This paper identifies how much was added to residential land values through the provision of bus rapid transit (BRT) service in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, with regard to increases in land values because of the BRT system itself and the value of the network effect as a result of incremental additions to the transport infrastructure, a much more common feature of Australian cities. Difference-in-differences models were employed to explore whether there were significant differences between the treatment group (properties close to busway stations) and the control group (properties not close to busway stations) with regard to housing price changes (first difference) before and after the opening of busway stations (second difference). Two types of control groups were defined by using conventional buffer methods and propensity score matching. Model results show increases in property prices because of better accessibility to busways themselves, on the one hand, and on the other hand, additions to the value of land through the network effect of access to a greater service area as the BRT network is developed. The paper reports how different methods of identifying control areas to match given treatment areas had different results and discusses the implications of these results for a literature that has a variety of methods established for research.


A large number of Indigenous Australians live in remote locations, enduring often harsh physical environments. They face multidimensional socio-economic disadvantage, including social and financial exclusion. This case study describes the end-to-end research process undertaken by a PhD student, to explore the understanding of money in two remote Indigenous communities. Studying how Indigenous people in remote communities understand and want to use money helps to inform social policy and ongoing efforts to enhance their financial inclusion. Existing research highlights a significant 'gap' in financial outcomes for Indigenous people as compared to mainstream Australia. However, there is little academic research exploring how Indigenous people themselves view the world of money and finances. This case study discusses the challenges faced by a first-time researcher before, during and after the research was undertaken, the strategies employed to overcome these challenges and the lessons learned.


Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous food- and water-borne parasite that in most individuals is able to persist in multiple tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS), without causing an apparent clinical disease.1 During the chronic phase of toxoplasmosis, the latent stage of the parasite is found in the CNS, and studies from murine models have established that long-term resistance to the parasite is dependent on the ability to generate and maintain parasite-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Consistent with this observation, patients with primary or acquired defects in T cell–mediated immunity are susceptible to toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE). Indeed, in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, T. gondii is one of the most common opportunistic infections affecting the CNS. One of the notable features that accompanies T. gondii infection in the CNS is a prominent activation of resident glial cells, in particular astrocytes.2 We propose here that this event may play a causative role in the development of schizophrenia.

A considerable body of evidence links T. gondii infection to an increased incidence of schizophrenia.3,4,5,6 However, the association between the parasitic infection and disease, while strong, is so far exclusively correlative in nature. Based on epidemiological data, ie, statistical analyses, the hypothesis has with few exceptions ignored the cellular events and molecular mechanisms by which the infection might promote or precipitate pathophysiology associated with schizophrenia. Recent experiments in our laboratories have provided provocative clues regarding the enigmatic connection between infection and disease etiology.

Our collaboration originated from the central role that astrocytes play in the synthesis of kynurenic acid (KYNA), a metabolite of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan degradation. When present at levels slightly above endogenous brain concentrations, this metabolite can inhibit both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine (α7nACh) receptors.7 These two receptors are widely purported to have causative links to cognitive processes. Unrelated to antipsychotic medication, KYNA levels are significantly elevated in the brain of individuals with schizophrenia.8 Thus, it follows that abnormally high KYNA levels may contribute to the patients' cognitive impairment. This concept is supported by studies in rodents, which show that experimental elevation of cerebral KYNA levels results in impaired sensory gating.9,10 Furthermore, nanomolar concentrations of KYNA, by blocking presynaptic α7nACh receptors on glutamatergic nerve terminals, have been shown to significantly reduce the extracellular levels of glutamate in rat brain in vivo.11,12 KYNA may thus contribute to the putative hyponicotinergic and hypoglutamatergic tone in schizophrenia.13,14

In view of the proposed link between KYNA and cognitive processes, it is important to understand the biochemical events leading to and regulating its formation and function in the brain. KYNA synthesis is initiated by the oxidative ring opening of tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and/or tryptophan dioxygenase (TDO). The reaction product of IDO and TDO, kynurenine, is then irreversibly converted to KYNA. In the brain, this transamination takes place almost exclusively in astrocytes, which then rapidly liberate newly produced KYNA into the extracellular milieu, placing the metabolite in an excellent position to influence surrounding neurons.15 Interestingly, the mRNA for tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) is elevated in the brain of individuals with schizophrenia, and a concomitant increased density of TDO2-immunopositive astroglial cells is seen in the patients' white matter.16 Because TDO is one of the upstream enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of KYNA, this enhanced expression could conceivably lead to an elevation of KYNA levels in the diseased brain and therefore play a part in the pathophysiology of the disorder.

As noted above, astrocyte activation is a prominent feature of TE, but it was not known whether this reaction is associated with a dysregulation of KYNA production. In a first attempt to investigate this possible link, we recently examined the brains of chronically T. gondii–infected animals for signs of impaired kynurenine pathway flux. Indeed, infected mice showed massive astrocyte activation and, concomitantly, a greater than 7-fold increase in the brain content of KYNA.17 Because this effect was accompanied by an increase in the levels of KYNA's bioprecursor kynurenine, these changes are likely due to a stimulation of upstream kynurenine pathway enzymes such as IDO and/or TDO. At present, it is unclear whether this represents a direct response to invading parasites or, as seems more likely, a secondary consequence of the inflammatory response that accompanies the presence of T. gondii in the brain.

These results show that T. gondii infection provides an in vivo model system to modulate a biochemical pathway associated with schizophrenia. Jointly, the links between (1) T. gondii and schizophrenia; (2) T. gondii and astrocyte activation; (3) KYNA levels and schizophrenia; (4) KYNA synthesis and astrocytes; (5) KYNA, NMDA, and α7nACh receptors; and (6) TDO2 and schizophrenia suggest the following hypothetical sequence of events: T. gondii infection, by activating astrocytes, increases KYNA formation in the brain. This effect is augmented in persons with elevated brain TDO activity, ie, individuals with a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia. Increased brain KYNA levels, in turn, cause or contribute to the excessive inhibition of glutamatergic and nicotinergic neurotransmission, which is believed to play an important role in the cognitive impairments seen in schizophrenia.

An interesting corollary of this hypothesis is that a reduction in cerebral KYNA formation might benefit individuals with schizophrenia by indirectly enhancing transmission through NMDA and α7nACh receptors. This could be accomplished by timely interventions that attenuate or arrest the various consequences of the parasite infection1 or, more specifically, by inhibitors of KYNA biosynthesis.18 The mouse model used in our study not only provides a convenient vehicle to test such interventions but will also allow further mechanistic insights into the links between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia.


In this era of globalization, natural phenomena often invade the human population. Natural phenomena such as sinkholes often occur in countries whose topology lies in active limestone areas. Malaysia is one of the countries with active limestone areas, especially in the Klang Valley and its surrounding areas. Since 1968, the increase in sinkhole cases in Malaysia has been reported frequently. This has caused many building infrastructures to be destroyed, loss of life and destruction of property. So, one of the steps to overcome this problem is to do an in-depth study of the sinkhole. Therefore, Sinkhole Hazard Model (SHM) has been created with a combination of GIS integration by using probability techniques. There are five criteria suitable for Malaysian topography namely Lithology (LT), Soil Types (ST), Landuse (LU), Groundwater Level Decline (GLD) and Proximity to Groundwater Wells (PGW). Based on probability calculations, GLD and LU have shown a high impact on sinkhole formation. A hazard zonation map has been produced where it has been classified into five parts namely none, low, medium, high and very high. The results were validated with previous inventory data comprising 33 data. Based on the results obtained, 36.37% and 39.39% of the sinkhole formation has fallen into high and very high areas respectively. Based on these final results, the integration between GIS and probability techniques is useful in natural phenomena such as sinkhole formation.


Statement of the Problem: Gluten-free products are usually made of rice which has weak nutritional quality. Pasta is considered as a good product for the addition of highly nutritious raw materials. Pseudo-cereals and legumes are interesting raw materials which could be incorporated in gluten-free food to enhance their nutritional quality. The aim of this study was to apply extrusion-cooking technology to produce gluten-free rice-based pasta enriched with buckwheat or lentil flours and to evaluate selected quality characteristics of gluten-free pasta. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Gluten-free spaghetti was prepared with rice-buckwheat flour blend (50-50 w/w) and rice-lentil flour blend (70-30 w/w) with 30% of moisture content using a single-screw extrusion-cooker with screw speed of 80 rpm and temperature of 120°C for rice-buckwheat pasta and 100°C for rice-lentil pasta. Control pasta was prepared with rice flour. Chemical composition, expansion ratio, optimal cooking time, water absorption capacity, cooking loss, color, texture properties (hardness, firmness and stickiness), and sensory attributes (appearance, color, flavor, taste, and stickiness) were assessed. Microstructure of the surface and cross-section of the pasta were examined with scanning electron microscope. Findings: Enriched pasta had higher protein, ash and dietary fiber contents than rice pasta. Moreover, the addition of buckwheat or lentil flours decreased the expansion ratio, the lightness, and the hardness, and increased the yellowness, the firmness, and the stickiness without affecting the optimal cooking time. Obtained results showed also that both rice pasta and enriched pasta had low cooking loss and acceptable scores for all sensory attributes. Concerning microstructure, all pasta products presented a smooth surface with a compact and homogeneous inside structure. Conclusion & Significance: Both pasta enriched with buckwheat and lentil flours had good quality and they would constitute a good alternative for celiac people.


This paper presents an experimental and numerical study on two different types of the nodular cast iron EN-GJS-400-18-LT. The experimental procedure includes symmetrical and unsymmetrical strain controlled tests on the cylindrical specimens as well as crack initiation and propagation tests on the compact tension and single edged notched specimens. Different loading regimes are applied, and monitoring of the crack length during the tests is performed by an optical system. Within the framework of numerical investigations an efficient algorithm for modelling of cyclic plasticity is examined. Experimental results show that two material types have significantly different the crack behaviour.


