NSAIDs are often used for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and/or antipyretic effects. The aim of combining two analgesic agents is to get synergistic analgesic effects of the individual drugs. Two simple spectrophotometric methods have been developed for simultaneous estimation of Paracetamol and Dexketoprofen Trometamol from pharmaceutical dosage form. Method-I involved simultaneous equation method and Method-II is the Q-absorbance method. For simultaneous equation method the absorbances of the standard solutions were taken at two wavelengths 243.0 nm (working wavelength of paracetamol) instead of 248 .0 nm (lmax of paracetamol) and 253.0 nm (lmax of dexketoprofen trometamol). For Qabsorbance method the absorbances of the standard solutions were taken at two wavelengths 248.0 nm (lmax of paracetamol) and 266.0 nm (Isobestic point), in methanol and linearity range selected was 8-28 mg/ml for paracetamol and 0.4-1.4 mg/ml for dexketoprofen trometamol for both methods based on the ratio of the two drugs in combined dosage form. The accuracy and precision of the methods were determined and validated statistically. All the methods showed good reproducibility and recovery with RSD less than 2. The methods were found to be rapid, specific, precise and accurate and can be successfully applied for the routine analysis of paracetamol and dexketoprofen trometamol in bulk and in pharmaceutical dosage form.


We study peer effects in education. We first develop a network model that predicts a relationship between own education and peers' education as measured by direct links in the social network. We then test this relationship using the four waves of the AddHealth data, looking at the impact of school friends nominated in the first wave in 1994-1995 on own educational outcome reported in the fourth wave in 2007-2008. We find that there are strong and persistent peer effects in education since a standard deviation increase in peers' education attainment translates into roughly a 10 percent increase of a standard deviation in the individual's education attainment (roughly 3.5 more months of education). We also find that peer effects are in fact significant only for adolescents who were friends in grades 10-12 but not for those who were friends in grades 7-9. This might indicate that social norms are important in educational choice since the individual's choice of college seems to be influenced by that of friends in the two last years of high school.


The myth that the Palestinian exodus of 1948 was triggered by orders from the Arab leaders——a cornerstone of the official Israeli version of the 1948 war and intended to absolve it of responsibility for the refugee problem——dies hard. Thus, it continues to be deployed by apologists for Israel as a means of blaming the Palestinians for their own fate. Even Benny Morris, one of whose major conclusions in his 1986 The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem was to discredit the Israeli claim, cannot seem to let go of it completely. Thus, the conclusion of the substantially revised update of the book, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited (2004), states that although the Arab Higher Committee (AHC) and the local National Committees made efforts to block the exodus of army-aged males, ""at the same time, they actively promoted the depopulation of villages and towns. Many thousands of Arabs——women, children, and old people……left, well before battle was joined, as a result of advice and orders from local Arab commanders and officials……. Indeed, already months before the war the Arab states and the AHC had endorsed the removal of dependents from active and potential combat zones……. There can be no exaggerating the importance of these early, Arab-initiated evacuations in the demoralization, and eventual exodus, of the remaining rural and urban populations"" (pp. 589––90). Given the endurance of this central plank of the Israeli doctrine of 1948, JPS has decided to reprint for the first time a difficult-to-obtain article published in July 1959 by Walid Khalidi in a long-defunct periodical of the American University of Beirut (AUB), Middle East Forum. Entitled ""Why Did the Palestinians Leave? An Examination of the Zionist Version of the Exodus of '48,"" the article was based on a talk Professor Khalidi gave at AUB earlier that year. After tracing the origins and first appearance of the Zionist claim, the article, using AHC and Arab League archival material, Arab and Palestinian press releases and reports, Arab and Haganah radio broadcasts, and other Arab and Israeli sources exhaustively rebuts the claim through showing both what the broadcasts did not say and what they did say. JPS is reprinting the article as is. While the July 1959 article debunks the myth using documents at the national or Arab level, a second article by Professor Khalidi published in December 1959, ""The Fall of Haifa,"" touches on the Arab orders at the local level, an issue equally emphasized by Morris. The article, also published in the Middle East Forum, puts the exodus from the city after the Haganah offensive that led to its capture in April 1948 within the overall military context: Anglo-Zionist collusion, the balance of power, and so on. The article also deals directly with the orders and reproduces the texts of the eleven communiquéés issued by the Haifa National Committee between the UN General Assembly partition decision (November 1947) and the fall of Haifa in April, all of which have bearing on the subject. JPS is reproducing these pages as an appendix but intends to publish ""The Fall of Haifa"" in its entirety at a later date.


Introduction of location technology shifts the paradigm of network engineering. It opens the door for providing a revolutionary approach for network engineering. The algorithm discussed in this paper provides a way of combining parameters made available through location technology and currently available system parameters for future network engineering and operation. The "continuous" snapshots of the network can be parsed and intelligently stored into the network performance data warehouse as images. These images can be analyzed off-line to select certain "troubled" instances of the network (this can be site specific). These instances can, then, be analyzed through simulation and/or engineer intervention. Optimized solution can be developed. These "troubled" instance and associated solutions can be fed back into the "virtual network engineer" simulated by the AI engine to increase its knowledge base. Later, the intelligent pseudo "network engineer" can identify "troubled" network instance and compare with the existing images and associated solution in the data warehouse. The existing solution then can be applied to perform real time automated network engineering. This is done through image processing by selecting the most similar network instance and associated solution. By saving more and more "troubled" instances and developed associated solutions, the "virtual network engineer" increases its knowledge bases and becomes more and more "intelligent" and can handle future "troubled" instance based on the "experience". For example, the dynamic power allocation and individual specific dedicated dynamic SHO thresholds for each mobile can be combined to efficiently engineer the network performance once the mobile location and associated network characteristics can be identified.


This paper examines the claim that human variation reflects the existence of biologically real human races. It analyzes various concepts of race, including conceptions of race as a breeding population, continental cluster and ancestral line of descent, or clade. It argues that race functions, in contemporary human population genetics, more like a convenient instrumental concept than biological category for picking out subspecific evolutionary kinds. It shows that the rise of genomics most likely provided opponents of the biological reality of human races with at least as much ammunition as that of their counterparts the race realists. The paper also suggests that the roots of the current epistemic landscape of the debate can be traced back to Darwin's essay on The Descent of Man.


Several disciplines converge on current psychiatric practice and research. Each one is a discourse with its defining objects, its audience and its socialization as specialized text. The psychophysiological triad includes studies of mentation (language), behavior and physiology. Each text is a context for the others. Thus, in and by itself, each one in isolation lacks explanatory power. The basic science of psychiatry is a metatext including those partial texts in a constructive fashion. Such an attempt is more a linguistic enterprise than an empirical one. It should supersede all reductionisms, including those presented in the form of juxtaposition of disciplines (bio-psycho-social, psycho-somatic, etc.).


Thank you very much for reading day of sirens. As you may know, people have look hundreds times for their favorite readings like this day of sirens, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious virus inside their desktop computer. day of sirens is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our digital library spans in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the day of sirens is universally compatible with any devices to read.


This study investigated the effects of aerobic training and extract of Pistacia-atlantica (Baneh) as a plant with rich fatty acids, on tissue nesfatin-1/nucleobindin-2 and ghrelin gene expression, plasma high- and low-density lipoprotein, tissue/plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in female rats. 20 Wistar rats were randomly assigned to saline-control, saline-training, Baneh-control, and Baneh-training groups. The training groups were given a specific exercise on a motor-driven treadmill for 8 weeks. Nesfatin-1/nucleobindin-2 and ghrelin mRNA expressions were detected by Real-time PCR method. According to the results, the trained rats had higher nesfatin-1 mRNA expressions in liver and visceral fat and liver estradiol concentration but their liver ghrelin mRNA expressions were lower compared to the control rats. Baneh-treated rats had lower nesfatin-1 mRNA expressions in liver and visceral fat and plasma HDL-C concentration, but their plasma estradiol concentrations were significantly higher. Moreover, liver estradiol concentration and liver ghrelin mRNA expression were negatively correlated, whereas the correlation between plasma estradiol and HDL-C concentrations and nesfatin-1 mRNA expression in visceral fat was significantly positive. Generally, exercise and a high-fat diet induced changes in liver ghrelin, nesfatin-1 mRNA expression, liver estradiol level, and nesfatin-1 in visceral fat, nesfatin-1 expression in liver and visceral fat, liver glucose, plasma HDL-C, and estradiol.


Abstract.
 A new species of Delphinium L., D. callichromum Q. L. Gan & X. W. Li, from Hubei, China, is described and illustrated. It belongs to Delphinium sect. Anthriscifolium W. T. Wang, which now includes two species: D. callichromum and D. anthriscifolium Hance. Both species are similar in having pinnately divided leaves, petals broadest above the midpoint, and racemose inflorescences. Delphinium callichromum differs from D. anthriscifolium in its densely long-pilose stems, racemes with more flowers, red-brown immature anthers, oblong staminode limb with a prominent midvein, and sepals with a long claw.


The theory that civilization developed in India as the result of the migration of Aryans from the north had to be revised after the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilization in the 1920s. In 1999-2000, a marine archaeological survey found the remains of an ancient civilization beneath the Gulf of Cambay. The similarity of structures submerged for more than 10,000 years to those in Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, and other Indus Valley cities that are thought to have been built in the 3rd millennium BCE raised the question of whether or not an even earlier civilization once existed in this part of the world. New evidence is presented suggesting that certain sites in the Indus Valley and in other parts of India were first established during and possibly even before the last ice age based on their alignments to previous locations of the North Pole.


