T he genomics revolution is just starting. In the notso-distant future, accessing a patient's full exome or genome will likely be routine. Last year, Genomics England finished sequencing 100,000 individual genomes, mainly from National Health Service (NHS) patients with a rare disease or cancer. Next up for the NHS: sequencing 1 million genomes over the next five years. Other large-scale sequencing projects are underway elsewhere. Years ago, HLA matching for stem cell and solid organ transplantation shifted from antibody-based testing to DNAbased testing. Investigators found that HLA antigens that type identically by serology may vary when typed using higher-resolution methods, such as DNA sequencing. We now appreciate that minor HLA antigenic differences can have major clinical consequences. For example, a renal transplant patient might accept a donor kidney carrying a serologically defined HLA "A4" antigen but might reject a different donor kidney carrying a subtly different "A4" antigen. Chou and colleagues made analogous observations about Rh antigens in a study of chronically transfused patients with sickle cell disease. Several patients formed Rh alloantibodies despite being transfused with red blood cell (RBC) units that were phenotypically matched for D, C, and E antigens. Genotyping revealed that many of the sensitized individuals carried variant RH alleles. Thus, the patients' immune systems saw seemingly matched RBC antigens as foreign, triggering antibody formation. RBC genotyping will probably not eliminate the need for pretransfusion serologic testing, but the importance of genotyping in transfusion medicine will continue to grow. The sheer volume of genomic data will keep growing, too. Researchers have already identified more than 500 different RHD alleles, and more are surely on the way. How to manage all of the incoming DNA data plus accompanying data on clinical significance presents a challenge for journals such as this one. Dr. Connie Westhoff, a longtime Associate Editor at TRANSFUSION, developed a one-page format for researchers to submit reports of newly discovered alleles encoding RBC antigens. These reports contain valuable information, but they are not a great fit for a printed monthly journal. Considered as an isolated research paper in a magazine, a report of a newly discovered A-to-T base substitution in the glycophorin B gene may not generate tremendous interest. That same report, however, becomes far more valuable when viewed in its proper context: contributing to the totality of knowledge about the MNS system. I think that data on new blood group alleles is most useful in electronic form, so that individual reports of alleles can be sensibly grouped and studied in the aggregate. As a first step, beginning this month, TRANSFUSION will publish one-page reports of new alleles online only— these will no longer appear in the print edition of the journal. (Authors: fear not. These reports will be assigned "e" page numbers in TRANSFUSION issues online to allow citation; the reports will be downloadable as pdfs; and authorship/academic credit will be given as always.) In the future, it will be ideal to link all reports of antigens and alleles published in TRANSFUSION and other journals to an open-access, searchable online database encompassing the entirety of transfusion medicine genomics. Such a database does not yet exist, but groups such as the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) are working on it. Stay tuned!


The growing reliance on Cyber technology for Smart Grid and other Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) applications increases high assurance challenges. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a critical part of smart grid and failure to address security risks in it might disrupt utilities in their mission to deliver power reliably. The objective of this paper is to find mitigation actions for attacks that might be launched against AMI. The paper introduces a tool called SecAMI that calculates the relationship between the speed at which an attack spreads, the speed at which it can be detected, and the consequences on the availability of the AMI. The results from SecAMI can be used as a performance metric to significantly improve the development and the deployment of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) in an AMI environment. Experimental results with an IDS called Amilyzer show that centralized IDS might not work efficiently in scalable systems comparing with distributed IDS in term of detection time, especially with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack or remote disconnects on the AMI.


Objective To observe the clinical effect of the infrapatellar fat pad stain treated by futalin cream with small activating collaterals dan.Methods 120 patients with infra-patellar fat pad stain were divided into two groups,60 cases in treatment group were treated by voltaren cream with small activating collaterals dan,1 time/day,10 times as one course of treatment,continuous treatment for 1 to 2 course of treatment;60 cases in control group were given partial closed treatment of triamcinolone acetonide injection and lidocaine injection,1 time/day,4 times as one course of treatment,continuous treatment for 1 to 2 course of treatment.Results The cure rate and total efficiency of the treatment group was 51.7%,95.0% respectively,the cure rate and total efficiency of the control group was 36.7%,85.0% respectively.The clinical effect of the treatment group was better than control group,with statistics significance ( P 0.05).Conclusion The treatment of futalin cream with small activating collaterals dan on the infra-patellar fat pad stain has significant effect and can improve the clinical symptoms effectively.


With the reduction of the working day increasing attention has been focused on the use of leisure time. This article points to the major activities which will occupy people's free time in the communist society of the future. ["Free Time Under Communism—Answers to Questions," Voprosy Filosofii, 1960, No. 5—abridged.]


2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) is a commonly used cosolvent in experimental studies of peptides and proteins. Although concentration-dependent TFE effects have been well studied experimentally, the exact mechanism by which TFE affects the solubility and stability of peptides is still unclear. Here we report molecular dynamics simulations of TFE/water mixtures of different composition in an attempt to improve our atomic level understanding of the properties of TFE/water mixtures. The trends in most properties—densities, diffusion constants, dielectric constants, and enthalpies of mixing—were well reproduced, although quantitative agreement with experiment was poor. Other thermodynamic properties of the solutions—partial molar volumes, derivatives of activity coefficients, and isothermal compressibilities—were also determined using the Kirkwood–Buff theory of mixtures. The Kirkwood–Buff analysis indicated significant aggregation of TFE molecules in the mixtures, especially at low mole fractions, in agreement ...


NiO doped nano composite solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) composed of PVDF-HFP (poly (vinylidene Fluoride hexafluoropropylene)): Mg(ClO4)2 with different weight concentration of NiO nanofillers synthesized by solution cast technique. NiO incorporated nano composite polymer electrolytes are characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy to find direct and indirect band gaps. The thermal stability and structural changes of the nano composite polymer electrolytes is studied by DSC and noticed that PSN12 sample having optimum change. The changes in band gap values maybe due to greater number of Ni and Mg atoms from NiO and Mg(ClO4)2 salt are coordinating by donating electrons to F atom of the PVDF-HFP polymer. From the optical absorption measurements, the found values direct and indirect band gap was low, and these values are 3.8252 eV and 1.6885 eV respectively for the polymer electrolyte sample PSN12 where weight ratio of NiO is12% nanofiller incorporated PVDF-HFP: Mg(ClO4)2 polymer electrolyte.


diet. . h Chtld ' The child had flrst been admitted to tel イ セ ョ s Hospital when he was four years of age and 。 セ that ttrne advice had been sought for him イ ・ ァ セ イ 、 ゥ ョ ァ セ エ ャ ヲ ヲ ョ ・ ウ ウ セ ョ 、 pain in the neck, then of two months duration. A 、セ。ァᆳ nosis of tuberculouscariesof the third and ヲ ッ オ イ エ セ 」 ・ イ カ ャ 」 セ ャ vertebroo had been made by means of radIOgraphIc examination. . The boy had been fltted with a plaster jacket and dIScharged from hospital; he had 」 ッ ョ エ ゥ ョ オ ・ セ to. キ・セイ the jacket for nine months. At the end of this tlm.e It had been removed and the patient appearedto have Improved to a very gratifying degree. . When five and a half years of age the boy had agam become an in-patient in the surgical ward ?n 。 」 」 ッ オ ョ セ of osteo-myelitisaffecting the right fibula. Radical operation. consistingof the removal of the entire shaft of the fibula had been carried out and the child had been discharged after a stav of six months in hospital. Six months later he had returned and it had then been apparent that a retro-pharyngealabscesshad developed, Swelling had been present at the angles of the Jaw on both sides of the neck and the lymphatic glands of the superior deep cervical group had been セ ョ ャ 。 イ ァ ・ 、 .an?.suppurating. Freedrainagehad beenestablIshedby mCI.slOns, but the glands had remained enlarged, firm and. slIghtly tender. The boy had been dischargedfrom hospital after flve weeks' treatment. Six monthselapsedand it had become ョ ・ 」 ・ セ ウ セ イ ケ to ta,ke the boy into hospital again as he was eomplainingof stlffnessin the neck and a swelling had appearedon the left side On this occasion reliance had been placed on the rest' afforded by a double anterior Thomas's splint and the beneficial effects to be anticipated from heliotherapy, fresh air and nourishing food. The child's present condition was that the sinuses in the neck had ceased to discharge and he was now able to move the cervical vertebrre freely in all directions.


A universal approach to spin-wave logic gates is presented. The feasibility of a spin-wave based NOT gate has been demonstrated experimentally. We propose to use a Mach–Zender-type current-controlled interferometer based on spin-wave propagation in a ferromagnetic film to construct logical gates. We investigate the performance of the main element of such interferometric logical gates—the controlled phase shifter implemented as a spin-wave device.


PURPOSE
To quantify the foveal avascular zone and the whole, parafoveal, and foveal vessel density of superficial and deep capillary plexus in amblyopic eyes and age-matched controls and to compare the measurements.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study involved 49 eyes from 17 patients with amblyopia and 21 healthy children (aged 6 to 16 years). Optical coherence tomography angiography was performed for all participants and superficial capillary plexus, deep capillary plexus, and foveal avascular zone were evaluated. Data from amblyopic eyes, fellow eyes with unilateral amblyopia, and control eyes were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS
The mean patient age was 8.6 ± 2.5 years in the amblyopia group and 9.6 ± 2.9 years in the control group. The mean foveal avascular zone measurements were 0.251 ± 0.1 mm2 in the amblyopia group and 0.291 ± 0.1 mm2 in the control group. The whole, foveal, and parafoveal vessel densities of superficial capillary plexus were 48.8% ± 3.7%, 23.8% ± 8.8%, and 50.9% ± 4.6% in the amblyopia group and 48.4% ± 2.5%, 19.3% ± 5.4%, and 51.3% ± 2.7% in the control group. The whole, foveal, and parafoveal vessel densities of deep capillary plexus were 51.8% ± 4.3%, 37.6% ± 5.8%, and 54.8% ± 4.2% in the amblyopia group and 54.4% ± 3.2%, 34.9% ± 7.4%, and 56.8% ± 3.2% in the control group. No statistically significant difference was detected in all measurements.

