Author(s): Williams, Brian Donald | Advisor(s): Indridason, Indridi H | Abstract: This study focuses on how political institutions--electoral systems and legislative rules, and coalition agreement policy pledges--affect consensus in national parliaments. Two theoretical propositions are established and tested empirically. Proposition 1 contends that consensus will be higher under proportional systems of representation (PR) than under its majoritarian alternatives. Proposition 2 contends that under coalition government, legislative consensus should be higher on legislative motions lacking governing coalition commitment. Proposition 1 is tested with new legislative vote data from New Zealand and Belgium covering those countries' institutional transformations to PR. To test Proposition 2, I focus on periods of coalition government in New Zealand and Belgium after their transition to PR, and in Britain during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. The analysis indicates that New Zealand's electoral system change in the mid-1990s caused a significant increase in consensus, and after reform bills assigned to a select committee chaired by an opposition MP were more likely to result in a bipartisan vote outcome, consistent with Proposition 1. Belgium's institutional transformation from 1893 to 1921 coincided with a decrease in consensus on budgetary legislation. This development suggests that PR will not have a consensus inducing effect in the near-term if the adoption of PR coincides with democratization, though the adoption of PR sets the stage for consensus building over time. Support for Proposition 2 is mixed. In post-reform New Zealand I find that confidence and supply agreements hold those parties to the agreement together when the corresponding bill comes up for a final vote. However, governing coalition commitments are not found to increase consensus in New Zealand. During the Catholic-Liberal coalition government in Belgium from 1921-23, the opposition Socialist Party was significantly more likely to oppose the government on votes approving bills prioritized in the government's post-election declaratory speech, consistent with Proposition 2. During the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in Britain, government policy commitments have a limited effect on vote outcomes. This finding confirms that the effect of coalition agreements on legislative voting in an otherwise majoritarian parliamentary system will be limited.


Subsampling and block resampling methods have been suggested in the literature to nonparametrically estimate the variance of statistics computed from spatial data. Usually stationary data are required. However, in empirical applications, the assumption of stationarity often must be rejected. This article proposes nonparametric methods to estimate the variance of (functions of) sample means based on nonstationary spatial data using subsampling. We assume that data are observed on a lattice in some region of R2. In the data that we consider, the information in the different picture elements (pixels) of the lattice are allowed to come from different distributions, with smoothly varying expected values, or with expected values decomposed additively into directional components. Furthermore, pixels are assumed to be locally dependent, and the dependence structure is allowed to differ over the lattice. Consistent variance estimators for (functions of) sample means, together with convergence rates in mean square, are provided under these assumptions. An example with applications to forestry, using satellite data, is discussed.


Background and objective: food borne Gram negative bacteria cause many diseases to human and resistant to most antibiotics. This study was undertaken to overcome this pathogenic bacteria with oils of medicinal plants and with silver nano-particles and both of them. Materials and methods: isolation was carried out using classical methods by using selective media and identification of this isolates by using biochemical methods. Extraction of oils from four medical plants was done and analysis of these oils was by GC analysis and the isolates tested against oils and silver nano-particles and both of them with each other. Results: result showed identified isolates were 50 pathogenic bacteria as E. coli, Citrobacter freundi, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter spp. and pseudomonas aeruginosa from different sources of food and showed resistance to oils of medical plants and sensitivity to other oil and silver naoparticles and The highest presented results showed E. coli isolated from Milk resistant to Peppermint/ silver nanoparticles 37 (mm). Conclusion: using silver nanoparticle with oils of medical plants affect positively against Gram negative bacteria isolated from food.


This paper proposes a low complexity based spectrum partitioning (SP) - ESPRIT for noncontact vital radar as a diagnostic tool for sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders. In the vital radar, the high precision and accuracy of the Doppler frequency is needed for the heart and respiration rates of the human body. However, because of smearing problems caused by limited data length and low SNR environments of the heartbeat signal, conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT) suffers from decreased performance of the Doppler frequency. To improve the parameters of radar measurement data such as the precision and accuracy, many super-resolution based algorithms, e.g., the SP method, have been proposed. Nevertheless, in order to apply the SP based super resolution algorithm into vital radar systems, a number of practical issues related to increased computational load should be addressed. Especially, compared with the conventional super-resolution algorithm such as estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (ESPRIT), the complexity of the SP-ESPRIT is increased dramatically by performing multiple algorithms. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a scheme that is modified from the conventional SP-ESPRIT technique with the aim of reducing the computational load for vital detection. From Monte-Carlo simulation results with a SNR of 6 dB, the root mean square error (RMSE) of the proposed method is about 11 times lower than that of the conventional ESPRIT method. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eie.23.2.18000


We reduce and analyse the available JWST ERO and ERS NIRCam imaging (SMACS0723, GLASS, CEERS) in combination with the latest deep ground-based near-infrared imaging in the COSMOS field (provided by UltraVISTA DR5) to produce a new measurement of the evolving galaxy UV luminosity function (LF) over the redshift range z = 8 − 15. This yields a new estimate of the evolution of UV luminosity density (ρUV), and hence cosmic star formation rate density (ρSFR) out to within <300 Myr of the Big Bang. Our results confirm that the high-redshift LF is best described by a double power law (rather than a Schechter) function up to z ∼ 10, and that the LF and the resulting derived ρUV (and thus ρSFR), continues to decline gradually and steadily up to z ∼ 15 (as anticipated from previous studies which analysed the pre-existing data in a consistent manner to this study). We provide details of the 61 high-redshift galaxy candidates, 47 of which are new, that have enabled this new analysis. Our sample contains 6 galaxies at z ≥ 12, one of which appears to set a new redshift record as an apparently robust galaxy candidate at z ≃ 16.4, the properties of which we therefore consider in detail. The advances presented here emphasize the importance of achieving high dynamic range in studies of early galaxy evolution, and re-affirm the enormous potential of forthcoming larger JWST programmes to transform our understanding of the young Universe.


Background: Non- alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a pathogenic factor of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, the circulating liver enzymes including Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanin aminotranferase (ALT) and Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) are commonly elevated in asymptomatic patients with NAFLD. Methods: As a nested case-control study, AST, ALT, GGT as well as classic diabetes risk factors, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA- IR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured in 133 non-diabetic subjects at baseline (68 cases and 65  controls). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of diabetes associated with different hepatic markers. We used factor analysis for clustering of classic diabetes risk factors. Results: In Univariate analysis, both ALT and GGT were associated with diabetes with ORs of 3.07(1.21-7.79) and 2.91(1.29-6.53), respectively. After adjustment for CRP and insulin, ALT and GGT were still predictive of incident diabetes. When the model was further adjusted for anthropometric, blood pressure and metabolic factors resulted from factor analysis (full model), only ALT was independently associated with diabetes [OR=3.06 (1.01-9.26)]. No difference was found between the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the models with and without ALT (0.820 and 0.802 respectively, P=0.4) Conclusion: ALT is associated with incident type 2 diabetes independent of classic risk factors. However, its addition to the classic risk factors does not improve the prediction of diabetes.


Problem statement: Hotelling's T2 statistic has been well documented in the existing
literature and exact as well as asymptotic results have been obtained. In the present article, we focus on
an important particular case of T2 and we note that, there is no clear way to show, how univariate
results, used in the theory of Student's t statistic, could be used to derive corresponding multivariate ones, for T2. Therefore, our goal is to find an alternative method, which would be more useful than the usual one, in order to generalize directly univariate theory. Approach: At first, we used some matrix tools in order to obtain an equivalent algebraic form for T2 and, then, we applied some univariate results concerning distributions which arise from the normal distribution. Results: We found an algebraic representation of T2, which can be conceived as the natural extension of some results appearing in the literature and, we used our findings to show how standard univariate techniques can be applied in order to derive the exact and limiting distributions of T2. Conclusion: Using the proposed representation of T2 gives a better insight on the generalization of univariate results to multivariate analyses and indicates, at the same time, an alternative way to prove typical multivariate results. Furthermore, it allows for usual theoretical calculations to simplify.


Research has widely established that self-relevant threatening messages are effective persuasive strategies. However, very little is known about attentional processes underlying their beneficial effects. In the present research, we hypothesized that the exposure to threatening messages is likely to engage people in attentional vigilance toward coping information. Three studies examined and found support for this prediction. By using an emotional Stroop task, Study 1 revealed that, among participants high in vulnerability, those exposed to a high-threatening message reported vigilant processing of coping information. Study 2 replicated these findings by employing a dot-probe task. Study 3 demonstrated, however, that such processing depends on how much coping information is effective at protecting from the threat. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.


Almost half of the pregnancies in the United States are unintended. Currently available contraceptive methods are highly efficacious, but the most commonly used methods rely on patients for appropriate use. There has been a push to advocate for long‐acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) as first‐line methods because they are placed by medical professionals and are the most effective form of reversible contraception available. There are four LARCs currently available in the United States: the Copper T intrauterine device, two forms of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system, and the etonogestrel subdermal implant. Once inserted, they can be left in place for 3–10 years, depending on the device. Some of these devices have been available for a number of years, but their use is limited in the United States due to controversies and misconceptions. A MEDLINE search from 1990–2012 was conducted to identify articles describing the use of LARCs in populations with limited data, including postpartum women, adolescents and nulliparous women, and women with sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Health care provider safety concerns surrounding intrauterine device (IUD) expulsions and infection are issues for use in adolescents and nulliparous women. Concern regarding IUD expulsion in the postpartum population questions the benefit of immediate versus delayed insertion, and the progestin effect in the levonorgestrel IUD and etonogestrel implant is of theoretic concern for breastfeeding women. In women with HIV, concerns have been raised about increased viral shedding with the IUD and drug interactions with the progestin methods. Many misconceptions surrounding LARCs are unfounded, but individual risk factors may leave LARC users at risk of unintended pregnancy if not addressed properly.


