like BERT and GPT2. We show that membership inference attacks on CLMs lead to non-trivial privacy leakages of up to 7%. Our results show that smaller models have lower empirical privacy leakages than larger ones, and masked LMs have lower leakages than auto-regressive LMs. We further show that differentially private CLMs can have improved model utility on clinical domain while ensuring low empirical privacy leakage. Lastly, we also study the effects of group-level membership inference and disease rarity on CLM privacy leakages.


Background: The use of platelet-rich plasma has emerged as one of the most desired nonsurgical treatments for facial rejuvenation and hair restoration. It has grown to encompass a wide variety of applications within the field of plastic surgery, including its use in combination with microneedling, laser, and fat-grafting procedures. Methods: In this article, the authors aim to (1) describe the preparation process of platelet-rich plasma; (2) discuss the proposed science behind platelet-rich plasma with regard to its evolving role in hair restoration and facial rejuvenation; and (3) highlight the recent literature examining its widespread use. Results: Based on the available literature, there is a therapeutic advantage to the use of platelet-rich plasma as a single treatment modality for alopecia and skin rejuvenation and in combination with laser skin treatment and fat grafting. There is, however, a considerable amount of variability in the processing, preparation, and treatment modalities. Conclusions: Despite a lack of standardized protocols for platelet-rich plasma preparation and a scarcity of large-scale studies with long-term follow-up, there is convincing evidence with objective measurement modalities that display positive outcomes after treatment for skin rejuvenation, hair regrowth, wound healing, and fat graft take.


Machine Learning (ML) based solutions are becoming increasingly popular and pervasive. When testing such solutions, there is a tendency to focus on improving the ML metrics such as the F1-score and accuracy at the expense of ensuring business value and correctness by covering business requirements. In this work, we adapt test planning methods of classical software to ML solutions. We use combinatorial modeling methodology to define the space of business requirements and map it to the ML solution data, and use the notion of data slices to identify the weaker areas of the ML solution and strengthen them. We apply our approach to three real-world case studies and demonstrate its value.


OBJECTIVE
Assess if the main pulmonary artery controlled perfusion over cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) modifies BNP levels expressed by the ventricular myocardium.

METHODS
Experimental research involving 32 pigs, divided into two groups according to CPB strategy--group I (cardioplegia) and group II (beating heart). Both groups were allocated into three subgroups according to lung perfusion strategy--subgroup A (control: no lung perfusion), subgroup B (lung perfusion with arterial blood) and subgroup C (lung perfusion with venous blood). In subgroups B and C, lung was perfused for 30 minutes, using preoperative mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) as perfusion pressure, which was monitored through manometer. MPAP and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were measured after coming off CPB using Swan-Ganz catheter. At preoperative time and 30 minutes after lung perfusion, specimens were taken from the right ventricular myocardium aiming to assess brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and histologic pattern. Immunohistochemical and hematoxylin-eosin techniques were used to determine, respectively, BNP expression and inflammatory myocardial lesions.

RESULTS
In animals submitted to controlled lung perfusion, there was a postoperative reduction of MPAP (P = 0.03) and PVR (P = 0.005).There was no differences among subgroups within the group, I (P = 0.228) and subgroups within group II (P = 0.325) as to postoperative BNP expression. There were no differences among subgroups with and without lung perfusion as to postoperative inflammatory lesions (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Main pulmonary artery controlled perfusion for 30 minutes did not yield substantial modifications in BNP expression and histologic pattern of the right ventricular myocardium.


evaluated for consistency of measurement and summarised with an intraclass correlation index. Results: In this analysis there was a high level of agreement with an intraclass correlation index of 0.94. No significant differences were seen between the raters with a Pearson Correlation coefficient ranging from 0.7 to 0.92. Conclusions: Our study shows that the measurement of the uterocervical angle is a reproducible and an easily measured variable. We plan to use this as a pilot study to assess uterocervical angle for the prediction and identification of preterm delivery.


Justification of the use of scalar theory in optics is discussed. Although it is difficult to relate the scalar quantity V(t) commonly used in the scalar theory with the components of the electric field vector E(t), we show that there exists a simple relationship between the corresponding quantities quadratic in the field variables. Thus a scalar theory based on this identification can be used to obtain correct answers for the measurement of irradiance when the description of polarization is not of primary interest.


Aim: Headache with sinonasal polyps not responding to routine medical and surgical management is a real challenge to a rhinologist. Here we present a rare case of primary tuberculosis (TB) of frontal sinus presenting as intractable headache. Background: Pulmonary TB is common in developing countries like India. With the advent of effective treatment, the incidence of otorhinolaryngological TB has come down significantly. Otorhinolaryngological TB constitutes <5% of all cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). In ear, nose, and throat (ENT), TB of cervical lymph nodes is common in low socioeconomic groups. Most of the ENT TB is secondary to pulmonary infection. Tuberculosis of paranasal sinuses is a rare thing to occur and primary affection of it is still a rarity. Among paranasal sinuses, maxillary sinus is the most frequently involved sinus and is usually unilateral. Case report: A 35-year-old, diabetic female presented with severe headache, forehead swelling, and nasal blockage. Nasal endoscopy revealed multiple nasal polyps with anterior table of frontal sinus eroded on computed tomography (CT) scan. The patient underwent endoscopic sinus surgery. Histopathological examination (HPE) of sinonasal tissue was suggestive of inflammatory polyps. Her headache persisted and nasal polyps recurred in less than 2 months. On second endoscopic surgery, Draf 2 was done. There was no improvement in headache; HPE suggested granulomatous disease; all other reports of TB were negative, so the patient was put on antituberculosis treatment (ATT). After 1 month of treatment, her headache was relieved, with no recurrence of polyps. Conclusion: Primary TB of frontal sinus, though rare, can be the cause of headache, and high index of suspicion is the only way to treat it. Moreover, ATT is sufficient to treat and invasive procedures can be avoided. Clinical significance: Tuberculosis of frontal sinus should be kept in mind in the era of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and immunocompromised patients.


Policy makers have recently been exploring methods to reduce incarceration. Most current proposals for reducing incarceration exclude people in prison who were convicted of violent crimes. This article considers violence exclusion from criminal justice reform by examining a sample released from New Jersey's prisons (n = 375). We assess the hidden nature of the violence in the crime through a review of the characteristics behind the criminal label, with particular focus on the displayed aggravation and mitigation. Postrelease outcomes for this sample are compared with a sample released for nonviolent crimes (n = 1,185). Findings reveal people released for violent offenses frequently display mitigation, as opposed to aggravation. Those released for violent crimes are less likely to be rearrested than those released on nonviolence. The degree of severity of the violence itself has no bearing on the risk of rearrest. Accordingly, policy reform for those convicted of violence is considered.


Effects of disorder on the electronic transport properties of graphene are strongly affected by the Dirac nature of the charge carriers in graphene. This is particularly pronounced near the Dirac point, where relativistic charge carriers cannot efficiently screen the impurity potential. We have studied time-dependent conductance fluctuations and magnetoresistance in graphene in the close vicinity of the Dirac point. We show that the fluctuations are due to the quantum interference effects due to scattering on impurities, and find an unusually large reduction of the relative noise power in magnetic field, possibly indicating that an additional symmetry plays an important role in this regime.


The semiautonomous robotic system "FRIEND" consists of an electric wheelchair with the robot arm MANUS. Both devices are controlled by a computer. The user interface consists of a flat screen and a speech interface. The system is for use by persons with upper limb impairments as well as disability of the legs. FRIEND's hardware and software are described. The current state of development is then presented, as well as research results that will be integrated soon. After an explanation of the speech interface, the methods developed for semiautonomous control are described. These are programming by demonstration, visual servoing, and configuration planning based on the method of imaginary links.


The rate of wear of brass on hardened steel has been measured on a pin and ring apparatus over a very wide range of speeds (10-2 to 103 cm/s). As speed increases the rate of wear first decreases to a minimum and then begins to increase again. Radioactive tracer experiments show that over the whole range of speeds the mechanism of wear remains the same; the wear is of the 'severe' type in which metallic debris is produced and a film of transferred brass is built up on the steel surface. The decrease in the rate of wear with speed at low speeds is shown to be due to a reduction in the number and in the size of brass fragments transferred to the steel. At high speeds, the number of fragments transferred continues to decrease and the observed increase in the rate of wear arises solely from an increase in the size of the fragments. This increase is due to softening of the brass by frictional heating and can be prevented by cooling the surfaces. A crossed-cylinders friction apparatus has been used to determine the cause of the observed variations in the rate of wear with speed. It is found that transfer of brass to the steel occurs when a local region of the brass surface has been deformed a critical number of times. This critical number increases with speed and in consequence the frequency of transfer is less at high speeds. Metallographic sections through brass surfaces show that an extensive pattern of strain develops beneath the surface and the rate of development is again less at high speeds. The fragments of brass which are transferred to the steel are platelets, and their thickness shows that they originate from the region of greatest strain near to the surface. It is suggested that transfer occurs when the brass within this region has been weakened sufficiently by successive deformations. Transfer is not therefore equally probable at each local encounter between surfaces; it depends upon the previous history of the surfaces and is less frequent at high speeds because more encounters are then required to develop the critical state of strain.


