Background: About 30 years ago, the Palaearctic fly Drosophila subobscura successfully invaded the New World, where parasitoid species diversity was thought to be lower than in the Old World. Hypotheses: Because parasitoids cause major mortality to Drosophila, the invader should benefit from escaping its natural parasitoid enemies and enjoy lower rates of parasitism than in the Old World. Also, if co-evolutionary selection on parasitoids promotes their adaptation to local fly stocks, parasitoids should have enhanced fitness when reared on local flies rather than allopatric ones. Methods: We collected flies and parasitoids from Ige (France) and from near Seattle (USA). In factorial laboratory experiments, we exposed D. subobscura larvae from both sites to parasitoids (Leptopilina heterotoma) from both sites and then scored parasitoid success rate, impact rate, and fecundity. Results: Despite the generally held belief, the parasitoid community in Seattle is the same as that in Ige and not depauperate. Success rate (probability that an infested fly gave rise to an adult wasp) was high (0.83–0.86) and independent of treatment, showing that invasive and native flies were equally vulnerable to both populations of parasitoids. Seattle flies were larger than Ige flies, and parasitoids emerging from Seattle flies were larger than those emerging from Ige flies. Fecundity of parasitoids reared on Seattle flies was greater than those reared on Ige flies, especially when parasitoids were also from Seattle. Overall, the success of D. subobscura in the New World appears to be unrelated to biogeographical escape from parasitoids because these flies have very high mortality in the presence of local L. heterotoma, at least in the laboratory. Yet L. heterotoma does seem to be locally adapted, having higher fecundity when reared on local flies.


1. The effects of six bracken control treatments applied in combination with a Calluna* seeding treatment on the rhizome system of bracken Pteridium aquilinum at Cavenham Heath in Breckland was assessed after 18 years. Bracken control included cutting once and twice yearly between 1978 and 1996; spraying the herbicide asulam at the recommended rate (4·4 kg a.i. ha−1) in two treatments (1978 and 1978 plus 1979), each followed by repeat doses in 1984 and 1990, and spraying asulam followed by cutting once yearly. After 6 years the experiment was split and bracken control was continued/reapplied on half the plots and stopped on the remainder. The effects of treatment on the numbers of active and dormant buds and the length and biomass on both frond-bearing and storage rhizomes were measured.

2. When applied continuously over the 18 years, all treatments reduced all rhizome measures, but treatments that included cutting were more effective than ones that just used asulam. The best treatment after 10–12 years was cutting twice yearly, but after 18 years this treatment had apparently reached an equilibrium and the cutting-once-yearly treatment was superior. No treatment eradicated the bracken in 18 years of continuous treatment.

3. When bracken control treatments were stopped after 6 years rhizome recovery started within 4 years and there was significant recovery thereafter. After 12 years the least effective treatment, cut once yearly, although still showing a significant reduction in rhizome biomass, had recovered to 88% of the untreated plots. The most effective treatment was cutting twice yearly for 6 years, where most measures of rhizome performance remained at approximately 50% of untreated plots 12 years after cutting stopped.

4. Regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between frond production and rhizome characteristics. Rhizome biomass, especially of the storage rhizome component, was consistently the most important variable; frond bud numbers were less important.

5. Simple models, developed making assumptions that the response of the rhizome to treatment is linear through time, have been shown to be invalid over the longer time period. This is because the impacts of the treatments reduce through time.

6. These results are discussed in relation to long-term bracken control and the assessment of bracken stocks. If bracken is to be suppressed on a long-term basis a continuous control strategy is needed. It is unlikely that complete eradication will be possible with current control technology. The long time scale found for the total recovery of the bracken from only 6 years of treatment (>12 years) means that the large areas of bracken that have been treated in the past will take some time to recover to pretreatment levels. This recovery is an unknown factor in bracken stock assessments.


Synopsis As an alternative to model-based spectral fitting tools, we introduce a machine-learning framework for estimating metabolite concentrations in MR spectra acquired from a homogeneous cohort of 42 patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Our framework based on random-forest regression performs a 42-fold cross validation on this dataset which involves (1) learning the spectral features from this cohort; (2) estimating concentrations and calculating relative error over the LCModel estimates. Compared to the LCModel, our method, after training, gives a low estimation error and a 60-fold improvement in estimation speed per patient.


Examines the constitutional boundaries of the judicial function in the light of the Human Rights Act 1998, focusing on the courts approach to the interpretive obligations under s.3, the power to make declarations of incompatibility under s.4, and the concept of judicial deference to statute law and parliamentary sovereignty. Discusses the debate around judicial deference and the background to enactment of the 1998 Act, the rules of statutory interpretation and the judiciary's views on the meaning of the obligation to read legislation to give effect to rights under the European Convention on Human Rights 1950 "so far as it is possible to do so". Argues that the concept of judicial deference was not contained within the 1998 Act and that judicial decisions, exemplified by R. v A (Complainant's Sexual History), have failed to reflect the structure of the ss.3 and 4 which sought to enable the courts to uphold rights while also maintaining the legislature's authority. Suggests that the proper application of this dialogue or relational scheme would obviate the need for a further concept of judicial deference.


Background : Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common and continuously growing cause of nosocomial and community-acquired staphylococcal infections around the world. Screening for colonization with MRSA is a major aspect of control and limiting the spread of infections cause by this organism. We investigated the carriage of MRSA among apparently healthy individuals in four rural villages: Eleburu, Tapa, Atere and Apo all around semi-urban town-Malete, in Moro Local Government of Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods : Nasal swabs were collected from volunteered individuals and were cultured on mannitol salt agar and blood agar for isolation and identification of Staph aureus using standard microbiological techniques. Susceptibility to cefoxitin disc (30 ag) was used to determine MRSA status of the isolates. Molecular method was used to detect the gene responsible for resistance among MRSA isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility test to commonly prescribed antibiotics was carried out using discs diffusion method. Results : Total number of individuals carrying Staph aureus in their nostrils was 42 (37.2 %). Antibiotics susceptibility profile of Staph aureus isolates showed 100 % resistance to cefuroxime, cefotaxime, cloxacillin and augmentin, and were 87 %, 81 %, 69 % and 23.8 % and 19 % resistant to tetracycline, ceftriaxone, erythromycin, ofloxacin and gentamicin respectively. A total of 6 (14%) Community –Acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) isolates were recovered from individuals living in these villages. Molecular method detected muc and mecA genes in all the 6 (100%) CA-MRSA isolates and lukS-lukF was detected in 3 (50%) of the isolates. Conclusion : Detection of CA-MRSA strains among these rural dweller indicates that they are harbouring enhance virulence organism that may manifest a more severe disease condition. The danger associated with high prevalence of multidrug resistant Staph aureus and CAMRSA; and its consequential effects of poor drug administration in Nigeria was discussed. There is need to establish a more strict legislation and enforcement on drug control; and a body that would monitor production and appropriate use of antibiotics in the Nigeria. KEYWORDS : CA-MRSA, Staph aureus , Antibiotics, Rural Villages and Molecular Characterization


Since the introduction of the new beta-lactamase-stable beta-lactam compounds, inducible beta-lactamases have become increasingly important clinically [1]. It has recently been pointed out that most beta-lactam antibiotics appear to be affected by these derepressed enzymes either by hydrolysis or by the nonhydrolytic barrier mechanism [2]. Until now, it has generally been assumed that beta-lactamases are induced only by the beta-lactam compounds themselves. We investigated an E cloacae strain that exhibited high levels of resistance to most beta-lactam antibiotics. (MICs were greater than 32 micrograms/ml, except for N-formimidoyl thienamycin and the penem compound Sch 29482). Spontaneous production of beta-lactamase (after overnight culture in Isosensitest broth) was only marginal. However, the induction potency of Schaedler's broth even exceeded that of cefoxitin, which is known to be a good inducer [2]. We evaluated the induction potency of various cyclic compounds, such as amino acids, vitamins, purine derivatives, and steroid hormones. Only tryptophane, thiamine, folic acid, and hemine proved to be effacious inducers. Consequently, we explored the possibility that biological fluids also exhibit induction potency. The addition of inactivated serum (at a concentration of 25%) to the Isosensitest medium led to an enzyme induction comparable to that of cefoxitin. Similar results could be obtained with the addition of pleural fluid, CSF, or urine. These observations confirm the previous report that Morganella morganii strains produced considerable amounts of beta-lactamase even in a group of animals that did not receive treatment with beta-lactam compounds (granuloma pouch model) [3].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Despite scalable computing resource facilities and industry's ability to accurately model individual components with simulations, fine-grained physical level power simulation for today's typical digital design is found to be too expensive, especially, when parametric variations need to be accounted for modern processes. This paper presents a new linear solver based on-line modeling method that exploit existing slow but accurate simulators to obtain highly accurate sub-circuit power estimates while using significantly less processing and memory resources. Comparative simulation runs for a number of benchmark circuits using industry standard SPICE simulators and our simulator suggest that our technique can accelerate existing simulation speed up to 100x with less memory without sacrificing power estimate accuracy.


