High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) mortars are beginning to find wide use because of their desirable characteristics. They are relatively inexpensive, lightweight, have a long service life, and some consider them to be among the safest mortars presently in use. Initially HDPE mortars were only recommended for use in electrically fired displays, where each mortar is fired only once. This was done because of a desire to take a cautious approach with this relatively new mortar material, even though the mortars had successfully passed some repeat firing tests. Now, it is becoming increasingly common to use HDPE mortars for manually discharged displays, in which individual mortars are fired repeatedly. The mortars heat up during firing, and, being a thermoplastic, they lose strength with increasing temperature. If mortar temperature rises sufficiently high, they will burst during use, venting the lift gases needed to propel shells to safe altitudes. To date there has been no systematic study of HDPE mortars under conditions of repeat firings, in order to determine the safe limits for their use. Thus it is appropriate to more carefully examine the performance of HDPE mortars under conditions of repeat firing and to offer guidance for their use. Measurements were made of the thermal energy deposited in a mortar during the process of firing 10.2 cm (4 in.) aerial shells and of the distribution of that thermal energy along the length of mortars for typical aerial shell firings. Then, measurements were made of the rate of heat dissipation from HDPE mortars freely exposed to air and when buried in dry sand. Finally, data was collected regarding the ability of HDPE mortars to survive shell firings as a function of temperature. With this information, very rough guidelines are proposed for repeat firing of thick-walled, 10.2 cm (4 in.), SDR–17, HDPE mortars.


In deion arc chambers it is necessary for good extinction that the arc leaves the contacts in time and is split into series arcs. The time between contact opening and the start of arc migration is strongly dependent on the contact material. It affects the formation of plasma streams, which initiate arc migration. Further factors are magnetic blast and current, The number of series arcs around current zero depends, beside other parameters, on the material of the chamber walls. It can be significantly increased by gassing wall material in the contact region.


This paper describes an evolutionary genetic algorithm approach for the optimization of a fuzzy reactive controller applied to the design of a fuzzy controller for a mobile robot. The algorithm will optimize the fuzzy inference system evaluating the performance of each individual with a neuro-fuzzy fitness function that considers the robots covered distance, time used, battery life and the pattern of the trajectory.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer is an aggressive disease and one of the fastest growing cancers in incidence in the United States. The 5 year survival rate drops dramatically from a poor 26% in early stages to a mere 2% in later stages of the disease. Currently, the only available biomarker for early detection is serum alpha-fetoprotein which can identify only 40-60% of cases. We aim to improve the poor disease prognosis by developing a screening test capable of detecting liver cancer in its earlier stages. Since cancer is a disease of the genome and epigenome, if we can detect these underlying genetic mutations and epigenetic modifications in the periphery, we should be able to effectively detect cancer early. We have previously shown that urine contains fragmented, cell-free, cancer related DNA, both mutated and methylated, derived from the circulation of cancer patients. We have also demonstrated that the concentration of tumor-derived DNA in plasma and in urine is similar in patients with tumors. Hence, we propose the use of a panel of HCC-associated genetic and epigenetic methylation DNA biomarkers to develop a sensitive, noninvasive urine screening test for HCC. In order to detect these markers in the circulation derived urine DNA, we developed short amplicon (∼50 bp) PCR based assays targeting HCC-associated mutations in TP53, CTNNB1, hTERT genes and HCC associated methylation in GSTP1, RASSF1A and CDKN2A. Urine DNA isolated from hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC patients were tested in each of the assays and analyzed. Panel performance parameters such as sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating curve were calculated for individual markers and then as a group in order to evaluate their ability to distinguish HCC patients from hepatitis and cirrhosis subjects. The potential of this urine test in the early detection of HCC is discussed. Citation Format: Sitong Chen, Surbhi Jain, Selena Lin, Ying-Hsiu Su, Wei Song. Development of a urine DNA based marker panel for early detection of liver cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 888. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-888


In this research we estimate the effect of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over time on market dynamics for eight major vegetable oil prices. We estimate a system for vegetable oil prices by using a smooth transition vector error correction model (STVECM) to analyze impacts of ENSO events on production, and, more interestingly, their asymmetric nature. The results of estimated Exponential STVECM and Quadratic STAR models, respectively for the system of oil price equations and the ENSO variable regressions, suggest a smooth transition between ENSO regimes, and provide a better overall fit to the data than do linear models. Effects of the ENSO shock are analyzed using generalized impulse-response functions (GIRFs). The non-linear nature of these shocks is apparent, as the GIRFs are observed to be asymmetric depending on whether ENSO shocks are positive or negative. For most vegetable oil prices an ENSO shock has a permanent effect, meaning that prices advance to a new equilibrium level. Generally, a positive ENSO shock results in increased prices, and the opposite is true for the negative ENSO shock. The magnitude of the price change is largest for the coconut oil and palm kernel oil, and is the smallest for the ground nut oil. Also, it takes approximately two years for prices to stabilize at a new equilibrium level after the shock.


Objective: To evaluate sporicidal activity in products commercially available for sterilization of medical and dental instruments. Method: In simulated use and under worst-case scenario conditions, Bacillus atrophaeus spores were suspended in diallyl disulphide oxide (DDO), a nanotechnology product (NANO) or three SOW solutions. After 6 hour exposure, the spore suspensions were filtered, washed and incubated. Results: The DDO and NANO formulations evaluated lack sporicidal activity and are inadequate to sterilize instruments. The three SOW solutions evaluated are sporicidal but their activities are inhibited by protein. Their respective sterilization contact times remain to be determined. Conclusions: The results identify formulations that pose a risk to patients, and unveil failures in the regulatory evaluation of products. The absence of science-based regulatory standards results in the commercialization of unsafe products without the required sporicidal activity. To strengthen national and local health systems, the international infection prevention community must critically review the regulatory expectations for sporicidal products and disseminate information on the basics of antimicrobial effectiveness testing.


This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the relationship between future profitability and abnormal accruals on selected firms from Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). The study selects 223 firms from TSE market over the period 2007-2011. Using the regression analysis, the study shows there was no meaningful relationship between abnormal earnings and future profitability when the level of significance is five percent. There are also seven subhypotheses associated with the proposed study of this paper. The results indicate that while there were no meaningful relationship between firm size, capital expenditure, earnings quality and earning forecasted error on one side and future earnings, the study confirms a significance relationship between ratio of book value to equity as well as market leverage and future earnings.


This report looks at the magnitude of crime perpetrated by the most active offenders in a particular police area and places it in the context of a research programme which seeks to integrate and render locally useful the major findings of applied criminology. The results are contrasting. In terms of all crime, the group of offenders nominated did not appear to contribute substantially to levels of crime. The level of burglary did not bear any relationship to the availability of nominated burglars. The volume of vehicle-related crime (unlawful taking, theft of and theft from a motor vehicle) did vary according to the number of nominated offenders available. Breaking down to neighbourhood level, only one area displayed a relationship between levels of vehicle crime and the availability of nominated offenders to commit crime. Furthermore, there was some evidence that this group accounted for a component of other crime types, namely burglary and criminal damage. Two areas failed to produce any meaningful relationship between nominated offenders and crime levels. The results have major implications for the mechanism used to nominate prolific offenders and the resources used to target such individuals. It is argued that refinement and local application of the kinds of analysis described here would be of great utility in shaping offender-targeting practices.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been recognized as a powerful tool for geological features detection. This work introduces a new approach for modification of adaptive Lee algorithm to semi-automatically detected geological features from RADARSAT-1 SAR data. This is based on modification of Lee algorithm formula by using 2D Gaussian convolution formula. The result shows that the new formula of Lee algorithm can be delineated lineament features in RADARSAT- 1 SAR data. The new formula based on 2D Gaussian performed better in semi-automatically detected lineament features as compared with Lee algorithm. The modification of Lee algorithm has a small standard deviation of 3.54 as compared to Lee algorithm.


Bacillus subtilis 168 messenger RNA was determined by DNA-RNA hybridization techniques, with denatured DNA immobilized upon cellulose nitrate membrane filters. The following results were obtained. (1) Cultures of B. subtilis, growing exponentially in enriched glucose-salts medium at 37 degrees , incorporated [5-(3)H]uracil into both ribosomal and messenger RNA fractions without the kinetic delay expected from the presence of the intracellular nucleotide pools. (2) However short the time of labelling with exogenous labelled uracil (down to 7sec.), 32-36% of the rapidly labelled RNA was messenger RNA and 68-64% was an RNA with the hybridization characteristics of ribosomal RNA. Analysis of the apparent nucleotide base composition of total (32)P-labelled rapidly labelled RNA and the two RNA fractions separated by hybridization at a DNA/RNA ratio 5:1 confirmed this finding. Of the rapidly labelled RNA, 31% readily hybridized with DNA at low DNA/RNA ratios and had an apparent base composition like that of the DNA, whereas 69% was hybridized only at low efficiency at low DNA/RNA ratios and had a composition identical with that of ribosomal RNA. (3) In cultures dividing every 48min. at 37 degrees , kinetic analysis of RNA labelled over a 20min. period showed that the average life-time of messenger RNA was 2.7-3.0min. and that its amount was 3.0% of the total RNA. (4) The hybridization of (3)H-labelled randomly labelled RNA with DNA at a DNA/RNA ratio 5:1 showed that 2.9% of the randomly labelled RNA had the characteristics of messenger RNA. (5) Experiments carried out as described by Pigott & Midgley (1968) indicated that hybridization at low DNA/RNA ratios (5:1) effectively accounted for all the messenger RNA in a given specimen. The efficiency coefficient of RNA hybridization lay within the range of 90-95% input, if an excess of DNA sites was offered for RNA binding. (6) These measurements are compared with other results obtained by different methods, and reasons for any major disagreement are suggested.


