A new red diarylethene compound, 1,2-bis[2-n-hexyl-5-hydroxymethyl -3-thienyl]-perfluorocyclopentene (1o), was synthesized and its photochemic properties and fluorescence were studied. Specifically, photochromism in solution and in poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) amorphous films were investigated. The results showed that it exhibited good photochromism in both solution and PMMA amorphous film under photoirradiation. In addition, the compound exhibited relatively strong fluorescence that can be useful for the design of the fluorescence molecule switch.


The purpose of this study was to identify how women with breast cancer perceive themselves as subjects in the process of making decisions on their own treatment. Two objectives were pursued: (a) to identify social and political determinants that, by affecting the socialization process of these women, might have influenced them in adopting a style of participation, and (b) to understand the meaning of such participation, as it was perceived by these women at the time they decided on their treatment options. The theoretical-methodological support adopted was that of Symbolic interactionism. The population sample included nine women with breast cancer. Semi-structured interviews allowed data to be gathered, and led to collecting further field notes and data from medical records. The hermeneutic dialectic method was employed as a compass for data interpretation, which made it possible to identify two broad theme units: 'construction of the female identity' and 'style of participation when choosing one's own treatment'. By means of these units it was possible to grasp what it meant for these women to deal with the issue of limits and, therefore, of ethics. In their view, they did not participate in the decision-making process, being regarded as unqualified to decide on the fate of their own bodies and lives. They were thus seen as obedient subjects in relation to medical decisions that are based on the principle of beneficence, where health care delivery is dependent on hierarchical social relationships and power structures are present between classes, genders, and levels of knowledge.


The Ministry of Education in Malawi introduced a life skills education program with the intention to empower children with appropriate information and skills to deal with social and health problems affecting the nation, including the fight against HIV infections. This study investigated factors affecting the teaching of the life skills education in four primary schools in the Zomba district, Malawi. Cornbleth's (1990) notions of the structural and social contexts and Whitaker's (1993) identification of key role players in curriculum implementation framed the study. Data was collected through interviews with teachers and principals and observations of teachers' lessons. Findings suggest that the teaching of life skills is constrained by a variety of social and structural contextual factors such as the poor conditions under which teachers are working; greater attention given to subjects such as maths and languages; the cascade model of training teachers and the short duration of training; the inaccessible language in teachers guides; hunger and poverty of learners; lack of community support for sex education; both teachers and learners being infected or affected by the AIDS/HIV pandemic; teachers felt it is inappropriate to teach sexual education to 9 and 10 year old learners. The structural and social barriers to effective life skills education within the current framework indicate the need for alternative sex HIV/AIDS education complementary to the primary school curriculum.


Background and aim: A four-year research project aims at improving the situation of children who have mentally ill parents (COPMI) in Tyrol. For developing practice approaches to better identify and support these children and their parents, we need an in-depth understanding of the regional Tyrolean characteristics in terms of existing support structures and the societal context they are embedded in. Method: The report aims at providing an overview of the Tyrolean socioeconomic and demographic situation (context information) as well as a mapping on existing in-kind and cash benefits (financial support) that may play a role in identifying and supporting COPMIs and their families. The description of available benefits and the context information are based on secondary literature (national and regional statistics, planning documents, annual reports from service providers etc.). Results: The Tyrol is an Austrian region in the Western part of Austria. From roughly 750,000 inhabitants, around 140,000 persons (19%) are dependent children (0-18 years). The vast majority of them lives in dual-parent families. Catholic religion plays an important role in Tyrol. 85% of Tyroleans are Austrian citizens. 50% of the population is actively working in paid employment, the remainder is either retired (20%), in education or in other forms of activity (parental leave, household leading only, military service). We identified a broad variety of benefits that may be utilised to identify and support COPMIs and their families. However, only one of the existing services (available in two districts) directly targets COPMIs. In terms of setting, a vast majority of services is office based and a much smaller proportion of providers offer outreach services (e.g. in families' homes). The available services are characterised by a high proportion of public funding. However, access to publicly funded services may be restricted via gate-keeping (e.g. referrals from child and youth service) or shortages of capacities (e.g. psychotherapy, child care). More (types of) services are available in urban than in rural regions. Services are characterised by high fragmentation in terms of governance (federal, regional, municipality), financing (taxes: federal, regional; social insurance) and service provision (public and private providers). Discussion and Conclusions:
The demographic and socioeconomic parameters suggest that Tyrol is a conservative region in terms of family structures and education/employment characteristics, indicating that the informal sector plays an important role. This implies that informal resources for supporting COPMIs and their families may be utilised in addition to the formal support structures.
The broad variety of potentially relevant services and their different funding and legal arrangements will create considerable challenges for coordinating and organising individualised support that is based on the children's and parents' needs. However, the mapping also demonstrates that there is a large potential of professional resources available that may be utilised first before new services or programmes are introduced. Limiting factors will be access restrictions and geographical variations for several services. In addition, cash benefits and a number of interesting activities within the voluntary sector (e.g. self-help groups) have been identified as a potential resource. The main limitation of this literature-based report is that the information on existing support structures may be incomplete and not always up to date.
In conclusion, the existing infrastructure as well as the societal structures constitute a rich pool of resources on which the support concepts that are to be developed can draw on. The challenge will be to decide which of the numerous settings will be most appropriate and feasible for identifying COPMIs, and how to coordinate the support of COPMIs hereafter in the context of a research project.


Previous psychoacoustic measures of both critical ratios and critical bands in budgerigars indicate that the size of the auditory filters around 2–4 kHz approach or are even smaller than those of humans. Accordingly, budgerigars should excel at spectral discrimination tasks involving channels around 3 kHz. This study examined the ability of budgerigars to discriminate spectrally rich sounds by using rippled noise stimuli. Three budgerigars were trained in a repeating background procedure using operant conditioning to discriminate between a complex stimulus with a flat spectrum and one that had a sinusoidal ripple imposed on its spectrum. Each stimulus was composed of 201 spectral components logarithmically spaced from 500 Hz to 10 kHz, 100 ms in duration and sampled at 40 kHz. Ripple frequencies between 0.5 and 12 cycles/oct were tested using ripple amplitude steps of 1/2 to 2 dB. Overall levels of the stimuli were varied randomly from 55 dB to 65 dB SPL to remove intensity cues. Ripple amplitude detection thresholds for budgerigars were similar to those measured for humans with budgerigars slightly better at higher ripple frequencies. [Work supported by NIH Grants DC00198 and MH00982.]


The problem of learning programming subjects, especially through distance learning and E-Learning, has been widely reported in literatures. Many attempts have been made to solve these problems. This has led to many new approaches in the techniques of learning of programming. One of the approaches that have been proposed is the use of virtual pair programming (VPP). Most of the studies about VPP in distance learning or e-learning environment focus on the use of the synchronous mode of collaboration between learners. Not much research have been done about asynchronous VPP. This paper describes how we have implemented VPP and a research that has been carried out to study the effectiveness of asynchronous VPP for learning of programming. In particular, this research study the effectiveness of asynchronous VPP in the learning of object-oriented programming among students at Open University Malaysia (OUM). The result of the research has shown that most of the learners have given positive feedback, indicating that they are happy with the use of asynchronous VPP. At the same time, learners did recommend some extra features that could be added in making asynchronous VPP more enjoyable.


Background Research regarding the current health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) is limited; particularly in older adults. Individuals with CAI have reported decreased global and regional function; however, more research is required to determine the extent to which CAI influences HRQoL. Objective To determine whether HRQoL and region specific outcomes differ between older adults with and without CAI. Design Case-control study. Setting Laboratory. Participants Two hundred older individuals volunteered to participate in the study. All individuals completed the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) to determine CAI status. There were 75 individuals classified as CAI (age = 51.5 ± 7.3 years, height = 175.8 ± 3.7 cm, body mass = 86.5 ± 18.9 kg) and 125 classified as no CAI (age = 53.2 ± 7.3 years, height = 176.2 ± 5.4 cm, body mass = 81.3 ± 17.6 kg). Assessment of risk factors The independent variable was CAI status. Individuals scoring ≥11 on the IdFAI were classified as having CAI, and those scoring <11 as not having CAI. Main outcome measurements All participants completed the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Lower Limb Questionnaire (AAOS) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36v2) on one occasion. Dependent variables were the scores on the AAOS, the eight dimensions of the SF-36v2 (vitality (VT), physical functioning (PF), bodily pain (BP), general health (GH), physical role functioning (RF), emotional role functioning (RE), social role functioning (SF), and mental health (MH)), and two summary scores (physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) components). A MANOVA was used to evaluate differences between the two groups on all dependent variables. A priori alpha was set a p < 0.05. Results Compared with the individuals without CAI, those with CAI reported decreased function on the AAOS, PF, BP, GH, RP, and PCS (p < 0.05). The largest mean difference was seen in the AAOS (10.02 points). Conclusions Individuals with CAI reported decreased function and HRQoL compared with individuals without CAI. These findings suggest that HRQoL should be examined during the evaluation and rehabilitation process of individuals with CAI.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors that affect the formation and diffusion of disinfection by-products, especially trihalomethanes (THM), in a laboratory-scale water distribution network constructed with three different pipe materials. Sampling locations were chosen on the basis of residence time, pipe material and mixing zone. Water samples were collected and analyzed for temperature, pH, total organic carbon, turbidity, free chlorine and THM. Experiments were carried out where two different flow directions at cross junctions were studied. It was observed that for incoming flow at 90° with varying flow rate, mixing was shown to be incomplete where inflows tend to bifurcate rather than mix completely. For two incoming flows in opposing direction (180°), solute mixing has shown to be perfect due to the collision of the fluid streams. The results demonstrated how THM concentration can greatly vary in the same water distribution network due to the impact of pipe material, residence time and the outcome of mixing at cross junctions.


