Aim: To evaluate the effect of Pre-eclampsia on platelet count in the pregnant Women. Material and methods: This case control study was carried out in the Department of Pathology, Patna Medical College and Hospital Patna, Bihar, India from December 2018 to November 2019. Total 200 patients were divided in two groups as Cases and Control. Cases study group includes 100 females with the thrombocytopenia and Control includes 100 females without thrombocytopenia. Results: The Most affected age group in which thrombocytopenia seen was between 20 to 25 years. In women with thrombocytopenia with mild Pre-eclampsia Platelet Count (x10 9 /L) was 65-288 , thrombocytopenia with Severe Pre eclampsia Platelet Count (x10 9 /L) was 27259 and women without thrombocytopenia had normal Platelet Count. Conclusion: Clinically platelet indices can be a useful screening test for early identification of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Also platelet indices can assess the prognosis of this disease in pregnant women and can be used as an effective prognostic marker because it correlates with severity of the disease. Platelet count is a simple, low cost, and rapid routine screening test.


Factors governing the photoelectrochemical output of photosynthetic microorganisms are poorly understood, and energy loss may occur due to inefficient electron transfer (ET) processes. Here, we systematically compare the photoelectrochemistry of photosystem II (PSII) protein-films to cyanobacteria biofilms to derive: (i) the losses in light-to-charge conversion efficiencies, (ii) gains in photocatalytic longevity, and (iii) insights into the ET mechanism at the biofilm interface. This study was enabled by the use of hierarchically structured electrodes, which could be tailored for high/stable loadings of PSII core complexes and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 cells. The mediated photocurrent densities generated by the biofilm were 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of the protein-film. This was partly attributed to a lower photocatalyst loading as the rate of mediated electron extraction from PSII in vitro is only double that of PSII in vivo. On the other hand, the biofilm exhibited much greater longevity (>5 days) than the protein-film (<6 h), with turnover numbers surpassing those of the protein-film after 2 days. The mechanism of biofilm electrogenesis is suggested to involve an intracellular redox mediator, which is released during light irradiation.


This paper puts forward a proposal for reviewing the role and purpose of standards in the context of national curriculum and assessment reform more generally. It seeks to commence the much-needed conversation about standards in the work of teachers as distinct from large-scale testing companies and the policy personnel responsible for reporting. Four key conditions that relate to the effective use of standards to measure improvement and support learning are analysed: clarity about purpose and function; understanding of the representation of standards; moderation practice; and the assessment community. The Queensland experience of the use of standards, teacher judgement and moderation is offered to identify what is educationally preferable in terms of their use and their relationships to curriculum, improvement and accountability. The article illustrates how these practices have recently been challenged by emerging political constraints related to the Australian Government's implementation of national testing and national partnership funding arrangements tied to the performance of students at or below minimum standards.


Millimeter and submillimeter polarization observations of blazars from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope are presented. The data are interpreted in light of recent results from centimeter wavelength VLBI polarimetry studies. Observations of the superluminal quasar 3C 279 at 1.1 and 0.8 mm give a degree of polarization in excess of 10% and imply that the magnetic field is aligned orthogonal to the milliarcsecond (mas) jet to within 6°. This magnetic field orientation is consistent with that expected to arise in a transverse shock. The high level of polarization suggests that the centimeter VLBI core is depolarized by Faraday rotation rather than by increased magnetic field disorder at the base of the inhomogeneous relativistic jet. Three BL Lacertae objects were observed at 1.1 mm and were found to be between 3% and 17% polarized with position angles either closely parallel or closely perpendicular to the mas jet. Although further observations are needed, these data favor a picture in which the position angles in the cores of BL Lac objects display a bimodal distribution as found by centimeter VLBI studies. The close relationship between the millimeter polarization position angle and the mas jet is surprising given the results of millimeter VLBI studies which show evidence for significant jet bending.


Platelet membrane glycoprotein IV (GPIV) is a cell-surface glycoprotein that has been proposed as a receptor for collagen. Recently, it has been shown that platelets with the Naka-negative phenotype lack GPIV on their surface, whereas donors with this phenotype are healthy and do not suffer from hematologic disorders. In this study, we compared Naka-negative platelets with normal platelets in adhesion to collagen types I, III, IV, and V and the extracellular matrix of endothelial cells (ECM) under static and flow conditions. No differences in platelet adhesion and subsequent aggregate formation on the collagens types I, III, and IV were observed under static and flow conditions. Adhesion of both homozygous and heterozygous Naka-negative platelets to collagen type V was strongly reduced under static conditions. Collagen type V was not adhesive under flow conditions. No difference in platelet adhesion to ECM was observed, which suggests that GPIV is not important in adhesion to subendothelium, for which ECM may serve as a model. These results indicate that GPIV is not a functional receptor for collagen under flow conditions.


Traditionally, soil extraction techniques have been concerned with the determination of "total" organic contaminant concentrations, following an "exhaustive" extraction. However, in light of the increasing body of knowledge relating to organic contaminant availability and aging, such methods have little relevance to the amount of contaminant that may pose an ecological risk i.e., the "bioavailable" portion. Less exhaustive techniques have therefore been the subject of more recent approaches in the hope that they may access the "labile" or bioavailable pool. The use of an aqueous-based extraction technique utilizing hydroxypropyl-s-cyclodextrin (HPCD) is presented here for the extraction of PAHs from soil. The optimization of the method is described in terms of HPCD concentration, extraction time, and solution buffering. The procedure is then tested and validated for a range of 14C-labeled PAHs (phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene) added at a range of concentrations to a range of soil types. The amounts of soil-associated phenanthrene mineralized by catabolically active microorganisms were correlated with total residual phenanthrene concentrations (r2 = 0.889; slope of best fit line = 0.763; intercept = -5.662; n = 24), dichloromethane (DCM)-extractable phenanthrene concentrations (r2 = 0.986; slope of best fit line = 0.648; intercept = 0.340; n = 24), butan-1-ol (BuOH)-extractable phenanthrene concentrations (r2 = 0.957; slope of best fit line = 0.614; intercept = 0.544; n = 24), and HPCD-extractable phenanthrene concentrations (r2 = 0.964; slope of best fit line = 0.997; intercept = 0.162; n = 24). Thus, in this study, the microbially bioavailable concentrations of soil-associated phenanthrene were best predicted using the optimized HPCD extraction technique. In contrast, the DCM Soxhlet extraction and the BuOH shake extraction both overestimated phenanthrene bioavailability by, on average, >60%.


The Norwegian shipbuilding industry is one of the most well integrated and well developed shipbuilding industries in the world. It has established its supremacy as the strategic leader in product offerings and technical expertise required to meet the needs of challenging vessel operation environments. However, stiff competition from shipbuilding industries based in low cost countries such as China and South Korea has turned out to be a great challenge to this vital industry. In addition to this, the growing concern about environmental pollution and stringent emission control regulations coming in to force in various parts of the world. This has made sustainability issues a prime focus of the industry. These two factors have made the topic of strategic thinking and sustainability focus in activities, a hot topic of discussion both in the academic circle and the industry alike. There have been a good number of studies and research projects aimed at helping the industry overcome these challenges. But most of these research projects have restricted itself to studying just the technical challenges or business issues plaguing the industry. Even though a few of them have successfully studied and analysed the role of sustainability issues in the strategies of the industry, the topic still seems to lack a clear focus in the industry. This thesis aims at closing this gap between strategic thinking process of the industry and the role of sustainability issues in it. This research work strives at achieving this goal by studying the existing strategic thinking process in the industry and the practical steps it has taken to improve performance related to sustainability issues through a case study method. Further, the thesis analyses these findings in the light of existing literature on strategic thinking and sustainability strategies. The findings from the interviews carried out as part of the case study point towards the industry's need for innovative production methods to improve both financial and environmental performance of the industry. The report focuses on two innovative production concepts that have potential applicability in the industry, namely, lean production and remanufacturing. These concepts are analysed and correlated to sustainable strategies put forward by the Natural Resource Based View (NRBV) proposed by Hart. As the lean production concept has been already introduced in the system to some extent, the thesis focusses on the second concept of remanufacturing. This research work further endeavours to develop a strategic decision making framework that would assist the shipbuilding companies in making a well calculated strategic decision on remanufacturing a vessel. This five stage strategic decision making framework is illustrated and discussed in detail in the thesis. This will help in bridging the gap between existing studies on industrial strategies and environmental challenges. Further work could include testing the frame-


The current Internet architecture appears to not be particularly suited to addressing the emerging needs of new classes of users who wish to gain access to multimedia services made available by ISPs, regardless of their location, while in motion and with a guaranteed level of quality. One of the main objectives of so-called next-generation systems is to overcome the limitations of today's available Internet by adopting an approach based on the integration of different mobile and fixed networks. The SUITED project moves in this direction since it aims at contributing to the design and deployment of the global mobile broadband system (GMBS), a unique satellite/terrestrial infrastructure ensuring nomadic users access to Internet services with a negotiated QoS. A description of the main features of the GMBS architecture, characterized by the integration of a multisegment access network with a federated ISP network is given in this article. The GMBS multimode terminal is schematically described, and an overview of the so-called QoS-aware mobility management scheme, devised for such a heterogeneous scenario, is provided.


Thymic factor, cyclic AMP, and products increasing its cellular level, such as Prostaglandin E1, induce the appearance of the theta-antigen on T-cell precursors whether assessed by a rossette-inhibition assay or a cytotoxic assay after cell fractionation on BSA discontinuous gradiet. Synergism has been demonstrated between cyclic AMPT and TF for that effect. Conversely, decrease of theta expression has been obtained by altering cyclic AMP level in theta-positive cells either increasing it by dibutyryl cAMP treatment or decreasing it by indomethacin treatment. Finally, these data suggest the involvement of cyclic AMP in the regulation of theta expression under thymic hormone control.


