Purpose: To report a novel clinical finding associated with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy in three patients using fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and histopathology. Methods: Observational case series of three patients with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, an ophthalmic examination with fundus photography, and fluorescein angiography were used to document clinical findings between January 2007 and January 2015. Surgical specimens from one case were examined using standard histopathologic techniques, as well as transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Results: Distinctive white preretinal granules were noted in all cases and were found to be extramacular in location. Histopathology in one case revealed the granules to be crystalline structures with a regular pattern evident on higher magnification. The chemical constitution was found to be carbon, oxygen, and fluorine. Conclusion: Our case series represents the first description of white preretinal granules in association with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy. The authors have not seen these granules in other forms of retinopathy and their presence may aid in differentiating this disease from other entities.


Understanding and monitoring the dynamics of rangeland heterogeneity through time and across space is critical for the effective management and conservation of rangeland systems and the sustained supply of the ecosystem goods and services they provide. Conventional approaches (both field-based and remote sensing) to monitoring rangeland productivity fail to effectively capture important aspects of this heterogeneity. While field methods can effectively capture high levels of detail at fine spatial and temporal resolutions, they are limited in their applicability and scalability to larger spatial extents and longer time periods. Alternatively, remote sensing based approaches that scale broad spatiotemporal extents simplify important heterogeneity occurring at fine scales. We address these limitations to monitoring rangeland productivity by combining a continuous plant functional type (PFT) fractional cover dataset with a Landsat derived gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP) model. Integrating the annual PFT dataset with a 16-day Landsat normalized difference vegetation (NDVI) composite dataset enabled us to disaggregate the pixel level NDVI values to the sub-pixel PFTs. These values were incorporated into the productivity algorithm, enabling refined estimations of 16-day GPP and annual NPP for the PFTs that composed each pixel. We demonstrated the results of these methods on a set of representative rangeland sites across the western United States. Partitioning rangeland productivity to sub-pixel PFTs revealed new dynamics and insights to aid the sustainable management of rangelands.


Modular fixture configuration design is a complicated task requiring both intensive knowledge and experience. Automated or semi-automated computer aided modular fixture systems based on CAD packages do not appear to have made a significant impact within the manufacturing industry. Modular fixture designers still prefer traditional systems such as paper or physical model; as such models provide a more intuitive interaction and immediate feedback. In this paper, a novel virtual reality (VR)-based system for interactive modular fixture configuration design is presented. A multi-view based modular fixture assembly model is presented, which is convenient for information representation and management. In addition, the suggested strategy is both compatible with the principles of virtual environment, and can make easy the reutilize of element model. Finally, a fixture configuration design example is given to illustrate the application and effectiveness of the presented method.


Mushrooms have medicinal as well as nutritive value and extensively used as human food from the time immortal. In order to determine the genetic diversity among Pleurotus species of mushroom using morphological and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, about seven different species were collected. Out of the seven, five species, naming Pleurotus citriopileatus, Pleurotus djamor , Pleurotus Florida, H. ulmarius and Pleurotus sajor-caju were selected. Five different morphological traits i.e., mycelial growth (mm), stipe length(cm), cap diameter (cm), margin of fruit body, colour of fruit body, total yield (kg), carbohydrate content(%) and protein content (%) were recorded. Results indicate that all the five species of Pleurotus shows great diversity in their morphological characters and biochemical parameters. Thus all these species have a great genetic diversity.


Introduction The greatest killer of the adult American male is coronary artery heart disease, a degenerative process associated with atherosclerosis, a disease of aberrant metabolism of fat. Surely, the solution of the problem of atherosclerosis and with it of coronary artery heart disease, as of any degenerative process, must be medical in nature. When enough facts are assembled clinically and experimentally on the subject of the metabolism of cholesterol and other fats and the reasons why they are deposited on the intima of some vessels and not of others, in some people and not in others, in one part of the world more and another part of the world less—and when the presence of these aberrations can be detected clinically and then treated medically—then the treatment of coronary artery heart disease will be exclusively medical in nature. Until that happy day, however, the pursuit of a means to lengthen the


This paper analyses knowledge networks on co-benefits of climate and development. The world's most sizeable populations live in middle-income countries with emerging economies and growing emissions. This situation requires political intervention to facilitate economic growth, job creation and poverty eradication alongside efforts to control emissions growth. This interdisciplinary study draws on concepts and methods from sociology, political science, science and technology studies and the management literature. The authors combine social network and discourse network analysis in an innovative way. The methodology analyses both the interactions between researchers as well as their actual knowledge contributions. The study argues that there is a substantial network of knowledge holders involved in knowledge creation on climate and development co-benefits. Our analysis shows the type of interactions between two knowledge networks as well as new knowledge emerging from these networks. Research groups and practitioners have produced 17 novel knowledge contributions, ranging from definitions of co-benefits, methodology and implementation. Yet the networks remain loosely connected. Practitioners who have less time to assess academic literature could benefit from closer interactions with more academically oriented experts and vice versa.


The DNA of prokaryotes is organized into a circular chromosome supercoiled in the nucleoid region of the cell cytoplasm. Proteins that are needed for a specific function, or that are involved in the same biochemical pathway, are encoded together in blocks called operons. For example, all of the genes needed to use lactose as an energy source are coded next to each other in the lactose (or lac) operon.


The tangential nucleus is a major part of the avian vestibular nuclear complex, and its principal cells are structurally distinctive neurons participating in the vestibuloocular and vestibulocollic reflexes. After unilateral peripheral vestibular lesion, a behavioral recovery of function defined as vestibular compensation is observed. Because sprouting and hypertrophy of synapses have been reported in other regions of immature animals after central nervous system injury, we investigated whether this also occurs in the vestibular nuclei during compensation. To test this hypothesis, unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy was performed on 4–6‐day‐old hatchlings and vestibular function was tested during the next 2 months. Degeneration and evidence for regeneration of synapses were studied in the tangential nucleus at 1, 3, 7, and 56 days after surgery. Spoon endings, large vestibular terminals on the principal somata, degenerated 1–3 days after surgery. However, the small synaptic terminals showed no significant change in the percentage or number covering the soma or in mean terminal lengths in the deafferented or contralateral tangential nucleus. Furthermore, there was no evidence of neuron death in the tangential nucleus. Vestibular compensation occurred in three stages: 0–3 days, when vestibular synapses degenerated and severe behavioral deficits were seen; 4–9 days, when primary vestibular fibers degenerated centrally and marked improvement in both the static and the dynamic symptoms were observed; and 10–56 days, when changes in neuronal morphology were not detected but the dynamic symptoms gradually improved. Accordingly, after unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy, vestibular compensation proceeded without ultrastructural evidence of sprouting or hypertrophy of axosomatic synapses in the hatchling tangential nucleus. This rapid behavioral recovery of function distinguishes the vestibular system from other sensory systems, which, in general, exhibit much less robust recovery after injury to their peripheral receptors. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) composed of alternating N-acetyl galactosamine and glucuronic acid units within disaccharide building blocks. CS is a key functional component in proteoglycans of cartilaginous tissues. Owing to its numerous biological roles, CS is widely explored in the pharmaceutical market as nutraceutical ingredient commonly utilized against arthritis, osteoarthrosis, and sometimes osteoporosis. Tissues like shark cartilage and bovine trachea are common sources of CS. Nonetheless, a new CS type has been introduced and investigated in the last few decades in what regards its medical potentials. It is named fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FucCS). This less common CS type is isolated exclusively from the body wall of sea cucumbers. The presence of fucosyl branching units in the holothurian FucCS gives to this unique GAG, therapeutic properties in various pathophysiological systems which are inexistent in the common CS explored in the market. Examples of these systems are coagulation, thrombosis, hemodialysis, atherosclerosis, cellular growth, angiogenesis, fibrosis, tumor growth, inflammation, viral and protozoan infections, hyperglycemia, diabetes-related pathological events and tissue damage. This report aims at describing the medical benefits gained upon fucosylation of CS. Clinical prospects of these medical benefits are also discussed herein.


The Health Belief Model (HBM) is one of the oldest and most recognized conceptual framework of health behavior and can be applied to disaster preparedness efforts which focus predominantly on human behavior. The study aims to develop and test the psychometric properties of the General Disaster Preparedness Belief (GDPB) scale based on the HBM. A study group of 286 academic and administrative staff working in a Turkish University located in the city of Yalova completed a GDPB scale instrument containing 60 items. Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) was used for the construct validity of scale. Item analysis was assessed using item–total correlations and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. The EFA extracted six factors that jointly accounted for 59.2% of variance observed namely; Self efficacy (8 items), Cues to action (5 items), perceived susceptibility (6 items), perceived barriers (6 items), perceived benefits (3 items) and perceived severity (3 items). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the subscales ranged from 0.90 to 0.74. The GDPB scale based on the HBM was found to be a valid and reliable tool. Findings from this study can be used to guide intervention aimed at informing and educating people about disaster preparedness.


This paper studies Alfred Jarry's Pataphysics and searches for Pataphysical reflections in Georgian modernist literature, including works by Georgian modernist writers Konstantine Gamsakhurdia (1893-1975) and Demna Shengelaia (1896-1980), and contemporary Georgian writer Tamaz Chiladze (born 1931), in a comparative analysis of the Georgian and French avantgarde movements. The former was 'born' in an isolated environment, in a country with a rich cultural background and literary tradition, first under the rule of Russian Tsarism (1801-1918) and then under the oppression of the Soviet Union (1921-1989). The Georgian avant-garde was never totally European but Asian too, and came to a 'bloody', tragic end as a victim of the Soviet totalitarian regime, whereas the French avant-garde was rather free, bold, limitless, and uncontrolled. Examining these two absolutely different avant-gardes and studying Pataphysical themes and reflections in Georgian literature in hindsight will provide a valuable picture of the movement and the period itself.


