Introduction Decreased serum albumin (SA) levels have been used extensively as prognostic indicators in many chronic debilitating diseases. The decrease may be partly compensated by globular proteins. The failure of globulins to compensate may reflect advanced disease. We examined the prognostic value of the level of serum globulins in colorectal and breast cancers. Methods Data of 80 patients with advanced colon and breast cancers were analysed. Of these, 46 patients died within six months of measurement of their serum proteins, and the rest were followed-up for more than six months after measurements of their serum proteins were taken. A mathematical formula, representing the globulin compensation index (GCI), was recently developed from the measured SA levels and globulins. Patients were then classified into three categories: negative GCI and negative compensation; GCI of 0 to less than 1.0 with partial compensation; and GCI equal or greater than 1.0 with full compensation. Results Among the deceased patients, 45.7 percent had negative GCI, compared to 26.5 percent of patients in the survivors group. For partial compensation, 30.4 percent of patients were from the deceased group, and 32.4 percent were from the survivors group. For full compensation (elevated GCI), 23.9 percent of patients were from the deceased group, compared to 41.1 percent from the survivors group (p-value equals 0.031). Conclusion Patients with low GCI are more likely to have bad prognoses, whereas those with higher GCI have more favourable prognoses. Globulin compensation may be a reliable prognostic factor in advanced colorectal and breast cancers, and possibly in other chronic illnesses. The GCI may serve as a useful tool in the measurement of this compensation.


The primary goal of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is to obtain tumour-free resection margins. Margins positive or focally positive for tumour cells are associated with a high risk of local recurrence, and in the case of tumour-positive margins, re-excision or even mastectomy are sometimes needed to achieve definite clear margins. Unfortunately, tumour-involved margins and re-excisions after lumpectomy are still reported in up to 40% of patients and additionally, unnecessary large excision volumes are described. A secondary goal of BCS is the cosmetic outcome and one of the main determinants of worse cosmetic outcome is a large excision volume. Up to 30% of unsatisfied cosmetic outcome is reported. Therefore, the search for better surgical techniques to improve margin status, excision volume and consequently, cosmetic outcome has continued. Nowadays, the most commonly used localization methods for BCS of non-palpable breast cancers are wire-guided localization (WGL) and radio-guided localization (RGL). WGL and RGL are invasive procedures that need to be performed pre-operatively with technical and scheduling difficulties. For palpable breast cancer, tumour excision is usually guided by tactile skills of the surgeon performing "blind" surgery. One of the surgical techniques pursuing the aims of radicality and small excision volumes includes intra-operative ultrasound (IOUS). The best evidence available demonstrates benefits of IOUS with a significantly high proportion of negative margins compared with other localization techniques in palpable and non-palpable breast cancer. Additionally, IOUS is non-invasive, easy to learn and can centralize the tumour in the excised specimen with low amount of healthy breast tissue being excised. This could lead to better cosmetic results of BCS. Despite the advantages of IOUS, only a small amount of surgeons are performing this technique. This review aims to highlight the position of ultrasound-guided surgery for malignant breast tumours in the search for better oncological and cosmetic outcomes.


This paper studies the problem of global stabilization by output feedback for a family of uncertain nonlinear systems without zero dynamics. These nonlinear systems are dominated by a triangular system satisfying polynomial growth in the unmeasurable states. The novelty of this paper is that a universal-type adaptive output feedback controller is numerically constructed by using a sum of squares (SOS) optimization algorithm, which can globally regulate all the states of the uncertain systems without knowing the growth rate. An example is presented to show the effectiveness of this methodology.


During spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and global lockdowns fundamentally changed families' everyday lives. This study aims to examine how families with children coped during the COVID-19 lockdown in Finland and what kind of coping strategies they developed. An online survey including both qualitative and quantitative questions was conducted between April and May 2020 to gather Finnish families' experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. In this study, we focus on information from one open-ended question, and Huston's social-ecological theory was used as an analytical framework. The results showed that Finnish families employed coping strategies on three levels: macroenvironmental, relationship, and individual. This supports the argument that to better understand families' coping strategies, the macrosocietal environment surrounding families, their relationships, and the interactions between family members, as well as individual decisions and attitudes, should be taken into account.


Introduction: Defining mechanisms governing the diffusion from blood to cerebrospinal fluid is central to understanding immune function in the central nervous system. OBJECTIVE. To describe the dynamics of diffusion of the lectin pathway components from blood to cerebrospinal fluid. Methods: It was organized the information available in PubMed database and of papers from journals, and abstract books from international congresses belongs mainly to Cuban authors all about the lectin pathway of complement including manan-binding lectin (MBL) and ficolins complexed with the MBL-associated serine proteases (MASP2), and of other components like MASP3, Map44 as regulatory components and the different starters like MBL, ficolins and CLLK. Results: All the lectin pathways component are blood derived proteins but at the same time it could be synthesized intrathecally. Most of the protein can be transferred from blood to cerebrospinal fluid in different aggregation forms and some of them can be described as a consuming curve. The control mechanism of regulation the lectin pathway can be followed by molecules as MASP3 and Map44. Conclusions: The under- constructed lectin pathway of the complement system required not only the available information in different journals. It had to be completed by reviewing the congress abstract book and congress website of the last years


Thermally treated caffeine doped active carbon
(Caffeine-Norit) is studied as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction
(ORR) with application in metal-air systems and neutral aqueous electrolytes. Catalytic
activity is characterized by polarization curves and Tafel plots and the
results are compared with 5% Platinum (5% Pt-Norit) and 4% Silver (4% Ag-Norit)
catalysts. The Tafel slopes of all three catalysts are the same, the activity
of Ag-Norit being somewhat smaller then both Caffeine-Norit and Pt-Norit. The
polarization curves are also comparable, especially
in the low current density region. The increase of overpotential for the Caffeine-Norit
at current density higher than 50 mA cm-2 is due to accumulation of
H2O2 in the catalyst layer. This was demonstrated by
using a simple method for detection of peroxides in neutral electrolytes based
on indigo carmine indicator.


ABSTRACT The TolC protein of Escherichia coli, through its interaction with AcrA and AcrB, is thought to form a continuous protein channel that expels inhibitors from the cell. Consequently, tolC null mutations display a hypersensitive phenotype. Here we report the isolation and characterization of tolC missense mutations that direct the synthesis of mutant TolC proteins partially disabled in their efflux role. All alterations, consisting of single amino acid substitutions, were localized within the periplasmic α-helical domain. In two mutants carrying an I106N or S350F substitution, the hypersensitivity phenotype may be in part due to aberrant TolC assembly. However, two other alterations, R367H and R390C, disrupted efflux function by affecting interactions among the helices surrounding TolC's periplasmic tunnel. Curiously, these two TolC mutants were sensitive to a large antibiotic, vancomycin, and exhibited a Dex+ phenotype. These novel phenotypes of TolCR367H and TolCR390C were likely the result of a general influx of molecules through a constitutively open tunnel aperture, which normally widens only when TolC interacts with other proteins during substrate translocation. An intragenic suppressor alteration (T140A) was isolated from antibiotic-resistant revertants of the hypersensitive TolCR367H mutant. T140A also reversed, either fully (R390C) or partially (I106N and S350F), the hypersensitivity phenotype of other TolC mutants. Our data suggest that this global suppressor phenotype of T140A is the result of impeded antibiotic influx caused by tapering of the tunnel passage rather than by correcting individual mutational defects. Two extragenic suppressors of TolCR367H, mapping in the regulatory region of acrAB, uncoupled the AcrR-mediated repression of the acrAB genes. The resulting overexpression of AcrAB reduced the hypersensitivity phenotype of all the TolC mutants. Similar results were obtained when the chromosomal acrR gene was deleted or the acrAB genes were expressed from a plasmid. Unlike the case for the intragenic suppressor T140A, the overexpression of AcrAB diminished hypersensitivity towards only erythromycin and novobiocin, which are substrates of the TolC-AcrAB efflux pump, but not towards vancomycin, which is not a substrate of this pump. This showed that the two types of suppressors produced their effects by fundamentally different means, as the intragenic suppressor decreased the general influx while extragenic suppressors increased the efflux of TolC-AcrAB pump-specific antibiotics.


Alteration of DNA integrity is a potential cause of cancer and it is assumed that reduced DNA repair capacity and accumulation of DNA damage may represent intermediate markers in carcinogenesis. In this case-control study, DNA damage and nucleotide excision repair capacity (NER-DRC) were assessed in association with sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). Both parameters were quantified by comet assay in blood cells of 70 untreated incident patients and 70 age-matched healthy controls. mRNA expression and polymorphisms in relevant NER genes were concurrently analyzed. The aim of this study was to characterize incident CRC patients for NER-DRC and to clarify possible relations between investigated variables. Comet assay and mRNA expression analysis showed that CRC patients differ in repair capacity as compared to controls. Patients had a lower NER-DRC and simultaneously they exhibited higher endogenous DNA damage (for both P < 0.001). Accumulation of DNA damage and decreasing NER-DRC behaved as independent modulating parameters strongly associated with CRC. Expression levels of 6 out of 9 studied genes differed between groups (P ≤ 0.001), but none of them was related to DRC or to any of the studied NER polymorphisms. However, in patients only, XPC Ala499Val modulated expression levels of XPC, XPB and XPD gene, whereas XPC Lys939Gln was associated with XPA expression level in controls (for all P < 0.05). This study provides evidence on altered DRC and DNA damage levels in sporadic CRC and proposes the relevance of the NER pathway in this malignancy. Further, alterations in a complex multigene process like DNA repair may be better characterized by functional quantification of repair capacity than by quantification of individual genes transcripts or gene variants alone.


