Introduction: Antenatal detection of cleft in the soft palate has been difficult with 2D ultrasound because it is a curved and relatively deep structure, often shadowed by neighboring tissues. The use of 3D ultrasound for visualization of the fetal palate has been described but viewing of the soft palate remains problematic. Objectives: To describe a technique for examining the soft palate with a routine mid-trimester 3D ultrasound volume of the fetal face. Methods: Stored routine 3D ultrasound volumes of the fetal face taken in surface rendering mode at gestational ages 19, 21, 23, 26 and 28 weeks were reviewed. The 3 orthogonal planes of axial, coronal and sagittal sections of the fetal face were scrolled, rotated or tilted to obtain a view of the soft palate while focusing an the uvula. Results: In all the 3D ultrasound volumes examined, the inferior, lateral and posterior surfaces of the soft palate could be visualized in the oblique axial, oblique sagittal and targeted coronal views respectively within each 3D volume. One examination plane could easily be converted into another to obtain a more complete picture of the soft palate. Rotating or tilting the examination plane could overcome the viewing difficulty arising from the anatomical arrangement of the soft palate. Conclusions: It is feasible to view the fetal soft palate on a routine 3D ultrasound volume of the fetal face. The uvula is a good landmark for directing the examination plane to the soft palate.


classification of endometria as benign or malignant by the first observer were 0.73; 0.88; 6.0 and 0.3 for gray scale analysis and 0.73; 0.94; 13.1 and 0.3 for power Doppler analysis. For the second observer the corresponding values were 0.70; 0.87; 5.3; 0.3 and 0.70; 0.90; 7.0; 0.3. Conclusions: Irregularity of internal endometrial morphology and irregular branching of vessels were the best ultrasound variables for prediction of malignancy. Subjective evaluation of grey scale and power Doppler ultrasound findings can predict the risk of endometrial malignancy with moderate accuracy.


While multiple sclerosis can affect any part of the CNS, it does not do so evenly. In white matter it has long been recognized that lesions tend to occur around the ventricles, and grey matter lesions mainly accrue in the outermost (subpial) cortex. In cortical grey matter, neuronal loss is greater in the outermost layers. This cortical gradient has been replicated in vivo with magnetization transfer ratio and similar gradients in grey and white matter magnetization transfer ratio are seen around the ventricles, with the most severe abnormalities abutting the ventricular surface. The cause of these gradients remains uncertain, though soluble factors released from meningeal inflammation into the CSF has the most supporting evidence. In this Update, we review this 'surface-in' spatial distribution of multiple sclerosis abnormalities and consider the implications for understanding pathogenic mechanisms and treatments designed to slow or stop them.


We have compared the formation of oil drops in Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in a T-junction microfluidic device. As Newtonian fluids, we used aqueous solutions of glycerol, while as non-Newtonian fluids we prepared aqueous solutions of xanthan, a stiff rod-like polysaccharide, which exhibit strong shear-thinning effects. In the squeezing regime, the formation of oil droplets in glycerol solutions is found to scale with the ratio of the dispersed flow rate to the continuous one and with the capillary number associated to the continuous phase. Switching to xanthan solutions does not seem to significantly alter the droplet formation process. Any quantitative difference with respect to the Newtonian liquid can be accounted for by a suitable choice of the capillary number, corresponding to an effective xanthan viscosity that depends on the flow rates. We have deduced ample variations in the viscosity, on the order of 10 and more, during normal operation conditions of the T-junction. This allowed estimating the actual shear rates experienced by the xanthan solutions, which go from tens to hundreds of s−1.


Extensive research has demonstrated the impact of working memory (WM) on first language (L1) reading comprehension across age groups (Peng et al., 2018), and on foreign language (FL) reading comprehension of adults and older adolescents (Linck et al., 2014). Comparatively little is known about the effect of WM on young FL readers' comprehension, and even less within testing contexts. Young FL readers are still developing their L1 reading skills and general cognitive skills (e.g., attentional regulation abilities). Completing FL reading tests might be particularly taxing on their WM, and differences in WM capacity – as well as other learner and task characteristics – might create construct-irrelevant variance in test performance. In this study, we investigate the effects of WM, grade level, and reading task on young learners' FL reading test performances. Ninety-four young English language learners (Grades 6–7) in Hungary completed the TOEFL® Junior™ Comprehensive's reading test and a WM test battery. Our mixed-effects model predicted significantly higher comprehension accuracy among learners with higher WM capacity, and among learners in Grade 7 compared to learners in Grade 6. Reading task differences were not associated with significant comprehension accuracy differences. We discuss the implications of our findings for testing young learners' FL reading comprehension.


Mass transport coefficients play an important role in process design and in compositional grading of oil reservoirs. As experimental measurements of these properties can be costly and hazardous, Molecular Dynamics simulations emerge as an alternative approach. In this work, we used Molecular Dynamics to calculate the self-diffusion coefficients of methane/n-hexane mixtures at different conditions, in both liquid and supercritical phases. We evaluated how the finite box size and the choice of the force field affect the calculated properties at high pressures. Results show a strong dependency between self-diffusion and the simulation box size. The Yeh-Hummer analytical correction [J. Phys. Chem. B, 108, 15873 (2004)] can attenuate this effect, but sometimes makes the results depart from experimental data due to issues concerning the force fields. We have also found that different all-atom and united-atom models can produce biased results due to caging effects and to different dihedral configurations of the n-alkane.


We present an analytical model of a neutral hydrogen disc in a spiral galaxy. The gas disc of the spiral galaxy is assumed to have an exponential surface density profile and to be ionized by the cosmic ultraviolet background. To compare with observations, we consider the disc position angle and inclination angle for a line of sight going through the galaxy disc. The HI column densities depend on the strength of ionizing field and disc position and inclination. The model was applied to NGC 3198 and the results were compared with observational data. The HI disc profile at large disc radii can be tested by further HI observations using radio telescopes with a larger aperture than the present facilities. This HI disc model can be used to predict quasar absorption line systems by galaxy discs if quasar lines of sight go through the discs.


Bladder cancer is a common genitourinary malignant disease worldwide. Convincing evidence shows that cigarette smoke (CS) is a crucial risk factor for bladder cancer, yet the role of the NF-κB signaling pathway in the development of CS-associated bladder cancer has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we found that exposure to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induced proliferation and triggered the transition of normal human urothelial cells from G1 to S phase. Moreover, CSE exposure enhanced the expression of cyclin D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and decreased the expression of p21 in SV-HUC-1 cells. Furthermore, the levels of nuclear NF-κB p65/p50 were significantly elevated by CSE. Pre-treatment with the NF-κB inhibitor (PDTC) reversed CSE-triggered cell proliferation. Taken together, our study revealed that CSE induced proliferation of normal human urothelial cells through the NF-κB pathway, and these data enhance our understanding of the CSE-related carcinogenesis of bladder cancer.


Natural draft dry cooling tower (NDDCT) are a favourable choice for the cooling system of concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) plants located in arid regions with high solar radiation. However, additional cooling towers may be required as the capacity of the CSP plants is increased. The geometrical arrangement of the NDDCTs is an influencing parameter on the thermo-flow performance of the entire system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tower spacing and crosswind velocity on the performance of three short NDDCTs in an in-line layout. The results showed that there is a noticeable interaction between the towers at different tower spacings and crosswind conditions. In the no-wind condition, the cooling performance of both towers is reduced with a small tower-spacing, as this limits the air supply and the airflow across the heat exchangers in both towers. However, in windy conditions, the redirection of flow due to the layout of the cooling towers can improve the performance of the towers. The performance of the middle and leeward tower is improved compared to the windward tower. This improvement becomes weaker with increasing tower spacing.


Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication of cirrhosis sometimes implicated in hepatic decompensation. There are no consistent epidemiologic data to suggest an increased risk of thrombotic complications in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); however, research suggests an increased risk of thrombosis. Our aim was to examine the independent association between NASH cirrhosis and PVT in patients who underwent liver transplantation (LT) in a cross‐sectional study. Data on all LTs occurring in the United States between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2012 were obtained from the United Network for Organ Sharing. Multivariable models were constructed to assess the statistical associations and risk factors for the development of PVT. A total of 33,368 patients underwent transplantation. Of these, 2096 (6.3%) had PVT. Of the patients with PVT, 12.0% had NASH. When we compared these patients to a composite of all other causes of cirrhosis, an increased prevalence of PVT was again found, with 10.1% having PVT at the time of transplantation versus 6.0% without NASH (P < 0.001). The strongest risk factor independently associated with a diagnosis of PVT in a multivariable analysis was NASH cirrhosis (odds ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.33‐1.81; P < 0.001). NASH cirrhosis appears to predispose a patient to PVT independently of other risk factors. These epidemiological findings provide support for the idea that NASH is a prothrombotic state, and they should lead to more research in treatment and prevention in this population. Liver Transpl 21:1016‐1021, 2015. © 2015 AASLD.


treatment for most conditions, which would presumably in the course of time become standard practice throughout the National Health Service. I detect here a faint whiff of state control, probably with severe penalties for deviant behaviour. Even if this were possible in our own country he surely cannot believe that we could get agreement with the other countries in the European Economic Community in a measurable period of time. The fact is that over very large areas of medicine our knowledge of disease processes and the effects of treatment is very incomplete, sometimes negligible. While this problem exists individual beliefs based on experience or prejudice will continue to hold sway. Dr O'Donnell's objectives of the acceptance of agreed and effective methods of assessment, investigation, and treatment are admirable but Utopian and require not a reorganisation of medical education but a huge accession of new knowledge on the processes of pathology and the effects of treatment. BRODIE HUGHES


Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) transects and sediment cores have been used to examine the basement morphology, stratig- raphy, and environmental history of maritime ponds along the pen- insular coast of Maine. Silver Lake, Lily Pond, and North Pond are shallow ( , 3 m) water bodies bordered by steep bedrock ridges in the north, east, and west, and sandy barriers to the south. The bedrock basins of the ponds are formed in metasedimentary rocks surrounded by resistant pegmatitic intrusions. A dense network of GPR traverses obtained over the ice-covered Silver Lake reveals a series of prominent wavy-parallel and basin-fill reflector geometries terminating against the bedrock or grading into the barrier sediments and interpreted as organic lake-bottom facies. The transparent units represent sand-rich horizons, mostly eolian in origin. Convex-up structures found both on the surface and within the basin-fill sequence are interpreted as pre- served parts of coastal dunes. The present study indicates that fresh- water conditions prevailed since at least 4.6 ka, with an initial sedi- mentation rate of 1.7 mm/yr. The position of this unit below the con- temporary sea level suggests presence of a welded barrier by that time. Radar profiles taken along the shores of Lily Pond, a small water body behind the Sand Dune Barrier, indicate a significantly larger areal extent of the pond in the past. A succession of organic deposits over- lying a Pleistocene glaciomarine unit indicates progressive inundation of the paleo-lagoon by rising sea level. Saltwater peat seaward of Lily Pond was buried by washover sands about 1.2 ka, and a narrow pond existed here prior to dredging and artificial infilling of its eastern part in the 1950s-60s. The organic and eolian units are absent in the North Pond, where sedimentary fill consists of glaciomarine clay overlain by marine sands. A proposed three-stage model of pond evolution along an embayed coastline consists of: (1) organic accumulation in an up- land depression during lower sea level; (2) predominantly washover or tidal deposition in a lagoon (Stage 2a) or blocked coastal pond (Stage 2b) during initial transgression, and (3) mainly eolian and organic de- position behind a prograded or aggraded barrier. Future accelerated rise in relative sea level and inadequate sediment supply will cause many back-barrier ponds to reenter Stage 2 of the proposed model.


Pre-hospital remote ischemic perconditioning (rPerC) is a potential neuroprotective therapy to patients with suspected acute stroke. We tested the effect of pre-hospital rPerC as an adjunct treatment to intravenous alteplase (rtPA) in patients suspected of acute stroke. The study was conducted as a single-blinded randomized study of rPerC in a 1:1 ratio in 298 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke or TIA of whom 184 were subsequently treated with rtPA and 149 had a 1 month MRI follow-up (81 rPerC, 68 controls). TIA was more frequent (p=0.006) in the intervention group (n=42) than in the control group (n=16). NIHSS on admission was significantly lower (p=0.016) in the intervention group (median 4, IQR 2-7) than in the control group (5, IQR 3-11). Accordingly there was a trend towards smaller volumes of tissue hypoperfusion (PWI 17.35 (1.01-87.18) vs. 16.55 (1.71-170.16), p=0.26) at the time of the initial MRI. Tissue voxels in the volume difference between PWI and DWI at baseline which did not proceed to infarction on follow-up T2-FLAIR MRI were identified and adjusted for baseline values of PWI and DWI. This voxel based logistic regression analysis takes any imbalance in baseline severity of DWI and PWI and any patient-specific effects into account to determine tissue-level infarct risks. The results were analysed according to baseline vessel status and recanalisation at 24 h. The likelihood ratio test for effect of rPerC in the whole group was p=0.0003. In the subgroups not changing vessel status (occlusion without recanalization and the group without observed occlusion) the tests for effect of rPerC yielded p


Adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATL) is a highly aggressive CD4(+) T-cell malignancy caused by human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1. Measles virus (MV) oncolytic therapy has been reported to be efficient in reducing tumour burden in subcutaneous xenograft models of lymphoproliferative disorders such as myeloma, B-cell lymphoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, but its potential to reduce tumour burden in disseminated lymphoproliferative disorders such as ATL remains to be determined. In this study, MV oncolytic therapy was evaluated in the MET-1/NOD/SCID xenograft mouse model of ATL. Treatment with the vaccine-related strain MV-NSE led to a significant reduction in tumour burden. In mice with a high tumour burden, therapy with MV-NSE significantly increased survival beyond any other single treatment tested previously using this model. Interestingly, signs of morbidity (cachexia) in mice treated with MV were not directly associated with tumour burden, but were correlated with the secretion of interleukin-6 by MET-1 cells and host cells. The results suggest that MV therapy could be a promising therapy for generalized lymphoproliferative disease.


The vast array of free tissue options available to reconstructive surgeons plus our knowledge of vascular systems now provide us with the wherewithal to not only fill a defect but to do so aesthetically and with 'minimal donor site morbidity. The authors discuss setting reconstructive goals that include refined and aesthetic results for deficit and donor site alike and demonstrate how, in many situations, these goals can be achieved.


Fibrates are drugs commonly used in hypertriglyceridemias. After their absorption, fibrates are metabolized by the liver, using P450 isoenzymes not shared by statins. However, for some fibrates, such as genfibrozil, an interaction with statins can occur during their liver glucuronidation, or by displacement of free fraction of statins linked to proteins in plasma. Plasma half-life is variable among fibrates (2-80 h). Recently it has been shown that fibrates produce plasma lipid changes mainly by stimulating peroxisome-proliferation activation receptors alpha. Through this action, there is an increase in the transcription of some genes related to lipid metabolism, such as LLP, APOAI, APOAII, ABCA-1, as well as decrease in the expression of APOCIII, and many other actions.


Mastitis was identified as a priority disease within the Irish dairy industry by both dairy farmers and industry animal health experts, which led to the development of the CellCheck programme. In order to support this programme it was necessary to understand the extent to which mastitis affects farm profit, processor returns and ultimately industry profitability. To this end, an analysis of the impact of mastitis on farm, processor and the overall industry profitability was carried out. The impact of mastitis on farm costs, farm receipts and farm profitability is presented across a range of bulk milk somatic cell count (SCC) categories from 400,000 cells/mL. A meta-analysis of the relationship between SCC and raw milk composition, cheese processing characteristics and cheese composition was carried out and utilised to establish the impact of mastitis on processor returns. As SCC increased, the impact of mastitis on the volume of product that could be produced, net processor returns, milk price and the values per kg of fat and protein were calculated. The farm and processor analysis were then combined to estimate the impact of mastitis on the Irish dairy industry returns, accounting for both farm and processor costs. The analysis suggests that as cell count reduced from >400,000 to <100,000 cells/mL, overall returns to the farm should increase by 4.8 c/L, including the farm and processor related effects. Nationally, if the cell count was reduced by 10%, it would be worth €37.6 million for the Irish dairy industry.


The mirobial decomposition process of househole waste, mainly food waste, is considered an environmentally friendly way to treat organic wastes. However, there are some problems which often occur, such as low conversion rate and bad smell generation, especially in the early stage of continuous operation systems. Rice bran has been known empirically as an acclerator or improving material for the microbial decomposition process of organic wastes. Unfortuantely, little information about the detailed findings has been obtained so far.

This study intended to analyze the effect of rice bran as an activating agent in organic waste decomposition in order to minimalize the problems. Firstly, the effect of rice bran was confirmed. Reactor weight, temperature, moisture content, pH, and microbe number were measured and used as the parameters to confirm the effect of rice bran addition in the decomposition process. It was observed that the total waste reduction during the process was larger in the case of rice bran addition than that of the blank, i.e. without rice bran addition. The other parameters also showed similar tendencies, indicating that rice bran is surely capable of activating the decomposition process. Then, the growth accelerating effect for microorganisms in the composting process was examined by a cultivation test using trypticase-soy liquid medium. The microbe number in the medium with rice bran addition was higher than the medium without rice bran.

Secondly, the factors contributing this effect were searched. Although we could narrow down the number of candidate constituent, among them magnesium was one of the major candidates, the precise identification was not possible, possibly because the effect of each nutrient on the microbes varies depending on the kind of microbial strain, and not a single but a combination of multiple nutrients may cause this effect. However, it was confirmed as a whole that rice bran shows a good influence on the growth of many micorbes in the composting process and accelerates the performance of decomposition.


The taxonomic concept of the genus Thaumastopsaltria Kirkaldy is redefined on the basis of the shape of postclypeus and the length of the ovipositor. Tegmen venation is shown to be unreliable for this purpose. T. nana (Jacobi) does not fit this new concept and is, pending its transfer to another genus, not included in this revision. The genus now consists of a monophyletic group of seven species, for which a key to the males is presented. Two species (T. adipata (Stal) and T. globosa (Distant)), are redescribed, while five (T. sicula, T. lanceola, T. pneumatica, T. sarissa and T. spelunca) are described as new. T. glauca Ashton is brought into the synonymy of T. globosa. Thaumastopsaltria belongs to a group of New Guinean and Australian genera, defined previously as the "Baeturia and related genera complex", and is probably closely related to Aedeastria De Boer and Cystosoma Westwood of that complex. The distribution of shared characters is discussed. Thaumastopsaltria is mainly distributed in New Guinea, with only one species in New Britain and one ranging from southern New Guinea to northern Queensland. Distribution maps are presented. Biogeographic patterns are discussed in relation to a preliminary phylogeny of the genus and the geological history of the area. Some common distribution patterns are recognized from comparison with distributions of other taxa of cicadas.