A study of the life table of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsely on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) for two constitutive seasons at Entomological Farm, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Ludhiana revealed that among three phenophases (vegetative, flowering and maturation stage), gross reproductive rate (GRR), net reproductive rate (Ro), intrinsic rate of increase (rm), precise value of rm and finite rate of increase (λ) were maximum (329.83 and 349.10, 65.29 and 278.46, 0.169 and 0.242, 0.183 and 0.246, 1.184 and 1.274) at vegetative stage during 2008 and 2009, respectively. The total life cycle was completed in 32 days at vegetative stage while took maximum (39.00) days at maturation stage. During 2008, apparent mortality (100qx) was maximum (74.33 and 77.31%) at vegetative and flowering, respectively. Survival rate (Sx) was (0.26 and 0.23) in second instar at vegetative and flowering stage, whereas, at maturation stage the corresponding values for apparent mortality and survival rate were 40.69 and 0.59 in third instar. During 2009, maximum apparent mortality (76.35 and 56.91) and minimum survival rate (0.24 and 0.43) were recorded in adults at vegetative and maturation stage respectively. Heavy rainfall, Aenasius sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Coccinella sp (Coleoptera: coccinellidae) contributed maximum mortality at vegetative and flowering stage, while rain fall and low temperature were major factors for mortality during maturation stage. The study suggested that P. solenopsis population is more affected by the biotic and abiotic factors in the vegetative stage. Therefore, the application of control measures at this stage could be drastically further reduces the population and thus prevents the buildup of population at later in the season.

 Key words: Life table, Phenacoccus solenopsis, phenological stages, net reproductive rate (Ro), finite rate of increase (λ), intrinsic of increase (rm).


Research on indoor navigation models mainly focuses on geometric and logical models .The models are enriched with specific semantic information which supports localisation, navigation and guidance. Geometric models provide information about the structural (physical) distribution of spaces in a building, while logical models indicate relationships (connectivity and adjacency) between the spaces. In many cases geometric models contain virtual subdivisions to identify smaller spaces which are of interest for navigation (e.g. reception area) or make use of different semantics. The geometric models are used as basis to automatically derive logical models. However, there is seldom reported research on how to automatically realize such geometric models from existing building data (as floor plans) or indoor standards (CityGML LOD4 or IFC). In this paper, we present our experiments on automatic creation of logical models from floor plans and CityGML LOD4. For the creation we adopt the Indoor Spatial Navigation Model (INSM) which is specifically designed to support indoor navigation. The semantic concepts in INSM differ from daily used notations of indoor spaces such as rooms and corridors but they facilitate automatic creation of logical models.


Methanol is a biogeochemically active compound and a significant component of the volatile organic carbon in the atmosphere. It influences background tropospheric photochemistry and may serve as a tracer for biogenic emissions. The mass of methanol in the atmospheric reservoir, the annual mass flux of methanol from sources to sinks, and the estimated atmospheric lifetime of methanol in the free troposphere, marine boundary layer, continental boundary layer, and in‐cloud, are evaluated. The atmosphere contains approximately 4 Tg (terragrams, 1012 g) of methanol. Estimates of global methanol sources and sinks total 340 and 270 Tg methanol yr−1, respectively, and are in balance given their estimated precision. Sink terms were evaluated using observed methanol distributions; the total loss is approximately a factor of 5 larger than prior estimates. The adopted source is a factor of 3 larger than its prior estimate. Recent net flux observations and the magnitude of the estimated sink suggest biogenic methanol emissions to be near their current estimated upper limit, >280 Tg methanol yr−1, and this value was adopted. The methanol source will be larger with the inclusion of an argued for oceanic gross emission of 30 Tg methanol yr−1, but a major uncertainty concerns whether the oceans are a major net sink or source of methanol, an issue which will not be resolved without new measurements. Other large uncertainties are the estimates of primary biogenic emissions and gas surface deposition. The first loss estimates of methanol by in‐cloud chemistry and precipitation are presented. They are approximately equal at 10 Tg methanol yr−1, each. These are small in comparison to the surface loss and gas phase photochemical loss estimated here but would be significant additional losses in earlier budgets. Surface exchange processes dominate the atmospheric budget of methanol and its distribution. The atmospheric deposition of methanol and the argued for methanol produced in the upper ocean are ubiquitous sources of C1 substrate capable of sustaining methylotrophic organisms throughout the surface ocean.


AIM
Deaf children do not develop a verbal language and will therefore not experience normal changes in airway pressure produced by speech. The impact on lung development of factors such as talking and screaming has not previously been investigated.

METHOD
We performed spirometry in 51 children with congenital deafness without other medical problems and compared the results with 82 healthy hearing controls.

RESULTS
The deaf children had poorer spirometry results. They participated in the spirometry manoeuvre with less enthusiasm than the controls. This was due to difficulty in giving non-verbal instructions in an enthusiastic way. When comparing only those in the two groups whose participation in the spirometry testing was evaluated as very good, poorer results were nevertheless obtained by the deaf group.

CONCLUSION
We conclude that spirometry instructions for deaf children must be improved. Furthermore, a positive effect on lung development through use of the lungs for speech and screaming cannot be excluded.


American Exchanger Services, Inc (AM-EX) performed a 2012 repair of a vertical head-up High Pressure (HP) Feedwater Heater breech lock channel during a shop based re-tube for the American Electric Power (AEP) Wilkes Power Plant, Unit 1. The 48 year old channel is a carbon steel cup-forging that had 1-1/2″ deep circumferential cracks extending radially into the tight knuckle radius at the channel barrel to tubesheet junction. A small area was also found on the backside of the tubesheet which had corroded to a depth of 7/16″.Several methods to repair these types of failures may be employed, such as grinding out the crack and weld repair, grinding or machining out the crack, leaving as is and performing regular inspections and monitoring crack propagation, or leave as is and perform a fitness for service analysis (API 579-1/ASME FFS-1). A repair was chosen that reduced the stresses in the highly stressed corner radius and was validated using modern calculations. The channel barrel was in the re-tube process so immediate access to a vertical lathe was available and this, in part, lead to the crack removal approach. The design alteration was to machine a pocket to completely remove the crack, verify tubesheet stresses are within allowable stress limits by Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and prescribe future Nondestructive Examination (NDE) to monitor potential future cracking. The size of the machined "pocket" was determined by the actual crack length "as measured" and the repair was verified using FEA. The machined pocket was Dye Penetrant Tested (PT) in September of 2013 (after approximately one year of returning to service), and no defects were noted.This is not a new repair method; in fact it was researched by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in 1988 symposium [1], and based on an EPRI 1985 [2] similar repair. In the 1985 repair similar methods of FEA were employed, however using less sophisticated forms of the calculation. Modern computing allows for 3D analysis with more complex geometries, and more conservative meshing. This analysis demonstrates that the earlier papers were correct in their understanding of the problem and the proposed solutions. The Wilkes HP feedwater heater was repaired in a similar manner with a machined radius that sufficiently reduced stresses to safe levels allowing an alteration of the vessel to be in compliance with National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) [3] and American Society of Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME B&PV CODE) [4].Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Previous studies of migration have mainly examined international dynamics. Yet, internal migration is an important issue, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using the 2001 Ethiopia Child Labor Survey, a nationally representative household survey, this paper examines internal migration in Ethiopia, focusing on the linkages among internal migration, education and wages. The results suggest that migrants are better educated and obtain higher wages than non-migrants, controlling for other factors (including education), and also obtain higher returns to their education. In other words, the more educated reap higher returns from their education as a main effect, as well as higher returns to their education from migration than non-migrants – that is, "the winner takes it all." This result should be of concern to policy makers in Ethiopia and elsewhere – especially in Sub-Saharan Africa – since individuals with low levels of education already are in a vulnerable group. The study therefore also discusses the policy implications of these results.


The Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is currently a major threat to global health in an unprecedented manner The global pandemic of COVID-19 has affected 215 countries and territories including Nepal Until 1st June 2020, altogether 1,811 COVID-19 positive cases were diagnosed using RT-PCR This study aimed to analyze the status of COVID-19 cases in Nepal and South Asian countries A retrospective study from 23rd January to 1st June 2020 was conducted using data of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal and Worldometer homepages The primary case records during the pre and post lockdown periods were examined Spatial distribution was observed An exponential trend line was plotted and COVID-19 situation in South Asian countries was assessed Of 1,811 COVID-19 cases, the highest number (38 3%) was reported in Province 2 Out of 77 districts, 59 were affected In Fifty-eight districts, primary cases appeared during the lockdown period The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases showed the exponential pattern of distribution in Nepal In South Asian countries, India had the highest number of cases and case fatality rate (CFR) There were no cases of CFR in Bhutan The Novel Coronavirus emergence in Nepal has become a serious challenge to the various sectors including public health The emergence of primary cases even in the lockdown period needs a detailed study in the future


INTRODUCTION
The drugs available in the Portuguese market, for the treatment of osteoporosis, have different mechanisms of action, efficacy, indications, safety profile, and cost, which may influence prescription and acquisition by patients.

OBJECTIVES
To describe the use of drugs for osteoporosis treatment (estimated by sales), between 1998 and 2004, and the geographical variation in the drug utilization, in 2004.

