Leaves and stems of plants of genus Bauhinia, family Fabaceae subfamily Caesalpinoideae, have been used as folk remedies for treatment of numerous health problems mainly diabetes. The genus is famous for the characteristic camel's foot shape of its leaves and bearing flowers ranging from white, yellow to purple. The shape and size of both flower and leaf are essential for species characterization. This study targets the morphological and histological profiling of Bauhinia vahlii Wight & Arnott. due to its recently evidenced biological importance. Morphologically, B. vahlii can be distinguished by being a huge evergreen climber with numerous pairs of coiled revolute tendrils. Its branches bear numerous large bilobed hairy leaves and white flowers that turns buff by time. The flowers show three long fertile stamens and two short staminodes. The commonly used parts, leaves and stems, were subjected to a deeper investigation. Microscopically, they are characterized by long non-glandular hairs with three small basal cells and an elongated distal one and that are rare in Caesalpinoideae. B. vahlli was recently segregated into a separate genus; Phanera based on the presence of tendrils, nature of its flower's androceum and phylogenetic data.


Despite the arrival of cellular radio, private mobile radio (PMR) will continue to be the main provider of mobile communications to a number of important users, particularly in areasoutside the main urban centres. The release of Band III for mobile radio services constitutes a significant factor in alleviating the spectrum shortage and should act as a spur for the development of new systems of spectrum utilisation. The paper discusses an integrated system for voice and data transmission using a number of novel modulation strategies suitable for multiplexing speech and data on a single 12.5 kHz mobile radio channel. Evaluations of these strategies and their implications for system design are conducted using a novel CAE simulation tool. The simulation shows that one of these modulation schemes is highly suitable for simultaneous voice and data transmissions. This is confirmed by experimental measurements on a prototype system.


Axial Ge/Si heterostructure nanowires allow energy band-edge engineering along the axis of the nanowire, which is the charge transport direction, and allows the realization of novel asymmetric device architectures. This work reports on two advances in the area of heterostructure nanowires and tunnel FETs: (i) the realization of 100 % compositionally modulated Si/Ge axial heterostructure nanowires with lengths suitable for device fabrication and (ii) the design and implementation of Schottky barrier tunnel FETs on these nanowires for high-on currents and suppressed ambipolar behavior. Initial prototype devices resulted in a current drive in excess of 100 µA/µm (I/πD) and 105 Ion/Ioff ratios. These results demonstrate the potential of such asymmetric heterostructures (both in the semiconductor channel and at the metal-semiconductor interfaces) for low-power and high performance electronics.


Differentiating between active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity and star formation in z ∼ 2 galaxies is difficult because traditional methods, such as line-ratio diagnostics, change with redshift, while multi-wavelength methods (X-ray, radio, IR) are sensitive to only the brightest AGNs. We have developed a new method for spatially resolving emission lines using the Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Camera 3 G141 grism spectra and quantifying AGN activity through the spatial gradient of the [O iii]/Hβ line ratio. Through detailed simulations, we show that our novel line-ratio gradient approach identifies ∼40% more low-mass and obscured AGNs than obtained by classical methods. Based on our simulations, we developed a relationship that maps the stellar mass, star formation rate, and measured [O iii]/Hβ gradient to the AGN Eddington ratio. We apply our technique to previously studied stacked samples of galaxies at z ∼ 2 and find that our results are consistent with these studies. This gradient method will also be able to inform other areas of galaxy evolution science, such as inside-out quenching and metallicity gradients, and will be widely applicable to future spatially resolved James Webb Space Telescope data.


In this paper the notion of a chemical workflow engine (CWE) is introduced to support the enactment of scientific workflows, i.e. computationally intensive tasks involving large datasets. The execution of scientific workflows require the coordinated use of a large quantity of resources and scheduling of the activities. Furthermore, these workflows may pose various dynamic features that need a special elaboration, either due to the inherent structure of the workflow, changes in the environment or interaction. The concept of CWE introduced in this paper is focused on these issues with the aim of creating a highly abstract self-evolving coordination model for workflow execution. The model is based on the foundations of classical workflow formalisms, particularly, event-driven process chains, and realized through a completely new paradigm: the chemical computational model. The coordination is based on a nature metaphor and follows the principles of the chemical reactions. The proposed coordination model is inherently concurrent, exploits all potential parallelism, able to dynamically react to any changes in the environment or workflow structure.


Neutron capture gamma -ray analysis has been applied to the in vivo detection of Cd in man. The technique was designed for the screening of industrial workers at risk. The limit of sensitivity in a liver-sized phantom is 0.5 ppm for a dose of 0.4 rad. Reproducibility and the effects of positional uncertainties have been investigated. A number of cadavers were studied to establish normal limits prior to commencement of a programme of clinical investigation. A patient with known Cd poisoning was estimated to contain 65-110 ppm of Cd in his liver. A liver dose of 0.05 rad was required.


This practical manual helps you to master traditional cane, rush and splint patterns, guiding your through each step of the process. Line drawings demonstrate how to cane with wicker, rattan, rawhide or Danish cord, and tips are given for overcoming common problems. Also included are charts which cover the size of fibre you need, the standard widths and lengths available and quantities required. The authors offer explanations of old and new techniques as well as shortcut methods.


Academic libraries are a powerful tool for education and research. The library's significance in the university has been underlined by all studies because it takes part directly and effectively in institution's life. The historical, cultural and educational environment affects library development in general and university libraries in particular. The history of the Greek academic libraries starts since 1837 with the establishment of the first university in Greece. The new university was located in a small building in Athens. A room of this building was devoted to the library. For decades the university educational system in Greece was negative in attempts at developing central university libraries. Today in Greece there are 18 Universities and 14 Technical Educational Institutes. Both types of educational establishments compose the higher education in Greece. At these institutions there are in total 226 libraries. The educational system of Greece is divided into three levels: a. Primary education b. Secondary education c. Higher education which includes as it has mentioned the Higher Education Institutes(AEI) and the Technical Educational Institutes(TEI). For candidates who want to take a place in one of the higher education institutions there is a national competition every year. The studies are free of charge for all educational levels. Central and Departmental libraries are the schemes which serve the academic community. So far, there is no legislation, which will respond to the general operation issues of the academic libraries in Greece. Ad hoc organizational issues are solved within the university context. This might be one of the major issues in discussion about TQM in libraries in Greece. There are two categories of staff in libraries. The first has permanent contract with the university. This staff category supports all administration posts. The second one has a temporary contract, which means that they cannot officially take any administration post. In NTUA, there are 5 persons who have permanent contract and 20 persons with temporary contract. Recently in Greece the second staff category is the largest group of employees in the academic Libraries. This situation affects seriously the work effectiveness since decision-making is a matter of a small group of employees within the same library.


This article examines millennials' experience of platform-specific disconnection, focusing on the ambiguous intersection of engagement and disengagement with social media. Drawing on 16 semi-structured interviews with (non)users who have quit specific social media platforms while remaining users on other platforms, this study addresses a specific practice of social media disengagement as a phenomenon, regardless of the (non)users' demographics. As a result, the study introduces phases leading up to platform-specific disconnection, which can extend to, or derive from, other practices of media rejection and resistance. These different stages refer to the technical and social affordances that influence users in their decision to (dis)engage with specific platforms, revealing a bias between the perception of the phenomenon and the lived experience of the disconnected. By visualizing the process of platform-specific disengagement, this paper provides novel insight into media resistance and non-use, and challenges the misconception of disconnecting in the digital age .


Surface temperature is often used to examine heat exposure in multi‐city studies and for informing urban heat mitigation efforts due to scarcity of urban air temperature measurements. Cities also have lower relative humidity, traditionally not accounted for in large‐scale observational urban heat risk assessments. Here, using crowdsourced measurements from over 40,000 weather stations in ≈600 urban clusters in Europe, we show the moderating effect of this urbanization‐induced humidity reduction on outdoor heat stress during the 2019 heatwave. We demonstrate that daytime differences in heat index between urban clusters and their surroundings are weak, and associations of this urban‐rural difference with background climate, generally examined from the surface temperature perspective, are diminished due to moisture feedbacks. We also examine the spatial variability of surface temperature, air temperature, and heat index within these clusters—relevant for detecting hotspots and potential disparities in heat exposure—and find that surface temperature is a poor proxy for the intra‐urban distribution of heat index during daytime. Finally, urban vegetation shows much weaker (∼1/6th as strong) associations with heat index than with surface temperature, which has broad implications for optimizing urban heat stress mitigation strategies. These findings are valid for operational metrics of heat stress for shaded conditions (apparent temperature and humidex), thermodynamic proxies (wet‐bulb temperature), and empirical heat indices. Based on this large‐scale empirical evidence, surface temperature, used due to the lack of better alternatives, may not be suitable for accurately informing heat mitigation strategies within and across cities, necessitating more urban‐scale observations and better urban‐resolving models.


Wall-bounded turbulent flows at high Reynolds numbers have become an increasingly active area of research in recent years. Many challenges remain in theory, scaling, physical understanding, experimental techniques, and numerical simulations. In this paper we distill the salient advances of recent origin, particularly those that challenge textbook orthodoxy. Some of the outstanding questions, such as the extent of the logarithmic overlap layer, the universality or otherwise of the principal model parameters such as the von Karman "constant," the parametrization of roughness effects, and the scaling of mean flow and Reynolds stresses, are highlighted. Research avenues that may provide answers to these questions, notably the improvement of measuring techniques and the construction of new facilities, are identified. We also highlight aspects where differences of opinion persist, with the expectation that this discussion might mark the beginning of their resolution.