Through the writings of Jean Vanier, this paper encourages Catholic theologians to examine critically their theological sources and their own rhetoric for the context of developmental disabilities. Specifically, this thought experiment is an invitation for the Catholic academy to consider how its theologies of charity can assist the church to reflect on its pastoral ministry to people with developmental disabilities. Some Catholic discourse is built on an assumed one-directional concept of charity that emphasizes the agency and gifts of the giver over the receiver. Such a one-sided model of hospitality tends to emphasize the giver as the person without developmental disabilities, whereas the person with disabilities is described as the receiver of hospitality; their own gifts and agency thereby are either unacknowledged or downplayed. This paper argues, instead, that Catholic theologies of charity, particularly regarding developmental disabilities, should be built on a mutuality that affirms each person's agency to be both a giver and a receiver of charity.


Multiple wavelength systems obviously require more optical components than single wavelength systems. Not only the necessary multiplexing and de-multiplexing functions add component complexity, but more importantly, the addition of extra space switching components enables the implementation of sophisticated routing mechanisms, offering superb operational network flexibility. In order to arrive at a reliable and cost effective solution for such wavelength routing, integration of several functionality's in a single packaged component will become a necessity. At least two technologies have the potential to provide such solutions: III-V semiconductors and polymer optoboards. The latter option will be described below, covering wavelength multiplexing and space switching based on polymer waveguides. The combination of multiplexers and switches on a single substrate will be a major improvement in system reliability and performance. Both functions have individually been demonstrated with good performance.


This paper presents a fast, online, and incremental solution for an appearance-based loop closure detection problem in an indoor environment. This problem is important in terms of the navigation of mobile robots. Appearance-based Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) for a highly dynamic environment, called Position Invariant Robust Feature Navigation (PIRF-Nav), was first proposed by Kawewong et al. in 2010. Their results showed major improvements from other state-of-the-art methods. However, the computational expense of PIRF-Nav is beyond real time, and it consumes a tremendous amount of memory. These two factors hinder the use of PIRF-Nav for mobile robot applications. This study proposed (i) modified PIRF extraction that makes the system more suitable for an indoor environment and (ii) new dictionary management that can eliminate redundant searching and conserve memory consumption. According to the results, our proposed method can finish tasks up to 12 times faster than PIRF-Nav, with only slight percentage decline in a recall, while the precision remains 1. In addition, for a more challenging task, we collected additional data from a crowded university canteen during lunch time. Even in this cluttered environment, our proposed method performs better with real-time processing compared with other methods.


The substrate has great importance in seedling production. Its choice must be carefully considered, since it can provide the best conditions for seed germination and seedling development. This study evaluates which light and substrate favor the production of good quality passion fruit seedlings. The experiment was conducted in the experimental field of the Federal University of Reconcavo da Bahia, in Cruz das Almas city, Bahia State, Brazil. The design was completely randomized, in a 4x5 factorial scheme, with four substrates: 1) Soil; 2) Soil + NPK                    (N: 100 kg ha -1 ; P: 100 kg ha -1 ; and K: 50 kg ha -1 ); 3) Soil + cattle manure (3:1); and 4) Soil + cattle manure (3:1) + NPK (N: 100 kg ha -1 ; P: 100 kg ha -1 ; and K: 50 kg ha -1 ), and five light conditions: (1) ChromatiNet® red shade net; 2) Blue shade net (Polysack Plastic Industries); 3) Thermo-reflective Aluminet® shade net; 4) Black shade net; and 5) Full sun. Seedlings were collected after 60 days, and plant growth was analyzed. Seedlings grown under the thermo-reflective mesh with the substrate soil + cattle manure had the highest leaf dry mass. The best conditions to produce passion fruit seedlings are: soil + cattle manure and soil + cattle manure + NPK, using thermo-reflective and red shade nets and the full sun environment.


Aims. Grief symptoms and a sense of injustice may be interrelated responses amongst persons exposed to mass conflict and both reactions may contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. As yet, however, there is a dearth of data examining these relationships. Our study examined the contributions of grief and a sense of injustice to a model of PTSD symptoms that included the established determinants of trauma events, ongoing adversity and severe psychological distress. The study involved a large population sample (n = 2964, response rate: 82.4%) surveyed in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Methods. The survey sites included an urban administrative area (suco) in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste and a rural village located an hour's drive away. Culturally adapted measures were applied to assess conflict related traumatic events (TEs), ongoing adversity, persisting preoccupations with injustice, symptoms of grief, psychological distress (including depressive symptoms) and PTSD symptoms. Results. We tested a series of structural equation models, the final comprehensive model, which included indices of grief symptoms and injustice, producing a good fit. Locating grief symptoms as the endpoint of the model produced a non-converging model. In the final model, strong associations were evident between grief and injustice (β = 0.34, s.e. = 0.02, p < 0.01) and grief and PTSD symptoms (β = 0.14, s.e. = 0.02, p < 0.01). The sense of injustice exerted a considerable effect on PTSD symptoms (β = 0.13, s.e. = 0.03, p < 0.01). In addition, multiple indirect paths were evident, most involving grief and a sense of injustice, attesting to the complex inter-relationship of these factors in contributing to PTSD symptoms. Conclusions. Our findings support an expanded model of PTSD symptoms relevant to post-conflict populations, in which grief symptoms and a sense of injustice play pivotal roles. The model supports the importance of a focus on loss, grief and a sense of injustice in conducting trauma-focused psychotherapies for PTSD amongst populations exposed to mass conflict and violence. Further research is needed to identify the precise mechanisms whereby grief symptoms and the sense of injustice impact on PTSD symptoms.


Introduction The preparations of budesonide, Budenofalk and Entocort are licensed and recommended for the treatment of mild to moderate ileo-caecal Crohn's disease (CD) (1). Budesonide is advantageous in that systemic side effects are substantially reduced compared to conventional corticosteroids (CS). We hypothesised a reluctance to prescribe budesonide in the UK and aimed to compare the use of budesonide to overall CS use in CD. Method We constructed an incident cohort of CD patients diagnosed between 1990–2009 using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CRPD), a validated national primary care research database. We extracted prescribing data for any prescription of oral steroid therapy following the formal diagnosis of CD. Budesonide users were defined as any patient with at least one prescription of this medication during follow-up. CS users were defined as any patient with at least one prescription for any oral steroid medication (budesonide included) during follow-up. We divided our cohort by date of CD diagnosis into five time periods to analyse prescribing trends for steroid subtypes: era 1 (1990–1993), era 2 (1994–1997), era 3 (1998–2001), era 4 (2002–2005) and era 5 (2006–2009). We performed Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for the first four time era to quantify the 5 year probability of receiving budesonide or any oral CS. Significance levels were compared using the log-rank test. Results We identified 6997 patients with a diagnosis of CD. The median follow up time per patient was 4.2 years (IQR: 1.8–7.8). There were 474 (6.8%), 694 (9.9%), 1555 (22.2%), 2096 (30.0%) and 2178 (31.1%) incident cases in era 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively, reflecting the rising number of GP practices contributing to the database. A total of 4001 (57%) patients received a prescription for oral steroids within 5 years of diagnosis. Only 11.5% of patients with CD had received a prescription for budesonide within 5 years of diagnosis. The cumulative probability for receiving budesonide within 5 years was 0.8% (95%CI: 0.27%–2.5%), 11.5% (95%CI: 9.2%–14.4%), 12.6% (95%CI: 10.9%–14.5%), 10.6% (95%CI: 9.3%–12.1%), for era 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively (log-rank p<0.001). The cumulative probability for receiving oral steroids within 5 years was 39.6% (95%CI: 34.8%–44.9%), 49.3% (95%CI: 44.9%–53.9%), 51.0% (95%CI: 48.1%–54.0%), 52.2% (95%CI: 49.6%–54.9%), for era 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively (log-rank p<0.001). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate a potential underuse of budesonide in patients with CD, despite strong recommendations in guidelines for its use as a first line agent in mild to moderate ileo-caecal CD. Clinical guidelines should be reinforced at a primary care level to ensure wider use of budesonide over traditional oral CS treatment. Reference . Dignass, et al. J Crohns Colitis2010Feb;4(1):28–62 Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Recent achievements in hardware and software developments have enabled the introduction of a revolutionary technology: in-memory data management. This technology supports the flexible and extremely fast analysis of massive amounts of data, such as diagnoses, therapies, and human genome data. This book shares the latest research results of applying in-memory data management to personalized medicine, changing it from computational possibility to clinical reality. The authors provide details on innovative approaches to enabling the processing, combination, and analysis of relevant data in real-time. The book bridges the gap between medical experts, such as physicians, clinicians, and biological researchers, and technology experts, such as software developers, database specialists, and statisticians. Topics covered in this book include - amongst others - modeling of genome data processing and analysis pipelines, high-throughput data processing, exchange of sensitive data and protection of intellectual property. Beyond that, it shares insights on research prototypes for the analysis of patient cohorts, topology analysis of biological pathways, and combined search in structured and unstructured medical data, and outlines completely new processes that have now become possible due to interactive data analyses.