CONCLUSIONS
Assessment of the foveal avascular zone and vessel density of superficial capillary plexus and deep capillary plexus with optical coherence tomography angiography revealed no difference between amblyopic eyes, controls, and fellow eyes of patients with unilateral amblyopia. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2019;56(1):55-59.].


Forestland is an important natural and strategic resource in national scale,and the important basis for the construction of ecological civilization.they face many new challenges of climatic change,transition of economic strategy and construction of ecological civilization.And even there are many problems in protection,utilization and management of forestland,for example,executive effects of the policies need to improve,format of design and constitution for the policies are single,examination and approval of the policies need to be perfect.To solve these problems,it needs to perfect the relevant policies and measures about innovation mechanism,division implementation,examination and approval procedures and economic adjustment for the protection,utilization and management of forestland.


The development of learning in the 21st century, requires students to have the competency that can support in the development of the times. competency is one of them is the ability to think critically. Students must have this competency in order to solve problems faced such as environmental pollution problems. The problem of environmental pollution is one part of biology, by collaborating SQ3R model that has advantages for cooperation between students and students enggagment. is expected to contribute greatly to students able to solve problems. Quasi Research This experiment uses two way anova design (2x2 factorial). This research was conducted at SMA Negeri 1 Tambun Utara in May-June 2017. The result data showed normal and homogeneous values (p> 0.05) with 140 samples. Result of research using two way anova test got data that p value = 0.000, mean p <0.05 (reject H0). The conclusion is that (1) there is influence of SQ3R model to learning outcomes, (2) there is influence of critical thinking to learning result, and (3) there is interaction between SQ3R and critical thinking to result of learning.


We demonstrate that a marginally unstable energetic particle population in a dissipative plasma can change globally due to the act of a single wave–particle resonance. The resonance serves as a seed for the continuous production of nonlinear holes and clumps, whose convective motion in phase-space results in substantial flattening of the fast particle distribution function. The holes and clumps can emerge recurrently without any particle source or collisional relaxation process that would restore the particle distribution function at the resonance. A bump-on-tail instability is considered as an example in a single-mode limit as well as in the quasilinear regime. The convective hole-clump transport tends to be more significant near the instability threshold than quasilinear diffusion.


The sera of guinea pigs that had been immunized with tubercle bacilli and had been challenged by intracardiac injection of OT 4 hr before death were effective in transferring cutaneous hypersensitivity to neutral recipient guinea pigs. The mediator was a γG2-immunoglobulin. The lesions that developed in recipients after intradermal injection of OT were considered to be the result of an antigen-antibody interaction of an Arthus or of cutaneous anaphylaxis type, rather than those of delyed hypersensitivity. The conclusion was based on the following observations: peak reactions occurred between 12 and 18 hr after skin testing; the histology was not characteristic of delayed hypersensitivity; positive transfers by serum factors could not be accomplished when delayed hypersensitivity to DNP-BGG was produced in donors; and PPD was incapable of eliciting a positive skin response in recipient guinea pigs that yielded positive test with OT.


Retrograde hepatectomy is a new technique according with principle of oncological surgery.It can reduce liver damage and iatrogenic carcinoma diffusion caused by blocking-up the liver blood flow and rotating the liver.There is less estimated intraoperative blood loss and lower rates of surgery complications.Consequently,retrograde hepatectomy results in quicker recovery of the patients.However,retrograde hepatectomy requires excellent knowledge of the liver anatomy and a great expertise in liver as well as vascular surgery.It can be concluded that retrograde hepatectomy is an alternative method to classical hepatectomy and suitable for resection of tumors that are difficult to remove by the classical hepatectomy.


The main results of the enterprises activities of the domestic oil and fat industry in 2020—2021 are shown in the articles. The profitability indicators of the production of oil crops of agricultural enterprises and farms of Ukraine by regions in 2020, the sown area under soybeans and sunflowers by regions of Ukraine for the 2021 harvest are studied, as well as the export of oilseeds in 2020/2021 compared to the 2019/2020 marketing year. It was emphasized that oilseed crops in Ukraine are traditionally the most profitable of all plant products, which is due to their high liquidity and demand from both exporters and the processing sector. export of vegetable oil and protein grist from Ukraine during the specified period was investigated, and the main reasons for changes were determined. The production of oil and fat products in Ukraine in 2020—2021 was analyzed, the the supply/demand balances of sunflower seeds and vegetable oil, the main trends in the functioning of the relevant market were determined and the priorities of future development were substantiated. The price policy of industry enterprises and the reasons for the increase in the price of oil were studied. The processsing capacities of the main types of oil crops, oil and deep processing products were evaluated, and the leaders of the respective markets were determined. It was emphasized that the further market development of oil and oil-fat products of Ukraine will take place in the direction of improving the quality of manufactured products in terms of their safety and expanding exports. This is due to the further application of international standards at the enterprises of the industry and their timely reaction to changes in the regulatory and legal framework. New changes in FSSC 22000 scheme (version 5.1) are highlighted.


Basic concepts general models and tools for analysis nonlinear models in economic theory particular nonlinear multivariate models long memory models linearity testing building nonlinear models forecasting, aggression and non-symmetry applications strategies for nonlinear modelling.


Category: Hindfoot Introduction/Purpose: Lateral column lengthening is a powerful procedure utilized to correct the associated abduction deformity in stage II flatfoot deformity; however, prior studies have shown complications of nonunion, graft collapse, and lateral column overload with the Evans osteotomy. The Stepcut Lengthening Calcaneal Osteotomy (SLCO) is a z-lengthening calcaneal osteotomy that can correct midfoot abduction while providing inherent stability by creating a large surface area for bony healing. The goal of our study was to compare outcomes in patients undergoing a SLCO versus an Evans osteotomy. It is our hypothesis that patients following a SLCO would have a decreased incidence of nonunion and lateral overload of the foot, and similar improvement in clinical outcome scores. Methods: All consecutive patients from 2006 to 2013 undergoing stage IIB flatfoot reconstruction from our institution's Foot & Ankle Registry were identified and included. There were 65 Evans & 79 Stepcut patients with a minimum of two year followup. All patients undergoing flatfoot reconstruction were included regardless of associated procedures which were not significantly different between the groups (Table 1). Deformity correction was assessed using preoperative and postoperative weightbearing radiographs. Healing of the osteotomy was assessed by computed tomography (CT). Clinical outcomes were assessed by the Foot and Ankle Outcomes Score (FAOS) survey which has been validated for flatfoot. Rate of return to the OR was also assessed. Differences in continuous variables between groups were assessed with independent samples t-tests, or Mann-Whitney U tests when non-normally distributed. Differences in categorical variables between groups were assessed with chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests. An alpha level of 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results: The Evans group had a 0.9 mm larger graft size (p < 0.001) than the SLCO Group (Table 2). The SLCO group had greater improvement in talonavicular coverage angle (p < 0.001) and talonavicular incongruency angle (p = 0.023) than the Evans group. The Evans group returned more often for additional surgeries (p = 0.030). While there was improvement in mean FAOS scores in both groups for all subscales, only the mean FAOS score for sports activities (p = 0.012) was statistically better in the SLCO group. Rate of nonunion was not statistically significant (p = 0.086) between groups. There was no occurrence of loss of correction or lack of healing of the main (horizontal) arm of the osteotomy site in the SLCO group. Conclusion: Patients who underwent the SLCO for stage IIb adult-acquired flatfoot deformity demonstrated excellent healing, good correction of deformity, utilized a smaller graft size for correction, and less frequently needed to have a second operation on the involved foot. Additionally when compared to the Evans osteotomy, the SLCO group had comparable improvements in FAOS scores; thus making the SLCO a reasonable alternative for lateral column lengthening


surgical sepaattion impracticable. The phlotograpli repr-esents tlienii at the age of 18, aind tle3 sllowmani speaks of their " lhealth ltand beautt.': They are initelligenit, godt. musicians, cani play the saixohlIone a1d otlhiei illstrieinilCets, anid tiey have aequirel a comfortable fortune. A repjort more lacoic anid quaint would be difficuilt to conceive. Dr. James Rootli has furnished ani excellenit accounit of theo dlelivers' and( infancy of tlh Briglhtoni twiiis in tlheBritish .Mc(lical, Journa.l11S, 1911, ii, 653. Apa.rt fromii the maniy (disnagr eables incid'ental to suchl unions, tlher-e is tlhis; dlotmiinatinig question: WIhat will happen if onte twini dies before tlie otlher? ILazaruis-Johaines Baptista C'olloredib was born in Genoa, in 1617. Eachl clhild was christteled separately, aud when