In this article we tackle transparent parallelization of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models to be run on top of multi-core machines according to speculative schemes. The innovation in our proposal lies in that we consider a more general programming and execution model, compared to the one targeted by state of the art PDES platforms, where the boundaries of the state portion accessible while processing an event at a specific simulation object do not limit access to the actual object state, or to shared global variables. Rather, the simulation object is allowed to access (and alter) the state of any other object, thus causing what we term cross-state dependency. We note that this model exactly complies with typical (easy to manage) sequential-style DES programming, where a (dynamically-allocated) state portion of object A can be accessed by object B in either read or write mode (or both) by, e.g., passing a pointer to B as the payload of a scheduled simulation event. However, while read/write memory accesses performed in the sequential run are always guaranteed to observe (and to give rise to) a consistent snapshot of the state of the simulation model, consistency is not automatically guaranteed in case of parallelization and concurrent execution of simulation objects with cross-state dependencies. We cope with such a consistency issue, and its application-transparent support, in the context of parallel and optimistic executions. This is achieved by introducing an advanced memory management architecture, able to efficiently detect read/write accesses by concurrent objects to whichever object state in an application transparent manner, together with advanced synchronization mechanisms providing the advantage of exploiting parallelism in the underlying multi-core architecture while transparently handling both cross-state and traditional event-based dependencies. Our proposal targets Linux and has been integrated with the ROOT-Sim open source optimistic simulation platform, although its design principles, and most parts of the developed software, are of general relevance.


The in vivo precision of broad-band ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) was measured in one normal male volunteer over periods of one day and six weeks and in a group of 10 volunteers over a period of two weeks using a Walker Sonix UBA 1001 bone mineral analyser in which the foot is immersed in a water tank. Coefficients of variation ranged from 1-3% and, in general, there was no difference in BUA variance between right and left feet. However, right foot BUA values were consistently greater than those of the left, but there was no difference between mediolateral and lateromedial transmission. The use of preboiled water improved precision and reduced measurement time. In addition, factors affecting BUA precision were investigated in the individual volunteer. Equipment stability and conditions of immersion (immersion time, water depth, water temperature and concentration of a detergent wetting agent) had comparatively little effect on BUA values. On the other hand, the effects of foot positioning were more pronounced: rotation about the long axis of the foot, translation across the water tank and foot movement in the dorsal-plantar direction each contributed a maximum of 1.5-2.0% variation in BUA. However, both rotation about the long axis of the leg and foot movement in the heel-toe direction could change BUA by as much as 9%. It is likely that foot positioning will limit the precision achievable with this technique.


The impact of ocean ecosystems on marine boundary layer aerosols and clouds has been the subject of much research but remains uncertain. Five experiments were recently conducted in the western North Atlantic to assess if the seasonally recurring phytoplankton bloom affects aerosol properties. These experiments include the second Western Atlantic Climate Study and four North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystem Study cruises. Measurements of unheated and heated number size distributions, cloud condensation nucleus (CCN) concentrations, and aerosol composition were used to identify primary and secondary aerosol components that could be related to the state of the bloom. Only periods of clean marine air, as defined by radon, particle number concentrations, aerosol light absorption coefficient, and back trajectories, were included in the analysis. Nonvolatile material was found to be prevalent in the Aitken mode size range after heating to 230°, likely due to downward mixing from the free troposphere. CCN concentrations at 0.1% supersaturation were best correlated (r2 = 0.73) with accumulation mode nss SO4=. Sea spray aerosol was only correlated with CCN during November when bloom accumulation had not yet occurred and dimethylsulfide concentrations were at a minimum. The fraction of CCN attributable to sea spray aerosol was less than 20% during March, May/June, and September, indicating the limited contribution of sea spray aerosol to the CCN population of the western North Atlantic atmosphere. The strongest link between the plankton bloom and aerosol and cloud properties appears to be due to biogenic non‐sea salt SO4=.


Typical ship-like floating bodies, for certain operating conditions, may experience large slamming loads in the bow or aft parts of the vessel. In addition to the local structural damages induced by slamming, a significant global hull vibration might also be excited. This vibratory response, referred to as whipping phenomenon, is usually not considered in the offshore industry, in particular in the design of ship shaped FPSOs. However, in case of resonance with slender structures such as the flare tower, these effects can have a strong influence on the fatigue performance at the interface between the FPSO's hull and those structures. The objective of the work presented in this paper is to assess the influence of these effects on the total fatigue damage.
 Numerical modelling of whipping is extremely complex from several aspects and only approximate models exist today. For this study, a state of the art whipping model is used, which couples the hydrodynamic loads (linear diffraction and radiation, nonlinear incident and slamming) with dynamic structural response of the floating body. The hydrodynamic part of the model includes a weakly nonlinear diffraction-radiation tool which is supplemented by a modified Logvinovich model for slamming. These hydrodynamic models are fully coupled with the structural vessel dynamics which are represented by a simplified finite element model. Direct assessment of hot spot stresses are performed on refined fatigue models.
 Typical FPSO's design includes the flare tower installed in the fore part, where the accelerations induced by the hull girder global vibrations are the highest. If the natural frequency of the flare tower is close to the natural frequency of the hull girder, significant flare vibrations might occur. In addition, spread moored FPSOs receive wave loads from 360 degrees and since typical FPSOs' hull shape is similar to oil tankers' hull shape, its stern flare is relatively larger flare than its bow flare. If waves come from the stern and FPSO's draft is shallow, hull vibration induced by stern slamming might be large. The present work evaluates the influence of these vibrations on the flare tower structural response. The deterministic results are used within a dedicated methodology allowing for the evaluation of fatigue life of the structural details.
 This work proposes an innovative methodology for including the influence of highly nonlinear loads, such as slamming induced whipping, in the structural fatigue assessment of offshore structures.


Contentions over the effects of globalisation on different societies have been generating diverse opinions on whether it should be encouraged or discouraged. While the liberal scholars argue that globalisation is a form of unavoidable interdependence among states that equally leads to national development; the radical scholars see it as a form of imperialism consciously designed to further exploit the resources of the developing nations and perpetuate their poverty in the interest of developed countries. Without prejudice to the two extreme views, we argued that the effects of globalisation on societies depend more or less on the policies and programmes of the affected countries. Hence, in the light of the constructivist view, we concluded that globalisation may be exploitative if the excesses are not checked by the affected countries; it can as well be development-oriented if the related policies and programmes are properly formulated and implemented. In essence, the benefits of globalisations should be encouraged while the demerits should be discarded through the implementation of properly formulated policies and programmes.


This paper presents an algorithm for the scheduling of the movement of escorts which is both simple in implementation and effective in maximizing the use of available time in each escort's schedule. Examining one stationary cache of wheelchairs and a surrounding area assigned to it, we come up with a mathematical model of wheelchair flow in and out of a small region with space for one wheelchair closet. The airport is serviced by a network of caches supplying their surrounding regions exclusively. Adjacent regions are able to share wheelchairs between themselves. Probabilities of passengers needing wheelchairs are used to evaluate wheelchair usage in the average statistical case. Given the implementation of this Cache Model, we run our algorithm on two simulated airport terminals of different sizes: 100, 200 passengers arriving per cycle. Keywords-cache model; airline accessibility sercices;wheelchair


The development of new treatment options gradually brings metastatic colon cancer closer to a chronic disease that can last for years. One of such options is trifluridine / tipiracil (FTD / TPI, TAS-102), a new chemotherapeutic agent, which has already been registered in more than 60 countries. It increases patients' survival and has an acceptable toxicity profile (adverse events primarily include hematological complications). This literature review aims to cover various aspects related to this new drug, including its pharmacokinetics, maximum tole rated dose, possibility of its use in patients with liver disorders, results of its simultaneous use with targeted therapy, comparison with other therapeutic approaches in patients with chemorefractory metastatic rectal cancer, etc.


Abstract. Ground objects can be regarded as a combination of structures of different geometries. Generally, the structural geometries can be grouped into linear, planar and scatter shapes. A good segmentation of objects into different structures can help to interpret the scanned scenes and provide essential clues for subsequent semantic interpretation. This is particularly true for the terrestrial static and mobile laser scanning data, where the geometric structures of objects are presented in detail due to the close scanning distances. In consideration of the large data volume and the large variation in point density of such point clouds, this paper presents a structural segmentation method of point clouds to efficiently decompose the ground objects into different structural components based on supervoxels of multiple sizes. First, supervoxels are generated with sizes adaptive to the point density with minimum occupied points and minimum size constraints. Then, the multi-size supervoxels are clustered into different components based on a structural labelling result obtained via Markov random field. Two datasets including terrestrial and mobile laser scanning point clouds were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method can effectively and efficiently classify the point clouds into structurally meaningful segments with overall accuracies higher than 96%, even with largely varying point density.


There has been considerable uncertainty as to whether idiopathic Parkinson's disease may be inherited except in a few rare instances. The evidence for and against inheritance is reviewed. The recent discovery of genetic linkage to chromosome 4q in a large Italian pedigree with parkinsonism has shed new light on this problem.


Having total ecologic load considerably higher than that among general population, industrial workers form a priority risk group in ecologically unfavorable region characterized by environmental pollution with variable toxic chemicals. Nearly 70% of risk in the industrial workers are due to occupational factors. However, higher mercury content of biologic materials in the general population, being slightly lower than that in the industrial workers, could indicate possible specific conditions caused by mercury exposure in some residents of the settlement under study.


