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Violence and self-injury have emerged as major social, public and mental health concerns. Health and social services are challenged by the increased use and demand for resources. This study sought to determine the factors attributable to these problem behaviours in Trinidad and Tobago, in order that adaptive strategies can be developed to address these problems.
After obtaining relevant approvals, data were collected retrospectively on homicide and suicide victims from 2013 through 2016 from the Registrar General’s Department and the Forensic Science Centre. Data were analysed to determine the demographic characteristics and other factors associated with suicides and homicides.
Male gender was significantly predominant for both suicides and homicides; males in middle adulthood age-range (34-42) years were at the highest risk. Both behaviours increased in prevalence over the study period, although homicide showed a much more marked increase. The mean age for homicide was 34 years, while for suicide it was 41 years. A greater and significant number of individuals of African descent were involved in homicide and a greater number of East Indians were dying by suicide. The ratio is approximately 3:1 for both causes of death.
Suicide and homicides have increased over a period of four years in Trinidad & Tobago. There is a need for the establishment of a registry in order to record the occurrences of self-harm and externally directed violence accurately and comprehensively. A better understanding of these behaviours can result in better prevention and intervention methods.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that homicide and suicide together account for well over one million deaths in the world every year . Violence and self-injury have emerged as major social, public and mental health concerns as health and social services are notably challenged by these acts . Injuries, violence and accidents are the greatest cause of mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 15 – 29 age range. Suicide is a particular problem in some countries in the region e.g., Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad where the rates are greater than the regional and international average . In Trinidad and Tobago as well, the 21st century has seen a marked upsurge in violent crime [4, 5]. Young males living in urban environments have been the most common offenders and victims. Obtaining basic data on homicides and successful suicides offers the first step in understanding these phenomena and consequently developing specific preventive and intervention strategies. It has been proposedthat homicide and suicide may share similar aetiological substrates and might be reactions to similar internal and external events .
An initial attempt at evaluating data about the relationship between homicide and suicide and various demographic and ecological data in Trinidad revealed that victims of homicide were located particularly in the North East regions of Trinidad and associated with African ethnicity and school dropouts ; suicide was associated with South Central geography and Indian ethnicity, with alcohol consumption being a likely correlated factor. This present study sought to identify risk factors to conduct the comparative analysis. More detailed analysis of data on both homicide and suicide may reveal relationships related to geography and the social environment within a country that can then inform preventive and intervention efforts. Mental health problems are major risk factors for homicide and suicide, with substance use disorders, personality and mood disorders being especially implicated . Post-traumatic stress disorder is also increasingly linked to violence and self-injury. However information regarding mental health service contact and diagnosis is not easily accessible. Additionally, many people who engage in these destructive behaviours have no history of mental health contact even in developed countries such as the United States .
There have been issues regarding the documentation and storage of data related to homicides and suicides and access to reliable and comprehensive data remains difficult in Trinidad. The recording and registration of this kind of data in Trinidad and Tobago is not consistently accurate and the Police service remains the most useful source, although this may not be so effective for suicides. Demographic data related to both homicide and suicide may not be consistently captured as manner of death (i.e. natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined) is not recorded on death certificates. There have been a variety of explanations for this, such as privacy concerns due to stigma, insurance payouts, ignorance and bureaucracy. Notwithstanding these limitations, there is still a need to identify the prevalence of these behaviours, since they may have serious social consequences and are also increasingly a burden on economic resources of a country. The notion of preventable death among younger people is useful in appreciating the loss of productivity and the emotional burden that accompanied their premature demise. This emotional burden on families may also increase their risk of bereavement-related mental issues.
This study therefore sought to determine the demographic factors associated with these problems in Trinidad and Tobago in order that adaptive strategies can be developed to address these problems.
Approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University of the West Indies. Although the main data source was the Registrar General’s Department, several other agencies were also approached for information in order to address the gaps in data. The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) allowed access to records of all deaths between 2013 and 2016. These data enabled to determine the frequencies of homicides and suicides in the context of the other typical manners of death. Although these records provided demographic data and cause of death, other demographic data such as the gender, ethnicity and manner of death were not available. Hence the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) database was used in order to record the missing demographic data and manner of death.
Natural causes, accidents, and homicides were identified based on information already available from the RGD, supplemented by FSC records, Trinidad & Tobago Police Service (TTPS) homicide records, as well as newspaper reports. Suicides, however, were less easily discernible as this data were only available from FSC records and a few newspaper reports. A forensic pathologist was consulted in order to assist in manner of death classification, where suicide was suspected based on the cause of death provided by the Registrar General’s death records. The month, year, season, race, method used and death classification were recorded along with age, gender, date of death, place of death and cause of death. FSC records, TTPS records and newspaper reports helped to fill in missing information where possible. The demographic and residential characteristics of victims of both homicide and suicide were identified and compared, comparisons were also made between the current research findings and a previous research in 2005 by Hutchinson et al  to determine if there were any changes in the patterns as well as the aspects that could have remained unchanged over time.
The homicide and suicide victim populations were collated in MS Excel and then entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis. Descriptive analyses were done and frequencies were calculated. Chi-square tests of association were conducted to assess the relationship between and among demographic and residential characteristics of victims of both homicide and suicide.
For the purpose of this study, only homicides resulting from inter-personal violence were used, therefore homicides were broken down to identify which were violent homicides, i.e., all murders and some manslaughter cases.
This study examines the characteristics of homicides and suicides that occurred in Trinidad and Tobago from 2013 to 2016. Overall there were 45,006 recorded deaths from 2013 through 2016. The mean age of dead persons was 65 years, the youngest person was less than 1 month old and the eldest was 111 years old.
The study included 1,726 victims of violent homicide, who died during the period of four years from 2013 to 2016 after excluding vehicular killings, police homicides and justifiable homicides. The mean age of victims was 34 years, the youngest victim was four months old and the eldest was 90 years old. There were 1545 (89.5%) male victims and 162 (9.4%) female victims, the sex of 19 victims were unknown. The ethnic descent was available for only approximately half of all homicide victims, 38.9% (n=672) of all homicides were of African descent, 11.8% (n=203) were of East Indian descent, 6.4% (n=111) were ‘Other’ (Mixed/Caucasian/Chinese) and 42.9% (n=740) were unknown.
The study included 667 victims of suicide during the study period. The mean age of victims was 41 years, the youngest person was 13 years old and the eldest was 91 years old. There were 527 (79%) male victims and 110 (16.5%) female victims. The ethnicity of less than one-third of suicide victims was known, 20% (n=133) of all suicides were of East Indian descent, 6.6% (n=44) were of African descent, 4.2% (n=28) were ‘Other’ and 69.3% (n=462) were unknown. The percentage distribution of death by accidents, homicide and suicide in T&T from 2013-2016 is shown in Table 1.
Table 1 : Frequency and rate of deaths from 2013-2016
|Death Classification||Mean Frequency
|Rate per 100,000||% of all
Changes in homicide and suicide means and rates over time
Over the four-year period, there were a total of 1726 homicides, with an annual mean of 431.5 (7.1, standard deviation, SD). The mean (SD) for suicide was 166.7 (1.2). The mean annual homicide and suicide rates were compared with that in the previous study conducted by Hutchinson in 2005. During the period 1991-2000 the suicide rate was 9.27 per 100,000 while for 2013 to 2016 it was 12.33, an increase of 33%. For homicide, the rates rose from 8.9 to 31.9 per 100,000, an increase of 350%. Table 2 depicts the increasing trend of these rates.
Table 2 : Comparison of Homicide and Suicide means
|Annual Homicide Mean||Suicide
Similar to the 2005 study by Hutchinson et al, the current study also looked at homicide and suicide rates according to the age group population based on information provided by the T&T Central Statistics Office. The current study used the CSO 2016 mid-year estimation for age- group comparison.
Firearm remains the most frequent weapon used for homicides and poisoning remains the most frequently method used for suicide. However, firearm-related homicide increased by almost 20%, while homicide caused by sharp instruments decreased by approximately 25%. This has been shown in Table 3.
