We propose a "layered structured network diagram," which consists of layers of time differences. We have implemented a tool called "NeL2 " for handling layered structured network diagrams. Layered structured network diagrams have multiple accumulated layers and are not single diagrams. Using this layered structure, time differences can be included in one diagram. In addition, various type of information, such as the overall tendency in a diagram during a specific period of time, can be visualized.We used layered structured network diagrams to show the co-authorship network of academic literature. Changes in the co-authorship network become visible using the layered structured network diagram. We can read various information such as changes of active research communities and other phenomena. In addition to co-authorship networks, the layered structured network diagram can be applied to the visualization of various data, such as idea processors, changes of Web sites, and others.


According to the Department of Homeland Security, the United State of America (US) has received more than 88,000 Iraqi refugees between 1994 and 2013 [1]. Previous research on refugee health has mainly focused on mental health disorders, with less emphasis on chronic diseases (CD). Some of the limitations of these studies include utilizing a cross sectional study based simply on convenience samples; and have often been conducted several years after refugees arrive in the US, or other host country. Literature review reveals discrepancies in the prevalence rate of CD among refugees in different parts of the world [2-9]. However, refugee health studies reveal that the prevalence of some CD (heart diseases, hypertension and diabetes) among American refugees could be higher or lower compared to the US norm population or even from other subsets of refugees [2,6,8,10,11].


This paper offers a framework for mathematics lesson design that is consistent with the way we learn about, and discover, most things in life. In addition, the framework provides a structure for identifying how mathematical concepts and understanding are acquired and developed. This framework is called ELPSA and represents five learning components, namely: Experience, Language, Pictorial, Symbolic and Applications. This framework has been used in developing lessons and teacher professional programs in Indonesia since 2012 in cooperation with the World Bank. This paper describes the theory that underlines the framework in general and in relation to each inter-connected component. Two explicit learning sequences for classroom practice are described, associated with Pythagoras theorem and probability. This paper then concludes with recommendations for using ELPSA in various institutional contexts.


The use of computer media (ICT) in the development of education in United States through the implementation of the K-12 framework system was intended to develop the standards and curriculum as a means of curriculum alignment. The operation of this system was studied in order to establish how information is refined until it conforms to given curriculum standards. Through the literature review, the analysis in this article found that the concept of K-12 framework system can be seen from the point of view of grand band (according to classes), concepts and the development that allows teachers to filter the concepts and basic practices based on classes level, basic concepts, basic practice or integration of the three. The computerized basic practices of K-12 system showed computational behaviors and literacy thinking which enabled teachers and students to be connected with the world through collaboration in a computerized process and solving computational problems.


Correlation analysis had made of the precipitation′s electrical specific conductivity and meteorological factors (atmospheric precipitation had fallen in Tver in 1916–2019 years). Regression models of the electrical specific conductivity upon meteorological factors were built.


Four analytical techniques(gas chromatography- mass spectrometry(GC- MS),ion chromatography(IC),inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS) and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy(3D-EEMS)) were employed to analyze river and wastewater samples in order to collect information to build a wastewater chemical fingerprint database. By matching the analytical data for synthetic wastewater samples from multiple suspect sources within the database,it was found that the chemical fingerprints are stable and applicable. As a result,the source responsible for illegal pollution can readily identified.


Red blood cell sickling and hemolysis due to polymerization of sickle hemoglobin upon deoxygenation is a hallmark abnormality in those with sickle cell


Various impact monitoring systems have been proposed based on wireless sensor network (WSN) in the past decades. However, most of the research only concentrated on the developments of wireless sensor nodes instead of networks. For real aircraft applications, WSN-based impact monitoring with multiple nodes is necessary for large-scale structures. Under this situation, WSN-based globe impact localization algorithm is an important issue to be addressed, yet few reports can be found so far. Meanwhile, real aircraft composites usually have complex styles that can degrade the performance of monitoring algorithms, which is vital for successful applications. Hence, in this article, a global impact localization method with a large-scale Bluetooth-based piezoelectric transducer (PZT) sensor network is proposed. Two impact localization algorithms are comprehensively researched and evaluated on a complex aircraft panel structure. Furthermore, a real aircraft wing box structure with multiple nodes is adopted for an overall evaluation of the network. Satisfying results are achieved.


It is thought provoking that it was the West's modern project in the 20th century that almost eliminated history in much of education and the social sciences while at the same time political and cultural development in the last decade in Europe has strongly emphasised the necessity of historical perspective. The conscious and unconscious mythologising of the past, which powers of state, organisations and minority groups often practice in order to further their own interests, can only be revealed, if researchers are able to work both synchronically and diachronically. To work historically with the concept of cultural complexity calls for different forms of historical analysis than we find in the traditional historicism of the 19th century until today. One of the challenges we are confronted with lies in developing a form of new cultural history or historical cultural analysis.


Measured results of a four-terminal directly heated RF phase change switch are presented. Germanium telluride (GeTe) is used as the main resistance change element, connecting the RF input/output lines. The resistivity of GeTe is switched between the high-resistance amorphous-state value of several kΩ and low-resistance crystallized value of less than 3.9 Ω in less than 404 μsec using current pulses passing though GeTe. The loss of this ohmic switch at ON state is less than 0.5 dB with isolation of more than 18 dB at frequencies up to 20 GHz, indicating a cutoff frequency of > 4 THz. The switch active area is less than 5 μm × 20 μm with GeTe volume of only 1.5 μm × 15 μm × 0.25 μm. The results presented in this paper prove phase change switches are competitive contenders as low-loss and fast RF power switches.


Aim:  Administration of 100% oxygen [hyperoxic ventilation (HV)] has been proven to ameliorate oxygen transport, tissue oxygenation and survival in different models of extreme normovolemic and hypovolemic anaemia. However, up to date, it is unknown whether HV is also able to improve outcome of extreme anaemia if myocardial oxygen consumption is contemporaneously increased by tachycardia. Therefore, we investigated the influence of HV on the 6‐h survival rate during extreme anaemia and aggravated by experimentally induced tachycardia in a prospective, randomized study in a pig model of critical anaemia.


Conductive ionic liquid−poly(ethylene glycol) (IL−PEG) gels have been prepared by gelation of the hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C6mim][NTf2]) by the cross-linking reaction of disuccinimidylpropyl PEG monomers with four-arm tetraamine PEG cross-linkers. This is the first time that a cross-linked PEG matrix, such as this, has been used to gel nonaqueous solvents. Initial studies screening other ionic liquids as solvents indicate that the gelation of the ionic liquid is both cation and anion dependent with smaller, coordinating cations disrupting or preventing gel formation.


Introduction From some years ago, the evidences demanded of the field of psychotherapy or counselling. These days, the evidences are required also in the education practices. School counselling is not the exception, either. The Ministry of Education undertook the school counselor practical use surveillance study commission enterprise from 1995 in Japan. The school counselor is all the school arrangement in many self-governing bodies in the junior high school division. However, the service form of the school counselor has the present condition which is about several hours per week. This shows that a short time and effective activity are called for in educational consultation to the school counselor. The objective of this research was to consider practice of evidence-based school counselling. In practice of this research, Edahiro (2011) and the triage method of Edahiro (2012) were used. The effect of practice was measured by the ASSESS (Adaptation Scale for School Environments on Six Spheres; Yamada & Yonezawa, 2011), which can measure many psychological dimensions quickly. Triage in School Educational Consultation


The provincial center of hygiene and epidemiology togather wdh the provincial management staff of veterinary medicine set up a serological study for detecting leptospirosis and brucelosis in echinus and human beings who are somehow related yo animal drawn vehicles in the Cuban province of Ciego de Avila. Two
samples of echinus leptospirosis were investigaled by the technique of microagglutination lisis and brucelosis
wfth monoserum by the techniques of slow serum agglutination, reaction of Fmation of complements and mercaptoctanol 290 animales were found to be positively interpretated by serology lo Leptospira and 7 lo Bruccella. Human beings were tested for leptospirosis by hemolitic tests and slow serum agglutination and the complement fixing test for brucelosis. 3.2% of the tested human beings showed to have antileptospira antibodies, while 0.3% showed to have Brucella antibodies, concluding thus, that they are risk groups in the mentioned entities. His remarked in this paper the need to continue renewing the health card yearly and to dupen into the role of echinus related to animal drawn vehicies in the epidemiological chain of leptospirosis
and brucelosis.


T he Indian subcontinent and Palestine were partitioned at the same time and to help nation building their first generational partition narratives were based on selective memory. The second generational narratives by scholars question the earlier "official" ones. However, Palestinian intellectuals face a difficult task questioning the dominant narratives since their people are still struggling for a national territory.


In a demand response (DR) market run by independent system operators (ISOs), load aggregators are important market participants who aggregate small retail customers through various DR programs. A load aggregator can minimize the allocation cost by efficiently allocating its demand response resources (DRRs) considering retail customers' characteristics. However, the uncertain response behaviors of retail customers can influence the allocation strategy of its DRRs, increasing the economic risk of DRR allocation. This paper presents a risk-based DRR allocation method for the load aggregator that takes into account not only the physical characteristics of retail customers but also the risk due to the associated response uncertainties. In the paper, a conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) is applied to deal with the risk due to response uncertainties. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Understanding the scope of practice for each level of nursing is paramount to ensure that each role is fully utilized.


Determining the cowpea crop coeficient (Kc) is fundamental in order to establish its water needs during the stages of its development. The objective of this research was to determine the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) Kc values, BR-17 Gurgueia variety, in its diverse crop development stages, by using a weighing lysimeter. The test was carried out in the experimental area of Embrapa MiddleNorth, in Teresina, PI (05°05' S; 42°48' W and 74.4 m) aiming a rational planning and management of irrigation. The evapotranspiration reference was estimated by the Penman-Monteith method using climatic data obtained from an automatic weather station located in the experimental area. The Kc values were: 0.7, in the initial phase; 0.7 to 0.8, in the growing phase; 0.8 to 1.06 in the reproductive phase and 0.6 in the final phase.