METHODS
Data was obtained from IMS Health for the sales of drugs used in the ambulatory treatment of osteoporosis, in the whole country, from 1998 to 2004, and by region, in 2004. For each group (bisphosphonates, raloxifene, calcitonins, Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and calcium and vitamin D), we computed the sum of the amount of packages and the value of the sales in each year, regardless of the strength or the package size. For bisphosphonates, raloxifene and calcitonins, we computed the DDD (Defined Daily Dose) sold in Portugal. All consumption data are presented by women aged 45 to 74 years. National data was used to describe the trends in sales, from 1998 to 2004, and regional data was used to map the 2004 consumptions.

RESULTS
The expenses with drugs used in osteoporosis increased 60% from 1998 to 2004. The bisphosphonates sales increased more than five times, and in 2004 this group was responsible for 60% of the national market of drugs for osteoporosis treatment. Raloxifene represented approximately 10% of the sales in 2004. The consumption of calcitonins decreased nearly 70% in the observation period. The use of HRT increased 30% to 40% until 2001/2002, and decreased just about the same from there on. Geographical differences were observed in the sales of osteoporosis drugs in 2004, the amplitude of variation ranging from two (bisphosphonates, calcium and vitamin D, HRT) to three times (raloxifene, calcitonins) across regions. The lowest consumptions were observed in Beja and Bragança, and the highest in Aveiro. Raloxifene is used mainly in the Northwest of the country, and HRT in the sea side regions.

CONCLUSIONS
In Portugal, the trends in the consumption of drugs used for osteoporosis treatment, as well as the relative weight of each pharmacological group, follow a similar pattern to the observed in other countries. The differences in consumption across the years and regions may reflect a variation in the frequency of disease or in the proportion of subjects being treated, but the magnitude of the variation suggests that there are unmet needs in diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in our country, and that social and economic factors may contribute to the regional differences observed.


Abstract Monazite-(Ce) and xenotime-(Y) from tertiary pegmatites of the central Alps (Italy and Switzerland) were studied by EMPA and SCXRD analytical methods. The REE-phosphate minerals analyzed are from LCT and NYF pegmatite dikes of the Central Alps, which includes three main areas: Vigezzo (LCT and NYF from the Vigezzo valley), Bodengo (NYF from the Leggia valley and LCT from the Cama valley), and Codera (LCT from Codera and Chiavenna valleys and Alpe Rossaccio). SEM-BSE images of monazite-(Ce) show primary growth zoning, sector zoning, and patchy zoning. SEM-BSE images of xenotime-(Y) show faint patchy-type zoning and spongiform texture. Both REE-phosphates evidence secondary mineral replacements that include thorianite, thorite, and uraninite. EMPA compositions show that the monazite-(Ce) is characterized by variable amounts of huttonite (ThSiO 4 ) and cheralite [Ca(Th,U)(PO 4 )] molecules. SCXRD analyses shows that the unit-cell volume of monazite-(Ce) correlates with its chemical composition; the b cell parameter shows an evident relationship with the huttonite molecule. The unit-cell volume of xenotime-(Y) is well correlated to its chemical composition. Xenotime-(Y) related to the NYF family shows a significant increase in yttrium and a lower U + HREE content. The Tertiary pegmatite field of the central Alps is related to the Masino-Bregaglia intrusion, the San Fedelino granite, and younger magmatic pulses generated by the migration of the metamorphic thermal Lepontine Dome towards the west. The presence of poikiloblastic thorite, thorianite, and uraninite in monazite and xenotime can be induced to form from alkali-bearing fluids via coupled dissolution–reprecipitation, under moderate to high-grade and post-peak Alpine metamorphic conditions.


We report on a 78-year-old patient with severe disease manifestations including polyneuropathy and clinically suspected secondary temporal arteritis due to hepatitis C virus-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV). Despite intermittent intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide therapy and oral corticosteroid therapy her condition further deteriorated. Only oral cyclophosphamide therapy with high-dose corticosteroid and plasmapheresis was efficient in inducing a remission of her CV. This case report demonstrates that pulse cyclophosphamide therapy may not be sufficient to control severe manifestations of cryoglobulinemic vasculitis.


In the present COVID-19 pandemic situation, there is a gradual increase in number of patients with post-COVID-19 sequalae. The present study is a retrospective analysis of these post-COVID-19 patients presenting to one of the units of Viswanathan Chest Hospital, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, Delhi in the period from 17 June 2020 to 22 October 2020. We analysed the demographic profile, history, functional assessment and all investigations of this study cohort. Out of the 2,165 patients provided consultation, there were 35 patients of post-COVID-19, which were included in the present study. These patients had a mean duration of 47 days from discharge to first visit to our hospital. Pre-existing respiratory comorbidity was present in 63%. History of hospitalisation was present in 52%. Fatigue (65%) was the most common symptom followed by breathlessness (60%), cough (45.71%) and chest pain (28.57%). Three patients had significant desaturation on 6-minute walk test and one patient had type 2 respiratory failure on presentation. Chest X-ray was abnormal in 34.28% (n=12). On CT thorax (n=17) the most common finding was diffuse reticulations (52.94%) followed by diffuse ground glass opacities (GGOs) (35.29%). One patient each were newly diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis and tubercular unilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. Conclusively, post-COVID-19 patients may have remnant symptoms like fatigue, breathlessness and cough. Also, patients with pre-existing respiratory diseases are more symptomatic and even may suffer from deterioration in the clinical course. Further we need to be alert of alternate diagnosis or infections like tuberculosis (TB) in these patients, especially in TB endemic countries like India. Simultaneously, the use of immunosuppressant drugs like steroids for COVID-19 management, predisposes to TB. A proper evaluation with holistic and standardised management plan is the need of the hour for post-COVID-19 patients, until its time course, evolution and manifestations are unravelled.


The fabrication with high energy density and superior electrical/electrochemical properties of hierarchical porous 3D cross-linked graphene-based supercapacitors is one of the most urgent challenges for developing high-power energy supplies. We facilely synthesized a simple, eco-friendly, cost-effective heteroatoms (nitrogen, phosphorus, and fluorine) co-doped graphene oxide (NPFG) reduced by hydrothermal functionalization and freeze-drying approach with high specific surface areas and hierarchical pore structures. The effect of different heteroatoms doping on the energy storage performance of the synthesized reduced graphene oxide is investigated extensively. The electrochemical analysis performed in a three-electrode system via cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charging–discharging (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) demonstrates that the nitrogen, phosphorous, and fluorine co-doped graphene (NPFG-0.3) synthesized with the optimum amount of pentafluoropyridine and phytic acid (PA) exhibits a notably enhanced specific capacitance (319 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), good rate capability, short relaxation time constant (τ = 28.4 ms), and higher diffusion coefficient of electrolytic cations (Dk+ = 8.8261 × 10−9 cm2 s−1) in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation result indicates that the N, F, and P atomic replacement within the rGO model could increase the energy value (GT) from −673.79 eV to −643.26 eV, demonstrating how the atomic level energy could improve the electrochemical reactivity with the electrolyte. The improved performance of NPFG-0.3 over NFG, PG, and pure rGO is mainly ascribed to the fast-kinetic process owing to the well-balanced electron/ion transport phenomenon. A symmetric coin cell supercapacitor device fabricated using NPFG-0.3 as the anode and cathode material with 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte exhibits maximum specific energy of 38 W h kg−1, a maximum specific power of 716 W kg−1, and ∼88.2% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles. The facile synthesis approach and promising electrochemical results suggest this synthesized NPFG-0.3 material has high potential for future supercapacitor application.


This is the report of an investigation that was carried out in order to apprehend themes that explain nursing work at a day hospital in Joao Pessoa, State of Paraiba, in the perspective of the psychiatric reform. The authors used the referential of dialectical and historical materialism and work as an analytical category. The empirical material was analyzed through the technique of discourse analysis. The study revealed a coincident theme - to change the model of traditional psychiatric assistance - and, in this sense, the work of nursing incorporates, in addition to its formal, technically specialized quality, a political quality, thus indicating a new meaning to the nursing work process.


Data from U.S. households for calendar year 2014 were used in examining demographic and economic factors affecting demand for dairy alternative beverages such as coconut milk, almond milk, soymilk, and lactose free milk using Heckman two-step procedure. Preliminary analysis of data reveal that the own-price elasiticity of demand for almond milk, soymilk, dairy milk in the United States is -3.50, -1.68,and -0.53 respectively. Soymilk is found to be a substitute for almond milk and white milk, while white milk was found to be a substitute for soymilk. Income, age, employment status, education level, race, ethnicity, region and presence of children in a household are significant drivers of demand for soymilk and almond milk. Sample selection bias was statistically significant.


Mass transfer is a crucial phenomenon in designing and scaling up chemical and biochemical stirred tanks. The literature lacks a pilot-scale study on investigating mass transfer in non-Newtonian fluids. A pilot-scale study is a prerequisite step before scaling up the process from laboratory to industrial-scale. Thus, a study using pilot-scale stirred tank was conducted to investigate bubble hydrodynamics and mass transfer in non-Newtonian fluids. This work is a scale-up study from laboratory to pilot-scale. Axial distributions of bubble–liquid mass transfer coefficient and interfacial area were obtained using dedicated in situ optical endoscope probes (oxygen and bubble size) simultaneously. Volumetric mass transfer coefficient was determined by recording local dissolved oxygen concentrations in liquid. Interfacial area was estimated by measuring local bubble size and global gas holdup. Bubble–liquid mass transfer coefficient was then deduced by combining the obtained values of volumetric mass transfer coefficient and interfacial area. Effects of operating conditions, fluid rheology, and probe axial positions (liquid height) on bubble–liquid mass transfer coefficient were considered. The operating conditions (power inputs and superficial gas velocities) were in the range of 30–250 W/m3 and 3.10–4.70 mm/s, respectively. Bubble–liquid mass transfer coefficient increased with an increase in operating conditions, whereas it decreased with an increase in fluid rheology and liquid height. Scale-up effects on mass transfer were higher for water than viscous fluids, as suggested by large deviation (9.6%) in values of bubble–liquid mass transfer coefficient.


