THE CLASSICS IN PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS. SIR,-I am entirely in sympathy with you in your remarks upon "Latin at the Vniversity of London," and am not a little surprised that the movement towards the displacement ,of Latin from medical education should have come from that quarter. When I became a student of medicine half a century ago, there was practically no attempt to secure general education of any kind, with the single exception of a bit of simple Latin to be translated at sight. That was the Nadir of the Medical Preliminary in Scotland; and in England I believe that the M.R.C.S. was even held to be guiltless of this shadow of a shade of classical learning. I am not sure if there are many of the younger generation, or of those who are now so critical of the General Medical Council for not prooeeding fast enough in forcing up the standard, who are aware of the depths of illiteracy from which the profession has been brought up, solely by the prudent and gradual, but yet effective, insistence on the Preliminary Examination. It is difficult, however, to hold a just balance as between the ancient and the modern subjects, or (let us say) between the linguistic and the scientific disciplines; and although I have all along been chiefly an advocate for the latter, I confess I am one of those who still regret the disappearance of compulsory Greek. And yet I am disposed to think that the merely pedantic or formal use of either Latin or Greek-as it is commonly taught at a great sacrifice of time in school-may be to a great extent dispensed with, nay, must be dispensed with in future. What should be aimed at is such a knowledge, both of Latin and 4Greek, as will conduce to a correct and idiomatic use of English, and still more, perhaps, of French and other modern languages as derived from the classical tongues. I was myself inducted into this field of inquiry along the tines of etymology at a very early age, a year or two before I had ever opened a Latin grammar, or construed a single sentence from the Latin Delectus; and, even now, I have a most grateful recollection of the great interest of the study, and how easily and naturally it led on to a more mature study of the language, or languages, in question. I fear that the " learned doctor," in the sense in which you probably use the term, is irretrievably gone-died out, in fact, with the late Dr. Greenhill, a most admirable sample of the type. But an examination founded on etymologies, and extending to elementary grammar, both in Latin and Greek, might still be retained with advantage.-l am. etc., Edinburgh, Feb. 12th. W. T. GAIRDNER.


The transcription factor GATA6 was recently recognised as a master regulator of the phenotype and function of peritoneal resident macrophages (pResMf), whose deficiency
results in dysregulated proliferative renewal during homeostasis and altered inflammatory responses, associated with delays in resolution.
Herein, I show using microarray analysis that mice with a myeloid deficiency of Gata6 (Gata6-KOmye mice) have significant changes in genes associated with lipid
metabolism, in particular sphingolipids (SL). Three of the most notable alterations were the downregulation of genes responsible for the degradation of glucosylceramides
(GlcCer) and sphingomyelins (SM) (Gba2 and Smpd1), as well as a gene involved in the regulation of lysosomal pH, and consequently, lysosomal function. To characterise the
metabolic defect, I compared the lipidome of Gata6-KOmye and wild-type (WT) pResMf using a high-resolution LC-MS based global lipidomics approach and replicated my
findings using targeted LC-MS/MS. SL showed a high percentage of changes (25% of all lipids levels were altered significantly) with a marked increase in Gata6-KOmye pResMf.
SL are important constituents of the plasma membrane in eukaryotes and, as second messengers, modulate apoptosis, cell proliferation and differentiation. Targeted lipidomics by LC-MS/MS showed that the most significantly-increased molecular species were long chain GlcCer and SM. This linked with downregulation of Gba2, Ctse and Smpd1, observed during the microarray analysis, and was confirmed by supressing these pathways, in RAW 264.7 cells, using knockdown (shRNA) approaches. Accumulation of SL metabolites in tissues is implicated in a plethora of patho-physiological complications such as development of neurological dysfunctions, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and heart failure, whilst in cells it correlates with defects in cell migration, cholesterol traffic and efflux, lipid transport, cell activation, proliferation and apoptosis.
Overall, I concluded that GATA6 regulates lipid metabolism in pResMf, on both a transcriptional and metabolic level, with particular focus on SL levels. Furthermore,there is indication that this regulation may at least in part control phenotype and function in pResMf through altering SL signalling. Thus, my studies propose GATA6 as a new lipid-regulating transcription factor and highlight the importance of lipid regulation in pResMf biology.


Over the last few years, the development of sensor networks has gained increasing importance due to their potential to support challenging research in a wide range of applications, and this has led to a new era of Multi-Objective Quality of Service Routing (MoQSR). This MoQSR is a routing algorithm that aims to satisfy multiple quality of service (QoS). MoQSR has the potential to support Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) applications that have different data which have quality and requirements. MoQSR enables the data communication protocols to provide a service differentiation mechanism that can capture the requirements of heterogeneous traffic. A key distinguishing feature of MoQSR is its ability to differentiate the required data related to each type of traffic and to provide a route selection that is based on differentiating QoS requirements according to the data type. In fact, a WSN has limitations in energy supply and capabilities to ensure real-time guarantees because it poses a low duty cycle and transmission range. Most approaches related to data communication protocols are designed to deal with energy trade-off and not much has been done to optimise quality of service (QoS). Past research and current studies of QoS routing schemes only focus on a limited number of aspects of QoS. These studies do not provide a generic approach/scheme to encompass all attributes of QoS, and have limited support for meeting application specific needs. Thus, it is critical for QoS routing to factor in different application requirements. Therefore, in this dissertation, I propose, develop and validate a new QoS based routing for WSN, named Throughput Delay Guaranteed Routing Algorithm (TeGaR). Our TeGaR is based on differentiating QoS requirements according to the data type, which provides customised QoS metrics for each traffic category. It is modular and uses geographic information, which helps the routing algorithm create the best path to the destination node (BS). Our TeGaR aims to adapt to the requirements of heterogeneous traffic by using traffic diversity, the priority based delivery mechanism with multi-queuing policy and the route differentiation based Fitness Function method, which considers the quality of nodes matching the requirements of data categories. TeGaR is able to find a best node for a certain data category, while considering energy efficiency, reliability, latency and traffic congestion to cast QoS metrics as a multi-objective attribute. However, there are some areas in which the performance of the proposed TeGaR can be enhanced. First, to address the 'energy hole problem' due to an imbalance of energy consumption in the network, according to the nature of many-to-one routing in WSNs, I propose a non-uniform transmission range strategy, namely Transmission Range Extension based on the neighbourhood Size (TReNs). TReNs allows the nodes to extend their transmission range to a certain level when the number of neighbours decreases below a certain level. This extended approach is able to distribute energy consumption evenly, thus avoiding an early network dysfunction. Second, to reduce the data flooding or unguided packet transmission, due to the characteristic of non-uniform node deployment and link instability in WSNs, I propose and develop a self-adaptation routing region approach, namely the Rule-based Learning Adaptation Approach for Routing Regions (RuLeARR) that aims to control the area (region) of routing for individual communication between nodes. In this way, packet detouring or data flooding can be reduced, thus decreasing routing overheads and the duration for data delivery, further saving energy. Third, to improve the benefits of adaptation of the routing region approach that copes with minor changes in the network QoS parameters, I integrate situation awareness into the routing region algorithm, to develop Situation Aware and Self-Adaptive Routing Regions (SASARR). The SASARR uses a fuzzy logic to represent approximate and imprecise context of the changes of the network dynamic to represent a fine-grained and gradual adaptation for routing region. SASARRR extends the RuLeARR approach in order to provide a higher level of accuracy and granularity, thus improving QoS performance in a cost-efficient manner. We validate all the approaches discussed above by conducting extensive experimental simulation. This evaluation clearly demonstrates the ability of the TeGaR scheme, with its extended approaches (TReNs, RuLeARR and SASARRR), to satisfy multiple QoS requirements according to different application requirements, while coping with the challenges due to the nature of data communication characteristics in WSNs. These approaches make a significant contribution to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the QoS differentiating routing. The contribution of this thesis has resulted in one international peer reviewed paper and additional material for further publication.


Modern Natural Language Processing (NLP) models are known immensely brittle towards text adversarial examples. Recent attack algorithms usually adopt word-level substitution strategies following a pre-computed word replacement mechanism. However, their resultant adversarial examples are still imperfect in achieving grammar correctness and semantic similarities, which is largely because of their unsuitable candidate word selections and static optimization methods. In this research, we propose BESA, a BERT-based Simulated Annealing algorithm, to address these two problems. Firstly, we leverage the BERT Masked Language Model (MLM) to generate contextualaware candidate words to produce fluent adversarial text and avoid grammar errors. Secondly, we employ Simulated Annealing (SA) to adaptively determine the word substitution order. The SA provides sufficient word replacement options via internal simulations, with an objective to obtain both a high attack success rate and a low word substitution rate. Besides, our algorithm is able to jump out of local optima with a controlled probability, making it closer to achieve the best possible attack (i.e., the global optima). Experiments on five popular datasets manifest the superiority of BESA compared with existing methods, including TextFooler, BAE, BERT-Attack, PWWS, and PSO.


The pursuit of an acceptable solution to solve the "transplant gap" continues. Those awaiting an organ transplant have always far exceeded the donor population. Xenografting, the transplantation of organs from one animal species to another is already technically viable; for example, a pig's kidney to a human being (1).


