The objective of this study was to assess the sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence and sexual risk behavior among female sex workers (FSWs) in Indonesia. This cross-sectional 2005 study involved 2500 FSWs in nine provinces in Indonesia. Informed consent was obtained; behavioral and clinical data were collected. Specimens were collected for STI testing, endocervical swabs were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PCR), vaginal smears were cultured to detect Trichomonas vaginalis and sera were tested for syphilis (RPR and TPHA). The prevalence of chlamydial infection was 43.5%, gonorrhea 28.6%, trichomoniasis 15.1%, and syphilis 8.7%; the prevalence of any STI was 64.0%. Inconsistent condom use, younger age, and higher number of clients were independent risk factors for the presence of gonorrhea/chlamydia. Inconsistent condom use was common (73.2%); starting sex work at younger age, and higher number of clients were independent risk factors. Vaginal douching was reported by 89.6% of FSWs; no association with gonorrhea/chlamydial infection was found. This study identified a high STI prevalence and low consistent condom use among FSWs in Indonesia. This will need to be addressed to prevent further spread of infections, including HIV.


Fine ML, Mayo MS, Newton SH, Sismour EN. Largemouth bass predators reduce growth, feeding and movement in juvenile channel catfish. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2011: 20: 114–119. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Abstract –  Animals utilise sensory cues to make decisions that will decrease their vulnerability to predation. With a well-developed olfactory system and taste buds located inside the mouth and on the external body surface, catfishes are excellent subjects to investigate nonconsumptive predator effects. Juvenile channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus are often eaten by largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, and we tested the hypothesis that largemouth bass fed catfish would adversely affect foraging and growth in channel catfish. Groups of catfish were placed in tanks partitioned by a mesh screen: experimental tanks had a largemouth bass on the other half of the tank, and control tanks had an empty chamber. Experimental catfish exhibited a long-term decrease in spontaneous motion, feeding and growth. Feeding catfish to the bass caused the experimental catfish to freeze after a multi-second latency suggesting transport of an alarm cue. Thus, there were long-term effects from the continuous presence of the bass and additional short-term cues from the bass consuming a catfish.


Abstract The mid-Maastrichtian carbon isotope event (MME), dated at ∼69 Ma, reflects a perturbation of the global carbon cycle that, in part, correlates with the enigmatic global extinction of 'true' (i.e., non-tegulated) inoceramid bivalves. The mechanisms of this extinction event are still debated. While both the inoceramid extirpation and MME have been recorded in a variety of deep-sea sites, little is known about their expression in epicontinental chalk seas. In order to study the shallow-marine signature of the MME in this epicontinental shelf sea, we have generated quantitative foraminiferal assemblage data for two quarries (Hallembaye, NE Belgium; ENCI, SE Netherlands) in the Maastrichtian type area, complemented by a species-specific benthic δ13C record. In contrast to deep-sea records, no significant changes in benthic foraminiferal assemblages and benthic foraminiferal accumulation rates are observed across the MME in the type-Maastrichtian area. At the Hallembaye quarry, the otherwise rare endobenthic species Cuneus trigona reaches a transient peak abundance of 33.3% at the onset of the MME, likely caused by a local transient change in organic matter flux to the seafloor. Nevertheless, high and near-constant species evenness shows that neither oxygen nor organic matter flux was limited across the extinction level or during the MME. Benthic foraminiferal data from the uppermost part of the studied section, above the MME, indicate a significant increase in food supply to the seafloor. Decreased amounts of terrigenous elements across this interval document a lesser riverine or aeolian influx, which means that the increased benthic productivity is linked to a different origin. Potentially, the continuous precipitation of chalk under nutrient-poor conditions in the Late Cretaceous chalk sea was enabled by efficient nutrient recycling in the water column. In shallower depositional settings, nutrient recycling took place closer to the seafloor, which allowed more organic matter to reach the bottom. These results provide insights in the importance of nutrient cycling for biological productivity in the NW-European chalk sea.


Fall report of birds found in central Iowa contributed by Philip J. Walsh. This item was used as supporting documentation for the Iowa Ornithologists' Union Quarterly field report of fall 1997.


Over the last decade, several networks and communities for women in IT have been initiated. It has been known that specific needs for support exist where members of a minority have difficulties in finding like-minded people in their everyday environment. This paper investigates different forms of female networks in Computer Science and IT. In particular, it analyses forms of network initiation, which often involve face-to-face meetings at regular events like conferences or, increasingly, at summer universities for female students. We conducted three studies to identify the attendees' expectations and needs for support using questionnaires, interviews, and a wiki analysis. This paper aims at identifying effective strategies for initiating female networks.


Background: The T-wave of the first normal beat after a ventricular premature complex (VPC) often differs in shape in terms of a change in the T-wave amplitude or in the direction of the T-wave vector. The phenomenon of post-extrasystolic T-wave change (PEST) was first reported by White in 1915 and confirmed in many clinical and experimental studies. However, PEST has not led to a meaningful clinical application. In this study, we tested whether PEST provides prognostic information in contemporarily treated post-MI patients.

Methods and Results: 941 consecutive patients (mean age 61 years, 19% female) presenting with acute MI were enrolled between May 2000 and March 2005. All patients underwent 30-minute recordings of high resolution ECG (1.6 kHz sampling of orthogonal XYZ leads). 224 patients showed VPCs during the 30-minutes. We quantified PEST by two variables (1) change in T-wave area and (2) change in the angle of the T-wave vector in each case compared to the average of three T-waves before and after the first post-extrasysolic beat. PEST was defined as ratio TPEST/T±3 area <1 and ratio TPEST/T±3 angle ≥ 5°. PEST was present in 63 of the 224 patients. Primary endpoint was total mortality during a follow-up period of five years. Uni- and multivariable analyses were performed with traditional risk stratifiers like LVEF ≤ 35%, GRACE score ≥ 120 points and VPC count ≥ 5 per 30 minutes.

During the follow-up, 26 of the patients died. PEST shows the strongest association with mortality in the univariable analysis followed by GRACE score, frequent VPCs and reduced LVEF In the multivariable analysis only PEST and GRACE score were independent predictors of mortality (see table).

Conclusions: PEST is significantly associated with mortality in survivors of an acute myocardial infarction, and is independent of standard risk predictors. We assume that PEST might becaused by abnormal transmural gradients in action potential duration.

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The potential use of Cinnamomum aromaticum and its active compound to control Meloidogyne incognita was investigated in vitro and in pot experiments. One compound, cinnamyl acetate, was isolated by thin layer chromatography and silica gel column chromatography, and identified by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectrometry. Juvenile movement and hatch inhibition by cinnamyl acetate was dependent on both the concentration and incubation time of the cinnamyl acetate. Treatment with 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 μg ml−1 of cinnamyl acetate resulted in 33.7, 65.1, 81.1, 100 and 100% inhibition of movement of second-stage juveniles, respectively, at 50 min after incubation. The juvenile movement inhibition was <20% at the tested concentrations at 10 min after incubation. Cinnamyl acetate treatment resulted in 20.8, 39.4, 81.3 and 90.7% hatch inhibition at 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg ml−1, respectively, at 3 days after incubation and 21.6, 39.3, 73.2 and 88.7% hatch inhibition at 25, 50, 100 and 200 μg ml−1, respectively at 6 days after incubation. In pot tests, C. aromaticum crude extracts effectively inhibited infection of M. incognita on cucumber plants. Cinnamomum aromaticum crude extracts applied at 0.5 and 1.0 mg (g soil)−1 significantly reduced the numbers of galls caused by M. incognita. The activities of pathogenesis-related proteins as β-1,3-glucanase and peroxidase on leaves of plants treated with C. aromaticum crude extracts were significantly higher than those on leaves of control plants.


Pollution within a subterranean ecosystem caused gross staining of stream passages within a cave, although no visible impact was observed outside of the system. The source of the pollutant was identified in the surface catchment using water tracing experiments, and the direction and destination of water and pollutants within subterranean passages determined. Impacted sites and control sites were identified within the cave and compared to pre-disturbance data for the impacted cave and an adjacent system. The abundance and diversity of invertebrate taxa at impacted sites, downstream of the pollutant source, were significantly lower than in the pre-disturbance community and unaffected control sites.


This paper presents a model to evaluate the nutritional status of trained athletes based on work in our laboratory as well as others. The model proposes that substrate use is set by the muscle fibers recruited, based on the exercise intensity. Second, the substrate available is primarily determined by the intramuscular stores. In trained athletes, intramuscular fat plays an important role in metabolism at exercise intensities as high as 80% of maximal aerobic power. Based on these factors, increasing the fat in the diet (while maintaining adequate intramuscular glycogen) increases VO2max and intramuscular stores of fat (presumably due to increased mitochondrial volume). These two factors result in a significant increase in the time to exhaustion at set levels of exercise (endurance). It also appears that fatigue is associated with depletion of either glycogen or fat. These conclusions hold true for athletes on diets where sufficient calories are taken in to meet demands and for exercise levels below 80% of VO2max, where primarily slow-twitch oxidative fibers are used. These data may not apply in exercise where predominantly fast-twitch fibers are used. Also, these data do not apply to runners eating a hypocaloric diet, where reducing the percentage of carbohydrates may compromise their glycogen stores. It would appear that the fat in the diet can be increased to a very high level without compromising the cardiovascular or immune systems of athletes. Moreover, it can be proposed that these data could be applied to sedentary persons, as long as they are isocaloric. This would imply that the fat consumed in the diet would be used in the muscle, as in the runners, although at a lower level. Thus, the dietary intake should be matched in both total calories and percentage of fats and carbohydrates to calories consumed by daily activity. It should be cautioned that if glycogen and fat stores are compromised, protein resynthesis is inhibited and loss of muscle mass may result. This has a negative effect on the athlete's ability to perform at high levels.