This study analyzes some aspects of urban service management in a global perspective, pointing out, more than its specific sectorial characteristics, those of interrelation and transverseness of these services in the urban areas. The object of the study is the basic infrastructure, including services such as transportation, sanitation, power; and telecommunications. In a context of redefinition of the State's responsibilities, the paper indicates trends and perspectives related to public/private partnerships and the new relations originated from them.


Introduction For the precise evaluation of long-period ground motions in the Tokyo metropolitan area, detailed sedimentary seismic velocity structure model of the Kanto Basin should be required. Recently, Yoshimoto and Takemura (2014) reported that, in the Kanto Basin, local sedimentary S-wave velocity structure in the vertical direction is practically characterized by using a simple three-parameter function (Ravve and Koren 2006). Takemura et al. (2015) demonstrated the effectiveness of this modeling in long-period ground motion simulations. Adopting this modeling technique, we propose a method for constructing a local sedimentary seismic velocity structure model by using Rayleigh-wave dispersion information from observed long-period ground motions and microtremor surveys, and check the effectiveness of our method based on numerical experiments. Method for constructing sedimentary seismic velocity structure model Suppose that the information on Rayleigh-wave phase velocity at a certain site is available from array analyses of long-period ground motions at long-period band (6-8 s) and from microtremor surveys at short-period band (1-3 s). The three-parameter function (parameters: S-wave velocity at the surface, S-wave velocity gradient in the vertical direction, and S-wave velocity increment at a sufficiently large depth) stated above could be reduced to a two-parameter function if we let the third parameter be equal to the S-wave velocity of bedrock (Yoshimoto and Takemura, 2014). Then, by adopting empirical relations among the density, P-wave velocity, and S-wave velocity, we can formulate inversion analysis of local sedimentary seismic velocity structure as a two-parameter problem, which is easily solved by using conventional grid-search technique. Result of numerical experiments We conducted a set of numerical experiments of our inversion method to confirm its effectiveness for the construction of sedimentary seismic velocity structure model. Using a sedimentary structure model of the Yokohama seismic observation well (Yamamizu 2004) as the test model, we investigated how many observations of Rayleigh-wave phase velocity are requited to obtain the precise inversion result. In our numerical experiments, for simplicity, we supposed that the Rayleigh-wave phase velocities were fully available at long-period band (6, 7, and 8 s) but limitedly available at short-period band (1 or 2 or 3 s). We used a software package developed by Herrmann (2013) to calculate the dispersion characteristics of Rayleigh wave. Our numerical experiments demonstrated that when the Rayleigh-wave phase velocity at period of 1 s was available, the distribution of squared-residuals between input and calculated phase velocities showed a most localized pattern of the minimum residuals. This result indicates that, for the use of our two-parameter modeling technique, the information on Rayleigh-wave phase velocity at period of 1 s is very useful to estimate S-wave velocity at the surface. Based on our numerical experiments, we may conclude that the construction of local sedimentary seismic velocity structures for long-period ground motion evaluation could be easily carried out by our inversion method using Rayleigh-wave dispersion information from long-period ground motions and microtremor surveys. In our presentation, we will discuss the noise stability of our inversion method and its estimation errors. SSS25-P28 Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2016


In this era of globalization, the use of computers and their systems has become a major requirement in order to improve performance in a company. The author made this Final Project based on research results from  CV. Electronic Center. CV is a company engaged in the sale of electronic goods. The increasing sales at CV.Centra Elektronik then, problems arise that occur because the system is still manual. So it is necessary to create a web- based application system in order to be able to handle problems that arise in the sales process and at the same time increase the work and productivity of existing resources. Therefore the author designed a computerized data processing system of goods and sales starting from the process of inputting goods data, sales transactions and report generation.


In object oriented programming, a Call Graph represents the calling relationships between the program's methods. To be more precise, a Call Graph is a rooted directed graph where each node of the g ...


Non-deal roadshows (NDRs) are private meetings between management and institutional investors, typically organized by sell-side analysts. We find that around NDRs, local institutional investors trade heavily and profitably, while retail trading is significantly less informed. Analysts who sponsor NDRs issue significantly more optimistic recommendations and target prices, coupled with more "beatable" earnings forecasts, consistent with analysts issuing strategically biased forecasts in order to win NDR business. Our results suggest that NDRs result in a substantial information advantage for institutional investors and create significant conflicts of interests for the analysts that organize them.


The investigation of the 965 keV transitions of 198Au shows that the same data analysed with the Fermi function taken from NBS tables and that from Dzhelepov and Zyrianova (corrected for finite size) differ by 3% in slope. With a shape factor C(W)=k(1+aW) the coefficient a has been determined to be -0.022+or-0.011 using Bhalla and Rose tables with Buhring's screening correction and the correct end point determined from the proper physical behaviour of the shape factor in the neighbourhood of the end point energy. The use of this coefficient through the PBS method gives alpha 412K=(301+or-3)10-4 in agreement with theory as well as the recent very accurate IEC methods. This means that the disagreement of the PBS method with theory and other accurate methods arises mainly through the occurrence of a shape factor in the electron energy spectrum and the use of the correct shape factor in the PBS method gives good agreement.


We present a method for analyzing and selecting time-optimal coordination strategies for n robots whose configurations are constrained to lie on a C-space roadmap (which could, for instance, represent a Voronoi diagram). We consider independent objective functionals, associated with each robot, together in a game-theoretic context in which maximal Nash equilibria represent the favorable strategies. Within this framework additional criteria, such as priority or the amount of sacrifice one robot makes, can be applied to select a particular equilibrium. An algorithm that determines all of the maximal Nash equilibria for a given problem is presented along with several computed examples for two and three robots.<<ETX>>


The nonlinear phenomena in the field of high intensity sound propagating in a gas with a chemical reaction, are considered. A chemical reaction of A → B type is followed by dispersion and attenuation of sound which may be atypical during irreversible thermodynamic
 processes under some conditions. The first and second order derivatives of heat produced in the chemical reaction evaluated at the equilibrium temperature, density and mass fraction of reagent A, are taken into account. The instantaneous equations are derived which govern dynamics of
 perturbations in non-acoustic modes, and conclusions of the efficiency of their nonlinear excitation by sound are drawn. The advantage of this study is accurate description of dispersion. Acoustic perturbations of any characteristic duration as compared to the duration of chemical reaction
 are considered, along with periodic, aperiodic perturbations and impulses. The conclusions concern also acoustically active gases.


boars (av. age 11\m=.\2 months) and 17\m=.\8\m=x\109for ten Lacombe boars (av. age 11\m=.\3 months). The spermatozoa output was 88% of the DSP for the Yorkshire boars and 83% of the DSP for the Lacombe boars when semen samples were collected at 48-hr intervals. Spermatozoa output was significantly correlated ( \m=+-\0\m=.\54) with spermatozoa production. The two breeds did not differ significantly with respect to DSP, but within breeds certain boars produced more spermatozoa than others (P 0\m=.\05). The relative volume of the testes occupied by spermatids with round nuclei did not differ significantly between breeds, among boars within breeds nor between right and left testes. This suggests that for the boar, spermatozoa production is mainly a function of testis size. Results obtained by the procedure for measuring DSP were not significantly influenced by different staining techniques.


A high-voltage high-frequency power supply for ozone generation is presented in this paper. Ozone generation is intended to be used in air and in water disinfection. A power stage consisting of a single-phase Power Supply for regulating the output power, a current push-pull inverter (driver) and a control circuit are described and analyzed. This laboratory build power supply using a high voltage ferrite transformer and a PIC microcontroller was employed to energize a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD ) ozone generator. The inverter working on the basis of control strategy is of simple structure and has a variation range of the working frequency in order to obtain the optimal frequency value. The experimental results concerning electrical characterization and water treatment using a homemade DBD ozone generator supplied by this power supply are given in the end.


--The electrochemical behaviour of copper electrodes in NaOH solutions with the addition of Na,S was studied through the analysis of current transients under constant potential and complementary voltammetric and scanning electron microscopy data including energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The overall process can be described by the following three stages. The First stage corresponds to the nucleation and growth of a complex copper sulphide layer at potential values close to the equilibrium potentials of the Cu/Cu2S and Cu/CuS reversible electrodes. The second stage is related to the rupture of the copper sulphide film at potentials more positive than a certain critical value leading to pitting corrosion of copper metal and yielding a poorly protective copper sulphide layer. The third stage occurs in the copper oxide electroformation range, where the presence of copper sulphide accelerates the electrodissolution of the base metal and copper oxide hinders the sulphidization processes. The current transients of each stage are interpreted through a model based on the nucleation and growth mechanism.


There are reported about investigation results which directed to the creation of pulse-periodical CO2-laser working at super-atmospheric pressures. The main processes regulated volume discharge forming at total pressures up to 5 atmospheres and generation characteristics of CO2–laser working at pulse repetition rates up to 2 kHz are studied. Maximum average radiation power 120 W is achieved. Minimal duration of laser pulses up to 15÷20 nanosecond are realized.