Table 3 : Homicide Trends
|2013-2016 %||1991-2000 %|
It is also noteworthy that suicide by poisoning decreased by 10.5% while suicide by hanging increased by 10.3%, which is shown in Table 4.
Table 4 : Suicide Trends
|2013-2016 %||1991-2000 %|
Comparison of homicide and suicide characteristics
The majority of both homicide and suicide victims were male (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Gender Distribution of Homicides and Suicides
However, when compared between suicide and homicide, females comprised a significantly larger percentage distribution of suicide victims than homicide victims (χ2 (2, N= 2344) = 27.36, p<0.001).
The majority of firearm homicide victims were men (94.6%, n=1283), however firearm was the method used most frequently against both male and female homicide victims. Poisoning was the most frequent method used by both male (49.5%, n=260) and female (69.1%, n=76) suicide victims, followed by hanging (44.6%, n=235 of males, 25.5%, n=28 of females).
Homicide victims were significantly more likely to be of African descent, and suicide victims were significantly more likely to be of East Indian descent, χ2 (4, N= 1191) = 182.17, p<0.01. The distribution of African and East Indian homicide and suicide victims seem to be inversely related, however the number of homicide victims outweighed the number of suicide victims in all races (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Racial distribution of homicide and suicide victims
There was also a significant relationship between the ethnicity and manner of death for persons of African and East Indian descent. A Chi square analysis was conducted on race and manner of death and column proportions were compared. There was a significant relationship between race and manner of death, χ2 (2, N= 1232) = 185.993, p<0.01 (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Racial distribution of suicide victims based on means used
A pairwise z-test post hoc analysis with Bonferroni correction revealed that for persons of African and East Indian descent there was a significant difference between the homicide and suicide percentages (p<0.05).
A Chi square analysis was conducted to see if there was any relationship between age distributions and manner of death. Victims were significantly more likely to be homicide victims in the ‘26-35 years’ age group χ2 (7, N= 2501) = 168.123, p<0.01.
An independent t-test was conducted to analyse whether there was any significant difference in the ages of homicide victims and suicide victims. Homicide victims were significantly younger than suicide victims, t (662) = -8.56, p<0.001. The distribution of homicide victims was skewed sharply to the left with 60% in the 16-35 year age group, while suicide victims were distributed in all age groups, with 40% in 16-35 year age group (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Age distributions of homicide victims and suicide victims
A Chi-square test of association was conducted to identify whether there was any association between manner of death and geographic area. Homicide victims were significantly belonging to the Northwest region of the island, while the Southwest area predominated for suicides χ2 (6, N=2338) = 168.21, p<0.01. Table 5 shows the regional distribution.
Table 5 : Distribution of homicides and suicides based on location
A Chi-square test of association was also conducted to identify whether there was any relationship between year, or season and the frequency of homicides and suicides. There was no significant difference between distributions of homicides and distributions of suicides across 2013-2016, χ2 (3, N= 2393) = 2.730, p>0 .05. There was also no difference between distributions of homicides and distributions of suicides across seasons χ2 (3, N= 2393) = 1.22, p>0.05.
This study was able to determine the demographic characteristics and the trend of homicides as well as suicides in Trinidad and Tobago in the recent times. The salient finding of the study is the phenomenal increase in the number of homicides and suicides over the study period as well as compared to an earlier study conducted during 2005 .
It must be noted that although there were increases in both homicide and suicide rates, the increase in the rates of homicides were found to be particularly profound. These findings are broadly consistent with previous reports wherein males significantly predominated for both suicide and homicide in Trinidad and Tobago [5, 7, 10, 11]. Both for suicides as well as homicides middle adulthood age (range 34 – 42 years) is more prone to be susceptible. The average age for homicide is younger (34 years) than that for suicide (41 years). There was a very wide age range for suicide (13 to 91 years)probably reflecting a spread of this behaviour across a wide range of ages perhaps with differing psychogenic aetiologies at different ages. This underlines the need for a similarly wide range of interventions to meet such varying needs. It was not surprising that the male gender predominated for both suicide and homicide. With respect to the modes, firearms were commonly used for homicide and poisoning was the most common method for suicide. A new finding in this study is that there has been an increase in the use of hanging as a method for committing suicide, compared to the previous study .
Although there were a considerable number of cases where ethnicity information was unavailable, there seems to be a greater and significant number of individuals of African descent dying by homicide and a greater number of East Indians dying by suicide. The ratio is approximately 3:1 for both causes of death; the ratio of Africans to Indians as victims of homicide is 3:1, and for suicide victims the ratio is also 3:1, however the ethnicity was reversed in this case, Indians were three times likely to be the victims for suicide. Community outreach and deep penetration into cultural norms must be a vital component for any methodology of homicide and suicide prevention. Particular notice must be given to the communities and areas where these behaviours are most common. Suicide by poisoning is the most common means and more work needs to be done to limit the availability of these poisons as well as to decrease their lethality. Interestingly the study found that both homicide and suicide were lower in Tobago, compared to Trinidad.
Alternative responses to conflict and dissatisfaction must be found to counter violent behavior. From 2001-2010, 29% of homicides were officially classified by the Police as gang-related , while by 2013 this increased to 48% . This points to the need of addressing the issues regarding gang membership and these must be instituted in communities where the homicide rate is high. These would include improving parental supervision, school dropout programmes, literacy training and supporting community artistic output projects . For both suicide and homicide prevention, addressing the socio-economic needs remain paramount. Prevention of both self-directed harm and harm extended to other people may be mitigated by improving the socioeconomic conditions of population. Previous work has pointed to relationship issues as the major antecedent of suicidal behaviour, whether these issues arise out of family or romantic conflict, alternative means of resolution need to be highlighted and encouraged in the relevant communities .
The study has some limitations. A large number of missing data highlights the need for more accurate recording and registration of this kind of data. The need for better recording is necessary for any form of detailed analysis and development of practical solutions. A registry would facilitate accurate capture of relevant data for these destructive social phenomena, which is vitally needed to better understand and address the issues contributing to their relatively increased presence in the Trinidad and Tobago environment. These difficulties also contribute to uncertainty regarding the validity and reliability of the available data.
Another limitation was the study’s inability to determine whether these individuals had any mental disorder history or had prior contact with mental health services. Nevertheless, the study established the demographic, residential and ethnic background as well as the temporal trend and modes of committing homicide and suicide in the victims of Trinidad & Tobago spanning a period of four years. There is a definite need for the establishment of a registry to record accurately and comprehensively these occurrences of self-harm and externally directed violence so that a better understanding of these behaviours can result in improved prevention and intervention methods.
1. World Health Organization. Injuries and violence: the facts 2014. World Health Organization 2014.
2. American Public Health Association. Injury and Violence Prevention: Policy Lessons from the Field. The American Public Health Association. Washington DC, 2013.
3. World Health Organization. Global health observatory (GHO) data. 2016 https://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2016/en/ (Accessed 31/01/2019).
4. Hunte M, Bonair LW. Crime in Trinidad and Tobago. Trends and implications. World Sustainable Development Outlook 2010; 189-205.
5. Seepersad R. Crime and violence in Trinidad and Tobago. IDB Series on crime and violence in the Caribbean. IDB –Technical Note 1062- Series Editor Heather Sutton. Inter-American Development Bank 2016.
6. Fountoulakis KN, Gonda X. Differential correlation of suicide and homicide rates according to geographical areas: A study with population-level data. Psychiatry Research 2017; 249:167-175
7. Hutchinson G. Variation of homicidal and suicidal behaviour within Trinidad and Tobago and the associated ecological risk factors. West Indian Medical Journal 2005; 54(5): 319- 324.
8. Harford TC, Chen CM, Kerridge BT, Grant BF. (2018). Self- and other-directed forms of violence and their relationship with lifetime DSM-5 psychiatric disorders: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III). Psychiatry Research 2018; 262: 384-392
9. Jack SPD, Petrosky E, Lyons BH, Blair JM, Ertls AM, Sheats KJ, Betz CM. Surveillance of violent deaths. National violent death reporting system 27 States 2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summary 2018; 67(11): 1-32.
10. Townsend D. No Other Life. Small Arms Survey 2009.
11. Katz C, Choate D, Fox A. Understanding and Preventing Gang Membership in Trinidad and Tobago. Unknown Publisher, 2010
12. UNDP Caribbean human development report 2012: human development and the shift to better citizen security. PoS. New York: United Nations Development Programme 2012.
13. Hutchinson G, Daisley H, Simmons V, Gordon A. Suicide by poisoning. West Indian Medical Journal 1991; 40: 69-73.

