Background. Chemotherapy advance has improved survival rate of children However, long life can be achieved by the patient is not accompanied b'' achieving of better quality of life due to the secondary effects of chemotherapy 01. the patient's physical and psychosocial. This study was aimed to determine factors that associated with quality of life of acute lymphoblastic leukemia"s children tuh': undergoing chemotherapy in Chronic Ward Pediatric Inpatient Dr. M. Djamr, Hospital, Padang. Method. The quantitative study with cross sectional approacl: has been done to 25 children by concecutive sampling. Data collection was usinc iiu*L=O" ip.ai"oi.s euality of Life) 4.0 Generic Core Scale, PedsQLrM 3.i Cancer Module, and nurse"s role (Cronbach u : 0,90). Data analysis was usitt-s pearson"s and spearman con'elation, independent t-test and Mann Whitney-U anc multiple linear regression. Result findings. The results revealed that there was a relationship between chemotherapy phase and nurse"s role with generic and cancer module quality of life (p<0,05). Conclusion. Nurse"s role was a predominant factor of generic and cancer module quality of life. Thus, it i. necessary to increase role of nurse by giving education about treatment ani management of chemotherapy side effects. Keywords: Cancer, chemotherapy, generic quality of life, nurse"s role.


Smoking topography (ST) is a set of measures profiling the behavioral characteristics of smoking in various settings. The CReSS portable device can measure ST in the natural environment. No standard protocol exists for measuring ST longitudinally with the CReSS. This study examined the utilization of the CReSS to measure ST and highlights challenges and opportunities in a naturalistic setting. This study is part of a randomized cross-over clinical trial of smoking filtered or unfiltered cigarettes. Participants (n = 43) smoked in each study condition for two weeks using the CReSS device for five days in their naturalistic smoking setting. The devices were calibrated and cleaned during the washout period, and data were downloaded every visit. Five test puffs were administered to calibrate each device. Moderate compliance rates (74.1%) were found with device usage, and the issues encountered were overheating/clogging, incorrectly registered date/time-stamped data, and device repair/replacement. Routine inspection/cleaning and training in device usage were instrumental in mitigating device malfunctioning. The CReSS device proved to be a feasible tool to examine naturalistic smoking topography and the potential impact of changes in tobacco product design on smoking unfiltered cigarettes. This is the first study to examine ST variables longitudinally, measured at multiple time points, and using unfiltered cigarettes.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
T cells mediate the development of inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We investigated the effects of an antibody against CD3 called otelixizumab, which induces immune tolerance, in intestinal mucosa samples from patients.

METHODS
Intestinal tissues were isolated from patients undergoing routine endoscopy or from patients undergoing intestinal surgery for colon cancer or IBD; healthy surrounding tissues were collected as controls. Isolated lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs) and mucosal tissue explants were incubated with otelixizumab for 24 or 48 hours. Production of inflammatory cytokines was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of 36 cytokines and chemokines and phosphorylation of 39 receptor tyrosine kinases and signaling molecules were measured using protein arrays. Immunoblot analysis was used to analyze T-cell transcription factors.

RESULTS
Incubation of intestinal tissues or LPMCs with otelixizumab reduced production of interferon gamma, interleukin (IL)-17A, and other inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, simultaneously increasing production of IL-10. Mucosal biopsy specimens from patients with IBD retained inflammation-associated tyrosine phosphoprotein profiles ex vivo. Incubation of the inflamed tissue with otelixizumab reduced phosphorylation of these proteins to levels observed in control tissues. Otelixizumab also markedly reduced phosphorylation of proteins associated with T-cell receptor activation. Neutralization of IL-10 blocked the anti-inflammatory effects of otelixizumab.

CONCLUSIONS
We observed anti-inflammatory effects of anti-CD3 in inflamed intestinal tissues from patients with IBD. The antibody appears to down-regulate T-cell activation via IL-10.


Employment can be a pathway to increased income, empowerment, quality of life and wellbeing. But for people with disabilities, job opportunities are limited, and employment supports often are inadequate. Despite legislative changes in recent years and a push toward employment as a solution to poverty among people with disabilities, there is a gap in knowledge, research, services and supports to meet the socioeconomic interests and needs of this diverse group of people. This study stems from a concern about how the current economic and political environment influences forms of employment available to people with disabilities; and to explain how and why the non-profit sector can be a potential site for inclusive employment. This institutional analysis critically investigated how three Ontario non-profit service providing organizations provided inclusive employment opportunities by examining institutional documents and policies, the perspectives of organization staff responsible for such practices and the everyday experiences of people with disabilities working in these organizations. This study draws from institutional ethnography as an emancipatory, critical theoretical method of investigation to analyze employment and disability within capitalist society. This relationship is examined from the standpoint of people with disabilities working in the non-profit service providing sector and extends upward to map the social relations between the individual and the organizations and institutions that influence their everyday experiences at work. Participating organizations were found to be places where employees could develop their capacities, represent the image of disability and social service worker, and contribute to their communities. Many employees expressed a strong commitment to social justice and were working directly on issues related to poverty, personal care, social inclusion, well-being and diversity. However, it was also evident when organizations reproduced individualizing and medical conceptualizations of disability that constrained the subjective experience of inclusion at work. Findings from this dissertation explicated how various reading practices of the Ontario Human Rights Code contributed to the abstraction or valued recognition of the subjectivities of employees embodied experiences; and highlighted how employment in the non-profit sector, from the standpoint of people with disabilities, very much implies the enrichment but also the sacrificing of one's individual being.


The structure of the mobile phase in liquid chromatography plays an important role in the determination of retention behavior on reversed-phase stationary materials. One of the most commonly employed mobile phases is a mixture of methanol and water. In this work, infrared and Raman spectroscopic methods were used to investigate the structure of species formed in methanol/water mixtures. Chemometric methods using multivariate curve resolution by alternating least-squares analysis were used to resolve the overlapped spectra and to determine concentration profiles as a function of composition. The results showed that the structure of these mixtures could be described by a mixture model consisting of four species, namely, methanol, water, and two complexes, methanol/water (1:1) and methanol/water (1:4). The spectral frequencies and concentration profiles found from the Raman and infrared measurements were consistent with one another and with theoretical calculations.


Canada is one of the world's largest nations, with a land area of nearly one billion hectares. This vast area is home to a number of unique ecosystems, comprised of different climate, land cover, topography, and disturbance characteristics. Depiction of forest composition, based on satellite-derived land cover, is a common means to characterize and identify trends in forest conditions and land use. Forest pattern analyses that consider the size, distribution, and connectivity of forest patches can provide insights to land use, habitat, and biodiversity. In this communication, we present the pattern characteristics of Canada's forests as determined by the Earth Observation for Sustainable Development of Forests (EOSD) product, a new land cover classification of the forested area of Canada. The EOSD product (EOSD LC 2000) represents conditions circa the year 2000, mapping each 25 m × 25 m pixel into one of 23 categories. We used the EOSD data to assess forest patterns nationally at four spatial extents: level 1, 13 000 km2 (corresponding to the area of a single 1:250 000 scale National Topographic System (NTS) map sheet); level 2, 800 km2 (corresponding to the area of a single 1:50 000 scale NTS map sheet); level 3, 1 km2; and level 4, 1 ha. For levels 1–3, a total of 95 landscape pattern metrics were calculated; for the 1 ha units, a subset of eight metrics were calculated. The results of this analysis indicate that Canada's forest pattern varies by ecozone, with some ecozones characterized by large areas of contiguous forest (i.e., Boreal Shield, Atlantic Maritime, and Montane Cordillera), while other ecozones have less forest and are characterized by large numbers of small forest patches, reflecting the complex mosaic of land cover types present (Taiga Shield, Taiga Cordillera). Trends for the subset of metrics used to characterize national conditions are relatively consistent across levels 1-3. Level 4 metrics, where the analysis extent is 1 ha, are well-suited to regional or local analyses. As the first regional assessments of the patterns contained in the EOSD LC 2000, these measures of Canada's forest landscape patterns add value to the national land cover baseline.


Electrical defibrillation is a well-established treatment for cardiac dysrhythmias. Studies have suggested that shock-induced spatial sawtooth patterns and virtual electrodes are responsible for defibrillation efficacy. We hypothesize that high-frequency shocks enhance defibrillation efficacy by generating temporal sawtooth patterns and using rapid virtual electrodes synchronized with shock frequency. High-speed optical mapping was performed on isolated rat hearts at 2000 frames/s. Two defibrillation electrodes were placed on opposite sides of the ventricles. An S1-S2 pacing protocol was used to induce ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA). High-frequency shocks of equal energy but varying frequencies of 125–1000 Hz were used to evaluate VTA vulnerability and defibrillation success rate. The 1000-Hz shock had the highest VTA induction rate in the shorter S1-S2 intervals (50 and 100 ms) and the highest VTA defibrillation rate (70%) among all frequencies. Temporal sawtooth patterns and synchronous shock-induced virtual electrode responses could be observed with frequencies of up to 1000 Hz. The improved defibrillation outcome with high-frequency shocks suggests a lower energy requirement than that of low-frequency shocks for successful ventricular defibrillation.