Abstract UK Higher Education is characterised by structural and institutional forms of whiteness. As scholars and activists are increasingly speaking out to testify, whiteness has wide-ranging implications that affect curricula, pedagogy, knowledge production, university policies, campus climate, and the experiences of students and faculty of colour. Unsurprisingly then, calls to decolonize the university abound. In this article, we draw upon the Critical Race Theory method of counter-storytelling. By introducing composite characters, we speak back to assumptions that universities are race-neutral, meritocratic institutions. We illustrate some of the key themes that shape the experiences of faculty of colour in UK Higher Education: institutional racism, racial microaggressions, racial battle fatigue, and steadfast fugitive resistance. We argue that, despite the paradox of working under (what purports to be) a 'decolonial' agenda, widespread calls to decolonize our universities have further embedded rather than dismantled whiteness, thus continuing to characterise the careers, wellbeing, and daily lives of faculty of colour.


The messianic interpretation of the psalms in a number of Antiochene and East Syriac psalm commentaries The Antiochene exegetes interpreted the psalms against the backdrop of the history of Israel. They reconstructed a historical setting for each psalm. They reacted against the allegorical interpretation of the Alexandrian School that frequently interpreted the psalms from the context of the New Testament. This article investigates the messianic interpretation of Psalms 2 and 110, as well as the interpretation of Psalm 22, frequently regarded as messianic in non-Antiochene circles. The interpretation of these psalms in the commentaries of Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Iso`dâdh of Merv will be discussed, as well as the commentary of Denha-Gregorius, an abbreviated Syriac version of the commentary of Theodore. The commentaries of Diodore and Theodore on Psalm 110 are not available. The interpretation of this psalm in the Syriac commentary discussed by Vandenhoff and the commentary of Iso`dâdh of Merv, both following Antiochene exegesis, will be used for this psalm. The historical setting of the psalms is used as hermeneutical key for the interpretation of all these psalms. All the detail in a psalm is interpreted against this background, whether messianic or not. Theodore followed Diodore and expanded on him. Denha-Gregorius is an abbreviated version of Theodore, supplemented with data from the Syriac. Iso`dâdh of Merv used Theodore as his primary source, but with the same kind of supplementary data from the Syriac.


The aim of this paper is to propose a new method in fingerprint enhancement with application of wavelet transform which is more efficient than existing methods. At present the methods that are in use are the ones involving the use of Gabor filtering and Fourier filtering. But the accuracy of these techniques is far from satisfactory. A new technique is being proposed that incorporates wavelet transform and Gabor filtering. The performance of this technique is being discussed in the paper.


The design and preparation of sustainable materials has received considerable interest in recent years due to growing environmental concerns and diminishing crude oil reserves. In this Minireview, the polymerization of renewable monomers by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is discussed. Specifically, small molecules extracted from biomass and their conversion to polymerizable vinyl monomers is examined. Applications of these renewable RAFT polymers are also highlighted and the future outlook for this area of research is considered.


Close-packed arrays of microplasma jets, propagating into atmospheric air with uniform plume length and luminosity, have been generated in cylindrical microchannels and characterized. Arrays as large as 8 × 8 with a packing density of ~160 cm-2 have been demonstrated to date. Fabricated in a molded flexible polymer that is transparent deep into the ultraviolet (λ ≳ 250 nm), microchannel devices 350 μm in diameter generate plasma in He feedstock gas with a backing pressure of 760-900 Torr and flow rates up to 4.6 standard liters per minute. Chemical kinetics of the He (21,3S) and He2 (a3Σu+) excited species interacting with laboratory air has been examined by optical emission spectroscopy. The maximum jet length for a 5 × 5 array is 3.8 ± 0.2 mm when the He backing pressure is 840 ± 20 Torr. Relative to previous jet array designs, this technology increases the jet packing density by more than an order of magnitude and yet jet-jet interactions are not observed.


A numerical study of CO2-EOR with emphasis on mobility control processes: Water Alternating Gas (WAG) and foam Venkateswaran Sriram Pudugramam, M.S.E The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: Mojdeh Delshad CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) in residual oil zones has emerged as a viable technique to maximize both the oil production and carbon storage. Most CO2 field projects suffer from inadequate sweep because of high mobility of CO2 compared to the oil. Gas conformance techniques have the potential to further improve the effectiveness of CO2-EOR projects. The choice of mobility control to improve the sweep efficiency is critical and simulation studies with hysteretic relative permeability and mechanistic foam model can assist in the choice of technique and optimization of the process for each reservoir. Two promising mobility control practices of Water Alternating Gas (WAG) and foam are evaluated using the in-house compositional gas reservoir simulator (DOE-CO2). The effect of hysteresis and cycle dependent relative permeability on WAG and foam injections incorporating a new three-phase hysteresis model has been investigated. Simulations are performed with and without hysteresis to assess the impact of the saturation history and saturation path on gas entrapment, fluid injectivity and oil recovery. The foam assisted technique in CO2-EOR processes has also been investigated. Here foam is generated in-situ by injecting surfactant solution with CO2 rather than directly injecting foam. A simplified yet mechanistic population-balance model implemented in vi the in-house simulator has been applied to test the impact of foam. The results have been compared with an empirical foam model which is the standard model in commercial simulators. Simulations have been performed on actual field models for selection and optimization of the CO2 injection scheme, quantifying the impact of hysteresis, depicting the effectiveness of CO2-EOR process as against a surfactant flood, the effectiveness of foam assisted floods and insights into low tension gas flooding process. All the above analyses have also been performed on layer cake models with properties replicating the Permian Basin carbonate reservoirs and Gulf Coast sandstone reservoirs. Hysteresis shows an improvement in oil recovery of gas injection schemes where flow reversal takes place. Foam has been found to be effective and the models show lower CO2 utilizations factors compared to the case without foam.


While existing federated learning approaches mostly require that clients have fully-labeled data to train on, in realistic settings, data obtained at the client-side often comes without any accompanying labels. Such deficiency of labels may result from either high labeling cost, or difficulty of annotation due to the requirement of expert knowledge. Thus the private data at each client may be either partly labeled, or completely unlabeled with labeled data being available only at the server, which leads us to a new practical federated learning problem, namely Federated Semi-Supervised Learning (FSSL). In this work, we study two essential scenarios of FSSL based on the location of the labeled data. The first scenario considers a conventional case where clients have both labeled and unlabeled data (labels-at-client), and the second scenario considers a more challenging case, where the labeled data is only available at the server (labels-at-server). We then propose a novel method to tackle the problems, which we refer to as Federated Matching (FedMatch). FedMatch improves upon naive combinations of federated learning and semi-supervised learning approaches with a new inter-client consistency loss and decomposition of the parameters for disjoint learning on labeled and unlabeled data. Through extensive experimental validation of our method in the two different scenarios, we show that our method outperforms both local semi-supervised learning and baselines which naively combine federated learning with semi-supervised learning. The


Abstract. The evaluation of local damages after natural disasters by using remote sensing demands for flexible platforms as well as sensor systems, which guarantee both weather- and daylight-independence. Due to the fact of small energy consumption, small size and light weight millimeter-wave FMCW radar sensors on small airplanes are very promising for this task. Especially in urban environments the side looking SAR geometry causes shadowing and foreshortening effects, which lead to gaps in the reconstructed scene and misinterpretation. Multiple views from different aspect angles can reduce the shadowing effects but especially in unknown areas the best line of sight cannot be investigated in advance. This is achievable by perfoming circular flight trajectories. However, as millimeter-wave FMCW radar sensors typically have very narrow beams and small airplanes are sensitive to air turbulences, a beam stabilization method is necessary to provide full illumination of the target scene. In this paper the calculations for system specific optimal flight parameters are demonstrated and validated by simulations. The impact of air turbulences, causing angular deviations to the sensor and thus misplacement of the main beam lobe on the ground are explored by experimental data performed with our SUMATRA system. The effects of a potential mechanical beam stabilization are visualized and requirements for such a system are formulated. Our experiments show that for typical flight conditions a stabilized platform is well suitable to stabilize a narrow radar beam in order to keep a target scene constantly illuminated over a full circular trajectory. Typically these stabilized platforms can handle angular corrections in all three geometries (pitch, roll, squint) of up to 12°−15° by a speed of 15° per second. Therefore a more cost intensive full gimbal system which is known to be used in optical applications and which can handle a full 360° tracking is not neccessarily needed.


Abstract. Airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data is widely used in remote sensing applications, such as topographic and landwater mapping. Recently, airborne multispectral LiDAR sensors, which acquire data at different wavelengths, are available, thus allows recording a diversity of intensity values from different land features. In this study, three normalized difference feature indexes (NDFI), for vegetation, water, and built-up area mapping, were evaluated. The NDFIs namely, NDFIG-NIR, NDFIG-MIR, and NDFINIR-MIR were calculated using data collected at three wavelengths; green: 532 nm, near-infrared (NIR): 1064 nm, and mid-infrared (MIR): 1550 nm by the world's first airborne multispectral LiDAR sensor "Optech Titan". The Jenks natural breaks optimization method was used to determine the threshold values for each NDFI, in order to cluster the 3D point data into two classes (water and land or vegetation and built-up area). Two sites at Scarborough, Ontario, Canada were tested to evaluate the performance of the NDFIs for land-water, vegetation, and built-up area mapping. The use of the three NDFIs succeeded to discriminate vegetation from built-up areas with an overall accuracy of 92.51%. Based on the classification results, it is suggested to use NDFIG-MIR and NDFINIR-MIR for vegetation and built-up areas extraction, respectively. The clustering results show that the direct use of NDFIs for land-water mapping has low performance. Therefore, the clustered classes, based on the NDFIs, are constrained by the recorded number of returns from different wavelengths, thus the overall accuracy is improved to 96.98%.


