Globalization happened so fast which may lead to positive and negative impacts. Positive effects could include information transparency, where any youth can access unlimited information. While negative impacts might include youth's unhealthy behaviors. In respond to this negative impact, Indonesian government (BKKBN) has implemented and developed GenRe program as part of Middle Term Development Plan (RPJM) 2010-2014. This program was very important and strategic in achieving BKKBN vision "balanced population growth 2015" with mission to "embodying development with population concept and achieving happy and prosperous small family." The purpose of this study was to collect empiric data about the effect of GenRe program on youth knowledge and attitude toward a good family preparation; GenRe program socialization for youth and barriers in this program. This study used cross-sectional study design through survey with explanatory approach to explain the effects of Genre program on youth knowledge and attitude about marriage age maturation (PUP) and youth healthy behavior (avoid free sex, drugs, and HIV/ AIDS–TRIAD KRR). GenRe program was shown to influence knowledge and attitude improvements of members and peer counselor about PUP and TRIAD KRR. From 562 respondents, 330 showed low knowledge levels (58,72%); 560 had favorable attitude levels (99,64%); 548 had positive attitude levels (97,51%). The barriers od GenRe program might include: a) lack of GenRe program socialization among youth which may lead to lack of interest; b) package of program socialization need to be more attractive to increase participation; c) regeneration of GenRe program still less optimal; d) the content of GenRe program is not suitable for youth age; d) it is recommended to involve police department to discuss the risks of drugs or from health facility to explain about reproduction which relate to early marriage effects, free sex, and HIV/ AIDS.


Maintaining an in-compliance clinical laboratory takes continuous awareness and review of standards, regulations, and best practices. A strong quality assurance program and well informed leaders who maintain professional networks can aid in this necessary task. This article will discuss a process that laboratories can follow to interpret, understand, and comply with the rules and standards set by laboratory accreditation bodies.


A compound (10) material comprising a plurality of filaments (16) and a plurality of matrix islands (18) connecting each of said matrix islands (18) at least two filaments (16), maintaining said matrix islands (18) together the plurality of filaments (16) in a unitary structure, characterized in that each of said matrix islands (18) has a mean size less than about 5 mm.


Contract farming has expanded in Uganda due to the promotional efforts of various actors: private, public, and/or international aid agencies. While motives for promoting contract farming may vary by actor, it is argued in this study that contract farming is crucial in the commercialization of smallholder agriculture and hence, poverty reduction in Uganda. However, smallholder farmers in Uganda have reportedly experienced some contractual problems when dealing with large agribusiness firms, resulting in them giving up contract farming. Similarly, agribusinesses have also reportedly encountered some contractual problems when dealing with some smallholder farmers that could have led to the exclusion of the latter from contract farming. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine the role of contract farming in the commercialization of smallholder agriculture in Uganda by using sunflower, sorghum, and rice contract schemes as case studies. Specifically, the study sought to characterize the sorghum, sunflower, and rice contract schemes as well as identify benefits and problems associated with them. Primary data were collected by a combined use of survey and informal interview methods. A survey of both contracted and non contracted farmers was conducted in Soroti District (Sorghum), Apac District (Sunflower), and Bugiri District (Rice). Informal interviews were held with agribusiness firms (Nile Breweries Limited, Mukwano Industries, and Tilda (U) Limited), their agents, and support organizations. Data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics and non parametric tests (Chi-square and F-tests). While most of the findings from this study are general in nature, some of them are idiosyncratic to the case studies investigated. It was generally found contract farming contributed a great deal to the commercialization of smallholder agriculture in Uganda, especially in the sorghum (Epuripur) and sunflower sub-sectors. While agribusinesses obtained assured supply of raw materials for their processing needs, smallholder farmers on the other hand had access to critical inputs such as improved seeds and extension services, in addition to access to a guaranteed market for their produce. However, there were still some challenges in the organization and operation of the contract farming schemes. Thus, both agribusinesses and policy makers have separate roles to play in making sure contract farming is properly nurtured for the benefit of smallholder farmers in Uganda.


When the whole skin of embryonic chickens is grown in culture, epidermal differentiation quite closely resembles that in vivo (Miszurski, 1937; Fell, 1957; Wessells, 1961). Separated epidermis, however, lacking its connective tissue, develops less well; in hanging drop cultures it may be maintained occasionally as an epithelial sheet which does not differentiate (Champy, 1914; Drew, 1922; McLoughlin, 1961 a ), while in organ culture the epidermis curls up and either remains undifferentiated (Gomot, 1958; Matoltsy, 1960) or becomes largely necrotic (Wessells, 1962). Some degree of cytodifferentiation was observed by McLoughlin (1961 a ), however; she found that in isolated limb epidermis of 5-day embryonic chickens, while many cells degenerated, the live cells organized themselves into nodules and underwent squamous changes, but there were very few mitoses. In none of the above work did isolated epidermis survive and differentiate as an organized, keratinizing tissue.


We have studied the influence of magnetic order on the optical phonons of the geometrically frustrated spinel ZnCr2O4 within density-functional theory. By mapping local spin density approximation plus Hubbard U (LSDA + U) phonon calculations onto a Heisenberg-like model, we developed a method to calculate exchange derivatives and subsequently the spin-phonon coupling parameter from first principles.


Reading and spelling are closely related to each other, but empirical evidence shows that they can also dissociate. The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive profiles of good readers/poor spellers and poor readers/good spellers in a relatively consistent orthography (Greek). One hundred forty children were administered measures of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, phonological short-term memory, and orthographic knowledge in grades 1 and 2. Their performance in reading and spelling was assessed in grade 4. Two small groups of children exhibited a dissociation between reading and spelling: seven children were identified as poor readers/good spellers and 11 children as good readers/poor spellers. The former group experienced severe deficits in both rapid naming and phonological awareness. The latter group experienced mild deficits only in orthographic knowledge. Although inefficient orthographic knowledge affects their spelling accuracy (Greek is inconsistent in the direction of spelling), it does not impact their reading fluency because they can recognize words by relying on partial cues.


Abstract Taxonomic status and phylogenetic position of some skippers within Hesperiidae remains a controversial issue, here, we sequenced and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Abraximorpha davidii, one of species in Hesperiidae. This mitogenome is 15,469 bp long and encodes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and two ribosomal RNA unit genes (rRNAs). The overall base composition of the mitogenome is A 40.2%, T 41.4%, C 11.2%, and G 7.2%, with a high A + T content of 81.6%. Except for cox1 starting with CGA, all other PCGs start with the standard ATN codons (seven ATG and five ATT). Most of the PCGs terminate with the stop codon TAA, whereas cox1, cox2, nad5, and nad4 end with the incomplete codon T−. Phylogenetic analysis showed that A. davidii is closely related to Daimio tethys and Tagiades vajuna, then this clade clusters Ctenoptilum vasava and Celaenorrhinus maculosa.


Objectives Objectives of the study were 1) to determine the prevalence and characteristics of dysrhythmia, 2) to identify associations between dysrhythmia and other patient variables, and 3) to determine whether dysrhythmia is more a characteristic of individuals than simply a correlate of alertness or response intensity.


This book presents several important contributions to the improvement of overall performance of analog network coding (ANC) in wireless two-way relay networks. It emphasizes on the development of low-complexity strategies for harnessing spatial diversity for ANC-based two-way relaying protocol and their performance analysis over generalized fading channels. The underlying strategies rely on performing opportunistic selection with full diversity among available resources so as to simplify the richer functionality of a two-way relay network and to minimize the overall system outage probability. The book also deals with the problem of optimization of power allocation and relay location to minimize the overall system outage as well as to maintain the system balance even under asymmetric traffic conditions. The considered schemes and derived analytical results will help in the design of reliable two-way relay systems, which have found useful applications in wireless cellular, ad-hoc and sensor networks. On the whole the book is useful to the students and practicing engineers in understanding the subject of wireless cooperative communications and carrying out their studies in this field.


The study was aimed to evaluate insulin resistance and b cell function as prognostic indicator in multi organ dysfunction in septicemia. A case control follow up study consisting of 50 non diabetic patients of septicemia with multi organ dysfunction (MODS) and 50 control participants were enrolled by simple random sampling, excluding the ones not met inclusion criteria. The eligible individuals were evaluated for haematological investigation, renal function tests, serum bicarbonate, fasting blood glucose and serum insulin levels at the point of entry, 3 rd day and 7 th day of admission. Homa IR and Homab cell function were computed using fasting blood glucose and insulin levels. These prognostic dependent variables were compared with independent variables by the student t-test and odds ratio for assessing the mortality and severity among study participants. Study cases had a statistically significant (p<0.001) high mean values of Homa IR at the time of entry, on Day 3 rd and 7 th whereas Homab cell function had statistically(p<0.001) low values, compared to control group. In sepsis patients mortality (6 cases) was higher in study groups where patients had more insulin resistance (IR) (6.55±1.44) and less b cell dysfunction (37.17±25.59) compared to control group (with 2 mortality cases) which had less IR (2.77±0.33) and more b cell dysfunction (152.37±5.06) in study and control group respectively, (p<0.05).Both insulin resistance and b cell dysfunction are reliable indicators of the state of severity and mortality in critically ill patients with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Keywords: Septicemia, MODS, Insulin resistance, b cell function, Prognosis


In this paper hybrid formulations combining differential and integral operators for the eddy current problem with moving objects are studied. In problems including moving bodies hybrid approaches are appealing as the finite element mesh does not have to connect the stationary and moving parts to each other. Both b- and h-oriented formulations are considered for 2D and 3D problems.