Fault diagnosis of machinery is in essence a kind of classification problem. Utilizing the desirable classification ability of support vector machine (SVM) for fewer samples, a novel fault diagnosis method based on improved SVM was proposed. Some statistical features were extracted to reflect the equipment operational conditions and were input into fault classifier to attain the final diagnostic result. Experimental signals of gearbox were analyzed using the present method. The results of improved SVM were compared with those of artificial neural network (ANN). It indicates that the proposed method have better classification ability than that of ANN.


In mid 1980s, peach (Prunus persica) trees growing in Himachal Pradesh (India) showed phytoplasma-like symp- toms consisting of yellowing, marginal rolling and scorching of the leaves that conferred a burnt-like appearance to the trees. Fruits shrivelled and dropped prematurely and affect- ed plants declined and died. Although the association of a phytoplasma with this disease had already been established (Thakur et al., 1998), the species of the putative agent had re- mained unidentified. Total DNA isolated from nine diseased peach trees was subjected to nested PCR employing univer- sal primers P1/P7 followed by P1/Tint primers, and yielded fragments of 1.6 kb. PCR products from five diseased trees were digested with AluI, BfaI, DraI and EcoRI. The RFLP profile for each enzyme was identical, indicating that all trees contained a similar phytoplasma. PCR amplicons from three trees were cloned and sequenced. 16S rDNA sequences from all clones were identical and the consensus sequence, archived in GenBank under accession No. JQ695914 was shown by BLAST analysis to be nearly identical (99%) to that of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi' (16SrV-B). A dendrogram drawn using 16S rDNA sequences was in line with BLAST comparisons and confirmed that the peach decline phyto- plasma is related to members of the 16SrV-B subgroup. A virtual RFLP pattern employing 14 restriction enzymes also showed its relatedness to 16SrV-B subgroup members (Wei et al., 2007). On the basis of sequence identity, phylogenetic analysis and virtual RFLP of 16S rDNA, the phytoplasma associated with peach decline disease in Himachal Pradesh can be identified as a strain of 'Ca. P. ziziphi'. This is the first definitive identification of a 16SrV-B subgroup phytoplasma associated with peach decline disease in India.


This pilot study attempted to uncover similarities and differences in perceptions of health care teams by the professionals who work in them and are affected by them. This study used a convenience sample of 125 health professionals from 14 disciplines to explore the types of general metaphors and sports metaphors that they apply to health care teams. Data were analyzed by gender, type of metaphor, and stated reasons for choosing a particular metaphor. Fifteen themes emerged from the analysis. In response to a question about the metaphors that they apply to teams, health professionals identified more nonsports than sports metaphors. There was no difference between males and females in the application of sports metaphors as general metaphors for teams. Also, respondents reported using different metaphors in current practice than those they had used at the end of their formal professional training. This study demonstrates that many health professionals apply unidimensional metaphors to a dynamic and complex process. The findings suggest that trainers can help team members expose and develop their metaphors to more fully encompass the complexities of the health care team.


Background : High microsatellite instability (MSI-H) colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) with numerous mutations in the microsatellite sequence are characterized by a right-sided preponderance, frequent peritumoral and intratumoral lymphocytic infiltration, and frequent mucin production. However, no study has correlated anatomic site and type of genetic changes with clinicopathologic changes. Methods : We analyzed the histopathologic features of 135 MSI-H CRCs and compared them to 140 microsatellite stable (MSS) CRCs. Histopathologic changes in MSI-H were further analyzed according to anatomic sites and genetic changes. Results : MSI-H CRCs showed previously reported clinicopathologic findings; a right-sided preponderance, an increased number of mucinous carcinomas, and peritumoral lymphoid reactions (p<0.001 for each variable). Increased serum CEA levels showed an MSS CRC preponderance (p=0.013). We further analyzed the histologic differences between right- and left-sided MSI-H tumors. We found that MSI-H CRCs on both sides had similar clinicopathologic findings, except for higher tumor stage (p=0.048) and less frequent abnormal CEA levels in left-sided MSI-H tumors (p=0.027). We found that not all clinicopathologic features were different between hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancers (HNPCCs) and sporadic MSI-H CRCs. Conclusions : These findings indicate that MSI-H CRCs of the left colon have similar clinicopathologic characteristics as right-sided MSI-H CRCs. We did not find any significant clinicopathological difference between HNPCCs and sporadic MSI-H CRCs.


This volume studies electron resonant tunneling in two- and three-dimensional quantum waveguides of variable cross-sections in the time-independent approach. Mathematical models are suggested for the resonant tunneling and develop asymptotic and numerical approaches for investigating the models. Also, schemes are presented for several electronics devices based on the phenomenon of resonant tunneling. Devices based on the phenomenon of electron resonant tunneling are widely used in electronics. Efforts are directed towards refining properties of resonance structures. There are prospects for building new nanosize electronics elements based on quantum dot systems. However, the role of resonance structure can also be given to a quantum wire of variable cross-section. Instead of an "electrode - quantum dot - electrode" system, one can use a quantum wire with two narrows. A waveguide narrow is an effective potential barrier for longitudinal electron motion along a waveguide. The part of the waveguide between two narrows becomes a "resonator" , where electron resonant tunneling can occur. This phenomenon consists in the fact that, for an electron with energy E, the probability T(E) to pass from one part of the waveguide to the other part through the resonator has a sharp peak at E = Eres, where Eres denotes a "resonant" energy. Such quantum resonators can find applications as elements of nanoelectronics devices and provide some advantages in regard to operation properties and production technology. The book is addressed to mathematicians, physicists, and engineers interested in waveguide theory and its applications in electronics


Dehydrins (DHNs) are among the most common proteins accumulated in plants under water-related stress. They typically contain at least three conserved sequences designated as the Y-, S- and K-segments. The present work aims to highlight the role of the K-segments in plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. For this purpose, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heyhn. lines expressing distinct wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) DHN-5 truncated constructs with or without the K-segments were generated. Our results showed that unlike the derivative lacking a K-segment, constructs containing only one or two K-segments enhanced the tolerance of A. thaliana to diverse stresses and were similar to the full-length wheat DHN-5. Moreover, compared with the wild-type and the YS form, the transgenic plants overexpressing wheat DHN-5 with K-segments maintained higher superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxide dismutase enzymatic activity, and accumulated lower levels of H2O2 and malondialdehyde. In addition, we demonstrated that lines like A. thaliana overexpressing wheat DHN-5 showed increased resistance to fungal infections caused by Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria solani. Finally, the overexpression of the different forms of wheat DHN-5 led to the regulation of the expression of several genes involved in the jasmonic acid signalling pathway.


Many neoteric public buildings in old urban communities are material carriers of the history of the due city; hence, when these building are preserved and renovated, they can always act as symbols of the city memory. It is necessary to remodel the space of these old public buildings, and to make sure that they continue to play important roles in the the development of the area. In this essay, through probing into the features and analysing the economic, cultural and historical values of these public constructions, the author put forward different remodeling methods and techniques. It is of practical and cultural significance.


This paper uses mortgage data to construct a measure of terms on which households access to external finance, and relates it to consumption at both the aggregate and cohort levels. The Household External Finance (HEF) index is based on the spread paid by risky borrowers in the mortgage market. There is evidence that the terms of access to external finance matter more for the consumption of young cohorts in U.K. data. Results are robust to a wide variety of specifications.


Summary 1. In the high Mountains of Cordoba (Central Argentina) large native herbivores were replaced completely by domestic livestock early in the 20th century. Recently, livestock were excluded in a large portion of the mountains to reduce alarming soil erosion rates, leading to an unnatural situation as the area has a long evolutionary history of large herbivore grazing. Many of the birds living in this area are endemic subspecies. Lack of large herbivore grazing can reduce plant diversity, but the response of birds is unknown. 2. We surveyed birds in 46 1·8-ha transects distributed across eight vegetation units under (a) traditional livestock rearing and (b) 4 years of livestock exclusion. We described bird communities per transect using density and richness. The effects of grazing situation and vegetation units on these parameters were analysed by two-way analysis of variance ( anova ). Additionally, we analysed bird composition through detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). 3. Livestock exclusion caused, in all vegetation units, significant reductions in observed bird density and richness when all species were included in the analysis, and when the 12 endemic subspecies were considered separately. An analysis for each guild showed a similar pattern but differences were significant only for richness of insectivorous and granivorous birds. Vegetation units always showed significant differences in bird density and richness, with no significant interactions between vegetation and grazing situations. Community composition described through DCA was different between vegetation units but not between grazing situations. Endemic birds were associated mainly with rocky areas. 4. Synthesis and applications . In areas where large native herbivores are locally extinct, extensive exclusion of domestic livestock is not recommended where bird conservation is also a priority. Where possible, we suggest reintroducing native large herbivores. Where reintroductions are not feasible, livestock must be excluded only from those sites where it is most necessary, and maintained elsewhere at reduced stocking rates. To mimic past natural grazing regimes more effectively, livestock grazing regimes should incorporate temporal fluctuations at seasonal, yearly and decade scales.


