To the Editor: Saline-reactive anti-V, which demonstrated a storing agglutination at room temperature with V-positive red blood cells in saline, was detected in a 57-year-old multitransfused white woman. She was typed as AB Rh,(D) negative. To our knowledge, saline-reactive anti-V has not been reported previously. This anti-V was accompanied by antiglobulin-reactive anti-CD, which could be completely absorbed by V-negative, 0, R,r or r'r red cells at 37OC. The antibody remaining in theabsorbed serum proved to be pure anti-V. The reaction patterns of the patient's serum are shown in Table I . This demonstrates that strong IgM and weak IgG anti-V coexisted in the patient's serum. A black population in the Chicago area was screened with this raw serum at room temperature with incubation for 10 minutes. The statistical data are listed in Table 2. The frequency of V positive in Chicago blacks was found to be 31 percent, which is comparable to 27 percent of blacks in New Yorkl and 29 percent in Seattle. The author wishes to thank Dr. Eloise Giblett for kindly confirming anti-V specificity and Dr. Thomas Considine for review of the letter. MARK SHULIN CHENG, MT(ASCP)SBB, M.S. Blood Bank ColumbusCuneoCabrini Medical Center Chicago, IL 60614


Physical activity can best be measured by a combination of activity monitors, questionnaires, and analytical techniques

Accurately measuring physical activity in epidemiological research is, of course, central to the internal validity of the research. Ultimately, getting this component of the work right is a prerequisite for successfully discerning the relation between activity and health outcomes, for setting efficacious and reasonable guidelines, for discerning causal factors for activity choices, and for intervening to improve activity levels within our communities. However, measuring a behaviour as complex and multifaceted as activity is, at best, challenging. Physical activity epidemiology relies heavily on questionnaire methods, generally to characterise easy to recall structured movement during exercise, sport, and work. Self reporting activity through questionnaires is cognitively difficult for adults and much more so for children, the elderly, and other subgroups. Questionnaires are also prone to various degrees of measurement error depending on the facet of activity queried and the time period considered. Assumed error in self reports is (somewhat) countered with large sample sizes so, despite shortcomings and given the lack of feasible alternatives, the reliance on questionnaires remains the most common assessment technique in epidemiology.1

Recently, the methodological gap between accuracy and …


Infectious diseases are one of the main threats to biodiversity. The fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is associated with several amphibian losses around the globe, and environmental conditions may dictate the success of pathogen spread. The Brazilian Amazon has been considered climatically unsuitable for chytrid fungus, but additional information on Bd dynamics in this ecoregion is still lacking. We sampled 462 amphibians (449 anurans, 4 caudatans and 9 caecilians), representing 57 species from the Brazilian Amazon, and quantified Bd infections using qPCR. We tested whether abiotic variables predicted the risk of Bd infections, and tested for relationships between biotic variables and Bd. Finally, we experimentally tested the effects of Bd strains CLFT 156 and CLFT 102 (from the southern and northern Atlantic Forest, respectively) on Atelopus manauensis. We detected higher Bd prevalence than those previously reported for the Brazilian Amazon, and positive individuals in all 3 orders of amphibians sampled. Both biotic and abiotic predictors were related to prevalence, and no variable explained infection load. Moreover, we detected higher Bd prevalence in forested than open areas, while the host's reproductive biology was not a factor. We detected higher mortality in the experimental group infected with CLFT 156, probably because this strain was isolated from a region characterized by discrepant climatic conditions (latitudinally more distant) when compared with the host's sampling site in Amazon. The lowland Brazilian Amazon is still underexplored and future studies targeting all amphibian orders are essential to better understand Bd infection dynamics in this region.


In this talk we consider the problem of a scalar field, non-minimally coupled to gravity through a −ξ2Rterm, in the presence of a Brane. A number of exact solutions, for a wide range of values of the coupling parameter for both A-dependent and A-independent Brane tension, are presented. The behavior and general features of these solutions are discussed. We derive solutions for the scalar field compatible with the Randall-Sundrum metric and also geometries which can accomodate a folded kink-like scalar. Analytic and numerical results are provided for the case of a Brane or for smooth geometries, where the scalar field acts as a thick Brane. We also discuss briefly the graviton localization in our setup and demonstrate the characteristic volcano-like localizing potential for gravitons.


For better harmlessly treatment of papermaking sludge, a new technology for solidifying and stabling of sludge was studied. Papermaking sludge was solidified and stabilized by the solidifying agents including cement, powder fly ash (PFA) and cinder. The mechanical properties of solidified sludge block were evaluated by compressive strength, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals concentration in the leachate from the solidified block were tested as well. When the solidifying agents has the following composition (cement 0.12kg/kg, PFA 0.02kg/kg and cinder 0.10kg/kg respectively), and the curing time was 6ds, the compressive strength of the solidified sludge blocks reached 360kPa. The results showed that cement and cinder were all positive in the compressed strength of sludge block. If they were mixed with PFA together, they could enhanced the solidification of organic and heavy metals in the sludge. Under this conditions, the COD in leachate from the solidified block was 115.7 mg/L, and the heavy metal concentration had reached the related national standards, after 6ds of curing time, water ratio of the solidified block kept from 35% to 40%, which met the prescribed standards of landfill.


Valves of a thoracican cirripede belonging to a new species of the Neolepadidae, Ashinkailepas indica Gale sp. nov. are described from a Late Pleistocene cold seep (52.6 ka), cored in the Krishna-Godavari Basin, offshore from the eastern coast of India. This constitutes the first fossil record of the genus, and its first occurrence in the Indian Ocean. Other fossil records of the Neolepadidae (here elevated to full family status) are discussed, and it is concluded that only Stipilepas molerensis from the Eocene of Denmark, is correctly referred to the family. Cladistic analysis of the Neolepadidae supports a basal position for Ashinkailepas, as deduced independently from molecular studies, and the Lower Cretaceous brachylepadid genus Pedupycnolepas is identified as sister taxon to Neolepadidae. Neolepadids are not Mesozoic relics as claimed, preserved in association with the highly specialised environments of cold seeps and hydrothermal vents, but are rather an early Cenozoic offshoot from the clade which also gave rise to the sessile cirripedes.


The Cherokees, the most important tribe in the formative years of the American Republic, became the test case for the Founding Fathers' determination to Christianize and "civilize" all Indians and to incorporate them into the republic as full citizens. From the standpoint of the Cherokees, rather than from that of the white policymakers, William McLoughlin tells the dramatic success story of the "renascence" of the tribe. He goes on to give a full account of how the Cherokees eventually fell before the expansionism of white America and the zeal of Andrew Jackson.


Urban screens are becoming a common element of our city landscape. As such they offer new ways of connecting people that occupy public space, e.g., by taking situated snapshots through a display-attached camera. In this paper we present a first longitudinal case study of 12 weeks of such an application -- Moment Machine -- deployed "in the wild" on an urban screen facing the street. We report findings from 1189 photos taken, 13 interviews, and 3 weeks of observations that show engagement stimulated by situated snapshots within a place-based community where the screen is located. We also analyze interaction log files to describe how often users interacted, what type of interactions they had and how long they lasted, and overall engagement on a weekly basis and throughout the week. Based on our experience, we provide three take-away snippets for designers of similar urban screen experiences.


Over the last two decades, a new world order has emerged, with the end of Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the lifting of Apartheid in South Africa. Increasing dominance of capitalism, the rapid advances in technology and globalization and changes in production systems have created the twin problems of higher unemployment and social, economic and cultural exclusion. In response, new social movements have appeared to uphold human rights and promote equality of opportunities. In Brazil, the Government has been considering measures to promote 'education for diversity' - for equality of gender, race and sexuality. In December 2004, The Ministry of Education and Special Secretaries of Women, Race Equality and Human Rights along with the British Council, organised an international seminar to: 1. collect ideas and expert opinion on themes such as differences of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, identity; 2. plan strategies for continual professional development of teachers, and how to include these themes in curricula. This paper presents a summary of the key discussions in this seminar and the main outcomes: 1. criteria to identify, develop and review pedagogical materials and leaning practices; 2. issues around Education for diversity - training of teachers, materials for teaching and learning strategies for students.


The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of butyrate on the Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) membrane transport proteins and proton membrane transport proteins in the rumen epithelium. Sixteen mid-lactation cows were fed a 44% Non-Fibre Carbohydrate (NFC) diet and divided into a control treatment and a butyrate treatment. For 7 days, the cows on the control treatment received a carrier treatment and the cows on the butyrate treatment received a ruminal butyrate dose at the rate of 2.5% of Dry Matter Intake (DMI). Rumen pH was measured on days 6 and 7 and rumen biopsies were taken on days 1 and 7. Rumen pH measurements confirmed the occurrence of ruminal acidosis in both treatment groups, defined as a rumen pH of 5.6 for at least 3 h per day. Between the control and butyrate treatment, there was no difference in rumen pH profile. Immunofluorescence analysis performed on longitudinal ruminal papillae cross-sections showed that for the duration of the study, protein abundance in the stratum basale increased for Monocarboxylate Cotransporter Isoform 1 (MCT1), sodium/proton exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3) and sodium/Bicarbonate Cotransporter Isoform 1 (NBC1). There was a time*treatment interaction for MCT1 and NBC1, with the butyrate treatment group showing a higher abundance of MCT1 and a lower abundance of NBC1 at day 7. Luminal butyrate appears to increase SCFA uptake capacity by increasing the abundance of MCT1 transport proteins on the basolateral membrane and decreasing basolateral bicarbonate uptake capacity through decreased NBC1 protein expression. These effects decrease bicarbonate uptake capacity through NBC1 and help to offset the increased MCT1, since MCT also creates alkalotic pressure by expelling protons from the cytosol.


