Placental development can be disturbed by various factors, such as mutation of specific genes or maternal diabetes. Our previous work on interspecies hybrid placental dysplasia (IHPD) and two additional models of placental hyperplasia, cloned mice and Esx1 mutants, showed that many genes are deregulated in placental dysplasia. Two of these candidate placentation genes, Cpe and Lhx3, were further studied. We performed in situ hybridization to determine their spatio-temporal expression in the placentas and placental phenotypes were analyzed in mutant mice. Our results showed that the placental phenotype in Cpe mutant mice mimics some IHPD phenotypes. Deregulated expression of Cpe and Cpd, a functionally equivalent gene, prior to the manifestation of the IHPD phenotype, indicated that Cpe and Cpd are potentially causative genes in IHPD. Lhx3 mutants lacked any placental phenotype. Deletion of Lhx3 and Lhx4 together caused an inconsistent placental phenotype which did not affect placental lipid transport function or expression of Lhx3/Lhx4 target genes. Down regulation of Lhx3/Lhx4 did not rescue the placental phenotype of AT24 mice and hence could be excluded as causative genes in IHPD. Analysis of placental development in diabetic mice showed that severe maternal diabetes resulted in fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) without any change in placental weight and lipid transport function. The diabetic placentas however exhibited abnormal morphology. Gene expression profiling identified some genes that might contribute to diabetic pathology. In another study, it was found that the heterochromatin protein CBX1 is required for normal placentation, as deletion of the gene caused consistent spongiotrophoblast and labyrinthine phenotypes. Gene expression profiling and spatio-temporal expression analysis showed that several genes with known function in placental development were deregulated in the Cbx1 null placenta.


Abstract For many women in resource-constrained environments, mobile phones are the first and foremost information and communication technology (ICT) used. In theory, the increasing pervasiveness of mobiles and mobile Internet across developing countries should provide growing opportunities to women, especially in terms of earning through small, on-the-fly jobs, using the very mobility aspect of the devices. Using Donner's six affordances of mobile Internet and Cornwall's discussion of what women's empowerment means, we analyze data from 30 focus groups conducted with 18 to 25-year-olds earning under $2 a day in peri-urban areas of Nairobi, Kenya, Accra, Ghana and Jinja, Uganda). We explore the relation between the affordances of mobile Internet and structural changes in the economic and societal status of subjects, as reflected in the narratives of women adopters. We find that such affordances, while leading to new mechanisms for income generation, at least in our focus groups, do not result in changes of societal structures: older cultural stereotypes are built around adoption of the new technology, and policies underlying economic activities are hardly challenged by digitalization. This problematizes the extent to which the mobile Internet can be universally conceived as a tool for income generation, and by extension as a long-term, secure means for the empowerment of many women.


This research was purposed to identify the preference factors of buying interest toward Real Good milk brand. The buying interest process of Real Good milk brand is analyzed by marketing stimulant (product, price, promotion, and place). The research was done in Surabaya, in order to get non probability -purposive sampling, by distributing questionnaires `to 115 respondents. The respondents are people with the age above 17* years old and have ever consumed Real Good milk brand. Each respondent was asked to judge his preference by choosing from very disagree till very agree gradually of five alternatives of Likert scale. Primary data were collected and analyzed by using the technique of Factor Analysis. The result of this research concludes that there are six groups of factors of that causing buying interest of customer, which are the product benefits, kinds of promotions (promotion 1 and promotion 2), price, place, and the quality of the advertisement.


In the wireless communication, there are many cases where the transmission path is obstructed by unknown objects. With the rapid development of the drone technology in recent years, the drones are advocated to serve as mobile relays to forward data streams. However, the challenges are that data transmission may suffer severe signal attenuation due to the existence of the obstructions and it is challenging to find the best location for mobile relays due to the dynamic environment and unpredictable interference. To address the problem, this paper proposes an approach that a drone can automatically find the location with the optimal link quality. We design a novel algorithm, named Path-sampling Online Tensor Update (POTU), to estimate the link quality in the space and find the optimal location. Furthermore, the algorithm is practical to the real applications due to the simplicity of implementation. In the experiment, we construct a realistic scene and compare the performance of our algorithm with the classic and the state-of-the-art algorithms. As a result, POTU outperforms existing methods in achieving the trade-off between time cost and estimation accuracy.


Mexico is considered a regional economic and political powerhouse because of the size of its economy, and a large population in constant growth. However, this same growth accompanied by management and governance failures are causing several water crises across the country. The paper aims at identifying and analyzing the drivers of water crises. Water authorities seem to focus solely on large infrastructural schemes to counter the looming water crises, but fail to structure a set of policies for the improvement of management and governance institutions. The paper concludes with the implications of a business-as-usual policy based on infrastructure for solving water problems, which include a non-compliance to the human right to water and sanitation, ecosystem collapses and water conflicts.


We examine the evolution of events occurring when a Li metal surface is in contact with a 2 M solution of a Li salt in a solvent or mixture of solvents, via classical molecular dynamics simulations with a reactive force field allowing bond breaking and bond forming. The main events include Li oxidation and electrolyte reduction along with expansion of the Li surface layers forming a porous phase that is the basis for the formation of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) components. Nucleation of the main SEI components (LiF, Li oxides, and some organics) is characterized. The analysis clearly reveals the details of these physical–chemical events as a function of time, during 20 nanoseconds. The effects of the chemistry of the electrolyte on Li oxidation and dissolution in the liquid electrolyte, and SEI nucleation and structure are identified by testing two salts: LiPF6 and LiCF3SO3, and various solvents including ethers and carbonates and mixtures of them. The kinetics and thermodynamics of Li6F, the core nuclei in the LiF crystal, are studied by analysis of the MD trajectories, and via density functional theory calculations respectively. The SEI formed in this computational experiment is the "native" film that would form upon contact of the Li foil with the liquid electrolyte. As such, this work is the first in a series of computational experiments that will help elucidate the intricate interphase layer formed during battery cycling using metal anodes.


I with my project with title "The Manufacturing Processes of the Steelmaking in
a Company" is a case study project on the method of the steelmaking in a well establishes
company. The company selected was Megasteel, a Malaysia steel market dominated
company, under The Lion Group. The objectives of this project are to identify the current
technology used, research and analyze the primary and secondary steelmaking process in
Megasteel. In this project, the equipment for the primary and secondary steelmaking as
well as the automation system used in the company will discuss. In the primary
steelmaking, the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) had used, whereby the ladle furnace (LF)
had used for the secondary steelmaking. EAF process consists of three stages, which is
charging, melting and refining. While, for the secondary steelmaking process, the main
mission is to maintain the heat after the EAF process and alloying the molten steel to
meet the requirement of the various steel grades. Detail researches and discussion on the
steelmaking process and analysis will be brought out by this project, such as the raw
material used and the layering method of its during charging, energy form used in the
melting stage, alloying element and composition of the various steel grades at the refining
period, the further adjustment with high accuracy of the alloying element for the steel
during the ladle refining process. Finally some common problems met by the company
also will be discussed. The common problems included are the operator mistake during
layering at charging stage, cave-ins of the scrap during melting, unmelted scrap and also
the fluctuation of the scrap price. In order to minimize the problem as mentioned above,
Megasteel had assigned engineer to guide and lead the operator at the ground floor. Any problems happen must be report to engineer and they will take corrective action to solve the problem. Low productivity in meltshop will penalized by decrease the extra bonus for
the employees.


Miocene strata of the Carpathian Foredeep Basin in Poland contain reworked Eocene and Oligocene dinoflagellate cysts, which come from two sources: the Flysch Carpathians and the epicontinental basin. The occurrence of the latter is almost the only trace of the epicontinental Eocene–Oligocene sedimentary cover, which extended across southwestern Poland, and is today nearly completely eroded. The distribution of epicontinental Eocene and Oligocene taxa in the Miocene strata of the northeastern part of the Carpathian Foredeep is uneven, clearly pointing to a limited extent of the host deposits and their variable erosion intensity. Erosion of the Eocene and Oligocene platform cover took place prior the Miocene transgression and took place also during the Badenian; its intensity increased during Late Badenian–Sarmatian tectonic movements, resulting in an increased frequency of reworked specimens in strata postdating the mid-Badenian deposits.