INTRODUCTION
Manual (bag) ventilation sometimes achieves better oxygenation than does a mechanical ventilator. We speculated that clinicians might generate very high airway pressure during manual ventilation (much higher than the pressure delivered by a mechanical ventilator), and that the high airway pressure causes alveolar recruitment and thus improves oxygenation. Such high pressure might injure alveoli in some patients.

METHODS
We tested the hypothesis that manual ventilation may involve substantially higher pressure than is delivered by a mechanical ventilator. We asked experienced respiratory therapists to manually ventilate a lung model that was set to represent several typical clinical scenarios.

RESULTS
We found that the peak airway pressure generated by the therapists was sometimes in excess of 100 cm H(2)O.

CONCLUSIONS
The high airway pressure during manual ventilation would be considered extreme in the context of conventional mechanical ventilation, which raises questions about whether manual ventilation causes barotrauma.


A two-year-old girl presented with clitoromegaly and an abdominal mass. Diagnostic procedures including sonography, computerized tomography, scintigraphy and measurement of catecholamines in urine excluded neuroblastoma, but suspected Wilms-tumor. Before completing the steroid measurements therapy was initiated according to Wilms-tumor (preoperative cytostatic therapy followed by surgical removal of the tumor). Morphology of the tumor, the serum and urinary steroid profile proved a benign adrenocortical adenoma producing mainly delta 5-steroids including the weak androgen, dehydroepiandrosterone.


We report a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) investigation to probe the adsorption and dynamic behavior of rhodamine 6 G (Rh6G) molecules on spherical Ag nanoparticles which were produced via laser ablation in liquid. Assembly of the colloidal Ag nanoparticles on a cover glass was used to work as SERS substrates on which high-quality SERS spectra of Rh6G were obtained with interesting time dependence when using low and ultralow concentrations, respectively. The variation of SERS spectra over time was identified with the adsorption behavior of multiple and individual molecules on the Ag nanoparticles. Analysis indicates that the adsorbed Rh6G molecules can desorb away from the initial locations on the substrate under continuous laser excitation; simultaneously, some individual molecules can move and become trapped in the gap between the aggregated Ag nanoparticles. These investigations help to clarify the origins of forming 'hot-spots' which host probe molecules and hence improve the understanding of mechanisms for single-molecule SERS spectroscopy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The development objective of the Water Security and Canal Protection Project for Kosovo is to contribute to restoring the canal original capacity as needed to secure bulk water for the various canal water users in Central Kosovo. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) compensation for lost of harvest and land improvements; (2) cash compensation for affected land equivalent to replacement value, including multiannual harvests; (3) providing accessibility to property or residential units. Temporary access will be provided during canal rehabilitation works; (4) cash compensation based on type, age, and productive value of affected trees; and (5) measures on restoration will be included in compensation agreements between contractors and affected people.


Super-resolution imaging provides a powerful approach to image dynamic biomolecule events at nanoscale resolution. An ingenious method involving tuning intramolecular spirocyclization in rhodamine offers an appealing strategy to design cell-permeable fluorogenic probes for super-resolution imaging. Nevertheless, precise control of rhodamine spirocyclization presents a significant challenge. Through detailed study of the structure-activity relationship, we identified that multiple key factors control rhodamime spirocyclization. The findings provide opportunities to create fluorogenic probes with tailored properties. On the basis of our findings, we constructed self-assembling rhodamine probes for no-wash live-cell confocal and super-resolution imaging. The designed self-assembling probe Rho-2CF3 specifically labeled its target proteins and displayed high ring-opening ability, fast labeling kinetics (<1 min), and large turn-on fold (>80 folds), which is very difficult to be realized by the existing methods. Using the probe, we achieved high-contrast super-resolution imaging of nuclei and mitochondria with a spatial resolution of up to 42 nm. The probe also showed excellent photostability and proved ideal for real-time and long-term tracking of mitochondrial fission and fusion events with high spatiotemporal resolution. Furthermore, Rho-2CF3 could resolve the ultrastructure of mitochondrial cristae and quantify their morphological changes under drug treatment at nanoscale. Our strategy thus demonstrates its usefulness in designing self-assembling probes for super-resolution imaging.


We report on the effect of noise on the characteristics of the bistable polariton emission system. The present experiment provides a time-resolved access to the polariton emission intensity. We evidence the noise-induced transitions between the two stable states of the bistable polaritons. It is shown that the external noise specifications, intensity and correlation time, can efficiently modify the polariton Kramers time and residence time. We find that there is a threshold noise strength that provokes the collapse of the hysteresis loop. The experimental results are reproduced by numerical simulations using Gross-Pitaevskii equation driven by a stochastic excitation.


Ultrasonic signs of colitis were studied in 24 adults aged 20 to 53 yr and 38 children aged 3-16 yr in whom chronic colitis was diagnosed. 2 adults and three children had ulcerative colitis. The results obtained showed that with the aid of echography it is possible to detect inflammatory lesions in the large intestine as well as to observe the time course of changes in its wall during the course of treatment. Ultrasonic investigation can be of screening type in detecting an inflammatory process in the large intestine, on the one hand, and a method of profound study of changes in its wall, on the other.


Background: The outbreak of COVID-19has led to a high demand for finding effective antiviral agents. Preliminary experiments showed that Umifenovir could inhibit coronavirus replication in vivo. There is limited data on the clinical efficacy of COVID-19-infected pneumonia. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate this medication based on clinical findings.Methods: The present study was designed as a clinical trial to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this medicine compared to empirical treatment. For this purpose, multi-stage sampling was considered. 56 people who have mild to moderate symptoms without signs of sever pneumonia , were selected by accidental non-random sampling method. This sample size was subsequently divided into two groups (group A threated with hydroxycloroquine and group B who threated with combination hydroxycloroquine and Umifenovir) by randomized block sampling (1:1). During the study, three patients left the case group. Their clinical sighns and symptoms were evaluated on 3 th and 7 th and 14 th days after oncet illness while taking these medicines in the disease course. The SPSS software was used for data analysis and the significance level was considered to be P<0.05.Results: On the seventh days after visit patients , there were statistically significant differences in recuperation dry cough(p = 0.001), weakness(p = 0.004), gastrointestinal symptoms(p = 0.043) and shortness of breath (p = 0.001) between the two groups, so that in patients who under orescription combination HCQ and Umifenovir group had a faster recovery.Generally during illness , there were statistically significantly faster melioratation myalgia(p = 0.03), gastrointestinal symptoms(p = 0.047), and weakness(p = 0.007)in patients who threated with both HCQ and Umifenovir .Conclusion: Evaluation clinical findings in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients symptoms and sighns recuperation faster in group who under orescription combination HCQ and Umifenovir .regimen. In other words, adding Umifenovir to the empirical treatment accelerated the recovery process of patients' clinical symptoms.Registration: IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1399.204, 04.13.2020 , http://ethics.research.ac.ir/IR.TUMS.VCR.REC.1399.204


Current-carrying capacity of carbon nanofibers (CNF) is investigated for potential interconnect applications. The measured maximum current density in the suspended CNF in air is inversely proportional to nanofiber length and independent of diameter. This relationship can be described with a heat transport model that takes into account Joule heating and heat diffusion along the CNF, assuming that breakdown occurs when and where the temperature reaches a threshold or critical value. Supporting the CNFs with SiO2 improves their current capacity, which implies effective heat dissipation to the oxide.


The authors present an experimental and theoretical study on the crosstalk in a two-channel amplitude-shift keying (ASK) heterodyne detection system in which the effect of laser phase noise is negligible. Three results are described: (1) the dependence of the crosstalk penalty on the ratio of channel separation to bit rate and on the optical power level of the image band (2) comparison of the measured crosstalk penalities with the ones obtained from a simple model, and (3) the effect of electrical prefiltering on the crosstalk penalty. It is concluded that the channel separation can be as low as four times the bit rate without incurring any crosstalk penalty as long as the optical power of the image band is comparable to the optical power of the desired channel. In addition, electrical prefiltering of the transmitted signals significantly reduces the crosstalk penalty in multichannel ASK heterodyne systems in which the effect of laser phase noise is negligible. >


Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of mortality in the world. Most of the diagnostic processes usually require bulky instruments and trained professionals, which cannot meet the demand for fast, early and regular bedside diagnosis. In this paper, a bespoke app on a smartphone and an autonomous capillary microfluidic chip (ACMC) are combined to realize the point-of-care testing of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). The smartphone-app-ACMC platform was based on the sandwich immunofluorescence principle and featured self-aligned on-chip focusing (SOF) lenses which can avoid the complex optical coupling process. The operator only needs to introduce 100 μl sample into the ACMC, where the priming, time-delaying, mixing and washing steps for the assay can be accomplished automatically. With the help of the bespoke app and a palm-sized optical attachment, the smartphone can capture fluorescence images, process fluorescence intensity information, output detection results and save the results for long-term monitoring. Our results showed that within 12 min, the detection limit of 78 pg ml-1 and 94 pg ml-1 for cTnI was attained in buffer and spiked human serum, respectively. Our proposed platform has the potential to be applied in the POCT field especially for some resource-limited settings.