Abstract Objective: The cost of laparoscopic simulators restricts the wide use of simulation for training of basic psychomotor skills. This paper describes the scientifically-based development of an inexpensive and portable Ergonomic Laparoscopic Skills (Ergo-Lap) simulator with multiple tasks. Material and methods: The design of this Ergo-Lap simulator and related training task panel was based on scientific research regarding the representative skills and the ergonomic guidelines for laparoscopic surgery. A user-centred design approach was followed. Fifty-three surgical participants with variable laparoscopic experience (14 medical students, 27 surgeons in training, and 12 experienced laparoscopic surgeons) performed several tasks on the prototype and gave their feedback by filling out a 5-point scale Likert scale questionnaire. Results: The results of the usability evaluation showed that the participants regarded the Ergo-Lap simulator as a useful device to practice the basic and advanced skills effectively. Forty-three of the 53 participants indicated they would like to purchase this simulator since it is easy to use and challenges their laparoscopic skills. Conclusions: For laparoscopic skills training, this inexpensive Ergo-Lap simulator with diverse task choices offers a simple training opportunity for trainees who want to practice laparoscopic skills at home or at the office.


Antisense transcription is known to have a range of impacts on sense gene expression, including (but not limited to) impeding transcription initiation, disrupting post-transcriptional processes


Behavior of consumers, firms and industries with respect to product and input markets. Price system and other models of economic decision making. Economic efficiency and welfare; property rights and externalities.


For the irregular rotational displacement of curved girder bridge under seismic action there are some limits to calculate collision effect with pounding element approach. In order to analyze the inhomogeneous distributing rule of seismic collision effect for curved girder bridge, the new approach of explicit dynamic contact algorithm is presented. Seismic impactive response characteristic of girder, pier and block is analyzed. The results indicated that pounding action between girder and abutment limits longitudinal displacement of girder and makes bending moment of fixed pier less than that with collision effect unconsidered. After pounding the radial stress of block inside and outside the curve distribute severely inhomogeneously. The radial stress of block outside the curve is more than that inside the curve distinctly. This can provide theoretical guide for interpretation of the seismic damage of pounding for curved girder bridge.


Recent research has observed that in machine learning optimization, gradient descent (GD) often operates at the edge of stability (EoS) [Cohen, et al., 2021], where the stepsizes are set to be large, resulting in non-monotonic losses induced by the GD iterates. This paper studies the convergence and implicit bias of constant-stepsize GD for logistic regression on linearly separable data in the EoS regime. Despite the presence of local oscillations, we prove that the logistic loss can be minimized by GD with \emph{any} constant stepsize over a long time scale. Furthermore, we prove that with \emph{any} constant stepsize, the GD iterates tend to infinity when projected to a max-margin direction (the hard-margin SVM direction) and converge to a fixed vector that minimizes a strongly convex potential when projected to the orthogonal complement of the max-margin direction. In contrast, we also show that in the EoS regime, GD iterates may diverge catastrophically under the exponential loss, highlighting the superiority of the logistic loss. These theoretical findings are in line with numerical simulations and complement existing theories on the convergence and implicit bias of GD for logistic regression, which are only applicable when the stepsizes are sufficiently small.


The rapid growth in use of renewable intermittent energy resources, like wind turbines (WTs) and solar panels, in distribution networks has increased the need for having an accurate and efficient method of handling the uncertainties associated with these technologies. In this paper, the unsymmetrical two point estimate method (US2PEM) is used to handle the uncertainties of renewable energy resources. The uncertainty of intermittent generation of WT, photo voltaic cells, and also electric loads, as input variables, are taken into account. The variation of active losses and imported power from the main grid are defined as output variables. The US2PEM is compared to symmetrical two point estimate method, Gram-Charlier method, and Latin hypercube sampling method, where Monte Carlo simulation is used as a basis for comparison. The validity of the proposed method is examined by applying it on a standard radial 9-node distribution network and a realistic 574-node distribution network.


This research was carried out in order to compare the individual characteristics of the producers with and without the agricultural insurance, the structural characteristics of the hazelnut manufacturing enterprises and the characteristics of the information sources, and to show the similarities and differences between them in all the provinces of Duzce province where hazelnut production is concentrated. Duzce province center and 7 provinces were interviewed face to face in 2016 with a total of 319 producers selected by simple random sampling method, of which 96 had agricultural insurance and 223 had no agricultural insurance, and the result of the survey the proportional distributions of the obtained data were made. As a result of the analysis, the ratio of the high income group was 2.7% among those who did not have the agricultural insurance but this rate was found to be 26% in the insured of agriculture insured. Among those who did not receive agricultural insurance, the rate of those who suffered from agricultural disaster was 31,8%, while this rate was 82,3% for those who have agricultural insurance. While the ratio of those who use agricultural loans in those who do not have agricultural insurance is 50,2%, this ratio is 78,1% in those who have agricultural insurance. Keywords : Survey, Duzce, hazelnut, agricultural insurance DOI : 10.7176/JSTR/5-4-19


Crosslinked poly(acrylamide) (p(AAm)) as neutral hydrogel is synthesized via photo polymerization technique, and the amide groups within p(AAm) matrices are converted to strongly ionizable carboxylic acids groups via facile modification route by simple treatment of NaOH to obtained NaOH-p(AAm) hydrogels. Because of the highly ionizable nature of carboxylate groups within mod-p(AAm), the swelling and metal ion absorbing capacities are increased tremendously, almost 40 and 7.5 folds, respectively. The Co(II) and Ni(II) metal ions are loaded into NaOH-p(AAm) hydrogels, and are treated with NaBH4 to form corresponding metal nanoparticles in situ within mod-p(AAm) matrices, and used in H2 generation production from hydrolysis of NaBH4. Various parameters such as functionality of polymeric matrices, the kinds and the amount of metal nanoparticles, and the temperature effecting the H2 generation are investigated. Comparable low Ea with the similar researches in the literature, Ea = 20.07 ± 0.05 kJ mol−1 is obtained in NaBH4 hydrolysis catalyzed by NaOH-p(AAM)-Co composite system. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41106.


Demographic changes and growing demand are making Long-Term Care (LTC) services for chronic patients and senior citizens a dynamic sector facing major challenges. Jobs in this sector tend to have limited attractiveness, to be associated with low retention rates and, consequently, potential workforce shortages. The objective of the present paper is to measure LTC job stability in order to quantify a potential attractiveness gap between caregiver occupations and other related careers across European countries. We make use of the European Labour Force Survey database (EU-LFS). The data covers 26 countries over the period 1992-2011. We estimate the conditional continuation probabilities of maintaining current job over time for LTC workers, applying a retention rates approach. We compare these estimates to those for typical health sector workers within and across-various countries. Our findings indicate that, although LTC jobs are as stable as other healthcare related occupations in most of Europe, two groups of countries exhibit different patterns. In Southern and Eastern European countries, LTC occupations appear less stable. Central European states, by contrast, reveal an apparently higher retention in favor of LTC occupations.


Prompt γ-ray and early X-ray afterglow emissions in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are characterized by a bursty behavior and are often interspersed with long quiescent times. There is compelling evidence that X-ray flares are linked to prompt γ-rays. However, the physical mechanism that leads to the complex temporal distribution of γ-ray pulses and X-ray flares is not understood. Here we show that the waiting time distribution (WTD) of pulses and flares exhibits a power-law tail extending over four decades with an index of about two and can be the manifestation of a common time-dependent Poisson process. This result is robust and is obtained on different catalogs. Surprisingly, GRBs with many ( ≥ 8 ?> ) γ-ray pulses are very unlikely to be accompanied by X-ray flares after the end of the prompt emission (3.1σ Gaussian confidence). These results are consistent with a simple interpretation: a hyperaccreting disk breaks up into one or a few groups of fragments, each of which is independently accreted with the same probability per unit time. Prompt γ-rays and late X-ray flares are nothing but different fragments being accreted at the beginning and at the end, respectively, following the very same stochastic process and likely the same mechanism.


Purpose Reasons for worldwide variability in the burden of primary malignant brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors remain unclear. This study compares the incidence and survival of malignant brain and CNS tumors by selected histologic types between the United States (US) and Taiwan. Methods Data from 2002 to 2010 were selected from two population-based cancer registries for primary malignant brain and CNS tumors: the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States and the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Two registries had similar process of collecting patients with malignant brain tumor, and the quality of two registries was comparative. The age-adjusted incidence rate (IR), IR ratio, and survival by histological types, age, and gender were used to study regional differences. Results The overall age-adjusted IRs were 5.91 per 100,000 in the US and 2.68 per 100,000 in Taiwan. The most common histologic type for both countries was glioblastoma (GBM) with a 12.9% higher proportion in the US than in Taiwan. GBM had the lowest survival rate of any histology in both countries (US 1-year survival rate = 37.5%; Taiwan 1-year survival rate = 50.3%). The second largest group was astrocytoma, excluding GBM and anaplastic astrocytoma, with the distribution being slightly higher in Taiwan than in the US. Conclusion Our findings revealed differences by histological type and grade of primary malignant brain and CNS tumors between two sites.


Magnesium deficiency is frequently associated with hypokalemia. Concomitant magnesium deficiency aggravates hypokalemia and renders it refractory to treatment by potassium. Herein is reviewed literature suggesting that magnesium deficiency exacerbates potassium wasting by increasing distal potassium secretion. A decrease in intracellular magnesium, caused by magnesium deficiency, releases the magnesium-mediated inhibition of ROMK channels and increases potassium secretion. Magnesium deficiency alone, however, does not necessarily cause hypokalemia. An increase in distal sodium delivery or elevated aldosterone levels may be required for exacerbating potassium wasting in magnesium deficiency.


