Objective: To determine the number and type of errors found in the record of drug-related problems in the SINEA database, an electronic system for voluntary reporting of adverse events in healthcare, in order to quantify the differences between the raw and refined databases, suggest improvements, and determine the need for refining said databases. Methods: A Pharmacist reviewed the database and refined the adverse events reported from January to August, 2014, considering the "describe_what_happened" field as the gold standard. There was a comparison of the rates of medication errors, both potential and real, adverse reactions, impact on the patient, impact on healthcare, and medications more frequently involved in the raw and refined databases. Agreement was calculated through Cohen's Kappa Coefficient. Results: 364 adverse events were reported: 66.7% were medication errors, 2.7% adverse reactions to the medication (2 were wrongly classified as both, showing a total percentage >100%) and 31% were other events. After refinement, the percentages were 69.5%, 5.8% and 24.7%, respectively (κ=0.85; CI95% [0.80-0.90]). Before refinement, 73.6% of medication errors were considered potential vs. 82.3% after refinement (κ=0.65; CI95% [0.54- 0.76]). The medication most frequently involved was trastuzumab (20.9%). The  "molecule" field was blank in 133 entries. A mean of 1.8±1.9 errors per entry were detected. Conclusions: Although agreement is good, the refinement process cannot be avoided, as it provides valuable information to improve pharmacotherapy. Data quality could be improved by reducing the number of type-in text fields, using drop-down lists, and by increasing the training of the reporters.


This paper presents the surface temperature behavior of M42 high-speed tool steel samples during N+ implantation in an industrialized GLZ-100 metal-ion implantation machine. A detail study has been made on the parameters of N+ implantation. Optimized technical parameters have been presented. The microhardness of the sample surface implanted under these parameters has been increased by a factor of 2.3, and the wear-resistance has been improved by about 5.4 times. The research on the mechanism of surface modification of M42 steel by nitrogen ion implantation has also been made.


As journalism educators, a great deal about how we teach students to be 'good journalists' has remained unchanged-at least over the past 15-20 years since I was a journalism student and, I suspect, for some time before that. But the world is changing and the world of journalism, in particular, is changing incredibly quickly. While our students' employment prospects and expectations may have adapted somewhat-ie we now teach students they need to be multi-skilled, working across platforms, developing content for online delivery etc-our advice to them about 'what is news' and how to structure the news has remained relatively static. It follows an essentially mainstream and what we call a 'professional' definition of news. This is despite the fact that the study of community and alternative media forms has blossomed over the past 10-15 years, highlighting different ways that journalists working outside the mainstream have been able to engage their readers and facilitate public involvement during times when people were increasingly turning away from traditional journalism, and refusing to participate in broader democratic activities. This paper attempts to tackle an apparently simple concept-to define what it is about alternative journalism that makes it different. While discussions around this issue have continued for some time now (Atton & Hamilton, 2008; Atton 2009; Forde 1997a and 1997b; Collins & Rose 2004; Harcup 2003; Couldry 2002), authors have focused primarily on the media outlets themselves and not on the work of the journalists, with the exception of the very recent work by Atton & Hamilton (2008). This paper contributes to the discussion on this issue through its attempts to define alternative journalism, although its overarching concern is broader and feeds into an international study which investigates alternative journalism in Australia, the UK and the USA. The paper's purpose is two-fold-an illumination of what alternative journalism really is; and ultimately the implications of this discussion for the way we teach journalism education in Australia.


Electroactive polyurethane (EPU) containing conjugated segments of electroactive amino-capped aniline trimer (ACAT) has been successfully synthesized and characterized through Fourier-Transformation infrared and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. Subsequently, electroactivity (i.e., redox capability) of as-prepared EPU was investigated by electrochemical cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies. It was noticed that the as-prepared EPU exhibited reversible redox capability was found to reveal better corrosion protection effect on cold-rolled steel (CRS) electrodes than that of non-electroactive polyurethane based on a series of electrochemical measurements such as corrosion potential, polarization resistance, corrosion current and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies in 5 wt-% NaCl electrolyte. This significant enhancement of corrosion protection on CRS electrodes as compared to non-electroactive polyurethane might be probably ascribed to the redox catalytic property of as-prepared EPU coatings inducing the formation of passive layer of metal oxide, as evidenced by the SEM and ESCA studies.


DNA sequence comparisons can be used in a large number of applications in the field of bioinformatics. It is widely known that solving the string edit distance problem contributes to determining the degree of similarity between two sequences. Considering the importance of private data in DNA sequences, it is necessary to have a novel privacy-preserving protocol which will resolve the edit distance problem. In this paper, we present two different protocols guaranteeing accurate computation of the edit distance between two DNA sequences without disclosing their original DNA sequences. We introduce a Blind Third Party (BTP) which is an entity that allows communication between two parties without revealing private data by way of exchanging encrypted values. The BTP computes the edit distance without knowing Alice's and Bob's original sequence, and then it distributes the result to Alice and Bob. The two protocols that we developed have constant number of communications, which is much improvement compared to the edit distance protocol suggested by Atallah et al. whose number of communications increases proportional to the product of the length of two sequences.


Galloping of transmission lines creates some cyclic stresses in the conductor and accreted atmospheric ice covering the conductor, which may result in ice failure leading to shedding. Attempts have been made in this research to estimate these cyclic stresses, and experimental tests have been conducted to study their effects on atmospheric ice. First, galloping of an ice-covered conductor was simulated by appropriate modification of existing models for bare conductors submitted to galloping. Then, the results of simulation were applied as input for a new model developed using ABAQUS. The results show that the layers of atmospheric ice at the top and bottom of the conductor endure maximum stress. The results of experimental tests with increasing cyclic stress show that ice does not break during galloping at wind velocities below 4.5 m/s. The tests under cyclic loads with a constant amplitude reveal that the ice does not fail under stresses corresponding to wind speeds of 3 and 4 m/s, and sometimes fails under stresses arising at a wind speed of 5 m/s.


The thesis presents an investigation of the relationship between anterior knee pain and lower limb biomechanics in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals during walking. Although foot orthotic devices are often prescribed to realign lower extremity mechanics, there is conflicting evidence to support this. A quantitative study explored the dynamics of walking barefoot, shod and with orthotic devices using the 3D Kinematic Motion Analysis System, Vicon 370. Sample sizes of 30 control subjects and 30 subjects with anterior knee pain were recruited. Kinematic gait parameters and temporal-spatial gait parameters were compared between the two groups and a thorough static clinical examination was provided. The relationship of alignment and knee pain was also examined using the Positional Upright MRI Scanner. A group of 15 subjects with anterior knee pain and a group of 5 asymptomatic subjects were examined radiographically barefoot, shod and with orthotic devices. An increase in Q-angle was shown in the knee pain group with an added angle increase in the females in both groups. This could signify that a higher Q-angle may influence biomechanics of the knee joint by creating an abnormally increased valgus angle. Evidence was found that there was a strong relationship between eversion and inversion of the foot with internal and external tibial rotation of the leg. This coupling relationship may lend insight into the behavior of the lower leg and anterior knee pain whilst walking. Small changes were noted when wearing the orthotic devices which may be advantageous biomechanically and they were also of benefit in correcting pronatory changes or movements more distal to the foot. The results of the MRI study were disappointing but many limitations were shown to support the results. Upon finishing this thesis, it is apparent that documented evidence of any relationship between anterior knee pain and lower limb biomechanics is imperative to clinicians in order to aid in treatment plans of patients but also in preventative treatment. Further research is required to enhance the clinicians knowledge and understanding of the foot and leg dynamically.


Segmental moment of inertia values, which are often required to perform mechanical analyses of human movement, are commonly computed using statistical models based on cadaver data. Two sets of equations for estimating human limb moments of inertia were evaluated: linear multivariable equations and nonlinear equations. Equation coefficients for both sets of equations were determined using the cadaver data of Chandler et al. (1975). A cross-validation procedure was used to circumvent the problem of model evaluation when there is limited data with which to develop and evaluate the model. Moment of inertia values for the longitudinal axes were predicted with similar degrees of accuracy with either set of equations, while for the transverse axes the nonlinear equations were superior. An evaluation of the influence of the accuracy of moment of inertia estimates on resultant joint moments for three activities showed that the influence of these errors was generally small.


Malaria, an infectious disease begins with the introduction of protists into blood circulation and may cause death in severe cases. Development of resistance in Plasmodium parasites is major obstacle and emphasizes the need of novel strategy to combat the prevalent of disease. Fenofibrate, an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) is well known to treat hypertriglyceridaemia and mixed dyslipidaemia from decades. Recent studies reports possibility of its activity against the malarial parasite as well. Here we explore the Fenofibrate for activity against malaria in Plasmodium berghei infected mice The infected erythrocytes (IE) from control and treated mice was subjected to microscopic examination for analyse the mean percent parasitemia on day 4 th , 7 th , 10 th , 14 th and 21 st after infection. The results of present study illustrate the activity of fenofibrate against Plasmodium berghei malaria parasite in-vivo. Significant distinction was observed in percent parasitemia of fenofibrate and vehicle treated mice. Treatment with 320mg/kg was found to be most suppressing amongst the entire treatments of fenofibrate. KeywordsFenofibrate, malaria, Plasmodium berghei, fibrates.


