Miliary (M) tuberculosis (TB) is a rare form of TB is in BCG vaccinated patients and occurs more frequently in immunocompromised patients. To evaluate frequency and clinical features of MTB in immunecompetent patients, we analyzed all cases of MTB diagnosed in a pulmonary department between 2000 and 2010, in patients with negative HIV test. We study 5 cases of 35 mean aged patients leading to an incidence of 2.6% among all TB patients seen in the same period. All were male, smokers and BCG vaccinated. One patient had diabetes and one had had viral C hepatitis. All had fever and poor general condition. One patient presented with acute respiratory failure. Chest x ray revealed bilateral interstitial micronodules in all cases. Tuberculin skin reaction was positive in 3 cases. Three cases were smeare positive. Medullary biopsy confirmed TB in 1 case. One case was retrospectively confirmed by good response to treatment. Extrapulmonary localization was: hepatic in 5 cases, splenic in 2 cases, lymph nodal in 1 case, cerebromeningeal, medullary,osteoarticular and renal in 1 case each. Treatment administered urgently was based on antituberculous drugs (HRZE) associated in 3 cases to corticosteroids. Outcome was favorable in all cases. One patient died 5 months after but due to another disease. In conclusion, MTB in immunocompetent and vaccinated patients seems to be more easily confirmed with a better outcome compared to immunocompromised patients as reported in the literature, when anti TB treatment is established very early. Really, in patients with radiological M and fever TB should always evoked and treated urgently as such.


Abstract Long space flights and planetary settlement will require sources of nutrition and chemicals that must be generated in space. This will include not only amino acids and vitamins but also oxygen, all of which can be generated by means of biosynthesis. Synthetic biology has the potential to generate organisms designed for supplying human nutritional needs in space. Photosynthetic microbes may be ideal for this purpose, as they are more efficient per volume cultivated than green plants at conversion of light to chemical energy, biomass and nutritional molecules. In addition, microbes are easier and faster to genetically engineer, facilitating not only design and terrestrial manufacture of organisms optimized for growth and nutrient production in the artificial conditions of space, but superior ability in space to develop organisms suited to newly discovered environments. The rapid ability to adapt and create new microbes to suit new circumstances when in space offers significant potential for risk reduction. Development of sun-driven microbial production of nutritional chemicals would also have terrestrial benefits in commerce and sustainability. A synthetic biology approach to chemical production would not be based on fossil fuels as such fuels do not exist on other planets. This approach would highlight a synergistic relationship between outer space and 'spaceship earth', illustrating NASA's role in stimulating technology development with terrestrial application. Two specific approaches deserve consideration: production by traditional photosynthetic microbes, or by the newly appreciated capacity of some bacteria to absorb electric current (e.g. solar panels) to drive metabolism. Palatability and sensory stimulation are a key part of food consumption and could be engineered into microbes. As a first step, NASA should test a bioreactor in which genetically engineered, nutrient-producing photosynthetic bacteria are grown and harvested in space.


Uncertainties in marine controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) data consist of two independent parts: measurement noise and position uncertainties. Measurement noise can be readily determined using stacking statistics in the Fourier domain. The uncertainties due to errors in position can be estimated using perturbation analysis given estimates of the uncertainties in transmitter-receiver geometries. However, the various geometric parameters are not independent (e.g. change in antenna dip affects antenna altitude, etc.) so how uncertainties derived from perturbation analysis can be combined to derive error-bars on CSEM data is not obvious. In this study, we use data from the 2009 survey of the Scarborough gas field to demonstrate that (a) a repeat tow may be used to quantify uncertainties from geometry, (b) perturbation analysis also yields a good estimate of data uncertainties as a function of range and frequency so long as the components are added arithmetically rather than in quadrature, and (c) lack of a complex error structure in inversion yields model results which are unrealistic and leads to "over-selling" of the capabilities of CSEM at any particular prospect.


This paper provides an overview of school education in India. First, it places India's educational achievements in international perspective, particularly against countries with which it is now increasingly compared, especially China. Second, the paper examines schooling access in terms of enrolment and school attendance rates, and schooling quality in terms of literacy rates, learning achievement levels, school resources, and teacher inputs. Third, the paper investigates the role of private schooling in India, examining the extent of growth of private schooling and surveying evidence on the relative effectiveness and unit costs of private and public schools. Last, the paper discusses some major public education initiatives. The concluding section suggests a future research agenda and appeals for rigorous evaluation of the impacts and costs of the numerous existing educational interventions, in order to learn about their relative cost-effectiveness for evidence-based policy-making.


This study focuses on the development of novel two-stage esterification-transesterification synthesis of biodiesel from used cooking oil (UCO) using novel heterogeneous catalysts. The esterification of the UCO was investigated using three types of ion exchange resins catalysts including Purolite D5081, Purolite D5082 and Amberlyst 15. Of all the catalysts investigated, Purolite D5081 resin showed the best catalytic performance and was selected for further optimisation studies. From the optimisation study, it was found that the external and internal mass transfer resistance has negligible effect on the esterification reaction. At the optimum reaction conditions, Purolite D5081 achieved 92% conversion of FFA. During reusability study, the conversion of FFA dropped by 10% after each cycle and it was found that progressive pore blockage and sulphur leaching were dominant factors that decreased the catalytic performance of the Purolite D5081 catalyst. A kinetic modelling for FFA esterification was carried out using Purolite D5081 as a catalyst. Three types of kinetic models were investigated i.e. pseudo homogeneous (PH), Eley-Rideal (ER) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW). Experimental data obtained from the batch kinetic studies was successfully represented by the PH model and a good agreement between experimental and calculated values was obtained. The activation energy for esterification and hydrolysis reaction was found to be 53 and 107 kJ/moL. The transesterification of pre-treated cooking oil (P-UCO) was investigated using various types of heterogeneous catalysts including Purolite CT-122, Purolite CT-169, Purolite CT-175, Purolite CT-275, Purolite D5081, Diaion PA306s and Cs-supported heteropolyacids catalysts. Of all the catalysts investigated, Diaion PA306s catalyst showed the highest conversion of triglycerides and was selected for further optimisation studies. At the optimum reaction conditions, Diaion PA306s achieved ca. 75% of triglycerides conversion. During the reusability study, Diaion PA306s catalyst gave a similar conversion of triglycerides after being reused once. Therefore, it was concluded that the resin can be used several times without losing catalytic activity. Several purification methods have been investigated and dry washing method was chosen as the best alternative for biodiesel purification.


Teaching about the Great Irish Famine and World History IN MARCH 2001, an educational columnist for Newsday (New York) dismissed the New York State Great Irish Famine Curriculum Guide as another effort to promote ethnocentric history and the idea that the United States is little more than "a pastiche of different peoples, linked mostly by a Constitution and a system of interstate highways."(1) The columnist cited Chester Finn, Jr., a long-term opponent of multiculturalism, who insisted, "If we invite every faction in our society to insert their own best or worst episode from history, there will be no end of it."(2) The New York Times had a different take on the curriculum guide.(3) According to the Times, If all goes according to plan, those Irish cliches (shamrocks and leprechauns) would be replaced by appreciation for `the amazing potato'; the famine-ravaged town of Skibbereen; Annie Moore, the first immigrant processed through Ellis Island; and the modern historical view that the potato famine of the 1840s resulted not just from a natural calamity but from Britain's policy of exporting other crops that could have kept its Irish colonial subjects alive.(4) The article also credited the curriculum with drawing connections between events in Ireland in the 1840s and current issues, "including starvation in African nations, homelessness, immigration--as well as the history of other cultures."(5) Purpose of the Curriculum As the primary authors of the guide, we certainly liked The New York Times review better, but neither one captured what we tried to do, and believe we have done, with the curriculum. Our primary goals were to write Ireland into world history, not to create a separate course of study; to offer teachers standards-driven and document-based lesson plans, projects, and assessments; and to design a curriculum that addresses some of the big questions in world history.(6) This curriculum uses the history of Ireland as a case study for understanding world history from the Columbian Exchange (when Europeans were introduced to the "amazing potato," among other new things, from the Western Hemisphere) through twentieth century human catastrophes. Major academic goals include encouraging students to think critically about historical events and primary sources, to draw conclusions on the basis of criteria and evidence, and to debate fundamental questions about the responsibilities of government and individuals in times of crisis. In its final form, the guide will include 150 lessons for grades 4-12 that draw on science, literature, and the arts, as well as social studies and history. For the early grades, the curriculum guide centers on interdisciplinary projects. More than half of the lessons are intended for 7-12 social studies classes. The guide will be available in book form, as a CD-ROM, and on the World Wide Web. The lessons are divided into units that address four themes: * What forces were shaping Ireland and the world before the Great Irish Famine (e.g., the Columbian Exchange, the Reformation in Europe, and colonialism)? * Was the Great Irish Famine an act of nature? * How did the Great Irish Famine change Ireland and the world in the nineteenth century? * What is the legacy of the Great Irish Famine for our shared global future? Within the four areas defined by these thematic questions, the guide addresses a collection of what we call "big" questions that permeate the study of world history. Forcing Us to Think Whether intended or not, both newspaper articles did touch on big historical questions. In his attack on ethnic history and multiculturalism, the Newsday columnist was really trying to define the American experience, which implies the big question, "What does it mean to be an American?" The New York Times article, which presented the debate over Britain's role, introduced two big questions, one related to historical causality and the other to government responsibility. …


Voltage-dependent sodium channels cluster at high density at axon initial segments, where propagating action potentials are thought to arise, and at nodes of Ranvier. Here, we show that the sodium channel Nav1.6 is precisely localized at initial segments of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), whereas a different isoform, Nav1.2, is found in the neighboring unmyelinated axon. During development, initial segments first expressed Nav1.2, and Nav1.6 appeared later, approximately in parallel with the onset of repetitive RGC firing. In Shiverer mice, Nav1.6 localization at the initial segment was unaffected, although Nav1.6 expression was severely disrupted in the aberrantly myelinated optic nerve. Targeting or retention of Nav1.6 requires molecular interactions that normally occur only at initial segments and nodes of Ranvier. Expression at nodes but not initial segments exhibits an additional requirement for intact myelination. Because of their high density at the initial segment, Nav1.6 channels may be crucial in determining neuronal firing properties.