In this study, the optical and mechanical properties of polyurethane were improved by modified nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). The surface of NCC was modified by 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and 3-methacryloxy-propyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) to overcome the lack of compatibility with polyurethane. Polyurethane with modified NCC was characterized by wetting property, X-ray powder diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The pencil hardness, specular gloss, and abrasion resistance of modified polyurethane were determined using the methods of Chinese National Standards GB/T 6739-2006, GB/T 9754-2007, and GB/T 1768-2006. The wetting property of NCC modified by GPTMS increased by 25.9%, and modification from MPS resulted in a 22.5% decrease of the contact angle. MPS-modified NCC affected the crystal structure and thermal stability of polyurethane more significantly than NCC modified by GPTMS. The pencil hardness of polyurethane was enhanced with 1.5% modified NCC. The specular gloss and abrasion resistance of modified polyurethane increased by 253.1% (1.0% NCC modified by GPTMS) and 59.4% (1.5% NCC modified by GPTMS), respectively. MPS-modified NCC led to the inconspicuous improvements.


ABSTRACT Right-wing extremist groups harness popular social media platforms to accrue and mobilize followers. In recent years, researchers have examined the various themes and narratives espoused by extremist groups in the United States and Europe, and how these themes and narratives are employed to mobilize their followings on social media. Little, however, is comparatively known about how such efforts unfold within and between right-wing extremist groups in Australia and Canada. In this study, we conducted a cross-national comparative analysis of over eight years of online content found on 59 Australian and Canadian right-wing group pages on Facebook. Here we assessed the level of active and passive user engagement with posts and identified certain themes and narratives that generated the most user engagement. Overall, a number of ideological and behavioral commonalities and differences emerged in regard to patterns of active and passive user engagement, and the character of three prevailing themes: methods of violence, and references to national and racial identities. The results highlight the influence of both the national and transnational context in negotiating which themes and narratives resonate with Australian and Canadian right-wing online communities, and the multi-dimensional nature of right-wing user engagement and social mobilization on social media.


In this paper, we present a novel method to regulate lexical connections among morpheme-based pronunciation lexicons for Korean large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) systems. A pronunciation dictionary plays an important role in subword-based LVCSR in that pronunciation variations such as coarticulation will deteriorate the performance of an LVCSR system if it is not well accounted for. In general, pronunciation variations are modeled by applying phonological variations with all possible phonemic contexts. In order to achieve high recognition performance, current speech recognition systems impose constraints among lexicons using both morphological and phonetic knowledge. This paper suggests a method both to refine pronunciation variations according to cross-morpheme phonetic information and to regulate the connections between pronunciation variants. This method effectively excludes improper connections between pronunciation lexicons, and thus the proposed method gave a 27% reduction in word error rate over the recognizer with conventional lexicons relatively.


Nosocomial infections caused by methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus often pose therapeutic dilemma to the clinicians because of the multi resistant nature of these strains of Staphylococcus aureus . Outbreaks of both nosocomial and community acquired infections are also frequent and difficult to control. This study determined the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, between January and December 2001. The methicillin disc diffusion method for the detection of methicillin resistance and the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion for antibiotic susceptibility tests, were used. The MRSA prevalence rate was 34.7% (51/147) of all Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Forty-five isolates were associated with infections and 6 were colonizing strains. Thirty-six (70.6%) were hospital (nosocomial) acquired while 15 (29.4%) were community-acquired. Forty-eight patients have received antibiotics previously including 30 who had received multiple antibiotics. Skin and soft tissues were sites of infections in 36 cases and surgical, emergency and intensive care units accounted for 31 isolates. All MRSA isolates were resistant to more than two antibiotics but remained largely susceptible to third generation cephalosporins, macrolides and quinolones and all were sensitive to vancomycin. We recommend the use of third generation cephalosporins and quinolones where indicated, in the treatment of serious MRSA infections in this environment. Control of the spread of MRSA in this hospital must include reinforcement of appropriate use of antibiotics, hand washing and laboratory surveillance for MRSA, particularly in the surgical wards and intensive care units, in order to identify sources of outbreaks. Key Words: Methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus, Ilorin.
Afr. J. Clin. Exper. Microbiol. 2004; 5(2): 189 – 197.


Oral discomfort and pain are frequent side-effects of many popular prescription medications. Over 500 prescription drugs are known to result in the development of adverse oral conditions. In fact, approximately 40% of patients suffer from xerostomia and oral mucositis, as a result of cancer medications. The number of affected individuals is expected to continue to rise, given that the incidence of major cancers is predicted to grow over the next decade. Regrettably, there are currently lacks of treatments available to effectively improve xerostomia and oral mucositis symptoms. Interestingly, the use of several herbal ingredients (such as chamomile, cinnamon, and peppermint oil) has been reported to effectively improve pain and oral dryness. For this reason, we examined the effectiveness of an herbal mouthwash, Nature's Herbal (a blend of cinnamon oil, chamomile, cranberry, and peppermint extract), to alleviate symptoms of oral pain and dry mouth exhibited by patients diagnosed with oral mucositis and xerostomia. Daily treatment with the mouthwash induced a 53% ± 6% and 33.2% ± 3.8% improvement in the severity of symptom, for the oral mucositis and xerostomia patients groups, respectively. Overall, the herbal mouthwash induced an improvement in 91% of oral mucositis and 83% of xerostomia patients.


Despite its considerable toxicity, amphotericin B (AmB) remains the 'golden standard' in the treatment of many systemic fungal infections. To reduce this toxicity, with the aim of increasing its therapeutic index, AmB can be encapsulated into liposomes or bound to lipid carriers. Following promising clinical results with investigational formulations, three industrial compounds are available at this moment: Abelcet (Amphotericin B Lipid Complex, ABLC), Amphocil (Amphotericin B Colloidal Dispersion) and AmBisome. These three formulations differ significantly in composition and pharmacokinetics. All three compounds share a considerable reduction of nephrotoxicity, but the number of acute reactions differ among these compounds, Amphocil showing the highest and AmBisome the lowest rate. Increased therapeutic indexes for all three formulations were shown only in some of the animal models for several fungal infections. Four recent clinical trials comparing these formulations with AmB demonstrated their clinical efficacy but failed to clearly show an increased therapeutic index. Therefore these compounds can be recommended in cases of intolerance to or failure on AmB therapy. The optimal therapeutic dosages have not been established, but dosages as low as 1 mg/kg should probably be avoided in the initial treatment of fulminant fungal infections, since efficacy may be inferior to equal dosages of conventional AmB.


Human visual perception system is a key issue of the cognitive researches. It is also an inspiring prototype of the cutting-edge artificial intelligence researches deep learning. It is interesting to investigate the behaviors of humans and deep learning machines on vision tasks. In this paper, we focus on the perceptual decision making and object recognition on distorted images. We found that in a wide range of distortion levels, the recognition rates of human subjects are smoothly increased along with the decreases of distortions. Although the deep learning machines perform obviously worse than human subjects, their recognition rates vary with the similar trends. It indicates that the deep learning machines make a good simulation to the human being on the perceptual decision making tasks.


In the last years, neuroendoscopy has gained consensus as a minimally invasive surgical approach to ventricular lesions. The magnification of the endoscope has become wonderful, but the bleeding control and tumor ablation continue to be harmful by standard tools only through the working channel. Specially, in vascularized tumors and near vital structures the traditional electrosurgery can be ineffective and dangerous. Since 2009, we are using the Tu diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser (Revolix, LISA laser products) to improve neuroendoscopic procedures. In the Tu DPSS laser the active material is thulium (Tu), emitting light at wavelength of 2,0 μ, through one microfiber large 0,2 mm in diameter introduced in the endoscope working channel. The Tu DPSS laser works very well in water solution, as in the CSF of the ventricles. This laser can hit the tumor by touching or targeting from short distance with low penetration. Tumor cutting and ablation is possible, too. We report our experience in 26 ventricular tumors, 16 in 3rd ventricle and 10 in the lateral ventricle. The histology was: 13 high grade glioma, 5 craniopharyngiomas, 2 PNET, 2 metastasis, 4 colloid cysts. A flexible or rigid scope was used. In 18 neuroendoscopic biopsies the Tu DPSS laser microfiber was used for hemostasis and partial ablation. In 5 craniopharyngiomas wall ablation was performed. In 4 colloid cysts complete removal was possible in one case 3rd ventricular nodule was totally removed by Tu laser ablation. The ETV or tumors cyst fenestration or septostomy through infiltrated septum was successfully performed. The Tu laser showed precise coagulation at low temperature without tissue sticking. In all surgical procedures bleeding control was easy and successful. During Tu laser activation endoscopic vision was always clear. No side effects due to this device were observed. We consider Tu DPSS laser extremely handle and safe. The Tu laser is very efficient for coagulation and ablation of vascularized tumors.


