Abstract. We developed an algorithm especially adapted to single-station wavelet detection of geomagnetic events, which precede or accompany the earthquakes. The detection problem in this situation is complicated by a great variability of earthquakes and accompanied phenomena, which aggravates finding characteristic features of the events. Therefore we chose to search for the characteristic features of both "disturbed" intervals (containing earthquakes) and "quiet" recordings. In this paper we propose an algorithm for solving the problem of detecting the presence of signals produced by an earthquake via analysis of its signature against the existing database of magnetic signals. To achieve this purpose, we construct the magnetic signature of certain earthquakes using the distribution of the energies among blocks, which consist of wavelet packet coefficients.


The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project [1] is responsible for developing the SKA Observatory, the world's largest radio telescope ever built: eventually two arrays of radio antennas SKA1-Mid and SKA1-Low will be installed in the South Africa's Karoo region and Western Australia's Murchison Shire respectively, each covering a different range of radio frequencies. In particular, the SKA1-Mid array will comprise of 133 15m diameter dish antennas observing in the 350 MHz-14 GHz range, each locally managed by a Local Monitoring and Control (LMC) system and remotely orchestrated by the SKA Telescope Manager (TM) system. All control system functionality run on the Tango Controls platform. The Dish Single Pixel Feed (SPF) work element will design the combination of feed elements, orthomode transducers (OMTs), and low noise amplifiers (LNAs) that receive the astronomical radio signals. Some SPFs have cryogenically cooled chambers to obtain the sensitivity requirements. This paper gives a status update of the SKA Dish SPF and LMC interaction design, focusing on SPF, LMC simulators and engineering/operational user interfaces, prototypes being developed and technological choices.


A 500 kJ compact pulsed power supply (PPS) system used for electromagnetic railgun (EMG) system has been developed to investigate the influence of electric parameters on muzzle velocity in the paper, from which the stability and reliability of the PPS system can be evaluated. The pulsed power supply system consists of ten modules, and each module is composed of a high energy density capacitor, a triggered vacuum switch, a pulse shaping inductor, a dump resistor and a crowbar. Influence of different parameters on the velocity was analyzed by ATP simulations in this paper. The parameters include capacitance, equivalent series resistance (ESR) of the capacitor, inductance, natural electric parameter and jitter time of the TVS. The ESR and natural electric parameters are critical influencing factors by comparing the simulation and experimental results. In the end, muzzle velocity deduced by the current, which is obtained from a new model of actual circuit, is about twenty percent lower than that in ideal condition. It is pointed out that the velocity error is mostly caused by ESR and natural electric parameter.


Abstract Emerging driver assistance systems, such as look-ahead cruise Controllers for heavy duty vehicles, require high precision digital maps. This contribution presents a road grade estimation algorithm for fusion of GPS and vehicle real-time sensor data, with measurements from previous runs over the same road segment. The resulting road grade estimate is thus enhanced using measurements from additional traversals of known roads. Distributed data fusion is utilized to ensure that the storage requirement of known roads does not increase when additional measurements are processed. The implemented algorithm, which is based on extended Kalman filtering and smoothing, is described in detail. Experiments on a Scania test vehicle show the advantages and some of the challenges with the proposed approach.


We study the non-Markovian dynamics of a two-mode bosonic system interacting with two uncorrelated thermal bosonic reservoirs. We present the solution to the exact microscopic Master equation in terms of the quantum characteristic function and study in detail the dynamics of entanglement for bipartite Gaussian states. In particular, we analyze the effects of short-time system-reservoir correlations on the separability thresholds and show that the relevant parameter is the reservoir spectral density. If the frequencies of the involved modes are within the reservoir spectral density, entanglement persists for a longer time than in a Markovian channel. On the other hand, when the reservoir spectrum is out of resonance, short-time correlations lead to a faster decoherence and to the appearance of entanglement oscillations.


In this work, we build on recent advances in distributional reinforcement learning to give a generally applicable, flexible, and state-of-the-art distributional variant of DQN. We achieve this by using quantile regression to approximate the full quantile function for the state-action return distribution. By reparameterizing a distribution over the sample space, this yields an implicitly defined return distribution and gives rise to a large class of risk-sensitive policies. We demonstrate improved performance on the 57 Atari 2600 games in the ALE, and use our algorithm's implicitly defined distributions to study the effects of risk-sensitive policies in Atari games.


TNE has become an important part of Australian universities' IT learning and teaching landscape. This paper presents the preliminary results of an investigation into IT academic job satisfaction and TNE; in particular, how both the nature and frequency of the interaction the academic has with TNE students and teaching staff, and the level of control an academic has over the offering of "their" course , impacts on satisfaction with TNE. The results of the study suggest that academics are more satisfied with TNE when they have more contact with the students, in particular when that contact involves some face- to -face component. The paper identifies several factors that require further investigation and discusses the implications of the research for universities in the ongoing management of their TNE activities. It recommends that some face- to -face contact between academics and TNE students should be considered as an important part of any IT TNE programme.


Although the central nervous system does not regenerate, injury induces repair and regenerative responses in glial cells. In mammals, activated microglia clear up apoptotic cells and debris resulting from the injury, astrocytes form a scar that contains the lesion, and NG2‐glia elicit a prominent regenerative response. NG2‐glia regenerate themselves and differentiate into oligodendrocytes, which remyelinate axons leading to some recovery of locomotion. The regenerative response of glial cells is evolutionarily conserved across the animals and Drosophila genetics revealed an underlying gene network. This involves the genes Notch, kon‐tiki, eiger, dorsal, and prospero, homologues of mammalian Notch1, ng2, TNF, NFκB, and prox1, respectively. Feedback loops between these genes enable a surge in proliferation in response to injury and ensuing differentiation. Negative feedback sets a timer for proliferation, and prevents uncontrolled growth that could lead to glioma. Remarkable parallels are found in these genetic relationships between fruit flies and mammals. Drosophila findings provide insights into gene functions that could be manipulated in stem cells and progenitors for therapeutic repair. Developmental Dynamics 247:85–93, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


response to Nasser's "war of attrition," Rubinstein's evaluation of the abortive coup d'etat in the Sudan in 1971, and his chronological treatment of Sadat's preparation for war in the 1972—73 period. By contrast, my remarks in the APSR review were restricted to areas I thought would be of general interest to political scientists, regardless of their specialty within the discipline. Rubinstein might have done a better service to APSR readers if he had responded to my substantive criticisms of his book instead of engaging in attempts at character defamation.


The critical tradition in accounting historiography has come to occupy a prominent place in the discipline's academic scholarship. Some critical literature has confronted the responsibility of accounting and accountants in precipitating contemporary crises, such as the audit failures that spawned Sarbanes-Oxley and the world-wide recession. Certain contemporary issues have long histories, such as the difficulties encountered by women to break the glass ceiling in public accounting, and the suffering of indigenous peoples under the imperialistic yoke. Other episodes in accounting's long history are seemingly more divorced from the present, but in reality they all have contemporary significance. Slavery in the New World, for example, although abolished more than a century ago, is still rampant in parts of the world, albeit less formally. Critical accounting historians feel it a duty to harken to the "suppressed voices" of the past, those groups of people who had no access to an accounting record – women, persons of color, indigenous populations, alienated proletarians, victims of governmental incompetence and graft, and many voiceless others.

Critical Histories of Accounting: Sinister Inscriptions in the Modern Era draws on the foremost work in this developing literature, both that authored by the co-editors of this volume, and that written by others. Editors Richard K. Fleischman, Warwick N. Funnell, and Steve Walker have written extensively about "the dark side of accounting," gauging the complicity of those performing accounting functions in episodes in human history that are at worst evil and at best reprehensible. The editors have also hand-selected a series of historical and contemporary episodes that have been critically investigated by the wider accounting history community, preceded by a thorough introduction.


On the basis of results of complex treatment of 427 patients with acute small bowel obstruction the authors of the article have established five stages of the clinical course of the disease. The stage of ischemia was diagnosed in 26.9% of the patients, the stage of water-electrolytic disturbances--in 26.2% the peritonitis stage--in 15.9%, the stage of multiple organ insufficiency at the postoperative period--in 8.9%. The stage of chronic intestinal insufficiency at the remote postoperative period was diagnosed in 41.1% of the patients operated upon. The amount of lethal outcomes was found to depend on the stage of the clinical course of the acute small bowel obstruction in which complex treatment had been started.


Palmoplantar keratoderma–congenital alopecia (PPKCA) syndrome is a rare genodermatosis, with two clinically recognizable forms: dominant (Type 1) and recessive (Type 2). Reports of only 18 patients have been published to date, and the molecular basis of the condition is unknown. We describe two cases with PPKCA Type 2 (PPKCA2), comprising a novel patient, originally reported as an example of autosomal ichthyosis follicularis–atrichia–photophobia syndrome, and the 6‐year follow‐up of a previously published case. Extensive molecular studies of both patients excluded mutations in all the known genes associated with PPK and partially overlapping syndromes. The striking similarities between these two patients confirm PPKCA2 as a discrete genodermatosis, of which the main features are congenital and universal alopecia, diffuse keratosis pilaris, facial erythema, and a specific PPK with predominant involvement of the fingertips and borders of the hands and feet, with evolution of sclerodactyly, contractures and constrictions. Clinical follow‐up of these patients has demonstrated progressive worsening of the hand involvement and attenuation of facial erythema.