During the past year an investigation has been made in the laboratory of the Binghamton State Hospital for the Insane, of the cerebrospinal fluid from fifty-seven patients with general paresis, for the purpose of determining the relative value of the various laboratory methods of diagnosis which are now in quite general use. The results are shown in Table 1. As a control the same tests were applied to the spinal fluid from twenty-nine patients unquestionably suffering from psychoses other than general paresis. The fluids were obtained by lumbar puncture, about 10 c.c. being removed as a rule. The patients were kept in bed for twenty-four hours after the operation and no dangerous results occurred. Headache, dizziness, backache, and sometimes nausea followed, but no more severe symptoms were noted. The spinal fluid in general paresis is clear in appearance in the great majority of cases and when not, the cloudiness


In the last three decades, we witnessed a concomitant major increase in lifespan and a worldwide increasing incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Disruption of energy homeostasis and systemic inflammation appear as common traits of these epidemic human diseases. The conventional endocannabinoid (eCB) system encompasses two G-protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), their endogenous ligands (anandamide and 2-AG), and the enzymes essential for eCB biosynthesis and hydrolytic inactivation. Nonetheless, the family of eCB-like derivatives is growing constantly including other N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) and 2-monoacylglycerols (2-MAGs) that do not bind canonical CB receptors rather other orphan G-protein–coupled receptors or peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptors (PPARs). Here, we focus on the recent knowledge gathered on one such PPAR endocannabinoid ligand, oleoylethanolamide (OEA), from the identification of its synthesis in the small intestine to its anorexiant function with particular emphasis on our discovery of the main brain neurotransmitters system involved in its satiating effects.


Surveillance Wireless Sensor Networks (SWSNs) are the result of abundant data gathering requirements occurring in Wireless Sensor Networks, specifically for surveillance reasons. Most SWSNs operate by sensing the environment and transmitting the acquired data to a sink in order to utilize it for decision making processes such as object detection, classification, localization, or event detection. In this respect, secure routing of acquired data is crucial since a decision making process is performed according to the received data. Although there are various other attack types targeting different layers of the protocol stack, in this study we primarily focus on routing attacks occurring in the network layer, highlight possible defense mechanisms with respect to each attack type, and present impacts of routing attacks on SWSNs.


A number of studies throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s were able to highlight economic gains from the policy of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) in the UK. Claims have been made that this economic gain was achieved by financial savings brought about by deterioration in the terms and conditions of employees. Far less is known about the impact of CCT on the occupational health and safety of direct and subcontracted employees engaged in public service provision. Much of the literature which does exist on the impact on occupational health and safety of privatization generally, asserts that its effect has been negative. This article addresses the question of the impact of CCT on occupational health and safety on the basis of triangulation of three methodological approaches. Although the current UK government has abandoned the CCT process, it has replaced it with a policy of 'Best Value', a policy which will apply to all local authority services. Best Value does not contain the same element of compulsion, but it is likely that many of the organizational and commercial pressures introduced by CCT will continue. Against that back-drop, it is concluded that CCT may have exposed pre-existing deficiencies in local authority health and safetysystems. Strategies have been developed to address many of these deficiencies in CCT services. Services previously not subject to CCT will now be required to address these problems and solutions as a consequence of the Best Value regime.


Adenosine is an ubiquitous autacoid that modulates a variety of cellular functions through
occupancy of four cell surface G-protein-coupled receptors, named A1, A2A, A2B and A3. In
particular, adenosine was found to exert its effects on cell proliferation, clone formation ability, UV
resistance, and cell death mainly through the A3 subtype, which is highly expressed in tumor cells.
Adenosine also plays a role in the promotion of angiogenesis.
In this thesis I have characterized the signal transduction pathways modulated in hypoxia by A3
adenosine receptors in two different human tumor models: the colon cancer HT29 and the
melanoma A375 cell lines. I have performed the study in hypoxia, present in most solid tumors,
which shifts the cellular phenotype toward an increase in adenosine. Furthermore, hypoxic tumor
cells are resistant to conventional chemiotherapy and radiotherapy. I have investigated the
modulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) through adenosine via its receptor subtypes.
HIF-1 is a transcription factor that functions as a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis. HIF-1 is
a heterodimer composed of an inducibly expressed HIF-1α subunit and a constitutively expressed
HIF-1β one. In normoxia, HIF-1α is rapidly degraded by the ubiquitin proteasome system, whereas
exposure to hypoxic conditions prevents its degradation. I have studied the signaling pathways
modulated by A3 receptors which involved Akt, MEK, and p38 MAPK.
I have demonstrated that adenosine increased in hypoxic colon carcinoma cells HIF-1α and vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through the A3 receptor stimulation. Furthermore, the stimulation
of A2B receptor increased interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression. Pretreatment of cells with caffeine, which
is a methylxanthine antagonist of adenosine receptors, significantly reduced adenosine-induced
VEGF promoter activity and VEGF and IL-8 expression. The kinases have a key role in A3 receptor
ability to enhance HIF-1α and VEGF protein expression. Moreover, Akt, ERK 1/2, and p38 MAPK
are required for the IL-8 expression increase induced by A2B receptor activation.
Then, I have examined the modulation of IL-8, VEGF and HIF-1 by the DNA-damaging agents
etoposide and doxorubicin, and I have analyzed the influence of the adenosinergic signaling on the
chemotherapeutic drug effects. I have demonstrated that A2B receptor blockade can impair IL-8
production, whereas blocking A3 receptors, it is possible to further decrease VEGF secretion in
melanoma cells treated with etoposide and doxorubicin. The response to adenosine was generated at
the cell surface because the inhibition of A3 receptor expression, by using small interfering RNA,
abolished nucleoside effects. Exposure of melanoma cells to the chemotherapeutic drugs resulted in
the increase of p38, Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation levels. Moreover, etoposide and doxorubicin
strongly inhibited HIF-1α protein expression. The A2B receptor antagonist MRE 2029F20 attenuated
the increase in p38, Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation levels induced by the chemotherapeutic
drugs, and when used alone it reduced p38, Akt and ERK1/2 phosphorylation basal levels. The A3
receptor antagonist MRE 3008F20 alone reduced HIF-1α protein, and in combination with the
chemotherapeutic drugs further decreased HIF-1α protein accumulation. Therefore, the results of
this thesis provide evidence of how human tumor growth may be influenced through the
adenosinergic system and how the adenosine receptors modulation may be useful for refining the
use of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat human cancer more effectively.


This paper addresses the problem of statistical inference for latent continuous-time stochastic processes, which is often intractable, particularly for discrete state space processes described by Markov jump processes. To overcome this issue, we propose a new tractable inference scheme based on an entropic matching framework that can be embedded into the well-known expectation propagation algorithm. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by providing closed-form results for a simple family of approximate distributions and apply it to the general class of chemical reaction networks, which are a crucial tool for modeling in systems biology. Moreover, we derive closed form expressions for point estimation of the underlying parameters using an approximate expectation maximization procedure. We evaluate the performance of our method on various chemical reaction network instantiations, including a stochastic Lotka-Voltera example, and discuss its limitations and potential for future improvements. Our proposed approach provides a promising direction for addressing complex continuous-time Bayesian inference problems.


We present the design, implementation, and experimental characterization of a low-noise low-power biopotential recording integrated circuit (IC) in support of a fully implantable, high-density, actively multiplexed and flexible 32×32 electrode array for electrocorticography (ECoG) neural recording. Each ECoG recording IC contains an 8-channel ADC, each serving one column and multiplexing up to 32 rows in the external ECoG array. Each column ADC converts signal coarsely by 10-bit successive approximation (SA), and performs fine conversion of the residue by 7-bit 1st order incremental delta-sigma (ΔΣ) conversion. One bit of overlap between SA and ΔΣ stages supports wide dynamic range with an instantaneous core range of 3.9 mV, sufficiently larger than typical ECoG signals, while handling electrochemical and process variations in the ECoG electrode array up to ±1 V. Tests show a measured dynamic range of 85 dB and CMRR of 87 dB at 19.5 kS/s and at 19.4 μA from 3.3 V per ADC channel. The 8-channel IC occupies 18 mm2 in 0.6 μm 2P3M CMOS.


Previous studies have found that engineering students can learn about ethics, both microethical and macroethical, through service-learning courses and co-curricular community engagements. This research has sought to generate a national picture through survey responses of how ethical issues are taught in these settings. Based on survey results, individuals who taught courses that included service-learning (n=160) incorporated a median of 8 ethical topics. Among co-curricular engineering service groups like Engineers Without Borders, a median of 7 ethical topics were incorporated. Microethical topics were more common in service-learning courses compared to co-curricular activities. A smaller percentage of co-curricular activities such as professional societies (39%), honor societies (39%), and design competitions (21%) indicated that students learned about ethics through working with communities. A range of teaching methods complemented the community engagement activities, with discussions and lectures used in over half of all learning through service settings. Assessment of students' learning on ethical topics was nearly universal in service-learning courses (94%), but uncommon in co-curricular engineering service settings (less than 14%). These results provide ideas on ethics topics that can be infused into community engagement activities, complemented by various teaching and assessment methods.


This first English translation of "Precisions "reproduces the original book published in French in 1930, with an introduction added by the author in 1960. It is a spontaneous and exuberant series of 10 lectures Le Corbusier gave in Buenos Aires during the fall of 1929. As he spoke Le Corbusier improvised drawings on large sheets of paper with crayons. While similar drawings appear in other works, here all the lectures and images appear in their original context as Le Corbusier assembled them."Precisions "reflects a new maturity in Le Corbusier's thinking and an extreme confidence in the development of his ideas. The drawings and lectures are unique in their eloquent and concise summary of his philosophy of architecture and urban design, stating the principles that informed his work from the 1920s on. They contain some of his most compelling aphorisms, both verbal and visual, covering technique as the basis of architecture, the human scale in design, furniture, the private house, apartments and office buildings, the city, the League of Nations competition, teaching architecture, and a splendid analysis of the transformation of his own work in houses from La Roche-Jeanneret to the Villa Savoye.