This paper analyses the way aid for agriculture and rural development in the global south has changed over time. It finds three key shifts. First, a change in funding priority that has seen aid commitments move to the social sectors. Second is a shift in priority within agriculture and rural development from the productive sector towards support for policy development and administrative capacity strengthening. Third is the emergence and rise in commitments from nontraditional bilateral donors, private sector foundations and venture capital finance. The paper argues that these 'new' actors, often working outside the Development Aid Committee and other global official development assistance frameworks, have introduced alternative aid channels that not only complement but also reshape aid relationships between the traditional donors and the global south. It suggests further research to understand the impact of these new ways of financing development.


We report on daytime limb observations of Mars upper atmosphere acquired by the OMEGA instrument on board the European spacecraft Mars Express. The strong emission observed at 4.3 μm is interpreted as due to CO2 fluorescence of solar radiation and is detected at a tangent altitude in between 60 and 110 km. The main value of OMEGA observations is that they provide simultaneously spectral information and good spatial sampling of the CO2 emission. In this study we analyzed 98 dayside limb observations spanning over more than 3 Martian years, with a very good latitudinal and longitudinal coverage. Thanks to the precise altitude sounding capabilities of OMEGA, we extracted vertical profiles of the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) emission at each wavelength and we studied their dependence on several geophysical parameters, such as the solar illumination and the tangent altitude. The dependence of the non-LTE emission on solar zenith angle and altitude follows a similar behavior to that predicted by the non-LTE model. According to our non-LTE model, the tangent altitude of the peak of the CO2 emission varies with the thermal structure, but the pressure level where the peak of the emission is found remains constant at ∼0.03 ± 0.01 Pa, . This non-LTE model prediction has been corroborated by comparing SPICAM and OMEGA observations. We have shown that the seasonal variations of the altitude of constant pressure levels in SPICAM stellar occultation retrievals correlate well with the variations of the OMEGA peak emission altitudes, although the exact pressure level cannot be defined with the spectroscopy for the investigation of the characteristics of the atmosphere of Venus (SPICAM) nighttime data. Thus, observed changes in the altitude of the peak emission provide us information on the altitude of the 0.03 Pa pressure level. Since the pressure at a given altitude is dictated by the thermal structure below, the tangent altitude of the peak emission represents then an important piece of information of the atmosphere, of great value for validating general circulation models. We thus compared the altitude of OMEGA peak emission with the altitude of the 0.03 Pa level predicted by the Laboratoire de météorologie dynamique (LMD)-Mars global circulation model and found that the peak emission altitudes from OMEGA present a much larger variability than the tangent altitude of the 0.03 Pa level predicted by the general circulation model. This variability could be possibly due to unresolved atmospheric waves. Further studies using this strong CO2 limb emission data are proposed.


We study modulo-sum computation of two binary source sequences over a two-user erasure multiple access channel. The channel is modeled as a binary-input, erasure multiple access channel, which can be in one of three states-either the channel output is a modulo-sum of the two input symbols, or the channel output equals the input symbol on the first link and an erasure on the second link, or vice versa. The associated state sequence is independent and identically distributed. Unlike previously studied multiple-access channels, the proposed channel is not matched to the modulo-sum function and therefore we expect simple cut-set upper bounds to be far from capacity. In this paper, we establish a new upper bound on the modulo-sum capacity that is tighter than the cut-set bound. The key step in establishing this new bound is to provide suitable side information to the encoders to reduce the setup to a compound multiple-access channel and then capture the tension across multiple receivers required to compute the modulo-sum function. In our lower bound, it suffices to use identical linear codebooks at the two encoders. When a (strictly) causal feedback of the channel state is available to the encoders, we present a simple coding scheme that can achieve a rate larger than our upper bound for the case without feedback. This shows that the modulo-sum capacity is increased with feedback. An extension to the case of lossy reconstruction is also treated briefly.


There is a recent trend, mainly in the field of historiography but also in art history, toward the exploration of female autobiographical discourse, whether it concerns written (autobiographies, correspondence), painted (self-portraits), or photographic data. On the basis of the highly fruitful gender perspective, this article seeks to present and interpret the numerous photographs of the well-known Greek painter Thaleia Flora-Caravia. These photographic recordings, taken almost exclusively from the painter's unpublished personal archive, are inextricably linked to the artist's self-portraits. This kind of cross-examination allows the reader to become familiar with the mosaic of roles and identities that constitutes the subjectivity of female artists in Greece in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.


Stevie Smith is best known for "Not Waving But Drowning", one of the English speaking world's favourite poems. Born in Hull as Florence Margaret Smith, her family moved to Palmers Green in 1905, and she lived there until her death on 7 March 1971. After her death, a film starring Glenda Jackson and a play were written about her life, bringing widespread revival among her readers. This biography reveals a new side of Stevie Smith's character, and demonstrates that her solitude has been overstated: she was actively involved in the social as well as intellectual life of literary London. She began writing poetry in her twenties while working as secretary. Her first book, "Novel on Yellow Paper", was published in 1936 and drew heavily on her own life, examining the unrest in England during World War I. Until the last ten years of her life, she remained virtually unknown, when she was then awarded the Cholmondeley Award for Poetry, and the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry. This work reveals how the events of Stevie Smith's life had a profound effect on her poetry, and that her life and art formed a very intimate relationship.


A problem that always annoys building employers and their consultants when drafting building contracts is whether it is more cost efficient to retain certain risks with themselves or to transfer the same to contractors, and it has long been a difficulty to accurately estimate the cost for transferring risks to the other contract party. It is a very common market practice to remove contractors' entitlement to extension of time due to inclement weather, and in view of the significant impacts that inclement weather posed on construction progress, it would be helpful to assess the associated costs for such risk allocation exercises in order to ensure that it is a cost-effective transaction. The costs for these potential weather-caused delays are priced by contractors in their returned tenders. This risk-pricing behavior is affected by the contractor's risk perception and risk attitude. However, merely working out contractors' risk perception and risk attitude patterns is inadequate, as they may vary in accordance with different organizational sizes and project backgrounds. Therefore, further studies should be carried out on the implications of project information, such as project value and contract period, on different-sized contractors' risk behaviors. In this research, a questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the weather-risk-pricing behavioral patterns of various-sized contractors under different given project scenarios. The survey revealed that the impacts of project value and contract period (and, thus, the intensity of work and scale of exposure to weather risk) were significant on contractors' risk behaviors, and these impacts varied in accordance with different organizational sizes. The medium-sized contractors' pricing behaviors were rather constant under different project values and contract periods, while both small and large contractors behaved differently when the intensity of work and scale of risk exposure varied. Despite the fact that contractors of various sizes behaved differently in some given scenarios, the number of days of delaying cost allowed by them in returned tenders were generally less than the actual number of days of inclement weather affecting work.


When a forensic toxicologist interprets postmortem blood cocaine findings he usually must make assumptions regarding perimortem drug concentrations. In-vitro studies have shown that cocaine rapidly hydrolyzes in unpreserved blood, particularly at elevated temperatures. However, other studies have demonstrated site-dependent postmortem release of some drugs from tissue stores accompanied by increases in drug concentrations in the blood. This study was undertaken to investigate whether blood cocaine concentrations change in the body during the postmortem interval and, if so, to measure the direction and magnitude of the changes. In medical examiner cases in which scene investigation suggested that the decreased was a cocaine user, blood samples were collected as soon after death as possible. At autopsy, a second set of samples was collected. Analysis of paired samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed dramatic differences in the cocaine concentration. The magnitude and direction of the change appears to be site dependent. Usually, but not invariably, cocaine concentration in subclavian vein blood decreases while that in heart, aorta, and femoral vein blood increases during the interval between death and autopsy. The findings emphasize the danger inherent in attempting to estimate the concentration of cocaine in blood at the time of death from postmortem data.


OF THESIS QUANTIFICATION OF SURFACE DEFECTS USING PRIMARY HIGHLIGHT IN DIFFUSE ANGLE GRAY SCALE IMAGES The thesis presented is an effort to gather all possible information of one particular type of common paint defect – the seed defect, from gray scale images of highly specular painted surface. The proposed approach in the thesis utilizes a white light source to illuminate the surface and utilizes a camera to capture its gray scale image at different diffused angles. While attempting to explain the physics of highlight formation in terms of location on the surface of a seed defect, the thesis also extends to utilize this information from gray scale images to accurately predict the parameters of seed defects including the height, size and position in real time. Since the primary highlight in a gray scale image is more defined, contrary to the past researches on diffuse angle images that use both primary / seed highlight and mirror highlight to estimate height of the seed, this thesis formulates a theory of highlight translation and estimates the height of seed based on primary / seed highlight. The other common type of surface defect crater defect, is also addressed in the thesis.