Measles encephalitis rarely affects young adults and has no established treatment strategy. This brief report described the rare case of an immunocompetent 30-year-old man with severe measles pneumonia and encephalitis, following the autoimmune disease acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, during a large measles outbreak in 2018 in Japan. With multidisciplinary treatments, including corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, vitamin A, and therapeutic plasma exchange, the patient was successfully treated. This case provides a new strategy for treating measles encephalitis and its complications during measles outbreak.


Retinal pigment epithelial tears after photocoagulation for subretinal new-vessels complicating age related macular degeneration were observed in 20 patients between 1980 and 1988. The patients, 4 males and 16 females, aged from 60 to 86 years (mean: 72.5) were followed up between 12 and 53 months (mean: 21 months). Laser photocoagulation was performed for directly visible lacy subretinal new-vessels (6 cases) or vascularized pigment epithelial detachment (10 cases) or both lesions associated (4 cases). Krypton laser (17 cases), blue-green argon laser and/or orange dye laser (625 nm) (3 cases) were applied in one (9 cases) to four sessions. Retreatment (11 cases) was performed for persistent subretinal new-vessels (3 cases) or recurrences (4 cases) or appearance of a pigment epithelial detachment after photocoagulation for isolated SRNV (4 cases). The tear was observed on fluorescein angiography 10 to 180 days after the last session. It was preceded by occurrence of subretinal hemorrhages, increase in size of the PED or newly formed PED. It appeared on the border of the PED (16 cases) usually temporally, or on the immediate border of the laser scar (4 cases). Further evolution was rapidly defavorable with dramatic impairment of vision and constitution of fibrovascular scar in the macular area. Only 4 eyes progressed to flat atrophic scars after retreatment and retained useful central vision (0.1 to 0.2). Factors which could explain this complication following laser treatment of age related macular degeneration are discussed.


Preserving environmental and natural resources is one of the most important challenges for ensuring the sustainability of well-being over time. One can notice that measuring of environmental indicators related to environmentally responsible behaviour is complicated and demanding task. It is also important to define the main drivers of environmentally responsible development. The objective of this paper is to provide comparatives analysis of indicators of environmentally responsible behaviour in the Baltic States by comparing and assessing them in terms of the EU-28 average and to present the main drivers of environmentally responsible behaviour in Lithuania. Environmentally responsible behaviour is related to resource and energy savings, use of renewable energy sources, waste sorting and recycling, wastewater disposal etc. Comparative assessment of environmentally responsible behaviour indicators in the Baltic States indicated that all these indicators are bellow the EU-average, except the use of renewable energy sources. The main drivers of consumption behaviour in Lithuania were assessed by applying households surveys in order to define the major issues of concern and to develop relevant policies targeting these issues. Age, gender, education, and income of Lithuanian residents do not have impact on environmentally responsible behaviour in Lithuanian households (energy saving, buying energy efficient electric appliances, willingness to pay electricity from renewable energy sources use of biofuels). Only environmental awareness has impact on energy saving behaviour at home and use of biofuels in cars and waste recycle.


Mobile devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and the latest generation of smart cell phones now incorporates many diverse and powerful sensors. These sensors include GPS sensors, vision sensors (i.e., cameras), audio sensors (i.e., microphones), light sensors, temperature sensors, direction sensors (i.e., magnetic compasses), and acceleration sensors (i.e., accelerometers). The availability of these sensors in mass-marketed communication devices creates exciting new opportunities for data mining and data mining applications. In this paper we describe and evaluate a system that uses phone-based accelerometers to perform activity recognition, a task which involves identifying the physical activity a user is performing. To implement our system we collected labeled accelerometer data from twenty-nine users as they performed daily activities such as walking, jogging, climbing stairs, sitting, and standing, and then aggregated this time series data into examples that summarize the user activity over 10- second intervals. We then used the resulting training data to induce a predictive model for activity recognition. This work is significant because the activity recognition model permits us to gain useful knowledge about the habits of millions of users passively---just by having them carry cell phones in their pockets. Our work has a wide range of applications, including automatic customization of the mobile device's behavior based upon a user's activity (e.g., sending calls directly to voicemail if a user is jogging) and generating a daily/weekly activity profile to determine if a user (perhaps an obese child) is performing a healthy amount of exercise.


The recent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes an immense health crisis to global public health. The COVID-19 is the etiologic agent of a recently arose disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Presently, there is no vaccine available against this emerged viral disease. Therefore, it is indeed a need of the hour to develop an effectual and safe vaccine against this decidedly pandemic disease. In the current study, we collected SARS-CoV-2 genome which is prominent in India against human host, further more using reverse vaccinology here we claim effective vaccine candidates that can be mile stone in battle against COVID19. This novel study divulged one promising antigenic peptide GVYFASTEK from surface glycoprotein (protein accession no. - QIA98583.1) of SARS-CoV-2, which was predicated to be interacted with MHC alleles and showed up to 90% conservancy and high value of antigenicity. Subsequently, the molecular docking and simulation studies were verified molecular interaction of this prime antigenic peptide with the residues of HLA-A*11–01 allele for MHC Class I. After vigorous analysis, this peptide was predicted to be suitable epitope which is capable to induce the strong cell-mediated immune response against the SARS-CoV-2. Consequences from the current study could facilitate selecting SARS-CoV-2 epitopes for vaccine production pipelines in the immediate future. This novel research will certainly pave the way for a fast, reliable and virtuous platform to provide timely countermeasure of this dangerous pandemic disease, COVID-19.


Through long-term studies and progress in the engineering field, various biomaterials have been developed and put to excellent practical use in the medical field, bringing much benefit to human recipients. However, there are many inorganic materials and products being tried that are incompatible with the organic constituents of the human body. Unexpected tissue reactions sometimes follow the introduction of these materials into the body. Therefore, the development of new biomaterials is critical to improvements in patient care. Advances in the development of useful biomaterials requires engineers who understand the mechanisms of tissue reaction as well as medical investigators who understand the properties of these materials and can conceive of medical applications for such products.In the field of orthopaedic surgery, in particular, metal alloys, high molecular-weight substances, and ceramics have been used in artificial joints, fracture fixations, and others. There has been a recent rise in applications of titanium, high density polyethylene, and hydroxyapatite.


Auxiliary partial hepatic allografts were performed between ten pairs of closely bred beagles typed for certain leukocyte and erythrocyte specificities. All totally leukocyte-incompatible recipients rejected the grafts in less than 11 days. The grafts survived with little evidence of rejection in two compatible littermate recipients until termination at 150 days. These grafts maintained virtually normal levels of total bilirubin and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase following division of the host's common bile duct; the serum alkaline phosphatase level was slightly elevated. The closely-bred histocompatible beagle is a suitable model for further testing the utility of the auxiliary liver transplant.


Ovarian metastasis is substantially rare in non-small cell lung cancer (N-SCLC). Driver gene mutations, such as Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), are used in the diagnosis of N-SCLC and its metastases. Demonstration of ALK mutation in N-SCLC patients will be helpful for detecting ovarian metastasis and planning personalized therapy; however, there is a limited number of cases related to this topic. In this case, we present the diagnosis and treatment of ALK-positive non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma patient with ovarian metastasis. Crizotinib is the first-class tyrosine kinase inhibitor using for the treatment of ALK-positive N-SCLC. The ovarian metastasis has been treated with surgery while under Crizotinib treatment. The patient continues to receive crizotinib treatment and no new metastases were detected at the end of a one-year follow-up. The possibility of ovarian metastasis in female N-SCLC patients with ALK rearrangement should be kept in mind.


Polychaetes comprise the benthic meiofauna of the soft-bottom intertidal zone and of shrimp ponds in coastal areas. While polychaetes provide benefits to the shrimp farming industry as (i) natural food in traditional shrimp ponds, (ii) nutrient regenerators through bioturbation and removal of organic waste in the sediment through feeding, and (iii) feed supplement to enhance maturation of shrimp brooders, the conditions present in aquaculture ponds may increase the opportunity for polychaetes to transfer pathogens to shrimp through the food chainThere is growing concern that internationally traded polychaetes, which are fed to shrimp brooders, are potential vectors for the transmission of other shrimp pathogens. The detection of the aetiological agents of two newly emerging diseases of shrimp in polychaetes, Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) and Vibrio parahaemolyticusAHPND causing hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis (HPM) and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), respectively, suggests that these worms can be a host or/and passive carrier of these pathogens. This review discusses the benefits of polychaetes to shrimp farming, the risk of shrimp pathogen transmission by polychaetes at the pond, hatchery and global level, and calls for closer observation on shrimp pathogens in polychaetes used as shrimp feed.


Leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) is a 3-D autogenous biomaterial derived via simple and rapid centrifugation of whole blood patient samples, in the absence of anti-coagulants, bovine thrombin, additives or any gelifying agents. A relatively new "revolutionary" step in second generation platelet concentrate-based therapeutics, clinical effectiveness of L-PRF remains highly-debatable, whether due to preparation protocol variability, limited evidence- based clinical literature and/or inadequate understanding of its biocomponents. This critical review provides an update on the application of L-PRF during oral surgery procedures, in human Randomized and Controlled Clinical Trials only (up to February 2016). Accordingly, autologous L-PRF is often associated with early bone formation and maturation; accelerated soft-tissue healing; and reduced post-surgical pain and discomfort. L-PRF is a simple, mal leable and safe biomaterial suitable for use in oral surgery. An innovative tool in Regenerative Dentistry, L-PRF is a strong alternative and possibly cost-effective biomaterial for oral-tissue regeneration. Preparation protocols require revision and standardization. Furthermore, a good analysis of its rheological properties, biocomponents and their bioactive function would enhance the validity, comprehension and therapeutic potential of the reported findings or observations; a step closer towards a new era of "super" dental biomaterials and bioscaffolds. periodontally stable and systemically healthy individuals who presented: similar bilateral IBD of at least 5 mm probing depth, located in vital asymptomatic teeth with no furcation involvement. Studies evaluating the addition of L-PRF to conventional open flap procedure reported the biomaterial notably improving both, clinical and radiographic parameters of IBDs, after 9 [11, 12] and 12 months [10]. A significant increase in probing depth (PD) reduc tion, CAL gain, post-treatment.


Background Excessive anxiety has a bad implication on anesthetic practice in pediatric anesthesia; therefore, decreasing anxiety by premedication is an important issue. Intranasal administration of various drugs is an easy route with rapid onset of action allowing administration of variable drugs such as midazolam and dexmedetomidine used in pediatric preoperative sedation. Patients and methods A total of 64 pediatric patients who were subjected to elective ophthalmic surgeries received either 0.5 mg/kg midazolam or 1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine intranasally. Basal heart and respiratory rate, blood pressure, sedation score, and oxygen saturation were recorded initially and every 5 min till the transfer to the operating room. Sedation score was also assessed at 30 min after drug administration. Postoperative monitoring was continued, and any postoperative complications were recorded. Results Oxygen saturation, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and respiratory rate values showed insignificant differences when both groups were compared together but showed significance differences when compared with the basal value in each group separately after 30 min. Sedation score was faster and child–parents separation score was higher in dexmedetomidine group when compared with midazolam group, and also both groups showed significant sedation score less than 3 when compared with the basal value at 15, 20, 25, and 30 min. Conclusion Midazolam and dexmedetomidine were nearly equally effective as intranasal premedication for pediatric patients subjected to elective ophthalmic surgery with minimal adverse effects, and we recommend the use of midazolam owing to its safety, effectiveness, and lower cost.


INFECTIONS with nematodes including Ostertagia ostertagi and Dictyocaulus viviparous (lungworm) can impair the health and performance of dairy calves. This study, conducted in Ireland, evaluated the efficacy of targeted selective treatment (TST) – when individual nematode-infected animals are treated rather than the whole herd – on nematode control in dairy calves.

Ninety-six calves were randomised to two groups of 48. All calves in the control group were treated with ivermectin on days 0, 42 and 84. In the TST group, individual calves were treated with subcutaneous ivermectin if they tested positive for lungworm larvae.

Twenty calves were removed from the study due to ill health: 13 in the TST group and seven in the control group. Eight of the TST group calves that were excluded had shown signs of dictyocaulosis after day 50 of the study, and lungworm larvae were detected on faecal examination in these animals. The 35 calves in the TST group that completed the study period were given a total of 52 treatments. This was around half the number of treatments given to the controls. Calf performance was similar between the two groups, with an average daily weight gain of 0.5 kg per day in the control group and 0.47 kg per day in …


. Drought is a natural hazard which occurs in all climatic zones and affects different sectors, such as irrigation, energy, water supply, and ecology. Monitoring and predicting drought are pressing challenges, as drought is becoming more common and severe owing to the impacts of climate change and increased climatic variability. However, in many areas of the globe, the temporal and spatial characterization of droughts and drought severities are hindered by a lack of reliable, locally-measured long-term data and unevenly distributed, erratic meteorological stations. In this situation, remote sensing datasets such as Climate Hazards Group In-fraRed Precipitation with Station Data (CHIRPS) can offer valuable insights into long-term developments and the spatial characteristics of droughts. Nonetheless, it is often uncertain to which extent data such as CHIRPS succeeds in representing local dynamics and how this varies between geographical regions and climate zones. In this analysis, we aim to evaluate spatial drought conditions over the Seyhan River basin in Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) as a drought index, the applicability of CHIRPS as a long-term satellite precipitation product for drought monitoring is investigated. We compare two spatial representations of the SPI: one derived on a per-pixel basis from CHIRPS data since 1981, the other based on data from 19 meteorological stations scattered across the basin, which was spatialized using inverse distance weighted interpolation (IDW). Our results offer insights into the relative accuracy of CHIRPS data and avenues towards optimizing the quality of spatial drought characterization.


WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS TOPIC
While total intravenous anesthesia in combination with local-regional anesthesia during cancer resection may result in improved outcomes, potent volatile anesthetics may enhance tumor cell growth and metastasisSera taken from patients receiving propofol, but not from those receiving sevoflurane, induced a reduction in invasiveness, proliferation, and metastatic potential of cancer cells in addition to enhancing their apoptosisExtracellular vesicles are nanosized, membrane-encapsulated information carriers secreted by all living cells that play crucial roles in intercellular communication WHAT THIS ARTICLE TELLS US THAT IS NEW: This proof-of-concept study in colorectal cancer patients receiving either propofol (n = 8) or sevoflurane (n = 9) found 64 extracellular vesicle-associated microRNAs to be significantly regulated by total intravenous anesthesia and 33 to be significantly regulated by sevoflurane anesthesiaAll microRNAs downregulated in response to anesthesia were anesthetic agent specific, while most upregulated microRNAs were notTotal intravenous anesthesia-regulated microRNAs might mediate inhibitory effects on signaling pathways involving cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of tumor cell line and enhance effects on apoptosis of carcinoma cell lines BACKGROUND:: Extracellular vesicles and their microRNA cargo are crucial facilitators of malignant cell communication and could mediate effects of anesthetics on tumor biology during cancer resection. The authors performed a proof-of-concept study to demonstrate that propofol and sevoflurane have differential effects on vesicle-associated microRNAs that influence signaling pathways involved in tumor progression and metastasis.

METHODS
Circulating vesicles were investigated in a prospective, matched-case pilot study in two cohorts of colorectal cancer patients receiving either propofol (n = 8) or sevoflurane (n = 9), matched for tumor stage and location. Serum was sampled before anesthesia and after tumor resection. Vesicular microRNA profiles were analyzed by next generation sequencing and confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Next, we assessed perioperative changes in microRNA expression induced by either anesthetic and compared their biologic effects on tumor-relevant pathways. Additionally, vesicles from pre- and postoperative sera were biologic characterized.

RESULTS
Postoperative microRNA profiles were shifted in both groups with overlap in the perioperative response. A total of 64 (48 up, range of log2 fold change 1.07 to 3.76; 16 down, -1.00 to -1.55) and 33 (32 up, 1.02 to 2.98; 1 down, -1.36) microRNAs were significantly regulated (adjusted P value less than 0.05) by propofol and sevoflurane, respectively. Thirty-six (propofol) and five (sevoflurane) microRNAs were specifically responsive to either anesthetic agent. In silico target analyses of microRNA expression patterns indicated an inhibitory effect of propofol on crucial carcinoma-related pathways such as proliferation (z-score, -1.73) and migration (z-score, -1.97), as well as enhanced apoptosis (z-score, 1.19). While size distribution and protein markers of circulating vesicles were not affected by anesthesia, their concentration was reduced after surgery using both anesthetic procedures.

CONCLUSIONS
This proof-of-concept study provides preliminary evidence that anesthetic agents have specific effects on microRNA profiles in circulating vesicles. These findings could form the basis for larger and mechanistically oriented outcome studies in cancer patients.


Lithium therapy was assessed using electrosleep on two dogs. Cotton swabs soaked in an aqueous isotonic lithium chloride solution were placed over the eyes and mastoids of the dogs, and connected to the electrosleep apparatus. In two minutes, sleep was induced in both dogs, at point 5 (mA) on the intensity scale (which runs 1 to 9 mA). After two hours, the apparatus was turned off. One of the dogs was put under continuous observation, and the other one was sacrified. Parts of its cortex, subcortex, and cerebellum were processed and fragments were assayed spectrophotometrically for Lithium. Lithium was found in all the material examined. These results suggest a possible technique for Lithium therapy using electrosleep, the ion being carried directly to CNS, avoiding systemic toxicity caused by oral administration.


Inventory is one component of company assets which is very important in supporting the continuity of operational activities of trading companies. The process of inventory mutation, makes business owners required to be able to provide accurate and relevant information about inventory. This information can be generated from the use of a merchandise inventory information system which can help business owners to know the processes related to the availability of these merchandises. To monitor the process of oil transfer and oil availability on the CV. Sumber Lumas Semarang, business owners still use manual data input by using Microsoft Excel applications and hand-written stock cards. The manual use of this system causes several obstacles, including: frequent occurrences of oil inventory balances due to human error factors in recording items on stock cards, over-stock/stock out of oil inventory in warehouses and late oil inventory reporting due to data from stock cards moved into the Microsoft Excel format every month that requires precision and a lot of time. This makes the oil inventory report is not up to date. Observed at the problems faced today, CV. Sumber Lumas Semarang needs a system which can overcome the problems of merchandise inventory record and can produce relevant and accurate merchandise inventory information.


