The range of bromide (Br-) in groundwater sources surveyed in South Africa is 0 - 18.4 mg/L. The research aimed to establish chicken embryo sensitivity to a range of Br- treatments (mg/L) injected into fertilised Ross-308 eggs in three phases: (1) five eggs injected with 10 mg Br-/L; (2) 45 eggs divided into groups and injected with 0, 1 and 5 mg Br-/L; (3) 148 eggs divided into groups injected with 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.5, and 1 mg Br-/L. Incubation was at standard conditions. Breakout analysis was done at various stages of incubation. The mass of the embryo and of the heart, liver and brain was measured at Day 20. Statistical analysis used Statistical Analyses System® software FREQ procedure to determine the chi-square goodness-of-fit test for percentages of live or dead embryos within and between treatments. The GLM procedure was applied to test for differences in relative organ mass (g) between treatments using F-test. The results showed: (1) 10 mg Br-/L is toxic; (2) Br- is lethal to embryos at concentrations >1 mg/L and toxic at 1 mg/L; and (3) embryo survival was significantly negatively correlated (R 2 = -0.92) with increasing Br- concentrations. Concentrations >0.5 mg Br-/L showed greater risk on differential development. Concentrations >0.01 mg Br-/L showed potentially severe effects on developing embryos. The heart showed the greatest relative growth response followed by the brain. The no observed adverse effect level target water quality range (NOAEL-TWQR) in developing chicken embryos was 0 - 0.01 mg/L. Keywords : Bromine, embryo model, halogens, maximum residue level, toxicity, water quality


Freezing and thawing damage is one of the major problems of concrete dams in cold climate. Cracking and splitting are the most common results of freezing and thawing deterioration in concrete dam. The cracking problem owing to freezing and thawing was investigated by making sue of finite element methods. The interpretation of the mechanism of failure was also given. In order to compute the thermal stress fields of concrete dam caused by freezing and thawing, the temperature changes versus seasons is determined according to measured data. The temperature fields of concrete dam versus seasons are simulated by using finite element method. Basing on the computational results of the temperature fields of concrete dam, the thermal stress fields are calculated numerically. The researches show that the first principal stress of concrete dam at downstream surface can exceed the tensile strength of concrete material. The numerical simulation results of fractured regions of concrete dam agreed with practical observed data.


The electronic environment of the World Wide Web evolves daily, increasing the likelihood of international participants and transactions. With this in mind, we investigated several key issues and questions related to the cultural context of Web interface design. We conducted three major studies to get at the issues of the relationship of culture to design on the Web. In the first study we asked the general question, are there design elements that repeat themselves in different cultures and different genres that we can use to design genre-specific and culture-specific Web sites? To answer this question, we conducted a foraging study in which we inspected dozens of Web sites from various countries. We found that indeed there are a few design elements, we called cultural markers that are both culture specific and genre specific. In the second study, we designed and conducted a controlled experiment in which we designed culture-specific Web sites using a few of the cultural markers identified in the foraging study, and compared their effects on native users performance and preferences. The results were mixed. We found that for Italian participants, the Italian designs were preferable for navigation markers but not for color. We were not able to show significant differences as a result of varying the markers' cultural values for American participants. In the third study, we defined culture with a small c referring to an audience with a set of habits and practices based on experience. We used people experienced in two different genres, eshopping and news sites, on the World Wide Web to investigate preferences and performance as a function of Web cultural experience. We found significant effects for both preference and performance.


Background: Caulerpa lentillifera is edible macroalgae which has several biological properties. This marine plant also contains beneficial secondary metabolites that can be used for treatment and prevent several deficiencies. Objectives: This research was conducted to evaluate immunomodulatory effect on nitric oxide production and phagocytosis of RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells from edible green seaweed of C. lentillifera extract. Methods: Extraction was applied to obtained ethanol extract, water extract and insoluble fraction. Alamar blue inclusion method was used to determine cytotoxicity and proliferation of RAW 264.7 after treated with sample. Griess assay using colourimetric commercial kits was selected to evaluate NO production and phagocytosis effect of samples was determined using phagocytic kit. Results: C. lentillifera extracts did not show any cytotoxic effect against RAW 264.7 macrophage. One hundred μg/mL of water extract increased the production of nitrite oxide. This extract revealed suspected-giant cells formation as a results of phagocytosis activity. The extract of C. lentillifera also enhanced phagocytosis activity of murine macrophage against E. coli. C. lentillifera extract enhanced activity of RAW 264.7 murine macrophage by increasing NO production and phagocytosis activity. This extract also caused suspected-giants' cells as indicator of phagocytosis effect. Conclusion: This result provides an insight that the potency of C. lentillifera extract as immunostimulant.


Behavioural adaptations and related utilization of habitat by the endemic lizard Calotes nigrilabris was studied utilising line transects and quadrates for a period of one year from January to December 2016 in the grasslands of Horton Plains National Park (HPNP), Nuwara Eliya District. A total of 108 transects, each 200 meters in length, were laid and traversed to collect data. Lizard census were carried out by placing 1x1m quadrates along transects. The distance between transects exceeded 200m. Quadrates were placed taking each lizard sighting as the centre of quadrate. A total of 303 lizard-occupied quadrates were examined throughout the study. The maturity stage of each lizard encountered was determined. At each lizard occupied quadrate, perch type, perching plant, perching height and perching light level was recorded. An ethogram was developed and focal animal sampling was conducted dividing the day into four time periods; morning, mid-day, evening and night. Activity level was determined considering the number of lizards that could be visually observed. Behavioural patterns varied in the temporal and spatial scales indicating a clear resource partitioning between different maturity stages. The most preferred perch type of C. nigrilabris was tree branches (55.12±11.97) and preferred perch plant varied significantly between maturity stages (Kruskal-Wallis, p<0.05). Adult males preferred Rhododendron sp. while adult females preferred Ulex sp. Sub-adults utilized both these plants. Juveniles mostly utilized Rhododendronsp. And the fern Pteridium sp. Hence, there was a resource partitioning in the spatial scale. Perch light and perch height of lizards varied in the temporal scale during the day. Perch height varied significantly between different maturity stages of C. nigrilabris (ANOVA, F=21.93;p<0.05). Lizard activity increased gradually from 06:00 to 09:00 h and highest activity was recorded between 09:00 and 10:00h (11.56±5.59). There was a significant variation of activity patterns within each time period considered (Kruskal-Wallis Test, p<0.05). Four different prominent behaviors were observed in each time period morning-basking (27.15±13.27)%, mid-day-alert (42.778±11.756)%, evening-resting (53.78±13.74)%, night-sleeping (85.74±5.78)%].The results of this study indicate that C. nigrilabris is well adapted for the utilization of grassland habitats of HPNP. For that, it shows behavioral adaptations which varies within maturity stages which results in more efficient and effective resource use. Therefore, this study provides important insights for conservation and management of C. nigrilabris by critically evaluating the differing requirements of different life stages of this species. It will also help the conservation of the natural habitat as well. Keywords: Black-cheek lizard, HPNP, Endemic lizard, Agamidae, Behaviour


Studies dealing with the reduction of challenging behaviour, over a 10 year period, from six leading journals, were analysed. It was found that most studies deal with target behaviours more frequent than once a minute. This finding contrasts with the results of surveys that suggest most people with learning disabilities, who show challenging behaviours, do so less frequently than once a day. There was no clear relationship found between the use of punitive or non punitive interventions and the frequency of the target behaviour.


The objective of this work was to establish relationships between alloy microstructure and high temperature mechanical properties such as strength, creep, and creep crack growth in Nickel-base powder metallurgy superalloys. Systematic variations of super solvus heat-treatments generated test material from three next-generation turbine disc alloys. Quantification of key microstructural features such as γ' distribution and morphology and grain boundary serrations was coupled with mechanical testing results in order to optimize microstructure for operating conditions specific to the bore region.


Proteases that degrade the amyloid β-protein (Aβ) are important regulators of brain Aβ levels in health and in Alzheimer's disease, yet few practical methods exist to study their detailed kinetics. Here, we describe robust and quantitative Aβ degradation assays based on the novel substrate, fluorescein-Aβ-(1–40)-Lys-biotin (FAβB). Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis shows that FAβB is hydrolyzed at closely similar sites as wild-type Aβ by neprilysin and insulin-degrading enzyme, the two most widely studied Aβ-degrading proteases. The derivatized peptide is an avid substrate and is suitable for use with biological samples and in high throughput compound screening. The assays we have developed are easily implemented and are particularly useful for the generation of quantitative kinetic data, as we demonstrate by determining the kinetic parameters of FAβB degradation by several Aβ-degrading proteases, including plasmin, which has not previously been characterized. The use of these assays should yield additional new insights into the biology of Aβ-degrading proteases and facilitate the identification of activators and inhibitors of such enzymes.


It is well-established that the odor of mammalian blood is attractive to top predators such as tigers and wolves and aversive to prey species such as mice and rats. Recent studies have shown that the mammalian blood odor component trans-4,5-epoxy-(E)-2-decenal (TED) elicits corresponding behavioral responses in these two groups of mammals. Here we assess whether a mesopredator, that is, a small-bodied carnivorous mammal that is both predator and prey, is attracted to or repelled by the odor of mammalian blood and TED. To this end, we assessed the behavior of a group of 15 captive meerkats (Suricata suricatta) when presented with wooden logs that were impregnated either with horse blood or with TED, and compared it to their behavior toward a fruity odor (iso-pentyl acetate) and a near-odorless solvent (diethyl phthalate). We found that the meerkats displayed significantly more interactions with the odorized wooden logs such as sniffing and pawing when these were impregnated with the two prey-associated odors compared to the two non-prey-associated odors. Most importantly, no significant difference was found in the number of interactions with the wooden logs impregnated with horse blood and TED, respectively. These results demonstrate that meerkats, despite being small-bodied mesopredators, are clearly attracted to the odor of mammalian blood. Further, the results suggest that a single blood odor component can be as efficient as the odor of real blood in eliciting behavioral responses in this herpestid mammal, similar to previous findings in feline and canine top predators.