It is very important to make our helicopter crashworthy because it is 400 times more fatal than aircraft accidents and hence serious concern is required towards the crashworthiness of the helicopters. Our basic aim is to incorporate a material or a composite feasible enough to sustain tremendous amount of energy dissipated during the impact or crash or hard landing. We considered two very important components of the rotorcraft for our analysis, the skid landing gear and the passenger seats. In case of the landing gear, many different alloys are being used; at present, our agenda here is to replace the existing material with the composite which is not only easy to fabricate but also cost effective and reduces the gross weight of the helicopter. The second component of our project is the analysis of the passenger seat, wherein a certain component is failing due to impact. The objective of this paper is to study and understand the current scenario of materials used in rotorcraft and replace them with the feasible composite materials. Keywords: Crashworthy helicopter, landing gear, passenger seats, rotorcraft, feasible composite materials Cite this Article  Payal Chauhan, Giridhar Sarda, Praveen Khanna et al. Analysis of Crashworthiness of Typical Helicopter and Design Optimization. Journal of Aerospace Engineering & Technology. 2018; 8(2): 27–39p.


The contents of this volume, and most especially the modern morphological observations on the sarcoplasmic reticulum, place in strong relief the neglect that was accorded this component of the sarcoplasm in the 30 to 40 years preceding its recent rediscovery. From the time of publication of Veratt i 's paper, as D. S. Smith points out in his historical survey (54), various related or unrelated cytological discoveries served to submerge the earlier observations on the sarcoplasmic reticulum and finally to divert attention almost completely from them. The trophospongium hypothesis of Holmgren, which attracted considerable attention in the first decade of the century, interpreted the sarcoplasmic ret iculum as the image of slender extensions of extracellular trophocytes having, supposedly, nutritive functions. Students of the Golgi component found compelling reasons to homologize the system with the Golgi apparatus. And finally, the very existence of the delicate lacework of silver-stained strands that Veratt i had depicted in his figures came to be doubted by almost everyone. Reviews on muscle, appearing during the 1940's and early 1950's, neglect the structure entirely. One can readily agree with Bennett (6) in his comment that " i t is astonishing that a struc-ture once described as accurately and as beautifully as the reticulum was by Veratti (1902) should have so quickly become almcst lost to man's knowledge". It was from this position of neglect that "man ' s knowledge" of the sarcoplasmic reticulum was rescued by electron microscopy. As attested by this volume, the study of the system is now back to a level of interest fittingly proportioned to Veratti 's early work. The first paper of recent times which can be said to have identified the sarcoplasmic ret iculum in electron micrographs was published in 1953 (7). The techniques for electron microscopy were then crude and the evidence somewhat short of convincing, but the report adequately made the point that within the sarcoplasm between the myofibrils and beneath the sarcolemma, there is a reticular structure, distributed in repeating patterns related to the sarcomeres of the myofibrils. The unit of structure was observed to be tubular or vesicular and reminiscent of the endoplasmic reticulum (or ER) then being recognized as a common component of other cell types (33, 37, 40). Connections, apparently comprised of elements of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, were observed to run from the marginal fibrils of the fiber to the sarcolemma at the level of the Z line. These and other features of this component of the sarcoplasm convinced the observers that they were seeing the electron microscope image of the cross-fiber ret iculum of Cajal (1890 (10)), Retzius (1890 (45)), Veratt i (1902 (57)), and Heidenhain (1911 (19))among others. These initial observations by electron microscopy introduced a period of recognition for the sarcoplasmic reticulum (or SR), and a number of investigators of muscle fine structure began to note the same or similar components in electron micrographs of striated muscle fi'om various sources. Ruska (1954 (50)) observed it in several skeletal muscles of the mouse and Weinstein ( 1954 (59)) in cardiac muscle cells of various vertebrates. Edwards and Ruska (1955 (15)) called attention to its presence in leg muscles of two different insects, but noted its apparent absence from flight muscles. Bennett (1955 (3)) provided some of the best illustrations up to that time of the system in mouse skeletal muscle, and Porter (1954, 1956 (38, 39)) reported it in micrographs of muscle fibers from the caudal myotomes of a larval amphibian. These early observations were soon supple-


The last two decades have seen a wealth of optical instrumentation based upon the concepts of space-time duality. A historical overview of how this beautiful framework has been exploited to develop instruments for optical signal processing is presented. The power of this framework is then demonstrated by reviewing four devices in detail based upon space-time dualities that have been experimentally demonstrated: 1) a time-lens timing-jitter compensator for ultralong-haul dense-wavelength-division-multiplexed dispersion-managed soliton transmission, 2) a multiwavelength pulse generator using time-lens compression, 3) a programmable ultrafast optical delay line by use of a time-prism pair, and 4) an enhanced ultrafast optical delay line by use of soliton propagation between a time-prism pair.


We investigated the reproductive biology of Protium spruceanum (Benth.) Engler in vegetation corridors of secondary Atlantic forest in Lavras, southern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The reproductive phenology was investigated fortnightly over a one year period. Floral biology studies involved pollen viability analysis, nectar production, stigmatic receptivity, pollen tube growth, visiting insect species and visit rates. The small, pale yellowish flowers (0.3-0.4 cm diameter) are functionally unisexual and organized in dense inflorescences (ca. 45 flowers). P. spruceanum presented annual flowering between September and November. Staminate flowers supplied a high percentage of viable pollen (90.6%) and relatively abundant nectar (x = 4.5 μL). Pistillate flowers produced only nectar to flower visitors (x = 4.0 μL). The effective pollinators were Apis mellifera and Trigona sp. (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Pollen tubes of cross-pollinated flowers were observed entering the ovaries 48 h after pollination. The fruiting season is from October to March, with a peak in November, coinciding with the rainfall peak. Ecological implications of these findings, and alternative arguments to explain the high genetic diversity at regional landscape are discussed.


The webquest are teaching materials elaborated and realized in the network according to the task-based budgets of the learning and the education and, therefore, based on technologies of work in group for projects. From its definition and the methodological foundations in those who are based, the work tries to realize of the components and fundamental characteristics that compose a webquest: introduction, task, process, resources and evaluation. Likewise, we approach the defense of the use of literary texts in the education and the learning of the second languages, and justify the contribution of this type of activities to an attractive and effective access to the phenomenon of the literature.


Abstract. With the development of medical technique and computational electromagnetics, high resolution anatomic human models have already been widely developed and used in computation of electromagnetic fields induced in human body. Although these so called voxel-based human models are powerful tools for research on electromagnetic safety, their unchangeable standing posture makes it impossible to simulate a realistic scenario in which people have a lot of different postures. This paper describes a poser program package which was developed as an improved version of the free-from deformation technique to overcome this problem. It can set rotation angles of different human joints and then deform the original human model to make it have different postures. The original whole-body human model can be deformed smoothly, continuity of internal tissues and organs is maintained and the mass of different tissues and organs can be conserved in a reasonable level. As a typical application of the postured human models, this paper also studies the effect of the step voltage due to a lightning strike on the human body. Two voxel-based human body models with standing and walking posture were developed and integrated into simulation models to compute the current density distribution in the human body shocked by the step voltage. In order to speed up the transient simulation, the reduced c technique was used, leading to a speedup factor of around 20. The error introduced by the reduced c technique is discussed and simulation results are presented in detail.


: Careful clinical studies and cephalometric and model analyses are required in the planning for treatment of vertical maxillary deficiency. The maxilla is repositioned inferiorly to elongate the face and to achieve facial balance. Simultaneous Le Fort I osteotomy with bone grafting is a helpful adjunct in the treatment of vertical maxillary deficiency in either dentulous or edentulous patients.


Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a chronic and disabling condition characterized by recurrent thrombosis and miscarriages mediated by antibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins (aPL), such as beta2glycoprotein I (β2GPI). Complement is involved in APS animal models and complement deposits have been documented in placenta and thrombotic vessels despite normal serum levels. Analysis of circulating blood cells coated with C4d displays higher sensitivity than the conventional assays that measure soluble native complement components and their unstable activation products in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As C4d-coated blood cell count has been reported to be more sensitive than serum levels of complement components and their activation products in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, we decided to evaluate the percentage of C4d positive B lymphocytes (BC4d), erythrocytes (EC4d), and platelets (PC4d) in primary APS patients and asymptomatic aPL positive carriers as marker of complement activation in APS. We assessed by flow cytometry the percentages of BC4d, EC4d, and PC4d in primary APS (PAPS; n. 23), 8 asymptomatic aPL positive carriers, 11 APS-associated SLE (SAPS), 17 aPL positive SLE, 16 aPL negative SLE, 8 aPL negative patients with previous thrombosis, 11 immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients, and 26 healthy subjects. In addition, we used an in vitro model to evaluate the ability of a monoclonal anti-β2GPI antibody (MBB2) to bind to normal resting or activated platelets and fix complement. EC4d and PC4d percentages were significantly higher in PAPS and aPL carriers as well as aPL positive SLE and SAPS than in aPL negative controls. The highest values were found in PAPS and in SAPS. The EC4d and PC4d percentages were significantly correlated with serum C3/C4 and anti-β2GPI/anti-cardiolipin IgG. In vitro studies showed that MBB2 bound to activated platelets only and induced C4d deposition. The detection of the activation product C4d on circulating erythrocytes and platelets supports the role of complement activation in APS. Complement may represent a new therapeutic target for better treatment and prevention of disability of APS patients.