Abstract:  This article seeks to shed light on the May 2008 violence against foreign Africans living in South Africa, and the issue of xenophobia more broadly, by examining the case of Khutsong, a poor township on the edge of Johannesburg that did not experience xenophobic attacks. Arguing against prevailing explanations that link xenophobia with poverty and deprivation, this study examines the opposition to xenophobia that developed in Khutsong. It highlights the centrality of a community-based organization, the Merafong Demarcation Forum (MDF), in halting the spread of violence. In its recent struggle against municipal demarcation, the MDF nurtured a collective sense of place that granted primacy to provincial boundaries while downplaying ethnic and national divisions. The article argues for the need to examine local social struggles and their intersections with broader political-economic trends when accounting for the presence or absence of violent xenophobia.


Seasonal abundance, volume, size distribution and carbon content of transparent ex- opolymeric particles (TEP) were examined in 2 hydrologically distinct sites in the NW Mediterranean (NWM) Sea: a coastal (Point B, Villefranche Bay) and an offshore (DYFAMED, France, JGOFS) site. TEP concentration varied from 0.2 to 2.2 × 10 5 particles ml -1 , and was higher offshore. The TEP pool was low during the winter mesotrophic period and increased after the spring bloom, remaining rela- tively high throughout summer at both sites. The increase in TEP abundance during the oligotrophic period was relatable to nitrate limitation and a decline in primary production. TEP formation in spring was associated to a nanoflagellate bloom, while the build-up of a large pool of TEP in summer oc- curred in the presence of a phytoplankton community dominated by picoplankters and during strong thermal stratification, limiting vertical sedimentation. In the NWM Sea, when the TEP carbon pool (TEP-C) is high, it may represent up to 22% of the total organic carbon, and reach down to 1% when it is low, suggesting that the particles play a significant role in the carbon cycle. In the NWM Sea, the trophic status of the system and the composition of primary producers control TEP formation. Hydrological processes appear to be of primary importance in governing seasonal TEP distribution.


One key feature of the Dodd—Frank Act is the requirement that the majority of derivatives contracts should be cleared through central counterparties (CCPs). This feature will substantially increase transparency and decrease exposure to counterparty credit risk in the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives business, both of which are highly desirable from the point of view of the trading public. But a number of other issues are raised in the process, including the effect of counterparty risk vis-à-vis the clearinghouse, as Hull elaborates. He then suggests an alternative procedure for unwinding the positions of a defaulting clearing member, which would reduce the exposure of the clearinghouse itself to the risk of insolvency following a major member default.


GBHN is the state's point of state administration in outlines as a declaration of the will of people in an integrated. The change of regime from the New Order era to the Reformation era, made the GBHN abolished. This situation raises questions about the direction of state development and there must be legal provisions. GBHN is a direction or guidance of state development established by the MPR as set forth in the provisions of Article 3 of the 1945 Constitution. The MPR is the representative of the people. The President as the mandate of the People's Consultative Assembly only performs the people's mandate contained in the GBHN fanned in the MPR Decree. The MPR's decree on GBHN was strongly conveyed by the political configuration of the MPR. The existence of Pancasila as the ideology of the nation makes every direction of development contained in the GBHN should be guided by Pancasila. Pancasila must also be contained in every policy made by the government. Policies that do not comply with Pancasila should be reviewed or dispensed for injuring Pancasila values. The systematics and content that should be contained in a state's policy document should be structured on a scale that is not contrary to Pancasila as the state ideology. The system is composed of: first; objectives and direction of development, development, second; development principles, third; program of development as a translation of the goals, direction and principles of development. Fourth, implementation of development programs in policy. The mechanism for the formation of the state's bow can be done by the absorption of people's aspirations which are then paired with the state's policy draft from the government. Legal form to accommodate the state's direction is the MPR Decree because it is a product of the MPR.


The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of ginger compress in relief non-specific low back pain and reduce functional disability due to low back pain. After screening, 15 participants were randomly allocated into two groups: experimental group (n=8) received ginger compress treatment for 20 minutes per session, three sessions per week for a total of ten sessions and control group (n=7) did not received any treatment. Numeric Rating Scale for pain and OswetryDisability Questionnaire were used to measure pain and functional disability before and after the intervention. This study revealed the experimental group indicated significantly pain relief (p=0.000) and disability reduced (p=0.000) after three weeks intervention. This study concludesthat ginger compress is effective in pain relief and reduces functional disability in patients with non-specific low back pain. Keywords : ginger compress, non-specific low back pain, Oswetry Disability Questionnaire


The early–middle Miocene, marked by the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO) followed by the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT) towards cooler temperatures, represents a crucial period in Earth's climate evolution. To understand this episode and reconstruct its origin and the regional impact of the observed global changes, it is critical that high-resolution astronomical age models are developed for climate sensitive regions around the world. One of these areas undoubtedly is the Mediterranean, but so far no such an age model has been established for the interval of the MMCO. Nevertheless, this interval is well exposed in the coastal cliffs along the Adriatic Sea near Ancona (Italy), where it is characterized by the occurrence of 7 conspicuous limestone beds, termed megabeds, alternating with marl intervals. Here, we use the Lower La Vedova Beach section to construct an astronomical time scale for the younger part of the MMCO in the Mediterranean. The tuning to ~ 100-kyr eccentricity seems robust, but is less certain for precession in some intervals, as a consequence of the less clearly developed internal structure of the basic precession related cycles and uncertainties in the phase relation with climatic precession and insolation and in the astronomical solution in terms of tidal dissipation and dynamical ellipticity values. The tuning nevertheless provides astronomical ages for calcareous plankton events and magnetic reversals for the interval between 16.3 and 15.0 Ma. Individual megabeds are related to the ~ 100-kyr eccentricity cycle corresponding to eccentricity minima and the megabed interval itself is partly controlled by the 405-kyr cycle, as it marks two successive minima and the maximum in between. However, no relation with very long period eccentricity cycles (2.4 and 1 myr) is evident, and a link to regional tectonic processes (a major orogenic phase at the base of the Langhian and the likely associated Langhian transgression) seems more plausible. The higher sedimentation rate in the megabeds can be explained by the additional preservation of biogenic silica, which may also account for the diluted planktonic foraminiferal assemblages. With the integrated magnetobiostratigraphy and the tuning to eccentricity and to precession/insolation, the Lower La Vedova Beach section meets key requirements for defining the Langhian GSSP.


Distributed data analysis without revealing the individual data has recently attracted significant attention in several applications. A collaborative data analysis through sharing dimensionality reduced representations of data has been proposed as a non-model sharing-type federated learning. This paper analyzes the accuracy and privacy evaluations of this novel framework. In the accuracy analysis, we provided sufficient conditions for the equivalence of the collaborative data analysis and the centralized analysis with dimensionality reduction. In the privacy analysis, we proved that collaborative users' private datasets are protected with a double privacy layer against insider and external attacking scenarios.


The incidence of serious extracranial complications during the
first ten days after injury and their influence on the
post-traumatic course was evaluated in 150 patients, treated on
account of craniocerebral injuries in 1994-1996. Serious
complications were recorded in 76 patients (51%). Complications
were more frequent in injuries with cerebral contusion (63%)
and in multiple injuries (71%). The most frequent extracranial
complications were pneumonia and respiratory complications
(29%), ion disbalance (17%) and coagulopathies (15%). The
majority of these complications was twice to six times more
frequent in the group of patients with GCS less than or equal
to 8. In patients with complications and GCS less than or equal
to 8 during the early period of hospitalization deterioration
of the clinical condition or death occurred in 7% and 21% resp.
In patients without complications and with GCS less than or
equal to 8 death occurred in 20%. The other patients of this
group either improved or their state did not change. In less
severe injuries (GCS > 8) in case of complications
deterioration occurred in 15% and death in 5%. If in this group
no complications developed neither deterioration nor death
occurred. The early results were influenced most by
coagulopathies which cause deterioration of the clinical
condition or death in 55% and by pulmonary complications in
33%. Complications caused a prolongation of the mean period of
hospitalization at the neurosurgical department from 9 to 12.8
days (p < 0.01). The authors conclude that prevention, early
diagnosis and intensive treatment of extracranial complications
after head injuries can improve the therapeutic results and
reduce the hospitalization period at a neurosurgical department


Purpose The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) cohort was initiated to study the epidemiologic characteristics, physical performance, laboratory and imaging biomarkers and incidence of age-related diseases in an elderly population with respect to both clinical and social aspects to develop preventive and therapeutic strategies for combatting age-related diseases. Participants A total of 3517 adults aged 65 or older participated in the cohort at baseline from 2012 to 2015, recruited from three urban districts and one rural district in Korea. The second-wave follow-up survey is now being conducted at a 4-year interval from baseline (2016–2019; follow-up rate 71.5%). The data set included detailed information on anthropometric and socioeconomic factors, functional assessments, image scans (plain radiography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and CT), biospecimens (ie, serum, urine and DNA) and social support networks along with the feasibility of linkage to a national claims database. Findings to date Mean age of participants at entry was 71.9±4.6 years and 67% were women. From the KURE participants enrolled in baseline recruitment, several studies were published in the fields of cardiometabolic diseases, musculoskeletal health and the association between social support network and diseases in ageing. Future plans Participants will be observed actively and passively every 4–5 years and the first follow-up will be completed in 2020. The KURE data set has strength in comprehensive physical function assessments, quantifiable imaging data sets using CT and detailed information regarding the social support networks of participants from a large community-based elderly Korean population.


