Introduction and Aim: Epidemiological studies have shown an association between obesity and poor breast cancer prognosis. We have reported that IGFBP-3 influences both breast cancer growth and adipocyte maturation. This study investigated the role of endogenous IGFBP-3 on the development of obesity and subsequently on breast tumor growth. Methods: Wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 or IGFBP-3 knock-out (BP3KO) mice were fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) or control chow diet for 15 weeks, then injected with the syngeneic mouse breast cancer cell line E0771 in the 4th left mammary gland. When the largest tumor reached 1000 mm3, tissues including the mammary fat pad were excised, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded for immunohistochemical analysis. Results and Conclusion: Compared to WT mice, BP3KO mice showed both significantly reduced weight gain and mammary fat pad mass (contralateral to tumor) in response to HFD (p Citation Format: Tiffany Scully, Carolyn D. Scott, Hasanthi C. de Silva, Sue M. Firth, Stephen M. Twigg, John E. Pintar, Robert C. Baxter. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) enhances obesity-related breast tumorigenesis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 741.


Background: Headache is one of the most common neurological symptom that we come across, but very few well-planned studies have been conducted to know its psychiatric aspects .The aim of the study was to investigate the socio demographic profile, clinical types and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with various types of headache. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study for a period of one and a half years in Shri Maharaja Hari Singh hospital of Government medical college. The study was conducted in patients attending the medical outpatient department (OPD) for headache. The diagnosis of various headache disorders was established by adopting the International Headache Society criteria (2004). A total of 200 patients were screened. Psychopathology was measured using MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview Schedule PLUS (MINI PLUS). Descriptive statistics was used to report the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients. Chi-square was used to assess association between categorical variables and a p-value of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Among 200 patients, there were 83 (41.5%) males and 117 (58.5%) females. Their ages ranged between 18 years to 78.5 years, with mean (± SD) of 35.85 (± 9.45) years. Psychiatric morbidity in headache was 47%. The psychiatric morbidity was more in females (53%) than males (38.6%) (P-value=0.044). Psychiatric morbidity was also found more in urban (58.3%) than rural areas (42.1) (p-value= 0.036). Tension-type headache (48%) was the most predominate type of headache. Conclusion: Patients with headache had higher psychiatric morbidity. Screening patients with headache for psychiatric disorders and timely psychiatric intervention can go a long way in improving the quality of life of headache with comorbid psychiatric disorders.


Lymphoproliferative disease induced by EBV (EBV‐LPD) is a complication of allogeneic transplantation caused by T‐cell immunodeficiency. EBV‐LPD responds poorly to conventional treatment modalities. Recently, adoptive transfer of EBV‐specific, HLA‐class I‐restricted CTL lines was shown to be effective both as prophylaxis and as treatment of EBV‐LPD. The CTL lines are produced by in vitro selection of EBV‐specific memory T cells contained in MNC of EBV‐seropositive individuals by repeated stimulation with irradiated EBV‐transformed cells. The non‐EBV‐reactive and potentially alloreactive cells remain unactivated. Twenty‐one CTL lines were initiated. All were successfully generated and shown to be HLA‐restricted and EBV‐specific as well as CD8/CD4 and CD45RO positive T cells. The majority of the CTL lines were generated from BMT donors, but two CTL lines were obtained from solid organ transplant recipients receiving immunosuppression. Evidence of probable in vivo efficacy is presented. Development of efficient adoptive T‐cell strategies for EBV‐positive malignancies could serve as a model for treatment of other viral or malignant disorders.


This paper addresses the wide gap in space complexity of atomic, multi-writer, multi-reader register implementations. While the space complexity of all previous implementations is linear, the lower bounds are logarithmic. We present two implementations which close this gap: The rst implementation uses multi-reader physical registers while the second uses single-reader physical registers. Both implementations are optimal with respect to the two most important complexity criteria: Their space complexity is logarithmic and their time complexity is linear.


The LTCC (Low-temperature Cofired Ceramics) technique is considered for the metamaterial substrate of a microstrip antenna. The target frequency is 76 GHz~77 GHz for the automotive radar. The metamaterial substrate design and microstirp antenna design are discussed in this paper. The reflection and transmission coefficients of metamaterials are simulated using HFSS simulator. The permittivity and the permeability are calculated from these coefficients. The microstrip antennas are designed with this substrate. The characteristics of antenna on the metamaterial substrate are compared with those of the antennas on the dielectric substrate.


The invention relates to a microwave metal smelting device, comprising a crucible used for holding heated metal and a microwave heating device used for heating the metal in the crucible, wherein the crucible is arranged inside the microwave heating device. After the technical scheme is adopted in the invention, because the microwave heating device is used for directly making the heated material per se emit heat during heating, and dispenses with a heat conduction process, the heating efficiency is higher; in addition, the heat is not absorbed between equipment and air, so that the parts inside and outside the material reach a heating temperature instantly, and the energy can be saved by more than 2-3 times compared with that in the traditional electric and infrared heating methods; besides, the microwave metal smelting device is safe and secure in an operation method and has less pollution to the environment and a better technical effect.


In order to perform maritime analysis of a collision between two vessels,ship maneuvering argumentation and ship navigating safety evaluation,the mathematical model of a ship maneuvering was set up based on the separately building model idea of MMG.The respondent ECDIS was developed according to the water range,sea and weather situation when collision happened.Based on above views a simulating platform was established in single computer and then the dynamic simulating test at real time of two vessels' colliding was made.The conclusion from an analysis of the simulation result was reliable and was provided with very important reference value for captain,steerer,pilot etc.


come out since then. Qiu and Zhang's "Foundation of Modern International Law" is a textbook published for the use of law students at Hebei University. It contains 13 chapters, dealing respectively with the concept, nature, sources and relations between international law and municipal law (all grouped in the introductory chapter), fundamental principles, subjects, territories, law of the sea, airspace and outer space, residents (individuals), diplomatic and consular relations, law of treaties, international organizations, international economic law, peaceful settlement of international disputes and law of war and neutrality. The contents of Zhu Lisun's "Public International Law" are similar, except that there is no chapter on international economic law. Zhu's book is used for television college programs, so it has a printing of 153,000 copies and thus is the most widely distributed text on international law in China. Hu's "Introduction to International Law" has contents similar to Qiu and Zhang's book. Wei's "Introduction to International Law" omits chapters on international economic law and law of war and neutrality; however, it does treat each of its subjects in more depth. Wei's book is used for self-study programs of the People's Republic of China, but its first printing was only 12,600 copies.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine how Korean science and engineering students view English-medium instruction (EMI) and Korean-medium instruction (KMI). The participants were 174 undergraduate students enrolled in EMI and KMI classes offered by the same instructor at a Korean science and engineering school. Interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted, and students' course evaluations, English scores and course grades were compared. The results of a campus-wide undergraduate student survey on EMI were also analyzed. The findings of the study show that the KMI-class students demonstrated higher levels of satisfaction and better performance in their classes than the EMI-class students did. Only 22% of the students in both classes found EMI classes helpful for improving their English ability. Nevertheless, the majority of the students supported the school's maintenance of an EMI policy. In the conclusion, the paradoxical attitude of the students and the implications of the study are discussed.


The scope of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) is sufficiently broad to deal with new threats emerging from developments in the life sciences; however, more thought still needs to be given to updating and improving measures to encourage biodefense-related information sharing and transparency between states. Biodefense is and has been at the core of the BWC, but the threat of bioterrorism should not distract BWC state parties or cause them to disregard the risk that illicit state-run bioweapons programs will utilize new advances in the life sciences. More states are pursuing biodefense programs—and spending more on such programs. The BWC community must address the issue of how states and civil society observers can determine the point at which a biodefense program, or parts of it, could be secretly transformed into an offensive bioweapons program. The authors propose several measures for increasing the transparency of biodefense programs, including: national oversight, confidence-building measures, mandatory codes of practice, confidence-building visits, and an international mechanism to encourage and protect whistleblowers. The authors conclude that unless accountability and transparency in biodefense programs can be attained within the next five years, the BWC will lose its relevance.


Report presenting drag tests conducted on a practical-construction airfoil section. The tests consisted of drag measurements over a wide range of Reynolds number and over a small range of section lift coefficient for the model with various surface conditions. Results regarding waviness characteristics and drag characteristics are provided.


The Nepal-UK Community Forestry Project works with fifteen hundred Forest Users Groups (FUGs) in seven of the hill districts of Nepal. It aims to improve the living conditions of local people by supporting FUGs to manage community forests more effectively, sustainably and equitably. It is part of the government policy of transferring national forests to community management and works with the Department of Forests and other district level organisations. The objective of working with FUGs is to help them strengthen their planning, monitoring and reporting activities.


Speech enhancement has become a growing challenge in the present scenario as many problems are faced by real-world applications such as mobile communication, hearing aid designs and many more. The main aim of the speech enhancement is to improve speech intelligibility and quality of a noisy speech signal degraded in adverse noise conditions. Various methods have been developed so far, and this paper is the review of some of them.


Achievement and experience for compositive utilize of mining gangue and other secondary resources form domestic metal mines are introduced. And compositive utilization status for tailing and waste rock heaps is presented. Some problems and ways out of affecting gangue and other secondary resources compositive utilization are also discussed.