Abstract : The Boeing Company protested the award of a contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation by the Department of the Air Force for KC-X aerial refueling tankers. Boeing challenged the Air Force's technical and cost evaluations, conduct of discussions, and source selection decision. Because Boeing competed for the contract, it is an interested party for purposes of filing a protest. Under the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984, GAO is required to consider protests of contract awards filed by interested parties. In deciding protests, GAO makes a determination of whether the agency's actions complied with procurement statutes and regulations. Review of the extensive record, including a hearing, led GAO to conclude that the Air Force had made a number of significant errors that could have affected the outcome of what was a close competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The errors included not assessing the relative merits of the proposals in accordance with the evaluation rules and criteria identified in the solicitation, not having documentation to support certain aspects of the evaluation, conducting unequal and misleading discussions with Boeing, and having errors or unsupported conclusions in the cost evaluation. Accordingly, GAO sustained Boeing's protest.


1291 AD, Acre. As the city burns under the onslaught of the Sultan's men, the Falcon Temple sets sail, carrying a small band of knights and a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's Grand Master. But the ship vanishes without a trace...Present day New York. At the Metropolitan Museum, four horsemen dressed as Knights Templar storm the gala opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures and, in a brutal and bloody attack, steal an arcane medieval decoder. For FBI agent Sean Reilly and archaeologist Tess Chaykin this is just the start of a deadly game of cat and mouse as they race across three continents in search of the ruthless killers - and a centuries-old mystery...


Since 2005, harmonized catch assessment surveys (CASs) have been implemented on Lake Victoria in the three riparian countries Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to monitor the commercial fish stocks and provide their management advice. The regionally harmonized standard operating procedures for CASs have not been wholly followed due to logistical difficulties. Yet the new approaches adopted have not been documented. This study investigated the alternative approaches used to estimate fish catches on the lake with the aim of determining the most reliable one for providing management advice and also the effect of current sampling routine on the precision of catch estimates provided. The study found the currently used lake-wide approach less reliable and more biased in providing catch estimates compared to the district based approach. Noticeable differences were detected in catch estimates between different months of the year. The study recommends future analyses of CAS data collected on the lake to follow the district based approach. Future CASs should also consider seasonal variations in the sampling design by providing for replication of sampling. The SOPs need updating to document the procedures that deviate from the original sampling design.


In this project, two new oxide cathode designs, namely the integrated oxide cathode and the two-layer/impregnated oxide cathode, and their respective manufacture processes were designed and developed. The two oxide cathodes were both produced from BaSr(CO3)2, Ni filaments and polymer additives. The integrated oxide cathode is a one component mixture of BaSrO2/Ni and the two-layer/impregnated oxide cathode consists of a porous Ni substrate with BaSrO2 impregnated on and in it. Casting and heating are the two most important steps of manufacturing both cathodes. The effects of various processing parameters during these two main steps on the properties of the resultant cathodes were investigated by TGA, EDX and SEM. [Continues.]


Objective
Extended prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (vte) after abdominal or pelvic cancer surgery with low molecular weight heparin (lmwh) is recommended by multiple guidelines. The primary objective of the present study was to assess adherence to that guideline recommendation at tertiary care centres within Hamilton Health Sciences (hhs).

Methods
Given that an estimated 70% of the study population would be expected to receive extended prophylaxis, a sample size of 105 patients was calculated. Patients who had undergone abdominal or pelvic surgery for cancer from March 2012 to December 2015 were identified, and data were collected from electronic health records. The primary outcome was prescription of extended vte prophylaxis.

Results
Of 105 patients, only 3 received extended vte prophylaxis. Those 3 patients had serous carcinoma of the uterus, transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, and cecal cancer. Of the 3 patients, 2 were followed by the thrombosis service while in hospital; none of the other 102 patients received any form of extended vte prophylaxis.

Conclusions
Based on multiple randomized controlled trials, guidelines suggest lmwh prophylaxis for up to 4 weeks after major abdominal or pelvic cancer surgery. Despite those recommendations, postoperative extended vte prophylaxis is not commonly prescribed at hhs facilities. Next steps will include identification of barriers and an examination of how those barriers could be addressed. Failure to use prophylaxis is not consistent with evidence-based guidelines and is placing patients at risk of vte.


Objective Chronic hypoparathyroidism (HP) is associated with acute and chronic complications, especially those related to hypocalcemia. We aimed to analyze details on hospital admissions and the reported deaths in affected patients. Design and methods In a retrospective analysis, we reviewed the medical history of 198 patients diagnosed with chronic HP over a continuous period of up to 17 years at the Medical University Graz. Results The mean age in our mostly female cohort (70.2%) was 62.6 ± 18.7 years. The etiology was predominantly postsurgical (84.8%). About 87.4% of patients received standard medication (oral calcium/vitamin D), 15 patients (7.6%) used rhPTH1–84/Natpar® and 10 patients (4.5%) had no/unknown medication. Two hundred and nineteen emergency room (ER) visits and 627 hospitalizations were documented among 149 patients, and 49 patients (24.7%) did not record any hospital admissions. According to symptoms and decreased serum calcium levels, 12% of ER (n = 26) visits and 7% of hospitalizations (n = 44) were likely attributable to HP. A subgroup of 13 patients (6.5%) received kidney transplants prior to the HP diagnosis. In eight of these patients, parathyroidectomy for tertiary renal hyperparathyroidism was the cause of permanent HP. The mortality was 7.8% (n = 12), and the causes of death appeared to be unrelated to HP. Although the awareness for HP was low, calcium levels were documented in 71% (n = 447) of hospitalizations. Conclusions Acute symptoms directly related to HP did not represent the primary cause of ER visits. However, comorbidities (e.g. renal/cardiovascular diseases) associated with HP played a key role in hospitalizations and deaths. Significance statement Hypoparathyroidism (HP) is the most common complication after anterior neck surgery. Yet, it remains underdiagnosed as well as undertreated, and the burden of disease and long-term complications are usually underestimated. There are few detailed data on emergency room (ER) visits hospitalizations and death in patients with chronic HP, although acute symptoms due to hypo-/hypercalcemia are easily detectable. We show that HP is not the primary cause for presentation but that hypocalcemia is a typical laboratory finding (when ordered) and thus may contribute to subjective symptoms. Patients often present with renal/cardiovascular/oncologic illness for which HP is known to be a contributing factor. A small but very special group (n = 13, 6.5%) are patients after kidney transplantations who showed a high ER hospitalization rate. Surprisingly, HP was never the cause for their frequent hospitalizations but rather the result of chronic kidney disease. The most frequent cause for HP in these patients was parathyroidectomy due to tertiary hyperparathyroidism. The causes of death in 12 patients appeared to be unrelated to HP, but we found a high prevalence of chronic organ damages/comorbidities related to it in this group. Less than 25% documented HP correctly in the discharge letters, which indicates a high potential for improvement.


We studied the effects of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and lidocaine on transmembrane action potentials and ionic currents in dog isolated ventricular myocytes. TTX (0.1-1 x 10(-5) M) and lidocaine (0.5-2 x 10(-5) M) decreased action potential duration, but only TTX decreased the maximum rate of depolarization (Vmax). Both TTX (1-2 x 10(-5) M) and lidocaine (2-5 x 10(-5) M) blocked a slowly inactivating toward current in the plateau voltage range. The voltage- and time-dependent characteristics of this current are virtually identical to those described in Purkinje fibers for the slowly inactivating inward Na+ current. In addition, TTX abolished the outward shift in net current at plateau potentials caused by lidocaine alone. Lidocaine had no detectable effect on the slow inward Ca2+ current and the inward K+ current rectifier, Ia. Our results indicate that 1) there is a slowly inactivating inward Na+ current in ventricular cells similar in time, voltage, and TTX sensitivity to that described in Purkinje fibers; 2) both TTX and lidocaine shorten ventricular action potentials by reducing this slowly inactivating Na+ current; 3) lidocaine has no additional actions on other ionic currents that contribute to its ability to abbreviate ventricular action potentials; and 4) although both agents shorten the action potential by the same mechanism, only TTX reduces Vmax. This last point suggests that TTX produces tonic block of Na+ current, whereas lidocaine may produce state-dependent Na+ channel block, namely, blockade of Na+ current only after Na+ channels have already been opened (inactivated-state block).


In this paper, we try to elucidate the generation mechanism of the field‐aligned current (FAC) and coexisting convection. From the comparison between the theoretical prediction and the state of numerical solution from the high‐resolution global simulation, we obtain the following conclusions about the distribution of dynamo, the magnetic field structure along the flow path that diverges Poynting flux, and energy conversion promoting the generation of electromagnetic energy. The dynamo for the region 1 FAC, which is in the high‐latitude‐side cusp‐mantle region, has a structure in which magnetic field is compressed along the convection path by the slow mode motion. The dynamo for the region 2 FAC is in the ring current region at the inner edge of the plasma sheet, and has a structure in which magnetic field is curved outward along the convection path. Under these structures, electromagnetic energy is generated from the work done by pressure gradient force, in both dynamos for the region 1 and region 2 FACs. In these generation processes of the FACs, the excitation of convection and the formation of pressure regimes occur as interdependent processes. This structure leads to a modification in the way of understanding the Dungey's convection. Generation of the FAC through the formation of pressure regimes is essential even for the case of substorm onset.


