This paper compares the apparent rise of neo-liberal labor market reforms in India, Indonesia, the United States and Australia during recent decades. It is noted that all the economies under review have gone through major labor market reforms, though the exact nature of the reforms has varied quite considerably for each of the countries. Work stoppages in each of the economies have also generally declined in more recent years for all of the economies, though the extent and timing of the decline has varied quite considerably, especially for Indonesia. The paper argues that the evidence supports a view that neo-liberal labor market reforms have contributed to a decline in labor dispute numbers, though other factors have also contributed to the decline in stoppages, including declining inflation, changing labor market conditions and declining union density. INTRODUCTION There is voluminous literature on the economic and social impact of neo-liberal economic policy reforms.1 Many writers are convinced neo-liberal economic policies are responsible for many of the world's enduring woes. Others argue that the same policies are a source of economic salvation. Most writers see pluses and minuses, and depending upon the weights attached to the pluses and minuses, come down for or against or undecided. Surprisingly little attention has been given to the impact of different neo-liberal reforms on the pattern of work stoppages in different economies. To be sure, individual country studies have been made in which the issue of labor market reform has been broached. However, there has not been much attention paid to making international comparisons, and when international comparisons are made, there has been a tendency to focus on the experience of developed economies. This paper seeks to compare the experience of four countries quite prominent, in one way or another, around the rim of the Indian Ocean: India, Indonesia, the United States and Australia. India and Indonesia are the two most heavily populated countries along the rim. Australia is lightly populated, but it is the wealthiest on a per capita basis and also has the second largest economy2 that is geographically located along the rim. The United States is, of course, not geographically located on the Indian Ocean rim, but it is the largest and most influential economy in the world and also one of the most important trading partners to all of the countries in the region. The four countries provide an interesting mix of diverse features. India and Indonesia are both relatively underdeveloped, heavily populated and have at various times been troubled by sluggish economic growth. On the other. hand, the United States and Australia are both relatively well-developed with low population densities (particularly Australia), and both have also been,, troubled at times by sluggish economic growth. All countries currently enjoy harmonious political and economic relations with one another, and all have been affected, in one way or another, by the emergence of neo-liberal thinking providing an intellectual framework for managing the economy. It is of interest to compare the experience of these rather diverse countries to identify notable differences and similarities in their experiences of labor market reform and changing patterns of work stoppages. To address the issue of the relation between work stoppages and neo-liberal labor market reforms, we proceed as follows. The next section of this paper reviews the notion of neo-liberalism. This is followed by a comparative analysis of the pattern of work stoppages, with some attention given to measurement differences and definitional changes. Stoppages can be looked at in terms of their frequency, worker involvement and duration-all of which affect the aggregate number of work days lost due to stoppages. The penultimate section reviews the links between neo-liberal labor market reforms and work stoppages, as well as the influence of other factors, such as labor market conditions, inflation and trade union density, on dispute rates. …


People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been aggressively campaigning for animal rights since its inception in 1980, when its undercover investigation of a Maryland primate laboratory exposed numerous abuses. This investigation resulted in the first-ever conviction of animal researchers and the first US Supreme Court victory for laboratory animals. Today, with over 800,000 members, PETA is the world's largest animal rights support group. The group broadcasts its continuing struggle against laboratory animal abuse with very public, eye-catching, and provocative campaigns. One long-standing and dogged movement is directed against animal research at Columbia University.

According to the federal Animal Welfare Act, an estimated 23 million mammals, from rodents to primates, have been killed in laboratory studies. The targets of recent PETA condemnation are Columbia University professors Michel Ferin and Raymond Stark, and assistant professor E. Sander Connolly, who use such mammals in their experiments. Connolly studies brain damage resulting from strokes, and has been successful in elucidating new neuroprotective mechanisms and therapeutic strategies in mice and baboons.

Although Columbia University sanctioned Connolly's pro-ject in March 2000, PETA continues to release a firestorm of criticism and movement against the practice of clinical testing and against Columbia University in particular. PETA maintains a website dedicated entirely to the university (http://www.columbiacruelty.com), which reports offenses on the part of researchers and refers to Ferin, Stark, and Connolly as "Columbia's Death Squad." Unafraid to use words like "grotesque" and "horrifying," PETA juxtaposes films of alleged abuse with calls for action "to end the cruel and crude experiments, which have no practical value."

An in-house investigation into Connolly's experiments, spurred by a former Columbia University veterinarian and PETA informant, was ordered by the university in early 2003, and has thus far found no evidence of any significant violations of conduct. For now, Connolly himself has halted the studies until the formal investigation is complete. PETA, meanwhile, updates its Columbia-centric website with current developments and celebrity endorsements and urges support from the public. Of course, animal testing has not ceased, so research scientists and PETA continue to wrangle. While many researchers consider animal research to be necessary, PETA considers it murder.


Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), in which immunocompetent donor cells attack the host, remains a major cause of morbidity after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). To understand the role of cytokines in the pathobiology of GVHD, we used cytokine knockout (KO) mice as a source of donor T cells. Two different MHC-disparate strain combinations were examined: BALB/c (H2(d)) donors into lethally irradiated C57BL/6 (H2(b)) recipients or C57BL/6 (H2(b)) donors into B10.BR (H2(k)) recipients. Donor cells were from mice in which either the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) or the IL-4 gene was selectively disrupted to understand the role of these cytokines in acute GVHD. In both strain combinations the same pattern was noted with regard to GVHD onset and morbidity. All mice exhibited the classic signs of acute GVHD: weight loss with skin, gut, and liver pathology resulting in morbidity and mortality. Surprisingly, donor cells obtained from mice lacking IFN-gamma gave rise to accelerated morbidity from GVHD when compared with cells from wild-type control donors. Similar results were obtained using normal donors when neutralizing antibodies to IFN-gamma were administered immediately after the BMT. These results suggest that IFN-gamma plays a role in protection from acute GVHD. In marked contrast, cells obtained from IL-4 KO mice resulted in protection from GVHD compared with control donors. Splenocytes from IFN KO mice stimulated with a mitogen proliferated to a significantly greater extent and produced more IL-2 compared with splenocytes obtained from IL-4 KO or control mice. Additionally, there was increased IL-2 production in the spleens of mice undergoing GVHD using IFN-gamma KO donors. These results therefore indicate, with regard to the TH1/ TH2 cytokine paradigm, the absence of a TH1-type cytokine can be deleterious in acute GVHD, whereas absence of a TH2 cytokine can be protective.


Using low-cost portable air quality (AQ) monitoring devices is a growing trend in personal exposure studies, enabling a higher spatio-temporal resolution and identifying acute exposure to high concentrations. Comprehension of the results by participants is not guaranteed in exposure studies. However, information on personal exposure is multiplex, which calls for participant involvement in information design to maximise communication output and comprehension. This study describes and proposes a model of a user-centred design (UCD) approach for preparing a final report for participants involved in a multi-sensor personal exposure monitoring study performed in seven cities within the EU Horizon 2020 ICARUS project. Using a combination of human-centred design (HCD), human–information interaction (HII) and design thinking approaches, we iteratively included participants in the framing and design of the final report. User needs were mapped using a survey (n = 82), and feedback on the draft report was obtained from a focus group (n = 5). User requirements were assessed and validated using a post-campaign survey (n = 31). The UCD research was conducted amongst participants in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the results report was distributed among the participating cities across Europe. The feedback made it clear that the final report was well-received and helped participants better understand the influence of individual behaviours on personal exposure to air pollution.


Crosstalk cancellation (XTC) is a technique that can be used to play binaural content, typically meant for headphone playback, over two or more loudspeakers. Though effective at creating a binaural spatial sound field at the listening position, many XTC algorithms introduce spectral coloration, suffer from spatial robustness issues and create filters that are unrealizable in practice. Past approaches to dealing with this issue rely heavily on regularization. In this work we propose a new topology for loudspeaker binaural rendering (LBR) that performs better than conventional techniques without the need for regularization commonly associated with crosstalk cancellation based binaural renderers (XTC-BR). We then explore the use of a proposed LBR in the context of multiple output channels. A method is investigated to further optimize the filter design process by selecting an appropriate modeling delay and filter length using methods practiced in XTC filter design.


Focal myositis is a rare disease with unknown etiology and a broad spectrum. Here, we present two cases in monozygotic twins who complained of recurrent pain of their calves and showed histological signs of inflammation and MRI image compatible with the diagnosis of focal myositis. The occurrence of twin cases not living in the same household suggests a genetic susceptibility to the disease.


A statistical analysis of significant wave height (Hs) in a location offshore Portugal continental coast, Leixões, is performed. The spectral and parametric information of sea states at this point used in this analysis was obtained from a 21-year hindcast simulation using the spectral wave model simulating wave nearshore (SWAN) forced by wind fields produced by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model forced by the ERA-Interim reanalysis. The modeling of the climatic variability of directional spectra provides information of the shape of the expected directional spectra in the various sea states at these locations, i.e., how the spectral parameters and their probability of occurrence change in the regions studied. The occurrences of spectral classes are estimated, and for each class, the variability of the spectral parameters is described by means of joint distributions. The classification of the different sea states provides important information about the wave conditions present in the target areas. A relation between the sea states and the Lamb weather types (WTs) as well as a methodology for classifying atmospheric circulation patterns is presented in this study. The results of this study provide a description of the wave climate through demonstration of the interaction between sea states and weather patterns and relating different circulation patterns to different sea states. This study provides useful information on the wave conditions that can be utilized in the design of ocean engineering structures as well as in the assessment of the operability and safety of shipping and renewable energy devices.