Affirmative action measures within the workplace seek to ensure equal employment opportunities and create a workforce that is representative of South African society. One of the issues faced by employers in implementing affirmative action is the question of who should be a beneficiary of affirmative action. This case note seeks to answer this question by looking at the definition given to beneficiaries of affirmative action and the concept of disadvantage. The first part of the article will explore the general objective of affirmative action and the two schools of thought on how we identify beneficiaries of affirmative action. I argue that recognition must be given to the fact that individuals who fall within the designated groups are not necessarily equally placed in terms of their experience of disadvantage. I further argue that in recognizing these differing experiences of disadvantage, we can avoid the creation of an elite middle-class black group that benefits from affirmative action to the exclusion of those that truly deserve the protection. The second part of this case note will focus on a landmark decision that highlights the difficulties encountered by employers in fulfilling their obligation of implementing affirmative action policies. In the last part of this case note I shall comment on the lessons that can be drawn from the case. I shall compare the development of affirmative action in the United States and India with that of South Africa in order to show the constitutional principles that need to be advanced within such a social transitional programme and recommend that affirmative action as a means to an end needs to evolve with the understanding that it functions within an ever changing social and economic environment. If such changes are ignored the true beneficiaries of affirmative action are not given recognition and the desired end of creating a workforce representative of South African society and thus reaching our goal of equality cannot be realized.


We report here on our technique and outcomes of the first two cases of robot-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy with a bladder cuff excision (RLNU). RLNU was performed on two female patients who both had a muscle invasive lower ureter tumor. For the first step, nephroureterectomy was performed in the lateral flank position. For the second step, bladder cuff excision and bladder repair were performed in a steep Trendelenburg position. The specimen was extracted through a 6 cm sized incision in the umbilical trocar site. Both procedures were successfully completed with using the robot without conversion to open surgery. The total operative time, including the lymphadenectomy and the robot docking times, was 320 and 241 minutes, respectively, for the 2 patients. The estimated blood loss was 40 and 200 ml, respectively. The pathological examinations showed stage T3 and T2 invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter. The patients' postoperative recoveries were uneventful and the bladder cuff was free of tumor. RLNU may have potential advantages over open and laparosopic surgery due to its minimal invasiveness. This approach can be an alternative to open surgery or laparoscopic technique.


AIM To provide a pilot study of empiric rifaximin, bismuth subcitrate, furazolidone/nifuratel triple therapy for H. pylori gastritis in childhood. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty one pediatric outpatients (27 females, mean age 14.5+/-1.4 ys) with H. pylori-associated chronic gastritis who underwent endoscopy for dyspeptic symptoms received the combination of bismuth subcitrate (8 mg/kg/day, q. d. s.) for 14 days, rifaximin (800 mg/day) for 10 days and furazolidone (10 mg/kg/day, q. d. s.) or nifuratel (15 mg/kg/two times daily) for 10 days. H. pylori status was determined before the treatment by modified Giemsa staining/urease test and after the treatment (in 4-6 weeks) by ammonia breath test. RESULTS H. pylori was eradicated in 35 children (85.4%; 95%CI: 75.4-96.4 ITT and PP tests). There were no serious adverse reactions and were no withdrawals due to any side effects. CONCLUSION The combination of rifaximin, bismuth subcitrate and furazolidone/nifuratel was an effective and tolerable regimen for initial H. pylori eradication.


Online social networks seeking attention resulting in increasing its user's numbers day by day. OSNs will
take you in a different world of networks unlike of web networks which are using hyperlinks. Social
activities are minimized with the hectic life which leads to almost no relations among people. With the
advancement of OSNs, people love to share, message and involve in social activities as well get aware of
each other, thus redefining society once again in an interesting and simplest way. This review finds that
there are a number of significant benefits connected with the use of OSNS including delivering
educational outcomes; facilitating supportive relationships; identity formation; and, promoting a sense of
belonging and self-esteem. For the purposes of this paper, we focus on the use of OSNS unless otherwise
stipulated. The following paper summarizes current evidence relating to the enabling effects of OSNS in
the context of Youngsters' daily lives.


Introduction: Appropriate knowledge, attitude and practice against any infectious disease improve perception and consequently adopt preventive practices toward disease transmission. Good perception and preventive practice is the key to prevent infectious disease like COVID-19.
Objective: To assess the perception and protective behaviour against COVID-19 among the members of Shaheed Salahuddin Cantonment, Ghatail.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shaheed Salahuddin Cantonment from March 2022 to May 2022 among conveniently selected 1315 respondents. Data were collected through face-to-face interview using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire.
Results: The majority (79.8%) of the respondents were male, residing in the sainik line (72.3%) having monthly income of <15000 taka. Three-fourth of the respondents were lance corporal/sainik, 30.8% were currently married having secondary school certificate level of educational qualification. Study revealed that more than two-third (62.5%) respondents had moderate perception about COVID-19 and about 87.3% respondents showed good preventive behaviour. Preventive behaviour is significantly associated with male gender (χ2=2.49; p < .05), lower age group (<20 years) respondents (χ2=9.93, p < .05) who were qualified in secondary school certificate education (χ2=8.54, p<.05), married (χ2=4.97, p < .05), stayed in sainik line (χ2=9.19, p<.05) and in lance corporal/sainik respondents (χ2=13.12, df =4, p =.01)
Conclusion: Extensive health education program should be undertaken to create good perception and preventive behaviour among susceptible respondents like female gender, aged, unmarried respondents of Shaheed Salahuddin Cantonment.
JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 18, No 1 (June) 2022: 80-85


The idea of separating retail and investment banking remains controversial. Exploiting the introduction of UK ring-fencing requirements in 2019, we document novel implications of such separation for credit and liquidity supply, competition, and risk-taking via a funding structure channel. By preventing conglomerates from using retail deposits to fund investment banking activities, this separation leads conglomerates to rebalance their activities towards domestic mortgage lending and away from supplying credit lines and underwriting services to large corporates. By redirecting the benefits of deposit funding towards the retail market, this rebalancing reduces the cost of credit for households, without eroding lending standards. However the rebalancing also increases mortgage market concentration and risk-taking by smaller banks via indirect competition effects.


Selection of an inappropriate degree intention is a principal cause of students withdrawing from university study. Law schools face particular problems because most applicants will not have studied law previously and so cannot form informed opinions about whether it is a suitable degree intention for them. The University of Aberdeen School of Law piloted a scheme whereby nine final-year school pupils attended a compulsory module of the LLB programme, allowing them to study on-campus as if they were first-year law students. This experience was successful in allowing them to make informed decisions regarding their degree intention (thus aiding student retention), with two-thirds going on to matriculate as law students and a third deciding law was not appropriate for them after all. The pupils also noted various other benefits, including increased confidence in their ability to transition into university effectively. The scheme also promoted the university to the pupils, all but two of whom have come to Aberdeen for their degree. This pilot project thus has implications for retention, transition, and early engagement of students. It may also serve as a mechanism for blending school and university study with the view to saving repeat learning at e.g. Scottish Curriculum and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level seven.


Immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4-SC) is frequently associated with type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). Association with AIP can be utilized in the diagnosis of IgG4-SC. However, some cases of IgG4-SC are isolated from AIP, which complicates the diagnosis. Most of the reported cases of isolated IgG4-SC displayed hilar biliary strictures, whereas isolated IgG4-SC with intrapancreatic biliary stricture is very rare. Recently, we have encountered 5 isolated intrapancreatic IgG4-SC cases that were not associated with AIP, three of which were pathologically investigated after surgical operation. They all were males with a mean age of 74.2 years. The pancreas was not enlarged in any of these cases. No irregular narrowing of the main pancreatic duct was found. Bile duct wall thickening in lesions without luminal stenosis was detected by abdominal computed tomography in all five cases, by endoscopic ultrasonography in two out of four cases and by intraductal ultrasonography in all three cases. In three cases, serum IgG4 levels were within the normal limits. The mean serum IgG4 level measured before surgery was 202.1 mg/dL (4 cases). Isolated intrapancreatic IgG4-SC is difficult to diagnose, especially if the IgG4 level remains normal. Thus, this type of IgG4-SC should be suspected in addition to cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic cancer if stenosis of intrapancreatic bile duct is present.


We study shifts in support for fiscal decentralization in a political agency model from the perspective of a region. In a model where corruption opportunities are lowet under centralization ar each period of time, decentralization makes easier for citizens to detect corrupt incumbents. As a consequence, the relationship between fiscal decentralization and corruption is conditional to the levels of political competition. When we endogenize the quality of local politicians, we establish conditions for a positive link between the development of the private sector and the support for decentralization. Since political support to the centralization evolves over time, driven by either economic/political development or by exogenous changes in the preferences over public good compsumption, it is possible that voters are (rationally) discontent about the level of fiscal autonomy. Also, we show how the preferences of the voters and politicians about fiscal decentralization can diverge in situations where political competition is weak.