There are two examples given in section 3.3 of the paper (pages 349– 352). The first of the two examples is a three matrix product cycle in four states. Here one may label this three matrix product cycle by assigning letters to each matrix. Let the cycle be . . .ABC . . . . A stationary cycle of state probability distributions and two state paths are given that do correspond to the product cycle but more properly, or more naturally, to the slightly rotated version of the same cycle given by . . .BCA . . . . Similarly, the second example is a four matrix product cycle in four states that one may label . . .DEFG . . . . The stationary cycle of distributions and the state paths given more properly belong to the slightly rotated version of the same cycle labeled . . .EFGD . . . . This means, essentially, that the coin is flipped at the end of the cycle just before the next cycle begins instead of at the beginning of the cycle. This subtle change in interpretation does not detract from the main thrust of the presentation in this section. As was indicated in [4], all cycle transition epochs of stationary paths are regeneration points and once stationarity is reached it does not really matter which matrix starts the cycle. But the stationary cycle of distributions and state paths given should be properly associated to their corresponding transition matrix cycle order. For the sake of consistency, the version of the Hajnal qualification given in [4] was used. In reality this qualification can be relaxed a little bit. All that is required is that any one matrix in the cycle be a regular scrambling matrix [17]. Thus, the matrices A and D can be first, middle, or last in the cycle. It does not make much difference because the paths are shifted anyway when all rotated matrix products are considered.


Abstract This cross-national study examined the mental health between those individuals working and those not working nine months post initial COVID-19 social distancing implementation. Respondents (N = 3,474) were recruited through social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) and completed an online survey in October/November 2020. The respondents were from Norway, the UK, the USA and Australia. The mental health of those working and not working were analysed using t tests and socio-demographics were compared using one-way analysis of variance. Respondents who were working were significantly more likely to experience better mental health, were younger, report higher levels of education, and significantly less likely to worry about their own situation, health or financial situation than respondents who were not employed. Respondents who were retired reported better mental health than respondents who were not working for other reasons (laid off/dismissed, receiving benefits, studying, other). These findings raise the importance for social workers and other health service providers to monitor the overall mental health of individuals especially when social distancing protocols are in place and as countries begin to recover from the pandemic.


In addition to the important substantive changes to Canadian law brought about by Carter v Canada (AG), the decision is significant for its consideration of the doctrine of stare decisis. This article examines the circumstances under which Canadian courts, including courts lower in the relevant hierarchy, might be entitled to revisit otherwise binding, higher court precedents and to depart from them. At least in constitutional cases, the Carter trial decision affirms that trial judges may reconsider rulings of higher courts where a new legal issue is raised or where there is a change in circumstances or evidence that "fundamentally shifts the parameters of the debate." Following a review of the recent Supreme Court of Canada case law on stare decisis, including Carter, the article turns to some critiques of the Court's newly articulated approach to revisiting precedents in lower courts, and responds to those critiques. The article also looks to the recent case law in which courts largely reject attempts to reconsider precedents from higher courts, revealing that the pull to follow precedent remains strong in Canadian law.


No other mapping product has had widespread applications in developmental planning than the topographic map. Topographic maps represent the three-dimensional landscape by providing relief information in the form of contours in addition to plan information on which natural and man-made landmarks are quite accurately represented. Height information, extractible from topographic maps, comes in handy for most land use planning. However, generalizations during contouring and the need to interpolate between successive contours for specific grid nodes introduce errors in extracted heights. There is therefore, the necessity to use some mathematical modeling to remove discrepancies in the interpolation process to improve elevation data extracted from topographic maps. In this study, the accuracy of spot heights derived from interpolated and extracted heights from topographical maps is assessed. Two different mathematical models - a third degree polynomial regression model and the Thompson's Multiple Variable Polynomial regression models, were respectively used to model the relationship between extracted heights and ground reduced levels. Results from the two models indicate that, the latter presents better refinements to converting extracted heights into reduced levels with a coefficient of determination value of 95.9%, although further research is recommended to investigate numerical techniques that could improve the solution to the Thompson's polynomial. The Thompson's model was implemented as a crude height refiner program that receives extracted heights to return corrected heights. The implication of these results for the mapping community is that, it is possible to model a correction function that can help obtain reasonably accurate heights from topographic maps. This will reduce the necessity of always going back to the field for field surveys in spite of the fact that topographic maps covering an area already exists. Keywords: Topographic maps, Interpolation, Thompson's polynomial, Levelling, Terrain models


Lamellar phases (Lalpha) composed of decylammonium chloride(DACl), NH4Cl and H2O were doped with cholesteryl-2-ethoxyethoxyethyl carbonate (CEEC) and with (L-MA) or its racemic mixture (DL-MA). Lalpha phases of the novel intrinsic optically active L-serine hydrochloride decylester (L-SDE) and its racemic mixture (DL-SDE) were also prepared. From the chiral Lalpha phases, cholesteric phases (ChD) were induced with increased temperature and it was found that the pitch length shortened as the temperature was raised. This phenomenon is new for micellar cholesterics. The non-chiral Lalpha phases gave pseudo-isotropic and nematic regions with increased temperature. On the basis of these results and those in the literature, a new interpretation of the distorted micelle shape and the formation of the fingerprint texture is presented. The pitches induced from Lalpha regions were always larger than those obtained from nematic regions. From these results it is inferred that the interactions between the micelles in t...


Summary A detailed study of the petrography and vitrinite reflectance of coals has been used to elucidate patterns of heat flow on the Alston Block. Four petrographic/rank vitrinite groups have been distinguished: I. Non-thermally metamorphosed with a vitrinite reflectance below 1.80% (approximately). II. Thermally metamorphosed and showing a granular mosaic. III. Thermally metamorphosed with no granular mosaic. IV. Non-thermally metamorphosed with reflectances in excess of 1.80%. Transitional vitrinites are also described. Certain features of the Group II vitrinites suggest a coking coal rank prior to Whin Sill intrusion and the Group II – Group III transition has been interpreted as a pre-Whin 1.60% isoreflectance contour. This isoreflectance surface has been traced laterally across the block and is shown to dome across the cupolas of the Weardale Granite, indicating that the pre-Whin Sill basement heat flow was channelled through the basement granite stock. Temperatures, calculated by the method of Karweil (1973), for this coalification interval were probably in excess of 185°C at the Great Limestone horizon around the cupola margins. This indicates that some form of rejuvenation of the Weardale Granite occurred at depth, probably in response to the Hercynian orogeny. The intrusion of the Whin Sill (295 ± 6 Ma) produced the Group II and Group III vitrinites and caused an exponential increase in vitrinite reflectance towards its contacts. Graphitisation has occurred immediately adjacent to the Whin Sill in certain localities where pre-Whin Sill rank and intrusion temperatures were favourable. The abnormally wide zone of natural coke above the Whin Sill is attributed to the high background temperatures present in the Alston Block during intrusion. A detailed lateral survey of vitrinite reflectance at the horizon between the Great and Little Limestones has revealed both the dependence of this parameter upon the Whin Sill thickness and stratigraphic horizon in the central part of the block, and a spatial relationship between vitrinite reflectance and the Weardale Granite subcrop around the block margins. The post-Whin Sill mineralisation has had no discernable effect on vitrinite reflectance.


Abstract The spider genus Zorocrates is revised, and comprises at least 31 species found from the southern United States south to Central America; it provides a notable example of the loss of a functional cribellum within a relatively small (but seemingly monophyletic) group of species. Two specific names are removed from synonymy: Z. gnaphosoides O. P.-Cambridge and Z. mordax O. P.-Cambridge (from Z. fuscus Simon and Z. mistus O. P.-Cambridge, respectively). Two other specific names are newly synonymized: Z. isolatus Gertsch and Davis, with Z. unicolor (Banks), and Z. petersi Kraus, with Z. gnaphosoides O. P.-Cambridge. Males are newly described for Z. badius Simon and Z. pictus Simon; females are newly described for Z. karli Gertsch and Riechert. Twenty new species are described from Texas and Mexico.


Reports on the biology and status of this species and suggests management options for consideration by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.


This Note documents the evolution of the "mosaic theory" in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) national security law and highlights its centrality in the post-9/11 landscape of information control. After years of doctrinal stasis and practical anonymity, federal agencies began asserting the theory more aggressively after 9/11, thereby testing the limits of executive secrecy and of judicial deference. Though essentially valid, the mosaic theory has been applied in ways that are unfalsifiable, in tension with the text and purpose of FOIA, and susceptible to abuse and overbreadth. This Note therefore argues, against precedent, for greater judicial scrutiny of mosaic theory claims.


This study examines whether changes in dynamic risk during juvenile justice long-term residential placement affect recidivism. Advancing the work of prior dynamic risk change analyses, we examine a large sample of 11,891 male and 1930 female juvenile offenders while taking methodological steps to ensure successful and non-successful youth (in terms of recidivism) are (statistically) identical at admission. Specifically, we employ propensity score matching on residential placement youth who recidivate post-release and non-recidivists on static risk factors and initial dynamic risk scores assessed at admission to residential placement. Post-matching, changes in dynamic risk factors from initial assessment at admission to exit assessment at release are examined with a focus on whether those changes distinguish recidivists from non-recidivists. Separate analyses are conducted for male and female juveniles. Results indicate that changes in dynamic risk do affect recidivism likelihood, but that different factors matter for males and females. These sex-specific models allow for distinct policy recommendations.


