Salmonella is a pathogen responsible for salmonellosis, a world-wide public health concern. Most infections from this microbe are the results of ingestion of contaminated food. Treatment with drugs, such as cephalosporins or fluoroquinolones is recommended for infections when severe diarrhea is a symptom. Recently, however, there are several reports of Salmonella antimicrobial resistance to these two popular treatments. Cephalosporin resistance is usually due to the production of β -lactamases such as CTX-M, TEM, OXA and SHV etc. The β -lactam ring can be broken by those β -lactamases leading to the inhibition of antibiotic activity. There are several mechanisms of fluoroquinolones resistance, including 1) mutation of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV; 2) production of enzymes for hydrolyzing drugs, such as aminoglycoside acetyltransferase (AAC(6 ' )-Ib-cr); 3) production of efflux pumps, OqxAB and QepA; and 4) production of proteins protecting DNA gyrase, such as Qnr. The purpose of this review was to focus on the current status of cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone resistance, including mechanism of resistance as well as epidemiology of the antimicrobial resistance.


In patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), fast reperfusion is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality. Many patients, however, do not meet the recommended standard times. Among the strategies considered to accomplish this task, prehospital ECG (PH-ECG) is advocated by international guidelines. International and Italian regional registries demonstrate the efficacy of PH-ECG to reduce both ischemic and first medical contact-to-balloon times in STEMI patients treated with primary angioplasty. Despite the available evidence, PH-ECG is still underused in the real world, without showing any significant increase in recent years. According to the LombardIMA registry, only 12% of the total population had a PH-ECG; in these patients median ischemic time was 154 vs 208 min when PH-ECG was not available. Median first medical contact-to-balloon time was 50 and 85 min, respectively. The use of PH-ECG showed also a trend for lower 30-day mortality, though not statistically significant. PH-ECG can also lead to early antithrombotic therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel or IIb/IIIa inhibitors), which is associated with better angiographic outcome. Data from the LombardIMA registry show that PH-ECG may play a relevant role in the management of STEMI networks, with less patients admitted to hospital without on-site cath-lab and reduced reperfusion delays in patients transferred from spoke to hub hospitals.


The developed world is struggling with unsustainable promises and unappealing choices, and sustained economic growth represents one of the few ways out. And over the centuries, growth in advanced economies has been strongly linked to innovation. Despite the vast amounts written about innovation over the years, understanding of its drivers remains surprisingly limited. This book, by top Harvard Business School professor Josh Lerner, seeks to remedy this shortfall. It highlights that while organizational economists have made strides in understanding what combinations of incentives and organization structure can encourage innovative breakthroughs, many of these insights have not yet received the attention they deserve in the real world, or been developed in ways that can easily be applied in real situations. The author focuses on two models for encouraging innovation, the corporate research laboratory and the start-up. Each model, while proven and successful, also faces significant challenges and ambiguities. A central argument is that there remains considerable potential for hybrids between these two approaches. This book draws on important research in economics and reviews different approaches to innovation, combining this with a series of case examples to explore the challenges that face start up firms, large firms, and nations. It is essential reading for anybody faced with the challenge of innovation.


This paper presents a web-based software tool for tutoring support of engineering students without any need of data scientist background for usage. This tool is focused on the analysis of students' performance, in terms of the observable scores and of the completion of their studies. For that purpose, it uses a data set that only contains features typically gathered by university administrations about the students, degrees and subjects. The web-based tool provides access to results from different analyses. Clustering and visualization in a low-dimensional representation of students' data help an analyst to discover patterns. The coordinated visualization of aggregated students' performance into histograms, which are automatically updated subject to custom filters set interactively by an analyst, can be used to facilitate the validation of hypotheses about a set of students. Classification of students already graduated over three performance levels using exploratory variables and early performance information is used to understand the degree of course-dependency of students' behavior at different degrees. The analysis of the impact of the student's explanatory variables and early performance in the graduation probability can lead to a better understanding of the causes of dropout. Preliminary experiments on data of the engineering students from the 6 institutions associated to this project were used to define the final implementation of the web-based tool. Preliminary results for classification and drop-out were acceptable since accuracies were higher than 90% in some cases. The usefulness of the tool is discussed with respect to the stated goals, showing its potential for the support of early profiling of students. Real data from engineering degrees of EU Higher Education institutions show the potential of the tool for managing high education and validate its applicability on real scenarios.


AIM
To describe combined endodontic and orthodontic treatment of a maxillary lateral incisor fused with a supernumerary.

SUMMARY
A rare case is presented in which combined endodontic and orthodontic treatment was performed on a cross-bite fused tooth. Clinical and radiographic examination showed the maxillary lateral incisor fused with a supernumerary and an impacted canine. The fused tooth required nonsurgical and surgical endodontic treatment for functional and aesthetic reasons. The root canals were dressed with calcium hydroxide for 2 months before they were obturated with thermoplasticized injectable gutta-percha. Then, the distal part of the fused tooth was removed and the mesial part of the tooth was replanted and fixed. Three months after the completion of orthodontic therapy, the impacted canine erupted between the remaining tooth and the first premolar. Recall examination, 3 years after completion of root canal treatment, showed clinical and radiographic evidence of healing.

KEY LEARNING POINTS
Fusion has been described as a development anomaly characterized by the union of two adjacent teeth. Proper combined endodontic and orthodontic treatment resulted in maintaining one tooth half and solving the aesthetic and functional problem of a fused tooth.


The increased protein degradation associated with diabetes appears to be different in many respects from protein catabolism in normal, well-nourished cells. In all normal eukaryotic cells examined, degradation of cytosolic proteins exhibits several striking features. Large proteins tend to be degraded more rapidly than small proteins, acidic proteins tend to be degraded more rapidly than neutral or basic proteins, and glycoproteins are degraded more rapidly than non-glycoproteins. Furthermore, a general correlation exists between protein half-life in vivo and susceptibility to proteolytic attack in vitro. In streptozotocin-diabetic rats the relationships between degradative rate and protein size, net charge, and carbohydrate content are absent or markedly reduced among cytosolic proteins of the liver. However, the correlation between protein half-life and susceptibility to proteinase in vitro is unaltered. Therefore, the enhanced protein degradation in diabetes shows little or no selectivity towards large, acidic, glycoproteins but does show specificity for proteins than tend to be sensitive to proteinases. Similar studies using other tissues from diabetic rats are reported and general characteristics of the enhanced liver protein catabolism in starvation and hyperthyroidism are briefly discussed. The biochemical reasons for the increased protein catabolism in diabetes are unclear although several possible explanations are presented. The enhanced breakdown is probably not due to cellular proteins becoming more proteinase sensitive in diabetes since experiments with a variety of endoproteinases including pronase, chymotrypsin, pepsin, and lysosomal cathepsins have failed to demonstrate more rapid digestion of liver proteins from diabetic animals.


This paper considers the automatic design of fuzzy-rule-based classification systems from labeled data. The performance of classifiers and the interpretability of generated rules are of major importance in these systems. In past research, some genetic-based algorithms have been used for the rule learning process. These genetic fuzzy systems have utilized different approaches to encode rules. In this paper, we have proposed a novel steady- state genetic algorithm to extract a compact set of good fuzzy rules from numerical data (SGERD). The selection mechanism of this algorithm is nonrandom, and only the best individuals can survive. Our approach is very simple and fast, and can be applied to high-dimensional problems with numerical attributes. To select the rules having high generalization capabilities, our algorithm makes use of some rule- and data-dependent parameters. We have also proposed an enhancing function that modifies the rule evaluation measures in order to assess the candidate rules more effectively before their selection. Experiments on some well-known data sets are performed to show the performance of SGERD.


Together with the development of modern technology, a new communication media for accessing to the quality information has emerged. In order to access quality information faster and more practically, Web technology has been developed by Tim Berners-Lee. With this technology, Web users are able to access to the information in Web environment by entering web site URI (or URL) addresses, searching and following the related links. URIs with not only Web documents also possible to define the real world concepts. URI technology has been started with the identification of spatial objects from this property and has been investigated in this study can be accessed via the web positional information of the object. For this purpose, the spatial objects (plots) for INSPIRE URI specific to each model are defined by reference to a spatial objects and to access web resources that is associated with this definition URI QR (Quick Response) code technology is used. To flesh out the application on the basis of the plot interrogation practices have been implemented by the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre in Turkey an alternative to QR coded interrogation practices designed plots and compared with the current interrogation practices of the parcel. According to preliminary results of the comparison QR code to enter information for users with questioning parcels making improper interrogation practices in preventing the pos sibility of questioning is reduced to zero and conducted more practical and faster than the current interrogation practices parcel.


Fundamentally and practically, quantum networks and conventional networks are inextricably tied, since the basic quantum protocols such as teleportation require both networks and the conventional network fiber is also used for the quantum network. A Recursive System of Systems (RSOS) model is developed for quantum-conventional (QC) networks by modeling the correlations at various levels based on the failure and attack modes of quantum, conventional and hybrid components and the propagative effects across QC boundaries. A game-theoretic formulation is developed to capture the cost-benefit trade-offs of the provider in defending against component attacks, using sum-form utility functions. By applying the Nash Equilibrium results, the conditions and sensitivity functions of the survival probabilities of a QC network at different levels are derived using the strong dependencies between quantum and conventional infrastructures. The results provide insights into the dependencies between conventional and quantum networks, including cross QC boundary effects in terms of disruption impact of conventional networks on quantum networks, and vice versa.