s to the searched topic/hypothesis. Use of the search terms levothyroxine or thyroid hormone replacement therapy narrowed the list to 10 articles. These 10 articles are included in this review. Primary studies, randomized control studies, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, retrospective and prospective studies, and case-control studies containing current data with research conducted within or outside the United States of America were included. Nonhuman studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and journal articles older than the year 2008 were excluded. The study population included young to middle-aged women/premenopausal women. Evidence tables, graphs, timelines, descriptions of what characteristics improved over time, methods, results, and discussion were used to assess the quality of a study. In several studies included in this review, a few mathematical models were used to assess insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance was determined using the indices homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and/or homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-B). HOMA-IR was calculated using the following formula: fasting glucose (mmol/L) × fasting insulin (μIU/mL) ÷ 22.5; HOMA-B was calculated by the following formula: 20 × fasting insulin (μIU/mL) ÷ [fasting glucose (mmol/L) – 3.5].11 Insulin sensitivity was assessed using the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUCKI) and/or the insulin sensitivity index (ISI). QUICKI was calculated using the following formula: 1 ÷ [log fasting insulin (μIU/mL) + log fasting glucose (mg/dL)]; ISI was calculated as follows: 10,000 ÷ √[fasting glucose (mg/dL) × insulin (μIU/mL)].11 RESULTS Thyroid Dysfunction in PCOS Several studies have suggested the relationship between hypothyroidism and PCOS. A cross-sectional study by Sinha et al1 identified an increasing prevalence of various thyroid disorders in patients with PCOS. The study recruited 106 patients identified as having Establishing the Hormonal Relationship Deborah Anuoluwapo Aina MSRJ 2020 VOL: 07. Issue: Spring epub Month 2020; www.msrj.org Medical Student Research Journal 003 excessive hair growth and menstrual abnormalities. Using the Rotterdam's criteria, the researchers were able to diagnose 80 of the patients as having PCOS, out of which 62 presented with oligomenorrhea and 12 presented with amenorrhea. These 80 patients were then compared with age-matched controls without the disease. Initially, many clinical and laboratory parameters were compared between the two groups, including serum levels of LH, FSH, TSH, free testosterone, antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO Ab), and clinical hirsutism (measured by Ferriman–Gallwey score). Elevated anti-TPO Ab and TSH were observed in the PCOS patients, with a statistically significant difference in all parameters measured (P<0.05). To determine the difference in the prevalence of thyroid disorders between the groups, serum TSH, free triiodothyronine (free T3), free thyroxine (free T4), anti-TPO Ab levels, as well as an ultrasound of the thyroid gland were used. Thyroid disorders studied included goiter, SCH, clinical hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), Graves' disease, and multinodular goiter. A goiter was present in 27.5% of PCOS patients and in 7.5% of controls (P<0.05). As measured by serum TSH levels in PCOS patients and controls (4.547±2.66 and 2.67±3.11, respectively; P<0.05), SCH was present in 22.5% of PCOS patients and in 8.75% of controls. AIT was also found in 22.5% of PCOS patients and 1.25% of controls as evidenced by serum anti-TPO Ab levels in PCOS patients compared with controls (28.037±9.138 and 25.72±8.27, respectively; P=0.035). Clinical hypothyroidism was also found in 2.5% of PCOS patients and 1.25% of controls. Similarly, AIT in patients with PCOS was also studied by Novais et al12 In the study, 65 young women (aged 18–40 years old) with PCOS were compared to 65 young women without the disease. The researchers in the study looked at serum levels of TSH, free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, anti-TPO Ab, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG), and thyroid ultrasound findings in both groups. AIT was found in 43.1% of the PCOS patients and 26.2% of the control group. A significant association between AIT and PCOS was not present when the results were adjusted for weight and insulin resistance (odds ratio [OR] 0.78, confidence interval [CI] 0.28–2.16). A statistically significant difference in the prevalence of SCH was found between the two groups, with mean TSH values of 2.9±1.8 mIU/L in the PCOS group and 2.2±1.2 mIU/L in the group without PCOS (P=0.0133). SCH was observed in 16.9% of PCOS patients and 6.2% of the controls (OR 3.10, CI 0.93–10.31). INSULIN AND LIPID DERANGEMENTS Dittrich et al11 also found a relationship between hypothyroidism and PCOS. TSH levels ≥2.5 mIU/L and < 2.5 mIU/L were determined in 103 women defined as having PCOS by the Rotterdam criteria. An oral glucose tolerance test was administered to patients, and glucose and insulin concentrations were determined at 0, 60, and 120 min. In patients with TSH levels ≥2.5 mIU/L, a significantly increased HOMA-IR (3.40±2.99; P=0.007) was observed. In addition, in these patients, a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) between TSH levels and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r=0.387), and between TSH and fasting insulin concentrations (r=0.368), was present compared with PCOS women with TSH levels <2.5 mIU/L. A significantly decreased QUICKI (0.34±2.99; P=0.003) and ISI (5.57±4.31; P=0.005) were also observed in patients with TSH levels ≥2.5 mIU/L. A significant negative correlation (P<0.05) between TSH levels and insulin sensitivity (QUICKI) (r=-0.358) and ISI (r=-0.407) was present in patients with TSH levels ≥2.5 mIU/L compared to patients with TSH levels < 2.5 mIU/L. In PCOS patients with TSH levels < 2.5 mIU/L, HOMA-IR was less (2.04±1.68), and QUICKI and ISI were higher (0.36±0.04 and 8.45±6.83, respectively) than patients with TSH levels ≥2.5 mIU/L; however, no statistically significant correlation was observed between TSH levels and HOMA-IR (r=0.049), QUCKI (r=-0.0.032), and ISI (R=-0.054). A separate study by Celik et al13 analyzed PCOS patients with SCH in relation to insulin resistance and lipid parameters. The study involved three groups: group 1 consisted of 20 women with PCOS and SCH, group 2 consisted of 39 women with PCOS with normal thyroid function, and group 3 consisted of 53 women without PCOS with normal thyroid function. A 75-g, 2-h oral glucose tolerance test was carried out in all participants following 3 days on a carbohydrate-rich diet, and insulin resistance was measured with HOMA-IR. In addition, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride levels were also measured by standard enzymatic techniques. Serum triglycerides levels were 143.26±99.86 mg/dL in group 1, 88.56±37.56 mg/dL in group 2, and 83.71±31.94 mg/dL in group 3 – with statistically significant differences observed between groups 1 and group 2 (P=0.013) and between groups 1 and group 3 (P=0.013). There was no statistically significant difference in glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL between the groups. Fasting insulin levels were 12.45±8.62 μU/mL in group 1, 8.60±5.35 μU/mL in group 2, and 7.04±3.55 μU/mL in group 3. HOMA-IR was Establishing the Hormonal Relationship Deborah Anuoluwapo Aina MSRJ 2020 VOL: 07. Issue: Spring epub Month 2020; www.msrj.org Medical Student Research Journal 004 2.92±2.34 in group 1, 1.95±1.52 in group 2, and 1.60±0.86 in group 3. A statistically significant difference in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR levels was observed between groups 1 and 3 (P=0.011 and P=0.017, respectively). No significant difference was observed in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR levels between groups 1 and 2 (P=0.072 and P=0.077, respectively). Thyroid Volume in PCOS A study by Cakir et al14 evaluated thyroid volume (TV) in 47 patients with PCOS and 30 ageand body mass index (BMI)-matched controls along with various hormonal and biochemical parameters. Serum LH and anti-TPO Ab levels were determined by specific electrochemiluminescence immunoassays, and TV was evaluated using a high-resolution ultrasound machine. The mean TV was 10.13±3.98 mL in PCOS patients and 10.46±4.36 mL in healthy controls (P=0.734). Anti-TPO Ab-positive women were also found to be similar between the two groups (P=0.456). However, a significant positive correlation was present between TV and LH (r=0.316; P=0.007) and TV and anti-TPO Ab (r=0.602; P<0.0001). In the same study, using a multiple linear regression model, TV was also observed to be significantly associated with serum LH levels (P<0.001) and anti-TPO Ab levels (P<0.001). The authors also determined the insulin resistance using the HOMA-IR index, and participants were divided into two groups according to HOMA-IR levels. Although mean TV was higher in the group with higher HOMA-IR levels (>2.7), the difference was not found to be statistically significant. Thyroid Hormone Replacement in PCOS In the study by Trummer et al,4 endocrine and metabolic parameters were studied in 583 women with PCOS, with or without elevated serum TSH levels. Women with and without hypothyroidism were compared, with 109 women on thyroid replacement therapy and 16 women having SCH. PCOS women with elevated TSH had significantly increased fasting insulin and HOMA-IR index levels, with lower insulin sensitivity (QUCKI) and HDL. A significant positive correlation was also present between fasting insulin and TSH levels (r=0.093, P=0.030). Insulin levels, HOMA-IR, and QUICKI were observed to be similar between PCOS women on thyroid hormone replacement therapy and euthyroid women without thyroid hormone replacement therapy. However, significant differences were present in BMI and HDL between the two groups; BMI was higher (34.3 kg/m2 with thyroid hormone replacement, 28.4 kg/m2 without


The most adequate apporoach to a study of coping is personality – situation approach. From a considerable quantity of stressful situations we have stopped on a pregnancy situation. On the basis of the spent theoretical and empirical analysis we have allocated individual strategy to which pregnant women resort. Analyzing features of koping-behaviour in a situation of pregnancy we have drawn a conclusion on prevalence of the active and emotionally-focused strategy of overcoming.


The effect of variability in the wall thickness of bends in a piping system on the redistribution of stresses, creep damage and service life of systems was studied. These quantities, associated with a specific bend of system, have been demonstrated to be invariable with respect to any change in wall thickness in other bends along the piping system. Based on this observation, a probabilistic model of the service life calculation was compiled, taking into account the redistribution of stresses in the piping system due to thermal dilatation, scatter of the creep material properties and random variability of the wall thickness.


The study examined Web co-links to Canadian university Web sites. Multidimensional scaiing (MDS) was used to analyze and visualize co-link data as was done in co-citation analysis. Co-link data were collected in ways that would reflect three different views, the global view, the French Canada view, and the English Canada view. Mapping results of the three data sets accurately reflected the ways Canadians see the universities and clearly showed the linguistic and cultural differences within Canadian society. This shows that Web co-linking is not a random phenomenon and that co-link data contain useful information for Web data mining. It is proposed that the method developed in the study can be applied to other contexts such as analyzing relationships of different organizations or countries. This kind of research is promising because of the dynamics and the diversity of the Web.


