Sense of touch plays an important role in surgery. Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures provide great benefits to patients; however, the surgeon's ability of perceiving force and tactile sensation from tissues is severely impaired. Performing surgery without such sensory information could lead to increase of tissue trauma and vital organic tissue damage. This dissertation presents the development of miniaturized force and tactile sensors that are able to measure the contact force and relative hardness of contact objects, with the purpose of enhancing the surgeon's touch sensibility during minimally invasive surgery. The force and tactile sensors developed in this dissertation are based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology utilizing the transduction principles of silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based piezoresistance and bulk acoustic resonance. A miniaturized force sensor that can be integrated on the distal tip of a commercial guidewire is firstly developed. The sensor has a sensory area of 200 μm × 200 μm, and utilizes SiNWs as piezoresistive sensing element by taking advantage of its ultra-small dimension and high sensitivity. Together with the movable core wire, the sensor can detect contact forces while maintaining the original welded tip which is an essential part of the standard guidewire assembly. A finite element (FE) model is built in COMSOL Multiphiphysics v4.2, in the aim of finding the maximum stress location in order to locate the SiNWs at the high stress regions and simulating the mechanical behaviour of the sensor-guidewire interaction as well. The results from simulation have been verified by the experimental measurement results. By taking advantages of the high sensitivity of SiNWs, the fabricated sensor is capable of detecting small displacement in nanometer scale with a sensitivity of 13.4 x 10 μm in the z-direction. It has been shown from the characterization results that the sensor has high linearity (> 99.9%) to the applied load without obvious hysteresis. To enhance the force sensitivity of the ring-shaped sensor that has a flat surface, a biomimetic tactile sensor is then designed and characterized. The Meissner corpuscle inspired sensor is designed with a rigid spherical ball attached on top of the suspended ring structure mimicking the biological structure of the Meissner corpuscles. The sensor is developed with a simplified fabrication and packaging process by dropping spherical balls on the SiNW-based ring structure. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been used to predict the mechanical behaviours of the tactile sensor with rigid solder ball and with elastic bump covering of rigid solder ball underneath. The performance of the SiNWs on the bio-inspired sensor and on the bare ring-shaped sensing element is comparatively studied by repeatability and hysteresis tests. The effectiveness of sensitivity enhancement of the bio-inspired tactile sensor with solder ball attached is verified from the experimental results, in which the fractional change in resistance in normal direction is improved from 1.34 percent to 2.8 percent per micro meter. Following, a miniaturized resonant tactile sensor is developed for material elasticity measurement. The sensor is based on a MEMS silicon bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, incorporated with a rounded sensing tip and mechanical stoppers to limit the maximum loading force and contact area. Upon contact with the material, the resonant frequency shifts corresponding to the amount of mass and stiffness loading from the contact object. The BAW resonator is excited in the square-extensional (SE) mode and is fabricated using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) multi-user MEMS process through MEMSCAP. The resonant frequency of the resonator is 2.2 MHz and has a Q-factor of 10430 in air. The ability of the sensor to measure the relative hardness of the contact object is tested with experiments by contacting the sensor with materials of different degrees of Young's modulus. Results show that the BAW resonant tactile sensor can provide information not only about the stiffness of the materials in contact with the sensor, but also the extent of force/stress applied on the sensing tip. The sensor is demonstrated to be able to differentiate materials of Young's modulus in the GPa range. Chapter


Here we report the occurrence of Pterois miles in the Mediterranean Sea, based on the capture of two specimens along the coast of Lebanon. Previously, only one record of the species from the Mediterranean Sea had been documented. The new records highlight the arrival of new propagules of P. miles , more than two decades later, hinting to a future potential invasion of the Mediterranean Sea.


The relationship between personality with depression and life satisfaction has been considered by the researchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the personality traits on base of Five Factor Model with Depression symptoms and life satisfaction.

Materials & Methods: The design of this study was causal-Comparitve. The population of this study was the students of Marand Islamic Azad University that 200 students were selected randomly between them by cluster method. All students were asked to complete the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), NEO-FFI-R and satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). Data were analyzed by Correlation and Multivariate Regression.

Results: There is a significant positive relationship between Neuroticism with depression (r= 0.85, p<0.01). Also there was negative relationship between Extroversion, agreeableness and Conscientiousness with depression (-0.58, -0.44, -0.29 respectively). Neuroticism could explanation 78 percent of depression. In other hand there is a negative relationship between life satisfaction with Neuroticism (-0.41) and positive relationship with Extroversion, agreeableness and Conscientiousness (0.33, 0.25, 0.17 respectively). The Neuroticism and Extroversion could explanation 20 percent of life satisfaction.

Conclusion: Finding showed that personality factors can be considered as a predictor for depression and life satisfaction.


Abstract— Ultraviolet‐B (290–320 nm) radiation is known to impair the antigen‐presenting cell (APC) function of Langerhans cells (LC), skin‐specific members of the dendritic cell (DC) family. We sought to address mechanisms of this effect, focusing on the role played by hydrogen peroxide. For this purpose, we used a newly established murine DC line, XS52, which resembles epidermal LC in several respects. The APC capacity of XS52 cells, using two different CD4* T cell clones as responders, was inhibited significantly (>50%) by exposure to UV radiation (unfiltered FS20 sunlamps) at relatively small fluences (50–100 J/m2). Ultraviolet radiation also inhibited growth factor‐dependent proliferation of XS52 cells. On the other hand, cell surface phenotype was relatively well preserved after irradiation; expression levels of B7‐1 and B7‐2 were reduced slightly, while other molecules (e.g. Ia, CD54, CD1 la and CD18) were not affected. With respect to the role played by hydrogen peroxide, pretreatment with purified catalase (900 U/mL) prevented UV‐induced inhibition of APC function. Short‐term exposure to 3 miM H202 or f‐butyl H202 mimicked UV radiation by inhibiting APC function. Finally, intrinsic catalase activity was substantially lower in XS52 cells compared with Pam 212 keratinocytes. These results indicate that the generation of hydrogen peroxide alone is sufficient to produce some, but not all, of the deleterious effects of UV radiation on DC derived from the skin.


Abstract Background: Until recently most of the scrutiny of opioid-containing cough and cold medications (CCMs) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was focused on codeine, only recently shifting equal focus to those containing hydrocodone. We characterized adverse events (AEs) in children <12 years old associated with CCMs that include both an opioid and over-the-counter (OTC) ingredient. Methods: US cases from multiple sources collected as part of a safety surveillance program were included if AEs followed exposure to combination CCMs containing codeine or hydrocodone between January 2008 and December 2015. An expert panel reviewed cases to identify causal relationship between exposure and AEs and identify contributing factors. Each AE term was coded using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities with preferred terms reported. Results: One hundred and fourteen of the 7035 (2%) cases reviewed involved an opioid-containing product. Ninety-eight cases involved an AE at least potentially related to the opioid ingredient (38 (39%) codeine; 60 (61%) hydrocodone). All three fatality cases involved hydrocodone with an antihistamine. Among non-fatalities, somnolence, lethargy, and/or respiratory depression were more commonly reported among hydrocodone cases than codeine cases (86% vs. 61%; p = .005). Discussion: These safety surveillance data support the FDA's expanded label changes limiting opioid CCMs for children.


This tutorial explains and describes the use of several microformats, which make information marked up in HTML available for use in applications outside traditional Web browsers. Because microformats consist of minor additions to the HTML backbone of common Web pages, they represent a simple but significant move toward what Tim Berners-Lee has called the ldquosemantic Webrdquo-but without requiring the technical and practical shifts and time demands of a complete XML-based semantic-Web-development approach. Microformats also provide technical communicators with literacies and a conceptual foundation to approach more advanced semantic Web technologies and suggest ways to refine current Web design practice.


Abstract A number of widespread, but not universal, assumptions underlying contemporary discourse about 'reception', 'transplants', or 'transposition' of law taken together constitute 'a naïve model of diffusion of law'. These assumptions are that: (a) there was an identifiable exporter and importer; (b) the standard case of a reception is export-import between countries; (c) the typical process of reception involves a direct one-way transfer from country A to country B; (d) reception involves formal enactment or adoption; (e) the main objects of a reception are legal rules and concepts; (f) the main agents of export and import are governments; (g) xreception occurs at a particular moment of time; (h) xthe standard case is export by a civil law or common law 'parent' legal system to a less developed dependent (e.g. colonial) or adolescent (e.g. 'transitional') legal system; (i) the object of reception retains its identity without significant change after the date of reception; (j) the received law either fills a legal vacuum or replaces prior (typically outdated or traditional) law; (k) most instances of reception are technical rather than political, typically involving 'lawyers' law'; (l) each reception either 'works' or 'fails'. This paper argues that, if one adopts a global perspective and a broad conception of law, each of the twelve elements in this model can be shown to be neither necessary nor even characteristic attributes of the processes of diffusion of law. This represents a first step towards renewing a conversation with the social science literatures on diffusion.