Abstract Objective To determine the effects of a policy of "use acupuncture" on headache, health status, days off sick, and use of resources in patients with chronic headache compared with a policy of "avoid acupuncture." Design Randomised, controlled trial. Setting General practices in England and Wales. Participants 401 patients with chronic headache, predominantly migraine. Interventions Patients were randomly allocated to receive up to 12 acupuncture treatments over three months or to a control intervention offering usual care. Main outcome measures Headache score, SF-36 health status, and use of medication were assessed at baseline, three, and 12 months. Use of resources was assessed every three months. Results Headache score at 12 months, the primary end point, was lower in the acupuncture group (16.2, SD 13.7, n = 161, 34% reduction from baseline) than in controls (22.3, SD 17.0, n = 140, 16% reduction from baseline). The adjusted difference between means is 4.6 (95% confidence interval 2.2 to 7.0; P = 0.0002). This result is robust to sensitivity analysis incorporating imputation for missing data. Patients in the acupuncture group experienced the equivalent of 22 fewer days of headache per year (8 to 38). SF-36 data favoured acupuncture, although differences reached significance only for physical role functioning, energy, and change in health. Compared with controls, patients randomised to acupuncture used 15% less medication (P = 0.02), made 25% fewer visits to general practitioners (P = 0.10), and took 15% fewer days off sick (P = 0.2). Conclusions Acupuncture leads to persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine. Expansion of NHS acupuncture services should be considered.


During the 13-year period from 1978 to 1991, 202 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma were treated with radioactive iodine-131 (I-131) post-operatively. The therapeutic response and survival rates were studied. Of these patients, 172 (85%) patients were shown to be totally disease-free; others showed a partial response or persistence of disease. A total of 134 patients (66%) achieved total thyroid ablation with only one therapeutic dose of I-131, ranging from 100-200 mCi. Patients over the age of 40 years at the time of diagnosis had a lower survival rate than those under 40 years old (98.6% vs 68.9%; p < 0.001). However, patients over the age of 50 years and follicular patients had a lower recurrence rate than patients under the age of 50 years and those with papillary carcinoma. Eight of the 32 patients (25%) with lung metastases were detected by a therapeutic I-131 whole body scan (WBS), in which the diagnostic I-131 WBS was negative. In six of the 16 patients (37.5%) with bony metastases, the I-131 WBS showed more obvious positive results than the Tc-99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scanning. Most of the remaining patients exhibited the same findings for the two methods. Therefore, I-131 WBS is superior to Tc-99m MDP bone scanning in the detection of bony metastases from thyroid carcinoma. The mortality rate of patients with bony metastases was four times that of patients with lung metastases (40% vs 10%). Patients with follicular carcinoma had higher rates of distant metastases than those with papillary carcinoma (13% vs 4%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This study describes the interlocking networks of corporate directors serving on publicly listed corporate boards and those on the boards of nonprofit organizations in Western Australia in 2006. When this study was undertaken, the state was the beneficiary of a booming economy in resource development prior to the global financial crisis, yielding a substantial number of resource companies with their headquarters in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Through social network analysis using NetDraw, we trace the extent of interpersonal connections of prominent individuals who serve on these boards in this relatively isolated state in Australia. The network figures demonstrate the inner circle of companies and nonprofits with their interlocking directorships that suggest the growing interpenetration among the state, the market, and civil society. As a result of reduced government funding during the last two decades in Western Australia, nonprofit organizations have had to use market strategies to increase their revenues, which is one factor that has led to this greater interdependence between previously separate groups. Thus, market forces have blurred the boundaries that once separated private companies from nonprofit organizations, increasing the interlocking nature of their board directors.


Applying simple natural language processing methods on social media data have shown to be able to reveal insights of specific mental disorders. However, few studies have employed fine-grained sentiment or emotion
related analysis approaches in the detection of mental health conditions from social media messages. This work, for the first time, employed fine-grained emotions
as features and examined five popular machine learning classifiers in the task of identifying users with selfreported
mental health conditions (i.e. Bipolar, Depression, PTSD, and SAD) from the general public. We demonstrated that the support vector machines and the random forests classifiers with emotion-based features
and combined features showed promising improvements to the performance on this task.


Reliability and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were conducted on testlets displaying local item dependence in this study. The data set employed in the research was obtained from the answers given by 1500 students to the 20 items included in six testlets given in English Proficiency Exam by the School of Foreign Languages of a state University in Turkey. One of the purposes of this study was to determine the influences of the tests composed of testlets on reliability, so the reliability coefficients obtained for cases where the influences of testlets were considered and those for cases where the testlet influences were not considered were compared. In consequence of the G theory analyses conducted in this context, it was found that the G and Phi coefficients estimated by not considering the testlet effects were higher than those estimated by considering the testlet effects. It was concluded that the reliability was estimated to be relatively higher when the influences of the testlet were not considered. Two methods were used in this study so as to determine the effects of testlets on differential item functioning and the results were compared. In the DIF-determining method considering the testlet effect, both the number of items displaying DIF at the significant and estimated levels of DIF were found to be higher than in the method not considering the testlet effect.


For the arrangement of suspender and arch rib in the combination of beam and arch bridge, the finite element model is established according to the background of practical engineering. The influence of the variations of structure design parameters on structure characteristics of the static and dynamic is analyzed. The calculation results show that the different layout of suspender has small effect on the axial force variations of tie beam and arch rib, but has bigger influence on the bending moment of partial section. The structural transverse basic frequency augments with increase of arch rib leaning-angle, the vertical and twisting basic frequency is larger when the leaning suspender and netted suspender are used. The arrangement of suspender and arch rib should be optimized in the design of similar bridge.


The Hubbard model, which augments independent-electron band theory with a single parameter to describe electron-electron correlations, is widely regarded to be the "standard model" of condensed-matter physics. The model has been remarkably successful at addressing a range of correlation phenomena in solids, but it neglects many behaviors that occur in real materials, such as phonons, long-range interactions, and, in its simplest form, multiorbital effects. Here, we use ab initio electronic structure methods to design a material whose Hamiltonian matches as closely as possible that of the single-band Hubbard model. Our motivation is to compare the measured properties of our new material to those predicted by reliable theoretical solutions of the Hubbard model to determine the relevance of the model in the description of real materials. After identifying an appropriate crystal class and several appropriate chemistries, we use density-functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory to screen for the desired electronic band structure and metal-insulator transition. We then explore the most promising candidates for structural stability and suitability for doping, and we propose specific materials for subsequent synthesis. Finally, we identify a regime-that should manifest in our bespoke material-in which the single-band Hubbard model on a triangular lattice exhibits exotic d-wave superconductivity.


BACKGROUND
Hyperemesis gravidarum is known as a complex disease with interaction of biological, psychological and sociocultural factors. Our study was an attempt to understand the psychological effects on hyperemesis gravidarum by using an objective scale.

METHODS
Thirty-four pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum who were hospitalized in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey comprised the patient group and asymptomatic pregnant women who came for routine antenatal visits to our clinic were enrolled in this study as the control group between March 1, 2007 and October 15, 2008. Women in both groups filled in the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) questionnaire. The data collected from both groups were analyzed by using the Student's t-test (SPSS 13.00). Frequencies of high SCL scores between groups were analyzed by chi-square tests.

RESULTS
The patients with hyperemesis gravidarum had higher distress scores than those in the control group. The mean value of global severity index (GSI) was 1.03 in the patient group and 0.64 in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.005). The most significant difference between the two groups was in somatization subscales (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION
Hyperemesis gravidarum is a complex disorder with psychological aspects. Considering this fact can help us deal with the disorder.


During an enterotoxaemia outbreak, 9 out of 11 (82%) Chinkara deer (Gazella bennettii) died; 5 animals died of peracute disease, whereas acute death was observed in 4 animals. The case fatality rate was 100%. Clinical signs, including high temperature, depression, anorexia, abdominal pain, greenish watery diarrhoea, and respiratory distress, were recorded in the affected deer. Post-mortem examinations of the affected animals revealed muscular and serosal haemorrhages, hydroperitoneum, hydrothorax, and hydropericardium. Severe haemorrhages were also observed in the small intestine, colon, and kidneys. Histopathologically, haemorrhagic enterocolitis, pulmonary oedema, accumulation of proteinaceous fluid in alveoli, perivascular oedema, and interstitial and intertubular haemorrhages were seen in the kidneys. Anaerobic incubation, mouse inoculation, and mouse seroneutralisation with intestinal contents collected from the affected deer confirmed the Chinkara deer were infected with Clostridium perfringens type D.


This paper proposes a categorical foundation for composing multi-resource in manufacturing systems. The composing procedures of overall system can be explained by pushout of category theory. The purpose of this paper is to resolve the issue involves in resource sharing, coordination and conflict for modeling the distributed manufacturing systems. We will propose a method for modeling discrete event system. The mathematical foundation lies in assuring that the constructed models have mathematical properties, e.g. consistency and completeness, and overcome the drawbacks of traditional function models, since it can show not only the static structure of resources but also the behavioral semantics of resources. The categorical notations and properties are to be expressed by a workcell example.


The spider genus Bistriopelma Kaderka, 2015 is endemic to Peru and includes three species known to date: Bistriopelma lamasi Kaderka, 2015, B. matuskai Kaderka, 2015 and B. titicaca Kaderka, 2017. The present contribution diagnoses, describes and illustrates two new species of Bistriopelma from Peru: B. peyoi sp. nov. and B. kiwicha sp. nov., both based on male and female. The male of B. peyoi sp. nov. is provided with a remarkable thoracic horn, and the species is the first horned tarantula for this genus. An updated distribution map for all known species is presented.