Introduction Nitric Oxide Source of NO in exhaled air Measurement Asthma COPD Cystic fibrosis Bronchiectasis Primary ciliary dyskinesia Rhinitis Interstitial lung diseases Pulmonary hypertension Occupational diseases Infections Chronic cough Lung cancer Lung transplant rejection Adult respiratory distress syndrome Diffuse Panbronchiolitis Carbon Monoxide Source of exhaled CO Measurement Asthma COPD Bronchiectasis Cystic fibrosis Interstitial lung disease Allergic rhinitis Infections Other conditions Exhaled Hydrocarbons Origin Measurement Asthma COPD Cystic Fibrosis Other lung diseases Exhaled Breath Condensate Origin Hydrogen peroxide Eicosanoids Products of lipid peroxidation Vasoactive amines NO-related products Ammonia Electrolytes Hydrogen ions Proteins and cytokines Other Methods Exhaled temperature Combined gas chromatography/spectroscopy The selected ion flow tube (SIFT) technique Polymer-coated surface-acoustic-wave resonators Future Directions Standardization of measurements Clinical application Profiles of mediators Measuring devices New markers


Abstract 19 Despite great progress in embryogenesis, the underlying mechanism that controls tissues and organs size remains a mystery. We previously showed that transplanted pig embryonic tissues are markedly enlarged in Factor VIII knockout (F8KO) mice, and identified a regulatory role for thrombin. Here, we describe a novel potential pathway through which coagulation factors might regulate size control of the hematopoietic system. The hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) pool of F8KO mice exhibited instability manifested by three parameters: 1) Reduced proportion of CD34 low cells within the Lin − Sca + Kit + (LSK) progenitors. Median CD34 staining of F8KO LSK cells was 40±4% higher compared to WT controls (n=8 mice, p Since factor VIII has no known physiological function other than in coagulation, it was tempting to assume that down-stream coagulation factors, in particular thrombin, are responsible for the observed distorted HSC regulation. Indeed, F8KO mice exhibit a 2 fold decrease in peak plasma thrombin concentration compared to WT mice. Furthermore, thrombin receptor 1 knockout mice (PAR1 KO), exhibited enhanced responsiveness to G-CSF, with higher PB LSK cell numbers compared to WT mice (766±180 cells/ml, n=7 vs 489±189 cells/ml, n=5; p To investigate the thrombin site of action, a reciprocal transplantation was performed. Interestingly, chimeras generated by transplantation of WT BM into PAR1KO recipients showed enhanced responsiveness to G-CSF compared to WT recipients. Thus, chimeras lacking PAR1 on their stroma cells only, were more prone to induced splenomegaly than controls (114.4±26.4mg; n=10, vs 162.6±19.34mg; n=5; p Surprisingly, we found that coagulation factors also influence the dynamic bone structure. We evaluated the status of bone formation and remodelling in F8KO, PAR1KO and WT mice at different ages after birth. A decrease in bone density and in trabeculae number was first evident at 2 months of age and was more pronounced at 4 months in both F8KO and PAR1KO mice. In addition, micro CT analysis of distal tibia metaphyses harvested at 4 months revealed reduced bone/tissue volume ratio and trabecular number in F8KO and PAR1KO mice (Fig.1). Thus, reduced thrombin activity is associated with decreased bone mass and compromises bone architecture. This in turn can affect the long-term maintenance of repopulating HSC. Taken together, these results show a critical and novel role for the coagulation cascade, in part via the Thrombin/PAR1 axis, in regulating the reciprocal interplay between the dynamic bone structure and HSC maintenance and mobilization. While further studies in Hemophilia are warranted, our new insights also suggest that thrombin inhibitors such as Clexane and Dabigatran could potentially enhance HSC mobilization in G-CSF treated donors and increase the number of cells harvested. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The t(9;11)(p22;q23) results in the creation of an MLL-AF9 fusion gene and is observed in 27% of 11q23 leukemias. t(9;11) is commonly associated with an M5 monocytic leukemia and patients harboring this translocation are included in the intermediate or poor cytogenetic risk groups, with an average 42% overall survival at five years. Using primary human hematopoietic progenitor cells, we have developed a system that closely mimics the MLL-AF9 associated disease observed in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Injection of MLL-AF9 expressing cells into sublethally-irradiated NOD/SCID mice produced an aggressive FAB-M5-like leukemia that infiltrated the spleen and liver and induced death with an average latency of 8 weeks. Serial transplantation of leukemic cells recapitulated the disease with a similar latency. MLL-AF9 expression conferred the ability to grow indefinitely in culture, promoted an accumulation of cells resembling monoblasts and was associated with an increase in telomerase activity. Mono- or oligoclonal outgrowth arose in vitro as well as in vivo. Numeric karyotypic changes or normal karyotypes, in the absence of structural rearrangements, additions or deletions were detected in cultured cells as well as samples from leukemic mice. Principal Component Analysis of genome-wide gene expression data from MLL-AF9 expressing cultured cells revealed a gene expression signature that closely mirrors that observed in MLL-rearranged leukemic cells from patient samples. Furthermore, training of a (linear) Support Vector Machine with gene expression data from patient samples resulted in the correct classification of all MLL-AF9-expressing cell cultures as MLL-rearranged leukemia. We conclude that expression of MLL-AF9 in a normal human hematopoietic progenitor is sufficient to recapitulate many key aspects of the clinical disease. This model will yield valuable insights into the molecular pathogenesis of MLL fusion driven leukemia and will serve as a powerful in vivo model for testing much needed novel therapeutic targets.


Polarization and dielectric behavior of Li and Ti co-doped NiO (LTNO) ceramics was investigated. Analysis of the ceramic microstructure and composition indicate that an obvious grain boundary was formed and surrounded the grains, and Ti ions distributed in grains and grain boundaries. The concentration of Ti had a remarkable effect on the dielectric properties of the LTNO ceramics. Positron annihilation spectra measurements implied that a large amount of defects exist in the LTNO ceramic samples. Anomaly polarization–electric field hysteresis loops were observed in the high-permittivity dielectric LTNO ceramics, which are totally different from those for ferroelectric materials and are due to defect-dipoles induced, and electrical conduction effects of samples could also have an influence on the hysteresis loops. The high dielectric constant response of the LTNO ceramics is enhanced partially by the boundary layer capacitor mechanism, and partially by the huge polarization of a large amount of defect dipoles.


Paying close attention to news users has become fully integrated in professional journalism. Even though this practice may still meet with resistance, becoming more audience responsive is no longer...


Energy harvesting with a piezoelectric transducer (PT) converts ambient mechanical energy into AC electrical energy and can be a solution to various power issues related to the self-powered systems. The simplest way to harvest AC energy is to apply a full-bridge rectifier (FBR). However, the FBR causes a sinusoidal current of the PT $(\mathrm{I} _{\mathrm{P}})$ to charge/discharge the inherent capacitor of the PT $(\mathrm{C}_{\mathrm{P}})$ whenever the $\mathrm{I}_{\mathrm{P}}$ direction changes, resulting in a large charge loss. To address this issue, synchronized-switch harvesting-on-inductor (SSHI) and synchronous electric-charge extraction (SECE) techniques have been proposed. The conventional SSHI reduces the charge loss by using the bias flip technique, which inverts the voltage across the $\mathrm{C}_{\mathrm{P}}(\mathrm{V}_{\text{PT}})$ with $\text{LC}_{\mathrm{P}}$ resonance [1] (Fig. 30.1.1, top left). Although it increases the extracted power and the voltage of the maximum power point compared to the FBR, an expensive and large inductor (L) with a high quality factor (Q) is required for high flip efficiency $(\eta_{\text{Fl}\text{ip}})$. Otherwise, if a low Q inductor is adopted, a half-cycle resonance flip requires both an accurate zero current detector (ZCD) and a large inductor current $(\mathrm{I} _{\mathrm{L}})$, which cause large controller loss and conduction loss $(\mathrm{P}_{\mathrm{c}})$, respectively. Similarly, the SECE uses a quarter-cycle resonance, which requires a high Q inductor as well [2]. Also, a synchronized-switch harvesting-on-capacitor (SSHC) has also been proposed [3] (Fig. 30.1.1, bottom left). Using a commercial PT, not custom MEMS, the SSHC needs off-chip capacitors with several tens of nF, similar to the $\mathrm{C}_{\mathrm{P}}$ of a commercial PT. Because hard charging of the capacitor incurs a large redistribution loss, the flip process must be split, which requires numerous off-chip capacitors. Moreover, an adaptive control according to the operating point of the PT is impossible due to the fixed split phase, which is determined in the design stage. Structures that split the flip process with a relatively small inductor have also been proposed [4–6]. However, their precise half-cycle resonance flip requires accurate ZCD and limits their ability to reduce the inductor to less than tens of $\mu\mathrm{H}$. Also, they need multiple controllers with large quiescent current $(\mathrm{I} _{\mathrm{Q}})$ for different duties and use a considerable number of power elements, such as switches and diodes.


This chapter outlines the unique experiences of gay and lesbians in organizational settings and offers best practices for human resource professionals in supporting their sexual minority employees.


The main purpose of this paper was to investigate the pattern and determinants of Portugal's trade in manufactured goods across the period 1971-98. The econometric investigation analysed a set of hypotheses in the context of Portugal's preferential access to the EU market and subsequently membership of the EU. The particular objective of this paper was to investigate whether manufacturing related FDI had a positive or a negative impact on net exports and whether the nature of the relation between the two could be better understood if dynamic-specific characteristics were considered in the econometric investigation. An important requirement was the collecting of suitable statistics given the difficulty in obtaining time series data. Evidence for cointegration was found by means of the Johansen (1988) maximum likelihood approach. The econometric analysis produced statistically significant elasticity's on human capital and FDI relating the principal variables in the long run trade function to net exports, human capital, GDP, real exchange rate and FDI inflows. The impact of FDI on trade was negative. The dynamic model of net exports was not statistically significant suggesting that net exports alone were not an equilibrating mechanism of the system.


Force-free electrodynamics (FFE) is a closed set of equations for the electromagnetic field of a magnetically dominated plasma. There are strong arguments for the existence of force-free plasmas near pulsars and active black holes, but FFE alone cannot account for the observational signatures, such as coherent radio emission and relativistic jets and winds. We reformulate FFE as the effective field theory of a cold string fluid and initiate a systematic study of corrections in a derivative expansion. At leading order the effective theory is equivalent to (generalized) FFE, with the strings comprised by magnetic field line world sheets. Higher-order corrections generically give rise to nonzero accelerating electric fields (E⋅B≠0). We discuss potential observable consequences and comment on an intriguing numerical coincidence.


Video is an information-intensive media with much redundancy. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to quickly browse video content or deliver videos in limited bandwidth, which can be achieved by effective video summarization. In this paper, we present a novel pictorial video summary, called Video Snapshot, which is a bird view of video enabling viewers to grasp main contents of video at a glance. Moreover, a comprehensive scoring scheme for content filtering called PRID (Pleasurable, Representative, Informative and Distinctive), and an optimized video visualization algorithm are also proposed. The encouraging results indicate that many potential digital video applications may be leveraged by Video Snapshot, such as video browsing, retrieval and delivery in heterogeneous computing and networking environments.