The Court of Justice recently disrupted the few certainties that one could entertain as to the treatment by national courts of recovery requests targeting unlawful State aids. The Court now admits that an unlawful aid, which has been declared compatible by the European Commission by way of a decision that acquired a definitive status, may benefit from an exception to the reimbursement rule, save for the obligation imposed to national courts of ordering the recovery of interest for the period of unlawfulness. Not only does this new exception seem to contradict the Court's recent case law in the field, but it may also entail significant and undesirable effects in terms of State aid policy.


Although nicotine has been shown to improve attention deficits in schizophrenia, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this effect are poorly understood. We hypothesized that nicotine would modulate attention‐associated neuronal response in schizophrenia patients in the ventral parietal cortex (VPC), hippocampus, and anterior cingulate based on previous findings in control subjects. To test this hypothesis, the present study examined response in these regions in a cohort of nonsmoking patients and healthy control subjects using an auditory selective attention task with environmental noise distractors during placebo and nicotine administration. In agreement with our hypothesis, significant diagnosis (Control vs. Patient) X drug (Placebo vs. Nicotine) interactions were observed in the VPC and hippocampus. The interaction was driven by task‐associated hyperactivity in patients (relative to healthy controls) during placebo administration, and decreased hyperactivity in patients after nicotine administration (relative to placebo). No significant interaction was observed in the anterior cingulate. Task‐associated hyperactivity of the VPC predicted poor task performance in patients during placebo. Poor task performance also predicted symptoms in patients as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. These results are the first to suggest that nicotine may modulate brain activity in a selective attention‐dependent manner in schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp 37:410–421, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Krapp-Schickel, T. 2003. Linguimaera Pirlot, 1936 (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae), a valid genus. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62(2): 257‐283. The genus Maera sensu lato is among the largest genera in the Melitidae, used as a catch-all for species lacking the defining characters of other genera. Recently, several authors have started splitting this species flock into better-defined genera and the present paper continues this task. It revives Linguimaera erected in 1936 by Pirlot, but soon after synonymised again with Maera. The most striking characters are a short third article of the mandibular palp, asymmetrical gnathopods in both sexes, epimeral plate 2 with a sinus, epimeral plate 3 serrate on its posterior margin and telsonic lobes asymmetrically incised. Eight species can be attributed to Linguimaera, of which seven are new: L. pirloti (type species), L. bogombogo, L. caesaris, L. garitima, L. kellissa, L. leo, L. mannarenis and L. tias.


Today, with ever increasing use of knowledge as a critical resource one of the most important matter that all the organization face is The issue of knowledge management . Due to a various efforts for introducing the Business process concept to knowledge management (KM) or the knowledge concept to business process management (BPM) in order to combine the advantages of the two paradigms, certain strategic factors for development of this relation is not yet identified . There is a lack of mechanisms for knowledge capturing, storing and disseminating in business process management. The aim of our study is to identify strategic success factors for KM in all organizations on a broad empirical basis. The paper employs the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a quantitative method of decision-making, to evaluate the strategic factors of four KM suggestion method via criteria, sub criteria and variety of options in mind, consistent with the literature and help of expert team. The result shows that the technological factors, which have an overall weight of 48%, play a predominant role in experts' choice of KM strategies.


Oncotype DX (ODX) recurrence score (RS) breast cancer (BC) assay provides prognostic and predictive BC recurrence information for hormone(+)/node(-) patients (pts). Pts with low ODXRS (0-10) can safely forego adjuvant chemotherapy (ACH), while ACH is recommended for high ODXRS (≥26). No ACH recommendations were previously available for intermediate (11-25) ODXRS until 6/3/2018, when the TAILORx clinical trial results were presented and e-published. According to the new data, pts with ODXRS 11-25 can now safely forego ACH, although some benefit of ACH was found in pts ≤50 with ODXRS 16-25. These new data now allow us to categorize ODXRS as a binary variable. Since ODX is a costly assay, we previously developed and published a user-friendly nomogram based on clinicopathologic characteristics (CPC) of ODX tested patients captured by the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) as a surrogate prediction model for the ODX assay. As intermediate score patients were excluded from our previously created nomogram, the objective of this update is to test the predictive value of CPC variables for forecasting the new TAILORx binary ODXRS stratification using the entire NCDB population of ODX tested pts. Five CPC variables (age, tumor size, grade, progesterone receptor status (PR) and the 4 most frequent BC histologic types) were assessed with logistic regression to predict for a low- or high-risk ODXRS test results using 0-15 or 0-25 and 16-100 or 26-100 for a low- and high-ODXRS, respectively. These ranges were used in the TAILORx trial. A training cohort consisted of 65,754 ODX tested ER+/HER2-/lymph-node-negative pts with 6-50mm tumor size, captured by the NCDB from 2010-2014; 18,585 ODX tested pts in 2015 served as an external validation cohort. The predictive accuracy of the regression model was yielded using a Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Model fit was analyzed by plotting the predicted probabilities against the actual probabilities. Grade and PR are the most significant predictors for a low- or high-risk ODXRS, followed by tumor size, histologic tumor type and age for any of the tested cut-off values. The ROC curves showed the best agreement between the nomogram prediction and actual observation for 0-25 (low) and 26-100 (high) ODXRS cut-off value (C-index=0.81). Overall, our model correctly predicted for 99.2% of low-risk and 18.6% of high-risk ODX cases. These cut-off values were used for building the updated nomogram model. An updated nomogram is now available, created and validated based on the entire population of ODX tested pts (84,339) captured by the NCDB from 2010-2015. The updated nomogram correctly predicts for 99.2% of a low ODXRS with a 0.81 C-index. This revised calculator will continue serving as a surrogate for BC pts older than 50 for which ODX testing is not necessary, affordable or available. Citation Format: Orucevic A, McNeil ML, Bell JL, McNabb AP, Heidel RE. Nomogram update based on TAILORx clinical trial results - Oncotype DX breast cancer recurrence score can be predicted using clinicopathologic data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-09.


Objective The progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is determined by genetic factors. Changes in IL-4 and IL-4R genes have been associated with RA severity but not replicated. We studied the association between IL-4 and IL-4R tagging SNPs and progression rate of joint damage in RA in a multi-cohort candidate gene study. Methods IL-4 and IL-4R tagging SNPs (8 and 39, respectively) were genotyped in 600 RA-patients of whom 2,846 sets of hands and feet X-rays were collected during 7 years follow-up. Subsequently, significantly associated SNPs were genotyped and studied in relation to 3,415 X-rays of 1,953 RA-patients; these included data-sets from Groningen (NL), Lund (SE), Sheffield (UK), NARAC (USA), Wichita (USA) and NDB (USA). The relative increase in progression rate per year in the presence of a genotype was determined in each cohort. An inverse variance weighting meta-analysis was done on the six datasets that together formed the replication-phase. Results In the discovery-phase none of the IL-4 SNPs and seven of the IL-4R SNPs were significantly associated with joint damage progression rate. In the replication-phase, two SNPs in IL-4R gene were significantly associated with joint damage progression rate (Rs1805011, p = 0.02 and Rs1119132, p = 0.001). Conclusions Genetic variants in IL-4R were identified and independently replicated to associate with progression rate of joint damage in RA.


OBJECTIVES
Although etomidate is widely used for rapid sequence intubation (RSI), there is no consensus on the optimal induction agent and no prospective pediatric emergency department (ED) study exists. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of etomidate as an induction agent for RSI in the pediatric ED.

METHODS
Data on RSI conditions and complications were collected prospectively on patients undergoing RSI in a tertiary pediatric ED from January 2003 to December 2003. ED hemodynamic data and inpatient data were collected retrospectively via chart review.

RESULTS
Seventy-seven of 101 patients requiring intubation underwent RSI with etomidate. The mean (+/- SD) age was 8.2 (+/- 6.2) years. All 77 patients were successfully intubated. Intubation condition data were available for 69 of 77 patients (89.6%). Conditions were good in 68 of 69 (99%; 95% confidence interval = 92.2% to 99.9%). The mean (+/- SD) maximal percent decrease in systolic blood pressure was 10% (+/- 13.6%). A greater than 20% maximal percent decrease in systolic blood pressure occurred in 12 of 69 patients (17.4%; 95% confidence interval = 9.3% to 28.4%). There was no relationship between seizures after etomidate administration and prior seizure history (p = 0.25). Corticosteroids were given to 29 of 77 patients post-RSI for varying diagnoses. All eight patients given corticosteroids for shock were in shock at the time of intubation.

CONCLUSIONS
In the pediatric ED setting, etomidate as an induction agent provided successful RSI conditions and resulted in varied hemodynamic changes that were especially favorable in those patients presenting in decompensated shock. Hypotension and seizures were uncommon and occurred in patients with confounding diagnoses. Until the significance of a single dose of etomidate on adrenal dysfunction is further clarified, caution should be used in those patients at risk for adrenal insufficiency.


