: Characteristics of the binding mechanism to specific muscarinic sites were determined by means of high affinity binding of tritium labeled N-methyl-4-piperidylbenzilate (4-NMPB) to homogenate from various regions of mouse brain: cortex, caudate putamen, thalamus, hippocampus, medulla pons and cerebellum. In vivo experiments confirm results obtained when investigating regional distribution of the muscarinic receptors in vitro. Kinetics as well as equilibrium analysis of the binding in the different brain regions to probe the nature of the binding is described. The combined data strongly support the conclusion that mouse brain exhibits functional heterogeneity of muscarinic receptors.


Polymer properties can be experimentally tailored by adding small amounts of different fillers, but they are expensive with respect to the classical polymer materials. This paper has been studied the enhancement and controlling of electric and dielectric properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) polymer materials by cost-fewer nanoparticles. Certain percentages of clay and fumed silica nanoparticles have been enhanced electric and dielectric properties of low-density polyethylene nanocomposite. Dielectric spectroscopy has been measured the electric and dielectric properties of low-density polyethylene with and without nanofillers at various frequencies (10Hz-100kHz) and temperatures (20°C, 40°C and 60°C). Also, it has been investigated the optimum percentages of nanofillers with respect to nanofillers type, filler concentration and temperature for enhancing electric and dielectric characterization of low-density polyethylene. Experimental measurements have been carried out on dielectric breakdown strength of new polyethylene nanocomposites materials under variant electric fields (uniform, and non-uniform) and variant temperatures. It has been specified the effective nanofillers factors on dielectric breakdown strength of polyethylene nanocomposites materials.


This paper introduces current situations of agricultural insurance market in Shaanxi Province. It is indicated that development of Shaanxi's agricultural insurance industry is faced with following difficulties. First, risks of agricultural production are various, occurrence frequency is high and losses are great. Second, effective supply of commercial insurance companies for agriculture is seriously inadequate. Third, farmers' demand for agricultural insurance is restricted by many factors. Fourth, government support for agricultural insurance is not generous. Then, it puts forward strategies for development of agricultural insurance in Shaanxi Province. These include: encourage commercial insurance companies to actively enter agricultural insurance market; establish perfect agricultural reinsurance system; strengthen propaganda of agricultural insurance and speed up agricultural industrialization; enhance policy support for agricultural insurance to promote its development.


The US trade war with China re-erupts, then subsides a bit. Chinese industrial profits surge. Fernandez rules out default in Argentina. The Indian government cuts red tape and harvests an RBI dividend. Bolsonaro comes under fire over Amazon blazes. Rosneft will start to settle oil trades in Euros instead of US dollars. China stops Venezuelan oil shipments. South Korean exports remain soft. Ramaphosa's policy priorities take shape in South Africa. Away from Emerging Markets (EM), Jackson Hole fuels expectations of a moderate pace of rate cuts, but the real blind spot in policy-making is the fiscal policy-debt-productivity nexus. To mark silly season, Trump proposes to buy Greenland; what does this story tell us about how America does business?


Introduction: Obesity is a cause of metabolic syndrome. Intermittent fasting is a method that is quite popular today, and this is an alternative method to lose weight compared to the traditional method of undergoing calorie restriction (20-40% reduction in daily calorie intake) and/or physical activity. However, the effect of intermittent fasting and physical exercise on changes in the muscle remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the changes in muscle histology in intermittent fasting and physical exercise in obese mice.
Methods: 8-weeks old mice were given a high-fat diet for two weeks and then grouped into four groups (a control group, group two as a group with a high-fat diet, group three with a high-fat diet which was given physical exercise, and group four was a high-fat diet which was given fasting for 8 hours 5 days a week, for two weeks). Histological analysis was performed to see the changes in the muscles with hematoxylin staining at 40 times magnification.
Results: The fasting and physical exercise group were significantly less weight gain. The histological results found that the muscle diameter widened in the physical exercise group compared to the high-fat diet group (p<0.05). In comparison, the fasting group was found to have almost the same muscle diameter as the control group without the high-fat diet (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Both intermittent fasting and exercise were effective in reducing body weight, whereas intermittent fasting is more effective than exercise in maintaining muscle mass by maintaining muscle diameter to prevent obesity.


The Kaczmarz method is an iterative algorithm for solving systems of linear equalities and inequalities, that iteratively projects onto these constraints. Recently, Strohmer and Vershynin [J. Fourier Anal. Appl., 15(2):262-278, 2009] gave a non-asymptotic convergence rate analysis for this algorithm, spurring numerous extensions and generalizations of the Kaczmarz method. Rather than the randomized selection rule analyzed in that work, in this paper we instead discuss greedy and approximate greedy selection rules. We show that in some applications the computational costs of greedy and random selection are comparable, and that in many cases greedy selection rules give faster convergence rates than random selection rules. Further, we give the first multi-step analysis of Kaczmarz methods for a particular greedy rule, and propose a provably-faster randomized selection rule for matrices with many pairwise-orthogonal rows.


Integrating basic to applied science and technology in medicine, pharmaceutics, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, biophysics, and irreversible thermodynamics, this book covers cutting-edge research of the structure and function of biomaterials at a molecular level. In addition, it examines for the first time studies performed at the nano- and microscale. With innovative technologies and methodologies aiming to clarify the molecular mechanism and macroscopic relationship, Nano/Micro Science and Technology in Biorheology thoroughly covers the basic principles of these studies, with helpful step-by-step explanations of methodologies and insight into medical applications. Written by pioneering researchers, the book is a valuable resource for academics and industry scientists, as well as graduate students, working or studying in bio-related fields


It has been reported that endocrine disrupter compounds (EDCs) interfere with the endocrine system, mimicking the action of sex steroid hormones in different species of mollusks. Prosobranchs are frequently used as a reliable bioindicator to evaluate EDC exposure. In this article, we evaluate the effects of the xenoestrogen 4-n-nonylphenol (NP) in the prosobranch gastropod Patella caerulea, which exhibits protandrous hermaphroditism as its reproductive strategy. We isolated a partial sequence of a GnRH-like molecule from the gonads of Patella caerulea. The deduced amino acid sequence is highly homologous to that reported for the Lottia gigantea GnRH. Patella caerulea GnRH (pGnRH) mRNA expression is widespread in both male and female germ lines during gametogenesis. We suggest pGnRH as a novel biomarker for the early assessment of presence of EDCs and monitoring short and long-term impacts on Patella caerulea community structure.


Introduction: Patient satisfaction is an important and commonly used indicator for measuring the quality in health care. Patient satisfaction surveys are one of the established yardsticks. Patients are coming from near as well as from very far to avail affordable and quality services at Biratnagar Eye Hospital.
Objective: To measure the patient satisfaction visiting to the Biratnagar Eye Hospital.
Methodology: The descriptive cross sectional study was done at Biratnagar Eye Hospital, Biratnagar Nepal. Systematic random sampling methods were used for data collection from nine departments, the sample size was 348, whereas 12 participants were rejected as they left interview and did not agree to participate in the study. Face to face interview was taken from the patients and verbal consent was taken before the interview. Analysis was done by using SPSS 17.
Results: Total 336 respondents were interviewed among them 54% were male, the mean age was 46 years the major occupation was farming 50% and 32% were unable to read and write. Overall satisfaction regarding behavior of staffs among patients was 96%. About 89% of the respondents said that nurses instructed correctly on the drug use whereas 7% said nurses did not explain clearly. Fourteen percent were unsatisfied with the registration process, 5% were unsatisfied by availability and behavior of nursing staffs during need. Ninety-nine percent were satisfied that doctors listen to them and 95 percent had confidence on doctor's advice. Eighty-two percent were satisfied with drinking water, 98% were satisfied with basic sanitation condition in hospital, 10% were unsatisfied with toilet facilities; and 97% were satisfied with availability of chair in waiting area. Ninety-seven percent said that they will recommend other about the Biratnagar Eye Hospital.
Conclusions: Overall satisfaction level regarding behavior of staffs was good but there is a need to improve counseling for drug use, toilet services need to be improved and should be cleaned properly, drinking water facilities should be improved.


INTRODUCTION
Variceal ligation (VL) eradicates esophageal varices faster than endoscopic sclerotherapy (ES) with a lower rebleeding rate and fewer secondary effects. However, most studies have evaluated the short-term effects of these treatments and some late complications may be overlooked.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
To determine the incidence and the characteristics of stenosis, we included 253 cirrhotic patients treated endoscopically for variceal bleeding from 1988 to 2004 in our hospital. ES was carried out with ethanolamine 5% and polidocanol 1.5%. ES and VL were carried out every 15 days until varices were eradicated and then at 3-, 6- and 12-month intervals; if varices reappeared, the initial treatment was repeated. Stenosis was considered mild when esophageal size was more than 10 mm and severe when the endoscope could not be passed through the stricture.

RESULTS
We found stenosis in seven out of 105 (6.7%) ES-treated patients and in 10 out of 148 (6.7%) VL-treated patients. The clinical characteristics of the patients and the previous number of endoscopic sessions were similar in both groups. Four out of seven ES patients developed stenosis during the first eradication process (mean: 11 months, 1-60), but this early stenosis was observed in one out of 10 VL patients (mean: 20 months, 1-72). Stenosis was severe in three out of seven ES patients (43%) but in only two out of ten VL patients (20%) (NS).

CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of esophageal stenosis was similar after treatment of esophageal varices with ES and VL, although VL had a tendency to produce later stenosis.


Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns are fiber-like materials that exhibit excellent mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. More importantly, they exhibit a piezoresistive response that can be tapped for sensing purposes. The objective of this study is to determine experimentally the piezoresistive response of CNT yarns that are embedded in a polymeric medium while subjected to either tension or compression, and compare it with that of the free or unconstrained CNT yarns. The rationale is the need to know the piezoresistive response of the CNT yarn while in a medium, which provides a lateral constraint to the CNT yarn, thus mimicking the response of integrated CNT yarn sensors. The experimental program includes the fabrication of samples and their electromechanical characterization. The CNT yarns are integrated in polymeric beams and subjected to four-point bending, allowing the determination of their response under tension and compression. The electromechanical data from a combined Inductance–Capacitance–Resistance (LCR) device and a mechanical testing system were used to determine the piezoresistive response of the CNT yarns. At a strain rate of 0.006 min−1, the gauge factor obtained under tension for a maximum strain of 0.1% is ~29.3 which is higher than ~21.2 obtained under compression. The CNT yarn sensor exhibited strain rate dependence with a gauge factor of approximately 23.0 at 0.006 min−1, in comparison to 19.0 and 1.3, which were obtained at 0.0005 min−1 and 0.003 min−1, respectively. There is a difference of up to two orders of magnitude in the sensitivity of the constrained CNT yarn under bending with respect to that of the free CNT yarn under uniaxial tension. However, the difference becomes smaller when the constrained CNT yarn was tested under uniaxial tension. This data and information will be used for future modeling efforts and to study the phenomena that occur when CNT yarns are integrated in polymeric and composite materials and structures.


Through the concepts of National Interest and Intervention, the study analysed the Cote d'Ivoire conflict trends and significance of the UN, AU, ECOWAS and Western Powers intervention in conflict resolution. The clash over interests between the AU and the Western Powers was at the centre of Ivorian conflict. Both the AU and ECOWAS lacked the capacity to resolve African crisis. AU performance was undermined by its member's diverse national interests. Through "New Scramble for Africa", Western Powers unsatisfied quest for African resources such as oil, cocoa, and gas were at the centre of the conflict and this has made it impossible for them to halt their interference. Instead Western Powers intervened on behalf of civilians behind the banner of 'Responsibility to Protect'. This has raised queries over the universal principles of state Self-Determination and Sovereignty. Western Powers only intervened were their interests are likely to be jeopardized by conflicts and where there are possibilities that they will benefit during/ after the crisis. Though their intervention in conflict prevented a humanistic catastrophe, generally the motives were stimulated by state-selfish interests.


The mechanical behavior of the E-Glass and Aluminum Hybrid composite is the subject of this research. A large number of writings has been referred in this regard, and it takes been discovered that dispensation circumstances dismiss remain adjusted to obtain Alcomposites construction. E GLASS and Aluminum mixture composites remain a modern group of the metal matrix composites with an ability to meet the needs of specialized manufacturing submissions. Aluminum mixture strengthening technology is a solution to the diverse and the ever-increasing service needs of an industries such by way of aviation, aerospace, automobiles, and a maritime, among others. These requirements are fulfilled thanks to better mechanical properties, the ability to manufacture aluminum hybrid composites using traditional methods, and the prospect of lowering production costs. Meanwhile of the manufacturing constraints are linked to the strengthening particulates, the efficiency of these products is largely reliant on choosing the correct mix of reinforcing materials. The results of this study show that E-Glass and Al-based hybrid composites have a lot of potential as a replacement for earthenware reinforced compounds and unreinforced Al-alloys in a variety of locomotive submissions that require low cost, in height strength-to-mass ratio, and greater dress confrontation. Finite element analysis was used to perform mechanical possessions such as tensile and impact tests (Ansys


Given here are the results of tests made to determine the effect of fuel consumption on the cylinder temperatures and the performance of a cowled Wright J-5 engine. The results of these tests indicate that enriching the mixture by increasing the carburetor size results in a reduction in cylinder head and barrel temperatures. The cylinders shielded by the magnetos or the points on the cylinder that do not receive a free flow of cooling air increase most rapidly in temperature as the mixture is leaned. A free flow of air past the cylinders is essential for satisfactory operation on a lean mixture. The results of these tests show that the Wright J-5 engine can withstand severe temperatures for short periods of operation. The test results also show to what extent destructive temperatures may be avoided by enriching the mixture.


Graph representation learning (also called graph embeddings) is a popular technique for incorporating network structure into machine learning models. Unsupervised graph embedding methods aim to capture graph structure by learning a low-dimensional vector representation (the embedding) for each node. Despite the widespread use of these embeddings for a variety of downstream transductive machine learning tasks, there is little principled analysis of the effectiveness of this approach for common tasks. In this work, we provide an empirical and theoretical analysis for the performance of a class of embeddings on the common task of pairwise community labeling. This is a binary variant of the classic community detection problem, which seeks to build a classifier to determine whether a pair of vertices participate in a community. In line with our goal of foundational understanding, we focus on a popular class of unsupervised embedding techniques that learn low rank factorizations of a vertex proximity matrix (this class includes methods like GraRep, DeepWalk, node2vec, NetMF). We perform detailed empirical analysis for community labeling over a variety of real and synthetic graphs with ground truth. In all cases we studied, the models trained from embedding features perform poorly on community labeling. In constrast, a simple logistic model with classic graph structural features handily outperforms the embedding models. For a more principled understanding, we provide a theoretical analysis for the (in)effectiveness of these embeddings in capturing the community structure. We formally prove that popular low-dimensional factorization methods either cannot produce community structure, or can only produce ``unstable"communities. These communities are inherently unstable under small perturbations.


Increased expression of PTX3 promotes the growth of basal-like breast cancer cells (Thomas et al. in 21 February 2017 issue). Abstract This Podcast features an interview with Antoine Karnoub, senior author of a Research Article that appears in the 21 February 2017 issue of Science Signaling, about how pentraxin-3 (PTX3) links increased phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling to stem cell properties in basal-like breast cancer (BLBC). BLBC is an aggressive type of breast cancer in which the tumor cells exhibit increased PI3K signaling and have stem cell–like properties. Thomas et al. found that aberrant PI3K signaling in BLBCs stimulated the expression of PTX3, which encodes a protein that functions in innate immunity. PTX3 promoted stem cell–like traits in mammary epithelial cells and stimulated the growth of breast cancer cells. Conversely, decreasing the abundance of PTX3 in breast cancer cells reduced both the growth of these cells and their expression of stem cell markers. The abundance of PTX3 transcripts in breast tumors negatively correlated with patient survival, suggesting that PTX3 may be a useful biomarker for stratifying BLBC patients and that targeting PTX3 may suppress tumor growth in some BLBC patients. Listen to Podcast


The paper is concerned with a study in the levamisole effect on lymphoid cells of bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lymph nodes of guinea pigs and CBA/mice. It is shown that levamisole stimulates the differentiation of immature bone marrow and thymus lymphocytes and restores the rosette-forming ability of thymocytes previously heated at 45 degrees C for an hour.


This paper compares economic outcomes across areas in India that were under direct British colonial rule with areas that were under indirect colonial rule. Controlling for selective annexation using a specific policy rule, I find that areas that experienced direct rule have significantly lower levels of access to schools, health centers, and roads in the postcolonial period. I find evidence that the quality of governance in the colonial period has a significant and persistent effect on postcolonial outcomes.


Company X is a reputable company that has more than 1000 people employees. One of the routines that performed by company X is orientation for new employees, and there is an event that invites them to visit the factory. The location of the main office and the factory is far, so this activity lacks time efficiency. This application aims to facilitate company X in conducting new employee orientation so that the location can be seen in the virtual world. The first thing in the process of making the application is visiting the factory to determine the shape and position of the object, so that the expected results are shown to resemble its original condition. 3d object and its texture are created using Blender application that can be imported into the made application. Collision feature aims to prevent users from penetrating the objects.The position, shape and location of objects contained in the application already resemble the original plant site. The main obstacle in making this application is the creation time, so the detailed map of the plant cannot be completed. The main building, the production building and the warehouse have been made, only small objects contained in the main building have not been contained.


Increasing the uptake of elective single embryo transfer is necessary to achieve the 10% HFEA limit for multiple IVF births in 2011. This thesis aims to explore patients' and clinicians' attitudes to eSET and to promote effective decision making regarding embryo transfer.

Study 1 compared neurobehavioural outcomes between twins and singletons in a prospective study of infants born very preterm (n=233). Despite having older (p=0.025) and higher social class (p=0.023) mothers, twins had the same risk of cognitive impairment at 2 years as singletons.

In study 2, a 44 item Attitudes to Twin Pregnancy scale (ATIPS) was developed and administered to a sample of clinicians, medical students and conference delegates (n=411). Item analysis reduced ATIPS to 2 short subscales. A-Twin (12 items) assessed perceptions of risks and benefits associated with a twin birth (α=0.7). A-SET (8 items) assessed attitudes to eSET (α=0.53).

Study 3 explored the reliability and validity of ATIPS-R in IVF patients. Exclusion of 2 A-SET items increased alpha to 0.8. Female patients (n=100) had more positive attitudes to a twin birth than clinicians (p=<0.001). Less than a third of patients felt that a twin birth was risky for infants and over 80% of doctors agreed that a twin birth was worth any risks to infants. First cycle IVF patients were more positive about eSET (p=<0.001) than women undergoing repeat cycles.