This poster presentation will display an overview of some of the key components of a Global Collaborative Classroom (GCC), including major learning design features such as the team teaching, course management, and collaborative strategies.  Many of the examples of these key components are taken from courses previously awarded by the Office of Global Strategies.  GCCs typically require six to eight weeks of highly interactive learning experiences in order to adequately immerse students so that they able to recognize intercultural differences, make local to global connections, and/or analyze complex global challenges. Therefore, the centerpiece of a GCC is often a highly collaborative project that involves intentional global learning outcomes, and a model for scaffolding global collaborative project work is presented. In addition to knowledge-based global outcomes, it is important to consider affective global outcomes that can be attained through multi-cultural learning activities that emphasize experiential, collaborative learning, and intercultural communication.  Finally, in terms of assessment, some and information and examples of instruments related to global skills development will be provided.  In summary, the poster will be organized to include sections that visually describe the following GCC components:  1. Course planning and technology integration documents 2. GCC learning design, learning strategies, and assignments 3. Global learning outcomes implementation 4. Global skills inventory integration 5. Four-phased, group project learning design


The purpose of this geological excursion is to provide an overview of the multiphase developmental history of the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, northeastern Nevada. Although these mountain ranges are commonly cited as a classic example of a Cordilleran metamorphic core complex developed through large-magnitude, mid-Tertiary crustal extension, a preceding polyphase Mesozoic contractional history is also well preserved in the ranges. An early phase of this history involved Late Jurassic two-mica granitic magmatism, high-temperature but relatively low-pressure metamorphism, and polyphase deformation in the central Ruby Mountains. In the northern Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, a Late Cretaceous history of crustal shortening, metamorphism, and magmatism is manifested by fold-nappes (involving Archean basement rocks in the northern East Humboldt Range), widespread migmatization, injection of monzogranitic and leucogranitic magmas, all coupled with sillimanite-grade metamorphism. Following Late Cretaceous contraction, a protracted extensional deformation partially overprinted these areas during the Cenozoic. This extensional history may have begun as early as the Late Cretaceous or as late as the mid-Eocene. Late Eocene and Oligocene magmatism occurred at various levels in the crust yielding mafic to felsic orthogneisses in the deep crust, a composite granitic pluton in the upper crust, and volcanic rocks at the surface. Movement along a west-rooted, extensional shear zone in the Oligocene and early Miocene led to core-complex exhumation. The shear zone produced mylonitic rocks about 1 km thick at deep crustal levels, and an overprint of brittle detachment faulting at shallower levels as unroofing proceeded. Megabreccias and other s~nextensional sedimentary deposits are locally preserved in a tilted, upper Eocene through Miocene stratigraphic sequence. Neogene magmatism included the emplacement of basalt dikes and eruption of rhyolitic rocks. Subsequent Basin and Range normal faulting, as young as Holocene, records continued tectonic extension. 226 BYU GEOLOGY STUDIES 1997, VOL. 42, PART


This chapter addresses the discourse of BADaptation (a term coined by Con Verevis), arguing that it stems largely from a longstanding dysfunctional relationship between adaptation and theorization, rival processes vying to shape culture in their images. New theories have not, as scholars had hoped, eradicated the discourse; they have rather multiplied the ways in which adaptation can be theoretically bad. The chapter proposes that we theorize adaptations as adaptations (rather than solely or merely as books, films, media, translation, narrative, politics, history, philosophy, and so forth) and that we develop 'adaptive theorization', in which adaptation talks back to and adapts theorization to itself.


We tested the hypothesis that domestic chicks incubated in the light and provided with experience of moving out of sight of each other (occlusion experience) during rearing would have better spatial cognitive abilities than control chicks. Ninety-six chicks were incubated in the light or dark and half the chicks had the opportunity to move behind opaque barriers from 10-12 days of age and the remainder we provided with identically-sized transparent screens as a control. Chicks were tested in a detour test, a rotated floor test and their dispersal was observed in a large pen. Chicks reared with opaque screens used distal cues significantly more when searching for their companion in a rotated floor test (P=0.042) and light incubated chicks tended to make a choice in less time than dark incubated chicks in this test (P=0.089). There were no significant differences in the time taken for the chicks to solve the detour test depending on the chicks occlusion experience or incubation environment, possible because the ability of chicks to use the sounds from the social goal masked any differences in orientation ability. Incubation and occlusion treatments were not found to have a significant effect on dispersal. We conclude that although minor manipulation of the incubation and rearing environment affect the use of spatial information and ease of processing of conflicting cues in chicks, it is unclear whether these changes in behavioural phenotype translate to actual advantages in movement, dispersal and welfare of chickens in loose-housed commercial systems. Author Address: firstname.lastname@example.com URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2008.12.006 http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/506046/description#descriptio n http://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/R/-?func=dbin-jumpfull&object_id=12152&local_base=GEN01-CSU01


This paper examines empirically whether the dividend initiation decisions of a sample of newly-public firms are best explained by the predictions of the Miller and Rock (1985) cash flow signalling model, or by the competing agency cost models presented by Easterbrook (1984), Jensen (1986), and Rozeff (1982). Our results strongly support the agency cost models of dividend initiation. We document that dividend-initiating (DI) firms are older, larger, more profitable, and have higher levels of free cash flow at their initiation date than a matched set of non-dividend- initiating (NDI) companies. In the years after initiation, the DI firms issue equity and convertible securities more frequently, have higher levels of free cash flow, and have lower levels of--and greater post-IPO reductions in--insider shareholdings than do the matching NDI companies. These results suggest that firms begin paying dividends as a response to changes in the company's financial success and ownership structure.


The aim of this study was to examine an expanded integrative hierarchical model of test emotions and achievement goal orientations in predicting the examination performance of undergraduate students. Achievement goals were theorised as mediating the relationship between test emotions and performance. 120 undergraduate students completed self-report measures of test emotions and achievement goals and performance data was collected from a research methods and analysis examination. A series of hierarchical regression analyses provided partial support for the expanded hierarchical model. A mastery goal mediated the pride - examination performance relationship, a performance-avoidance goal partially mediated the shame - examination performance relationship, and a performance-avoidance goal mediated the hopelessness - examination performance relationship. These findings have contributed to the understanding of the relationship between test emotions, motivation and achievement in a higher education context by showing how challenge and threat affect differ in their relations with approach and avoidance motivation in predicting achievement.


The chemical distribution market size was worth about €210.00 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach €440.00 billion by the year 2030. The specialty chemical distribution market itself had a global market size of about €97.00 billion, of which the Asia-Pacific market contributes about €40 billion (sales in 2017). Asia Pacific has the largest specialty chemical market, and it is the fastest growing, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8% from 2012 to 2017. North America and Western Europe had a smaller specialty chemical distributor market size and significantly smaller growth rate than the Asia-Pacific market. Chemical consumption in North America and the Western Europe regions is decreasing because of weaker demand from the mature Western economies. The bright spot is that the increased growth of the chemical distribution business through to 2022 will originate from the Asia-Pacific region. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities will pick up tremendously in the Asia-Pacific region as global companies search for fast growth in their business and will opt for M&A to grow inorganically. TOPICS: Developed markets, emerging markets, frontier markets Key Findings • Who are the major chemical distributors operating in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)? • Who are the possible potential targets for M&A for the global chemical distributors in the ASEAN? • Are there any other strategies for the global chemical distributors to grow in the ASEAN without doing any acquisition?


The Galois field division is a complex arithmetic operation. The corresponding division-and-accumulation (DAA) is not only complex but also a time consuming operation. In this article, the DAA over GF(2 m ) is considered, and a simple scheme for its sequential operation is presented. A multiple stream DAA structure is developed which supports pipeline operations and yields an increased throughput with only a modest increase in the hardware. As an application, the use of the sequential DAA algorithm is shown for the high speed encoding of Reed-Solomon codes.


We compute quantum corrections to the Raychaudhuri equation, by replacing classical geodesics with quantal (Bohmian) trajectories, and show that they prevent focusing of geodesics, and the formation of conjugate points. We discuss implications for the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems, and for curvature singularities.


Archaeological and paleontological datasets are used in conservation to add time-depth to ecology. In central Texas several top carnivores including prehistoric Native American hunters have been extirpated or have had their historic ranges restricted, which has resulted in pest-level white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus texana) populations in some areas. Predator extermination has dramatically reduced the average body size of members of the extant predator guild, and large carnivores most capable of hunting white-tailed deer are extirpated. Character release in the remaining "large" predatorsmesocarnivoresis a predicted outcome related to the adaptive vacuum at the top of the trophic hierarchy. Differences in body size of deer between prehistory and modernity are expected given that a lack of predation likely has increased intraspecific competition for forage among deer resulting in smaller body size today. In fact modern deer from settings without harvest pressure are significantly smaller than those from harvested areas and from prehistoric deer. From a natural history perspective, this research highlights potential evolutionary causes and effects of top-predator removal on deer populations and related components of biological communities in central Texas.


Author(s): Hardisty, Dalton Shane | Advisor(s): Lyons, Timothy W | Abstract: The presence of marine oxygen is an essential precursor for faunal habitability, driving distribution in coastal systems today and linked to evolutionary patterns throughout the geologic past. In oxygen-deficient marine systems, the reducing capacity can be defined by the zonation of redox-sensitive elements (e.g. O, I, N, Mn, Fe, S, C), with their availability in the rock record in some cases linked to the water column redox state during deposition and subsequent burial processes. In this dissertation, I reconstruct paleoredox in environments defined by water column oxygen deficiency at biologically critical levels, specifically extreme low oxygen to mildly sulfidic, a redox window most representative of reducing systems today but largely underexplored in the geologic past. First, I present the initial surface ocean-specific Precambrian redox record, the location and period hosting the emergence of both oxygenic photosynthesis and multicellular life, evaluated through iodine-to-calcium-magnesium ratios in mostly shallow carbonate and supplemented through study of iodine retention during carbonate diagenesis. Oxygen became widespread in shallow marginal marine settings starting in the Paleoproterozoic, likely at levels necessary to support simple animals. The ensuing Proterozoic record was dynamic, with oxygen fluctuating at and below thresholds similar to waters within and directly overlying modern oxygen minimum zones and largely constrained to shallow settings, a condition particularly exacerbated during the middle Proterozoic. This is a new view of the Precambrian surface ocean and such variability and spatially restricted marine oxygen at critically low levels is hypothesized to explain the delayed emergence of animals until the Neoproterozoic. A second study defines natural variations in water column redox in the Baltic Sea over the Holocene, the world's largest modern anthropogenically forced and spatially and temporally variable low-oxygen basin. An iron-manganese-molybdenum geochemical approach reveals distinct phases of large-scale anoxia during the Holocene, with the magnitude and frequency of anoxia increasing with increasing distance from the sill, but never beyond mild sulfide accumulation. This work specifically indicates that spatial and temporal variability in Baltic redox appears to have driven both long-term oxygen depletion and restrained the maximum reducing potential over the Holocene.