Amarante C.F., Ramadinha R.R. & Pereira M.J.S. Atopic dermatitis: a restropective study of associated factors in a dermopathic canine population. [Dermatite atópica: um estudo retrospectivo dos fatores associados em uma população canina dermopata.] Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 37(Supl.1):13-17, 2015. Curso de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, BR 465, Km 7, Seropédica, RJ 23897-970, Brasil. E-mail: email@example.com Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a pruriginous inflammatory disease related to the production of IgE antibodies and frequently, diagnosed in the clinical veterinary practice. However, there are many controversies about the predisposing factors. The objective of this study was to analyze the contribution of the sex, age, breed, castration, time of year, the use of perfume and cleaning products as predisposing factors for the occurrence of AD using binomial generalized linear regression model estimating the prevalence ratio as a measure of effect. The clinical records of 2,280 dogs attended by the Section of Dermatology Small Animal Hospital of the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, between 2005 and 2010, were reviewed and 1,462 dogs were included in the study. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using a generalized binomial linear regression model. Significance was set at a p-value of ≤ 0.05. Atopic dermatitis was diagnosed in 36.1% (528/1462) of the canine population studied and was associated with females [PR= 1.204 (1.048 to 1.384)], adults [PR= 2.045 (1.542 to 2.711)], the dry season [PR= 0.840 (0.734 to 0.962)], the use of perfumes [PR= 1.271 (1.089 to 1.483)]. Thus, atopic dermatitis prevalence in the study population was higher in females, adults, in which applied perfumes and in the rainy season. . This study constitutes a new approach to the epidemiological aspects of canine atopic dermatitis in Brazil, but requires a better understanding of the relationships between the explanatory variables and outcome through longitudinal studies.


Research on the etiology of internalizing disorders has focused on biological and environmental factors, however, the role of developmental competencies has not been explored much. The aim of the current report is to understand the developmental competencies, temperament, parenting practices and psychosocial adversities in internalizing disorders. The relationship of each of these domains with functional impairment was also explored. The developmental competencies considered in this study include interpersonal competence, emotion regulation, executive functioning, adaptive behaviour and self-concept. The sample consisted of 30 children and adolescents with internalizing disorders belonging to the age group of six to 18, and one of their parents. Descriptive statistics and correlational analyses were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that positive parenting shares an inverse relationship with functional impairment; other variables were not found to be related to impairment. On comparison with non-clinical samples in previous studies, interpersonal competence and self-concept were found to be at lower levels in the current sample. A model of a bidirectional relationship between individual and environmental factors together contributing to internalizing disorders has been proposed. The study will be continued on a larger scale on a clinical group and control group to test the significance of this model.


ABSTRACT Recently, we identified and characterized a novel protein, granuphilin, whose domain structure is similar to that of the Rab3 effector protein rabphilin3 (J. Wang, T. Takeuchi, H. Yokota, and T. Izumi, J. Biol. Chem. 274:28542-28548, 1999). Screening its possible Rab partner by a yeast two-hybrid system revealed that an amino-terminal zinc-finger domain of granuphilin interacts with Rab27a. Granuphilin preferentially bound to the GTP form of Rab27a. Formation of the Rab27a/granuphilin complex was readily detected in the pancreatic beta cell line MIN6. Moreover, the tissue distributions of Rab27a and granuphilin are remarkably similar: both had significant and specific expression in pancreatic islets and in pituitary tissue, but no expression was noted in the brain. Analyses by immunofluorescence, immunoelectron microscopy, and sucrose density gradient subcellular fractionation showed that Rab27a and granuphilin are localized on the membrane of insulin granules. These findings suggest that granuphilin functions as a Rab27a effector protein in beta cells. Overexpression of wild-type Rab27a and its GTPase-deficient mutant significantly enhanced high K+-induced insulin secretion without affecting basal insulin release. Although Rab3a, another exocytotic Rab protein, has some similarities with Rab27a in primary sequence, intracellular distribution, and affinity toward granuphilin, overexpression of Rab3a caused different effects on insulin secretion. These results indicate that Rab27a is involved in the regulated exocytosis of conventional dense-core granules possibly through the interaction with granuphilin, in addition to its recently identified role in lysosome-related organelles.


The author presents a derivation of generalised multiple scattering (MS) theory for finite systems such as molecules, atomic clusters and nuclei. It eliminates the need for the muffin-tin approximation (MTA) in the MS methods commonly used in quantum chemistry (e.g., in the X alpha -SCW method). It is completely separable and does not contain the near-field error common to previous attempts to construct a generalised theory. The generalised equations are identical to the well known MTA MS equations, but with the correct definition of the cellular T matrix.


The Effective Protection Ratio (EPR) is used in this study as a measure of the impact of policy distortions on agricultural producers. The results of the EPR analysis show that in 1995, most of the interventions supporting agricultural production have disappeared, particularly if the production is aimed at the domestic market. This holds for basic grains and oilseeds, as well as other products such as potatoes, cotton and tobacco, across all regions. Beef cattle and sheep production is also not being favoured by support in any of the regions. On the contrary, a number of commodities are effectively being taxed.


The objective of this study was to differentiate the effects of acute heat stress (HS) from those of decreased dry matter intake (DMI) during the prepartum period on metabolism, colostrum, and subsequent production of dairy cows. Holstein dairy cows (n = 30) with similar parity and body weight were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments on 45 d before calving: (1) cooled (CL, n = 10) conditions with ad libitum feed intake, (2) HS conditions with ad libitum feed intake (n = 10), and (3) pair-fed cooled (CLPF, n = 10) with reduced DMI similar to the HS group while housed under cooled conditions. The reduction in the amount of feed offered to the CLPF cows was calculated daily as the percentage decrease from the average DMI of HS cows relative to the CL cows. For CLPF and CL cows, barns provided shade, sprinklers, and fans, whereas the HS cows were provided only with shade. Cows in all groups received individually the same total mixed ration. Cows were dried off 60 d before the expected calving. Cows in the HS group and, by design, the CLPF cows had reduced DMI (~20%) during the experiment. Heat stress decreased gestation length, first colostrum yield, and calf birth weight compared with CL and CLPF cows. Milk yield decreased 21% (5 kg) in the HS and 8% (2 kg) in CLPF cows, indicating that reduced feed intake during late gestation accounted for 60% of the total reduced milk yield. The CLPF cows exhibited an elevated NEFA concentration compared with the CL and HS cows. The HS cows had a greater mRNA abundance of HSP70 in the peripheral blood leukocytes at 21 d prepartum compared with the other groups. At calving, the mRNA abundance of HSP70 was greater in HS cows, followed by CLPF, compared with the CL cows. In conclusion, HS during the late gestation period caused metabolism and production differences, which were only partially attributed to reduced feed intake in dairy cows.


Highly skilled women form a large part of skilled migrant flows within, from and to Asia, although they have little place in the imaginaries of Asian gendered migration. This chapter focuses on the mutually constitutive relationship between gender and skilled migration. It first reviews the key feminist contributions to theorising skilled migration. Second, it outlines how gender, skills and migration play out in skilled migration regimes. Lastly, it sets out a future research agenda for gendered skilled migration research that is sensitive to the geographies in which gender analysis of skilled migrants is conducted, and the need to extend research beyond a heteronormative and patriarchal matrix.


This review discusses the application of on-line strategies for sample treatment prior to atomic spectrometric detection. These strategies are based on flow injection and related flow-based approaches and focus on publications that have been published in the last ten years and have been explicitly applied to real world natural water samples (open ocean, coastal and estuarine water, river water, lake water and groundwater) and matrix relevant certified reference materials. The focus is on the use of solid phase extraction for matrix removal and analyte preconcentration. For convenience of searching, methods are grouped by element type, i.e. transition metals (plus zinc, cadmium, lead and arsenic), rare earth elements (the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium), precious metals (platinum group elements plus silver and gold) and actinide elements (the transuranic elements plus actinium, thorium, polonium and uranium). There is a separate section on methods for elemental speciation. Other on-line treatment strategies covered are cold vapour and hydride generation, and liquid phase microextraction. Comprehensive method details and analytical figures of merit are provided for key selected papers covering each of these strategies in associated tables.


Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), especially the PPARalpha and PPARgamma, are associated with an extraordinary diverse spectrum of cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, angiogenesis, cardiac hypertrophy, and atherosclerosis. PGAR (for PPAR gamma angiopoietin-related gene) is a recently identified PPAR target gene which is associated with adipose differentiation, systemic lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis, and possibly angiogenesis. We report here that WY-14643, a selective PPARalpha ligand up-regulated PGAR expression in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. In parallel to activating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and glucose transporter-4, hypoxia increased PGAR mRNA levels. PGAR expression was also increased by desferrioxamine and CoCl(2), but not by sodium cyanide, results consistent with the pharmacological features of hypoxia-responsive genes. These studies are the first to demonstrate that hypoxia increases the mRNA levels of a PPAR target gene in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, infection with adenoviral vectors encoding the wild-type or a hybrid form of HIF-1alpha highly increased PGAR mRNA levels. In contrast, neither hypoxia nor overexpression of HIF-1alpha affected the mRNA levels of PPARalpha, PPAR gamma, and muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase, a known PPARalpha target gene. These results suggest that hypoxic activation of PGAR expression is likely mediated by HIF-1 but not the PPARalpha/RXR pathway.


Recent studies on climate change indicate a growing frequency and intensity of flash flood events in western Europe. Flash floods are caused by extreme local precipitation. The URBAS project is concentrating on the urban occurrence of flash floods in Germany. URBAS has as a main objective to increase the preparedness and the range of possible actions of urban actors (e.g. communities, public enterprises) before and during rare small-scale flood events. Within URBAS the meteorological parameters, runoff and damage of flash floods are investigated. Innovative and feasible actions and precautionary measures at a reasonable cost-value-ratio are to be developed.


Objective:  to identify the stress levels and sleeping habits of students from the Physical Education college during the diurnal and nocturnal periods.
Method: this is an exploratory and descriptive study with 103 subjects. Data were collected through the Lipp Stress Symptom Inventory and the Horne & Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Identification Questionnaire, and sociodemographic data.
Results: The stress indexes showed 53.40% of students without stress and 46.6% with stress. When comparing gender and stress using the chi-square test, one obtained (p=0.0411), indicating that women are more stressed than men. There were 61.1% of students classified with indifferent chronotype. Among the students, 80.4% from the diurnal period were not suitable for the chronotype, as well as 74.5% of the students from the nocturnal period were not either.
Conclusion: the majority of the students did not present the chronotype adequate for the study schedule and they presented stress, being more frequent in the female group.