The purpose of this work was to study the relationship between self-focused attention and dissociative experiences in 4 groups of subjects: patients with a psychotic disorder who suffer from auditory hallucinations, patients with psychoses who have recovered from their hallucinations, patients with psychoses who have never had them, and a fourth nonclinical group. The private self-consciousness scale, revised version by Scheier and Carver, J Appl Soc Psychol. 1985;15:687–699, was used to measure self-focused attention, and the dissociative experience scale (DES-II, Bernstein and Putnam, J Nerv Ment Dis. 1986;174:727–735) was used for dissociation. The results showed that the attention of subjects with hallucinations was more self-focused than the nonclinical group, but did not differentiate significantly from groups of patients without hallucinations. On the other hand, patients with hallucinations and those recovered from them had a higher percentage of dissociative experiences than the rest of the groups in the total DES-II score and in its 3 factors, dissociative amnesia, depersonalization, and absorption. We also found a positive correlation between self-focusing and dissociative experiences in subjects with hallucinations. The depersonalization factor on the DES-II was the only factor predicting auditory hallucinations. The conclusions discuss the relevance of dissociative factors and self-focused attention to understanding the etiology of auditory hallucinations and their contributions to current cognitive models of hallucinations.


ABSTRACT Despite anticipated curtailment of their powers, the past decade saw technocratic actors take on an increasingly powerful role in economic governance. Focusing on the EU, I analyse these epochal shifts as a move away from the market liberal paradigm that informed the 1992 European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The 1992 EMU combines a highly restrictive attitude to public money creation with a permissive laissez-faire attitude to private credit money. In the face of the dual crises of COVID-19 and the climate emergency, EU technocrats have abandoned key tenets of the EMU. The European Central Bank provides targeted and large-scale support for pandemic-related fiscal expenditures. Banking regulators and supervisors actively guide the allocation of credit with an eye to its economic and environmental impact. However, constitutional structures lag ideational shifts and the new technocracy is haunted by issues of legality and legitimacy. To pursue the new policies within the old constitutional structures, policymakers engage in strategic ambiguity: the policies are justified in terms of both new economic policy priorities, as well as by reference to the instruments and goals of the earlier market liberal paradigm.


The objective of this paper is to find in a setting of n sequential observations of objects a good online policy to select the κ best of these n uniquely rankable objects. This focus is motivated by the fact that it is hard to find closed form solutions of optimal strategies for general κ and n . Selection is without recall, and the idea is to investigate threshold functions which maintain all present information, that is thresholds which are functions of all selections made so far. Our main interest lies in the asymptotic behaviour of these thresholds as n → ∞ and in the corresponding asymptotic performance of the threshold algorithm.


The increment of Songket popularity as the traditional fabric from South Sumatra increases the production of Songket and the wastewater produced during the dying process. The dying process produces the reddish wastewater, and if it is disposed of directly into the environment, it will have a negative impact on the waters. The wastewater treatment of this reddish liquid is by electrocoagulation method. Electrocoagulation method is contaminants removal by electrical and chemical treatment system. The electrocoagulation method in this research was conducted in a batch where the wastewater was treated using 16.5 x 7.0 x 0.2 cm aluminum electrode. The parameters varied were the current density and processing time to determine the pH value, color intensity, BOD5, COD, TSS, and phenol levels. The optimum condition obtained from this study at a current density of 25 A/m2 with a processing time of 160 minutes. The effectiveness of Songket wastewater electrocoagulation was 67.28% for TSS, 54.13% for BOD5, 63.64% for COD, color intensity 79.21% and phenol content of 74.93% respectively. The result has fulfilled the quality standard of textile industry wastewater treatment.


Background
Vitamin K (VK)-dependent γ-glutamate carboxylation and serine phosphorylation activate matrix Gla protein (MGP) to a potent locally acting inhibitor of calcification. Nephrolithiasis represents a process of unwanted calcification associated with substantial mortality and high recurrence rates. We hypothesized that the risk of nephrolithiasis increases with VK shortage, as exemplified by higher plasma levels of desphospho-uncarboxylated MGP (dp-ucMGP).

Methods
In 1748 randomly recruited Flemish individuals (51.1% women; mean age 46.8 years), we determined dp-ucMGP and the prevalence of nephrolithiasis at baseline (April 1996-February 2015) and its incidence during follow-up until March 2016. We estimated the multivariable-adjusted relative risk associated with the doubling of dp-ucMGP, using logistic or Cox regression. We did a Mendelian randomization analysis using four MGP genotypes as instrumental variables.

Results
With adjustments applied for sex, age and 24-h urinary volume and calcium excretion, the odds of having prevalent nephrolithiasis [n = 144 (8.2%)] associated with dp-ucMGP was 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.64; P = 0.022]. dp-ucMGP levels were associated (P ≤ 0.001) with MGP variants rs2098435, rs4236 and rs2430692. In the Mendelian analysis, the causal odds ratio was 3.82 (95% CI 1.15-12.7; P = 0.029). The incidence of nephrolithiasis over 12.0 years (median) was 37 cases (0.2%). With similar adjustments as before, the hazard ratio in relation to dp-ucMGP was 2.48 (95% CI 1.71-3.61; P < 0.001). Additional adjustment for a nephrolithiasis propensity score produced consistent results.

Conclusion
Higher levels of inactive dp-ucMGP may be causally associated with the risk of nephrolithiasis. Whether or not VK deficiency plays a role in these observations remains to be firmly established.


Business rivalry has occasioned a cut-throat competition which is threatening the growth of hardware stores in South Imentisubcounty. The intensive competition may have been heightened by the increased constructions of commercial houses to meet the rising demand for housing in the region. The competitive rivalry may likely curtail creation of a stable employment and can be a deterrent to affordable housing which is one of national agenda 4. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of rivalry on the competitiveness of hardware stores in South Imenti sub-county. It hypothesized that business rivalry has no significant influence on the competitiveness of hardware sector in South Imenti sub-county. The porters five competitive model was significant in guiding this study. Descriptive survey design was adopted. Data was collected from the registered hardware stores in South Imenti using a structured questionnaire. Census sampling technique was used since the population was small. Content and construct validity ensured data quality, while cronbach's alpha was used to test the reliability of the research instruments. Mean, standard deviation, and linear regression analysis were used in analyzing research data. Results indicated that business rivalry positively and significantly affect the competition of hardware stores.The study concluded that there is intensive business rivalry among hardware stores in Imenti South. This has occasioned price wars among the hardware owners and a scramble for the market share, hence the unsystematic expansion and growth. The study recommends collaborations of business associates and introduction of differentiated products in the market.


is widely used by universities as an entry requirement for international students, but is not an English for Academic Purposes test per se but is rather used to assess language proficiency. Thus, there could be mismatches between the specific skills test takers are required to demonstrate to achieve a particular IELTS band, versus the academic language practices they need at university level. However, representatives of academic institutions (including Lancaster) sometimes claim that intensive EAP courses are designed to improve the IELTS scores of students by one band. The four-week pre-sessional Lancaster University EAP (Study Skills) programme receives students from different disciplines whose IELTS score is just below the required level for admission to their chosen degree programme. Despite this apparent link between IELTS scores and programme outcomes, and the increasing pressure to report outcomes in terms that relate to the UKVI's criteria for "Secure English Language Tests", teachers on the Lancaster programme use a different set of "can do" statements to evaluate the academic language practices of students. In this talk we will compare and contrast the writing-related can do descriptors of the EAP programme (originally developed in-house) with the band descriptors for IELTS writing tasks one and two and with the writing-related can dos of the CEFR. The initial comparisons point out that the EAP can dos use similar terms to those for IELTS bands 8/9 and CEFR levels C1/C2, although the IELTS band required for admission to Lancaster University is between 6 and 7, and the UKVI requires students to have reached level B2. In addition, the EAP Programme can dos incorporate practices such as referencing that are not included either in IELTS or CEFR descriptors. We will further discuss how tutors assess student writing practices by examining samples of student writing and tutor feedback.


Clay minerals in chilled or brecciated margins (altered glass) and massive inner crystalline parts (mesostasis) of three basalt-hawaiite bodies from Mururoa Atoll (French Polynesia) have been studied in order to compare their chemical and mineralogical compositions. Polyphase assemblages comprise di- and trioctahedral phases, both of which consist of non-expandable layers (chlorite, celadonite) and two types of expandable layers (saponite and Fe-rich smectite or 'nontronite-like' material). The presence of the Fe-rich clays is supported by the presence of the X-ray diffraction 060 peak at 1.51–1.52 Å and of the infrared absorption bands at 875 and 822 cm−1 (Fe3+-Al-OH and Fe3+-Fe3+-OH groups, respectively). The chemical composition of the Fe-rich smectites does not fit with the theoretical nontronite field. The layer charge averages 1 per Si4O10 making these Fe-rich smectites close to 'celadonite-type' clays. This could explain the presence of mixed-layer celadonite-smectite. Plotted in an M+/4Si vs. Fe/sum octahedral cations diagram, the chemical compositions of clay minerals in the mesostasis form a continuous field limited by the celadonite-high-charge nontronite-like smectite and chlorite end-members. The clay assemblages are different from those formed in hydrothermal systems or low-grade metamorphic conditions which are characterized by the sequence: saponite → randomly ordered chlorite-smectite mixed-layered minerals (MLMs) → corrensite → chlorite. The systematic presence of Fe-rich clays either in the altered chilled margins or in the massive inner parts of the basalt-hawaiite bodies (high-charge nontronite-like smectite and mixed-layer nontronite-celadonite) makes the Mururoa sea-mount a potential terrestrial analogue for Mars surface exploration.


