Objective. The onset and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) seem to be affected by nutritive intake; however, detailed examinations have not been performed in non-obese NAFLD patients. The purpose of this study was to identify potential nutritive factors that affect NAFLD and its related nutritional problems. Material and methods. We investigated the distribution of abdominal fat, dietary intake, and biochemical data in patients with NAFLD and compared non-obese with obese patients. Results. There was no significant difference in the percentage of patients with diabetes or dyslipidemia between the obese and non-obese groups. Waist circumference, total abdominal fat levels, and subcutaneous fat levels were significantly higher in the obese group, while visceral fat levels were not significantly different between the two groups. Immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were significantly lower in the non-obese group, suggesting that the non-obese patients were not overtly insulin resistant. Although serum adiponectin and TNF-α levels were similar in both groups, leptin levels were significantly higher in the obese group. Total energy and carbohydrate intake tended to be higher in the obese group. A characteristic feature was that dietary cholesterol intake was significantly higher, while the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was significantly lower in the non-obese group. Conclusions. In non-obese NAFLD patients: 1) although visceral fat was increased, insulin resistance and/or dysregulated secretion of adipocytokines was not necessarily shown; 2) intakes of total energy and carbohydrates were not excessive, although dietary cholesterol was superabundant and dietary PUFAs were significantly lower compared with those in obese patients; and 3) characteristic fat intake may be associated with the formation of NAFLD.


Chemical Vapour Infiltration (CVI) technique has been long used to produce carbon/carbon composites. The Pyrolytic Carbon (Py-C) matrix infiltrated by CVI could have different microstructures, i.e. Rough Laminar (RL), Smooth Laminar (SL) or Isotropic (ISO). These matrix microstructures, characterized by different properties, influence the mechanical behaviour of the obtained composites. Tailoring the process parameters, it is possible to direct the infiltration towards a specific Py-C type. However, the factors, influencing the production of a specific matrix microstructure, are numerous and interconnected, e.g. temperature, pressure, flow rates etc. Due to the complexity of the physical and chemical phenomena involved in CVI process, up to now it has not been possible to obtain a general correlation between CVI process parameters and Py–C microstructure. This study is aimed at investigating the relationship between infiltration temperature and the microstructure of obtained Py-C, for a pilot - sized CVI/CVD reactor. Fixing the other process parameters and varying only the temperature, from 1100°C to 1300°C, the Py-C infiltration was performed on fibrous preforms. Polarized light microscopy, with quantitative measurements of average extinction angle (Ae), and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the obtained Py-C microstructures.


Over the decades, the world has had great people—in economics and  education but what the world craves for as it grapples with social challenges are people with strong moral character. This article seeks to provoke discussions on the secreted curriculum and its role on youth's learning of professionalism because much of youth's professionalism learning comes not from the prescribed curriculum, but the secreted curriculum. The target population was 1246 undergraduate students in universities in Nairobi city County. The Yamane's sample calculation formula was employed in determining the sample size and the sample was 486. In analyzing the quantitative data, the researcher utilized the SPSS software program version 25. The results revealed that influences of unplanned lessons arising from how we do what we do and say what we say have both negative and positive impact on youth's acquisition of professional values. The researcher therefore proposes a thorough exploration of the humanistic climate (the secreted curriculum).


This research was carried out to fabricate and characterize Co-Cr-Mo (F-75) alloy. The samples have been prepared via solid state sintering. The lab work comprises the mixing of F-75 alloy powder with 2 wt. % of binder. The mixture was cold compacted using uniaxially press at 500 MPa. The samples were sintered at three different temperatures (1250 °C, 1300 °C and 1350 °C) in inert environment for 90 minutes of sintering time. The sintered samples were characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and optical microscope (OM) Olympus BX41M. Bulk density, apparent porosity, percentage of linear shrinkage, and microhardness of the samples were also characterized. The average of the grain sizes were measured by line intercepts method. The optical micrographs showed the difference grain size in all sintered samples after etching with Marble reagent. The result shows the percentage of linear shrinkage, bulk density value and porosity increase with increasing the sintering temperature. Beside that, higher sintering temperature yields coarser grain structure.


Our understanding of the physical and biogeochem-
ical processes at play in permafrost areas has been
greatly inadequate and significant gaps have existed
in our current knowledge, hindering any accurate as-
sessment of the vulnerability of Arctic permafrost
to climate change, or of the implications of future
climate change for global greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-
sions. The PAGE21 project was designed to broaden
our knowledge base by assessing the vulnerability of
Arctic permafrost to climate change and by reducing
the uncertainties in permafrost-related feedbacks to
the global climate. In particular, the PAGE21 project
has sought to answer the following questions:
• What are the key processes and parameters in-
fluencing and controlling the vulnerability of the
carbon and nitrogen pools in Arctic permafrost
to future climate change?
• How large an effect will Arctic climate change
feedback (due to changes in the carbon and ni-
trogen pools contained in permafrost) have on
anthropogenic global warming?
The concept of PAGE21 was to address these ques-
tions through a close interaction between monitoring
activities, process studies and modeling on the per-
tinent temporal and spatial scales. Field sites were
selected to cover a wide range of environmental condi-
tions for the validation of large scale models, the de-
velopment of permafrost monitoring capabilities, the
study of permafrost processes, and for overlap with
existing monitoring programs. Interaction between
site-scale studies and large-scale modeling was de-
signed to establish and maintain a direct link between
these two areas for developing and evaluating, on
all spatial scales, the land-surface modules of lead-
ing European global climate models taking part in
the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5
(CMIP5), designed to inform the IPCC process.
The PAGE21 results to date have highlighted that
the amount of carbon released from permafrost over
the 21st century may not be as large as previously
claimed. The project has found an average loss of
about 50 Gt C by 2100, which is at the lower end of
the IPCC estimate of 50 to 250 Gt C. However, we
have found that, in a much warmer world, this carbon
loss would continue over hundreds of years leading to
the severe degradation of permafrost ecosystems and
a large cumulative loss of previously frozen carbon


Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic repair of ventral hernias. Summary Background Data The recurrence rate after standard repair of ventral hernias may be as high as 12–52%, and the wide surgical dissection required often results in wound complications. Use of a laparoscopic approach may decrease rates of complications and recurrence after ventral hernia repair. Methods Data on all patients who underwent laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) performed by 4 surgeons using a standardized procedure between November 1993 and October 2002 were collected prospectively (85% of patients) or retrospectively. Results LVHR was completed in 819 of the 850 patients (422 men; 428 women) in whom it was attempted. Thirty-four percent of completed LVHRs were for recurrent hernias. The patient mean body mass index was 32; the mean defect size was 118 cm2. Mesh, averaging 344 cm2, was used in all cases. Mean operating time was 120 min, mean estimated blood loss was 49 mL, and hospital stay averaged 2.3 days. There were 128 complications in 112 patients (13.2%). One patient died of a myocardial infarction. The most common complications were ileus (3%) and prolonged seroma (2.6%). During a mean follow-up time of 20.2 months (range, 1–94 months), the hernia recurrence rate was 4.7%. Recurrence was associated with large defects, obesity, previous open repairs, and perioperative complications. Conclusion In this large series, LVHR had a low rate of conversion to open surgery, a short hospital stay, a moderate complication rate, and a low risk of recurrence.


Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the state of Gujarat, India looks after the basic needs of its four million citizens. AMC offers primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare services at subsidized rates. The load on AMC tertiary healthcare hospitals has been increasing rapidly, stretching the hospital resources beyond limits. Insufficient resources at these hospitals call for increased allocation of AMC funds to provide a satisfactory level of service. However, AMC is unable to allocate a larger share of its finances to the health sector owing to similar demand from other sectors. AMC authorities are therefore concerned about their ability to offer quality healthcare services at subsidized rates. In this paper, we describe a few e-Gov. applications to address and resolve the issues related to costs, revenues, subsidy, and the quality of services, so that AMC can meet its social obligations in the health sector satisfactorily. Some of our recommendations have been already implemented, while others are under consideration.


Inflammatory and prothrombotic markers are elevated in individuals with mild to moderate renal disease. It was hypothesized that these markers may also be determinants of the progression of renal disease. The association of six markers-serum C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) count, fibrinogen, factor VII, albumin, and hemoglobin-with subsequent elevations of creatinine and decline in estimated GFR in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community-based cohort of elderly individuals, was analyzed. Linear regression was used to determine predictors of an annualized change in serum creatinine as the main outcome. Duration of follow-up was 7 yr for the original cohort and 4 yr for the more recently recruited black cohort. A total of 588 (12.7%) individuals had a decline in estimated GFR of at least 3 ml/min per yr per 1.73 m(2). Higher CRP (P < 0.001), WBC count (P < 0.001), fibrinogen (P < 0.001), and factor VII (P < 0.001) levels and lower albumin (P < 0.001) and hemoglobin levels (P < 0.001) were associated with a rise in creatinine, after adjusting for age. With additional adjustments for race, gender, baseline creatinine, systolic and diastolic BP, lipid levels, weight, and pack-years smoking, higher CRP, factor VII, fibrinogen, WBC count, and lower albumin and hemoglobin levels remained associated with a rise in creatinine. Similar results were found for decline in estimated GFR. The decline in GFR was greater with increasing number of inflammatory or prothrombotic markers that were above the median (below for hemoglobin and albumin). Inflammatory and prothrombotic markers are predictors for a change in kidney function in elderly individuals. Interventions that reduce inflammation might confer significant cardiovascular and renal benefits.