The newly established virus family Phenuiviridae in Bunyavirales harbors viruses infecting three kingdoms of host organisms (animals, plants, and fungi), which is rare in known virus families. Many phenuiviruses are arboviruses and replicate in two distinct hosts (e.g., insects and humans or rice). Multiple phenuiviruses, such as Dabie bandavirus, Rift Valley fever phlebovirus, and Rice stripe tenuivirus, are highly pathogenic to humans, animals, or plants. They impose heavy global burdens on human health, livestock industry, and agriculture and are research hotspots. In recent years the taxonomy of Phenuiviridae has been expanded greatly, and researches on phenuiviruses have made significant progress. With these advances, this review drew a novel panorama regarding the biomedical significance, distribution, morphology, genomics, taxonomy, evolution, replication, transmission, pathogenesis, and control of phenuiviruses, to aid researchers in various fields to recognize this highly adaptive and very important virus family.


What's does a mouse drag event have in common with an Array of numbers? The answer to this question may surprise you: they are both collections. This key insight holds the key to dramatically simplifying asynchronous programming in JavaScript. In this talk you will learn how you can use the familiar JavaScript Array#extras methods to create surprisingly expressive asynchronous programs. Using just a few functions, you will learn how to do the following:  Declaratively build complex events out of simple events (ex. drag n' drop) Coordinate and sequence multiple Ajax requests Reactively update UIs in response to data changes Eliminate memory leaks caused by neglecting to unsubscribe from events  Gracefully propagate and handle asynchronous exceptions  In this talk we'll be exploring the Reactive Extensions for JavaScript (Rx) library (https://github.com/Reactive-Extensions/RxJS) which allows us to treat events as collections. We'll also contrast RxJS with Promises, CSP and other popular approaches to building asynchronous programs in JavaScript. We'll also dive into the future with RxJS with generators, transducers, and even query transformations.


Stone matrix asphalt, was first of all developed in 1960 in Germany which now largely helps in providing a greater permanent deformation resistance, durability to surfacing materials, longer service life, improved ageing ,high resistance in cracking, fatigue, wear, better skid resistance and like in reducing noise. It is a gap graded mixture of aggregates which helps by maximizing the asphalt -cement content and fractions of coarse aggregate. It is a stable, rut -resistant mixture and tough which relies on aggregate-aggregate contact for providing strength. Along with rich mortar binder it provides better durability. The SMA sample is prepared by mixing coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, filler as per the gradation chart given by the standard code when using stabilizer and without stabilizers. A fibre that is readily available in nature, less cost effective comparing to other non-conventional fibres has been used as stabilizer. It is Bamboo fibre, which is cellulose fibre extracted from naturally available Bamboo stem. It has high strength in fibre direction, greater tensile, flexural and impact strength. Thinness degree of fibre can easily be obtained from it. It is durable in nature, possesses tenacity and good stability value. An attempt has been made to find out its suitability in increasing the stability and flow value in the mixture of Stone Matrix Asphalt Mixes. For this project, we have prepared SMA mixes using stone as coarse aggregate, slag in partial replacement of coarse aggregate and used different stabilizers and have tried to compare the results at a varying bitumen content of 4,5,5.5,6,7 % bitumen. The stabilizers were used at an optimum of 0.3% of the weight of sample.


: Four patients with the Budd-Chiari syndrome are presented. Hepatic venography and inferior vena cavography confirmed the diagnosis in these patients. Angiography was used to evaluate the liver and the superior mesenteric and portal venous drainage. Contrast medium complications, ranging from nausea to renal shut-down and death, were encountered in three of these patients, an unusually high number of angiographic complications. The role of angiography in the Budd-Chiari syndrome is assessed.


Demand for cancer genetic counseling has grown rapidly in recent years as germline genomic information has become increasingly incorporated into cancer care, and the field has entered the public consciousness through high-profile celebrity publications. Increased demand and existing variability in the availability of trained cancer genetics clinicians place a priority on developing and evaluating alternate service delivery models for genetic counseling. This mini-review summarizes the state of science regarding service delivery models, such as telephone counseling, telegenetics, and group counseling. Research on comparative effectiveness of these models in traditional individual, in-person genetic counseling has been promising for improving access to care in a manner acceptable to patients. Yet, it has not fully evaluated the short- and long-term patient- and system-level outcomes that will help answer the question of whether these models achieve the same beneficial psychosocial and behavioral outcomes as traditional cancer genetic counseling. We propose a research agenda focused on comparative effectiveness of available service delivery models and how to match models to patients and practice settings. Only through this rigorous research can clinicians and systems find the optimal balance of clinical quality, ready and secure access to care, and financial sustainability. Such research will be integral to achieving the promise of genomic medicine in oncology.


Abstract Head and neck cancers represent a heterogenous group of neoplasms. Among them, the most frequently occurring is squamous cell carcinoma. Risk factors that can contribute to the development of head and neck cancers are smoking, high proof alcohol abuse and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Head and neck cancers may be divided into HPV positive and HPV negative. This division shows the different landscape of carcinogen-esis, median age of onset, etiopathogenesis, clinical course and treatment efficiency. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), especially HPV positive, belongs to highly immunogenic cancers. Its development relates to HPV infection and host immune response, especially with T regulatory lymphocytes response. Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), which shows immunosuppressive effect on host's immune system, takes part in cancerogenesis. That favours carcinogenesis. The development of immuno-oncology and better understanding of HNSCC pathogenesis has contributed to developments in immunotherapy, a method of care which is used preferably in the treatment of advanced, refractory or relapsed cancers that did not respond to standard-of care cancer treatments – in the case of HNSCC it is surgical resection with possible radiochemotherapy or chemotherapy. The idea of immunotherapy is to remove tumor immunosuppressive effect and to boost host immune response to eliminate neoplasm. This article shows a review of current knowledge and new methods of therapy concerned with HNSCC treatment, especially HPV positive HNSCC.


A lithographically patterned inductive-capacitive resonator is described that has a strong electric response. This resonator can be used to construct metamaterials with desired positive or negative permittivity. Such materials provide an alternative to wire media, and have the benefit of not requiring continuous current paths between unit cells. A planar medium composed of these resonators was simulated, fabricated, and measured in the microwave frequency range.


Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare clinical outcome results, perceived function, and overall preference among patients who had undergone staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with a cruciate-retaining, customized implant (customized TKA, or C-TKA) in 1 knee and an off-the-shelf (OTS) implant in the contralateral knee. Methods: Forty-seven patients (94 knees) from a single study center who underwent C-TKA in 1 knee and had previously undergone TKA with an OTS implant in the contralateral knee were included in this study. As the primary outcome measures, the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Joint Replacement (KOOS, JR) and the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) were self-administered by the study subjects at a single follow-up time point. Additionally, a follow-up questionnaire to compare patients' perceived joint stability, knee mobility, perceived feeling of the replaced joint, pain levels, and overall preference between their knees was administered. Results: The average follow-up was 2.3 years (range, 0.7 to 3.8 years) for C-TKA and 6.7 years (range, 1.6 to 11.1 years) for the OTS TKA. Significantly higher KOOS, JR (82 versus 77; p = 0.03) and FJS (68 versus 58; p = 0.04) results were found with C-TKA. The evaluation of the follow-up questionnaire showed that more patients reported having "a little" or "a lot" less pain (49% versus 15%), better perceived mobility (45% versus 12%) and stability (36% versus 13%), and a more "normal" feeling of their knee (60% versus 10%) with the C-TKA implant compared with their OTS counterpart. When patients were asked to directly compare their knees, we found that 72.3% of the patients preferred the knee that received C-TKA over the contralateral OTS knee replacement, with 21.3% seeing no difference and 6.4% preferring the OTS knee replacement. Conclusions: We believe that this is the first study to examine patient-reported outcomes of customized and OTS TKA implant designs in the same patient. We conclude that patients in this study cohort who underwent staged bilateral TKA with a C-TKA implant in 1 knee and an OTS prosthesis in the other knee reported better for their patient-specific knee replacement, with higher FJS and KOOS, JR values, and overall, preferred the C-TKA knee more often compared with the OTS knee replacement. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


at the Maucdslev 1H-ospital are obtainable witlout fee by pr-actitioniers specializinoio'i psychological miediciine, and Call be hlel(l in coIjunlctiwi with attendance at eitlher' parlt of t1e course forl the dliplOlnia. Iiti ii-es abouit tlhe lectuires s5io1l(l h)e addlleSse(l to the (lilectol of the Central Patlholog-ilal Laboratory, A.,and-Sley Hospital, Denmark Hill, S.FE.5. Clinic for Downham Housing Estate. The Londoni Couniity C'otinicil has completed negotiations for tle provision of a special clinic buildling on its neew lhousing estate at Dowuhiamii in the southl-eastern distriict. The Dowahan. estate niow consists of over 6,000 houses. Since 192f7 a temporary school treatment cenitre has been lrovi(le(l lere, to .serve also tile adjoining estate of B3ellingham, with over 2,000 hlouises. Detalils have nlow *been provisionally agree(d for the erection by the Counicil as housing authiority oit a site in Dowubliam of a elilnic building to be let for use .as a si-hool treaitmeint centre for the Lonidoni Fdlcation Service, and sublet for uise by thle Leivisliam Metropolitanii Borough Cotucil as a mnaterniti and child welfare centre. The building is to comprise a lecture hail, seating 130 person, anid which can also be usedl as the nain waitinilg rO-Omll, also a vtisioni room, with dark room attached, a mlinlor aillnelnts room, cubicles for Ilse ini anite-natal cases a, doctors' room,i a dispensary, two dental surgeries, and a recovery iooin, tog,ethler witlh all needful accessory accommoidatioll. 'lie' estiiimated cost is £8,135.