With progression of tumor growth, rats demonstrate anorexia and reduced food intake, a function of meal number and meal size. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a recognized anorectic agent, reacts with two different receptors (type I: 55 kDa; type II: 75 kDa). We used a dimeric, pegylated 55-kDa TNF receptor construct to test its effects on food intake, meal number, and meal size, which were continuously measured with a rat eater meter in 16 Fischer 344 male rats injected with 10(6) viable methylcholanthrene cells. When anorexia developed, rats received a subcutaneous injection of either 0.25 mg/kg body wt of soluble TNF receptor construct (study) or vehicle (tumor-bearing control). Before TNF inhibitor injection, no differences were observed in food intake, meal number, or meal size between the two groups. After the TNF inhibitor injection, study vs. control rats significantly improved food intake as a result of an increase in meal number and meal size. Rats also showed a significant improvement in body weight. These data suggest that TNF-alpha, in addition to other cytokines, contributes to the anorexia of tumor growth, probably mediated via the hypothalamus.


Purpose - – This study aims to investigate the impact of governance indices (especially control of corruption) on economic growth in some selected Sub-Sahara African (SSA) countries with a view to making policy recommendations. Specifically, the study attempts to assess whether either governance reforms (especially those relating to control of corruption) or simultaneous policy reforms could have any impact on the growth of the sample SSA countries. Design/methodology/approach - – The governance indicators used in this study were drawn from the PRS Group and the Worldwide Governance Indicators for 2002-2009, while the real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita growth data were obtained from the World Bank database. The study covered 47 SSA countries, and it adopted the panel data framework, the fixed effect, the random effect and the maximum likelihood estimation techniques for the analyses. Findings - – The study found that political stability and regulatory quality indicators have growth-enhancing features, as they impact on economic growth in the region significantly, while government effectiveness impacts negatively on economic growth in the region. Despite, several anti-corruption policies in the region, the impact of corruption control on economic growth is not very obvious. The study also found that simultaneous implementation of the voice and accountability and the rule of law indicators has more positive impact on economic growth in the region. Both policies are complementary, and, hence, can be pursued simultaneously. Research limitations/implications - – The results suggest that reform efforts that aim at enhancing accountability, regulatory quality, political stability and the rule of law have more growth-enhancing features and, thus, should be given more priority over reform efforts that singly address the issue of control of corruption due to the endemic, systemic and ubiquitous nature of corruption in the region. Practical implications - – The study suggests that reform efforts that aim at enhancing accountability, regulatory quality and rule of law have more growth-enhancing features and, therefore, should be given more priority. Originality/value - – Many previous studies attempted to examine the impact of corruption on economies, but this paper tries to assess the effect of corruption control and other governance indices on economic growth in the most vulnerable region of the world, the SSA. Besides, the study adopts the panel data framework which makes it possible to allow for differences in the form of unobservable individual country effects.


Background/Aims The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with anxiety and depression in Korean patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Methods One hundred and twenty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, advanced gastrointestinal cancer who were scheduled to receive palliative chemotherapy between July 2012 and June 2014 were enrolled in this observational prospective study. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Results Thirty-seven patients (30.8%) had anxiety or depression with clinical significance according to HADS or PHQ-9. Multivariate analysis identified lower performance status (odds ratio [OR], 4.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22 to 14.35; p = 0.023), gastric cancer (OR, 5.39; 95% CI, 0.37 to 78.23; p = 0.018), and knowledge of advanced cancer (OR, 15.07; 95% CI, 1.80 to 125.90; p = 0.012) as significantly associated with anxiety or depression. Twenty-one patients with anxiety or depression visited the psycho-oncologic clinic. In these patients, PHQ-9 score (p = 0.008), global health status (p = 0.023), fatigue (p = 0.047), and appetite loss (p = 0.006) improved from baseline to 3 months after study enrollment. Conclusions Approximately 30% of Korean patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer had anxiety or depression. The prevalence of anxiety or depression was higher in patients with poor performance status, gastric cancer, or knowledge of advanced cancer. Psychiatric interventions may be effective in reducing depression and improving quality of life in cancer patients with anxiety or depression.


The SOAP protocol has emerged as a Web Service communication standard, providing simplicity, robustness, and extensibility. SOAP's relatively poor performance threatens to limit its usefulness, especially for high-performance scientific applications. The serialization of outgoing messages, which includes conversion of in-memory data types to XML-based string format and the packing of this data into message buffers, is a primary SOAP performance bottleneck. We describe the design and implementation of differential serialization, a SOAP optimization technique that can help bypass the serialization step for messages similar to those previously sent by a SOAP client or previously returned by a SOAP-based Web Service. The approach requires no changes to the SOAP protocol. Our implementation and performance study demonstrate the technique *s potential, showing a substantial performance improvement over widely used SOAP toolkits that do not employ the optimization. We identify several factors that determine the usefulness and applicability of differential serialization, present a set of techniques for increasing the situations in which it can be used, and explore the design space of the approach.


In the competition between supply chains, governance structure and coordination mechanisms can be as important as cost-efficiency. Flexible and non-committing contracts among upstream suppliers in cooperative alliances may lead to lower chain surplus through internal competition and renders the coordinator's position vulnerable for hostile take-overs. Cooperative supply chains are found in e.g. food industry, banking services, lawfirms and brokerage. The downstream processing or brand is owned collectively by the suppliers or service-providers. The supplier are linked to the chain by strong delivery (channel) rights and volume-based revenue-sharing schemes. The governance is flexible, promotes entry and market expansion. However, the decentralized decision making comes at a cost in terms of chain performance and resilience. A dynamic two-chain model with a captive and competitive market addresses the particular situation where the competing chain aggressor has a cooperative governance structure. The overt aggression at merger may have more to do with shortcomings in the managerial incentive structure than with the pursuit of market power. The results from the dynamic game is illustrated with empirical findings among dairy cooperatives in Denmark.


Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is a technique that is used for extracting petroleum resources from impermeable host rocks. In this process, fluid injected under high pressure causes fractures to propagate. This technique has been transformative for the hydrocarbon industry, unlocking otherwise stranded resources; however, environmental concerns make HF controversial. One concern is HF‐induced seismicity, since fluids driven under high pressure also have the potential to reactivate faults. Controversy has inevitably followed these HF‐induced earthquakes, with economic and human losses from ground shaking at one extreme and moratoriums on resource development at the other. Here, we review the state of knowledge of this category of induced seismicity. We first cover essential background information on HF along with an overview of published induced earthquake cases to date. Expanding on this, we synthesize the common themes and interpret the origin of these commonalities, which include recurrent earthquake swarms, proximity to well bore, rapid response to stimulation, and a paucity of reported cases. Next, we discuss the unanswered questions that naturally arise from these commonalities, leading to potential research themes: consistent recognition of cases, proposed triggering mechanisms, geologically susceptible conditions, identification of operational controls, effective mitigation efforts, and science‐informed regulatory management. HF‐induced seismicity provides a unique opportunity to better understand and manage earthquake rupture processes; overall, understanding HF‐induced earthquakes is important in order to avoid extreme reactions in either direction.


Objective: To compare CT Hounsfield Numbers with Ultrasonographic categorization of the FLD.

Material and Methods: It was a Cross sectional analytical study. By Purposive sampling 227 Patients of FLD were sampled from Radiology Department AL Razi Healthcare MM Alam Road Lahore and Radiology Department Shalamar Hospital Shalamar Road Lahore. The data was collected for 9 months. Patients of both gender of age between 20-80 years, who underwent both CT and USG scans of abdomen and with Ultrasonographic diagnosis of diffuse FLD was included. The USG categories of FLD were compared with mean Liver CTHFN. Statistical analysis was done by ANOVA; p value of CTHFN was found significant for each Ultrasonographic category of FLD.

Results: In this study 227 patients of FLD was taken. The mean age of population was 49.88 ± 14.52 years. The frequency of male population was 141(62.11%) and female was 86 (37.89%). The mild, moderate and severe FLD was found in 159 (70.04%), 50(22.03%) and 18(7.93%) patients respectively. The mean values of Liver CTHFN in mild, moderate and sever FLD categories by USG were 42.08 ± 5.07 HU, 24.41 ± 4.19 HU and 3.09 ± 6.64 HU respectively. These values along with P values and 95% Confidence Interval (CI). In multiple comparison the Least Significant Difference (LSD) of USG categories of FLD with mean Liver CTHFN, p value was significant when mild FLD was compared with moderate and severe FLD, Moderate FLD was compared with mild and severe FLD and severe FLD was compared with mild and moderate FLD.

Conclusion: In best of our knowledge to date this is third study comparing USG grades of FLD with CTHFN to determine CTHFN for each Ultrasonographic category of FLD. We found significant p values of CTHFN for all grades of FLD by USG. CTHFN decreased with severity of FLD. Hence we can conclude that USG is a reliable and sensitive modality for the grading of FLD.