In recent years, wellbeing has emerged as a way to describe the holistic health of a population. This thesis explores the premise that spiritual wellbeing, an often neglected and poorly understood dimension of the wellbeing spectrum, may offer a complementary and cohesive element to physical, mental and social wellbeing. Nature-based activities hold promise for developing spiritual wellbeing, but prior research has focussed primarily on wilderness settings. Such spaces are increasingly rare and for individuals living in urbanised areas it is of equal importance to identify the spiritual wellbeing benefits from nearby and everyday nature spaces. As accessible nature spaces, gardens and gardening activity provide an often undervalued opportunity through which individuals can engage with local nature. Gardeners may therefore be able to offer a unique insight into the role that interaction with nature may play in spiritual wellbeing. This study therefore focuses on how spiritual wellbeing may be enhanced and developed through interaction with nature in the context of urban gardens. The study consists of two phases: Phase One focussed on community gardeners and was used to scope the topic and methodologies; Phase Two used semi-structured interviews with 25 gardeners to explore how spiritual wellbeing related to their gardening experiences. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that in the context of gardening, spiritual wellbeing is supported and developed through four key themes of: Contribution, Connection, Awareness, and Being Self, as expressed through a meaningful relationship with An-Other. Previous spiritual wellbeing studies have highlighted the concept of a relationship with the 'Other' and wellbeing models often cite human-human relationships as important in developing wellbeing. Findings from the study suggest that interaction with nature, through the partnership activity of gardening, provides a human-nature relationship that may offer equivalent benefits in developing spiritual wellbeing. The findings may offer a novel approach to help address contemporary wellbeing issues, whilst also adding a new significance to the urban garden.


Background: Hemorrhoidal disease is a very common anorectal disorder occurring more frequently in individuals who are older than 40 years. Although early-stage diseases can be managed conservatively, late-stage diseases usually need surgical treatment. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy with bipolar diathermy hemorrhoidectomy in terms of operative time, intraoperative bleeding, hospital stay, pain expectation score, time to start normal activity, and complications if any. Materials and Methods: The study entitled, "Harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy versus bipolar diathermy hemorrhoidectomy-A prospective evaluation" was conducted in the Department of General and Minimal invasive Surgery SKIMS and SKIMS Medical College Srinagar from July 2017 to June 2019. The study was performed on all patients with Grade 3 and Grade 4 hemorrhoids. The total number of patients studied was 64, who were randomly subjected either to the harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy or to bipolar diathermy hemorrhoidectomy. Results: Thirty-one patients were subjected to harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy and 33 patients were subjected to bipolar diathermy hemorrhoidectomy. Mean operative time and intraoperative bleeding were significantly less in harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy as compared to that of bipolar hemorrhoidectomy. The patients who underwent harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy experienced significantly less pain and had significantly shorter hospital stay and early return to routine work in contrast to bipolar diathermy hemorrhoidectomy. Conclusion: Harmonic scalpel hemorrhoidectomy is recommended in patients with symptomatic Grade 3 internal hemorrhoids in association with large external components and those with Grade 4 hemorrhoids.


The integration of structures supporting Bloch surface waves (BSWs) with optical fibers is highly desirable, since it would enable the development of high‐figure‐of‐merit miniaturized all‐fiber optrodes, opening new pathways within the "lab‐on‐fiber" roadmap. Here, the first experimental demonstration of grating‐assisted excitation of BSWs on the tip of single‐mode fibers in the near‐infrared region is provided. This is attained via fabrication of a 1D diffraction grating on the fiber facet, and subsequent deposition of a 1D photonic crystal. In spite of a resonance broadening due to grating‐induced morphological perturbations, the measured Q‐factor of 50 is still higher than typical lab‐on‐tip plasmonic‐probe benchmarks. With a view toward biomolecular sensing, a surface sensitivity of 1.22 nm nm−1 of homogeneous overlay deposited over the active region, which is in line with most plasmonic optrodes largely used in connection with optical fibers, is evaluated. The results also highlight the current limitations and the challenges to face for the development of advanced BSW‐based fiber‐tip platforms for biological sensing applications.


: The aim of thes; study was to observe initial stage of wedge-shaped defects under scanning electron microscopy without prior samples preparation. There were revealed special features of structure of enamel and cement at initial stage of wedge-shaped defects in comparison to normal tissues.


We propose a weakly-supervised structured learning approach for recognition and spatio-temporal localization of actions in video. As part of the proposed approach, we develop a generalization of the Max-Path search algorithm which allows us to efficiently search over a structured space of multiple spatio-temporal paths while also incorporating context information into the model. Instead of using spatial annotations in the form of bounding boxes to guide the latent model during training, we utilize human gaze data in the form of a weak supervisory signal. This is achieved by incorporating eye gaze, along with the classification, into the structured loss within the latent SVM learning framework. Experiments on a challenging benchmark dataset, UCF-Sports, show that our model is more accurate, in terms of classification, and achieves state-of-the-art results in localization. In addition, our model can produce top-down saliency maps conditioned on the classification label and localized latent paths.


Synthetic targets that mimic key structural and conformational features in proteins are of intense scientific interest. These structures can reproduce the biological activity of their naturally occurring counterparts, while improving their properties in vivo. This project focuses on the synthesis of beta-turn mimetic structures, based on the opioid pentapeptide leu‑enkephalin. More specifically, the target mimetics in this project are based on the enkephalin derivative, leu‑enkephalinamide.

Leu-enkephalin is conformationally very flexible, giving it the ability to bind to different opioid receptors. This results not only in the physiological relief of pain, but also in various potential side effects such as miosis or physical dependency. Natural peptide structures also have limited suitability for drug applications because of their poor transport properties and their tendency to undergo proteolytic degradation. The synthesis of macrocyclic mimetics can overcome these problems and give a conformationally rigid molecule that exhibits a desired biological activity.

This thesis will discuss some published examples of beta-turn mimetic structures that have been designed and synthesised by research groups working in this field. The examples that are shown have been chosen to illustrate some of the work that has taken place in this area over recent years. Advances in the synthesis of ynamides and other ynamine analogues is also discussed, due to the importance of this type of chemistry in the research project.
Efforts towards the synthesis of several 10-membered macrocycles are described herein. The target structures are model compounds that are designed to explore varied chemical approaches towards such ring systems. This thesis will discuss the synthesis of several linear precursors to the proposed macrocycles and efforts to cyclise these structures to form the desired targets.

The targets that were synthesized employed varied approaches to the key cyclisation reaction. Initially, a metal-mediated coupling approach to an ynamide target was chosen. This was subsequently refined by including a proline residue in the linear precursor to bring the reacting groups into closer proximity. Finally, several approaches were investigated to close an alkyne bonded macrocycle by coupling the amide functionality at the opposite side of the ring.


Background: Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular condition characterized by progressive loss of muscle function. Mutation of the survival motor neuron (SMN1) protein results in degradation of motor neuronal pools. Despite variability in phenotypic expression, SMA is classified into subtypes based upon achievement of gross motor milestones. Purpose: The purpose of this case report is to highlight the physical therapist's role in reducing diagnostic delays and in the ongoing management of SMA while discussing the impact of medical advancements. Case Description: The patient was diagnosed with SMA Type II at 17 months of age following evaluation for delayed milestones. The child presented with significant hypotonia and decreased muscle strength with a Gross Motor Quotient of 61 on the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale (PDMS-2). The patient is currently 8 years old and utilizes a power mobility device. Breath support strategies have been implemented to improve control of respiratory muscles in addition to resistance exercise and postural control training. Outcomes: Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) is frequently used to monitor respiratory status, but Maximum Phonation Time (MPT) and rib cage excursion may provide alternative means of assessment. Additional measures included the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE), Sitting Balance Scale (SBS), and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Discussion: Diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases is complicated by variability in clinical presentation and lack of expertise by healthcare professionals. Increased awareness and knowledge of red flag warning signs will help decrease delays in diagnosis and improve access to medical services. Further, the progressive nature of SMA can make it difficult to show improvement using functional outcome measures. Participation-based measures provide a means to demonstrate meaningful change throughout habilitation. SMA Diagnosis and Management


The review concerns the effects of a variety of stimuli on the reproduction of conditioned reflexes. By the literature data, during conditioning of any type, besides the single stimulus intentionally applied by an experimenter as a conditioned one, an animal perceives the whole complex of stimuli (acoustic, visual, olfactory, algesic, and other exteroceptive, proprioceptive, and interoceptive stimuli), including those of the environment and time of the day during training. Many of these stimuli are essential for the reproduction of the acquired habit. The complex of stimuli that act on an animal during the reproduction should in all parameters correspond to that perceived by the animal during training. If the complexes differ at least in one stimulus, the reproduction of the reflex may fail.