Editor,—Rinaldi et al performed an important study, demonstrating for the first time in patients with coronary disease that protection against postexercise "stunning" occurs in association with the warm-up effect when exercise tests are separated by 30 minutes.1 Cumulative stunning occurs when tests are separated by 60 minutes. Moreover, previous reports have failed to demonstrate persistent impairment of global left ventricular function, even using radionuclide ventriculography.2 The study illustrates the difficulty of applying concepts defined in highly instrumented animal preparations to a rather less controllable human model. The warm-up effect in angina is a complex phenomenon and probably represents an interplay of protective mechanisms including a short term training effect and improved myocardial perfusion via …


Historically in Thai society 'work' has been defined broadly but recent economic changes have led to a narrowing of ideas about what constitutes work. The commodification of labour this entails is familiar from the history of economic change in many nations. This article seeks to go beyond re-stating the obvious parallels. In particular, because the specificities of these changes in each nation reveal underpinning attitudes to work, we believe that they have significance for understanding worker attitudes and therefore for decision making on both labour policy and management practice.

Some Thais defining work will recite a 1950's slogan introduced by the military dictator Sarit that states 'ngan khu ngern, ngern khu ngan, banda suk', which means work is money, money is work and this brings us happiness. This article seeks an understanding of what this means in practice. It begins by looking generally at broad concepts of work and economic development. It then considers how this has impacted on language and normative values in other nations, and looks at how economic change in Thailand has led to a profound shift in attitudes to work. In particular attention is focused on the language used to describe work because this language is redolent of the process of cultural legitimisation by which working for money becomes normative. The article uses both Thai and Isarn (the name given to the dialect and region in Northeast Thailand) illustrations to show usage change in both urban and rural areas.


Behavior 0 1 2 Score Breathing Independent of vocalization • Normal • Occasional labored breathing • Short period of hyperventilation • Noisy labored breathing • Long period of hyperventilation • Cheyne-Stokes respirations Negative vocalization • None • Occasional moan or groan • Low-level speech with a negative or disapproving quality • Repeated troubled calling out • Loud moaning or groaning • Crying Facial expression • Smiling or inexpressive • Sad • Frightened • Frown • Facial grimacing


The study on factors affecting sustained use of agricultural technologies the case of cassava farmers was carried out in three states of Southwest Nigeria. Structured interview schedules as well as in-depth study devices were used to collect data, which were analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that sustained users and abandoned users were not significantly different at (5 %) level in income level (t=-0.85), educational level (t =0.1.08) and family size (t= - 0.85). However, they were significantly different (at 5 % level), in age (t= 2.17), farm size (t= 11.25) and cassava output (t= 10.87). The following major recommendations were made: (i) Agricultural technologies developed and disseminated should meet farmers' sociocultural, economic and environmental changing situations (ii) Technologies should be cost effective and flexible for result oriented adoption and adaptation (iii) Government should fund research and extension to enhance sustainable agriculture. (iv) Finally there should be adequate provision of inputs required for whole adoption of technologies other than the present experience where partial adoption occurred on the field. Regular evaluation and monitoring of output should be encouraged to affirm that the stipulated research results are realized.


Abstract Drought is one of the severe natural disasters that has devastating effects on various parts of the environment. Therefore, spatiotemporal monitoring of drought using reliable methods is very important. In this study, using a new Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)-Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD)-Energy multi-scale approach, the efficiency of the new Soil Moisture to Rain-Advanced SCATterometer (SM2RAIN-ASCAT) precipitation product was investigated in monitoring the spatiotemporal patterns of short- to long-term droughts for the Northwest part of Iran. In this regard, after validating the accuracy of the SM2RAIN-ASCAT datasets, a multi-scale method was developed based on the serial decomposition of the drought signals. The mean energy amounts of the obtained subseries were imposed into the K-means (K signifies the number of clusters) to identify the drought-prone regions. Results showed that the highest Correlation Coefficient (R) between SM2RAIN-ASCAT and in-situ observations are found at monthly time scales, in which 73% of the stations had R higher than 0.7. Investigating the reliability of this product for drought monitoring showed that for short- and mid-term timescales in 75% of the stations, the values of R were higher than 0.7. The applied methodology successfully showed the drought-prone regions and a direct relationship was found between energy and drought intensity. The capability of the applied methodology was verified via the CPC Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products and the obtained results proved the desirable performance of the SM2RAIN-ASCAT datasets. It was found that SOI, Nino3, and Nino3.4 had major effects on the drought index in the selected area, while AO had the least effect. The relationship between the LST and SPIs was negative, while there was a positive relationship between NDVI and SPIs.


A young woman in her mid-40s was referred by her primary care physician for fever, worsening shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain and tachycardia. CT angiogram of the chest revealed a large pericardial effusion. Echocardiogram confirmed tamponade physiology despite her being haemodynamically stable. She had an emergency pericardiocentesis which revealed evidence of a haemorrhagic pericardial effusion. However, the patient was still symptomatic after treatment and had to undergo video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with a pericardial window and chest tube. Postoperatively, her fevers resolved. Pan-culture was initially negative, and all antibiotics were discontinued. Acid-fast bacilli cultures later grew Mycobacterium avium complex. She continued to have chest discomfort postoperatively, but follow-up CT of the chest 3 months postoperatively showed continued resolution of her pericardial effusion. The patient's symptoms improved, and she has had no recurrence of effusion without the need for anti-tuberculosis drugs.


Access to "citizenship" – the guarantee of rights between an individual and a state – and the rights associated with citizenship have always been hotly contested. Ancient Greek warriors and peasants, Roman patricians and plebeians, fought violent battles to define and redefine citizenship.1 There was never a long period where the institution was static. In countless states in the contemporary moment – Canada, Sri Lanka, states of the former U.S.S.R etc – individuals and groups strive for a guarantee of the state's commitment to its "obligation to protect" them. Although these are vastly distant struggles, both spatially and ideologically, citizenship is a common denominator in discussions of their particular issues. Historically in Africa, citizenship has been more an instrument of political contestation than a vehicle for human rights.2 There are two senses in which I use citizenship in this paper. The first of these types, which I call national civic citizenship, has been since the eighteenth century recognized as located in the nation state. Civic citizenship implies a formal, predominantly legal relationship between the individual and state, which creates stated rights and obligations at


Ayurvedic therapies and practices have been integrated in universal wellness. Changes in lifestyle with development are very drastic. Diseased environment, junk food habits, work in shift duties, anxiety etc. are the main causative factors for vitiation of Tridosha and the demonstration of diseases in today's era. There is dearth of information about Dincharya and Ritucharya in common people. Due to which people mainly get aggravated doshas related to their gastrointestinal system first, and then other symptoms come subsequently. According to Ayurveda Sheetpitta is described as Tridoshaj Vyadhi (Disease), but Vata and Pitta Dosha are predominant and Ras and Rakta are main Dushya. Sheetapitta is one among the Twak Vikara(skin disorders) that have related Hetu of Kotha and Udarda. Vata and Kapha are two "Doshas", which are primarily bothered which in turn is associated through Pitta resulting in Tridosha Prakopa causing to redness, swelling itching on the skin etc. Chief symptoms of Sheetpitta are reddish spots, inflammation on skin with moderate to severe itching at site. It is compared with urticaria in modern science and termed as primary cutaneous disorder. An episode of it may start with pruritis. Episodes of urticaria may continue to revert for days, weeks, months or year if not cured properly. Urticaria is calculated as allergic reaction due to certain food and have only symptomatic treatment and anti-allergic drug. Commonly antihistaminic medicines were used for urticaria. In Ayurveda, treatment of Sheepitta includes Shodhana and Shamana Chikitsa. Here we discussed about a case study of Sheetpitta. where we give Ayurvedic treatment and results were found very encouraging.


Understanding software's user behavior is key to personalizing and enriching the user experience and improving the quality of the software. In this paper, we consider the use of user navigation graphs issued from user activity traces. The aim of our study is to do node classification over the user graph navigation in order to understand better the composition of the software and to offer a better experience to the users. Traditional baseline methods has shown good performance in the node classification task, but can't be applied for tasks as link prediction. Graph Neural Network on the contrary can satisfy both node classification and link prediction. However, GNN produce significant results when the features on the nodes are numerous enough. This is not always the case in real-world problems, because too many features implies too much data, storage issues, affect the performances of apps, etc. Indeed, due to the origin of the data and their uncontrolled generation, the resulting graphs contain few or no features (AKA non-attributed graphs). In addition, in industrial fields, some external requirements particularly legal may limit the collection and the use of data. In this article, we show that graphs issued from real-world data also have such limitations, and we propose the generation of artificial features on the nodes as a solution to this problem. The obtained results showed that the usage of artificial node features is a promising solution to overcome the greediness of GNN in terms of node features and applying GNN on the non-attributed graphs.


Heterozygosity for homocysteinuria is a common, inherited autosomal condition that has recently been considered as an independent cardiovascular risk factor. In vitro and in vivo results suggest that this condition, like the homozygous form, is also a risk factor for deep-venous thrombosis and pulmonary thromboembolism. We report a case of recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism in a young woman with familial hyperhomocysteinaemia. The relative frequency of this condition, as well as its simple and harmless cure, make testing for heterozygosity for homocysteinuria useful and profitable in the prevention of pulmonary thromboembolism, above all in younger subjects with a significant case history.


A scheme is proposed for generating a multiparticle three-dimensional entangled state by appropriately adiabatic evolutions, where atoms are respectively trapped in separated cavities so that individual addressing is needless. In the ideal case, losses due to the spontaneous transition of an atom and the excitation of photons are efficiently suppressed since atoms are all in ground states and the fields remain in a vacuum state. Compared with the previous proposals, the present scheme reduces its required operation time via simultaneously controlling four classical fields. This advantage would become even more obvious as the number of atoms increases. The experimental feasibility is also discussed. The successful preparation of a high-dimensional multiparticle entangled state among distant atoms provides better prospects for quantum communication and distributed quantum computation.


