Aim: This study is aimed to assess the short-term audiometric profile in army recruits with green ears following rifle firing. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 fresh army recruits were selected by simple randomization. Recruits with a history of firearm exposure and ear surgery were excluded. Screened recruits underwent pure tone audiometry (PTA) by modified Hughson-Westlake method 1 day before firing. Recruits fired 100 rounds from 5.56 mm Indian Small Arm System rifle in a single session as per standard military protocol. After firing, recruits reported within 4 h for repeat evaluation. Ear complaints such as tinnitus and hearing loss were recorded and repeat PTA was performed. Recruits having standard threshold shift (STS) were not exposed to further firing and called for an evaluation of hearing after 2 weeks. Student's paired t-test and Chi-square test were used to analyze the results. Results: The mean age of subjects was 19.69 ± 0.61 years old. After rifle firing by the 100 recruits, 16 subjects (16.0%) had complaints of hearing loss and tinnitus. Only tinnitus was seen in further 11 subjects. Twelve subjects were found to have STS. In four subjects audiogram showed audiometric notch two being at 2 kHz, one at 4 kHz and one at 6 kHz. Double notch was observed in none of the audiograms. All subjects were asymptomatic at the end of 2 weeks after firing. P< 0.05 was considered significant. Conclusion: Short-term audiometric profile of army recruits shows there is a significant change in audiometric thresholds immediately after firing which recover back to normal within 2 weeks.


Oxidative stress and increased release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are associated with apoptosis induction. Here we report ROS‐mediated induction of apoptosis by xanthohumol (XN) from hops. XN at concentrations of 1.6–25 µM induced an immediate and transient increase in superoxide anion radical (O2−·) formation in 3 human cancer cell lines (average ±sd EC50 of maximum O2−· induction=3.1 ±0.8 µM), murine macrophages (EC50=4.0±0.3 µM), and BPH‐1 benign prostate hyperplasia cells (EC50=4.3±0.1 µM), as evidenced by the O2−· ‐specific indicator dihydroethidium. MitoSOX Red costaining and experiments using isolated mouse liver mitochondria (EC50=11.4±1.8 µM) confirmed mitochondria as the site of intracellular O2−· formation. Antimycin A served as positive control (EC50=12.4±0.9 µM). XN‐mediated O2−· release was significantly reduced in BPH‐1 ρ0 cells harboring nonfunctional mitochondria (EC50>25 µM) and by treatment of BPH‐1 cells with vitamin C, N‐acetylcysteine (NAC), or the superoxide dismutase mimetic MnTMPyP. In addition, we demonstrated a rapid 15% increase in oxidized glutathione and a dose‐dependent overall thiol depletion within 6 h (IC50 = 24.3±11 µM). Respiratory chain complexes I–III were weakly inhibited by XN in bovine heart submitochondrial particles, but electron flux from complex I and II to complex III was significantly inhibited in BPH‐1 cells, with IC50 values of 28.1 ± 2.4 and 24.4 ± 5.2 µM, respectively. Within 15 min, intracellular ATP levels were significantly reduced by XN at 12.5 to 50 µM concentrations (IC50 = 26.7 ±3.7 µM). Concomitantly, XN treatment caused a rapid breakdown of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c, leading to apoptosis induction. Pre‐ or coincubation with 2 mM NAC and 50 µM MnTMPyP at various steps increased XN‐mediated IC50 values for cytotoxicity in BPH‐1 cells from 6.7 ± 0.2 to 12.2 ± 0.1 and 41.4 ± 7.6 µM, and it confirmed XN‐induced O2−· as an essential trigger for apoptosis induction. In summary, we have identified mitochondria as a novel cellular target of XN action, resulting in increased O2−· production, disruption of cellular redox balance and mitochondrial integrity, and subsequent apoptosis.—Strathmann, J., Klimo, K., Sauer, S. W., Okun, J. G., Prehn, J. H. M., Gerhäuser, C. Xanthohumol‐induced transient superoxide anion radical formation triggers cancer cells into apoptosis via a mitochondria‐mediated mechanism. FASEB J. 24, 2938–2950 (2010). www.fasebj.org


Aim: Our aim was to assess the lactate level in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients diagnosed with meningitis. Methods: This study included 133 patients over 18 years old, who showed up at the emergency department of the Infectious Disease Clinic at the Mother Teresa University Hospital Center in Tirana, Albania. All patients were presented with clinical signs and symptoms of meningitis, during the period January 2007 January 2013. CSF samples were taken within the first three hours of their arrival at the emergency. Patients were divided into four groups according to the final diagnosis: the first group consisted of 50 patients with bacterial meningitis (BM); the second group consisted of 36 patients with viral meningitis (VM); the third group consisted of 13 patients with tubercular meningitis (TM); the fourth group consists of 34 patients, which was part of the control group (CG). Results: Lactate was found elevated in 98% of the patients with BM and in 100% of the patients with TM. Mean value of lactate in patients with BM was 110.88±38.33 mg/dl, whereas in patients with TM it was 54.71±17.07 mg/dl. Mean value of lactate in patients with BM was significantly different compared to the patients with TM and VM (P<0.01). Conclusion: Measurement of lactate in CSF is of great value in the quick diagnosis of BM. Lactate in CSF helps in the differential diagnosis of BM with VM and TM.


The method of testing road surface roughness based on acceleration signal will run out because of the filter effect of shape of the road test wheel.Aiming at this problem,by testing the response of the road test equipment,the filter effect of a series of diameter of the testing tire on testing the same kind of the road surface is studied.And then the relationship between diameter of the wheel and the error of the road surface Power Spectral Density(PSD) are analyzed.With the result,it can make a reference suggestion for the selection of the optimization size of the testing wheel.


Objectives: Screening has become a key component in the fight against the rising burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). This study assessed the rate of screening for NCD risk factors among residents in a per-urban community.

Setting: The study was carried out in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of Ghana.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out among adults aged 18 to 60 years using a convenience sampling technique. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and screening for NCD risk factors were obtained using a pretested questionnaire. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to analyze the results. Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 136 respondents participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 31.18±6.47, with most respondents being female (63.2%). Of the 136 respondents, 16.9% had a history of raised blood pressure, and 5.9% had a history of raised blood glucose levels. The analysis indicates that there was high screening for blood pressure (70.6%), blood glucose (64.0%), and body mass index (51.5%). There was however low screening for kidney function (27.9%) and blood cholesterol/lipids (35.3%).

Conclusion: There is high screening for blood glucose, blood pressure, and body mass index, but low screening for kidney function and blood cholesterol/lipids. This can significantly affect Ghana's healthcare system due to the growing burden of NCDs. Efforts aimed at encouraging and improving access to screening for NCD metabolic risk factors are key to achieving SGD 3.4.


The two-way and real-time communication network is the key component for the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in smart grid. The smart meter is the key component of communication networks of smart grid, which provides efficient route for the information exchange between users and distribution stations. As the "last mile" communication network for AMI, the neighborhood area network (NAN) can realize the real-time transmission of Household electricity information, power quality data and so on, video surveillance and so on. However, with the rapid development of smart grid, the quality of service (QoS) requirements for NAN are becoming more and more stringent. For example, it requires wider coverage and higher communication bandwidth, smaller data transmission delays and lower data packet loss rate. Therefore, a routing algorithm based on improved ant colony optimization is proposed to enhance the QoS performance of latency and reliability. A pheromone emission rule is set to make the ant get efficient guiding information and approach the destination node quickly thus reduce the time delay and packet-loss rate efficiently. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm can efficiently improve the QoS performance of communication network for AMI in smart grid.


This work presents the fi ndings from research conducted at the macro-level curriculum of pre-school education in Chile.The object of study is the characterization of the sociolinguistic codes that are installed in the pedagogical discourse and and transmitted in the construction of new knowledge and understanding of the world. A case study is presented which adopted a qualitative interpretative methodology, based on content analysis of texts using textual superstructure categories expressed in the country´s policy frameworks; Brunner's report, LOCE and the pre-school core curriculum. The results reveal that codes from the "elaborated-type" are installed, meanings which are isolated from the context and reproduce a general relationship and social structure. As a result, the pedagogic discourse (of fi cial, local, as well as the systemic and classi fi catory relations of education) promotes social reproductions without integrating relevant contexts. It can be said we are in the presence of tensile forces to recognize the inconsistency between the discourse of current government policies and consistency that conveys the teaching and learning process of children under the pre-school educational model.


[...]the layers of the exosystem (e.g., mass media, extended family, neighbors, parental employment, or economic situations;Bronfenbrenner, 1992) also play an important role in child welfare in a pandemic. The lack of technology or internet access may have put many children at risk;however, over-exposure to technology and mass media has influenced children's risk for abuse or exploitation (e.g., sexual exploitation through the pandemic;U.S. Department of Justice, 2020). [...]as another example of mesosystems, mass media has influenced parent's fear and stress related to the pandemic in many countries (e.g., Ahmad & Murad, 2020). Education focused on balancing work-family life and monitoring children's screen time or internet literacy, social-emotional issues, nutrition, physical activity, financial literacy, and stress management during a pandemic may be especially important.


An electronic resistance arrangement having symmetrical structure and properties comprises four series-connected negative-resistance elements having negative feedback operational amplifiers. A measuring current can be fed to the center of the arrangement whereby both halves of the arrangement can be independently controlled for compensating a resistance.


