Wireless sensor networks (WSN) often employ asynchronous MAC scheduling, which allows each sensor node to wake up independently without synchronizing with its neighbor nodes. However, this asynchronous scheduling may not deal with collisions due to hidden terminals effectively. Although most of the existing asynchronous protocols exploit a random back-off technique to resolve collisions, the random back-off cannot secure a receiver from potentially repetitive collisions and may lead to a substantial increase in the packet latency. In this paper, we propose a new collision resolution algorithm called Transient Coordinator (TC) for asynchronous WSN MAC protocols. TC resolves a collision on demand by ordering senders' transmissions when a receiver detects a collision. To coordinate the transmission sequence both the receiver and the collided senders perform handshaking to collect the information and to derive a collision-free transmission sequence, which enables each sender to exclusively access the channel. According to the simulation results, our scheme can improve the average per-node throughput by up to 19.4% while it also reduces unnecessary energy consumption due to repetitive collisions by as much as 91.1% compared to the conventional asynchronous MAC protocols. This demonstrates that TC is more efficient in terms of performance, resource utilization, and energy compared to the random back-off scheme in dealing with collisions for asynchronous WSN MAC scheduling.


The non-recognition of foreign credentials channels many international migrants into occupations below their skill levels. I examine processes of credential devaluation among so-called Spaetaussiedler who migrated from Eastern Europe to Germany. An empirical study, involving an interview survey of NGO administrators, government bureaucrats, and employers in Berlin, suggests that institutional processes of credential recognition are intertwined with cultural processes of distinction. The study illustrates how institutional labour market regulation links with forces of social reproduction and the cultural exclusion of migrants.


The present study was aimed at optimizing the algorithm of examination and indications for operation in patients with a pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery. The work was based on a retrospective analysis of the therapeutic outcomes in 142 patients with an isolated pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery, who underwent a total of 166 reconstructive operations. Based on assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of the employed methods of diagnosis, we proposed an optimal algorithm of patient's examination including coloured duplex scanning and magnetic resonance angiography of the brachiocephalic arteries with simultaneous magnetic resonance tomography of the brain, followed by determining due indications for surgical treatment, depending on the baseline degree of cerebrovascular insufficiency and haemodynamiс significance of the pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery. The developed algorithm of examination makes it possible to timely and efficiently diagnose the disease and to determine due indications for surgical treatment of patients presenting with a pathological deformity of the internal carotid artery.


Among the multiple causes of chronic low back pain, axial and discogenic pain are common. Various modalities of treatments are utilized in managing discogenic and axial low back pain including epidural injections. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the effectiveness, indications, and medical necessity of any treatment modality utilized for managing axial or discogenic pain, including epidural injections. In an interventional pain management practice in the US, a randomized, double-blind, active control trial was conducted. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of lumbar interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic with or without steroids for managing chronic low back pain of discogenic origin. However, disc herniation, radiculitis, facet joint pain, or sacroiliac joint pain were excluded. Two groups of patients were studied, with 60 patients in each group receiving either local anesthetic only or local anesthetic mixed with non-particulate betamethasone. Primary outcome measures included the pain relief-assessed by numeric rating scale of pain and functional status assessed by the, Oswestry Disability Index, Secondary outcome measurements included employment status, and opioid intake. Significant improvement or success was defined as at least a 50% decrease in pain and disability. Significant improvement was seen in 77% of the patients in Group I and 67% of the patients in Group II. In the successful groups (those with at least 3 weeks of relief with the first two procedures), the improvement was 84% in Group I and 71% in Group II. For those with chronic function-limiting low back pain refractory to conservative management, it is concluded that lumbar interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic with or without steroids may be an effective modality for managing chronic axial or discogenic pain. This treatment appears to be effective for those who have had facet joints as well as sacroiliac joints eliminated as the pain source.


Objectives: Generate new knowledge and understanding of the practice of entrepreneurial philanthropy. The paper discusses the value added contribution that practices common to entrepreneurship, and the venture capital subsector, make to the field of philanthropy. Prior Work: There has been very little empirical research conducted on the philanthropic activities and approaches of contemporary entrepreneurs within the field of entrepreneurship. Approach: A case study research strategy has been adopted in this study, with the development of five in depth case studies of five high profile leading entrepreneurial philanthropists and their formal vehicle of philanthropy in the UK. Primary data includes in-depth interviews with the entrepreneurial philanthropist, the chief executive of their foundation, key personnel within the foundation and the social entrepreneurs in receipt of their philanthropic investment. In addition, a second layer of in-depth interviews were conducted with leading sector experts in the field of philanthropy and international development. All interviews have been transcribed verbatim and organised and coded using Nvivo software. The analysis of the data has identified the similarities, differences, continuities and discontinuities in the practice of entrepreneurial philanthropy. Results: The research findings present valuable insights into the philanthropic activity of entrepreneurial philanthropists. Specifically, detailing how they add value to the social entrepreneurs and enterprises they engage with through the adoption of practices more common in the field of entrepreneurship. Implications: The findings are relevant to multiple stakeholders with a vested interest in contemporary philanthropy: policymakers, third sector, social entrepreneurs and high net worth entrepreneurs. Value: The research contributes to the development of new knowledge and understanding on the practice of entrepreneurial philanthropy and the process of engaged investment undertaken with social enterprises. The findings contribute to the discourse on social entrepreneurship and philanthropy.


In an article aimed at complementing Boyer and Sperber's (relatively structural) views of counter-intuitive concepts and their robustness in the religious domain, Franks (2003) has recently drawn attention to the fact that the tolerance of such conflict or contradiction appears to be less domain-specific in some cultures, such as those found in East Asia. This paper follows up on this important point by highlighting the similarities and differences of the tolerance for contradictions evident in East Asian 'naive dialecticism' and nonnatural religious representations. It is argued that, despite their dissimilarity with respect to the content represented, both types of tolerances may be structurally similar. Both could also be anchored in intuition, albeit in qualitatively different ways. Given the general tolerance of psychological contradiction among persons of East Asian cultures and the potential role of religion, the question whether there is a place for the study of 'tolerance of contradiction' in cross-cultural psychology and cognitive anthropology is raised.


Telomeres, the ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, pose several
unique challenges to genome stability. My thesis work is concerned with the
difficulties the replication machinery encounters when attempting to replicate
telomeres, and with possible consequences of defects in telomere replication.
The relevance of the DNA replication machinery precipitated while
characterizing fission yeast cells lacking the telomeric binding protein Taz1 (a
homologue of mammalian TRF1 & 2). In the absence of Taz1, replication forks
stall when encountering telomeric sequences, leading to telomere breakage and
loss. This unanticipated function of the telomeric complex suggests that
telomeric sequences pose an obstacle to the replication machinery. Indeed,
further experiments suggested that any repeated sequence has a propensity to
cause replication fork stalling, suggesting that our findings may also be
applicable to other parts of the genome.
Challenges to semi-conservative replication in cells lacking Taz1 are likely
to be the underlying cause of another taz1Δ-specific phenomenon: telomere
entanglement and loss of viability occurring specifically at cold temperatures.
Screening for suppressors of this phenotype led to the identification of two
additional factors involved in the etiology of dysfunctional telomeres: the post-
translational modification SUMO, and the fission yeast member of the
conserved RecQ helicase family, Rqh1. A novel sumoylation deficient allele of
Rqh1 was able to suppress several taz1Δ-specific phenomena without
dramatically affecting other genome-wide functions of Rqh1. Interestingly,
genetic analysis revealed that this allele acts in a loss-of-function manner,
suggesting that Rqh1 activity is detrimental for taz1Δ telomeres. Our findings
underscore the significance of telomere-specific regulation, as Rqh1, and many
other factors participating in telomere metabolism, are not exclusive to
telomeres.


Ireland has transformed from being a country of emigration to a country of immigration within the past two decades. The transformation is evident in Irish higher education which currently recruits over one hundred thousand international students from across the globe. Although Muslim immigration into Ireland began with international students who came to study in Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in 1950s, research on Muslim students, particularly international, in Irish higher education has largely been neglected to date. Consequently, this project explores the experiences of international Muslim students (IMS) in an Irish university, asks whether a religious identity is a pertinent factor in intercultural contact, and investigates internationalisation of higher education in Ireland from the perspective of IMS.

The study used a constructive grounded theory approach within an interpretative framework. 23 semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with IMS from undergraduate and Master's programmes in Dublin City University (DCU) Glasnevin Campus, which were audio-taped and transcribed. A three-stage analysis was employed in line with constructivist grounded theory: initial coding, focused coding, axial & theoretical coding. NVivo was used to help organise the data during the rigorous analysis process.

The findings reveal that IMS' experiences on campus are mainly built on three interdependent axes: identity, environment and contact. Particularly within the category identity, religion is identified as a major construct reinforcing a transnational Muslim identity and unity among Muslim students with different national and cultural backgrounds. DCU (Glasnevin) emerges as a multicultural campus in which diversity is successfully accommodated. However, a lack of intercultural contact from the perspective of IMS persists on campus perpetuated by factors such as culture distance, homophily, institutional completeness and students' cultural capital. The study highlights the need for an effective intercultural policy and practice instead of multicultural in Irish HEIs, to the advantage of both the international and host students.