Binary and Ternary complexes of Transition metals (Co, Cu, Cr, Cd, Mn) and Inner transition metals (Th, Ce, Gd) have been synthesized by reacting their metal salts with antiulcer drug, namely Omeparazole (OME) and RNA bases namely Uracil(URA)/Adenine(ADE). The complexes are colored solids which are insoluble in cold water and freely soluble in DMF, DMSO and Ethanol. In this study, these metal complexes have been screened for their antibacterial activity towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas diminuta, Escherichia Coli , Streptococus Faecali Bacterias and antifungal activity towards Aspergillus Nidulans Fungi respectively .The results obtained were compared with that of the parent drug .The study reveals that the metal chelates (complexes) shows a remarkable resistance as compared with the parent drug.


The combination of genetic information and data provided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques is commonly referred as imaging genetics , an interesting approach with the potential to investigate the mechanisms linked to genetic variation. The gene that codifies the beta–3 subunit of the GABA-A receptor (GABRB3) is of great interest due to its early expression during embryonic stages, its role in neurodevelopment and its relationship with neurologic diseases such as epilepsy and autism. In order to investigate the possible effects of GABRB3 on brain structure and function, a sample of 63 healthy young male volunteers was measured using multimodal imaging techniques including: structural imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, resting state fMRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy and electroencephalography (EEG). Inter-group differences in brain function and structure were tested on the basis of frequency and prevalence of G2, the most frequent allele of GABRB3 in the population. The results showed that there were significant differences in diffusion parameters among the different subgroups on the basis of the G2 allelic prevalence and frequency. Non-carrier volunteers exhibited significantly increased axial diffusivity in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, right corticospinal tract and body of the corpus callosum compared to homozygote carriers of the G2 allele. Initially, such differences in diffusion parameters were only evident for axial diffusivity, although when a focused region-of-interest analysis was performed, differences in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity emerged. A statistically significant higher delta voltage in the global activity of EEG was also found in homozygote carriers of the G2 allele compared to heterozygote carries. The results presented here confirm the importance of the expression of GABRB3 gene in brain structure, particularly in defining the features of the white matter microstructure. Differences in EEG were also found to depend on the frequency of the G2 allele, which confirms the conclusions of previous investigations in which the expression of GABRB3 was crucial for the activity of EEG.


Professor Steven Shavell's Foundations of Economic Analysis of Law offers a monumental overview of the application of economics to law. This book review analyzes the strengths and occasional limitations of Shavell's book, and proceeds in three parts. Part I provides a brief survey of the contents of the book; Part II highlights the book's significant strengths; and Part III provides an assessment of the book. On the positive side, Shavell has written a lucid text that is accessible yet does not shy away from masterful exposition of complex topics such as externalities, informational asymmetries, and the divergence between private and social welfare. The review's critique, however, focuses on the notion that Shavell unnecessarily cabins welfare economics within a neoclassical and utilitarian box. In placing too much faith in the ability of the tax and transfer system to achieve distributional goals, and in eschewing deontological concerns, he too often ends up resorting to wealth maximization - ironically, the very method he chastises conventional law and economics scholars for adopting. In the end, Professor Shavell treats readers to an immensely informative, enjoyable, and thought-provoking book. However, had the book not remained wedded to the limits of neoclassicism and utilitarianism it would be even better.


To contribute to the hazard identification of low molecular weight (LMW) respiratory allergens, respiratory allergy induced by trimellitic anhydride (TMA) was characterized by whole genome analysis of lung tissue and blood proteomics in Brown Norway rats. Dermal sensitization (50% and 25% w/v) with TMA and an inhalation challenge of 15 mg/m TMA-induced apneas, laryngeal inflammation, increased numbers of eosinophils, neutrophils and macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and increased immunoglobulin E levels in serum and lung tissue. Whole genome analysis of lung, sampled 24 hours after challenge, showed expression changes of not only genes belonging to several Gene Ontology groups with up-regulation of inflammatory-associated genes and those associated with lung remodeling but also genes involved in downsizing these processes. Blood proteomics reflected activation of inflammation-inhibiting pathways. Unsensitized animals challenged with TMA exhibited also an increased number of macrophages in BAL, but gene expression in the above-mentioned gene pathways was unchanged or down-regulated. The authors conclude that parameters for lung remodeling can be a valuable tool in hazard identification of LMW respiratory allergens.


There are constant calls for reform in the criminal justice system, but observers have often reported that criminal justice reform is an exceptionally challenging task. As with any organizational change, resistance to new policies, procedures, and practices comes from a variety of sources. The relatively broad discretionary authority vested in line-level personnel often contributes to the difficulty associated with implementing change in criminal justice agencies. There is ample evidence that line staff resistance to organizational reform can undermine the implementation of organizational change. In this study, the authors examine the effects of the state of Ohio's transition to graduated sanctioning guidelines on parole officers—in particular, how these reforms were perceived by the key actors in the sanctioning process: parole officers. Findings from a statewide survey revealed that officers were generally dissatisfied with the restrictions on their discretion resulting from the reform. Analyses revealed that organizational factors such as officers' perceptions concerning how the sanctioning policy was implemented and its intended purposes were more influential than individual characteristics in shaping officers' views concerning the efficacy of the reform.


Rather than general warhead, oriented warhead asks for more accurate explode-time and explode-angle. For this problem, this paper analyzes the error of traditional analytic model in approximate calculation. The analysis is carried separately within and without the distance between guide and warhead. In Matlab simulation, it is concluded that the distance will affect the explode-time deeply but will affect the explode-angle hardly.


SUMMARY The connections between climate change and indoor climate are strong but not generally recognized. Climate change impacts local and regional atmospheric conditions including air quality and thermal conditions. Building climate control must respond to local climate and air quality to protect human health and support buildings' functional uses. Good indoor climate protects humans against local air pollution and the severe consequences of climate change. Technologies to control indoor climate requiring fossil fuel energy increase pollutant emissions including greenhouse gases; thus, indoor climate control impacts indoor and ambient air quality as well as global climate. Protecting humans and other living systems from the impacts of climate change involves adaptation and mitigation of the local and regional effects. Understanding and considering impacts of indoor climate control on regional air quality and global climate can reduce the negative impacts of building technology on building occupants as well as the entire global environment.


This study investigated whether heat-killed Lactobacillus protects host animal against influenza virus infection and stimulates their immunity. Heat-killed Lactobacillus gasseri TMC0356 was orally administered to BALB/c mice for 19 days; the mice were intranasally infected with Flu A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) on day 14, and clinical symptoms were monitored. After 6 days, the mice were sacrificed, and pulmonary virus titres were determined. Splenic activation of natural killer (NK) cells and the mRNA expression of cytokines and other immune molecules in the lung and Peyer's patch (PP) were analysed. Clinical symptom scores of mice orally fed TMC0356 ameliorated significantly (P < 0.01); their pulmonary virus titres decreased significantly compared with those of control mice (P < 0.05); their mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-12, IL-15 and IL-21 in PP and the pulmonary mRNA expression of IFN-γ, TNF, IL-12a, IL-12rbl, IL-2rb and perforin 1 increased significantly (P < 0.05). Oral administration of heat-killed lactobacilli may protect against influenza virus infection by stimulating local and systemic immune responses. Cellular components of lactobacilli may be pivotal in protecting against viral infection by enhancing gut and respiratory immune responses.


Cast iron components show a large variety of different microstructures in dependence on chemical composition, inoculation and cooling conditions. In conventional static and dynamic calculations as well as in fracture mechanics assessment of cast iron components, the influence of local microstructure on the overall behavior of the component is not considered. Usually one material dataset is applied for the whole material. The paper describes recent developments in the field of the prediction of local microstructure and its correlation to local stress-strain, fatigue durability as well as fracture toughness. The benefit of combining casting process simulation with lifetime predictions and fracture mechanics assessment is shown for selected examples. By integrating casting process simulation, microstructure modelling, local material characterization and load analysis, a simulation based approach for predicting the behavior and performance of cast iron components already during the design stage is enabled. Thus, the local assessment helps designers to assess risks and strive for light weight designs before the casting is made.


mTOR pathway activation and hypervascularity have been identified as important characteristics of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs). Agents targeting angiogenesis and mTOR, such as sunitinib and everolimus (RAD001), have been shown to result in progression-free survival of approximately 11 months in patients with advanced pNETs. Novel treatment is needed to extend survival. Mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-M), which is encoded by PCK2, catalyzes the conversion of oxaloacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate. PEPCK-M has been demonstrated to potentiate cytoplasmic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK-C)-mediated gluconeogenesis and to play a critical role in the survival program initiated upon stress during metabolism in cancer cells. Elevated expression of PCK2 has been found in various tumors according to the results of The Cancer Genome Atlas project. However, the role of PEPCK-M aberration in cancers is not well understood. In the current study, we observed that 12 of 21 (57%) pNET patients had high expression of PEPCK-M in the tumors, whereas the normal islet cells had weak expression of PEPCK-M. Knockdown of PCK2 inhibited the proliferation of pNET cells and enhanced the sensitivity of pNET cells to mTOR inhibitors. Knockdown of PCK2 promoted glycolysis but reduced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in pNET cells. The combination of mTOR inhibitors and an anti-glycolysis agent, 2-DG, synergistically or additively inhibited the proliferation of pNET cells, particularly for the cells with high expression of PEPCK-M. Therefore, targeting PEPCK-M or glycolysis combined with inhibiting mTOR is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of pNETs.