In nine chapters the author introduces us to his reading of ritual and rhetoric in Leviticus. In chapter 1 (Ritual text and ritual interpretation; 1-36) he discusses the theories of Jacob Milgrom, Mary Douglas and other recent ritual interpretations of Leviticus. In chapter 2 (The rhetoric of ritual instruction; 37-62) the author explains why he has chosen for an interpretation of the first sixteen chapters of Leviticus the literary conventions found in ancient ritual texts. In the following chapters individual themes are analyzed. In chapter 3 (The rhetoric of burnt offering ; 63-78) he deals with the 'Oläh's priority both in Leviticus and in the History of Religion. In chapter 4 (The rhetoric of sin, guilt, and ritual offering; 79-96) the author focusses on Leviticus 4-5. In chapter 5 (The rhetoric of ritual narrative; 97-129) we find an interpretation of Leviticus 8-10. In chapter 6 (The rhetoric of


Background: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is best known clinically as a novel and early marker of acute kidney injury. Renal dysfunction portends significant risk in patients admitted to coronary care units (CCUs). Thus, a sensitive marker of renal injury might also help to risk stratify patients hospitalized to CCUs. We prospectively investigated the prognostic value of a combination of serum NGAL and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels on admission for mortality in patients hospitalized to CCUs. Methods: We measured serum NGAL and NT-proBNP levels on admission in 974 consecutive patients hospitalized to CCUs. Among these patients, heart failure was present in 55%, and acute coronary syndrome in 40%. Results: Serum NGAL levels significantly correlated with NT-proBNP levels (r = 0.37, p 2 , p Figure ). Conclusion: The combined assessment of NGAL and NT-proBNP levels on admission may be useful for evaluating the risk of mortality in patients admitted to CCUs.


Intermediates of high hydroperoxide content were obtained as viscous liquids when air was introduced into hydrocarbon solutions of aromatic mercaptans and reactive olefins at 0/sup 0/C or lower temperature. At room temperature, hydroperoxides containing sulfur rearranged to hydroxylethyl sulfoxides. Rearrangement was accompanied by loss of peroxide content, stronger absorption in the IR, and solidification. The author proposed that the co-oxidation of olefins and mercaptans which results in the formation of hydroperoxide intermediates is largely responsible for the peroxidation and subsequent color, gum, and sediment formation in untreated petroleum distillates.


Abstract : We have (1) established an electrodeposition procedure for silver with bright finish, which is associated with better electrical and physical properties than non-bright finish, (2) increased silver adhesion strength to gallium arsenide substrates using a titanium adhesion layer, and (3) characterized hardness and electrical conductivity of plated silver before and after rapid thermal annealing to find the optimum annealing conditions. We have also established a deposition protocol for silver/carboxylated carbon nanotube layer-by-layer composite films. We observed that the silver erosion during carboxylated carbon nanotube deposition leads to significant porosity within the composite films. We plan to explore amine-terminated carbon nanotubes in the near future to eliminate the porosity and study how different composite microstructures affect the mechanical and electrical properties of composite films.


Printed diode connects Internet-of-things with mobile networks In the future, physical objects may interact with humans through a proposed Internet-like network known as the Internet-of-things (IoT). Although printed electronic labels and stickers represent a strategy for providing unique identifiers and wireless access to devices on the IoT, printed rectifiers currently operate at frequencies that are too low to enable direct communication and powering between mobile phones and printed e-tags. Negar Sani et al. (pp. 11943–11948) describe an all-printed diode—a key component in many circuits and the most commonly used rectifier—that operates at 1.6 GHz, within the UHF range used by smartphones. The diode, the authors report, was created using two stacked layers of silicon and niobium silicide particles, and can be printed on a flexible substrate at low temperature and in ambient atmosphere. The authors combined printed diodes with antennas and an electro-chromic display to construct an all-printed e-tag and then updated the display using a harvested signal from a GSM mobile phone. The findings demonstrate a communication pathway for printed electronics within IoT applications, according to the authors. — T.J. Emerging diseases such as enteric fever are partly characterized by a rapid increase in incidence or geographic range and are often attributed to evolutionary forces that increase the virulence or fitness of pathogens. However, evidence for recently enhanced virulence or fitness of human bacterial pathogens is scant. Zhemin Zhou et al. a bacterium that causes enteric fever. Using phylogenetic methods and statistical models, the authors found that Paratyphi A originated about 450 years ago, and seven distinct lineages have spread globally since the mid-19th century. Mutations that may have temporarily increased fitness by conferring drug resistance, enhancing virulence, or improving metabolism occurred continuously during the pathogen's evolution. However, most genetic changes were transient because these mutations reduced bacterial fitness and were rapidly removed by evolution. As a result, the Paratyphi A ge-nome has not changed dramatically over the centuries. According to the authors, the findings suggest that many bacterial epidemics and pandemics in human history might be due to environmental changes rather than the evolution of virulent organisms. — J.W. An estimated 400 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis B, a small DNA virus that selectively targets human liver cells. Efforts to study the virus have been limited by the lack of suitable model systems. Amir Shlomai et al. (pp. 12193– 12198) report that micro-patterning and co-culturing …


Objectives: To determine the adherence to HAART in people living with HIV treated in national hospital. Methods: The study design was non- experimental, descriptive level, cross-sectional and had a quantitative approach. The study population consisted of 108 adult patients with HIV receiving treatment at a national hospital in the Callao region in Peru during 2019, randomly selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The technique used was the interview and the instrument used was: "Questionnaire for Adherence to Evaluation of Antiretroviral Treatment" (CEAT- HIV) was applied with the express authorization of the author. Results: 85% of the patients are adherents to HAART. In the dimension of adherence to the HAART regimen, it was found that 5% have ever stopped taking their medication when they have felt sad or depressed, 90% (97) have never stopped taking their medications for a full day and 7% remember some of the medications they are taking. In the dimension taking medication, 20% stated that they do not take at the correct time and 70% consider that their health has improved since they started taking retroviral. In the dimension assessment of adherence, 10% report that information on antiretrovirals is regular. Conclusions: The studied population has adequate adherence to adherence to antiretroviral treatment.


A highly interactive computer graphics system has been implemented for the display and analysis of high-resolution radio images which are produced by the Very Large Array radio telescope being built by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Some of the users of this system are in-house scientists who use the system routinely. However, many of the users are occasional visitors from other institutions who are not necessarily computer programming experts and who have little time or inclination to learn a complex data processing control language. In order to accommodate this mix of users, the system is controlled primarily through the use of a data tablet. Appropriate feedback to the user is provided by both a refreshed line drawing display and a color raster scan image display. Keyboard input is used only for specifying output file names and for specifying a few of the numerical parameters for processing operations. After the digital images are received from another computer system, the entire display and analysis system runs in a stand-alone PDP-11/40. The use of a line drawing display for user interaction and for displaying system status information has proven to be a very useful technique. Although the system is powerful and flexible, the user interface is friendly and can be quickly and easily learned.


Nowadays, we have been dealing with a large amount of data in which anomalies occur naturally for many reasons, both due to hardware and humans. Therefore, it is necessary to develop efficient tools that are easily adaptable to various data. The paper presents an innovative use of classical statistical tools to detect outliers in multidimensional data sets. The proposed approach uses well‐known statistical methods in an innovative way and allows for a high level of efficiency to be achieved using multi‐level aggregation. The effectiveness of the proposed innovative method is demonstrated by a series of numerical experiments.


In this study, the data of Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) dated from 2008/1/2 to 2009/9/30, main TAIEX futures, small TAIEX futures, electronic futures and financial futures are the main research samples. Using Vector Autoregression to explore the relationship among day trade, volatility, liquidity and efficiency to analyze its effect is the same between four various futures commodity. The results show that there is a significant positive effect on the large TAIEX futures and small TAIEX futures volatility, liquidity and efficiency. It indicates that day trade will cause greater fluctuations in order to attract the preference for short-term trader to enter the market. In addition, the more day trader, the narrower the bid-ask spread, and the transaction costs decreased so as to enhance the liquidity of the market. It seems that the traders prefer the transactions which are more liquid. High volume hedge transactions will cause the severe fluctuations of short-term price compared to the long-term price. Therefore, the liquidity in short futures market will not only be higher, but also be efficiency. It also found that the volatility and liquidity exists endogenous relationship in large TAIEX Futures, Mini TAIEX futures, electronic futures and financial futures. Besides, from this evidence we acquired the predictable function when the early return volatility increases will cause increased current liquidity. In addition, if it exits high liquid in frequency trading market, the investors will get into the market and it will expand futures market volatility. As for efficiency, it shows that day trading in the large TAIEX futures and small TAIEX futures will increase the efficiency, but not in the electronic futures and financial futures.