A pilot study was conducted to evaluate safety and activity of nonmyeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and to determine whether a T-cell response to a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) was induced. Fifteen patients with metastatic CRC underwent HCT from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched siblings after a nonmyeloablative conditioning regimen. All patients engrafted with a median donor T-cell chimerism of 72% at day +56. Eight patients experienced grades II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Despite progressive disease before HCT, partial remission and disease stabilization longer than 90 days were observed in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. Induction of TAA-specific T cells was evaluated with a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific HLA-A(*)0201 pentamer in 6 patients with CRC. CEA-specific CD8(+) T cells were detected in 3 of 3 patients concomitant with GHVD onset, but not in 3 of 3 patients without GVHD. They were also not detected in 9 of 9 control patients with GVHD who received transplants for diagnoses other than CRC. Antitumor activity of CEA-specific T cells was also validated in vitro. In one patient, the induction of CEA-specific T cells was associated with a decrease of serum CEA levels and a partial response. Thus, graft-versus-host reactions associated with allogeneic HCT can trigger the generation of T cells specific for CEA, and this may be associated with a clinical response.


Exciton transfer between two parallel GaAs V-groove quantum wires or two planar quantum wells separated by AlGaAs barriers ranging from 5.5 nm to 20 nm thickness is studied by photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy. It is found that the transfer is strongly reduced between the widely spaced quantum wires as compared with quantum wells. This observation is supported by model calculations, which yield strong dimensionality dependence of the photon-exchange transfer.


An on-line method for the development of power system load models using system identification techniques is presented. The modelling procedure involves the selection of the load model structure as well as the estimation of the load model parameters. A load model structure selection technique based on the model reference error cost function is used and a square root based least squares estimator is developed. The collection of large volumes of data, for later off-line analysis, is avoided by using an online microcomputer system for the acquisition and analysis of perturbed load data. Load tests were carried out for both agricultural and industrial/commercial loads and typical results obtained are also presented in this paper.


The purpose of this paper is to critically review the literature on the interplay of work-family life and psychosocial adjustment of married international graduate students to the United States, provide evidence for a complicated and integrated support mechanism for married international graduate students, and make specific recommendations. Empirical studies on student and expatriate work-family life and psychosocial adjustment are reviewed. Studies indicated a significant negative relationship between work-family conflict and (a) life satisfaction, (b) work satisfaction, and (c) family satisfaction. Moreover, studies signified a positive relationship between work-family balance and (a) psychological well-being and (b) sociocultural adjustment. Due to the difficulty of separating work and family domains for married international graduate students, it will be critical to find ways to support international graduate students' work and family life in an integrated way, which would help with their psychosocial adjustment to the United States. This support could be done through organizing seminars or workshops on healthy work-family balance, having their spouses involved in the graduate student orientation program, or discussing work-family issues and their influence on married graduate students' lives through group programs. The paper's implications would be of value to married international graduate students who are planning to study in a foreign country by helping ease their adjustment process.


Abstract In recent years, people have interpreted scientific information about the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) in various, and sometimes conflicting, ways. Political complexity around the relationship among black-tailed prairie dogs, agricultural interests, and wildlife has increased in recent years, particularly when prairie dogs occur on publicly owned lands leased to private entities for livestock grazing. Some have proposed that estimates of prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) numbers from 1900 are inflated, that prairie dog grazing is not unique (other grazers have similar affects on vegetation), and that prairie dogs significantly reduce carrying capacity for livestock and wildlife. We address all these issues but concentrate on the degree of competition between prairie dogs and ungulates because this motivates most prairie dog control actions. We conclude that the available information does not justify holding distribution and numbers of prairie dogs at a level that is too low to perform their keystone ecological function. We further conclude that it is especially important that prairie dogs be sufficiently abundant on public lands to perform this function.


Abstract This paper presents the results of two nonstatistical surveys (completed in 1981 and 1986) that solicited information from state and federal agencies concerning instream flow issues and practices in North America. Forty-six states and 12 Canadian provinces responded to the survey. Fifteen of the 46 states reported legislative recognition of instream flows for fisheries protection. In Canada, individual provinces generally lacked instream flow legislation, although federal legislation existed that could be used. The most commonly applied method (in use in 38 states or provinces) for assessing instream flow requirements, as reported in the survey, was the Fish and Wildlife Service Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM). Major research needs cited by survey respondents included (1) more species habitat information and preference curves, (2) techniques for determining instream flows for atypical conditions, and (3) testing of fish habitat:flow: production relationships.


Therapeutic approaches aimed to prevent breast cancer cells from spreading to distant sites are commonly neglected, based on the indication that dissemination from primary tumors can occur early. However, mounting evidence indicates that cancer cells recirculating from established bone lesions could further seed and colonize both skeleton and soft-tissue organs, thus precipitating metastatic dissemination and accelerating disease progression. We have previously shown that breast circulating tumor cells (CTCs) rely on the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 for lodging to the skeleton. Here, we show that this receptor is overexpressed by all four main subtypes of breast adenocarcinoma and also abundantly detected in bone metastatic lesions from breast cancer patients. We have recently synthesized JMS-17-2, a novel small molecule inhibitor of CX3CR1. We tested this compound in pre-clinical animal models of metastases in which human breast cancer cells, labeled with fluorescent and bioluminescent markers, are converted into CTCs by direct grafting in the arterial blood circulation. Pre-incubating cancer cells with JMS-17-2 or treating animals with this compound (10 mg/Kg, i.p.) were equally effective in dramatically decreasing the number of breast CTCs that lodged to the skeleton. These disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) were detected 24 hours after grafting and enumerated by multispectral fluorescence microscopy of sequential bone tissue sections spanning the entire width of tibiae and femora. Notably, when animals were examined at two weeks after grafting, JMS-17-2 completely prevented metastases, indicating that the reduction in number of DTCs directly translates to an impaired tumor growth in the long term. Finally, JMS-17-2 was administered to animals harboring a limited number of small metastases in bone and soft-tissues and monitored by bioluminescence imaging for three weeks before sacrifice. Animals treated with the CX3CR1 antagonist remained at an oligometastatic stage whereas control animals showed a sharp increase in the number of metastatic lesions and overall tumor burden. The work presented here should generate a conceptual shift in the treatment strategies for breast cancer patients, paving the way to approaches aimed to counteract the seeding of additional lesions from existing metastases. We also introduce JMS-17-2 as the first CX3CR1 antagonist and lead compound of a class of potentially new drugs with a novel mechanism of action that could be added to the arsenal of therapies currently used to treat advanced breast adenocarcinoma. Citation Format: Fei Shen, Yun Zhang, Danielle Jernigan, Jie Yan, Fernando Garcia, Olimpia Meucci, Joseph Salvino, Alessandro Fatatis. A small-molecule antagonist of CX3CR1 impairs homing and colonization of breast cancer cells in the skeleton. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4116. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4116


This paper presents scalable algorithms and data structures for adaptive mesh refinement computations. We describe a novel mesh restructuring algorithm for adaptive mesh refinement computations that uses a constant number of collectives regardless of the refinement depth. To further increase scalability, we describe a localized hierarchical coordinate-based block indexing scheme in contrast to traditional linear numbering schemes, which incur unnecessary synchronization. In contrast to the existing approaches which take O(P) time and storage per process, our approach takes only constant time and has very small memory footprint. With these optimizations as well as an efficient mapping scheme, our algorithm is scalable and suitable for large, highly-refined meshes. We present strong-scaling experiments up to 2k ranks on Cray XK6, and 32k ranks on IBM Blue Gene/Q.


AIMS OF THE STUDY
Patients with an acute or chronically negative nutritional balance are at nutritional risk. Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) are simple and effective medical treatments of nutritional risk. In the ambulatory setting, in Switzerland, ONS are reimbursed by public insurance under conditions defined by Swiss Society for Clinical Nutrition. The reimbursement requires a medical prescription for ONS and their delivery at the patient's home by a homecare service. The indication for the ONS, defined as a Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) score ≥3, must also be present. This survey aimed to document: (i) the existence of a medical prescription for ONS during hospitalisation and discharge for home, (ii) the adequacy of the indication for ONS during hospitalisation and at discharge for home, and (iii) the continuation or not of ONS treatment 1 month after discharge for home.

METHODS
This prospective survey included adult patients hospitalised in the departments of surgery, medicine or rehabilitation and who were about to receive ONS for the first time. Patients already on ONS, with major consciousness disorders, who refused to take ONS or to participate to the survey were excluded. The existence of a medical prescription for ONS and the adequacy of the indication (Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 [NRS-2002] score ≥3) were evaluated at first ONS delivery and at hospital discharge. At home, the continuation of ONS consumption was evaluated by the homecare service 1 month after discharge. Results are presented as mean ± standard deviation or frequencies and percentages, and comparisons between patients with and without ONS at discharge for home.

RESULTS
A total of 416 patients (age 71.7 ± 14.1 yr, 52.6% male, body mass index 23.6 ± 5.2 kg/m2) were included. At the first delivery of ONS, 44.5% (n = 185) of patients had no medical prescription for the supplements, and 82.7% (n = 344) had an NRS-2002 score ≥3. Out of 207 patients discharged for home, only 24.2% (n = 50) had an adequate homecare ONS prescription and 68% (n = 141) had a NRS-2002 score ≥3. One month after discharge for home, 76% (n = 29) were still taking ONS.