It is important to be aware of the security issues a wireless LAN can pose, and take steps to use its built-in security features. IEEE 802.11b-related security issues range from security management to inherent weaknesses of the underlying technologies. In addition, WLANs are subject to the same attacks that target traditional LANs.


Graph embedding methods including traditional shallow models and deep Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have led to promising applications in recommendation. Nevertheless, shallow models especially random-walk-based algorithms fail to adequately exploit neighbor proximity in sampled subgraphs or sequences due to their optimization paradigm. GNN-based algorithms suffer from the insufficient utilization of high-order information and easily cause over-smoothing problems when stacking too much layers, which may deteriorate the recommendations of low-degree (long-tail) items, limiting the expressiveness and scalability. In this paper, we propose a novel framework SAC, namely Spatial Autoregressive Coding, to solve the above problems in a unified way. To adequately leverage neighbor proximity and high-order information, we design a novel spatial autoregressive paradigm. Specifically, we first randomly mask multi-hop neighbors and embed the target node by integrating all other surrounding neighbors with an explicit multi-hop attention. Then we reinforce the model to learn a neighbor-predictive coding for the target node by contrasting the coding and the masked neighbors' embedding, equipped with a new hard negative sampling strategy. To learn the minimal sufficient representation for the target-to-neighbor prediction task and remove the redundancy of neighbors, we devise Neighbor Information Bottleneck by maximizing the mutual information between target predictive coding and the masked neighbors' embedding, and simultaneously constraining those between the coding and surrounding neighbors' embedding. Experimental results on both public recommendation datasets and a real scenario web-scale dataset Douyin-Friend-Recommendation demonstrate the superiority of SAC compared with state-of-the-art methods.


The mission to observe the Sea Surface Salinity (SSS) from the space is not really new because it has been started from long time ago. The first mission was the Skylab which used a 1.4 GHz microwave radiometer in 1970's. But this mission is still not as comprehensive as other missions which observe such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Sea Surface Height (SSH), Ocean Color, and so on. Realizing the importance of SSS distribution in the ocean and its influences to the Earth's climate system has motivated the scientists to develop a new technique in observing the SSS from space and lead a mission called the SMOS mission which was launched in November 2, 2011. Besides observing the SSS, this mission observes the Soil Moisture as well. The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission aims to obtain global and regular measurements on the soil moisture and the ocean salinity. These measurements are essential for climate and hydrological models, among other purposes. SMOS payload is a L band (21 cm, 1.4 GHz) 2D interferometric radiometer on a generic Proteus platform. The mission lifetime is at least 3 years (0.5 for commissioning and 2.5 for normal operation) + 2 years (extended operation) + 10 years for the post-mission processing. Raw physical data, level 1 and level 2 products will be produced by the PDPC (SMOS Payload Data and Processing Centre). It is an ESA center located in Villafranca (Spain) and operated under the responsibility of ESA. The SMOS Ocean Salinity objective is accuracy better than 0.1 psu, with 10 days to monthly grid scale (200 km).


Abstract

The human circulatory system is one of the admirable rhythms of nature. The heart and the vasculature are constitutive structures. The vasculature consists of arterial and venous appurtenances which are arranged in an idealized network capable of enhancing circulation. The crux of this study is the representation of the cardiovascular system as a network in which electrical constraints apply. As a network, the system is amenable to graph analytic treatment; as edge-nodal parameters ensue, topological constraints apply. In virtue of cardiac auto-rhythmicity, electrical impulses are driven through the vessels to the body cells. As a rule, the vessels must elicit a modicum of resistance. This work weaponized the elements of graph theory and electrical properties of the heart in elucidating the flow mechanism associated with the cardio-vascular system. The voltage drop across the connecting vessels (idealized as wires) was carefully depicted and analyzed by the method of matrices. When the cardiac function is within physiological definition a vascular compartment may be a liability in the event of poor circulation. Therefore the knowledge of vascular resistive capacities, which this work portrayed, is a sine-qua-non to the assessment of flow integrity of the system under consideration.

MSC 2010 No.: 05C21, 92C42, 92B25.
Keywords: Cardiovascular, Network, Matrices, Flow, Circuit, Edges and Nodes, Wave propagation, Bifurcation.


OVERVIEW OF THE MODEL FOR END-STAGE LIVER DISEASE (MELD): MELD has been successful in its initial aim of reducing pre-transplant mortality by better organ allocation; at the same time, it generated a new challenge of achieving better posttransplant outcomes by adjusting the hierarchy of allocation to sicker patients. Our analysis of 49,867 adult patients in the MELD era (2002 through 2011) showed a change in the dynamics of the transplant population: the number of patients with higher priority (MELD-exception patients and high-MELD patients) has been progressively increasing while the number of those without priority has remained constant or has been decreasing depending on their disease. The re-transplantation rate has been increasing for high-MELD patients. An increase in number has also observed of major racial groups other than Whites. Overall graft survival-including that for re-transplant-has improved, regardless of MELD levels, during the decade since MELD implementation in 2002. 2. MELD WITH PRIMARY DISEASES: Over the past two decades, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been increasing, and after the inception of MELD, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-alcoholic liver disease (NASH) have been progressively increasing. There appears to be a general tendency toward lower graft survival in high-MELD patients in both deceased- and living-donor transplantation. However, this trend differed among the 12 primary diseases, in which significantly lower graft survival was observed in high-MELD patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), NASH, autoimmune disorders (AI), HCV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) or non-HCC cancers. Overall, HCV seropositive patients had lower graft survival than HCV seronegative patients. This was also true in each high- and low-MELD group. However, analysis of the primary diseases showed four patterns for the impact of HCV seropositivity related to MELD levels: lower graft survival with anti-HCV regardless of MELD level (with acute hepatic failure, metabolic disorders and HBV); no correlation between the impact of HCV antibodies and MELD levels (with primary biliary cirrhosis [PBC], primary sclerosing cholangitis [PSC] and HCC); lowest graft survival with high MELD scores in the presence of HCV antibodies (with AI, ALD and NASH); and worse survival without HCV (non-HCC cancers). 3. MELD EXCEPTION: Among the primary diseases, the five with a high rate of HCC exception (> 70%) were HCC, HCV, HBV, ALD and AI; the four with a high rate of non-HCC exception (> 60%) were non-HCC cancers, PSC, PBC, and "Others." HCC patients with HCC-exception appear to have derived a greater benefit from transplantation, with better graft survival, than HCC patients without exception. The same beneficial effect of non-HCC exception has been observed with non-HCC cancers, the majority of them cholangiocarcinoma.


Dogs in a shelter environment need to cope with different types of stressors. Recent studies have shown that essential oils might be able to modify the behavior of dogs. The aim of the current study was to assess whether olfactory enrichment through lavender essential oils influences the behavior of sheltered dogs. 11 dogs (7 males and 4 females, castrated), aged between 18 months and 13 years were involved. Animals were divided into two groups: G1 (Experimental group) and G2 (Control group). G1 dogs wore a collar with a gauze on which 5 drops of lavender ( Lavandula angustifolia ) essential oil were laid once a week. The dogs of G2 wore a collar identical to those of G1 but without aromatization with lavender. The dogs underwent a 10-minute isolation period (T0) in an unknown environment, then they were brought back to their own box and their behavior was videotaped for 5 minutes. The same procedure was repeated after one (T1) and two (T2) months. A significant difference among the data of stress behaviors recorded at the different times is observable in dogs G2 (χ 2 = 6.00; p=0.05), while no difference was observed in experimental dog G1 (χ 2 = 0.857; n. s.). Preliminary results of this study seem to indicate that the application of a collar impregnated with lavender essence can have a positive effect on the stress of the animal in the kennel, avoiding an increase in stress behaviors, as happens instead in the control group.


Interleukin-2 receptor alpha chain (also called as CD25) is a 55 kD glycoprotein, also known as IL-2Ra, Ly-43, p55, or Tac. It is expressed on activated T and B cells, thymocyte subset, pre-B cells, and T regulatory cells. IL-2Ra and IL-2Rβ (CD122), together with the common gamma chain (IL2Rg)(CD132), form the high affinity signaling IL-2 receptor. Its affinity for IL2 and cellular function are tightly regulated and vary in different cell types. The high frequency of IL-2Ra on the surface of many different haematological tumor cells is now well established and, apart from its prognostic significance, IL-2Ra may be present on leukemic stem cells and enable oncogenic signaling pathways in leukemic cells. Additionally, high IL-2Ra expression in activated circulating immune cells and Tregs is a factor that has already been exploited by IL2 immunotherapies for treatment of tumors and autoimmune disease. The relative clinical safety and efficacy of administering anti- IL-2Ra radioimmunoconjugates and immunotoxins in various haematological tumor indications has been established and clinical trials of a novel IL-2Ra-directed antibody drug conjugate are underway. Biocytogen has generated IL-2Ra humanized mouse for both in vitro functional validation of signaling pathway and in vivo efficacy evaluation of IL-2Ra antibodies. The targeting strategy is that the genomic DNA covering exons 2~6 of mouse IL-2Ra gene which encode the extracellular domain are replaced by the counterpart of human IL-2Ra genomic DNA covering exons 2~6. Human IL-2Ra is mainly detectable on the T cells in spleen of the IL-2Ra humanized mice. The humanized mice are highly similar to the wild-type mice in basal leukocyte subpopulations, including T/B cells, NK cells, DC, granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages. STAT-5 phosphorylation induced by mouse IL2 protein is blocked by anti-human IL-2Ra antibodies, suggesting that the functional pathways in IL-2Ra humanized mice work well. The colon cancer model established in IL-2Ra humanized mice is undergoing, anti-human IL-2Ra antibodies showed good efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth. Taken together, IL-2Ra humanized mice are a useful tool for in vivo efficacy evaluation of human IL-2Ra antibodies that can be advanced to human clinical trials. Citation Format: Yanan Guo, Xiaofei Zhou, Youhong Su, Gary Ng, Chaoshe Guo. Evaluating anti-IL-2Ra in vivo efficacy on humanized knock-in mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5618.