Federated learning is a new distributed privacy-preserving learning paradigm which perfectly meets the requirements of many large service systems such as banking, healthcare, and smart city. Meanwhile, person re-identification, as a technology to associate the images of the same person from different data sources, has been widely used in many smart services such as smart logistics, smart surveillance, and many public searching and rescue missions. Therefore, it is a promising solution to use federated learning for person re-identification to improve the model accuracy while protecting the data privacy. However, the common problem of non-independent and identically distributed (Non-IID) data with heterogeneous clients in federated learning often causes undesirable model accuracy. To address such a problem, in this paper, we propose a novel strategy named federated learning with data augmentation for person re-identification (Fed4ReID). Specifically, to alleviate the impact of Non-IID data, we utilise a pre-trained DCGAN (Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network) model for data augmentation at each edge servers. Experiments on public datasets show that our proposed strategy can outperform baseline method in general accuracy.


With the emergence of both power and performance as primary design constraints, energy efficiency has become the new design criteria. A platform with heterogeneous-ISA processors can provide multiple power-performance execution points needed for a varied mix of workloads. We argue that a new system software architecture is needed to obtain maximum energy efficiency on such heterogeneous-ISA platforms. We present our system software, a replicated-kernel operating system and a compiler framework, and quantify the advantages of such a system software on ARM-x86 using simulations. Based on our experimental observations, we propose a scheduling approach which considers system and application runtime characteristics along with platform profiles to maximize energy efficiency.


Vigorous debate currently surrounds peer review, and polarized views are often expressed. Despite criticisms about the process, studies have found that it is still valued by researchers, with rigorous peer review being rated by authors as the most important service they expect to receive when paying to have their papers published open access. The expectations of peer review and what it can achieve need, however, to be realistic. Peer review is also only as good and effective as the people managing the process, and the large variation in standards that exists is one of the reasons some of the research and related communities have become critical of and disillusioned with the traditional model of peer review. The role of the editor is critical. All editors must act as proper editors, not just moving manuscripts automatically through the various stages, but making critical judgements throughout the process to reach sound and unbiased editorial decisions. New models and innovations in peer review are appearing. Many issues, however, remain the same: rigorous procedures and high ethical standards should be in place, those responsible for making decisions and managing the process need to be trained to equip them for their roles and responsibilities, and systems need to be adapted to deal with new challenges such as the increasing amounts of data being generated and needing to be taken into account when assessing the validity and soundness of work and the conclusions being drawn.


4117 – Table 1. Systolic and diastolic BP at follow-up Baseline Day 10 4 weeks 6 weeks 3 months 6 months n observations (I) 45 41 41 41 40 40 n observations (C) 46 42 42 42 41 42 SBP Mean (SD) (I) 135.2 (15.5) 127.5 (10.9) 123.3 (10.4) 121.6 (8.7) 126.7 (13.1) 125.8 (12.9) Mean (SD) (C) 130.8 (13.0) 125.5 (16.0) 124.9 (10.7) 126.6 (11.0) 126.6 (10.9) 126.8 (14.0) Adj. (I-C) (95% CI) 4.5 (-1.2 to 10.3) 1.6 (-3.9 to 7.1) -1.8 (-6.1 to 2.6) -5.2 (-9.3 to -1.2)* -0.1 (-5.1 to 4.9) -1.0 (-6.3 to 4.4) DBP Mean (SD) (I) 87.1 (9.2) 83.7 (8.6) 82.0 (6.5) 80.5 (6.6) 81.7 (8.4) 81.0 (8.2) Mean (SD) (C) 85.4 (10.5) 85.2 (10.9) 84.8 (7.4) 86.0 (9.7) 85.8 (8.2) 85.5 (9.9) Adj. (I-C) (95% CI) 1.7 (-2.4 to 5.9) -1.7 (-5.7 to 2.3) -3.0 (-5.8 to -0.1)* -5.8 (-9.1 to -2.5)* -4.3 (-7.7 to -0.8)* -4.5 (-8.1 to -0.8)* I = intervention, C = control. All units mmHg. *Signifies adjusted difference where 95% confidence interval does not cross zero. nancy. Women may require large doses of antihypertensive medication postpartum, but the majority will be treatment-free by three to six months. Purpose: Rapidly changing postnatal blood pressure (BP) poses a challenge in terms of antihypertensive dose adjustment. In essential hypertension selfmanagement significantly improved BP. We developed a novel postpartum selfmanagement intervention, and performed an initial evaluation in a pilot study. Methods: Postnatal women, with medicated gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia, were randomised to self-management or usual care. Selfmanagement involved daily home BP monitoring, using a validated device, and submission of readings via a mobile phone-based telemonitoring system, which provided automatic feedback and included an individualised medication reduction schedule. Women attended five follow-up visits over six months; at each visit BP was measured six times, using a validated, automated monitor. The primary outcome was feasibility. For differences in BP at follow-up a repeated measures mixed effects regression model was used for analysis. Results: 91/188 (48%) women approached were randomised (45 intervention, 46 control). There were 9/91 (10%) withdrawals. Amongst the 82 complete cases, 403/410 (98%) follow-up visits were completed. The groups had similar baseline characteristics. BP measures at follow-up tended to be lower in the intervention group (table). This was most marked at 6 weeks, but the difference in diastolic readings persisted to six months. Conclusion: The secondary outcome measures indicate that self-management might result in better postnatal BP control, and support evaluation in a largescale multi-centre randomised controlled trial. The recruitment and retention rates suggest expanding the study would be practicable. Acknowledgement/Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care Oxford at Oxford Health NHS Foundation 4118 | BEDSIDE A meta-analysis on standard and intensive blood pressure control in patients with chronic kidney disease L.A. Shiu, N.N. Diansuy, R.M. Ramirez-Ragasa, N.S. Pestano, F.E. Punzalan, B. Tumanan-Mendoza. Manila Doctors Hospital, Manila, Philippines Background: Chronic kidney disease is a significant burden worldwide. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) globally is 13.4% (11.7%-15.1%) for all stages. According to the National Nutrition Health Survey (NNHeS) 2003 renal report, the prevalence of CKD in the Philippines is 2.6% in CKD Stages 3– 5. Kidney disease is 9th in the top ten causes of mortality according to the 2012 Philippine health statistics. High blood pressure is a major determinant of disease progression in diabetic and non diabetic chronic kidney disease. However, due to conflicting data regarding blood pressures goals, we sought to determine the effect of standard and intensive blood pressure control in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular event, renal failure, and end stage renal disease among patients with chronic kidney disease. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of intensive blood pressure control in reducing mortality and morbidity among patients with chronic kidney disease. Methodology: We obtained relevant trials from Pubmed and Cochrane trials. The search was restricted to studies conducted on human subjects. A review of reference list of the previous meta-analyses was also done. All prospective, randomized and clinical trials involving chronic kidney patients (CKD) with standard and intensive blood pressure control were included. Outcome measured were all cause mortality, cardiac events, end stage renal disease, and kidney injury. We obtained total of 1659 studies and ended with six studies through careful appraisal of the studies. Cochrane Review Manager Software version 5.3 was used in the analysis. Results: The pooled analysis of the mortality rates, cardiovascular events, end stage renal disease, and kidney injury of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed no significant effect and no significant heterogeneity. Authors' conclusions: Intensive blood pressure control in patients with chronic kidney disease did not show significant effect on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, end stage renal disease and kidney injury. We recommend maintaining the current blood pressure targets of <140/90 mmHg for patients with chronic kidney disease. However, blood pressure goals in patients with chronic kidney disease must still be carefully deliberated and individualized by the attending physician taking note of the patient's individual profile. 4119 | BEDSIDE Early morphologic alterations in renal artery wall and renal nerves in response to catheter-based renal denervation procedure in sheep: difference between single-point and multiple-point ablation M. Taborsky1, D. Richter1, Z. Tonar2, L. Kubikova3, A. Herman3, J. Peregrin3, L. Cervenkova3, Z. Huskova3, L. Kopkan3. 1Palacky University, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, 1st Dept of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Olomouc, Czech Republic; 2Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University in Prague, Pilsen, Czech Republic, Department of Histology and Embryology and Biomedical Center, Plzen, Czech Republic; 3Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM), Prague, Czech Republic Introduction: Renal sympathetic hyperactivity is critically involved in hypertension pathophysiology. Catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) has been very widely applied over the last five years and claimed to be effective for blood pressure (BP) reduction in select patients, satisfactory safety and efficacy data are still not available. Aim of the study: Study assessed effects of two RDN systems to detect acute intravascular, vascular and peri-vascular changes in the renal artery, and renal nerve alterations, in the sheep. Method: The study was performed in sheep (total n=16; body weight 35–48 kg). The sheep were randomly assigned into two mixed-sex groups. The right femoral artery incision was performed as the access point for the catheterization, a sheath was introduced into the exposed artery and heparin was administered. The procedures using a single-point or multi-point ablation catheters, Symplicity Flex, versus EnligHTN, INC were compared; the intact contralateral kidneys served as controls. Histopathological and immunohistochemical assessments were performed 48 hours after RDN procedures; the kidney and suprarenal gland morphology was also evaluated. Special staining methods were applied for histologic analysis (Table 1), to adequately score the injury of renal artery and adjacent renal nerves. Results: The sympathetic nerve changes after RDN were more pronounced in the animals treated with the multi-point compared with the single-point catheter. However; neither RDN procedure led to complete renal sympathetic nerve ablation (Picture 1: Middle section artery wall of normal appearance, but sympathetic nerves are located in the distance about 1.5 mm from the lumen. The cracks in the wall are artefacts. Immunohistochemistry, neurofilament protein). Forty-eight hours after the procedure no significant changes in plasma and renal tissue catecholamines were detected. The morphologic changes elicited by application of both RDN systems appeared to be dependent on individual anatomical variability of renal nerves in the sheep. Table 1. Parameters calculated from the semiquantitative scoring systems Parameter Definition Sum of the vascular injury score and sum of the nerve injury score per animal Calculated by summing up the points scored along all the 3 mm-long segments of the renal artery (typically 8 segments). This was done for the vascular injury and the nerve injury separately. Maximum vascular injury score and maximum nerve injury score The maximum value found among the segments under study in the given animal and organ. Mean vascular/nerve injury score per segment Arithmetic mean value of the score results per one segment, calculated by dividing the sum of the vascular injury score, or the sum of the nerve injury score, respectively, by the number of arterial segments in the given animal and organ. Typical histological findings Message for clinical practice: Similar variability in humans may limit the therapeutic effectiveness of RDN procedures using existing technologies in patients with resistant hypertension. Acknowledgement/Funding: Animal study was supported by grant project AZV 15-34123A. D ow naded rom http/academ ic.p.com /eurheartj/article-absuppl_1/ehx504.4118/4089652 by gest on 16 M arch 2020