The comprehensive study of any book is based on the study of author's adopted methodology.This article contains on short introduction of Sheikh Albani and brief introduction of  his book" Silsilah Al Ahadith Al Daeefah Wal Moudouah". It also contains on the necessary issues related to Sanad and Text (Matan) of Ahadith, on which Sheikh Albani foucused during his arbitration. For example, he mentioned the Text (Matan) of Hadith then mentioned its "Asaneed" by referring the other books of Hadith. He also foucused on checking the status of narrators in the light of "Ilm ur Rijal" principles. He also mentiontioned the references of "Moudouah Ahadith" from prominent books of Moudouah Ahadith. He has adopted the methodologies to accept or to reject the Hadith which are almost adopted by fore father Mohadithin. He aslo mentioned "Ilal ul Hadith" which are helpful for contemporary scholars to solve the problems of the authentication of Hadith.


Deleuze's philosophy constructs a unique and highly expressive poetics. In fact, it is the result of an intense work in writing, which may not be separated from his philosophy of conceptual creation. Current paper conceptualizes what would be a poetics of immanence in Deleuzes terms, as a contrast to mimetic and representational poetics. The poetics of immanence proposes a mutual presupposition between concepts and affections, or between thought and its expression in words, instead of a transcendent relationship between the two terms. The essay investigates some features of this poetics to demonstrate its pertinence for certain modern and contemporary poetics. Samuel Beckett, one of the most important references to Deleuze, will be highlighted in the paper.


Effects of extracellular ATP on intracellular free calcium concentration([Ca2+]i) were examined in rat single nephron segments using the fura 2-AM. ATP (10 ¿M) induced a significant transient increase in [Ca2+]i in the glomerulus, the early proximal convoluted tubule (S1), the cortical collecting tubule (CCT), and the outer medullary collecting tubule (OMCT). The magnitude of the response was the greatest in the OMCT among four segments. ATP induced an increase in the [Ca2+]i in a dose-dependent manner in S1 and OMCT. In the OMCT, ATP caused a biphasic increase in [Ca2+]i consisting of an initial rapid rise and a sustained phase. Removal of calcium from the medium resulted in an attenuation of the sustained phase of [Ca2+]i and an approximately 30% reduction in the height of the initial [Ca2+]i peak in response to 10 ¿M ATP. Effects of ATP, its analogs, and its metabolites were tested in the S1 and OMCT. ATP, 2-methylthio-ATP (2-MeS-ATP), ADP, and UTP increased [Ca2+]i dose dependently. AMP and adenosine did not affect [Ca2+]i in the S1 and OMCT. The ATP- or 2-MeS-ATP-induced [Ca2+]i increase was inhibited by the pretreatment of the S1 and OMCT with suramin or reactive blue 2. Neomycin, a phospholipase C inhibitor, attenuated the ATP-induced [Ca2+]i increase. To investigate the hormonelike action of ATP in OMCT, a heterologous cross desensitization was performed. The pretreatment of OMCT with ATP inhibited increases in vasopressin-, ANG II-, endothelin-1-, or bradykinin-induced[Ca2+]i increase. These findings suggest that ATP might affect the above peptidyl agonist-activated calcium mobilizations.


Who should sit at the table when science policy is being decided? Across the higher echelons of U.S. government, the long-standing norm is to invite scientific leaders, but no one else who will be affected or who might have an illuminating alternative perspective.

For example, to help frame a year-long effort to develop a post-Cold War U.S. science policy, the House Science Committee on 23 October convened an elite group: the presidents of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, representatives from the Council on Competitiveness, leaders of the Sandia and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, the president of MIT, and so on. Notably absent were any representatives from the many grassroots, worker, and public-interest organizations concerned with science policy. There were no social scholars of science, no proponents of alternative science policies (from within the science community or without), and only a solitary science policy critic.

This event's restricted roster was hardly anomalous. For example, in 1992 and 1993—when Democrats controlled Congress—the House Science Committee organized 30 hearings on a comprehensive National Competitiveness Act. Among 120 invited witnesses, there was not one from an environmental, defense conversion, or labor organization commenting on a major piece of legislation with ecological, employment, and other social implications. In the Executive Branch, the composition of high-level science advisory panels—such as the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and the National Science Board—is similarly constricted.

The problem with exclusively elite, insider approaches to science policy-making is that they fly in the face of inescapable realities: (i) All citizens support science through their tax dollars and experience the profound consequences of science, both good and bad. (ii) In a democracy, those who experience the consequences of an activity and those who pay for it ordinarily expect a voice in decisions. (iii) Scientific leaders have no monopoly on expertise, nor do they have a privileged ethical standpoint, for evaluating the social consequences of science and of science policies. (iv) Nonscientists already do contribute to science and science policy (for example, women's organizations have redirected medical research agendas to reduce gender biases). (v) Elite-only approaches are antithetical to the open, vigorous, and creative public debate on which democracy, policy-making, and science all thrive. (vi) There is a danger that public support for science will erode if other perspectives are excluded. (vii) With the Cold War concluded, it is time for science policy to welcome new voices and fresh ideas for addressing the social needs of the 21st century.

There are proven methods that use broadened representation to inform and improve decisions. The Swedish government's Council for Planning and Coordination of Research includes a majority of nonscientists and is noted for promoting innovative interdisciplinary research programs. Japan, Germany, and other European nations have pioneered processes fostering collaboration between industrial engineers, university scientists, workers, and end-users in developing new technologies. Dutch universities advance social responsiveness via a decentralized national network of "science shops" that address questions posed directly by community and worker groups, public-interest organizations, and local governments. For a decade, the Danish government has appointed panels of everyday citizens to cross-examine a range of experts and stakeholders, to deliberate, and then to announce nonbinding science policy recommendations at a national press conference. A 1989 Danish citizens' panel on the Human Genome Project seconded expert support for basic genetics research, but called for more research on the interplay between environmental factors and genetic inheritance and on the social consequences of science, while influencing the Parliament to prohibit the use of genetic screening information in employment and insurance decisions. This carefully structured, participatory process is already being emulated in other countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, and has undergone an independent pilot-scale demonstration in the United States.

Experiences such as these can light the way toward U.S. science policies that are more socially responsive and responsible, more widely supported, and more consonant with the tradition of openness that is the true lifeblood of science and a healthy democracy.


Teaching sustainability is not solely a question of providing relevant information; it is foremost about training students to meet the challenges of tomorrow. In design this can mean to shift the focus from material, form and function towards systems, correlation and time – a process supported both by how we teach as well as what we teach. But pedagogy still seems to be treated like a poor cousin to the more important design knowledge. This made us curious about the correlation between pedagogy and teaching design for sustainable change.By applying a study of Eilam and Trop (2011) onto the curriculum of an undergraduate design programme and through interviews with students we investigated the underlying pedagogy. Eilam and Trop had identified four pedagogical components that supported a holistic learning experience in their study.It proves more fruitful to incorporate sustainability wholeheartedly in a programme, instead of teaching it as a separate course. Pedagogies like emotional learning in realistic design projects and multidimensional learning in theoretical courses support an education for sustainable change and prepare students to meet the challenges of tomorrow without missing their professional development.


The two volumes of the Phonological Spectrum aim at giving a comprehensive overview of current developments in phonological theory, by providing a number of papers in different areas of current theorizing which reflect on particular problems from different angles.Volume I is concerned with segmental structure, and focuses on nasality, voicing and other laryngeal features, as well as segmental timing. With respect to nasality, questions such as the phonetic underpinning of a distinctive feature [nasal] and the treatment of nasal harmony are treated. As for voicing, the behaviour of voicing assimilation in Dutch is covered while its application in German is examined with an eye to its implications for the stratification of the German lexicon. In the final section of volume I, the structure of diphthongs is examined, as well as the treatment of lenition and the relation between phonetic and phonological specification in sign language. Volume II deals with phonological structure above the segmental level, in particular with syllable structure, metrical structure and sentence-level prosodic structure. Different syllable structure theories, as well as possible relations between segment structure and syllabic structure, and evidence from language acquisition and aphasia are examined in section 1. Metrical structure is examined in papers on foot structure, and, experimentally, on word stress in Indonesian. Finally in this volume, there are three laboratory-phonological reports on the intonation of Dutch.


Macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), a recently identified CC chemokine, has been regarded to be involved in chronic inflammation and dendritic cell and lymphocyte homing. In this study, we demonstrate a pivotal role for MDC during experimental sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Intraperitoneal administration of MDC (1 μg/mouse) protected mice from CLP-induced lethality. The survival was accompanied by increased number of peritoneal macrophages and decreased recovery of viable bacteria from the peritoneum and peripheral blood. In addition, mice treated with an i.p. injection of MDC cleared bacteria more effectively than those in the control when 3 × 108 CFU live Escherichia coli was i.p. inoculated. Endogenous MDC was detected in the peritoneum after CLP, and neutralization of the MDC with anti-MDC Abs decreased CLP-induced recruitment of peritoneal macrophages and increased the recovery of viable bacteria from the peritoneum and peripheral blood. MDC blockade was deleterious in the survival of mice after CLP. In vitro, MDC enhanced the phagocytic and killing activities of peritoneal macrophages to E. coli and induced both a respiratory burst and the release of lysozomal enzyme from macrophages. Furthermore, MDC dramatically ameliorated CLP-induced systemic tissue inflammation as well as tissue dysfunction, which were associated in part with decreased levels of TNF-α, macrophage inflammatory proteins-1α and -2, and KC in specific tissues. Collectively, these results indicate novel regulatory activities of MDC in innate immunity during sepsis and suggest that MDC may aid in an adjunct therapy in sepsis.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this manuscript is to verify the impact that some recanalization procedures for intestinal continuity could have in bowel function and quality of life.

STUDY MATERIAL
We describe a clinical case of a rectal cancer patient who underwent anterior resection of the rectum with colo-anal anastomosis, colo-plasty and diverting ileostomy.