HIV-1 Nef (Nef) is a myristoylated protein that contributes to HIV disease pathogenesis. Nef has a modulatory effect on T cell receptor (TCR) signaling, resulting in up-regulation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in stimulated T cells. Recent studies have shown that efficient TCR signaling requires enhanced association of TCR-signaling molecules with plasma membrane microdomains (lipid rafts) and fusion of rafts into larger structures. We utilized Jurkat T cell lines expressing wild-type Nef (Nef(wt)) and a myristoylation-deficient form of Nef (Nef(G)2(A)), from an inducible promoter, to determine the effects of Nef on the association of TCR-signaling molecules with rafts in nonstimulated T cells. In addition, the effect of Nef on raft size, before and after TCR activation by CD3 cross-linking, was also examined. Following induction, Nef(wt) was associated with both rafts and nonrafts, while Nef(G)2(A) was almost exclusively cytosolic. Induction of Nef(wt), but not Nef(G)2(A), coincided with an increased association of the src family tyrosine kinase, Lck, and TCRzeta with rafts, but not with nonrafts. Further, rafts were found to be significantly larger in CD3-activated T cells in the presence of Nef(wt) when compared to nonexpressing cells. We propose that myristoylated, raft-localized Nef primes resting T cells for activation by increasing the levels of signaling molecules within rafts, and that TCR activation is enhanced by the capacity of Nef to promote raft fusion.


Engineering ceramic is the ideal material for high-speed and high precision motorized spindle due to perfect characteristics of light weight, wear resistance, high temperature, high strength, and so on. The air-gap is changed due to the influence from various factors not only the tolerance of the manufacture and assembly of motorized spindle but also different working condition. The change of air-gap impacts on vibration performance of motorized spindle. The effects of rotating speed and air-gap between the rotator and stator on these characteristic parameters of the motorized spindle are analyzed. This paper analyses the effect change of air-gap on vibration performance of motorized spindle by the simulation analysis and experimental. The results show that vibration increase with the decrease of air-gap. Meanwhile, electromagnetic vibration increase with the increase of eccentricity of motorized spindle. These results are very helpful to the structure optimization and application of the ceramic motorized spindle.


This article presents an algorithms to refine bevariate grid data that is convex (and monotonic) along the grid lines so that the refined data exhibits the same convexity (and monotonicity). The algorithm is based on some observations about univariate data and an algorithm for shape-preserving quadratic splines for such data. It can be used as is or with standard surface-path techniques.


In the late 1940s, state socialist governments proclaimed that commercial sex did not exist under socialism. At the same time, they were enthusiastic participants in the drafting of a new UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. This article explores state socialist involvement in the global moral reform drive accompanying the 1949 Convention. It traces the ideological coherence between Socialist Bloc and 'Western' delegations on the desirability of prostitution's abolition. Conversely, it highlights splits on issues of jurisdiction, manifesting in the Soviet call for the eradication of the draft Convention's 'colonial clause', which allowed states to adhere to or withdraw from international instruments on behalf of 'non-self-governing territories'. We argue that critiques of the colonial clause discursively stitched together global moral reform and opposition to imperialism, according socialist and newly decolonized delegations an ideological win in the early Cold War.


This study examines credibility judgments in relation to peripheral cues and genre of Wikipedia articles, and attempts to understand user information verification behavior based on the theory of bounded rationality. Data were collected employing both an experiment and a survey at a large public university in the midwestern United States in Spring 2010. This study shows some interesting patterns. It appears that the effect of peripheral cues on credibility judgments differed according to genre. Those who did not verify information displayed a higher level of satisficing than those who did. Students used a variety of peripheral cues of Wikipedia. The exploratory data show that peer endorsement may be more important than formal authorities for user generated information sources, such as Wikipedia, which calls for further research.


This study compared the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM 2010) procedure (the procedure in HCM 2016 is the same) and the red-time formula (RTF) estimations of the back-of-queue with field data results. The comparisons were made for the 50th and 95th percentile field queue lengths at four signalized intersections along a corridor in one off-peak period and a.m., noon, and p.m. peak periods. For the 50th percentile queue length, the HCM estimates had significant differences from the field data in 52% of the cases (major and minor street cases combined); in 93% of which the HCM overestimated the queue length and in 7% it underestimated the queue length. For the major street, in 28% of the cases the HCM significantly overestimated the queue length on average by 66%, and in 4% of the cases the HCM significantly underestimated on average by 42%. For minor streets, in 70% of the cases the HCM significantly overestimated the queue length on average by 44%, and in 5% of the cases it significantly underestimated on average by 20%. To lower the number of cases with significant discrepancy and to balance the frequency of overestimation and underestimation, a multiplicative correction factor of 0.93 for the major street and 0.78 for the minor streets could be applied to the HCM estimates. For the 95th percentile queue length comparison, in general the HCM presented a better estimation than the RTF. And for minor streets, the RTF tends to overestimate the queue length at higher-volume approaches, while it underestimates at lower-volume approaches. But on a major street with heavier traffic than the minor, such a trend is not clear.


States expanded allowable gambling options significantly in the past two decades, particularly in the wake of the Great Recession when more than a dozen states authorized new options in an effort to generate more revenues. Despite these expansions, state and local government gambling revenues have softened significantly in recent years. History shows that in the long run growth in state revenues from gambling activities slows or even reverses and declines. Therefore, states considering further expansions of gambling should take into consideration market competition within the state and among neighboring states.


This article presents an exploratory empirical study of the role of gender in sustainability initiatives and practices in a sample of 925 men and women from American companies. We explore gender differences and their implications for sustainability values, priorities, and perceptions of sustainability-related activities in the workplace. Drawing from studies of sustainability, gender, and environmental values and action, our study finds that corporate women hold sustainability-related concerns and values to be significantly more important to them personally than do their male colleagues, and they view and evaluate their companies' sustain-ability-related value priorities, initiatives, and activities from these foundational ethical and value orientations. We conclude with a research agenda that includes identifying the actual participation of women in corporate sustainability initiatives, and also the organizational enablers and impediments of their empowered action and leadership. Organization Management Journal , 10: 215–226, 2013


This study examines the justification of aggressive acts in Uruguayan children and adolescents in different social situations as a function of age and sex, as well as the effect of differences in socioeconomic status on justification. A total of 663 participants aged 8 to 21 completed a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the justification of eight aggressive acts in six social situations. The results showed that adolescents justified both physical and verbal aggression more easily than children in a wide range of situations. As expected, boys justified physical aggression more easily than girls; however, no differences appeared in regard to verbal aggression. Unexpectedly, no statistically important differences were found in the justification of aggression related to the socioeconomic status of the participants. These findings are discussed in terms of previous studies from other cultures, in the hope of contributing to a deeper knowledge of the complex phenomenon of aggression.


Information on flood inundation extent is important for understanding societal exposure, water storage volumes, flood wave attenuation, future flood hazard, and other variables. A number of organizations now provide flood inundation maps based on satellite remote sensing. These data products can efficiently and accurately provide the areal extent of a flood event, but do not provide floodwater depth, an important attribute for first responders and damage assessment. Here we present a new methodology and a GIS‐based tool, the Floodwater Depth Estimation Tool (FwDET), for estimating floodwater depth based solely on an inundation map and a digital elevation model (DEM). We compare the FwDET results against water depth maps derived from hydraulic simulation of two flood events, a large‐scale event for which we use medium resolution input layer (10 m) and a small‐scale event for which we use a high‐resolution (LiDAR; 1 m) input. Further testing is performed for two inundation maps with a number of challenging features that include a narrow valley, a large reservoir, and an urban setting. The results show FwDET can accurately calculate floodwater depth for diverse flooding scenarios but also leads to considerable bias in locations where the inundation extent does not align well with the DEM. In these locations, manual adjustment or higher spatial resolution input is required.


The objectives of this study were, through a literature review, to point the differences between orbital implants and their advantages and disadvantages, to evaluate prosthesis motility after orbital implants are inserted, and to point the implant wrapping current risks. Sixty-seven articles were reviewed. Enucleation implants can be autoplastics or alloplastics and porous (including natural and synthetic hydroxyapatite [HA]) or nonporous (silicone). Hydroxyapatite is the most related in the literature, but it has disadvantages, too, that is, all orbital implants must be wrapped. Exposure of the porous orbital implant can be repaired using different materials, which include homologous tissue, as well as autogenous graft, xenograft, and synthetic material mesh. The most used materials are HA and porous polyethylene orbital implant. The HA implant is expensive and possibly subject corals to damage, different from porous polyethylene orbital implants. Porous implants show the best prosthesis motility and a minimum rate of implants extrusion. Implant wraps can facilitate smoother entry of the implant into the orbit and allow reattachment of extraocular muscles. They also serve as a barrier between the overlying soft tissue and the rough surface of the implant, protecting implants from exposure or erosion.


Sports not only has competition functions, but also is the best choice to build one's body. And meanwhile, sports activities have certain curative effects on mental diseases, which have very important impacts on psychological health. The paper utilized correlations analysis, establishes correlation analysis model between physical exercises and students psychological health, and analyzes current stage students understanding on sports health, and gets conclusion: physical exercises have important impacts on students psychological health, Chinese physical education course contents are relative traditional, their understanding on physiological health knowledge, psychological health are not deepen enough, students rarely participate in physical exercises. Secondly, based on correlation analysis, analyze physical exercises and chemical medicine curative effects on common depression, anxiety, terror, obsession these four mental diseases, utilize fuzzy comprehensive evaluation methods to make comprehensive evaluation, compare physical exercises and chemical medicine curative effects, and get that physical exercises effects are better.