Hyphomicrobium strain x was grown on trimethylamine and dimethylamine as the sole sources of carbon and energy under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions and the enzymes involved in the metabolism of these compounds were investigated. During aerobic growth of the organism on trimethylamine, accumulation and subsequent utilization of dimethylamine was observed. When the organism was grown on trimethylamine under anaerobic conditions in the presence of nitrate, a sequential accumulation and utilization of dimethylamine and methylamine was found. In cell-free extracts of Hyphomicrobium x grown on trimethylamine or dimethylamine under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions the following enzyme activities were detected : trimethylamine dehydrogenase, dimethylamine dehydrogenase, y-glutamylmethylamide synthetase, N-methylglutamate dehydrogenase, methanol dehydrogenase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase and hydroxypyruvate reductase. Under neither growth condition were any of the following enzyme activities detected : trimethylamine mono-oxygenase, dimethylamine monooxygenase, trimethylamine-N-oxide aldolase (demethylase) and primary-amine dehydrogenase. Trimethylamine dehydrogenase and dimethylamine dehydrogenase were partially purified from bacteria grown on dimethylamine and the results suggest that in Hyphomicrobium x a novel enzyme, namely dimethylamine dehydrogenase, participates in the oxidation of dimethylamine.


We demonstrate the usefulness of physics-based integrated simulation of subduction earthquakes for making strong-motion predictions in a deterministic way. We estimated strong ground motions caused by a 2003 Tokachi-oki-like earthquake, taking into account the stress accumulation due to tectonic loading, dynamic rupture propagation due to the failure of asperities, and generation of strong ground motions. Then we compared the synthetic seismograms with those observed during the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake ( M 8.0) to confirm that simple but physically reasonable modeling can obtain a reasonable estimate of ground motions of large earthquakes in view of peak ground velocities, duration, and velocity response spectra. It should be emphasized that this procedure is quite important to constructing a physics-based earthquake generation model that would be available for the prediction of strong ground motions and mitigation of disasters due to future large earthquakes. And this feature will not be achieved by traditional experience-based kinematic modeling approaches. Of course, this simulation includes quite a few uncertain parameters, but the parameter search experiment itself will help us construct useful scenarios of possible disasters we will suffer in the future. Hypocenter location is one of the most uncertain parameters in this simulation. We investigated the effect of uncertainty of hypocenter location on the computed strong motions quantitatively. The result shows that the variation in response spectra of ground velocities is within a factor of 2 at 3.3 sec and a factor of 4 at 15 sec, which is not serious compared to the local site amplification effects.


Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the germination of mature grain while still in spike. PHS causes downgrading of grain quality which severely limits its enduse. In western Canada, cool and wet weather during harvest makes the crops susceptible to PHS. Breeding for PHS tolerance in wheat is challenging on phenotypic basis because PHS is inherited quantitatively and strongly affected by environmental conditions. A mapping population of one hundred and fifty one doubled haploid (DH) lines from a cross between two spring wheat cultivars ND690 (non-dormant) and W98616 (dormant) was developed for genetic mapping of PHS resistance loci. Initially, 20 dormant and 20 non dormant lines were used for genetic mapping with SSR (Simple sequence repeat) and AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) markers. A total of 550 markers (300 SSR markers and 250 AFLP) markers have been mapped on different chromosomes. Five chromosomal regions on the chromosomes 1A, 3B, 4A, 5B and 6B associated with pre-harvest sprouting were identified in this study.


Co-design, as it applies to the fields of human-computer interaction and user-centered design, can be simplistically defined as user involvement in technology design activities. According to Berggren and Hedler, co-design is beneficial in that it provides an alternative perspective for designers when directly engaging with a given user group. While the focus of co-design was traditionally on adult end users as testers of technology, gradually the concept of a design partnership was perceived as valuable. Over time, co-design activities included children, with the recognition that it was no longer viable for adults to make decisions as to the technological needs and requirements of children. Rather it was understood that children?s opinions must be integrated and factored into end products. The input of children in the design process as "active participants" particularly younger children, was previously negligible. This is generally attributed to the challenges associated with verbalization of thoughts and preferences.


Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are being extensively investigated for applications in bioimaging because of their ability to emit ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. NaYF4 is one of the most suitable host matrices for producing high-intensity upconversion fluorescence; however, UCNPs based on NaYF4 are not chemically stable in aqueous media. To prevent dissolution, their surfaces should be modified. We studied the formation of protective phosphonate coatings made of ethylenediamine(tetramethylenephosphonic acid), alendronic acid, and poly(ethylene glycol)-neridronate on cubic NaYF4 nanoparticles and hexagonal Yb3+,Er3+-doped upconverting NaYF4 nanoparticles (β-UCNPs). The effects of synthesis temperature and ultrasonic agitation on the quality of the coatings were studied. The formation of the coatings was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, zeta-potential measurements, and infrared spectroscopy. The quality of the phosphonate coatings was examined with respect to preventing the dissolution of the NPs in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The dissolution tests were carried out under physiological conditions (37 °C and pH 7.4) for 3 days and were followed by measurements of the dissolved fluoride with an ion-selective electrode. We found that the protection of the phosphonate coatings can be significantly increased by synthesizing them at 80 °C. At the same time, the coatings obtained at this temperature suppressed the surface quenching of the upconversion fluorescence in β-UCNPs.


Burrowing seabirds are vulnerable to extirpation by introduced predators such as rats, but much evidence of predation is circumstantial. On Taukihepa, an island off southern New Zealand, two possible predators exist with sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus): the weka (Gallirallus australis), a large rail, and the ship rat (Rattus rattus), both introduced to the island. It was expected that chick predation would be principally by weka, the much larger of the two predators. To measure losses of sooty shearwater chicks to weka or rats, nests were monitored with burrow-scopes at six sites in the summers of 2003–04 and 2004–05. In three of the sites rats were removed on 4-ha grids by trapping. In the other three sites rats were not trapped. In addition, weka were removed from all six sites in 2005. Concurrent diet analysis of weka and rat stomachs was undertaken as well as stable isotopic analysis (δ13C, δ15N) of samples from rats and weka. These were compared with possible prey items including sooty shearwaters. Additional stable isotope samples were taken from Pacific rats (Rattus exulans), a small rat species present with weka and sooty shearwaters on nearby Moginui Island. Weka diet comprised ~40% of bird remains by volume and calculations using Isosource, an isotopic source portioning model, estimated sooty shearwaters contributed 59% (range: 15–71%) of weka diet during the sooty shearwater chick-raising period. Ship rats, in contrast, had very depleted δ13C isotope signatures compared with sooty shearwaters and bird remains contributed <9% of diet by volume, with Isosource calculations suggesting that ship rats consumed more passerine birds (mean: 30%; range 5–51%) than sooty shearwaters (mean 24%; range: 0–44%). In both summers, more chicks were lost on sites from which rats had been removed than on control sites. When weka were removed in 2005, fewer chicks were lost than in 2004 and significantly fewer weka-killed chicks were found on weka-removal sites than on non-removal sites. Weka were the principal predator of sooty shearwater chicks, depredating an estimated 9.9% of nests. Combining several techniques quantified the loss and identified the principal predator of a seabird in decline.


Background Rifampicin is usually a well tolerated antimicrobial agent, but it can, rarely, cause systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a case of SLE in a man treated by rifampicin for a hip prosthesis infection. Drug-induced SLE (DISLE) represents 10% of all SLE. DISLE has been reported with over 40 drugs. It is important to diagnose DISLE because stopping the drug allows the disease to be controlled. Purpose To describe this unusual adverse effect caused by rifampicin and to highlight what had to be done to diagnose it. Materials and methods A seventy year-old man was hospitalised in March 2005 for oligo-arthritis of the interphalangeal joints, with pleuro-pericarditis. For four months he was treated for an E. faecalis infection of a hip prosthesis with amoxicillin and rifampicin (1200 mg every 12 h). Rifampicin is usually a well-tolerated antibiotic. Drug-drug interactions, nausea and hypertransaminasaemia are the main problem in clinical practice. Only few cases of rifampicin-induced SLE have been reported in the literature. HLA-DR4 allele and slow acetylator phenotype are two groups of genetic factors associated with DISLE. Antihistone antibodies are positive in 75 to 95% of those with DISLE, while they are found only in 20% of idiopathic SLE. Mechanisms of DISLE are complex and differ from one drug to another. Results Laboratory tests showed: haemoglobin 10.2 g/dl, white cell count 4.41giga/l, platelet count 233 giga/l, creatinine 300 mmol/l. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were positive at a titre of 1/1280 with homogeneous pattern; double-stranded DNA antibodies were 177 IU (N < 75 IU). Antihistone antibodies were 52 kU/l (N < 20 kU/l). Pleural and pericardial fluid analysis revealed no microbial agent or neoplastic cells. Rifampicin-induced SLE was diagnosed. Rifampicin was stopped. Corticosteroids were used for the systemic signs for 6 months. In October 2007 the patient was free of symptom. Conclusions There is no predictor for the occurrence of DISLE. It is important to know that rifampicin can cause SLE. When DISLE is suspected, it is necessary to measure ANA and antihistone antibodies to confirm the diagnosis and to stop the treatment promptly. No conflict of interest.