ABSTRACT We explore the effect of students' perceived task difficulty on the mathematics self-efficacy – performance relationship. Specifically, we expand on previous reciprocal effects studies through including students' self-efficacy for different levels of task difficulty in an empirical investigation. We examined students' self-efficacy for easy, medium difficulty, and hard tasks and performance on a national mathematics test in a longitudinal study of 95 Norwegian students from grade 8 to grade 9. We found differential relationships between self-efficacy for different levels of task difficulty and national test performance. In support of the 'skill development' model, grade 8 national test performance predicted grade 9 self-efficacy for medium and hard, but not easy, tasks. While mastery experiences are likely to arise more easily on easier tasks, such experiences are likely to matter more on harder tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of supporting students' engagement with challenging tasks to strengthen both their performance and self-efficacy.


ABSTRACT Shock tubes have conventionally been used for measuring high-temperature ignition delay times of approximately O(1 ms). In the last decade or so, the operating regime of shock tubes has been extended to lower temperatures by accessing longer observation times. Such measurements may potentially be affected by some non-ideal phenomena. The purpose of this work is to measure long ignition delay times for fuels exhibiting negative temperature coefficient and to assess the impact of shock tube non-idealities on ignition delay data. Ignition delay times of n-heptane and n-hexane were measured over the temperature range of 650–1250 K and pressures near 1.5 atm. Driver gas tailoring and long length of shock tube driver section were utilized to measure ignition delay times as long as 32 ms. Measured ignition delay times agree with chemical kinetic models at high (>1100 K) and low (<700 K) temperatures. In the intermediate temperature range (700–1100 K), however, significant discrepancies are observed between the measurements and homogeneous ignition delay simulations. It is postulated, based on experimental observations, that localized ignition kernels could affect the ignition delay times at the intermediate temperatures, which lead to compression (and heating) of the bulk gas and result in expediting the overall ignition event. The postulate is validated through simple representative computational fluid dynamic simulations of post-shock gas mixtures, which exhibit ignition advancement via a hot spot. The results of the current work show that ignition delay times measured by shock tubes may be affected by non-ideal phenomena for certain conditions of temperature, pressure, and fuel reactivity. Care must, therefore, be exercised in using such data for chemical kinetic model development and validation.


The administration of village government entered a new era after the enactment of Law No. 6 of 2014 was legally enforced. Previously, under the regional government, the village was only an object of development, but now it becomes the subject that have its authority to manage the village independently. As a consequence, the village government must have its ability to prepare its own planning and budget documents based on the aspirations of the village community through the Village Community Development Forum. The performance of the financial management of the village will determine the success or failure of the village government in running the administration and development. The financial problems often occur because of the inability of the village apparatus in the management or utilization of the village funds even though they have an important role in it. The presence and assistance of such facilitators are seriously needed to improve the village fund management so that it can be professionally, legally and publicly accountable. Improving the professionality of the village apparatus in the financilal management of the village fund is mainly related to increasing the knowledge and skills in the field of law and financial administration.


THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN THE TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSER'S UNRESOLVED GRIEF REACTIONS IN AN INPATIENT HOSPITAL SETTING: A STUDY OF TWO GROUP APPROACHES Alan Wayne Forrest, Ed.D. The College of William and Mary in Virginia, February 1990 Chairman: Kevin E. Geoffroy, Ed.D. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of two group counseling approaches upon adult substance abuser's unresolved grief reactions in an inpatient hospital setting. Forty-one adult patients hospitalized in an inpatient substance abuse treatment program were subjects in the study. All subjects were volunteers and assigned to either a higher level inpatient therapy group (Yalom model), structured didactic group, or control group. Pre and posttesting was accomplished by use of the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief. Beck Depression Inventory, and Adjective Check List. It was hypothesized that by virtue of a grief counseling group there would be a significant improvement in unresolved grief as measured by (l) the Present Feeling scale of the TRIG, (2) a decrease in depression as measured by the BDI and (3) significant improvement in intraception, succorance, and personal adjustment as measured by the ACL. Treatment interventions were administered to the two experimental groups and withheld from the control group. The two treatment groups met for three sessions each week for 75 minutes per group session. Groups were open-ended and ongoing and subjects participated in their assigned group until each had participated in eight counseling sessions. The control group did not meet. The research design utilized in this study was the PretestPosttest Control Group Experimental Design. The statistical procedure analysis of covariance was employed to determine the efficacy of the two different group treatment approaches. Five null hypotheses provided the basis for testing whether or not there were significant differences (mean=.05) between the three groups on posttest measures of grief resolution, depression, intraception, succorance, and personal adjustment. Analysis of the test data revealed no significant differences between the two treatment groups and control group with respect to grief resolution and no significant differences in improvement of depression between the two treatment groups and control group. There was significant improvement demonstrated between the two treatment groups and control group relative to intraception, however the increase was not significantly greater for either of 171 the treatment interventions. Also, there was a significant improvement demonstrated in succorance for the higher level inpatient therapy group; the control group demonstrated a trend of increased succorance and the structured didactic group showed indications of decreased succorance. Lastly, there was significant improvement between the two treatment groups as compared to the control group in relation to personal adjustment.


We investigate the quantum volume of D-branes wrapped around cycles of various dimension in Calabi-Yau fourfolds and fivefolds. Examining the cases of the sextic and heptic hypersurface Calabi-Yau varieties, as well as one example in weighted projective space, we find expressions for periods which vanish at the singular point analogous to the conifold point. As in the known three-dimensional cases, it is the top dimensional cycle which attains zero quantum volume, even though lower dimensional cycles remain non-degenerate, indicating this phenomena to be a general feature of quantum geometry.


When a disaster hits, it affects the entire community. A small business is especially vulnerable because it does not necessarily have the resources to respond to a disaster or to catastrophic damage. In fact, it is reported that approximately 25 percent of small businesses that close due to a disaster never reopen, and 40 percent of small businesses hit directly by a serious natural disaster do not recover. This is true regardless of what kind of disaster is involved, from a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake, flooding, winter storms, or even civil unrest or terrorism. Small businesses experience a number of different problems when a disaster hits. As expected, there is the physical damage that results from a disaster, which is a more serious issue when the business is not insured or is underinsured for the damage. However, the most serious and critical problem for small businesses is the loss of profits due to closure or loss of customers as a result of a disaster. Sixty-two percent of businesses report the loss of sales as their main problem after a disaster. Unfortunately, a large percent of businesses does not carry insurance to cover continuing operations. Fortunately, some economic assistance is available to small businesses that have suffered losses due to disasters. Immediate disaster assistance is led by state governments, which is complemented with federal assistance for disasters that qualify. Federal disaster assistance, which is generally the same regardless of the location and form of a disaster, is discussed first in the Article. This is followed by a discussion of state disaster assistance, using the state of Florida to exemplify two approaches taken by state government to provide small-business disaster relief.


Abstract:This article describes the US origins of the field of PRC history. It argues that research on PRC history is widely derived from an approach to knowledge that predates area studies: the theory that societies can be controlled and changed through the transformation of human cognition—referred to as "public opinion," "values," "culture," "political culture," "tradition," or "belief"—by nonviolent means. The author calls this approach to knowledge the values paradigm. A separate, but related argument is that this paradigm has proven more important than the availability or content of new sources in determining how PRC history has been written. The aim behind these arguments is twofold: to highlight the intellectual debt (or burden) that links PRC history, via area studies, to policy science; and to elucidate other ways of guiding research in place of the increasingly exhausted values paradigm–based approach. The conclusions they lead to are that historical and social scientific explanations of political change in China have become intellectually dependent on the abstraction of mass consciousness, and that this abstraction has been used to obscure the endemic violence of Maoism.


Purpose Sorafenib is an effective systemic agent for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. To increase its efficacy, we evaluated the feasibility and benefit of sorafenib combined with radiotherapy. Materials and Methods From July 2007 to July 2011, 31 patients were treated with a daily dose of 800 mg of sorafenib and radiotherapy. Among them, 13 patients who received radiotherapy on the bone metastasis were excluded. Thirteen patients received 30-54 Gy of radiotherapy on the primary tumor (primary group) and 5 patients received 30-58.4 Gy on the measurable metastatic lesions (measurable metastasis group). Tumor responses at 1 month after the completion of radiotherapy and overall survival were evaluated. Results The in-field response rate was 100% in the primary group and 60% in the measurable metastasis group. A decrease of more than 80% in the tumor marker α-fetoprotein was observed in 7 patients in the primary group (54%). Toxicities of grades 3-4 were hand-foot syndrome in 3 (17%) patients, duodenal bleeding in 1 (6%) patient, thrombocytopenia in 3 (17%) patients and elevation of aspartate transaminase in 1 (6%) patient. The median overall survival was 7.8 months (95% confidence interval, 3.0-12.6). Conclusion The combined treatment of sorafenib and radiotherapy was feasible and induced substantial tumor responses in the target lesions. The results of this study emphasize the importance of individualized approach in the management of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and encourage the initiation of a controlled clinical trial.


: The resistance to freezing-thawing was studied with Cryptococcus laurentii cultivated at a near-zero plus temperatures in a minimal or a rich medium. At the transition into the stationary phase, the resistance of the cells to freezing increased 20 times in the culture grown in the minimal medium and 8 times in the culture grown in the rich medium. Free water localization in the cell cytoplasm was determined by electron microscopy. In yeast cells with the maximal cryotolerance, free water was found mainly between glycogen granules. The authors discuss the role of glycogen as of a possible factor making the cells resistant to low temperatures.