Professional learning and development (PLD) has been one of the strategies for improving the quality of teachers and education by shifting the teaching focus from knowledge acquisition to knowledge construction/meaning-making. This research investigated the influences and outcomes of implementing a social constructivist curriculum on tutors' beliefs and practices as a result of their PLD experiences in Tanzania's teacher education colleges. Specifically, the research investigated tutors in social science subjects (geography, history and civics) who responded to four questions: What are tutors' understandings of a social constructivist approach to teaching? What are tutors' beliefs about the role of social constructivist approaches (SCA) in teaching? Do tutors integrate social constructivist approaches in teaching, and if so, how this is achieved? What are tutors' suggestions for future teaching of social science?  The research employed a qualitative case study approach and nine social science tutors were purposely selected from three colleges of teacher education. Information was gathered through open semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, documents analysis, and reflective journals. Data were thematically analysed and presented in themes, tables, figures, photos, and graphs. Transfer of training, critical pedagogy and social constructivist theoretical lenses informed and maintained the researcher's direction of research undertakings from proposal development to the final thesis report.  Results indicated that a variety of PLD experiences shaped tutors' understandings of SCA, which influenced their practices in transferring the knowledge constructed to the job. Tutors employed SCA in teaching by embracing socio-cultural and economic situations. The research indicated that contextual influences such as centralised education policies and curricular activities, PLD experiences, and contingent teaching challenges influenced tutors' teaching beliefs in the implementation of SCA. Tutors' practices and beliefs were constrained by the reform process in socio-cultural and economic situations in which tutors demonstrated limited pedagogical approaches.  Moreover, the study suggested significant needs to improve the teaching of social science by changing classroom situations, class sizes, and leadership practices in policy development and implementation, all of which has implications for the education system to ensure sustainability of the transfer of training on job setting.  The researcher recommended a continuum of PLD experiences on the job, increasing the relevance to the job setting for tutors' training, considering the use of native languages for teaching, ensuring effective supervision and implementation of educational policies, and rethinking the system of education to address SCA grounded in indigenous values and norms. It was concluded that tutors, student teachers, and community ideologies should primarily inform policy development and implementation, not the Government alone. Similarly, it was recommended that international policy transfers to a country such as Tanzania should be critically examined before adoption (to a recipient country) so that it can be implemented effectively. This study contributed to existing literature, at national and global policy levels, for the adoption of SCA in non-Western settings, and demonstrated the use of different worldviews to understand the case.


We have reported that 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3] suppresses proliferation and induces differentiation of murine myeloid leukemia cells (M1) into macrophages. In the current study, M1 cells were cultured either with 2.0 or 0.15 mM total calcium to examine the effect of calcium on the process of differentiation induced by the vitamin. The 0.15 mM calcium medium greatly enhanced 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3]-induced inhibition of cell growth and suppression of [3H]thymidine incorporation. Addition of Verapamil, a calcium antagonist, to the 2.0 mM calcium medium also elicited similar responses. The absolute number of cells with phagocytic activity induced by 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3 was almost identical in media containing either concentration of calcium, and in cultures with or without Verapamil. Culture in the 0.15 mM calcium medium or addition of Verapamil to the 2.0 mM calcium medium did not suppress cell growth nor induce phagocytic activity in the absence of the vitamin. To confirm the preferential effect of calcium on cell growth, M1 cells were pretreated for 3 days with 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3 in either the 2.0 or 0.15 mM calcium medium. Then the pretreated cells were washed and subcultured in the absence of 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3 in either medium. The growth rate was inhibited much more effectively in the subculture with 0.15 mM calcium than with 2.0 mM calcium. These results suggest that the M1 cells' increased requirement of extracellular calcium, caused by the treatment with 1 alpha, 25(OH)2D3, is closely related to cell growth rather than differentiation.


Abstract. Three-dimensional measurements of gravity waves are required in order to
quantify their direction-resolved momentum fluxes and obtain a better
understanding of their propagation characteristics. Such 3-D measurements of
gravity waves in the lowermost stratosphere have been provided by the
airborne Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere
(GLORIA) using full angle tomography. Closed flight patterns of sufficient
size are needed to acquire the full set of angular measurements for full
angle tomography. These take about 2 h and are not feasible everywhere due
to scientific reasons or air traffic control restrictions. Hence, this paper
investigates the usability of limited angle tomography for gravity wave
research based on synthetic observations. Limited angle tomography uses only
a limited set of angles for tomographic reconstruction and can be applied to
linear flight patterns. A synthetic end-to-end simulation has been performed
to investigate the sensitivity of limited angle tomography to gravity waves
with different wavelengths and orientations with respect to the flight path.
For waves with wavefronts roughly perpendicular to the flight path, limited
angle tomography and full angle tomography can derive wave parameters like
wavelength, amplitude, and wave orientation with similar accuracy. For waves
with a horizontal wavelength above 200 km and vertical wavelength
above 3 km, the wavelengths can be retrieved with less than
10 % error, the amplitude with less than 20 % error, and
the horizontal wave direction with an error below 10∘. This is
confirmed by a comparison of results obtained from full angle tomography and
limited angle tomography for real measurements taken on 25 January 2016 over
Iceland. The reproduction quality of gravity wave parameters with limited
angle tomography, however, depends strongly on the orientation of the waves
with respect to the flight path. Thus, full angle tomography might be
preferable in cases in which the orientation of the wave cannot be predicted
or waves with different orientations exist in the same volume and thus the
flight path cannot be adjusted accordingly. Also, for low-amplitude waves and
short-scale waves full angle tomography has advantages due to its slightly
higher resolution and accuracy.


A new device, the Inductive Plasma Accelerator, was employed to simultaneously form and accelerate two oppositely directed field reversed configurations (FRCs) where the relative velocity (600 km s−1) of the plasmoids was much larger than their internal thermal motion. Upon collision all of the FRC directional energy was observed to be rapidly thermalized concurrent with complete magnetic reconnection of the two FRCs. Upon merging, the resulting FRC was compressed to kilovolt ion temperatures exhibiting a configuration lifetime better than predicted by past scaling of in situ formed FRCs. With the improved FRC confinement scaling, a pulsed plasma device based on this approach capable of achieving fusion gain is examined. For an FRC with a poloidal flux 20 mWb or greater, the fusion energy yield per pulse exceeds the plasma energy for compression fields of 10 T or more. The scaling is insensitive to the compression chamber radial scale, providing for the possibility of a very compact fusion neutron source.


PURPOSE
Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital lung malformation. It is characterized by an abnormal mass of dysplastic lung tissue supplied by an anomalous systemic artery and separated from normal bronchopulmonary tree. Misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment can lead to recurrent pneumonia and fatal hemoptysis.

METHODS
We report a 45 years female was diagnosed PS, and performed a brief review about the clinical features, diagnostic strategies, and management options of the PS.

RESULTS
Her remarkable symptoms were cough and hemoptysis, the contrast- enhanced computed tomography of the chest revealed a multiloculated cystic solid mass filled with low density lesions and a feeding artery from the descending abdominal aorta to the cystic solid mass was visualized, then the patient suffered a right lower- lobe resection, and the surgery and pathological examination all supported the diagnosis of intralobar sequestration.

CONCLUSIONS
Symptomatic patients of the pulmonary sequestration should be treated by surgery to avoid the risk of death due to massive hemoptysis.


In this paper, we are interested in restoring blurred multicompo nent images corrupted by an additive Gaussian noise. The nov elty of the proposed approach is two-fold. Firstly, we show how to combine M-band Wavelet Transforms (WT) with Fourier analysis to restore multicomponent images. Secondly, we point out that the multichannel deconvolution procedure takes advantage of exploit ing multivariate regression rules. Simulations experiments carried out on multispectral satellite images indicate the good performance of our method.


This paper deals with the detection of moving objects. We have defined a method able to cope with perturbations frequently encountered during acquisition of outdoor image sequences: camera not perfectly stationary, illumination modifications, occlusions, ... Temporal integration and statistical regulariz- ation are the two main features of the method. A temporal multiscale decomposition allows us to detect and to characterize various dynamical behaviours of the elements present in the scene. A tracking module provides a prediction map, which gives a confidence level for presence of motion at a given pixel. A statistical regularization framework, based on Markov random field models, supplies a formal way to combine these different sets of computed information, while exploiting a priori knowledge on the primitives to be determined. A calibration technique based on so-called qualitative boxes is used to estimate model parameters. Several experiments with real image sequences depicting various complex situations have validated the approach.