We evaluated the effects of variation in phenotype of Plutella xylostella (L.), diamondback moth, on within-host interactions between the bacterial pathogen Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner and larvae of the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia plutellae Kurdjumov. The outcome of interactions between the parasitoid and pathogen depended on host phenotype. Host resistance to the pathogen reduced the success of both the parasitoid and the pathogen. In susceptible hosts, the parasitoid did not affect performance of the pathogen, but the pathogen had a significant negative effect on the parasitoid. In moderately resistant hosts, the interaction between the parasitoid and pathogen was symmetrical and competitive; the parasitoid had a significant negative effect on pathogen performance and the pathogen had a significant negative effect on parasitoid performance. Highly resistant hosts were not susceptible to infection by the pathogen, which created a refugium from competition for the parasitoid. The results show that, similar to host-plant-mediated competition between herbivores, host phenotype can influence competitive interactions between parasitoids and pathogens.


A study was conducted to assess the extent of foetal losses from small ruminants and possible factors responsible for slaughtering female animals in semi-arid abattoirs of Hadejia and Malam-Madori, Jigawa State. The study was carried out using structured questionnaire administered to 160 respondents in the abattoirs for a period of three months (June-August, 2013). Specify the statistical tool you used to analyzed your results here. The results revealed that youths aged less than 25 (35.71%) and 36-45 (37.29%) years were the main source of labour in Hadejia and Malam-Madori.The respondents were mostly engaged in evisceration and skinning (75.71% and 82.86%) in the abattoirs. Majority (77.15% and 72.00%) of the respondents in both study areas were males, mostly (68.00% and 60.00%) married, few (12.00% and 9.33%) had tertiary education, while many (26.67% and 32.00%) had acquired secondary education. Small ruminant foetuses recovered from 6 to 10 per day were 65.71% and 52.85% which vary with season. It was concluded that there was a cause for concern on loss of fetuses especially among small ruminants. It is therefore suggested that awareness should be created among livestock rearers/farmers and butchers on the implication of slaughtering of pregnant animals and its consequence on the future of small ruminant's population since increase in population of any livestock species is based on reproduction. Thus, legislation prohibiting indiscriminate slaughter of pregnant or inbred female animals should be enforced or enacted as this has far reaching negative impact on reproduction/production and revenue generation in


Learning objects (LOs) are digital or non-digital entities used for learning, education or training commonly stored in repositories searchable by their associated metadata. Unfortunately, based on the current standards, such metadata is often missing or incorrectly entered making search difficult or impossible. In this paper, we investigate automating metadata generation for SCORM-complaint LOs based on user interactions with the LO and static information about LOs and users. Our framework, called the Intelligent Learning Object Guide (iLOG), involves real-time tracking of each user sessions (an LO Wrapper), offline data mining to identify key attributes or patterns on how the LOs have been used as well as characteristics of the users (MetaGen), and the selection of these findings as metadata. Mechanisms used in the data mining include data imputation via clustering, association rule mining, and feature selection ensemble. This paper describes the methodology of automatic annotation, presents the results on the evaluation and validation of the algorithms, and discusses the resulting metadata. We have deployed our iLOG implementation for five LOs in introductory computer science topics and collected data for over 1400 sessions. We demonstrate that iLOG successfully tracks user interactions that can be used to automate the generation of meaningful empirical usage metadata for different stakeholder groups including learners and instructors, LO developers, and researchers.


The authors present a case of pyomyositis of the piriformis muscle. This case, the first in the English speaking literature of piriformis involvement in a juvenile, serves to illustrate the need for a high index of suspicion when treating children with symptoms related to impalpable pathology deep in the pelvis and the usefulness of MRI in early diagnosis and treatment before abscess formation. It also shows the potentially wide differential diagnosis in which the signs and symptoms may be misleading due to the close relationship of the pelvic muscles with the hip joint and adjacent viscera.


Few studies have been done in Brazil on aquatic and semi-aquatic Gerromorpha and Nepomorpha (Heteroptera), Minas Gerais being the state where these insects have been studied the most. The present study presents keys for identification of Gerromorpha and Nepomorpha adults, thus providing a tool for ecological studies on aquatic insects in Central Amazonia. The specimens used to elaborate the taxonomic keys were collected in Presidente Figueiredo county in streams and artificial lakes and in Manaus county in streams, white-water floodplain (varzea) lakes and Rio Negro black-water flooded forest (igapo). Specimens from the invertebrate collection of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA) were also examined and included in the keys. Thirty one genera from 13 families of the infra-orders mentioned.


The architecture for an advanced, modular, all-digital programmable receiver capable of processing bandwidth-efficient digital modulation schemes at data rates well in excess of 100 Mb/s is described. The receiver is designed around a digital, parallel processing architecture to support high throughput rates while being adaptable to both continuous and burst communication systems. Based on the combined use of GaAs and CMOS technologies, a digital architecture that provides significant processing flexibility is presented. The programming of all critical receiver functions and attributes is supported through this architecture. The general concept is based on a set of high-speed programmable and reconfigurable building blocks that provide the user complete control of the demodulation, tracking, and data-processing functions.<<ETX>>


BACKGROUND
Preoperative carbohydrate treatments have been widely adopted as part of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) or fast-track surgery protocols. Although fast-track surgery protocols have been widely investigated and have been shown to be associated with improved postoperative outcomes, some individual constituents of these protocols, including preoperative carbohydrate treatment, have not been subject to such robust analysis.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of preoperative carbohydrate treatment, compared with placebo or preoperative fasting, on postoperative recovery and insulin resistance in adult patients undergoing elective surgery.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2014, Issue 3), MEDLINE (January 1946 to March 2014), EMBASE (January 1947 to March 2014), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (January 1980 to March 2014) and Web of Science (January 1900 to March 2014) databases. We did not apply language restrictions in the literature search. We searched reference lists of relevant articles and contacted known authors in the field to identify unpublished data.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomized controlled trials of preoperative carbohydrate treatment compared with placebo or traditional preoperative fasting in adult study participants undergoing elective surgery. Treatment groups needed to receive at least 45 g of carbohydrates within four hours before surgery or anaesthesia start time.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Data were abstracted independently by at least two review authors, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. Data were abstracted and documented pro forma and were entered into RevMan 5.2 for analysis. Quality assessment was performed independently by two review authors according to the standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. When available data were insufficient for quality assessment or data analysis, trial authors were contacted to request needed information. We collected trial data on complication rates and aspiration pneumonitis.

MAIN RESULTS
We included 27 trials involving 1976 participants Trials were conducted in Europe, China, Brazil, Canada and New Zealand and involved patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery (18), orthopaedic surgery (4), cardiac surgery (4) and thyroidectomy (1). Twelve studies were limited to participants with an American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade of I-II or I-III.A total of 17 trials contained at least one domain judged to be at high risk of bias, and only two studies were judged to be at low risk of bias across all domains. Of greatest concern was the risk of bias associated with inadequate blinding, as most of the outcomes assessed by this review were subjective. Only six trials were judged to be at low risk of bias because of blinding.In 19 trials including 1351 participants, preoperative carbohydrate treatment was associated with shortened length of hospital stay compared with placebo or fasting (by 0.30 days; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.56 to 0.04; very low-quality evidence). No significant effect on length of stay was noted when preoperative carbohydrate treatment was compared with placebo (14 trials including 867 participants; mean difference -0.13 days; 95% CI -0.38 to 0.12). Based on two trials including 86 participants, preoperative carbohydrate treatment was also associated with shortened time to passage of flatus when compared with placebo or fasting (by 0.39 days; 95% CI 0.70 to 0.07), as well as increased postoperative peripheral insulin sensitivity (three trials including 41 participants; mean increase in glucose infusion rate measured by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp of 0.76 mg/kg/min; 95% CI 0.24 to 1.29; high-quality evidence).As reported by 14 trials involving 913 participants, preoperative carbohydrate treatment was not associated with an increase or a decrease in the risk of postoperative complications compared with placebo or fasting (risk ratio of complications 0.98, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.11; low-quality evidence). Aspiration pneumonitis was not reported in any patients, regardless of treatment group allocation.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative carbohydrate treatment was associated with a small reduction in length of hospital stay when compared with placebo or fasting in adult patients undergoing elective surgery. It was found that preoperative carbohydrate treatment did not increase or decrease postoperative complication rates when compared with placebo or fasting. Lack of adequate blinding in many studies may have contributed to observed treatment effects for these subjective outcomes, which are subject to possible biases.