Scientific article deals with the research of historicethnographical importance of development of the main traditional branches of craftsmanship in Ganja on the basis of innovative technologies and facts. For the first time in this work were systematic investigated the basic skill characteristics of different wares of these handicraft branches. Ganja city, which located on an altitude of 400-450 meters above sea level, is situated on the west of Azerbaijan, 375-kms to the west from the capital city Baku, on Ganja-Kazakh plain, that located in the Kura - Araz lowland, at the foot of the Lesser Caucasus on the north-east. Ganja is situated in the Western part of Azerbaijan and has more than 3000 years old. During centuries in this ancient cultural and scientific center developed different branches of craftsmanship. Scientific and archaeological researches have proved that Ganja was cradle of science and culture not only of Azerbaijan, but also of the whole East. Ganjabasar is one of the richest areas from archaeological point of view. As a result of archaeological investigations here were found samples of material culture that concerned to the stages of different history period. Today most of them are kept in various museums of the world. The flint tools, that found in Gillikdag workshop and camp around Ganja, ladle, that were found by a


Development of ultrafast all-optical logic requires accurate and efficient modeling of optical components and interfaces. In this research, we present an all-optical logic unit cell with complete Boolean functionality as a representative circuit for modeling and optimization of monolithically integrated components. Proposed optical logic unit cell is based on an integrated balanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) in each arm and includes straight ridge waveguides, ridge waveguide bends, and multimode interference (MMI) devices. We use beam propagation method (BPM) to model, design and optimize dilute ridge waveguides, MMIs, and asymmetric twin waveguide (ATG) adiabatic taper couplers. We assess device robustness with respect to variations in fabrication, including lateral pattern transfer and etching. Bending losses in curved waveguides are evaluated using complex-frequency leaky mode computations with perfectly matched layer (PML) boundary conditions. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) method with PML is utilized in calculating reflections produced by abrupt interfaces, including a tip of an adiabatic taper coupler. We demonstrate that evaluating reflections based on local effective indices on two sides of the junction offers a simple, accurate, and time-efficient alternative to FDTD. We show a strategy for development of SOAs for linear amplification and phase shifting using the same layered semiconductor structure. Our model of optical pulse propagation in SOA is based on rate equations for carrier density and photon density and using a wavelength-dependent parametric model for gain. We demonstrate a tradeoff between injection current density and device length for both linear and non-linear SOAs. Thesis Supervisor: Professor Leslie A. Kolodziejski Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering


Si-rong manganese mineland is one of the two sub-regions constituting the famous Bayi Manganese Mine, China. Through nearly 50-year opencast mining, the natural environment and ecological equilibrium have been severely disturbed in this mineland. Extensive soil sampling was made in the reclaimed sugarcane field, orange field and tea garden, and meanwhile, the major plants were also collected for determination of heavy metals. The results showed that the soil Cd concentration was over 30 times the Soil Quality Standard value(Class Ⅲ). Cd, Pb, Cr and Mn were the main toxic metal elements in soil and for higher plants in this region. The Cd, Cr and Pb levels in sugarcane, peanut and tea leaf exceeded the maximum allowable limits of contaminants in food. Therefore, this mine wasteland was contaminated by multiple metals and could not meet the requirements of soil for agricultural cultivation, unsuitable for plantation of edible crops and fruits. However, other agronomic fiber crops, such as sisal, jute, and ambary, and fuel crops(for alcohol production)like maize and cassava can be used for cultivation. In addition, new phytoremediation techniques should be used to remediate the heavy-metal contaminated wasteland before the agricultural utilization, thus, the soil functions can be restored and a sustainable utilization can be achieved.


Tiivistelmä-Referat-Abstract The research considers stories of clients of a drug treatment unit for young people and children. The study focuses the construction of young peoples` identities in the speech in which they locate their lives and give significance to their use of drugs in their relationships with society, family, friends and authorities. In line with the constructionist view, identity is here understood in terms of self-constructions created in situations of interaction. The methods of discourse analysis are used to study excerpts of talk. The research material comprises 17 individual interviews of clients aged 14 to 18. Cannabis was the most common drug interviewed young people had used but everybody had also used medicines, opiates or amphetamine or both. Nine of the interviewed were girls and eight were boys. The stories of young clients are studied through different themes in five different articles. These considers the meanings of normal, information production and suprise turns of events in the interviews, drug screening tests and the treatment careers of young drug addicts, peer-relationships and experiences with the authorities. In the summary it is considered the kind of main meanings and identities which were common in all or at least several themes. The interviewed clients defined their life-experiences and drug using against the kind of lines between normal life and being outside. Drug using was situated in the outside world and not-using inside of the normal life. The interviewed clients identified themselves on the both sides of these lines. Their speaker positions varied partly according whether they spoke about their life in past, present or future terms. At the conclusion two kinds of different dimensions of diverse identities are described. There can be found a speaker who is conscious about his or hers deviance and on the contrast a speaker who has already started to live "normal" life. On the other hand young clients defined their life actions as subordinated to other people or events and as opposite they emphasized their own autonomy. In addition loneliness and the lack of allies were also emphasized in the talk of interviewed clients. Constructionist research of identity, discourse analytical research of interaction and qualitative drug research have been used as the main sources of information.


Starting from the characteristics of English teaching based on network,this thesis introduces the relative theories of constructivism and discusses the methods and results of the experiment.It concludes that English teaching based on network,bearing the constructivist characteristics,is helpful for student's personality development in language learning and helps to train student's ability of independent learning and life-long learning.


Breta Sögur, or The Saga of the Britons, is more or less extant in several manuscripts, all of Icelandic origin.1 They are supplemented by a series of fragments and paper copies. It is commonly accepted that there are two versions of the Breta Sögur. The so-called "shorter version", found in a 14th-century manuscript called Hauksbók, is described as an abridged version. The so-called "longer version", transmitted principally in Copenhagen, Arnamagnæan Institute, AM 573 4to, is said to be closer to Geoffrey's De gestis Britonum than the shorter version, and more interested in chivalrous narrative developments. These assumptions are partially true but need to be studied further. It is, indeed, simplifying to refer to these two manuscripts as "two versions", and the qualifiers ("shorter" as opposed to "longer") do not always do justice to the text copied in both manuscripts. Moreover, other important witnesses of the Breta Sögur need to be taken into account. There are two 19th-century editions of the Breta Sögur, but neither, though very useful, offers a complete synoptic view.2 This is unfortunate, since the saga is an important witness to the DGB's transmission in northwestern medieval Europe. Hauksbók (hereafter "Hb") is a codex divided into three parts. The part bearing shelfmark AM 544 4to contains, among other materials, a translation of The Fall of Troy by Dares Phrygius and a "Brut" starting with a Virgilian prologue. This version (and this version only) includes a versified translation of the PM called Merlínusspá, written by the Icelandic monk Gunnlaugr Leifsson around


This research was motivated by the low of concept comprehension of fourth grade students of Elementary School 2 Jepang in mathematics. This is because teachers still uses the lecture method and just emphasis on the use of formula without gives a chance for the students to understand the meaning of the formula so that the student difficulty completing math problems if the context changed. Based on these background, the researchers conducted the research using Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education approach with the hope to increase concept comprehension of fourth grade students.
This research aims to improve the students' concept comprehension of fraction, students' learning activities, and teachers' skill in managing learning Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education approach.
This research used classroom action research which consist of two cycle. Each cycle consists of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The method of data collecting such as interview, observations, tests, and documentation. The instrument used in this study is guidance of interview, problem of tests, student activity observation sheet and teacher activity observation sheet. Data obtained include the result of test of concept comprehension, study activities of students and teachers' skills in managing learning. Data obtained from the actions taken were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively.
Result of research concludes that students' concept comprehension can be seen from the result of concept comprehension test that show the improvement, in the first cycle obtained an average of 74 with students' classical completeness of 72.73% and the second cycle increased to 90.91% with an average of 82.64. Student learning activities in the cycle I obtained an average score of 2.53 to the category of "good" increase in cycle II to 3.10 with the "good" category. Teachers' skills in managing learning cycle I get an average score of 2.65 with the category of "good" increased in the second cycle to 3.40 with the category of "very good".
Based on the result of research, the researcher concludes that Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education Approach can improve the students' concept comprehension of fraction, students' learning activities, and and teachers' skill in managing learning. The researcher gives suggestion in the implementation of Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education approach, the teacher should choose the appropriate context with the material and more be optimal to guide the students to get the learning concept by do the good approach individually or group that suitable with the student ability.


The change of PM2.5 concentration not only reflects the change of air quality level, but also affects human life and health. However, because the PM2.5 change is caused by wide-ranging factors and the occurrence mechanism is complex, it is difficult to build a stable forecasting model with general physical methods. This study builds three different LSTM models to forecast the PM2.5 concentration of Hainan Province from 2019 to 2021. Model 1 is a fully connected neural network, which is also the base model. Model 2 is a single unit LSTM model. Model 3 is a multi-LSTM layer model. The conclusion indicate that the multi-layer LSTM model has the best forecasting precison for PM2.5 concentration, and the single unit LSTM model quite the opposite. The length of the time series has certain influence on the precision of PM2.5 forecasted by LSTM models, suggesting that a suitable time series length should be selected when building LSTM models.


Abstract A computerized data acquisition system, utilizing real-time instrumentation and a video taping system, can provide the information necessary to identify the sources or activities which most affect worker exposure levels. Integrated workplace samplers, such as pumps with filters or charcoal tubes, may indicate a certain level of exposure. However, due to the complexity of the process or work cycle, an evaluation of activities affecting exposure patterns may be difficult. Such a system, utilizing a computer, real-time instrumentation, and video taping, has been used successfully in three different NIOSH studies. In the first, a study of manual weigh-out and transfer of powders, the data acquisition system identified the scooping operation as the component of the work cycle which most affected the worker dust exposures. Because of the short work cycle, typically 30 seconds or less, filter sampling could not isolate this work element as the major cause of worker dust exposure. In the second study, an...


A process for the continuous, electrolytic plating of a long span of metal with a layer of metal, having a high line speed and low period of immersion in the electrolyte, and a device therefor. The span of metal is passed through a shaving drawplate, then through a metal plating solution to which an electric voltage is applied through a fluid electric connector comprising a solution of metal chloride, a fluoride and boric acid. The process is used to plate a metal with an adhesive metal layer, which provides both ductility to facilitate extrusion and low, non-evolving contact resistance.