We report the study of interband optical transitions in the interdiffused InAs quantum dash (QD) in InAlGaAs quantum well (QW) structures using room temperature surface photovoltage (SPV) spectroscopy. SPV signals have been detected from all relevant portions of both the as-grown and interdiffused structures including the QD, QW, and cladding layer. The effect of group-III intermixing on the interband optical transition energies in the interdiffused structures has also been revealed by the SPV spectroscopy, and the results have been confirmed by photoluminescence measurements. The SPV investigation shows that the compositional intermixing occurs not only between the dash and the surrounding well but also between the well and the surrounding barrier. The results demonstrate the potential of the SPV spectroscopy as a nondestructive, contactless method to characterize optical transitions in complex semiconductor nanostructures at room temperature.


State-controlled banks are currently at the core of financial intermediation in Russia. This paper aims to assess the magnitude of government banking, and to reveal some of its special features and arrangements. We distinguish between directly and indirectly state-controlled banks and construct a set of bank-level statistical data covering the period between 2000 and 2011. By January 2011 the market share of state-controlled banks reached almost 54 percent of all bank assets, putting Russia in the same league with China and India and widening the gap from typical European emerging markets. We show that direct state ownership is gradually substituted by indirect ownership and control. It tends to be organized in corporate pyramids that dilute public property, take control away from government bodies, and underpin managerial opportunism. Statecontrolled banks blur the borderline between commercial banking and development banking. Dominance of public banks has a bearing on empirical studies whose results might suggest state-owned banks' greater (or lesser) efficiency or competitiveness compared to other forms of ownership. We tend to interpret such results as influenced by the choice of indicator, period of observations, sample selection, etc., in the absence of an equal playing field for all groups of players. We suggest that the government's planned retreat from the banking sector will involve non-core assets mainly, whereas control over core institutions will just become more subtle.


Elevated temperatures that are often required for controlled radical polymerization processes lead to the thermal autopolymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl piperidine. In situ FTIR spectroscopy monitored 4-vinylbenzyl piperidine autopolymerization, and pseudo-first-order thermal polymerization kinetics provided observed rate constants (kobs). Arrhenius analysis determined the thermal activation energy (Ea) for 4-vinylbenzyl piperidine, revealing an activation energy requirement 80 kJ mol−1 less than styrene due to the presence of the piperidine ring. The similarities in chemical structure of styrene and 4-vinylbenzyl piperidine suggested a thermally initiated polymerization according to the Mayo mechanism; however, the piperidine substituent enabled a proposed cationic polymerization to enhance overall polymerization rates. In the absence of thermal polymerization, living anionic polymerization of 4-vinylbenzyl piperidine provided a viable strategy for achieving piperidine-containing polymers with predictable molecular weights and narrow polydispersities. This study also reports piperidine-containing polymeric precursors for subsequent alkylation to form novel piperidinium ionomers and polyelectrolytes.


The aim of the present study was to formulate the hydrogels of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and acrylic acid (AA) with two drugs namely; disopyramide phosphate (DSP) and propafenone hydrochloride (PPH) for pH sensitive drug delivery systems. These monomers were polymerized by free radical polymerization method and crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The dynamic swelling and deswelling behaviors of the prepared hydrogels were studied by changing the pH from 1.2 to 7.4, varying copolymer compositions and crosslinker content. It was observed that with change in pH from 1.2 to 7.4, a considerable increase in swelling of about 70 % was observed for all formulations. It was also found that the degree of swelling increased with an increase in acrylic acid concentration and decreases with increase in EGDMA content. The drug loaded hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transmission infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared drug loaded hydrogels have been further evaluated for drug content, in vitro drug release and stability studies. The in vitro drug release profiles of both the drugs were almost similar indicating that release is independent of the drug used and also the formulations showed stability for about 30 days.


Patient non‐adherence to prescribed anti‐epileptic drugs (AEDs) remains a challenge to successful treatment of patients with epilepsy. However, the literature on epilepsy does not document a comprehensive review of interventions to improve adherence as a means to improve clinical outcomes. This study systematically reviews existing literature on interventions to enhance AED adherence and clinical outcomes, and the measures of adherence included in these studies. We selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to enhance adherence with AEDs, which also measured clinical outcomes, with at least 80% follow‐up of participants for at least 6 months, from a comprehensive Cochrane review of adherence interventions for medications, complete to January 2013, and updated searches for additional AED studies in multiple bibliographic databases to January 2016. Two review authors independently extracted all data and a third author resolved disagreements. The present update included one trial from the Cochrane review and three RCTs published since, bringing the total number of RCTs on this topic to four. Two types of intervention were tested: educational (e.g., providing information to the patient or carer about treatment characteristics, duration, dosage regime, and how to use the AED) and behavioral (activity in order to remind the patient to take a medicine). Methods of measuring adherence included a combination of direct (plasma AED levels) and indirect measures (prescription refill frequency and appointment keeping) or use alone of self‐report adherence on standardized scales. Despite the importance of the problem, evidence is limited concerning enhancement of adherence among people with epilepsy. However, the trials available to date show that medication adherence in epilepsy can be improved, leading to better seizure control.


There is an urgent need for the analysis of melamine in the global pharmaceutical supply chain to detect economically motivated adulteration or unintentional contamination using a simple, nondestructive analytical technique that confirms the extent of adulteration in a shorter time period. In this work, different analytical techniques (thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), FT-Raman, and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy) were evaluated for their ability to detect a range of melamine levels in gelatin. While FT-IR and FT-Raman provided qualitative assessment of melamine contamination or adulteration, powder X-ray diffraction and NIR were able to detect and quantify the presence of melamine at levels as low as 1.0% w/w. Multivariate analysis of the NIR data yielded the most accurate model when three principal components were used. Data were pretreated using standard normal variate transformation to remove multiplicative interferences of scatter and particle size. The model had a root-mean-square error of calibration of 2.4 (R(2) = 0.99) and root-mean square error of prediction of 2.5 (R(2) = 0.96). The value of the paired t test for actual and predicted samples (1%-50% w/w) was 0.448 (p < 0.05), further indicating the robustness of the model.


Heterogeneous robot teams are formed to perform complex tasks that are sub-divided into different roles. In ad hoc domains, the capabilities of the robots and how well they perform as a team is initially unknown, and the goal is to find the optimal role assignment policy of the robots that will attain the highest value. In this paper, we formally define the weighted synergy graph for role assignment (WeSGRA), that models the capabilities of robots in different roles as Normal distributions, and uses a weighted graph structure to model how different role assignments affect the overall team value. We contribute a learning algorithm that learns a WeSGRA from training examples of role assignment policies and observed values, and a team formation algorithm that approximates the optimal role assignment policy. We evaluate our model and algorithms in extensive experiments, and show that the learning algorithm learns a WeSGRA model with high log-likelihood that is used to form a near-optimal team. Further, we apply the WeSGRA model to simulated robots in the RoboCup Rescue domain, and to real robots in a foraging task, and show that the role assignment policy found by WeSGRA attains a high value and outperforms other algorithms, thus demonstrating the efficacy of the WeSGRA model.


Gina, age 9, and Rosemary, age 66. They had different cancers, but developed similar skin ulcers over their entire bodies. Gina's wounds were open to air for 4 weeks. Her pain was severe. Two weeks after starting wound care, Gina allowed us to take pictures of her wounds. We promised to teach doctors and nurses how to care for her wounds. Unfortunately, Gina died. The pictures were lost. A year later, Rosemary was admitted with a similar skin condition and allowed us to photograph the progression of her wound care. Our promise to Gina is now kept. Here we describe the wound care plan necessary to relieve the pain and discomfort of partial-thickness wounds from dermatological conditions in oncology patients.


The genus Rubus is one of the most diverse in terms of morphology and genetics, presenting a wide spectrum of wild and cultivated species that are desired by their edible fruits. In Ecuador, the cultivation of blackberry (R. glaucus and Rubus sp.) is present along the Inter-Andean region, grown between 2000 and 3100 masl. This fruit crop is economically important for its high demand for fresh and processed consumption. This research was carried out in the Tumbaco Experimental Farm of INIAP (Ecuador) with the objective of finding characters that allow the morphological, phenological and pomological differentiation of four blackberry cultivars (Castilla, Andimora, Colombiana and Brazos). The multivariate analysis showed three conglomerates (C). Cultivars Andimora and Colombiana (C3) do not have spines unlike Castilla (C2) and Brazos (C1). Colombian was the earliest cultivar (161 days of sprouting to harvest) and Castilla the latest (186 days). Brazos cultivar showed the highest fruit weight (5.85 g). Andimora reached the highest content of soluble solids (11.86 oBrix) and had firm fruits. The differentiating characters observed in this study make possible to establish parameters of distinction between the cultivars that are currently cultivated in Ecuador.


This paper gives an overview of our recent work on liquid crystal emulsions and their use as starting point towards making monodisperse suspensions of colloidal entities with optical and geometrical anisotropies. The procedure utilizes a monodisperse emulsion of a photopolymerizable liquid crystal that is polymerized after mechanical deformation of the drops. We have engineered solid spheres as well as oblate and prolate spheroids presenting a bipolar anisotropic character at the micrometer scale. These materials respond to optical and external electric fields by aligning their mean optic axis parallel to the field, thus constituting excellent systems for fundamental studies and applied uses.