Information-flow security policies are an appealing way of specifying confidentiality and integrity policies in information systems. Most previous work on language-based security has assumed that programs run in a closed, managed environment and that they use potentially unsafe constructs, such as declassification, to interface to external communication channels, perhaps after encrypting data to preserve its confidentiality. This situation is unsatisfactory for systems that need to communicate over untrusted channels or use untrusted persistent storage, since the connection between the cryptographic mechanisms used in the untrusted environment and the abstract security labels used in the trusted language environment is ad hoc and unclear. This paper addresses this problem in three ways: first, it presents a simple, security-typed language with a novel mechanism called packages that provides an abstract means for creating opaque objects and associating them with security labels; well-typed programs in this language enforce noninterference. Second, it shows how to implement these packages using public-key cryptography. This implementation strategy uses a variant of Myers and Liskov's decentralized label model, which supports a rich label structure in which mutually distrusting data owners can specify independent confidentiality and integrity requirements. Third, it demonstrates that this implementation of packages is sound with respect to Dolev-Yao style attackers-such an attacker cannot determine the contents of a package without possessing the appropriate keys, as determined by the security label on the package.


This Research Guide is intended for those in the Bishop's University community who wish to find resources related to Fine Arts. This aid provides sources held at or accessible online from the Bishop's Library.


The American public consistently ranks crime prevention as the single most important objective for the criminal justice system, putting this goal ahead of punishment, enforcement, and rehabilitation. One popular but controversial method recently employed to prevent recidivism is the use of offender registries. The most common type of registry currently in use is the sexoffender registry. Responding to the public's perception that sex offenders pose a particular risk to society, federal legislators—as well as legislators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia— have enacted legislation creating mandatory sex-offender registries. The primary rationale for tracking and notification requirements was that giving the public access to information would allow citizens to protect themselves and other vulnerable members of society. A wealth of evidence suggests that sexoffender registries have not accomplished the goal of making citizens safer. Nevertheless, lawmakers in a number of states have proposed new crime registries for offenses ranging from crimes against children, to the manufacture of methamphetamine, to murder. Moreover, poll data has revealed that the American public supports expanding registries to include crimes other than sex offenses. The rising popularity of public crime registries in spite of evidence of their inefficacy is perplexing, until one considers the social science research revealing individuals' need to perceive control over anxiety-provoking threats. The illusion of control and attribution literature provides a rich body of work suggesting that the implementation of such registries, rather than providing any real instrumental advantage, serves to bolster feelings of selfefficacy and minimize public anxiety. Copyright 2013, by MOLLY J. WALKER WILSON. * Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Law, Associate Professor of Psychology, Saint Louis University School of Law. 510 LOUISIANA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 73


A review of published reports was conducted to identify gaps in the research regarding bariatric surgery. Much of the research that has been conducted is clinical outcome based; however, little research has been conducted in many key areas. Data on the demographics of the bariatric surgery group are patchy at best. The role of best practice and evidence‐based medicine in bariatric surgery seems to be poorly understood, and equity issues and the role of clinical pathways in bariatric surgery need to be clarified. Significant gaps were identified in the published reports regarding pathways to bariatric surgery and multidisciplinary team use. Additionally, much of the published report and research data were from US studies, as few Australian studies have been conducted. Further research and policy and practice developments in bariatric surgery are needed, especially with regard to the Australian context.


This paper studies the degrees of freedom (DoF) region of the 2 × 2 × 2 interference network, which is comprised of two sources, two relays and two destinations, each with arbitrary number of antennas. We prove that with linear transceivers, the cut-set outer bound can be achieved without any symbol extensions, except for one specific system setup, which has one-DoF gap to the cut-set bound. We show that to achieve the outer-bound, the transceivers include interference avoidance, cancelation, neutralization and alignment, depending on the antenna configuration.


AKR/O mice were used as a model for studying the pathogenesis of the anaemia accompanying leukaemia/lymphoma. The leukaemia incidence was 87%. Median age at diagnosis was 11.3 months. At diagnosis most of the mice had normal leukocyte counts. Clinically the mice divided into subgroups depending on the relative organ involvement: 1) thymoma group (n = 98), 2) spleen group (n = 144), 3) combined group (n = 27) and 4) mice with moderate organ changes (n = 216). Mice of group 1 were younger than the others, had a rapidly progressive disease, normal to elevated packed cell volume (PCV), and plasma erythropoietin (Epo) was normal or increased. Mice of group 2 were usually anaemic with high plasma Epo estimates and often elevated reticulocyte counts. Group 4 was the oldest group. Some of these mice were severely affected haematologically. Overall there was an inverse relation between PCV and plasma Epo estimate, indicating a normal Epo response to anaemia. In all groups increasing spleen size was associated with increased severity of anaemia and increased reticulocyte counts. The association between anaemia, elevated reticulocyte counts and spleen enlargement suggests haemolysis as a mechanism for anaemia, and also raises the question of compensatory spleen erythropoiesis.


An investigation has been performed into the formulation of silica-based ceramic core materials for investment casting. The formulation of 3 materials that are currently used by Ross Ceramics was investigated in detail and the data from this used to determine the elements of the formulation that should be investigated in more detail. The techniques used included a variety of mechanical tests at both room and high temperatures, dilatometry, phase analysis by XRD and chemical analysis by XRF, pore analysis by simple Archimedes tests and mercury porosimetry and both scanning electron and transmitted light microscopy. A large number of materials were created with different formulations and the various characterisation techniques employed were used to determine the function of the different constituent.
 It was determined that the function of zircon was to prevent grain boundary movement at elevated temperatures via the Zener effect, by acting as a non-reactive secondary phase. The zircon also had an additional consequence from the inherent contamination, with alumina, from the ball-mill procedure performed by the supplier. This had the effect of significantly affecting several high temperature properties. The effect of several dopant materials: TiO2, Al2O3, MgO, cristobalite seed and Molochite addition was also investigated. The latter two were determined to function mainly by their inherent contamination. The other additives affected the materials in different ways depending on the amount used and the presence of any phase eutectics that had detrimental effects on the high temperature material properties. The particle size distribution of the materials was also investigated. It was determined from the experiments that the D20 was an important factor for deterring final material properties and that most materials obeyed a modified Griffith's crack theory relation, with the exception of materials with a larger zircon particle size than that of the main silica constituent.
 From this work new materials could be created using the knowledge gained and material properties could be optimised to meet specific requirements by changing zircon quantity, dopant levels and particle size.


The present study examines self-identified reasons for returning to abusive relationships. Ninety female residents of an urban domestic violence shelter completed structured interviews that included questions about their previous attempts to separate from the batterer and their perceived likelihood of returning in the future. The results indicated that participants appeared to underestimate their likelihood of returning to the relationship. A particularly intriguing pattern of findings emerged with respect to emotional attachment. Compared to those leaving for the first time, participants with a history of past separations were significantly more likely to indicate that they might return to the batterer because of their continued attachment. Emotional attachment also had a high rate of repeat endorsement, indicating that those who considered returning because of their attachment to the batterer were significantly more likely to have done so for this reason in the past. Clinical implications of the findings will be discussed.


A novel BETA test facility (Beam of Electrons for materials Test Applications) was developed at the Budker Institute to study the erosion of materials directly during the impact of intense thermal shocks. A powerful (up to 7 MW) long pulse (100–300 μs) electron beam is applied for experimental simulation of fast transient heat loads with the intensity probable in the ITER divertor. The heat flux parameter on a target can be widely varied (FHF = 10–300 MW m−2 s0.5) from a value significantly below the melting threshold to a value much higher, within the area of about 1 cm2. The use of an electron beam to simulate the thermal impact on the material surface makes it possible to employ a variety of optical diagnostics for in situ observations of the dynamics of surface erosion processes during intense thermal shocks. These distinctive features make BETA a promising tool in the research of material surface erosion mechanisms and for experimental verification of various analytical and numerical models associated with these mechanisms. The first results obtained with this facility include fast (10 μs exposure) imaging of the heated target in the near-infrared range and in the reflected light of 532 nm continuous wave (CW) laser, visualization of ejected tungsten particles using fast ICCD and CCD cameras with the minimal exposure of 2 μs and 7 μs respectively. The dynamics of dust particles ejected from the heated surface is investigated using a multichannel recording of the light of 532 nm CW-laser scattered on the dust particles. The present paper describes the first results of use of two new in situ methods: continuous recording of light scattered from the tungsten surface and three-dimensional tracking of tungsten particles using three viewing angles. The first method makes it possible to observe the dynamics of development of roughness and cracking of the polished tungsten surface, which manifest themselves as two successive processes separated by a large time delay. The second method allows us to track dust particles ejected from the melt layer, and thus determine the time and place of particle ejection from the surface.


In this paper, the micromechanical finite element method based on Representative Volume Element has been applied to study and analyze the macro mechanical properties of the carbon black filled rubber composites by using two-dimensional plane stress simulations and three-dimensional axisymmetric simulations under uniaxial compression respectively. The dependence of the macroscopic stress-strain behavior and the effective elastic modulus of the composites, on particle shape, particle area/volume fraction and particle stiffness has been investigated and discussed. Additionally, the simulation results of the two-dimensional plane stress model and the three-dimensional axisymmetric model are evaluated and compared with the experimental data, which shows that the two-dimensional plane stress simulations generate poor predictions on the mechanical behavior of the carbon black particle reinforced rubber composites, while the three-dimensional axisymmetric simulations appear to give a better prediction.