A map showing a breakwater extension to Table Bay Harbour, with hydrographic information. The coastline is shown from Mouille Point showing the convict station, the Amsterdam Battery, part of Cape Town with the Custom House and Parade, Fort Knockle and the Craig Tower Battery. The coast relief is shown by form lines. Chiefly colour. Scale 2 inches to 1000 feet.


SUMMARY: An internal organization is revealed in resting spores of Bacillus spp. by brief treatment at room temperature with x-HNO3 or, more effectively, a mixture of n/3-HNO3 (or HCI) with 0·1 % potassium permanganate. Two distinct steps are involved: the first initiates the reaction without visible changes in the spore; the second is an instantaneous process which abolishes the refractility of the spore and allows staining of the contents. These differentiating procedures have no observable effect on vegetative cells, and the spore's response to them is abruptly abolished with the onset of germination. They are ineffective on heat-killed spores and are inhibited, under certain conditions irreversibly, by 0·5-1 % sodium fluoride. Differentiating reagents probably act indirectly by stimulating abnormal chemical activity of the spore.
Three structures, interpreted as the outer spore membrane, nucleus and cytoplasm, can be distinguished in treated spores. Differentiation does not alter the size or the shape of the spore but shrinks the cytoplasm away from the membrane and, in permanganate-containing mixtures, changes the configuration of the nucleus. The extent of these rearrangements varies with the temperature at which differentiation is carried out. The nucleus is on the outer surface of the cytoplasm and connected with it by a short narrow stalk. The nucleus gives a positive Feulgen reaction. Nucleus and cytoplasm of spores differentiated with n/3-HNO3 or HCI containing 0·1% of KMnO4 are soluble in phosphate buffers at pH 6·3-7·6 and m/16 sodium acetate at pH 7·4. Nucleus and cytoplasm are insoluble in these solutions after differentiation with n-HNO3, but the nucleus of spores treated in this way is destroyed by trypsin in phosphate butter.
The existence of a second, inner, spore membrane, jointly surrounding nucleus and cytoplasm, is postulated. This layer is believed to be the seat of the spore's bright retractility and imperviousness to stains.
The huge spores of Metobacterium polyspora react like Bacillus spores to differentiating reagents and permit direct observation of the act of transformation from the featureless to the differentiated aspect of the spore.


Presence of central nervous system by extrapulmonary tuberculosis is an infrequent disease specially among non HIV infected patients, and it is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality rates. We report a case with a middle cerebral artery ischemic strocke as a first symptom of miliar tuberculosis.


Despite good resistance to acid-soil stresses, white clover (Trifolium repens L.) is not found on some acid soils. Our objectives were to develop a large-leafed white clover with acid-soil resistance, to relate seedling Al to mature plant acid-soil resistance, and to validate our soil-on-agar procedure. We used a two-stage selection procedure. In Stage 1 we used the soil-on-agar technique to select for seedling Al-resistance and Al-susceptibility in Brown Loam Synthetic No. 2 and 'Grasslands Huia' white clover. In Stage 2 we used conventional pot studies with two soil pH treatments, 4.2 and 5.2, and stemtip cuttings of Al-resistant selections from Brown Loam to select for acid-soil resistance. The same Stage 1 and 2 techniques were used to evaluate 12 experimental populations and both parents for seedling Al resistance and mature plant acid-soil resistance. Across two cycles of selection, both Brown Loam and Huia Al-resistant and susceptible populations diverged. For Brown Loam, progress was made toward both increased Al resistance and susceptibility. For Huia, progress appeared more toward Al susceptibility than toward Al resistance. Populations developed from two-stage selection were more acid-soil resistant than their parent. However, populations selected only for seedling Al resistance or Al susceptibility were usually no more acid-soil resistant than their parent. We were able to increase the acid-soil resistance of Brown Loam white clover. But, the soil-on-agar procedure was not an effective technique for developing acid-soil-resistant white clover germplasm.


Nowadays, the wireless access network infrastructure is growing at an accelerated pace. In the current environment, which consists of a multitude of wireless networks, live migration of multimedia streaming between different type of connectivity offers important advantages for mobile users. In this paper we provide the description of an efficient mobility service architecture for multimedia environments. The proposed architecture handles multimedia streaming adaptation, session management and takes into consideration user profiles and a set of quality of service criteria. Session management in a mobile environment also implies that a handover mechanism must be used in order to ensure session continuity when a user moves from one network to another. Our architecture supports handover at the application layer which offers a better quality control than the majority of mobility solutions. In order to demonstrate the performance of our mobility solution, we analyze results from different test scenarios.


The amount of gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R) in the anterior pituitary changes during the rat estrous cycle; in addition, it is chronically increased for several weeks in response to ovariectomy. The present study was undertaken to investigate these changes in relation to the concentrations of GnRH-R mRNA, gonadotropins and luteinizing hormone-fl (LH-fl) subunit in serum and the pituitary gland, as well as hypothalamic GnRH. GnRH-R concentrations on the day of estrus were significantly lower than that at diestrus (30% lower during 2 d), its mRNA decreased even further (by 60%), but there were no significant changes in gonadotropin. Ovariectomy increased GnRH-R significantly (by 30% during 2 wk) in parallel with receptor mRNA and with pituitary LH and LH-/3, but induced an earlier increase in serum gonadotropins. Our results suggest that transcriptional activity is more intimately linked to the number of GnRH-R in the long-term increase after ovariectomy than in the short-term change during the estrous cycle, and that the increased GnRH-R is not a major factor in ovariectomy-stimulated gonadotropin release.


The 22-carbon-tailed zwitterionic surfactant erucyl dimethyl amidopropyl betaine (EDAB) forms highly viscoelastic fluids in water at low concentrations and without the need for salt or other additives. Here, semidilute aqueous solutions of EDAB are studied by using a combination of rheological techniques, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). EDAB samples show interesting rheology as a function of temperature. At low temperatures (approximately 25 degrees C), a 50 mM EDAB sample behaves like an elastic gel with an infinite relaxation time and viscosity. Upon heating to approximately 60 degrees C, however, the sample begins to respond like a viscoelastic solution; that is, the relaxation time and zero-shear viscosity become finite, and the rheology approaches that of a Maxwell fluid. The same pattern of behavior is repeated at higher EDAB concentrations. Cryo-TEM and SANS reveal the presence of giant wormlike micelles in all EDAB samples at room temperature. The results imply that, depending on temperature, EDAB wormlike micelles can exhibit either a gel-like response or the classical viscoelastic ("Maxwellian") response. The unusual gel-like behavior of EDAB micelles at low temperatures is postulated to be the result of very long micellar breaking times, which, in turn, may be due to the long hydrophobic tails of the surfactant.


Alcohol is a ubiquitous drug which is responsible for a substantial amount of ill health and approximately 20% of patients in a general hospital will have alcohol‐related problems, although only 4% will be admitted with alcohol‐caused conditions. Eight per cent of patients, however, can be expected to have sufficient neuroadaptation to be at risk of withdrawal. This level of prevalence of alcoholism in general hospital patients requires that hospitals must become expert at providing good quality care for alcohol‐related problems in all areas including obstetrics, but particularly in the management of intoxication, withdrawal and the various alcoholrelated diseases. This paper provides some suggested benchmarks for acceptable standards of care for alcohol problems in the acute hospital.


Abstract : This second revision of the style manual has been produced to assist authors, editors, and production personnel in preparing scientific and technical reports. Guidelines have been designed to provide specific instructions to different groups who write, edit, type, and lay out copy for the U.S. Army Print Plant or to conform to the Government Printing Office's requirements. This report consists of two main parts. Part I is of interest to the author as it addresses standards of style, grammar, word usage, spelling aids, verbiage reduction tips, and so on. Part II is of particular interest to production personnel as it describes and illustrates the mechanical aspects of report preparation in terms of format, treatment of tables and figures, pagination, numbering, cover format, organization, classification markings, and proper referencing.


Abstract Ghana's older population is projected to increase in coming decades and as a result will see increasing care needs. Understanding the functional difficulties older adults experience, and the associated factors, will help identify relevant intervention to assist older adults in meeting their care needs. This study aimed to analyse the prevalence of functional difficulties among older adults in Ghana, and examine how the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) conceptual framework can relate to toileting difficulty to understand the factors that increase older adults' care needs. Data were for 5,096 adults aged ⩾50 years from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 1. Difficulties were assessed using self-reported difficulty on 22 functional items, including toileting. Multivariate logistic regression tested associations between toileting and other factors as related to the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Older adults reported climbing one flight of stairs without resting as a common functional difficulty. Difficulty eating was the item least identified. Toileting difficulty was ranked second among five total activities of daily living difficulties. Age, marital status, self-reported health, memory, bodily pain, short- and far-distance vision, obesity, stroke, chronic lung disease, trust at individual and neighbourhood level, toilet facility type, socialising with co-workers, and public and religious meeting attendance were statistically significantly associated with toileting difficulty in the final parsimonious model. Post-hoc analysis testing interaction revealed that interaction existed between female sex and never married marital status (p = 0.04), and obesity and widowed marital status (p = 0.01), with toileting as the outcome. A significant level of functional difficulty existed among Ghanaian older adults in this sample. Toileting difficulty was associated with factors across different components in the WHO-ICF, emphasising functional, social and environmental factors related to this fundamental human activity.