The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, or "FTA," has a rich, centuries-old history [6]. The numerous proofs that can be found demonstrate the importance and continuing interest. Let the number of proofs be N (we can verify N > 80). We provide proofs N + 1 through N + 4 using the Fourier transform and its inversion formula, or "FIF." A few reasons for so many proofs are: to have a proof by the most elementary means, a proof suitable for a class in math, and a proof by subject area. The FTA is a wellknown consequence of Liouville's theorem, see [1, p. 122], a topic in complex variable math courses. This note is completed by showing FIF implies Liouville's theorem. Our proofs of the FTA, that is, P(z) = 0 has a solution for any nonconstant polynomial P with complex coefficients, are suitable for a beginning course in Fourier transforms. Please see [3], [7], and [4] for basic results and an overview of the history of Fourier analysis. We shall use the following form of the Fourier transform and inversion formula, the proof of which is contained in the discussion found in [3, pp. 214–219]. Theorem 1 (FIF). Let f (x) : R → C be a continuous function. If ∞ −∞ | f (x)|dx < ∞, then the Fourier transform defined as F(t) = ∞ −∞ e −2πixt f (x)dx


Petri nets are a very important tool for the analysis of dynamic systems. They should be know by all
experts in Computational Science. Their most important applications in Building are in manufacturing
processes an in the exchange of electronic messages among different participants in the Building
process.
In this paper, a brief description of Petri nets is presented, and their application to message
interchange is shown.


A companion paper investigates the relationship between bounding cases of waste characteristics received and the recently articulated Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) reference thermal limits in the MPC Design procurement Specifications. That work indicated that benefits appear to accrue to both the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) and the utilities if fuel is delivered to the system generally Oldest Fuel First (OFF) with some modifications to handle so-called {open_quote}outlier{close_quote} assemblies with powers at pick up in excess of single assembly shipping limits. Two approaches are examined in that paper to address the outliers. Those two approaches are also used in this analysis, but the measures of effectiveness (MOEs) are extended to include potential storage requirements to cool MPCs to the disposal thermal limit. The first approach, referred to as derating, assumes that assemblies hotter than the single assembly limit could be loaded as long as the total cask power is below the average thermal limit times the cask capacity. This method results in partially full casks and a net increase in cask purchases, loadings, and shipments which in turn increase cost and risk for both the utilities and the CRWMS. The second approach, referred to here as blending, assumes casks couldmore » be licensed to accommodate a mix of assemblies, some above the single assembly limit and some below. Two types of blending were examined: within-year blending and total pool inventory blending. These approaches were analyzed by computing total MPCs required for the OFF case only. Other approaches, such as phasing in the {open_quote}enhanced{close_quote} MPC design later in the system or reducing system throughput rates, were not examined. Results show that the heat mitigating approaches examined reduce the total numbers of MPCs required and alleviate potential cooling storage requirements.« less


This paper is the first of a set of two papers that address the issue of earthquake-induced liquefaction potential. In this paper, a CPT-based limit state function for assessing the cyclic liquefaction resistance of sandy soils is presented. The liquefaction resistance of a soil is generally expressed as cyclic resistance ratio (CRR), while the seismic load that causes liquefaction is expressed as cyclic stress ratio (CSR). By definition, CRR is equal to the maximum CSR that a soil can sustain without the occurrence of cyclic liquefaction. In the present study, a new method to establish a limit state function for evaluating cyclic liquefaction resistance is developed. This new method is based on an artificial neural network (ANN) modelling and analysis of 225 field liquefaction performance records. First, an ANN model is developed to predict the occurrence of liquefaction based on historic field performance records. Second, a search procedure is developed to locate data points on the limit state surface. ...


4014 Background: HER2 is a valid therapeutic target in advanced gastric cancer, however the prognostic significance of HER2 in this disease remains unknown. This analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of HER2 gene amplification or protein overexpression (HER2+) in advanced gastric cancer.

METHODS
Paraffin-embedded tumor samples of gastric cancer pts from six prospective first-line therapeutic trials of chemotherapy without trastuzumab performed in the U.S. and Europe were examined for HER2 by immunohistochemistry (IHC, 4B5) and in situ hybridization ISH (FISH or HER2 Dual ISH). HER2 positive disease (HER2+) was defined as IHC 3+ or ISH+ (ISH >2.0 HER2:CEP17FISH or HER2 Dual ISH). The impact of HER2 status was correlated with pt outcome using univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS
338 pts were evaluated: age 64 (28-88), M/F 233/105, GEJ/gastric 132/156, PS 0-1 224, Intestinal/Diffuse 125/140. 20.4% of all pts are HER2+. There were significant differences in HER2+ rates according to histological type (intestinal/mixed, 29%; diffuse, 8%; p<0.001), sex (M, 25%; F, 11%; p=0.012), and ECOG PS (0-1, 22%; 2-3, 10%; p<0.001). Similar rates of HER2+ tumors were found in biopsies vs. resections (22% vs. 19%) and in primary tumors vs. metastases (21% vs. 16%). Median overall survival was significantly longer in HER2+ pts (13.4 vs. 11.6 mos, HR 0.74; p=0.048) on univariate analysis. This prognostic value disappeared in multivariate analysis (p=0.3). In addition, HER2+ disease was not prognostic in subgroup analysis based on tumor histology. Factors associated with favorable survival in the multivariate analysis were intestinal type, female sex, recurrent disease, and ECOG PS 0-1.

CONCLUSIONS
Approximately 20% of Western patients with advanced gastric cancer are HER2+. Although on univariate analysis, HER2+ was associated with improved overall survival, this was not independent of other known prognostic variables. Unlike breast cancer where HER2+ disease carries an adverse prognostic value, HER2+ disease is not an independent prognostic factor for pt outcome in advanced gastric cancer.


Background: Obesity is a most important disorder associated with menopause. The mechanisms of the increase in body weight after menopause are not clearly understood. Earlier studies reported that the changes in sex hormone levels at menopause may have adverse effects on kidney function. The renoprotection activity of female sex hormones seems to decrease after menopause.

Aim and Objectives: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate body mass index (BMI) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) along with fasting blood glucose, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol in healthy pre- and postmenopausal women with or without diabetes.

Materials and Methods: A total of 92 subjects including 37 non-diabetic, 15 diabetic premenopausal women, and 25 diabetic and 15 non-diabetic postmenopausal women were included in the study. For all the subjects, BMI was calculated using height (cm) and weight (kg) and recorded as kg/m2. Fasting blood samples were collected for glucose estimation by GOD/POD method, serum creatinine by Jaffe's method, and FSH and estradiol were estimated by ELISA method using commercial kits. A simplified MDRD equation was used to estimate GFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) = 186 × [serum creatinine] − 1.154 × [age] − 0.203 (× 0.742 if female). Values were reported as mean + standard deviation. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey‒Kramer post hoc test using SPSS version 20 and P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant at 95% confidence interval.

Results: Results of the study showed that BMI was higher and eGFR was significantly reduced in postmenopausal women with and without diabetes compared to premenopausal women with or without diabetes.

Conclusion: The study was concluded that the observed increased BMI and reduced eGFR in postmenopausal women need lifestyle changes to control BMI and measures to improve kidney function are to be considered to improve quality of life in postmenopausal women.


One of the major focus of current restorative and prosthodontic dental treatment is on restoration of esthetics. For a treatment procedure to be successful, good communication with the patient to understand his/her functional and esthetic expectation is essential. During treatment planning phase, use of a diagnostic anatomic wax up helps the dentist to effectively communicate the final esthetic result to the patient. Esthetic pre evaluative temporaries prepared from the anatomic wax mock-up not only allows the clinician and patient to assess the form and contour of future restorations to be place but alsohelps to evaluate its effect on lip posture, smile line, and function. This case report describes a multidisciplinary approach for esthetic rehabilitation of a patient previously treated with faulty maxillary anterior fixed dental Prosthesis (FDP).


The validity of a discrete representation of the energy variable in view of the existence of a continuum of eigenvalues has been examined. For an infinite medium with 1/v absorption and a spatially constant source, time dependent and steady state spectra were generated both directly from the Boltzmann equation and from an eigenfunction expansion, using the Mass-1 and the Nelkin kernel. The steady state solution of the Boltzmann equation with the Mass- 1 kernel yielded the Wigner-Wilkins spectra, and eigenfunctions found for the time dependent equation form an orthonormal set that represents all functions over the discrete set of energies considered. (D.C.W.)


This article is a reply to critics and readers of a symposium issue published in volume 10 of the Faulkner Law Review on Legislated Rights: Securing Human Rights through Legislation (Cambridge University Press 2018; paperback, 2019). Richard Ekins and Gregoire Webber, two of the six authors of Legislated Rights, respond to essays by Victoria Nourse, Robert Lowry Clinton, Andy G. Orlee, and Adam J. MacLeod. The article is organised around the following themes: central case method; rights protection in the United States in comparative perspective; legislated rights and constitutional structure; scepticism about judicial review; oppressive 'rights' legislation; and legislated rights and common law.