Invasive rodents have been responsible for the diffusion worldwide of many zoonotic agents, thus representing major threats for public health. Cities are important hubs for people and goods exchange and are thus expected to play a pivotal role in invasive commensal rodent dissemination. Yet, data about urban rodents' ecology, especially invasive vs. native species interactions, are dramatically scarce. Here, we provide results of an extensive survey of urban rodents conducted in Niamey, Niger, depicting the early stages of rodent bioinvasions within a city. We explore the species-specific spatial distributions throughout the city using contrasted approaches, namely field sampling, co-occurrence analysis, occupancy modelling and indicator geostatistics. We show that (i) two species (i.e. rural-like vs. truly commensal) assemblages can be identified, and that (ii) within commensal rodents, invasive (Rattus rattus and Mus musculus) and native (Mastomys natalensis) species are spatially segregated. Moreover, several pieces of arguments tend to suggest that these exclusive distributions reflect an ongoing native-to-invasive species turn over. The underlying processes as well as the possible consequences for humans are discussed.


BACKGROUND
The safety and effectiveness of the everolimus-eluting stent (EES) have been previously demonstrated.

AIMS
To assess very long-term performance and outcomes of the EES in a real-world population.

METHODS
This single-center registry prospectively enrolled 6893 patients (mean age, 66 ± 9.7 years; 81.4% men) undergoing elective coronary intervention with the EES over a decade. Clinical follow-up (FU) was performed at 1 year and then yearly thereafter.

RESULTS
Multiple risk factors were present in 34%. Stable angina was the main stenting indication (78.1%), followed by unstable angina (5.3%) and positive stress test (16.6%) for 1-vessel (44%) or 2/3-vessel disease (56%). Multiple stents (stent/patient ratio: 2.1 ± 0.8) in >1 vessel were implanted in 36.9% (mean stent length, 43 ± 31.3 mm). At 1 year, 80% of patients were on dual-antiplatelet therapy, while only 3% were on therapy at 2 years. A low 1-year major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate of 5.0% was observed; stent thrombosis (ST) occurred in 19 patients (0.3%), with a prevalence of early (n = 9) over late (n = 4) and very late events (n = 6; 0.08%). Clinically driven target- lesion revascularization/target-vessel revascularization (TLR/TVR) occurred in 3.3% at 1-year follow-up. Long-term FU (3 years) completed in 6210 patients (90.0%) showed a MACE rate of 5.9%, while very long-term FU (>5 years and up to 10 years), available in 3550 out of 4635 exposed patients (76.6%), showed a MACE rate of 8.6%. Independent MACE predictors were stented segment length (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.57-2.82), small vessel stenting (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.08-1.68), and multivessel disease (2-vessel disease: OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.21-2.08; 3-vessel disease: OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.72-2.97).

CONCLUSIONS
This large, prospective registry confirms the very long-term safety and efficacy of the EES in unselected real-world and complex coronary lesions.


First generation crack formation and crack growth predictive approaches for cold-worked holes—based on the growth of a single noninteracting crack in a stationary residual stress field—fail to account fully for the physical mechanisms by which cracks form and grow from cold-worked holes. This failure leads in many cases to large differences between predicted and actual lives. Factors not accounted for in first generation approaches include the following: 1. 3-D nature of residual stress field due to mandrel pull-through. 2. Multistage crack growth involving a progressively spreading system of cracks. 3. Multiple potential initial crack sites, and the effect of site upon the multistage crack growth path. 4. Relaxation of the residual stress field due to overloads/underloads, or due to cyclic reyielding from crack growth. 5. Interaction of the hole with adjacent structural elements for multilayer joints. A physics-based second generation methodology for accounting for these factors is described. This methodology separates into individual building blocks each of the various mechanisms controlling the formation and relaxation of residual stresses, and the nucleation and progression of a system of cracks. Because it explicitly models each of these mechanisms, it is capable of eliminating or reducing the uncertainty over the life improvement potential of the cold-working process, allowing the full potential of cold-working to alleviate the aging aircraft problem to be untapped.


Accurate detection of the amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is critical for wildlife disease research; however, false negatives in detection do occur. Here we compared different DNA extraction methods to determine the threshold for Bd detection and identify an optimal extraction method to improve detection and quantification of the pathogen. We extracted both lab-created cell suspension standards using PrepMan Ultra, Chelex resin, and 3 spin column DNA extraction kits (Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue, Zymo Quick DNA miniprep, and IBI gMAX mini kit), and further compared extraction methods using field-collected samples. We found that when extracting Bd DNA from cells in lab-created culture, the spin column extraction methods and PrepMan Ultra were equivalent, while the resin method detected higher Bd DNA quantities, especially at higher loads. However, when swabs from live animals were analyzed, low Bd quantities were more than twice as likely to be detected using a spin column extraction than with the PrepMan Ultra extraction method. All tested spin column extraction methods performed similarly across both field and lab samples. Samples containing low Bd quantities yielded inconsistent detection and quantification of Bd DNA copies regardless of extraction method. To manage imperfect detection of Bd, we suggest that presence/absence analyses are more informative than attempting to quantify Bd DNA when quantities are low. Overall, we recommend that a cost-benefit analysis of target species susceptibility and epidemiology be taken into consideration when designing an experiment to determine the most appropriate DNA extraction method to be used, because sometimes detecting low Bd quantities is imperative to the study, whereas in other situations, detecting low DNA quantities is less important.


Miniature transducer-containing catheters (6 French 20 MHz and 9 French 12.5 MHz) have been inserted into the urethra, urinary bladder, ureter and renal pelvis. Real-time 360 degrees cross sectional ultrasound images were obtained delineating a variety of normal and abnormal structures in both animal models and humans. With this approach it was possible to measure wall thickness as well as adjacent external structures such as blood vessels, lymph nodes and muscle. It was possible to diagnose a variety of abnormalities including embedded stones in the ureter and renal pelvis, crossing blood vessels producing compression of the ureter and tumors within the urinary bladder and ureter. In addition, these transducer-containing catheters show promise in assisting in tumor staging and biopsy guidance. These specially developed transducer-containing catheters, intended originally for placement in blood vessels, show great promise in becoming important new tools in a wide variety of non-vascular lumina and surgically created openings in many areas of the body. From our initial results we can already predict that non-vascular endoluminal ultrasound will assume an important role in the evaluation of a variety of urologic abnormalities.


Food safety receives an escalating attention since the 2008 milk scandal in China. Chinese government faces a great challenge to safeguard the safety of food supply chain due to the significant fermentation of producers and weak institutional resources to monitor and enforce food safety standards. Chinese farm households often practice two separate production systems for the same crop for the market and self-consumption separately and, thus the so called "One Farm Household, Two Production Systems" (OFH-TPS) gain the popularity in the recent years. This study provides both a theoretical framework to model the OFH-TPS decision and an empirical analysis to identify factors affecting the OFH-TPS decision using household survey data. We find that information asymmetry of product quality and measures to reduce the asymmetry such as product inspections and certifications play an important role in the OFH-TPS decision. In particular, product inspections conducted by industry associations, agricultural cooperatives, or farmer themselves curb the adoption of the TFH-TPS, whereas government inspection has no statistically significant effect. Farmers who sell green foods are less likely but organic farmers are more likely to adopt the OFH-TPS, which echoes the expectation based on the theoretical model. We also find that training of pesticide applications reduce the adoption of the OFH-TPS, but the perceived adverse effects of pesticide applications have no statistical effects. Furthermore, farmers who uses highly toxic and banned pesticides and/or who perceive poor food safety of the local markets are more likely to adopt the OFH-TPS. This study provides rich policy implications. First, calling the engagement of private sector to safeguard food safety and improving the efficacy of government inspection are critical to improve food safety. Second, education on pesticide applications is critical, especially among retailers of pesticides.


This thesis presents a model of reconfigurable sigma-delta modulator. These modulators areintended for high speed digital Digital to Analog Converters. The modulators are intendedto reduce complexity of current steering DACs and also considered as a front end of dataconverters. Quantization noise present in digital signal is pushed to higher frequencies bysigma-delta modulators. Noise in high band frequencies can be removed by a low pass filter.A test methodology involving generation of baseband signal, interpolation and digitizationis opted. Topologies tested in MATLAB® include signal feedback and error feedback modelsof first-order and second-order sigma-delta modulators. Error feedback and signal feedbackfirst-order modulators' performance is quite similar. The SNR of a first-order error feedbackmodel is 52.3 dB and 55.9 dB for 1 and 2 quantization bits, respectively. In second-orderSDM, signal feedback provides best performance with 80 dB SNR.The other part of the thesis focuses on the implementation of the sigma-delta modulator(SDM) using faster time to market approach. SoC Encounter, a tool from Cadence, is theeasiest way to do this job. The modulators are implemented in 65-nm technology. The reconfigurablesigma-delta modulator is designed using Verilog-HDL language. Switches areintroduced to control the reconfigurable SDM for different input word lengths. Word-lengthcan vary from 0 to 4 bits. Modulator is designed to work for frequencies of 2 GHz. To netlistthe design, Design Compiler is used which is a tool from Synopsys®.The area of the chip reported by design compiler is 563.68 um. When the design is implementedin SoC Encounter, area of the chip is increased, because the core utilization, whiledesigning, is only 60%, which is 556.8 um. Remaining 40% area is used by buffers, inverterand filler cells during clock tree synthesis. The buffers and inverters are added to removethe clock phase delay between different registers. Power consumption of the chip is 319mW.Internal power of the modulators is 219.1 mW. Switching power of output capacitances is99.9 mW, which is 31% of the total power consumed. Main concern of the power loss isconsidered to be power leakage. To reduce the leakage power and achieve high speed designCORE65GPHVT libraries are used. Leakage power of the design is 2.825 uW which is0.00088% of the total power.