RESULTS
After the diverting ileostomy closure, suffered of severe bowel function problems. The establishment of a colo-plasty caused a syndrome of such severe obstructed defecation to necessitate the reestablishment of a diverting ileostomy.

DISCUSSION
Anterior resection with total mesorectal excision and colo-anal anastomosis is the gold standard surgical treatment of rectal carcinoma. The so called "anterior resection syndrome" is well known after such surgical procedures. The establishment of a reservoir such as the J-pouch and more recently the transverse pouch (colo-plasty) are procedures used to improve the quality of life after anterior resection of the rectum.

CONCLUSIONS
The presence of bowel obstruction without mechanical causes makes us consider the colo-plasty as its cause with a Hirschprung like mechanism or similar to the "obstructed defecation". The peristalsis stops at the colo-plasty level impeding the progression of feces. The colo-plasty or the pouch do not function as a reservoir to accommodate feces, but because they stop the peristalsis.


Literatures indicate that service management has become a strategic issue for companies in the new millennium. By improving logistics service quality (LSQ), logistics companies can increase customer satisfaction (CS) and gain market shares. This study aims to establish a logistics service attributes analysis model to extract customer knowledge for logistics service quality improvement based on analytical Kano (A-Kano) model. By the building of Kano quantitative satisfaction index and importance index, an objective classification method and the decision-making rule to improve LSQ are proposed. It can be seen from the results that different value propositions should be given to LSQ attributes among the same Kano classification according to the decision index. At last, the method has been demonstrated by means of a real case application, which refers to a Chinese express company.


Purpose To investigate the utility of smartphone ophthalmology for medical students for learning fundoscopy compared with direct ophthalmoscopy. Methods After 1 hour of didactic instruction on ophthalmoscopy, second-year medical students in a small group setting were randomized to start training with the direct ophthalmoscope vs smartphone ophthalmoscope and crossed over to the other instrument through the session. Main outcome measures Ability to visualize the optic nerve and retinal blood vessels in an undilated pupil as well as a survey evaluating ease of use, confidence, and ability to visualize the optic nerve with the two instruments. Results One hundred and one medical students participated. Significantly more medical students were able to visualize the optic nerve with the smartphone ophthalmoscope vs the direct ophthalmoscope in an undilated pupil (82.3% vs 48.5%, P<0.0001). Students reported a more positive experience with the smartphone ophthalmoscope, specifically regarding ease of use (median of 4 vs 3; P<0.0001), their confidence in performing ophthalmoscopy (median of 4 vs 3; P<0.0001), and their ability to visualize features of the optic nerve (median 4 vs 3; P<0.0001). A significant number of participants preferred the smartphone ophthalmoscope over the traditional direct ophthalmoscope for learning how to identify the optic disc and for evaluating patients (78.2% and 77.2%, respectively; P<0.0001). Conclusion Smartphone ophthalmoscopy may serve as a useful adjunctive tool to teach direct ophthalmoscopy as well as being an alternative for examining the fundus for noneye care physicians.


The use of genetic knowledge is widespread in crop production but is just recently being utilized in livestock production. This study investigates the economic value to feedlots of a polymorphism in the bovine leptin gene. Previous studies indicate that this polymorphism is associated with fat deposition. Since fed cattle are often priced on a grid that considers both yield and quality grades, fat deposition is an important factor in the value and profitability of fed cattle. Using data from 590 crossbred steers and heifers, we estimate growth curves for relevant biological traits, both with and without genotypic information. Using the resulting functions, we then simulate carcass traits to various days-on-feed and compute the associated profit under three price grids. Maximum profits are determined in an unconstrained profit maximization model and in a model that constrains cattle to be marketed in 45-head "potloads." Results indicate that leptin genotypic knowledge has little impact on optimal days-on-feed but may play a role in valuing feeder cattle. The differences in value of cattle varied by as much as $37 per head between genotypes.


This article examines inter-group relations in Port Moresby's informal urban settlement (slum) Two Mile, through perspective of appropriation of space and water. Since the 1960s, steady rural-to-urban migration to Papua New Guinea's capital has resulted in the emergence of urban slums that have become home to numerous small communities or social networks. They are marginal urban spaces of intense social interactions, which redefine traditional identities and construct urban social networks. Relations between the communities are manifested in the settlements' (illegal) water supply. Water pipes are clearly visible, laid on the surface, and form an extensive network. The appropriation of water connections is a common practice in Port Moresby's urban settlements with even political campaigns sometimes revolving around legalising existing or establishing new water connections. In the Two Mile settlement, the network of water distribution and the appropriation of space between the different groups represent spatial concepts of home and a system of urban socio-cultural identity. The appropriation and construction of water connections thus symbolises the delineation, organisation and appropriation of urban space in the settlement.


Objective:To measure national variation in splenectomy rates, mortality, and costs for hospitalized patients with splenic injury and the impact of state trauma systems on these outcomes. Methods:Using the HCUP State Inpatient Database for 2001, 2004, and 2007, all patients hospitalized with splenic injury were identified from 19 participating states. Multivariate regression was performed to compare splenectomy rates, inpatient mortality, and costs between states. Inclusiveness of statewide trauma systems was categorized based on the proportion of hospitals designated as a trauma center. Results:Of 33,131 patients, 26.2% underwent splenectomy, 6.1% died, and median hospital costs were $14,317. After adjusting for patient, injury, and hospital characteristics, there was a 1.7-fold variation (RR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.39–2.01) among the 19 states in rates of splenectomy. Adjusted inpatient mortality varied more than 2-fold between the highest and lowest states (RR 2.43; 95% CI, 1.76–3.37). Adjusted hospital costs varied over 60% between the highest and lowest states (cost ratio 1.61; 95% CI, 1.41–1.83). States with the most inclusive trauma systems had significantly lower splenectomy rate (RR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68–0.92) and lower mortality (RR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.58–0.87), but similar hospital costs (CR 1.05; 95% CI, 0.95–1.16) compared to states with exclusive or no trauma systems. Conclusions:Significant geographic variation in the management, outcome, and costs for splenic injury exists in the United States, and may reflect differences in quality of care. Inclusive trauma systems seem to improve outcomes without increasing hospital costs.


We provide an overview of the rapidly evolving literature on shadow credit intermediation. The shadow banking system consists of a web of specialized financial institutions that conduct credit, maturity, and liquidity transformation without direct, explicit access to public backstops. The lack of such access to sources of government liquidity and credit backstops makes shadow banks inherently fragile. Much of shadow banking activities is intertwined with the operations of core regulated institutions such as bank holding companies and insurance companies, thus creating a source of systemic risk for the financial system at large. We review fundamental reasons for the existence of shadow banking, explain the functioning of shadow banking institutions and activities, discuss why shadow banks need to be regulated, and review the impact of recent reform efforts on shadow banking credit intermediation.


Inhibitors of the enzyme farnesyl protein transferase prevent a key step in the post-translational processing of the Ras protein, and were developed initially as a therapeutic strategy to inhibit cell signalling in ras-transformed cells. As more has been learnt about the biological effects of farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTIs) on cancer cells, it is clear that tumours without oncogenic ras mutations such as breast cancer may also be targets for FTI therapy. This article reviews the rationale for the development of FTIs, focussing on early preclinical data in breast cancer models together with preliminary results from the first phase II study of an FTI in advanced breast cancer. Endocrine-Related Cancer (2001) 8 227–235


Quantum many-body dynamics generically result in increasing entanglement that eventually leads to thermalization of local observables.
This makes the exact description of the dynamics complex despite the apparent simplicity of (high-temperature) thermal states.
For accurate but approximate simulations one needs a way to keep track of essential (quantum) information while discarding inessential one.
To this end, we first introduce the concept of the information lattice, which supplements the physical spatial lattice with an additional dimension and where a local Hamiltonian gives rise to well-defined locally conserved von Neumann information current.
This provides a convenient and insightful way of capturing the flow, through time and space, of information during quantum time-evolution, and gives a distinct signature of when local degrees of freedom decouple from long-range entanglement.
As an example, we describe such decoupling of local degrees of freedom for the mixed-field transverse Ising model.
Building on this, we secondly construct algorithms to time-evolve sets of local density matrices without any reference to a global state.
With the notion of information currents, we motivate algorithms based on the intuition that information for statistical reasons flows from small to large scales.
Using this guiding principle, we construct an algorithm that, at worst, shows two-digit convergence in time-evolutions up to very late times for diffusion process governed by the mixed-field transverse Ising Hamiltonian.
While we focus on dynamics in 1D with nearest-neighbor Hamiltonians, the algorithms do not essentially rely on these assumptions and can in principle be generalized to higher dimensions and more complicated Hamiltonians.


This paper presents an automated pipeline for processing multi-view satellite images to 3D digital surface models (DSM). The proposed pipeline performs automated geo-referencing and generates high-quality densely matched point clouds. In particular, a novel approach is developed that fuses multiple depth maps derived by stereo matching to generate high-quality 3D maps. By learning critical configurations of stereo pairs from sample LiDAR data, we rank the image pairs based on the proximity of the results to the sample data. Multiple depth maps derived from individual image pairs are fused with an adaptive 3D median filter that considers the image spectral similarities. We demonstrate that the proposed adaptive median filter generally delivers better results in general as compared to normal median filter, and achieved an accuracy of improvement of 0.36 meters RMSE in the best case. Results and analysis are introduced in detail.


OBJECTIVE
To determine factors that predict complications and examine outcomes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia according to the duration of antibiotic therapy.

