There are several reports and cases that demonstrate the clear increase of hate speech in Turkey through media and especially on social media against some national and religious minorities, asylum seekers, refugees, and LGBTQ. This was also reported by the European Commission which pointed out that there is no effective prosecution of incitement to hatred, including by the media. In addition hate speech is not clearly regulated, expressions that can be considered hate speech are interpreted sometimes through provisions that regulate the crime of defamation against a person or the crime of defamation against a part of people. Although tidy legislation which defines and regulates hate speech through media, the internet and, social media is not yet available in the Turkish Penal Code. Major provisions that can be associated with hate speech are available in the Turkish Penal Code in a scattered manner. There are also related regulations in the law governing internet broadcasting and the law governing radio and television broadcasting. Expressions that can be considered hate speech are, in some cases interpreted through provisions that regulate the crime of defamation against the person. The most important problem pertains to the fact that hate speech and hate crimes have not been prescribed under a single title in Turkish Law.


We develop a fast meshless algorithm for electrostatic interaction in an irregular domain with given potential boundary conditions, which is of importance in many applications such as electrochemical energy and electric structure calculations. The algorithm is based on an approximation of the Green's function using two-level image charges, in which the inner-layer charges are located nearby the boundary to eliminate the singularity of the induced polarization potential, and the outer-layer charges with fixed positions approximate the long-range tail of the potential. We find the number of inner-layer image charges can be very small and thus the total complexity of the algorithm is less expensive and potentially suitable for use in particle simulations. The numerical results show the performance of the algorithm is attractive. We also use the algorithm to investigate the electrostatic interaction for particles in a cylindrical nanopore and show that the electrostatic interaction within the pore has an exponential decay. AMS subject classifications: 31B10, 65M80, 78A30


Background: Spine health is significant in adolescent health. Few studies have focused on adolescent sagittal plane health; therefore, this study investigated the sagittal spine morphology and function of adolescents.Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed 1152 junior and senior high school students (543 boys and 609 girls) in Beijing. Spinal sagittal morphology and function of adolescents were measured using the Spinal Mouse. The sacral angle (SA), thoracic kyphosis angle (TKA), lumbar lordosis angle (LLA), inclination angle (INA), sacral range of motion (SROM), thoracic range of motion (TROM), lumbar range of motion (LROM), and inclination range of motion (IROM) were measured. The Matthiass strength test was used to measure changes in angles after external load placement on the adolescent spine.Results: Abnormal TKA rates were 48.2% and 44.7% in the junior and senior high school groups, respectively. Abnormal LLA rates were 44.6% and 55.4%, respectively. Spinal mobility test results of the junior high school group were 60.6°±19.1° (SROM), 23.0°±16.6° (TROM), 81.3°±15.4° (LROM), and 136.1°±16.9° (IROM) for boys and 66.0°±34.4° (SROM), 14.0°±17.3° (TROM), 66.3°±18.6° (LROM), and 127.4°±26.8° (IROM) for girls. For the high school group, these results were 66.0°±17.6° (SROM), 21.6°±16.0° (TROM), 77.9°±15.1° (LROM), and 138.4°±16.0° (IROM) for boys and 72.2°±26.9° (SROM), 15.7°±17.2° (TROM), 65.8°±18.2° (LROM), and 133.4°±21.7° (IROM) for girls. There were significant differences between boys and girls (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The Matthiass strength test results indicated that the inclination angle change (INAc) values of the junior high school group were 5.7°±5.0° and 2.6°±3.7° for boys and girls, respectively; however, the INAc values of the senior high school group were 2.8°±3.3 and 1.6°±3.0 for boys and girls, respectively, indicating significant differences (P<0.01). The canonical correlation coefficients of SA, SROM, LROM, and IROM were 1.3877, -2.5384, -0.6625, and 1.6336, respectively. SROM and LROM were negatively correlated and IROM was positively correlated with spinal function.Conclusion: Thoracic kyphosis and lumber lordosis rates were high. During flexion and extension, Boys had better thoracic and lumbar vertebral activity and overall activity. Girls had better ability to maintain the normal spinal shape with an extra load. Sacral obliquity and pelvic position greatly influence the spinal morphology.


Abstract Now that a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) has been ratified and a new system defined for the terminal Proterozoic era, the Ediacaran, the next step is to develop global correlations and to further subdivide this system. Means of correlating and subdividing older parts of the Proterozoic era are also needed. This is not a simple task. Phanerozoic correlations depend on biostratigraphic zonation made possible by biodiversity, supported by geochronology. Proterozoic biotas are more restricted, geochronological data is often sparse, and although rapid and significant carbon isotope excursions are present through some time intervals, the curve is essentially quiescent and of limited utility at other times. Nevertheless, a foundation for Ediacaran acritarch biostratigraphy has now been established in Australia and linked to the carbon-isotope curve using sample splits. In conjunction with other correlation techniques, this has allowed the development of a continent-wide correlation scheme. The Australian Ediacaran experience suggests that an integrated approach offers the best way forward for Proterozoic subdivision. However, it raises issues about some aspects of Neoproterozoic correlation; in particular, it indicates that reliance on a two-main-glaciations model may be over simplistic.


The Queanbeyan–Shoalhaven survey was a special purpose survey covering 8,236 km2 in five major types of country. It was undertaken to provide a basis for comparison of traditional survey methods with parametric and other approaches becoming more feasible with improvements in imagery and technology. The area was conveniently located for economic and logistic efficiency. The survey identified 34 land systems ranging from 39 km2 to 751 km2, with from two to seven land units in each. The report describes the relative area and distribution, landforms, soils, vegetation and land capability class of 156 land units with their position in the landscape shown on block diagrams. The report has five individual disciplinary chapters: Geomorphology — describes geology, recognising three major relief divisions and describing landform evolution and how land systems relate to five geomorphic categories, and how relief of land units relates to position on slopes and the extent of colluvium Soils — describes formation and characteristics of six major groups and 32 soil families and their apportionment to land systems in relation to relief categories and lithology, together with factors that affect use of the soils Vegetation — notes the pervading control of climate, describes seven vegetation types and 30 communities and their distributions in the land systems, and gives descriptions for seven types of grazing land and the utilization of grasses Climate — describes principal features and climatic controls, and the general characteristics of rainfall, temperature, wind, relative humidity, evaporation and sunshine, with an assessment of climate in relation to plant growth and irrigation requirements based on a water balance model Land Use — describes the history of land use leading to the pattern of cultivation, grazing and forestry at the time of survey, details land capability for agriculture and, for the first time in mainland surveys, classifies land capability for forestry Map 1 — Land Systems of the Queanbeyan–Shoalhaven area, ACT and NSW by RH Gunn, R Story, RW Galloway, PJB Duffy and GA Yapp. Scale 1:250,000. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 24, 1969. Map 2 — Land Capability for Agriculture, Present Land Use, Soils and Land Capability for Forestry of the Queanbeyan–Shoalhaven area, ACT and NSW. Four maps on sheet, scale each 1:500,000: Land Capability for Agriculture by PJB Duffy; Present Land Use by PJB Duffy; Soils by RH Gunn; Land Capability for Forestry by PJB Duffy. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 24, 1969. Map 3 — Vegetation, Grazing Lands and Climate of the Queanbeyan–Shoalhaven area, ACT and NSW. Three maps on sheet, scale each 1:350,000: Vegetation by R Story; Grazing Lands by R Story; Climate by J. McAlpine and GA Yapp. CSIRO Land Research Series No. 24, 1969.