Objectives: The current study investigated the antioxidant and antiurolithiatic potential of A. millefolium along with its metabolic characterization. Materials and methods: A. millefolium has been collected at vegetative (V) and mature (Inflorescence (I) and Stem and Leaves (S+L)) stages and extracted in ethanol. Antioxidant potential has been determined by total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, ferric reducing antioxidant potential, total antioxidants through phosphomolybdate assay and free radical scavenging assays (1,1diphenyl2picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'azinobis(3ethylbenzothiazoline6sulfonic acid). In-vitro antiurolithiatic activity is determined by turbidity changes in artificial urine, nucleation assay, and aggregation assay. Fourier transforminfrared spectroscopy and gas chromatographymass spectrometry has been used to characterize the active metabolites of plant A. millefolium. Results: Maximum antioxidant activity was observed in Inflorescence with values 76.58 mg of GAE/g of extract, 18.82 mg of RE/g of extract, 199.799 mg of AAE/g of extract and 327.95 mg of AAE/g of extract for TPC, TFC, FRAP and total antioxidants through phosphomolybdate assay respectively. Maximum radical scavenging activity was also observed in inflorescence with 86.3% and 69.655 % inhibition against DPPH and ABTS free radicals at 1000µg/ml concentration respectively. Maximum in-vitro antiurolithiatic potential of plant A. millefolium observed in inflorescence i.e. 80 %, 41.84% and 63.41 % inhibition at 1000µg/ml concentration for turbidity changes in artificial urine method, nucleation assay and aggregation assay respectively. FT IR and GCMS of inflorescence of A. millefolium confirmed the presence of major functional groups and active metabolic compounds respectively. Conclusion: Inflorescence of plant A. millefolium is an excellent source of natural antioxidants with significant antiurolithiatic potential. Key words: Achillea millefolium L., Antioxidant activity, Antiurolithiatic activity, Inflorescence, Active metabolites.


Analysis of the average binary error probabilities (ABEP) and average capacity (AC) of wireless communications systems over generalized fading channels have been considered separately in past years. This paper introduces a novel moment generating function (MGF)-based unified expression for the ABEP and AC of single and multiple link communications with maximal ratio combining. In addition, this paper proposes the hyper-Fox's H fading model as a unified fading distribution of a majority of the well-known generalized fading environments. As such, the authors offer a generic unified performance expression that can be easily calculated, and that is applicable to a wide variety of fading scenarios. The mathematical formulism is illustrated with some selected numerical examples that validate the correctness of the authors' newly derived results.


Precipitation is among the more limiting meteorological factors affecting the occurrence and extent of forest fire. We examined the correlation between burned area of individual wildfires and the rainfall amounts occurring on the day of the burn and the number of consecutive dry days for a range of limiting daily rainfall amounts (0–6mm) used to define a "dry" day. Daily threshold rainfall levels that most significantly affected area burned were determined for each ecoregion in Yunnan province, a major fire-prone area, in southwestern China. Results showed that the burned area of a wildfire decreased exponentially with increasing rainfall amounts on the day of burning. Burned area was also positively correlated to the number of consecutive dry days prior to burning. The threshold rainfall value providing the highest correlation between burned area and the number of consecutive dry days prior to a burn varied between ecoregions. Consecutive dry days with rainfall less than the specified threshold predominantly affected large fires (>100 ha) rather than more frequently occurring small fires. These results will help forest managers evaluate regionalfire danger indices for forest fire prevention, particularly for catastrophic forest wildfires causing significant economic losses and threats to human life and environment.


SUMMARY: The antibody combining properties of the U- and D-fractions of the virus system of foot-and-mouth disease were investigated by complement-fixation methods. The virus fractions were titrated in antibody excess and used as excess antigens in titrations of antisera. The results demonstrate that the complement-fixing activity in antibody excess increased with time of incubation by a threefold or higher factor when the U-fraction was used as antigen than when the D-fraction was used. Titrations of antisera showed that distinct combining activities were involved according to the virus fraction used as antigen in excess. Data in support of this were obtained in adsorption experiments in the absence of complement by titration of the residual antibody activity following sedimentation of the complexes formed with the U- or D-fractions. The reaction in the region of equivalence, in which neither antigen nor antibody is in effective excess, was investigated. A rapid and objective procedure for the treatment of complement-fixation data is presented.


Mesostructured carbon (MSC) has been synthesized by the carbonization of assynthesized mesocellular siliceous foam (MCF)/P123 nanocomposite followed by the dissolution of the silica using 10 wt.% HF solution. SEM, TEM, and BET instruments were used to characterize the mesostructured carbon. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate its ability to adsorb natural organic matter (NOM) in various pH levels. MSC showed enhanced adsorption capacity for NOM than the commercial activated carbons. MSC possessed approximately 3.3 and 2.2 times greater the solid-water partitioning coefficient of NOM, Kd, at pH 7 than coal-based and coconutbased activated carbons, respectively. This increased Kd of MSC resulted from mesoporous structures in the range of 4-6 nm on the surface. The Kd value decreased with increasing initial pH levels, which is considered to be due to ionization of functional groups of NOM.


A desired capability in military operations is the reliable and efficient sharing of Situational Awareness (SA) data at the tactical edge network. Many implementations of SA sharing in the literature use frequent broadcasts of SA messages in order to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive operating picture to all nodes. However, SA sharing may result in an increase in bandwidth requirements at the tactical edge, where power and bandwidth are scarce. Efficient realtime routing is also a challenge in a tactical edge network. We believe there is a good opportunity to leverage the realtime periodic SA messages for assisting routing services. To the best of our knowledge, little research has been done on this front. In this paper, we propose a secure and efficient routing by leveraging SA messages (SER-SA) in tactical edge mobile ad hoc networks. The SER-SA protocol utilizes realtime broadcast SA messages to not only transmit SA data but also to facilitate Multipoint Relay (MPR) node selection and route discovery for providing both realtime broadcast and unicast communication services. In SER-SA, broadcast forwarding is performed only by MPR nodes, which can reduce bandwidth usage compared to pure flooding methods such as Multicast Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing (MAODV). In addition, we reduce bandwidth usage even further by both avoiding dissemination of specific designated routing messages in the network and enhancing the (traditionally local) MPR selection algorithm based on a global algorithm enabled by the shared global SA. We show through simulations that the proposed SER-SA protocol facilitates route discovery in a more bandwidth efficient manner. As a result, it performs better in terms of delivery ratio for providing both broadcast and unicast services in tactical scenarios compared to the existing MANET multicast routing protocols such as Multicast Optimized Link State Routing and MAODV.


We consider a three-dimensional volume-preserving system inside the unit sphere. The system is a small perturbation of an integrable one. Almost all phase trajectories of the integrable system are closed curves. Under an arbitrarily small non-zero perturbation all the interior of the sphere, up to a residue of small measure, is apparently a domain of chaotic motion. The phenomenon is described as a result of jumps in an adiabatic invariant of the system occurring when a phase trajectory crosses the two-dimensional separatrix of the unperturbed (integrable) system. The dynamical properties can be understood as a consequence of splitting of invariant manifolds under the perturbation. A two-dimensional return map generated by the system possesses strong stretching properties. This makes the dynamics of the system close to hyperbolic. Numerical investigation of the statistical properties of the system demonstrates a good agreement with theoretical predictions made under the assumption that the system has a large ergodic component whose measure tends to the measure of the sphere's interior as the perturbation tends to zero. However, the system is not ergodic, and stable periodic solutions are found, surrounded by stability islands of measure exponentially small with the perturbation.


A new approach to dynamic feedback linearization control of an induction motor is given. Previously, it has been shown that the dynamic model of an induction motor consisting of speed, stator currents and rotor flux is dynamically feedback linearizable. However, the controller and transformation were valid only as long as the motor torque was nonzero and the methodology required switching between two computationally complex transformations. Here it is shown that, by considering the direct-quadrature model of the induction motor, a single dynamic feedback linearizing transformation exists and is valid as long as the (magnitude of the) rotor flux is nonzero. Furthermore, the resulting control computations are well within the capabilities of contemporary microprocessor technology.


The number of research articles about Open Access (OA) and Institutional Repository (IR) has grown quickly in recent years, while Chinese universities move slower than their western counterparts. There are only a few experimental institutional repositories (IRs) now, and no explicit campus-wide policies towards open access have been proclaimed. This paper will describe the status of the OA movement in China, and mainly focus on institutional repositories in Chinese Universities. Factors that hinder the development of OA will be discussed; meanwhile we will give some suggestions for constructing IRs in Chinese Universities.


: The first part of this large review on the bibliography of cervical mucus was concerned both with the mechanism and the determinism ensuring its secretion. A second paper reviewed the present knowledge on chemical, physical ultrastructural characteristics of cervical mucus. This paper, the last part of the review, will be concerned with the different functions of the mucus ensuring synchronisation and encounter of the germ cells. From a physiological point of view, the following properties may be ascribed to the cervical secretion: - protection of sperm from the hostile environment of the vagina, and from being phagocytized along the cervical canal ; - cyclic receptivity to sperm penetration at or near ovulation and interference with entry at other periods ; - filtering effect on sperm cells; - possible intracervical sperm storage ; - supplementing the energy requirements of sperm ; - protection of the uterine cavity against bacteria.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate effects of anesthesia, surgery, and intravenous administration of fluids on plasma concentrations of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), concentration of total solids (TS), PCV, arterial blood pressure (BP), plasma osmolality, and urine output in healthy dogs.

ANIMALS
22 healthy Beagles.

PROCEDURE
11 dogs did not receive fluids, and 11 received 20 ml of lactated Ringer's solution/kg of body weight/h. Plasma ADH adn TS concentrations, PCV, osmolality, and arterial BP were measured before anesthesia (T0) and after administration of preanesthetic agents (T1), induction of anesthesia (T2), and 1 and 2 hours of surgery (T3 and T4, respectively). Urine output was measured at T3 and T4.