SARS-CoV-2 is known to infect the neurological, respiratory, enteric, and hepatic systems of human and has already become an unprecedented threat to global healthcare system. COVID-19, the most serious public condition caused by SARS-CoV-2 leads the world to an uncertainty alongside thousands of regular death scenes. Unavailability of specific therapeutics or approved vaccine has made the recovery of COVI-19 more troublesome and challenging. The present in silico study aimed to predict a novel chimeric vaccines by simultaneously targeting four major structural proteins via the establishment of ancestral relationship among different strains of coronaviruses. Conserved regions from the homologous protein sets of spike glycoprotein (S), membrane protein (M), envelope protein and nucleocapsid protein (N) were identified through multiple sequence alignment. The phylogeny analyses of whole genome stated that four proteins (S, E, M and N) reflected the close ancestral relation of SARS-CoV-2 to SARS-COV-1 and bat coronavirus. Numerous immunogenic epitopes (both T cell and B cell) were generated from the common fragments which were further ranked on the basis of antigenicity, transmembrane topology, conservancy level, toxicity and allergenicity pattern and population coverage analysis. Top putative epitopes were combined with appropriate adjuvants and linkers to construct a novel multiepitope subunit vaccine against COVID-19. The designed constructs were characterized based on physicochemical properties, allergenicity, antigenicity and solubility which revealed the superiority of construct V3 in terms safety and efficacy. Essential molecular dynamics and Normal Mode analysis confirmed minimal deformability of the refined model at molecular level. In addition, disulfide engineering was investigated to accelerate the stability of the protein. Molecular docking study ensured high binding affinity between construct V3 and HLA cells, as well as with different host receptors. Microbial expression and translational efficacy of the constructs were checked using pET28a(+) vector of E. coli strain K12. The development of preventive measures to combat COVID-19 infections might be aided the present study. However, the in vivo and in vitro validation might be ensured with wet lab trials using model animals for the implementation of the presented data.


Listening to citizens is seen as an important source of information about public service performance. In Sweden, to secure the quality of elderly care, the National Board of Health and Welfare conducts a yearly survey of in-home elderly care services and nursing homes. A central problem of the existing survey methodology is the interpersonal incomparability of survey responses due to differences in preferences and health conditions. One way to deal with this problem is to use the survey methodology with anchoring vignettes. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the possibilities and limitations of using anchoring vignettes as a general survey method and specifically to test the method for measuring elderly care quality. The vignettes were developed interactively with professionals working in elderly care and evaluated with 1600 users of in-home elderly care services and nursing homes. The results showed that anchoring vignettes reduce the impact of respondents' personal characteristics on survey results. In general, anchoring vignettes give more robust answers that reduce the problem of incomparability. However, anchoring vignettes increase the complexity of the questionnaire and have limited value in elderly care. Our results indicate that the method might be applicable when using healthier and younger respondents.


Some developing countries are emerging as nexuses in the globalisation of innovation activities, serving as the location for crucial R&D activities from developed multinational firms (DMFs), which are headquartered in developed countries, and spawning emerging multinational firms (EMFs), which are headquartered in developing countries and conduct some of their R&D in developed countries. This paper proposes a framework and a methodology to identify international patterns of innovation at the firm-level as well as at the national level. According to a reconstruction of the R&D owner-inventor structure, we develop the analytical framework as a 3 × 3 matrix and identify three different patterns for both EMFs and DMFs in the organisation of their R&D internationalisation activities. We derive from this matrix three patterns at the national level to describe the ways how a developing country can reach the global innovation stage. We use China as a case to verify this framework.


The distribution of T gamma lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of one group of rheumatoid patients and in the synovial fluid in a second group was determined. The results were compared to those found for peripheral blood (PB) lymphocytes of normal subjects and for synovial fluid lymphocytes of osteoarthrosis and meniscitis patients. Besides recording percentage and absolute number, we also used cytofluorographic analysis to determine individual capacity of PB T gamma cells to bind heat-aggregated IgG (agg-IgG). The following results were found: 1) there is no significant difference between the percentage and absolute number of PB T gamma lymphocytes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and those of controls, 2) individual RA PB T gamma cells had a greater number and/or avidity of Fc receptor for IgG than those cells of controls, and 3) the percentage of RA T gamma lymphocytes in synovial fluid, revealed by IgG-EA ox rosetting, is significantly lower than that found in control patients. The factors that may determine a similar lymphocyte picture in RA are discussed.


This paper addresses the need for relatively small groups of collaborating investigators to integrate distributed and heterogeneous data about the brain. Although various national efforts facilitate large-scale data sharing, these approaches are generally too "heavyweight" for individual or small groups of investigators, with the result that most data sharing among collaborators continues to be ad hoc. Our approach to this problem is to create a "lightweight" distributed query architecture, in which data sources are accessible via web services that accept arbitrary query languages but return XML results. A Distributed XQuery Processor (DXQP) accepts distributed XQueries in which subqueries are shipped to the remote data sources to be executed, with the resulting XML integrated by DXQP. A web-based application called DXBrain accesses DXQP, allowing a user to create, save and execute distributed XQueries, and to view the results in various formats including a 3-D brain visualization. Example results are presented using distributed brain mapping data sources obtained in studies of language organization in the brain, but any other XML source could be included. The advantage of this approach is that it is very easy to add and query a new source, the tradeoff being that the user needs to understand XQuery and the schemata of the underlying sources. For small numbers of known sources this burden is not onerous for a knowledgeable user, leading to the conclusion that the system helps to fill the gap between ad hoc local methods and large scale but complex national data sharing efforts.


This research examines the sources and consequences of stress when using online social networks (OSN). In a first step, the five OSN-induced stressors invasion, pattern, complexity, uncertainty, and disclosure are identified. In a second step, the Model of Continuous OSN Usage is developed in order to examine the influence of these five stressors. Therefore, the model is based on the Model of Adoption of Technology in Households and the Post-Acceptance Model. Results of an empirical analysis with 154 OSNs users reveal that 57 per cent of satisfaction and 64 per cent of continuous usage intention can be explained within the Model of Continuous OSN Usage. Notably, the five stressors have a higher strength of effect on satisfactions than the three attitudinal beliefs hedonic, utilitarian, and social outcomes altogether. In summary, the results offer a theoretical foundation for recent practical observations that OSNs are a source and symbol of stress.


Self-poisoning is responsible for at least 20% of acute admissions to hospital in the UK (1–2) and represents a significant workload for healthcare Professionals worldwide. The topics in this article have been chosen as they represent significant changes in understanding of clinical toxicology working practices over the last three years. Thus recent advances in the management of poisoning by tricyclic antidepressants, ethylene glycol and methanol, salicylates and carbon monoxide are covered. Tricyclic antidepressant overdoses represent approximately half the poisoned patient workload of Intensive Care Units. Carbon monoxide has been chosen because it is the number one cause of death by poisoning in the UK and the role of hyperbaric oxygen in its management is very controversial.


Background and Purpose— Impaired fibrinolytic function secondary to elevated plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels has been implicated in ischemic stroke. PAI-1 levels are determined by genetic factors and environmental factors, triglyceride levels in particular. The aim of this study was to investigate the common functional 4/5 guanosine (4G/5G) polymorphism in the promoter region of the PAI-1 gene and the risk of stroke. Methods— A nested case–control study design was applied, using baseline data for 2 independent cohorts obtained at population-based surveys in northern Sweden. In study A, there were 113, and in study B, there were 275 individuals without major concomitant disease at baseline who later experienced a first-ever stroke. Blood samples obtained at baseline were analyzed for potential risk factors, including the 4G/5G polymorphism of the PAI-1 gene. Results— The 4G allele of the PAI-1 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of future ischemic stroke in both studies (odds ratio [OR] of 4G homozygosity, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.15 in study A; OR of 4G homozygosity, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.12 to 2.16 in study B). Individuals with the combination of hypertriglyceridemia and 4G homozygosity were at the greatest risk of developing stroke. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified 4G homozygosity, systolic blood pressure, and diabetes as independent predictors of ischemic stroke. Conclusions— Identical findings in 2 independent studies strongly suggest a true and clinically important association between PAI-1 4G/5G genotype and risk of future ischemic stroke. The observed modification of the genotype effect by triglycerides may be interpreted as a gene–environment interaction.


This article offers a critical genealogy of the dominant imaginaries through which social reproduction, particularly in relation to capitalist production, has been examined in key feminist literatures since the 1960s. Feminist scholars have long observed that the distinction between production and social reproduction in capitalist societies manifests as an opposition between 'work' and 'home,' but they have implicitly envisioned and interpreted that opposition in diverse ways that crucially connect with geography. We offer this analysis in order to clarify how different imaginaries embedded in and shaping approaches to social reproduction both illuminate and occlude the social reproduction-production nexus. Although this critical genealogy leaves us better prepared to address conceptual shortcomings within different understandings of this nexus, we still lack an approach that grasps the complex workings of this interface in a moment of rising precarité across the globe.


We report the facile preparation of photoresponsive AA/BB supramolecular polymers comprising an E-stiff-stilbene bridged guest (E-G) and a disulfide-bridged bispillar[5]arene (H). The different assembly behaviours of Z-G and E-G with H were thoroughly investigated by 1H NMR, ROESY, DOSY and viscosity experiments, respectively. The 1 : 1 mixture of Z-G and H assembled into oligomers at 5–150 mM. In contrast, the 1 : 1 mixture of E-G and H assembled into AA/BB-type supramolecular polymers following a ring-chain polymerization mechanism. The formation and disassembly of the AA/BB supramolecular polymers were regulated by photoisomerization of stiff stilbene.


