Eight subjects with primary-acquired cold urticaria were treated with chlorpheniramine maleate, cyproheptadine hydrochloride, and placebo in a double-blind clinical trial. During three separate seven-day treatment periods, each patient took 4 mg of either active drug or lactose placebo three times a day. Objective measurements were made at the beginning and end of each treatment period by establishing the minimum time (MT) of cold stimulus application required to provoke urtication. In addition, the spontaneous appearance of cold urticaria lesions was recorded during each treatment period. The MT required for induction of urtication with a cold stimulus was significantly greater for eight patients receiving cyproheptadine as compared to chlorpheniramine or placebo (P less than .01). The study demonstrated that cyproheptadine had a significant suppressive action on experimental cold-induced urticaria, while placebo and chlorpheniramine proved ineffective.


A robust teleoperation controller design method for an underwater manipulator is proposed considering the master and the underwater slave separately. To achieve transparency and stability for a teleoperation of an underwater manipulator in unknown environments with time-varying uncertainties such as added mass, buoyancy, hydraulic drag and friction effect, an adaptive sliding mode control scheme is proposed for robust position tracking control of slave manipulator. To guarantee a force transparency in the master side, disturbance observer is used as a local controller for compensating a friction and coupled nonlinear dynamic effects of the master manipulator. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the transparency and robustness of the proposed controller.


: Plasmosorption and enterosorption were assigned to 35 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Plasmosorption was performed within an hour since AMI onset followed by a 5-day course of enterosorption (enterosorbent YO-A in a dose 30 g/day). The above combination produced a positive effect on hemodynamics and blood rheology resultant from a reduction in hematocrit value, plasma levels of fibrinogen and its derivatives, plasma viscosity and platelet aggregation. Ibustrin (200 mg) combined with heparin (100000 U) introduced into extracorporeal circulation effectively prevents thrombogenesis. AMI patients treatment with enterosorption plus plasmosorption enhances the response to nitroglycerin, reduces the rate of complications and lethal outcomes.


Aims: To propose an artistic analysis of the evolution of Palestinian poster art via the analysis of the artwork of the artist Marwan Al-Alan. The artist Marwan Al-Alaan witnessed the tragedy of Palestine and expressed it through his paintings and posters, and he followed the events that Palestine had witnessed through his creative art works in this field. Study Design: The study is a qualitative approach that used the descriptive analysis of literature and interview Place and Duration of Study: The study is a descriptive discussion of the artwork of the Palestinian Artist Marwan Al-Allan. An interview conducted with the artist in October 2017. Methodology: A non-structured interview was conducted with the desire artist to provide an insight of his work and its relation to the Palestinian cause. The author mainly contributes in choosing the proper artwork, which was analyzed for its artistic features and values. Results: It is clear how influenced the Palestinian artist Marwan Al-Alan with his relation to the Palestinian land and with everything that it is going through from events, and how his style, and contents of his works change according to the nature of his connection to the event. The artist's Mini-review Article Humidan and Lamat; ARJASS, 8(1): 1-9, 2019; Article no.ARJASS.45648 2 influence with non-Palestinian environment, and its effect of this on his beliefs when he is outside of his country and there are no events related to home like it used to be when the artist was in Jordan during the eighties. It is noted that there is a qualitative difference in the symbols of artistic artwork. Symbols are used during the outbreak of the revolution and armed struggle, but disappeared during the first Intifada (insurrection) and the rock replaced the rifle. In addition, national identity symbols such as Kuffiyeh (Arab head cover) and the map of Palestine were present in some of the paintings and designs. Conclusion: The symbolic indications of elements and the symbols used in the Palestinian graphic experience have contributed to preserving the identity of the Palestinian heritage, and transforming it to the outside world, though in difficulty, since the Palestinian artists lack the freedom to travel due to the Israeli occupation.


Studies of the effects of habitat fragmentation on birds have mainly been carried out at the patch scale, by censusing birds in patches of different size, shape or composition. Here, we use data collected by observers for the Atlas of Australian Birds from 10' latitude/longitude grid cells (landscapes), each 277 km2 in size, to examine the effects of land use and habitat change at the landscape scale in the Northern Plains region of Victoria, Australia. Land birds were tallied for 63 such landscapes and species were classed as "woodland" or "other" species. Attributes measured for each landscape represented natural environmental variation, tree cover and the intensity of human settlement. The Northern Plains has experienced profound environmental change over the last century of agricultural settlement and tree cover now occupies only 6.2% of the region, mostly as large riverine forests. Eighty per cent of landscapes have less than 10% tree cover. Woodland birds showed substantial variation in richness between landscapes and, after accounting for sampling effort, species richness was best predicted by total tree cover and measures of environmental variation (e.g., number of streams). "Other" birds were more evenly distributed between landscapes. Species richness was best predicted by the environmental gradient in rainfall and temperature, although this accounted for only a small amount of variance after correcting for sampling effort. The predictive model for woodland birds indicates that this group is sensitive to habitat change, and implies a substantial loss of species in landscapes that have been almost entirely cleared of woodland habitat. The logarithmic nature of the relationship means that the rate of change in species richness is greatest during the final stages of habitat depletion. With median tree cover of 3.7% for landscapes in the region, this relationship supports the contention that a major decline in woodland birds is underway and that species are being lost from whole landscapes across the region. Attributes associated with landscapes of high conservation value for birds include: extensive overall tree cover, large blocks of woodland habitat, and stream systems with associated habitat connectivity. In this region, these attributes are more likely to occur in areas with broad-acre agriculture rather than intensive irrigation. The analysis suggests that at least 10% tree cover is a minimum goal for an infrastructure of natural vegetation in rural landscapes to prevent serious decline and loss in the woodland avifauna.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the surgical outcomes of abdominal radical trachelectomy(ART) and the efficacy of transrectal ultrasonography in determining the upper end of cervical incision during this operation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
ART was performed in five patients with early-stage cervical cancer in the present clinic. In the first three patients, uterine corpus was transacted blindly at a level of approximately five mm below the internal os. In the last two patients, the authors performed transrectal ultrasonography before vaginal incision to evaluate the distance between upper margin of tumoral mass and internal os of cervical canal.

RESULTS
Mean follow-up was 21 months. During this period, menstrual abnormality occurred in three patients. The two patients in which transrectal ultrasonographies were taken intraoperatively had 9- and 12-mm postoperative cervical canal length and both of them were asymptomatic postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS
ART is usually associated with menstrual abnormality at late postoperative period and transrectal ultrasonograph during this procedure may decrease postoperative morbidity.


Semantic knowledge detection of multimedia content has become a very popular research topic in recent years. The association rule mining (ARM) technique has been shown to be an efficient and accurate approach for content-based multimedia retrieval and semantic concept detection in many applications. To further improve the performance of traditional association rule mining technique, a video semantic concept detection framework whose classifier is built upon a new weighted association rule mining (WARM) algorithm is proposed in this article. Our proposed WARM algorithm is able to capture the different significance degrees of the items (feature-value pairs) in generating the association rules for video semantic concept detection. Our proposed WARM-based framework first applies multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) to project the features and classes into a new principle component space and discover the correlation between feature-value pairs and classes. Next, it considers both correlation and percentage information as the measurement to weight the feature-value pairs and to generate the association rules. Finally, it performs classification by using these weighted association rules. To evaluate our WARM-based framework, we compare its performance of video semantic concept detection with several well-known classifiers using the benchmark data available from the 2007 and 2008 TRECVID projects. The results demonstrate that our WARM-based framework achieves promising performance and performs significantly better than those classifiers in the comparison. DOI: 10.4018/jmdem.2010111203 38 International Journal of Multimedia Data Engineering and Management, 1(1), 37-54, January-March 2010 Copyright © 2010, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. dia retrieval consist of the segmentation of the multimedia data (i.e., detecting the basic units for processing), the representation of the multimedia data (i.e., extracting low-level features per unit), the model training using the low-level features, and the classification of the testing data using the trained model. The most frequently used features for image retrieval are low-level features such as color, texture, and shape (Datta, Joshi, Li & Wang, 2008); while for video retrieval, the features are these visual features as well as some lowlevel audio and motion features (Lew, Sebe, Djeraba & Jain, 2006). One of the biggest challenges of multimedia retrieval is that it is hard to bridge the semantic gaps between the low-level features and the high-level features/ concepts. Traditionally, these low-level features are considered contributing equally to the models, and the models are trained by using all the features they are provided. Later, the models are required to have the ability to select the features that better represent a certain concept class. In this manner, the features are selected before the model training process, and hence the models do not necessary benefit from the feature selection process (Lin, Ravitz, Shyu, & Chen, 2008; Liu & Motoda, 1998). From another point of view, the importance of the features is not considered equally anymore, but is considered as "good" or "bad" while performing the feature selection. 1.1 Weighted Features The feature weighting gets more and more attentions from the researchers recently, since the contributions of different features may not be the same and it is very limited to discriminate the features as either selected ones or nonselected ones. The simplest method for feature weighting is manually set the weight values to various features. In Vadivel, Majumdar and Sural (2004), the fixed weights were given to the color and texture features on a large database of images. Different weights were experimented to 28,000 images and the best results appeared when the texture feature's weight was from 0.1 to 0.2. Some other methods based on the mutual information, gain ratio, odds ratio, and term strength were reviewed in Pekar, Kakoska and Staab (2004). In addition, the authors proposed a feature weighting strategy for word retrieval, which combined the discriminative weights of a feature with each of its characteristic weights. The improved results showed that feature weighting before classification reflected how much the particular feature revealed about class membership of the instances. An image retrieval model with weighted features based on relevance feedback was proposed by Kim et al. (2008). The annotation of an image was first done by using keywords, and then the confidence level of the keywords was modified in response to the user's feedback. The discrimination power was used to represent how well the positive and negative images were distinguished when the images were re-ranked according to the visual features. The weight of a visual feature was simply calculated as the normalized discrimination power of that feature. In Ziou, Hamri and Boutemedjet (2009), a content-based image retrieval model with probability-based feature weighting was presented. A hybrid probabilistic framework adopted the generalized Dirichlet mixture and maximum likelihood to accurately estimate the statistical model of the data. The idea was under the assumptions that the relevance of different features is not the same for a given node, and a relative relevance of the features is sufficient to discriminate between nodes. Therefore, if a feature is irrelevant, then its weight should be small and its contribution in the indexing and retrieval should be weak. Another statistical measure based feature weighting method was introduced in Wakabayashi, Pal, Kimura and Miyake (2009). The Fisher ratio (F-ratio) was defined as the ratio of the between-class variance and the within-class variance and was used as the weight of the shape character. The higher the F-ratio is, the more useful information is to discriminate the similar classes the feature is contained. The experimental results of similar shape characters of different scripts showed the ability of the weighting scheme to 16 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the publisher's webpage: www.igi-global.com/article/weighted-association-rule-mining-