Abstract We present a detailed analysis of the phase transition in the standard model at finite temperature. Using an improved perturbation theory, where plasma masses are determined from a set of one-loop gap equations, we evaluate the effective potential Veff(φ,T) in next-to-leading order, i.e., including terms cubic in the gauge coupling g, the scalar self-coupling λ1/2, and the top-quark Yukawa coupling ft. The gap equations yield a non-vanishing magnetic plasma mass for the gauge bosons, originating from the non-abelian self-interactions. We discuss in detail size and origin of higher order effects and conclude that the phase transition is weakly first-order up to Higgs masses of about 70 GeV, above which our calculation is no longer self-consistent. For larger Higgs masses even an approximation containing all g4 contributions to Veff is not sufficient, at least a full calculation to order g6 is needed. These results turn out to be rather insensitive to the top-quark mass in the range mtop = 100-180 GeV. Using Langer′s theory of metastability we calculate the nucleation rate of critical droplets and discuss some aspects of the cosmological electroweak phase transition.


The down feed and mid return steam heating system is put forward to solve the diffculty in the indoor installation of condensed water pipes of the steam heating system.Take a residential building for example,the requirements in carrying out the system,the existing problems,the way to deal with the problems in practice are talked about,and that the system is practical in dealing with the difficulty in the installation of condensed water pipes is pointed out.


In quantum mechanics, the uncertainty is fundamental concept, so its underlying meaning has been argued intensively due to its weird properties. On this account, there has been various fomulations expressing the uncertainty principle in dierent ways. In this paper, the new entropic uncertainty relations will be suggested showing dierent aspects of uncertainty as we consider successive measurements. Already, Deutsch and Unk suggested entropic uncertainty relations, so our work will be to modify it as focusing on another aspect (error-disurbance) of uncertainry. The uncertainty relations Heisenberg is the rst man who suggested the uncertainty principle. In 1927 [1], he proposed the uncertainty relation,


Geopolymerization is a continuous developing field of research for utilizing solid waste and by-products. It provides a solution to many problems where hazardous residue has to be treated and stored under critical environmental conditions. Consumption of fly ash in the manufacture of geopolymer is an important strategy in making materials more environmentally friendly. Fly ash has been chosen as a base material in order to utilize this industrial waste. Previous researches have shown that geopolimerization grade depends on different factors such as: temperature, stirring speed, ratio solid-liquid, the time of contact between phases, etc. This paper reports the results of the study of the influence of temperature and time curing, stirred and ratio s/l on phase composition and microstructure in geopolymer materials prepared using Class F fly ash and sodium hydroxide solutions. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) were utilized in this study for characterize the geopolymer formation. The main product of reaction in the geopolymer materials was amorphous alkali aluminosilicate gel. The type of presented material was dependent on the curing history.


Abstract The action of 2-mercaptoacetic acid, thiosemicarbazide and hydrazine hydrate on the titled compound 1 is studied. On the other hand, the behaviour of the titled compound towards thiourea, ethyl acetoacetate and malononitrile under Michael's conditions is reported. The structure of the new heterocycles 2 - 8 is discussed in the light of IR and 1HNMR spectra.


Catering industry as a basic service industry have been playing an indispensable role in national economy development. With Chinese economy has entered "the new normal", comprehensive Revenue Management becoming more and more important. "Internet +" platform business model provides a precious opportunity for traditional catering enterprises restructuring and upgrading. The third-party internet platform can mobilize fragmentation resources, optimize operation flow and reduce marketing costs. Catering companies who using the Internet platform well can expand brand influence and increase revenue. Enterprise with respective conditions commonly choice different platform function. Popularity restaurants use group purchase more. Inexpensive restaurant like selling takeaway. Low popularity restaurant performed poor in the use of platform.


Objective To evaluate the effects of sevoflurane postconditioning on the oncosis and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes during ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in isolated rat hearts and the role of extracellular signalregulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signal transduction pathway in it.Methods Seventy-two isolated rat hearts perfused in a Langendorff apparatus were randomly divided into 6 groups (n =12 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),myocardial I/R group (group I/R),sevoflurane postconditioning group (group SP),PD98059 vehicle dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group (group DMSO),selective ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 group (group PD),and sevoflurane postconditioning + PD98059 group (group SP + PD).The hearts were subjected to ischemia for 30 min followed by 2 h reperfusion in the other groups except group S.In SP,DMSO and PD groups,the hearts were perfused with K-H solution saturated with 3.0% sevoflurane,DMSO (<0.2%) and PD98059 (20 μmol/L),respectively,for 15 min starting from the end of ischemia until 15 min of reperfusion,and then with plain K-H solution for 105 min.In group SP+ PD,the hearts were perfused with K-H solution saturated with 3.0% sevoflurane and PD98059 for 15 min starting from the end of ischemia until 15 min of reperfusion.Myocardial infarct size and expression of porimin and caspase-8 proteins (by Western blot) were measured at the end of reperfusion.Results Compared with S group,the myocardial infarct size was significantly increased,and the expression of porimin and caspase-8 proteins was up-regulated in the other groups (P < 0.05).Compared with I/R group,the myocardial infarct size was significantly decreased,and the expression of porimin and caspase-8 proteins was down-regulated in group SP (P < 0.05),and no significant changes were found in the other groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion Sevoflurane postconditioning can activate ERK1/2 signal transduction pathway and inhibit the oncosis and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes,thus attenuating I/R injury in isolated rat hearts.

Key words:
Anesthetics, inhalation;  Myocardial reperfusion injury;  Cell death;  Extracellular signal-regulated MAP kinases


Analyses are made of the connectivity of PEC fuels market place, prototype and materials to create an efficient research focus.


A pressure stabilizing structure of a common rail pump is provided to supply a fuel with a stable pressure by minimizing impact generated between a stopper and a damper. A common rail pump regulates pressure by reciprocating motion of a pressure regulating damper accommodated in a pump body(11). The pressure regulating damper includes a diameter section, a guide section, and a hole. The diameter section is slid so as to be sealed from the inner diameter section of the pump body. The guide section has a diameter smaller than the diameter section and is formed on the rear side of the diameter section. The hole is formed at the diameter section so as to circulate a fuel. The pump body includes an inner diameter section(14) and a stepped section(13). The inner diameter section accommodates a spring urged on the front side of the diameter section against the forward movement of the damper. The stepped section accommodates the guide section of the damper.


The detailed characterization of the dynamical behavior of an oscillating cantilever is a crucial task in many applications of scanning probe microscopy, force spectroscopy, and cantilever based biosensors. In the present work we considered a direct and localized excitation of the cantilever obtained using the photothermal effect induced by a modulated laser beam that allows us to completely separate the dynamics of the system from spurious effects. We developed a theoretical model able to describe the experimental results with high accuracy; in particular, a good agreement is achieved, both for amplitude and phase, in the presence of resonances and antiresonances, depending on the different location of the excitation beam.


Within the scope of contracting models the EnBW Energy Solutions Ltd (EnBW ESG) is planning, constructing and managing energy plants and area networks for customers and is supplying utility energies like heat, cooling energy, compressed air und technical gases. During operation of the contracting plants since 1997, the ESG has gathered a number of experiences. Some of these experiences should be presented in the lecture, i.e. differences between steam generators in pure power stations and in the industry, site specific problems, history and damage symptoms, cause study and troubleshooting.


FIELD: medicinal forms. SUBSTANCE: invention provides (i) drops including central rounded or spherical nuclei 250-355 mcm in diameter (45-60 mesh), coating film from water-soluble polymer and itraconazole, and polymer layer of protective envelope, (ii) pharmaceutical medicinal form, and (iii) a method for preparing indicated drops. EFFECT: enabled preparation of pharmaceutical medicinal form, one unit of which contains required daily dose of active substance instead of two such units. 9 cl, 1 tbl, 9 ex


A novel transmission fiber has been designed for ultra-wide band applications from 1260-1625 nm. When combined with a matching compensation fiber, the dispersion tolerance across the C- and extended L-bands is less than 0.025 ps/nm/km


n this paper, an approach to estimate the dynamic characteristics of a rotating
blade using response data is proposed. A test campaign devoted to demonstrate the capability
of the Smart Spring device to alter the dynamic properties of the rotating blade is carried out in
the framework of the Smart Hybrid Active Rotor Control System, SHARCS, project. Within this
project, the key factor is an active vibration control concept that uses piezoceramic actuators to
preferentially vary dry friction and stiffness of a structure. This device, if located at the blade
root, could adaptively vary the dynamic stiffness of the blade to change its flexural characteristics,
thus allowing control of the aeroelastic response of the entire blade. In this paper it is shown how
the modal parameters will be estimated from the time histories recorded, by a distributed array
of sensors, at different rotational speed of the blade and for different values of the stiffness of the
Smart Spring device. Both time domain and frequency domain methods were applied in order
to quantify the effects on the modal properties of different operating conditions of a prototype
version of the Smart Spring device. This device was attached to the push rod of an Active Twist
Rotor blade developed at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). From the performed experimental
investigation, carried out at the DLR's whirl tower test facility, it was possible first to draw the
typical fan plots of the rotating blade, from which useful information about the dynamic behavior
of the system could be achieved. Then, a validation of the numerical model of the smart spring
device was obtained.


During December and January, the U of M?s Ned R. McWherter Library is featuring three displays related to the Presidential Medal of Freedom recently awarded to Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, longtim


Abstract Understanding the benefits and risks of antidepressants can be difficult as they vary from patient to patient. Each drug produces different side effects, especially in relation to different psychological problems. As clinicians it is important to find the best fit for each patient, and closely monitor its usage. This article discusses the dosage and clinical effects of common antidepressants. It also emphasizes the need to be aware of patient's psychosomatic symptoms due to the drug usage.