Abstract This article describes and explains the origin and approach of a major research project investigating learning in further education (FE). The Transforming Learning Cultures in FE project (TLC) is part of the Economic and Social Research Council's Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP). The project is a partnership between four universities and four FE colleges. It takes a broadly social and relational view of learning, and explores the complex interrelationships between a wide range of factors, in 16 very varied 'learning sites'. The article also introduces the other contributions to this Special Issue, and contextualises them in relation to the TLC project as a whole.


Pickering emulsions (PEs) have received increasing interest for their application in catalytic multiphase reactions. Organic solvent nanofiltration of PEs was shown to be a promising procedure for efficient and effective catalyst recycling. In this work, a systematic parameter study to identify the main influencing parameters on PE filtration was conducted for a large variety of PE compositions for the first time. In addition to temperature, only the type of organic solvent significantly influenced the filtration performance, which could be mathematically modeled via a combination of the solution–diffusion and the resistance in the series model. Particle type and concentration, dispersed phase fraction and the presence of reaction (by-)products did not show any significant impact on the permeability. The stirrer speed only became important when emulsions stabilized by particles without the tendency to form 3D network structures were filtered in long-term filtration experiments. These results pave the way towards the application of PE membrane filtration for catalyst recovery in continuous liquid/liquid multiphase reactions and enable broad operation windows. As the mechanical separation of PEs was shown to be a very robust process, the emulsion composition can now be tuned to meet the needs of the reaction without any (significant) loss in filtration performance.


Outlier detection is an important data mining task with numerous applications such as intrusion detection, credit card fraud detection, and video surveillance. However, given a specific task with complex data, the process of building an effective deep learning based system for outlier detection still highly relies on human expertise and laboring trials. Moreover, while Neural Architecture Search (NAS) has shown its promise in discovering effective deep architectures in various domains, such as image classification, object detection and semantic segmentation, contemporary NAS methods are not suitable for outlier detection due to the lack of intrinsic search space and low sample efficiency. To bridge the gap, in this paper, we propose AutoOD, an automated outlier detection framework, which aims to search for an optimal neural network model within a predefined search space. Specifically, we introduce an experience replay mechanism based on self-imitation learning to improve the sample efficiency. Experimental results on various real-world benchmark datasets demonstrate that the deep model identified by AutoOD achieves the best performance, comparing with existing handcrafted models and traditional search methods.


We use a simple model of spheroid formation to explore the relationship between the creation of stars and dust in a massive protogalaxy and the growth of its central black hole. This model predicts that submillimetre luminosity peaks after only ≃0.2 Gyr. However, without a very massive seed black hole, Eddington-limited growth means that a black hole mass of 109 M⊙, and hence very luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity, cannot be produced until >0.5 Gyr after the formation of the first massive stars in the halo. The model thus predicts a time-lag between the peak of submillimetre luminosity and AGN luminosity in a massive protoelliptical of a few times 108 yr. For a formation redshift z≃ 5, this means that powerful AGN activity is delayed until z≃ 3.5, by which time star formation in the host is ≃90 per cent complete, and submillimetre luminosity has declined to ≃25 per cent of its peak value. This provides a natural explanation for why successful submillimetre detections of luminous radio galaxies are largely confined to z > 2.5. Conversely the model also predicts that while all high-redshift luminous submillimetre-selected sources should contain an active (and growing) black hole, the typical luminosity of the AGN in such objects is ≃1000 times smaller than that of the most powerful AGN. This is consistent with the almost complete failure to detect submillimetre selected galaxies with existing X-ray surveys. Finally, the model yields a black hole–spheroid mass ratio, which evolves rapidly in the first Gyr, but asymptotes to ≃0.001–0.003 in agreement with results at low redshift. This ratio arises not because the AGN terminates star formation, but because fuelling of the massive black hole is linked to the total mass of gas available for star formation in the host.


This article discusses design considerations for the mechanical structures of tracking systems currently under construction or being planned. The prime challenges are a high stiffness-to-mass ratio and good thermal conductivity between the heat sources (front-end electronics and sensors) and the local heat sink (coolant). These concepts will be illustrated with a few case studies of tracking systems under construction or in planning.


Multiple transmit-receive antenna based wireless communication system is a well investigated area in the literature. However, within the scope of author's knowledge there are few analytical frameworks which facilitate communication system design engineers to select the required transmit-receive antenna combination for a given quality of service (QoS) in terms of Bit Error Rate (BER) or Symbol Error Rate (SER). Most of such frameworks for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) wireless systems in the existing literature are lacking tightness between theoretical approximation and actual simulation results. The aim of investigation in this study is to provide theoretical expectation of receiver performance with MIMO wireless communication system within a given channel. In this study, new analytical performance bound frameworks with tighter lower bounds have been presented for different receivers for MIMO systems. On the basis of the presented analytical framework, a simulation platform has been established. The channel state information as well as expected quality of service is assumed to be known for simplicity. Rayleigh fading channel has been considered within simulation platform. Simulation results show that the proposed frameworks provide degree of tightness up to 100 times at Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) 20 dB for (2x2) MIMO system in comparison to the existing frameworks. Few other MIMO antenna combinations have been considered in the evaluation process of the proposed framework.


On the basis of the investigation on the status quo of pilot area of rural pension insurance in Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, farmers' demand on insuring in the new pilot area of rural pension insurance is expounded from two aspects: farmers' awareness on insuring is increasing gradually; farmers' ability on insuring is increasing. The growing demand of farmers on insuring and the conflicts between the supply of rural pension insurance and the system construction are analyzed. The problems are inadequate input of funds, low level of social security; imperfect fund-collecting mechanism, serious vacancy; low level of fund management and operation, poor ability of inflation-proofing and appreciation; backward laws and regulations, instability of system. On the strength of the analysis above, the government should innovate and compound fund-collecting mechanism; establish "G-C-F†three-pillar model and set up "BSI†the third party custodian; accelerate the legislation of new rural pension system so as to push forward the optimization of new rural pension insurance system in Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan.


Our working model of the primate auditory cortex recognizes three major regions (core, belt, parabelt), subdivided into thirteen areas. The connections between areas are topographically ordered in a manner consistent with information flow along two major anatomical axes: core-belt-parabelt and caudal-rostral. Remarkably, most of the connections supporting this model were revealed using retrograde tracing techniques. Little is known about laminar circuitry, as anterograde tracing of axon terminations has rarely been used. The purpose of the present study was to examine the laminar projections of three areas of auditory cortex, pursuant to analysis of all areas. The selected areas were: middle lateral belt (ML); caudomedial belt (CM); and caudal parabelt (CPB). Injections of anterograde tracers yielded data consistent with major features of our model, and also new findings that compel modifications. Results supporting the model were: (1) feedforward projection from ML and CM terminated in CPB; (2) feedforward projections from ML and CPB terminated in rostral areas of the belt and parabelt; and (3) feedback projections typified inputs to the core region from belt and parabelt. At odds with the model was the convergence of feedforward inputs into rostral medial belt from ML and CPB. This was unexpected since CPB is at a higher stage of the processing hierarchy, with mainly feedback projections to all other belt areas. Lastly, extending the model, feedforward projections from CM, ML, and CPB overlapped in the temporal parietal occipital area (TPO) in the superior temporal sulcus, indicating significant auditory influence on sensory processing in this region. The combined results refine our working model and highlight the need to complete studies of the laminar inputs to all areas of auditory cortex. Their documentation is essential for developing informed hypotheses about the neurophysiological influences of inputs to each layer and area.


In this paper, regiospecific, double intraannular C-N bond cleavages of N-alkyl 4-oxopiperidinium salts are presented. The reaction sequence involves a charge-transfer complex, in situ formed between sulfonyl chloride and N-methylmorpholine, which induces S-Cl bond homolysis of sulfonyl chloride, yielding a reactive sulfonyl radical that further induces the double C-N bond cleavages of N-alkyl 4-oxopiperidinium salt. The secondary amine thus produced was trapped by sulfonyl chloride to yield the desired sulfonamide product. The key feature of this protocol is that two intraannular C-N bonds of the 4-oxopiperidine ring are cleaved in one step under metal- and oxidant-free conditions.


While philosopher Dirck Volkerszoon Coornhert (1522-1590) is often referenced in political and religious histories on the early modern roots of religious toleration and freedom of worship, his time as an artist is understudied. In this paper I will analyze the early artistic works of Dirck Coornhert, namely the engraved print series The Allegory of Hope for Gain (1550), produced in collaboration with painter Maarten van Heemskerck, exploring how purpose, audience, and iconography were intrinsically linked. This print series is also a critical intervention into historiographic issues like the collective production of art and the relationship between image and text that can help shed light on the artistic and intellectual process of image- and idea-making. I will argue that the multiconfessional and urban consumers of Holland and the Low Countries was the perfect environment and audience for the development and spread of Coornhert's heterodox ethical ideals, and his professional work as an artist in Haarlem with van Heemskerck was a period of intellectual crystallization for Coornhert. I conclude that his print serieses like The Allegory of Hope for Gain, served as the original medium for expressing his ideas and that Coornhert use his previously produced prints, indirectly but often directly, as the inspiration for his later, and more famous, literary works of philosophy. This paper will hopefully inspire more research into role of engravers and other 'reproducers' of art and the diverse ways ideas were visualized, disseminated, and consumed in early modern Europe.