In multiwinner approval voting, the goal is to select k-member committees based on voters' approval ballots. A well-studied concept of proportionality in this context is the justified representation (JR) axiom, which demands that no large cohesive group of voters remains unrepresented. However, the JR axiom may conflict with other desiderata, such as coverage (maximizing the number of voters who approve at least one committee member) or social welfare (maximizing the number of approvals obtained by committee members). In this work, we investigate the impact of imposing the JR axiom (as well as the more demanding EJR axiom) on social welfare and coverage. Our approach is threefold: we derive worst-case bounds on the loss of welfare/coverage that is caused by imposing JR, study the computational complexity of finding 'good' committees that provide JR (obtaining a hardness result, an approximation algorithm, and an exact algorithm for one-dimensional preferences), and examine this setting empirically on several synthetic datasets.


Annual legumes are widely grown by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. In addition to providing food, these crops are widely recognised to help maintain soil fertility. In this review we highlight their soil fertility benefits and shortcomings and suggest areas for future work. Most of our knowledge about the soil fertility benefits from annual legumes has come from research stations where they have been demonstrated to input large amounts of N and organic matter. But we still know surprisingly little about the magnitude and dependability of those gains on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe where acidic sandy soils, rainfall extremes and pests often place severe limits on legume growth. Recent work suggests that benefits under those conditions with traditional annual legumes such as groundnuts are much smaller and take longer to achieve than on research stations. We need to screen new legumes for local adaptation to see if there are new species or accessions that do better on smallholder farms. Some green manures, especially velvet beans, have given a reasonable biomass on extremely nutrient depleted and fairly acidic soils, and have potential to help rehabilitate degraded fields when coupled with lime and P. Green manuring will be difficult for smallholders to adopt unless large benefits can be obtained quickly. More work with velvet beans is required on farms to establish the size and speed of yield gains for following maize crops. Also, more participatory work amongst farmers is needed to integrate green manures into existing farming systems. Smallholder farmers already rotate grain legumes with maize. In many cases the rotation does help maintain productivity and soil fertility although at levels much reduced from those found on station. Further long-term on-farm work with the farmers being closely involved is needed to measure benefits from the rotations, and to examine the technology and management options to help farmers grow better crops of existing and new (such as promiscuous soybeans) grain legumes both for their direct benefit as food and the subsequent benefit to succeeding cereal crops. These options would include use of fresh seed, lime and perhaps P. The intercropping of grain legumes with maize can often raise the productivity of land, except in dry areas. Although farmers are rarely going to intercrop annual legumes primarily to improve soil fertility, spin-off benefits on soil fertility may still be worthwhile and have recently been achieved on station in Zimbabwe. These have yet to be demonstrated and quantified on smallholder fields through longer-term trials. In conclusion, although benefits will often not be large, annual legumes can help to maintain soil fertility on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. The farmers will need more help to access seed of a range of annual legumes that they can integrate into their farming system. A bigger effort by research, extension and seed houses to produce and distribute seed at prices affordable to smallholder farmers is necessary, along with more appropriate guidance on crop management.
 Transactions of the Zimbabwe Scientific Association Volume 72 (Supplement) 1998, pp. 15-26


This research attempts to design a filtering framework that incorporates the advantage of human based criteria, in addition to the computerized selection in order to produce more relevant and personalized search result to enhance the effectiveness of search result ranking technique. Currently, results suggested by search engine don't match user's expectations, which cause frustration to users. Previous research have shown only 20% to 45% of the common search results are relevant to the user's search. The search become harder when the keyword used is a homographic word. In search engine, page ranking can be affected by homographic keyword. For instance, the word 'Handicap' is one of the examples of homographic keyword. From initial observation with the use of Google search engine, there is two top search results for 'Handicap' keyword; i) disability, and ii) method of leveling any sports or games such as in golf. This shows that search engine will rank pages using general user's interest, and neglect the aspect of personalization involving user's interest. Thus, this research investigates common types of data to be used for personalization, designs framework based on types of data, and develops search cluster based on the data. The frame work is then validated with a demonstration of its implementation. This research will perform two phases of survey. The first survey is for data collection and the second survey is for validation of the filtering framework. This research presents new knowledge to enhance search result and contribute to the body of knowledge in Mathematics and Computing area. It enhances the search result by personalization that matches the user behavior, interest and ontology of metadata with other users. Also, by humanizing the search result it will lessen the gap between human and computer. The Filtering framework provides foundation in developing the algorithm for searching tools. This algorithm can be implemented in both website and search engine.


Problem: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecast that by 2016 more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed to fill jobs in the health care field . In order to meet the medical needs of a changing society, schools of nursing must continue to educate and graduate significant numbers of nurses. This may be done by increasing the success rates of those who are admitted in nursing programs. Success rate is thought to be related to admission criteria used to admit students which, in turn, may reduce attrition rate, which is between 20 to 40% in nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to examine if success was related to grades in prerequisite courses among a group of nursing students at Southwestern Michigan College. The prerequisite courses analyzed were Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Algebra, Psychology, and Speech. Success was defined as having graduated from the associate degree nursing program at the college. Method: This study was a quantitative study utilizing secondary data analysis of the five prerequisite courses that were taken prior to admission into the nursing program at Southwestern Michigan College. A comparative mode of inquiry was used to investigate whether there was a difference in prerequisite grades between those who graduated and those who did not graduate from the nursing program. The influence of gender on success was also examined. Results: Mean grade point averages ranged from a low of 2.38 (SD=0.99) in Mathematics for non-graduates to a high of 3.21 (SD=0.84) in Speech for graduates. At α =0.01, t-tests for independent samples indicated that significant differences in grade point averages were found between graduates and non-graduates in Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology. A two-way analysis of variance indicated that no significant interaction effects were found between gender and success in all five prerequisite courses. A direct discriminant analysis showed that a linear combination of the five prerequisite courses significantly differentiated graduates from non-graduates (λ=0.95, χ2=16.81, p=0.005). Most highly correlated with the discriminant function was Biology (0.959), followed by Mathematics (0.475), Chemistry (0.472) and Psychology (0.445). Conclusion: Overall, grades in prerequisite courses can be utilized to a degree to help establish evidence-based criteria for admission into the nursing program. The following recommendations are made based on the results of this research study. 1. Students seeking admission into the nursing program should demonstrate a minimum grade of a "B" (3.0) in the Biology course since that course appeared to be the strongest predictor for student success and graduation from the nursing program. 2. Students seeking admission into the nursing program should have a minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.8 and a prerequisite cumulative GPA average of 2.8 on the five prerequisite courses. 3. The nursing program should consider utilizing a weighted admission procedure or process, which would place a greater emphasis on the grades in Biology, Chemistry, and Math. This would allow for the courses that have a greater impact on success to have a greater influence when prerequisite courses are considered for admission criteria. 4. The information from this study may be used to identify potential high-risk students so that appropriate support mechanisms can be developed to increase their odds of successfully completing the nursing program. 5. Further studies on the influence of repeating prerequisite courses on success should be conducted. In this study, only about 50% of those who repeated one or more prerequisite course graduated from the nursing program. 6. This study examined the influence of five prerequisite courses on success in a nursing program. The influence of non-cognitive factors on success in nursing programs should be investigated in future studies.


There is a scarcity of data on thyroid disorders in Ghana. This retrospective study examined the spectrum and incidence of thyroid disorders by reviewing all thyroid disorders reported in the De-partment of Pathology, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) between 2004 and 2010. Data was collected on the clinical and histological characteristics of all thyroid disorders reported during the study. 1300 (3.7%) cases were reported, representing an annual incidence of 185.7 cases. The ages ranged from 1-86 years with a mean of 41.5 (SD=13.9). Most [353 (27.4%)] of the cases were be-tween 30-39 years group. Majority, 1141(87.8%) were females. The top eight common thyroid dis-eases were; non-toxic multinodular goitre 1002(77.5%), follicular adenoma 86(6.6%), diffuse toxic goitre 42 (3.2%), papillary thyroid carcinoma 40(3.1%), thyroglossal duct cyst 35(2.7%), Hashimo-to's thyroiditis 28(2.2%), lymphocytic thyroiditis 22(1.7%) and follicular carcinoma 17(1.3%). Sixty-six (43.4%) of the neoplastic thyroid disorders were malignant with a prevalence of 0.18 among thy-roid samples and annual incidence of 9.40 cases. The commonest thyroid cancer was papillary car-cinoma 40(60.6 %), with a mean age of 38.3 SD=16.1 years, majority, 34 (82.9%), were women. A wide spectrum of thyroid disorders exists in Ghana, with an annual incidence of 185.7 cases. The commonest malignant thyroid disorder was papillary carcinoma, though iodine deficiency is en-demic in Ghana and on this basis; one would have expected follicular carcinoma to be the com-monest thyroid cancer in Ghana. Keywords: Multinodular; Goitre; Papillary; Follicular; Adenoma, Ghana Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences (2013) 2(1), 1-7


The primary inhibitor of plasmin in human plasma was purified by a four-step procedure involving fractional (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography on a column of DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B and affinity chromatography on both a plasminogen-CH-Sepharose 4B column and a column of 6-aminohexanoic acid covalently coupled through the carboxylate function to AH-Sepharose 4B. No impurities in the final preparation could be detected when tested by immunoelectrophoresis against a range of specific antisera or against rabbit anti-human serum. On polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis the inhibitor preparation showed a single band. The dissociation constant for the inhibitor-plasminogen complex was determined to be approx. 3mum at pH7.8. The reactions of the inhibitor with human plasmin and with bovine trypsin were studied. Comparison of the results obtained confirms the hypothesis previously presented, namely that the reaction of the inhibitor with plasmin involves at least two steps, the initial rapid formation of an enzyme-inhibitor complex followed by a slow irreversible transition to another complex. The results also indicate that the reaction of the inhibitor with trypsin involves just a single, irreversible step, so that this reaction seems to be less complicated than that of the inhibitor with plasmin. The ways in which 6-aminohexanoic acid influences the reactions were studied. The same value for the dissociation constant (approx. 26mum) for 6-aminohexanoic acid is obtained for both its effect on the reaction of the inhibitor with trypsin and for competitive inhibition of trypsin. The inhibitory effect of 6-aminohexanoic acid thus seems to be due to its blocking of the active site of trypsin. In contrast with this, the inhibitory effects of l-lysine and 6-aminohexanoic acid on the inhibitor-plasmin reaction occur at concentrations much too low to affect the active site of plasmin. The possible dependence of the reaction of the inhibitor with plasmin on a second site(s) on plasmin is discussed.