In Western cultures, the mental distress of a partner has been associated with significant impacts for the individual, with feelings of stress and burnout associated with the caregiving role (e.g. Stjernsward & Ostman, 2008). Research has begun to explore the lived experience of being in a couple relationship with an individual experiencing depression, however further research is needed, particularly with regard to the roles and identities they adopt in response to the depression. Five adults participated in the research; all were in heterosexual relationships with a partner who had experienced depression during the course of their relationship. Participants were recruited through support services and from general community settings. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview format, with the use of an interview schedule. Analysis was conducted using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) to identify the meaning made from this experience. Three superordinate themes emerged from the data, conceptualizing depression, re-evaluating the relationship, and negotiating new identities. This research demonstrated the importance of support for those in a relationship with someone experiencing depression, particularly in the complex task of negotiating changing roles and in moderating the emotional impact upon themselves. There is a need for greater awareness of the impact of these experiences on their partners.


Tendinopathy is a common, painful, overuse disorder associated with a failure of the tendon repair process and has a low potential for healing with the usual techniques. Although many different treatment methods have been described, there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment for this condition. Therefore, new treatments for tendinopathies drawn from the existing literature as well as from their own experience dealing with this condition to deal with this delicate pathology have been developed over last few decades. Although some treatments like eccentric training, the EPI® technique, extra-corporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), hyaluronic acid (HA), platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are being established as the main therapeutic models, there are still questions to be answered as well as the need for a clear treatment protocol to be established. This brief review aims to update recent information on the treatment approaches of tendinopathy focused on the specific area of the tendon.


Although cementitious materials are the main construction materials and worldwide produced, there is still a major concern about their sustainability and durability, especially in terms of conserving resources, reducing wastes, and decreasing the environmental impacts of repair and replacement. In general, cementitious materials are very susceptible to cracking provoked by autogenous shrinkage due to their associated self-desiccation process. The problem is even more critical in concrete with blended cements, including Portland cement with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS). The current paper evaluates efficiency of superabsorbent polymers (SAP) as internal curing agents; shrinkage reduction in mortars with different levels of cement replacement by GGBS (0, 25, 50, and 75%) is presented. The study is focused on three types of SAPs with different water absorption/desorption capacities (SAP I: 10 g/g, SAP II: 25–30 g/g, and SAP III: 35 g/g in cement paste solution). Tests of consistency, density, air content of fresh mortar, setting times, and autogenous shrinkage are analysed. The results showed that mortars with SAP can significantly reduce autogenous shrinkage for any studied GGBS content in comparison with the reference mortar. The reduction of autogenous shrinkage by SAP may decrease the cracking susceptibility and hence increase the sustainability level of the material for more durable constructions.


Background Perinatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) causes cardiac dysfunction/hypotension. Xenon (Xe) anaesthesia offers short term stable haemodynamics in human adults/mature animals with cardiovascular risk. We studied long term haemodynamics during 50% xenon inhalation at normothermia (NT 38.5°C) or hypothermia (HT 33.5°C) in a newborn global Hypoxic-Ischaemic (HI) pig model. Methods 98 newborn pigs were ventilated under inhalational anaesthesia, given a 45 min global HI insult (inhaled oxygen fraction reduced until amplitude integrated electroencephalogram <7 µV), then randomised to three xenon (50%Xe with NT18 h (h), HT12 h or HT24 h) or three non-xenon groups (NT, HT12 h or HT24 h) with intravenous anaesthesia. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was measured every minute. Hypotension (<40 mm Hg for >10 min) was treated sequentially with 2×10 ml/kg saline, dopamine, norepinephrine, hydrocortisone if required. Results Xenon maintained a higher MABP than in non-xenon groups; 4.5 mm Hg (95% CI 2.4 to 6.7) during Xe-inhalation and 4.1 mm Hg (95% CI 0.37 to 7.8) post-Xe therapy. Duration of inotropic support was reduced by 6.6 h (95%CI 3.5 to 9.8) during Xe-inhalation and by 7.9 h (95%CI 0.5 to 15.3) post-Xe therapy. Xe-inhalation during rewarming maintained higher MABP by 15.4 mm Hg, 95% CI 10.3 to 20.4. Xenon when combined with HT cleared lactate 3 h faster post-HI ((XeHT) 2.86 mmol (0, 14.7) vs (HT) 5.96 mmol/l (1.7, 13.8), p=0.0004). Hypothermia reduced heart rate by 10 beats/min (bpm)/°C; adding dopamine decreased this reduction to 7 bpm/°C. Conclusion Xenon reduced post-HI inotropic support requirements during and after administration, independent of temperature. Xenon may offer haemodynamic benefits when used in clinical neuroprotection studies by reducing HI induced hypotension.


This paper aims to determine the solidity of the notion of the "coffee paradox" using annual data from 1977 to 2007. In the confines of an export supply model, we analyze the effects of export coffee price on export volume. Price and profit equation are used to determine the effects of market power on export coffee price and measure changes in the retail and export price. We also estimate the elasticity of transmission and price asymmetry as a means of verifying the "coffee paradox." Ordinary Least Square (OLS), Instrumental Variables (IV), and simultaneous equation with Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR) methods of econometric analysis are employed. Empirical results suggest that the world coffee market is characterized by "coffee paradox" due to different changes between retail and export prices of coffee, and that it is the existence of market power in importing countries that is the main contributor to the condition of price asymmetry.


Olive (Olea europea L.) is one of the most cultivated trees in Dalmatia (Croatia). The aim of this work was to compare leaf anatomy, guaiacol peroxidases activity and soluble polyphenols content in two olive cultivars: Oblica and Leccino, to get preliminary data for further investigations of stress influence on their growth and productivity. Leaves from fi ve two–years–old trees of each, Olea europaea L. cv. Oblica and cv. Leccino were used in this study. Composed sample of each cultivar was used for determination of guaiacol peroxidases activity (GPOD), content of soluble polyphenols (PHEN) and dry weight (DW). The presence of lignin, suberin and callose were analyzed by histochemical reactions on fresh hand-made leaf sections. The leaf anatomy was studied on 3 μm thin sections stained with Toluidine blue O. There were significant differences of tissue areas between two olive cultivars. Bigger areas of upper and lower epidermis in cultivar Leccino leaves as well as bigger areas of schlerenchyma, idioblasts and intercellulars in leaves of cultivar Oblica were measured. Oblica had higher activity of GPOD and portion of DW than Leccino. Higher PHEN content was measured in Leccino leaves. Histochemical reactions showed more lignin and suberin in cultivar Oblica leaves. Based on the presented results, cultivars Oblica and Leccino should response differently on cold, salt and drought stress that should be the scope in further investigations.


This article contributes to an understanding of action research as a phenomenological methodological paradigm for carrying out research into management and organizations. Two case studies of action research are presented. Three areas of choice—overtness, visibility, and riskiness—that emerge out of the cases and that are significant issues in designing action research projects are discussed. Highlighting and explicating these provides a basis for greater rigor and reflexivity in action research.


We propose a novel approach to the problem of constraining cosmological initial conditions. Within the framework of effective field theory, we classify initial conditions in terms of boundary terms added to the effective action describing the cosmological evolution below Planckian energies. These boundary terms can be thought of as spacelike branes which may support extra instantaneous degrees of freedom and extra operators. Interactions and renormalization of these boundary terms allow us to apply to the boundary terms the field-theoretical requirement of naturalness, i.e. stability under radiative corrections. We apply this requirement to slow-roll inflation with nonadiabatic initial conditions, and to cyclic cosmology. This allows us to define in a precise sense when some of these models are fine-tuned. We also describe how to parametrize in a model-independent way non-Gaussian initial conditions; we show that in some cases they are both potentially observable and pass our naturalness requirement.


Objectives: The objectives are to study the clinical profile of patients admitted with acute kidney injury (AKI) and to study the determinants of the outcomes of patients with AKI. Subjects and Methods: The study was done in setting of tertiary care hospital in Department of Nephrology. It is a prospective observational study. A total of 220 patients who were admitted with community AKI in a tertiary care hospital were evaluated, and data were collected and analyzed. Patients were evaluated and followed up and if indicated were dialyzed until recovery. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, complete recovery, and dialysis dependency at 3 months. Apart from these etiological profile, mortality of patients with various etiology, their RIFLE staging was assessed. Results: of 220 patients studied, 191 (86.81%) survived and 29 (13.19%) expired, 93 (42.27%) patients required dialysis and 123 (57.7%) did not require dialysis with oligoanuria being the most common (24.5%) indication for dialysis and gastroenteritis was the most common etiology of AKI in 60 (27.3%) reflecting the high incidence of disease in community, followed by sepsis 31 (14.1%), pyelonephritis 27 (12.3%), and snakebite and obstetrics 19 (8.6%) each. Among patients who died, patients with sepsis had highest mortality 11 (35.5%) and gastroenteritis and acute febrile illness had least mortality (1.7% and 0%), respectively, majority of patients (59.5%) were in RIFLE Stage 3 and they had the highest mortality 23 (17.6%). A significant association was observed between the etiology and mortality (P < 0.005). Conclusions: We conclude that underlying cause of AKI is important determinant of the clinical outcome where we found that patients with gastroenteritis had better outcome than other etiology of AKI. (Am J Transl Med 2019. 3:112-120).