In this study, we aimed to comprehensively investigate particulate matter less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) at industrial, residential, and ecologically sensitive sites in the western Himalayan region. To achieve this goal, PM10 data from 20 stations across the state of Himachal Pradesh were used to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns. To determine the potential sources of pollution, we created a bivariate polar plot based on wind speed and direction. Our findings showed that only the PM10 concentrations at the ecologically sensitive sites (59.02 ± 34.77 μg m–3) were below the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 60 μg m–3. The concentrations at both the industrial (115.9 ± 47.82 μg m–3) and residential (87.16 ± 35.83 μg m–3) sites exceeded the standard, with the highest concentrations occurring during the winter and the lowest occurring during the monsoon season of the same year. The emission sources both within and outside of the Himachal Pradesh for each site were determined based on the bivariate polar plot, and industrial and vehicular emission, biomass and solid waste burning, dust from a nearby unpaved road, and long-range transported pollution were identified as contributors to the deterioration of air quality in this state. Moreover, the monsoon season significantly affected air quality. We conclude that local industrial and traffic pollution and long-range-transported emissions increased the PM10 concentration in Himachal Pradesh, resulting in its exceedance of the limit indicated in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.


Machine learning (ML) systems have been increasingly applied in web security applications such as spammer detection, malware detection and fraud detection. These applications have an intrinsic adversarial nature where intelligent attackers can adaptively change their behaviors to avoid being detected by the deployed detectors. Existing efforts against adversaries are usually limited by the type of applied ML models or the specific applications such as image classification. Additionally, the working mechanisms of ML models usually cannot be well understood by users, which in turn impede them from understanding the vulnerabilities of models nor improving their robustness. To bridge the gap, in this paper, we propose to investigate whether model interpretation could potentially help adversarial detection. Specifically, we develop a novel adversary-resistant detection framework by utilizing the interpretation of ML models. The interpretation process explains the mechanism of how the target ML model makes prediction for a given instance, thus providing more insights for crafting adversarial samples. The robustness of detectors is then improved through adversarial training with the adversarial samples. A data-driven method is also developed to empirically estimate costs of adversaries in feature manipulation. Our approach is model-agnostic and can be applied to various types of classification models. Our experimental results on two real-world datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of interpretation-based attacks and how estimated feature manipulation cost would affect the behavior of adversaries.


We present results of the spectral filtering properties of volume gain gratings and their role as diffractive optical elements in the spectral evolution of holographic laser oscillators. We show that the gain grating acts as a spectral filter with a filter bandwidth that is approximately inversely proportional to the medium length. We investigate holographic laser oscillators and find that, when either the gain grating is written by monochromatic radiation or when it is initiated from broad-band radiation, the output of such oscillators can evolve to single longitudinal mode in correspondence to experimental observations.


Screening and isolation of cellulolytic fungi were done using cattle rumen fluid conducted at a local slaughtered house in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. This research was aimed to isolate cellulolytic fungi with over production of cellulase components. Isolated fungi had shown the ability to degrade cellulose base on decolorization of CMC selective agar using Grams iodine as color indicator. Two isolates with cellulolytic activity with the result of CM Case 2.33 and 1.24, and FP-ase 0.30 and 0.11 were identified as P. nalgiovense (SpC.PD) and A. tamarii (SpF.PD). This study identified those species as highly cellulolytic in producing cellulase activity. Identification of the cellulase enzymes can help industries to exploit this enzyme for feed bio-degradator such as in aquaculture production.


This research paper provides a brief history of agricultural market information system in Mozambique. It describes the process of agricultural market information system establishment. In addition, the paper provides a description of the whole process of agricultural market data collection, processing and publication. The paper provides some prospects and future challenges of agricultural market information system. Finally, it discusses four alternatives scenarios that could be adopted in long term in order to ensure the improvement of market access by the small-scale farmers and promote the equity in different groups of market participants, contributing for agricultural development.


Contemporary education faces multiple challenges that encumber today's public school teachers, especially those in English Language Arts (ELA). One aspect remaining consistent over the decades is the imbalance between the amount of curricular material teachers are directed to teach and the time school districts allot to do it. It is likely a contributing factor to burnout and attrition in the faculty workforce. This essay presents counterintuitive reasons for proposing the implementation of a "proof of concept" intra-school research project that would demonstrate the potential value of a reductionist approach to the amount of content required in curricular designs. It may have the potential to increase cognitive capability of students along with reducing stress on teachers; not only by curtailing the number of texts for student study, but by incorporating methodologies of how texts are selected, analyzed and taught as well as students' creation of their own.


In this study, 1mm thick Fe-Mn-Si shape memory alloy was welded by both sides using YAG laser welding. In a certain range of parameters, the optimal processing parameters for the maximum tensile strength are current 100 A, pulse frequency 3 Hz and pulse width 15 ms by orthogonal experiment. With the optimal processing parameters, the tensile strength of the welded joint can achieve 94% of base material,and the fracture appears in the center of welding seam and the surface morphology of welding seam is good. The influence of processing parameters on tensile strength of weld joint is directly embodied in cross-section of the welding seam morphology. In the laser welding, the tensile strength of nonpenetration in seam and hourglass shape welded joint is generally poor, and the perfect welded joint has conditions such as wide welding seam, deep penetration, weld pool filling and "non-hollow". Most importantly, the central area in cross-section of the welding seam is the widest.


Strip casting process is a kind of promising near net shape technology for producing magnesium alloys strip. The microstructure and mechanical properties of CO2 laser welded as-cast AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet were investigated. The microstructure of base material (BS) was typical columnar dendritic structure. A significant grain refinement occurred in the fusion zone (FZ) due to the rapid cooling, while an obvious grain coarsening occurred in the heat affected zone (HAZ). The tensile strength and elongation at fracture of weld joints were reduced due to the weld depression caused by high heat input. The hardness in the FZ was the highest due to fine grains, while there was a decrease in hardness of the HAZ, but little variation compared with the hardness of the BS.


The patterns of energetic response elicited by single‐site hemoglobin mutations and chemical mocdifications have been determined in order to probe the dimer–dimer interface of the half‐ligated tetramer (species[21]) that was previously shown to behave as allosterically distinct from both the unligated and fully ligated molecules1. In this study the free energies of quaternary assembly(dimers to tetramers) were determined for aseries of 24 tetrameric species in which one dimeric half‐molecule is ligated while the adjacent αβ dimer is unligated and contains a single amino acid modification. Assembly energies have also been determined for tetramers bearing the same amino acid modifications but where the hemesites were completely vacant and additionally where they were fully occupied. A total of 72 molecular species were thus characterized. It was found that mutationally induced perturbations to the free energy of quaternary assembly were identical for the half‐ligated tetramers and the unligated tetramers over the entire spatial distrubution of altered sites, but exhibited a radically different pattern from that of the fully ligated molecules. These results indicate that the dimer–dimer interface of the half‐ligated tetramer(species[21]) has the same quaternary sturcture as that of the unligated molecule, i.e, "quaternary T." This quaternary structure assignment of species [21] strongly supports the operation of a Symmetry Rule which translates changes in hemesite ligation into six T → R quaternary switchpoints2. Analysis of the observed Symmetry Rule behaviour in relation to the measured distribution of cooperative free energies for the partially ligated species reveals significant cooperativity between α and β subunits of the dimeric half‐tetramer within quaternary T. The mutational results indicate that these interactions are not "paid for" by breaking or making noncovalent bonds at the dimer–dimer interface (α1β2). They arise from structural and energetic changes that are "internal" to the ligated dimer even though its association with the unligated dimer is required for the cooperativity to occur. Free energy of "tertiary constraint" is thus generated by the first binding step and is propagated to the second hemesite while the dimer–dimer interface α1β2serves as a constraint. The "sequential" cooperativity that occurs within the half‐molecule is thus preconditioned by the constraint of a quaternary T interface; release of this constraint by dissociation produces only noncooperative dimers. When the constraint is released functionally by T to R dimer rearrangement (at each switch‐point specified by the a Symmetry Rule) the alterations of interfacial bonds then dominate the energetics of cooperativity. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The investigation about which Mark Dubé raises concerns involved treatment for patients addicted to opiate drugs in which a surgical lesion was made in a brain region (nucleus accumbens) considered to influence addiction to abused drugs. The study reported partial success of the procedure. Dubé feels that the study should not have been cited because the investigation was conducted in China and at a military-affiliated hospital (Tangdu Hospital) and, therefore, there would be ethical problems concerning lack of consent. As a point of clarification, my understanding from my Chinese colleagues is that it is likely that most patients at Tangdu Hospital in China are from the public. I chose to cite the article in my review because the article stated explicitly that patients underwent surgery "of their own free will" and because I do not feel that the fact that a human study is conducted in China is sufficient grounds to dismiss the findings. I recognize that there will be those who feel that such consent cannot be freely given in China. I note that the same group described their consent process in more detail in a subsequent article: "All patients gave written informed consent according to the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study was approved by the local ethics committee." The data from the study that I cited in my review were presented at the 2003 meeting of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and published as a full article in the society's journal as part of the conference proceedings. The Tangdu Hospital group's other study discussed above was published in the same journal. I mention this only parenthetically; I do not mean to imply that only human studies published in Western journals should be considered for citation. In my review, I expressed my opinion that the findings from the article in question are preliminary. I did not cite the article as providing a potential strategy for treatment of drug addiction but only as providing limited evidence suggesting possible involvement of one brain region in drug addiction.