RESULTS
ADH concentrations increased at T1, T3, and T4, compared with concentrations at T0. Concentration of TS and PCV decreased at all times after administration of preanesthetic drugs. Plasma ADH concentration was less at T3 in dogs that received fluids, compared with those that did not. Blood pressure did not differ between groups, and osmolality did not increase > 1% from To value at any time. At T4, rate of urine production was less in dogs that did not receive fluids, compared with those that did.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Plasma ADH concentration increased and PCV and TS concentration decreased in response to anesthesia and surgery. Intravenous administration of fluids resulted in increased urine output but had no effect on ADH concentration or arterial BP. The causes and effects of increased plasma ADH concentrations may affect efficacious administration of fluids during the perioperative period in dogs.


(Advance online publication: 19 February 2008) Abstract-Encryption is used to securely transmit data in open networks. Each type of data has its own features therefore different techniques should be used to protect confidential image data from unauthorized access. Most of the available encryption algorithms are mainly used for textual data and may not be suitable for multimedia data such as images. In this paper, we introduce a block-based transformation algorithm based on the combination of image transformation and a well known encryption and decryption algorithm called Blowfish. The original image was divided into blocks, which were rearranged into a transformed image using a transformation algorithm presented here, and then the transformed image was encrypted using the Blowfish algorithm. The results showed that the correlation between image elements was significantly decreased by using the proposed technique. The results also show that increasing the number of blocks by using smaller block sizes resulted in a lower correlation and higher entropy.


Artificial boundary is an important part of finite element calculation model. Based on finite element method, this paper presents substructure condensation elements to simulate far field boundary. As most dynamic responses are focused on ground surface, substructure elements' internal nodes are condensed and only keep the nodes on the ground surface to maintain the accuracy of scattering wave transmition. According to the example of verification, if the related parameters are chosen properly, the effect of substructure condensation boundary is guaranteed.


Background: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are at high risk for acute kidney injury (AKI). Novel biomarkers that can predict AKI after AMI may facilitate immediate interventions. Recently, cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and klotho have been established as novel AKI biomarkers. However, their effects have not been studied in patients presenting with AMI. In this study, we will measure the serum levels of these three biomarkers to find reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis of AKI in AMI patients. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study was conducted between May 2016 and November 2017. A total of 285 consecutive patients with AMI were enrolled. The study was approved by the institutional review board of Peking University People's Hospital (No. 2016PHB 042-01). AKI was defined according to the KDIGO criteria in 2012. At admission, the clinical data of patients was collected and serum levels of several AKI biomarkers, including cystatin C, NGAL, and klotho, were measured by ELISA. The relationship between biomarker levels of AKI were analyzed and their discrimination performances were compared. Results: AKI incidence was 17.5% (50/285) during hospitalization. Compared to patients without AKI, the AKI group had higher mortality (20.0% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.001) and tended to be older, had higher incidence of chronic kidney disease, severe cardiac function, more cardiac complications, larger doses of diuretics, and less use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blocker and statins. Moreover, AKI patients experienced an increase in serum cystatin C (3,709.2 ± 2,281.5 vs. 1,918.5 ± 1,140.6 ng/mL, p < 0.001), NGAL (118.0 ± 70.3 vs. 91.8 ± 52.3 ng/mL, p = 0.003), and klotho (742.2 ± 497.4 vs. 470.3 ± 257.2 pg/mL, p <0.001). Furthermore, the areas under the receiver operating curves demonstrated that serum cystatin C levels at admission had modest discriminative powers for predicting AKI after AMI compared with serum creatinine (0.899, 95% CI, 0.855–0.944 vs. 0.734, 95% CI, 0.649–0.819, p <0.001). There was no difference between the discrimination performances of serum creatinine, NGAL, and klotho. Conclusion: Elevated cystatin C levels are associated with AKI in patients with AMI. This study provides reliable evidence that cystatin C levels may be superior to serum creatinine for predicting AKI after AMI at admission.


In this paper, a coupling constitutive model is proposed for anisotropic damage and permeability variation in brittle rocks before cracks fully coalesce. In this coupling model, an anisotropic damage model is employed to perform the mechanical analysis, and a statistical penetration model is set up to describe the effective porosity and permeability evolution in brittle rocks. For the coupling analysis, anisotropic damage model offers statistical penetration model the crack length in various directions, and statistical penetration model inversely provides anisotropic damage model with permeability of rock for coupling hydro-mechanical analysis. The proposed coupling model is applied to Lac du Bonnet granite, and generally a good agreement is obtained between numerical simulations and experimental data.


Transiting hot Jupiters present a unique opportunity to measure absolute planetary masses due to the magnitude of their radial velocity signals and known orbital inclination. Measuring planet mass is critical to understanding atmospheric dynamics and escape under extreme stellar irradiation. Here we present the ultrahot Jupiter system KELT-9 as a double-lined spectroscopic binary. This allows us to directly and empirically constrain the mass of the star and its planetary companion without reference to any theoretical stellar evolutionary models or empirical stellar scaling relations. Using data from the PEPSI, HARPS-N, and TRES spectrographs across multiple epochs, we apply least-squares deconvolution to measure out-of-transit stellar radial velocities. With the PEPSI and HARPS-N data sets, we measure in-transit planet radial velocities using transmission spectroscopy. By fitting the circular orbital solution that captures these Keplerian motions, we recover a planetary dynamical mass of 2.17 ± 0.56 M J and stellar dynamical mass of 2.11 ± 0.78 M ⊙, both of which agree with the discovery paper. Furthermore, we argue that this system, as well as systems like it, are highly overconstrained, providing multiple independent avenues for empirically cross-validating model-independent solutions to the system parameters. We also discuss the implications of this revised mass for studies of atmospheric escape.


The small firm effect is a stock market anomaly which shows that firms with smaller market capitalization earn higher returns than firms with larger market capitalization. The objective of this study was to test whether the small firm effect exists on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). The study adopted an explanatory research design. The study used 30 listed firms that had traded consistently from 2009 to 2016 as sample. The study created quartile portfolios in ascending order for the stocks based on market capitalization. The first and fourth portfolios were used as small and large firm portfolios. The study also calculated monthly returns for the stocks for the study period. The study then used secondary data from the GSE, Bank of Ghana, Ghana Statistical Services and Annual Reports Ghana to conduct a regression analysis. The OLS regression analysis was used to test for the relationship between size and returns on the GSE. The regression results showed that there was a statistically insignificant and weak positive relationship between stock market returns on the GSE and small firm returns. On the contrary, large firms on the GSE showed a statistically significant and strong positive relationship between stock market returns on the GSE and small firm returns. Thus, the study concluded that small firm effect was not present on the GSE since large firms showed higher returns than small firms. The study then recommended that the Securities and Exchange Commission formulate policy to reduce the impact large firm size has on stock returns.


Absence of islets of Langerhans in pancreas of a newborn. K. M. Laurence and J. A. Dodge. Department of Child Health, Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff. A small-for-dates male infant developed respiratory distress and increasing metabolic acidosis with rapid deep respirations and a rapid thready pulse which failed to respond to the usual measures. At 36 hours he was found to have a blood glucose of 800 mg/100 ml, with acetone in the urine and was diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus with dehydration. He was given two injections of 2 units of insulin which reduced the blood glucose to only 680 mg/100 ml, and an attempt at rehydration led to cardiac arrest and death at 40 hours. At necropsy there was patchy haemorrhagic consolidation of the lungs, dilatation of the heart, thymic exhaustion, severe fatty change of liver, and cerebral oedema. Complete absence of islets of Langerhans was noted in the pancreas, and there were no isolated a or fi cells, though some collections of lymphocytes were present. Argentophil cells in the gut were scanty. This was the fourth child of healthy unrelated parents, whose first child, a boy born severely small-for-dates, died under similar circumstances at 48 hours but no histological examination of the pancreas was undertaken. It is suggested that both boys had the same underlying pathology and that this might be a previously undescribed recessively or X-linked inherited condition.


Population and reproductive biology were studied in three populations of the crab Uca burgersi Holthuis, 1967, in the Indaia, Cavalo and Ubatumirim mangrove forests (Ubatuba, Sao Paulo State, Brazil). Crabs were collected during low tide (August 2001 through July 2002), by digging the sediment, with a standard capture effort (two persons for 30 min.). Carapace width was measured, and gonad developmental stage was recorded from all specimens. U. burgersi was most abundant in the Cavalo mangrove, where the largest male was found. Juvenile crabs were found year-round at all three sites. However, the ratio of ovigerous females was very low, even null in the Cavalo mangrove. The gonad development rate indicated that U. burgersi was reproducing continuously, but more intensively during spring and summer, with recruitment occurring in winter. The synchrony between the populational and reproductive biology in the three areas showed that local features were not the limiting factors. It is suggested that this species is a habitat generalist. Rev. Biol. Trop. 55 (Suppl. 1): 55-70. Epub 2007 June, 29.


Article 11 in the Treaty on the Function of the European Union (TFEU) sets out that: 'Environmental protection requirements must be integrated into the definition and implementation of the Union policies and activities, in particular with a view to promoting sustainable development.' The environmental integration that this rule mandates for the EU is arguably a necessary contribution to achieve policy coherence for sustainable development, or sustainability – as it currently often denoted. However, the mere existence of this provision is clearly not sufficient to achieve the environmental integration in all EU policies and activities, let alone policy coherence to facilitate global sustainability.

For the duty of environmental integration to make a significant contribution to achieving such policy coherence, the environmental integration must have a clearly defined goal. Including environmental concerns at some level or other, an attempted 'greening' of European policies, is insufficient.