The introduction of inflation targeting in 2006, together with important economic developments such as dedollarization, marked the beginning of a new macroeconomic framework in Armenia, which is likely to have changed the effectiveness of monetary policy. This paper is the first attempt to analyze whether the transmission mechanism in Armenia has been subject to a structural break by employing a Markov-Switching VAR framework. Results support the existence of such a structural break around the time inflation targeting was introduced and reduced levels of dollarization were observed. Results from introducing a threshold variable into this framework furthermore show that reduced levels of dollarization are an important determinant of the effectiveness of monetary policy.


In the UK the public sector has had a long history of both providing leisure opportunities and also regulating and encouraging activities of other agents through legislation, enforcement and subsidy. What we seek to do in this paper is to address some of the recent shifts in public sector operation so that readers can perform a comparative analysis with recent developments in their own nation state. Our basic argument is that the experience of the last two decades has been characterised by: i. a gradual fragmentation of the 'leisure project' ii. a growing instrumentalism in public policy which increasingly deploys leisure in order to secure wider social goals. iii. an invasive centralisation of policy and a reduction of the power of the local state. These processes are interrelated and are associated with a proliferation of more short term pragmatic policies. These in turn find expression in more centralised project funding and contracting arrangements. The shift away from traditional leisure policy and towards a contract culture was centrally driven in the UK by iconoclastic neoliberalist policies. They were the hallmark of Margaret Thatcher's years of governance (1979-1990) .This policy direction has been continued, arguably refined and sharpened, by the three successive 'New Labour' governments of Tony Blair (1997-2006).


PURPOSE
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of pediatric respiratory infections, with a quarter having extrapulmonary complications, most commonly a mucocutaneous eruption involving the ocular surface. A detailed description of the ophthalmic manifestations in Mycoplasma-induced rash and mucositis (MIRM) is currently lacking in the scientific literature.

METHODS
This is a retrospective chart review of consecutive cases of MIRM at a tertiary referral children's hospital between October 1 and December 1, 2018, with up to 2 months of follow-up. Main outcomes and measures were demographic information, clinical examination findings including visual acuity, detailed anterior segment findings, and course of both ophthalmic and systemic disease.

RESULTS
Five patients were included. Age range was 8 to 17 years (mean age 11.9 years, median 11 years), with a strong male preponderance (4:1). All patients had inflammatory conjunctivitis. One patient had recurrent conjunctival pseudomembrane formation, whereas 2 patients had lid margin and conjunctival ulceration. No cases had corneal involvement and visual outcomes were excellent.

CONCLUSIONS
MIRM is associated with ocular involvement in almost all cases. Although this is generally mild, conjunctival epithelial defects and pseudomembrane formation can occur. We recommend that pediatric ophthalmologists follow children who are hospitalized with MIRM as closely as they would those diagnosed with other mucocutaneous syndromes, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis.


: Nineteen children with childhood autism and 8 with Asperger's syndrome aged 2-8 year, were treated with cerebrolysin (CL) in inpatient clinic. All the patients received 10 microinjections (intramuscularly and perinervously) of 0.1 ml CL daily during 5 days. Clinical study was combined with device estimation of cognitive functions and communicative skills. CL therapy resulted in improvement of cognitive functions (expressive and receptive speech, fine motoring, playing). Positive effects were revealed in all the patients with Asperger's syndrome and in 89% of the patients with childhood autism. Any negative effects were not found. With regard to cognitive functions development, therapeutic efficacy proved to be more pronounced in the patients with Asperger's syndrome as compared to childhood autistic group (p < 0.005).


Considered dynamical system is a flow of clusters with the same length $l$ on contours of unit length connected in polar-remote points into closed chain. When clusters move trough common node, the left-priority rule of conflict resolution works. In the paper it is shown that in the case of chain consisted third contours the dynamical system has a spectrum of velocity and mode periodicity consisted on not more two components. Distribution of spectrum in dependence on load $l$ is developed. Hypothesis on discrete spectrum in the case of arbitrary number of contours are formulated.


The intrinsic (gas-phase) stacking energies of natural and artificial nucleobases were explored using density functional theory (DFT) and correlated ab initio methods. Ranking the stacking strength of natural nucleobase dimers revealed a preference in binding partner similar to that seen from experiments, namely G > C > A > T > U. Decomposition of these interaction energies using symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) showed that these dispersion dominated interactions are modulated by electrostatics. Artificial nucleobases showed a similar stacking preference for natural nucleobases and were also modulated by electrostatic interactions. A robust predictive multivariate model was developed that quantitively predicts the maximum stacking interaction between natural and a wide range of artificial nucleobases using molecular descriptors based on computed electrostatic potentials (ESPs) and the number of heavy atoms. This model should find utility in designing artificial nucleobase analogs that exhibit stacking interactions comparable to those of natural nucleobases. Further analysis of the descriptors in this model unveil the origin of superior stacking abilities of certain nucleobases, including cytosine and guanine.


Painful salivary swelling in patients with Sjogren syndrome presents the clinician with a difficult-to-manage condition, and treatment options are limited. We report 2 cases that demonstrate the utility of a clinic-based intraductal corticosteroid infusion for the treatment of painful salivary swelling associated with Sjogren syndrome. Steroid infusion is a cost-effective, simple-to-perform, well-tolerated gland-sparing procedure that may yield good clinical results in selected patients.


We conducted a pilot trial of a new mobile and web-based intervention to improve diabetes adherence. The text messaging system was designed to motivate and remind adolescents about diabetes self-care tasks. Text messages were tailored according to individually-reported barriers to diabetes self-care. A total of 23 adolescents with type 1 diabetes used the system for a period of three months. On average, they received 10 text messages per week (range 8–12). A matched historical control group from the same clinic was used for comparison. After three months, system users rated the content, usability and experiences with the system, which were very favourable. Comparison of the intervention and control groups indicated a significant interaction between group and time. Both groups had similar HbA1c levels at baseline. After three months, the mean HbA1c level in the intervention group was unchanged (8.8%), but the mean level in the control group was significantly higher (9.9%), P = 0.006. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the messaging system, user acceptance and a promising effect on glycaemic control. Integrating this type of messaging system with online educational programming could prove to be beneficial.


Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) is one of the major bricks needed to build truly autonomous mobile robots. The probabilistic formulation of SLAM is based on two models: the motion model and the observation model. In practice, these models, together with the SLAM map representation, do not model perfectly the robot's real dynamics, the sensor measurement errors and the environment. Consequently, systematic errors affect SLAM estimations. In this paper, we propose two approaches to predict corrections to be applied to SLAM estimations. Both are based on the Ensemble Multilayer Perceptron model. The first approach uses successive estimated poses to predict the errors, with no assumptions on the underlying SLAM process or sensor used. The second method is specific to 2D likelihood SLAM approaches, thus, the likelihood distributions are used to predict the corrections, making this second approach independent of the sensor used. We also build a hybrid correction module based on successive estimated poses and the likelihood distributions. The validity of both approaches is evaluated through two experiments using different evaluation metrics and sensor configurations.


Poor dispersion stability has become one of the major obstacles to the practical application of thermal nanofluids, especially for silicone-oil-based nanofluids that are used at relatively high operating temperatures. Herein, by using Fe3O4 nanofluid as a model system, we report a facile and effective strategy to prepare stably dispersed silicone-oil-based nanofluids that enable high-temperature operation. The strategy involves a series of processes, including controlled high-temperature synthesis of nanoparticles, surface modification of particles, and post-modification particle size partition. The solvothermally synthesized particles not only possess high thermal stability, but also allow for easy surface modification through ligand exchange. Phosphate-terminated polydimethylsiloxane ligands, which simultaneously possess high compatibility with silicone-oil-based fluid and high temperature stability, were used to exchange synthetic ligands and robustly anchor onto the particle surfaces, offering effective screening of the interparticle attraction. After centrifugal removal of the large-sized surface-modified particles, the prepared nanofluids have demonstrated stable dispersion at temperatures slightly lower than the particle synthesis temperature. The stably dispersed Fe3O4/silicone-oil nanofluids have been successfully utilized for consistent volumetric harvesting of solar thermal energy at more than 110 °C.


INASMUCH as our by-laws specifically state that "a meeting of the Academy shall be held each year, to be known as the Annual Meeting, at which time the conferring of Fellowships shall take place and a presidential address shall be delivered," neither you nor I have any choice in the matter! Nothing is specified, however, regarding either the length or the content of such an address so that this would appear to be left to the discretion of each President—leaving the membership to hope that he will use this discretion wisely. I have just finished re-reading each of the Presidential Addresses given by my 31 predecessors—and I heartily recommend that you do likewise if you are interested in receiving a most stimulating review not only of the history of our Academy, but of American pediatrics since 1930. I found that these addresses varied greatly as to length, style, and content—reflecting the individual viewpoints and natures of their authors. Some were highly optimistic, a few distinctly pessimistic, about our specialty. Nearly all reviewed the major accomplishments of their year in office in varying detail, and many referred to the influence of the times in which they wrote upon pediatrics in general and the Academy in particular. Many reiterated the importance of the objectives of the Academy as defined with prophetic vision by our Founding Fathers, and despite the variations in viewpoint and in time, all stressed, as I too would like to, the broad emphasis upon "the welfare of children" contained in the opening sentence of Section I of Article II— "The object of the Academy shall be to foster and stimulate interest in pediatrics and correlate all aspects of the work for the welfare of children which properly come within the scope of pediatrics."