This research was carried out to extract and purify phycocyan in from blue algae from Chaohu Lake by utilizing salting out methods. Thus a two-step salting out was performed using Ammonium sulphate, Triammonium citrate, Sodium citrate and Sodium sulfate. The phycocyanin and the impurity solution collected at each phase were subjected to analysis by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer to identify the optimal dose of ammonium sulfate, triammonium citrate, sodium citrate and sodium sulfate. The optimal molar concentration for Ammonium sulphate, Triammonium citrate, Sodium citrate and Sodium sulfate in the first and second salting out process were 1.0 mol/L and 1.7mol/L for Ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4, 0.7, mol/L and 1.3 mol/L for Triammonium citrate C6H17N3O7, 0.5mol/L and 0.9 mol/L for Sodium citrate C6H5Na3O7, 1.0mol/L and 1.3 mol/L for Sodium sulfate Na2S04. After the two-step salting out processes, it was observed that higher molar concentrations can remove impurities in large quantities, and both purity and yield was greatly increased. The results indicate a purity of phycocyanin above 2.0 with a phycocyanin recovery relatively high. This was carried out to affirm and estimate if result from the salt use will vary from a previous experiment carried out on the same river by the authors with three (3) different kinds of salt K3C6H5O7H2O, C6H5O7(NH4)3 and (NH4)2SO4 as compared to the four (4) salt compound used in this experiment.


In this work, we investigate the low-rank approximation of elliptic problems in heterogeneous media by means of Kolmogrov $n$-width and asymptotic expansion. This class of problems arises in many practical applications involving high-contrast media, and their efficient numerical approximation often relies crucially on certain low-rank structure of the solutions. We provide conditions on the permeability coefficient $\kappa$ that ensure a favorable low-rank approximation. These conditions are expressed in terms of the distribution of the inclusions in the coefficient $\kappa$, e.g., the values, locations, and sizes of the heterogeneous regions. Further, we provide a new asymptotic analysis for high-contrast elliptic problems based on the perfect conductivity problem and layer potential techniques, which allows deriving new estimates on the spectral gap for such high-contrast problems. These results provide theoretical underpinnings for several multiscale model reduction algorithms.


Passively protected railway crossings are a major rail safety issue in Australia. Such crossings cannot be upgraded as such crossings are too numerous and the cost involved is prohibitive. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have been shown to improve road safety and are widely used. These systems could be a solution to improve safety of passively protected crossings at a lower cost. Such complementary ADAS could result in driver's over-trust due to the absence of Humane Machine Interface reflecting the quality of the information or the state of the ADAS (failure status). This paper demonstrates that driver's exposure to crossing exhibiting fail-safe and non-fail safe properties could result in improperly allocating trust between technologies. We conducted a driving simulator study where participants (N=58) were exposed to three types of level crossing warning system on passive and active crossings. The results show that a significant proportion of participants over-trust the ADAS. Such drivers exhibit the same driving performance with the ADAS as when exposed to infrastructure based active crossing protection. They do not take the necessary safety precautions as they have a faster speed approach, reduced number of gaze toward the rail tracks and fail to stop at the crossing.


A low temperature spectrum with periodically repeated phonon structures, induced by the localised vibration model in nitrogen doped GaP has been observed. Experiments and analysis show that all of the phonon sidebands from nitrogen-bound exciton luminescence come from multi-phonon optical transition processes described by Huang-Rhys' theory.


The multi-functional proteins, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and leptin were present in seminal plasma from different species. Concentrations of IGF-I in equine and porcine semen were 20 and 17.5 ng/ml, respectively. Seminal plasma concentrations of leptin were 1 ng/ml in human and 11 ng/ml in porcine samples.


Satisfaction, quality, and value as seen by the consumer ultimately results in market performance and financial outcomes for the firm. There has been a substantial body of research in this area and a review and synthesis of the literature is appropriate to conduct at this time. This overall process represents a series of complex relationships that is important to both to researchers and to managers. There are numerous linkages and relationships between the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction, quality, and value that cannot be easily viewed in research that addresses only a portion of this broad area. The article presents a literature review and conceptual model that seeks to comprehensively review the relationships between the many elements of this important area. The model presented can contribute to both the con-ceptual understanding and management of these marketing processes.


Employee engagement is an important issue in management theory and practice. However, there are still major differences in the concept, theory, influencing factors and outcomes of employee engagement, and there is still no authoritative standard. This paper attempts to review and summarize previous research results on employee engagement. Two kinds of definitions of employee engagement are identified: employee engagement as a multi-faceted construct (cognition, emotions and behaviors) and as a unitary construct (a positive state of mind, a dedicated willingness, the opposite of burnout). Three theoretical frameworks are used to explain the varying degrees of employee engagement: Needs-Satisfaction framework, Job Demands-Resources model and Social Exchange Theory. The influencing factors of employee engagement are divided into three categories: organizational factors (management style, job rewards, etc.), job factors (work environment, task characteristics, etc.) and individual factors (physical energies, self-consciousness, etc.). Employee engagement is found to have a positive relationship with individual performance (organizational commitment, positive behavior, etc.) and organizational performance (customer satisfaction, financial return, etc.) The research findings show that there are three shortcomings in previous studies: lack of research on demographic variables, personality differences and cross-cultural differences in employee engagement, lack of research on the mediating or moderating role of employee engagement, and lack of intervention mechanism for employee engagement.


The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate In-Space Propulsion Technology office is sponsoring NASA Glenn Research Center to develop a 4 kW-class Hall thruster propulsion system for implementation in NASA science missions. A study was conducted to assess the impact of varying the facility background pressure on the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAc) thruster performance and voltage-current characteristics. This present study evaluated the HiVHAc thruster performance in the lowest attainable background pressure condition at NASA GRC Vacuum Facility 5 to best simulate space-like conditions. Additional tests were performed at selected thruster operating conditions to investigate and elucidate the underlying physics that change during thruster operation at elevated facility background pressure. Tests were performed at background pressure conditions that are three and ten times higher than the lowest realized background pressure. Results indicated that the thruster discharge specific impulse and efficiency increased with elevated facility background pressure. The voltage-current profiles indicated a narrower stable operating region with increased background pressure. Experimental observations of the thruster operation indicated that increasing the facility background pressure shifted the ionization and acceleration zones upstream towards the thrusters anode. Future tests of the HiVHAc thruster are planned at background pressure conditions that are expected to be two to three times lower than what was achieved during this test campaign. These tests will not only assess the impact of reduced facility background pressure on thruster performance, voltage-current characteristics, and plume properties; but will also attempt to quantify the magnitude of the ionization.


Hypophysectomy was studied for its possible effects on cancer by alt eration of the endorcines at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center beginning in 1953. The major effort has been the treatment of 850 cases of metastic breast cancer. In 80 patients with other types of metastatic cancer benefit was found only in 50 cases of prostatic cancer. Prolactin is mediated directly from the anterior pituitary to breast tissue where it aids and abets the growth of breast cancer; its secretion is largely dependent on the estrogen produced in ovaries and adrenals. In humans estrogen given after total hypophysectomy is found to be ineffective in altering metastases. Growth hormone is also produced in the anteriod lobe of the pituitary but its production is not dependent on an estrogen feed-back mechanism. If the primary cancer is dependent on the presence of prolactin, failures with hypophysectomy are explained the tumor having gained autonomy and being no longer so dependent. Contraindications to hypophysectomy include extensive pulmonary, liver, or brain metastases and any systemic disease that would preclude major surgery. Following a remission after oophorectomy, another remission with hypophysectomy may often be obtained. Neither the pathological type of a breast cancer nor the location of metastases alter the results. However the longer the interval between mastectomy and reactivation of the tumor, the more favorable the outlook. Maintenance substitution therapy following removal of the pituitary employs daily hydrocortisone, 17.5 mg orally, or equivalent steroid preparations. The mortality rate is 2% in the first 30 days after operation. In 88 patients evaluated 2 years after operation those who had received a remisssion lasting over 6 months survived nearly 5 times longer than those unbenefitted by the operation. The intracranial procedure is preferred. In cases of failure or when a remission terminates, male hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation may have limited value.


The article gives examples of underground construction of hydropower station inNepaland sewer tunnel in the USA. These projects pay attention to influence of geotechnical risks and their consequences.


The encapsulation β-carotene in whey protein concentrate (WPC) capsules through the emulsion electrospraying technique was studied, using deep eutectic solvents (DES) as solvents. These novel solvents are characterized by negligible volatility, a liquid state far below 0 °C, a broad range of polarity, high solubilization power strength for a wide range of compounds, especially poorly water-soluble compounds, high extraction ability, and high stabilization ability for some natural products. Four DES formulations were used, based on mixtures of choline chloride with water, propanediol, glucose, glycerol, or butanediol. β-Carotene was successfully encapsulated in a solubilized form within WPC capsules; as a DES formulation with choline chloride and butanediol, the formulation produced capsules with the highest carotenoid loading capacity. SEM micrographs demonstrated that round and smooth capsules with sizes around 2 µm were obtained. ATR-FTIR results showed the presence of DES in the WPC capsules, which indirectly anticipated the presence of β-carotene in the WPC capsules. Stability against photo-oxidation studies confirmed the expected presence of the bioactive and revealed that solubilized β-carotene loaded WPC capsules presented excellent photo-oxidation stability compared with free β-carotene. The capsules developed here clearly show the significant potential of the combination of DES and electrospraying for the encapsulation and stabilization of highly insoluble bioactive compounds.


Background: Coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are preceded by a cluster of metabolic risk factors that include hypertension, dyslipidemia, and prediabetes. The prevalence of these metabolic risk factors shows an upward trend with increasing body mass index and waist circumference.