We synthesize results from existing models of marine reserves to identify key theoretical issues that appear to be well understood, as well as issues in need of further exploration. Models of marine reserves are relatively new in the scientific literature; 32 of the 34 theoretical papers we reviewed were published after 1990. These models have focused primarily on questions concerning fishery management at the expense of other objectives such as conservation, scientific understanding, recreation, education, and tourism. Roughly one-third of the models analyze effects on cohorts while the remaining models have some form of complete population dynamics. Few models explicitly include larval dispersal. In a fisheries context, the primary conclusion drawn by many of the complete population models is that reserves increase yield when populations would otherwise be overfished. A second conclusion, resulting primarily from single-cohort models, is that reserves will provide fewer benefits for species with greater adult rates of movement. Although some models are beginning to yield information on the spatial configurations of reserves required for populations with specific dispersal distances to persist, it remains an aspect of reserve design in need of further analysis. Other outstanding issues include the effects of (1) particular forms of density dependence, (2) multispecies interactions, (3) fisher behavior, and (4) effects of concentrated fishing on habitat. Model results indicate that marine reserves could play a beneficial role in the protection of marine systems against overfishing. Additional modeling and analysis will greatly improve prospects for a better understanding of the potential of marine reserves for conserving biodiversity.


Mental health concerns are evident among tertiary students in New Zealand. However, some tertiary learning institutions seldom notice the crucial role to design environmental abilities to enhance such well-being. Research says that the human body defines or recognises spaces through the stimulation of senses. It intends to seamlessly grasp the environment as an overall atmosphere, ambience, feeling, or mood. Therefore, the role of the senses is vital for humans to engage better in the environment.
The atmospherical experience of a space is often judged only by its visual quality. However, the environmental character is comprised of the multisensory engagement of the users. This multisensory engagement includes all the Aristotelian senses- seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, and tasting. The senses in an architectural realm can create room for mood, emotions, well-being, productivity, and even creativity for the users. This research explores the importance of providing a well-being initiative in a built environment to support sound mental health for the students. It focuses on how architecture and design can support well-being around institutional grounds.
The research aims to understand the impact that senses, light and nature have on architecture to achieve such holistic well-being for users. Qualitative research methods, including content analysis, literature review, and intuitive spatial explorations, are used to understand the role of an individual's experience in a built environment. The research explores constructive approaches to designing a wellness environment for students through understanding the various atmospheres and affect. The implications are to provide recommendations for the architects to include such affective associations as a campus-wide well-being effort in the future.


The idea of sepsis was introduced in the literature in the 4 th century BCE by the ancient Greek Hippocrates when animal and plant decomposition (σηψις, rot) was reported. In the 11 th century, Avicenna described the process of acute inflammation and purulence formation, a "blood rot", and he included body temperature, heart rate, and the state of body fluids in his description (1). However, the word "sepsis" was not used until the 19 th century. Over the past 30 years, the need to understand the underlying pathophysiological process and to identify better clinical criteria for early detection of sepsis has rapidly evolved because of the increasing number of patients with sepsis receiving advanced organ support systems, including mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, has taxed health care systems (2,3). Furthermore, our awareness of the morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with this condition has increased.


The findings of this Decision Making and Problem Solving article suggest that patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2006–2010 are expected to have much higher long-term survival perspectives than suggested by previously available survival statistics. New therapeutic options have led to substantial increases in survival expectations of younger patients with multiple myeloma in recent years. In the past, the impact of these innovations on long-term survival has been disclosed only with substantial delay. We aimed to derive up-to-date estimates of long-term survival expectations of concurrently diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. Using data from the 1973–2005 database of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, we employed a novel model-based projection method to project 5-and 10-year relative survival expectations of multiple myeloma patients in the United States diagnosed in 2006–2010. Preliminary empirical evaluation of the method using historical data indicated good performance. Projected 5-year relative survival for patients diagnosed in 2006–2010 below 45 years of age is 68.0%, which exceeds the most up-to-date estimates obtained from traditional cohort and period analysis by 15.5 and 7.0 percent units respectively. Ten-year relative survival projection for patients in this age group is 55.3%, exceeding the most up-to-date estimates from traditional cohort and period analysis by 19.7 and 7.4 percent units respectively. By contrast, survival projections remain much lower and hardly exceed estimates from traditional survival analysis for older patients. Patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2006–2010, especially those diagnosed at younger ages, are expected to have much higher long-term survival perspectives than suggested by previously available survival statistics.


Purpose: The article refers to the assessment of the activities of enterprises within CSR, according to the classification adopted in the Carroll's pyramid model. Research on CSR issues in this approach has been conducted since the 1980s and is usually addressed to the top management. Design/Approach/Methodology: This article is based on research on the attitude to CSR activities of managers / employees at the operational level; in this way we endeavour to fill a certain cognitive gap. The research included a representative sample of large and mediumsized enterprises in Poland, including representativeness by economy sectors. Findings: The research results point to a different hierarchy of CSR domains than that suggested by the Carroll's pyramid (and most of the results of previous research addressed to the top management). The highest rated by respondents was legal responsibility, before ethical, and only third place was taken by economic responsibility. Practical Implications: The research results could be useful for managers responsible for CSR impleneting and developing. Originality/Value: The article contributed to filling the cognitive gap regarding priorities declared by CSR managers, i.e. persons implementing CSR activities on behalf of enterprises in practice. The research results indicate that the respondent's job position (the scope of duties related to CSR) and the economic sector they represent have the greatest impact on the valuation of individual areas of CSR, while the size of the enterprise has a weak impact.


The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has been releasing new and updated guidelines periodically. Along with the release of this


For pt.1 see ibid., p.933-42 (1998). A number of methods have been proposed in the literature for estimating scene-structure and ego-motion from a sequence of images using dynamical models. Despite the fact that all methods may be derived from a "natural" dynamical model within a unified framework, from an engineering perspective there are a number of trade-offs that lead to different strategies depending upon the applications and the goals one is targeting. We want to characterize and compare the properties of each model such that the engineer may choose the one best suited to the specific application. We analyze the properties of filters derived from each dynamical model under a variety of experimental conditions, assess the accuracy of the estimates, their robustness to measurement noise, sensitivity to initial conditions and visual angle, effects of the bas-relief ambiguity and occlusions, dependence upon the number of image measurements and their sampling rate.


Objectives: Glass-ceramic veneered zirconia is used for the application as fixed partial dentures. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate whether the heat treatment during veneering, the application of glass-ceramic for veneering or long term storage has an influence on the storage modulus of zirconia. Methods: Zirconia bars (Cercon, DeguDent, G; 0.5x2x20 mm) were fabricated and treated according to veneering conditions. Besides heating regimes between 680°C and 1000°C (liner bake and annealing), sandblasting (Al2O3) or steam cleaning were used. The bars were investigated after 90 days storage in water and acid. For investigating the influence of veneering, the bars were veneered in press- or layer technique. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in a three-point-bending design was performed to determine the storage modulus between 25°C and 200°C at a frequency of 1.66 Hz. All specimens were loaded on top and bottom (treatment on pressure or tensile stress side). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for evaluating the superficial changes of the zirconia surface due to treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann Whitney U-test (α=0.05). Results: Sintered zirconia provided a storage modulus E' of 215 (203/219) GPa and tan δ of 0.04 at 110°C. A 10%-decrease of E' was found up to 180°C. The superficial appearance changed due to heating regime. Sandblasting reduced E' to 213 GPa, heating influenced E' between 205 GPa (liner bake 1) and 222 GPa (dentin bake 1). Steam cleaning, annealing and storage changed E' between 4 GPa and 22 GPa, depending on the side of loading. After veneering, strong E'-reduction was found down to 84 GPa and 125 GPa. Conclusions: Veneering of zirconia with glass-ceramic in contrast to heat treating during veneering procedure had a strong influence on the modulus. The application of the glass-ceramic caused a stronger decrease of the storage modulus.


Abstract Objective: To estimate the impact of using thresholds based on absolute risk of cardiovascular disease to target drug treatment to lower blood pressure in the community. Design: Modelling of three thresholds of treatment for hypertension based on the absolute risk of cardiovascular disease. 5 year risk of disease was estimated for each participant using an equation to predict risk. Net predicted impact of the thresholds on the number of people treated and the number of disease events averted over 5 years was calculated assuming a relative treatment benefit of one quarter. Setting: Auckland, New Zealand. Participants: 2158 men and women aged 35–79 years randomly sampled from the general electoral rolls. Main outcome measures: Predicted 5 year risk of cardiovascular disease event, estimated number of people for whom treatment would be recommended, and disease events averted over 5 years at different treatment thresholds. Results: 46 374 (12%) Auckland residents aged 35–79 receive drug treatment to lower their blood pressure, averting an estimated 1689 disease events over 5 years. Restricting treatment to individuals with blood pressure ≥170/100 mm Hg and those with blood pressure between 150/90-169/99 mm Hg who have a predicted 5 year risk of disease≥10% would increase the net number for whom treatment would be recommended by 19 401. This 42% relative increase is predicted to avert 1139/1689 (68%)additional disease events overall over 5 years compared with current treatment. If the threshold for 5 year risk of disease is set at 15% the number recommended for treatment increases by <10% but about 620/1689 (37%) additional events can be averted. A 20% threshold decreases the net number of patients recommended for treatment by about 10% but averts 204/1689 (12%) more disease events than current treatment. Conclusions: Implementing treatment guidelines that use treatment thresholds based on absolute risk could significantly improve the efficiency of drug treatment to lower blood pressure in primary care.


