Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by an absolute or relative lack of resistance to insulin. It is characterized by hyperglycemia and accompanied by various chronic vascular complications. One therapeutic approach for managing blood glucose-and thereby preventing or delaying the above-mentioned complications-is to decrease the catalytic activity of key enzymes involved in hydrolytic cleavage of dietary oligosaccharides such as α – amylase and α – glucosidase. Plants are used from antiquity as sources of medicament against various diseases. These properties are usually attributed to secondary metabolites which are the subject of a lot of research in this field. in particular phenolic compounds (class of naturally occurring pigments with ubiquitous distribution in plant Kingdom) which they display a remarkable biological properties [3]. Many plants are drug-design targets for the development of compounds for treatment of diabetes [1] Therefore, safer natural α - amylase inhibitors have been reported from plant sources [2] The Algerian flora, is one of the richest in the world, with its many species belonging to several botanical families of which a large percentage endemic, remains very little phytochemically as pharmacologically explored. In keeping with the general pattern of bringing one's contribution to the development of the vegetable reign as a source of natural bioactive substances we will be interested in the ethnobotanical and phytochemical study of some Algerian plants to discover a new therapeutics compounds, The expertise of our laboratory in natural substance from medicinal plants obtained by extractive phytochemistry reported the screening results for α - amylase inhibitory activity of more than 30 herbal extracts. This plant species were submitted to chemical screening, the analysis of the preceding biological targets led to the evaluation of the biological activity of the extracts of the specie Cleome arabica, to confirm and distinguish their antidiabetic activity by the inhibition of α-amylase.[4][2] A B S T R A C T The aim of this study consisted on the investigation of the antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of various extracts from Cleome Arabica collected on two seasons in the town of Laghouat in the steppe region of Algeria. The preliminary evaluation of the phytochemical composition of this extracts highlighted the presence of some chemical groups. This was confirmed by a quantitative analysis based on the determination of phenolic, flavonoid and condensed tannin content. The results of the effects of phenolic compounds on the kinetic catalyzed by the α – amylase using an in vitro model, to find a natural anti- diabetic compound from the plant indicate that the phenolic extracts from these plant have an inhibitory effect on the enzyme. The antioxidant activity test shows that our phenolic extracts exhibit good antioxidant capacity. Our study is the first report on potential inhibition of these plant extracts of digestive enzyme


There has been increased focus with a call to implement interprofessional leaning experiences for health profession students. Some of the attention has come from highly respected sources, such as the Institute of Medicine.1 In 2011, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative identified 4 core competencies of interprofessional education which include: values and ethics for interprofessional practice, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork.2 Last fall, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education sponsored a national conference on "Advancing Quality in Pharmacy Education: Charting Accreditation's Future" which highlighted the need to implement interprofessional competencies and learning.3 To many in academia, all this attention has been perceived as another trend which schools will frantically need to address in order to meet accreditation standards.

Integration of interprofessional education within health profession curricula provides learning opportunities for students in an environment which prepares them to practice. Effective communication and teamwork in providing health-care has demonstrated improved patient outcomes.4 Interprofessional education is an imperative because it is each profession's responsibility to their patients.

The resistance encountered among colleagues can be disheartening, especially for those who buy into interprofessional education as a professional mandate and responsibility to patients. In our experience, students may be more open to the concept than faculty members. Reasons for this include faculty perceive implementation challenges and time commitments as too much work, therefore interprofessional education is not a top priority. Faculties in academia are not known for agile responses when making curricular changes. It took over 50 years from the first suggestions of need for change within the profession's curriculum to become more patient-care focused to implementing the doctor of pharmacy degree as the first professional degree.

Another challenge is the misconception among faculty members that interprofessional education is already occurring because of multidisciplinary collaborations in research efforts. This attitude reflects the lack of understanding of the importance and the nature of interprofessional education.5 Interprofessional education is "when students from 2 or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaborations and improve health outcomes."6 Faculty members may not be prepared for the cooperative role without professional ego that is required for interprofessional education. Each profession may desire to lead their own interprofessional education efforts.

To implement effective interprofessional education, students learning together will need to be matched according to comparable levels of knowledge and skills. If students at a more senior level are matched with novices in the profession, this leads to an imbalance and incompatibility, with the senior-level students dominating the team. Students need to be acculturated to the professionalism responsibilities of their profession. A simple consideration of how they should dress when engaging with other professionals can result in students' having more respect for the other profession.

Performance standards are needed which are similar and cross disciplines. One profession having lower expectations will create another area for imbalance. There is a need to develop validated and sensitive tools that can assess the impact of interprofessional education. In particular, tools for assessing teamwork skills are needed.

Logistics such as finding a common schedule and an appropriate size room for interprofessional education collaborations are also challenges. These logistical issues are often the rate-limiting step for implementing interprofessional education. Additionally, sustaining efforts over a longer period of time becomes difficult.

As there are many challenges, colleges and schools should start small. Look for opportunities where others are seeking collaborations. Elective offerings may be a good place to start. Accept the notion that even small undertakings are steps in the right direction for the profession of pharmacy and patients served.

Recently, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) implemented 2 interprofessional education programs. SIUE is not affiliated with an academic health science center. It has schools of pharmacy and nursing located on the main campus, and schools of dental medicine and medicine located 20 and 75 miles from the campus, respectively. The first interprofessional education program implemented involved pairing third-year pharmacy and first-year dental students in teams to apply ethical decision-making principles to cases. The second interprofessional education program involved second-year pharmacy and sophomore nursing students coming together for cross-cultural communication learning sessions.

With each program, students came together for two 2-hour sessions. Although the dose of interprofessional education was low in both of these programs, the potency was high based on student feedback. The pilot programs helped to create a model for future required courses in ethics and cultural competency taught together with other health professional students. Starting in fall 2013, first-year pharmacy students will come together with first-year dental students for a required interprofessional education ethics for health-care course. The course consists of both uniprofessional and interprofessional sessions.

Faculty attitudes and knowledge can be addressed by hosting an institutional interprofessional education retreat. The retreat planning committee should be made up of an interprofessional team. To instill teamwork and collaboration, the planning committee could attend 1 of the institutes sponsored by the IPEC. The retreat should consist of showcasing existing institutional interprofessional education efforts as well as active learning exercises to engage faculty members. One example is to have interprofessional teams of faculty members using shared thematic interests, (ie, patient safety, global health, simulations, health promotion, etc) to design an effective interprofessional education experience by applying principles of teaching and learning.7

Bringing together comparable students requires mapping of each profession's curriculum to determine where courses are taught. Developing validated assessment tools should be a priority research focus in interprofessional education. Scheduling and room challenges can be addressed by exploring creative approaches to collaborations including the use of technology.8

If pharmacy education is to achieve the desired outcomes of interprofessional education, which is improved patient care, then major infrastructure changes to curricula as well as changes in attitude among faculty members will be essential. Not only will colleges and schools need to be flexible and adapt to the needs of other professions, but the culture of how students are educated must change, too. We suggest that the standard for interprofessional education in pharmacy education requires interprofessional education across the curriculum (classroom and experiential) with extensive collaborations in learning so pharmacy students can learn about and with many other health professions. The academy should publish best practices in interprofessional education in the Journal. Funding for the development of innovative interprofessional education models and assessment tools should be a top priority. Clearly, interprofessional education is an imperative for healthcare professional practice and is not a fad.


Using our long experience in Bragg diffraction optics we successfully used focusing principles for substantial increasing both luminosity and resolution of the strain scanners with respect to the conventional devices. Monochromatic neutrons are selected by the cylindrically bent monochromator from the reactor spectrum. There is a strong correlation between divergences of incoming and outgoing beams with respect to the polycrystalline sample, which can be easily manipulated by changing the monochromator bending radius. By setting a proper value of the radius, a narrow, quasiparallel and highly luminous output beam can by adjusted. The strong correlation between wavelength and direction of incoming and outgoing beams depending on the monochromator bending radius can be as well used for suppression of surface effect in residual strain scanning. In scanning near a sample surface aberration peak shifts arise due to the fact that the gauge volume defined by input and output slits is partially out of the sample and its value can be of the same order as the residual strain effects. In this work we demonstrate that by changing of the bending radius of monochromator, this surface effect can be suppressed to values smaller then experimental errors in residual strain scanning.


With the transition towards distributed energy resources (DER) for electricity generation, new applications for information systems arise in enabling the development of innovative business models for grid control and operation. IS enables the merging of DERs and energy consumers into microgrids. Microgrids increase efficiency, e.g. through shorter transmission distances. Cost-savings due to these efficiency gains can be distributed among microgrid-participants via an "on-the-microgrid-market" platform. However, due to differences in the power plant parks and fluctuations in renewable energy generation, energy prices on the "on-the-microgrid-market" (OMM) are likely to differ from energy prices on the spot market. Based on the varying prices in both markets, the supplyor the demand-side of the OMM may from time-to-time, prefer to trade on the spot market, which could cause the OMM to stop functioning. We develop an economic model to analyse the conditions, under which OMMs are a viable concept for energy trading. Our results indicate that OMMs can indeed function in competitive energy markets.


