Image segmentation by mathematical morphology is a methodology based upon the notions of watershed and homotopy modification. This paper aims at introducing this methodology through various examples of segmentation in materials sciences, electron microscopy and scene analysis. First, we define our basic tool, the watershed transform. We show that this transformation can be built by implementing a flooding process on a grey-tone image. This flooding process can be performed by using elementary morphological operations such as geodesic skeleton and reconstruction. Other algorithms are also briefly presented (arrows representation). Then, the use of this transformation for image segmentation purposes is discussed. The application of the watershed transform to gradient images and the problems raised by over-segmentation are emphasized. This leads, in the third part, to the introduction of a general methodology for segmentation, based on the definition of markers and on a transformation called homotopy modification. This complex tool is defined in detail and various types of implementation are given. Many examples of segmentation are presented. These examples are taken from various fields : transmission electron microscopy, SEM, 3D holographic pictures, radiography, non destructive control and so on. The final part of this paper is devoted to the use of the watershed transformation for hierarchical segmentation. This tool is particularly efficient for defining different levels of segmentation starting from a graph representation of the images based on the mosaic image transform. This approach will be explained by means of examples in industrial vision and scene analysis.


Lung macrophages are the key immune effector cells in the pathogenesis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Several studies have shown an increase in their numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) of subjects with COPD compared to controls, suggesting a pathogenic role in disease initiation and progression. Although reduced lung macrophage phagocytic ability has been previously shown in COPD, the relationship between lung macrophages' phenotypic characteristics and functional properties in COPD is still unclear. (1) Methods: Macrophages harvested from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of subjects with and without COPD (GOLD grades, I–III) were immuno-phenotyped, and their function and gene expression profiles were assessed using targeted assays. (2) Results: BAL macrophages from 18 COPD and 10 (non-COPD) control subjects were evaluated. The majority of macrophages from COPD subjects were non-polarized (negative for both M1 and M2 markers; 77.9%) in contrast to controls (23.9%; p < 0.001). The percentages of these non-polarized macrophages strongly correlated with the severity of COPD (p = 0.006) and current smoking status (p = 0.008). Non-polarized macrophages demonstrated poor phagocytic function in both the control (p = 0.02) and COPD (p < 0.001) subjects. Non-polarized macrophages demonstrated impaired ability to phagocytose Staphylococcus aureus (p < 0.001). They also demonstrated reduced gene expression for CD163, CD40, CCL13 and C1QA&B, which are involved in pathogen recognition and processing and showed an increased gene expression for CXCR4, RAF1, amphiregulin and MAP3K5, which are all involved in promoting the inflammatory response. (3) Conclusions: COPD is associated with an abundance of non-polarized airway macrophages that is related to the severity of COPD. These non-polarized macrophages are predominantly responsible for the poor phagocytic capacity of lung macrophages in COPD, having reduced capacity for pathogen recognition and processing. This could be a key risk factor for COPD exacerbation and could contribute to disease progression.


Audit firms have invested significantly in data analytics (DA). However, evidence shows that auditors are often reluctant to rely on DA. A major auditor concern is that inspectors will second-guess the audit evidence gathered using DA. Drawing on psychology research, we examine how the effect of inspection risk on auditors' reliance on DA is moderated by a fixed mindset (a belief that one's ability is fixed) versus a growth mindset (a belief that one's ability is malleable). In an experiment with Big Four auditors as participants, we find that, relative to low inspection risk, high inspection risk reduces auditors' reliance on DA when auditors are prompted with a fixed mindset, but increases it when auditors are prompted with a growth mindset. Our findings contribute to auditing literature on DA, inspection risk, and mindsets, and have implications for auditors, audit firms, and regulators.


Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is an hepatotropic human picornavirus that is associated only with acute infection. Its pathogenesis is not well understood because there are few studies in animal models using modern methodologies. We characterized HAV infections in three chimpanzees, quantifying viral RNA by quantitative RT-PCR and examining critical aspects of the innate immune response including intrahepatic IFN-stimulated gene expression. We compared these infection profiles with similar studies of chimpanzees infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), an hepatotropic flavivirus that frequently causes persistent infection. Surprisingly, HAV-infected animals exhibited very limited induction of type I IFN-stimulated genes in the liver compared with chimpanzees with acute resolving HCV infection, despite similar levels of viremia and 100-fold greater quantities of viral RNA in the liver. Minimal IFN-stimulated gene 15 and IFIT1 responses peaked 1–2 wk after HAV challenge and then subsided despite continuing high hepatic viral RNA. An acute inflammatory response at 3–4 wk correlated with the appearance of virus-specific antibodies and apoptosis and proliferation of hepatocytes. Despite this, HAV RNA persisted in the liver for months, remaining present long after clearance from serum and feces and revealing dramatic differences in the kinetics of clearance in the three compartments. Viral RNA was detected in the liver for significantly longer (35 to >48 wk) than HCV RNA in animals with acute resolving HCV infection (10–20 wk). Collectively, these findings indicate that HAV is far stealthier than HCV early in the course of acute resolving infection. HAV infections represent a distinctly different paradigm in virus–host interactions within the liver.


ABSTRACT School history textbooks have typically served to reinforce a sense of national identity and national belonging, often through constructing or reinforcing a distinction between the national "self" and foreign "others". What have often been overlooked in history textbook researches is how ethnic minorities have been portrayed to incorporate them into a multi-ethnic vision of nationality. This paper investigates this issue through comparing the portrayal of minority ethnic groups in two successive editions of China's most widely used secondary-level history textbooks, published in the 1990s and 2000s. We analyse these changes in the context of broader political and ideological shifts, while also considering the agency of the key editors involved in producing these texts. We find that, rather than exhibiting a steady progression towards greater inclusivity and a more "multi-ethnic" vision of Chineseness, these editions evince a movement away from the latter and back towards a more Han-centric narrative of the national past. We argue that, while shifts in the editorial personnel involved may have contributed to this, a more fundamental factor is the shifting emphasis in ideological or "thought" education in the post-1989 period away from orthodox socialism and towards an increasingly strident and ethnocentric form of patriotism.


Mushroom diversity in Shaki district of Azerbaijan was studied during 2013-2018. Totally 346 specimens were collected and identified based on the morphologically main diagnostic features. Phenotypic characters, as well as microscopic features (size, shape, color of spores) were considered. In total 111 taxa (106 species, three forms and two variations) belonging to 67 genera, 32 families and 11 orders of Ascomycota and Basidiomycta were identified in view of the latest taxonomic and nomenclature changes. Two taxa Morchella esculenta var. rotunda and Suillus luteus f. albus represent new records for Azerbaijan. Ecological groups of mushrooms were reflected. Amanita fulva, A. pantherina, A. vaginata, Apioperdon pyriforme, Boletus edulis, B. reticulatus, Bovista plumbea, Caloboletus radicans, Cantharellus cibarius, C. subalbidus, Chlorophyllum rhacodes, Coprinopsis atramentaria, Hymenopellis radicata, Hypholoma fasciculare, Lactarius piperatus, Leccinum scabrum, Lepiota cristata, Lycoperdon umbrinum, Morchella esculenta, Mycena crocata, M. pura, Russula foetens, R. rosacea, Sarcoscypha coccinea, Suillus granulatus, S. luteus, Suillellus luridus and Tricholoma ustale were frequently found in the district. The rare species found in the studied area were Butyriboletus regius, Cortinarius triumphans, Clavariadelphus pistillaris, Crepidotus cesatii, Lactarius deliciosus, Morchella crassipes, Otidea onotica, Suillellus queletii and Tuber aestivum. Species variation was observed to increase along the elevation gradient, starting from the low mountain zone. Abundance of species decreases in the middle-upper mountain zone. Species distribution patterns along the elevation gradients are affected by mountain range peculiarities and climate warming. Numerous species have been recorded in more than one altitude. Use possibility of fungi is also elucidated.


We present a new framework SoundDet, which is an end-to-end trainable and light-weight framework, for polyphonic moving sound event detection and localization. Prior methods typically approach this problem by preprocessing raw waveform into time-frequency representations, which is more amenable to process with wellestablished image processing pipelines. Prior methods also detect in segment-wise manner, leading to incomplete and partial detections. SoundDet takes a novel approach and directly consumes the raw, multichannel waveform and treats the spatio-temporal sound event as a complete "sound-object" to be detected. Specifically, SoundDet consists of a backbone neural network and two parallel heads for temporal detection and spatial localization, respectively. Given the large sampling rate of raw waveform, the backbone network first learns a set of phase-sensitive and frequency-selective bank of filters to explicitly retain direction-of-arrival information, whilst being highly computationally and parametrically efficient than standard 1D/2D convolution. A dense sound event proposal map is then constructed to handle the challenges of predicting events with large varying temporal duration. Accompanying the dense proposal map are a temporal overlapness map and a motion smoothness map that measure a proposal's confidence to be an event from temporal detection accuracy and movement consistency perspective. Involving the two maps guarantees SoundDet to be trained in a spatiotemporally unified manner. Experimental results on the public DCASE dataset show the advantage of SoundDet on both segment-based and our newly proposed event-based evaluation system. Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. Email: email@example.com. Correspondence to: Andrew Markham <email@example.com>. Proceedings of the 38 th International Conference on Machine Learning, PMLR 139, 2021. Copyright 2021 by the author(s).