Molybdenum coatings are commonly used in the industry for protection against wear. With an aim to investigate the erosion properties of this coating, molybdenum coating was sprayed onto both AISI 1045 and nickel-based superalloy (GH3039) substrate by electro-thermal explosion ultra-high speed spraying process. Phase composition, microstructure and microhardness of the coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microhardness tester, respectively. Erosion tests of the coating at different particle impingement angel and material sample temperature were performed on a GW/CS-MS type tester. The high erosion resistance of the coating can mainly be attributed to high hardness, low porosity and metallurgical bonding between the coating and the substrate.


Twenty-four dual purpose (wool/meat) suckling and early weaned ram lambs were used to study the fatty acid profile in intramuscular fat of longissimus lumborum muscle and lipid oxidation in blood serum. At 60 days of age 12 rams were slaughtered as suckling lambs. The other 12 early weaned and fed according to standards by grass hay and concentrate, and slaughtered at 90 days of age. Suckling lambs had more polyunsaturated fatty acids (P≤0.01) than early-weaned lambs. Younger lambs obtained also higher values of n-3 fatty acids (P≤0.01) and lower n-6/n-3 ratio (P≤0.01) appropriate in relation to their contribution to human health. Muscle tissue of early-weaned lambs compared to suckling group was characterised by significantly higher c9,t11C18:2 content (P≤0.01), which is desirable in human diet with regard to its peculiarities. The higher amount (P≤0.01) of vaccenic acid, which is the substrate for rumenic acid formation, has been observed in early-weaned lambs also.


Two static-electric-field-induced effects on harmonic generation are demonstrated analytically and numerically: elliptic dichroism (in which the harmonic yield is different for right and left elliptically polarized laser fields) and elliptical polarization of harmonics produced by linearly polarized driving laser fields. Both effects stem from interference of real and imaginary parts of the nonlinear atomic susceptibilities. Possibilities for experimentally measuring these effects are discussed.


The normal statute of limitations is three years from the date the return is filed. That is how long the IRS has to challenge the accuracy of the return and assess a deficiency. However, the three-year statute of limitations does not apply where the tax return is false or fraudulent. Specifically, Code Sec. 6501(c)(1) provides that "[i]n the case of a false or fraudulent return with the intent to evade tax, the tax may be assessed, or a proceeding in court for collection of such tax may be begun without assessment, at any time." How does this rule apply in cases where a tax return preparer or tax advisor fraudulently causes an understatement even though the taxpayer is blissfully unaware of any problems on the return? Some courts have held that, if a tax return preparer willfully understates tax liability, the IRS can assess a tax at any time, even if the taxpayer is innocent and blissfully unaware of any problem on the return.


circumvent extensive first-pass metabolism and avoid degradation in the gastrointestinal tract by enzymes and bacteria. This system serves as the better solution for the administration of drugs having low bioavailability like idebenone. Idebenone is synthetic analogue of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a vital cell membrane antioxidant administered in friedreich's ataxia, duchenne muscular dystrophy, becker muscular dystrophy, alzheimer's disease, leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis with stroke-like episodes), parkinson's disease mitochondrial myopathies etc.. The drug is practically water insoluble and shows limited bioavailability after oral administration due to a significant degree of first pass metabolism (99%). The low bioavailability of drug demands frequent dosing, hence the aim of the study was to demonstrate in vitro enhancement of drug penetration using Keshary – Chien diffusion cell. For demonstration varying concentrations of penetration enhancers and drug were prepared. Different penetration enhancers used were sodium lauryl sulphate, disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, urea, sorbitol, oleic acid, dimethylsulphoxide, physical mixtures with beta cyclodextrin, hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin, and complex of drug with hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin through buccal drug delivery system and tested for highest penetration. Drug complex with hydroxyl propyl cyclodextrin showed maximum enhancement ratio of 45.93 when compared with the enhancement ratio of other penetration enhances which ranged from 1.08 to 13.52. Hence, when compared with different penetration enhancers, this inclusion complex of idebenone with HPsCD can itself act as a best penetration enhancer for buccal drug delivery of idebenone. Overall, we can say that Idebenone Inclusion complex with HPsCD is the best way of enhancing the permeation of drug through buccal mucosa.


This article reported the multiplication of mycobacterium leprae in immune-deficient animals-nude mice (NIH/nu/nu). Mycobacterium leprae taken from multibacillary leprosy patient were inoculated with 1.0 x 10(4)/foot pad into right hind foot pad(FP) of nude mice and CFW mice. The results of bacterial enumeration showed that acid-fast bacillus (AFB) in the nude mice continuously multiplied. At 21 months after inoculation, the numbers of AFB increased by over 108,000-folds and reached greater than 1.08 x 10(9)/FP (greater than 5.4 x 10(10)/g tissues), while the CFW mice developed only 3.68 x 10(6)/FP and exhibited their characteristic limited growth pattern. It is indicated that the phase of logarithmic growth was prolonged in nude mice. The AFB multiplied were identified as mycobacterium leprae by following identification test: (1) failure to growth on artificial media; (2) loss of acid-fastness by pyridine extraction; (3) typical growth curve of mycobacterium leprae in foot-pad and sensitivity to antileprosy drugs. The histopathological examination of nude mice foot-pad inoculated were found lepromatous lesions, in which enormous numbers of AFB were seen on 476 days postinoculation, AFB disseminated into the fear, nose, sciatic nerve, testicle, lymphnodes, liver, spleen, lung, and noninoculated foot-pad. As mentioned above, it is considered that experimental leprosy was established in nude mice.


Substances that circulate in the blood following drug-induced bone marrow aplasia produce a biphasic curve of DNA synthesis in cells in liquid and semisolid cultures which reflect relative concentrations of these growth regulators of hematopoiesis. This net effect magnified by induced marrow failure in human, rat, and mouse is a sinusoidal curve that is the reciprocal of the WBC. Generated in the bone marrow, humoral stimulating activity (HSA) produces peak growth of colonies in agar (CFU-GM) during the proliferative phase of bone marrow recovery, whereas humoral inhibitory activity (HIA), present at the time of marrow maturation, suppresses colony growth. Split femurs from rats given cyclophosphamide (CY) and killed at regular intervals condition media that affect DNA synthesis in a fashion similar to that of HSA-HIA in the rats' sera. In Dexter cultures, HSA is derived from the adherent rather than the hematopoietic cell, whereas HIA is produced by that nonadherent cell. Animals treated with a lethal dose of busulfan (BU) produce large amounts of HSA in vivo until death. Those transplanted with adherent bone marrow cells depleted of hematopoietic cells on day 1 after BU also die, whereas those given nonadherent marrow cells survive and generate HIA at the time of bone marrow recovery. HSA and media conditioned by bone marrow stromal cells causes an increase in spleen colonies (CFU-S), as does HIA. These studies support the contention that the net effect of putative regulators of hematopoiesis, measured in the drug-perturbed state, consist of a constantly present stimulator emanating from bone marrow stroma, and a variable inhibitor produced by maturing hematopoietic bone marrow cells.


Inorganic Mg2+ and Al3+ containing layered double hydroxide (LDH) particles were synthesised in situ from aqueous solution onto chemical pulp fibers of pine (Pinus sylvestris). High super saturated (hss) solution with sodium carbonate produced LDH particles with an average diameter of 100–200 nm. Nano-size (70 nm) LDH particles were found from fibers external surface and, to a lesser degree, from the S2 cell wall after synthesis via low super saturated (lss) route. The synthesis via slow urea hydrolysis (Uhyd) yielded micron and clay sized LDH (2–5 μm) and enabled efficient fiber densification via mineralization of S2 fiber wall layer as indicated by TEM and compliance analysis. The Uhyd method decreased fiber compliance up to 50%. Reduction in the polymerisation degree of cellulose was observed with capillary viscometry. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the hybridization with LDH reduced the exothermic heat, indicating, that this material can be incorporated in flame retardant applications. Fiber charge was assessed by Fibers 2015, 3 104 adsorption expermients with methylene blue (MB) and metanil yellow (MY). Synthesis via lss route retained most of the fibres original charge and provided the highest capacity (10 μmol/g) for anionic MY, indicating cationic character of hybrid fibers. Our results suggested that mineralized fibers can be potentially used in advanced applications such as biocomposites and adsorbent materials.


Abstract. Subglacial meltwater channels (N-channels) are attributed to
erosion by meltwater in subglacial conduits. They exert a major control on
meltwater accumulation at the base of ice sheets, serving as drainage
pathways and modifying ice flow rates. The study of exposed relict subglacial
channels offers a unique opportunity to characterize the geomorphologic
fingerprint of subglacial erosion as well as study the structure and
characteristics of ice sheet drainage systems. In this study we present
detailed field and remote sensing observations of exposed subglacial
meltwater channels in excellent preservation state on Devon Island (Canadian
Arctic Archipelago). We characterize channel cross section, longitudinal
profiles, and network morphologies and establish the spatial extent and
distinctive characteristics of subglacial drainage systems. We use
field-based GPS measurements of subglacial channel longitudinal profiles,
along with stereo imagery-derived digital surface models (DSMs), and novel
kinematic portable lidar data to establish a detailed characterization of
subglacial channels in our field study area, including their distinction from
rivers and other meltwater drainage systems. Subglacial channels typically
cluster in groups of ∼ 10 channels and are oriented perpendicular to
active or former ice margins. Although their overall direction generally
follows topographic gradients, channels can be oblique to topographic
gradients and have undulating longitudinal profiles. We also observe that the
width of first-order tributaries is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude larger
than in Devon Island river systems and approximately constant. Furthermore,
our findings are consistent with theoretical expectations drawn from analyses
of flow driven by gradients in effective water pressure related to variations
in ice thickness. Our field and remote sensing observations represent the
first high-resolution study of the subglacial geomorphology of the high
Arctic, and provide quantitative and qualitative descriptions of subglacial
channels that revisit well-established field identification guidelines.
Distinguishing subglacial channels in topographic data is critical for
understanding the emergence, geometry, and extent of channelized meltwater
systems and their role in ice sheet drainage. The final aim of this study is
to facilitate the identification of subglacial channel networks throughout
the globe by using remote sensing techniques, which will improve the
detection of these systems and help to build understanding of the underlying
mechanics of subglacial channelized drainage.