domain: statistics


text:
It's autumn, and I can't think of a better item to put in my closet than the cullotes. It's a "must have" that it's so wearable from day untill night. Either you're on high heels or on sneakers and flats, these pants are going to be your best friend.
Although I prefer flats on my daily life, I prefer to wear my culottes with high heels.. And these red sandals just rock.
Zara total look, Vintage hair scarf, Ray-Ban sunnies, Casio watch

domain: fashion


text:
Journal article 250 views
Solving a non-linear stochastic pseudo-differential equation of Burgers type / Niels Jacob; Alexander Potrykus; Jiang-Lun Wu
Stochastic Processes and their Applications
Swansea University Author: Wu, Jiang-lun
Full text not available from this repository: check for access using links below.
DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.spa.2010.08.007
Solving a non-linear stochastic pseudo-differential equation of Burgers type
|Published in:||Stochastic Processes and their Applications|
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College of Science

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A pragmatic and simple approach for estimating the groundwater recharge of karst aquifers in mountainous regions by extrapolation of the hydrological regimes of gauged and well‐documented systems is presented. Specific discharge rates are derived using annual precipitation and spring measurements by taking into account catchment size and elevation, which are assumed to be the dominant factors. Reference sites with high data reliability are used for calibration and regional extrapolation. This is performed with normalized values employing spatial precipitation deviations and correlation with the elevation of the catchment areas. A tiered step procedure provides minimum and maximum normalized gradients for the relationship between recharge quantity and elevation for karst regions. The normalized recharge can therefore be obtained and extrapolated for any location using the spatial precipitation variability to provide an estimate of annual groundwater recharge.
Aquifer recharge; Karst groundwater; Precipitation; Discharge; Switzerland
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Malard, Arnauld; Sinreich, Michael; and Jeannin, Pierre-Yves, "A novel approach for estimating karst groundwater recharge in mountainous regions and its application in Switzerland" (2016). KIP Articles. 6775.

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Votes to Resume Uranium
November 1, 2004
Tehran, Iran-- Iranian
lawmakers unanimously voted to approve the outline of a bill requiring
the government to resume uranium enrichment, a move likely to deepen an
international dispute over Tehran's atomic activities.
Hossein Mousavian, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, said that a compromise
could still be reached with European negotiators to avert the risk of
Britain, France and Germany have offered Iran a trade deal and peaceful
nuclear technology-- including a light-water research reactor -- in return
for assurances Iran would indefinitely stop enriching uranium . Uranium
enriched to a low level can be used to produce nuclear fuel, but if enriched
further it can be used to make nuclear weapons.
While lawmakers were discussing the bill, Mousavian ruled out an indefinite
suspension of enrichment activities. But he suggested Iran would consider
halting the building of more nuclear facilities, which it would need to
produce enough fuel for additional power plants.


Any spy who is worth their salt has, of course, faked their death only to return later and put a serious hurting on the bad guys.
After an appetite-whetting 30-second Olympics TV spot and Daniel Craig himself ringin in the London Games with Queen Elizabeth, James Bond is back in this official full-length trailer for Skyfall, the upcoming 007 flick directed by Sam Mendes.
Agent 007 is presumed dead after a little train accident (see the trailer below). He takes it upon himself to come back from the dead and save MI6 when the list of active covert agents has been leaked.
There are a number of things to look for in this trailer, including Javier Bardem channeling Anton Chigurh in the outlandish hair department as the blond villain Raoul Silva, the return of Q (played by Ben Whishaw), MI6 getting blown up, as well as Bond girls Eve (Naomie Harris) and Severine (Berenice Marlohe).
If there are any fears that Skyfall will fail to uphold the franchise like Quantum of Solace, they may be put to rest by this trailer. At the very least, we’ll get to enjoy classic Bond dialogue exchanges like this:
M: Where the hell have you been?
Bond: Enjoying death.
What are your thoughts on the 23rd installment of the Bond franchise, Skyfall?
M watches over MI6 with her flashy Sony Vaio in latest 007 film, Skyfall.
The Skyfall production team continues to tease US audiences with more behind-the-scenes photos from the upcoming James Bond 007 movie.
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Mendes will be publishing a new behind-the-scenes video log on Wednesday. In it, he states, “The roots of my doing this Bond movie start way before anybody approached me because, like everyone else, I have my own personal relationship with Bond which began when I was I suppose about nine or ten years old. I’ve always been a fan of the movies.”
007 has just tweeted out a new picture from the set of the new James Bond movie Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig, Helen McCrory and Javier Bardem. It’s a teaser pic in the loosest sense of the word. However, it does give you a glimpse at one of the interior sets from the new Sam Mendes movie.
This is the third picture released from the production team of Skyfall. The last one also showed off the slate. Perhaps the next tweet will actually shows some of the people starring in the movie or even a full location.
Are you looking forward to the new James Bond Skyfall movie?
Skyfall is currently scheduled to hit theaters on Nov 9, 2012.
Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is ready to put on the tuxedo (and take it off) for the 23rd James Bond film that has a new title, “Skyfall“.
While it’s no great surprise that Craig is back as Bond, anticipation for the latest installment for 007 will grow as director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) made the official announcement in a London press conference Thursday and also said that shooting for Skyfall will begin on location Monday in the British capital at Pinewood Studios and will later move to Istanbul, Turkey Shanghai, China, and Scotland. Mendes was tight-lipped on story specifics and character names to keep wild speculation to a minimum. Mendes did add that if the excitement remains as high after filming as it is now, then he would return to direct another Bond film. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the date that Sean Connery was named Bond for Dr. No making the day of the announcement significant.
Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan wrote the screenplay where Bond’s loyalty to his boss M (Dench) is weighed when her past comes back to rear its ugly head. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will produce for Sony Pictures who took over as the distributor after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) went bankrupt. Sony will co-finance with MGM for the next two films. Skyfall is set for a release date in Great Britain on October 26, 2012 and the United States on November 9.
Craig will join a marquee that already boasts Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) as the villain, Ralph Fiennes (The Harry Potter Saga), Albert Finney (Bourne Ultimatum), Helen McCrory (The Harry Potter Saga), Ben Whishaw (Layer Cake) and Judi Dench (Casino Royale). Bond girls casted are French model Bérénice Marlohe (pictured to the right) and British actress Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Carribbean).