Coffin-Lowry syndrome is expressed as different phenotypes in males and females. In males, it is characterized by facial abnormalities, marked developmental disability, and skeletal changes. Approximately 80% of cases are associated with kyphoscoliosis, which can be quite severe, as seen in our patient, causing paraplegia and restrictive lung disease. In this article, we present the third oldest documented male case of Coffin-Lowry syndrome with severe kyphoscoliosis, paraplegia, and restrictive lung disease.


In this paper, a novel behavioral modeling technique for the characterization of memory effects of amplifiers is proposed. This characterization utilizes asymmetric intermodulation distortion (IMD) components, which are the result of a 2-tone excitation of a nonlinear amplifier. These asymmetric IMD components are represented basically by a power series, where each term in the series has its own time delay term. These time delay terms successfully justify the presence of asymmetry in the intermodulation components, which leads to the prediction of amplitude-to-amplitude and amplitude-to-phase distortions. The parameters of the model are extracted using 2-tone measurements. A 100-W peak power amplifier is examined. Model predictions are verified by the measurement results of a 4-tone stimulus. The proposed model can also be used in time domain analysis with arbitrary excitation.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of bolus-triggering data from pulmonary CT angiography for predicting the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) and to test its performance against previously established CT signs of PH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Automated bolus-triggering data from pulmonary CT angiograms of 101 patients were correlated with echocardiographic findings and a variety of CT-derived indexes of PH and RVD, including right and left ventricular minor axis diameter; pulmonary artery (PA), aortic, and superior vena caval diameters; right ventricular thickness; contrast reflux; and configuration of the interventricular septum. For bolus triggering, a region of interest was placed in the main PA. Time to threshold, defined as the time from the beginning of contrast injection to the time attenuation exceeded the threshold (100 HU), was measured. On the basis of results of two consecutive echocardiographic studies, subjects were divided into control and PH groups. The latter group was subdivided into PH without RVD and PH with RVD. Time to threshold values were compared between groups and correlated with standard CT-derived parameters.

RESULTS
Significant differences between groups were found in time to threshold, PA and right ventricular diameters, and PA-to-aorta and right ventricular-to-left ventricular ratios. Time to threshold had an incremental pattern from the control group (6.6 ± 1.0 seconds) to PH without RVD (9.2 ± 2.4 seconds) and PH with RVD (12.1 ± 3.4 seconds) (p < 0.001). The optimal diagnostic performance of time to threshold for revealing the presence of PH and RVD was at cutoff values of 7.75 and 8.75 seconds, respectively. Time to threshold had a strong direct correlation with PA diameter. In multivariable analyses, time to threshold was identified as a significant predictor of PH and RVD. The specificity of time to threshold and PA diameter together was higher than that of PA diameter alone.

CONCLUSION
Measurement of time to threshold of contrast enhancement derived from bolus-timing data at MDCT may be a useful adjunctive tool for diagnosing PH and consequent RVD.


Introduction- Release of different types of synthetic dyes into the aquatic environment by various industrial sources is a major area of concern worldwide due to their low biodegradable nature. Conventional methods of dye removal are effective but high operating cost and energy requirement, generation of toxic sludge and regeneration problem of adsorbent limits their use at large scale. Biosorption of dye molecules by microorganisms is an economic and eco friendly technology for the treatment of textile wastewater. Aims & objective- The study was carried out to isolate microalgae from industrial site and to evaluate its efficiency for adsorption of Orange G dye from aqueous solution. Materials and methods- A unicellular green micro alga was isolated from textile and dye contaminated site of Sanganer, Jaipur (India) .Biosorption studies were conducted in a batch system for the removal of orange G dye from aqueous solution. Different parameters of pH, time, and initial dye concentration were investigated to optimize the process. Kinetic and equilibrium isotherms were implemented to experimental data in order to investigate the mechanism of biosorption. Results- Microalgae isolated from industrial site was found to be highly efficient for absorption of Orange G dye from aqueous solution. Batch studies depicts that Acutodesmusobliquues strain PSV 2 can absorb orange G dye at optimum pH 2.0 and maximum absorption (56.49 mg/g) occurred within initial 60 min of contact time. Equilibrium studies showed that Freundlich isotherm fitted well with experimental data with high correlation coefficient (r 2 =0.995) and n value (n=1.192). Langmuir isotherm showed r 2 =0.96 and value of b=0.008, which represents favorable adsorption of dye on algal surface. FTIR analysis of adsorbent before and after dye adsorption showed the involvement of some functional groups in dye absorption. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v1i4.9141 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 1(4): 247-252


Staphylococcus aureus strain D4508 is a toxic shock syndrome toxin 1- negative clinical isolate from a nonmenstrual case of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). In the present study, we have purified and characterized a new exotoxin from the extracellular products of this strain. This toxin was found to have a molecular mass of 25.14 kD by mass spectrometry and an isoelectric point of 5.65 by isoelectric focusing. We have also cloned and sequenced its corresponding genomic determinant. The DNA sequence encoding the mature protein was found to be 654 base pairs and is predicted to encode a polypeptide of 218 amino acids. The deduced protein contains an NH2-terminal sequence identical to that of the native protein. The calculated molecular weight (25.21 kD) of the recombinant mature protein is also consistent with that of the native molecules. When injected intravenously into rabbits, both the native and recombinant toxins induce an acute TSS-like illness characterized by high fever, hypotension, diarrhea, shock, and in some cases death, with classical histological findings of TSS. Furthermore, the activity of the toxin is specifically enhanced by low quantities of endotoxins. The toxicity can be blocked by rabbit immunoglobulin G antibody specific for the toxin. Western blotting and DNA sequencing data confirm that the protein is a unique staphylococcal exotoxin, yet shares significant sequence homology with known staphylococcal enterotoxins, especially the SEA, SED, and SEE toxins. We conclude therefore that this 25-kD protein belongs to the staphylococcal enterotoxin gene family that is capable of inducing a TSS-like illness in rabbits.


The Lanzo massif consists of a 150 km 2 body of plagioclase Iherzolite, situated along the inner arc of the Alps, at the triple junction of the Ivrea zone, the Sesia-Lanzo zone, and the Pennine zone, Geophysical models show that the massif is probably still rooted in the mantle. A reliable study of field structures, rock structures, and mineral preferred orientations is interpreted in terms of plastic flow during the solid-state emplacement of the peridotite. The kinematics of the massif are related to the relative displacement of the South Alpine and European plates during Cretaceous time. During its solid-state emplacement, the peridotite underwent a gabbroic partial melting episode that produced dikes and lenses whose orientations are related to the flow structures. The petrology of the lherzolite and gabbros indicates that the peridotite mass originated as deep as 100 km in the mantle and crossed the lherzolite solidus at about 15 to 20 km and 1250 °C during its ascent. The pyroxenitic layering is considered from a structural and petrological point of view. The observed clinopyroxene preferred orientation is assumed to be of magmatic origin and not transposed by plastic flow.


The possibility that aspirin-induced gastric mucosal damage may occur more readily in the presence of bile has been studied in man using measurement of transmucosal electrical potential difference as a marker of disruption of the gastric mucosal barrier. After the introduction of acetylsalicylic acid (600 mg) in suspension to seven subjects the mean electrical potential difference (plus or minus S.E. of mean) fell significantly from -33-3 plus or minus 2-0 mV to - 17-1 plus or minus 2-1 mV, and after the introduction of taurocholic acid (5 mmol/1) to seven other subjects the electrical potential difference fell significantly from -38-1 plus or minus 3-0 mV to-19-1 plus or minus 3-4 mV, the mean duration of these changes being 14-4 and 17-5 minutes respectively. When a combination of acetylsalicylic acid and taurocholic acid was introduced to eight subjects the mean electrical potential difference also fell significantly from -38-6 plus or minus 1-8 mV to -17-9 plus or minus 1-8 mV, but mean duration of this change (27 minutes) was significantly longer than that found after acetylsalicylic acid or taurocholic acid alone. These results indicate that the ingestion of aspirin, together with coincidental reflux of bile from duodenum, may be a factor in the pathogenesis of aspirin-induced gastric mucosal damage.


In the wake of COVID-19, virtual platforms of contact have reimagined trans-of-color knowledge and intimacy despite social distance The "digital," whether cybernetic or handcrafted, has long pervaded trans and queer-of-color artistic innovation and even informed their critical responses to the AIDS crisis None have a better grasp of the virtuosity of virtual interfaces than mixed-media artist Olivero Rodriguez Drawing on his literary and image-based art piece entitled The Papi Project (2010–18), this essay articulates how he works in tandem with speculation and archiving The result is a life support system reviving dormant erotic networks and complex familial relations central to his reclusive late father, Peter By chasing Papi, Rodriguez empowers an archival art strategy to visually reconcile a trans-of-color childhood and patrilineal relations with a virus Furthermore, by contesting the way AIDS narratives eclipse children's perspectives on disease, Rodriguez's intervention has consequence for trans-of-color historical critique, breathing new life into an "epidemic child, not birthed but raised by AIDS " ª 2021 Duke University Press


Purpose: Photo screeners and autorefractors have been used to screen children for amblyopia risk factors (ARF) but are limited by cost and efficacy. We looked for a deep learning and image processing analysis-based system to screen for ARF. Methods: An android smartphone was used to capture images using a specially coded application that modified the camera setting. An algorithm was developed to process images taken in different light conditions in an automated manner to predict the presence of ARF. Deep learning and image processing models were used to segment images of the face. Light settings and distances were tested to obtain the necessary features. Deep learning was thereafter used to formulate normalized risks using sigmoidal models for each ARF creating a risk dashboard. The model was tested on 54 young adults and results statistically analyzed. Results: A combination of low-light and ambient-light images was needed for screening for exclusive ARF. The algorithm had an F-Score of 73.2% with an accuracy of 79.6%, a sensitivity of 88.2%, and a specificity of 75.6% in detecting the ARF. Conclusion: Deep-learning and image-processing analysis of photographs acquired from a smartphone are useful in screening for ARF in children and young adults for a referral to doctors for further diagnosis and treatment.