In this paper, we analyze the asymptotic performance of multiple antenna channels where the transmitter has finite bit channel state information. Using the diversity multiplexing tradeoff to characterize the system performance, we demonstrate that channel feedback can fundamentally change the system behavior. Even one-bit of information can increase the diversity order of the system compared to the system with no transmitter information. In addition, as the amount of channel information at the transmitter increases, the diversity order for each multiplexing gain increases and goes to infinity for perfect transmitter information. The major reason for diversity order gain is in temporal power control, which adapts the power control strategy based on the average channel conditions of the channel.


Multiple impacted teeth may be related to syndromes and metabolic disorders. In some cases, however, impaction of multiple teeth is not accompanied by a fixed complex of symptoms. A 55-year-old woman attended our clinic, as she was not comfortable with her prosthetic appliances because of erupted teeth. Panoramic and occlusal radiographs revealed 13 impacted teeth (12 permanent and 1 deciduous) in the maxilla and 15 impacted teeth (11 permanent and 4 deciduous) in the mandible. In total the patient had 28 impacted teeth. In our case, medical and family history and extraoral examination were not suggestive of any syndrome or metabolic disorder. In conclusion, radiographic examination may reveal multiple impactions in clinical absence of teeth. Lack of eruptive force and rotation of tooth buds may cause multiple impactions and additional examinations may be necessary to exclude systemic and metabolic conditions.


ABSTRACT In the Swedish welfare state, assessment of applications regarding benefits for rent costs varies greatly between municipalities which could partly be explained by the inherent discretion in social work practice. This study focuses on practices of categorisation in processes of eviction risk among families, where there are indications of parental cognitive difficulties. The present article aims at exploring social workers' discretionary approaches in these client interactions, and specifically how indications of cognitive difficulties are handled in relation to financial problems. This paper highlights how they, as street-level-bureaucrats, define and assess these particular clients' needs of support but also how they view their professional role and the scope for interventions regarding parental impairments in relation to need for income support.This qualitative analysis is based on interviews with 10 social workers in different units of the social welfare agency, who in their work encounter families in eviction risk due to financial problems. The findings show that although the interviewees note that cognitive difficulties may partly explain the need for income support on a general level, the strategies to address indications of such difficulties and adjust the process and/or offer alternative interventions to suit the clients needs vary.


Oxalis triangularis (A.St.-Hil) or commonly known as 'Pokok Rama-rama' in Malaysia is a beautiful ornamental plant which is propagated by bulbs. The plant grows to a height of 0.1 m - 0.2 m and is perfect for cultivating in pots or containers. Nowadays, with the emerging and advanced technologies, an efficient protocol has been established for a rapid multiplication of Oxalis triangularis in a large scale production under aseptic conditions. In vitro plant regeneration of Oxalis triangularis was successfully obtained in the present study via petiole and leaf as explants. The petiole explants cultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l α-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1.0 mg/l Kinetin (KIN) produced maximum number of adventitious shoots (12 shoots) while for leaf explants, the best treatment achieved on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l NAA and 1.5 mg/l 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) which produced a maximum of 14 shoots within 8 weeks. Comparison between in vivo plants and in vitro was observed using a Scanning Electron Microscope. The morphological features for both petiole and leaf samples have no differences. Both contain same structures of stomata and trichomes. In vitro flowering which is very important in order to improve quality and shortened physiological process of flowering was observed when adventitious shoots explants cultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l BAP (90% in vitro flowering). In the synthetic seeds study, two different storage durations were tested (Day 7 and Day 30). The highest frequency of synthetic seeds production in Oxalis triangularis was recorded on Day 7 with 96.67% of conversion frequency. The number of shoots per encapsulated bead was 4.57 ± 0.72 with 100% roots emergence. Synthetic seeds were also sown on black soil and sterile black soil. However, both soil conditions gave negative results due to fungal infection. For the biological activities study, anthocyanin from petiole and leaf explants could be extracted by acidified methanol and acidified acetone solvents, and subsequently by reading the absorbance of UV-visible spectrophotometer. The highest anthocyanin absorbance for in vivo and in vitro petiole explants were recorded from explants extracted in acidified acetone solvent at concentration of 5 ml with the reading of 1.093 and 0.968, respectively. Different results were obtained for leaf explants in in vivo and in vitro. In vivo leaf explants showed highest anthocyanin pigment when extracted with acidified acetone at solvent concentration of 20 ml with absorbance of 2.223, meanwhile, in vitro leaf explants in acidified acetone at solvent concentration of 50 ml with absorbance of 1.280. Extraction was further examined with the natural pigment for paint production. Extraction from in vitro leaf explants had more dense colours compared to in vitro petiole explants. Extraction of in vitro leaf explants was coated on glass slides and let to dry overnight before being subjected to weathering tests; heat and salt tests. Both weathering tests had shown similar results whereby, it caused degradation of anthocyanin pigment. In phytochemical screening of Oxalis triangularis, four different solvents were used to test the presence of terpenoids/steroids, tannins, saponins, reducing sugar and glycosides. Both in vivo and in vitro plant extract only revealed the presence of steroids and saponins. In the antioxidant activity, both explants (in vivo and in vitro) of Oxalis triangularis in methanolic extracts were evaluated using DPPH free radical scavenging activity. In vitro petiole in methanolic extracts showed the lowest reading of IC50 value (less than 20μg/ml), among all the extracts that indicated the higher of inhibition rate. In vitro plantlets obtained from leaf explants were acclimatized in the greenhouse. Three types of growing substrates (black soil, red soil and vermiculite) were tested to identify the best soil to grow Oxalis triangularis successfully. The present study showed that all the growing substrates (black soil, red soil and vermiculite) tested could be used to grow Oxalis triangularis but the recommended soil would be black soil because it resulted in high survival rates and low fungal infections.


Soil bacteria have been investigated for more than a century, but one of the most dominant terrestrial groups on Earth, "Candidatus Udaeobacter," remains elusive and largely unexplored. Its natural habitat is considered a major reservoir of antibiotics, which directly or indirectly impact phylogenetically diverse microorganisms. Here, we found that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives exhibit multidrug resistance and not only evade harmful effects of antimicrobials but even benefit from antibiotic pressure in soil. Therefore, "Ca. Udaeobacter" evidently affects the composition of soil resistomes worldwide and might represent a winner of rising environmental pollution with antimicrobials. In addition, our study indicates that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives utilize H2 and thereby contribute to global hydrogen cycling. The here-reported findings provide insights into elementary lifestyle features of "Ca. Udaeobacter," potentially contributing to its successful global dissemination. ABSTRACT Verrucomicrobia affiliated with "Candidatus Udaeobacter" belong to the most abundant soil bacteria worldwide. Although the synthesis of antibiotics presumably evolved in soil, and environmental pollution with antimicrobials increases, the impact of these complex molecules on "Ca. Udaeobacter" remains to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives residing in grassland as well as forest soil ecosystems show multidrug resistance and even take advantage of antibiotics release. Soils treated with up to six different antibiotics exhibited a higher "Ca. Udaeobacter" abundance than corresponding controls after 3, 8, and 20 days of incubation. In this context, we provide evidence that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives may utilize nutrients which are released due to antibiotic-driven lysis of other soil microbes and thereby reduce energetically expensive synthesis of required biomolecules. Moreover, genomic analysis revealed the presence of genes conferring resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics and indicated that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives most likely oxidize the trace gas H2 to generate energy. This energy might be required for long-term persistence in terrestrial habitats, as already suggested for other dominant soil bacteria. Our study illustrates, for the first time, that globally abundant "Ca. Udaeobacter" benefits from release of antibiotics, which confers advantages over other soil bacteria and represents a so-far overlooked fundamental lifestyle feature of this poorly characterized verrucomicrobial genus. Furthermore, our study suggests that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives can utilize H2 as an alternative electron donor. IMPORTANCE Soil bacteria have been investigated for more than a century, but one of the most dominant terrestrial groups on Earth, "Candidatus Udaeobacter," remains elusive and largely unexplored. Its natural habitat is considered a major reservoir of antibiotics, which directly or indirectly impact phylogenetically diverse microorganisms. Here, we found that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives exhibit multidrug resistance and not only evade harmful effects of antimicrobials but even benefit from antibiotic pressure in soil. Therefore, "Ca. Udaeobacter" evidently affects the composition of soil resistomes worldwide and might represent a winner of rising environmental pollution with antimicrobials. In addition, our study indicates that "Ca. Udaeobacter" representatives utilize H2 and thereby contribute to global hydrogen cycling. The here-reported findings provide insights into elementary lifestyle features of "Ca. Udaeobacter," potentially contributing to its successful global dissemination.


Apparent competition arises when two victim species negatively affect each other (−, −) by enhancing the equilibrium density or changing the foraging behaviour of a shared natural enemy. Shared enemies can also mediate non-reciprocal (−, 0) indirect effects, i.e. indirect amensalism, whenever one prey species is not affected by the presence of alternative prey. We review 34 studies on terrestrial and freshwater systems to evaluate the extent to which apparent competition has been perceived as a reciprocal (−, −) or non-reciprocal (−, 0) interaction. We found only three studies showing reciprocal effects between apparent competitors. Indirect amensalism was documented in 10 studies and could be inferred for 16 other cases (76% in total). The remaining five studies provided insufficient data to determine the form of indirect interaction. The apparent prevalence of non-reciprocal enemy-mediated interactions resembles that observed for resource-based interspecific competition. Amensal indirect effects via shared predation may result from differences in population size, nutritional value, susceptibility to attack, or asynchronous dynamics of alternative prey, or the predator's feeding preferences. Moreover, experimental protocols may confound the actual form of apparent competition through short-term observations, incomplete designs, or biased consideration of conspicuous interactions, leading to reciprocal effects being overlooked. We conclude that, at present, it is still difficult to determine the relative role of apparent competition vs indirect amensalism in natural food webs because most published studies have failed to document in full interactions via shared enemies.