We are reporting on the uniform growth of III‐nitrides (AlN, GaN, and AlGaN layers) on 200 mm silicon substrates using Veeco's Propel rotating disk, single wafer vertical MOCVD reactor. The reactor is designed for homogeneous alkyl/hydride flow distribution, and uniform temperature profile, resulting in excellent uniformity in epilayer thickness, alloy composition, and doping profiles. Thickness uniformity for single layers of AlN and GaN are 0.71 and 0.67% 1σ, respectively, without edge exclusion. A 21 nm Al0.23Ga0.77N layer has 0.29%, 1σ uniformity for Al composition, and a range of 1.2 nm (max–min) for thickness. Uniformity of magnesium and carbon doping profiles is presented across the 200 mm substrate.


This research deals with the possibility for construction of the database on the braking friction coefficient for actual roads from the viewpoint of traffic safety especially for automated driving such as level 4 or higher. In an automated driving such levels, the controller needs to control the vehicle, but the road surface condition, especially the road friction coefficient on wet roads, snowy or icy roads, changes greatly, and in some cases, changes by almost one order. Therefore, it is necessary for the controller to constantly collect environment information such as the road friction coefficients and prepare for emergencies such as obstacle avoidance. However, at present, the measurement of the road friction coefficients is not systemically performed, and a method for accurately measuring has not been established. In order to improve this situation, this study examines a method for continuously measurement for the road friction characteristics such as μ-s characteristics.


Abstract Bécquer Granados, E. R.: Tetrazygia decorticans (Miconieae, Melastomataceae), a new species from Cuba [Novitiae florae cubensis 24], — Willdenowia 37: 313–317. — ISSN 0511-9618; © 2007 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem. doi:10.3372/wi.37.37120 (available via http://dx.doi.org/) Tetrazygia decorticans from central Cuba, a species new to science, is described and illustrated. Its position in Tetrazygia is discussed. The species is easily distinguished from other Cuban melastomes by its reddish bark that peels off in long laminar shreds.


New forms of work intermediation - the gig economy - and the growing use of advanced digital technologies - the new knowledge economy - are changing the nature of work. The digitalization of work, however, is shaped by how countries respond to it. But how countries respond to digitalization, we argue, depends on how digitalization is perceived in the first place. Using text-as-data methods on a novel corpus of translated newspaper and policy documents from eight European countries as well as qualitative evidence from interviews and secondary sources, we show that there are clear country effects in how digitalization is framed and fought over. Drawing on discursive-institutionalist and coalitional approaches, we argue that institutional differences explain these discursive differences by structuring interpretative struggles in favor of the social coalitions that support them. Actors, however, can also challenge these institutions by using the discursive agency to change these underlying support coalitions.


We have combined optical fiber probe and nanoprobe techniques in a scanning electron microscope, which enables in situ optical, electrical and structural characterization of optoelectronic nanomaterials and nanodevices. The nanoprobe technique, employing sharp metal tips, is used for in situ nano-manipulation, contact and electrical measurement. The fiber probe, coupled to a spectrometer or a laser and controlled by a nano-manipulator, allows local optical detection or excitation. We show in situ assembly of a light emitter and photodetector based on individual nanostructures, demonstrating the potential application of the above technique in building prototype optoelectronic devices and selecting suitable nanostructures for device purposes. In addition, the angular resolving power of the fiber probe detection is demonstrated to be useful for studying nanoscale waveguides.


This paper focuses on digital signal processing techniques compensating the non-linear effects inherent to optical modulation or amplification within a coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) transmitter featuring a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). Two complementary approaches are specifically considered: crest factor reduction and linearization using a digital baseband predistortion. Two possible implementations are presented for the digital predistortion block. One is the basic solution of static compensation; the other consists in a parallel two-box digital polynomial predistorter (PTB) combining, in parallel, a static nonlinear block with a memory polynomial predistorter. Moreover, we show that a linearization of the dynamic behavior of the transmitter, in addition to peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction, offers better performance. The robustness of the predistorters or of the combined predistorter/PAPR reduction blocks is assessed for various scenarios. Finally, we propose solutions to improve robustness via multipoint identification or switching strategies for predistortion.


We report on an archival X-ray observation of the eclipsing RS CVn binary XY UMa (Porb ≈ 0.48 d). In two Chandra ACIS observations spanning 200 ks and almost five orbital periods, three flares occurred. We find no evidence for eclipses in the X-ray flux. The flares took place around times of primary eclipse, with one flare occurring shortly (< 0.125 Porb) after a primary eclipse, and the other two happening shortly (< 0.05 Porb) before a primary eclipse. Two flares occurred within roughly one orbital period (Δα ≈ 1.024 Porb) of each other. We analyze the light curve and spectra of the system, and investigate coronal length scales during both quiescence and flares, as well as the timing of the flares. We explore the possibility that the flares are orbit-induced by introducing a small orbital eccentricity, which is quite challenging for this close binary.


Wetlands of the high Andean mountains are exceptional ecosystems due to their hydrological characteristics in a surrounding arid environment. This group of tropical peat lands is situated in southern Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile and known as 'Bofedales'. Bofedales provide a natural habitat which serve as grass land for South-American cameloids like Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) as a domesticated form of wild South American cameloid Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) and Guanaco (Lama guanicoe). The study area includes some of the greatest Bofedales of southern Peru as part of a national reserve (La Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca). One problem for reserve managers and decision makers of communities is the need of low cost, current and accurate information upon which they can base there decisions. Important questions are e.g.: 'What are the effects of pasturing, irrigation and drainage and how effective is protection of Bofedales?' 'What are the services which they provided and how could they be evaluated?' The availability of no-cost data (e.g. MODIS) and automated data processing techniques can provide a cost effective tool to answer those questions. The study shows that using high resolution data like Landsat ETM+ combined with elevation models derived from SRTM data (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) clearly improves existing wetland classifications. It shows Bofedales as an inhomogeneous land cover type due to different characteristics mostly depending on relief, geology and climate. To investigate this inhomogeneity time analysis using the vegetation index (NDVI) is applied and compared with other vegetation cover types situated in the same study area. Due to the different geometric resolution of the data (Landsat, MODIS, SPOT Vegetation) the potentials of subpixel classification for improving the accuracy of time analysis is investigated. Dependencies between climate, hydrological conditions and changes of vegetation are examined by using reanalysed climate data sets combined with hydrologic models. Recommendations and conclusions are aimed to emphasise the need for research because much more work is required to develop resource management and conservation programs based on scientific research to ensure protection and sustainable use of Bofedales and therefore to ensure the future livelihoods of the indigenous peoples who depend on them.


Type-I IFNs (IFN-I) provide direct survival signals to T cells during Ag-driven proliferation. Because IFN-I production differs depending on the pathogen, we assessed CD8 T cell requirement for direct IFN-I signals during responses to vaccinia virus (VV), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and Listeria monocytogenes (LM) immunizations in vivo. IFN-I-receptor-deficient (IFN-IR°) CD8 T cells expanded 3- to 5-fold less and formed a diminished memory pool compared with wild-type (WT) CD8 T cells in response to VV, VSV, or LM. WT CD8 T cells expanded more robustly in response to LCMV-encoded Ags than to Ags encoded by the other three pathogens, and under these conditions the lack of direct IFN-I signals inhibited their expansion by ∼100-fold. To test whether the high antigenic-load provided by LCMV caused greater expansion and greater IFN-I dependency, we primed WT and IFN-IR° OVA-specific OT-1 CD8 T cells with a fixed-number of OVA-peptide-pulsed dendritic cells along with adjuvant effect provided by LCMV, VV, VSV, or LM. Both WT and IFN-IR° OT-1 cells were recruited, proliferated, and differentiated into effectors in all the four cases. However, WT OT-1 cells expanded similarly in all four cases. IFN-IR° OT-1 cells expanded ∼20-fold less than the WT OT-1 CD8 T cells when LCMV was used as adjuvant, whereas their expansion was affected only marginally when VV, VSV, or LM were used as adjuvants. Thus, innate/inflammatory signals induced by different pathogens contribute to CD8 T cell expansion and memory formation via distinct levels of IFN-I dependence.


Hydraulic properties of belite middling slime obtained as a byproduct in the production of aluminum oxide from nonbauxite materials have been studied. For the purposes of the investigation belite slime and hydraulic lime were mixed in different proportions. Two types of admixtures were used, and their effect on the processes of hydration of the belite slime and strengths of the pastes with equal workability was studied. Development of the processes of hydration and strengths versus time of hydration was studied. By means of the scanning electron microscope, calcium-hydrosilicate phases were identified and a mechanism for their formation was proposed. The results obtained are discussed, and for the investigated binders suitable ranges of application are suggested.