The dyeing properties of acetylated fir powder and acetylated poplar spill with 8 red disperse dyes were studied in this paper. The dyeing results indicate that the percentage of dye exhaustion (% E)on acetylated fir powder is 96~99%. As for acetylated poplar spill, the percentage of dye exhaustion reaches 58~78%. The color shade of dyed modified wood is similar to that of dyed polyester fabric. Compared with the dyed polyester fabric, the color difference(∆E) of dyed modified wood is smaller than that of dyed unmodified wood under the same dyeing conditions. Furthermore, modified fir powder has excellent color fastness to washing, the dye removal of dyed acetylated fir powder is 0.4 ~ 1.8 % at 80°C for 2 h in the water. Both the Infrared (IR) spectra and microscopic images of fir powder, acetylated fir powder and dyed acetylated fir powder were investigated.


Purpose: An accurate evaluation of left ventricular volumes, mass, and ejection fraction (EF) and an early exclusion or detection of significant coronary artery disease or cardiac allograft vasculopathy are mandatory for clinical management and prognosis assessment of heart-transplanted patients (HTP). The purpose of this article was to evaluate the role of dual-step prospective electrocardiography-triggered Dual-Source CT (pECGdual-step-DSCT) in HTP for the assessment of left-ventricular function, in comparison with echocardiography (echo) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) performed on the same day, and of the coronary arteries as well. Materials and Methods: Left-ventricular EF, end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, stroke volume, cardiac output (CO), and mass were assessed in 11 HTP by pECGdual-step-DSCT in comparison with CMR and echo performed on the same day. During all the examinations, the heart rate was recorded. CT coronary artery assessment was also performed. Results: Heart rate was lower during DSCT (75.6±7.8 bpm; P<0.001). EF resulted slightly lower for DSCT (55.7%±5.0%; P≥0.05) in comparison with CMR (57.8%±5.3%; P≥0.05) and echo (59.2%±5.6%; P≥0.05). DSCT showed statistically significant higher end-diastolic volume (153.7±24.2 mL), end-systolic volume (67.8±11.5 mL), and stroke volume (85.9±17.6 mL) (P<0.01 up to 0.001) than CMR, but with a high correlation (P<0.001). Cardiac output was almost similar for DSCT versus CMR, with a very high correlation coefficient (r=0.914; P<0.001). DSCT showed higher mass values than CMR (P<0.001), but with a high correlation (r=0.866; P<0.001). DSCT versus echo results were less correlated. No significant coronary artery disease was detected. Conclusion: pECGdual-step-DSCT allows reliable assessment of left-ventricular function in HTP, with good agreement and correlation with CMR, within a global diagnostic approach including coronary artery evaluation in one single-volume acquisition.


Theory testing work is popular in information systems (IS), with many studies using questionnaires, experiments, or other methods to gather quantitative data and test hypotheses with statistical techniques. This editorial note highlights some of the obstacles that theory testing researchers face, and assists authors so that their papers will not be rejected outright on submission, nor slowed unnecessarily in the review process. In particular, we identify three obstacles relating to theorizing and five related to methods. We provide guidance on how authors can deal with each obstacle, and include examples of studies that have successfully addressed the obstacle. We hope that our editorial will encourage authors to take better note of these obstacles and to give further consideration to avoiding them when they plan and conduct their research studies.


The present study used meta-analytic techniques (number of samples = 92) to determine the patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course. Results showed that people increase in measures of social dominance (a facet of extraversion), conscientiousness, and emotional stability, especially in young adulthood (age 20 to 40). In contrast, people increase on measures of social vitality (a 2nd facet of extraversion) and openness in adolescence but then decrease in both of these domains in old age. Agreeableness changed only in old age. Of the 6 trait categories, 4 demonstrated significant change in middle and old age. Gender and attrition had minimal effects on change, whereas longer studies and studies based on younger cohorts showed greater change.


The aim of this paper is to present the aggregate interlock efficiencies achieved at concrete pavement joints, by doing a comparison between South African and American aggregates. It presents an investigation into modelling aggregate interlock shear transfer in jointed concrete pavements in order to develop a model suitable to South African conditions. The data obtained from laboratory studies, using South African aggregates, was compared with results obtained from a similar study on typical aggregates used in the United States of America. One of the conclusions reached from the study on South African aggregates was that there was no significant deterioration of the crack face during dynamic loading, which indicated that fatigue of the aggregates at the joint face did not play a role. This could be attributed to the high quality crushed stone used in South Africa. Furthermore, it was shown that jointed concrete pavements constructed with South African aggregates, relying only on aggregate interlock for load transfer, performed better than similar pavements constructed with American aggregates. The parallel can be drawn to similar aggregates in Australia; on either end of the scale.


The former Soviet Union made a major commitment to cogeneration. The scale and nature of this commitment created a system conceptually different from cogeneration in the west. The differences were both in scale, in political commitment, and in socio economic impact. This paper addresses some of the largest scale cogeneration programs, the technology, and the residual impact of these programs. The integration of the cogeneration and nuclear programs is a key focus of the paper. Soviet designed nuclear power plants were designed to produce both electricity and heat for residential and industrial uses. Energy systems used to implement this design approach are discussed. The significant dependence on these units for heat, created an urgent need for continued operation during the winter. Electricity and heat are also produced in nuclear weapons production facilities, as well as power plants. The Soviets also had designed, and initiated construction of a number of nuclear power plants "ATETs" optimized for production of heat as well as electricity. These were canceled.


The Pamir mountains are an outstanding example of extreme crustal shortening during continental collision that may have been accommodated by formation of a thick crust—much thicker than is currently thought—and/or by continental subduction. We pre- sent new petrologic data and radiometric ages from xenoliths in Miocene volcanic rocks in the southeastern Pamir mountains that suggest that Gondwanan igneous and sedimentary assemblages were underthrust northward, buried to .50-80 km during the ear- ly stage of the India-Asia collision, and then heated and partly melted during subsequent thermal relaxation before finally being blasted to the surface. These xenoliths, the deepest crustal samples recovered from under any active collisional belt, provide direct evidence for early Cenozoic thickening of the Pamirs and lower- crustal melting during collision; the xenoliths also suggest that the present mountain range was a steady-state elevated plateau for most of the Cenozoic.


This article examines some difficult decisions that agricultural economists must confront in doing research. Over many years, rules and standards have developed in agricultural economics that guide researchers, providing an underlying framework for research methods. This article deals with applying these seldom discussed guidelines to specific research situations confronted by agricultural economists. With this article, we hope to stimulate a dialogue among agricultural economists about the need for additional, appropriate methodological guidelines in agricultural economics research.


The Effect of STEM Project Based Learning on Self-Efficacy among High-School Physics Students. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 12 (3), ABSTRACT Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Project-Based Learning (PjBL) is increase effectiveness, create meaningful learning and influence student attitudes in future career pursuit. There are several studies in the literature reporting different aspects of STEM into a PjBL pedagogy. However, the effect of implementing STEM PjBL in terms of improving students' skills in self-efficacy levels in physics mechanics at high school level has not been demonstrated as expected in the previous literature. This study followed a quasi-experimental research method. Bandura's social cognitive theory is used to assess and compare the effect of STEM PjBL with conventional teaching method on students' self-efficacy level in learning physics among over 100 high school students. The result illustrated that STEM PjBL improve students' self-efficacy to solve physics problem. Also, the study proposes a guideline for future research.


The success of supervised learning hinges on the assumption that the training and test data come from the same underlying distribution, which is often not valid in practice due to potential distribution shift. In light of this, most existing methods for unsupervised domain adaptation focus on achieving domain-invariant representations and small source domain error. However, recent works have shown that this is not sufficient to guarantee good generalization on the target domain, and in fact, is provably detrimental under label distribution shift. Furthermore, in many real-world applications it is often feasible to obtain a small amount of labeled data from the target domain and use them to facilitate model training with source data. Inspired by the above observations, in this paper we propose the first method that aims to simultaneously learn invariant representations and risks under the setting of semi-supervised domain adaptation (Semi-DA). First, we provide a finite sample bound for both classification and regression problems under Semi-DA. The bound suggests a principled way to obtain target generalization, i.e., by aligning both the marginal and conditional distributions across domains in feature space. Motivated by this, we then introduce the LIRR algorithm for jointly Learning Invariant Representations and Risks. Finally, extensive experiments are conducted on both classification and regression tasks, which demonstrate that LIRR consistently achieves state-of-the-art performance and significant improvements compared with the methods that only learn invariant representations or invariant risks. Our code will be released at LIRR@github


Introduction: The use of natural products, that is, herbs for clinical and domestic purposes, is quite common in Saudi Arabia. Studies have reported an increasing use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). This study aims to investigate the perception, attitude, and knowledge of the students regarding CAMs and their use. Materials and Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study targeting the students of the pharmacy and medical colleges at the University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia was conducted for a 6-month duration. It employed a survey questionnaire termed as CAMs inventory. Results: The majority of the respondents were females (N = 180, 60.8%), and a major segment (N = 170, 57.4%) belonged to the age group between 21 and 23 years. Nearly half of the students (N = 121, 40.9%) strongly agreed on the need for integration of CAMs-related courses in medical and allied health education, and a similar proportion (N = 129, 43.6%) of the target population acknowledged using CAMs, based on family recommendations (N = 134, 45.3%). Half of the students (N = 142, 48%) had no knowledge about CAMs. Some of the CAMs were more prevalent in males and vice versa (P value <0.05). Conclusion: A positive perception and attitude toward CAMs was observed. It is influenced by their traditional use and partly by the recent induction of CAMs-related education in pharmacy. The majority of the students agreed on integrating CAMs-related courses in their curriculum. It was also observed that the knowledge regarding the subject was inadequate. Lastly, gender has the potential to influence the use of particular CAMs.