People are aware of the fact that their memories are fallible. As a result, they spend significant amounts of time preparing for subsequent memory challenges, e.g. by leaving themselves reminders. Recent findings suggest, however, that people's ability to prepare for subsequent retrieval may not always be effective. This paper looks at the efficacy of memory strategies in the context of digital and paper-based note-taking. Prior research has claimed that (a) notes may not always be useful in promoting later retrieval; (b) taking notes may distract people from effectively processing important information. We examined pen and paper note-taking as well as a new generation digital note-taking device ChittyChatty, finding that notes help memory in two ways. First they provide cues that help people retrieve information that they might otherwise forget. Second the act of taking notes helps people to better focus on incoming information even if they never later consult these notes. Finally we found differences between different note-taking strategies. People who take high quality notes remember better than those who focus on exhaustive documentation; taking large volumes of notes decreases the efficiency of retrieval -- possibly because it is more time consuming to scan extensive notes to find relevant retrieval cues.


Aim: The aim is to compare the extent of irrigant penetration
into root canals up to the working length and in simulated lateral
canals after passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) and manual
dynamic agitation (MDA).
Materials and methods: Root canals of 36 single-rooted
extracted teeth were shaped using rotary files. Irrigation was
done with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite and 17% ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid.
Teeth were decalcified in 5% nitric acid.
Lateral canals were created by inserting 10 K-files and then,
the teeth were cleared using methyl salicylate. Samples were
randomly divided into three groups of 12 teeth each: Group
I – Control, group II – PUI, and group III – MDA. A contrast
solution was delivered to the root canals during final irrigation
and activation. Specimens were photographed using dental
operating microscope, and the mean length of dye penetration
was measured.
Results: Data were analyzed using analysis of variance
(ANOVA), Tukey test, and repeated measures ANOVA. Passive
ultrasonic irrigation group showed the highest penetration of
the irrigant upto the working length followed by MDA. Manual
dynamic agitation and PUI groups had equivocal results in
lateral canal irrigation.
Conclusion: Passive ultrasonic irrigation technique is the most
effective in delivering the irrigants up to the working length.
The effectiveness of PUI and MDA is equivocal in lateral canal
irrigation, and hence, MDA can be considered an alternative
to PUI, in the case of nonavailability of PUI.
Clinical significance: The clinician can consider the use
of MDA technique for irrigant agitation in root canals as an
alternative to PUI, based on the extent of irrigant penetration.


Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the physical, psychological, social and financial health of older persons. On this subject, the United Nations published a policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on older persons in May 2020. In line with this, the purpose of this general review is to address three issues affecting older persons living in residential care facilities: protective measures implemented to block the virus' entry, the types of mistreatment most frequently experienced and the necessity to promote and defend the rights of these persons.

Design/methodology/approach
The design of this study is based on input gathered since the end of April during meetings of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) and the results of a July survey of its members.

Findings
The survey results indicate variability in the implementation of protective measures in different countries and the significant presence of mistreatment and violation of the rights of older persons. Three major issues demand attention: ageism, systemic and managerial problems and the effects of implemented measures. All these prompt the INPEA to once again plea for the adoption of an international convention of human rights of older persons.

Originality/value
To our knowledge, this is the first article sharing the views of the INPEA from a global perspective in the context of COVID-19.


We consider a two-phase relaying system with finite blocklengths. We study the performance difference of relaying under the finite blocklength regime as well as under the Shannon capacity regime. Most importantly, we are interested in the conditions that lead to a higher performance of relaying under the finite blocklength regime. We find that these situations are characterized by error probabilities of relaying, e.g., the overall error probability of relaying and the error probability of the bottleneck link of relaying. We identify scenarios where relaying outperforms direct transmission under the finite blocklength regime even if their performances are similar under the Shannon capacity regime. Moreover, we prove that under these scenarios the performance advantage of relaying is more significant with short blocklengths. Finally, numerical results are provided and discussed.


The notion of self and other and its representation in artwork and literature is an important theme in current cultural sciences as well as in our everyday life in contemporary Western societies. Moreover, the concept of self and other and its imaginary dichotomy is gaining more and more political impact in a world of resurfacing ideology-ridden conflicts. The essays deal with Jewish reality in contemporary Germany and its reflection in movies from the special point of view of cultural sciences, political sciences, and religious studies. This anthology presents challengingly new insights into topics rarely covered, such as youth culture or humor, and finally discusses the images of Jewish life as realities still to be constructed.


Floating flaps containing albendazole and closantel were prepared by casting technique, employing Poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide, 75:25), Eudragit RL100, and Eudragit RS100, along with polyethylene glycol 400 as plasticizer. These flaps were evaluated for tensile strength, thickness, percent moisture absorption, water vapor transmission, density, drug content, and in vitro buoyancy test. The release rate was determined in phosphate buffer saline (pH 6.4) and diluted natural ruminal fluid. The floating flaps showed a near zero order release profile for 60 d and were stable over the period. The in viva anthelmintic activity of the flaps was evaluated using eggs per gram method in adult calves. The floating flap containing albendazole and closantel provided protection against all types of parasitic infections for about 3 mo.


Lead releases in Belovo town containing metallurgy enterprise had reached 120 tons/year earlier, but in recent years have decreased to 9 tons/year. Reduction of the production induced decrease of lead levels in the ambient air from 0.7-2.3 mg/m3 in 1994 to 0.001-0.24 mg/m3. Lead concentration in the soil ranges from 30 to 3000 mg/kg. Lead levels were measured in serum of 91 children, in hair of 67 ones and in teeth of 15 children. Serum lead levels in children aged 7-8 years varied from 0.5 to 39 mg/dl, with an average of 9.9 mg/dl (SD is 5.2 mg/dl), geometric mean is 8.5 mg/dl and error of geometric mean is 3.3. 46% of the children had serum lead levels exceeding the normal one (10 mg/dl). Average lead level in the hair equaled 4.5 mg/g (SD is 4.9 mg/g). The children living in towns with higher environmental lead levels demonstrated more frequent anxiety and changes in higher psychic functions. The major points influencing the serum lead level are proximity to highway, dietary load of goods grown near the residence, mother's smoking. Biokinetic model describing lead transfer into the blood helped to evaluate various modes of the enterprise functioning and efficiency of some environmental protection measures. The most efficient are measures aimed to lower dietary intake of lead, less efficiency is associated with measures reducing lead levels in air, dust and soil.


Whether or not perfectionism is a healthy personality characteristic is a topic of much debate among researchers (Flett & Hewitt, 2005). One way to investigate this is to differentiate how "healthy" or "unhealthy" perfectionists perceive achievement demand s. During their athletic careers, athletes experience the achievement demands of transitioning to higher levels of performance. One of the most demanding of these transitions is the junior to senior sport transition. As of yet, there is no research regarding how perfectionists experience and perceive the junior to senior sport transition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how healthy and unhealthy perfectionist athletes experience the transition from junior to senior sport. This study employed a sequential mixed method design. In step 1, 27 current and former members of a high-performance cross-country skiing training program completed the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2 (Sport-MPS-2: Gotwals & Dunn, 2009), and coaches rated the athletes' respective levels of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. Using intra-sample and inter-sample criteria scores for the Sport-MPS-2, and the coaches' ratings, the athletes were designated as either healthy perfectionists, unhealthy perfectionists, or non-perfectionists. However, these characterizations did not yield a sufficient number of participants to compare healthy and unhealthy perfectionists. Therefore, the focus of the study was redirected toward athletes with high perfectionistic strivings, which is one of the overarching dimensions of perfectionism (Stoeber & Otto, 2006). In step 2, using an open-ended interview guide, six athletes who met the criteria of high perfectionistic strivings were interviewed regarding their respective experiences and perceptions of the junior to senior sport transition. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Eight themes emerged from the analysis: Balancing Priorities, Expectations as National Training Program Skiers,


Abstract : The report describes the Classroom Information and Computing Service (Clics), a pedagogical computer-based information system that is used as a case study in the subject 'Information Systems' in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering at M.I.T. Clics is an abstraction of the Multiplexed Information and Computing Service (Multics) that is being implemented by Project MAC at M.I.T. As such, it is an example of a computer utility. Clics is derived from Multics by a combination of simplifying the mechanisms of Multics and removing some of its more exotic features; and embodies research into ways to simplify the mechanisms of Multics without sacrificing service objectives. The report is a specification of the hardware, control programs, and system implementation language of the Clics system, as developed to date. The system is specified in sufficient detail for students to develop a structural as well as a functional understanding of its operation and mechanisms. As the primary case study for an undergraduate subject, Clics provides specific examples of the complexities in a general purpose information system, and methods of coping with them. (Author)


The utilization wall, caused by the breakdown of threshold voltage scaling, hinders performance gains for new generation microprocessors. We propose an instruction fusion technique for multiscalar and many-core processors to alleviate its impact. With instruction fusion, similar copies of an instruction to be run on multiple pipelines or cores are merged into a single copy for simultaneous execution. Instruction fusion applied to vector code enables the processor to idle early pipeline stages and instruction caches at various times during program implementation with minimum performance degradation, while reducing program size and the required instruction memory bandwidth. Instruction fusion is applied here to a MIPS-based dual-core that resembles an ideal multiscalar of degree two. Benchmarking using an FPGA prototype shows a 6-11% reduction in the dynamic power dissipation for the targeted applications as well as a 17-45% decrease in code size with frequent performance improvements due to higher instruction cache hit rates.