Scalable video delivery over peer-to-peer networks appears to be key for efficient streaming in emerging and future Internet applications. Contrasting the conventional server-client approach, here, video is delivered to a user in a fully distributed fashion. This is, for instance, beneficial in cases where a high demand for a particular video content is imposed, as different users can receive the same data from different peers. Furthermore, due to the heterogeneous nature of Internet connectivity, the content needs to be delivered to a user through networks with highly varying bandwidths. Moreover, content needs to be displayed on a variety of devices featuring different sizes, resolutions, and computational capabilities. If video is encoded in a scalable way, it can be adapted to any required spatio-temporal resolution and quality in the compressed domain, according to a peer bandwidth and other peers¿ context requirements. This enables efficient low-complexity content adaptation and interoperability for improved peer-to-peer streaming in future Internet applications. An efficient piece picking and peer selection policy enables high quality of service in such a streaming system.


OBJECTIVE
We describe medical care received through workers' compensation (WC) and union-provided insurance surrounding work-related back injuries and examine relationships between care provided and time off work among a large cohort of carpenters.

METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS
Union records identified a cohort of 20,642 carpenters working in Washington State from 1989-2003 and their private health insurance claims. These data were linked to workers' compensation files from this state-run program including records of medical care.

RESULTS
Over 74,000 WC medical encounters resulted from 2959 work-related back injuries. Eleven percent received private care for musculoskeletal back pain within 90 days of work-related injury; this proportion increased with increasing lost days. Delay to physical therapy was more prevalent among those out of work longest. The proportion of claimants with care from both systems and from private utilization only increased after the first 90 days and, for the subset with at least one paid lost work day, after return to work.

CONCLUSIONS
Examination of medical care through both systems versus solely in workers' compensation provides a more complete understanding of back injury care while also demonstrating complexity. Differences in outcomes based upon treatment shortly after injury are worthy of further exploration.


Background: Gonipterus platensis (Marelli) is part of the Gonipterus scutellatus species complex which consists of three species that have spread beyond their natural ranges. Due to its high reproductive potential and a capacity for intense defoliation by both larvae and adults, G. platensis causes tree growth loss and stem deformities. The antifeeding effect and insecticide efficacy of latex from petty spurge, Euphorbia peplus L. (Euphorbiaceae), on larvae of G. platensis, were evaluated through bioassays, with a view to its integrated management.
Methods: Eucalyptus globulus leaves treated by immersion in Euphorbia peplus latex solutions were infested with five third-instar larvae, and the area consumed was determined at 24 h. The antifeeding effect of five latex solutions applied with a brush on Eucalyptus globulus leaves, using a random experimental design of six treatments and five replications, was also evaluated. Larval mortality was recorded daily and analysed by an ANOVA and Tukey's test. The LC50 (lethal concentration to kill 50% of the individuals) was calculated by Probit analysis and Chi2 tests were performed.
Results: The ethanolic solutions of the latex caused strong antifeeding effect, with total inhibition of larval feeding at all solutions. Larval mortality increased significantly over time up to 76%, due to the effect of the ethanol latex solutions, in all solutions by day 6. The lower LC50 values were 0.049 and 0.012% w/v on days 5 and 6, respectively.
Conclusions: These results indicate that Euphorbia peplus latex is a promising bioinsecticide and a possible alternative for integrated pest management. However, further tests should be carried out.


Systematic pediatric evidence shows that the morbidity rates for children in day care are increasing in the group size.Sick children are usually cared for at home by parents. This creates a negative externality of parents' labor force participation. The social optimum implies lower group size than the non--intervention market equilibrium. We study the optimal tax policy. The cost of labor force participation should be increased. This can be done by either or both a tax on day care services and a home care allowance. The cost of providing day care should be decreased by a subsidy to entrepreneurs running day care centers. This policy will decrease the group size. It is, however, not necessarily the case that this will decrease labor force participation.


Attitudes arise from specific experiences and emotions driven by cultural beliefs. An understanding of societal constructs regarding disability in a given culture contributes to developing strategies to meet the needs of children with disabilities by providing culturally competent services. In 1999, a series of focus-group discussions were conducted with families in a low-income community in Mumbai, India to collect qualitative information on the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) regarding disability, feeding and nutrition to facilitate the development of an intervention to improve the nutritional well-being of children with disabilities. The KSA of this population of poor families has seldom been directly examined. The specific objectives of this study were (i) to describe the experiences of families with young disabled children in the local community; (ii) to identify the nutritional and feeding needs of children with disabilities; and (iii) to identify any service, environmental or attitudinal barriers to acquiring an adequate nutritional status. Content analysis of concepts in the focus groups identified four emerging themes: (i) acceptance of disability; (ii) services and needs; (iii) future; and (iv) food and nutrition. The focus-group findings enabled a broader understanding of attitudes towards disability within this population, which can have an impact on the care of the child. The findings provided insights into the content of the intervention to be helpful for local families incorporating an understanding of the cultural background of the local community that must be included alongside our understanding of the feeding impairment.


Height is the joint product of genetic and environmental influences, and is an important marker of nutritional status and health in early life. While height steadily increased throughout the 20th century as living standards improved, socio-economic inequalities in height persisted in many populations (whereby individuals from more socio-economically deprived backgrounds were, on average, shorter). It has been postulated that 20% of the variation in height observed within contemporary populations is explained by environmental exposures, such as maternal smoking in pregnancy, overcrowding, childhood illness and diet.1 These environmental influences are thought to contribute to socio-economic inequalities in height. Research from a contemporary cohort (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and their Children) indicated that height inequalities in middle childhood had already been established at birth and that prenatal, genetic or epigenetic factors were the most important drivers.2

In high-income countries, there is evidence to suggest that socio-economic gradients in height have been diminishing. One study comparing the 1958 British birth cohort (a predominantly white population) and their offspring showed that childhood height increased by 1 cm between the two generations and that the degree of socio-economic inequality narrowed due to a greater height gain among offspring from more disadvantaged backgrounds.3 Comparisons of childhood height between the more recent UK cohorts (the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study and the Millennium Cohort Study) also found weakening inequalities in height.4

Hancock et al 5 demonstrate …


Previous work on software optimization for low energy has focussed on instruction-level optimizations and compiler techniques. We argue, and demonstrate, that significant energy savings could be "left on the table" if energy is not considered during the design of the software architecture. As a first step towards addressing this gap, we propose a systematic framework for software architectural transformations to reduce energy consumption. We consider software architectural transformations in the context of the multi-process software style driven by an operating system (OS), which is very commonly employed in energy-sensitive embedded systems. Our methodology for applying software architectural transformations consists of: (i) constructing a software architecture graph representation, (ii) deriving initial energy and performance statistics using a detailed energy simulation framework, (iii) constructing sequences of atomic software architectural transformations, guided by energy change estimates derived from high-level energy macro-models, that result in maximal energy reduction, and (iv) generation of program source code to reflect the optimized software architecture. We employ a wide suite of software architectural transformations whose effects span the application-OS boundary, including how the program functionality is structured into architectural components (e.g., application processes, signal handlers, and device drivers), and connectors between them (inter- component synchronization and communication mechanisms). We present experimental results on several multi-process embedded software programs, in the context of an embedded system that features the Intel StrongARM processor and the embedded Linux OS. The presented results clearly underscore the potential of the proposed methodology (up to 66.1% reduction in energy is obtained). In a broader sense, our work demonstrates the impact of considering energy during the earlier stages of the software design process.