A company has a goal to obtain an adequate income and to expand her business. One way that can be done by the company is analyzing the pricing of goods manufactured that are used with the appropriate method so that it can maximize profits. There are two methods applied by the company that is full costing method, and variable costing methods. Both methods have a great influence for the profits of a company that depends on the presence or absence of inventories, production and sales levels. Error in choosing the appropriate method for determining the cost of production in a company will cause the income generated is not maximal From the results of research on the author by comparing the two methods, methods and Full Costing Variable Costing.


A 58 years old woman presented with prolonged fever with headache and significant weight losswithout abnormal finding on physical examination. The initial laboratory investigations revealed hemoglobin 9.3 g/dL, evidence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia on peripheral blood smear, urine protein 205 mg/24 hours, positive ANA, MRI brain showed subacute infarction at right-sided of pons. She was treated with high dose steroid as autoimmune disease but still had high fever. The patient developed dyspnea on exertion, pittingedema and severe hypoalbuminemia. The bone marrow aspiration showed increasing of histiocytes withoutabnormal cells detected. The CT chest include abdomen was unremarkable. The FDG-PET/CT scan was doneand revealeddiffuse increased bone marrow uptake and splenomegaly with diffused uptake. Then, pathologicalreport of bone marrow and random skin biopsy demonstrated the large B cell within small vasculature with CD20 positive compatible with intravascular large B cell lymphoma


On April 30, 2016, Cripping the Stage: A Disability Arts Cabaret presented "cutting-edge disabled artists from Canada and the United Kingdom." The event, co-hosted by Alex Bulmer and Mat Fraser, aimed to put "disabled performers centre stage to celebrate Cripping the Arts Symposium presented by Tangled Art + Disability, a three-day event seeking to advance Deaf and Disability Arts in Canada, and enliven the vibrancy of Canadian culture" ("Cripping").1 As demonstrated in the present issue, this exciting international event was one of many important disability theatre initiatives offered during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, a period that also saw disability theatre artists working with the National Arts Centre, Stratford Festival, Banff Fine Arts Centre, Playwrights Theatre Centre, Playwright's Workshop Montreal, and Luminato Festival. This issue, then, appears in a remarkably generative period of disability theatre activity in Canada. In the past five years, national institutions and granting councils have sought to respond to, catch up with, and foster new conversations among disability theatre and performance practitioners. In 2012, for example, the Canada Council for the Arts released an access and equality strategy targeting Deaf and disability arts.2 While on one level this signaled a desire to "expand the arts" according to the council's equity strategy, it also built from a recognition "that Deaf and disability arts are important evolving sectors and art practices in the Canadian arts ecology, to be supported, promoted and advanced" (Canada Council, "Executive"). Each article in this volume builds from a similar recognition: that disability theatre and performance are evolving and lively fields of arts innovation and practice in Canada that deserve wider recognition and scholarly critical engagement. While Canadian disability theatre can point to historical antecedents with some shared principles, it is generally understood to have emerged over the past three decades as a host of disability artists and activists sought to recast and reimagine what disability means and entails in performance. Rejecting hackneyed stereotypes and performance traditions that encourage a kind of disability minstrelsy, artists have been developing new theatre companies, plays, dramaturgical processes, and performance practices. They have been raising fundamental questions about aesthetics, theatre practice, social inclusion, justice, identity, arts access, and the body. I have argued elsewhere that much of the critical early work emerged at local and international scales of theatre practice and dialogue. Unlike many theatre traditions in Canada that arose with national leadership and support, disability theatre seemingly jumped scales from the local to the global (Johnston). However, this situation has changed recently, as the 2012 and subsequent reports from the Canada Council, the creation in 2010 of a disability arts officer within that council, and its subsequent dedicated funding programs for Deaf and disability arts attest. The 2015/16 seasons were particularly active in this regard and this issue's Forum section shares the reflections and insights of some key artists and organizers of this work.3 In her


Examples of shapes encountered in clastic sequences The seismic amplitude depends not only on the contrasts of the elastic properties but also on the shape of the elastic property distribution in the subsurface which, in turn, is associated with the underlying rock properties, including the porosity and clay content. In Figure 8.1 we show well data from an offshore oil well that encountered a low-GR hydrocarbon reservoir. The shape on the GR curve is blocky at the bottom but has a gradual low- to high-GR at the top. The porosity and density curves mimic this fining-upwards shape and so does the P -wave impedance. As a result, the impedance contrast at the bottom of the oil-filled interval is larger than at its top and, hence, the amplitude at the bottom is stronger.
 It exhibits an AVO response with the normal-incidence positive amplitude becoming increasingly positive with the increasing offset. The reason for this behavior is the positive contrast of the P -wave impedance as well as Poisson's ratio between the sand and underlying shale (Figure 8.1, top). The character of this reflection would be very different if the sand was wet (Figure 8.1, bottom) as the strong impedance and Poisson's ratio contrasts present in situ virtually disappear. This is the case where a bright spot, especially at far angle incidence, points to a hydrocarbon-filled interval.


This paper deals with the experimental characterization of integrated circuit electromagnetic emissions. The influence of the IEC standardized board layout on the conducted emission of an integrated circuit has been analyzed by full-wave and circuital simulations. Guidelines for the design of such a test board which help to improve measurement repeatability are also provided.


The current movies and TV plays of fighting against corruption rose in the 1990s.Its main narrative mode is how honest and upright officials fight against corruption.These officials show typical and traditional characteristics of the honest and upright officials of China in ancient times.Therefore,such movies and TV plays have a deep cultural spirit of honest and upright officials,whose existence has rationality in the present age.It not only reflects the facticity of politics and laws in China and the ideals of Confucian intellectuals,but also is a collective unconscious extension of ordinary people's dream about honest and up right officials in ancient times.


We investigate the planarity of the boundaries of right-angled Coxeter groups. We show that non-planarity of the defining graph does not necessarily imply non-planarity of every boundary of the associated right-angled Coxeter group, although it does in many cases. Our techniques yield a characterization of the triangle-free defining graphs such that the associated right-angled Coxeter group has boundary a Menger curve.


The impact of both personalizing mathematical word problems and rewording them for explic-itness was tested with 68 second-grade students and 59 fifth-grade students in a within-subjects design


Logically,public traffic is a net structure.Every route between every two sites of public traffic which is stored in relational database can be chosen,with user-defined function in SQL Server.


Thomson, in his review of the Scandinavian Hymenoptera, recognized four genera of Pemphilidine wasps: Rhopalum, Entomognathus, Lindenius and Crabro, the last of which he divided into a dozen subgenera. Two of these, Coelocrabro and Hoplocrabro, were propounded there as new.


As information and communication technology becomes a regular feature of the educational environment, it may be difficult for teaching and learning activities especially in TVET institutions to remain unchallenged. However, ICT application as a pedagogical tool in Nigerian TVET institutions is not a common practice, and it also remains unclear how utilisation of ICT enhances pedagogy. This study is interested in the availability of electronic courses using ICT infrastructure in teaching and learning. Using activity theory as a guide, multiple case studies are conducted. The Qualitative Case Study Methodology is used in this research. Five TVET institutions and 20 participants are selected using maximum variation and homogeneous purposive sampling strategies, respectively. During the visits to the institutions, classroom observation is carried out, documents such as the curriculum and teacher's lecture materials are reviewed for triangulation. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with 20 selected participants as the primary data collection method. At the data analysis stage, the inductive and deductive methods are used to analyse the data, and two strategies of grounded theory as open and axial coding are employed. The coding process is achieved through the use of an inherent feature of NViVO10. The findings show that four themes: availability of infrastructure, computer specifications, educational software and connectivity.


The iris recognition performance is partially dependent on the relative quality variations of pairwise iris images. So bridging the gap between the quality and the matching score of pairwise iris images is helpful to predict and improve iris recognition performance. This paper formulates the relationship between matching score and quality of pairwise iris images as a statistical regression problem. Firstly, a number of quality measures of iris images such as focus, motion blur, illumination, off-angle, occlusions and dilation are computed as the performance related feature vector of iris images. And then partial least squares regression is used to establish two models to predict the intra score and inter score from pairwise iris image quality respectively. Finally, we define the uncertainty interval of matching scores. The uncertain match pairs are discarded to improve the recognition performance. Extensive experiments on ICE 1.0, CASIA-Iris-Lamp and CASIA-Iris-Thousand demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately estimate the distributions of matching scores. It can simultaneously improve the performance, even using simple features in recognition.


The solidification heat transfer model of beam blank was established based on the principles of heat transfer in the secondary cooling zone and the characteristics of the solidification heat transfer of beam blank;the model were corrected through the test of beam blank surface temperature and shell thickness on site,then the law of the surface temperature of beam blank with time during continuous casting was obtained.At the same time,the existing secondary cooling system was evaluated,and the reasonable secondary cooling technology was put forward.Through the optimization of second cooling technology,the uniformity of the secondary cooling is improved,and the surface quality and the internal quality of beam blank are greatly improved.


The disposition of cyclophosphamide (CP) in mice bearing Lewis lung tumor has been studied by chemical ionization-mass fragmentography using isophosphamide as the internal standard. The drugs were analyzed as their N-trifluoroacetyl derivatives in order to increase sensitivity and to avoid column adsorption and decomposition phenomena. The minimum detectable amount was 500 pg/injection. Linearity was found up to microgram amounts of the substance without any interference of endogenous compounds.