To summarize the clinical experience of sandwich-shaped resection and cheiloplasty in the treatment of macrocheilia secondary to arteriovenous malformation, and to observe its clinical efficacy and complications. The clinical data of 27 patients with macrocheilia secondary to arteriovenous malformation who received surgical treatment from January 2018 to October 2020 in Linyi Cancer Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 14 males and 13 females. The median age was 4.5 years (ranged from 2 to 57 years). There were 18 cases of upper lip and 9 cases of lower lip. All patients had received interventional embolization sclerotherapy for 5 to 10 times before surgery with unsatisfied effect. There was no obvious improvement in the appearance,whereas 3 cases progressed presenting as abnormal enlargement. Sandwich-shaped resection and cheiloplasty was performed in all the patients. Histopathological examinations confirmed arteriovenous malformations in all 27 cases. Twenty-six patients received one course of operation and one received two courses. Partial mucosal necrosis occurred in 1 case and healed after dressing change, while the rest healed by first intention. Local recurrence occurred in 2 cases within 6 months after operation. A four-level standard was used for long-term evaluation, and 24 cases got grade Ⅲ (good), three cases got grade Ⅱ (moderate) after 1 to 3 years of follow-up. Sandwich-shaped resection and cheiloplasty can achieve good long-term efficacy with excellent appearance and function. Due to its advantages of hidden incision and three-dimensional resection and reservation, it is worthy of further clinical promotion.


We present a novel iterative algorithm for detection of binary Markov random fields (MRFs) corrupted by 2-D intersymbol interference (ISI) and additive white Gaussian noise. We assume a first-order binary MRF as a simple model for correlated images. We assume a 2-D digital storage channel, where the MRF is interleaved before being written and then read by a 2-D transducer; such channels occur in recently proposed optical disk storage systems. The detection algorithm is a concatenation of two soft-input/soft-output (SISO) detectors: an iterative row-column soft-decision feedback (IRCSDF) ISI detector, and a MRF detector. The MRF detector is a SISO version of the stochastic relaxation algorithm by Geman and Geman. On the 2times2 averaging-mask ISI channel, at a bit error rate of 10-4, the concatenated algorithm achieves SNR savings of between 0.2 and 2.0 dB over the IRCSDF detector alone; the savings increase as the MRFs become more correlated, or as the SNR decreases. The algorithm is also fairly robust to mismatches between the assumed and actual MRF parameters.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a behavior that can be perplexing to many people. Usually engaged as a means of regulating intense or unwanted emotions, it seems to counter the human instinct to avoid pain and harm to the self. The language people use to talk about NSSI, and individuals who engage in the behavior, can contribute to the significant stigma that is associated with NSSI. In this data-driven commentary, we report on the language clinicians and researchers typically use when talking about NSSI, and the language they consider appropriate to use. We observed some disparity in the language people use and what they deemed appropriate. Notably, researchers and clinicians report underusing terms that people with lived experience find most appropriate (someone with a history of self-injury; someone with lived experience of self-injury). We call on all researchers and clinicians to be mindful of the language they use to discuss NSSI and adopt person-centered and respectful language at all times.


The importance of the measure of procedural coercion in the form of seizure of property increases against the background of the high amount of damage caused by crimes, namely about 550 billion rubles annually. This measure of procedural coercion has a high security potential in order not only to satisfy claims in civil lawsuits, but also to recover a fine and other property claims provided for in Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. Investigators (interrogators) annually initiate the seizure of property about 40 thousand times. 90% of cases are a success. The application of this measure is accompanied by the restriction of the property rights of both natural and legal persons, including those who are not recognized as a civil defendant in a criminal case, in the first case, and the accused (suspect).The seizure of property in criminal procedure practice is accompanied by the need for the investigator to overcome a number of difficulties, which are caused, firstly, by the intersectoral nature of the regulation of this legal institution; secondly, by the presence of gaps in the regulation of relations arising in connection with the imposition of this arrest; thirdly, by the inconsistency of the objectives of proof to establish the nature and amount of damage caused by a crime and the implementation of security activities in a criminal case. This gives rise to numerous violations of the legality and validity of the seizure of property on the part of not only the investigator, but also the court, despite the expression of a number of positions of the ECHR on this issue, despite the explanations of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.The author concludes that without the release of the investigator as a subject of proof in a criminal case from performing an unusual function — providing compensation for property penalties in a criminal case — it is impossible to achieve the full legality and validity of the seizure of property.


Fluoropyrimidines (FP; 5‐fluorouracil, capecitabine, and tegafur) are a commonly prescribed class of antimetabolite chemotherapies, used for various solid organ malignancies in over 2 million patients globally per annum. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), encoded by the DPYD gene, is the critical enzyme implicated in FP metabolism. DPYD variant genotypes can result in decreased DPD production, leading to the development of severe toxicities resulting in hospitalization, intensive care admission, and even death. Management of toxicity incurs financial burden on both patients and healthcare systems alike. Upfront DPYD genotyping to identify variant carriers allows an opportunity to identify patients who are at high risk to suffer from serious toxicities and allow prospective dose adjustment of FP treatment. This approach has been shown to reduce patient morbidity, as well as improve the cost‐effectiveness of managing FP treatment. Upfront DPYD genotyping has been recently endorsed by several countries in Europe and the United Kingdom. This review summarizes current knowledge about DPD deficiency and upfront DPYD genotyping, including clinical and cost‐effectiveness outcomes, with the intent of supporting implementation of an upfront DPYD genotyping service with individualized dose‐personalization.


The isolation of the typhoid bacillus from the milk during a milk-borne outbreak of typhoid fever is mainly of interest from the point of view of the general epidemiology of this disease. These findings merely add corroborative details to the well-established fact that milk at times serves as the medium of conveyance for typhoid to various groups of individuals. The detection of this organism in milk also suggests the adoption of some technical method for the isolation of the typhoid bacillus from this fluid. Such a method, even when perfected, would never be used for the routine examination of market milk. It might, however, be of service in corroborating epidemiologic data in a suspected milk epidemic. It would not be fitting in this paper to refer to the various milk epidemics of typhoid fever which have been recorded, but reference should be made to the rare cases in which the


Helicobacter. pylori infection is the most common chronic bacterial infection in the world, with an intrinsic relationship between health and the environment factors and it is considered a global public health problem, it has a high prevalence in developing countries. The use of natural products aimed at drug innovation increases the interest for new active principles based on natural products, however, the strong antibacterial activity is still controversial as to the minimum inhibitory concentration of these products, mainly in relation to H. pylori. However, the classification of the antibacterial activity is still controversial regarding the minimum inhibitory concentration, mainly in relation to H. pylori. This work carried out a systematic review of the natural products that have anti-Helicobacter pylori activity, using the Wang (2012) review about anti-H. pylori medicinal plants as a starting point , considering the minimum inhibitory concentration as the classification criterion. The search was maden in the online databases VHL, BDENF, LILACS, MEDLINE, PUBMED, Scielo, Bireme and ScienceDirect, using the descriptors: Helicobacter pylori, anti-Helicobacter pylori, natural products, antibacterial activity , propolis and honey. The search resulted in 138 articles, of which 59 were from the Wang review (2014) and other 79 were found in the databases, which provided an increase of 57 articles of medicinal plants, 12 articles of products other than medicinal plants (honey, propolis, yogurt and mushroom) and 10 articles from clinical and in vivo studies. 162 distinct natural products were found, most of them medicinal plants, in 128 articles. According to Wang's classification, only 16 of these natural products show strong activity, and most of them are fractions; 45 show strong-moderate activity, 37 moderate-weak and 30 weak activities. The new classification of natural products with anti-H. pylori activity proposed in this research presents 5 classes according to their minimum inhibitory concentration: products with strong, good, moderate, weak and no activity. According to this new classification, 43 natural products were classified as strong activity, which 19 are fractions and 24 are extracts, 40 products were classified as good activity, 18 moderate , 15 weak activity, and only 4 products as no activity. This review extended the classifications natural anti-Helicobacter pylori products by inclusion of new medicinal plants, animal products and clinical and preclinical studies. The new classification allowed the inclusion of other plant extracts, animal products and fungi with anti-Helicobacter pylori activity, and expanded the range of products considered with strong activity.