Desk studies are most critical at the initial feasibility and planning phase of new road construction projects (Dumbleton & West 1974). Decisions made at this early stage on the selection of alignment and the approach to design and construction are critical to scheme costs and to the future stability and operation of a road. While the advent of satellite imagery and geographical information systems (GIS) technology in particular (Section B2.7) has meant that desk studies have become potentially far more wide-ranging than they were even 10 years ago, the traditional desk study still remains valid and important, and often provides the bulk of information.

The traditional desk study essentially combines data sources that are conventionally available in paper format, namely topographical maps, geological maps and aerial photographs (although digital maps and orthorectified photographs are now much more common place). Table B2.1 lists typical information that can be obtained from these three principal data sources, though their availability varies significantly (Hearn 2004). Topographical and geological maps are normally available through government agencies and usually small-scale mapping can be downloaded from the internet prior to embarking on field investigations, either under license or for a fee. Unfortunately, published geological maps in many countries are small scale and show Formation-level (stratigraphic age) information only; the distribution of rock types, information that is most relevant to engineering, is often not shown. Even where larger scale geological mapping is available it usually pays 'very little attention to surface formations, soil cover and soft deposits, which are of the greatest importance for roads and other engineering works' (Rodriguez Ortiz & Prieto 1979, p. 139). Aerial photographs can be restricted in some countries for security reasons, and age, coverage, scale, quality and accessibility vary from country to country and region to region.

View this table:

 Table B2.1.
Data typically derived from …


Asphalt ageing induced by heat, oxidation and ultraviolet (UV) radiation was investigated using various laboratory simulation ageing methods and outdoor ageing. One normal 70 penetration asphalt and its styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt were employed to assess the changes in chemical and rheological properties by infrared spectroscopy and dynamic shear rheometer under various ageing conditions, thus the relationship among rolling thin-film oven(RTFO), pressurized ageing vessel (PAV) and UV radiation ageing was distinguished. Experimental results showed that photodegradation caused by outdoor exposure UV ageing of 50~200µm thin films for a month, was found to be the most severe, following by PAV and then RTFO with respects to rehological and chemical changes. Photodegradation effect decreased as the thickness of asphalt film increases. Dynamic shear tests indicated that polymer networks were gradually destroyed during ageing, but the aged SBS modified asphalts still displayed better rheological properties than the corresponding base asphalt. The weight percent of oxygen as carbonyl increased and of SBS as butadiene decreased after ageing based on infrared spectrums. However, chemical and rheological changes were not generally consistent, and ageing susceptibility may be ranked differently when different evaluation methods were used.


For the parrel bolt of Egongyan Yangtze River Bridge uses rust-proof paint which can easily come off, workers should often examine cable and re-paint. Without repairing in time, bolt will be rusty in a short time, which causes serious problems. According to the present state of naked bolt of Egongyan Yangtze River Bridge, we investigate the corrosion action of high effective paint stripper and conduct an analytic experiment, using high effective paint to remove the paint of naked high-strength bolt and testing four engineering plastics in a high temperature and freezing temperature. Through a comparative analysis, we adopt MC-PA for protective cover and load it on the top for bolts, achieving a good protective effect.


The functional relevance and mechanistic basis of the effects of the pyroptosis executioner Gasdermin D (GSDMD) on colitis remain unclear. In this study, we observed that GSDMD protein was activated during intestinal inflammation in a model of chemically induced colitis. GSDMD deficiency exacerbated experimental colitis independent of changes in the microbiota and without affecting the production of antimicrobial peptides. GSDMD deficiency in macrophages, but not epithelial cells, was sufficient to drive this exacerbated experimental colitis. We further demonstrate that GSDMD functions in macrophages as a negative regulator to control cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-dependent inflammation, thereby protecting against colitis. Moreover, the administration of cGAS inhibitor can rescue the colitogenic phenotype in GSDMD-deficient mice. Collectively, these findings provide the first demonstration of GSDMD's role in controlling colitis and a detailed delineation of the underlying mechanism.


ABSTRACT It is known that there is a distinct intraseasonal variation in wintertime atmospheric responses to El Niño over the North Atlantic, namely a positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like response during early winter (November to December) and a negative NAO-like response during late winter (January to March). In this article, we suggest that the tropical North Atlantic (TNAL) sea surface temperatures (SSTs) significantly alter the North Atlantic atmospheric response to El Niño: the warm TNAL SST condition intensifies the negative NAO-like response and vice versa. During late El Niño winters, the TNAL SST tends to increase due to the atmospheric bridge between the tropical Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. The warm tendency in the TNAL SST can intensify the height contrast in the El Niño teleconnection between early and late winter. During early winter (when the response of the TNAL SST to El Niño has not been established yet), atmospheric circulation over the North Atlantic varies widely under various TNAL conditions. Consequently, the average influence of El Niño over the North Atlantic region becomes weaker in the early winter. By contrast, the overall warming over the TNAL region during the late El Niño winter is conducive to the formation of a negative NAO pattern. As a result, the climatic impact becomes stronger during the late winter.


Through the analysis of several hypercomplex objects – Mike Gross and Peter Carey's The Unwritten (2010) and Inkle's 80 Days (2014), as well as Doogie Horner's Die Hard: The Authorised Colouring and Activity Book (2016) and Chuck Palahniuk's Legacy (2017) – the article demonstrates the challenges intermedial studies of texts without conventional profiles face. The argument presented here is that a careful hermeneutic analysis is needed to overcome these obstacles, despite the universal applicability of some media studies concept and a recent opposition against hermeneutics from posthumanist theories. The analysis of the examples unearths their aesthetics of hypercomplexity and argues for why facile categorizations of them would be detrimental to their interpretation. The conclusion suggests to draw more strongly on play within the intermedial discourse, both as a verb denoting autotelic activity and as a noun denoting inevitable or necessary imprecision, in order to engage with the intricacies of such examples.


As underlying infrastructure of cloud computing platform, datacenter is seriously underutilized, however, its operating costs is high. In this paper, we implement virtual machines placement algorithm in CloudSim using constraint programming approach. We first formulate the problem of virtual machines placement in virtualized datacenters as a variant of multi-dimensions bin packing problem, and then exploit constraint solver to solve this problem with the objective of minimizing number of physical machines that host virtual machines. Finally, we compare different virtual placement algorithms for evaluating constraint programming-based virtual machine placement algorithm including the built-in virtual machine placement algorithm in CloudSim and FFD algorithm. The experimental results show that constraint programmingbased virtual machines placement algorithm can efficiently reduce the number of physical machines to achieve the goal of reducing datacenter operating costs and improving resource utilization.


Insects, like most other organisms, are more diverse in tropical than in temperate regions, but standardized comparisons of diversity among tropical regions are rare. Disentangling the effects of ecological, evolutionary, and biogeographic factors on community diversity requires standardized protocols and long-term studies. We compared the abundance and diversity of butterflies using standardised 'Pollard walk' transect counts in the understory of closed-canopy lowland rainforests in Panama (Barro Colorado Island, BCI), Thailand (Khao Chong, KHC) and Papua New Guinea (Wanang, WAN). We observed 1792, 1797 and 3331 butterflies representing 128, 131 and 134 species during 230, 231 and 120 transects at BCI, KHC and WAN, respectively. When corrected for length and duration of transects, butterfly abundance and species richness were highest at WAN and KHC, respectively. Although high butterfly abundance at WAN did not appear to result from methodological artefacts, the biological meaning of this observation remains obscure. The WAN site appeared as floristically diverse as KHC, but supported lower butterfly diversity. This emphasizes that factors other than plant diversity, such as biogeographic history, may be crucial for explaining butterfly diversity. The KHC butterfly fauna may be unusually species rich because the site is at a biogeographic crossroads between the Indochinese and Sundaland regions. In contrast, WAN is firmly within the Australian biogeographic region and relatively low species numbers may result from island biogeographic processes. The common species at each of the three sites shared several traits: fruit and nectar feeders were equally represented, more than half of common species fed on either epiphytes or lianas as larvae, and their range in wing sizes was similar. These observations suggest that Pollard walks in different tropical rainforests target similar assemblages of common species, and, hence, represent a useful tool for long-term monitoring of rainforest butterfly assemblages.


Eco-technology (Ecotech) is an emerging approach working with nature by assessing and harnessing the biological systems. The biological protection of soil on slopes, the re-establishment of optimal slope drainage densities and the restoration of native species composition, food webs and ecosystem processes help to achieve long term slope stability and arrest ecological breakdown. Compared with man-made solutions biological systems have been shown to be more resilient, however, it is recommended that geotechnical solutions are considered before engaging eco-technology.


One of the major problems in treatment of leukemias is multidrug resistance, which is already present at diagnosis or develops after chemotherapy. The gene expression levels of multidrug resistance resistance 1 (MDR1), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) and lung resistance-resistance protein (LRP) were evaluated in blood samples of 20 CLL and 24 CML patients using RT-PCR. MDR1, BCRP and LRP expression levels were detected in 65%, 20% and 45% of CLL patients, and in 54%, 37% and 25% of CML patients, respectively. 20% of CLL patients and 33% of CML patients expressed none of the genes. The other 20% of CLL patients expressed all the genes. 17% of CML patients expressed all of these genes, and two of them rapidly progressed to acute leukemia. MDR and LRP expressions seem to be frequent events in CLL and CML patients; however no conclusion can be drawn on their prognostic role and response to the treatment.