Emission regulations throughout the world continue to tighten, creating technical and economic challenges for various industries. The U.S. has proposed strict emissions limits that include mercury (Hg), particulate matter (PM) and a growing focus on NOx, while Europe is focusing more aggressively on reducing Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and PM emissions first. Innovative new technologies are being developed and introduced to meet proposed emissions levels for industries such as waste to energy facilities, Cement clinker producers and Sintering processes.Catalytically active ceramic or textile filter media have been applied over the past 15 years ensuring a simultaneous removal of PM, NOx and PCDD/F-compounds. A new textile filter type containing 2 filter bags (bag-over-bag) has recently been designed for such a multi-functional approach at elevated filter temperatures (T>170°C) where PMs are filtered on an ePTFE membrane (1st layer) and NOx is reduced by a catalytic reaction (2nd layer) with NH3 injected upstream. The separate bag construction enables the removal of the catalytic inner bag once it has been deactivated by ammonium-(bi)-sulphates. An appropriate regeneration process outside the bagfilter was developed for such new DeNOx system.The implementation of this 2-layer filter bag concept into existing Air Pollution Control (APC) systems and the catalyst management has been demonstrated on full-scale at the waste to energy facility of Acegas APS Padova (Italy). Emissions of NOx (as NO2) < 70mg/Nm3 with NH3<3mg/Nm3 with PM<0,5mg/Nm3 can be constantly achieved.The implementation of this filter bag system achieves highest energy efficiency, lowest costs for consumables when it is applied in dry sorption filters at elevated temperatures.In U.S., the strong demand for lowest Hg emission promotes innovative solutions for efficient and reliable Hg removal. Hg can be efficiently captured in a new fixed sorbent bed technology which is installed downstream the baghouse.This paper presents the innovative concepts for multi-functional filter as well as for Hg removal, showing also field data of both new technologies.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


This research includes design of new ciprofloxacin bearing oxadiazole at the N-4 piperazinyl for the purpose of having urease inhibitory activity as well as antibacterial activity. Hence, a group of new N-4 piperazinyl oxdiazole derivatives of ciprofloxacin was prepared and characterized using different spectroscopic and analytical techniques including 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS and elemental analysis. Compounds 5b and 5c experienced moderate activity against the urease producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains better than the standard drug used chloramphenicol and less than the parent drug ciprofloxacin. On the other hand, most of the tested compounds showed a urease inhibitory activity more than the parent drug, ciprofloxacin and comparable to standard, thiourea. The docked compounds exhibited better binding to urease enzyme of H. pylori than standard, AHA with binding scores for correlate to the anti-urease assay results. Compound 5b was the most potent anti-Klebsiella pneumoniae urease inhibitor with activity higher the standard (IC50 = 67.8 and 78.89 µM, respectively).


Background: Recent evidence suggests that children and adolescents presenting poor motor skills are at greater risk of developing internalizing symptoms, emotional/behavioural and externalizing problems. Motor coordination difficulties, as in Developmental Coordination Disorder, co-occurrence with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity and Autism Spectrum Disorders are well documented. Few studies investigated the co-occurrence of motor difficulties and mood, anxiety, psychotic and emerging personality disorders in children and adolescents. Objectives: To investigate whether children presenting psychiatric symptomatology manifest motor coordination difficulties. Methods: 48 children and adolescents in semi-hospitalisation in a psychiatric-day facility were selected during a period of two years and screened according to DSM-5 criteria and a motor coordination assessment battery. Results: Our findings demonstrated motor difficulties (percentile ≤ 16 in Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2) to be significantly more prevalent among children and adolescents with Bipolar (15.62%), Psychotic (9.37%), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity (21.87%) and Autistic disorders (18.75%). Motor coordination difficulties were equally prevalent among children presenting Anxiety (12.50%), Conduct (3.12%), Eating (3.12%) and Depressive disorders (9.37%) although no significant difference were detected between groups. Youth presenting traits of Emerging Personality Disorders did not reveal motor difficulties. Conclusion: The co-occurrence of motor deficits and internalizing symptoms, such as in Bipolar and Psychotic disorders is somehow unexpected but offer evidence to support some previous findings in the literature. The presence of motor coordination deficits among patients with Attention deficit/ Hyperactivity and Autistic disorders is congruent to previous literature. Future research should further explore the association of motor deficits with Bipolar and Psychotic disorders in larger samples, and highlights the need for motor assessment in the practice of child psychiatry.


The Clavariaceae is a diverse family of mushroom-forming fungi composed of species that produce simple clubs, coralloid, lamellate-stipitate, hydnoid and resupinate sporocarps. Here we present a systematic and ecological overview of the Clavariaceae based on phylogenetic analysis of sequences of the nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (nLSU), including nine from type collections. Forty-seven sequences from sporocarps of diverse taxa across the Clavariaceae were merged with 243 environmental sequences from GenBank and analyzed phylogenetically to determine major clades within the family. Four major clades or lineages were recovered: (i) Mucronella, (ii) Ramariopsis-Clavulinopsis, (iii) Hyphodontiella and (iv) Clavaria-Camarophyllopsis-Clavicorona. Clavaria is paraphyletic, within which the lamellate and pileate-stipitate genus Camarophyllopsis is derived and composed of two independent lineages. The monotypic genus Clavicorona also appears nested within Clavaria. The monophyly of Clavaria and Camarophyllopsis, however, cannot be statistically rejected. We compared differing classification schemes for the genera Ramariopsis and Clavulinopsis, most of which are inconsistent with the molecular phylogeny and are statistically rejected. Scytinopogon, a genus classified in the Clavariaceae by several authors, shares phylogenetic affinities with the Trechisporales. Overall 126 molecular operational taxonomic units can be recognized in the Clavariaceae, roughly half of which are known only from environmental sequences, an estimate that exceeds the known number of species in the family. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen were measured from specimens representing most major phylogenetic lineages to predict trophic strategies. These results suggest that most non-lignicolous species feature a biotrophic mode of nutrition. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis highlights the taxonomic significance of at least nine morphological traits at various depths in the family tree.


This paper investigates the dialect of the parish of By, which is in the south east of Dalecarlia (Dalarna). The investigation focuses on the vocabulary, and dialect word knowledge of the younger generation (school children about twelve years old). This article presents four identical dialect studies, the first one from 1980, the second and the third from the late nineties and the last from 2010. According to the results of these studies, the younger generation´s familiarity with dialect words has diminished considerably over the last thirty years. In 2010 only a few of the informants are familiar with the meaning of the dialect words. The investigation shows that this development (the decline of the dialect) ought to be seen from a sociolinguistic and demographic point of view, where we pay attention not only to contact between the generations but also to industrial mobility and increasing migration.


Many studies have dealt with the medicinal properties of Jatropha curcas;however, there are limited studies on the scope of its antiviral potential. This is a fact associated with the current challenges posed by HIV-AIDS and COVID-19, which has reinforced the need to expand the knowledge about its antiviral resource. Based on the search for natural products with anti-HIV-1 and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities, this work analyzed the extract of J. curcas seed, the structure of the plant whose antiviral references were not found in the literature, and the compounds that can potentiate it as a candidate for herbal medicine. GC-MS analysis was used to screen for the active substances of the J. curcas seeds, and the literature was searched to find those with anti-HIV-1 and anti-SARS-CoV-2 indication. The results showed they have 27 compounds, of which glycerol 1-palmitate, stigmasterol and gamma-sitosterol were shown to have antiviral action in the literature. Regarding glycerol 1-palmitate, no detailed description of its antiviral action was found. Stigmasterol and gamma-sitosterol act as anti-HIV-1 and anti-SARS-CoV-2, respectively, inhibiting the reverse transcriptase of HIV-1, the proteases 3CLpro, PLpro and the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2. However, despite the fact that the extract of J. curcas seeds consist of antiviral compounds that fight against the etiological agents of HIV-AIDS and COVID-19, it is concluded that there is a need to deepen this evidence, by in vitro and in vivo assays.


Objective. In the course of daily teaching responsibilities, pharmacy educators collect rich data that can provide valuable insight into student learning. This article describes the qualitative data analysis method of content analysis, which can be useful to pharmacy educators because of its application in the investigation of a wide variety of data sources, including textual, visual, and audio files. Findings. Both manifest and latent content analysis approaches are described, with several examples used to illustrate the processes. This article also offers insights into the variety of relevant terms and visualizations found in the content analysis literature. Finally, common threats to the reliability and validity of content analysis are discussed, along with suitable strategies to mitigate these risks during analysis. Summary. This review of content analysis as a qualitative data analysis method will provide clarity and actionable instruction for both novice and experienced pharmacy education researchers.


Modelers of molecular signaling networks must cope with the combinatorial explosion of protein states generated by posttranslational modifications and complex formation. Rule-based models provide a powerful alternative to approaches that require explicit enumeration of all possible molecular species of a system. Such models consist of formal rules stipulating the (partial) contexts wherein specific protein–protein interactions occur. These contexts specify molecular patterns that are usually less detailed than molecular species. Yet, the execution of rule-based dynamics requires stochastic simulation, which can be very costly. It thus appears desirable to convert a rule-based model into a reduced system of differential equations by exploiting the granularity at which rules specify interactions. We present a formal (and automated) method for constructing a coarse-grained and self-consistent dynamical system aimed at molecular patterns that are distinguishable by the dynamics of the original system as posited by the rules. The method is formally sound and never requires the execution of the rule-based model. The coarse-grained variables do not depend on the values of the rate constants appearing in the rules, and typically form a system of greatly reduced dimension that can be amenable to numerical integration and further model reduction techniques.


The maximal power that is absorbed by a wave energy converter can be estimated from the far-field behavior of the waves that are radiated by the device. For realistic estimates, constraints must be used to enforce restrictions on the set of admissible motions when deriving the maximal absorption width. This work is dedicated to the numerical computation of the maximal absorption width under constraints for devices with several non-trivial degrees of freedom. In particular, the method is applied to a model of SBM Offshore's S3 wave energy converter, a bulging horizontal cylinder. The results are compared with a more classical approach, which consists of computing the linear dynamic response of the wave energy converter interacting with the waves. The far-field maximal absorption width can be seen as an upper bound to evaluate what would be the power captured by a perfect control strategy. The method also shows that the absorption width of the S3 wave energy converter is larger for wavelengths that are smaller than the device length. In practice, this means that S3 wave energy converters will be longer than the maximal wavelength to be captured on the targeted production site.