Liquid processing of 2D crystals offers scalable strategies for the production of 2D materials. Herein, we produce the hybrids of MoS2/graphene, consisting of few-layered nanosheets of luminescent MoS2 and biofunctionalized few-layered graphene assisted by the Vmh2 hydrophobin, a self-assembling adhesive fungal protein, through a green route of production. The functionalization of the graphene flakes assisted by Vmh2 adds surface charge, which enables electrostatic interaction between MoS2 and graphene flakes, leading to the van der Waals coupling. The surface morphology of 2D material based films is analyzed through optical imaging, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The produced dispersions of MoS2, bGr and the hybrid solutions, are investigated by electrophoretic mobility, UV-Vis, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Interestingly, the effect of van der Waals interactions between the layers of MoS2 and bGr crystals are evidenced through the significant upshift of 14 cm−1 in the G′ Raman peak of graphene and an upshift of 1.4 cm−1 of the A1g peak of MoS2. Due to the formation of heterostructures, significant quenching of the characteristic photoluminescence emitted from the monolayers of MoS2 was also observed, indicating the charge transfer process occurring between the crystal layers. This approach of scalable synthesis of 2D material based nano-bio hybrids offers economic and eco-friendly solutions to promote novel applications in biosensing and photodetection.


This dissertation is fundamentally concerned with the comparative study of Christology in latin American liberation theology and Korean minjung theology. To meet this task the Christology of the former is examined in relation to that of the latter. The study is divided into three parts. Part one contains chapter I through to III. Chapter I is a presentation of liberation theology's motive which takes the suffering people in the current socio-economic political situation as the starting point for a politics-oriented Christology. Chapter II shows the detailed analysis of liberation theology's methodology which is definitely grounded in the principles of the social sciences. Chapter III consists of seeking to interpret Jesus, his words and deeds in the light of the Latin American conditions. Part two, which constitutes chapter IV through to VI, will try to examine a way of thinking about minjung theology within the same categories which we concentrate on the development of liberation theology and its Christological implication in part one, because the clarification between them is necessary for the purpose of this thesis. It may help to solve some of the suspicion whether the label minjung theology is practically synonymous with the label liberation theology in creating a new and appropriate mode of an adequate Christology for answering to the vital needs of the poor and oppressed today. In this observation, have liberation theology and minjung theology anything to say to each other? It is natural for the Christian church to look to them for light on the question. In this desire, part three in chapter VII through to X begins a comparative and critical discussion of the motive, methodologies and Christological implications of the two theologies.


Purpose of review A number of novel antibiotics in different classes have been registered and licensed in recent years for complicated skin and soft tissue infections or acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. Many of these have activity against resistant gram-positive bacteria (linezolid, daptomycin, oritavancin, dalbavancin and tedizolid). In addition, two have gram-negative activity (ceftaroline and tigecycline). The licence for the clinical use of these agents is very narrow, but the clinical need is much broader. This is a personal opinion of the prospective clinical roles for these novel antibiotics. Recent findings All were found to be noninferior to standard comparators in registration trials. There are few data on their use in other clinical conditions outside the narrow confines of the registration trials. 'Off-label' use is likely to be more common than the licensed use, and data need to be collected on clinical and microbiological efficacy and adverse effects in real life. Summary There is now a wide range of antibiotics for treating complicated skin and soft tissue infections or acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and they all have a role in different clinical scenarios. Use in nonlicensed situations needs to be assessed.


The determination of subsurface elastic property models is crucial in quantitative seismic data processing and interpretation. This problem is commonly solved by deterministic physical methods, such as tomography or full-waveform inversion. However, these methods are entirely local and require accurate initial models. Deep learning represents a plausible class of methods for seismic inversion, which may avoid some of the issues of purely descent-based approaches. However, any generic deep learning network capable of relating each elastic property cell value to each sample in a seismic data set would require a very large number of degrees of freedom. Two approaches might be taken to train such a network: first, by invoking a massive and exhaustive training data set and, second, by working to reduce the degrees of freedom by enforcing physical constraints on the model-data relationship. The second approach is referred to as "physics-guiding." Based on recent progress in wave theory-designed (i.e., physics-based) networks, we have developed a hybrid network design, involving deterministic, physics-based modeling and data-driven deep learning components. From an optimization standpoint, a data-driven model misfit (i.e., standard deep learning) and now a physics-guided data residual (i.e., a wave propagation network) are simultaneously minimized during the training of the network. An experiment is carried out to analyze the trade-off between two types of losses. Synthetic velocity building is used to examine the potential of hybrid training. Comparisons demonstrate that, given the same training data set, the hybrid-trained network outperforms the traditional fully data-driven network. In addition, we perform a comprehensive error analysis to quantitatively compare the fully data-driven and hybrid physics-guided approaches. The network is applied to the SEG salt model data, and the uncertainty is analyzed, to further examine the benefits of hybrid training.


This paper explores the movement of feminism into academic life in general and the study of popular culture in particular. Assumptioms about the effects of popular culture on women had been a commonsense of second-wave feminism; however, by the mid-1970's, questions about how gendered identities were culturally produced and reproduced became the topic of much more in-depth feminist research and discussion. This essay examines two main ways in which feminist research into popular culture entered academic life: first, it examines the "images of women" debate, and second, it examines the Cultural Studies tradition and the feminist cultural analysis.


This thesis critically examines structures of police accountability, in particular the introduction and operation of Police and Crime Commissioners [PCCs]. The first chapter begins by identifying accountability as the very bedrock of policing. Accountability is then defined before examining its key facets, why a suitable structure is imperative and how accountability carries the burden of securing police legitimacy. The second and third chapters highlight how the system of police developed while identifying critical 'turning points' in police accountability. The fourth chapter explores the present structure and model of police accountability. This chapter also examines reports which highlight potential teething problems and imperfections. The fifth chapter outlines the methodology for the qualitative study involving elite research interviews with senior stakeholders in policing at a regional and national level, including relevant persons in Government. The sixth chapter analyses this data and argues that whilst PCCs may lead to efficiency gains, there are important questions about the quality of accountability. Additionally, the accountability of Chief Constables is contended to vary considerably and in practice likely frustrated by the 'one to one' accountability relationship between Chief Constable and PCC. Police accountability is also identified as possibly over dependent on this relationship. Moreover, PCCs are argued to lack accountability between elections. The seventh chapter contends that using elections to achieve democratic police accountability is fraught with difficulties and potentially carries significant risks for policing. Additionally, the PCCs power to remove Chief Constables is argued to cause two possibly corrosive impacts on policing and police accountability. This power is also identified as a mechanism of disempowerment which may in practice lead to Chief Constables being displaced by PCCs. Concluding, the present structure and model of police accountability is argued to be risky, maybe defective and possibly unsuitable for police accountability and policing in the longer term.


Abstract: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare medical condition that would be face at the emergency room. There is a wide range of differential diagnosis that explain its clinical presentation. In this case, a previous young healthy patient was presented with ear pain and odynophagia and finally diagnosed with pneumomediastinum. The objective of this manuscript is to present a rare case and review the current literature about this pathology.
Introduction: An 18 year-old female was incidentally diagnosed to have a pneumomediastinum on chest X-ray and computed tomography axial of thorax performed at the emergency room, while physicians were evaluating odynophagia and acute thoracic pain in a patient without relevant background. The clinical radiological findings are briefly discussed in this article. Case Presentation An 18-year old female patient, college student with no previous medical history arrived at the emergency department of an Academic-Based Hospital in Bogota presenting odynophagia, right earache and chest pain during the last two days. A week ago, the patient had presented the same clinical symptoms that were partially improved at home taking oral analgesics. In the current episode, symptoms presented were associated with a sudden dyspnea with spontaneous improvement accompanying with sensation of thoracic discomfort. Physical examination showed adequate general conditions, hydrated, afebrile without fever or chills, no nausea or vomiting as well as neither alterations in its level of oxygen saturation. Specific examination at the pharyngeal level, abscesses and erythema were not found, and cardiac auscultation and pulmonary fields revealed no alterations.

A diagnosis of typical incipient viral rhinopharyngitis was considered, for which she was ordered to perform a complete blood count, renal function labs and chest X-ray. Upon revaluation, the patient was found to have a normal blood count with normal creatinine but the chest X-ray showed subcutaneous emphysema at the base of the neck on the left side and in front of the cardiac silhouette in the lateral projection. Such findings were incidental since no pneumomediastinum was expected to be found in the context of a young patient with usual influenza-like illness without signs of systemic inflammatory response and acute respiratory failure. Based on this clinical scenario, patient was evaluated by pneumologists who considered ordering a thorax computerized axial tomography (CT Scan) to rule out lesions at the level of the airway and requested an evaluation by gastroenterology to perform an endoscopy of the upper digestive tract to rule out lesions at this level. The patient's thorax CT Scan showed subcutaneous emphysema in soft tissues of the mediastinum and neck area without additional findings explaining a secondary origin that confirmed primary pneumomediastinum (Figure 1). Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed by gastroenterologist only funding erythematous patch in a gastric antrum related with antral gastritis without suggestions of perforation that would explain the findings of the thorax CT Scan. Finally, a diagnosis of spontaneous primary pneumomediastinum was established. Due to this, a concept from cardiothoracic surgery service was requested. The patient was evaluated and favorable evolution without findings of respiratory difficulty or signs of progression of subcutaneous emphysema related to the pneumomediastinum was found. Ultimately, a conservative management was considered and the patient was discharged from the hospital with analgesic treatment and oxygen support by nasal cannula.