Background: CD44 is a potentially interesting prognostic marker and therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although the expression of CD44 has been reported to correlate with poor prognosis of NSCLC in most literatures, some controversies still exist. Since the limited patient numbers within independent studies, here we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the correlations between CD44 expression and prognosis and clini- copathological features in NSCLC. Methods: Relevant literatures were identified using PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases (up to February 2014). Data from eligible studies were ex- tracted and included into meta-analysis using a random effects model. Studies were pooled. Summary hazard ra- tios (HR) and clinical parameters were calculated. Results: We performed a final analysis of 1772 patients from 23 evaluable studies for Prognostic Value and 2167 patients from 28 evaluable studies for clinicopathological features. Our study shows that the pooled hazard ratio (HR) of overexpression CD44-V6 for overall survival in NSCLC was 1.63 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20-2.21) by univariate analysis and 1.29 (95% CI: 0.71-2.37) by multivariate analysis.The pooled HR of overexprssion panCD44 for overall survival in NSCLC was 1.53 (95% CI: 0.58-4.04) by univariate analysis and 3.00 (95% CI: 1.53-5.87) by multivariate analysis. Overexpression of CD44-V6 is associated with tumor differentiation (poor differentiation, OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.12-2.45), tumor histological type (squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), OR = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.63-5.02), clinical TMN stage (TMN stage III, OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.44- 3.43) and lymph node metastasis (N1-3, 3.52, 95% CI: 2.08-5.93) in patients with NSCLC. However, there was no significant association between CD44-V6 and tumor size (T category, OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 0.73-2.78). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that CD44-V6 is an efficient prognostic factor for NSCLC. Overexpression of CD44-V6 was significantly associated with tumor differentiation, tumor histological type, clinical TMN stage and lymph node me - tastasis. However, there was no significant association between CD44-V6 and tumor size. Large prospective studies are now needed to confirm the clinical utility of CD44 as an independent prognostic marker.


Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were synthesized by preparing an aqueous solution comprising 0.5M Ca(OH)2, 0.3M H3PO4 and 1M CH3CHCO2HOH (lactic acid) at pH of 3.7. KOH was added to the solution until pH=12 was reached, to precipitate hydroxyapatite. The incubation time ranged from 24 to 88 hours and the precipitates were then filtered on filter paper with the aid of a vacuum pump. The powders were synthesized with and without PVP addition. The powders were then sintered at 1100°C. Sintered and non sintered powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with field emission gun (FEG-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in order to assess particles morphology. Structural characterization was performed by X-ray diffractometry with Rietveld refinement. Albumin adsorption experiments were carried out on the powders with the aid of UV-VIS spectrometry. The results showed that the samples produced in the presence of PVP showed smaller particles when compared to non-dispersed samples. Albumin adsorption was more effective on the powders synthesized with dispersant.


American legal thought has progressed remarkably quickly from premodernism to modernism and into postmodernism in little over two hundred years, running from the nation's founding through today. This book tells the story of this mercurial journey through jurisprudence by showing the development of legal thought through these three intellectual periods. Feldman's narrative revolves around two broad interrelated themes: jurisprudential foundations and the idea of progress. Comprehensive and accessible, the book draws on significant cases from Supreme Court history to provide a handy one-volume overview for law students, practitioners, and legal scholars.


As human behavior is often thought to be hard to define in models, simulations of processes with people involved are less common than industrial simulations. Nevertheless simulation has been very valuable in passenger logistics to study bottlenecks and test potential solutions. This paper describes a project concerning the analysis and redesign of passenger handling at an airport, in which dynamic modeling played an important role. Simulation has been applied here to gain insights into the relations between the distinguished processes, the presence of bottlenecks and their causes. With the simulation models future situations were represented, through which long-term expectations can be posted. In this way critical aspects in the passenger flow through the airport terminal have been explored and studied. All potential bottlenecks have to be suppressed by apt arrangements. These can consist of an expansion of the availability of resources or floor space, but many times improving the processes can be a more effective or more efficient solution. Several supposed measurements have been tested in a quantitative way, to examine whether they fulfill the expectations, are robust and do not create new problems. The overview of bottlenecks and the comparison of measurements formed the required results of the simulation project. As detailed simulation studies require exact descriptions of processes and representative data, a large amount of information had to be collected and laid down. Process control and management will take advantage of it.


In the preceding paper hydro generator constructional features and causes of core losses were presented. This second paper will further cover the definition of stator core losses (open circuit and short circuit) and the way they are segregated for stator core loss calculations. Stator core insulation degradation mechanisms (thermal, mechanical and partial discharges) are described. The methodologies for stator core full ring flux test and reduced flux ELCID testing are briefly covered, followed by a summary of contemporary stator magnetic core material standards and specifications. Important factors relative to new/replacement hydro generator stator core specification are summarized at the conclusion of this paper.


BACKGROUND
There is a need for a measure to evaluate change in treatment for offenders with a personality disorder, and the Progress Rating Scale (PRS) was developed to meet this need taking account of multiprofessional input.

METHOD
The PRS comprises six process and five non-process items developed via thematic analysis of routine CPA patient treatment reports at a forensic Personality Disorder Service. Rating for items was fully standardized and operationalized with revisions aiming to maximize inter-rater agreement reflecting good face and content validity. Psychometric properties were examined using PRS ratings for 147 patients at three different time points in conjunction with relevant psychometrics.

RESULTS
Following refinement, the instrument demonstrated good content validity. Intra-class correlations suggested moderate to substantial inter-rater agreement (intraclass correlations: 0.63-0.92). Item analyses indicated good internal consistency for process items (Cronbach's alpha: 0.82-0.88). Correlations with relevant psychometrics revealed meaningful relationships between PRS scores, defence styles and social problem solving. PRS score trajectories were in line with previously known treatment outcomes supporting predictive validity.

CONCLUSION
The PRS shows promise as process measure in clinical settings but requires further testing on other samples to confirm initial findings and demonstrate its utility.


The imbalance of gastrointestinal microbial composition has been identified as the main factor of chronic inflammatory diseases. At present, probiotics have a beneficial effect on the microbial composition of the human gastrointestinal tract, but it is still controversial and the specific mechanism is unknown. The purpose of this network meta-analysis is to compare the mechanism of different probiotics on ulcerative colitis. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched till 16 November 2022. The SYRCLE risk bias assessment tool was used to assess the quality of the research studies. A total of 42 studies, 839 ulcerative colitis models, and 24 kinds of probiotics were finally included. The results showed that L. rhamnosus has the best effect in relieving weight loss and improving the Shannon index in the ulcerative colitis model. E. faecium has the best effect in reducing colon injury; L. reuteri has the best effect in reducing the DAI; L. acidophilus has the best effect in reducing the HIS index and increasing the expression of tight junction protein ZO-1; and L. coryniformis has the best effect in reducing the content of serum pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α. It indicated that probiotics can improve ulcerative colitis by improving histopathological manifestations, reducing inflammatory reaction, and repairing the mucosal barrier, and different probiotics showed different effects. However, considering the limitations of this study, preclinical studies that require more large samples and high-quality and more reliable and rigorous experimental designs and reports need to be conducted in the future. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#record details, identifier CRD42022383383.


Much has been said about the unfairness of binding bill of lading holders with the charterparty contracts, the copies of which are rarely provided together with the bills of lading. Besides, many people felt strongly that importing the provisions of an unseen contract creates a more risky international trade environment. Yet, it is an undeniable fact that incorporation clauses can make the holders subject to the charterparty provisions, even though the copies of these contracts are not shown to them. Nonetheless, since the early years, the issue of whether the charterparty terms are actually imported into a bill of lading has given rise to a great amount of litigation between the carriers and the holders. After a long line of judicial decisions given in this vein, it is now clear that for the charterparty clauses to be incorporated, both the bill of lading and the charterparty need to overcome a set of hurdles, which are popularly known as "the rules of incorporation". It is equally clear that while these rules establish the formulas to incorporate, they also cause numerous discussions about their workability and longevity in the ever-changing shipping and international trade practice. In the meantime, the rules raise the questions of to what extent the holders are protected against the potential pitfalls arising from the incorporation clauses, and whether the solutions to the problems are adequate in terms of giving commercial efficacy to these clauses. In particular, the overall impact of the rules of incorporation forces all the concerned parties to ask one question: Is the glass half full or half empty? With a view to bringing these issues to light, this thesis thoroughly examines and compares the respective rules of incorporation adopted in English and U.S. law, which offer strikingly different methods to tackle the question of incorporation. In order to illustrate the impacts of the incorporation clauses on the contractual position of the bill of lading holders, the thesis looks at the incorporation of the particular charterparty clauses which have mostly given rise to disputes between the parties, such as forum selection, demurrage, fiost and similar clauses. Notably, the thesis discusses the viability of the incorporation rules in the wake of the new international movements concerning the unification of the laws governing the bills of lading. Finally, this study, inter alia, concludes that the trend is more receptive to the carriers' imposition of monetary liabilities through the incorporation of charterparty terms than the enforcement of charterparty forum selection clauses


The double red clump (RC) observed in the Milky Way bulge is widely interpreted as evidence for an X-shaped structure. We have recently suggested, however, an alternative interpretation based on the multiple population phenomenon, where the bright RC is from helium-enhanced second-generation stars (G2), while the faint RC is representing first-generation stars (G1) with normal helium abundance. Here, our RC models are constructed in a large parameter space to see the effects of metallicity, age, and helium abundance on the double RC feature. Our models show that the luminosity of RC stars is mainly affected by helium abundance, while the RC color is primarily affected by metallicity. The effect of age is relatively small, unless it is older than 12 Gyr or much younger than 6 Gyr. The observed double RC feature can therefore be reproduced in a relatively large parameter space, once ΔY between G2 and G1 is assumed to be greater than ∼0.10. We further show that the longitude dependence of the double RC feature at , which was pointed out by Gonzalez et al. as a potential problem of our model, is well explained in our scenario by a classical bulge embedded in a tilted bar.