Summary Floreana Island has the highest proportion of local land bird extinctions on the Galápagos Archipelago, and is home to the range-restricted and critically endangered Medium Tree Finch Camarhynchus pauper. We used acoustic surveys during 2004, 2008 and 2013 to compare the estimated population size of C. pauper and other land bird species in a remnant patch of Scalesia forest. First, we compared song in C. pauper and C. parvulus and the recently discovered Camarhynchus hybrid group to justify our use of acoustic surveys to detect population trends given contemporary hybridisation between C. pauper and C. parvulus. Song differed significantly between C. pauper versus C. parvulus and hybrid birds, but not between C. parvulus versus hybrid birds. Second, we compared population size estimates. Camarhynchus pauper declined by 52% between 2004 and 2013 (with a 10% increase since 2008); C. parvulus/hybrid increased by 45% between 2004 and 2013 (with 28% decrease since 2008). In 2013, there were ∼ 419 C. pauper males in the Scalesia forest (estimate for Scalesia habitat only) and ∼ 2,537 males on Floreana Island (estimate for the entire available highland habitat). Not all species showed a pattern of decline in the highland Scalesia habitat between 2004 and 2013: Dendroica petechia (+256%), Crotophaga ani (+254%) Geospiza fuliginosa (+23%), and Myiarchus magnirostris (+11%) increased, while the ground finch G. fortis (-76%) decreased. Understanding why C. pauper is declining while other land bird species are increasing in the same habitat requires continued inquiry and monitoring efforts.


In situ investigation of the biodeteriorative microorganisms lived on the Sumela monastery stones were identified using Microbial Identification System (MIS) and SEM-EDS combined system energy dispersive spectrometric investigations. The results showed that wide variety micro/macro-organisms dwell on stones of the Sumela Monastery. Total 24 species and 10 genuses were determined on the deteriorated stone surfaces by microbial identification studies. The settled way of these organisms on stone surface were illustrated by SEM images. EDS analyses show that the major elements constituting the stones of the Sumela Monastery are silicon, aluminum, calcium, potassium, titanium, magnesium, zinc, sulfur, iron, sodium and niobium. Some of these elements could provide energy resources for the microorganisms by dissolving stone-surfaces of the Monastery. However, the biodeteriorative effect of micro/macroorganisms is more significant on stones of the Sumela Monastery, we see that the man is the most destructive agents on the historical building among all of the deteriorative factors.


The problem of assessing the age of unidentified corpses remains a pressing one. Relevant published data is reviewed in brief. This study was aimed at assessing the possibility of using quantitative morphometric parameters of thyroid involution for forensic medical evaluation. The method of using these parameters and their mathematical processing is described. An optimal model is selected for assessing the biological age from two parameters, the percentage and diameter of follicles; this model permits the diagnosis of age with an accuracy of 88%.


The objective of this paper is to provide a general theory of the manner in which the water resources of a catchment shift from surplus to deficit and the means by which water resource institutions can manage or reverse this shift. The approach combines the languages of hydrology and the social sciences. After defining the concepts of catchment water surplus and deficit, an account is given of how a river basin may shift from one to the other as its output per head and population expand. Twelve possible options to confront such a shift are reviewed. The paper discusses the global significance of these issues and ends with a general testable hypothesis as a basis for fieldwork.


A bottom contact organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) using a-sexithiophene (α-6T) as an active layer was fabricated in this paper. α-6T was deposited via vacuum evaporation onto a SiO2/n-Si substrate and was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The current-voltage characteristics of the α-6T OTFT and its response to different concentrations of methanol, alcohol and secondary butyl alcohol vapor were investigated. It was found that the drain-source current in the saturation region decreases rapidly when the OTFT was exposed to methanol, alcohol and secondary butyl alcohol vapor. The results showed that such α-6T OTFT sensors are promising to act as a novel class of chemical sensors.


Although bromide is generally considered non-toxic at concentrations found in most drinking water sources, it reacts with a variety of commonly used disinfectants, most notably ozone and chlorine, to produce by-products that are of serious public health concern. There are not currently any demonstrated technologies that can remove bromide in a cost effective fashion. This paper examines an electro-chemical process on a pilot-scale to remove bromide from a widely used surface water source, the California State Water Project (SWP). The process consists of oxidizing bromide to bromine and volatilizing the bromine. SWP water was passed through this unit under various conditions and the bromide removal was measured as well as the formation potential for various organic by products. This study shows up to 35% of the bromide was removed and there were up to 60% less disinfection by-products measured.


Part I: General Modeling Framework The paper at hand deals with the modeling of turbulence effects on the dynamics of a long slender elastic fiber. Independent of the choice of the drag model, a general aerodynamic force concept is derived on the basis of the velocity field for the randomly fluctuating component of the flow. Its construction as centered differentiable Gaussian field complies thereby with the requirements of the stochastic k-turbulence model and Kolmogorov's universal equilibrium theory on local isotropy. Part II: Specific Taylor Drag In [12], an aerodynamic force concept for a general air drag model is derived on top of a stochastic k-epsilon description for a turbulent flow field. The turbulence effects on the dynamics of a long slender elastic fiber are particularly modeled by a correlated random Gaussian force and in its asymptotic limit on a macroscopic fiber scale by Gaussian white noise with flow - dependent amplitude. The paper at hand now presents quantitative similarity estimates and numerical comparisons for the concrete choice of a Taylor drag model in a given application.


Goods and services Taxes that are generally known as GSTs have a single tax on the supply of goods and services to the manufacturer's consumer. GST is one of the most important tax reforms in India that have been waiting for a long time. Under the concept of "ONE NATION ONE TAX" it is an extensive tax system that seamlessly covers all indirect taxes of the national and central government and the entire economy on the national market. The GST includes all indirect taxes that help the economy to grow and which can be more favorable than the old tax system. The GST will also accelerate the gross domestic product (GDP). GST is currently recognized worldwide and is used as a sales tax in the country. The tax amount paid at each stage can be used in the next phase of VAT, and GST will in principle only levy the added value at each stage. In 2000, however, the idea of the GST in India was raised by the government of Vajpayee and the amendment was adopted in Loksabha on 6 May 2015, but it became effective from 1 July 2017. But there are huge shades and screams that implement. It will be interesting to understand whether the GST regime can hinder the growth and development of the nation. There is no extra tax. The purpose of the GST is to replace all taxes with one compound tax rate to apply one tax rate. The goal is to eliminate taxes on taxes. This article describes the positive and negative aspects of the GST function for the Indian economy.


Dietary diversity plays a major role in the health status of children. However, evidence on its crucial role on children's health status remains inconclusive in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this study, we examined the association between dietary diversity and undernutrition among children aged 6–23 months in SSA. We pooled data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of 32 countries in SSA from 2010 to 2020. A sample of 48,968 mother-child pairs of children within the ages of 6–23 months and mothers aged 15–49 years were included in this study. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the association between dietary diversity and stunting, wasting, and underweight. The results were presented as crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with their 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The overall prevalence of minimum dietary diversity was 25.1%, with South Africa recording the highest prevalence (43.9%) and Burkina Faso recording the lowest prevalence (5.6%). The highest prevalence of stunting was recorded by Burundi (51.8%) while the lowest prevalence was found in Ghana (13.6%), with an overall regional prevalence of 28.6%. For wasting, prevalence from all countries was found to be 9.4%. South Africa recorded the lowest prevalence of wasting (2.1%) while Niger recorded the highest prevalence (27.3%). Lastly, the prevalence of underweight ranged from 5.3% in South Africa to 41.8% in Niger, with an all-country prevalence of 16.4%. Children who had adequate minimum dietary diversity had 12% less likelihood of being stunted (aOR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.83, 0.94), compared to those who had inadequate minimum dietary diversity. Having an adequate minimum dietary diversity significantly lowered the risk of underweight among children by 17% (aOR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77, 0.91). Having an adequate minimum dietary diversity was associated with 13% reduced odds of wasting among children (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.78, 0.97), compared to those who had inadequate minimum dietary diversity. This study highlights the significant association between minimum dietary diversity and stunting, wasting, and underweight among 6–23 month-old children in SSA. There is an urgent need for additional nutrition-specific interventions and strengthening of existing interventions aimed at improving infant and young child feeding practices, including complementary feeding practices among children aged 6–23 months in the 32 countries in SSA. Such interventions should focus more on countries where the prevalence of adequate minimum dietary diversity was low and undernutrition was high.


In "new" new international trade theory, whether firms export or not are determined by their productivity. These models assume that firms enter a market to find their productivity levels revealed to them as in a lottery. In this paper we propose an alternative way to model whether firms export or not, namely as a firm-level decision akin to an investment decision with a real option value. We show that endogenizing the export decision is consistent with patterns of productivity and exporting reported in the empirical literature.


Objectives: To assess the clinical effectiveness of using a spinal alignment cushion compared to standardized care in the management of simple mechanical LBP, whilst laying in the semi-fetal position.