In France, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom, the influenza season 2011/12 started in the final weeks of 2011 and has been dominated by influenza A(H3) viruses with minimal circulation of influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 and B viruses. A relatively greater proportion, however, of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses were reported in hospitalised laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in four countries. Compared to the season 2010/11, the proportion of subtype A(H3) among hospitalised cases has increased, associated with a larger proportion of cases in the youngest and oldest age groups.


Need for taller structure in construction and real estate industry is increasing all over the world. These structures are flexible and constructed as light as possible (as seismic load acts on a structure is a function of self-weight), which have low value of damping, makes them vulnerable to unwanted vibration. This vibration creates problem to serviceability requirement of the structure and also reduce structural integrity with possibilities of failure. Current trends use several techniques to reduce wind and earthquake induced structural vibration. Passive tuned mass damper (TMD) is widely used to control structural vibration under wind load but its effectiveness to reduce earthquake induced vibration is an emerging technique. Here a numerical study is proposed on the effectiveness of tuned mass damper to reduce translation structural vibration. Total three type of models, i.e., shear building with single TMD, 2D frame with single TMD and 2D frame with double TMD are considered. Total five numbers of loading conditions are considered named sinusoidal ground acceleration, EW component of 1940 El-Centro earthquake (PGA=0.2144g), compatible time history as per spectra of IS-1893 (Part -1):2002 for 5% damping at rocky soil (PGA=1.0g), Sakaria earthquake (PGA=1.238g), The Landers earthquake (1992) (PGA=1.029g) for time history analysis of considered model.The effectiveness of single TMD to reduce frame vibration is studied for variation of mass ratio of TMD to frame. Also the effect of double tuned mass damper on the frame response is studied for uniform, non uniform distribution of mass ratio and variation of damping ratio of damper.From the study it is found that effectiveness of TMD increases with increase in mass ratio. Use of double TMD is much more effective than single TMD of same mass ratio for vibration mitigation under earthquake as well as sinusoidal acceleration.


Objective To delineate the critical decision-making processes that paediatricians apply when treating children with life-threatening conditions and the psychosocial experience of paediatricians involved in such care. Design We conducted semistructured, individual face-to-face interviews for each participant from 2014 to 2015. The content of each interview was subjected to a comprehensive qualitative analysis. The categories of dilemma were extracted from a second-round content analysis. Participants Participants were board-certified paediatricians with sufficient experience in making decisions in relation to children with severe illnesses or disabilities. We repeated purposive sampling and analyses until we reached saturation of the category data. Results We performed interviews with 15 paediatricians. They each reported both unique and overlapping categories of dilemmas that they encountered when making critical decisions. The dilemmas included five types of causal elements: (1) paediatricians' convictions; (2) the quest for the best interests of patients; (3) the quest for medically appropriate plans; (4) confronting parents and families and (5) socioenvironmental issues. Dilemmas occurred and developed as conflicting interactions among these five elements. We further categorised these five elements into three principal domains: the decision-maker (decider); consensus making among families, colleagues and society (process) and the consequential output of the decision (consequence). Conclusions This is the first qualitative study to demonstrate the framework of paediatricians' decision-making processes and the complex structures of dilemmas they face. Our data indicate the necessity of establishing and implementing an effective support system for paediatricians, such as structured professional education and arguments for creating social consensus that assist them to reach the best plan for the management of severely ill children.


The integration of decision-making will lead to the robust of its decisions, and then determination optimum inventory level to the required materials to produce and reduce the total cost by the cooperation of purchasing department with inventory department and also with other company,s departments. Two models are suggested to determine Optimum Inventory Level (OIL), the first model (OIL-model 1) assumed that the inventory level for materials quantities equal to the required materials, while the second model (OIL-model 2) assumed that the inventory level for materials quantities more than the required materials for the next period.                                                    This study was applied in Wasit Company for Textile Manufacturing in the Textile Factory, where it produces five products, which are printed striped, plain, poplin, dyed poplin and Naba weave.  The products are made from cotton and they are passing through several stages to transfer to the final product. A genetic algorithm is used to determine the optimum quantity of the purchase a cotton and colors for each month and with minimum cost. Where the purchasing and transportation costs were either constant or variable with respect to purchased quantities while holding cost is kept constant. The results showed that the total cost of the first model is minimum than the second model because the holding cost for this model is less from the second model, while the purchasing and transportation costs from two models are equals. The percentage of purchasing cost for cotton is the biggest value, more 99% of purchasing cost for two models.


Abstract This study evaluated the polymerization shrinkage stress of three tooth preparation designs for indirect ceramic overlay by finite element analysis: isthmus preparation (IST); without isthmus preparation (wIST); and non-retentive preparation (nRET). The models were created based in prepared dental typodonts and were digitally impressed with an intraoral scanner. The interfaces in all models were considered perfectly bonded and all materials were considered homogeneous, linear, and isotropic. The polymerization shrinkage of the cement layer (100 µm) was simulated and evaluated by maximum principal stress criteria. The stress peaks followed this sequence: restoration = IST (13.4 MPa) > wIST (9.3 MPa) > nRET (9 MPa); cement layer = IST (16.9 MPa) > wIST (12.6 MPa) > nRET (10-7.5 MPa); and teeth = IST (10.7 MPa) > wIST (10.5 MPa) > (9 MPa). For the cement layer, the non-retentive preparation (nRET) had the lowest shrinkage stress from all the groups, obtaining a more homogeneous stress distribution on the cement surface. Regarding the abutment teeth, the IST generated a higher shrinkage stress area on the dental structure, concentrating higher stress magnitude at the axiopulpar and axiogingival angles. Non-retentive preparation seems to reduce polymerization shrinkage stress.


Omnivores are generally believed to be flexible in their diet and trophic position: seasonal, ontogenetic and site-based differences in trophic position have been observed. We compared consumed and assimilated diet among four species within a group of omnivorous freshwater crayfish, to determine whether species that occur together at a site occupy different trophic positions. Diets of Geocharax falcata, Gramastacus insolitus, Cherax destructor and Euastacus bispinosus (Decapoda: Parastacidae) were compared using stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and gut content analysis across nine sites that varied in their species composition. Gramastacus insolitus consumed mainly plant material across all sites. Geocharax falcata consumed either plants or animals or both at different sites. Its trophic level was consistently similar to G. insolitus, despite differences in gut contents and source for dietary carbon. Cherax destructor consumed animals and had a relatively stable trophic position among sites. Relative trophic position of these three species was consistent across sites and regardless of food consumed, they were positioned as omnivores at a lower trophic level than predators but higher than primary producers and herbivores. Euastacus bispinosus occupied a higher trophic level than other invertebrate species but δ13C levels did not differ among sites. Cherax destructor and G. falcata may show flexibility in food sources and in the assimilation of food that determines their trophic position relative to other crayfish species. In contrast, G. insolitus and E. bispinosus are likely to show both a more fixed diet and less flexible trophic position. Therefore, not all omnivores show the flexible diet and trophic position generally reported in the literature. Some species of omnivorous crayfish may maintain a relatively constant trophic position across sites, seasons or changes in food availability regardless of whether their consumed diet alters or not.


We develop a two-pronged critique of a recent position statement of radical neurophilosophy, courtesy of Thomas Metzinger, who is but the most outspoken of a motley crowd of naturalist neurophiliacs. First, we argue against Metzinger's metaphysical stance – which amounts to a thorough neurocentric subjectivism. We claim that the position is self-defeating and utterly at odds with a sensible understanding of scientific world-disclosure. Second, we illustrate the strangeness of Metzinger's neuro-ethical position: The announced shift from actions to 'states of consciousness' as the unit of ethical concern makes little sense. Moreover, we reject Metzinger's claim to the effect that progress in the neurosciences creates novel and urgent ethical concerns calling for a whole new approach to ethics. Overall, this paper is an exercise in critical neuroscience.


An OED study, Financial Sector Reform : A Review of World Bank Assistance, March 1998 by Nicolas Mathieu, endorses an emerging wisdom -sectoral reform is a long, complex process that requires a sustained commitment by the Bank. As the Asian crisis continues to unfold, the Bank needs to acquire a deeper understanding of the dynamics of sectoral reform. The track record suggests, in fact, that financial reform has fallen on hard times-both across countries and at the Bank. The study found, for example, that in only 12 of 23 sample countries can the outcomes of financial sector policy and/or institutional reform be deemed satisfactory


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Different studies have reported of physical, social and psychological disadvantages in patients with psoriasis. Nevertheless, its impact on the health-related quality of life is not clarified sufficiently. Our objective is to know the repercussion of the moderate-severe psoriasis on the health-related quality of life with the Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI).

PATIENTS AND METHOD
An observational, cross-sectional, international study developed in dermatology practices in Spain and Portugal. During a period of 9 months, 332 participating dermatologist included a minimum of 10 consecutive patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. The date report form includes information about the health-related quality of life (PDI), as well as objective variables of severity as body surface area and PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index), pruritus, costs and willingness to pay.

RESULTS
A total of 3,320 patients were assessed. The majority of cases were males (57%) and the mean age at study inclusion time was 47 years. The mean value of the PDI was 8.93 (95% confidence interval, 7.83-9.21), which represents a percentage of global disability lower than 20%. The floor effect varies between 8.3% and 61.2%, and the ceiling effect varies between 0% and 3%. The correlations between the PDI and objective variables of severity (PASI and body surface area) were weak though statistically significant (p < 0.001) They all indicate that to higher severity of the psoriasis, upper negative impact in the health-related quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS
Psoriasis causes a negative impact in the health-related quality of life, though the magnitudes are weak and suggest some problems with the questionnaire. Possibly, the PDI reflects more the disability that the form in which the patients perceive and react to their state of health, and, several items seem to have a scanty applicability in the Spanish and Portuguese population. The PDI doesn't seem the appropriate instrument for this type of patients in our environment.