Surgical procedures upon the pancreas are frequently associated with complications resulting from the leakage of pancreatic secretions into the peritoneal cavity. These complications include focal pancreatitis, peritoneal fat necrosis, adhesion formation, and fistula and pseudocyst formation. Conventional methods of treating pancreatic injury leave much to be desired. Even so confined a procedure as pancreatic biopsy in man is associated with appreciable morbidity and mortality. 11 This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of methyl-2-cyanoacrylate monomer,* a tissue adhesive, as a topical agent to prevent leakage of pancreatic secretions into the peritoneal cavity following a standardized pancreatic resection. The successful application of this material for this purpose would attest to its usefulness in pancreatic surgery. Methods Thirty-two male and female mongrel cats weighing 1.7 to 5.8 kg were used. The animals were separately caged, given Purina Cat Chow † and water, ad lib, pre- and postoperatively, and weighed weekly. The


OBJECTIVE
To compare a new dermabrasion instrument equipped with a metal shield and hydration-suction apparatus with the standard instrument, with specific attention to the exposure of operating room personnel to potentially hazardous particles.

DESIGN
A surgical trial with each of the instruments was performed with a skin model. The splatter caused by the 2 instruments was evaluated and compared statistically and graphically.

SUBJECTS
Female hairless guinea pigs (450 g) were used as a skin model.

INTERVENTIONS
Ten guinea pigs were treated with the standard dermabrading instrument, and 10 were treated with a shielded suction-irrigating dermabrader. The splatter was analyzed by counting the number of particles landing on strategically placed glass slides. Evaluations of histologic cross-sections of the dermabraded skin were compared in a blinded fashion.

RESULTS
Statistical and graphic analysis showed the number of potentially hazardous particles generated by the suction dermabrader to be significantly less than that generated by the standard dermabrader. Histologic sections showed no difference between the 2 subsets.

CONCLUSION
The new shielded suction-irrigating dermabrader provides comparable surgical results while significantly decreasing exposure to potentially hazardous splatter particles. Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2000;2:23-26


The presumption that parents act in their children's interests governs both daily life and legal doctrine. This Article demonstrates that this presumption, while usually correct, is problematic when unquestioned because it masks any conflict between parents and children, and is at odds with the individualistic framework of the ethical rules governing attorneys. This harms families and puts attorneys at risk. This Article explores this representation problem in the previously largely ignored context of special education for children with disabilities. The Supreme Court, in Winkelman v. Parma City School District, recently established that parents and children each have substantive yet "intertwined" rights to a child's appropriate education. Nonetheless, courts and attorneys continue to assume that parents speak for children, even in cases with a high risk of conflict. To best serve families and protect attorneys, this Article proposes a novel reconception of representation in education cases. Family representation posits the family as the client, with the attorney owing duties to each member individually and as part of the group. A family representation framework brings four real-world benefits: (1) it recognizes the interconnected nature of the relationships and rights of parents and children; (2) it engages both parties in the process, particularly important for children who have previously been overlooked; (3) it is economical, increasing the number of represented parties but not the number of attorneys; and (4) it brings attorney practice into accord with ethical standards. This model has ramifications beyond the educational sphere as it could also be fruitfully applied in torts and benefits actions by a parent and child against the state or other third party. Ultimately, reconceiving the attorney's role as representing the family while respecting the voices of each member harmonizes the competing principles of individual autonomy and family unity to the benefit of parents, children and attorneys.


Time is a subjective experience Time, like space, is one of the fundamental dimensions of all our experiences. However, organisms do not work like clocks, and our judgment about the passage of time is variable, depending on circumstances. Soares et al. systematically investigated midbrain dopaminergic neurons during timing behavior in mice (see the Perspective by Simen and Matell). When measuring and manipulating mouse activity, the authors observed that dopaminergic neurons controlled temporal judgments on a time scale of seconds. Science, this issue p. 1273; see also p. 1231 Mouse studies suggest that higher dopaminergic brain activity is associated with a subjective slowing down of time. Our sense of time is far from constant. For instance, time flies when we are having fun, and it slows to a trickle when we are bored. Midbrain dopamine neurons have been implicated in variable time estimation. However, a direct link between signals carried by dopamine neurons and temporal judgments is lacking. We measured and manipulated the activity of dopamine neurons as mice judged the duration of time intervals. We found that pharmacogenetic suppression of dopamine neurons decreased behavioral sensitivity to time and that dopamine neurons encoded information about trial-to-trial variability in time estimates. Last, we found that transient activation or inhibition of dopamine neurons was sufficient to slow down or speed up time estimation, respectively. Dopamine neuron activity thus reflects and can directly control the judgment of time.


In this study, the authors investigate the health associations of different employment arrangements in the contemporary European labor market. In doing so, a new approach based on the concept of "employment quality" is introduced. Employment quality refers to the multiple dimensions characterizing the employment situation of wage- and self-employed (European Working Conditions Survey 2015 – N = 31,929). Latent class cluster analyses were applied to construct an overarching typology of employment quality for the waged and self-employed. Using logistic regression analyses, strong associations were found with mental well-being and self-reported general health, pointing at a disadvantaged situation for the most precarious employment arrangements. The study shows that employment quality should be taken seriously as a health determinant both among waged workers and the self-employed. Our (novel) holistic approach offers an alternative to current analyses of the health associates of labor market segmentation that were criticized for being overly simplistic and amounting to inconclusive findings.


We have used restriction enzyme digests, Southern blot analysis, and gene transfer experiments to identify a class I gene in the Q subregion of the murine major histocompatibility complex. By comparisons of class I genes from Q congeneic strains, five restriction fragment length polymorphisms were identified. Further studies of mutant (Qa-2-) and wild-type (Qa-2+) BALB/c sublines indicated that at least part of the structural or regulatory gene controlling a Q subregion antigen resides on a 3.7-kilobase Xba I DNA fragment and is absent in all tested Qa-2- strains. The spontaneously occurring Qa-2- BALB/cBy mutant appears to have an extensive deletion in this region. The identity of this gene was confirmed by gene transfer experiments as well as by the use of a single-copy probe.


Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to human and animal life. It's equally important to the world economy: it functions as a universal solvent, makes possible industrial cooling and transportation, and is necessary for all kinds of agriculture. Antoine Frerot, CEO of Veolia Water, takes us on a tour of the world's waters, of our water. Lack of clean water kills 2.2 million people every year, and nearly 1 billion people do not have reliable access to clean drinking water. Using examples that transform theory into close-to-home reality, Frerot issues a serious challenge while showing us how to ensure that all the fast-growing cities of Asia, Africa, and Latin America have enough water. He considers how climate change will cause water shortages and explains what we can do now to prevent them. We have the political, economic, and scientific means to ensure the future of water on earth: we need only the will to take action.


In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, food policy councils (FPCs) have emerged as a critical struc¬ture for organizing community-based responses to multiple food system issues. Strong relationships with various food system stakeholders have proven essential in inspiring coordinated action. Using the early results of a Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future survey of FPCs (2020), we discuss some of the accomplishments and contributions that 118 FPCs have made toward addressing hunger and supporting producers, school food, food chain workers, racial equity, and resilience in the United States and in tribal nations.


Mindi (Melia azedarach L.) is mostly found in community forests of West Java. One of the factors that affect productivity of mindi plantation is high quality seed that is not easily available. Seed sources of mindi should be established based on the status of genetic variation, preferably the one with high genetic variation. However, information on the status of genetic variation is always lacking. The research objective was to estimate genetic variation within and between populations of mindi in West Java community forests based on microsatellites. Six mindi populations were selected in the following villages: Nagrak (Bogor),Babakan Rema (Kuningan), Padasari (Sumedang), Legok Huni (Wanayasa), Sukakarya (Bogor) and Gambung (Bandung).The results showed that average number of alleles was 2.750, PLP (percentage of polymorphic loci) was 91.67%, and the genetic diversity within populations (He) was 0.366. The highest genetic diversity was found in Padasari (He = 0.454), and the lowest one was in Babakan Rema (He = 0.269). The genetic difference between populations (Fst) was 0.3030. Cluster analysis showed three groupings in which the first and second clusterconsisted of Nagrak and Padasari, as well as Babakan Rema, Gambung and Sukakarya, respectively. On the other hand Legok Huni was separated alone. The findings provided information on the moderate status of genetic diversity that may be considered during the selection and establishment of seed sources.Key words : community forests, genetic diversity microsatellite, mindi (Melia azedarach L.)


Obtaining nuclear data is an international activity with new and updated data constantly being determined by thousands of scientists at major research centres worldwide. Because of the large amounts of data generated and the formats used to store these data, the field of nuclear data is highly specialised. To make the most important key data more accessible to a wider audience, nuclide charts have been developed. In this article, we present the scientific highlights of the new 10th Edition of the Karlsruhe Nuclide Chart. The main focus of this Chart is to provide structured, accurate information on the half-lives and decay modes, as well as energies of the emitted radiation for over 4000 experimentally observed ground states and isomer nuclides to an interdisciplinary audience.