: A diagnosis of Pemphigus Hailey-Hailey was made by histopathology after more than 20 years of suffering and medical treatment. The lesion had almost exclusively affected the vulvar region of a 44-year-old woman. A case like this confronts the gynecologists with the necessity of including a rare disease into particular consideration and investigation.


In this article, we introduce the system of high throughput screening (HTS). Its role in new drug study and current development is described. The relationship between research achievements of genome study and new type screening model of new drugs is emphasized. The personal opinions of current problems about HTS study in China are raised.``


INTRODUCTION
People's online activities can yield clues about their emerging health conditions. We performed an intensive study to explore the feasibility of using anonymized Web query logs to screen for the emergence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The methods used statistical analyses of large-scale anonymized search logs considering the symptom queries from millions of people, with the potential application of warning individual searchers about the value of seeking attention from health care professionals.

METHODS
We identified searchers in logs of online search activity who issued special queries that are suggestive of a recent diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We then went back many months before these landmark queries were made, to examine patterns of symptoms, which were expressed as searches about concerning symptoms. We built statistical classifiers that predicted the future appearance of the landmark queries based on patterns of signals seen in search logs.

RESULTS
We found that signals about patterns of queries in search logs can predict the future appearance of queries that are highly suggestive of a diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We showed specifically that we can identify 5% to 15% of cases, while preserving extremely low false-positive rates (0.00001 to 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
Signals in search logs show the possibilities of predicting a forthcoming diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma from combinations of subtle temporal signals revealed in the queries of searchers.


Contents: Preface Part I Issues and Challenges: International commercial arbitration practice: a discourse-based perspective, Vijay K. Bhatia, Christopher N. Candlin and Maurizio Gotti. Part II Analyses and Evidence: Addressing international arbitration's ambivalence: hard lessons from Australia, Luke Nottage Systems of genres in international commercial arbitration, Celina Frade Evidence, oral testimony and cross interrogatory in international arbitration, Fabio E. Ziccardi Enforcement of arbitral awards in Hong Kong: legal and political challenges, Rajesh Sharma Language and power in arbitration proceedings: insights into theory and practice, Patrizia Anesa Appraisal analysis of dissenting and concurring opinions, Ruth Breeze The judicialization of arbitration discourse in the Italian context, Maurizio Gotti Arbitration awards as accounts, Vijay K. Bhatia, Christopher N. Candlin and Christoph A. Hafner Cultural variation in arbitration journals: the International Court of Arbitration Bulletin and Arbitration International compared, Paola Catenaccio Voices in arbitration awards: polyphony and language reports, Giuliana Garzone and Chiara Degano A comparison between American and Italian online dispute resolution systems, Larissa D'Angelo Arbitration in action: the display of arbitrators' neutrality in witness hearings, Stefania Maria Maci Arbitration in Italy: a two-headed Janus?, Ulisse Belotti Is arbitration being colonized by litigation? a " practitioners' views in the Singapore context, Sujata Kathpalia Confidentiality v. publicity: the impact of international arbitration in the media, Isabel Corona. Part III Prospects and Conclusions: Contested identities in international arbitration practice, Vijay K. Bhatia, Christopher N. Candlin and Maurizio Gotti Index.


BACKGROUND
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a 50% relapse rate. The tumor microenvironment has been linked to resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy. We hypothesized that the tumor matrix proteins collagen and fibronectin play protective roles in HNSCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We investigated the effects of collagen I, collagen IV and fibronectin on growth, 2-D and 3-D clonogenic potential, resistance to paclitaxel, apoptosis and activation of phosphoinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) in MD-1483 HNSCC cells.

RESULTS
Collagen I, collagen IV and fibronectin specifically increased the efficiency of 2-D colony formation through binding integrins α2β1 and α5β1, respectively, and provided resistance to paclitaxel-induced colony elimination and apoptosis. Collagen I, but not fibronectin, increased the efficiency of 3-D colony formation and induced resistance to paclitaxel. Activation of protein kinase-B by collagen I was necessary for the protective effect.

CONCLUSION
These data support the potential contribution of fibronectin and collagen to chemotherapy resistance in HNSCC, with effects of collagen mediated by PI3K.


: These types of monoclonal antibodies 8E8, 3F7 and 1E9 to dengue 4 virus H-241 strain. These monoclonal antibodies show various patterns of reactivity to the four dengue serotypes and different antigen preparations of serotype 4 when they were tested in various serological methods. The monoclonal antibody 8E8 exhibited a specificity of serotype (D-2; by hemagglutination inhibition); subcomplex (D-2 and D-4 by immunofluorescence) and complex (by immunoperoxidase technique). It was able to neutralize by 80% homologous virus and it turned out to be the only reactive monoclonal antibody in the complement fixation test. The monoclonal 3F7 did not react to by hemagglutination inhibition, recognized serotypes D-1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 by immunofluorescence and only serotypes D1 and D4 by immunoperoxidase technique but it was unable to neutralize the homologous virus. The 1E9 antibody was reactive to serotypes D1, D-2, D-3 and D-4 only by hemagglutination inhibition and neutralized serotype D-4. All the monoclonal antibodies were able to react to various dengue antigens through an ELISA of double antibody and showed fluorescent activity against 38th pass in Beagle dog kidney culture; however, they could not react to a D-4 recombinant antigen.


This thesis describes research on filtering methods using RandomMatrix Theory (RMT) Models in financial markets. In particular, a novel, stability-based RMT filter is proposed
and its potential, for reducing stock portfolio risk, is compared to two well-known alternatives.
In terms of performance, the stability-based filter achieved 17.3% overall improvement in risk reduction for equally weighted forecasts, and 49.2% for exponentially
weighted. Of the filters investigated, not only did it prove to be the most effective and consistent, for overall risk reduction, but was also shown to reduce the frequency of large risk increases, (which, despite their importance, have attracted little attention in the literature to date). The full frequency distribution of filter effects is studied and a comprehensive test methodology established. Improvements, on previous approaches, include integrated
use of bootstrap analysis and out-of-sample testing. RMT filtering was also applied to the foreign exchange market, which contains far fewer assets than a typical stock portfolio. Filters were shown to reduce inherent currency trading risks, despite the small number of assets involved. Once again, our novel filter resulted in the lowest risk for exponentially weighted forecasts, and was most consistent in reducing overall levels, exhibiting also the
fewest large risk increases. Finally, and more generally, RMT filter testing and analysis can be used to demonstrate the value of rapid response models, i.e. those reacting quickly to market events. Despite the fact that these utilise very recent data, much information is typically
masked by noise. Filtering is shown to be successful in exposing such key underlying features.


ABSTRACT Most organisms are constantly faced with environmental changes and stressors. In diverse organisms, there is an anticipatory mechanism during development that can program adult phenotypes. The adult phenotype would be adapted to the predicted environment that occurred during organism maturation. However, whether this anticipatory mechanism is present in eusocial species is questionable because eusocial organisms are largely shielded from exogenous conditions by their stable nest environment. In this study, we tested whether food deprivation during development of the honey bee (Apis mellifera), a eusocial insect model, can shift adult phenotypes to better cope with nutritional stress. After subjecting fifth instar worker larvae to short-term starvation, we measured nutrition-related morphology, starvation resistance, physiology, endocrinology and behavior in the adults. We found that the larval starvation caused adult honey bees to become more resilient toward starvation. Moreover, the adult bees were characterized by reduced ovary size, elevated glycogen stores and juvenile hormone (JH) titers, and decreased sugar sensitivity. These changes, in general, can help adult insects survive and reproduce in food-poor environments. Overall, we found for the first time support for an anticipatory mechanism in a eusocial species, the honey bee. Our results suggest that this mechanism may play a role in honey bee queen–worker differentiation and worker division of labor, both of which are related to the responses to nutritional stress. Highlighted Article: Honey bees may have an anticipatory mechanism during development that is involved in queen–worker differentiation and worker division of labor, both of which are related to the responses to nutritional stress.


Biofertilizers have become an effective, eco-friendly and low cost alternative to chemical fertilizers. Process engineering and cost models for a biofertilizer plant with a production capacity of 44 tons of liquid biofertilizer per year (568 kg/batch) were developed. The models were obtained using process simulator ( SuperPro Designer ® ), version 8.5 (Intelligen, 2012), while the 3D conceptual design and layout of the biofertilizer plant was developed with ( OptiPlant ® ) software (ASD Global, 2015). The total capital investment required to erect the plant is $ 3 975 000, the unit production cost of one 1.5 L bottle of liquid biofertilizer is $ 24.009, while the economic indicators Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) had values of $ 716 000 and 2.55%, respectively. Also, the total revenues are $ 985 000/year, the Return on Investment (ROI) is 14.93 %, and the payback time is 6.70 years.