In this thesis, we propose mechanisms to extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. In-network data aggregation is considered on both tree-based and flow-based routing protocols during the process of data collection to reduce redundant transmissions. In the flow-based data collection design, we introduce the concept of flow loss multiplier to express the impact of data aggregation over correlated data. The application has the freedom to set the flow loss multiplier to reflect its specific knowledge of correlation.
We also introduce traffic balancing as a complementary technique to data aggregation. It helps avoid exhausting the energy of any sensor node while leaving large amounts of energy at other nodes. In tree-based data collection schemes, we adjust the tree structure judiciously to balance energy consumption before any node's failure due to total residual energy depletion. In flow-based schemes, after aggregation, data flows are split and the fragments are spread to increase network lifetime.
We investigate the impact of performing greedily data aggregation at the "best" aggregation site regardless of its location, the results of our analysis show that only applying 2-way data aggregation may limit the ability to explore more complex aggregation possibilities. To address this problem, we propose an aggressive data aggregation for a specified application, contour map reconstruction. Based on the simulation results, our aggregation scheme is shown to be able to eliminate large volume of contour data and retain satisfying data accuracy.


The first-principles calculation based on density functional theory has been carried out to study the microstructural feature of the novel 24R-type long period stacking ordered structure in Mg97Zn1Y2 alloy. The lattice positions of the Y and Zn atoms are determined theoretically, it is shown that the additive atoms are firstly enriched in the stacking fault layers at the two ends, a small amount are distributed in the interior stacking fault layers of the structure. And the arrangement of these Y and Zn atoms trends to be along the diagonal line of the unit cell. The structural stability is analyzed and the electronic density of state is discussed as well as.


Private drug outlets have grown increasingly important as the main source of malaria treatment for residents of malaria endemic areas. Unfortunately the quality of information and the quantity and quality of drugs provided is often deficient. The World Health Organization has included the private sector in its Roll Back Malaria strategy but has noted that it is notoriously difficult to change private sector practices without burdening the governments of developing countries. In the Bungoma district of Kenya the Quality Assurance Project (USA) teamed up with the Bungoma District Health Management Team and African Medical and Research Foundation to test an innovative low-cost approach for improving the prescribing practices of private drug outlets. The intervention called Vendor-to-Vendor Education involved training and equipping wholesale counter attendants and mobile vendors with customized job aids for distribution to small rural and peri-urban retailers. The job aids consisted of: (a) a shopkeeper poster that described the new malaria guidelines provided a treatment schedule and gave advice on the appropriate actions to take in various scenarios; and (b) a client poster that depicted the five approved malaria drugs and advised clients to ask for them. The training of wholesalers began in April 2000. (authors)


Bacterial quorum sensing (QS) is a chemical communication that allows bacteria to coordinate their population and gene regulation in response to threshold concentrations of QS signals. Here, we study the effect of QS inhibitor 2(5H)-furanone (FUR) on the formation of Pseudoalteromonas marina ECSMB14103 biofilms and the effect of these biofilms on the settlement of plantigrades of the mussel Mytilus coruscus. FUR was added during biofilm formation of P. marina ECSMB14103 or in the settlement bioassay. FUR at 10–4 M added during biofilm formation significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the settlement of plantigrades, and it was associated with a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of bacterial density. The visualization of individual substances in biofilms shows that β-polysaccharides are the major components in the biofilm matrix. The decreased settlement rate may be attributed to the reduction of the biovolume of α-polysaccharides and β-polysaccharides in biofilms. The transcriptome of biofilms treated with 10–4 M FUR shows 61 genes are differentially expressed. Aspartate kinase and the flagellar assembly protein fliH gene are significantly affected after exposure to 10–4 M FUR (p < 0.05). They are involved in the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall and the mobility of bacteria, respectively. Exposure to 10–4 M FUR also significantly changes the carbapenem biosynthesis pathway, which is regulated by the QS system in bacteria (p < 0.05). These data suggest that FUR directly affects biofilm formation by altering extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) components and metabolic processes, which, in turn, indirectly reduce the settlement of plantigrades. The present study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of controlling biofouling.


SIR,-It is of the utmost importance, as you suggest in your leading article by Professor Priscilla Kincaid Smith (1 May, p 1287), that the ethics of in-vitro fertilisation should receive very careful scrutiny. It appears strange that at a time when we deliberately abort about 290 000 naturally conceived children each year we should be striving for extracorporeal fertilisation and devoting much research and money to this endeavour. Tremendous power is exerted by one person over another in this procedure, and this power is capable of abuse-either by individuals or by the State. The ovum fertilised in vitro (in amanmade ectopic environment) is judged by purely scientific criteria as to whether it is suitable for intrauterine transplantation. A number of such human "specimens" are rejected and allowed to perish, a procedure which amounts to extrauterine abortion. In addition, there is the possibility of unwittingly causing damage to the child, mentally or physically, either now or in the future. Whenever the natural order of things is violated we are on dangerous ground. I would urge that medical science should not feel impelled to do all that it is capable of doing, however invigorating the experience may be, but should act with caution and restraint. There is often too much enthusiasm for what is novel.


: The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still unknown. Among the pathogenic mechanisms being discussed, the antigen recognition seems to be of great importance. Probably the "abnormal" interaction between the presented peptide of undefined nature with CD4 T-cell, triggers the pathological events. Immunosuppressive drugs, affecting antigen presentation, are in common use in the treatment of RA. We discuss the effects of alkylating agents, antimetabolites and other immunomodulatory procedures on the course of the disease.


The rods of Fe-based bulk metallic glasses with the nominal composition Fe65.5Cr4Mo4Ga4P12C5B5.5 were cast by melt injection into 1.5 and 1.8 mm diameter copper molds. The thermal stability, microstructure and crystallization behavior were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, optical micrography and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The wide supercooled liquid region between crystallization temperature (Tx) and glass transition temperature (Tg) in the as-cast state Tx=Tx-Tg=60 K, as well as the high value of reduced glass transition temperature Trg=Tg/Tl=0.567 (Tl is liquidus temperature) approves enhanced thermal stability of the alloy against crystallization. In the as-cast "XRD-amorphous" state, microhardness HV1=742 was observed. Multistep current annealing thermal treatments were performed for structural relaxation. After applying high enough heating power per square area (PS ≥ 6 W/cm2), intensive crystallization of the samples characterized by appearance of several iron-metalloid compounds (Fe5C2, Fe3Ga4, Fe63Mo37 and Mo12Fe22C10) was observed. The microstructure changes after crystallization bring about differences in the microhardness values. The areas of still present amorphous matrix are with increased value HV1=876, but a remarkable decrease to HV1=323 was observed in precipitated crystallized zone that propagate along inner part of cylinders.


The internet is often referred to as the information superhighway. Users often utilize the resources available on the internet mostly through search engines. This study therefore evaluated the use of internet search engines amongst students and staff of a Nigerian University.

Questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. 290 questionnaires were administered, out of which 230 were completed and returned. The findings show that there is awareness of internet search engines and online resources among students and staff of the University. Information overload, inadequate internet search skills and low internet bandwidth were found to be the major challenges affecting the use of the internet and search engines in the University.
Lastly, from the findings of the study, recommendations were made which include the fact that
libraries and librarians should stop viewing the internet and search engines as threats that have come to take over their jobs. Instead, they should view search engines as complementary to their jobs. So they should organize more indepth search skill trainings for their users. University authorities should work at increasing internet bandwidth among others.


Implant-based rehabilitation of edentulous mandibular posterior sectors tends to be complicated by the presence of bone atrophy. Following tooth loss, cortical bone suffers greater resorption on the vestibular than on the lingual aspect, and patients typically present narrow and low alveolar crests. In cases of moderate to severe mandibular atrophy, the bone height between the alveolar crest and the dental canal is small, and sometimes limited to only a few millimeters. Implant placement in such situations is very difficult, and implies the risk of inferior alveolar nerve damage. In certain cases bone grafting may be considered to restore the alveolar crest. We present a case of severe mandibular atrophy in which inferior alveolar nerve repositioning and implant placement were carried out. Such nerve repositioning may constitute a treatment alternative in patients with severe posterior sector mandibular atrophy and a consequent risk of dental nerve damage during the placement of dental implants.


Spiderplant (Cleome gynandra) is an African indigenous vegetable (AIV) in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa,
especially in most countries in eastern and southern Africa, where it is a semi-cultivated popular tropical species. In
Kenya, it is among the most popular AIVs, particularly in the western and coastal regions. Seed supply systems for
spiderplant is largely local and whatever material that is available is often of poor quality, mainly due to lack of
development of seed quality testing protocols, thus hampering the correct assessment of the quality of seed used for
sowing. The study aimed at determining temperature and light optima for seed germination and seedling
development of spiderplant morphotypes from western Kenya. The original spiderplant seeds for the study were
sourced from farmers in Kakamega District and from wildly growing plants within Chepkoilel Campus in Uasin
Gishu District, both in western Kenya. Four morphotypes were identified and selected based on the presence or
absence of anthocyanins on their stems and petioles, respectively. Tests on seed quality aspects were done at the
Bioscience Business Unit at Plant Research International, Wageningen, The Netherlands. Determination of optimum
temperature for seed germination was conducted by incubating three replicates of 100 seeds each of the four
morphotypes at constant temperatures of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45OC, respectively. In order to determine the light
regime for seed germination and optimum temperature for seedling development four replicates of 50 seeds each
were incubated at constant temperatures of 30 and 35OC at 8-hr light day-1 and 0-hr light day-1 (in 24-hr darkness),
respectively. Data analysis (ANOVA, statistical descriptors and t-tests) were done using statistical package
SeedCalculator 3.0. Germination was strongly influenced by temperature showing declines at both extremes of 20
and 45OC and optimum of 35 and 40OC. Light had no influence on germination since seeds germinated equally well
under light and in the dark. Seedling development was strongly influenced by temperature with higher percentage of
normal seedlings at 30OC than at 35OC. It is concluded that while temperature had an effect on seed germination
performance and seedling development, light on the other hand showed no effect on seed germination for the spiderplant morphotypes studied. However, white light is required in order to aid in seedling evaluation.


The Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) is currently Ghana's blueprint for growth, poverty reduction, and human development. It represents the framework the government of Ghana adopted to foster economic growth and fight poverty. A joint ILO/UNDP team was set up to specifically study the employment initiatives, programs, and projects that the government of Ghana is currently pursuing within the context of the GPRS. This report examines the current content of the GPRS with regard to employment; identifies challenges for realizing employment objectives; and develops recommendations for strengthening the employment content of national policies. In doing so, it outlines the elements of an employment framework for poverty-reducing growth in Ghana.


Improved heat transfer in composites consisting of guar gel matrix and randomly distributed glass microspheres is extensively studied to predict the effective thermal conductivity of composites using the finite element method. In the study, the proper and probabilistic three-dimensional random distribution of microspheres in the continuous matrix is automatically generated by a simple and efficient random sequential adsorption algorithm which is developed by considering the correlation of three factors including particle size, number of particles, and particle volume fraction controlling the geometric configuration of random packing. Then the dependences of the effective thermal conductivity of composite materials on some important factors are investigated numerically, including the particle volume fraction, the particle spatial distribution, the number of particles, the nonuniformity of particle size, the particle dispersion morphology and the thermal conductivity contrast between particle and matrix. The related numerical results are compared with theoretical predictions and available experimental results to assess the validity of the numerical model. These results can provide good guidance for the design of advanced microsphere reinforced composite materials.


SIR,-The report of Dr B G Molloy and others (18 May, p 1474) is interesting since it provides direct ultrasonographic evidence for follicular development during the seven day "pill free" period in women taking combined oral contraceptives. In one woman folliculogenesis was also evident on the seventh day of the subsequent pill cycle. We have for some time been using measurements of urinary oestrone-3-glucuronide concentrations to assess the antiovulatory effects of oral contraceptives. In women with normal (presumably) ovulatory menstrual cycles oestrone-3glucuronide concentrations of 10-60 nmol/l are seen during the follicular phase, and concentrations increase to 40-220 nmol/l towards mid-cycle; in women taking combined oral contraceptives concentrations are usually less than 30 nmol/l.' In a series of 24 cycles from 14 subjects, however, we observed two cycles during which oestrone-3glucuronide concentrations of 35-155 nmol/l occurred throughout the pill cycle. One woman was in her first cycle of pill use (Trinordiol) and the other had been taking the pill (Ovranette) for several months. These endocrine data therefore complement the ultrasonographic findings of Dr Molloy and others in suggesting that occasionally important follicular development can occur during use of combined oral contraceptives. We have also measured pregnanediol-3a-glucuronide in these women as a measure of luteal activity, but our observations do not suggest that either of these women had actually ovulated. We do not know whether either of these women did in fact miss taking a pill during the early part of the cycle; we would agree, however, that due to the potential for follicular development such an omission could present a possible risk of conception. M A SHAw Department of Pharmacology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT D J BACK M C L'E ORME S FM GRIMMER


We present infrared, optical, and X-ray data of 48 X-ray bright, optically dull active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the COSMOS field. These objects exhibit the X-ray luminosity of an AGN but lack broad and narrow emission lines in their optical spectrum. We show that despite the lack of optical emission lines, most of these optically dull AGNs are not well described by a typical passive red galaxy spectrum: instead they exhibit weak but significant blue emission like an unobscured AGN. Photometric observations over several years additionally show significant variability in the blue emission of four optically dull AGNs. The nature of the blue and infrared emission suggest that the optically inactive appearance of these AGNs cannot be caused by obscuration intrinsic to the AGNs. Instead, up to ∼70% of optically dull AGNs are diluted by their hosts, with bright or simply edge-on hosts lying preferentially within the spectroscopic aperture. The remaining ∼30% of optically dull AGNs have anomalously high fX/fO ratios and are intrinsically weak, not obscured, in the optical. These optically dull AGNs are best described as a weakly accreting AGN with a truncated accretion disk from a radiatively inefficient accretion flow.


In the droplet-based manufacturing process, the accuracy and density of forming parts are determined by experimental parameters such as the velocity and temperature of substrate, droplets spraying frequency, line deposition space and layer thickness etc. Using Sn60-Pb40, the droplets deposition experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of the parameters on the accuracy and density of formed lines, layers and solids on the experimental system. The experiment results showed that the high quality lines were obtained when the overlapping ratio of the adjacent droplets was controlled around 30% by the substrate velocity and droplet spraying frequency, meanwhile,the temperatures of the substrate and droplet were maintained at 270°C and 140°C, respectively. When the lines deposited space was about 90% of droplet diameter and the layer thickness was about 80% of droplet diameter, good deposition results of layers and solids can be obtained. This work has offered experimental guide for metal droplet deposition manufacturing.


We studied short-term changes in plasma lipid levels in type I diabetics treated with either a conventional insulin regimen or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. Mean plasma glucose dropped from 260 ± 18 to 134 ± 8 mg/dl when conventional treatment was used and from 194 ± 18 to 108 ± 8 mg/dl with CSII. Both forms of therapy were associated with a significant fall in plasma triglyceride levels. However, only CSII treatment produced significant changes in total plasma cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Total cholesterol fell from 195 ± 17 mg/dl to 161 ± 11 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol fell from 129 ± 13 mg/dl to 102 ± 9 mg/dl. We conclude that improved diabetic control by any method is effective in lowering plasma triglyceride levels, but it requires almost perfect metabolic control to affect plasma cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. The changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein achieved with CSII may favorably alter the prediction for the development of premature atherosclerosis in our patients.


(a) The responses of the vomeronasal organ to general odorants in the turtle, Geoclemys reevesii, were measured by recording the accessory olfactory bulbar responses. The threshold concentrations of the vomeronasal responses to various odorants were similar to those in main olfactory bulbar responses, indicating that vomeronasal cells lacking cilia and olfactory cells having many cilia have similar sensitivities to general odorants. (b) The vomeronasal epithelium was perfused with 100 mM NaCl solution and the salt-free solution and the effects of NaCl on the vomeronasal responses to various odorants were examined. There was no essential difference between the concentration-response curves for n-amyl acetate and menthone dissolved in 100 mM NaCl solution and those dissolved in the salt-free solution in the whole concentration range examined. The ratios of the magnitudes of vomeronasal responses in the salt-free solution to those in 100 mM NaCl solution were between 1.01 and 1.10 for seven odorants tested. (c) The magnitudes of responses to the odorants were unchanged by changes in NaCl concentrations. The replacement of Na+ with organic cations such as choline+, Bis-Tris propane2+, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine+ did not affect the magnitudes of the responses to the odorants. The Na channel blocker amiloride also did not affect the responses. (d) The vomeronasal responses were practically unchanged by changes in CaCl2 concentration. The Ca channel blockers diltiazem and verapamil did not affect the responses. (e) The replacement of Cl- with SO4(2-) did not affect the magnitudes of the vomeronasal responses. (f) The present results suggest that ion transport across the apical membranes of vomeronasal receptor cells does not contribute to the responses to odorants in the turtle.


Most of the Etruscan heroes and deities depicted in Etruscan visual arts were borrowed from the Greek mythological corpus complete with divine attributes and iconography: Heracles wields his club, Athena, her aegis, and Perseus pursues Medusa. These are all standard images with few changes apparent in the myths and their representations. An exception, however, is Aphrodite (referred to as Turan by the Etruscans), who shows considerable Etruscanization in her donning of Etruscan clothing and adoption of Etruscan attributes. These indicate Etruscan mythological and artistic traditions and reflect Etruscan culture, especially the world of Etruscan women. In Etruscan vase painting, images of Turan are found in scenes of the Judgement of Paris and Aphrodite and Adonis as well as in depictions with the greater Greek pantheon but represent only one segment of a diverse array of mythological themes. An examination of mythological depictions on objects belonging to women shows Turan appearing on a large number in a variety of contexts: specifically Etruscan, Greek mythological; and alone. Various media are used to depict these Greek and Etruscan mythological themes, but the majority appear on vases, wall paintings and mirrors. Bronze mirrors represent the best examples of the mixture of Greek myths and Etruscan religious and ritual customs within the context of these female-owned objects. The appearance of Turan and/or her attendants on such female paraphernalia can be reconciled with the romantic cycle of a mature Etruscan woman: passion, love, marriage and childbirth.