Mediation Effect of Satisfaction and Brand Switching: Relationship between Brand Quality and Brand Performance Shamikh Siddiqui Faculty Member, Al Khawarizmi International College , Al-Ain Campus, Abu Dhabi,UAE Sehrish Javed Unilever, Pakistan Abstract This research paper concentrates on the impact of brand quality on the brand performance with the double mediating factor of brand satisfaction and brand switching in the telecommunication sector of Pakistan. Pakistan telecommunication industry is saturated and there is immense and tough competition between all brands. Survey is conducted from the customer of telecommunication industry. Data were collected by using questionnaire method, at 7-point likert scale from 136 respondents. Reliability test shows that data were significant at 0.7 levels. Regression and correlation has been tested and regression analysis proved that all hypotheses are accepted. Results shows that if brand is not providing quality to it customer then customer will not be satisfied and can easily switch to other brands available in the market which have tragic effect on the brand performance.


In 2009 Google launched its Public DNS service, which has since become the largest DNS service in existence. A common problem with public resolvers is that Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) struggle to map end user origin. The EDNS Client Subnet (ECS) extension allows resolvers to reveal part of a client's IP to authoritative name servers, helping CDNs pinpoint client origin. A side effect of ECS is that authoritative name server operators learn where in its network the public resolver handles queries. We leverage this side effect to study Google Public DNS (GPDNS). We perform a longitudinal analysis over data covering 2.5 years and 3.7 billion queries. Our study focuses on three aspects. First, we show that while GPDNS has PoPs in many countries, traffic is frequently routed out of country. This can reduce performance, and expose DNS requests to state level surveillance. We also show that end users are often served by a suboptimal PoP. Second, we show that end users switch to GPDNS en masse when their ISP resolver is unresponsive, and do not switch back. Finally, we also find that many e-mail providers configure GPDNS as resolver on their servers, causing serious privacy concerns due to information leakage.


Objective: We describe a 5-year prospective study of reproductive aging, and present analyses of steroid hormone and menstrual cycle changes with age. Design: Participants were college-educated white women, primarily of northern European ancestry, recruited from the Tremin Research Program on Women's Health (n = 156, 25-58 years). In each of 5 consecutive years, they collected daily urine specimens for 6 months and recorded menstrual bleeds for all months. Urine specimens were assayed for estrone-3-glucuronide (E1G) and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PDG), urinary metabolites of estradiol and progesterone. Using multilevel models, we estimated hormone and cycle-length trajectories for individual women and within- and between-woman variance by age. Results: At the aggregate level, PDG declined beginning in the 30s, E1G increased into the 40s before declining, and cycle length became more variable with age. Individual-level models revealed substantial hormonal variation across women, in both absolute levels and rates of change. Most women showed declining E1G by the late 40s, declining PDG in the 30s, and increasing mean cycle length in the 40s. Hormonal variation decreased with age; cycle length variation decreased and then increased. Within individual women, cycle lengths were highly variable while hormone levels were more stable. Women differed more from each other in hormone levels than for cycle lengths. Conclusions: Aggregate-level analyses show general changes in steroid hormones and cycle length but cannot show variation within and across women. Individuals' cycle lengths were too variable to predict hormone levels. Clinicians should obtain more data on individual women's hormonal patterns when determining fertility or menopause treatments.


ABSTRACT The paper draws upon photography as an active intervention into compromised environments and uses it to discover and develop new perspectives on past and future histories of education after COVID-19. These perspectives become particularly clear when seen against the backdrop of recent discussions on planetary responsibility and shared ecologies. The paper suggests that we shift our research agendas away from anthropocentric world views that have placed great emphasis on human sovereignty, modernisation, progress and/or decline, nation states and global governance, and the stratifying effects of education systems, without reflecting their ecological consequences. It argues that anthropocentric approaches to history of education have neglected the openness and vulnerability of the human body and its ethical, cultural and social proximity to other living creatures and the material world. The paper therefore focuses on what it means for historians of education to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, what it means to change research perspectives, and what it means to look at photographs that were produced in a state of exception. The paper sets out to propose a manifesto for a post-anthropocentric research agenda that anchors history of education and the history of pandemics in intertwined ecologies of the living and material worlds. The paper suggests that future histories of education cannot be written without considering the COVID-19 crisis as both a challenge and an encouragement to further develop our understanding of education.


4-Iodo-2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)phenethylamine (25I-NBOMe), commonly called "N-Bomb," is a synthetic phenethylamine with psychedelic and entactogenic effects; it was available on the Internet both as a legal alternative to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and as a surrogate of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), but now it has been scheduled among controlled substances. 25I-NBOMe acts as full agonist on serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors. Users are often unaware of ingesting fake LSD, and several cases of intoxication and fatalities have been reported. In humans, overdoses of "N-Bomb" can cause tachycardia, hypertension, seizures, and agitation. Preclinical studies have not yet widely investigated the rewarding properties and behavioral effects of this compound in both sexes. Therefore, by in vivo microdialysis, we evaluated the effects of 25I-NBOMe on dopaminergic (DA) and serotonergic (5-HT) transmissions in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and core, and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of male and female rats. Moreover, we investigated the effect of 25I-NBOMe on sensorimotor modifications as well as body temperature, nociception, and startle/prepulse inhibition (PPI). We showed that administration of 25I-NBOMe affects DA transmission in the NAc shell in both sexes, although showing different patterns; moreover, this compound causes impaired visual responses in both sexes, whereas core temperature is heavily affected in females, and the highest dose tested exerts an analgesic effect prominent in male rats. Indeed, this drug is able to impair the startle amplitude with the same extent in both sexes and inhibits the PPI in male and female rats. Our study fills the gap of knowledge on the behavioral effects of 25I-NBOMe and the risks associated with its ingestion; it focuses the attention on sex differences that might be useful to understand the trend of consumption as well as to recognize and treat intoxication and overdose symptoms.


Abstract The article presents modern PMSM servo-drive with SiC MOSFETs power devices and microprocessor with ARM Cortex core. The high switching frequency is obtained due to the application of high efficient power switching components and powerful microprocessor. It allows to achieve good dynamical properties of current control loop, proper disturbance compensation and silent operation of servo-drive. Experimental tests results obtained for two different control schemes (i.e., cascade control structure and state feedback position control) are presented.


A number of software packages are available for the construction of comprehensive human genetic maps. In this paper we parallelize the widely used package Genehunter. We restrict our attention to only one function of the package, namely the computations of Identity By Descent (IBD) genes of a family. We use a master-slave model with the Message Passing Interface (MPI) parallel environment. Our tests are done on two different architectures: a network of workstations and a shared memory multiprocessor. A new and efficient strategy to classify the parallelization of genetic linkage analysis programs results from our experiments. The classification is based on values of parameters which affect the complexity of the computation.


A lectotype is designated and a redescription made for Tetramorium hungaricum ROSZLER, 1935, a Central European taxon. It is shown that this species can be reliably separated from three related morphospecies, i.e., T. caespitum (LINNAEUS, 1758), T. ferox RUZSKY, 1903, T. semilaeve ANDRE, 1881, using morphological characters. Diagnostic characters, both morphological and morphometric, are given for the four species.


A challenge now facing utilities is how to adjust reserves in the operations-planning horizon of 0 to 48 hours ahead to mitigate the effects of wind variability and forecast uncertainties, in addition to those of load uncertainties and unavailability of generation. Reserves are maintained to ensure a high level of reliability and security to the system. They are subdivided into two groups: those responding within an intrahourly time horizon to regulate power imbalances, and those responding over a 1-48 hours ahead time horizon addressing the net forecast uncertainties. In this paper, we present a methodology for calculating reserves in the latter category, referred to as balancing reserves (BRs), following the integration of wind generation in a power system. Their computation is based on maintaining a predefined level of risk. The novelty here is that wind forecast error distributions are adjusted as a function of wind generation forecast levels. Gamma-like distributions with time-varying parameters, estimated from real data, were chosen to approximate the wind generation forecast errors. It is shown that this improved modeling significantly modifies the values of required balancing reserves and associated risk. The methodology developed is based on a clear criterion, namely risk, and it demonstrates the imperativeness of considering dynamic balancing reserves as a function of the imminent wind generation forecast.


INTRODUCTION
Gait speed is a test to measure functional capacity in older adults. Nevertheless, the factors influencing this variable are not well described in South American populations.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the relationship between usual and maximal walking speed and functional parameters among Chilean community-dwelling older adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study including 69 older adults was conducted. The usual and maximal gait speeds were associated with body composition (body mass index), upper limbs muscle strength (arm curl-ups), lower limbs muscle strength (30 seconds sit-to-stand test), global function (Barthel index), ankle flexibility (range of motion), dynamic balance (timed Up & Go test) and aerobic capacity (2 minutes walking test).

RESULTS
The ankle flexibility, lower limbs strength and aerobic capacity influenced the maximal speed (R2 =0.65; p <0.001), while the usual speed was influenced by upper limbs and lower limbs strength and by the aerobic capacity (R2 = 0.51; p <0.001).

CONCLUSION
The usual and maximal gait speeds are mostly influenced by the lower limbs muscle strength plus aerobic capacity.


ABSTRACT: Studying the impact of mandatory IFRS adoption on accounting quality in Australia provides a point of reference for comparison to other IFRS-adopting countries. It could also guide the process of transition for countries considering IFRS adoption. Similar to previous research, Chua et al. (2012) use earnings management, early loss recognition, and value relevance to surrogate accounting quality. The study concludes that there is accounting quality improvement as a result of less earnings management, early loss recognition, and increased value relevance. Although the reasons for the results are unexplored, this conclusion, similar to other prior research, is based on disputable interpretations that greater conservatism and lower earnings management reflect higher accounting quality.


Many human males produce dysfunctional sperm. Various plants frequently abort pollen. Hybrid matings often produce sterile males. Widespread male sterility is puzzling. Natural selection prunes reproductive failure. Puzzling failure implies something that we do not understand about how organisms are designed. Solving the puzzle reveals the hidden processes of design.