Study-4 developed a decision aid and evaluated its impact in a pilot randomised controlled trial (n=8). Lower decisional conflict in patients at embryo transfer was associated with more positive attitudes to twins at baseline (p=0.024) and less positive attitudes to eSET, (p=0.04). Although the attitudes of patients receiving the DA did not change, partners became more positive towards eSET (p=0.024).

Conclusion: Patients and clinicians underestimate the risk of a twin birth for infants and would benefit from educational interventions to promote eSET. The ATIPS-R is a useful measure for assessing the effectiveness of such interventions.

Abbreviations: SET- single embryo transfer; HFEA- Human fertility and embryology authority; IVF- In vitro fertilisation; A-Twin- attitude to risks and benefits of twins; ATIP- attitude to twin IVF pregnancy; A-SET attitude to single embryo transfer; eSET- elective single embryo transfer; DET- double embryo transfer; RCT – randomised control trial; DA- decision aid


Scholars of organization studies are right to be concerned with the limited contributions the
field has made to public policy despite the societal relevance of the insights it contains. The
combination of bulkiness and of insulated pockets of specialization could help explain the
relative isolation from policy making that tends to require a combination of speed and
multifaceted application. The social quality (SQ) approach is simultaneously an analytical
tool and a political project to secure dignity of precarious individuals. The multilevel
framework adopted by SQ can effectively channel the wide range of contributions from
organization studies in the service of public good. Using an ethnography of music lessons
followed by older adults in a cultural institution facing imminent closure because of
austerity measures, the article connects SQ work to contributions from organization theory,
which can shed light on organizing principles critical to well-being of older persons.


s 14th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine sll7 12.Were the responders invited by the affected country? By whom? 13.When was the intervention terminated? By whom? Why? 14.What were the differences in responses to different areas and why? 15.How will the effectiveness, efficiency, efficacy, benefits, and costs of each intervention be determined? By whom? 16.Was the responding unit self-sustaining? 17.How were the responders credentialed? To learn what we must, it is essential that all of the above questions eventually be answered and reported in a structured way that is readily accessible and reproducible.


Saudi Arabia is a developing country that is experiencing a rapid growth in its population and level of urbanisation. Higher education (HE) in the country has developed rapidly over the last ten years, and it is still moving through numerous major reforms. Largely, the concept of sustainability has not yet been formally adopted in public institutions in a way that could sufficiently remedy the range of activities that currently impact negatively on the environment. The central aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which planning and action for sustainability is currently being taken on university campuses in Saudi Arabia, and to review the opportunities and challenges for encouraging and enabling further progress to this end. The research that the paper draws on specifically investigated the influence of decision makers' personal knowledge and perceptions within Facilities and Project Management (FPM) departments at selected Saudi universities, and the constraints faced by FPM decision makers with regard to the promotion of sustainability on campus. This exploration was supported by the development of a theoretical framework that draws on rational choice theory (RCT). The research revealed mixed levels of prevailing knowledge and awareness towards sustainability among FPM decision makers within the case study university campuses. Cost notably came across as a dominant influence on FPM decision makers' choices and decisions, and it undoubtedly plays an important role in shaping the decision-making process alongside other key organisational factors. A number of barriers facing the incorporation of sustainability emerged with clarity, such as the lack of supportive leadership, the lack of sustainability knowledge and awareness among senior management and an absence of sustainability-related legislation policy or strategic direction in the HEIs concerned.


Reform movements in
science education have repeatedly called for more dialogic and
student-centered discussions during science lessons. The approach
secondary science teachers take towards talk during whole-class
discussions continues to be predominantly teacher-centered even
when curriculum materials are designed to support a shift in
discourse. This dissertation explores what factors may be
influencing the approach that both teachers and students take
towards whole-class discussions in order to understand why the type
of talk that occurs in high school science lessons is not changing.
In order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of this
issue, this dissertation made use of mixed methodology. To explore
secondary science teachers' beliefs in general, responses to a
statewide survey of science teachers (N=185) were analyzed
statistically to investigate factors that were related to their
efficacy beliefs about whole-class discussions, as well as their
beliefs about the effectiveness of dialogic and authoritative
approaches to bring about learning in students. Acknowledging that
discursive interactions are context dependent, a case study of a
high school chemistry teacher and her students (N=45) was also
included which examined both the teacher's and her students'
beliefs as well as how those beliefs manifested themselves during
instruction. Findings suggest that although teachers believe that a
dialogic approach to whole-class discussions is more important for
student learning than an authoritative approach, lower
self-efficacy for engaging in dialogic talk is related to limited
opportunities teachers have to learn and recognize alternative
strategies that can be used to shift talk during whole-class
discussions. Furthermore, school and student characteristics may
play a role in teachers' beliefs about the effectiveness of
dialogic talk as an approach to learning science. The teachers'
role is only one part of the interaction, however. This
dissertation also shows that secondary students have beliefs and
expectations about whole-class discussions that also influence the
type of discourse that can occur. Changing the type of talk that
occurs in high school science classes will require not only
professional development about talk strategies for teachers, but
also a shift in how students frame their role in discussions and
the purpose of talk in learning science.


The interaction between lipid vesicles and NGF(1–14) peptide, mimicking nerve growth factor, was addressed to fabricate peptide-associated supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). According to a model of predominant electrostatic interactions, zwitterionic and anionic lipid vesicles were used to optimize the peptide association with the lipid membranes. Both planar silica and core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) were used as polar hydrophilic substrates to form the SLBs functionalized with the NGF peptide. The hybrid biointerface was scrutinized by a multitechnique approach with QCM-D, FRAP and fluorescence spectroscopy in terms of self-assembling kinetics, lipid lateral diffusion, and energy transfer processes in the SLB-wrapped silica NPs dye-doped in the core. The response of neuronal cells to the NGF(1–14)-SLBs highlighted their promising application as a drug delivery nanoplatform for ageing-related diseases.


Alpha-alpha-trehalose-6-phosphate, synthesized by Oke was screened for hypoglycaemic activity. Alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats and fasted-rabbits were used in the study. The inhibitory activity of trehalose-6-phosphate on trehalase was also assayed. The study shows that alpha-alpha-trehalose-6-phosphate is a glucose analogue with potent anti-hyperglcaemic activity as shown by its hypoglycaemic response in fasted rabbits. The ability of alpha-alpha-trehalose-6-phosphate to attenuate the diabetic toxicity in alloxan-induced diabetic rats confirmed its potent anti-diabetic activity. The mechanism of action of this synthesized compound may be linked with its ability to inhibit trehalase, and increase the activity of the superoxidase dimutase present in the beta-cells of the alloxan-diabetic rats and also being a glucose analogue according to Puls principle, alpha-alpha-trehalose-6-phosphate is able to influence the intermediate metabolism of carbohydrate.


It is now widely recognised that employer demand for skills in Britain is quite low by comparison with several other industrialised nations, reflecting the fact that a large proportion of British enterprises have adopted relatively low value-added product (or service) strategies. In many companies, therefore, production tends to be concentrated towards the more standardised and less complicated end of the quality spectrum for which skill requirements are relatively low. At the same time there are certain industries where many British-based suppliers have apparently been pushed into higher value added activity as a result of competitive pressure from lower-cost foreign producers of low value added products. To date much of the evidence on the incidence of product strategies has been based on international comparisons (typically involving case studies). There has been little quantitative research investigating differences between British-based companies in the links between product strategies, skill levels and indicators of economic performance. This paper makes use of new measures of product strategy and workforce skills derived from the 2001 Employers Skills Survey to submit two widely-argued propositions to empirical scrutiny at establishment level: all else being equal, high (low) workforce skill levels are positively associated with high (low) value added product strategies; all else being equal, high (low) value added product strategies are positively associated with a high (low) degree of exposure to foreign competition. Both these propositions receive support from multivariate analysis which controls for employee size-group, sector, regional location, site function, recent sales growth and a number of other factors that influence skill requirements and export performance. Among other things, high-specification, high-skill product strategies are found to be highly correlated with a focus on national and international product markets rather than less competitive local and regional markets. Estimates of the impact of changes in product strategy on skill requirements suggest that, when enterprises do seek to upgrade their product strategies, the process may have a polarising impact on demand for skills. In sectors characterised by relatively high proportions of firms deploying high value added skill-intensive product strategies, further efforts to move up-market in response to competitive pressures are associated with disproportionately large increases in employers' demand for skills. Conversely, in sectors where low-end product strategies currently predominate, the impact on demand for skills of firms upgrading their product strategies appears to be relatively modest. The paper identifies a striking amoung of within-industry variation - as wll as between-industry variation - - in the degree of specialisation in 'high' , 'medium' and 'low end' activities along the product quality spectrum, with associated variation in skill requirements. While there is clearly some form of correspondence between product strategy choices and skill requirements, the sheer diversity of such correspondences between and within industries shows that there is no question of an entire national economy (or even regional economy) being locked into any single-kind of product strategu/skills 'equilibrium'. One key issue for policy-makers concerns the sustainability of the product strategies underlying different types of production. In product areas where local, regional and even national demands for basic-quality standardised goods and services are strong, product strategies based on low-skill, low value added production may well be viable into the foreseeable future for many firms. Such firms are likely to be resistant to government policy designed to encourage moves to more skill-intensive product strategies. However, the analysis also finds that high-end (low-end) product strategies are positively and significantly associated with recent growth (decline) in sales and with a relatively high (low) level of capacity utilisation. This implies that a significant proportion of British firms pursuing low value added product strategies could in fact enhance their competitiveness by moving to higher specification, more skill-intensive products and services. Two challenges for policy-makers are, therefore, to be able to identify the types of enterprises whose existing product strategies are unsustainable and, secondly, to develop new strands of education, training and industrial policy which will help to ensure that the future needs of such employers can be met.