Structure of magnetic heterogeneities of the 0-degree-domain-wall type in a thin film of a cubic ferromagnet with a uniaxial anisotropy induced along [011] is examined. Strict calculations of demagnetizing fields are shown to lead to quasibloch solutions with values of material parameters lying in certain ranges. Besides, the magnetization vector's leaving the domain wall plane means the rotation of plane orientation by the angle π/4. The transition boundary between the described structures is found.


Background: Healthcare information includes sensitive data and, as such, must be secure; however, the risk of healthcare information leakage is increasing. Nurses manage healthcare information in hospitals; however, previous studies have either been conducted on medical workers from various other occupations or have not synthesized various factors. The purpose of this study was to create and prove a model of nurses' healthcare information security (HIS). The hypothetical model used in this study was constructed on the basis of the protection motivation theory (PMT) proposed by Rogers. Methods: A total of 252 questionnaires scored using a five-point Likert scale were analyzed, incorporating data from nurses who had been working for more than one month in general hospitals with more than 300 beds in South Korea. The survey was conducted over a total of 30 days, from 1 to 30 September 2019. Results: The results showed that coping appraisal significantly influence HIS intentions (estimate = −1.477, p < 0.01), whereas HIS intentions significantly influence HIS behavior (estimate = 0.515, p < 0.001). A moderating effect on the association between coping appraisal and HIS intentions was found in the group of nurses who had been working for <5 years (estimate = −1.820, p < 0.05). Moreover, a moderating effect on the association between HIS intentions and HIS behavior was found in the group of nurses who had been working for <5 years (estimate = 0.600, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to develop a management plan to strengthen nurses' HIS behavior and can be used by nursing managers as a basis for developing education programs.


The AHRC network, Translating Music, spent two weeks in Macerata, Italy, working within the Mascerata Opera Festival. These reviews respond to the new productions within the 2013 festival.
Resources and publications, including these reviews, are available at http://www.translatingmusic.com


This article assesses the extent to which security regimes are the products of authorization in the thought of Thomas Hobbes and Carl Schmitt. The Hobbesian security regime offers a contingent construction of security in terms of processes of authorization and brings into view questions about the epistemic construction of security within security discourse today. The Schmittian concept of security involves the naturalization of security through the state, meaning that security is understood as condition rather than regime. Rather than look to Carl Schmitt's concept of security as the paradigm of international security today, there are clear benefits in returning to the contractual account of security evident in the Hobbesian emphasis on authorization. Security is not the primary value of political community, but the means by which political communities realize their internal goods. Schmitt's security regime is fictive, driven by colourful metaphor and political theology. By returning to classic questions of authorization—how a security regime authorizes itself—International Relations theory can examine the legitimation of security beyond an exclusively state-centric model.


The paper discusses the implications of two hypotheses prominent in the contemporary literature in the fields of comparative politics and international relations: (1) the democratic peace hypothesis; (2) the hypothesis of the superior military effectiveness of democracies. The author maintains that the conjunction of these hypotheses implies that democracies are bound to expand and oust non-democracies, because democracies do not go to war with other democracies (but do that with non-democracies), and because, under present conditions of war technology, democracies win over non-democracies. This argument provides explanation of the recent world-wide trend of democratization and stands logically on its own with respect to other influential explanations of this phenomenon. The paper is introduced by the conceptual analysis discussing relations among the concepts of coercion, violence and democracy, where the thesis is substantiated that community of love is the only form of social life that is thinkable as involving no coercion, no violence, and therefore also no democracy. However, such community is viable only as an island in a broader society whose members suspect that members of the community of love are coerced into it by means of brainwashing.


This paper proposes the non-performing loans (NPL) ratio, defined as the change in the stock of NPL adjusted by write-offs and standardized by loans, as the main measure to be used for modeling the credit risk of the Chilean banking system. In particular, the paper identifies certain statistical and conceptual advantages of this measure with respect to loan loss provisions (LLP), which support this idea. First, the NPL ratio by type of credit covers a greater time span than LLP. Second, the forward-looking nature of LLP –one of its main advantages over the NPL ratio– is applicable only from 2004 onward due to various changes in Chilean reporting standards. Third, LLP is discretionary because provisioning is made on the basis of relative risk aversion of banks. Fourth, the NPL ratio produces smoother series than LLP for consumer and mortgage loans. In addition, the dynamic structure observed in both time series does not differ significantly. The econometric model estimated for the period January 1997 to June 2010 shows that the NPL ratio has statistically significant relations with macroeconomic aggregates such as the annual output growth, the short and long term interest rates, the annual inflation rate, the peso-dollar exchange rate, and the surprises in credit growth. Finally, the out-of-sample forecasts indicate differences between the actual and projected NPL ratios that are economically significant only in the case of mortgage credit. For the remaining portfolios, the evolution of this ratio during the period of July 2008 to June 2010 does not differ significantly from that predicted by the econometric model.


Emergency rescue scenarios are considered to be high-risk scenarios. Using a micro air vehicle (MAV) swarm to explore the environment can provide valuable environmental information. However, due to the absence of localization infrastructure and the limited on-board capabilities, it's challenging for the low-cost MAV swarm to maintain precise localization. In this paper, a collaborative localization system for the low-cost heterogeneous MAV swarm is proposed. This system takes full advantage of advanced MAV to effectively achieve accurate localization of the heterogeneous MAV swarm through collaboration. Subsequently, H-SwarmLoc, a reinforcement learning-based planning method is proposed to plan the advanced MAV with a non-myopic objective in real-time. The experimental results show that the localization performance of our method improves 40% on average compared with baselines.


The phenomenon of religious exclusivism increasingly confronts peoples of faith and goodwill who wish only for peaceful co-existence in equality and freedom with their religious neighbour. But there is more than one variety of religious exclusivism. This study will show that there are at least three variants of religious exclusivism, namely open, closed and extreme. Further, inasmuch as exclusivism indicates a positing of religious identity over against any "other", then it will be argued that the variant exclusivisms themselves reflect a continuum of ideological and theological stance that is taken toward the concept of variety as represented by the religious "other" per se. This ranges through antithetical acknowledgement, enactive ignorance, and the intentional invalidation of variety. It is the issue of the invalidation of otherness which, I contend, constitutes the severe theological problem of religious exclusivism in extremis. It is here, in the modality of religious fundamentalism and extremism that theological ideology impinges most dramatically upon the public domain. Might it be possible to speak of a proper religious exclusivity without falling necessarily into the pit of exclusivist extremism? In addressing this question I shall briefly examine the views of Alvin Plantinga, Gavin D'Costa, and the declaration Nostra Aetate of Vatican II.


A bumetanide-sensitive Na-K-2Cl cotransporter, BSC-1, is believed to mediate the apical component of transcellular NaCl absorption in the thick ascending limb (TAL) of Henle's loop. To study its ultrastructural localization in kidney, we used an affinity-purified, peptide-derived polyclonal antibody against rat BSC-1. Immunoblots from rat kidney cortex and outer medulla revealed a solitary 161-kDa band in membrane fractions. Immunocytochemistry of 1-μm cryosections demonstrated strong BSC-1 labeling of the apical and subapical regions of medullary and cortical TAL cells. Notably, macula densa cells also exhibited distinct labeling. Distal convoluted tubules and other renal tubule segments were unlabeled. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that BSC-1 labeling was associated with the apical plasma membrane and with subapical intracellular vesicles in medullary and cortical TAL and in macula densa cells. Smooth-surfaced TAL cells, in particular, had extensive BSC-1 labeling of intracellular vesicles. These results support the view that BSC-1 provides the apical pathway for NaCl transport across the TAL and that an extensive intracellular reservoir of BSC-1 is present in a subpopulation of TAL cells. Furthermore, the BSC-1 localization in the apical plasma membrane of macula densa cells is consistent with its proposed role in tubuloglomerular feedback.


In this work, performance degradation of 65 nm N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (NMOSFETs) with enclosed gate and two-edged gate layouts under hot carrier stress and constant voltage stress is investigated. Compared with the cold carrier, the hot carrier effect (HCE) causes more serious degradation in threshold voltage and transconductance. It is shown that cold carrier contribution is reversible, while HCE damage is permanent, it cannot be reversed by application of the annealing bias. Meanwhile, an enclosed gate NMOSFET is proved to have higher resistance to HCE than two-edged gate NMOSFET fabricated in the same 65 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology according to the results of experiments. That is, the enclosed gate NMOSFET not only provides total-dose radiation tolerance but also improves the hot carrier reliability of advanced CMOS circuits. The contributions of the two types of carriers to the degradation of transistor performance are analysed. The physical mechanism of HCE reliability of different geometry MOSFETs is studied.


A diketopyrrolopyrrole-based fluorescent probe 1 was explored as a ratiometric probe for selective detection of Au3+, with the detection limit of 18 nM. The probe displayed an absorption maximum at 528 nm and a strong red fluorescence at 610 nm. In the presence of Au3+, the absorption and emission band blueshifted to 488 and 555 nm, respectively. Correspondingly, the color of the probe solution changed from orange to flesh color, and the fluorescence changed from orange to yellow-green. NMR and HRMS spectral analysis demonstrated that the selective ratiometric fluorescence response of probe 1 with Au3+ involved a selective Au3+-mediated hydrolyzation and oxidization reactions using a catalytic amount of Au3+. In addition, the ratiometric response of probe 1 was rationalized by DFT and TDDFT calculations.