Background Surgical resection with negative margins is the only curative approach for pancreatic cancer. A paucity of data exists in using PET/CT scan as staging workup in resectable pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study is to determine if PET/CT prevents futile laparotomy by detecting occult metastatic disease in patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Methods Patients were included using institutional PET/CT data base incorporating National Oncologic PET Registry with diagnosis of resectable or borderline resectable pancreatic cancer from 2005 to 2012. Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic characteristics were evaluated. The impact of PET/CT on patient management was estimated by calculating the percentage of patients whose treatment plan was altered secondary to PET/CT. Results We identified 285 patients with early stage pancreatic cancer who received PET/CT as part of initial staging workup. Upon initial workup (CT + EUS), 62% of patients were considered resectable, and 38% were borderline resectable. Addition of PET/CT scan changed the management in 10.9% (n = 31) of the patients (95% CI, 8%–15%). Metastatic lesions were confirmed with biopsy in 19 patients (61%). The proportion of change in treatment plan was significantly higher in patients who were initially considered to have borderline resectable compared with resectable malignancy (17% vs 7%, P = 0.019). In 199 patients who underwent surgery, 18.1% (n = 36) were found to have metastatic disease intraoperatively. Conclusions PET/CT helped improve detection of occult metastases, ultimately sparing these patients a potentially unnecessary surgery. The role of PET/CT scan should be validated in prospective study.


As environmental factors continue to force organizations to adapt and change, researchers, practitioners, and leaders will be required to develop methods to more effectively handle the challenges of less predictability, increased uncertainty and complexity surrounding such changes. The adaptive leadership model (Heifetz & Laurie, 1997) provides leaders with a unique perspective on how to motivate, mobilize and engage individuals to respond positively to change in a variety of contexts, particularly when traditional change models fall short in addressing the human side of change that so often leads to failed change processes. This paper proposes a conceptual framework suggesting that researchers, practitioners, and leaders applying adaptive leadership to traditional, prescriptive organizational change models can developcompetencies and behaviors among all stakeholders as they thrive and move towards a new normal. Further implications are also given for leadership practice, theory, and research.


In this work, we present a robust approach for joint part and object segmentation. Specifically, we reformulate object and part segmentation as an optimization problem and build a hierarchical feature representation including pixel, part, and object-level embeddings to solve it in a bottom-up clustering manner. Pixels are grouped into several clusters where the part-level embeddings serve as cluster centers. Afterwards, object masks are obtained by compositing the part proposals. This bottom-up interaction is shown to be effective in integrating information from lower semantic levels to higher semantic levels. Based on that, our novel approach Compositor produces part and object segmentation masks simultaneously while improving the mask quality. Compositor achieves state-of-the-art performance on PartImageNet and Pascal-Part by outperforming previous methods by around 0.9% and 1.3% on PartImageNet, 0.4% and 1.7% on Pascal-Part in terms of part and object mIoU and demonstrates better robustness against occlusion by around 4.4% and 7.1% on part and object respectively.


The main purpose of this guide is to help the general
reader who has an interest in the genre [American hard-boiled crime fiction] to find works which will
satisfy that interest. The reader who has already enjoyed the work
of a particular author should be able to discover further works of a
similar type while those who are encountering the field for the
first time should be able to discover the major figures in the genre
by reading Section I and taking the writers detailed there as their
starting point. It is hoped that this work would also be of use as
a reference work for those intending to start a collection of first
editions of this type of material or as a reference to what works
are currently available in the UK. [Continues.]


The breeding success of four species of small, hole-nesting woodland birds, die Blue, Great and Coal Tits and Pied Flycatcher utilising nestboxes was examined. Three study areas in County Durham were selected, Hamsterley Forest (largely a plantation) and Backstone Bank and Horsleyhope Ravine, both of which are semi-namral oak woods. Some data were also collected in Kielder Forest, Northumberland. When die density of nestboxes was increased at a semi-natural woodland site Pied Flycatcher numbers increased but Blue Titi numbers did not change and die same effect was discovered in broadleaved sites in Hamsterley, however, no change in any bird species was found in die conifer areas. A significant negative relationship was found between die occupation percentage of all species and die altitude and a significant positive relationship between die coefficient of variation of die annual occupancy rate of all species and altitude. The same relationship was found for Blue Tit. Great and Coal Tit and Pied-Flycateher-did not show a significant relationship between occupancy and altitude, however, Coal Tit showed a significantly negative relationship between die coefficient of variation of die occupancy and altitude, whilst Great Tit and Pied Flycatcher did not show a significant relationship. A significant negative relationship between first egg date and clutch size was found for all four species. Blue Tits were found to have a significant negative relationship between first egg date and altitude. The differences m food availability shown by invertebrate sampling partially explained between year differences in productivity.


Introduction Despite cardiac rehabilitation being recommended in clinical practice guidelines internationally these services are underutilised, programmes are not standardised and quality improvement methods and outcomes are rarely published. National registries are an important strategy to characterise service delivery, quality and outcomes, yet the number, type and components of national cardiac rehabilitation registries have not been reported. Aims To identify and describe national and international cardiac rehabilitation registries, and summarise their key features. Methods We systematically reviewed the literature reporting on cardiac rehabilitation registries at a national and international level. A search of four databases was conducted in July 2016, with two reviewers independently screening titles/abstracts and full texts for inclusion. Data were extracted from included studies, independently checked by a second reviewer and synthesised qualitatively. Results Eleven articles were included in the review comprising seven national registries and one international registry (of 12 European countries) for a total sample of 265,608 patients. Data were most commonly provided to the registry by a web-based application, and included individual-level data (i.e. sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and clinical measurements). When reported, service-level data most commonly included wait times, programme enrolment and completion. The overarching governance, funding modes (e.g. industry (n = 2), government (n = 1)), and incentives for registry participation (e.g. benchmarking, financial reimbursement, or mandatory requirement) varied widely. Conclusion The use of national and international registries for characterising cardiac rehabilitation and providing a benchmark for quality improvement is in its early stages but shows promise for national and global benchmarking.


This paper determines to within a single measurement the minimum number of measurements required to successfully reconstruct a signal drawn from a Gaussian mixture model in the low-noise regime. The method is to develop upper and lower bounds that are a function of the maximum dimension of the linear subspaces spanned by the Gaussian mixture components. The method not only reveals the existence or absence of a minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) error floor (phase transition) but also provides insight into the MMSE decay via multivariate generalizations of the MMSE dimension and the MMSE power offset, which are a function of the interaction between the geometrical properties of the kernel and the Gaussian mixture. These results apply not only to standard linear random Gaussian measurements but also to linear kernels that minimize the MMSE. It is shown that optimal kernels do not change the number of measurements associated with the MMSE phase transition, rather they affect the sensed power required to achieve a target MMSE in the low-noise regime. Overall, our bounds are tighter and sharper than standard bounds on the minimum number of measurements needed to recover sparse signals associated with a union of subspaces model, as they are not asymptotic in the signal dimension or signal sparsity.


Schamberg disease, also known as Schamberg purpura or progressive pigmentary purpura, is characterized by orange-brown or reddish-brown macules/patches with overlaying purpuric spots simulating "cayenne pepper". We report a 54-year-old Chinese woman with Schamberg disease presenting with purpuric macules and patches of varying sizes on the ankles, legs, and knees. The lesions were nonblanchable and nonpalpable and asymptomatic. Close inspection of the lesions revealed pinpoint petechiae resembling grains of cayenne pepper superimposed on the reddishbrown macules/patches. To our knowledge, Schamberg disease has not been reported in the scientific literature in Chinese patients.


Chlamydia trachomatis antigens were detected in populations with the following infection prevalences: 26.5% (36 of 136) of men and 27.7% (48 of 173) of women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic, 16.3% (53 of 324) of women attending a Planned Parenthood clinic, and 3.4% (4 of 117) of an obstetrics and gynecologic practice. Compared with cell culture of the combined female cervical specimens (15.8% prevalence), the respective sensitivities of Chlamydiazyme (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Illinois) and Microtrak (Syva, Palo Alto, California) were 98.3% and 87.9%, specificities were 97.5% and 98.4%, positive predictive values were 87.7% and 92.7%, and negative predictive values were 99.7% and 97.5%. Both assays were 70.0% sensitive with male urethral specimens, and the other parameters of performance ranged between 84.0% and 97.2%. The antigen detection assays, compared with culture, performed equally well in subjects without or with clinical signs.