This paper develops an analysis of housing supply elasticity by physical characteristics. Housing supply is demonstrated to be a driver of economic growth through different channels (Case, Quigley and Shiller, 2001) and reacts to market incentives with different intensities in the responses to changes on prices. The strong of such responses depends on a bundle of variables related to local house market features. Most of the studies estimate the elasticity values by region or by time but none of them have calculated such difference regarding the physical characteristics. The literature regarding the supply analysis by physical features is weak due to strong requirements of data: micro-data, detailed at local level and including a large number of characteristics and observations. This paper analyses the housing supply model segmenting the market by physical characteristics. It uses a database of micro-data with almost 40 different usable characteristic by observation, with around 1.5 x106 of houses collected from 1995 to 2012 (first semester). The dataset refers to main Spanish regions and it is representative of the eight more active regions in house-building during that period.


This study examined the effects of loneliness, social support, and acculturation on psychological well-being, as indexed by general emotional well-being and life satisfaction, of older Chinese adults living in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 168 older Chinese adults, recruited via WeChat and the internet, completed an online study through a facilitated Zoom or phone meeting, or through a website link, individually or in a group. The testing package included demographic information, The UCLA Loneliness Scale, The Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale, Vancouver Index of Acculturation, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, and The World Health Organization's Five Well-Being Index. The results showed that the psychological well-being (both general emotional well-being and cognitively perceived life satisfaction) was positively predicted by perceived social support but negatively predicted by loneliness. Acculturation was not predictive of both outcomes, and it did not moderate the predictive relationships of social support or loneliness. The results shed light on the importance of community services that target enhancing social support and reducing loneliness in promoting psychological well-being of older Chinese immigrants in Canada amidst and post the pandemic.


Background: Statins were initially used to improve cardiovascular outcomes in people with established coronary artery disease, but recently their use has become more common in people at low cardiovascular risk. We did a systematic review of randomized trials to assess the efficacy and harms of statins in these individuals. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (to Jan. 28, 2011), registries of health technology assessments and clinical trials, and reference lists of relevant reviews. We included trials that randomly assigned participants at low cardiovascular risk to receive a statin versus a placebo or no statin. We defined low risk as an observed 10-year risk of less than 20% for cardiovascular-related death or nonfatal myocardial infarction, but we explored other definitions in sensitivity analyses. Results: We identified 29 eligible trials involving a total of 80 711 participants. All-cause mortality was significantly lower among patients receiving a statin than among controls (relative risk [RR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84–0.97) for trials with a 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease < 20% [primary analysis] and 0.83, 95% CI 0.73–0.94, for trials with 10-year risk < 10% [sensitivity analysis]). Patients in the statin group were also significantly less likely than controls to have nonfatal myocardial infarction (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49–0.84) and nonfatal stroke (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.68–0.96). Neither metaregression nor stratified analyses suggested statistically significant differences in efficacy between high-and low-potency statins, or larger reductions in cholesterol. Interpretation: Statins were found to be efficacious in preventing death and cardiovascular morbidity in people at low cardiovascular risk. Reductions in relative risk were similar to those seen in patients with a history of coronary artery disease.


In this paper, islanding detection in a hybrid distributed generation (DG) system is analyzed by the use of hyperbolic S-transform (HST), time-time transform, and mathematical morphology methods. The merits of these methods are thoroughly compared against commonly adopted wavelet transform (WT) and S-transform (ST) techniques, as a new contribution to earlier studies. The hybrid DG system consists of photovoltaic and wind energy systems connected to the grid within the IEEE 30-bus system. Negative sequence component of the voltage signal is extracted at the point of common coupling and passed through the above-mentioned techniques. The efficacy of the proposed methods is also compared by an energy-based technique with proper threshold selection to accurately detect the islanding phenomena. Further, to augment the accuracy of the result, the classification is done using support vector machine (SVM) to distinguish islanding from other power quality (PQ) disturbances. The results demonstrate effective performance and feasibility of the proposed techniques for islanding detection under both noise-free and noisy environments, and also in the presence of harmonics.


The complexity of studies concerning the development of inter-organisational information systems (IOIS) over large timescales poses severe challenges on existing models and theoretical frameworks. Such 'evolutionary' research requires multiple perspectives on the phenomenon in order to account for changes as well as persistent elements of the IOIS. In this paper the theoretical concept of 'structural coupling' derived from autopoietic theory is proposed as a means to conceptualise the required alignment of independent organisations that venture into an IOIS. The need for a new concept is motivated against the backdrop of a case study covering the evolution of an electronic ordering system over almost three decades. Subsequently, the case study is used to illustrate the applicability of the concept to the empirical data. The paper finds that conceiving IOIS as structurally coupled systems offers a new and promising venue to study these systems on large timescales.


In this paper, we provide clear direct evidence of multiple concurrent higher-order magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes in circular and elliptical sunspots by applying both proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) techniques on solar observational data. These techniques are well documented and validated in the areas of fluid mechanics, hydraulics, and granular flows but are relatively new to the field of solar physics. While POD identifies modes based on orthogonality in space and provides a clear ranking of modes in terms of their contribution to the variance of the signal, DMD resolves modes that are orthogonal in time. The clear presence of the fundamental slow sausage and kink body modes, as well as higher-order slow sausage and kink body modes, have been identified using POD and DMD analysis of the chromospheric Hα line at 6562.808 Å for both the circular and elliptical sunspots. Additionally, for the various slow body modes, evidence for the presence of the fast surface kink mode was found in the circular sunspot. All of the MHD mode patterns were cross-correlated with their theoretically predicted counterparts, and we demonstrated that ellipticity cannot be neglected when interpreting MHD wave modes. The higher-order MHD wave modes are even more sensitive to irregularities in umbral cross-sectional shapes; hence, this must be taken into account for more accurate modeling of the modes in sunspots and pores.


Abstract : Almost since the beginning of Western civilization, the Mediterranean Sea has been a theater of conflict, a boulevard for battleships and invading armies, a moat between great empires, diverse cultures, religions, and political systems. What the nations of the Mediterranean have in common, besides a shoreline, is 25 centuries of warfare-warfare between the Romans and the Carthaginians, between Moslems and Christians, between the corsairs of the Barbary Coast and the merchant fleets on the European kingdoms, between the weaker non-European countries and the colonial powers, between revolutionary regimes in North Africa and the Middle East and the industrial nations of Western Europe. The Mediterranean continues to be an arena of international and internal conflict. This meeting on interdependence and security in the Mediterranean takes place as Syrian and Israeli troops still occupy Lebanon, and only a week after French Legionnaires, Italian Bersaglieri, and American Marines covered the withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization from Beirut.


Hadoop YARN is an Apache Software Foundation open project that provides a resource management framework for large scale parallel data processing, such as MapReduce jobs. Fair scheduler is a dispatcher which has been widely used in YARN to assign resources fairly and equally to applications. However, there exists a problem of the Fair scheduler when the resource requisition of applications is beyond the amount that the cluster can provide. In such a case, the YARN system will be halted if all resources are occupied by ApplicationMasters, a special task of each job that negotiates resources for processing tasks and coordinates job execution. To solve this problem, we propose an automatic and dynamic admission control mechanism to prevent the ceasing situation happened when the requested amount of resources exceeds the cluster resource capacity, and dynamically reserve resources for processing tasks in order to obtain good performance, e.g., reducing makespans of MapReduce jobs. After collecting resource usage information of each work node, our mechanism dynamically predicts the amount of reserved resources for processing tasks and automatically controls running jobs based on the prediction. We implement the new mechanism in Hadoop YARN and evaluate it with representative MapReduce benchmarks. The experimental results show the effectiveness and robustness of this mechanism under both homogeneous and heterogeneous workloads.


Linear stability analysis of the national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) Li-conditioned ELM-free H-mode equilibria is carried out in the context of the extended magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) model in NIMROD. The purpose is to investigate the physical cause behind edge localized mode (ELM) suppression in experiment after the Li-coating of the divertor and the first wall of the NSTX tokamak. Besides ideal MHD modeling, including finite-Larmor radius effect and two-fluid Hall and electron diamagnetic drift contributions, a non-ideal resistivity model is employed, taking into account the increase of Zeff after Li-conditioning in ELM-free H-mode. Unlike an earlier conclusion from an eigenvalue code analysis of these equilibria, NIMROD results find that after reduced recycling from divertor plates, profile modification is necessary but insufficient to explain the mechanism behind complete ELMs suppression in ideal two-fluid MHD. After considering the higher plasma resistivity due to higher Zeff, the complete stabilization could be explained. A thorough analysis of both pre-lithium ELMy and with-lithium ELM-free cases using ideal and non-ideal MHD models is presented, after accurately including a vacuum-like cold halo region in NIMROD to investigate ELMs.


Abstract Adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing occurs in a wide range of tissues and cell types and can be catalyzed by one of the two adenosine deaminase acting on double-stranded RNA enzymes, ADAR and ADARB1. Editing can impact both coding and noncoding regions of RNA, and in higher organisms has been proposed to function in adaptive evolution. Neither the prevalence of A-to-I editing nor the role of either ADAR or ADARB1 has been examined in the context of germ cell development in mammals. Computational analysis of whole testis and cell-type specific RNA-sequencing data followed by molecular confirmation demonstrated that A-to-I RNA editing occurs in both the germ line and in somatic Sertoli cells in two targets, Cog3 and Rpa1. Expression analysis demonstrated both Adar and Adarb1 were expressed in both Sertoli cells and in a celltype dependent manner during germ cell development. Conditional ablation of Adar did not impact testicular RNA editing in either germ cells or Sertoli cells. Additionally, Adar ablation in either cell type did not have gross impacts on germ cell development or male fertility. In contrast, global Adarb1 knockout animals demonstrated a complete loss of A-to-I RNA editing in spite of normal germ cell development. Taken together, these observations demonstrate ADARB1 mediates A-to-I RNA editing in the testis and these editing events are dispensable for male fertility in an inbred mouse strain in the lab. Summary Sentence Testicular A to I editing occurs primarily in meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells and is catalyzed by the editing enzyme ADARB1.