The worldwide growth in broadband access and multimedia traffic has led to an increasing need for Quality- of-Service (QoS) in networks. Real time network applications require a stable, reliable, and predictable network that will guarantee packet delivery under QoS constraints. Network self- awareness through on-line measurement and adaptivity in response to user needs is one way to advance user QoS when overall network conditions can change, while admission control (AC) is an approach that has been commonly used to reduce traffic congestion and to satisfy users' QoS requests. The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel measurement-based admission control algorithm which bases its decision on different QoS metrics that users can specify. The self-observation and self- awareness capabilities of the network are exploited to collect data that allows an AC algorithm to decide whether to admit users based on their QoS needs, and the QoS impact they will have on other users. The approach we propose finds whether feasible paths exist for the projected incoming traffic, and estimates the impact that the newly accepted traffic will have on the QoS of pre-existing connections. The AC decision is then taken based on the outcome of this analysis.


The scoring of wines and the ratings of wineries is the source of much debate. In this paper we attempt to explain variations in winery ratings in Victoria by examining two winery rating systems, the winery 5-star ratings system of Halliday and the WineBoss version that modifies the Halliday system, to obtain a consensus industry rating from a variety of sources; in conjunction with a limited number of other data about the wineries that are rated. We use ordered logit models and odds ratios on a sample of rated Victorian wineries (291 in the Halliday sample and 331 in the WineBoss sample) to see which predictor variables increase the odds of a winery being in a higher-rated category. Wineries that are older, use a consultant winemaker and/or produce predominantly red wines are more likely to be in a higher-rated category than those wineries that do not; conversely, wineries that use a contract winemaker and/or are located in a number of particular regions of Victoria are more likely to be in a lower-rated category than those wineries that do not. All of these results are as expected and confirm previous research. However, neither the size of the winery in terms of output nor whether the winery has other revenue sources, such as a restaurant, has any significant correlation with winery rating. The paper concludes with some suggestions for further research.


During hemorrhagic shock there is impairment, and eventually abolition, of the responses of both the resistance and the capacitance vessels in cat skeletal muscle to regional lumbar sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve fiber stimulation and to close intra-arterial infusion of l-norepinephrine. The rate of decline of reactivity is faster, and the time to abolition shorter, for the resistance response than for the capacitance response. Also, the pre-capillary resistance response declines faster and is abolished earlier than the post-capillary resistance response. This impairs and eventually abolishes the ability of constrictor nerve stimulation to decrease mean capillary hydrostatic pressure, and, thereby, causes a net inward movement of extravascular fluid. Preservation of the post-capillary response beyond that of the pre-capillary results eventually in a net outward movement of capillary fluid on nerve stimulation. Replacement of the shed blood restores vascular reactivity to normal. This can occur even when nerve stimulation results in a net loss of capillary fluid, but may not, if this period of shock has been very long. The evidence indicates that pre-capillary functions (small arteries, arterioles, and pre-capillary sphincters) are more under the influence of local metabolic factors than of extrinsic nervous influence. On the other hand, post-capillary functions (post-capillary resistance vessels, and main capacitance vessels) are more dominated by extrinsic nervous influence. However, even in this section the nervous influence may be overcome by relatively large concentrations of "metabolites" as is seen late in the period of hemorrhagic shock. From the results obtained here, it is suggested that early in hemorrhagic shock the sympathetics, at least with respect to skeletal muscle, act in a compensatory manner by maintaining "venous return" (maintained capacitance response) and by increasing circulating blood volume (inward movement of extravascular fluid). The dominant action of local dilator factors on pre-capillary functions has the effect of limiting the magnitude of nerve-induced increased resistance to blood flow and, by impairing the reactivity of the pre-capillary sphincters, distributes the available blood flow over a greater than normal fraction of the capillary bed. Late in the course of hemorrhagic shock, with abolition of pre-capillary responses, the action of the sympathetics would appear to be decompensatory, in that they cause a loss of fluid from the capillaries. This phenomenon may provide a partial explanation for the observed beneficial effect of sympatholytic agents in hemorrhagic shock. The sequence of deteriorating vascular reactivity in skeletal muscle, while not necessarily representative of all tissues, serves to explain many of the hitherto puzzling features of the peripheral vasculature in shock. It also suggests a mechanism, common to all states with reduced tissue blood flow, that may explain lack of response to treatment.


Peering back further into space and time than ever before, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) captured this image of an assortment of oddly shaped galaxies forming early in the universe's history. The new survey is sensitive enough to glimpse a period only 400 to 800 million years after the Big Bang—"within a stone's throw of the Big Bang itself," according to astronomer Massimo Stiavelli at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Against the backdrop of controversy over HST's possible funding cutoff by NASA, institute astronomers unveiled the new images on March 9. On hand at the event was staunch HST supporter Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), who vowed to continue her efforts to save the telescope. Focusing on a dark section of the sky in the Fornax constellation, HST took four months to collect the data, opening a window on some 10,000 new galaxies. The images were taken using two cameras installed on HST ...


Objective: To assess if the patients with pre hCG high perifollicular PSV values, would benefit with a double IUI, instead of single IUI. Method: A randomized prospective study was done of 350 IUI cycles who were stimulated by either CC or rFSH (recombinant FSH) or Letrozole with rFSH and showed a pre hCG perifolliclular PSV of 15cms/sec. Single IUI was done at 36 –38 hours after hCG injection and in double IUI cases the IUI were done at 12–14 hours and 36–38 hours. Results: With CC stimulated cycles when perifollicular PSV was 15–20, single IUI gave nearly similar conception rates with both single and double IUI. With PSV 20 –25 cms/sec, double IUI showed higher conception rates than single IUI. But when was PSV > 25, conception rates were very low with single IUI than with double IUI. With rFSH cycles with PSV 15–20, conception rates were comparable with both single IUI and double IUI but with PSV > 20, the conception rates were significantly better and with PSV > 25, the pregnancy rates with single IUI were significantly low. Same was the case with letrozole + rFSH cycles. Conclusion: In all cases with PSV > 25 cms/sec on the day of hCG, a double IUI gives better pregnancy rates, but this limit lowers to PSV 20, when it is a rFSH cycle.


A prospective urographic study of 40 Nigerian homozygous sickle cell patients is presented. The age range was 13-51 years with a mean of 20. The excretory urogram was normal in 30% of the patients. There is a very high incidence of renal papillary necrosis (40%). The other abnormalities observed are non-obstructive caliectasis (47.5%), poor excretion of contrast medium (40%) and renal enlargement. The incidence of urographic abnormality was neither age- or sex-related. There is also no relationship between abnormality and urinary symptoms.


We analyze the extent to which mayors and council members direct block grant funds to individuals and communities in need and whether the decisions of these officials are shaped by political considerations. We motivate our analysis by proposing a model in which an elected official has a fixed budget of grant funds and preferences over both redistributive policy and winning re-election. Our model predicts that electorally secure incumbents are more likely to allocate funds on the basis of need than their electorally vulnerable counterparts. To test these expectations we use an original data set of neighborhood-level expenditures of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds by the city of Los Angeles over a seven-year period. In particular, we examine how well neighborhood-level measures of need and neighborhood-level political variables, such as election results and voter participation rates, predict the allocation of CDBG money. The results of this research have broad implications for the design of social welfare policy. ∗This research is supported by a Russell Sage Foundation Inequality Grant, RSF grant number 83-07-03.


Antenatal care is one of the four pillars initiatives of the Safe Motherhood. The aim of this study was to investigate coverage of antenatal care among Baiga women's in M.P. A Crosssectional communitybased study was carried out in Dindori district. The structured questionnaires were used to gather data from women who had been pregnant within the last five year, or currently pregnant. A sample of 380 women investigated for antenatal care coverage 273, (71.8%) women had taken at least one antenatal checkup by different health professionals. Out of them 23% women had taken antenatal care in the first, 43% in second and 34% in third trimester during pregnancy. Care components were measured during and checkup reported by women as weight (63.9%) height (32.2%), blood pressure (41.8%), hemoglobin (23%) and abdomen examination (51.9%). Antenatal care showed a low coverage among Baiga women's due to low awareness, distance to medical facility, etc. Special IEC strategy needed there for


Assessment of the genetic variability within barley landraces is fundamental for barley breeding. In this study, 16 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers were used to characterize selected six barley landraces from different cultivated regions in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (Gizan, Bahah, Taif, Asser, Qassem and Hail). Amplification of SSRs loci were obtained for 15 primer pairs and only seven among them showed clear polymorphic patterns. These seven primers produce total of 16 alleles with scorable fragment size ranging from approximately 100 to 275 bp. The number of alleles per marker ranged from 1 to 3 with an average of 2.29 alleles per locus. The data generated by these seven primers were sufficient to discriminate the analyzed barley genotypes. Using the unweighed pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis, barley landraces were clustered together with respect to their geographical location. These results could be used for barley germplasm management in terms of biodiversity protection and design of new crosses. The present results demonstrate that SSR markers were highly informative and were useful in generating a meaningful classification of barley germplasm.