Proteins, fundamental building blocks of living organisms, play a crucial role in various biological processes. Understanding protein structure is essential for unraveling their functions and designing therapeutics. However, experimentally determining protein structures is time-consuming and expensive, motivating the development of computational methods. The prediction of protein tertiary structure relies to a certain extent on the accurate prediction of protein secondary structure and protein contact/ distance map. A high-quality contact distance prediction is crucial in constructing an ideal protein tertiary structure. Similarly, accurate prediction of distances between protein chains aids in the construction of higher-quality protein complex structures, also known as quaternary structures. In recent years, the advancement of deep learning techniques and the continuous expansion of protein sequence databases has significantly improved the accuracy of protein contact distance prediction, consequently impacting the prediction of protein tertiary and quaternary structures. This dissertation presents four contributions. First, DNSS2, an innovative approach based on one-dimensional deep convolutional networks, is proposed for the accurate prediction of protein secondary structure. Secondly, DeepDist introduces a multi-task deep learning framework that facilitates the prediction of real-valued distances between residues. Thirdly, DeepDist2 represents an enhanced version of the deep learning-based protein distance prediction tool. Finally, CDPred, a 2D attention-based deep neural network is developed to predict inter-chain distances in protein complexes. All the methods are available as software tools or web servers which are freely available to the scientific community.


BACKGROUND
Previous studies have examined dairy products with various fat contents in relation to type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk, although data regarding dairy fat intake per se are sparse.

OBJECTIVES
We aimed to evaluate the association between dairy fat intake and risk of T2D in 3 prospective cohorts. We also examined associations for isocalorically replacing dairy fat with other macronutrients.

METHODS
We prospectively followed 41,808 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS; 1986-2012), 65,929 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS; 1984-2012), and 89,565 women in the NHS II (1991-2013). Diet was assessed quadrennially using validated FFQs. Fat intake from dairy products and other relevant sources was expressed as percentage of total energy. Self-reported incident T2D cases were confirmed using validated supplementary questionnaires. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the HR for dairy fat intake and T2D risk.

RESULTS
During 4,219,457 person-years of follow-up, we documented 16,511 incident T2D cases. Dairy fat was not associated with risk of T2D when compared with calories from carbohydrates (HR for extreme quintiles: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.02). Replacing 5% of calories from dairy fat with other sources of animal fat or carbohydrate from refined grains was associated with a 17% (HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.21) and a 4% (HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.08) higher risk of T2D, respectively. Conversely, a 5% calorie replacement with carbohydrate from whole grains was associated with a 7% lower risk of T2D (HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.88, 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS
Dairy fat intake was not associated with T2D risk in these cohort studies of US men and women when compared with calories from carbohydrate. Replacing dairy fat with carbohydrates from whole grains was associated with lower risk of T2D. Replacement with other animal fats or refined carbohydrates was associated with higher risk.


PURPOSE
Evaluation of a patient with necrotizing fasciitis of the eyelid spreading from parotid gland.

METHODS
Interventional case report. The patient admitted with rapidly progressive swelling, redness, and pain of four eyelids, and whole face. Pathogenic microorganism was searched, laboratory tests were evaluated. Intensive medical treatment and necrotic wound debridement was performed.

RESULTS
The patient had been receiving oral cephalosporin at the time she was referred to our hospital, but her infection had spread rapidly under this treatment. In addition to her eyelid necrosis, septic shock developed within 24 hours. No pathogenic microorganism was detected in cultures. The patient responded to intravenous sulbactam ampicillin, surgical debridement of necrotic wound and supportive medical care. Moderate ptosis was the only complication observed in this patient. Reconstructive surgery was not needed.

CONCLUSIONS
With prompt antibiotic treatment and surgical debridement, cosmetic and functional success may be obtained in necrotizing fasciitis cases rarely seen with parotid gland origin.


Objective To investigate differences between store-dependent Ca2+ in African American and white men. Method Thapsigargin, a potent and specific inhibitor of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, was used as a probe to elicit store-dependent Ca2+ fluxes. Treatment with this agent caused a rise in the cytosolic free Ca2+ due to the egress of Ca2+ from thapsigargin-sensitive Ca2+ stores and the acceleration of external Ca2+ influx through storedependent Ca2+ channels. Design Lymphocytes were obtained from 22 African Americans and 23 whites. These cells were subjected to thapsigargin treatment and changes in the cellular Ca2+ profiles were monitored. Results Both in Ca2+-free and in Ca2+-containing media the increases in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations after thapsigargin treatment were greater in lymphocytes from African Americans than they were in those from whites. The greater levels of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration were coupled with higher rates of Ca2+ extrusion in thapsigargintreated lymphocytes from African Americans. Conclusions These findings suggest that store-dependent Ca2+ fluxes are greater in lymphocytes from African Americans than they are in those from whites. This phenomenon increases the Ca2+ turnover rate and might augment the sensitivity to agonists acting through Ca2+ signaling systems, thereby predisposing African Americans to essential hypertension.


In this paper, we analyze the influence of the smart phone's mobility on virus spreading for two states: inter-cluster and intra-cluster. Considering the characteristics of mobile network with Bluetooth communication, we build a SIS epidemic model that characterizes the propagation dynamics of Bluetooth worms. Through the analysis of this model, we study the influence of phone moving velocity on virus spreading further.


Abstract. A new online method to analyse water isotopes of speleothem fluid inclusions using a wavelength scanned cavity ring down spectroscopy (WS-CRDS) instrument is presented. This novel technique allows us simultaneously to measure hydrogen and oxygen isotopes for a released aliquot of water. To do so, we designed a new simple line that allows the online water extraction and isotope analysis of speleothem samples. The specificity of the method lies in the fact that fluid inclusions release is made on a standard water background, which mainly improves the δ D robustness. To saturate the line, a peristaltic pump continuously injects standard water into the line that is permanently heated to 140 °C and flushed with dry nitrogen gas. This permits instantaneous and complete vaporisation of the standard water, resulting in an artificial water background with well-known δ D and δ18O values. The speleothem sample is placed in a copper tube, attached to the line, and after system stabilisation it is crushed using a simple hydraulic device to liberate speleothem fluid inclusions water. The released water is carried by the nitrogen/standard water gas stream directly to a Picarro L1102-i for isotope determination. To test the accuracy and reproducibility of the line and to measure standard water during speleothem measurements, a syringe injection unit was added to the line. Peak evaluation is done similarly as in gas chromatography to obtain d and δ18O isotopic compositions of measured water aliquots. Precision is better than 1.5 ‰ for δ D and 0.4 ‰ for δ18O for water measurements for an extended range (−210 to 0 ‰ for δ D and −27 to 0 ‰ for δ18O) primarily dependent on the amount of water released from speleothem fluid inclusions and secondarily on the isotopic composition of the sample. The results show that WS-CRDS technology is suitable for speleothem fluid inclusion measurements and gives results that are comparable to the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) technique.


This article is devoted to the formation of research skills and abilities of younger students in the process of teaching the subject «Knowledge of the world». The research is based on the ideas and views of foreign and domestic scientists. The essence of the concepts «research activity» and «research skills»is defined. The main emphasis is based on the features and specifics of the development of research skills of primary school students. The authors consider the research skills of primary school children through the prism of interrelated conceptual categories: «research», «skills and abilities», «research activity». Describes some aspects of the organization of the educational process and indicates the need for pedagogical influence on the process and content of research activities, which determines the formation of younger students research skills. The authors propose a technological map of an optional lesson on the formation of research skills and abilities for primary school students.