The Past in the Present deals with the complexities in the operation and management of living heritage sites. It presents a new interpretation of such sites based on the concept of continuity, and its evolution to the present. It is demonstrated that the current theoretical framework and practice of conservation, as best epitomised in a values-based approach and the World Heritage concept, is based on discontinuity created between the monuments (considered to belong to the past) and the people of the present, thus seemingly unable to embrace living heritage sites. From this position, the study suggests an innovative approach that views communities and sites as an inseparable entity: a Living Heritage Approach. This approach brings a new insight into key concepts such as authenticity and sustainable development. Through the use of the monastic site of Meteora, Greece, as a case study, the discussion generated aims to shift the focus of conservation from 'preservation' towards a continual process of 'creation' in an ongoing present, attempting to change the way heritage is perceived, protected and, more importantly, further created.


Abstract The stochasticity of Aspergillus oryzae (Trivially: the koji mold) pan-metabolomes commensurate with its ubiquitously distributed landscapes, i.e. growth matrices have been seemed uncharted since its food fermentative systems are mostly being investigated. In this review, we explicitly have discussed the likely tendencies of A. oryzae metabolomes pertaining to its growth milieu formulated with substrate matrices of varying nature, composition, texture, and associated physicochemical parameters. We envisaged typical food matrices, namely, meju, koji, and moromi as the semi-natural cultivation models toward delineating the metabolomic patterns of the koji mold, which synergistically influences the organoleptic and functional properties of the end products. Further, we highlighted how tailored conditions in sub-natural growth matrices, i.e. synthetic cultivation media blends, inducers, and growth surfaces, may influence A. oryzae metabolomes and targeted phenotypes. In general, the sequential or synchronous growth of A. oryzae on formulated matrices results in a number of metabolic tradeoffs with its immediate microenvironment influencing its adaptive and regulatory metabolomes. In broader context, evaluating the metabolic plasticity of A. oryzae relative to the tractable variables in formulated growth matrices might help approximate its growth and metabolism in the more complex natural matrices and environs. These approaches may considerably help in the design and manipulation of hybrid cultivation systems towards the efficient harnessing of commercial molds.


Recent studies with kindling and convulsant drug models of epilepsy suggest that the piriform (primary olfactory) cortex may be particularly susceptible to generation of epileptiform activity. The present study has examined the generation of interictal epileptiform events in the piriform cortex of kindled rats in vivo, taking advantage of special features of this system that facilitate physiological analysis. The investigation included analysis of extracellular and intracellular potentials, and membrane currents computed by current source density (CSD) analysis. In pyramidal cells, epileptiform events consisted of an initial EPSP that occurred in all-or-none fashion and a long-lasting IPSP with Cl(-)- and K(+)-mediated components. Onset of the IPSP was sufficiently fast that firing evoked by the EPSP was consistently limited to single action potentials. CSD analysis revealed the presence of two distinctly different excitatory epileptiform currents: an initial inward current of unknown origin that is widely distributed over depth, and a second much larger inward current at the depths of proximal apical and basal dendrites of pyramidal cells. It was concluded that this second component is mediated by the associational projections of pyramidal cells excited by the first component. Since these heavy associational projections also extend to neighboring areas including the amygdala, entorhinal cortex, and insular and orbitofrontal areas of neocortex, this second component could be widely propagated within the basal forebrain. An important finding was that the EPSP generated by this associational pathway was completely blocked in cell bodies of pyramidal cells in piriform cortex by the IPSP during most events. This IPSP may therefore play a critical role in limiting seizure activity by preventing reverberating positive feedback in the pyramidal cell population. It can be speculated that compromise of this IPSP, as by repetitive activation by the shock trains used for kindling, leads to prolonged epileptic activity in the piriform cortex and the many limbic structures to which it projects.


With the support of powerful calculation ability of computer and Fluent of CFD software, integrative simulation research of the variable thrust liquid propellant rocket engine was developed. Numerical simulation of interior flow field of a variable thrust rocket engine with flux-oriented injector was done. The distributions of pressure, temperature, molar fraction of product and flow mach numbers were attained. By the contrast of the calculation results, the effects of structure parameters and working condition etc. on total whole performance of variable thrust rocket engine were analyzed. The results also provided theoretic references for design and optimization of variable thrust rocket engine.


To successfully select and implement nudges, policy makers need a psychological understanding of who opposes nudges, how they are perceived, and when alternative methods (e.g., forced choice) might work better. Using two representative samples, we examined four factors that influence U.S. attitudes toward nudges – types of nudges, individual dispositions, nudge perceptions, and nudge frames. Most nudges were supported, although opt-out defaults for organ donations were opposed in both samples. "System 1" nudges (e.g., defaults and sequential orderings) were viewed less favorably than "System 2" nudges (e.g., educational opportunities or reminders). System 1 nudges were perceived as more autonomy threatening, whereas System 2 nudges were viewed as more effective for better decision making and more necessary for changing behavior. People with greater empathetic concern tended to support both types of nudges and viewed them as the "right" kind of goals to have. Individualists opposed both types of nudges, and conservatives tended to oppose both types. Reactant people and those with a strong desire for control opposed System 1 nudges. To see whether framing could influence attitudes, we varied the description of the nudge in terms of the target (Personal vs. Societal) and the reference point for the nudge (Costs vs. Benefits). Empathetic people were more supportive when framing highlighted societal costs or benefits, and reactant people were more opposed to nudges when frames highlighted the personal costs of rejection.


The chemical and enzymatic degradation of monodisperse oligo(e-capro- lactone) (OCL) and its amphiphilic block oligomer with methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) were investigated in order to obtain insight into the degradation of mPEG-b- OCL micelles. Hydrolytic degradation was studied as function of pH and dielectric constant of the medium, and enzymatic degradation was investigated at different enzyme and substrate concentrations. The degradation was monitored by HPLC and MS, and the micelle destabilization with DLS. It was found that the hydrolytic degrada- tion followed pseudo first order kinetics, and that the rate depended on the pH and dielectric constant. Degradation essentially occurred via a random scission process, and induced micelle destabilization after approximately 1.5 degradation half-lives. At phy- siological pH and temperature, OCLs are very stable, reflected by an estimated degra- dation half-life of mPEG-b-OCL micelles of several years. However, the presence of lipase resulted in an accelerated degradation with half-lives of a few days to hours. The enzymatic degradation of mPEG-b-OCL followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The results indicate that mPEG-b-OCL micelles are very stable in vitro, but their suscept- ibility to enzymes such as lipase makes these systems suitable for the hydrolysis


Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal coding and system architecture were implemented to achieve radar and data communication functionalities. The resultant system is a software-defined unit, which can be used for range measurements, radar imaging, and data communications. Range reconstructions were performed for ranges up to 4 m using trihedral corner reflectors with approximately 203 m of radar cross section at the carrier frequency; range resolution of approximately 0.3 m was demonstrated. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image of a single corner reflector was obtained; SAR signal processing specific to OFDM signals is presented. Data communication tests were performed in radar setup, where the signal was reflected by the same target and decoded as communication data; bit error rate of was achieved at 57 Mb/s. The system shows good promise as a multifunctional software-defined sensor which can be used in radar sensor networks.


This paper describes how, with the advancement of technology, the presence of automated systems has continued to increase in a variety of environments, including ground transportation. A continuing challenge with increased automation is designing systems that help operators stay in the loop, thus ensuring that they will be able to react when necessary. The means of countering vigilance decrements associated with automation have ranged from such devices as "Dead Man" switches to more complex computer-based interventions that require constant operator attention. This study examined the utility of periodic auditory alerts that required a response by the operator. Fourteen adults drove under automated control in one practice drive and three study drives with a total duration of approximately 75 minutes. At the end of each drive, participants rated their fatigue using a visual analog scale. During two of the three study drives, participants were presented with periodic alerts that required acknowledgement by pressing a button located on the operator's armrest. The immediate effects of these alerts on the operator were recorded. Analysis of the data revealed that operators acknowledged all of the alerts but that there was no statistical difference in reaction time between operator state conditions. Additional analyses revealed that following the alert, operators were more likely to observe the environment outside the cab and were more awake. This study provides useful insights into the effects of periodic alerts used to assist operators of automated control vehicles.


This article addresses the issue of optimal patent protection in an economy with a downstream and an upstream sector. The key insight is that higher patent protection in the downstream sector raises the incentives of agents to do R&D in that sector but discourages innovation in the upstream sector because of a market size effect. Hence, higher patent protection in the upstream sector accelerates growth whereas higher patent protection in the downstream sector slows it down. If some innovation is socially desirable, optimal patent protection is necessarily higher in the upstream than in the downstream sector.


The present study aims at mapping and interpreting the factors that stand out as relevant to personal change in Lacanian psychoanalytic therapy from a first-person perspective. Using interview data of participants' personal accounts of their therapeutic journey, we applied (phenomenologically inspired) thematic analysis to gain insight into what they believed effectuated change. We provide a descriptive thematic account of what patients indicated as crucial to change. Second, we interpret the data within the context of Lacan's seminal text "The Function and Field of Language and Speech in Psychoanalysis," which provides a theory of change in psychoanalysis. We discerned five principal themes, each of which revolves around a single aspect of the therapeutic process. Participants indicated that they came to the therapy at a moment of crisis, experienced a surprising reframing, and that they had found somebody who paid close attention to their speech. Because of this, they also began to consider their speech and this helped them to see themselves in a new light. It helped them to reflect on what they really wanted. Participants indicated that such self-reflection was directly related to personal change. We situate these themes in terms of Lacan's seminal text "Function and Field of Language and Speech in Psychoanalysis." We observed reasonable coherence between the key themes discerned in our participants' interview data, and the key points Lacan stresses in "Function and Field."