This study compares the evidence on corruption between alternative data sets. These include the Corruption Perceptions Indices (CPI) that are conventionally used and the micro data sets from the International Crime Victim Surveys (ICVS) and the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) that have been used in recent applications. While a comparison between the evidence from the CPI and WBES constitutes a comparison of perception versus reality, the comparison of evidence from ICVS and WBES can be construed as a comparison of individual with business corruption. The study finds several similarities and differences between the pictures on corruption yielded by the alternative data sets. For example, while in case of low income countries, perception of business corruption seems to be worse than that based on firms' actual experience of doing business there, the reverse is true for high income countries. The magnitude of individual corruption is consistently lower than that of business corruption, with the gap between the two forms of corruption closing only for high income countries. As a country develops and commercial transactions increase, the mix of corruption changes in favour of business corruption. While the study finds evidence of a negative association between per capita GNP and corruption rates, none of the three data sets provides any evidence of negative association between growth and corruption rates. The study also finds that while improvement in human development indicators such as literacy are effective instruments in controlling individual corruption, the strengthening of institutions such as the legal system and the regulatory mechanism are likely to be more effective in combating business corruption. The strengthening of trust, whether via improved literacy and development of social networks or via a strong legal system, and an effective and transparent regulatory mechanism is the key to combating both forms of corruption. A methodological contribution of this study is the combination of the information of the characteristics of the respondent with the country level indicators in analysing the determinants of corruption. A significant difference between the two forms of corruption is that, after controlling for the respondent's attributes and the country indicators, while individual corruption showed an increase over time, this was not the case with business corruption. The importance of introducing the country effects is seen from the sign reversal of the time coefficient estimate that occurs in case of both individual and business corruption once we control for the effects of the country of residence of the respondent. The overall message of this study is that the authorities need to distinguish between different forms of corruption in devising policy intervention. As the mix of individual and business corruption changes with economic development, so should the mix of policy instruments in tackling corruption. The results also underline the need to undertake more studies that investigate the sensitivity of the evidence on corruption to alternative data sets.


The onset of direct digital manufacturing, in particular 3D printing, has brought with it a number of well-understood benefits. These include the facts that it is an additive rather than subtractive process achieving close to zero waste, and that the removal of the requirement for investment in tooling means that manufacture can be achieved by remote users at the point of use, removing the need for manufacturing in quantity, the stockpiling of products and the carbon miles required for distribution. The promise offered is a move from old to new paradigms of production and a huge reduction in the mass-production of goods on a global scale. These elements support a leading role for Post Industrial Manufacturing techniques as part of a sustainable future. However, these processes, especially in their growing 'domestic' format of open source 3D printers such as the 'Makerbot', or the RepRap - distributed for free and built at extremely low cost, have their detractors. Their argument, which it has to be said has some merit, is that giving a global audience the ability to freely manufacture many of the products they would otherwise have to buy removes the value of products and could open a Pandora's Box of product proliferation. Naysayers see such devices being used to create vast amounts of sub-standard products that, due to the ease with which they could be reproduced, will be readily discarded and replaced, increasing rather than decreasing consumption. Fed up with your ornaments? Throw them all away and print some new ones. Broken a lamp? Don't fix it – make another at the push of a button. Lost your favourite cufflinks? Print another pair. These are understandable concerns. Access to open design and production techniques in other areas has had a significant negative impact. Witness the graphic designers who have a great deal to say about the degradation of their discipline due to Desktop Publishing – WordArt and colour inkjet printing have proved to be thorns in the sides of creative professionals for many years now. Without careful consideration of the impact of such technologies moving into the 3D arena and the effects they will have on the designers and manufacturers of today's products, the potential for disaster is high. Together, 3D printing and Open Design are indeed disruptive technologies. So what is to be done? The key is for designers and manufacturers to embrace these technologies and become involved in the creation of Post Industrial Manufacturing Systems that will allow the amateur user to become closely involved in the design and production of high quality, well-designed products that have deeper personal meaning to the user than off-the-shelf, mass-produced goods. A team consisting of the lead researcher, a computer programmer, a product designer and a craftsman/maker tested this proposition. Two separate yet related product design systems were developed which utilized parametric modelling in conjunction with generative algorithms in order to allow untrained users to design and produce unique objects. The designer and craftsman/maker used their systems to create numerous versions of a number of products, which were printed in 3D for display in a public exhibition. At the exhibition, one of the systems was made available for visitors to try, and a selection of their designs were manufactured and added to the growing display. The results were incredibly positive. Many visitors returned to the exhibition repeatedly, excitingly explaining to friends and relatives that for the first time in their lives, they had created something and had it made, and that their own work was on public display. They had done it their way. Their relationship to the objects they had produced was far removed from that of their normal engagement with everyday objects; they had a meaning above and beyond mere ownership. These objects would not be thoughtlessly cast aside. It would appear that Post Industrial Manufacturing Systems that allow a high level of user involvement in the co-creation of objects do in fact hold the key to the reduction of global product consumption for many types of goods in a sustainable future.


In this study, the effect of resilience, perceived social support, life satisfaction and self-regulation variables on the academic self-efficacy of Syrian refugee undergraduate students were examined with a path analysis model. The sample consisted of Syrian undergraduate students living in Turkey. The sample of the research was randomly selected and participation was voluntarily. Data collection tools used were demographic information form, Arabic versions of academic self-efficacy, resilience, perceived social support, life satisfaction and self-regulation scales. In the data analysis, self-regulation and perceived social support selected as the exogenous variables, academic self-efficacy was selected as the endogenous variable, and resilience and life satisfaction were selected as the mediator variables. In the study, the direct and indirect effects from exogenous variables to academic self-efficacy were examined. The findings of the research revealed that self-regulation and perceived social support directly affected academic self-efficacy, life satisfaction had a mediating effect on perceived social support, and resilience had self-regulation. It is concluded that in order to increase the academic self-efficacy of refugee students, self-regulation and social support from the society should be increased, as well as life satisfaction and resilience against difficulties.


This document records the misunderstandings that were revealed at Meeting #13 (Orlando) regarding the status and disposition of the TG3 Channel Model document 802.16.3c-01/29r1 at Meetings #11 (Ottawa) and #12 (Hilton Head) and its relevance for subsequent voting at Meeting #13 (Orlando). Conclusions are made which would alter certain decisions of the Chair on these matters at Meeting #13. Some commentary is also provided as to why the resolution of these misunderstandings is important to the integrity of the proposed 802.16a Standard. Purpose To correct / complete the record on the status of the Channel Model documents and voting. Notice This document has been prepared to assist IEEE 802.16. It is offered as a basis for discussion and is not binding on the contributing individual(s) or organization(s). The material in this document is subject to change in form and content after further study. The contributor(s) reserve(s) the right to add, amend or withdraw material contained herein. Release The contributor grants a free, irrevocable license to the IEEE to incorporate material contained in this contribution, and any modifications thereof, in the creation of an IEEE Standards publication; to copyright in the IEEE's name any IEEE Standards publication even though it may include portions of this contribution; and at the IEEE's sole discretion to permit others to reproduce in whole or in part the resulting IEEE Standards publication. The contributor also acknowledges and accepts that this contribution may be made public by IEEE 802.16. Patent Policy and Procedures The contributor is familiar with the IEEE 802.16 Patent Policy and Procedures (Version 1.0) <http://ieee802.org/16/ipr/patents/policy.html>, including the statement "IEEE standards may include the known use of patent(s), including patent applications, if there is technical justification in the opinion of the standardsdeveloping committee and provided the IEEE receives assurance from the patent holder that it will license applicants under reasonable terms and conditions for the purpose of implementing the standard." Early disclosure to the Working Group of patent information that might be relevant to the standard is essential to reduce the possibility for delays in the development process and increase the likelihood that the draft publication will be approved for publication. Please notify the Chair <mailto:email@example.com > as early as possible, in written or electronic form, of any patents (granted or under application) that may cover technology that is under consideration by or has been approved by IEEE 802.16. The Chair will disclose this notification via the IEEE 802.16 web site <http://ieee802.org/16/ipr/patents/notices>. 2001-07-02 IEEE 802.16.3c-01/70 1 TG3 Channel Model – Protested Status and Voting David Trinkwon


In the elucidation of the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, it is emphasized that Indonesia is not based on power (machstaat) but based on rechtsstaat or law. The definition of machstaat includes, "Ligitimizing State Actions Based on Power". That authority is translated, the government can give the ability to carry out certain legal actions intended to cause legal consequences, including the emergence and disappearance of certain legal consequences. Thus, rechstaat should not be translated, someone can act on behalf of the government or the state to carry out or take legal action, arguing that the state wants to create justice, as if everything must be acceptable to the public. This study will analyze legal issues, facts, and other legal phenomena related to the legal approach. Research in the form of juridical, descriptive with its analysis limits the issue of appointing regional heads ahead of the 2024 presidential election which ignores the considerations of the Constitutional Court Decision. This method will not conclude that regional elections are generally accepted regarding the appointment of regional heads outside of their standard. In conclusion, the Judicial Review of Article 201, Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning Pilkada which the Constitutional Court Judges consisting of the Chairman, Anwar Usman, and its members in their Amar Decision rejected the petition of the Petitioners in its entirety. The discussion occurred because the rejection of the lawsuit was inconsistent with considerations that seemed to open up space for the public or civil society to demand an open and democratic government in appointing regional heads ahead of the 2024 presidential election.


The ability to control transport behaviors in nanostructure is crucial for usage as a fundamental research platform as well as a practical device. In this study, we report a gate-controlled crossover of electron transport behaviors using graphene nanoconstrictions as a platform. The observed transport properties span from Coulomb blockade-dominated single electron transmission to electron–wave interference-dominated quantum behavior. Such drastic modulation is achieved by utilizing a single back gate on a graphene nanoconstriction structure, where the size of nanostructure in the constriction and coupling strength of it to the electrodes can be tuned electrically. Our results indicate that electrostatic field by gate voltage upon the confined nanostructure defines both the size of the nanoconstriction as well as its interaction to electrodes. Increasing gate voltage raises Fermi level to cross the energy profile in the nanoconstriction, resulting in decreased energy barriers which affect the size of nanoconstriction and transmissivity of electrons. The gate-tunable nanoconstriction device can therefore become a potential platform to study quantum critical behaviors and enrich electronic and spintronic devices.