For hydrogenation reactions in organic chemical processes, nickel occupies the most prominent place as a catalyst. Large number of fields in which nickel is used are reported in the literature and the list is still growing. New formulations and new applications in the field of catalysts are forging ahead. Among these fields are the artificial ageing of liquors, drying of oils, bleaching, waste water purification, removal of organic sulphur compounds from coal gas, manufacture of alcohol from gas oil, manufacture of hydrazine from urea, hydrocarbon conversion processes, fuel cells, automotive gas purifiers, etc. Many nickel alloys, such as those with aluminium, molybdenum and other elements, and various nickel compounds like nickelous oxide, nickel sulphide, nickel borides, etc., also have catalytic properties. Perhaps the biggest future challenge to the catalyst field lies in pollution abetment. (Shri B.N. Singh, Scientist, National Metallurgical Laboratory)


By necessity, the Center for Simulations of Accidental Fires and Explosions (C-SAFE) must model fracture during explosion events. First, it is self-evident that before something explodes it must break into pieces which involves many fracture events and large amounts of crack propagation. Second, the C-SAFE accident scenarios involve combustion reactions. Because combustion occurs preferentially on free surfaces and fracture creates new free surfaces, physically correct simulations of combustion should track explicit cracks and couple the formation of new cracks to the enhancement of more combustion. Despite these comments, explicit modeling of cracks and crack propagation in large-scale simulations can be a numerically expensive task. A common practice is to admit that fracture is too complicated and replace explicit crack modeling with empirical, continuum approaches such as effective damage parameters. One goal of C-SAFE is to make use of massively-parallel, advanced super computers to be able to more realistically model cracks and fracture processes in large-scale simulations. This document highlights some results from the fracture group in C-SAFE. Most of the effort to date, has be placed on modifying the material point method (MPM) to give accurate results for fracture calculations and to be able to handle explicit, internal cracks. MPM has only recently be adapted for solid mechanics problems; it had not previously be used for fracture modeling. In C-SAFE, we have developed adaptive mesh algorithms, node visibility methods, and broken cell shape functions, that together can explicitly model crack propagation in MPM simulations. Because the C-SAFE problems involve temperature gradients, we have also coupled mechanics and thermal conductivity calculations to be sure we include all mechanical and thermal effects in the crack propagation process. The selection of MPM by C-SAFE was a group decision that was based on the overall needs of the center simulations. MPM was not selected with fracture calculations in mind; in fact, MPM has initially been a hindrance to inclusion of explicit cracks. A by product of our modification of MPM for fracture, however, is that MPM many turn out to be a powerful new tool in dynamic fracture mechanics problems. As explained briefly below, our modified MPM can simultaneously handle opened and closed explicit cracks. By using adaptive mesh methods, a single simulation can track large amounts of crack propagation. Finally, the crack path is free to follow its natural direction instead of being limited to predefined mesh directions.


In this paper, we propose a novel focus measure that determines in-focus and out-of-focus region in an image. In addition, we achieved extended depth of field by blending the acquired image and Wiener filtered image using a decision map based on the designed focus measure. Since conventional focus measures are based on the amount of high frequency components in an acquired image, the measures may not be accurate if there exist high frequency components in out-of-focused region. To overcome the problem, we designed the novel focus measure based on effective band pass filtering. In simulations and experiments, the proposed method showed better performance than existing methods.


In the current distribution network, photovoltaic, wind power, energy storage, and other distributed energy are widely connected, and the proportion of generalized DC load is rapidly increasing. With the development of power electronics technology, using multi-port power electronic transformer (PET) to achieve high-efficiency access of large-capacity AC/DC source and load is the current research hotspot, and AC / DC hybrid power supply is inevitable. The introduction of a large number of power electronics and the flexible coordinated control and complementary fault-tolerant advantages of PET bring challenges to the operation and maintenance management of the AC/DC hybrid power system. In this paper, the structure of the AC/DC hybrid power system with the multi-port PET cluster is introduced. Based on the idea of hierarchical and partitioned control, a three-layer and multi-time scale control mode of integrated automation system, PET cluster and PET controller is proposed; Aiming at the problem of reliability evaluation, a sequential Monte Carlo simulation method is proposed to simulate the AC/DC hybrid power system with the multi-port PET cluster. The influence of multi-port PET parallel cluster mode and port capacity limitation on the reliability of the power system is analyzed, and the effectiveness of the model and algorithm is verified. Finally, an example is given to verify that the proposed structure is conducive to improving the utilization level of renewable energy in the distribution network.


Recording and accurate dating of paleo-cryogenic processes traces in modern ecosystems can act as a key for understanding the current state and interpreting the history of landscape development. The stage of the existence of glaciers and the accompanying periglacial zone of the tundra-steppes is the milestone in general history of the Russian large areas. The paleo-cryogenic structures in the modern soil cover are the inheritance of this stage. The recording of said structures at deep levels is possible during archaeological excavations. The stratigraphy of the layers of archaeological sites provides a possibility to link paleo-cryostructures' traces to certain periods of time and archaeologically date the enclosing context. Preservation of the more complete paleosol record relative to past periods of landscape formation is typical for modern natural zones formed under the affection of limiting factors. These zones include steppe (lack of moisture and excess heat) or tundra (excess of moisture and lack of heat). We recorded the third-order soil polygons preserved on sandy loams of the steppe area in the Orenburg region under the earthfill bunds of the Early Iron Age dwelling. We also recorded the third-order soil polygons under the embankment of a Neolithic-Bronze dwelling on sandy loam soils located in the modern northern taiga zone. In both cases the dimensions of the polygons were about 2-3 meters, and their shape was regular or broken hexagons, resulted from the surface slope or terrain roughness. Moreover, we draw parallels in the history of systems formation, and outlined tasks for further research.


We present the HST WFC3/F275W UV imaging observations of A2218-Flanking, a lensed compact dwarf galaxy at redshift . The stellar mass of A2218-Flanking is and SFR is yr−1 after correcting the magnification. This galaxy has a young galaxy age of 127 Myr and a compact galaxy size of . The HST UV imaging observations cover the rest-frame Lyman continuum (LyC) emission (∼800 Å) from A2218-Flanking. We firmly detect ( ) the LyC emission in A2218-Flanking in the F275W image. Together with the HST F606W images, we find that the absolute escape fraction of LyC is based on the flux density ratio between 1700 and 800 Å ( ). The morphology of the LyC emission in the F275W images is extended and follows the morphology of the UV continuum morphology in the F606W images, suggesting that the f800 is not from foreground contaminants. We find that the region with a high star formation rate surface density has a lower (higher ) ratio than the diffused regions, suggesting that LyC photons are more likely to escape from the region with the intensive star-forming process. We compare the properties of galaxies with and without LyC detections and find that LyC photons are easier to escape in low-mass galaxies.


Watts clearly illustrates the importance and value of institutionalizing comprehensive continuous programs of professional development for all community college employees. Watts, a professor of higher education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and twice past president of the National Council for Staff, Program, and Organizational Development, has put together a defining text outlining both the critical need for and the origin of the concept of professional and institutional benefits resulting from the implementation of effective programs of professional development. Watts and the authors of this book are strong proponents that professional development programs can be designed to be effective learning tools to further the education, skills abilities, and performance of those working at community colleges. The book begins by giving a brief and concise history of the rise of professional development programs as reflected in the growth of community colleges in the 1960's and 1970's. As the population became more diverse, the expectations of the college more strident, students more demanding, and legislative bodies stricter in requiring accountability from the colleges, there was a critical need to perform tasks and provide educational services in a different manner. In order to address these concerns and fulfill their academic missions, colleges had to examine their methods, pedagogy, organizational design, and delivery of academic and student services with an eye towards institutional change and enhancement. While the sixties and seventies may have been characterized as a period of change, community colleges face the same challenges today, specifically; limited resources and the need to do more with less, the need to be adaptable to changing environmental perimeters, the increase of ''high risk'' students, complex federal and state legislation, and the upsurge of court actions. College personnel can no longer use ''old ways'' to respond to these concerns and all employees need to have the abilities to understand and view the big institutional picture and not simply their localized snapshot. Professional development programs can help colleges address these concerns by offering developmental enhancements that not only help with the implementation of institutional change, but also help each individual acknowledge their role as a vital participant in institutional management. Specifically, professional development programs are a good tool to increase integration into the community, increase active college participation and collaboration, help individuals understand and prepare for their Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 27: 859–860, 2003 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Inc. ISSN: 1066-8926 print/1521-0413 online DOI: 10.1080/10668920390250117


The purified rabbit polyclone antibody of Nosema bombycis was coated use as capturing antibody. The horseradish peroxidase conjugated monoclonal antibodies was used as antigen to detect test samples. Each of steps were optimized to establish a double-antibody sandwich ELISA method for Nosema bombycis detection. It was showed that the optimal concentration of recombinant polyclonal antibody for coating was 10 ng / ml, the optimal coating condition for ELISA was 4℃ overnight, the work concentration of HRP-labeled monoclonal antibody was 1 ∶2000, the sample for detecting and HRP- labeled monoclonal antibody should be incubated at 37℃ for 1.5 h. and 1 h. respectively, the substrate for ELISA was incubated at 37℃ for15 min before terminated with the stopping solution. The detection density of Nb was 3.125 × 105 spore / ml for purified spore and was 5 × 106 spore / ml for Nosema bombycis infected silkworm egg.


Manovikas Biomedical Research & Diagnostic Centre, Manovikas Kendra Rehabilitation & Research Institute for the Handicapped, Human Genetics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Department of Neuromedicine, Calcutta National Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata and Assam Autism Foundation, Amarwati Path, Guwahati, India Correspondence and requests for reprints to Dr Usha Rajamma, PhD, Manovikas Biomedical Research and Diagnostic Centre, E.M. Bypass, Kolkata-700107, India Tel: + 91 33 2443 0330; fax: + 91 33 2442 8275; e-mail: email@example.com


One of the priorities of health problems in the countries of the region are cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
The objective was to analyze risk habits, life quality and psychological comorbidity in people with hypertension and/or diabetes according to the public health care or health insurance in Cordoba city.
An observational and cross-sectional study was accomplished. Inclusion criteria: be over 18 years old, have a presumptive diagnosis of arterial hypertension (I10-I15 del CIE-10) and/or diabetes. The sample was for convenience in patients of the public health care (PHC) (n = 60) and those with health insurance (HI) (n = 80). The instruments selected for the study were: GHQ-12 Goldberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) that assesses psychological comorbidity, WHOQOL-BREF Brief Version- WHO Quality of Life and risk habits (alcohol and tobacco). Statistical analysis: Chi-square test for categorical data and ANOVA for measurable data. 95% confidence level. The ethical safeguards correspond to the requirements of the CIEIS-HNC.
In both groups the distribution of sex and age was similar (PHC = 55.3 years old; HI = 55.5 years old; women 53% and men 47%). In both study groups a sedentary lifestyle prevailed (PHC = 63%; HI 68%), alcohol and tobacco consumption were 41% in the PHC group and 36% in the HI group. The psychological comorbidity evaluated by GHQ was 12% in PHC and 17% in HI; the perception of life quality was expressed with a higher score in social relationship dimension in the HI group in relation to PHC group = 50.50 and = 42.55 respectively p <0.01). The dimensions of the environment, emotional and physical aspects were similar in both groups with average values in the 50th percentile. When analyzing the relationship between GHQ and WHOQOL-BREF in both groups, the social relationship score is higher in patients who do not present psychological comorbidity.
In patients receiving health care in the PHC as well as in HI, difficulties are expressed in healthy lifestyle habits, while the social relationship is more affected in the PHC group.


