The aim of this study was to examine the clinical presentation of patients with malignant lymphoma of the major salivary glands. In a retrospective study, 26 patients with a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the major salivary glands were examined. The results showed a distinct preference for the female gender. Two groups with clinical differences were observed depending on lymphoma manifestation as either extranodal-parenchymal (extranodal) or with intra- or periglandular (nodal) lymph node disease. Differences between these two groups existed with regard to the length of clinical history, recurrent vs continuously progressing symptoms and presentation on ultrasound examination (multiple masses compared to solitary masses). Patients with an extranodal lymphoma always showed disease limited to the affected gland, whereas those patients with a nodal lymphoma presented with stage II or higher (Ann Arbor Classification). In these patients, local recurrence was also five times higher (5/13; 38.4%) than in patients with an extranodal lymphoma (1/13; 7.7%). In 1 patient (7.7%) with extranodal lymphoma, dissemination was observed, compared to 6/13 patients (46.2%) in the group with nodal disease. Seven out of 13 patients (53.8%) with nodal disease died due to lymphoma spread and 1/13 (7.7%) of the patients with extranodal disease. There seem to be distinct clinical differences in the course of patients with NHL of the major salivary glands, depending on extranodal or nodal disease presentation. The histopathological diagnosis, with special recognition of the particular lymphoma pathogenesis, constitutes an important prognostic factor in these patients.


Background:Patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) may improve the quality of primary care while reducing costs and utilization. Early evidence on the effectiveness of PCMH has been mixed. Objectives:We analyze the impact of a PCMH intervention in Rochester NY on costs, utilization, and quality of care. Research Design:A propensity score–matched difference-in-differences analysis of the effect of the PCMH intervention relative to a comparison group of practices. Qualitative interviews with PCMH practice managers on their experiences and challenges with PCMH practice transformation. Subjects:Seven pilot practices and 61 comparison practices (average of 36,531 and 30,192 attributed member months per practice, respectively). Interviews with practice leaders at all pilot sites. Measures:Individual HEDIS quality measures of preventive care, diabetes care, and care for coronary artery disease. Utilization measures of hospital use, office visits, imaging and laboratory tests, and prescription drug use. Cost measures are inpatient, prescription drug, and total spending. Results:After 3 years, PCMH practices reported decreased ambulatory care sensitive emergency room visits and use of imaging tests, and increased primary care visits and laboratory tests. Utilization of prescription drugs increased but drug spending decreased. PCMH practices reported increased rates of breast cancer screening and low-density lipid screening for diabetes patients, and decreased rates of any prevention quality indicator. Conclusions:The PCMH model leads to significant changes in patient care, with reductions in some services and increases in others. This study joins a growing body of work that finds no effect of PCMH transformation on total health care spending.


Sustainability reporting is the practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for the company's ability to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) and manage impacts on society. According to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 guidelines, the purpose of materiality analysis in sustainability reporting is to determine those economic, environmental and social issues that are the most significant to company and its stakeholders. A key challenge is to ensure completeness in covering all the aspects that are material from internal analysis, business strategy and stakeholder perspective. Thus, the views of different stakeholders need to be taken into account dealing with subjectivity of judgments. Current sustainability literature offers few studies aimed to support companies in materiality analysis through quantitative and practical approaches. Based on a critical review of these studies, the present paper provides suggestions for the development of a new and more effective method. Keywords: Sustainability reporting, materiality analysis, stakeholder engagement, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), decision support methods.


Background Active case-finding (ACF), also referred to as community-based tuberculosis screening, is a component of the World Health Organization's End TB Strategy. ACF has potential benefits but also harms, which need to be carefully assessed when developing and implementing ACF policies. While empirical evidence on the benefits of ACF is still weak, evidence on the harms is even weaker. This study aimed to explore experts' views on the benefits and harms of ACF for people with presumptive TB and communities. Methods This was an exploratory study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 39 experts from international, non-governmental/non-profit organizations, funders, government institutions, international societies, think tanks, universities and research institutions worldwide. Framework analysis was applied. Results Findings elaborated perceived benefits of ACF, including reaching vulnerable populations, reducing patient costs, helping raise awareness for tuberculosis among individuals and engaging communities, and reducing tuberculosis transmission. Perceived harms included increasing stigma and discrimination, causing false-positive diagnoses, as well as triggering other unintended consequences related to screening for tuberculosis patients, such as deportation of migrants once confirmed to have tuberculosis. Most of the perceived benefits of ACF could be linked to its objective of finding and treating persons with tuberculosis early (theme 1), while ACF was also perceived as a "double-edged sword" and could cause harms, if inappropriately designed and implemented (theme 2). The analysis underlined the importance of considering the benefits and harms of ACF throughout the screening pathway. The study provides new insights into the perceived benefits and harms of ACF from the perspectives of experts in the field. Conclusion This study highlights gaps in the evidence base surrounding ACF and can stimulate further research, debate and analysis regarding the benefits and harms of ACF to inform contextual optimization of design and implementation of ACF strategies.


This research is applied, analytical study of "the Purposes of Sharia at Mohammed Saeed Ramadhan Al-Bouti (d. 2013)" who is one of the scholars of Islamic thoughts. Al-Bouti delivered fatawa (rulings) of controversial nature before his departure of this life. The study aims at disclosing his personality, scholarly status, and those scholars he was influenced by their thoughts. It also focuses on the definition and explanation of purposes, their types and ranks, and the illustration of methods to reveal them. The study also attempts to identify the characteristics and bases whereby the purposes of Sharia are realized and differentiated. The last part is concerned with the application of these purposes in necessities, fatawa, and legal situations. The current study depends on the diachronic analysis: collecting data from Al-Bouti's books, biographies of Al-Bouti, and articles and books on Al-Bouti. Then the researcher is to attempt to identify the date of purposes in the fundamental books from the time of recording and writing the purposes, i.e., from the time of Imam AL-Shatibi until the era of Sheikh Al-Bouti. The researcher also uses the inductive approach in the quest of examining the purposes of Sharia at Al-Bouti in all of his oral and written productions, be hardcopies or electronic ones.The study arrives at some results, of which the most prominent ones are: The purposes at Al-Bouti can be classified into two types: general and private. The general purposes are common and basic, represented in the five universals and complementary purposes like easiness, lifting discomfort, mercy and justice. The private purposes are related to the ideology, rituals, and punishments. Al-Bouti had purposes revealed by methods like the inductive method, rationalization, close examination of the Companions and Arabic. He benefited from purity of his intent, open-mindedness, wide insights of other cultures. He recognized some traits which helped to identify controls of interest such as the only ranked five universals, his association of individual's purposes with the purposes of Sharia, control of the link between necessities and improvements and needs, and control of the relationship between public interest and the purposes. His fatawa were distinguished owing to his scholarly honesty, and his intermediate position along the continuum of scholars. He also showed a remarkable insight regarding fiqh and rulings, considering Sharia rulings. His vision of the Arab Spring was an independent, legal one related to the purposes and rules of Sharia, characterized with fiqh of consequences and impact. His position from Islamic movements was according to the dictates of Islamic Sharia. The final outcome of the current research is that Al-Bouti, whose fatawa and positions are in parallel with the rulings, purposes, and objectives of Islamic Sharia, is a unique scholar in his age.


Purpose: This article aims to introduce institutional differences during the COVID-19 pandemic from the institutional analysis proposed by D.C. North, an example of Poland and Sweden. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methodology includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. It is based on literature studies and a case study. The countries selected for analysis are Poland and Sweden. This choice is dictated by different institutional solutions in restrictions in society's daily functioning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: This study shows the action that is taken to reduce the adverse effects of the pandemic. Practical Implications: This study shows the importance of formal and informal institutions in reducing the adverse effects of the pandemic. Originality/Value: The lack of research has drawn up different strategies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic from the New Institutional Economic perspective. Originality/Value: The research delivers a comparison of Swedish and Polish regulations undertaken to prevent the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and describes their results.


Genuine theological dialogue characterized by openness, consideration, fairness, searching questioning and a willingness to learn is not as common in theology as the human fallibility of theologians should be seen to require. Often the ultimate concern characteristic of faith mistakenly finds expression in an odium theologicum where attempts at dialogue appear to outsiders to be dialogues of the deaf. It is therefore a pleasure to find and to be instructed by a collection of pieces arising from authentic dialogue. The contributors to Searching for an Adequate God: A Dialogue between Process and Free Will Theists (Eerdmans, 2000, f 15.99/$26.00, pp. xiv + 269, ISBN 0-8028-4739-0), edited by John B. Cobb Jr and Clark H. Pinnock, represent two theological perspectives, one stemming from the evangelical/ fundamentalist flank of the Christian community and the other from the liberal wing. The former group identify themselves as 'openness theists' since, on the basis of their reading of the biblical witness, they maintain that God does not determine future events, but, as love, both affects all creatures and is affected by what happens to them. When evil things happen, God suffers. Theological claims, moreover, must fit human experience, including religious experience, and make sense intellectually. In these respects, openness theists find that what they affirm has much in common with the claims that process theologians, influenced by the views of Whitehead and Hartshorne (who incidentally died last October, aged 103), develop in their metaphysically grounded form of natural theology. On the other hand there are interesting differences between the groups. For example, freewill theists are concerned that process theologians have an inadequate understanding of divine activity in the world and of eschatological hope, while process theologians query the consistency of the openness theists' affirmations of the reality of divine activity in the world with their claims about the authenticity of human freewill. Furthermore, freewill theists maintain that the divine love is voluntary while process theologians consider it to be an essential quality of the divine being. These and other issues are perceptively explored in papers and critical responses by David Ray Griffin, Nancy R. Howell, David L. Wheeler, Richard Rice, and William Hasker. While, as the authors recognize, there are important differences of opinion within the constituencies which they are representing (so that assertions about what is definitive of either process theology or openness theology need to be tempered by a Wittgensteinian notion of fuzzy edges), this clearly written collection is a valuable contribution to the developing understanding between believers who are often misunderstood, and who more often misunderstand themselves, to have little in common with each other.