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Glycyrrhizin protects mice against renal ischemia‑reperfusion injury through inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation by downregulating p38 mitogen‑activated protein kinase signaling
- Shaojun Ye
- Yi Zhu
- Yingzi Ming
- Xingguo She
- Hong Liu
- Qifa Ye
- Published online on: February 21, 2014 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2014.1570
- Pages: 1247-1252
Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced kidney injury results from a sudden transient reduction in blood flow, arising from shock, trauma, abdominal surgery or kidney transplantation, and often leads to acute kidney injury, chronic renal failure or failure of the kidney transplant (1–3). Previous studies have identified that I/R leads to the activation and infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, which release numerous pro-inflammatory mediators that trigger acute inflammatory responses; this has been demonstrated to be crucial in I/R-induced renal injury (4–7). In addition, renal cell apoptosis may be involved in I/R-induced renal injury.
Glycyrrhizin is the predominant active component that is extracted from the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects (8). Furthermore, glycyrrhizin has been reported to attenuate I/R-induced gut, spinal cord, liver and heart damage (9–14). However, to the best of our knowledge, the effect of glycyrrhizin on I/R-induced renal injury has not been investigated.
Materials and methods
Renal I/R procedure
The animal experiments in the present study were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (Changsha, China). Male C57BL/6 mice (age, 12 weeks; weight, 20–25 g) were housed at Xiangya Medical Experimental Animal Center, Central South University in a laminar flow, temperature-controlled, pathogen-free environment under a 12 h light/dark cycle. The mice were fasted for 24 h prior to the experiments and provided with tap water ad libitum. During surgery, an intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg pentobarbital was administered to anesthetize the mice. Bilateral flank incisions were made, the right kidney was removed and the left kidney was subjected to ischemia using a microvascular clamp, which was removed after 30 min and the wound was closed. To induce ischemia of the left kidney, a microvascular clip was used to clamp the renal artery after a transverse incision was made to the abdomen. Half an hour later, the clamp was removed, and the wound was closed. The mice were divided into three groups of six; in the sham-operated group, the mice underwent anesthesia, bilateral flank incisions and a right nephrectomy. In the glycyrrhizin-treated group, the mice were injected with 60 mg/kg glycyrrhizin using an infusion pump (Chizhou Kangyuan Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. Chizhou, China) 1 h prior to ischemia. In the saline-treated group, the mice were administered with 60 mg/kg saline. The mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation under anesthesia 6 h after reperfusion and the blood and kidney samples were immediately collected.
Assessment of kidney function
Renal function was assessed via observation of serum creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels at the Clinical Laboratory of the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (Changsha, China).
Assessment of the renal tissue superoxide anion (SOA) level
An SOA assay kit (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA) was used to determine the level of SOA in the soluble fraction of renal tissue in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and the reaction was analyzed using a spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) at a wavelength of 550 nm.
Assessment of the renal tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity
The SOD activity was measured using the SOD activity assay kit (Biovision, Milpitas, CA, USA) based on the inhibition of adenochrome production by SOD during epinephrine auto-oxidation. Changes in fluorescence were read at a wavelength of 480 nm (Microplate Reader; Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA).
Caspase-3 activity measurement
Caspase-3 colorimetric assay kit (Biovision, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA) was used to determine the activity of caspase-3, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Briefly, 20 μg kidney cytosolic protein was extracted and incubated in a solution buffer at room temperature for 30 min. The reaction was initiated by the addition of 200 μM N-acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin and incubated at 37°C for 2 h. The change in absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 400 nm.
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity measurement
MPO is a neutrophil-specific enzyme, the presence of which is considered to be an indicator of neutrophil infiltration in the kidney. Renal tissues were homogenized on ice in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with 0.5% hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (Sigma) and 0.146% EDTA (pH 6.0). The homogenates were centrifuged at 13,400 × g for 30 min at 4°C and the supernatant was incubated at 60°C for 2 h. Hydrogen peroxide (0.005%) and 0.167 mg/ml O-dianisidine dihydrochloride (Sigma) in PBS (pH 6.0) was added and the change in absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 460 nm.
Serum pro-inflammatory cytokine measurements
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (mouse TNF-α ELISA kit, Mouse IFN-γ ELISA kit, mouse IL-1β ELISA kit, mouse IL-6 ELISA kit; Sigma) were used to determine the serum levels of the key pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Western blot assay
Cytoplasmic extraction reagents (Pierce Biotechnology, Inc., Rockford, IL, USA) were used to extract the cytosolic proteins from the mice kidney tissues, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. After determining the concentration of protein using the Enhanced BCA Protein Assay kit (Beyotime, Shanghai, China), 20 μg protein was separated using 10% SDS-PAGE, which was transferred to nitrocellulose membranes and maintained at room temperature for 1 h in a buffer solution containing 5% dried skimmed milk. The membrane was incubated at room temperature for 3 h with mouse anti-total-p38 MAPK, mouse anti-phospho-p38 MAPK, mouse anti-cleaved caspase-3 or mouse anti-GAPDH monoclonal antibodies (Abcam, Cambridge, UK), and subsequently with goat anti-mouse secondary antibody (Abcam) for 1 h. The signals on the membranes were detected using an enhanced chemiluminescence reagent (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA) and the densitometry was analyzed by Image-Pro plus software 6.0 (Media Cybernetics, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA).
All of the data were expressed as means ± standard deviation and analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, followed by Student’s t-test to assess the statistical significance. P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference.
Administration of glycyrrhizin protects mice from I/R-induced renal injury
To investigate the effect of glycyrrhizin on I/R-induced renal injury in mice, the serum levels of Cr and BUN were examined 6 h following reperfusion. The mice in the saline-treated group showed significantly higher serum levels of Cr and BUN compared with the mice in the sham-operated group, which indicated marked I/R-induced renal damage. However, the mice that were administered with glycyrrhizin exhibited notably lower serum levels of Cr and BUN, when compared with those in the saline-treated group. These findings indicate that pretreatment with glycyrrhizin provides effective protection against I/R-induced renal injury in mice (Fig. 1A and B).
(A) Serum Cr level, (B) BUN level and renal tissue (C) SOA level and (D) SOD activity was examined in each group. **P<0.01. CR, creatinine; I/R ischemia-reperfusion; Gl, glycyrrhizin; SOA, superoxide anions; SOD, superoxide dismutase.
The SOA level that was observed in the soluble fraction of the renal tissue 6 h after reperfusion was significantly higher in the saline-treated control group, when compared with that observed in the sham-operated and glycyrrhizin-treated groups (Fig. 1C). In addition, the SOD activity in the kidney tissue following I/R was examined and it was demonstrated that the SOD activity was greater in the glycyrrhizin-treated group than in the saline-treated group (Fig. 1D).
Administration of glycyrrhizin attenuates I/R-induced renal cell apoptosis in mice
To further investigate the effect of renal cell apoptosis in I/R-induced renal injury, western blot analysis was performed to determine the expression of cleaved caspase-3, 6 h after reperfusion. The expression level was notably reduced in the mice that were pretreated with glycyrrhizin when compared with that of the mice pretreated with saline. For further confirmation, the activity of caspase-3 in the renal tissues was determined in each group (Fig. 2A). Consistently, the activity of caspase-3 was downregulated in the mice from the glycyrrhizin-treated group compared with the saline-treated group. Therefore, it was hypothesized that glycyrrhizin protects against I/R-induced renal damage in mice, partially via the inhibition of renal cell apoptosis.
(A) Western blot analysis was performed to examine the protein level of cleaved caspase-3 in the three groups. GAPDH served as an internal control. (B) Activity of caspase-3 in the renal tissue was determined in each group using a caspase-3 colorimetric assay kit. *P<0.05 and **P<0.01. I/R, ischemia-reperfusion; Gl, glycyrrhizin.
Administration of glycyrrhizin attenuates I/R-induced renal inflammation in mice
As neutrophil and macrophage infiltration is key in I/R-induced tissue inflammation, and MPO activity is a key indicator of neutrophil and macrophage infiltration, the MPO activity in the renal tissue of each group was assessed. The activity of MPO was identified to be significantly upregulated in the saline-treated group compared with the sham-operated group. However, the activity of MPO in the glycyrrhizin-treated group was significantly reduced compared with the saline-treated group with a value that was comparable to the sham-operated group (Fig. 3A).
(A) Activity of MPO in the renal tissue was determined in the three groups. (B) The serum levels of key pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6, were examined in each group using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. *P<0.05 and **P<0.01. MPO, myeloperoxidase; I/R, ischemia-reperfusion; Gl, glycyrrhizin; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin.
To identify the mechanism involved, the effect of glycyrrhizin on the production of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6 was examined; these inflammatory cytokines have been demonstrated to be significant in the induction of renal I/R injury (15,16). The production of pro-inflammatory TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6 was significantly reduced in the glycyrrhizin-treated mice, when compared with that observed in the saline-treated mice 6 h after reperfusion (Fig. 3B). Accordingly, these findings indicate that pretreatment with glycyrrhizin ameliorates I/R-induced renal injury via the mediation of inflammatory cell infiltration in addition to the production of inflammatory cytokines.
Administration of glycyrrhizin suppresses p38 MAPK activation during I/R
As glycyrrhizin has been reported to exhibit a suppressive effect on the activation of the p38 MAPK pathway in I/R-induced myocardial injury in rabbits, it was hypothesized that it may be similarly involved in the regulation of the p38 MAPK pathway in renal I/R damage in mice. Thus, the activity of the p38 MAPK pathway in the renal tissues was determined in each group via western blot assay. The phosphorylated-p38 MAPK protein level in the saline-treated group was significantly increased compared with the sham-operated group; however, the phosphorylated-p38 protein level in the glycyrrhizin-treated group was notably reduced compared with that in the saline-treated group (Fig. 4). These findings confirmed the hypothesis that administration of glycyrrhizin suppressed the activation of p38 MAPK in I/R-induced renal damage in mice.
Protein levels of phosphorylated-p38 MAPK and total-p38 MAPK in the renal tissue were examined in the three groups using western blot analysis. GAPDH served as an internal control. *P<0.05 and **P<0.01. I/R, ischemia-reperfusion; Gl, glycyrrhizin; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase.
Glycyrrhizin has been identified to exhibit a protective effect on I/R-induced organ damage, including damage to the gut, liver and heart (9–13). However, whether glycyrrhizin protects against I/R-induced renal injury has not previously been analyzed. In the present study, the effect of glycyrrhizin on I/R-induced kidney injury in mice was investigated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that pretreatment with glycyrrhizin attenuates renal I/R injury via inhibition of tissue inflammation as well as protection against cell apoptosis, indicating that glycyrrhizin may be used for the prevention of I/R-induced kidney injury in clinical settings.
Renal cell apoptosis has been shown to be key in I/R-induced renal damage (17). Among the apoptotic mediators, activated caspase-3 acts as a final executor, as it regulates the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis (18,19). Furthermore, caspase-3-mediated cell apoptosis has been demonstrated to be essential in I/R-induced organ damage (20); thus, the effect of glycyrrhizin on I/R-induced renal cell apoptosis was investigated in the present study. The findings showed that administration of glycyrrhizin notably inhibited the protein level of cleaved caspase-3, (the activated form of caspase-3) within the renal tissues. Moreover, the activity of caspase-3 was downregulated as a result of glycyrrhizin administration. Therefore, it is hypothesized that glycyrrhizin may protect renal cells against I/R-induced apoptosis by suppressing caspase-3.
Tissue I/R damage has been identified to predominantly result from I/R-induced excessive inflammatory responses (21). When renal I/R occurs, neutrophils and macrophages initially infiltrate into the damaged kidney and secrete large quantities of pro-inflammatory mediators, which promote the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages into the damaged tissues and further promote tissue inflammatory responses (22,23). Furthermore, infiltrated neutrophils and macrophages reduce renal blood flow, which leads to microcirculatory failure (24,25). To investigate the effect of glycyrrhizin on I/R-induced neutrophil and macrophage infiltration into damaged renal tissues, the activity of MPO, an enzyme specific to neutrophils and macrophages, was examined. The findings indicated that the administration of glycyrrhizin protects against I/R-induced macrophage and neutrophil infiltration in the renal tissue of mice. Consistently, the following findings demonstrated that the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β and IL-6, was markedly lower in the glycyrrhizin-treated mice compared with the saline-treated mice. Similarly, the production of IL-10, a key anti-inflammatory cytokine, was significantly higher in glycyrrhizin-treated mice compared with saline-treated mice. In addition, glycyrrhizin has been demonstrated to protect against I/R-induced tissue damage by suppressing the inflammatory response. Liu et al (11) identified that administration of glycyrrhizin reduced the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8, in I/R-induced myocardial injury in rabbits. Zhai et al (13) indicated that the administration of glycyrrhizin significantly decreased the levels of serum TNF-α and IL-6, which protected the rat hearts against I/R injury. In accordance with these previous findings, the data from the present study indicated that glycyrrhizin protects mice against I/R-induced renal injury, via the inhibition of inflammatory responses.
The activation of p38 MAPK signaling is known to be significant in I/R-induced cell apoptosis as well as in inflammatory responses (26,27); for example, administration of C-phycocyanin protected against I/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats by inhibiting I/R-induced p38 activation (28). Furthermore, it has been reported that glycyrrhizin attenuated I/R-induced myocardial damage in rabbits by suppressing the production of certain inflammatory cytokines through the p38 MAPK pathway (11). Thus, it was hypothesized in the present study that the protective function of glycyrrhizin against I/R-induced renal cell apoptosis and inflammatory responses may occur through inhibition of p38 MAPK activation. The results of the western blot analysis conducted in the present study showed that glycyrrhizin significantly suppressed the phosphorylated-p38 protein level, demonstrating that glycyrrhizin attenuated the I/R-induced activation of p38 MAPK signaling, which resulted in a protective effect against renal cell apoptosis and inflammatory responses in I/R-induced kidney injury in mice.
In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that pretreatment with glycyrrhizin provided marked protection for mice against I/R-induced renal injury via inhibition of inflammatory responses and renal cell apoptosis. Therefore, the administration of glycyrrhizin may be effective in the prevention of I/R-induced renal injury in abdominal surgery and kidney transplantation.
The present study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant nos. 303275111 and 303275899).
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Mabuchi A, Wake K, Marlini M, Watanabe H and Wheatley AM: Protection by glycyrrhizin against warm ischemia-reperfusion-induced cellular injury and derangement of the microcirculatory blood flow in the rat liver. Microcirculation. 16:364–376. 2009. View Article : Google Scholar : PubMed/NCBI
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LAS VEGAS -- High temperatures again brought discomfort to much of the Southwest on Sunday as many parts of the region were coming off record-breaking days of heat and bracing for more sizzling temperatures.
Triple digits were on tap for the valleys and desert regions of Southern California, while metropolitan Phoenix was expected to see a slight drop in temperatures after experiencing record-breaking highs Saturday.
Six half-marathon runners in Southern California were hospitalized Sunday for heat-related illnesses. They were extremely dehydrated, and some experienced cramps, said Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian.
In Utah, the heat wave caused an interstate on-ramp to buckle in Salt Lake City, authorities said Sunday. The I-215 on-ramp had to be closed for four hours Saturday night after a short section expanded and buckled in record 105-degree heat, Utah Department of Transportation spokesman John Gleason said.
"You could see more of this if the temperatures are this hot for an extended time," Gleason said Sunday.
In Phoenix, the 119-degree high on Saturday marked the fourth-hottest day in the city since authorities started keeping temperature records more than 110 years ago. The high temperature forecast for the metro area for Sunday was 116. Temperatures could drop slightly in Phoenix within the coming days as monsoon storms are expected to make their way through the state.
Several Southern California communities set same-day record highs Saturday including Palm Springs, where the mercury peaked at 122 degrees. Death Valley, the hottest place on the planet, reached 127 degrees Saturday. It was forecast to be 1 degree hotter Sunday. As sweltering as it will be, it's still shy of the record high of 134 degrees, set nearly a century ago on July 10, 1913.
In Las Vegas, temperatures were on the rise again after the city reported a record overnight low of 89 degrees Sunday.
With the temperature at 111 degrees early Sunday afternoon, National Weather Service forecaster Dan Berc said Las Vegas could also break its record high of 117 degrees set in 2005 and 1942. Forecasters are calling for the high to reach 116 degrees.