Article 11 TFEU sets out the goal as one of 'promoting sustainable development'. This goal must be defined in light of natural science. This is necessary to mitigate the problem of sustainability being an extremely overused and broad concept with multiple definitions, and to reduce the danger of regulatory and policy capture. The reference to natural science is not to say that sustainability only has an environmental dimension; it clearly does not. However, the environmental literally must set the framework within which the balancing sustainability requires must take place. This chapter draws on state-of-the-art natural science on planetary boundaries to flesh out what this means. Thereafter the chapter discusses the potential transformational effect of Article 11 TFEU through the duties it arguably sets out for the EU institutions and the rights, and emerging duties, for the EU Member States. The full realization of this potential could lead to cross-sectorial discussions on necessary changes to achieve policy coherence for sustainability. The chapter concludes with some reflections on how to realise the potential.


This chapter presents experimental data in the favor of using soybean oil, additivated or not, as lubricants, the market share of the soybean oil on the lubricants ' market, a SWOT analysis for better configuring the tribological characteristics of the soybean oil and tribological parameters as friction coefficient, wear scar diameter, wear rate of wear scar diameter, etc. and their dependence on testing regime (load and speed). Also, the influence of temperature, shear rate, and oxidation parameters on the soybean oil viscosity is discussed.


In recent years a growing number of scholars within the field of Foreign Policy Analysis have asserted that an understanding of the interface between national identity and foreign policy is of paramount importance. Indeed one of the driving forces behind the surge of interest in this topic area is the recognition that foreign policy decision-makers are not immune to the effects of national identity, being themselves a product of the society in which they live. This body of work seeks to highlight the role American exceptionalism played in influencing the Bush administration's foreign policy decision-making process following the events of September 11th.

For many Americans, the events of September 11th served as a cruel re-minder that the United States remained vulnerable to outside attack much like it had been prior to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Both events are now indelibly scarred into the American psyche. While each attack left Americans with a sense of vulnerability, they could have at least consoled themselves with the thought that Pearl Harbor was a reaction to the perceived threat that the United States would pose on entering the Second World War. September 11th only lead Americans to the sobering realization that the citizens of other nations took a growing affront to their very ideals and way of life.

Sensing this insecurity, the Bush administration seized the opportunity presented by September 11th and began reshaping the identity of the United States, its enemies and the rest of the world in order to justify its foreign policy. This thesis suggests that in the absence of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the resultant shift in identity, the neoconservatives would not have had the same chance to exert their considerable influence on the administration.
In order to achieve its objectives, this research notes that the Bush administration employed a foreign policy decision-making process that not only circumvented executive branch proficiency but also often completely disregarded it. Moreover it is also apparent that key foreign policy decision-makers were overconfident in America's exceptional nature, mainly its economic and military superiority, which consequently clouded its assessment of public diplomacy's value. Examination of the administration's defense posture in the wake of September 11th has revealed that many of its early initiatives did not match the threats faced by the United States. One thing is certain, in the absence of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Bush administration would have been unable to justify a foreign policy doctrine as outlined in the 2002 National Security Strategy.

Finally this research seeks to add to the field through an assessment of public opinion in particular that of the Facebook Generation, an up and coming cohort. Appreciation of public opinion is crucial as it provides a perspective through which to understand how the American public sees the nation's self-image and how it wants the country to act on the international stage. From a foreign policy decision-making perspective, this information is invaluable because it reveals what types of risks the public is willing to take. As a result, it is imperative that researchers begin to understand this generation's point of view, given the uncertain nature of the international environment that lies ahead.


Given the prevalence of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation in modern societies, and the correlation between sleepiness and work and driving accidents, the excessive daytime sleepiness is an important issue. Although many studies showed that patients with untreated Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and narcolepsy have an higher risk for driving accidents, neither the European Community regulation nor the Italian law of the driving licence mention restrictions for these disorders. In 2010 the scientific association COMLAS (Association of legal medicine professionals of the Italian National Health Service) published the Guidelines for the examination by the Local Medical Commissions. The author presented the guidelines to assess the fitness to drive of people with OSAS or narcolepsy. The proposed criteria, set up in collaboration with the Commission "Sleepiness, Safety and Transportation" of the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine (AIMS), can be considered among the most advanced internationally.


The functional properties of the Shape Memory Alloys (SMA): critical temperatures, recovery strain, shape recovery rate, two-way shape memory effect (TWSME) value, residual strain etc are determined by an alloy structure which is effectively regulated by thermomechanical treatment. External training parameters strongly affect the final properties as well. The main of them are as follows: strain and loading modes, loading temperature regime (phase state under deformation), load value, loading time, number of training cycles. Actual technical and medical SME articles are functioning on bending mode in most cases. Nevertheless, the influence of external training parameters under bending on properties was not systematically studied. The present work relates to study the combined influence of structure realized under various Low- Temperature Thermomechanical Treatment (LTMT) regimes, including isothermal annealing (strain aging), and external training parameters under bending on functional properties of Ti- 50.7at.%Ni alloy. Variation of training parameters enables additional regulation of final functional properties. The obtained results can be used for development elements functioning in conditions of TWSME realization.


This work describes a study carried out to determine the antioxidant properties, xanthine oxidase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory potential of crude ethanol extract of Manihot esculenta matured leaf, in vitro . Antioxidant potential of the extract was ascertained using the 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) assays. Xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory potential of the ethanol extract was assayed spectrophotometrically using a continuous time scan mode at 293 nm under aerobic condition; while porcine lipase was employed for the determination of its lipase inhibitory activity.  The extract showed moderate antioxidant activity against DPPH (40.42±0.43%) and promising superoxide scavenging activity against NBT (94.76±0.44%) compared to different standard antioxidants including butylated hydroxylanisole (BHA), uric acid (UA), curcumin (CUR) and ascorbic acid (ASC). This extract showed mild (50.70±0.48%) xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity in comparison to allopurinol (92.1±0.35%), standard inhibitor of XO. Inhibition of porcine pancreatic lipase by Manihot esculenta leaf extract was significantly lower than that of the standard drug, Orlistat (67.53±0.22% and 94.81±0.78%, respectively). The results demonstrated that Manihot esculenta leaf extract is a promising source of antioxidants, xanthine oxidase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory agents .


Context. Heating of the solar corona by nanoflares, which are small transient events in which stored magnetic energy is dissipated by magnetic reconnection, may occur as the result of the nonlinear phase of the kink instability (Hood et al. 2009). Because of the high temperatures reached through these reconnection events, thermal conduction cannot be ignored in the evolution of the kink instability. Aims. To study the effect of thermal conduction on the nonlinear evolution of the kink instability of a coronal loop. To assess the efficiency of loop heating and the role of thermal conduction, both during the kink instability and for the long time evolution of the loop. Methods. Numerically solve the 3D nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic equations to simulate the evolution of a coronal loop that is initially in an unstable equilibrium. The initial state has zero net current. A comparison is made of the time evolution of the loop with thermal conduction and without thermal conduction. Results. Thermal conduction along magnetic field lines reduces the local temperature. This leads to temperatures that are an order of magnitude lower than those obtained in the absence of thermal conductivity. Consequently, different spectral lines are activated with and without the inclusion of thermal conduction, which have consequences for observations of solar corona loops. The conduction process is also important on the timescale of the fast magnetohydrodynamic phenomena. It reduces the kinetic energy released by an order of magnitude. Conclusions. Thermal conduction plays an essential role in the kink instability of coronal loops and cannot be ignored in the forward modelling of such loops.


Adversarial training (AT) has become a popular choice for training robust networks. However, it tends to sacrifice clean accuracy heavily in favor of robustness and suffers from a large generalization error. To address these concerns, we propose Smooth Adversarial Training (SAT), guided by our analysis on the eigenspectrum of the loss Hessian. We find that curriculum learning, a scheme that emphasizes on starting "easy'' and gradually ramping up on the "difficulty'' of training, smooths the adversarial loss landscape for a suitably chosen difficulty metric. We present a general formulation for curriculum learning in the adversarial setting and propose two difficulty metrics based on the maximal Hessian eigenvalue (H-SAT) and the softmax probability (P-SA). We demonstrate that SAT stabilizes network training even for a large perturbation norm and allows the network to operate at a better clean accuracy versus robustness trade-off curve compared to AT. This leads to a significant improvement in both clean accuracy and robustness compared to AT, TRADES, and other baselines. To highlight a few results, our best model improves normal and robust accuracy by 6% and 1% on CIFAR-100 compared to AT, respectively. On Imagenette, a ten-class subset of ImageNet, our model outperforms AT by 23% and 3% on normal and robust accuracy respectively.


This thesis studies periodic structures in optics, ranging from metamaterials, that are subwavelength structures, to periodic claddings of waveguides where the lattice parameter is comparable to the wavelength. The work can be divided into two parts, where, in causal order, the first part concerns the dispersion properties of a symmetric 1D Bragg waveguide, and the second part concerns active electromagnetic metamaterials. For the Bragg waveguide we developed new methods for finding the band gap diagram and propagating modes. We found that the dispersion picture is dominated by standard waveguide dispersion similar to that of a metallic waveguide, even with a chirped cladding periodicity. We also investigated cladding defects and found that the waveguide dispersion can be tailored to some extent, and negative dispersion can be achieved in a limited bandwidth. The influence of negative index materials in the cladding grating is also investigated. It is found that a strongly dispersive material causes a more chaotic band diagram, and that such materials in Bragg waveguides could be used to tailor the dispersion properties of the waveguide. We have studied the fundamental properties of active right-handed metamaterials with negative refractive index, and found a possible realizable material, concretized in a lumped circuit model example. Furthermore, we show by analytical arguments and simulations how the sign of the refractive index must be chosen for active materials. We have developed a theory for active electromagnetic materials and put it in context with theory on instabilities in active materials from plasma science. It is shown that the uniqueness theorem in its usual form cannot be applied to active materials, and that any refractive index function can be realized in a finite bandwidth. Also there exist no fundamental, maximal gain for active, stable materials. As a special case it is argued that lossless left-handed negative refractive index can be achieved.