The Brigalow Scheme has been one of Australia's largest dryland development projects since World War II. Large sums of private and public capital have been invested to create 247 new farm firms. Planning the development of these new properties is a complex task. A simulation model of the typical block in Area III of the Brigalow Scheme has been constructed and used to evaluate experimentally the financial performance of various growth strategies. Use of a conjugate directions search procedure with this model has allowed growth strategies to be identified which maximize net worth subject to a low risk of financial failure. These strategies are compared with development programmes which have already been implemented. Significant conclusions are reached both with respect to future management strategies and future land development policies. Methodological advances incorporated in the simulation model are also discussed.


EmrE is a prototype of the Small Multidrug Resistance family of efflux transporters and actively expels positively charged hydrophobic drugs across the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. Here, we report the x-ray crystal structure, at 3.7 angstrom resolution, of one conformational state of the EmrE transporter in complex with a translocation substrate, tetraphenylphosphonium. Two EmrE polypeptides form a homodimeric transporter that binds substrate at the dimerization interface. The two subunits have opposite orientations in the membrane and adopt slightly different folds, forming an asymmetric antiparallel dimer. This unusual architecture likely confers unidirectionality to transport by creating an asymmetric substrate translocation pathway. On the basis of available structural data, we propose a model for the proton-dependent drug efflux mechanism of EmrE.


How does a fall in house prices affect real activity? This paper presents a business cycle model in which a decline in house prices reduces geographical mobility, creating distortions in the labor market. This happens because homeowners face declines in their home equity levels, after which it becomes more difficult to provide the down-payment required for a new mortgage loan. Unemployed homeowners therefore turn down job offers that would require them to move. The model explains joint cyclical patterns in housing and labor market aggregates, as well as the puzzling breakdown of the U.S. Beveridge curve that occurred during 2009.


Objectives The aim of this study is 1) to obtain the area and volumes of the maxillary sinuses in patients affected by clinically unilateral sinus pathology by comparing the results to the contralateral sinus and 2) to determine the importance of the volumetric measures when diagnosing the percentage of sinus obliteration. Materials and methods A single-centre observational retrospective clinical study was conducted in 214 patients with clinically unilateral sinus pathologies. Linear (mm), area (mm2) and volume (mm3) measurements were taken from Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images of the affected sinus as well as from the contralateral ones. Histopathological study was performed using haematoxylin/eosin and PAS or Groccot stains. The lesions were classified into non-specific sinusitis, polyps, inverted papilloma, fungal sinusitis, cysts, mucocele and other lesions. Chi-squared test, ANOVA for independent samples and Pearson test were used for the statistical analysis. Results A total of 100 sinuses were measured in 50 patients (28 men and 22 women, with an age of 43.6 years (SD = 18.3), 50 pathological and 50 healthy contralateral sinuses. The three-dimensional occupation volume of the affected sinuses was 97.1 mm3 (62.5%) vs. 40.6 mm3 (22.8%) in the healthy ones (p<0.0001). The medial-lateral width of the sinus in the frontal plane was significantly higher in the cysts group (32.4 mm, CI: 23–41.8 mm). Conclusion In medical terms, the global percentage of occupation determined using the classic manual determination method does not differ from the three-dimensional percentage calculated using specific complex software.


The macrobenthic soft-sediment communities at 6 sites in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand, have been quant~tahvely sampled at bimonthly intervals since October 1987. Univariate (contingency-table analysis, Kendall's coefficient of concordance and Jaccard's similarity index) and multivariate (non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and canonical con~munity ordination) analyses were used to assess the absolute and relative structural stability of the communities a t each of the 6 sites over the first 5 % yr of sampling. Despite short-term, seasonal and inter-annual variability, the communities have generally been persistent, in terms of their overall community structure, over the duration of the sampling programme. h4anukau Harbour is a dynamic and rigorous environment in terms of movement of water and sediments. Mean wind c o n d ~ t ~ o n s were found to play an important role in contnbuting to variability in comn~unity structure at different sites in the Harbour, probably as a result of s ehmen t disturbance by wind-induced waves and bottom turbulence. In addition to local factors, there was also evidence that factors operating at harbour-wide scales (e.g. water temperature) contributed to variability in community structure. The populations of some species exhibited marked temporal fluctuations. Major recruitment events potentially lead to altered physical, chemical or biological characteristics of the benthic habitat with concomitant effects on other species in the community. Despite the physically and biologically dynamic environment, the communities were persistent and exhibited both resistance? and resilience to physical disturbance and major recruitment events. Other studies have reported these to be important factors contributing to instability in the structure of soft-sediment communities.


Between 1949 and the late 1970s, interactions between China ( PRC ) and Middle Eastern nations were limited. After China started to implement economic reforms in 1978, however, the country opened up to the global economy in general and the Middle East in particular. Since the 1980s, the new Chinese economic dynamic, as a result of its economic reforms, has significantly increased China's footprint in the region. China's distinct approach has been to secure access to natural resources and new markets while, at the same time, making sure not to get bogged down in the Middle East's political conflicts. However, as we argue in this paper, China's role has by now become so prominent that it will be increasingly difficult for China to maintain its low-profile role. By analyzing the development of China's role in the region generally as well as its specific relations to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Israel, we conclude that China is likely to become a more active player in the region.


This paper proposes an advanced signal processing technique for the precise estimation of a nonlinear ultrasonic parameter, based on power spectral and bispectral analysis. The power spectrum and bispectrum estimation of the pulse-like ultrasonic signal used in the commercial SAM (scanning acoustic microscopy) equipment is especially considered in this study. The usefulness of the proposed estimation is confirmed by experiments for a Newton ring with a continuous air gap and a real semiconductor sample with local delaminations. The results show that the nonlinear parameter obtained by the proposed method had a good correlation with the delamination.


My research will seek to affirm the factors that influenced the pattern and pace of populating a region between present day Prince Albert and North Battleford, Saskatchewan, during the period 1867 and 1931. A settlement boom had occurred in Western Canada during this era, and previous studies have sought to ascertain the factors that accounted for the boom and why the phenomenon had not occurred earlier. To date, studies addressing this issue have considered the Federal Policies for land, immigration and railways, several global push-pull factors, and the physical variables of land capability and climate as the primary factors affecting the settlement boom. In examining the history of settlement of Western Canada, no study to date, however, has linked the inventory of land with the flow of immigrants into the region. It is exactly this gap that this study addresses. This study will utilize the inventory of the allocation of agricultural land to the population that first settled the region during this era, and will examine the timing and pace of homestead settlement in relation to the timing of all other forms of land alienation for the purposes of agriculture. These include the land sales of the purchased homesteads; pre-empted homesteads; school districts; the railway companies; land companies; and the Hudson's Bay Company. This, furthermore, points to an important conjecture regarding government and railway policies that actually impeded settlement. Lewis (1981), Lewis and Robinson (1984) and Ward (1994) introduced the notion that the late railway branch-lines construction, and the late sale of pre-empted lands, may have acted as impediments to settlement. This suggestion has not been supported one way or another. In addition, the Railway's late selection of lands they were entitled to from the railway land grant reserve, and the subsequent late availability of sale of these lands to agriculturists have not been addressed. My research is intends to affirm these premises. The linkages between the different forms of land alienation will be shown here as a factor that contributed to the order and pace of settlement.


With simple screen-printing method, the field emission display (FED) with carbon nanotube (CNT) as field emitters was fabricated. The flat glass was used as back-plane, and the sintered silver slurry was utilized to form the conducting lines. The blank back-plane and the cathode back-plane was combined to make a panel room, and the anode back-plane would be included in it. The panel image would be formed on the anode back-plane surface, which was fixed with the blank back-plane. The glass edge of anode back-plane was treated with a inclined plane, which the conducting lines on the blank back-plane could be connected with the indium tin oxide electrodes on the anode back-plane. The whole FED panel was packaged, which possessed good field emission property and emission uniformity.


Houston—A decade after their discovery, compounds that superconduct electricity at high temperatures are making it into the real world—although no one can prove how they work. And 2 weeks ago in Houston, at the 10th Anniversary High-Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) Workshop on Physics, Materials, and Applications, both practical accomplishments and theoretical frustrations took center stage. Thin HTS films are now being tested for use in filtering signals from noise in cellular phone base stations, a huge market, and the first HTS underground power transmission cable was just made with a standard industrial process. Yet while a cluster of recent experiments has supported the idea that HTS is borne on magnetically paired electrons, concurrent theoretical developments have thrown some very cold water on that idea.


Over the last decade, the size and structure of the global credit default swap (CDS) market have changed markedly. With the help of the BIS derivatives statistics, we document how outstanding amounts have fallen, central clearing has risen and the composition of underlying credit risk exposures has evolved. Netting of CDS contracts has increased, due to the combination of a higher share of standardised index products and the clearing of such contracts via central counterparties. In turn, this has led to a further reduction in counterparty risk. Underlying credit risks have shifted towards sovereigns and portfolios of reference securities with better credit ratings. The distribution of credit risks across counterparty categories has remained broadly unchanged.