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Determination of Focal Length of Concave Mirror and Convex Lens
The distance between an object and the mirror is subject to measure by applying different theories of mirrors and lenses. The law of reflection is one of the essential rules to measure the focal length. In this situation, where the image is formed by the consistency of a surface’s reflection due to the inside curved of a spherical mirror, it will follow the law of reflection of light. In this tutorial, information regarding concave mirrors and the convex lens are subject to discussion.
Information about Concave Mirror
A reflecting surface of a spherical mirror is curved from the inside and it can obey the reflection law for light like a plane mirror. Mirrors, where the consistency of the reflecting surface makes the plane mirrors to the converging ones, are the concave mirror. The concave mirror can reflect the light inward way to one focal point.
The utilisation of this mirror is primarily for focusing light on a specific point. In this mirror, the type of image depends on the length between the mirror and the placed object at the same line.
The rays of light that are coming from a specific distance are parallel to meet the specific points on the mirror’s front. Additionally, the prior use of the concave mirror is, that this can assist in the identification purpose of the position of the actual image depending on the position of the lens.
Figure 1: Principal of Concave mirror
Description of Convex Lens
The lens that helps in arranging the position of the lens where the distance with the image is helping in determining the value of the focal length is the convex lens. When the curve of the mirror is from the outside in a spherical surface, the convex lens occurs in that place, which is valuable to understanding the object’s distance from the lens.
These lenses can reduce the light arriving from the outside and it enables users to focus on a point to receive the obvious vision. The point is the focus point (f) which helps in acknowledging the distance of an image from the spherical mirror.
Figure 2: Convex Lens
Focal Length of a Concave Mirror
A concave mirror refers to the spherical mirror which can reflect the curved surface inside and follow the reflection of the law of light. The coming light from an object that is placed at a distance is taken into consideration to be parallel. The above-furnished process is adequate to find the focal length using a concave mirror.
A spherical mirror can reflect when the surface where the curve is in place the inward to forward the focus. According to physics, the concave mirrors are identical as they do follow the reflection of light law all the time. In the situation, when the light comes from the incident ray as a parallel to the surface, the converging ray at a point is known as the principal focus of the concave mirror.
The light rays arriving from a distant object are assumed to be parallel. If the formed image is real, inverted and tiny in measurement, then the parallel rays of light encounter the point in the mirror’s front. ‘f’ represents the contrast between the principal axis or ‘P’ and the focus or ‘F’ of the concave mirror. Additionally, images can be acquired on the screen as the formed image is using the real lens (Yasin & Khasanah, 2018). Before experimenting with the process of measuring the focal length, the difference between the concave and convex is essential to comprehend.
Figure 3: Concave and Convex mirror
Students who want to experiment with the focus point determination of the focal length are directed to use the following materials:
A concave mirror
A holder to fix the mirror position
A stand for the mirror
A scale to measure the distance
A screen holder
With the utilisation of the above-mentioned materials, one can experiment the focal length of the concave mirror.
The distance between the object needs to be placed at a distance of more than 50 feet. The placement of the concave mirror and the mirror stand need to be stood at a specific distance and placed as facing each other. The placement of the screen is one of the vital points which is regarded as the reflecting surface of the mirror. The determination of the experiment is also depending on the metre scale which needs to be placed at a distance between the screen and the mirror. The distance of the mirror needs to be the same as the focal length (Yin et al. 2020). Students need to repeat the same process to estimate the average of the focal length.
In this tutorial, the determination of the focal length of a concave mirror is highlighted with the specific requirements. The obtained image from the mirror and lens is helpful to construct the experiment for someone. Moreover, the additional knowledge regarding the concave mirror use cases and the procedures that are followed in the reflection of light laws is essential to construct the topic. Different precautions are required to have such as the placement of the concave mirror need to face the window, and the measuring scale needs to be perpendicular in the position with the holder of the mirror to avoid errors.
Q1. What is Focal Length of a Convex Mirror?
Ans. The primary characteristic of the convex mirror is that it is thicker in the middle portion and thinner on the edge. Convex are the converging lens.
Q2. When the light rays are parallel?
Ans. The parallel light rays can meet the point on the mirror’s front, only when the inverted size of the image is small and the image is real.
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- According to New Cartesian Sign Convention:(a) focal length of concave mirror is positive and that of convex mirror is negative(b) focal length of both concave and convex mirrors is positive(c) focal length of both concave and convex mirrors is negative(d) focal length of concave mirror is negative and that of convex mirror is positive
- You are provided with a convex mirror, a concave mirror, a convex lens and a concave lens. You can get an inverted image from$(a)$. both concave lens and convex lens.$(b)$. both concave mirror and convex mirror.$(c)$. both concave mirror and convex lens.$(d)$. both convex mirror and concave lens.
- You are provided with a concave mirror, a convex mirror, a concave lens and a convex lens. To obtain an enlarged image of an object you can use either$(a)$. concave mirror or convex mirror.$(b)$. concave mirror or convex lens.$(c)$. concave mirror or concave lens.$(d)$. concave lens or convex lens.
- A spherical mirror and a spherical lens each have a focal length of, –15 cm. The mirror and the lens are likely to be:(a) both concave.(b) both convex.(c) the mirror is concave but the lens is convex.(d) the mirror is convex but the lens is concave.
- A spherical mirror and a thin spherical lens have each a focal length of -15 cm. Themirror and the lens are likely to be(a) both concave.(b) both convex.(c) the mirror is concave and the lens is convex.(d) the mirror is convex, but the lens is concave.
- A spherical mirror and a spherical lens each have a focal length of -10 cm. The mirror and the lens are likely to beboth concaveboth convexthe mirror is concave and the lens is convexthe mirror is convex and the lens is concave
- State the relation between object distance, image distance and focal length of a spherical mirror (concave mirror or convex mirror).
- Which of the following lenses would you prefer to use while reading small letters found in a dictionary?(a) A convex lens of focal length 50 cm.(b) A concave lens of focal length 50 cm.(c) A convex lens of focal length 5 cm.(d) A concave lens of focal length 5 cm.
- Which of the following can make a parallel beam of light when light from a bulb falls on it?(a) concave mirror as well as concave lens (b) convex mirror as well as convex lens(c) concave mirror as well as convex lens (d) convex mirror as well as concave lens
- (a) An object is placed 10 cm from a lens of focal length 5 cm. Draw the ray diagrams to show the formation of image if the lens is (i) converging, and (ii) perging.(b) State one practical use each of convex mirror, concave mirror, convex lens and concave lens.
- The magnification produced by a spherical mirror and a spherical lens is + 0.8.(a) The mirror and lens are both convex (b) The mirror and lens are both concave(c) The mirror is concave but the lens is convex (d) The mirror is convex but the lens is concave
- The magnification produced by a spherical lens and a spherical mirror is + 2.0.(a) The lens and mirror are both concave (b) The lens and mirror are both convex(c) The lens is convex but the mirror is concave (d) The lens is concave but the mirror is convex
- What is the relation between the focal length and radius of curvature of a spherical mirror (concave mirror or convex mirror)? Calculate the focal length of a spherical mirror whose radius of curvature is 25 cm.
- When sunlight is concentrated on a piece of paper by a spherical mirror or lens, then a hole can be burnt in it. For doing this, the paper must be placed at he focus of:(a) either a convex mirror or convex lens (b) either a concave mirror or concave lens(c) either a concave mirror or convex lens (d) either a convex mirror or concave lens