Efficient biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy (DN) have not been established. Using ELISA, we found previously that urinary levels of full-length megalin (C-megalin), a multiligand endocytic receptor in proximal tubules, was positively correlated with DN progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we found that urinary extracellular vesicle (UEV) excretion and C-megalin content in UEVs or in their exosomal fraction increased along with the progression of the albuminuric stages in patients with T2DM. Cultured immortalized rat proximal tubule cells (IRPTCs) treated with fatty acid–free BSA or advanced glycation end product–modified BSA (AGE-BSA), endocytic ligands of megalin, increased EV excretion, and their C-megalin content. C-megalin excretion from IRPTCs via extracellular vesicles was significantly blocked by an exosome-specific inhibitor, GW4869, indicating that this excretion is mainly exocytosis-mediated. AGE-BSA treatment of IRPTCs caused apparent lysosomal dysfunction, which stimulated multivesicular body formation, resulting in increased exosomal C-megalin excretion. In a high-fat diet–induced, megalin-mediated kidney injury model in mice, urinary C-megalin excretion also increased via UEVs. Collectively, exocytosis-mediated urinary C-megalin excretion is associated with the development and progression of DN in patients with T2DM, particularly due to megalin-mediated lysosomal dysfunction in proximal tubules, and hence it could be a candidate biomarker linked with DN pathogenesis.


Biocrusts abound in southern Israel, covering the Hallamish dune field near Nizzana (NIZ) in the Negev (mean annual precipitation of 95 mm) and the coast of Nizzanim (NIM) near Ashdod (mean annual precipitation of 500 mm). While the hydrological response of the NIZ crust to natural rain events was thoroughly investigated, no data is available on the hydrological response of the NIM crust. Runoff was monitored in runoff plots during the years 2005–2008, and in addition, sprinkling experiments were carried out on NIM and NIZ crusts. For the evaluation of the possible factors that may control runoff initiation, fine content of the parent material, crust thickness, compressional strength, hydrophobicity, surface microrelief, organic matter, biomass (chlorophyll a and total carbohydrates) and the crust's species composition of NIM were studied and compared to that of NIZ. The data showed that in comparison to the NIZ crust that readily generated runoff, no runoff was produced by the NIM crust. This was so despite the fact that (1) Microculeus vaginatus predominated in both crusts, (2) the substantially higher rain intensities in NIM, (3) the greater thickness and higher chlorophyll content and (4) the lower microrelief at NIM in comparison to NIZ. The lack of runoff in NIM was explained by its low amounts of exopolysaccharides that did not suffice to affectively clog the surface and in turn to facilitate runoff initiation. The absence of runoff and its consequences on the NIM ecosystem are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


PurposeThe increasing popularity of ERP solutions has provided dietary supplement manufacturing companies with modules to manage pricing and inventory. However, the decisions made by these modules are often independent and rely on deterministic forecasts. This paper studies a multi-product dietary supplement manufacturing system under stochastic demands. The purpose is to maximize the long-run expected profit by jointly considering pricing and inventory strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigate both the general cases and three special cases including stable demand, negligible backlog and instantaneous replenishment. A two-stage algorithm named PAS is proposed. In the strategy construction stage, the constructed objective bounds are combined to provide estimates which then help to derive the optimal product prices. In the system operation stage, replenishment decisions are further made based on the prices generated from the previous stage.FindingsIt is proved that base-stock policy is optimal for the studied system, and the optimal based-stock level is provided. The global optimal strategies are obtained for three important special cases. For the general case, theoretical objective bounds are established. These bounds provide quick and reliable performance estimates for practical applications.Originality/valueVery few studies have jointly considered pricing and inventory strategies with uncertainty demands in the dietary supplement industry. The PAS algorithm developed integrates these decisions and consistently generates high-quality solutions even under highly varying demands. Such algorithm could be a valuable add-on to the pricing and inventory management modules in ERP systems.


Fatigue is a condition experienced by a person that causes a decrease in a person's vitality and productivity. Fatigue can be characterized by slowed reaction time and fatigue. People's condition is a significant factor in driving safety. Based on this increase in the number of accidents according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), experts conducted research on detecting fatigue that often occurs. In this study, a system that can detect fatigue is developed using parameters obtained from physiological indicators such as heart signals by using the Low Frequency/High Frequency ratio parameter, muscle signals using the average frequency domain of the muscle signal and oxygen saturation. The detection tool in this study uses the ECG Click Module, EMG Click Module, and Oximeter Click which will be connected to the ARM microcontroller, namely STM32F407ZG. The parameters that have been obtained are processed using the Fuzzy Logic method to determine the level of fatigue. Based on the tests results carried out on three subjects, parameter values were obtained where in the subject the three parameters entered into fuzzy logic, it was found that the three subjects were detected in a fairly tired state. The aggregated output that found from subject A was 0.6303, the aggregated output of subject B was 0.77948, and the aggregated output of subject C was 0.79188. Furthermore for future research development, the signal processing can be done more complex, besides that signal processing and fuzzy logic processing can be embedded so the process runs in realtime.


PURPOSE
To develop stable liquid dosage forms of levodopa-carbidopa for use in children with amblyopia.

METHODS
Levodopa (100 mg) and carbidopa (25 mg) tablets were used to prepare the suspensions at 5 and 1.25 mg/mL, respectively. For each suspension, five bottles were stored at 25 degrees C and five at 4 degrees C. Three samples were taken from each bottle at 0, 7, 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, and 91 days (n=15). Levodopa-carbidopa concentrations for each sample were measured in duplicate by validated and stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic method.

RESULTS
The mean concentrations of levodopa-carbidopa in Ora Plus/Ora Sweet suspensions were 96% and 92% of the initial concentrations for 28 days at 25 degrees C, and 94% and 93% for 42 days at 4 degrees C. In the suspension containing ascorbic acid, the mean concentrations of levodopa-carbidopa were above 93% and 92% for 14 days at 25 degrees C, and 93% and 92% for 28 days at 4 degrees C. This liquid formulation was administered to 15 children (mean age: 5.6+/-1.4 years) with amblyopia. The number and type of adverse effects were similar in the levo-dopa-carbidopa versus placebo group.

CONCLUSION
Levodopa-carbidopa in extemporaneous suspensions prepared in Ora Plus and Ora Sweet were stable for 28 days when stored at 25 degrees C and for 42 days at 4 degrees C. Our data suggest our liquid formulation may be used safely in children with amblyopia.


Objective: Cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) testing has opened new options in prenatal screening for trisomy 21. Due to the higher costs of cffDNA testing there is an ongoing debate on how to combine different screening strategies. Methods: For this study, a model-based approach was used to evaluate all births in Germany in 2012 together with the percentage of euploid and trisomic pregnancies. Detection rates (DR), false positive rates (FPR), the costs of different screening strategies for trisomy 21 and combinations of these strategies were compared. The number of fetuses with trisomy 21 at 12 + 0 weeks of gestation was estimated based on maternal age distribution. We examined the screening performance of a screening strategy based on maternal age, first trimester screening (FTS) and cffDNA testing as well as the combinations "maternal age and cffDNA" and "FTS and cffDNA". Results: In 2012 673 544 children were born. Median maternal age at delivery was 30.2 years (25th-75th quartile: 27.0-34.0). Based on maternal age distribution the expected number of fetuses with trisomy 21 at 12 weeks' gestation was 1788. Our study population therefore consisted of 675 332 pregnancies. Screening based only on maternal age or FTS or cffDNA resulted in detection rates of 63.3 %, 92.2 % and 99.0 % and false positive rates of 21.8 %, 8.0 % and 0.1 %, respectively. When maternal age was combined with cffDNA, cffDNA testing was only offered to women over a certain age; if a cut-off of 30 years was used, this resulted in a DR of 85.2 % and a FPR of 1.7 %. If primary screening consisted of FTS with cffDNA testing only done when the risk was between 1 : 10 and 1 : 1000, the detection rate was 96.7 % and the false positive rate was 1.2 %. Conclusion: In this model-based study we showed that prenatal screening for trisomy 21 can be improved even more by combining FTS and cffDNA. Further studies are necessary to examine whether these results can be reproduced in reality.


An attempt is made to calculate the contribution of the distributed Peltier effect to the efficiency of the branch of the thermoelement Z for various types of impurity distribution. For this purpose, the boundary problem of thermal balance in the branch of the thermoelectric element was solved numerically, taking into account the distributed Peltier effect. The case of non-degenerate charge carriers was considered within the framework of the standard two-band model. The parameters of charge carriers were selected close to thermoelectrics based on bismuth and antimony tellurides. As the calculation in the framework of the two-zone model showed, the use of the distributed Peltier effect leads only to partial absorption of Joule heat, which contributes to an increase in the overall efficiency of the branch. In this case, the Z parameter along a significant part of the branch takes values significantly less than the maximum value. Keywords: thermoelement, Peltier effect, thermoelectric efficiency parameter, standard two-zone model.


periods both in academia and in professional survey practice. Many readers will be familiar with his seminal paper ''Bundle adjustment methods in engineering photogrammetry'' (published in The Photogrammetric Record in 1980), for which he was awarded the President's Prize of the Photogrammetric Society in 1981. Editorial correspondence should continue to be sent to email@example.com. Stuart's permanent postal address and other contact details will be notified in due course.


This study examines Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in a physical activity context, using a prospective design to predict leisure time physical activity. We expected need satisfaction and self-determined motivation to predict physical activity 1 month later. One hundred sixteen undergraduate students completed two questionnaires, 1 month after the other. As anticipated, a path analysis revealed the proposed model to fit the data. Specifically, each psychological need positively predicted self-determined motivation, and competence negatively predicted nonself-determined motivation. Self-determined motivation was then found to predict physical activity 1 month later, while nonself-determined motivation was not a significant predictor. These findings support the theoretical model proposed by SDT and the implications of these findings are discussed.