Experiments were performed to investigate the axial distribution of the heat transfer coefficient downstream of an abrupt contraction in a flat rectangular duct. The contraction was created by the presence of a forward-facing step in one of the walls of the duct. The flow arriving at the step was hydrodynamically developed and isothermal. In the contracted duct, the duct wall that constituted the continuation of the step was maintained at a uniform temperature different from that of the entering flow, while the other walls were adiabatic. During the course of the experiments, the Reynolds number of the flow in the contracted duct ranged from 4,000 to 24,000, while the ratio of the post-contraction to the precontraction duct heights took on values of 1 (no contraction), 0.8, 0.6, and 0.4. In the presence of the contraction, the axial distribution of the Sherwood number increased at first, attained a maximum, and then decreased monotonically to a fully developed value. In contrast, the no-contraction Sherwood number decreased monotonically and subsequently became fully developed. At a given Reynolds number, the peak Sherwood number for the contraction case was virtually independent of the contraction ratio and exceeded the largest measured Sherwood number for the no-contractionmore » case by about a factor of two.« less


Introduction: Imbalance in cellular metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids is observed in diabetes mellitus. Pancreatic α-amylase and α-glucosidases are responsible for the conversion of polysaccharides into glucose that enters in the blood stream. Triphala has shown antidiabetic effects (type 2) in human subjects. However, its effects on glycolytic enzymes and protein glycation have not been studied. Aim: To evaluate glycolytic enzyme inhibitory and antiglycation potential of Triphala. Materials and Methods: Triphala Churna was extracted with cold water and subjected to phytochemical analysis. Studies on α amylase and α glucosidase inhibition were performed, and its antiglycation potential was determined. Results: Triphala extract showed prominent α-amylase inhibitory potential (48.66% at concentration 250 μg/ml). Percent α-glucosidase inhibition increased with increasing concentration of the extract (6.32–40.64%). Extract showed remarkable results for antiglycation potential. Triphala extract showed glycation inhibition by inhibiting fructosamine; fructosamine inhibition was found to be 37.74%, protein carbonyls were inhibited up to 15.23% whereas protein thiols were inhibited up to 84.81%. Conclusion: Triphala showed glycolytic enzyme inhibitory and antiglycation potential. Hence, it can be effectively used in the diabetes management.


The present study aimed to estimate the type of gene action of the different flax traits including technical plant length, number of capsules/plant, seed yield/plant besides oil content and fatty acid composition of the oil from genetic study of six populations, i.e., P1, P2, F1, BC1, BC2 and F2 of the cross between Egyptian cultivar, Giza-8 and the Netherlandish cultivar, Viking through 1998/1999 to 2002/ 2003 seasons at Alexandria, Egypt. Significant genetic variance were showed for the studied traits. Additive genetic variance contained the major component in the inheritance of seed yield and number of capsules/plant while both additive and dominance variance were significantly equal in technical plant length inheritance. Oil content and linolenic fatty acid were genetically controlled by additive gene effect while palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids are genetically controlled by dominance gene effect. Heritability estimates (broad-sense) were 91.72, 76.75, 71.33 and 87.97% for seed yield/plant, number of capsules/plant, technical plant length and oil content, respectively. For fatty acids, heritability estimates (broad-sense) were 69.40, 83.09, 92.80, 85.38 and 89.60%, respectively. In narrow-sense, heritability estimates were 83.65, 57.79, 37.28 and 75.00% for seed yield/plant, number of capsules/plant, technical plant length, and oil content, respectively, while for fatty acids composition were 22.70, 26.67, 32.04, 32.28 and 56.36% for palmitic, stearic, linoleic and linolenic acids respectively. As, for the predicted gain from selection, the values were 93.05, 35.95, 10.90, 10.32, 7.72, 90.01, 13.48, 11.04 and 25.52% for seed yield/plant number of capsules/plant, technical plant length, oil content, and fatty acids, i.e., palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic, respectively. 47 JKAU: Met., Env. & Arid Land Agric. Sci., Vo . 17 No. 1, pp: 47-57 (2006 A.D. / 1427 A.H.)


BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of modified triplet chemotherapy with docetaxel, 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin as induction chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Treatment-naïve patients with AGC were eligible. The regimen consisted of 350 mg/m(2)/day 5-FU by continuous infusion on days 1 to 5, 10 mg/m(2)/day CDDP intravenously on days 1 to 5, and docetaxel at 60 mg/m(2)/day intravenously on day 1. After 2 cycles (each cycle consisted of 4 weeks), surgical resection was attempted, 2-4 weeks after the completion of the regimen.

RESULTS
Eighteen patients were enrolled. Adverse events included grade 3 anorexia and nausea in 16.7% and 11.1% and grade 4 leukocytopenia and neutropenia in 5.6% and 27.8%, respectively. The overall response rate was 44.4%. Surgery was conducted in 15 patients. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 75.6% and 51.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSION
The modified triplet combination therapy is effective and well tolerated by patients with AGC.


In airline industry, especially for low-cost carriers, human resource is considered as a valuable capital. In order for an airline to be successful in its strategy and maintain the highest standards, is to invest heavily in the people who will carry out this strategy. The current research work, strives to categorize these responsibilities into some key factors. By overlooking in the literature, some important points had been considered, then experts' opinion been asked in this matter through a questionnaire. As a result of an exploratory factor analysis test, three main categories had been defined. These respectively are: Motivational Role: Encouraging people to support the system in all conditions such as benefits sharing, proper compensation policy and so on; Cultural Role: Trying to establish a coordinator organizational culture such as team-working approaches, attention to intellectual capitals and so on; Structural Role: making a proper organizational structure such as minimization and decentralization.


Intracavitary brachytherapy is one modality treatment for advanced stage cervical cancer. These patients were treated in the outpatient clinic and thus the chosen anesthesia was spinal anesthesia. The regimen of spinal anesthesia influences the recovery time. The aim of the study was to compare the recovery time between two spinal anesthesia regimens, Levobupivacaine + 25 mcg fentanyl and 5 mgs Hyperbaric Bupivacaine+ 25 mcg fentanyl for brachytherapy outpatient clinic patient. Method: This was a double blind randomized control trial study. In the radiotherapy unit of RSCM. After approval from The Ethics Committee Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital and consent from patients, 60 patients weredivided into two groups, Levobupivacaine + 25 mcg fentanyl group and 5 mgs Hyperbaric Bupivacaine+ 25 mcg Fentanyl group. The recovery time of both groups were recorded. Result: The spinal anesthesia recovery time was measured by discharge time, ambulation time, and spontaneous micturition time. all of these three variables were significantly different between the two groups (p<0,05). Conclusion: spinal anesthesia recovery time, ambulation time, spontaneous micturition time of Levobupivacaine + 25 mcg fentanyl group were faster than 5 mgs Hyperbaric Bupivacaine+ 25 mcg fentanyl group in intracavitary brachytherapy patients.


The evangelization effort of the missionaries in planting the faith gave way to the present pastoral activity among the faithful now institutionalized as a local church. The structural aspect of this church is essential for its external reality and visible unity. However, the hitherto overemphasis and undue concentration on this particular model of the church at the detriment of other models have many consequences. Among these are: seeing the treasure and pride of the church in structures rather than in the Christian community of persons living a vivid faith and worship; unhealthy competitions and inordinate anxieties on structure at the neglect of other apostolates; focusing on social activities at the overlook of spiritual formation of the faithful and complacency in apostolate induced by mighty monuments built under manifest insensitivity to the plight of the poor masses. The paper is an attempt to highlight and address these anomalies, with a view of creating a need for a reconsideration of our church's pastoral priorities. The paper intends to proffer proposals that would present the church, in the light of the New Testament's teachings, as taking the opposite direction to counter the ostentatiously materialistic stance of the present age rather than allying with it.


Fuzzy logic is highly appropriate and valid basis for developing knowledge-based systems in medicine for different tasks and it has been known to produce highly accurate results. Examples of such tasks include syndrome differentiation, likelihood survival for sickle cell anaemia among paediatric patients, diagnosis and optimal selection of medical treatments and real time monitoring of patients. For this paper, a Fuzzy logic-based system is untaken used to provide a comprehensive simulation of a prediction model for determining the likelihood of detecting Chronic Kidney failure/diseases in humans. The Fuzzy-based system uses a 4-tuple record comprising of the following test taken: Blood Urea Test, Urea Clearance Test, Creatinine Clearance test and Estimated Glomerular Filtrate rate(eGFR).Understanding of the test was elicited from a private hospital in Ibadan through the help of an experienced and qualified nurse which also follows same test according to National Kidney Foundation. This knowledge was then used in the developing the simulated and rule-base prediction model using MATLAB software. The paper also follows the 3 major stages of Fuzzy logic. The results of fuzzification of variables, inference, model testing and defuzzification of variables was also presented. This in turn simplifies the complication involved in detecting Chronic Kidney failure/disease using Fuzzy logic based model.


Abstract This paper reviews the research undertaken to study the design criteria that address the monolithic support structure requirements in steam reforming operation for the effective mass transfer of process gases to the active sites and effective conductive heat transfer through tube wall to the active catalytic areas, as well as low pressure drop operation. Design considerations include selection of substrate materials that possess good mechanical strength to withstand the severe reaction conditions and prevent catalyst crushing that would lead to carbon formation and catalyst deactivation, and excessive heating of the tube that results in hot spots which is fatal to tube lifetime. The support's mechanical properties are listed for the purpose of providing guidelines on verifying the structure durability. The practical aspect of packaging and stacking the monolith structures in the reformer tube for ease of loading and discharge is discussed to understand its readiness in industrial application.