The role of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species is well-demonstrated in inflammation. In this study, we evaluated the effect of aminoguanidine, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, in a rat model of periodontitis. We induced periodontitis in rats by placing a piece of 2/0 braided silk around the lower left 1st molar. At day 8, the gingivomucosal tissue encircling the mandibular 1st molar was removed for biochemical and histological analysis. Ligation significantly increased inducible nitric oxide synthase activity and expression, and damaged tissue revealed increased neutrophil infiltration, lipid peroxidation, and positive staining for nitrotyrosine formation and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase activation. Ligation significantly increased Evans blue extravasation in gingivomucosal tissue and alveolar bone destruction. Aminoguanidine (100 mg/kg i.p., daily for 8 days) treatment significantly reduced all these inflammatory parameters, indicating that it protects against the tissue damage associated with periodontitis by reducing nitric oxide production and oxidative stress.


There are data islands and function overlaps with emerging court systems. Service Oriented Architecture and technologies are envisioned as appropriate computational paradigms and approaches for information systems to be collaborated and integrated, and support dynamic and automatic services collaboration and composition. This paper is to apply service-oriented architecture and Web services into the planning, design, implementation and integration of digital court applications and services, to make digital court systems to be flexible and responsive to meet dynamic requirements and evolvements. The scenarios of digital courts will be presented and requirements be discussed. A service-oriented digital court framework will be proposed. A model-driven collaborative development platform will be developed to implement the proposed framework. The platform provides service-oriented software engineering approaches and tools, and has been developed in authors' previous work. Based on the platform, trial services and applications can be implemented through business engineers and technical engineers in separate collaborative workspaces.


The age of big data on the government audit is not only an opportunity, but also a challenge. It also put forward higher requirements on the development of electronic government affairs, changes of audit object and content also make the government audit faces challenges from the audit subject, audit risk, audit means etc. This paper considers that, the government audit should deal with the coming or upcoming challenges through training data audit experts, sufficient computing technology or establish cloud audit platform using the cloud computing technology, strengthen the construction of security system and enter new specification for the government audit.


Pekin ducks have an innate affinity for water. They seek water from the first day of life and use it for a multitude of behaviors. Currently implemented requirements to husbandry and the design of an animal-friendly offer of drinking water in commercial fattening establishments exist neither at EU-level nor in Germany. Aim of the study was to examine the use of the AquaDuc T® (Big Dutchman, Vechta, Germany) and its practical suitability concerning the behavior during the fattening of Pekin ducks under commercial conditions. The examinations took place in three farms (7140-13,515 fattening places). On farm 1 and 3, 16 fattening periods were observed (switch-over design: alternately test and control trial) with each one visited between day 28-32 and 35-39. On farm 2, only ten fattening periods could be examined. The ducks were in general supplied with drinking water via nipple drinkers. For the test trials, the AquaDuc T® drinkers were additionally installed and were accessible for a limited time. To record the natural and undisturbed behavior of the ducks in their housing system, the video recordings were started after we finished the farm visits and in total more than 6300 hours of video material were analyzed. All findings show that Pekin ducks clearly favor the round bell drinkers over the nipple drinkers. They enable the birds to immerse their heads, to drink and strain in a species-specific manner, to take care of the plumage with water and to clean beak and eyes. In the test trials, the drinking activity rose significantly during the operating time of the round drinkers (p < 0.001), whereas the nipple drinkers were used less frequently at the same time. Concerning ethology and health, the round drinkers offer the ducks very good conditions for an animal-friendly water supply. For economic and hygienic reasons, the daily access to the modified round drinkers should be limited.


Faced with a rapidly ageing society and with constant technological progression, studies focused on fostering communicative action and reducing social isolation have become increasingly relevant. This paper presents a proposal of a graphical interface for an asynchronous communication service aimed at older adults, which was tested in different user contexts – both in Portugal and the United States of America. The main aims of this study are to determine to what extent the participation of older adults in the development of an email service can influence its usability and the design of a simplified interface. The usability results provide consistent clues as to how the technical development of an email service for older adults should proceed. We conclude that we should not design an email interface so as to be completely different from existing ones. Rather, we chose to improve its usability and simplify the entire process of using an email service.


For the first time, a doctor has developed a treatment program especially for "hidden" addicts-people whose lives look just fine on the surface, but who are secretly driven by stress into addictive, destructive behaviors. Until now, many of these people have been alone in their struggle, their addictions undetected by friends, colleagues, even sometimes family. Now this breakthrough program treats both hidden substance abuse problems and their underlying causes, without unnecessarily stigmatizing these otherwise highly-functioning people. Richard Gracer, MD, is the founder and director of Gracer Medical Group, which has been holistically treating patients with complex health issues since 1979. In 2005, he launched Gracer Behavioral Health Services specifically to treat addiction, alcoholism, and other stress-related mental health issues. He has pioneered a revolutionary 5-step treatment protocol that addresses substance abuse cravings and their underlying causes through intensive short-term treatment across several disciplines. It uses several new drugs-some very recently approved by the FDA-that promise to revolutionize the treatment of addictions, as well as a comprehensive support system to address the many challenges addicts face.


Biotherapics employed to treat mice infected by Trypanosoma cruzi were carried out with encouraging results. The aim of this study was evaluated the effect of biotherapic of Trypanosoma cruzi 200dH, using two different schedules of treatment. Swiss male mice, aged 56 days-old were infected intraperitonealy with 1,400 blood trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain and were divided into groups: C.I.infected animals, E.D. – Infected animals treated from the day 1 until the end of the experiment; 200dH S.D. – Infected animals treated on the day 1. Parasitological, clinical and immunological parameters were evaluated. The group of animals that received the medicine in a single dose presented higher value to total parasitaemia and lower value of pre patent period compared to control untreated group (p<0.05), as well as the number of amastigotes which was also higher for this group (S.D.) (p<0.05). Clinically, the S.D.group presented more stable temperature (p<0.05) but not presented another clinical difference among treatments. IL-6 and TNF-α presented similar dosage among treated groups as well as IL-4 and IL-10. IL-17A and INF-γ, presented highest values to S.D. group (p<0.05). All animals died until the 20th day of infection. The lack of improvement in clinical and parasitological parameters, the untimely death and the immunological imbalance display the harmful evolution of the experimental infection by T. cruzi using biotherapic 200dH. The results could be useful for homeopathic physicians. In human clinical use, the choice of dynamizations and treatment schedule should consider acute and chronic diseases to achieve the expected results.


The current picture of ion transport in the solar-cell absorber material CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) suffers from a disturbing lack of clarity. In this study, we demonstrate that, with knowledge of the jump rate of iodine vacancies and with a defect chemical model, various experimental data reported in the literature for the ionic conductivity of MAPbI3 can be reconciled. A quantitative expression for the vacancy jump rate was obtained by studying iodine tracer diffusion as a function of temperature and iodine-vacancy concentration by means of classical molecular-dynamics simulations. The defect-chemical model yields acceptor concentrations in experimental samples of 1015 cm−3 and lower, and the enthalpy and entropy of anti-Frenkel disorder. We also demonstrate that the generation of additional iodine vacancies can explain quantitatively the increase in the ionic conductivity under illumination. Finally, the consequences for devices under bias and for grain-boundary transport are discussed.


Coordination complexes of type [Ru(L)(3)](2+), where L is a nitrogen-containing aromatic bidentate ligand, can often be photolytically reduced, making them useful in studies of DNA- or protein-mediated electron transfer and in artifical photosynthesis model systems. Upon binding to DNA some Ru(L) complexes have been found to display strongly increased fluorescence compared with when free in solution, making those compounds interesting to test as DNA probes. Thus, they are becoming widely used in the chemistry community. Here, asynchronous cultures of V79 Chinese hamster cells were exposed to the DNA bis-intercalator Delta-Delta [mu-C4(cpdppz)(2)-(phen)(4)Ru(2)](4+) at 10(-10)-10(-4) M. The extraordinarily strong binding of the compound to DNA was the reason for testing its possible interference with DNA metabolism in intact mammalian cells. Exposure for 1 h to 10(-10)-10(-4) M did not significantly decrease DNA synthesis. Cells exposed to 10(-5) M for 27 h showed no staining of the nucleus, while DNA was stained in cells electroporated in the presence of the compound. However, the Ru dimer was probably taken up by pinocytosis, because numerous minute precipitates could be observed in the cytoplasm. Treatment for 24 h at concentrations of 10(-10)-10(-5) M did not inhibit growth, as indicated by cell density and mitotic activity. Neither did it affect chromosomal arrangements during mitosis. However, at 10(-4) M the density of cultures was reduced by approximately 45% and apoptotic cells were frequent, as opposed to mitoses. We also investigated the properties of the Ru dimer as a fluorescent DNA stain. The compound appears attractive as a red DNA stain when broad excitation in the visible range is desirable and extremely low background staining is essential. The low toxicity of the compound is a favourable trait in this context.