Clinical Scenario: Pneumomediastinum is a rare medical situation that is characterized by a wide clinical spectrum of symptom and is commonly considered an exclusion diagnosis of chest pain or less suspected. Currently, imaging techniques guide physicians to confirm this pathology [1,2]. Hamman has proposed different pathways since the first case report was published in 1939. Macklin in 1944 described the pnemomediastinum as a barotrauma, causing by alveolar rupture with consequent air dissection of the ascending bronchovascular sheat to a different areas, such as: bronchovascular pedicle, mediastinum, neck, subcutaneous tissue. There is not a clear classification, but usually depending on extension is classified (simple, severe, and complicated) [3,4]. Almost 70% of the patients have healthy lung parenchyma and a coexisting factor to increases suddenly the pulmonary pressure, most common cases are described as; severe asthma crisis, incoercible cough, exercise movements like heavy lifting practice, playing wind instruments, labour pushing or even after dental procedures [5]. Remaining 30% cases are related with any other pathologies with lung parenchyma structural modifications like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its wide spectrum of pulmonary complications, occupational pneumopaties, and interstitial pneumopaties. Other causes are included such as iatrogenic higher pressure applied to the different cavities: abdominal: (colonoscopy, laparoscopic surgery), thoracic: (thoracoscopy, thoracostomy), pericardic: percardiocentesis [5,6]. The common symptom related to pneumomediastinum is chest pain; remarkable for the diagnose because, bronchiolar pedicule is fully loaded of nerves that cross the area, which explain the refered pain. Actually, there is not a real number of cases or statistical reports for this pathology, due to few cases reported annually. Nonetheless at certain time, new case reports are Volume 5 • Issue 1 • IJCMI • Page 3 of 3 • being published in the medical literature. In order to achieve an adequate a precise diagnosis, the starting point as a physician is to prepare a good clinical history and a focused guided-interview that could limit the number of differential diagnoses [1,7].

Always patients with parenchymal structural induced changes like smoking, asthma, recent respiratory infection, occupational pneumopathies (silicosis, biscinosis, anthracosis, inhalated drug users and others); or genetic parenchymal structure disruption like (cystic fibrosis, bronchial dysplasia, Ehlers Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, dermatomyositis and others) lead a higher probability to present spontaneous pneumomediastinum [3,5,8]. Finally, the conservative treatment is the best alternative in the majority of patients, this approach includes: supplementary oxygen if it is needed, respiratory therapy and analgesia. A small percentage of patients with remarked clinical limitation will be followed up looking for complications such as, tension pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum pneumopericardium, pneumoperitoneum, which probably needs further surgical management.


This article is divided into four sections. The first section is on the philosophy of protectionism and reviews several of the most commonly given reasons that have been used to justify protectionism over the past few hundred years. The author points out that these arguments generally support the producer's position, often to the detriment of consumers and the general public. Each argument is analyzed empirically and logically. The general conclusion is that the case against protectionism and in favor of free trade is strong from both an economic and liberal democratic perspective. Part two takes a look at the cost of protectionism, with emphasis on the case in the USA. The auto, steel, textile and agricultural industries are given special attention. Some nonmonetary costs often overlooked or ignored by many commentators are also discussed. These costs include the net deadweight employment loss, social harmony costs, reduced choice and the violation of rights that is inherent whenever consenting adults cannot trade. Part three examines antidumping policy in the USA from both a theoretical and practical viewpoint. After a review of the economic and legal background of the antidumping laws and a look at how they are administered, the author proceeds to examine the many problems inherent in the present policies, such as the many computational problems, the harmful effects of antidumping policy and the weakness of the predatory pricing argument. The section concludes with a discussion of the philosophy of antidumping policy and examines issues such as the ethics of using the law to batter the competition, the irrationality of antidumping as a policy, a rights approach to antidumping and the relationship between antidumping laws and the legitimate functions of government. Part four discusses the implications of United States protectionism for international trade in Europe. The author examines the options for trade policy in Europe, with emphasis on emerging market economies, from both the rights and utilitarian perspectives. The author concludes that, while total and immediate free trade is the best policy, policymakers may find it necessary, for practical reasons, to adopt a gradualist approach that involves temporary protection. Of the two options examined -- infant industry protection and unemployment payments -- the unemployment payment approach is the more efficient.


Network virtualization is seen as a key networking paradigm for building diverse network services and architectures over a shared network infrastructure. Assigning network resources to virtual links and, more generally to virtual network topologies, efficiently and on-demand is one of the most challenging components of any network virtualization solution. This paper addresses the problem of on-line resource allocation of multiple virtual links on a Software Defined Network (SDN) infrastructure. The application context that is targeted is primarily the online provisioning of virtual overlay networks even if it can be broadened to address more general virtual networks. Considering an SDN physical infrastructure allows a complete freedom in choosing the optimal physical paths and the associated resources that support the virtual links with no interference from any other network function (such as routing). However, for the time being, forwarding in an SDN network is resource consuming with a noticeable impact on the size of the flow tables. Hence, forwarding (i.e. switching) resources should be carefully considered by the network resource allocation algorithm. This paper proposes an Integer-Linear formulation of the above cited problem by considering: (1) point-to-point as well as point-to-multipoint virtual links, each with an associated bandwidth requirement and a maximum transfer delay requirement, (2) two types of network resources, namely network links' bandwidth and nodes' switching resources, and (3) optionally, path splitting which allows a virtual link to be established on multiple physical paths. We report preliminary experimental results on a real network topology in an overloaded scenario (bandwidth requests largely exceed network capacity); they show that our algorithm outperforms shortest path heuristics with a gain on the admission rate (of virtual links requests) that ranges from 5 to 15% (compared to the most efficient heuristic) and with a computation time less than a few seconds.


This PhD thesis analyses networks of knowledge flows, focusing on the role of indirect ties in the knowledge transfer, knowledge accumulation and knowledge creation process. It extends and improves existing methods for mapping networks of knowledge flows in two different applications and contributes to two stream of research. To support the underlying idea of this thesis, which is finding an alternative method to rank indirect network ties to shed a new light on the dynamics of knowledge transfer, we apply Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) to two different network contexts. Knowledge flows in patent citation networks and a company supply chain network are analysed using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and the OWA operator. The OWA is used here for the first time (i) to rank indirect citations in patent networks, providing new insight into their role in transferring knowledge among network nodes; and to analyse a long chain of patent generations along 13 years; (ii) to rank indirect relations in a company supply chain network, to shed light on the role of indirectly connected individuals involved in the knowledge transfer and creation processes and to contribute to the literature on knowledge management in a supply chain. In doing so, indirect ties are measured and their role as means of knowledge transfer is shown. Thus, this thesis represents a first attempt to bridge the OWA and SNA fields and to show that the two methods can be used together to enrich the understanding of the role of indirectly connected nodes in a network. More specifically, the OWA scores enrich our understanding of knowledge evolution over time within complex networks. Future research can show the usefulness of OWA operator in different complex networks, such as the on-line social networks that consists of thousand of nodes.


Anthropometric measurements are the litmus during the transition of any woman from normal menstrual cycle to menopause. Several changes occur in the body during this transition from change of body shape to hormonal fluctuations, from social status to psychological and neurological alterations. The present study thus explored the pre and post menopausal changes in the anthropometric indicators and its significance level. Methodology: A survey based cross sectional study was carried out. Total 190 female aged 40-60, were randomly selected from the district Hyderabad. Results: age, weight, BMI and WC (in rural, urban and accumulative) in post menopausal women are significantly less (p=0.0001, p=0.01, p=0.004 and p=0.01 respectively) than those who were having normal menstrual cycles. Waist to height ratio (WHtR), height, Bicep and triceps measurements were not significantly different in the aforementioned groups. Conclusion: In a representative study of woman, the natural transition is strongly associated with decrease in BMI (Body Mass Index), WC (Waist circumference) and weight.