Many educators agree that developing an interdisciplinary design curriculum is critical in creating the next generation of design professionals. However, literature surrounding the pedagogical challenges to undergraduate interdisciplinary design courses is limited. In this paper we study the initial challenges in developing and delivering an interdisciplinary design course. We observe from the perspective of the educators and the students in a newly synthesized co-taught design course that combines both architecture and engineering disciplines.Through exploratory observations and analysis of student and instructor feedback throughout the semester, our findings suggest that disciplinary boundaries often influence pedagogical styles despite a concerted effort to create an interdisciplinary course that focuses on design. Despite agreement to interdisciplinary design teaching through shared lectures and activities, individual teaching methods varied, impacted by pedagogical norms from their respective disciplines. In response, students had mixed reactions to the varying presentation methods and critique feedback. This study, while preliminary in assessment, raises many questions about the challenges of teaching interdisciplinary design courses.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Energy crisis in Pakistan had been brewing long before it became an important national issue with the potential to significantly affect the outcome of general elections of 2013. The looming crisis of depleting non-renewable energy sources combined with a feeble economy has lent a new urgency to the search for an energy mix which is sustainable, economically viable and environmentally least hazardous. Fossil fuels with their known adverse environmental impacts dominate the current energy mix of Pakistan. The renewable energy sources remain underutilised despite being cost effective and less hazardous for the environment. A substantial amount of literature has highlighted various dimensions of existing energy sources in Pakistan with a particular emphasis on the environmental impact, the sustainability and the efficiency of various energy sources [see Asif (2009); Basir, et al. (2013); Bhutto, et al. (2012); Mirza, et al. (2009, 2008, 2003); Muneer and Asif (2007); Sheikh (2010) for example]. This study analyses the environmental impact, economic feasibility and efficiency of various energy sources subject to various economic and noneconomic constraints. Section 2 discusses energy security by reviewing various tapped and untapped energy sources besides analysing current energy mix and its future prospects. Section 3 highlights the interaction of energy use and environment. Section 4 discusses two approaches to assess the feasibility of an energy mix: disaggregated and aggregated. The latter approach makes a multidimensional comparison of all the energy sources discussed in this study. Section 5 consists of discussion and concluding remarks.


Background and Aim: Nonsuicidal selfinjury (NSSI) was observed in both males and females, with higher rate among females. NSSI could increase the risk of future suicide attempts. Adolescence is considered as stressful period because of identity crisis, physical growth, coupled with set of decision regarding future profession and personality traits. The study is aimed to find suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, extent of the NSSI and its impact on the undergraduate health professionals. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among medical, dental, and physiotherapy undergraduate college students of Jamnagar, Gujarat. A total of 1850 students were approached, out of them 1050 medical, 500 dental and 300 were physiotherapy students. Participants were requested to fill the pro forma containing following parts: (1) Demographic details, (2) Inventory of Statements about Self-injury, (3) Impact of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scale. Results: A total of 1408 students completed the pro forma. Overall 13.99% prevalence rate of NSSI was reported. Female participants had higher prevalence of self-harming behavior than male participants (χ2 = 24.226, P < 0.001). NSSI was related to suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts with (χ2 = 263.050, P < 0.001) and (χ2 = 197.777, P < 0.001), respectively. A negative correlation was observed with age of onset of NSSI behaviors with and numbers of NSSI behavior (r = −0.317, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Participants engaged in different NSSI behaviors for affect regulation, interpersonal boundaries, sensation seeking, self-punishment, revenge, and self-care. High prevalence of NSSI among young health professionals needs independent clinical attention. There is a need of crisis interventions for the management of self-harming behaviors and to prevent future fetal suicidal attempts.


Technological innovations in the banking sector have provided numerous benefits to customers and banks alike; however, the use of e-banking increases vulnerability to system attacks and threats, making effective security measures more vital than ever. Online Banking Security Measures and Data Protection is an authoritative reference source for the latest scholarly material on the challenges presented by the implementation of e-banking in contemporary financial systems. Presenting emerging techniques to secure these systems against potential threats and highlighting theoretical foundations and real-world case studies, this book is ideally designed for professionals, practitioners, upper-level students, and technology developers interested in the latest developments in e-banking security.


We consider the problem of topic-focused abstractive summarization, where the goal is to generate an abstractive summary focused on a particular topic, a phrase of one or multiple words. We hypothesize that the task of generating topic-focused summaries can be improved by showing the model what it must not focus on. We introduce a deep reinforcement learning approach to topic-focused abstractive summarization, trained on rewards with a novel negative example baseline. We define the input in this problem as the source text preceded by the topic. We adapt the CNN-Daily Mail and New York Times summarization datasets for this task. We then show through experiments on existing rewards that the use of a negative example baseline can outperform the use of a self-critical baseline, in Rouge, BERTScore, and human evaluation metrics.


Recently, network security has become an extremely vital issue that beckons the development of accurate and efficient solutions capable of effectively defending our network systems and the valuable information journeying through them. In this article, a distributed multiagent intrusion detection system (IDS) architecture is proposed, which attempts to provide an accurate and lightweight solution to network intrusion detection by tackling issues associated with the design of a distributed multiagent system, such as poor system scalability and the requirements of excessive processing power and memory storage. The proposed IDS architecture consists of (i) the Host layer with lightweight host agents that perform anomaly detection in network connections to their respective hosts, and (ii) the Classification layer whose main functions are to perform misuse detection for the host agents, detect distributed attacks, and disseminate network security status information to the whole network. The intrusion detection task is achieved through the employment of the lightweight Adaptive Sub-Eigenspace Modeling (ASEM)-based anomaly and misuse detection schemes. Promising experimental results indicate that ASEM-based schemes outperform the KNN and LOF algorithms, with high detection rates and low false alarm rates in the anomaly detection task, and outperform several well-known supervised classification methods such as C4.5 Decision Tree, SVM, NN, KNN, Logistic, and Decision Table (DT) in the misuse detection task. To assess the performance in a real-world scenario, the Relative Assumption Model, feature extraction techniques, and common network attack generation tools are employed to generate normal and anomalous traffic in a private LAN testbed. Furthermore, the scalability performance of the proposed IDS architecture is investigated through the simulation of the proposed agent communication scheme, and satisfactory linear relationships for both degradation of system response time and agent communication generated network traffic overhead are achieved.


This paper aims to determine the influence of 3D printing parameters, such as Infill Density, Extrusion Temperature, Raster Angle and Layer Thickness, on mechanical properties, namely Ultimate Tensile Strength, Yield Strength, Modulus of Elasticity and Elongation at Break, in the case of polylactic acid (PLA), after it goes through the manufacturing process. Another objective is to study water absorption by the PLA, with a goal to minimize it by means of a coating agent. The influence of each printing parameter on each mechanical property is evaluated by using analysis of variance (ANOVA).


Objective: To document the prevalence and management of Ludwig's angina in a suburban population. Methods: All consecutive cases of Ludwig's angina seen and managed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Nigeria between 1988 and 2002. Results: There were 16 cases with 10 males and 6 females whose ages ranged from 8 to 75 years; mean+ SD; 43.8 + 19.9 years. Symptom duration ranged from one day to three weeks; mean + SD; 6.4 + 4.9 days of the onset of illness. Odontogenic infection was the commonest etiologic factor in 12 cases (75%) and 4 of these were attributed to post dental extraction sepsis. Seven patients had underlying disease such as diabetes mellitus, lobar pneumonia, severe anaemia and mental retardation. The commonest was diabetes mellitus in 4 cases. Microbiological investigations showed a polymicrobial nature of the infection with Staphylococcus aureus (6 cases) out of 11 patients that had the examination. Treatment involved high doses of broad-spectrum parenteral antibiotics, immediate surgical drainage under local and general anaesthesia in 14 (75%) and single patients respectively. This was in addition to extraction of involved tooth/teeth where applicable. The complications recorded in 5 cases (31.3%) were septicaemia, mediastinitis, empyema thoracic, necrotising fasciitis, laryngeal spasm and renal failure. Mortality occurred in 4 cases (25%). Conclusions: Ludwig's angina is a serious disease and late presentation remains a typical feature. Associated co-morbid condition is common. Prompt clinical evaluation and definitive care will considerably improve its prognosis and reduce the high mortality associated with the condition Key words: Ludwig's Angina, Suburban Population, Tertiary Facility.


Abstract The red blood cell osmotic fragility test is based on the measure of the resistance of red blood cells to lysis as a function of decreasing NaCl concentration. Up to now, several methods have been used for recording these data, but for the first time, the human red blood cell osmotic fragility confidence interval using the Orcutt mathematical model was determined. The absorbance of the hemoglobin measured at 540 nm, released by the red blood cells of 40 healthy adult individuals, was fitted to the equation Absorbance=p3 erfc ([NaCl] − p1/p2); p3 measures one half the absorbance produced by maximum red blood cell hemolysis, p1 is the [NaCl] producing 50% red blood cell hemolysis, and p2 is the dispersion in [NaCl] producing red blood cell hemolysis. Confidence intervals (mean±SD) for the three parameters were as follows: p1=4.2718±0.1848; p2= 0.1947±0.0391, and p3=0.5568+0.0426. The usefulness of this osmotic fragility data analysis method using two pathological samples (β-thalassemia minor and hereditary spherocytosis) was demonstrated. Parameters of the fitted data were compared with those obtained by the conventional recording method of Beutler.


I WAS asked by Dr. George Hambrick and the chairman of the Residency Review Committee to make a few comments in regard to the function of the committee as well as the minimal requirements of a training program. It is very possible that there are a number of younger academicians in the audience who are not aware of the fact that this committee was formed in 1955. It has been extremely active since that time and appears to have much more work to be done in the future. Of the eight members, four are from the American Medical Association's Council of Medical Education and Hospitals and the other four are from the American Board of Dermatology. Those of you who are directors of services know that at regular intervals it is necessary to complete the rather lengthy form giving a complete survey of your department. I should add that the


Abstract. It has been suggested that a "permanent" El Nino climate state has existed in the warm Pliocene. One of the main pieces of evidence of such conditions is the small east-west sea surface temperature (SST) difference that is found in proxy temperature records of the equatorial Pacific. Using a coupled version of the Zebiak-Cane model of intermediate complexity for the tropical Pacific, we study the sensitivity of the time-mean Pacific background state and El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability to Pliocene climate changes. The parameters varied in this sensitivity study include changes in the trade wind strength due to a reduced equator-to-pole temperature gradient, higher global mean temperatures and an open Panama gateway. All these changes lead to a westward shift of the position of the cold tongue along the equator by up to 2000 km. This result is consistent with data from the PRISM3D Pliocene SST reconstruction. Our model further suggests that ENSO variability is present in the Pliocene climate with only slight changes as compared to today. A background climate that would resemble a "permanent" El Nino with weak to no east-west temperature difference along the equator is only found for very weak trade winds which seem unrealistic for the Pliocene climate.