It's about a reflection resulting of the practice philosophy with children I had in about four years work, with kids and young people between 4 and 18 years old, immigrants and sons of immigrants from Cape Verde, in "Cova Moura" suburbs, being around Lisbon. One says that the habitants form this neighborhood form a community alike those there are in some places away the Islands and the geographic space in there makes as another Island between other suburbs of the city. Being different by one another due to the practice of Cap Verdean traditions during their daily life, along these values and practices related to the culture of Cap Verde exists several difficulties or economic or related to violence which can be caused by the traffic of drugs as well as the evasive way of police acting. There are many problems of social exclusion that affect the children and young. One of the main objectives in place has been to make more value of their origin culture and mother's language, Kriol, another one was to, develop the reflection and question based in the context of exclusion. For that, it's necessary to investigate children's talking to make clear their context and to reinforce how important it is for them to have a space where they can think about their situation. Also to analyze problems related that comes with practice or the way that we should connect child´s experience and their philosophical questions and how important is for them to reflect upon their world, to develop their critical thinking about the world and also recognize the right inclusion. Therefore, beyond its psychological effects philosophy for children is different practice from psychology. Keywords: philosophy childhood; experience; exclusion; inscription.


Vertebrate oocytes arrest at prophase of meiosis I as a result of high levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and protein kinase A (PKA) activity. In Xenopus, progesterone is believed to release meiotic arrest by inhibiting adenylate cyclase, lowering cAMP levels and repressing PKA. However, the exact timing and extent of the cAMP decrease is unclear, with conflicting reports in the literature. Using various in vivo reporters for cAMP and PKA at the single-cell level in real time, we fail to detect any significant changes in cAMP or PKA in response to progesterone. More interestingly, there was no correlation between the levels of PKA inhibition and the release of meiotic arrest. Furthermore, we devised conditions whereby meiotic arrest could be released in the presence of sustained high levels of cAMP. Consistently, lowering endogenous cAMP levels by >65% for prolonged time periods failed to induce spontaneous maturation. These results argue that the release of oocyte meiotic arrest in Xenopus is independent of a reduction in either cAMP levels or PKA activity, but rather proceeds through a parallel cAMP/PKA-independent pathway. Highlighted article: In vivo detection of cAMP and PKA levels in real time reveals that Xenopus oocyte meiotic arrest following progesterone release occurs without any reduction in cAMP levels or PKA activity.


This article analyses the role of victims within the founding international criminal tribunals of the Second World War, drawing from historical research of the practice and judgements of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals. While some commentators have decried the absence of victims at Nuremberg and Tokyo, numerous victim-witnesses testified before these tribunals. However, the outcome of these tribunals has been disappointing to victims who still seek justice over sixty-five years later. This article considers the implications of the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals not providing justice to victims and how this has impacted on their legacy. Although these tribunals are neglected in contemporary discussions of victim provisions, they can still provide some important lessons for modern international criminal justice mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court, to learn from.


ABSTACT

LatifahDhitaAyu, 2017.

Analysis of Semiotic Elements in Rashomon, a Short Story by AkutagawaRyounosuke

This thesis is a studyof semiotic elements found in Rashomon, a short story by AkutagawaRyoumosuke. The short story tells the tales of communities in Kyoto who would go to extreme lengths to survive, after facing a series of tragedies. To interpret the storyline in Rashomon, semiotic element signs i.e. icon, index and symbol are required.
The theory used in this study is Charles Sander Pierce's theory on semiotics. According to Pierce, signs can be classified into three categories, namely iconic, indexical and symbolic signs. Iconic signs resemble or imitate, indexical signs are characterized by causalities, and symbolic signs are marked by conventions.
The researcher used the descriptive research method in this study, aiming to elaborate semiotic concepts that are relevant to the research findings.
The research findings show that iconic, indexical and symbolic signs in Rashomon have influence over the storyline, for example, the character Genin who is portrayed as a lower-class samurai in the study, can be interpreted as an icon for an emperor in semiotic analysis. Meanwhile, the old woman who isdepicted as an old person in the story,can be semioticallyinterpreted as the poor and the oppressed in society.
Charles Sander Pierce's theory on icon, index and symbol enables the researcher to comprehend the meanings or symbols in the story, therefore allowing the AkutagawaRyuunsukeintention as the author to convey the information accurately.
Key Words : Semiotics,Rashomon, Icons, Index and Symbol


The study attempted to assess how the language undergraduates of JimmaUniversity (JU) use in sex discourse shapes their perception of gender and promiscuity.Qualitative data were gathered from 4 focus group discussions, 35 key informants (20males, 15 females), selected through snow-ball sampling. Content analysis was used toanalyze the data. The analysis revealed that respondents mainly use metaphors not onlyto construct men as dominating and women as dominated class in sexual relationships,but also to perpetuate promiscuity. The study concluded that language use is a criticalfactor to aggravate undergraduates" risky sexual behavior. The study recommendedprograms that foster safer sex in college context to emphasize gender focusedcommunication activities that could help young students question their assumptions ofgender, promiscuity, and language use. Future research on sex discourse andintervention among undergraduates should seek more on how language use in sexualcommunication positively shapes their perception of gender and promiscuity.


The substantial autonomy enjoyed by Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) agencies in developing their external relations does not mean that they are immune to political nor judicial controls. Given the fact that from the perspective of fundamental rights AFSJ agencies are acting in a particularly sensitive area, it is essential that their activities are subject to democratic control and remain fully accountable. As a result of the vast diversity of EU agencies in place, analysing the legal nature of their external action can prove to be a particularly complex task. The aim of this article is to examine the legal and political framework of the external dimension of AFSJ agencies as a whole, on the basis of the external relations developed so far. In the light of the implications that the activities of AFSJ agencies may have for fundamental rights, it is submitted that the governance and control of this kind of agencies continue to raise many concerns. Unfortunately, in the new Strategic Guidelines for legislative and operational planning of AFSJ for the period between 2015 and 2019 no attention is paid to the legal and political framework of the external dimension of AFSJ agencies.


Swell paper had been widely used to confirm graphical representation for the visually impaired. However, most tactile graphs on such paper were created by people with normal vision, who, in most cases, do not fully understand how to translate the visual aspects of a graph into a representation that the visually impaired can grasp. The paper describes a graph presentation system for translating original data sequences of electronic documents into the graph presentation. This system generates graphical representation in a tactile form. Users can touch a pin array and get a rough image of the tactile graph, and iterate graph magnification to confirm the details of the graph. They can also confirm each plotted value with auditory feedback. Experiments show that users can perceive not only simple graphs, but also complex graphs like a stock chart. Subjects were able to perceive not only maximum and minimum values, but also statistical trends of the graphs.


In 2013, the World Flora Online (WFO) Consortium Council decided to use version 1.1 of the The Plant List (TPL) to initially populate the WFO taxonomic backbone. TPL is a collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Missouri Botanical Garden and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive list of Vascular plant (flowering plants, conifers, ferns and their allies) and of Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). By combining multiple checklist held by these institutions, TPL 1.1 contained 1,064,035 scientific plant names of species rank, 350,699 of which were accepted species names. TPL provides the Accepted Latin names linked to Synonyms by which that species has been known. It also includes Unresolved names for which the contributing data sources did not contain sufficient evidence to decide whether they were Accepted or Synonyms.
 Fortunately, TPL keeps track of the provenance of names and links back to the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) repository. This provenance trace has proven crucial when giving proper credit, as well as implementing a reliable curating process in WFO that supports the incorporation of potential new content, updates and further improvements contributed by the source. We will see some examples in WFO where duplication of names is originated from combining different providers and different sources, but also cases where duplication was caused within the same provider and even within a single source.
 The WFO Council also decided to adopt the software used by eMonocot.org to display and harvest the information of plants. This decision made it possible to take advantage of the efforts previously done by the Monocots group in using already defined standards and existing tools to create and validate the input files harvested. Unfortunately, no technical documentation nor support was available for the eMonocot software and adapting the software code was not an option then. Therefore, a process of reverse engineering was implemented to determine what input was expected, which harvested values were actually stored in the database and what impact, if any, they could have on the Portal function. For example, the eMonocot software always harvests content under a particular hierarchy where an authority, in this case corresponding to a family taxon, holds ownership of the taxa underneath. We will explain how this may become an issue when incorporating new endemic taxa.
 To ensure a convenient quality control, processes of validation and data curation were implemented. WFO assigns a unique ID to each name in its taxonomic backbone. The guarantee of uniqueness and permanence of such IDs is essential to support a process of cumulative improvement. To obtain this ID, a tool that matches Names was developed, allowing providers to contribute revisions to the taxonomy and descriptive content associated to a taxon. The origin of changes needs to be considered when tracing and correcting errors, implementing modifications or rolling back them later.
 A report about the result of requested changes in the taxonomy needs to be approved by the provider before any actual change is implemented in the taxonomic backbone. Programmatically, any process that performs quality assessment or makes data modifications must be implemented as parameterized algorithms to allow replication of the process whenever new or updated data is available from the source. Single-use scripts are quick but not very scalable.
 Finally, having defined a schema to use when providing content doesn't necessarily imply that the values provided in each field are correct. Even with standardized values, the semantics associated could cause unforeseen behavior in the process implemented by the software. When possible, an additional step was required to convert harvested data from different localized vocabularies for standardized fields. Examples in Portuguese and Turkish will be given.