Background/Context Teachers face many different problems in teaching. Traditionally, research examines the complexity of teaching students and content by focusing on a teacher's physical space and influencing factors therein. While established conceptions of curricular enactment suggest that instructional materials shape both the intended and enacted curriculum, the materials themselves are traditionally conceived of as those that the district officially adopts (e.g., textbooks) or creates (e.g., curricular pacing guides). Yet, in 21st-century schools, a new era of information and technology presides. Facilitated by the cloud, teachers' professional learning and interactions meld with a global network of colleagues, extending to community of practices online and curating instructional resources therein. In particular, the use of social media to broaden and deepen teachers' access to instructional resources is a potentially transformative and yet disruptive phenomenon that has implications for classroom instruction. Narrowly focusing on districts' official curriculum and its enactment by the teacher as an individual who is shaped by (but does not shape) her school landscape may not, in fact, fully reflect teacher professionalism today and account for teachers' professional life in the social continuum from cloud to class. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study Situated in the conceptualization of managing problems in teaching and curating online resources as informal learning for the intended and enacted curriculum, this article builds on and extends these lines of research to examine teachers' leverage of social capital—social network among individuals and resources available to people within their social network—from the virtual space to solve the problems common to teaching. Through this empirical illustration of resource diffusion from cloud to class, and how the curation of resource is integrated with teachers' curriculum planning as well as classroom practices, we present a unique way of understanding teachers' management of teaching problems in 21st-century schooling. Research Design We collected various types of data from 67 early-career teachers in one Midwestern state, including interviews, observation, and survey. We drew primarily on the interview data to exemplify our conceptual model of curation to address the problems of teaching. The three curation processes we identified are: (1) self-directed curation, (2) incidental curation, and (3) socialized curation. We observed more empirical evidence on the self-directed curation process in our data and chose to select a single case to go into further detail about the enactment of online resource in the classroom using the observation data, in additional to the interview data. We analyzed the case by specifying the perceived problems of teaching in one teacher's preparation to teach and how the curated resources from Teachers Pay Teachers were adopted and adapted to manage each of the problems, and the teacher's rationale for the decisions she made during the planning. We noticed, in this case and in other data that we have across teachers, that teachers rarely, if ever, directly articulate the curation of online resource for preserving classroom order, among the four endemic problems identified in the literature. Last, we examined the enactment of the online resource by describing teachers' instructional practices in relation to her perceived ways of managing the problems of teaching. We also examined the resulting student learning in the mathematics lesson we analyzed. The single case of one teacher serves as an empirical illustration of how teachers could curate resources from the cloud in their planning and enactment of curriculum. Conclusions/Recommendations At the core of this study, we see teachers taking up their agency and drawing on a particular type of social capital resource to manage their enduring problems of teaching. We identified the different paths that teachers' social capital may travel and accrue, and we argue for the importance of the community of practice online in the facilitation of resource flow from the cloud to the classroom. Also, we used a mathematics teacher's planning and enactment of instructional resources attained from the cloud for a three-day lesson series as an example to demonstrate how perceptions of teaching problems and curations of materials can culminate in a teacher's actual practices and impact student learning in the classroom. Our work has several implications for the field. First, although the different problems in teaching are well documented, teachers tend to seek out social capital resources from the virtual spaces to address some, but not all, of their problems. Specifically, preserving classroom order has not been present in our analysis of teachers' articulation of their perceived problems for curation. Future studies can add more understanding to the online resources used in relation to teachers' modes of curation and the type of teaching problems they hope to address. Second, the process of accessing the instructional resources, as delineated in the three modes of curation, demonstrates the complexity of the social network and social capital accrual mechanism in the 21st century, through which teachers' professional communities expand beyond the school walls. Third, our work presents the considerations and thought processes of teachers' curation of instructional materials in virtual spaces and enactment of the tasks. The combination of social capital resources and classroom processes in this study provides the foundation for researchers with different perspectives to further investigate the emerging phenomenon of social media and education.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of a protocol of concomitant intravenous hydroxyurea and hyperfractionated, accelerated, external-beam radiation therapy on the swallowing mechanism of patients with advanced-stage head and neck cancer.

DESIGN
Posttreatment videofluoroscopic swallow function studies, using images of single-bolus swallows of low-density liquid barium, were analyzed in real time, slow motion, and frame by frame using an integrated system that allows objective analysis of video recordings through image processing and digitization (Kay Elemetrics Computerized Swallowing Station). Radiological descriptors were used for pharyngeal transport abnormalities, and temporal measures were obtained of structural movements.

SETTING
Academic, tertiary care, referral medical center.

PATIENTS
Fifteen consecutive patients with previously untreated, stages III and IV, nonmetastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who underwent a phase 1 study of prolonged infusion hydroxyurea therapy in combination with hyperfractionated, accelerated external-beam radiation therapy for their disease.

RESULTS
All patients had anterior pharyngeal segment dysfunction, characterized by no epiglottic movement and slowed laryngeal motility (1.011 +/- 0.379 seconds [mean +/- SD). Anterior pharyngeal dysfunction was more severe in patients with primary tumors of the hypopharynx than in those with cancer of the oropharynx. Twelve (80%) of our patients demonstrated posterior pharyngeal segment dysfunction characterized by impaired pharyngeal constrictor motility. All 15 patients displayed pharyngeal stage abnormalities that limited bolus transport and clearance.

CONCLUSIONS
Severe pharyngeal physiological abnormalities were present that led to impaired bolus transport and that were frequent and debilitating consequences of this organ-sparing protocol. Long-term follow-up of this group will be required to assess the permanence of the abnormalities.


In this study, the researchers analyzed the state of media freedom in Pakistan during the populist regime of Imran Khan from August 2018 till April 2022. For this purpose, semistructured interviews were conducted with senior journalists of prominent newspapers and TV channels in the country. The researchers found that journalists were under immense pressure to perform their duties professionally. They faced intimidations, threats to their families, and termination from services. Furthermore, the government adopted a carrot-and-stick policy while dealing with the media. The supportive media received both financial and professional benefits while the critical media were tightly monitored and punished. Journalists also faced online harassment by the troll factories affiliated with the government. The study showed the Pakistani populist regime was mainly applying the same strategies to control media as were other populist-led governments. However, because of weak institutional support for journalists, the regime was successful in curtailing free expression substantially compared with the situation in rest of the democratic world.


Bite wounds made by animals make up 2% of all the injuries. The authors show advantages of the treatment by surgery and by putting primary and secondary sutures. The surgical treatment and putting the primary and secondary sutures added by the use of antibiotics contribute to healing the wounds by first intention in 84,6% of cases.


A key engine propelling the semiconductor market growth in wireless communications is the continued advancement of analog/mixed-signal (AMS) and radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits (IC). The circuit and technology requirements for analog/mixed-signal and RF IC in wireless communication systems are quite different from those for digital logic and memory IC. The requirements vary dramatically for different wireless communication applications and often are in conflict with each other due to device, technology, and circuit limitations. This paper reviews the development and generation of the first dedicated roadmap of analog/mixed-signal and RF IC technologies for wireless communications in the 2003 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors and highlights the current and future challenges and opportunities.


Engaging and enabling under graduates to become active readers has led us to note their ability to source literature but limitations in making sense of such literature which prove to be a stumbling block to learning. There are individuals who demonstrate a reluctance to engage with directed reading and free reading materials that would help with their knowledge, assignments and seminar tasks. Stevenson and Okeefe (2011) recognise such students to be searchers rather than early researchers' and there is a need for them to develop the attributes of questioning and enquiry for higher education. Student and staff discussions on reading for a purpose were held with the student body, the students indicated a narrow view believing there to be single answers to any questions posed. Explanation was given to the students that they needed to think more widely for themselves and with each other.
Peers in other institutions use shared reading strategies (Kingston and Forland 2004) to stimulate thinking, but this paper explains a socially constructed approach to reading that involves the whole class in 'taking the hot seat". This requires all students to cooperate in discussions which we call "caring and sharing knowledge". When individual students sit on the hot seat identified by a red circle they begin to evaluate what they have read and reveal their own lens of understanding, knowledge and positionality. Students have indicated a dislike of the "hot seat" yet they benefit from the playfulness, and collegiate support from peers and tutors alike.


Aero-engines have high speed rotors carrying multi-stage turbine and compressor discs. Such systems need continuous monitoring during the operating regime. These rotors are mounted on ball bearings supported with squeeze film dampers and connected to stator casings. The motions of bearings and rotor are influenced by each other and therefore such a system requires structural dynamic studies. These rotors involve several nonlinear factors including contact forces, varying compliance vibration of ball bearing, nonlinear oil-film force of squeeze film damper etc Solving such nonlinear dynamic problems using the traditional transfer matrix method, modal synthesis approach, finite element method or impedance coupling technique is therefore a challenging task.
Present work focuses on modelling of rotors using ball bearing nonlinearities along with nonlinear secondary transient excitations using finite element modelling. In order to validate the finite element model, preliminary dynamic analysis is carried out using linear spring-damper bearing elements. Results are illustrated both for LP rotor model and twin-spool rotor. Initially, the natural frequencies obtained from the computer program based on Timoshenko beam elements are validated with ANSYS results. Further, the results are also validated with those obtained from impact hammer tests on a scaled dual disk rotor-bearing system. To utilize this finite element model, the time and frequency-domain response studies are conducted with double-row ball bearing forces, rub-impact forces, Muszynska's gas transients along with squeeze-film forces. In all the cases, differences from simple rotor supported by single-row ball bearings with only unbalance excitations have been reported. Using the fundamental frequency and its amplitude, an inverse modelling approach is applied to predict the parameters of rotor bearing system such as increased bearing clearance, changes in disc unbalances and the centralizing spring constants in squeeze-film damper. In this regard, a trained model of 3-layer perceptron neural network model is employed. In the second study, changes in dynamic response due to waviness and race-way defects in ball-bearings are first studied using modified contact force relations. Using this data, type of bearing fault is estimated from the statistical parameters of the time-domain signal by training an unsupervised Kohenen's neural network model. Here, the simulated data is collected from the rotor over an operating speed range. In the third study, the additional stiffness of rotor due to rub-impact forces is identified from optimization modelling. Such identification of rotor stiffening effect using finite element modelling is a new concept.
Two types of control studies are proposed to minimize the amplitudes of rotor during the critical operating conditions. Semi active electromagnetic damper design helps in reducing vibration amplitudes of the LP rotor over a frequency range of interest. Here, the damper comprises of an electro-magnet and a spring. The required current and spring stiffness are identified from the basic relations and the results of control are illustrated with a two-disc LP rotor model. In active controller design, an electromagnetic actuator model is employed. The nominal gap maintained between the rotor and actuator coils is used in computing the actuator force. A proportional derivative (PD) control strategy is used to estimate the required forces. A neural network based alternate control scheme also proposed to compute the required actuator forces.
In overall, the work focussed on the dynamic analysis of dual disc rotor model subjected to parametric nonlinear bearing loads under the action of various external forces and some controller design aspects applicable to this rotor.