This study addresses the question of how well Hungary's system of cash social transfers helps prevent or alleviate poverty -whether different types of social transfer, or changes in eligibility rules, might better alleviate poverty. The social safety net in Hungary and other transition economies has undergone important changes. The conventional benchmark for measuring poverty in Hungary -the subsistence minimum- has lost much of its relevance because of the transition to a market economy. The author proposes two other benchmarks: the minimum pension (an absolute poverty line) and a relative poverty line set at two-thirds of mean household spending. How well targeted to the poor are Hungary's social transfers? The study distinguishes between six components of the social safety net: pensions, unemployment benefits, family allowance, child care allowance, social assistance, and child care fee. The author finds that unemployment benefits and social assistance are well targeted to the poor. The child care allowance is a progressive social transfer; the child care fee is strongly regressive. Roughly 91 percent of Hungarian households receive one or more transfers. Hungary's social safety net represents 54 percent of spending in an average household, and provides 38 percent of its income. In its entirety, the social safety net is progressive, but that progressivity does not come cheaply. The average transfer is eight times the minimum that would be needed under perfect targeting. In other words, there is significant room for reallocating funds for improved welfare of the poor. Among possibilities for reform: abolish the child care allowance and fee, institute new child care benefits, and improve means testing for social assistance. Data used are from the 1993 Household Budget Survey and the 1992-94 Household Panel Surveys.


Abstract Background: Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is a heterogeneous disease caused by arginine vasopressin deficiency; its management implies a profound understanding of the pathophysiology and the clinical spectrum. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical characteristics that indicate organicity in children and adolescents with central diabetes insipidus treated at the Department of Endocrinology from The Child Health's Institute during 2001 to 2013. Methods: Cross-sectional, retrospective study. 79 cases of patients diagnosed with CDI (51 males and 28 females) from 1 month to 16 years of age were reviewed. For the descriptive analysis, measures of central tendency and dispersion were used; groups of organic and idiopathic CDI were compared using χ2-test and t-test. A p-value<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The average age of patients was 8.1±4.2 years. Organic causes were intracranial tumors, 44 (55.7%), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), 11 (13.9%) and cerebral malformations in 7 (8.9%) patients, while the idiopathic group was 14 (17.7%) patients. Regarding clinical characteristics suggestive of organicity, headache (p=0.02) and visual disturbances (p=0.01) were found statistically significant. The anterior pituitary hormonal abnormalities were documented in 34 (52.3%) organic CDI patients. Furthermore, we did not find a significant difference in the average daily dose of desmopressin between patients with permanent vs. transitory CDI (0.81±0.65 vs. 0.59±0.62; p=0.363). Conclusions: The main clinical features suggestive of organicity in pediatric patients with central diabetes insipidus were headache and visual disturbances; furthermore, anterior pituitary hormonal abnormalities suggest an underlying organic etiology.


The Guardian had been an early innovator in online newspapers and had not only become the leading U.K. newspaper web site, but was making strides with audiences outside of the U.K. However, The Guardian had been losing money since 2000, and, in spite of the relative success of the website, online revenue remained less than 20% of the newspaper's total revenue. What changes would The Guardian have to make to sustain its mission of being "the world's leading liberal voice in perpetuity?"Learning Objective: To foster a discussion around the dynamics of decline and renewal and managing through uncertainty; how was one company able to successfully transition across very different business models?


Deep sequencing based genetic mapping has greatly enhanced the ability to catalog variants with plausible disease association. The bigger challenge now is to ascertain pathological significance to the array of identified variants to specific disease conditions. Differential selection pressure may impact frequency of genetic variations, and thus the detection of association with disease conditions, across populations. To understand the genotype to phenotype correlations, it thus becomes important to first understand the genetic variation spectrum of a population by creating a reference map. In this study, we report the development of phase I of a new database of coding variations, from the Indian population, with an aim to establish a centralized database of integrated information. This could be useful for researchers involved in studying disease mechanism at the clinical, genetic and cellular level. Database URL: http://indexdb.ncbs.res.in


We analyze a symmetric n-firm Cournot oligopoly with a heterogeneous population of optimizers and imitators. Imitators mimic the output decision of the most successful firms of the previous round a la Vega-Redondo (1997). Optimizers play a myopic best response to the opponents' previous output. Firms are allowed to make mistakes and deviate from their decision rules with a small probability. Applying stochastic stability analysis, we find that the long run distribution converges to a recurrent set of states in which imitators are better off than are optimizers. This finding appears to be robust even when optimizers are more sophisticated. It suggests that imitators drive optimizers out of the market contradicting a fundamental conjecture by Friedman (1953).


Lidocaine can be seen systemic intoxication, central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular toxicities, due to its common usage and broad safety margin. Lidocaine overdose has been reported with convulsion, cardiac collapse and coma. In present case, a patient underwent surgical excision of wrist mass who erroneously received 1200 mg 10% lidocaine instead of 225 mg 2% dose. Interestingly, the case shows only some mild CNS side effects without any serious adverse effect. J Clin Exp Invest 2010; 1(2): 119-121


Rheumatoid factors (RF) are autoantibodies directed to the Fc of IgG. RF are present in the blood and synovial fluid of most patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and are also commonly detected in Sjögren syndrome and other autoimmune diseases, in chronic infectious diseases such a viral hepatitis and subacute bacterial endocarditis, and even in healthy individuals at low titers. Although vast studies have been made so far, the precise mechanisms leading to RF production and the fine specificity of human RF have not been well delineated. In this report, we present recent observations of RF concerning the following items: 1) changes in measurement techniques, 2) biological significance of RF in diseased and healthy states, 3) analysis of specificity of RF, and 4) mechanisms inducing RF production.


Fish is a source of reliable nutrition to support nutritional improvement society because belongs to the high-quality food. The purpose of this study is to find out that skipjack tuna can be processed into basic ingredients in making sausages, knowing the process of making sausagebased sausages, knowing the level of preference and level of product feasibility in terms of color, aroma, texture and taste. This study consists of two stages. The first stage is the experiment of making skipjack tuna and the second stage organoleptic test. Tests involving 5 panelists were limited, then the results were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 The highest average hedonic test result was 4.60 which said it was very like 350 grams. For the average scent of hedonic test, it was found that 4.60 stated it was very like 350 grams. For the average texture hedonic test obtained 4.60 states it is very like for 350 gr. For the average flavor hedonic test, it was found that 4.20 stated it was like 250 gr. The results of the average color hedonic quality test are 4.00 which is very gray for 250 gr. For the average hedonic quality test, the aroma is the same between the use of 350 grams and 250 grams of meat, namely 3.60 states that it is not fishy. For the average texture hedonic quality test that is 4,40 states it is very chewy for 350 gr. For an average taste of hedonic quality test that is 4.40, it states that skipjack tuna is 250 grams.