Mark A. Rosso is assistant professor in computer information systems for the School of Business at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. He can be reached at mrosso<at>nccu.edu G enres – they are not the offspring of the taxonomist's notebook or traditional thesauri, but rather, they originate from people's everyday speech and usage of information. Genre names are useful for referring to communication in the recurring situations in which we find ourselves – whether it's looking for a job/hiring someone (a resume) or acknowledging a thoughtful gift/having that gift acknowledged (a thank-you letter). How can this everyday terminology be useful for web retrieval? Imagine being able to tell your web search engine the types of pages you are looking for and even types that you don't want to see: that ability is the vision of incorporating genre into the interface of web search engines. Genre could be part of the query formulation or a description of each result on the search results page. It's an idea that's been around for a while. But we've yet to see an implementation of retrieval by genre in any web search engines. Research issues have included the identification of specific web genre labels and genre classification by automated algorithms. For the last decade or so, academicians have been pursuing the idea with mixed results so far. Is it time to give up the pursuit, or is there still uncharted territory out there to discover? Let's look at the pros and cons of this somewhat controversial research area.


The article discusses the problem of forming digital literacy for teachers in the system of postgraduate education in Ukraine. It is noted that digital literacy is important for teachers as it can contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the educational process, teaching students to effectively use digital tools for educational purposes and in various areas of life. Digital literacy in the process of education implies knowledge and skills in using a wide range of digital tools, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, etc., for various educational goals. The idea of lifelong learning is one of the important directions of the educational process in Ukraine, the implementation of which is aimed at the development of society's digitalization, which requires teachers to have a high level of digital literacy. A teacher should be prepared to implement professional activities using digital technologies, utilizing the possibilities of these technologies to improve the quality of the educational process and prepare students for successful life in modern society. Digital literacy is crucial in the process of teachers' professional development, which is manifested in solving various tasks involving the use of digital technologies. Various ways of forming digital literacy can be introduced in the system of postgraduate education in Ukraine, namely: programs and courses aimed at forming digital literacy for teachers. The article presents the main directions of such programs and their content.


In this issue of JGIM, Burge and colleagues describe their study to identify factors that predict the risk of permanent hypoparathyroidism after thyroidectomy.1 Their results include surgeries performed between 1988 and 1995 at four tertiary-care hospitals in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The principal finding was that persistent, postoperative hypoparathyroidism was related to the physician's speciality and to the patient's stage of thyroid carcinoma. Hypoparathyroidism developed in 29% of 31 patients who underwent surgery by an otolaryngologist and in 5% of 111 who underwent surgery by a general surgeon. Fifteen of 103 patients with thyroid cancer but 0 of 39 patients without thyroid cancer developed hypoparathyroidism. The finding that patients who undergo thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer have higher rates of hypoparathyroidism is not new; however, the finding that these otolaryngologists' patients had higher rates of hypoparathyroidism than the patients of the general surgeons is new and deserves closer review.

The study's design involved retrospective review of medical records, which is appropriate for identifying risk factors for outcomes, including complications. The authors included many factors that could be related to postoperative complications, and their analytic technique demonstrated that the relation between surgical specialty and the development of hypoparathyroidism was unlikely to be related to other factors such as the presence of thyroid cancer. Given these findings, how can we interpret the study's results?

The authors clearly state that other important features of the study must be kept in mind when interpreting the results. First, these findings come from one metropolitan area in the Southwest. Whether these results can be generalized to all otolaryngologists and general surgeons in North America who perform thyroidectomies is uncertain. Second, it has been shown for several surgical procedures, including coronary artery bypass grafting,2 and peripheral vascular surgery,3 that the development of postoperative complications is related to the number of procedures performed by the surgeon. The rate of complications decreases when the number of procedures increases. Unfortunately, the authors did not study the effect of case volume on the rate of complications for individual surgeons, although they did report the average number of procedures performed by the two specialties during the 8-year study period (3.1 for otolaryngologists and 4.1 for general surgeons). Also, the authors did not provide information about the surgical experience of the participating surgeons outside the study or the relation of experience to the development of complications. Third, the use of multivariate analyses does not completely ensure that the increased risk of postoperative hypoparathyroidism found for otolaryngologists was not related to another factor. For example, otolaryngologists operate on more patients with cancer than do general surgeons, and thus the apparent relation between otolaryngologists and hypoparathyroidism may result in part from the relation between cancer and hypoparathyroidism, despite an analysis that attempted to disentangle the two effects. Finally, although persistent postoperative hypoparathyroidism can be a serious problem, it must be kept in mind that all patients who developed hypoparathyroidism had cancer, which also is a serious condition, and the greater risk of complication may be related to a more aggressive operative approach that decreases the risk of cancer recurrence and thus improves survival.

Despite these limitations, this study raises several important points. Risks of postoperative complications are surgeon-dependent; therefore, surgeon-specific information should be available to both patients and referring physicians. Physician-specific information is available for other surgical procedures, including cardiac revascularization procedures. Cardiothoracic surgeons voluntarily participate in a quality improvement program involving all procedures performed at the five institutions that practice revascularization in northern New England.4 This program provides physicians with information about their performance on a quarterly basis and informs patients about their chances for major complications and other important outcomes. The New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System is another data collection and reporting system intended to improve quality of care by reporting physician- and hospital-specific information.5 The Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons has developed a program to allow physicians to store and analyze data on patients' demographic characteristics, general health status, musculo-skeletal function, and resource utilization (the Musculoskeletal Outcomes Data Evaluation and Management System or MODEMS). This program also allows individual physicians to compare their practices with national norms.

The second important point raised by this study involves the appropriateness of the surgeries that were performed. Previous research has shown that a significant number of surgical and medical procedures are done even though the benefits of the procedure are unlikely to outweigh the risks.6–9 The appropriateness of thyroidectomy was not examined in this study. The American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery could develop evidence-based, clinically useful guidelines for thyroidectomy, and these guidelines could be used to determine appropriateness.10

It is appropriate to conclude with the authors' own words: "studies demonstrating an improved outcome with one specialty compared to another should be interpreted with caution." Who performs surgery probably is more important than the specialty to which the surgeon belongs, and therefore, it is important that patients, referring physicians, and health services researchers all know their surgeons.—Jay F. Piccirillo, MD,Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo.

REFLECTIONS

Returning

Nausea fills my stomach,

my foot on the gas pedal,

pity, guilt, love, sadness,

as I venture past the familiar maple trees,

and make the right turn at the convenience store to the white house with

forest-green shutters.

"Hello, I'm home," are the words which echo through the house,

anticipating a response,

silence,

a sigh.

The good old days,

telling me to come home by 10:00 p.m.,

forcing me to drink my milk because it is good for me,

praising me for getting A's,

are now a part of the past.

The figure before me stares out the window,

occasional grunts,

pain,

pain,

pain,

frustration,

extends from her body to mine.

But I know she holds on to the familiar,

the photos over the mantle,

the overused blue couch in the living room,

the paintings from my youth,

her only hope.

Occasional glances,

a twinkle,

a smile,

is all I need,

to know that I've had a good day.

Now the State intrudes,

wishes to take away her hope,

her life,

and place her body,

in a sterile, unfamiliar room,

which has no meaning.

Her silent tears,

although inaudible,

cannot be muted by her inability,

to express herself.

I once resided in her womb.

9 months of aqueous bliss,

oblivious to the world,

but safe and secure,

personal care,

surrounded by the familiar.

My mother must receive the same,

our home,

her womb,

I reciprocate,

to go full circle,

around life.

I fight for this.

Sharon S. Lee

Syracuse, NY


In this paper, a cholera disease transmission mathematical model has been developed. According to the transmission mechanism of cholera disease, total human population has been classified into four subpopulations such as (i) Susceptible human, (ii) Exposed human, (iii) Infected human and (iv) Recovered human. Also, the total bacterial population has been classified into two subpopulations such as (i) Vibrio Cholerae that grows in the infected human intestine and (ii) Vibrio Cholerae in the environment. It is assumed that the cholera disease can be transmitted in a human population through the consumption of contaminated food and water by Vibrio Cholerae bacterium present in the environment. Also, it is assumed that Vibrio Cholerae bacterium is spread in the environment through the vomiting and feces of infected humans. Positivity and boundedness of solutions of our proposed system have been investigated. Equilibrium points and the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] are evaluated. Local stability conditions of disease-free and endemic equilibrium points have been discussed. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out on the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text]. To eradicate cholera disease from the human population, an optimal control problem has been formulated and solved with the help of Pontryagin's maximum principle. Here treatment, vaccination and awareness programs have been considered as control parameters to reduce the number of infected humans from cholera disease. Finally, the optimal control and the cost-effectiveness analysis of our proposed model have been performed numerically.


Incidence of bilateral traumatic facial palsies is rare. Of 116 cases of traumatic facial palsy encountered during the last 16 years in our clinic, bilateral involvements were seen in five patients (4.3 per cent). Causes of head injury in these patients were traffic accident, fall from stairs, struck on the head by a falling subject in one case, respectively, and nipping of the head in two. All of the patients were struck on their temporal portion of the head at the accidents. Mechanisms of the bilateral involvements were considered to be coup and contre coup injury in one case, low velocity crushing head injury on both sides in two and struck of the head bilaterally in two. Seven sides in four of them underwent decompression surgery; 4 by transmastoid approach and 3 by combination of transmastoid and middle cranial fossa approach. Recovery of the facial function in the operated patients were satisfactory, and no difference could be seen from that of unilateral palsy in terms of the duration between the onset and surgery. This indicated that there was no significant difference in the degree of facial nerve injury between bilateral and unilateral traumatic palsy. Although diagnosis of the bilateral facial palsy tends to be delayed due to lack of asymmetrical facial appearance and to high incidence of unconsciousness, timing of operation should not be missed to assure good prognosis.