In general, a large amount of memory accesses are required for context-based adaptive variable-length coding decoding in H.264/AVC standard. It is a serious problem for applications such as videophone and digital multimedia broadcasting services because of the considerable power consumption of the memory access function. In order to reduce the memory access, we carefully examined the codewords in variable-length code tables (VLCTs) of the coeff-token and found some distinctive features from the structure of codewords. Based on the features, a new coeff-token decoding method with an efficient memory organization is proposed in this paper. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm achieves an approximately 95% memory access saving without video-quality degradation, compared with conventional decoding


A state of well being in which one realizes own potentials, can cope with every day stressors, can work productively and is able to constructively contribute to community is called mental health. Many stressful and negative events can interfere with these abilities and thus endanger someone's mental health. Migration is one of them. With its' pre and post phases/stages, migration represents great sources of stress and stressors. Immigrants need good personal and social resource in order to lessen down negative effects of migration on their mental health. The aim of this study is to explore presence of mental health problems in non clinical population of Bosnian immigrants (N=101, F=48, M=53) in Switzerland. It was assumed that migration stress acts negatively on immigrant's mental health. General health questionnaire was used to test this hypothesis. Participants mean score results on total GHQ28 questionnaire were M=51.06, S.D. =14.30, its subscales on depression M=10.12 S.D.=3.75, somatic complaints M=13.04 S.D.=4.5, anxiety/insomnia M=13.34 S.D. 4.8, and social dysfunction M=14.37 S.D.=3.5. This indicates presence of mental health problems among Bosnian immigrants. At the same time, the study shows presence of social support seeking (N=83 subjects listed family and friends) as primary coping strategy used by Bosnian immigrants while dealing with difficulties and problems rather than seeking professional help (N=3 subjects listed professional help seeking). Thus, social support seeking acts positively on mental health of Bosnian immigrants.


Article history: Received: September 2014 Received in the revised form: November 2014 Accepted: November 2014 It is estimated that in the European countries approx. 27% of people works for more than half time of their work in a tiresome position resulting in muscle pains, which may disturb coordination of the posture, which increases the risk and possibility of error during operation of the machine. The tests concerned estimation of the risk of the muscoskeletal system disorders of workers who operate on particular work stations, which constitute a technological line for production of geotextile. Moreover, an attempt to improve organization of work was made in order to minimize the impact of the unfavourable postural system of a man on his/her health. Using the "OWAS" method (Ovako Working Posture Analysis System) the size and structure of loading of the workers' musculoskeletal system was determined. It was reported that on all work stations, which constituted the subject of the research, the 1st category of evaluation, where loading with the statical work was average but acceptable, prevailed.


Abstract. The calculation of the air–water CO2 exchange (FCO2) in the ocean not only depends on the gradient in CO2 partial pressure at the air–water interface but also on the parameterization of the gas exchange transfer velocity (k) and the choice of wind product. Here, we present regional and global-scale quantifications of the uncertainty in FCO2 induced by several widely used k formulations and four wind speed data products (CCMP, ERA, NCEP1 and NCEP2). The analysis is performed at a 1°  ×  1° resolution using the sea surface pCO2 climatology generated by Landschutzer et al. (2015a) for the 1991–2011 period, while the regional assessment relies on the segmentation proposed by the Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes (RECCAP) project. First, we use k formulations derived from the global 14C inventory relying on a quadratic relationship between k and wind speed (k = c ⋅ U102; Sweeney et al., 2007; Takahashi et al., 2009; Wanninkhof, 2014), where c is a calibration coefficient and U10 is the wind speed measured 10 m above the surface. Our results show that the range of global FCO2, calculated with these k relationships, diverge by 12 % when using CCMP, ERA or NCEP1. Due to differences in the regional wind patterns, regional discrepancies in FCO2 are more pronounced than global. These global and regional differences significantly increase when using NCEP2 or other k formulations which include earlier relationships (i.e., Wanninkhof, 1992; Wanninkhof et al., 2009) as well as numerous local and regional parameterizations derived experimentally. To minimize uncertainties associated with the choice of wind product, it is possible to recalculate the coefficient c globally (hereafter called c∗) for a given wind product and its spatio-temporal resolution, in order to match the last evaluation of the global k value. We thus performed these recalculations for each wind product at the resolution and time period of our study but the resulting global FCO2 estimates still diverge by 10 %. These results also reveal that the Equatorial Pacific, the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean are the regions in which the choice of wind product will most strongly affect the estimation of the FCO2, even when using c∗.


Substantial understanding of spin-orbit interactions in heavy-metal (HM)/ferromagnet (FM)heterostructures is crucial in developing spin-orbit torque (SOT) spintronics devices utilizing spin Hall and Rashba effects. Though the study of SOT effective field dependence on the out-of-plane magnetization angle has been relatively extensive, the understanding of in-plane magnetization angle dependence remains unknown. Here, we analytically propose a method to compute the SOT effective fields as a function of the in-plane magnetization angle using the harmonic Hall technique in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) structures. Two different samples with PMA, a Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Ta/BaTi O3 (BTO) test sample and a Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Ta reference sample, are studied using the derived formula. Our measurements reveal that only the dampinglike field of the test sample with a BTO capping layer exhibits an in-plane magnetization angle dependence, while no angular dependence is found in the reference sample. The presence of the BTO layer in the test sample, which gives rise to a Rashba effect at the interface, is ascribed as the source of the angular dependence of the dampinglike field.


This report analyses R&D investments by top R&D-investing companies from the ICT sector, for the period of 2005-2008. It focuses on the distribution of R&D investments by firms in specific ICT sub-sectors from the five main world regions, paying special attention to R&D investments by ICT companies from the EU. The relationship between R&D growth and company sales growth is also addressed. The analysis suggests that although EU ICT sector companies make very substantial R&D investments, as an aggregate they invest less in R&D than companies from the US or Japan. This is, however, not necessarily because individual US companies are more R&D intensive than EU ones but more because of the presence of a large number of top R&D-investing ICT sector companies from the US. EU companies' R&D investments are concentrated in the Telecom Equipment and Telecom Services sub-sectors, whereas US, and to some extent, Japanese companies show a strong presence in IT Components, Computer Services, and Telecom Equipment. Worldwide, the most important sub-sector in terms of R&D investment is IT Components, which accounts for over one third of global R&D investments in the ICT sector. In the considered period, average R&D and sales growth rates were 16% and 14% respectively, for the sample of analyzed companies.


Lithium cobalt oxide is synthesized by a novel solution combustion procedure. In this synthesis, a solution mixture of lithium nitrate, cobalt nitrate and glycine fuel is heated to 500, 600 and 700 °C for 3 hours to obtain an ordered crystalline-layered compound. Physical properties of the synthesized cathode materials were evaluated using a XRD, SEM and particle size analyzer. The charge-discharge cycling characteristics of the synthesized lithium cobalt oxide heated at 700 °C exhibited better performance than other materials.


: We present a patient that had a frontal sinus mucocele, which was the result of a traffic accident that occurred 3 years earlier. During surgery via the osteoplastic approach we observed glass particles in the left frontal sinus. As patients with foreign bodies in the paranasal sinus are not commonly seen in otolaryngological practice, especially glass particles in the frontal sinus, and papers dealing with this issue are rare in the English language literature, we present our case and a review of the literature.


This thesis is written as the final project for the B.Sc Hotel Management which focusing about the best way for marketing the new room of restaurant cafe de Veranda. The first chapter will explain about restaurant-cafe de Veranda itself since the beginning of operation, besides the reason why de Veranda builds the new room and what advantages we can expect from the new room. The second part is about the explanation of marketing itself with the aspects that support it. In this part it is also discussed the step by step and aspects that should be considered before making decision in marketing. The third part is the body of this thesis. It contains the research that has been made and the analyses for the problem which occurr in this thesis. The final part is the conclusion of the whole book and the suggestion from the writers of the best way to be taken to solve the problem.


1. A cDNA that encodes a Kex2-like prohormone convertase (PC) containing an active site similar to that of mammalian PC2 has been isolated from C. elegans. Total RNA was isolated from a mixed population of strain BA713 worms. After poly-(A)-selection and reverse transcription, degenerate/nested polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were performed using primers based on conserved regions within the active sites of the known vertebrate and invertebrate endoproteases. 2. Two distinct 300-bp PCR products that shared homologies with the active sites of known Kex2-like endoproteases were isolated. These two PCR products were used to screen a C. elegans cDNA library. 3. The complete cDNA for a Kex2-like endoprotease, designated CELPC2, was isolated and determined to be 2527 bp in length. This size was confirmed by northern analysis. The deduced amino acid sequence for the CELPC2 cDNA is very similar to the known Kex2-like endoproteases, especially at conserved regions within the active sites, but not identical to any one of them. The strongest structural homology was to vertebrate and invertebrate PC2 sequences. 4. In situ hybridization suggests that CELPC2 is synthesized primarily in cells associated with the circumpharyngeal nerve ring and the dorsorectal ganglion.


We have compared the relative susceptibility of resting (GO) versus exponentially growing mouse fibroblasts (line 3T6) to methotrexate (MTX) cytotoxicity. Cultures of cells were exposed to different levels of MTX for various intervals. Cloning efficiencies of the cells were then determined in medium containing hypoxanthine and thymidine. We found that growing 3T6 cells exhibit time- as well as dose-dependent cytotoxicity. Greater than 95% of the cells were killed by a 24-hr exposure to 10(-6) M MTX. In contrast resting cells showed no loss of cloning efficiency even at drug concentrations of 10(-3) M and exposure times of 7 days. The resistance of resting cells is not the result of a MTX transport deficiency since extracellular MTX is taken up by both resting and growing cells. Furthermore, intracellular dihydrofolate reductase activity is abolished in both resting and growing cells at similar extracellular MTX dosages.