In this thesis, I contribute to the study of how arrangements are made in social interaction. Using conversation analysis, I examine a corpus of 375 telephone calls between employees and clients of three Community Home Care (CHC) service agencies in metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. My analysis of the CHC data corpus draws upon existing empirical findings within conversation analysis in order to generate novel findings about how people make arrangements with one another, and some of the attendant considerations that parties to such an activity can engage in:

Prospective informings as remote proposals for a future arrangement – Focusing on how employees make arrangements with clients, I show how the employees in the CHC data corpus use 'prospective informings' to detail a future course of action that will involve the recipient of that informing. These informings routinely occasion a double-paired sequence, where informers pursue a response to their informing. This pursuit often occurs even after recipients have provided an initial response. This practice for making arrangements has been previously described by Houtkoop (1987) as 'remote proposing.' I develop Houtkoop's analysis to show how an informing of a future arrangement can be recompleted, with response solicitation, as a proposal that is contingent upon a recipient's acceptance.

Participants' understanding of references to non-present third parties – In the process of making arrangements, references are routinely made to non-present third parties. In the CHC data corpus, these third parties are usually care workers. Prior research (e.g., Sacks & Schegloff, 1979; Schegloff, 1996b) explains how the use of 'recognitional references' (such as the bare name 'Kerry'), conveys to recipients that they should be able to locate the referent from amongst their acquaintances. Conversely, the use of 'non-recognitional references' (such as the description 'a lady called Kerry'), conveys that recipients are unacquainted with the referent. I examine instances where the selection of a recognitional or non-recognitional reference form is followed by a recipient initiating repair on that reference. My analysis provides further evidence thatthe existing analytic account of these references corresponds to the way in which participants themselves make sense of them. My analysis also advances an understanding of how repair can be used, by recipients, to indicate the inappositeness of a prior turn.

Post-possible-completion accounts – In a case study of a problematic interaction, I examine a misunderstanding that is not resolved within the repair space, the usual defence of intersubjectivity in interaction (cf. Schegloff, 1992b). Rather, I explore how the source of trouble is addressed, outside of the sequence of its production, with a 'post-possible-completion account.' This account specifies the basis of a misunderstanding and yet, unlike repair, does so without occasioning a revised response to a trouble-source turn.

By considering various aspects of making arrangements in social interaction, I highlight some of the rich order that underpins the maintenance of human relationships across time. In the concluding section of this thesis I review this order, while also discussing practical implications of this analysis for CHC practice.


The approval renewal of glyphosate as an active substance for pesticides in the EU has also kept the Court of Justice occupied. Within this line of case law, the Blaise case is the most recent one. In this preliminary reference procedure the Court was asked to review the validity of the Plant Protection Products Regulation 1107/2009, examined against the precautionary principle as benchmark. The case is relevant not only for the questions raised about the Regulation, but also as it sheds a light on the – albeit limited – use of the precautionary principle in the judicial review of EU legislative measure.


In this paper, the implementation and validation of hybrid tests for base-isolated structures are presented. Hybrid testing is a technique that combines physical testing and numerical simulation. In this study, two different types of seismic isolators have been considered: fiber reinforced bearings and high damping rubber bearings. The seismic bearings constitute the physical models and the structure is simulated by a numerical model. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed procedure in order to evaluate the performance of the considered seismic bearings.


This paper develops a method for solving the single product multi-period production-planning problem, in which the production and the inventory costs of each period arc concave and backlogging is not permitted. It is also assumed that the unit variable cost of the production evolves according to a continuous time Markov process. We prove that this production-planning problem can be Stated as a problem of finding the dynamic shortest path from the source node to the sink node, Finally, we apply the stochastic dynamic programming to find the dynamic shortest path from the source node to the sink node and obtain the optimal production scheduled for each period.


Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation Health First, Inc. Cape Canaveral Hospital, a Baby-Friendly facility since June 2000, launched a skin-to-skin initiative in 2009. An evidence-based practice protocol for placing newborns skin-toskin at birth and in the immediate postpartum period was incorporated into our labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum (LDRP) unit, and encouraged during the entirety of the postpartum stay. Staff nurses were educated in appropriate skin-toskin techniques and patient instruction, first in a small group interactive setting and later followed with a video and discussion format. Patient education pamphlets were distributed to women in labor and Kangaroo care shirts were loaned to new mothers during their hospital stay. Families were encouraged to attempt to keep their newborn skin-to-skin for up to 6 hours a day for the first week of life and a minimum of 2 hours a day for the second week through fourth week. Mothers were assured that anyone, e.g., fathers and grandmothers, can engage in the skin-to-skin care with the infant. Studies have reported benefits of skin-toskin care of the newborn to include reduced crying, improved mother–infant interaction, warmer babies, and greater breastfeeding success. Additional positive effects on neonatal self-regulation during the transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life include increased sleep, decreased apnea and bradycardia, improved respiration and oxygen saturation, accelerated weight gain, and, for the mother, increased milk production. The staff at Cape Canaveral Hospital has observed anecdotal evidence of these benefits.


We previously reported that galectin‐l gene expression increases up to 100‐fold in oncogene‐transformed rat thyroid cells compared with their normal counterparts and that the relative mRNA levels correlate with the degree of malignancy. In the present study we investigated whether galectin‐l is differentially expressed in human thyroid neoplasms, which range from well‐differentiated tumors to undifferentiated ana‐plastic carcinomas. We analyzed 74 human thyroid specimens of neoplastic, hyperproliferative and normal tissues and several tumor cell lines. Galectin‐l mRNA and protein levels were higher in 6 thyroid carcinoma‐derived cell lines than in normal thyroid primary cultures and adenoma cells. Galectin‐l mRNA levels increased in 28/40 papillary carcinomas and in 6/7 anaplastic carcinomas compared with normal or hyperplastic thyroid. Conversely, galectin‐l expression was unaffected in follicular carcinomas and benign adenomas. Immunohistochemi‐cal analysis of normal thyroid and papillary carcinoma sections revealed a higher content of galectin‐l protein in neoplastic follicular cells than in normal cells. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Today component-based technologies play an important role in system development. However, although the technologies used to define, implement, and assemble components and systems of components have improved significantly over recent years, verification techniques have not yet caught up. Correctness and reliability of component-based systems are still often checked using traditional testing techniques. These techniques are unable to use the knowledge about the structure of the systems and its components. Therefore, an approach is needed to reduce the effort involved in system testing. Clearly, the best would be to automate large parts of the testing process. Built-in tests - tests that are packaged with components - are a good basis for such an approach


A pressure change damper (11) for a pressure side of a hydraulic pump of a hydraulic vehicle brake system with brake force control includes a valve assembly (9). The valve assembly is fitted in the pressure change damper and has a tubular valve that defines a lip of a damper element between the valve assembly and a damper housing pressed into the valve housing. The valve housing and a tubular valve seat part are produced by forming.


First coined by Paul Muschard, the term "German Maurism" was not raised to the status of a paradigm for the understanding of monastic and especially Benedictine historical scholarship in Catholic southern Germany until fifty years later by Ludwig Hammermayer. He defined it as the abandonment of Baroque historiography, which he associated with "compilation, apology, and triumphalism", in favour of the systematic collection of sources and their use in analytic reconstruction of the past. This narrow definition of "Maurism", which essentially equated it with the spread of the historical-critical method within the monastic milieu, was expanded by later researchers to include other aspects of Benedictine life, leading to the reconstruction of a "Maurist reform programme" in which scholarly activity appears as a component of an encompassing renewal of monasticism, pursued in German Benedictine abbeys following the example of the French congregation of Saint-Maur.


A Choice Model Approach to Business and Leisure Traveler's Preferences for Green Hotel Attributes by Michelle Millar Dr. Seyhmus Baloglu, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Tourism and Convention University of Nevada, Las Vegas There has been an increase in environmental concern by travelers in the United States (U. S.). As a result, hospitality companies are taking note and have begun to incorporate environmentally friendly or green practices into their operations. What remains relatively unclear, though, is if the increase in environmental consciousness has translated into a demand for environmentally friendly tourism products, such as hotels. There are a few studies related to the demand for environmentally friendly hotel attributes, but none of them have looked at a bundle of environmentally friendly attributes and how customers would react to a hotel room incorporating not one, but several of them. The purpose of this study, based on bundles of environmentally friendly hotel room attributes, was to identify both the type of environmentally friendly hotel room that business and leisure travelers most prefer, and the characteristics of the traveler who prefers such a room.