This study is an analysis of cohesion in Asian Soups. The writer wishes to find out the quality of either its text or its sentences. In other words, the writer wants to know whether the recipes in Asian Soups as texts are cohesive or not. Therefore, he tries to examine what cohesive ties are used in Asian Soups and the highest occurrence found in it. In this study, he applies the theory of cohesion by M.A.K. Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan. It is divided into two main parts, grammatical and lexical cohesion. Grammatical cohesion is divided into four parts: reference, substitution, ellipsis and conjunction. Lexical cohesion is divided into two parts: reiteration and collocation. The writer uses qualitative approach to analyze the cohesive ties used in Asian Soups. The data are taken from a cookery book entitled, Asian Soups. For the purpose of the analysis, the writer takes 23 recipes found in it. In analyzing the data, the writer supports this study with the theory of register by Richard, Platt and Weber, and a related study of Evi Fadjarini Retno Soegiarti, a previous English Department student at Petra Christian University. From this study, it is found that the cohesive ties used in Asian Soups are anaphoric, personal, comparative reference, additive, causal, temporal conjunction, repetition, synonym, near-synonym and super ordinate. The highest occurrence of cohesive tie is addittive conjunction. The writer comes to observe that as sets of instruction, recipes present continuing procedures in preparing dish. Here, the function of additive conjunctions is to relate one procedure to another one in a recipe. The total average of cohesive ties found in all recipes is 63.2%. Therefore, it is assumed that Asian Soups is cohesive. Moreover, the use of register in Asian Soups helps the readers to understand the cooking instruction easily.


Pyrrole-Imidazole (PI) polyamide molecule was originally designed from structures of natural DNA binding molecule, such as Distamicine and Diocarbamicine and has been recognized as a synthetic molecule which binds the minor groove of Watson-Click base pair of double-stranded DNA in a sequence-dependent manner. We hypothesized conjugates between this synthetic DNA binding molecule and Histone Deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) of Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) should regulate histone acetylation in a specific region of the genome. We have taken two strategies to confirm this hypothesis. One is the candidate gene approach and another is chemical library approach. We synthesized a PI polyamide targeted the p16INK4a tumor suppressor gene and also synthesized a library of sequence-specific PI polyamides conjugated with the potent HDAC inhibitor, termed PIP-SAHA and screened their effect on the expression of tumor suppressor genes and Yamanaka factors, respectively. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed SAHA-PIP induce acetylation of Histone H4 and H3 in the promoter region of p16, Oct-4 and Nanog. SAHA-PIP showed significant induction against c-Myc, Oct-3/4, Sox-2, and Klf-4, respectively in MEF but did not show significant induction of tumor suppressor p16 transcription. We also confirmed only SAHA did not show such histon acetylation and transcription induction, which implicated the role of PI polyamide conjugates in the induction of histone acetylation in specific genomic regions. Furthermore, a significant change in MEF morphology was demonstrated with our hit SAHA-PIPs. Those data suggests that a capability of PIP-SAHA regulate histone modification in a genomic sequence specific manner and promote agents for reprogramming efficiency in order to generate iPSCs, although the endogenous tumor suppressor gene expression was not observed, probably by means of "double lock" epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor gene. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4712. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4712


The Robocup MSL(Middle Size League) is a robot soccer league. In the Robocup MSL a team consists of 5 robots playing soccer autonomously. A very important aspect during a soccer match is intercepting the ball. Intercepting the ball occurs in many different situations. For example when the opponent is in ball possession or when the ball moves free over the field. The traineeship assignment is to design and implement a more successful strategy that is situation dependent, easy to extend and easy to change. The existing software of a soccer robot is created in Matlab Simulink with C code. An important subject during the traineeship is to do research on how and with which program to implement the intercept strategy. The first step in the design of the intercept strategy, is analyzing the many different situations that can occur during a MSL soccer march. With the situations defined the intercept strategy is designed in flowchart form. There are many different programs to implement the intercept strategy in flowchart form, in code. After comparing the pros and cons of these programs, the intercept strategy in flowchart form is implemented in ROS(Robot Operating System).


Background— The recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have exposed thousands of service members to intense stress, and as a result, many have developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The role of military deployment experiences and PTSD in coronary heart disease (CHD) is not well defined, especially in young US service members with recent combat exposure. Methods and Results— We conducted a prospective cohort study to investigate the relationships between wartime experiences, PTSD, and CHD. Current and former US military personnel from all service branches participating in the Millennium Cohort Study during 2001 to 2008 (n=60 025) were evaluated for newly self-reported CHD. Electronic medical record review for International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for CHD was conducted among a subpopulation of active duty members (n=23 794). Logistic regression models examined the associations between combat experiences and PTSD with CHD with adjustment for established CHD risk factors. A total of 627 participants (1.0%) newly reported CHD over an average of 5.6 years of follow-up. Deployers with combat experiences had an increased odds of newly reporting CHD (odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–2.40) and having a diagnosis code for new-onset CHD (odds ratio, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.31–2.84) compared with noncombat deployers. Screening positive for PTSD symptoms was associated with self-reported CHD before but not after adjustment for depression and anxiety and was not associated with a new diagnosis code for CHD. Conclusions— Combat deployments are associated with new-onset CHD among young US service members and veterans. Experiences of intense stress may increase the risk for CHD over a relatively short period among young adults.


GTPases play a crucial role in the regulation of many biological processes by catalyzing the hydrolysis of GTP into GDP. The focus of this work is on the dynamin-related large GTPase human guanine nucleotide binding protein-1 (hGBP1) which is able to hydrolyze GTP even to GMP. Here, we studied the largely unknown mechanisms of both GTP and GDP hydrolysis steps utilizing accelerated ab initio QM/MM metadynamics simulations to compute multi-dimensional free energy landscapes. We find an indirect substrate-assisted catalysis (SAC) mechanism for GTP hydrolysis involving transfer of a proton from the water nucleophile to a nonbridging phosphoryl oxygen via a proton relay pathway where the rate-determining first step is concerted-dissociative nature. A "composite base" consisting of Ser73, Glu99, a bridging water molecule, and GTP was found to activate the nucleophilic water, thus disclosing the complex nature of the general base in hGBP1. A nearly two-fold reduction in the free energy barrier was obtained for GTP hydrolysis in the enzyme in comparison to bulk solvent. The subsequent GDP hydrolysis in hGBP1 was also found to follow a water-mediated proton shuttle mechanism. It is expected that the proton shuttle mechanisms unravelled for hGBP1 apply to many classes of GTPases/ATPases that possess an optimally-arranged hydrogen bonding network, which connects the catalytic water to a proton acceptor.


(1) Background: The present study analyzed the need for cognitive closure and narrative creativity in adolescents. The aim was to demonstrate a strong relationship between narrative creativity and the need for cognitive closure. We analyzed a group of participants by applying a lie scale integrated with the Need for Closure Scale to detect potential relationships between students that entered the lie scale group (discarded) and those that were not discarded by exploring the following variables: gender, school type, group condition, and narrative creativity. (2) Methods: The instruments used were the Need for Closure Scale and the Test of Creative Imagination for Young People, PIC-J. Students of English as a foreign language in the 3rd year of secondary education from two schools were selected based on their availability to participate in the project. The students were aged 14 to 16 with a non-probabilistic sampling value of N = 117. (3) Results: Results show a negative correlation between narrative creativity and the need for cognitive closure. The need for cognitive closure is mainly manifested in two of its five dimensions: order and predictability. In addition, the group analysis of the lie scale revealed a higher tendency of male students to be less likely to respond truthfully. Meanwhile, the percentage of participants in the lie scale group was higher in rural schools. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, students who do not belong to the lie scale group seem to have more creativity than students in the lie scale group, while students in the lie scale group have a lower final course grade than students in the non lie scale group.


1 - This study related recent distribution changes in seven macroalgae taxa (Acetabularia acetabulum, Chaetomorpha linum, Cladophora sp., Gracilariopsis longissima, Spyridia sp., Ulva laetevirens, Valonia aegagrophyla) to spatial (basin) and temporal (time) trophic differences in a meso-eutrophic Mediterranean coastal lagoon (Orbetello, Italy). 2 - In July 2003 and July 2009, the coverage percentage (CP) of each considered taxon was measured in 38 stations equally distributed in the Western and Eastern lagoon basins. All data were analysed using SURFER v8.0 software along with ANOVA, ANOSIM and multivariate analyses to produce geostatistical spatial distribution maps and to estimate statistical probabilities for "basin" and "time" factors. 3 - Data from this study were integrated with data on phanerogams reported by Giovani et al. (2010) to evaluate changes occurring at a functional group level from 2003-2009 using the Ecological Evaluation Index (EEI). 4 - Observed macroalgae changes may have been due to lagoon management activities performed during the study period. The removal of direct nitrate inputs seems to have forced specie-specific shifts that were highly significant only in the Western basin. 5 - Statistically significant differences at the taxon level have been indicated for Spyridia sp. (basin and time) and Cladophora sp. (time) taxa. Other non-significant changes included a rarefaction of Chaetomorpha linumin the Western basin and Spyridia sp. in the Eastern basin, and an increase of Gracilariopsis longissima, C. linum and Valonia aegagrophyla in the Eastern basin. 6 - EEI application indicated a general improvement in water quality due to management measures applied in Western basin, whereas the Eastern basin evidences stability/slight degradation from 2003-2009


Background We present our experience in assessing the feasibility and efficacy outcomes of intensified intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) delivered to patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods Between March 2009 and December 2014, 35 patients affected by advanced NPC with a median age of 53 years (range 11-77) were treated with definitive radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was delivered by helical tomotherapy with the SIB technique. The prescribed doses were 66 Gy to macroscopic disease, 60 Gy to high-risk subclinical disease, and 54 Gy to low-risk disease in 30 fractions. The daily SIB dose was 2.2 Gy to macroscopic disease. Results At the end of treatment 33 (94%) patients had obtained complete clearance of disease and 2 patients had died (1 of persistent disease after 3 months and 1 of cancer-unrelated causes after 4 months). At a median follow-up of 40 months (range 5-69), locoregional control rates at 2 and 4 years were 92.9% and 88.2%, respectively, and the overall survival after 4 years was 93.9%. The most significant acute toxicities were grade 2 and 3 mucositis (43%). No grade 3 and 4 late toxicities were observed; grade 2 xerostomia after 6 months from the end of treatment was reported in 11 patients; xerostomia toxicity decreased to grade 1 in 6/11 patients within 12 months. Conclusions These results show that intensified IMRT with SIB is an excellent strategy offering high local control rates for NPC patients with mild acute and late toxicity.