Strong (Lagrangian) duality of general conic optimization problems (COPs) has long been studied and its profound and complicated results appear in different forms in a wide range of literatures. As a result, characterizing the known and unknown results can sometimes be difficult. The aim of this article is to provide a unified and geometric view of strong duality of COPs for the known results. For our framework, we employ a COP minimizing a linear function in a vector variable $x$ subject to a single hyperplane constraint $x \in H$ and two cone constraints $x \in K_1$, $x \in K_2$. It can be identically reformulated as a simpler COP with the single hyperplane constraint $x \in H$ and the single cone constraint $x \in K_1 \cap K_2$. This simple COP and its dual as well as their duality relation can be represented geometrically, and they have no duality gap without any constraint qualification. The dual of the original target COP is equivalent to the dual of the reformulated COP if the Minkowski sum of the duals of the two cones $K_1$ and $K_2$ is closed or if the dual of the reformulated COP satisfies a certain Slater condition. Thus, these two conditions make it possible to transfer all duality results, including the existence and/or boundedness of optimal solutions, on the reformulated COP to the ones on the original target COP, and further to the ones on a standard primal-dual pair of COPs with symmetry.


Objective This study aimed to examine the prevalence of adolescent active travel to school (ATS) across 31 countries and territories in Asia, overall and by age group, sex and body mass index (BMI) category. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting 31 Asian countries. Participants 152 368 adolescents aged 13–17 years with complete data for age, sex, measured weight and height and active travel to school from 31 Asian countries from the Global School-based student Health Survey (GSHS). Primary outcome Self-reported active travel to school categorised into passive (0 days) and active (1–7 days). Results Overall prevalence of adolescent ATS in Asia based on random-effect meta-analysis was 55%, ranging from 18% (UAE) to 84% (Myanmar). There was limited subregional variation: 47% in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM), 56% in the South East Asia and 64% in the Western Pacific. Summarised by random-effect meta-analysis, being an older adolescent aged 16 years and older (vs younger age below 16 years: OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.16) was positively associated with ATS. This association was strongest in EM countries. Summarised by random-effect meta-analysis, females (vs males: OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.71 to 0.89) and adolescents with overweight/obesity (vs underweight and normal BMI: OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86 to 0.99) were less likely to use ATS. Association with sex was strongest in EM countries. Heterogeneity was considerable in all meta-analyses. Conclusion The prevalence of adolescent ATS in Asia varies substantially. Overall, older and male adolescents, and adolescents with underweight and normal BMI category are more likely to actively travel to school. However, the main contributor to differences in ATS between and within regions remain unknown. Although there is substantial scope for improving ATS rates in Asia, any policy actions and interventions should be cognisant of local built, social and natural environmental contexts that may influence active travel behaviour.


Background Pharmacovigilance, derived from the Greek word; 'pharmakon', a drug or medicine, and from the Latin 'vigilans' watchful or careful, is defined as 'all methods of assessment and prevention of adverse drug reactions' (Mann and Andrews, 2002). WHO defines it as the science and activities relating to the detection, evaluation, understanding and prevention of adverse drug reactions or any other drug-related problems. Purpose The aims of this research are to assess the awareness of Turkish physicians and nurses of pharmacovigilance and to study the impact of a seminar on their perception and attitude towards pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions reporting. Materials and methods The study was conducted in the Vehbi Koç Foundation American Hospital. The participants (15 physicians and 15 nurses) were asked to answer two questionnaires before and after they attended an educational seminar, which aimed to provide the participants with the theoretical aspects and necessary knowledge about pharmacovigilance. The responses of the participants were subjected to frequency analysis, and the existence of any difference between groups of participants based on profession and age, was investigated using non-parametric tests. Results Only 53.3% of the physicians and 60% of the nurses knew the correct definition of adverse drug reaction. All of the physicians and 60% of the nurses claimed that they had experienced an adverse drug reaction in their patients. 46.6% of the physicians and 40% of the nurses stated that they had never reported an adverse drug reaction. All in all, only 36.3% of the respondents knew the correct definition of the adverse drug reactions, had experienced an adverse drug reactions and cared to report to a correct authority. Non-parametric tests demonstrate that the nurses and physicians differ significantly in their responses when they were asked whether they had experienced an adverse drug reactions in their patients. Conclusions The results show that the practitioners are not aware of the importance of pharmacovigilance and do not know the correct definition of adverse drug reaction. The results of the second questionnaire demonstrate that an educational seminar would be very helpful to improve awareness and to increase adverse drug reactions reporting. Nevertheless, elimination of ignorance on pharmacovigilance would not be sufficient if the attitude problem towards pharmacovigilance remains unsolved.


Increasing emphasis on phosphorus (P)-based nutrient management underscores the need to understand P behavior in soils amended with biosolids and manures. Laboratory and greenhouse column studies characterized P forms and leachability of eight biosolids products, chicken manure (CM), and commercial fertilizer (triple superphosphate, TSP). Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) was grown for 4 mo on two acid, P-deficient Florida sands, representing both moderate (Candler series: hyperthermic, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments) and very low (Immokalee series: sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquods) P-sorbing capacities. Amendments were applied at 56 and 224 kg P(T) ha(-1), simulating P-based and N-based nutrient loadings, respectively. Column leachate P was dominantly inorganic and lower for biosolids P sources than TSP. For Candler soil, only TSP at the high P rate exhibited P leaching statistically greater (alpha = 0.05) than control (soil-only) columns. For the high P rate and low P-sorbing Immokalee soil, TSP and CM leached 21 and 3.0% of applied P, respectively. Leachate P for six biosolids was <1.0% of applied P and not statistically different from controls. Largo biosolids, generated from a biological P removal process, exhibited significantly greater leachate P in both cake and pelletized forms (11 and 2.5% of applied P, respectively) than other biosolids. Biosolids P leaching was correlated to the phosphorus saturation index (PSI = [Pox]/[Al(ox) + Fe(ox)]) based on oxalate extraction of the pre-applied biosolids. For hiosolids with PSI < or = approximately 1.1, no appreciable leaching occurred. Only Largo cake (PSI = 1.4) and pellets (PSI = 1.3) exhibited P leaching losses statistically greater than controls. The biosolids PSI appears useful for identifying biosolids with potential to enrich drainage P when applied to low P-sorbing soils.


Purpose
This study aims to perform a stability analysis on a steady magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection boundary-layer stagnation-point flow of an incompressible, viscous and electrically conducting fluid over a vertical flat plate. The effect of induced magnetic field is also considered.

Design/methodology/approach
The governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations using the similarity transformations. The system is then solved numerically using the "bvp4c" function in MATLAB.

Findings
Dual solutions are found to exist for a certain range of the buoyancy parameter for both the assisting and opposing flows. The results from the stability analysis showed that the first solution (upper branch) is stable and valid physically, while the second solution (lower branch) is unstable.

Practical implications
This problem is important in many metallurgical processes, namely, drawing, annealing and tinning of copper wires. The results obtained are very useful for researchers to determine which solution is physically stable, whereby mathematically more than one solution exists for the skin friction coefficient and the heat transfer characteristics.

Originality/value
The present results of the stability analysis are original and new for the problem of MHD mixed convection stagnation-point flow of viscous conducting fluid over a vertical flat plate, with the effect of induced magnetic field.


Debriefing is, and has been, a necessary ingredient in psychological research, however, very little is truly known about its history, its purposes, its forms, and actual deployment. The aim of this research is to uncover exactly what debriefing is—what it is today, what it was in the past, and how its definition and purposes have changed through time. This research contains three channels of study to examine debriefing: a historical study of research methods textbook literature, an examination of current research institution's IRB protocols, and an analysis of 1960's survey responses collected by the APA discussing ethical issues in psychology at that time. These three primary data sets provide an understanding into the complex and unsystematic history of debriefing. This research finds debriefing to be defined by its purposes and those purposes to be vast, often vague, and multifaceted.


The biochemical mechanism of short RNA-induced TGS (transcriptional gene silencing) in mammals is unknown. Two competing models exist; one suggesting that the short RNA interacts with a nascent transcribed RNA strand (RNA-RNA model) and the other implying that short RNA forms a heteroduplex with DNA from the unwound double helix, an R-loop structure (RNA-DNA model). Likewise, the requirement for DNA methylation to enact TGS is still controversial. In vitro assays using purified recombinant murine Dnmt (DNA methyltransferase) 1-dN (where dN indicates an N-terminal truncation), 3a and 3b enzymes and annealed oligonucleotides were designed to question whether Dnmts methylate DNA in a RNA-DNA heteroduplex context and whether a RNA-DNA heteroduplex R-loop is a good substrate for Dnmts. Specifically, model synthetic oligonucleotides were used to examine methylation of single-stranded oligonucleotides, annealed oligonucleotide duplexes, RNA-DNA heteroduplexes, DNA bubbles and R-loops. Dnmt methylation activity on the model substrates was quantified with initial velocity assays, novel ARORA (annealed RNA and DNA oligonucleotide-based methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme analysis), tBS (tagged-bisulfite sequencing) and the quantitative PCR-based method MethylQuant. We found that RNA-DNA heteroduplexes and R-loops are poor substrates for methylation by both the maintenance (Dnmt1) and de novo (Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b) Dnmts. These results suggest the proposed RNA/DNA model of TGS in mammals is unlikely. Analysis of tagged-bisulfite genomic sequencing led to the unexpected observation that Dnmt1-dN can methylate cytosines in a non-CpG context in DNA bubbles. This may have relevance in DNA replication and silencing of transcriptionally active loci in vivo.