Pre-primary school learning experiences plays a critical role in laying a strong foundation for pupils" later academic progression and achievement. The experiences equip learners with the requisite competencies and abilities for managing formal and life-long learning including basic literacy and numeracy skills. In Kenya, the entry criteria for joining standard one is six years irrespective of whether one has gone through pre-primary school or not. This means that pre-primary school is not compulsory. In a typical standard one classroom in Kenya, pupils may have varied pre-primary school learning experiences. The purpose of this study was to establish standard one pupils" academic achievement in literacy and numeracy. The study further investigated the influence of pre-primary school learning experiences, teachers" selfefficacy, pupils" gender, and type of school on standard one pupils" literacy and numeracy achievement. Albert Bandura"s Self-Efficacy and the Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner theories guided the study. Ex post facto research design was used. The independent variable of the study was standard one pupils" achievement in literacy and numeracy, while dependent variables were; pupils" pre-primary school experiences, gender of pupils, teachers" self-efficacy and type of school. The study was conducted in Gucha District of Kisii County, Kenya. The target population was both public and private primary schools in the District. All standard one pupils and their teachers participated in the study. Purposive and stratified random sampling techniques were employed. The study sample consisted of 154 pupils and eight teachers. Descriptive and inferential techniques were employed to analyze data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized in data analysis. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that pupils" performed better in numeracy compared to literacy. Pre-primary school learning experiences, teachers" self-efficacy, and type of school attended influenced pupils" achievement in literacy and numeracy. The study underscored the crucial role played by pre-primary school experiences in promoting academic achievement. The main recommendation is that, in order to improve pupils" achievement in literacy and numeracy, parents and head teachers should ensure that children have quality pre-primary school experiences so that they may have adequate school readiness skills to help them to cope with standard one syllabus. Further it was recommended that the government should put policies in place to make pre-primary school mandatory to enhance academic performance at primary and subsequent levels.


Background and objectives: Suicide is a topical issue in Lithuania and all around the world. It is the second most common cause of death among young people. There is a lack of research studies on the psychosocial aspects of adolescent suicide in Lithuania. This study aimed to evaluate demographics, life circumstances, and health conditions as factors related to suicide attempt in adolescents. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was performed at the Children's Hospital (Vilnius University Santara Clinics). Medical documentation of adolescents treated in this hospital after suicide attempts from January 2011 to April 2018 were analyzed. Results: There were 117 cases of hospitalization due to suicide attempts during this period, and 102 cases were included in the study. There were 83.8% female and 16.2% male patients with an average age of 15.02 ± 1.9 years (p = 0.405); 40.6% of patients lived in divorced families, 17.7% lived in orphanages, 4.2% lived in foster care, 36.4% suffered from parental alcoholism, and 17.2% experienced suicide in their close surroundings. They had comorbidities (girls 72.5%, boys 68.8%), mostly depression (31.3%), were suffering from bullying (54.1%) or violence (26.0%), and 85.4% showed signs of other types of self-harm (girls more often (p < 0.001)). Most of them chose to cut for suicide attempts (86.0% girls, 56.2% boys). In 52.8% of cases, the attempt was spontaneous and 34% relapsed. Thirty-four events occurred in March (18.9%) (p = 0.688). Conclusions: Our study revealed the possible circumstances related to adolescent suicide attempt. Female gender was more common overall and males were more likely to carry out more potentially lethal methods. Other common associated factors were a lack of prosperity in family life, experience of bullying, violence, comorbidities, and the early spring period. Signs of any self-harm could be an indicator of later suicide attempt.


Reactions of the peripheral blood lymphocytes of normal persons from 19 to 49 years of age to the following mitogens was studied; phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (ConA), rabbit serum against human thymocytes (ATS). A significant reduction of the lymphocytes proliferative response to ConA was reported in persons above 30 years old. There was also demonstrated a significant negative correlation between the proliferative response indices and the donor's age (in ConA-stimulation-for the whole group examined, and in ATS-stimulation-for persons aged from 30 to 49 years only. Analysis of the intensity of thymidine-(3)H incorporation showed that with the advance of age there was a fall of the percentage of cells with an intensively labelled nuclei and an accumulation of cells with weakly labeled nuclei, this phenomenon was observed both when the proliferative response was decreased and when no significant differences were reported in these indices.


INTRODUCTION
Transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBTs) can be a challenging procedure, primarily due to limitations in tooltip dexterity, visualization, and lack of tissue depth information. A transurethral robotic system was developed to revolutionize TURBTs by addressing some of these limitations. The results of three pilot in vivo porcine studies using the novel robotic system are presented and potential improvements are proposed based on experimental observations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A transvesical endoscope with a mounted optically tracked camera was placed through the bladder of the swine under general anesthesia. Simulated bladder lesions were created by injecting HistoGel processing gel mixed with blue dye, transabdominally, into various locations in the bladder wall under endoscopic visualization. A 7-degree-of-freedom (DoF) robot was then used for transurethral resection/ablation of these simulated tumors. An independent 2-DoF distal laser arm (DLA) was deployed through the robot for laser ablation and was assisted by a manually controlled gripper for en bloc resection attempts.

RESULTS
Lesions were created and ablated using our novel endoscopic robot in the swine bladder. Full accessibility of the bladder, including the bladder neck and dome, was demonstrated without requiring bladder deflation or pubic compression. Simulated lesions were ablated using the holmium laser. En bloc resection was demonstrated using the DLA and a manual grasper.

CONCLUSION
Feasibility of robot-assisted en bloc resection was demonstrated. Main challenges were lack of depth perception and visual occlusion induced by the transvesical endoscope. Recommendations are given to enhance robot-assisted TURBTs. Lessons learned through these pilot swine studies verify the feasibility of robot-assisted TURBTs while informing designers about critical aspects needed for future clinical deployment.


Abstract We review three experiments of direct femtosecond pulse amplification in ytterbium-doped fiber amplifiers under increasingly nonlinear propagation conditions, starting from the parabolic regime. The temporal quality of generated compressed pulses is analyzed using frequency-resolved optical gating measurements. Linear or nonlinear compensation of third-order spectral phase allows the generation of clean sub-70 fs pulses with energies in the range of 100 nJ–1 μJ, at repetition rates above 10 MHz.


One of the major concerns of any maintenance organization is to deliver software releases with maximal functionality and quality within the boundaries of the resource constraints. Hence, there is a great deal of merit in establishing a well thought-out end-to-end release management process. Unfortunately, there are no detailed models encompassing the overall activities involved in such a process. To remedy this, in this paper, we outline a preliminary release management process model integrating two sides: vendor and acceptor side.


With the extreme amount of data and software available on networks, the protection of online information is one of the most important tasks of this technological age. There is no such thing as safe computing, and it is inevitable that security breaches will occur. Thus, security professionals and practices focus on two areas: security, preventing a breach from occurring, and resiliency, minimizing the damages once a breach has occurred. One of the most important practices for adding resiliency to source code is through obfuscation, a method of re-writing the code to a form that is virtually unreadable. This makes the code incredibly hard to decipher by attackers, protecting intellectual property and reducing the amount of information gained by the malicious actor. Achieving obfuscation through the use of self-modifying code, code that mutates during runtime, is a complicated but impressive undertaking that creates an incredibly robust obfuscating system. While there is a great amount of research that is still ongoing, the preliminary results of this subject suggest that the application of self-modifying code to obfuscation may yield self-maintaining software capable of healing itself following an attack.


To investigate the aminogenic glucagon response in diabetes mellitus, arginine infusion tests were carried out on twenty-four diabetic patients before and after treatment. Eleven healthy men served as a control group. Plasma glucagon was measured by radioimmunoassay using an antiserum, G21, specific for pancreatic glucagon. Out of twenty-four patients, five were treated with diet alone, eight with sulfonylurea, and eleven with insulin. In all these diabetic groups, the glucose tolerance improved after treatment for diabetes mellitus, while the insulin response to the glucose did not show any remarkable change. The fasting levels of the plasma glucagon did not differ from that of the normal subjects both before and after treatment. Hyperresponsfveness of the plasma glucagon to arginine infusion was observed in all diabetic groups, in comparison with that of the normal controls. The exaggerated response of the plasma glucagon to arginine was lowered following appropriate treatment in each diabetic group. However, as far as the changes in glucagon area during the arginine test are concerned, the aminogenic hyperresponsiveness of the plasma glucagon was reduced prominently in the diabetic group treated with sulfonylurea. The relationship between the response of glucose and plasma insulin and between glucose and glucagon to arginine was investigated, and the importance of the changes in the insulin:glucagon ratio was emphasized. Moreover, the possibility that long-term administration of a sulfonylurea may reduce an exaggerated glucagon response to arginine was discussed.