Background Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) represent a major public health issue and currently are the cause of 71% of deaths globally and 72% deaths in Oman. Hence, there is a need for comprehensive, up-to-date and internationally comparable data on NCD risk factors in order to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing public health policies and to develop further NCD prevention and control interventions. The aim of the study was to provide evidence-based, up-to-date, extensive, and reliable baseline data on the behavioural and biological risk factors of NCDs in the Sultanate of Oman. Methods A cross‐sectional community‐based survey designed to be nationally representative of the Sultanate of Oman was conducted based on the WHO STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS). Multi-stage stratified random sampling according to geographical distribution selected a total of 9053 households (Omani nationals and non-Omani residents). Cluster sampling was used and symmetric equal number of blocks were chosen in each governorate with 823 households chosen from each governorate and one eligible adult selected from each household randomly. The survey used demographic and behavioural information questionnaires along with physical and biochemical measurements among adults aged 18 years and above. Results The prevalence of behavioural risk factors such as tobacco use was 9%, alcohol consumption was 2%, insufficient fruit or vegetable intake was 61%, and insufficient physical activity was 39%. The prevalence of biological risk factors such as overweight and obesity was 66%, raised blood pressure was 33%, raised blood glucose was 16%, and raised blood cholesterol was 36%. The prevalence of multiple risk factors was also determined and 95% of the population were found to have more than one risk factor. Three or more risk factors were found among 33% of population aged 18-69 years and 45% of the population aged 45 years. Conclusions These findings are important to support the formulation and implementation of NCD-related policies and action plans that improve health status and prevent mortality due to NCDs in the Sultanate of Oman.


Knowledge of the permeability distribution is critical to a successful reservoir model. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurements can be used for permeability prediction because the T2 relaxation time is proportional to pore size. Due to the conventional estimators have difficult and complex problems in simulating the relationship between permeability and NMR measurements, an intelligent technique using artificial neural network and genetic algorithm to estimate permeability from NMR measurements is developed. Neural network is used as a nonlinear regression method to develop transformation between the permeability and NMR measurements. Genetic algorithm is used for selecting the best parameters and initial value for the neural network, which solved two major problems of the network: local minima and parameter selection depend on experience. Information gain principle is introduced to select the neural network's input parameters automatically from data. The technique is demonstrated with an application to the well data in Northeast China. The results show that the refined technique make more accurate and reliable reservoir permeability estimation compared with conventional methods. This intelligent technique can be utilized a powerful tool for estimate permeability from NMR logs in oil and gas industry.


Recent reports suggest that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may be related to an inappropriate diving reflex or obligate nose breathing. Immersion of the neonatal monkey's face in cold (14 C) water, or nasal occlusion resulted in apnea which is occasionally persistent, bradycardia, and relative hypertension. In the same monkeys at an older age, apnea never persisted after removal of the diving stimulus, and there was no obligate nose breathing. The study documents a dive reflex and obligate nose breathing and concludes that the infant monkey is a suitable model for the study of SIDS. We suggest, however, that the fatal factor in crib death may be the failure to interrupt apnea however the apnea was initiated. The failure to resume respiration may represent an inappropriate return to the apneic state of the fetus.


A rare occurrence of ocular subconjunctival dirofilariasis in a 53-year-old healthy Indian male working in Dubai, UAE presenting with an acute red eye is reported. Surgical excision under topical anesthesia was carried out uneventfully in the outpatient clinic. The live worm removed from the subconjunctival space was identified as Dirofilaria repens on the basis of microscopic examination and histopathology. Surgical excision of subconjunctival dirofilariasis is safe in an outpatient setting and curative precluding the need for further systemic antihelminthics.


Agile Software Development Approach is the buzzword for the Organizations working with Traditional Software Development Approach. Scrum is one of the most vital frameworks used when working towards Agile Software Development projects. Material Management is one of the salient processes of the Supply Chain Management in transforming inputs into outputs. Extreme Programming is more technical in nature and Scrum is a People focused Management approach. This scrum framework is customizable according to the project teams and it is adopted widely to effectively manage software projects. Scrum framework fits into the groove for delivering quality product at a faster pace with minimal continuous feature delivery at frequent intervals. The minimal Marketable feature is delivered at the end of each Sprint. A Sprint is an iterative activity which ends up at regular intervals. But, the way of customizing the process and giving a minimal feature delivery at the end of each Sprint in the projects act as a major challenge. Other challenges resulted in the team collaboration and the involvement of the team members in the project and in integrating the minimal marketable feature. Syncing with the product owner and the other stake holders, and participation in the sprint planning were some of the issues that the team faced. The success of the entire team in implementing the Agile Software Development approach in the Enterprise Resource Planning Material Management Section is discussed.


Informal care is undoubtedly a vital to dementia care in Ireland. To date, little research has been carried out exploring the burden experienced by informal carers of people with mild to moderate dementia. The main aim of this quantitative study is to explore the burden experienced by caregivers, relative to dementia severity. The secondary aim is to identify risk factors which may be contributing to this perceived burden.

 Fifty-two people with dementia(PwD) and their informal caregivers were recruited by convenience sampling, and data was collected as part of the 'CHESS' research trial. Data was collected during baseline assessments between April 2017 and September 2018. Dementia disease severity was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE), the Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory Questionnaire(NPI-Q), and the Disability Assessment for Dementia(DAD) scale. These outcome measures were then compared to levels of caregiver burden, which was measured using the Zarit-Burden Interview(ZBI). These comparisons were completed using Spearman's correlations. Socio-demographic characteristics of both the carer and PwD were then compared to caregiver burden, using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

 The results of the study substantiate that behavioural disturbances(p=0.000) and increasing disability(p=0.022) of the PwD are associated with higher carer burden. The study also identified potential non-modifiable risk factors for increased carer burden. These include spousal relationship to the PwD(p=0.096), older caregiver age(p=0.208), female carer gender(p=0.083) and higher educational attainment of the caregiver(p=0.035). Some of these differ from factors influencing burden in other international populations.

 This preliminary analysis is the first study of its kind to be carried out in Ireland. It sheds light on potential predictors and risk factors for carer burden and shows need for future research to be carried out in this area. Such research would help to clarify interventions which could minimise the prevalence of the burden experienced by informal caregivers.


Objective. To provide artificially-elicited vision that is temporally dynamic, retinal prosthetic devices will need to repeatedly stimulate retinal neurons. However, given the diversity of physiological types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) as well as the heterogeneity of their responses to electric stimulation, temporal properties of RGC responses have not been adequately investigated. Here, we explored the cell type dependence of network-mediated RGC responses to repetitive electric stimulation at various stimulation rates. Approach. We examined responses of ON and OFF types of RGCs in the rabbit retinal explant to five consecutive stimuli with varying inter-stimulus intervals (10–1000 ms). Each stimulus was a 4 ms long monophasic sinusoidal cathodal current, which was applied epiretinally via a conical electrode. Spiking activity of targeted RGCs was recorded using a cell-attached patch electrode. Main results. ON and OFF cells had distinct responses to repetitive stimuli. Consistent with earlier studies, OFF cells always generated reduced responses to subsequent stimuli compared to responses to the first stimulus. In contrast, a new stimulus to ON cells suppressed all pending/ongoing responses from previous stimuli and initiated its own response that was remarkably similar to the response from a single stimulus in isolation. This previously unreported 'reset' behavior was observed exclusively and consistently in ON cells. These contrasts between ON and OFF cells created a range of stimulation rates (4–7 Hz) that maximized the ratio of the responses arising in ON versus OFF cells. Significance. Previous clinical testing reported that subjects perceive bright phosphenes (ON responses) and also prefer stimulation rates of 5–7 Hz. Our results suggest that responses of ON cells are weak at high rates of stimulation (> ∼7 Hz) due to the reset while responses of OFF cells are strong at low rates (< ∼4 Hz) due to reduced desensitization, both reducing the ratio of ON to OFF responses. In combination with previous results indicating that responses in ON cells more closely match physiological patterns (Im and Fried 2015 J. Physiol. 593 3577–96), our results offer a potential reason for the user preference of intermediate rates (5–7 Hz).


BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence and incidence among injecting drug users (IDUs) has increased in London and rest of UK. To inform public health action, mathematical modelling is used to explore the possible impact of strategies to decrease syringe sharing.

METHODS
A mathematical model was developed to simulate HCV transmission amongst IDUs in London. Because of parameter uncertainty, numerical search algorithms were used to obtain different model fits to HCV seroprevalence data from London for 2002-03. These simulations were used to explore the likely impact of HCV prevention activities that reduce syringe sharing amongst all IDUs, IDUs that have injected for greater than one year, or IDUs with lower or higher frequencies of syringe sharing.

RESULTS
Key differences between model fits centred on how they simulated the high HCV incidence amongst new injectors, either through assuming increased HCV infectivity during acute infection, a large sub-group of high frequency syringe sharers, or increased sharing among new IDUs. Despite parameter uncertainty, the model projections suggest that modest reductions in syringe sharing frequency (<25%) will reduce the HCV seroprevalence in newly initiated IDUs (injecting less than four years) but much larger and sustained reductions (>50%) are required to reduce the HCV seroprevalence in long-term IDUs (injecting more than 8 years). Critically the model also suggested that large reductions in HCV seroprevalence will be achieved only if interventions target all IDUs and reach IDUs within 12 months of injecting.

DISCUSSION
Public health interventions must reduce syringe sharing amongst all IDUs, including newly initiated IDUs, and be sustained for many years to reduce HCV infection. More accurate data on key behavioural (sharing frequency) and biological (percentage of infected IDUs that clear infection) parameters is required to improve model projections.