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Oh yes, a blog of karuhi that have the words "ero" and "toothbrush" in it can only mean something f*ckin weird is about to go down. Well sadly for you, nothing weird is about to go down and I just lured you here so I can talk about the inner workings of anime and it's ever lasting effect on people...nah, I kid. Something weird is about to go down.
I'm not kidding about the "everlasting effect" part though because there are just some anime that sticks with you and brings forth different emotions in you. In the world of anime, anything goes and that can be taken literally. If you've been a fan of anime as long as I have (though I highly doubt it) then I'm sure you've come across moments that you can never shake off. It can be an awesome showdown or a romantic scene. It can be a visually appealing masterpiece that uses the very best technology has to offer. It could be a death of a very important anime character that you just didn't want to see die. It could be the great directorial works of anime legends translated through their movies that to this day, stands the test of time and oozes great majesty and beauty.
Yes, anime is a work of art if you can get over the fact that you're watching cartoons. Anime is "anything goes" and it has tackled a lot of subjects that can be tackled. Racism, sex, sports, love, heterosexuality, humanism, existentialism, nihilism, religion, morals, values, family orientation, sexual orientation, war, peace, kittens, penguins, becoming a rapist, becoming a devoted husband, raising kids, killing people, the rise of technology, the decline of humans, classical music, Agatha Christie's novels, detectives, tentacles, and a bunch of other stuff. ANYTHING GOES. Such over reaching of boundaries and exploring topics new to you is one of the reasons why anime is so great.
On the back of the "anything goes" concept, there are certain scenes in anime though that is just bizarre.
How bizarre exactly?
Well, in a nutshell. This bizarre.
Please, don't stare too much. It's rude. In anime, anything goes and the extent of that often leaves the space of normality. This glorious mix of oral hygiene and sex is among the weird trappings found in the anime Nisemonogatari. The anime is never normal and almost everything the anime does is unique. The show can be summarized as a supernatural show that is dialogue heavy with intelligent concepts. The overly outlandish presentation of the anime is a bit hard to watch but the underlying themes is not only smart, but deceptively complex.
If you think the GIF is weird then let me add that the two person performing this sexual act of oral hygiene are brothers and sisters. Yes, not only is it sexual in nature and suggestively stupid, the damn scene is also incest. Anything goes in anime. There are no limits and no red lights. I do admire the fact that they manage to make this superbly innocent while being completely perverted and incest. That kind of balance is hard to maintain because only porn anime has been able to do the same. This anime is not porn though. This moment is just part of the fan service. So five gold stars for the creativity.
The scene is very hard to watch but the anime community cheered really hard after this came out. It's safe to say that this scene has cemented a legacy of it's own. Below is the youtube video of it. Be warned that it is very bizarre and completely uncomfortable to watch. It had an age restriction too in youtube because the scene is very perverted. It's suggestively perverted but it cuts close nonetheless.
It's that moment in anime where I now have a different way of thinking whenever is see someone is brushing their teeth. You all have a good day now.

domain: hobby


The Philippine Air Force deployed to Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija on May 28 its LC-210 aircraft which is dedicated for rainmaking operations being operated and maintained by the 900th Air Force Weather Group led by the Group Commander Col. Lauro Tianchon. The said aircraft will carry out rainmaking missions over Angat Dam, Pantabangan Dam and other areas as requested by Bureau of Soils and Management.
The LC-210 aircraft is based at Fernando Air Base, Lipa City and can be sent in any part of the country for rain-making operations.
Air Force Weather Technicians MSgt. Moleta and TSgt. Fabro of the 900th Air Force Weather Group distributed 357 sacks of sodium chloride and assisted the successful conduct of rainmaking operations over the province of Negros Occidental using a chartered Piper Aztec aircraft last April 23 to May 12.
Weather Technicians dispense sodium chloride during cloud seeding operations. They also provide and specialized meteorological services, including meteorological observations, forecasts, in rainmaking and climatological studies to support the AFP and the other Government agencies.
900th Air Force Weather Group tracks and monitors all weather disturbances inside the Philippine Area of Responsibilities and performs meteorological watch in all PAF bases, sites and TOG’s including issuance of terminal and station forecast. They also repair and maintain all meteorological equipment.