Sub-10nm CMOS devices are the critical issue, because CMOS scaling is going to be sub-25nm regime. Scaling issues of nano-size MOSFETs can be discussed on the basis of sub-10 nm MOSFETs characteristics, which have been developed and confirmed switching characteristics and low-temperature characteristics. Studying device limitation issues and developing new breakthrough technologies are required to challenge sub-10-nm CMOS devices


Over the past decade, success of social networks has significantly reshaped how people consume information. Recommendation of contents based on user profiles is well-received. However, as users become dominantly mobile in content consumption, little is done to consider the optimization regarding the wireless environment. In this paper, we investigate a centralized wireless content delivery system with heterogeneous base stations, aiming to optimize overall user rewards given the capacity constraints of the wireless networks. We propose a scalable two-phase scheduling framework, consisting of: 1) distributed delivery decisions by each base station, and 2) resource consolidation by the system. Results indicate this novel joint optimization approach is both efficient and scalable.


This research work was initiated to determine modeling aspects that control the accuracy of the estimated mixed-layer depths over central California, calculated by meteorological models. Most importantly, we focused on surface and large-scale atmospheric process representations and studied their effects in controlling the growth of the daytime boundary layer over this region. First, using a 1-D boundary layer model, we studied and improved the representation of surface processes. We developed a technique to facilitate the assimilation of surface data into the model without damaging the modeled mixed-layer structures. We then demonstrated that the modeled boundary layer predictions are improved and are closer to the observations when using this technique. Next we developed and tested a formulation to improve the estimation of surface latent heat fluxes; it allows the vegetation component to be included explicitly in the land surface parameterization. We found that this formulation improved modeled surface fluxes and thus improved boundary layer predictions. These two new methods need further testing in a 3-D mesoscale model. Second, using the Mesoscale Model, Version 5 (MM5) with a nested-grid configuration, we studied the interactions of large-scale processes with the growth of the boundary layer.. We performed several sensitivity studies to understand the interactions of processes and to weed out insignificant aspects of model configurations. We found that increasing model vertical resolution from 32 to 62 layers did not lead to a significant skill increase in the model estimations. Inclusion of a large outer domain covering the East Pacific Ridge helped to yield better model solutions in the inner domains. Removal of analysis nudging in coarser domains in the lowest 1.5 km also improved the model solutions in the innermost domain in which no nudging was performed. Boundary layer initialization over the marine environment did not much improve the model solutions. Finally, application of a physically robust boundary layer scheme resulted in further improvements in the model predictions compared to a simple boundary layer scheme. Thus, we found that an enhanced model configuration did lead to improved mixed-layer predictions over central California.


The main theme of the thesis is that Isocrates, although somewhat neglected, is one of the most important figures in the early history of Western Education, He is, in particular, largely responsible for the fact that it has been predominately literary, His role in the conversion of rhetoric from an oral to a written art is discussed, as is his place in the new rhetorical and philosophical culture and his role in the transmission of that culture to subsequent generations. The influence on Isocrates of such exponents of the new culture as Euripides, Socrates and Gorgias is stressed. An analysis is made of sophistry and philosophy in Fourth Century Athens and attempt is made to Place Isocrates wihin this intellectual milieu. His own philosophy is discussed, especially the ideas expressed by the words logos and doxa. The relationship between them is described and is shown to be relevant to Isocrates' concept of practical education. The place of logos at the centre of his curriculum is emphasised together with the introduction of History as a specific subject. His teaching methods are analysed and special attention is paid to the three stages of instruction, the small size of his classes and the subsequent interaction "between his pupils and himself. An attempt is made to estimate the success of his school and his ideas by a survey of his known pupils. Timotheus and Lyourgus, two of his pupils, are suggested as a model for the Renaissance Man. Finally an examination is made of the manner in which Isocrates' ideas were accepted and absorbed into Western Educational Thought by way of Cicero, Quintilian and such later figures as Erasmus and Sir Thomas Elyot,


Effects of boron and phosphorus doping on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of silicon nanocrystals in superlattice thin films were investigated. Silicon nanocrystals were fabricated via magnetron sputtering of stoichiometric silicon rich oxide and silicon dioxide bilayers followed by high temperature annealing at 1100 degrees Celsius. The characterization techniques used include: high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with energy filtering, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction, Raman, photoluminescence, and photothermal deflection spectroscopy, as well as electrical measurements. Results showed that phosphorus doping causes the loss of the bilayer structure and an increase in the average size of the silicon nanocrystals due to softening of the silicon dioxide matrix during post-sputter annealing. The result was a decrease in quantum confinement and a redshift in photoluminescence spectrum with an absorption profile similar to crystalline silicon. The undoped (intrinsic) sample maintained its bilayer structure and displayed stronger quantum confinement with higher photoluminescence peak energy and higher absorption coefficient. In-between, the boron doped sample was more similar structurally to the intrinsic sample, although merging between bilayers resulted in an extensive silicon nanocrystalline network. Optically, it displayed different effects due to photoluminescence quenching and free carrier absorption. Finally, both doped samples exhibited a decrease in electrical resistivity.


Objectives:
 Activation of prostaglandin E receptor subtype 4 (EP4) may suppress inflammation by regulating nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). Indeed, chronic inflammation usually is accompanied by dyslipidemia. Thus, the present study tested the hypothesis that deletion of EP4 can accelerate the occurrence of metabolic syndrome

 Methods:
 EP4 wild-type and knockout mice were put on a high-fat diet (HFD) for thirty weeks. Body weight and food consumption were monitored. In addition, energy expenditure and fat composition were determined by indirect calorimetry and Minispec body composition analyzer, respectively. The impact of EP4 deletion on the ability to synthesize hepatic very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-triglyceride (TG) and intestinal chylomicron (CM)-TG, as well as the ability to clear TG during HFD was examined. Circulating lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity and tissue LPL activity were determined using a fluorometric assay kit and mRNA expression of lipid metabolism-related genes in adipose tissue was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR).

 Results:
 After consuming a high-fat diet for thirty weeks, EP4 knockout mice exhibited reduced body weight gain and body fat mass, not attributable to changes in food intake, fat malabsorption and energy expenditure. However, EP4 knockout mice had a higher plasma TG level than wild-type mice. The deletion of EP4 did not influence hepatic VLDL-TG production or intestinal CM-TG synthesis but impaired TG clearance rate. EP4 knockout mice had a decreased circulating LPL activity, reduced LPL activity in epididymal fat and skeletal muscle, suggesting impaired hydrolysis and uptake of triglycerides in these tissues. Moreover, EP4 knockout mice had a reduced expression of CD36 in brown adipose tissue, which may indicate that the uptake of fatty acids is impaired.

 Conclusions:
 High-fat feeding of EP4 knockout mice resulted in a lean body phenotype, but caused hypertriglyceridemia resulting from impaired TG clearance, attributed to reduced LPL activity and expression of CD36. The results indicate that EP4 plays a critical role in systemic lipid homeostasis.


Hybrid methods for Bayesian network structure learning that incorporate both observed data and expert knowledge have proven to be important in many fields. Previous studies have presented both exact and approximate hybrid methods for structure learning. In this paper, we propose an approximate method based on local search that is capable of efficiently handling a variety of prior knowledge constraints, including an important class of non-decomposable ancestral constraints that assert indirect causation between random variables. In our experiments, our proposed approximate method is able to significantly outperform an existing state-of-the-art approximate method in finding feasible solutions when hard constraints are imposed. Our approach is able to find nearoptimal networks while scaling up to almost fifty random variables. In contrast, previous exact methods are unable to handle more than twenty random variables. Furthermore, we show that when prior knowledge is integrated, we are often able to produce a network much closer to the ground truth network, particularly when the amount of data is limited.


During the Early-Middle Jurassic Central North Bulgaria belonged to the Moesian Early-Middle Jurassic Platform. Even as early as the Hettangian it gradually started sinking. As a result of this a marine ingression started over its lowermost grabens. Within limited areas the marine ingression was preceded by continental accumulation of swamp and lake sediments. The link between the marine basin and the Vardar Ocean was the strait along the Tundža Diagonal Early-Middle Jurassic Fault-Angle Valley (=tilt-block basin) which was orientated towards the southeast-northwest. The fault-angle valley demarcated the Thracian Massif in the west·from the West Pontids in the east, which were presented by the Zlatarski Exotic Ridge and by its northern shelf. Between the Zlatarski Ridge in the south and the Moesian Platform in the north lay the Matorian Early-Middle Jurassic Flysch Trough (Fig. 20). The Early-Middle Jurassic marine transgression gradually spread all over the Moesian Platform to reach its maximum at the end of Callovian. Thus the detached epicontinental basin became a place of terrigenous and terrigenous-carbonate sedimentation, the depths being within the limits of the shelf, i.e. down to about 200 m. From the beginning of Callovian in the marine basin started a stage of bathymetric diferentiation, which was a result of a notable rearrangement of paleotectonic structures. Thus the central part of the homogenous by that time Moesian Early-Middle Jurassic Platform faulted and sank. This led to the differentiation of two independent platforms – the Western Moesian Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Carbonate Platform and the Eastern Moesian Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Carbonate Platform which were separated by the Central Moesian Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Basin. The Niš-Trojan Late Callovian-Valanginian Flysch Trouglt was gradually formed south of them. During the Callovian the Tunža Fault-Angle Valley did not exist any more. As a result of that the Thracian Massif joined the West Pontids and the adjoining Matorids. All these together became a source land to the Niš-Trojan Flysch Trough (Fig. 25). By means of this trough the link to the east with the Vardar Ocean was realized. While over the carbonate platforms the environments were very shallow-water (depths of the order of 10–20 m), in the basin, where pelagic limestones deposited, the depths were of the order of 150–300 m. In the lowermost parts of the flysch trough the depths reached the lower part of the epibathyal, i.e. – 500-600 m.