Women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is related to the hierarchical social structure of gender relations in these fields. However, interventions to increase women's participation have focused primarily on women's interests rather than on STEM managers' hiring practices. In this research, we examine STEM hiring practices, explore the implicit bias in criteria used by STEM managers, and suggest possible corrective solutions. Using an experimental design with 213 men and women STEM managers, we show that when evaluating a female candidate, women and men STEM managers apply differential selection criteria, with men demonstrating implicit in-group gender favoritism in their hiring decisions. Specifically, the ability to work long hours was a more important criterion for male managers when evaluating a female candidate, forming an implicit gender bias, whereas female managers gave greater importance to problem-solving ability, a more gender-equal criterion. Adding a personal note to the curriculum vitae stating that the candidate had hired a full-time nanny was useful in decreasing the importance of the ability to work long hours criterion for men managers. We suggest individual and institutional interventions to reduce this bias, as a path to increasing women's participation in STEM.


Limestone remains the most exploited and crucial industrial mineral worldwide, hence mining activities within limestone quarries will imminently prevail. Quarrying for limestone is an economic necessity that is not only hazardous to humans but also one that invariably has deleterious effect on the environment. Information on the performance of tree species is important as plants are key in the revegetation of exhausted quarries. A comparison of field performance of Acacia xanthophloea, Schinus molle, Casuarina equisetifolia and Grevillea robusta was made in an exhausted limestone quarry in a semi-arid area, in Athi River, Kenya. The exhausted quarry was backfilled with the mine waste material and then leveled. Four blocks, each 25 m x 25 m, were established at the quarry site for tree planting and control, using the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Six months old seedlings of each species produced in a nursery were transplanted in the plots. The sequence of planting the four species was varied from block to block. One block was left unplanted for control. Growth performances were estimated by measuring tree height, diameter at the stem base (BD), and diameter at breast height (DBH). Seedling height (cm) and stem diameter (cm) were measured immediately after planting, and thereafter measurements were recorded every two weeks for a period of two years. To avoid border effect, the height and diameter of the middle 10 trees of each species in each block were measured, as these were less susceptible to external influence. The tree height from ground level to tip of the youngest leaf was determined using a tape measure. A Vernier caliper was used to measure basal stem diameter 1 cm above the soil surface. A line was painted on the trunk, to ensure repeat measurements are made at the same point for the diameter. To maintain consistency during data collection, a similar method was used for measurements of diameter at breast height (1m above soil). This commenced at the beginning of year II of planting when most trees had attained a height of at least 1.3 m. Diameter at breast height was measured immediately below a branch if this occurred at a height of 1 m. The study revealed that the time-species interaction was significant (p<0.001), indicating continuous tree growth for all the species. The tree species performance was varied. C. equisetifolia recorded the highest growth increments for the height (525.3 cm), BD (7.42 cm) and DBH (4.94 cm) and the highest growth rates for tree height (14.24 cm/month), BD (0.23 cm/month) and DBH (0.14 cm/month), indicating superior performance. This was followed by A. xanthophloea and S. molle. Grevillea robusta showed poor performance and recorded the lowest growth rates: tree height (1.35 cm/month), BD (0.017 cm/month) and DBH (0.023 cm/month). These results also indicated that there is species-specific response that may be due to different water- and nutrient-use strategies and growth patterns. From the study, C. equisetifolia has the best growth performance followed by A. xanthophloea. The two species are therefore recommended to be used in the rehabilitation of limestone quarries in similar semi-arid conditions.


Introduction 1 Part I: Navigating a World of Information 7 Chapter 1: Mapping Your Way: Starting to Write Essays 9 Chapter 2: Getting Going and Keeping Going 27 Chapter 3: Working Out the Essay Type 45 Part II: Researching, Recording and Reformulating 63 Chapter 4: Eyes Down: Academic Reading 65 Chapter 5: Researching Online 85 Chapter 6: Note Taking and Organising Your Material 97 Chapter 7: Avoiding Plagiarism 115 Part III: Mastering Language and Style 129 Chapter 8: Writing with Confidence: Brushing Up Your Grammar 131 Chapter 9: Penning the Perfect Paragraph 147 Chapter 10: Writing in the Academic Style 163 Part IV: Tightening Your Structure and Organisation 189 Chapter 11: Preparing the Aperitif: The Introduction 191 Chapter 12: Serving the Main Course: The Essay's Body 201 Chapter 13: Dishing Up Dessert: The Conclusion 215 Chapter 14: Acknowledging Sources of Information 227 Part V: Finishing with a Flourish: The Final Touches 243 Chapter 15: Editing and Proofreading: It's All in the Detail 245 Chapter 16: Perfecting Your Presentation 259 Chapter 17 : Moving On: Results and Feedback 269 Part VI: The Part of Tens 279 Chapter 18: Ten Troubleshooting Tips 281 Chapter 19: Ten Tips for Writing Essays in Exams 289 Index 301


The palatal rugae have been used as a reference landmark and identification marker by orthodontists and forensic analysts. However, the reliability of palatal rugae as a forensic marker remains questionable once an individual is subjected to orthodontic treatment. This study aimed at evaluating the changes in the rugae pattern after nonextraction, extraction, and maxillary expansion orthodontic treatment. The lengths and shapes of palatal rugae were evaluated on the pretreatment and post‐treatment dental casts of 168 subjects using the Thomas and Kotze classification. Extraction treatment significantly reduced the second and third rugae lengths (p < 0.05), whereas the third rugae length was significantly increased after palatal expansion (p < 0.05). The shape of rugae remained consistent in all the study groups which may be used as a reliable forensic marker in subjects undergoing orthodontic treatment. However, the use of the lengths of palatal rugae in forensic odontology must be made with caution.


Patients with cortical reflex myoclonus manifest typical neurophysiologic characteristics due to primary sensorimotor cortex (S1/M1) hyperexcitability, namely, contralateral giant somatosensory-evoked potentials/fields and a C-reflex (CR) in the stimulated arm. Some patients show a CR in both arms in response to unilateral stimulation, with about 10-ms delay in the non-stimulated compared with the stimulated arm. This bilateral C-reflex (BCR) may reflect strong involvement of bilateral S1/M1. However, the significance and exact pathophysiology of BCR within 50 ms are yet to be established because it is difficult to identify a true ipsilateral response in the presence of the giant component in the contralateral hemisphere. We hypothesized that in patients with BCR, bilateral S1/M1 activity will be detected using MEG source localization and interhemispheric connectivity will be stronger than in healthy controls (HCs) between S1/M1 cortices. We recruited five patients with cortical reflex myoclonus with BCR and 15 HCs. All patients had benign adult familial myoclonus epilepsy. The median nerve was electrically stimulated unilaterally. Ipsilateral activity was investigated in functional regions of interest that were determined by the N20m response to contralateral stimulation. Functional connectivity was investigated using weighted phase-lag index (wPLI) in the time-frequency window of 30–50 ms and 30–100 Hz. Among seven of the 10 arms of the patients who showed BCR, the average onset-to-onset delay between the stimulated and the non-stimulated arm was 8.4 ms. Ipsilateral S1/M1 activity was prominent in patients. The average time difference between bilateral cortical activities was 9.4 ms. The average wPLI was significantly higher in the patients compared with HCs in specific cortico-cortical connections. These connections included precentral-precentral, postcentral-precentral, inferior parietal (IP)-precentral, and IP-postcentral cortices interhemispherically (contralateral region-ipsilateral region), and precentral-IP and postcentral-IP intrahemispherically (contralateral region-contralateral region). The ipsilateral response in patients with BCR may be a pathologically enhanced motor response homologous to the giant component, which was too weak to be reliably detected in HCs. Bilateral representation of sensorimotor responses is associated with disinhibition of the transcallosal inhibitory pathway within homologous motor cortices, which is mediated by the IP. IP may play a role in suppressing the inappropriate movements seen in cortical myoclonus.


We propose a new body sensor for extracting the respiration rate based on the amplitude changes in the body surface potential differences between two proximal body electrodes. The sensor could be designed as a plaster-like reusable unit that can be easily fixed onto the surface of the body. It could be equipped either with a sufficiently large memory for storing the measured data or with a low-power radio system that can transmit the measured data to a gateway for further processing. We explore the influence of the sensor's position on the quality of the extracted results using multi-channel ECG measurements and considering all the pairs of two neighboring electrodes as potential respiration-rate sensors. The analysis of the clinical measurements, which also include reference thermistor-based respiration signals, shows that the proposed approach is a viable option for monitoring the respiration frequency and for a rough classification of breathing types. The obtained results were evaluated on a wireless prototype of a respiration body sensor. We indicate the best positions for the respiration body sensor and prove that a single sensor for body surface potential difference on proximal skin electrodes can be used for combined measurements of respiratory and cardiac activities.


The focus of this thesis is on groundwater vulnerability assessment by process-based simulation models and data acquisition for these assessments. A modelling system for intrinsic groundwater vulnerability assessment in water supply areas was developed, consisting of flow- and transport models for the unsaturated zone and the groundwater zone, coupled to a geographical informa-tion system. The system was applied to a water supply area located close to a major road south of Stockholm. Chloride was used as an indicator in determining the vulnerability for groundwater contamination from the road. The approach was useful to illustrate the dynamic change of chlo-ride concentrations both during the stage of continuous application and after the applications was terminated. A structure and content of a database for flow and transport modelling, based on hydrogeological environments, was outlined. An existing hydrogeological parameter database, HPAR at the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), was examined as a potential source of data for the new database. Values for some important parameters needed for groundwater modelling, such as hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity, were lacking in the three municipal HPAR databases that were studied. It was suggested that these data should be added, together with information on the hydrogeological environments, for all geographical positions of interest. Without such minimum information, the efficient use of modelling tools could not be expected. Typical profiles of three common Swedish hydrogeological environments (sand deposits, glacial till and clay covered areas) were used to represent generic input data to model simulations in the unsaturated zone so that the importance of soil, vegetation type and groundwater levels on turn-over times of conservative contaminants transported by natural recharge could be examined. The same profiles were used to predict the penetration depth of accidental liquid spills that occur at the land surface level. In the case of contaminant transport by natural recharge, water storage in the soil profile and vegetation type played an important role for turnover times. For liquid spills, the hydraulic con-ductivity was found to be of major importance, while the water retention properties were of less importance. Modelling, together with available data sources, were successfully used to demon-strate the vulnerability of different environmental conditions.