METHODS
Clinical data were extracted from charts of patients with positive blood cultures for S aureus at a single institution during a 2-year period.

RESULTS
Of 102 patients with S aureus bacteremia, 55 were considered to have bacteremia attributable to an intravascular catheter, including five patients who were bacteremic after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Among the other 50 patients with S aureus catheter-associated bacteremia, infection was community acquired in 18 and nosocomial in 32. Septic pulmonary emboli were more common in patients with community-acquired S aureus catheter-associated bacteremia, most of whom had Hickman catheters or venous access disks. Delayed removal of the infected catheter was associated with persistence of bacteremia (P = .01). With patients with early complications excluded, patients treated for 10 to 15 days had clinical characteristics similar to those of patients treated with longer courses of antibiotics and had similarly low rates of relapse (0% vs 4.7%). In contrast, treatment with parenteral antibiotics for less than 10 days appeared to be inadequate in that relapse occurred in two of three such patients. Staphylococcus aureus catheter-associated bacteremia associated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was complicated by a femoral artery mycotic aneurysm in two of five patients.

CONCLUSION
Approximately one third of S aureus catheter-related bacteremias were community acquired, reflecting increased usage of intravascular devices for home parenteral support. A 10- to 15-day course of parenteral antibiotics was equivalent to longer courses of therapy in patients without early complications.


Mitochondrial complex I, the largest enzyme complex of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation machinery, has been proposed to contribute to a variety of age-related pathological alterations as well as longevity. The enzyme complex-consisting proteins are encoded by both nuclear (nDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). While some association studies of mtDNA-encoded complex I genes and lifespan in humans have been reported, experimental evidence and the functional consequence of such variants is limited to studies using invertebrate models. Here, we present experimental evidence that a homoplasmic mutation in the mitochondrially encoded complex I gene mt-Nd2 modulates lifespan by altering cellular tryptophan levels and, consequently, ageing-related pathways in mice. A conplastic mouse strain carrying a mutation at m.4738C>A in mt-Nd2 lived significantly shorter than the controls did. The same mutation led to a higher susceptibility to glucose intolerance induced by high-fat diet feeding. These phenotypes were not observed in mice carrying a mutation in another mtDNA-encoded complex I gene, mt-Nd5, suggesting the functional relevance of particular mutations in complex I to ageing and age-related diseases.


Introduction. Mutations in the alpha-synuclein gene (SNCA) lead to familial forms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Considerable evidence also links alpha-synuclein to sporadic PD. A polymorphic genetic variable (REP1, D4S3481) 10kb upstream from SNCA is associated with sporadic PD. However, the mechanisms for how common genetic variability around SNCA alters risk for PD remain elusive. Aim. To provide a comprehensive analysis of common genetic variability around SNCA using a haplotype tagging approach in a newly ascertained PD case-control sample recruited as part of the Australian Parkinson's Project. Methods. PD cases (n=326) were and unaffected control subjects (n=306) were recruited from three specialist clinics in Brisbane and the Australian Electoral Roll. Common genetic variables around SNCA, including 8 potential haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) and the REP1 microsatellite, were genotyped in all subjects using standard methods. Haplotypes were inferred by implementing the expectation-maximization algorithm using the program EH. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. Results. Three out of the eight SNPs proved redundant in our sample (correlated with another selected SNP with r^2>0.9). The REP1 locus showed modest correlation with several of the selected SNPs. Seven common haplotypes described >90% of the variability around this region. There was a significant difference in haplotype distribution between the case and control groups (p=0.003). The most common haplotype (designated 1ATATT) was more frequent in the PD group (Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.40, 95% CI=1.09-1.80); several haplotypes were more frequent in the controls. Independent analysis of SNPs rs10005233 (p=0.03) and rs3910104 (p=0.05) revealed significant associations with PD. We also independently confirmed the previously reported association between the REP1 locus and PD (p=0.02). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that variables other than REP1 contribute to the association. Conclusion. Our analysis provides evidence that multiple common functional variables around SNCA may contribute to differential risk of sporadic PD.


Abstract. Landscape is a result of natural assets and human work for a long period of time. During that time natural assets are changed by human activities. The most of our surrounding are cultural landscapes as a result of human presence. The main way to study the landscapes is spatial analysis within landscape analysis. Description and investigation of nowadays status of landscapes is not difficult. Understanding the way of landscape development is very difficult because of the lack of data, especially spatial data.Usage of historical maps is the appropriate method of understanding landscape development through past times. For that procedure historical maps should be georeferenced. In this work the examples of georeferencing historical maps from First and Second Military Mapping Survey of Austrian Empire are presented. The usage of georeferenced historical maps was used for the preparation of land use maps for different periods and land use changes analyses. Those changes were used in landscape analyses for the investigation of development of built up areas and hydrological features in the city of Zagreb as well as investigation of authenticity of the areas of the Park of Nature Lonjsko Polje.The aim of the project was to prove that the landscape in the area of Lonjsko polje has not changed significantly over the last 250 years. For the area of Lonjsko polje Nature Park, an analysis of landscape authenticity was carried out. As there were no methods for evaluating landscape authenticity, we decided to analyze the changes in land use by size and spatial distribution for the last 250 years. For this purpose, we used Austro-Hungarian military maps from 1765. The maps, covering the Nature Park were scanned and georeferenced. Digitalisation of 6 main land use classes (settlements, arable land, forests, seminatural areas, mostly grasslands, marshes and waters) was performed and the land use map in a scale 1 : 25.000 was produced.The land use map for 2005, with accuracy of the map in a scale 1 : 25.000, was made using CORINE methodology. Orthorectified satellite images (Aster) were vectorised on screen into the same 6 land use classes as the old map. To evaluate the changes between these two maps the union operation was made, and land use flow analysis was performed. The largest surface of the changes occurred in 9 types of changes, with the largest changes being made to the category of grass vegetation that is changed into forests, agricultural land or the swamp. The second largest change was experienced in forests that were changed into agricultural land, grass vegetation or water. The third category that has undergone major changes is the category of swamps that were changed into forests, grass vegetation or agricultural land. Other types of changes took part in the total area with less than 1% and are not significant any more than the difference in the changes that may have arisen due to cartographic inaccuracies created by georeferencing of the old map.The land use structure as a landscape element was analyzed on the macro level within squares of 10 km × 10 km and at a micro level within squares of 2 km × 2 km. Changes in the structure of the land use practice exists but are not significant either on macro level or at the micro level. Thus, changes on macro level are the result of human activities (changes in agricultural areas) and at the micro level changes are more a result of natural processes (succession / regression of vegetation).Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that changes in land use patterns over the last 250 years exist and are the result of human activities to a small extent or natural processes for the most part. When considering the significance of the changes, it should always have in mind that historical military maps could not be fully integrated into the valid cartographic system. Cartographic inaccuracies created by georeferencing the old map generate changes of small size that should not be considered.


This paper seeks to explore the varying degrees of impact that Autonomous Vehicles and Transportation-as-a-Service will have on several key industries, and how players in those industries might adapt their business strategies to prepare for this revolution. Systematic literature review. Transportation-as-a-Service is still in its infancy when it comes to commercial trucking. The concurrent developments in the autonomous vehicle technologies opens up additional opportunities for disruptive transformations. The scholarly literature is lagging behind trade reports and the current review is an attempt to claim this space. New players might take birth to cater to the emerging needs and opportunities. There are losers and gainers among the existing players. Also, overall, these changes will contribute to greater sustainability in transportation. Implications for Auto Manufacturers, Auto Dealerships, Oil and Energy Companies, Battery Manufacturers, Tech Companies, Insurance Firms, and National Governments are discussed. One specific implication is an overriding message for adaptability to fully leverage the benefits of these disruptive innovations.


Human disturbances of waterfowl can be intentional or unintentional. They may result from overt or directed activities or may be ancillary to activities not initially thought to be of concern to birds. Some of these disturbances are manifested by alertness, fright (obvious or inapparent), flight, swimming, disablement, or death. Therefore, persons responsible for waterfowl management areas should be aware of the problems from human disturbance and should design management and facilities that increase public appreciation of waterfowl. In the last 20 years, the intensity of water-based recreation increased drastically, especially on inland waters. Waterfowl are wary, seeking refuge from all forms of disturbance, particularly those associated with loud noise and rapid movement. Occasionally, the problem of human disturbance of waterfowl resulted in formal litigation. In Nevada, for example, the Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 was affirmed to permit recreational use only when it did not interfere with the primary purpose for which the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established. Compatibility of an activity is based on site-specific effects on the major purposes for which a refuge was established. In a recent survey of harmful and incompatible uses on national wildlife refuges, 42 use categories were determined that could be potential disturbances of waterfowl.


This note discusses some aspects of the paper by Hu and Tsay (2014), "Principal Volatility Component Analysis". The key issues are considered, and are also related to existing conditional covariance and correlation models. Some caveats are given about multivariate models of time-varying conditional covariance and correlation models.