Background: The aim of this study was to develop a model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in zebrafish larvae, together with a method for the rapid assessment of gut morphology and function in vivo thereby enabling medium‐throughput compound screening. Methods: Assays were performed using larval zebrafish from 3–8 days postfertilization (d.p.f.) in 96‐well plates. Gut morphology and peristalsis were observed in vivo using fluorescent imaging following ingestion of fluorescent dyes. IBD was induced by addition of 2,4,6‐trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) to the medium within the well. Pathology was assessed in vivo using fluorescent imaging and postmortem by histology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. Therapeutic compounds were evaluated by coadministration with TNBS. Results: A novel method of investigating gut architecture and peristalsis was devised using fluorescent imaging of live zebrafish larvae. Archetypal changes in gut architecture consistent with colitis were observed throughout the gut. Significant changes in goblet cell number and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐&agr;) antibody staining were used to quantify disease severity and rescue. Prednisolone and 5‐amino salicylic acid treatment ameliorated the disease changes. Candidate therapeutic compounds (NOS inhibitors, thalidomide, and parthenolide) were assessed and a dissociation was observed between efficacy assessed using a single biochemical measure (TNF‐&agr; staining) versus an assessment of the entire disease state. Conclusions: Gut physiology and pathology relevant to human disease state can be rapidly modeled in zebrafish larvae. The model is suitable for medium‐throughput chemical screens and is amenable to genetic manipulation, hence offers a powerful novel premammalian adjunct to the study of gastrointestinal disease. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010)


This thesis is a comprehensive study which examines the economic, social and
political ideology underpinnings of microfinance institutions in Ireland. It also
analyses the sources, uses, and consequences of microfinance for the borrower
individually and the Irish economy as a whole. The thesis studies the developments of
a number of microfinance institutions that operated in nineteenth century Ireland: loan
funds, savings banks (TSB and POSB), joint stock banks, Monts-de-Piete, Raiffeisen
banks, state-funded land purchase, and emigrant remittances. It utilises financial and
microfinancial history as a prism to analyse Irish economic and social history.
The thesis concludes by outlining four reoccurring themes that are present
throughout: legislative constraints, institutional imitation, economic versus social
goals and state intervention. It argues that all the institutions studied experienced
legislative constraints, but that only the joint stock banks were able to overcome such
constraints. Furthermore, it argues that the legislation encouraged moral hazard which
resulted in fraud as it absolved the management of loan funds and savings banks from
any liability for the running of those institutions. The thesis argues that the joint stock
banks were the only successful institutional imitation as the propagators of these
institutions took the existing market into consideration, something not done by others
such as the Mont-de-Piete and Raiffeisen Banks. It argues that many of the
institutions were promoted on the basis of social rather than economic motivation, and
as a result the promoters did not assess economic conditions in the market. Finally,
the thesis argues that government intervention in the economy distorted financial
markets, through involvement in savings markets and as a long term lender. It argues
that the long term lending activities of the state encouraged inefficient investment and
hindered long term Irish economic development.


: Case management is a strategy for restructuring the health care delivery system. The system requires critical planning and implementation steps to achieve quality care at reduced cost.


Crop simulation models are important research tools to design cropping systems and aid in agricultural decision making. In environments with severe water limitations, this is especially useful since strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of drought on crop yields involve a range of management practices with potential interactions among them. The use of a crop model makes it possible to explore many combinations and to identify the best options, avoiding the need for costly field experiments. In Algeria, water availability is the prime factor limiting wheat yields, and is expected to worsen in the near future due to climate change. Here, we used the CERES-Wheat model (within the DSSAT package) to explore various management strategies for wheat production in the Tiaret region of north-western Algeria. The model was previously tested against grain yield data from a 3-yr field trial. Simulations were run using 20 years of historical weather data to establish probabilities for different combinations of management factors involving variables planting densities, fertiliser nitrogen rates, sowing dates and cultivars. The interannual variability of climate (and essentially seasonal rainfall) accounted for 95% of the overall variance of simulated yields. Regarding crop management, sowing date was the most influential agronomic factor, followed by cultivar and fertiliser N rate. There was little response of wheat yields to N inputs above 60 kg N ha-1, and no significant effect of plant density. As a consequence, under the current climate, the optimal management involved sowing during the last week of December, a plant density of 300 plants m-2, a 60 kg N ha-1 fertilizer rate and the use of the cultivar Vitron. Thus, the simulation model appeared capable of differentiating between a range of management options and identifying the best combination to optimize wheat yield under high weather variability. It will be used in a near future to seek strategies to mitigate the impact of projected future climate changes in Algeria.


We present a comprehensive investigation of the cosmological evolution of the luminosity function of galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the infrared (IR). Based on the observed dichotomy in the ages of stellar populations of early-type galaxies on one side and late-type galaxies on the other, the model interprets the epoch-dependent luminosity functions at z ⩾ 1.5 using a physical approach for the evolution of proto-spheroidal galaxies and of the associated AGNs, while IR galaxies at z < 1.5 are interpreted as being mostly late-type "cold" (normal) and "warm" (starburst) galaxies. As for proto-spheroids, in addition to the epoch-dependent luminosity functions of stellar and AGN components separately, we have worked out, for the first time, the evolving luminosity functions of these objects as a whole (stellar plus AGN component), taking into account in a self-consistent way the variation with galactic age of the global spectral energy distribution. The model provides a physical explanation for the observed positive evolution of both galaxies and AGNs up to z ≃ 2.5 and for the negative evolution at higher redshifts, for the sharp transition from Euclidean to extremely steep counts at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths, as well as the (sub-)millimeter counts of strongly lensed galaxies that are hard to account for by alternative, physical or phenomenological, approaches. The evolution of late-type galaxies and z < 1.5 AGNs is described using a parametric phenomenological approach. The modeled AGN contributions to the counts and to the cosmic infrared background (CIB) are always sub-dominant. They are maximal at mid-IR wavelengths: the contribution to the 15 and 24 μm counts reaches 20% above 10 and 2 mJy, respectively, while the contributions to the CIB are of 8.6% and of 8.1% at 15 μm and 24 μm, respectively. The model provides a good fit to the multi-wavelength (from the mid-IR to millimeter waves) data on luminosity functions at different redshifts and on number counts (both global and per redshift slices). A prediction of the present model, useful to test it, is a systematic variation with wavelength of the populations dominating the counts and the contributions to the CIB intensity. This implies a specific trend for cross-wavelength CIB power spectra, which is found to be in good agreement with the data.


Recast version of Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD-Recast) obligate member states to keep the cost analysis in parallel with the energy analysis during the renovation actions for the existing building by taking the cost-optimal level of minimum energy performance requirement to the account. Although this cost-optimal level is indicating the minimum cost level for a period, it can provide buildings' owners with an enormous initial cost. One of the most challenging barriers to energy efficient and cost-optimal renovation of existing buildings is the reluctance of owners to involve in their project as an investor due to the high cost of application. Particularly in developing countries, such reluctance is more tangible as the governments are not capable of providing enough financial incentives for owners due to a large number of buildings that should be renovated and small available budget. A proper solution for the problem is to divide necessary actions for each building to certain sub-actions and apply them as a step-by-step renovation project. On the other hand, the progressive application of renovation activities has some restrictions. It is necessary to define the due amount for households and keep the cost of each step within the payable range.
Moreover, the low rate of building renovation which affects the EU goals can be improved remarkably by application of step-by-step actions not only by increasing the number of owners' contributions but also by improving the time of implementation, proper distribution of skilled labours and directed economic resources. This paper aims to assess the step-by-step application of the energy efficient renovation actions through energy and cost analysis under Turkey's climatic, economic and sociological conditions. One of 26 reference residential buildings in Turkey is analysed in this paper. The due amount for each step is defined, and some renovation actions and their combinations applied to the case building and the results compared with the base condition. Then a proper combination of measures established based on the cost-optimal analyses. These appropriately combined actions are then divided into some sub-actions; following this, cost and energy studies are conducted again to determine the appropriate arrangement of sub-actions.


ABSTRACT Leukemia is a heterogeneous group of hemopoietic cancers, which accounts for 2.6% of new cases per year of total cancer incidence worldwide. Grapes and grape-derived products, such as grape juice, are naturally rich in polyphenols, bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. Certain polyphenols have been proved to alter oxidative balance, both in inducing apoptosis in cancer cells and in preventing cancer development via controlling oxidative stress. To assess the therapeutic potential of grape polyphenols in the treatment of leukemia, a systematic review and meta-analysis of the reported data on leukemia was carried out. Following the PRISMA guide, a literature review of published papers on leukemia and polyphenols from the last 50 years was conducted, and 17 scientific articles published from 2002 to 2017 were included in the study. Resveratrol 50 μM had the highest growth inhibition effect (67%) followed by quercetin (30%). The results also point to a differential effect of polyphenols based on cell lineage; monocytes- and myelocytic-derived cell lines are the most susceptible, with a mean of 85% and 64% proliferation inhibition, respectively. Moreover, results show that growth inhibition cannot be associated with a molecular effect of polyphenols on the cell cycle arrest.