In this paper, a fast and accurate algorithm for solving ill-conditioned linear systems is proposed. The proposed algorithm is based on a preconditioned technique using a result of an LU factorization, which requires less computational cost than a previous method using an approximate inverse. The algorithm can provide accurate numerical solutions for ill-conditioned problems beyond the limit of the working precision. Results of numerical experiments are presented for con(cid:12)rming the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


As the search for a more desirable suture material for extraocular muscle surgery continues, various products must be used and evaluated. Catgut, made of ovine and bovine intestinal submucosa, has the advantage of complete absorption but has the undesirable quality of frequent large and unsightly granuloma formation. Synthetic suture material such as nylon, Supramid, and Mersilene causes little tissue reaction but must be buried and may subsequently erode through the conjunctiva or remain visible through the overlying conjunctiva.1 An extruded collagen suture * has now been made available. This suture, prepared from the deep flexor tendons of cattle, has the advantages of greater uniformity of size, greater purity, and, because it is more homogeneous, should have more dependable rates of absorption. Miller et al2have reported that the extruded collagen suture is smoother, more pliable, and has greater tensile strength than catgut. They used it successfully in 363 patients


Escherichia coli has served as a model organism for prokaryotes for several decades and is perhaps the most well characterised organism on earth. The use of fluorescence microscopy during recent years has contributed substantially to our understanding of the essential cell cycle processes chromosome replication, chromosome segregation and cell division.In this thesis, the co-ordination between chromosome replication and cell division has been investigated. It was found that cell division does not have to take place within a certain time after chromosome replication and that in the absence of chromosome replication, cell division is initiated but is most often not completed. Furthermore, the condensation state of non-replicating chromosomes was demonstrated to be severely affected in vivo in the absence of the protein MukB. Chromosome segregation disturbances were quantified in cells with a defective Min system, which is normally involved in directing cell division to the center of the cell. Possible causes for this disturbed chromosome segregation were investigated. Some E. coli strains form branched cells with a high frequency and the mechanism for the formation of branches was investigated. Branches were formed also after inhibition of cell division, showing that the cell division machinery is not required for the emergence of branches.Prokaryotes are divided into two main, evolutionary defined groups; Archaea and Bacteria, the last common ancestor of which might have lived 3-4 billion years ago. Here, cell division in the archaeon Haloferax mediterranei was demonstrated to share features with cell division in other archaea and bacteria, including E. coli.


The aim of this study is to examine the influence of local sport interests in one English
city in mediating national sport policy initiatives in education, land-use planning and
health. This is attempted through an analysis of relationships between key policy actors
and the strategies adopted to pursue and defend policy priorities, set within an historical,
institutional, political and socio-economic context. Given the increasing political
salience of sport, the rationale for the study is to understand the consequences for local
sport interests of the re-structuring of the policy area over the last decade.
The study is grounded in the ontological and epistemological assumptions of critical
realism and its attendant understanding of the dialectical relationship between structure
and agency. A neo-pluralist theory of the state and power is adopted in order to provide
a macro-level context to the three meso-level theoretical approaches utilised in this
study for analysing policy processes, namely: policy networks, the multiple streams
framework (MSF) and the advocacy coalition framework (ACF). This approach to
examining sport policy processes is complemented by insights from the literature on
local government and governance, given that the primary empirical focus is on
Liverpool City Council. The empirical work consists of an investigation of first, city
council sport policy from the 1970s to date and particularly the period 1995–2006, and
second, three aspects of local sport policy that relate to national sport policy, namely:
school sport, the playing fields issue, and sport's role in health policy.
In terms of research methods, the study utilises a case study approach that included
undertaking forty semi-structured interviews with personnel within the sport policy area
at the local, county, regional and national levels; an analysis of policy-related
documentation produced by central and local government; and observation in council
meetings and forums. A discussion of the findings examines the utility of the theoretical
frameworks drawn upon in explaining the findings of the study.


(PRUV) according to the described subtypes: 1. Intrahepatic form; 2. the form in which umbilical vein is directly connected to inferior vena cava or right atrium or iliac vein; 3. the form in which both umbilical veins persist. Material and methods: Between January 1996 and December 1999, unselected patients were prospectively evaluated at our Department. The sonographic diagnosis of PRUV (intrahepatic variant) was made in transverse section of the abdomen when the following criteria were met: 1. The portal vein curved towards the stomach 2. The umbilical vein was abnormally connected to the right portal vein instead of to the left portal vein 3. The fetal gallbladder was located medially to the umbilical vein apparently left sided. Longitudinal and coronal planes (B mode, Color Doppler) were also used to assess the venous system connections and to diagnose the other two variants. Results: PRUV was observed in 25 cases with a prevalence in our study of 0.47% (1/214). The intrahepatic variant was detected in 23 cases: no associated malformations and/or unfavourable outcome was found in 22 cases. One case was associated with single umbilical artery and the fetus subsequently developed growth restriction. One case of PRUV with umbilical vein directly connected to inferior vena cava (type 2) was associated with destrocardia: no additional malformations were found at birth. Discussion: Recent studies and our experience support that the intrahepatic variant seems to be a fairly common condition, mostly observed as an isolated finding with a good prognosis. However associated malformations may occur especially involving the cardiovascular system. The incidence of the other two forms is difficult to estimate considering the high rate of association with complex malformations.


Economic growth occurs as resources are reallocated from the traditional sector to the more productive modern sector. Yet, the latter is more vulnerable to political predation. Hence, political risk hinders development. We analyze a politico-economic game between citizens and governments, whose type (benevolent or predatory) is unknown to the citizens. In equilibrium, opportunistic governments mix between predation and restraint. As long as restraint is observed, political expectations improve and the economy grows. Once there is predation, the reputation of the current government is ruined and the economy collapses. If citizens are unable to overthrow this government, the collapse is durable. Otherwise, a new government is drawn and the economy can rebound. Equilibrium dynamics are characterized as a Markov chain. Consistent with stylized facts, equilibrium political and economic histories are random, unstable and exhibit long-term divergence. Our theoretical model also generates new empirical implications on the joint dynamics of income inequality, output and political variables.


We discuss the role of expert modelling in sustainability using a framework designed to improve the effectiveness of the modelling process. Based on the development of a set of reflective questions that can be used at certain key stages in the lifecycle of projects developing such models, we discuss how using the framework would lead to improvements in the coupling of the process of expert modelling with the process of intervention, which is implied by the existence of the expert modelling project. This questioning pushes the development of a framework beyond considerations of ontology and epistemology into issues of axiology and praxis; extending the notion of contested modelling beyond the narrow scientific sense to a wider social setting. Our framework has been developed through a case study analysis of the effectiveness of four research initiatives that have used expert modelling to address the complexity of intervention in a sustainability context. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Contractor selection is one of the most important aspects in the completion of UiTM construction projects. The successfulness of a construction project depends on the "right" contractor being selected. During the 'Lembaga Perolehan' 33rd meeting on the 4th August 2009, the Assistant Vice Chancellor requested for a study to be conducted with the main objective is to evaluate and assess the existing rules and regulation related to tender and quotation procedure in UiTM tender process for works and services projects. The main scope of this research is to identify and assess the existing procedure that has been implemented in UiTM and comparing it with the procedure of other agencies in Malaysia and to propose recommendations to UiTM for improvement of the tender process and evaluation. The data gathered for this project were mainly from the Pejabat Pembangunan, Pejabat Pengurusan Fasiliti of UiTM and from interview sessions with personnel from other agencies. The agencies involved were Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Telekom Malaysia (TM), Public Work Department (PWD) and Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID). The interviews conducted were to evaluate processes, as well as looking into the standard guidelines used by them. The first objective is to investigate the actual implementation of existing assessment of the tender and quotation of works and services for UiTM projects. Findings indicate that there were two (2) methods being used, which are the cut-off method and department estimation. The cut-off method provides a certain degree of transparency to the tender evaluation process as the optimum tender price will be governed only by the tenders received and not by other parties involved in the tender process. However, whether the Pejabat Pembangunan and Pejabat Pengurusan Fasiliti of UiTM did actually follow the procedures were not certain at this stage. There is a need for further investigation using research tools such as an observation of an actual tender evaluation process and a detailed documentation research.


The oxidation resistance of many high temperature materials, especially gas turbine materials, can be enhanced by applying protective coatings. In this study, aluminide and chromaluminide coatings were applied on a number of superalloys, viz., IN738, Rene 80, B1900, IN100 and IN713, using both high and low activity pack cementation process, and subjected to cyclic oxidation. Oxidation behaviour of the coated material was found to be dependent on the type of pack used, i.e. low or high activity pack and also on the composition of the base alloy. It is well established that small additions of so-called "reactive elements" increase the oxidation resistance of alumina former superalloys. The beneficial effects of these "reactive elements" are currently regarded as being of two kinds : 1) an improvement in oxide to metal adhesion, and 2) a reduction in oxidation rate for some systems. The results on the effect of certain alloying elements, such as Mo, Ta, Ti and Hf on the oxidation behaviour of these aluminide coatings are presented in this paper and a classification of the "reactive elements" is proposed.