To optimize performance of applications running over wireless channels state-of-the-art wireless access technologies incorporate a number of channel adaptation mechanisms. While these mechanisms are expected to operate jointly providing the best possible performance for current wireless channel and traffic conditions, their joint effect is often difficult to predict. To control functionality of various channel adaptation mechanisms a new cross-layer performance optimization system is sought. This system should be responsible for exchange of control information between different layers and further optimization of wireless channel performance. In this paper design of the cross-layer performance control system for wireless access technologies with dynamic adaptation of protocol parameters at different layers of the protocol stack is proposed. Functionalities of components of the system are isolated and described in detail. To determine the range of protocol parameters providing the best possible performance for a wide range of channel and arrival statistics the proposed system is analytically analyzed. Particularly, probability distribution functions of the number of lost frames and delay of a frame as functions of first- and second-order wireless channel and arrival statistics, automatic repeat request, forward error correction functionality, protocol data unit size at different layers are derived. Numerical examples illustrating performance of the whole system and its elements are provided. Obtained results demonstrate that the proposed system provide significant performance gains compared to static configuration of protocols.


In order to get basic data for the developing of a new fabrication process for a HANARO fuel rod, extrusion characteristics by using the direct and indirect extrusion methods were investigated with extrusion billets composed of a dummy fuel core and an aluminum can as functions of the temperature, conical angle of the die, green density of the fuel compaction, and the shape of the core compact. In the case of in-direct extrusion, the cross section at the middle of the fuel rod showed a closely octagonal shaped core with a constant cladding thickness. However, at both the front and rear end parts of extruded fuel rod, imbalances existed in the cladding thickness as well as a penetration of Al into the fuel core of extruded rod. It is of note from the result that the variables such as extrusion temperature, conical angle of the die, and green density of the fuel compact did not effect significantly the degree of imperfections in the extruded fuel rod, but the imperfections were improved greatly by changing the shape of the core compact in the extrusion billet. Direct extrusion appeared to have no advantage for improving the imperfections due to a severe fluctuation of the metal flow between the fuel core and cladding material.


Silane treatment is an effective method of chemical conversion as a replacement for chromium treatments. In this paper, KH-550 silane treatment was adopted to improve the corrosion resistance AZ31 magnesium alloy. Hydrolysis process of KH-550 in the silane solutions was detected by the conductivity detection method. It was found that KH-550 silane could be hydrolyzed easily and its hydrolysis time was about 10 minutes. Polarization curve and salt immersion were carried out to investigate the corrosion behavior of the coated magnesium alloy treated by five kinds of silane solutions with different silane concentrations. When the concentration of KH-550 in the silane solution was 8%, the coated specimens by heating at 100°C for half an hour after the surfaces dry had more excellent corrosion resistance than others. It was shown that the KH-550 silane treatment could form a -Si-O-M covalent bonded film/metal interface and -Si-O-Si siloxane chains to improve the corrosion resistance of coated magnesium alloy.


This short paper introduces the papers and commentary produced at two significant First Amendment occasions. First was a 40th anniversary celebration of the Supreme Court's landmark 1976 decision in Buckley v. Valeo, the fountainhead ruling on the intersection between campaign finance restrictions and First Amendment rights. The questions were discussed provocatively by two of the leading players in that decision, James Buckley himself, now a retired United States Circuit Judge, and Ira Glasser, former head of the AC LU who helped organize a strange bedfellows, left-right coalition to challenge the new federal election campaign laws on First Amendment grounds. The paper traces events leading up to the decision, the impact of the decision and its resonance to modern times in inspiring rulings such as the Citizens United decision.
This paper also introduces the larger Free Speech Symposium which explored not only campaign finance issues as a central First Amendment matter, but more broadly considered the role of Free Speech in our constitutional system, the surprisingly speech protective rulings of the Roberts Court on those issues and some powerful critiques of those decisions. Featuring leading First Amendment activists and scholar with views across the spectrum, the Symposium thoroughly canvassed the past, present and future of free speech.


Malangali kaolin clay was activated by means of an acid for defluoridation studies. The Acid Activated Malangali Kaolin (AAMK) clay and the Untreated Malangali Kaolin (UMK) were both characterized using spectroscopic and adsorption techniques. BET analysis of AAMK and UMK showed that both clays have mesoporosity characteristics with surface areas ranging from 55 to 58 m/g. Spectroscopic studies showed that in both clays the major mineral forms are kaolinites and albites with high amounts of SiO2 and Al2O3. AAMK and UMK are endowed with surface functional groups such as OH, Si–O–Si, and Al–O–Al all of which being suitable for adsorption and ion exchange processes. The SEM and TEM images of the clays showed that both internal and external morphologies are slightly modified by means of acid activation. Defluoridation studies carried out in both Artificially Fluoridated Water (AFW) and Natural Fluoridated Water (NFW) under optimized conditions of temperature and pH produced results for the AAMK clay that had a much better demonstrable percentage fluoride removal in AFW by 86.30% and in NFW by 84.68%. The improved defluoridation is associated with clay surface modification rather than the insignificant surface area changes. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were well correlated with R values greater than 0.95 indicating the involvement of fluoride chemisorption during defluoridation. The quality of the AAMK clay defluoridated water met the permissible standard limits of acceptance of WHO, US-EPA and the Tanzania Bureau of standards (TBS) recommendations for drinking water. The use of AAMK clay based adsorbent which is sourced readily and cheaply, is therefore, considered a worthy undertaking, which must be followed by further studies in order to shed more light on the defluoridation mechanism.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of women related to the Pap test and the association between these behaviors and sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS
A household survey with quantitative approach was conducted. A total of 267 women aged 15 to 69 years, randomly selected in a stratified manner, living in the city of São José de Mipibu, Northeastern Brazil, were interviewed in 2007. A questionnaire consisting of pre-coded open questions was administered and answers were described and analyzed, as for adequacy of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women regarding the Pap test. Tests of association were carried out between sociodemographic characteristics and behaviors studied at a 5% significance level.

RESULTS
Although 46.1% of the women interviewed showed adequate knowledge about the Pap test, a significantly higher proportion of adequacy was seen regarding attitudes and practices, 63.3% and 64.4%, respectively. Higher schooling was associated with adequacy of knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The main barriers to the Pap test were negligence, non-requesting by their physicians, and shame.

CONCLUSIONS
The physician is the main source of information about the Pap test. However, women who more often attend medical visits, despite their good practice, show low adequacy of knowledge and attitudes related to the Pap test, which indicates that they are not receiving appropriate information on the test's purpose, advantages and benefits to women's health.


This fascinating reassessment of America's most popular and famous poet reveals a more complex and enigmatic man than many readers might expect. Jay Parini spent over twenty years interviewing friends of Robert Frost and working in the poet's archives at Dartmouth, Amherst, and elsewhere to produce this definitive and insightful biography of both the public and private man. While he depicts the various stages of Frost's colorful life, Parini also sensitively explores the poet's psyche, showing how he dealt with adversity, family tragedy, and depression. By taking the reader into the poetry itself, which he reads closely and brilliantly, Parini offers an insightful road map to Frost's remarkable world.


An Islamic bank is now not only facing competition from its peer Islamic banks but also from conventional bans, which offer Islamic banking products through their Islamic subsidiary. When the competition becomes tougher, customers are given more options to choose their banks and switch from their current bank to other Islamic banks. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate factors influence the switching behavior of Islamic banking customers, in the case of Malaysia, based on the syariah compliance issues. Using logistic regression, the results show that the customer's religion, type of account, and whether or not they have account in conventional bank are the significant factors to influence their switching behavior when they encounter non-syariah products and practices in their Islamic bank. © 2013 The IIUM Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance.


The DATATOP database, which includes clinical information on 800 patients with early untreated Parkinson's disease (PD), is well suited to explore clinical heterogeneity in PD. Patients with early-onset PD (≤40 years, N = 33) reached the same level of disability as the late-onset PD (≥70 years, N = 85) group at a significantly slower rate (2.9 vs. 1.7 years). Early-onset PD patients functioned cognitively better than late-onset PD patients. Bradykinesia, and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD), were more common at onset in patients with a rapid rate of disease progression ("malignant PD"; duration of symptoms <1 year and Hoehnflahr stage of 2.5, N = 11) as compared with those with a relatively slow rate of progression ("benign PD"; duration of symptoms >4 years, N = 65). Comparisons of tremor-dominant PD (mean tremor score/ mean PIGD score ≤1.5, N = 441) with the PIGD-dominant type (mean tremor score/mean PIGD score ≥1.0, N = 233) provided support for the existence of clinical subtypes. The PIGD group reported significantly greater subjective intellectual, motor, and occupational impairment than the tremor group. Stage II patients had higher depression scores than stage I patients. Among the patients participating in the DATATOP, older age at onset with bradykinesia, or with the PIGD form of PD, is associated with more functional disability than when the symptoms are dominated by tremor or begin at a younger age.


The clinical course of pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE), pneumomediastinum (PM), and pneumothorax (PT) was studied in 57 premature and 20 fullterm newborn infants. The results suggest that PIE, PM, and PT represent a continuum of a single process. Pneumomediastinum and PT without radiological evidence of PIE occurs with greater frequency in full-term infants, while PIE predominantly occurs in the preterm infant. Respiratory distress syndrome significantly increases the incidence of PIE. The presence of PIE was associated with a significant increase in mortality in the group of infants studied. In spontaneous cases a distinct clinical picture often precedes radiologic changes. This consists of barrel-shaped chest, retractions, tachypnea, and increased ambient oxygen requirements.


Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection is the most severe complication in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The infection is characterized by the formation of biofilm surrounded by numerous polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and strong O2 depletion in the endobronchial mucus. We have reported that O2 is mainly consumed by the activated PMNs, while O2 consumption by aerobic respiration is diminutive and nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced in infected CF sputum. This suggests that the reported growth rates of P. aeruginosa in lungs and sputum may result from anaerobic respiration using denitrification. The growth rate of P. aeruginosa achieved by denitrification at physiological levels (~400 μM) of nitrate (NO−3) is however, not known. Therefore, we have measured growth rates of anoxic cultures of PAO1 and clinical isolates (n = 12) in LB media supplemented with NO−3 and found a significant increase of growth when supplementing PAO1 and clinical isolates with ≥150 μM NO−3 and 100 μM NO−3, respectively. An essential contribution to growth by denitrification was demonstrated by the inability to establish a significantly increased growth rate by a denitrification deficient ΔnirS-N mutant at <1 mM of NO−3. Activation of denitrification could be achieved by supplementation with as little as 62.5 μM of NO−3 according to the significant production of N2O by the nitrous oxide reductase deficient ΔnosZ mutant. Studies of the promoter activity, gene transcripts, and enzyme activity of the four N-oxide reductases in PAO1 (Nar, Nir, Nor, Nos) further verified the engagement of denitrification, showing a transient increase in activation and expression and rapid consumption of NO−3 followed by a transient increase of NO−2. Growth rates obtained by denitrification in this study were comparable to our reported growth rates in the majority of P. aeruginosa cells in CF lungs and sputum. Thus, we have demonstrated that denitrification is required for P. aeruginosa growth in infected endobronchial CF mucus.


Abstract Recent molecular studies have shown Tabebuia to be polyphyletic, thus necessitating taxonomic revision. These revisions are made here by resurrecting two genera to contain segregate clades of Tabebuia. Roseodendron Miranda consists of the two species with spathaceous calices of similar texture to the corolla. Handroanthus Mattos comprises the principally yellow flowered species with an indumentum of hairs covering the leaves and calyx. The species of Handroanthus are also characterized by having extremely dense wood containing copious quantities of lapachol. Tabebuia is restricted to those species with white to red or rarely yellow flowers and having an indumentum of stalked or sessile lepidote scales. The following new combinations are published: Handroanthus arianeae (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. billbergii (Bur. & K. Schum). S. Grose subsp. billbergii, H. billbergii subsp. ampla (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. botelhensis (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. bureavii (Sandwith) S. Grose, H. catarinensis (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. chrysanthus (Jacq.) S. Grose subsp. chrysanthus, H. chrysanthus subsp. meridionalis (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. chrysanthus subsp. pluvicolus (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. coralibe (Standl.) S. Grose, H. cristatus (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. guayacan (Seemann) S. Grose, H. incanus (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. lapacho (K. Schum.) S. Grose, H. pulcherrimus (Sandwith) S. Grose, H. pumilus (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. riodocensis (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. selachidentatus (A. H. Gentry) S. Grose, H. serratifolius (Vahl) S. Grose, H. spongiosus (Rizzini) S. Grose, H. subtilis (Sprague & Sandwith) S. Grose and H. uleanus (Kraenzl.) S. Grose.


OBJECTIVES
In England, non-dispensing pharmacy services are commissioned either nationally or locally. For the national service Medicines Use Reviews (MURs), large multiple/chain pharmacies provide more consultations than independents. This study aimed to examine the relationship between community pharmacy organisation type and a local service, Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC). It also aimed to explore the influence of deprivation.

METHODS
Freedom of information requests was sent to all 147 local authorities in England. Data included the number of EHC consultations by individual pharmacies across England (2017/18). Public data were used to identify pharmacies, match with MUR data, and group by organisation type. Bivariate correlations and ANOVA described the relationship between service provision, organisation type and deprivation.

KEY FINDINGS
Pharmacy data were obtained from 76 (52%) local authorities. Following removal of unidentifiable pharmacies, 3069 were analysed - 56% of the estimated 5461 commissioned pharmacies in England. Bivariate correlations indicated a significant negative correlation between EHC provision and Index of Multiple Deprivation score. Greater deprivation correlated to greater EHC provision. A One-way ANOVA demonstrated significant differences between organisation types for MUR provision (larger organisations providing greater volumes). EHC provision demonstrated significant differences between groups and a U-shaped association; large multiple and independent organisations had higher levels than medium and small chains. A two-way ANOVA showed no significant interaction between deprivation and organisation type.

CONCLUSIONS
EHC provision does not increase linearly with organisation type. Deprivation appears a more reliable indicator of EHC provision. Provision is likely influenced by local factors but could increase with a nationally commissioned service.


Vector-borne diseases are still a health problem in some tropical countries. One vector-borne disease is Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). DHF never decreases and even tends to continue to increase, and many cause deaths in children, 90% of them attack children under 15 years. DHF cases in 2018 amounted to 65,602 cases, with 467 deaths (CFR = 0.71%). The behavior of holding water in various places such as tubs and tendons indirectly creates a breeding place for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The use of chemicals as insecticides can cause the death of non-target animals, environmental pollution, and the occurrence of vector resistance to insecticides. Therefore it is necessary to do other methods including the use of vegetable insecticides. Sugar apple leaves can be used to kill Aedes aegypti larvae. Sugar apple leaves will obtain throughout the year. The purpose of this study is to know the ability of young and old sugar apple leaves to kill Aedes aegypti larvae. This type of research is a posttest only control group design. The study sample was part of the Aedes aegypti larvae on the final instar III. The experiment to kill Aedes aegypti larvae use two types of sugar apple leaf extract, namely young and old sugar apple leaves with nine treatments four replications. Each treatment consisted of 25 larvae. The research results show There was no significant difference in the number of dead larvae using either extracts from young sugar apple leaves or old sugar apple leaves. LC90 of sugar apple leaf extract was between 0.05632 to 0.08324% and the effective residual age at LC90 (0.06568%) with the death of Aedes aegypti larvae was 92% over 24 hours (1 day).


This paper bridges the gap in the literature between neural networks and probabilistic graphical models. Invertible neural networks are incorporated in factor graphs and inference in this model is described by linearization of the network. Consequently, hybrid probabilistic inference in the model is realized through message passing with local constraints on the Bethe free energy. We provide the local Bethe free energy for the invertible neural network node, which allows for evaluation of the performance of the entire probabilistic model. Experimental results show effective hybrid inference in a neural network-based probabilistic model for a binary classification task, paving the way towards a novel class of machine learning models.


Introduction: Serum CA15-3 has been one of the most reliable tumor markers used in monitoring of breast cancer patients. To increase its sensitivity, the combined measurement of other tumor markers (CEA and ferritin) with CA15-3 was investigated. The aim of this study was determination of CA 15-3, CEA and ferritin in female patients with breast cancer, lung cancer and mastitisMethods: 300 patients with carcinoma, hospitalized at Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Department for Oncology at the University Clinics Center of Sarajevo and 200 healthy subjects were compared.Results: In patients with breast cancer the mean value of tumor markers were CEA 155.61 ng/mL, CA 15-3 106.38 U/mL and ferritin 197.03 ng/mL. In patients with lung cancer CEA was 58.97 ng/ml, CA 15-3 40.62 U/mL and ferritin 544.16 ng/mL. Patients with mastitis had CEA 5.17 ng/mL, CA 15-3 112.67 U/mL and ferritin 174.92 ng/mL. The control group had values of tumor markers CEA 1.62 ng/mL, CA 15-3 11.72 U/mL and ferritin 85.35 ng/mL. We found good correlation between CA 15-3 and CEA correlation coeffi cient was r = 0.750. There was a low correlation between CA 15-3 and ferritin with correlation coeffi cient r = 0.274.Conclusions: The CA 15-3 and CEA are useful markers in patients with confi rmed diagnosis of breast and lung cancers. The ferritin concentration has not increased in patients with breast cancer but it increased inlung patients. The future study has to make investigations of tumor markers and ferritin in different stage of breast cancer.


Introduction: The frequency of visits to emergency department for asthma is a significant pub - lic health problem in pediatrics. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of children who visited the pediatric emergency department for asthma exacerbation and evaluated their therapeutic management prior to admission. Methods: A prospective study was conducted over a 6-month period in the pediatric emergency departments of five hospitals involving children aged 1–16 years admitted to the depart - ment with a clinical diagnosis of asthma exacerbation. Results: In all, 143 patients were enrolled in the study. Asthma episodes were moderate to severe in 69.2% of cases (n = 99). Initial treatment prior to admission to the emergency department was adequate in only 17.5% of cases (n = 25). Hospitalization for more than 24 h occurred in 18.2% (n = 26) patients. In children aged < 3 years, viral infection was present in 91.4% cases (n = 64) and exacerbations were more severe in younger patients (P = 0.002) and children belonging to low-income stratum (P = 0.025). Only 17.4% (n = 25) were positive for SARS–CoV-2 (antigen test or polymerase chain reaction test), suggesting that the involvement of traditional respiratory viruses in asthma exacerbation continued even during pandemic. Regarding the pre-hospital care, 70.6% (n = 101) had received prior treatment, but this treatment was inadequate in 53.1% cases (n = 76). Conclusion: This study showed that asthmatic children and their families had little knowledge about the disease and that physicians must be sufficiently aware of current recommendations for managing asthmatic children. Admission to the emergency department for asthma could be avoided partially by better diagnosis and therapeutic education.