A critical step towards smarter and safer cities is to endow them with the abilities to massively gather a wide variety of data sets and to automatically feed those data to decision support tools and applications that leverage artificial intelligence. We present UrbanSense, a platform deployed on the streets of a mid-size European city (Porto, Portugal) to collect key environmental data. The main innovations of UrbanSense are (1) design for affordability and extensibility, (2) its ability to leverage heterogeneous networks to send the data to the cloud (using both real-time and delay-tolerant communications), and (3) its Internet of Things integration to expose the data streams to smart city tools and applications. Beyond discussing the design choices, we present operational results for 6 months of operation and give a detailed account of the challenges faced by the successful deployment of urban sensing technologies in the wild.


Do investors in emerging markets obtain their long-term returns smoothly and steadily over time, or is their long-term performance largely determined by the return of just a few outliers? Are investors likely to successfully predict the best days to be in and out of these markets? The evidence from 16 emerging equity markets and over 110,000 daily returns shows that a few outliers have a massive impact on long-term performance. On average across all 16 markets, missing the best 10 days resulted in portfolios 69.3% less valuable than a passive investment; and avoiding the worst 10 days resulted in portfolios 337.1% more valuable than a passive investment. Given that 10 days represent 0.15% of the days considered in the average market, this evidence strongly suggests that the odds against consistently successful market timing in emerging markets are staggering.


We report on terahertz wireless communication experiments at 0.3 THz using 250-nm gate-length GaAs/AlGaAs field-effect transistor (FET) as a detector and unitraveling-carrier photodiode as a source. The physical mechanism of the detection process is terahertz wave rectification on nonlinearities related to overdamped plasma oscillations in the transistor channel. We present an experimental study of rectification bandwidth and show for the first time that room-temperature direct detection with modulation bandwidth of up to 8 GHz can be achieved, thus showing that nanometer-sized FETs can be used as valuable detectors in all-solid-state terahertz wireless communication systems.


Artificial superintelligence (ASI) is artificial intelligence (AI) with capabilities that are significantly greater than human capabilities across a wide range of domains. A hallmark of the ASI issue is disagreement among experts. This paper demonstrates and discusses methodological options for modeling and interpreting expert disagreement about the risk of ASI catastrophe. Using a new model called ASI-PATH, the paper models a well-documented recent disagreement between Nick Bostrom and Ben Goertzel, two distinguished ASI experts. Three points of disagreement are considered: (1) the potential for humans to evaluate the values held by an AI, (2) the potential for humans to create an AI with values that humans would consider desirable, and (3) the potential for an AI to create for itself values that humans would consider desirable. An initial quantitative analysis shows that accounting for variation in expert judgment can have a large effect on estimates of the risk of ASI catastrophe. The risk estimates can in turn inform ASI risk management strategies, which the paper demonstrates via an analysis of the strategy of AI confinement. The paper find the optimal strength of AI confinement to depend on the balance of risk parameters (1) and (2).


The origin of osteichthyans (bony fishes and tetrapods) dates back to the Late Silurian, but the early evolution of the group is poorly understood. Andreolepis is one of the oldest known osteichthyans, but exclusively documented by detached and fragmentary dermal microremains. A large data-set of Andreolepis scales from the Silurian of Gotland has been used to explore the scale morphology on different parts of the body. Landmark-based geometric morphometrics together with comparative anatomy and functional morphology has allowed 10 morphotypes to be identified and incorporated into a squamation model, in which scales are allocated to anterior-mid lateral flank scales, posterior lateral flank scales, caudal peduncle scales, pectoral peduncle scales, dorsal flank scales, dorsal fulcral scales, caudal fulcral scales, ventral flank scales, medioventral scales and cranial scales. The scale morphology and squamation pattern of Andreolepis may be primitive for the Osteichthyes and thus informative about the acquisition of the osteichthyan body plan.


Tall buildings pose unique challenges for simulation software and modelers. Environmental factors such as air temperature and wind speed change with altitude. The urban environment imposes additional environmental factors because of shading and reflections from surrounding buildings. The large scale of tall buildings can result in excessive input data and prohibitive run times. EnergyPlus was used to compare the energy impacts of several environmental factors that vary with altitude. Results showed that environmental factors have a significant effect on the annual total building cooling and heating energy. The accuracy of using multipliers to reduce input data was also studied. Even simulating a single floor with a multiplier can give accurate results for an entire building, as long as the floor is near midheight.


Medical historians, bacteriologists, epidemiologists, immunologists, and entomologists alike have argued for almost a century about the cause of one of the worst pandemics in human history: "The Black Death." This phrase was not used until the 17th century by British historians who are thought to have been connecting death and darkness with an especially mournful period in the late medieval literature from 1347-1352. It has been estimated that half the populace of Europe were robbed of their lives by a disease demonstrating several different forms during five long and horrifying years. Most microbiologists today believe the phrase "The Black Death" comes from the dark patchy appearance of the skin that is manifest in modern cases of bubonic plague. Using a plethora of translated descriptions among writers and medical practitioners during the time of The Black Death correlations will be drawn with modern medical descriptions of infectious disease that have direct bearing on specific causality. There are several alternative views among historians who differ with the generally held position that bubonic plague be held responsible for the Black Death. This debate will be reconstructed along with the addition of new evidence highlighting key descriptions of skin manifestations and symptomology that reassures the status of bubonic plague as the cause of The Black Death. The purpose of this study not only focuses the cause of Black Death in order to perhaps prevent reoccurrence, it helps us to understand how medical practitioners, natural philosophers, and the public in general struggled to cope with accepted knowledge about a disease that supremely challenged the reality of their experience


The most common cause of leukocyturia is - in conjunction with bacteriuria - an infection of the urinary tract. In the sediment, leukocytes may be differentiated into neutrophil oreosinophil granulocytes or lymphocytes. When contamination has been excluded, leukocyturia in the absence of significant bacteriuria mandates a further diagnostic evaluation. Of necessity for an accurate diagnostic work-up are appropriate urine sampling, rapid examination of the samples obtained, and standardized examination conditions.


The Fontan operation, an efficient palliative surgery, is performed for patients with single-ventricle pathologies. The total cavopulmonary connection is a preferred Fontan procedure in which the superior and inferior vena cava are connected to the left and right pulmonary artery. The overall goal of this work is to develop an artificial right ventricle that can be introduced into the inferior vena cava, which would act to reverse the deleterious hemodynamics in post-Fontan patients. We present the initial design and computational analysis of a micro-axial pump, designed with the particular hemodynamics of Fontan physiology in mind. Preliminary in vitro data on a prototype pump are also presented. Computational studies showed that the new design can deliver a variety of advantageous operating conditions, including decreased venous pressure through proximal suction, increased pressure rise across the pump, increased pulmonary flows, and minimal changes in superior vena cava pressures. In vitro studies on a scaled prototype showed trends similar to those seen computationally. We conclude that a micro-axial flow pump can be designed to operate efficiently within the low-pressure, low-flow environment of cavopulmonary flows. The results provide encouragement to pursue this design to for in vitro studies and animal studies.


The Nebo-Babel Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide deposit, located in the West Musgrave Block, Western Australia, is hosted within a tube-like, concentrically zoned, gabbronorite magma conduit emplaced at 1068 Ma. The Nebo-Babel deposit is associated with the ca. 1078 Ma Giles Complex which is part of the Warakurna large igneous province. Previous geologic and geochemical studies have shown that the Nebo-Babel consists of chemically related but temporally distinct magma pulses. The initial magma pulses, which were the most primitive and the most contaminated, formed the marginal units of the conduit. The later pulses were emplaced into the core of the conduit. The chilled margin rocks contain sulfide globules. Mineralization is confined to the early magma pulses and consists of massive sulfide breccias and stringers and disseminated gabbronorite-hosted sulfides.

The Ni tenor of the massive sulfides, which have undergone sulfide liquid fractionation, and the disseminated sulfides are almost the same, indicating that both formed at similar R -factors. The whole-rock massive and disseminated sulfides contain ~650 ppb and 60 to 500 ppb total PGE, respectively. All of the Nebo-Babel rock units are slightly PGE depleted with Cu/Pd ratios higher than primitive mantle, indicating early saturation and segregation of a sulfide and/or PGM. Rocks with trace cumulus sulfides have the lowest Cu/Zr and highest Cu/Pd ratios and the most fractionated metal patterns, indicating that these units have undergone the highest degrees of Ni, Cu, and PGE depletion.

The average δ 34S value of all Nebo-Babel disseminated and massive sulfides is 0.4 ± 0.2 per mil, which is consistent with the S originating in the mantle. Sulfur saturation did not occur in situ and is inferred to have been triggered by assimilation of felsic orthogneiss, perhaps in the parental magma chamber. This initial magma pulse with entrained sulfides formed marginal units of the Nebo-Babel intrusion. Some of the entrained sulfides accumulated within physical traps on the way into the conduit and/or at the exit from the chamber. These sulfides were later emplaced along the footwall contact as massive and/or marginal fragment-laden sulfide liquid. Distribution of the disseminated sulfides was influenced by the conduit geometry and magma flow dynamics. The final and volumetrically dominant barren magma pulse underwent crystal fractionation and oxide precipitation in the core of the Nebo-Babel intrusion, which in turn caused sulfide saturation and formed trace but PGE-depleted sulfides in these units.