The influence of capping agents on silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was investigated through a rapid and single-pot chemical reduction method. Four capping agents were tested: polyethylene glycol (PEG), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). FTIR studies demonstrated that the formed AgNPs were properly encapsulated by their respective capping agents. Structural and morphological studies confirmed the following relative average particle sizes: PEG-AgNPs > EDTA-AgNPs > PVP-AgNPs > PVA-AgNPs. Optical absorption and photoluminescence studies showed, respectively, a greater absorption blue shift and greater emission intensity for the smaller capped particles. Zeta potential analysis of the PVA-AgNPs showed a value of −46.6 mV, indicating their high stability. The PVA-AgNPs were thus not only observed to be the smallest, most blue-shifted and most stable of the tested AgNPs, but also they displayed the highest antibacterial activity. The PVA-AgNPs were therefore applied as a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-based H2O2 sensor, which is important because the detection of reactive oxygen species such as H2O2 is of significance in the medical and environmental fields. The sensor based on the PVA-AgNPs successfully detected H2O2 at concentrations as low as 10−7 M. New biosensors using these NPs should thus find promising opportunities in a variety of fields.


Background Both the use of antidepressant medication during pregnancy and the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder have increased during recent years. A causal link has recently been suggested, but the association may be confounded by the underlying indication for antidepressant use. We investigated the association between maternal use of antidepressant medication in pregnancy and autism, controlling for potential confounding factors. Methods We identified all children born alive in Denmark 1996–2006 (n=668,468) and their parents in the Danish Civil Registration System. We obtained information on the mother's prescriptions filled during pregnancy from the Danish National Prescription Registry, and on diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders in the children and diagnoses of psychiatric disorders in the parents from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register. In a cohort analysis, we estimated hazard ratios of autism spectrum disorders in children exposed to antidepressant medication during pregnancy compared with children who were not exposed, using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Furthermore, we estimated the risk for autism spectrum disorder in a sibling design. Results Children exposed prenatally to antidepressants had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–1.9) for autism spectrum disorder compared with unexposed children. Restricting the analysis to children of women with a diagnosis of affective disorder, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.2 (95% CI 0.7–2.1), and the risk was further reduced when exposed children were compared with their unexposed siblings (adjusted hazard ratio 1.1; 95% CI 0.5–2.3). Conclusion After controlling for important confounding factors, there was no significant association between prenatal exposure to antidepressant medication and autism spectrum disorders in the offspring.


A complete literature review, critical evaluation and thermodynamic modeling of phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties of the CaO-MnO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 system at 1 bar pressure are presented. A few new quaternary liquidus measurements are also reported. The modeling is based solely upon model parameters obtained by critical evaluation and optimization of the four ternary subsystems. The predicted quaternary properties and phase diagrams are in very good agreement with measurements. Complex phase relationships are elucidated and discrepancies among the data are resolved. The database of model parameters can be used along with software for Gibbs energy minimization in order to calculate any phase diagram section or thermodynamic property from 25°C to above the liquidus at all compositions.


Representation of precipitation is one of the most difficult aspects of modelling post-fire runoff and erosion and also one of the most sensitive input parameters to rainfall-runoff models. The impact of post-fire convective rainstorms, especially in semiarid watersheds, depends on the overlap between locations of high-intensity rainfall and areas of high-severity burns. One of the most useful applications of models in post-fire situations is risk assessment to quantify peak flow and identify areas at high risk of flooding and erosion. This study used the KINEROS2/AGWA model to compare several spatial and temporal rainfall representations of post-fire rainfall-runoff events to determine the effect of differing representations on modelled peak flow and determine at-risk locations within a watershed. Post-fire rainfall-runoff events at Zion National Park in Utah and Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico were modelled. Representations considered included both uniform and Soil Conservation Service Type II hyetographs, applying rain over the entire watershed and applying rain only on the burned area, and varying rainfall both temporally and spatially according to radar data. Results showed that rainfall representation greatly affected modelled peak flow, but did not significantly alter the model's predictions for high-risk locations. This has important implications for post-fire assessments before a flood-inducing rainfall event, or for post-storm assessments in areas with low-gauge density or lack of radar data due to mountain beam blockage.


Background Knee osteoarthritis is a chronic medical condition of public health importance in Nigeria which causes disability and impacts daily activities in the sufferers. This study aimed to describe the physical functionality and self-rated health status of adult patients with clinical knee osteoarthritis presenting at the Family Medicine Department, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 400 respondents. Knee osteoarthritis was diagnosed clinically using the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Morbidities, self-rated health status and physical functionality of the respondents were also assessed. Results Knee osteoarthritis was diagnosed in 46(11.5%) respondents. Respondents with knee osteoarthritis significantly rated their health worse than those without knee osteoarthritis (p <0.0001). Experience of pain, stiffness and performance of daily activities were significantly worse among respondents with knee osteoarthritis. Those who had knee osteoarthritis had significantly higher waist (p <0.0001), hip (p <0.0001) and knee circumferences (p <0.0001) respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed increasing age (OR=1.103; 95% CI=1.022 – 1.191), self-rated health worse than six months ago (OR=12.562; 95% CI=1.178–125.243), experience of stiffness after waking up in the morning (OR=12.758; 95% CI=3.572–45.569), stiffness after sitting/lying down/resting (OR=21.517; 95% CI=2.213–209.220) and waist circumference (OR=1.225;95% CI=1.017–1.477) to be the most significantly associated with knee osteoarthritis. Conclusion Knee osteoarthritis significantly impairs the health and daily activities of adult patients in Ibadan, Nigeria. Healthcare workers need to screen adult patients routinely at first-contact to detect knee osteoarthritis clinically early and manage appropriately.


Piecing it together: The first total synthesis of naturally occurring diterpene pallavicinolide A was achieved. Notable features are highlighted by three key biomimetic transformations: a base-promoted Grob fragmentation, a singlet oxygen oxidation, and an intramolecular Diels–Alder cycloaddition.


The Anderson and midgap models are often used in the study of semiconductor heterojunctions, but for van der Waals (vdW) vertical heterostructures they have shown only very limited success. Using the group-IV monochalcogenide vertical heterostructures as a prototypical system, we propose a linear response model and compare the effectiveness of these models in predicting density functional theory (DFT) band alignments, band types and bandgaps. We show that the DFT band alignment is best predicted by the linear response model, which falls in between the Anderson and midgap models. Our proposed model can be characterized by an interface dipole $\alpha\times(E_{m2}-E_{m1})$, where the linear response coefficient $\alpha$ = 0 and 1 corresponds to the Anderson and midgap model respectively, and $E_{m}$ is the midgap energy of the monolayer, which can be viewed as an effective electronegativity. For group-IV monochalcogenides, we show that $\alpha$ = 0.34 best captures the DFT band alignment of the vdW heterostructure, and we discuss the viability of the linear response model considering other effects such as strains and band hybridization, and conclude with an application of the model to predict experimental band alignments.


Word embeddings capture semantic relationships based on contextual information and are the basis for a wide variety of natural language processing applications. Notably these relationships are solely learned from the data and subsequently the data composition impacts the semantic of embeddings which arguably can lead to biased word vectors. Given qualitatively different data subsets, we aim to align the influence of single subsets on the resulting word vectors, while retaining their quality. In this regard we propose a criteria to measure the shift towards a single data subset and develop approaches to meet both objectives. We find that a weighted average of the two subset embeddings balances the influence of those subsets while word similarity performance decreases. We further propose a promising optimization approach to balance influences and quality of word embeddings.


The use of 16S rRNA sequencing has revolutionised research on the microbiome. However, few studies using this method have been done on semen from healthy bulls. Such information is required to optimise addition of antibiotics to semen extenders to inhibit growth of bacteria. With the increasing emergence of antibacterial resistance, it is important to identify alternatives to antibiotics in semen preservation. Possible solutions are to use plant-based substances that exhibit antimicrobial properties or to separate spermatozoa from bacteria in semen samples. The aims of this thesis were to identify the seminal microbiome of healthy bulls, to assess individual differences and their influence on fertility as well as seasonal differences in the occurrence of bacteria and their possible impacts on sperm quality. A second aim was to explore alternatives to antibiotics to reduce bacteria, using plant extracts or by physical removal of bacteria from semen samples. The studies revealed individual differences in bull seminal microbiota that may be correlated with fertility. Seasonal differences were observed in the bacteria in commercial semen samples; however, no significant associations were found between specific bacteria and sperm quality. When evaluating alternatives to antibiotics, we noted that curcumin extract at a concentration of 5% reduced the bacterial count and had a slight positive effect on bull sperm kinematics without negatively affecting sperm viability. Single layer centrifugation (SLC) effectively removed bacteria from bull semen samples while simultaneously selecting good quality spermatozoa. More studies are needed to investigate the influence of certain bacteria on bull sperm quality. The effects of combinations of plant-based substances on bacterial reduction and sperm quality could be investigated, and also further possibilities with SLC. These methods could contribute to reducing the development of antimicrobial resistance.