Purpose Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a severe complication in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who have undergone hepatectomy. This research aimed to investigate the combination of albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) score and aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio index (APRI) as a novel approach in predicting PHLF risk in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients. Patients and methods HBV-related HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy from January 2006 to October 2013 were enrolled in this study. A novel model was constructed using a combination of ALBI and APRI scores to predict PHLF risk, and the prognostic value of the model was evaluated and compared with Child-Pugh (C-P) grade, ALBI score and APRI score. Results A total of 1,055 HCC patients were retrospectively studied, which included 151 experienced PHLF. Univariable and multivariate analyses showed that the ALBI and APRI scores were independent predictors of PHLF. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the ALBI score, APRI score, and C-P grade was 0.717, 0.720, and 0.602, respectively, with AUC (ALBI) > AUC (C-P) (P <0.001) and AUC (APRI) > AUC (C-P) (P <0.001). After ALBI was associated with APRI, the AUC (ALBI-APRI) was 0.766, and AUC (ALBI-APRI) > AUC (ALBI) (P <0.001), AUC (ALBI-APRI) > AUC (APRI) (P =0.047). Our results indicated that ALBI and APRI scores had higher discriminatory abilities than C-P grade in predicting the risk of PHLF, and the ALBI-APRI model could enhance the capability of predicting PHLF compared to ALBI or APRI alone. Conclusion ALBI-APRI score is a novel and effective predictive model of PHLF for HBV-related HCC patients, and its accuracy in predicting the risk of PHLF is better than that of C-P, ALBI and APRI scores.


Fine needle aspiration cytologic studies are being used with increasing frequency to diagnose carcinoma of the breast. To determine whether or not a diagnosis of carcinoma established by cytologic examination is sufficiently accurate to proceed to treatment without tissue confirmation, we have examined our results in a series of 109 patients who had 111 aspiration cytologic procedures followed by open biopsy between January 1985 and June 1987. From this group, 39 specimens were read as malignant and 19 were read as suspicious. Thirty-eight of 39 specimens with positive readings were from lesions that proved to be malignant on subsequent open biopsy. Seventeen of 19 suspicious specimens were also from malignant lesions. Three of 17 specimens that were inadequate and nine of 36 negative specimens were from lesions that were later shown to be malignant. Our single false-positive result occurred on cells that had been air dried during preparation in the early months of experience with this technique at our institution. Re-evaluated later in our series, the same specimen was called suspicious rather than malignant. We conclude that a positive reading on fine needle aspiration is highly accurate. The positive predictive value should be 100 per cent, once experience is gained in preparing and interpreting the material. Open biopsy is necessary for inadequate, negative or suspicious specimens to exclude a malignant lesion if the clinical or mammographic findings are consistent with carcinoma.


During the last decades, marine ecosystems have experienced an increasing amount of bioinvasions mediated by human activities, which have often caused irreversible changes in
the affected environment. Recent studies have revealed ship traffic as a major anthropogenic pathway and source for introductions. However, the role of sessile epibenthic communities attached to ship hulls, i.e. fouling communities, as a source of species' invasion after transport to a new environment has hardly been investigated. The first obstacle for a transported species
to become invasive is its survival in the new habitat. For a transported organism, the probability to establish successfully should increase with the stability of the community it is part of. Controversially discussed concepts predict the ability of a transported community to
resist against environmental changes and recruitment by the local, non-indigenous species based on its diversity.
The present study aims to investigate the mechanisms that determine the stability of marine fouling communities after transport into a new environment. Assemblages of two
different successional stages (2-months and 4-months old) were transplanted from a port site to a lagoon site, and vice versa, in the inner Tokyo Bay, Japan. Their stability was measured as the rate at which they converged to local communities of the same successional stage in terms of community composition. In all cases, older transplanted fouling communities converged slower towards their native counterparts than younger ones. Subsequent analyses
on community diversity and available settlement substratum – the most important resource in hardbottom communities – and the convergence rate did not detect any significant
relationship between them. Instead, the identity and life strategy of species present in the transplanted communities as well as the species present in the environment were the most important factors determining the persistence of the introduced communities. More precisely, bivalves and a serpulid worm strongly enhanced the stability of fouling communities in the new environment, while Molgula manhattensis and Polydora cornuta accelerated the
convergence process by rapid recruitment from the local environment into the introduced communities and as well by mortality after transport of the second species. The importance of key species and their life strategies does not support the diversity-stability hypothesis and should lead to a concept that predicts community stability from the life strategy of component species. Moreover, as a practical implication of this study, the establishment of fouling communities on mobile substrata should be controlled in order to reduce the risk of marine bioinvasions caused by matured fouling communities


We report the discovery of TOI-4562b (TIC-349576261), a Jovian planet orbiting a young F7V-type star, younger than the Praesepe/Hyades clusters (<700 Myr). This planet stands out because of its unusually long orbital period for transiting planets with known masses (P orb = 225.11781 −0.00022+0.00025 days) and because it has a substantial eccentricity (e = 0.76 −0.02+0.02 ). The location of TOI-4562 near the southern continuous viewing zone of TESS allowed observations throughout 25 sectors, enabling an unambiguous period measurement from TESS alone. Alongside the four available TESS transits, we performed follow-up photometry using the South African Astronomical Observatory node of the Las Cumbres Observatory and spectroscopy with the CHIRON spectrograph on the 1.5 m SMARTS telescope. We measure a radius of 1.118+0.013−0.014 R J and a mass of 2.30 −0.47+0.48 M J for TOI-4562b. The radius of the planet is consistent with contraction models describing the early evolution of the size of giant planets. We detect tentative transit timing variations at the ∼20 minutes level from five transit events, favoring the presence of a companion that could explain the dynamical history of this system if confirmed by future follow-up observations. With its current orbital configuration, tidal timescales are too long for TOI-4562b to become a hot Jupiter via high-eccentricity migration though it is not excluded that interactions with the possible companion could modify TOI-4562b's eccentricity and trigger circularization. The characterization of more such young systems is essential to set constraints on models describing giant-planet evolution.


The genus Heliconius has been revised more than a dozen times, yet relationships among many of its species groups remain obscure. A reliable phylogenetic hypothesis is desirable, because the genus has been a model system for studies of tropical community ecology, mimicry, and ecological genetics for the last 3 decades. A new cladogram for 35 species of Heliconius and the related genera Eueides, Laparus, and Neruda is presented, based on mitochondrial sequences spanning part of the COI gene and the COII gene. The data support most traditionally recognized species groups and also the monophyly of the above four genera with respect to other heliconiine outgroups. However, Heliconius is paraphyletic with respect to the other three genera. These data will allow a reinvestigation of problematical morphological, behavioral, and cytological traits in the group.


Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission and distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feet over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is crucial in meeting the needs of these new markets. To address the gas storage needs of the natural gas industry, an industry-driven consortium was created--the Gas Storage Technology Consortium (GSTC). The objective of the GSTC is to provide a means to accomplish industry-driven research and development designed to enhance the operational flexibility and deliverability of the nation's gas storage system, and provide a cost-effective, safe, and reliable supply of natural gas to meet domestic demand. This report addresses the activities for the quarterly period of April 1, 2007 through June 30, 2007. Key activities during this time period included: (1) Organizing and hosting the 2007 GSTC Spring Meeting; (2) Identifying the 2007 GSTC projects, issuing award or declination letters, and begin drafting subcontracts; (3) 2007 project mentoring teams identified; (4) New NETL Project Manager; (5) Preliminary planning for the 2007 GSTC Fall Meeting; (6) Collecting and compiling the 2005 GSTC project final reports; and (7) Outreach and communications.


SWB is a critical concept in positive psychology. It is an umbrella term that encompasses happiness, life satisfaction, joy, enjoyment, fulfillment, pleasure, and contentment, as well as other indicators of a full and complete life. SWB is a term that refers to a person's cognitive and affective assessments of his or her life. These evaluations encompass both emotional responses to events and cognitive assessments of satisfaction and fulfillment. SWB is characterized by a high level of positive emotions, a low level of negative moods, and a high level of life satisfaction. Throughout history, religion has been a powerful force, and there is reason to believe that religion has reclaimed its former prominence. Earlier research, mostly conducted on Western populations, indicates that religiosity is associated with decreased anxiety. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between religiosity and subjective well-being (SWB) in Nepalese and British samples. We recruited samples of 260 Nepalese and 215 British college students. The findings indicated that Nepalese scored highly on the mean. British had the highest mean SWB scores in terms of religiosity, whereas Nepalese had the lowest mean SWB scores. All correlations between self-rating scales were statistically significant and positive in both samples. In both countries, a single component was extracted and labeled 'SWB and religiosity.' Despite significant differences in mean scale scores and culture between the Nepalese and British samples, the correlations and component analyses revealed similar results. On the basis of the current two samples' responses, it was concluded that those who identify as religious experienced greater wellbeing. [1] [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]


The profile of the university student is undergoing significant changes that are forcing universities to rethink new methodological strategies to favour teaching-learning processes. In this paper we analyze the main results derived from an innovation project supported by the incorporation of Twitter as a collaborative, collective and innovative methodological resource in Higher Education. The general objective of the study is to explore the educational impact of the use of Twitter as a teaching resource, and how students perceive the usefulness of this instrument integrated into a participatory methodology. The sample is composed of 137 first-year students of the Degree in Social Work of Pablo de Olavide University, Seville (Spain). It is an ex post facto and transversal study, which starts from a descriptive methodology, using instruments for the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative information. In general terms, the results obtained after the analysis of participation, of the comments made by the students and of the shared audiovisual content, address questions centred on the influence of the use of Twitter for the improvement of the natural dynamics of academic development in the subject of Introduction to Social Pedagogy, observing how it provides numerous benefits in the collective creation of learning, from collaboration, participation and group cohesion.