35 steel was processed in order to investigate its structure and performance after strengthened shot peening and gas tufftriding process. The composition,structure and phase of the samples were analyzed by means of scanning electron micrograph(SEM),metallographic microscope and X-ray diffraction(XRD)respectively. The results show that the hardness of samples after strengthened shot peening increases by about 100 HV0.025,and the friction coefficient and corrosion rate decrease.However,the samples treated with gas tufftriding after strengthened shot peening exhibit the performance of approximate 3 times hardness of the original samples, lower friction coefficient,more excellent tribological characteristics,stronger corrosion-resistance with a stable and broad passivation region.


: A group of 39 patients with retinopathy of prematurity or retrolental fibroplasia have been evaluated. Nine of these were prematures at the time of their examination and showed severe bilateral disease. One eye in each patient was treated with the other eye serving as a control using either Xenon photocoagulation or cryocoagulation. It will take many years to observe the effect of this form of therapy but initial changes suggest alterations in the amount of retinal traction and in the appearance of blood vessels at the posterior pole in some of the treated patients. Thirty older patients have been assessed and of these, 18 eyes developed retinal detachments. Of the 16 operated upon, 87% had successful scleral buckling surgery. Three additional patients had similar retinal findings to retrolental fibroplasia but no history of prematurity or oxygen therapy. These patients were not included in this study. Retinopathy of prematurity is much less common now that it was 2 decades ago, but still represents a significant cause of ocular morbidity and blindness.


Fair housing audits or tests, which compare the way housing agents treat equally qualified homeseekers in different racial or ethnic groups, are an important tool both for enforcing fair housing laws and for studying discriminatory behavior in housing markets. This article explains the features of two types of housing audits: in-person paired audits and correspondence audits, which are usually conducted over the Internet. In addition, this article reviews evidence provided by audit studies about the extent of housing discrimination. The studies reviewed include four national studies in the United States based on in-person audits and many studies based on correspondence audits in the United States and in several European countries. This article also reviews audit-based evidence about the causes of discrimination in housing markets. Despite variation in methods, sample sizes, and locations, audit studies consistently find evidence of statistically significant discrimination against homeseekers who belong to a historically disadvantaged racial or ethnic group. The 2012 national audit study found, for example, that the share of audits in which a White homebuyer was shown more available houses than an equally qualified Black homebuyer was 9 percentage points higher than the share in which the Black homebuyer was shown more houses than his or her White counterpart. In the United States, housing discrimination against Black and Hispanic homeseekers appears to have declined in some types of agent behavior, such as whether the advertised unit is shown to a customer, but to have increased in others, such as steering Black and Hispanic homeseekers toward minority neighborhoods. This article also discusses the past use and continued importance of fair housing audits as a fair-housing-enforcement tool.


Unlike many books about the afterlife, Life after Death makes no appeal to religious faith, divine revelation, or sacred texts. Drawing on some of the most powerful theories and trends in physics, evolutionary biology, science, philosophy, and psychology, D'Souza shows why the atheist critique of immortality is irrational and draws the striking conclusion that it is reasonable to believe in life after death. He concludes by showing how life after death can give depth and significance to this life, a path to happiness, and reason for hope.


This paper investigates the problem of non-cooperative game theoretic power allocation (NGTPA) for distributed multiple-radar architectures in a spectrum sharing environment, where multiple radars coexist with a communication system in the same frequency band. The primary objective of the multiple-radar system is to minimize the power consumption of each radar by optimizing the transmission power allocation, which is constrained by a predefined signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio requirement for target detection and a maximum interference tolerant limit for communication system. Since each radar is rational and selfish to maximize its own utility, we utilize the non-cooperative game theoretic technique to tackle the distributed power allocation problem. Taking into consideration the target detection performance and received interference power at the communication receiver, a novel utility function is defined and employed as the optimization criterion for the NGTPA strategy. Furthermore, the existence and uniqueness of the proposed game's Nash equilibrium point are analytically proved. An iterative power allocation algorithm with low computational complexity and fast convergence is developed, where the optimal value of each radar's transmission power is simultaneously updated at the same time step. Numerical simulations are provided to verify the analysis and evaluate the performance of the proposed strategy as a function of the system parameters. It is shown that the distributed algorithm is effective for power allocation and could protect the communication system with limited implementation overhead.


Oxidative stress (OS), defined by an increased flux of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays an important role in the pathogenesis, the perpetuation and the amplification of inflammatory bowel diseases. In normal state, enzymatic defenses regulate the concentration of ROS but in IBD, some of them, including the superoxide dismutase (SOD), are weakened. The use of molecules mimicking the SOD activity may compensate for this deficiency and reduce the OS. 4 molecules were characterized for their SOD activity, their stability and their inertness. Their anti-inflammatory activity were assessed in a cellular model of epithelial inflammation and in a murine model of colitis and correlated to their physico-chemical properties.

 The studied SOD mimics display similar structures differing by the presence of a propyl and a cyclohexyle group aiming to improve their kinetic inertness. To generate an inflammation associated to ROS production, intestinal epithelial (HT29) cells were stably transfected to over-express MD2, a co-receptor for LPS binding to TLR-4 receptor. The cells were stimulated by LPS (0.1µg/mL) and incubated with the SOD mimics (6 hours, 0,1-100µM). The secretion of IL-8 was measured by ELISA and the MnSOD expression by Western Blot. The SOD mimics were administrated to a murine model of colitis chemically-induced by DNBS. To protect them from the gastric acidity, the mimics were encapsulated in delivery vector. The monitoring of weight and the determination of intestinal permeability and macroscopic scores were performed.

 The mimics containing a cyclohexyle group display kinetic rates for metal exchanges that are up to 30-fold lower meaning that they are more inert. At 100µM, the four SOD mimics induced a significative decrease in IL-8 secretion (<35%/positive control (PT), p<0,02) and in MnSOD expression (<20%/PT, p<0,033). At 10µM, only the mimics containing the cyclohexyle group are still able to significatively counteract the LPS-induced secretion in IL-8 (<30/PT, p<0,001) and over-expression of MnSOD (20%/PT, p<0,02). Their bioactivity at lower doses can be correlated to their higher inertness. Concerning in vivo activity, preliminary assays show a faster recovery of the mice, that have received the SOD mimics with the cyclohexyle group. 3 days following DNBS injection, the mice of this group recovered in average 89% of their starting weight while the control mice recovered only 83%.

 The SOD mimics display anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity on HT29-MD2 cells, which is dependent on their inertness. Assays on a murine model of colitis seems to follow the same trend. The use of antioxidant treatments based on SOD mimics may reduce the inflammation rising from oxidative stress in IBD.


Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors in young females and leading cause of hysterectomy. Uterine artery embolization is a safe option for women who wish to retain their uterus. Several complications have been reported including expulsion and sepsis. MRI is a useful pretreatment tool to predict results and outcomes. We report a case of a 44-year-old female with a history of uterine fibroids with the largest one being intracavitary. Patient underwent uterine artery embolization that was complicated by endomyometritis that failed antibiotics, leading to sepsis and hysterectomy.


Livelihoods and sustainable livelihoods play a very essential role in coastal fishing communities in Vietnam. In this paper, based on the sustainable livelihood model, we evaluate the current situation of coastal fishing livelihoods in the North central region of Vietnam with case study for Nghe An province and identifies favorable and unfavorable factors for accessing livelihood development resources by fishermen. For the research methods, secondary data from selected governmental agencies were gathered, and 200 fishermen were interviewed to collect primary data. The results of this research indicate that the income of fishermen is quite good but not stable due to their dependence on marine resources. Moreover, the types of livelihoods in the coastal zone of Nghe An province face certain difficulties with their specific occupational characteristics such as lack of capital, no stable job, reduced marine resources, weather dependence, lack of labor. Based on these, 3 groups of solutions and policies are proposed to promote sustainable livelihood development for coastal fishermen in Nghe An province, such as renewing fishing activities, promoting specialization and associating in maritime manufacturing and processing, as well as developing a variety of occupational groups associated with the exploitation of marine resources.


ABSTRACT Despite well-documented climate change risks, coastal developments are still built. This article argues that the success or failure of development approval is conditioned by political embeddedness: the intersections of social network and institutional power. By synthesizing Granovetter's theory of structural embeddedness with a Polanyian account of land's institutional embeddedness in protective zoning, two-mode social network analysis methods are utilized to explore how both forms of embeddedness influence development processes. Comparing two South Australian case studies of an apartment complex and a surf club development, we illustrate how influential social actors emerge from within land use institutions, who then occupy network positions to co-ordinate the exercise of power between, and through, organizations. This theoretical approach to political embeddedness brings back in a finer-grained appreciation of how power is actively practised through the uneven social topography arising out of land use zoning. An implication of these findings is greater analytical attention should be given to how different land use zonings open divergent lines of contest in attempts to achieve more environmentally just outcomes. By doing so, we call for a sociologically informed conceptualization of political embeddedness in environmental studies, which is in contrast to current theoretical and methodological eclecticism.