The effects of process parameters (adhesive spread, press time, and applied pressure) on the response parameter (shear strength) of pine wood bonded with PVAc were studied. Response surface methodology was applied for design of experiments and for analysis of results. A mathematical model was developed to establish the relationship between the process parameters and response parameters. The results showed that the major factors were adhesive spread and applied pressure. The shear strength increased as the adhesive spread and applied pressure increased within certain ranges.


Background and objectives: Cervical pregnancy (CP) is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy (EP) in which the embryo implants and grows inside the endocervical canal. Early diagnosis is essential in order to allow conservative medical and surgical treatments. Although many treatment approaches are disponible, the most effective is still unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of hysteroscopic management in early CP in order to preserve future fertility. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational case series. Five patients with a diagnosis of CP, hemodynamically stables and managed conservatively between 2014 and 2019 at the Institute of Child and Maternal Health Burlo Garofolo in Trieste, Italy, were included. Four patients, with βhCG levels > 5000 mUi/mL were managed by hysteroscopy, with or without a previous systemic Methotrexate (MTX). One case with βhCG levels < 5000 mUi/mL was treated using MTX combined to Mifepristone and Misoprostol. Results: In one patient treated by hysteroscopy alone it occurred a profuse vaginal bleeding with necessity for blood transfusion. Haemorrhage was controlled by a second hysteroscopic procedure. No complications, such as vaginal bleeding, were recorded in the other cases. Serum β-hCG levels become undetectable in a range of 15–40 days after hysteroscopic management; after medical treatment it become undetectable after 35 days. Serum βhCG levels had a faster drop the day after hysteroscopy than post medical management. The onset of a spontaneous pregnancy at the normal implantation site occurred after five months in one case treated by hysteroscopy. Conclusions: Many therapeutic approaches are effective for CP treatment. Hysteroscopy, alone or in combination with MTX, may provide a greater effect on the descent of βhCG, leading to a reduction of the hospitalization stay, decreasing costs and period for attempt pregnancy. Further prospective studies on larger samples are needed to define therapeutic protocols for CP management.


In this thesis two approaches were applied to achieve a double general objective.
The first chapter was dedicated to the study of the distribution of the expression of genes of several bitter and fat receptor in several gastrointestinal tracts. A set of 7 genes for bitter taste and for 3 genes for fat taste was amplified with real-time PCR from mRNA extracted from 5 gastrointestinal segments of weaned pigs. The presence of gene expression for several chemosensing receptors for bitter and fat taste in different compartments of the stomach confirms that this organ should be considered a player for the early detection of bolus composition.
In the second chapter we investigated in young pigs the distribution of butyrate-sensing olfactory receptor (OR51E1) receptor along the GIT, its relation with some endocrine markers, its variation with age, and after interventions affecting the gut environment and intestinal microbiota in piglets and in different tissues. Our results indicate that OR51E1 is strictly related to the normal GIT enteroendocrine activity.
In the third chapter we investigated the differential gene expression between oxyntic and pyloric mucosa in seven starter pigs. The obtained data indicate that there is significant differential gene exression between oxintic of the young pig and pyloric mucosa and further functional studies are needed to confirm their physiological importance.
In the last chapter, thymol, that has been proposed as an oral alternative to antibiotics in the feed of pigs and broilers, was introduced directly into the stomach of 8 weaned pigs and sampled for gastric oxyntic and pyloric mucosa. The analysis of the whole transcript expression shoes that the stimulation of gastric proliferative activity and the control of digestive activity by thymol can influence positively gastric maturation and function in the weaned pigs.


In this work, experimental and theoretical studies of the free-radical initiated molecular weight degradation of polypropylene in a modular self-wiping corotating twin screw extruder have been investigated. Our objective was to build a model that would be able to predict the evolution of the average molecular weight along the screws, in relation to the processing conditions and the geometry of the twin screw extruder. Modeling the process involves resolving interactions occurring between the various flow conditions encountered in the extruder, the kinetics of the reaction and the changes in viscosity with changes in molecular weight. We have studied the influence of operating parameters such as the initial peroxide concentration, the feed rate and the screw speed on the degradation reaction. Good agreement was found between theoretical results and experimental values obtained by size exclusion chromatography measurements.


Jal`i}, B.: The first finding of a live stygobiont bivalve Congeria in the Lika region, Croatia. Nat. Croat. Vol. 10, No. 3., 213–220, 2001, Zagreb. By the side of the three already known separate populations of relic stygobiont bivalves of the genus Congeria in the Dinaric karst (Bela Krajina /Slovenia/, western Bosnia /Bosnia and Herzegovina/ and Dalmatia-Herzegovina /Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina/) a new population has been found in the underground area of North Velebit, in the drain part of the Lika River, Croatia. After the discovery of part of a shell on the bottom of Lukina Jama pit (–1392 m deep), thousands of specimens of Congeria have been found in Markov Ponor, all the way through more than 1700 m of underground tunnels. As well as a list of associated fauna, a description is provided of some of the ecological factors of the biotope whose temperature reaches a maximum of +6 °C, the lowest temperature in the habitats known.


Noise pollution is a silent villain as it's quite easy for being ignored by us. Urban areas are more exposed to this deadly agenda as the density of population and their belongings are excessive in there. This study differentiated noise levels of Sylhet City Corporation, a growing city of Bangladesh into different types according to the land use purpose of the city like residential, silent etc. One hundred and sixty-eight noise level readings, taken at 14 different positions during the morning, afternoon, evening, and night of selective weekdays which are categorized as busy days, typical days and weekends were utilized for this research. Results put the average noise level readings in the city centers at between 45 dB(A) and 95 dB (A), dissented from the permissible limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as national standardization organization: Department of Environment (DOE) in all the land use types, with the highest noise pollution levels recorded for transportation, commercial and silent typed areas. The result of the one-way ANOVA test completed where the dependent variable was noise and the independent variable was land use types uncovers a factually huge mean noise levels over the study area (F (4,115) = 9.52, p = 1.1079). Tukey's HSD method also carried away which showed the uneven difference of noise levels between the land types. The study represents noise pollution auditing, and the immediate needs to control urban noise pollution with convenient and effective policies some of which is recommended at the end of the study.


Within the thesis the author examines how Southern Sudanese refugees understand healing as a social process in a resettlement context within Australia. This examination has led the author to explore first how do we understand the distress of refugees, and second, what are the social processes that facilitate healing? The author builds on the argument that if healing is at least partly a social process then the re-building of a social world for refugees is critical for recovery. Social healing is the metaphor used as a way of describing this process and a new model of intervention. The key argument of the dissertation is that contrary to much of the literature, the distress exhibited by Sudanese refugees is related more to resettlement issues than to the experiences of violence that caused their refugee status. Broadly speaking, their distress is located in the 'social' milieu of their resettlement. It follows from this that the primary goal of intervention should be based on a model of the social that is developed in this thesis. This model differs from current intervention models in two principle ways: (i) instead of being therapeutically oriented to the individual, it requires the identification of social healing across three spheres of culture, community and power; and (ii) rather than focusing on the professional/ client relationship, intervention needs to be dialogically based on the agency of the Southern Sudanese community's attempt to make sense of their agonistic new location in Australia. The analysis is used to tentatively theorize social healing. The author also aims to build an archive of the subjective experience of refugee distress and their aspirations for and performances of social healing. The model of social healing developed builds on the emerging critique of a psycho-social discourse as it relates to refugees in a resettlement context that represents and problematizes refugees in certain ways. The author argues that the contemporary psycho-social approach, embedded in a therapeutic discourse, constitutes refugees in particular ways that draw on a dominant paradigm that is therapeutically, individually and technically oriented. This dissertation interrupts this discursive practice through drawing on several critical intellectual traditions (anthropology, philosophy and sociology) and also through empirical work with Southern Sudanese refugees that supports the intellectual critique. The distress of Southern Sudanese refugees is made sense of through an alternative paradigm (to the dominant psychological, therapeutic and individually orientated one), through using key concepts such as cultural trauma, social trauma and social distress. These concepts orient the reader towards the collective, the social and refugee agency. Conversely a new social model of healing is then developed that explores the spheres and resources of, albeit disrupted, yet still existing, culture, community and power within the context of a dialogical and elicitive approach to intervention. The new social model provides a new 'map' and new 'contours' for building theory and identifying practice implications that draw on refugee emic perspectives, endogenous resources and insider action in a resettlement context. The dissertation has used an elicitive approach to research. The research methodology parallels the social model of healing articulated. Interviews, dialogue workshops and participant observation have been used to gain empirical and participant data. At the heart of the methodology is an elicitive process of dialogue that provides the opportunity for a 'mutual journey of discovery' in re-building a social world of Southern Sudanese refugees within the spheres of: culture – through for example, [re]orienting and [re]cycling cultural practice; community – through for example, [re]creating bonding and bridging social capital, dealing with conflict, socializing 'suffering'; and power through contesting political (structural and post-structural) dynamics linked to citizen rights, formal organized power, and engagement with the settlement and welfare industry. Overall the dissertation is a useful contribution to the ongoing debates about psycho-social and moral-political work with refugee communities within multicultural contexts.