Manipulating deformable objects, such as fabric, is a long standing problem in robotics, with state estimation and control posing a significant challenge for traditional methods. In this paper, we show that it is possible to learn fabric folding skills in only an hour of self-supervised real robot experience, without human supervision or simulation. Our approach relies on fully convolutional networks and the manipulation of visual inputs to exploit learned features, allowing us to create an expressive goal-conditioned pick and place policy that can be trained efficiently with real world robot data only. Folding skills are learned with only a sparse reward function and thus do not require reward function engineering, merely an image of the goal configuration. We demonstrate our method on a set of towel-folding tasks, and show that our approach is able to discover sequential folding strategies, purely from trial-and-error. We achieve state-of-the-art results without the need for demonstrations or simulation, used in prior approaches. Videos available at: this https URL


The use of contrast two-dimensional echocardiography in diagnosing adult congenital heart disease is assessed using illustrative examples. The technique of contrast injection and visualization is described. The clinical applications in evaluating septal abnormalities, corrected transposition of the great vessels, persistent left superior vena cava, and tricuspid valve abnormalities are discussed. Applications during catheterization of the left side of the heart are discussed. The routine use of this method in the diagnosis of adult congenital heart disease should be limited to a qualitative assessment of intracardiac structure and function.


Glycomic profiling of tumour tissues consistently shows alterations in N- and O-glycosylation profiles of glycoproteins and glycolipids compared to healthy tissues, with important functional implications for cancer cell biology. The overexpression of tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), as a result of aberrant glycosylation in tumours, is usually correlated with poor prognosis and survival of cancer patients. In tumours, TACAs are associated with worse tumour progression than the deletion and inactivation of tumour suppressor genes. The findings of TACAs acting are not merely tumour markers but also constitute part of the machinery in inducing cancer metastasis and invasiveness further strengthen the scientific rationales for immunotherapy targeting TACAs. Despite the attractiveness of the TACAs, there are very few anti-glycan monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), as glycans usually induce low-affinity IgM responses. This chap- ter provides an overview of TACAs, direct killing anti-glycan mAbs, and introduces two murine mAbs (FG88 mAbs) that recognise Lewis carbohydrate antigens overexpressed on tumour glycoconjugates with high functional affinity. Although the production of anti-glycan mAbs against cancers is not new, the production of high-affinity IgG anti- glycan mAbs is novel. FG88 mAbs definitely have great potential in cancer therapy and serve as valuable tools in glycobiology research. for cancer treatment.


This paper engages with William Twining's longstanding concern with law as a 'practical art' through a discussion of the changes which the corporate law sector is currently undergoing. These changes will be examined through an analysis of qualitative data on the recruitment practices of large commercial law firms and a reading of the trade press. The evidence of these firms' thoroughgoing commercialisation, and of Human Resource (HR) strategies designed to produce legal entrepreneurs, is suggestive of a Foucaultian 'analytics of government'. The data indicates however that underlying the dramatic changes in professionalism, there are also significant continuities. As a result a range of competing rationalities and discourses are today in circulation in the corporate law firm – for instance, discourses of diversity/meritocracy/social mobility; entrepreneurialism; economic rationality and managerialism. These various discourses both support and reflect the complex of 'modernising' impulses, residual cultural practices and acts of resistance which today characterises the legal professional field. A primary attraction of contemporary recruitment practices is their capacity to encompass and manage these contradictions.


This article presents a 2.4 GHz CMOS power amplifier (PA) with an output power of 20 dBm using a 0.25 μm 1P5M standard CMOS process. The PA uses a diode connected NMOS transistor functioning as a diode linearizer. It is believed that this is the first use of a diode linearization technique in a CMOS PA design. It shows an effective improvement in linearity from gain compression and adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) measured results. The measurements are performed using an FR-4 PCB test fixture. The fabricated power amplifier exhibits an output power of 20 dBm and a power-added efficiency as high as 28 percent. The PA performance demonstrates the standard CMOS process potential for medium power RF amplification for 2.4 GHz wireless communications applications, such as Bluetooth and WLAN 802.11b.


This paper studies the impact of written language variations and the way it affects the capitalization task over time. A discriminative approach, based on maximum entropy models, is proposed to perform capitalization, taking the language changes into consideration. The proposed method makes it possible to use large corpora for training. The evaluation is performed over newspaper corpora using different testing periods. The achieved results reveal a strong relation between the capitalization performance and the elapsed time between the training and testing data periods.


Abstract. Comprehensive lightning statistics are presented for a large, contiguous domain covering several European countries such as France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spatiotemporal variability of convective activity is investigated based on a 14-year time series (2001–2014) of lightning data. Based on the binary variable thunderstorm day, the mean spatial patterns of lightning activity and regional peculiarities regarding seasonality are discussed. Diurnal cycles are compared among several regions and evaluated with respect to major seasonal changes. Further analyses are performed regarding interannual variability and the impact of teleconnection patterns on convection. Mean convective activity across central Europe is characterized by a strong northwest-to-southeast gradient with pronounced secondary features superimposed. The zone of maximum values of thunderstorm days propagates southwestward along the southern Alpine range from April to July. Diurnal cycles vary substantially between both different months and regions, particularly regarding the incidence of nighttime lightning. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is shown to have a significant impact on convective activity in several regions, which is primarily caused by variations of the large-scale lifting pattern in both NAO phases. This dynamical effect is partly compensated for by thermodynamical modifications of the pre-convective environment. The results point to a crucial role of large-scale flow in steering the spatiotemporal patterns of convective activity.


Periodontitis is a destructive disease of the tooth-surrounding tissues. Infection is the etiological cause of the disease, but its extent and severity depend on the immune–inflammatory response of the host. Immune cells use reactive oxygen species to suppress infections, and there is homeostasis between oxidative and antioxidant mechanisms during periodontal health. During periodontitis, however, increased oxidative stress triggers tissue damage, either directly by activating apoptosis and DNA damage or indirectly by activating proteolytic cascades. Periodontal treatment aims to maintain an infection and inflammation-free zone and, in some cases, regenerate lost tissues. Although mechanical disruption of the oral biofilm is an indispensable part of periodontal treatment, adjunctive measures, such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications, are also frequently used, especially in patients with suppressed immune responses. Recent studies have shown that probiotics activate antioxidant mechanisms and can suppress extensive oxidative stress via their ability to activate nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). The aim of this narrative review is to describe the essential role of Nrf2 in the maintenance of periodontal health and to propose possible mechanisms to restore the impaired Nrf2 response in periodontitis, with the aid of probiotic and postbiotics.


Purpose

This paper aims to develop a definition of brand addiction and a valid brand addiction scale (BASCALE).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used focus-group results to define brand addiction and generate items for the BASCALE and validated the BASCALE with survey data collected in the UK.

Findings

Based on the 11 brand-addiction features found from the focus groups, the authors define brand addition as an individual consumer's psychological state that pertains to a self-brand relationship manifested in daily life and involving positive affectivity and gratification with a particular brand and constant urges for possessing the brand's products/services. Based on the survey study, the authors have established a valid ten-item BASCALE.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the survey's setting in the fashion context in the UK, the authors do not intend to generalize the results to other product types and countries. Future research should replicate the BASCALE in different product categories and different countries.

Practical implications

The BASCALE can serve marketers in the behavioral segmentation and assist brand managers to identify brand addict consumers and maintain long-term relationships with them.

Originality/value

The authors have developed a definition of brand addiction and a valid BASCALE, which one can use for a wide range of theoretical and empirical research in the marketing and psychology fields. The definition and BASCALE also serve to differentiate brand addiction from other consumer–brand relationships and addiction constructs (e.g. compulsive buying, brand love and brand trust).


Background Although de Winter T-wave electrocardiography pattern is rare, it signifies proximal left anterior descending artery occlusion and is often unrecognized by physicians. The aim of this case report was to highlight the dilemma in the management of a patient with de Winter T-wave pattern in the hospital without interventional cardiology facility. Case Presentation A 65-year-old male presented with typical chest pain since 2 hours before admission, and ECG showed sinus rhythm of 57 bpm and >1 mm upsloping ST depression with symmetric tall T in lead V2-3 characteristic of de Winter T-wave ECG pattern. He was given dual antiplatelet therapy, nitrate, statin, and anticoagulant. He refused referral to interventional cardiology available hospital. 3 hours after admission, the electrocardiography transformed into Q-waves consistent with final stages of acute STEMI and ST-segment elevation that barely meets the threshold in the guideline, and thrombolytic was administered and successful. There is a suggestion that de Winter T-wave electrocardiography should be treated as ST-segment myocardial infarction equivalent and should undergo coronary angiography; however, not every hospital has the luxury of interventional cardiology facility. The other modality for reperfusion is thrombolysis; however, without a clear guideline and scarcity of study, we prefer to resort to conservative treatment. "Fortunately," transformation into ST-segment elevation helps us to determine the course of action which is reperfusion using thrombolytic. Conclusions de Winter T-wave ECG pattern is not mentioned in any guidelines regarding acute coronary syndromes, and there are no clear recommendations. Physicians in rural area without interventional cardiology facility face a dilemma with the lack of evidence-based guideline. Fibrinolytic may be appropriate in those without contraindications with strong chest pain consistent with acute coronary occlusion, less than 3 hours of symptoms, and convincing de Winter T-wave ECG pattern for a rural non-PCI hospital far away from PCI capable hospital.