An improved model of the anisotropic flow characteristics of SMC (sheet molding compound) during compression molding is developed. This study is intended to complement our previous paper, which was conducted to determine the anisotropic parameters for short fiber reinforced thermosets SMC (16). Our prior study measured flow viscosities and material anisotropy by means of axisymmetric and plane strain compression molding tests. The current study, in order to identify the superior flow model from the choices (1) isotropic, (2) constant anisotropic and (3) varying anisotropic, applies the finite element method to obtain numerical results, which are subsequently compared with experimental results to determine the flow model with the best fit. The anisotropic parameters of the shear directions are determined by use of normal and planar parameters because SMC is planar isotropic. Six varying anisotropic parameters and six viscosity values are estimated during molding experiments, which are conducted at room temperature so that the polymer does not cure. Two-dimensional molding numerical analyses are carried out to explain two experimental classes, axisymmetric and plane strain compression molding. The load-levels predicted by the isotropic model, anisotropic model (parameter values fixed) and anisotropic model (parameter values varying) are compared with the experimentally derived values, the results showing that the varying anisotropic model best fits SMC compression behavior.


The present study proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis of the family Fanniidae based on a cladistic analysis using characters from adult external morphology and female and male terminalia. The main purpose of this study was to clarify the phylogenetic position of newly described or poorly known species, mostly from southern South America, the Neotropics, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In total, 151 characters from adult male and female external morphology and terminalia were scored for 78 species of Fanniidae. Ten continuous characters were included and analysed as such. Three genera of Fanniidae and all the species-groups and subgroups proposed for the genus Fannia, except for the admirabilis-group and the setifer-subgroup were included as terminal taxa. An heuristic parsimony analysis under implied weights was performed. The analysis recovered the monophyly of the Fanniidae and the genus Fannia, as well as the monophyly of several species-groups within Fannia. Male and female external morphological characters were, in general, highly homoplasious, whereas characters from male terminalia showed low level of homoplasy and provided resolution at suprageneric nodes and species-groups.


The vitality of P. cynomolgi B strain's garnetes has been compared in blood collected from monkey and anticoagulated with 3 different methods and feeding blood directly from monkey was set up as control (Group A). The results of 4 experiments showed that defibrinated blood (Group D) revealed least effect on the vitality of garnetes for there was no chemical reagent used, while anticogulation method with heparin sodium salt (Group B) was the second, and the method with sodium citrate (Group C) had the greatest negative impact.


Normally, the deformation of laser shock forming on metal sheet requires the laser shock wave to be vertical to the surface of the sheet. But the condition is hard to meet when processing curved surfaces. Therefore it is necessary to clarify the principle of oblique angle laser shock. In this paper, a deformation formula is deduced based on the theoretical analysis of oblique angle laser shock. Through simulation, it turned out that with increasing incidence angle, the vertical component of the shock wave decreased, while the deformation in the depth of the sheet decreased, meanwhile, with increasing incidence angle, the horizontal component of the shock wave increased, while the eccentricity in the transverse direction of the sheet decreased. A high-power Nd-glass laser and the material LD31(6063) was used in the experiment. The deformation of the sheet was measured and the experimental result accorded with the simulation result. The research of this paper could provide a reference for laser processing when the surface cannot be shocked in the vertical direction.


We investigated the effects of the sex hormone progesterone (Prog) and the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) on proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells of osteogenic, adipocytic, and hemopoietic lineages in cell populations derived from explants of adult female rat lumbar vertebrae. The cell populations were obtained by culturing bone explants in plasma clots immersed in α‐minimum essential medium plus 10% fetal calf serum (standard medium) and then subculturing the outgrowth cells in standard medium plus 50 μg/ml of ascorbic acid, 5 mM β‐glycerophosphate, and with or without Prog or Dex. On day 6 of culture, these populations were analyzed for cAMP responses to parathyroid hormone (PTH), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and isoproterenol (IPT). Increases in intracellular cAMP were seen in response to PTH, PGE2, and IPT, and culturing in medium containing Prog increased these responses. At various time periods between days 4–27 of culture, the cultures were evaluated for the presence of bone nodules, alkaline phosphatase (AP)‐positive colonies, adipocytes, monocytes, and macrophages. Prog and Dex increased the number of bone nodules and AP‐positive colonies. The effect of Prog on bone nodule formation was smaller than that of Dex. In addition, the effect of Dex on bone nodule formation was evident after 10 days of culture, while the Prog‐induced effects became significant at days 16–20 of culture. Both hormones also increased the number of Sudan IV‐positive colonies (adipocytes), certain types of α‐naphthyl butyrate esterase (α‐NBE)‐positive colonies (monocytes, macrophages, and T‐lymphocytes), and ED2‐positive colonies (macrophages). Prog‐treated cultures contained more colonies of small spindle‐shaped α‐NBE‐positive cells and fewer colonies of small round α‐NBE‐positive cells when compared with Dex‐treated cultures. These data indicate that cell populations derived from adult rat lumbar vertebrae contain, among others, osteoprogenitors and progenitors for adipocytes and macrophages that are stimulated to proliferate and differentiate by Prog and Dex. The data also suggest that the effects of Prog and Dex differ qualitatively and quantitatively. (J Bone Miner Res 1996;11:921–930)


Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury is associated with inflammatory dysregulations within the kidney. This study aimed to explore the renal protective effect of hispidulin on suppressing the apoptosis rate, and inhibiting reactive oxygen species production and inflammatory response after cecal puncture (CLP) operation. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between sepsis and acute kidney injury, the CLP induced kidney injury animal model was established. The automated biochemical analyzer was used to measure the kidney function related biomarkers including serum cystatin C (ScysC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (Scr). The pathological changes of damaged kidney tissues were detected by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were detected by their corresponding test kits and Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The level of reactive oxygen species production-related protein including myeloperoxidase (MPO), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in kidney tissue from each group were quantized using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The protein expression was measured using western blot and the apoptotic rate of kidney tissue was measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase Deoxyuridine Triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Our results revealed that hispidulin has the protective ability in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury. The potential mechanism of hispidulin on sepsis-induced cell apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory response was also investigated. Finally, our results highlighted that hispidulin exerted a protective effects on CLP-induced acute kidney injury by suppressing the protein kinase B (AKT) and Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. In summary, the current study provided a piece of novel evidence, that hispidulin can be explored as a potential drug in CLP-induced acute kidney injury by examining its effects on suppressed the oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and apoptosis in kidney tissue.


This research was conducted in order to know the price of shrimp vannamei and demand of shrimp vannamei at every season. This research was conducted in group of fish farmer of At-Taqwa Paciran Village, Paciran Sub-District, Lamongan Regency. The method used in this research is qualitative method. From the research results that the price greatly affects the demand for the domestic market while for the foreign market has no effect


Regions and industries have the ever-present challenge of building a future where production is competitive and employment is durable. In this context, the inhibitor effects of potential climate constraints on regional industries and bilateral trade is currently a topic of major concern. This book presents the Spatial Climate Economic Policy Tool for Regional Equilibria (Sceptre), which is an intertemporal, multiregional general equilibrium model for investigating regional and industry strategies in the presence of global policies such as carbon emission constraints. A general equilibrium is settled by optimising a social welfare function within a nonlinear economic-climate feedback loop. Both the technology function for carbon abatement and amelioration and the economic-climate feedback loop have precedent in William Nordhaus' DICE model. Regionally aggregated Make and Use matrices are drawn from the Global Trade Analysis Project's Social Accounting Matrices. The application of Computable General Equilibrium modelling in evidence-based policy requires a policy making frame of reference, principles of neoclassical economics and operations research capabilities.


Experimental demonstration of optical fiber array-to-chip assembly is realized with a passive self-alignment mechanism and 3D-printed ferrules. The approach explored in this paper allows an array of fibers to be interconnected to chip-level grating couplers (GCs) with sub-micron level placement accuracy. The mechanical alignment (verified to be stable over one year) enables high relative coupling efficiency (>75%) at 1550 nm. It is shown that the proposed fiber interconnection technology is compatible with 2.5D heterogeneous integration technologies.


Background Partner notification of exposure to gonorrhea or chlamydia is traditionally conducted by the index case or a disease intervention specialist. However, a significant proportion of partners remain untreated and thus are at risk for continued transmission. Expedited partner therapy (EPT) obviates the requirement for a health care visit by the partner: the index case delivers medications to the partner. Although shown to be efficacious in randomized control trials, effectiveness studies of delivering EPT in real-world situations are needed. We describe the implementation, patient characteristics, and clinical impact of an EPT program at the Denver Metro Health Clinic (DMHC). Methods We identified 2578 patient visits eligible for EPT (heterosexual men or women diagnosed as having chlamydia or gonorrhea) from November, 2006, to April, 2011. We examined EPT acceptance rates over clinical process improvements. To measure clinical impact, we assessed the association between initial acceptance of EPT and infection status among 351 patients who returned for retesting. Results Requiring complete documentation of EPT in the clinic electronic medical record increased EPT acceptance from 20% to 48%. Expedited partner therapy acceptance was associated with a reduced risk of chlamydial reinfection (odds ratio, 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.3–1.6) and a reduced risk of gonorrheal reinfection (odds ratio, 0.5; 95% confidence interval, 0.2–1.4); however, these changes were not statistically significant. Conclusions Expedited partner therapy at the DMHC was substantially enhanced by process changes in the clinic and may be associated with a decreased risk of reinfection.


Using synchrotron radiation, very high resolution electron spectra at the 2p→6a1 and 2p→3b2 resonances of H2S have been recorded. Auger transitions from molecular field split S 2p hole states of HS* fragment, created by fast dissociation of the core excited H2S, are found to reveal different partial rates depending on the symmetry of the final state. The experiments have made it possible to determine, for the first time, the molecular field splitting of the core levels in a free radical. The molecular field splitting between the 3σ1/2 and 1π3/2 ("2p3/2'') levels in the HS* fragment is found to be 90(5) meV, which significantly differs from the molecular field splitting of the "S 2p3/2'' levels in the H2S molecule. Resonant Auger decay in the molecule before dissociation is also observed.