This is the first book length study of war in the thought of one of the twentieth-century's most important and original political thinkers. Hannah Arendt's writing was fundamentally rooted in her understanding of war and its political significance. But this element of her work has surprisingly been neglected in international and political theory. This book fills an important gap by assessing the full range of Arendt's historical and conceptual writing on war and introduces to international theory the distinct language she used to talk about war and the political world. It builds on her re-thinking of old concepts such as power, violence, greatness, world, imperialism, evil, hypocrisy and humanity and introduces some that are new to international thought like plurality, action, agonism, natality and political immortality. The issues that Arendt dealt with throughout her life and work continue to shape the political world and her approach to political thinking remains a source of inspiration for those in search of guidance not in what to think but how to think about politics and war. Re-reading Arendt's writing, forged through firsthand experience of occupation and struggles for liberation, political founding and resistance in time of war, reveals a more serious engagement with war than her earlier readers have recognised. Arendt's political theory makes more sense when it is understood in the context of her thinking about war and we can think about the history and theory of warfare, and international politics, in new ways by thinking with Arendt.


1. A modification of a present classification of amenorrhoea is suggested - on a clinico-pathological basis, rather than on the time of onset of amenorrhoea. 2. A short historical review of delayed menstruation, or, Kriegsamenorrhoe, as it was then called by the German workers, is then given. The general consensus of opinion in German medical circles up to about 1928 was that the causes of Kriegsamenorrhoe in the order of their importance are: (1) Protein deficiency in the diet. (2) Increased work. (3) Psychical and emotional stress. 3. The incidence of delayed menstruation, on entry to service, in 2,312 airwomen between 1939 and 1943 is tabulated. 4. The relationship between delayed menstruation and occupation was investigated, and it was found that the greatest number of cases occurred in those with a sedentary occupation. 5. The diets of a number of stations with cases of delayed menstruation were examined and no protein deficiency was found. 6. 150 normal girls were weighed, and over 90% had put on weight since entry to service, but airwomen with amenorrhoea put on more weight than would be expected in the average normal girl. 7. Four cases of delayed menstruation were treated with carbaminocholine chloride and two of the cases menstruated in 17 and 96 hours, one menstruated in 35 days, and one menstruated with a placebo. No definite conclusions can be drawn, owing to the small number of cases treated, but it appears that carbaminocholine is a useful form of therapy and is worthy of further clinical trial. 8. Two normal controls were unaffected by treatment with carbaminocholine chloride. 9. Three cases of pregnancy were treated with carbaminocholine chloride, a total of 9 to 12 tablets (0.018 -0.024 gm. active drug) in each case was administered. No disturbance of pregnancy occurred. As a test for pregnancy, however, carbaminocholine cannot be regarded as efficient as the Zondek-Aschheim test owing to the number of cases of delayed menstruation in whom precipitation of the period does not occur in spite of treatment. 10. The control of the menstrual cycle and the probable mechanism of production of delay is discussed. It Is suggested that rhythmic impulses, either neural or neuro-humoral, from the hypothalamus stimulate the anterior pituitary gland to produce its gonadotropic hormones rhythmically, thus effecting a definite rhythm in the menstrual cycle. Disturbance of the rhythm or delay in onset of the bleeding phase can be caused by a change of environment, which affects hypothalamus and disturbs the balance of adrenalin to acetyl choline in the circulation. This brings about a relative deficiency of acetyl choline. Re-establishment of the menstrual cycle can occur by replacing the acetyl choline content of the body.


Since my last report on the status of Personal
Relationships (PR) to Relationship Research
News, our editorial team has grown. Rodney
Cate (Emeritus, Family Studies, University of
Arizona, United States), Catrin Finkenauer
(Social Psychology, Free University, The
Netherlands), and Susan Branje (Adolescent
Development, Utrecht University, The
Netherlands) began serving terms as Associate
Editors in October 2005, December 2005, and
April 2006, respectively. They joined Susan
Boon (Psychology, University of Calgary,
Canada), Mario Mikulincer (Psychology, Bar-
Ilan University, Israel), and Denise Solomon
(Communication Studies, Pennsylvania State
University, United States), who have been
serving as Associate Editors since last summer.
Thus far 73 scholars, who represent 11 countries
and 8 disciplines, have agreed to serve as
members of the Editorial Board. In addition, 221
established and 80 new scholars have reviewed
one or more of the 150 manuscripts which were
submitted to PR between June 1, 2005 and April
4, 2006.


This paper proposed a real time medium access control method over the predominant Ethernet broadcast channel. Taking advantages of intrinsic characteristic of standard Ethernet frame, packet length based priority and channel state signaling are introduced. Medium access control provides a deterministic performance through contending and blocking. Moreover, it is compatible with IEEE 802.3. Analysis and simulation results show the correctness and effectiveness.


Purpose: Multi-organ hemosiderosis is a known complication in thalassemia patients with chronic blood transfusion. T2-Star (T2*) MRI has been introduced as a non-invasive tool for detecting iron overload in the liver and heart in these patients. This study is to determine and assess renal iron overload by MRI and its relation to liver and heart iron and serum ferritin in Iranian thalassemia patients. Methods: Total 821 transfusion dependent major and intermediate thalassemia patients (age range 10-50 years) were included in this study and calculations were done on their MRI data in a medical imaging center through 2014-2016. Iron values were calculated and averaged in a different region of interests (ROI) using fast-gradient-echo multi-echo T2* sequences. Results: Pathological renal iron content less than 36 ms was around 19.6%. The mean T2* kidney of the total population was 50.26 ms. A moderate negative, statistically significant correlation between kidney T2* relaxation time and serum ferritin was noted. For liver and heart, T2* relaxation time weakly, a statistically significant correlation was acquired by renal T2* relaxation time. Conclusions: Renal hemosiderosis was shown in numerous thalassemia patients. Since the frequency of renal iron deposition was approximately 20% in TM patients in a general population study, it might shed light that frequently monitors the renal iron loading merit hematologists in preventing the secondary side effects.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study was to measure the impact of supine and upright birthing positions on MR pelvimetric dimensions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
MR pelvimetry was performed in 35 nonpregnant female volunteers in an open 0.5-T MR imaging system with patients in the supine, hand-to-knee, and squatting positions. The obstetric conjugate; sagittal outlet; and interspinous, intertuberous, and transverse diameters were compared among positions.

RESULTS
With patients in the hand-to-knee and squatting positions, the sagittal outlet (11.8 +/- 1.3 cm and 11.7 +/- 1.3 cm) exceeded that in the supine position (11.5 +/- 1.3 cm; p = 0.002 and p = 0.01, respectively), as did the interspinous diameter (11.6 +/- 1.1 cm and 11.7 +/- 1.0 cm vs 11.0 +/- 0.7 cm; p < 0.0001, in both cases). Intertuberous diameter was wider with patients in the squatting position than in the supine position (12.7 +/- 0.8 cm vs 12.4 +/- 1.1 cm; p = 0.01). Only the obstetric conjugate was smaller with patients in the upright squatting position than in the supine position (12.3 +/- 0.8 cm vs 12.4 +/- 0.9 cm; p = 0.01). Transverse diameter did not change significantly in any position.

CONCLUSION
An upright birthing position significantly expands female pelvic bony dimensions, suggesting facilitation of labor and delivery.


: One hundred and seven patients from the Mid-Western State of Nigeria with the tropical amblyopia syndrome are reported. Ninety-five patients (88.8%) had the amblyopia syndrome mainly; twelve patients (11.2%) had amblyopia and other manifestations of the tropical ataxic neuropathy. The young, aged 10-20 years, represented by sixty-six patients (61.8%), are predominantly affected by the uncomplicated syndrome. Thirteen patients (12.1%) showed muco-cutaneous evidence of avitaminosis. Fifty patients (46.7%) had temporal pallor of the optic discs, bilaterally, another fifty (46.7%) had normal discs, two (2.8%) showed pink discs. Generalized field constriction is the common field defect, though central or centro-caecal scotoma can occur. Red/green defect was present in seven patients. It is a disease of the poor or those living on a basic monotonous diet consisting mainly of cassava (mannihot) and its derivatives. It is a significant cause of defective vision in Mid-Western Nigeria.


The past 20 years of science communication have seen important progress towards inclusion, equity, and justice. In this commentary, I review some of those changes and discuss how culturally relevant science communication activities are part of a broad movement seeking to change the culture, research, and practice of science communication. I draw on my experiences as a practitioner working with the nonprofit organization Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR) to offer lessons for the whole field to continue to address past and present exclusions and injustices and avoid future ones.


At the intersection between a sociology of surveillance, a sociology of professions and a sociology of infrapolitics in authoritarian environments, this contribution proposes an ethnography of human and technological surveillance in juvenile prisons, understood as unique but symbolic areas of social control. This original empirical investigation has enabled us to decipher not the functioning of an omniscient panopticism, but that of a compartmentalized prison space, where every sub-space – circulation corridor, cell, unit of life, educational centre, medical centre – is subjected to a visibility test and to specific stakes, structured by conflictual negotiations between various professional groups (educators, guards, teachers, nursing staff), and between inmates and professionals. In so doing, the analysis of surveillance practices reveals the complexity of the relational economy in detention, as well as the negotiated but asymmetric modalities of the production of order.