In a sedimentological sense a fluvial to tidal transition zone can be defined in rivers as a zone that separates the upstream fluvial from the downstream estuarine zone. Characteristic sedimentary structures within this zone are notoriously difficult to recognize. This study demonstrates the influence of tidal modulation within the most proximal part of the fluvial‐tidal transition zone (i.e. the 'backwater zone') of an ancient fluvial system. Criteria have been established to differentiate between purely fluvial facies and those modulated by tidal energy. The stratigraphic interval from which the data were derived is the Lourinhã Formation (Late Jurassic) of the Lusitanian Basin, Western Portugal. An analysis of sedimentary features at four key localities has identified a temporal spectrum of tidal influence ranging from the daily modulation of fluvial flows to the effects of tidal bore passage. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data reveals systematic changes in the internal architecture of dune‐scale bedforms deposited in a channel‐floor setting. The key co‐occurring features are: (i) increasing‐decreasing organic particle concentration; (ii) increasing‐decreasing bottomset thickness; (iii) increasing‐decreasing foreset dip and shape (from convex to concave); and (iv) increasing‐decreasing brinkpoint height. Collectively, these features are interpreted as having been produced by successive fluctuations in flow regime conditions from lower (during flood tidal retardation) to higher (during ebb tidal drawdown) current velocities. Bedforms showing these features occur in both meandering fluvial channels and straighter distributary systems. In addition, several examples of a specific type of stepped erosion surface and draping sediment have been recognized, the interpretation of which strongly suggests generation by the passage of tidal bores. If this interpretation is correct, then it represents one of the first published examples of tidal bore propagation in ancient fluvial systems. Palaeoclimatic evidence (cellular analysis of woody tissue, palaeosol character and plate reconstruction) indicates a warm, seasonal, winter wet to summer dry climate during deposition of the Lourinhã Formation. From this evidence it is suggested that tidal modulation and tidal bore effects are more likely to develop in the 'dry season', when fluvial flow in the main river channels was reduced.


Recent advances in catheter-based interventions have provided effective alternative treatments to surgery for several structural heart diseases such as atrial or ventricular septal defects. Particularly, the advent of transcatheter valve implantation/repair techniques constitutes one of the main breakthroughs of the last decades offering an effective alternative to patients with symptomatic valvular heart disease and high mortality operative risk. In addition, the role of novel catheter-based interventions has been explored in several clinical conditions that convey an increased risk of cerebrovascular stroke such as patent foramen ovale or atrial fibrillation. Specific devices have been developed to treat all these clinical conditions. To improve the procedural success rate and minimize the frequency of complications, multimodality cardiac imaging plays a central role providing an accurate selection of patients and invaluable assistance during the procedure. Technological advances in the equipments and image post-processing softwares have provided improved accuracy of the image quality and analysis leading to an increasing implementation of these imaging techniques in the clinical practice. The present state-of-the-art article reviews the role of multimodality imaging for planning and guiding interventions in structural heart disease.


A test program that demonstrated that the electrical degradation of a conductive elastomer-aluminum flange joint could be determined using shielding effectiveness measurements is described. Two tests were developed. One measures the degradation of shielding effectiveness of a simulated gasketed enclosure seam (test set). Shielding effectiveness measurements are made at frequencies up to 10 GHz. The second test method yields a quantitative scale of conductive elastomer corrosivity (galvanic compatibility) and a quantitative measure of DC electrical degradation of the conductive elastomer. The tests demonstrated that a Ag-Al gasket/aluminum flange joint was more stable than a nickel-coated graphite gasket/aluminum flange joint after 192 h of sulfur dioxide salt fog exposure. This result reflects the greater stability of the Ag-Al gasket and the better galvanic compatibility of the Ag-Al gasket with the aluminum flange.<<ETX>>


BACKGROUND
N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular outcome in many circumstances. There are, however, limited data regarding the utility of NT-proBNP or BNP levels in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The current study assesses the ability of NT-proBNP to predict early outcome in this setting.

METHODS
One thousand and ten patients undergoing non-emergent cardiac surgery were recruited prospectively. Baseline clinical details were obtained and the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) and Parsonnet score were calculated. Preoperative NT-proBNP levels were measured using the Roche Elecsys assay. The primary endpoint was 30 day mortality.

RESULTS
Median NT-proBNP levels were 624 ng litre(-1) among patients who died within 30 days of surgery (n=29), compared with 279 ng litre(-1) in survivors [odds ratio (OR) 1.03 per 250 ng litre(-1), 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.05, P=0.001). NT-proBNP levels remained predictors of 30 day mortality in models including either the additive EuroSCORE (OR 1.03 per 250 ng litre(-1), P=0.01), the logistic EuroSCORE (OR 1.03 per 250 ng litre(-1), P=0.004), or the Parsonnet score (OR 1.02 per 250 ng litre(-1), P=0.04). Levels of NT-proBNP were also predictors of prolonged (>1 day) stay in the intensive care unit (OR 1.03 per 250 ng litre(-1), P<0.001) and of a hospital stay >1 week (OR 1.07 per 250 ng litre(-1), P<0.001). They remained predictive of these outcomes in regression models that included either the EuroSCORE or the Parsonnet score and in a model that included all study variables.

CONCLUSIONS
NT-proBNP levels predict early outcome after cardiac surgery. Their prognostic utility is modest-but is independent of traditional indicators and conventional risk prediction scores.


Cases of diabetes are on the rise in almost every population and epidemiological studies suggest that without proper prevention and control measures, prevalence of the disease will continue to increase globally. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of camel milk supplementation on serum glucose, lipid profile and body weight of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Rats were rendered diabetic by intravenous injection of alloxan (80mg/kg body weight). Diabetic rats showed significantly higer blood glucose levels (9.68±1.36 mmol/L). Treatment with camel milk significantly decreases blood glucose levels (5.33±0.46) p


: The authors analysed the results of endoscopic diathermy coagulation of bleeding acute gastroduodenal ulcers in 83 patients; in 47 of them the follow-up period ranged from 12 months to 9 years. A stable hemostatic effect was achieved in the early periods after coagulation of the acute ulcers in 76% of cases. The frequency of recurrent bleeding was found to be directly dependent on the degree of the blood loss. Recurrent bleeding from acute ulcerations of the gastric mucosa in the late-term period was discovered authentically in only one patient. It was linked with medication with brufen for a long duration. Thus, endoscopic diathermy coagulation produced good results in arresting bleeding from acute gastroduodenal ulcers, particularly in patients with a very high operative risk.


In warped supersymmetric grand unification, XY gauge particles appear near the TeV scale along with Kaluza-Klein towers of the standard model gauge fields. In spite of this exotic low-energy physics, the successful gauge coupling unification prediction of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) is preserved and proton decay is naturally suppressed. In this paper we study in detail the low-lying mass spectrum of superparticles and grand unified particles in this theory, taking supersymmetry breaking to be localized to the TeV brane. The masses of the MSSM particles, Kaluza-Klein modes, and XY states are all determined by two parameters, one that fixes the strength of the supersymmetry breaking and the other that sets the scale of the infrared brane. A particularly interesting result is that for relatively strong supersymmetry breaking, the XY gauginos and the lowest Kaluza-Klein excitations of the MSSM gauginos may both lie within reach of the CERN Large Hadron Collider, providing the possibility that the underlying unified gauge symmetry and the enhanced $N=2$ supersymmetry of the theory will both be revealed.


Estrogen remains the single most effective agent in the treatment of menopausal symptoms and prevention of bone loss. This article focuses on the use of estrogen therapy during menopause and the pharmacotherapy of osteoporosis. Risks and benefits of hormonal therapy and regimen selection for menopausal women are discussed. The second section of the article focuses on current treatment strategies for osteoporosis.


Acute flares (AFs) of chronic hepatitis B usually occur during the immune-active stage (both immune clearance phase and immune reactivation phase), as the host immune system tries to control the virus. Successful host immune control over viral replication is usually presented as hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance; however, 20–30% individuals with chronic hepatitis B may encounter repeated AFs with accumulative liver injuries, finally leading to the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. AF can also develop in other clinical situations such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, and under treatment for chronic hepatitis B or treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients with co-infected hepatitis B/hepatitis C. Understanding the natural history and immunopathogenesis of AF would help develop effective strategies to eradicate the virus and improve the clinical outcomes of patients with chronic hepatitis B. In this review article, the immunopathogenesis of AF, and the involvement of innate and adaptive immune responses on the development of hepatitis B flare will be briefly reviewed, with the emphasis on the role of cytokines and chemokines.


We have evaluated the usefulness of HBDT as an in vitro method for the diagnosis of drug allergy. Two hundred and thirty six patients with suspected drug sensitization to penicillin, streptomycin, sulfamides, pyrazolones and A.S.A. were analyzed. Seventy-nine of them were allergic; in 43 cases it was confirmed by in vivo methods. Other patients were diagnosed by clinical history only if they had more than two reactions to the same drug. In order to be included in this group patients with reactions to pyrazolones and A.S.A. had to have tolerated other NSAI, therefore these patients were allergic to one compound only. All patients were considered non-allergic were determined by a negative provocation test. In the group of allergic patients we obtained 63 (79%) positive degranulations and 16 (21%) negative. One hundred and thirty two (84%) negative degranulations and 25 (16%) positive were obtained in the group of non-allergic patients. Once having analyzed 10 statistical parameters with each drug, the HBOT appears to be a useful method for these drugs except for streptomycin. In 16 (80%) out of 20 aspirin sensitive asthmatic patients we found that their basophils were degranulated. In 7 patients with urticaria and/or angioedema by A.S.A. and other NSAI the degranulation was negative, confirming the absence of the involvement of basophils in this reactions.