Sri Lanka has been identified as a rich biodiversity hotspot of endemic species among flora and fauna in the world. Currently, its biodiversity is under threat due to the actions of bio piracy. In the domestic scenario, the importance of strengthening the protection for plant varieties has been highlighted through a series of increasing incidents regarding the bio piracy. Sri Lanka has enacted some legislation to protect plant varieties which provide only the physical protection of the plant resources. The lack of proper legal protection for the genetic resources of plants is a great weakness of the existing legal framework of Sri Lanka. The importance of protecting plant varieties through intellectual property rights are addressed by the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual property rights (TRIPS). Furthermore, the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) aims to encourage the development of new varieties of plants and provides some standards and guidelines for such protection. Sri Lanka being a member of WTO is bound to implement TRIPS agreement in its legal framework. Sri Lanka enacted the Intellectual Property Act No 36 of 2003 in order to fulfill its commitment under TRIPS. One of the requirements of TRIPS Article 27.3(b) is that plant varieties should be protected either by patents or by an effective sui generis system or some combination thereof. The Intellectual Property Act specifically excludes plants and animals from patentability within its application. Hence, it is important to provide protection through other mechanism. Like many developing countries Sri Lanka has opted for s sui generis system for the protection of plant varieties and taken steps by introducing a Bill on Plant Variety Protection (Breeder's Rights) which was drafted in 2001 to comply with the requirements of TRIPS Article 27. Sixteen years later, there is still no progress regarding it. Therefore this paper discusses the problem of protecting plant varieties in Sri Lanka and expects to make suggestions to strengthen the drafted Bill on plant variety protection. This is a qualitative research based on literature review and mainly carried out by reference of primary and secondary sources such as Statutes, international treaties, academic writings and e-sources. The comparative analysis of successful legal position in India has been used in reaching the conclusion. Keywords: Patent, Plant variety protection, Sri Lanka, TRIPS, India


In this paper, we study the fragility of a popular distributed averaging algorithm when the information exchange among the nodes is limited by communication delays, fading connections and additive noise. We show that the otherwise well studied and benign multi-agent system can generate a collective global complex behavior. We characterize this behavior, common to many natural and human-made interconnected systems, as a collective hyper-jump diffusion process and as a Lévy flight process in a special case. We further describe the mechanism for its emergence and predict its occurrence, under standard assumptions, by checking the Mean Square instability of a certain part of the system. We show that the strong connectivity property of the network topology guarantees that the complex behavior is global and manifested by all the agents in the network, even though the source of uncertainty is localized. This work is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to establish the intimate relationship between the propagation of channel uncertainties in networked systems, the MS stability robustness and the emergence of Lévy flights in distributed averaging systems. As averaging is central to science and engineering, the results of the paper may have far-reaching consequences on the understanding and engineering of complex networked systems.


We describe a new dromaeosaurid theropod from the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia. The new taxon, Tsaagan mangas, consists of a well-preserved skull and cervical series. This specimen marks only the second dromaeosaurid taxon from a formation that has otherwise yielded numerous specimens of Velociraptor mongoliensis, and Tsaagan mangas is the only dromaeosaurid known from Ukhaa Tolgod beyond sporadic occurrences of isolated teeth. Tsaagan mangas differs from other dromaeosaurids in the possession of a straight, untwisted, and pendulous paroccipital process, a large and anteriorly located maxillary fenestra, and a jugal–squamosal contact that excludes the postorbital from the margin of the infratemporal fenestra. The phylogenetic affinities of Tsaagan mangas are determined through a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Coelurosauria, confirming its position within Dromaeosauridae. This new specimen, coupled with CT imaging, provides new information on the skull and braincase anatomy of dromaeosaurids.


The research is done to study physico-chemical parameters like pH, temp. colour, DO, BOD, COD, TDS of effluent from Jaipur dairy Industry. Effluent discharged from Dairy Industry is collected in the month of Jan and July 2011. As no such high toxic compounds used in milk processing, the physicochemical analysis reveals that all the samples have the values within the permissible limits.


High frequency (HF) coverage planning tools have been used successfully for many years to assist radio planners in designing HF networks and operating HF services. This paper describes techniques which have been derived as an adjunct to existing planning tools to improve their utility for use with modern HF systems and networks. The techniques factor in real-time frequency diversity and site diversity, which have a significant impact on the success rate for communication links.


The effect of crop sequence, pasture species mixture and nitrogen fertiliser on gorse establishment was monitored over 23 months in land converted from pine forest to a dryland sheep pasture. There were fewer gorse plants in plots sown initially into the forage crop triticale and then into grasslegume pasture than plots sown directly into grass or grass-legume pasture. Once the triticale was grazed, under-sowing grass-legume pasture beneath rape to establish clover rich pastures suppressed gorse more than sowing grass-legume pasture directly. There was no effect of nitrogen fertiliser applied at �50 kg N/ha/year on gorse plant density or cover. Appropriate management tools to control gorse in forest to pasture conversions include a combination of crop sequences where forage crops are followed by pasture and the establishment of pasture legume rich herbage. This type of pasture is preferred by livestock and results in high grazing intensity of gorse seedlings growing in the pasture.


CeramTec AG is a well-known manufacturer of cutting tool materials, especially for inserts based on silicon nitride. Some years ago it started the production of alpha/beta-SiAlONs because of their superior properties. Due to strong competition in the cutting tool business there is a constant need for further development of the cutting tool materials. One possibility to increase wear resistanceand life time of cutting tools is to increase the hardness and maintaining the good toughness at the same time. This can be done by adding hard particles like e.g. SiC to an alpha/beta- SiAlON. In 2003 an improved grade had been presented: a SiC-reinforced alpha/beta-SiAlON. This composite material shows a significantly reduced wear during machining of cast iron. The effect of SiC-addition on mechanical properties is discussed.


In many data-centric semantic web applications, it is desirable to use OWL to encode the Integrity Constraints (IC) that must be satisfied by instance data. However, challenges arise due to the Open World Assumption (OWA) and the lack of a Unique Name Assumption (UNA) in OWL's standard semantics. In particular, conditions that trigger constraint violations in systems using the ClosedWorld Assumption (CWA), will generate new inferences in standard OWL-based reasoning applications. In this paper, we present an alternative IC semantics for OWL that allows applications to work with the CWA and the weak UNA. Ontology modelers can choose which OWL axioms to be interpreted with our IC semantics. Thus application developers are able to combine open world reasoning with closed world constraint validation in a flexible way. We also show that IC validation can be reduced to query answering under certain conditions. Finally, we describe our prototype implementation based on the OWL reasoner Pellet.


Classical rhetoric is of importance to singers. The Romans divided the subject into five parts. Pronunciatio, the last of these, covers all aspects of delivery. It is the territory of the voice teacher, and master of elocution, and, as actio, the home of the stage director and actor. Elocutio, the third part, is concerned with style and diction. It is the canon that contemporary rhetoricians are most interested in, and musicians should be as well. Of the early writers on rhetoric, Quintilianl wrote most on the subject of delivery. He invented rules to cover every conceivable aspect of performance, including gesture and attitude, proxemics, and the modulation and care of the voice. Mter him, the subject was frequently neglected by writers on rhetoric, presumably because it is better taught in the doing than in theory. Nonetheless, rhetorical delivery continued to be enthusiastically practised until very recently.


The sedimentation process is one of the most commonly used processes in environmental engineering. Modelling and simulation of secondary sedimentation units usually requires writing mass balance equations for each layer of the settler. Then, the set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) is solved to obtain solids concentration in each layer of the sedimentation tank. This paper presents implementation of an MS Excel add-in for solving the secondary settling problem. The add-in contains a number of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) functions, which can be used directly on the worksheet. It is capable of calculating steady-state solution by the multivariate Newton-Raphson method. Also, the add-in is equipped with a VBA function that integrates the set of ODEs until a certain time specified by the user, providing an option for dynamic simulation of the sedimentation tank. The author uses the add-in for teaching settling models in an environmental modelling course. Both students and teachers can benefit from the tool.


Our research aimed at assessing the degree of customer satisfaction regarding the quality of organizational communication in the support service units in Romania, from the perspective of the services they have benefited from. Our research was of a quantitative type, through a questionnaire distributed online, to which 315 current and/or former clients of the support services units in Romania replied. In order to establish the representativeness of the research sample, we used the snowball method. The confidence level of the answers was 95% and the MPE was 5.5%. The questionnaire included 21 questions, context in which we formulated one main hypothesis and three working hypotheses. The econometric analysis of the answers was based on the method of comparing the means through the IBM SPSS 20 application, this being supplemented by the ANOVA variance analysis, where the structure of the answers in the questionnaire allowed. In the methodology used, we included the method of analysing multiple answers for structured questions, so as to record more answers from the variants we proposed to the participants in the study. The validation of the research hypotheses revealed that the suspicions of the clients of the support services units in Romania regarding the quality of the provided services are justified, given that the interest of these entities for the loyalty of the beneficiaries of the provided assistance activities is non-existent. The results of the study finally allowed us to formulate proposals for improving the organizational communication within the support units in Romania and, in this way, to also improve both the efficiency of the activity and the loyalty of their customers.