Local linear methods are applied to a nonparametric regression model with normal errors in the variables and uniform distribution of the variables. The local neighborhood is determined with help of deconvolution kernels. Two different linear estimation method are used: the naive estimator and the total least squares estimator. Both local linear estimators are consistent. But only the local naive estimator delivers an estimation of the tangent.


In Arena Magazine No. 82, just on eleven years ago, I wrote about the denigration of Aboriginal homelands in very remote Australia, first by Amanda Vanstone as minister for Indigenous affairs and then by the likes of Gary Johns, then president of the now defunct Bennelong Society, and The Australian's news media in their conservative editorialising. I challenged these negative depictions of homeland living as being both emotive and ideological. Deep down, I doubted that such discourse, which ignored inconvenient facts about the relative success of homelands, would gain policy traction. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I see this discursive assault - a form of symbolic violence - as the harbinger of a project to eliminate the lifeways of the people who live on Aboriginal homelands. This process gathered pace with the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER, the Intervention), and I now interpret it as genocidal.


Throughout human history, people have sought to overcome the human condition and achieve the only form of immortality reasonably available to us: a legacy that "lives on" after we are gone. Legacies can be established in countless ways, including art (Leonardo da Vinci), literature (William Shakespeare), and athletics (Babe Ruth). The corporate form, though not previously recognized as such, can likewise serve as a vehicle for achieving an enduring legacy because corporations are endowed by the law with "perpetual existence." Publicly traded corporations in particular are well suited for this purpose, given the significant social and cultural role they play. Once a company goes public in an IPO, however, it suddenly becomes vulnerable to takeovers, which can end its corporate existence and thereby any hope of an enduring legacy. This unwelcome fate can be avoided, however, if a company goes public with powerful takeover defenses in place — which practically all do, according to new data presented here. Mature public companies, by contrast, are controlled by people who joined the board long after the IPO. These directors lack the same passion for the company's independent existence because, unlike the pre-IPO shareholders, their legacy is not tied to the company. Accordingly, a mature public company may be amenable to abandoning its takeover defenses. The data presented here shows that practically all new public companies — those launching their initial public offering (IPO) — go public with powerful takeover defenses in place. This behavior is puzzling because the adoption of takeover defenses presumably lowers the price at which the pre-IPO shareholders can sell their own shares in and after the IPO. Why would founders and early investors engage in this seemingly counterproductive behavior? This Article claims that IPO firms adopt takeover defenses, at least in part, so that they can remain independent indefinitely and create corporate legacies that last for generations.


Housing stock models have long been employed to estimate the
baseline energy demand of the existing housing stock, as well as to predict the
effectiveness of applying different retrofit measures and renewable technologies
on reducing the energy demand and corresponding CO2 emissions. This
research aims to develop a dynamic housing stock model to simulate the hourby-hour
energy demands of 1.2 million dwellings in the North East (NE) of
England using the 2008-9 English Housing Survey (EHS) data. The model is
validated by comparison to a steady-state energy model. Using the model, new
results predicting the impact of a large scale retrofit programme for the NE
housing stock are generated.


The unborn child is the bearer of rights which are violated by abortion. In the common law world
there is a complex mass of decisions relating to unborn children which are often difficult to
reconcile. Their incoherence derives from the obvious fact that the unborn child is an individual
organism of the human species, and the objective in certain respects is to ensure that he or she
does not have the same rights as other human beings. The common law has not treated the
unborn child as a legal person for all purposes. However it cannot be right that the most basic
question - who is the subject of human rights - who is a member of our community under the rule
of law - should be left piecemeal or incoherent either by the legislature or by the courts; and that
it cannot be reasonably treated as a matter to be decided by arbitrary line drawing by the
accidents of precedent Human Rights' is to be considered, abortion can not be regarded as
acceptable fertility control.The right to life is a 'core' right without which all other rights are
meaningless In seeking to protect the unborn there are some painful decisions to be made
because many women are in situations of injustice. Creative non-violent solutions to such
problems are far more desirable than abortion which is the ultimate social injustice. Even though
the enforcement of laws to protect unborn babies is difficult, this does not remove the need to
seek just solutions.


A simple proof of the coding theorem for the multiple-access channel (MAC) with arbitrarily correlated sources (DMCS) of Cover-El Carnal-Salehi, which includes the results of Ahlswede for the MAC and of Slepian-Wolf for the DMCS and the MAC as special cases, is first given. A coding theorem is introduced and established for another type of source-channel matching problem, i.e., a system of source coding with side information via a MAC, which can be regarded as an extension of the Ahlswede-Korner-Wyner type noiseless coding system. This result is extended to a more general system with several principal sources and several side information sources subject to cross observation at the encoders in the sense of Han. The regions are shown to be optimal in special situations. Dueck's example shows that this is in general not the case for the result of Cover-El Gamal-Salehi and the present work. In another direction, the achievable rate region for the module-two sum source network found by Korner-Marton is improved. Finally, some ideas about a new approach to the source-channel matching problem in multi-user communication theory are presented. The basic concept is that of a correlated channel code. The approach leads to several new coding problems.


CO2 is sequestered in geological formations by three trapping mechanisms: solubility, mineral and hydrodynamic trapping. This is to capture and securely storage the CO2 emissions produced by human activities from reaching the atmosphere. For this to happen the injectivity of the formation needs to be evaluated, for which formation permeability and flow properties are important factors to be determined. Also, relative permeability and residual saturation should be estimated when two phase flow is injected, e.g. brine and CO2. In this paper it was attempted to simulate numerically a core flooding lab experiment conducted to investigate injectivity of a sandstone sample. The experiment consisted of primary drainage displacement (brine displaced by CO2) followed by primary imbibition (CO2 displaced by brine) flood. The production profiles at both injection phases were estimated and the differential pressure across the sample was recorded. ANSYS software was implemented in this study to construct a 3D core sample with similar size to the one tested in the lab. A fine grid mesh was generated for the model. Both injection phases were simulated numerically using the lab data. The pressure drop across the sample and the velocity profiles were extracted. Also, the relative permeability of the two phases was estimated. The results showed a fairly good agreement with those obtained from the lab experiments. The results are presented and interpreted.


We present a latent variable model for predicting the relationship between a pair of text sequences. Unlike previous auto-encoding–based approaches that consider each sequence separately, our proposed framework utilizes both sequences within a single model by generating a sequence that has a given relationship with a source sequence. We further extend the cross-sentence generating framework to facilitate semi-supervised training. We also define novel semantic constraints that lead the decoder network to generate semantically plausible and diverse sequences. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model from quantitative and qualitative experiments, while achieving state-of-the-art results on semi-supervised natural language inference and paraphrase identification.


Assessment of patients on steroid replacement therapy is important to avoid the consequences of overtreatment such as osteoporosis. The aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the severity and the etiology of osteopenia in 24 patients (15 women, 9 men) with Addison's disease receiving 30 mg hydrocortisone. Mean age of patients was 55 15 years. Osteoporosis, diagnosed by the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) at the level of lumbar spine and right hip, was found in 58% of patients, i.e. in 10 women and 4 men. The latter had normal testosterone levels while seven women had an early menopause, the etiology of their Addison's disease being autoimmune. Three were on hormonotherapy. Correlations were found between BMD in the femoral neck and hip and the dose of hydrocortisone (mg/m(2)/day; mg/kg/day), the duration of treatment and 24 hr-cortisoluria/g creatinine. Multivariate analysis shows that 24-hr cortisoluria/g creatinine is a good predictor of BMD values. Thus, osteoporosis is frequent in Addison's disease and cortisoluria could be a useful tool to predict this complication.


Activation of resting T-lymphocytes induces synthesis of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and expression of cell surface receptors for this lymphokine. In contrast to resting normal T-cells that do not express high-affinity IL-2 receptors (IL-2R), abnormal T-cells of patients with leukemia-lymphoma, certain autoimmune disorders, and individuals rejecting allografts express this receptor. Exploiting this difference in receptor expression, antibodies to the IL-2 receptor have been used effectively to treat patients with leukemia and lymphoma. One approach is to use monoclonal antibodies produced in mice; the disadvantage is that they are highly immunogenic. In an effort to reduce the immunogenicity of the mouse monoclonal antibodies, monoclonal-antibody-mediated therapy has been revolutionized by generating humanized antibodies produced by genetic engineering in which the molecule is human except for the antigen-combining regions, which are retained from the mouse. Further, to increase its cytotoxic effectiveness, the monoclonal antibody has been armed with toxins or radionuclides. Alternatively, IL-2 itself has been linked to a toxin to kill IL-2 receptor-bearing cells. Thus, IL-2 receptor-directed therapy provides a new method for treating certain neoplastic diseases and autoimmune disorders and for preventing allograft rejection.


Background: Recurrent optic neuritis (ON) is used to consider being associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Meningoencephalitis has recently become recommended indications for clinical findings typical of MOG encephalomyelitis.

Object: We herein report a Chinese patient with recurrent ON at the disease beginning, who was delayed diagnosis of MOG-IgG syndrome, until recurrent meningoencephalitis appeared and serum MOG-IgG was detected.