A study has been done for the piezoelectric properties in texured ceramics of SrBi2Nb2O9 (SBN) fabricated by the templated grain growth (TGG) method. Remanent polarization along to the stacking direction increased with the orientation degrees. That corresponds to the increases in electro-mechanical coupling coefficient with orientation degree. The temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency (TCF) in thickness sheer vibration mode changed from negative to positive with increasing orientation degrees, and an excellent TCF of -0.4 ppm/°C was obtained for the specimen with an orientation degree of 76%.


New RbAg4I5-on-Au ionic–electronic conductors with a composite nanostructure were fabricated by coating a superionic conductor RbAg4I5 film on an electronic conductor Au thin film by thermal evaporation. Through a synergistic effect of surface ions and plasmon polaritons, this composite nanostructure displays a broadband photoresponse from ultraviolet (375 nm) to near-infrared (1064 nm). Our experimental results indicate that a photocatalytic solid-state electrochemical reaction occurred at the interface of the composite nanostructure. Under ultraviolet or visible light illumination, Au atoms at the interface can be rapidly ionized into electrons and Au+ ions, in which the two components will recombine spontaneously under dark conditions. The formation of Au+ ions has a significant influence on the transportation channel of electrons in the Au thin film. The ionization and recombination of electrons and Au+ ions are responsible for the dynamic process of negative photoconductivity. In addition, we observed a significant negative photoconductivity induced by the excited surface plasmon polaritons in the broadband spectral region from ultraviolet to near-infrared. These results pave the way for exploiting high-performance photodetectors based on ionic–electronic conductors with composite nanostructures. Moreover, the photocatalytic solid-state electrochemical reaction provides a better understanding about the interaction between metals and superionic conductors.


As the most widely applied public-key cryptographic algorithm, RSA is now integrated into many low-cost devices such as IoT devices. Due to the limited resource, most low-cost devices only ship a 2048-bit multiplier, making the longest supported private key length as 2048 bits. Unfortunately, 2048-bit RSA keys are gradually considered insecure. Utilizing the existing 2048-bit multiplier is challenging because a 4096-bit message cannot be stored in the multiplier. In this paper, we perform a thorough study of RSA and propose a new method that achieves the 4096-bit RSA cryptography with the existing hardware. We use the Montgomery modular multiplication and the Chinese Remainder Theorem to reduce the computational cost and construct the necessary components to compute the RSA private key operation. To further validate the correctness of the method and evaluate its performance, we implement this method on a micro-controller and build a testbed named CanoKey with three commonly used cryptography protocols. The result shows that our method is over 200x faster than the naive method, a.k.a., software-based big number multiplications.


Virtual Reality (VR) headsets have made immersive 3D drawing available to the general public. However, compared to 2D drawing, the presence of an additional dimension makes sketching in VR challenging, since creating precise strokes that are positioned as intended in all three dimensions imposes higher demands on the users' perception, motor and spatial skills. Another challenge users face is creating accurate shapes in which strokes are positioned correctly relative to previous ones, as they may need to use different views to plan their next hand movement. In this paper, we analyze the behaviours of users with different spatial abilities while drawing in VR. Our results indicate that there are different types of behaviours that affect different aspects of the sketches. We also found that the user's spatial ability affects the shape of the drawing, but not the line precision. Finally, we give recommendations for designing 3D drawing interfaces.


. The mutualistic interaction of figs with their species-specific wasp pollinators and the role of figs as 'keystone' plant resources in tropical communities has received substantial attention from both plant and animal ecologists. Despite this focus on the reproductive biology of figs, the minute size of the wasps has effectively precluded our ability to monitor patterns of wasp dispersal and fig mating relationships in natural forest habitats. In this paper we use genetic markers and genealogy reconstruction techniques to examine the breeding structure of populations of four strangler fig species occurring in central Panama. The natural history of figs facilitates the genetic analysis of full-sib progeny arrays from which the genotypes of successful pollen donors can be reconstructed precisely. Paternity reconstruction in the four study species reveals that individual flowering trees may routinely receive pollen from numerous donors despite characteristically low densities of co-flowering individuals. These data indicate not only that breeding populations of these figs are larger than the minimum critical sizes predicted to be necessary to support populations of their species-specific pollinators, but are more extensive in size and area than has been described for any plant species yet examined. Further, the fig wasps are shown to be efficient agents of long-distance dispersal, routinely moving up to 10 km between flowering trees. In accord with the potential for substantial long-distance gene flow and large effective population sizes, ten of eleven species of Panamanian figs assayed were found to maintain exceptionally high levels of genetic variation within their populations. Combined with other reports of occasional long-distance dispersal, the results of this study suggest that fig wasps may be more effective at colonizing isolated fig populations than previously thought.


Geologic mapping, thermal inertia measurements, and an analysis of the color (visual wavelengths) of the martian volcano Apollinaris Patera indicate the existence of two different surface materials, comprising an early, easily eroded edifice, and a more recent, competent fan on the southern flank. A chronology of six major events that is consistent with the present morphology of the volcano has been identified. We propose that large scale explosive activity occurred during the formation of the main edifice and that the distinctive fan on the southern flank appears to have been formed by lavas of low eruptive rate similar to those that form compound pahoehoe flow fields on Earth. A basal escarpment typically 500 m in relief and morphologically similar to the one surrounding Olympus Mons was produced between the formation of the main edifice and the fan, indicating multistage eruptions over a protracted period of time. Contact relations between the volcanic units and the adjacent chaotic material indicate that formation of the chaotic material occurred over an extended period of time and may be related to the volcanic activity that formed Apollinaris Patera. Stereophotogrammetric measurements permit the volume of the volcano to be estimated at 105 km3. From this volume measurement and an inferred eruption rate (1.5 × 10-2 km3 yr-1) we estimate the total eruption duration for the main edifice to be ∼107 yrs. Plausible estimates of the exsolved volatile content of the parent magma imply that greater than 1015 kg of water vapor was released into the atmosphere as a consequence of this activity. This large amount of water vapor as well as other exsolved gases must have had a significant impact on local, and possibly global, climatic conditions.


This article describes the establishment, jurisdiction and rules of procedure of the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre. The article also examines the Bahraini Court of Cassation's trend towards recognizing arbitral awards issued by the GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre. The article then identifies two judgments issued by the Court on 12 March 2012 and on 2 April 2012 and discusses the main legal principles on which the Court based its judgments, particularly its consideration that the Centre is an entity independent from the Kingdom of Bahrain irrespective of its location in Bahrain. Moreover, the article addresses how the Centre's arbitral awards are executed in the Kingdom of Bahrain.


The effects of pelvic floor muscle training on pelvic floor symptoms in a primary care population were investigated using a randomised controlled trial. The intervention of pelvic floor muscle training was provided individually and combined with home exercises. The control treatment was watchful waiting. Participants were women aged 55 years and over with symptomatic mild pelvic organ prolapse. The primary outcome was change in bladder, bowel, and pelvic floor symptoms, as measured by the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20), three months after the start of treatment. The PFDI-20 is patient completed and the scores range from 0 to 300; a higher score indicates a greater symptom burden.1

The sample size calculation was based on detecting a reduction in symptom burden as indicated by a difference of 15 points between treatment groups in the mean change from baseline in PFDI-20 scores. It was assumed that the mean PDFI-20 score at baseline would be 60 points and that the standard deviation of the change in scores at three months from baseline would be 36 points in each group. To detect this treatment effect with a power of 80% and a critical level of significance of 0.05, 92 women were needed in each treatment arm. To allow for an estimated 15% dropout rate it was necessary to recruit 216 women. In total, 287 women were recruited and randomised to pelvic floor muscle training (n=145) or watchful waiting (n=142). Follow-up questionnaires were completed by 250 (87%) women.

The intervention group showed a significant reduction in symptom burden compared with the control group at three months of follow-up. The mean reduction in PFDI-20 scores from baseline was on average 9.1 (95% confidence interval 2.8 to 15.4) points greater in the intervention group than in the watchful waiting group (P=0.005). …


Photonic crystals made from self-assembly of mono-dispersed AgClxBr1−x nanocubes, which are not plasmonically active, have been discovered to exceptionally enhance the Raman scattering of molecules chemically adsorbed on their surfaces. Comprehensive control measurements and X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy indicate that the Raman enhancement on AgClxBr1−x nanocube photonic crystals is primarily ascribed to the chemical enhancement mechanism associated with the chemical interactions between adsorbing molecules and the AgClxBr1−x surfaces. In addition, the ordering of AgClxBr1−x nanocubes in the photonic crystals can selectively reflect Raman scattering back to the detector at the bandgap position of the photonic crystals to provide additional enhancement, i.e., photonic mode enhancement. The thiophenol molecules adsorbed on AgCl0.44Br0.56 nanocube photonic crystals exhibit astonishingly strong Raman signals that are on the same order of magnitude as those recorded from the thiophenol molecules adsorbed on the assembled Ag nanocubes.