The symposium addresses connections between Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence-construct (SoC) and work experiences. A person with a high SoC perceives challenges as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful; sense of coherence stands for a salutogenic disposition towards the world. Therefore, SoC may predict psychophysical health. The contribution of G. Larsson illuminates this by showing how poor mental health after military service is related to pre-service mental health and SoC to a greater degree than to trauma exposure and post-trauma support during the service. Even though SoC is a rather stable disposition, changes in it are possible even in the adult age. The contribution of T. Hoge addresses the impact of perceived organizational fairness on SoC and psychophysical health. Furthermore, the dimensions of SoC can also be used as guidelines when designing work. Comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful work may strengthen the sense of coherence. The contribution of I. Carlsson demonstrates how a democratic leadership style, creative working team context, and engagement based coping style relate to the experience of coherent work. M. Kira discusses in her contribution how salutogenic work is difficult to achieve in the contemporary working life characterized by an imbalanced transition from bureaucratic organizational approaches to post-bureaucracy. (Less)


Cryptography is information hiding. Polymorphism is also information hiding. So is cryptography polymorphic? Is polymorphism cryptographic? To investigate these questions, we define the cryptographic '-calculus, a simply typed 'calculus with shared-key cryptographic primitives. Although this calculus is simply typed, it is powerful enough to encode recursive functions, recursive types, and dynamic typing. We then develop a theory of relational parametricity for our calculus as Reynolds did for the polymorphic '-calculus. This theory is useful for proving equivalences in our calculus; for instance, it implies a non-interference property: values encrypted by a key cannot be distinguished from one another by any function ignorant of the key. We close with an encoding of the polymorphic '-calculus into the cryptographic calculus that uses cryptography to protect type abstraction. Our results shed a new light upon the relationship between cryptography and polymorphism, and oer a first step toward extending programming idioms based on type abstraction (such as modules and packages) from the civilized world of polymorphism, where only well-typed programs are allowed, to the unstructured world of cryptography, where friendly programs must cohabit with malicious attackers.


A new metric is obtained by applying a complex coordinate trans- formation to the static metric of the self-gravitating Born-Infeld monopole. The behaviour of the new metric is typical of a rotating charged source, but this source is not a spherically symmetric Born-Infeld monopole with rotation. We show that the structure of the energy-momentum tensor obtained with this new metric does not correspond to the typical structure of the energy momentum tensor of Einstein-Born-Infeld theory induced by a rotating spherically symmetric source. This also show, that the complex coordinate transformations have the interpretation given by Newman and Janis only in space-time solutions with linear sources.


The outpatient cards and case histories of 456 patients with tuberculosis detected in Samara in the period from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2003 were examined. Tuberculosis was identified in 58.3% of the patients when they were asking for medical aid; among them 54.2% were treated at general hospital where caseous pneumonia, disseminated tuberculosis, and tuberculous pleurisy were more frequently diagnosed. The unemployed able-bodied persons amounted to 43% of the detected patients with tuberculosis, of whom 81% being identified on recourse to a doctor. Primary drug resistance does not depend on the procedure of tuberculosis detection. Early detection and the initiation of treatment will improve a clinical prognosis in patients with new-onset tuberculosis.


Widespread global initiatives aimed at improving conditions for the world's poor have frequently begun with the vision of just a few people. Examples are numerous but in this paper we focus on micro-enterprise credit (microcredit). In the case of microcredit, a widespread movement has placed projects in many countries throughout the developing world. Microcredit is typically made available to women who would otherwise not have access to loans on reasonable terms. While some view microcredit as a revolutionary means of improving both the lives of women and the poor more generally, others argue it is a band aid approach to development, rooted in a neoliberal logic that does very little in terms of enacting real, long-term change. These arguments, however, are often based on evidence from Asian or other non-African countries and so don't account for different models of microcredit or cultural context in shaping outcomes for women and their families. We address these issues through a qualitative study of three microcredit groups in the east African country of Uganda. Based on qualitative interviews, we argue that microcredit holds a number of possibilities for women and their communities including healthier families and educated children as well as more intangible benefits such as feelings of solidarity and self-confidence. While our interviews suggest a number of benefits of micro-enterprise credit, we recognize that such programs are not the single solution to poverty. Ultimately, though, we argue that the negatives do not dispel the benefits that can result for many women.


The routing protocols are playing very important job in the performance of both IP (Internet Protocol Infrastructure based) and the mobile Ad-hoc networks (MANET). The Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV) Routing Protocol is a reactive-table driven routing protocol for mobile ad hoc networks. The route discovery and maintenance process is based on the balanced energy level in the neighbouring pair of nodes. This research is a modification on the original AODV, a basic routing protocol for its enhancement. This is an attempt to use communication reliability factor prior to establish communication using energy levels. This is examined by simulation study experimented using NS-2 on Ubantu. The performance metrics used for comparison between AODV and new protocol are PDR, routing overhead, energy level and delay.


There is a long-standing vision of embedding backscatter nodes like RFIDs into everyday objects to build ultra-low power ubiquitous networks. A major problem that has challenged this vision is that backscatter communication is neither reliable nor efficient. Backscatter nodes cannot sense each other, and hence tend to suffer from colliding transmissions. Further, they are ineffective at adapting the bit rate to channel conditions, and thus miss opportunities to increase throughput, or transmit above capacity causing errors.
 This paper introduces a new approach to backscatter communication. The key idea is to treat all nodes as if they were a single virtual sender. One can then view collisions as a code across the bits transmitted by the nodes. By ensuring only a few nodes collide at any time, we make collisions act as a sparse code and decode them using a new customized compressive sensing algorithm. Further, we can make these collisions act as a rateless code to automatically adapt the bit rate to channel quality --i.e., nodes can keep colliding until the base station has collected enough collisions to decode. Results from a network of backscatter nodes communicating with a USRP backscatter base station demonstrate that the new design produces a 3.5× throughput gain, and due to its rateless code, reduces message loss rate in challenging scenarios from 50% to zero.


The use of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in the study of chronic serpiginous choroiditis was evaluated. Two patients with chronic serpiginous choroiditis were imaged using two prototype SD-OCT systems (6-microm axial resolution). Raster scans covering 6 x 6 X 2-mm regions of the retina were obtained, enabling the study of different retinal cross-sectional images. Thickness maps were obtained after segmentation of retinal layers, which could be compared with those on follow-up. SD-OCT allowed the visualization of the cross-sectional retinal architecture at different horizontal positions. Superimposition of SD-OCT generated reconstructed fundus images with fundus photographs provided accurate images registration. Segmentation of retinal layers provided thickness maps and higher-density improved visualization of photoreceptor layer, cysts, and atrophy, which was useful in following change in disease activity over time. The researchers concluded that SD-OCT is a useful tool to study disease morphology and follow-up of chronic serpiginous choroiditis.


Using the methods of extracellular recording of bioelectrical activity and microiontophoresis, the effect of endogenous neuropeptides (angiotensin-II and bradykinin) on the cortical neuronal sensitivity to neurotransmitters was investigated in conscious rabbits. It was found that angiotensin-II and bradykinin modified neuronal responses to neurotransmitters, increasing, decreasing and reversing their mediator sensitivity. The most prominent effect of these neuropeptides was the increase of neuronal responses to acetylcholine and noradrenaline. At the central neuronal level, endogenous neuropeptides (angiotensin-II and bradykinin) are suggested to play the role of synaptic polytransmitter neuromodulators.


An extension to the sparsity promoting iterated constrained endmember (SPICE) algorithm, named as SPICEE, has been presented. In ICE and SPICE, endmembers are estimated using a pseudoinverse method, which may generate endmembers that are not physically possible when representing normalized reflectance spectra. Although this problem can be alleviated by increasing the regularization, too much regularization leads to finding erroneous endmembers. To solve these problems, in this letter, a quadratic optimization solution is proposed that constrains the endmembers to have values between zero and one. The results on three data sets indicate that when regularization is large enough, SPICE and SPICEE generate similar answers; and when regularization is small to none, SPICEE stays more robust. In doing so, besides generating realistic endmembers, SPICEE helps in decreasing the effort necessary for fine-tuning the regularization parameter.


BACKGROUND
Dynamic optimization models are normative; they solve for what growers 'ought to do' to maximize some objective, such as long-run profits. While valuable for research, such models are difficult to solve computationally, limiting their applicability to grower resistance management education. While discussing properties of normative models in general, this study presents results of a specific positive model of herbicide resistance management, applied to Palmer amaranth control on a representative cotton farm. This positive model compares a proactive resistance management strategy to a reactive strategy with lower short-run costs, but greater risk of herbicide resistance developing.

RESULTS
The proactive strategy can pay for itself within 1-4 years, with a yield advantage of 4% or less if the yield advantage begins within 1-2 years of adoption. Whether the proactive strategy is preferable is sensitive to resistance onset and yield losses, but less sensitive to cotton prices or baseline yields. Industry rebates to encourage residual herbicide use (to delay resistance to post-emergence treatments) may be too small to alter grower behavior or they may be paid to growers who would have used residuals anyway. Rebates change grower behavior over a relatively narrow range of model parameters. The size of rebates needed to induce a grower to adopt the proactive strategy declines significantly if growers extend their planning horizon from 1 year to 3-4 years.