The role of resource subsidies across ecosystem boundaries has emerged as an important concept in contemporary ecology. For lake ecosystems, this has led to interest in quantifying the contribution of terrestrial allochthonous carbon to aquatic secondary production. An inverse relationship between habitat area and the role of allochthonous subsidies has been documented on marine islands and assumed for lakes, yet there have been no tests of this pattern among benthic (lake bottom) consumers. Here, we used carbon stable isotopes to trace terrestrial allochthonous and benthic autochthonous carbon use by the crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus over a gradient of lake area, productivity and urbanization. Consistent with findings from terrestrial islands, habitat size dictated the importance of allochthonous subsidies, as P. leniusculus transitioned from using predominantly terrestrial carbon in small lakes to an increased reliance on autochthonous production in larger lakes. However, shoreline urbanization interacted with this pattern, particularly for small lakes where greater urbanization resulted in reduced use of allochthonous resources. As such, we provide, to our knowledge, the first confirmation of the predicted relationship between habitat size and importance of allochthonous subsidies to lake benthic consumers, but found that urbanization can interfere with this pattern.


Previous studies of the content of family practice have analyzed the discipline in terms of the clinical problem content. Taking a different approach, a study group analyzed the care given to patients by family physicians irrespective of the specific clinical problems. Working with a reference group of family physicians in private practice, ten central elements were identified: (1) comprehensiveness of care, (2) anticipation of problems and continuity of care, (3) personal relationships with a patient, (4) medical knowledge and skills characteristic of family medicine, (5) values and attitudes that enhance family medicine, (6) problem definition and medical decision making, (7) problem management and resource coordination, (8) care of the individual within the family context, (9) involvement with the community, and (10) attentiveness to practice organization. This study provides a different point of departure for the design and evaluation of educational programs in family practice.


Introduction England has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Initiation rates are 83% but within one week the rate of exclusive breastfeeding drops to 46% and by 6 months to only 1%. 1 Lay and professional support, particularly if it is multi-faceted and spans pregnancy and birth, can prolong the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding. The most beneficial interventions to promote breastfeeding include support by skilled peers and trained professionals. This study aims to evaluate women's experiences of breastfeeding services within the North West London area. Methods and materials Data collected using questionnaire with statistical analysis of the results and a semi structured interview technique with content analysis. Study conducted within North West Thames. Questionnaire consisted of 57 questions examining demographic, economic, psychosocial experiences, antenatal and postnatal care. Results 50 questionnaires completed. 43/50 (86%) mothers intended to breastfeed during antenatal period, 2/50 (4%) bottlefeed, 2/50 (4%) combination of breast and bottle and 3/50 (6%) undecided. 34/50 (68%) did not feel confident that their GP could provide adequate advice and support. Of those 34, 4/34 (12%) would contact their health visitor for breastfeeding related concerns. Who they would contact for breastfeeding related questions or concerns is summarised in Figure 1. 7/50 (14%) felt pushed into a decision regarding breastfeeding, 43/50 (86%) did not, however 3 expressed that breastfeeding was "strongly" encouraged with a feeling of guilt towards bottlefeeding. 24/50 (48%) received conflicting advice from healthcare professionals at some point during the antenatal or postnatal period. 14/50 (28%) identified conflicting advice around technique specifically. Conclusion Training healthcare staff is a key source to improve experiences as they are commonly the first port of call for mothers with breastfeeding issues. With limited healthcare resources, expectations must however be managed. With consistent advice from knowledgeable staff, breastfeeding support and experiences can be improved. Maximising support within the community was highlighted as the most appropriate and preferable route, through the use of more face to face time with health visitors but also increasing confidence with mother's own GP's.


Natural Gas is one of the few truly viable alernatives to liquid fuels which does not significantly alter the user's perception of the vehicle. Natural gas has several major advantages, particularly in terms of environmental impact however a number of obstacles need to be overcome before large scale implementation of natural gas can be envisaged. This paper addresses the technical issues facing the fledgling Swiss natural gas industry and the efforts of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) to combat these problems.


The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman, has undertaken massive construction projects to develop its airports. Such development has taken place over a very short span of time and has involved particularly heavy investments. These projects were, and still are, funded by the governments. The financial return of these projects was not their prime objective, but they were implemented to satisfy the air transport demand and to gain prestige. Some of these projects were a success and some were not, due to a lack of proper and efficient planning and implementation. One could say that this is a natural situation considering the very short time frame in which they were completed after the independence of the GCC in the early 1970s coupled with the good financial situation of these countries. However, this situation will not continue forever; indeed, many of these countries have reviewed their implementation of projects, including airport development plans, positively. Nevertheless, there is a lack of strategic planning practices in many GCC airports, where an airport master plan (AMP) is used in isolation without a strategic plan.

Generally, airport projects have not received adequate attention in terms of research on project implementation or strategic planning. Such projects cannot be considered as normal projects, as airports are unique, complicated and demanding due to their complexity, security and safety requirements, international regulations, operations, high cost and high versatility. Therefore, it is essential for any airport to introduce and implement a strategic plan before the enacting development plans to minimise the risk of failure.

The competitive environment between the GCC members and the demand for ground and air transportation are factors that led airport management to implement new strategic policies and identify the way forward. This research explains the theory of strategic management and relates it to airports and the airport industry. It also uses Bahrain International Airport as a case study. The case study included the collection of qualitative data through interviews with airport authorities and companies. The collected data were applied to business tools.

The new management, the Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), has created a plan for the implementation of a strategic plan, and the research found that strategic planning has been initiated at Bahrain International Airport (BIA) but that there are differences between its implementation and the general strategic planning theories.

BIA has very special characteristics and is unique in terms of its patterns of traffic and geographical location. These should be considered to be success factors and must be used to compete with other airports and enable BIA to be one of the leading airports in the provision of effective and quality services.


Introduction Venous cerebral infarction is a serious complication after meningioma resection. To reduce the incidence of venous infarction, we identified risk factors for postoperative venous cerebral infarction after surgical resection of meningioma in patients with clinical symptoms.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 1127 patients with intracranial meningiomas who underwent resection in our hospital were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Venous cerebral infarction was evaluated by postoperative imaging and clinical manifestations. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with venous cerebral infarction.Results Overall, 3.3% (37/1127) of patients experienced symptomatic venous cerebral infarction after meningioma resection. Multivariate analysis revealed superficial meningioma, moderate to severe peritumoral edema, peritumoral critical vein and WHO grade II-III as independent predictors of a postoperative venous cerebral infarction. After timely intervention, the symptoms were clearly alleviated in one month, and the prognosis was good, but injury to key veins could cause irreversible neurological disorders.Conclusions Intraoperative protection of veins is the primary way to prevent venous cerebral infarction. The present study identified several significant and independent risk factors for postoperative venous infarction, thereby enabling the identification of high-risk patients who require special attention during clinical and surgical management.


ABSTRACT Background: Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) was recently included in the revised International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018). C-PTSD is a new trauma related disorder which may develop after prolonged and multiple exposures to trauma. It is a sister disorder of PTSD and is further characterized by symptomatology of disorganized self-organization (DSO). To qualify for the diagnosis, individuals must first meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, then report DSO symptoms and functional impairment. A body of work is emerging which has focused on the underlying dimensionality of C-PTSD across both adult and more recently adolescent populations from differing index trauma groups and from across several nations and cultures. However, few studies have been conducted in populations exposed to combat trauma despite the obvious prolonged and multiple nature of their trauma histories. Objective: To contribute to emerging evidence of the factor structure of ICD-11 C-PTSD in a novel population. Methods: This is the first factor analytic study to explore C-PTSD in a sample of UK Armed Forces veterans residing in Northern Ireland (N = 732). C-PTSD was measured via the ITQ and we utilized CFA to assess the fit of 7 competing models. Results: Based on established CFA fit indices, a correlated, first order, 6-factor model of C-PTSD, representing 3 PTSD and 3 DSO symptom groupings, was deemed to provide superior fit to the data compared to 6 alternative C-PTSD models. The superiority of the model was further supported by statistical comparisons of competing C-PTSD models. All factor loadings (0.866–0.998) and inter-factor correlations (.746-.975) of the optimally fitting model were statistically significant and high. Conclusion: These results provide support for the construct validity of ICD-11 C-PTSD in a unique sample of Armed Forces veterans residing in Northern Ireland. HIGHLIGHTS This is the first factor analytic study to explore C-PTSD in a sample of UK Armed Forces veterans residing in Northern Ireland. A correlated, first order, 6-factor model of C-PTSD, was deemed to provide superior fit to the data compared to 6 alternative C-PTSD models. These results provide support for the construct validity of ICD-11 C-PTSD.


Ion channels are proteins expressed in the plasma membrane of electrogenic cells. In the zygote and blastomeres of the developing embryo, electrical modifications result from ion currents that flow through these channels. This phenomenon implies that ion current activity exerts a specific developmental function, and plays a crucial role in signal transduction and the control of embryogenesis, from the early cleavage stages and during growth and development of the embryo. This review describes the involvement of ion currents in early embryo development, from marine invertebrates to human, focusing on the occurrence, modulation, and dynamic role of ion fluxes taking place on the zygote and blastomere plasma membrane, and at the intercellular communication between embryo cell stages.