The CBM geological conditions and reservoir characteristics in the Qinshui coalfield,Shanxi are researched.Based on the research results,CBM potential of high rank coals such as anthracite and so on are evaluated.The results indicated that high rank coals may have the good potential of CBM development,when coal reservoir parameters are well combined,especially the permeability is good.The permeability of high rank coal is mainly contributed to the well preserved coal fracture network caused by structure in a suitable geological tectonic background.


Simple Summary Patients with hematological malignancies have an increased risk of arterial thrombosis (ATE). Data about incidence and risk factors for ATE development in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are missing. Out of 626 AML patients, 18 (2.9%) patients developed ATE in the median time of 3 months. Our study showed that the risk of ATE was increased in AML patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, previous thrombosis, adverse cytogenetic risk as well as BMI > 30. Abstract Background: Patients with hematological malignancies have an increased risk of arterial thrombotic events (ATEs) after diagnosis, compared to matched controls without cancer. However, data about incidence and risk factors for ATE development in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are missing. Aim: The objectives of this study were to determine the incidence of ATE in non-promyelocytic-AML patients and to define the potential risk factors for ATE development. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with newly diagnosed AML. The primary outcome was the occurrence of confirmed ATE, defined as myocardial infarction, stroke or critical limb ischemia. Results: Out of 626 eligible AML patients, 18 (2.9%) patients developed ATE in the median time of 3 (range: 0.23–6) months. Half of these patients died due to ATE complications. Five parameters were predictors of ATE: BMI > 30 (p = 0.000, odds ratio [OR] 20.488, 95% CI: 6.581–63.780), prior history of TE (p = 0.041, OR 4.233, 95% CI: 1.329–13.486), presence of comorbidities (p = 0.027, OR 5.318, 95% CI: 1.212–23.342), presence of cardiovascular comorbidities (p < 0.0001, OR 8.0168, 95% CI: 2.948–21.800) and cytogenetic risk score (p = 0.002, OR 2.113, 95% CI: 1.092–5.007). Conclusions: Our study showed that patients with AML are at increased risk of ATE. The risk was increased in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, previous thrombosis, adverse cytogenetic risk as well as BMI > 30.


The Brazilian Constitution has institutionalized equality between children born in and out of wedlock. Theoretically, no births are legally privileged. This article presents the history of the right to paternity and recounts the experiences in Bahia and the Federal District aiming to reduce men's resistances to breaking the link between marriage and recognition of children. The research shows that there is a relationship between the abandoning of « traditonal illegitimity " and the practice of a broader citizenship and reduced sexism. The presumption that women are lying still exists and means that the burden of proof falls on them.


An object of the present invention is to provide a method of reducing beverage containing amino acids, and the bitterness of amino acids. By adding ornithine to the amino acid, it is possible to reduce the bitterness of amino acids. Further, by blending ornithine to compositions containing amino acids can be prepared a reduced composition of bitterness of amino acids.


Objective To explore the conservative treatment method of severe craniocerebral injury by analyzing the therapeutic course of 30 patients.Methods The clinical date of 30 cases with severe craniocerebral injury from 2003 to 2007 was analyzed retrospectively.Results In all 30 patients,28 cases were discharged from hospital remaining some kind of memory deterioration and headache.2 cases died.Conclusions Hyperglycaemia,Electrolyte disorder,Irritability,Gastrointestinal hemorrhagic stress ulcer and other complications are common in the conservative treatment.The comprehensive consideration and timely treatment of complications can improve the curative effect of severe craniocerebral injury.


Reports by a Pennsylvania State University pathologist that germ-free mice, a trusted experimental tool, may occasionally be undernourished or downright starving (SN: 4/6 p. 334) have caused consternation among biologists. It appeared after his announcement that much of the most advanced work in biology and medicine might be founded on faulty data. The mice are used frequently as the ultimate in mammalian measuring sticks; if the stick is off so is the measurement. As the air clears, however, it seems that the potential impact of Dr. Richard L. Naeye's findings is less than it might have been. It appears also that Dr. Naeye is finding few colleagues working with germ-free animals who accept his results. Germ-free animals have had as many biological variables eliminated as possible. They are born and raised entirely out of contact with any microorganisms, harmful or otherwise. And they are of a pure strain, inbred to make inherited traits as similar as possible. It is their monotonous sameness that makes them so valuable as standards or controls. An experimenter is supposed to rest assured that when he injects a particular germ or performs some other test on a germ-free animal, the observed effect is due entirely to the test, not to organisms already present and certainly not to an abnormality of the animal such as malnutrition. Germ-free mice are often used, for instance, in studies of immunity. Yet it is known that malnutrition affects the basic nature of the immune response. If Dr. Naeye's findings were to reflect a widespread occurrence, undersized mice might have been finding their way into-and invalidating-crucial experiments in immunology, in such critical fields as cancer research, transplant surgery and virology, to name a few.


Itraconazole is practically insoluble in water; large interindividual and intraindividual variations of its oral bioavailability are reported. A mucoadhesive drug delivery system is useful to prolong the retention time of a dosage form in the stomach,thereby improving the oral bioavailability of the drug. Solid dispersion of itraconazole with Eudragit E100 was prepared by spray-drying method to improve dissolution. Trilayered mucoadhesive tablet was prepared, with inner core containing solid dispersion of the drug and with carbopol and HPMC sandwiched between two layers of hydrophilic mucoadhesive polymer mixture of carbopol and Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC). Amounts of Carbopol 934P (CP) and Methocel K4M (HPMC) were varied in the outer coat around the solid dispersion. The drug-release pattern for all the formulation combinations was found to be nonfickian, approaching zero-order kinetics. Suitable combination of two polymers provided adequate bioadhesive strength and sustained-release profile with zero-order kinetics.


Abstract Herbage accumulation, botanical composition, and selected soil properties were measured on hillslope pastures at three localities within eastern Taranaki hill country over 4 years, beginning in 1984. Measurement sites were either on uneroded soils representing top, middle, and bottom slope positions, or on landslide scars with ages ranging from 12 to 80 years. On uneroded sites, net annual herbage accumulation decreased with increasing slope angle from the bottom to the top of hillslopes. Net herbage accumulation was lower on landslide scars when compared with uneroded sites of similar slope. This was attributed to the presence of bare ground, lower soil water‐holding capacities, and lower ryegrass content when compared with uneroded sites. Results confirmed previous findings from Wairarapa and Wairoa hill country, but showed that pasture recovery on landslide scars in Taranaki hill country was slower. Pasture recovery on landslide scars was greatest during the first 40 years after slipping, foll...


It is undisputed in noise effect research, that an effectorientated summary of sound levels for exposed persons is urgently needed in order to judge complex noise situations correctly with regards to well being or health (Acceptor approach). This also applies to nightly noise exposure and its adverse effects on sleep. The data available for sourcerelated sleep disturbances is however modest by comparison with "noise annoyance" and integrated energy indices are only restrictedly suitably for an effect-orientated assessment.


This paper presents an automated W-band on-wafer noise figure measurement system. This measurement system utilizes W-band on-wafer probes for MMIC testing. W-band testing procedures, which formerly required assembling transitions and MMIC chips in waveguide test fixtures, have been greatly simplified. Hundreds of W-band monolithic low noise amplifiers have been tested on this measurement system for both noise figure and associated gain. The results are consistent with the in-fixture test data. This is the first demonstration of on-wafer noise figure test of MMIC at W-band frequency.


With increasing dependence on precision electronic equipment, self-protection is becoming essential. The protection circuits commonly used before were fuses and circuit breakers which, however, they are not enough for the current need of high-speed protection circuits and automated engineering logic. In this paper, we develop a new ultrahigh-speed protection circuit, which is over exceeded 20 times faster than traditional circuits and has the ability to self-recover when any failure occurs. With the new circuit developed, it is not necessary to do manual restart and will meet the future needs of protection for electronic precision equipment. This design provides greater convenience and reliability for the unmanned equipment for the future.


[Purpose] To investgate radiosensitization of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor,Celecoxib in breast cancer and its mechanism.[Methods] The MDA-MB-231 cell line in logarithmic phase was divided into four groups: control group,drug group,radiation group and experimental group(radiation +Celecoxib).The change of cell cycle and apoptosis rate was analyzed by flow cytometry(FCM).The radiotherapy sensitization effect was detected by clone formation experiment.COX-2,Bcl-2 and VEGF expression were detected by Western blot method.[Results] The different concentrations of Celecoxib could obviously inhibit MDA-MB-231 cell growth and in a dose dependent manner.FCM result showed that with concentrations of Celecoxib increasing,the cell cycle was significantly changed(G0/G1 phase ratio increased and S phase ratio decreased).The apoptosis rate of experimental group was significantly higher than that in radiation group(31.20%±1.27% vs 17.99%±1.01%,t=2.43,P=0.025).Compared with radiation group,the radiosensitization values of Dq,Do and SF2 in experimental group were significantly decreased.Celecoxib inhibited expression of COX-2,VEGF and Bcl-2(P0.05).[Conclusion] The selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor,Celecoxib can obviously inhibit human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell growth.The possible mechanism is inhibit COX-2 expression,induce apoptosis of tumor cell,adjust the cell cycle and inhibit angiogenic factors.


The present Matlab is no longer a simple matrix laboratory,and it has evolved into a new and high-level computer programming language with broad application prospect.Matlab has the features of simple use,flexibility,strong program structur and good ductility.It has gradually become the preferred language of science,technology,view interactive system and program.


The invention discloses a method for comprehensively utilizing rice bran, which can be used for preparing four types of products, namely rice bran oil, rice bran crude fiber, rice bran egg white and rice bran peptide. A preparation process comprises the following steps of: extracting grease from rice bran serving as a raw material; separating rice bran crude fiber and rice bran egg white from therice bran by using an alkali-solution and acid-isolation method; adding protease into the rice bran egg white for hydrolyzing proteins; removing salt through anion and cation exchange resins by ultrafiltration fraction; and concentrating and drying to obtain rice bran biologically active peptide.


PURPOSE: A liquid crystal display device using chip on a glass method is provided to minimize the reflection wave of a source driver IC input terminal by including the impedance matching resistance in the output terminal of a timing controller. CONSTITUTION: In a liquid crystal display device using chip on a glass method, a timing controller(511) is mounted in a PCB. A glass substrate(520) and at least one source driver IC(522) are mounted in the glass substrate through a chip-on glass method. An FPC(530) is included between the PCB and the glass substrates and is a path for a pair of differential signals. An impedance matching resistor(512) is included in the output terminal of the timing controller.