CONCLUSIONS
Whether proactive resistance management is more profitable than a reactive strategy is more sensitive to biological parameters than economic ones. Simulation results suggest growers with longer time horizons (perhaps younger ones) would be more responsive to rebate programs. More empirical work is needed to determine how much rebates increase residual use above what would occur without them. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.


Pangandaran Beach Tourism Area is one of leading tourism areas in West Java. During certain period of time, hazard has often cause accidents toward visitors in the area. Therefore, there is a need to identify physical and biological hazards which threaten visitors' safety in order to develop visitor safety management. Research was carried out in June – July 2011, and an update was conducted in January – February 2017, which covered three locations, i.e. Pantai Barat, Pantai Timur, and Pantai Pasir Putih. Field observation, interview with visitors, community and lifeguard, and literature review were employed in data collection. A hundred respondents for each visitor and community was selected using convenient sampling method. The result found rip current, plunging wave, tsunami, earthquake, wave, and tide as physical hazard, while jellyfish, sea snake, sea urchin, lionfish, and stone fish as biological hazard found in the sea, and long-tailed macaque as terrestrial biological hazard. Rip current possessed substantial risk that had to be avoided through the establishment of swimming prohibition area. Visitor's safety management technique option for rip current hazard involved a socialization toward visitors about self-rescue technique in case they are swept by rip current.


Polycarbonate contained in waste compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile (video) discs (DVDs) have been chemically recycled into bisphenol A (BPA) — using a ternary solvent system: glycerin, sorbitol, water under conventional heating method. The obtained results show that the mixture of glycerin, sorbitol, water in the ratio 6:3:1 undergoes recycling with high yield within 45 minutes. The recovered BPA was identified by spectroscopic methods and the results were compared with the data corresponding to standard sample.


Two distributed cooperation controllers are presented for trajectory tracking of two manipulators which are cooperatively handling an object. The controllers control the positions of the robots distributively by using the trajectory error of the object in the task space. In the first controller, the internal force between the object and a manipulator is controlled only by a feedforward of the desired force. The second controller uses a force feedback. No communication is required between the manipulators in both the controllers. Their globally and exponentially asymptotic stabilities are guaranteed by Lyapunov functions.


Background: Self-rated health (SRH) is the subjective assessment of own general health. It has been used frequently to predict future health, disability, functional ability and mortality. Exploring factors associated with SRH is vital as it will help inform efforts aimed at promoting health among the elderly. However, there are limited studies regarding SRH and factors associated with SRH among elderly people living in old age homes in Nepal. Objective: The purpose of the study was to describe SRH and explore the factors associated with it among elderly people residing in old age homes in Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kathmandu valley, Nepal. A sample of 208 elderly people aged over 60 years living in one governmental and three private old age homes were randomly selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive analyses were first conducted. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were then used to explore the association between sociodemographic factors, self-reported chronic illnesses, lifestyle factors, functional status, social network, satisfaction with health services and SRH. Results: Seventy-four percent of the participants reported good SRH while the remaining twentysix percent rated their health as "poor". Females were significantly more likely to rate their health as good compared to males (adj OR 3.69, CI= 1.92-11.03, p<0.000); the same was true for unmarried elderly compared to married ones (adj OR=4.55, CI=1.29-9.87, p<0.000). Those who were functionally independent were more likely to report good SRH (adj OR 7.00, CI=5.799.31, p< 0.005); the same was true for those who did physical exercise (adj OR= 1.96, CI=0.67-5.67, p<0.019) and who were members of a social network (adj OR 1.70, CI= 0.78-3.71, p<0.017) compared to their counterparts. Those who consumed alcohol (adj OR=0.23, CI=0.07-0.78, p<0.019) and those who did not have a friend circle (adj OR=0.62, CI=0.29-1.34, p<0.023) were less likely to report good SRH. Education and participation in recreational activities were significantly associated with SRH in univariable analysis. However, the association disappeared in the final model. Conclusion: The study found that sex, marital status, functional status, physical exercise, alcohol consumption, membership in a social network and the presence of friend circles were independently significantly associated with SRH among elderly people living in old age homes of Kathmandu valley. These findings can be used to develop public health interventions and allocate resources to mainstream physical, behavioral and social support to elderly people living in old age homes. Functional dependence appears to be particularly important, and therefore services to address it including physical rehabilitation need to be promoted. Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences


EURRECA is a Network of Excellence with the objective of addressing the problem of national variations in micronutrient recommendations and working towards a framework of advice to better inform policy-makers. It became apparent that the network needed a framework that puts the process of recommendation setting in the context of science, policy and society. Although variability in recommendations originates from the scientific evidence-base used and its interpretation (e.g. health outcomes, types and methods of evaluation of evidence, quantification of risk/benefit), the background information provided in the recommendation reports does not easily facilitate the disentangling of the relative contribution of these different aspects because of lack of transparency. The present report portrays the general framework (see Figure) that has been developed by and for EURRECA in order to make the process of setting up micronutrient recommendations explicit and transparent. In explaining the link from science to policy applications, the framework distinguishes four principal components or stages (see Figure). These stages are: a) Defining the nutrient requirements: A judgement about the (best) distribution(s) of the population requirement is necessary for estimating nutrient requirements. Many assumptions need to be made about the attributes of the population group. Furthermore, several factors (consumer behaviour as well as physiology) are to be included to characterize optimal health. b) Setting the nutrient recommendations: All available evidence is needed to formulate recommendations. Incorporating different endpoints provide the basis to formulate an optimal diet in terms of (non-)nutrients and food(group)s. c) Policy options: Policy options should be formulated on how the optimal diet can be achieved. They concern the advice of scientist and/or expert committees to the policy makers. Current policy options are setting up a task force, food based dietary guidelines, general health education, educational programme for specific group(s), voluntary or mandatory fortification, labelling, supplementation (general or for specific groups), inducing voluntary action in industry, legislation on micronutrient composition in food products, fiscal change, monitoring and evaluation of intake (via food consumption surveys) and/or nutritional status. d) Policy applications: Policies and planning, usually done by government, that lead to nutritional interventions or programmes. They usually require consideration of scientific, legal, regulatory, ethical and cultural issues, economic implications, and political and social priorities. This framework illustrates three dimensions of the process of setting (micro)nutrient requirements: 1) The logical sequence of scientific thinking from setting physiological requirements for nutritional health leading to evidence-based derivation of Nutrient Intake Values. 2) In the early stages nutritional and epidemiological science is the dominant source and in the later stages evidence from consumer and social sciences as well as stakeholder influences is used in deriving the options for changing the distribution of nutrient intakes. 3) The wider socio-political context: a feedback loop between health perception, actual health and food intake exists and is directly affected by the food industry and many other stakeholders. Moreover, from the viewpoint of policymakers, there are concerns for health promotion and disease prevention because of population health indices, costs of health care, and economic interests in the agro-food sector. In conclusion: A systematic approach for development and regular review of micronutrient requirements in Europe, transparently based on scientific evidence and best practices, enables national and international authorities/bodies to use the best available information obtained through evidence-based nutrition and accomplish well-considered food policy. Funded by an EU FP6 Network of Excellence (EURRECA, grant no. FP 6–036196-2). G. T. performed part of the work under a short-term contract for WHO Europe.


Acid drainage is an important water quality issue in Andean watersheds, affecting the sustainability of urban, agricultural, and industrial activities. Mixing zones receiving acid drainage are critical sites where changes in pH and chemical environment promote the formation and dissolution of iron and aluminum oxy/hydroxides. These particles can significantly change the speciation of toxic metals and metalloids throughout drainage networks via sorption, desorption, and settling processes. However, little is known about the behavior of particle size distributions (PSDs) in streams affected by acid drainage and their relationship to metal speciation. This work studied: (a) the PSDs for a wide range of mixing ratios found at a fluvial confluence affected by acid drainage, and (b) the response of PSDs and arsenic speciation to environmental changes found when the particles approach complete mixing conditions. The confluence between the Azufre River (pH ~ 2, high concentration of dissolved metals) and Caracarani River (pH = 8.6, low concentration of dissolved metals) was used as a representative model for study. Field measurements show a bimodal PSD with modal diameters of ~50 and 300 μm. At shorter distances from the junction, the smaller modes with smaller particle volumes were dominant across the stream cross‐sections. A systematic shift towards larger particle sizes and larger particle volumes occurred downstream. The analysis of laboratory PSDs for Azufre/Caracarani mixing ratios between 0.01 and 0.5 (pH from 6.2 to 2.3) showed a bimodal trend with ~15 and 50 μm characteristic diameters; larger particles formed at pH>4. When particle suspensions were transferred in laboratory experiments from very low pH to full mixing conditions (pH ~ 2.8 and mixing ratio ~ 0.25) particle sizes varied, and the dissolved arsenic concentration decreased. The observed reaction kinetics were slow compared to the time scale of advective transport, creating opportunities for engineered controls for arsenic. This work contributes to a better understanding of the chemical‐hydrodynamic interactions in watersheds affected by mining, and identifying opportunities to improve water quality at points of use.