FIELD: power engineering. SUBSTANCE: method to start-up a hydrogen steam turbine power plant is based on blowdown of cavities and manifolds with neutral gas, stagewise supply of fuel and water components into a power plant, according to the first version of the invention, the start-up is carried out at the lower consumption rate of fuel components, not more than 80% of the rated one, in process of start-up the steam flow via the turbine is regulated, changing capacity at the output shaft, and when the nominal mode is achieved, additional fuel and water components are supplied. Besides, supply of additional fuel and water components, contrary to the first version, may be arranged as regulated. Devices are also proposed for realisation of the methods according to the first and second versions. EFFECT: invention makes it possible to increase durability by reduction of thermal stresses in a structure during start-up with short time of process stabilisation. 4 cl, 2 dwg


Two experimental programs are discussed which exploit the use of polarised electrons for studies of fundamental processes and physical properties. In one program, collisions between spin·polarised electrons and optically pumped sodium atoms provide a very detailed characterisation of the spin-dependent interactions important in low-energy electron-atom collisions. The results of these measurements provide a critical test for the reliability of state-of-the·art electron scattering calculations. In the second program, the spin polarisation of secondary electrons ejected by high· energy electron impact is used to determine the magnetic structure of ferromagnetic materials with very high spatial resolution (-60 nm). This ability to perform such studies with high resolution has been exploited both in studies of the basic magnetic properties of ferromagnetic materials and in studies of how these basic properties affect the magnetic structure and performance of devices used for magnetic information storage.


Water is the abundant source in nature and used in varies aspects of mankind. This water is also used in many parts of pulsed power systems as a liquid dielectric. The major factor for the choice of water as dielectric is due to its high breakdown strength, high dielectric permittivity, high dielectric constant, self restoring ability, low cost and ease of handling. This paper focuses on the breakdown strength of water such as Tap water and Distilled water with different conductivities under impulse voltage. The main aim of this paper is to determine the volt-time characteristics of water (i.e. Tap water & Distilled water) and Ionic solution (i.e. Sodium chloride and Copper sulfate solution) under impulse voltage. The effect of applied voltage polarity in breakdown phenomena, the breakdown strength of water is analyzed under positive and negative impulse voltage. This Breakdown study on ionic solution helps to know the breakdown strength of water with different conductivity level by suspending Sodium Chloride and Copper sulfate to the water. The prediction of Volt-time characteristics of Distilled water is also determined at various inter-electrode distances under needle-plane electrode configuration.


The corporation dates back to ancient Roman law, which provided the Emperor with the authority to grant organizations the right to engage in activities that benefitted the public, including charity, commerce, leisure, and religion. This chapter examines the subsequent transformations in corporations whose primary activity is commerce. It also examines the historical periods when corporations underwent crucial or rapid change. The central focus is on how the political-legal arrangements in which corporations are embedded, redefined corporate property rights in ways that created opportunities to increase their size, enhanced their capacity to engage in commercial activities, and shifted their goals from advancing the public interest to advancing the private interests of their managers and largest stockholders. A primary function of financial management in the parent company is to engage in financial transactions with third parties to ensure that the operating subsidiaries have adequate capital to maintain their operations. Keywords: colonial corporations; financial management; interstate commerce; property rights


In the last quarter, we focused on steady, fully developed, gravity-driven flows of identical, smooth spheres down bumpy inclines, with flow depths greater than one particle diameter, solid fraction profiles everywhere less than .65, and dimensionless granular temperature T(y={beta}) at the top between 0 and 20. In this quarter, we continue the same parameter study by choosing other sets of values of r,{delta}, e, e{sub w}, and {phi}for which we know that at least one solution of the type described above may be maintained, and determine the complete range of T(y={beta}) (within O<T(y={beta}){le}10) for which such flows can be maintained.To each value of T(y={beta}) in this range, there correspond values of mass hold-up (m{sub t}), mass flow rate (m), and depth {beta}. In addition, for each value of T(y={beta}) in this range, we can calculate the total fluctuation energy per unit area (E), the slip velocity (v) at the base, the velocity (U{sub top}) at the top, and the depth-averaged values of solid fraction, velocity, and granular temperature. In this manner, we thoroughly characterize all the steady, fully developed, gravity driven flows that are possible for prescribed sets of r, {delta}, e, e{sub w}, and {phi}. In this manner, we find that there are boundaries, flow particles, and inclinations for which the kinetic theory predicts that steady, fully developed flows can be maintained at all flow rates above a minimum value. These are qualitatively different from the results presented last quarter, in which maximum flow rates were determined for each case considered. The fact that it is possible to find circumstances under which there are no maximum flow rates that limits the occurrence of steady flows may be useful when in practice it is necessary to steadily transport extremely high volumes of granular materials.


Until the late 1970s, only allogeneic bone marrow (BM) transplantation from fully HLA matched sibling donors were performed. Thanks to the development of BM donor registries, an increasing number of patients have been transplanted with HLA pheno‐identical unrelated donor. The French Registry named France Greffe de Moelle (FGM) was established during 1987. FGM is made of 113,680 donors, part of the 8 million donors registered worldwide. Bone marrow donation procedure is explained to blood donors and more generally to the public through the EfG (Etablissement francais des Greffes), patients' associations or grafting physicians. FGM receives national and international requests from grafting physicians for national and international donor or cord blood unit searches. FGM is acting as an interface between donors, transplant centres and international registries. FGM provides all necessary information to the grafting physician responsible to select the final donor. FGM has initiated since 1989 an electronic data link between European registries and actively participates in the development of the worldwide exchange standard messages. FGM adheres to the standards defined by the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). Thanks to this collaboration, 75% of French patients benefit from international donors. With the efficient collaboration of the French Society (SFGM‐TC), FGM has validated new procedures such as peripheral blood stem cells collection during a first or a second donation. FGM is an active participant to an European research program which could lead to an optimisation of all registries by the inclusion of new HLA phenotypes not yet represented inside European donor files.


Original scientific paper Studies show that, if present, inhomogenities should not be neglected when predicting the fatigue life of cast parts. Accounting for their presence presents a problem due to random nature of their location, distribution and size. Knowledge of statistical characteristics of inhomogenities is fundamental for describing their effect on fatigue life. This paper presents a statistical analysis of oxide inclusions which caused fatigue failure of AlSi9Cu3 specimens. Geometrical characteristics were described using geometry parameters A and L. Three different mixed PDFs were used for modelling the distribution of the selected geometry parameters and multivariate Gaussian function was found to be the most appropriate. For estimating unknown parameters of the mixture, modified EM algorithm and REBMIX were used and compared. Results identified modified EM algorithm as more suitable. Bootstrap analysis was carried out for the chosen joint PDF and algorithm, for assigning a measure of variation of the estimated PDF's parameters.


Some children with central diabetes insipidus (DI) may lelease ADH under certain conditions. We have studied 10 patients with central DI ranging in age from 3 to 18 years. Their evaluation included a dehydration test and a trial of clofibrate therapy.During the dehydration test, hourly plasma and urine osmolalities (Posm & Uosm) were measured. When there was a plateau in Uosm, the patients received aq. Pitressin. Greater than a 9% rise in Uosm one hour later confirmed the diagnosis of DI. Four patients had a Uosm higher than their Posm revealing releasable ADH. This occurred with marked thirst associated with an elevatec Posm. When the Posm exceeded 290 mOsm/1, the relationship of Uosm to Posm was always subnormal in our patients when compared to values obtained in 127 normal subjects. By comparing simultaneous Uosm and Posm values, the diagnosis of DI can be strongly suspected; and, the diagnosis will not be missed even in patients with DI who can release ADH when moderately dehydrated.The 10 patients received clofibrate (500 mg q6h) for 3 to 7 days. Eight patients concentrated their urine 50 to 400% higher than previous levels during random hydration periods. These increases in Uosm were associated with decreases in daily urine volumes. Because Posm measurements during the trial of clofibrate were the same or even lower than during random conditions, we attributed this finding also to the presence of releasable ADH in most pediatric patients with central DI.


Smartphones have been becoming increasingly popular since iPhone launched in 2007. In Japan, base map data and disaster prevention related data became available for everyone, because of promotion of open data by the government. Consequently, it becomes possible that everyone makes a GIS application and a disaster prevention application. Therefore, this study tried to develop a disaster prevention application to use open data and a smartphone (iPhone). The used data are free geospatial data which are shelters data and floods areas data in the national land numerical information (NLNI). The developed application can display a flood level, floods areas (hazard map) and flood river information, and search suitable shelters for evacuation and evacuation routes to the shelters.


In present work, reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO) decorated with trimetallic three-dimensional (3D) Pt−Pd−Co porous nanostructures was fabricated on glassy carbon electrode (Pt−Pd−Co/rGO/GCE). First, GO suspension was drop-casted on the electrode surface, then GO film reduction was carried out by cycling the potential in negative direction to form the rGO film modified GCE (rGO/GCE). Then, electrodeposition of the cobalt nanoparticles (CoNPs) as sacrificial seeds was performed onto the rGO/GCE by using cyclic voltammetry. Afterward, Pt−Pd−Co 3D porous nanostructures fabrication occurs through galvanic replacement (GR) method based on a spontaneous redox process between PtCl2, PdCl2, and CoNPs. The morphology and structure of the Pt−Pd−Co/rGO porous nanostructure film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction method. The performance of the prepared electrode was investigated by various electrochemical methods including, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of the as-prepared modified electrode with high surface areas was evaluated in anodic oxidation of ethylene glycol. The study on electrocatalytic performances revealed that, in comparison to various metal combinations in modified electrodes, trimetallic Pt−Pd−Co/rGO/GCE exhibit a lower onset potential, significantly higher peak current density, high durability and stability for the anodic oxidation of ethylene glycol. The excellent performances are attributed to the rGO as catalysts support and resulting synergistic effects of the trimetallic and appropriate characteristics of the resulted 3D porous nanostructures. Moreover, the influence of various concentrations of ethylene glycol, the potential scan rate and switching potential on the electrode reaction, in addition, long-term stability have been studied by chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric methods.