This paper presents a procedure for estimating discharge in a river cross-section based on the combined use of dimensionless isovels and point velocity measurements. Specifically, taking the Biot–Savart law on the magnetic field induced by an electric current in a wire as their basis as already done by other researchers, the authors propose a new formulation of the relationship characterizing the effect of the wetted perimeter on the range of velocities in a cross-section in order to take explicit account of roughness, expressed by means of Manning9s coefficient. Once appropriately nondimensionalized, the isoeffect contours can be read as dimensionless isovels. Assuming in situ velocity measurements are available, discharge at a cross-section can be computed using two different methods. The proposed procedure was applied to six case studies characterized by river cross-sections which differed greatly from one another. The results show that the two methods proposed for estimating discharge lead to equivalent outcomes, and in all the cases the procedure as a whole enables a sufficiently accurate estimation of discharge, even when it is based on a limited number of velocity measurements or on the measurement of maximum surface-water velocity alone.


In this paper we give an overview of the participation of the IRIT, GeoComp, and LIUPPA labs in the TREC 2013 Contextual Suggestion Track. Our framework combines existing geo-tools or services (e.g., Google Places, Yahoo! BOSS Geo Services, PostGIS, Gisgraphy, GeoNames) and ranks results according to features such as context-place distance, place popularity, and user preferences. We participated in the Open Web and ClueWeb12 sub-tracks with runs IRIT.OpenWeb and IRIT.ClueWeb.


In this paper, we present fast algorithms on mining coevolving time series, with or with out missing values. Our algorithms could mine meaningful patterns effectively and efficiently. With those patterns, our algorithms can do forecasting, compression, and segmentation. Furthermore, we apply our algorithm to solve practical problems including occlusions in motion capture, and generating natural human motions by stitching low-effort motions. We also propose a parallel learning algorithm for LDS to fully utilize the power of multicore/multiprocessors, which will serve as corner stone of many applications and algorithms for time series.


Missions targeting the extreme and rugged environments on the moon and Mars have rich potential for a high science return, although several risks exist in performing these exploration missions. The current generation of robots is unable to access these high-priority targets. We propose using teams of small hopping and rolling robots called SphereX that are several kilograms in mass and can be carried by a large rover or lander and tactically deployed for exploring these extreme environments. Considering that the importance of minimizing the mass and volume of these robot platforms translates into significant mission-cost savings, we focus on the optimization of an integrated power and propulsion system for SphereX. Hydrogen is used as fuel for its high energy, and it is stored in the form of lithium hydride and oxygen in the form of lithium perchlorate. The system design undergoes optimization using Genetic Algorithms integrated with gradient-based search techniques to find optimal solutions for a mission. Our power and propulsion system, as we show in this paper, is enabling, because the robots can travel long distances to perform science exploration by accessing targets not possible with conventional systems. Our work includes finding the optimal mass and volume of SphereX, such that it can meet end-to-end mission requirements.


Amount and type of fats in the diet have an important effect on bone health and lipid profile. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different types of dietary oils and fats on lipid profile, calcium absorption and bone mineralization in male mice. Mice weighing 25±5 g were divided into nine groups and fed on diets without oils or fats (control group) and containing soybean oil, corn oil, olive oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, butter, animal fat or margarine. Mice fed on diet containing soybean oil or olive oil had the lowest levels of TG, TC, LDL-c and HDL-c as compared to the other groups. Diets with palm oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, butter, animal fat or margarine caused significant decreases in the serum level of calcium as compared to the effect of diet without oils or fats. Mice fed diet containing olive oil, butter or animal fat had significant increase in bone density, while those fed diet containing soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil or margarine had significant decreases in femur bone density, compared to the control group. The apparent calcium absorption was significantly increased by feeding diets containing soybean oil, corn oil, palm oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, butter or animal fat. Dietary intake of vegetable oils improved lipid profile while butter, animal fat and margarine had the opposite effect. Butter and animal fats increased calcium and phosphorus deposition in femur bone more than vegetable oils.


Abstract. The status, size, and density of Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback Terrapin) populations along the Atlantic coast have been reported by most states as unknown or declining. Robust demographic or population data are lacking, with even less information available on their spatial ecology. Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods explicitly incorporate spatial processes, providing a formal link between encounter data and space use. Despite the widespread adoption of SCR across ecological disciplines, it has yet to be applied to turtle populations. We present the first application of SCR methods to Diamondback Terrapins by analyzing data collected from two known activity areas in the tidal marsh systems of Wellfleet Bay, Massachusetts. We found that Terrapin detection was positively associated with survey effort at both sites. Detection was also influenced by day of season, tide cycle, the time of tide, survey time relative to the tide, cloud cover, and windspeed. Density and space use differed markedly between the two sites: the estimated density in The Run was 9 individuals/ha with a space use parameter of 309 m, compared to 59 individuals/ha and a space use parameter of 107 m in The Cove. Sex structure was female-biased, with a sex ratio of 0.34 and 0.18 males in The Run and The Cove, respectively. We demonstrate the utility in using SCR methods in turtles, specifically Diamondback Terrapins, to produce comparable estimates of detection and population size and density, while simultaneously providing inference on differential space-use and detection resulting from variation in both behavior and sampling conditions.


Fall report of birds found in central Iowa contributed by Hank Zaletel. This item was used as supporting documentation for the Iowa Ornithologists' Union Quarterly field report of fall 1997.


Regulation has long been a counterpart of innovation in the health care industry, and recent cases have demonstrated that appropriately designed regulations can both coexist with and promote innovation. This study is the first study to explore how the regulatory environment affected the innovation process during the transition of the regulations for functional foods in Japan by examining quantitatively the impact of the foods with function claims (FFC) system on industry, companies, and products. Based on a dataset of Japanese dietary supplement manufacturing companies (n = 169) and their products (n = 731) in 2019, we found that companies that have newly entered the FFC system are smaller in scale than existing companies (p < 0.01, Wilcoxon rank sum test). We also found that companies with FFC products have larger revenue growth (p = 0.01). A multiple regression analysis revealed that FFC product sales increased with in-house clinical testing (coefficient: 26.8, p < 0.0001), diverse active ingredients (coefficient: 7.6, p < 0.001), and the claim of new functions (coefficient: 10.2, p < 0.05). These results suggested that the FFC system facilitated the market entry of small and mid-size enterprises and promoted the creation of high-value products through innovative company efforts.


The Neoproterozoic Tsagaan-Olom Group is exposed in the Zavkhan Terrane of southwestern Mongolia and hosts unique geochemical, paleoclimate, and paleontological records that have become central to our understanding of this pivotal interval of Earth history. New sedimentological, stratigraphic, geochronological, and geochemical data provide context for and further develop these records. Detrital zircon provenance indicates that Neoproterozoic strata of the Zavkhan Terrane were derived from basement with age peaks between 1950 to 2100 and 2400 to 2600 Ma. At ∼800 Ma, the Zavkhan Terrane transformed from an active arc and back-arc complex to a rifted ribbon continent with passive margins on both sides. Deposition was accommodated by extension, which is recorded with syn-sedimentary normal faulting and alluvial fan deposition in the Zavkhan and Khasagt formations. Passive margin sedimentation in the overlying Tsagaan-Olom Group begins with the glacigenic Maikhan-Uul Formation, which consists of two massive diamictite units separated by clast-poor graded beds of the middle member. Detrital zircon at the base of the middle member of the Maikhan-Uul Formation were dated with U-Pb chemical abrasion isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry and constrained its age to <729.8 ± 1.4 Ma. This, along with chemostratigraphy and Re/Os geochronological constraints from the overlying Taishir Formation, supports our correlation of the Maikhan-Uul Formation with the ∼717 to 660 Ma Sturtian glaciation. The Taishir Formation was deposited on a carbonate ramp in four large-scale sequence tracts that thin to the southwest. The Taishir Formation preserves a large negative δ13C excursion referred to as the Taishir excursion that covaries in carbonate and organic carbon isotopes in limestone sections. A dolomitization front at the top of the Taishir Formation also results in depleted δ13C values, however, these are related to local processes and do not represent a global Trezona excursion. Although δ13C values in the Ol Formation are highly variable along strike, 0.70756 initial strontium isotope values in limestone of the upper Ol Formation are consistent with earliest Ediacaran values. A sandstone-filled karst surface at the top of the Shuurgat Formation that overlies the Ol Formation defines the top of the Tsagaan-Olom Group and is interpreted to mark a major unconformity. Carbon and strontium isotope values in the uppermost Shuurgat Formation are also consistent with early Ediacaran values and suggest that most of the late Ediacaran Period is missing in the Zavkhan Terrane of Mongolia. Carbon isotope profiles from sections preserved as limestone and dolostone display large differences and indicate that isotopic data from dolomites should be used with caution. With our new data and correlations, we construct composite Cryogenian and Ediacaran carbon and strontium isotope curves from limestone-dominated successions in Mongolia, and then integrate additional geochronological and geochemical data sets from around the globe.


International, bilateral and regional agreements have proliferated in the last ten years to twenty years and new ones are still being negotiated. It is thus virtually certain that for some more time to come international investment disciplines will continue to co-exist side by side with different terms and sets of parties, and various degrees of overlap. It is therefore important to understand how these agreements would continue to interact and how their overlaps and differences could be managed in a harmonious way. The present study, with due regard to the complexity of the issues, seeks to increase the level of understanding of the relationships between international investment disciplines, drawing on an analysis of key international investment agreements (IIAs) and OECD's experience with the relationship between its own instruments and other relevant agreements.1 The study is organised as follows. Section 1 broadly states the issues being addressed in the paper ...