Loose farrowing pens have been considered as alternatives to crates to enhance sow welfare. A major concern with pen systems is often higher piglet pre-weaning mortality, especially due to crushing by the sow. An optimal management of light and mat surface temperature may promote greater piglet use of the creep, which has been associated with reduced piglet crushing. A total of 108 sows and their piglets were studied in sow welfare and piglet protection pens on a commercial piggery, across two replicates. Sows were randomly assigned to pens arranged within two creep treatments (bright creep: 300 lx v. dark creep: 4 lx), considering mat temperature as a covariate. Twelve sows and their litters in each treatment (24 in total) had their behaviour continuously recorded for 72-h postpartum (pp), and four focal piglets per litter were weighed on the first and third days pp. In situ behaviour observations were performed daily (from 0800 to 1700 h) on all sows and their litters, every 15 min over 72-h pp to record piglet time spent in the creep, latency to enter the creep for the first time, latency for the litter to remain in the creep for at least 10 min, and piglet and sow use of pen areas immediately in front of (A2) and farthest from the creep (A3). Piglets with access to bright creeps spent on average 7.2% more time (P<0.01) in the creeps than piglets in pens with Dark creeps. In addition, for each degree increase in mat temperature, piglets spent on average 2.1% more time (P<0.01) in the creep. Piglets in pens with bright creeps spent less time in A2 (P=0.04) and the least time in A3 (P=0.01). Light or mat temperature did not affect sow use of pen areas or piglet weight gain. Piglets with bright creeps tended (P=0.06) to take longer to enter the creep for the first time after birth, but the latency for 30.0% of the litter to remain clustered for 10 min tended (P=0.08) to be shorter in bright compared to dark creeps. Overall, piglet use of the creep increased with warm mat temperatures and brightness, which should be further investigated as potential strategies to promote piglet safety and reduce crushing in pen farrowing systems.


Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a highly transmissible and pathogenic virus that leads to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The preexisting liver diseases alter the course of COVID-19. Therefore, specific management strategies must be considered in individuals with chronic liver diseases (CLDs) and COVID-19. Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare immune-mediated liver disease. Patients with AIH require life-long treatment with immunosuppressive drugs that may increase the risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes. The stage of underlying liver disease is another factor that can affect the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with AIH. In this review, we aim to provide relevant issues that will be helpful to clinicians in understanding and improving the clinical care for patients with AIH during the pandemic.


Once discovered, an archaeological find starts a sort of new "life-cycle", throughout which it
will cross several events sometimes repeatedly. Just for its discovery, each find brings with it
several information. Each event it may cross (restoration, study, exhibition etc.) generates as
well additional information. Despite the fundamental role in such domain, information is
often considered as individual knowledge, not specifically managed, and then not available to
persons different from the ones implied in each single event. This work therefore introduces
an exploratory case of study whose main goal is the analysis of the ArcheoTRAC information
system and its supporting role in knowledge management processes involving cooperation
among different subjects and organizations. In particular, the study will focus on the role of
the ArcheoTRAC system in fostering knowledge creation and knowledge transformation
processes and in exploiting available knowledge in these processes.


Background Minimally invasive direct thoracic interbody fusion (MIS-DTIF) is a new single surgeon procedure for fusion of the thoracic vertebrae below the scapula (T6/7) to the thoracolumbar junction. In this proof of concept study, we describe the surgical technique for MIS-DTIF and report our experience and the perioperative outcomes of the first four patients who underwent this procedure. Study Design/Setting In this study we attempt to establish the safety and efficacy of MIS-DTIF. We have performed MIS-DTIF on six spinal levels in four patients with degenerative disk disease or disk herniation. We recorded surgery time, blood loss, fluoroscopy time, complications, and patient-reported pain. Methods Throughout the MIS-DTIF procedure, the surgeon is aided by biplanar fluoroscopic imaging and electrophysiological monitoring. The surgeon approaches the spine with a series of gentle tissue dilations and inserts a working tube that establishes a direct connection from the outside of the skin to the disk space. Through this working tube, the surgeon performs a discectomy and inserts an interbody graft or cage. The procedure is completed with minimally invasive (MI) posterior pedicle screw fixation. Results For the single level patients the mean blood loss was 90 ml, surgery time 43 minutes, fluoroscopy time 293 seconds, and hospital stay two days. For the two-level surgeries, the mean blood loss was 27 ml, surgery time 61 minutes, fluoroscopy time 321 seconds, and hospital stay three days. We did not encounter any clinically significant complications. Thirty days post-surgery, the patients reported a statistically significant reduction of 5.3 points on a 10-point sliding pain scale. Conclusions MIS-DTIF with pedicle screw fixation is a safe and clinically effective procedure for fusions of the thoracic spine. The procedure is technically straightforward and overcomes many of the limitations of the current minimally invasive (MI) approaches to the thoracic spine. MIS-DTIF has the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs relative to the current standard of care. We are currently expanding this study to a larger cohort and recording long term outcomes and costs. Disclosures H. Abbasi: None.


The performance of approximation using redundant expansions rely on having dictionaries adapted to the signals. In natural high-dimensional data, the statistical dependencies are, most of the time, not obvious. Learning fundamental patterns is an alternative to analytical design of bases and is nowadays a popular problem in the field of approximation theory. In many situations, the basis elements are shift invariant, thus the learning should try to find the best matching filters. We present a new algorithm for iteratively learning generating functions that can be shifted at all positions in the signal to generate a highly redundant dictionary


This paper presents Model-T, an OS network stack designed to scale to terabit rates through pipelined execution of micro operations. Model-T parallelizes execution on multicore chips and enforces lockstep processing to maximize shared L2 data cache (d-cache) hitrate. Executing all operations without hitting main memory more than once (if at all) is the key design principle behind Model-T. We show a prototype implementation that indeed handles terabit rate network traffic when accessing only the L2 cache and processing only headers. Additionally, we present a more practical implementation of Model-T that is under development for Linux 2.6. Finally, we introduce an affordable test infrastructure based on general purpose graphics processor computation (GPGPU) that can replay network streams at PCI Express saturation rates (up to 128 Gbps), to benchmark Model-T and similar research network stacks.


Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a heterogeneous disease with remarkably variable clinical presentation and outcome. Hans algorithm subclassified DLBCL into prognostically distinct molecular subtypes by using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Fine-needle aspiration biopsy cytology (FNABC) is a first-line diagnostic modality in lymphadenopathy. The study aims to perform IHC on FNABC cell blocks (CBs) for subclassifying according to the Hans algorithm and correlate with case-matched histopathology. Methods: This was a retrospective study carried out between January 2017 and December 2019. All DLBCL FNABC cases with CBs and smears and which had follow-up histopathology were included in the study. Detailed cytomorphological evaluation and CD10, B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6), and multiple myeloma oncogene 1 IHCs were performed on CBs. The cases are divided into 3 distinct molecular subtypes based on the Hans algorithm as germinal centre B-cell (GCB), activated B-cell (ABC), and unclassified subtypes. The results were compared with the final histopathology. Results: A total of 44 cases were diagnosed as DLBCL, and 33 cases with sufficient material for further IHC were included in the study. Twelve cases were of the GCB type, 19 were of the ABC type, and 2 remained unclassified. Follow-up histopathology was available in 20 cases. Overall, histopathological concordance was found in 95% of cases (19/20). The single discordant case was classified as GCB on FNABC and was ABC on histopathology. Conclusion: FNABC with CBs is an acceptable alternative to biopsy for providing a complete diagnosis of DLBCL as per the current WHO classification.


Lasers with the capability to emit simultaneously at two distinct wavelengths - so-called dual-wavelength lasers - are highly desirable in several applications ranging from data communication, to the field of THz or sensing, but remain challenging to manufacture. Current solutions can typically be categorized in two groups. On the one hand, external forcing can be used to make a largely multi-mode laser emit at only two wavelengths. These are highly versatile and flexible solutions, but are typically obtained through complex and/or bulky setups. On the other hand, laser structures with intrinsic wavelength selection appear to be way more robust but suffer from a lack of external control and flexibility; in short, these devices cannot be fine-tuned. In this PhD thesis, we propose, implement and experimentally demonstrate a simple technique for controlling the output of dual-wavelength lasers relying on a compact external structure that can be easily integrated monolithically with the laser.

This new technique is based on the Fabry-Perot effect of a phase controlled external feedback cavity. In short, the external cavity will slightly boost resonant modes while the non-resonant modes will see a slight increase of their losses. The phase control then allows to select the resonating modes. As a result, setting the feedback cavity length to ensure that the two distinct wavelengths emitted by the lasers are out-of-phase after a cavity round trip allows to selectively boost or suppress one or the other wavelength on demand.

To demonstrate the feasibility and relevance of the approach, we have first designed and implemented dual-wavelength lasers on a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC), using a generic foundry platform. Because the proposed control technique would have the advantage of being particularly compact, we rely on Distributed Bragg Reflectors (DBRs) as wavelength selective elements of the laser, thus obtaining a compact laser as well. We have designed different lasers using DBRs, placed sequentially or in parallel, to achieve dual-wavelength emission combined with a broadband reflector or a third DBR. We then coupled these devices with specifically designed external cavities including an electro-optic phase modulator and a semiconductor optical amplifier in order to control both, the feedback strength and the feedback phase.