Public HealthChina's growing affluence is driving sharp increases in what were once considered scourges of the Western world: lung and breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases. A rapidly changing lifestyle appears to be to blame, as Chinese are smoking more; consuming more fat, sugar, salt, and refined grains; and leading increasingly sedentary lives, particularly in cities and booming coastal regions. Somehow, most Chinese have not grasped that lifestyle changes change disease risks. Ignorance and a health care system focused on infectious diseases mean China faces a huge pending burden from behavior-driven illnesses. Fledgling efforts to retrain doctors to handle lifestyle diseases early and to raise awareness about disease prevention need to be accelerated on a massive scale for China to stave off a crisis, say public health scientists.


This paper highlights the possible tradeoffs between arithmetic and structural complexity when computing cyclic convolution of real data in the transform domain. Both Fourier and Hartley-based schemes are first explained in their usual form and then improved, either from the structural point of view or in the number of operations involved. Namely, we first present an algorithm for the in-place computation of the discrete Fourier transform on real data: a decimation-in-time split-radix algorithm, more compact than the previously published one. Second, we present a new fast Hartley transform algorithm with a reduced number of operations. A more regular convolution scheme based on FFT's is also proposed. Finally, we show that Hartley transforms belong to a larger class of algorithms characterized by their "generalized" convolution property.


I will argue that quantum mechanics endows us with resources that may boost thermodynamic performance: heat-machine power, cooling speed or work, but the basic thermodynamic bounds are still adhered to. The debated rapport between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics will be addressed in the framework of the theory of periodically driven/controlled quantum thermodynamic machines. The basic models studied by us are a twolevel system (TLS) or a harmonic oscillator, whose energy is periodically modulated while the system is coupled to two distinct thermal baths. When the modulation interval is short compared to the bath memory time, the system–bath correlations are affected, thereby causing cooling or heating of the TLS, depending on the interval [1,2]. This setup constitutes the simplest (minimal) quantum heat machine (QHM) that may operate as either an engine or a refrigerator, depending on the modulation/driving rate [3]. It is used by us to scrutinize basic thermodynamic principles in the quantum domain: (i) It is possible to surpass the Carnot bound when the driving is done by a quantum device (piston) in an appropriate state [4-6]. However, such enhanced efficiency does not mean that quantum effects invalidate the Carnot bound: their classical analog is a non-thermal bath whose temperature is controlled by its state. By contrast, engines powered by non-thermal (e.g. squeezed) baths may cease to be heat machines and act instead as devices exchanging work rather than heat with the baths, so that the Carnot bound is inapplicable to such devices [7]. (ii) An extension of the TLS model of quantum heat machines to multiple entangled TLS shows that the power output can be boosted by the quantum cooperativity of these systems, but the efficiency is still bounded by Carnot [6] . (iii) The refrigeration effected by such QHMs persists as the temperature approaches absolute zero for certain quantized baths, e.g., magnons, thus challenging the Third Law (Nernst's unattainability principle) [2]. Thus, we may conclude that quantum machines powered by thermal and nonthermal baths may benefit from hitherto unexploited quantum resources, but they still comply with traditional thermodynamic rules, possibly with the exception of the Third Law. [1] N.Erez et al., Nature 452, 724 (2008). [2] M. Kolar et al. PRL 109, 090601 (2012). [3] D. Gelbwaser-Klimovsky et al. PRE 87, 012140 (2013). [4] ibid, EPL 103, 60005 (2013). [5] ibid, PRE 90, 022102 (2014). [6] ibid, Adv. At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 64, 329 (2015). [7] W.Niedenzu et al. NJP 18, 083012 (2016).


Focused ultrasound-enabled intranasal brain drug delivery (FUSIN)utilizes the nose-to-brain pathway for drug administration and FUS in combination with microbubbles for enhancing the accumulation of the administered drugs at the FUS-targeted brain location. FUSIN is different from the established FUS-induced BBB disruption (FUS-BBBD)technique. The objective of this study was to compare the delivery efficiency, systemic exposure, and delivery pathways of FUSIN and FUS-BBBD. Taxes red-labeled gold nanoclusters (TR-AuNCs)were used as the model agent and FUS was targeted at the brainstem. Mice were divided into four groups: FUSIN, FUS-BBBD, IN only, and IV only. The delivery efficiency of TR-AuNCs to the mouse brain and exposure to other major organs, as well as the blood, nasal tissue, and trigeminal nerve, were quantified using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)analysis of Au concentration. It was found that FUSIN achieved one order of magnitude higher delivery efficiency and one order of magnitude lower systemic exposure in major organs except stomach and intestines than FUS-BBBD. It also verified that FUSIN delivered the AuNCs through the nose-to-brain pathway, while FUS-BBBD utilized the blood-to-brain pathway. These findings suggested that FUSIN is a promising technique for noninvasive and localized brain drug delivery with minimized systemic exposure.


Experiments were conducted on albino mice, guinea pigs, and rabbits. The role played by glucocorticoids in the realization of the biological action of cholerogen--cholera exotoxin (edema of the limbs in mice and the skin test after Craig in guinea pigs and rabbits) was studied. Tissue sensitivity of these animals to the action of cholerogen diminished under the effect of stress factors (intramuscular injection of formalin, intraperitoneal injection of cholerogen, immobilization, hunger, laparatomy, etc.) and in case of glucocorticoid administration. A hypothesis is put forward that cholera exotoxin entering the blood from the intestine and activating the adrenal cortex function in vivo promoted the development of cholera intoxication.


Abstract. The ice microstructure in the lower part of the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core consists of relatively fine grained glacial ice with a single maximum crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) alternated by much coarser grained Eemian ice with a partial girdle type of CPO. In this study, the grain size sensitive (GSS) composite flow law of Goldsby and Kohlstedt (2001) was used to study the effects of grain size and premelting on strain rate in the lower part of the NEEM ice core. The results show that the strain rates predicted in the fine grained glacial layers are about an order of magnitude higher than in the much coarser grained Eemian layers. The dominant deformation mechanisms between the layers is also different with basal slip accommodated by grain boundary sliding (GBS-limited creep) being the dominant deformation mechanism in the glacial layers, while GBS-limited creep and dislocation creep (basal slip accommodated by non-basal slip) contribute both roughly equally to bulk strain in the coarse grained layers. Due to the large difference in microstructure between the impurity-rich glacial ice and the impurity-depleted Eemian ice at premelting temperatures (T>262 K), it is expected that the fine grained layers deform mainly by simple shear at high strain rates, while the coarse grained layers are relatively stagnant. The difference in microstructure, and consequently in viscosity, between glacial and interglacial ice at temperatures just below the melting point can have important consequences for ice dynamics close to the bedrock.


This chapter discusses leadership, moral integrity, and difficulties in ensuring moral integrity in leadership. The chapter advances the following arguments: (1) It does matter how is in charge, and the available evidence does not unequivocally support the objections to this view. (2) The personal qualities that matter in leaders include moral integrity. (3) Some of the processes that determine access to positions of leadership are insufficiently sensitive to relevant personal characteristics. (4) In particular, the top-down or bureaucratic processes that exist in many organizations are less likely than bottom-up processes to eliminate leadership candidates with moral flaws. The authors argue that moral integrity in leadership matters because of the opportunities to do immense harm available to those who occupy leadership positions. Lack of moral integrity in a leader is thus of far greater consequence than lack of conscience, self-control, or tolerance in any private citizen acting alone.


Pneumothorax ex vacuo (PEV) refers to a localized pneumothorax adjacent to a collapsed lung. Underlying causes of PEV include chronic atelectasis, endobronchial obstruction and visceral pleural restriction secondary to an inflammatory or malignant process. Recognition of PEV is crucial in directing appropriate treatment and refraining from unnecessary procedures, for example thoracosotomy tube placement. We present the case of 28 yo male who had a persistent pneumothorax following thoracentesis despite adequate thoracostomy tube drainage. Patient was subsequently diagnosed with a PEV secondary to bronchogenic adenocarcinoma. Treatment consisted of chemotherapy for underlying carcinoma and not thoracostomy tube.


What is the physician's species? In the vernacular beast fables and so-called beast epics that suddenly flourished in the twelfth century, medical (mal)practice forms a central concern. Nearly a tenth of the stories in Marie de France's Aesopian fable collection deal with illnesses and their treatments; the Roman de Renart, for its part, finds Doctor Fox using his aura of medical authority to torture his fellow animals as part of a cruel and prolonged "cure." Through an extended analysis of the figure of the doctor, who stands at the center of many of these medical narratives, this article argues that such texts draw their readers into the logic of the "animal clinic": a conceptual space in which stakes of species difference and predation circulate alongside genuine medical knowledge, with the resulting instability calling into question everything from the nature of the cure to the desire of the sovereign.