When designing a complex system, adhering to a design methodology is essential to ensure design quality and to shorten the design phase. Until recently, enforcing this could be done only partially or manually. This paper demonstrates how constraint programming technology can enable automation of the design methodology support when the design artifacts reside in a central repository. At any phase of the design, the proposed constraint programming application can indicate whether the design process data complies with the methodology and point out any violations that may exist. Moreover, the application can provide recommendations regarding the design process. The application was successfully used to check the methodology conformance of an industrial example and produced the desired outputs within reasonable times.


This Standard describes the procedures for inspection of places of production of plants for planting which are susceptible to Xylella fastidiosa. All potential host plants have been considered as well as insects which are vectors of the pest. The scope of a place of production inspection may be for export or for internal country movements of materials or as an element of a national survey. Further inspections would be needed to determine freedom of a country or area from the pest concerned. The Standard does not cover eradication or containment measures in infected areas, or measures needed to establish and maintain pest-free places of production within areas where the pest is known to occur.


We implement the first blind analysis of cluster abundance data to derive cosmological constraints from the abundance and weak lensing signal of redMaPPer clusters in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We simultaneously fit for cosmological parameters and the richness–mass relation of the clusters. For a flat Λ cold dark matter cosmological model with massive neutrinos, we find $S_8 \equiv \sigma _{8}(\Omega _\mathrm{ m}/0.3)^{0.5}=0.79^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$. This value is both consistent and competitive with that derived from cluster catalogues selected in different wavelengths. Our result is also consistent with the combined probes analyses by the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS), and with the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies as measured by Planck. We demonstrate that the cosmological posteriors are robust against variation of the richness–mass relation model and to systematics associated with the calibration of the selection function. In combination with baryon acoustic oscillation data and big bang nucleosynthesis data (Cooke et al.), we constrain the Hubble rate to be h = 0.66 ± 0.02, independent of the CMB. Future work aimed at improving our understanding of the scatter of the richness–mass relation has the potential to significantly improve the precision of our cosmological posteriors. The methods described in this work were developed for use in the forthcoming analysis of cluster abundances in the DES. Our SDSS analysis constitutes the first part of a staged-unblinding analysis of the full DES data set.


Gaussian Processes (GPs) have been widely used in machine learning to model distributions over functions, with applications including multi-modal regression, time-series prediction, and few-shot learning. GPs are particularly useful in the last application since they rely on Normal distributions and enable closed-form computation of the posterior probability function. Unfortunately, because the resulting posterior is not flexible enough to capture complex distributions, GPs assume high similarity between subsequent tasks - a requirement rarely met in real-world conditions. In this work, we address this limitation by leveraging the flexibility of Normalizing Flows to modulate the posterior predictive distribution of the GP. This makes the GP posterior locally non-Gaussian, therefore we name our method Non-Gaussian Gaussian Processes (NGGPs). More precisely, we propose an invertible ODE-based mapping that operates on each component of the random variable vectors and shares the parameters across all of them. We empirically tested the flexibility of NGGPs on various few-shot learning regression datasets, showing that the mapping can incorporate context embedding information to model different noise levels for periodic functions. As a result, our method shares the structure of the problem between subsequent tasks, but the contextualization allows for adaptation to dissimilarities. NGGPs outperform the competing state-of-the-art approaches on a diversified set of benchmarks and applications.


This paper aims to comprehend the policy variables underlying Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects conducted by the Korean Government from a systems point of view; to identify the causal loops (reinforcing and balancing loops) operating within the causal map explaining the whole process of the ODA projects; and to derive the main policy variables affecting the successful management of ODA projects, with regard especially to the projects being provided by the Korean Government, using the sensitivity analysis method. The paper employs the system dynamics method, which has rarely been used in the analysis of ODA projects. The analysis results show that there are six causal loops (four reinforcing and two balancing) operating within the whole causal map explaining the ODA projects executed by the Korean Government; and that a public body for controlling and managing Korea's ODA projects (called control tower in this analysis) deserves special emphasis in constructing ODA-projects-related policies.


For maintenance of metabolic equilibrium physical activity, like nutrition, is basic; yet, unlike the latter, interest in the relation of exercise to health and disease has been slow in developing. It is true that from the time of Hippocrates, and even before, exercise was held important for the well as for the sick, but its use was intuitive or empirical and often postulated on erroneous "systems" irreconcilable with modern scientific knowledge. Only recently have studies begun to elucidate the relationship of activity to physiologic processes. Such investigations as those of Deitrick and Keyes indicate the deleterious effect of immobilization upon calcium and nitrogen balance, circulation, and behavior. 1,2 During World War II clinicial evaluation of inactivity in convalescence led to the use of early ambulation, with consequent decrease in time of hospitalization and in incidence of secondary complications, such as pain, constipation, insomnia, and the more serious pneumonic and thromboembolic


The effects of feeding honey on normal and alloxan induced diabetes rats treated and untreated were studied. In the experimental design, 25 rats were divided into five groups of five rats each, with Groups I and II serving as the normal and diabetic control, while Groups III, IV and V were the diabetic test groups administered with glucophage 500 mg/kg, glucophage in combination with honey (500 and 10 mg) and only honey (10 mg wet wt) per kilogram body weight respectively. All groups, (I - V) were fed with growers mash and water ad libitum for six weeks. The following parameters were assayed using standard methods; serum blood glucose, lipid profile, urea and creatinine. The differences observed in the serum level of HDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol in the test groups and diabetic control were statistically significantly (p≥0.05) compared to the normal control. The same was the case for lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) serum level in the test groups which was statistically insignificant to the normal control while LDL serum level in diabetic control was significantly (p ≥0.05) higher than the normal control. The difference in the LDL and total cholesterol level in the test groups were statistically significant to the diabetic control except cholesterol level of the Test III that was statistically insignificant to the diabetic control. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides in the test groups were statistically insignificant to the diabetic control. The blood glucose level in the combined therapy group (Test II) gave an acceptable range in both the fasting and 2 h postprandial compared to the diabetic and honey control group respectively. In conclusion, honey should be administered along with hypoglycemic agent in diabetic condition for use as alternative sweetener.


Collagen texture and osteocyte distribution were analyzed in human woven‐ and lamellar‐bone using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. We provide data substantiating the concept that lamellar bone is made up of an alternation of dense‐acellular lamellae and loose‐cellular lamellae, all exhibiting an interwoven texture of collagen fibers. An attempt is also made to explain how the present findings might conform to those of authors whose models propose orderly, geometric arrangements of collagen fibers inside bony lamellae. Such a comparison is possible because the present investigation analyzes split loose lamellae and tangentially‐sectioned dense lamellae. It emerged that only loose lamellae can be dissected, revealing a loose interwoven collagen texture and halved osteocyte lacunae. Dense lamellae cannot be split because of their compactness. The analysis of tangentially sectioned dense lamellae demonstrates that they consist of a network of interwoven collagen fiber bundles. Inside each bundle, collagen fibers run parallel to each other but change direction where they enter adjacent bundles, at angles as described by other authors whose TEM investigations were performed at a much higher magnification than those of the present study. Consequently, what these authors consider to be a lamella are, instead, bundles of collagen fibers inside a lamella. There is discussion of the role played by the manner of osteocyte‐recruitment in the deposition of lamellar‐ and woven‐bone and how the presence of these cells is crucial for collagen spatial arrangement in bone tissues. J. Morphol., 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This chapter presents an overview on a speech of Lodovico Pontano against Alfonso V in Latin. The short but fiery career of the famous jurist Lodovico Pontano led from the universities of Bologna, Florence, Rome and Siena, the Roman curia and the court of Alfonso V of Aragon to the Council of Basel where he became rapidly one of the major conciliarist leaders. Pontano's biography and the sequential analysis of his largely unedited works shows how a man of learning managed to present his legal skills. The original text of the chapter is in German.Keywords: Alfonso V; conciliarist; Council of Basel; Lodovico Pontano


Tourmaline, partially replacing pre-existing tourmaline from a tectonically dismembered tourmalinite vein, has developed distinctive compositional asymmetry that reflects influx of reactive fluids. The tourmalinite clast, enclosed in a quartzite from the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps, experienced a clockwise P-T-t path with maximal burial depths of 35–40 km (10–11 kbar), peak temperatures of ~550 °C, and major deformation preceding peak thermal conditions. The primary tourmaline of the tourmalinite clast, generation-1, is texturally and compositionally heterogeneous, ranging from schorl to dravite [Mg / (Mg + Fe) = 0.27– 0.61] with highly variable Al consistent with combinations of the X oAl(NaR) −1 and AlO[R(OH)] −1 exchange vectors, where X o represents X-site vacancy and R is Fe 2+ + Mn + Mg. Generation-2 tourmaline is manifest as distinctive compositionally asymmetric bands of colorless foitite (zone 1) and blue schorl (zone 2) replacing generation-1 tourmaline. Replacement takes place along a scalloped margin and advances preferentially towards the analogous pole (-c) of generation-1 tourmaline. The two zones of generation-2 range from foitite to schorl with a restricted ratio of Mg / (Mg + Fe) of 0.32 – 0.41, but with variable X o, Al, Na, and R predominantly reflecting X oAl(NaR) − 1 . Post-deformational generation-3 tourmaline ranges from schorl to foitite and partially pseudomorphs generations-1 and generations-2 tourmaline. Deformation and fracturing of primary tourmaline (generation 1) from the tourmalinite clast provided access to reactive fluids with adequate chemical affinity to produce partial tourmaline replacement. It is likely that the reactive fluid was a neutral-to-alkaline aqueous fluid phase with relatively low Na contents.