Bolting causes significant economic losses in sweet onion (Allium cepa L.) production. Although temperature and photoperiod are considered to be the main factors that initiate bolting in onions, preliminary results suggested that low N fertilization rates increased bolting. The objective of our study was to determine the relationships of bolting, yield and bulb decay with N fertilization rates. The N fertilization rates applied ranged from the infraoptimal to the supraoptimal (from 102 to 302 kg·ha -1 N). Shoot and bulb N content increased with increasing N rates, but there were no differences in the respective shoot and bulb N contents among cultivars. Bolting incidence declined steadily with increasing N fertilization rates up to 197 kg·ha -1 N. Bolting incidence was among the highest in the cultivar Pegasus. The percent of decayed bulbs also increased at a steady rate with the rate of N applied. Total (14.7 t·ha -1 ) and marketable (0.8 t·ha -1 ) yields at the lowest N rate (102 kg·ha -1 N) were lower (P ≤ 0.01) than those at higher N rates. Rates of N ≥145 kg·ha -1 had no significant effect on either total (mean = 33.6 t·ha -1 ) or marketable (mean = 21.6 t·ha -1 ) yields. Losses in marketable yield were primarily a combination of bolting and bulb decay and were minimized at 162 kg·ha -1 N. Yield losses at low N rates were mostly due to bolting while yield losses at high N rates were mostly due to decay. Thus, excess applications of N fertilizer should be avoided since they have little effect on yields or bolting but they increase bulb decay.


Abstract. Digital libraries are created and managed mainly by traditional libraries, archives and museums. They collect, process, and make available digitized collections and data about them. These collections often constitute cultural heritage and they include, among others: books (including old prints), magazines, manuscripts, photographs, maps, atlases, postcards and graphics. An example of such a library is the National Library of Poland. It collects and provides digitally available data of about 55,000 maps.The effective use of cultural heritage resources and information from National Library of Poland gives the prerequisites and challenges for multidisciplinary research and cross-sectoral cooperation. These resources are an unlimited source of knowledge, constituting value in themselves but also providing data for many new studies, including interdisciplinary studies of the past. Information necessary for such research is usually distributed across a wide spectrum of fields, formats and languages, reflecting different points of view, and the key task is to find them in digital libraries.The growth of digital library collections requires high-quality metadata to make the materials collected by libraries fully accessible and to enable their integration and sharing between institutions. Consequently, three main metadata quality criteria have been defined to enable metadata management and evaluation. They are: accuracy, consistency, and completeness (Park, 2009, Park and Tosaka, 2010). Different aspects of metadata quality can also be defined as: accessibility, accuracy, availability, compactness, comprehensiveness, content, consistency, cost, data structure, ease of creation, ease of use, cost efficiency, flexibility, fitness for use, informativeness, quantity, reliability, standard, timeliness, transfer, usability (Moen et al., 1998). This list tells us where errors in metadata occur, which can result in hindering or completely disabling access to materials available through a digital library.Archival maps have always been present in the libraries. In the digital age, geographical space has begun to exist in libraries in two aspects: as old maps' collections, as well as a geographic reference of sources other than cartographic materials. Despite many experiences in this field, the authors emphasize that the main problem is related to the fact that most libraries are not populating the coordinates to the metadata, which is required to enable and support geographical search (Southall and Pridal, 2012).During this stage the concept of research is born and the source materials necessary for the realization of this concept are collected. When using archival maps for such studies, it is important to be aware of detailed literature studies, including cartographic assumptions, the course and accuracy of cartographic works, the way of printing, the scope of updates of subsequent editions, and the period in which the given map was created. The ability to use cartographic materials also depends on the destination map. The awareness of the above issues allows researchers to avoid errors frequently made by non-cartographers, i.e. to prevent comparing maps on different scales and treating them as a basis for formulating very detailed yet unfortunately erroneous conclusions. Thus, one of the key tasks is to find materials that are comparable in terms of scale and that cover the same area and space in the historical period of interest.The research aim is to evaluate the quality of topographic maps metadata provided by the National Library of Poland, which are the basis for effective access to cartographic resources.The first research question is: how should topographic maps be described in metadata to enable finding them in the National Library of Poland? In other words, what kind of map-specific information should be saved in metadata (and in what way) to provide the proper characteristic of the spatially-related object?The second research question is: which topographic maps have the best metadata in such a way as to give the users the best chance of finding the cartographic materials necessary for their research?The paper will present the results of research connected with finding criteria and features to metadata evaluation, it means how archival maps are described. For the maps, it is a set of map features, which are collected in the metadata. This set includes the geographic location, map scale, map orientation, and cartographic presentation methods. The conducted evaluation refers to the quality of metadata, or, in other words, the accessibility of archival cartographic resources.


This paper describes the health promotion role of doctors in two medical practice settings: women's and community health centres, and fee‐for‐service practice. It proposes the establishment of divisions of primary health care in Australia which would be multi‐disciplinary and focus on community‐wide health issues. The paper is based on data from an interview survey of medical practitioners who had worked in metropolitan Adelaide women's and community health centres and from a questionnaire survey of GPs in private practice. The types of health promotion activity by the doctors in the different settings are discussed. It is concluded that private practice GPs are involved primarily in providing health education advice to individual patients. Doctors within women's and community health centres are more likely to report involvement in group health promotion activity and broader community development initiatives. The study concludes that health promotion which focuses on the health of the local community is best conducted within multi‐disciplinary health centres. GPs in private practice are limited by the structure of their setting (particularly the fee‐for‐service basis and reliance on a single discipline) to health promotion which focuses on the needs of individual patients.


A commercially available surface NMR instrument was modified to address the challenges of using earth's field surface NMR to detect and characterize water in the unsaturated (or vadose) zone. The modified instrument incorporates faster switching electronics to achieve an instrument dead time of 2.8 ms, and higher output power electronics to enable a maximum coil voltage of 8000 volts and coil current of 800 amps. The instrument was used to collect and interpret surface NMR data at several active vadose zone investigation sites in the western US. A 6-week surface NMR experiment was conducted at a managed aquifer storage and recovery facility in Arizona, to explore the measurement capabilities and limitations of the instrument, during a managed infiltration event. The resulting time lapse surface NMR data were used to map zones of held water prior to the flood event, image the influx of water through the top 15 metres of the subsurface during and after the event, quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of infiltrating water throughout the event, and characterize the distribution of water in different relative pore sizes throughout the event. Data obtained at pseudo-static vadose zone investigation sites indicate that the surface NMR instrument can detect and image some forms of water held in unconsolidated vadose zone formations, at depths
up to 30 metres. Complementary NMR logging data indicate that the surface NMR instrument does not detect all of the water held in these pseudo-static formations, but that the non-invasive surface NMR data may yield valuable information nonetheless.


The medical transcription industry is rapidly evolving in terms of services and revenues for the last decade. This ITES contributed the largest employment growth rate in IT-BPO in 2013. The success of this industry was assisted by recent technology like Speech Recognition Technology (SRT). Because such technologies depend on people, there is a need to study on the experiences of the people behind those achievements. This paper addresses this gap by exploring Medical Transcriptionist's (MTs) experiences using SRT. Findings revealed at least five themes prevalent to the experiences of MTs including audio file classification, valuable characteristics, negative observations, technostress coping, and highest quality orientation. This paper suggests that by looking at the experiences of MTs, current and future employers can gain insights in improving and enriching these outsourcing services. Furthermore, the presence of common themes indicates the possibility of performing a grounded theory based on substantive area of medical transcription.


On 16 March 1978, the Marxist-Leninist Red Brigades kidnapped Aldo Moro, Italy's paramount political figure of the time. The Italian government steadfastly refused to negotiate with the Red Brigades for Moro's life, and on 9 May the terrorists executed him. Conspiracy theories based on the logic of Cold War politics and involving accusations against subversive elements in the Italian government and the secret services of foreign governments, particularly the United States and Israel, quickly surfaced. These theories gained wide currency among the Italian public despite overwhelming evidence that the Red Brigades bore exclusive responsibility for the crime. This article surveys some of the recent literature on what is still an extremely controversial subject in Italy.


We integrate field data and phylogenetic comparative analyses to investigate causes of body size evolution and stasis in an old insect order: odonates ("dragonflies and damselflies"). Fossil evidence for "Cope's Rule" in odonates is weak or nonexistent since the last major extinction event 65 million years ago, yet selection studies show consistent positive selection for increased body size among adults. In particular, we find that large males in natural populations of the banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) over several generations have consistent fitness benefits both in terms of survival and mating success. Additionally, there was no evidence for stabilizing or conflicting selection between fitness components within the adult life‐stage. This lack of stabilizing selection during the adult life‐stage was independently supported by a literature survey on different male and female fitness components from several odonate species. We did detect several significant body size shifts among extant taxa using comparative methods and a large new molecular phylogeny for odonates. We suggest that the lack of Cope's rule in odonates results from conflicting selection between fitness advantages of large adult size and costs of long larval development. We also discuss competing explanations for body size stasis in this insect group.