We previously reported that a 21‐kDa phosphoprotein may play an important role in superoxide production through dephosphorylation by neutrophillike differentiated HL‐60 cells (Suzuki et al., 1995, Biochim Biophys Acta 1266:261–267). The phosphoprotein was identified as cofilin, an actin‐binding protein, and the activation‐induced changes in its intracellular distribution have been described elsewhere (Suzuki et al., 1995, J Biol Chem 270:19551–19556). However, the physiologic roles of cofilin in phagocytes remain to be established, and the regulatory mechanisms for dephosphorylation and translocation of cofilin are unknown. In the present study, we investigated the roles of cofilin in the opsonized zymosan (OZ)‐activated macrophagelike U937 cells by using herbimycin A, an inhibitor for protein tyrosine kinase. In the individual adherent phagocytes, OZ induced many events: 1) production of superoxide, 2) phagocytosis of the insoluble particles OZ, 3) dephosphorylation of cofilin, 4) translocation of cofilin from cytosol to plasma membrane regions, 5) decrease in intracellular pH from 7.4 to aprroximately 6.8, and 6) rapid and transient increase in filamentous actin at the cell periphery. All of these events were inhibited or reduced significantly by herbimycin A. OZ increased phosphorylation of tyrosine in 110‐, 50‐, 34‐, and 29‐kDa proteins, whereas herbimycin A inhibited it. These results suggest that tyrosine kinase plays an essential role upstream of these events through phosphorylation of such proteins. Furthermore, microinjection of anti‐cofilin antibody to the differentiated U937 cells caused inhibition of the phagocytosis. These results suggest that cofilin plays critical roles in phagocytic functions through changes in cytoskeletal organization. J. Cell. Physiol. 180:345–354, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The gain in one-dimensional photonic band gap structure, containing active layers, is studied. Nonlinearity of the material, caused by Kerr effect, is taken into account. Nonlinear problem of wave transmission through nonlinear multilayered structure is solved using perturbation method. It is shown, that the gain in photonic band gap structure can be essentially enhanced at the photonic band gap edge in comparison with a bulk material having the same optical thickness.


In recent years, highways have been built rapidly in China's turfy swamp areas to accommodate economic development. Turfy soil is a type of special soil with high humus and incompletely decomposed plant contents, so its properties are complex and unique. Both the axial and confining pressures of turfy soil increase during embankment filling. Therefore, in this study, three soil tests for analysing the decomposition degree, organic matter content, and triaxial compression under confining and axial pressure increases stress paths were performed to achieve insights into the stress-strain properties of turfy soil. The volumetric and deviatoric strains of turfy soil were summarised to reveal the inner mechanisms of turfy soil, culminating in the establishment of a constitutive model for turfy soil. The results of the constitutive model were compared with the experimental test results to verify the accuracy of the constitutive model. The results showed that the stress-strain and strength of turfy soil are closely related to the organic matter content and decomposition degree. The calculated stress and strain results are also consistent with the experimental results, indicating that this constitutive model can be used to better indicate the original deformation state and strength characteristics of the turfy soil.


The rate of the reaction between isopropylamine and 2-(bromoacetyl)naphthalene to give 2-(isopropylaminoacetyl)naphthalene in a series of solvents bears no relation to solvent dielectric constant. Instead, it parallels the thermodynamic activity of the naphthalene reactant. Possible generalisations from this observation are discussed. The reaction follows simple second-order kinetics with the complication that more than one molecule of isopropylamine is used up.


Economic models typically assume that individual wants are determined by forces exogenous to the economic system. Social psychology and consumer research, in contrast, support the view that the perceived benefits of consumption are strongly affected by endogenously determined social norms. This paper presents a selective overview of the literature on the relationship between consumption and well-being, exploring the ways in which informal arguments from the descriptive social sciences might be linked to formal models of economic behavior. We incorporate Sen's (1985) distinction between commodities and functionings into Nordhaus' (1994) model of climate change and the world economy, showing that optimal paths for greenhouse gas emissions and capital accumulation are highly sensitive to the role of consumption norms in the welfare determination.


The goal of the ablation technology program is to bring ablation research and development to a high state of readiness for application to space shuttle vehicles. Some recent results and current work in the areas of materials, designs, and refurbishment for ablative TPS are reported. Future research and development needs are also presented.


This study presented the utilization of microwave power for heating of epoxidized natural rubber-50 compounding (ENR50c) with andwithout mixed filler in which the sulfur contents were 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 parts per hundred parts of dried rubber by weight basis, respectively. The microwave power used was varied in a range of 340-1,700 W with a constant frequency of 2.45 GHz. The mixed filler significantly affected the relative dielectric constant, relative loss factor and loss tangent coefficient. The microwave power and time strongly influenced the temperature of the specimen. The longer time and higher microwave power resulted in higher temperature of the specimen. On the contrary, the thickness of specimen inversely affected the temperature of the specimen. The lower temperature was obtained from the thicker specimen.


Objective: To explore the expression and the correlation between the HIF-1α and the proliferation of cell diviesion related Ki-67 protein antigens in nuclei of the gliomas;reveals the relationship of HIF-1α and Ki-67 with glioma prognosis.Methods: Using immunohisto chemistry S-P method to detect HIF-1α and Ki-67 in 56 cases in human glioma.Results: The level of experssion of HIF-1α Ⅲ-Ⅳ was significantly higher than Ⅰ-Ⅱ of glioma in pathology,the expression with significant difference(P0.01).The level of experssion of Ki-67 Ⅲ-Ⅳ was significantly higher than Ⅰ-Ⅱ of glioma in pathology,the expression with significant difference(P0.01).The HIF-1α and Ki-67 in gliomas was a significant positive correlation(rs=0.513,P0.01).Conclusion: The positive expression of HIF-1α in glioma is a significant correlation of gliomas pathology classification,and gliomas plays an important role in the attack;the positive expression of Ki-67 in glioma is a significant correlation of gliomas pathology classification,and could be used as evaluation index of human gliomas proliferation of judgment,state the malignant glioma,the human brain has an important value degree;The expression of HIF-1α and Ki-67 closely related,and their combining both testing could be used as index for judging the glioma malignant degree and prognosis.


Traffic congestion is an inconvenience for all of us, leading to the loss of billions of dollars for businesses worldwide and has an adverse effect on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and increased fuel consumption. In what fields can Floating Car Data(FCD) help road authorities and policymakers to develop a better understanding of the current situation and take action on those roads where the need for improvement is highest? This paper describes independent research conducted by the Dutch Government (NDW) where historic travel times from TomTom's floating car database are compared to fixed ANPR systems as well as highly accurate reference systems. The outcome of the research indicates that TomTom's FCD is accurate and highly useful for a large numbers of traffic management applications. The study indirectly reveals the weaknesses of FCD when derived from the "wrong sources" (e.g. commercial fleets) or with a sample size that is too small (such as average drive tests).


E-shopping customers, blog authors, reviewers, and other web contributors can express their opinions of a purchased item, film, book, and so forth. Typically, various opinions are centered around one topic (e.g., a commodity, film, etc.). From the Business Intelligence viewpoint, such entries are very valuable; however, they are difficult to automatically process because they are in a natural language. Human beings can distinguish the various opinions. Because of the very large data volumes, could a machine do the same? The suggested method uses the machine-learning (ML) based approach to this classification problem, demonstrating via real-world data that a machine can learn from examples relatively well. The classification accuracy is better than 70%; it is not perfect because of typical problems associated with processing unstructured textual items in natural languages. The data characteristics and experimental results are shown.


A light-sheet-based plane-selective sub-micron patterning technique is proposed to fabricate 1D sub-micron patterns with specificity and selectivity. The proposed technique is termed as, interfering coherent light-sheet assisted structure synthesis (iCLASS). The technique uses specialized 2π optical illumination geometry to expose the photoresist film. Counter-propagating light sheets (satisfying phase-matching condition) produce 1D interference pattern with feature size below the diffraction limit. A conventional S1813 photoresist coated on a cleaned glass substrate is exposed to the light-sheets pattern and subsequently, the photoresist film is developed to imprint the sub-micron pattern. AFM study confirms imprinted 1D pattern with a periodicity and feature-size of approximately, λ/2. Analysis show that the light-dose interaction-time (τexp, τdev) plays crucial role in determining the periodicity of 1D sub-micron pattern.


Psychopathy and Moral Decision-Making By Erica L. Frankel This study examined the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and moral decision-making. Psychopathy was assessed through the administration of the PPI-R and LSRP self report measures of psychopathy, while moral decision making was assessed through a questionnaire presenting 48 moral dilemma task vignettes. In addition, the FrSBe and the Shipley-Hartford Scale were administered to control for frontal lobe function and verbal intelligence. Psychopathic personality traits were separated into two largely orthogonal factors: Factor I (Fearless Dominance) and Factor II (Impulsive Antisociality). Moral decision-making was operationalized as either utilitarian or deontological modes of judgment. Participants (N = 46) were recruited from Emory University"s undergraduate introductory psychology classes. Consistent with our hypotheses, higher scores on PPI-R Factor I subscale predicted significantly higher levels of utilitarian (as opposed to deontological) moral decision-making, while higher scores on PPI-R Factor II subscale and LSRP secondary scale predicted no relationship to deontological/utilitarian moral decision-making Contrary to prediction, higher scores LSRP Primary subscale were unrelated to utilitarian/deontological moral decision-making. These results suggest the interpersonal deficits associated with the Factor I subscale of psychopathy (i.e. negative emotionality and deficient trait anxiety), may predispose these individuals to significantly less deontological decisions when presented with a moral dilemma. In addition, these results propose that the PPI-R may have more construct validity than the LSRP when measuring Factor I manifestations of psychopathy. Psychopathy and Moral Decision-Making


Educational aims To give an overview of what spirometry is, how to perform it and how to interpret it. To discuss the quality criteria to produce acceptable and reproducible results. To discuss the use of spirometry in the workplace. Summary Spirometry is easy to perform once trained and can be performed anywhere. It is useful for detecting early change and disease progression. Quality is important to ensure useful and reproducible results, otherwise results may be incorrectly interpreted. Training from a reputable centre should be undertaken to ensure the measures are understood as well as how to get the best results out of the patient.