Asthma is the most common respiratory illness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. From the Mater Mothers routinely collected perinatal data in Brisbane we have identified that 24% of Indigenous and 17% of non‐Indigenous women have pregnancies complicated by asthma. Indigenous women with asthma are more likely to have poorer birth outcomes when compared to non‐Indigenous women with asthma, with neonatal death being doubled in asthmatic Indigenous women. These data indicate that asthma management during pregnancy is an unmet need for Indigenous women and essential if we are to avoid these devastating outcomes for Indigenous families.


In recent years several commentators have observed the trend of mainstream media ignoring and distorting women's perspectives and experiences in armed conflicts. Both in the reporting and the wider discourse about conflicts, women tend to be cast less as political actors and more as helpless victims, often paired with children in accounts of war incidents. Carolina Marques de Mesquita (2016), in her study of media coverage of recent wars and conflicts, observed that while major media outlets tend to represent the scale of violence in a conflict through the harm and death inflicted on women, they are otherwise often neglected. This contention sets the backdrop for our study that aims to explore the Russian-Ukraine War from a gendered lens. We examine the coverage of the ongoing conflict in four news outlets to see whether or not they reflect the established pattern of gendered representations of war. Our analysis reveals, by and large, persistence in the pattern of coverage of the war that corroborates the charge that media reportage of conflict tends to underrepresent women and distort their involvement in wars through narrow role characterizations.


Significant gaps exist in our knowledge of real world social network structures, which in turn limit our understanding of how to design social software. One important reason for this has been that researchers have not been able to systematically probe individuals in sufficient detail about 'who' and 'how' they interact with in the social networks they wish to study. To address this shortcoming we designed TellUsWho, a web-based social network survey tool. We explored the tool's utility by studying the social ties of 141 students. TellUsWho supported the collection of rich social network data in a relatively short time period. Within an average of 34 minutes, respondents were able to describe their egocentric ties with people they regularly keep in contact. On average, respondents listed 42 alters, for each of which they answered 27 questions, resulting in 1134 responses. This compares favorably to traditional methods, which could require up to 15 hours per subject.


Introduction: Haiti has one of the most severe health care worker shortages in the Americas. In-service continuing education opportunities have been linked to increased nurse motivation and retention, and improved patient outcomes. This paper describes how an academic-non-profit collaboration adapted nursing rounds to create a bedside teaching activity for nurses at a Haitian hospital. Methods: Rounds are defined as a gathering of nursing staff and students, as well as the patient's family at the patient's bedside, for case presentation and discussion about the medical and nursing care plans. A survey of participants was completed on a quarterly basis to improve the activity and assess whether the project was meeting its goals. Results: Twenty-six nurses participated in the first quarter survey and twenty-five in the second quarter survey. Surveys showed that participation in rounds increased over time. Nurses were either satisfied or very satisfied with rounds.  The majority of nurses reported learning information that improved their patient care every time they attended rounds. Challenges included limited staffing at the hospital, nurses' varying levels of literacy, and Haiti's unpredictable political climate. These were overcome by building a partnership with a reputable local organization, accompanying local colleagues in a peer-to-peer model, and embracing incremental changes during implementation. Conclusions: Evidence from observation, informal feedback, and responses to participant surveys indicates that rounds may increase opportunities for continuing education, encourage patient and family centered care, and promote inter-professional collaboration. This project has proved to be sustainable and continues to evolve two years following implementation.


There are a number of challenges in software, especially in its effective testing and the software maintenance problems. Can there be something done to improve the testing efficiency and help deal with the software maintenance problems? This paper presents a case that software analytics based on a storage-based approach can help deal with these issues. This database storage-based system along with simple graph-based queries, applies to different types of software, platforms, domains and also to complex multi-tier software. This system works by making use of a lower level view of the software and mapping it to high level userdomain features and tasks with the help of a database. For example, when a test case is executed, the test case gets tagged to the path traversed by it in the structural graph of the software which is stored in a database. The objective is to exploit the inherent knowledge present in the software to improve its quality. There are two parts in this solution: a minimal database-based storage layer that acts as a base for overlay applications which solve a specific problem. There are two such overlay applications discussed here: parallelized testing and automated root-cause analysis. The minimal storage layer consists of a relational database which is populated with both static and runtime behavior of the software. This storage layer is queried by overlay applications working on graph based queries to solve a specific problem like: the right set of test cases to execute for a bug/feature, parallel testing (concurrent execution of test cases), root-cause analysis for a bug or test case design Some of the benefits of this system are that it helps right from software development testing to software maintenance post release. The relational database which is part of the storage layer matures with time based on testing done and issues found in the field deployment which is looped back into the system. As we close the loop with every issue found in the field and testing of the software, the system gets better as new software features and fixes are introduced. Some of the other benefits of this system are identifying parallel test cases so that better understanding and more efficient testing is possible, and also efficient and accurate root cause analysis based on depth querying and graph traversal algorithms. It is a step towards automated root cause analysis. On the whole, the storage approach captures the dynamic relational knowledge of software and its execution. The silos of information, that is code logic at different layers of the software, are brought together in a relational database to make a combined sense. This offers greater insight into the software, thus increasing its efficacy.


In any grinding process, thermal damage is one of the main limitations to accelerating the completion of the product while maintaining high quality. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to understand the thermal behavior in the grinding process and possibly achieve the ultimate goal of avoiding thermal damage in the grinding process. A model previously developed is improved to analyze the heat transfer mechanisms in the grinding process. Heat generated at the interface between the abrasive grains and workpiece (i.e., the wear flat area) is considered. A conjugate heat transfer problem is then solved to predict the temperature in the grinding zone. In the previous model, all the heat fluxes were assumed to be uniformly distributed along the grinding zone. This led to a contradiction in the temperature matching condition. This reveals that the heat fluxes into each of the various materials are not uniform along the grinding zone. An improved model, accounting for the variation of the heat fluxes along the grinding zone, is presented. The temperature and heat flux distributions along the grinding zone are presented, along with comparisons to previous theoretical results.


Much of the research regarding the effects on soil properties of grazing and land-use conversion from native prairie to pasture and hay meadows has been concentrated in the northern Great Plains where the climate is relatively cool and dry. However, little research has been conducted to ascertain similar effects on soil properties in the much warmer and wetter mid-southern latitudes. The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of prairie conversion to agricultural grasslands on soil properties in the Ozark Highlands of northwest Arkansas. Three native prairie sites were identified with adjacent grazed or hayed grasslands on silt-loam soils. Four prairie-agricultural grassland comparisons were made for this study, with each comparison occurring on the same soil-mapping unit. Conversion of native prairie to grazing and hay harvesting created significantly (P < 0.05) higher bulk density, soil pH, and extractable P, Mg, and Mn within the top 10 cm. There was a significantly (P < 0.2) larger difference in electrical conductivity, extractable K, Na, and Fe, but a significantly smaller difference in total N and C and organic matter concentration, in the top 10 cm between prairie-grazed and prairie-ungrazed landuse combinations. Overall, soil surface properties of agricultural grasslands in the Ozark Highlands were similar to those of native, undisturbed prairie, indicating that either negligible responses occurred following conversion, parameters recovered to original equilibrium levels, or the magnitudes of agricultural inputs following conversion were too low to change equilibrium levels substantially. The baseline soil data generated in this study for undisturbed prairie and agriculturally managed grasslands can serve as standards for assessing impacts of high-input agriculture and future land-use changes in the Ozark Highlands.


 Abstract : The essay demonstrates that 'Journey to the West' (JW) treats all Buddhist and Daoist scriptures as cannons for cultivating the mind. Since the novel explicitly states that Sun Wukong is resolved to cultivate Xuan ( 玄 ), Xuan should be interpreted as a faculty of the mind, which has never been done before. A hermeneutic reading of the novel and Dao De Jing (DDJ) under the constraint that all text are referring to minds gives rise to a tri-part model, which consists of an "empty" mind state free of concepts, a mindful state filled with concepts, and a dualistic mind faculty that goes between the other two (Xuan). By this token, it can be established that the protagonist Tripitaka represented the "empty" mind, while the protagonist Wukong represents the dualistic Xuan. This understanding thus makes it possible to explain the relationship between Daoism and Buddhism in JW. Without Buddhist Tripitaka, Wukong would be lost due to his desires that drive Xuan. Without Daoist Wukong, who had insight into the forms of the Way, Tripitaka would fall for distractions and misunderstandings. Thus, only when Buddhism and Daoism are combined, we can get the true Buddhist sutras. This analysis also makes it possible to understand the core debate between the southern and northern lineage of Daoism, and JW's stance on such


The RuO2/TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared by the dip-coating method, which use Ti mesh as the carrier and titanium tetrachloride and ruthenium chloride as the raw materials. In the same way, the mutil-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) air cathode was synthesized by using the stainless steel mesh as the supporter and the MWCNTs, manganese dioxide and Polytetrafluoethylene (PTFE) as the Substrate. The level of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and chroma are valuable reference index in the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of practical pesticide wastewater by the self-made pilot plant. The real pesticide wastewater is the typical high concentration organic wastewater and CODcr concentration is above 10000mg/L. Practical running showed that the treated pesticide wastewater quality can meet the third grade standard for discharge of pollutants of the integrated wastewater discharge standard (GB8978-1996). The results showed that the removal efficiency of COD and decoloration efficiency were above 90.41% and 78.62%, respectively.