The contemporary urban environment often forms the setting for fictional narratives and in fifteenth-century Italy this was particularly the case for prose novelle and plays. Successful texts might then be translated for new audiences. Starting from Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini's 1444 Historia de duobus amantibus (translated into six languages by 1540), this paper will follow the fortunes of the specifically Sienese location of the plot, and consider the way in which translators gauged the importance of setting in the transmission of the text to their specific audiences. Thus, Alessandro Braccesi's 1474 translation for the Medici, reduced the Sienese setting to make the story more appealing to Florentine readers. How were "foreign" locations accommodated in translated texts: what did these offer audiences? Was there an exotic value for foreign settings? What symbolic or exemplary values were attached to places and countries?


Since the 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk, our country has engaged in an educational reform movement. This study examines the intervening years of National Education Association (NEA) state affiliate key members' activities and attitudes in Minnesota, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania involved with statelegislated educational reform. A neglected issue in A Nation at Risk is teacher unionism on reforms. Exploratory field study conducted (1988-89) unearthed salient issues. Five major variables considered in selection of states studied include: known unionism level; reform degree undertaken legislatively since 1983; value ascribed and citation frequency of reform; accessibility of significant players; and Elazar's state political cultures' category: moralistic, individualistic, or traditionalistic. Including return 1995 site visits, more than fifty people interviewed revealed state NEA affiliate involvement for construction or obstruction in legislated educational reform. A major question of this study is "What are the involvements and/or impacts of the National Education Association's affiliate groups in or on legislated reform policy decisions in three states?" The findings in three politically and educationally different states may prove significant to researchers and "reformers" who want to optimize forward movement. The analysis of selected cases articulates detrimental or helpful patterns and processes in making educational improvements in regard to NEA affiliate groups' involvements. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Charles Dwyer


Light therapy commonly referred to as low level laser therapy can alter cellular functions and clinical conditions. Some of the commonly reported in vitro and in vivo effects of light therapy include cellular proliferation, alterations in the inflammatory response to injury, and increases in mitochondrial respiration and adenosine triphosphate synthesis. Based on the known effects of light on cells and tissues in general and on reports in the last 5 years on the interaction of light with stem cells, evidence is mounting indicating that light therapy could greatly benefit stem cell regenerative medicine. Experiments on a variety of harvested adult stem cells demonstrate that light therapy enhances differentiation and proliferation of the cells and alters the expression of growth factors in a number of different types of adult stem cells and progenitors in vitro. It also has the potential to attenuate cytotoxic effects of drugs used to purge harvested autologous stem cells and to increase survival of transplanted cells.


Abstract — Sentiment Analysis is the analysis of emotions and opinions in a given text using Natural Language Processing. It helps in understanding the user attitude and feelings by analyzing reviews/comments posted by people through social media, blogs etc. Internet availability has given us an easier way of accessing the information and expressing our opinions on various topics or products. These reviews are of immense importance to the targeted organization since they largely affect the outlook of the organization. People tend to consider these reviews when purchasing or using a product.  This paper aims to analyze the user's sentiment in the form of free text by extracting the opinionated or sentiment words from the sentences using various techniques.  They are further classified into positive or negative sentiment words and are grouped under various categories using a sentiment dictionary based on which every word will be assigned a weight. The major refinement in the proposed system is the estimation of different feature weights for evaluation of overall sentiment score and this increases the accuracy by a huge margin. The average of all the values is computed and the review is rated on a scale of 1 to 5 indicating the sentiment of the user.  The sentiment score in addition to providing the user feedback also gives us an insight into the various features and helps an enterprise to focus on improving the below average features to boost the product on the whole.


Purpose

This study aims to explore undergraduate students' perceptions of teaching information and communication technology (ICT) courses in the library and information science (LIS) program in Jordanian universities. It also aims at investigating the correlation between the impact of some variables, namely, gender, the type of university, academic year and student GPA on and their students' views.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative methods were adopted. A questionnaire with 40 items was distributed on a stratified random sample of 220 students from four LIS departments in Jordan and, of whom, 203 responded with a response rate of 92.3 per cent.

Findings

Research findings indicated that teaching ICT courses was considered highly important. Students stressed on the importance of incorporating ICT courses in LIS programs. They also pointed out the competence of the teaching staff and the efficacy of their teaching methods. On the other hand, student assessments of the curriculum content, the teaching pedagogy and methods of assessment were on an average level. In addition, the findings indicated that resources and facilities necessary to teach ICT courses were available and adequate. It was noted that the "university" was the only factor that affected results; the University of Jordan students showed a higher satisfaction. The other factors (gender, academic year and GPA) did not appear to affect student perceptions.

Originality/value

Previous studies investigated the importance of teaching ICT courses in general but did not consider students' perceptions. Only a few studies discussed students' perceptions of studying ICT courses but in a different context, i.e. Kuwait. This research focused on students' perceptions of studying ICT in Jordan as a new geographic region. This would be beneficial for other developing countries to learn from this experience and refine their ICT curricula and LIS programs accordingly.


Rural Banks/BPR have a vitality and sustainability of business if they are able to create a unique advantagethat is superior in terms of customer information and business environment surrounding besides functioningas an intermediary institution. But in Semarang credit quality is still in the high risk level that is above themaximum limit of 5%. The condition is caused by the integration of human capital and social capital that isnot optimal. Therefore, this article aims to examine the model of human capital development so that it canimprove the performance of organization within the context of social capital. Retrieval method uses purposivesampling with 120 total samples. Later analysis technique uses Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) throughthe group management data which is processed based on high and low social capital. The study shows that thecontext of high social capital moderates the structure of the equation that affects human capital on organizationalperformance


Tailoring the grain boundaries (GBs) and twist angles between two-dimensional (2D) crystals are two crucial synthetic challenges to deterministically enable envisioned applications such as moiré excitons, emerging magnetism, or single-photon emission. Here, we reveal how twisted 2D bilayers can be synthesized from the collision and coalescence of two growing monolayer MoS2 crystals during chemical vapor deposition. The twisted bilayer (TB) moiré angles are found to preserve the misorientation angle (θ) of the colliding crystals. The shapes of the TB regions are rationalized by a kink propagation model that predicts the GB formed by the coalescing crystals. Optical spectroscopy measurements reveal a θ-dependent long-range strain in crystals with stitched grain boundaries and a sharp (θ > 20°) threshold for the appearance of TBs, which relieves this strain. Reactive molecular dynamics simulations explain this strain from the continued growth of the crystals during coalescence due to the insertion of atoms at unsaturated defects along the GB, a process that self-terminates when the defects become saturated. The simulations also reproduce atomic-resolution electron microscopy observations of faceting along the GB, which is shown to arise from the growth-induced long-range strain. These facets align with the axes of the colliding crystals to provide favorable nucleation sites for second-layer growth of a TB with twist angles that preserve the misorientation angle θ. This interplay between strain generation and aligned nucleation provides a synthetic pathway for the growth of TBs with deterministic angles.


This chapter explores the dynamic behavior of dual flux coupled memristor circuits in order to explore the uncharted territory of the fundamental theory of memristor circuits. Neuromorphic computing anticipates highly dense systems of memristive networks, and with nanoscale devices within such close proximity to one another, it is anticipated that flux and charge coupling between adjacent memristors will have a bearing upon their operation. Using the constitutive relations of memristors, various cases of flux coupling are mathematically modeled. This involves analyzing two memristors connected in composite, both serially and in parallel in various polarity configurations. The new behavior of two coupled memristors is characterized based on memristive state equa- tions, and memductance variation represented in terms of voltage, current, charge and flux. The rigorous mathematical analysis based on the fundamental circuit equations of ideal memristors affirms the memristor closure theorem, where coupled memristor circuits behave as different types of memristors with higher complexity.


This project aims to assess the socioeconomic value of freshwater species across the northern African region within the context of the threats to those species as previously determined and documented by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The aim here is to link IUCN Red List data on the extinction risk for 877 species across northern Africa with information on these freshwater species' socioeconomic value, and to evaluate levels of dependence on wetland services in conjunction with the known threats faced by the species underpinning these services. The results of this project have enabled us to identify species of high socio-economic importance and the threats to their long-term survival and sustainable use. Actions needed to ensure the future sustainable use of these resources are discussed.


In a world open to the movement of people, medical ethics is today associated with the area of loyal behavior of the practitioner and oriented in the patient's interest and accountability of each. The universal vision of respect for the dignity of the sick person progresses. Yet, many behaviours are sometimes illegitimate, but not in principle legally reprehensible. One of the main principles marking the observance of patient consent is based on the autonomy given to the patient to decide for himself what appears to be adapted to his or her care. The patient must be the one who makes the final decision on issues concerning them and doctors must act to respect it. Therefore, they must accept that the patient has a different value system.


The "live hard, die young" theory predicts the evolution of gender differences in immunocompetence, with males having a weaker immune system than females. To test thishypothesis in Carabus lefebvrei, total and basal phenoloxidase (PO) activities and lysozyme-like enzyme activity were compared among males and females of different reproductive status. The sexual dimorphism occurred only in reproductively active adults and for total and basal PO levels, while no significant differences were recorded between sexes in virgin adults. Differences were not recorded for lytic activity between sexes. Basal PO and lytic activities decreased in both males and females after mating, while the total PO value increased in males and decreased in females. Thus, resources seem to be invested to increase the humoral response in pre-reproductive phase forming a barrier against pathogens and preserving the fecundity and longevity of both sexes. Males preserve their survivorship in reproductive phase by increasing enzymatic levels in hemolymph to avoid fitness reduction due to the increased exposure to pathogen as result of mating. Females shift resources from PO and lytic activity to other physiological systems involved in reproduction in order to maximize their fitness.