After a detailed characterization of the dual-wavelength lasers and, in particular, a confirmation that these were indeed successfully emitting at two distinct wavelengths, we have then explored the effect of the phase controlled optical feedback on the laser emission. Thus, we were able to confirm that the proposed technique could be consistently used to achieve complete extinction of each mode with suppression ratios as high as 50 dB. Despite varying performances across the different devices, the switching appeared to be particularly robust against most experimental variables. Moreover, we have recorded switching times below 4 ns, which appeared to be mostly limited by the own response time of the phase modulator, and which could potentially be reduced below the nanosecond timescale making it one of the fastest switching techniques currently available.
Next, we have investigated the limitations of both the dual-wavelength laser and the control technique. Taking advantage of the large amount of measurements performed across several PICs and lasers, combined with a thorough numerical exploration of the parameter space, we were able to identify different directions of research for further optimizations. Improvements of the DBRs could lead to an improved wavelength tunability that the external cavity could withstand, while the laser and external cavity structure could potentially be optimized to achieve higher output power, higher side mode suppression ratio and a more compact design. Last, but not least, the current results strongly suggest that going from dual to multi (≥ 3) wavelength lasers could be realistically considered without significant conceptual changes.

To conclude, in this thesis, we propose a new solution to control dual-wavelength lasers through a highly compact and efficient external structure which allows to balance or switch the wavelength emission at will using a single control parameter: the optical feedback phase.


This review is the companion to the foregoing paper critically reviewing research on the biological, psychological and social aspects of the etiology of cervical cancer. The immune system mediates some (but not all) of the effects of these factors. Factors with relevant immunological associations for cervical oncogenesis are examined here. A critical review of research presented in both papers is offered at the conclusion of each aspect. This is followed by a tabular summary of the immunological studies relevant to the biological, psychological and social aspects of cervical cancer. Estimated likelihoods of association for the immunological factors selected within each aspect are given based upon both the number and quality of studies conducted, and are followed by selected comments. The paper concludes with a theoretical integration of the entire model (represented in both reviews) and the promulgation of a set of integrative hypotheses across domains (including their immunological aspects) for the purpose of illustrating the potential utility of this model in addressing future research questions.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare a firm's net cost and post-apprenticeship benefits of providing apprenticeship training in Austria and Switzerland: two countries with many similarities but some critical institutional differences.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw on detailed workplace data with information on the costs and benefits of apprenticeship training, as well as on hiring costs for skilled workers from the external labour market. The authors use nearest-neighbour matching models to compare Austrian firms with similar Swiss firms based on observable characteristics.

Findings
On average, a Swiss firm generates an annual net benefit of €3,400 from training an apprentice, whereas a firm in Austria incurs net costs of €4,200. The impetus for this difference is largely a higher relative apprentice pay in Austria. However, compared with Swiss firms, Austrian firms generate a higher post-training return by retaining a higher share of apprentices and savings on future hiring costs.

Practical implications
The authors demonstrate that apprenticeship systems can exist under different institutional environments. For countries currently in the process of establishing or expanding apprenticeship systems, the comparative analysis clearly shows that policymakers should consider more than just one country's particular apprenticeship model.

Originality/value
The authors provide a first comparative analysis between two apprenticeship countries that empirically assesses a firm's costs and benefits of training during an apprenticeship programme and also provides a monetary value of a particular type of post-training benefits that firms can generate by retaining former apprentices as skilled workers (i.e. savings in future hiring costs for skilled workers).


Abstract : Throughout history great powers have had to wrestle with the problem of maintaining their influence over the world around them. Often these powers were simultaneously faced with more than one opponent. In order to meet multiple challenges, leading nations have had to maximize the number of potential adversaries they could influence with each action or policy. Those faced with this dilemma have included the Romans, Byzantines, and the British Empire. Studying these nations in their struggle to maintain control revealed tactics and techniques that proved effective. Forward deployment, statements of perseverance, the use of coalitions, strategic distraction of opponents, and the demonstration of their relative superiority over adversaries all helped to preserve the longevity of these empires. Additionally, an effective information campaign, which amplified successes, proved invaluable to these world powers. This thesis explores how a single action often affects more than just the two parties taking and receiving action. It then discusses the flow of how the information content of foreign policy actions transfers from the primary actor to multiple secondary actors. We then use historical cases of multi-adversary deterrence and coercion as models of how our hypotheses, coupled with a good information strategy, maximized the studied powers' effectiveness.


Summary A growing number of governments are creating "john schools" in the belief that providing men with information about prostitution will stop them from buying sex, which will in turn stop prostitution and trafficking. John schools typically offer men arrested for soliciting paid sex the opportunity (for a fee) to attend lectures by health experts, law enforcement and former sex workers in exchange for cleared arrest records if they are not re-arrested within a certain period of time. A 2008 examination of the San Francisco john school, "Final Report on the Evaluation of the First Offender Prostitution Program," claims to be the first study to prove that attending a john school leads to a lower rate of recidivism or re-arrest (Shively et al.). Despite its claims, the report offers no reliable evidence that the john school classes reduce the rate of re-arrests. This paper analyzes the methodology and data used in the San Francisco study and concludes that serious flaws in the research design led the researchers to claim a large drop in re-arrest rates that, in fact, occurred before the john school was implemented.


In recent years, the influence of surface modification of carbon nanotubes (CNTs ) on CNT's dispersion among epoxy resin, mechanical properties and electrical conductivities of CNTs has been observed. On account of above-mentioned effects, that CNTs treated with oxidizing in organic acids, a kind of surface modification, generates functional groups on the surface of CNTs is a major investigation in this study to enhance mechanical properties and electrical conductivities of CNTs. In this study, CNTs dispersed among epoxy resin well by adopting ultrasonication method and then the nano-prepreg was fabricated by mixing CNTs/Epoxy resin into carbon fiber. The influence of the different proportion contents of CNTs added into Epoxy resin on mechanical properties and electrical conductivities of composites is investigated. The strength of material tested under different circumstance is also observed. Furthermore, the creep behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy resin thermosetting composites tested under different circumstance and stress is also concerned to be analyzed.


Today we live in a global world, where English has become easily accessible through the internet. Pupils encounter English in an out-of-school context and playing digital games is a common activity. This literature study aims to examine if there are effects on pupils' vocabulary and oral proficiency due to playing digital games. Through compiling prior research, findings suggest that motivation, interaction and repetition over time are positive factors for enhancing vocabulary and oral proficiency. Research also illuminates that there are gender differences among young L2 learners. Frequent gamers are mostly boys and there is also a difference in game preferences. Normally girls tend to outshine boys within most subjects, however, in English the difference is less distinct and boys are somewhat stronger in English proficiency. Research about young L2 learners is scarce and there is definitely a need for further research about the effect of digital gaming on vocabulary and oral proficiency as well as regarding gender differences.


Objective Anemia is associated with high mortality and poor prognosis after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Increased red cell distribution width (RDW) is a strong independent predictor for adverse outcomes in ACS. The common underlying mechanism for anemia and increased RDW value is iron deficiency. It is not clear whether serum iron deficiency without anemia affects left ventricular (LV) performance after primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We investigated the prognostic value of serum iron concentration on LV ejection fraction (EF) at 6 months and its relationship to thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score in post MI patients. Methods We recruited 55 patients who were scheduled to undergo primary coronary balloon angioplasty after AMI and 54 age- and sex-matched volunteers. Serum iron concentration and interleukin-6 levels were measured before primary angioplasty. LVEF was measured by echocardiography at baseline and after 6 months. TIMI risk score was calculated for risk stratification. Results Serum iron concentration was significantly lower in those in whom LVEF had not improved ≥10% from baseline (52.7±24.1 versus 80.8±50.8 µg/dl, P = 0.016) regardless of hemoglobin level, and was significantly lower in the AMI group than in the control group (62.5±37.7 versus 103.0±38.1 µg/dl, P<0.001). Trend analysis revealed that serum iron concentration decreased as TIMI risk score increased (P = 0.002). In addition, lower serum iron concentrations were associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers. Multiple linear regression showed that baseline serum iron concentration can predict LV systolic function 6 months after primary angioplasty for AMI even after adjusting for traditional prognostic factors. Conclusion Hypoferremia is not only a marker of inflammation but also a potential prognostic factor for LV systolic function after revascularization therapy for AMI, and may be a novel biomarker for therapeutic intervention.


Purpose. Hypoglossal nerve palsy after use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is an exceptionally rare complication. We present the first case of unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy after use of the LMA Supreme. Clinical Features. A healthy 67-year-old female was scheduled for a hallux valgus correction under general anesthesia combined with femoral and sciatic nerve blocks. A size 4 LMA Supreme was inserted successfully at the first attempt and the cuff was inflated with air at an intracuff pressure of 60 cmH2O using cuff pressure gauge. Anesthesia was maintained with oxygen, nitrous oxide (67%), and sevoflurane under spontaneous breathing. The surgery was uneventful and the duration of anesthesia was two hours. The LMA was removed as the patient woke and there were no immediate postoperative complications. The next morning, the patient complained of dysarthria and dysphasia. These symptoms were considered to be caused by the LMA compressing the nerve against the hyoid bone. Conservative treatment was chosen and the paralysis recovered completely after 5 months. Conclusion. Hypoglossal nerve injury may occur despite correct positioning of the LMA under the appropriate intracuff pressure. A follow-up period of at least 6 months should be taken into account for the recovery.