In the frame of the EuCARD2 collaboration, aimed at developing the technology for 20 T class accelerator magnets, several demonstrator dipole magnets are being built using high critical current density and fully transposed ReBCO tape-based Roebel-type cables. In accelerator magnets the dynamic magnetic field quality is one of the key parameters, which is affected by the effective inter-strand resistances in the cables. For this reason, measurements of the inter-strand resistances on ReBCO Roebel cables were carried out at 4.2 and 77 K. Acquiring these data is also essential for input of cable simulation models. The cable samples are impregnated with epoxy resin to reduce the effect of transverse stress degradation due to Lorentz forces acting on the strands in the Roebel cables. The measured inter-strand resistance is used to estimate the AC coupling loss in different magnetic field orientations. Moreover, the contributions of diverse interface contact resistances to overall inter-strand resistance of Roebel cables were determined using a novel theoretical model. For validation, the AC loss of cables were examined in various orientations of applied field at 4.2 K. With three analytical models the hysteresis loss was calculated and compared to the measured data. The average inter-strand resistance of the cable samples impregnated with the unfilled epoxy CTD-101K range from 3 to 16 μΩ at 77 K and 1.5 to 9 μΩ at 4.2 K. Between the tapes the copper to copper interface resistance dominates the inter-strand resistance of impregnated Roebel cables. The calculated and measured AC loss for the CTD-101K impregnated Roebel cable lead to equivalent conclusions that the coupling loss is lower than the hysteresis loss within the range of the experiment. These observations substantially differ from earlier results extracted from a similar cable but impregnated with the alumina-filled epoxy resin CTD-101G, which showed considerable coupling loss when exposed to magnetic field parallel the wide face of the cable.


A probabilistic mixture model is described for a frame (the short-term spectrum) of each to be used in speech recognition. Each component of the mixture is regarded as a prototype for the labeling phase of a hidden Markov model based speech recognition system. Since the ambient noise during recognition can differ from the ambient noise present in the training data, the model is designed for convenient updating in changing noise. Based on the observation that the energy in a frequency band is at any fixed time dominated either by signal energy or by noise energy, the authors model the energy as the larger of the separate energies of signal and noise in the band. Statistical algorithms are given for training this as a hidden variables model. The hidden variables are the prototype identities and the separate signal and noise components. A series of speech recognition experiments that successfully utilize this model is also discussed.<<ETX>>


Purpose The aim is to systematically assess the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal formula Erxian decoction (EXD) for treating osteoporosis. Materials and methods Six databases were searched from inception through September 17, 2016, without language restriction. All randomized controlled trials of EXD for osteoporosis were included. One or more outcome measures including fracture, change in bone mineral density (BMD), pain symptom improvement, bone biochemical markers, quality of life, adverse event or adverse drug reaction were evaluated. Study selection, data extraction, quality assessment, and data analyses were conducted according to Cochrane standards. Results Eight trials including 644 patients investigated the effects of EXD in the treatment of osteoporosis. The methodological quality of the included trials was generally low. The meta-analysis from two trials showed favorable effects of EXD in improving BMD of lumbar spine (mean difference [MD]: 0.05 [0.03, 0.06]; I2=0%; P<0.00001) and BMD of femoral great trochanter (MD: 0.06 [0.02, 0.10]; I2=59%; P=0.005) compared with caltrate tablets. The other meta-analysis from two trials showed beneficial effects of EXD plus caltrate tablets and calcitriol in improving BMD of femoral neck (MD: 0.04 [0.00, 0.09]; I2=56%; P=0.04), the level of calcium (MD: 0.20 [0.15, 0.24]; I2=0%; P<0.00001), and phosphorus (MD: −0.28 [−0.39, −0.17]; I2=68%; P<0.00001) compared with caltrate tablets and calcitriol alone. The adverse drug reactions of EXD were mainly slight gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusion The study provides suggestive evidence of the superiority of EXD monotherapy or combination therapy over basic supplements for treating osteoporosis. However, the evidence remains weak. More rigorously designed and measured, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with larger sample size are needed to verify the current conclusions.


Differences between the experiences and perceptions of male and female educational administration professors are examined in this comparative study, which focuses on perceptions of how they obtained their positions and the factors for securing them. Data from a mailed questionnaire of 100 male educational administration professors, which produced a 58% response rate, were compared with findings from the 1990 survey of 121 female counterparts. Findings indicate little change in the ways in which recent and senior hires, both male and female, obtained their positions. Inadvertent and unconscious bias against women was evidenced in the male-dominated practices of student brokering and social networking. Men and women identified similar overall factors for their employment but assigned them different importance; the job interview and individual credentials were perceived as the most influential factors by women and men, respectively. TrIc fact that men's and women's perceptions were more similar than c ferent suggests that they face similar "realities" and that selection criteria appear to transcend differences of gender, experience, timing, and institution. Two tables are included. (18 references) (LMI) ***********************************************************k*********** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Tani yawl MALI AND FEMALE PROFESSORS OF EDUCATIONAL ADMIEISTRATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY Norma T. Mertz Sonja R. McNeely The University of Tennessee, Knoxville 227 Claxton Addition Knoxville, TN 37994-3400 515/974-2214


A brief review is given of the physics of radiation transport, a topic that is important in the study of astrophysics, laser-plasmas, divertor-plasmas, etc. In general, we must solve non-local thermodynamic equilibrium processes using an appropriate atomic model. The resultant data related to the spectral emissivity and opacity of partially ionized plasmas are then used to solve the radiation transfer equation. In this note, I briefly overview a variety of ways to carry out such a calculation. In addition, similarities and differences in the physical process between laser-plasmas and divertor-plasmas are briefly described.


High-end workstations being immensely underutilized and a selected few being overloaded reflects on the poor performance of a cluster. Load balancing, assigning each processor workload proportional to its performance capability, could significantly enhance the resource utilization to cost ratio of a cluster, and hence reduce the overall execution time of the clusters' processes. In this paper we present an agent-based dynamic load balancing framework for heterogeneous clusters of computing systems. The Dynamic Agent System for a Heterogeneous cluster (DASH) is a middle tier as architecture above the system level which dynamically provides for n tasks non-preemptive task scheduling, application handling, and fault tolerance. Our approach dynamically configures/constructs the load balancing scheme depending on the current state of the heterogeneous cluster. DASH services are implemented using agents running on each node that collaborate dynamically to establish a global awareness of the system resources and states. Based on this dynamic global awareness, we use a combination of load metrics and statistical predication metrics to schedule processes and thus balance the loads across all the clusters of computers. Our preliminary experimental results for various test cases with different combinations of load metrics are analyzed to show the performance gains that can be achieved by DASH.


On 22June 2012, President Fernando Lugo of Paraguay became the 16th president in a Latin American "third wave" democracy to not finish his term. Lugo was impeached in a hasty process approved by an overwhelming congressional majority. International reactions spearheaded by the South American left were condemnatory, labeling the impeachment an "institutional coup." This article compares the Lugo impeachment to the other presidential breakdowns in Latin America, and discusses how the procedures used to remove a president vary. It is argued that the procedures by which presidents fall should guide how international society reacts to presidential and democratic crises.


Here is a sampling of recent telephone calls I have received: "How long should my patient with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia be isolated?" "Is it safe to replace an infected subclavian catheter over a guide wire?" "How do I interpret this report of a coagulase-negative staph in a blood culture?" Questions about Candida in a urinary tract culture, communicability of herpes zoster, and what antibiotics should be prescribed for surgical wound infection "prophylaxis" are almost daily occurrences and highlight the importance of nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infections. This revised edition of Prevention and Control of Nosocomial Infections is now available to guide the reader through a broad field of knowledge that is enlarging at breakneck speed. The key word for this work is practicality. It is apparent that editor Wenzel has admonished the expert contributors to build upon a nucleus of key information dealing with nearly all aspects of infectious diseases


Most parts of the Australian rangelands are at risk of invasion by one or more species of non-native plants. The severity of current problems varies greatly across the rangelands with more non-native plant species in more intensively settled regions, in climatic zones that have higher and more reliable rainfall, and in wetter and more fertile parts of rangeland landscapes. Although there is quantitative evidence of impacts on either particular taxonomic groups or specific ecological processes in Australian rangelands, a comprehensive picture of responses of rangeland ecosystems to plant invasions is not available. Research has been focused on invasive species that are perceived to have important effects. This is likely to down play the significance of species that have visually less dramatic influences and ignore the possibility that some species could invade and yet have negligible consequences. It is conceivable that most of the overall impact will come from a relatively small proportion of invasive species. Impacts have most commonly been assessed in terms of plant species richness or the abundance of certain groups of vertebrates to the almost complete exclusion of other faunal groups. All scientific studies of the impacts of invasive species in Australian rangelands have focused on the effects of individual invasive species although in many situations native communities are under threat from a complex of interacting weed species. Invasion by non-native species is generally associated with declines in native plant species richness, but faunal responses are more complex and individual invasions may be associated with increase, decrease and no-change scenarios for different faunal groups. Some invasive species may remain minor components of the vegetation that they invade while others completely dominate one stratum or the vegetation overall.