Methods: 71 individuals (aged between 18 and 50) with simple mechanical LBP for at least 3 months were recruited to the 4-week intervention after screening using the Red Flags and STarT Back tools. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control (standardized care) or intervention group (standardized care plus spinal alignment cushion). Pre and post assessments were taken using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) (0-24), to assess physical disability associated with low back pain; the Core Outcomes Measure Index (COMI) (0-10), and Patient Reported Outcome Measures that included measures of sleep quality and comfort as well as back and muscle pain and stiffness. Questionnaires were completed online using SNAP survey. Each post assessment was analyzed using ANCOVA with corresponding pre-assessment as a covariate.

Results: Clinically and statistically significant differences were seen in the RMDQ (p=0.034) and COMI scores (p=0.008) with the intervention group showing the greater improvement in scores over the four-week intervention. Significant differences were also seen in favor of the intervention group in the frequency (p=0.004) and intensity of back pain (p<0.001), joint/muscle stiffness (p=0.046) and intensity of back stiffness (p=0.022).

Conclusions: Overall, results suggest that use of targeted treatments such as a spinal alignment cushion, for symptoms at night can provide clinically important and statistically significant improvements for individuals with LBP with high levels of treatment satisfaction and adherence


We find a strong positive link between past IPO returns and future subscriptions at the investor level in Finland. Our setting allows us to trace this effect to the returns personally experienced by investors; the effect is not explained by patterns related to the IPO cycle, or wealth effects. This behavior is consistent with reinforcement learning, where personally experienced outcomes are overweighted compared to rational Bayesian learning. The results provide a microfoundation for the argument that investor sentiment drives IPO demand. The paper also contributes to understanding how popular investment styles develop, and has implications for the marketing of financial products.


Myosin VI has been studied in both a monomeric and a dimeric form in vitro. Because the functional characteristics of the motor are dramatically different for these two forms, it is important to understand whether myosin VI heavy chains are brought together on endocytic vesicles. We have used fluorescence anisotropy measurements to detect fluorescence resonance energy transfer between identical fluorophores (homoFRET) resulting from myosin VI heavy chains being brought into close proximity. We observed that, when associated with clathrin-mediated endocytic vesicles, myosin VI heavy chains are precisely positioned to bring their tail domains in close proximity. Our data show that on endocytic vesicles, myosin VI heavy chains are brought together in an orientation that previous in vitro studies have shown causes dimerization of the motor. Our results are therefore consistent with vesicle-associated myosin VI existing as a processive dimer, capable of its known trafficking function.


As a result of over 24 years of management of agricultural property of the State Treasury, from 807 thous. ha properties which were overtaken, 80.3% were firmly disposed (mainly through sales). Lease continues being significant as 120.1 thousands ha of land (14.9%) are being leased. Aim of this research was to identify determinants of management of agricultural properties of the State Treasury in Warmia-Masuria province. Analysis based on reports on the activity of APA's Territorial branch in Olsztyn and results of questionnaires filled in by people who manage farms on properties leased or purchased from the State Treasury. Results of this questionnaires state that factors influencing profitability of farm production (shaped for instance by prices of production resources, farm production costs, demand on products of the farm or by unstable prices of purchase) were most significant. Resource factors resulting from possessing proper machine park, equity for development and quality of possessed/leased lands were also important for managing a farm.


: A surgical technique utilizing a bovine xenograft bioprosthesis has been developed for stabilizing a chronically unstable lateral ankle. With this new technique, minimal dissection of adjacent soft tissue is required, and the method allows for tissue ingrowth for strength and anastomosis to bone. However, a longer period of non-weightbearing is required to prevent inadequate incorporation of the graft.


Geodesy comprises the study of the Earth's shape and gravity field, and provides the scientific basis of precise surveying, navigation, mapping, and studies of the physics and dynamics of the Earth.


A 2-J Ti:sapphire laser oscillator has been constructed by using an end-pumped configuration. The pump laser delivered as much as 10 J of energy (40–50 J cm−2) at 495 nm over a 4-μsec pulse length with no damage to the Ti:sapphire crystal. Ti:sapphire laser conversion efficiencies of 20% were obtained, and no parasitic oscillations were observed. A side-pumped Ti:sapphire oscillator delivered 0.7 J when pumped by 8 J of 495-nm radiation.


TifEagle' (2n = 3x = 27) hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (2n = 4x = 36) x Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt-Davy (2n = 2x = 18)) is an ultradwarf cultivar for greens, and 'TifSport' (2n = 3x = 27) is a more versatile hybrid used on fairways, ath- letic fields, and lawns. To develope a transformation system and determine if somaclonal variation was present in regenerated plants, both cultivars were tested for their ability to produce embryogenic callus from which plants could be regenerated. Sliced nodes of both cultivars and immature inflorescences from 'TifSport' were used as the explant sources. Cultures were initiated on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 6.79 µM 2,4-D and 0.044 µM BA ('TifSport' and 'TifEagle') or 6.79 µM 2,4-D plus 200 mg . L -1 casein hydrolysate ('TifSport'). In total, 51 plants were regenerated from callus of a single node of 'TifEagle'. Nodes from 'TifSport' did not produce embryogenic callus. In total, 29 plants were regenerated from callus of 'TifSport' produced from immature inflorescences. These plants were grown in the field for at least one season, and 5-cm-diameter plugs were har- vested, repotted in a greenhouse, and allowed to reestablish. Data on canopy height, leaf width, leaf length, and number of stolons were collected. Seven 'TifEagle'-derived entries (14%) were not significantly different (_ = 0.05) from 'TifEagle' harvested from the breeder plot in Tifton, Ga., for all measured traits, and 41%, 24%, and 22% differed by one, two, or three measurements, respectively. Flow cytometry indicated that 33% (13 plants) of the 'TifEagle' regenerants were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 54) and the rest remained triploid. One 'TifSport' regenerant was significantly different (_ = 0.05) for plant height.


Abstract This study focuses on two main questions: (1) what types of shell damage occur in the death assemblage of upper Chesapeake Bay benthic mollusks; and (2) how does shell damage differ according to intrinsic factors such as life habit, shell mineralogy, and shell organic content. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors, ranging from the environment to shell composition, interact to influence the quality of fossil preservation. Our understanding of how extrinsic factors affect shell-damage profiles has improved dramatically with the development of taphofacies models, but the role that intrinsic factors play is still poorly understood. Molluscan death-assemblage material was obtained via box coring, identified, and assigned taphonomic damage states. The most common forms of shell damage were disarticulation, fine-scale surface alteration (FSA), periostracum loss, edge modification, and fragmentation. Four patterns were documented consistently across habitat types when shell damage was examined according to life habit and shell composition. Infaunal specimens exhibit significantly more severe damage due to internal FSA than epifaunal specimens. Calcitic specimens experience higher levels of external encrustation than noncalcitic specimens. Specimens with high levels of shell organics experience significantly more fragmentation and edge modification than specimens with low levels of shell organic content. The direction and degree to which other damage variables differ among intrinsic categories vary according to the variable assessed or the habitat type sampled. In the northern sites (i.e., deeper water), all the variables that recorded differential damage according to shell-organic content recorded greater damage in specimens with high shell organic content, suggesting that the latter may be experiencing selective removal from the death assemblage.


Abstract The aim of this study was to identify the immediate effect of self-modelling with different focus of attention strategies (i.e., internal vs. external) on the teaching/learning of gymnastics motor-skills. Fifty-nine non-gymnast students participated in this study and were divided into three groups (i.e., an external focus group (EF), an internal focus group (IF), and a control group (CG)). Each participant's performance of the back dismount in the parallel bars was assessed before the experiment (i.e., base-score), and each participant was asked to provide a self-evaluation of their performance and their efficiency percentage. Afterwards, participants received a specific learning session (i.e., self-modelling with external focus, self-modelling with internal focus, or traditional learning with verbal instruction) and performed the back dismount in the parallel bars again immediately after (i.e., final score). Four international judges evaluated performance of our participants. The results showed that the EF and IF outperformed the CG in the final score. Importantly, a significant difference between the base and the final score was observed in the EF and IF, but not in the CG. In addition, the EF showed the highest percentage of improvement (Δ-score) and self-estimation scores compared to the two other groups. In conclusion, this study supports the adoption of external focus of attention for teaching/learning gymnastics motor-skills.


Following its launch in 2008 June, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) began a sky survey in August. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on Fermi in three months produced a deeper and better resolved map of the γ-ray sky than any previous space mission. We present here initial results for energies above 100 MeV for the 205 most significant (statistical significance greater than ∼10σ) γ-ray sources in these data. These are the best characterized and best localized point-like (i.e., spatially unresolved) γ-ray sources in the early mission data.


which are normally of a bilateral nature, increasingly also affect the interests of third states. Third states may in many instances wish to intervene in such disputes. Articles 62 and 63 of the Statute of the ICJ has attempted to accommodate such an eventuality. Article 62 provides for intervention by a third state if it has an interest of a legal nature which may be affected by the ICJ's decision in the case. Article 63 allows for member states of a multilateral treaty to intervene in cases involving the interpretation of such a treaty. Intervention under Article 62 is in the discretion of the ICJ. Intervention under Article 63 is a right. Applications to intervene under Article 62 have only been successful in three instances and, applications to intervene under Article 63 have only been successful in two instances. It is submitted that the ICJ should be more flexible in allowing third-party interventions by interpreting Articles 62 and 63 less strictly. This is more in accordance with the greater interdependence of states in the modern world and can prevent the duplication of proceedings. Such flexibility can only enhance the effectiveness of the ICJ in achieving its mandate.