BACKGROUND Hospital readmission rates are publicly reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS); however, the implications of emergency department (ED) visits following hospital discharge on readmissions are uncertain. We describe the frequency, diagnoses, and hospital-level variation in ED visitation following hospital discharge, including the relationship between risk-standardized ED visitation and readmission rates. METHODS This is a cross-sectional analysis of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, and pneumonia between July 2011 and June 2012. We used Medicare Standard Analytic Files to identify admissions, readmissions, and ED visits consistent with CMS measures. Postdischarge ED visits were defined as treat-and-discharge ED services within 30 days of hospitalization without readmission. We utilized hierarchical generalized linear models to calculate hospital risk–standardized postdischarge ED visit rates and readmission rates. RESULTS We included 157,035 patients hospitalized at 1,656 hospitals for AMI, 391,209 at 3,044 hospitals for heart failure, and 342,376 at 3,484 hospitals for pneumonia. After hospitalization for AMI, heart failure, and pneumonia, there were 14,714 (9%), 31,621 (8%), and 26,681 (8%) ED visits, respectively. Hospital-level variation in postdischarge ED visit rates was substantial: AMI (median: 8.3%; 5th and 95th percentile: 2.8%-14.3%), heart failure (median: 7.3%; 5th and 95th percentile: 3.0%-13.3%), and pneumonia (median: 7.1%; 5th and 95th percentile: 2.4%-13.2%). There was statistically significant inverse correlation between postdischarge ED visit rates and readmission rates: AMI (−0.23), heart failure (−0.29), and pneumonia (−0.18). CONCLUSIONS Following hospital discharge, ED treat-and-discharge visits are half as common as readmissions for Medicare beneficiaries. There is wide hospital-level variation in postdischarge ED visitation, and hospitals with higher ED visitation rates demonstrated lower readmission rates.


This paper proposes an encryption scheme maintaining hierarchy of JPEG 2000 codestreams for flexible access control. JPEG 2000 generates hierarchical codestreams and has flexible scalability, such as, SNR, space, or color components. In a proposed method, only one managed key (master key) exists, and for a user permitted to access a reserved image quality, only one key generated by the master key is delivered. Also, a different key generated by the master key is delivered for a user permitted to access a different quality. The proposed access control method is available for all kinds of JPEG 2000 scalability. On the other hand, some conventional methods need several keys to control image quality. Another conventional method is not suitable for JPEG 2000 scalability.


Retraction of distal sensory axons is a prominent feature in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a process amenable to insulin therapy. Nevertheless, diabetic patients and long-term diabetic mice develop motor deficits after longer durations of DPN, a process that may be related to insulin deficiency. To compare the efficacy of intranasal delivery of insulin (IN-I) and subcutaneous insulin (Subc-I) in preventing motor deficits in a long-term mouse model of DPN, IN-I or Subc-I, 0.87 IU daily or placebo was delivered in separate cohorts of diabetic and nondiabetic CD1 mice for 8 months. Radiolabeled detection was used to assess insulin delivery and biodistribution. Biweekly behavioral tests and monthly electrophysiological and multipoint quantitative studies assessed motor function deficits. Morphometric analysis of spinal cord, peripheral nerve, muscle innervation, and specific molecular markers were evaluated at and before the end point. Despite progressive distal axonal terminal loss, numbers and caliber ofmotor neurons were preserved. There were no differences in glycemia between IN-I and Subc-I-treated mice. Intranasal delivery of insulin and, to a lesser extent, Subc-I, protected against electrophysiological decline, loss of neuromuscular junctions, and loss of motor behavioral skills. Intranasal delivery of insulin was associated with greater preservation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathway involving Akt, cyclic AMP response element binding protein,and glycogen synthase kinase 3&bgr; but did not alter extracellular signal-regulated kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, or c-Jun amino-terminal kinase. Thus, direct delivery of insulin to the nervous system might prevent motor deficit in human type 1 diabetes by preservation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt pathway rather than only affecting glycemic levels; the effects of insulin on other signaling pathways may, however, play additional roles.


Origami has shown the potential to approximate three-dimensional curved surfaces by folding through designed crease patterns on flat materials. The Miura-ori tessellation is a widely used pattern in engineering and tiles the plane when partially folded. Based on constrained optimization, this paper presents the construction of generalized Miura-ori patterns that can approximate three-dimensional parametric surfaces of varying curvatures while preserving the inherent properties of the standard Miura-ori, including developability, flat-foldability and rigid-foldability. An initial configuration is constructed by tiling the target surface with triangulated Miura-like unit cells and used as the initial guess for the optimization. For approximation of a single target surface, a portion of the vertexes on the one side is attached to the target surface; for fitting of two target surfaces, a portion of vertexes on the other side is also attached to the second target surface. The parametric coordinates are adopted as the unknown variables for the vertexes on the target surfaces whilst the Cartesian coordinates are the unknowns for the other vertexes. The constructed generalized Miura-ori tessellations can be rigidly folded from the flat state to the target state with a single degree of freedom.


Objective: The aim was to validate the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) (English version) in Saudi patients with chronic disease. Methods: A month-long study was conducted in the out-patient department of tertiary care hospitals in three cities of Saudi Arabia that collected data from a randomized sample of Saudi patients with chronic disease. The study aimed to achieve an item-to-subject ratio greater than 1:10. Factor analyses were conducted and fit indices calculated. Convergent, discriminant, known group, and concurrent validities were analysed. Internal consistency was determined using test–retest reliability using Cronbach's alpha (α), McDonald's coefficient omega (ωt), and Pearson's correlation coefficient (ρ). Sensitivity analysis was conducted. Data were analysed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The study was ethically approved (i.e., IRB-129-26/6/1439). Results: The survey gathered responses from 171 patients with a response rate of 85.5%. An item-to-subject ratio of 1:15 was achieved. Factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with acceptable fit indices (i.e., normed fit index (NFI) = 0.93, Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) = 0.99, and comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.99), i.e., greater than 0.9. The value of root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.01, i.e., less than 0.08. The tool established construct validity, i.e., convergent and discriminant validities. Known group and concurrent validities were also established. An α value of 0.74 and ωt value of 0.92 were reported. Test–retest reliability ρ = 0.82, p < 0.001. The tool had high sensitivity (>75%) and specificity (>80%). Conclusion: The GMAS-English was successfully validated in Saudi patients with chronic disease.


In the past few decades, considerable attention has been focused on the development of new drug delivery system (NDDS). The NDDS should ideally fulfill two prerequisites. Firstly, it should deliver the drug at a rate directed by the needs of the body, over the period of treatment. Secondly, it should channel the active entity to the site of action. Now a days vesicular drug delivery system plays an important role as it is targeting type of drug delivery system which includes liposomes ,niosomes pharmacosomes and virosomes. Vesicular drug delivery systems delay drug elimination of rapidly metabolizable drugs, and function as sustained release systems. Niosomes are multilamellar or unilamellar vesicles wherein an aqueous solution of solute(s) is enclosed in highly ordered bilayer made up of non-ionic surfactant with or without cholesterol and dicetyl phosphate and exhibit behavior similar to liposomes. Niosomes of Zidovudine were prepared by ether injection method by varying ratios of span 80 and span 20 with cholesterol in ratio of 1:1,2:1and 3:1.and dicetyl phosphate added to the formulation to prevent aggregation of vesicles .the prepared vesicles were characterized for their size ,entrapment efficiency leakage studies ,osmotic shock and invitro drug release profile and the niosomes were characterized by their entrapment efficiency and invitro release profile and the niosomes with span and cholesterol in ratio of 2:1 had high drug release profile were found to be best formulations and they increase the therapeutic effectiveness of Zidovudine and prolong the therapeutic action of drug.


This paper describes a new syntax that can be used to write OWL 2 ontologies. The syntax, which is known as TEX-OWL, was developed to address the need for an easy-to-read and easy-to-write plain text syntax. TEX-OWL is inspired by LTEX syntax, and covers all construct of OWL 2. We designed TEXOWL to be less verbose than the other OWL syntaxes, and easy-to-use especially for quickly developing small-size ontologies with just a text editor. The important features of the syntax are discussed in this paper, and a reference implementation of a Java-based parser and writer is described.


AbstractProstate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in American males with similar trends in many western countries. The existing treatment approaches and surgical intervention have not been able to effectively cope with this dreaded disease. For these reasons, it is necessary to intensify our efforts for a better understanding of the disease process and for the development of novel approaches for its prevention and treatment. Based on considerable evidence from in vivo and in vitro data and epidemiological studies, in recent years the beverage tea has gained considerable attention for reducing the risk of several cancers. Much of the cancer preventive effects of tea, especially green tea appear to be mediated by the polyphenols present therein. Geographical evidence suggests that the incidence and occurrence of PCa is lower in populations that consume tea regularly. This evidence suggests that tea polyphenols could be extrapolated to optimize their chemopreventive properties against PCa. PCa represents an excellent candidate disease for chemoprevention because it is typically diagnosed in men over 50 years of age and therefore, even a modest delay in neoplastic development achieved through pharmacological or nutritional intervention could result in a substantial reduction in the incidence of clinically detectable disease. In this review we address the issue of possible use of tea, especially green tea, for the prevention as well as treatment of PCa.


The status of the Croatian Geomagnetic Repeat Stations Network (CGRSN) and Croatian Geomagnetic Network for Field Mapping (CGNFM), completed in 2010, was described. Standard and new survey practices as well as reduction techniques were presented. The CGRSN data reduced in reference to the L'Aquila (AQU), Grocka (GCK) and Tihany (THY) observatories using weighted averages were given for the epoch 2008.5. Detailed pictures of Dalmatia's geomagnetic field of 2008.5 and the corresponding anomaly, obtained from the CGNFM data were shown.