In the paper, an attitude and heading reference system based on MIMU/magnetometers with moderate accuracy is presented. To meet the requirements of the real-time measurement, a master/slave CPU structure is proposed in order to improve the data refresh rate effectively. In the algorithm part, an adaptive extended Kalman filter equation is applied in the system, where the filter equation uses three tilt angles of attitude and three bias errors for the gyroscopes as state vectors, the measurements of three accelerometers and magnetometers are used to drive the state update. When the system is in dynamic mode, the measured values of the accelerometers consist of the gravity vector and the dynamic accelerations, an adaptive extended Kalman filter tunes its gain automatically based on the system dynamics sensed by the accelerometers to yield optimal performance. The experiment result shows that the attitude and heading angle errors are within 0.2 deg and 0.5 deg respectively in stationary mode, and the result can reflect the attitude angles reasonably in dynamic mode.


Since 1971 the Government of India has had a policy of encouraging the dispersal of industry to designated rural backward areas. The thesis attempts a critical assessment of this industrial location policy. It questions the extent to which the industrial dispersal that has occurred during the 1970s is simply a result of the policy or whether it was primarily prompted by other factors such as the interests of Indian industrial capital. The thesis starts with a review of industrial location theory and policy, from which it concludes that industrial dispersal and the developmental impact of industrial growth poles can usefully be analysed in terms of modes of production theory. It is argued that one of the most important features of such industrial growth poles in a Third World context, is that they represent the organised penetration of the capitalist mode of production into areas which previously are in general characterised by pre-capitalist modes. The next two chapters of the thesis examine the genesis of Indian industrial location policy and the evolving relationship between the Indian state and industrial capital. They conclude that while in the past the Indian state has imposed restrictions on industrial capital, these have become less stringent since the raid 1960s. It is argued that the industrial dispersal policy with its package of financial incentives for industrialists is itself part of a new, much broader development planning ethos. An ethos which replaces the old emphasis on state led development with the view that development will result from the efforts of private enterprise helped by the state. The third section, again comprising two chapters, takes the analysis down to the level of an individual State: Tamil Nadu. The distribution and development of industry in the State is discussed and the efforts of the State Industrial Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu in implementing the dispersal policy is analysed. This is followed through into the final section where the behaviour of firms locating in the two Tamil Nadu growth poles of Ranipet and Hosur is examined on the basis of material from a questionnaire survey. The types of firms involved are described and the managers' reasons for choosing the sites are analysed. The survey results demonstrate the validity of the initial hypothesis, to the extent that a certain specific section of the survey firms chose their new dispersed locations for reasons other than government policy. In addition it is suggested that the incoming firms will have both a disruptive and developmental impact on the local economy of the Ranipet and Hosur areas. While their advent will be of benefit to some it will have a particularly harsh negative effect on the lives of the many local inhabitants with no access to the jobs and incomes generated by the new industry. These points are drawn together and summarised in the concluding chapter.


Introduction Musculoskeletal disorders are in the forefront of Occupational medicine practice because they determine frequent and long-term sick leave from work and thus generate significant economic losses. They tend to increase which draws researchers, attention to their study and prevention. Objective The objective of the study was to clarify the presence of musculoskeletal disorders among teachers in Bulgaria for a retrospective period of 12 months in 2012 and to investigate associated with them working conditions. Methods An anonymous survey with the Eurostat questionnaire among 1030 Bulgarian teachers from primary schools and kindergartens was completed. Data were statistically analysed by SPSS 11.1. Results The total number of teachers-respondents to the question 12.1 about the available problems with bones, joints and muscles within 2012 is 447. A positive response has been given by 215 teachers (48.1%) and 232 has answered negatively (51.9%) – p > 0.05. On the other hand the majority of teachers do not carry out activities related to difficult working postures or movements (question No19a question – n = 987, no such activities – 663 respondents, in percent's – 67.2%; yes, I have such activities – 222 teachers, or 22.5% of all; I cannot point – 102 respondents, or 10.3%) or handling of heavy loads (question No19b – n = 986, no such activities – 861, or 87.3%; yes, I have such activities – 53, or 5.4%). The lack of significant difference between teachers with and without musculoskeletal complaints and relatively small percentage of ergonomics risk working factors, directed to search beyond the ergonomic factors for these complaints. Conclusion The high incidence and morbidity, generated by musculoskeletal disorders turn to in-depth study of the factors for their development among teachers and to the creation of complex preventive programs, leading place in which falls on the Occupational Medicine.


1Department of Health Management, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the commonest form of chronic liver disease worldwide and its prevalence is rapidly increasing. Screening and early diagnosis of high-risk groups are important for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD; however, traditional imaging examinations are expensive and difficult to perform on a large scale. This study aimed to develop a simple and reliable predictive model based on the risk factors for NAFLD using a decision tree algorithm for the diagnosis of NAFLD and reduction of healthcare costs. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 22,819 participants who underwent annual health examinations between January 2019 and December 2019 at Physical Examination Center in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. After rigorous data screening, data of 9190 participants were retained in the final dataset for use in the J48 decision tree algorithm for the construction of predictive models. Approximately 66% of these patients (n=6065) were randomly assigned to the training dataset for the construction of the decision tree, while 34% of the patients (n=3125) were assigned to the test dataset to evaluate the performance of the decision tree. Results: The results showed that the J48 decision tree classifier exhibited good performance (accuracy=0.830, precision=0.837, recall=0.830, F-measure=0.830, and area under the curve=0.905). The decision tree structure revealed waist circumference as the most significant attribute, followed by triglyceride levels, systolic blood pressure, sex, age, and total cholesterol level. Conclusion: Our study suggests that a decision tree analysis can be used to screen high-risk individuals for NAFLD. The key attributes in the tree structure can further contribute to the prevention of NAFLD by suggesting implementable targeted community interventions, which can help improve the outcome of NAFLD and reduce the burden on the healthcare system.


In the present study, the relationship between exopolysaccharide production and cholesterol removal rates of five strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus isolated from home‐made yoghurt was studied. Test strains were selected according to their exopolysaccharide production capacity. Influence of different bile concentrations on cholesterol removal was investigated. It was confirmed that B3, ATCC 11842 and G11 strains which produce high amounts of exopolysaccharide (211, 200 and 159 mg/l, respectively) were able to remove more cholesterol from the medium compared to those that produce low amounts of exopolysaccharide (B2, A13). The highest cholesterol removal (31%) was observed by strain L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus B3, producing a high amount of exopolysaccharide, in 3 mg/ml bile concentration. Cholesterol removal by resting and dead cells was investigated and it was found to be 4%–14% and 3%–10%, respectively. Cholesterol removal by immobilized and free cells of the B3 strain was studied and it was determined that immobilized cells are more effective. Influence of cholesterol on exopolysaccharide production has also been tested and it was found that cholesterol increased the production of EPS. The results indicated that: (i) there is a correlation between cholesterol removal and EPS production; and (ii) L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus B3 is regarded as a suitable candidate probiotic and adjunct culture.


In this dissertation, multivariate risk measures for random vectors and Aumann integrals of set-valued functions are studied. Both are set-valued functionals with values in a complete lattice of subsets of R. Multivariate risk measures are considered in a general d-asset financial market with trading opportunities in discrete time. Specifically, the following features of the market are incorporated in the evaluation of multivariate risk: convex transaction costs modeled by solvency regions, intermediate trading constraints modeled by convex random sets, and the requirement of liquidation into the first m ≤ d of the assets. It is assumed that the investor has a "pure" multivariate risk measure R on the space of m-dimensional random vectors which represents her risk attitude towards the assets but does not take into account the frictions of the market. Then, the investor with a d-dimensional position minimizes the set-valued functional R over all m-dimensional positions that she can reach by trading in the market subject to the frictions described above. The resulting functional R on the space of d-dimensional random vectors is another multivariate risk measure, called the market-extension of R. A dual representation for R that decomposes the effects of R and the frictions of the market is proved. Next, multivariate risk measures are studied in a utility-based framework. It is assumed that the investor has a complete risk preference towards each individual asset, which can be represented by a von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function. Then, an incomplete preference is considered for multivariate positions which is represented by the vector of the individual utility functions. Under this structure, multivariate shortfall and divergence risk measures are defined as the optimal values of set minimization problems. The dual relationship between the two classes of multivariate risk measures is constructed via a recent Lagrange duality for set optimization. In particular, it is shown that a shortfall risk measure can be written as an intersection over a iii family of divergence risk measures indexed by a scalarization parameter. Examples include the multivariate versions of the entropic risk measure and the average value at risk. In the second part, Aumann integrals of set-valued functions on a measurable space are viewed as set-valued functionals and a Daniell-Stone type characterization theorem is proved for such functionals. More precisely, it is shown that a functional that maps measurable set-valued functions into a certain complete lattice of subsets of R can be written as the Aumann integral with respect to a measure if and only if the functional is (1) additive and (2) positively homogeneous, (3) it preserves decreasing limits, (4) it maps halfspace-valued functions to halfspaces, and (5) it maps shifted cone-valued functions to shifted cones. While the first three properties already exist in the classical Daniell-Stone theorem for the Lebesgue integral, the last two properties are peculiar to the set-valued framework and they suffice to complement the first three properties to identify a set-valued functional as the Aumann integral with respect to a measure.