: The efficiency of SensiScript reverse transciptase to obtain useful genetic material in the sequencing of the nucleic acid from HIV-1, starting from sera collected between 1989 and 1998 and kept at suboptimal temperatures, was proved. On using the SensiScript enzyme it was obtained an amplification of the RNA of the HIV-1 in 86.5 % of the studied samples, compared with 20 % on using the AMV-RT enzyme . No amplification was obtained in 13.5 % of the studied samples with any of the 2 enzymes used.


Apert syndrome is a rare type I acrocephalosyndactyly syndrome having autosomal dominant inheritance due to mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptors gene. New or fresh mutations are also frequent. It is characterized by dysmorphic face, craniosynostosis, severe syndactyly of the hands and feet. Apert syndrome affects the first branchial or pharyngeal arch, the precursor of the maxilla and mandible. Disturbances in the development of branchial arches during fetal period create extensive malformation in different parts of the body. Management of Apert syndrome requires a multidisciplinary approach. We, hereby, report a case of a 45-days old baby with Apert syndrome.
Northern International Medical College Journal Vol.11 (2) Jan 2020: 475-477


Integrating natural resources management in the secondary school curriculum in Kenya has received a lot of talk without adequate practical activities. The Farmers of the Future Programme under the World Agroforestry Centre, formally the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), initiated a practical approach to integration of natural resources management in the secondary school curriculum in Kenya. This paper provides information on significant findings of a study that was carried out to determine the potential of FoF in integrating natural resources management into the secondary school curriculum in Kenya. A comparison between secondary school students who are involved in FoF programme and those not involved was done to determine their perceptions towards natural resources management. Further, comparison of perceptions by gender among learners who are involved in the FoF initiative was done. The study employed an ex-post-facto design in data collection using questionnaires. Questionnaires and were analysed using t-test at alpha = 0.05. The findings indicated that the FoF programme had a significant influence on learners' perceptions towards natural resources management. It was therefore concluded that FoF programme enhanced positive perceptions towards natural resources management among learners. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that the FoF programme be expanded to cover more schools.


We studied the temporal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) levels in the wild mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, water and sediment from 3 sampling sites on the Galician coast of Spain between the rias of Arousa and Muros, which were dramatically affected by the large oil spill from the oil tanker 'Prestige'. The samples were collected periodically, from November 22, 2002, 3 d after the tanker sank, until December 23, 2003. The total hydrocarbon content in the water and sediment samples was determined by fluorescence and expressed as concentration of chry- sene. In addition, individual PAHs — analytes recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency — were analysed in the mussel samples by HPLC using fluorimetric detection. A maximum concentration of 2.07 × 10 3 µg equiv. of chrysene l -1 was found in the water column at the sampling site of Furnas on November 29, 2002 which decreased to 0.21 µg l -1 by October 2003. Likewise, the concentrations of the sum of the 16 PAHs determined in the mussel samples collected at the sampling points were between 2.5 × 10 3 and 5.9 × 10 3 µg kg -1 dry weight in the days immediately following the oil spill and then decreased to 0.13 × 10 3 µg kg -1 in October 2003. However, no relevant information could be obtained from the PAH content of the sediment samples. A relation between parent PAHs accumulated in the mussels and their molecular weight (MW) has been found to provide an indica- tion of hydrocarbon pollution. A good approximation was obtained when the total PAH content (ΣPAH) was represented versus the ratio of low MW PAHs to high MW PAHs (ΣLPAH:ΣHPAH). When the depuration rate r of individual PAHs by the mussels was fitted to an exponential model, 2 differ- ent values of r were found depending on the PAH concentration. The change from a slow to fast depuration rate was produced when the logarithm of the concentration was 1.0.


Abstrac t: Islamic dormitory becomes Islamic Education Institution for Islamic studies and Arabic in Indonesia. It has Existed already since long time ago, one of them is Hidayatul Mubtadiin Malang. Qowa'idul Lughoh (Grammar) is taught at the Islamic doormitory. This research aims to, 1 st , describe the effectiveness of using al-jurumiyah and al amtsilatu al-tashrifiyah book in teaching Qowa'idul Lughoh from students interest field. 2 nd describe the effectiviness of using al-jurumiyah and al amtsilatu al-tashrifiyah book in teaching Qowa'idul Lughoh from learning result. The method used in this research is quantitative descriptive. The data drives from teaching and learning process. The data source in this research is 5 teachers and 38 students. The research instrument are interview, observation, quistionare and students score. This research was conducted from August to December 2013. The research finding shows that, 1 st male students interest 84,69% and female students 81,60% toward the learning qowa'idul lughoh using al-jurumiyah and al amtsilatu al-tashrifiyah book. 2 nd the average result of male students who use al-jurumiyah book improve from 72,78% to 83,33% and female students from 72,75% to 85,75%. Male students who use al-amtsilatu al-tashrifiyah book improve from 73,60% to 84,72%, female students from 74,50% to 86,25%. The conclusion is the using of -jurumiyah and al amtsilatu al-tashrifiyah book is effective in encourage the students interest and satisfied learning result.


Introduction: The bone and joint infections sustained by mycobacteria and mainly involving the synovium, tendons and bone stock, may be traumatic, especially in open fractures or iatrogenic post surgical procedures. Methods: The frustules, taken after cleaning the bone, were sent to the Microbiological Laboratory and processed for the presence of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial populations, the mycobacteria Group M. tuberculosis complex and the mycobacteria belonging to the group of NTM (Non Tubercular Mycobacteria). Results: The decontaminated material was sown on liquid culture (MGIT 960 System BD Diagnostics) and on solid growth medium (Lowenstein-Jensen) and kept under observation at 37° C for 60 days. After 15 days on the solid medium there developed a mycobacterium strongly pigmented in orange. By the reverse hybridization method "GenoType® CM; Hain Diagnostika, Nehren, Germany; Arnika", Mycobacterium szulgai was identified, an organism rarely isolated in our laboratory. On preliminary characterization it resulted scotochromogenic at 37° C and photochromogenic when cultured at 25° C. Conclusions: The isolation of M. szulgai, and the previous isolation of a M. intracellular (paper in press) from a similar material suggest that, in this type of infection, the role of mycobacteria can be clinically relevant and probably underestimated, both because the difficulty of isolating and identifying these organisms and because surgeons almost never request this type of investigation. It would therefore be appropriate to send routinely these materials to dedicated laboratories equipped to search for mycobacteria. Its identification could allow a more realistic picture on the role played by these bacterial infections in osteoarticular infections.


5 Abstract: The evaluation of the acute and subchronc toxicities of a Nigerian polyherbal tea remedy, prepared with Anthocleista vogelii, Ficus exasperata leaves and Viscum album (mistletoe), was carried out in Swiss albino mice and Wistar rats of both sexes. The lyophilized extract in the dose ranges of 1.0 g to 20.0 g/kg body weight was administered orally to the mice and observed continuously for the first 4 h and hourly for the next 12 h, then 6 hourly for 56 h (72 h, acute toxicity). Wistar rats were also fed with different doses of the lyophilized formulation for 30 days and the effects on some tissues - heart, liver and testes - wer e histologically evaluated. Also the effects on the biochemical and haematological parameters were evaluated (subchronic toxicity model). The median acute toxicity value (LD50) of the polyherbal tea was determined to be 8.970 g/kg body weight. The tea significantly reduced (p<0.05) plasma glucose and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels, but increased High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol in the treated groups compared to the control. No significant increase in the body weight was observed in the treated groups. Aspartate Aminotransferases (AST) and creatinine levels were not significantly increased while significant decrease in Alanine Aminotransferases (ALT) levels were observed in all the treated groups. The high LD50 value of the drug implies that the drug could be safe in one dose treatment. The study also revealed that the polyherbal tea may have good hypoglycemic effects and favourable reducing effects on the cardiovascular risk factors.


Glucan particles (GPs) are hollow, porous 2–4 μm microspheres derived from the cell walls of Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The 1,3-β-glucan outer shell provides for receptor-mediated uptake by phagocytic cells expressing β-glucan receptors. GPs have been used for macrophage-targeted delivery of soluble payloads (DNA, siRNA, protein, and small molecules) encapsulated inside the hollow GPs via core polyplex and layer-by-layer (LbL) synthetic strategies. In this communication, we report the incorporation of nanoparticles as cores inside GPs (GP-NP) or electrostatically bound to the surface of chemically derivatized GPs (NP-GP). GP nanoparticle formulations benefit from the drug encapsulation properties of NPs and the macrophage-targeting properties of GPs. GP nanoparticle formulations were synthesized using fluorescent anionic polystyrene nanoparticles allowing visualization and quantitation of NP binding and encapsulation. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) containing the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (Dox) were bound to cationic GPs. Dox-MSN-GPs efficiently delivered Dox into GP phagocytic cells resulting in enhanced Dox-mediated growth arrest.


Social capital is one of the most crucial factors determining the effectiveness of operations in a cooperative organisation. When membership of a cooperative decreases, the financial capital also decreases. An important asset of cooperatives is the commitment and loyalty of their members. Farmers who never switch from one agricultural cooperative organisation to another one or an IOF can be assumed to be highly committed members. Using the ZIP model, this study investigated members' switching behaviour with respect to five different factors and their links to loyalty.