The Nebo-Babel deposit has a number of features in common with other Ni-Cu-PGE deposits hosted in dynamic magma conduits (e.g., Voisey's Bay), such as multiple magma pulses and sulfide entrainment from depth, rather than in situ sulfide segregation. However, Si addition was the primary cause of sulfide saturation and external S addition did not play a role in the genesis of the Nebo-Babel deposit.


Charles Perry's monumental sculpture Solstice is analysed and its generative geometrical logic based on a twisted toroidal sweep is captured in a computer programme with interactively adjustable control parameters. This programme is then used to generate other models of ribbed sculptures based on one or more interlinked torus knots. From this family of sculptures related to Perry's Solstice we derive a broader paradigm for the generation of 'ribbed' sculptures. It is based on one or two simple, mathematically defined 'guide rails', which are then populated with a dense set of thinner 'ribs' to create lightweight, transparent surfaces. With this broadened concept and a few suitably modified and parameterized programmes we can emulate many other ribbed sculptures by Charles Perry and also create new sculpture designs and mathematical visualization models that profit from the semi-transparent look of these structures.


Background: HIV elite controllers (EC) are a rare group of persons who spontaneously control plasma viral load (pVL) to less than 50 RNA copies/ml without antiretroviral treatment. Mechanisms responsible for viral control remain unknown, but cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are believed to play a crucial role. CTL pressure can select for HLA-associated escape mutations, but a comprehensive analysis of the frequency of CTL escape mutations in EC has not been done.
Methods: A previously described list of HLA-associated polymorphisms in HIV subtype B, which represent likely CTL escape mutations, was used to compare the frequency of these polymorphisms in plasma viral sequences from EC and untreated chronic individuals. HLA-associated mutations in 54 Gag, 41 RT and 39 Nef sequences from EC were compared with 567 Gag, 531 RT, and 686 Nef sequences from chronic individuals. Statistical analyses were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: HLA alleles enriched among EC were associated with more HLA-associated polymorphisms in Gag (p ¼ 0.001), particularly in the p24 protein. Despite having undetectable pVL, HLAassociated polymorphisms were commonly observed in plasma virus from EC, but the proportion of HLA-associated codons exhibiting escape was significantly lower in EC than in chronic patients for Gag (0.375 vs 0.500; p < 0.001), RT (0.308 vs 0.400; p < 0.001) and Nef (0.421 vs 0.533; p < 0.001). Significant differences in the frequency of HLA-associated polymorphisms were seen for A*03, A*30, B*15, B*27, Cw*06 and Cw*07 in Gag, and for B*57, Cw*07 and Cw*12 in Nef.
Conclusion: These results indicate that HLA-associated polymorphisms are common in plasma viral sequences from EC, but are significantly less frequent during controlled than chronic infection. Larger studies of EC viruses will be necessary to examine the role of particular HLA-associated mutations in control of HIV viremia.


Introduction Difficult venous access is a significant problem for a proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis C and a history of intravenous drug use. It can impede access to treatment and cause distress for the patient. Sampling blood through external jugular venepuncture (EJV) is highly successful. This enables more patients to be assessed and treated with antiviral therapy whilst participating in clinical trials. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of an EJV service in a large district general hospital, led by a Hepatology Specialist Nurse. Methods Data was collected prospectively, recording the number of attempts needed to successfully complete EJV. All procedures were performed by an experienced hepatology nurse. Patients who underwent EJV were invited to provide feedback on overall satisfaction. Results Between February 2012 and October 2013, external jugular venepuncture was attempted on 130 occasions in 57 chronic hepatitis C patients. The mean age of the patients was 39 (range 30–61) and there were 46 males and 11 females. Genotype distribution was mostly 3a (46%) and 1a (33%). 80% of EJV procedures (n = 103) were performed successfully on the first attempt, rising to 92% on the second attempt. In five patients (8%), EJV failed due to: previous neck surgery (1), vein thrombosis (3) and patient anxiety (1). No procedural complications were reported. Patient experience was 100% positive. Conclusion External jugular venepuncture is a useful method of blood sampling from patients with chronic hepatitis C and difficult venous access, allowing for monitoring of their therapy. A Specialist Nurse Led EJV service is safe, effective and is well received by patients. Due to this success, a number of our patients have been enrolled in clinical trials. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


In order to improve the flatness of cold rolled strips, strategies of closed loop feedback flatness control and rolling force feed forward control were established respectively, based on actuator efficiency factors. As the basis of flatness control system, efficiencies of flatness actuators provide a quantitative description to the law of flatness control. For the purpose of obtaining accurate efficiency factors matrixes of actuators, a self-learning model of actuator efficiency factors was established. The precision of actuator efficiency factors could be improved continuously by correlative measurement flatness data inputs. Meanwhile, the self-learning model of actuator efficiency factors permits the application of this flatness control for all possible types of actuators and every stand type. The developed flatness control system has been applied to a 1250mm single stand 6-H reversible UCM cold mill. Applications show that the flatness control system based on actuator efficiency factors is capable to obtain good flatness.


Research on organ donation suggests a strong association between family discussions about the issue and final organ donor status. However, very few studies have examined the factors that influence individuals' willingness to talk directly to their family about this topic or the impact of these discussions. This investigation provides a partial test of a newly developed theory of information management to better understand the processes of family discussions about organ donation. Results from two studies generally support the utility of the theory in this context, suggest ways in which organ donation campaigns may improve their effectiveness, and recommend future directions for researchers in this area. Moreover, the data show differences across ethnic groups that support and extend past work in this area.


Communication theory was founded on the system of sine-cosine functions. A more general theory has become known more recently; it replaces the sine-cosine functions by other systems of orthogonal functions, and the concept of frequency by that of sequency. Of these systems, the Walsh functions are of great practical interest since they lead to equipment that is easily implemented by semiconductor technology. Filters, multiplexing equipment, and a voice analyzer/synthesizer have been built successfully for Walsh functions. Some interesting applications of electromagnetic Walsh waves have been found theoretically.


to the WHO criteria and their pre-pregnancy BMI, the women were divided into 4 BMI groups; CRL were measured until 12 weeks to 103 uncomplicated pregnancies. The 4 groups included: 10 women (5.5%) group I (BMI < 18.5), 31 women (17.2%) group II (BMI between 18.5 and 25), 39 women (21.6%) group III (BMI between 25 and 35) and 100 women (55.7%) group IV (BMI > 35). Maternal characteristics (BMI) and US variables (CRL) were studied using a multiple regression analysis. Regression curves were generated by BMI groups. Results: The 4 study groups were comparable as maternal age, the median value being 28. CRL measurements across BMI at first trimester were best described by a linear equation. We have successfully demonstrated a positive correlation between BMI and CRL for a given gestational age (P < 0.05); we did not control for smoking in this descriptive analysis. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a larger BMI is associated with a greater growth as supported by CRL measurement. Our data in a limited number of cases justify the use of US in establishing the effect of BMI in the first trimester CRL growth.


The article calculates the economical efficacy and averted economical loss in intensive work of a pediatric surgical department. The introduction of a complex of therapeutic and preventive measures producing a purposeful effect on the wound process made it possible to reduce postoperative complications to 0.3% and the general hospital stay to 3.0 days in a group of patients with "minor" surgical diseases and to hospitalize additionally at least 900 patients annually. More than 203,000 roubles are saved annually due to a shorter stay in the hospital and increased bed turnover.


Diabetic subjects are at a greater risk of developing major vascular complications due to abnormalities pertinent to the diabetic milieu. Current treatment options achieve significant improvements in glucose levels and blood pressure control, but do not necessarily prevent or retard diabetes-mediated macrovascular disease. In this review, we highlight several pathways that are increasingly being appreciated as playing a significant role in diabetic vascular injury. We focus particularly on the advanced glycation end product/receptor for advanced glycation end product (AGE/RAGE) axis and its interplay with the nuclear protein HMGB1. We discuss evidence implicating a significant role for the renin–angiotensin system, urotensin II and PPAR, as well as the importance of proinflammatory mediators and oxidative stress in cardiovascular complications. The specific targeting of these pathways may lead to novel therapies to reduce the burden of diabetic vascular complications.


Agriculture remains critical to Africa's socioeconomic development, employing 65% of the work force and contributing 32% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Low productivity, which characterises food production in many Africa countries, remains a major concern. Compounded by the effects of climate change and lack of technical expertise, recent reports suggest that the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food systems in African countries may have further-reaching consequences than previously anticipated. Thus, it has become imperative that African scientists and farmers adopt new technologies which facilitate their research and provide smart agricultural solutions to mitigating current and future climate change-related challenges. Advanced technologies have been developed across the globe to facilitate adaptation to climate change in the agriculture sector. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), synthetic biology, and genomic selection, among others, constitute examples of some of these technologies. In this work, emerging advanced technologies with the potential to effectively mitigate climate change in Africa are reviewed. The authors show how these technologies can be utilised to enhance knowledge discovery for increased production in a climate change-impacted environment. We conclude that the application of these technologies could empower African scientists to explore agricultural strategies more resilient to the effects of climate change. Additionally, we conclude that support for African scientists from the international community in various forms is necessary to help Africans avoid the full undesirable effects of climate change.