E. J. Wilson write: Figure 1 of Edmonds' paper suggests a geographical distribution of solution features which is highly distinctive yet apparently defies geological or climatological explanation. One is reluctant to accept such distribution as a starting point for the analysis of a problem, unless either it can be explained, or it can be shown that it is not due to any other spurious factor. It is immediately obvious that the lowest density of solution features recorded is for Salisbury Plain, a large proportion of which, as a military training ground, has a land use which would be expected to have a very low sensitivity to solution features. It is also obvious that most areas of high density lie within the Home Counties. This suggests the hypothesis that solution features are more likely to be discovered, and hence to become the subject of available data, in more highly-developed areas. To put this hypothesis to the test, a comparison was made between population density as shown in the Ordnance Survey Atlas of Great Britain, and the density of solution features as shown by Edmonds. A direct and reliable comparison would be difficult, however, without much more detailed analysis, since there is considerable overlap between areas from the two sources. Furthermore, there are many small areas of high population density, but these are mostly concentrated in valley bottoms, which Edmonds' Fig. 2 shows are not a preferred location for solution features; therefore they have been ignored on the basis that they would


Concrete is one of the materials most used by the construction industry. Reinforcing this material with fibers is a technique used to improve its mechanical properties. Steel and polymer fibers are the main types used in this application and there are few studies about the influence of polymer fibers on the thermal properties of concrete. In order to analyze this influence, the present work carried out thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, and compressive strength after exposure to a temperature of 200 °C on specimens made of concrete with addition of polypropylene (PP) fibers and concrete with addition of high modulus polyethylene (HMPE). It was also conducted thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) on PP and HMPE fibers. The results show that the addition of polymer fibers alters the thermal properties of the concrete, reducing its thermal expansion, for example.


Introduction Patient safety is a serious global public health issue and a critical component of health care quality. Unsafe patient care is associated with significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world. In Ethiopia health system delivery, there is little practical evidence of patient safety culture and associated factors. Therefore, this study aims to assess patient safety culture and associated factors among health care providers in Bale Zone hospitals. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken using the "Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC)" questionnaire. A total of 518 health care providers were interviewed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to examine statistical differences between hospitals and patient safety culture dimensions. We also computed internal consistency coefficients and exploratory factor analysis. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 20. The level of significance was established using 95% confidence intervals and a p-value of <0.05. Results The overall level of patient safety culture was 44% (95% CI: 43.3–44.6) with a response rate of 93.2%. Factor analysis indicated that hours worked per week, participation in a patient safety program, reporting of adverse events, communication openness, teamwork within hospital, organizational learning and exchange of feedback about error were among factors that were significantly associated with the patient safety culture. Conclusion According to the Agency for Health Research and Quality, the overall classification of patient safety score and most of the scores related to dimensions were low. Hours worked per week, participation in a patient safety program, reporting of adverse events and most safety dimensions were found to be factors associated with patient safety culture. Well-designed patient safety interventions need to be integrated with organizational policies to address all dimensions of patient safety culture.


The SIN3 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a negative regulator of transcription of a large number of genes. Mouse homologs of SIN3 have been identified through screens for proteins interacting with the mammalian Mad1 protein, a transcriptional repressor. We find that yeast Sin3 (ySin3) interacts with Madl and that, as for mouse Sin3, the N terminus of Mad1 interacts with the PAH2 domain of ySin3. Although Mad1 (a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper [bHLH-Zip) protein) forms a heterodimer with the Max bHLH-Zip protein, LexA-Mad1 and VP16-Max do not activate transcription of a reporter gene in a two-hybrid assay. This failure in activation is due to direct repression by ySin3, as LexA-Mad1 and VP16-Max are able to activate the two-hybrid reporter in a sin3 mutant. This inhibition of activation by LexA-Mad1 and VP16-Max requires the PAH2 domain of ySin3 and the N-terminal interaction region of Mad1. These data demonstrate that ySin3 functions as a transcriptional repressor by being brought to promoters by interacting with proteins bound to DNA.


Determining the distribution of ancient fluvial sediments provides many challenging questions to geologists and reservoir engineers who need to understand the hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs these sediments fonn. The fluvial reservoirs of the late Triassic to early Jurassic Statfjord Fonnation within the giant Statfjord oil field provide a classic example of the complexities of mapping fluvial channel sandstones. The geometry and connectivity of these reservoir sandstones are difficult to determine using traditional mapping techniques and stochastic techniques may produce a broad range of outcomes that do not always relate to the original data that have been collected over the field.
Conventional mapping techniques make use of traditional stratigraphic correlation methods based on users' interpretations of wireline data that may be subjective and based on the individual geologist's ideas and experience. This study provides a critique of the effectiveness of such geological correlations and compares and contrasts these methods with an objective computer-program based technique known as 'Slotting'.
A diverse series of relatively simple and effective techniques including mapping of net sandstone to gross succession thickness, lithology transition analysis, dipmeter study of sandstone foreset directions, and interpretation of acoustic impedance seismic have been followed. These methods are directly applicable to the geological data available and closely integrate the original wellbore and seismic data.
Finally a predictive statistical modelling procedure relating wireline data with lithology type has been conducted to determine sandstone distribution in uncored wells. The statistical model has proved to be helpful in providing statistics on sandstone bodies over the field area and this has assisted in a better understanding of the fluvial depositional environment. These results have been used to establish how the interacting allogenic factors of base level, eustatic and climate change have contributed in influencing fluvial sedimentary architecture.


Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis – 'Sousa' hereafter) are found in shallow, near-shore waters of the northern Australian coastline. The species' social structure appears to be characterized by a fission-fusion grouping pattern, similar to that of several other coastal delphinids. Sexual segregation has not been reported. We conducted boat-based photo-identification, biopsy sampling and behavioural surveys of tropical delphinids across northwestern Australia from Coral Bay to Broome between April and July 2010. Here, we provide preliminary evidence that male Sousa across the region form allied pairs. Firstly, there was a high proportion of large, scarred pairs found in close proximity and engaged in coordinated behavior that we tentatively assigned as males based on physical appearance. These preliminary classifications were later proven to be correct by genetic sexing. Secondly, we documented both aggressive and affiliative display behaviors by individuals within putatively allied pairs toward other conspecifics. Thirdly, we recorded instances of object-carrying by individuals within pairs of adult male Sousa around adult female Sousa (a possible socio-sexual display), as well synchronous behavior between suspected male allies in these social settings. Whilst we did not conduct extensive focalindividual or group follows to better document behavior and temporal stabilityof male associations, these preliminary findings suggest an as yet unrecognizedlevel of social complexity in this species.


IntroductionA high performing health data classification system requires clear, comprehensive code descriptions and user-friendly coding tools for effective coding. Coding specialists have essential specialized knowledge to contribute to the development and functionality of the 11th version of International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) that will be released in June of 2018.
Objectives and ApproachThe objective was to evaluate coding specialists' experience of coding using ICD-11 for complete inpatient hospital charts. Mixed methods were employed for a survey and interviews. As part of a large field trial, 6 certified coding specialists underwent training to use the ICD-11 Beta Draft browser and ICD-11 Coding Tool. The coding team completed multiple coding exercises and coded over 60 charts each prior to evaluation of their experience. An electronic survey was used to evaluate ICD-11 knowledge, comprehension, and application of the coding training. Interviews explored the coders' experience of learning and using the ICD-11 classification system.
ResultsThe coding team (3 to 10 years of experience) received 14 hours classroom training and 5-10 hours per week of coding practice over 3 months. After training, perceived confidence in coding with ICD-11 was satisfactory; moderate (n=4), high (n=1), and low (n=1). Coding short scenarios was the most useful resource (n=6) and lack of guidelines was the most frustrating. Learning ICD-11 was deemed moderately (n=2) to somewhat (n=3) difficult but each coder described satisfaction in learning the new system. From the interviews, coders expressed liking the ability to more fully describe health conditions and hospital harms with code clusters. "The codes paint a clearer picture of what happened than with ICD-10". With practice they achieved speed with the coding tools.
Conclusion/ImplicationsCoding specialists learned and proficiently used the Beta Version of ICD-11 coding system with moderate perceived confidence. New ICD-11 codes and clustering functions allowed for more complete description of health scenarios and enhanced coder satisfaction.


In this paper, a representative algorithm convex hull with half-dividing and recurrence is commented; and according to the isomorphic fundamental theorem of the convex hull construction, and guided by the isomorphic distributing characteristics of a convex hull's the apexes, a more efficient new algorithm to find a convex hull based on the dynamical base line with a maximum pitch of the dynamical base line is given. The general characters of the new algorithm are: 1) find out the outside-most poles which are the leftmost, rightmost, topmost and bottommost points of the given 2D point set, i.e. the four initial poles which have the maximum or the minimum coordinate value of the X or Y axis among all the points in the given 2D point set; 2) divide the original distributed domain into four subdomains with the initial poles; 3) in every sub-domain, construct a current pole with a maximum pitch to its base line based on the last pole got just dynamically and sequentially, and draw the rims of this convex polygon with these poles for intelligent approximating for a convex hull of the given 2D point set step by step.