CONCLUSIONS
In our survey, only few patients receiving ONS during the hospital stay had a medical prescription for ONS during the hospitalisation and at discharge for home. For most patients receiving ONS during hospitalisation and at discharge for home, an NRS-2002 score of ≥3 was present. If a medical prescription was provided, ONS were generally continued one month after discharge for home.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT02476110.


The influence of the growth conditions on the 3C-SiC layer quality in terms of crystallinity, morphology and residual strain was investigated. In dependence on the chosen growth conditions the stress state can be varied between inhomogeneous and homogeneous strain. For the reduction of the residual strain an alternative route for the improvement of the epitaxial growth of 3CSiC( 100) on Si(100) was developed. It consists in covering the silicon wafers with germanium prior to the carbonization step. The achieved improvement in the residual strain and crystalline quality of the grown 3C-SiC layers is comparable to SOI substrates. These beneficial effects were reached by using a Ge coverage in the range of 0.5 to 1 monolayer with respect to the silicon surface.


The purpose of this research was to identify personality constructs to be assessed in the selection of officers in the Turkish Armed Forces by using a personality-oriented job analysis approach. Personality-oriented job analytic interviews were conducted with currently employed and former officers (N = 78). Content analysis of the interviews led to the identification of a list of attributes presumed to be relevant. The attributes were then rated by a group of officers (N = 447) for relevance and importance. Principal component analysis of the weighted ratings (i.e., Relevance × Importance) resulted in 5 personality dimensions considered to be relevant to the job of military officer: Conscientiousness–Self-Discipline, Military Factor, Self-Confidence, Agreeableness–Extraversion, and Leadership. Finally, using a confirmatory approach, we tested the 5-factor structure against 1-factor and 2-factor solutions. Results suggest that the 5-factor solution has significantly better fit than the alternative models, providing some initial evidence for construct validity.


EBV is a prevalent human herpesvirus which is implicated in the aetiology of several human malignancies, including Burkitt's Lymphoma and several other cancers of lymphoid/epithelial origin. Infection of primary B lymphocytes in vitro with EBV leads to expression of a restricted set of EBV latent genes and subsequent immortalisation of cells into continuously proliferating lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Eleven viral genes are expressed in latently-infected (immortalised) B cells, of which just six are critical for transformation. These include latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) and five nuclear antigens (EBNA1, -2, -3A, -3C and -LP ).

The first part of this study was undertaken in order to investigate the mechanism of EBV-mediated deregulation of cell growth by examining its effects on the mRNA levels of a range of cell cycle inhibitor genes using ribonuclease protection assay (Chapter 3). Significantly elevated p21 mRNA levels was found to be a characteristic feature of the transition from EBV latency type I infection (expressing EBNA1 only) to type III infection (expressing all 11 latent EBV genes) of Burkitt Lymphoma (BL) cells, with elevated expression detected in EBV-immortalised lymphoblastoid cell lines, consistent with previous reports. Western blot analysis confirmed a similar degree of upregulation at the protein level. p21 (WAF1/CIP1) is an important nuclear protein with cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitory activity, which can promote cytostasis by blocking cell cycle progression at the Gi and/or G2 phases of the cell cycle and by inhibiting PCNA-dependent DNA replication. As EBNA2 and LMP1 are both central to the immortalisation process, the contributions of each of these proteins to the observed p21 upregulation was investigated using a tetracyclineregulatable gene expression system in an EBV-negative BL background. This revealed an important role for LMP1, but not for EBNA2 when expressed singly. LMP1 is defined as a classical oncogene and its profound effects on cell growth are well-documented. The observed LMP1-mediated upregulation of p21 was found to be a B cell-specific effect, and was not detected in a second BL-derived cell line which lacks the characteristic c-myc translocation. In addition, the effect is likely to be p53-independent. On further investigation into the mechanism of upregulation, no transactivation of the p21 promoter was detected while enhanced p21 mRNA stability was found to be important in the LMP1-mediated effect. Further studies will
be required to characterise the molecular basis of this stabilisation.

The precise functions of the EBNA3 proteins are unclear, although persistent expression of these genes against negative selective pressure by cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vivo is consistent with important roles for all three members of this protein family. In attempting to identify potential protein binding partners for EBNA3B, the yeast two hybrid system (YTHS) was employed to screen two cDNA libraries. Both libraries yielded only false positives, including two EBNA3B-specific interactions. However, this type of result is well-documented as a recurring problem associated with use of YTH systems.


Subject of scientific research conducted within this thesis are geotechnical
stability analyses, in which the definition of an appropriate soil model due to the
complexity of the material (soil) and uncertainties inherent in the influencing
factors (soil parameters and load) is difficult. Research methods are dictated by
the nature of the problem which is the subject of research. Modeling of soil for
geotechnical stability analysis is based on the identification of input parameters
(soil characteristics and load), entering their numerical values (constant - for
deterministic analysis, and probability distribution functions to describe the
range of possible values of each parameter - for purposes of applying the
probabilistic concept of stability analysis). Comparative stability analysis of
each of a series of selected typical geotechnical problems is performed using the
first deterministic, then probabilistic concept. The limitations of traditional
deterministic approach are that it does not consider the uncertainty of input
parameters and does not provide information on the probability of failure. The
task of research is to provide a detailed insight into the structure of stability
analysis procedures based on a probabilistic concept, where each input
parameter is defined by the range of possible values and a probability
distribution function. The results clearly show the advantages of probabilistic
approaches in stability analysis and the need for its wider application in our
community.


Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can lead to the outgrowth of EBV-infected B cells and the development of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (EBV-PTLD). Since 1993 our group has used adoptive transfer of in vitro expanded EBV-specific T cells as a means to prevent or treat these EBV-driven lymphomas. In a series of Phase I and II clinical trials we have assessed the safety and clinical benefit associated with these transferred cells in allogeneic HSCT recipients. The T cell products infused were generated using 3 different manufacturing methodologies - [(i) EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (EBV-LCLs) (~12 weeks manufacturing time), (ii) plasmid-nucloefected dendritic cells (DCs) (17 day manufacturing) and (iii) direct stimulation of PBMCs using overlapping peptide libraries (10 day manufacturing)] and were administered to either prevent (n=162) or treat (n=47) EBV reactivation/disease in a total of 209 allogeneic HSCT recipients ranging in age from 6 months to 63 years. Of 162 patients infused prophylactically only 1 (0.6%) developed EBV-PTLD, which occurred following the administration of steroids 3 weeks-post VST infusion. However, this patient responded to a second VST infusion after the steroids. 31 of 36 (86%) patients with elevated viral load (n=21) or biopsy-proven/probable LPD (n=15) achieved durable complete remissions and the infused cells persisted long term as demonstrated in 26 patients who received gene-marked VSTs that were detectable for up to 9 years post-infusion. To extend the approach to additional viruses we initially developed methodology for using genetically modified antigen presenting cells approach to generate VSTs from donor peripheral blood that target CMV, EBV and adenovirus and showed that adoptively transferred donor-derived VSTs can reconstitute antiviral immunity to all three viruses and effectively treat established infections. However, the time taken to prepare patient-specific products and the lack of virus-specific memory T cells in cord blood and seronegative donors restricts application. More recently we have evaluated whether T-cell lines manufactured using overlapping peptide pools and extended the specificity to include HHV6 and BK. When administered to 11 recipients of allogeneic transplants, 8 of whom had up to four active infections with the targeted viruses, these VSTs proved safe in all subjects and produced an overall 94% virological and clinical response rate that was sustained long-term. Another means of avoiding growing CTLs for individual patients is to bank lines that are then available as an off the shelf product of most closely HLA-matched allogeneic cytotoxic T lymphocyte lines. We evaluated this strategy in a multicenter study through the NHLBI Specialized Centers for Cell-Based Therapy (SCCT) program in HSCT recipients who had viral reactivation or infection refractory to standard therapy. The overall cumulative incidence of first CR/PR in 50 patients based on viral load by day 42 was 74.0% (73.9% for CMV, 66.7% for EBV and 77.8% for adenovirus). In a follow up study using the peptide induced VSTs that recognize 5 viruses, based on viral load measurements by quantitative PCR a single VST infusion successfully controlled active infections in 19/21 evaluable patients. These results demonstrate the feasibility and safety of 3rd party multivirus-directed VSTs, generated by direct stimulation of PBMCs with synthetic peptides and administered as an off the shelf product. Citation Format: Helen E. Heslop, Ifigenia Tzannou, Bilal Omer, Malcolm K. Brenner, Ann M. Leen, Cliona M. Rooney. Immunotherapy with virus-specific T cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr IA22.


In serious game development, graphic design needs to be eye-catching, while also depicting subject matter content in a responsible, accurate, and clear way. Previous research has shown that abstract and symbolic game visuals seem to be preferable for learning and providing an engaging experience. Our research focuses on describing the challenges involved in creating effective visual communication through game graphics in cross cultures. In particular, we're interested in examining if certain styles of visual communication are more or less effective between different cultural demographics. To examine this, we have created a serious game which aims to promote healthy food and nutrition habits to teenagers in both Nepalese and Swedish schools and by doing so also motivate behavioral changes toward healthier eating habits. We are currently conducting studies to see whether preferences and image recognition differ between the two demographical spheres. This paper will only discuss the exploratory study done in Nepal. Ultimately, this paper aims to contribute development guidelines that can aid developers in creating more effective visual communication in their serious games, and we primarily focus on exploring what we call the compromise of 'clarity' and 'appeal' in the creation of game graphics. We present an initial model for choosing at what level in terms of realism/abstraction and taxonomic hierarchy the graphical components of serious games optimally should be produced in order to solve the dilemma of precise, unmistakable, yet appealing visuals in serious games. It all comes down to two primary decisions: defining the taxonomic hierarchy of the items to depict, and choosing the style in which to depict them. With a better understanding of when different game visuals are more or less appropriate, both in terms of style and in which objects are represented, game developers will be able to balance production costs better while also creating something that strikes the compromise between clarity and appeal.