On 26 December 2004, an earthquake in the West Coast of Northern
Sumatra set off a series of other earthquakes lasting for several hours
which resulted in a Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. This led to widespread
disaster, particularly in Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Indonesia and
Thailand, with damage also in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Somalia, the
Seychelles and Kenya. Sri Lanka, the 'pearl of the Indian Ocean', blessed
with abundant natural resources, faced one of the worst natural disasters
recorded in recent history. The Tsunami struck a relatively thin but long
coastal area stretching over 1,000 kilometers - two thirds of the country's
coastline. The destructive ocean waves killed more than 35,000 people,
displaced nearly 2,500,000 people and destroyed thousands of
houses. The overall damage to Sri Lanka is estimated at $1 billion, with a
large proportion of losses concentrated in housing, tourism, fisheries and
transportation. Development Partners range from private individuals both
inside and outside Sri Lanka, to governments and NGOs. Coastal
infrastructure, namely roads, railways, power, telecommunications, water
supply and fishing ports were also significantly affected. Reactions ranged
from immediate assistance to communities and local governments in
restarting to function as speedily as possible, to short and long-term
assistance in supporting communities to rebuild their infrastructure and
housing so that they might again have normal lives and eventually recover
from the trauma of the tsunami.

As the infrastructure consists primarily of transportation, electric and
telecommunications, and water and sewerage facilities that provide
services to the public through a network of roads, rails, ports, airports, pipes
and lines, the effectiveness of infrastructure systems impact on all
economic activities. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the impact of
the Tsunami on infrastructure facilities in Sri Lanka and how the postTsunami
reconstruction process has affected the development of the same.
A comprehensive literature review was carried out regarding the Tsunami
and its impact on the nation. The infrastructure-related reconstruction and
rehabilitation data were obtained from the RADA (Reconstruction And
Development Agency, formerly TAFREN) through unstructured interviews
conducted among personnel involved in the reconstruction and
rehabilitation of infrastructure facilities. Results confirm that after almost
one and a half years, the Tsunami rehabilitation process is slow as
compared to its start.


Risk and challenge are fundamental components of child development and wellbeing. Yet, concerns for danger, injury, and the threat of modern societies have led to the increase in regulation and provision intending to ensure secure, risk-free environments. Nevertheless, the confrontation of risk does not only lie in adults' experience but is a lifelong skill that may be fostered from early childhood through risk literacy. The aim of this chapter is to explore the position of risk in children's contemporary lives by drawing on the controversy between the cotton wool child and the 'risk expert' (Adams, 2006), risk literate child. It is proposed that besides safeguarding, there should be invested interest in supporting children to develop their own risk awareness and understanding of risk. Such implications signpost the importance of setting the foundations for risk literate children as present and future citizens in a sustainable, multimodal world.


BACKGROUND
Though cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is recognized as a disease of the immunocompromised, studies have implicated that it also affect immunocompetent patients.

METHODOLOGY
This was a cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Medicine of a tertiary teaching institution in North India. All the patients diagnosed with CM on the basis of detection of cryptococcal antigen or the presence of capsulated budding yeast cells on India ink preparation, from April 2009 to March2015 were included in the study. Demographical profile, clinical presentation, predisposing factors, CSFcharacteristics, imaging abnormalities and in patient outcome were noted and analyzed.

RESULTS
Among the 40 patients diagnosed with CM, 62.5% of them were males. Patients who were immunocompetent constituted 20%, those with predisposing factors other than HIV were 25% and55% had HIV infection (initial presentation in 59%). Mean age of presentation was 44.75 ± 15.58 years. Mean duration of symptoms in all three groups varied from few days to 4-5 weeks. Clinical presentations included fever (16), headache (14), altered sensorium (16), seizures (5), paraparesis (4), hemiparesis (2), lateral rectus palsy (3), VII nerve palsy (2), bilateral vision loss with ptosis (1) and ataxia (1). Neck stiffness was present in 50% patients of immunocompetent group, 45.45% of HIV patients and none in the 3rd group. Acellular CSF (37.5%) was not unusual. Mean CSF white cell count in HIV patients, in other immunocompromised patients and immunocompetent patients were 100± 158.53, 36.88 ± 92.43 and 32.5 ± 62.05 /mm3 respectively which was predominantly lymphocytic. Mean CSF protein were 136.73 ± 139.82, 62.67 ± 51.11 and 152.29 ± 218.24 g/dl in these groups. Abnormalities detected on imaging included, meningeal enhancement, encephalomalacia, infarct, cerebellitis, hydrocephalus, cord hyper intensities and cervical spine intramedullary lesion. Mortality rate in CM patients was 20%. On mortality analysis, death was mostly attributed to the primary disease.

CONCLUSIONS
Clinical presentation of CM in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients was similar. Though previous studies noted less inflammation in immunocompromised patients, in this series it was noted that both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients mounted similar inflammatory response. Since the presentation of CM is variable, all cases of meningitis should be screened for the same.


In this paper, a hybrid method is present based on equivalent surface aperture integration(ESAI) and geometry optics(GO). In this algorithm, the reflected field along the inner surface of radome is approximately regarded as equivalent currents, which radiate through the wall and constitute the total field together with the transferred field. The integration over the out surface generates exact far field. The theoretical simulation agrees with the measurement quite well.


The dielectric breakdown statistics of alkali-free glass was determined for various thicknesses with electrodes having controlled morphology and continuity. The characteristic electrical breakdown field strength increased from 400 to 1100 MV/m as the glass substrate thickness decreased from 58 to 5 μm, respectively. Surface roughness RMS values of as-drawn and etched glass substrates were in the 0.9–1.8 nm range, which is small in comparison to the glass substrate thickness. The glass etching, itself did not have significant effect on the dielectric breakdown strength. The dielectric breakdown strength was also independent of the sputtered-deposited electrode composition (Au,Pt); however, electrode thickness played an important role in controlling the breakdown process. The Au electrode morphology transitioned from a continuous sheet for thicker electrodes to discrete nano-scale islands for very thin electrodes (<2 nm thick). The thin electrode morphology provides a unique opportunity to explore the intrinsic properties and high dielectric breakdown strength regime (1100 MV/m) in glasses with Weibull modulus values approaching 100.


Abstract. Understanding the impact of sea spray aerosol (SSA) on the
climate and atmosphere requires quantitative knowledge of their chemical
composition and mixing states. Furthermore, single-particle measurements are
needed to accurately represent large particle-to-particle variability. To
quantify the mixing state, the organic volume fraction (OVF), defined as the
relative organic volume with respect to the total particle volume, is
measured after generating and collecting aerosol particles, often using
deposition impactors. In this process, the aerosol streams are either dried
or kept wet prior to impacting on solid substrates. However, the atmospheric
community has yet to establish how dry versus wet aerosol deposition
influences the impacted particle morphologies and mixing states. Here, we
apply complementary offline single-particle atomic force microscopy (AFM)
and bulk ensemble high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques
to assess the effects of dry and wet deposition modes on the
substrate-deposited aerosol particles' mixing states. Glucose and NaCl
binary mixtures that form core–shell particle morphologies were studied as
model systems, and the mixing states were quantified by measuring the OVF of
individual particles using AFM and compared to the ensemble measured by
HPLC. Dry-deposited single-particle OVF data positively deviated from the
bulk HPLC data by up to 60 %, which was attributed to significant
spreading of the NaCl core upon impaction with the solid substrate. This led
to underestimation of the core volume. This problem was circumvented by (a) performing wet deposition and thus bypassing the effects of the solid core
spreading upon impaction and (b) performing a hydration–dehydration cycle on
dry-deposited particles to restructure the deformed NaCl core. Both
approaches produced single-particle OVF values that converge well with the
bulk and expected OVF values, validating the methodology. These findings
illustrate the importance of awareness in how conventional particle
deposition methods may significantly alter the impacted particle
morphologies and their mixing states.


The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Toxoplasma gondii  in the captive tigers of a wildlife facility in the Philippines. Nine of the ten captive tigers ( Panthera tigris ) in the facility were used: six were adults and 3 were juvenile. Furthermore, five of these nine animals were males and four were females. There have been no reports of disease outbreaks and all the animals were apparently healthy during the time of the study as the mean (±SD) hematologic values were within the normal range. Of the nine samples, 33% (3/9) were exposed to T. gondii  but none of the animals had evidence of exposure to either FIV or FeLV. Control of stray domestic short haired cats within the wildlife facility should be maintained to control disease spread and maintain the health of the captive animals. Key words: Feline immunodeficiency virus, feline oncovirus, Toxoplasma gondii , tigers


Abstract: This paper introduces a new class of interactive cooperative purchasing situations and provides an explicit alternative characterization of the nucleolus of cooperative games, which offers an alternative to Kohlberg (1971). In our cooperative purchasing situation, the unit price of a commodity depends on the largest order quantity within a cooperating group of players. Due to a decreasing unit price function, players can obtain cost savings by purchasing cooperatively. However, to establish fruitful cooperation a decision has to be made about an adequate allocation of the corresponding cost savings. We analyze Maximum Cooperative Purchasing (MCP)-situation from the perspective of allocation by defining corresponding cooperative MCP-games. It turns out that in an MCP-game all coalitional values can be determined from the values of two-player coalitions. Moreover, it is shown that a decreasing unit price function is a sufficient condition for a non-empty core: the Direct Price solution is both a core element and a marginal vector. It is seen that the nucleolus of an MCP-game can be derived in polynomial time from the Direct Price solution, using a socalled nucleolus determinant. To show this result, the explicit alternative characterization of the nucleolus is used. Using the decomposition of an MCP-game into unanimity games we find an explicit expression for the Shapley value. Interestingly, the Shapley value can be interpreted as a specific tax and subsidize system. Finally, the behavior of the three solution concepts is compared numerically.