Purpose: This study scrutinises the correlation between earnings quality and agency cost based on corruption level and cultural values in six South-East Asian (SEA) countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.Design/methodology: We restrict categorisation of each SEA country whether they have low or high agency cost. This study employs 581 firm-years observations from the 30 biggest market capitalisation firms of six SEA countries. We run multiple regressions of three main accrual models for main analysis (Jones, 1991; Dechow et al., 1995; Kasznik, 1999) to get discretionary accruals.Findings: Results show that firms in low agency cost countries have lower earnings quality, and indicate that earnings management behaviour in this study is efficient rather than detrimental. Furthermore, results present that firms with bigger size engage less in earnings management conduct compared to their counterparts.Originality/value: This study provides broader acknowledgement of how cultural values and corruption and their assumed correlation to agency cost could affect earnings management behaviour in South East Asia. We use a single proxy of high/low agency cost based on national cultural and corruption index.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the Turkish housing price and rent dynamics among seven big cities with a unique monthly data set over 2003–2019. The secondary purpose is to examine bubble dynamics within the price convergence framework through alternative tests.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper conducts two autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration estimates for housing prices and rents and applies conditional error correction model to investigate the long-run drivers of the Turkish housing market. The authors compare ARDL cointegration in-sample forecasts and discounted cash flow (DCF) estimates with actual prices to determine the timing, magnitude and collapse period(s) of bubbles within the price convergence framework. In particular, the generalized sup augmented Dickey–Fuller (GSADF) approach time stamps multiple explosive price behaviors.

Findings
The ARDL results confirm the theory of investment value by addressing mortgage rates, the price-to-rent ratio and rents as the fundamental factors of house prices. The price-to-rent ratio offers a comparison mechanism among houses deciding to buy a new house in which rents increase monthly real estate investment returns, and mortgage rates act as the discount rate. One key finding is that these dynamics have a greater impact on house prices than mortgage rates. Furthermore, the ARDL, DCF and GSADF findings exhibit temporal overvaluations rather than bubble signals, implying that housing price appreciations, including explosive behaviors, are consistent with fundamental advances.

Originality/value
This paper is considered to be innovative in determining housing market dynamics through two different ARDL estimates for the Turkish housing price index and rents in real terms as dependent variables. The authors compare the boom and collapse periods of the real housing price index and its fundamentals via the GSADF test. A final key feature of this research is its extensive data set, with 11 different regressors between 2003 and 2019.


Neutral endopeptidase (NEP, EC 18.104.22.168), purified from renal brush border, cleaves the Cys7-Phe8 amide bond of rat atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), to generate the inactive metabolite (ANP cleaved at the Cys7-Phe8 bond; x-ANP). To determine if NEP contributes to the inactivation of circulating ANP, we investigated the degradation of rat ANP (rANP, 1-28) in the vasculature. Formation of x-ANP from exogenous ANP was studied in a mesenteric arterial preparation by perfusion in a single pass system in the presence and absence of the NEP inhibitors, thiorphan or phosphoramidon. In addition, a purified membrane fraction was prepared from mesenteric arterial homogenate and compared with an equivalent renal membrane fraction. Formation of x-ANP was quantified by a specific immunoassay (ELISA). Renal and vascular membranes shared the same pH optima for x-ANP formation (pH 7.5), although x-ANP generation was considerably greater in renal vs. vascular membranes (31.6 and 0.4 nmol min-1 mg-1 of protein, respectively). Both preparations were inhibited in a similar, dose-dependent manner by phosphoramidon, thiorphan or a polyclonal antibody to NEP. In perfused mesenteric arteries, 1.6 +/- 0.8 pmol of x-ANP were generated from 1 microgram of ANP; this formation was inhibited 51% by 10 microM phosphoramidon or thiorphan. Plasma levels of x-ANP after bolus i.v. administration of rANP in rats, were inhibited (70-80%) by thiorphan at comparable doses to those used in perfused mesenteric arteries. These studies indicate that ANP is degraded in the vasculature by NEP or an "NEP-like" enzyme(s).


Folk medicine in Estonia has been studied more thoroughly within the last 30 years. Still, the respective data has always been on the folklorists' work-list, when publishing questionnaires or going out on fieldwork. It has to be taken into consideration that the times were hard for folkloristics both during the Soviet occupation in 1940–1941 and the German occupation in 1941–1944. Also the new political situation had its demands on scholarly research throughout the second Soviet occupation in the years 1945–1991. Nevertheless, by far the biggest collection campaign of Estonian folk medicine took place in 1959. Focused interest of folklorists in this topic grew significantly in the 1970s and 1980s, the last decades of the Soviet era, when official access to folk healers was allowed and New Age phenomena spread. The article is an abridged version of a chapter in an upcoming doctoral dissertation analysing the collecting and research of folk medicine in Estonia in the 20th century.


The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of miconazole for treating oral candidiasis. Twelve electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating treatments for oral candidiasis and complemented by hand searching. The clinical and mycological outcomes, as well as adverse effects, were set as the primary outcome criteria. Seventeen trials were included in this review. Most studies were considered to have a high or moderate level of bias. Miconazole was more effective than nystatin for thrush. For HIV-infected patients, there was no significant difference in the efficacy between miconazole and other antifungals. For denture wearers, microwave therapy was significantly better than miconazole. No significant difference was found in the safety evaluation between miconazole and other treatments. The relapse rate of miconazole oral gel may be lower than that of other formulations. This systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that miconazole may be an optional choice for thrush. Microwave therapy could be an effective adjunct treatment for denture stomatitis. Miconazole oral gel may be more effective than other formulations with regard to long-term results. However, future studies that are adequately powered, large-scale, and well-designed are needed to provide higher-quality evidence for the management of oral candidiasis.


BACKGROUND
To evaluate the effect of b value or the magnetic field strength (B0) on the sensitivity and specificity of quantitative breast diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

METHODS
A total of 126 patients underwent clinical breast MRI that included pre-contrast DWI imaging using b values of both 1,000 and 1,500 s/mm2 at either 1.5 T (n=86) or 3.0 T (n=40). Quantitative apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were measured and compared for 18 benign, 33 malignant lesions, and 126 normal breast tissues. Optimal ADCmean threshold for differentiating benign and malignant lesions was estimated and the effect of b values and B0 were examined using a generalized estimating equations (GEE) model.

RESULTS
The optimal ADCmean threshold was 1.235×10-3 mm2/s for b value of 1,000 and 0.934×10-3 mm2/s for b value of 1,500. Using these thresholds, the sensitivities and specificities were 96% and 89% (b value =1,000, B0 =1.5 T), 89% and 98% (b value =1,000, B0 =3.0 T), 88% and 96% (b value =1,500, B0 =1.5 T), and 67% and 100% (b value =1,500, B0 =3.0 T). No significant difference was found between different B0 (P=0.26) or b values (P=0.28).

CONCLUSIONS
Better sensitivity is achieved with DWI of b value =1,000 than with b value =1,500. However, b value and B0 do not significantly impact diagnostic performance of DWI when using appropriate thresholds.


Abstract. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire became an all-European military problem after the 1526 battle of Mohács and the fall of the Kingdom of Hungary A huge zone of defence was constructed between the Habsburg and Ottoman powers, dividing the former country. The first map of the country (Lazarus, 1528) was printed to serve Habsburg, imperial and Christian propaganda. The printed maps in the first half of the 16th century were compiled by humanist scholars (Lazius, 1556), and their representations of the stage of the Turkish wars were circulated in European atlases (Ortelius, 1570). Although proper military maps were rare in the Renaissance, the systematic, military-purpose mapping of the border fortifications indicates a Habsburg military cartography. The cartographic workshop of the Angelinis, an Italian family of military architects in Vienna, produced systematic collections of plans, views and chorographic maps in the 1570s. Map historians rarely consider the transfer of cartographic information between different modes and audiences. In this paper, the exchanges between Renaissance humanistic, military and commercial mapping are studied by map examples. Emphasizing the functional and representational changes the cartographic processes implied we focus on the connections between the contemporary, public and printed and the secret and manuscript cartographies. To expand the scope of the study a cross-cultural example, the representations of the 1566 siege of Sziget on Venetian prints and Ottoman topographical miniatures are compared. The Ottoman-Habsburg conflict, the series of the Turkish wars in Rumelia in 16th century exemplifies an appropriate context for the early-modern cartography of Hungary as a transitional and contested war zone.


Kelo v. City of New London unleashed an unprecedented legislative response when the Court upheld the use of eminent domain for private economic development as consistent with the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. By exhibiting an extreme deference to the legislative branch and failing to consider the current model of economic development, in which "desperate" cities have seen their economic bases contract and have embarked on fervent urban revitalization campaigns as a result, the Kelo Court failed to take into account the immense influence that large corporate interests wield in the legislature. This influence is generally exercised to the detriment of the interests of the average citizen whose home or small business is at risk of being seized on behalf of powerful private interests and in the name of economic development. Unwittingly, Kelo has opened the doors for abuse of these average citizens. Kelo saw its precursor in the infamous 1981 Poletown decision by the Michigan Supreme Court. Poletown's lessons and the Michigan Supreme Court's subsequent reversal of it are instructive in a postKelo world. While balancing the interests of cities and states desperate to revitalize their tax bases and those of the average citizen who are given very little recourse in Kelo and in many legislatures, this paper advocates a new framework under which economic development takings may be analyzed. This framework comprehends a process, mandated by either the courts or by the legislature in enabling legislation, in which Social Capital Impact Assessments (SCIA) would be used to correct the imbalance of power between large corporate interests and government, on the one hand, and the average citizen, on the other. Successfully implemented under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Environmental Impact Statements and Assessments, that mandate the study of federal agencies' actions and their impact on the environment, have revolutionized the influence of previously excluded environmental groups on environmental policy by using the courts as a mechanism for enforcement. By implementing a process by which governments must respond to questions relating to the social impact of proposals that contemplate economic development takings and by providing opportunities for public comments, as in NEPA, the legislative balance-of-power implications post-Kelo may be corrected.