Low-voltage resistance-grounded systems may provide significant advantages to the facility in terms of system reliability and safety. However, maintenance of these systems is more complex than for solidly grounded wye systems and improper first-fault isolation and lack of timely repair may present a risk to the facility. Identifying the location of ground faults within the distribution system is the main problem. We describe a new way to detect which feeder has been faulted in a lineup of low-voltage switchgear protected via the "single-processor concept for protection and control of circuit breakers in low-voltage switchgear" [Marcelo, E et al., 2004]. We describe the detection methodology and how the potential sources of error are addressed.


Now that spike trains from many neurons can be recorded simultaneously, there is a need for methods to decode these data to learn about the networks that these neurons are part of. One approach to this problem is to adjust the parameters of a simple model network to make its spike trains resemble the data as much as possible. The connections in the model network can then give us an idea of how the real neurons that generated the data are connected and how they influence each other. In this chapter we describe how to do this for the simplest kind of model: an Ising network. We derive algorithms for finding the best model connection strengths for fitting a given data set, as well as faster approximate algorithms based on mean field theory. We test the performance of these algorithms on data from model networks and experiments.


In 2002, the United States embraced the Housing First approach, which led to the widespread adoption of this approach in cities across the nation. This resulted in programmatic variations of Housing First and calls for clarity about the Housing First model. This study uses a comparative case study approach to explore the differences across Housing First programs in five selected cities: Dallas, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. It focuses on one aspect of programmatic variation: housing type. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviews with 53 participants, documentation review, and site visits. Findings show differences in the type of housing used and explore the reasons why Housing First programs select such housing configurations. The results highlight how programmatic variation does not necessarily mean the Housing First model lacks clarity. Rather, homeless service providers adapt the model to address local challenges and needs, resulting in the variation seen across programs and cities. The findings elucidate the debate about variation in the Housing First model and the call for fidelity.


Academic work on sales compensation plans features agency models prominently, and these models have also been used to build decision aids for managers. However, empirical support remains sketchy. We conducted three experiments to investigate three unresolved predictions involving the incentive-insurance trade-off posited in the model. First, compensation should be less incentive loaded with greater effort-output uncertainty so as to provide additional insurance to a risk-averse agent. Second, flat wages should be used for verifiable effort so as to avoid unnecessary incentives. Third, less incentive-loaded plans should be used with more risk-averse agents so as to provide additional insurance.Our design implemented explicit solutions from a specific agency model, which offers greater internal validity, compared to extant laboratory designs that either did not implement explicit solutions or excluded certain parameters. In Experiment I, data from working manager subjects supported the first prediction but only when risk-averse agents undertook nonverifiable effort. We interpret this as disclosing the model's "core" circumstance, wherein it orders the data when the incentive-insurance trade-off is relevant. Thus, when verifiable effort made incentives moot, as is the case for the second prediction, the model failed to order the data.Building on these results, we reasoned that the third prediction should find support among risk-averse agents but not among risk-neutral agents, because insurance is a moot point with the latter agents. To this end, we added risk-neutral utility functions for agents in Experiment II. Data from MBA-candidate student subjects supported the predictions, but only when risk-averse agents undertook nonverifiable effort. In those cells in which the incentive-insurance trade-off was moot (either because of risk-neutrality or else verifiability), the data did not support the predictions.We confronted several validity threats to these results. To begin, Experiment I used the standard agency solution, which equalizes an agent's expected utility from the predicted plan with his expected utility from rejecting it. Subjects might have broken these ties on such grounds as fairness. To assess whether this confounded the results, we derived new solutions in Experiment II that broke ties in favor of the predicted plan (by a 10% margin in the expected utility). Our results were robust to this change.Second, our agents' behavior in Experiments I and II was much more consistent with predictions, compared to the principals' behavior, which broughtup task comprehension as a validity threat because our principals faced a more complex experimental task than the agents. To address this threat, we used three decision rounds in Experiment III to reduce the principals' task comprehension problems. A related validity threat arose from the relatively small gap in some cells between a principal's predicted expected utility and the principal's next best choice. To address this threat, we derived new solutions with larger gaps to make the principal's choices "easier." The results were again robust to these changes, which removes these validity threats.We also addressed two alternative explanations. Might principals be predisposed to pick salary plus commission plans regardless of the model's predictions? If so, we should find such plans chosen uniformly across different experimental conditions. Pooling the data from our three experiments, we rejected this predisposition explanation by finding variation that was more consistent with treatment differences across cells. Second, mightagents choose higher effort levels because of a demand bias? If so, we should find agents picking high effort regardless of the plan actually offered to them. Using pooled data, we rejected this explanation by finding variation that was more consistent with a utility-maximizing reaction to the plan actually offered to them.Finally, we included manipulation checks to assess whether principals and agents perceived experimental stimuli identically, as per the "common knowledge" assumption in game theory. These data showed no differences between agents' and principals' perceptions of stimuli.Our experiments move the literature from simply asking whether the model works to pinpointing the circumstances in which itorders behavior. The primary stylized fact we uncovered is the persistent and striking lack of support for the agency model outside of the circumstance in which riskaverse agents undertake nonverifiable effort. The model's failure when there is no material insurance-incentive tradeoff deserves scrutiny in future work.


Recently, Bucher et al.1 addressed rational graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis (December 2012 issue of this Journal). The authors addressed calcineurin inhibition and T-cell immune modulation but fully overlooked the important results obtained with rituximab that have been reported in the prevention of acute and chronic GVHD.

Initial reports on the potential role of rituximab in chronic GVHD addressed the treatment of steroid refractory chronic GVHD.2-10 Up to 100% response was reported, including responses in all organ systems affected.11 Apart from a therapeutic effect, there is also evidence for a prophylactic effect of rituximab on acute and chronic GVHD.

In 2005, the author presented the hypothesis that the risk of chronic GVHD could be reduced by administration of rituximab at initial diagnosis of chronic GVHD. The aim would be to cure the initial manifestation and prevent development of new manifestations of chronic GVHD.12 Since then, several papers have discussed the prophylactic use of rituximab for acute and chronic GVHD.

Khouri et al.13 reported 11 patients with lymphocytic lymphoma who received cyclophosphamide and fludarabine conditioning. Nine patients also received rituximab on Days -6, +1, +8 and +15. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and methotrexate. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV GVHD was 20%; one patient developed grade III GVHD.

Kebriaei et al.14 reported 35 patients who received an ablative allogeneic HLA-identical or unrelated donor transplant for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Rituximab 375 mg/m2 was administered four times starting Day -7. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and methotrexate. The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD was 17% and there was 43% limited and extensive chronic GVHD at two years.

Khouri et al.15 reported 47 patients with follicular lymphoma who received cyclophosphamide and fludarabine conditioning and rituximab on Day -13 (375 mg/m2) and Days -6, +1 and +8 (1000 mg/m2). GVHD prophylaxis consisted of tacrolimus and methotrexate. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was 11%. Five patients had grade II and one patient grade III GvHD. The incidence of limited and extensive chronic GVHD was 60% and 36%, respectively. Of the 28 patients who developed chronic GVHD, 20 (71%) had de novo onset. Infections were the major cause of death. No patients died as a result of GVHD.

Christopeit et al.16 reported a retrospective study of 34 patients; 13 received rituximab 375 mg/m2 in the conditioning regimen and 4 received 375 mg/m2 on Days + 31, +49, +69 and +89 to prevent posttransplant lymphoma. Acute GVHD occurred in 18% of patients with and 82% without rituximab, and grade II-IV occurred in 18% and 53%, respectively. Rituximab added to ATG was more effective in preventing acute GVHD grade II-IV than ATG alone (0% vs. 30%).

Ratanatharathon et al.17 reported a retrospective study of 179 patients who received rituximab in the conditioning regimen compared to 256 B-cell lymphoma patients who did not receive rituximab within the six months prior to transplantation. The rituximab cohort had a significantly lower incidence of treatment-related mortality (30% vs. 37%) and low grade of acute GVHD grade II-IV (36% vs. 48%) and grade III-IV (12% vs. 23%). There was no difference in the risk of chronic GVHD (56% vs. 53%), disease progression or relapse. Progression free survival (56% vs. 41%) and overall survival (57% vs. 44%) were significantly better in the rituximab cohort.

Van Dorp et al.18 reported 173 patients who had not received rituximab within the six months prior to reduced intensity conditioning and allogeneic transplant. Rituximab significantly reduced extensive chronic GVHD from 45.8% to 20.1%.

Crocchiolo et al.19 retrospectively analyzed 57 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders and showed that rituximab within three months prior to transplantation prevented acute GVHD grade II-IV: 10% vs. 48% in the non-rituximab group and acute GVHD grade III-IV in 0% and 24%, respectively. No impact on chronic GVHD was observed.