Abstract. Several investigators in the past have used the radiance depression (with respect to clear-sky infrared radiance), resulting from the presence of mineral dust aerosols in the atmosphere, as an index of dust aerosol load in the atmosphere during local noon. Here, we have used a modified approach to retrieve dust index during night since assessment of diurnal average infrared dust forcing essentially requires information on dust aerosols during night. For this purpose, we used infrared radiance (10.5–12.5 μm), acquired from the METEOSAT-5 satellite (~ 5 km resolution). We found that the "dust index" algorithm, valid for daytime, will no longer hold during the night because dust is then hotter than the theoretical dust-free reference. Hence we followed a "minimum reference" approach instead of a conventional "maximum reference" approach. A detailed analysis suggests that the maximum dust load occurs during the daytime. Over the desert regions of India and Africa, maximum change in dust load is as much as a factor of four between day and night and factor of two variations are commonly observed. By realizing the consequent impact on long wave dust forcing, sensitivity studies were carried out, which indicate that utilizing day time data for estimating the diurnally averaged long-wave dust radiative forcing results in significant errors (as much as 50 to 70%). Annually and regionally averaged long wave dust radiative forcing (which account for the diurnal variation of dust) at the top of the atmosphere over Afro-Asian region is 2.6 ± 1.8 W m −2 , which is 30 to 50% lower than those reported earlier. Our studies indicate that neglecting diurnal variation of dust while assessing its radiative impact leads to an overestimation of dust radiative forcing, which in turn result in underestimation of the radiative impact of anthropogenic aerosols.


Summary

A one-year-old Thoroughbred colt was evaluated because of facial nerve paralysis, ataxia and fever. Neurological evaluation found the colt to be obtunded and grade 3/5 ataxic in all 4 limbs. Right-sided facial nerve paralysis was present and a large, deep corneal ulcer noted in the right eye. Signs of vestibular disease were also present, including circling towards the right and horizontal nystagmus. A complete blood count showed mild leucocytosis, neutrophilia and hyperfibrinogenaemia. A computed tomography (CT) examination of the skull was performed under general anaesthesia and a diagnosis of right sided otitis media-interna was made. Culture of fluid taken from the middle ear and cerebrospinal fluid collected from the atlanto-occipital site yielded pure growth of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Initial therapy consisted of antimicrobial treatment with cefotaxime and anti-inflammatory treatment with flunixin meglumine. Six days after initiating treatment, the colt developed Clostridium difficile associated colitis. The colitis resolved with supportive care and the colt was discharged from the hospital receiving chloramphenicol. Eight months later, the colt continued to be mildly ataxic (grade 1/5), with a slight head tilt and facial nerve paralysis. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of otitis media-interna due to C. pseudotuberculosis in the horse.


Thermal sprayed coatings have wide engineering applications. There now exists a wide range of destructive and nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for surface coating inspections. This paper describes an application of Electronic Speckle Pattern Shearing Interferometry (ESPSI) for NDT of thermal sprayed surface coatings. In contrast to other conventional methods such as eddy current, ultrasonic or X-ray, ESPSI allows fast and large survey area inspection. Experimental results of shearographic measurements are presented. Thermal sprayed coatings were tested using ESPSI. Delaminations of the coatings were detected and the fringe patterns were captured using this method. It is shown that the shearography technique can be applied successfully to surface coating quality inspection and it is very effective for delamination detection.


The adaptation of colloidal quantum dots loaded within a polymer for use in nondestructive testing can be used as an optical strain gauge due to the nanomaterial's strain sensing properties. In this paper, we utilized InP/ZnS colloidal quantum dots loaded within a polymer matrix applied onto the surface of a dog-bone foil pre-coated with an epoxy. By employing an empirical formula and a calibration factor, there is a propinquity between both the calculated optical strain and mechanical stress-strain reference data. Fluctuations are observed which may be due to both additional strain responses not seen by the mechanical data and quantum dot blinking. These results and methods show applied use of this novel optical non-destructive testing technique for a variety of structures, especially for structures which operate in harsh environments.


The aging nose presents a difficult challenge for the rhinoplastic surgeon. To best address the patient's wishes, the surgeon must possess a sound understanding of the atrophic changes associated with the aging nose, including tip ptosis, increased nasal bulbosity, a lengthened nasal appearance, and altered nasal airflow patterns. Surgical emphasis is placed on conservative structured reduction to address functional concerns. Overresection risks destabilizing the nasal tip and altering the patient's concrete self-image. This article outlines our approach to rhinoplasty in the aging nose with a special emphasis on the use of porous polyethylene alloimplants to provide added structural support.


We present a row-by-row (RBR) method for solving semidefinite programming (SDP) problem based on solving a sequence of problems obtained by restricting the n-dimensional positive semidefinite constraint on the matrix X. By fixing any (n − 1)-dimensional principal submatrix of X and using its (generalized) Schur complement, the positive semidefinite constraint is reduced to a simple second-order cone constraint. When the RBR method is applied to solve the maxcut SDP relaxation, the optimal solution of the RBR subproblem only involves a single matrix-vector product which leads to a simple and very efficient method. To handle linear constraints in generic SDP problems, we use an augmented Lagrangian approach. Specialized versions are presented for the maxcut SDP relaxation and the minimum nuclear norm matrix completion problem since closed-form solutions for the RBR subproblems are available. Finally, numerical results on the maxcut SDP relaxation and matrix completion problems are presented to demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of our algorithm.


Joyal and Street note in their paper on braided monoidal cate- gories (9) that the 2-category V-Cat of categories enriched over a braided monoidal category V is not itself braided in any way that is based upon the braiding of V. The exception that they mention is the case in which V is symmetric, which leads to V-Cat being symmetric as well. The symmetry in V-Cat is based upon the symmetry of V. The motivation behind this paper is in part to describe how these facts relating V and V-Cat are in turn related to a categorical analogue of topological delooping. To do so I need to pass to a more general setting than braided and symmetric cat- egories — in fact the k-fold monoidal categories of Balteanu et al in (2). It seems that the analogy of loop spaces is a good guide for how to define the concept of enrichment over various types of monoidal objects, including k-fold monoidal categories and their higher dimensional counterparts. The main result is that for V a k-fold monoidal category, V-Cat becomes a (k − 1)-fold monoidal 2-category in a canonical way. In the next paper I indicate how this process may be iterated by enriching over V-Cat, along the way defining the 3-category of categories enriched over V-Cat. In fu- ture work I plan to make precise the n-dimensional case and to show how the group completion of the nerve of V is related to the loop space of the group completion of the nerve of V-Cat. AMS Classification 18D10; 18D20


Aromatization of 16alpha-hydroxyandrostenedione (16alpha-OH AD) with aromatase in human placental microsomes was studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using 12,4,6,6,9alpha,16beta,17alpha-2H7]estriol as an internal standard. 16alpha-OH AD was incubated with the microsomes in the presence of NADPH in air. The metabolite was extracted with ethyl acetate and treated with NaBH4. The reduced product, estriol, was isolated by Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and then analyzed as the tris(trimethylsilyl)ether by a GC-MS (EI mode). The production of estriol was dependent upon protein concentration and incubation time. Apparent Km and Vmax values of the microsomal aromatase for 16alpha-OH AD were 568 nM and 25.5 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. In this assay, aromatase activity, estriol formation, could be determined at a level as low as 1 pmol/min/mg protein. Aromatase inhibitors, 4-hydroxy- and 6-oxo-androstenediones, prevented the estriol formation in a competitive manner with 25 and 30 nM of apparent Ki values, respectively.


Model order reduction (MOR) techniques are getting more important in large scale computational tasks like large scale electronic circuit simulations. In this paper we present some experimental work on multiprocessor systems for rational Krylov methods. These methods require huge memory and computational power especially in large scale simulations. Therefore, these methods are fairly suitable for parallel computing.


'A focus on the body, its actions, and its cognitive mechanisms identifies ...foundational principles of activity that link the three elements of theatre; Story, Space, and Time. The three meet in, are defined by, and expressed through the actor's body.' - from the Introduction Embodied Acting is an essential, pragmatic intervention in the study of how recent discoveries within cognitive science can - and should - be applied to performance. For too long, a conceptual separation of mind and body has dominated actor training in the West. Cognitive science has shown this binary to be illusory, shattering the traditional boundaries between mind and body, reason and emotion, knowledge and imagination. This revolutionary new volume explores the impact that a more holistic approach to the "bodymind" can have on the acting process. Drawing on his experience as an actor, director and scholar, Rick Kemp interrogates the key cognitive activities involved in performance, including: * non-verbal communication * the relationship between thought, speech, and gesture * the relationship between self and character * empathy, imagination, and emotion. New perspectives on the work of Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, and Jacques Lecoq - as well as contemporary practitioners including Daniel Day-Lewis and Katie Mitchell - are explored through practical exercises and accessible explanations. Blending theory, practice, and cutting-edge neuroscience, Kemp presents a radical re-examination of the unconscious activities engaged in creating, and presenting, a role.