Paper presents the progress of the project NOW A STRUDENT! TOMORROW A PROFESSIONAL! – THE IMPROVEMENT OF LABOUR MARKET INSERTION OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HIGHER TECHNICAL/ ECONOMIC/ VETERINARY EDUCATION, co-financed by European Social Fund through the Human Resources Development Sectoral Operational Programme 2007-2013, implemented by University Politehnica of Bucharest, University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest, University ' Lucian Blaga" Sibiu, University 1 December Alba Iulia, Romanian American University, Craiova University, Ovidius University Constanta. The project aims to facilitate and improve labor market insertion process and working skills development of a number of 10,000 students enrolled in higher technical / economic / veterinary medical education programs by developing and providing integrated guidance, professional counseling and development partnerships with 500 potential employers.. Relevant information about the project can be found at the address: www.proiectimpuls.ro .


With one of the largest and fastest growing private security sectors in the greater EU area, Turkey offers an interesting case study for examining the effects of neoliberal policing on private security labour. The analysis is based on unstructured interviews (N = 20) with private security guards, media reports and government documents. Focusing on (1) precarity, (2) militarism and (3) alienation, we find that while private security has been decisive in the militarization of urban space and the exercise of authoritarian control in daily social relations, it is also characterized by class contradictions manifested in the lived experiences of security labour. The growth of Turkish private security and its effects are both part of the common extension of pacification yet uniquely conditioned by the emergence of a single-party, authoritarian regime that has deliberately extended its reach, in part, through the expansion of private security.


Mammalian bipedalism has long been thought to have arisen in response to arid and open environments. Here, we tested whether bipedalism coevolved with environmental changes using molecular and paleontological data from the rodent superfamily Dipodoidea and statistical methods for reconstructing ancestral characteristics and past climates. Our results show that the post‐Late Miocene aridification exerted selective pressures on tooth shape, but not on leg length of bipedal jerboas. Cheek tooth crown height has increased since the Late Miocene, but the hind limb/head‐body length ratios remained stable and high despite the environmental change from humid and forested to arid and open conditions, rather than increasing from low to high as predicted by the arid‐bipedalism hypothesis. The decoupling of locomotor and dental character evolution indicates that bipedalism evolved under selective pressure different from that of dental hypsodonty in jerboas. We reconstructed the habitats of early jerboas using floral and faunal data, and the results show that the environments in which bipedalism evolved were forested. Our results suggest that bipedalism evolved as an adaptation to humid woodlands or forests for vertical jumping. Running at high speeds is likely a by‐product of selection for jumping, which became advantageous in open environments later on.


There has been an ongoing debate regarding appropriate strategies for the management of carious primary teeth. Studies appear to provide evidence that both selective, symptom-based interventions and traditional restorative strategies are advantageous. However, the analysis and quantification of childhood caries may be affected by clustering of data, and the concurrent risk of exfoliation of primary teeth.
Multilevel generalised linear models for the occurrence of primary caries were derived utilising data from a cohort study of 2,654 children aged 4-5 years at baseline undertaken 1999-2003. These models, which assumed underlying hierarchies with clustering at child, tooth and surface levels, identified higher rates of caries occurrence in primary molar teeth to be associated with boys, poor socio-economic background, lack of water fluoridation, 2nd mandibular molars and occlusal surfaces.
Significant risk factors identified were carried forward for inclusion in parametric competing risks multivariate multilevel survival models, utilising cohort study data augmented with Dental Practice Board treatment data. Analysis of sound teeth and surfaces found the concurrent risk of exfoliation did not alter inferences of parameter significance, but restricted the extent of caries occurrence and reduced distinction in survival experience between different types of teeth and surfaces in children from different demographic backgrounds.
Further competing risks survival models were derived to analyse the same teeth and surfaces in the untreated carious and filled states, to assess the effect of restorative treatment on subsequent exfoliation and extraction. Survival rates extrapolated to 14 years without further treatment for filled molar teeth were approximately double those of untreated teeth. Time of caries occurrence and treatment also affected survival, with later occurrence or treatment of caries associated with higher survival rates. However, early filling of carious teeth resulted in the greatest reductions in the expected time that decay is present in the mouth.


A novel red emitting phosphor, Ca2SnO4: Eu3+, was prepared by the low temperature solid state reaction. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the formation of Ca2SnO4: Eu3+. Scanning electron-microscopy (SEM) observation indicated a narrow size distribution of about 500 nm for the particles with spherical shape. Under 396 nm excitation, the Ca2SnO4: Eu3+ phosphor exhibits novel red emission at about 613 nm which is assigned to the 5D0→7F2 electric-dipole transition. Furthermore, the emission transition 5D0→7F2 has been found to be more prominent over the normal orange emission transition 5D0→7F1.


Coverage analysis is widely used but can suffer from high overhead. This overhead is especially acute in the context of Python, which is already notoriously slow (a recent study observes a roughly 30x slowdown vs. native code). We find that the state-of-the-art coverage tool for Python, coverage.py, introduces a median overhead of 180% with the standard Python interpreter. Slowdowns are even more extreme when using PyPy, a JIT-compiled Python implementation, with coverage.py imposing a median overhead of 1,300%. This performance degradation reduces the utility of coverage analysis in most use cases, including testing and fuzzing, and precludes its use in deployment. This paper presents SlipCover, a novel, near-zero overhead coverage analyzer for Python. SlipCover works without modifications to either the Python interpreter or PyPy. It first processes a program's AST to accurately identify all branches and lines. SlipCover then dynamically rewrites Python bytecodes to add lightweight instrumentation to each identified branch and line. At run time, SlipCover periodically de-instruments already-covered lines and branches. The result is extremely low overheads -- a median of just 5% -- making SlipCover suitable for use in deployment. We show its efficiency can translate to significant increases in the speed of coverage-based clients. As a proof of concept, we integrate SlipCover into TPBT, a targeted property-based testing system, and observe a 22x speedup.


The electric power grid is experiencing peak loads during day time in week days. High loads result in high costs and negative environmental impacts. One way to balance the electricity use is demand response, which means shifting load from peak hours to off peak hours. Electricity distributors can implement time-of-use electricity tariffs as an incentive for the end-users to be more flexible in their electricity use. In this study an attempt is made to segment electricity users in households based on their behavior and motivation to shift their electricity use to off peak hours. Behavioral and psychographic variables based on the theory of planned behavior were used to construct a survey. The survey was sent out to almost 3000 households where some of the respondents had a time-of-use tariff and some did not. The survey data was then analyzed using mainly cluster analysis. The results show that there are distinct groups of people experiencing different motivations and barriers to shifting their load. Economy, environmental impact and comfort were among the strongest factors. The study also shows that only for a few factors, motivation and intention to shift load were related to an actual behavioral change.Key words: demand response, theory of planned behavior, market segmentation, cluster analysis, user behavior


: A comparison of the three known methods made it possible to work out methods of complex extraction of deutero amino acids, deutero sugars and deutero vitamins from algae Chlorella sp. K., grown autotrophically in heavy water. An analysis of the isotopic composition of deutero amino acids by PMR indicates that treatment with HCl introduces 1H into side chains of some amino acids by chemical exchange (C2, 6H of tyrosine, C2H of histidine, rho-H of phenylalanin, beta-CH2-aspartate and gamma-CH2-glutamate. These exchanges made the amino acids convenient to be used as the substrates for the growth of heterotrophic selective deuterated organisms as a source of selective deuterated proteins.


With shrinking displays and increasing technology use by visually impaired users, it is important to improve usability with non-GUI interfaces such as menus. Using non-speech sounds called earcons or auditory icons has been proposed to enhance menu navigation. We compared search time and accuracy of menu navigation using four types of auditory representations: speech only; hierarchical earcons; auditory icons; and a new type called spearcons. Spearcons are created by speeding up a spoken phrase until it is not recognized as speech. Using a within-subjects design, participants searched a 5 x 5 menu for target items using each type of audio cue. Spearcons and speech-only both led to faster and more accurate menu navigation than auditory icons and hierarchical earcons. There was a significant practice effect for search time, within each type of auditory cue. These results suggest that spearcons are more effective than previous auditory cues in menu-based interfaces, and may lead to better performance and accuracy, as well as more flexible menu structures.


This study empirically investigates who is chosen as the reference group in the standard of living comparison and how it is chosen in Japan and the United States. The results show that majority people will compare to their neighbor instead of the average people in the nation (which is often assumed in the macro and finance literature), colleagues or friends (reference groups in income comparison) in both countries. This paper suggests that people may use the routine standards when facing the selection of reference groups in relative standard of living. In addition, this paper tests the influence of reference group itself on the standard of living. The result unveils that those who compare to their neighbor will rate the relative standard of living higher than the others.