The serum concentration of CEA was measured twice, at intervals of 3 months, in 40 uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis. None of them had evidence of malignancy or of any other non-malignant condition known to affect serum CEA. 111 normal adults acted as controls. The mean serum concentration of the substance was significantly higher in hemodialyzed patients (5.32 +/- 3.68 ng/ml) than in controls (1.98 +/- 1.1 ng/ml) (P less than 0.001). Levels above normal were present in 40% and in 4.5% of the cases respectively (P less than 0.0005). Comparable results were obtained at the second examination. No correlations with sex, age, underlying nephropathy, time on dialysis, or cigarette smoking were found. It is concluded that the measurement of CEA cannot be recommended as a reliable test in the screening of cancer among uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis.


Pekalongan Municipality Government hopes that the toll exit will be able to help ease access to the Setono Wholesale Market, so that batik traders from outside the municipality who want to shop to Pekalongan faster and easier. However, a growing phenomenon in batik traders in Setono
Wholesale Market said that the construction of the toll road caused their sales turnover to decline quite a lot. Meanwhile many people who previously had a livelihood in agriculture had to give up land affected by toll road construction. Even though they get sufficient compensation, to switch professions to find a new job is not easy considering that most farmers do not have other skills. On the other hand, many people have benefited from the existence of toll roads, including the opportunity to find work during the toll road construction season, as well as those who can work in the rest area. Seeing the positive and negative perceptions of the community towards the
construction of roads and toll exits, an in-depth and detailed study will be carried out on the socioeconomic impacts on the construction of toll roads and exits that pass through Pekalongan Municipality.
Research data will be collected through documentation and questionnaire distribution methods, which will then be processed using descriptive methods. In general, the community stated that the construction of toll roads and exits facilitates transportation access to health servic es and education services, but does not affect the ease of access to government services, and is able to dismiss the issue that the existence of toll roads and exits causes traders' income to fall, but in fact
55.56 % of respondents stated an increase in income and increased the number of kiosks or shops to sell.


Introduction: Ethical practice in health care is defined as consisting of informed consent, respect for integrity, and patient's autonomy. In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of disputes ranging from inadequate and inappropriate treatments to serious problems of medical malpractice and negligence. There is thus a growing need to identify whether or not patients are satisfied with services provided and which ethical challenges, if any, patients value most in a health-care setting. This is not only to elevate the quality of treatment but also to potentially avoid unnecessary legal complications. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the opinion of patients at a dental hospital about some commonly encountered ethical challenges and to investigate the ethical challenges which patients feel most important to them. Materials and Methods: One hundred and two participants were recruited for this cross-sectional study among patients who have visited the dental hospital more than twice. Each participant completed a self-administered questionnaire on some common ethical challenges. A three-point Likert scale was used. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2016 spreadsheet (Microsoft, USA), and Chi-square test was performed using SPSS (IBM) software (version 23.0). The results were considered as statistically significant when P < 0.05. Results: Seventy percent of the participants felt that doctors were competent in completing procedure in the time frame, and 82% felt that doctors followed the personal hygiene protocol. Only 47% of the participants felt that doctors accommodated missed appointments/lateness. Category E (infection control) was the category most commonly selected as the most important ethical challenge to patients with 36% of the participants. Conclusion: Participants were satisfied with a majority of the clinical services provided. The majority of the patients considered doctor competence and infection control as important issues. There is, however, a general lack of awareness regarding ethical issues in the dental field.


This paper focuses on imbalanced data sets and uses different methodologies for the part of classification process related to building train and test subsets. Popular classification methods are then applied and evaluated based on the recall result for the minority class. On the basis of the results from our experiments we suggest that for imbalanced data sets when the minority class presents noticeably higher interest, we should use alternative methodology for building the train subset and not the standard random allocation of observations, in order to improve the predictive power of the classifier for the minority class.


A high resolution detector made from 2D modular arrays of scintillation crystals is being developed for our small animal position emission tomography (MicroPET). Their characteristic flood field response (or flood histogram) has been segmented to Crystal Look-up table (CLT), which defines the matching relation between signal position of a detected event to a corresponding detector pixel location. Whether each annihilation event could match a well-separated pixel position in CLT, plays a direct role in imaging quality and brings significant influence to the gantry overall performance. Existing estimation parameters, such as photopeak positions, energy resolution, uniformity of counts cannot be readily adapted for quantitatively evaluate such module-level performance. In this paper, we present an estimation parameter Interfusion Ratio (IR) to evaluate of the level of miscoding. With the help of IR, we quantitatively compare the performance of different types of scintillator, different glued reflector types of crystals, different LUT of detectors. The running performance evaluation of electrical system after 72 hours without baseline correction is then being quantitatively evaluated using Interfusion Ratio, showing that not only it could quantitatively evaluate the LUT segmentation performance, but also assess the performance of electrical system. Furthermore, We establish the relationship between module-level parameter Interfusion Ratio (IR) and the systemlevel parameter intrinsic spatial resolution FWHM.


ackground: Plastic has become one of the most significant environmental threats, especially in mangrove areas due to their non-biodegradable nature. This indicates that there is a need to find alternative degradation methods for these materials, such as the use of mold. Therefore, this study aims to isolate potential plastic degradation mold from the Wonorejo mangrove sediments. Methods: The isolates were identified based on their morphological characteristic and ITS rDNA sequence. Plastic degradation ability of the samples was evaluated using parameters of plastic dry weight loss, FTIR pattern, SEM, and AFM image. Results: A total of eight sediment mold were identified, including Perenniporia spp., Trametes polyzona, Aspergillus terreus, Porostereum spadiceum, Leptosphaerulina chartarum, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Hypocreales sp. Among these molds, the best activity was exhibited by Aspergillus terreus, which degraded 12.5% LDPE and 4.9% white plastic after 30 days, followed by Perenniporia sp. with 10.6% LDPE and 3.4% white plastic degradation. Furthermore, the SEM and AFM images showed that the surface of plastic was damaged after incubation. There were also several attenuations of particular peaks, which indicated the occurrence of chemical changes along plastic chains belonging to the C-H alkane group at wavenumber 2914.94, 2847.38, and 1471 cm-1. Enzyme produced by mold in this study were measured qualitatively. Perenniporia sp. produced laccase, manganese peroxidase, alkane hydroxylase, and lipase. Trametes polyzona also secreted similar enzyme, except lipase, while Porostereum spadiceum was negative for alkane hydroxylase. Aspergillus terreus isolates were positive for lipase and alkane hydroxylase, but Aspergillus fumigatus only produced lipase. Conclusion: In this study, 8 mold with plastic biodegradation potential by producing various enzyme were identified.