Context. Determining Lyα properties of distant galaxies is of great interest for various astrophysical studies. Aims. We examine how the strength of Lyα emission can be constrained from broad-band SED fits instead of relying on spectroscopy. Methods. We use our SED-fitting tool, which includes the effects of nebular emission and considers in particular Lyα emission as a free parameter, and we demonstrate our method with simulations of mock galaxies. With this tool we analyse a large sample of U, B, V ,a ndi dropout galaxies with multi-band photometry. Results. We find significant trends in the fraction of galaxies with Lyα emission increasing both with redshift z and towards fainter magnitude (at fixed z), and similar trends for the Lyα equivalent width. Our inferred Lyα properties are in good agreement with the available spectroscopic observations and other data. Conclusions. These results demonstrate that the strength of Lyα emission in distant star-forming galaxies can be inferred quantitatively from broad-band SED fits, at least statistically for sufficiently large samples with good photometric coverage.


The present thesis deals with the translation challenges posed by the prose writing of two French postcolonial Caribbean writers whose claim to a different identity is embedded within the coloniser's language. Patrick Chamoiseau and Raphael Confiant 'translate' their Creole selves into their French narrative prose in order to articulate the paradox of being both the Same and Other. Their 'in-between' position presents challenges for the reader, who confronts a language at once familiar and yet different, and the translator whose 'task' is to arrive at a solution which conveys in the target language the ideological narrative stance taken by the authors.

The thesis addresses the question of translation from different perspectives, seeking first to show how the authors through their theoretical writings respond to being 'translated men'; next the concept and the potential of the 'in-between' is explored to illustrate how a 'diglossic' situation is used to inform their narrative prose and construct identity, and last comes the 'critique' itself. The theoretical perspectives of Antoine Berman help to examine the translation into English of two French Caribbean novels while an analysis of a translation from English into French by Raphael Confiant offers an opportunity to discuss whether his ideological stance on writing has permeated his translation of an Anglophone Caribbean novel.

The thesis provides an innovative approach of the dilemmas faced by the translators of postcolonial literature.


One of the important modifications that have been made in animal feeding is the usage of the natural feeds and the feed supplements having any negative impact on human health. Therefore there has been an increase in the usage of vegetable extracts together with the feeds in the broiler feeding. It is indicated that the vegetable extracts ameliorates the feed consumption and the benefitting from the feed and consequently have the positive impact on the live weight. This study is carried out in order to ascertain the usage opportunities of the artichoke extract (cynara scolymus) that has positive productive effects on broilers' feed and the vegetable extract named Bedqen40 that includes choline chlorite and their metabolic impacts on liver enzymes. The study was conducted while using 100 Ross 308 hybrid chicks for 42 days as control and experimental groups. In terms of the live weight at the end of the experiments, there is a significant statistical difference between the groups (P = 0.0425). With respect to the daily increase of live weight, the difference between the experimental group and the control group is statistically negligible (P ≥ 0.1104). There is no difference in terms of the liver enzymes between the experimental group and the control group both at the start and the end of the experiment (P ≥ 0.1792).


The development of internet technology makes more information can be accessed. It makes information need to be organized in order to be easily managed. One solution can be used is by using the entity annotation approach which generates tags to represent that document. In this study, TAGME technology is implemented on a WordPress plugin, which is used to manage a blog. Moreover, information on Wikipedia 'Bahasa Indonesia' is processed to generate an anchor dictionary which is required by the technology that is implemented. This plugin performs entity annotation by giving tag suggestion for posts in a blog. Testing is carried out by measuring the precision, recall, and  of tag suggestions given by the plugin. The result shows that the plugin can give tag suggestions with precision 0.7638, recall 0.5508, and  0.59.


The role of T lymphocytes in host responses to sublethal systemic infection with Candida albicans was evaluated by mAb depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ cells from BALB/c and CBA/CaH mice, which develop mild and severe tissue damage, respectively. Depletion of CD4+ lymphocytes from BALB/c mice markedly increased tissue damage, but did not alter the course of infection. In CBA/CaH mice, depletion of CD4+ cells abrogated tissue destruction in both brain and kidney at day 4 after infection, and significantly decreased fungal colonization in the brain. However, the severity of tissue lesions increased relative to controls from day 8 onwards. A small increase in tissue damage was evident in both mouse strains after depletion of CD8+ cells. There were no major differences between days 4 and 8 after infection in cDNA cytokine profiles of CD4+ lymphocytes from either BALB/c or CBA/CaH mice. After passive transfer into infected syngeneic recipients, spleen cells from infected CBA/CaH mice markedly increased tissue damage when compared to controls, and also caused a significant increase in fungal colonization in the brain. A similar transfer in BALB/c mice increased the number of inflammatory cells in and around the lesions, but had no effect on the fungal burden in brain and kidney. The data demonstrate that both CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes contribute to the reduction of tissue damage after systemic infection with C. albicans, and that the development and expression of CD4+ lymphocyte effector function is influenced by the genetic background of the mouse.


International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) is the federation of different nation's member associations representing the interests of surveyors in the professional fields of global surveying, geomatics, geodesy and geo-information. Technical work of FIG is led by ten different commissions with individual themes. Among these commissions, 7th commission with the theme "Cadastre and Land Management" decided to make a vision for cadastre in 20th FIG congress in 1994 and in line with this decision, "Cadastre 2014 - A Vision for A Cadastral System in the Future" was published in 1998. This vision addresses about the future development of cadastre and consists of views for ensuring the cadastre to be globally integrative and shaping the future of surveying occupation. This paper discusses on the vision of Cadastre 2014, its implementation status in Nepal to evaluate Nepal's "Cadastre 2014" performance.


Abstract Background/aim: Hepcidin is the main hormone in the regulation of iron metabolism which is also released from the heart. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of hepcidin on the cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury. Materials and methods: In this study, 12 Wistar albino rats were divided into two groups (n = 6 each): 1) The ischemia-reperfusion group (Group 1); 2) Hepcidin-treated group (Group 2). Rat hearts were perfused on Langendorff system with KH (Krebs-Henseleit) and subjected to 30 min stabilization, 30 min global ischemia, and 30 min reperfusion. Hepcidin (- M) was applied to group 2 at the onset of ischemia. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and nitric oxide (NOx) levels were measured in heart tissue for NOx levels, viscosity, and ion content of perfusate were collected before ischemia and the 1st, 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th minutes of reperfusion were determined. Apoptosis in heart was evaluated. Results: NOx and MDA levels significantly decreased in heart tissue in Hepcidin-treated group. NOx and viscosity of perfusate were not significantly different between the groups. Perfusate iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium levels in group 2 were more homogeneous. Histologic structures of heart tissue were regularly in group 2. Apoptosis were increased in control group compared to hepcidin treated group. Conclusion: These results suggest that hepcidin may have a protective effect on the heart for the ischemia-reperfusion injury.


Recent research conducted at the Illinois Center for Transportation evaluated sustainable applications of quarry by-products (QB) or QB blended with coarse recycled aggregates in chemically stabilized base and subbase layers in flexible pavements and proved that stabilized QB pavement applications show satisfactory pavement performance. This paper investigates the durability aspects of the evaluated QB applications, particularly in relation to freezing–thawing cycles during winter and wetting–drying conditions. Durability tests were conducted on samples extracted from field test sections previously evaluated with accelerated pavement testing (APT) as well as on new samples prepared in the laboratory with the same QB types and material combinations. Field-extracted samples were exposed to multiple cycles of freezing and thawing and wetting and drying throughout APT. Both sets of samples were evaluated by AASHTO T 135 and AASHTO T 136 for wet–dry and freeze–thaw durability, respectively. The results of durability testing indicated that cement-stabilized QB materials benefited from the long-term curing in the field, whereas fly ash-stabilized QB materials were less durable after exposure to multiple freeze–thaw and wet–dry cycles in the field. Field samples compacted at or near the maximum dry density (i.e., having higher relative densities) consistently showed better performance for durability. Further, durability samples made with QB materials from dolomitic aggregate sources, having higher magnesium oxide content in chemical composition, showed better field performances than those with limestone QB having high calcium oxide content. This was possibly linked to cementation observed in the dolomitic QB applications after being exposed to freeze–thaw cycles in three winters.


The cardinal concept of TCP development was to carry data within the network where network congestion plays a vital role to cause packet loss. On the other hand, there are several other reasons to lose packets in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks due to fading, interfaces, multi-path routing, malicious node, and black hole. Along with throughput, fairness of TCP protocols is important to establish a good communication. In this paper, an empirical study has been done by simulation and analysis of TCP variations under AODV routing protocol. In our simulation, we studied multiple variations of TCP, such as Reno, New-Reno, Vegas, and Tahoe. The simulation work has been done in NS2 environment. Based on the analysis simulation result of we carried out our observations with respect to the behavior of AODV routing protocol for different TCP packets under several QoS metrics such as drop, throughput, delay, and jitter.


International connections through trade, foreign direct investment, migration, the Internet, and other channels are critical for the transmission of knowledge and growth and form macroeconomic linkages. But how much knowledge is transmitted to a country is not only the result of the overall level of connectivity, but also to whom a country is connected, as well as how these connections complement each other. For example, being well-connected to an economy with wide-reaching global connections is likely to be a stronger conduit for knowledge transfers than being connected to an isolated economy. Likewise, connections are likely to complement each other. For example, ecommerce is often seen as a benefit of Internet connectivity, but without transport connectivity, ecommerce may not amount to much. This wider definition of connectivity, referred to as multidimensional connectivity, is broadened and explored in this study as it applies to Europe and Central Asia. Focusing on countries from the Europe and Central Asia region, the paper shows that multidimensional connectivity is an economically and statistically important determinant of future economic growth. The paper further discusses the potential risks and transfer of shocks that can result from cross-country economic connectivity. Furthermore, it provides some examples of how policy tools can be designed to leverage the benefits of connectivity channels and mitigate their risks.