Methods: The clinical feature of a serum MOG-IgG positive child with relapsing ON and meningoencephalitis was described.

Results: From the age of 7 years old, an AQP4-IgG negative female patient had a total of 10 recurrences, including 4 times of recurrent ON, 4 times of fever and meningoencephalitis, and 2 times of ON along with meningoencephalitis. She was initially diagnosed as recurrent ON and treated with glucocorticoid followed by gradually tapering in the recurrence of ON. Later, she was diagnosed as central nervous system infection when fever and meningoencephalitis appeared, and antiviral drugs and glucocorticoid were used. However, when she came back to our department for follow up on July 2017, the results of serum demyelinating autoimmune antibody revealed positive MOG-IgG (titer 1:320)( in-house, cell-based assay using live cells transfected with full-length human MOG). The diagnosis of MOG-IgG syndrome was established.

Conclusions: MOG-IgG syndrome has symptoms similar to MS and NMOSD, and is easily confused. However, meningoencephalitis is helpful for differential diagnosis. Not only MS patients but also atypical NMOSD patients need to detect MOG-IgG.


This paper reviews the current debate on the causes and remedies of the recent European sovereign debt crisis. The survey starts from the observation that different views seem to share the following point: the non-optimality of the Eurozone. The European Institutions have identified two main causes of the crisis: high public debts in the peripheral countries of the Union and their delay in implementing structural reforms. As a consequence, the cost of the adjustment has been exclusively supported by GIPSI countries. However, the recessionary effects produced by austerity policies have been far more intense and long-lasting than predicted. After the failure of fiscal austerity, the heterodox vision has gained credibility: real imbalances between the core and the periphery of the Union are responsible for the current crisis. Ultimately, the main lesson of the crisis is that, given the systematic asymmetries across Member States, the Eurozone will be unable to gain sustainability unless a process of fiscal union will start.


OBJECTIVE
Drug-target relationships provide the basis for network-based polypharmacology, and target deconvolution is a key step in phenotypic-screening based drug discovery. Due to the complexity of the mammalian proteomics and the often-limited affinity of the lead compound, it is challenging to identify the drug targets, especially when the goal is to identify all targets. This paper attempts to provide a brief and comprehensive introduction to the various methods in chemical proteomics for target deconvolution by categorizing them into two groups: the biochemical enrichment and the proteomics-screening methods. Moreover, a brief introduction of related Mass Spectrometry techniques is also provided, together with recent progress.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The data for this review were queried from Web of Science and PubMed, the keywords used were Drug targets, Target deconvolution, and Chemical Proteomics. A total of over 500 relevant articles, with a time limit from 1953 to 2022, were identified according to search strategy. Duplicate records and review articles were excluded by their titles and abstracts. Finally, we found about 120 articles matching our inclusion criteria, which covered representative research and reviews of various target discovery methods.

RESULTS
Existing target discovery methods can be grouped into either biochemical enrichment or the proteomics-screening methods, with the recent emergence of a hybrid method combining these two such as lysine reactivity profiling. The advantage of the biochemical enrichment method is the ease of operation and the comprehensive target coverage. However, most biochemical enrichment methods require a high-affinity binding of the drug to the target proteins and cannot differentiate direct/indirect targets. The proteomics-screening methods do not require drug modification but have limited protein coverage, and most of them cannot differentiate direct/indirect targets.

CONCLUSIONS
Although existing target discovery methods have greatly facilitated pharmacological research, each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. New strategies/methods are needed to further improve both the coverage of the proteosome and the specificity.


Transit priority systems have the potential to improve transit performance and address capacity constraints by giving priority to transit movements over other traffic. This research focused on the effectiveness of conditional transit priority or the manipulation of traffic signal timing plans to reduce delay of late transit buses. The integration of two transportation subsystems—traffic signals and public transit systems—was studied. These subsystems interact along a congested corridor where they share a common roadway infrastructure and transit signal priority (TSP) regulates the interaction between traffic signals, passenger traffic, and buses. Previous research has focused on the evaluation of bus TSP performance at the route level. In practice, it is important to understand not only TSP performance at the route level but also the impact of TSP at the level of the traffic signal intersection (e.g., to allow progression in major cross streets). TSP can significantly improve performance at specific intersections, even though at the route level TSP shows a more modest impact. This study proposed the integration of several data sets such as bus scheduling and location, passenger flows, and TSP requests to evaluate schedule adherence at the stop level and TSP performance at the level of the signalized intersection. A congested arterial corridor was analyzed and regression analysis was used to determine the key factors that affect bus travel time and schedule recovery for late buses. TSP was found to be most effective at lower-volume intersections where queuing was less problematic. Implications of the findings are analyzed and discussed.


Action detection is an attractive area for researchers in computer vision, healthcare, physiotherapy, psychology, and others. Intensive work has been done in this area due to its wide range of applications such as security surveillance, video tagging, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), robotics, medical diagnosis, sports analysis, interactive gaming, and many others. After the deep learning booming results in computer vision tasks like image classification, many researchers have tried to extend the success of deep learning models to video classification and activity recognition. The research question of this thesis is to study the use of the 2D human poses extracted by a DNN-based model from RGB frames only, for the online activity detection task and comparing it with the state of the art solutions that utilize the human 3D skeletal data extracted by a depth sensor as an input. At the same time, this work showed the importance of input pre-processing and filtering on improving the performance of the online human activity detector. Detecting gym exercises and counting the repetitions in real-time using the human skeletal data versus the 2D poses have been studied in-depth in this work. The contributions of this work are as follows: 1) generating RGB-D dataset for a set of gym exercises, 2) proposing a novel real-time skeleton-based Double Representational RNN (DR-RNN) network architecture for the online action detection, 3) Demonstrating the ability of the proposed model to achieve satisfiable results using pose estimation models applied on RGB frames, 4) introducing a novel learnable exponential filter for the online low latency filtering applications.


This paper analyses long- and short-term co-movements between 14 international real estate stock markets based on bivariate testing for cointegration and correlation analysis. The results indicate that there exist strong long-term relationships within economic and geographical regions, but less long-run linkages between real estate markets in different continents. Thus, investors would benefit from broadening their investment horizon from their domestic continent to Australia, Europe, and Northern America. Furthermore, it is shown that within each region there are one or two key markets influencing neighbouring markets like Australia in the Asia-Pacific region, the U.S. in the Anglo-Saxon area, and France and the Netherlands in the EMU. Therefore it is implied, from an investor's point of view, that it should be sufficient to focus only on these central markets. With respect to the efficient market hypothesis, the findings by cointegration analysis put some further doubt on its validity for securitized real estate markets.


A number of studies have highlighted that adsorption to minerals increases DNA longevity in the environment. Such DNA-mineral associations can essentially serve as pools of genes that can be stored across time. Importantly, this DNA is available for incorporation into alien organisms through the process of horizontal gene transfer. Here we argue that minerals hold an unrecognized potential for successfully transferring genetic material across environments and timescales to distant organisms and hypothesize that this process has significantly influenced the evolution of life. Our hypothesis is illustrated in the context of the evolution of early microbial life and the oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere, and offers an explanation for observed outbursts of evolutionary events caused by horizontal gene transfer.


ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 related disease (COVID-19) is now responsible for one of the most challenging and concerning pandemics. By August 2020, there were almost 20 million confirmed cases worldwide and well over half-million deaths. Since there is still no effective treatment or vaccine, non-pharmaceutical interventions have been implemented in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. During times of quarantine, immunization practices in all age groups, especially routine childhood vaccines, have also been interrupted, delayed, re-organized, or completely suspended. Numerous high-income as well as low- and middle-income countries are now experiencing a rapid decline in childhood immunization coverage rates. We will, inevitably, see serious consequences related to suboptimal control of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in children concurrent with or following the pandemic. Routine pediatric immunizations of individual children at clinics, mass vaccination campaigns, and surveillance for VPDs must continue as much as possible during pandemic.


This paper extends the 'expanding-varieties' growth model in a two-countries-two-goods setup, and describes the dynamics of growth rates and terms of trade when the industry-based economy is the innovation leader, while the tourism-based economy is the follower (i.e. increases the number of intermediate inputs by readapting innovations developed abroad). Two types of transitional dynamics may exist: technological catching-up and technological falling-behind. Contrary to the standard result, technological catching-up by the follower is associated with lower growth rates with respect to the leader, whereas terms-of-trade effects guarantee positive growth differentials for the tourism-based economy when the technological gap with the leader increases over time. The underlying principle of 'increased relative demand' might explain the good economic performance observed in tourism-dependent economies.


BACKGROUND
The relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and fundamental motor skill (FMS) is inconsistent in early childhood, due to its complex and nonlinear characteristics. This study aimed to analyze the nonlinear relationships between MVPA, FMS, body mass index (BMI), sex, and age in preschoolers.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study with preschoolers (n = 204; 4.0 [0.8] y old; 99 boys), provided objective physical activity data, FMS assessments, and BMI. The associations between MVPA, FMS, BMI, sex, and age were explored using the network analysis (RStudio and qgraph).

RESULTS
Boys were more motor competent than girls in all FMS skills, while girls were more active than boys during the weekend. Older children were less active than their younger peers during these days. MVPA is weak and differently related to each FMS, and the leap skill emerged with the highest betweenness and strength values in the network.

CONCLUSIONS
For the assessed preschoolers, when considering BMI, age, and sex, the relationships between MVPA and FMS are inconsistent, and leap emerged as the main variable. During early childhood, these variables are connected as part of a complex system in which each skill has a dynamic role within the emerging pattern.