"Panoramic Ophthalmoscopy: Optomap[registered] Images and Interpretation" comprehensively covers the state-of-the-art technology and the high-resolution digital images taken with the Panoramic200 Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope. The optomap[registered] Retinal Exam images provide ophthalmologists and optometrists with an extended view and photo-documentation of almost the entire retina.Inside "Panoramic Ophthalmoscopy", Jerome Sherman, Gulshan Karamchandani, William Jones, Sanjeev Nath, and Lawrence A. Yannuzzi document and expertly explain all there is to know about this remarkable new technology. Over 500 images highlight the text, many of which have never been seen before, and provide detailed visual references for numerous eye disorders. This colorful atlas is the ideal resource for interpreting these images and diagnosing serious eye conditions that may have otherwise gone undetected."Panoramic Ophthalmoscopy" contains an introductory chapter that highlights and contrasts panoramic ophthalmoscopy and optomap[registered] images to all the traditional methods of fundus viewing. Inside you will find over 100 exemplary case presentations covering common and uncommon topics such as normal fundus, retinal tears, Coat's disease, and diabetic retinopathy. Also included are cases of retinal and choroidal diseases and how they were diagnosed and managed using this technology. In the last chapter, the authors peer into the next frontier of imaging by introducing Optos fluorescein angiography and its myriad potential contributions to patient care, research, and clinical teaching.Each case presentation includes: history and chief complaint; clinical findings; optomap[registered] images; differential diagnosis; and, disposition and follow-up.Cases are arranged into 11 chapters covering: Optic Disc; Macula; Vascular; Inflammatory; Mass Lesions; Retinal Degenerations; and, Peripheral Lesions.With expert descriptions and hundreds of never before seen images, the all encompassing "Panoramic Ophthalmoscopy: Optomap[registered] Images and Interpretation" is the perfect resource for optometrists, ophthalmologists, ophthalmic technicians, residents, and students who would like to learn more about and would like to benefit from this revolutionary technology.


This paper presents an innovative experience that was developed by six European universities to teach a common course in an unconventional, remote way, to geographically-separate groups of students. The course is especially designed to enable engineering students to learn the basics of how the European social and sustainable model works, to acquire some basic cultural and religious awareness, and to stimulate transnational group discussions on such intercultural affairs. One overarching goal of this T.I.M.E. (Top International Managers for Europe) European Summer School (TESS) course is to identify some of the challenges that an academic collaboration organization like T.I.M.E. faces for future education, especially considering that the computer literate and highly web-based children who are born today will, with their expectations of 'virtual 3D encounters', be entering university by 2030. This web-based, social interaction experience has been developed over the last four years. This paper gives the results.


Endometriosis in a postoperative scar is a secondary process in scars after surgical procedures affecting endometrium: cesarean section, hysterectomy, amniocentesis
etc. Nevertheless scar endometriosis occurs also after general surgery – appendectomy, cholecystectomy, correction of hernias. The cause of surgical scar
endometriosis is believed to be iatrogenic transplantation of endometrium to the surgical wound. Despite the ectopic location, endometrial tissue is able to respond to
hormonal effects, thereby causing clinical signs of disease. Endometriosis of postoperative scar is a typical example of extragenital endometriosis. The most common
presenting symptom of endometrioma in a scar is a palpable mass associated with cyclic pain and swelling during menses. When the patient complains are not cyclical
(25-45% of patients with scar endometriosis) clinical diagnosis is impaired. The typical sonographic pattern of endometriomas is presence of subcutaneous nodule,
hypoechoic with hyperechoic strands and irregular margins. Different types of hormonal therapy has been tried with minimal effects. That's why for endometriosis of
postoperative scar total surgical excision is considered to be golden standard for both diagnosis and treatment. In order to prevent scar endometriosis some measures
have been proposed. But no measures of prevention have proved its efficiency and all these measures were suggested without any evident scientific corroboration.


Empirical evidence suggests that physical characteristics such as obesity can result in a salary gap in the work place. It is, however, not clear how much of this (gap) is due to factors emanating from the demand or supply side of the market. In this paper we use a field experiment to study whether a part of this wage gap can be attributed to personality traits of individuals on the supply side. Monitors randomly select individuals to respond to a questionnaire. Individuals can make money requests for completing the questionnaire. In the questionnaire they also self-report several personality chracteristics. We find that the more obese individuals perceive themselves to be, lesser is the money they request. The negative association between money requests and obesity is mostly driven by female participants. The effect of (self-perceived) non-obese individuals is asymmetric across gender. Self perceived "normal" females, perceived thin by the monitors, request more, meanwhile, males in this category request less relative to those that do not overstate their obesity levels. Our results suggest that lower salary request may anchor obese individuals to lower thresholds and may partly explain the wage gap.


Experimental and numerical methods were used to determine the coupling of energy in a multichannel three-dimensional hyperthermia applicator (SIGMA-Eye), consisting of 12 short dipole antenna pairs with stubs for impedance matching. The relationship between the amplitudes and phases of the forward waves from the amplifiers, to the resulting amplitudes and phases at the antenna feed-points was determined in terms of interaction matrices. Three measuring methods were used: (1) a differential probe soldered directly at the antenna feed-points; (2) an E-field sensor placed near the feed-points; and (3) measurements were made at the outputs of the amplifier. The measured data were compared with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations made with three different models. The first model assumes that single antennas are fed independently. The second model simulates antenna pairs connected to the transmission lines. The measured data correlate best with the latter FDTD model, resulting in an improvement of more than 20% and 20/spl deg/ (average difference in amplitudes and phases) when compared with the two simpler FDTD models.


China is gearing up for the introduction of build-operate-transfer (BOT) contracts on a larger scale to attract significant foreign investments for infrastructure development. Since late 1996, several pilot BOT concessions have been awarded, including the first state approved BOT project, the Laibin B Power Plant. There are thus opportunities for foreign investors. It is important to identify and manage the risk associated with china's bot power projects. An international survey was conducted during late 1997 and early 1998 to seek the views of international professionals. This article discusses the results of that survey and proposes a risk management framework for investing in future BOT power projects in China.


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Secondary involvement of the prostate by urothelial or hematolymphoid neoplasms is relatively common and well-described. In contrast, less is known about the clinicopathologic spectrum of secondary solid tumors of the prostate of nonurothelial origin. This study evaluated a series of secondary nonurothelial solid tumors of the prostate diagnosed at 21 institutions. Eighty-five patients with a median age at diagnosis of 64 years were included. Sixty-two patients had clinically manifest disease (62/85, 73%), 10 were diagnosed incidentally (10/85, 12%), and 13 (13/85, 15%) had no detailed clinical data available about symptomatology at presentation. Among patients with clinically manifest disease, the most common symptoms and signs were lower urinary tract symptoms (either obstructive of irritative; 36/62, 58%), abdominal or pelvic pain or discomfort (16/62, 26%), and hematuria (12/62, 19%). Metastasis and direct invasion occurred at roughly similar frequencies (47% vs. 42%) in this series, and in 11% of the cases, the mechanism of spread to the prostate was unclear/uncertain. Overall, among tumors with confirmed sites of origin, the most common primary sites were gastrointestinal tract (53/85, 62%), lung (9/85, 11%), skin (6/85, 7%), and testis (4/85, 5%). Among metastases, the most common tumor types were lung carcinomas (9/40, 23%), colorectal adenocarcinomas (7/40, 18%), melanoma (6/40, 15%), and germ cell tumors (6/40, 15%). This study demonstrated that secondary involvement of the prostate by solid tumors of nonurothelial origin is commonly symptomatic and that the most frequent sites of origin are the gastrointestinal tract, lung, skin, and testis. These findings are worth considering when lesions with unusual cytomorphology and/or architecture are encountered in prostate specimens.


Prebiotics: selective substrate for beneficial microflora Prebiotics are food ingredients that are not digested by the host's digestive enzymes. Prebiotics are fermented in the colon un der influence of colon bacteria such as bifidobacteria. It serves as selective substrate for those microflora that benefit the host and simul taneously increases the fermentation capacity of the colon. Oligosaccharides are the best general prebiotics as they stimulate the growth and colonisation of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and their metabolites are not toxic. Common examples of prebiotics i nclude fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and soybean oligosaccharides. The prebiotic-probiotic-host cell int eraction plays a role in the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract, the mucosal immune system, the absorption of minerals and other as of the human physiology.


A controversial precept of aquatic ecology asserts that low ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) lead to noxious and sometimes toxic blooms of Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria dominance is a major risk to human and ecosystem health. The stoichiometric control of Cyanobacteria therefore has become central to freshwater resource management. This controversial concept is based on observed Cyanobacteria dominance in lakes with low N:P and the results of lab and field experiments. Here we analyze data from 99 of the temperate zone's most studied lakes and show that this model is flawed. We show that the risk of water quality degradation by Cyanobacteria blooms is more strongly correlated with variation in total P, total N, or standing algae biomass than the ratio of N:P. Risks associated with Cyanobacteria are therefore less associated with N:P ratios than a simple increase in nutrient concentrations and algal biomass.


Abstract In our study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of cefazolin, cefuroxime, and cefoperazon injected to rats on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme activities in the heart, brain, eye, liver, and kidney tissues of rats. Liver AChE activity at the 1st and 3rd hours of cefuroxime groups was higher than the control group at the same time (p <.05). The AChE activity of the heart tissue decreased in the cefazolin group compared to the control group at the same hour, whereas it increased in the cefuroxime group (p <.05). AChE activities of kidney tissue of cefazolin and cefuroxime groups were lower than those of the same control group on the 3rd and started to increase on the next hours (p <.05). BChE activity is measured in tissues increased within the first three hours and decreased significantly within the first hour in the cefoperazone group (p <.05).