FOUNDER OF THE RED CROSS Encounter with Henry Dunant. Texts and documents assembled by Bernard Gagnebin and Marc Gazay. (Pp. 118; illustrated. 45s.) Geneva: Georg et Cie. London: Dawsons of Pall Mall 1963. Henry Dunant was born in Geneva in 1828, and at an early age became deeply interested in the problems of the under-dog, the weak, the sick, and the under-privileged. When he was 18 he became a member of the " League of Alms " and started a " Young Men's Christian Union," which subsequently-and largely due to his initiativebecame the World Federation of the Young Men's Christian Association. Sent to Algeria in 1853 by the banking house that employed him, he immediately began to formulate schemes for industrializing and fertilizing that country, but had no success in raising either enthusiasm or the necessary financial backing. Frustrated, he decided on his return to Europe to make a direct appeal to Napoleon Ill, but found that the Emperor was with his army attempting to drive the Austrians out of France. Nothing daunted, Dunant set out in a little hired cabriolet, and finally caught up with the army during the final stages of the bloody battle of Solferino. On the battlefield were some 40.000 casualties, dead, dying, or gravely wounded. Characteristically Dunant flung himself into the task of organizing relief for them, for at that time the medical services of the armies were virtually non-existent. This experience was to influence the whole course of his life. The immediate task completed. he applied himself -to devising ways and means by which the lot of the wounded soldier might be ameliorated, and from his efforts was born the Red Cross Organization as we now know it. The present year is the centenary of the establishment of the International Committee for the Relief of the Wounded, the body which laid the foundations of the Diplomatic Conference that in 1864 drew up the ten articles of the Geneva Convention. This has now been signed by the great majority of countries. Lavishly produced, the book is an unusual one in that it describes with a minimum of letterpress and a maximum -of illustration the part Dunant played in the foundation and development of the Red Cross Organization. Photographs of persons, places, and events, reproductions of paintings, and interleaved facsimiles of letters and documents occupy more space than the printed word. Much of the reproduced documentation is in French, for which there is an unobtrusive translation. The work as a whole -is historical rather than medical, and will appeal to those -whose interests lie in that field. JOHN BOYD.


The objective of this study was to compare pregnancy evolution, newborn's weight, its somatometry and Apgar's qualification of teenagers and the general population in a community where the socio-economic factor is similar among those two groups. Three hundred and two pregnancies in teenagers were analyzed, 69 of 12-15 years and 233 of 16-17 years at the time of pregnancy, against a control group of 304 pregnant patients of 18-39 years. It was a prospective, comparative, longitudinal study. Average age at the first delivery of the 606 patients was 18.1 years. There were no significant difference among the groups as to occupation. There was not significant difference among the three groups as to pre-natal control, weeks of gestation incidence of threatening abortion, toxemia, bleeding of the second half of pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes, proportion of deliveries and cesarean sections, as well as forceps application and newborns' sex. The most common indications of cesarean section in teenagers were CPD and acute fetal suffering, in the control group were CPD and pelvic presentation. There was significant difference comparing the weight, Apgar qualification at one minute and at three minutes in the 16-17 years group, and older of 18 years being greatest in the last group. There was significant difference in size, cephalic perimeter, thoracic perimeter and PC/pa ratio among the three groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In the past, paradoxes and similar rhetorical figures that are summarized by the term "essentially oxymoronic concepts", have been frequently applied to describe mystical experiences or, more generally, "change" that represents the uncertain or the unknown. Thus, their usage has primarily been a privilege of the arts, literature or the occult sciences. Today, however, essentially oxymoronic concepts are increasingly permeating scientific, legal and other public discourses as much as advertisements or daily conversations. Concepts like "globalization paradox", "co-opetition", and "piracy paradox", products labeled "ice tea" and "Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)", and films entitled "True Lies", are just a few examples that testify to this wider trend. Their usage appears especially prevalent in attempts to scientifically describe and understand the often complex relations between two or more different phenomena or fields. In this regard, the relation between law and magic may be no exception, as it can also be framed by, or gives rise to, several paradoxes. For instance, in early history, and later, in the context of colonialism, laws have often outlawed magic as "witchcraft" or "charlatanry", based on the belief that their character is irrational, as opposed to the rational character of the law. Paradoxically though, contemporary laws and legal practice still maintain a high degree of rites, rituals and rhetoric, similar to those that have been applied in magic. Similarly, as Jerome Frank has remarked, despite the law's focus on certainty, it striking to see how often "magical phrases" are used in its language. The apparent contradictions in the nature and language of the law are therefore taken as an opportunity to cast some light on various issues that link law and magic in order to gain some insights about the nature, origin, and role of law generally.


The goal of this essay is to explain Podemos's 2014 emergence in Spanish politics in terms of its contributions to a possible long-term shift in Spanish political culture. For doing that, the essay focuses not so much on the party's electoral ups and downs but on a series of main discursive lines and elements of the party's trajectory that help explain its relevance in the context of recent Spanish political and cultural history: the crisis of middle classes; the plebeian as political subject linked to an alliance between precarized middle classes and precarious working classes; plurinationality and the Spanish territorial debates; historical memory and Spanish Republicanism; and popular sovereignty.


The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a regulator of angiogenesis which is an important physiological adaptation to increased metabolic demand. Thus, mutations of this gene may exert a significant influence on animal growth. We screened the exons of the caprine VEGF gene using PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing methods in 459 individuals from four goat breeds to identify sequence variations that may have an effect on protein structure and function, and might be related to different phenotypes of growth traits. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (GU014696:g.49 G>C and GU014696:g.270G>A) were identified in the P3 locus of the caprine VEGF gene. Significant associations were observed between the genotypes of the P3 locus and body length, body height and chest circumference. Individuals with genotype P3-B had a significantly longer body length and higher body height than individuals containing genotype P3-AB. Thus, animals of genotype P3-AB should be culled in a selection programme for fast growth. It is suggested that P3-B could be used as a molecular marker in marker-assisted selection (MAS).


A sub-capsular haematoma of the liver is a rare but very serious complication of pregnancy. We report a case of a primipara whose pregnancy was first complicated by hypertension, then by a haematoma of the liver at the 28th week of amenorrhoea. It was diagnosed because of the clinical symptoms associated with the hypertension and a pain in the right hypochondrium and nausea. The diagnosis of haematoma of the liver was made before rupture and confirmed by ultrasound of the liver and by tomodensitometry made it possible to avoid operating on the liver during the laparotomy that was carried out to terminate the pregnancy. Regular X-ray follow-ups showed that the lesion had regressed in six months. MRI investigation of the parenchyma of the liver showed no cause of the lesions. If there is even the slightest suspicion of a haematoma of the liver in pregnancy, ultrasound nowadays should be carried out because it is indispensable to make the diagnosis.


Designing an incentive compatible auction that maximizes expected revenue is a central problem in Auction Design. Theoretical approaches to the problem have hit some limits in the past decades and analytical solutions are known for only a few simple settings. Computational approaches to the problem through the use of LPs have their own set of limitations. Building on the success of deep learning, a new approach was recently proposed by Duetting et al. (2019) in which the auction is modeled by a feed-forward neural network and the design problem is framed as a learning problem. The neural architectures used in that work are general purpose and do not take advantage of any of the symmetries the problem could present, such as permutation equivariance. In this work, we consider auction design problems that have permutation-equivariant symmetry and construct a neural architecture that is capable of perfectly recovering the permutation-equivariant optimal mechanism, which we show is not possible with the previous architecture. We demonstrate that permutation-equivariant architectures are not only capable of recovering previous results, they also have better generalization properties.


As demonstrated by current events in Tunisia and Egypt, oppressive regimes are rarely immune to their citizens' desire for democratic government. Of course, desire is always tempered by reality; therefore how democratic demands are made manifest is a critical source of study for both political scientists and foreign policy makers. What issues and consequences surround the fall of a government, what type of regime replaces it, and to what extent are these efforts successful? Kathryn Stoner and Michael McFaul have created an accessible book of fifteen case studies from around the world that will help students understand these complex issues. Their model builds upon Guillermo O'Donnell, Philippe C. Schmitter, and Laurence Whitehead's classic work, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule, using a rubric of four identifying factors that can be applied to each case study, making comparison relatively easy. Transitions to Democracy yields strong comparisons and insights. For instance, the study reveals that efforts led by the elite and involving the military are generally unsuccessful, whereas mass mobilization, civic groups, and new media have become significant factors in supporting and sustaining democratic actors. This collection of writings by scholars and practitioners is organized into three parts: successful transitions, incremental transitions, and failed transitions. Extensive primary research and a rubric that can be applied to burgeoning democracies offer readers valuable tools and information.


A patient who developed pneumonitis immediately after the administration of carmustine (BCNU), within exactly the same field as previous irradiation, is presented. The patient responded partially to corticosteroids. This case suggests that irradiation causes subclinical sensitisation of the lung and can therefore have an additive effect in precipitating lung damage when another pulmonary toxin is encountered at a later date.


Purpose To evaluate the relationship between prostatic vessel changes induced by cigarette smoking and the perioperative outcome of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP). Materials and Methods A total of 268 postoperative patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were prospectively analysed in our department. They were divided into two groups (smokers and non-smokers) according to smoking history. Transrectal colour Doppler ultrasound was performed to evaluate the prostate vascular changes. Pathologically, HE staining, CD31 and CD34 were analysed in prostatic section chips. Furthermore, postoperative outcomes were determined during a 6-month follow-up period. Results The preoperative prostate volume was significantly decreased in smoking patients (P = 0.04). CPI was significantly lower in smoking BPH patients (P < 0.01), whereas RI was significantly increased in smokers compared with non-smokers (P < 0.01). Histological assays revealed elevated CD34 in the smoking BPH individuals presenting an increased number of microvessels. The HoLEP duration was increased in smokers. Interestingly, we identified significantly increased overactive bladder syndrome score (OABSS) and decreased Qmax in smoking individuals during the 6-month follow-up with no difference being observed preoperatively. However, no significant difference between the groups was observed for the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Conclusions The significantly lower CPI and higher RI values in smoking BPH patients indicated the presence of considerable vascular damage in these subjects. Moreover, cigarette smoking extended the surgical duration and prolonged the recovery period of overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. Thus, integrated treatment should be suggested for various BPH individuals.