Uptake from the soil is the main route by which lead ends up in food. Lead in soil has its origin in both natural and anthropogenic sources. The lead concentration in food has decreased over the last decennia by the use of unleaded petrol and paint, and the replacement of lead water pipes. RIVM has assessed the intake of lead via food in the Netherlands. The calculated intakes showed that detrimental health effects cannot be excluded in a part of children up to age seven, pregnant women and adults. The number of persons actually at risk cannot be quantified. The food groups cereals, milk, fruit, non-alcoholic beverages (including tea and fruit juices) and vegetables contributed most to the total lead intake (about 70 percent). The intake of too much lead may have a negative effect on brain development (quantified as the loss of one IQ point) in children up to age seven, as well as in the developing foetus via lead ingestion of the mother. In adults, the negative effects of a high lead intake are on the kidney. Too much lead can also result in negative effects on blood pressure, but that risk is very low at all calculated intakes via food. The intake calculations were performed with the most recent information on lead concentrations in food combined with food consumption data from Dutch food consumption surveys, and calculated with a calculation model with which currently the best intake estimations can be obtained. Data on lead concentrations in some food products were limited. Therefore, concentration data from other European countries were also used. Additionally, lead concentrations in certain food products, including milk (products) and bread, were so low that they were difficult to quantify. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has evaluated at which intake level of lead no detrimental health effects occur. This evaluation was used to determine if the lead intake results in possible health risks.


Substring searching is one of the most prominent problems in computer science. We described and compared with each other by now well-known approaches to the solution. Algorithms were classified according to their properties, such as number of patterns and the direction in which the comparisons are performed. We examined the main idea, advantages and time complexity for each algorithm. Some basic algorithms, which are searching for exactly one pattern, were implemented in Java and tested on a practical example. We picked the fastest one among them.


The Controller Area Network (CAN) is being widely used in real-time control applications such as automobiles, aircraft, and automated factories. In this pacer, we present the mixed traffic scheduler (MTS) for CAN, which provides higher schedulability than fixed-priority schemes like deadline-monotonic (DM) while incurring less overhead than dynamic earliest-deadline (ED) scheduling. We also describe how MTS can be implemented on existing CAN network adapters such as Motorola's TouCAN. In previous work, we had shown MTS to be far superior to DM in schedulability performance. In this paper, we present implementation overhead measurements showing that processing needed to support MTS consumes only about 5 to 6 percent of CPU time. Considering its schedulability advantage, this makes MTS ideal for use in control applications.


The genomic clone encoding an alpha-tubulin, OsTubA1, has been isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.). The gene consists of four exons and three introns. RNA-blot analysis showed that the gene is strongly expressed in actively dividing tissues, including root tips, young leaves, and young flowers. Analysis of chimeric fusions between OsTubA1 and beta-glucuronidase (GUS) revealed that the intron 1 was required for high-level GUS expression in actively dividing tissues, corresponding with normal expression pattern of OsTubA1. Fusion constructs lacking the intron 1 showed more GUS staining in mature tissues rather than young tissues. When the intron 1 was placed at the distal region from 5'-upstream region or at the 3'-untranslated region, no enhancement of GUS expression was observed. Sequential deletions of the OsTubA1 intron 1 brought about a gradual reduction of GUS activity in calli. These results suggest that tissue-preferential expression of the OsTubA1 gene is mediated by the intron 1 and that it may be involved in a mechanism for an efficient RNA splicing that is position dependent.


Content: Recent trends show that cloud computing adoption is continuously increasing in every organization. So, demand for the cloud datacenters tremendously increases over a period, resulting in significantly increased resource utilization of the datacenters. In this thesis work, research was carried out on optimizing the energy consumption by using packing of the virtual machines in the datacenter. The CloudSim simulator was used for evaluating bin-packing algorithms and for practical implementation OpenStack cloud computing environment was chosen as the platform for this research. Objectives: In this research, our objectives are as follows Perform simulation of algorithms in CloudSim simulator. Estimate and compare the energy consumption of different packing algorithms. Design an OpenStack testbed to implement the Bin packing algorithm. Methods: We use CloudSim simulator to estimate the energy consumption of the First fit, the First fit decreasing, Best fit and Enhanced best-fit algorithms. Design a heuristic model for implementation in the OpenStack environment for optimizing the energy consumption for the physical machines. Server consolidation and live migration are used for the algorithms design in the OpenStack implementation. Our research also extended to the Nova scheduler functionality in an OpenStack environment. Results: Most of the case the enhanced best-fit algorithm gives the better results. The results are obtained from the default OpenStack VM placement algorithm as well as from the heuristic algorithm developed in this simulation work. The comparison of results indicates that the total energy consumption of the data center is reduced without affecting potential service level agreements. Conclusions: The research tells that energy consumption of the physical machines can be optimized without compromising the offered service quality. A Python wrapper was developed to implement this model in the OpenStack environment and minimize the energy consumption of the Physical machine by shutdown the unused physical machines. The results indicate that CPU Utilization does not vary much when live migration of the virtual machine is performed.


The anisotropy of hybrid composite such as Al/GFRP laminates made it possible to control the fiber orientation according to the loading patterns. Therefore, it is important to study the fatigue and delamination behaviors of Al/GFRP laminates by fiber orientation. Al/GFRP laminates of three different fiber orientations (0°, 45°, 90°) were chosen, and the progressive delamination behavior was examined through the fatigue tests. The effects of the fiber orientation on the crack length, the fatigue life, the delamination, the crack growth rate (da/dN), and the stress intensity factor range ( ΔK) were investigated and discussed. The findings led to a conclusion that the effect of fiber orientation should not be ignored in analyzing the progressive damage of Al/GFRP laminates.


In 2007, 19% of all persons employed in Austria's market economy - some half a million people - worked in enterprises majority-owned by non-resident units. While accounting for just 3% of all domestic enterprises classified under sections C to K of the Austrian Statistical Classification of Economic Activities (ONACE) 2003, the foreign-controlled enterprises produced roughly one-third of the turnover generated and one-quarter of the gross value added by all enterprises in those sections. Foreign-controlled enterprises, moreover, accounted for more than 50% of corporate research expenditure. At the same time, enterprises resident in Austria controlled nearly 4,300 enterprises abroad employing roughly 760,000 persons. These foreign affiliates were located in a total of 81 countries throughout the world. The lion's share, though, was sited in Germany, followed by countries in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. These figures and ratios are some of the key results of Austria's new statistics on foreign affiliates (Austrian FATS statistics) for the first reporting year (2007). For more details see the following report, which was co-authored by staff experts from the Oesterreichische Nationalbank and STATISTICS AUSTRIA and which has been published (in German) both in Statistische Nachrichten (STATISTICS AUSTRIA) and in Statistiken - Daten und Analysen (OeNB).


Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a multivariate statistical analysis technique, utilized to analyze complex patterns of relationships among a set of variables, conduct between -groups and within- groups comparisons, and validate theoretical and empirical models. SEM can be used to answer several research questions including those formulated in the context of experimental and non-experimental designs. Despite the several advantages that SEM has over traditional procedures, such as multiple regression or ANOVA, it has not been applied frequently in the medical and health science domains. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present SEM as a robust and comprehensive analytical technique capable of strengthening and increasing the accuracy of the analyses in medical and health research. The functioning and applications of SEM are illustrated through one research example: a Chilean study of psychological predictors of obesity and metabolic syndrome. This article is aimed at contributing to a better understanding of this technique among readers of scientific publications and facilitating its implementation in future research.


Because of historical reasons, shares of listed companies were divided into tradable shares and non-tradable shares, which could result to serious corporate governance problem. The Split Share Structure Reform, which started from the year of 2005, is aiming to optimizing the share structure of listed company and bringing about a convergence of profit target of all the share holders. It is worth for us to examine the change of ownership structure of listed companies in mainland to see whether there is an impact on the debt maturity choice in the split share reform context. It has both theory and practice guiding significance to analyze the relationship between share structure and debt maturity because share structure is a main component of corporate governance. This paper adopts multiple linear regression models by using China mainland listed company's data to analyze the effect of debt maturity caused by share structure. It indicates that optimization of share structure can relieve the profit conflict between major shareholders and minor shareholders, which can promote company to select debt maturity appropriately and improve listed company's performance at last.


The initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed unique vulnerabilities of the global food system with notable societal consequences, calling for the need to implement resilience strategies to support food security for all. The objective of this study was to elicit perceptions, experiences, and responses of producers of diversified farms in the Northern Great Plains of the United States to the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic toward identifying factors for strengthening the resilience of agricultural production for supporting livelihoods and food security. Between May and August 2020, a cross-sectional online survey was administered to the emerging community of diversified farm managers in two rural U.S. states, Montana and South Dakota (n = 53), where monocropping and extensive livestock production are prevalent. About two-thirds of surveyed producers (68%) reported that they did not change their farming practices in response to the pandemic up until the survey period in Summer 2020. Almost three-quarters of producers (73%) indicated that access to commodities, farm inputs, and farm labor was not a concern for them during the early stage of the pandemic. Most surveyed producers (88%) were not concerned about their household food security and expressed confidence regarding a long-term increase in the demand for local food. However, almost half of surveyed producers (47%) reported that their anxiety increased because of the pandemic. Findings further highlight that small farms implemented a greater number of practices for enhancing ecological self-regulation while depending strongly on off-farm income compared to larger farms that were economically more autonomous. This study points to the promise of farm system diversification in strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems. We conclude by outlining pathways for increasing diversity on farms toward supporting food security during extreme food system shocks.