Abstract Nanophase materials including silicates, aluminosilicates, and iron oxides are widespread on Mars. These minerals are important because they likely represent a solid-phase record of ancient climatic conditions on the martian surface. Identification and characterization of nanophase compounds is technically challenging due to the small size and poorly ordered nature of these materials, particularly because their chemical compositions can vary widely. This study presents spectra of several synthetic allophane and imogolite samples with a range of chemical compositions that are typical of the natural variability of allophanic materials. These samples were formed under controlled conditions and have been thoroughly characterized in terms of chemical composition and short-range structure. Analyses confirmed that the synthetic materials were allophane and imogolite and were structurally similar to previously studied natural and synthetic examples of these phases. NMR and XAFS data indicated that high-Al proto-imogolite allophanes were similar in structure to imogolite but were less well ordered, and supported the proposed nanoball structures based on rolled octahedral Al sheets. Increasing Si content in allophane produced increasing tetrahedral Al substitution as well as polymerized Si chain structures at Al-Si mole ratios of 1:1, and sheets and possible framework structures at Al-Si mole ratios of 1:2. Fe in allophanes and imogolites substituted exclusively for octahedral Al. Reflectance spectra of the synthetic allophanes and imogolites were comparable to previously analyzed samples. Variations in Fe content of allophane and imogolite resulted in some observable changes in visible/near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra, but these changes were not detectable in emission spectra. Emission spectra of the samples suggest that variations in Al-Si ratio of allophanes should be detectable using remotely sensed data. Because allophanes with different Al-Si ratios typically form in very different environments, this could be significant for interpretation of formation conditions on Mars, with high-Al compositions suggesting possible tephra weathering and high-Si compositions indicating possible formation from thermal waters.


An automatic electroencephalogram (EEG) artifact removal method is presented in this paper. Compared to past methods, it has two unique features: 1) a weighted version of support vector machine formulation that handles the inherent unbalanced nature of component classification and 2) the ability to accommodate structural information typically found in component classification. The advantages of the proposed method are demonstrated on real-life EEG recordings with comparisons made to several benchmark methods. Results show that the proposed method is preferable to the other methods in the context of artifact removal by achieving a better tradeoff between removing artifacts and preserving inherent brain activities. Qualitative evaluation of the reconstructed EEG epochs also demonstrates that after artifact removal inherent brain activities are largely preserved.


In an age of statutes, legislative advocates influence the substantive content of almost every law. Yet scholars know very little about the role that advocates play in shaping statutory law because the study of legislative advocacy has been left to political scientists, who focus on the political rather than the legal aspects of legislative lawmaking. This Article responds to this gap in the literature by presenting an innovative, mixed methods approach to studying legislative advocacy that brings law back into the study of legislative advocacy and provides more accurate descriptions of how legislative advocates behave. This legal approach to legislative advocacy improves on the existing political science literature by emphasizing the legislative process as a lawmaking enterprise and highlighting the importance of the substantive content of statutory laws to legislative advocates and their behavior. The Article demonstrates the utility of this approach by presenting new empirical data on American Indian advocacy. My analysis produces two important insights about legislative advocates' behavior overlooked in previous studies. First, it reveals that advocates perceive legislative advocacy to be about modifying the substantive content of a proposed law. Legislative advocates take the law seriously as they engage in nuanced and sophisticated strategies to interact with legislators and other political actors to craft statutory laws. They advocate on a wide range of proposed laws, shift their positions strategically throughout the legislative process, and frequently seek to modify proposed laws. Second, my account of Indian advocacy emphasizes that legislative advocacy involves legal as well as political work. Indian advocates regularly used legal frames and arguments to educate and persuade legislators to shape the law in ways that better responded to their needs.


Abstract Digital signal processing (DSP) circuits are extremely important in computing and communications areas. One application of DSP is a Finite impulse response (FIR) filter. The principle objective of this exploration is to present a methodology for an upgraded framework of a FIR digital filter from software level to the hardware level. It includes the selection of design method, structure and cost effective hardware utilization. Theoretical and experimental results performed FIR band pass filter suggests that the window design method is relatively simple and easy to use because of the availability of well-defined equation. Comparison presented that Kaiser window gives the minimum main-lobe width and a sharp cut-off which means this window has less transition width and the study showed that the Direct-Form structure approach is simpler and offers a better performance than other common filter structures. It results in low cost, reduced area and more robust to withstand the quantization errors. For efficient hardware realization, the paper investigates the impacts of quantization on frequency response by progressively diminishing the quantity of bits in every coefficient using an iterative algorithm to a level where its frequency response matches to the novel requirements. Experimental study of coefficient quantization uncovers a connection between the quantity of bits, number of coefficients and the frequency response that consequence in reduced area and better speed. The synthesis results show that the discussed technique can substantial help in lessening the equipment assets. Computer aided design (CAD) tools are used to implement the design by adopting the behavioural level design method.


The Scots language belongs to the Teutonic Germanic language family essentially spoken in the Lowland Scots area covering central and southern Scotland as well as the north-eastern part of the country. It is divided into four different groups of varieties, i.e. the Broad Scots dialectal group spoken in southern Scotland, the Doric dialect spoken in the north-eastern part of Scotland, the Insular Scots group spoken in the Shetland and Orkney Islands and the most spoken and written Scots dialectal group called Central Scots extending from the central western to the central eastern part of the country. The study carried out in the East Lothian county from 13 August to 21 August 2018 had the purpose to analyse the syntax and grammar of the local Lothian Scots and to determine if it still survives in the pervasive wave of Standard England English. A semi-structured type questionnaire was distributed to 17 people during this period revealing a radically different grammatical attitude from the other enquiries conducted in the Scottish Borders five years earlier.


Natural Killer (NK) cells play a critical role in host defense against viral infections. The mechanisms of recognition and killing of virus-infected cells mediated by NK cells are still only partially defined. Several viruses induce, on the surface of target cells, the expression of molecules that are specifically recognized by NK cell-activating receptors. The main NK cell-activating receptors involved in the recognition and killing of virus-infected cells are NKG2D and DNAM-1. In particular, ligands for DNAM-1 are nectin/nectin-like molecules involved also in mechanisms allowing viral infection. Viruses adopt several immune evasion strategies, including those affecting NK cell-mediated immune surveillance, causing persistent viral infection and the development of virus-associated diseases. The virus's immune evasion efficacy depends on molecules differently expressed during the various phases of infection. In this review, we overview the molecular strategies adopted by viruses, specifically cytomegalovirus (CMV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), herpes virus (HSV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), aiming to evade NK cell-mediated surveillance, with a special focus on the modulation of DNAM-1 activating receptor and its ligands in various phases of the viral life cycle. The increasing understanding of mechanisms involved in the modulation of activating ligands, together with those mediating the viral immune evasion strategies, would provide critical tools leading to design novel NK cell-based immunotherapies aiming at viral infection control, thus improving cure strategies of virus-associated diseases.


This paper presents the experimental results on electric field-assisted synthesis of spherical Zinc Oxide (ZnO) micro-flower in an homogeneous precipitation method. The synthesis processes with and without an electric field were compared. The products were characterized via SEM, XRD, TGA and FT-IR spectrum. The results show that the spherical ZnO micro-flower composed of ZnO single crystalline nanoparticles have thickness of about 10nm, width of about 50nm.The SEM results show that the application of an electric field caused the morphology transformation from flake-like to flower-like. It was found that an electric field had an effect on the crystal structure,the particle size and morphology.


Diasporic Masculinities This article is based on reflections that have grown during the ongoing research on construction of masculinities and sexualities in different diasporic spaces. By focusing on theoretical and contextual reflections regarding conditions of leaving, arrival and residency among Iranian-born men who live in Sydney, Stockholm and London, this article focuses on intersecting factors that construct masculinities in different diasporic spaces. Migratory masculine subjectivities are not only shifting and plural, but also reveal the multiple interactions of factors such as race, age, class, self and community, past and present, the political and the religious and through the continual negotiation of identity.


Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and adrenomedullin (ADM) play an important role in maintaining low pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and may be involved in modulating the pulmonary vascular response to chronic hypoxia. Adenoviral vectors encoding prepro-CGRP (AdRSVCGRP) and ADM (AdRSVADM) were used to examine the effects of in vivo gene transfer of the peptides to the lung on increases in PVR, right ventricular mass, and pulmonary vascular remodelling that occurs in chronic hypoxia in the mouse. Intratracheal administration of AdRSVCGRP or AdRSVADM, followed by 16 days of chronic hypoxia (FIO2 0.10), increased lung CGRP and ADM levels, respectively. The increase in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), PVR, right ventricular mass, and pulmonary vascular remodeling in response to chronic hypoxia was attenuated in animals overexpressing prepro-CGRP or ADM whereas systemic arterial pressure was not altered. In chronically hypoxic mice, increases in PAP in response to i.v. injections of angiotensin II and endothelin-1 were attenuated following in vivo gene transfer. These data show that in vivo transfer of the CGRP or ADM gene to the lung attenuates the increase in PVR and right ventricular mass, pulmonary vascular remodeling, and responsiveness in chronically hypoxic mice with little effect on the systemic circulation. In order to study the roles of RAMP 1, 2, and 3 in mediating responses to CGRP and related peptides in the pulmonary and systemic vascular beds, gene transfer of adenovirus vectors encoding CRLR and RAMP 1, 2, or 3 were delivered to the lung and/or hindlimb of the mouse. Transfection of CRLR and RAMP 2 to the pulmonary and hindlimb vascular beds of the mouse resulted in enhanced vasodilator responses to ADM, but not CGRP.


In oil exploitation, the short maintenance period and the poor real-time performance of dynamometer card sensors limit the timely working state diagnosis for sucker rod pumps (SRP). The motor is the power source of the SRP that provides all the energy required to lift the oil from underground to surface. The motor power output is highly associated with the working state of the entire equipment. Thus, this article proposes a new strategy to predict the working state of SRP based on motor power. First, seven novel features are extracted from motor power data to support the modeling and diagnosing processes, with the consideration of the significant parameters such as valve's working points and the operating cycle of SRP. Moreover, a custom-designed multiple hidden conditional random fields model with time window is employed as the classifier to identify different working states. At last, the proposed method is validated by a set of motor power data collected from wells by a self-developed device. The experimental result demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method for the working state diagnosis of SRPs.