HARMAJA, H. 1976: Hygrophorus pacificus (new for Europe) and H. hyacinthinus (new for northern Europe) found in Kuusamo , northern Finland . Karstenia 15:25-28. The author has found the agarics Hygrophorus pacific us Smith & Hesler (one locality) and H. hyacinthinus Quel. (three localities) in Kuusamo , northern Finland. The former is new to Europe, the latter new to northern Europe . The characters of these species, especially those which separate them from their closest relatives, are presented and partly amended, and their habitat ecology and distribution are d iscussed . Both species are characterized especially through a strong fragrant odour. H. hyacinthinus occurs in forest on calcareous soil associated with Picea or Abies and possesses a boreal-montane distribution restricted to Europe. H. pacificus occurs in coniferous forest apparently always associated with Picea and has a boreal-montane distribution in North America with one locality in northern Europe.


During the past century, graduate medical education funding has evolved in response to the increasing specialization of modern medicine as well as the need for federal funding to effectively sustain specialty training. This article reviews historical and current funding methods for graduate medical education and examines current funding using Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) as a case example. Notably, it also explores whether graduate medical education funding at a large academic center such as MGH is commensurate with expenditures.


The purpose of my thesis has been to communicate some of my thoughts, ideas, and emotions through drawing. The technical motivation stemmed from the fact that since Degas, I feel that pastels have been overlooked as a profound means of expression. In my experimentation, I used along with pastels various painting media combinations of linseed oil, casein varnish, copal varnish, turpentine, and stand oil. From this foundation I extended the combination of materials as I felt the need arose. For example, in addition to pastels, I have used singly and in combination charcoal, conte, cray-pas, wax pencils, ball point pen, felt tip pen, water-color wash, and casein. Technically, the most fascinating and challenging part of this thesis has been the use of these materials with the oil media and varnishes. The concept of overlays and transparencies was a new one for me personally. The use of a glossy surface was employed and was found in some cases to be of great benefit in bringing the colors to a greater degree of clarity and beauty. On the other hand, I found the use of dammar and matte fixatives deadening to the color quality of pastels. Despite the concern inevitably in art with techniques, one can never forget the idea, mood, or feeling to be communicated. The most gratifying point is reached when the creator has mastery enough of his material so that the ideas can blossom through that imperceptible union of the idea and the medium, which is the essence of the creative act. As for the ideas I wanted to express or communicate, I can only say that there are many experiences I have had which move me toward artistic expression. The techniques used during the work connected with this thesis not only expanded my horizons artistically but have, I believe, enabled me to reach a more powerful expression of my feelings and ideas. To list all things I had in mind with each drawing would be sheer folly. Perhaps the simplest thing I could say would be that I am concerned with the human condition and hope I have managed to convey some of these concerns to the viewers of my work.


Many states use a per-student base amo unt as the fo undatio nal co mpo nent o f the educatio n funding fo rmula. This amo unt is meant to represent the co st o f educating an average student with no special needs o r disadvantages. This repo rt indicates which states use a per-student base amo unt when calculating state educatio n funding allo catio ns, and what base amo unt is in use in each state, if applicable.


Background This study was a proof of concept of a novel means to evaluate microcirculatory changes during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. It sought to examine the distributive circulatory effects of spinal anesthesia and evaluate the impact of phenylephrine administration on the microcirculation of these women. Methods After Research Ethics Board approval, healthy, non-laboring pregnant women with singleton, term pregnancies scheduled for elective cesarean delivery were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either phenylephrine infusion or phenylephrine bolus. Spinal anesthesia was standardized. A sidestream dark-field (SDF) MicroScan® video microscope was applied to the sublingual mucosa to obtain microcirculation videos in five different visual fields. Videos were made before and after spinal anesthesia. The resultant videos were analyzed randomly and blindly. The mean microvascular flow index (MFI) values were compared before and after spinal anesthesia. The difference in MFI following spinal anesthesia was compared between phenylephrine infusion and bolus groups. Results Thirty-two patients were recruited for the study; 22 patients had complete video sets for analysis. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups, including preoperative hemodynamics. There were no significant differences between pre- and post-spinal MFI. The post-spinal MFI within the infusion group (mean ± standard deviation: 2.74 ± 0.21) was not significantly different from the bolus group (2.56 ± 0.42, P = 0.22). Conclusion Despite theoretical physiological implications of spinal anesthesia and phenylephrine on the microcirculation, significant alteration of the MFI was not observed between pre- and post-spinal anesthesia (within group). Additionally, despite an eight-fold larger phenylephrine dose for continuous infusion prophylaxis used in this group of women, this did not result in a significant alteration of the microcirculation compared to those who received phenylephrine treatment for hypotension (between groups).


Wide area measurement system relies on phasor measurement unit (PMU) data to monitor, protect, and control high-voltage transmission networks. However, errors in instrument transformers (ITs) located at the inputs of a PMU can significantly degrade its output quality. This study proposes two methodologies for voltage and current transformers calibration using PMU data. The first method calibrates ITs using one good quality voltage measurement located at a tie-line. This method tolerates errors in both the ITs (which are to be estimated) as well as the PMUs. The second method attains the same objective as the first one, with the additional constraint that some portion of the data is unusable. Thus, the second method can be used even when the incoming data is intermittent.


Twenty-eight yellow-green color of uniform, high clarity and similar thickness of 5 mm × 7 mm oval faceted peridots from Jiaohe Jilin province were examined by LA-ICP-MS and Color i5 to test their chemical compositions and L*, C* and ho. The correlations between Fe2+ and color parameters were analyzed, in order to establish the influence on the color appearance of Fe2+. The chemical formula of the twenty-eight peridots is (Mg1.84,Fe0.19)2.04[(Si0.982,Al0.001)0.983O4], which was calculated by oxygen atom. It reveals that 0.19 mol Fe2+ is concluded in one mol peridot, and Fe2+ is the colorant of peridot. Based on the CIE 1976 L*a*b* uniform color space, relationships between chromaticity coordinates a*, b* and chromaticity C* were analyzed by Two-way ANOVA, of which the results showing that the influence of b* on C* (rb*×C*=0.996) is much more prominent than a* on C* (ra*×C*= -0.383). By partial correlation analysis of the results calculated through CIE LAB color-difference formula, it can be discovered that lightness difference DL* has a better correlation with chromatic aberration DE* than DC* and DH*, whereas the significance level ρDC*×DE* > 0.05, rDH*×DE* > 0.05, it reveals that DE* is more sensitive to DL*. At the same time, L* changes the most with the contributions of Fe2+ compared with other parameters of peridot. It is concluded that, with the help of L*, Fe2+ has a further influence on the color appearance of peridot.


: Anxiety is a common symptom is vertigo patients. ACute anxiety is known in neurology and psychiatry as panic disorder. The cardiovascular and the gastrointestinal subtypes have been used in the classification of panic disorders up to now. Frommberger and co-workers (1993) have also defined a vestibular subtype. In this study, we have compared the neurotologic test results of 53 patients with vertigo in combination with panic disorder and of 53 patients with balance disorders without anxiety to clarify, whether disturbances in the vestibular systems can be objectivated or not. Differences of both groups were found in history data, especially in the vertigo characteristics, the accompanying vegetative symptoms, the releasing mechanisms, the duration of the attacks, and the total time of the dizziness complaints. The mean age was less significant in the patients with panic disorder than in the control group. The test results of the anxiety group showed a higher rate of right-directed spontaneous nystagmus and less pathological vestibular findings in the caloric and rotating test as well as in the Unterberger stepping test when compared to the control group. Some of the patients with panic disorder developed acute anxiety during the examination.


Co-management has been introduced into Special Use Forests (SUFs) of Vietnam for more than 10 years. However, the extent to which Vietnamese laws and policies support co-management remains unclear. This paper reviews existing policies and laws from the national to commune levels and assesses their facilitation of co-management in SUFs. The review demonstrates there is support for co-management, albeit scattered and uncoordinated across a range of policies and laws. Modifications to policy on ownership and use rights would support the development of SUF co-management. Additionally, clearer legislative underpinning for benefit sharing in SUFs could better incentivize the participation of local people and private sector actors to engage in more effective co-management arrangements.


As multimedia and high transmission of continuous media, such as live audio and video, with high quality become more popular on wireless networks, various traffic requiring different qualities of service (QoS) have to coexist. To this end, a request TDMA/CDMA protocol for supporting multimedia traffic in wireless networks, where CDMA is laid over TDMA, has been proposed recently (Chatterjee, M. and Das, S. K., J. Interconnection Networks, 2001). We wish to extend this scheme by introducing several qualities of service to the end-user, and present a generalized performance analysis of the request TDMA/CDMA QoS-based protocol. Our analytical model allows us to understand how the end-to-end QoS guarantee can be obtained by analyzing the QoS requirements at every stage of the message delivery, from arrival to contention and transmission.


Butterfly pivot is a large-travel rotational flexure pivot, which can provide elastic support for the rotational shaft in several ten degrees. Because of the complex structure, stiffness calculation of butterfly pivot is always completed by the method of Finite Element Analysis (FEA), which is not suitable for parameter design and optimization. The serial structure of four-blade isosceles-trapezoid (FBIT)is proposed to simplified the complex structure of the butterfly pivot. The FBIT is analyzed and the theoretical formula of stiffness calculation for rotation stiffness is derived in detail based on the essential theory of Mechanics of Materials. Design and optimization of rotation stiffness for each element can be achieved easily with the obtained the theoretical formula of rotation stiffness. The total rotation stiffness of the whole butterfly pivot is calculated and the rotation stiffness comparison between using the theoretical method and by the method of FEA is performed. The error between the theoretical rotation stiffness and the result of the FEA is less than 10%. It is acceptable and without any influence on the validity of the work and concept presented in this paper.