: A discussion of the management of acute nasal fractures in adults is presented. Repair of the nasal injury should be postponed so the patient can be stabilized and totally evaluated while the surgeon plans and prepares to do the optimum nose operation. Two weeks or more may be allowed for this with a few stated exceptions. Acute nasal fractures are the misguided mobilization phase of a nasal reconstruction. This must be rectified and completed and the nose modifed and repaired in accordance with the principles of functional rhinologic surgery. Some remarks on the fallibility of X-ray diagnosis are included.


Many animals hibernate to survive winter conditions, however, arousal from hibernation generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can cause oxidative stress. Dietary antioxidants, like carotenoids, may reduce oxidative stress during arousal from hibernation, and assist with post-hibernation recovery and performance. We tested the effect of carotenoid supplementation on exercise performance (escape-response and activity) in southern corroboree frogs (Pseudophryne corroboree) following initial arousal from hibernation (24–48 h post-arousal) and post-recovery (six weeks post-hibernation). Carotenoids did not affect performance following initial arousal. However, carotenoids improved escape-response six weeks post-hibernation, with carotenoid-supplemented frogs hopping faster and further in their first hop than unsupplemented frogs. Carotenoids also affected post-recovery activity, with carotenoid-supplemented frogs being less mobile than unsupplemented frogs. Carotenoids may affect post-hibernation performance by reducing oxidative stress or by increasing diet quality. Our study provides novel evidence for an effect of carotenoids on performance post-hibernation and highlights the importance of nutrition to hibernating organisms.


Physical Exercise, Nutrition and Sunshine Exposure for the Prevention of Osteoporosis Background: Social and economic impact of osteoporosis is growing. Prevention deserves more attention than at present. Since previous reviews on prevention of osteoporosis by the author, many original papers and reviews on the subject have been published. Which interventions are effective? Methods: A MEDLINE search was performed using the search terms 'osteoporosis' and 'calcium' or 'vitamin D' or 'ultraviolet' or 'sunshine' or 'nutrition' or 'exercise' or 'hormone'. Additionally, references of recent publications were searched for significant contributions. Relevant publications as assessed by the author were included into the present review. Results and Conclusions: Regular high-impact physical exercise, a daily allowance of at least 1000 mg calcium, a sufficient supplementation with vitamin D through UVB-exposure of the skin or oral supplementation, and hormonal replacement therapy in deficiency states are the fundamentals of prevention of osteoporosis.


Contemporary business process management systems manage their processes based on the activity-centric paradigm. However, many business processes are un- or semistructured
and cannot be represented adequately by the activity-centric paradigm. The fundamental reason for this insufficiency is the lack of cohesion between processes on
one hand and data on the other.

Object-aware process management provides a solution for this issue by tightly integrating processes with data. Data is represented as structured object types with complex
data dependencies. This is mirrored in the concepts of object behavior and object interactions. Object behavior is captured in micro processes, whereas object interactions are represented by macro processes. Both micro and macro processes are integral parts of the runtime of an object-aware process management system. Furthermore, the
execution of micro and macro processes is governed by process rules. The process rules advance the process state depending on the available data, react to user interactions or perform error handling.

PHILharmonicFlows is a framework that aims at the proper support of object-aware processes. A prototype implementing the framework is currently under development. This thesis contributes to the prototype by describing concepts concerning process rules and by providing implementations as well.

In detail, the contributions are as follows.

The ongoing development of the prototype requires process rules to be easily created and altered, i.e. to enable a high maintainability. Therefore, a high level of abstraction
for the process rule definitions is necessary. The Process Rule Framework enables the creation and alteration of process rules and satisfies the high maintainability requirement by leveraging functional programming devices. Using the Process Rule Framework, a high productivity can be achieved when handling process rules. Moreover, the Process Rule Framework has the possibility to be extended to a general-purpose rule engine in which rules may be created, compiled and executed during runtime.

At runtime, process rules provide one of the cornerstones to object-aware process execution. This requires complex interactions between process rules, as they can trigger each other and therefore chain together. The challenge is to enable these interactions while keeping the individual process rules independent from each other and only loosely coupled. The Process Rule Manager enables the complex interactions between process rules by providing the means to coordinate and control process rule interactions. Additionally, the Process Rule Manager abstracts from the inner workings of process execution and provides a well-defined interface to interact with a micro process.


Let $n$, $k$ and $t$ be integers with $1\leq t< k \leq n$. The generalized Kneser graph $K(n,k,t)$ is a graph whose vertices are the $k$-subsets of a fixed $n$-set, where two $k$-subsets $A$ and $B$ are adjacent if $|A\cap B|<t$. The graph $K(n,k,1)$ is the well-known Kneser graph. In 2014, Harvey and Wood determined the exact treewidth of the Kneser graphs for large $n$ with respect to $k$. In this paper, we give the exact treewidth of the generalized Kneser graphs for $t\geq2$ and large $n$ with respect to $k$ and $t$. In the special case when $t=k-1$, the graph $K(n,k,k-1)$ usually denoted by $\overline{J(n,k)}$ which is the complement of the Johnson graph $J(n,k)$. We give a more precise result for the exact value of the treewidth of $\overline{J(n,k)}$ for any $n$ and $k$.


CONTEXT
Upon requests from osteopathic medical schools, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Charting Outcomes were redesigned to include osteopathic medical school seniors beginning in 2018 and one joint graduate medical education (GME) accreditation system, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), formed in 2020.

OBJECTIVES
The goal of this study is to analyze the match outcomes and characteristics of osteopathic applicants applying to surgical specialties following the ACGME transition.

METHODS
A retrospective analysis of osteopathic senior match outcomes in surgical specialties from the NRMP Main Residency Match data from 2020 to 2022 and the NRMP Charting Outcomes data from 2020 to 2022 was performed.

RESULTS
For surgical specialties, results show matching increased as United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 CK (clinical knowledge) and Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) Level 2 CE (cognitive evaluation) scores increased along with the number of contiguous rankings (p<0.001). The greatest indication for matching looking at scores alone were those who scored greater than 230 on Step 2 CK compared to below (p<0.001) and above 650 on Level 2 CE (p<0.001). However, those who scored 240 (p=0.025) on Step 2 CK were just as likely to match as those who scored 250 (p=0.022) when compared to those who scored below those scores. Increasing research involvement had little to no significance with the likelihood of matching across most surgical subspecialties.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrates that there are unique thresholds for Step 2 CK scores, Level 2 CE scores, and the number of contiguous ranks for each surgical specialty that, when reached, are significantly associated with match success. Although certain board score delineations are linked with higher match success rates, the rates level off after this point for most surgical specialties and do not significantly increase further with higher scores. In addition, thresholds within contiguous ranks for increasing match likelihood exist and vary across surgical specialties. Overall, this study highlights that the quantitative metrics utilized to assess applicants lack the correlation reported historically, and the data presently available need to be more substantiated.


A REVIEW OF ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND-GUIDED TRANSBRONCHIAL NEEDLE ASPIRATION (EBUS--TBNA) USE AT MULTIPLE CENTRES AS DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE FOR SARCOIDOSIS SHU HAN EMILY LIU, VICKY CHANG, ALVIN ING, BENJAMIN NG, JOHNATHAN WILLIAMSON Respiratory Department, Wollongong Hospital, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, Respiratory Department, Sutherland Hospital, Caringbah, NSW, Australia, Respiratory Department, Macquarie University Hospital, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia, Respiratory Department, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW, Australia, and Respiratory Department, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia


With the exponential growth of the presence of sport in the media, the need for effective classification of sports images has become crucial. The traditional approaches require carefully hand-crafted features, which make them impractical for massive-scale data and less accurate in distinguishing images that are very similar in appearance. As the deep learning methods can automatically extract deep representation of training data and have achieved impressive performance in image classification, our goal was to apply them to automatic classification of very similar sports disciplines. For this purpose, we developed a CNN-TL-DE method for image classification using the fine-tuning of transfer learning for training a convolutional neural network model with the use of hyper-parameter optimization based on differential evolution. Through the automatic optimization of neural network topology and essential training parameters, we significantly improved the classification performance evaluated on a dataset composed from images of four similar sports—American football, rugby, soccer, and field hockey. The analysis of interpretable representation of the trained model additionally revealed interesting insights into how our model perceives images which contributed to a greater confidence in the model prediction. The performed experiments showed our proposed method to be a very competitive image classification method for distinguishing very similar sports and sport situations.


Eu(DBM)3•phen complexes have been Successfully synthesized by the sonication of an Ethanol solution of europium chloride and dibenzoylmethanide (DBM) in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline(phen). The properties of the Eu(DBM)3•phen complexes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and fluorescence spectrometry (FS). Reaction conditions, such as ultrasonic power and the concentration of complexing reagent, were found to have close relation with the morphologies of final products. The formation mechanism of Eu(DBM)3•phen complexes with ultrasonic irradiation is discussed in the context.