OBJECTIVES
To review the current state of development of streptococcus B, herpes-zoster, HIV, malaria and dengue vaccines. These vaccines were selected both because of imminent commercial release and because of specific problems with their development.

SOURCES OF DATA
A review of the literature was performed by means of a MEDLINE search, on the period 1996 to 2006, for the epidemiology and immunology of these diseases, analyzing both the greatest obstacles to creating a vaccine and the current state of research, with emphasis on studies in the most advanced stages.

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS
Each of the five diseases chosen presents specific problems for vaccine development. Nevertheless, in the majority of cases these have been or are in sight of being resolved, allowing for the prediction that a safe and effective vaccine - or vaccines - will be available in the near future.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite the problems faced in developing these vaccines, advances in molecular biology and immunology have made it possible to overcome most obstacles, opening up the prospects for new vaccines.


In Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling considerable thought goes into constructing random transitions. But those transitions are almost always driven by a simulated IID sequence. Recently it has been shown that replacing an IID sequence by a weakly completely uniformly distributed (WCUD) sequence leads to consistent estimation in finite state spaces. Unfortunately, few WCUD sequences are known. This paper gives general methods for proving that a sequence is WCUD, shows that some specific sequences are WCUD, and shows that certain operations on WCUD sequences yield new WCUD sequences. A numerical example on a 42 dimensional continuous Gibbs sampler found that some WCUD inputs sequences produced variance reductions ranging from tens to hundreds for posterior means of the parameters, compared to IID inputs.


Energy plays crucial role in economic development of country to contribute in business activities for large sectors. The availability of energy helps to fulfill the development demands and initiatives of government's policies. Energy is required in any sector of country to conduct their business activities and to develop infrastructure sector in Indonesia. Strategic management of firms enables them to develop long-term goals and to gain competitive advantage in highly turbulent and rapidly changing environment. The present study empirically examined the influence of strategic management practices and strategic clarity on performance of energy sector of Indonesia. Moderating role of corporate social responsibility is also examined between the constructs. The results show that independent variables influence significantly performance of firms, but CSR doesn't moderate between the strategic clarity and firms' performance. The data was collected from industry related mangers and was examined by using SMART-PLS (MM and SEM techniques).


The communicative processes are constituent elements of school life and must be the subjet of reflection for education staff, in order to create appropriate environments for students' integral education processes as well as the construction of a more civilized society. This article presents partial results of a research project on school life carried out in Medellin, Colombia, especially those focused on communication as one of the categories that make up and contribute to the explanation of this issue. From an instrumental to the most complex point of view related with great cultural density communication stands out as a determinant factor of pedagogical processes and school life in a city like Medellin, which is trying to reach agreement and negotiation environments.


Cells of wild-type Yersinia pestis exhibit a low-calcium response (LCR) defined as bacteriostasis with expression of a pCD-encoded type III secretion system (T3SS) during cultivation at 37 degrees C without added Ca(2+) versus vegetative growth with downregulation of the T3SS with Ca(2+) (>or=2.5 mM). Bacteriostasis is known to reflect cumulative toxicity of Na(+), l-glutamic acid and culture pH; control of these variables enables full-scale growth ('rescue') in the absence of Ca(2+). Several T3SS regulatory proteins modulate the LCR, because their absence promotes a Ca(2+)-blind phenotype in which growth at 37 degrees C ceases and the T3SS is constitutive even with added Ca(2+). This study analysed the connection between the LCR and Ca(2+) by determining the response of selected Ca(2+)-blind mutants grown in Ca(2+)-deficient rescue media containing Na(+) plus l-glutamate (pH 5.5), where the T3SS is not expressed, l-glutamate alone (pH 6.5), where l-aspartate is fully catabolized, and Na(+) alone (pH 9.0), where the electrogenic sodium pump NADH : ubiquinone oxidoreductase becomes activated. All three conditions supported essentially full-scale Ca(2+)-independent growth at 37 degrees C of wild-type Y. pestis as well as lcrG and yopN mutants (possessing a complete but dysregulated T3SS), indicating that bacteriostasis reflects a Na(+)-dependent lesion in bioenergetics. In contrast, mutants lacking the negative regulator YopD or the YopD chaperone (LcrH) failed to grow in any rescue medium and are therefore truly temperature-sensitive. The Ca(2+)-blind yopD phenotype was fully suppressed in a Ca(2+)-independent background lacking the injectisome-associated inner-membrane component YscV but not peripheral YscK, suggesting that the core translocon energizes YopD.


There is not a total improvement achieved by companies in implementing total quality management (TQM), where some are seen to be not successful. One of the key factors to achieve the intended results is human factors, especially human values which are critical and potential resource for the successful implementation of TQM. These values have been overlooked in past that need to be identified in real situation and should be aligned while implementing TQM practices. Despite the number of publications on the importance of human values for TQM implementation, little research has emphasized the relevant and required human values. There is also no consensus on the techniques and procedure to identify these values in real situation. A software tool that could identify human values for TQM implementation and provide assessment of the identified values is crucial. This helps the management to shape and implement TQM practices more effectively. It is believed that there is a lack of such tool that can identify the relevant human values in a real situation that is able to assess their level of practice for TQM implementation. The main objective of this study is to develop an automated tool for identifying values in a real situation and provide assessment of the level of practice of identified values for TQM implementation. A three techniques laddering, image tagging and storytelling has been proposed based on literature that support the values identification in real situation. In order to validate the proposed techniques and to acquire the industry's response about their practice regarding the human values identification, a survey was conducted among managers of manufacturing companies in Malaysia. The selection was based on the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC) database. Two techniques of image tagging and storytelling were found to be highly important and were then used as key techniques for identifying relevant human values for TQM implementation. A human value identification and assessment (HVIA) tool was then proposed based on values identification techniques and a multi rated criteria. The multi rated criteria was adapted to assess the level of practice of identified human values for each TQM practice. Subsequently, the HVIA tool was developed using ASP.Net and MSSQL. A case study was conducted to deploy and validate the tool in industry. The tool can be used by companies for identifying the human values which are relevant and critical to implement TQM practices and to assess their level of practice on the identified human values. It is believed that this prototype tool will be able to enhance TQM implementation.


Nine thousand and twenty-one employees aged 35-64 years were investigated in the 70s in the meantime with serum cholesterol and other measurements taken, and followed up for 11 years on the average. There were 595 deaths and 64 loss of follow-up. The total number of cancer death was 263 that of primary liver cancer was 51. Subjects were divided into 4 similar sized groups according to serum cholesterol level at basal measurement. No evidence of association of serum cholesterol level with total cancer mortality was seen by Log-rank trend test. But negative correlation was significant between serum cholesterol level and liver cancer (P < 0.05). By Cox regression analysis such negative correlation was found to be independent of other variables (Z = -2.18, P < 0.05). This negative correlation persisted even after 14 deaths of primary liver cancer which occurred within 3 years after measurement of serum cholesterol was discounted. Similar negative correlation also existed between serum cholesterol level and chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.


This thesis focuses on hygienic behaviour in honey bees. In beekeeping, brood diseases incur heavy economical and biological costs and are no longer effectively treated with chemicals. Previous research has shown how hygienic behaviour, a trait expressed by c. 10% of unselected colonies, can be effective in reducing the impact and presence of such diseases. Hygienic behaviour is experimentally measured using the freeze-killed brood (FKB) bioassay and can be increased by selective breeding, generating lines of hygienic colonies.
Chapter 4 demonstrates that the relative rarity of hygienic behaviour in unselected colonies is not because it incurs a cost via the removal of healthy brood.
Chapter 5 - 6 focus on the impact of external factors on hygienic behaviour. Specifically, we demonstrate that the presence of brood, amount of food, and strength of the colony affect hygienic levels (Chapter 5). Chapter 6 shows that hygienic behaviour does not correlate with agressiviness or agitated behaviour.
When breeding honey bees, it is possible to exploit instrumental insemination to have complete control over the genetic composition of the resulting progeny. This technique is however laborious and requires particular equipment and training. In Chapter 7 we show that it is possible to obtain acceptable levels of hygienic behaviour without artificial insemination.
Chapter 8 illustrates how we obtained the first breeing line of hygienic honey bees through a selective breeding program that saw its first milestone in autumn 2013 when we detected high levels of hygienic behaviour. The results obtained represent the foundation for future research projects.
Chapter 9 presents a valid, minimal methodology to keep virgin queens. We tested a variety of methods and factors to determine the best, mos cost-effective way to maintain queens for the week prior their introduction into a queenless hive.
The results obtained provide some insights on both basic and applied aspects of honey bee breeding for hygienic behaviour and represent the foundation of what will be an ongoing selection programme towards a disease-resistant honey bee.