Ischemic revascularization involves extensive structural adaptation of the vasculature, including both angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. Previous studies suggest that fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 participates in both angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. Despite this, the specific role of endogenous FGF-2 in vascular adaptation during ischemic revascularization is unknown. Therefore, we used femoral artery ligation in Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-) mice to test the hypothesis that endogenous FGF-2 is an important regulator of angiogenesis and arteriogenesis in the setting of hindlimb ischemia. Femoral ligation increased capillary and arteriole density in the ischemic calf in both Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-) mice. The level of angiographically visible arteries in the thigh was increased in the ischemic hindlimb in all mice, and no significant differences were observed between Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-) mice. Additionally, limb perfusion progressively improved to peak values at day 35 postsurgery in both genotypes. Given the equivalent responses observed in Fgf2(+/+) and Fgf2(-/-) mice, we demonstrate that endogenous FGF-2 is not required for revascularization in the setting of peripheral ischemia. Vascular adaptation, including both angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, was not affected by the absence of FGF-2 in this model.


Over the past two centuries, the courts of the United States have wrestled with the questions of what effect to give to foreign bankruptcies and whether or not to recognize the claims of foreign representatives. The reforms of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 provided a statutory framework to guide the courts in this difficult area involving transnational insolvency. This article examines the development in the major cases and scholarly works addressing the recognition of foreign bankruptcies and foreign representatives prior to the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. Many of the principles developed over the past two centuries have been incorporated into the current U.S. statutory regime. These principles, as well as the cases in which they were originally espoused, are discussed in many of the recent judicial opinions resolving transnational insolvency issues.


Affine invariant medial axes and symmetry sets of planar shapes are introduced and studied in this paper. Two different approaches are presented. The first one is based on affine invariant distances, and defines the symmetry set, a set containing the medial axis; as the closure of the locus of points on (at least) two affine normals an affine-equidistant from the corresponding points on the curve. The second approach is based on affine bitangent conics. In this case the symmetry set is defined as the closure of the locus of centers of conics with (at least) three-point contact with two or more distinct points on the curve. This is equivalent to conic and curve having, at those points, the same affine tangent, or the same Euclidean tangent and curvature. Although the two analogous definitions for the classical Euclidean symmetry set (medial axis) are equivalent, this is not the case for the affine group. We then show how to use the symmetry set to detect affine skew symmetry, proving that the contact based symmetry set is a straight line if and only if the given shape is the affine transformation of a symmetric object.


We study the welfare implications of employment protection for older workers, exploiting recent bans on mandatory retirement across Canadian provinces. Using linked employeremployee tax data, we show that the bans cause large and similar reductions in job separation rates and retirement hazards at age 65, with further reductions at higher ages. The effects vary substantially across industries and firms, and around two-fifths of the adjustments occur between ban announcement and implementation dates. We find no evidence that the demand for older workers falls, but the welfare effects are mediated by spillovers on savings behavior, workplace injuries, and spousal retirement timing.


This contribution in honour of David Butler surveys the various policy options for the resolution of disputes in community schemes. The options are internal mechanisms, co-regulation, government regulation, a simplified procedure in ordinary courts, the establishment of specialised strata title tribunals and the establishment of a specialised sectional title ombud service. The basic characteristics of each policy option are explained and each option is subjected to critical assessment. Illustrations of self-regulation are the neighbourhood committees of Colombia in South America and the meetings convened by the President (chairperson) of Catalan condominium schemes to attempt dispute resolution. Instances of co-regulation are provided by the Ontario Condominium Act of 1998, the British Columbia Strata Property Act SBC 1998, the Florida Civil Rights statute on Condominiums (Florida Civil Rights 2013 FlaStat XL Ch 718 Condominiums) and the English Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act of 2002. These statutes oblige strata owners to resort to mediation and arbitration before approaching the courts. Similar dispute resolution mechanisms are encountered in Catalonia and the Basque Region of Spain and in the Dutch Model Bylaws for apartment ownership schemes. Under the heading government regulation the functions of the Singaporean Commissioner of Buildings and the Sri Lankan Condominium Management Authority are explained. After a brief discussion of the simplified court proceedings practised in Germany and the streamlined dispute resolution proceedings before a Justice of the Peace in Portugal, the role of specialised tribunals in dispute resolution in Singapore and New South Wales is attended to. The article is concluded with a survey of the special ombudsman service in Nevada and Florida in the United States and the South African ombud service in terms of the newly promulgated Community Schemes Ombud Service Act 9 of 2011. The latter mechanism is hailed as one of the most advanced dispute resolution systems in the world.


These issues are representative of the challenges facing those wishing to implement outcomes evaluations in the dramatically different settings of today's behavioral healthcare. To maintain acceptable levels of credibility, difficult issues such as these need to be addressed openly and assertively. We remain optimistic about the value of measuring the effects of behavioral healthcare interventions. Such measurement facilitates the development of communication across service providers and creates accountability where once there was none. When standards of quality research are applied, outcomes management offers great potential benefit to consumers, providers, and behavioral healthcare organizations.


"From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima" takes readers on an up-close-and-personal journey through the relentless war against Japan in the Pacific Islands, the capstone to Allied victory in World War II. Here is the story of the heroic men who toiled on islands whose names have become synonymous with bloodshed, hardship, and indomitable spirit. This inspiring heart-and-gut wrenching story is brought to life by the addition of 20 carefully selected facsimile pieces of memorabilia, including Franklin D. Roosevelt's draft, with handwritten notes, of his Day of Infamy speech, and 6 situation maps. Also features a foreword by Captain Dale Dye, senior military advisor on HBO's "The Pacific.""


ABSTRACT Application of machine learning models to study land-cover change is typically restricted to the change detection of categorical, i.e. classified, land-cover data. In this study, our aim is to extend the utility of such models to predict the spectral band information of satellite images. A Random Forests (RF)-based machine learning model is trained using topographic and historical climatic variables as inputs to predict the spectral band values of high-resolution satellite imagery across two large sites in the western United States, New Mexico (10,570 km2), and Washington (9400 km2). The model output is used to obtain a true colour photorealistic image and an image showing the normalized difference vegetation index values. We then use the trained model to explore what the land cover might look like for a climate change scenario during the 2061–2080 period. The RF model achieves high validation accuracy for both sites during the training phase, with the coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.79 for New Mexico site and R2 = 0.73 for Washington site. For the climate change scenario, prominent land-cover changes are characterized by an increase in the vegetation cover at the New Mexico site and a decrease in the perennial snow cover at the Washington site. Our results suggest that direct prediction of spectral band information is highly beneficial due to the ability it provides for deriving ecologically relevant products, which can be used to analyse land-cover change scenarios from multiple perspectives.


Carbon Nanotube network based Thin-Film Transistors (CN-TFTs) are excellent candidates for next generation flexible electronics applications. However CN-TFT circuits suffer from imperfections due to morphological variations of fabricated carbon nanotube geometries that cause wide performance variations in analog amplifiers built from these CN-TFTs. Improved fabrication methods and sophisticated process control techniques are not sufficient for tackling these imperfections. In this paper, a new digitally-compatible tuning method is proposed for CN-TFT based amplifier designs. The amplifier is placed in a ring-oscillator configuration using two additional digital inverters, appropriately modified to allow oscillation of the inverter-inverting amplifier-inverter configuration. The frequency of oscillation is then used to drive a tuning algorithm that recovers the performance of the amplifier under statistical and morphological fabrication process variations. The method is very easy to implement and simulation studies show excellent results.


Wells SN, Schilz JR, Uhl TL, Gurney B. A Literature Review of Studies Evaluating Rotator Cuff Activation during Early Rehabilitation Exercises for Post-Op Rotator Cuff Repair. JEPonline 2016;19(3):70-99. Despite the modern advancement of surgical repair equipment and techniques, many rotator cuff repairs do not clinically heal. Prescribed rehabilitative exercises must appropriately load the repaired muscle-tendon complex to promote healing and prevent capsular adhesions without damaging the repair. The clinician must possess an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the healing rotator cuff, and understand the importance of the plane of movement, speed of the movement, position of the extremity, level of assistance, and type of resistance used. Electromyography (EMG) provides a useful means to determine muscle activation levels during specific exercises. Descriptions of specific exercises and EMG activation as they relate to the rotator cuff muscles are described. The specific performance of the exercises, the reliability of such EMG measures, and the descriptive figures are described. Practicing clinicians will benefit from the correct interpretation of the EMG data, and how it can be used in the exercise prescription when formulating a treatment plan.


One key part of the numerical solution of fluid-driven fracture propagation is the logic adopted to advance the fracture front during one time step. This is typically obtained by satisfying a quasi-static propagation condition. In this contribution, within the scope of a fully implicit scheme for mode I hydraulic fractures, we compare the use of either i) cohesive zone models, ii) the clas-sical linear elastic fracture mechanics energy condition or, iii) the complete hydraulic fracture tip asymptotics to advance the fracture tips. Thanks to semi-analytical solutions available for the case of both plane-strain and axisymmetric mode I hydraulic fractures, we can study the rate of conver-gence of the di˙erent propagation scheme toward the corresponding analytical solution (fracture length versus time, width versus time, pressure versus time). We clarify the requirements needed to achieve superior convergence rate and also discuss the impact of the di˙erent propagation scheme on computational robustness and performance.