OBJECTIVE:To establish the quality standard of Yanyan pills.METHODS: The constituents such as Lysimachia christinae,Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae and Radix Astragali were identified qualitatively by TLC,and the content of caffeotannic acid in L.christinae was determined by HPLC.RESULTS: The TLC spots were distinctive and well-isolated.The linear range of caffeotannic acid was 0.036~0.18 μg(r=0.999 9)with an average recovery of 100.8%(RSD=0.67%,n=6).CONCLUSION: The established standard is applicable for the quality control of Yanyan pills.


An improved Fourier domain Optical Coherence Tomography (FdOCT) technique is proposed as a new kind of ophthalmic OCT, which enables non-invasive imaging of the retina, the iris and the lens in vivo without an axial mechanical scan of the reference mirror. The FdOCT tomograms of various parts of human eye in vivo, to our knowledge, are the first obtained to date. The detailed images of the human eye are reconstructed from spectral data by the differential method. The tomograms are free of the parasitic autocorrelation terms.


The characteristic of motion target frequency response under the high resolution situation was analyzed and a model was proposed to describe the high resolution echo. Based on this model, a Matched Fourier Transform (MFT) method was applied. The coordinates of the main lobe show the range and motion parameters. On the other hand, it is applicable to describe the multi-scatter on the moving target that the MFT is a linear-transform. The simulation results prove the validity of the whole algorithm.


The applicability of the pension transition regime, contained in article 36 of Law 100 of 1993, to the official teachers linked to the public educational service and affiliated to the National Fund of Social Benefits of the Teaching after the effectiveness of Law 812 of 2003 , can only be determined by the knowledge of the legal institutions that govern official teachers, for which a normative historical description of the pension regime applicable to official teachers is made, starting with the pensions recognized to teachers at the end of the XVIII century, passing for grace and retirement pensions, the creation of the Social Benefits Fund of the Magisterium, until the last regulation of the teacher pension scheme with the 3 APLICABILIDAD DEL RÉGIMEN DE TRANSICIÓN PENSIONAL A LOS DOCENTES OFICIALES issuance of Legislative Act 01 of 2005; In this course, what are the types of linkage of official teachers and the pension regime that is applicable to them? Then a description of the general characteristics of the pension regime of official teachers is made, among which we find that this regime is determined by the date of the last link to the official teaching, independent of the date of causation of the pension right in question. performs an analysis of the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, especially the judgments that addressed the study of some provisions of the pension transition regime, in order to explain the characteristics of this regime. The jurisprudence of the Council of State of both the Second Section and the Consultation and Civil Service Room on the teacher pension scheme and its application over time, all this analysis is discussed, with the premise that teachers of this type are not applicable. provisions of article 36 of Law 100 of 1993, inasmuch as the transition regime does not imply the nature of an acquired right but a legitimate expectation; and that is why they analyze the factual circumstances in which a person who enters the state educational service can be found after the validity of Law 812 of 2003, in order to determine what would be the possible legal consequences of the application of his regime pension and, in particular, the application of the pension transition regime.


In this work, the incubation period for the onset of sphalerite to wurtzite transformation in isolated ZnS nanoparticles 2 to 7 nm in size was determined via the in situ isothermal annealing of as-synthesized sphalerite nanoparticles in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Nanoparticles sitting on the TEM grid were well separated from each other in order to minimize particle sintering during the annealing operation. The phase transformation onset was observed at 300 degrees C, 350 degrees C, and 400 degrees C after 90, 10, and 4 min, respectively. These time-temperature data for the phase transformation onset were then used to calculate the activation energy for the nucleation of the wurtzite phase in 2 to 7 nm sphalerite particles. The activation energy determined was 24 Kcal/mol. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3622625]


In this note we announce results on the mean curvature flow of mean convex sets in 3-dimensions. Loosely speaking, our results justify the naive picture of mean curvature flow where the only singularities are neck pinches, and components which collapse to asymptotically round spheres. In this note we announce results on the mean curvature flow of mean convex sets; all the statements below have natural generalizations to the setting of Riemannian 3-manifolds, but for the sake of simplicity we will primarily discuss subsets of R 3 here. Loosely speaking, our results justify the naive picture of mean curvature flow where the only singularities are neck pinches, and components which collapse to asymptot- ically round spheres. Recall that a one-parameter family of smooth hypersurfaces {Mt} ⊂ R n+1 flows by mean curvature if


Amplifying Gate Thyristors are thyristors with an auxiliary thyristor integrated between the gate and main thyristor in order to enhance uniformity of turn-on and, hence, di/dt capability. In order to obtain the full benefits of enhanced di/dt capability, thyristors should be designed to turn on at the auxiliary thyristor, rather than the main thyristor in all the following conditions: 1) gate turn-on, 2) dv/dt triggering, and 3) forward blocking voltage breakover. Further, proper turn-on for the latter two conditions should occur for an external gate to cathode impedance that may be experienced in application. We have established models for calculating the maximum potential of both the auxiliary and main thyristors as a function of device design parameters, including topological geometries, resistivities of the various regions, junction depths and basewidths. A computer program was designed for determining the current distributions and potentials as a function of external gate to cathode impedance.


The invention relates to functional health-care food, in particular to food for improving phlegm wetness type physique and a preparation process for the food. The food for improving the phlegm wetness type physique can coordinate the effects of medicaments by reasonable compatibility, and has the effects of improving the symptoms such as poor appetite, stuffy feeling in chest, much cough and asthma phlegm, nausea and vomiting, loose stool, four-limb swelling, difficulty in urination or turbidity in urine, heavy and tired head and body, joint pain and heaviness, skin insensitiveness and the like of the phlegm wetness type physique.


Today, organic wastes (paints, pigments, etc.) are considered to be a major concern for the pollution of aqueous environments. Therefore, it is essential to find new methods to solve this problem. This research was conducted to study the use of electrochemical processes to remove organic pollutants (e.g., crystal violet (CV)) from aqueous solutions. The galvanostatic electrolysis of CV by the use of Ti/Pt/SnO2 anode, were conducted in an electrochemical cell with 100 mL of solution using Na2SO4 and NaCl as supporting electrolyte, the effect of the important electrochemical parameters: current density (20–60 mA cm−2), CV concentration (10–50 mg L−1), sodium chloride concentration (0.01–0.1 g L−1) and initial pH (2 to 10) on the efficiency of the electrochemical process was evaluated and optimized. The electrochemical treatment process of CV was monitored by the UV-visible spectrometry and the chemical oxygen demand (COD). After only 120 min, in a 0.01 mol L−1 NaCl solution with a current density of 50 mA cm−2 and a pH value of 7 containing 10 mg L−1 CV, the CV removal efficiency can reach 100%, the COD removal efficiency is up to 80%. The process can therefore be considered as a suitable process for removing CV from coloured wastewater in the textile industries.


This article aims to rank the main concepts in vogue in the city of Sao Paulo who contributed to the formulation of a shared urban oriented capitalist development and reproduction of the workforce. This way, it will discuss the main issues raised in the period, which is between the first decades of the XX Century to the end of the 1950s, trying to foresee how they worked as engineers and architects to incorporate the urbanistic proposals from Europe and the United States. And then, we will present, on the first four sections of this article, points of view that effectively impacted the paulista urban thought of the first half of the XX century: Sanitarism, pendular conception between the Mesologic Theory and the Microbian Theory; the Historicist formulation of Camillo Sitte; Howard´s garden-town and The French Experience. Our analyses were formulated having as a reference the broad systematization of bibliography and documents performed at the Arquivo Historico Municipal (Intermediario) de Araraquara (Historical Municipal Archive from Araraquara), consultations at the the books of the library of the biblioteca da Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da USP (USP Architecture and Urbanism College) and at the Faculdade de Ciencias e Letras da UNESP, Araraquara-SP( College of Sciences and Languages from UNESP, campus Araraquara). The analisys of the performed research show that one urbanistic torrent at Sao Paulo State with clear influences from the conceptions that led the urbanistic debates in the first half of the XX Century. Although these conceptions compose a painting of urban transformations at Sao Paulo city and noticeably in some inland cities, previously to the solidification of a whole proposition for the city that was later called of Directive Plan.


Aimed at solving the huddled silt problem in the reclaiming fields from sea engineering,some considerations was put forward,which was provided as the reference for similar engineering.


Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients shown an increased risk of low bone mass as a result of multifactorial events: physical inactivity, persistent inflammation, low vitamin D levels (photosensitivity) and glucocorticoid treatment. Trabecular Bone Score (TBS), is an index extracted from the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) that provides an indirect measurement of bone axial microarchitecture and allows to get information about bone quality in several rheumatic diseases (1-4). Objectives The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence and risk factors for low bone mineral density (BMD) (osteoporosis or osteopenia) in female patients affected by SLE and to compare with matched healthy subjects (CNT). Methods 40 female patients (mean age 47±14 years) affected by SLE and 40 age- matched CNT (mean age 49±8 years) were enrolled. Bone Mineral Density (BMD, g/cm2) of the lumbar spine (L1-L4) was analyzed using a DXA scan (GE, Lunar Prodigy) Lumbar spine TBS was derived for each spine DXA examination using the TBS index (TBS iNsight Medimaps). Results The mean BMD±SD was 0.85±0.22 g/cm2 at the lumbar spine and 0.64 ± 0.32 g/cm2 at the hip in SLE patients. The prevalence of osteopenia was 39.0% and 16.4% of osteoporosis in SLE patients. Most of SLE patients (70%) presented a bone loss that was significantly lower when compared with control group (p<0.001). Likewise, lumbar spine TBS score was found significantly lower in SLE patients compared with CNT (0.868±0.227 vs 1.482±0.113,p<0.001, respectively). An history of high-dose oral glucocorticoids (> 10 mg/day) was associated with the preservation of BMD at the lumbar spine but not in spinal trabecular bone as observed by TBS analysis. Conclusion SLE is associated with significant trabecular bone loss, which could not be caused by glucocorticoid therapy. This study confirms the role of TBS as new and safe diagnostic tool for the quantification of the bone quality in chronic and systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as SLE. References [1] Cutolo M, et al. Ann Rheum Dis.2009;68 446-7; 2 Dey M, et al. Lupus. 018;271547-1551; 3 Ruaro B, Casabella A,et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2018;57:1548-1554. 4 Ruaro B, Casabella A,et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2018Nov;37(11):3057-3062. Disclosure of Interests None declared


The occurrence and distribution of Drosicha corpulenta(Kuwana)in free-pollutant and conventional apple orchard were studied.Drosicha corpulenta(Kuwana)is sporadic in free-pollutant apple orchard,but there is large numbers of Drosicha corpulenta(Kuwana)in conventional orchard.The occurrence is different between free-pollutant and conventional apple orchard and the number of Drosicha corpulenta(Kuwana)in weak tree is more than vigorous tree of the same variety.The occurrence of Drosicha corpulenta(Kuwana)between different varieties as follows: the number of Drosicha corpulenta(Kuwana)in weak Golden Delicious is significantly higher than Starking and Fuji of the same growth intensity.