Community REACH Project – Become a Volunteer Champion
WHFS (Women’s Health & Family Services) is working in partnership with UEL (University of East London) and Barts Health NHS Trust to help raise awareness of the importance of accessing antenatal services at an early stage. Please click here to read more about the project.
The Community REACH Project aims to:
- Raise awareness about antenatal care services in the community
- Encourage women & their families to access antenatal care and support early
- Empower women to have a better pregnancy and birth experience
WHFS are recruiting and training Community REACH Volunteer Champions to:
- Conduct outreach work to highlight the benefits of antenatal care to women of childbearing age, especially women who are trying to conceive and pregnant women.
- Record the reasons women are not accessing antenatal care.
Who can become a Community REACH Volunteer Champion?
We’re looking for people with an interest in raising awareness of the importance of antenatal care. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent or may have a baby in the future, you can gain skills whilst helping pregnant women and their families in your community. You need to be living in the wards of Mile End, East Ham North or Forest Gate North, as we’re particularly promoting antenatal services in these areas.
- We expect volunteers to give (on average) 3 hours per week until the project ends in August 2017.
DBS Checks (criminal records checks)
- All volunteers undergo DBS checks and need a good command of written and spoken English, as competent record keeping is essential.
How to apply
WHFS will be holding Open Days in February 2017 to recruit volunteers, with the training starting soon after these dates. Please see the Events page for details on Open Days to recruit volunteers.
For further information, or if you would like WHFS to conduct an awareness session with your community group, please contact:
T: 020 7377 9640
T: 020 7377 8725


- Thermal refining processes used to produce fuel gas, gasoline blendstocks, distillates, and petroleum coke from the heavier products of atmospheric and vacuum distillation. Includes:Delayed Coking. A process by which heavier crude oil fractions can be thermally decomposed under conditions of elevated temperatures and pressure to produce a mixture of lighter oils and petroleum coke. The light oils can be processed further in other refinery units to meet product specifications. The coke can be used either as a fuel or in other applications such as the manufacturing of steel or aluminum.Flexicoking. A thermal cracking process which converts heavy hydrocarbons such as crude oil, tar sands bitumen, and distillation residues into light hydrocarbons. Feedstocks can be any pumpable hydrocarbons including those containing high concentrations of sulfur and metals.Fluid Coking. A thermal cracking process utilizing the fluidized-solids technique to remove carbon (coke) for continuous conversion of heavy, low-grade oils into lighter products.U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration's Energy Glossary
Energy terms . 2014.


What Exactly are Electric Vehicles?
An electric vehicle, commonly referred to as an EV, is one that’s powered by electric motors that use batteries or fuel cells. While electric cars are naturally the most common form of EVs, electricity-powered vehicles can also include trucks, bikes, jeeps, buses, and even boats and planes. Hybrid vehicles combine the use of an electric motor with a combustion engine, the former recharging when the vehicle is traveling. Similarly, plug-in hybrids combine the two, but the batteries used to power the vehicles can be recharged directly. On the other hand, fuel-cell vehicles generate electricity internally using onboard fuels, most commonly Hydrogen.
How Do They Work?
Electric cars utilize an electric motor that powers their wheels. The motor gets fueled via batteries that are kept in a lower part of the car. Quite often, there is an additional battery that enables the lighting and electrics of the car to work. Electric car batteries are rechargeable and need to be charged from either a wall-mounted electric charger or a fast charger, which is used at service stations. A control unit is used to control the level of power that the electric car needs and it operates via an accelerator, essentially mimicking what a combustion engine does.
Does it Take Long to Charge an Electric Car?
To answer the question, a couple of variables need to be looked into. The type of battery and the form of charging are both primary determinants of how long it may take to charge electric cars. 7kW – the standard home charging point – is relatively slow. Some cars, on the other hand, may use a rapid 150kW battery. An interesting case is the 2019 Tesla Model S, which reportedly took 11 hours to recharge with a 7kW charger, but in stark contrast, a mere hour with a 150kW charger.
Are Electric Cars the Future of Transportation?
It looks very likely that electric cars could indeed be the solution for eco-friendly transportation of the future. In fact, a number of countries today are basing their policies on this very prediction. Some studies have concluded that electric car sales may hit the 50 million per year mark by 2040. This doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges to be addressed in the world of EVs – there are plenty. While battery technology has made leaps in the last few years, the power output needs further development before electric vehicles can become a truly viable alternative. That said, there are several other areas where electric vehicles have more than stepped up to make good on their promise of being the solution for an eco-friendly future of transportation.


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Morning, peeps! It's a beautiful Sunny Sunday and time to share what I got in the mail last week. In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. I didn't do an IMM post last week so although my loot is small, it's two weeks worth. I'm still trying to catch up on my reviews and read books that I already have so I only bought one book and got two for review. What did you get in the mail last week?
Gotcha by Christie Craig
An Affair Without End by Candace Camp
Highlander's Curse by Melissa Mayhue
*Thanx to Simon and Schuster for review books


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(MENAFN- UkrinForm) An elderly woman was killed and three more people were injured in Kharkiv as a result of Russia's attack.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, wrote this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
'An enemy strike. According to preliminary data, an S-300 missile hit a 4-story residential building in Kyivskyi district in Kharkiv. Three victims received minor injuries. Unfortunately, an elderly woman died. Her husband was nearby at the time of the strike and miraculously was not seriously injured,” he wrote. Read also: residential house struck by russian missile in downtown kharkiv
The regional governor wrote that the building was partially destroyed. 'Residents were evacuated. All emergency services continue to work at the scene,' Syniehubov wrote.
As earlier reported, Russian invaders targeted a residential building in the center of Kharkiv.
Photo: Head of the Kharkiv Garrison Serhii Melnyk
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

domain: topicality


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The Harris announced as a partner for Imperial War Museums’ £2.5m art commissioning programme
The Harris is part of the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, a national partnership programme of over 20 ambitious artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict. Led by Imperial War Museums, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund was created following the success of 14- 18 NOW, the official UK arts programme for the First World War centenary.
Nine new art commissions that tackle subjects ranging from rebuilding after the Second World War to reconciliation in the aftermath of the Troubles in Northern Ireland will each receive £20,000 from Imperial War Museums’ (IWM) art commissioning programme.
Funded with a share of the royalties from Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed film They Shall Not Grow Old, the new commissions take various forms including original brass band compositions, large scale street art and film installations.
The Harris joins a diverse existing cohort of partners from across the UK, including several other War and Conflict Subject Specialist Network members and five major partners that have been appointed by IWM as co-commissioners, each to receive £250,000. Working with five world-leading artists including Turner Prize nominees, these five commissions explore themes ranging from care work in conflict to the current refugee crisis.
The Harris’ Artist Commission
In 1908, the Harris commissioned artist John Somerscales to create one of the most unique features of the building, the Egyptian Balcony. A series of painted murals inspired by a research trip to Egypt, which includes key historical sites and interpretations of ancient tomb paintings – the organisations first art commission and arguably its most significant to date.
Remarkably, the relationship between Preston and Egypt has been little explored, despite representations of this country being at the very heart of the building. A new display in 2025 will consider why there are Egyptian artefacts in the collection, the motivations behind the creation of the Egyptian Balcony, and Egypt as a crucial supplier of cotton to Lancashire’s textile mills. Considering the British Empire, its interests in Egypt and Britain’s occupation of Egypt until the 1950s.
The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund will support the Harris to commission an artist of Egyptian heritage to work with local communities to explore these shared histories of conflict and the connections that exist between Preston and Egypt – creating a new artwork that will go on display in 2025 and become part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Please send expressions of interest to: email@example.com
Rebecca Newell, Head of Art for Imperial War Museums says, “The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy fund builds on Imperial War Museums’ rich and longstanding history of commissioning art. One year into this programme, we are delighted by the diversity of exceptional arts experiences that have been created and shared with audiences. We look forward to expanding this work with artists, organisations and communities across the UK, continuing to highlight stories of conflict in engaging and creative ways.”
The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commissions forge new opportunities for artistic engagement and bring art to audiences in new and relevant ways. The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commissions will go on public display across the UK between 2023 and 2025. For further information about the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, please visit the IWM website.
When the Harris re-opens in 2025, it will be a timely opportunity to harness the legacy of the 14-18 NOW funding to explore the significant stories in new displays. The proposed commission will be displayed on the second-floor balcony and use the Harris’ unique collections to draw-out stories relevant to young people, local people and family audiences today. Community partners will bring an intergenerational focus, and a diversity of viewpoints to both the commission, and its interpretation.
Harris Your Place
Harris Your Place is a £16 million project set to restore and reimagine the Harris for 21st-century audiences as a cultural learning space. The aim of this project is to protect the building and the architecture for future generations whilst enhancing accessibility options and positioning the Harris as a community hub for Preston and Lancashire.
The capital project is more than simply preserving this much-loved building; Harris wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant heart of the community. A place where people want to spend their time.
IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund
The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund is a national partnership programme of over 20 artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict. Led by Imperial War Museums, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund was created following the success of 14-18 NOW, the official UK arts programme for the First World War centenary.
To mark the end of the First World War centenary, Imperial War Museums and 14-18 NOW worked together to co-commission the critically acclaimed film They Shall Not Grow Old by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson, which was seen by nearly 5 million people globally. Following the unprecedented success of the film, 14-18 NOW and IWM agreed that a share of the film’s royalties would be used to support a new programme of artist commissions, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund. A total of £2.5 million is being made available to artists and cultural organisations across the UK.
Through the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, IWM is now working in partnership with cultural organisations from across the UK to commission over 20 ambitious new artworks inspired by the heritage of conflict and created by world-leading and emerging contemporary artists. These new commissions will forge new opportunities for artistic engagement, bring art to audiences in new and relevant ways by connecting people, places and experiences, and kick-start cultural dialogue as we recover from the wide-reaching impacts of COVID-19. The commissions will go on public display across the UK from 2022.
IWM (Imperial War Museums) tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War.
Our unique collections, made up of the everyday and the exceptional, reveal stories of people, places, ideas and events. Using these, we tell vivid personal stories and create powerful physical experiences across our five museums that reflect the realities of war as both a destructive and creative force. We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives.
IWM’s five branches which attract over 2.5 million visitors each year are IWM London, IWM’s flagship branch that has recently transformed with new, permanent and free Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries; IWM North, housed in an iconic award-winning building designed by Daniel Libeskind; IWM Duxford, a world renowned aviation museum and Britain’s best preserved wartime airfield; Churchill War Rooms, housed in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; and the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast.
14-18 NOW was a programme of extraordinary arts experiences connecting people with the First World War, as part of the UK’s official centenary commemorations between 2014 and 2018. It commissioned new work by leading contemporary artists across all art forms; the programme included over 420 artists from 40 countries, taking place in more than 220 locations across the UK. 35 million people experienced the programme, including 8 million children and young people. 14-18 NOW won many awards for its work.
14-18 NOW was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, by the DCMS, and with additional funding from The Backstage Trust, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clore Duffield Foundation, British Council, NatWest and support from individuals.