Increased automation for aircraft systems holds the promise to increase safety, precision, and availability for manned and unmanned aircraft. Specifically, established aviation segments, such as general aviation and light sport, could utilize increased automation to make significant progress towards solving safety and piloting difficulties that have plagued them for some time. Further, many emerging market segments, such as urban air mobility and small unmanned (e.g., small parcel delivery with drones) have a strong financial incentive to develop increased automation to relieve the pilot workload, and/or replace in-the-loop pilots for most situations. Before these advances can safely be made, automation technology must be shown to be reliable, available, accurate, and correct within acceptable limits based on the level of risk these functions may create. However since inclusion of these types of systems is largely unprecedented at this level of aviation, what constitutes these required traits (and at what level they must be proven to) requires development as well. Progress in this domain will likely be captured and disseminated in the form of best practices and technical standards created with collaboration from regulatory and industry groups. This work intends to inform those standards producers, along with the system designers, with the goal of facilitating growth in aviation systems toward safe, methodical, and robust inclusion of these new technologies. Produced by members of the manned and unmanned small aircraft community, represented by ASTM task group AC 377, this work strives to suggest and describe certain fundamental principles, or "pillars", of complex aviation systems development, which are applicable to the design and architectural development of increased automation for aviation systems.


The Csr system of E. coli controls gene expression and physiology on a global scale. CsrA protein, the central component of this system, represses translation initiation of numerous genes by binding to target transcripts, thereby competing with ribosome binding. Variations of this mechanism are so common that CsrA is sometimes called a translational repressor. Although CsrA-mediated activation mechanisms have been elucidated in which bound CsrA inhibits RNA degradation, no translation activation mechanism has been defined. Here, we demonstrate that CsrA binding to two sites in the 5′ untranslated leader of ymdA mRNA activates translation by destabilizing a structure that otherwise prevents ribosome binding. The extensive role of CsrA in activating gene expression suggests the common occurrence of similar activation mechanisms. ABSTRACT The sequence-specific RNA-binding protein CsrA is the central component of the conserved global regulatory Csr system. In Escherichia coli, CsrA regulates many cellular processes, including biofilm formation, motility, carbon metabolism, iron homeostasis, and stress responses. Such regulation often involves translational repression by CsrA binding to an mRNA target, thereby inhibiting ribosome binding. While CsrA also extensively activates gene expression, no detailed mechanism for CsrA-mediated translational activation has been demonstrated. An integrated transcriptomic study identified ymdA as having the strongest CsrA-mediated activation across the E. coli transcriptome. Here, we determined that CsrA activates ymdA expression posttranscriptionally. Gel mobility shift, footprint, toeprint, and in vitro coupled transcription-translation assays identified two CsrA binding sites in the leader region of the ymdA transcript that are critical for translational activation. Reporter fusion assays confirmed that CsrA activates ymdA expression at the posttranscriptional level in vivo. Furthermore, loss of binding at either of the two CsrA binding sites abolished CsrA-dependent activation. mRNA half-life studies revealed that CsrA also contributes to stabilization of ymdA mRNA. RNA structure prediction revealed an RNA hairpin upstream of the ymdA start codon that sequesters the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence, which would inhibit ribosome binding. This hairpin also contains one of the two critical CsrA binding sites, with the other site located just upstream. Our results demonstrate that bound CsrA destabilizes the SD-sequestering hairpin such that the ribosome can bind and initiate translation. Since YmdA represses biofilm formation, CsrA-mediated activation of ymdA expression may repress biofilm formation under certain conditions. IMPORTANCE The Csr system of E. coli controls gene expression and physiology on a global scale. CsrA protein, the central component of this system, represses translation initiation of numerous genes by binding to target transcripts, thereby competing with ribosome binding. Variations of this mechanism are so common that CsrA is sometimes called a translational repressor. Although CsrA-mediated activation mechanisms have been elucidated in which bound CsrA inhibits RNA degradation, no translation activation mechanism has been defined. Here, we demonstrate that CsrA binding to two sites in the 5′ untranslated leader of ymdA mRNA activates translation by destabilizing a structure that otherwise prevents ribosome binding. The extensive role of CsrA in activating gene expression suggests the common occurrence of similar activation mechanisms.


The management of breeding sites is one of the preventive measures against malaria. However, in view of the environmental damage caused by the various chemical insecticides used for this purpose and especially the resistances developed by Anopheles gambiae (the main vector) with respect to these synthetic chemical compounds, we have proposed implementing of extracts plants. Thus, organic solvents with a gradient of polarities such as nhexane, dichloromethane and methanol-water were used to extract the phytochemical compounds present in the leaves of Elaeis oleifera and Launaea taraxacifolia. The three different extracts obtained for each plant were tested on 3rd stage larvae from two genotypes of Anopheles gambiae: the Kisumu strain of Kenyan origin and the wild strain from the breeding sites of Cotonou. Phytochemical analysis revealed that in addition to tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins, leuco-anthocyanins and triterpenes which are present in both plants, Elaeis oleifera also contains mucilages and alkaloids. The hydro-methanolic extracts were found to be the most active on the two origins of larvae with lethal concentrations LC50 of 448.01 ppm in 24 hrs and 51.38 ppm in 48 hrs of exposure for the Kisumu strain; 4199.63 ppm and 1456.44 ppm in 24 hrs and 48 hrs respectively for the wild population for Elaeis oleifera. In addition, Launaea taraxacifolia appeared much more interesting and displayed almost identical activities on the two larval origins with LC50 of 182.68 ppm and 135.13 ppm respectively in 24 hrs and 48 hrs for Kisumu larvae and 157.36 ppm in 24 hrs then 116.88 ppm in 48 hrs for wild larvae. It is therefore concluded that Launaea taraxacifolia can be used for bio-larvicide production in integrated malaria vector control. Accepted: 27 June 2017 Available Online: 06 July 2017


ABSTRACT There is a paucity of research comparing gang members and domestic extremists and extant studies find few explicit linkages. Despite this, there remains a great deal of interest in possible similarities between these criminal groups. Driving this interest is the possibility of adapting policies and practices aimed at preventing entry into criminal groups. A critical first step to determining compatibility is to examine the circumstances of the individuals who enter these organizations and better describe the entry processes. This study provides a unique comparison of entry into these groups by drawing on four broad empirically derived mechanisms of group entry using forty-five in-person interviews of U.S. gang members and thirty-eight life history narratives of individuals who radicalized in the United States. Our results reveal that each of the four conceptual categories appeared to influence initial involvement; however, no single mechanism described involvement in criminal groups or differentiated involvement across the gangs and extremist groups.


Background Titanium is a less studied trace element in dental enamel. Literature relates an increased Titanium concentration with a decreased enamel crystal domain size, which in turn is related to a higher color value. The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of tooth bleaching agents on its concentration in dental enamel by means of confocal Raman spectroscopy. Material and Methods Human teeth were randomly distributed in six experimental groups (n=10) and submitted to different bleaching protocols according to the manufacturer´s instructions. Confocal Raman spectroscopy was carried out in order to identify and quantify the presence of titanium dioxide molecules in enamel prior to and during whitening. Statistical analysis included repeated measures analysis of variance (p≤0.05) and Bonferroni pairwise comparisons. Results Titanium dioxide concentration was negatively affected by the longer bleaching protocols (at-home bleaching gels). All in-office whitening products increased significantly the studied molecule (p≤0,05). Conclusions All dental specimens depicted the presence of titanium dioxide as a trace element in dental enamel. Bleaching gels that have to be applied at higher concentrations but for shorter periods of time increase the concentration of titanium dioxide, whilst at-home whitening gels used for longer periods of time despite the lower concentration caused a loss in titanium. Key words:Bleaching, whitening, hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, Raman spectroscopy, titanium dioxide.


Nowadays state-of-the-art speaker recognition systems obtain quite accurate results for both text-independent and textdependent tasks as long as they are trained on a fair amount of development data from the target domain (assuming clean speech). In this work, we address the challenge of building a speaker recognition system with a small development dataset from the target domain without using out-of-domain data whatsoever. When development data is limited, the Nuisance Attribute Projector (NAP) algorithm is (in general) superior to the i-vector approach. We have investigated the relative degradation observed from the different components of the NAP system trained on a small dataset and conclude that score normalization is a major source of degradation. We introduce a novel method for stabilizing the normalized scores. We explicitly estimate a low dimensional subspace in supervector space which accounts for high variability in score normalization parameters. We then compensate the estimated subspace. We report experiments on both text-dependent and text-independent tasks which validate our method and show large error reductions.