The results of the investigation of the beam quality in the high-power industrial carbon-dioxide laser generating in the 10 kW range are presented. As a result of this investigation, a scheme of the modified stable-unstable resonator is proposed, that uses only reflective mirrors. In this scheme, the plane of the unstable telescopic resonator is transverse to the flow in the discharge chamber. In the plane parallel to the electrodes this scheme represents a single-mode stable resonator. High efficiency of this resonator and high beam quality have been pointed out.


Path-delay faults represent a fault model that is commonly used to detect timing anomalies in a circuit. Unlike stuck-at faults which can be detected using ATE at lower speed, test for path-delay faults require ATEs that can run at the clock frequency of the circuit under-test. However, with ever-increasing circuit-speed and complexity, ATEs are unable to keep up with this growing trend. Moreover running deterministic tests for timing related defects on expensive ATEs for high-speed circuits consume enormous test application time. In this paper, we propose a BIST methodology for path-delay faults in sequential circuits. The proposed technique is based on an existing BIST architecture for stuck-at faults such that timing faults in a circuit can also be addressed with minimum additional effort. A new clocking scheme along with a novel technique for placing observation points that increases the fault coverage for path-delay faults is presented. Experimental results on some benchmark circuits show high path-delay fault coverage for sequential circuits.


The wide adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is required for deep decarbonisation of transportation sector. The lithium-ion batteries that power EVs are temperature sensitive and electric ranges reduce under cold weather conditions due to excessive need for heating the battery and the driver's cabin. Therefore, some drivers may need to charge more often during the same day. In this paper, probabilistic modelling and simulation of large-collections of EV charging are presented and the impacts on power generation portfolio is investigated for the case of the UK. Particularly, the extra energy and power demands are quantified across different regions. Extensive simulations reveal that cold weather necessities an additional 630 MW of peak power when compared to optimal ambient temperatures. Simulation results further show that the hourly carbon intensity of the power grids could increase by 25% during cold days with low renewable generation. The problems pertinent to temperature effects on EV charging require greater attention as EVs are becoming the main mode of transport in the next decade.


The present invention is directed to novel amide derivatives C63 TEICOPLANIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A DIRALOS amide is derived. Derivatives are prepared by reacting A PRODUCT SIMILAR TO AN ACTIVE ESTER TEICOPLANIN forming a reagent such as chloroacetonitrile, THEN, contacting the asset ESTER WITH DIPROPIADA. DERIVATIVES OF Amida invention are active against Gram positive and Gram negative.


A series of coumarinylSchiff bases were examined for their antifungal, antioxidant (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and galvinoxyl radical scavenging activity) and metal chelating activity. Coumarin derivatives possessing dihydroxyphenyl moiety showed the best antioxidant activity in all antioxidant assays applied. High correlation between DPPH and galvinoxyl scavenging activity (r = 0.8238; p <0.05) was observed. Antifungal activity tests were performed against four common mycotoxin producing foodborne fungi, Aspergillusflavus, A. ochraceus, Fusariumgraminearum and F. verticillioides. Compounds bearing dihydroxyphenyl moiety were also proven to be an excellent antifungals.


Objective To monitor youth risk behavior among senior high school students of Shenyang.The data will be used as reference for health and education department to develop policy of youth and risk behavior prevention. Methods Two thousand and fourteen students of grade 11 from 7 secondary school of Beijing were surveyed by self administered questionnaire anonymously in Sep. to Nov.1998.Results Lots of high school students engage in behaviors that increase their likelihood of motor vehicle crashes,other injuries and adult cardiovascular disease and cancer,e.g.57.8% had rarely or never worn a seat belt;during the 30 days preceding the survey,5.9% had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol;4.7% had rarely or never observed traffic rule; 19.4% had been in a physical fight ≥1 times during the 12 months preceding the survey; 36.6% had drunk alcohol and 12.6% had smoked cigarettes during the 30 days preceding the survey;45.4% of studrnts had participated in vigorous physical activity ≥3 of the 7 days preceding the survey,and 40.1% of students had participated in moderate physical activities ≥5 of the 7 days preceding the survey. Conclusion The results indicate that we should pay more attention to the work of Youth Risk Behavior prevention education.


A collection of papers presented at the Florida conference on Child Health Psychology in April 1988, this book addresses stress prevention, chronically ill children, paediatric AIDS and the behavioural implications of health and illness.


The development of fast-growing blockchain technology is encourages for the review and rethinking of many of the fundamental facts of our traditional education systems. As experience shows, the blockchain increases security and accessibility tremendously, such concepts as confidence, assessment and identity, currently doesn't satisfy users desires and there a reasonable necessity for the improvements. In this paper, we will consider providing of new methods for the database system in education, implementing the new blockchain technology in education since a new scheme can increase transparency and security in the education system.


A biodiversity of soil microbial communities now is being widely studied. Since 1912, the influence of different agrotechnical factors on soil is being examined in the stationary field experiment in the Moscow Agricultural Academy. We investigated an effect of different combination of three factors, i.e. plants (flax and winter rye), crop rotation and soil acidity, to the soil microbiom. To estimate a biodiversity, the throughput sequencing was used. Also an original approach, the binary sampling, was suggested to analyze the data of throughput sequencing. It was shown the number of microorganisms which changed under the influence of studied factor is approximately equal to those staying unchanged. But a taxonomic composition of these two groups differed, and the impacted group was more uniform. Thus, we can conclude that the less part of microorganism is sensitive to the acting factors, and the rest ones keep their number unchanged, more or less. The taxonomic groups of microorganisms, sensitive to each of studied factors, were revealed. The binary sampling, suggested herein, allows finding out a relation between an action of some ecological factor and varying taxonomic structure of microbial population.


Rule 2 and 39 are considered to have simple Bernoullishift dynamics, but the couple of rules yield numerous complex dynamical behaviors under the function of hybrid and totalistic mechanism. In this paper, complex dynamics of HTCA(2,39) is discussed from a symbolic dynamics perspective. It is found that there exist three types of glider behaviors in its three particular subsets. Furthermore, we prove that HTCA(2,39) is chaotic in the sense of both Li-Yorke and Devaney in its three particular subsystems respectively by demonstrating that they are topologically mixing, topologically transitive and have positive topological entropy. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the method presented in this paper is also applicable to other HTCAs therein.


The high resolution spectrum of the 000 vibronic band of the C 2A1–X 2A1 transition of CaNH2 was recorded with a laser ablation/supersonic molecular beam spectrometer. Approximately 140 lines of the Ka′=0←Ka″=0 and the Ka′=1←Ka″=1 sub–bands were measured and combined with the previous A 2B2–X 2A1 and B 2B1–X 2A1 results. A global fit of the data was carried out and the effective spectroscopic constants for the X, A, B, C states are reported. A complete set of spin–rotation constants (eαα's) are now available for the A 2B2, B 2B1 and C 2A1 states. The unpaired electron in these three excited states can be considered to be located in three p–orbitals (px,py,pz) centered on the metal atom. The simple pure precession model provides estimates for the 9 spin–rotation parameters in the A, B, and C states.


An approximate harmonic solution has been derived for head waves from a linear velocity transition layer in a liquid medium of uniform density. When the frequency of wave motion is much higher than the spatial gradient of velocity in the transition layer, the velocity potential decreases with increasing frequency in proportion to the minus two-thirds power of the frequency. In the frequency range approximately equal to the velocity gradient, the velocity potential is nearly constant for some frequency ranges and has a relatively sharp decrease in amplitude at the high-frequency end. This phenomenon is similar to that observed previously in plastic models.


The combination of runoff plot studies and soil tracking using a silt size magnetic sediment tracer, allowed a better understanding of the relative contribution of different zones in olive (Olea europaea L.) orchard plots to total soil losses. The average erosion rates were different in the tree rows (tr) (0.8 kg m⁻² mo⁻¹) and in the inter-tree rows (itr) (1.4 kg m⁻² mo⁻¹), inter-tree rills (r) being the most eroded areas (4 kg m⁻² mo⁻¹) from October 2008 to April 2010. Since soil under the olive canopies has a high infiltration capacity, splash is a major erosion process in this area, while, in the itr, sheet and rill erosion are the dominant processes. The proposed magnetic tracer technology was an effective tool for determining the cumulative soil losses at the plots for a 17 mo period (average 141 Mg ha⁻¹) with an accuracy of 7.2 Mg ha⁻¹. To achieve this accuracy, determination of bulk density, selectiveness in the transport process, tracer distribution in the soil profile and field calibration of the magnetic susceptibility probe were required. The evolution of tracer distribution provided insight into soil displacement within the runoff plots due to erosion processes. The tracer distribution maps also indicate a high coefficient of variability of the incorporation of tagged soil into the plot, which should be improved in future research to increase the usefulness of this approach in water erosion studies.