Abstract Pain is one of the most common complaints that general practitioners encounter in everyday practice. The swift and effective management of pain is a medical mandate, not only to fulfil an ethical obligation to the patient, but also to prevent long-term complications, such as chronic pain. General practitioners are often required to manage mild-to-moderate pain, and have multiple pain management treatments available to them. The challenge is to tailor a treatment plan to suit the individual requirements of each patient. In this paper, we will explore how best to manage acute mild-to-moderate pain in general practice in a logical stepwise approach.


Abstract Accurate knowledge of the movements of passerine populations in the southern hemisphere is difficult to attain, in part owing to differences in movements between and within species and between and within populations. In temperate South America, descriptions of patterns of movements are often based on reports of local changes in abundance and occurrence of species and there have been few detailed studies of movements at the local population level. We banded and monitored individuals of three species of sparrow -the Many-coloured Chaco-Finch (Saltatricula multicolor), Ringed Warbling-Finch (Poospiza torquata) and Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) in a temperate site in the central Monte desert, Argentina, to evaluate differences in site-attachment between and within species. We found resident populations of all three species, the juveniles of which showed little site-attachment. We also observed a large influx of mobile Ringed Warbling-Finches and Rufous-collared Sparrows during the non-breeding season. We confirmed population partial migration of two subspecies of Rufous-collared Sparrows (and, possibly, a third otherwise resident subspecies), and possibly also within Ringed Warbling-Finches. The influxes of mobile individuals during the non-breeding season may be in response to unpredictable climate and consequent availability of resources, as has been found in arid regions of Australia and Africa. Our results provide a basis for a better understanding of the evolution of movement patterns of birds in temperate South America.


Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the effects of denervation on skeletal muscle in-vitro passive mechanical properties utilizing a fraction- al order viscoelastic material model. Methods: 24 New Zealand rabbits were grouped into two; control group (n = 8) and denervation group (n = 16). In-vitro passive mechanical tests were performed on healthy and denervated quadriceps muscles. Relaxation and creep test curves were fitted with the best fitting curve of the 'three-element fractional viscoelastic material model'. Following this eight material param- eters characterizing the passive mechanical material properties were extract- ed for each specimen (E1, E2, τ, βr, 1/E1, 1/E2, η and βc).
Results: The fractional order viscoelastic model demonstrated good curve-fitting to the experimental data and least square error values were found to be below 1%. There were statistically significant differences in two parameters for stress relaxation. Firstly, denervated skeletal muscles demon- strated a more solid material behavior in stress relaxation tests (βr) (p = 0.042). Secondly, healthy muscles were relaxed significantly faster than denervated ones (τ) (p=0.017). There was no significant difference between groups in creep tests.
Conclusions: Denervation altered some in-vitro stress-relaxation properties of the skeletal muscles but did not affect creep performance. The effects of pathological conditions in the passive mechanical properties of skeletal mus- cle can be analyzed with fractional order viscoelastic material models.


Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger technology which helps to store information in a decentralized way. It can be put to use for various purposes ranging from the handling and transaction of virtual currency to maintenance of land registries. The adoption of the technology in India will surely enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the various sectors. However, certain legal ramifications may arise. The three prominent usages of Blockchain technology are: Bitcoins, Smart Contracts and the Land Registry System. The legal ramifications of all the three usages under various Indian laws have been examined. Further, adoption of Blockchain technology in the Land Registry System will require certain structural changes. Therefore, the said structural changes have been examined and certain suggestions have been made for successful adoption of Blockchain technology in the Land Registry System in India.


Genetic
relationships of 16 cultivars of pigeonpea (Cajanus
cajan (L) Millsp.) and its two wild relatives (C. albicans and C. lineatus)
from different parts of the India were analysed using 22 random amplified
polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) primers and 10 inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs)
primers. Twenty two RAPD primers yielded 151 polymorphic markers (71.2%) with
an average of 6.8 polymorphic band/primer. Cluster analysis based on these 151
RAPD markers revealed relatively low level (0.434 - 0.714) of genetic diversity
among cultivars and high level of diversity between cultivars and wild
relatives. Ten ISSR primers produced 100 bands across 16 cultivars and its wild relatives out of which 93 (93%) were
polymorphic with an average of 9.3 polymorphic band/primer. Cluster
analysis based on these 93 ISSR markers also revealed relatively higher level (0.328
- 0.827) of genetic diversity among cultivars as compared to RAPD markers. The
polymorphic markers obtained by both RAPD and ISSR primers were pooled and the
genetic diversity analysis based on these 244 markers was analysed. Jaccard's
similarity coefficient obtained by pooled data revealed very narrow range (0.477
- 0.720) among cultivated and high range between cultivated and wild species C. albicans (0.240 - 0.331) and C. lineatus (0.163 - 0.193). In the
UPGMA based dendrogram the 16 cultivars were grouped into three distinct
clusters. Cluster I contained two genotypes, cluster II had six and cluster III
had eight genotypes. Principal components analysis (PCA) also resulted in
similar pattern as that of UPGMA based analysis. The first three PCs contributed
56.26%, 5.71% and 4.97% of variation, respectively, with cumulative variation
of the first three PCs was 66.96%. Both the markers and the combined data
revealed similar pattern with narrow diversity among cultivars and higher
diversity between cultivars and wild one, but the genetic diversity range
obtained by ISSR markers was relatively higher as compared to RAPD and pooled
data. Furthermore, both the markers also correlated the clustering of stress
resistant genotypes together. Cultivar Pusa-2002 possessed more diversity with
other genotypes in ISSR dendrogram.


The increase in the volume and variety of data has increased the reliance of data scientists on shared computational resources, either in-house or obtained via cloud providers, to execute machine learning and artificial intelligence programs. This, in turn, has created challenges of exploiting available resources to execute such "cognitive workloads" quickly and effectively to gather the needed knowledge and data insight. A common challenge in machine learning is knowing when to stop model building. This is often exacerbated in the presence of big data as a trade off between the cost of producing the model (time, volume of training data, resources utilised) and its general performance. Whilst there are many tools and application stacks available to train models over distributed resources, the challenge of knowing when a model is "good enough" or no longer worth pursuing persists. In this paper, we propose a framework for the evaluating the models produced by distributed machine learning algorithms during the training process. This framework integrates with the cluster job scheduler so as to finalise model training under constraints of resource availability or time, or simply because model performance is asymptotic with further training. We present a prototype implementation of this framework using Apache Spark and YARN, and demonstrate the benefits of this approach using sample applications with both supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms.


In real-world applications, service robots need to locate and identify objects in a scene. A range sensor provides a robust estimate of depth information, which is useful to accurately locate objects in a scene. On the other hand, color information is an important property for object recognition task. The objective of this paper is to detect and localize multiple objects within an image using both range and color features. The proposed method uses 3D shape features to generate promising hypotheses within range images and verifies these hypotheses by using features obtained from both range and color images.


Pre-Flight Information Briefings (PIBs) provide current Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) information to pilots prior to a flight. Pilots suffer from information overload as PIBs offer limited structuring possibilities. In this paper, we present a system for semantic enrichment of Digital NOTAMs (DNOTAMs) which has been developed in cooperation with pilots and aeronautical experts. Semantic enrichments can be used to provide additional structuring possibilities. We introduce classifications of DNOTAMs based on their importance, their location and flight phase, and their event scenario. Further, several ranking strategies are described which allow to rank a set of DNOTAMs with respect to spatial or temporal properties. DNOTAM visualization tools can utilize these enrichments to improve visualization of NOTAM information which can help to reduce information overload.


Self-supervised representation learning techniques have been developing rapidly to make full use of unlabeled images. They encode images into rich features that are oblivious to downstream tasks. Behind their revolutionary representation power, the requirements for dedicated model designs and a massive amount of computation resources expose image encoders to the risks of potential model stealing attacks - a cheap way to mimic the well-trained encoder performance while circumventing the demanding requirements. Yet conventional attacks only target supervised classifiers given their predicted labels and/or posteriors, which leaves the vulnerability of unsupervised encoders unexplored. In this paper, we first instantiate the conventional stealing attacks against encoders and demonstrate their severer vulnerability compared with downstream classifiers. To better leverage the rich representation of encoders, we further propose Cont-Steal, a contrastive-learning-based attack, and validate its improved stealing effectiveness in various experiment settings. As a takeaway, we appeal to our community's attention to the intellectual property protection of representation learning techniques, especially to the defenses against encoder stealing attacks like ours.11See our code in https://github.com/zeyangsha/Cont-Steal.