Inflammatory pseudotumors of the liver are very rare, and their etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. The diagnosis is often difficult to make because these masses often mimic other lesions such as primary neoplasms, metastases or liver abscesses. Herein, we report a rare case of progressive growing hepatic pseudotumor in a 47-year-old man. The patient presented with body weight loss and general malaise. A series of radiological examinations showed the progressive growth of the hepatic tumor from 3.5 cm to 10.0 cm in diameter within 8 months. He underwent a right lobectomy of the liver, and the final diagnosis was proven by pathology. There were no complications in the post-operative course.


Various concentrations of gelsolin (25-100 nM) were added to 2 microM polymerized actin. The concentrations of free calcium were adjusted to 0.05-1.5 microM by EGTA/Ca2+ buffer. Following addition of gelsolin actin depolymerization was observed that was caused by dissociation of actin subunits from the pointed ends of treadmilling actin filaments and inhibition by gelsolin of polymerization at barbed ends. The time course of depolymerization revealed an initial lag phase that was followed by slow decrease of the concentration of polymeric actin to reach the final steady state polymer and monomer concentration. The initial lag phase was pronounced at low free calcium and low gelsolin concentrations. On the basis of quantitative analysis the kinetics of depolymerization could be interpreted as capping, i.e. binding of gelsolin to the barbed ends of actin filaments and subsequent inhibition of polymerization, rather than severing. The main argument for this conclusion was that even gelsolin concentrations (100 nM) that exceed the concentration of filament ends ( approximately 2 nM), cause the filaments to depolymerize at a rate that is similar to the rate of depolymerization of the concentration of pointed ends existing before addition of gelsolin. The rate of capping is directly proportional to the free calcium concentration. These experiments demonstrate that at micromolar and submicromolar free calcium concentrations gelsolin acts as a calcium-regulated capping protein but not as an actin filament severing protein, and that the calcium binding sites of gelsolin which regulate the various functions of gelsolin (capping, severing and monomer binding), differ in their calcium affinity.


This paper presents the use of-off-the shelf products as a low cost solution to bridge bearing inspection. A commercial product, known as a DiddyBorg, is a robot designed for use with a Raspberry Pi as the on-board computer. The DiddyBorg is used as a robotic platform to make a photogrammetric survey of the bearing area of a bridge. The images collected from this survey are then used to make a 3D reconstruction using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and software 3DFlow Zephyr Aerial (Zephyr). The quality of the 3D reconstruction had an accuracy of +/- 154 mm when compared to the known dimensions of the area. The resulting point cloud was then used as a map that the robot can use for navigation purposes. In particular we present a simple localization algorithm based on distance three readings measured from the robot.


The scope and complexity of thoracic surgery have increased with the introduction of new treatment modalities in the management of thoracic diseases occurring in an increasingly elderly population. Consequently, the knowledge of the potential complications that can occur and their management become very important for every physician involved in the treatment of patients with thoracic diseases. Complications in Thoracic Surgery is a very comprehensive text written by specialists in anesthesiology, critical care, otolaryngology, nephrology, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, oncology, radiology, pulmonary medicine, and thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. The text contains 28 chapters. The first chapter gives a good historical background about complications in thoracic surgery. The role of nursing in the treatment of patients with thoracic diseases is clearly and sufficiently summarized. The chapters on cardiac arrhythmias, and renal and anesthetic complications contain detailed information. Several chapters are devoted to complications associated with chemotherapy-induced toxicity, radiation therapy, pulmonary artery


The temporal evolution of doublet lines intensity ratio, plasma temperature (T) and electron density (Ne) of different radial parts of aluminum plasma as well as the relationship between optically thin condition and plasma characteristics are investigated. With respect to doublet lines intensity ratio, the optimal delay time (tot) when the plasma is optically thin is determined by comparing the experimental intensity ratio of doublet Al(I) lines with the theoretical value. The optimal integration time, fiber collection angle, and delay time corresponding to the optically thin condition are 400 ns, 45°, and 500 ns, respectively, in which case the linearity of the calibration curve reaches 0.98, enabling more accurate composition measurements. The maximum temperature values are reached within 300 ns at 10°, 30°, 45°, and 80°, but after 900 ns at 55°, 60°, and 70°. Combined with the morphologic image of the plasma, we infer that the time at which a radial part of plasma reaches the highest temperature is related to the extent of its expansion. It is generally understood that the faster the radial part of plasma expands, the sooner the temperature reaches its maximum. The radial part of plasma may not be optically thin when the corresponding temperature reaches its maximum. If the highest temperature is obtained earlier, the optically thin condition is likely to appear in the descending stage of the temporal evolution curve of temperature. Otherwise, it may appear in the ascending stage. There seems to be no simple positive correlation between electron density and optically thin condition.


This contribution addresses the critical question of sampling rates used to measure variables of interest by cyberphysical and environmental monitoring systems. The data used in this analysis were measured and recorded in a Brazilian forest canopy between 2007 and 2014. Through variogram analysis time series of air temperature, humidity, soil moisture and photosynthetically active radiation, this study provides practical recommendation of minimal sampling rates for the selected environmental variables. The objective is to determine the optimal sampling frequency to maintain sufficient temporal resolution of collected environmental data while minimizing the energy consumption of environmental monitoring devices. In addition to the direct benefit of energy savings, proper design of sampling regimes can also improve reliability and reduce the life-cycle costs of operating environmental monitoring systems.


The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the sources of stress experienced by caregivers. Twenty-five spouses were interviewed. All were taking care of their husbands who were living at home with a chronic illness. Two instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview developed by Desjean, Doucet, and Gagnon (1983) specifically for phenomenological studies. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed by Giorgi's test. The results indicated that being a caregiver is stressful. The unsatisfied needs for education and social support, the uncertainty about the outcome of the illness, and the loss of freedom and social activities are the major sources of stress expressed by caregivers. These findings should encourage nurses to evaluate the caregivers' situation and initiate interventions that assist them in decreasing sources of stress.


Blank holder force (BHF) plays an important role in sheet metal forming. Previous studies demonstrated that variable blank holder forces can improve the cold formability of steel blank, but the research on the application of variable blank holder force in warm forming of magnesium sheet forming has not been well investigated. In this study, the mechanical property of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet is measured through some uniaxial tensile tests. In order to obtain the variational rule of the BHF, a mathematical model of BHF is deduced based on the energy theory. The variational rule of the BHF over the punch stroke is analyzed. Finally, three profiles of the BHF curve are designed, and the numerical simulation of warm deep drawing process of magnesium alloy sheet is also performed. A suitable variable blank holder force scheme is obtained through comparison among three results of simulation. The simulation indicates that the limiting drawing ratio of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet can be improved from 3.0 to 3.5 with the suitable blank holder force varied by an inverted V curve.


Abstract This study compared alternate tillage practices for peanut production. The influence of these alternate tillage practices on peanut yield, crop value, and grade factors were evaluated. Alternate tillage practices consisted of a power-driven rotary tiller or rolling cultivators with planters attached. Tillage and planting were performed simultaneously immediately following moldboard plowing. This was compared to the conventional practice of moldboard plowing in late March, and two disking operations prior to planting. Results indicated approximately a 10% increase in peanut yield and crop value for the alternate tillage treatments as compared to the conventional treatment. Although not determined in this study, the alternate tillage practices have the potential to reduce soil compaction, reduce the potential of soil erosion, and reduce land preparation input costs.


Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of red propolis and xylitol chewable tablets in reducing concentrations of microorganisms such as Streptococcus mutans (SM) and gram-negative bacteria (GNB). Methods: A total of 12 volunteers of both sexes presenting no caries (ICDAS II 0), users of fixed orthodontic appliances and with visible plaque index were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Was to determine the variations in the concentrations of SM and GNB in the saliva before and after the administration of the chewable tablets. The appearance of adverse reactions and side effects was analyzed. The Mann-Whitney (parametric) test was used for pairwise comparisons of means. The Wilxocon test was also used. Results: The study revealed that the propolis and xylitol chewable tablets had antimicrobial activity, reducing the concentration of GNB by -1.39 log10 CFU/mL (p = 0.036) and compared to placebo (p = 0.004698). There was a significant reduction of SM of -0.22 log10 CFU/mL (p = 0.031) and compared to placebo (p = 0.002165). Conclusion: Thus, in addition to the good safety profile, with a low rate of adverse effects, red propolis and xylitol tablets proved to be an effective potential low-cost alternative to combat dental caries and other periodontal diseases. Key words: Propolis, Xylitol, Chewable tablets, Streptococcus mutans, Dental decay.


Probabilistic circuits (PCs) represent a probability distribution as a computational graph. Enforcing structural properties on these graphs guarantees that several inference scenarios become tractable. Among these properties, structured decomposability is a particularly appealing one: it enables the efficient and exact computations of the probability of complex logical formulas, and can be used to reason about the expected output of certain predictive models under missing data. This paper proposes Strudel, a simple, fast and accurate learning algorithm for structured-decomposable PCs. Compared to prior work for learning structured-decomposable PCs, Strudel delivers more accurate single PC models in fewer iterations, and dramatically scales learning when building ensembles of PCs. It achieves this scalability by exploiting another structural property of PCs, called determinism, and by sharing the same computational graph across mixture components. We show these advantages on standard density estimation benchmarks and challenging inference scenarios.


A new method for suppressing transients in time-varying recursive filters is proposed. The technique is based on modifying the state variables when the filter coefficients are changed so that the filter enters a new state smoothly without transient attacks, as originally proposed by Zetterberg and Zhang (1988). We modify the Zetterberg-Zhang algorithm to render it feasible for efficient implementation. We explain how to determine an optimal transient suppresser to cancel the transients down to a desired level with the minimum complexity of implementation. The application of the method to time-varying all-pole and direct form IIR filter structures is studied. The algorithm may be generalized for any recursive filter structure. The transient suppression technique finds applications in audio signal processing where the characteristics of a recursive filter needs to be changed in real time, such as in music synthesis, auralization, and equalization.