Delivering company data remotely using free e-mail can certainly be a problem for PTTri Eka Daya Unggul, in addition to the nature of free e-mail is not secure, it can also cause dataloss or data move to another party. By creating a Wide Area Network (WAN) between the branchitself, then things like that are likely to be minimized. A frame relay technique and aided byNetwork Development Life Cycle network (NDLC) based development method then Wide AreaNetwork design is done, by connecting all routers in all branches with the help of a router cloud.The connectivity experiment is done by pinging from all branches to the respective router andalso to the cloud router, then proceeding to ping the client between branches with the other branchand the result, all the ping command is successfully replayed, none of which is worth request atimed out. This means that the definition of IP Address on the WAN network is working well.
Keywords: e-mail, frame relay, Network Development Life Cycle, Wide Area Network


BACKGROUND
 Advances in voice technology have raised new possibilities for apps related to daily health maintenance. However, the usability of such technologies for older users remains unclear and requires further investigation.

 OBJECTIVE
 We designed and evaluated two innovative mobile voice-added apps for food intake reporting, namely voice-only reporting (VOR) and voice-button reporting (VBR). Each app features a unique interactive procedure for reporting food intake. With VOR, users verbally report the main contents of each dish, while VBR provides both voice and existing touch screen inputs for food intake reporting. The relative usability of the two apps was assessed through the metrics of accuracy, efficiency, and user perception.

 METHODS
 The two mobile apps were compared in a head-to-head parallel randomized trial evaluation. A group of 57 adults aged 60-90 years (12 male and 45 female participants) was recruited from a retirement community and randomized into two experimental groups, that is, VOR (n=30) and VBR (n=27) groups. Both groups were tested using the same set of 17 food items including dishes and beverages selected and allocated to present distinct breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. All participants used a 7-inch tablet computer for the test. The resulting data were analyzed to evaluate reporting accuracy and time efficiency, and the system usability scale (SUS) was used to measure user perception.

 RESULTS
 For eight error types identified in the experiment, the VBR group participants were significantly (P<.001) more error prone owing to the required use of button-tapping actions. The highest error rates in the VOR group were related to incomprehensible reporting speech (28/420, 6.7%), while the highest error rates in the VBR group were related to failure to make required button taps (39/378, 10.3%). The VOR group required significantly (P<.001) less time to complete food reporting. The overall subjective reactions of the two groups based on the SUS surpassed the benchmark and were not significantly different (P=.20).

 CONCLUSIONS
 Experimental results showed that VOR outperformed VBR, suggesting that voice-only food input reporting is preferable for elderly users. Voice-added apps offer a potential mechanism for the self-management of dietary intake by elderly users. Our study contributes an evidence-based evaluation of prototype design and selection under a user-centered design model. The results provide a useful reference for selecting optimal user interaction design.

 CLINICALTRIAL
 International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Registry ISRCTN17335889; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17335889.


OBJECTIVE The wide exposure required for a standard posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) can cause unnecessary trauma to the lumbar musculoligamentous complex. By combining existing microendoscopic, percutaneous instrumentation and interbody technologies, a novel, minimally invasive, percutaneous PLIF technique was developed to minimize such iatrogenic tissue injury (MIP-PLIF). METHODS The MIP-PLIF technique was validated in three cadaveric torsos with six motion segments decompressed and fused. Preoperative variables measured from imaging included interpedicular distance, pedicular height and width, interspinous distance, lordosis, intervertebral height, Cobb angle, and foraminal height and volume. Using the METRx and MD spinal access systems (Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Memphis, TN), bilateral laminotomies were performed using a hybrid of microsurgical and microendoscopic techniques. The intervertebral disc spaces were then distracted and prepared with the Tangent (Medtronic Sofamor Danek) interbody instruments. Either a 10 or 12 by 22 mm interbody graft was then placed. Using the Sextant (Medtronic Sofamor Danek) system, percutaneous pedicle screw-rod fixation of the motion segment was completed. We then applied MIP-PLIF in three patients. RESULTS For segments with preoperative intervertebral/foraminal height loss, MIP-PLIF was effective in restoring both heights in all cases. The amount of improvement (9.7 to 38% disc height increase; 7.7 to 29.9% foraminal height increase) varied directly with the size of the graft used and the original degree of disc and foraminal height loss. Segmental lordosis improved by 29% on average. Graft and screw placement was accurate in the cadavers, except for a single Grade 1 screw violation of one pedicle. The average operative time was 3.5 hours per level. In our three clinical cases, the MIP-PLIF procedure required a mean of 5.4 hours, estimated blood loss was 185 ml, and inpatient stay was 2.8 days, with no intravenous narcotic use after 2 days in any of the patients. All screw and graft placements were confirmed. CONCLUSION A complete PLIF procedure can be safely and effectively performed using minimally invasive techniques, thereby potentially reducing the pain and morbidity associated with standard open surgery. Prospective, randomized outcome studies will be required to validate the efficacy of this exciting new surgical technique.


The aim of medieval epistemology had been to find the adequation between the general substantial form that makes a thing what it is, and the form that is accepted in human reason. The first and decisive general theory of this adequation is to be found in Al-Farabi's treatise on the intellect (Fi l-aql). This theory had been elaborated in a somewhat naturalistic manner by Roger Bacon's theory of the multiplication of species, which as a by-product founded the modern theory of perspective and optics in line with another muslim philosopher, Ibn al-Haitham. In turn, this theory was challenged by several medieval thinkers and finally rejected in its entirety by William of Ockham. For Ockham the question is not whether and how we can grasp the general form that constitutes the essence of a thing, and the forms that convey their attributes, but rather how we can get enough knowledge of a thing by acquaintance in order to be able to think about that thing abstractly in its absence. This move is followed by sceptical attitudes and a different development in the question of the nature of things that finally leads to a basically technical orientation in the general attitude towards nature.


The main contribution of this paper is the implementation and experimental evaluation of thee radio power control algorithms for wireless sensor networks. We illustrate the necessity of lightweight radio power control algorithms for the deployment of wireless sensor networks in realistic situations. Furthermore, based on a simple loss model, we develop an algorithm that optimizes the transmit power while guaranteeing a desired packet error probability. The simple power control strategy is also compared with two other strategies in experiments using Tmote Sky sensor nodes. A component-based software implementation in the Contiki operating system is used.


The main concern of the first eugenists, such as Karl Pearson and Walter Weldon of University College London , were the perceived intelligence factors considered to be correlated with the social class. In his speech "Darwinism, Medical Progress and Eugenics", Karl Pearson equates eugenics with a field of medicine. Some areas of medicine that are not commonly recognized as eugenic affect the human genes background. These include sterilization and surgical techniques that allow the functioning of reproductive organs. Even medicines that do not directly involve reproductive organs can alter the gene pool. Genetic abnormalities in such individuals are thus duplicated, modifying the genetic background. On this basis, such practices are widely accepted as more radical eugenic processes.


This paper proposes a new scheduling scheme that exploits multiuser diversity to improve the shared channel utilization and the downlink capacity of the cell by reducing the intra cell interference in CDMA based cellular networks with relays. The scheduling algorithm accomplishes this by choosing a one hop (base station to mobile) or two hop(base station to relay and then from relay to mobile) path that yields the best channel throughput while using low transmission power for the shared channel. The reduction in transmission power(cost) for the shared channel reduces the total base station transmit power, thus reducing the multi-access interference and improving the downlink capacity. Simulation results show that by making use of relays the proposed scheduling scheme improves the throughput and channel conditions of the users on the shared channel and at the same time reduces the interference for other users.


The Internet Domain Name System (DNS) defines a tree of names starting
with root, ".", immediately below which are top level domain (TLD)
names such as ".com" and ".us". RFC2606 reserved a small number of TLD
names for use in documentation examples, private testing, experiments,
and other circumstances in which it is desirable to avoid conflict
with current or future actual TLD names in the DNS. The evolution of
Internet engineering and operation practices since RFC2606 was
published in 1999, and the expected addition of new TLD names to the
DNS, recommend this update to the list of reserved TLD names, and the
creation of a "reserved TLD name registry" to which additional names
may be added as new requirements arise. It is important to note that
TLD names may be reserved, in other contexts, for policy, political,
or other reasons that are distinct from the IETF's concern with
Internet engineering and operations. This document reserves TLD names
only for operational and engineering reasons.


With wheat and pea seedlings as test materials, this paper studied the effects of UV-C radiation on their leaf photosynthetic characteristics and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results showed that enhanced UV-C radiation could markedly decrease the photosynthetic rate (Pn) , stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), transpiration rate (Tr) and carboxylation efficiency (CE) of pea leaves, but for wheat leaves, these parameters were increased first and decreased then. Under UV-C condition, the CO2 compensation point of leaf was increased for pea, but decreased first and increased then for wheat. With the increasing duration of UV-C radiation, the antioxidant enzyme activities of both test plants increased first and decreased then, except that the POD activity of pea and SOD activity of wheat decreased gradually. All of these suggested that wheat had a stronger resistance to short-time UV-C radiation than pea, but, with the prolonged duration of UV-C radiation, the photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activities of wheat and pea were all decreased.


There is widespread concern within the Christchurch City Council and the wider community that the central city of Christchurch is dying. As a result the Christchurch City Council has been trying to revive the dying "heart" of Christchurch by a variety of means with limited success. Large areas of the central city comprise old buildings that currently suffer from extensive functional and economic obsolescence. One solution to this problem would be large scale demolition and comprehensive urban renewal based around replacement new buildings. However, such an approach has serious limitations in terms of the resulting loss of heritage and the non sustainable nature of such development. Therefore the preferred solution is to encourage inner city revitalisation by retrofitting the old buildings in a way that is economic for their owners. If these buildings are no longer suitable for their current use an alternative economic use must be found. This adaptive re-use approach poses even greater challenges to property developers due to the requirements of the Building Act 2004. This paper discusses the reasons behind the decline of the Christchurch inner city, evaluates the past and current efforts being made to arrest that decline and makes recommendations for future measures to reverse this decline.