Abstract Synchronous motors and their modifications (ac converter-fed motor, etc.) enable to develop low-noise, reliable and economically efficient electric drive systems. The construction of up-to-date systems based on the synchronous machines is impossible without development of the computing software incorporating mathematical and computing simulation. In its turn, modelling of the synchronous machines as a rule is based on the equations by Park-Gorev, application of which requires adoption of a series of allowances. These allowances in a number of cases do not permit to obtain adequate results of the simulation coinciding with the results of field experiments of the systems under review. Moreover, while applying the system of equations by Park-Gorev to research the systems including interaction of synchronous machines with semiconducting converters of electric energy it is necessary simulate the process of formation their controlling signals in the sphere of frequency. If the states of converter's keys are defined not only by controlling impulses but also by the state of currents in the synchronous machines flowing through them, such approach is not reasonable.


The Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge (TZB), located in China, is the first three-pylon suspension bridge with the main spans over two kilometers in the world. After its construction in 2012, a heterogeneous structural health monitoring system (HSHMS) combining wireless and wired techniques was implemented for the structural health assessment of the bridge. A total of 275 sensors comprising of accelerometers, strain sensors, three-dimensional ultrasonic anemometer, thermo-hygrometer, global positioning system and temperature sensors were installed to collect structural and environmental parameters for the assessment. In this paper, the structural uniqueness of the TZB and its HSHMS were introduced first. As a landmark project, wireless smart sensors were adopted in the vibration monitoring of the suspension cables. Critical structural parameters variations were obtained based on the data analyses. The results show that HSHMS and wireless smart sensors are promising for the structural health assessment of the unique suspension bridge.


Education of patients with arthritis began with an emphasis on conveying knowledge, grew to include behaviour change, compliance, and more general coping and management of disease and then progressed to consider physical and psychosocial health outcomes. Research continues in all these areas. Control, in many forms (locus of control, self perceived efficacy, learned helplessness), is now suggested to be a central mediating variable. Evaluation of programmes is moving away from programme v usual care towards comparison of alternative methods of delivery and matching of method to learner. The first generation of researchers in arthritis education tended to be care givers with little formal education in behavioural sciences and evaluation methodology; the programmes they designed were often empirically based. The current generation, nurtured in large part by funds from the Arthritis Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, is better trained in designing programmes grounded in behavioural sciences and educational theory. In the long run, collaborations with care givers and patients will considerably strengthen the effectiveness of education programmes for patients. A variety of educational strategies have been shown to change the knowledge, behaviour, and health of patients with arthritis for the better. Many methods seem to work, so long as the programme is planned, has a goal, and is accountable. There is much work still to be done to teach care givers to be better teachers, and patients to be better managers of their diseases, in concert with their doctors, and to focus on high risk groups. Although most work has been done with patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, many of these findings can and should be safely generalised to less studied rheumatic diseases. Finally, we need to consider the patient first as a person, and to provide education through all avenues, not just the medical care system.


In the presence of methylbenzimidazol-2-yl carbamate (MBC) swelling of conidia of Aspergillus nidulans was not influenced. The total DNA content per nucleus doubled only once, indicating that the first cell cycle was arrested in the G2-period. Later RNA as well as protein synthesis were inhibited. Nuclear migration into the germ tube and tip growth were delayed.

MBC-treatment induced nuclear enlargement and inhibited the first nuclear division in the germinating conidia. A characteristic nuclear invagination developed within which in most cases the enlarged "single NAO" and more less the formed "double NAO" are localized.

On the basis of ultrathin sections a model is suggested in which the typical position of "double NAO" in nuclear invagination is demonstrated. The possible relationship between nuclear invagination and NAO-formation, as well as its eventual importance are discussed.


Background and aims The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has increased over the recent years. The use of CAM in children is strongly associated with the parent use of CAM and with parent's perception of disease control in their children. The parent's perception regarding the use of CAM among their children was studied. Methods A cross sectional study was carried out over 12 months, among parents attending Parent-Teachers meeting in selected schools in Ajman, UAE. A self administered validated, pilot tested questionnaire was used as a tool. Descriptive and inferential statistics performed using SPSS-20 and p value <0.05 considered significant. Results A total of 136 parents participated, females [67%], age below 40 years [54%], Non-Arabs [65%], holding Diploma/ Bachelor or higher degree [76%], and having ≤2 children [61%]. About 54% of parents used CAM for their children. Concerning safety of using CAM in children, 79.3% of parents believed it was safe (89% of CAM user Vs 28.5% of CAM non-user, p < 0.001). 51.7% of the respondents considered use of CAM along with conventional medicine to be safe in children (56.2% of CAM user Vs 28.5% of CAM non-user, p = 0.06). Most frequent source of information regarding CAM for both CAM user and CAM non-user parents was family. The most frequent reason for not using CAM was the belief that modern medicine is more effective. Conclusions The perception of parents regarding CAM use in children differed between parents who used CAM in their children compared to those who did not.


Summary

Active forest restoration typically involves planting trees over large areas; this practice is costly, however, and establishing homogeneous plantations may favour the recruitment of a particular suite of species and strongly influence the successional trajectory. An alternative approach is to plant nuclei (islands) of trees to simulate the nucleation model of succession and accelerate natural recovery.
We evaluated natural tree recruitment over 4 years in a restoration study replicated at eight former pasture sites in the tropical premontane forest zone of southern Costa Rica. At each site, two active restoration strategies were established in 50 × 50 m plots: planting trees throughout, and planting different-sized tree islands (4 × 4, 8 × 8, 12 × 12 m) within the plot. Restoration plots were compared to similar-sized controls undergoing passive restoration. Sites were spread across c. 100 km2 and distributed along a gradient of surrounding forest, allowing us to compare the relative importance of adjacent forest to that of within-site treatment on tree recruitment.
Recruitment of animal-dispersed tree species was more than twofold higher in active (μ = 0·45 recruits m−2) as compared to passive restoration; recruitment was equivalent in plantation and island treatments, even though only 20% of the area in island plots was planted originally. The majority of recruits (>90%) represented early successional species (n = 54 species total).
Density of animal-dispersed recruits was greater in large (0·80 ± 0·66 m−2) than small (0·28 ± 0·36 m−2) islands and intermediate in medium-sized islands. Seedling recruitment (<1 m tall) was greater in the interior of islands as compared to plantations, whereas sapling recruitment was similar, suggesting that island interiors may develop greater density of woody recruits as succession proceeds.
Surrounding forest cover did not influence density or species richness of recruits among sites, although this factor may become more important over time.
Synthesis and applications. Applied nucleation is a promising restoration strategy that can accelerate forest recovery to a similar degree as plantation-style restoration but is more economical. Appropriate island size is on the order of c. 100 m2. Practitioners should consider the methodology as an alternative to large-scale plantings.


The design of an agent system for robotics is a problem that involves aspects coming from many different disciplines (robotics, artificial intelligence, computer vision, software engineering). The most difficult part of it, often consists in producing and tuning the algorithms that incorporates the robot behavior (planning, obstacle avoidance,...) and abilities (vision, manipulation, navigation,...). Frequently, the reuse of these parts is left to a copy and paste procedure from previous applications to the new one. In so doing many problems could arise. We propose a comprehensive approach for multi-agent systems oriented to robotics applications that uses a complete design methodology supported by a specific design tools and a pattern repository that interacting each other and with the designer allow the production of a coherent design that easily incorporates patterns coming from previously experienced features and automatically produces a large part of the final code.


Soil moisture is a key parameter in debris flow prediction for its influence on the critical rainfall triggering debris flow. Soil moisture can be obtained by ground measurement. However, it is difficult to extend these limited observing data to the regional scale because of the heterogeneity of land surface. The TemperatureVegetation Dryness Index (TVDI) is a common method of estimating regional soil moisture by the images of MODIS, because of its moderate spatial resolution and high temporal resolution. However, because the basic assumption of the TVDI method is that pixels from the study region can cover the entire range of soil moisture conditions and vegetation fractions, it is difficult to determine the actual dry edge of the space in humid regions. The Crop Water Shortage Index (CWSI) calculated by actual evapotranspiration and potential evapotranspiration does not need fitting to the dry edge and wet edge. CWSI further considers about the influence of vegetation. In this paper, we applied both TVDI and CWSI methods to retrieving soil moisture using remote sensing and meteorological data in Zhejiang Province, which has a humid climate. Among CWSI, the actual and potential evapotranspiration are calculated by the SEBS model. CWSI can also directly express the extent of soil moisture. In surface soil (0-10cm), the correlation coefficient of CWSI and measured relative soil moisture (RSM) reached -0.89.


In the process of volleyball players' mental health training, there exists the problem of low parameter accuracy. In order to further improve the accuracy of mental health training methods, based on arti†cial intelligence calculation, the neural network and long and short-term memory network were used to analyze the model. Estimation algorithm was used to describe the data, and †nally, the optimization model was obtained to describe the feasibility study of mental health. In addition, the relevant data were used to verify and analyze the model. e research shows that in the time update curve, with the increase of the model state, the corresponding curve on the whole †rst presents a ‰uctuating trend of diŠerent degrees. e increase of model state will make the corresponding time value gradually tend to ‰at. e ‰uctuation of the corresponding time index is obvious. Indicators corresponding to the status update curve show an obvious linear change trend with the increase in time, and the overall linear characteristics are obvious. is shows that when time is constant, the relationship between the corresponding parameter and the state value conforms to the linear law. e corresponding state index gradually increases and eventually tends to be stable. rough the analysis, it can be seen that the proportion of diŠerent indicators under the eŠect of arti†cial intelligence and the calculation results are diŠerent. e parameters show an obvious linear variation trend, indicating that the corresponding model parameters can well re‰ect the data changes. Finally, the accuracy of the model is veri†ed by the method of experimental comparison. e relevant research results can provide a new model and a method for volleyball players' mental health training.