Background Child conduct disorders have important long-term public health sequelae, including higher risk of substance use and violence in adolescence and higher risk of mental health problems in adulthood. Parenting interventions informed by social learning theory have been consistently shown to be effective for reducing child disruptive behaviour, but the diversity and variety of interventions prevents a clear understanding of why interventions are differentially effective. Intervention components rarely exist in isolation, and interventions may be best understood in terms of the combinations of components they include rather than any one component. We tested if components of social learning theory-based parenting interventions for child disruptive behaviour outcomes formed underlying groupings across trials, and analysed how these groupings were associated with differential intervention effectiveness. Methods We searched existing systematic reviews across a variety of platforms and updated searches in recent reviews. We included randomised controlled trials of parenting interventions for child conduct disorder measuring child disruptive behaviour outcomes. We developed and applied an exhaustive 19-component scheme against all trials. We estimated a latent class model for components in each trial arm and chose the best-fitting model. We subsequently took 20 draws from the probability distribution of the latent classes for each arm, network meta-analysed each draw, and combined findings from each draw using Rubin's rules. Results We included 151 trials with 329 arms comparing relevant parenting programmes against each other, against treatment as usual or against no treatment. Across 19 components, our latent class analysis identified five intervention types (four active, one no treatment). As compared to no treatment, 'relationship-building' was most effective at reducing child disruptive behaviour (Cohen's d −0.71, 95% CI [−0.90,–0.53]) but 'parental self-management' (−0.54, [-0.76,–0.32]), 'breaking coercive cycles' (−0.53, [-0.74,–0.33]) and 'all components' (−0.49, [-0.68,–0.29]) were effective as well. There was some evidence that 'relationship-building' was more effective than other active intervention types but confidence intervals for these comparisons were broad. Discussion We brought together two types of methods, latent class modelling and network meta-analysis, to examine how intervention classes are associated with differential intervention effectiveness. This is the first analysis of its kind. While all active intervention classes were better than no treatment and no active intervention class was better than any another, we did not find that using all possible components in the same intervention was associated with increased effectiveness as compared to more spare groupings of components.


In the years 1918-1939, trade constituted one of the main branches of economy. More people were employed in trade than in industry. The highest employment rate, however, was recorded in farming and crafts. The condition of the region depended entirely on the economic policy and the situation of the country. The trade plant network was characterized by irregular location. The majority of shops were located in not numerous towns, whereas in rural areas, which were populated by more than 80% of the inhabitants, shops were relatively rare. The sector structure showed superiority of shops, usually small or very small ones, selling foodstuffs. Another group of shops were stores selling clothes, footwear as well as materials. The interwar trade's distinctive feature was also the nationality of shopkeepers, most of whom were Jewish.


Classification of respiratory sounds between normal and abnormal is very crucial for screening and diagnosis purposes. Lung associated diseases can be detected through this technique. With the advancement of computerized auscultation technology, the adventitious sounds such as crackles can be detected and therefore diagnostic test can be performed earlier. In this paper, Linear Predictive Cepstral Coefficient (LPCC) and Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) are used to extract features from normal and crackles respiratory sounds. By using statistical computation such as mean and standard deviation (SD) of cepstral based coefficients it can differentiate between crackles and normal sounds. The statistical computations of the cepstral coefficient of LPCC and MFCC show that the mean LPCC except for the third coefficient and first three statistical coefficient values of MFCC's SD provide distinctive feature between normal and crackles respiratory sounds. Hence, LPCCs and MFCCs can be used as feature extraction method of respiratory sounds to classify between normal and crackles as screening and diagnostic tool.


BACKGROUND
Felypressin has been added to local anesthetic to increase the length of the anesthetic effect and reduce toxicity during dental procedures. However, the effect on blood pressure remains uncertain, and this may be highly relevant in the dental treatment of hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of felypressin on blood pressure in hypertensive patients with controlled BP.

METHODS
71 subjects with these characteristics and in need of periodontal treatment were studied. After 10 minutes of rest, local anesthesia (prilocaine) was infiltrated with and without addition of felypressin. Then, a deep subgingival scaling was performed. Blood pressure was measured by an automated oscillometric device (DIXTAL DX2010). Ten minutes after the administration of the anesthetic, peak anesthetic action was recorded. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to assess the patients' trait anxiety.

RESULTS
Systolic blood pressure increased after anesthesia, regardless of association with felypressin, throughout the dental procedure (p<0.05) and this response can be explained, at least in part, by the trait anxiety levels of the subjects. However, a further increase in diastolic blood pressure was observed when prilocaine was associated with felypressin (p<0.05), but this response did not change with trait anxiety levels.

CONCLUSION
Felypressin increased the diastolic blood pressure of hypertensive patients with controlled blood pressure. Patients with high trait anxiety presented increases in systolic blood pressure upon some procedures, suggesting that an increase in blood pressure might also be related to fear or anxiety.


The Dentistry is a subset of public health that is important for the people health. The Iranian Scientists were one of the first dental workers about several thousand years ago. Iranian and Islamic physicians were used the gold teeth instead of extracted teeth to preventing the asymmetry of the teeth. Also, recommended that the decayed cavities could be filled with cement made of "Mastic" and alum. Ibn Sina has pointed to prevent tooth decay, too. On the other hand, the same works that Iranian scientists were used to treat dental diseases are used in nanotechnology and nano-zeolite sciences. In some researches the fluoride in drinking water is separated by adsorption technology. Also, other technologies that can be used for separation of fluoride from water are the using of membranes, nano-filtration, dialysis, electrodialysis and reverse osmosis. Additionally, nano-zeolites are used as a teeth cover to prevent teeth decay. On the other hand, nano-zeolites are used in dental filling materials to make more strength of these filling materials. As mentioned, the new sciences methods were used in the last days of Iran and Islam which are the developed traditional methods.


Conventional wireless broadcast protocols rely heavily on the 802.11-based CSMA/CA model, which avoids interference and collision by conservative scheduling of transmissions. While CSMA/CA is amenable to multiple concurrent unicasts, it tends to degrade broadcast performance significantly, especially in lossy and large-scale networks. In this paper, we propose a new protocol called Chorus that improves the efficiency and scalability of broadcast service with a MAC/PHY layer that allows packet collisions. Chorus is built upon the observation that packets carrying the same data can be effectively detected and decoded, even when they overlap with each other and have comparable signal strengths. It resolves collision using symbol-level interference cancellation, and then combines the resolved symbols to restore the packet. Such a collision-tolerant mechanism significantly improves the transmission diversity and spatial reuse in wireless broadcast. Chorus' MAC-layer cognitive sensing and scheduling scheme further facilitates the realization of such an advantage, resulting in an asymptotic broadcast delay that is proportional to the network radius. We evaluate Chorus' PHY-layer collision resolution mechanism with symbol-level simulation, and validate its network-level performance via ns-2, in comparison with a typical CSMA/CA-based broadcast protocol. Our evaluation validates Chorus's superior performance with respect to scalability, reliability, delay, etc., under a broad range of network scenarios (e.g., single/multiple broadcast sessions, static/mobile topologies).


This paper introduces the automatic fine Bituminous Coal injection lance position control method using flame image process. The fine Coal injection lance is used to supply additional heat into the furnace in Mill plant. It injects fine coal into high pressured air flow and produces very heated and high pressured flame. For the such high temperature and pressure, the fine coal injection lance effects not only efficiency of burner but also furnace abrasion. To keep efficient combustion status and to avoid the abrasion, in this paper, the flame is monitored by computer image process. This paper proposes the flame image process method and lance position control according to calculated result for flame image process.


Digital transformation has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, it affects almost all areas of social and economic life. As a cross-cutting issue and solution to specific challenges, it is also increasingly the subject of initiatives at EU level. Since 2015, the EU has developed a comprehensive digital agenda that involves various areas, ranging from the single market to foreign and security policy. The paper traces the dynamic development on the basis of strategy documents and policy guidelines in three phases with a focus on 2020 and 2021. It takes stock of the EU's overarching strategy towards digitalisation by examining what the EU understands by it, what its goals are, and what role it draws for itself in shaping the digital transformation. The study shows that the EU tries to grasp digitalisation in a substantial number of policy-specific strategies and guidelines, using mainly four patterns of interpretation - partly in parallel - which differ in terms of geopolitical, environmental, socio-political and economic policy framing.


Büşra Eser Çavdartepe , Nadir Koçak , Nafiz Yaşa , Tülin Çora Treacher Collins Syndrome with a Novel Deletion in the TCOF1 Gene Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare autosomal dominant congenital disorder characterized by various craniofacial malformations. The estimated incidence is 1 in 50000 live births. Bilaterally symmetric anomalies of the structure are present within the first and second branchial arches. Characteristic facial findings includes bilateral hypoplasia of the malar bones and mandible. This syndrome most commonly results from mutations in the TCOF1 gene. Here we present a five-year-old female patient with syndromic appearance and hearing loss. The patient had various facial dysmorphic features and malformed bilateral pinnae and left ear microtia. According to the clinical features, we suspected TCS and sequence analysis of TCOF1 gene was performed. A heterozygous new mutation c.1722_1731delCATCCTCCAG in exon 12 of the TCOF1 gene was detected. It has been determined that this mutation is pathogenic according to the in silico prediction tools. The current study further expands the TCOF1 mutation spectrum.


BACKGROUND
Stimulation of the occipital and supraorbital nerves is used to treat chronic migraine refractory to medical management. Placement of cranial leads is often challenging due to the rigid Touhy needle included in the kit for its placement.