Mosquito borne diseases have been a constant scourge across the globe resulting in numerous diseases with debilitating consequences, and also death. To derive trends on population of mosquitoes in an area, trained personnel lay traps, and after collecting trapped specimens, they spend hours under a microscope to inspect each specimen for identifying the actual species and logging it. This is vital, because multiple species of mosquitoes can reside in any area, and the vectors that some of them carry are not the same ones carried by others. The species identification process is naturally laborious, and imposes severe cognitive burden, since sometimes, hundreds of mosquitoes can get trapped. Most importantly, common citizens cannot aid in this task. In this paper, we design a system based on smart-phone images for mosquito species identification, that integrates image processing, feature selection, unsupervised clustering, and support vector machine based algorithm for classification. Results with a total of 101 female mosquito specimens spread across 9 different vector carrying species (that were captured from a real outdoor trap) demonstrate an overall accuracy of 77% in species identification. When implemented as a smart-phone app, the latency and energy consumption were minimal. In terms of practical impact, common citizens can benefit from our system to identify mosquito species by themselves, and also share images to local/ global mosquito control centers. In economically disadvantaged areas across the globe, tools like these can enable novel citizen-science enabled mechanisms to combat spread of mosquitoes


Aims In a previous study using a genome-wide microarray strategy, we identified metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) as a putative cardioprotective candidate in ischaemic postconditioning (PostC). In the present study, we investigated the role of cardiac mGluR1 receptors during cardioprotection against myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury in the mouse myocardium. Methods and results mGluR1 activation by glutamate administered 5 min before reperfusion in C57Bl/6 mice subjected to a myocardial ischaemia protocol strongly decreased both infarct size and DNA fragmentation measured at 24 h reperfusion. This cardioprotective effect was mimicked by the mGluR1 agonist, DHPG (10 μM), and abolished when glutamate was coinjected with the mGluR1 antagonist YM298198 (100 nM). Wortmannin (100 nM), an inhibitor of PI3-kinase, was able to prevent glutamate-induced cardioprotection. A glutamate bolus at the onset of reperfusion failed to protect the heart of mGluR1 knockout mice subjected to a myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion protocol, although PostC still protected the mGluR1 KO mice. Glutamate-treatment improved post-infarction functional recovery as evidenced by an echocardiographic study performed 15 days after treatment and by a histological evaluation of fibrosis 21 days post-treatment. Interestingly, restoration of functional mGluR1s by a PostC stimulus was evidenced at the transcriptional level. Since mGluR1s were localized at the surface membrane of cardiomyocytes, they might contribute to the cardioprotective effect of ischaemic PostC as other Gq-coupled receptors. Conclusion This study provides the first demonstration that mGluR1 activation at the onset of reperfusion induces cardioprotection and might represent a putative strategy to prevent ischaemia-reperfusion injury.


The study investigates the laminar flow and heat transfer characteristics in elliptic microchannels of varying axis ratios and with internal longitudinal fins, operating in a region that is hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed; purposely to determine the effects of some salient fluid and geometry parameters such as Reynolds number, Prandtl number, aspect ratio ( and fin heights on flow pattern and rate of heat transfer. Numerical method using the finite difference technique was adopted for the solution. A code in Quick Basic was developed to generate the results. Results show that fin height of H=0.6 provided the optimum heat transfer enhancement for the configuration of e = 0, e= 0.433 and e=0.714; for e=0.866, fin height of H= 0.4 is tolerable. Result also show that Nusselt number increases with Reynolds number for all axis ratios investigated. However, at Re=200 a slight trough was observed in Nusselt number Versus Reynolds number relationship indicating a critical flow condition. It was also established that at 5 Pr ≥ , Nusselt number and bulk fluid temperature, are independent of fluid properties.


In the Sub-Saran Africa, mathematics is a key subject in the school curriculum and most countries consider it as must-pass subject to gain admission into tertiary institutions. This notwithstanding, students ' performance in mathematics in a cause for concern. For example, the mathematics performance of Ghanaian students in 2021 West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), was lower than that of 2020. This indicates that the percentage of students to gain admission into the tertiary has reduced. This study therefore explored the role of motivation, peer assisted learning, quality of teaching and student interest on student performance in mathematics. The study design was a survey, with structured questionnaire being used for data collection. The population comprised of students pursuing their undergraduate degree at a public university in Ghana. Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used in selecting 373 first year undergraduate students of Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), who studied on Kumasi campus. Data was gathered during lecture hours, after permissions were sought from the lecturers handling the classes at the time of data collection. The path analysis was by Structural Equation Modelling, by using Amos (v.23) software. It was concluded that students learning interest in mathematics partially mediated the relationships between mathematics learning motivation and performance in mathematics; as well as between mathematics teaching quality and performance in mathematics. The effect of peer assisted mathematics learning on performance in mathematics was however fully mediated by students learning interest in mathematics.


Mathematical morphology stresses the role of shape in image pre-processing, segmentation, and object description. It constitutes a set of tools that have solid mathematical background and lead to fast algorithms. The basic entity is a point set. Morphology operates using transformations that are described using operators in a relatively simple non linear algebra. Mathematical morphology constitutes a counterpart to traditional signal processing based on linear operators (such as convolution). In images, morphological operations are relations of two sets. One is an image and the second a small probe, called a structuring element, that systematically traverses the image; its relation to the image in each position is stored in the output image. Fundamental operations of mathematical morphology are dilation and erosion. Dilation expands an object to the closest pixels of the neighborhood. Erosion shrinks the object. Erosion and dilation are not invertible operations; their combination constitutes new operations—opening and closing. Thin and elongated objects are often simplified using a skeleton that is an archetypical stick replacement of original objects. The skeleton constitutes a line that is in the middle of the object. To study the pattern trends with shape as primitive the present article experimented the operations of hit or miss, thinning and gradient operations on textures. The experiments clearly shows uniform patterns in cloth textures and where as more number of regions with different topologies are exhibited by the tree bark textures. This factors clearly co-insides with the nature of these textures.


This thesis is a result of a research conducted during three months in four State Protected Conservation Units in the State of Amazonas in Brazil. The world"s largest PES-program - Programa Bolsa Floresta, will serve as case study. The aim of the study is to identify the socio-environmental conditions under which the program is implemented and, to study if the program architecture is in coherence with the livelihood needs of the target group-, and the needs to protect the rain forest. The target group of the program are the river dwellers, "ribeirinhos", living in extremely isolated areas being excluded from the public safety net of the Brazilian Government.A basic understanding of the livelihood situation was achieved through the use of systematic collection of empirical data. A combination of qualitative semi-structured interviews, quantitative literature reviews and triangulation of data compose the methodological base of the study. The holistic and human centered theoretical framework of Carney"s Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) laid the theoretical base of the study.Based upon the baseline study made over the local conditions and the context description this study recognizes that the programs architecture is coherent with the most basic needs of the ribeirinhos as well as the need to protect the forest. Due to the programs few years in execution it is hard to determine long-term impacts of the program at this stage. However, even being in an early stage, the program seems to be a potential key mechanism to build the foundation for future sustainable development in the region. The object of the program is to put value on the Environmental Services (ES) provided by the locals and by doing so, compensate them for their loss of capital. The program is designed holistically, i.e. its components include all five capital assets of the SLA framework. The payments given as compensations aim to advocate participatory, social organizational, educative, and self-reliance promoting methods, such as incentives to an alternative income, construction of schools, improved infrastructure, investments in water filters, means for communication, health programs in schools and ambulance boats.


Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is relapsing remitting disease. The standard regimen for LN treatment comprises of induction and maintenance phases. Aims To study the incidence of LN flare in patients who had renal complete remission (CR) after receiving standard regimens for LN, time from renal remission to flare and to identify factors associated with renal flare after CR in clinical practice. Methods We observed the clinical outcomes of patients who had 1st LN episode and achieved CR (24 hour urine protein <0.5 gm/day with normal renal function), within 12 months after receiving induction phase, and received the maintenance phase for at least 18 months. Demographic characteristics, clinical, laboratories and treatments variable, every 3 months from the time of CR to flare or to last follow-up were recorded. Results Among 548 patients who were currently follow-up, 171 patients had 1st LN episode. Of these, 87 patients (96.6% female with mean age 29.5±10.8 years) met the inclusion criteria. During 6.1±3.4 years of observation, the incident of LN flare was 48.3%. The mean time from CR to flare was 3.14 years (min 0.5, max 9.5). Logistic regression analysis revealed remaining dose of prednisololne ≥7.5 mg/day after remission reduced incidence of renal flare (Odd ratio 0.26 (95%CI 0.08–0.85), p=0.025), while demographic characteristics, clinical variables, and other treatments variables were not associated with incidence of LN flare. Conclusions Although achieving CR with standard treatment, almost half of patients had LN flare within a few years. This study emphasise that maintenance phase in LN is crucial.


Putting agricultural systems on a more sustainable path is a crucial policy issue. Within that context, the objective of this paper is to show how the unsustainable character of current agricultural systems is strongly related to the prevailing rationale of mainstream economics and the Cartesian-Newtonian worldview on which it is founded. Using the example of the transformation of post-war agriculture in France, our analysis underlines the profound influence of the logic of mainstream economics on the modernisation of agricultural systems. The resulting transformation of agricultural systems based on the triptych specialisation-intensification-concentration is then further explored regarding its negative impacts in terms of sustainability. Particular attention is dedicated to environmental impacts, given their magnitude and the fact that mainstream economics, because of its "mechanistic reductionist" framework, has intrinsic difficulties in dealing with them. Since the fundamental assumptions of mainstream economics are being strongly challenged, it becomes legitimate to resort to an alternative economic framework for designing appropriate policies and measures. Given that many empirical studies demonstrates that agricultural systems may be locked-in to some extent, the choice an evolutionary line of thought in an ecological perspective is quite straightforward. This approach of economic change both underlines its historically-contingent nature and the role played by systemic interdependencies. Through underlining the path-dependence of agricultural systems, the use of the evolutionary framework in an ecological perspective allows us to shed a new light on their transformation by suggesting some strategies (i.e. niche accumulation and hybridisation) that have proven efficient in overcoming cases of lock-in in other fields.


Objectives
To prevent invasive fungal disease (IFD) in adult patients undergoing remission-induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

Patients and methods
In a double-blind multicentre Phase 3 study, patients received prophylactic liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) at 5 mg/kg intravenously or placebo twice weekly in a 2:1 random allocation during remission-induction treatment. The primary endpoint was the development of proven or probable IFD. Secondary endpoints included those focused on the safety and tolerability of prophylactic L-AMB.