Railway track geometry deterioration due to traffic loading is a complex problem with important implications in cost and safety. Without appropriate maintenance, track deterioration can lead to severe speed restrictions or disruptions, and in extreme cases, to train derailment. This paper proposes a physics-based reliability-based prognostics framework as a paradigm shift to approach the problem of railway track management. As key contribution, a geo-mechanical elastoplastic model for cyclic ballast settlement is adopted and embedded into a particle filtering algorithm for sequential state estimation and RUL prediction. The suitability of the pro- posed methodology is investigated and discussed through a case study using published data taken from a laboratory simulation of train loading and tamping on ballast carried out at the University of Nottingham (UK).


OBJECTIVE: Infarction of the greater omentum is a rare etiology of acute abdominal pain. The differential diagnosis, especially with appendicitis, is difficult to establish. CASE REPORT: A 29 years-old male presented with acute abdominal pain. He underwent a laparoscopic resection on the 5th hospital day because of persistant pain despite conservative management. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of omental infarction. DISCUSSION: Primary segmental necrosis of the omentum is a rare entity. Obesity and cardiovascular diseases are considered predisposing conditions. The infarctions tend to occur in the right side of the omentum. Abdominal pain is predominant in opposition to the patient's good general condition. Laboratory results are usually nonspecific. Abdominal ultrasound may show a solid, ovoid, hyperechoic lesion. CT-scan may depict a fatty oval-shaped mass below the right anterolateral parietal wall associated with a thickening of the anterior parietal peritoneum. CONCLUSION: The correct diagnosis of omental infarction is important to establish preoperatively in acute abdominal pain, as in uneventful courses surgery can be avoided.


This thesis describes a face verification system that is smart-card-based. The objectives were to identify the key parameters that affect the design of such a system, to investigate die general optimisation problem and test its robustness when each key parameter is optimised. Some of these parameters have been coarsely investigated in the literature in the context of the general face recognition problem. However, the previous work only partially fulfilled the requirements of a smart-card-based system, in which the severe engineering constraints and limitations imposed by smart cards have to be taken into account in the overall design process. To address these problems on the proposed fully localised architecture of the smart card face verification system (SCFVS), the work starts with the selection of the client specific linear discriminant analysis (CS-LDA) algorithm, suitable to be ported to the target platform on which the biometric process can run. Then the main functional parts of the system are presented: face image geometric alignment, photometric normalisation, feature extraction, and on-card verification. Each part consists of a series of basic steps, where the role of each step is fixed. However, the algorithm is systematically varied in some steps to investigate the effect on system performance, and system complexity in terms of speed and memory management. Two major problems have been considered. The first problem are the restrictions that both face verification and smart card technology impose and the second is the extreme complexity of the system, in terms of the number of processing stages and system design parameters. In the simplified search procedure adopted, a number of parameters has been selected out of the complete parameter set involved in a generic SCFVS. This set was recommended by previous main-frame based studies, and deemed to provide acceptable performance. System optimisation in the context of smart card implementation has been conducted starting from those parameters involved in the pre-processing stage of the system, and then those involved in the remaining stages. A joint optimisation framework of the key parameters can also be adopted, assuming that then- effect is independent. Experimental results obtained on a number of publicly available face databases (used to evaluate the system performance) show the significant benefits of this design both in terms of performance and system speed. The different results achieved on different databases indicate that optimum parameters of the system are, to a certain extent, training database dependent.


A new species of the genus Cystofilobasidium is described as Cystofilobasidium ferigula sp. nov. The new taxon represents the teleomorphic stage of Cryptococcus ferigula and was obtained in mating experiments using three strains deposited in the Portuguese Yeast Culture Collection (mating types A1) and a recent isolate (mating type A2). Cystofilobasidium ferigula is characterized using an integrated approach encompassing morphological studies, investigation of the ultrastructure of the septal pore, a comparative study of physiological traits, determination of the DNA base composition, DNA reassociation experiments and PCR fingerprinting. During the course of this study, a close similarity of microsatellite-primed PCR fingerprints was detected between Cystofilobasidium lari-marini and Cystofilobasidium capitatum. DNA-DNA reassociation experiments gave high homology values, which indicates that Cystofilobasidium lari-marini must be regarded as a synonym of Cystofilobasidium capitatum.


Microscopy plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of numerous diseases. However, the need for trained microscopists and pathologists, the complexity of pathology, and the accessibility and affordability of the technology can hinder the provision of rapid and high-quality diagnoses and healthcare. In this work, we present an affordable, 3D-printed, portable, robotic, mobile-based slide scanning microscope. The proposed device is composed of electronic, mechanical, and optical modules operated via smartphone with a control app. The device is connected and fully integrated with a telemedicine web platform, where digitized microscopy images can be remotely visualized and analyzed. The robotic scanner, which has approximately 1-µm resolution, has been evaluated in two clinical scenarios with histology and stool samples. The results showed sufficient image quality for performing a proper diagnosis in all cases under study.


INTRODUCTIONOn December 16, 1991, the United Nations (UN) passed resolution 46/91 to encourage the governments of the world to incorporate principals of independence, participation, care, self-fulfihent, and dignity for their aging citizens. The goal was to 'add life to the years that have been added to life' due to improved hygiene, control of infectious diseases and reduction of premature deaths (Seniors Resource, 2005). Despite the UN call for dignity for all aging populations, one of the most perplexing crimes of our time is violence against the elderly. Although people at any age and within any life cycle may be subjected to abuse, the elderly (and very young children) are exceptionally vulnerable for abuse and violence. Moreover, the nature and consequences of abuse will be different depending on the stage of life one is at, again, negatively affecting the aged (and the young) disproportionately.Types of AbuseViolence against the aged can be divided into five types: 1. Psychological, 2. Physical, 3. Sexual, 4. Economic, and 5. Neglect. However, one should keep in mind that these clear distinctions are-for analytical purposes only, since the elderly who are abused are most likely to simultaneously experience more than one kind (McDonald, Collins & Dergal, U)06, Pettersoa & Podnieks, 1995; Spencer, 1995).Psychological abuse2 includes words, acts or gestures that demean, dehumanize, intimidate or threaten older adults (Department of Justice, 2007). Insulting the elderly, incessantly raising the issue of death with them, socially isolating them, and ordering them around and not allowing them to make decisions that they are capable of making are also part of psychological abuse. Putting down their spiritual or religious beliefs and practices, forcing the elderly to refrain from participating in the spiritual/religious ceremonies of their choice, or forcing them to participate in ceremonies they do not believe in are also considered to be abusive. In the long run, psychological abuse reduces the self-worth of the victims, and robs them of enjoyment of life and will to live (APA-Online, 2008; Canada's Aging Population, 2002; Statistics Canada, 2005).Physical abuse consists of intentional acts to cause pain or injury. Beating, burning or scalding, pushing, shoving, hitting and slapping are the most common forms of physical abuse (Canada's Aging Population, 2002; Department of Justice, 2007). For the elderly, tying them to heavy furniture, forcibly restraining them, locking them up or confining them to a room, forcing them to remain in beds, chairs or bathrooms are also forms of physical abuse (Department of Justice, 2007). Because of the frail condition of a large proportion of the elderly, physical abuse may take a higher toll on them, even when the used force is not extreme. For example, a strong shove may break a bone, and a broken bone in the elderly may be a cause for death. Younger people's bodies are not only more resilient against breakage, but also heal with fewer complications.Of course, the ultimate extreme of physical abuse is lethal violence. In Canada, over one half (53%) of homicides against older women and one quarter of those against older men are committed by their spouses or ex-spouses (Statistics Canada, 1999). Nearly half (47%) of men who kill their wives also end up taking their own lives (Statistics Canada, 2003). Shultz (2006) and Contenta (2007) argue that murder-suicides reflect controlling and possessive attempts of the elderly (mostly husbands) over their partner's life and death, and are not acts of compassion.Sexual abuse of elders is a type of abuse that makes the society cringe. We do not like to associate 'sexuality' with advancing ages, even when it is consensual. Moreover, we do not often believe that people who are younger and healthier would take advantage of the elderly in such perverted ways. This social discomfort with sexual abuse of the elderly often blinds us to its occurrence. …


While semiarid forests frequently colonize rocky substrates, knowledge is scarce on how roots garner resources in these extreme habitats. The Sierra San Miguelito Volcanic Complex in central Mexico exhibits shallow soils and impermeable rhyolitic-rock outcrops, which impede water movement and root placement beyond the soil matrix. However, rock fractures, exfoliated rocks and soil pockets potentially permit downward water percolation and root growth. With ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), two geophysical methods advocated by Jayawickreme et al. (2014) to advance root ecology, we advanced in the method development studying root and water distribution in shallow rocky soils and rock fractures in a semiarid forest. We calibrated geophysical images with in situ root measurements, and then extrapolated root distribution over larger areas. Using GPR shielded antennas, we identified both fine and coarse pine and oak roots from 0.6 to 7.5 cm diameter at different depths into either soil or rock fractures. We also detected, trees anchoring their trunks using coarse roots underneath rock outcroppings. With ERT, we tracked monthly changes in humidity at the soil–bedrock interface, which clearly explained spatial root distribution of both tree species. Geophysical methods have enormous potential in elucidating root ecology. More interdisciplinary research could advance our understanding in belowground ecological niche functions and their role in forest ecohydrology and productivity.