Background: In elderly patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) responsive to imatinib, the incidence of clinically significant (CS) late chronic anemia is still unknown. Materials and Methods: To highlight this issue, we revised retrospectively 81 CML patients aged >60 years treated at our Institution with front-line imatinib for at least 24 months in durable complete cytogenetic response (CCyR). CS late chronic anemia was defined as the presence of persistent (>6 months) and otherwise unexplained Hb levels ≤10 g/dL, which occurred >6 months from imatinib start. Results: A condition of CS late chronic anemia occurred in 22 out of 81 patients (27.2%) at different intervals from imatinib start. Seven out of 22 patients (31.8%) needed packed red cell transfusions during the follow-up. At diagnosis, patients who developed CS late chronic anemia were significantly older and had a lower Hb median level. Six out of 22 patients with CS late chronic anemia received subcutaneous recombinant alpha-erythropoietin (EPO) at the standard dosage of 40,000 IU weekly: all 6 patients achieved an erythroid response. A significantly worse event-free survival (EFS) in patients with untreated CS late chronic anemia was observed (p=0.012). Conclusions: CS late chronic anemia during long-term treatment with imatinib is a common complication in responsive elderly patients, with worse EFS if untreated. Results with EPO are encouraging, but larger studies are warranted to define its role.


© Policy Press 2016. All rights reserved. Since the early 1990s, long-term care policies have undergone significant transformations across OECD countries. In some countries these changes have responded to the introduction of major policy reforms while in others, significant transformations have come about through the accumulation of incremental policy changes. The book brings together evidence from over 15 years of care reform to examine changes in long-term care systems occurring in OECD countries. It discusses and compares key changes in national policies and examines the main successes and failures of recent reforms. Finally, it suggests possible policy strategies for the future in the sector. With contributions from a wide range of experts across EECD countries, this book is essential reading for academics, researchers and policy-makers in the field of long-term care policy.


Purpose: To report a case of candida endogenous endophthalmitis in healthy women who had received extraction of wisdom tooth. Case summary: A 65-year-old medically healthy woman who had received extraction of wisdom tooth two weeks ago, presented with floater symptoms in her left eye. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/40 and intraocular pressure was 17 mmHg in her left eye. Inflammatory cells were found in the anterior chamber and vitreous. Fluorescein angiography showed multiple hypofluorescence without vascular leakage. With provisional diagnosis of intermediate uveitis, she was prescribed oral steroid for two weeks. After that, inflammatory cells in anterior chamber was reduced but vitreous imflammatory cell was increased and fundus examination detected newly developed infiltrated lesion at superotemporal area. The patient was presumed to have fungal endophthalmitis and immediate intravitreal voriconazole injection was performed. Three days after intravitreal voriconazole injection, diagnostic vitrectomy and intravitreal voriconazole injection were performed. Vitreous cultures revealed the growth of Candida albicans. Despite the treatment, inflammatory response in anterior chamber and vitreous rapidly increased and visual acuity was decreased to hand movement. We changed anti-fungal agent, voriconazole to Amphotericin B. Additional three-time intravitreal injection was done and therapeutic vitrectomy with oil injection were performed. After treatment, the patient's fundus markedly improved and inflammatory response was decreased. Conclusions: This case report shows candida endophthalmitis in healthy woman who had received extraction of wisdom tooth. So to diagnose endophthalmitis, patient's medical history should carefully be checked including dental care history who presented with vitreous inflammation and inflammatory infiltrated lesion at fundus. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2018;59(3):282-287


This paper is the first attempt to investigate the performance of different learning rules in fitting survey data of household and expert inflation expectations in five core European economies (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain). Overall it is found that constant gain learning performs well in out-of-sample forecasting. It is also shown that households in high inflation countries are using higher best fitting constant gain parameters than those in low inflation countries. They are hence able to pick up structural changes faster. Professional forecasters update their information sets more frequently than households. Furthermore, household expectations in the Euro Area have not converged to the inflation goal of the ECB, which is to keep inflation below to but close to 2% in the medium run. This contrasts the findings for professional experts, which seem to be more inclined to incorporate the implications of monetary union for the convergence in inflation rates into their expectations.


Mechanical forces are important for connective tissue homeostasis. How do fibroblasts sense mechanical stress and how do they translate this information into an adaptive remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM)? Tenascin-C is rapidly induced in vivo by loading muscles and in vitro by stretching fibroblasts. Regulation of tenascin-C expression by mechanical signals occurs at the transcriptional level. Integrin receptors physically link the ECM to the cytoskeleton and act as force transducers: intracellular signals are triggered when integrins engage with ECM, and later when forces are ap- plied. We found that cyclic strain does not induce tenascin-C messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in fibroblasts lacking the b1-integrin chain. An important link in integrin-dependent mechanotransduction is the small guanosine 5'-triphosphatase. RhoA and its target kinase, ROCK. In fibroblasts, cyclic strain activates RhoA and thereby induces ROCK-dependent actin assembly. Interestingly, tenascin-C mRNA induction by cyclic strain was suppressed by relaxing the cytoskeleton with a ROCK inhibitor or by actin depolymerization. Conversely, chemical activators of RhoA enhanced the effect of strain both on actin dynamics and on tenascin-C expression. Thus, RhoA/ROCK-controlled actin dynamics are required for the induction of specific ECM genes by mechanical stress. These findings have implications for the understanding of regeneration and for tissue engineering.


Although new structural and advanced materials have been used in the automotive and aircraft industries, especially lightweight alloys and advanced high strength steels, the successful introduction of such materials depends on the availability of proven joining technologies that can provide high quality and performance joints. Solid-state joining techniques such as Friction Stir Welding (FSW) are a natural choice since their welds are produced at low temperatures, so the low heat input provides limited, slight distortion, microstructural and mechanical degradation. Great effort has currently been devoted to the joining of Al-Cu-Mg and the Al-Mg-Si alloys because of their high strength, improved formability, and application in airframe structures. FSW is a continuous, hot shear, autogenous process involving a non-consumable and rotating tool plunged between two abutting workpieces. The backing bar plays an important role in heat transfer from stir zone (SZ), which can influence the weld microstructure as well as the consolidation of material in the root of the join. This study aims at investigating issues concerning heat generation, within the SZ of friction stir welded aircraft aluminium alloys.


Aim of database The Danish Prostate Cancer Database (DAPROCAdata) is a nationwide clinical cancer database that has prospectively collected data on patients with incident prostate cancer in Denmark since February 2010. The overall aim of the DAPROCAdata is to improve the quality of prostate cancer care in Denmark by systematically collecting key clinical variables for the purposes of health care monitoring, quality improvement, and research. Study population All Danish patients with histologically verified prostate cancer are included in the DAPROCAdata. Main variables The DAPROCAdata registers clinical data and selected characteristics for patients with prostate cancer at diagnosis. Data are collected from the linkage of nationwide health registries and supplemented with online registration of key clinical variables by treating physicians at urological and oncological departments. Main variables include Gleason scores, cancer staging, prostate-specific antigen values, and therapeutic measures (active surveillance, surgery, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and chemotherapy). Descriptive data In total, 22,332 patients with prostate cancer were registered in DAPROCAdata as of April 2015. A key feature of DAPROCAdata is the routine collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM), including data on quality-of-life (pain levels, physical activity, sexual function, depression, urine and fecal incontinence) and lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index). PROM data are derived from questionnaires distributed at diagnosis and at 1-year and 3-year follow-up. Hitherto, the PROM data have been limited by low completeness (26% among newly diagnosed patients in 2014). Conclusion DAPROCAdata is a comprehensive, yet still young clinical database. Efforts to improve data collection, data validity, and completeness are ongoing and of high priority.