THE NEED FOR GASIFICATION
Household garbage holds a great unused gasification potential, which can provide us with
fuel, electricity, heat, and enriched soil. There is, however, no option for citizens of the
municipality of Copenhagen to send their garbage to gasification, but recent politics and
energy plans announce that this will soon be a focus in Denmark. To harvest this great
potential, it is requires that all citizens get used to sorting their everyday waste into biological
decomposable and non-decomposable garbage to accommodate gasification. Our project is
to teach children to do exactly that.
DESIGN ADDRESSING YOUNG CHILDREN
Our project targets children of the age 6-10 years old since they will be the citizens and
consumers of tomorrow, but also because their young minds are more impressionable to
new ideas and habits where as adults often are more set in their ways.
We have designed an interactive garbage bin to be located at school classes from 0.-3.
grade. A touch screen is attached to the bin and provide the children with a story about how
to sort their garbage and why it is important. This narrative is told by Ozzy the Earthworm
(Ormen Ozzy) and is told in pictures, text and sound in an explorable world. We use a mix of
small games, a sense of competition, videos, stories, songs, and statistics. Thus do we seek
to teach the children about garbage and gasification and to stimulate their sense of curiosity
and urge to help. We have sought to design at a level of abstraction and with point of
stimulation to best accommodate the users age. These design decisions are based heavily
upon several observations and interviews of children in their classrooms, at lunch and using
installations at Experimentarium.
THE PROTOTYPE
We have placed a prototype of the installation in three different schools in Copenhagen for a
period of two weeks. We have also placed a bin without the design and touch screen in
three other schools to test if the interactive design offers more encouragement than just a
regular plea for the children to sort their garbage.
The children have expressed a great liking for the fictional Ozzy and sympathy for the plea
in the narrative. They have done the best of their ability to help collect decomposable
garbage for Ozzy and they have also showed more focus upon garbage sorting at home
after the two weeks of having the installation at school.
Although our design aims at a long term effect in changing the behavior of children, which
we are not able to fully confirm within the durance of this project, we still believe based on
our findings that our design do motivate, educate and entertain young children and thereby
offers a great mean toward our goal.
To see more of the design visit Ozzy and his friends at www.jagtenpaanoget.dk .


Cardiovascular diseases (CD) are the leading cause of death worldwide and their prevalence is expected to rise. Important in the etiology of CD is the stiffening of the large arteries (arteriosclerosis) and plaque formation (atherosclerosis) in the common carotid artery (CCA). Increasing evidence shows that both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis can be detected by assessing pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the CCA, and several techniques focus on the detection of PWV in this structure. In previous studies, laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) was proposed as an approach to detect arterial stiffness. In the present work, a compact four-channel LDV system is introduced for PWV detection. Four phantom arteries were assessed mimicking real life cardiovascular pathologies. Due to the high sensitivity and the increased spatial and temporal resolution of the LDV system, PWV could be assessed, and even local changes in phantom architecture could be detected. The system could potentially be used to detect arteriosclerosis and arterial plaque during cardiovascular screening.


In this study, three dimensional (3D) femur model is obtained by medical image analysis program using computerized tomography (CT) images. After the model corrections are carried out with the computer aided design (CAD) software, static analysis is done with finite elements method (FEM) under different modulus of elasticity, bending and torsional moments. The analysis results obtained from FEM are compared with the analytical solutions by using regression analysis. It is revealed that FEM is a reliable technique for determination of the stresses occuring at the bone.


The microscopic mechanism of the identical bands in odd-odd nucleus ^194Tl and its neighbour odd-A nucleus ^193Tl are investigated using the particle-number conserving method with monopole and quadrupole pairing interaction. It is found that the blocking effect plays an important role in the variation of moments of inertia (J^(1) and J^(2)) with rotational frequency for the superdeformed bands and identical bands. The alignment of 194T1 bands with respect to the ^193Tl(1) band used as a reference is also discussed.


Introduction Brucellosis is communicable between humans and animals. In spite of having an active health care system. Iran is considered as an endemic area and it stands in the fourth place in world ranking. One of the common methods for identifying the disease incidence is a regression analysis. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the trend of brucellosis incidence during 2006 to 2016 and the components affecting such disease. Materials and Methods This was a trend study which was conducted on the total of 144 brucellosis cases were recorded in the registration software in CDC of Iranian, Ministry of Health. We analyzed the changes in brucellosis incidence during 2006 to 2016 in Juybar province by the join point regression. Moreover, comparing the changes of incidence in one year intervals was also taken into account. Results The average age of patients was 18±29 years. About 60% of the patients were men, and 85.4% had used non-pasteurized dairy and meat products. The contact with animals had a significant difference between the two genders (P= 0.006). During 2006 to 2016, brucellosis incidence had a decreased trend about 15%. This trend had a breakpoint in a way that during 2006 to 2008, 66.2% decrease and during 2008 to 2016, 7% increase was observed that none of these annual percentage changes (APC) were statistically significant at p= 0.05. Also, APC of brucellosis incidence in groups below 20 and between 20 to 50 years old had a decrease in a way that in groups under 20, it had 26.7% decrease and it was statistically significant. Conclusion It is necessary to provide appropriate education training, information on the Human Brucellosis for the young and individuals with high risk professions. Moreover, some health behaviors such as not using non-pasteurized dairy, animals' vaccinations, and awareness of the disease symptoms are needed.


Knowledge transfer and technology transfer are often used interchangeably and while both knowledge transfer and technology transfer are highly interactive activities, they serve different purposes. Knowledge transfer implies a broader, more inclusive construct that is directed more toward understanding the "whys" for change. In contrast, technology transfer is a narrower and more targeted construct that usually embodies certain tools for changing the environment. Grounding our work in the 7-S framework, we examine the role of key organizational factors in facilitating knowledge transfer and technology transfer activities. Survey data for this study were collected from 189 industrial firms representing 21 different industrial sectors. Results show that there are differences in the types of firm structures, cultures and university policies for intellectual property rights (IPR), patent ownership, and licensing that facilitated knowledge transfer activities compared to those that facilitated technology transfer activities. Specifically, firms with more mechanistic structures and more stable direction-oriented cultures were associated with higher levels of knowledge transfer. Conversely, firms with more organic structures, more flexible change-oriented cultures, and more customized university policies for IPR, patent ownership, and licensing were associated with higher levels of technology transfer. The firm's trust in its university research center partner was equally important for both activities. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research and management practice.


The fracture toughness of several polymes is characterized using the J-integral method. The single specimen method has been applied, and the tests were conducted on three-point bend specimens of polyvinylidine difluoride,medium and high density polyethylene. The results are compared with the J-R curves obtained from the multiple specimen method, which is often used for polymers and has proved to be successful. This has enabled a good degree of confidence be attached to the single specimen method. For each type of polymer, the J-R curves obtained from both methods are in good agreement. Hysteresis loops are observed during unloading and reloading because of the viscoelastic nature of the polymers, and the shape of the loops was affected by the friction at the support rollers. The distinction of J 1 c values determined according to the ASTM Standards E 813-81 and E 813-87 is shown. The E 813-87 procedure predicts a more consistent J 1 c value than the E 813-81, but the adoption of the 0.2 mm offset blunting line does not reflect the actual initiation point and the advantages and drawbacks of each method are discussed. The blunting line suggested in the E 813 protocols is found to be inappropriate for describing the blunting mechanisms of polymers. Some tests were performed at different loading rates to determine the rate sensitivity of both the J 1 c values and J-R curves. It is suggested that the maximum allowable crack extension recommended for the J controlled growth condition is too conservative for polymers, and it is noted that the crack growth is difficult to measure accurately. A maximum allowable crack extension of 10% of the uncracked ligament is considered to be appropriate.


The Australian government's impending programme of vaccination against H1N1 flu has been criticised by some professional groups that have raised concerns about potential risks.

The Australian Infection Control Association this week warned the government against proceeding with the programme, saying that the planned use of multidose vials (used to vaccinate several people) posed a "significant potential risk to patient safety."

The association's president, Claire Boardman, said that use of multidose vials would contravene national infection control guidelines (www.safetyandquality.gov.au/internet/safety/publishing.nsf/Content/02A94EEE98D72244CA25740F00251B98/$File/NationalInfectionControlGuidelines.pdf) and that numerous adverse events related to their use had been well documented.

Ms Boardman said there was no justification for using multidose vials, as "the occurrence and distribution of H1N1 in 2009 within Australia does not constitute an emergency."

She added, "We advise strongly against the use of multidose vials and do not support this mechanism for dissemination of the …


The three stars, v Sagittarii, H. have peculiar composite variable spectrá, the two complete sets of lines corresponding to types B3 and A2 being shown to pro-ceed from the single stars. The three spectra are somewhat similar in character, show analogies to novae and form an in-teresting problem in astrophysics. times the Sun ascribed to u Saggittarii by Ludendorff is shown to be illusory.