Summary form only given. The gravito-optical surface trap (GOST) confines cesium atoms by a blue-detuned repulsive evanescent wave (EW) in combination with gravity. Horizontal confinement is provided by the conservative optical dipole potential of a hollow, cylindrical laser beam, far blue-detuned from resonance. For preparing a very cold and dense cesium gas in the GOST, we use evanescent wave 'Sisyphus' cooling, which is based on inelastic reflections of the atoms from the EW. Using this method we have obtained a temperature of 3 /spl mu/K, which corresponds to an average distance of the atoms from the surface of 19 /spl mu/m. As a very important feature for attaining very high densities, EW cooling allows one to keep the atoms predominantly in the absolute ground state, thus avoiding trap loss by light assisted collisions.


Going on a minibeast hunt is fun, so why not add a scientific and investigative angle by looking at how differing soil and light conditions affect the type and number of bugs found.


An investigation of the decay schemes of Tc'95 and Tc97 has been made by using high-resolution conversion-electron spectrographs, gFlmma-ray scintillation detectors, and coincidence techniques. In addition to the 38.9-kev isomeric transition in Tc95 , eight transitions of the following energies have been assigned to Mo 95 ~ 204.2, 583.9, 763, 767.9, 784, 788.0, 822.5, and 837.3 kev. A decay scheme is proposed. The isomer of Tc97 has been shown to decay by a single M4 transition of 96.5 ± 0.1 kev. The experimental K:L~M relative conversion-electron intensities for this transition are 1 ~ 0.48 ~ 0.13.


AIM: To investigate the expression of human beta-defensins(HBD) in dental pulp so as to sexamine the role of HBD on dental pulp restoration after injury.METHODS: Immunohistochemical technique was applied to detect the expression and distribution of HBD(HBD-1/HBD-4) in human dental pulp at normal,deep caries and pulpitis conditions.IMAGE PRO-PLUS 5.1 software was used to quantify the optical density of the staining.Differences among the three groups were analyzed with SPSS 13.0 software.RESULTS: HBD1 and HBD4 was positively expressed in the odontoblast cells.There were no significant difference among HBD-1 expression in the three groups(P0.05).Compared with the normal group,HBD-4 expression in deep caries and pulpitis groups was significantly up-regulated(P0.05),furthermore significant difference was found between pulpitis group and deep caries group(P0.05).CONCLUSION: HBD-1 may play an important role in the innate pulp immune system.HBD-4 may play a role in the adaptive immune system of dental pulp.


A balancing problem for transfer lines with workstations in series and simultaneously executed blocks of operations is considered. Inclusion constraints related to operations and exclusion constraints with regard to blocks as well as precedence constraints are given. The problem is to choose blocks from a given set and to assign them to workstations while minimizing the line cost and satisfying the above constraints. A combined heuristic approach is proposed. It is based on decomposition of the initial problem into several sub-problems and solving them by an exact algorithm. Results of computational experiments are presented.


The study of supply side of the hotel sector is rare although hotels play an important role in generating revenues in tourism industry, which has a large contribution on global economic growth. This study fills the supply-side literature gap through discussing the operating and profitability efficiencies of US listed hotel companies in the recent five years through a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach. Hotels are categorised into four groups according to the stability and trend of their operating and profitability efficiencies in this five-year period. Findings suggest that hotels' operating efficiency and profitability efficiency are highly correlated. Implications for improving hotels' operating and profitability efficiencies are provided.


The Virtual Environment for Submarine Ship Handling Training (VESUB) project developed, demonstrated, and evaluated the training potential of a VE-based training system. Based on perceptual and cognitive task analyses, and input from subject matter experts, 15 performance variables were developed. These variables were combined and analyzed using multivariate techniques that provided a measure of situation awareness and general ship handling ability. These 2 new variables were then analyzed using an ANOVA with experience (novice or experienced) as the between subjects variable, and scenario session (pre-training or post-training) as the within subjects variable. The results indicated a significant improvement in situation awareness and general ship handling ability for both novice and experienced trainees. The VESUB training system provided the training needed to produce significant performance improvements for novice personnel who knew very little about ship handling, and also provided significant refresher training for experienced personnel. The use of multivariate analyses of specific embedded task measures provided an empirical link between situation awareness and human performance.


Aiming at the time-varying, strong nonlinear rigid-flexible coupling multi-body systems with both variables of fast and slow speeds, qualitative analysis is carried out and complex dynamical behaviors are numerically simulated by using a spring pendulum model. A dimensionless dynamical equation of the two-time scale variable rigid-flexible coupling spring pendulum system is established.A more appropriate numerical method for solving stiff problems is compared and selected from the perspective of energy conservation.The frequency ratio between different time scale variables and the initial value of swing angle are taking as the control parameters; on the condition of greater frequency ratio and the large range of initial swing angle, the complex dynamical behavior of wide range swing coupling with small amplitude oscillation is analyzed by means of the numerical simulation of spring pendulum system. The parameter domain for the different dynamical behavior corresponding to different time scale variables is given within a certain range. Results indicate that two-time scale variable system has a complex dynamical behavior including chaos with the change of the frequency ratio between the different time scale variables and the change of initial conditions. Especially, the initial value of large swing angle is easier to cause the chaotic behavior of different time scale variables. A foundation for further qualitative analysis and numerical simulation studies on the dynamical behavior of rigid-flexible coupling multi-body systems is laid down and references and evidence are provided.


We consider the efficient implementation of matrix computations in interpreted Basic on a microcomputer. Linear equations routines SGEFA and SGESL from the LINPACK library of Fortran programs are translated into Basic and run on four microcomputers: the Commodore 64, the Amstrad CPC 464, the BBC Microcomputer, and the BBC with a Z-80 second processor. The computational cost of the routines is found to be dominated by subscripting calculations rather than by floating point arithmetic. For the BBC Microcomputer and the Commodore 64, the BLAS routines which constitute the inner loops of SGEFA and SGESL are coded in assembly language; speed increases of factors 2.8 (BBC) and 5.3 (Commodore 64) accrue, and the improved execution times are comparable to ones which have been quoted for the more powerful and expensive IBM PC running under a Fortran compiler. The computational cost of the routines using coded BLAS is found to be dominated by floating point arithmetic, subscripting calculations and other overheads having been reduced to a negligible level, and it is concluded that these hybrid Basic/assembly language routines extract near optimum performance from their host machines. Our findings are shown to be applicable to any matrix routine whose computational cost can be measured in "flops".


Whistler-mode signals from low frequency ground-based transmitters in the 60 to 100 kHz range are observed by the OGO-1 satellite at frequencies unusually close to the local electron gyrofrequency, f/sub H/. The intensity of signals observed on outbound passes near 40/sup 0/ geomagnetic latitude remains high until the decrease in f/sub H/ causes the normalized frequency f/f/sub H/ to approach 0.9. The signal disappears abruptly into the background noise, a change of at least 20 dB. Ray-tracing calculations provide a simple explanation for the sudden loss of signal. Rays in this frequency range which are launched just inside the plasmapause reach an altitude where f/f/sub H/ approx. = 0.9 before abruptly bending inward toward the earth's equator. Rays launched outside the plasmapause are reflected in the form of a ''Spitze'' at the point where the plasma frequency decreases to the wave frequency. Thus the primary features of the observed LF propagation in the magnetosphere can be explained using classical cold-plasma expressions for the refractive index.


How does cultural heterogeneity in an organization relate to its underlying capacity for execution and innovation? Cultural diversity is commonly thought to present a tradeoff between task coordination and creative problem solving, with diversity arising primarily through cultural differences between individuals. In contrast, we propose that diversity can also exist within persons when individuals hold multiple cultural beliefs about the organization. We refer to these different forms as interpersonal and intrapersonal cultural heterogeneity. We argue that the former tends to undermine coordination and portends worsening firm profitability, while the latter facilitates creativity and supports greater patenting success and more positive market valuations. To evaluate these propositions, we use computational linguistics to identify cultural content in employee reviews of nearly 500 publicly traded firms on a leading company review website and then develop novel, time-varying measures of cultural heterogeneity. Our empirical results lend support for our two core propositions, suggesting the need to rethink the performance tradeoffs of cultural heterogeneity: it may be possible to reap the creativity benefits of higher intrapersonal heterogeneity and, at the same time, the efficiency benefits of lower interpersonal heterogeneity.


Results: Serum testosterone level significantly decreased in orchidectomized (unilateral and bilateral) rats compared to the control group (p<0.001). Serum level of DHEA significantly decreased in bilateral orchidectomized rats compared to the control group (p<0.05). In the bilateral orchidectomized rats, serum level of T3 had a significant increase compared to the control group (p<0.05), but serum levels of TSH and T4 was not significantly changed.


This article reports the results of experimental tests conducted on built-up coldformed steel (CFS) stub columns, composed of double lipped channel members connected with self-drilling screws, which will be applied as the chord members of laced columns. These experiments aim to quantify the effect of four distinct web fastener layouts on the composite action, including the ultimate strength, buckling modes and collapse mechanism for built-up CFS members. The tested stub columns are of 480mm length, double 88x86x40x42x12mm lipped channel cross-section and 0.8mm thickness. The built-up CFS lipped channel members were analyzed with help of the Generalized Beam Theory in order to identify their buckling loads and modes. The Direct Strength Method (DSM) was adopted to obtain the analytical strength of the built-up members, to be compared with the experimental results. The axially compressed builtup members displayed local and distortional buckling, negligible composite behavior and minor effect of number and distribution of the screws. The results indicate (i) inefficient behavior of the self-drilling screws for composite condition purposes and (ii) the DSM rules for non-composite CFS are able to estimate the ultimate strength of this type of built-up lipped channel section.


This paper firstly gives a brief introduction to the system architecture and hardware development platform of the DVB-C digital STB, followed by a proposal of holistic design of the GUI system through the in-depth analysis of the STB function,and then addresses the hierarchical structure and operating mechanism of the GUI system.Finally, it gives a detailed explanation to the process of GUI applications design.