In order to investigate material behavior at the stage of early fatigue damage and critical fatigue fracture, a new nondestructive testing called metal magnetic memory (MMM) technology, has been introduced in this paper. The fatigue experiments are carried out on the PQ1-6 rotary bending fatigue machine. The MMM fatigue characteristics are presented and analyzed. It has been found that Hp(x) is increasing up to the peak value while the fatigue crack is initiating and growing. After that peak, Hp(x) decreases gradually with the fatigue crack deepening and stress releasing. The gradual increasing Hp(x) is the sign of the early fatigue damage and the Hp(x) peak predicts the critical fracture state. The validity of MMM results has been certified by microscopic metallographic examination. Furthermore, the MMM fatigue behavior is deduced theoretically based on the dislocation mechanics and fracture mechanics.


A case of 26 year-old female with peripartum cardiomyopathy, acute pancreatitis, periadipose tissue inflammation due to unknown cause and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome complication is presented.


: This paper reports the results of a pharmacological survey of drug action on muscle preparations of the anthozoan Bunodosoma caissarum. A critical review of previous results of drug action on Coelenterate neuromuscular junction is also given. The preparations responded only to body wall homogenates and acetylcholine. Sympathomimeticamines (adrenaline and nor-adrenaline), indolalkylamines (tryptamine, serotonin) and other drugs (tyramine, histamine, 1-glutamate and GABA) showed no action. The view that the Coelenterates do not employ acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter is discussed.


[1] During the recovery phase of the 29–31 October 2003 storm, a plasma pulsation event of large flow oscillation perpendicular to the field line was observed by ROCSAT-1 in a circular orbit at 600 km topside ionosphere. The flow undulation amplitude grows large as ROCSAT moves around the southernmost latitudes of the orbital coverage around the dusk region from dip latitude −50° to −53° to reach the largest observed oscillation amplitude of 380 m/s that is equivalent to an electric field of 18 mV/m. The undulation amplitude then decreases as ROCSAT moves back toward low latitudes in the northbound leg. A reversal of polarization and changes in polarization ellipticity are also observed as ROCSAT traverses across −50° dip latitude. The variation in wave amplitude together with the change in polarization suggests that a field line resonance (FLR) effect in the plasma pulsation has been observed along the ROCSAT orbit traversing different dip latitudes of magnetic shells. This event is different from past spacecraft observations of the Pi2 pulsation events manifested in the magnetospheric or plasmaspheric cavity resonance. The ROCSAT observation of the FLR effect will be for the first time to observe the plasma pulsation directly in space at a location just above the ionosphere where the induced ionospheric currents (or flows) have been manifesting the FLR effect observed on the ground. Our observation also indicates that a strong coupling exists between the global compressional eigenmodes and the excited transverse modes, as proposed in a model by Kivelson and Southwood [1986].


Sand deposits on southern insular shelf of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, were investigated to determine their origin, environmental processes and accumulation rates. Sea-floor samples show that the sand has been derived (in situ) mainly from calcareous algae and molluscs. Zonation of the dominant sand producers is related to the present environmental setting; water depth has the greatest influence. Carbon-14 data (bulk sample) of cores indicate accumulation rates of slightly less than 1 mm/year for the last 5,000 years. Faunal studies show that the climate has remained constant over the past 5,000 years. The only changes in environmental conditions appear to have been an increase in water depth, changes in the patterns of water movement, and an increase in water temperature.--Modified journal abstract.


The Taiwan government has started to promote the "Plain Landscape Afforestation and Greening Program" since 2002. A key task of the program was the payment for environmental services (PES), entitled the "Plain Landscape Afforestation Policy" (PLAP), which was certificated by the Executive Yuan on August 31, 2001 and enacted on January 1, 2002. According to the policy, it is estimated that the total area of afforestation will be 25,100 hectares by December 31, 2007. Until the end of 2007, the policy had been enacted for six years in total and the actual area of afforestation was 8,919.18 hectares. Among them, Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC) was accounted for 7,960 hectares (with 2,450.83 hectares as public service area) which occupied 86.22% of the total afforestation area; the private farmland promoted by local governments was accounted for 869.18 hectares which occupied 9.75% of the total afforestation area. Based on the above, we observe that most of the afforestation area in this policy is executed by TSC, and the achievement ratio by TSC is better than by others. It implies that the success of the PLAP is seriously related to the execution of TSC. The objective of this study is to analyze the relevant policy planning of TSC's participation in the PLAP, suggest complementary measures, and draw up effective adjustment mechanisms, so as to improve the effectiveness of executing the policy. Our main conclusions and suggestions are summarized as follows: 1. The main reason for TSC's participation in the PLAP is based on their passive cooperation with the central government or company policy. Prior to TSC's participation in the PLAP, their lands were mainly used for growing sugarcane. 2. The main factors of TSC's consideration on the selection of tree species are based on the suitability of land and species. The largest proportion of tree species is allocated to economic forests, and the lack of technical instruction was the main problem during afforestation. Moreover, the method of improving TSC's future development in leisure agriculture and landscape business becomes a key topic. 3. TSC has developed short and long-term plans on participating in the PLAP for the future. However, there is no great willingness or incentive on budgeting for such detailed planning. 4. Most people from TSC interviewed consider the requirements on PLAP unreasonable. Among them, an unreasonable requirement on the number of trees accounted for the greatest proportion; furthermore, most interviewees suggested that the government should continue to provide incentives even after 20 years. 5. Since the government shares the same goals as TSC, there should be sufficient cooperation and communication that support the technical instruction and reduction of afforestation cost, which will also help to improve effectiveness of the policy. Keywords—payment for environmental services(PES), afforestation subsidy, Taiwan Sugar Corporation W.-Y. Liu is with the Dept. of Applied Natural Resources, Aletheia University, Tainan, Taiwan. (Corresponding author; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com)


Tree-Local Multi-Component Tree-Adjoining Grammar (TL-MCTAG) is an appealing formalism for natural language representation because it arguably allows the encapsulation of the appropriate domain of locality within its elementary structures. Its multicomponent structure allows modeling of lexical items that may ultimately have elements far apart in a sentence, such as quantifiers and Wh-words. When used as the base formalism for a synchronous grammar, its flexibility allows it to express both the close relationships and the divergent structure necessary to capture the links between the syntax and semantics of a single language or the syntax of two different languages. Its limited expressivity provides constraints on movement and, we posit, may have generated additional popularity based on a misconception about its parsing complexity. Although TL-MCTAG was shown to be equivalent in expressivity to TAG when it was first introduced (Weir 1988), the complexity of TL-MCTAG is still not well-understood. This paper offers a thorough examination of the problem of TL-MCTAG recognition, showing that even highly restricted forms of TL-MCTAG are NP-complete to recognize. However, in spite of the provable difficulty of the recognition problem, we offer several algorithms that can substantially improve processing efficiency. First, we present a parsing algorithm that improves on the baseline parsing method and runs in polynomial time when both the fan-out and rank of the input grammar are bounded. Second, we offer an optimal, efficient algorithm for factorizing a grammar to produce a strongly-equivalent TL-MCTAG grammar with the rank of the grammar minimized.


Hydrodynamic equations for a binary mixture of inelastic Maxwell models described by the Boltzmann equation are derived. The Navier-Stokes transport coefficients are exactly obtained by solving the Boltzmann equation from the ChapmanEnskog method for states close to the (local) homogeneous cooling state (HCS). The knowledge of the transport coefficients allows one to analyze two different problems. First, we solve the linearized hydrodynamic equations around the homogeneous (cooling) state and identify the conditions for stability as functions of the wave vector, the dissipation, and the parameters of the mixture. As happens for monocomponent systems, the analysis shows that the HCS is unstable to long enough wavelength perturbation. As a second problem, we explore the validity of Onsager's reciprocal relations of a granular binary mixture. As expected, since a granular system is not time reversal invariant, Onsager's reciprocal relations do not apply for inelastic collisions. The results show that the absence of the Gibbs state (non-Maxwellian behavior of the velocity distribution functions describing the HCS), the collisional cooling, and the occurrence of different kinetic temperatures for both species (breakdown of energy equipartition) are responsible for a violation of Onsager's relations. Received November 8, 2004 and in revised form May 12, 2005. AMS Subject Classification: 82C40, 82C70.


One of the main tasks of the Montenegrin media today is surviving on the market. Therefore it is not surprising that the media are focused solely on profits and do not think about the code of ethics or the consequences they may cause. Wishing to attract the audience, the media have forgotten the decency, good taste in expression, respect of generally recognized social values. This concept is characteristic of many media around the world. The media no longer have an informative and educational function; quite on the contrary, they amuse us, shock us, and develop our 'negative' curiosity by their black chronicles. Reporting of suicides, murders, crimes and traffic accidents makes people buy a newspaper or (not) change the channel. The race for profits led to violations of professional standards of reporting, such as truthfulness, balance and objectivity. It is important to be the first at any cost, while the infliction of harm to individuals is not much considered. High circulation and ratings are not reflection of media quality.