The impacts of commercial trawling are well documented especially alteration of benthic environments removal of targeted and by-catch species and alteration of food webs. I investigated and modeled the impacts of shrimp trawling on the estuarine ecosystem in Core Sound North Carolina. Since 1978 the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has enforced no-trawling rules in nursery areas but most of Core Sound is open to trawling. This "natural experiment" allowed me to compare the ecosystem impacts trawling using ecological network models. I used field collections fisheries data from the NC Trip Ticket program and Ecopath network modeling software to create four network models of areas open and closed to shrimp trawling during spring (2007) and fall (2006 and 2007). Each model consisted of 65 compartments (including non-living detritus by-catch producers and various invertebrate and vertebrate consumers) and harvests by different types of fishery gears (crab pots gill nets haul seines and pound nets in closed areas; shrimp trawls skimmer trawls were added to the models in areas open to trawling). Approximately 12 000 shrimp trawling trips occurred from 2001 - 2007 in areas open to trawling suggesting the potential for large trawling impacts. Based on the benthic sampling shrimp trawling had a major impact on the Core Sound ecosystem. Contrary to expectation biomass (g C/m²) of infaunal benthic invertebrates especially deposit-feeding polychaetes was significantly greater in areas open to trawling. Meiofaunal biomass was significantly greater in the closed areas. Field collections of fish and invertebrates revealed that there was more biomass (g C/m²) of benthic-invertebrate feeders (such as spot pinfish and blue crabs) in areas closed to trawling. These results suggest a trophic cascade due to trawling may have occurred in the open areas whereby trawls removed benthic-feeding fishes and blue crabs released their prey (benthic polychaetes) from predation pressure and lowered the abundance of meiofauna (prey of the polychaetes). Alternatively the dead biomass from by-catch could fuel the growth in polychaetes and other benthos due to a direct subsidy from trawling. Further experimental work is required to test these model-derived hypotheses. Ecopath outputs were validated using stable isotopes and examined for system-wide impacts. The concentrations of stable isotopes of [delta]¹⁵N and [delta]¹³C were compared to Ecopath effective trophic levels. Trophic fractionation occurred across trophic levels and results were comparable to published studies (for each unit effective trophic level increase there was a fractionation of +2.637% for [delta]¹⁵N and +1.084% for [delta]¹³C). Ecopath whole-ecosystem metrics indicated that net primary productivity trophic efficiency ascendency and net primary production: respiration ratios were greater in the areas open to trawling; total system throughput and Finn Cycling Index were greater in the areas closed to trawling. Additional compartment-level comparisons were made using mixed trophic impacts (MTI) and keystoneness index (KSI). The MTI analysis indicated that shrimp trawling in Core Sound caused large negative impacts only on jellyfish a bycatch species. The KSI indicated that sea turtles and brown pelicans were keystone groups (large influence relative to their biomass) overall in Core Sound. Spot bluefish and Atlantic croaker also had high KSI in closed areas. Pink shrimp white shrimp and bluefish all had high KSIs in the open areas suggesting that they played a key role in the ecosystem's trophic structure where trawling was allowed. These Ecopath models can be useful tools for resource managers to better understand the direct and indirect impacts of (shrimp trawl) fishing in Core Sound. Future work should include the creation of annualized models and simulation modeling using Ecosim to explore different management scenarios.


In the study reported here, third-year medical students in an internal medicine clerkship were randomly assigned to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and to tutorials to compare the effectiveness of these methods in teaching hematology and oncology topics. A multiple-choice test was used to assess the students' knowledge after instruction, and the students completed a 14-item questionnaire concerning their opinions of CAI. No statistically significant difference was found between the test scores of the students using CAI and those in the tutorials for oncology; but in hematology the students in the tutorials had higher scores than those using CAI. The study design does not permit a definite explanation of the disparity in outcome for the two topics, but it is possible that the effectiveness of the presentations in the two sections was different. There was no statistically significant correlation between the time spent in the teaching setting and the score attained. The students did not consider CAI more effective than the tutorials but rather seemed to view it as a supplement to traditional teaching by lectures, textbooks, and studying from notes.


Objective: To evaluate the chemical quality and in vitro fermentative characteristics to find the optimum cutting point of Panicum maximum cv. tanzania grass under four fertilization schemes.
Methodology: The grass was tanzania, which received chemical (F1), vermicompost (F2), compost (F3) and compost+lixiviate (F4) fertilizations. The grass was cut at 20, 35, 50, 50, 65, 80 and 105 days. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP), dry matter (DMD), NDF (NDFD) and ADF (ADFD) degradations and in vitro gas production were determined. The experimental design was a 4x6 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized system with fertilization and days of cutting as factors.
Results: F3-65, F1-65, F4-80 and F1-8 d higher NDF content; F1-65 d higher ADF; F1-20 d higher CP (p≤0.05). F4-50 and F2-50 d higher gas production; F4-20, F4-35, F4-50, F2-20, F2-35, F1-20 d higher DMD, F2-20 and F4-20 d higher NDFD; F4-20, F4-35, F4-65 and F2-20 d higher ADFN (p≤0.05).
Limitations/implications: Lack of previous research studies on organic fertilization of tanzania.
Conclusions: Fertilization with vermicompost or compost+lixiviate improve chemical content, in vitro gas production and degradations of tanzania grass


Climate change is a difficult research problem, requiring insight from vast fields such as chemistry, biology, climatology and oceanography. As the ever increasing publishing of information in these fields continue, text mining and knowledge discovery systems are being developed to alleviate the workload of extracting relevant information from literature. This master thesis focuses on knowledge discovery from extracted information, and ranking of proposed hypotheses. A rule-based inference system was implemented i Java using the Jess rule engine. The application consist of a set of general and domain specific logic rules, which operate on domain knowledge inputted to the system, and proposes hypotheses based on this input. The system can also abductively attempt to explain contradictions between expected and inputted knowledge. The system was tested on the domain hypotheses known as the iron hypothesis and the DOC hypothesis. The system was able to infer these hypotheses. Trondheim, 2016-06-01


This paper describes a GIS-based software package that incorporates a genetic algorithm to optimize crops distribution across any region. Such optimization is powered by maps of where one finds the most suitable conditions for each crop, or each crops current local yields, market price, market demand or transport costs. Our programs output is the crops distribution which achieves maximum economic return, or minimal environmental damage, or optimal fit with either present- or post-climatic-change soil suitability or minimum transport cost. The package can be implemented within any region where the necessary input data exists in Ascii and image format, and it incorporates a number of features that make it transparent and flexible. Such user friendliness encourages even laypersons to experiment with the genetic algorithms parameters, almost as if they are playing a computer game, to see whether or not they can find an even more optimal crops distribution than they found previously. The package also functions as a useful exploratory tool for seeing how current patterns would have to be modified if a more optimal crops distribution were achieved, thereby generating decision support type insights into possible repercussions of tampering with the status quo. Our packages functionality will be demonstrated through a case study implementation within the agricultural region of South Gippsland, Australia.


Worldwide, glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in controlling the growth of annual and perennial weeds. An increasing number of studies have highlighted the environmental risk resulting from the use of this molecule in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The objective of the study was to determine the transport of glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), through runoff and transported sediment from a vineyard under two different soil management systems: harrowed inter-row (HR) and permanent grass covered inter-row (GR). The study was performed over a period of 4 yr. Glyphosate and AMPA concentrations were found to be higher in runoff and in transported sediment from HR compared with GR, regardless of the amount of runoff and transported sediment. The mean annual percentages of glyphosate loss, via runoff and transported sediment, were about 1.37 and 0.73% for HR and GR, respectively. Aminomethylphosphonic acid represented approximately 30.9 and 40.0% of the total glyphosate losses in GR and HR, respectively. Moreover, results suggested that rains occurring within 4 wk after treatment could cause the transport of glyphosate and AMPA in high concentrations. Soil analyses indicated that glyphosate content was below detection within 1 yr, whereas AMPA remained in the soil profiles along the vine row and in the inter-row. Results indicated that GR can reduce soil and herbicide loss by runoff in vineyard cropping system.


Stereotactic radiosurgery is used to treat intracranial lesions with a high degree of accuracy. At the present time, x-ray energies at or above Co-60 gamma rays are used. Previous Monte Carlo simulations have demonstrated that intermediate energy x-ray photons or IEPs (defined to be photons in the energy range of 0.2-1.2MeV), combined with small field sizes, produce a reduced radiological penumbra leading to a sharper dose gradient, improved dose homogeneity and sparing of critical anatomy adjacent to the target volume. This hypothesis is based on the fact that, for small x-ray fields, a dose outside the treatment volume is dictated mainly by the range of electrons set into motion by x-ray photons. The purpose of this work is: (1) to produce intermediate energy x rays using a detuned medical linear accelerator, (2) to characterize the energy of this beam, (3) to measure the radiological penumbra for IEPs and small fields to compare with that produced by 6MV x rays or Co-60, and (4) to compare these experimental measurements with Monte Carlo computer simulations. The maximum photon energy of our IEP x-ray spectrum was measured to be 1.2MeV. Gafchromic EBT films (ISP Technologies, Wayne, NJ) were irradiated and read using a novel digital microscopy imaging system with high spatial resolution. Under identical irradiation conditions the measured radiological penumbra widths (80%-20% distance), for field sizes ranging from 0.3×0.3to4.0×4.0cm2, varied from 0.3-0.77mm (1.2MV) and from 1.1-2.1mm (6MV). Even more dramatic were the differences found when comparing the 90%-10% or the 95%-5% widths, which are in fact more significant in radiotherapy. Monte Carlo simulations agreed well with the experimental findings. The reduction in radiological penumbra could be substantial for specific clinical situations such as in the treatment of an ocular melanoma abutting the macula or for the treatment of functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia (a nonlethal neurological pathology) where no long-term side effect should be induced by the treatment.


In this paper, we present a new method to build  public-key Cryptosystem. The method is based on the state  explosion problem occurred in the computing of average  number of tokens in the places of Stochastic Petri Net  (SPN). The reachable markings in the coverability tree of  SPN are used as the encryption keys. Accordingly, multiple  encryption keys can be generated, thus we can perform  multiple encryption to get as strong security as we expect.  The decryption is realized through solving a group of  ordinary differential equations from Continuous Petri Net  (CPN), which has the same underlying Petri net as that  of SPN. The decipherment difficulty for attackers is in  exponential order. The contribution of this paper is that  we can use continuous mathematics to design cryptosystems  besides discrete mathematics.