This paper investigates the role of targeting in the context of agri-environmental schemes involving monitoring and penalties and well suited to a geographically-based distinction between participants. By separating participants into a target and a non-target group the aim of targeting is to reduce the moral hazard problem. The paper analyses three approaches to targeting and the focus is on reducing the extent of cheating by participants in the non-target group. By complementing the adoption of targeting with appropriate adjustments to the monitoring/penalty parameters it is shown how such an approach can exploit the risk aversion of participants to completely eliminate cheating by those participants in the non-target group.


The interest of the fatigue life for rubber components was increasing according to the extension of warranty period of the automotive components. In this study, the fatigue lifetime prediction methodology of the vulcanized natural rubber was proposed by incorporating the finite element analysis and fatigue damage parameter determined from fatigue tests. Finite element analysis of 3D dumbbell specimen and rubber component was performed based on a hyper-elastic material model determined from the mechanical tests. The Green-Lagrange strain at the critical location determined from the finite element analysis was used for evaluating the fatigue damage parameter of the natural rubber. Fatigue tests were performed using the 3D dumbbell specimens and rubber component with different levels of maximum strain and various load. Fatigue life curves can be effectively represented by a following single function using the maximum Green-Lagrange strain. Fatigue lives of the natural rubber are predicted by using the fatigue damage parameters at the critical location. Predicted fatigue lives of the rubber component for automobile vehicle agreed fairly with the experimental fatigue lives.


This paper examines in detail the electrical coupling between the high-, middle-, and low-latitude ionospheres during January 17–19, 1984, using interplanetary and high-latitude magnetic field data together with F region plasma drift measurements from the EISCAT, Sondre Stromfjord, Millstone Hill, Saint-Santin, Arecibo, and Jicamarca incoherent scatter radars. We study the penetration of both the zonal and meridional electric field components of high-latitude origin into the low-latitude and the equatorial ionospheres. In the dusk sector, a large perturbation of the zonal equatorial electric field was observed in the absence of similar changes at low and middle latitudes in the same longitudinal sector. The observations in the postmidnight sector are used to compare the longitudinal variation of the zonal perturbation electric field with predictions made from global convection models. Our results show that the meridional electric field perturbations are considerably more attenuated with decreasing latitude than the zonal fluctuations. As a result, we conclude that variations in the meridional electric field at low latitudes are largely due to dynamo effects. These observations are used to show that the global convection models reproduce a number of characteristics of low-latitude and equatorial electric fields associated with changes in the polar cap potential drop. In addition, we highlight several areas where there is still substantial disagreement between the electric field data and the theoretical results.


Structure-based drug design (SBDD) relies on the availability of high-quality structures that describe protein–ligand interactions. INPHARMA is an NMR-based method that allows the determination of ligand binding poses to accuracy higher than 2 A. In this work, we demonstrate that INPHARMA can be used to find novel ligand scaffolds as inhibitors of a model system protein, the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk-2). The workflow is given as follows: first, we determine the binding poses to Cdk-2 of six low-affinity fragments and use them to derive a structure-based pharmacophore. Two of the ligands show an unexpected binding mode, which differs from the one observed in crystal structures of other kinases. Second, we use the INPHARMA-generated pharmacophore for virtual screening of the ZINC database; one of the hit compounds is found to bind Cdk-2 in the low μM range and shows selectivity for Cdk-2 against kinases of other families. Our results demonstrate that INPHARMA is an efficient structure-based tool in solution to evolve low-affinity fragments into hit compounds.


Messenger RNA's are translated in successive three-nucleotide steps (a reading frame), therefore decoding must proceed in only one of three possible frames. A molecular model for correct propagation of the frame is presented based on (i) the measured translational properties of transfer RNA's (tRNA's) that contain an extra nucleotide in the anticodon loop and (ii) a straightforward concept about anticodon loop structure. The model explains the high accuracy of reading frame maintenance by normal tRNA's, as well as activities of all characterized frameshift suppressor tRNA's that have altered anticodon loops.


The histology of 17 cases of basal cell carcinoma and dermis next to the carcinoma was observed. The results showed that the mast cell number was markedly increased in the dermis near the basal cell carcinoma. There was an increase in the collagen fibers between the carcinoma and dermis tissues, forming a thin membrane around the carcinoma tissue. These findings suggest that the carcinoma-associated antigen may activate the lymphocytes to produce certain lymphokine which stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of the mast cell precursors. Histamine and other active mediators released from mast cells stimulate fibroblasts to synthesize collagen fibers which form a thin membrane between the carcinoma and dermis. The membrane plays a protective role against tumor dissemination.


This thesis examines written corrective feedback (WCF) in English classes at a Vietnamese Secondary School. It investigates how students' beliefs and writing development are impacted by their engagement in teacher and group-based correcting strategies integrated into a correcting sequence. Further, it explores the group-based students' engagement in and responses to the correcting sequence. Engaging in the correcting sequence resulted in students' different levels of writing improvement, engagement, and views. This study suggests contextualizing WCF within pedagogical sequences of tasks and collaborative learning to maximize learners' interaction and promote multi-dimensional levels of engagement in written corrective practices.


In this study, clinical, parasitological, macroscopical, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations were performed on 19 kids and 11 lambs (30 animals) with neonatal diarrhoea to detect the presence of Coronavirus, Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia intestinalis. Clinically, severe dehydration, yellowish-green to brown coloured diarrhoea and death were observed. Mortality rates were 10-30% in the examined flocks. The most common agent was C. parvum diagnosed in 20 animals as a single causative agent, whereas G. intestinalis was found in 5 of 30 animals. These two protozoa were detected together in 4 animals upon faeces examination. Fifteen of 24 cases of C. parvum and 3 of 11 cases of G. intestinalis were also confirmed histopathologically. Following immunohistochemical examination, all cryptosporidiosis cases were confirmed by positive immunostaining of intestinal sections. Two additional Giardiosis cases with negative results upon parasitological and histopathological examinations were diagnosed by means of immunohistochemical examination. Coronavirus was detected immunohistochemically in one kid with neonatal enteritis. Following diagnosis, herds were treated with Trimethoprim + Sulfodoxine and multivitamin complexes. Intravenous and intramuscular administrations of these drugs were effective for both treatment and prevention of neonatal diarrhoea in lambs and kids.


The study of ocean sunfishes has for decades been practically synonymous with the study of Mola mola, recently listed as 'vulnerable' on a global scale by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The concerns are high levels of fisheries bycatch worldwide, however sunfish bycatch is rarely identified to species level anywhere, perhaps as a long legacy of taxonomic confusion in the sunfish taxonomy has rendered identification to species level challenging. This includes the Australian and New Zealand longline fisheries, where sunfishes are listed at "High Risk" due to data deficiency. In the popular sunfish SCUBA dive tourism off Bali, Indonesia, another type of anthropogenic pressure is manifested through diver crowding, preventing sunfish from interacting with cleaner-fish on the local reefs. The consequences are difficult to gauge due to a paucity of information on this highly seasonal phenomenon, but have motivated discussions of sunfish protection by Indonesian authorities.

In this study, the species identities and zoogeographies of the little studied sunfishes in Australia and New Zealand were explored through biopsy sampling in the longline fisheries, and by reviewing museum collections across both countries. Specimen IDs were established phylogenetically and/or morphologically. Combined, the results revealed a new species of ocean sunfish, Mola tecta, which was diagnosed and described. Furthermore, the results showed that three large species of sunfish dominate the tropical, subtropical/warmtemperate and cold-temperate waters of Australia and New Zealand; Masturus lanceolatus, Mola alexandrini and Mola tecta, respectively. Mola mola appears to be rare. These results imply that the long-term fisheries observer sunfish bycatch data from both countries consists of a mix of species. Bycatch rate analyses within four fishing grounds sub-areas, each presumably dominated by one species of sunfish, did not reveal downwards trends over the 10 - 12 year periods, for which data were available.

In the Bali tourism industry, the sunfish species identity was confirmed molecularly and morphologically as Mola alexandrini. The strong seasonality in diver sightings was documented through sunfish encounter rates based on operator logs. The results revealed that the 2015 sunfish season (August – October/November) lagged by ~1 month the seasonal change in intensity of two major oceanographic features of the area, established from in situ and satellite sea surface temperature data. Data from eight satellite tagged sunfish revealed a high affinity by four fish to the dynamic Lombok Straight during the sunfish season, however, at least one other fish left the area. Overall, temperature emerged as an unlikely main driver of the sunfish seasonality, which is instead presumably driven by an increase in sunfish prey availability, associated with the seasonal cold-water upwelling.

Overall, these findings have provided much needed clarity to the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Mola, and demonstrated the need for species-level investigations of fisheries bycatch globally to inform fisheries risk assessments. Furthermore, the results provided important information on the sunfish seasonality off Bali to inform tourism management decisions.


Research on education politics often uses interest group pressure to explain the policy influence of teachers' organizations. While acknowledging the power teachers' unions have to articulate interests and shape labor policy, we explore how a less-studied variable–expertise (or the credibility of the claims they make to expertise)– shapes the policy process. In many low-and middle-income countries, teacher organizations struggle to demonstrate policy expertise and professional competence in core areas related to teaching and learning. Focusing on Indonesia from 2005-2020, we examine how the largest teachers' organization influenced labor policy but was marginal in debates about professional standards, training, and evaluation due to its limited technical capacity and struggles to propose viable policy alternatives. Expertise is a critical policy input, and it deserves more attention in the education politics subfield. It is central for setting the agenda for policies to improve the quality of education and it has normative value for improving policy design overall.