Abstract Introduction Debriefing, a controversial crisis intervention delivered in the early aftermath of a disaster, has not been well evaluated for use with children and adolescents. This report constitutes a review of the child debriefing evidence base. Methods A systematic search of selected bibliographic databases (EBM Reviews, EMBASE, ERIC, Medline, Ovid, PILOTS, PubMed, and PsycINFO) was conducted in the spring of 2014 using search terms related to psychological debriefing. The search was limited to English language sources and studies of youth, aged 0 to 18 years. No time limit was placed on date of publication. The search yielded 713 references. Titles and abstracts were reviewed to select publications describing scientific studies and clinical reports. Reference sections of these publications, and of other literature known to the authors that was not generated by the search, were used to locate additional materials. Review of these materials generated 187 publications for more thorough examination; this assessment yielded a total of 91 references on debriefing in children and adolescents. Only 15 publications on debriefing in children and adolescents described empirical studies. Due to a lack of statistical analysis of effectiveness data with youth, and some articles describing the same study, only seven empirical studies described in nine papers were identified for analysis for this review. These studies were evaluated using criteria for assessment of methodological rigor in debriefing studies. Results Children and adolescents included in the seven empirical debriefing studies were survivors of motor-vehicle accidents, a maritime disaster, hostage taking, war, or peer suicides. The nine papers describing the seven studies were characterized by inconsistency in describing the interventions and populations and by a lack of information on intervention fidelity. Few of the studies used randomized design or blinded assessment. The results described in the reviewed studies were mixed in regard to debriefing's effect on posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and other outcomes. Even in studies in which debriefing appeared promising, the research was compromised by potentially confounding interventions. Conclusion The results highlight the small empirical evidence base for drawing conclusions about the use of debriefing with children and adolescents, and they call for further dialogue regarding challenges in evaluating debriefing and other crisis interventions in children. PfefferbaumB, JacobsAK, NitiémaP, EverlyGSJr. Child debriefing: a review of the evidence base. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(3):1 10.


Objectives To investigate the most important factors affecting the prognosis of the patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx. Methods Based on the clinical and follow-up data, 205 patients with SCC of the larynx receiving total laryngectomy, partial laryngectomy, or CO2 laser surgery in GuangDong General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and a multivariable analysis of prognostic factors was carried out using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results Subtypes of carcinoma included 69.8% glottic and 30.2% supraglottic. Most patients were in N0 stage (77.6%), and 22.4% patients were in N1∼N3 stage. Over half of the patients were in T1∼T2 stage (55.1%), 20.0% in T3, and 24.9% in T4. Mean follow-up duration was 49.2 months. The survival rates 1, 2, and 3 years after the surgery were 99.0%, 91.7%, and 81.5%, respectively. The survival rate for those patients with clinical stage IV was significantly lower than for those with clinical stage I and II (p<0.001 and p = 0.013, respectively). The disease-free progression rates 1, 2, and 3 years after the surgery were 83.9%, 74.6%, and 71.2%, respectively. Futhermore, those patients with a Charlson score of 1 to 2 and ≥3 had higher risk of mortality than those with a Charlson score of 0 (hazard ratios of 1.8 and 2.41 p = 0.042 and p = 0.008). Multivariable analysis revealed that clinical stage, surgical margin, and comorbidity were significantly associated with both mortality and disease-free progression. Conclusion The surgical resection margin, clinical stage, and comorbidity were independent factors affecting the laryngeal cancer prognosis. The survival rates were lower for patients with advanced laryngeal cancer, positive surgical margins, or severe comorbidity, suggesting the importance of early diagnosis, early treatment, negative surgical margins, and conditions of comorbidity.


The largest solid organ in humans, the liver, performs a variety of functions to sustain life. When damaged, cells in the liver can regenerate themselves to maintain normal liver physiology. However, some damage is beyond repair, which necessitates liver transplantation. Increasing rates of obesity, Western diets (i.e., rich in processed carbohydrates and saturated fats), and cardiometabolic diseases are interlinked to liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a collective term to describe the excess accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little to no alcohol. Alarmingly, the prevalence of NAFLD extends to 25% of the world population, which calls for the urgent need to understand the disease mechanism of NAFLD. Here, we performed secondary analyses of published RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data of NAFLD patients compared to healthy and obese individuals to identify long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that may underly the disease mechanism of NAFLD. Similar to protein-coding genes, many lncRNAs are dysregulated in NAFLD patients compared to healthy and obese individuals, suggesting that understanding the functions of dysregulated lncRNAs may shed light on the pathology of NAFLD. To demonstrate the functional importance of lncRNAs in the liver, loss-of-function experiments were performed for one NAFLD-related lncRNA, LINC01639, which showed that it is involved in the regulation of genes related to apoptosis, TNF/TGF, cytokine signaling, and growth factors as well as genes upregulated in NAFLD. Since there is no lncRNA database focused on the liver, especially NAFLD, we built a web database, LiverDB, to further facilitate functional and mechanistic studies of hepatic lncRNAs.


Abstract. Assessment and management of volcanic risk are important scientific, economic, and political issues, especially in densely populated areas threatened by volcanoes. The Virunga volcanic province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with over 1 million inhabitants, has to cope permanently with the threat posed by the active Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo volcanoes. During the past century, Nyamulagira erupted at intervals of 1–4 years – mostly in the form of lava flows – at least 30 times. Its summit and flank eruptions lasted for periods of a few days up to more than 2 years, and produced lava flows sometimes reaching distances of over 20 km from the volcano. Though most of the lava flows did not reach urban areas, only impacting the forests of the endangered Virunga National Park, some of them related to distal flank eruptions affected villages and roads. In order to identify a useful tool for lava flow hazard assessment at Goma Volcano Observatory (GVO), we tested VORIS 2.0.1 (Felpeto et al., 2007), a freely available software ( http://www.gvb-csic.es ) based on a probabilistic model that considers topography as the main parameter controlling the lava flow propagation. We tested different parameters and digital elevation models (DEM) – SRTM1, SRTM3, and ASTER GDEM – to evaluate the sensitivity of the models to changes in input parameters of VORIS 2.0.1. Simulations were tested against the known lava flows and topography from the 2010 Nyamulagira eruption. The results obtained show that VORIS 2.0.1 is a quick, easy-to-use tool for simulating lava-flow eruptions and replicates to a high degree of accuracy the eruptions tested when input parameters are appropriately chosen. In practice, these results will be used by GVO to calibrate VORIS for lava flow path forecasting during new eruptions, hence contributing to a better volcanic crisis management.


: Primary infections in organized groups have been found to correspond to the Poisson distribution. This fact is the basis of the statistical method for determination of lhe distribution of foci, the equation is proposed wherein the following data are used: the total number of cases, the total number of organized groups, the number of groups tree of infection, the average size of a group, and the time of observations. The use of foci distribution index for the statistical determination of distribution of foci in varicelfa and parotitis has allowed the author to reveal regularities characteristic of the epidemic process in these infections.


n engl j med 370;3 nejm.org january 16, 2014 262 A n otherwise healthy 14-year-old boy presented for evaluation of an 11.0-cm-by-4.5-cm congenital melanocytic nevus on the medial left shin that had been followed closely by the dermatology service since the boy was 3 years of age. The nevus, present since birth, had grown with the patient and had typical features, including variegated color, hypertrichosis, small scattered macules, and an irregularly scalloped border. In addition, a white halo surrounding its borders had gradually appeared during the past year. Halo nevi (also known as Sutton's nevi or leukoderma acquisitum centrifugum) are nevi that develop a border of depigmentation resembling a halo. The halo phenomenon is thought to involve destruction of melanocytes by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and has been associated with vitiligo and rare spontaneous regression of melanocytic lesions. Because of the risk of malignant transformation inherent in a congenital melanocytic nevus, as well as the psychosocial distress associated with continued growth of the nevus, the patient is undergoing serial excision of the lesion.


The absorption, metabolism and excretion of 14C-metanil yellow was studied in guinea pigs. Following administration of a single po dose of 5 mg dye (7.6 mu Ci)/kg body weight, 83.4% was excreted through urine and feces within 96 h with the majority accounted for in feces. Liver, kidney and spleen did not have marked accumulation of counts, whereas testes and gastrointestinal tract retained 1.9 and 9.7% of the radioactivity, respectively. Analysis of urine and feces detected 2 azo-reduction metabolites of metanil yellow which were characterized by TLC and IR, NMR and mass spectroscopic studies as metanilic acid and p-aminodiphenylamine.


Nonholonomic wheeled mobile service robot's posture error model denoted by polar coordinates in global coordinates is established .Based on the inherent discontinuousness of the closed-loop system model, a novel nonlinear state feedback stabilization control law is proposed,which causes closed-loop system state space equation of robot to have isolated equilibrium state at origin. By Lyapunov candidate function method,this paper concludes that the closed-loop system is global uniformly asymptotically stable at origin. Simulation results indicate that the proposed control law is effective.