It is much easier to get human experts to provide example action sequences than declarative representations of either the semantics of the atomic actions in the sequences or the workflow used to generate the sequences. To address this particular instance of the knowledge acquisition bottleneck, this paper describes an algorithm called Workflow Inference from Traces (WIT) that learns workflows from a single action-sequence (trace) without the need for action semantics (i.e., preconditions or effects). WIT is based on model merging techniques borrowed from the grammar induction literature. It starts with a workflow that generates just the observed trace, generalizing with each merge. Prior to the merging phase, an alphabet of action types is created in which similar action instances are grouped according to their input/output characteristics in the trace. It is a sequence of tokens in this alphabet that is merged. We empirically evaluate the performance of WIT using a novel measure of similarity between workflows. This evaluation takes place in an instance of the well-known domain proposed by Berners-Lee, Hendler, and Lassila (Berners-Lee, Hendler, & Lassila 2001) in which actions correspond to accessing web services.


: Pollinators serve key ecological functions, ensuring stable ecosystems and high agricultural yields. Hence, assessing ecosystem health and effects of agricultural management would benefit from understanding and monitoring pollination networks, which involves identifications of pollinators and pollinated plants. Classic approaches of morphology-based identification of plants and pollinators can be time-consuming, la-bor-intensive and costly, and require highly specialized taxonomic expertise. In comparison, DNA barcoding and high-throughput sequencing technologies can provide efficient and accurate identifications of plants and their pollinators, which may facilitate construction of pollination networks. Here we propose using sequencing technologies with a PCR-free genome-skimming work frame, using "super DNA barcode" as a new method to assess plant-pollinator networks. We expect this technique to improve resolution and accuracy of taxonomic identification to help gain quantitative information for bulk samples of pollinators or pollens. Al-though there are technical challenges to be resolved, the robustness of the new methodology has been vali-dated in relevant biodiversity studies, suggesting promise in constructing pollination networks. pollen; metabarcoding; metagenome; PCR-free; quantify


Dearth oe Comet Discoveries The transfer of resources to the problem of winning the war is probably responsible for the small number of current comet discoveries. Mr. William Reid, in South Africa, reported the discovery of an unexpected comet by him on June 12, 1918, in right ascension 9 i6 36, and declination — 8° 10', with daily motion 48' due south. Its position with reference to the Sun was such that the object could not be observed from the northern hemisphere. No additional observations appear to have been published, and accordingly the discovery seems to have failed of verification. No other discovery of an unexpected comet has been reported since April 18, 1917. Jonckheere at Greenwich observed the return of Wolf's periodic comet on July 9, 1918. This is the fifth return of the comet since its original discovery in 1884. Barnard at the Yerkes Observatory independently observed the return of this comet on July 12 th. Fayet at Nice, France, re-observed Borrelli's periodic comet on August 7, 1918. This is the third observed appearance of the object. These periodic comets are faint. W. W. C.


Collection of essays by contributors from a range of academic disciplines addressing the question of how risks and hazards are perceived and dealt with in the USA at every level.


Endocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) is commonly considered to be an inflammatory reactive lesion of hyperplasia and deposition of tissue fibers and collagen in the endocardium and/or subendocardium, which is strongly associated with endocardial sclerosis, ventricular remodeling and acute and chronic heart failure, and is one of the important causes for pediatric heart transplantation. Early diagnosis and treatment are the key factors in determining the prognosis of the children. In this paper, we would like to highlight the potential unintended consequences of the use of sedation and biopsy for pediatric acute heart failure caused by EFE and the comprehensive considerations prior to clinical diagnosis.


The contribution of bulk inversion asymmetry to the total spin-orbit coupling is commonly neglected for group III-V nanowires grown in the generic [111] direction. We have solved the complete Hamiltonian of the circular nanowire accounting for bulk inversion asymmetry via exact numerical diagonalization. Three different symmetry classes of angular momentum states exist, which reflects the threefold rotation symmetry of the crystal lattice about the [111] axis. A particular group of angular momentum states contains degenerate modes which are strongly coupled via the Dresselhaus Hamiltonian, which results in a significant energy splitting with increasing momentum. Hence, under certain conditions Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling is relevant for [111] InAs and [111] InSb nanowires. We demonstrate momentum-dependent energy splittings and the impact of Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling on the dispersion relation. In view of possible spintronics applications relying on bulk inversion asymmetry we calculate the spin expectation values and the spin texture as a function of the Fermi energy. Finally, we investigate the effect of an axial magnetic field on the energy spectrum and on the corresponding spin polarization.


In this paper, a global optimal study of the efficiency of a cascaded structure with synchronous rectification composed of two sub-converters has been presented, this converter allows obtaining high voltage ratio and consists of two-interleaved boost converter which was chosen as 1st sub-converter and three-level boost converter which was chosen as 2nd sub-converter. An optimal efficiency operation as a function of the intermediate voltage and the branch number of the first converter is studied by the aid of an adaptive losses estimation algorithm to estimate the components losses for each DC/DC converter. The estimated power losses of the two converters are modeled by two estimated resistances. These estimated resistances are used to study and optimize the relation between the intermediate voltage and the global efficiency and also the influence of the number of branches of the interleaved converter on the total global losses. The algorithm is theoretically analyzed, developed and compared with the experimental results. Experimental results allow validating the proposed analysis for maximizing global efficiency.


Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men may be related to micronutrients involved in prevention of oxidative damage or cell growth and differentiation. We tested the hypothesis that carotenoid, vitamin A, and vitamin C intake were inversely associated with total LUTS, voiding, and storage symptoms. We conducted a cross-sectional multivariate analysis of 1466 men aged 30-79 y in the Boston Area Community Health survey (2002-2005), a population-based random sample survey. Data were collected by in-person interview and validated FFQ. Moderate-to-severe LUTS were defined using the American Urological Symptom Index and analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Overall, men consuming greater dietary lycopene, β-carotene, total carotenoid, or vitamin A had ~40-50% decreased odds of LUTS compared with the lowest intake quartiles (e.g. β-carotene and storage symptoms, OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.82; P-trend = 0.02). Interactions were observed between dietary iron and vitamin C or β-cryptoxanthin, whereby inverse associations with LUTS, particularly voiding symptoms, occurred only among men with moderate-to-high iron intake (P-interaction = 0.001). High-dose supplemental and total vitamin C were positively associated with LUTS (e.g. supplemental vitamin C ≥ 250 mg/d, OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.21, 2.77; P-trend = 0.02). An interaction between β-carotene and smoking status (P-interaction = 0.004) indicated greater odds of LUTS with higher β-carotene intake among current smokers. Results suggest that modifying consumption of carotenoids and vitamin C may influence LUTS in men.


We investigated the effects of rearing water temperatures during sex differentiation period on sex ratios in olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Control and gynogenetic diploid juvenile flounder reared at water temperature of 18, 21, 24 and 27℃ for 65 days from 35 to 100 days after hatching. Fish were sampled to examine sex ratios at 195 or 260 days after hatching. Female ratios of control and gynogenetic diploid flounder declined rapidly as water temperature increased. Sex ratio of gynogenetic diploid reared at 27℃ was very close to 1 : 1 ratio (P<0.01). The survival rates of control and gynogenetic diploid reared at 27℃ were different from other water temperature groups. The growth of body weight of control and gynogenetic diploid reared at 18℃ were different from other water temperature groups.


The Dalradian rocks of Banffshire have been affected by at least four periods of folding. The earliest period resulted in the formation of isoclinal folds which are presumed to be related to large-scale recumbent folds, such as the recumbent anticline of Banffshire and Aberdeenshire postulated mainly on stratigraphical grounds by Professor H. H. Read. The Boyndie Syncline, first described by Sutton and Watson and the only major fold recognised in the Banffshire coast section, belongs to the third fold period. Textural evidence is given for polymetamorphism in the Banffshire Dalradian. The movements responsible for the primary recumbent folds were probably accompanied by only a low-grade metamorphism. The main phases of constructive metamorphism occurred before, during and after the second fold movements. The metamorphic climax, during which both Buchan and Barrovian types of metamorphic mineral assemblages developed, is shown to have occurred after the second fold movements. The andalusite-cordierite-staurolite assemblages (Buchan type) apparently formed at a higher structural level than the garnet-staurolite-(kyanite) (Barrovian type of assemblages). During the third and fourth fold movements lower grade metamorphic conditions prevailed; local retrograde metamorphism occurred. By reference to the work of Rast, Sturt and Harris a comparison is made between the available time-scales of structural and metamorphic events in Banffshire and Perthshire. Many points of similarity are revealed; in particular it is found that the climax of metamorphism (indicated by the Buchan metamorphism in Banffshire and the main Barrovian type metamorphism in Perthshire) is co-eval in the two regions, which represent different structural levels.


Incorporating the physical environment is essential for a complete understanding of human behavior in unconstrained every-day tasks. This is especially important in ego-centric tasks where obtaining 3 dimensional information is both limiting and challenging with the current 2D video analysis methods proving insufficient. Here we demonstrate a proof-of-concept system which provides real-time 3D mapping and semantic labeling of the local environment from an ego-centric RGB-D video-stream with 3D gaze point estimation from head mounted eye tracking glasses. We augment existing work in Semantic Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (Semantic SLAM) with collected gaze vectors. Our system can then find and track objects both inside and outside the user field-of-view in 3D from multiple perspectives with reasonable accuracy. We validate our concept by producing a semantic map from images of the NYUv2 dataset while simultaneously estimating gaze position and gaze classes from recorded gaze data of the dataset images.