CNC(Computer Numerical Control) machine tool is the foundation and core of modern manufacturing systems, advanced CNC technology is the key to sustainable development of machine tool manufacturing industry. This thesis presents ARM as the main chip, motion control chip MCX314, the operating system using μC / OS-II, to build a CNC system development hardware platform and software platform, to explore the new ways for numerical control system development and design. This thesis can be divided into: CNC system hardware platform structures, including ARM and external hardware selection, hardware interface design and testing; MCX314 hardware platform design and testing; Software Platform, including the use of real-time operating system μC / OS-II to achieve the mission of the NC system, scheduling, management, μC / OS-II transplantation on ARM; MCX314 hardware platform building and testing; application framework built , program design and testing. Test results showed that: ARM as the main chip, MCX314 as a motion controller of the CNC system is feasible, its motion performance can meet the design requirements.


Variable block-size motion estimation (VBSME) has become an important technique in H.264/AVC to improve video quality. In this paper, we propose a scalable VLSI architecture for VBSME in H.264/AVC based on full-search motion estimation algorithm. The proposed architecture reuses the sum of absolute differences (SAD) to reduce the calculation complexity, thus minimizes the number of registers. A new scan order is introduced to produce the distributed SAD outputs, so the number of output buses is reduced. The architecture in this paper has scalability to compute VBSME with variable size of searching windows and PEs. Compared to the conventional approaches, the architecture shows a high throughput rate with less hardware. After logic synthesis using the DonbuAnam 0.18um standard cell library, the number of gate counts is 39K (16 PEs) and the maximum operating clock frequency is 416 MHz (256 fps@CIF).


Nursing at East Central College in Union. While many resources are also available to students at Rolla facility, this does not include specifics about Rolla resources or requesting delivery to Rolla. View the Nursing at ECC in Rolla guide.


Providing appropriate peritoneal dialysis is an ongoing challenge to renal care providers. As the residual renal function and the peritoneal permeability are likely to change with time, the dose provided by the PD regimen needs to be adjusted. Rather than waiting for clinical signs of underdialysis, the practising nephrologist and the PD nurse today have access to diagnostic tools to assist in the prescription of adequate therapy. Peritoneal dialysis prescription involves setting up a personalized dialysis schedule aimed at obtaining satisfactory clearance and ultrafiltration rates while respecting the patient's life-style as far as possible. The PD nurse has the most patient contact and thus plays a pivotal role with the other healthcare professionals in the care of the patients. As providers, it is our responsibility to inform the patients about their own care. As PD is a method of home dialysis, patients must have self responsiveness, technical and psycho social skills to deal well with the method.


The current study investigates the categorization of pronouns. The two prominent pronoun theories, Cardinaletti and Starke (1999) and Dechaine and Wiltschko (2002), directly conflict one other when categorizing pronouns in different languages, including Spanish and English. To investigate in more detail, the current study uses data from intra-sentential code-switching. Two experiments were conducted where Spanish/English bilinguals completed acceptability judgment tasks for code-switched sentences. There is no correlation between the results and the proposal by Dechaine and Wiltschko (2002). The results do, however, provide experimental evidence in support of the typology of pronouns proposed by Cardinaletti and Starke (1999). Their distinction of strong, weak and clitic pronouns correlates directly with the behavior of pronouns in Spanish/English code-switching. Strong pronouns, such as those that are coordinated, modified, prosodically stressed or in a peripheral position, are able to be switched. This is because the structure of strong pronouns, as proposed by the authors, includes a full Determiner Phrase (DP) projection. Weak and clitic pronouns, lacking a full DP, are unacceptable when code-switched with a finite verb. This difference in pronoun type is able to descriptively account for their acceptability in code-switching, a distinction that had not previously been fully accounted for in the code-switching literature. This study also suggests that this distinction between strong pronouns and weak or clitic pronouns might be further explored with a Phase Theory approach to code-switching.


The technique of double loop mass closure of vertical abdominal incisions converts a vertical incision into a physiologic incision by converting distracting muscular stress into an opposing force. Use of the closure in a small series of high risk patients has demonstrated it to allow closure of vertical incisions with subsequent wound healing without hernia, dehiscence or invasive wound infection.


This article describes a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—Education-funded (SNAP-Ed) healthy corner store intervention and novel evaluation method for tracking sales of promoted foods in two corner stores in North Carolina. The healthy corner store intervention was designed to encourage the purchase of healthy foods among SNAP participants. Stickers were placed on eligible foods to highlight healthy options as well as assist with tracking the sales of those products. Store staff removed the sticker and placed it on a tracking sheet that recorded the date, number of healthy foods purchased, whether the purchased item(s) contained a fruit or vegetable, and the type of payment. Storeowners were interested in participating and remained engaged throughout the program; however, there were challenges with fidelity to the intervention and its evaluation using the sticker method to track sales. Additional research on methods for evaluating healthy retail interventions that are simple, low cost, and feasible for retailers that do not have electronic sales data is needed.


A composite coating was prepared on Ti-6Al-4V surface by the combination of nitriding, Mo-sputtering and sulfurizing treatments. The microstructure and phase constituent of the composite coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Furthermore, the cross-sectional hardness gradient of the coating was determined. The results revealed that the composite coating consisted of Ti, Mo, MoS2, TiN and transition layer and the grain size of the sulfides formed on the coating surface were different with treatment temperature. The examination of the cross-sectional hardness of the composite coating revealed that the coating was an ideal tribological surface.


In this paper we studied the synthesis of polymer membrane materials and their characterization by various techniques such as Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), CHNS/O analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and performance in the form of volumetric flux and salt rejection. Herewith we have discussed about these techniques simply in details. The techniques are discussed as follows along with examples. Herewith we used polysulfone (PSf) membrane as a support membrane for our studies and we use all aforementioned techniques for polymer membrane characterizations. Novel thin film composite (TFC) membrane was prepared via interfacial polymerization (IP) on the surface of PSf membrane. The selective layer was prepared by the interfacial polymerization of 1, 3-benzenedithiol (BDT), and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) for water purification and the results have been discussed well in this paper. The result indicated that volumetric flux depends on the hydrophilicity of thin film. BDT 2 wt % and TMC 0.1 wt % solutions were found appropriate for high performance membrane. Such membrane exhibited 98.3 % salt rejection and as high as 79 L m 2 h water flux. Copyright © 2016 VBRI Press.


The aim of this study was to investigate changes in oxygen saturation (SpO2) occurring during the three days following hip surgery in patients in this hospital and to determine to what extent SpO2 might be improved by oxygen therapy for 24 or 72 hours. Eighty-three patients (aged 43-96 years) scheduled for elective total hip replacement or emergency surgery for hip fractures were studied. Forty-four patients had 24 hour postoperative oxygen prescribed by their anaesthetist or surgeon; we randomized these to either continue oxygen for a total of three days (Group 1) or to discontinue oxygen after Day 1 (Group 2). Patients not prescribed oxygen by the surgeon or anaesthetist (n = 39) were randomly assigned either to receive oxygen for three days (Group 3) or not to receive oxygen (Group 4). Oxygen was administered through nasal cannulae at a flow of 2 l.min−1. SpO2 was measured every 10 seconds for three days and stored on computer disc. Percentage of time spent with SpO2 below 90% was used as an idex of desaturation. Patients receiving oxygen had significantly improved SpO2. In patients not receiving oxygen, desaturation was most severe on Days 1 and 2, improving somewhat on Day 3. On Day 2 desaturation was similar in Groups 2 and 4. When oxygen was not being administered males were significantly more desaturated than females. Our investigations indicate that following hip surgery poor saturation continues for at least two days and can be improved by oxygen therapy.


The Ti-Al composite electrode materials was prepared by hot press diffusion bonding in this article, and by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), four-probe method, electrochemical workstation test means were used to test the structure and properties of the samples. The results show that the method of hot pressing diffusion sintering can achieve metallurgical bonding of Ti and Al with static pressure of 6MPa, holding times of 120min, in Ar and bonding temperature higher than 550°C,as well resistivity of the composite had dropped significantly, it was only 1/10 of pure Ti. The electrochemical properties of the composite electrode materials is also much better than pure Ti anode, and preparation conditions on electrochemical properties and the resistivity is consistent with law. This also shows that the conductivity of metal matrix will directly affect the catalytic properties of electrode materials for electrochemical. Therefore, changes in the composition of the electrode base material and structure not only reduces the cost and improve the performance of the electrode, also reached the purpose of energy saving.


As a mobile node switches from one subnet to another, Mobile IPv6 requires that it authenticate the new Care of Address of the new subnet with the corresponding node. The authentication process, called Return Routability (RR) test, is required in every handoff and can delay the handoff process by a round trip delay between mobile and corresponding nodes. In this paper, a mechanism is proposed to reduce the latency involved in RR tests and binding association. It eliminates triangular routing delay in RR tests by using multiple authentication tokens or easily regenerative tokens, so that the round trip delay in performing RR tests can be eliminated.