PURPOSE
Recent studies show evidence of multisensory representation in the functionally normal visual cortex, but this idea remains controversial. Occipital cortex activation is often claimed to be a reflection of mental visual imagery processes triggered by other modalities. However, if the occipital cortex is genuinely active during touch, this might be the basis for the massive cross-modal plasticity observed in the congenitally blind.

METHODS
To address these issues, we used fMRI to compare patterns of activation evoked by a tactile object recognition (TOR) task (right or left hand) in 8 sighted and 8 congenitally blind subjects, with several other control tasks.

RESULTS
TOR robustly activated object selective regions in the lateral occipital complex (LOC/LOtv) in the blind (similar to the patterns of activation found in the sighted), indicating that object identification per se (i.e. in the absence of visual imagery) is sufficient to evoke responses in the LOC/LOtv. Importantly, there was negligible occipital activation for hand movements (imitating object palpations) in the occipital cortex, in both groups. Moreover, in both groups, TOR activation in the LOC/LOtv was bilateral, regardless of the palpating hand (similar to the lack of strong visual field preference in the LOC/LOtv for viewed objects). Finally, the most prominent enhancement in TOR activation in the congenitally blind (compared to their sighted peers) was found in the posterior occipital cortex.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that visual imagery is not an obligatory condition for object activation in visual cortex. It also demonstrates the massive plasticity in visual cortex of the blind for tactile object recognition that involves both the ventral and dorsal occipital areas, probably to support the high demand for this function in the blind.


Openness is one of the central values of science. Open scientific practices such as sharing data, materials and analysis scripts alongside published articles have many benefits, including easier replication and extension studies, increased availability of data for theory-building and meta-analysis, and increased possibility of review and collaboration even after a paper has been published. Although modern information technology makes sharing easier than ever before, uptake of open practices had been slow. We suggest this might be in part due to a social dilemma arising from misaligned incentives and propose a specific, concrete mechanism—reviewers withholding comprehensive review—to achieve the goal of creating the expectation of open practices as a matter of scientific principle.


Purpose: Liquid biopsy offers a minimally invasive tool to diagnose and monitor the heterogeneous molecular landscape of tumors over time and therapy. Detection of TERT promoter mutations (C228T, C250T) in cfDNA has been successful for some systemic cancers but has yet to be demonstrated in gliomas, despite the high prevalence of these mutations in glioma tissue (>60% of all tumors). Experimental Design: Here, we developed a novel digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assay that incorporates features to improve sensitivity and allows for the simultaneous detection and longitudinal monitoring of two TERT promoter mutations (C228T and C250T) in cfDNA from the plasma of patients with glioma. Results: In baseline performance in tumor tissue, the assay had perfect concordance with an independently performed clinical pathology laboratory assessment of TERT promoter mutations in the same tumor samples [95% confidence interval (CI), 94%–100%]. Extending to matched plasma samples, we detected TERT mutations in both discovery and blinded multi-institution validation cohorts with an overall sensitivity of 62.5% (95% CI, 52%–73%) and a specificity of 90% (95% CI, 80%–96%) compared with the gold-standard tumor tissue–based detection of TERT mutations. Upon longitudinal monitoring in 5 patients, we report that peripheral TERT-mutant allele frequency reflects the clinical course of the disease, with levels decreasing after surgical intervention and therapy and increasing with tumor progression. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the feasibility of detecting circulating cfDNA TERT promoter mutations in patients with glioma with clinically relevant sensitivity and specificity.


We propose a feasible approach on managing the heterogeneous data in distributed enterprise environment, which leverages the born data presentation and calculation ability of spreadsheet to unify the enterprise information access to heterogeneous data sources through its core component: universal distributed data interchanging middleware (UDDIM). Afterwards, we focus on the problem of unifying all kinds of heterogeneous data sources from heterogeneous OS in Intranet through CORBA and Internet through SOAP into one single "Spreadsheet World". And this "Spreadsheet World" is bridged to and fro other information worlds through information gateway technology. XML technique is used to achieve data exchanging regardless of the differences of low-level communication mechanisms. As a result, all clients can access and utilize information from one single "Spreadsheet World" in variety of ways, both powerfully and easily.


Phenyl N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN) is commonly employed in spin-trapping studies. We report here evidence that PBN in aqueous solutions is decomposed by two pathways leading to the generation of nitric oxide ('NO). The first pathway is by hydrolysis of PBN, which is strongly catalyzed by ferric iron. The second pathway is via PBN-hydroxyl radical adduct formation. 'NO was trapped in the presence of cysteine and ferrous iron to form a [(~ys)~Fe(N0)~]- ~ complex, which was measured by use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. A concomitant metabolite, benzaldehyde, was detected from both reaction mixtures. We propose that PBN is hydrolyzed by Fe3+ or attacked by hydroxyl radical, leading eventually to a common transient species, tert-butyl hydronitroxide [t-BuN(O')H], which is further oxidized to a 'NO source, 1-BuNO. Our data imply that PBN may decompose to 'NO when used in biological models with oxidative stress conditions.


Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) is an attractive subtractive method for complex 3d structurization of hard and very hard conductive and semi-conductive materials. The machining capabilities of a material do not depend on its hardness but on its electric conductibility and its melting point. The absence of any mechanical interaction between tool (the electrode) and machined part makes the electroerosion a well-adapted process for micro-structurization. In the passage from the macro to the micro-electroerosion (µEDM), some of the elements of the machine have to be adapted in order to improve the performances and to obtain accurate movements. The goal is to manufacture millimeters-sized shapes with an accuracy of a hundred of nanometers. This thesis deals the problem of the µEDM with a three degrees of freedom (DOF) mechanism, based on a parallel kinematics and flexure joints (the Delta3 robot). In addition to its high accuracy (5 nm) and high bandwidth (500 Hz), the Delta3 robot has the particularity of being free of backlash, wear and stick-slip phenomena. These performances have allowed to verify the importance of the time constants in the servo loop of the process, by many experiences of micro-drilling. Simulations have demonstrated the advantages brought by the dynamic, in the improvement of the µEDM process. Bad flushing conditions and very small gaps (<10 µm), generate elevated gradients of contamination, to which the frequency response of the machine must be adapted. Simulations have shown that the balance between the material removal rate and the evacuation rate can be improved by adjusting the electrode-part distance at a frequency of a few hundreds of hertz. These back and forth movements have to be fast and accurate: first, to adjust quickly and precisely the breaking voltage distance and second, to guarantee a good machining accuracy. An industrial version of the prototype finalized during this thesis will be commercialized soon by AGIE (the company that supported this work).


Recent innovations in the information technology and computing devices magnified the volume of available information. Today's decision makers face the challenge of analyzing ever more data in shorter timeframes. Demand for technology that can efficiently assist systematic data analysis is constantly growing. Development of dedicated information systems is, however, difficult both from organizational and technological point of view. First, traditional software production is a complex and time-consuming process that can not be performed under time-pressure. Second, changing business conditions and evolving stakeholder needs require solutions that can be efficiently tailored over time. Finally, costs of custom software development are high, so that not all use cases and scenarios can be covered sufficiently. This thesis proposes a holistic approach to address the challenges above and to enable efficient development of decision support software. The main idea is to empower end users, i.e., decision makers, in constructing their own case-specific solutions. The proposed approach called WebComposition for End-User Development consists of a systematic process for development and evolution of decision support systems, assistance mechanisms to address lack of programming skills by decision makers and evolution facilities to enable costand time-efficient extensibility of user-produced solutions. The thesis describes implementation of the devised principles and ideas in the context of several open-source projects and application scenarios. Applicability and usability of the concepts are demonstrated in user studies with respective target groups. Based on the outcome analysis the thesis concludes that end users can and should actively participate in construction of decision support software.


Determination of dynamic shear modulus in situ has been an increasingly important source of data for ground response analysis for earthquake design studies. Historically, shear modulus is calculated from in situ measurement of seismic shear-wave velocity. A downhole impact energy source has been developed which maximizes the shear-wave energy produced and minimizes compressional-wave energy for purposes of crosshole in situ seismic shear-wave velocity measurements. The geometry of the energy source permits reversal of the polarity of shear-wave arrivals without changing the polarity of compressional-wave arrivals. The energy source is described and in situ measurement data are presented. Based on more than three years experience using the downhole source, a procedure for in situ measurement of seismic shear-wave velocity is suggested.