[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Let ? be an open and connected set in the complex plane. A mapping f : ? ? C is said to be conformal at a point z0 if it preserves angles and orientation between curves intersecting at z0. We discuss tangent lines and their relationship to the conformal property. This property is useful for determining the points at which a function is conformal. We provide several examples and a summary of boundary behavior properties. We discuss two types of conformal mappings, linear fractional transformations and the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation. Linear fractional transformations map lines and circles to either lines or circles; meanwhile, the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation maps the upper half-plane onto a polygon P. We prove several properties of these mappings and demonstrate their importance with the use of examples. These results are useful for solving boundary value problems on irregular regions. If we map such a region onto another region whose solution is known, we are able to then obtain a solution on the first region. Important physical applications of this thesis include determination of isotherms, streamlines, and air gap reluctance for magnetic circuits


H. G. Wells's Tono-Bungay (hereafter T-B) displays a preoccupation with the Other at every level of text: in its narrative commentary, characterization, plot development, and resolution. In a work that blurs boundaries between the genres of realist fiction, fantasy, and expository prose, strict divisions among classes, ethnicities, genders, and races are self-consciously erected and rigidly maintained; the formal experimentation of Wells's novel exists in tension with a covertly conservative agenda. An emphasis on difference and an attendant, hegemonic impulse are masked by an attractive ethos of individualism, an ethos that characterizes much literature of the Edwardian age. T-B thus presents to today's readership a site wherein literary norms and social imperatives of its time are inscribed. Implying, misleadingly, a freeplay of conceptual possibilities, the structure of T-B offers a liberation from conventions. Wells is not usually credited with self-conscious novelistic method, largely because of the correspondence with Henry James in which he initially adopted a self-deprecating position in regard to his own art, describing it as an "abortion" in contrast to the "golden globe" of James's achievement (Edel and Ray 176, 177). When the writers ultimately engaged in their famous literary quarrel, Wells substituted for the disparagement of his own work a staunchly defensive posture, claiming his own sociological rather than aesthetic aims: "There is of course a real and very fundamental difference in our innate and developed attitudes towards life and literature," he wrote to James. "To you literature like painting is an end, to me literature like architecture is a means, it has a use.... I had rather be called a journalist than an artist, that is the essence of it ..." (Edel and Ray 264). But Wells's fiction often gives the lie to such proclamations, which may have functioned to distinguish his work from what he came to view as the ideological hollowness of James's aestheticism, rather than operating as clarifications of his own novelistic technique.(1) Looking back at T-B in his Experiment in Autobiography (1934), Wells acknowledged his own artistic effort, although again, in distinguishing his work from James's, he felt compelled to insist that the novel was "extensive rather than intensive" (Edel and Ray 233). Like both James and Joseph Conrad, his fellow Edwardians, Wells was searching throughout his career for methods of rupturing the boundaries of fiction; and although the methods he discovered differed markedly from theirs, in T-B he was determined to compose as effective a novel as he could, one that achieved its ethical purpose through careful craftsmanship. This aim he accomplished, in part, through the juxtaposition of narrative strategies.(2) Published in book form in 1909, T-B offers long expository passages on the essence of English life in its accounts of the puritanism of Mrs. Grundy, the function and impress of commerce as a substitute for idealism, the pretensions of the nouveau riche, and the diseased conditions of the modern city. It also moves into the quasi-scientific mode of Wells's earlier works of the 1890s, in its descriptions of navigable balloons and experiments in flight. In the manner of contemporary adventure tales, it details an exotic and violent episode involving a piratical trip to a West African island. And in affectionate imitation of nineteenth-century realist fiction, it offers comic renditions of preening mannerisms and self-serving dialogue, as a satire of social behavior. Arguing for a relaxation of constraints upon the form of modern novels, which might readily accommodate "a woven tapestry of interests," Wells averred in his essay "The Contemporary Novel" (1911), "any comment that seems to admit that, after all, fiction is fiction, a change in manner between part and part, burlesque, parody, invective, all such things are not necessarily wrong in the novel" (Edel and Ray 136, 140). …


The adjoint sensitivity method scalably computes gradients of solutions to ordinary differential equations. We generalize this method to stochastic differential equations, allowing time-efficient and constant-memory computation of gradients with high-order adaptive solvers. Specifically, we derive a stochastic differential equation whose solution is the gradient, a memory-efficient algorithm for caching noise, and conditions under which numerical solutions converge. In addition, we combine our method with gradient-based stochastic variational inference for latent stochastic differential equations. We use our method to fit stochastic dynamics defined by neural networks, achieving competitive performance on a 50-dimensional motion capture dataset.


We analyze the relationship between social attitudes on gender equality and firms' pay-setting behavior by combining information about regional votes relative to gender equality laws with a large data set of multi-branch firms and workers. The results show that multi-branch firms pay more discriminatory wages in branches located in regions with a higher social acceptance of gender inequality than in branches located in regions with a lower acceptance. The results are similar for different subsamples of workers, and we cannot find evidence that regional differences in social attitudes influence how firms assign women and men to jobs and occupations. The investigation of a subsample of performance pay workers for whom we are able to observe their time-based and performance pay component separately shows that social attitudes on gender equality only influence the time-based pay component but not the performance pay component of the same workers. Because regional-specific productivity differences should influence the workers' performance pay and time-based pay, unobserved gender-specific productivity differences are not likely to explain the regional variation in within firm gender pay gaps. The results support theories and previous evidence showing that social attitudes influence gender pay gaps in the long run.


The AML1 gene, located on chromosome 21, is involved in several distinct chromosomal translocations in human leukemia. In t(8;21) acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), the AML1 gene is juxtaposed to the ETO gene located on chromosome 8, generating an AML1/ETO fusion protein. Both AML1/ETO and the AML1 proteins recognize the same consensus DNA-binding motif (TGT/CGGT), which is found in the promoters of several genes involved in hematopoiesis. We found that two myeloid leukemia cell lines with the t(8;21) translocation, Kasumi and SKNO-1, have elevated levels of BCL-2 protein compared with other myeloid cell lines. In addition, we identified a consensus AML1 binding site in the BCL-2 promoter. Thus far, AML1/ETO has been shown to dominantly repress its target genes; however, we found that AML1/ETO activates transcription of the BCL-2 gene in U937 cells. This activation requires the presence of both the runt homology domain (rhd) and the C-terminal portion of AML1/ETO. We demonstrated sequence specific binding of both AML1A and AML1/ETO to the TGTGGT sequence in the BCL-2 promoter and showed that the AML1 binding site is required for responsiveness to AML1/ETO. Interestingly, AML1A and AML1B do not modulate the activity of the BCL-2 promoter. The elevated levels of BCL-2 in cells that express AML1/ETO may prolong their life span and contribute to the development of t(8;21) leukemia.


This article seeks to expand the kinds of questions we ask about the diverse militarized campaigns referred to collectively as the "war on terror," the grassroots resistance to these wars, and efforts committed to creating a world without destruction and killing. Shifting the focus of this feminist critique of war away from the center of power (the empire) to the everyday lives of feminist and queer activists living the war on terror from the ground up, this article examines a distinct feminist and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) social movement that worked to respond to and resist the US-backed Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 2006. We argue along with our interlocutors in Lebanon that asymmetrical systems of gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and family are entangled in the historical conditions of transnational capital, empire, and war, and necessitate an intersectional approach that refuses to impose false binaries or hierarchies on a complex social reality. We conclude by arguing the importance of reframing the war on terror and reimagining feminist and LGBTQ policies as a critique of the post-racial discourse, beyond dominant imperialist and nationalist discourses, which are exclusionary, sexist, and homophobic in different ways.


There is a thermoprecipitinogenic substance in extracts of the spleen of rats, guinea pigs and rabbits infected with T. equiperdum. It does not appear to be within the body of the trypanosome itself. Antibodies to this heat-resistant precipitable substance were found in the serum of infected animals. The antibody strength seems to be relatively less in the serum of rats than in the other animals but the power of extracts from the spleen of infected rats appeared to be equivalent to the power of similar extracts of the other animals. The antibody titer of the serum of rabbits was greater than in the case of the other two species investigated. This was shown not only by the reaction with the extracts of spleens of the same species, but also by the reaction with extracts of the spleens of similarly infected animals of other species.


This thesis describes a case study which was designed to evaluate data derived from an analysis of a critical incident at Nene College of Higher Education. The purpose of the case study is to assess whether there is any evidence derived from the analysis of the data emanating from the critical incident to indicate (1) that some or all theoretical models of educational management existed in practice in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), and (2) that one or more theoretical models of educational management in that HEI may dominate in practice. In addition, the case study results are used to respond to research questions relating to organisational goals and culture as well as the influence of the external and internal environment upon the members of College staff involved in the critical incident. The results are also used to examine the likelihood of particular theoretical models of educational management being more or less dominant at different levels of the College's hierarchy and provides the evidence against which a new comprehensive model integrating five theoretical models of educational management can be evaluated. The thesis concludes that formal, collegial, ambiguity, political and cultural models were in evidence throughout the critical incident, although formal, collegial and cultural models tended to dominate across all organisational hierarchical levels. The external environment played a key contextual role in the process of the incident response, and the clarity of the organisation's goals and the positive subscription to those goals of staff interviewed was significant in overcoming the problems posed by the critical incident. In addition, the results indicated that the College's culture was a powerful factor in determining the manner in which the critical incident was handled. As a consequence, a new comprehensive model of educational management has been developed which included the cultural model as a variable.


Basalt lavas with a high Nb/Y ratio for a given Nb/Zr ratio occur in the Polynesian "superswell" region of the South Pacific, which probably formed by upwelling of a deep-mantle superplume. The distinctive geochemical characteristics of the Polynesian basalts may be attributed to melting of a mantle source that is more enriched in a basaltic (ancient mid-oceanic-ridge basalt) component. Basalts displaying such chemical signatures have been found on Shatsky Rise, the Ontong Java Plateau, and greenstones from subduction-zone complexes of Sakhalin Island. The occurrence of Polynesian-type basalts, together with an estimate of their ages, suggests that the South Pacific superplume was active as long ago as 90–150 Ma. The superplume activity preceded the onset of the superchron, supporting an idea that the superplume acted as a trigger for such a global event.