Structured light techniques are widely used for depth sensing. In this paper, we propose a single shot dual-frequency structured light based method to achieve dense depth in dynamic scenes. The projected pattern is a mixture of two different periodical waves whose phases are related to the change of color and intensity respectively, which can avoid the requirement of Fourier spectra separation in other multi-frequency patterns. Gabor filter is adopted to interpolate the phases. The number theory is used to deal with the phase ambiguity in phase based method conveniently and speedily. A dense depth can be achieved because of the phase-based encoding mode. The proposed method is suitable for dense depth acquisition of the moving object. Experimental results show higher accuracy of the proposed method in depth acquisition compared with the Kinect and larger resolution compared with the ToF (Time of Flight) depth camera. Meanwhile, the proposed method can also acquire the depth of the color scenes and is robust to the surface texture of objects.


The spatial distribution of PM 2.5 population exposure is a key factor to the estimation of the health impacts of PM 2.5 . By combining the PM 2.5 data retrieved from MODIS satellite and the population spatial distribution data in the Yangtze River Delta which were estimated by the random forest model with the night light, vegetation index, elevation and slope of satellite remote sensing, the population exposure intensity of PM 2.5 and the risk of lung cancer death in 2013 were calculated. The results show that the spatial distribution of PM 2.5 population exposure intensity is spatially discontinuous, which is consistent with the spatial distribution of population but inconsistent with the spatial distribution of PM 2.5 concentration. Generally, the regions of high exposure intensity include Shanghai, most of Jiangsu Province, the central and southern half of Anhui Province and some coastal cities in Zhejiang Province. The lung cancer deaths caused by PM 2.5 pollution are consistent with the spatial distribution of PM 2.5 exposure intensity. Among the four major cities, relative to the baseline situation, the largest increment in lung cancer deaths caused by PM 2.5 in 2013 is in Shanghai (1565), and the smallest is in Hefei (570). In 2013, the total number of lung cancer deaths caused by PM 2.5 exposure in the Yangtze River Delta is 14000. Our findings indicates that moderate-resolution information from multi-satellite retrievals can help to


Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) is a kind of angiogenesis factor which functions through binding to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor family(VEGFRs) with high specificity.It promotes the proliferation and differentiation of vascular endothelial cells and lymphatic endothelial cells and regulates vascular permeability,thus playing a regulatory role in the physiological and pathological angiogenesis process.Recently,more and more attention has been paid to the anti-tumor therapy targeting at VEGF and its receptors.The expressions of VEGF and VEGFR-2 have relationships with the progression of ovarian cancer,endometrial cancer and cervical cancer-the three commonest gynecologic malignant tumors.This paper aims to introduce the research progress of anti-tumor therapy targeting at VEGFR-2 in these three cancers.


The utility model relates to a machining device for the joint of a U-shaped rib and a diaphragm plate of an orthotropic steel deck plate. The machining device is composed of a magnetic drill, a combined cutter bar and a locating support. The combined cutter bar comprises a taper shank connected with the magnetic drill, a cutter disc fixedly connected with the taper shank and a guide rod arranged on the cutter disc. A locating bearing is embedded in the tabletop of the locating support, and supporting legs are provided with locating magnets. When the machining device works, the locating support is fixed on one side of the diaphragm plate, the magnetic drill is attracted to the other side of the diaphragm plate, the guide rod of the combined cutter bar is connected with the locating support through the locating bearing, and therefore the cutter bar rotates stably in the work process. According to the machining device, through simple magnetic attraction, small equipment is used for carrying out milling in limited space, the shortcoming that local temperature is excessively high and influences the material performance due to flame cutting is avoided, and therefore the fatigue performance of the orthotropic steel deck plate is guaranteed. By using the machining device, secondary polishing is not needed, the efficiency is improved, and the production cost is greatly lowered.


lower-limb amputation in elderly type I diabetic patients? These preliminary data will be followed by a full description of findings, potentials for effacing the foot deformities, and an expression of hallux valgus etiology. The correlation of this foot deformity with those of limited joint mobility offers great opportunity for study. Does glycosylation resulting from metabolic derangements in type I diabetes with final muscle and joint deformity play a role in the high incidence of lower-limb aputation in elderly type I diabetic patients? I seek the findings of other clinicians scrutinizing the feet of children with and without diabetes.


The study assessed strategies for reducing the HIV/AIDS scourge among fitness and recreation student clientele in Edo State tertiary institutions. A total of 192 males and 88 females participated in the study. The participants were drawn from five tertiary institutions and a self-structured questionnaire was used in collecting data for the study. Data analyses involved the use of percentages. ********** Results showed that some respondents perceived themselves as not vulnerable to AIDS. However majority agreed that they were susceptible to the disease through indiscriminate sexual intercourse 57%, avoidance of condoms 86%, use of unsterilized barbing and nail-cutting clippers 87.5 % and sharing of unsterilized medical instruments during sports meets 93.4%. Similarly 82% respondents averred that AIDS infection could result in death, while 73.6% were aware of the danger posed by the dreaded disease. Of the several communication strategies assessed, only stories woven round customs and traditions and folk songs related to social welfare problems caused by AIDS, as well as posters on AIDS recorded very low rating below 60%. Several self-efficacy measures investigated recorded over 60% rating. Based on the assessment, implications for HIV/AIDS education were highlighted. Recreation is often defined as a diversion from work, a retooling of energy for work, or a positive, legal and socially acceptable leisure activity (Mull, Bayless, Ross & Jamieson, 1997). It is also any constructive activity engaged in voluntarily for the satisfaction it brings, whether through relaxation and fun or the opportunity for self expression/self gratification. Unfortunately, some undergraduate students do not use recreation creatively and so it becomes a potentially disruptive force for them. Such negative use of recreation predispose them to delinquency, drunkenness, habitual use of psychoactive drugs, idleness, sexual promiscuity, armed robbery, cultism, poor academic performance, social and emotional problems (Amusa, 1988). Several female students who fail to find part-time employment and sponsorship while schooling practice prostitution, stealing and other vices to support themselves and maintain their dependant relatives (Umeh & Umeh, 2003). More over older men in Nigeria take advantage of such a situation by offering gifts and money to young girls in tertiary institutions in return for sexual favours. In some cases truck drivers, who transport commodities to all parts of Nigeria have special rest stops at locations that have developed into economic centres. Some young females in tertiary institutions of learning patronize such men in these centres in order to satisfy their clients sexually in return for money. Coupled with this, the poor economic situation in our country has affected parental control and discipline (Umeh & Umeh, 2003). This new social welfare problem has aggravated the spread of HIV/AIDS infection and has reached epidemic proportions in certain communities especially around tertiary institutions. Eboh (1995) acknowledged that sports enthusiasts exhibited carefree sexual behaviours, as many changed lovers, and travelled bizarre, exciting and fast paced party lives in which they were often seduced by strangers or found themselves pumped after games looking for company on sleepless lonely nights on the road (Sun-Sentinel, 1991). Sports enthusiasts and fitness aspirants were also at risk of HIV/AIDS infection from sharing needles used to inject steroids, hormones, vitamins or illegal drugs (Nattiv & Puffer, 1991). Sun-Sentinel, (1991) observed that fitness aspirants, recreationists or even institutionally based athletes shared personal items, such as razors, tooth-brushes and nail clippers. Over the years, little or no studies have been carried out on the need to utilize fitness activities and recreational sports participation as approaches for reducing HIV/AIDS infection among students. …


Bonding structures of zirconium diboride, ZrB2, Joined to active metals, Ti, Zr and Hf, containing alloys, were investigated by optical microscopy. EPMA and X-ray dif匠action methods. The results obtained are as follows: (1)When a Cu/active meta1/Cu three-foi1且11er was used for brazing at temperatures between 1273 and 1673 K for 1200 s and at 1273 K for 600 to 3600 s, the active metal migrated and segregated at the bonding interface of the brazing metal and ZrB2. The thickest active-meta1-segregated layer was obtained in the joint bonded with Ti containing the filler alloy, even though the standard free energy of formation of boride is the highest in Ti of the other three IVa transition group metals. Since the Ti-segregated layer increased linearly with the increase of temperature and time, it was deduced that the Ti atom might migrate as a cation in the molten or solid filler alloys by any electric motive force. (2)When an A1/active meta1/A1』foil mler was used for brazing at 1173 K for 1200 s, the active metal also migrated and segregated at the bonding interface, though the segregated layer was very thin in comparison with that in the Cu filler alloy. This thin layer was thought to be due to the low brazing temperature at which the solubility of Ti in liquid Al is very limited. (3)When Ni/active meta1/Ni foi1且11ers were used for brazing at 1473 K for 1200 s, joining was carried out by solid state diffhsion bonding. The segregation of the active metal at the bonding interface was observed, accQmpanied by di血sion of Ni into the ZrB2 matrix. (Received January 8,1990)


Methane hydrate (referred to as MH hereafter) has come to be seen as a future energy source and as such research and development is being conducted in order to prepare for production of it. The MH reservoirs are located in the deep sea bed at over 1000m in sea depth. In Japan, the reservoirs are found in the Nankai Trough on the Pacific Ocean side of main island. MH mostly exists in the void space of the sand layers in the turbidite. In order to produce MH from the MH bearing layers, it is important to first make clear and understand the mechanical properties of the host sands of MH bearing sands in order to understand the MH bearing layer. A series of mechanical tests were performed on MH bearing sediments with various host sands by using temperature controlled high stress triaxial shear testing apparatus. A high pressure and low temperature plane strain testing apparatus was also developed for visualizing the deformation of methane hydrate bearing sand due to methane hydrate production. Using this testing apparatus, plane strain compression and methane hydrate dissociation by depressurization tests were performed with the measurement of localized deformation. On the basis of the experimental results, an elastoplastic constitutive model for methane hydrate-bearing sand was developed. The bonding effect due to the cementation by methane hydrate was introduced into the model. The simulation was performed on triaxial behaviour of methane-hydrate bearing sand under various pressure and temperature condition.