Abstract Objective: To examine the relationship between child-feeding strategies and the stage of change for fruit and vegetable consumption of low-income African American women. Design: Mothers were asked to think aloud as they shopped for groceries and prepared a meal for their family. Verbalisations were audio-taped and transcribed. Transcripts were coded. Coded segments were sorted according to stage of change of the women who made the verbalisation. Themes were identified and analysed for differences across the stages of change. Child-feeding strategies and factors influencing provision of fruits and vegetables to children were identified through content analysis procedures. Setting/subjects: Seventy women, aged 18 to 45 years, were classified by stage of change (10 to 18 per stage) based on self-reported intakes of fruits and vegetables and intention to increase intake. Women on average had two to three children less than 12 years of age and tended to be single heads of households, with about half having some college or technical training. Results: According to the women's comments, food preferences of children were important considerations for women in all stages regarding their food choice behaviours. Women in the later stages reported using more positive child-feeding strategies to promote the intake of fruit and vegetables, including positive role-modelling and methods related to food purchasing, preparation and meal planning. Conclusions: Promoting mothers' movement to more advanced stages of change for fruit and vegetable intake may result in the use of more positive child-feeding strategies and therefore contribute to increased fruit and vegetable intake by children.


Acute diarrhea affects millions of persons who travel to developing countries each year. Food and water contaminated with fecal matter are the main sources of infection. Bacteria such as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, enteroaggregative E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella are common causes of traveler's diarrhea. Parasites and viruses are less common etiologies. Travel destination is the most significant risk factor for traveler's diarrhea. The efficacy of pretravel counseling and dietary precautions in reducing the incidence of diarrhea is unproven. Empiric treatment of traveler's diarrhea with antibiotics and loperamide is effective and often limits symptoms to one day. Rifaximin, a recently approved antibiotic, can be used for the treatment of traveler's diarrhea in regions where noninvasive E. coli is the predominant pathogen. In areas where invasive organisms such as Campylobacter and Shigella are common, fluoroquinolones remain the drug of choice. Azithromycin is recommended in areas with qui- nolone-resistant Campylobacter and for the treatment of children and pregnant women. (Am Fam Physician 2005;71:2095-100, 2107-8. Copyright© 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians.) Traveler's Diarrhea


Analyses of the patterns of fire in Alaska were carried out using three different data sets, including a large-fire database dating back to 1950. Analyses of annual area burned statistics illustrate the episodic nature of fire in Alaska, with most of the area burning during a limited number of high fire years. Over the past 50 years, high fire years occurred once every 4 years. Seasonal fire statistics indicated that high fire years consist of larger fire events that occur later in the growing season. On a decadal basis, average annual area burned has varied little between the 1960s and 1990s. Using a geographic information system (GIS), the spatial distribution of fires (aggregated by ecoregions) was compared with topographic, vegetation cover, and climate features of Alaska. The use of topographic data allows for a more realistic determination of fire cycle by eliminating areas where fires do not occur due to lack of vegetation above the treeline. Geographic analyses show that growing season temperature, precipitation, lightning strike frequency, elevation, aspect, and the level of forest cover interact in a complex fashion to control fire frequency.


The first major feature, optic nerve hypoplasia, is the underdevelopment of the optic nerves, which carry visual information from the eyes to the brain. In affected individuals, the optic nerves are abnormally small and make fewer connections than usual between the eyes and the brain. As a result, people with optic nerve hypoplasia have impaired vision in one or both eyes. Optic nerve hypoplasia can also be associated with unusual side-to-side eye movements (nystagmus) and other eye abnormalities.


The objective of this study was to examine the effects of inequality towards women economic growth in Temeke District, Dar es Salaam. In pursuit of this objective the methodology used were literature review; interviews using a structured questionnaire and key informant interviews. Data analysis was undertaken using the SPSS software Version 21 for quantitative and Nvivo version 11 for qualitative data. Descriptive statistics were used to obtain frequencies, proportions, and cross-tabulations. Findings of the study revealed that although women are not restricted to engage in economic activities, still the community perspectives towards women is very negative. Women are perceived as weaker sex and unable to do the jobs effectively as compared to men. Moreover, there are inequality employment opportunities between men and women. The situation is worse for married women since they are restricted by their husbands to engage in economic activities. As a result, there is a high dependence level of women to their husbands, situation of which increases their poverty level. The study observed that the relationship between gender inequality and economic growth are statistically significant: indicating that gender inequality in Temeke is the possible reason for women's economic backwardness. Based on these findings; is recommended that in respect of the concept of gender inequality there should be more awareness and education programs on the effects of gender inequality. In terms of factors causing gender inequality and economic growth the government should enforce and enact good policies, which will eliminate the gender inequality problem in the community as well as provide conducive working environment for both men and women.


Despite its prevalence, there is a lack of understanding regarding the effect of telework on an organization's knowledge base. Recognizing the enabling role of electronic communication media, this article therefore addresses the interaction effects of media synchronicity and temporal as well as spatial separation among colleagues on sharing in knowledge networks. Special attention is paid to knowledge awareness (a form of metaknowledge representing "who knows what") as well as homogeneous and heterogeneous knowledge sources to further explicate the relationship between coworker separation and knowledge sharing. Multiple surveys were placed between two smaller ethnographic investigations and combined with whole network data to form an in-depth study of 64 knowledge workers at a medium-sized European research and advisory organization. The results reveal that spatial separation directly reduces the frequency of knowledge sharing between colleagues, whereas temporal separation affects knowledge sharing through reduced knowledge awareness, resulting in lower job and proactive performance. The use of asynchronous media can serve to mitigate most of the negative effects of spatial separation on knowledge sharing but may also exacerbate the negative effect of temporal separation on teleworkers' knowledge awareness of colleagues with identical expertise.


We introduce Caching Networks (CachingNets), a speech recognition network architecture capable of delivering faster, more accurate decoding by leveraging common speech patterns. By explicitly incorporating select sentences unique to each user into the network's design, we show how to train the model as an extension of the popular sequence transducer architecture through a multitask learning procedure. We further propose and experiment with different phrase caching policies, which are effective for virtual voice-assistant (VA) applications, to complement the architecture. Our results demonstrate that by pivoting between different inference strategies on the fly, CachingNets can deliver significant performance improvements. Specifically, on an industrial-scale, VA ASR task, we observe up to 7.4% relative word error rate (WER) and 11% sentence error rate (SER) improvements with accompanied latency gains.


This article utilizes a novel empirical strategy, the study of exemplars, to investigate the transformation of quality conventions in the film industry during the 1960s and 1970s. Exemplars are films or directors which are used as a reference point (focal points) in the evaluation of other movies or directors. We use an original dataset of movie reviews to examine the changing quality conventions and demonstrate that during the investigated period, movies are increasingly treated as singular artistic products. This shift, around the rise of auteur theory and New Hollywood, has been analyzed by others but we provide a more fine-grained analysis of the transformation and are able to demonstrate the neglected importance of cultural trade: the import of European films. We provide evidence that these changes lead to a period of increased quality uncertainty, before a new quality regime becomes established. We explore how such qualitative changes in the market could impact industrial organization and product differentiation in the movie industry, and demonstrate how the analysis of such qualitative changes can complement existing quantitative studies of the movie industry and the determinants of film success, both economically and artistically.


Background: To investigate importance of fasting insulin (FI) as a diagnostic test for insulin resistance (IR) and to compare with other standard methods McAuley (McA), HOMA and QUICKI indices in Diabetes Mellitus (DM).
Method: 42 diabetic patients who have been already diagnosed were used in our study. They were investigated for fasting blood glucose (FBS), FI, LDL, Triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and HDL levels. IR was calculated by McA, HOMA, QUICKI indices and by FI.
Results: 81% of patients were insulin resistant by McA and FI in our study group. 93% were detected as insulin resistant by HOMA and QUICKI. IR by FI was further compared with HOMA and QUICKI and 81% of patients were found to be insulin resistant by FI, HOMA and QUICKI. Results showed that there was a significant correlation between FI and McA in expressing IR in our study group (p <0.01, r = -0.849). Further, FI had a statistically significant correlation with HOMA and QUICKI indices (p <0.01, r = 0.906 and p <0.01 r = -0.822 respectively).
Conclusion: FI measurement alone in diabetic patients has detected IR in 81% of patients, similar to the other standard methods (McA; 81%, HOMA and QUICKI; 93%). We further identified that FI as a diagnostic test of IR had substantial correlation with McA. Our results recommend further studies to see the possibility of taking fasting insulin to determine IR in type 2 diabetic population


The African sheath-tailed bat (Coleura afra, Emballonuridae) occurs patchily throughout sub-Saharan Africa and in southern Arabia. While the populations in southeastern Africa have been studied, those from the other parts of its distribution range have not been known well. We assessed genetic and morphological variation among some African and Arabian populations including those previously not studied. The recovered phylogenetic pattern suggests the existence of three major evolutionary lineages in this species. One lineage comprising populations from Kenya and Tanzania could be attributed to the nominotypical subspecies, although it surprisingly included also the population from Ghana. The respective populations from Yemen and Gabon were represented by the other two lineages. The recently discovered population of C. afra from Gabon shows considerable external morphological variation and a certain degree of sexual size dimorphism. Two morphogroups, based mainly on overall skull size, could be identified among populations from West Africa, East Africa, and Arabia. The larger-sized group corresponded to the nominotypical form. The smaller-sized group could be split into two subgroups defined by the skull shape, comprising populations from northeast Africa and Arabia, and West Africa, respectively. Although these two morphological subgroups seemed to correspond to forms gallarum/nilosa and kummeri, these allocations were not corroborated by the molecular analyses. Given the comparatively large genetic distances in C. afra, taxonomic revisions of the southern Arabian and Central African forms are anticipated.