Remaining competitive in today's global economy is challenging. Only those companies survive who are able to design products that are in tune with today's consumer needs. Fashion trends constantly change and companies need to stay a step ahead. But in order to become a market leader companies need to understand the determinants of consumer decisions. This market awareness forms the foundation of sustainable growth. This descriptive cross sectional study is an attempt to identify the determinants and their impact on consumer buying decisions for local and international fashion accessories. Data was collected on lifestyle variables (Attitudes, Interests and Opinions) such as demographics, age, education, socioeconomic status through questionnaires in regards to buying local and international fashion accessories.300 questionnaires were distributed equally among women residing in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Data from 200 questionnaires were included in the final analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Both descriptive and inferential analyses were employed. Keywords: Lifestyle, Demographic factors, Consumer behavior


This paper proves the binary fingerprints clustering problem for 2 missing values per fingerprint is NP-Hard, and improves the Figueroa's heuristic algorithm. The new algorithm improves the implementation method for the original algorithm. Firstly, the linked list is used to store the sets of compatible vertices. The linked list can be produced by scanning the fingerprint vectors bit by bit. Thus the time complexity for producing the sets of compatible vertices is reduced from O(m⋅n⋅2) to O(m⋅(n−p+1)⋅2), and the the running time of finding a unique maximal clique or a maximal clique is improved from O(m⋅p⋅2) to O(m⋅2). The real testing displays that the improved algorithm takes 49% or lower space complexity of the original algorithm on the average for the computation of the same instance. It can use 20% time of the original algorithm for solving the same instance. Particularly, the new algorithm can almost always use not more than 11% time of the original algorithm to solve the instance with more than 6 missing values per fingerprint.


This article considers sparse signal recovery in the presence of noise. A mutual incoherence condition which was previously used for exact recovery in the noiseless case is shown to be sufficient for stable recovery in the noisy case. Furthermore, the condition is proved to be sharp. A specific counterexample is given. In addition, an oracle inequality is derived under the mutual incoherence condition in the case of Gaussian noise.


Oncolytic virus therapy is a promising new therapeutic method, one of an eagerly anticipated class of biological therapies against cancer. There are many different classes of oncolytic virus. One of these, herpes oncolytic virus, is strongly oncolytic and has a large DNA genome as 150k bp. HF10 is a spontaneous mutant of herpes simplex virus -1 (HSV-1) that replicates within tumors and destroys cancers without damaging normal tissue and organs. Clinical trials of HF10 are underway in Japan and the United States. The first pilot study of HF10 was initiated in Japan in 2003. This study examined the safety and efficacy of HF10 in the treatment of breast cancer and head and neck cancers; the trial also included careful dose escalation studies. In 2005, a clinical trial using HF10 to treat pancreatic cancer was initiated. screened In this Japanese study, 17 patients received HF10 in their tumor sites. A clinical trial in the United States is also ongoing to evaluate safety, tolerability and evidence of antitumor activity in patients with refractory superficial solid tumors. Here, we report the evaluation of the 17 patients treated in Japan. Among the patients, 6 had recurrent breast cancer, 3 had recurrent head and neck cancer, and 8 had non-resectable pancreatic cancer. No severe adverse side effects have been observed, and some therapeutic potential has been reported based on pathological findings, tumor markers, and diagnostic radiography. Those results should encourage further clinical trials of HF10 around the world.


It is well known that distributed combined heat and power (CHP) systems for commercial and industrial buildings are economically desirable because they conserve energy. Here, a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) unit is described that brings CHP into the home providing both heat and electric power by replacing the typical home heating furnace with a combined TPV furnace–generator. First, the design of a 1.5 kWelectric/12.2 kWthermal TPV furnace–generator is described along with the key components that make it possible. Diffused junction GaSb cells are one of these key components. Secondly, an economic cost target is determined for this system where the cost of the photovoltaic array will be key to the economical implementation of this concept. Finally, it is argued that the GaSb cells and arrays can be manufactured at the required low cost. The cost target can be reached because the GaSb cells in the TPV furnace–generator can produce an electrical power density of 1 W cm−2 which is 100 times higher than the typical solar cell. The cost target can also be reached because the GaSb cell fabrication process parallels the silicon solar cell process where no toxic gases are used, no wafer polish is required and cast polycrystalline cells can be used.


Over the past year or so, the concept of developing markets for environmental services has attracted unprecedented attention in Australia. For example, environmental credit trading is gaining currency as a potential mechanism for managing dryland salinity, biodiversity, and preserving native vegetation in agricultural regions. The prospect of commercialising environmental services such as carbon sequestration, water filtration, and aquifer recharge is exciting because it would overcome the current situation where public demand for improved environmental quality fails to be communicated to private firms via a market mechanism. However, the creation and trade of property rights in environmental services is still in its infancy and numerous obstacles stand in the way of implementing market programs. This paper reviews the current status of environmental markets in the US and UK and highlights the lessons that can be gleaned from the success and failure of programs in these countries.


A facile polymethyl methacrylate-assisted turnover-transfer approach is developed to fabricate uniform hexagonal gold nanobowl arrays. The bare array shows inferior light trapping ability compared to its inverted counterpart (a gold nanospherical shell array). Surprisingly, after being coated with a 60-nm thick amorphous silicon film, an anomalous light trapping enhancement is observed with a significantly enhanced average absorption (82%), while for the inverted nanostructure, the light trapping becomes greatly weakened with an average absorption of only 66%. Systematic experimental and theoretical results show that the main reason for the opposite light trapping behaviors lies in the top amorphous silicon coating, which plays an important role in mediating the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons and the electric field distributions in both nanostructures.


: Self-estimated and measured intelligibility were compared using different instructions in speech audiometric tests. The results of 69 tested persons reveal that there exist speech levels in both test procedures where the intelligibility reaches 0% or 100%, respectively. In general, self-estimated intelligibility was significantly higher than real identification. Therefore, the self-estimation of intelligibility does not appear as an appropriate procedure to automated speech audiometry. The results are a speech audiometric equivalent of the subject's to have correctly understood speech in daily life in which in fact was misunderstood. Connections to central speech processing seem to be possible. Audiologists might be influenced by the effect of overestimation of speech intelligibility as well. However, preliminary investigations concerning pseudohypacusis show different results.


Abstract Aim To investigate the cariostatic and remineralizing effect of two commercial silver diamine fluoride (SDF) preparations on enamel and dentinal caries using a bacterial plaque model. Materials and methods A total of 32 extracted primary molars were divided into two groups (n = 16), group I (FAgamin), and group II (SDF). Plaque bacterial model was used to induce caries on enamel and dentin. Preoperative evaluation of samples was done using confocal laser microscopy (CLSM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy-scanning electron microscope (EDX-SEM). All samples were treated with test materials and evaluated for postoperative remineralization quantification. Results Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) revealed that mean preoperative levels (in weight %) of silver (Ag) and fluoride (F2) in carious enamel lesions were 0.0 and 0.0, which increased postoperatively to 11.40 and 31.05 for FAgamin and 13.61 and 31.87 for SDF, respectively. For dentinal caries, EDX revealed mean preoperative levels (in weight %) of Ag and F2 were 0.0 and 0.0, which increased to 11.47 and 48.71 for FAgamin and 10.16 and 47.82 for SDF, respectively postoperatively. Both the groups showed evident demineralization with exposed collagen under SEM. The mean value of enamel lesion depth for the group I and II were 38.64 and 39.30 µm, that reduced to 28.02 and 28.70 µm while for dentinal caries, the mean depth from 38.05 and 38.29 µm that reduced significantly to 28.96 and 30.10 µm, respectively (p < 0.001). Caries depth declined significantly after the application of both FAgamin and SDF (p < 0.001). Conclusion FAgamin and SDF show similar cariostatic and remineralization potential for dental caries. The bacterial plaque model used in this study is an efficient method to induce artificial carious lesions in teeth. Clinical significance A comparative evaluation of these two cariostatic and remineralizing agents will aid in identifying the efficacy of both commercial products in treating initial caries lesions in an effective noninvasive and child-friendly manner. How to cite this article Kale YJ, Misal S, Dadpe MV, et al. Comparison of Cariostatic and Remineralizing Potential of Two Commercial Silver Diamine Fluoride Preparations using Confocal Laser Microscopy and EDX-SEM Spectroscopy: An In Vitro study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2022;15(6):643-651.


A time-domain description of second-harmonic generation and steady-state spatial hole burning is used to model the performance of multimode intracavity-doubled lasers, avoiding some of the approximations implicit in rate equation models. Stable operation is predicted at the points of maximum power extraction, corresponding to passively locked FM laser operation, where the lack of amplitude modulation minimizes the nonlinear output coupling and the longitudinal-mode structure minimizes spatial hole burning. The laser intensity spectrum, predicted by this passive FM laser model, closely matches reported experimental results.


This paper represents the development of 3-axises loadcell for measuring the side-force of the suspension module of MPV (Multi Purposed Vehicle). The side force causes the failure of damper, such as leakage. The loadcell was developed using strain gauges, and the Wheastone bridge circuit to compensate for the cross-talk between each axises and the measurement error by temperature. Structure analysis of loadcell was accomplished with FEM (Finite Element Method) to optimize the location of strain gages. The design optimization for the important factors that have effects on performance of loadcell was accomplished by using DOE (Design of Experiment). Loadcell was produced and successfully tested, showing good sensitivity and low cross-talk. The cross-talk of the developed loadcell is below 2%. The measured history using the manufactured load cell will be utilized in the vibration, and fatigue analysis in the future.