1. A method of stabilizing the enzyme by using glycerol is described. 2. A purification procedure is presented giving a higher purification than previously described. 3. Data showing substrate activation and activation by citrate are presented. 4. Kinetic constants for NAD+, NADH and certain bivalent metal ions are given. 5. Pronounced inhibitory buffer effects are described. 6. A brief comparison between the NAD-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase from peas and that from other sources is made.


The response of Carbon/epoxy composites under high velocity impact was investigated experimentally. The strain rate dependent behavior of T300 Carbon/epoxy matrix composite in tension is studied experimentally by split Hopkinson bar technique. Dynamic stress-strain plot was obtained and compared with the quasi-static tensile test results. The results of the study indicate that Carbon/epoxy composites are strain rate dependent materials. Stacking sequence has a significant effect on the material response. Tensile strength of the composites all increased with increasing strain rate. And failure strain decreased when strain rate increased.


Abstract The [AlO4/M+]0 (where M = H, Li, Na and K) defects in a-quartz have been investigated by ab initio calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level, using the CRYSTAL06 code, 72-atom supercells, and all-electron basis sets. Our DFT calculations yielded substantially improved results than previous cluster calculations with minimal basis sets. For example, the [AlO4/M+(a<)]0 defects with M = H, Li and Na have been shown to be more stable than their [AlO4/M+(a>)]0 structural analogues (where a> and a< denote the location of the charge-compensating ion on the long-bond and short-bond side respectively), correctly predicting the common occurrence of paramagnetic [AlO4/M+(a>)]+ centres. In addition, the [AlO4/K+]0 defects have been investigated for the first time and are shown to be stable in quartz. Moreover, our calculations confirm previous suggestions that incorporation of the [AlO4/M+]0 defects results in significant structural relaxations that extend at least to the nearest Si atoms and give Li-O and Na-O bond distances in better agreement with the experimentally obtained values. The present theoretical results on the [AlO4/M+]0 defects provide a more complete picture for the coupled Al3+-M+ substitutions and hence new insights into crystal-chemical controls on the uptake of Al in quartz.


Lowe Syndrome is a developmental disorder characterized by eye, kidney, and neurological pathologies, and is caused by mutations in the phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphatase OCRL. OCRL plays diverse roles in endocytic and endolysosomal trafficking, cytokinesis, and ciliogenesis, but it is unclear which of these cellular functions underlie specific patient symptoms. Here, we show that mutation of Drosophila OCRL causes cell-autonomous activation of hemocytes, which are macrophage-like cells of the innate immune system. Among many cell biological defects that we identified in docrl mutant hemocytes, we pinpointed the cause of innate immune cell activation to reduced Rab11-dependent recycling traffic and concomitantly increased Rab7-dependent late endosome traffic. Loss of docrl amplifies multiple immune-relevant signals, including Toll, Jun kinase, and STAT, and leads to Rab11-sensitive mis-sorting and excessive secretion of the Toll ligand Spåtzle. Thus, docrl regulation of endosomal traffic maintains hemocytes in a poised, but quiescent state, suggesting mechanisms by which endosomal misregulation of signaling may contribute to symptoms of Lowe syndrome.


We study the use of variety and quality of a product line as strategic tools, and specifically the link between quality and the composition of product assortments. We observe that individual stores offer assortments such that the same ice cream flavors from brands within the same quality tier do not appear on store shelves at the same time. This suggests that retailers may use flavor selection as a tool to reduce inter-brand competition within quality tiers. Using the ice cream category data, we analyze the assortments offered by stores and the effect of the assortments offered on prices, sales and competition.


Panoramic videos have become more and more popular now. 360-degree videos give users a better experience but put forward a higher request for network at the same time. Many kinds of solutions to meet the high need of bandwidth have been proposed, such as tiled-based transmission, layer-based transmission and so on. Then how to choose the most suitable bitrates to make full use of the network resource is the problem to be solved urgently. In this paper, we propose a method based on reinforcement learning(RL) algorithm to select the bitrates of the region-of-interest adaptively for panoramic videos. We also compare RL algorithm with three traditional algorithms when changing the Field of View(FOV) and find that RL algorithm proves to perform better in minimizing the rebuffer time and providing higher quality video contents under various network conditions.


Soil or growing media salinity is an increasing problem in agriculture throughout the world. Therefore, there is a real interest in a better understanding of the mechanisms set by the plants to respond to this stress. The present study concerns tomato, which is one of the most important cultivated vegetables. Tomato seeds (Lycopersicon esculentum var. 'Moneymaker') were disinfected and a salt stress (NaCl 100 mM) was applied 8 days after the onset of germination. Samples were collected after 4 days of stress. In this study, attention was focused on the antioxidant system and the lipoxygenase pathway because salt stress is often associated with an increased production of reactive oxygen species and polyunsaturated fatty acids are one of the most susceptible targets to oxidative attacks. The perception of the stress by the plantlets was confirmed by the overexpression of an aquaporin-coding gene (aqua2). Concerning the antioxidant system, the activities of ascorbate peroxydase and catalase enzymes were studied but no significant variation was observed between stressed seedlings and controls. Similar results were obtained for ascorbate measurements. Complementarily, the lipoxygenase pathway was studied at three levels in the plantlets. The expression of two genes (lipoxygenase-A and oxo-phytodienoic acid reductase) was first followed at the mRNA level by RT-PCR. The oxylipin content was determined by HPLC and the lipoxygenase activity as well as the hydroperoxide degradation activity were measured spectrophotometrically. The obtained results indicate that no clear accumulation of oxylipin occurs in our stress conditions. However, an increase in lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide degradation activities was observed and seems to indicate that several enzymes of the lipoxygenase pathway are involved in the plant response to salt stress.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) is a major mechanism of liver injury following hepatic surgery or transplantation. Despite numerous reports on the role of oxidative/nitrosative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in hepatic I/R injury, the proteins that are oxidatively modified during I/R damage are poorly characterized. This study was aimed at investigating the oxidatively modified proteins underlying the mechanism for mitochondrial dysfunction in hepatic I/R injury. We also studied the effects of a superoxide dismutase mimetic/peroxynitrite scavenger metalloporphyrin (MnTMPyP) on oxidatively modified proteins and their functions.

METHODS
The oxidized and/or S-nitrosylated mitochondrial proteins from I/R-injured mouse livers with or without MnTMPyP pretreatment were labeled with biotin-N-maleimide, purified with streptavidin-agarose, and resolved by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The identities of the oxidatively modified proteins were determined using mass spectrometric analysis. Liver histopathology, serum transaminase levels, nitrosative stress markers, and activities of oxidatively modified mitochondrial proteins were measured.

RESULTS
Comparative 2-dimensional gel analysis revealed markedly increased numbers of oxidized and S-nitrosylated mitochondrial proteins following hepatic I/R injury. Many key mitochondrial enzymes involved in cellular defense, fat metabolism, energy supply, and chaperones were identified as being oxidatively modified proteins. Pretreatment with MnTMPyP attenuated the I/R-induced increased serum transaminase levels, histologic damage, increased inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, and S-nitrosylation and/or nitration of various key mitochondrial proteins. MnTMPyP pretreatment also restored I/R-induced suppressed activities of mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase, 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolases, and adenosine triphosphate synthase.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that increased nitrosative stress is critically important in promoting S-nitrosylation and nitration of various mitochondrial proteins, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction with decreased energy supply and increased hepatic injury.


This paper details the current situation in Guinea Bissau regarding infrastructure needs and suggests policies for the future. In particular it is noted that the degradation of the country's only port in Bissau is a serious concern given the likelihood that the port will in a few years cease to be accessible to ocean-going freighters if rehabilitation is not made an immediate priority. While primary roads are in fairly good shape, secondary roads are abysmal and maintenance needs are routinely ignored on all roads. It is shown that completion of bridges connecting Bissau directly to Senegal will have the effect of making Senegalese ports the preferred outlet for many of Guinea Bissau's exports.


The effect of supplementing leaves of four tannin-rich plant species with polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) on nutrient intake and digestibility as well as on weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and N retention of zebu bulls (Bos indicus) was studied. Leaves of Albizia gummifera, Grewia ferruginea, Prunus africana and Syzygium guineense, containing, respectively, 85, 55, 76 and 172 g condensed tannins (CT) per kg dry matter (DM), were combined with natural pasture hay in a ratio of 40:60 on DM basis. The four diets were fed both without and with addition of PEG, at a dose of 40 g per kg DM, to eight zebu bulls during trials of 25 days in an 8 × 8 randomized crossover design. Supplementation with PEG increased nutrient intake, digestibility, FCR, N retention and average daily gain (p < 0.01). A diet × PEG interaction was observed for nutrient intake as well as for crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre digestibility (p < 0.05), but the effect size of PEG addition could not be attributed to the CT content as such, and also digestibility without PEG was not related to CT content of the diets. The reason why the efficacy of PEG addition did not relate to the CT content pointed the need to evaluate other factors that can help to predict the efficacy of PEG, for example, tannin type or interaction with other nutrients.