Background: According to past studies, recovery and survival following severe vascular events such as acute myocardial infarction and stroke are negatively impacted by vitamin D deficiency. However, the national estimate on disability-related burden is unclear. We intend to evaluate the prevalence and outcomes of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cerebrovascular disorder (CeVD). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on the Nationwide Inpatient Sample data (2016–2017) of adult (≥18 years) hospitalizations. We identified patients with a secondary diagnosis of VDD and a primary diagnosis of CVD and CeVD using the 9th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, clinical modification code (ICD-10-CM) codes. A univariate and mixed-effect multivariable survey logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the prevalence, disability, and discharge disposition of patients with CVD and CeVD in the presence of VDD. Results: Among 58,259,589 USA hospitalizations, 3.44%, 2.15%, 0.06%, 1.28%, 11.49%, 1.71%, 0.38%, 0.23%, and 0.08% had primary admission of IHD, acute MI, angina, AFib, CHF, AIS, TIA, ICeH, and SAH, respectively and 1.82% had VDD. The prevalence of hospitalizations due to CHF (14.66% vs. 11.43%), AIS (1.87% vs. 1.71%), and TIA (0.4% vs. 0.38%) was higher among VDD patients as compared with non-VDD patients (p < 0.0001). In a regression analysis, as compare with non-VDD patients, the VDD patients were associated with higher odds of discharge to non-home facilities with an admission diagnosis of CHF (aOR 1.08, 95% CI 1.07–1.09), IHD (aOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.21–1.28), acute MI (aOR 1.23, 95% CI 1.19–1.28), AFib (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 1.16–1.27), and TIA (aOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.11–1.28). VDD was associated with higher odds of severe or extreme disability among patients hospitalized with AIS (aOR 1.1, 95% CI 1.06–1.14), ICeH (aOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08–1.38), TIA (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.25–1.47), IHD (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.33–1.41), acute MI (aOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.38–1.49), AFib (aOR 1.10, 95% CI 1.06–1.15), and CHF (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02–1.05) as compared with non-VDD. Conclusions: CVD and CeVD in the presence of VDD increase the disability and discharge to non-home facilities among USA hospitalizations. Future studies should be planned to evaluate the effect of VDD replacement for improving outcomes.


Abstract. Emissions of various C2-C10 hydrocarbons (VOCs) and halogenated hydrocarbons (VHOCs) from a boreal wetland and a Scots pine forest floor in south-western Finland were measured by the static chamber technique. Isoprene was the main non-methane hydrocarbon emitted by the wetland, but small emissions of ethene, propane, propene, 1-butene, 2-methylpropene, butane, pentane and hexane were also detected. The isoprene emission from the wetland was observed to follow the commonly-used isoprene emission algorithm. The mean emission potential of isoprene was 224 µg m-2 h-1 for the whole season. This is lower than the emission potentials published earlier; that is probably at least partly due to the cold and cloudy weather during the measurements. No emissions were detected of monoterpenes or halogenated hydrocarbons from the wetland. The highest hydrocarbon emissions from the Scots pine forest floor were measured in spring and autumn. However, only a few measurements were conducted during summer. The main compounds emitted were monoterpenes. Isoprene emissions were negligible. The total monoterpene emission rates varied from zero to 373 µg m-2 h-1. The results indicated that decaying plant litter may be the source for these emissions. Small emissions of chloroform (100-800 ng m-2 h-1), ethene, propane, propene, 2-methylpropene, cis-2-butene, pentane, hexane and heptane were detected. Comparison with Scots pine emissions showed that the forest floor may be an important monoterpene source, especially in spring.


To realize speech visualization by which one can read any word, the processing used to extract features on manner and place of articulation by neural networks has been improved. First, a necessary and minimum number of frames and those positions to maximize the automatic recognition rate have been searched for four three‐layered perceptrons, which means the networks for manner of articulation, nasals, plosives, and fricatives. The results show that two or three frames within the interval of 100 ms are necessary. Next, since the coefficients of the networks in a part around the top of words are somewhat different from those in the middle or the end, two kinds of network coefficients have been estimated for the top of words and for the others, respectively. By using the outputs of the networks for speech visualization, consonantal patterns appear naturally without using any recognition technique. Finally, reading tests have been carried out using 520 words spoken by each of ten speakers, for a total of 5200...


Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the development and functioning of the distribution networks around the world. The study examines current development trends based on the Logistics Performance Index reports and Emerging Market Logistics Index surveys, identifies contemporary challenges of distribution networks in different countries, and analyses features of transport infrastructure in Ukraine. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on a cluster analysis of European countries by the Logistics Performance Index and consideration of cases of the formation of transport and logistics centers of Europe, the main trends in the development of the logistics sector have been identified. Findings: The study has examined features of domestic distribution network establishment and maintenance. Conclusions have been made regarding its efficiency and opportunities on domestic and global scale. Current global economic trends allow predicting further domestic and regional collaboration as well as international partnership in this field which would be supplemented by multimodal transport hubs. Recommendations for improving the design process of the national network of transport and logistics centers have been developed. Practical Implications: The research raises awareness of the transformation of transport and logistics systems in the world is carried out under the influence of the integration of Industry 4.0. Information flows on the movement of goods and services as well as customers' needs form a new logistics sector. The new concept of Logistics 4.0 defines the prospects for the development of transport and logistics systems and requires the study of future trends. Originality/Value: The study highlights prospects of development of transport and logistics systems and stimulating factors of irreversible transformations have been defined.


Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of an algorithm that was created to prevent coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) transmission during the management of children with burns in a tertiary pediatric burn center. Children admitted to the burn center between May 2020 and November 2020 were prospectively evaluated for cause, burn depth, total body surface area (TBSA), length of stay, symptoms suggesting COVID-19, suspicious contact history, history of travel abroad, and COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results. Patients were divided into two groups: unsuspected (Group 1) and suspected (Group 2), depending on any history of suspicious contact, travel abroad, and/or presence of symptoms. A total of 101 patients were enrolled in the study, which included 59 boys (58.4%) and 42 girls (41.6%). Group 1 included 79 (78.2%) patients, and Group 2 consisted of 22 (21.8%) patients. The most common cause of the burns was scald injuries (74.2%). The mean age, TBSA, and length of stay were 4.5 years, 12.0%, and 13.2 days, respectively. Four patients (3.9%) had a positive PCR test (two patients in each group). Comparing groups, males were more commonly found in Group 2 (p=0.042), but no differences were found for the other variables. No patients or burn center staff members developed COVID-19 during the course of hospitalization. In conclusion, every child should be tested for COVID-19 upon admission to a burn unit, and a modified algorithm should be constructed for the handling and management of pediatric burn patients.


The Education White Paper 3 on Higher Education aimed to transform the higher education system. Change within tertiary education included adjusting the size and shape of institutions, the meaning of autonomy and accountability, the nature of higher education, the character of student demographic distribution, management and governance, roles of student politics, models of delivery, the notion of higher education in terms of the relationship between free trade and public good, programme changes and the nature of the academic workplace. At this stage, transformation in higher education is leaping outwards to fulfil the criteria set by international competitiveness and related efficiency criteria that can be attributed to globalisation pressures and to deeper factors inherent in the nature of higher education, especially in terms of its resistance to change and modernization. In this regard, the tertiary higher education system in South Africa is faced with many multi-dimensional challenges that need to be addressed in this article. This includes stating whether Grade 12 results as the outcome of this exit point at school level are, internationally speaking, a reasonable predictor of first-year academic success at university. In South Africa, there is no benchmarking of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination; therefore, first-year students have difficulty in adapting to the university environment as they find themselves devoid of indispensable bases for the pursuit of their studies and the weakness of the level of education given at school level in a large number of instances. Furthermore, five universities were placed under administration in the 2011-2012 period because of appallingly poor levels of management, which adds extra layers of suspicion to the notion of the impact of higher education in South Africa. Many other challenges are facing the South African tertiary education system, which will be analysed and recommendations arrived at that will attempt to contribute to an enhancement of tertiary education in South Africa.


Abstract. Biodiversity of phytoplankton is important for ecosystem
stability and marine biogeochemistry. However, the large-scale patterns of
diversity are not well understood and are often poorly characterized in
terms of statistical relationships with factors such as latitude,
temperature and productivity. Here we use ecological theory and a global
trait-based ecosystem model to provide mechanistic understanding of patterns
of phytoplankton diversity. Our study suggests that phytoplankton diversity
across three dimensions of trait space (size, biogeochemical function and
thermal tolerance) is controlled by disparate combinations of drivers: the
supply rate of the limiting resource, the imbalance in different resource
supplies relative to competing phytoplankton demands, size-selective
grazing and transport by the moving ocean. Using sensitivity studies we
show that each dimension of diversity is controlled by different drivers.
Models including only one (or two) of the trait dimensions will have
different patterns of diversity than one which incorporates another trait
dimension. We use the results of our model exploration to infer the controls
on the diversity patterns derived from field observations along meridional
transects in the Atlantic and to explain why different taxa and size classes
have differing patterns.


The Clang implementation of OpenMP® 4.5 now provides full support for the specification, offering the only open source option for targeting NVIDIA® GPUs. While using OpenMP allows portability across different architectures, matching native CUDA® performance without major code restructuring is an open research issue.In order to analyze the current performance, we port a suite of representative benchmarks, and the mature mini-apps TeaLeaf, CloverLeaf, and SNAP to the Clang OpenMP 4.5 compiler. We then collect performance results for those ports, and their equivalent CUDA ports, on an NVIDIA Kepler GPU. Through manual analysis of the generated code, we are able to discover the root cause of the performance differences between OpenMP and CUDA.A number of improvements can be made to the existing compiler implementation to enable performance that approaches that of hand-optimized CUDA. Our first observation was that the generated code did not use fused-multiply-add instructions, which was resolved using an existing flag. Next we saw that the compiler was not passing any loads through non-coherent cache, and added a new flag to the compiler to assist with this problem.We then observed that the compiler partitioning of threads and teams could be improved upon for the majority of kernels, which guided work to ensure that the compiler can pick more optimal defaults. We uncovered a register allocation issue with the existing implementation that, when fixed alongside the other issues, enables performance that is close to CUDA.Finally, we use some different kernels to emphasize that support for managing memory hierarchies needs to be introduced into the specification, and propose a simple option for programming shared caches.