Results
Three hundred and fifty-five patients from 86 centres in Europe and South America received at least one dose of L-AMB ( n =  237) or placebo ( n =  118). Rates of proven and probable IFD assessed independently were 7.9% (18/228) in the L-AMB group and 11.7% (13/111) in the placebo group ( P  =   0.24). Rates of possible IFD were 4.8% (11/228) in the L-AMB and 5.4% (6/111) in the placebo group ( P  =   0.82). The remission-induction phase was a median of 22 days for both groups. Overall mortality was similar between the groups: 7.2% (17/237) for L-AMB and 6.8% (8/118) for placebo ( P  =   1.00). Hypokalaemia and creatinine increase were significantly more frequent with L-AMB.

Conclusions
The IFD rate among adult patients undergoing remission-induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed ALL was 11.7% in the placebo group, and was not significantly different in patients receiving L-AMB, suggesting that the L-AMB regimen studied is not effective as prophylaxis against IFD. The IFD rate appears higher than previously reported, warranting further investigation. Tolerability of L-AMB was what might be expected. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal antifungal strategy during remission-induction chemotherapy of ALL.


This paper provides an holistic and systematic view of a 7 year old boy, Jarrod, as a unique individual with unintelligible speech. Jarrod was considered using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth (ICF-CY) beta draft. Consideration was made of Body Function, Body Structure, Activity and Participation, Environmental Factors and Personal Factors that impacted on his life and were affected by his speech impairment. Intervention was recommended to be directed in two ways. The first towards amelioration of Jarrod's speech impairment using an evidence-based approach and monitored by a data-based decision making model. The second approach was directed towards others in Jarrod's immediate environment such as his peers and teachers as well as towards policy makers and others in society who have an effect on the provision of a facilitative environment and appropriate services for children with speech impairment. This paper is a preliminary attempt to determine salient dimensions and codes of the ICF-CY (beta draft) for use by speech-language pathologists working with children with unintelligible speech.


The syntactic realization of Dutch PPs is the result of an interaction of several factors. These include: the form of the complement (full NP or pronoun) and its semantics (animate or inanimate), the spatial semantics of the PP (directional or locative), and idiosyncratic lexical properties associated with particular prepositions. This paper presents a non-transformational approach to Dutch PP syntax that assumes multiple lexical entries for each adposition to produce the wide variety of PP structures observed. The lexical entries are systematically organized in an inheritance hierarchy with two major binary dimensions of variation, POSITION (preposition vs. postposition) and DIRECTIONALITY (directional vs. non-directional), with further partitions for different complement types (involving animacy and various possibilities for pronominalization). After showing how the proposed system accounts for the internal syntactic structure of Dutch adpositional phrases, the paper turns to some issues of external PP syntax, in particular the P-stranding phenomena found in Dutch.


The paper presents a simple model to study the effects of rumours on markets. Agents in our economy communicate with their local neighbours which gives rise to the possible spread of a rumour. As the rumour affects beliefs of the agents the evolution of the rumour has a direct impact on market outcomes. Our results show that if the rumour dies out long-run equilibrium prices correspond to pre-rumour values. However, if the rumour stays present it produces a price run-up for the good that is positively targeted by the rumour. Price run-ups related to rumours have been observed in empirical studies by Rose [Rose, A.M., 1951. Rumor in the stock market. Public Opinion Quarterly 15, 461–486], Pound and Zeckhauser [Pound, J., Zeckhauser, R., 1990. Clearly heard on the street: the effect of takeover rumors on stock prices. Journal of Business 63, 291–308] and Zivney et al. [Zivney, T., Bertin, W.J., Torabzadeh, K.M., 1996. Overreaction to take-over speculation. Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 36, 89–115]. The present model provides an analytical foundation for this finding.


Polyester-based amphiphilic block copolymers and their nanoassemblies are of significant interest for a wide range of applications due to the degradability of the polyester block. However, the commonly used polyesters lack functional groups on their backbones, limiting the possibilities to chemically modify these polymers. Described here are new poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–poly(β-6-heptenolactone) (PHEL) block copolymers having pendant alkenes at each repeat unit on the PHEL block. First, the self-assembly of these block copolymers in aqueous solution was studied and it was found that they formed solid nanoparticles and vesicles depending on the relative block lengths. Next the alkene moieties of the block copolymer were modified with either hydrophilic or hydrophobic pendant groups using thiol–ene reactions, allowing the hydrophilic mass fractions and consequently the self-assembled morphologies to be tuned, accessing both smaller nanoparticles and cylindrical assemblies. It was also demonstrated that the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel or a fluorescent rhodamine dye could be easily conjugated to the block copolymers and the self-assembly of these conjugates was explored. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that PEO-PHEL block copolymers can serve as versatile backbones for the preparation of functional, polyester-based materials.


Since the 2007–2008 financial crisis, the markets related to housing finance have been restoring their tools and instruments in order to avoid a new crisis. In this period, while attempting to eliminate structural problems in existing housing finance instruments, on the other hand new products were tried to figure out. In particular, products based on risk sharing have frequently come to the forefront, both in the academia and the industry. In this direction, one such innovative product is the participating mortgage, in which the borrower obtains below-market interest rates in return for a percentage of the property's future appreciation and/or net operating income. Particularly used in conventional markets, participating mortgage can also be applied within the Islamic finance thanks to the model it is based on. This chapter attempts to introduce the method of participating mortgage with detailed background and intellectual investigation. Including the modeling of participating mortgage, this study also shows how this method can be designed under Islamic finance. Furthermore, implications and fields of application are explored with a discussion of challenges. In this chapter, considering the achievements of participating mortgage method, it is asserted that it can enable the product diversity of the Islamic banks, thereby increasing the share in the global banking sector.


Abstract Mycoheterotrophy is an alternative nutritional strategy whereby plants obtain sugars and other nutrients from soil fungi. Mycoheterotrophy and associated loss of photosynthesis have evolved repeatedly in plants, particularly in monocots. Although reductive evolution of plastomes in mycoheterotrophs is well documented, the dynamics of nuclear genome evolution remains largely unknown. Transcriptome datasets were generated from four mycoheterotrophs in three families (Orchidaceae, Burmanniaceae, Triuridaceae) and related green plants and used for phylogenomic analyses to resolve relationships among the mycoheterotrophs, their relatives, and representatives across the monocots. Phylogenetic trees based on 602 genes were mostly congruent with plastome phylogenies, except for an Asparagales + Liliales clade inferred in the nuclear trees. Reduction and loss of chlorophyll synthesis and photosynthetic gene expression and relaxation of purifying selection on retained genes were progressive, with greater loss in older nonphotosynthetic lineages. One hundred seventy-four of 1375 plant benchmark universally conserved orthologous genes were undetected in any mycoheterotroph transcriptome or the genome of the mycoheterotrophic orchid Gastrodia but were expressed in green relatives, providing evidence for massively convergent gene loss in nonphotosynthetic lineages. We designate this set of deleted or undetected genes Missing in Mycoheterotrophs (MIM). MIM genes encode not only mainly photosynthetic or plastid membrane proteins but also a diverse set of plastid processes, genes of unknown function, mitochondrial, and cellular processes. Transcription of a photosystem II gene (psb29) in all lineages implies a nonphotosynthetic function for this and other genes retained in mycoheterotrophs. Nonphotosynthetic plants enable novel insights into gene function as well as gene expression shifts, gene loss, and convergence in nuclear genomes.


The onset and evolution of the Dead Sea transform are re-evaluated based on new in
situ U-Pb dating and strain analyses of mechanically twinned calcites. Direct dating of 30
syn-faulting calcites from 10 different inactive fault strands of the transform indicates that
the oceanic-to-continental plate boundary initiated between 20.8 and 18.5 Ma within an
∼10-km-wide distributed deformation zone in southern Israel. Ages from the northern Dead
Sea transform (17.1–12.7 Ma) suggest northward propagation and the establishment of a well-developed
>500-km-long plate-bounding fault in 3 m.y. The dominant horizontal shortening
direction recorded in the dated twinned calcites marks the onset of left-lateral motion along
the evolving plate boundary. The observed changes in the strain field within individual fault
strands cannot be simply explained by local "weakening effects" along strands of the Dead
Sea transform or by gradual changes in the Euler pole through time.


Herein, we report about the design, synthesis, and application of a nucleophilic octahedral chiral-only-at-metal iridium(III) complex. We demonstrate that the enantiopure form of this complex serves as an efficient catalyst for the asymmetric Steglich rearrangement of O-acylated azlactones (up to 96% ee and 99% yield) and the related asymmetric Black rearrangement of O-acylated benzofuranones (up to 94% ee and 99% yield). We provide insight into the mechanisms of these two acyl migration reactions and the catalyst's manner of chiral recognition with crystal structures of the active catalyst and a catalysis intermediate analog, as well as with quantum chemical calculations based on them. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the presented catalyst also efficiently catalyzes the asymmetric reaction between aryl alkyl ketenes and 2-cyanopyrrole to give the corresponding α-chiral N-acyl pyrroles (up to 95% ee and 99% yield).


This paper has focused on abrasive wear and abrasion heating of Mg- and Al-based B 4 C and Cr reinforced composites. The B 4 C and Cr have been added in 5% in the Mg- and Al-matrices and their composites have been fabricated by a squeezed stir casting method. The matrices and composites are evaluated and characterized for microstructure, hardness and X-ray diffraction. The abrasive wear and temperature rise during abrasive wear tests are carried out using a tribo-tester machine. The microstructure of Mg- and Al- matrices and their composites mainly show a uniform distribution of the B 4 C and Cr reinforcements. The hardness of the composites enhanced upto 72% by including B 4 C and 30 to 37% in the case of Cr composites in comparison to Mg- and Al- matrices. Temperature rise during abrasive is found more in the case of B 4 C reinforced composites in comparison to Cr amalgam composites and the abrasive resistance of B 4 C composite is high in comparison to Cr amalgam composites. The wear rate of boron carbide composites is approximately 2–6 times lower than the Mg matrix under different conditions. SEM image analysis mainly shows the cutting and ploughing material removal mechanism in abrasive wear.