To realize the promise of ubiquitous embedded deep network inference, it is essential to seek limits of energy and area efficiency. Low-precision networks offer promise as energy and area scale down quadratically with precision. We demonstrate 8- and 4-bit networks that meet or exceed the accuracy of their full-precision versions on the ImageNet classification benchmark. We hypothesize that gradient noise due to quantization during training increases with reduced precision, and seek ways to overcome this. The number of iterations required by SGD to achieve a given training error is related to the square of (a) the distance of the initial solution from the final and (b) the maximum variance of the gradient estimates. Accordingly, we reduce solution distance by starting with pretrained fp32 baseline networks, and combat noise introduced by quantizing weights and activations during training by training longer and reducing learning rates. Sensitivity analysis indicates that these techniques, coupled with activation function range calibration, are sufficient to discover low-precision networks close to fp32 precision baseline networks. Our results provide evidence that 4-bits suffice for classification.


Aquatic Particle-Organic Chemical Interaction: Characterization and Contaminant Geochemistry. Preliminary Evaluation of the Potential of Gas Purging for Investigating the Air-Water Transfer of PCBs (Michael W. Murray and Anders W. Andren). Trace Element Cycling in Southern Lake Michigan: Role of Water Column Particle Components (Martin M. Shafer and David E. Armstrong). Sorption of Alkylbenzenes to Mineral Oxides (Judith A. Perlinger and Steven J. Eisenreich). Field-Measured Associations Between Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Suspended Solids in Natural Waters: An Evaluation of the Partitioning Paradigm (Joel E. Baker, Steven J. Eisenreich, and Deborah L. Swackhamer). The Role of Phytoplankton in the Partitioning of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Water (Deborah L. Swackhamer and Robert S. Skoglund). Quantification and Characterization of Pore-Water Organic Colloids (Yu-Ping Chin, Ann P. McNichol, and Philip M. Gschwend). Adsorption of Surfactants (Bruce J. Brownawell, Hua Chen, Wanjia Zhang, and John C. Westall). Partitioning and Sorption Kinetics of a PCB in Aqueous Suspensions of Model Particles: Solids Concentration Effect (Patricia L. Van Hoof and Anders W. Andren). FATE AND TRANSPORT. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments and Pore Waters of the Lower Great Lakes: Reconstruction of a Regional Benzo(a)pyrene Source Function (Brian J. Eadie, John A. Robbins, Warren R. Faust, and Peter F. Landrum). Historical Deposition and Biogeochemical Fate of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments Near a Major Submarine Wastewater Outfall in Southern California (Robert P. Eganhouse and Richard W. Gossett). The Distribution of PCBs in Surface Sediments of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (James S. Latimer, Lawrence A. LeBlanc, John T. Ellis, and James G. Quinn). Carbon Cycling in Coastal Sediments: 2. An Investigation of the Sources of SCO2 to Pore Water Using Carbon Isotopes (Ann P. McNichol, Ellen R.M. Druffel, and Cindy Lee). Diffusive Rate Limitations in the Sorption of Organic Chemicals (William P. Ball and Paul V. Roberts). Investigation of the Distribution of Natural Organic Compounds in the Sediments of Estuaries with Indication of Their Likely Sources (Brian J. Harland, Malcolm J. Hetheridge, and Simon J. Molloy). Environmental Response to Hazardous Chemicals (R.E. Speece, N. Nirmalakhandan, and Diane J.W. Blum). INTERFACIAL AND ORGANIC-INORGANIC PROCESSES. Reduction of Hexachloroethane and Carbon Tetrachloride at Surfaces of Biotite, Vermiculite, Pyrite, and Marcasite (Michelle Kriegman-King and Martin Reinhard). The Effect of pH and Anions on the Solubility and Sorption Behavior of Acridine (Robert A. Matzner, Douglas R. Hunter, and Roger C. Bales). Surfactant-Enhanced Solubility of Hydrophobic Organic Compounds in Water and in Soil/Water Systems (David A. Edwards, Zhongbao Liu, and Richard G. Luthy). ANALYTICAL. Determination of Anthropogenic Organic Compounds Associated with Fixed or Suspended Solids/Sediments: An Overview (Martha J.M. Wells and V. Dean Adams). Determination of Polyvinyl Alcohol in Sewage (C. Ellen Gonter, Lorraine C. Guyette, and Thomas G. Stevens). Use of 14C Label to Study Fine Particulate Organic Matter Dynamics in Flowing Water (J. Denis Newbold, Colbert E. Cushing, and G. Wayne Minshall). Synchronous Fluorescence Spectra of Dissolved Organic Matter (Steven E. Cabaniss). Index.


The status of internet development in China, the current problems in broadband access technology, and the comparisons of next-generation access technologies of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line 2+ (ADSL2+) and fiber to the home (FTTH) are presented in this paper. It is proposed that the development of FTTH is of great importance in the future internet. Moreover, the current problems of FTTH cost and development prospects are also analyzed.


Purpose: Effective tax rates can have dual effect in the economic policy of a country by maintaining the state revenues in sustainable levels providing a safe net for the economic development. If taxation struggles the economy, there should be a turning point were the results of high tax rates do not have the expected results on the state revenue. The parabolic relation of Laffer curve is tested on a data set of different OECD countries. Design/Approach/Methodology: Three different functions have been selected to test the Laffer curve starting from the fact that the relation of revenues with taxes should have a parabolic form, with the turning point to be the peak of the parabola. Findings: The findings suggest that there exists a peak point where taxation policy is not providing the expected revenues. Results suggest that this pattern is common in several countries with different taxation regimes. The effective tax rates are different between the countries. Countries are divided into clusters with the same effective tax rates. The relation of the tax revenue and taxation rates is adjusted with the tax moral of the country. Practical Implications: The results are compared with other possible forms of the relation of revenue and taxes with considerable importance.


Sixteen cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome occurred in the third week of a diarrhoea epidemic caused by water pollution in EL-Sult, Jordan. Of 30 000 people exposed to polluted water, 5000 developed diarrhoea, 74 typhoid, and 30 infectious hepatitis. Thirteen of the 16 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome had been mildly affected by diarrhoea 8-24 days before the onset of peripheral neuropathy. Paralysis progressed rapidly, reaching a peak in one to five days, and recovery began three to seven days after the start of the most severe symptoms. All but four patients had recovered completely after one year. Rapid progress of paralysis and a delayed interval between maximum weakness and start of recovery were both associated with poor prognosis.


Teacher training, in a variety of forms, is a well- established, integral component of mass schooling. Institutions specifically for that purpose were established in England by the first half of the nineteenth century. They made their first appearance in Australia in the form of Model or Normal schools in the 1850s and as purpose-specific teachers' colleges from the 1880s. For the majority of new teachers in Australia, until at least the end of the nineteenth century, however, training consisted of a form of apprenticeship, either as monitors (around the mid century) or pupil-teachers.


Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) has developed a pilot program for automated recording of lectures called Videoapuntes during the academic year of 2012-2013. In this project we have recorded up to 36 lecture halls, from which students in the pilot courses have access to a high quality recording of the lecture comprising audio, video and the screen from the computer used by the teacher. Students access this content through the virtual campus platform. This recording has been made using the technology developed by the Opencast international consortium, in which UPV is an active member. Results from this pilot have been very successful, both in terms of quality and the number of recordings and in terms of student feedback, with more than 85% of the students valuating this resource as helpful or very helpful. In this paper we will present the plan, the technology that we are using, and the results we have obtained from the student feedback.


Service-Oriented Computing holds great promises to realize the vision of on-demand services available anytime and anywhere. It is still not clear, however, when and how the existing systems will benefit from this new wave. The problem is particularly acute for the software embedded in myriad devices. This work charts a roadmap for migration of legacy software to pervasive service-oriented computing. A key idea is to achieve integration even at the presentation layer, not only at backend layers like application or data. This requires re-inventing the popular mashup technology for the enterprise level. Domain-Specific-Kits, which has been originally introduced within the context of software factory automation, has been reshaped as another enabling technology towards migrating to the service harmonization platform.


Dengue virus (DENV) is one of the most important mosquito-borne viruses in tropical and subtropical regions. Development of severe forms of dengue viral infection such as dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) has claimed many lives. The standard methods for detecting dengue virus are time consuming, laborious, and require skilful personnel. In this study, we propose a method whereby DENV RNA extracted from dengue infected mosquitoes was converted into DNA for probe hybridization to generate silver nanocluster strands that could be visualised under UV light. Label-free silver nanocluster based DNA sensors are able to provide strong fluorescence upon DNA hybridization. Highly specific DNA sequence detection is possible by taking advantage of the specificity of DNA hybridization kinetics. The proposed system is capable of detecting all four dengue DNA serotypes (DENV1–4) without any cross-reactivity. A single tube assay format showed better hybridisation efficiency with higher fluorescence intensity generated and a lower detection limit compared to a cocktail probe assay format. The method was able to detect as low as 100 nM of amplified double stranded dengue DNA targets using both single and cocktail probe assays. This provides an interesting alternative approach for multiplex DNA sensing utilizing DNA silver nanoclusters as a reporter system.