Recently improved understanding of the pathogenesis of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has led to the development of new, molecular-based therapeutic strategies, one of the more promising is the utilisation of tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors, targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In this study, we tested for gefitinib effectiveness in a broad panel of 12 newly established HNSCC cell lines, investigating its ability to reduce cell growth, to induce apoptosis and to modulate cell cycle and various EGFR pathway-related targets. Gefitinib IC50 values ranged between 0.064 and 33 microM, its capability to induce apoptosis and cell accumulation in G0/G1 phase was cell line-specific, and the main EGFR-related pathway involved in gefitinib activity was PI3K/Akt/mTor. We characterised our in vitro panel extensively, with the aim to identify predictive factors for gefitinib effectiveness; all cell lines were free of human papillomavirus infection, two were positive for Fhit expression, four expressed wild-type p53, and all of them variously expressed the other two p53 family members, p63 and p73. The comparison between the targets analysed and gefitinib effectiveness evidenced the absence of a clear relationship, excluding them as predictive factors for gefitinib efficacy. Our results confirmed the in vitro efficacy of an anti-EGFR approach, but other targets than those analysed here should be characterised in order to identify valid predictive factors for gefitinib utilisation.


Platinum is a widely used catalyst in aqueous and electrochemical environments. The size and shape of Pt nanoparticles and the faceting (and roughness) of extended Pt surfaces change during use in these environments due to dissolution, growth, and reconstruction. Further, many Pt nanoparticle synthesis techniques are carried out in an aqueous environment. The surface structures formed are impacted by the relative surface energies of the low index facets in these environments. Density functional theory is used to calculate the surface energy of the low index facets of platinum as a function of electrochemical potential and coverage of adsorbed hydrogen, hydroxide, oxygen, and the formation of surface oxide in an aqueous environment. Whereas Pt(111) is the lowest energy bare surface in vacuum, the strong adsorption of hydrogen to Pt(100) at low potentials and of hydroxide to Pt(110) and oxygen to Pt(100) at high potentials drives these surfaces to be more stable in an electrochemical environment. We experimentally conditioned a polycrystalline platinum electrode by cycling the potential and find a growth in the total area as well as in the fraction of 110 and 100 sites, which are lower in energy at potentials where dissolved Pt is deposited or surface oxide is reduced. Further, we find that the lower surface energy of Pt(100) at low potentials may play a role in the growth of tetrahexahedral nanoparticles seen on square wave cycling of spherical Pt nanoparticles. Wulff constructions are presented as a function of Pt electrode potential.


Purpose of review Pulmonary cystic echinococcosis, a zoonosis caused by the larvae of the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, is considered as a major public health problem in countries where dogs are used to care for large herds. Despite its frequency and widespread endemicity, the literature on pulmonary cystic echinococcosis is scarce and not systematic. We aimed to summarize currently available information to provide a comprehensive overview for clinicians facing cases of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis. Recent findings Despite discrepancies in the literature, some patterns can be discerned. The ratio of lung:liver involvement is higher in children than in adults. Most pulmonary cases are discovered incidentally on routine radiograph evaluation; also most infected individuals remain asymptomatic until the cyst enlarges sufficiently to cause symptoms. Symptoms are usually caused by mass effect from the cyst. Complications (cyst rupture, aggregated infection) change the clinical presentation, producing cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, or vomica. Diagnosis is obtained by chest radiographs or computed tomography, and supported by serology. Presurgical chemotherapy reduces the chances of seeding and recurrence. Treatment with benzimidazoles is an option when surgery is unavailable or complete removal is unfeasible. Summary Diagnosis of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis is primarily made by imaging, and surgery remains the main therapeutic approach.


Accounting is a product of human invention design by humans for human purposes. Those purposes are variety; include planning, control, investment, employment decision, communication, persuasion, rationalization, coordination, and propaganda. The design and operation of accounting systems for these purposes has all too often been confined to a focus upon the recording and measurement mechanisms appropriate for representing the financial dimensions of capital. Accounting measures and reports the level of behavior (performance) attained by given manager or unit, on the other hand the act itself of measuring and reporting on such behavior induces still other behavior. Thus the act of accounting is a dynamic process, not only behavior observed, measured, and then reported, but new behavior are themselves (including behavior to choose, change or create new accounting systems, accounting methods etc.) created by this process


PURPOSE
In penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs), limited data support tubular thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) as a viable treatment option. For treatment of more proximal PAUs, hybrid approaches and-more recently-scalloped TEVAR (scTEVAR) have been advocated. Outcomes of scTEVAR specifically for PAUs have not yet been reported. This study reports long-term outcomes for tubular and scTEVAR in PAUs and compares the safety profile in both cohorts regarding the significantly more proximal landing zone (LZ) for scTEVAR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This single-center retrospective cohort study includes all nonacute patients treated for complicated PAU with scTEVAR and tubular TEVAR. Patient and PAU characteristics as well as procedural success, complication and reintervention rates, and all-cause and aortic mortality were analyzed.

RESULTS
Of 212 TEVAR procedures reviewed, 21 patients with tubular TEVAR and 19 patients with scTEVAR were included. Patient and PAU characteristics were similar, and LZ was significantly more proximal in the scTEVAR cohort (p=0.0001), with similar number and types of supra-aortic revascularization procedures. Clinical success was reached in all 40 patients (100%), and reintervention rate was 2/21 (9.5%) and 1/19 (5.3%), respectively. Over the mean follow-up of 63 (TEVAR) and 53 (scTEVAR) months, clinical success was stable in all patients with one (abdominal) aortic-related mortality in the scTEVAR cohort.

CONCLUSION
Treatment of complicated PAUs with TEVAR as well as scTEVAR provides excellent and similar clinical success, stability of clinical success, and aortic survival with acceptable complication and reintervention rates. Scalloped TEVAR safely lengthens the proximal sealing zone to address more proximal pathologies.

CLINICAL IMPACT
Treatment of asymptomatic complicated penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs) with thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) provides excellent clinical success and acceptable complication and reintervention rates. More patients become amenable to endovascular treatment by including scalloped TEVAR (scTEVAR) as a means to safely lengthen the proximal sealing zone to address more proximal pathologies.


In order to develop an efficient and,fast position control for robotic manipulators, vibration phenomena have to be taken into account. Vibrations are mainly caused by the flexibility of manipulator linkages, especially when dealing with high-speed and lightweight robots. In this paper, a constrained model-based predictive control is employed for controlling both position and vibrations in a mechanism with high link flexibility. This kind of controller has so far been used mainly to control slow processes, but here simulation results that show its effectiveness in dealing with high-speed and nonlinear processes are presented. The mechanism chosen to evaluate the performances is a four-link closed chain mechanism laying on the horizontal plane and driven by a single torque-controlled electric motor.


We investigate the charging state of an isolated single dangling bond formed on an unpassivated Si(100) surface with c(4 × 2) reconstruction, by comparing scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy analysis with density functional theory calculations. The dangling bond is created by placing a single hydrogen atom on the bare surface with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The H atom passivates one of the dimer dangling bonds responsible for the surface one-dimensional electronic structure. This leaves a second dangling at the reacted surface dimer which breaks the surface periodicity. We consider two possible H adsorption configurations for both the neutral and the doped situation (n -a ndp-type). In the case of n-doping we find that the single dangling bond state is doubly occupied and the most stable configuration is that with H bonded to the bottom Si atom of the surface dimer. In the case of p-doping the dangling bond is instead empty and the configuration with the H attached to the top atom of the dimer is the most stable. Importantly the two configurations have different scattering properties and phase shift fingerprints. This might open up interesting perspectives for fabricating a switching device by tuning the doping level or by locally charging the single dangling bond state.


Modern data acquisition with active or passive photogrammetric imaging techniques generally results in 3D point clouds. Depending on the acquisition or processing method, the spacing of the individual points is either uniform or irregular. In the latter case, the neighbourhood definition like for digital images (4or 8-neighbourhood, etc.) cannot be applied. Instead, analysis requires a local point neighbourhood. The local point neighbourhood with conventional k-nearest neighbour or fixed distance searches often produce sub-optimal results suffering from the inhomogeneous point distribution. In this article, we generalize the neighbourhood definition and present a generic spatial search framework which explicitly deals with arbitrary point patterns and aims at optimizing local point selection for specific processing tasks like interpolation, surface normal estimation and point feature extraction, spatial segmentation, and such like. The framework provides atomic 2D and 3D search strategies, (i) k-nearest neighbour, (ii) region query, (iii) cell based selection, and (iv) quadrant/octant based selection. It allows to freely combine the individual strategies to form complex, conditional search queries as well as specifically tailored point sub-selection. The benefits of such a comprehensive neighbourhood search approach are showcased for feature extraction and surface interpolation of irregularly distributed points.