The pressure of crack-shaped cavities formed in silicon upon implantation with helium and subsequent annealing is quantitatively determined from the measurement of diffraction contrast features visible in transmission electron micrographs taken under well-defined dynamical two-beam conditions. For this purpose, simulated images, based on the elastic displacements associated with a Griffith crack, are matched to experimental micrographs, thus yielding unambiguous quantitative data on the ratio p/μ of the cavity pressure to the silicon matrix shear modulus. Experimental results demonstrate cavity radii of some 10 nm and p/μ values up to 0.22, which may be regarded as sufficiently high for the emission of dislocation loops from the cracks.


Background & objectives: In the context of India's ongoing resurgence of COVID-19 (second wave since mid-February 2021, following the subsiding of the first wave in September 2020), there has been increasing speculation on the possibility of a future third wave of infection, posing a burden on the healthcare system. Using simple mathematical models of the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2, this study examined the conditions under which a serious third wave could occur. Methods: Using a deterministic, compartmental model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, four potential mechanisms for a third wave were examined: (i) waning immunity restores previously exposed individuals to a susceptible state, (ii) emergence of a new viral variant that is capable of escaping immunity to previously circulating strains, (iii) emergence of a new viral variant that is more transmissible than the previously circulating strains, and (iv) release of current lockdowns affording fresh opportunities for transmission. Results: Immune-mediated mechanisms (waning immunity, or viral evolution for immune escape) are unlikely to drive a severe third wave if acting on their own, unless such mechanisms lead to a complete loss of protection among those previously exposed. Likewise, a new, more transmissible variant would have to exceed a high threshold (R0>4.5) to cause a third wave on its own. However, plausible mechanisms for a third wave include: (i) a new variant that is more transmissible and at the same time capable of escaping prior immunity, and (ii) lockdowns that are highly effective in limiting transmission and subsequently released. In both cases, any third wave seems unlikely to be as severe as the second wave. Rapid scale-up of vaccination efforts could play an important role in mitigating these and future waves of the disease. Interpretation & conclusions: This study demonstrates plausible mechanisms by which a substantial third wave could occur, while also illustrating that it is unlikely for any such resurgence to be as large as the second wave. Model projections are, however, subject to several uncertainties, and it remains important to scale up vaccination coverage to mitigate against any eventuality. Preparedness planning for any potential future wave will benefit by drawing upon the projected numbers based on the present modelling exercise.


Microfinance has been one of the fastest growing "industries" of the new millennium, with the sector now containing over 10,000 microfinance institutions (MFIs) worth an estimated USD with over $60 billion in assets (Microfinance Information Exchange 2011). This expansion has stimulated interest from both scholars and the mainstream media. There is a growing volume of academic research which broadly centres on two approaches: an "institutionalist perspective" that highlights microfinance as an innovation in applying market solutions to social problems; and the other approach, often described as welfarist, that questions the capacity of an increasingly commericalised sector to realize a mission of poverty reduction. But do these themes and concerns permeate academic boundaries? Specifically, does media coverage in key donor and recipient countries confirm or challenge or even engage with these debates? To date much of this academic literature has overlooked how "microfinance" has been socially constructed in the public sphere through the mass media. Through its interpretation of events, the media can influence the way an issue is discussed and evaluated and in this way influence individual perceptions (Gamson 1988). In this article we present an analysis of recent media coverage of microfinance in one key donor country, the United States and one major recipient country, India. By conducting a media content analysis of 100 newspaper articles (sorted by level of relevance) that appeared in the top 10 highest circulating English language newspapers in India and the US over a 12 month period January-December 2008 we discuss how media coverage in these two countries differed in significant ways. The Indian media sample tended to focus on operational issues and report on specific business activity within the microfinance industry, in general treating it as a 'regular' part of the financial and banking system. While the US media sample made broader generalizations about the industry, linking it to meta narratives and broader themes – peculiarly microfinance as an innovation due to its harnessing of market forces to realize positive social outcomes. This finding contributes to understanding of the interpretations, and the differences in interpretations, of microfinance between donor and recipient countries and offers insights into the power relations at play within the microfinance industry and the broader development and business community.


: Sensory motor training is often prescribed for children with a delayed motor development. This training is preceded by a determination of their motory level by a test. The Oseretsky test is the one we mostly use for this purpose. If the test is performed before and after the training, the effect of the training can be evaluated. In theory, sensomotory development is often looked upon as a foundation for further development, especially for the cognitive development. The effect of this training is not the same for all children; 54% of the children, who have been trained by us, scored a motory profit on ony year or more.


Many places have more than one simultaneously current name within the same linguistic community, usually an official one and at least one unofficial one. In England, there are several sources of place-name alternation, and the first purpose of this paper is to categorize them. In most cases, where there is a clearly unofficial form it can be simplemindedly characterized as the form used by local people with local people in a way which asserts their shared identity and community values. In some cases, alternating usage is well entrenched, and serves stylistic ends. Where there is instability of usage, the direction of change is almost always in favour of a spelling-pronunciation. But there is sufficient evidence that simplistic assessments of the situation in England are inappropriate, and some cases are discussed which pose difficulties for the idea that informal alternants have always been produced by the same kinds of historical process.


Previous Work Apparently Dr. Hayden* and Professor N. H. Winchell† were the earliest geologists to visit the Black Hills of Dakota; the former while engaged in his extended surveys in the Northwest, the latter as the geologist of General Custer's expedition, of 1874. The works of both in this region were no more than reconnaissances, and the pre-Cambrian rocks received comparatively little attention. One of the consequences of these preliminary trips and exaggerated reports as to the richness of the hills in gold was a systematic survey of the area by the Rocky Mountain division of the United States Geological Survey under the direction of Major Powell. This work was entrusted to Messrs. Henry Newton and Walter P. Jenney—Newton as geologist and Jenney as mining expert. Newton's death occurred before his report was ready for the printer, and it was edited by Mr. G. K. Gilbert. The large . . .


Zaturi is a mobile system that enables parents to create an audio book for their children by utilizing their micro spare time. We define micro spare time as tiny fragments of time with low cognitive loads that frequently occur in daily lives, such as waiting for an elevator. Zaturi notifies the parent user of her micro spare time at work in real time and helps her seamlessly record the book piece by piece, so that the child can enjoy the book recorded in the parent's own voice. We develop and demonstrate the working prototype of the Zaturi system. It helps parent users develop her own feelings of parental achievement by putting her micro spare time together. More important, the use of Zaturi at work does not compromise the quality and quantity of parent users' working hours.


Magnetic reconnection can be interpreted as a process in which the electromagnetic field is frozen into a four-velocity field in Minkowski space. For reconnection to occur the four-velocity field has to be a special type of stagnation flow. Prescribing this type of flow in a finite spatial domain allows the modelling of localized reconnection events and the investigation of examples of reconnection in regions without magnetic nulls. In the present contribution, we start with a simple twisted magnetic flux tube. Reconnection occuring along a part of the axis of the tube results in a structure of the magnetic field which is a superposition of a two-dimensional X-type magnetic field well-known from stationary 2D reconnection models, and a component resulting from the magnetic field parallel to the axis. For localized reconnection, the latter component of the magnetic field evolves in a non-trivial way. This evolution is important for the spatial variation of the parallel electric field integrated along the magnetic field lines. The integrated electric field gives an upper limit for the energy to which particles can be accelerated in a reconnection event and its distribution shows to be localized in very thin structures.


Reviews the Integrated Healthcare Training Series, produced by the National Register of Health Service Psychologists (2017). The Integrated Health Care Training Series offers a convenient set of web-based resources for stakeholders of integrated behavioral health (IBH) and is available through the National Register of Health Service Psychologists (NRHSP) website. The series contains 42 videos and over 11 hr of professionally produced lectures classified into six categories: Models and Concepts, Implementation, Practice, Medical Management, Pharmacological Management, and Psychosocial Management. While the first two training categories benefit most IBH stakeholders, the latter four focus on clinical matters and are more appropriate for clinicians. The primary audience for this material is obviously members of the NRHSP (i.e., psychologists); accessibility and appeal to other viewers may be lower. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).


BACKGROUND
Percutaneous device closure is a therapeutic option in patients with presumed stroke complicating paradoxical emboli. Newer devices with lower profiles and potentially reduced thrombogenicity have emerged, such as the Premere PFO occlusion device (St Jude Medical, Inc.); there are limited data on the efficacy and procedural experience with this device.

METHODS
We evaluated our initial experience with the Premere device in a contemporary patient cohort, comparing the procedural and intermediate follow-up characteristics with the currently utilized Amplatzer PFO occluder.

RESULTS
Both devices were similarly effective in terms of immediate procedural success and defect closure. Procedures using the Premere device tended to be longer and required larger vascular access-sheath sizes; there were also significantly more adverse events in the Premere group (4/29) compared to the Amplatzer group (0/42; P=.02), including 1 retroperitoneal bleed, 2 hematomas, and 1 myocardial infarction.