Aims and Objective: To examine cardiometabolic risk factors among bank employees.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 male bank employees. Blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for blood glucose and lipid profile.

Result: Generalized obesity and central obesity were found in 9% and 69% subjects, respectively. Nearly half of the subjects were observed to have hypertension and another one-third prehypertension. Nearly 14% subjects had T2DM. Dyslipidemia was observed in this study as high triglycerides (TGs; 10.8%) and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (10%), high total serum cholesterol (5%), and high low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (5%). Significant number of subjects had suboptimal lipid levels. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) was found to be 38%.

Conclusion: Obesity and overweight are prevalent among bank employees. Central obesity and MetS are also prevalent in normal weight subjects. Obese subjects had higher levels of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and blood glucose and also had higher prevalence of MetS.


Nothing troubled the people of the Islamic world at the beginning of the twenty-first
century as much as the challenge of modernity did. It had occupied a central place in the
cultural and sociopolitical agendas of intellectual and social movements, and state actors
in the Islamic world and Iran since the 19th century. This study is a theoretical analysis
of Iranian Muslim intellectuals' encounter with Islam and modernity. The two main
spheres of modernity which are examined are: i) the political arena and the government
structure, and ii) science and technology. The goal of this dissertation is to examine and
investigate the controversial ideas of five Iranian Muslim intellectuals, namely: Ali
Shariati, Abdolkarim Soroush, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Murteza Mutahhari, and Mehdi
Golshani. Their ideas were then compared in order to identify the similarities and
dissimilarities in their ideas on Islam and modernity. It is hoped that through this study,
a contribution can be made to the current debate on Islam, science and politics, as well
as creating an alternative Islamic perspective with regards to science, technology and a
systematic government. This study is part of an accumulated effort towards the
rejuvenation of the Islamic world in the modern era, including the field of science and
technology. The religious thinkers have taken either of the following two major
positions in viewing modernisation: (a) In support of selective modernisation, (b) In
opposition to selective modernisation. The supporters of selective modernization are
mostly concerned about the development and the survival of the developing countries
and civilizations and the opponents have traditional Islamic culture in mind. We can
therefore take the middle line and consider a middle point in this argument; meaning to
suggest that instant development and survival is helpful and effective, but genuine,
sustainable development requires patience and adherence to Islamic principles.
Therefore the adherence of Islamic nations to the notions of modernity is just a result of
the concern for survival, rather than true human development. In its true sense a move toward a real Islamic ruling and Islamic democracy is in fact the basis for an optimal
path to development. Based on this reality, and considering that it is necessary to
survive in this world, we have to accept modernisation to the extent which is necessary.
On the other hand and based on the idea of selective modernisation, we have to aim at
reviving the real Islamic nation when working toward development.


In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), nodes closer to the sink node have heavier traffic load for packet forwarding. The unbalanced power consumption among sensor nodes may cause network partition. This paper proposes efficient node placement and topology control protocols to balance the power consumption of sensor nodes. Firstly, a virtual tree topology is constructed based on Grid-based WSNs. Then two node placement techniques, namely Distance-based and Density-based deployment schemes are proposed to balance the power consumption of sensor nodes. Finally, extension of the proposed protocols are made from a Grid-based WSN to a randomly deployed WSN, making the developed energy-balanced schemes can be generally applied to randomly deployed WSNs. Simulation results reveal that the developed protocols can efficiently balance each sensor node's power consumption and prolong the network lifetime in both Grid-based and randomly deployed WSNs.


This dissertation examines the role of the media and the law in gaining historical acceptance of homosexual people living in the United Kingdom with a close look at the case of Section 28. The media should present society with access to a variety of sources and therefore different ideologies of homosexuality, in order to enable members of society to form their own opinions about the social issues surrounding this topic. The media demonstrated callous reporting of both the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969 and the AID's epidemic of the 1980s, effectively causing harsh stereotypes to be deemed acceptable. Section 28 was a civil law placed upon local authorities and educational governors to ban the promotion of homosexuality in such places. This dissertation considers the media's reporting of the Section using a critical analysis of newspaper coverage. The results illustrate the diluting effects of Section 28 by the media uncovering a prejudice legislation brought forward by an anti-liberal government system of the 1980s. However, the existence of homosexual bullying and the uncertainty of how teachers should tackle the issue without 'promoting' homosexuality is a reminder that Section 28 is not simply an artificial one conducted around a redundant piece of legislation.


This study examines dissimilar friction stir welding of AA5052-AA6061 aluminum alloys with varying tool offsets. The base metals were positioned and fixed at a slight diagonal positioning such that varying tool offset position from the centreline can also be varied along the length of the weld. After the fabrication process, microstructural and mechanical property characterization was subsequently conducted. The results show that, above a certain threshold for to ol offset, incomplete consolidation (i.e. kissing bond efects) will occur. Regardless of the base material positioning, a zero tool offset shows optimum intermixing in the stir zone. EDX mapping confirms the presence of a distinct interface between both materials in the stir zone region. However, enhanced material intermixing and better elongation are observed when AA6061 alloy is positioned at the tool advancing side.


Irrigated agriculture is the largest user of water in Texas, followed by urban-municipal uses, which has landscape irrigation as its largest component. Data from various sources were used to estimate the extent of the state's urban landscaped area and its associated water use. The statewide area in golf courses is estimated at 115,000 acres, while 1,608,399 acres are ascribed to managed landscapes and lawns. While the total annual water use by golf courses is estimated at 0.364 million acre-feet, the volume projected for the landscape sector ranges from a low of 1.898 million acre-feet to a high of 4.021 million acre-feet. The sum of water use by golf courses with the low-end estimate for landscapes would represent 46.6% of the total use within the urban/municipal water sector and 12.6% of the total annual demand by all activities in Texas during 2010. This effectively positions urban irrigation as the state's third largest water user, after agricultural irrigation and other urban uses. Strategies and practices that can significantly conserve (reduce) water use for urban landscape irrigation include water-conserving native and adaptive plant materials, weather- and sensor-guided irrigation, deficit irrigation practices, and use of alternative (saline/brackish, reclaimed, and graywater) water sources.
Citation: Cabrera RI, Wagner KL, Wherley B. 2013. An evaluation of urban landscape water use in Texas. Texas Water Journal. 4(2):14-27. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v4i2.6992.


Gorontalo's tropical forest is of global importance and is the last stronghold for conserving Sulawesi's unique biodiversity. However, implementation of biodiversity conservation at the local level has been fraught with very complex, rooted in increased pressures on natural resources and its ecological services to meet the socioeconomic development goals. One problem in implementing forest conservation lies in defining the benefits local people receive from it and who enjoys these benefits. This paper explores local perceptions of forest biodiversity conservation. Understanding local perceptions is necessary for successful implementation of conservation activities. Interviews and a ranking exercise were conducted in the Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi and Indonesia. Data were collected in 2005, involving 152 participants from 6 distinct stakeholder groups, from both government and non-government organisations. The results presented here is based on the analysis of findings from the ranking exercise. Local stakeholders valued the natural forest most highly for its ecological services.


Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) describes the success of the health sector and also directly relates to an average of population life expectancy in an area. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between place of delivery, childbirth labor with the incidence of infant mortality in the Community Health facility. This was an observational analytical research with a cross sectional study design. The population include 190 mothers who had given birth in 2017 in the Health facility, of which 60 people were selected using stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected through primary information requisition by using questionnaires and secondary data was collected from the Community Health Center and the Health Office of Baubau City. The data was analyzed using the chisquare test. The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the place of delivery (p value = 0.004, p<0.005) and childbirth labor (p value = 0.006, p<0.005) with the incidence of infant mortality in the Community Health Facility.


We have constructed a new ultraviolet (UV) radiometry facility at the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility (SURF II) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The facility combines a high-throughput normal-incidence monochromator with an absolute cryogenic radiometer (ACR) optimized for UV measurements to provide absolute detector-based radiometric calibrations in the spectral range 125 nm to approximately 320 nm. The system can be configured for spectroradiometric calibration of photodetectors with completely automated mapping of detector spatial and angular responsivity. The facility can easily be adapted for other spectroradiometric measurements including transmittance and reflectance and the spectral range can be extended to about 50 nm.


The analytical review of definition of the concept "family entrepreneurship†of the Russian authors is presented in article. A number of the main tendencies in modern domestic researches of family business' institute are given. It is established that a considerable part of scientific works in the sphere of a modern domestic family entrepreneurship's research is concentrated directly on a perspective of transfer mechanisms of family enterprise to successors. It is defined that the lack of domestic family entrepreneurship' basic researches is caused by natural closeness of the Russian family companies. Also as the reason of poor development of the theory of domestic family entrepreneurship and researches devoted to definitions of family entrepreneurship seems existence of the significant historical gaps leading to loss of historical and social experience of conducting entrepreneurship activity. On the basis of a research of a family entrepreneurship phenomenon the conclusion is drawn that its development depends on coordinate actions of family firms' owners, the state and scientists. The hypothesis that the Russian family enterprises are faced by a problem of achievement of reference to small entrepreneurship entities criteria today is made. The entity of family entrepreneurship as diversities of enterprise activity's forms of the close relatives on the basis of their family capital is defined. It is established that a certain structure can be referred to the subject family entrepreneurship at preservation in its framework of the following fundamental components: family property, continuity of generations and family management. It is defined that development of a uniform, system concept of institute "family entrepreneurship†requires legislative fixing of its functioning fact in the territory of the Russian Federation.