Epidemiologic evidence is limited about associations between T2DM, metformin, and the risk of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We aimed to examine associations between T2DM, metformin, and the risk of NHL in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Study. Information on T2DM status (diabetes status/types of antidiabetic drug use/diabetes duration) from study enrollment and during follow‐up were assessed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate associations of T2DM status with risks of overall NHL and its three major subtypes [diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL, n = 476), follicular lymphoma (FL, n = 301) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL, n = 136)] based on multivariable‐adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. During a median follow‐up of 18.86 years (range, 0.01‐25.13; SD ± 6.55), a total of 1637 women developed NHL among 147 885 postmenopausal women. Women with T2DM and with self‐reported oral medication use had 38% and 55% higher risk of DLBCL, respectively [multivariable‐adjusted model HR = 1.38, 95% CI (1.06‐1.81) and HR = 1.55, 95% CI (1.16‐2.06)] compared to the reference group (nondiabetics/untreated diabetes). Risks of NHL and DLBCL [multivariable‐adjusted model: HR = 1.28, 95% CI (1.06‐1.54) and HR = 1.56, 95% CI (1.13‐2.14), respectively] were significantly higher in associations with relatively short duration (≤7 years) of diabetes, compared to reference group. Additionally, an increased risk of DLBCL [HR = 1.76, 95% CI (1.13‐2.75)] was found in metformin users compared to the reference group. Postmenopausal women who had T2DM, who were oral antidiabetic drug users, especially metformin, and who had a shorter diabetes duration may have higher risks of DLBCL. Further well‐designed research is needed to confirm our findings.


Effect of 24-Hour Shifts on Fatigue Experienced by Firefighter Paramedics by Kristina Schwab MA, University of Phoenix, 2003 BA, University of Maryland, 1998 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University February 2020 Abstract Fatigue negatively affects numerous people throughout the world and has a number of origins, including shift work. Fatigue experienced by people who work shifts may have a negative impact on carrying out job functions and can pose safety risks. Firefighter paramedics who work 24-hour shifts are expected to respond to calls for service throughout their shifts, even during hours of nighttime sleep. Firefighter paramedics perform medical procedures to save lives, requiring time, attention, and alertness, all of which become reduced with fatigue. Although literature exists on the physical and psychological effects of fatigue for those who work shifts and for firefighter paramedics, there is a gap regarding specific effects experienced by firefighter paramedics working 24-hour shifts and whether call volume influences fatigue experienced and fatigue-related issues. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore whether more fatigue was experienced by firefighter paramedics working 24-hour shifts in high call volume fire stations versus low call volume fire stations, and if this lead to a greater potential for negative cognitive effects that impacted their health and safety and the level of patient care provided. Twelve active career firefighter paramedics were interviewed; 6 worked at high call volume stations and 6 worked at low call volume stations. Guided by the repair and restoration theory of sleep as the theoretical foundation and using NVivo 12 software, data were analyzed for common themes. Thirteen themes emerged related to fatigue, sleep, service calls, cognitive functioning, health issues, personal methods for dealing with fatigue, and departmental awareness and accommodations. Findings of this study could create positive social change by assisting fire rescue organizations in identifying possible risks to the safety of their personnel and the communities they serve.Fatigue negatively affects numerous people throughout the world and has a number of origins, including shift work. Fatigue experienced by people who work shifts may have a negative impact on carrying out job functions and can pose safety risks. Firefighter paramedics who work 24-hour shifts are expected to respond to calls for service throughout their shifts, even during hours of nighttime sleep. Firefighter paramedics perform medical procedures to save lives, requiring time, attention, and alertness, all of which become reduced with fatigue. Although literature exists on the physical and psychological effects of fatigue for those who work shifts and for firefighter paramedics, there is a gap regarding specific effects experienced by firefighter paramedics working 24-hour shifts and whether call volume influences fatigue experienced and fatigue-related issues. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore whether more fatigue was experienced by firefighter paramedics working 24-hour shifts in high call volume fire stations versus low call volume fire stations, and if this lead to a greater potential for negative cognitive effects that impacted their health and safety and the level of patient care provided. Twelve active career firefighter paramedics were interviewed; 6 worked at high call volume stations and 6 worked at low call volume stations. Guided by the repair and restoration theory of sleep as the theoretical foundation and using NVivo 12 software, data were analyzed for common themes. Thirteen themes emerged related to fatigue, sleep, service calls, cognitive functioning, health issues, personal methods for dealing with fatigue, and departmental awareness and accommodations. Findings of this study could create positive social change by assisting fire rescue organizations in identifying possible risks to the safety of their personnel and the communities they serve. Effect of 24-Hour Shifts Impact Fatigue Experienced by Firefighter Paramedics


This article examines the political style and rhetoric of the Manif pour tous (MPT), the main organization opposing same-sex marriage in France, from summer 2013 to the present. It exposes how the MPT's style and rhetoric differ from those of their American counterparts, and what this
tells us about the different strategies of political movements in France and the United States generally. It is based on an analysis of the language used by activists whom I interviewed in 2014 and 2015 and on a discourse analysis
of the MPT's website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and press releases since 2013. This analysis of the distinctive features of the MPT brings to light underlying concerns about French identity in the face of globalization. In other words, for the MPT and its members, what is at stake is not just same-sex marriage but the very definition of Frenchness.


Despite the recognised weaknesses of the Millennium Development Goals the embedment of indicators within a simple global measurement framework has proved compelling and communicable. The result is a surge of interest in the design of the post-2015 agenda. This has produced innumerable and innovative proposals for new goals and targets and a backlash from those wishing to maintain a focused, statistically robust and politically feasible framework. This paper argues that a third perspective is soon needed – the criteria for making choices between different options. These choices will and should be ultimately political choices but it is worth considering on what basis they should be made. The Rio Declaration 2012 establishes a number of criteria for this purpose but they remain at a general level and gloss over some hard trade-offs. This paper begins by surveying the context for the post-2015 discussion (Section 1), considers the potential functions and purposes of the post-2015 agenda in light of the impact of the MDGs (Section 2); proposes criteria for both thematic selection and measurement (Section 3); and applies these criteria to the seemingly hard case of human rights and governance (Section 4).


This study examines the challenges that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) face and provide insights on African business environment and entrepreneurial ecosystem. In the context of growth-oriented entrepreneurship, good policies and favourable institutional environments support firms' growth, productivity and development, while adverse formal and informal institutions constrain business development. Secondary data from World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES) was used to capture barriers to entrepreneurship and high-growth opportunities which include – lack of finance, lack of innovation and technology, low skilled workforce, poor infrastructure, unfavorable regulations and more pervasively corruption. These barriers are evident in the micro, meso and macro environments. These have implications on the unemployment rate, poverty rates and economic growth of the African region.
 Keywords: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; Entrepreneurial Ecosystem; African Entrepreneurship; African Business Environments.


This edited collection analyses the unexplored concept of the family business group, evaluating the opportunities and advantages that it creates for entrepreneurs. Raising a number of important questions, the authors construct a new research agenda for the complex topic of the family business group, which will ultimately assess its contribution towards the economy and society in general. The chapters provide a core understanding of the phenomenon and cover its formation, nature and complexities, as well as offering a holistic perspective and exploring factors such as scale, size and regional contexts. A useful tool for those researching small businesses, organisation, and business strategy, this book highlights the key advantages of family business group structures in both developed and developing countries, and local and national contexts.


Objective To assess the stability and reproducibility of computerised QT dispersion (QTd) measurement in healthy subjects, as this is presently being incorporated into commercial electrocardiographic systems. Methods 70 healthy volunteers (mean (SD) age 38 (10) years, 35 men, 35 women) with a normal 12 lead electrocardiogram (ECG) were studied. From each subject, 70 ECG recordings were taken using the MAC VU ECG recorder (Marquette). In study A, 50 ECGs were recorded in each subject: 10 supine, 10 sitting, 10 standing, 10 holding breath in maximum inspiration, and 10 holding breath in maximum expiration. After a mean interval of 8 (3) days (range 7 to 23), 10 recordings in supine and 10 in the standing position were repeated in each subject (study B). On measurements made using a research version of the commercial software without manual modification, the reproducibility of QTd was assessed by coefficient of variance (CV) and relative error, and comparisons made with other ECG indices. Results (1) QTd measurements were stable and not influenced by changes in posture and respiratory cycle; (2) there was no difference in QTd measurements between men and women, or between age groups dichotomised at 35 years; (3) no correlation was found between QTd and heart rate or QT interval; (4) short term reproducibility of all QTd measurements (CV 15.6% to 43.8%) was worse than that of conventional ECG indices (CV 1.4% to 5.3%); (5) long term reproducibility of QTd measurements (relative error 27.4% to 31.0%) was also worse than that of conventional ECG indices (relative error 1.8% to 7.9%) (p < 0.0001); (6) the reproducibility of QTd measurements tended to increase when several serial recordings were averaged. Conclusions Computerised measurements of global QTd and global QT-SD from 12 lead ECG by the MAC VU/QT Guard system are not significantly altered by changes in posture and respiration. The reproducibility of all QTd measurements is inferior to that of conventional ECG indices in healthy subjects.


Antony Flew is considered one of the most influential philosophers of religion in modern times. While many scholars have discussed and debated the merits of his critiques of Christianity and Organized Religion, few if any, have discussed the merits of his critique of Islam. This paper attempts to give a critical appraisal of Flew's conception of the philosophical foundations of Islam. The paper contrasts Flew's understanding of Islam with those of renowned Islamic philosophers such as Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, and Ibn Taymīya. Flew casts a sceptical shadow on God's existence, on the Prophethood of Muhammad, on the miraculous nature of the Quran, on the Islamic conception of omnibenevolence, and on the eternity of Hell. This paper will respond to his scepticism by utilising the philosophical arguments that are prominent within the Islamic Philosophical Tradition. It is hoped this paper can show that Islamic philosophy can provide sophisticated replies to contemporary philosophical contentions.