Although community corrections courses have existed in universities for decades, studies have yet to explore whether the depth and breadth of academic preparation is meeting practitioner needs. In many jurisdictions across the country, community supervision officers receive little pre-service training, making classroom learning a very important component for job preparation. Using survey data collected from members of the American Society of Criminology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and American Probation and Parole Association, this study examines university faculty and community corrections practitioner expectations regarding topical coverage in undergraduate coursework relevant to the community corrections field. Results indicate that both groups, especially practitioners, gave the strongest preference to coverage of universally applicable job skills such as critical thinking, written and oral communication, and organizational and listening skills. Practitioners generally expected classroom learning to be more in depth and applied than faculty members. Some of the most substantial gaps in expectations were found for daily routine items such as interview skills with offenders, on-the-job decision-making, providing courtroom testimony, and stress coping.


OBJECTIVES
High prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) and cardiomyopathy have been observed in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Our objective was to clarify associations between ID and cardiac remodeling in patients with ESKD.

DESIGN AND METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted using 1974 Japanese patients with ESKD at the initiation of maintenance dialysis. Levels of hemoglobin (Hb), iron status, and cardiac enlargement as assessed by the cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) were determined immediately before the first hemodialysis session. Circulatory ID was defined as transferrin saturation (TSAT) < 20%, and stored ID was defined as ferritin level <100 ng/dL.

RESULTS
The mean age was 67 years. Median CTR was 54.0%. The prevalence of circulatory and stored ID was found to be 38% and 34%, respectively. CTR was higher in patients with circulatory ID than in those without. Even in ESKD patients without overhydration, significant negative association was observed between TSAT and CTR. Higher odds ratios in parallel with higher CTR categories compared with the reference category of CTR <45% were found in patients with TSAT <20% on multinomial analysis, but ferritin did not show any significant associations. The odds ratio for CTR >54% showed an upward trend in patients with TSAT <20% (odds ratio: 1.3) and <10% (odds ratio: 1.6) compared with the reference, even after adjusting for confounding variables such as Hb and ferritin. However, that phenomenon was eliminated by adding usage of an iron agent.

CONCLUSIONS
Circulatory ID is closely associated with an enlarged heart independent of ferritin and Hb. Iron supplementation in the predialysis phase of chronic kidney disease may prevent cardiac remodeling independent of Hb level in patients chronic kidney disease.


BACKGROUND The elimination of malaria depends on the blocking of transmission and of an effective treatment. In Brazil, artemisinin therapy was introduced in 1991, and here we present a performance overview during implementation outset years. METHODS It is a retrospective cohort (1991 to 2002) of patients treated in a tertiary centre of Manaus, with positive microscopic diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, under treatment with using injectable or rectal artemisinin derivatives, and followed over 35-days to evaluate parasite clearance, death and recurrence. FINDINGS This cohort outcome resulted 97.6% (1554/1593) of patients who completed the 35-day follow-up, 0.6% (10/1593) of death and 1.8% (29/1593) of follow-up loss. All patients that died and those that presented parasitaemia recurrence had pure P. falciparum infections and received monotherapy. Considering patients who completed 35-day treatment, 98.2% (1527/1554) presented asexual parasitaemia clearance until D4 and 1.8% (27/1554) between D5-D10. It is important to highlight that had no correlation between the five treatment schemes and the sexual parasite clearance. Finally, it is noteworthy that we were able to observe also gametocytes carriage during all follow-up (D0-D35). MAIN CONCLUSIONS Artemisinin derivatives remained effective in the treatment of falciparum malaria during first 12-years of use in north area of Brazil.


The vibrations of brass instrument bodies are important to musicians. Three proposed mechanisms by which players might detect these vibrations are radiation, mechanical coupling to hands and mouth, and alteration of the acoustic response of the instrument bore as felt by the lips. The first mechanism has been demonstrated by other researchers [e.g., B. Lawson and W. Lawson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, 1913–1916 (1985)]. The mechanical coupling is strong, but this mechanism has minimal musical significance. For the third mechanism, the coupling between the instrument shell vibrational modes and the cross‐sectional modes of the air in the bore is dependent on their relative symmetries. In the narrow main bore only plane waves propagate; in theory these should couple only to cylindrically symmetric shell modes. Trombone bell vibrational mode patterns, identified by holographic interferometry, exhibit symmetries similar to those in church bells, with nodal circles and nodal meridians. However, they may be indexed...


Previous work on efficient customized processor design primarily focused on in-order architectures. However, with the recent introduction of out-of-order processors for high-end high-performance embedded applications, researchers and designers need to address how to automate the design process of customized out-of-order processors. Because of the parallel execution of independent instructions in out-of-order processors, in-order processor design methodologies which subdivide the search space in independent components are unlikely to be effective in terms of accuracy for designing out-of-order processors. In this paper we propose and evaluate various automated singleand multi-objective optimizations for exploring out-of-order processor designs. We conclude that the newly proposed genetic local search algorithm outperforms all other search algorithms in terms of accuracy. In addition, we propose two-phase simulation in which the first phase explores the design space through statistical simulation; a region of interest is then simulated through detailed simulation in the second phase. We show that simulation time speedups can be obtained of a factor 2.2times to 7.3times using two-phase simulation


Anoectochilus setaceus Blume is one of the rare medicinal orchids in Vietnam. Anoectochilus setaceus has various functions in traditional medicine, such as anti-tumor, lipase decreasing, anti-diabetes, anti-hepatitis... Nowadays, lan kim tuyen individuals in the nature is limited because of its slowly growth, special condition requirements and especially, been excessively exploited, that can result in the extinction. In order to preserve plant biodiversity, develop and expand lan kim tuyen cultivation, a rapid micropropagation protocol through PLBs-protocorm like bodies is established. Detached apical shoots were used as explants for PLBs initiation. After 30 days-culture, 86.25% of the explants regenerated to PLBs with fresh weight approximately 0.23 gram per clump. Shoots were quickly regenerated from the derived PLBs by transplanting onto shoot regenerating medium in next 30 days. Single intact shoot separated from shoot clump was transferred to elongating and rooting formation medium. After 120 days of culturing process, micropropagation productivity achieves about 29.66 plantlets per PLBs.


This study examined the relationship between teachers' interpersonal skill and academic achievement of gifted students. A quantitative study using a survey method to collect data. The study involved four Mara Science Junior Colleges (MSJC) in the state of Pahang with 226 students involved as respondents. There are eight types of interpersonal skills teacher suggested by the particular model. Descriptive analysis (mean) indicated that the interpersonal skill of teachers was moderate. The correlation test showed that there was no significant relationship between teachers' interpersonal skill with student academic achievement. However, ANOVAanalysis showed that there were significant differences for teachers' interpersonal skill between MSJCsinvolved.The study suggested that teachers should apply the interpersonal skills for an improvement of their teaching and learning activities. In gifted student context, the application should take into account of their learning style and source of intrinsics motivation


Support for organizational knowledge management (KM) requires mechanisms for creation, mapping and transference of knowledge. Many organizations use computer tools (KM systems) for achieving these goals. However, in many situations the whole potential of these systems to transfer knowledge and foment organizational learning is not adequately used. This happens mainly due to the lack of effective evaluation of essential properties and prerequisites of specific contexts of use of KM systems (KM episodes). This paper fills in this gap by proposing a framework for supporting formal evaluation of KM episodes, which facilitates the identification of the specific set of prerequisites of a KM episode and the formal verification of its properties. The verification of properties makes possible to check which business goals are probably reached with basis in the set of satisfied prerequisites.


Abstract. A screen content coding (SCC) extension to high-efficiency video coding has been developed to improve the coding efficiency for videos with computer-generated text and graphics. It employs additional coding tools such as intrablock copy and palette modes for intraprediction. Although these modes can provide high coding efficiency for screen content videos, they cause an increase in computational complexity. This paper proposes a fast intraprediction algorithm for SCC by content analysis and dynamic thresholding. To skip unnecessary modes for a coding unit (CU), a rough CU classification is performed as a preprocessing step. Then, two early mode decision techniques are proposed by performing a fine-granular CU classification and deriving a content-dependent rule with adaptive thresholding based on the background color. To make early termination of CU partitions, another content-dependent rule with adaptive thresholding according to rate-distortion cost is derived to skip unnecessary partitions. In addition, a scene change detection method is adopted to update all content-dependent thresholds for different scenes in a sequence. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves 35.95% computational complexity reduction on average with 1.20% Bjøntegaard delta bitrate loss under all intraconfiguration, which outperforms all state-of-the-art algorithms in the literature.


Poly‐β‐hydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulates in individual cells of Alcaligenes eutrophus in the form of refractile bodies which alter the light‐scattering properties of individual cells. Flow cytometry has been applied to measure the distributions of single‐cell light‐scattering intensity in Alc. eutrophus populations during batch cultivation of the organism. These measurements clearly identify heterogeneities in the inoculum which influence the lag interval prior to beginning of exponential growth. Light‐scattering distributions show greater homogeneity and are extremely similar during balanced, exponential growth. After exhaustion of the nitrogen source and with carbon source still available, significant PHB accumulations occur and the flow cytometry measurements reveal extreme heterogeneity in single‐cell light‐scattering properties. These measurements clearly demonstrate the potential advantages of single‐cell light‐scattering measurements by flow cytometry for analysis and control of certain fermentation processes. Single‐cell light‐scat light‐scattering measurements in conjunction with flow sorting instrumentation have been applied to demonstrate enrichment of PHB‐producing cells, initially present in a number concentration of 0.01%by a factor of 300 in a single pass. Flow cytometry–cell sorting technology should find significant application in strain improvement and mutant selection.