In this work, we define a new transforms called Elzaki transform, and differential transform method, and applied together to some nonlinear system of differential equations to obtain their exact solutions. This method is based on Elzaki transform and the nonlinear term s can be handled by the use of differential transform method. Keyword s: Elzaki transform - differential transform method - nonlinear differential equations- system of differential equations.


The patient is a 70-year-old woman with history of morbid obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. She has shortness of breath for many years, and feels short of breath after walking one block. The patient was previously evaluated with a nuclear stress test with an EF of 55% and no stress induced ischemia. An echo showed an ejection fraction of 65-70% with moderate LVH, abnormal diastolic function, and mild aortic stenosis. She also had an angiogram that was negative. She has no history of cough, wheezing or asthma. She was told that she snores and is a lifelong nonsmoker.


Writing and defending a thesis is a requirement to earn a university degree. Previous findings indicate that self-efficacy is related to academic performance. However, no existing tools register students' perception of efficacy towards writing and defining academic texts. Our purpose was to develop and validate such a scale. Scale scores content, structural, convergent, and criterion-related validity as well as the measurement invariance across sex was evaluated using data from 418 students from 23 Spanish universities. Our findings showed that the scale holds a unidimensional structure that is invariant across sex. Data also supported the convergent validity, with correlations with self-efficacy and anxiety measures. The scale could track the effect of an educational intervention designed to improve students' writing and defending academic texts skills, and the scores were related to performance on a writing task. Norms are provided to facilitate the interpretation of the scale scores.


As additive manufacturing (AM) emerges as an end-of-use product manufacturing process, design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) as a new design philosophy receives more and more attention. However, current DFAM research focuses on downstream and part-level design activities such as structural optimization and design rules. Design freedom enabled by AM such as, part consolidation and function integration has not been fully investigated. These design freedom forces designers to rethink about assembly-level design so as to embrace integrated functionality. To understand how to integrate AM characteristics into design process, three questions are investigated: 1) why does conceptual design need to be redone for assembly? 2) what has changed by AM in design concept generation? 3) how to do conceptual design in AM context? Afterwards, a conceptual design framework is proposed to aid design flow management. In the end, a throttle pedal redesign case is demonstrated as verification of the proposed design framework.


At this particular time in education, with the dominance, in many education systems, of the core curriculum (language, mathematics and science), it is important that books speciŽ cally for music in the early years are being published. It is also important that such books should not be merely 'tips for teachers', but serious, well-researched and detailed. This book is in a series aimed at teaching and learning focusing on the four to six age range. The authors set out a framework for developing the book through four broad sections. The Ž rst and Ž nal sections are shorter, with the main content of interest to practitioners in the middle two sections. The Ž rst section addresses the questions of why music should be taught, and what the focus of activity should be, as well as presenting a view of young children's development prior to starting school. The middle two sections deal with planning, teaching, monitoring and resourcing. The Ž nal section is designed to support the provision of inservice staff development. It ends with a useful list of resources. The content is fairly comprehensive and should be of interest to a range of audiences, including parents. The reader is invited to critically examine the authors' stance. "No theory should be taken on trust. All should be challenged and that includes those presented in this book" (p. 49). This is a healthy position to adopt. All writing should both contribute to our understandings and re ect the provisional nature of ideas. Although there is thorough research for each of the aspects of music education presented here, the authors could perhaps have focused more on the literature related speciŽ cally to the age phase identiŽ ed in the title. They state that "whatever is taught in the early years must be placed in the wider context" (p. 14). This will make us "better focused" (p. 14). It is clearly vital for teachers to develop their own music education philosophy. The heavy reliance on research of English secondary education is therefore disappointing. Practitioners could utilise the philosophies of best practice in early years to develop their music understanding. The approach to discussions, for example, on the development of music education and the Swanwick and Tillman 'spiral of musical development', create mini-literature reviews which are useful for students who need to research the various perspectives of music educationalists. There are many points where the authors are at pains to state the full spectrum of ideas. The inclusiveness, at times gives the feeling they are a little wary of stating their own beliefs. In other places, however, a Ž rm stance is taken.


The subcutaneous administration of insulin has been the treatment of millions of diabetics in the world. However, for such via insulin is invasive and not mimics the physiological action causing side effects. The oral route would be the most physiological and comfortable option, but the oral bioavailability of insulin is low by proteolytic activity and reduced permeability of the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the study was to develop a nanostructured system integrating biomaterials for oral insulin delivery. Cashew gum (CG) is a polysaccharide extracted from the exudate of the plant Anacardium occidentale. It is a biopolymer composed of simple sugars and glucuronic acid and it can be used in nanostructured systems for the incorporation of molecules. The exudate was isolated, dissolved in water, filtered, precipitated in ethanol and purified. The CG was characterized by infrared spectroscopy and molecular weight by size exclusion chromatography. Nanoparticles were prepared through ionotropic gelation integrating cashew gum, dextran sulfate and poloxamer containing insulin stabilized with chitosan, poly(ethyleneglycol) and coated with albumin. The particles were analyzed for particle size, zeta potential and insulin entrapment efficiency. The FTIR spectrum for CG showed a band at 3395 cm-1 due to the stretching vibration of O-H, a band at 2926 cm-1 of C-H vibrations; absorption at 1639 cm-1 of O-H type from bound water molecules and bands at 1143, 1073 and 1024 cm-1 due vibrations of the C-O-C from glycosidic bonds and O-H of alcohols. The peak molar mass of GC was 2.35 × 104 g/mol. The particles had a size of 156 nm and after coating, size of 5387 nm with 92% insulin entrapment efficiency and zeta potential of -51 mV indicating electrostatic stabilization. The results suggest an innovative cashew gum base system for oral insulin administration. Keywords: Nanostructures, biomaterials, cashew gum, insulin, oral delivery.


The tone reproduction curves of an OLED display were measured and modeled as a function of three on‐screen display (OSD) settings. The optimal OSD settings, derived from the model, outperformed two ICC profile‐based color calibration kits by reducing the calibration errors from 2.89% to 0.25% and the quantization errors from 9.28% to 0%.


A comparative the telescope twin P-E, one is in Observat\'orio Pico dos Dias, Brazil, other in Observatoire Mont-M\'egantic, Qu\'ebec, Canada. The same project, the same beginning configuration but different stories, different solutions for the problems by the years.


Johor National Park.gorporation (JNPC) is a semi-government department that had been established under Johor Secretariats to commercialize the total of seven national parks in' the state of Johore. Therefore, this department always concern about the standard achievement of work among all their staffs to ensure all the' activities or daily routine process smoothly. Johor National Park Corporation Staffs Monitoring and Performance Evaluation Information System are specially developed to assist the management groups to evaluate the supporting staff performances. This system support in evaluate the performance of the staffs and generate the monthly and annually performance report as the output of the system. This system performed the web based management information system that developed to replace the manually current system. Prototypeeyolution approach is used as development system methodology while Unified Modeling Language (UML) technique used to model the system. This system also used the technology application such as Active Server Pages (ASP) and Macromedia Dreamwea.ver MX while Microsoft SQL Server function as it database


BACKGROUND
Tanis was reported as a putative receptor for serum amyloid A (SAA) involving glucose regulated protein in insulin regulated resistance. It was found to be dysregulated in diabetic rats (Psammomys obesus, Israeli sand rat) and its homologue for humans is SelS/AD-015. The present study analyzed mRNA expression of SelS in omental adipose tissue biopsies from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and age- and weight-matched nondiabetic patients, the relationship of SelS mRNA with Homa-IR and serum SAA level.

METHODS
Human omental adipose tissues from ten cases of type 2 diabetic patients and twelve cases of nondiabetic individuals were analyzed for the expression level of SelS mRNA by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Homa-IR estimated by standard formula and SAA level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS
SelS mRNA expression, Homa-IR and serum SAA were higher in T2DM sufferers than in nondiabetic control group. SelS mRNA level was positively correlated with Homa-IR and SAA level in each group.

CONCLUSIONS
SelS protein may be involved in insulin resistance in Chinese with T2DM by acting as the SAA receptor, thus playing an important role in the development of T2DM and atherosclerosis.


The aim of many studies is to discover new chemicals as potential antitumor agents. We have prepared novel analogues of 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu): 5-uracilmethylphosphonic acid (5umpa), dimethyl 5-uracilmethylphosphonate (5-umpm), diethyl 5-uracilmethylphosphonate (5-umpe) and a K + (K + /5umpa, 1) and Na + (Na + /5-umpa, 2) complex of 5-umpa. Complexes 1 and 2 have infinite chain structures built up by Hbonded pairs of 5-umpa – and {(H2O)K(μ-OH2)3K(OH2)} 2+ and {(H2O)2Na(μ-OH2)2Na(OH2)2} 2+ entities. The alkali metal ions bind directly to the exocyclic oxygen atoms O(2) and O(4) of the nucleobase moiety and indirectly, i.e. through hydrogen-bond interactions involving metal-coordinated water molecules, to the phosphonate group. The new derivatives were tested for their antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects on normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes and HT 29