The fertilization of Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinners grown in container in ornamental plant production is oft en empirically based. Previous research shows that the application of chitosan or cultivation technique like nutrient film technique (NFT) improved the performance of the treated cultivars. In order to further improve our knowledge of plant requirements, we measured the growth and flowering of two Eustoma grandiflorum cultivars upon the application of liquid mineral fertilizer "Fertina P" in the 1.5 and 3% concentration. The addition of fertilizer which contains inorganic salts had no impact on the growth and flowering of two tested cultivars 'Flamenco Pecotee Blue' and 'Mariachi Blue'.


The present paradigm of atherogenesis proposes that low density lipoproteins (LDLs) are trapped in subendothelial space of the vascular wall where they are oxidized. Previously, we showed that oxidation is not restricted to the subendothelial location. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme secreted by neutrophils and macrophages, can modify LDL (Mox-LDL) at the surface of endothelial cells. In addition we observed that the activation of the endothelial cells by angiotensin II amplifies this process. We suggested that induction of the NADPH oxidase complex was a major step in the oxidative process. Based on these data, we asked whether there was an independent association, in 121 patients, between NADPH oxidase modulators, such as angiotensin II, adiponectin, and levels of circulating Mox-LDL. Our observations suggest that the combination of blood angiotensin II, MPO activity, and adiponectin explains, at least partially, serum Mox-LDL levels.


Abstract. Precipitation and temperature are the two key climatic variables that control the hydrological cycle and water availability for humans. This study examines the potential shift of the relative roles of precipitation and temperature in controlling annual runoff in the conterminous United States (CONUS), using a water-centric ecohydrological model driven with historical records and climate scenarios constructed from 20 CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) climate models. The results suggest that precipitation has been the primary control of runoff variability and trend during the latest decades. However, the influence of temperature is projected to increase in a continued warming future in the 21st century. Despite considerable uncertainty and regional diversity, the multi-model ensemble reveals a high degree of consistency in the general increasing trend of both precipitation and temperature in the future, imposing positive and negative effects on annual runoff, respectively. The magnitude of temperature effect tends to exceed that of precipitation, and thus leads to an overall decrease of 8 ~ 30 mm yr−1 (3 % ~ 11 %) runoff by 2100. Overall, temperature and precipitation changes are expected to contribute to runoff change by 58 % ~ 65 % and 31 % ~ 39 % separately, indicating that the role of rising temperature may outweigh that of precipitation in the later part of the 21st century. Across the CONUS, runoff decrease and increase in 34 % ~ 52 % and 11 % ~ 12 % of the land area are expected to be dominated by long-term changes in temperature and precipitation, respectively. We found that the vast croplands and grasslands across the central and forests in the northwestern regions might be particularly vulnerable to water supply decline caused by the changing climate.


The aim of this paper is to show that it is possible to excite selectively different mechanical resonant modes of a MEMS structure using pulsed digital oscillators (PDOs). This can be done by simply changing the working parameters of the oscillator, namely its sampling frequency or its feedback filter. A set of iterative maps is formulated to describe the evolution of the spatial modes between two sampling events in PDOs. With this lumped model, it is established that under some circumstances PDO bitstreams related to only one of the resonances can be obtained, and that in the anti-oscillation regions of the PDO the mechanical energy is absorbed into the electrical domain on average. The possibility of selecting for a given resonant frequency the oscillation and anti-oscillation behavior allows one to obtain oscillations at any given resonant mode of the MEMS structure.


Angle Class III malocclusion is characterized by anteroposterior dental and facial discrepancies usually accompanied by skeletal changes associated with a genetic component. Early, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment are of paramount importance to promote growth control and prevent relapse. This article reports the two-phase treatment of a female patient, aged 12 years, with an Angle Class III, subdivision right malocclusion with anterior crossbite in maximum intercuspation (MIC) and end-on bite in centric relation, further presenting with lack of maxillary space. The case was treated without extractions and with growth control. This case was presented to the Brazilian Board of Orthodontics and Facial Orthopedics (BBO) as representative of Category 1, i.e., Angle Class III malocclusion treated without tooth extractions, as part of the requirements for obtaining the BBO Diploma. Abstract


A disease influencing babies and little children is the definition of intussusception. It as a rule happens at the age of 5-9 months. Small bowel intussusceptions are extremely uncommon however here we report an instance of a 6-day old baby, with idiopathic ileoileal intussusception, conveyed to the emergency department with 1 day history of fever and fits. She was in respiratory distress on presentation. Urea and creatinine was notably raised. Primary diagnosis of acute kidney damage with sepsis was made and differentials of febrile seizures, CNS meningitis and epilepsy were considered. Bleeding per rectum and greenish vomiting (and aspirate after passing nasogastric tube) began on the second post admission day. We thought of intestinal atresia (ruled out on X-rays) or intussusception. Ultrasound recommended intussusception with no lead point (potentially ileo-ileal). Barium study additionally indicated ileo-ileal intussusception. After barium examination patient passed normal stools and her nasogastric tube demonstrated no extra aspirate. Nasogastric tube was evacuated after oral encouraging trial. Moreover, her laboratory values also improved. We did another ultrasound, which demonstrated no proof of intussusception. Oral intake was started and the patient was discharged. Our case features the fact that finding of intussusception in newborn children is extremely testing because of the variable clinical presentation and an expansive scope of differentials. Consequently, small bowel intussusceptions can easily be overlooked clinically. Furthermore, it also tells us the importance of conducting prompt investigations such as barium meals and ultrasound on toddlers presenting with nonspecific symptoms of small bowel intussusception.


Objectives: The American College of Critical Care Medicine provided 2002 and 2007 guidelines for hemodynamic support of newborn and pediatric septic shock. Provide the 2014 update of the 2007 American College of Critical Care Medicine "Clinical Guidelines for Hemodynamic Support of Neonates and Children with Septic Shock." Design: Society of Critical Care Medicine members were identified from general solicitation at Society of Critical Care Medicine Educational and Scientific Symposia (2006–2014). The PubMed/Medline/Embase literature (2006–14) was searched by the Society of Critical Care Medicine librarian using the keywords: sepsis, septicemia, septic shock, endotoxemia, persistent pulmonary hypertension, nitric oxide, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and American College of Critical Care Medicine guidelines in the newborn and pediatric age groups. Measurements and Main Results: The 2002 and 2007 guidelines were widely disseminated, translated into Spanish and Portuguese, and incorporated into Society of Critical Care Medicine and American Heart Association/Pediatric Advanced Life Support sanctioned recommendations. The review of new literature highlights two tertiary pediatric centers that implemented quality improvement initiatives to improve early septic shock recognition and first-hour compliance to these guidelines. Improved compliance reduced hospital mortality from 4% to 2%. Analysis of Global Sepsis Initiative data in resource rich developed and developing nations further showed improved hospital mortality with compliance to first-hour and stabilization guideline recommendations. Conclusions: The major new recommendation in the 2014 update is consideration of institution—specific use of 1) a "recognition bundle" containing a trigger tool for rapid identification of patients with septic shock, 2) a "resuscitation and stabilization bundle" to help adherence to best practice principles, and 3) a "performance bundle" to identify and overcome perceived barriers to the pursuit of best practice principles.


Using smart methods for the automatic generation of keywords in legislative documents has  attracted the attention of many researchers over the past few decades. With the increasing  evelopment of legislative documents and the large volume of unstructured texts, the need for rapid  access to these documents has become more significant. Extracting the keywords in legislative documents will accel-erate the legislative process and reduce costs. Nowadays, many methods are presented dynamically for generating keywords. The present study attempted to extract more meaningful keywords from texts by using the thesaurus, which has a structured system to improve the  classification of legislative documents. In this method, the semantic relationships in the thesaurus and document clustering were used and the statistical features of different words were calculated to extract some words as keywords. After pre-processing the texts, first the keywords in the text were selected using statisti-cal methods. Then, the phrases derived from the keywords were extracted using semantic terms in the thesaurus. After that, a numerical weight was assigned to each word to determine the relative importance of the words and indicate the effect of the word in relation to the text and compared to other words. Finally, the final keywords were selected using the relationships in the thesaurus and clustering methods. In order to evaluate this method, the tested text was compared to educational texts and the similarity between them was used. The results of testing various texts and subjects indicated the high accuracy of the proposed method. The data from the Parliament of Iran and the Deputy for Presidential Laws were used to evaluate the proposed model. This model could provide a very high accuracy and performance in these two bases in comparison to other methods.


The apron of the Roll-on/Roll-off/Passenger (Ro-Pax) terminal is an accident-prone zone with high risk of traffic congestion and vehicle exhaust pollution in the peak season, which brings a bad experience to passengers and even endangers passengers' health. This study aims to improve the passenger service quality in the peak season by rezoning the Ro-Pax terminal apron and its traffic organization. Thus, we establish a simulation-based Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making framework to evaluate the passenger service quality and distinguish an optimal layout of the terminal apron. This framework introduces three evaluation indicators (safety, convenience, and comfort and health) and 11 performance indexes to define the passenger service quality, and the values of these indexes are derived from an agent-based simulation model for the Ro-Pax terminal apron operation. Finally, an example of the proposed framework is presented in a case study to show how to select an improved layout of the Ro-Pax terminal apron considering passenger service quality. The result confirms the proposed framework is an effective tool to solve rezoning the Ro-Pax terminal apron and the proposed methodology can also be used to cope with similar problems.