Prior to 2001 there was minimal risk targeted road policing in New Zealand (NZ). Most deployment decisions were as a result of anecdotal information; with no real hard data analysis occurring on a regular basis to prove that road policing activity was being undertaken at identified high risk areas. The NZ road toll was at a 10 year average of 558 deaths per annum. The twelve police district based road policing intelligence analysts appointed in 2001 are tasked to analyse crash and ticket data to ensure targeted resource allocation. Analysis of multiple sourced crash data has resulted in the evolution of Risk Targeted Patrol Plans (RTPP's) into CRASH (Crash Risk Analysis by Sectored Highway) books, which profile road sectors and attach risk weightings. CRASH books are a dynamic tool for deploying resources. It is an initiative in the right direction in the deployment of resources at identified high risk times and places to reduce road trauma. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E215375.


Background: Current guidelines aim to limit the dietary glycemic index (GI) and intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA). Several studies have shown favorable effects of low-GI or low-SFA diets on intrahepatic lipid content (IHL), but these studies were performed under overfeeding conditions or extreme differences in GI or SFA to maximize the contrast between diets. By combining changes in GI and SFA, we can mimic how people can improve their diet in a realistic setting. Objectives: We investigated the effect on liver fat content and substrate metabolism of both reducing GI and replacing SFA with polyunsaturated fat in practically realistic amounts under isocaloric conditions. Design and Methods: In a randomized crossover study, thirteen overweight participants consumed two diets, one high in GI and SFA (high GI/SFA) and one low in GI and SFA (low GI/SFA) with identical macronutrient composition, for two weeks each. Diets were equal in caloric content, consisted of habitual food items, and had a macronutrient composition that can be easily achieved in daily life. At the end of each intervention, IHL content/composition and liver glycogen were measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Additionally, fasted and postprandial hepatic de novo lipogenesis and glycemic and metabolic responses were investigated. Results: IHL was significantly lower (−28%) after the two-week low-GI/SFA diet (2.4 ± 0.5% 95% CI [1.4, 3.4]) than after the two-week high-GI/SFA diet (3.3 ± 0.6% 95% CI [1.9, 4.7], p < 0.05). Although hepatic glycogen content, hepatic de novo lipogenesis, hepatic lipid composition, and substrate oxidation during the night were similar between the two diets, the glycemic response to the low-GI/SFA diet was reduced (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Changes in macronutrient quality can already have drastic effects on liver fat content and postprandial glycemia after two weeks and even when energy content and the percentage of total fat and carbohydrate remains unchanged.


Cigarette smoking causes apoptotic death, senescence, and impairment of repair functions in lung fibroblasts, which maintain the integrity of alveolar structure by producing extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Therefore, recovery of lung fibroblasts from cigarette smoke-induced damage may be crucial in regeneration of emphysematous lung resulting from degradation of ECM proteins and subsequent loss of alveolar cells. Recently, we reported that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned media (MSC-CM) led to angiogenesis and regeneration of lung damaged by cigarette smoke. In this study, to further investigate reparative mechanisms for MSC-CM-mediated lung repair, we attempted to determine whether MSC-CM can recover lung fibroblasts from cigarette smoke-induced damage. In lung fibroblasts exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE), MSC-CM, not only inhibited apoptotic death, but also induced cell proliferation and reversed CSE-induced changes in the levels of caspase-3, p53, p21, p27, Akt, and p-Akt. MSC-CM also restored expression of ECM proteins and collagen gel contraction while suppressing CSE-induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and microsomal PGE(2) synthase-2. The CSE-opposing effects of MSC-CM on cell fate, expression of ECM proteins, and collagen gel contraction were partially inhibited by LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. In rats, MSC-CM administration also resulted in elevation of p-Akt and restored proliferation of lung fibroblasts, which was suppressed by exposure to cigarette smoke. Taken together, these data suggest that MSC-CM may recover lung fibroblasts from cigarette smoke-induced damage, possibly through inhibition of apoptosis, induction of proliferation, and restoration of lung fibroblast repair function, which are mediated in part by the PI3K/Akt pathway.


Beryllium is an element thought to be largely associated with igneous and hydrothermal processes and the world's major economic Be deposits are largely igneous or hydrothermal. However, metamorphic rocks also play a major role in the Be budget of the Earth's crust. Beryllium enrichments in pegmatites and hydrothermal deposits are associated with granitic systems that many geoscientists think are derived from melting of metasedimentary rocks, with metapelites being the most fertile for Be (e.g., London and Evensen, this volume). Consequently, metamorphism plays an important role in the cycling beryllium from sediments to granitic systems.

The emphasis of my chapter is on rocks of pelitic composition or otherwise relatively rich in aluminum such as bauxite and metamorphosed peraluminous pegmatites (see also Franz and Morteani, this volume) and on the minerals making up these rocks. It concerns beryllium in metamorphic environments where beryllium was not introduced during metamorphism. Two major questions are addressed: (1) average and range of Be contents of metamorphic rocks, and (2) the effect of metamorphism on their beryllium content. Addressing both questions requires not only extensive data on metamorphic rocks, but also a comparable database of beryllium contents of unmetamorphosed precursor sediments. In general, beryllium is analyzed much less often than other trace elements, and as far as I am aware, there have been no systematic large-scale studies of Be in pelitic rocks or any other rock type. For example, Terry Plank (pers. comm. 2001) finds that there still is not enough high quality data to consider its behavior in marine sediments as has been done for other trace elements (Plank and Langmuir 1998).

Beryllium minerals, including both silicates and oxides, are rare in most metamorphic rocks, although a surprisingly large number of species has been found. This scarcity undoubtedly reflects the low abundance of Be in …


Gender inequalities in legal protection, education, health, employment, and political empowerment have been of special interest to researchers for many years. Hausmann, Tyson, and Zahidi (2010, p. 3) noted, "Although gender-based inequalities exist in the majority of the world's cultures, religions, nations, and income groups, there are differences in the way these disparities manifest themselves and how they evolve over time." The degree of governmental stability is a salient aspect of the process through which gender-based disparities manifest. Although all citizens are doubtlessly affected when states fail, women are especially marginalized and experience governmental failure in a fundamentally different way compared to their male counterparts. Thus, the goal of the current study is to analyze the relationship between state failure and gender-based disparities. Findings reveal significant relationships between gender disparities in most areas, however the relationship between legal protections and state failure produces the most robust results.


This paper presents a vision-based framework for intelligent vehicles to detect and track people riding bicycles in urban traffic environments. To deal with dramatic appearance changes of a bicycle according to different viewpoints as well as nonrigid nature of human appearance, a method is proposed which employs complementary detection and tracking algorithms. In the detection phase, we use multiple view-based detectors: frontal, rear, and right/left side view. For each view detector, a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used for object classification in combination with Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) which is one of the most discriminative features. Furthermore, a real-time enhancement for the detection process is implemented using the Integral Histogram method and a coarse-to-fine cascade approach. Tracking phase is performed by a multiple patch-based Lucas-Kanade tracker. We first run the Harris corner detector over the bounding box which is the result of our detector. Each of the corner points can be a good feature to track and, in consequence, becomes a template of each instance of multiple Lucas-Kanade trackers. To manage the set of patches efficiently, a novel method based on spectral clustering algorithm is proposed. Quantitative experiments have been conducted to show the effectiveness of each component of the proposed framework.


Related-party transactions are a facet of corporate governance, due to the fact that they are usually comprised of complicated transactions between a company and its managers, directors, subsidiaries and major shareholders. It is a fact that related-party transactions result in higher agency costs due to the alignment of decision-making rights and monitoring rights. The traditional accounting performance measures (return of equity, earnings per share) only reflect short-term performance, and are unable to express an enterprise's long-term value. The sample of this study includes a list of high-technology firms in Taiwan and China from 1998 to 2008. We use the ordinary least squares method to test our hypothesis. Empirical results show that the account (notes) receivables and account (notes) payables from related-party transactions of high-technology firms in Taiwan exhibit a significant (positive) relationship with performance. However, the sales or purchases of goods from related party transactions of high-technology firms in China have a significant (negative) relationship with performance. We useMarket value added (MVA), which is a powerful method for explaining market value.Economic value added (EVA) is also a high-power tool for explaining the relationships between related-party transactions and firm value, more so than other proxy variables of firm performance and reflects the true economic value of a firm. Therefore EVA and Market value added are used as an alternative performance measure.

 Key words: Related-party transaction, firm performance, economic value added, market value added.


We developed a novel CMOS architecture that uses mechanical tensile stress, induced by the Si nitride-capping layer, together with the pseudomorphic compressive stress in SiGe layer to improve the drive current of both n- and pMOSFETs simultaneously. The unique advantage of this process flow is that on the same wafer, individual MOSFET performance can be adjusted independently to their optimum due to the separation process for two type devices. It is found that n- and pMOSFETs in the novel CMOS architecture behaved better in performance, not only a higher drain-to-source saturation current but also higher transconductance with wide gate voltage swing, than the Si-control devices, thus making this flow to show a great flexibility for developing next-generation high-performance CMOS.