Production of most eukaryotic mRNAs requires splicing of introns from pre-mRNA. The splicing reaction requires definition of splice sites, which are initially recognized in either intron-spanning ('intron definition') or exon-spanning ('exon definition') pairs. To understand how exon and intron length and splice site recognition mode impact splicing, we measured splicing rates genome-wide in Drosophila, using metabolic labeling/RNA sequencing and new mathematical models to estimate rates. We found that the modal intron length range of 60–70 nt represents a local maximum of splicing rates, but that much longer exon-defined introns are spliced even faster and more accurately. We observed unexpectedly low variation in splicing rates across introns in the same gene, suggesting the presence of gene-level influences, and we identified multiple gene level variables associated with splicing rate. Together our data suggest that developmental and stress response genes may have preferentially evolved exon definition in order to enhance the rate or accuracy of splicing.


A neural‐network‐based model for evaluating and predicting the mean energy and the noise pollution level of the traffic noise in the city of Cairo is developed. A comparison between the different prediction models was carried out, and the neural model was shown to be associated with minimum error. In conclusion, the neural model can be used to make systematic predictions of noise level, and provide planners with some suitable means for formulating legal regulations for urban noise pollution.


Although we are familiar with artifactual, focal pulmonary F-FDG accumulations without an apparent underlying pathologic finding, similar artifact for Tc-MIBI has not been described yet. Herein, we reported incidental detection of Tc-MIBI emboli in the lungs on parathyroid SPECT/CT.


Newly discovered nonluminous (dark) bridge was precisely produced and measured its size by microscopic means. Palladium (Pd) was tested as a typical contact material. The contacts separating system was constructed by using 1 (m) long steel cantilever system. The experiments were carried out with very slow opening speed and observed the bridge growing process with the microscope. The contacts were set at the bottom side of the cantilever and controlled its moving speed (contacts separating speed) by pushing the top of the cantilever, that can reduce the displacement scale with any reduction ratio but we chose it by one-thirtieth (1/30) and we reached the separation speed of 0.05 mum/s that was enough to maintain the thermal equilibrium condition. Both the bridge voltage and the displacement of electrode were monitored and recorded. The microscopic images of the bridge were stored in the computer, from which the size of the bridge was measured for each image and plotted on a graph showing the relationship between bridge length and diameter. The results showed that enough correspond to the theoretical estimation formerly presented by the authors


Objective To study the changes of F-actin in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells before and after hypoxia.To study the method of neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage in vascular endothelial cells level.Methods Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells cultured in conventional method,assign into 7 groups: a control group,6 hypoxia groups,1 h,2 h,4 h,6 h,12 h and 24 h hypoxia group,Each category has 8 multiple holes.As different fluorescent hydrogen sulfate-phalloidin and F-actin in cytoplasm combined,red fluorescence is emitted.The dynamic changes of F-actin by laser scanning confocal microscope in hypoxia was then observed.Results The mean fluorescence intensity of F-actin decreased apparently 1h after hypoxia,decreasing to the 66.3%±5.3% of the control group value,F-actin decreased obviously to the 47.1%±6.9% of the control group(P0.05) 24 h after hypoxia treated.These showed that the F-actin of the hypoxic group were significantly reduced compared with that of the controls.The cell morphology become long and narrow after hypoxia.Slender filopodia was visible,Perinuclear F-actin distribution was significantly reduced.Cortex-like structure disappeared.The stress fibers was in disarray,or partially disappeared.Actin depolymerizated and fragmented gradually with prolongation of hypoxia time.Conclusion This research may provide the basis of experimental study for the pathogenesis of neonatal pulmonary hemorrhage in the level of endothelial cells by observing changes of F-actin in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells by laser scanning confocal microscope before and after hypoxia.


Holden No. 22 coal preparation plant evolves from 1970s 'by zero' technology to modern, efficient fine coal recovery that includes a de-slime dense-media cyclone, compound spiral circuit. 3 figs.


Immigration is a phenomenon that has increased dramatically in the European Union, generating alarm in a characteristic right-wing sector in many of its member states. The existence of immigrants in the French State generates alarm and situations of racism and xenophobia that will be approached from a postcolonial and Eurocentric perspective throughout history.


For the convenience to build decision-making supporting system related to the maximum profit flow problem, a numerical algorithm is presented in this paper for seeking the maximum profit flow in the transaction network. The theory, which the algorithm depends on, is proved strictly. An example is given to demonstrate the use of the algorithm. The algorithm, which can find the optimal solution to the maximum profit flow problem, has the merits to be programmed easily and of good convergence, and many numerical experiments have verified its great practicalness and effectiveness.


[1] We applied time domain moment tensor inversion of local and regional waveforms to small and moderate (Mw = 3.5–5.7) shallow earthquakes from the Iberian Peninsula, northern Morocco, and northern Algeria. For the 6+ years period from November 1995 to March 2002 and the previous Network of Autonomously Recording Seismograms (NARS) experiment, moment tensor solutions were obtained for 58 events, considerably increasing the total number of available solutions in the study area. For each event we performed a moment tensor inversion and a double-couple grid search. For simple faulting events the grid search is valuable as a quality test for its ability to reveal potential ambiguities of the solutions and to assess confidence limits of fault plane parameters or principal axes orientation. The computed mechanisms show regional consistency: A large part of the Iberian Peninsula is characterized by normal faulting mechanisms with SW-NE oriented T axes. Thrusting and SE-NW compression is dominant in Algeria. In the Alboran Sea, the westernmost part of the Mediterranean, and the transition between both regimes, strike-slip mechanisms dominate with approximately N-S oriented P axes. This pattern suggests a regional anomaly characterized by clockwise rotation of the principal horizontal stress orientations.


In Poya madrigal,the expectations of wife are different between man and woman.In man's heart wife's roles are wisdom and sentimental,beauty and healthy,to keep house and farm,Lord inside and auxiliary outside;while the wife's roles recognized by women are charming and understand the ritual,Lord in and out home.The husband's roles that women expect are young and hale,rich and handsome,truly in love and kindness;the husband's roles by Male recognized are to cherish,considerate,understanding,industrious and independent.Overall,the wife's roles in male's heart have utilitarian features,while women's have more emotional colors.


The technical feasibility of a converter without a wet electrolytic capacitor is demonstrated. The authors set out the actions undertaken to ensure that chemical capacitors in DC-DC converters are correctly used. They give the progression of study and realization, on the basis of a defined specification, of a 100 W high-frequency DC-DC converter, designed without a wet electrolytic capacitor. The different structures of resonant converters are analyzed to accept a forward zero voltage switching multiresonance converter working in a variable frequency between 800 kHz and 1.2 MHz. This converter allows and imposes the use of capacitors whose characteristics are described.<<ETX>>


Major developments in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) have been driven by the structural biology needs in life sciences. However, there are beam-sensitive samples in materials science that can benefit from cryogenic approaches as well. Structured fluids, materials that contain multiple phases and display a complex array of flow behaviors, are abundant in our everyday lives and present a great and unexplored opportunity for characterization using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) [1]. Due to the sensitive nature of these materials, they must be plunge frozen and imaged using cryogenic electron microscopy for their structure and chemistry to be investigated [2]. In this project, the aim is to use a cryogenic sample holder to stabilize plunge-frozen structured fluid samples and use STEM-EELS to investigate the chemical interactions between components. The mapping of chemical matter in structured fluid sample will help to understand how this material interacts with packaging products, skin and even microorganisms.


Abstract Objective: Being a relatively recent concept, the intolerance of uncertainty (IU) suffers from inconsistent definitions and conceptual overlap. The core objective of the study is to clarify its clinical manifestations and its involved cognitive processes. Method: The procedure is based on algorithms (equations of keywords) encoded simultaneously in databases (Scopus, PubMed, and PsycArticles). Results are filtered by the year (range of 10 years [2005–2015] because it is a recent concept) and the relevance of abstracts. Once the studies are appraised, results are categorized in two groups: studies which examine the IU in a clinical perspective (relations with one or several anxiety disorders) (cluster A) and those which measure the IU through a cognitive perspective (cognition, metacognition) (cluster B). Results: 66 results are retrieved: 50 results concern the cluster A and 16 examine the cluster B. The state of the IU varies between studies (e.g. predictor and mediator), which make comparisons difficult. Notwithstanding, the IU construct seems to be a broad transdiagnostic maintaining risk factor involved in a range of psychological disorders. Conclusion: This clustering supported that researchers and clinicians may benefit from incorporating IU within cognitive and computational research design and as a specific treatment target.


Cholinergic urticaria (CholU)‐like rash and dermal pain on sweating occur in patients with acquired idiopathic generalized anhidrosis (AIGA). However, it is unclear whether these are symptoms specific to AIGA among the various types of acquired generalized anhidrosis/hypohidrosis (AGAH). Moreover, the pathogenesis underlying CholU‐like rash and dermal pain observed with anhidrosis remains to be clarified. A 20‐year‐old Japanese man with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) presented with anhidrosis. Transient stinging pain on the skin and pinpoint wheals were observed when his body temperature increased. Thermoregulatory sweat testing revealed anhidrotic areas covering 69% of the body surface area with a symmetrical distribution. A high concentration of histamine was detected (506 ng/mL) in the sweat. A skin biopsy specimen from the anhidrotic area showed the inflamed secretory portion of eccrine glands. This suggested inflammation‐mediated damage to sweat glands, consistent with AGAH related to SS. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis revealed an ectopic distribution of dermcidin, a sweat‐specific peptide, in the dermal tissue surrounding the secretory portion of eccrine glands. The expression of claudin‐3, a tight junction (TJ) component of sweat glands, decreased or distributed in a mottled manner in the secretory portion. No decreased expression of muscarinic cholinergic receptor M3 was detected. These results suggested that sweat had leaked into the dermis in association with impaired TJ in the secretory portion, along with the damage to inflamed sweat glands related to SS. Collectively, CholU‐like rash and dermal pain on sweating were observed in an AGAH patient with SS. The sweat leakage into the dermis may contribute to the development of the rash and pain.