ABSTRACT Since a nationwide reform of pre-primary education in 2010, Ethiopia has experienced a massive expansion of pre-primary enrolment that increased tenfold in six years. Our paper aims to assess the distribution of early literacy outcomes between children who attended preschool and those who did not and explore how that distribution has changed throughout the reform and by factors such as gender, location, and parental literacy. We find an overall increase in the achievement gaps associated with pre-primary participation between 2010 and 2016. There are also differential patterns in the learning gaps over the reform, with a particular disadvantage for rural students and a relative advantage for students with parents who are not literate. This study suggests that understanding a fuller picture of learning inequality is critical to designing policy to leave no one behind aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.


Dorsoventral polarity directs confined cell migration mode and efficiency by tuning nuclear stiffness and RhoA activity. How migrating cells differentially adapt and respond to extracellular track geometries remains unknown. Using intravital imaging, we demonstrate that invading cells exhibit dorsoventral (top-to-bottom) polarity in vivo. To investigate the impact of dorsoventral polarity on cell locomotion through different confining geometries, we fabricated microchannels of fixed cross-sectional area, albeit with distinct aspect ratios. Vertical confinement, exerted along the dorsoventral polarity axis, induces myosin II–dependent nuclear stiffening, which results in RhoA hyperactivation at the cell poles and slow bleb-based migration. In lateral confinement, directed perpendicularly to the dorsoventral polarity axis, the absence of perinuclear myosin II fails to increase nuclear stiffness. Hence, cells maintain basal RhoA activity and display faster mesenchymal migration. In summary, by integrating microfabrication, imaging techniques, and intravital microscopy, we demonstrate that dorsoventral polarity, observed in vivo and in vitro, directs cell responses in confinement by spatially tuning RhoA activity, which controls bleb-based versus mesenchymal migration.


Ultra densification in HetNets and the advent of mmWave technology for 5G networks have led researchers to redesign the existing resource management techniques. A salient feature of this activity is to accentuate the importance of CI resource allocation schemes offering less complexity and overhead. This article overviews the existing literature on resource management in mmWave-based Het- Nets with a special emphasis on CI techniques and further proposes frameworks that ensure quality of service requirements for all network entities. More specifically, HetNets with mmWave-based small cells pose different challenges compared to an all-microwave- based system. Similarly, various modes of small cell access policies and operations of base stations in dual mode, that is, operating both mmWave and microwave links simultaneously, offer unique challenges to resource allocation. Furthermore, the use of multi-slope path loss models becomes inevitable for analysis due to irregular cell patterns and blocking characteristics of mmWave communications. This article amalgamates the unique challenges posed because of the aforementioned recent developments and proposes various CI-based techniques, including game theory and optimization routines, to perform efficient resource management.


According the importance of factors in disorders and multiple sclerosis well as its importance in early maladaptive schemas in disorders, the present study was aimed to evaluate early maladaptive schemas in patients with psychosomatic disorders and MS and compared that with healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: Research method was ex post facto. This study evaluated 100 patients (50 with MS and 50 with psychosomatic disorder) and compared them to 50 healthy people that completed Young Schema Questionnaire (short form). The study was causal-comparative. Results: The results showed that the average score of vulnerability to harm or illness subscale in people with psychosomatic disorder was higher than healthy people and the average score of emotional deprivation, dependence/incompetence, and failure subscale in patients with MS was higher than healthy group. Conclusion: Early maladaptive schemas should be considered as an important element when comparing patients with psychosomatic disorders and MS with healthy people.


Background: The carriage of Staphylocoque aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is a significant risk factor for subsequent staphylococcal infection. The nares are the most consistent sites of colonization. The objective of this study was to determine prevalence for community acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) nasal carriage among a pediatric population as well as to find out antibiotic susceptibilities of isolated strains.
Patients and methods: We conducted a prospective study from June 2017 to June 2018 on 300 children, who consulted in the different pediatric specialties of Mohamed VI University Hospital of Marrakesh. Nasal swabs were collected from all the consultant children. The identification of nasal carriage of SA was performed in the microbiology laboratory of Mohamed VI University Hospital.
Results: Staphylocoque aureus was isolated from the nares in 49 (16.3%) children, two (4%) isolates were classified as CA-MRSA. The mean children age was 75, 14 months (p=0.05), a male predominance was noticed. The majority of SA carriers were from urban areas, it was noted a high carriage in living patients with five or more people (p=0.024). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of MRSA stains expressed a 100% resistance to cotrimoxazole, fusidic acid and sensitivity to all other antibiotics.
Conclusion: This study highlights the potential for community MRSA acquisition in our context. These
strains, which were initially sensitive to most of antibiotics, begin to become increasingly resistant to nobetalactam antibiotics. This requires continuous monitoring to clarify the factors of antimicrobial resistance and to prevent further spread of community MRSA.


The usual representation of optimal path finding problems within transport networks is focused on well established algorithms for identifying the optimal path (or set of paths) between two specific network nodes. When the required solution is the identification of the optimal route between every possible pair of nodes in the network however, these algorithms are inefficient. The Floyd-Warshall algorithm provides an efficient way to compare all possible paths through each pair of nodes more efficiently, requiring only N3 comparisons for a network of N nodes. To illustrate the potential of this approach to network analysis within transport research, this paper considers the issue of determining accessibility between railway stations (on the route between Weymouth and London Waterloo) served by a mixture of high-speed and stopping services. A rail network is physically defined by the locations of tracks, but travel times are also dependent on whether stations are visited by high-speed services as well as stopping services. A single rail route therefore has to be represented not as a (topologically) straight line, but as a more traditional graph with high connectivity between nodes. Reformulating this into a matrix-based definition allows the Floyd-Warshall algorithm to efficiently determine the optimal routing (and hence travel times) between


Carbohydrate chains play key roles in living organisms. Novel techniques have been developed in recent years to investigate the structure/function of carbohydrates. 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation in conjunction with NMR refinement, as well as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), have been employed in this thesis to map structures and biological functions of glycans. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the concept of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics, with particular emphasis on carbohydrates as possible prebiotics. Significant results obtained in recent clinical studies are also reported. In Chapter 2 the studies carried out in the framework of the European Union project "Novel Food Additives and bio-active components from milk for innovative engineering (NOFA)" are reported. To overcome the major bottleneck of obtaining naturally occurring oligosaccharides in sufficient amounts to perform structural characterization and biological testing, an improved protocol to isolate large quantities of lactose-free oligosaccharide fractions from non-human milk was developed. We demonstrated that naturally occurring galacto-oligosaccharides could be isolated in large amounts from skimmed goat milk (or colostrum) oligosaccharide pools, when incorporating a beta-galactosidase (E. coli) digestion in the protocol. Major components from goat colostrum were isolated and structurally characterized by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and NMR spectroscopy. Bacterial adhesion studies with isolated acidic oligosaccharide fractions showed a significant inhibition of the adherence of faecal Salmonella fyris B8132 to cultured intestinal epithelial cells. In Chapter 3 the isolation of tri- and tetrasaccharides from goat milk after enzymatic lactose hydrolysis with E. coli beta-galactosidase, and their structural analysis by methylation analysis, mass spectrometry, and NMR spectroscopy, is described. In Chapter 4, in an attempt to understand the biological significance of a recently discovered form of glycosylation, i.e. C-mannosylation, the conformation of Man1alpha-Trp in human RNase 2 was investigated. NMR experiments and molecular modeling calculations for (C2-alpha-D-Man-)Trp demonstrated that the C-linked mannopyranosyl residue exists in an ensemble of conformations, among which 1C4 is the most represented. For isolated glycopeptides, NMR showed no evidence for long-range connectivities and secondary structure, arguing against a stabilization of the analyzed glycopeptides, due to the C-linked mannopyranosyl residue. For native RNase 2, molecular modeling studies and NMR data revealed that the mannopyranosyl residue interacts with the loop residues Asp115-123 of RNase 2, the end of the beta strands Met105-Arg114 and the beginning of the beta strands Pro124-Ile134. These interactions stabilize not only to the mannose residue and Trp7 in a specific orientation, but also the N-terminal loop of the protein. Chapter 5 focuses on the feasibility of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to detect oligosaccharide-protein interactions. A serious constraint imposed by this technique concerns the dimension of the molecules to be employed as analytes. We developed an organoplatinum(II) label to increase the SPR response of low-molecular-mass analytes. Hence, we demonstrated to be able to detect binding events between monosaccharides and lectins even at very low analyte concentrations. The organoplatinum(II) complex did not influence the interaction, and platinum(II) was shown to be essential for the SPR signal enhancement.


Control over a state-owned enterprise (SOE) offers politicians various benefits (rent from control). If politicians decide to privatize a SOE, they loose such rent. To "explain" privatizations one should thus consider under which conditions politicians may obtain from privatization benefits greater than the present value of the rent from control. Modelling this trade-off helps to understand country differences in volume, timing and modalities of privatizations. Incentives to privatize are different depending upon whether the SOE operates in a competitive market or runs a natural monopoly. In the latter case, while potential efficiency gains may be limited, privatization reduces the political cost of increasing tariffs and offers to the politicians the opportunity to gain a new, different rent from the private enterprise. In regulated markets, after privatization politicians have an incentive to set tariffs at a higher level. Privatizations may thus not be desirable, if potential efficiency gains are limited.