BACKGROUND
Yoga and mindfulness-based programs are becoming increasingly popular as a supplemental intervention for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Increasing numbers of children, parents, and schools are participating in programs around the country with an enthusiasm that far exceeds the research support for their efficacy. Therapies that are safe but not effective may not cause immediate harm. Nevertheless, the misappropriation of limited time and financial resources may result in missed opportunities. The need for clearly defined, evidence-based therapies for youth with ASD is essential.

METHOD
Electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed intervention research studies using the key words autistic or autism in combination with yoga, mindfulness, or meditation. Eight studies met inclusion criteria.

RESULTS
The findings are described in this critical review of eight empirical research studies that implemented yoga and mindfulness-based interventions for children with ASD. Although few studies reported improvements in core symptoms of ASD, preliminary findings suggest that yoga and mindfulness-based interventions are feasible and may improve a variety of prosocial behaviors, including communication and imitative behaviors; increased tolerance of sitting and of adult proximity; self-control; quality of life; and social responsiveness, social communication, social cognition, preoccupations, and social motivation. Reductions in aggressive behaviors, irritability, lethargy, social withdrawal, and noncompliance were also reported.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the available literature, the empirical evidence to support the efficacy of yoga and mindfulness-based interventions for children and adolescents with ASD is inconclusive. The current body of research has significant limitations, including small sample sizes, no fidelity measures, and no control groups. Each of the eight studies, however, reported some positive effects on social, emotional, or behavioral metrics. These early results are promising and sufficient to warrant support for further research.


This Briefing Paper considers thecontext and reasons underlying thesmall number of guilt admissionsin international criminal courts andtribunals, such as the InternationalCriminal Tribunal for the FormerYugoslavia and the InternationalCriminal Court. Limited attention hasbeen paid to the rationale that may induce perpetrators of war crimes toplead guilty. In particular, as this paperoutlines, interviewing techniques may be a key component in influencingguilt admission in the investigation andtrial process. Such admissions can alsoassist in reconciliation and recognitionof past crimes. The author concludes by outlining future research on the incorporation of effective interview techniques into international war crimes investigations.


This dissertation discusses the transformation of modern agriculture into organicagriculture at Subak Wangaya Betan, Penebel District, Tabanan Regency, Bali Province.This study is conducted in the perspective of Cultural Studies and the problem is that thedark side of modern agriculture is getting visible. The chemical substances used inagriculture have turned out to result in many problems such as the damage of landquality, the continuous decrease in plant productivity and environment, themarginalization of farmers. Therefore, many farmers have been aware and havetransformed into ecologically organic agriculture as what has taken place at SubakWangaya Betan. The farmers have transformed from modern agriculture into organicagriculture. However, the process of the transformation has left many problems;therefore, a deep study is necessarily conducted to answer various existing questions.The problems in this study are formulated in three basic questions such asfollows. First, how has the process of the transformation from modern agriculture intoorganic agriculture taken place at Subak Wangaya Betan? Second, why has thetransformation from modern agriculture into organic agriculture taken place? Third, whatare the implications and meanings of the transformation from modern agriculture intoorganic agriculture at Subak Wangaya Betan? In general, this study aims at identifyingand comprehending more clearly the transformation from modern agriculture into organicagriculture taking place at Betan Wangaya Subak.This research was conducted using qualitative method with multidisciplinaryapproach in accordance with the paradigm of cultural studies. In the first stage, primaryand secondary data were collected. In the second stage, theories were selected foranalyzing the data. Several critical theories such as the theory of Discourse of Power andKnowledge, the theory of Hegemony and the theory of Deconstruction, which are eclecticin nature, were decided to select for analyzing the data. In this third stage, the selecteddata were analyzed and interpreted. In the fourth stage, the results were constructed andreported. Based on the analysis conducted, three findings could be reported. First,agricultural transformation has taken place at Subak Wangaya Betan, from agrochemicalbasedmodern agriculture in which inorganic, chemical pesticide and hybrid varieties areused into organic agriculture in which no chemical substances are used. The agriculturaltransformation has not been suddenly conducted; it has been a planned process, has beenconducted through a highly systematic mechanism with many stages and has consumed alot of time and needed in-depth studies. Second, many factors have led to the agriculturaltransformation taking place at Subak Wangaya Betan. They are external factors such aspolitical, economic, social, cultural and ecological aspects and internal factors such as thenegative side of green revolution implementation, natural resources, cooperative farmers,and adherent farmers. They are all equally strong and synergize in encouraging andaccelerating the agricultural transformation. Third, it turns out that the agriculturaltransformation taking place at Subak Wangaya Betan has several implications andmeanings. The implications are that the ideology adhered to by the farmers has changed,the establishment of new institutions, an increase in the farmers' income, improved ricefield ecosystem and environment. The meanings of organic agriculture are spiritualmeaning, empowerment meaning and welfare meaning.


THE STUDY of the effects of endotoxin on renal hemodynamics and function has formerly been limited largely to the events that follow the systemic administration of the endotoxin. As a result, it has been difficult to separate the direct renal effects of endotoxin from those which are secondary to systemic changes. Previous studies have shown a decrease in renal blood flow following the systemic administration of endotoxin. 1 In the few studies of direct renal perfusion with endotoxin, the renal venous blood containing the endotoxin was allowed to recirculate and, therefore, the observed results could not be limited to local renal changes. 2,3 This investigation was designed to study the direct effect of endotoxin on renal hemodynamics in an attempt to separate the systemic effects of endotoxin from the local renal effects. The experimental model was constructed so that none of the renal venous blood containing endotoxin was allowed to


The thesis consists of four self-contained papers. Paper 1: The Push Towards UPE and the Determinants of the Demand for Education in Tanzania This paper uses household data to investigate the determinants of demand for education in Tanzania and tests whether these have changed during the government's push for Universal Primary Education in the 2000s. We find that the abolition of school fees was followed by an overall increase in enrolment, yet the sustained importance of the household's consumption, livelihood and education indicates that the socio-economic standing of the household remains an important source of educational inequality. We also include estimated returns to education as an explanatory factor but find no indications that returns determine demand in Tanzania. Paper 2: Households' income-generating activities and marginal returns to labor in rural Tanzania This study uses detailed household-level data to investigate income and activity diversification among households in rural Tanzania. Unlike previous research on diversification, it explicitly evaluates marginal returns within different activities, aiming to assess whether households are able to allocate labor so as to maximize their incomes, and what factors determine if they do so. The findings indicate that specialization in agriculture is not correlated with household welfare, and that agricultural wage work is a last resort option, as agricultural wage workers also allocate labor to their own farms to such an extent that marginal returns are lower than among others. Furthermore, wage rates are much higher than the agricultural shadow wages, implying that there are gains to be made from expanding the nonfarm side of the rural economy. However, there is no evidence that households are stuck in agriculture due to being constrained from entering the existing labor market. While I do not find preferences for own crops being important for labor allocation to farming, work preferences seem to play a role. There is also some evidence that both credit and social networks are important determinants of a household's probability of being stuck in low-return agriculture. Paper 3: The Effects of Gender Quotas in Latin American National Elections This study investigates the effects of gender quotas in national elections on political participation, public policy, and corruption in Latin America. We are able to replicate the findings from previous research that women in politics do affect these outcomes, but only when we treat the number of women in parliament as exogenous. We argue, however, that the introduction of gender quotas caused an – in this context – exogenous increase in women's representation, and while we find that quotas in Latin America increased the number of women in parliament, we find no substantial effects beyond mere representation. The mechanisms for these findings are scrutinized, and we find some indication that quota women are not completely marginalized in Latin American parliaments. Hence, increasing women's representation by means of gender quotas may not result in the same outcomes as an increased representation in non-quota elections. Paper 4: The gender gap in African political participation: Individual and contextual determinants The aim of this paper is to analyze the factors underlying the gender gap in African electoral and interelectoral political participation. Drawing on new data covering over 27,000 respondents from 246 regions in 20 emerging African democracies, the empirical findings suggest that while there is a gender gap in both voting and inter-electoral participation, the latter is larger. Whereas several of the investigated individual and contextual characteristics are found to be important determinants of participation, they explain only a very modest share of the observed gender gaps. We do find, however, that gender gaps in education are negatively correlated with female inter-electoral participation and that gender gaps in employment are negatively related to female voting. Interestingly, and contrary to suggestions in previous research, there is no evidence that religiosity at the individual or community level increases the gender differences in political activity.


Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer's Disease (VSRAD) has developed recently as an adjunctive diagnostic tool for early Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD), using three-dimensional (3D) MRI with statistical parametric mapping (SPM), and for the objective evaluation of brain atrophy. However, it takes more than five minutes to acquire MRI data by the 3D gradient echo method (3D FFE), resulting in low-throughput performance and motion artifact. These problems interrupt the application of daily MRI study. In this study, we recruited 20 patients suspected of having ATD who then underwent continuous 3D FFE MRI studies with and without the SENSE method. It was found that the VSRAD results of MRI data with SENSE were nearly to equal to those without SENSE, in spite of the prediction of a decline in source-to-noise ratio due to the reduction factor in the SENSE method.