Background Dry scalp conditions affect a significant portion of the population, including children. Emerging evidence indicates the potential for improvement of atopic symptoms through altering the skin microbiome. Therefore, a topical treatment consisting of probiotic extracts, honey, turmeric, and vitamin B12 was manufactured to improve dry scalp symptomology through sustained balance of the microbiome. Purpose This interventional clinical study aims to determine the safety and efficacy of the topical treatment in reducing dry scalp symptomology in children 1–17 years old with dry scalp symptoms. Methods Participants applied the topical dry scalp treatment 2–3 times per week for two weeks. Safety and efficacy of the topical treatment was determined through physician assessment using the validated Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) scale and the Total Severity Scale (TSS) during pre- and post-treatment clinic visits as well as parent reports at baseline, 1-week midpoint, and 2-week exit. Results Use of the topical treatment was associated with reduced symptoms of itchiness, dryness, irritation, and flakiness in children. The average IGA score was 3.0 at baseline and 2.0 after treatment, corresponding to a score difference of 1.0 (p < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.7, 1.2). The TSS score difference was 1.9 (p < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.4, 2.4). The total parent-reported scalp severity score decreased from 16.6 (95% CI: 14.8, 18.4) to 12.4 (p < 0.001, 95% CI: 11.0, 13.7) at 2-week exit. Discussion Study results mirror those reported in a study conducted in adults and point to the safety and efficacy of this natural topical treatment in reducing dry scalp symptomology in children. Based on our data, the combination of probiotic extracts and other anti-inflammatory ingredients appears to improve overall scalp health and appearance, though further studies will need to be conducted to further elucidate the link between clinical improvement and a balanced scalp microbiome.


This brief discussion is divided into two parts: 1. Diagnosis of myocardial necrosis in man. 2. Preliminary findings of research in large domestic animals.


To evaluate the relationship between "Look‐Locker" (LL) and modified Look‐Locker Inversion recovery (MOLLI) approaches for T1 mapping of the myocardium.


A method to measure the permeability to moisture of fiber optic coatings is presented along with the results of such tests. The resistance of optical fibers to fatigue and strength degradation with high temperature and humidity is shown to be strongly dependent of the permeability of the secondary coating in a dual coating system.


Global water resources are under pressure due to increasing population and diminishing conventional water resources caused by global warming. Water scarcity is a daunting global problem which has prompted efforts to find unconventional resources as an appealing substitute for conventional water, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. Ice is one such unconventional water resource, which is available mainly in the Arctic and Antarctic. In this study, opportunities and challenges in iceberg utilization as a source of freshwater were investigated on the basis of a systematic literature review (SLR). A search in three databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest) yielded 47 separate studies from 1974 to 2019. The SLR indicated that harvesting iceberg water, one of the purest sources of water, offers benefits ranging from supplying freshwater and creating new jobs to avoiding iceberg damage to offshore structures. Economic considerations and risks associated with iceberg towing were identified as the main limitations to iceberg harvesting, while environmental impacts were identified as the main challenge to exploiting this resource. Assessment of trends in ice sheets in Arctic and Antarctic across different spatiotemporal scales indicated that the main sources of icebergs showed a statistically significant (p < 0.01) decreasing trend for all months and seasons during 2005–2019.


Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a clonal disease arising from abnormal hematopoietic stem cells, although the involvement of lymphoid lineage differs among reported cases. Here, we present a case of JMML with a KRAS G13D mutation. The mutation was detected in various hematopoietic lineages, including T and B lymphocytes and also in lineage− CD34+CD38− hematopoietic stem cells, showing a different percentage of affected cells in each lineage. Single cell‐based analysis of hematopoietic cells revealed the loss of wild‐type KRAS in a significant proportion of G13D‐harboring cells. The percentage of loss of heterozygosity (LOH)/non‐LOH cells showed lineage‐dependent skewing in hematopoietic cells. The loss of the wild‐type KRAS allele may be a common secondary genetic change in KRAS‐related JMML and may affect the differentiation behavior of early JMML progenitors.


Although the COVID-19 pandemic has officially ended1, SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread and evolve. Recent infections have been dominated by XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1 subvariants2. A new subvariant designated BA.2.86 has just emerged, spreading to 21 countries in 5 continents3. This virus contains 34 spike mutations compared to its BA.2 predecessor, thereby raising concerns about its propensity to evade existing antibodies. We examined its antigenicity using human sera and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Reassuringly, BA.2.86 was not more resistant to human sera than XBB.1.5 and EG.5.1, indicating that the new subvariant would not have a growth advantage in this regard. Importantly, sera from patients who had XBB breakthrough infection exhibited robust neutralizing activity against all viruses tested, suggesting that upcoming XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccines could confer added protection. The finding that the longer genetic distance of BA.2.86 did not yield a larger antigenic distance was partially explained by the mAb data. While BA.2.86 showed greater resistance to mAbs to subdomain 1 (SD1) and receptor-binding domain (RBD) class 2 and 3 epitopes, it was more sensitive to mAbs to class 1 and 4/1 epitopes in the "inner face" of RBD that is exposed only when this domain is in the "up" position. We also identified six new spike mutations that mediate antibody resistance, including E554K that threatens SD1 mAbs in clinical development. The BA.2.86 spike also had a remarkably high receptor affinity. The ultimate trajectory of this new SARS-CoV-2 variant will soon be revealed by continuing surveillance, but its worldwide spread is worrisome.


Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the most important curative therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and haploidentical related donor (HID) has become the most important alternative donor with strong graft-versus-leukemia effect. However, relapse is still inevitable and is one of the most critical cause of transplant failure. Comprehensive prognostic models have been established to predict relapse in HID HSCT recipients. However, these studies included hematologic malignancies other than AML, and the primary endpoint was survival. Thus far, no comprehensive model could be used to predict the relapse of AML patients receiving HID HSCT in complete remission (CR).


: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men beyond 50 years old, and ranked the second in mortality. The level of Prostate-speci fi c antigen (PSA) in serum has been a routine biomarker for clinical assessment of the cancer development, which is detected mostly by antibody-based immunoassays. The proteolytic activity of PSA also has important functions. Here a genetically encoded biosensor based on fl uorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) tech-nology was developed to measure PSA activity. In vitro assay showed that the biosensor containing a substrate peptide ' RLSSYYSGAG ' had 400% FRET change in response to 1 µg/ml PSA within 90 min, and could detect PSA activity at 25 ng/ml. PSA didn ' t show enzymatic activity toward the biosensor in serum solution, likely re fl ecting the existence of other inhibitory factors besides Zn 2+ . By expressing the biosensor on cell plasma membrane, the FRET responses were signi fi cant, but couldn ' t distinguish well the cultured prostate cancer cells from non-prostate cancer cells under microscopy imaging, indicating insuf fi cient speci- fi city to PSA. The biosensor with the previously known ' HSSKLQ ' substrate showed little response to PSA in solution. In summary, we developed a genetically encoded FRET biosensor to detect PSA activity, which may serve as a useful tool for relevant applications, such as screening PSA activation substrates or inhi-bitors; the puri fi ed biosensor protein can also be an alternative choice for measur-ing PSA activity besides currently commercialized Mu-HSSKLQ-AMC substrate from chemical synthesis.


With electrical interface and optical interface and network interface working principle,this paper develops a clock synchronization controlled tester based on FPGA due to the lack of an effective test equipment to evaluate the clock synchronization error of the electronic automation equipments in the power system which has a negative impact on the power system.The tester provides three timing functions,namely,a UART serial packets timing,IRIG-B code timing and IEEE-1588 network packets timing.By controlling the time between the external device and the master clock device,it achieves a quantitative assessment of the clock synchronization error which will lead to equipment malfunction,and provides an important reference to the power system when formulating a unified time.


Quantum yields for photochemical ring opening and cycloreversion in hydrocarbon solution have been determined for the direct photolysis (214 nm) of six 1,2-dimethylcyclobutene derivatives which contain methyl groups at C3 and C4 in numbers varying from zero to four. As the hydrogens on C& of the parent compound (1,2- dimethylcyclobutene) are replaced with increasing numbers of methyl groups, the total quantum yield for ring opening increases to a maximum of -0.3 and then decreases with further methyl substitution. The quantum yields for ring opening (t q5tod for the cis-isomer is significantly lower, but both yield an approximate 1:l mixture of formally allowed and forbidden diene isomers. A similar trend is observed in the relative quantum yields for ring opening and cycloreversion throughout the series. The results are interpreted in terms of a combination of bond strength and steric effects on the efficiency of the ring-opening process. Increasing methyl substitution causes an increase in @total through the first three members of the series owing to progressive weakening of the C3-C4 bond. Compounds containing cis-dimethyl substitution exhibit substantially reduced quantum yields for ring opening, relative to what would be expected based on bond strength effects alone. This is proposed to be due to steric effects on the efficiency of the process, suggesting that the initial stages of the photochemical ring opening of cyclobutene involve disrotatory motions on the excited singlet state potential energy surface.


Visual performance after cataract surgery is superior in eyes with the aspheric IOL implanted compared with other commonly used foldable implants, according to the results of a blinded, prospective, randomized study presented by Robert M. Kershner, MD, FACS.