Malaysia and Indonesia are two countries that have implemented the concept of Islamic finance in their banking industries. Hence, Islamic banking and conventional banking are competing among themselves to satisfy customer and fulfil their customer expectation. As
similar to Conventional bank, Islamic bank objective is to attain a greater profit of increasing owner's wealth by achieving of high return on investment; particularly for the owner as well as the depositor. The banking sector profitability contribute in economies and makes
economies to endure negative as well as financial shock that lead to the contribution in financial system stability. This leads to great challenges for the banks in order to maintain and increase their performance. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine which factors that will significantly affect the Islamic bank profitability in Malaysia and Indonesia in order to enhance their performance. In order to achieve the study objective and to answer the
question, Fixed Effect Modelshow the best method and results in order to determine the relationship of the variables towards the Islamic banking profitability. In this study, it found that for bank specific factor, Total Equity to Total Asset (TETA), Total Loan to Total Asset(TLTA)show a significant impact towards Islamic Banking profitability in Malaysia while Total Equity to Total Asset(TETA) and interest margin have significant impact for Indonesia Islamic banking profitability. On the other hand for macroeconomic factor only GDP show significant impact to Malaysia but in Indonesia macroeconomic factors did not
give any significant impact towards their Islamic banking profitability.


We explore new collective algorithms to optimize MPIBcast, MPIReduce and MPIAllreduce on InfiniBand clusters. Our algorithms are specifically designed for fat-tree networks. We present multi-color k-ary trees with a novel mapping scheme to map the colors to fat-tree network nodes. Our multi-color tree algorithms result in better utilization of network links over traditional algorithms on fat-tree networks. We also present optimizations for clusters of SMP nodes as we explore both hybrid and Multi Leader SMP techniques to achieve the best performance. We show the benefits of our algorithms with performance results from micro-benchmarks on POWER8 and X86 InfiniBand clusters. We also show performance optimizations from our algorithms in the PARATEC and QBOX applications.


The fourth industrial revolution heralds a paradigm shift in how people, processes, things, data and networks communicate and connect with each other. Conventional computing infrastructures are struggling to satisfy dramatic growth in demand from a deluge of connected heterogeneous end points located at the edge of networks while, at the same time, meeting quality of service levels. The complexity of computing at the edge makes it increasingly difficult for infrastructure providers to plan for and provision resources to meet this demand. While simulation frameworks are used extensively in the modelling of cloud computing environments in order to test and validate technical solutions, they are at a nascent stage of development and adoption for fog and edge computing. This paper provides an overview of challenges posed by fog and edge computing in relation to simulation.


Gradual reduction of a small ice shelf in the Pine Island Bay area is measured using eleven Landsat images spanning 1972 to 2003. Measurements of Ice shelf area indicate that it expanded slightly during the first two decades of observations from approximately 6.19 km 2 measured on December 7, 1972 to a maximum of about 6.82 km2 observed in 1986. This maximum was followed by a nearly continuous decrease in area and ultimate disappearance of the ice shelf by January 17, 2003. No ice shelf has reappeared since 2003 as observed in subsequent Landsat images. Ten of the eleven Landsat images were co-registered and warped to one of a pair of 2003 geographic reference images before area measurement. Individual study team members made independent measurements of the ice shelf area apparent in each image. The average of these measurements had a standard deviation of 0.14 km2 . The specific cause of this ice shelf disappearance is unknown, but is probably related to increased basal melting by warmer ocean waters reaching Pine Island Bay. Intrusions of warm "Circumpolar Deep Water" are related to ice shelf and outlet glacier thinning and retreat as reported throughout the Amundsen Sea region. This is the first report of complete ice shelf loss so far south or in the Amundsen Bay region. This small, previously unnamed ice shelf formerly occupied what is now known as the Elizabeth City State University Bay.


Glutens, the storage proteins of cereals, play significant role in technological and nutraceutical quality of cereal grains. Whereas the high content of glutens allows making better structure of dough, consummation of foods with high gluten content can cause digestive problems. In our work, we studied ability of wheat proteases to degrade proteins, especially glutens. Wheat grains were germinated for up to seven days at three different temperatures 15, 20, 30 °C and pH 3.0, 4.0, 5.5, 7.0, 8.0. Proteins were fractionated into salt-soluble albumins and globulins, alcohol-soluble gliadins and base-soluble glutenins. In these fractions, protein content and their composition were analyzed by Bradford method and SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). The results showed that remarkable degradation of glutens started after three days and the lowest concentration was measured at the seventh day of germination of wheat grain at temperature 20 °C, pH 5.5.


Abstract. Reliable basin-scale estimates of sea ice thickness are urgently needed to improve our understanding of recent changes and future projections of polar climate. Data collected by NASA's ICESat-2 mission have provided new, high-resolution, estimates of sea ice freeboard across both hemispheres since data collection started in October 2018. These data have been used in recent work to produce estimates of winter Arctic sea ice thickness using snow loading estimates from the NASA Eulerian Snow On Sea Ice Model (NESOSIM). Here we provide an impact assessment of upgrades to both the ICESat-2 freeboard data (ATL10) and NESOSIM snow loading on estimates of winter Arctic sea ice thickness. Misclassified leads were removed from the freeboard algorithm in the third release (rel003) of ICESat-2 freeboard data, which increased freeboards in January and April 2019, and increased the fraction of low freeboards in November 2018, compared to rel002. These changes improved comparisons of sea ice thickness (lower mean biases and standard deviations, higher correlations) with monthly gridded thickness estimates produced from ESA's CryoSat-2 (using the same input snow and ice density assumptions). Later releases (rel004 and rel005) of ICESat-2 ATL10 freeboards result in less significant changes in the freeboard distributions and thus thickness. The latest version of NESOSIM (version 1.1), forced by CloudSat-scaled ERA5 snowfall, has been re-calibrated using snow depth estimates obtained by NASA's Operation IceBridge airborne mission. The upgrade from NESOSIM v1.0 to v1.1 results in only small changes in snow depth which have a less significant impact on thickness compared to the rel002 to rel003 freeboard changes. Finally, we present our updated monthly gridded winter Arctic sea ice thickness dataset and highlight key changes over the past three winter seasons of data collection (November 2018–April 2021). Strong differences in total winter Arctic thickness across the three winters are observed, linked to clear differences in the multiyear ice thickness at the start of each winter. Interannual changes in snow depth provide significant impacts on our thickness results on regional and seasonal scales. Our analysis of recent winter Arctic sea ice thickness variability is provided online in a novel Jupyter Book format to increase transparency and user engagement with our derived gridded monthly thickness dataset.


The unperturbed dimensions of symmetric polymers are investigated by an improved conformational statistic method considering effect of side groups. Following the deduced formulas, the characteristic ratios of mean-square radius of gyration for poly(dimethylsilmethylene) (PDMSM), poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF), polyphosphate(PP), polyoxymethylene(POM) and poyisobutylene (PIB) are calculated 0.69, 0.84, 1.23, 0.85 and 1.18, respectively. The ratios of mean-square dipole moment are 0.35, 0.48, 0.59 and 0.79 for PP, PDMSM, POM and PVDF long chains, respectively. From comparing the ratios of five polymers, it is found that the consideration of side groups for short chains is exceedingly important in calculation of characteristic quantity, especially for the inorganic polymers with heteroatom. PVDF are excellent in flexibility and electric dipole properties. The temperature characters of PIB are concerned closely with its conformational energy.


The local order of the binary alloy CuZr differs between the crystal (B2 phase) and the metallic glass (MG). In the B2 phase, both Cu and Zr reside in the center of polyhedra whose surfaces are composed of six tetragons and eight hexagons. In the glass, many different polyhedra occur with a large fraction of five-edged faces. However, little has hitherto been known about the local order in the interfacial region between glass and crystal. Using embedded-atom potential based molecular-dynamics simulations, we find it differs markedly from that in the glass. For example, distinctly fewer pentagons occur on the surfaces of Voronoi polyhedra in the interface than on those in the MG. Moreover, there is an increased variety of polyhedra allowing the interface to be more densely packed than the MG. Details of the polyhedra distribution and consequently various interfacial properties depend on the orientation of the crystals and to some degree also on the thermal history of the sample. For the investigated surfaces, we find that the interfacial energy is the smallest and the crystallization activation energy highest for the closest-packed crystalline surface. This result can be rationalized by the argument that the lattice spacing of the closest-packed surface is most commensurate with the wavelength associated with the density pair correlation function of the disordered system. In practice, our result implies that the reinforcement of MGs is longest-lived for nanocrystals with close-packed surfaces.


The chlorpromazine, a calmodulin inhibitor, has been studied for its action on the contraction force and calcium current of the frog atrium fibres. Chlorpromazine (10(-5) mol/l) was observed to induce maximal increase of the contraction force that 30 min after the agent action amounted to (47.3 + 9.3)% of control. The high concentration of chlorpromazine (10(-4) mol/l) produced irreversible decrease in the contraction force. Chlorpromazine (10(-5) mol/l) increased the calcium current by (27.5 +/- 4.8)%. It is supposed that chlorpromazine increases contraction force and calcium current through the inhibition of calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase activity.