CONCLUSIONS
While the Amplatzer device may offer advantages in terms of safety and procedural simplicity, this in part reflects the early procedural experience with this new device. The Premere and Amplatzer PFO occlusion devices are similarly effective in achieving PFO closure when applied to appropriate anatomy and should be considered complementary when performing such procedures.


This study aimed to analyze the supplier and agro industry relationship regarding the required environmental management practices in the perception of managers. These partners are also called suppliers or subcontractors. This agro industry exports to about a hundred and ten countries. It is one of the largest private employers in the country and has approximately one hundred and fourteen thousand employees. The study was conducted in only one plant. In this unit there are one hundred and fifty registered suppliers. Six suppliers were selected that provided the greatest number of services for the surveyed unit over the last year of work. It is a case study, descriptive and whose approach is qualitative. We found that the main practices carried out in the evaluated companies are in relation to solid waste management. Only two of the companies surveyed have a standardized management and adequate management of the waste generated in their processes. Similarly, only one company has positive practices in relation to water resources. Therefore, this work can be considered a guide for improving the practices adopted by small and medium-sized suppliers of Alpha. The role of alpha is essential for induction of Green Supply Chain Management in the supply chain as a whole.


Author(s): Genovesi, Piero | Abstract: The diffuse presence of free ranging dogs (non-controlled, stray, and feral) in Italy is considered a severe conservation threat because of the potential impact on the wolf and on other wildlife species. In particular, it is generally believed that non-controlled owned dogs are rapidly increasing their number, representing a major part of the problem. The present legal framework does not allow destruction of dogs and cats, and the management of these pet species is based on mandatory marking, and on capture of free ranging animals for perpetual captivation in public kennels. The present research was aimed to: l) collect and analyze available information on the impact of free ranging dogs on the wolf and on wildlife; 2) census owned dogs in rural areas of Italy (including urban centers with less than 30,000 inhabitants); 3) estimate the proportion of owned dogs that are free to range; 4) assess the public perception of problems posed by free ranging dogs; 5) assess the public attitude toward management alternatives; and 6) define management guidelines. Free ranging dogs resulted to prey upon all ungulate species and colonial ground-nesting birds. Dogs are the main limiting factor in translocation projects involving roe and red-deer, and represent a key obstacle to the recolonization of central and southern Italy by these species. Impact on the wolf is also discussed. Dogs were censused through direct interviews to 2,903 Italian families, randomly selected by the electoral lists. The sample was homogeneously distributed in the country, in order to test for differences among areas (n=4 sub-regions: northeast, northwest, center, south and islands). The total number of dogs is estimated at 6,099,011 ± 307,234. Of these, 19.7% (n = 1,209,973 ± 151,280) are free to range at least part of their time. Despite the lack of reliable data on the past dog numbers, we estimated an average 5%/ year increase of the total population of dogs. The high increase rate is explained by the limited number of sterilized females, and the consequent high percentage of females reproducing every year. Number of dogs is negatively correlated to the size of urban areas, and increases from north to south. Control by owners follows opposite patterns. Despite the increasing number of non-controlled dogs, Italians have a limited perception of the social, sanitary, and conservation risks caused by dogs: 51.1% of Italians consider that dogs do not represent a problem at all, and only 3.8% of the population considers the destruction of dogs an acceptable alternative to perpetual captivity.


Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are developing selectively coated cantilever arrays in a surface-micromachined MEMS process for very high sensitivities in chemical and biological sensing. Toward this end, we have developed a one-dimensional (1-D) 10-element microcantilever array that we have coated with gold for mercury sensing and palladium for hydrogen sensing. Ultimately we will coat each element with a different coating. Currently, measurements have been performed using a companion analog 1.2-/spl mu/m CMOS eight channel readout chip also designed at ORNL specifically for the microcantilever arrays. In addition, we have combined our sensors with an ORNL-developed RF-telemetry chip having on-chip spread spectrum encoding and modulation circuitry to improve the robustness and security of sensor data in typical interference- and multipath-impaired environments. We have also provided for a selection of distinct spreading codes to serve groups of sensors in a common environment by the application of code-division multiple-access techniques. Our initial system is configured for use in the 915-MHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. The entire package is powered by four AA batteries.


Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is a colonizing respiratory pathogen that can cause great economic losses to the pig industry worldwide. Although putative virulence factors have been reported, the pathogenesis of this species remains unclear. Here, we used the virulent M. hyopneumoniae strain 168 to infect swine tracheal epithelial cells (STEC) to identify the infection-associated factors by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE). Whole proteins of M. hyopneumoniae were obtained and compared with samples cultured in broth. Six differentially expressed proteins with an increase in abundance of ≥1.5 in the cell infection group were successfully identified. A String network of virulence-associated proteins showed that all the six differential abundance proteins were involved in virulence of M. hyopneumoniae. One of the most important upregulated hubs in this network, elongation factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu), which showed a relatively higher expression in M. hyopneumoniae-infected STEC and obtained a higher score on mass spectrometry was successfully recombined. In addition to its canonical enzymatic activities in protein synthesis, EF-Tu was also reported to be located on the cell surface as an important adhesin in many other pathogens. The cell surface location of EF-Tu was then observed in M. hyopneumoniae with flow cytometry. Recombinant EF-Tu (rEF-Tu) was found to be able to adhere to STEC and anti-rEF-Tu antibody enclosed M. hyopneumoniae decreased adherence to STEC. In addition, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis showed that rEF-Tu could bind to fibronectin with a specific and moderately strong interaction, a dissociation constant (KD) of 605 nM. Furthermore, the block of fibronectin in STEC also decreased the binding of M. hyopneumoniae to the cell surface. Collectively, these data imply EF-Tu as an important adhesin of M. hyopneumoniae and fibronectin as an indispensable receptor on STEC. The binding between EF-Tu with fibronectin contributes to the adhesion of M. hyopneumoniae to STEC. HIGHLIGHTS Elongation factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu) exists on the cell surface of M. hyopneumoniae. EF-Tu moonlights as an adhesin of M. hyopneumoniae. The adhesive effect of EF-Tu is partly meditated by fibronectin.


The clinical utility of anticancer drugs is seriously limited by the development of adverse effects and acquisition of resistance to these drugs by tumor cells. The mechanism underlying the toxicity of anticancer drugs is still not fully understood. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the toxicity of anticancer drugs in greater detail, we performed a screen for determinants of sensitivity to adriamycin, an anthracycline antitumor antibiotic, using budding yeast as a model eukaryote. We found that overexpression of Akl1, a protein kinase of uncertain function, confers resistance to adriamycin. We investigated the function of Akl1 in adriamycin resistance and found that downregulation of the internalization step in endocytosis by Akl1 might be closely involved in the mechanism of adriamycin resistance. In human cells, overexpression of AAK1 and a human homologue of Akl1, also decreased adriamycin toxicity, suggesting that downregulation of endocytosis via phosphorylaiotn might be involved in the acquisition of adriamycin resistance not only in yeast cells but also in human cells. Further detailed investigation of the relationship between the endocytosis pathway and adriamycin toxicity might contribute further information for the improvement of chemotherapy with adriamycin.


The reservoirs in impounded rivers are blocked by dams, implying that plant seeds, especially waterborne ones, have trouble dispersing between reservoirs. We examined whether the tributaries have an important role in the dispersal of seeds to a specific reservoir. We did this by releasing small, coloured wooden cubes in three tributaries of the Stensele reservoir in northern Sweden, one small, one middle-sized and one large-sized. This work was carried out in spring during major flood. At the day of cube release, we counted the number of cubes that dispersed from the tributaries out into the reservoir. In summer, we collected the cubes that had stranded on the banks of the tributaries to learn how far they had spread within each stream. Our examinations showed that a big stream disperses most seeds the longest distance. The smaller the stream, the shorter the distance the seeds were spread, and the fewer the seeds that reached the reservoir. We concluded that large tributaries have an important role in dispersing plants to reservoirs of impounded rivers.


We consider an i.i.d. random environment with a strong form of transience on the two dimensional integer lattice. Namely, the walk always moves forward in the y-direction. We prove an invariance principle for the quenched expected position of the random walk indexed by its level crossing times. We begin with a variation of the Martingale Central Limit Theorem. The main part of the paper checks the conditions of the theorem for our problem.


Background and aims: Keratoconus is characterized by corneal ectasia and irregular astigmatism, which can lead to diminished vision and corneal scarring. Keratoconus is a condition that causes corneal ectasia and reduced vision in young adults. A proportion of these patients have progressive disease requiring corneal transplantation. Methods: The databases searched included OVID MEDLINE, MEDLINE IN-Process and other Non-Indexed Citations such as EMBASE with keyword Keratoconus and Corneal cross-linking. Results: Rocha KM and et al. (2014) funded that Epithelial thickness standard deviations were significantly lower 3 months after CXL, compared to ranges before CXL in both the vertical and horizontal meridians for keratoconus and ectasia (P=0.048). No significant differences were found between epithelial remodeling in keratoconus and corneal ectasia (P=0.98). No significant or consistent stromal changes were found for either group. Cınar and et al. (2013) funded that Flat keratometry, steep keratometry, mean keratometry and maximum keratometry were significantly reduced at the 6th month after CXL (p=0.025, p<0.001, p=0.004 and p=0.03, respectively). Thinnest corneal thickness (TCT) and endothelial cell density (ECD) were not changed significantly the 6th month after CXL (p=0.135 and p=0.082, respectively).Brooks NO and et al. (2012) funded that After CXL, patients noted subjective improvement in visual symptoms, specifically night driving, difficulty reading, diplopia, glare, halo, starbursts, and foreign-body sensation. Conclusion: Significantly fewer corneal transplants were performed for treating keratoconus following the nationwide introduction of CXL. This reduction suggests that corneal cross-linking can significantly reduce the need for corneal transplantation. CXL represents a new treatment that uniquely allows the halt of progression of keratoconus, thus preventing visual loss and the need for surgical intervention.