Insects tend to feed on related hosts. The phylogenetic composition of host plant communities thus plays a prominent role in determining insect specialization, food web structure, and diversity. Previous studies showed a high preference of insect herbivores for congeneric and confamilial hosts suggesting that some levels of host plant relationships may play more prominent role that others. We aim to quantify the effects of host phylogeny on the structure of quantitative plant-herbivore food webs. Further, we identify specific patterns in three insect guilds with different life histories and discuss the role of host plant phylogeny in maintaining their diversity. We studied herbivore assemblages in three temperate forests in Japan and the Czech Republic. Sampling from a canopy crane, a cherry picker and felled trees allowed a complete census of plant-herbivore interactions within three 0·1 ha plots for leaf chewing larvae, miners, and gallers. We analyzed the effects of host phylogeny by comparing the observed food webs with randomized models of host selection. Larval leaf chewers exhibited high generality at all three sites, whereas gallers and miners were almost exclusively monophagous. Leaf chewer generality dropped rapidly when older host lineages (5-80 myr) were collated into a single lineage but only decreased slightly when the most closely related congeneric hosts were collated. This shows that leaf chewer generality has been maintained by feeding on confamilial hosts while only a few herbivores were shared between more distant plant lineages and, surprisingly, between some congeneric hosts. In contrast, miner and galler generality was maintained mainly by the terminal nodes of the host phylogeny and dropped immediately after collating congeneric hosts into single lineages. We show that not all levels of host plant phylogeny are equal in their effect on structuring plant-herbivore food webs. In the case of generalist guilds, it is the phylogeny of deeper plant lineages that drives the food web structure whereas the terminal relationships play minor roles. In contrast, the specialization and abundance of monophagous guilds are affected mainly by the terminal parts of the plant phylogeny and do not generally reflect deeper host phylogeny.


Technical projects are an important part of the practical training of future engineers. Most of the time, the projects assigned to the students have no other purpose than the educational one because the emphasis is on understanding and applying certain concepts related to a particular core topic of a subject. This paper aims to present the possibility of adding an extremely important value that is created within the practical projects received by the students, namely awareness of emergency situations. Within the project of "Microprocessor systems" course (3rd year, specialization of Systems Engineering) the group of authors has implemented a method that allows students to accumulate both the practical knowledge specific to the subject but also specific knowledge of monitoring and alert in case of emergencies in the university campus. Even if at first sight there does not seem to be a problem that raises great educational challenges, the practical implementation requires a delicate methodology from the point of view of guiding the students in a complementary practical context. Students must work together to develop and implement an emergency monitoring and warning system on the university campus. The development of the monitoring and alarm system will provide the specific technical learning component and the implementation will provide complementary components related to project management and emergency situations. The proposed methodology includes assigning tasks within a group of students, managing the project development and evaluating the work of the students individually. Besides achieving the objectives of vocational training and civic education, the proposed method also has a role in developing the team skills within the group of students.


The current study has been conducted in the year 2017 to explore the determinants of export diversification strategies of Bangladesh during 1976-2016 using Vector Error Correction Method (VECM). Annual time series data ranging from 1976 to 2016 on total exports, Foreign direct investment (FDI), national savings, industry value added in percentage of GDP, growth of GDP and official development assistance (US currency) has been taken from data storage of world bank. Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test has been employed to check the stationary properties of the raw data. Moreover, the Johenson Cointegration test has been employed to discover the long-term relationship among the data series the result showed that taken data have long ran relationship. At next step, VECM model was used to investigate the dynamic association between the variables and the result showed that there is long run causality running from the FDI, GDP Growth, savings, official development and industry value to Export and there is long run causality running from the export, FDI, GDP growth, saving and official development to industry value. Granger causality test has been run to check the short run relationship among the variable. The Lagrange Multiplier (LM) test ensures that our model is out of serial correlation problem. At last Jarque-Bera test also ensure that all model except FDI and GDP growth, the residual are normally distributed.


Functional carbon nanotubes (CNT) have attracted much attention for analytical and biomedical applications. This paper describes the fabrication of a cholesterol oxidase (ChOx) immobilised polyaniline (PANI)/CNT composite electrode for the amperometric detection of cholesterol. The prepared ChOx/PANI/CNT/Au bioelectrode bound ChOx via the available functionalties of PANI (-NH2) and CNT (-COOH). Moreover, the CNT creates a network inside the matrix that strengthens the mechanical property of the bioelectrode. The multifunctional matrix is presumed to provide a 3D-mesoporous surface, which substantially enhances enzyme activity. The linear range of the biosensor for cholesterol oleate was 30-280 μM with a response time of 10 sec.


Aspects concerned with morphogenesis of Gallus gallus domesticus, avail studies related to the action of the insulin in the topography and embryonic structures. At the temperature of 37.5oC, eggs were incubated during 24 h, injected with 5 ml of swine insulin in three concentrations and reincubated for more 72 h. The morphological characteristics of 80 embryos were evaluated and, according to the presented organization, classified in 5 morphogenetic levels. It was registered generalized dismorphism (4th level) in 21 embryos that went through the tests with insulin. Standard morphogenesis (1st level) and located dismorphism (3rd level) were verified among those from the control experiments. Those individuous concerned with the 4th level, showed reduced dimension of the body and were characterized by anterior-dorsal limits organized in a cephalic projection, and also presented alterations in the posterior-ventral region. These features evidence a pattern of abnormality in the determination of the cephalic-caudal axis and indicate a specific action of the insulin in the embryonic morphogenesis, in the period of 96 hours of incubation.


Background: Comorbidities associated with HIV infection may have profound impact on the future clinical outcomes of infected patients. This study was carried out to assess the prevalence and types of comorbidities in newly diagnosed, highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART)-naïve adult HIV patients. Methods: A retrospective study of 501 consecutive newly diagnosed, HAART-naïve HIV-infected patients was carried out between April 2014 and September 2015 at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Demographic characteristics, clinical data and comorbid disease condition at initial presentation were retrieved from the hospital records of study patients. Summary statistics was used to present discrete variables. Medians were calculated for continuous variables (age and CD4counts). Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the medians across the different groups, and the Dunn's post's test was used to compare medians between two groups. Results: One hundred and sixty-one (32.1%) of 501 study patients were identified with comorbid conditions, of which 6 patients had more than one comorbid condition, indicating polypathology. The prevalence of comorbid conditions observed include renal disease (14.4%), hypertension (6.2%), tuberculosis (3.4%), oral thrush (2.4%), malaria (1.6%), urinary tract infection (2.2%), hepatitis-B (1%), diabetes mellitus (0.6%), while oesophageal candidiasis, herpes zoster, hepatitis-C and toxoplasmosis were 0.2% each. Comorbidities of infective origin were found predominantly in patients with WHO clinical class 3 and 4, corresponding with declining CD4cell counts. Renal disease was present in all four clinical stages of HIV. Conclusion: Renal disease was the most prevalent comorbidity. Comorbidities of infective origin were found almost exclusively in patients with WHO clinical class 3 and 4. Findings highlight the need for detailed evaluation at initial presentation, prior to treatment initiation.


The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) students must possess skills such as engineering dexterity, a bit of vision, and an ability to communicate with a variety of professionals. This requires a solid knowledge of basic design principles, a firm understanding of how buildings behave, and a sound understanding of how a building is pieced together. Additionally, the designers of tomorrow must look outward; beyond the confines or comfort zone of their specialization. AEC education will continue to emphasize the basics of building design fundamentals, but there is also a critical need to expose students to those facets of the profession that enable them to bridge gaps between different disciplines. This paper reviews the concept of Intelligent Design and examines its development and current use in AEC educational activities. It also reviews the gap between education and practice can be bridged through the Intelligent Design-Based Learning (IDBL) approach. Intelligent design is presented in this paper as a knowledge-based model, or ontology that provides an environment where virtual prototyping of the whole building or parts of structures prior to their construction, can be examined against code specifications and requirements digitally in an efficient manner.


The effect of gate – drain/source underlap ( Lun ) on a narrow band LNA performance has been studied , in 30 nm FinFET using device and mixed mode simulations. Studies are done by maintaining and not maintaining the leakage current (Ioff) of the various devices. LNA circuit with two transistors in a cascode arrangement is constructed and the input impedance, gain and noise-figure have been used as performance metrics. To get the better noise performance and


Porong River can be described as a walking landfill that can deliver variety of waste to go to estuary, where it would be settled and accumulated. That numerous waste in the river will lead to pollution and provide huge negative impact for water quality status and organism life. Therefore, this study aim to assess the extent of contamination that occurred in Porong river by using WQI NSF (National Sanitation Foundation - Water Quality Index) Index. The research site was in along Porong river from Mojokerto to Jaban Sidoarjo estuary, which will be divided into 7 sampling sites. Next, the determination of the sampling location was conducted by using purposive sampling method. The use of WQI NSF index is able to analyze data using 8 or 9 parameters. In order to obtain complete overview of water quality status in Porong River, then this research used 9 parameters, including: BOD, DO, nitrate, total phosphate, temperature, turbidity, total solids, pH, and  Fecal Coliform. Based on the results of 9 parameters data analysis using NSF-WQI index, it is known that the recent water quality status in Porong River is classified as Medium criteria. By knowing the results of data analysis showing the criteria of medium, so we are obliged to maintain the water cleanness, so that the water quality status will not decline. Keywords: NSF-WQI, Porong River, Status of Water Quality


Abstract. Resonant sodium lidar measurements from the transition region between the mesosphere and lower thermosphere have revealed frequently-occurring overturning events characterized by vertical scales of ~3–6 km and timescales of several hours. Larsen et al. (2004) proposed that a convective roll instability, similar to that found in the planetary boundary layer, is the likely mechanism responsible for the events. This type of instability requires an inflection point in the background winds near the center of the vortex roll with a low static stability region capped by an inversion. The earlier paper argued that the conditions required to support the instability are common in the altitude range where the features are found. In this paper, we use data from the University of Illinois sodium lidar that was located at the Starfire Optical Range near Albuquerque, New Mexico, and from the Maui/MALT Lidar Facility in Hawaii and present several cases that are used to examine the behavior of the inflection point in detail as a function of time during the evolution of the overturning event. In addition, we examine the background static stability conditions using the temperature data from the lidar.