SUMMARY: Of the 25 group C streptococci examined all but 3 produced a hyaluronidase detectable in a sensitive turbidimetric test. These 3 strains and 6 of the hyaluronidase producers were heavily capsulated on serum glucose agar and in serum + glucose enriched liquid media. The capsules of all strains were readily destroyed by testicular hyaluronidase. In continually neutralized cultures of the capsulated strains hyaluronic acid was detected only transiently during logarithmic growth with the enzyme producers but rose to a high steady concentration with the other 3 strains. Hyaluronidase activity was present throughout the phase of logarithmic growth and beyond, but fell markedly in the 16 hr. following the cessation of logarithmic growth of capsulated strains in neutralized cultures and even more markedly in cultures grown without neutralization. Non-capsulated variants of the 9 capsulated organisms resembled the parent strains in enzyme production. A single passage through mice did not qualitatively influence capsulation, hyaluronic acid or hyaluronidase production by those strains examined.


: Urban parks are important urban public spaces that guarantee people recreation, create positive emotions and relieve stress. Emerging research has shown that natural soundscapes are associated with restorative landscapes in urban parks. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on the use of physiological indexes to evaluate the effects of natural sounds versus human-based sounds on stress relief. In this study, the three physiological indexes of skin conductance level, heart rate and heart rate variability were collected in Fuzhou West Lake Park with the help of Ergo LAB data platform, and a soundscape perception evaluation questionnaire was used to assess the degree of soundscape perceptions in the sample sites. The differences in the stress relieving effects of different urban park environments were analysed by applying the median test, the Wilcoxon test was applied to analyse the effects of soundscapes and urban park environments on relieving stress, and regression analysis was used to identify the important factors of restorative soundscapes. The results found that urban park environments provide a certain degree of stress relief, but the stress relieving effects of different urban park environments vary and that natural spaces play an important role in relieving stress. Urban park soundscapes are key to restorative environmental design, with natural sounds such as birdsong and stream sound being factors of restorative soundscapes.


While simulation is an established tool for scientific analysis, it is recently gaining more interest also in other contexts, such as software engineering. Hence, more and more attention is devoted to the development of suitable simulation languages (and tools), as well as to their exploitation in application development and run-time. As already experienced in the context of general-purpose programming languages, we envision future developments towards expressiveness, with performance issues becoming less and less relevant. Along this direction, we propose a preliminary stochastic simulation framework developed on top of a logic programming language, called Stochastic Prolog : this framework allows us to run simulations directly from Prolog-based specifications. Our objective, in this work, is to put the basis for future research on logic stochastic language used for simulation purpose. In our approach Prolog clauses can be labelled with rates modelling temporal/probabilistic aspects. The main advantage of using Prolog is that it is significantly more expressive than other languages typically used in simulation, allowing complex specifications to be more easily encoded. In order to evaluate our framework, we compare it with the stochastic language defined by the PRISM tool, by discussing as case study the collective sorting problem, a decentralised sorting strategy for multiagent systems (MAS) inspired by behaviours observed in social insects.


Since the beginning of the third wave of democratization in the late 1970s, Latin American party systems have confronted several challenges, and they have frequently been transformed. There have been various types of changes. While some systems collapsed in the 1990s (e.g., Venezuela and Peru), others realigned (Colombia, Chile, and Uruguay), or expanded (Argentina and Mexico), or were able to become consolidated and ensure their stability over time (e.g., Brazil). What factors explain the transformations in party systems during the past three decades, and how can Latin American party systems be classified according to their attributes?
 In trying to answer these questions, scholars of Latin America have undertaken studies that are both theoretically and empirically rich. Their work has increased our knowledge of the party systems and representative democracies in the region. Different factors have been highlighted in order to explain the changes these systems have undergone since the third wave of democratization. Some works emphasize the importance of institutional reforms introduced by politicians or by constitutional assemblies. The questions they address are the following: What political reforms have been introduced into Latin American political systems, and what effects have they had on the party systems in different countries? The researchers do not limit their attention to reforms of electoral systems. For example, some of them also study decentralization processes and their effects on party systems. From a different perspective, other authors focus on changes in electoral preferences and their effects on the configuration of political power, exploring how regional economic, political, and social changes have affected voter preferences and the political configuration of party systems. Still others consider the crises of democratic representation in these countries, underlining the decline in the programmatic character of parties as an explanatory variable for the crises and noting that the level of institutionalization of a party system declines when parties abandon this distinctive feature and become clientelistic or personalistic instead.
 On the other hand, in order to describe party systems and to observe the changes they have undergone, academics have proposed a set of concepts and measurements that make it possible to identify their levels of institutionalization (i.e., stability vs. volatility), nationalization, and programmatic structuration, among other aspects. The operationalization of these concepts has provided researchers with useful data for describing, comparing, and analyzing the party systems of the region transversely over time.
 Understanding the transformation and characteristics of Latin American party systems over time sheds light on both the progress democratic regimes have made and the setbacks they have suffered within specific countries and in the region at large.


Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) are rich test systems for a variety of phenomena in condensed matter physics. In their Perspective,
 Durst and Girvin
 discuss a surprising new phenomenon by which the electrical resistance of a 2DEG in a magnetic field can be driven nearly all the way to zero when the system is subjected to microwave radiation. This microwave-induced zero-resistance state may correspond to a new collective state of matter, or alternatively, it may represent an exciting new example of the nonequilibrium physics of pattern formation.


Onychomycosis is one of the most prevalent dermatophytic diseases. Mycological methods used in the conventional diagnosis may not be optimal. Multiplex (MX) PCR was reported as a reliable alternative. Dermatophyte gene sequence records were used to design a MX PCR for detection and identification of dermatophytes in nail specimens. A MX PCR method based on the amplification of the chitin synthase 1 and internal transcribed spacer genes was developed. The study included 93 strains of dermatophytes and non‐dermatophytic fungi, six dermatophytic reference strains and 201 nail specimens from patients with dermatophytic onyxis. DNA extraction directly from nail samples was carried out by using the QIAamp DNA extraction kit (Quiagen). A set of primers was designed and their specificity was assessed. MX PCR detected the causal agent in specimens from which Trichophyton rubrum and T. interdigitale grew in culture and also identified a dermatophyte species in an additional 32 specimens that were negative in microscopy and culture. None of the investigated non‐dermatophytic strains was positive. Sensitivity of MX PCR was higher as compared to mycological examination (97% vs. 81.1%). MX PCR for direct detection of dermatophytes from nail samples yielded mixed flora in 32.8% of samples. MX PCR proved sensitive and adequate for the diagnosis of dermatophytic onychomycosis. It is much adapted to cases where culture is negative or contaminated by overgrowing moulds, which makes the identification of the causal agent problematic.


Background and Objective: Nowadays, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered as a promising tool for treatment of different diseases. Due to the low frequency of MSCs, however, it seems inevitable to expand them in vitro prior to use, which could affect the quality of the cells. In all isolation procedures, the density gradient separation of Ficoll is used for volume reduction and RBC exclusion. In this study, the efficiency of Ficoll density gradient was evaluated. Materials and Methods: Human bone marrow samples were laid over Ficoll. Following centrifugation, the upper fraction containing the mononuclear cell layer and the lower fraction (RBC layer) were used for in vitro culture. The number and characteristics of MSCs in both layers were then compared with each other. Results: Inspection of the cultured cells showed that the lower fraction contained MSC-like cells. These cells had spindle–like appearances and exhibited a high capacity for expansion. Furthermore, they showed a potential for differentiating into adipocyte and osteocyte differentiation. Cytofluorometric analysis showed that these cells were positive for CD73, CD90, and CD105, and negative for CD45, CD34, and CD31. It was also found that this fraction contained 58 ± 22% of the total isolated MSCs. Conclusion: Density gradient is not a very efficient method for separation of MSCs because it leads to sedimentation of most of the cells to the lower compartment during centrifugation, which results in their exclusion. Therefore, there is a need for developing new methods to obtain larger amounts of MSCs from bone marrow.


Background Professional certification of community health workers (CHWs) is a debated topic. Although intended to promote CHWs, certification may have unintended impacts given the grassroots nature of the workforce. As such, both intended effects and unintended adverse effects should be carefully evaluated. However, there is a lack of published literature describing such effective evaluations with a robust methodology. In this methods paper, we describe a key component of evaluating CHW certification in Massachusetts-the Massachusetts CHW Workforce Survey. Methods Design of the surveys was informed by a program theory framework that delineated both positive and negative potential impacts of Massachusetts CHW certification on CHWs and CHW employers. Using this framework, we developed measures of interest and preliminary CHW and CHW employer surveys. To validate and refine the surveys, we conducted cognitive interviews with CHWs and CHW employers. We then finalized survey tools with input from state and national stakeholders, CHWs, and CHW employers. Our sample consisted of three frames based on where CHWs are most likely to be employed in Massachusetts: acute care hospitals, community-based organizations, and ambulatory care health centers, primarily community health centers and federally qualified health centers. We then undertook extensive outreach efforts to determine whether each organization employed CHWs and to obtain CHW and CHW employer contact information. Our statistical analysis of the data utilized inverse probability score weighting accounting for organizational, site, and individual response. Anticipated results Wave one of the survey was administered in 2016 prior to launch of Massachusetts CHW certification and wave two in 2021. We report descriptive statistics of the three sample frames and response rates of each survey for each wave. Further, we describe select anticipated results related to certification, including outcomes of the program theory framework. Conclusions The Massachusetts CHW Workforce Survey is the culmination of 5 years of effort to evaluate the impact of CHW certification in Massachusetts. Our comprehensive description of our methodology addresses an important gap in CHW research literature. The rigorous design, administration, and analysis of our surveys ensure our findings are robust, valid, and replicable, which can be leveraged by others evaluating the CHW workforce.