Nowadays, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are based on techniques more and more oriented towards image, video and sound processing, hence the recent need of wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs). One of the important challenges for real-time surveillance system is end-to end delay QoS for packet deliveries. Providing end-to-end QoS is difficult due to two reasons. As wireless sensor nodes may require multichip transmissions to reach the sink and some of the wireless transmissions may be not successful. Multimedia data are characterised by their large volume, and have strict requirements in terms of quality of service (QoS) such as bandwidth, delay, packet loss, delay jitter, etc. In this paper, we are interested in routing protocols based on clusters that aim to reduce congestion in order to have reliable data transmission and a reduced loss rate. This is achieved by balancing the traffic load, which results into a balanced energy consumption within the network.


We present three new procedures for identifying undetectable and redundant faults in synchronous sequential circuits. The procedures use an iterative logic array of limited length, into which faults are injected in different ways. The proposed procedures help identify undetectable and redundant faults that cannot be identified by existing procedures based on iterative logic arrays of limited length.


Titanium alloys are important strategic structural materials with broad application prospects in the industries of aerospace, space technology, automobiles, biomedicine, and more. Considering the different requirements for the diverse applications of titanium alloys, the modification of physicochemical properties, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility are required, including novel composite materials, novel design, novel manufacturing methods, etc. In this review, the surface treatment technologies utilized on titanium alloys are summarized and discussed. Regarding surface modification of titanium alloys, the methods of laser treatment, electron beam treatment, surface quenching, and plasma spraying are discussed, and in terms of the surface coatings on titanium alloys, thermal spraying, cold spraying, physical vapor deposition, and chemical vapor deposition are also summarized and analyzed in this work. After surface treatments, information on microstructures, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility of titanium alloys are collected in detail. Some important results are summarized according to the aforementioned analysis and discussion, which will provide new thinking for the application of titanium alloys in the future.


It is generally recognized that potassium deprivation may result in the development of a plasma alkalosis, which is characterized by the paradoxical excretion of an acid urine (1-12). Conversely, the administration of sufficient potassium chloride results in a plasma acidosis and the simultaneous excretion of an alkaline urine (8, 13-16). Studies previously reported have shown that the dichotomous plasma and urinary findings following potassium administration result from a decrease in the renal tubular reabsorption of base-bound bicarbonate (13). The inappropriate aciduria occurring in hypokalemic alkalosis has led to the suggestion that renal reabsorption of bicarbonate is increased in circumstances where inadequate intake or excessive losses of potassium have occurred (1, 13, 17). This implies a renal failure to compensate the plasma alkalosis accompanying hypokalemia and assumes a renal contribution to the continuation of the plasma alkalosis. Although it has not been measured previously, it would appear virtually certain that hypokalemia enhances the renal tubular reabsorption of bicarbonate; the mechanism whereby the influence of potassium is mediated, however, remains more speculative (1, 13, 17). Accordingly, the studies described herein were carried out on human subjects and on dogs 1) to determine the effects of potassium depletion on the renal mechanisms implicated in stabilizing the plasma bicarbonate, and 2) to clarify the mechanisms whereby potassium influences the renal tubular reabsorption and urinary excretion of bicarbonate bound base. The studies reported below indicate that hypokalemia results in an increased renal tubular reab1 This work was presented, in part, at the meetings of the American Society for Clinical Investigation in Atlantic City, May, 1954. 2This work was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant H-1641. sorption of bicarbonate, and that the effects of potassium are independent of alterations in plasma pCO2.


In the early 20th century, Argentina possessed one of the world's most prosperous economies, yet since then Argentina has suffered a series of boom-and-bust cycles that have seen it fall well behind its regional neighbours. At the same time, despite the lack of significant ethnic or linguistic divisions, Argentina has failed to create an over-arching post-independence national identity and its political and social history has been marred by frictions, violence and a 50-year series of military coups d'etat. In this book, Jill Hedges analyses the modern history of Argentina from the adoption of the 1853 constitution until the present day, exploring political, economic and social aspects of Argentina's recent past in a study which will be invaluable for anyone interested in South American history and politics.


In this article we review the most recent literature that concerns the various neurotransmitters that are known to innervate the cerebral circulation. The best characterized of these systems (the adrenergic and serotonergic pathways) are discussed extensively, but other putative neurovascular pathways (cholinergic and peptidergic nerves) was covered. The review will be divided into five major sections: the origin and nature of the perivascular nerve fibers in the cerebrovascular bed (this section encompasses both morphological and biochemical investigations); the response of isolated cerebral vessels to neurotransmitters and transmural nerve stimulation (covering the uptake and release of transmitters by brain vessels as well as the pre- and postsynaptic effects of these agents on cerebrovascular smooth muscle); the effects of neurotransmitter and other vasoactive agents on cerebral perfusion and metabolism in vivo. This section includes the effects of perivascular nerve stimulation or ablation on cerebral blood flow as well as on capillary (i.e., blood-brain barrier) properties. The regional metabolic effects of neurotransmitters are compared to their known effects on neuronal function; the involvement of various neurotransmitters in a number of cerebrovascular diseases (in particular, migraine, cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia, or stroke); and we attempt to synthesize the ever-increasing literature on the origin and function of the multiple innervation of two other noncerebral, intracranial tissues: the choroid plexus and the dura mater.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the learning, social, and psychological outcomes of students with moderate, severe, and complex disabilities (MSCD) in inclusive settings. The review discusses barriers to conducting rigorous research in this field. Whilst an initial literature search located 1,338 records, only 18 were finally included due to the eligibility criteria. Studies were placed in categories based on the topics investigated. Regarding learning outcomes of students with MSCD, findings were moderately in favour of school inclusion for both academic achievement and adaptive skills. Regarding social outcomes, results showed that inclusive settings offer more access to instructional time and peer interaction, although they reported marginalisation during class activities and social isolation within the peer group. Finally, in terms of psychological outcomes, inclusive settings appeared to reduce the frequency of challenging behaviours. The paper also addresses conceptual barriers regarding the definition of inclusion and its consequences on research and practice as well as research design barriers resulting from the quality of research in this field. Based on review results, this paper outlines epistemological propositions for developing standards of quality for both research and practice in the field.


Anergy, tolerance and active suppression may not be independent events, but rather involve similar mechanisms and cell types in immune regulation. Induction of allergen-specific regulatory/suppressor T cells (TReg) seems essential for the maintenance of a healthy immune response to allergens. Allergen-specific immunotherapy can induce specific TReg cells that abolish allergen-induced proliferation of T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cells, as well as their cytokine production. TReg cells utilize multiple suppressive mechanisms, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) as secreted cytokines and CTLA-4, PD-1, mTGF-β, mIL-10, TGF-βR and IL-10R as surface molecules. An important aspect of TReg cells is the regulation of antibody isotypes and suppression of proinflammatory cells. IL-10 and TGF-β secreted by TReg cells skew production of IgE towards the noninflammatory isotypes, IgG4 and IgA, respectively. Furthermore, TReg cells may directly or indirectly suppress effector cells of allergic inflammation such as basophils and eosinophils. In conclusion, induction of antigen-specific TReg cells may redirect an inappropriate immune response against allergen or autoantigens with the help of a broad range of suppressor mechanisms.


Replies are given to the critical comments addressed to the undersigned and published in Quantum Electronics. Reply to V I Emelyanov 1998 Quantum Electron. 28 182.