Dominietto et al.20 retrospectively analyzed 55 patients who received rituximab 200 mg on Day +5 post allogeneic transplant to prevent EBV DNAemia. They observed that the cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was significantly reduced in rituximab patients (20% vs. 38%). There was no effect on chronic GVHD. As result of reduced treatment-related mortality, there was a trend towards improved overall survival: 46% in the rituximab cohort versus 40% in the non-rituximab cohort.

Arai et al.21 evaluated prophylactic rituximab 375 mg/m2 two months after transplantation (Day +65 through Day +77). Patients with lymphoid malignancies received TLI and ATG prior to allogeneic transplantation. The incidence of acute GVHD was 6% and the cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was 20%. Non-relapse mortality was 3%. The authors concluded that rituximab significantly reduced B-cell allogeneic immunity.

In summary, this overview shows that pre- or peritransplant rituximab has a prophylactic effect for acute GVHD but the results for chronic GVHD by rituximab administration at this time are not conclusive and, indeed, rather show no effect.15,17-20 However, two months post transplant rituximab seems to reduce the incidence of acute and chronic GVHD.21 Treatment of chronic GVHD does also prevent new manifestations and is curative.9 Our hypothesis that rituximab at the time of initial diagnosis of chronic GVHD may cure the manifestation and may prevent development of other manifestations of chronic GVHD still holds and should be evaluated in a randomized study.12 No editorial or perspective is complete without reference to the effect of anti-CD20 on B-cell allogeneic immunity.1


WO3 nano-powder was prepared by CTAB/n-buoh/octane/H2O micro emulsion system, Na2WO4 and hydrochloric acid as raw material. And the structure, size and topography of WO3 nano-powder were characterized with X-ray diffractometer, transmissive electron microscopy. The result showed:calcination temperatures and different reactant types affect WO3 characteristics evidently; In moisture content 8%, calcining temperature 400°C conditions, small particle size、distribution uniform and spherical shape WO3 nano powder with micro emulsion method is prepared.


Background—
 Stroke is the leading cause of disability and health care expenditures in the United States. Carotid artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension; are the immediate primary causes of stroke. These causes are silent in 80% of cases prior to the stroke but can be discovered by screening, and with follow-up full evaluation of and preemptive management of those positive on screening, strokes can be prevented.

 Methods—
 A quick carotid scan (QCS) with ultrasound is used to screen for carotid artery disease and had a sensitivity of 93% in our laboratory and 97% at NYU. A stroke prevention screening protocol was employed and used the QCS for carotid artery disease, an EKG rhythm strip for atrial fibrillation, and blood pressure determination for hypertension. The protocol takes approximately 5 minutes to accomplish at a cost of $35.

 Results—
 Screening over 22,146 seniors in the Society for Vascular Surgery National Screening Program, at Kaweah Delta District Hospital in Central California, at New York University, and at Madigan Army Medical Center found a uniform 7.5% with possible >60% carotid stenosis, 5.1% with unknown atrial fibrillation, and 29.5% with inadequately controlled hypertension. Based on this yield of stroke potential carotid artery disease, it was estimated that screening 40 million Medicare recipients in the United States for carotid artery disease alone would prevent over 200,000 strokes annually and, when the cost of the screening, further evaluation, and management was subtracted from the cost of the strokes prevented, save nearly 13 billion dollars.

 Conclusions—
 Screening seniors for the silent immediate causes of stroke, carotid artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and hypertension, coupled with full evaluation of those positive on screening, and safe and effective management has the potential to prevent strokes on an epidemiological scale and should be adopted.


Extending working lives is often proposed as one route through which the costs associated with population ageing can be managed. In that context, understanding who currently works for longer can help policymakers to design policies to facilitate longer working. In particular, it is important to know if longer working is a choice or a necessity, where necessity arises from a lack of pension income. In this paper, we use data from the first four waves of the Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA), covering the period 2010-2016, to examine patterns of labour force participation among men and women aged 65+. We find that a lack of pension income is an important determinant of later-life working and that this applies for both men and women. Although older women are significantly less likely to work than older men, we find few differences in the pattern of determinants of longer working among older men and women. However, while women are significantly less likely to work than men, this effect is stronger among married women compared to single women. This suggests that older women without immediate access to family-provided financial support may need to work to support themselves. This adds to the picture of later life work being a necessity as opposed to a choice. However, an alternative explanation is that older married women may also have caring responsibilities that reduce their labour force participation.


Synthetic thyrotrophin-releasing hormone, L-pyroglutamyl-L-histidyl-L-proline-amide, has been administered intravenously to euthyroid subjects in doses ranging from 1 to 200 μg. Its effect was assessed by serial measurements of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (T.S.H.). A rise in serum T.S.H. was detectable five minutes after administration of 50 μg. of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone, reaching a maximum in 15 to 30 minutes, and then gradually declining over the next 120 minutes. Doses of 100 and 200 μg. of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone produced even greater rises of T.S.H. in some cases. The only side-effect noted was transient nausea with doses greater than 50 μg. Measurement of serum T.S.H. levels after administration of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone should prove a useful test of pituitary T.S.H. release and may help to distinguish pituitary and hypothalamic lesions.


AIM: The aim of the study was to assess the feasibility and safety of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in patients with preoperative antiplatelet therapy (APT) for arterial thromboembolic risks. METHODS: Consecutive 100 patients receiving PD at our institution between 2005 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. APT was regularly used in 31 patients (31%) in this series. Our perioperative management ("Kokura Protocol") included maintenance of preoperative aspirin monotherapy and early postoperative reinstitution in patients at high thromboembolic risks. Outcome variables of patients with APT (APT group) were compared with those of patients without APT. RESULTS: This series included 31 pancreatic cancer, 27 bile duct cancer, 19 ampullary cancer, 13 intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, and 10 others. In APT group, 18 (18%) required preoperative continuation of APT. APT group showed significantly high frequency of history of cerebral infarction and percutaneous coronary intervention. Totally 18 significant pancreatic fistulas (grade B,C, 18%) were observed but no perioperative death was experienced. There was only 1 thromboembolic event (1.0%, cerebral infarction) in a whole cohort, whereas increased surgical blood loss (≥ 1,000 mL) and post-pancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) occurred in 11 (11%) and 6 (6.0%, totally grade B), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that high body mass index (≥ 30 kg/m2) is the only significant risk factor for both increased blood loss and PPH (risk ratio = 13.64 and 27.27, p < 0.05), whereas either APT or preoperative aspirin continuation did not affect perioperative bleeding complications. CONCLUSION: Even in APT-burdened patients with arterial thromboembolic risks, PD is safely performed under the Kokura Protocol without any increase of blood loss and PPH, although this patient population is still challenging and should be rigorously managed to prevent both bleeding and thromboembolic complications.


Objectives: To describe and analyze the profile of children with developmental disorders treated at early intervention services (IP) and their mothers or caregivers, focusing on aspects related to the child's ocular health. Methods: Quantitative survey, exploratory-descriptive. The data collection instrument consisted of a questionnaire applied with mothers or caregivers of children assisted in IP services. The data were transcribed in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed based on simple descriptive statistics. The sample consisted of 273 subjects. Results: There was a prevalence of mothers (84.2%) between 30 and 40 years old (38.8%). The children were between 1 and 2 years of age (34.8%), and, for the most part, with Down's Syndrome (26.7%). The mean age of entry of children in IP services was 7.93 months and the age at first consultation with the ophthalmologist of those who had already performed (82.8%) was 6.8 months, with 45,6% presented ophthalmological alterations, predominating strabismus (40.8%). Conclusions: The results obtained allowed the identification and characterization of mothers or caregivers and children attending IP services, especially in questions related to ocular health. Understanding this scenario should support actions aimed at ocular health education, prevention and rehabilitation and should be directed to IP services, managers, families and children.