Background:
 Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is a proven method of treating patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) from a large vessel occlusion. However, there has been controversy regarding the safety and efficacy of incorporating acute intracranial stenting in addition to standard MT especially after the WEAVE trial results which showed a significant increase in stroke and hemorrhage in patients receiving wingspan stenting within 7 days of index ischemic event. We compared the outcomes of all AIS patients treated with acute intracranial stenting + MT versus MT alone.

 Methods:
 Through the utilization of a prospectively collected endovascular database at a comprehensive stroke center between 2012-2019, variables such as demographics, co-morbid conditions, symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), mortality rate at discharge, and good/poor outcomes in regard to modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score (TICI) and modified Rankin Scale at discharge (mRS dc) were examined. The outcomes between patients receiving acute intracranial stenting + MT and patients that underwent MT alone were compared.

 Results:
 There were a total of 439 AIS patients who met criteria for the study (average age 70.38 ± 13.46 years; 45.6% were women). Analysis of 36 patients from the acute stenting + MT group (average age 66.72 ± 13.17 years; 30.6% were women), and 403 patients from the MT Alone group (average age 70.71 ± 13.45 years; 46.9% were women); see Table 1 for baseline characteristics and outcomes. Three patients (8.3%) in the acute stenting + MT group experienced ICH versus forty-four patients (10.9%) in the MT alone group (P=0.631); no significant increases were noted in length of stay (9.08 days vs 9.84 days; P=0.620) or good mRS scores at dc (P=0.636).

 Conclusion:
 Acute intracranial stenting in addition to MT was not associated with an increase in ICH rates, overall length of stay, or poor outcome upon discharge of patients. Prospective studies are recommended.


Abstract Two thousand and sixty‐five 11‐year‐olds in their first term at secondary school were given a variety of attitude and achievement tests. Overall both girls and boys had positive attitudes to science but there were substantial sex differences‐‐boys were much keener than girls to learn about physical science, and girls were keener than boys to learn about nature study and human biology. Boys had much greater experience than girls of tinkering activities, but girls had more experience of biological science activities. Boys were much more likely than girls to see science as a masculine preserve. At this age attitudes to science were virtually unrelated to achievement in science‐ and technology‐related areas. One important exception to this is that girls who saw science as masculine tended to perform worse on the cognitive tests.


Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis gen.nov. et sp.nov. is established for a protostrongylid nematode in muskoxen, Ovibos moschatus, from the Kitikmeot Region (central Arctic) of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is distinguished from Cystocaulus and other Muelleriinae by characters that include the following: males: deeply incised, bilobed bursa, independent externodorsal rays, telamon composed of distal transverse plate, absence of falcate crurae, and spicules not distally split; females: absence of provagina; and first-stage larvae: presence of three cuticular folds on the tail. The great length of females (468 mm) and males (171 mm) is exceptional among the Protostrongylidae. Pathognomonic lesions include well-defined cysts dispersed through the lung tissue (maximum diameter 40 mm) containing adult and larval parasites in a dense matrix. Transmission involves a molluscan intermediate host, as indicated by experimental infections in the slug Deroceras reticulatum. The parasite is apparently restricte...


Objective To study the changes in blood sugar,mitochondrial ATP production rate and ATP synthase activity in dexamethasone treated and in glucose treated neonatal rats after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage.Methods7 days old rats were randomly assigned to HIBD group,dexamethasone treated group and glucose treated group.Had been made cerebral hypoxic-ischemic,the HIBD animals were divided into 0 h,24 h,48 h and 72 h groups;the dexamethasone treated animals and glucose treated animals were divided into 24 h,48 h and 72 h groups and treated with dexamethasone and glucose separately.Then we examined changes in blood sugar,mitochondrial ATP production rate and ATP synthase activity.Results①After hypoxic-ischemic,the rats' blood sugar,mitochondrial ATP production rate and ATP synthase activity were decreased.②In dexamethasone treated group the ATP production rate at 24 h and 48 h,ATP synthase activity at 24 h were higher than HIBD group.③In glucose treated group,the ATP production rate at 48 h were higher than HIBD group.④ At 72 h,there were no differences in mitochondrial ATP production rate and ATP synthase activity between 3 groups.⑤ The blood sugar in dexamethasone treated group and in glucose treated group were higher than HIBD group at 24 h.⑥ At 48 h and 72 h,there were no differences in blood sugar between 3 groups.ConclusionDexamethasone and glucose improved HIBD rats' cerebral energy metabolize in a short term and affected blood glucose.


The article is devoted to the problem of validating business processes when developing solutions based on business process modeling platforms. The article provides a classification of the currently known models of validating data flows in business processes and also considers the types of business processes models: Petri nets, metagraphs, activity-based models, combined models, data flow matrix. The advantages and disadvantages of each model are analyzed, as well as a brief description of the main components of the models. The types of data anomalies and the algorithms used to validate the data flow of a business process are presented. Particular attention is paid to validation methods that use the data flow matrix as the main tool for analyzing data flows. An algorithm for checking anomalies in the absence and redundancy of data using a data flow matrix is given. An example of a model in which a business process works with several domain data models is analyzed. The analyzed example leads to the conclusion that the algorithms built upon the data flow matrix are false when working with several domain data models. The article proposes to find out the possibility of using an ontological model of conceptual objects to identify semantic conflicts between data sets from a variety of domain models.


In the light of the severe leakage of current construction engineering, this paper introduces the performances and features of several kinds of the waterproof materials in building construction, and puts forward some concrete problems needing attention in the application of the waterproof materials in construction engineering.


The increasing demand of inductors in various industries reflects the attention of scientific communities to identify various solutions based on the magnetic flux density. This paper presents the design and simulation analysis of various inductors being investigated in COMSOL. The performance of straight line and circularly bent shaped inductors (nested inductor) is investigated based on simulation of the same dimension, size inductor in COMSOL. The achieved results predict that by changing the shape of the inductor from straight line to circularly bent, keeping all other parameters including permeability the same the inductance of the inductor is increased from $0.38568\mu\mathrm{H}$. to $0.7525\mu\mathrm{H}$. The magnetic flux density in a straight-line inductor is increased from 4mT to 6mT in a circularly bent or nested inductor.


September 29, 2020 e189 Daxin Wang, MD Tian Chen , MD Xinquan Yang, MD To the Editor: We read with interest the article titled "White Blood Cells and Blood Pressure: A Mendelian Randomization Study,"1 demonstrating a concordant, positive, and potentially causal relationship of elevated lymphocyte count with higher blood pressure. The adaptive immune response appears to play a key role in blood pressure elevation and end-organ damage. Pollow et al2 found that deficiency of Rag1 in female mice lacking B and T lymphocytes limited the prohypertensive effects of T lymphocytes from males in angiotensin II–induced hypertension, and this protection might involve sex differences in central or renal T lymphocyte infiltration. It should be noted that although they did not detect greater T cell infiltration in male and female mice after angiotensin II infusion, angiotensin II treatment could increase the number of activated T cells and was associated with significantly increased vascular and renal infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in male experimental animals.3 Tipton and Sullivan3 also found that removing sex hormones by gonadectomy resulted in significant increases in helper T 17 cells and significant decreases in T regulatory lymphocytes in both male and female subjects, suggesting that sex hormones cannot account for all of these observed sex differences in the T cell profile in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Interestingly, under baseline conditions, male spontaneously hypertensive rats had significantly more helper T 17 cells in their kidneys than female rats, whereas which had more T regulatory lymphocytes.4 Sex differences in T cells are also observed in humans, with the proportion of circulating CD4+ T cells producing more interferon γ being greater in women than in men. CD4+ T cells from men produce more interleukin 17, highlighting the sex differences in T cell subpopulations.4 Because these T lymphocyte subsets and cytokines potentially have opposing effects on blood pressure regulation and polarized T cells possess considerable plasticity to change their phenotype and cytokine secretion depending on the environment where the cells live,5 we speculate that in females, the increase in blood pressure is more dependent on a defect in the ability to suppress proinflammatory T cell infiltration into target organs or functional abnormalities of T regulatory lymphocytes, and we wonder whether the sex of the subject being studied could be considered in the authors' extended work for providing a novel relationship between sex, immune cells, tissue infiltration, and blood pressure. Future lying in the identification of subsets of different cellular types with different host hormonal milieus or sex chromosome complements may be critical to understanding the role of immune cells in blood pressure control, which allows the development of immune-based therapies in both sexes.


ment, bribes, and exacting a cost for what were supposed to be free provisions for the poor. Corruption provides an education for the poor, giving them a sort of situated knowledge, but also producing lethal results. Both authors indicate that corruption should be viewed as a productive force, creating new subjectivities and power relations, rather than simply entailing losses. If Gupta disagrees with Scott's more positive analysis of corruption, it would have been interesting to read why this is the case. ToGupta, all of this amounts to structural violence that does not exactly undermine state programs but produces tensions by which care for the poor often amounts to killing them. Red Tape is really worth reading for the provocative and insightful questions that Gupta asks and the way in which he pushes state and development theory in new directions. His sustained analyses of these complex issues not only provide insight into the workings of Indian development programs but also serve as a reminder to those of us who study the link between a "disaggregated" state and poverty to truly explore this disaggregation in all of its manifestations.