Abstract Analysis of over 10 000 water-well records has been used to produce new depth-to-bedrock maps for areas around five cities on the central Interior Plateau of central British Columbia: 100 Mile House, Prince George, Quesnel, Vanderhoof, and Williams Lake. Hitherto, exploration for mineral and hydrocarbon resources has been hampered by a lack of basic knowledge of the thickness of Neogene and Quaternary lithologies. Interpretation of these new maps provides first-order constraints on the localization of thick drift in pre-Late Wisconsinan bedrock paleovalleys, some of which are now buried. Basalt lavas of the Chilcotin Group are restricted to erosional remnants of previously extensive sheets emplaced onto an older peneplain. Our results confirm that the Neogene and Quaternary cover is primarily controlled by paleotopography and is generally thin and patchy across much of the region. Increased understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of cover produces a corresponding increase in the utility of geological, geochemical, and geophysical exploration techniques, and a reduction in the risk for future mineral exploration activities, especially when combined with more sophisticated data sets.


According to this paper, rural community colleges face new challenges, which require openness to institutional partnerships that in the past may have been unthinkable due to traditional institutional competitiveness. These challenges include enrollment fluctuation, increased legislative scrutiny, calls for accountability, inadequate and inconsistent funding, and higher education's general loss of public esteem. The authors argue that institutional collaboration is practical for rural community colleges for four reasons: (1) the politics of educational reform has created the need for meaningful collaborative efforts between community colleges; (2) the transformation of the economy from technology-based to information-based has increased awareness of institutional interdependence; (3) struggling rural community colleges can gain insight from their sister institutions; and (4) as demands for accountability increase, collaborations can provide avenues to lower costs while sustaining availability, quality, and integrity of programming and services at rural community colleges. This paper defines an educational consortium as an alliance whose purpose is to serve their member institutions, with the mission of enabling its members to achieve, through cooperation, that which cannot be achieved alone. Rural community colleges in particular can benefit from academic consortia by giving the institutions more clout with local, state, and federal politicians; making business and industry alliances stronger; and increasing funding and grant opportunities. (Contains 11 referenceS.) (Author/NB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


Third-generation (3G) wireless systems such as 3G1X, 1×EV-DO, and 1xEV-DV provide support for a variety of high-speed data applications. The success of these services critically relies on the capability to ensure an adequate quality of service (QoS) experience to users at an affordable price. With wireless bandwidth at a premium, traffic engineering and network planning play a vital role in addressing these challenges. We present models and techniques that we have developed for quantifying the QoS perception of 1×EV-DO users generating file transfer protocol (FTP) or Web browsing sessions. We show how user-level QoS measures may be evaluated by means of a Processor-Sharing model that explicitly accounts for the throughput gains from multi-user scheduling. The model provides simple analytical formulas for key performance metrics such as response times, blocking probabilities, and throughput. Analytical models are especially useful for network deployment and in-service tuning purposes due to the intrinsic difficulties associated with simulation-based optimization approaches. © 2003 Lucent Technologies Inc.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Pancreatic function tests are mainly used for the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in patients with pancreatic diseases or after pancreatic or gastric surgery. Breath tests evaluate not just pancreatic secretion but the digestion capacity of the pancreas. These tests are good candidates for the diagnosis of EPI as they are noninvasive, accurate and easy to apply to clinical practice.

RECENT FINDINGS
The C-labelled mixed triglyceride (MTG) breath test has been optimized and validated against adequate reference methods for the diagnosis of EPI in patients with chronic pancreatitis and for the evaluation of the efficacy of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). In addition, reported C-MTG breath test results in patients with other pancreatic diseases and after pancreatic and gastric surgery support the accuracy and clinical applicability of this test. The evidence of pancreatic function breath tests with other C-labelled substrates is limited.

SUMMARY
Increasing evidence supports the accuracy and clinical usefulness of the C-MTG breath test for the diagnosis of EPI and the evaluation of the efficacy of PERT in different clinical conditions. Commercial availability of this test is required for a wide clinical use. The use of optimized and validated breath test protocols is mandatory.


The scope of derogation possibilities for Services of General Interests in the EU internal market has been widened by legislators for more than fifteen years. The process is also supported by the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union. State aid and other influential instruments are allowed to derogate from internal market and competition rules while their roles are heavily discussed in the circumstances of free market economy. Are these solutions leading to new regimes in European integration? This study aims at reconstructing the sense of this process in its details. This analytical study is based on comparative legal investigations applying qualitative and quantitative methods.


This paper proposes a novel dual-mode control scheme for the control of an ac/voltage-source converter (VSC)-HVDC hybrid transmission system with the wind farm connected. First, a novel ac voltage and phase-angle control scheme is designed for the active power control of the wind farm side voltage-source converter (WFVSC) such that the switching of control schemes of WFVSC is no longer required when the ac lines are switched on or off the transmission system. This results in the proposed dual-mode control scheme being able to accommodate different operation modes of the ac/dc hybrid transmission systems. Second, an improved direct-current vector control scheme has been designed for the control of grid-side VSC (GVSC) to provide better control of the dc voltage of the GVSC. Moreover, simulation studies have been undertaken on a two-terminal VSC-HVDC and an ac hybrid transmission system under a variety of operating conditions, which have validated the feasibility performance of the proposed control scheme.


Although it might be considered the domain of many research areas, self-employment has not been studied vigorously. We draw upon the ideas of related areas to develop a sound design for the study of self-employment. Using retrospective career life-history data from West Germany, we model the process by which individuals move into and out of episodes of self-employment. Specifically, we examine: (1) the process of entry into self-employment at various stages of the career; and (2) the career differences between the self-employed and the conventionally employed. In general terms, the findings show that those factors which account for one stage of the self-employment experience do not necessarily account for others. More substantively, our findings point to the strong effects of social structural variables, especially those related to the family, as well as to the effects of previous self-employment experience.


Background Continuous subcutaneous infusions (CSCIs) are an effective method of multiple drug administration in end of life care when the oral route is compromised.1,2 At present, currently available chemical and microbiological stability data limits the infusion time of a CSCI to a maximum of 24 hours. The ability to deliver prescribed medication by a continuous subcutaneous infusion (CSCI) over 48 hours may have numerous benefits in both patient care and health service resource utilisation. Aim To gather data regarding the most frequently prescribed CSCI drug combinations and the frequency at which CSCI prescriptions are altered. Design Prescription details of CSCIs containing a minimum of two drugs were collected by hospital pharmacists or members of palliative care teams at 10 Acute NHS Trusts on a daily basis for a minimum of 2 days, to a maximum of 7 days. Setting/participants Anonymised CSCI prescription data were collected from an average of 50 patients at 10 Acute NHS Trusts in the United Kingdom. Results and Conclusion Data collection is due for completion January 2017 and results will be presented. Acknowledgements This project was funded through a grant issued by NHS Liverpool CCG. References . Ellershaw J, Neuberger RJ, Ward C. Care of the dying patient: the last hours or days of life. BMJ2003;326:30–4. . Dickman A, Scott J. Evaluating the frequency of medication adjustments to continuous subcutaneous infusions in palliative care: Is there evidence to support 48-hourly infusions? In Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). Copenhagen, 2015.


Argumentation is a type of discourse where speakers try to persuade their audience about the reasonableness of a claim by presenting supportive arguments. Most work in argument mining has focused on modeling arguments in monologues. We propose a computational model for argument mining in online persuasive discussion forums that brings together the micro-level (argument as product) and macro-level (argument as process) models of argumentation. Fundamentally, this approach relies on identifying relations between components of arguments in a discussion thread. Our approach for relation prediction uses contextual information in terms of fine-tuning a pre-trained language model and leveraging discourse relations based on Rhetorical Structure Theory. We additionally propose a candidate selection method to automatically predict what parts of one's argument will be targeted by other participants in the discussion. Our models obtain significant improvements compared to recent state-of-the-art approaches using pointer networks and a pre-trained language model.


Isolated segments of human epicardial coronary arteries excised 3-5 hours after sudden cardiac death demonstrated spontaneous contractility. This contractility was abolished by Ca-free solution, Ca-antagonists, sodium nitroprusside or beta-adrenoceptor stimulation. Maximum increase in tension produced by norepinephrine (with beta-adrenoceptor blocker) was half of the maximum tension induced by acetylcholine or histamine. Coronary segments with severe atherosclerotic lesions failed to relax in response to high concentrations of norepinephrine while the activation of spontaneous rhythmicity produced by low concentrations of the amine and acetylcholine, histamine or serotonin was retained. Under high initial tone, at room temperature of the bath solution or potassium depolarization when phasic contractions were abolished, human coronary segments responded to agonists with a dose-dependent increase in tension. Activation of contraction through P- and T-systems and to role of extracellular and intracellular Ca-stores in the mechanism of human coronary smooth muscle regulation are discussed.