Abstract The Silbergrube Aplite (SA) in the Hagendorf-Pleystein Pegmatite District, near Waidhaus, Germany, is a mildly peraluminous NW-SE directed leucogranite dyke. It occurs in association with quartz dykes and aplitic metamorphic mobilizates in the NE Bavarian crystalline basement. The SA differs from other aplitic mobilizates in the region in having a less well developed strain-related mineral orientation and in containing only minor amounts of garnet and tourmaline. The aplitic metamorphic mobilizates and the SA are chemically and mineralogically almost identical and yield the same age of formation of ~302 Ma (stage I). The age of formation of the Hagendorf pegmatites seemingly post-dates the emplacement of the SA. The SA was emplaced at the boundary between fine-grained biotite granites and metamorphic country rocks within a zone of structural weakness, favouring the formation of disseminated late magmatic to hydrothermal mineralization of Li-bearing Fe-Mn phosphates (stages II and III). Brittle deformation along this zone was conducive to the faultbound Fe-Mn-Ca phosphates. Mineral telescoping is evident from the presence of Fe2+, Fe3+ and Mn2+ phosphates in fissures and vugs in a texturally highly variable host-rock environment (stage IV). This intimate intergrowth of phosphate minerals reflects contrasting physical and chemical conditions prevailing in a near-surface/ shallow epithermal S-deficient phosphate system (stage IV), similar to what is known from Cu-Au epithermal systems. The most recent mineral assemblages that formed under predominantly oxidizing conditions are correlated with the subtropical weathering during the Neogene which resulted in the formation of a peneplain truncating the SA and its country rocks (stage V). The SA is the root zone of the felsic aplitic-pegmatitic mobilizates in this region and is overprinted by an epithermal phosphate system.


Abstract Covering major Asian economic blocs and dialogues, this study comprehensively reviews the progress of "Asian" economic integration. The empirical results show that comprehensive, continent-wide economic integration in Asia is unlikely to happen soon since integration has been mainly confined to East and Southeast Asia, while other regions are much less integrated and globalised. However, the achievement of gradual integration would mutually benefit all members through capacity building, technological development, labour supply enlargement, and market expansion. With the forthcoming success of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' single market and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, this study also argues that the attributes proposed in the previous literature, e.g. historical reconciliation, common institution, and economic, politic, and social heterogeneity are irrelevant in the context of Asian economic integration. Instead, the scope, depth, and sequencing of the integration process, coupled with supporting geopolitical factors, largely explain the success of the Asia model.


A local hot spot model of gas-surface reactivity is used to investigate the state-resolved dynamics of methane dissociative chemisorption on Pt(111) under thermal equilibrium conditions. Three Pt surface oscillators, and the molecular vibrations, rotations, and the translational energy directed along the surface normal are treated as active degrees of freedom in the 16-dimensional microcanonical kinetics. Several energy transfer models for coupling a local hot spot to the surrounding substrate are developed and evaluated within the context of a master equation kinetics approach. Bounds on the thermal dissociative sticking coefficient based on limiting energy transfer models are derived. The three-parameter physisorbed complex microcanonical unimolecular rate theory (PC-MURT) is shown to closely approximate the thermal sticking under any realistic energy transfer model. Assuming an apparent threshold energy for CH(4) dissociative chemisorption of E(0)=0.61 eV on clean Pt(111), the PC-MURT is used to predict angle-resolved yield, translational, vibrational, and rotational distributions for the reactive methane flux at thermal equilibrium at 500 K. By detailed balance, these same distributions should be observed for the methane product from methyl radical hydrogenation at 500 K in the zero coverage limit if the methyl radicals are not subject to side reactions. Given that methyl radical hydrogenation can only be experimentally observed when the CH(3) radicals are kinetically stabilized against decomposition by coadsorbed H, the PC-MURT was used to evaluate E(0) in the high coverage limit. A high coverage value of E(0)=2.3 eV adequately reproduced the experimentally observed methane angular and translational energy distributions from thermal hydrogenation of methyl radicals. Although rigorous application of detailed balance arguments to this reactive system cannot be made because thermal decomposition of the methyl radicals competes with hydrogenation, approximate applicability of detailed balance would argue for a strong coverage dependence of E(0) with H coverage--a dependence not seen for methyl radical hydrogenation on Ru(0001), but not yet experimentally explored on Pt(111).


Global and historical trends show the re-emergence of woodfuels as alternative sources of energy amid concerns over their environmental impacts. Charcoal production, in particular, remains a significant source of indigenous energy for developing countries like the Philippines, where it is perceived as a cause of deforestation and environmental degradation. This study presents a case where charcoal production can be practiced on a sustainable basis by focusing on aspects that affect the environment, namely, wood source, harvesting strategy and production techniques. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and a survey among charcoal producers in Mulanay, Quezon revealed a preference on hardwoods that produce slow-burning charcoals and other readily-available, usually invasive, tree species. Harvesting strategies include tree felling and pruning and rotational harvesting to allow stock replenishment. Charcoal producers employ an old but simple production technique called 'binulkan', which has an efficiency rate of 7.7% by weight. The study concludes that an environmentally-sustainable charcoal industry in Mulanay can be achieved by planting and utilizing suitable tree species and improving harvesting systems and production techniques. Further study is recommended to assess the feasibility of establishing wood plantations for charcoal production with regard to its poverty reduction potential and continued benefits to the community.


Introduction: Cervical cancer is the fourth common cancer among women. In almost all cases of this cancer, infection to a high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) especially type 16 and 18 is observed. HPV is also the cause of other cancers such as oropharyngeal, anorectal and skin. This study was performed with aim to evaluate the vaccines available or under investigation to prevent or treat HPV infection. Methods: In this review study, the keywords of HPV, cervix cancer, DNA vaccine, RNA vaccine, and prevention or treatment of HPV infections were searched in databases of PubMed, Science direct, Scopus and Google Scholar from 2000 to 2018. The recent articles published in English Q1 journals were selected, and the articles with incomplete or irrelevant data were excluded from the study. Results: Despite the available vaccines to prevent HPV infection, ongoing research is continued to develop assorted vaccines against it, because available vaccines don't prevent all high risk types of HPV; also they are not effective on those who are already infected and have HPV associated malignancies or cancer. Nucleic acid based (DNA or RNA) vaccines are of promising approaches. Conclusion:Nucleic acid vaccines have promising outcomes due to safety, stability, simplicity of providing and ability to induce antigen-specific immunity. Currently, GX-188E, VGX-3100, ZNF–603 and ZNF -758 vaccines are successfully passing clinical trials based on E6 and E7 genes of HPV. These vaccines caused hopes for a vaccine to treat those who are already infected or have cancer.


Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is used to predict the suspended sediment load for the survey data collected on daily basis in the river Mahanadi. Genetic algorithm has been used to find the optimal level of process parameters such as water discharge and temperature for a minimum sedimentation load condition. Optimal level of process parameters obtained from the GA has been used in a trained neural network to obtain the sedimentation load condition. A comparative analysis is then made between GA and ANN for achieving minimum sedimentation load with the given process parameters.


The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate that the commonly accepted etymological link between Lat. laxus 'wide, spacious, loose' and Lat. languēre 'be faint, weak' is not only formally difficult, but also semantically unjustified. Discussing the earliest attestations and derivatives of laxus against the backdrop of general morphosemantic considerations, I propose deriving this adjective and the enigmatic Lat. locus m. 'place' from the root *√slek , whose possible semantics and continuants in other IE languages are dealt with in the remainder of the paper.


Metal-containing enzyme cofactors achieve their unusual reactivity by stabilizing uncommon metal oxidation states with structurally complex ligands. In particular, the specific cofactor promoting both methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation is a porphyrinoid chelated to a nickel(i) atom via a multi-step biosynthetic path, where nickel reduction is achieved through extensive molecular hydrogenation. Here, we demonstrate an alternative route to porphyrin reduction by charge transfer from a selected copper substrate to commercially available 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-porphyrin nickel(ii). X-ray absorption measurements at the Ni L3-edge unequivocally show that NiTPP species adsorbed on Cu(100) are stabilized in the highly reactive Ni(i) oxidation state by electron transfer to the molecular orbitals. Our approach highlights how some fundamental properties of synthetically inaccessible biological cofactors may be reproduced by hybridization of simple metalloporphyrins with metal surfaces, with implications towards novel approaches to heterogenous catalysis.


Intellectual capital has emerged as an indispensable element for enhancing productivity and sustaining performance of organizations in this knowledge-based economy. In the healthcare industry, intellectual capital forms the basis for continuing innovation and subsequent performance. Hence, the management of hospitals needs sound intellectual capital management in order to ensure sustainability. Moreover, the activities of hospitals generally depend more on intangible resources such as clinical skills, knowledge, expertise, experiences, competencies, doctor-patient relation, doctors' and hospital's reputation rather than physical resources like physical assets. For this study, Malaysian private hospitals were selected as sample to investigate how hospitals extract the value of their intangible capital. This study aims at providing empirical evidence on the intellectual capital management practices in Malaysian private hospitals. Data was collected from a series of interviews with representatives from five private hospitals in Malaysia. Cross-case study analysis was carried out in analysing the data collected to develop patterns found in the evidence. The study reveals that the intellectual capital management in hospital industry is quite unique especially in the human capital management and the relational capital management. For human capital management, clinical staffs' competencies are crucial. Interestingly, the study found that physicians are often not the direct employees of the hospitals. This leads to a unique relationship between the hospital and the physicians. Meanwhile for the relational capital management, this study also reveals that the unique relationship that exists between the physicians and patients leads to the structural capital of the hospitals which may influence the hospitals' reputations and good names.