Discipline and cohesiveness of political parties are essential for legislatures to engage in policy-making. Parties in Brazil have historically been considered ideologically weak and uninvolved in policy issues of national importance. Analyses of roll-call votes, however, have shown that parties can be disciplined government supporters. This paper tests the claim that Brazilian parties have also become programmatic actors in their own right. The paper uses statutory delegation content to test whether voting discipline translates into greater influence on the substance of legislation. The data analysis shows that party unity among parties of the government coalition does not affect statutory content. Opposition parties, by contrast, are more likely to reduce the executive's discretion when they are more unified. Overall, the support for the hypothesis of programmatic parties is weak, given that executive authorship is the strongest determinant of statutory content.


Neurons missing their microRNA (miRNA) gradually deteriorate in structure and function, according to Schaefer et al. (page 1553). These bits of RNA prolong neuronal longevity and may keep neurodegenerative diseases at bay.

Figure 1

Lack of Dicer causes neurons to degenerate (right).

miRNA—small pieces of RNA generated by the RNA-chopping enzyme called Dicer—strategically shut off genes to allow embryonic cells to differentiate. Because mice that lack Dicer die as embryos, the role of miRNA in vivo has been studied by deleting Dicer only in specific cell types. These studies showed that Dicer—and thus miRNA—is required for both cell differentiation and the survival of some cells. Neurons need miRNA for differentiation, but whether they also need them for survival later was unknown.

Schaefer et al. now find that inactivating Dicer in postmitotic neurons of adult mice eventually kills these cells. The neurons maintained some of their miRNA long after Dicer inactivation and looked and functioned normally. But the reduction in miRNA eventually took its toll. Neuronal signaling malfunctioned, and the cells died off. As cell death progressed, the mice developed symptoms reminiscent of those seen in humans with neurodegenerative disorders. Whether the human disorders are caused by changes in specific miRNA remains to be seen.


BACKGROUND Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) is a treatment option for patients suffering symptomatic chronic heart failure (CHF) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) who are not eligible for cardiac resynchronization. Data on mid-term follow-up are limited to small observational studies. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of CCM on quality of life, symptoms, exercise tolerance and left ventricular function in patients with CHF and moderate-to-severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction. METHODS Patients suffering CHF with LVEF II despite optimal medical therapy, underwent CCM implantation. Enrolled patients underwent baseline and 3, 6 and 12-months evaluation with ECG, echocardiogram, clinical assessment, 6-minute walking test and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ). RESULTS Ten patients underwent CCM implantation. All patients were actively treated with the optimal pharmacological therapy as tolerated and had at least one hospitalization for worsening heart failure during the previous year. After a mean follow-up of 15 months, 9 patients were alive, while one patient died for worsening heart failure precipitated by pneumonia. Among the remaining 9 patients, LVEF improved non-significantly from 29.4±8% to 32.2±10% (P=0.092), 6-minute walking test distance improved from 179±73 m to 304±99 m (P<0.001), NYHA class reduced from 3.0±0.4 to 1.6±0.5 (P=0.003) and MLWHFQ score improved from 59.6±49 to 34.2±32 (P=0.037). Only 2 patients have been hospitalized during the 12 months. Overall, a net clinical benefit was detected in 6 out of 9 patients. CONCLUSIONS CCM could be effective in improving quality of life, symptoms and exercise tolerance, and reduces hospitalizations in patients with symptomatic CHF on top of optimal medical and electrical therapy. A prospective registry has been designed to identify the subsets of patients gaining more benefit, and to assess the long-term effect of CCM on those clinical endpoints.


This is the first of four volumes; when complete the series will be a valuable addition to the ornithological literature. Nearly all species are illustrated in full colour with coverage of age, sex and seasonal differences. In the book's 536 pages resident birds are described in full detail while visitors are also given extensive coverage. The illustrations, by Martin Woodcock and Peter Hayman, are a large-format version of the standard field-guide style; but a field-guide it will never be—the four volumes together will weigh over eight kilogrammes.


We investigate the capacity of various ISI channels with adaptive white Gaussian noise. Previous papers showed a minimum E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of -4.6 dB, 3 dB below the capacity of a flat channel, is obtained using water pouring capacity formulas for the 1 + D channel. However, these papers did not take it into account that the channel power gain can be greater than one when water pouring is used. We present a generic power normalisation method of the channel frequency response, namely peak bandwidth normalisation, to facilitate the pair capacity comparison of various ISI channels. Three types of ISI channel, i.e., adder channels, RC channels and magnetic recording channels, are examined. By using our channel power gain normalisation, the capacity curves of these ISI channels are shown.


The application of complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) in second language (L2) research has recently gained ground, instigating a growing series of studies investigating the complex and dynamic nature of individual difference (ID) variables, such as WTC (willingness to communicate). Fewer dynamically informed investigations, however, have targeted L2 performance constructs, like speech fluency. Both WTC and L2 fluency presumably influence communications in a L2 and have been argued to retain cognitive and affective bases (Nematizadeh & Wood, 2019), rendering them likely to interact and influence each other during communicative events. Despite these, little has been done to address such dynamics, particularly from a complex dynamic systems (CDS) perspective. To bridge this gap, the present exploratory study employed an idiodynamic methodology, informed by CDST, to monitor WTC and fluency changes during three-minute, mainly monologic speaking tasks, with an emphasis on the dynamics of change in interaction with temporal measures of speech, including mean length of runs (MLRs), speech rate (SR), and pause phenomena. An investigation of 882 cases of interplay between WTC changes and fluent/dysfluent speech samples revealed an existing interaction, which took on four different forms. Results also indicated that the interaction is of a dynamic one, and is mostly two-way, direct and indirect, unpredictable, and interdependently multi-layered. Further, both variables as well as their interplay shared and exhibited such properties as dynamicity, nonlinearity, interconnectedness, and formation of attractor states, all of which are characteristic of complex dynamic systems.


The paper describes a research conducted on the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen in 2010 and 2011. The research aims to map the influence of project-based learning in Informatics on the mental condition of high-school students. Importance, pros and cons of project-based learning have been discussed several times within professional public; however, the area of project-based learning in connection with Informatics is still to be mapped to a full extent. The pilot research, which was conducted due to social demand of high-school Informatics teachers in the Czech Republic, clearly shows that the implementation of project-based learning directly into Informatics lessons is even more difficult. As a part of our research, we are focusing on the possible added value of project-based learning in the area of experience acquisition in the process of education. The age composition of the evaluated sample of responders was chosen intentionally, while we believe that subjective perception of mental condition in education is the key factor in the process of learning, mainly for adolescents. Our assumptions are based on the statement (Štefanovič a Rosina, 1960; Magdin et al., 2011), that person's mental processes and attributes can be recognized and observed, for example, by means of psychological analysis of the constructs of their activity. The research consists of a preparatory part and a research and implementation part. As a part of the preparatory stage, projects that were specifically aimed on Informatics were created to be implemented as parts of educational process in selected high schools. To provide the best possible respect for specific principles of project-based learning and its delimitation in relation to theme-based or problem-based education, the projects were drawn according to the methodology of the Buck Institute for Education. They were being implemented into the educational process in five to seven weeks. In the research and implementation stage, the mental condition of the students was observed, during which time the scope of components of mental condition being detected was oriented on the spheres of comfort – discomfort and acquisition of experiences versus activity. For the purposes of the observation, a standardized psychometric tool focused on the evaluation of the structure and dynamics of subjective experiences and conditions – SUPSO - was used due to its validity and reliability. SUPSO is the outcome of factor analysis of precisely delimitated and pragmatically formulated scales formally including 92, in the next stage 72 (SUPSO 8) and then 28 (SUPSO 7) adjectives describing individual particular symptoms of psychological experiences, emotions and conditions of an individual (Mikšík, 2004). The results were processed according to the manual for the standardized psychometric tool and compared to the results of control groups. The control groups consisted of students of parallel classes of high school, i.e. of the same age and the same educational content, which did not implement the project-based learning. The research was conducted in cooperation with the Department of Computer Science and Educational Technology and the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.


Wentworth and Powers have described four stages of glaciation on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The type localities of the deposits have been studied by the writer, and only the latest or Makanaka deposits can be accepted as definitely glacial drift. The deposits of the first and second stages are paroxysmal explosion deposits. Those of the third stage are a fanglomerate that could have been laid down in early Wisconsin time by floods caused by hot lava melting the icecap.


Nodding Syndrome (NS) occurs within a wide spectrum of epilepsies seen in onchocerciasis endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa. It has debilitating consequences on affected individuals and increases the socio-economic, physical and psychological burden on care-givers and their households, diminishing their standing within the community. Social science research on the disproportionate burden of the disease on females is limited. Based on ethnographic research over 3 years in northern Uganda, we explored the burden of being ill and care-giving for persons with NS from a gendered perspective. We found that NS-affected females were at greater risk of physical and psychological abuse, sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and stigma, in a context of deteriorating socio-economic conditions. Primary care-givers of the NS-affected, mostly women, struggled to make ends meet and were subjected to stigma and abandonment. Targeted interventions, including legal protection for affected females, stigma reduction, and psycho-social and financial support are needed.


An important question concerning contextualized word embedding (CWE) models like BERT is how well they can represent different word senses, especially those in the long tail of uncommon senses. Rather than build a WSD system as in previous work, we investigate contextualized embedding neighborhoods directly, formulating a query-by-example nearest neighbor retrieval task and examining ranking performance for words and senses in different frequency bands. In an evaluation on two English sense-annotated corpora, we find that several popular CWE models all outperform a random baseline even for proportionally rare senses, without explicit sense supervision. However, performance varies considerably even among models with similar architectures and pretraining regimes, with especially large differences for rare word senses, revealing that CWE models are not all created equal when it comes to approximating word senses in their native representations.