An open cuff technic was employed in 2421 consecutive patients with total abdominal hysterectomy. Extraperitoneal drainage was purpose of the method. The two most serious complications were postoperative hemorrhage (7 cases, 0.28 percent) and intestinal obstruction (6 cases, 0.24 percent). The morbidity rate was 20.8 percent. Of those without colporrhaphy (two-thirds), the morbidity rate was 18.2 percent. Prophylactic antibiotics were not used in the latter group. In no instance was a pelvic abscess or cluff abscess recognized. Death occurred in 1 case (0.041 percent). This method may diminish the occurrence of apical infections above a closed vagina by allowing immediate extraperitoneal drainage. Postoperative bleeding and intestinal obstruction, along with other rare conditions, continue to represent occasional but severe complicantions.


This investigates the relationship between talent management and workers' commitment to oil and gas firms in Nigeria using a cross-sectional survey. Ten oil and gas servicing firms were surveyed using simple random sampling. A population of 125 managers and supervisors were surveyed from ten oil and gas firms in Rivers state while a sample of 95 was ascertained from the population using Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table. Reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha. Face and content validity was employed. 95 copies of the questionnaire were administered to managers and supervisors but 74 copies were correctly filled and returned. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (rs) was used to analyze the hypotheses with the aid of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS 20.0) while respondents' characteristics were analyzed using frequency distribution. The study found that talent management has a positive significant relationship with workers commitment. It concluded that talent management measured in terms of talent attraction, talent development and talent retention promotes workers commitment in oil and gas firms in Nigeria. This study recommends that managers of oil and gas firms should endeavor to employ all compensation plans necessary to retain talents in the industry as this will enhance their commitment towards achieving organizational goals.


Homing pigeons are thought to use the earth9s magnetic field for direction finding. Though the sensory system and the characteristics of the magnetic field used are unknown, it can be hypothesized that pigeons have an inclination compass, as do some migratory birds. When released at the magnetic equator, this inclination compass ought to be suspended. In addition, releasing pigeons when the sun is at or very close to the zenith renders the sun compass inoperational. However, released under these conditions, homing pigeons are not disorientated. Though they vanish on average in a different direction from pigeons released when the sun compass is available, they still show a directional preference close to magnetic north. This directional preference could be disrupted in some years by the application of magnets to the pigeons9 back. In other years this treatment as well as another magnetic treatment did not produce any difference between experimental pigeons and controls. These results confirm once more that, if magnetic effects exist, they are of a rather discrete nature.


Abstract The ocean is an important natural resource and offers considerable income and employment opportunity to the Irish economy. The last two decades have seen a realisation that whilst nationally economies may benefit from trade liberalisation, specific regions may not. This has led to the development of local level modelling frameworks. Using a spatial microsimulation model this paper estimates the employment and income contribution of the marine sector at the county, small area and household level. It was found that the marine sector offers higher than average income to employees in coastal locations and thus is an important source of income and employment Ireland.


The ways of knowing and perception of self-as-artist of eight eighth-grade art students were explored through the use of sketchbooks. For two quarters of the 1990 - 1991 school year, students drew and wrote in two sketchbooks, an in-class, teacher-directed sketchbook, and a home sketchbook for non-directed use. A case study research design was used to provide careful description of the students sketchbook experience within the context of the art program. Participant-observation and semi-structured interviews were the data collection techniques. Eight students were interviewed regarding their sketchbook experience. Of that group, four, representing differing ways of knowing, were interviewed a second time in relation to their perceptions of themselves as artist-knowers. The student voices suggested literal and abstract strategies in cognition, art-making, and perception of self. Story telling, use of symbols to create meaning, and subjective knowing emerged as abstract strategies. Attention to detail and representation, and objective knowing were literal strategies. Regardless of differences in strategies, the four students in the second interview perceived of themselves as the source of idea, and decision-making in art.


Films of polycytidylic acid, polyuridylic acid and polyguanylic acid were exposed to tissue sections and the results were compared with those obtained in previous studies on polyadenylic acid and ribonucleic acid. Important variations were observed in the distribution of the hydrolases acting on the different polyribonucleotides, suggesting that a variety of nucleases with marked proclivity for particular nucleotide residues can be demonstrated by the use of films of homopolymers.


Objectives Hospital chaplaincy in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) is an allied profession that is emerging from its origins as an aspect of Anglican clerical organisation. This paper describes the perceptions and practices of hospital chaplains around end of life care and organ donation. Design Qualitative study involving 19 semi-structured exploratory interviews with hospital chaplains in five NHS Hospital Trusts across two regions in the UK. Results Chaplains provided generic support for the family around death and in relation to end of life conversations. While chaplains were supportive of efforts to increase awareness of issues around deceased donation they held a range of views on organ donation and had limited knowledge of hospital processes and practices. Conclusions There is scope for greater training and involvement of hospital chaplains in hospital work on organ donation, and in developing new forms of community engagement to promote awareness and debate.


A facile and effective self-crosslink assisted strategy is developed to fabricate 3D porous branch-like Fe3O4/C hybrids as high-performance anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium ion batteries (NIBs). Trivalent iron ions (Fe3+) are used to directly crosslink with biopolymer alginate to form nanoscale branch-like Fe-alginate hybrid nanostructures, which are converted to porous Fe3O4/C hybrids via a simple carbonization process. The resulting hybrids feature ultrafine active nanoparticles (∼5 nm), wrapping by thin graphitic layers, hierarchically nanoscale porous channels, and interconnected robust graphitic frameworks. Applying these in the anodes of LIBs, these structural features enable the hybrids to deliver high capacities of 974 and 570 mA h g−1 at 0.1 and 2 A g−1, respectively, and excellent cyclic stability with capacity retention of 98% after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. In NIBs, reasonable capacities of 339 and 138 mA h g−1 are obtained at 0.05 and 5 A g−1, respectively. The high performance demonstrates the promising potential of the hybrids in next generation anodes for LIBs and NIBs.


This is an interesting and helpful 'first' by Arthur Brown, sometime inspector with the Cheshire Constabulary, and now a college lecturer. There is a considerable amount of law clinging to the office of constable, and still more in the complex manner in which the police service in this country is administered. Is there, in fact, a 'police service', or are there as many services as there are constabularies? What is the relationship between the chief constable, often perceived to be an autonomous and all-powerful figure in his force, the Home Secretary, who controls the purse strings and exerts considerable influence in the general sense through his duties in formulating criminal policy and promoting change in Parliament, and the local police committees comprising councillors, magistrates and independent members, to whom statute has given a range of non-operational duties in their police areas? These questions and many more are answered in this book. The author develops his text to consider the role of other bodies in controlling the police, not least the judiciary, particularly through the development of judicial review, and the liability which may arise for tortious conduct by police officers, and, perhaps, in a somewhat more prosaic way, by the enhancement of the role of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the work of the Audit Commission. The author not only looks at the evolution of the role of the constable from the earliest days, but traces the statutory framework under which the police operate. The work is also peppered with extracts from cases, many of them recent, which illustrate the points made. This is an authoritative work which will be invaluable to many police officers, police committee members, and others who wish to learn more of the unique way this country has, by a pragmatic system of checks and balances, provided for the governance of the police, in a manner which gives them considerable freedom from direct political control whilst ensuring their accountability under the general law of the land.


Application of CT (computed tomography) scanning technology to the study of tooth morphology of mylagaulids makes better understanding the tooth structure of high-crowned mylagaulids. Two genera and species from the early Middle Miocene halamagai Formation in northern Junggar Basin of Xinjiang are recognized: Tschalimys ckhikvadzei Shevyreva, 1971, the senior synonym of Sinomylagaulus halamagaiensis wu, 1988 and Simpligaulus yangi gen. et sp. nov. Both taxa undoubtedly belong to the subfamily Promylagaulinae. The integrated lithological, paleontological and paleomagnetic studies on sediments of the Late Oligocene through Late Miocene in the northern Junggar Basin of Xinjiang demonstrate that halamagai Formation is fluvial-lacustrine sediments formed during the time coincident to the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum. T. ckhikvadzei and S. yangi probably inhabit the humid and warm regions with forests and densely vegetated thickets as the living mountain beaver Aplodontia rufa does. These mylagaulids are probably immigrants or the descendants of the immigrants from west North America.


We use the frequency and time domain Teukolsky formalism to calculate gravitational wave fluxes from a spinning body on a bound eccentric equatorial orbit around a Kerr black hole. The spinning body is represented as a point particle following the pole-dipole approximation of the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Dixon equations. Reformulating these equations we are not only able to find the trajectory of a spinning particle in terms of its constants of motion, but also to provide a method to calculate the azimuthal and the radial frequency of this trajectory. Using these orbital quantities, we introduce the machinery to calculate through the frequency domain Teukolsky formalism the energy and the angular momentum fluxes at infinity, and at the horizon, along with the gravitational strain at infinity. We crosscheck the results obtained from the frequency domain approach with the results obtained from a time domain Teukolsky equation solver called Teukode.