Optical pulse shaping methods have been developed over the past decades as a key enabling technology for ultrafast science and technology. These techniques enable precise synthesis and control of the temporal shape of optical pulses with durations down to the femtosecond regime, allowing high-speed processing of optical signals without the need of an optical to electrical converter (OEC), as well as generation of ultrafast arbitrary optical waveforms according to user specifications. The latter is of great interest for a broad range of applications, including ultrafast optical telecommunication and information processing, spectroscopy, nonlinear fiber optics, and high-field physics, among many others. The focus of this thesis is on picosecond pulse shaping, and the methods at the core of the work are mainly based on linear photonics signal processing since this approach provides not only simple configurations but also higher energy efficiency than nonlinear photonics signal processing and superior noise performance.
In a linear optical pulse shaper, arbitrary waveforms are typically synthesized based on a direct Fourier-domain technique, where the spectrum of a short optical pulse is re-shaped according to the Fourier transform of the target temporal waveform. A customized optical filter is used for this purpose, with a linear spectral response that is simply obtained from the relationship between the input optical spectrum and the target. However, the direct Fourier-domain synthesis method has two critical limitations: First, the maximum duration of the generated pulses is limited by the finest frequency resolution of the pulse shaper or filter, typically below ~10 GHz and shorter than 100 ps for the maximum duration. Moreover, the spectral coverage of the output pulse is dictated by the target pulse duration and as such, for synthesis of long temporal waveforms, a large portion of the input pulse spectrum, i.e., its energy, may need to be filtered out. Thus, the energy efficiency of the process is severely reduced for the synthesis of longer pulse durations, an issue that can be of critical importance for many applications, particularly those that exploit nonlinear effects.
The photonic implementation of the spectral filtering stage is another main topic of research. Previously reported photonic signal processors are usually designed to perform a specific function with none or very limited programmability. For general-purpose signal generation and processing, however, a photonic signal processor should be able to perform multiple functions with high reconfigurability. The design concept of the most widely used reconfigurable optical pulse shaper is based on free-space optical processing. In this approach, the spectral components of an incident optical pulse are first decomposed angularly (e.g., by bulk-optics diffraction gratings), focused, and then linearly modulated by spatial amplitude and/or phase masks. By using programmable spatial light modulators (SLMs) or acoustic-optic modulators (AOMs), reconfigurable optical pulse shapers have been successfully demonstrated with resolutions well into the femtosecond range. Central constraints of this approach include the need for an efficient coupling between fiber and free-space optics, and the requirement for multiple spatially-separated modulation points, which translate into a relatively lossy and bulky configuration. In addition, the approach is constrained by the limited update rate of SLMs, typically below the kHz range for liquid-crystal SLMs and a few tens of kHz for acoustic-optic modulators (AOMs).
The main objective of this Thesis is to develop linear optics methods for high-speed reconfigurable temporal intensity optical pulse shaping systems in order to overcome the limitations of conventional approaches and explore innovative applications. Generally, the proposed techniques in this Thesis are based on fiber-optics dispersion-induced frequency-to-time mapping (FTM) combined with spectral amplitude and/or phase modulation of either coherent or incoherent light waves. Dispersion induced FTM is the time-domain analogue of spatial-domain Fraunhofer diffraction in the far-field, where the input signal"s frequency components are linearly distributed along the time-domain by the mere process of linear chromatic dispersion. In Chapter 2, a novel linear-optics method for reconfigurable optical pulse shaping based on dispersive FTM is proposed for overcoming the above-mentioned critical limitations of the direct Fourier-domain technique. This method can provide a greatly increased flexibility to achieve a desired pulse duration, independently of the frequency resolution of the linear spectral shaping stage, while enabling an optimization of the energy efficiency of the shaping process for any target pulse duration. High-quality parabolic optical pulses with a temporal duration ranging from ~25 ps to ~400 ps are generated using the proposed optical pulse shaping method, and these are utilized for realization of an optically programmable time-lens (an important basic building block for temporal optical signal processing) through nonlinear cross-phase modulation (XPM). In Chapter 3, an all-fiber simple configuration is demonstrated for fully arbitrary (including asymmetric) programmable picosecond optical pulse shaping in the picosecond regime. The method is based on multi-level phase-only filtering, which is programmed directly in the time domain using a single high-speed electro-optic phase modulator. This time-domain optical pulse shaper provides the unique, additional capability of achieving high-speed pulse-shape update rates into the sub-GHz range, and solid potential for integration. Chapter 4 deals with an incoherent light temporal shaping system where the temporal shape of the output waveform is determined by the cross-correlation between the spectrum of a broadband incoherent light and a temporal intensity modulation pattern, exploiting the concept of dispersion-induced time-spectrum convolution. The process is specifically designed and developed for demonstration of a practically relevant application, namely reconfigurable real-time identification of optical spectrum patterns, e.g., for dynamic spectroscopy or related uses. This operation is implemented by simply programming the temporal modulation signal to match the target spectral pattern and, in the proof-of-concept experiments, near-infrared spectral pattern recognition is achieved directly in the optical domain without the need for any further numerical post-processing at an update rate of 650 kHz, over a bandwidth of 1.5 THz with a spectral resolution of ~12 GHz. The conducted research can provide useful guidelines for practical realization of dispersion-based optical pulse shaping technologies as well as contribute to the development of novel fiber-optics photonics signal processors and their numerous applications.


The standard Gibbs free energies of formation of CuAlO2 and CuAl2O4 were determined in the range 700° to 1100°C, using emf measurements on the galvanic cells (1) Pt,CuO +] Cu2O/CaO-ZrO2/O2,Pt; (2) Pt,Cu +] CuAlO2+] Al2O3/CaO-ZrO2/ Cu +] Cu2O,Pt; and (3) Pt,CuAl2O4+] CuAlO2+]Al2O3/CaO-ZrO2/O2,Pt. The results are compared with published information on the stability of these compounds. The entropy of transformation of CuO from tenorite to the rock-salt structure is evaluated from the present results and from earlier studies on the entropy of formation of spinels from oxides of the rock-salt and corundum structures. The temperatures corresponding to 3-phase equilibria in the system Cu2O-CuO-Al2O3 at specified O2 pressures calculated from the present results are discussed in reference to available phase diagrams.


Porous NiTi alloys were prepared by powder metallurgy method using NH4HCO3 as space-holder. The effect of sintering temperature on pore characteristic, phase composition and compressive property of porous NiTi alloys was studied by XRD, SEM, EDS and a universal testing machine. The results show with the increase of sintering temperature the porosity of porous NiTi alloys first increases and then decreases, but the content of NiTi phase, compressive strength and modulous of sintered products continuously increase. When sintered at 980°C for 2h, the porous NiTi alloys have higher porosity of 53.6%, better compressive strength of 173.7MPa and elastic modulous of 4.2GPa. The phases of sinter products are mainly composed by TiNi, Ti2Ni, and TiNi3 phases.


Recruitment of brown adipose tissue (BAT) has emerged as a potential tool to combat obesity and associated metabolic complications. Short-term cold acclimation has been shown not only to enhance the presence and activity of BAT in lean humans but also to improve the metabolic profile of skeletal muscle to benefit glucose uptake in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here we examined whether short-term cold acclimation also induced such adaptations in 10 metabolically healthy obese male subjects. A 10-day cold acclimation period resulted in increased cold-induced glucose uptake in BAT, as assessed by [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. BAT activity was negatively related to age, with a similar trend for body fat percentage. In addition, cold-induced glucose uptake in BAT was positively related to glucose uptake in visceral white adipose tissue, although glucose uptake in visceral and subcutaneous white adipose tissue depots was unchanged upon cold acclimation. Cold-induced skeletal muscle glucose uptake tended to increase upon cold acclimation, which was paralleled by increased basal GLUT4 localization in the sarcolemma, as assessed through muscle biopsies. Proximal skin temperature was increased and subjective responses to cold were slightly improved at the end of the acclimation period. These metabolic adaptations to prolonged exposure to mild cold may lead to improved glucose metabolism or prevent the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance and hyperglycemia.


Abstract This paper chronicles students' experiences of transformative sustainability learning through 'epistemological stretching' – a pedagogical orientation which focuses on expanding the ways of knowing that someone respects, understands, and/or engages with. With a particular emphasis on decolonizing relations between humans and the more-than-human, epistemological stretching enables students to articulate and critically engage with the epistemologies of their academic fields, gain new(old) perspectives on relations with the more-than-human, and interact with Indigenous knowledges in more effective and ethical ways. Students in this study experienced powerful learning outcomes in the following areas: reconceptualization of relationships, acknowledgement and deconstruction of power, and worldview bridging. Some students also received validation for ways of knowing that they previously engaged in but were unsure about expressing in academic contexts.


: Samples of amniotic fluid of 275 healthy women were used to establish a standard profile of amniotic fluid insulin and C-peptide concentrations versus gestational age. The reasons for amniocentesis were: exclusion of chromosomal defects, rhesus immunisation, and determination of the L/S ratio. The concentrations of both peptides which were measured in the amniotic fluid in diabetics were compared with the normal profile. We found that long-term blood glucose control as estimated by the concentration of glycosylated haemoglobins in maternal blood is not well correlated with amniotic fluid insulin or C-peptide, respectively. In a few cases with poor metabolic control, we found normal insulin values, and vice versa. Since elevated insulin and C-Peptide levels in amniotic fluid correlate well with diabetic foetopathy, we conclude that measurement of both peptides provides a useful parameter in the management of a diabetic pregnancy.


In this article, we introduce a user-written data envelopment analysis command for Stata. Data envelopment analysis is a linear programming method for assessing the efficiency and productivity of units called decision-making units. Over the last decades, data envelopment analysis has gained considerable attention as a managerial tool for measuring performance of organizations, and it has been used widely for assessing the efficiency of public and private sectors such as banks, airlines, hospitals, universities, defense firms, and manufacturers. The dea command in Stata will allow users to conduct the standard optimization procedure and extended managerial analysis. The dea command developed in this article selects the chosen variables from a Stata data file and constructs a linear programming model based on the selected dea options. Examples are given to illustrate how one could use the code to measure the efficiency of decision-making units.


Tuneable filters are a great solution for wireless telecommunications. Micro-actuators resonators are being employed in different configuration in order to provide a much better selectivity. Ferroelectric materials are the main key materials which are being employed as the medium of the resonators and a bias voltage is superimposed with the input signal. The bias voltage varies the main properties of the ferroelectric materials and therefore the impedance profile of the resonator gets shifted into higher frequencies. The drawback associated with homogeneous structure is that resonance frequency has a lower tuneability rate compare to the antiresonance frequency. This is a critical feature since in real tuneable filter the bias voltage increases of the bandwidth rather than shifting the bandpass filter into higher frequencies. Another approach has been proposed in order to overcome this restriction. The new structure contains two distinct ferroelectric layers sandwiched by the electrode. The simulated data exhibits a enhanced tuneability for the resonance frequency. This is a competitive approach for implementation of tuneable filter. Thesis Supervisor: Ulrik Hanke Title: Professor


This study investigates the emergence of Greater Romania from below, paying attention to certain aspects of ethnicity and nationalizing. The establishment of the new state, with its rules and practices, was a slow process that left considerable room for local groups and individuals to negotiate their positions vis-à-vis the nationalizing efforts. The analysis of how citizenship options were used to individual advantage, the conflicts that arose regarding the nationalizing of border zones and their inhabitants, and the local differences of symbolic conquests reveal the importance of local contexts and their social elements. From the perspective of these events the realities of Greater Romania are best described as an overarching legal fiction that disguised a series of local settlements and compromises regarding the nationalizing attempts. Encounters usually interpreted as expressions of national indifference were also driven by ethnicity, only the meaning and content of ethnicity remained permanently contested. One can detect two types of "nationally indifferent" behavior. One was prevalent primarily among the middle class, a claim for the right to define one's ethnicity, and another was characteristic of the lower urban social strata and the peasantry, where it could have meant real indifference not only to the norms of proper behavior, but also to the categories used by the state, but not negligence of differences.