Recently, an isoparaffin‐rich jet fuel derived from camelina, a low‐input nonfood oilseed crop, was flight‐tested by a commercial airline. To date, all test results indicate that this hydrotreated renewable jet fuel (HRJ) not only meets stringent engine fuel and performance specifications but also reduces environmental emissions. Several scenarios are now being considered for camelina as a sustainable feedstock for advanced biofuel production. For example, growth of camelina in the Northern Plains of the United States on either marginal lands or as a rotation crop during fallow periods on existing lands already in food crop production can avoid the conflict with food cultivation and concerns with indirect land use change impacts. Updated estimates of camelina cultivation requirements and commercial scale oil recovery and refining were used to calculate life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy demand for both HRJ and renewable diesel (green diesel, GD). GHG life cycle emissions for GD and HRJ are 18.0 and 22.4 g CO2 equiv/MJ fuel, which represent savings relative to petroleum counterparts of 80% and 75%, respectively. Scenario analyses were conducted to determine response to model assumptions and data uncertainty, including allocation methodology, N fertilizer application rate, N2O emission factor, source of H2, and farm diesel consumption. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010


Using the differential scanning calorimetry we have found that the structural changes due to the aging have the influence on the temperatures of denaturation and the values of denaturation heats of the intact collagen (rat tail tendon). The magnitude of the specific heat jump at denaturation of the collagen fibrills differs from that for the isolated molecules.


The Food Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 included a new provision that allowed managed haying and grazing (including the harvest of biomass), if consistent with the conservation of soil, water quality, and wildlife habitat, in return for partial reductions in the annual CRP payments. The legislation provided for managed (or limited use) haying and grazing on the CRP acreage rather than prohibiting all use. This research analyzed whether or not the alternative grazing and haying scenarios would dramatically impact the price of beef or hay, and we estimated the impact such changes would have on state economies.


In this positional paper, we discuss the potential benefits of using appearance models in additive manufacturing, metal casting, wind turbine blade production, and 3D content acquisition. Current state of the art in acquisition and rendering of appearance cannot easily be used for quality assurance in these areas. The common denominator is the need for descriptive and parsimonious appearance models. By 'parsimonious' we mean with few parameters so that a model is useful both for fast acquisition, robust fitting, and fast rendering of appearance. The word 'descriptive' refers to the fact that a model should represent the main features of the acquired appearance data. The solution we propose is to reduce the degrees of freedom by greater use of multivariate statistics.


Background Chronic liver diseases (CLD) in children represent a growing health problem with significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to define the clinicopathological pattern of pediatric CLD in Sohag University Hospital, Sohag,Upper Egypt. Materials and Methods A total of 151children with CLD were included in a prospective hospital-based study from June 2014 to May 2018. Cases of acute liver illness or hepatic focal lesions were excluded. All patients were subjected to detailed history and thorough physical examination. Abdominal ultrasonography, CBC, liver function tests, viral serology, evaluation of autoantibodies for autoimmune hepatitis, and liver core biopsies were performed for all children. Results Pediatric CLD comprised 1.6% of total admissions in pediatric department. Neonatal cholestasis disorders (NCD), and metabolic liver disorders (MLD) were the leading causes of CLD (41.05% and 35.1%, respectively). NCD comprised neonatal hepatitis (25.1%), extrahepatic biliary atresia (13.2%), and paucity of interlobular bile ducts (2.7%). MLD included glycogen storage disease (26.5%), undetermined inborn error of metabolism (5.3%), Gaucher's disease (2.0%), and Niemann Pick disease (1.3%). Other causes of CLD comprised autoimmune hepatitis (8.6%), congenital hepatic fibrosis (5.9%), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (4.0%), chronic hepatitis C infection (2.7%), and Budd Chiari disease (0.6%). On follow-up of 89 cases, stationary clinical course, clinical improvement, and clinical deterioration were seen in 52.8%, 34.8%, and 12.3% of them, respectively. Conclusion The rate of CLD is growing in Upper Egypt and is mainly caused by neonatal cholestasis and metabolic liver disorders. In general, the outcome of children is favorable and comparable to other countries.


The construction industry generates a lot of construction and demolition (C&D) waste which puts some challenges to its management. For example, currently, in many towns in Tanzania, there are no landfill sites for solid waste disposal; and as a consequence open air dumping sites are used. Dumping C&D waste puts pressure for acquisition of large portions of land in order to accommodate the disposal of the growing waste generated from construction and demolition sites. Others include imposed economic burdens, social discomfort as well as sources of environmental pollution like air and water pollutants. Due to population growth and land limitation for waste disposal, the current practices will put extra pressure on C&D waste management in future as well. This paper aims to investigate the quantity and quality of C&D waste in Tanzania and the possibilities for reusing and recycling this waste in the production of building materials. The use of C&D waste for building material production can be a best option not only for waste management but also for providing alternative building material for present and future generations. Materials used in this study were cementitious rubble recovered from eight building construction and demolition sites in Dar es Salaam. Two samples from natural sources were used for comparison purposes. Secondary data from Dar es Salaam City Council was used to estimate the amount of C&D waste generated in Tanzania annually. Furthermore, the recovered C&D waste samples were crushed to get recycled aggregates that were used in laboratory analysis. The results showed that the C&D waste generation in Tanzania increased from 3.03 million tonnes to 7.9 million tonnes in the period ranging from 1994 to 2010 years. Furthermore, the results showed that the recycled aggregates were weaker than natural aggregates, however, mineralogically were not significantly different from natural aggregates. Thus, their chemical composition similarities suggest that recycled C&D waste is suitable for production of building materials in Tanzania. The recycling of C&D waste into Construction and Demolition Waste Characteristics in Tanzania 1Sabai, S. M. M., 2Lichtenberg, J. J. N., 2Egmond, E. L. C., 2Florea, M. V. M., 2Brouwers, H.J.H building material will contribute to sustainable social, economic, and environmental improvements.


Since modernization and industrialization have led to human loss and tragedies, due to industrial accidents all over the world, it is significant to look at the aspects that lead to success of environmental safety and health (ESH) situation. The safety statistics indicate high fatality and injury rates among the manufacturing employees. This paper focuses on developing an ESH Conceptual Model, based on related recommended OSHMS models in the existing of OHSAS: 18001 Standard and Guidelines. Besides, the effectiveness of OSHMS implementation was evaluated, by identifying the potential hazards and practical methods in minimizing workplace accidents. A case study has been conducted at Steel Factory Sdn. Bhd. which is located in Selangor that has implemented OSHMS, with the certification on OHSAS: 18000 in Year 2008. The methodologies consisted of review of the company's data, documentations and literature review, questionnaire surveys, site surveys, site observations, safety inspection checklist and site interviews. The findings from this study indicated that, based on Company' Yearly Incident Case Comparism (Year 2005 until Year 2011), by the implementation of OSHMS in Year 2008, it shows the reduction of fatal and major cases, from 27 cases in Year 2009 and 25 cases in Year 2010, decreased to 16 cases of reported to ESH Department in Year 2011. The employees' attitude and behaviour were the main factors that contribute to accidents. The potential hazards and practical methods have been identified by Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) method, based on Guideline of HIRARC by DOSH, 2008. As a result, the health hazard, safety hazard and environmental hazard were the potential hazards identified in this study. A sophisticated approach was implemented by the management to control and prevent the hazards, which includes the elimination of the source, engineering controls, administration controls and implementation of the PPE. Many programs and training were provided by management to increase safety
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awareness and decrease the accident occurrences among employees. Other than that, there are three important elements which lead to the successful of OSHMS identified in developing the ESH Conceptual Model for the steel factory, which includes the management leadership and organizational commitment, potential hazard identification and also practical methods and prevention. By understanding the OSHMS concept, the application of legislation that needs to be followed by industries is easily to be understood, where evidences showed that various benefits could be yielded from OSHMS implementation which includes the reduction of death and injury rates at the steel factory.


Augmented reality (AR) is a real-time, interactive user experience that inserts virtual computer-generated elements into a user's environment. AR technology utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable smart devices to capture and identify "scenes" as a user moves through her world, generate contextually relevant holograms, sound, and other sensory inputs, then project those virtual elements through the user's display. AR technology is coordinative in that it assists in economic calculation, aids in tracking usage, and helps agents overcome some kinds of information asymmetries. We provide examples from existing AR applications and conceptualize how AR strengthens self-organization and enables polycentric loci of private governance to emerge, what we call agile self-organization. Examples include information-enhancing overlays, automatic language translation, individualizing and privatizing the provision of personal and worker safety, reducing emergency response times, and enriching education with overlays and holograms. We conclude that AR technologies could erode traditional policy rationales for intervention and allow private governance to take hold and flourish in situations where it has traditionally had difficulty doing so.


The substantial uptick in research on heritage languages over the past three decades has enhanced our understanding of the development of bilingual grammars throughout the lifespan. This interest has been accompanied by a noticeable increase of experimental work, often combined with some degree of formal rigor. Exclusively and predominantly formal research on these languages—especially studies whose empirical focus centers on moribund heritage varieties—occasionally encounters criticism, due primarily to a lack of understanding of the methodology and objectives of this body of research as a whole. The purpose of this positional essay is to once again elucidate with clarity the motivation and importance of formal linguistic research on these languages, providing a fruitful path forward for continued work in this well-established field of linguistic inquiry.