domain: history


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Paint by Numbers has been a popular pastime for generations, captivating both children and adults with its unique blend of creativity and relaxation. The concept is simple: a pre-drawn canvas is divided into numbered sections, each corresponding to a specific color. By following the numbered guide, aspiring artists can bring vibrant and detailed masterpieces to life, even without prior painting experience. In recent years, Paint by Numbers has expanded its repertoire to include various themes, from the iconic Star Wars universe to the works of Picasso, anime, Harry Potter, and picturesque landscapes. Let's dive into the world of these captivating paint by number themes.
Star Wars, the timeless saga that has captured the hearts of millions, has made its way into the realm of Paint by Numbers. With Star Wars paint by number kits, fans can recreate memorable scenes featuring iconic characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. Whether it's a battle on Hoth or the Millennium Falcon soaring through space, these kits allow fans to express their love for the galaxy far, far away in a creative and relaxing way.
Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, now has his works transformed into Picasso paint by numbers kits. Picasso's unique style, characterized by abstract forms and vibrant colors, can be replicated by following the numbered sections of the canvas. From his famous Blue Period to his Cubist masterpieces, these kits offer art enthusiasts an opportunity to recreate Picasso's iconic works and gain a deeper appreciation for his artistic vision.
Anime, the beloved art form from Japan, has a dedicated following around the world. Now, fans can immerse themselves in the world of anime through Paint by Numbers anime kits. From popular series like Naruto, Attack on Titan, and My Hero Academia to timeless classics like Studio Ghibli films, these kits allow fans to recreate their favorite characters and scenes with their own artistic touch. It's an excellent way to celebrate the unique artistry and storytelling that anime brings to our screens.
The enchanting world of Harry Potter has captured the imaginations of millions, and now fans can bring their favorite characters and Hogwarts moments to life through paint by numbers Harry Potter kits. Whether it's painting a magical castle, the iconic Hogwarts Express, or Harry, Ron, and Hermione embarking on their adventures, these kits provide a magical painting experience for Harry Potter enthusiasts of all ages.
For those who prefer scenic views and tranquility, landscape Paint by Numbers kits offer an escape into the natural world. From breathtaking sunsets and serene beaches to majestic mountains and peaceful forests, these kits allow artists to recreate the beauty of nature on their canvases. It's a wonderful way to unwind, connect with nature, and create a stunning piece of art in the process.
Paint by Numbers has evolved beyond its humble beginnings, encompassing a wide range of themes and styles to cater to diverse artistic tastes. Whether you're a Star Wars fan, an admirer of Picasso's genius, an anime enthusiast, a Harry Potter aficionado, or someone who finds solace in landscapes, there's a Paint by Numbers kit waiting to inspire your creativity. So, pick up your paintbrush, follow the numbers, and unlock the artist within you. Happy painting!

domain: painting


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Willis Reed watched the Knicks in Los Angeles and the New York team continued to miss their captain, losing to the Lakers, 103‐96, in a National Basketball Association game. Before the game Reed was examined by Dr. Robert W. Kerlan, the noted sports orthopedist, who concurred that the Knick star was suffering from tendonitis in the left knee, Reed will practice with the Knicks today and hopes to, play against the Royals tomorrow night in Cincinnati. He has missed four games and the Knicks have lost three.
In other N.B.A. games, Jack Marin scored 42 points to pace the Baltimore Bullets to a 109‐106 victory over Houston; the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 130‐99, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Seattle SuperSonics, 109‐102.
In the National Hockey League, the Chicago Black Hawks and the Minnesota North Stars, tied for the West Division lead, both Won. Chicago beat Pittsburgh, 44, and Minnesota blanked Philadelphia, 3‐0. In other games, Buffalo and Detroit skated to a 3‐3 tie; Montreal edged Boston, 3‐2, and California overwhelmed Toronto, 8‐1.
The New York Jets, although still hampered by injuries, upset the Kansas City Chiefs, 1340, with a four‐linebacker defense and the help of a strong, swirling wind. The Jet victory knocked Kansas City out of a first place tie in the Western Division American Conference of the National Football League.Continue reading the main story

domain: sports


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Punjab Government Bans Sale Of 20 Pesticides In The State; Know About Them
The Department of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare of the Government of Punjab yesterday issued order banning the sale of 20 pesticides in the state with immediate effect, which is harmful to humans and environment and also not to release any fresh licenses to these pesticides.
A New Delhi based Think Tank, Centre for Science and Environment, has welcomed the Punjab Government’s decision and urged the centre to follow the same.
“We are pleased to know about this much-needed step. If a state like Punjab, which is a high pesticide user, acts in the interest of public health, it is incumbent on the central government to take necessary steps to eliminate the sale of highly toxic pesticides in the entire country,” said Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General of the CSE.
Some among the 20 pesticides banned by the Punjab Government include Phosphamidon, Methomyl, Phorate, Trizaphos and Monocrotophos, which are considered Class I pesticides and are further categorized as “extremely hazardous (Class- IA)” and “highly hazardous(Class-IB)”. In fact, many of these pesticides are banned in several countries.
Phosphamidon is banned in 49 countries, Phorate in 37, Triazophos in 40 and Monocrotophos is banned in 60 countries.
India still allows the use of these five along with several other Class I pesticides. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, based on a 2015 review by the Anupam Verma Committee, through an order of December 2016, planned to ban only three out of these and that too starting from 2021.
With the surging ill-effects of pesticides and deaths related to it, the Centre for Science and Environment has been advocating for a ban on Class I pesticides and seeking a pesticide management bill which fills gaps in laws and strengthens enforcement.
“We must address the issue of Class I pesticides. These account for about 30 percent of the total insecticide use in our country. The government action in this regard has been largely inadequate so far,” said Amit Khurana, Senior Manager, Food and Safety and Toxins Team, CSE.
Punjab contributes nearly 50 percent food grains (wheat and paddy) to the central pool despite having just 1.54 percent of the country’s geographical area.

domain: agronomy