The interaction of twisted light beams with nematic liquid crystals is described in terms of Landau's free energy formalism and the uniaxial dielectric model for the liquid crystal. This leads us to a partial differential equation, which is characterized by one position-dependent coefficient, governing the changes in the spatial distribution of the director orientation in the liquid crystal. Numerical solutions are determined for a typical arrangement involving a twisted nematic liquid crystal illuminated by a linearly polarized twisted light beam, predicting significant director re-orientations due to the twisted light.


Tactile maps are efficient tools to improve spatial understanding and mobility skills of visually impaired people. Their limited adaptability can be compensated with haptic devices which display graphical information, but their assessment is frequently limited to performance-based metrics only which can hide potential spatial abilities in O&M protocols. We assess a low-tech tactile mouse able to deliver three-dimensional content considering how performance, mental workload, behavior, and anxiety status vary with task difficulty and gender in congenitally blind, late blind, and sighted subjects. Results show that task difficulty coherently modulates the efficiency and difficulty to build mental maps, regardless of visual experience. Although exhibiting attitudes that were similar and gender-independent, the females had lower performance and higher cognitive load, especially when congenitally blind. All groups showed a significant decrease in anxiety after using the device. Tactile graphics with our device seems therefore to be applicable with different visual experiences, with no negative emotional consequences of mentally demanding spatial tasks. Going beyond performance-based assessment, our methodology can help with better targeting technological solutions in orientation and mobility protocols.


The Brazilian agricultural sector, which is undergoing the settlement of new production and trading patterns, faces the challenge of growing in a competitive and sustainable fashion, in order to attend domestic demand while acquiring and holding positions in foreign markets, and by providing quality products and processes with sustainability and competitive prices. To attend the new requirements form a more balanced agriculture, both in ecological and economic terms, it is necessary a practice of producing in a coherent fashion, with the sustainable development. Thus, the purpose of this article is to analyze the profitability of the direct planting system e production process which is more sustainable than the conventional system, in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul using the Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) technique, which allows a more clear comparison between the two systems. On the basis of the results obtained, one can take note that the direct planting system displayed smaller costs and larger profitability than the conventional system, in additions to being a preserving system that reduces soil losses due to erosion.


The configuration of ION (Inter - planetary Overlay Network) network nodes is a manual task that is complex, time-consuming, and error-prone. This program seeks to accelerate this job and produce reliable configurations. The ION Configuration Editor is a model-based smart editor based on Eclipse Modeling Framework technology. An ION network designer uses this Eclipse-based GUI to construct a data model of the complete target network and then generate configurations. The data model is captured in an XML file. Intrinsic editor features aid in achieving model correctness, such as field fill-in, type-checking, lists of valid values, and suitable default values. Additionally, an explicit "validation" feature executes custom rules to catch more subtle model errors. A "survey" feature provides a set of reports providing an overview of the entire network, enabling a quick assessment of the model s completeness and correctness. The "configuration" feature produces the main final result, a complete set of ION configuration files (eight distinct file types) for each ION node in the network.


Learning image representations with ConvNets by pre-training on ImageNet has proven useful across many visual understanding tasks including object detection, semantic segmentation, and image captioning. Although any image representation can be applied to video frames, a dedicated spatiotemporal representation is still vital in order to incorporate motion patterns that cannot be captured by appearance based models alone. This paper presents an empirical ConvNet architecture search for spatiotemporal feature learning, culminating in a deep 3-dimensional (3D) Residual ConvNet. Our proposed architecture outperforms C3D by a good margin on Sports-1M, UCF101, HMDB51, THUMOS14, and ASLAN while being 2 times faster at inference time, 2 times smaller in model size, and having a more compact representation.


When general purpose software agents fail, it's often because they're brittle and need more background commonsense knowledge. In this paper we present relation properties as a valuable type of commonsense knowledge that can be automatically inferred at scale by reading the Web. People base many commonsense inferences on their knowledge of relation properties such as functionality, transitivity, and others. For example, all people know that bornIn(Year) satisfies the functionality property, meaning that each person can be born in exactly one year. Thus inferences like "Obama was born in 1961, so he was not born in 2008", which computers do not know, are obvious even to children. We demonstrate scalable heuristics for learning relation functionality from noisy Web text that outperform existing approaches to detecting functionality. The heuristics we use address Web NLP challenges that are also common to learning other relation properties, and can be easily transferred. Each relation property we learn for a Web-scale set of relations will enable computers to solve real tasks, and the data from learning many such properties will be a useful addition to general commonsense knowledge bases.


Weightedmodel integration (WMI) is a framework to perform advanced probabilistic inference in hybrid domains, i.e., on distributions over mixed continuous-discrete random variables and in the presence of complex logical and arithmetic constraints. In this work, we advance theWMI framework on both the theoretical and algorithmic side. First, we trace the boundaries of tractability for WMI inference in terms of two key properties of a WMI problem's dependency structure: sparsity and diameter. We prove that exact inference is only efficient if that structure is tree-shaped with logarithmic diameter. While this result deepens our theoretical understanding of WMI it hinders the practical applicability of exact WMI solvers to large problems. To overcome this, we propose the first approximate WMI solver that does not resort to sampling, but performs exact inference on an approximate model. Our solution iteratively performs message passing in a relaxed problem structure to recover lost dependencies. As our experiments show, it scales to problems that are out of the reach of exact WMI solvers while delivering accurate approximations.


Among the many changes introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon, one of the most significant ones is the introduction of a new EU exclusive competence concerning foreign investment, as part of the common commercial policy. The exercise of such competence has given rise to several controversial issues, in particular as regards the status and the future of Member States Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) concluded before the attribution of this new competence to the EU. This article considers whether Member States BITs can be safeguarded by an application by analogy of Article 351 TFEU, in the same manner as pre-accession agreements. The analysis will include but extend beyond Regulation No. 1219/2012, which attempts to provide a sound legal regime of a transitory period only.


Recent years have witnessed the active development of hashing techniques for nearest neighbor search over big datasets. However, to apply hashing techniques successfully, there are several important issues remaining open in selecting features, hashing algorithms, parameter settings, kernels, etc. In this work, we unify all these selection problems into a hash bit selection framework, i.e., selecting the most informative hash bits from a pool of candidate bits generated by different types of hashing methods using different feature spaces and/or parameter settings, etc. We represent the bit pool as a vertex- and edge-weighted graph with the candidate bits as vertices. The vertex weight represents the bit quality in terms of similarity preservation, and the edge weight reflects independence (non-redundancy) between bits. Then we formulate the bit selection problem as quadratic programming on the graph, and solve it efficiently by replicator dynamics. Moreover, a theoretical study is provided to reveal a very interesting insight: the selected bits actually are the normalized dominant set of the candidate bit graph. We conducted extensive large-scale experiments for three important application scenarios of hash techniques, i.e., hashing with multiple features, multiple hashing algorithms, and multiple bit hashing. We demonstrate that our bit selection approach can achieve superior performance over both naive selection methods and state-of-the-art hashing methods under each scenario, with significant accuracy gains ranging from 10% to 50% relatively.


Carboxylated styrene acrylate latex samples have been functionalized by the immobilization and entrapment of the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx), which can be used as an oxygen scavenger in food packaging. GOx was covalently immobilized both on the surface of already formed films and on the latex particles in dispersion, as well as entrapped within the polymer matrix. In the latter two cases, polymer films were formed after the enzyme had been added to the latex dispersion. The storage stability of the enzyme and the influence of adding clay were also studied. For a given amount of enzyme, the enzyme immobilized on the film surface showed an enzyme activity about 10 times higher than that of the enzyme present within the polymer matrix. This is probably due to the diffusion limitations of the substrate in the polymer matrix. The films with the enzyme present within the polymer matrix, however, showed a higher total oxygen‐removal capacity than films with the enzyme immobilized on the surface. Entrapped enzyme showed a slightly higher activity than enzyme immobilized in the dispersion due to the negative effect of the activating chemicals used during the immobilization and on conformational constraints upon covalent bonding. Low amounts of clay added to the dispersion decreased the enzyme activity, but with higher amounts of clay the enzyme activity increased, probably because of the increased porosity and thus higher substrate accessibility. The most suitable storage condition for all the enzyme‐containing films was +8°C, which is just above the glass transition temperature of the polymer used. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Cholla cactus may serve as an emergency feedstuff for livestock when forage availability is low. A study was conducted at the Corona Range and Livestock Research Center to evaluate the nutritive quality of cholla cactus (Opuntia imbricata) after spine removal. Six samples were collected for each treatment in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of spine removal by burning with a propane torch (BURN), or leaving spines intact (UN). Each sample consisted of 2 burned and 2 unburned cladodes from each of 5 plants. One sample from each treatment was weighed immediately after collection and used solely for dry matter (DM) determination. Remaining samples were evaluated for crude protein (CP), organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and mineral composition. Rate and extent of ruminal DM and OM disappearance were estimated in situ for 20 and 68 hours in the rumen of each of 2 cannulated cows grazing native rangeland. Dry matter contents of burned and unburned cholla were 12.7% and 12.4% respectively. Crude protein was not affected by burning (P > 0.6; 13.0% UN, 13.6% BURN, SE +/- 0.7). Burning reduced OM (82.4% UN, 81.0% BURN; SE +/- 0.4) and NDF (48.6% UN, 39.2% BURN; SE +/- 1.8) content (P < 0.03). Reduced NDF contributed to increased rate and extent of ruminal OM disappearance for burned cholla (P < 0.03). Mineral content was minimally affected by burning. Measurements indicate that cholla has relatively high nutrient quality, but the high moisture content would require large amounts to be fed as an emergency feed source. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v54i3_sawyer