Million cases of campylobacteriosis and complications of post-Campylobacter jejuni infection occur every year around the world with huge life losses and economic burdens of billions of dollars. Few therapy options, such as antibiotics, are available to relieve severe cases of the enteritis. The slow progression on new intervention discovery and application is partially resulted from limited mechanistic understanding on campylobacteriosis pathogenesis. As a type of intestinal disorders, campylobacteriosis shares many common features with other intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and Clostridium difficile infection. In pace with the advancement of the gastroenterology field, a large body of knowledge is accumulating on the factors influencing campylobacteriosis onset, development, and outcomes, including host immune response, intestinal microbiota, and its metabolites. In this chapter, we review the intestinal immune system, intestinal microbiome, and microbiome modulation of inflammation in the development of campylobacteriosis. The interplay between immunity, microbiota, and its metabolites may play essential roles on campylobacteriosis pathogenesis and the finding on the interaction may lead to new prevention and treatment options. The purpose of this chapter is to provide updated knowledge on the role of host– microbe interaction and the therapeutic potential on campylobacteriosis.


Cases of amoebic keratitis involving species other than Acanthamoeba are hypothesised to be underdiagnosed and poorly understood. Amoebic keratitis is debilitating and associated with chronic visual impairment. Understanding associated symptoms of non-Acanthamoeba amoebic keratitis could facilitate new diagnostic procedures and enable prompt treatment, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. Thus, a review of the literature was undertaken surrounding non-Acanthamoeba amoebic keratitis. Cases were geographically widespread and mostly confined to contact lens wearers ≤ 30 years old exposed to contaminated water sources and/or demonstrating poor lens hygiene. Vermamoeba vermiformis (previously Hartmanella vermiformis) was the most common causative agent, and a moderate number of mixed keratitis cases were also reported. A crucial disease indicator was early onset stromal deterioration/ulcerations, reported in 10 of the studies, usually only occurring in advanced Acanthamoeba keratitis. Mixed infections were the most difficult to treat, often requiring keratoplasty after unsuccessful combination treatment regimens. New diagnostic measures for non-Acanthamoeba amoebic keratitis should consider early onset stromal disease as a key disease indicator. Deep corneal scrapes are also necessary for accurate amoebic identification. Moreover, a combination approach to diagnosis is advised and should involve culture, microscopy and PCR techniques. In vitro drug sensitivity tests should also be conducted to help develop patient-specific treatment regimes.


The concept of social capital may serve as a framework for supporting the settlement of newcomer children. Social capital may be an especially important asset for newcomers, though its value depends on the extent to which it supports social norms and the willingness of social institutions, like schools, to resist exclusionary practices. Research confirms a positive
relationship between parents' social capital and children's wellbeing, although analysis suggests that indicators reflecting US upper-middle class norms may have limited application for newcomer populations. Other research shows that
even at a young age, children are capable of building their own social capital. Efforts to help newcomer children accumulate their own social capital have the potential to support their successful settlement, leading to positive short-and long- term outcomes for them and their families while reducing the likelihood of precarious futures for all members of society.

Key Words: social capital, newcomer children, settlement, family, community


Transcriptional activation of metallothionein (MT) genes by heavy metals is a valuable system for understanding the functions of MT as well as the cellular response against heavy metals. Although it is now known that heavy metal signals culminating in MT induction converge upon a transcription factor MTF-1, the mechanism underlying the MTF-1 response to heavy metals has not been elucidated. To address this issue, we investigated various aspects of the in vivo response of MTF-1 against heavy metals. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that heavy metal-dependent DNA binding of MTF-1 is the critical step in vivo. MTF-1 is primarily localized in the nucleus so that heavy metal-dependent nuclear translocation demonstrated by other groups does not seem to be universal and hence may not be critical for activation of MTF-1. In the six Zn finger motifs, the hallmark of MTF-1, the third and the fourth fingers are essential for the nuclear localization of MTF-1. Furthermore, all fingers except the last are important for transcriptional activation function of MTF-1, suggesting their key role for MTF-1 function. Also, a cysteine cluster structure located in the C-terminal region of MTF-1 is critical for transactivating function of MTF-1. These results suggest a central role of the Zn-finger domain and intramolecular cooperation through a structural change of MTF-1 for its response to heavy metal challenge.


Without modification, the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) will become the battleground for many complex agricultural trade disputes. There are two interrelated reasons for this. The first reason is that the agreement confers on members considerable unilateral power to implement unchallengeable market access barriers to agri-food imports, provided those members have a legitimate justification to do so. The second reason is that much ambiguity continues to exist regarding what properly constitutes a legitimate justification. Therefore, modifications to the SPS Agreement are required to fully characterize a legitimate justification, thus ensuring that SPS-related market access barriers will be wielded in a manner consistent with ensuring public health while preventing unnecessary trade distortion.


Preface and Acknowledgements. Information about the Contributors. Introduction. Chapter 1. Institutions, Actors and Processes in the Transformation of Latin American Democracy ( William C. Smith). Part I. Debates on Democracy and Performance. Chapter 2. Liberal and Illiberal Democracy in Latin America (Peter H. Smith and Melissa R. Ziegler). Chapter 3. Neoliberalism and Democracy in Latin America: A Mixed Record (Kurt Weyland). Chapter 4. The Uneven Performance of Third Wave Democracies: Electoral Politics and the Imperfect Rule of Law in Latin America (Joe Foweraker and Roman Krznaric). Part II. Institutions and the Travails of Competitive Politics. Chapter 5. The Reelection Debate in Latin America (John M. Carey). Chapter 6. Decentralization's Nondemocratic Roots: Authoritarianism and Subnational Reform in Latin America (Kent Eaton). Chapter 7. Institutional Change and Ethnic Parties in South America (Donna Lee Van Cott). Chapter 8. Expanding Accountability through Participatory Institutions: Mayors, Citizens, and Budgeting in Three Brazilian Municipalities (Brian Wampler). Chapter 9. For a Few Senators More? Negotiating Constitutional Changes during Chile's Transition to Democracy (Fredrik Uggla). Chapter 10. Judicial Reform as Insurance Policy: Mexico in the 1990s (Jodi Finkel). Part III. Actors, Participation and Mass Politics. Chapter 11. Indigenous Parties and Democracy in Latin America (Raul Madrid). Chapter 12. Defining Rights in Democratization: The Argentine Government and Human Rights Organizations, 1983-2003 (Michelle D. Bonner). Chapter 13. Mass Partisanship in Brazil (David Samuels). Chapter 14. Brazil's Agrarian Reform: Democratic Innovation or Oligarchic Exclusion Redux? (Anthony W. Pereira). Chapter 15. The Indian Movement and Political Democracy in Ecuador (Leon Zamosc). Chapter 16. Local Democracy and the Transformation of Popular Participation in Chile (Paul Posner). Part IV. Challenges of Unstructured Political Mobilization. Chapter 17. Indictments, Myths, and Citizen Mobilization in Argentina: A Discourse Analysis (Ariel C. Armony and Victor Armony). Chapter 18. Democracy Without Parties? Political Parties and Regime Change in Fujimori's Peru (Stephen Levitsky and Maxwell Cameron). Chapter 19. Social Correlates of Party System Demise and Populist Resurgence in Venezuela (Kenneth Roberts).


Background: Obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m) is associated with a range of physical and psychiatric comorbidities and premature mortality. Young adulthood (here 1625 years) constitutes a vulnerable period for weight gain, poor weight loss results, and mental health problems. Up to 8.3% of Swedish young adults are classified as obese. In spite of the fact that the peak incidence for obesity occurs during young adulthood, this age period has been generally overlooked in clinical obesity research, particularly in regard to obesityrelated mental health problems. Aim: To characterize severe obesity (BMI ≥35 kg/m) in young adulthood (16-25 years) with emphasis on mental health aspects, and to study long-term outcomes (weight loss, adverse events, loss-to-follow-up and health-related quality of life [HRQL]) in young (18-25 years) vs older (≥26 years) adults after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Methods: In Study I, we used cross-sectional self-reported questionnaire data on obesityrelated comorbidities, mental health, self-esteem, lifestyle and health-related quality of life; physical fitness tests; biochemical data on micronutritional deficiencies; and anthropometry from n=165 young adults, aged 16-25 years who were about to start treatment at the Karolinska University Hospital Obesity Center. In Study II, we compared cross-sectional questionnaire patient data (n=121 treatment-seekers to the Obesity Center, 18-25 years) on mental distress, self-reported suicide attempts, physical/psychosomatic symptoms, and quality of life with data on n=363 normal-weight responders to the Stockholm Public Health Cohort 2010 who were individually matched 3:1 for age, gender and socioeconomic status. For Studies III-IV, we frequency matched n=3,531 young (18-25 years) to n=17,137 older (26-74 years) patients in the Scandinavian Obesity Surgery Registry for BMI, gender and year of surgery to compare weight loss, adverse events, loss-to-follow-up and changes in HRQL between matching groups. Results: In Study I, we found consistent indications of poor mental and obesity-related health problems (up to 55%), high levels of cardiometabolic risk factors (up to 82%) and micronutritional deficiencies (48%) in treatment-seeking young adults (mean BMI 39.2 kg/m [SD: 5.2], 80% women). In Study II, we found an increased risk of mental distress (adjusted relative risk [RR]=1.76, 95% CI: 1.38-2.24), suicide attempts (adjusted RR=2.04, 95% CI: 1.06-3.95), physical/psychosomatic symptoms (adjusted RR=1.59-2.95) and poor quality of life (range of adjusted RR=1.97-6.61) in obese treatment-seekers (mean BMI 39.8 kg/m [SD: 5.3], 81% women) compared to population controls (mean BMI 22.4 kg/m [SD: 4.0], 81% women). In Study III, a total of n=369 young (37.0% of eligible) and n=2,210 older (46.1%) adults were followed-up 5 years after RYGB. Young adults displayed higher weight loss (31.8% vs 28.2%) at 5 years, more long-term adverse events (any kind of adverse events between 2-5 years: 20.3% vs 12.7%, adjusted OR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.29-2.31; serious adverse events between 2-5 years [Clavien-Dindo ≥3b]: 14.1% vs 6.9%, adjusted OR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.45-2.92) and higher loss-to-follow-up throughout the study period (range of adjusted RR=1.16-2.13), all, p <0.001. In Study IV, n=138 young (20.7% of those eligible) and n=1,021 older (31.8%) adults were available for follow-up 5 years post-RYGB. Both young and older adults displayed clinically relevant improvements in physical HRQL 5 years after RYGB compared to baseline values, while no change or deterioration in mental HRQL was observed in both groups. Older adults generally experienced greater HRQL improvements than the young adults in adjusted analyses. Conclusion: Treatment-seeking young adults with severe obesity constitute a vulnerable patient group with a wide array of obesity-related comorbidities, particularly mental health issues. While we found promising weight loss results and improvements in physical HRQL in young adults 5 years after RYGB, there were also higher numbers of long-term adverse events, drop-outs and generally poor improvements in HRQL in young vs older adults. Future research needs to address the impact of mental distress on the development and treatment of obesity in young adults. Studies on the significance of and the etiology behind our data showing more serious adverse events and higher loss-to-follow-up in the younger RYGBpatients are needed.