In urban design and urban research, it is necessary to strive not to lose sight of the complexity of the urban, which tends to get one of its fullest reflections exactly at public-private interface. In order to do so, it is important to maintain awareness that public-private interface is a spatio-temporal category, that express the complexity of place and its character. This paper focuses on the spaces defined by transition between public and private produced along ordinary practices of everyday life. The research explores the ways in which public-private interface (re) creates the identity of one concrete place. Nezu is, arguably, an outstanding precinct of Tokyo. Nezu shows remarkable resilience and manages to embrace change, while keeping an atmosphere which is broadly considered as directly descendant from that of old Edo (former Tokyo) shitamachi. Distinctive features of public-private interface in Nezu seem to be an important ingredient in formation of that evolving, but firmly anchored identity of Nezu. That is why this paper addresses the question how exactly do public-private interfaces contribute to the shitamachi character of Nezu. The paper opens with discussion on the relationships between identity of the place and public-private interface within the concepts of intensity, difference and assemblage. It briefly presents the principal method of inquiry, based on assemblage theory, which links material and social elements of place, explores them by focusing at relationships between elements, and defines differences in intensities as crucial for the emergence of identity. The analysis focuses on everyday life, and thus does not include landmark structures of Nezu. The paper presents three ordinary streets of Nezu which have experienced the lowest level of physical change since Edo era. The analysis is based on detailed mapping and quantification of various elements that make public-private interface, using the methods of photographic survey, visual permeability and typological analysis of public-private interface. The results show that the heterogeneity and discontinuity of interfaces constitute an important feature of those streetscapes. Although not a single building in those streets dates back to Edo era, the kind and the intensity of experience of those places, proportions, certain aspects of materiality create familiar tensions between public-private interfaces, opening the possibility for the emergence of an identity which resonates with the widespread mental images of shitamachi. Thus – in the core of Nezu, Edo re-emerges.


This master thesis project deals with the semi-automatic extraction of information on satellite images. Some Geographic information systems (GIS) are dedicated to the issue of data production. The graphical user interface of these GIS is essentially passive, and only provides basic CAD tools for intelligence information mapping such as geometric and semantic capture of spatial objects and semantics improvement of geographic objects. As well as CAD software, they improve the operator productivity in certain limits that of ergonomics. Thus, by combining some generic image processing algorithms, we have implemented a component of semi-automatic extraction of features on satellite images. We gave a priority on the interaction between a user and the component. The user will be only focused on theinterpretation of the images and the component will perform the repetitive task for him. The addressed features were suburban roads, hydrographic area boundaries and shorelines. This system based on powerful tools such as the Orfeo Toolbox (core of the) and Qt (for the GUI) has been tested on images from different stellites and the results are quite satisfactory. This opens perspectives to improve and optimize this system in the aim to integrate it into a GIS solution.


A degree sentence such as John and Mary are equally tall conveys both reciprocity and equivalence and hence are termed 'reciprocal equatives'. Building on Schwarz's (2007) pioneer study, I suggest an account for this degree construction that covers a wider range of data. To the extent that the proposal is on the right track, it provides new support for building in plurality in the domain of degrees, an idea that has been put forward by Beck (2010, 2014) and Dotlačil and Nouwen (2016).


As part of an AHRC-funded interdisciplinary research project, 'Identification of the Scribes Responsible for Copying Major Works of Middle English Literature', this thesis re-examines the late medieval poet Thomas Hoccleve in the context of his career as a clerk of the Privy Seal and the history of the late medieval English government administration. Through identification of Hoccleve's handwriting, it has been possible to search for all the extant documents produced by him for that office now in the National Archives. The evidence drawn from these documents is used to contribute towards a more complete chronology of the poet's life, and the circumstances under which his poetry was written. Firstly, Hoccleve is used as a case study through which to examine the development of the late medieval English government administration and civil service, and the changing nature of its staff during the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century. Secondly, Hoccleve's major work, the Regiment of Princes, is examined in the context of his role as a royal clerk, and the proliferation of Middle English political and didactic texts during this period. Finally, the impact of Hoccleve's use of Anglo-French in official documents and Middle English in his poetry is considered in the context of the mutual culture of influence existing between the two languages. These different approaches to the documentary evidence are used to illustrate the impact of Hoccleve's position at the Privy Seal on the form and content of his literary work.


In England and Wales, there is an increasing need for the provision of pro bono legal services.  Law students may be a resource that can help fill the access to justice gap, whilst at university and onwards in their future careers.  Whilst some students are intrinsically motivated towards altruistic behaviour, many are not.  This article will consider what motivates students to undertake pro bono work whilst at law school. The article will explore the range of intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors for student participation in pro bono programmes and consider how students can be encouraged to engage in such activities.  The article will also consider whether exposure to pro bono experience can instil a public service ethos in students. In conclusion, the article will highlight experience as an influential factor in encouraging initial participation in pro bono work but also instilling a willingness to undertake pro bono work in the future.


Reactive NanoTechnologies (RNT) has developed a new platform technology that will revolutionize how manufacturers join components using solder and braze materials. The joining process is based on the use of reactive multilayer foils as local heat sources. The foils are a new class of nano-engineered materials, in which self-propagating exothermic reactions can be ignited at room temperature with a spark. By inserting a multilayer foil between two solder (or braze) layers and two components, heat generated by the igntion of the reaction in the foil melts the solder and consequently bonds the components. The joining process can be completed in air, argon or vacuum in approximately one second. The use of reactive foils as a local heat source eliminates the need for torches, furnaces, or lasers, speeds soldering and brazing processes, and dramatically reduces the total heat that is needed. Thus, temperature-sensitive or small components can be joined without thermal damage or excessive heating. In addition, mismatches in thermal contraction on cooling can be avoided because components see very small increases in temperature. This is particularly beneficial for joining metals to ceramics. The fabrication and characterization of the reactive foils is described and an example of a joint is presented, showing the applicability of this platform technology to many areas of packaging including microelectronics, optoelectronics and MEMS.


The use of vermicompost, Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) as organic and inorganic sources under arid condition was tested in this study. Accordingly, a field experiment was carried out and Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) was grown in the research farm of agronomy, College of Agriculture, SKRAU, Bikaner. The experiment was conducted based on split plot design using three replications. Twenty seven treatment combinations i.e. three levels of vermicompost (control, 2.5 and 5.0 t ha-1), three levels of nitrogen (control, 40 and 80 kg ha-1) as main plot treatment and three levels of phosphorus (control, 20 and 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) as sub plot treatment was laid out. From the results, among all the treatment combined application of vermicompost @ 2.5 t ha-1 with N level @ 40 kg ha-1 and P level 20 kg ha-1 significantly increased all the yield, quality and uptake parameters viz., seed, stover and biological yield, oil and protein content, total N, P and K uptake by coriander over the other treatments. However, fiber content of coriander not increased significantly with application of these treatments. Therefore, it appears more logical to recommend a more realistic dose of 2.5 t vermicompost ha-1, 40 kg N ha-1 and 20 kg P ha-1 for coriander crop grown on loamy sand soil under irrigated conditions of north western Rajasthan to make the fertilizer use more gainful with considerable response


Advances of the Green Bay Lobe deposited at least three till sheets that are late Woodfordian age and younger. In the western part of the lowland, the tills are distinguished on the basis of stratigraphic position, texture, color, and depth of leaching. In the central part of the lowland, tills are covered by lacustrine sediment; on the east side, however, a similar sequence of tills is present. Here till units are distinguished on the basis of stratigraphic position, magnetic susceptibility, and depth of leaching. The Chilton till, which is overlain by Two-creekan wood at one locality, is correlative with the Valders Till of the Lake Michigan lowland, as is the age-equivalent Kirby Lake till. One Greatlakean till, correlative with the Two Rivers Till of the Lake Michigan lowland, overlies forest beds at several localities.


In order to make new mechanical watch movements possible as well as adding new functions to wristwatches, MEMS, UV-LIGA, and silicon micromachining have become indispensable technologies in the watch industries. Examples presented here are deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon gears, SU-8 based UV-LIGA and MEMS based pressure and magnetic sensors. This article provides a brief overview of some recent commercialized technologies in Switzerland.


Gender stereotypes surrounding women's reproductive health impede women's access to essential reproductive healthcare and contribute to inequality more generally. Stereotyping in healthcare settings impedes women's access to contraceptive information, services, and induced abortion, and lead to involuntary interventions in the context of sterilization. Decisions by human rights monitoring bodies, such as the Inter‐American Court of Human Rights' case, IV v. Bolivia, which was a case concerned with the involuntary sterilization of a woman during childbirth, highlight how stereotypes in the context of providing health care can operate to strip women of their agency and decision‐making authority, deny them their right to informed consent, reinforce gender hierarchies and violate their reproductive rights. In the present article, IV v. Bolivia is examined as a case study with the objective being to highlight how, in the context of coercive sterilization, human rights law has been used to advance legal and ethical guidelines, including the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics' (FIGO) own guidelines, on gender stereotyping and reproductive healthcare. The Inter‐American Court's judgment in IV v. Bolivia illustrates the important role FIGO's guidance can play in shaping human rights standards and provides guidance on the service provider's role and responsibility in eliminating gender stereotypes and upholding and fulfilling human rights.