Organic production is based on agroecology, a science studying ecological farming systems from three dimensions: transdisciplinary knowledge, interdisciplinary agricultural practices and social movements. Their integration provides a way of generating collective action alternatives to the dominant food system.
Since a bit more than a decade, the European civil society, the farmers and organic farmers movements have debated in discussion forums about the future of the agriculture, demanding favorable changes for agroecological systems inspired by experiences linked to food sovereignty, socio-political principles (autonomy, "active" participation of operators) and the enhancement of local knowledge. In the context of EU policies highlighted by innovation, Agroecology is emerging as an innovative practice to integrate and improve the knowledge of farmers and to strengthen the profitability and sustainability of agricultural systems in order to offer more jobs, attaching greater importance to the role of women and, in turn, to facilitate the incorporation of young people to ensure generational change.
The Spanish Society of Organic Agriculture (SEAE) organize since 1994, every two years, its national scientific Congress where knowledge and proposals are shared and discussed among stakeholders (researchers, advisers, farmers, processors, etc..), and the results of research and recent innovations that support the development of the organic sector are presented and discussed. This forms a singular space dialogue where the organic production chain agents can get inspired to generate new ideas. Twelve years ago this forum was extended to Ibero-American countries. Since the previous edition (2012) SEAE combines this congress with its General Assembly and the Awards for the generation and management of agro-ecological knowedge (Eco-eLabora).
The city of Vitoria-Gasteiz was chosen as host of the XI Congress, the capital of the Basque Country which was nominated European Green CAPITAL in 2012. In Vitoria-Gasteiz there is a major citizens movement in favor of local and organic food via short marketing chains . In the territory of Alava province organic production is increasing, driven largely by the urban demand of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The International Year of Family Farming, declared by UNO and implemented by FAO, reinforces this way of producing and keeping alive the rural world


What roles do CEOs play in firm performance? To address this question, the management field has accumulated a substantial amount of research over the past three decades built on upper echelons theory (UET), which posits that CEO characteristics manifest in firm strategic actions and, in this way, future firm performance. Hence, there is a need to systematically amass and take stock of prior empirical findings for UET testing and development. We use meta-analytic techniques to synthesize prior UET research on the relationships among commonly studied CEO characteristics, firm strategic actions, and future firm performance. Based on 308 studies, metaanalytic results generally support UET's predictions with a few exceptions: CEO characteristics (i.e., tenure, formal education, prior career experience, and positive self-concept) are significantly associated with firm strategic actions, which in turn are significantly related to future firm performance. Moreover, CEO characteristics (i.e., age, tenure, formal education, and prior career experience) are positively related to future firm performance. In addition, finegrained analyses have revealed interesting and important relationships between specific measures of CEO characteristics (e.g., CEO prior task experience) and firm outcomes (e.g., firm strategic actions that match with CEO prior task experience). Implications for theory, future research, and practice are discussed.


The possibility of harmful effects from drug therapy during pregnancy should be constantly before the clinican. The ability of drugs to pass from mother to babe through the placenta must be remembered as errors in the administration of drugs during pregnancy can have disastrous consequences for the mother and/or baby.


Nanosized EMT-type zeolite crystals in sodium (Na-EMT) and ion-exchanged lithium (Li-EMT) forms were prepared. The sorption behavior of Li(Na)-EMT samples towards water, methanol and a mixture of both (50 : 50) was studied by combined thermogravimetric and infrared spectroscopic methods. The stability of the samples prior to and after the sorption measurements in two subsequent cycles was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption and NMR spectroscopy. The high sorption capacity of the Li-EMT sample towards water was demonstrated. It was found that the methanol is replaced by water faster in the Li-EMT sample in comparison to the Na-EMT sample. At low temperature, the methanol shows weak adsorption on each cationic site and no side products during desorption for both samples were obtained.


Abstract The advent of new technologies such as DNA typing, the weight of scientific evidence in criminal trials of widespread publicity, and the proliferation of fictional and non-fictional works in popular media have contributed to making forensic science well known, although perhaps not as well understood, by the general public. One of the consequences of this popularisation of forensic science was a sharp change in the attitude of investigators, who increasingly tend to delegate to scientists the collection of information necessary to identify the perpetrator of the crime. However, the prominent focus on the search of biological traces or fingerprints, due to their high potential for the personal identification of the individuals present at the crime scene, somewhat fade the interest towards other kinds of evidence, such as trace evidence. This kind of evidence is in fact perceived by judges and lawyers as less informative, because they think that "all plastic items are the same", i.e. that it is impossible to discriminate among mass produced items. The purpose of this paper is to stress that, with sound methods for interpreting evidence, it is possible to improve the communication between the scientist and the Court, and to show the real significance of the analytical results, in the context of the case. The analysis of the traces found on a knife used in a murder case were performed by optical microscopy, IR spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The interpretation of evidence was carried out according to a Bayesian approach. A description of the interpretation of evidence in a case in which fibres were the key evidence. It is shown that the key aspects for having a high value of the evidence are the circumstances of the case and the reconstruction of the events given by the prosecutor and by the defence, in addition of course to a sound analytical procedure. In other words, it is shown that in some cases the evidential value of fibres or other trace evidence can be very high, sometimes comparable to that of fingerprints or DNA: when properly interpreted, trace evidence can give key information for solving cases.


Identifying maximum/minimum values in different charts is a common goal when users are interacting with visualizations. Moreover, this can be a challenging task when the user is interacting with space-filling visualizations. Space-filling methods consider a 2D area to represent values, however, low values that might be interesting for decision makers are commonly obfuscated by such approach. In this context, we conducted an eye tracking study with 12 target users to analyze how scale inversion (area proportional to 1/value) can support the identification of elements with small values represented in treemaps. Results show that when the inverted scale supports the task, users are able to identify elements individually and in a less ambiguous way, but took more time to interpret the inverted scale treemap. With the presented results, we expect that Human-Computer Interaction practitioners working on space-filling visualizations to include interactive scales to invert the visualizations scale when the task at hand involves evaluating minimum and/or maximum values.


Photoluminescence spectra taken from chemical vapor deposited (CVD) ZnS are shown to exhibit sub-band-gap emission bands characteristic of isoelectronic oxygen defects. The emission spectra vary spatially with position and orientation with respect to the major axis of CVD growth. These data suggest that a complex set of defects exist in the band gap of CVD ZnS whose structural nature is highly dependent upon local deposition and growth conditions, contributing to inherent heterogeneity in optical behavior throughout the material.


: Background: Thyroid carcinomas have a diversity of histologic subtypes and variants. However, the relation between tumor architecture and prognosis are still lacking in spite of thorough investigation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of subclassification, focusing on subtypes and variants, and to determine its relation to different clinicopathological features in patients with thyroid cancer. Method: This retrospective study of a total number of 184 patients with thyroid cancer cases diagnosed in the time period from 2003 until 2020 in the archive of the pathology department of the faculty of medicine, University of Benghazi with the medical reports from the oncology department in Benghazi Medical Center. Subsequently, correlations between age, sex, grading and the tumour stag were investigated. Results: A total of 184 samples were analysed. Among all studied cases, females formed 76.1% with a female to male ratio of 7: 2. The age of the studied cases ranged between 14-95 years old. The mean age of patients with thyroid malignancy was 40.5 years old. The percentage of patients ≥40 years was 51%, while patients <40 years formed 49%. Microscopic examination of thyroid carcinomas revealed different types, including thyroid carcinoma and papillary carcinoma. Papillary carcinoma was found to be the most common type of thyroid malignancies among the studied patients affecting 89 (48.4%) patients. Among the 89 patients, 76 were females (85.4%) and 13 were males (14.6 %). The other carcinoma cases were follicular variant of papillary carcinoma (29.3%) 47 female and 7 male, Anaplastic carcinoma (17.4%) 24 females and 8 males. Follicular carcinoma (4.9%) most of them are female. In this study, patients with stage II malignancy were the most common 83 (45%), followed by grade III malignancy were 69 patients (38%). The least common was grade I malignancy which accounted only for 32 patients (17%). Conclusion: The current study showed that the thyroid carcinoma affected the median age group with the median being 39.7 years with female predominance gender. Papillary thyroid carcinoma was the most common than the other subtypes (48.37%). About (45%) of patients with histological grading II, and 38% of cases presented with stage IV. There appears to be an increased trend of thyroid carcinoma diagnosis which is being reported at an advanced stage in our region, justifying the usefulness of the histological staging and grading of thyroid carcinomas.


This paper explores the implications of tax rate uncertainty, identifying circumstances in which revenue-neutral tax rate variability increases profitability, economic activity, and the efficiency of resource allocation. Furthermore, with heterogeneous taxpayers, tax rate variability is shown to perform an efficiency-enhancing screening function, imposing heavier expected tax burdens on less responsive taxpayers. And while efficient tax uncertainty enables governments to reduce average costs of taxation, it necessarily increases the marginal cost of taxation over some ranges of expected revenue, so may reduce efficient levels of government spending.