Four hundred twenty-one cultivated (Vitis vinifera ssp. sativa) and four alleged wild grapevine samples (putative Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris) from the Castilian Plateau in northern central Spain were genotyped at the six nuclear microsatellite loci (SSRs) proposed as a standard set for cultivar identification by the GENRES 081 project, yielding 121 different genotypes. The cultivated data set yielded 300 redundant samples, 13 homonyms, and 27 previously unreported genotypes, almost one-fourth of the nonredundant genotypes. Nonredundant genotypes were examined at another 16 nuclear and three chloroplast additional microsatellite loci for further analyses. Three differentiated genetic clusters were detected among them, separating (1) Muscat-type accessions and interspecific Vitis hybrids, (2) accessions from France and the western Castilian Plateau, and (3) accessions from the central Castilian Plateau together with local table grapes. The close relatedness of accessions from the western plateau among each other and to French varieties supported introduction of the latter along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. White-berried cultivars from the central plateau were also closely related. Chlorotype data suggested that previously unpublished genotypes and autochthonous Castilian varieties had local origins or resulted from crosses between introduced and local varieties. Morphological features and allelic composition suggested that three of the four samples collected from wild habitats were closely related and might represent genuine Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris individuals.


This report presents a detailed description of the phenomena flashover, backdraft and smoke gas explosion. The physical and chemical processes which are involved in these phenomena are thoroughly discussed. The report also describes a number of compartment fire scenarios which are believed to be the most common scenarios occurring in Sweden. The description is based on a number of full- scale experiments which were carried out within the project. At the end of the report, possible warning signs of a potential flashover and backdraft are discussed. In the appendices, a number of models used to predict flashover are evaluated, using data from small scale experiments carried out within the project. (Less)


The purpose of this paper is to analyze the main features in the conduct of monetary policy in Brazil. Initially, we focus on the inflation targeting regime, reviewing the background that led to its adoption in mid-1999, the institutional framework implemented in the country, and the challenges and achievements reached so far. Then we move to the analysis of the public debt management, highlighting its objectives and results, with particular emphasis on the debt composition and average maturity. The third section discusses the open market procedures. The paper ends with a brief description of specific policy issues to be addressed by the Central Bank in the near future.


Computers and their constituent electronics continue to shrink. The same amount of work can be done with increasingly smaller and cheaper components that need less power to function than before. In wireless sensor networks, the energy needed by one sensor node borders the amount that is already present in its immediate surroundings. Equipping the electronics with a micro generator or energy harvester gives the possibility that it can become self-sufficient in energy.In this thesis two kinds of energy harvesters are investigated. One absorbs vibrations and converts them into electricity by means of piezo-electricity. The other converts heat flow through a semiconductor to electricity, utilizing a thermoelectric effect. Principles governing the performance, actual performance of off-the-shelf components and design considerations of the energy harvester have been treated. The thermoelectric micro generator has been measured to output power at 2.7 mW and 20°C with a load of 10 W. The piezoelectric micro generator has been measured to output power at 2.3 mW at 56.1 Hz, with a mechanical trim weight and a load of 565 W. In these conditions the power density of the generators lies between 2-3 W/m2.


Providing physicians with new imaging agents to help detect cancer with better sensitivity and specificity has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes. Development of new imaging agents could offer improved early cancer detection during routine screening or help surgeons identify tumor margins for surgical resection. In this study, we evaluate the optical properties of a colorful class of dyes and pigments that humans routinely encounter. The pigments are often used in tattoo inks and the dyes are FDA approved for the coloring of foods, drugs, and cosmetics. We characterized their absorption, fluorescence and Raman scattering properties in the hopes of identifying a new panel of dyes that offer exceptional imaging contrast. We found that some of these coloring agents, coined as "optical inks", exhibit a multitude of useful optical properties, outperforming some of the clinically approved imaging dyes on the market. The best performing optical inks (Green 8 and Orange 16) were further incorporated into liposomal nanoparticles to assess their tumor targeting and optical imaging potential. Mouse xenograft models of colorectal, cervical and lymphoma tumors were used to evaluate the newly developed nano-based imaging contrast agents. After intravenous injection, fluorescence imaging revealed significant localization of the new "optical ink" liposomal nanoparticles in all three tumor models as opposed to their neighboring healthy tissues (p < 0.05). If further developed, these coloring agents could play important roles in the clinical setting. A more sensitive imaging contrast agent could enable earlier cancer detection or help guide surgical resection of tumors, both of which have been shown to significantly improve patient survival.


Computer simulation and modelling of the human body and its behaviour are very useful tools in situations where it is either too risky to perform an invasive procedure or too costly for in vivo experiments or simply impossible for ethical reasons. In this paper we describe a method to model the electrical behaviour of human brain from segmented MR images. The aim of the work is to use these models to predict the electrical activity of human brain under normal and pathological conditions. The image processing software package MIMICS is used for 3D volume segmentation of MR images. These models have detailed 3D representation of major tissue surfaces within the head, with over 12 different tissues segmented. In addition, computational tools in Matlab were developed for calculating normal vectors on the brain surface and for associating this information to the equivalent electrical dipole sources as an input into the model.


This paper presents a realization of a self-sensing ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) device by patterning its surface electrodes and thus creating separate actuator and sensor parts. The sensor and actuator elements of such device are still electrically coupled through the capacitance and/or conductivity of the ionic polymer. By creating a separate grounded shielding electrode between the two parts, it is possible to suppress significantly the undesired cross-talk from the actuator to the sensor. The paper at hand compares three different methods for separating sensor and actuator parts: manual scraping, machine milling, and laser ablation. The basis of comparison of the methods is the electrical characteristics of the device after realizing the surface patterns and the convenience of manufacturing.


Abstract : Email archives have the promise of serving as great resources for historians and social scientists. However, making sense of the information in these archives is a challenge. Email messages are often not self-contained and are instead a part of an ongoing discussion. The process of determining when discussions commence and conclude is a difficult task to automate. Threading messages by common subject lines and reply-chain information in email headers has been a common way of assembling messages into discussions. However, even though email provides this structured information, it does not usually reflect the user's behavior. Our work helps email archive explorers interpret the archived messages by providing access to the full scope of discussions that stretch beyond the thread. We present an interactive visualization that allows explorers to perceive a discussion and navigate over time and people to gain the context they need.


Harish Patel 1,2 Jasbir Makker 1,2 Trupti Vakde Danial Shaikh Kanthi Badipatla James Dunne Nikhitha Mantri Suresh Kumar Nayudu Mariela Glandt Bhavna Balar Sridhar Chilimuri 1,2 1Department of Medicine, Bronx Care Health System, Affiliated with Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, NY, USA; 2Division of Gastroenterology, Bronx Care Health System, Affiliated with Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, NY, USA; 3Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Bronx Care Health System, Affiliated with Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, NY, USA; 4Support Service and Operation, Bronx Care Health System, Affiliated with Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, NY, USA Purpose: Mouse model experiments have demonstrated an increased Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) severity with Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) use. We aim to evaluate the impact of NSAIDs in humans after a diagnosis of CDI on primary outcomes defined as I) all-cause mortality and II) toxic mega-colon attributable to CDI. Patients and methods: All hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of CDI were divided into two groups; those with NSAIDs administered up to 10 days after onset of CDI versus no NSAIDs use. The primary outcomes were analyzed between the groups, while controlling for severity of CDI. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of worse outcomes. Results: NSAIDs were administered in 14% (n=80) of the 568 hospitalized visits for an average of 2.5 days after the CDI diagnosis. All-cause mortality was high in patients who did not receive NSAIDs as compared to those who did receive NSAIDs (16.6% vs 12.5%, p 0.354). Patients who were prescribed NSAIDs were more likely to have toxic mega-colon as compared to those who were not prescribed NSAIDs (2.5% vs 0.6%, p 0.094). Results were not statistically significant, even after controlling for CDI severity. Logistic regression analysis did not identify NSAIDs administration as a significant factor for all-cause mortality in CDI patients. Conclusion: This retrospective study results, contrary to mouse model, did not show association between NSAID use and CDI related mortality and toxic mega-colon. Shorter duration of NSAIDs use, younger people in study group, and timely CDI treatment may have resulted in contrasting results.


The use of fast-growing tropical plants in planning phytoextraction strategies has been documented by several researchers. The work presented here examines the effect of germination on chelate-assisted phytoextraction of heavy metals by Abelmoschus esculentus cultivated on the Bashiri dumpsite Ado Ekiti. Topsoil (0 – 15 cm) samples were randomly collected from the dumpsite, control samples were collected in similar manner at 200 m away from the dumpsite. The pH, content of organic matter, cation exchange capacity as well as heavy metals concentrations of the soil samples were determined after the soil samples were treated properly. The seedlings of Abelmoschus esculentus was cultivated in different pots (for soil with EDTA) and control pots (for soil without EDTA), these plants were subsequently nurtured maturity by daily irrigation. The plants were harvested into parts at different germination stages, after which heavy metals concentrations (Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Co, Cu,Fe, Mn, and Ni) were determined. The result revealed the mean pH, content of organic matter and cation exchange capacity on dumpsite of 7.50 ± 0.12, 7.8 ± 0.12%, 40.10 ± 0.11 mmol/kg, respectively. The values for pH and the organic matter were higher than those obtained from control sites. Though, heavy metals concentrations on the dumpsite were higher than control site, their values reduced considerably to maturity. Early symptoms of phytotoxicity were noticed with an application of 0.2 g/kg EDTA of soil, which only affected the biomass levels of the experimental Abelmoschus esculentus but increased the concentrations of heavy metals in the plant shoot when compared with nonchelate assisted process. However, TF, BF and RR values greater than one measure phtoextraction efficiency, an indication of the possible application Abelmoschus esculentus for phytoextraction strategies. KeywordsEffect; Chelate Assisted; Heavy Metals; Phytoextractio; Basiri Dumpsite