Plant roots, which are essential for providing anchorage to the soil, acquiring mineral nutrients and water, and for synthesizing a plethora of metabolites, provide an excellent model for studying physiological, developmental, and metabolic processes at a systems level. The challenge to understand such processes has been compared with deciphering the principle of a radio by a reductionist approach, i.e., by randomly removing parts from a series of identical radios and observing the "phenotypes" resulting from this procedure (Lazebnik, 2002). Undoubtably, understanding (root) biology as a whole represents a much bigger challenge, but the constant development of novel tools and algorithms as well as technical progress on omics technologies facilitate rapid progress toward a more integrative, holistic picture of root biology. The 13 articles in this ebook highlight the latest results, approaches, and resources in root systems biology.

One challenge when studying roots is their multicellular complexity. Qiao and Libault (2013) describe a method in which an ultrasound aeroponic system is employed to generate a large quantity of root hair cells, allowing for an uniform and long-term treatment of a single cell type with various biotic and abiotic stimuli for downstream functional genomics applications. Root hair development is affected by soil environmental factors that maximize the absorption capacity and, ultimately, the fitness of the plant. Lee and Cho (2013) summarize the role of auxin as a key player and organizing node for environmental/hormonal modulation of root hair growth. Auxin plays also a key role in the formation of lateral roots which, post-embryonically initiated from the primary root in response to developmental and environmental stimuli, provide a high level of plasticity to the root system architecture. New generation imaging techniques and high-throughput approaches, often used in combination with computational modeling, have triggered a revival of root development research. In their review article, Cuesta et al. (2013) describe traditional and novel tools, and evaluate their potential to address longstanding questions on lateral root organogenesis at a qualitatively new level.

Root architecture is closely interconnected with and shaped by the availability of nutrients, in particular nitrate and phosphate. Strategies for enhanced resource acquisition in crops are of increasing importance to secure sustainable food production. Such strategies have recently focused on root traits with the aim of a more efficient utilization of soil resources that would facilitate the transition from high-input monoculture-based agriculture to productive, sustainable agro-ecosystems with low inputs. Tian and Doerner (2013) evaluate the importance of root resource foraging and the possibility of exploiting natural variants in landraces or wild relatives of crops for breeding programs with the aim of producing crops with root traits that allow for a more resilient performance when experiencing environmental stresses such as phosphate deficiency. Nitrogen, mainly taken up as nitrate, is another essential nutrient that strongly affects root architecture and is critical for plant productivity. The modulation of root development by N availability has great agricultural importance and its understanding provides the basis for the generation of germplasms with improved root architecture. Mohd-Radzman et al. (2013) provide an update of the current knowledge of the signaling components involved in N-mediated root architecture, giving special emphasis on the legume root system. Deficiency of nitrate results in the expression of approximately 2000 genes from which only a minority has yet been functionally characterized. By integrating publicly available microarray data from 27 independent nitrate-related experimental datasets, Canales et al. (2014) generated several highly co-expressed gene clusters with robust functions in nitrate transport, signaling, and metabolism in Arabidopsis roots. In addition to prioritizing potentially important genes for further functional characterization, the meta-analysis uncovered several putative key regulatory factors that control these gene network modules and highlight novel nitrate-controlled developmental processes such as root hair formation.

The transition zone of the root connects the highly sensitive root apex with the elongation zone in which responses to environmental stimuli are accomplished, resulting in changes in cell fate and alterations in root architecture. Baluska and Mancuso (2013) discuss the specific features of the transition zone and hypothesize that it acts as a command zone that integrates environmental information received from the apex to regulate responses of cells in the elongation zone. Abiotic stress such as drought, salinity, flooding, and cold adversely affect plant growth and decline crop productivity. Stressor-specific protein signatures that dictate adaptive mechanisms are described from a proteomics perspective by Ghosh and Xu (2014). Advances in mass spectrometry and peptide fragmentation dramatically improve the coverage of proteomic profiles and opens up new perspectives for the dissection of molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive responses to abiotic stresses.

Intrinsically disordered proteins do not adopt a folded structure in their functional form, but perform functions of critical importance in signaling cascades and transcription factor networks. Owing to their intrinsic conformational flexibility, disordered proteins can bind multiple partners with high specificity and low affinity, thereby adding complexity to the interactomes. Far from being rare or anecdotal, disordered proteins are among the most important proteins in a given proteome, apparently contradicting the classical structure-function relationship. Pazos et al. (2013) postulate that protein disorder is particularly important for the sessile lifestyle of plants, providing them with a fast mechanism to obtain intricate, interconnected, and versatile molecular networks for interacting with the environment.

More than 7000 small, unannotated open reading frames, many of which may encode regulatory peptides, exist in the Arabidopsis genome (Hanada et al., 2013). Small signaling peptides are a growing class of regulatory molecules which are part of the myriad of signaling networks that control the development of plant roots. Delay et al. (2013) review the involvement of regulatory peptides in several aspects of plant root development, including but not limited to meristem maintenance, the gravitropic response, lateral root development and vascular formation, highlighting the recent leap in our understanding of their role in the regulation of developmental programs.

Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are an excellent tool for the integration and analysis of complex biomolecular systems at the structural and dynamic level. However, most GRN models are incomplete because they likely lack components or interactions due to sketchy experimental data and computational limitations. Azpeitia et al. (2013) propose a set of procedures for detecting and predicting missing interactions in Boolean networks and evaluate their applicability to predict putative missing interactions using a previously published Arabidopsis root stem cell nice network as an example (Azpeitia and Alvarez-Buylla, 2012).

Research into root biology has greatly profited from engineering plants to express multi-component DNA constructs such as promoter/reporter gene fusions. Emami et al. (2013) introduce an optimized protocol for the rapid and inexpensive generation of multi-component transgenes based on the Golden Gate cloning strategy. Simultaneous monitoring of membrane potential changes in populations of cells would provide a quantifiable characteristic to evaluate together with global changes in gene activity and metabolite levels in systems biology research. Matzke and Matzke (2013) describe the production of transgenic plants engineered to express different versions of genetically encoded voltage-sensitive fluorescent proteins that are targeted to the plasma membrane and internal membranes of plant cells. Their Hypothesis and Theory article describes progress toward adapting a technology originally used on animal nerve cells to record electrical patterns that transcend single cell boundaries and single membrane systems in response to various stimuli in living plants.


Disclosed herein are methods for forming low melting point glass fibers comprising providing a glass feedstock comprising a low melting point glass and melt-spinning the glass feedstock to produce glass fibers, wherein the glass transition temperature of the glass fibers is less than or equal to about 120% of the glass transition temperature of the glass feedstock. The disclosure also relates to method for forming low melting point glass frit further comprising jet-milling the glass fibers. Low melting point glass frit and fibers produced by the methods described above are also disclosed herein.


: The new continuous cells line derived from insect cells is perspective for the production of nuclear polyhedrosis viruses. The culture was prepared by fragmentation and trypsin treatment of the ovaries of Heliothis armigera (Hubn.) pupa with subsequent inoculation of viable cells in nutrient medium. By the present time the culture has undergone more than 100 passages in vitro and is characterized by all parameters required in a present-day passport.


In this work, we established a one-step strategy to synthesize three-dimensional porous graphitic biomass carbon (PGBC) from bamboo char (BC), and studied its electrochemical performance as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Using potassium ferrate (K2FeO4) to fulfil the synchronous carbonization and graphitization of bamboo carbon, this method is less time-demanding, highly efficient and pollution-free, when compared with a conventional two-step strategy. The as-prepared PGBC sample possessed a porous structure with a large specific surface area (1732 m2 g−1) and abundant micropores, as well as a high graphitization degree demonstrated by XRD and Raman. Further electrochemical measurements revealed that the PGBC electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 222.0 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and the solid-state symmetric supercapacitor in an aqueous electrolyte (KOH/PVA) presented considerable synergetic energy–power output properties with an energy density of 6.68 W h kg−1 at a power density of 100.2 W kg−1, and 3.33 W h kg−1 at 10 kW kg−1. Moreover, the coin-type symmetric supercapacitor in an ionic liquid electrolyte (EMIM TFSI) delivered a higher energy density of 20.6 W h kg−1 at a power density of 12 kW kg−1. This approach holds great promise to achieve low-cost, green and industrial-grade production of renewable biomass-derived carbon materials for advanced energy storage applications in the future.


As a result from our research, the Waseda Flutist Robot is able of playing the flute nearly similar to an intermediate level flutist. In order to enhance the expressiveness of its performance, we are focusing our research on improving the mechanical design of the simulated organs as well as implementing automated algorithms for the generation of expressive music performance. In a previous research, we have developed a human-like vocal cord to improve the production of vibrato. In this paper, we are presenting the newest version of the flutist robot; where the lips, oral cavity and tonguing mechanisms were improved. Such improvements were proposed to effectively control the attack time and double tonguing. The attack time is useful to produce clear sounds and the double tonguing is an important articulation that helps players to produce shaped notes and smooth transitions between notes. The lips mechanism is composed by 3-DOFs which enables the accurate control of the air stream parameters (width, thickness and angle). The lips of the robot were designed more human-like by using a thermoplastic rubber (septon). The oral cavity was designed similar to the human one also made by septon. Inside the oral cavity, an improved tonguing mechanism was designed (1-DOF) to reproduce better the double tonguing technique. A set of experiments were performed to analyze the improvements on the dynamical properties of the sound while playing the flute.