Throughout his life, Maurice Ravel was captivated by the act of creation outlined in Poe's Philosophy of Composition, proclaiming that 'my teacher in composition was Edgar Allan Poe, because of his analysis of his wonderful poem "The Raven"'. Boléro is widely recognised as one of the most popular orchestral showcases, yet it has defied traditional methods of musical analysis owing to its melodic, harmonic and rhythmic repetitiveness. By defining a 'Poe aesthetic' that corresponds to Ravel's documented reflections on the creative process and the aesthetic precepts outlined in Poe's Philosophy of Composition, this paper proposes a new reading of Boléro.


3D printing constructs physical objects by building and stacking layers according to the CAD (Computer-aided Design) information. Attackers target a printing object by manipulating the printing parameters such as nozzle movement and temperature. The existing research on secure 3D printing mostly focuses on nozzle-kinetics, while attacks on filament-kinetics and thermodynamics can also damage the printed object. The detection of these attacks mainly relies on creating master-profile and machine learning by printing every unique object in a protected environment. In the fourth industrial revolution, such an approach is not suitable due to mass-customization rather than bulk production. This paper presents Sophos, a framework to detect nozzle-kinetic, filament-kinetic and thermodynamic attacks on the fused deposition modeling (FDM)-based 3D printing process. Sophos design does not require any prior learning for every unique object. It can detect the attacks on the first print using spatiotemporal G-code modeling, aligning it with the Industry 4.0 vision. Sophos is scalable and supports modular upgrades to suit different printing requirements. Its design allows the detection threshold to be reduced conveniently to as low as the 3D printer's resolution, shifting the game to a more interesting study of attack patterns than attack magnitudes.


Compared to their shelf-living relatives, the biology and ecology of most pelagic and deep-sea cephalopods is currently rather unknown owing to the difficulties to catch them. To cover the lack of information on these cephalopods, scientists have to make use of the limited and fragmentary data gathered from different sources such as sporadic captures, strandings or stomach contents of their predators. Here, we give some biological and ecological information on eleven uncommon pelagic and deep-sea cephalopods collected during more than fifteen years of fisheries surveys in the western Mediterranean Sea. The cephalopods investigated include two epipelagic octopuses ( Ocythoe tuberculata and Tremoctopus violaceus ), one deep-sea cirrate octopus ( Opisthoteuthis calypso ), the sepiolid Stoloteuthis leucoptera and seven teuthoid species inhabiting preferentially mesopelagic and bathypelagic waters ( Abraliopsis morisii, Ancistrocheirus lesueurii, Brachioteuthis riisei, Chiroteuthis veranyi, Chtenopteryx sicula, Onychoteuthis banksii and Taonius pavo ). Although all of these species are either cosmopolitan or present a wide distribution in other oceans, they are nevertheless relatively rare in catches, and therefore remain poorly known. The finding of T. pavo represents the first record of this cephalopod in the Mediterranean.


This study explores the Political participation of women in Pakistan. Through the political history of Pakistan, it is apparent that the role of women in politics has not been substantial nevertheless their population size. This research paper highlights women's political participation and representation in Pakistan's politics. Women's role in the political process will be explored from a historical and current perspective. Historically, women's role as a representative in the legislative assemblies of Pakistan remained limited. However,during the last two decades, significant measures have been made to enhance women's political representation in the country. In Pakistan, the voting turnout of women has always been lower as compared to the male counterpart during all the general elections held in Pakistan. The turnout of women's voters will be explored in the general elections of the country. The research also elaborates on the factors affecting women's political participation in the country. The research paper underscores social impediments that have posed challenges for women to become an important part of Pakistan's political system. Political participation is not limited to get representation in legislative assemblies. It consists of a wide range of political activities such as role as a voter, become a member of a political party, etc.


Campylobacter jejuni is one
of the leading causes of human gastroenteritis. Campylobacter jejuni requires special conditions and media
in the laboratory for its growth. In nature, however, this organism is able to
survive in very diverse and hostile environments and produce disease in humans
and animals. The different mechanisms by which C. jejuni survives stressful conditions in the
environment still remain unclear. Stress-adaptation may be one of the factors
helping this organism to survive stresses. Some C. jejuni strains have been found to have increased
antibiotic resistance in last several years. To determine the effect of acid
adaptation on the antibiotic sensitivity profile of C. jejuni, 4 different isolates
of C. jejuni (a human
isolate and 3 poultry isolates) were exposed to an acid pH of 5.5 and then
rechallenged with different stresses. The antibiotic sensitivity profiles of C. jejuni after stress-adaptation were
compared with antibiotic sensitivity profiles of non-stressed C. jejuni using the Kirby
Bauer agar disc diffusion assay. The antibiotic sensitivity profiles of the C. jejuni isolates used in this study
were found to change when the acidadapted bacteria were subjected to further
stresses such as an acidic pH of 4.5, aerobic atmosphere and starvation. In the
majority of the cases, antibiotic-resistant C.
jejuni isolates were
found to be more sensitive to antibiotics after stress-adaptation, but in a few
cases C. jejuni showed
increased resistance. These results indicate that increasing various stresses
in a sequential pattern may, in some cases, reduce antibiotic resistance of C. jejuni isolates.


The Subcommittee has attempted to elucidate the nature of problems encountered in the definition and use of statistical descriptors as applied to crystallography and to propose procedural improvements. The report contains (a) a dictionary of statistical terms established for use by experimentalists; (b) a description of the statistical basis for refinement procedures; (c) sections dealing with defects in the physical model used for refinement, and with the choice and significance of weighting schemes; and (d) recommendations, some of which may be readily implemented, whilst others may require a long-term effort to bring them into general use.


The admission of lung cancer patients to intensive care is related to postprocedural/postoperative care and medical complications due to cancer or its treatment, but is also related to acute organ failure not directly related to cancer. Despite careful preoperative risk management and the use of modern surgical and anaesthetic techniques, thoracic surgery remains associated with high morbidity, related to the extent of resection and specific comorbidities. Fast-tracking processes with timely recognition and treatment of complications favourably influence patient outcome. Postoperative preventive and therapeutic management has to be carefully planned in order to reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality. For patients with severe complications, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality rate ranges from 13% to 47%, and hospital mortality ranges from 24% to 65%. Common predictors of in-hospital mortality are severity scores, number of failing organs, general condition, respiratory distress and the need for mechanical ventilation or vasopressors. When considering long-term survival after discharge, cancer-related parameters retain their prognostic value. Thoracic surgeons, anesthesiologists, pneumologists, intensivists and oncologists need to develop close and confident partnerships aimed at implementing evidence-based patient care, securing clinical pathways for patient management while promoting education, research and innovation. The final decision on admitting a patient with lung to the ICU should be taken in close partnership between this medical team and the patient and his or her relatives. ICU should be proposed to lung cancer patients after discussion between the patient and the multidisciplinary team http://ow.ly/TWZ3308SB4g


This article explores the relationship between non-electoral representatives and democratic legitimacy by combining the recent constructivist turn in political representation with systemic work in deliberative theory. Two core arguments are advanced. First, non-electoral representatives should be judged by their position in a wider democratic system. Second, deliberative democracy offers a productive toolkit by which to evaluate these agents. I develop a framework of systemic representation which depicts the elemental parts of a democratic system and assigns normative standards according to the space occupied. The framework gives priority of democratic analysis to the systemic level. This helps mitigate a central concern in the constructivist turn which suggests that representatives mobilize constituencies in ways that are susceptible to framing and manipulation. I engage in case-study analysis of the collapsed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to unpack the different spaces occupied by non-electoral representative and elucidate the varied democratic demands that hinge on this positioning.


ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: Widespread empiric use of antibiotics exists especially in developing countries. This is a concern since inappropriate use of antibiotics, including their extended inappropriate use, will increase resistance rates. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate antibiotic utilisation across healthcare sectors to improve future use. This includes ceftriaxone, widely used among hospitals including those in Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study to evaluate the appropriateness of ceftriaxone prescribing in a leading hospital in Ghana. Ceftriaxone prescribing in patient-record cards was assessed using a modified WHO drug-utilization evaluation criteria as well as referencing the national standard treatment guidelines in Ghana and the ceftriaxone package insert. Results: A total of 251 patients were assessed. Ceftriaxone was most commonly prescribed for comorbid malaria with bacterial infections, urinary tract infections, sepsis and gastroenteritis. The appropriateness of the indication was 86% (n = 218). The doses most prescribed were 1g (41%) and 2g (39%). Stat dose and once-daily dosage regimen constituted 51.4% and 84.5%, respectively. The most common duration of treatment was 1 (51.4%) and 2 days (35.1%). The overall appropriateness of prescribing was 93% against a pre-set threshold of 97%. Conclusion: The appropriateness of ceftriaxone prescribing was high in this leading hospital in Ghana; however, there is room for improvement with targeted education initiatives, with further research planned.


The design of a novel phased array panel that provides the L-band satellite to ground links for the IRIDIUM global communications system is presented. Key components and aspects of this phased array antenna are discussed, including the beamforming architecture, radiated intermodulation products, the patch radiators, and the T/R module. The strategy for minimizing DC power consumption over a large range of multicarrier rf output power is described. Finally, test results showing compliant array operation are summarized.