To explore the performance of the TPD system in detection of COPD, based on spirometry tests and overall physician evaluation. Lung Doppler signals (LDS) were recorded transthoracically over the chest wall by the pulsed Doppler ultrasound system developed by EchoSense (Haifa, Israel). These signals, recorded from the pulmonary vascular bed, result from the radial movement of blood vessels walls in synchrony with blood flow/pressure pulsation. The LDS that are affected by the various lung tissue components, were recorded from three locations on the right chest wall: upper, mid and lower for about three min, without any need for patient cooperation. The study was designed to evaluate the potential of the LDS to diagnose COPD in comparison to spirometry measurements- the current gold standard method. 120 COPD patients were enrolled in an outpatient clinic together with 100 non-COPD patients. All patients underwent full pulmonary function tests, physical exam, medical history and demographics. In addition, 114 control subjects, who had normal spirometry, were recorded in a community clinic. Deep learning methods were utilized to derive an algorithm designed to differentiate between the two groups.

Results

 The performance of the diagnosis COPD patients in comparison to Healthy patients was sensitivity/specificity 89%/89%.
 The performance of the diagnosis by means of the LDS, was Sensitivity/specificity 81%/81%.


The effects of oral dexamethasone on peripheral nerve blocks have not been investigated. We randomly allocated adults scheduled for forearm or hand surgery to oral placebo (n = 61), dexamethasone 12 mg (n = 61) or dexamethasone 24 mg (n = 57) about 45 min before lateral infraclavicular block. Mean (SD) time until first pain after block were: 841 (327) min; 1171 (318) min; and 1256 (395) min, respectively. Mean (98.3%CI) differences in time until first postoperative pain for dexamethasone 24 mg vs. placebo and vs. dexamethasone 12 mg were: 412 (248-577) min, p < 0.001; and 85 (-78 to 249) min, p = 0.21, respectively. Mean (98.3%CI) difference in time until first postoperative pain for dexamethasone 12 mg vs. placebo was 330 (186-474) min, p < 0.001. Both 24 mg and 12 mg of oral dexamethasone increased the time until first postoperative pain compared with placebo in patients having upper limb surgery under infraclavicular brachial plexus block.


The opening sequence of Ragtime (1981) takes place in a theater during the silent film era where the protagonist, Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard Rollins, Jr.), accompanies a newsreel featuring the stars of American public life in the early decades of the twentieth century. While postmodern theorists and film historians have linked the content and form of textual and visual fictions with their historical counterparts, less attention has been given to musical and aural styles as historiographic interventions. And while new research in historical film studies has revealed the flirtations of mainstream feature films with postmodern critique, much of this work skirts the racially coded structures of historiography. This article explores screenwriter Michael Weller and director Milos Forman's decision to focus on Coalhouse's story (over novelist E. L. Doctorow's objections) and to deploy ragtime as both African American counter-beat and explosive historical style.


The normal compositional model (NCM) has been introduced to characterize mixed pixels in hyperspectral images, particularly when endmember variability needs to be considered in the unmixing process. Each pixel is modeled as a linear combination of endmembers, which are treated as Gaussian random variables in order to capture such spectral variability. Since the combination coefficients (i.e., abundances) and the endmembers are unknown variables at the same time in the NCM, the parameter estimation is more difficult in comparison with conventional approaches. In order to address this issue, we propose a new Bayesian method, termed normal endmember spectral unmixing (NESU), for improved parameter estimation in this context. It considers the endmembers as known variables (resulting from the extraction of endmember bundles), then performs optimal estimations of the remaining unknown parameters, i.e., the abundances, using Bayesian inference. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique is adopted to estimate the optimal values of abundances according to their posterior probabilities. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated using both synthetic and real hyperspectral data. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed method leads to significant improvements in terms of unmixing accuracies.


The magnitude of child mortality in Nigeria shows that child healthcare demand has not been significantly addressed by the policy makers. As a result of this, this study examined the impact of parental education on child health care in Nigeria. The study adopted the use of the Multinomial (MLM) estimation techniques in the attempt to determine the influence of Parental education on child Health care. Our result revealed that having some education is associated with a higher likelihood of seeking health care, though the effect is only significant for hospital care at the primary school level. The demand for health care from health post and pharmacy for education levels lower than primary education does not significantly differ from that of individuals with no education. More noticeable, however, is the significantly increasing demand for health care facilities (hospital, pharmacy and health post) at increasing education level of secondary school and post secondary school level relative to traditional care. The results at the age group level offered more interesting scenario. The education of the parent was used as a proxy for education of the 0-5 year's age group. Parents with primary school education will demand for traditional care over health post and pharmacy. In sharp contrast, there is evidence that parents with secondary school education preferred hospital care, health post care and pharmacy care over traditional health care. This confirms the importance of education in the demand for health care of the child in Nigeria. The study therefore suggests the need for stronger commitment to child healthcare and recommends free health care service for children 0-5 year in all government hospitals. This will enable their parents who are educationally disadvantaged access to orthodox health care since their level of income may be a hindrance in accessing these facilities.


Cannabis use disorder (CUD) poses major clinical and public health concerns globally. It is a growing problem among the youth in Botswana, yet little research has been done on this subject. The present study hoped to address this gap in knowledge by determining the prevalence and associated factors of CUD among first-year university students in Botswana. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 first-year university undergraduates, using a modified version of the 37-item World Health Organization (WHO) drug questionnaire and DSM-5 criteria for CUD. The mean age of the respondents was 20.8 (SD = 1.5) years, and the male to female ratio was 1:1.1. Of the 401 students whose responses were analyzed, 37(9,2%) had used cannabis at least once in the last 12 months, but only 19 (4.7%) met the DSM-5 criteria for CUD. After binary regression analysis, difficulty in coping with the new environment/academic activities, receiving more than 150 USD monthly were positively associated with CUD, while regular participation in religious activities was negatively associated. CUD was found among the first-year undergraduates studied. Promoting protective activities such as religious activities and strengthening programs that teach students how to cope with academic stress and a new environment would be helpful.


Administration of alpha/beta-interferon (IFN) exerts a marked antitumor effect in DBA/2 mice given injections i.v. of large numbers of IFN-alpha/beta-resistant erythroleukemia cells (FLC). To investigate the possible mechanisms of FLC tumor inhibition in the liver of interferon-treated mice, we developed an in vitro model consisting of a coculture of IFN-alpha/beta-resistant 3Cl8 FLC and syngeneic mouse hepatocytes. Whereas IFN-alpha/beta did not inhibit the multiplication of 3Cl8 FLC cultivated alone, it effectively inhibited the multiplication of 3Cl8 FLC in coculture with hepatocytes. The inhibitory effect was directly proportional to the amount of IFN-alpha/beta added to the cocultures, and more than 90% inhibition of FLC multiplication was noted with 1.6 x 10(5) IU/ml of IFN-alpha/beta on Day 3 of coculture. When FLC were separated from the monolayer of hepatocytes by a pored membrane (0.4 microns), the inhibitory effect on FLC proliferation was unchanged, indicating that a soluble factor(s) released from IFN-treated hepatocytes was most important in the inhibition of FLC multiplication. An inhibitory activity of FLC multiplication was detected only in the conditioned medium of IFN-treated hepatocytes but not in the conditioned medium of control hepatocytes nor in extracts of IFN-treated or control hepatocytes. The inhibitory factor(s) in the conditioned medium of IFN-treated hepatocytes was retained by an ultrafiltration membrane (Mr cut off 10,000), and its activity was completely abrogated by trypsin digestion. Its stability to treatment with 1 M acetic acid as well as lack of correlation between the antiproliferative effect and the amount of L-arginine in the medium distinguished this factor(s) from liver arginase which was also found to be a potent inhibitor of FLC multiplication in vitro. The inhibitory factor(s) was also distinguishable in its biological activity from IFN gamma, interleukin 1 alpha and beta, and transforming growth factor beta 1 and beta 2. These results suggest the possibility that the inhibitory effect of IFN-alpha/beta on the development of 3Cl8 FLC in the livers of IFN-treated mice may be mediated by an IFN-induced inhibitor of FLC multiplication.