Summary
Weed seeds present an agronomic threat, but are also an important food resource for wildlife in winter. Weed seed densities on the soil surface in winter were examined from 1999 to 2002 in 105 fields on three different farms in UK. The effect of the preceding crop, cultivation, position within the field and the application of seed for birds (bird seed) on surface seed abundance and species composition was tested. Six or fewer species comprised c. 80% of the weed seeds. By January of each study year, the densities of seeds important for farmland birds (key seeds) were 73% or 87% lower compared with early winter on two of the farms, but were stable on the third where seeds were incorporated through cultivation. At the edge and mid-field, seed densities only exceeded 400 m−2 in 17%, 10% and 12% of fields for total, key and dicotyledonous seeds respectively. The preceding crop only affected seed densities at one site; stubbles of winter barley had fewer seeds compared with winter wheat or spring barley. Seed densities varied between the edge and mid-field, but trends were inconsistent between sites. The density of the larger seeds (Atriplex patula, Viola arvensis, Polygonum aviculare and Chenopodium album) were reduced in fields receiving bird seed. The objectives of weed control and conservation may not be mutually exclusive because seed return was most reduced where the ground remained uncultivated through the winter, yet this also provided the best foraging opportunities for surface feeding seed predators.


ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigated the challenges experienced by first-generation community college students as they navigated the process of transferring to a four-year university. Participants were from a pool of first-generation students who were in the process of completing steps to transferring. These participants all completed specific transfer momentum points, which indicated that they were on a pathway to transfer. This study amplified the voices of first-generation community college students who were achieving success towards transferring and described the challenges and learning that they experienced in the process. The findings indicated that participants faced several significant challenges throughout their educational journey and met momentum points in a surprising number of ways. Participants struggled with financing their education. They felt isolated. Students experienced numerous setbacks and found it difficult to maintain motivation. In the process of overcoming these challenges, they made important realizations about themselves that were critical to their retention and their ability to continue in momentum toward their transfer goals. These realizations included developing financial awareness, utilizing support systems and campus resources, staying focused and hopeful, and finding their drive. The findings of this study inform community college practices for first-generation college students with a goal of transferring.


Muslim sometimes has trouble when they travel to a new place for find where the location of the halal food and mosque near their location is. Other things that Muslim will have difficulty when they travel in to a new place are find the Qibla direction, pray time in local time and the mosque location near their location. From that problem MLH (Muslim Little Helper) want to help them to solve their problem. The process is carried out as follows: The app get the user location, send the location to the YELP API server and muslimshalat.com API to get the location of halal food, and mosque (using YELP) and for find the direction of Qibla and the prayer schedule (by using muslimshalat.com API). After the system get the data, then it will show on the Map (using apple map inside the app) and put the data as marker. For the Qibla direction and prayer time, it will show in arrow image and listview. This app will be use Swift for the development language. The test result shows that the YELP API can be use only in USA, and internet play as the main rule in this app, because to create connection to the server to pull the data, the system need internet to pass all the data to server.


Narrow angle light scattering measurements were made for various sizes of spherical particles suspended in water. These were compared to calculated theoretical scattering values as derived from the theory of Mie (1908). Through measurements with different particle concentrations at angles between 0.2 degrees and 0.7 degrees the effect of the unscattered main beam light was removed. Results agreed well with Mie theory for these angles.


Although conceptual approaches to populism differ, there is a high degree of consensus that the ideological distinctiveness of populism lies in the unique way it constructs its core concept, the "people". This article assesses the implications of populist understandings of the people for the constitutional endorsement of multi-party representative democracy. Regardless of its many manifestations, populism structures peoplehood around a distinct brand of ideologised popular sovereignty, in combination with another dominant host ideology, which, depending on the context, can be drawn from any of the main ideologies on the left‒right spectrum. This combination invariably produces an opposite "other", an "anti-people", as a necessary co-constituent of the populist people's cohesion and identity. The homogenising and exclusionary construct of peoplehood associated with populism holds profound implications for multi-party representative government. It challenges the pluralist notion of multi-party representation by advocating for representation as the embodiment of a homogenous popular will instead. Representation as embodiment fosters extreme majoritarian attitudes and, as histories of populists-in-government have shown, tendencies towards authoritarianism. Populist conceptions of the people ultimately dispute core features of multi-party representative democracy, such as inclusive democratic citizenship, pluralist representation, oppositional political rights, the recognition of opposition parties as standing alternatives to incumbent governments, and accommodation and compromise as inclusionary democratic practice.


The management of knowledge created in an organization not only enables reuse of knowledge, but also adds value to the organization itself. Preventing duplication of intellectual effort, it saves economic and human resources, leading to the creation of new information. This book gathers the wisdom of knowledge managers and researchers in the context of the library and will be a valuable reference source for all libraries.


This study examines the Jewish Israeli public's attitudes towards gambling, how they vary between various socio-demographic subgroups, and the association between gambling attitudes and gambling behaviour. In April 2014, 1000 Jewish Israeli adults (49.6% of them women) aged 18–67 (M = 40.28, SD = 14.07), responded to an online questionnaire that included the ATGS-8 (Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale), PGSI (Problem Gambling Severity Index) and gambling behaviour scales. The findings suggest that the Jewish Israeli public tends to have a negative attitude towards gambling – albeit less so among men and the secular population than among women and observant (Traditional, Religious or Orthodox) individuals, respectively. No significant differences were found between respondents with respect to age or levels of education. A positive association was found between attitudes and gambling behaviour, and differences were found between gambling severity categories, with low-risk gamblers exhibiting a more positive attitude towards gambling than non-problem gamblers. The findings of this study provide a snapshot of the attitudes of the Jewish Israeli public towards gambling, and may potentially provide a benchmark for further studies in Israel and elsewhere.


OBJECTIVE
To compare individual, group and combined intervention formats for improving goal attainment and psychosocial function following acquired brain injury.

DESIGN
Randomized controlled trial, waiting list controls.

PARTICIPANTS
Thirty-five participants with a mean time of 5.29 years (standard deviation = 3.9) since acquired brain injury were randomly allocated into 6 groups involving an intervention or waiting list control condition for 1 of 3 intervention formats.

METHODS
Interventions were 3 h/week for 8 weeks. Formats included: group-based support (n = 12), individual occupation-based support (n = 11), and a combined group and individual support intervention (n = 12). Participant outcomes were examined at pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up assessment on the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Patient Competency Rating Scale, and Brain Injury Community Rehabilitation Outcome 39 Scales.

RESULTS
Overall, the findings indicated that the individual intervention component appeared to contribute particularly to gains in performance in goal-specific areas. The combined intervention was associated with maintained gains in performance and satisfaction. However, gains in behavioural competency and psychological well-being were more likely to occur after the group and individual interventions.

CONCLUSION
These findings generally support the efficacy of brief intervention formats following acquired brain injury, although further research is needed to examine clients' suitability for particular interventions.


This book provides an in-depth analysis of what happens when intermediate level learners of a foreign language use a bilingual dictionary when writing. Dictionaries are frequently promoted to people learning a foreign language. Nevertheless, teachers often talk about their students' inability to use dictionaries properly, especially when they write, and this can be problematic. This book paints a comprehensive picture of the differences a dictionary makes and brings out the implications for language learning, teaching, and testing practices. It draws on research in which participants in three studies took writing tests in two test conditions – with and without a dictionary. They were also asked what they thought about the two test types. Their performances and opinions were analyzed in a variety of ways. Conclusions from the data highlight some of the practical issues to be kept in mind if we want to help foreign language learners to use bilingual dictionaries effectively when writing.


textabstractFrom the 1980s onwards, governments began to rediscover the benefits of the market as an alternative governance mechanism for allocation in systems of social provisions. Yet, if social policy regimes are delegated the task of providing goods and services that are not easily produced by the market itself, it is clear that they need more complex institutions to support them in producing these goods and services. This study contains a comparative institutional analysis of the politics and policies of market-oriented reforms in Dutch social housing and health care. Theoretically and empirically, the book aims to contribute to our understanding of the challenges confronting contemporary policy-makers in different sectors of mature welfare states. For this purpose, the author develops an innovative framework for institutional policy analysis which is build upon two logistics of social policy: the provision logic of social goods and services, which refers to the primary process of providing the goods and services at stake, and the institutional logic of social policy regimes, which touches upon the historical context in which social policy regimes and their governance arrangements became embedded and developed over time. In the concluding chapter, the book aims to a rethinking welfare state reform on the basis of the inherent difficulties in managing market-led reforms and associational cooperation in service intensive welfare sectors within the Dutch welfare state. Instead of conceptualizing the state, the market and the community as mutually exclusive institutional orders, the author concludes that we should ask how and to what extent these different institutional orders might contribute in meeting the shortcomings of the other.


Genomic tools in the last few decades have made it possible to produce proteins for pharmaceutical use in mammalian cells such as Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO). As such there is an ever increasing demand protein biopharmaceuticals. By identifying key proteins involved in the growth patterns of mammalian cells we hope to be able to manipulate CHO cell for biopharmaceutical production. We used two different methods to manipulate cell growth and then identified the proteins involved using quantitative label free LC-mass spectrometry. Previous studies in our lab showed up-regulation of
microRNA-7 (miR-7) reduces proliferation in CHO-K1-SEAP cells but increases productivity over time. A similar phenotype is observed in temperature shifted (31 oC) CHO
cells and is often used in industry for increased productivity. The mechanism of both these phenotypes in CHO are largely unknown at the protein level. Using label-free LC-MS/MS we identified catalase and stathmin as potential targets of miR-7, the potential role of
glutathione metabolism up-regulation and the potential role of structural process inhibition in causing this phenotype. Using the same techniques combined with subcellular fractionation to analyse the temperature shift phenotype in CHO-K1-SEAP cells we were able to double the number of protein identifications from 960 with no fractionation to 2298 using fractionation. Two differentially regulated proteins, cyclon and lamin A/C, were identified as significantly reducing cell proliferation and cell size and may have potential as
targets to induce an industrially relevant phenotype in CHO cells.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, there is an urgent need to identify new molecular targets for certain aggressive breast cancer subtypes to lead to improved treatments for patients. We used bioinformatics profiling of publicly available data-sets to compare gene expression across breast cancer sub-types compared to normal breast tissue to identify a panel of differentially expressed membrane candidate targets.
Candidate target expression was validated in membrane enriched breast cancer cell line extracts and extensive immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of target expression in breast cancer subtypes, normal breast tissue and highly proliferating tissues was carried out. Two
proteins, IGSF9 and KLRG2, not previously associated with breast cancer, were demonstrated to show significantly higher expression in triple negative (TNBC) and HER-2
positive breast cancers than in normal breast tissue and also have very low presence in other normal (and highly proliferating) tissues. These two protein targets may have potential to be further investigated as ADC molecular targets for these aggressive breast cancer
subtypes.