Objectives Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) is a device-based treatment for subjects ≥18 years with severe asthma not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists. The Bronchial Thermoplasty Global Registry (BTGR) collected real-world data on subjects undergoing this procedure. Design The BTGR is an all-comer, prospective, open-label, multicentre study enrolling adult subjects indicated for and treated with BT. Setting Eighteen centres in Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Australia Participants One hundred fifty-seven subjects aged 18 years and older who were scheduled to undergo BT treatment for asthma. Subjects diagnosed with other medical conditions which, in the investigator's opinion, made them inappropriate for BT treatment were excluded. Primary and secondary outcome measures Baseline characteristics collected included demographics, Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), Asthma Control Test (ACT), medication usage, forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity, medical history, comorbidities and 12-month baseline recall data (severe exacerbations (SE) and healthcare utilisation). SE incidence and healthcare utilisation were summarised at 1 and 2 years post-BT. Results Subjects' baseline characteristics were representative of persons with severe asthma. A comparison of the proportion of subjects experiencing events during the 12 months prior to BT to the 2-year follow-up showed a reduction in SE (90.3% vs 56.1%, p<0.0001), emergency room visits (53.8% vs 25.5%, p<0.0001) and hospitalisations (42.9% vs 23.5 %, p=0.0019). Reductions in asthma maintenance medication dosage were also observed. AQLQ and ACT scores improved from 3.26 and 11.18 at baseline to 4.39 and 15.54 at 2 years, respectively (p<0.0001 for both AQLQ and ACT). Conclusions The BTGR demonstrates sustained improvement in clinical outcomes and reduction in asthma medication usage 2 years after BT in a real-world population. This is consistent with results from other BT randomised controlled trials and registries and further supports improvement in asthma control after BT. Trial registration number NCT02104856.


web, user studies, interview study, design While browsing the Web is a widespread everyday activity there is a shortage of detailed understanding of how users organise their Web usage. In this paper we present results from a qualitative in-depth interview study of how users browse the Web and combine browsing with their other activities. The data are used to explore three particular problems which users have with browsing the Web. Firstly, users have problems managing their favourites, and in particular accessing their favourites through a hierarchical menu. Second, users have problems with combining information across different Web sites what we call the "meta-task" problem. Third, users have concerns with security and privacy, although these concerns seem to change as users become more experienced with shopping on the Web. We discuss three concepts which address these problems: "home page favourites", "Web clipping" and the "Web card". These concepts are attempts at incremental improvements to the Web without affecting the Web's essential simplicity.


I have argued that a speaker's mental state with respect to whether her words will cause harms that the government can legitimately seek to prevent should be immaterial to whether her speech is protected by the First Amendment — except to the extent her mental state bears on whether sanctioning her will chill others' protectable speech. Recently, Professor Leslie Kendrick has taken issue with my position and the similar position of others. She argues that the speaker's mens rea regarding the harmfulness of her speech affects the First Amendment protectability of her speech apart from chilling-effect concerns. The speaker's mental state matters, not only for purposes of criminal law and tort law, but for free-speech law as well, and intrinsically rather than instrumentally. Although I accept the compliment of serving as one of her principal foils, I nonetheless continue to disagree with Professor Kendrick's position.


—Fuel cell is an emerging technology in the field of renewable energy sources which has the capacity to replace conventional energy generation sources. Fuel cell utilizes hydrogen energy to produce electricity. The electricity generated by the fuel cell can't be directly used for a specific application as it needs proper power conditioning. Moreover, the output power fluctuates with di ff erent operating conditions. To get a stable output power at an economic rate, power conditioning circuit is essential for fuel cell. This paper implements a two-staged power conditioning unit for fuel cell based distributed generation using hysteresis current control technique.


The article aims at showing how Shakespeare relied on the medical vocabulary shared by his coeval society, which had, for centuries, been witnessing the continuous process of vernacularization of ancient and medieval scientific texts. After outlining the state of early modern medicine, the author presents and discusses the results of her search for relevant medical terms in nine plays by Shakespeare. In order to do this, a wide range of medical treatises has been analysed (either directly or through specific corpora such as Medieval English Medical Texts , MEMT 2005, and Early Modern English Medical Texts , EMEMT 2010), so as to verify the ancestry or the novelty of Shakespearean medical words. In addition to this, the author has also built a corpus of word types derived from seventeenth-century quack doctors' handbills, with the purpose of creating a word list of medical terms connected to popular rather than university medicine, comparable with the list drawn out of the Shakespearean plays. The results most stressed in the article concern Shakespeare's use of medical terminology already well known to his contemporary society (thus confuting the Oxfordian thesis about the impossibility for William Shakespeare the actor to master so many medical words) and the playwright's skill in transforming – rather than inventing – old popular terms. The article is accompanied by five tables that collect the results of the various lexicographical searches.


We study a statistical model for the tensor principal component analysis problem introduced by Montanari and Richard: Given a order-$3$ tensor $T$ of the form $T = \tau \cdot v_0^{\otimes 3} + A$, where $\tau \geq 0$ is a signal-to-noise ratio, $v_0$ is a unit vector, and $A$ is a random noise tensor, the goal is to recover the planted vector $v_0$. For the case that $A$ has iid standard Gaussian entries, we give an efficient algorithm to recover $v_0$ whenever $\tau \geq \omega(n^{3/4} \log(n)^{1/4})$, and certify that the recovered vector is close to a maximum likelihood estimator, all with high probability over the random choice of $A$. The previous best algorithms with provable guarantees required $\tau \geq \Omega(n)$.
In the regime $\tau \leq o(n)$, natural tensor-unfolding-based spectral relaxations for the underlying optimization problem break down (in the sense that their integrality gap is large). To go beyond this barrier, we use convex relaxations based on the sum-of-squares method. Our recovery algorithm proceeds by rounding a degree-$4$ sum-of-squares relaxations of the maximum-likelihood-estimation problem for the statistical model. To complement our algorithmic results, we show that degree-$4$ sum-of-squares relaxations break down for $\tau \leq O(n^{3/4}/\log(n)^{1/4})$, which demonstrates that improving our current guarantees (by more than logarithmic factors) would require new techniques or might even be intractable.
Finally, we show how to exploit additional problem structure in order to solve our sum-of-squares relaxations, up to some approximation, very efficiently. Our fastest algorithm runs in nearly-linear time using shifted (matrix) power iteration and has similar guarantees as above. The analysis of this algorithm also confirms a variant of a conjecture of Montanari and Richard about singular vectors of tensor unfoldings.


An outbreak of multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae has continued in the Grampian Region of Scotland since 1992. The organism, which generally produces an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), has spread to several hospitals and nursing homes. DNA from 80 possible outbreak isolates was digested with the restriction endonucleases XbaI and SpeI, and the patterns obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were compared. Restriction patterns of 79 of the isolates were found to be highly similar with both restriction enzymes, whereas one isolate was unrelated. The outbreak isolates were divided into six subtypes with SpeI and 16 subtypes with XbaI. These subtypes were independent of antibiotic susceptibility pattern, date of isolation and ward of origin, but the XbaI subtype did correlate with the SpeI subtype. It was concluded that the Klebsiella isolates of this outbreak were clonally related.


In this paper, a design method is developed for the class of linear-dispersion (LD) codes - a diverse set of space-time codes that subsumes several standard designs. The development begins by showing that for systems that employ a large number of transmit antennas, LD codes constructed from unitary coding matrices are asymptotically optimum from different design perspectives, viz., minimum mean square error (MMSE), mutual information, and average pairwise error probability (PEP). Those measures have a direct impact on the detection complexity, data rate, and error performance that a space-time code can achieve. Using the insight generated by the asymptotic result, a structured design technique for the LD coding matrices, that suits a broad class of configurations is provided. The resulting codes can support high data rates and provide performance advantages over current designs when decoded with a standard detector. Based on the asymptotic results, a row interleaving scheme is proposed, and it is shown to result in significant performance enhancement.


Landsat data for 1992, 2000, and 2013 land use changes for Ekbatan Dam watershed was simulated through CA-Markov" model. Two classification methods were initially used, viz. the maximum likelihood (MAL) and support vector machine (SVM). Although both methods showed high overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient, visually MAL failed in separating land uses, particularly built up and dry lands.Therefore, the results of SVM were used for Markov Chain Model and "CA" filter to predict land use map for 2034. In order to assess the ability of "CA Markov" model, simulation for 2013was performed. Results showed that simulated map was in agreement with the existing map for2013 at 84% level. The land use map prediction showed that built up area of 0.8298 km 2 in 2013 will increase to 1.02113 km 2 in 2034. In contrast, irrigated agriculture will decrease from 17.33 km 2 to 17.16 km 2 , and rain fed agriculture from 45.07 km 2 to 44.49 km 2 . Results of this research proved the application of "CA Markov" model in simulating the land use changes.