OBJECTIVE
To report the first case of concurrent placement of bilateral supraorbital (SNS) and occipital nerve stimulators (ONS) from a unilateral approach using the On-Q* Tunneler, (Halyard Health, Alpharetta, Georgia) a flexible, blunt tipped plastic tunneler with a tear-away sheath.

METHODS
We present the case of a 49-yr-old female with debilitating daily holocephalic headaches who underwent placement of SNS and ONS through a cervical and left temporal incision at an outside hospital. She presented to our institution with purulent drainage from the temporal incision and the system was removed. We describe an alternative approach to bilateral SNS and ONS placement with a soft flexible tunneling device, which facilitated placement of the entire system through a right temporal incision, thereby avoiding her previously infected surgical sites.

RESULTS
The patient reported complete resolution of her daily headaches and was able to resume her activities as a full-time student.

CONCLUSION
The flexibility of the On-Q tunneler device (Halyard Health) allows the placement of bilateral SNS and ONS from a unilateral incision, thereby minimizing the cosmetic effect and infectious risk of this procedure.


It is defined by Donald W.Cole as a career suicide, creative, sociable, talented, well-educated, intelligent people who suddenly take steps to negatively affect their career in the business. Many of them are successful in business, as opposed to all employees who remain on the sidelines. Persons who would be a good administrator, professional suicide is dragged to, and does not know what to do to reverse this process. The manager and the deterioration of other elements in size although they have become less useful to the enterprise does not know what to do in order to change this trend. In this study, the factors that cause these factors to reveal the professional to commit suicide and is intended for the determination of policies for the prevention of. This direction of the profession in the process of suicide are explained along with the factors that will facilitate the solution of problems, the factors are ranked.


Aim: This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of early versus late dressing removal in contaminated and clean surgical wounds. Study design: A Prospective non-randomized study. Place and duration: In the Surgical Unit of AllamaIqbal Teaching Hospital, Sialkot from March 2018 to March 2019. Method: Sixty patients age eighteen or above (planned surgery and emergency surgery) were enrolled in the study, admitted in hospital and operated. All surgical wounds met the criteria of contaminated and clean surgical wounds. Thirty patients were included in each group with early and late dressing removal. In the early removal group, within 48 hours, the surgical dressing was removed and in the late group 48 hours after surgical intervention. The incidence of deep and superficial surgical site (SSI) infection was studied in these two groups. Additional subordinate factors such as dehiscence of wound incidence and secondary suturing were too assessed. Results: Thirty patients were included in each group with early and late dressing removal for final scrutiny. The occurrence of superficial surgical sight infection was lower expressively in the early dressing removal group. The time required for full recovery (days) (8.60-10.70; p=0.734) was shorter considerably in the early dressing removal group. In the early dressing removal group, there was the significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay (days) (10.50 vs. 15.0; p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Early dressing removal considerably decreases the superficial SSIs incidence in contaminated and clean surgical wounds. It also considerably decreases the time of full wound healing and facilitates short hospital stay as compared to late dressing removal.


Introduction: Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) enzymes catalyze the NADP-dependent interconversion of isocitrate and α-ketoglutarate. R132* IDH1 mutations lead to cellular accumulation of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), an oncometabolite that promotes tumorigenesis. IDH1 mutations are found in glioma (~80%), chondrosarcoma (~50%), cholangiocarcinoma (~20% intrahepatic), acute myeloid leukemia (AML; ~6-9%), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS; ~3%). IDH305 is a potent, orally available, mutant-selective, allosteric IDH1 inhibitor. IDH305 suppresses mutant IDH1-dependent 2-HG production and cell proliferation with an IC50 of 24 nM, and has antitumor activity in preclinical studies. Methods: The objectives of this ongoing phase I clinical trial in patients with advanced cancers are to evaluate the safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) characteristics, and preliminary antitumor activity of IDH305 (IDH305X2101, NCT02381886). This trial is specifically designed to evaluate the safety of IDH305 both across and within 3 broad disease areas: glioma, AML/MDS, and other/non-CNS solid tumors with the IDH1R132 mutation. IDH305 is orally administered twice a day (BID) in continuous 21-day cycles. The starting dose of 75 mg BID was determined from 4-week toxicology studies following ICH Guideline S9. Dose escalation is guided by a Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM), which evaluates the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) relationship to the collective population, as well as to specific disease areas, across dose levels, to model the similarity in the rate of DLTs during the first cycle of treatment. The BHM permits the declaration of different maximum tolerated doses (MTDs)/recommended doses for expansion (RDEs) for 3 disease areas, if suggested by the data. Dose expansions in disease-specific cohorts are designed to further characterize safety and explore antitumor activity. Pre- and on-treatment specimens (blood, tumor) are being collected for PK and PD evaluations. Results: As of the data cut-off, March 30, 2016, 81 patients have been enrolled: glioma (n=32), AML (n=21), MDS (n=3), other/non-CNS solid tumors (n=24), and unknown (n=1). Patients were treated with IDH305 on a BID schedule at various doses: 75 mg (n=6), 150 mg (n=11), 300 mg (n=16), 450 mg (n=9), 550 mg (n=16), 750 mg (n=10), and 900 mg (n=13). During dose escalation, DLTs of Grade 3 elevated bilirubin were observed in 2 patients with solid tumors (2 at 550 mg BID), 1 patient with glioma (900 mg BID) who also experienced a DLT of Grade 3 elevated lipase, and 1 patient with AML (750 mg BID). A DLT of Grade 3 rash was observed in 1 patient with a solid tumor (750 mg BID). All DLTs resolved and were considered reversible. MTDs for each disease area were not determined. RDE was determined for glioma (550 mg BID) and solid tumors (550 mg BID). Dose escalation continues for AML/MDS. Across all 3 disease areas, the most common adverse events (AE) reported as suspected of being related to IDH305 (>10%, all grades) included: bilirubin increased (30.9%); aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased (17.3%); alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased (16.0%); and nausea (13.6%). Grade 3 AEs suspected to be related to IDH305 that occurred in >1 patient included: bilirubin increased (8.6%)/hyperbilirubinemia (2.5%); AST increased (2.5%); and ALT increased (3.7%). Among 24 AML/MDS patients (21 relapsed/refractory AML and 3 MDS), the most common suspected AEs reported as being related to IDH305 (>5%, all grades) included: raised bilirubin and lipase (8.3% each). There was one Grade 3 AE of increased bilirubin that was also a DLT. Objective responses were reported in 7 (33%) AML patients: complete remission in 2 (9.5%), complete remission with incomplete recovery in 1 (4.8%), and partial remission in 4 (19.0%) patients. Responses appear durable. PK, PD, and updated clinical safety and efficacy data will be reported. Conclusion: Preliminary clinical data suggest that IDH305 has a favorable safety profile and promising antitumor activity in IDH1-mutated AML. Studies to further evaluate the safety, tolerability, and antitumor activity of IDH305 as a single agent and in combination are ongoing. Disclosures DiNardo:Agios: Other: advisory board, Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Other: advisory board, Research Funding; Novartis: Other: advisory board, Research Funding. Schimmer:Novartis: Honoraria. Yee:Novartis Canada: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Hochhaus:BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; ARIAD: Honoraria, Research Funding. Carvajal:Novartis: Consultancy. Janku:Agios: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding. Bedard:Novartis: Research Funding. van den Bent:Novartis, Roche, AbbVie, Celgene, BMS: Consultancy. O9Keeffe:Novartis: Employment. Chen:Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Employment. Pagliarini:Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Schuck:Novartis: Employment. Myers:Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research: Employment, Equity Ownership. Wei:Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding.


The first objective was to identify the provoking events of suicide in patients with schizophrenia or schizoid-type disorder, and to assess the humiliation component of these events. The second objective was to verify if quality of care during childhood is a vulnerability factor for suicide in patients with schizophrenia or schizoid-type psychosis. Thirty-three cases of suicide with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoid-type psychosis were compared with 34 living patients with a similar diagnosis. The psychological autopsy method was used. The assessments were made with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Axis I mental disorders, the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule, and the Child Experiences and Child Abuse Interview. The suicide group (SG) experienced more often a recent severe event, usually of a humiliation nature, than the control group (CG). It also experienced more severe events associated with aggressive behavior or with psychiatric impairment. Contrary to expectations, the CG had worse scores than the SG for quality of care during childhood. In conclusion, suicide in schizophrenia is related both to environmental stress and to psychiatric impairment.


Brake failure is one of the causes of fatal accidents because the vehicle cannot be controlled properly. Therefore, research on improving brake safety needs to be assessed immediately. Brake temperature is used as an indicator of brake performance. If the temperature signal reads is different from the normal brake signal then it becomes an indication of a brake fault. How to measure the temperature of the rotating brake rotors and what sensors allow it to be used in real vehicles is the main question in this study. In this paper, there are two types of sensors that allow detecting brake temperature, namely rubbing thermocouple and a thermocouple sensor inserted in a pad with holes. The rubbing thermocouple sensor is expected to produce a higher heat because there is a friction effect between the rubbing steel and the rotor disc, whereas the sensor in the pad hole will show the real value. However, in the use of an actual vehicle, measuring the temperature by punching holes is not recommended because it can cause potential damage to the pad itself. When an infrared sensor is used, the installation is easier but this is not suitable because dirty conditions such as dust or sticky mud on the sensor surface will hinder the sensor reading. So the use of a rubbing thermocouple will be better in real vehicles. Therefore, the measurement of temperature by rubbing thermocouple must be made a correction factor that refers to the actual temperature. From the tests conducted, the results of measurements with rubbing thermocouple (T 4 ) can be converted to the equation T=–0,0058T 4 2 +2,7668T 4 –81,257. So how to make this equation can be proposed for the development of a safety warning system related to brake performance detection devices