The fluidized bed catalytic cracking process is one of the most important refining processes. It produces, among other distillates, gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It is very difficult to model it by fundamental balances. On the other band, artificial neural networks (ANN) offer conveuient tools to describe complex processes. They are able to learn what is going on with in the process through a limited amount of information, requiring less computing time than phenomenological modeling. The main objective of this work was to develop empírica! models based on ANNs and chemometrics able to relate input and output variables of the FCC process, using data from a pilot and from an industrial plant. Experimental data were obtained from the Petrobras FCC pilot plant located in São Mateus do Sul, Paraná, and from the Petrobras Landulpho Alves Refinery FCC industrial plant located in São Francisco do Conde, Bahia. The principal component analysis (PCA) teclmique was initially used to preprocess the data. Artificial neural networu were then employed with the following supervising training algorithms: BroydenFletcher-Godfarb-Shanno (BFGS), Scaled Conjugated Gradient (SCG) and LevenbergMarquardt (LM). Methods devised to increase the artificial network prediction power were also used. Good resulta were obtained for the pilot and industrial plant with the LM algorithm, using Bayesian regularization, with the model that uses the scores produced by the PCA as inputs (also with LM using regularization). The developed empirical models may be used to optimize FCC risers, for they showed excellent prediction capacity.


We show that the dependence of ferroelectric polarization on the electric field in PVDF can be determined either using the constant current or a modified Sawyer-Tower technique. Measurements with and without polarization switching were performed and prior to each one the sample was short-circuited for several hours. The results compare very well and the small difference was attributed to the existence of a delayed polarization which is not accounted for in the calculation.


[Smart Application: Android Based Tajweed Rules]. Information technology is now growing, the need for quality information is needed. The development of technology has a lot to influence the order of life or a certain rule and system that can be utilized in various fields, one of which is in the field of education. The system, which is summarized into an e-Learning concept, has an effect on the transformation of education into digital form both in content and systems. UNIS Tangerang has a faculty called the Science of Religion. One of the important subjects is understanding the use of recitation in the Koran. By using an applicative method, this research was built with the aim of making it easier for students to understand each tajwid science they learn because it explains one by one from the knowledge of tajwid, and also this method makes it easier for lecturers to transfer knowledge to students. With an interactive learning model, it is proven that the results are maximally measured by the passing scores of students in this course up to 70%.


Abstract The disruptions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic impacted the delivery and utilization of healthcare services with potential long‐term implications for population health and the hospital workforce. Using electronic health record data from over 700 US acute care hospitals, we documented changes in admissions to hospital service areas (inpatient, observation, emergency room [ER], and same‐day surgery) during 2019−2020 and examined whether surges of COVID‐19 hospitalizations corresponded with increased inpatient disease severity and death rate. We found that in 2020, hospitalizations declined by 50% in April, with greatest declines occurring in same‐day surgery (−73%). The youngest patients (0−17) experienced largest declines in ER, observation, and same‐day surgery admissions; inpatient admissions declined the most among the oldest patients (65+). Infectious disease admissions increased by 52%. The monthly measures of inpatient case mix index, length of stay, and non‐COVID death rate were higher in all months in 2020 compared with respective months in 2019.


The stripping of ammonia from aqueous solutions in the presence of carbon dioxide in the low concentration region is studied experimentally and theoretically. The phase equilibria method of Edwards et al . (1978) is selected by comparison of different methods with newer experimental data. The differential two adjacent films model enabling component fluxes calculations is used in a stripper model. In the experimental part the systems NH 3 –water–air and CO 2 –water–air are used in order to select the best physical mass transfer coefficients correlations. The system NH 3 –CO 2 –water-air modified with strong acids or bases is used for experimental verification of the process model in a wide range of process variables. Model predictions in conditions of negative enhancement of mass transfer are presented. The influence of this effect on ammonia stripping efficiency in the presence of carbon dioxide is analysed.


Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, two stable phases were found for several graphene oxide (GO) crystals with linearly aligned epoxy groups. Upon electron injection, they exhibit two-way actuation behavior. This two-way actuation is named by the observations that one piece of monolayer GO crystal is able to expand or contract upon electron injection, namely, contraction of the stable phase, and expansion of the meta-stable phase. The obtained maximum in-plane strains are as high as 8% and −5%. Such large deformation in opposite directions obtained from a single piece GO material offers unique opportunities in designing highly tunable and integrated actuators for microelectromechanical or nanoelectromechanical systems.


A compact 210GHz harmonic oscillator is presented. By utilizing a device-centric bottom-up design methodology as well as the return-path gap coupler and self-feeding structure, the harmonic power generation is optimized. Fabricated with a 130nm SiGe BiCMOS process, the oscillator core occupies only 290×95 μm2 area. It achieves a 1.4dBm peak output power and 2.4% peak DC-to-RF efficiency. The output frequency can be tuned from 197.5GHz to 219.7GHz. The phase noise is measured to be -87.5dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset.


Farmers markets, roadside stands, and other direct-to-consumer (DTC) outlets can be an important sales channel for small farmers. However, it is unclear what, if any, impact shopping at DTC outlets has on consumer food-purchase behavior. This study uses the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey to investigate the relationship between buying fruits and vegetables at DTC outlets and spending on these food groups by U.S. households. While American households are found to patronize DTC outlets infrequently, on average, study results show that encouraging them to do so more frequently could lead to higher levels of fruit and vegetable spending across all outlets types—including both DTC and non-direct retailers.


With the development of mobile communication,the knowledge service of digital library is implemented on mobile terminals,but the existing digital libraries lack of capacity to aware the context such as reader's environment and scenario,so can not offer personalization knowledge recommendation service,which also adapt to the current context and the reader.So a method to measure reader's context sensitivity based on entropy was proposed,and the measure was used to compare two different users based on what the collaborative filtering can be improved.The experiment results show that the improved algorithm can offer mobile digital library a new approach to increase the knowledge recommendation accuracy and its context-aware ability,then provide reader personalized knowledge resource which also adapt to his current context.


AbstractConcrete spalling in prefabricated shield tunnels is a well-recognized issue in underground engineering that impacts the performance and reliability of a tunnel. This paper presents a novel...


In airborne or model data, clouds are often defined using information about Liquid Water Content (LWC). Unfortunately LWC is not enough to retrieve information about the dynamical boundary of the cloud, i


The fixed point results for generalized Pre\v{s}i\'c type mappings in the setup of $b$-metric spaces are obtained. The stability of fixed point set of Pre\v{s}i\'c type mappings is also established. Several examples are also presented to illustrate the validity of the main results.


High-end cabinet making is traditionally an artisan process that utilizes few manufacturing principles. Manufacturing lead time, labor hours required, and productivity can be improved by industrializing the process. This paper focuses on a case study of a high-end cabinet manufacturer in Edmonton AB, Canada and the proposed process and facility improvements. First, computer simulation using Simphony.NET and movement analysis of people/materials of the cabinet manufacturer's current state of operations is conducted to establish a baseline. Next, suggested process and facility layout improvements and their anticipated results are quantified through future state simulation in order to aid management in making decisions for plant changes and to prove their effectiveness. These improvements include: application of lean principles, modification of their current production methods to reduce bottlenecks, and future state facility layout based on an optimized flow of people and materials.


A honeycomb structural body comprising a ceramic block having a flat shape in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, wherein a plurality of units of the honeycomb are joined together through a sealing material layer, said units being honeycomb consist mainly of porous ceramic and including a large number of through holes placed in parallel with one another in the longitudinal direction with a partition wall interposed therebetween; and a layer of sealing material formed in a peripheral portion thereof, wherein said sealing material layer among the units honeycomb and said sealing material layer on the peripheral portion both comprise silicon carbide, and the sealing material layer between units honeycomb said cross section has a pattern which is formed in a diagonal direction with respect to the major axis of the shape forming the contour of said cross section.


This paper proposes a novel particle filtering strategy by combining population Monte Carlo Markov chain methods with sequential Monte Carlo chain particle which we call evolving population Monte Carlo Markov Cham (EP MCMC) filtering. Iterative convergence on groups of particles (populations) is obtained using a specified kernel moving particles toward more likely regions. The proposed technique introduces variety in the particles both in the sampling procedure and in the resampling step. The proposed EP MCMC filter is compared with the generic particle filter, with a population MCMC by A. Jastra et al (2007) and a sequential Monte Carlo sampler. Its effectiveness is illustrated over an example for object tracking in video sequences and over the bearing only tracking problem.


In this paper, a new method is put forward to tune the parameters of an HVDC small signal modulation controller. First, small signal stability of an AC/DC power system is analyzed using the test signal method. Then the frequency of the test signal is scanned at the HVDC rectifier current set point, and the oscillated active power flow in the parallel AC tie line is obtained. Thus, the open-loop transfer function between the current reference signal of the HVDC constant current regulator and the active power flow in the parallel AC inter-tie is identified by Fourier decomposition and curve fitting with time domain simulations using electromechanical transient programs. Finally, parameters of the HVDC small signal modulator are tuned based on the root locus method of the classical control theory. Simulation results show that the proposed parameter tuning method is effective and convenient, and it can be used in a practical large AC/DC power system.


The article focuses on the problem of school-family partnership in the process of multicultural education in the USA. The goals and the content of multicultural education are investigated. The author shows the ways and methods used in American schools to involve parents in multicultural education.


Photochemical and photophysical properties of fullerene dendrimers, in which the fullerene-moiety was connected via an acetylene bond with benzyl-ether type dendrons from the second to fourth generation, have been investigated by time-resolved fluorescence and time-resolved absorption methods, in addition to steady-state spectra. The photophysical properties of the dendrimers such as lifetimes of the singlet and triplet excited states were essentially the same, regardless of the dendrimer generation. However, the rate constants of intermolecular processes such as triplet−triplet annihilation, triplet energy transfer, and electron transfer via the triplet states decreased with the increase in dendrimer generation. The relation between the free energy changes and the quenching rate constants revealed long-range electron transfer processes due to steric hindrance of the dendron groups. Furthermore, it was revealed that the solvation of radical ion pairs is also affected by size of the dendron groups. Back el...