The modal chromosome number of 13 non-small cell lung carcinomas placed into culture was compared to the DNA index of the tumor tissue as measured by flow cytometry in order to determine whether cytogenetic results from such cultures are representative of the original solid tumor. The modal chromosome number observed in culture, which ranged from 45-146, fell within the range of aneuploidy predicted from the DNA content of the original tissue in all 13 cases. In 7 cases, flow cytometry results showed that the aneuploid (,,(,"population of the tumor tissue (DNA index of 1.5 or higher) represented 11-76% of the cells present, while diploid cells (presumably normal tissue) made up the remainder of the population. In these 7 cases, modal chromosome numbers of 61-92 were found in tumor cells cultured from the tissue. In 3 cases, only a diploid or near-diploid population was found by flowcytometry, consistent with the near-diploid modal chromosome number of cultured cells ob served (45-55). In 3 cases, the aneuploid Gi/G0 population (DNA index of 1.5, 1.6, and 3.2) of the original tissue represented only a small fraction of the solid tumor (1-5% of cells). Modal chromosome number found in cells cultured from these 3 cases was 64-69, 62-68, and 136-146, which is in close agreement with the aneuploid peak observed in the tissue. Histológica!analysis of the tumor tissue in two of the latter cases showed large numbers of infiltrating lymphocytes and/or stromal tissue which could have dominated the measurement by flow cytometry. In the third case, tumor cells made up at least 75% of the specimen examined, implying that part of the population in the "diploid" peak contained tumor cells in this specimen. Only the aneuploid population was detected in culture of this tumor. Agreement between flow cytometry and cytogenetics was found in cases in which metaphase spreads »ereobtained within a few days of culture as well as after several months. These results indicate that highly aneuploid populations are found in many, but not all, non-small cell lung tumors. Although in some cases multiple populations may exist in the tumor which do not all proliferate in vitro, tumor cells which are found in culture of solid lung carcinomas are representative of the original tumor. Flow cytometry findings in the solid tumors confirmed the findings of aneuploidy observed by cytogenetic analysis.


Since collaboration within schools gains importance and is considered significant for teachers' professional development in order to meet the new 21st-century educational demands, teacher education institutes show a growing interest in field experiences inspired by collaborative learning, such as team teaching. Team teaching is a teaching model in which (student) teachers work collaboratively in the preparation, teaching and evaluation of a course. In order to assess team teaching practices in teacher education by monitoring perceptions of collaborative team teaching experiences, an instrument is needed that offers insights to guide the learning process and support well-founded decision making. Therefore, an easy-to-use quantitative questionnaire to explore student teachers' team teaching perceptions was developed and validated in four stages: an extensive literature review (1) resulting in a preliminary questionnaire containing advantages and disadvantages of team teaching (2). Next, a pilot study was conducted with 14 student teachers (3), followed by a further validation and reliability study based on exploratory factor analysis, peer debriefing, confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis with 181 participating student teachers (4). The final questionnaire comprises 29 Likert-items in four scales – collaboration, co-creation, coaching and complexity – and appears to be both valid and reliable.


Abstract Sequestration of the lung is a well-recognized entity usually subclassified into one of two groups based on its location: intralobar sequestration (ILS), within the normal pleural investment, and extralobar sequestration (ELS), outside the normal pleural investment. ELS is clearly congenital in origin; it is seen most frequently in the neonatal period, is associated with other anomalies, and is supplied by systemic and/or pulmonary arteries. ILS, on the other hand, in the majority of cases, probably results from repeated episodes of chronic pneumonia producing, through the process of granulation tissue formation, parasitization of normally occurring pulmonary ligament arteries resulting in a systemic artery supply to the infected area of lung. its location (almost exclusively in the lower lobes) is dependent on the availability of systemic arteries situated only in pulmonary ligaments between the lower lobes and the mediastinum. Further support for the acquired nature of this lesion is its almost complete absence in neonates and infants, the infrequency of associated anomalies, and the consistent features of chronic inflammation and fibrosis within resected specimens.


A comparison of the views of Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, and Kazantzakis on the topic of transcendence. A fresh model for understanding this important yet complex notion is offered by the author


An Experiment has been conducted in research station (the first) of the college of Agriculture / University of Al-Muthanna for the period from 07/22/2015 until 09/5/2015 in order to study the effect of adding aqueous extract of anise seeds recipes on the body weight and feed conversion of Japanese quail.Atotalof 256 of day old quail chicks which are randomly distributed into four treatment groups,64 chicks are per treatment . Chicks in each treatment group have been subdivided into four replicates (16 chicks for each) the aqueous extract of anise seeds has been added to the drinking water at the rate of 25,50,75,0 ml per liter of drinking water for the four treatment groups respectively .
            The data show that water treatment is significantly (p<0.05) improved live body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion of Japanese quail chicks.


Vernal pools are ephemeral wetlands, typically with a diverse and highly adapted flora and fauna. We conducted the first nematode survey on record for this ecologically important habitat. Soil samples were collected on six dates from four locations in and around each of two vernal pool basins in the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. Nematodes from plant roots and debris were extracted in a mist chamber separately from the rest of the soil, which was sieved. An estimated fifty-two nematode genera were isolated, including at least sixty-three species. Soils from the two pools were substantially different in the composition and dynamics of their nematode communities. Nematode abundances were analyzed using the nonparametric Friedman test. Significant differences are observed between/among exact locations, sample dates and extracted sample fractions. Differences in abundance patterns are also significant across nematode genera. Simple feeding experiments were conducted to test whether some vernal pool nematodes might feed on the cysts of fairy shrimp, and thereby potentially limit the recovery of some endangered fairy shrimp species. Our observations do not suggest that this is the case. During the dry summer phase, roots and plant debris appear to play an important role in both pools as refuges for nematodes, and by extension of microscopic organisms in general. Adults of large nematodes, in genera such as Dorylaimus and Labronemella congregate preferentially in dead plant material, perhaps not only in response to drought but also because of the fine texture of the underlying soil. "Aquatic" genera such as Tobrilus persist throughout the dry phase, especially in plant debris. We recommend that management of vernal pools takes care to avoid controlled burns or other forms of removal of dead plant material in dry vernal pool beds. Future surveys of nematodes and other microscopic organisms in this type of alternately inundated and desiccated habitat should include methods for extraction of roots and plant debris.


Consultation with industry identified a range of knowledge and information management tools required for building decision support systems (DSSs) that can help guide sustainable development of irrigated dairy production in the Murray Region. Individual production systems vary in complexity and input intensity and are coupled with the unique business and lifestyle goals of farm families. While single issue focussed decision support tools are limited to promoting understanding of single factor responses, the relevant opportunity costs for resources must be considered. Thus a whole farm perspective for DSSs is required to assist farm business managers optimise the profitability of production and development given the range of technical options, market conditions, environmental constraints, personal aspirations and family goals prevailing on that farm. The research, development and decision support needs elicited from producers using low, medium and high input production systems reflected both the necessity to optimise management of current systems and concerns regarding likely expansion paths for viable businesses.


Clostridium difficile causes antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and pseudomembranous colitis. The main virulence factors of C. difficile are the toxins A (TcdA) and B (TcdB). A third toxin, binary toxin (CDT), which pathogenetic role had been remained largely overlooked until few years ago, nowadays have been detected in 5%-23% of strains. C. difficile has spread around world. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common health-care associated infections and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among older adult hospitalized patients. Diagnosis of CDI is often difficult and has a substantial impact on the management of patients with disease. It is usually based on a clinical history of recent antimicrobial usage and diarrhoea in combination with laboratory tests. Although the conventional methods are crucial for the diagnosis and the subsequent treatment of CDI, a timely laboratory diagnosis is essential for the detection of toxigenic strains providing either to an effective and immediately treatment or to the prevention of further disease transmission. In this review we provide general recommendations for testing of samples collected from patients with suspected CDI.


The structural reliability with respect to plastic collapse or to inadaptation is formu- lated on the basis of the lower bound limit and shakedown theorems. A direct definition of the limit state function is achieved which permits the use of the highly effective first order reliabil- ity methods (FORM) is achieved. The theorems are implemented into a general purpose FEM program in a way capable of large-scale analysis. The limit state function and its gradient are obtained from a mathematical optimization problem. This direct approach reduces consider- ably the necessary knowledge of uncertain technological input data, the computing time, and the numerical error, leading to highly effective and precise reliability analyses.


The mainstream inflation-targeting literature makes the strong assumption that the central bank can exactly target the interest rate which affects investment and consumption decisions and hence the money supply plays no role in the monetary policy strategy. This assumption is equivalent to admitting the perfect credibility of inflation target announced by the central bank, the perfect functioning of money and financial markets and that the central bank is willing to inject as much liquidity as the economic agents demand. Neither of these assumptions corresponds to the reality. In effect, the inflation expectations can not be easily anchored by the cheap talk of central bankers. On the other hand, the central bank may have many difficulties to target, in a context of financial instability, the interest rates which affect the real and financial decisions of private agents. We suggest that under inflation-targeting regime, money and credit markets vehicle the inflation expectations that can be anchored with a well-specified feedback money growth rule. The latter, in contrast to the Friedman's k percent money growth rule, can help managing the inflation expectations in a manner to guarantee the dynamic stability of the economy. Furthermore, the model can be easily used to discuss the implications of the zero interest rate policy and the quantitative easing policy.