Hypophosphataemia is a metabolic disorder that is commonly encountered in critically ill patients. Phosphate has many roles in physiological functions, thus the depletion of serum phosphate could lead to impairment in multiple organ systems, which include the respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and muscular systems and haematological and metabolic functions. Hypophosphataemia is defined as plasma phosphate level below 0.80 mmol per litre (mmol/L) and can be further divided into subgroups of mild (plasma phosphate of 0.66 to 0.79 mmol/L), moderate (plasma phosphate of 0.32 to 0.65 mmol/L) and severe (plasma phosphate of less than 0.32 mmol/L). The causes of hypophosphataemia include inadequate phosphate intake, decreased intestinal absorption, gastrointestinal or renal phosphate loss, and redistribution of phosphate into cells. Symptomatic hypophosphataemia associated with haematological malignancies has been reported infrequently. We report here a case of asymptomatic severe hypophosphataemia in a child with acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia. A 14-year-old Chinese boy was diagnosed to have acute T cell lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). His serum biochemistry results were normal except inorganic phosphate and lactate dehydrogenase levels. The serum inorganic phosphate level was 0.1mmol/L and the level was low on repeated analysis. The child had no symptoms related to low phosphate levels. The possible causes of low phosphate were ruled out and urine Tmp/GFR was normal. Chemotherapy regime was started and the serum phosphate levels started to increase. Hypophosphataemia in leukaemia was attributed to shift of phosphorus into leukemic cells and excessive cellular phosphate consumption by rapidly proliferating cells. Several reports of symptomatic hypophosphataemia in myelogenous and lymphoblastic leukaemia in adults have been reported. To our knowledge this is the first case of severe asymptomatic hypophosphataemia in a child with ALL.


Flow visualization has been widely used to display and discover patterns and features in vector fields. Common applications include the representation of ocean currents and weather model data. In this thesis, a flexible method for animating vector fields is developed, based on a generalization of a Poisson disc sampling method. The algorithm has two stages; in the first streamlets are drawn into an image buffer, larger than their intended size. Before they are drawn they are tested to see if they impact on already drawn areas; if they do, they are rejected. In the second stage the ones that pass the test are drawn normal size. The concept of a 3D streamlet object, which groups consecutive time step streamlets as a primitive rendering object, is introduced as part of a method for animating streamlets so that they have minimal overlap and show frame-to-frame coherence providing visual continuity when animating time varying vector fields. Acceptance schemes that allow for occasional overlap between streamlets are explored and found to improve both the speed and the overall quality. Both model data and real weather data are used to evaluate the method. The results show that the method produces good results and is flexible, allows for variable size and density of streamlets, and produces good results.


Brazil has one of the highest biodiversities in the world, both in the terrestrial and the marine environment. Thanks to its extensive coastal line, Brazilian marine flora and fauna are composed of species from many different marine bioregions. The ecosystems on the south-eastern and southern coasts have received considerable attention but, due to the great impact of human activities such as tourism, over-exploitation of marine resources, physical alteration, oil related activities and pollution among others, this environment is under great risk and its biodiversity is threatened. The most representative ecosystems of this region include sandy beaches, rocky shores, sea grass beds, soft bottom communities and mangrove forests. On the northern coast where the Amazon reaches the ocean, there is a complex group of freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems; the habitats there are very diverse and poorly known. This paper summarizes the known, which is the information currently available in Brazil in various types of publications resulting from research in marine biodiversity and the different ecosystems. As the unknown, a research priority is proposed involving the completion of a list of species and an assessment of the state of health of the main ecosystems on a national scale. This new information will need to be integrated and summarized in countrywide Geographic Information System (GIS) databases, accessible to the scientific community as well as to the management agencies. In the long-term, a genetic inventory must be included in order to provide better knowledge of the biological resources. Possible future projects at the local (Brazil), regional (Atlantic, off South America) and global (the whole of South America) scale are envisaged.


One of the main hallmarks of tuberculosis (TB) is the ability of the causative agent to transform into a stage of dormancy and the capability of long persistence in the host phagocytes. It is believed that approximately one-third of the population of the world is latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), and 5%–10% of these individuals can develop clinical manifestations of active TB even decades after the initial infection. In this latent, intracellular form, the bacillus is shielded by an extremely robust cell wall and becomes phenotypically resistant to most antituberculars. Therefore, there is a clear rationale to develop novel compounds or carrier-conjugated constructs of existing drugs that are effective against the intracellular form of the bacilli. In this paper, we describe an experimental road map to define optimal candidates against intracellular Mtb and potential compounds effective in the therapy of latent TB. To validate our approach, isoniazid, a first-line antitubercular drug was employed, which is active against extracellular Mtb in the submicromolar range, but ineffective against the intracellular form of the bacteria. Cationic peptide conjugates of isoniazid were synthesized and employed to study the host-directed drug delivery. To measure the intracellular killing activity of the compounds, Mtb-infected MonoMac-6 human monocytic cells were utilized. We have assessed the antitubercular activity, cytotoxicity, membrane interactions in combination with internalization efficacy, localization, and penetration ability on interface and tissue-mimicking 3D models. Based on these in vitro data, most active compounds were further evaluated in vivo in a murine model of TB. Intraperitoneal infectious route was employed to induce a course of slowly progressive and systemic disease. The well-being of the animals, monitored by the body weight, allows a prolonged experimental setup and provides a great opportunity to test the long-term activity of the drug candidates. Having shown the great potency of this simple and suitable experimental design for antimicrobial research, the proposed novel assay platform could be used in the future to develop further innovative and highly effective antituberculars.


Pseudomonas fluorescens isolates (n = 55) isolated from farm bulk tank milk (n = 55) from dairy herds in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota were examined for phenotypic (biotype, proteolytic, and lipolytic profiles) and genotypic (plasmid profiles and 16S-23S PCR ribotypes) characteristics. The observed phenotypic and genotypic characteristics were used to conduct phylogenetic analysis. Pseudomonas fluorescens belonged to 28 API 20 NE biotypes and 14 proteolytic and lipolytic profiles. It was observed that 80, 91, and 58% of the isolates were proteolytic at 7, 22, and 32 degrees C, respectively. Only 7, 44, and 7% of the isolates were lipolytic at the same three temperatures. Pseudomonas fluorescens was more likely to produce proteinases at 7 and 22 degrees C and lipases at 22 degrees C. Only 9 of 55 isolates of P. fluorescens harbored plasmids. This small percentage of plasmid-bearing isolates provided insufficient data for inferences related to the distribution of plasmid-bearing clonal types. Based on 16S-23S PCR ribotyping, P. fluorescens belonged to 14 subtypes. The 16S-23S PCR ribotyping technique allowed differentiation between strains; however, it did not concur with the biotypes and proteolytic and lipolytic profiles. Use of biotypes in conjunction with proteolytic and lipolytic profiles might have practical value for conducting trace-back studies related to P. fluorescens. Based on phylogenetic analysis, it was inferred that for the given geographical area and time period, P. fluorescens isolated from farm bulk tank milk consists of a large heterogeneous group of organisms.


External fields can be used to regulate the morphological and chemical properties of electrochemically synthesized materials. One example is phototropism, where the coaction of light absorption and carrier generation can induce controllable variations in the material as it grows under illumination. Here we describe the photoelectrodeposition of photocathodic cuprous oxide (Cu2O). Illuminating the growing film with photon energies in excess of the band gap of Cu2O results in nanoscale morphological changes in the structure of thin films and intrinsically dopes the material during growth. The result is a 'black' Cu2O film that is chemically distinct but crystallographically identical to an ordinary film grown in the dark. The flat band potential of the film is controlled by the growth illumination intensity and the photodoping is reversible under thermal oxidation. We explore the nature of the intrinsic dopant, the emergence of nanocrystalline Cu metal inclusions in the Cu2O matrix, and the potential of for this effect to be used in the fabrication of new semiconductor heterostructures. This chemical distinction between the native and black Cu2O can be exploited to pattern films with a photomask as an example of direct photolithography.


In Latvia, for more than a decade, a container system for packaging waste segregation has been in a continuous process of development – starting with the first containers in the beginning of 2000s until now, when there are efforts made to provide containers to people living in rural areas. Although the regeneration targets set by EU are fulfilled by the existing system, it is still considered as not effective enough. In many cases the existing system is considered as economically and even environmentally unsustainable, but it is still maintained due to governmental pressure. At the same time, for about last five years hot discussions are held on implementation of packaging deposit system which would operate in parallel with the existing containers' system. Since there are too many controversial arguments from the stakeholders involved, an analysis is necessary to assess the sustainability aspects of implementation of the depositrefund system in Latvia. The paper presents the results of an analysis of the social, economic and environmental aspects. The results show that the depositrefund system has a positive influence on the environmental aspects, however the benefits gained have to be balanced with the system's costs and efficiency, which is hard to reach in Latvia because of small beverage drinks' consumption. Therefore, solutions have to be found to enhance the existing curbside containers' system rather than to introduce the deposit-refund system.