The purpose of this article is to explore briefly the way in which iconic representations of divine embodiment serve analogous and yet distinct purposes in different traditions. In the Byzantine East, images of the glorified body of Christ and the saints prefigure the deification of the practitioners that will be accomplished at the end of time. For the Tibetan master Bokar Rinpoche, the mental visualization of the Tantric deity Chenrezig enables one to retrieve the nirvanic dimension of one's body, which is usually obfuscated by ignorance and emotion. The comparison illumines the tradition's different conceptions of temporality, individuality, and soteriology.


Due to the amazing advances in information and communications technologies, we're heading for an online world in which convenience goods have unprecedented computing power and are permanently connected to the Internet or stored in the cloud. The Internet is everywhere, and now people are talk ing about the Internet of Things (IoT). Look at your own belongings; it's likely that you carry around at least one or possibly several handheld devices such as smartphones that are permanently connected to the Internet. Each device has computing power that was sufficient for navigating a rocket to the moon 40 years ago. Now we use that power to download and play songs and movies, access social media such as Facebook or Twitter, run e-mail or messenger software, or access any of the other myriad apps people have created recently.


Dysregulation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling network is a prominent feature of breast cancers. However, clinical responses to drugs targeting this pathway have been modest. We hypothesized that dynamic changes in signaling, including adaptation and feedback, limit drug efficacy. Using a quantitative chemoproteomics approach we mapped dynamic changes in the kinome in response to various agents and identified signaling changes that correlate with drug sensitivity. Measurement of dynamics across a panel of breast cancer cell lines identified that maintenance of CDK4 and AURKA activity was associated with drug resistance. We tested whether incomplete inhibition of CDK4 or AURKA was a source of therapy failure and found that inhibition of either was sufficient to sensitize most breast cancer cells to PI3K, AKT, and mTOR inhibitors. In particular, drug combinations including the AURKA inhibitor MLN8237 were highly synergistic and induced apoptosis through enhanced suppression of mTOR signaling to S6 and 4E-BP1 leading to tumor regression in vivo. This signaling map identifies survival factors whose presence limits the efficacy of target therapy and indicates that Aurora kinase co-inhibition could unlock the full potential of PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway inhibitors in breast cancer.


The volume Institutional Change and Economic Development fills some important gaps in our understanding of the relationship between institutional changes and economic development. It does so by developing new discourses on the 'technology of institution building' and by providing detailed case studies—historical and more recent— of institution building. It is argued that functional multiplicity, the importance of informal institutions, unintended consequences, and intended 'perversion' of institutions all imply that the orthodox recipe of importing 'best practice' formal institutions does not work. While denying the existence of universal formulas, the volume distills some general principles of institutions building from theoretical explorations and case studies.


Abstract Following the publication of 'European Spatial Development Perspective' in 1999, a large number of theoretical and empirical studies have been carried out on polycentric spatial development especially in European settlements. The relationship between polycentricity and economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and social cohesion are some of the main concerns of these studies. This study aims to clarify 'the meaning of polycentricity' in the case of Turkey, as a developing country and analyse the relationship between polycentric spatial development and economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and social cohesion. After calculation of morphological polycentricity of the regions at NUTS-5 level, the propositions on the positive effects of polycentric spatial development on economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and social cohesion is tested by using Pearson correlation and OLS regression models. The results of the empirical study are mixed for these three subjects. Polycentric spatial development has not positive effects on economic competitiveness and social cohesion in Turkey case. Conversely, a positive effect exists in terms of environmental sustainability. It can be said, that to reach those policy aims highlighted by European Spatial Development Perspective, could not be realised by only taken into account polycentric spatial development in Turkey case.


The purpose of the paper is to present a modified model of an internalizing external costs caused by the operation of a manufacturing unit in conjunction with the new reality created. The environment is characterized as a public good. Public goods are goods that provide benefits for society as a whole or part of it, usually regardless of whether the individual people are willing to pay to have these benefits. All entities, whether individuals or businesses or public agencies, have some financial resources with which they seek to achieve specific objectives (e.g. profit maximization). To achieve a specific objective usually there are many alternatives and possibilities. To be effective, i.e. to utilize the existing resources in the best manner possible, should be selected that the solution maximizes the desired outcome or minimizes the required sacrifices.


The use of fly-ash stabilizers, materials from fluidized combustion fly-ash, and other solid coal burning residues, which are called coal combustion by-products (CCB), have good potential for application in subgrade structures and road bed materials of roads as well as in the structural pavement layers. One of the many factors limiting the application of some CCB sorts is the relatively low resistance in repetitive contact with water, volumetric changes, and the risk of partly unsatisfactory hygienic and environmental parameters. With respect to the aforementioned negative characteristics of CCB, which occurred primarily under the repetitive impact of water and freezing, the experimental examination focused on improving CCB resistance to frost and water, verification of volumetric changes, and improvement of pozzolana characteristics of CCB by increasing the percentage of fine particles in the original material (e.g., by means of mechanical and/or chemical activation, including combination of both types). At the same time, the road construction industry strives to find a suitable substitute for the traditionally applied hydraulic binders as well as expand the existing base of the binders applied. The experience with using CCB as a binder or binder component has not been as extensive so far as to allow any generalisation of conclusions. Therefore, the possibilities of applying alternative additives as a replacement for the binders traditionally applied have been researched. Another application of the coal combustion by-products tested was in cold recycling mixes. In this case, the fly-ash from fluidized combustion is used as a substitute for the hydraulic binder. The fly-ash tested was subjected to mechanical activation, while the parameters of the mix under scrutiny reflected the impact on the strength and deformation parameters of the mix; last but not least, the water susceptibility indicator was also monitored. From the environmental perspective of practical applicability of the mixes a chemical analysis and leaching tests have been done.


Some new principles are suggested in determination of the protein biological values that take into account the amino acid composition and the processes occurring in the course of protein assimilation. Food proteins have a significant effect on the protein-amino acid metabolism of the organism by reducing oxidative catabolism of essential amino acids which are deficient in the utilized protein, i.e. they have a compensating effect on the deficiency of exogenous essential amino acids. The understanding of the process allowed the author to approach the solution of the problem of the replacement of the amino acid score with the biological value. For this purpose two new parameters which determine the quality and the second phase of protein assimilation have been introduced, i.e. potential biological value (BVp) and compensation coefficient (C), respectively. The experimental biological value (BV) is determined as the sum of the two parameters: BV = BVp + C.


Background The kidney is always subjected to high metabolic demand. The aim of this study was to characterize metabolic profiles of a rat model of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) induced by prolonged hypertension. Methods We used inbred male Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats fed an 8% NaCl diet from six weeks of age (high-salt; HS group) or a 0.3% NaCl diet as controls (low-salt; LS group). We analyzed function, pathology, metabolome, and the gene expression related to energy metabolism of the kidney. Results DS rats with a high-salt diet showed hypertension at 11 weeks of age and elevated serum levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen with heart failure at 21 weeks of age. The fibrotic area in the kidneys increased at 21 weeks of age. In addition, gene expression related to mitochondrial function was largely decreased. The levels of citrate and isocitrate increased and the gene expression of alpha-ketoglutaratedehydrogenase and succinyl-CoA synthetase decreased; these are enzymes that metabolize citrate and isocitrate, respectively. In addition, the levels of succinate and acetyl Co-A, both of which are metabolites of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, decreased. Conclusions DS rats fed a high-salt diet were deemed a suitable model of CKD with CRS. Gene expression and metabolites related to energy metabolism and mitochondria in the kidney significantly changed in DS rats with hypertension in accordance with the progression of renal injury.


Abstract. The demersal fish and cephalopod communities of the continental shelves of the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic Sea have been monitored for more than 30 years by the EVHOE series of fisheries surveys. Since 1987, a total of 4247 stations have been sampled in the fall with a GOV bottom trawl in a depth range of 15 to 600 m. The main objective of these surveys is to monitor 22 benthic fish stocks and 10 cephalopods but also to provide a description of the distribution of a total of 250 fish and 50 commercial invertebrate taxa. The dataset (https://doi.org/10.17882/80041) provides abundance and biomass information by station for all observed taxa. Size distributions for a selection of species are also available. These data are part of a larger set of standardized European surveys that provide essential information for monitoring demersal communities in the Northeast Atlantic. We propose here a critical analysis of the dataset especially in terms of the evolution of the sampling effort and strategy as well as the taxonomic precision.


This paper uses three waves of panel surveys at the household level to study growth and poverty in Albania over the period 2002-2004. It attempts to answer two main questions. The first question is directed at finding the micro determinants of growth and aims to expose the obstacles households face to improve their economic situation. The main focus of the analysis is to investigate the importance of health, education, and infrastructure indicators for income growth. The second question asks whether growth in Albania during the period 20022004 has been pro-poor. I find that there is some evidence for a convergence of incomes and a pro-poor growth, which has led to a substantial decrease in the number of people living under the poverty line. I also find that infrastructure has not been an important determinant for income mobility, and neither has health. Only the higher education of poor urban households seems to have affected prospects for growing out of poverty, and unexpectedly, the relationship is negative.