In the last few years, wireless networks have gained significant importance in the context of industrial communication systems [1], where their deployment is bringing several noticeable benefits, ranging from replacement of cables to the connection of devices that cannot be reached by traditional wired systems. These features make the adoption of wireless networks for industrial applications very attractive, and they are envisaged to be deployed even more in the future, either as stand-alone systems or arranged in hybrid (wired/wireless) configurations. Unfortunately, wireless communication systems are often characterized by well-known problems, such as fading, multipath propagation, shadowing, and interference, that have the undesired effect of increasing the bit error rate (BER), resulting in the introduction of delays as well as randomness in packet delivery. Moreover, in the context of industrial communication, these aspects may be exacerbated by the specific nature of the environment. Indeed, the rapid movement of machineries along with the possible presence of electromagnetic interference sources, which are typical of manufacturing sites, may introduce considerable fluctuations of the BER values that contribute to further degradation in communication quality.


While 3D cell cultures have been used as suitable representatives of in vivo conditions compared to 2D systems, scalability and flexibility in designing such platforms has been a major challenge1. Micron-sized 3D culture platforms offer the possibility of high throughput analysis, however major challenges exist with respect to their overall design. Technical obstacles include difficulties in supporting multiple cell types (e.g. co-cultures of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor cells) as well as enabling monitoring of important parameters, such as proliferation and metabolism, in real time. Our 3D co-culture systems are based on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) spheroid models in microgels, generated by coaxial droplet microfluidics. This allows for co-culturing of cancer cells with the supporting cell types that constitute the major portion of the actual tumor. Initial optimization experiments utilized co-culture of commercial pancreatic cancer cell lines such, as L3.6pl cells, and stromal CAFs. In addition to optimizing the 3D microcultures using commercial PDAC cell lines, we are also modifying the system to take advantage of patient-matched CAFs and conditionally reprogrammed (CR) primary PDAC cells. Both drug sensitive and isogenic nab-paclitaxel resistant PDAC CR cells will be used, as recently published2. Our preliminary data showed that our platform supports rapid generation of numerous identical spheroids inside the microgel. Using microscopy under different treatment conditions (e.g the presence/absence of drugs) we can quantify spheroid growth. In addition, spatio-temporal mapping of the microenvironmental parameters such as dissolved O2, pH and K+ during growth is performed by time lapse fluorescence microscopy using fluorescent silica microparticles embedded in the matrix. This process will yield an in-depth understanding of the kinetics of growth and associated biochemical and metabolic activity for each cell type (e.g. CAF and PDAC) under different treatment conditions. Our T3D platform offers a rapid, quantifiable assessment of the behavior of patient-derived cells in providing additional details related to the changing microenvironment and may advance our understanding of treatment response and failures. The research leading to these results received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union9s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 759959, ERC-StG "INTERCELLMED"). Reference (1) Nunes et al. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2019, 116 (1), 206-226. (2) Parasido et al. Mol. Cancer Res. 2019, 17 (9), 1815-1827. Citation Format: Anil Chandra, Saumya Prasad, Francesco Alemanno, Adriano Barra, Enza Lonardo, Erika Parasido, Christopher Albanese, Loretta L. del Mercato. Microgel-based in vitro tumoroid platform for real time assessment of drug sensitivity and resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2967.


INTRODUCTION: Exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is impaired. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) is an important outcome measure with respect to effects of rehabilitation and treatment, but few data are available on the natural longitudinal change.

AIMS: To examine the longitudinal change in VO2peak in COPD patients and examine potential predictors of change.

METHODS: This prospective observational study included 63 patients (35 men) aged 44-77 yrs, with COPD in GOLD stages II-IV with a mean forced expiratory volume in one sec (FEV1) of 51 % of predicted (SD=14). Two incremental exercise tests on treadmill were performed 4.5 yrs (SD=0.9) apart. Spirometry was performed before the exercise tests. The relationship between the change in VO2peak and VO2peak per kg body mass (VO2peak/kg), and the explanatory variables age, sex, body mass, baseline VO2peak and VO2peak/kg, exacerbations during the follow-up period, and changes in FEV1 and body mass between tests were analysed by multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS: The mean decline in VO2peak, was 50 (SD=68) mL/min/yr (p<0.001) and 0.6 (SD=1.0) mL/min/kg/yr (p<0.001). The decline in FEV1 was 34 (SD=66) mL/yr (p<0.001). The reduction in VO2peak was larger with a higher baseline VO2peak(p<0.001) and with a larger reduction in FEV1 (p<0.001). The same was found for the change in VO2peak/kg, but the reduction in VO2peak/kg was less with a larger reduction in body mass (p=0.007).

CONCLUSION: Pulmonary function and exercise capacity in COPD patients declined during a follow-up period of 4.5 yrs. The decline in VO2peak and VO2peak/kg was related to the decline in FEV1. The decline in VO2peak/kg was also related to the change in body mass.


The current landscape of the Mesoamerican rain forest has been shaped by the migration of plant and animal species, natural events, and human intervention. This current reflection on the effects of livestock ranching in this region focuses on the impact to both the structure and the functioning of the landscape. Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico, is both a case study and a reflection of the larger Mesoamerican landscape, where cattle livestock were first introduced in the 16th century and subsequently replaced with a new variety of cattle in the 19th century. Thus, Los Tuxtlas is an enclave of tropical rain forest in southeastern Mexico and illustrative of the environmental history of Mesoamerica as a whole, representing a landscape of flora and fauna that have resisted climatic changes, intense volcanic activity, and frequent hurricanes and tropical storms that have continuously occurred across time. More recently, human activities, such as hunting, gathering, and agriculture, have also formed the landscape beginning with the Olmecs, considered to be the mother culture of Mesoamerica. In the 16th century the European colonizers introduced on the northern tip of the volcanic range of San Martin in Los Tuxtlas several cattle varieties of Bos taurus , imported from the region of Guadalquivir, Spain. These cattle rapidly adapted to free-range grazing, probably due to the absence of large native herbivores that had disappeared in Mesoamerica by the end of the Holocene, as well as due to the considerable extensions of secondary vegetation of abandoned agricultural fields, resulting from the disappearance of the indigenous farmers after the arrival of the Spanish. The cattle grazed on "grama" grasses, which proliferated during this time and emerged as part of the process of secondary succession, in addition to other plants and shrubs found within the rain forest. The livestock were adapted to this form of grazing for over 500 years, dispersing trees and bushes and enriching the process of secondary succession. In the 20th century, Bos taurus was substituted for Bos indicus , a variety of cattle coming from Asia and raised only in pasturelands sown with African grasses, resulting in a lack of herbivorous activity compatible with the local ecosystems, as in the case of Bos taurus . A resulting defaunation and deterioration of the secondary vegetation has since occurred, and many "grama" grasses have since disappeared. In addition, the management practices associated with Bos indicus have stimulated an increase in deforestation and fragmentation of the rain forest, signifying a threat to regional biodiversity. However, numerous individuals and species of rain forest trees still persist in open fields across the landscape, mitigating, as they have throughout history, the impact of deforestation. The trees that are left behind are an element of the historical landscape management practices, implemented by the very first inhabitants of the region. These isolated trees form in many instances "living fences" that help to maintain the ecological connectivity between the remaining fragments of vegetation, in addition to sustaining processes of secondary succession and regeneration of the rain forest. The main objective of this essay is to demonstrate that by understanding the environmental history of the rain forest landscape of Mesoamerica, new possibilities may be presented for its design and management with the explicit goals of conserving biodiversity, preserving environmental services, and innovating productive and agricultural systems. Our objective is illuminated by examining historical landscape practices surrounding the introduction of cattle livestock in the region of Los Tuxtlas in southeastern Mexico and considering the relevance that they may hold for contemporary landscape management and the natural regeneration of the rain forest.


Breeding density is predicted to influence the use of alternative reproductive strategies and may account for some of the variation in extrapair paternity rates found within and between avian species. By exploiting the extreme range of breeding densities occurring in a single, semicolonial population of Bullock's oriole, Icterus galbula bullockii, this study showed that, as predicted, both the number of nests containing extrapair nestlings and the mean proportion of extrapair nestlings in a brood increased with breeding density (high versus low breeding density: broods with extrapair nestlings: 62 versus 27%; mean: 48 versus 16%). As found in some other studies, extrapair paternity (both exclusion and assignment) significantly increased the variance in reproductive success among males. No difference was found in the mean reproductive success of males at different breeding densities. However, as predicted, the variance in reproductive success among males increased with breeding density. This study indicates that the distribution of individuals within a single population can lead to significant differences in the opportunity for sexual selection, and that density may be an important factor affecting variance in male reproductive success among populations.


The purpose of the paper is to identify ways to implement the speech macro strategy of praise to God for text material of the collection of Dutch evangelical psalms published in 1806. This article has three main parts. First, the article analyzes how the communicative intention of praise manifests itself in the prose text of the Preface to the Collection. Here the strategy is formulated in the third person; its implementation is most clearly observed in the initial and final positions of the text as the most communicatively loaded. Second, we consider ways in which a given strategy is implemented in the poetic texts of the psalms. In this perspective, the communicative task of glorifying the greatness of God is of the utmost importance; it is formulated directly on behalf of all believers using the following linguistic means and stylistic techniques: rhetorical exclamations and appeals to the Lord, rhetorical questions, lexical means of appropriate semantics and pragmatic potential. Third, the basic principles of interaction between the text of the psalms and the musical arrangement for the voice are discussed. The analysis allows us to conclude that with the help of harmonies and melodic drawing, the dictum and modus content of the poetic text is masterfully emphasized, the inner potential of meter and rhyme is more fully revealed. In general, the macro-strategy of praise has a dominant meaning and manifests itself in many aspects in the contamination of verbal and musical language.