This research applies recent developments in the analysis of firm location determinants, applying local geographic concentration indices to determine and the extent to which clustering influences the location decisions of cellulosic biofuel facilities. We focus on ethanol production from switchgrass and drop-in fuels made through pyrolysis. The economic sectors analyzed would be involved in the extraction, production, and distribution of intermediate and final fuel products, and the financing of businesses supporting these activities. We augment a cost-minimizing site location model with information about local employment patterns that would be engaged with a switchgrass-based cellulosic fuel sector. Employment concentration is determined using recent developments in the derivation of the traditional location quotient as a maximum likelihood estimator. The null hypotheses are that differences arising from advantages associated with each county are not different. Rejection of this hypothesis suggests that some sites have comparative advantage with respect to location advantage. The null hypothesis also suggests that the inclusion of labor concentration information in the overall cost structure will not impact the distribution of facilities. Region-wide economic impacts that follow the addition of multiple facilities are not expected to be different after inclusion of the employment location quotients as site suitability criteria.


A thorough exploration of the molecular basis for hydrophobicity with a comprehensive set of theoretical tools and an extensive set of organic solvent S/water binary systems is discussed in this work. Without a single exception, regardless of the nature or structure of S, all quantum descriptors of bonding yield stabilizing S⋯water interactions, therefore, there is no evidence of repulsion and thus no reason for etymological hydrophobicity at the molecular level. Our results provide molecular insight behind the exclusion of S molecules by water, customarily invoked to explain phase separation and the formation of interfaces, in favor of a complex interplay between entropic, enthalpic, and dynamic factors. S⋯water interfaces are not just thin films separating the two phases; instead, they are non-isotropic regions with density gradients for each component whose macroscopic stability is provided by a large number of very weak dihydrogen contacts. We offer a definition of interface as the region in which the density of the components in the A/B binary system is not constant. At a fundamental level, our results contribute to better current understanding of hydrophobicity.


RATIONALE
As the sole nitrogen donor in nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and key intermediate in the urea cycle, arginine and its metabolic pathways are integrally linked to cellular respiration, metabolism, and inflammation.

OBJECTIVES
We hypothesized that arginine (Arg) bioavailability would be associated with airflow abnormalities and inflammation in subjects with asthma, and would be informative for asthma severity.

METHODS
Arg bioavailability was assessed in subjects with severe and nonsevere asthma and healthy control subjects by determination of plasma Arg relative to its metabolic products, ornithine and citrulline, and relative to methylarginine inhibitors of NO synthases, and by serum arginase activity. Inflammatory parameters, including fraction of exhaled NO (Fe(NO)), IgE, skin test positivity to allergens, bronchoalveolar lavage, and blood eosinophils, were also evaluated.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Subjects with asthma had greater Arg bioavailability, but also increased Arg catabolism compared with healthy control subjects, as evidenced by higher levels of Fe(NO) and serum arginase activity. However, Arg bioavailability was positively associated with Fe(NO) only in healthy control subjects; Arg bioavailability was unrelated to Fe(NO) or other inflammatory parameters in severe or nonsevere asthma. Inflammatory parameters were related to airflow obstruction and reactivity in nonsevere asthma, but not in severe asthma. Conversely, Arg bioavailability was related to airflow obstruction in severe asthma, but not in nonsevere asthma. Modeling confirmed that measures of Arg bioavailabilty predict airflow obstruction only in severe asthma.

CONCLUSIONS
Unlike Fe(NO), Arg bioavailability is not a surrogate measure of inflammation; however, Arg bioavailability is strongly associated with airflow abnormalities in severe asthma.


This paper describes the GRD (Genetic Reconfiguration of DSPs) chip, which is evolvable hardware designed for neural network applications. The GRD chip is a building block for the configuration of a scalable neural network hardware system. Both the topology and the hidden layer node functions of a neural network mapped on the GRD chips are dynamically reconfigured using a genetic algorithm (GA). Thus, the most desirable network topology and choice of node functions (e.g., Gaussian or sigmoid function) for a given application can be determined adaptively. This approach is particularly suited to applications requiring the ability to cope with time-varying problems and real-time constraints. The GRD chip consists of a 100 MHz 32-bit RISC processor and 15 33 MHz 16-bit DSPs connected in a binary-tree network. The RISC processor is the NEC V830 which executes mainly the GA. According to chromosomes obtained by the GA, DSP functions and the interconnection among them are dynamically reconfigured. The GRD chip does not need a host machine for this reconfiguration. This is desirable for embedded systems in practical industrial applications. Simulation results on chaotic time series prediction are two orders of magnitude faster than on a Sun Ultra 2.


This paper deals with the automatic segmentation of tumor in brain MRI. Tumors are uncontrolled growth of tissues in any part of the body. Tumors may be of different types and they have different Characteristics and different treatment. Being in brain, tumor is inherently serious and life-threatening because of its limited space of the intracranial cavity (space formed inside the skull). Most Researches show that the number of people who have brain tumors were died due to the fact of inaccurate detection. Generally, CT scan or MRI are directed into intracranial cavity produces a complete image of brain, which is visually examined by the physician for detection & diagnosis of brain tumor. To avoid inaccurate determination, this paper uses a method in the detection (segmentation) of brain tumor based on Hessian analysis. Hessian analysis is used for Multi-scale blob detection, that corresponds to detection of tumors. This method detects every tumor, in addition some non tumors also were detected. The tumor likelihoods for the remaining tumor candidates were estimated using a logistic regression model based on blobness, and morphology features. It also reduces the time for analysis in addition. At the end of the process the tumor is extracted from the MRI and classified as normal and abnormal.


OBJECTIVEVascular abnormalities associated with neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF-1) are well known, but arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are rare and usually involve vertebral AVF. A case of intercostal AVF associated with NF-1 and manifesting as congestive myelopathy is described. CLINICAL PRESENTATIONA 62-year-old woman with a medical history of NF-1 experienced gradually worsening gait disturbance. Neurological examination at the time of admission found spastic paraparesis, decrease of sensation in the bilateral lower extremities, and vesicorectal disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed flow void sign and a congestive lesion of the thoracolumbar spinal cord, as well as a huge mass in the paravertebral region at T10–T12. Spinal angiography revealed an intercostal AVF with a large paravertebral varix, which drained to the spinal medullary vein and caused dilation of the intradural venous plexus of the spinal cord resulting in congestive myelopathy. INTERVENTIONDirect surgery was selected for the occlusion of the draining point of the medullary vein, located in the entry of the dura. The patient underwent hemilaminectomy at T10–T12, and the dural entry of the draining vein was occluded. Postoperative angiography revealed no dilated venous plexus of the spinal cord and reduced paravertebral varix. The symptoms were gradually relieved after the surgery. CONCLUSIONThe present case of a very rare intercostal AVF with an unusual manifestation of congestive myelopathy occurred in a relatively rare association with NF-1. Accurate evaluation of the vascular anomaly allowed selection of the appropriate surgical method.


Background Non-bullous impetigo is typically treated with antibiotics. However, the duration of symptoms without their use has not been established, which hampers informed decision making about antibiotic use. Aim To determine the natural history of non-bullous impetigo. Design and setting Systematic review. Method The authors searched PubMed up to January 2020, as well as reference lists of articles identified in the search. Eligible studies involved participants with impetigo in either the placebo group of randomised trials, or in single-group prognostic studies that did not use antibiotics and measured time to resolution or improvement. A modified version of a risk of bias assessment for prognostic studies was used. Outcomes were percentage of participants who had either symptom resolution, symptom improvement, or failed to improve at any timepoint. Adverse event data were also extracted. Results Seven randomised trials (557 placebo group participants) were identified. At about 7 days, the percentage of participants classified as resolved ranged from 13% to 74% across the studies, whereas the percentage classified as 'failure to improve' ranged from 16% to 41%. The rate of adverse effects was low. Incomplete reporting of some details limited assessment of risk of bias. Conclusion Although some uncertainty around the natural history of non-bullous impetigo remains, symptoms resolve in some patients by about 7 days without using antibiotics, with about one-quarter of patients not improving. Immediate antibiotic use may not be mandatory, and discussions with patients should include the expected course of untreated impetigo and careful consideration of the benefits and harms of antibiotic use.


This paper considers the proposal that corpus linguistics approaches can improve the objectivity of critical discourse analysis research, resulting in a more robust and valid set of findings. Taking a recent project which examined the representation of Islam and Muslims in the British press, corpus-driven procedures identified that Muslims tended to be linked to the concept of extreme belief much more than moderate or strong belief. There were differences across newspapers, with 1 in 8 Muslims describing it as extreme in The People while this figure was 1 in 35 for The Guardian. Such patterns of quantification, however, still require researchers to carry out their own critical interpretations with regard to what counts as acceptable frequencies.