Although recognised as a cause of chronic diarrhoea for over forty years, diagnostic tests and treatments for bile acid malabsorption (BAM) remain controversial. Recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines highlighted the lack of evidence in the field, and called for further research. This retrospective study explores the BAM subtype and severity, the use and response to bile acid sequestrants (BAS) and the prevalence of abnormal colonic histology. 264 selenium-75-labelled homocholic acid conjugated taurine (SeHCAT)-tested patient records were reviewed and the severity and subtype of BAM, presence of colonic histopathology and response to BAS were recorded. 53% of patients tested had BAM, with type-2 BAM in 45% of patients with presumed irritable bowel syndrome. Colonic histological abnormalities were similar overall between patients with (29%) or without (23%) BAM (p = 0.46) and between BAM subtypes, with no significant presence of inflammatory changes. 63% of patients with BAM had a successful BAS response which showed a trend to decreased response with reduced severity. Colestyramine was unsuccessful in 44% (38/87) and 45% of these (17/38) were related to medication intolerance, despite a positive SeHCAT. 47% (7/15) of colestyramine failures had a successful colesevelam response. No patient reported colesevelam intolerance. Quantifying severity of BAM appears to be useful in predicting BAS response. Colesevelam was better tolerated than colestyramine and showed some efficacy in colestyramine failures. Colestyramine failure should not be used to exclude BAM. Colonic histology is of no relevance.


A BSTRACT Background Treatment of primary focal hyperhidrosis is often unsatisfactory. Botulinum toxin A can stop excessive sweating by blocking the release of acetylcholine, which mediates sympathetic neurotransmission in the sweat glands. Methods We conducted a multicenter trial of botulinum toxin A in 145 patients with axillary hyperhidrosis. The patients had rates of sweat production greater than 50 mg per minute and had had primary axillary hyperhidrosis that was unresponsive to topical therapy with aluminum chloride for more than one year. In each patient, botulinum toxin A (200 U) was injected into one axilla, and placebo was injected into the other in a randomized, double-blind manner. (The units of the botulinum toxin A preparation used in this study are not identical to those of other preparations.) Two weeks later, after the treatments were revealed, the axilla that had received placebo was injected with 100 U of botulinum toxin A. Changes in the rates of sweat production were measured by gravimetry. Results At base line, the mean (±SD) rate of sweat production was 192±136 mg per minute. Two weeks after the first injections the mean rate of sweat production in the axilla that received botulinum toxin A was 24±27 mg per minute, as compared with 144±113 mg per minute in the axilla that received placebo (P<0.001). Injection of 100 U into the axilla that had been treated with placebo reduced the mean rate of sweat production in that axilla to 32±39 mg per minute (P<0.001). Twenty-four weeks after the injection of 100 U, the rates of sweat production (in the 136 patients in whom the rates were measured at that time) were still lower than base-line values, at 67±66 mg per minute in the axilla that received 200 U and 65±64 mg per minute in the axilla that received placebo and 100 U of the toxin. Treatment was well tolerated; 98 percent of the patients said they would recommend this therapy to others. Conclusions Intradermal injection of botulinum toxin A is an effective and safe therapy for severe axillary hyperhidrosis. (N Engl J Med 2001;344:488-93.)


1. The Pherolist internet site listing moth sex pheromone components reported in the literature was downloaded and processed by a basic program into a database with 2931 combinations of 377 unique chemical names of sex pheromone attractants used by 1572 moth species in 619 genera and 49 families. Names of pheromone compounds were analysed for aliphatic chain length, unsaturation position, geometric configuration, functional group (aldehyde, alcohol, acetate, epoxide, methyl-branched and hydrocarbon) and number of instances such combinations are used by species and families. 2. The analyses revealed pheromone blends of species ranged from one to eight components (45% species with one component, 36% two, 12% three, 5% four, 1% five, < or = 0.5% for > or = six). The numbers of different components of various chain lengths and functional groups, the numbers of instances such compounds are used by species and the numbers of species using such compounds are presented. 3. The average number of pheromone components per species increased as the number of species in a family increased based on linear regression of components in the 10 largest families, with species numbers ranging from 19 to 461. Pooling the four largest families gave a mean of 1.96 components per species that was significantly greater than the mean of the next 14 smaller families (1.63). Because related species in a large family would need more communication channels, this suggests that these species on average evolved to produce and detect more components in their pheromone blends to achieve a unique communication channel than was needed by species in smaller families. 4. Speciation in moths would entail evolutionary changes in both pheromone biosynthetic and sensory systems that avoided competition for communication channels of existing species. Regression analysis indicated that the more species in a family the more unique pheromone components, but the increase diminishes progressively. This suggests that, as the number of components increases with species number in a family, new species are more likely to evolve a unique blend comprising a communication channel from among existing components of the family.


Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells with promising application potential in regenerative medicine and immunomodulation. However, MSCs cultured in vitro exhibit functional heterogeneity. The underlying molecular mechanisms that define MSC heterogeneity remain unclear. Here, we investigated gene-expression heterogeneity of human primary Wharton's Jelly-derived MSCs (WJMSCs) cultured in vitro via single-cell RNA-seq. At the single-cell level, highly variable genes (HVGs) are associated with functional characteristics of classic MSCs. Differentially expressed genes analysis revealed the existence of several distinct subpopulations exhibit different functional characteristics associated with proliferation, development, and inflammation response. By comparing our WJMSCs data with a public available adipose-derived MSCs (ADMSCs) single cell transcriptomic data, we found that HVGs from these two studies are largely overlapped and have similar functional enrichment. Taken together, these results suggested that these HVGs hold the potential to be used as candidate markers for further potency association studies.


Self-assembly techniques have long been used to generate novel materials with interesting optical, magnetic, electronic, and catalytic properties. This project aimed to generate the ligands capable of coassembling catalytically active metal Pd and the suitable substrates (Fe3O4, CeO2). Such a system is desirable for high catalytic activities which are attained from large metal/substrate contact surface area. The ligands are expected to tune the metal/substrate ratio through self-assembly to maximum the contact area. To achieve such system, this research focused on the synthesis of suitable hydrogen bonding ligands that have a functional group capable of binding the corresponding nanoparticle (NP) surfaces as well as selectively hydrogen bonding with one another. Multiple derivatives of such hydrogen bonding host-guest systems have been synthesized and the synthetic routes are reported. The ability to form hydrogen bonds with one another was further confirmed by NMR analysis of suitable mixtures validating the ligand design


Abstract The extent to which persistent, rather than transient, fissures (wide planar voids) can exist along upper crustal faults is important in assessing fault permeability to mineral and hydrocarbon-bearing fluids. Variscan (late Carboniferous) faults cutting Dinantian (Lower Carboniferous) limestones on the Gower peninsula, South Wales, host clear evidence for fissures up to several metres wide. Evidence includes dendritic hematite growth and elongate calcite growth into open voids, spar ball and cockade breccia formation, laminated sediment infill and void-collapse breccias. Detailed mapping reveals cross-cutting geometries and brecciation of earlier fissure fills, showing that fissures were formed during, rather than after, active faulting. Fissures therefore probably formed by geometric mismatch between displaced fault walls, rather than by solution widening along inactive faults.


This dissertation is the story of the destruction of Indian families as told to Congress in hearings held by the Sub-Committee on Indian Affairs in 1974 and the Select Committee on Indian Affairs in 1977 through the testimony of children, parents, Indian leadership, the Association on American Indian Affairs, psychological witnesses, and other advocates who opposed destructive child welfare practices. Their testimony described the illegal removal of Indian children, the exploitation of families through violation of their due process rights, the tragedy of children who were abused and neglected in placement, the psychological damage suffered by the children and their families, and the failure and neglect of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to protect the rights of Indian people as required by law. The litany of longstanding abusive practices revealed that one out of every four Indian children had been removed from her or his parents or extended family members in whose care they had been left, and that eighty-five percent of these children had been placed in non-Indian homes and institutions. Their testimony would convince Congress of the need to regulate the actions of state courts and public and private child welfare agencies to prevent the breakup of the Indian family. The testimony further revealed the federal government's continuing use of federal boarding schools as a primary resource for the placement of Indian children taken from families experiencing difficulties and its failure to provide services to these families, and for those children for whom local schools, near to their family homes, were not available. The federal boarding school system was established in the late 1800s to assimilate the Native people into mainstream society and to destroy tribal life. The Committees also heard from federal government witnesses who refused to accept their responsibility, and who strongly opposed enactment of laws to protect the integrity of Indian family life, despite clear evidence of the government's complicity in its destruction. Other witnesses who joined the government's opposition included representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who feared that a law to protect Indian families would interfere with its Student Placement Program in which over twenty-five hundred children were taken every school year into Mormon foster homes for educational purposes. The information provided to Congress formed the foundation for the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978.


Aim: To present an innovative pain –free liver retraction. Introduction: Retraction of the left lobe of the liver is a vital step in most of the upper gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgeries. For these procedures, a subxiphoid port, 5 or 10 mm, is used to insert a liver retractor to keep the left lobe of the liver out of the operative field. We describe a simple, but effective and economical alternative technique, using the core shaft of the dismantlable laparoscopic hand instruments. Patients and methods: Over a 3-month period, all upper gastrointestinal laparoscopic surgeries, were done with the liver retraction performed with the core shaft of the dismantlable laparoscopic instrument. There were 41 surgeries in all, which were mainly bariatric surgeries, antireflux surgeries, and Heller's myotomy. The endpoint of the study was to evaluate how useful this modified liver retraction was as a technique, and failure of the retractor was defined as a need to convert into a 5-mm fan liver retractor. Results: Of the 41 patients operated in a 3-month period, only in two cases, both undergoing RYGB, who had enlarged fatty liver, a 5-mm metallic fan retractor was found to be necessary to complete the proposed surgery, with a conversion ratio of 4.9%. Conclusion: The two mm 'insert', the shaft of the dismantlable laparoscopic hand instruments is a safe and effective option for liver retraction in most of the upper GI laparoscopic surgeries.