Subduction zones are the favorite places to generate tsunamigenic earthquakes, where friction between oceanic and continental plates causes the occurrence of a strong seismicity. The topics and the methodologies discussed in this thesis are focussed to the understanding of the rupture process of the seismic sources of great earthquakes that generate tsunamis.
The tsunamigenesis is controlled by several kinematical characteristic of the parent earthquake, as the focal mechanism, the depth of the rupture, the slip distribution along the fault area and by the mechanical properties of the source zone. Each of these factors plays a fundamental role in the tsunami generation. Therefore, inferring the source parameters of tsunamigenic earthquakes is crucial to understand the generation of the consequent tsunami and so to mitigate the risk along the coasts.
The typical way to proceed when we want to gather information regarding the source process is to have recourse to the inversion of geophysical data that are available.
Tsunami data, moreover, are useful to constrain the portion of the fault area that extends offshore, generally close to the trench that, on the contrary, other kinds of data are not able to constrain.
In this thesis I have discussed the rupture process of some recent tsunamigenic events, as inferred by means of an inverse method.
I have presented the 2003 Tokachi-Oki (Japan) earthquake (Mw 8.1). In this study the slip distribution on the fault has been inferred by inverting tsunami waveform, GPS, and bottom-pressure data. The joint inversion of tsunami and geodetic data has revealed a much better constrain for the slip distribution on the fault rather than the separate inversions of single datasets.
Then we have studied the earthquake occurred on 2007 in southern Sumatra (Mw 8.4). By inverting several tsunami waveforms, both in the near and in the far field, we have determined the slip distribution and the mean rupture velocity along the causative fault. Since the largest patch of slip was concentrated on the deepest part of the fault, this is the likely reason for the small tsunami waves that followed the earthquake, pointing out how much the depth of the rupture plays a crucial role in controlling the tsunamigenesis.
Finally, we have presented a new rupture model for the great 2004 Sumatra earthquake (Mw 9.2). We have performed the joint inversion of tsunami waveform, GPS and satellite altimetry data, to infer the slip distribution, the slip direction, and the rupture velocity on the fault. Furthermore, in this work we have presented a novel method to estimate, in a self-consistent way, the average rigidity of the source zone. The estimation of the source zone rigidity is important since it may play a significant role in the tsunami generation and, particularly for slow earthquakes, a low rigidity value is sometimes necessary to explain how a relatively low seismic moment earthquake may generate significant tsunamis; this latter point may be relevant for explaining the mechanics of the tsunami earthquakes, one of the open issues in present day seismology.
The investigation of these tsunamigenic earthquakes has underlined the importance to use a joint inversion of different geophysical data to determine the rupture characteristics.
The results shown here have important implications for the implementation of new tsunami warning systems – particularly in the near-field – the improvement of the current ones, and furthermore for the planning of the inundation maps for tsunami-hazard assessment along the coastal area.


Second-order optical nonlinearities in materials are of paramount importance for optical wavelength conversion techniques, which are the basis of new high-resolution spectroscopic tools. Semiconductor technology now makes it possible to design and fabricate artificially asymmetric quantum structures in which optical nonlinearities can be calculated and optimized from first principles. Extremely large second-order susceptibilities can be obtained in these asymmetric quantum wells. Moreover, properties such as double resonance enhancement or electric field control will open the way to new devices, such as fully solid-state optical parametric oscillators.


A unique and practical book for lawyers, social workers and social work students in Northern Ireland. Covering all areas of the law relating to social work practice, this title advises and guides, and clearly presents the vital legislative information in a clear and user-friendly style. Comprehensive and fully cross-referenced, Northern Ireland Social Work Law is an essential book for busy legal practitioners and health care professionals alike.


Transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1 is a potent growth inhibitor of epithelial cells. Loss of responsiveness to TGF-beta1 and/or loss of TGF-beta1 itself may be important in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive cervical cancer. Retinoids have antiproliferative effects on epithelial cells and have been used as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents for several human cancers. There is evidence that retinoids exert their effects by promoting the induction of TGF-beta. The aim of this study was to determine whether the expression of TGF-beta1 was altered in patients enrolled in a clinical trial designed to test the therapeutic efficacy of beta-carotene, a carotenoid metabolized to retinol, in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Using an immunohistochemical technique, tissues were stained with two types of antisera that react with the intracellular and extracellular forms of TGF-beta1. Matched cervical biopsies taken from 10 patients before and after treatment with beta-carotene were immunostained simultaneously to allow direct comparison of relative staining intensity. A significant increase in intracellular TGF-beta1 immunoreactivity was noted in cervical epithelial cells in patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia after treatment with beta-carotene (P = 0.003). These results demonstrate regulation of a TGF-beta isoform in vivo in humans in response to beta-carotene administered as a chemopreventive agent.


13C metabolic flux analysis (13CMFA) has been extensively applied in studying the glucose metabolism of yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Scheffersomyces stipitis. Here, we tried to augment the previous fluxomic studies by applying 13CMFA to rigorously investigate the metabolic flux distributions in S. stipitis and the recombinant S. cerevisiae strains when xylose was utilized as the sole carbon substrate. It was found that less carbon fluxes were diverted into the TCA cycle in S. stipitis than the recombinant S. cerevisiae strains. Compared to single sugar utilization, the co-utilization of glucose and xylose by S. stipitis led to increased metabolic fluxes into the futile pathway and the TCA cycle, but did not improve sugar-based ethanol yield. In addition, heterologous expression of xylose pathway in engineered S. cerevisiae strains may affect the glucose utilization. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3195–3202, 2013


The bacterium Escherichia coli is the most widely used expression host for overexpression trials of membrane proteins. Usually, different strains, culture conditions and expression regimes are screened for to identify the optimal overexpression strategy. However, yields are often not satisfactory, especially for eukaryotic membrane proteins. This has initiated a revolution of membrane protein overexpression in bacteria. Recent studies have shown that it is feasible to (i) engineer or select for E. coli strains with strongly improved membrane protein overexpression characteristics, (ii) use bacteria other than E. coli for the expression of membrane proteins, (iii) engineer or select for membrane protein variants that retain functionality but express better than the wild‐type protein, and (iv) express membrane proteins using E. coli‐based cell‐free systems.


Residential buildings in the UK consume around 28% of total final energy use. Therefore, in order to achieve the CO2 and fuel poverty reduction targets set by the Scottish government, it will be necessary to improve the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock. This research explores the improvement of the envelope's performance in traditionally constructed buildings (which represent 20% of the total stock) so as to reduce the space heating energy demand. Current studies show a great level of uncertainty regarding the long term effects of energy retrofit on moisture migration in traditional fabrics. Evaluation of risks, prior to any alteration on building's physics, is critical to avoid any future damage on the envelope's performance or occupants' health and well being. Moisture dynamics in buildings' envelopes are affected by the geometry of the enclosure, material properties and external and internal boundary conditions. Within the internal boundary there are several user related factors determining the environmental conditions like hours of heating use, number of rooms heated, temperature settings, ventilation patterns or cooking and dry clothing habits. However, due to the difficulty to obtain and model this information, internal climate is often neglected or extremely simplified. This research will explore the influence of user's behaviour on the risk of condensation in solid walls in order to predict the actual effects of retrofit measures. Specifically, it will focus on the users' influence on the hygrothermal performance of granite solid walls in Scottish tenement buildings after the insulation of the cavity between inner face of the masonry and the original lining. This research project intends to use Heat, Air and Moisture (HAM) numerical simulation to examine the impact of different behavioural patterns on the insulated walls. These patterns will be previously identified and analysed by means of long term environmental monitoring and occupants' in-depth interviews. The results of this research may be used to advice owners and practitioners about the feasibility of different retrofit measures and the behavioural aspects that need to be monitored after its implementation.


Genetic variation at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is vitally important for wildlife populations to respond to pathogen threats. As natural populations can fluctuate greatly in size, a key issue concerns how population cycles and bottlenecks that could reduce genetic diversity will influence MHC genes. Using 454 sequencing, we characterized genetic diversity at the DRB Class II locus in montane voles (Microtus montanus), a North American rodent that regularly undergoes high-amplitude fluctuations in population size. We tested for evidence of historic balancing selection, recombination, and gene duplication to identify mechanisms maintaining allelic diversity. Counter to our expectations, we found strong evidence of purifying selection acting on the DRB locus in montane voles. We speculate that the interplay between population fluctuations and gene duplication might be responsible for the weak evidence of historic balancing selection and strong evidence of purifying selection detected. To further explore this idea, we conducted a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis across 16 rodent species with varying demographic histories and MHC duplication events (based on the maximum number of alleles detected per individual). On the basis of phylogenetic generalized linear model-averaging, we found evidence that the estimated number of duplicated loci was positively related to allelic diversity and, surprisingly, to the strength of purifying selection at the DRB locus. Our analyses also revealed that species that had undergone population bottlenecks had lower allelic richness than stable species. This study highlights the need to consider demographic history and genetic structure alongside patterns of natural selection to understand resulting patterns of genetic variation at the MHC.


Abstract Dynamics of abscisic acid (ABA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) contents were followed in developing barley caryopses of the ABA-deficient mutant AZ34 and its parental cultivar Steptoe. Distribution of these hormones and HvPIP2 aquaporins (AQPs) was studied with the help of immunohistochemical methods in the roots and coleorhiza of developing embryos. In Steptoe, maturation of the caryopsis was accompanied by vast accumulation of ABA, while this hormone accumulated more slowly in the caryopsis of AZ34 and its content was lower than in Steptoe. Accumulation of ABA was accompanied by a decline in IAA level in the developing caryopsis, the process being delayed in AZ34 in accordance with the slower accumulation of ABA. ABA accumulated to high levels in the coleorhiza cells of Steptoe, while the effect was absent in AZ34. The high level of ABA was likely to be important for maintaining the barrier function of the coleorhiza, preventing germination of seminal roots and enabling seed dormancy, while the absence of ABA accumulation in coleorhiza of AZ34 may be responsible for the initiation of root germination inside the caryopsis. The abundance of HvPIP2 AQPs in the seminal roots was higher at the beginning of maturation of Steptoe caryopsis and declined afterwards, while the levels of APQs increased later in AZ34 in accordance with the delay in ABA accumulation. These results suggest the importance of ABA accumulation in coleorhiza for preventing precocious growth of seminal roots, and suggest regulation of IAA and aquaporin levels by this hormone during maturation of embryos.