Financial compensation is 1 of several management options proposed as alternatives to traditional wildlife damage management techniques. However, little is known about compensation programs currently in place. I surveyed United States and Canadian fish and wildlife programs to obtain information on the species causing damage, type of damage, extent of reimbursement, and budget for wildlife damage compensation programs. Of the 58 respondents, 36% have a compensation program, and 64% loan equipment and/or provide supplies for wildlife damage management. Programs compensating landowners for damage caused by deer (Odocoileus spp.), black bear (Ursus americanus), elk {Cervus elaphus), and moose (Alces alces), were the most common. Information was also provided on the 12 programs that have been canceled to help identify situations where reimbursement may not be appropriate. Page 90 in R.E. Masters and J.G. Huggins, eds. Twelfth Great Plains Wildl. Damage Control Workshop Proc, Published by Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Okla.


features which indicate that the diagnoses of squamous carcinoma were correct: (1) As they did not appear at the time to have a bearing on the diagnoses, the after-history of the cases was not mentioned in the paper. In Cases 3 and 4 x-ray treatment was followed by recurrence of the tumour, and later surgical removal was undertaken with block dissection of the lymph nodes of the neck, in which metastases were found. (2) The full life-cycle of the lesion of molluscum sebaceum, including inchoative, progressive, vegetative, and retrogressive changes to complete spontaneous disappearance, is usually about 21 weeks. In nearly all cases it is completed within 4-6 months,' though regression begins well before this. For various reasons, before x-ray treatment was eventually begun 19 weeks had elapsed in Case 1 after the lesion first appeared, 23 weeks in Case 2, 21 weeks in Case 5, and 13 months in Case 6. In each case the lesion was still increasing in size and showed no evidence of regression. Case 6 was thus certainly not an example of molluscum, while, if the lesions in Cases 1, 2, and 5 were those of molluscum, they would have shown signs of retrogression after such an interval. (3) So far as I am aware, herpes simplex does not predispose to the development of molluscum sebaceum in the affected area, nor the latter develop out of the herpetic lesions. (4) In Case 2 a benign tumour (wart) also developed at the site of recurrent herpes. In other precancerous skin lesions malignant change is commonly associated with warty formations. (5) In Cases 5 and 6 repeated herpetic lesions were produced by exposure to sunlight. The latter is well known to be a factor predisposing to. malignant change. l hope these observations will answer Dr. Hellier's doubts. -l am, etc., London, W. R. WYBURN-MASON. REFERENCE


The aim of this report is twofold. First, to provide a common framework and terminology for the participants of the Nutek supported COHSY project a multi-disciplinary academic-industrial cooperation on COmplex Hybrid SYstems. Second, to define more precisely the activities within the nest few years of the project. Therefore, the current report should be considered as a project definition rather than a statement about the constructive work currently in progress.


BACKGROUND Age misreporting affects population estimates at older ages. In Brazil, every citizen must be registered and show an identity document to vaccinate against COVID-19. This requirement to present proof of age provides a unique opportunity for measuring the oldest-old population using novel administrative data.OBJECTIVES To offer critically assessed estimates of the Brazilian population aged 80 and older based on data from the vaccination registration system (VRS). To uncover discrepancies between the number of vaccinated oldest-old people and the projections used to estimate target populations for COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS We calculate data quality indicators based on data from the VRS - namely, 100+/80+ and 90+/80+ population proportions, sex ratios, and the Myers blended index - and compare them to those based on data on target populations from Brazilian censuses and demographic projections, and from Sweden - a country with high-quality data. We also estimate vaccination coverage ratios using population projections adjusted to excess deaths as the denominators.RESULTS Requiring documentation reduces age heaping, age exaggeration, and sex ratios marginally. However, it cannot solve the problem of the misreporting of birth dates due to the absence of long-standing birth registration systems in Brazil, particularly in the northern and central regions. In addition, we find a mismatch between the projected populations and numbers of vaccinated people across regions.CONCLUSIONS Despite improvements in data quality in Brazil, we are still not confident about the accuracy of age reporting among the oldest old in the less advantaged Brazilian regions. The postponement of the 2020 census reduced the ability of authorities to define the target populations for vaccinations against COVID-19 and other diseases.CONTRIBUTIONS This is the first study to compare population estimates for the oldest old in administrative data and census data in Brazil. Age misreporting resulted in discrepancies that may have compromised the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.


In this paper, we propose a method to use semantic information to improve the use of map priors in a sparse, feature-based MonoSLAM system. To incorporate the priors, the features in the prior and SLAM maps must be associated with one another. Most existing systems build a map using SLAM and then align it with the prior map. However, this approach assumes that the local map is accurate, and the majority of the features within it can be constrained by the prior. We use the intuition that many prior maps are created to provide semantic information. Therefore, valid associations only exist if the features in the SLAM map arise from the same kind of semantic object as the prior map. Using this intuition, we extend ORB-SLAM2 using an open source pre-trained semantic segmentation network (DeepLabV3+) to incorporate prior information from Open Street Map building footprint data. We show that the amount of drift, before loop closing, is significantly smaller than that for original ORB-SLAM2. Furthermore, we show that when ORB-SLAM2 is used as a prior-aided visual odometry system, the tracking accuracy is equal to or better than the full ORB-SLAM2 system without the need for global mapping or loop closure.


The article discusses the level of user satisfaction with actual handpump service levels and performance of service providers. In this paper, we outline some contradiction between actual service levels, performance of service providers and perception of water users. The findings suggest that users appeared satisfied with quantity and reliability of water facilities. In contrast, they were not satisfied with the time it takes them to access water, especially when the quantity of water diminishes. The sad irony is that tariffs are perceived affordable yet users are unwilling to pay for water. Their responses paint a picture of a payment system that is geared at reactive maintenance over preventative maintenance regime. It is worth noting here that this phenomenon raises questions on the sustainability of water systems when sound financial management is key to sustaining services. Service providers were perceived to perform better than they actually did. Perhaps this was due to lack of information and ignorance on the roles of service providers. In this regard it is imperative that CWSA, implementing partners, the district assemblies and WSMTs take steps to address the technical, social, financial and institutional factors during the planning, implementation and post-construction support which invariably affect sustainability.


Under the National Drought Policy launched in 1992, drought was to be regarded as a normal feature of the operating environment for Australian farmers with an increased emphasis on improved drought preparation and self-reliance. Assistance provisions in the case of 'exceptional' droughts were to remain in place however. Several commentators have questioned the need to single out drought risk for govcmment intervention on the grounds of resource misallocation and that this approach is inconsistent with the 'total' risk management approach now widely advocated by advisers. In this paper, the results of a whole-farm stochastic budgeting analysis on a NSW and WA fam1ing system are reported. The objective is to provide perspective on drought as one of several causes of poor financial performance. Results indicate that while drought events lasting several production cycles are a significant contributor to poor performance, they are not exclusively so. Combinations of other factor can be equally significant, lending support to the notion of a whole-farm approach to risk management. Perhaps it is time to review the basis for the application of exceptional circumstances in fanning. A case can be mounted for support in business threatening' situations, but it should be approached from a whole-farm perspective with limits on access to support.


Recent developments in differentially private (DP) machine learning and DP Bayesian learning have enabled learning under strong privacy guarantees for the training data subjects. In this paper, we further extend the applicability of DP Bayesian learning by presenting the first general DP Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm whose privacy-guarantees are not subject to unrealistic assumptions on Markov chain convergence and that is applicable to posterior inference in arbitrary models. Our algorithm is based on a decomposition of the Barker acceptance test that allows evaluating the Renyi DP privacy cost of the accept-reject choice. We further show how to improve the DP guarantee through data subsampling and approximate acceptance tests.


Distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) is a once-only form of treatment. It is suitable for many black South Africans with non-cirrhotic variceal bleeding who cannot attend repeated follow-up sclerotherapy sessions. However, persistent hyperbilirubinaemia and encephalopathy may occur following DSRS in schistosomiasis. Forty-one consecutive patients with DSRS have been treated over a 7-year period. The causes of portal hypertension were schistosomiasis (32), portal vein thrombosis (8) and diffuse nodular hyperplasia (1). Operative mortality was 6%. Encephalopathy was observed in 1 patient. Galactose elimination capacity (GEC) and technetium-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid hepatic perfusion index (HPI) were used to assess liver function and hepatic perfusion pre- and postoperatively, respectively, in schistosomiasis. GEC was 348 +/- 37 (M +/- SD) before, compared with 343 +/- 67 postoperatively (P = 0.78). HPI showed long-term preservation of hepatopetal portal venous flow following DSRS. Morbidity and mortality were observed only in patients with schistosomiasis associated with hepatitis B chronic active hepatitis. DSRS is ideal treatment in selected patients with non-cirrhotic variceal bleeding.


In highly dynamic wireless environments, link metrics such as link quality, availability, and others have become increasingly important to enable smart multi-hop routing decisions. In recent years, a number of radio-to-router interface (R2RI) protocols such as Point-to-Point over Ethernet RFC5578, Dynamic Link Exchange Protocol (DLEP), and Radio-Router Control Protocol (R2CP) have emerged to address the need to have a common set of link metrics exposed from the radio to the router to enhance multi-hop routing decisions. In the past, testing R2RI required separate processes and proxies to convert layer 2 link metrics into R2RI standard formats. Although useful for allowing legacy radio systems to comply with R2RI formats, the proxy technique is difficult for building large-scale (100+ node) test environments with emulated radios and routers. In this paper, we describe modifications made to a popular open source link emulator, EMANE, to support emerging radio-to-router interface (R2RI) standards, DLEP and R2CP, on several EMANE MAC models including 802.11 and CommEffect. Additionally, a functional evaluation of the system is performed1.


This study attempted explored the difficulties encountered in the implementation of Cost of Quality (COQ) reporting among manufacturing organizations in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey method was used to find out the difficulties encountered during COQ implementation as well as the benefits obtained after COQ implementation. The findings of the study revealed that only 33 organizations (or 39.3%) out of 84 organizations had implemented COQ reporting system. Lack of cooperation among departments and difficulties in getting data were the top two challenges faced by these 33 organizations during the implementation of COQ. However, there are some benefits reported, after the implementation of COQ reporting in these organizations. The main benefits gained are, improvements in terms of the quality of product/service and the reduction of the company's failure rate.