This research aims to identify the relationship between strategy and value generation in service-providing companies that have won the Premio Colombiano a la Calidad (Colombian Management Quality Award) from the Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism) in the period 2013-2014, an accolade created to stimulate companies that stand out for having a practical approach towards aspects such as the creation of value for stakeholders. The methodology is of deductive, exploratory and descriptive nature, while information was obtained from seven companies through multiple case analysis. The results indicate that the studied companies display a direct relationship between strategy and value generation, have an integral, holistic and systemic vision, have a formal strategic process of formulation, implementation and control, bestow some participation onto their stakeholders, and acknowledge human talent, corporate image and financial resources as strategic factors. We concluded that the strategic orientation of companies for the generation of value is focused on the type of product or service, size and growth, profitability and market category. Moreover, the analyzed companies reckon fundamental elements in their value-creating system to generate a competitive advantage.


SEZs are considered as an economic tool since its first introduction but still there exist a very little evidence to date to figure out the factors of its vital outcome and success. This paper is aimed to evaluate different aspects of SEZs by investigating the growth of SEZs in developing and under developed economies of the world. For the generation of economic / business activities and employment opportunities, the investment in Industrial Sector Development is critical and a strong innovative economy can help to address the need for economic growth for targeting poverty and acceleration of socio-economic development. In the past decades number of SEZs has grown from Asia to Europe where SEZs play key role in economic prosperity and internationally most of the countries utilize their SEZs to attract foreign investors which will open the doors of employment for the population. However, not all SEZs play remarkably well like China's Shenzhen but China's performance in this area is a bench mark for the entire world as it achieves immense growth through its ventures of SEZs. It is estimated that almost 66m jobs are created by the SEZs all around the World out which almost 30m located at China. In Pakistan CPECis the project,transformingthe Country and opening the doors of new business opportunities, making the country as an internationalinvestmentdestination. The objective of establishing Special economic zones under the China Pakistan economic corridor is to keep the wheel growth moving as it accelerates the pace of social prosperity through surge in trade, expanding export and self-sufficiency by import substitution. With 9 special economic zones (SEZs) under CPEC yet to get operational in Pakistan, it remains to be seen if the government's plan of setting up prioritized SEZs with both Greenfield and Brownfield investment will achieve desired results and not become "land grabbing real estate ventures". This study is an attempt to explore the potential of industrialization along with the policy implications necessary for sustainable growth of these SEZs. Success of these SEZs lie under its legislation, provision of utilities, level of federal autonomy and the flawless management system.Differences in theaffectivity of SEZs are owned bythe particularities of the territories andnaturalendowmentswherethese zones are developed host country labor cost, market size and infrastructure are crucial and the delivery of positive outcome also largely depends on its geographical positions (Alexey Kuznetsov and Olga Kuznetsova, 2019). Establishment of sector specific zones for targeting tourism and agriculture sector development will also support the objective of socio economic development but still need special focus to develop basic infrastructure to attain sustainable development. This study will come up with the best suggested sustainable framework that bring high jumps of growth by contributing in the national output


The desmosome is a type of intercellular junction found in epithelial cells, cardiomyocytes and other specialized cell types. Composed of a network of transmembranous cadherins and intracellular armadillo, plakin and other proteins, desmosomes contribute to cell–cell adhesion, signalling, development and differentiation. Mutations in genes encoding desmosomal proteins result in a spectrum of erosive skin and mucosal phenotypes that also may affect hair or heart. This review summarizes the molecular pathology and phenotypes associated with desmosomal dysfunction with a focus on inherited disorders that involve the skin/hair, as well as associated extracutaneous pathologies. We reviewed the relevant literature to collate studies of pathogenic human mutations in desmosomes that have been reported over the last 25 years. Mutations in 12 different desmosome genes have been documented, with mutations in nine genes affecting the skin/mucous membranes (DSG1, DSG3, DSC2, DSC3, JUP, PKP1, DSP, CDSN, PERP) and eight resulting in hair abnormalities (DSG4, DSC2, DSC3, JUP, PKP1, DSP, CDSN, PERP). Mutations in three genes can result in cardiocutaneous syndromes (DSC2, JUP, DSP), although mutations have been described in five genes in inherited heart disorders that may lack any dermatological manifestations (DSG2, DSC2, JUP, PKP2, DSP). Understanding the diverse nature of these clinical phenotypes, as well as the desmosome gene mutation(s), has clinical value in managing and counselling patients, as well as demonstrating the biological role and activity of specific components of desmosomes in skin and other tissues.


In order to study the influence of the geometry and material properties on the service life of converters, different geometry and material properties of the converters were analyzed by using finite element method in this paper. A mechanical and thermal coupling diagram was introduced to optimize the geometric figure and material properties of the converter by software ABAQUS. The damage of converters was investigated, especially in the lower brick layers of the wall (the bottom wall transition zone). The result indicates both the ladder of the converter with small steps and a proper inclination at the joint between the bottom and wall of converters can reduce the stresses, which make the refractory material damage decrease. The working lining with high conductivity and low thermal expansion will make the thermal stress of the converter lower, which reduces the crack of the converter. The relations between the obtained results and the corresponding lining design and the material properties give a good insight into the reasons of refractory material failure and help to find counter-measures.


Studying the effect of urban compactness on energy consumption has been the locus of research for many Western researchers since the mid 1990s. In the last few years, the UAE federal and local governments have adopted agendas for energy efficiency in all sectors of development, especially in the building and urban development sectors. As a result, a shift from the conventional sprawl urban form to a more compact urban morphology has been attempted in some recently developed neighbourhoods in the UAE but with no scientific evidence about the effect of these new and more compact urban morphologies on energy efficiency in general, and the high cooling energy demand in specific. In a humble attempt to bridge this gap, this research adopted a comparative method for investigating the effect of urban morphology on energy efficiency through comparing the effect of the conventional sprawl vs. the effect of the recent more compact urban forms on operational and cooling energy demands. The main utilized tool in this comparative investigation was the UMI (Urban Modelling Interface) simulation conducted for Al Dhaher conventionally designed neighbourhood in Al Ain city, representing the conventional sprawl urban form, and Al Ghreiba, a recently developed more compact urban community in Al Ain city as well. The results revealed that the average operational and cooling Energy Use Intensities for Al Ghreiba were higher than those recorded Al Dhaher while the opposite was expected. To justify the results, the effects of increased building density, open space/street grid pattern, and building mass configurations on urban energy consumption, have been studied. It has been evident that simply compacting the urban form to some degree seems not only insufficient in saving operational and cooling energy, but it might also result in higher energy consumption if other influential measures are not appropriately considered.


A new series of heterometallic 3d–4f single molecule magnets (SMMs) of general formula [CrIII2DyIII2(OMe)2(RN{(CH2)2OH}2)2(acac)4(NO3)2] (R = Me, Et, nBu) is reported, displaying slow relaxation of the magnetization and magnetic hysteresis with non-zero coercive fields. Dynamic magnetic susceptibility experiments show that the three complexes possess anisotropy barriers of 34, 37 and 41 K (24, 29 and 26 cm−1); of similar magnitude to their {CoIII2DyIII2} counterparts. The replacement of the diamagnetic CoIII for paramagnetic CrIII ions results in significantly longer relaxation times, as observed via M(H) hysteresis at low temperatures, absent for the CoIII complexes. The present complexes are also compared to those of a similar CrIII–DyIII complex of formula [CrIII2DyIII2(OMe)2(O2CPh)4(mdea)2(NO3)2] (mdeaH2 = N-methyldiethanolamine), which displays SMM behaviour with a larger anisotropy barrier of 77 K (∼54 cm−1) and even longer relaxation times. We show that the long relaxation times compared to the CoIII analogues are due to the significant magnetic exchange interactions between the CrIII and DyIII ions, resulting in the suppression of quantum tunnelling of the magnetization (QTM) and leading to a multilevel relaxation barrier. The height of the relaxation barrier in these CrIII systems is then shown to be directly related to the strength of the exchange interactions between the CrIII and DyIII ions, showing a clear route towards enhancing the slow magnetic relaxation of coupled CrIII–DyIII systems.


The key challenges for future energy resources of the worlds are expected from unconventional resources. Indonesia and Malaysia are neighboring countries which endeavor to discover shale gas. Therefore, a review of the non-marine Tertiary shales in the Pematang Group and Bampo Formation of the Central and North Sumatra Basin, Indonesia as well as the Balingian Formation of the Balingian sub-Basin, Malaysia would give an insight into their potential. Samples of the Pematang Group are taken from well drilling, while Bampo and Balingian Formations are taken from rock exposures.In Pematang Group, zone of interest is depicted from Brown Shale member with lacustrine facies. Thick sequences of immature to mature were noted as very good to excellent TOC content, potential source for gas (as denoted by >6 of potential yield) and high Tmax. The same facies of Bampo Formation shows fair TOC value, in the range of 0.76 to 0.84%. Combination of typical II and III were observed in both. The Balingian Formation displays deltaic-estuarine facies. The presence of coal bearing may support the interpretation of type III kerogen with rich in organic matter. Quartz-rich horizon is one of essential factor to determine interest zone for fracture stimulation.