Heel Pain Magnetic shoe inserts provided no greater pain relief than placebo inserts, according to a report in the September 17 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The Mayo Clinic researchers who conducted the randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 101 adults with at least a 30-day history of heel pain. The patients were instructed to wear the insoles for at least 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, for 8 weeks. Participants kept daily pain diaries, rating their pain on a 1 0-point scale. Both the magnet and sham groups reported significant improvement in morning foot pain. At the end of the study, 35% of the magnetic group and 33% of the nonmagnetic group reported being all or mostly better. The authors noted that Americans spend about $500 million each year on magnets to treat pain.


Background Hypertensive disease is a major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular MRI not only provides a non-invasive method for the assessment of potential secondary causes of hypertension (including adrenal, aortic, renal and reno-vascular abnormalities) but can also be a useful tool for the identification of the effects of uncontrolled or long-standing hypertension. The ability of a single comprehensive assessment to identify both potential causes of hypertension and the presence of end-organ damage enhances risk stratification and is now more relevant with the introduction of therapies such as renal denervation. Moreover, as a one-stop assessment, MRI is convenient for patients and potentially cost-effective. We report the findings of hypertension screen cardiovascular MRI scans performed on 193 consecutive patients. Methods and Results 193 patients (59% male, 41% female; median age 39 [range 17–83] years) underwent hypertension screen MRI scans in our institution between August 2011 and September 2013. Images were acquired on a GE 1.5 T HDXT Platform with an 8 channel cardiac array coil. For the hypertension screen protocol, cardiac and thoracic imaging was performed using standard SSFP cine imaging and supplemented with black blood fast spin imaging. T2 SSFP high resolution fat saturation imaging of the kidneys and adrenals with additional fast spoiled gradient echo sequences of the adrenal glands was used. Standard Gadovist contrast MRA of renal arteries was performed, with the option to include delayed myocardial enhancement. Volumetric analysis was performed using the GE Reportcard. Of the 193 patients, 62 (32%) had increased LV wall thickness, 37 (19%) had elevated LV mass and 4 (2%) had increased LV volumes. Dilated aortic root (≥ 40 mm) was present in 9 (5%) patients. Eight (4%) patients had renal artery stenosis and 12 (6%) had adrenal adenomas requiring biochemical characterisation. There were no patients with aortic coarctations or phaeochromocytomas. Conclusions MRI provides a rapid, comprehensive method for the identification of causes and effects of hypertension particularly in young patients or those with resistant hypertension.In our population of hypertensive patients investigated with cardiovascular MRI, about one third had evidence of end-organ damage. Early identification of such patients contributes to risk stratification and enables the targeted provision of aggressive treatment. Furthermore MRI can identify patients with suitable anatomy and can be integrated in the work-up of patients being considered for renal denervation. 10% of patients had potential secondary causes of hypertension and should be investigated further before the consideration of specific treatments.


Adnan Menderes üniversitesi T›p Fakültesi ‹ç Hastal›klar› Anabilim Dal›, Hematoloji Bilim Dal› AYDIN ABSTRACT Thiazolidinediones (TZD), used to treat type 2 diabetes, are associated with an excess risk of heart failure (HF) and possibly acute myocardial infarction. However, the association between TZD use and cardiovascular events has not been adequately evaluated. A 74-year-old woman with longstanding type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with gliclazide began therapy with rosiglitazone 4 mg/day, which was increased to 8 mg/day after 1 month. She had no prior history of HF and had an excellent exercise tolerance. Over the first 4 weeks of rosiglitazone therapy, the patient experienced significant weight gain and subsequently developed HF. Rosiglitazone was discontinued and the edema resolved with diuretic (Furocemid 40mg/day) treatment. TZD should be considered as a cause in the differential diagnosis of HF and pulmonary edema in patients without a prior history of clinical HF or cardiac disease. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the possible association between TZD and HF.


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide constituting 25.1% of all new cancer cases. In 2012, worldwide breast cancer deaths were approximately 521,907 as reported by GLOBOCAN data base. The histopathological classification essentially plays a role in identifying the various histologic variants of breast carcinoma; namely, tubular, medullary, mucinous/colloid carcinomas, and others. A new therapeutically relevant molecular classification has been developed, based on gene expression profiling using complementary DNA microarrays. This observational retrospective study was carried out in Al-Amal national hospital for cancer treatment / Baghdad during the period from January 2012 to December 2016. A total of 250 women were selected with excluding male patients, recurrent cases. The following archival information were obtained from each patient using KHUH's laboratory information system: age at diagnosis, tumor size, histopathological subtype, presence or absence of carcinoma in situ, lymph node status and immunohistochemical profile of the hormonal receptors ER and PR, and immunohistochemical profile of HER2 in the invasive malignant cells. The tumor size measurement was obtained on ultrasound reports of the breast prior to biopsy. The number of lymph nodes identified and the number of lymph nodes positive for metastasis were determined. The immunohistochemical antibodies used for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 are anti-estrogen receptor antibody (SP1), anti-progesterone receptor antibody (1E2), and anti-HER-2 (4B5) rabbit monoclonal primary antibody. The diagnosis, SBR grading, and hormonal receptor and HER2 status assessment were carried out and verified independently by at least 2 qualified histopathologists. Results of this study showed that breast cancer classification by immunohistochemistry revealed that in our community luminal A tumors were the most common subtype, followed by the rest tumors. Breast cancer subtypes exhibited particular characteristics. Luminal A tumors were associated with an increased frequency of ductal carcinomas. The HER2-positive and triple negative tumors were associated with an increased frequency of a large tumor size and poorly differentiated carcinomas and are thereby more aggressive. In addition, triple negative tumors least frequently showed a component of carcinoma in situ. It can be concluded from our study that there is no correlation between lymph node status and molecular subtypes.


HIV/AIDS remains a major health issue in Kenya and in the whole world. Over 34 million people are currently living with the HIV and a majority of them are in the SubSahara Africa; a big pool for potential HIV transmission. In Kenya, out of a population of 40 million, over 1.6 million are HIV infected and approximately 100,000 new infections are realized yearly, most of them through unprotected sexual intercourse. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of high-risk sex and to identify its determinants among the HIV-positive women undergoing HIV care in Thika Level 5 Hospital. A total of 467 participants were drawn through systematic random sampling from the population of HIV positive women attending HIV care services. Data was collected from those who passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria by using face-toface interviews. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) where descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were computed. The results showed that high-risk sex is prevalent among the HIV-positive women undergoing care as 39% of the respondents reported not to have used condoms during their last sexual activity. Disclosure of HIV status, Relationship control, Time on ART, Drugs use, and Stigma in bivariate analyses was significantly associated with high-risk sex at the significance level of 0.05. In the multivariate analysis the variables Time on ART, Partner type and Disclosure*Stigma interaction term remained significant in predicting high-risk sex. The study associated long Time on ART to high-risk sex. Casual partnerships were 7 times associated with high-risk sex than regular partnerships. A combined Non-disclosure and Stigma influenced high-risk sex practice two-fold. The study concluded therefore, that the determinants of high-risk sex among the HIVpositive women on care are long time on ART, Casual or mixed sexual relationships, Stigma, and Non-disclosure. The study recommended that the PLHIV should be given the right preventive information and be cautioned that being on ART for long is not a permit to stop using condoms. Stigma coping-skills training should be given to the patients and be made to accept and live with their condition without transmitting the virus to others. The government and the donor community have also been urged to provide resources to help develop interventions that reinforce safe sex practices and also put up infrastructure for improving the socio-economic conditions of the PLHIV.


A treatment history is a fundamental part of the healthcare consultation. Current drugs (prescribed, over the counter, herbal remedies, drugs of misuse) and how they are taken (frequency, timing, missed and extra doses), drugs tried previously and reason for discontinuation, treatment response, adverse effects, allergies, and intolerances should be taken into account. Recent immunisations may also be of importance. This article examines the particular relevance of medication in patients presenting with neurological symptoms. Drugs and their interactions may contribute in part or fully to the neurological syndrome, and treatment response may assist diagnostically or in future management plans. Knowledge of medicine taking behaviour may clarify clinical presentations such as analgesic overuse causing chronic daily headache, or severe dyskinesia resulting from obsessive use of dopamine replacement treatment. In most cases, iatrogenic symptoms are best managed by withdrawal of the offending drug. Indirect mechanisms whereby drugs could cause neurological problems are beyond the scope of the current article—for example, drugs which raise blood pressure or which worsen glycaemic control and consequently increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease, or immunosupressants which increase the risk of infection. Different categories of neurological syndromes will be considered.

Prothrombotic drugs are the main consideration, with both arterial and venous effects.

### Stroke

Current users of low oestrogen dose combined oral contraception (COC) have a small increased risk of ischaemic stroke, particularly in women with other risk factors; notably smoking, hypertension, and probably a history of migraine, and a modestly elevated risk of haemorrhagic stroke mainly in women older than 35 years of age. Former users of COC have no increase in risk of ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke.

Women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have a small increased risk of ischaemic stroke. In the women's health initiative study 16 608 postmenopausal women on combined HRT (oestrogen plus progesterone) were followed …


Medical students from James Cook University who had completed their rotation in obstetrics, and midwives working in Cairns Hospital who had undertaken supervision of medical students in the birth suite, were invited to complete anonymous questionnaires on their views of their respective roles in the birth suite. Several issues were identified including increased medical and midwifery student numbers, and lack of communication between midwives and medical students. Increased cooperation and communication between medical and midwifery education providers is urgently needed to improve both student groups' learning experiences.