Ten years after the American Civil War, cultural hopes and literary attention shifted rather suddenly from valiant, even fanatical, males to a new battalion of fresh-faced venturesome females. By 1878 the image of American fearlessness and enterprise was the innocently daring Daisy Miller rather than the knowingly reckless Captain Ahab. Some twenty years earlier, in the catastrophic disarray of the Crimean War, the Russian literary and cultural focus had rather similarly shifted from dashing, demonic hussars to stalwart, angelic heroines. In the words of Richard Stites, "the so-called strong woman of Russian belles lettres was going through a psychic change," abandoning Tat'iana's patient resolve for a conscious striving towards human betterment.1 These developments were not unrelated. The new "American girl" who became the controversial rage of the 1870s was perceived as cousin to the controversial, yet pure young ladies who had earlier upstaged Russia's superfluous men. The excitement of discovering an unsuspected and invigorating cultural parallelism can be felt in the pages of Henry James's perceptive essay of April 1874:


S:OBJECTIVE To prepare physically stable resin-microcapsule suspension.METHODS To investigate the suspending effect of following hydrophilic polymer: MC,HPMC,PVPK90,Carbopol, Avicel and Xanthan gum. Carbopol and Avicel appeared to bea satisfying suspending agent by evaluating the sedimentation rate, flocculation and its redispersion. The mechanism was studied by detecting the rheology property,the difference between suspending medium and suspension, microscopic analysis and the influence of polyelectrolyte.respectively.RESULTS and CONCLUSION The microcapsule failed to be stablysuspended by increasing the viscosity of medium alone. Avicel supported resinmicrocapsule by the threedimension structurevehicle which was formed through the adsorption of MCC on microcapsule. Carbopol stabilized resin-microcapsule by 'bridging effect' through its single or multipoint adsorption on microcapsule.


Soil loss due to crop harvest contributes to land degradation, and knowledge of this challenge can guide the choice of crops for sustainable agriculture. Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and the third largest producer of peanut (Arachis hypogaea Linn) in the world. Due to limited information on soil loss during peanut and cassava harvests worldwide, and cost of nutrient loss, a two-year field experiment was conducted to compare soil loss due to harvesting of peanut and cassava and to estimate cost of nutrient loss due to crop harvest under traditional agriculture. Peanut pod yields of 2.39 and 2.08 t ha–1harvest–1 removed 0.62 and 0.58 t ha–1 harvest–1 during peanut harvest, respectively, for years 1 and 2. Similarly, cassava yields of 22.71 and 21.40 t ha–1 harvest–1 removed 1.11 and 0.91 t ha–1harvest–1 during cassava harvest, respectively, for years 1 and 2. Crop yields strongly correlated with soil loss due to peanut harvest (R2= 0.36; p < 0.001) and soil loss due to cassava harvest (R2 = 0.23; p < 0.01). Significantly higher soil loss due to cassava harvest compared to peanut harvest can be ascribed to higher cassava yield. Also, soil nutrient loss due to crop harvest was significantly (p < 0.001) higher for cassava compared with peanut by 27.6% phosphorus (P) and 73.7% potassium (K) for the first year and 39.2% P and 79.1% K for the second year. Fertilizer equivalent cost of P and K losses due to cassava harvest for the two years was higher than that of peanut by US$29 ha–1. The study indicated that the intensity of nutrient loss by harvesting is largely dependent on the crop type, and harvesting of cassava can deplete soil nutrients faster than that of peanut under traditional agriculture. Sequential planting of cassava (deep rooted crop) followed by peanut (shallow rooted crop) as a crop rotation management practice is recommended to mitigate soil loss due to continuous harvesting of cassava, and harvesting with thorough shaking technique is also suggested to reduce nutrient loss potential of crop harvesting.


We are concerned with extremal arcs for the problem of minimizing a function over a class of parametric curves C in ay-space of the form and satisfying end conditions of the type The components ah are constants and the functions g, y is, and/are given, with the last function positively homogeneous of degree one.


Adjustable speed drives (ASDs) are popular in motor-control applications with increased system efficiencies and reduced system losses in case of industrial systems. The significant increase in the use of ASDs brings the need for understanding compatibility issues between them and their electrical environment in order to design the electrical systems appropriately. The ac/dc and dc/ac conversion system, frequently used to provide ac voltages with adjustable frequency/magnitude in the ASDs, consists of a voltage source inverter (VSI) fed by a three-phase diode-bridge rectifier, which generates significant amount of line harmonics into the power system and may cause undesired effects on other power system components. A three-phase equivalent circuit model is developed to model adjustable speed drives (ASDs) and also experimental work has been carried out in the Laboratory for power system harmonic analysis by impedance load modelling using Kalman filtering algorithm (KFA). The Experimental results are validated with the simulation results for harmonic analysis and load modelling using KFA. The experimental and simulation results for harmonic analysis of ASDs are presented in this paper


The authors used a nonsimilarmedia(NSM) method to estimate soil water retention characteristic based on measured soil physical properties,such as particle size distribution and bulk density.Results indicate that reasonable agreements between estimated and measured water retention characteristic were obtained by NSM method for relatively lowpressure head.The pressure head in the dry end of the retention characteristic was underestimated.Applicability of this method was also discussed.


In Musa, a mayor problem for somatic embryogenesis is the estimation of flower transition. In some species, the timing of flowering is primarily influenced by environmental factors, photoperiod, light quality and quantity, vernalization, and nutrient and water availability. Other species like bananas and plantains are less sensitive to environmental variables and appear to flower in response to internal cues such as plant size or number of vegetative nodes. In Musa, the number of leaves is a critical factor to flowering. Decapitated plants with less than 10 leaves return to initial state at first leaf emitted, after that the flowering process is irreversible (Belalcazar, 1994). Genetic analysis of flowering time in pea, cereals, and Arabidopsis supports the hypothesis that the transition to flowering is under multifactorial control (Koornneef et al., 1998). These genetic and molecular studies have revealed an evolutionarily conserved network. Comparative gene expression studies between the families Brassicaceae (Arabidopsis), Scrophulariaceae (Antirrhinum) and Solanaceae (Petunia) indicate strong conservation of floral developmental gene functions across broad taxonomic levels (Bernier and Perilleux, 2005). In Musa, no information about flower genes has been reported. Based on conserved motif of FLT, CO, GAI, of flowering time genes of rice and Arabidopsis, our group designed degenerated primers using CODEHOP software (Rose et al., 1998). Based on theoretical size, we cloned, and sequenced PCR fragments amplified with degenerated primers. Sequence analysis with ClustalW show three different FLT, five GAI and one CO sequences. Genes CO, GAI and FLT have 59, 69 and 83% of identical amino acids, respectively, to orthologues in Oryza. We are attempting to sequence additional genes like GaMyb, GA3ox, GA20ox, Della to perform expression analyses of these analogues with real time PCR, in Musa shoot tips at different vegetative and floral stages.


In the title compound, [Fe2(C16H12Br2N2O2)2O], the complete molecule is generated by twofold symmetry, with the bridging O atom, which links the iron centres, lying on the roatation rotation axis. The Fe(III) ion is chelated by the N,N,O,O-tetradentate Schiff base dianion, resulting in an FeN2O3 square-based pyramid, with the two N atoms in the basal plane.


There have been several studies reporting the effect of hypercholesterolemia on cortical thickness, but it remains a controversy. Some studies suggest that hypercholesterolemia can decrease osteoblast activity and increase osteoclast activity. Meanwhile other studies suggest that hypercholesterolemia is a protective factor of osteoporosis. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a study to determine the effect of hypercholesterolemia on cortical bone thickness. Method: This study used 8 rats (Rattus norvegicus) that were divided into 2 groups, including control group (K0) that was given standard diet and experimental group (K1) that was given high fat diet for 28 days and all were executed to obtain the femur bone. The cortical bone thickness was measured by using Optilab Viewer and Optilab Image Raster software. Result: The data analysis was conducted using independent t-test. A p value of <0.05 is considered significant. The results showed that hypercholesterolemia had significant effect on cortical bone thickness. The average cortical bone thickness in the control group was 146.92 µm whereas in the experimental group was 124.53 µm, the mean difference between the two groups was 22.39 µm. There was a 6% decrease of cortical bone thickness. In conclusion, hypercholesterolemia can decrease cortical bone thickness of wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus).


The effects of the solution treatment with electric field on the properties and fracture characters of 2090 and 2090+Ce alloys and the action mechanism were investigated. It was found that the electric field could improve the elongation of both alloys, especially of 2090 alloy, and this effect is more obvious when the specimen is connected with the negative electrode of the electric source; but the electric field has little effect on the strength of alloys,except improving the ultimate strength of 2090 alloy a little; and the electric field lessens the percentage of intergranular fracture while increases the percentage of transgranular one and the microscopic plastic deformation. Based on theoretical analyses,it is deduced that the electric field affects the precipitation and segregation of alloying elements at grain boundaries by its action on vacancies, thereby improves the properties of alloys.