Author(s): Schuberg, Edward | Advisor(s): Yao, Weixin; Ma, Shujie | Abstract: The main purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that using a robust loss function (instead of the usual least squares loss) improves the clustering quality in the solution path clustering scheme. Cluster analysis simultaneously attempts to determine the number of clusters and estimate cluster location and membership. Convex clustering, distinguishing itself from other popular clustering methods, casts the clustering objective as a convex optimization problem and thus admits a global solution. It is a useful exploratory technique which outputs a solution path, evoking the name, ``solution path clustering." The solution path is a tree-like structure with cluster results ranging from n clusters down to a single cluster. Now, the benefits of convex clustering come at a cost since the use of a convex penalty can seriously bias the results and ruin the search for good cluster results. To lessen the bias, Ma and Huang (2017) proposed concave penalties to form the cluster centers. While the clustering objective is no longer convex, the quality of the solutions is improved. We extend the solution path clustering scheme by implementing robust loss functions instead of the usual least squares loss. Following Ma and Huang (2017), we also use a concave penalty to form clusters. The robust loss and concave penalty work together to mitigate the influence of outliers and minimize bias in the estimation of cluster locations, especially when the true distance between clusters is large. We introduce the IRLS-ADMM algorithm to minimize our proposed objective function and prove its convergence to a local minimum. Any loss function that admits an IRLS formulation or a majorizing surrogate can be used. We also study asymptotic and oracle properties of the estimator. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of our proposed method through simulation experiments and on real data sets, as well as provide some preliminary results on choosing the number of clusters via the modified BIC (Wang, Li, and Leng, 2009).


Background & Aim: Addiction (Substance addicted) as one of the health problems in the present century can influence physical, emotional and social aspects of addicted people and impose psychosocial problems for their families and society. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine social, psychosocial problems in families with an addicted member. Material & Methods: It was a descriptive, correlational study. The sample consisted of 400 close family members of the addicted people who were randomly recruited. Data was collected by SCL-90 questionnaire analyzed by SPSS-PC (v.16). Result: The findings showed that most subjects suffered moderate depression (36.8%) and moderate anxiety (36 . 4%). Also 36% of them had low levels of aggression and 35.8% had moderate interpersonal sensitivity. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that addicted members of families can affect the mental health of other family members. Proposing educational programs by nurses for high risk persons would prevent addiction-induced difficulties by knowledge promotion and behavior change.


Dragonflies are dramatic, successful aerial predators, notable for their flight agility and endurance. Further, they are highly capable of low-speed, hovering and even backwards flight. While insects have repeatedly modified or reduced one pair of wings, or mechanically coupled their fore and hind wings, dragonflies and damselflies have maintained their distinctive, independently controllable, four-winged form for over 300 Myr. Despite efforts at understanding the implications of flapping flight with two pairs of wings, previous studies have generally painted a rather disappointing picture: interaction between fore and hind wings reduces the lift compared with two pairs of wings operating in isolation. Here, we demonstrate with a mechanical model dragonfly that, despite presenting no advantage in terms of lift, flying with two pairs of wings can be highly effective at improving aerodynamic efficiency. This is achieved by recovering energy from the wake wasted as swirl in a manner analogous to coaxial contra-rotating helicopter rotors. With the appropriate fore–hind wing phasing, aerodynamic power requirements can be reduced up to 22 per cent compared with a single pair of wings, indicating one advantage of four-winged flying that may apply to both dragonflies and, in the future, biomimetic micro air vehicles.


Two different lithographic techniques for the patterning of thin biopolymer films are developed. The first method is based on using a microstructured elastomeric mold for the structuring of thin films of regenerated cellulose. The thin films are manufactured by spin‐coating of trimethylsilyl cellulose (TMSC) and subsequent regeneration. The microchannels formed by the mold and the cellulose film are filled with a cellulase solution by capillary action. In the areas exposed to the enzyme solution, the cellulose film is digested, whereas the area in contact with the mold is protected from the enzymatic activity. Optical thickness measurements, atomic force microscopy and fluorescent staining confirm a successful patterning of cellulose on several substrates by this method. The second method is based on the structured regeneration of thin TMSC films. TMSC surfaces are protected with metal masks and exposed to vapors of hydrochloric acid. These treatments result in hydrophilic cellulose structures surrounded by hydrophobic TMSC with differing physicochemical properties. Treatments of the obtained structures with cellulases allow the selective removal of pure cellulose, whereas a TMSC pattern remains on the surface. These TMSC can be regenerated back to pure cellulose by treatments with vapors of hydrochloric acid. The developed methods allow the effective fabrication of micropatterned biopolymer thin films suitable for further functionalization and application in, e.g., bioanalytical devices. This is shown by the immobilization and detection of single‐stranded DNA on structured cellulose surfaces. Owing to the versatility of both patterning approaches the methods can be further extended to other combinations of substrates and enzymes.


Degenerative and functional mitral regurgitation (MR) constitute 2 separate disease entities. Although the pathophysiological problem is directly addressed by a successful intervention on the valve in the first case, the underlying ventricular disease persists in the latter.

Article see p 1667

Indications for surgery in MR are well defined for degenerative MR, in which relief of the valve lesion leads to relief of left ventricular volume overload. The timing of surgery is based on symptoms, left ventricular size and function, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary hypertension.1,2 When following these criteria, surgery is associated with symptomatic improvement and a survival benefit. Nevertheless, up to 50% of patients, particularly the elderly and those who present with comorbidities or reduced ventricular function, are denied surgery despite having a clear indication for intervention.3

Criteria for surgical intervention are less well defined in functional MR, in which the valve is structurally normal and regurgitation is caused by an imbalance between closing and tethering forces related to a ventricular pathology4 that is not entirely corrected by the relief of MR. From surgical experience, it is known that valve intervention leads to an initial reduction of MR, although the recurrence rate is high and a survival benefit has not been demonstrated so far.5 Furthermore, the surgical …


Were analyzed publications devoted to the problem of diagnostics and treatment of posthypoxia myocardial ischemia. A description and estimation of the pathophysiological processes occurring in children who had perinatal hypoxia. The analysis of changes in the myocardium, and violations of intracardiac hemodynamics in newborns with posthypoxia myocardial ischemia. Describes modern methods of treatment of myocardial ischemia, including use of phosphokreatinine as a cardiotrophic therapy.


In this work, we introduce a swarm robotic system, called a swarm-bot. A swarm-bot is a self-assembling and self-organizing artifact composed of a swarm of s-bots, mobile robots with the ability to connect to/disconnect from each other. In particular, we address the problem of synthesizing controllers for the swarm-bot using Artificial Evolution. We describe the motivation behind the choice of the evolutionary approach and we provide examples of its application, detailing the results obtained in different tasks, namely coordinated motion and hole avoidance. We show how evolution is able to produce simple but effective solutions, which lead to the emergence of self-organization in the swarm-bot.


In Guadeloupe the most efficient vector of citrusTristeza virus (CTV), Toxoptera citricidus, was discovered at the end of 1991. The distribution of this vector was determined based on surveys made in each locality of the archipelago. At the same time, the search for Tristeza disease by an ELISA test was undertaken and results were all negative. From now on, regular control of all the nurseries, in order to deliver only healthy material, and the use of resistant rootstock are highly recommended. An integrated control program against T. citricidus must also be started. Finally, it is necessary to continue the watch for citrus Tristeza virus (CTV) on a regular basis, so as to detect it as soon as it appears and take the immediate and necessary measures. Finally the general distribution of T. citricidus and CTV in the Caribbean area is presented.


Abstract A nitrogen decision support system in the form of a game (NitroGenius) was developed for the Second International Nitrogen Conference. The aims were to: i) improve understanding among scientists and policy makers about the complexity of nitrogen pollution problems in an area of intensive agricultural, industrial, and transportation activity (The Netherlands); and ii) search for optimal policy solutions to prevent pollution effects at lowest economic and social costs. NitroGenius includes a model of nitrogen flows at relevant spatial and temporal scales including emissions of ammonia and nitrogen oxides and contamination of surface- and groundwaters. NitroGenius also includes an economic model describing relationships for important sectors and impacts of different nitrogen control measures on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment, energy use, and environmental costs. About 50 teams played NitroGenius during the Second International Nitrogen Conference. The results show that careful planning and selection of abatement options can solve Dutch nitrogen problems at reasonable cost.


S6K1 (p70 ribosomal S6 kinase 1) is activated by insulin and growth factors via the PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) signalling pathways. S6K1 regulates numerous processes, such as protein synthesis, growth, proliferation and longevity, and its inhibition has been proposed as a strategy for the treatment of cancer and insulin resistance. In the present paper we describe a novel cell-permeable inhibitor of S6K1, PF-4708671, which specifically inhibits the S6K1 isoform with a Ki of 20 nM and IC50 of 160 nM. PF-4708671 prevents the S6K1-mediated phosphorylation of S6 protein in response to IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), while having no effect upon the PMA-induced phosphorylation of substrates of the highly related RSK (p90 ribosomal S6 kinase) and MSK (mitogen- and stress-activated kinase) kinases. PF-4708671 was also found to induce phosphorylation of the T-loop and hydrophobic motif of S6K1, an effect that is dependent upon mTORC1 (mTOR complex 1). PF-4708671 is the first S6K1-specific inhibitor to be reported and will be a useful tool for delineating S6K1-specific roles downstream of mTOR.


This paper attempts to depict the deteriorating socio-economic status of the indigenous community as an ethnic minority in Bangladesh. The study focuses on the poverty of the community, which is deprived by the majority of Bengalis. This is explained through a broad spectrum of issues that constructed the structure of the discrimination occurring against the community in Bangladesh. The article is based on an empirical study in Rangamati through a survey method using a structured questionnaire. The structure of poverty and its correlates thereof were explained following a systematic poverty measurement technique. The study includes measuring the Headcount ratio, Poverty gap, Squared poverty gap, and Gini- coefficient that made poverty rate and extent of poverty. The major findings reveal that the Chakma community is not only suffering from severe poverty but also faces discrimination and deprivation to a great extent. Results reveal that the Chakma community's large extent of poverty is caused by belongingness to the minority group while the group has lower inequality or Gini-coefficient among the group. Based on the findings, the study suggests specific policy guidelines for comprehensive poverty alleviation programs in order to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the indigenous community in Bangladesh.