Atom location by channeling-enhanced microanalysis (ALCHEMI) was used to determine the occupancy of Al atoms in the T1o site (t1o) of alkali feldspar. Building on the method demonstrated by previous research, analytical electron microscopy proves to be a viable technique for fully characterizing the Al-Si ordering state in the feldspar framework. We applied this method to orthoclase from Itrongay, Madagascar, and to its heated counterpart. Our preliminary results give 0.74 and 0.37 as 2t1 (=t1o + t1m) and t1o, respectively, for the original orthoclase, vs. 0.54 and 0.28 for heated orthoclase. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments have been performed, and the results agree with our ALCHEMI measurements. This new method promises to help resolve some complex issues relating ordering paths, for example, twinning in feldspars and domain intergrowth in plagioclase.


Patients with an incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) are limited in their lower limb motor function and are also associated with a wide range of physical and psychosocial problems, including in particular neuropathic pain. The consequences of spinal cord injury are challenging to treat and the potential for recovery is still very limited. Although recent trainingbased neurorehabilitation approaches using virtual reality (VR) show some promise, the
methods employed to date address only patient motivation issues and thus do not tap into the potential of VR. In particular, they do not directly promote activation of the underlying sensorimotor network to (re)activate cortical structures involved in control of the lower limbs.
This thesis makes a contribution to the understanding of the brain processing involved in lower limb movements mediated by VR, and its application to the treatment of iSCI patients. It is known that observing, imagining, and even understanding motor actions activate the neural networks involved in motor execution. Using VR training to activate this supraspinal network projecting to surviving parts of the spinal tract may thus promote rearrangement of
the network and bring substantial locomotion benefits and pain reduction to iSCI patients. To test this principle, a new VR neurorehabilitation system was developed to provide taskspecific VR training of isolated movements. The system displayed life-sized virtual lower limbs on a large screen, controlled by the user via size-adjustable shoes with integrated orientation sensors.
This thesis contains four studies, all based on the combination of observation and motor imagery, i.e. online motor imagination, a cognitive process in which a subject imagines himself/herself in the displayed movement situation. The first study using fMRI shows that it
is possible to extensively activate the neural correlates of the lower limb motor execution network using online imagination, even in the absence of overt movement. The first ever VR training system for lower limbs combining action observation, imagination and execution was developed, with four training applications for different lower limb muscles and functions. In the second study, a first investigation of the system in a pilot single-case study on iSCI patients showed that the training was well accepted by the patients and seemed to be enjoyable even if they were not familiar with VR. The motivation was high, which is promising for simple training of repetitive movements. The VR rehabilitation system required active
patient effort at all times and the results demonstrated improvement of lower limb motor functions and reduction of pain intensity. The third study, a training study on iSCI patients with motor dysfunction and neuropathic pain, revealed positive effects on a short-term and longitudinal development. In the fourth study, the findings were extended for a VR lower limb training scenario called "footbag", showing that motor online imagination and imitation for the VR "footbag" game and those of playing the game without or with reward revealed similarly activated brain regions. Furthermore, the results suggested that playing a game and being in control of the VR lower limbs is a rewarding activity per se.
The findings of this thesis extend previous results promoting the use of pure motor imagery, or of action imitation, as therapeutic approaches in lower limb neurorehabilitation. The use of VR techniques in neurorehabilitation may have profound implications on the facilitation of post-injury retraining of function and potentially promote reparative plasticity and functional
recovery. It has been shown that the VR system improves motor function and reduces neuropathic pain in iSCI patients. A further advantage of the system is its low cost compared to other training technologies, e.g. robotics. Essentially, the patients were able to generalize the training of individual movements to achieve functional improvements on their own with no task-specific training. An open question for future investigation is the extent to which these results can be generalized to other neurological patient groups, e.g. stroke.


It has recently been recognized that the role of the immune system in health and well-being is perhaps more far-reaching than previously imagined. An insufficient or overactive immune response is at the heart of countless pathologies including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. Monitoring immune responses by measuring cytokine levels has become an integral part of disease-related research, providing clues to the state of the immune system and how it could be targeted therapeutically. Understanding which cytokines are best for monitoring inflammation and immunosuppression, and knowing which are secreted by different immune cell types at each stage of maturation and activation, will provide essential insights into disease treatment options. Importantly, we need to ask whether the use of common biomarkers is good enough, or if a larger number of cytokines needs to be routinely measured to better understand the complexity of immune responses. View the Webinar


Graph-based architectures are becoming increasingly popular as a tool for structure generation. Here, we introduce a novel open-source architecture HyFactor which is inspired by previously reported DEFactor architecture and based on the hydrogen labeled graphs. Since the original DEFactor code was not available, its new implementation (ReFactor) was prepared in this work for the benchmarking purpose. HyFactor demonstrates its high performance on the ZINC 250K MOSES and ChEMBL data set and in molecular generation tasks, it is considerably more effective than ReFactor. The code of HyFactor and all models obtained in this study are publicly available from our GitHub repository: https://github.com/Laboratoire-de-Chemoinformatique/hyfactor


Objectives: This study was undertaken to compare the effects of IH with standard allopathic (SA) treatment. Methods: A randomized controlled, open-label, comparative trial, was conducted, in which alcohol dependents were screened verbally using the CAGE scale. The participants 80 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were randomized either IH (n=40) or SA (n=40) and treated cum followed up for 12 months. The primary outcome was more than 50% reduction in the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire [SADQ] rating scale at 12 th month. Data analysis was done for both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) populations. Results: ITT analysis reflected 80% (n = 32) of the patients in IH and 37.5% (n = 15) of the patients in the SA responding to CI before 2.4 treatment with absolute difference was 42.5% (42.5 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 23.0, 61.6]) and estimated effect: 6.6 (95% C.I: 2.4, 18.2), P = 0.0002. A significant difference favoring IH was also observed in three out of four domains of WHO QOL-BREF. Statistically significant difference was found in the number of drinking days (median difference: −24.00; CI: −39.0-−8.0; P = 0.001) and number of drinks per drinking day (median difference: −6.3 [95% CI: −11.3-−1.9]; P = 0.004), favoring IH. The results showed a similar trend in PP analysis. Medicines found useful were Sulphur, Lycopodium clavatum, Arsenicum album, Nux vomica, Phosphorus, and Lachesis. Conclusion: The results conclude that IH is not inferior to SA in the management of AD patients. More rigorous studies with large sample size are however desirable.


The cryptic thioesterase LovG is found to be responsible for product release from the lovastatin nonaketide synthase (LNKS or LovB). The same enzyme also helps improving turnover of LovB through hydrolysis of incorrectly tailored intermediates.


The potential of association mapping (AM) and genomic selection (GS) has not yet been explored for investigating resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the most destructive pest affecting soybean. We genotyped 282 representative accessions from the University of Minnesota soybean breeding program using a genome‐wide panel of 1536 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and evaluated plant responses to SCN HG type 0. After adjusting for population structure, AM detected significant signals at two loci corresponding to rhg1 and FGAM1 plus a third locus located at the opposite end of chromosome 18. Our analysis also identified a discontinuous long‐range haplotype of over 600 kb around rhg1 locus associated with resistance to SCN HG type 0. The same phenotypic and genotypic datasets were then used to access GS accuracy for prediction of SCN resistance in the presence of major genes through a sixfold cross‐validation study. Genomic selection using the full marker set produced average prediction accuracy ranging from 0.59 to 0.67 for SCN resistance, significantly more accurate than marker‐assisted selection (MAS) strategies using two rhg1‐associated DNA makers. Reducing the number of markers to 288 SNPs in the GS training population had little effect on genomic prediction accuracy. This study demonstrates that AM can be an effective genomic tool for identifying genes of interest in diverse germplasm. The results also indicate that improved MAS and GS can enhance breeding efficiency for SCN resistance in existing soybean improvement programs.


AIM To comparatively study the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy and thermo chemotherapy of ADM on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (7721) and human multidrug resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (7721/Adm). METHODS By means of water bath and MTT as say, the inhibition pattern of cell growth was observed. The effects of hyperthermia on intracellular concentration of ADM of 7721 and that of 7721/Adm were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS ① Sensitivity of 7721/Adm to ADM was significantly lower than that of 7721; ② Hyperthermia remarkably increased the sensitivity of 7721 and 7721/Adm to AMD; ③ Hyperthermia increased the intracellular concentration of ADM in those two sorts of cells mentioned above, especially in 7721/Adm. CONCLUSION Hyperthermia can increase the sensitivity of 7721 and 7721/Adm to ADM.


Subjective tinnitus is a symptom, the exact causes of which have eluded otologists to the present time. An effective cure appears to have been equally elusive. Despite its elusiveness, tinnitus appears to be an intriguing subject, as evidenced by the voluminous literature concerning it. In reviewing the literature, it is of interest to note that nearly as much has been written regarding objective tinnitus, a relatively rare type of tinnitus, as has been written about subjective tinnitus. This emphasis on objective tinnitus is most likely so because objective tinnitus is more amenable to objective observations and study than is subjective tinnitus. The wealth of factual information concerning objective tinnitus is notably absent in that segment of the literature devoted to subjective tinnitus. By and large, the papers which have been written on subjective tinnitus are concerned with only one or more of three main categories: theoretical explanations of the physiological