SUMMARY: The spore wall of Bacillus subtilis is composed largely of structural protein, in contrast to the peptide+amino sugar+sugar complex of the wall of vegetative cells. Alanine, glutamic acid, αe-diaminopimelic acid, glucosamine, muramic acid, glucose, ribitol compounds and O-ester groups are the principal constituents of the vegetative cell walls. All of the compounds characteristic of the peptide+amino sugar+sugar complex have been detected in the spore wall preparations but they account only for a minor part of the spore wall. The walls of the vegetative bacteria have a high phosphorus content and contain appreciable amounts of a ribitol phosphate polymer. Spore walls and vegetative cell walls differ also in the nature of their N-terminal amino acids; glycine is the principal N-terminal amino acid of the spore wall protein whereas alanine is the main amino acid found in the wall of vegetative cells.


The evolution of surgery for lung cancer is a story of discovery and innovation. From the fortuitous lung resections of the fifteenth century to the sophisticated operations of the twentieth century, surgeons have pursued the goal of bringing technology and science to bear on the effort to cure lung malignancy. Intrathoracic operations could not have developed without the advent of modern anesthesia, described in detail in another section of this issue. Great courage and insight were the hallmarks of those who first realized that surgical removal of primary lung cancer could become a reality and who pursued this goal in the face of discouraging results. The surgeons involved have worn many hats as experimentalists, physiologists, anesthetists, and biologists to bring all their knowledge and experience to bear on the surgical treatment of this disease. It is not possible in a brief review to identify the many physicians and scientists who contributed to the evolution of this treatment, but some of their stories have been included to illustrate the ideas involving major events over the past seven decades.


Introduction: SNAP-IV is one of the behaviour rating scales based on teacher or parent perception to
screen patients with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The SNAP-IV
consists of 26 items that assesses the ADHD core symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity and
inattention, together with symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The original SNAP-IV
has been psychometrically validated with report of high reliability and satisfactory on validation. To
the author's knowledge, limited of the teacher-parent-reported questionnaire for ADHD is available
in Malay language; therefore, a research is required to translate or develop such a questionnaire.
This study therefore aimed to translate the English version of SNAP-IV into Bahasa Malaysia (BM)
and to measure its psychometric properties. Methods: Forward and backward translations were
done in BM in accordance to the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline. The translated
questionnaire was then reconciled and harmonized for cultural and content validation by the
researchers and five expert panels before being piloted among 91 parents. Psychometric evaluations
have been conducted using Cronbach's α (for internal reliability), Pearson's correlation (for interitem correlation) and exploratory factor analysis (for construct validity) were performed to all of the
responses obtained from the respondents. Results: The BM-SNAP-IV had excellent Cronbach's α
value of 0.97 for combined items and for its respective sub-scales of inattention (0.94),
hyperactivity/impulsivity (0.92) and ODD (0.91). The items within the same sub-scales were
significantly correlated with the ranged between strong and very strong (r=0.70-0.85, p<0.01). The
BM-SNAPIV has acceptable factor loading values for most items (0.39-0.82). Conclusions: The
preliminary finding suggests the translated version of SNAP-IV has the potential to be a reliable and
valid screening tool for ADHD population in Malaysia. This tool may also be used to further
investigate the relationship between attention deficits and Auditory Processing Disorder (APD).
Further studies are required to support this notion


: Guinea pigs were exposed in groups to pure tones of varying frequences (1000, 3000, 5000 cps) and intensities in the range of 85--130 dB SPL. Other guinea pigs were exposed to octave band noise (180--5600 cps). By means of morphology we examined the immediate and late degenerative changes of the cochleae. The changes in sensory and supporting cells were simular after a short time overstimulation (130 db SPL--15 min) compared to a 5-days-stimulation at the 85 dB SPL level. After an OBN-Stimulation with 105 dB SPL--61 hours, lesions of sensory cells were found spread over several coils of the cochleae, with a predominance of the basal and 2nd coil. After pure tone stimulation the destruction of the organ of Corti was not tonotopically related according to the frequencies which were used in the experiments. The circumscribed destroyed areas in the organ of Corti were found mainly in the tonotopical range of the receptors of 2000--5000 cps--this means the end of the basal coil and the 2nd coil. The probable mere influence of direct mechanical stress is discussed.


Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious public health concern worldwide. A treatment approach that incorporates measurement-based care (MBC) and shared decision-making between patients with MDD and their providers may foster patient engagement and improve clinical outcomes. While digital tools such as mobile apps show promise for expanding health interventions, these apps are rarely integrated into clinical practice. Objective The primary objective of this ongoing study is to determine whether implementation of a digital tool—the Pathway Platform—in primary care improves adherence to MBC practices; here, we present the study methods. Methods This large-scale, real-world implementation study is based on a pilot study of an earlier iteration of a mobile app (the Pathway app) that confirmed the feasibility of using the app in patients with MDD and showed a positive trend in patient engagement in the app arm. In addition, a user-centered design approach that included qualitative assessments from patients and providers was used to improve understanding of the patient journey and care team workflows. User feedback highlighted the need for enhanced features, education modules, and real-time data sharing via integration with the electronic health record. The current iteration of the Platform includes the newest version of the Pathway app, education modules for both patients and providers, and real-time patient-level data sharing with the electronic health record. The study takes place in primary care sites within the Advocate Aurora Health system in Illinois and includes adult patients with MDD who were recently prescribed monotherapy antidepressant medication (defined as a new start, medication switch, or dose change in the past 3 months). Clinical performance and selected patient outcomes will be compared before and after the implementation of the Platform. Results Patient recruitment was completed in July 2022, with initial results expected in mid-2023. Conclusions This study will provide useful insights into real-world integration of a digital platform within a large health system. The methods presented here highlight the unique user-centric development of the Pathway Platform, which has resulted in an enhanced digital tool with the potential to foster MBC and shared decision-making, improve patient-provider communication, and ultimately lead to optimized treatment outcomes for patients with MDD. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04891224; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04891224 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/43788


We present a comprehensive analysis results of the high-resolution spectra together with photometric data of the multiple system V831 Centaurus. Using spectral disentangling technique on the spectroscopic data with information from multi-band Geneva photometry, the disentangled spectra of the close binary components and the third star were obtained together with the spectroscopic orbital elements. The mass ratio of the close binary was found to be q=0.805. The disentangled spectra of the close binary components present a characteristic behavior of mid-B spectral type star while the third star's spectrum is more consistent with a mid-F spectral type main-sequence star.


Abstract In this paper the simple accelerometers based on PZT thin films were developed and characterized. The functions of seismic mass and spring are given by a boss loaded cantilever structure. The strain of the cantilever is detected by a Pb(Zr.Ti)O3 thin film. A 2 mm long and 0.8 mm wide cantilever yielded a response of 0.6 mV/g* in the frequency interval between 1 and 600 Hz. With Δf = 600Hz a limit of about 1 mg* at 1 Hz. and less above this frequency, was observed. The response predicted by the analytical model is close to the actual response of the device. A working miniaturized accelerometer prototype could be thus demonstrated.


The Philippine labor migration started in the earliest period as early as the 15 th century. The migration was brought about by many causes such as political, economical and social factors. This paper used the descriptive method of research and employed Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test and Spearman's Rank test as the non parametric statistical tool. The primary data were gathered from the 56 male and 62 female Filipino OFW respondents from Manama area using the structured survey questionnaire. This study examined the profile of the respondents and investigated the different push and pull factors of Filipino labor migration in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It also answered the different problems presented in the research and it proved and disapproved the stated hypothesis. It was revealed that there is no significant difference in the perception of the male and female respondents as to the rank of the push factors of Filipino labor migration but there is a significant difference in terms of the rank of push factors as perceived by the respondents. The study also determined that there is no significant relationship between the push factors and the Filipino labor migration in Bahrain but there is a significant relationship in the pull factors and the Filipino labor migration as perceived by the respondents.


The reverse bias voltage across the PIN photodiode is essential for the photodiode to operate in the photoconductive mode. This paper presents an input bias stage with differential photocurrent sensing for VLC front-ends. The bias voltage is provided from within the transimpedance amplifier's (TIA) circuit eliminating the need of external bias voltage. The amount of bias voltage could be optimised according to the photodiode required sensitivity and capacitance. The differential configuration makes the TIA immune to any common mode noise. The proposed method is applied to a hypothetical TIA and results are compared with single ended structure. Simulation results showed that using this approach it is possible to achieve a transimpedance gain of 120 dBΩ over a maximum bandwidth of 14.5 MHz with a common mode rejection ratio of 61 dB while the circuit provides a controlled bias voltage of up to 6 V across the PIN photodiode eliminating the need for external bias voltage source.


The study of an alloyed steel with Cr Mo with an important content of aluminum (0.9...1.2%), unconventionally treated in magnetic field, is attractive because of the durability which increases along with the improvement of the corrosion resistance. Through the thermo-magnetic treatments applied before thermo-chemical treatment, the mechanical properties of this material have been improved. The hardness of the superficial layers has been increased after thermomagnetic and thermo-chemical treatment because of the superficial layers' characteristics obtained after the unconventional treatment. The behavior of steel in corrosion tests was used as criterion. This paper is a review of personal research and presents the changes of corrosion resistance, using non-conventional treatments and corrosion tests for a Cr Mo alloyed steel, after thermo-magnetic treatment, respectively thermo-chemical treatment. The evolution of the superficial layer for non-conventionally treated steel during the corrosion tests was studied.