In this work we present a modiication of the arbitrary shape detection process based on the pairing of the shape edge points. During this process invariant information of the image is extracted improving the computational requirements of the classical Generalized Hough Transform (GHT). However, the geometry of some shapes makes diicult to pair a enough number of points and can avoid a correct parameter detection. Our technique uses the a priori knowledge of the template shape in order to decide the best criterion for the pairing solving, in this manner, the previous problem.


During the COVID-19 pandemic, worship activities at the Church were limited. The lack of preparation and data collection on the congregations who visit to worship regularly every week increases the risk of transmission. It needs to be minimized and anticipated. One effort that can be made to reduce this risk is to collect data on the health condition of the congregation who will attend worship. The data collection process is recorded in writing on the attendance list. This requires an iterative approach to be updated and creates a build-up to the attendance record. In addition, media information about the BNKP Pewarta Church activities is not yet available. To overcome this problem, a congregational data collection information system is needed to store congregation data and provide general information about the BNKP Pewarta Church. In designing this Congregation Data Collection Information System, the design method used is the Web Development Life Cycle (WDLC). This information system website design can store Church congregation data and present general Church information.


An anisotropic k-e turbulence model is employed for numerical analysis of neat transport phenomena in turbulent parallel Couette flow with one surface moving in the flow direction and the other remaining stationary. The turbulent viscosity, turbulent kinetic energy, and normal components of the Reynolds stress are determined. The normal and streamwise turbulent heat fluxes are obtained by means of an anisotropic two-equation model of heat transfer, in which anisotropic eddy diffusivities of heat are expressed in terms of the temperature variance t¯2, the dissipation rate of temperature fluctuations et, and the velocity gradient. It is disclosed that (1) wall movement causes a reduction in the velocity gradient near the moving wall, resulting in a decrease in turbulent kinetic energy; (2) this attenuation causes a deterioration in heat transfer performance on the moving wall side; and (3) wall movement induces both the velocity dissipation and temperature dissipation timescales with little change of their ...


Various carboxylic esters are obtained at room temperature in excellent yields with high chemoselectivities from nearly equimolar amounts of carboxylic acids and alcohols using 2,6-dimethyl-4-nitrobenzoic anhydride with triethylamine by the promotion of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine. The efficiency of the esterification is compared to those of other dehydrations using substituted benzoic anhydrides as coupling reagents. This method was successfully applied to the synthesis of threo-aleuritic acid lactone and the desired 17-membered ring compound was prepared in high yield at room temperature from the corresponding free trihydroxycarboxylic acid using 2,6-dimethyl-4-nitrobenzoic anhydride in the presence of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine.


Sepsis is a common critical disease in children with a high morbidity and mortality, and is an important cause of death in children.Its pathogens include bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, among which bacterial infections account for the majority, so antimicrobial drugs have been the most powerful agents in the treatment of sepsis, and have played a great role in saving the lives of infected children.However, the use of antimicrobial agents is based on a certain etiological basis, and due to the timeliness of pathogen testing, early combination of the clinical characteristics of children, susceptible factors and local epidemiology to assess the possible infection is very important to choose antibiotic treatment scientifically and reasonably.This article reviews the literature on etiological analysis of paediatric sepsis in recent years and summarizes its etiological characteristics.

Key words:
Sepsis; Eetiology; Children


Where does our understanding of the mind come from? Different theoretical perspectives have different views on this question. Strong modularity and core knowledge theories (e.g. Leslie, 2005) propose that the essentials of our adult understanding of others are in place initially, and development involves relatively'<small changes in that knowledge around the edges. Strong "embodiment" and "resonance" theories (e.g. simulation and mirror-neuron based accounts of mindreading, such as Gordon, 1996 or Gallese & Goldman, 1998) also do not focus on developmental change and argue that our understanding of the mind is fundamentally not inductive. Rather than learning about the mind from evidence, both these views see our understanding as due to relatively automatic and specialized triggering or resonance processes. We "take on" the mental states of others or project our own experiences on to them-rather than inferring those states from evidence. In contrast, "theory-theory" accounts (Gopnik & Meltzoff, 1997; Gopnik & Wellman, 1994) propose that our understanding of the mind, at least in large part, involves learning abstract causal structures from evidence-hence, the analogy to theory change in science-involving inital hypotheses, tests, and conceptual revision. In the past, these claims were largely made on the basis of the naturally occurring changes in children's understanding of the mind over time. Moreover, it was unclear just what kinds oflearning mechanism would allow children to learn about a complex and invisible system like the mind so swiftly and effectively. In the past 10 years, however, this has begun to change. First, there are results from training studies with young children, which show that providing evidence can lead to changes in chil-dren's understanding of the mind. For example, Amsterlaw and Wellman (2006) and Slaughter and Gopnik (1996) both showed that three-and-a-half-year-olds who received evidence about beliefs shifted to a new understanding ofbeliefmore quickly than those who did not. Importantly, this extended not only to their performance on the classic false-belief task, but to their understanding of related concepts like the appearance/reality distinction and the sources of beliefs. Interestingly, children showed this effect most clearly when they were asked to explain, rather than just describe the evidence. Moreover, naturally occurring variations in the availability of evidence children receive can change the timing of their belief understanding. For example, deaf children of hearing parents have markedly delayed false-belief understanding (see Gopnik & Wellman, 2012, for a review). Even with these training effects, however, we might argue that …


According to the World Health Organization, respiratory infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world.1 Physicians treating patients with signs of a respiratory infection have often to make an important decision: should I give antibiotics to this patient? The impact of antibiotic misuse in patients with respiratory infections on the emergence of antimicrobial resistance is dramatically high.2 The current available microbiological tests could partially help to solve this question, but they do not provide a definitive answer. Emerging molecular methods can identify multiple respiratory viruses using multiplex assays, quickly providing evidence on the presence of a respiratory infection of viral origin.3 But unfortunately, not all the viruses causing respiratory infections are covered in these tests. On top of this, the current COVID19 pandemics showed us that in some patients, there is a dissociation between the results obtained in samples from different anatomical locations, exhibiting negative results for the presence of the virus in the samples taken from the upper respiratory tract but positive in those obtained from the lower respiratory tract, which are difficult to collect.4 Although some of these multiplex tests also profile the presence of bacteria causing respiratory infections, they either include a limited number of species,3 or its performance has not yet being tested in the real world.5 An alternative (and complementary) approach to the microbiological tests is those tests profiling the host response to an infection in blood, since infection induces changes in the immune response of the patient which are recognisable by different methods. An example are levels of proteinbased biomarkers. Unfortunately, classical biomarkers such as procalcitonin (PCT) may be not be the solution, as suggested by the contradictory results regarding the effect of PCT guidance in the reduction of antibiotic use in patients with a respiratory infection.2,6 This is probably due to the fact that PCT levels are heavily affected by the severity of the infection, lacking of sensitivity to differentiate a bacterial from a viral infection in mild patients or in those in the transition to complications. New transcriptomic tests evaluating multiple human genes could come to solve this problem, since they cover a wider number of biological processes altered during a viral or a bacterial infection.7 These tests are somehow "agnostic" to the pathogen, since they do not need to interrogate viral or bacterial components to provide a result. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the existence of preserved gene expression signatures which are shared by those infections caused by different viruses. The same is true for infections caused by different bacteria.8,9 In a recent article published in EJCI, Shojaei et al. tested a transcriptomic test evaluating the expression levels of 29 genes in blood of patients with suspected influenza in Australia.10 This test was highly accurate to identify either a bacterial or a viral infection in this setting which included patients attending to the ER, ICU and outpatient clinics. The test provided valuable information to potentially guide antibiotic administration, yielding a positive LR of 4.38, with 88% specificity to rulein a bacterial infection in the highest quartile of the bacterial score, and a negative LR of .13 and a sensitivity of 96% to rule out bacterial infection in the lowest quartile of the score. Regarding the viral score, the test yielded an infinite positive LR with specificity of 100% to rule in viral infection in the highest quartile, and a LR of .22 with a sensitivity of 85% to rule out a viral infection in the lowest quartile. This article is aligned with other recent ones using host responses to better characterise the microbial aetiology or respiratory infections, such as the works from Cheemarla NR et al using CXCL10 levels in nasopharyngeal swabs11 or that from Almansa R et al using a transcriptomic signature in blood12 which pretend to identify viral infections, or the transcriptomic test evaluated by Ko Mr et al to discriminate bacterial from viral infection among patients with febrile acute respiratory illness, which showed a high negative predictive value for bacterial infection (90%), outperforming that of PCT.13 The development of rapid systems to profile gene expression in blood (i.e those based on quantitative reverse transcription followed by loopmediated isothermal amplification, qRTLAMP),14 will allow to implement the transcriptomic tests into the clinical practice, helping to


This is a report of a rare case of a lateral type of unilateral congenital lacrimal gland fistula with no systemic anomalies. A 7-year-old girl born of a second-degree consanguineous marriage presented to us with painless, watery discharge from a site close to the left lateral canthus, since early childhood, which increased on crying. There was no underlying swelling or a history of trauma or surgery. On examination, an opening was found 10 mm lateral to the left lateral canthus. Probe test confirmed a tract leading to the lacrimal gland. There were no other systemic or ocular abnormalities. Examination of her parents and the sibling revealed no abnormality. The fistula was excised under general anesthesia. Postoperatively, the child developed signs of inflammation of the left lacrimal gland which subsided with low-dose steroids and antibiotics. After 1 month, the child was asymptomatic, and the fistula had healed well.