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Real exchange rate (RER) misalignment is now a standard concept in international macroeconomic theory and policy. However, there is neither a consensus indicator of misalignment, nor an agreed upon methodology for constructing such an indicator. This paper constructs an indicator of RER misalignment for a large sample of developed and developing countries. This indicator is based on a well-structured but simple extension of an IS-LM model of an open economy. The paper then uses regression analysis to explore whether RER misalignments are related to country growth experiences. Interestingly the work finds that there are important non-linearities in the relationship. Only very high over-valuations" appear to be associated with slower economic growth, while moderate to high (but not very high) under-valuations appear to be associated with more rapid economic growth.


Here, we report on an isolated pliopithecid M3/ (IPS35028) from locality ACM/C3-B2 (12.0 Ma, MN7) of the late Middle Miocene stratigraphic series of Abocador de Can Mata (ACM, Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula). This tooth is about 0.2 million years older than the remains of Pliopithecus canmatensis (11.8-11.7 ma), recorded from several localities from the ACM series. The unusual occlusal features of IPS35028, together with the lack of homologous material for several pliopithecid species, preclude a precise taxonomic attribution of the C3-B2 specimen, which does not fit the morphology of any known pliopithecid M3/. In particular, although an attribution to P. canmatensis would seem reasonable on the basis of size, identical geographic provenance, and similar age, the morphology of IPS35028 appears too primitive compared to the M1/ and M2/ of the former taxon. Instead, the C3-B2 pliopithecid displays several primitive features shared with the dionysopithecine Dionysopithecus and the pliopithecine Pliopithecus piveteaui. It therefore seems more likely that IPS35028 represents a previously unknown pliopithecid taxon, although a formal taxonomic recognition of its probable distinct status is not advisable, given the scarcity of the currently available material. Alternatively, this taxon might be more closely related to small-bodied African catarrhines (such as dendropithecids). However, the morphology of the ACM specimen is not particularly similar to that of the M3/ of these African taxa. Hence, based on age and geographic provenance, an attribution of IPS35028 to the Pliopithecidae is favored here.


ABSTRACT microRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate/fine tune many cellular protein networks by targeting mRNAs for either degradation or translational inhibition. Dicer, a type III endoribonuclease, is a critical component in miR biogenesis and is required for mature microRNA production. Abnormal Dicer expression occurs in numerous cancer types and correlates with poor patient prognosis. Recent reports have demonstrated that epigenetic agents, including histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), may regulate Dicer and miR expression. HDACi are a class of epigenetic agents used to treat cancer, viral infections, and inflammatory disorders. However, little is known regarding the epigenetic regulation of miR biogenesis and function. We therefore investigated whether clinically successful HDACi modulated Dicer expression and found that Panobinostat, a clinically approved HDACi, enhanced Dicer expression via posttranscriptional mechanisms. Studies using proteasome inhibitors suggested that Panobinostat regulated the proteasomal degradation of Dicer. Further studies demonstrated that Panobinostat, despite increasing Dicer protein expression, decreased Dicer activity. This suggests that Dicer protein levels do not necessarily correlate with Dicer activity and mature miR levels. Taken together, we present evidence here that Panobinostat posttranscriptionally regulates Dicer/miR biogenesis and suggest Dicer as a potential therapeutic target in cancer.


The principle aim of this research is concentrated on studying the effect of cracks and their propagations on the mechanical behavior of a steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beam. High strength concretes are being used more often due to their superior properties but these concretes have higher brittleness, which is a disadvantage. The idea of adding fibers to the concrete mixture to improve the mechanical response gives high strength steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) with high toughness. The effect of steel fiber is introduced in the model by giving the concrete specified high value of fracture energy. Concrete cracking is divided into two major zones; the first one is the fracture zone (a combination of wide bridging zone effect and the cohesive microscopic cracking zone) which obeys a special law permitting the transmission of stress across the two faces of crack, this zone is considered as partially cracked concrete. When crack opening exceeds a specific value c w , this zone is converted to a real crack (an open crack) and cannot transmit any stress across the two faces of a crack. Using the experimental data obtained from the flexural test on notched beam loaded under three-point bending, where fracture mode I is dominated. The response of the applied load-crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) with using fracture energy calculated by the test and the cohesive stresses corresponding to their crack openings with different values of steel fiber respectively are drawn. The results show that the fracture zone for SFRC is wider than that occurs in plain concrete for many times. The contributions of plain concrete and steel fiber are being demonstrated.


This study is the first of a series of seven, and belongs to the second Italian systematic replication of findings from two previous series (Widdowson 2012a, 2012b, 2012c, 2013; Benelli, 2016a, 2016b, 2016c) that investigated the effectiveness of a manualised transactional analysis treatment for depression through Hermeneutic SingleCase Efficacy Design (HSCED). The therapist was a white Italian woman with 8 years of clinical experience and the client, Anna, was a 33-year old white Italian woman who attended 16 sessions of transactional analysis psychotherapy. Anna satisfied DSM-5 criteria for mild persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) with anxious distress. The conclusion of the judges was that this was a good-outcome case: the dysthymic symptoms improved over the course of the therapy and were maintained in the 'healthy' range at the 6-month followup, the client reported a positive experience of the therapy and described important changes in intrapsychic and interpersonal patterns. In this case study, transactional analysis treatment for depression has proven its efficacy in treating persistent depressive disorder.


Introduction:Spontaneous abortion is the most common complication of pregnancy. However, the effects of abortion on mental health remain controversial. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between spontaneous abortion and general health outcomes. Methods: In this cohort study, the General health questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28) were administered for 500 women in early stage of pregnancy referring to state clinics of Semnan city between 2007-2008. These women were fallowed afterwards on a monthly schedule. 98 abortions have occurred among these women who were once more fulfilling the GHQ-28 one month after abortion. Another 98 women were randomly selected from those who experienced no abortion until 20th week of gestational age to answer the GHQ-28 as control group. Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, Chi Square, Fisher exact tests and Logistic regression. Results: Mean (±SD) age in abortion group was 26.3±6.1, whereas in control group was 25.4±5.8 years, which were not statistically significant. There was no significant difference between two groups in their number of previous pregnancies, living children, previous abortions and education levels. Abortion has significant effect on incidence of somatic disorder (OR=34.7, P=0.027), anxiety and sleep disorder (OR=5.0, P=0.043), depression (OR=11.5, P=0.027) and general health condition after-abortion (OR=10.2, P<0.001). While on the contrary, abortion did not have any significant effect on social function. GHQ-28 mean score in the case group before abortion and after abortion was 22.6 and 29.4 respectively. However, mean score in the control group was 22.5 and 21.5, respectively before and after 20th weeks of gestational age. Changes in mean health scores of two group were significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: Psychological support of women with abortion for improve their quality of life is a necessity.


To simplify computer management, various administration systems based on wired connections adopt advanced techniques to manage software configuration. Nevertheless, the strong relation between hardware and software makes for an individualism of that management, besides penalizing computational mobility and ubiquity. All these issues lead to degradation of scalability, flexibility and the facility to install and maintain distributed applications. This article presents an environment for centralized wireless communication network management, named WSE-OS (Wireless Sharing Environment -- Operating Systems): a model based on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) which associates virtualization techniques and safe remote access systems to create a distributed architecture as a base for a managing system. WSE-OS is capable of accomplishing the replication of operating system images using wireless communication network, besides offering abstraction of hardware to its clients, making the management more flexible and independent of wired connections. Results obtained from this work indicate that WSE-OS allows disseminating, through a single software configuration, the execution of data related to operating system images in client computers. WSE-OS can also be used as a management tool for operating systems in a wireless network.


Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), is an important legume crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most of the local varieties are favoured for their colour and taste, but have a low yield potential of 0.3 to 0.5 metric tonnes per hectare. Mutation breeding is a crop improvement tool in beans that can create new alleles, which when advanced beyond mutated generation 5 (M5), produces stable mutants, which may possess desirable characteristics. These mutants may result in rapid genetic advance and help address issues of low bean productivity. The objective of this study was to cluster bean mutants from a bean mutation breeding programme, based on heterotic groupings. This was achieved by genotyping 16 bean genotypes, using 21 Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) bean markers. From the results, three different clusters A, B and C, were obtained suggesting great genetic diversity among the bean mutants and these cluster groups (A, B and C) can be taken as heterotic groupings. Depending on the phenotypic trait under consideration, crossing of two distinct genotypes from different cluster groups may lead to hybrid vigour. Furthermore, to create genetic variability for further bean improvement, the breeder can cross distinct genotypes from different cluster groups, which after several generations of selfing accompanied by selection may lead to desirable progenies


Considering the hypersonic aerospace vehicle, with high dynamic, strong varying parameters, strong nonlinear, strong coupling, and the complicated flight environment, conventional flight control methods based on linear system may become invalid. To the high precision and reliable control problem of this vehicle, nonlinear flight control strategy based on neural network robust adaptive dynamic inversion is proposed. Firstly, considering the nonlinear characteristics of aerodynamic coefficients varying with Mach numbers, attack angle, and sideslip angle, the complete nonlinear 6-DOF model of RBV is established. Secondly, based on the time-scale separation, using the nonlinear dynamic inversion control strategy achieves the pseudolinear decoupling of RBV. And then, using the neural network with single hidden layer approximates the dynamic inversion error for system model uncertainty. Next, the external disturbance and network approximating error are suppressed by robust adaptive control. Finally, using Lyapunov's theory proves that all error signals of closed loop system are uniformly bounded finally under this control strategy. Nonlinear simulation verifies the feasibility and validity of this control strategy to the RBV control system.