This paper addresses the long-standing problem of feature representation in the natural world for autonomous navigation systems. The proposed representation combines Isomap, which is a nonlinear manifold learning algorithm, with expectation maximization, which is a statistical learning scheme. The representation is computed off-line and results in a compact, nonlinear, non-Gaussian sensor likelihood model. This model can be easily integrated into estimation algorithms for navigation and tracking. The compactness of the model makes it especially attractive for deployment in decentralized sensor networks. Real sensory data from unstructured terrestrial and underwater environments are used to demonstrate the versatility of the computed likelihood model. The experimental results show that this approach can provide consistent models of natural environments to facilitate complex visual tracking and data-association problems.


The concept of ecological debt describes the ecological relations between industrialized (developed) and developing countries and the environment. It refers to the responsibility held by those who live in industrialized countries, as well as their accomplices in the South, for the continuing destruction of the planet due to production and consumption patterns. Ecological debt is a potentially powerful tool for re-discussing relations between North and South and for rethinking sustainable development policies. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the public's knowledge, attitude towards, and perceptions of topics related to the concept of ecological debt. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire among residents of Athens, the capital of Greece. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that this issue has been explored, with regard to public opinion and this is the beginning of a discussion on public understanding of ecological debt. The survey reveals that the concept of ecological debt is not widely understood; but the participants seem to agree on the causes of its generation and on its association with external financial debt. The research findings guide alternative proposals to relevant social movements and/or organizations for the design of wake-up policies. Keywords: ecological debt, sustainable development, public acceptance, financial debt


The multi-point initiation control technology of electronic security systems uses high-performance and high-pressure transformer, which gains efficient multiple high-pressure slapper ignition energy. Because of its small size, light weight, good high frequency performance characteristics of electronic security systems for the high-voltage transformation circuit, piezoelectric transformer provides a new solution. Firstly, the structure and working principle of electronic security systems based on piezoelectric pressure converter is discussed in this paper. By analyzing the high-voltage converter output circuit of the equivalent load of converter, the frequency characteristics of the charging process for the piezoelectric-driven frequency high-voltage converter is designed in theory. To improve the efficiency of its high-voltage charge, control circuits such as quantum-based control mode design is presented. At last, high-voltage converter of piezoelectric multi-point initiation of electronic security systems technology is given here.


[1] Application of biogeochemical models to the study of marine ecosystems is pervasive, yet objective quantification of these models' performance is rare. Here, 12 lower trophic level models of varying complexity are objectively assessed in two distinct regions (equatorial Pacific and Arabian Sea). Each model was run within an identical onedimensional physical framework. A consistent variational adjoint implementation assimilating chlorophyll-a, nitrate, export, and primary productivity was applied and the same metrics were used to assess model skill. Experiments were performed in which data were assimilated from each site individually and from both sites simultaneously. A cross-validation experiment was also conducted whereby data were assimilated from one site and the resulting optimal parameters were used to generate a simulation for the second site. When a single pelagic regime is considered, the simplest models fit the data as well as those with multiple phytoplankton functional groups. However, those with multiple phytoplankton functional groups produced lower misfits when the models are required to simulate both regimes using identical parameter values. The cross-validation experiments revealed that as long as only a few key biogeochemical parameters were optimized, the models with greater phytoplankton complexity were generally more portable. Furthermore, models with multiple zooplankton compartments did not necessarily outperform models with single zooplankton compartments, even when zooplankton biomass data are assimilated. Finally, even when different models produced similar least squares model-data misfits, they often did so via very different element flow pathways, highlighting the need for more comprehensive data sets that uniquely constrain these pathways.


In previous papers in this series, a model that uses available elastic, structural, and spectroscopic data on minerals has been used to predict the thermodynamic functions Cv (heat capacity), S (entropy), E (internal energy), and F (Helmholtz free energy). In this paper, four applications to problems of current geochemical and geophysical interest are presented: (1) interpretation of complex trends of calorimetric data; (2) calculation of phase equilibria; (3) calculation of oxygen-isotopic fractionation factors; and (4) estimation of the effect of pressure on thermodynamic functions. The model demonstrates that trends in high-temperature thermodynamic properties of silicates are determined by the position and relative numbers of high-frequency modes, generally antisymmetric (Si, Al)-O stretching modes. The position of these modes varies systematically with degree of polymerization of tetrahedra, and therefore high-temperature calorimetric behavior is relatively systematic as a function of crystal structure and mineral composition. Trends at low frequency are much more complex because the low-frequency optic modes that most strongly influence the low-temperature thermodynamic functions depend in a complex way on the size, coordination, and mass of cations and various polyhedra in the minerals. The heat capacity curves of kyanite, andalusite, and sillimanite and of quartz, coesite, and stishovite show crossovers that cannot be explained by Debye theory, which accounts only for acoustic mode behavior, but can be explained by the model spectra proposed because proper account is taken of the changing low- and high-frequency optic modes upon polymorphic transformations. The proposed model is sufficiently accurate that phase equilibrium problems can be addressed: the quartz-coesite-stishovite equilibrium curves, the kyanite-andalusite-sillimanite triple point, and the breakdown of albite to jadeite-plus-quartz are cited as specific examples. For each example, predicted slopes of equilibrium curves agree moderately well to excellently with slopes determined experimentally. The calculated slopes are sensitive to spectroscopic parameters, particularly to the distribution of optic modes in the far infrared; this sensitivity is discussed in detail for the albite breakdown reaction. The model can be used for prediction of isotopic fractionation factors if spectra of the isotopic forms of the mineral are known or postulated. A simple set of 'rules' for generating hypothetical spectra of 18O minerals from measured spectra of the 16O forms is given. Reduced partition functions are calculated for 13 minerals. At 298°K the model values of reduced partition function, 1000 ln α, of these minerals decrease in the order quartz > calcite ≳ albite > muscovite > clinoenstatite ≈ anorthite > diopside > pyrope > grossular > zircon > forsterite > andradite > rutile, in good agreement with experimental data. At 1000°K the first six minerals show small crossovers so that the order becomes calcite, muscovite ≈ albite, quartz, anorthite, and clinoenstatite; the differences in 1000 ln α at high temperature for these minerals are so small that the model probably cannot address the deviations from experimental trends. The model clearly defines the region in which the fractionation factors do not follow a 1/T² trend and should be useful for extrapolation of experimental data to low temperatures. Finally, a modified Gruneisen parameter model is proposed for shift of the lattice vibrational frequencies under compression, and thermodynamic properties to 1000 kbar, 1000°K, are given for nine minerals. At 1 Mbar, the predicted decrease in entropy at 298°K ranges from 54% (of the 1-bar value) for periclase to 25% for stishovite.


The overarching focus of this thesis is Serbian government strategies under the Serbian Progressive Party towards European integration based on a rationalist approach to Europe. Current research on Serbia assumes the rationalist approach whereby Serbian elites' strategies towards EU integration are driven by the logic of consequences, in the calculation of benefits and losses resulting from EU membership. This study will take the analysis further by examining Serbian government strategies towards EU accession through the prism of rationalism as well as statecraft where the desire for power has been one of the main driving forces for the Progressives' strategy to EU conditionality. The research will be a comparative case study using two distinct policy areas of Kosovo and media freedom in Serbia and argue that the Progressives have engaged in partial compliance with regard to Kosovo and fake compliance in the area of media freedom. Both cases have reputational costs of compliance but the differences in outcomes can be attributed to the extent of the EU's competencies in each policy area and the visibility of Serbian compliance to conditionality. Media freedom, an internal issue, is a low visible area as media freedom legislation is namely in the hands of national governments, thereby limiting the EU's capacity to regulate and enforce media freedom in some of its own member states as well applicants. Kosovo is a highly visible policy area as a consequence of the presence of external actors monitoring Serbian compliance, thereby increasing the EU's capacity in this field and making Serbian compliance/non-compliance difficult to hide.
Previous scholarship on EU integration in applicant states analyses the EU's conditionality-driven approach which enforces compliance on acceding countries. However, the thesis seeks to contribute to the existing research by questioning the sustainability of such an approach and the EU's legitimacy as a normative power seeking to export its values to accession countries. Serbia, is an example within a national context, that seeks to elucidate this argument especially in light of the EU's exchange of regional stability (Kosovo) for external lenience on matters of democracy (media freedom).