We report the fabrication of efficient green light-emitting diodes using a side-chain polymer based on a high-electron affinity (EA) naphtalimide moiety (PNI). The chromophore is attached to a polymethacrylate backbone through a spacer, and emits in the green with high efficiency. In single-layer light-emitting diodes (LEDs), we find that the electroluminescence (EL) efficiency is not limited by Al cathodes as for poly(p-phenylene-vinylene), PPV, and we attribute this to the increased EA. We report maximum internal efficiencies of about 1.7 percent for Ca and 0.9 percent for Al in double-layer devices where PPV serves as both Hole-injector and emitter. Compared to some oxadiazole based electron injection/transport layer, PNI gives higher efficiencies at high currents, and longer lifetimes. Tuning of emission in the red is possible by dye-doping the PNI and causing the emission to happen in this layer. We discuss the properties of the different device configurations with a view to the electronic structure of the materials and in particular to the influence of the thickness of the individual layers on efficiency and driving conditions.


We report the first measurements of the interaction of non-equilibrium phonons with two-dimensional exciton gases (2DExGs). The rise in the effective temperature of the 2DExG produced by the phonons depends on the width of the quantum well and the exciton sheet density and hence on the ratio τ−1 (ex-ph)/τ−1 (ex-ex). The dependence of the effective temperature rise on this ratio is attributed to the non-equilibrium frequency distribution of the phonons incident on the 2DExG.


A novel feedback circuit for use in a DC-to-DC converter accurately adjusts the pulse width of the control pulses to a pair of switching transistors to minimize current imbalance. The switching transistors generate current pulses in the primary windings of a center tapped transformer. The feedback path senses the current pulses in the primary circuit of the transformer. A filter in the feedback path has a bandwidth centered at about the frequency of any current imbalance. The high gain, closed loop feedback path changes the slope of alternate linear ramp voltage pulses, and hence varies the pulse width of the pulses presented to the control terminals of the switching transistors.


Tuberculosis (TB) poses a specific threat to certain communities, such as Islamic boarding schools "(Pesantren)". These Islamic boarding students, called "santri", are vulnerable to contracting TB because their schools are overcrowded and have poor ventilation. A cross-sectional study was conducted using six Islamic boarding schools in Garut, West Java, to assess the determinants of TB-preventive behavior among boarding students. Using two-stage cluster sampling, 500 students were selected to be interviewed using a pretested questionnaire. Associations between gender, education level, knowledge about TB, attitudes towards TB, and TB-preventive behavior were analyzed using a chi-squared test. A total of 58.4% students practice a limited amount of TB-preventive behavior. A significant percentage of students (54.6%) have a good amount of knowledge about TB, and 57.6% of students have a negative attitude towards TB. A total of 51.4% students are male, and 89.8% of students have a low education level. There are statistically significant associations between gender and TB-preventive behavior (p = 0.000), as well as between education level and TB-preventive behavior (p = 0.012). Female students practice TB-preventive behavior approximately twice as much as male students, and students who are highly educated practice TB-preventive behavior approximately twice as much as those with limited education.


Introduction: dGEMRIC is a non-invasive technique that reflects cartilage GAG content. The negatively charged contrast medium (Gd-DTPA) is injected intravenously and distributes in the cartilage by diffusion in an inverse relationship to the cartilage GAG content (1). A high GAG content results in a low Gd-DTPA concentration in the cartilage and, consequently, a long T1 relaxation time. It is well known that an ACL deficient knee is at risk for future osteoarthritis (OA) but the underlying mechanisms are not understood (2). Several studies have shown increased levels of GAG and proteoglycan fragments in joint fluid during the first weeks after an ACL injury (3). However, it has remained unclear whether that reflects a net loss of GAG from the cartilage or only represents an increased metabolic activity with a preserved tissue homeostasis. Numerous MRI studies have shown that an ACL injury is associated with a subchondral bone bruise in the lateral femoral condyle, although future OA most commonly occurs in the medial femoral compartment (4). This study combines intraarticular GAG analysis, using dGEMRIC, with synovial fluid (SF) GAG analysis in order to increase the knowledge on early cartilage damage following an ACL-injury. Patients and methods Twenty-four patients (mean age 27, range 17-40) with an MRI verified acute anterior cruciate ligament rupture in a previously uninjured knee and 24 age and exercise matched healthy volunteers were included in the study. A routine diagnostic MRI as well as dGEMRIC was performed 25 weeks after the injury (mean 3 weeks). At the day for the MRI, the joint was aspirated and the joint fluid GAG content was examined by dye-precipitation of chondrotinand keratansulphate with Alcian blue according to Björnsson (5). A 1.5 T system with a dedicated knee coil was used for the MR examinations. Initially, a routine diagnostic series was performed to verify the ACL rupture and to diagnose concomitant subchondral bone bruises. After the diagnostic series, the contrast medium, Gd-DTPA (Magnevist) was injected intravenously at the triple dose, 0.3 mmol/kg body weight. Two hours post-contrast, quantitative T1 relaxation time calculations were made in 3 mm thick sagittal slices using sets of six turbo inversion recovery images with different inversion times. TR=2000 ms, TE=15 ms, turbofactor 11, FoV 120 x 120 mm, matrix=256 x 256, TI=, 50-2800. One slice was positioned in the central lateral femoral condyle and one slice in the medial femoral condyle according to our previous protocol (6). In the slices, T1 was calculated in regions of interest covering the full cartilage thickness, from the center of the tibial plateau to the rear insertion of the meniscus (weight-bearing area).T-test and regression analyses were used for the statistical evaluation. Results MRI revealed subchondral bone-bruises in all patients except one, most frequently involving the lateral compartment (22/24). Post-contrast T1: T1 relaxation time was shorter in the ACL injured patients compared with the healthy volunteers, both in the lateral (14%) and the medial (12 %) femoral cartilage, p=0.002 and p=0.004, respectively (Figure 1). There was no difference between compartments in the ACL group, whereas the healthy volunteers had higher T1 laterally than medially (Figure 1). SF aggrecan concentration: The mean aggrecan fragment concentration in SF was 157±86 μg/ml (mean±SD). There was a positive correlation between T1 and SF aggrecan concentration, R=0,49, p=0,02 (Figure 2). No correlation was found between T1 and age (R=0.12, p=0.57) or BMI (R=0.15, p=0.50). Neither was there a correlation between T1 and the amount of SF (R=0.25, p=0.25) or time from injury. (R=-0.18, p=0.41). Discussion This study provides the first evidence that an ACL injury results in a global GAG loss from the knee cartilage within the first weeks after trauma. This is supported by a more than ten percent shorter T1 in both medial and lateral femoral cartilage compared with healthy volunteers. The vast majority of patients had a bone bruise involving the lateral compartment. However, despite this impact to the lateral femoral compartment, the decrease in T1 was highly significant also in the medial femoral cartilage (Figure 1). From these results, we hypothesize that the GAG loss that occurs after an ACL injury does not solely originate from the areas of cartilage impact, but is the result of a generalized degradative enzymatic activity within the joint that could not be fully compensated for by increased synthesis. No correlation was found between the amount of SF and T1. This indicates that the various degree of post traumatic synovial inflammation that was present at the time for MRI has not influenced the results. In the present study we observed a positive correlation between SF proteoglycan content and T1. This indicates that the amount of GAG that is released to the joint fluid after an ACL injury depends on the total cartilage GAG content. This information may be important for the evaluation of biomarkers, such as aggrecan, in joint fluid. Follow-up of these patients will provide information about longitudinal compositional matrix changes that may predict future OA development.


GLOBALIZATION No previous age has been so much oversaturated by magic words and mantras as our present day. Aggressive expressions are all around us, occupying our thoughts, triggering usage of them irrespective of professions. The term globalization has been with us for decades. In the mid 1960s, globalization simply meant that our everyday lives reached across the borders. Nevertheless, globalization originates from a simple human aspiration (or instinct if you like) to help each other, work together irrespective of borders, nations, religions, or languages. Scientific discoveries, especially medical or surgical innovations well represent this idea. Experience gained during medical treatment has been made public for many centuries. According to my knowledge, the first printed medical book was published in the second half of the 15th century, Vesalius's book on anatomy was published in 1543, while the First Book on the Art of Surgery by A. Paré in 1545. The era of "modern" surgery started approximately one and a half centuries ago, when painless operation became feasible. The first surgery in narcosis was done on October 16, 1846 in the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The ether narcosis was carried out by William Thomas Green Morton (1819–1868). The "Medical and Surgical Journal" announced the fact in an article by Henry Bigelow in the November 16th issue. The news of the discovery swept across Europe at a tremendous speed and infiltrated the operating theaters of London, Edinburgh, Heidelberg, Paris, and Vienna, the capitals of surgery. It happened in an age when the fastest communication between America and Europe, the liner HMS (Her Majesty's Ship) Voyage took at least 10 days to sail across the ocean. The Transatlantic Telegraph Cable—opened in 1866—shortened communication to minutes. Robert Liston, a British surgeon performed his first operation under anesthesia on December 21, 1846 in London. Only six weeks later on February 10, 1847 the famous Hungarian surgeon, János Balassa also started to perform his operations in anesthesia. In 1846 the November 16th issue of the "Medical and Surgical Journal" brought news heralding the beginning of a new age across borders. Surprisingly, according to the database Index Medicus in 1886, 200 medical periodicals were already published. Today there are over 4700 internationally acclaimed medical papers of which 189 are surgical journals.