Federico Borromeo and the Ambrosiana: Art Patronage and Reform tn Seventeenth-Century Milan. By Pamela M. Jones. (New York: Cambridge University Press. 1993. Pp. xiv, 386, 100 plates. $95.00). Pamela Jones has written a splendid scholarly study of Federico Borromeo (1564-1631), cardinal-archbishop of Milan and younger cousin of Saint Carlo Borromeo, who during his archiepiscopate (1595-1631) established the Ambrosiana, an art museum, library, and art studio for aspiring artists of the diocese of Milan. Borromeo's institution was unique in bringing together under one roof artists and art work for reforming religious scholarship and the figurative arts in response to the decrees of the Council of Trent" (p. 2). Jones's purpose is to analyze and interpret Federico's program for the arts so as to enhance our understanding of post-Tridentine attitudes toward the style, subject matter, and functions of sacred art in Italy circa 1590 to 1630" (p. 19). She focuses on Borromeo's activities and ideas in a way that embraces both his historical and his art-historical interests. Her investigations look at "the way art and religious thought come together in Borromeo's Ambrosiana"; or,"What did Borromeo want out of sacred art, that is, what was his conception of its efficacy?" (p. 2). Jones's subject is a significant one, for Borromeo is the first prelate in Christian tradition to conceive of creating an entire institution-not just specific works of art-to "reform art" and make it serve a specific objective. Her method, too, allows us to follow Borromeo in implementing his vision. Jones's work falls into two parts: Part I deals comprehensively with Borromeo's life and background, writings, and the foundation of the Ambrosian Library, Academy, and Museum; the next three chapters offer an enlightening interpretation of this material focusing on the tripartite spiritual role-"devotional, didactic, and documentary (p. 11)-that art was to play. In Borromeo's spiritual conception, each aspect related closely to the others in its appeal to the full human personality. Part II is a richly detailed catalogue with appendices to supplement Part I. Important here is the chronology of Borromeo's acquisitions for the Ambrosian Museum. Catalogue I lists the entirety of the pieces of art in the original Ambrosian Museum, and Catalogue II includes Borromeo's collection of portraits of famous persons.The work also includes two appendices that include the official codicils of 1607 and 1611 to Borromeo's will, listing the works of art donated to the Ambrosiana; Appendix III gives the 1618 donation. Readers will appreciate Jones's approach,which goes beyond the traditional judgment that the artistic production of the post-Tridentine era is "essentially restrictive" and did little more than merely respond to ecclesiastical directives for clarity and simplicity. Jones recognizes that much more was in play: reformers, and their artists as well, pursued "richer, less monolithic, and more threedimensional (p. 7) goals than earlier generations of critics have acknowledged. She goes beyond the monolithic model of the Catholic reformer directing the artist's representation of each iconographic detail (much like the traditional view of biblical inspiration). …


ABSTRACTThe preparation of micro-/mesoporous SBA-16 adsorbent by rice husk derived sodium silicate as the silica source and its acetone adsorption/desorption behaviors were reported for the first time. The pore structural properties of waste-derived SBA-16 materials were controlled and optimized by adjusting the surfactant/silica molar ratios from 0.002 to 0.01 for achieving the best acetone adsorption performance. And the relationship between structural properties and acetone adsorption performances of SBA-16 adsorbents was investigated. The resultant waste-derived SBA-16 materials, denoted as RSBA-16, had specific surface areas of 575–1001 m2 g–1, pore sizes of 3.3–3.7 nm and pore volumes of 0.41–0.72 cm3 g–1. Among the studied adsorbents, RSBA-16(0.004) exhibited the highest saturated acetone adsorption capacity of 179 mg g–1. It also showed excellent regeneration stability during 20 consecutive cycles. The results indicated that specific surface areas in both micro- and meso-pore ranges were the main factor that determined the superiority of acetone adsorption capacity of RSBA-16(0.004) over other adsorbents such as mesoporous RMCM-41 and micro-/mesoporous RSBA-15. The acetone adsorption experiments at 500–5000 ppmv demonstrated that the adsorption isotherm was well fitted with the Langmuir model, thus the adsorption of acetone on RSBA-16 might be a monolayer physisorption process. The results demonstrated the high adsorption capacity and cyclic stability of waste-derived RSBA-16(0.004) can be considered as a potential adsorbent for VOCs removals.


The Indoor Air and Children's Health Study is a prospective cohort study of the relation between indoor air pollution and lower respiratory illness (LRI) during the first 2 years of life. Information on family and household characteristics was obtained from a health maintenance organization for 1,424 infants enrolled at birth. Data on LRI were abstracted from medical records. The incidence of all LRI was 48.4 per 100 child-years. Wheezing-associated respiratory illness (WARI)/ asthma was the most common specific LRI, with an incidence of 11.5 per 100 child-years. Total LRI incidence was lowest during the first 6 months of life. Girls had lower incidence than boys [rate ratio (RR) = 0.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.7–0.8)]. With the exception of croup, all LRI were most common during February and March. These results are comparable with those of other prospective studies. Consistent with other studies, self-reported maternal smoking demonstrated an RR of 1.5 (95% CI = 1.2–1.8) for total LRI, but the association varied for specific LRIs from 2.3 (95% CI = 1.5–3.0) for WARI/asthma to 1.0 (95% CI = 0.7–1.6) for bronchitis.


: Morphofunctional changes in HeLa cell culture following treatment with various concentrations of selenium ion during 2, 4 and 24 hours are described. Variations in mitotic index, duration of separate mitotic stages and a profile of pathologic mitoses were established. Inhibition of cell entry into the S-phase of mitotic cycle and modifications of RNA and protein synthesis after treatment with 0.1 and 0.25 ppm of the trace element was shown autoradiographically. Increased destruction of cell monolayer following contact with selenium was demonstrated by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. It is suggested that selenium exerts a toxic effect on tumor cells although this mechanism is not yet clear.


JIPITEC 10 (2019) 2 - In order to evaluate the regulatory effects of the GDPR on the institution of privacy as a public good, a data protection law and economical perspective should be applied. Conveying an economic point of view on the GDPR, we include a game-theoretical model on the rights and duties arising out of the GDPR in order to clarify the possible game-theoretical strategies and discuss the compensatory mechanisms for the problem of asymmetric information between the data controller and the data subject. Furthermore, we point out the concepts of control and the legal construction of "data ownership" as an unsatisfying concept. The fact that services within the scope of the GDPR can rewrite their privacy policies and afterwards request the users' consent or otherwise lock them out of the service causes undue pressure on the data subject. The recent decision of the Federal Cartel Office of Germany disputed this behaviour and imposed far-reaching restrictions on Facebook. Thus, elements of the GDPR have begun to fall within the remit of competition law and the question of effective regulatory compensation regarding the economic effects in privacy should be addressed. In general, the measurement of privacy risks seems to be the first reasonable step towards empowering actors to make effective decisions.


HIV and AIDS continue to pose a global health and development challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the world. In spite of the accelerated efforts to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic, there still remains an unabated challenge, i.e. continuing new infections, particularly among young African adults. HIV is largely transmitted through unprotected vaginal and anal sexual intercourse. This study sought to unpack the meaning of ukujola (casual or informal sexual relationships) as socially constructed by Zulu people, and to identify underlying socio-economic factors for ukujola. This study uses a generic qualitative study approach in which 32 qualitative interviews (4 focus groups, 20 in-depth interviews and 8 key-informant interviews) were conducted with isiZulu-speaking participants (aged 21–34) from Umgungundlovu district, KwaZulu-Natal province. The study found that ukujola relationships are a relatively new phenomenon in Zulu society. Ukujola relationships encompass all "illegitimate" relationships, i.e. in which there has never been involvement of the families. The involvement of families in negotiating ilobolo (bride wealth) is a pre-requisite for legitimate relationships, particularly marriage. Multiple concurrent sexual partnerships typically exist in ukujola relationships, and unprotected sex is common. There is a need for a national dialogue on ilobolo in the context of HIV and AIDS.


This paper reviews some of the research on the causes of the financial crisis of 200809, highlights the key events that triggered a financial panic in September 2008, and summarizes the key policy actions that the United States has taken to ameliorate the crisis. We document the characteristics and growth of the sub-prime mortgage market, and the distorted incentives and flawed regulatory structure surrounding the secondary market for mortgage-backed securities. We also assess the role for macroeconomic determinants of the crisis that serve to explain the bubble in U.S. asset prices, most notably low global interest rates attributed to either loose monetary policy or excess global saving. Although low global interest rates may have contributed to the boom in housing markets and speculative excesses, we believe that the financial innovations and microeconomic distortions played a more fundamental role. Finally, a recovery marked by higher private saving, weak domestic investment, and a large public deficit appears to be unsustainable. Ultimately, the U.S. economy will need to shift about 3 percent of GDP from domestic consumption to the export sector. This will pose some serious challenges to Asian economies that have come to rely on exports to the U.S. market.


In this paper a Quadrature Mirror Filter is implemented in VHDL, for wireless communication applications. The Quadrature Mirror Filter (QMF) basically is a parallel combination of a High Pass Filter (HPF) and Low Pass Filter (LPF), which performs the action of frequency subdivision by splitting the signal spectrum into two spectra. The QMF implementation is carried out on FPGA platform. The Xilinx IP Core generator will be used for instantiating the standard Xilinx parts. Xilinx ISE will be used to carry out the synthesis and bit file generation. The obtained Synthesis Report for implemented QMF will be used to analyze the occupied area and power dissipation. The study and implementation will be aimed to realize the equalizer for wireless communication system. Modelsim Xilinx Edition (MXE) will be used for simulation and functional verification. Xilinx ISE will be used for synthesis and bit file generation. The Xilinx Chip scope will be used to test the results on Spartan 3E 500K FPGA board.