This paper draws together cognitive and socio-cultural constructivist theories to propose a view of adult development as a product of participation in different and overlapping social practice during individuals' life histories. Together, these theories offer a view which emphasises mutuality between social and cultural sources of knowledge and individuals' representations of knowledge. This view sees individuals as constructors of knowledge, but how and what they construct is socially-determined. Ongoing problemsolving in different social practice is the process of knowledge construction and cognitive development underpinning this view. That is, developmental consequences arise from engaging in social practice and in different ways, during individuals' ontogenies (personal histories). Central to the construction of knowledge and cognitive development (with its conceptual, procedural and dispositional components) is individuals' participation in communities of practice (eg. workplaces, home, recreational clubs). In these communities, the qualities of participation and guidance determine how and what knowledge individuals construct. These qualities comprise: (i) the type of activities (routine non-routine); (ii) existing knowledge base associated with activities (includes interest); (iii) direct and indirect guidance (proximal-distal); (iv) access to and standing in the community (peripheral to fuller participation); and (v) duration of participation. The view of adult development proposed here includes dispositional attributes of values and beliefs held to be inherent within cognitive structures. Hence, aspects of moral and personality development are incorporated in this view of development, thereby reconciling views of development which are sometimes treated separately.


Objective: In health, circulating growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 is low, and concentrations are thought to increase rapidly in response to cardiac and renal injuries. GDF-15 is secreted in response to inflammation, oxidative stress and hypoxia, and therefore may be a biomarker of subclinical vascular disease. Yet, the relationships between GDF-15, coronary artery disease and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remain incompletely understood. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to delineate these relationships in adults with T1D. Methods: Participants with (n=377, HbA1c 7.8±1.3%, duration 37.1±8.6 years) and without T1D (n=456) in the Coronary Artery Calcification in type 1 diabetes (CACTI) study were assessed for serum GDF-15, coronary artery calcification (CAC) measured using 128-slice spiral CT, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) and eGFR calculated by CKD-EPI creatinine. Impaired GFR was defined as eGFR 2 , albuminuria as UACR ≥30 mg/g, high and very high CAC score as ≥100 and ≥300 AU. Multivariable (age, sex, HbA1c, and antihypertensive medication use) logistic models were applied to examine the relationships. Results: Participants with T1D had greater GDF-15 concentrations than nondiabetics (666.4 [95% CI 633.9-700.5] vs. 579.1 [558.7-600.4] ng/l, p Conclusion: In this cross-sectional analysis, GDF-15 was strongly associated with DKD and coronary atherosclerosis in adults with T1D, independent of glycemic control. As a biomarker, GDF-15 holds promise to aid in risk stratification and clinical trial enrichment. Disclosure P. Bjornstad: Advisory Panel; Self; Horizon, XORTX. Consultant; Self; Bayer US, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. R.M. Sippl: None. M. Rewers: None. J.K. Snell-Bergeon: None. Funding National Institutes of Health; JDRF


This study considers the pervasive tax evasion of transition economies, with particular reference to Russia's tax system. Starting with a survey of theoretical literature on tax evasion and corruption, it argues that, although standard tax theory offers many insights, certain special features of transition economies deserve attention.These include the legacy of socialism resulting in a state willing to exercise discretionary power but possibly lacking credibility and public support, the 'disorganisation' phenomenon that hampers efficient tax administration, and the relationship of restructuring, speed of reform and the tax system. The paper also contains recommendations on reform of the tax system to achieve reasonable deterrence of evasion. Keywords: Tax evasion, corruption, transition economies, Russia


The orientations of the inherited tetragonal (resp. cubic) variants are calculated from the parent hcp orientation in the case of a strict orientation relation. The numbering of the variants is proposed, as well as the misorientations between them. Conversely, a method for calculating the parent hcp orientation from a sufficient number of inherited variants is proposed. It is based on orientation correlating and orientation averaging, and it is particularly useful when the inherited variants are not exactly related to the parent orientation by a strict orientation relation or when the orientations of the inherited volumes slightly vary at different locations of the variant. The method is illustrated by considering the a to g phase transformation taking place in TiAl-based alloys


Introduction: Chakra (wheel) is the energy points which are present in the subtle body and are seven in number. Out of the seven Chakra, Manipura Chakra is the third one. It has control on several functions of the digestive system. Objectives: The objective of the study is to evaluate the physioanatomical aspects of the Manipura Chakra. To find out the relationship between Manipura Chakra and celiac plexus. Data Source: Textbooks related to awakening and healing of Chakra, Sat Chakra Nirupana, Sushruta Samhita, Charaka Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, B. D Chaurasia's Human Anatomy, Articles, and Internet sources. Review Methods: The present work is done by reviewing the literature on the basis of data compiled from classical texts, contemporary science, published research works, articles related to Manipura Chakra, and celiac plexus. The obtained literature was critically analyzed, interpreted, and presented. Results: The position of Manipura Chakra is said to near the navel. The fire is mentioned as the main attribute of the Manipura Chakra, which in the form of Pachaka Pitta with the help of Samana Vayu governs all the functional aspects of digestion and metabolism. On the basis of positional, structural, and functional similarity, Manipura Chakra can be considered as celiac plexus. Conclusion: Blockage of center of Manipura Chakra can impair gastrointestinal functions which in turn may lead to diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and constipation. Stimulation of Manipura Chakra by means of Beejamantra recitation, Yogasana, and Mudra assists in overcoming diseases related to the gastrointestinal tract and promotes health.


The paper describes a multi-modal system ICANDO (an Intellectual Computer AssistaNt for Disabled Operators) developed by Speech Informatics Group of SPIIRAS and intended for assistance to the persons without hands or with disabilities of their hands or arms in human-computer interaction. This system combines the modules for automatic speech recognition and head tracking in one multi-modal system. The developed system was applied for hands-free work with Graphical User Interface of MS Windows in such tasks as Internet communication and work with text documents. The architecture of the system, the methods for recognition and tracking, information fusion and synchronization, experimental conditions and the obtained results are described in the paper.


This study used multinomial logit regression to determine the factors that influence farmers' choice of adaptation strategies to climate change and variability of farmers in Savelugu-Nanton district, Northern region of Ghana. A simple random sampling was used to select 180 farmers. The data was analysed using a Multinomial logit regression model. From the results, the level of climate change and variability awareness was high and the adaptation strategies identified were mixed cropping, change crop varieties, changing planting time/date, soil conservation techniques, increased irrigation, increased female livestock herd, and seasonal migration. Farmers confirmed empirically observations that climate change would lead to a reduction in crop production. Also, gender, age, education, household size, farming experience, access to extension, access to credit, access to mobile phone and perceived decreased rainfall influenced farmers' choices of a particular adaptation strategy. The findings support and justified calls for education of farmers on climate change and variability.


OBJECTIVE
To compare measurements obtained by use of a universal plastic goniometer (UG) and an electrogoniometer (EG) and from radiographs and to compare joint motion in German Shepherd Dogs and Labrador Retrievers.

ANIMALS
12 healthy adult German Shepherd Dogs and data previously collected from 16 healthy adult Labrador Retrievers.

PROCEDURES
German Shepherd Dogs were sedated. One investigator then measured motion of the carpal, cubital (elbow), shoulder, tarsal, stifle, and hip joints of the sedated dogs. Measurements were made in triplicate with a UG and an EG. Radiographs were taken of all joints in maximal flexion and extension. Values were compared between the UG and EG and with values previously determined for joints of 16 Labrador Retrievers.

RESULTS
An EG had higher variability than a UG for all dogs. The EG variability appeared to result from the technique for the EG. German Shepherd Dogs had lower values in flexion and extension than did Labrador Retrievers for all joints, except the carpal joints. German Shepherd Dogs had less motion in the tarsal joints, compared with motion for the Labrador Retrievers, but had similar motion in all other joints.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
A UG is reliable for obtaining measurements in German Shepherd Dogs. There was higher variability for the EG than for the UG, and an EG cannot be recommended for use.


Abstract Objective We examined the association between dietary patterns and diabetes using the strengths of two methods: principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the eating patterns of the population and reduced rank regression (RRR) to derive a pattern that explains the variation in glycated Hb (HbA1c), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and fasting glucose. Design We measured diet over a 3 d period with 24 h recalls and a household food inventory in 2006 and used it to derive PCA and RRR dietary patterns. The outcomes were measured in 2009. Setting Adults (n 4316) from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Results The adjusted odds ratio for diabetes prevalence (HbA1c≥6·5 %), comparing the highest dietary pattern score quartile with the lowest, was 1·26 (95 % CI 0·76, 2·08) for a modern high-wheat pattern (PCA; wheat products, fruits, eggs, milk, instant noodles and frozen dumplings), 0·76 (95 % CI 0·49, 1·17) for a traditional southern pattern (PCA; rice, meat, poultry and fish) and 2·37 (95 % CI 1·56, 3·60) for the pattern derived with RRR. By comparing the dietary pattern structures of RRR and PCA, we found that the RRR pattern was also behaviourally meaningful. It combined the deleterious effects of the modern high-wheat pattern (high intakes of wheat buns and breads, deep-fried wheat and soya milk) with the deleterious effects of consuming the opposite of the traditional southern pattern (low intakes of rice, poultry and game, fish and seafood). Conclusions Our findings suggest that using both PCA and RRR provided useful insights when studying the association of dietary patterns with diabetes.


In the present work the physical-chemical and energetic properties of the molecules of hydrogels about chitosan crosslinking with genipin were studied in the adsorption process of Metformine and Glibenclamide. The analysis was done by means of PM6 model in order to obtain the necessary data base to establish their potential use as transdermal controlled release systems. Currently, the drugs (metformine and glibenclamide) are administered orally, however, there are already several oral medications that have been presented as transdermal administration systems (SAT), with great advantages, such as patient comfort and zero order release. Drugs before mentioned, are especially important in chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.Copyright © 2018 by ASME