A preliminary analysis of demand in eight major OECD wool-consuming countries is used to provide up-to-date estimates of price elasticities of demand for wool. Those elasticities are employed to calculate ex ante market prices, assuming no wool price stabilisation in Australia. The computed ex ante prices are used in a dynamic simulation to estimate demand and, hence, revenue from wool sales to the eight countries in the absence of reserve price operations in Australia. Based on the preferred semi-log demand curve, the variability of wool prices is estimated to have been reduced by 44 per cent, due to Australian intervention in the market up to 1977/78. However, price stabilisation is estimated to have lowered the revenue from Australian wool sales to the eight countries by S139m, or by 2 per cent, in the period up to 1977/78.


Cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) has wide applications, and this structure is often served to undergo heat force-electromagnetic coupled field in practical utiliza-tion, especially in the magnetic confinement fusion (e.g., Tokamak). The mechanical behavior in CICC is of relevance to understanding the mechanical response and cannot be ignored for assessing the safety of these superconducting structures. In this chapter, several mechanical models were established to analyze the mechanical behavior of the CICC in Tokamak device, and the key mechanical problems such as the equivalent mechanical parameters of the superconducting cable, the untwisting behavior in the process of insertion, the buckling behavior of the superconducting wire under the action of the thermo-electromagnetic static load, and the Tcs (current sharing temperature) degradation under the thermo-electromagnetic cyclic loads are studied. Finally, we summarize the existing problems and the future research points on the basis of the previous research results, which will help the related researchers to figure out the mechanical behavior of CICC more easily.


Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States, it is more prevalent than Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia combined. BED is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating accompanied by feeling a lack of control and marked distress over one's eating behaviors. BED is a serious condition that impairs health-related quality of life (HRQL) and increases health care costs. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to identify patients at risk for binge eating disorder at an outpatient weight loss clinic using the validated BEDS-7 screening tool. Evidence-based Intervention: The 7-item Binge-Eating Disorder Screener (BEDS-7), a brief screener for BED, can assist providers in identifying patients who may have BED providing evidence-based treatment options and/or referrals for additional assessment and potential diagnosis of BED. Evaluation/Results: Screening for binge eating was conducted on all new patients seeking weight loss at the clinic over a 3-month period. Patients who screened positive for binge eating according to the BEDS-7 screening tool were provided with evidence-based treatment options including both pharmacological treatment and referral for psychotherapy and counseling. Implications for Practice: Screening for Binge eating promotes recognition of binge eating habits in patients undergoing weight loss treatment and awareness about binge eating and its influence on overall quality of life. SCREENING FOR BINGE EATING DISORDER IN PATIENTS 3


The ability of a Karenia brevis population to persist in an oligotrophic water column depends on how cell physiology and cell behavior contribute to the acquisition of light and nutrients that often are separated in space. We hypothesized that an aggregation of K. brevis, observed under- going a diel vertical migration (DVM) in the bottom half of a 22 m water column on the West Florida Shelf, used the sediments as a nutrient source. We tested how the physiology of K. brevis contributed to the acquisition of nitrate by evaluating how nitrate uptake changed with prior environmental exposure. The experimental conditions simulated the extremes that cells might endure during DVM when migrating up into an oligotrophic water column versus cells that remained near the sediment- water interface. The first culture, representing cells that attained the maximum apex of their migra- tion away from the sediments, was grown under relatively high light (350 μmol quanta m -2 s -1 ) and reached nitrate-depleted conditions (<0.5 μM NO3 - ) prior to the experiment. The second culture, rep- resenting cells that remained near the sediment-water interface, was grown under relatively low light (60 μmol quanta m -2 s -1 ) and nitrate-replete conditions (~20 μM NO3 - ) prior to the experiment. Cells exposed to nitrate-depleted environments for 12 h prior to the experiment enhanced nocturnal uptake compared to cells continuously exposed to nitrate-replete conditions. Changes in cell physi- ology may contribute to nitrate acquisition after descent from oligotrophic environments to areas with elevated nitrate concentrations.


Although protein kinase C, an enzyme dependent on calcium, phospholipid and diacylglycerol, has been found in high levels in ovarian tissues, its biologic function is yet unknown. In initial studies on the role of this enzyme in regulating ovarian functions, we compared protein kinase C activity in subcellular fractions of porcine corpora lutea and medium follicles. Highest protein kinase C-specific activities were found in the cytosol, followed by microsomes and mitochondria for both follicles and luteal tissues. Solubilization of all membrane-containing fractions by 0.2% Triton X-100 was required for full expression (a 4-fold average increase) of protein kinase activity. Extraction of membrane fractions with 0.5 M NaCl or sonication in a hypotonic medium revealed that 90% of the total mitochondrial protein kinase C activity and 50% of the microsomal activity was tightly membrane-bound. Characterization of both cytosolic and Triton X-100 extracted membrane preparations of luteal tissue by diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose chromatography revealed a single peak of protein kinase C activity eluting at 80 mM NaCl. Cytosolic fractions of corpora lutea contained 3 times more protein kinase C-specific activity than did cytosolic fractions of follicles. In contrast, mitochondria from medium follicles contained 30% more specific protein kinase C activity than did luteal mitochondria. These higher cytosolic levels of protein kinase C-specific activity in corpora lutea suggest that the enzyme may play an important role in the process of luteinization or in the regulation of luteal function.


Background Over the past few years, we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of patients presenting with severe pancytopenia to Jimma University Hospital. We now present sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of adult patients admitted with pancytopenia of unknown cause to Jimma University Hospital during the period of March 2015 to June 2016. Complete blood count and other diagnostic tests were done for all patients to uncover underlying causes. Result Out of 65 cases admitted with pancytopenia during the specified period, 40 were excluded for various reasons. The rest 25 patients were included in this review. The mean age was 32.1 years (SD=14.9); 14 were younger than 30 years of age. The mean hemoglobin level, white cell count and platelet count were 48.6 g/L (SD=1.9), 1,918 /µL (SD=879.8) and 36,200 /µL (SD=26,131) respectively. The major presenting symptoms were generalized malaise and fever. No geographic or seasonal clustering of the cases was seen. Conclusion The number of cases with pancytopenia of unidentified cause seen at the hospital over the specified period is alarmingly high and deserves great attention. The hematologic alteration in most of the patients was found to be severe with poor clinical outcome. This calls for large scale community based investigation to uncover the root cause of the problem.


The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) held the Global Forum on Telemedicine: Connecting the World Through Partnerships in September 2007 with sponsorship by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). The goal was to bring together key stakeholders in global healthcare outreach to explore a flexible framework and sustainable business model that can leverage telemedicine and information technology (IT) to expand healthcare services internationally. Dr. Hon S. Pak, President of the ATA, opened the forum with a call for collaboration and partnership, and encouraged continued international dialogue to create a framework that leverages the telemedicine community to improve global disparity in healthcare. Keynote addresses included speakers from the World Health Organization (UN) and United Nations (UN) Global Alliance for Information and Communities Technologies and Development (GAID). Presentations from 15 government and nongovernment aid organizations (NGOs) and 12 international programs covered 5 key areas: (1) NGO perspective; (2) governmental/military programs; (3) financial sustainability; (4) disaster response; and (5) emerging opportunities. The forum resulted in an International Roadmap for Action that was developed by the authors based on the presentations and interactions from the 335 attendees and establishing a set of priorities and actions to improve healthcare using telemedicine and IT. Recommendations include: (1) continued dialogue in creating a telemedicine framework; (2) identification and leverage of resources; (3) provision of education to funding organization and expand training programs to build competency in the healthcare workforce; (4) alignment of international policy to support integration of telemedicine into country plans and support cross-country partnerships; (5) development of communications infrastructure; and (6) integration of telemedicine into disaster relief programs.


In autumn 2010, I reread the fifty-four issue-books of positions for its use of images. This essay demonstrates that where the image's gestures animate, supplement, and haunt the written text, we find the edge of our critical practice. Journals, like framed shots, have their limitations. What is worth analyzing in social life remains abstract (for example, changes in ways of thinking), intractable (such as shifts in class power dimensions), and invisibly structured (capital in various manifestations). Without sustained effort to materialize analysis (in written and oral language; in images, still and moving; in diagrams and tables), no critique or even understanding, would be possible. Even then, visual information remains a gesture toward larger problems "beyond the frame." I argue that discursive constitution through cultural performativity describes the journal's critical mission. An image does things that text cannot, but I think it does them best in conjunction with, and close by, words, so that there is the possibility for mutual interruption and dialogue. In print form, images work in specific ways, so part of my thinking concerns the digital future. After considering the creative ways images have inhabited the journal's "books," I introduce ephemeral embodied performance art and the concept of "relational aesthetics" to discuss documentary filmmaking today. I suggest useful analogies from current art making. How might we reimagine the performance of our writing and reading labors in the future production of the journal, which will be online and likely no longer on paper?