Cytotoxic drugs or cytostatics (also cytotoxic chemotherapy) are drugs that work to destroy cancer cells. Cytotoxic drugs inhibit cellular division and this leads the cancer cells to die. Cytotoxic drugs are transported in the bloodstream throughout the body.
Cytotoxic drugs can be used to destroy tumours, boost the outcomes of surgery or radiotherapy, reduce metastases and alleviate cancer symptoms. Cytostatics are often effective outside the first tumour and also destroy small tumours that haven't been detected in tests. Cytotoxic drugs affect all dividing cells, including those of healthy tissue. But because cancer cells often divide markedly faster than normal cells, they're particularly sensitive to cytostatics. The effects on normal cells are less pronounced and healthy cells also recover faster. The role of cytotoxic drugs in cancer therapy has decreased slightly with discovery and advancements of drug therapy. However, they continue to be widely used. Several sorts of cytotoxic drugs are utilized in cancer therapy that together have different sorts of effect. The most usual method is to administer a mixture of several different cytotoxic drugs. The effectiveness of chemotherapy depends on the type of tumour, its composition, rate of development and proportion of cells in the distribution stage. Sometimes, cytostatics are administered as high-dose chemotherapy. This is used in treating leukaemia, some lymphomas and brain tumours in children. At the same time, stem cell transplants are required as high-dose chemotherapy can completely destroy bone marrow. The function of bone marrow can be restored following chemotherapy using stem cell transplants. The stem cells can be the patients' own or can be obtained from a donor. Besides being so helpful in various therapies, these drugs can be considered dangerous and harmful to the people (worker/staff/researcher/doctors) who get exposed to them.
The workplace exposure to dangerous drugs and the resulting health risks for healthcare personnel have been well known and documented for over four decades, since it first became a recognized safety risk in the United States in the 1970s. Nowadays, the challenge of protecting workers persists and is expanding, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the incident rate of cancer is steadily increasing and, in turn, the use of cytotoxic drugs used to treat cancers is growing, amplifying the exposure to healthcare professionals. Secondly, the number and variety of healthcare workers potentially exposed to cytotoxic drugs is on the increase (e.g. Professionals in immunology, rheumatology, nephrology and dermatology) because of the rapidly expanding use of these agents in non-oncology practices for treating non-malignant diseases. Thirdly, recent studies have demonstrated a persistence of drug contamination on surfaces even though guidelines and recommendations for the safe handling of cytotoxic drugs have been issued and implemented to minimize the risk of occupational exposure. Moreover, contamination has been detected on work surfaces after recognized cleaning procedures are concluded. Cytotoxic drugs require individual manipulation for every patient before being administered as infusions or bolus injections. Healthcare workers who handle cytotoxic drugs are at potential risk from exposure when control measures are inadequate. Studies have shown that the danger of exposure to them within the working environment is commonplace despite safety policy improvements and even with recommended precautions in situ. It is noteworthy that healthcare workers may be exposed to small doses of a broad range of cytotoxic drugs over decades, with some workers being exposed every workday, year after year. Nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have the highest risk of being potentially exposed Other healthcare, workers, involved in cleaning, transport, laundry and waste disposal of hazardous drugs or contaminated material, are also at risk.
Therefore, little attention has been paid to the hazards that healthcare professionals may be exposed to when administering drugs to patients. Recently, closed system devices are marketed to be used in healthcare settings to scale back environmental contamination during drug preparation. However, these devices haven't gained widespread use due to their high cost and incompatibility with certain products like ampules. In addition, it is not clear whether the hazardous drugs are deactivated by these devices. In an attempt to stop healthcare professionals from being exposed to hazardous drugs, it's important to wash up contaminated surfaces and also to stop dangerous drugs from spreading. There are some clinical practices and guidelines that must be followed. All medical, nursing and pharmacy personnel must ensure that they are familiar to these guidelines. No person must be involved in the handling, transport, preparation, administration or disposal of waste of any cytotoxic substance, without appropriate training to ensure the protection of the operator, the environment and the patient. This must involve specific training courses as follows with regular update/refresher courses and internal evaluations/reviews of methods and equipment.


This paper presents a corpus-based analysis of the form, function, and frequency of introductory it plus that-clause and to-clause complementation. These structures are said to be particularly important in academic English. We examined disciplinary variation in 288 research articles across eight disciplines, four science and four non-science — Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Business, Language and Linguistics, Law, and Public and Social Administration. We examined all 6,008 occurrences of it, recorded 110 different forms of the patterns, and investigated function. Results indicate that Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science writers used the structures significantly less frequently than non-science writers, while Law used them more often. Numerous other statistically significant disciplinary differences were found. Conclusions are that the structure performs the important functions of evaluating the likelihood or validity of propositions, evaluating or commenting on the difficulty of procedures and evaluating or commenting on the necessity of procedures.


Childhood epilepsy is a common, socially stigmatising and largely treatable disease. Despite this there remains a large treatment gap between the number of children with epilepsy and the number receiving appropriate anti-epileptic drug (AED) treatment. To understand reasons for the treatment gap, treatment methods and beliefs of carers were prospectively analysed for 18 children with epilepsy attending the paediatric neurology clinic at a government hospital in Uganda. The majority of carers (61%) believed that their child's seizures had a supernatural explanation. Of these, 40% believed that their child had been bewitched or possessed by evil spirits and 50% believed that their child's seizures were caused by "Ebihungu" (meaning "birds"). 83.3% of the children with epilepsy had used complementary therapists before attending a Western medical health facility. Of the respondents using complementary therapists, 73.3% used traditional healers alone, 6.7% used spiritual healers alone, and 20% had been treated by both. Traditional healers used herbal remedies, charms, rattles or scarification marks. The cost of visiting hospital was considerable, both in transport costs and time away from farming. Traditional healers incurred great cost in the purchasing of herbal remedies. The average duration of time before starting appropriate AEDs was less than one month for children who received no complementary therapy, and 22 months for children receiving treatment from traditional healers. The influence of the family's social network on treatment seeking behaviours was considerable. 46% patients continued to use traditional medicine or spiritual healing whilst taking AEDs, suggesting many of the caregivers perceived some continuing benefit from these alternative treatments. The popularity of alternative practitioners in the treatment of epilepsy and their continued use when taking AEDs underlines the perceived usefulness of the treatments they offer. Programmes to decrease the treatment gap in childhood epilepsy would need to include close collaboration of Western medical practitioners with traditional healers, who could help identify and refer children with epilepsy, whilst continuing to play a supportive role in the community in a culturally sensitive way. This collaboration is important as neither Western medicine nor complementary therapists can satisfactorily manage the needs of the patient and their family alone.


Feeding rats a purified diet containing peanut oil with a low alpha-linolenic acid [18:3(n-3)] content resulted in lower amounts of (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly docosahexaenoic acid [22:6(n-3)], greater amounts of docosapentaenoic acid [22:5(n-6)] in uterus phospholipids, and altered postnatal uterus development when compared with rats fed a diet containing peanut and rapeseed oils. Maximal differences in uterine growth, as measured by uterine weight, protein and DNA content, occurred between d 24 and 30 postpartum and disappeared near the end of sexual development (d 40). The induction of the progesterone receptor was not affected, and serum estradiol concentrations were not significantly reduced in deficient animals. Moreover, growth response of the uterus to low doses of 17 beta-estradiol (less than 5 micrograms/kg) was significantly reduced in ovariectomized animals fed the diet containing only peanut oil. However, the maximal response of the uterus, observed with higher 17 beta-estradiol doses (5-50 micrograms/kg), was not affected. Because the two diets used differed in the content of alpha-linolenic acid, it is likely that alpha-linolenic acid deficiency in animals fed the diet containing only peanut oil was the cause of the affected uterine development.


A color movie from a human eye perspective generated to demonstrate the spatio-temporal propagation of the output of a multimode fiber in a small offsets in x- and y- directions situation. Spatially in a two-dimensional movie frame and temporally between frames, the brightness gives the relative intensity and color represents phase information of the spatio-temporal pulse field.


Extract:
Here is a question I enjoy posing to teachers and students participating in a course on animals and the law: what exactly do you do during the 12 (or so) weeks of your seminar? If it resembles a traditional law course, the answer will undoubtedly refer to assigned readings that explore the relationship between animals and the law, some lectures – perhaps followed by questions from the professor to the students – and a healthy dollop of classroom discussion about policy issues. More traditional teachers might also include some Socratic questioning, while more adventurous lecturers will throw in video footage of animal treatment and a few guest speakers.


This Technical Paper presents the methodology and results the author's C.D. Howe Institute E-Brief of the same name. The economic literature provides evidence that diplomatic posts abroad have significant impacts on exports; at the same time, the literature shows that there are significant differences in the effectiveness of export promotion across the various instruments of export promotion as well as across contexts, products, and destinations. This study examines the impact of having diplomatic representation in a country on Canada's exports to that country, for different classes of goods and across different economic contexts. Using the gravity modeling framework, the study revisits the issue of the impact of Canada's diplomatic representation abroad on exports. It confirms that economic diplomacy boosts exports – and quite significantly – and adds to the existing literature by shedding light on the questions of where, why and how. The study concludes that the impact is greater for the first, main post (usually an embassy) than for additional consulates; that the impact is stronger on undifferentiated commodities than for manufactured goods; and that the impact is greater in countries which are characterized by lesser degrees of economic freedom. The results, which also show the positive impact of trade agreements on exports, point to a separate, significant effect of diplomatic relations on trade that is over and above the export gains from having additional Trade Commissioner "boots on the ground" in Canada's targeted export destinations.


We present SCADE and Lustre models of the Message Authenticator Algorithm (MAA), which is one of the first cryptographic functions for computing a message authentication code. The MAA was adopted between 1987 and 2001, in international standards (ISO 8730 and ISO 8731-2), to ensure the authenticity and integrity of banking transactions. This paper discusses the choices and the challenges of our MAA implementations. Our SCADE and Lustre models validate 201 official test vectors for the MAA.


A linear mean-square estimator, optimum for image data available only on a finite interval, is derived for the restoration of images degraded by a system with a bandlimited spread function. The analysis is carried out in one dimension using a prolate-spheroidal-wavefunction expansion of the image data. When the noise is bandlimited to the same bandwidth as the spread function, the expansion represents the image data with zero mean-square error on the entire interval, and the mean-square reconstruction error is equal to that of the optimum linear estimate for image data on the infinite interval. The rate at which the series representation of the estimate converges is discussed and an example presented.