The overall heat transfer coefficient of a building wall, the U value, is an interesting parameter to deduce the heat loss rate through the wall. The current method to determine this U value is well known, but is requires a lot of time to be performed. In this work a new idea of methodology is presented to get an accurate idea of the U value in a really smaller time, using an IR camera. IR thermography is a non destructive method that is mainly used today to carry out qualitative observations. In this work it is used as a quantitative tool to determine the conductivity of a wall knowing the external heat transfer coefficient. The error obtained on homogeneous and heterogeneous walls are smaller than 10 %, which is accurate enough for a fast measurement. The thermal mass of the wall can also be estimated with errors between 5 and 20 %, but only if the user has a good first guess of the real value. Finally some ideas are proposed when the heat transfer coefficient is not known, leading to less reliable results. More work is necessary to transform it as a usable method in everyday life. A part of the report concerns some attempts done with a simulation of the experiment, leading to no concrete results but it is still presented as it took some time to be studied.


The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) introduced a micro credit scheme of N9milllion as one of the projects in the Integrated Community Development Programme (ICDP) in Delta state in 2000. UNDP appointed Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) a Micro Finance Institution (MFI) in Nigeria which has developed a successful model of reaching credit to resource poor households that are generally bypassed by government financial institutions as consultants to implement the scheme in the state. This work sought to determine the return to the different economic activities funded with the loan by the beneficiaries, and ascertain the repayment/default rate of the credit programme. Analysis of data collected from 103 beneficiaries of the scheme spread across the three agricultural zones of the state suggests that the productivity of labour was higher than the estimated wage rate and the rate of return was higher than the interest charged on the loan. It is recommended that since the micro credit has been effective in improving the livelihood of the low income house-holds, the government should mobilize adequate donor support on behalf of the micro credit institutions.


In Candida albicans, the ATC1 gene, encoding a cell wall-associated acid trehalase, has been considered as a potentially interesting target in the search for new antifungal compounds. A phenotypic characterization of the double disruptant atc1Delta/atc1Delta mutant showed that it was unable to grow on exogenous trehalose as sole carbon source. Unlike actively growing cells from the parental strain (CAI4), the atc1Delta null mutant displayed higher resistance to environmental insults, such as heat shock (42 degrees C) or saline exposure (0.5 M NaCl), and to both mild and severe oxidative stress (5 and 50 mM H(2)O(2)), which are relevant during in vivo infections. Parallel measurements of intracellular trehalose and trehalose-metabolizing enzymes revealed that significant amounts of the disaccharide were stored in response to thermal and oxidative challenge in the two cell types. The antioxidant activities of catalase and glutathione reductase were triggered by moderate oxidative exposure (5 mM H(2)O(2)), whereas superoxide dismutase was inhibited dramatically by H(2)O(2), where a more marked decrease was observed in atc1Delta cells. In turn, the atc1Delta mutant exhibited a decreased capacity of hypha and pseudohypha formation tested in different media. Finally, the homozygous null mutant in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis displayed strongly reduced pathogenicity compared with parental or heterozygous strains. These results suggest not only a novel role for the ATC1 gene in dimorphism and infectivity, but also that an interconnection between stress resistance, dimorphic conversion and virulence in C. albicans may be reconsidered. They also support the hypothesis that Atc1p is not involved in the physiological hydrolysis of endogenous trehalose.


Corneal collagen cross-linking is an established procedure for the treatment of certain eye diseases which is applied to enhance the mechanical stability of such biotissue without deteriorating its functionality. However, being transparent, the optical analysis of the outcome of such treatments is cumbersome and relies on relatively expensive experimental equipment. We aim to apply the Mueller matrix polarimetry for the detection of photo-induced collagen cross-linking in transparent biotissue after treatment with riboflavin and UV irradiation. A simple Mueller matrix polarimetry setup could provide a fast and non-invasive analysis of transparent media to sensitively detect small photo-induced cross-linking effects in biotissue. We demonstrated the current capabilities of the approach on non-planar porcine cornea samples ex vivo. We reported the distinction between untreated and riboflavin-treated samples. The differences observed were correlated with the variation of certain Mueller matrix elements and parameters derived from the decomposition. The measurement data show variation in the cross-linked and non-cross-linked samples, although the effect of the UV treatment on the riboflavin-treated samples was not at the same level of significance yet and needs further investigation. The Mueller matrix measurement represents a promising approach for the detection of the effects of corneal collagen cross-linking. Further studies with a larger sample number are required to validate this approach. In the future, this could enable the reliable and non-invasive detection of photo-induced effects in biotissue and open the possibility for in vivo application, e.g., in eye disease treatment or the detection of scar collagen development.


This article describes Wayfair and provides some cautions about what it means for the U.S. states and the rest of the world, especially Europe. It concludes that the lesson is that we should be sure that we like our temporary solution to the digital tax problem, because temporary solutions have a way of sticking around long after everyone recognizes that they no longer work. The Bellas Hess Court thought it was deciding a case about mail-order-catalog sales, and it could not have predicted that its decision would turn out to have such profound implications for e-commerce. The European Commission carefully formulated its Digital Services Tax (DST) proposal to tax certain digital giants operating today. But the DST may prove unworkable for business models we cannot even imagine yet. And, as Congress learned after Quill (and the OECD members are experiencing with the PE threshold), powerful business interests have a way of keeping in place outmoded, but precise, tax thresholds long after they have stopped making sense as a practical matter. The details of the DST may mean that it hits the (mostly U.S.) companies the EU has within its sights, but it also may take some of the oomph out of the drive for more meaningful and general reform (like modifications to the PE definition) that would be robust against changes in how companies operate. Take it from this American: You don't want the DST to be the next Quill, an anachronistic bar on taxation of new forms of business.

Contents
U.S. Legal Background: Due Process and Commerce Clauses
Bellas Hess
Quill
Due Process Holding
Dormant Commerce Clause Holding
Wayfair
Between Quill and Wayfair
South Dakota's Rule, Including Thresholds
Wayfair Kills Quill
Concurrences
Dissent
Observations
What Now for the U.S. States?
Will Congress React?
Echoes of the Digital Tax Debate
No Ring-Fencing
Beware Temporary Solutions


The use of erbium-doped fiber optical amplifiers (EDFAs) in bus and star networks is studied. The number of stations that can be supported with and without amplifiers in a single folded bus, a double bus, and a star is determined. For a typical case, when only one station on the bus is allowed to transmit at a time, as is the case in a time-division multiplexed network, the number of stations that can be supported with amplifiers is on the order of several thousands. This number drops to less than a thousand when all stations are allowed to transmit simultaneously on different channels in a wavelength-division multiplexed network, because of amplifier gain saturation. In the former case, the bus has the potential to outperform the star, but in the latter case, the star topology is still better. >


In recent years, parallel packet switch (PPS) has become a central topic of discussions and researches. Because PPS is a promisingly practical scheme for us to build high-capacity packet switches that can support individual line-rates in excess of the speeds of available electronic memory and precisely emulate an FCFS OQ switch performance with a small speedup. But, most of the promising results presented so far assume the input traffic pattern is unicast-only. When the input traffic pattern is multicast traffic, however, the theoretic speedup requirement of an TV-port PPS increases to 2/spl radic/ + 1. Clearly, the resulting explosive increase of speedup makes these traditional multicast PPS schemes, which are just relied on speedup, impractical for any meaningful N. Instead of increasing speedup as traditional PPS schemes before, we propose to use a PPS with space division multiplexing expansion (SDME PPS for short) to achieve high performance to support the multicast traffic while only requiring k redundant multicast modules. Our proposal is highly scalable and simple to implement, since it not only eliminates the unpractical speedup requirement but also keeps scalability advantage in the same way as traditional PPS schemes.


ABSTRACT Prior studies have found a robust correlation in the education of dating and married couples. However, there is little evidence to suggest that such correlations are causal, that is, for the sake of relationship public goods such as the pleasures of the enlightened conversations that only a common high level of education might support. Being empirical studies, they cannot rule out couples matching on other characteristics like income, height or health, which are correlated with education, from driving results. We contribute to this literature by randomly assigning high and low education and income levels to 388 artificial male and female profiles on a large online dating website in China. We then counted thousands of 'visits' – clicks on abbreviated profiles, which included education and income information, from search engine results. We found that men's visits to female profiles were unaffected by the profile's assigned education level, while women's visits to male profiles increase with the profile's education. However, that increase was not increasing on the women's own level of education, though their visits to the higher income male profiles was increasing on their own education. Our findings suggest that the relationship public goods that stem from a common level of high education are not at the forefront of either men's or women's minds before their first dates, when one might expect such goods to play a critical role in the decision to develop the relationship further.