Three water-soluble glucans (PELPS-A1, PELPS-A2, and PELPS-A3) purified from the hot water extract of the basidiomata of an edible mushroom Pleurotus eryngii var. elaeoselini by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose 32 and Sephadex G-100 column were found to consist of only D-glucose as monosaccharide constituent. Structural investigation was carried out by acid hydrolysis, periodate oxidation, and NMR experiments (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DQF-COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, HMQC, and HMBC). On the basis of these experiments, the structures of the repeating unit of the three isolated polysaccharides were established as follows: (1) PELPS-A1: {[→3)-α-D-Glcp-(1→]3→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→2)-α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1[→6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→]2}n 6 ↑ 1 α-D-Glcp (2) PELPS-A2: [→6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→]n 3 ↑ 1 β-D-Glcp (3) PELPS-A3: [→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→]n The dried basidiomata of P. eryngii var. elaoselini were tested for their antioxidant activity by DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The crude extract has shown a SC50 of 1.4 mg/mL for DPPH test while a SC50 of 5.7 mg/mL was observed for hydroxyl radical scavenging activity test. The antioxidant activity of PELPS-A1, PELPS-A2, and PELPS-A3, evaluated as hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, was similar and significant, suggesting their use as antioxidants.


Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China Purpose: Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is an effective tool to evaluate the nutritional conditions and predict prognosis, but clinical data are limited for the use of PNI in diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aimed to investigate the relationship of PNI with the prevalence and severity of DR in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional analysis enrolled 1023 individuals with T2DM hospitalized between 2017–2020. PNI was calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/l) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (cells/mL). DR severity was categorized as no, nonproliferative, and vision-threatened DR (VTDR) according to the modified Airlie House classification. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the prevalent DR in the top (Q4) compared with the bottom quartile (Q1) of PNI levels were estimated by using logistic regression analyses. Results: PNI levels were significantly lower in individuals with VTDR than those with no and nonproliferative DR (both P < 0.001), and the proportions of individuals with DR were significantly decreased in the top quartile compared with the bottom quartile of PNI levels (P < 0.001). After adjustments for age, gender, DM duration, obesity-related risk factors and clinical biochemical parameters, the higher levels of PNI were significantly associated with a lower prevalence of DR (Q4 vs Q1: OR = 0.402, 95% CI: 0.250–0.649, P < 0.001), with a 5.9% reduction in the prevalence of DR for a per-unit increment in the levels of PNI (OR = 0.941, 95% CI: 0.911–0.972, P < 0.001). The association of PNI and obesity-related indexes (body mass index and waist circumference) with the severity of DR was independent of each other (P<0.001). Conclusion: PNI was inversely and independently associated with the severity and prevalence of DR, which suggested that PNI could likely be used to predict DR prognosis in clinical practice.


OBJECTIVES: To explore the use of 99technetiumm-hexamethyl propylene amine oxime single photon computed tomography (HMPAO-SPECT) of the brain as a means of detecting nervous tissue damage in divers and to determine if there is any correlation between brain image and a diver's history of diving or decompression illness (DCI). METHODS: 28 commercial divers with a history of DCI, 26 divers with no history of DCI, and 19 non-diving controls were examined with brain HMPAO-SPECT. Results were classified by observer assessment as normal (I) or as a pattern variants (II-V). The brain images of a subgroup of these divers (n = 44) and the controls (n = 17) were further analysed with a first order texture analysis technique based on a grey level histogram. RESULTS: 15 of 54 commercial divers (28%) were visually assessed as having HMPAO-SPECT images outside normal limits compared with 15.8% in appropriately identified non-diver control subjects. 18% of divers with a history of DCI were classified as having a pattern different from the normal image compared with 38% with no history of DCI. No association was established between the presence of a pattern variant from the normal image and history of DCI, diving, or other previous possible neurological insult. On texture analysis of the brain images, divers had a significantly lower mean grey level (MGL) than non-divers. Divers with a history of DCI (n = 22) had a significantly lower MGL when compared with divers with no history of DCI (n = 22). Divers with > 14 years professional diving or > 100 decompression days a year had a significantly lower MGL value. CONCLUSIONS: Observer assessment of HMPAO-SPECT brain images can lead to disparity in results. Texture analysis of the brain images supplies both an objective and consistent method of measurement. A significant correlation was found between a low measure of MGL and a history of DCI. There was also an indication that diving itself had an effect on texture measurement, implying that it had caused subclinical nervous tissue damage.


A study was initiated in 1994 to evaluate the degree of bole damage and crown decline residual overstory trees would experience because of prescribed burning of shelterwood stands. Three oak-dominated shelterwood stands, partially harvested 2 to 4 yr earlier, were divided into four treatments (unburned control, spring burn, summer burn, and winter burn). Fifteen permanent sampling points were systematically located in each 5 to 12 ac treatment area, and overstory trees were selected from these points with a 10 BAF prism. Before burning, each tree was evaluated for lower bole and crown condition and reevaluated two growing seasons after the fires. Hickory, oak, and yellow-poplar were largely unaffected by the winter and summer prescribed fires but displayed bole damage and crown decline following spring burning. American beech and red maple declined after all fire treatments. Fire damage to oak, hickory, and yellow-poplar was strongly associated to presence of logging slash near a tree's base. Directional felling or moving slash should minimize injury to these trees. This research will aid resource managers wishing to use prescribed fire in shelterwood stands to favor oak regeneration while minimizing damage to residual overstory oaks. South. J. Appl. For. 23(2):88-93.


In this study, we examined life course events of older Dutch adults in relation to three types of moves and the moving distance. Using the frameworks developed by Litwak and Longino (1987) and Mulder and Hooimeijer (1999), we stipulated life events or triggers and conditions in various life domains. We selected a total of 1160 men and 1321 women (aged 54 to 91) from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. We conducted multinomial logistic regression analyses to predict moves to a residential care facility, adapted housing or regular housing and to predict the moving distance. Retirement, an empty nest, widowhood and a decline in health each triggered specific moves. In additional analyses, the effects of triggers, especially health changes, were moderated by conditions. There is no indication of a specific trajectory of moves associated with consecutive life events, as suggested by Litwak and Longino. By combining triggers and conditions, however, the framework developed by Mulder and Hooimeijer allows for a more valid analysis.


All work-related illnesses or injuries, no matter how small, must be reported to the employee's supervisor immediately. The employee's supervisor should arrange for transport to Occupational Health Services during its operating hours when medical treatment is indicated or requested by the employee. When the Occupational Health Service is closed, the supervisor should arrange for care by a local physician or emergency room (such as Davis Urgent Care, Sutter Davis Hospital or Woodland Memorial Hospital). If an employee wishes to have his or her personal physician treat a work injury, a Physician Designation form


The Worldwide Network of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) pursues the mission of promoting hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for instance by evaluating activities through member societies, national registries and individual centers. In 2016, 82,718 first HCT were reported by 1,662 HCT teams in 86 of the 195 World Health Organization member states representing a global increase of 6.2% in autologous HCT and 7.0% in allogeneic HCT and bringing the total to 1,298,897 procedures. Assuming a frequency of 84,000/year, 1.5 million HCT were performed by 2019 since 1957. Slightly more autologous (53.5%) than allogeneic and more related (53.6%) than unrelated HCT were reported. A remarkable increase was noted in haploidentical related HCT for leukemias and lymphoproliferative diseases, but even more in non-malignant diseases. Transplant rates (TR; HCT/10 million population) varied according to region reaching 560.8 in North America, 438.5 in Europe, 76.7 in Latin America, 53.6 in South East Asia/Western Pacific (SEA/WPR) and 27.8 in African/East Mediterranean (AFR/EMR). Interestingly, haploidentical TR amounted to 32% in SEA/WPR and 26% in Latin America, but only 14% in Europe and EMR and 4.9% in North America of all allogeneic HCT. HCT team density (teams/10 million population) was highest in Europe (7.7) followed by North America (6.0), SEA/WPR (1.9), Latin America (1.6) and AFR/EMR (0.4). HCT are increasing steadily worldwide with narrowing gaps between regions and greater increase in allogeneic compared to autologous activity. While related HCT is rising, largely due to increase in haploidentical HCT, unrelated HCT is plateauing and cord blood HCT is in decline.


This cross-sectional study focused on the sexual and reproductive health of women living with HIV, by age group, in the city of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The sample consisted of 691 women. Differences were observed in number of pregnancies and number of children. History of illicit drug use was more frequent in the 18-34-year age group, and exchanging sex for money was more frequent among women 18-29 years of age. This sample of women living with HIV treated in specialized public services in Southern Brazil showed a socioeconomic profile and sexual behavior that did not match the pattern typically identified in the process of "feminization" of the epidemic (with a majority of poor women with low schooling and a limited number of sexual partners). The study provides evidence of factors characterizing women's vulnerability to HIV infection, differing by age and raising specific demands for healthcare services.


The paper looks at linkages between MDGs and PRSPs in six transition countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. Progress towards MDG attainment in all these countries is considered. Key features of PRSPs in the countries of the sub-region are analyzed. Against this background, the linkages and consistency between MDGs and PRSPs are discussed in the paper.