Background: In recent years there have been great developmental advances in male hormonal contraception (MHC). Despite this, research relating to men's perspectives of MHC is sparse and is usually based on questionnaires completed as part of clinical trials. This study explored men's perspectives of MHC, specifically how they were formed and what factors might be influencing them. Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 10 heterosexual men aged between 18 and 44 within the UK. Using a philosophical standpoint of social constructionism, data were analysed employing a modified grounded theory method. Joint analysis and reflexivity were applied to reduce bias and ensure rigour in the analytical process. Results: Four principal higher order themes emerged from the data: Sexual health and trust within a sexual relationship; Choice; Change; and Health. This paper presents the findings from the first two. Participants believed that MHC use would be affected by issues such as individual sexual relationships, sexual health, and trust. Issues relating to efficacy, contraceptive choice, age, knowledge and methods of administration were seen as core issues relating to the decision to take a MHC drug. Conclusions: This study was successful in its aim, finding that overall MHC would be well received by men and that their perspectives were not that different from attitudes towards female hormone contraception. It also identified potential barriers based on the concerns that men have for themselves and for society were an MHC to become available.


ABSTRACT Torio, D.D. and Chmura, G.L., 2013. Assessing coastal squeeze of tidal wetlands. As sea level rise accelerates and land development intensifies along coastlines, tidal wetlands will become increasingly threatened by coastal squeeze. Barriers that protect inland areas from rising sea level prevent or reduce tidal flows, and impermeable surfaces prevent wetland migration to the adjacent uplands. As vegetation succumbs to submergence by rising sea levels on the seaward edge of a wetland, those wetlands prevented from inland migration will decrease in area, if not disappear completely. Tools to identify locations where coastal squeeze is likely to occur are needed for coastal management. We have developed a "Coastal Squeeze Index" that can be used to assess the potential of coastal squeeze along the borders of a single wetland and to rank the threats faced by multiple wetlands. The index is based on surrounding topography and impervious surfaces derived from light detection and ranging and advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometry imagery, respectively, and uses a fuzzy logic approach. We assume that coastal squeeze varies continuously over the coastal landscape and tested several fuzzy logic functions before assigning a continuous weight, from 0 to 1, corresponding to the influence of slope and impervious surfaces on coastal squeeze. We then combined the ranked variables to produce a map of coastal squeeze as a continuous index. Using this index, we compare the present and future threat of coastal squeeze to marshes in Wells and Portland, Maine, in the United States and Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick, Canada.


Measures of quality of life have been increasingly used in clinical trials. When designing a study, researchers must decide which quality of life measure to use. Some literature provides guidance through general recommendations, though lacks quantitative comparisons. In this report, 2 general quality of life measures, the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), are compared in a depressed population. STAR*D data were used to analyze the associations among the SF-12 and the Q-LES-Q. Each measure covers 6 domains, overlapping on 5 (health, self-esteem/well-being, community/productivity, social/love relationships, leisure/creativity), with the SF-12 addressing family and the Q-LES-Q addressing living situations. Strong item-by-item associations exist only between the Q-LES-Q and the SF-12 physical health items. The 2 measures overlap on the domains covered while the lack of correlation between the 2 measures may be attributed to the perspective of each question as the Q-LES-Q measures satisfaction while the SF-12 measures the patient's perception of function.


Short-time work is a labor market policy that subsidizes working time reductions among firms in financial difficulty to prevent layoffs. Many OECD countries have used this policy in the Great Recession. This paper shows that the effects of short-time work are strongly time dependent and non-linear over the business cycle. It may save up to 0.8 jobs per short-time worker in deep economic crises. The policy becomes more efficient as the recession deepens. In expansions, the effects are smaller and may turn negative. We disentangle discretionary short-time work from automatic stabilization in German data using smooth transition VARs.


We investigated the thermal decomposition behavior of three commercially available liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs), Vectra A950, Vectra B950, and Xydar SRT-900. The apparent activation energies (Ea) associated with the thermal degrada- tion processes were determined by the Ozawa and Kissinger methods, using data from dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) experiments. The magnitudes of the Ea for these LCPs follow the order: Xydar . Vectra A. Vectra B in both air and N2 environments. The stability of the samples at the beginning of the degradation pro- cesses follows the same order. This order may result from the kink naphthoyl units in Vectra A and a relatively weak bond dissociation energy of C-N in Vectra B. However, at 560°C the weight loss values of these three LCPs in N2 become close (around 37%). After 600°C, the stability order surprisingly changes to Vectra B950 . Vectra A950 . Xydar SRT-900. This suggests that the more stable the sample is at the beginning, the less stable the corresponding residue is. Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectra imply that random chain scission and hydrogen abstraction are the degradation mech- anisms in N2 atmosphere and the bands of CAO stretching for all 3 LCPs decrease after 560°C, indicating the finish of the ester bond rupture process. Further increasing temperature mainly results in carbonization. For all three LCPs, CO2 is the dominant degradation product during the entire testing periods in both N2 and air environments and the change of CO2 amount is consistent with the degradation rate. Residues after TGA experiments in N2 were analyzed and found to have a relatively high percentage of oxygen element, indicating the formations of ether and ketone structures during the thermal degradation of these three LCPs. Forty-seven percent of the nitrogen element remaining in the case of Vectra B950 indicates the formation of the structures contain- ing nitrogen. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 2195-2207, 1999


Abstract Hereditary angioedema (HAE) with deficiency of C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) is an autosomal-dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of potentially life-threatening angioedema. The objective is to study the incidence of HAE among patients who visit the emergency department. This was a 3-year prospective observational screening study involving 13 urban tertiary emergency centers in Osaka prefecture, Japan. Patients were included if they met the following criteria: unexplained edema of the body, upper airway obstruction accompanied by edema, anaphylaxis, acute abdomen with intestinal edema (including ileus and acute pancreatitis), or asthma attack. C1-INH activity and C4 level were measured at the time of emergency department admission during the period between July 2011 and June 2014. This study comprised 66 patients with a median age of 54.0 (IQR: 37.5–68.3) years. Three patients were newly diagnosed as having HAE, and 1 patient had already been diagnosed as having HAE. C1-INH activity levels of the patients with HAE were below the detection limit (<25%), whereas those of non-HAE patients (n = 62) were 106% (IQR: 85.5%–127.0%) (normal range, 70%–130%). The median level of C4 was significantly lower in the patients with HAE compared with those without HAE (1.2 [IQR: 1–3] mg/dL vs 22 [IQR: 16.5–29.5] mg/dL, P < 0.01) (normal range, 17–45 mg/dL). Three patients with undiagnosed HAE were diagnosed as having HAE in the emergency department during the 3-year period. If patients have signs and symptoms suspicious of HAE, the levels of C1-INH activity and C4 should be measured.


BACKGROUND
Early intervention is a new and potentially promising strategy for the treatment of schizophrenia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The article reviews the recent literature on how primary prevention can be conceptualised and what strategies may be effective.

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION
Primary prevention of schizophrenia means that treatment is given during the prodromal or prepsychotic phase. The DSM-III-R criteria for prodromal symptoms are too unspecific to be used to target such prevention. The basic symptom model seems to give the best concepts for primary prevention. Three types of prepsychosis are defined: attenuated positive symptoms, brief intermittent psychotic symptoms, and genetic risk with recent psychosocial deterioration. Preliminary findings indicate that 33-70% of those being diagnosed with prepsychosis develop psychosis within the first year of follow-up. Psychiatric health services should be organised in such a way that patients are given treatment as soon as possible after the onset of psychosis.


Purpose: Despite the use of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)–based adjuvant treatments, a large proportion of patients with high-risk stage II/III colorectal cancer will relapse. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies are needed for early-stage colorectal cancer. Residual micrometastatic disease from the primary tumor is a major cause of patient relapse. Experimental Design: To model colorectal cancer tumor cell invasion/metastasis, we have generated invasive (KRASMT/KRASWT/+chr3/p53-null) colorectal cancer cell subpopulations. Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) screens were used to identify novel proteins that underpin the migratory/invasive phenotype. Migration/invasion was assessed using the XCELLigence system. Tumors from patients with early-stage colorectal cancer (N = 336) were examined for AXL expression. Results: Invasive colorectal cancer cell subpopulations showed a transition from an epithelial-to-mesenchymal like phenotype with significant increases in migration, invasion, colony-forming ability, and an attenuation of EGF receptor (EGFR)/HER2 autocrine signaling. RTK arrays showed significant increases in AXL levels in all invasive sublines. Importantly, 5-FU treatment resulted in significantly increased migration and invasion, and targeting AXL using pharmacologic inhibition or RNA interference (RNAi) approaches suppressed basal and 5-FU–induced migration and invasion. Significantly, high AXL mRNA and protein expression were found to be associated with poor overall survival in early-stage colorectal cancer tissues. Conclusions: We have identified AXL as a poor prognostic marker and important mediator of cell migration/invasiveness in colorectal cancer. These findings provide support for the further investigation of AXL as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in colorectal cancer, in particular in the adjuvant disease in which EGFR/VEGF–targeted therapies have failed. Clin Cancer Res; 20(1); 164–75. ©2013 AACR.