There are a cluster of new facilities that OSs should provide to next-generation software applications, of which collaborative applications form an important subset. Providing these facilities involves both the introduction of new mechanisms at the kernel level and the ability to extend these into what has traditionally been termed the user level, to provide the ability to tailor a computer system with respect to the kinds of object one can manipulate and the ways in which group members can perform such manipulations. Object-oriented operating systems are in a unique position to address the provision of these facilities, given the naturally open and extensible nature of object-oriented systems in general. Getting the correct kinds of openness and extensibility requires close collaboration with the potential users of the facilities. The authors urge the evolution of a symbiotic working relationship between the designers and implementors of next-generation object-oriented operating systems and CSCW tool implementors, in order to ensure that the appropriate facilities are provided.<<ETX>>


The kinematics of feeding in the gekkotan lizard Phelsuma madagascariensis (Scleroglossa) was investigated using high-speed cinematography (200-300 frames s(-)(1)) and X-ray films (64 frames s(-)(1)). Qualitative kinematic analysis of the head and jaw displacement of the prey to (capture) and within (reduction, transport, swallowing, licking) the buccal cavity are compared for two types of prey (crickets and mealworms) in 30 feeding sequences from four individuals. Maximal displacement of structures and timing of events are compared statistically to assess the differences among the phases and the prey using analysis of variance. P. madagascariensis uses its jaws only to capture the two types of prey item, and the capture jaw cycle is divided into fast-opening (FO), fast-closing (FC) and slow-closing (SC) stages only. As in iguanians and other scleroglossans, the reduction and transport cycles always involve a slow opening (SOI and SOII) stage before the FO stage, followed by FC and SC stages: this last stage was not easily identified in all feeding phase. Transport of the prey was followed by a large number of licking cycles. Our data show (i) that the capture profile in gekkotans is similar to that observed for other scleroglossans and different from that described for iguanians (e.g. the absence of an SO stage); (ii) that the kinematics of jaw and related hyo-lingual cycles of intraoral manipulation (reduction and transport) are similar in lizards with a very different hyo-lingual system (Iguania, Gekkota and Scincomorpha), suggesting a basic mechanism of feeding cycles in squamates, transformed in varanids and snakes; and (iii) that prey type affects the kinematics of capture and manipulation, although the high level of variation among lizards suggests a possible individual modulation of feeding mechanism. A principal components analysis was performed to compare capture and transport cycles in this study of P. madagascariensis (Gekkota) and a previous study of Oplurus cuvieri (Iguania). This analysis separated the capture cycle of each species, but the transport cycles were not completely separated. These results demonstrate the complexity of the modulation and evolution of feeding process in squamates.


The need to better the lots of citizens through government expenditure has raised questions on the impact of government expenditure on the economic development and growth of nations. It is against this background that this paper examined the antecedent effect of government spending on the Nigerian economic growth. The general objective of the study is to ascertain the relationship between government expenditure and economic growth in Nigeria; specifically, the study examined: (i) the significance influence of government capital expenditure on economic growth in Nigeria and (ii) the significance influence of government recurrent expenditure on economic growth in Nigeria. The study employed ordinary least square (OLS) multiple regression analysis in estimating the specified model, with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the dependent variable, while Capital Expenditure (CAPEXP) and Recurrent Expenditure (REXP) are the independent variables. Data between 1980 – 2013 were collected from secondary sources through the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Results showed that in Nigeria, there exist a significant relationship between the government expenditure and economic growth. The study therefore recommends instilling fiscal discipline in government expenditures, and putting in place structural mechanisms to act as surveillance on capital spending so as to boost the nation's human and social capital.


Abstract Arguments are presented for the merit of integrating specimen databases into the practice of revisionary systematics. Work flows, data connections, data outputs, and data standardization are enumerated as critical aspects of such integration. Background information is provided on the use of "barcodes" as unique specimen identifiers and on methods for efficient data capture. Examples are provided on how to achieve efficient workflows and data standardization, as well as data outputs and data integration.


A numerical parameter match approach for harmonic retrieval is presented to improve the demerits of harmonic retrieval methods, such as complicated calculation, low precision and false frequency appearance. The theory deduction and computer simulation are given to show the validity of the approach, and the implementary steps are offered. Based on the characteristics of the motor vibration fault signals exhibiting cyclostation and harmonic information, the numerical harmonic retrieval method can not only search fixed frequency but also match fault characteristic frequency. By the amplitude modulation fault examples, the degrees of modulation variation are employed to validate the availability of the approach in rotating machinery fault diagnosis.


The conference is dedicated to highlighting the proven value and the great promise of Nondestructive Test and Evaluation (NDT/NDE) technologies and methods in extending the useful life and ensuring the safe performance of our diverse and aging infrastructure. Proceedings of the conference will summarize state-ofthe-art knowledge in NDE and make a difference in meeting the very real needs of infrastructure assessment, maintenance and renewal.


Prior to and since the 2022 Dobbs decision, U.S. state laws have endorsed individuals surveilling and punishing those associated with abortion care. This practice presents an urgent need to understand the characteristics of abortion stigma, particularly the perspectives of individuals with stigmatizing beliefs. To examine the concept and characteristics of abortion stigma, we interviewed 55 individuals about whether they thought there should be consequences for getting an abortion and, if so, what the consequences should be. Adults from three states (Michigan, Kansas, and Arizona) were purposively sampled to include a range of abortion identities and levels of religious engage-ment. We used re fl exive thematic analysis to code and interpret the data. Participants imagined consequences including fi nancial penalties, incarceration, and forced ster-ilization. Three themes highlighted how abortion was described as violating the law, women ' s gender roles, and religious doctrine; accordingly, abortion was imagined as deserving of negative consequences, although abortion was legal in all states during data collection. We argue that these imagined consequences relied on carceral logics and interconnected sexist, racist, and classist stereo-types that re fl ect and reproduce abortion stigma. This study deepens the understanding of abortion stigma from the per-spective of the stigmatizer, underscoring the danger of legislation grounded in stigmatizing beliefs. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ ' s website at http://journals.sagepub. com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843221131544.


A widely held view is that a dramatic shift is well underway in the structure of food system. First noticed at the farm level, contracting between retailers and fruit and vegetable growers for specific quality attributes signaled a shift from commodity style markets to relational transactions managed by retail grocers operating on massive spatial scales. By contracting directly with suppliers, retailers found they could more efficiently procure and manage characteristics of products and transactions that affect their performance. Similar contracting between meat processors and growers emerged in animal production. As a result of this shift, retailers define product specifications and contract their production. This new organizational form constitutes a shift from a manufacturer dominated push system coordinated by markets operating at grower, assembler, processor, wholesaler, and retailer levels, to a pull system coordinated by bilateral contracts and agreements. A key element of new strategies associated with these new organizational forms is the private label that can be used by retailers to strategically define attributes of products. The implications of private labels for farmer, processors, and consumers are significant and have received substantial attention by economic researchers, though many issues remain unresolved with respect to the performance implications of private labels and the new functional role of retailers. Of specific interest in this paper is how private labels relate to national brands, do they constitute near equivalent products that are close substitutes, or do they offer cheaper, lower quality products to a different market segment than buys national brands? To address this question, the paper presents results of student‐implemented effort to examine field evidence gathered through scripted interviews with consumers at retail grocery venues. The paper begins with a summary of the key results available from the literature and identifies questions left unresolved. The paper then presents our approach followed by presentation of results from field interviews. We implement the study in Vienna, Austria and find strong evidence that supports the conclusion that while private labels have been widely adopted as a strategic tool by retailers. We find that private labels have been targeted at two market segments. A segment of consumers looking for low cost, and lower quality products are served by several private labels, while an important set of private labels targets the segment of consumers looking for high quality, higher priced products. The latter finding confirms that private labels are appearing that constitute national brand near equivalent products. This finding further suggests that continued structural change in the food industry is likely to see increasing supply of private labels that challenge the market positions of national brands.


Weather fluctuations, such as those caused by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), add to the riskiness associated with agricultural production. Improved predictive capacity may help ameliorate negative impacts of climate and weather shocks on agriculture, but it is possible that the benefits of an improved forecast will be distributed unevenly. In particular, poor farmers may not have access to improved forecasts, or they may not have the means to adapt to new weather information. This paper uses a stochastic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to examine the distributive effects of improved forecasting of ENSO in Mexico. The particular focus is on agriculture, one of the most vulnerable sectors in the face of ENSO, as well as a sector which provides income to many of the country's poorest households. The model is used to investigate the responsiveness of various sectors of the economy under different degrees of improved predictive capacity and improvements in agricultural technology. The CGE model used in this study is augmented with a stochastic component, which allows us to simulate a range of stochastic shocks using Monte Carlo methods. With this framework we can compute the mean values and variances of key variables, such as production levels and incomes under stochastic shocks. Given that the model is highly nonlinear, Monte Carlo methods provide information on the sources of volatility in the economy and the builtin shock absorbers that help dampen that volatility. The results show that while agricultural losses are small as a share of the overall economy, improved forecasting techniques can eliminate these losses. ENSO events harm some regions – particularly the Central, Pacific South, and South East regions – more than others. Agricultural production in these regions benefits the most from improved forecasting. Since these regions also are the regions with higher poverty, they should be targeted by policy makers who are concerned with alleviating the effects of ENSO events on the poor. The simulations also show that poor households are the least able to take advantage of improvements in forecasting, since at higher levels of preparedness agricultural production shifts to sectors from which poor households receive less income. Finally, in Mexico, ENSO events contribute only a small share of overall variability in agriculture. It might be better to focus efforts on the latter problem, in terms of improved agricultural seeds, extension services, and schemes to protect already fragile lands.


Abstract. The design of new manipulators requires the knowledge of their kinematic behaviour. Important kinematic properties can be characterized by the determination of certain points of interest. Important points of interest are cusps and nodes, which are special singular points responsible for the non-singular posture changing ability and for the existence of voids in the workspace, respectively. In practice, numerical errors should be properly tackled when calculating these points. This paper proposes an interval analysis based approach for the design of a numerical algorithm that finds enclosures of points of interest in the workspace and joint space of the studied robot. The algorithm is applied on 3R manipulators with mutually orthogonal joint axes. A pre-processing collision detection algorithm is also proposed, allowing, for instance, to check for the accessibility of a manipulator to its points of interest. Through the two proposed complementary algorithms, based on interval analysis, this paper aims to provide a guaranteed way to obtain a broad characterisation of robotic manipulators.