This article sets out to examine what Debussy wrote about music in the light of the discourse on music, literature, and nature that Debussy knew from contemporary literature. It becomes apparent that Debussy shares with, for example, MallarmŽ a refusal to consider that his work renders natural scenes present. Indeed, he rejects entirely the notion that music can or should represent anything (when it appears to represent, it is, precisely, not music). Debussy accordingly despises programs and critics who look in his music for images or ideas that they expect him to have put there.
Why, then, does he give his pieces programmatic titles? And how is one to understand the relationship between words and music, for example, in PellŽas et MŽlisande? The answer emerges from an analysis of the special relationship that Debussy constructs between music and nature. On the one hand, Debussy tells us that "art is the most beautiful of lies"; accordingly, music never tells us any specific articulated truth about nature. On the other hand, the dynamics of our perception of nature, in which we see through specific features, as poetry might articulate them, to an inexpressible totality, a "mouvement total de la nature," is the best analogue for the process of musical creation, which traverses sense toward an ideal unity beyond the articulation of meaning. Our duty, then, would be to look past the expression of the words associated with Debussy9s music, not to find in the music an extension or repetition of the words9 meaning, but to sense, between as well as beyond them, an echo of that ideal unity.


Objective: To share our experience with the use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) during the transport of ventilated neonates and children to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) center and to discuss the efficacy and safety of iNO use in this situation. Data Sources: Case note review of 55 consecutive patients transported while receiving iNO to Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK, for consideration of ECMO. Study Selection: Retrospective case note review. Data Extraction: The clinical condition of each patient recorded at arrival of the transport team at the referring hospital, during transport, and at arrival at Glenfield Hospital. Preclinical and postclinical conditions were compared using the paired Student's t-test. Data Synthesis: Overall data showed a significant improvement in transcutaneous oximetry measurements (Spo2: 84.8% preclinical, 90.6% postclinical; p = .006) and Pao2 (59 torr [7.87 kPa] preclinical, 84 torr [11.23 kPa] postclinical; p = .001) during transport in our patient group. Based on limited safety data, no untoward events or toxic metabolites were observed with iNO therapy during transport. Conclusions: iNO does appear to improve oxygenation during transfer of patients for ECMO in our series. Based on limited safety data, iNO appears safe to use in transport.


Sepsis, a highly lethal systemic inflammatory syndrome, is associated with increases of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, HMGB1) and the accumulation of apoptotic cells that have the potential to be detrimental. Depending on the timing and tissue, prevention of apoptosis in sepsis is beneficial; however, thwarting the development of secondary necrosis through the active removal of apoptotic cells by phagocytosis may offer a novel anti-sepsis therapy. Immature dendritic cells (IDCs) release exosomes that contain milk fat globule EGF factor VIII (MFGE8), a protein required to opsonize apoptotic cells for phagocytosis. In an experimental sepsis model using cecal ligation and puncture, we found that MFGE8 levels decreased in the spleen and blood, which was associated with impaired apoptotic cell clearance. Administration of IDC-derived exosomes promoted phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and significantly reduced mortality. Treatment with recombinant MFGE8 was equally protective, whereas MFGE8-deficient mice suffered from increased mortality. IDC exosomes also attenuated the release of proinflammatory cytokines in septic rats. Liberation of HMGB1, a nuclear protein that contributes to inflammation upon release from unengulfed apoptotic cells, was prevented by MFGE8-mediated phagocytosis in vitro. We conclude that IDC-derived exosomes attenuate the acute systemic inflammatory response in sepsis by enhancing apoptotic cell clearance via MFGE8.


Various simplifications of the river water quality model no. 1 are applied to data sets from the river Glatt in Switzerland. In a first application, the biomass responsible for nitrogen and oxygen conversion processes is quantified based on known reaeration rates, measured concentrations of ammonia, nitrite and oxygen and assumed growth parameters of algae and bacteria. In a second application, the model is extended to calculate chemical equilibria of inorganic carbon compounds dissolved in the water and daily variations in pH. The influence of partially unknown inflow concentrations and of calcite precipitation on fluctuations in electrical conductivity and pH are discussed. In the last model, the processes of growth of sessile algae and bacteria, detachment of algae, and grazing by benthic organisms are introduced. Due to lack of data for quantifying these processes, this last model application is speculative. Nevertheless, it is interesting because it shows a direction to which river water quality modelling would have to proceed in order to increase its predictive capabilities.


What commonly held visions do planners have about the strategic use of IT for organizational transformation? Pursuit of this question was prompted by a research gap between planned organizational change and the often unsuccessful ways in which IT has been used to implement change. A longitudinal ethnographic study of two organizations has revealed a contrast between the perceptions of change architects and IT users regarding IT-based change initiatives. Our findings reveal that IT-based organizational change initiatives can run into trouble at implementation from the peripheral treatment given work in strategic visions.


The detection of keratoconus is a major concern in the screening of refractive surgical patients, since it is known that its presence weakens the corneal stroma and can lead to iatrogenic ectasia. While clinical keratoconus is reliably detected with corneal topography and slit-lamp examination, means to detect the possibility of keratoconus in its earliest stages prior to the presence of slit-lamp findings have been extensively explored, and it is generally agreed that the first detectable sign of keratoconus is a localised steepening seen with Placido corneal topography. Several terms have been put forward to describe this condition including preclinical keratoconus, keratoconus suspect and forme fruste keratoconus. While these designations have been used interchangeably, doing so has led to problems in understanding the natural history of keratoconus.

Despite this short-coming, excellent longitudinal studies are being conducted and are slowly emerging in the literature. In the June issue, Shirayama-Suzuki and colleagues1 examined keratoconus progression in the fellow eye in unilateral keratoconus patients over the course of 6 years. The fellow eyes were included if they had no slit-lamp signs of keratoconus or deterioration of spectacle-corrected visual acuity. The authors found that just over 20% of the fellow eyes progressed to clinical keratoconus with evidence of increased asymmetry, spherical equivalent and higher-order irregularities, which they documented with topographic indices and Fourier analysis. As they note, keratoconus is a slowly progressing disease, and therefore it is likely that a longer follow-up would result in more of their cohort progressing to clinical keratoconus.

This study provides a …


Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice to Professional, Third Edition offers a comprehensive introduction to two of the most prominent open source technologies on the planet: the PHP scripting language and the MySQL database server. Updated to introduce the features found in MySQLs most significant release to date, readers learn how to take advantage of the latest features of both technologies to build powerful, manageable, and stable web applications. Essentially three books in one, readers not only profit from extensive introductions to the core features of each technology, but also learn how to effectively integrate the two in order to build robust data-driven applications. Packed with practical examples and insight into the real-world challenges faced by developers based on author W. Jason Gilmore's 7 years of expertise working with these technologies, readers will repeatedly return to this book as both a valuable instructional tool and reference guide. What youll learn The PHP language How to back your web site with MySQL Templating so that you can apply a consistent design across all pages on your site How to authenticate your web site users How to use cookies to maintain information (such as items in a shopping cart) while a user is browsing your site Who is this book for? This book is written for developers seeking to take advantage of the PHP language and MySQL database to create powerful web applications. About the Apress Beginning Series The Beginning series from Apress is the right choice to get the information you need to land that crucial entry-level job. These books will teach you a standard and important technology from the ground up because they are explicitly designed to take you from "novice to professional." Youll start your journey by seeing what you need to knowbut without needless theory and filler. Youll build your skill set by learning how to put together real-world projects step by step. So whether your goal is your next career challenge or a new learning opportunity, the Beginning series from Apress will take you thereit is your trusted guide through unfamiliar territory! Related Titles Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional Beginning Ajax with PHP: From Novice to Professional PHP 5 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach Pro PHP Security PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice


As a person who pays only passing attention to formal black electoral politics, let alone the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court's attempts to decimate it, it is a privilege and a daunting challenge to respond to Professor Karlan's Article, Loss and Redemption: Voting Rights at the Turn of a Century. At the outset, I felt inadequate to the task. My research has largely focused on informal black socioeconomic development and discourse, most of which occurs far from the spotlight of the political mainstream.l The only formal politics with which I am concerned occurs primarily at the local, grassroots level. Nonetheless, I do not for a minute think that blacks should forego any opportunity to hold government and industry, at every level, accountable and responsible for the abysmal quality of life experienced by many black people, particularly the very young. I also realize that mainstream electoral politics is one avenue through which accountability can be achieved. Yet, any financial assistance government and business provide beleaguered blacks should be funneled through organizations and associations that the blacks themselves control. This will reduce the likelihood that scarce resources will be siphoned off by elite functionaries who have no real contribution to make. Indeed, lasting gains in the well-being of the least welloff blacks are only possible if the gains are made permanent through the establishment of institutions and organizations that they control and that outlive the genuine concern any social problem generates. That explains in part why I focus on the law as it relates to black, small-scale or micro-institution building. For example, I have written about the black informal economy2 and informal economic discourse.3 But Professor Karlan's insightful work forced me to consider the relationship between black socioeconomic advancement and the achievement of blacks' political agenda. Or, to put it another way, to consider the significance of the entire black public sphere to majoritarian democratic politics in America. The term "black public sphere" has been variously defined. As I use the term, it encompasses both politics and economics. Hence, it consists of all the markets and audiences that consume the fruits of black creativity, productivity, and sensitivity to the material and moral order of things in America. The most salient feature of the black public sphere is that it "puts engagement, competition and exchange in the place of resistance, and uses performativity to capture audiences, Black and White, for things fashioned through Black experience."4 It is in the black public sphere that black public opinion and a black political agenda are formed. It is in the black public sphere that a conception of the black "good life" is formulated and debated. It is through the black public sphere that this notion of a black good life is disseminated to other marginalized peoples (including other racial and ethnic minorities, working class white women, lesbians and gays, and counterculture youth) who have public spheres of their own. In this way, the black notion of the good life enters into a broader conception of what a good life would be for everyone. I realize that references to the "black public sphere" and "the black good life" may cause doubts and unease in a number of readers. For some, the terms ring of separatism and divisiveness. That is not my intent. An irrational nationalism would be antithetical to the development of markets and audiences in which blacks play a predominant or significant, but not exclusive, role. Other readers may doubt the capacity of blacks' notion of the good life to address the universal human condition. I urge them to consider the impact that the black civil rights movement has had on liberation struggles in the United States and abroad. My call for the advancement and further development of the black public sphere proceeds from a recognition that [b]lacks must move beyond reactive resistance to higher levels of intragroup cooperation and intergroup competition. …


We consider the problem of language evolution in a population setting, focusing on the case of continuous parameter learning. While theories of phonetic change tend to emphasize the types of transmission errors that could give rise to a shift in pronunciation norms, it is challenging to develop a model that allows for both stability as well as change. We model the acquisition of vowel-to-vowel coarticulation in both single- and multiple-teacher settings, considering progressively more restrictive prior learning biases. We demonstrate that both sta- bility and change are possible at the population level, but only under fairly strong assumptions about the nature of learning and production biases.


Given religious leaders' frequent opportunities to communicate to a large and receptive audience, political messages delivered during religious services have the potential to make a considerable impact on American politics—with particular significance for political education and mobilization. Social scientists routinely conclude that such messages are indeed disseminated, a claim we test in this study. Is it in fact true that church– and temple–going Americans regularly receive political messages from their ministers, priests, and rabbis during worship services? If so, what forms do these pronouncements take? How intense are they? Is this communication limited to messages from the service leader or does it come from other parts of the service, either informal or ritualistic? Existing empirical assessments of this topic depend heavily on survey research, asking congregants (or, less often, members of the clergy) about the frequency and content of political messages. Although such studies are certainly valuable, we approach religious political communications in a more immediate way: by observing them directly. Our conclusions are based on two waves of attendance at weekly services during 1998–1999, varying by religious tradition and denomination, region, and other dimensions. We find that "political" messages, broadly defined, are indeed delivered quite often. However, content analysis of these messages reveals that they typically address matters of social justice and rarely other types of political activity or belief, such as specific public policies or civic involvement (including voting). Political references during services only very occasionally constituted calls to direct political action on the part of the worshiper. Ultimately, our findings suggest that political content does occur relatively frequently during U.S. religious services, supporting the accounts of other social scientists. Our analysis offers new insight as to the content and nature of the political messages Americans are exposed to during religious services.


A vision based navigation system is a basic tool to provide autonomous operations of unmanned vehicles. For offroad navigation that means that the vehicle equipped with a stereo vision system and perhaps a laser ranging device shall be able to maintain a high level of autonomy under various illumination conditions and with little a priori information about the underlying scene. The task becomes particularly important for unmanned planetary exploration with the help of autonomous rovers. For example in the LEDA Moon exploration project currently under focus by the European Space Agency (ESA), during the autonomous mode the vehicle (rover) should perform the following operations: on-board absolute localization, elevation model (DEM) generation, obstacle detection and relative localization, global path planning and execution. Focus of this article is a computational solution for fully autonomous path planning and path execution. An operational DEM generation method based on stereoscopy is introduced. Self-localization on the DEM and robust natural feature tracking are used as basic navigation steps, supported by inertial sensor systems. The following operations are performed on the basis of stereo image sequences: 3D scene reconstruction, risk map generation, local path planning, camera position update during the motion on the basis of landmarks tracking, obstacle avoidance. Experimental verification is done with the help of a laboratory terrain mockup and a high precision camera mounting device. It is shown that standalone tracking using automatically identified landmarks is robust enough to give navigation data for further stereoscopic reconstruction of the surrounding terrain. Iterative tracking and reconstruction leads to a complete description of the vehicle path and its surrounding with an accuracy high enough to meet the specifications for autonomous outdoor navigation.


Data from about 1000 litters were analysed to draw inferences of genetic parameters for doe litter traits, using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedures based on a doe repeatability model. The traits under analyses were litter size at parturition (LSB = 9.53 on average), litter size at weaning (LSW = 7.63), mortality during pre-weaning (Mort =18,02%), average offspring body weight at weaning (ABW = 7 40 g), and total litter weight at weaning (L TW = 5557 g). The statislical model contained a permanent environmental effect and that was significant for only LSW (0.106). The estimates of heritabilities were 0.188, 0.081, 0.113, 0.196 and 0.194 for LSB, LSW, Mort, ABW and L TW, respectively. Repeatability estimates for these traits were 0.188, 0.187, 0.145, 0.196 and 0.214, respectively. Genetic correlations between these traits were consistent with environmental and phenotypic correlations. The correlation between LSB and LSW was strongly positive. ABW was negatively correlated with mortality, LSB and LSW. Mortality was strongly and positively correlated with LSB, but negatively with LSW. The correlations of L TW with other traits were favourable, especially strong with LSW and ABW. Thus, selection for L TW would result in an effective overall improvement on litter traits.


Sedimentary deposits are important aquifers in many parts of the world and in order to explore, develop and manage these aquifers, it is necessary to determine the relationship between the hydrogeologic properties and sedimentary facies (aquifer characterization). Within a sedimentary hydrogeologic system, the environment of deposition and the resulting distribution of grain sizes, texture, and facies associations within different individual aquifer bodies influence variations in hydraulic properties. Successful prediction of the quality of the aquifer is dependent on the accurate mapping of both lithologic units and hydrogeologic parameters. In this project, the influence of petrophysical characteristics of the sedimentary rocks to the quality of the aquifer is investigated with a view to finding a correlation between these characteristics, the type and nature of sedimentary rocks present and their hydrogeologic properties. Investigation methods involved the use of geophysical wireline log data, lithological core logging, thin section microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction analysis. All this was done to characterize the sedimentary rocks in terms of composition, grain size and diagenesis. Porosity tests were also performed on the samples collected while permeability data was collected from the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNR & M), Australia. The basins of interest for this project are the Bowen Basin in Australia and the Kalahari Basin in Botswana. The two basins are similar, though structurally different. The basins are similar in the sense that they have got similarity in their rock sequence. All the work done on the Bowen Basin and the results obtained are extrapolated to the similar Kalahari Basin. The units of the Bowen Basin are underlain by the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian Camboon Volcanics. The Permian units include the Buffel, Barfield, Flat Top, and Gyranda Formations and the Baralaba Coal Measures. The Triassic units are the Rewan Group, Clematis Sandstone and Moolayember Formation. Within the Bowen Basin the Permian units are generally argillaceous and therefore have generally low porosities and permeabilities and also give low resistivity (RES) base lines and high gamma ray (GR) baselines. However where fractured, the units yield some water from the shale. Boreholes drawing water from the Barfield, Flat Top and Gyranda Formations tap the fractured shales. The Triassic aquifers present a different picture. The best aquifers with high porosities and permeabilities are of the Triassic age and their distribution is influenced by their proximity to the source area. Sedimentary rocks of the Triassic age in the Bowen Basin become more argillaceous at more distal positions from the source area. The Rewan Group in particular shows this trend and hence better aquifers within the Rewan are those close to the source area. The Kalahari Basin Karoo stratigraphy commences with the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian glaciogenic sedimentary rocks of the Dwyka Group. The Dwyka Group is overlain by the argillaceous Permian to Early Triassic sedimentary rocks of The Ecca Group and the Beaufort Group. Overlying the Beaufort Group is the Lebung Group (lower Mosolotsane Formation-dominantly mudstone and siltstone sequence and upper Ntane Sandstone Formation- aeolian sandstone). Basaltic lavas of the stormberg Lava Group cap the Karoo stratigraphy. Few groundwater studies in the Karoo of the Kalahari Basin have shown that the Ecca Group does not posses good aquifer characteristics because of its argillaceous nature. However, thin arenaceous interbeds within the Ecca Group have yielded some groundwater. Non-measurable quantities of groundwater have been recorded from boreholes sunk in the Beaufort Group. Few boreholes penetrating the Mosolotsane Formation yielded very little groundwater whereas Ntane Sandstone have yielded a fair amount of groundwater. Groundwater yield from the Stormberg Lava Group is related to the presence of fractures.