Glucocorticoid (GC), such as prednisolone, is an essential component of multidrug chemotherapy regimen for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Resistance to GC in leukemia cells is associated with disease progression and poor prognosis. Despite the extensive use of GC for many years, molecular mechanisms underlying its resistance in ALL have not been fully uncovered. Recent studies have shown a potential role of EMP1, CASP1, and NLRP3 genes in prednisolone response. In this study on 148 pediatric B-ALL patients, we studied these three genes to assess their association with prednisolone response measured by day 8 blast count after 7 days of induction therapy with prednisolone. Intriguingly, ALL samples exhibited higher expression of EMP1 along with a low expression of CASP1 and NLRP3 compared to disease free normal bone marrow collected from patients with solid tumors. Among the three analyzed genes, only EMP1 was found to be overexpressed in prednisolone poor responders (p=0.015). Further, a comparison of gene expression between cytogenetic subtypes revealed higher expression of EMP1 in BCR-ABL subtype. Expression of EMP1 in multiple gene expression datasets was used for gene set enrichment analysis, which revealed TNF-α, IL-2-STAT5 signaling, inflammatory responses and hypoxia as the major positively associated pathways and E2F targets as negatively associated pathways. Interestingly, the clinical remission rate was higher in CASP1 high patients (p=0.048). In univariate survival analysis, higher EMP1 expression was associated with poor prognostic measures while higher expression of NLRP3 and CASP1 was associated with better prognostic measures in our data. Further, multivariate analysis revealed an independent association of high CASP1 and NLRP3 with a better prognosis. This study strengthens the available evidence that mRNA expression of EMP1, CASP1, and NLRP3 may serve as potential biomarkers for risk stratification of pediatric B-ALL patients.


Inhibins are dimeric proteins consisting of a common alpha subunit linked to one of the beta subunits, beta A or beta B. During pregnancy, the placenta is the main source of inhibin A production and the in-vitro transformation of cytotrophoblast cells into syncytium is associated with an inhibin alpha subunit mRNA up-regulation. In this study, the 5' region of the human inhibin alpha gene was isolated and sequenced. Three transcription initiation sites were identified. When transiently transfected in trophoblast cells with a luciferase reporter vector, the sequence displayed promoter activity. DNase I footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis showed a specific DNA-protein interaction in the promoter when using cytotrophoblast nuclear proteins. This interaction was weaker with syncytiotrophoblast nuclear proteins. Moreover, the deletion of this DNA-protein interaction region suppressed the promoter activity. In an attempt to identify this factor, the potential binding of known factors delta EF1, AP1 and NFE2 were excluded by competition EMSA experiments. We suggest that it may correspond to an undescribed protein interaction. The identification of the human inhibin alpha promoter could help in understanding the mechanisms modulating inhibin gene transcription. Moreover, the identification of a factor, whose presence is related to the trophoblast cell differentiation state, could help in understanding the transformation of cytotrophoblast cells into syncytium.


This paper lead forward to a new approach of text scrambling algorithm for encryption using artificial intelligence technique of cubical text and its random rotation type with angle. At first the original message is converted into six face cubical form (3 × 3 × 3 cube) and the cube is chosen as it is easy to scramble the message in cubical form. Rotation types and angle of rotations are generated using random function which is used as an encryption key, randomness in the key make encryption stronger. There are 18 possible rotation types and each rotation can have any one of the 3 different rotation angles. Finally cube layers are rotated for 18 times in any of the three different angles by using the encryption key value. The cube layers rotated here are as same as the simple Rubik's cube rotation. At the end of rotation, the original message cube is scrambled to give the unpredictable pattern. Random rotations used in this approach produce secure cipher text, which is unbreakable from cryptanalysis without the encryption key. Intention of this research is to provide secure and novel approach of artificial intelligence scrambling technique to the encryption field. In this algorithm we used cubical scrambling methods and novel way of representing text in cube format. Algorithm's experimental result in each phase of scrambling is shown with comparative analysis of text position in cipher message with original message. Analysis of result shows that original message is scrambled and provided the secure and unpredictable message; hence the novelty of this Artifical intelligence scrambling approach is evidenced.


Abstract: Kohlberg's model of moral development is viewed from the perspective of evolutionary biology. Moral judgments defining Kohlberg's stages of moral development are seen as manifestations of structures evolved to uphold systems of cooperation. Game theory research on adaptive strategies of cooperation supports the conclusion that humans inherit dispositions to uphold the systems of cooperation implicit in the first three stages in Kohlberg's sequence, but not the systems of cooperation implicit in the highest stages. The empirical evidence on real‐life morality is more consistent with a biological model of ontogenesis than is the model espoused by Kohlbergians. Although people occasionally make moral judgments in their everyday lives to reveal their solutions to moral dilemmas, as Kohlberg's model assumes, they more often make moral decisions that advance their adaptive interests.


One of the major issues in current radiotherapy (RT) is the associated normal tissue toxicity. Enhancement of the RT effect with novel radiosensitizers can address this need. In this study, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and bleomycin (BLM) were used as a unique combination of radiosensitizers. GNPs offer a two-fold promise as a delivery vehicle for BLM and as a radiosensitizing agent. In this study, GNPs were functionalized and complexed with BLM using a gold-thiol bond (denoted GNP-BLM). Our results show that there was a 40% and 10% decrease in cell growth with GNP-BLM vs. free BLM for the MIA PaCa-2 and PC-3 cell lines, respectively. Testing the GNP-BLM platform with RT showed an 84% and 13% reduction in cell growth in MIA PaCa-2 cells treated with GNP-BLM and GNPs, respectively. Similar results were seen with PC-3 cells. The efficacy of this approach was verified by mapping DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) as well. Therefore, this proposed incorporation of nanomedicine with RT is promising in achieving a significantly higher therapeutic ratio which is necessary to make a paradigm change to the current clinical approach.


The arts live continuously, and they live literally by faith: their nature and their shapes and their uses survive unchanged in all that matters through times of interruption, diminishment, neglect: they outlive governments and creeds and societies, even the very civilizations that produced them. They cannot be destroyed altogether because they represent the substance of faith and the only reality. They are what we find again when the ruins are cleared away."


In this work we have tried to find the best conditions to obtain maximum inhibitor efficiency of the triazole inhibitor on mild steel in a 1M HCl medium by following a response methodology. We have drawn up an experimental plan with three factors and two levels per factor in a simple way, without the use of specific software. The response (inhibitor efficiency) was evaluated by the gravimetric method. We have chosen the parameters most used in the corrosion field such as inhibitor concentration, immersion time and temperature. The results were found as the best inhibition condition of concentration of inhibitor 10 -3 M, temperature of 30 °C and an immersion time of 24 h.


This chapter introduces a recently emerged psychological concept – work engagement – and seeks to apply this notion to the management of human resources in organizations. Our point of departure is that in order to prosper and survive in today's continuously changing environment, rather than merely "healthy" employees, organizations need engaged employees. What we exactly mean by work engagement and how this term is used throughout the literature is explained next. Because we strongly feel that recommendations for using HRM strategies to increase levels of employee engagement should be based on sound empirical research, we present an overview thereof. More specifically, we focus on the relationship of work engagement with related concepts and on the antecedents and consequences of work engagement. The assessment of work engagement is addressed in a separate section. In addition, we discuss how employees' work engagement may be optimized by using HRM strategies. The chapter closes with some conclusions about work engagement research and about the usefulness of work engagement in the context of HRM. Our aim is to demonstrate the viability of the concept of work engagement for human resources practices in organizations. The need for engaged workers in modern organizations Table 18.1 illustrates what kinds of changes force today's organizations to rely more and more on the psychological knowledge and experience of their employees. Essentially, the changes summarized in Table 18.1 boil down to a "psychologization" of organizations.


Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem in general populations. Although ED is not life threatening, it is distressing to the sufferers and their partners, and puts a strain on their relationships. The etiology of ED is believed to be multifactorials; both organic and psychological problems. Physicians have to investigate for the etiology and co-morbidity of ED. The treatment is composed of both non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies. The first line treatment drug is phosphodiesterase inhibitor (PDE-5 inhibitors). However, other therapies have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration regarding the therapeutic efficacy and safety. In addition, there are many researchers around the world are studying for novel therapies; these may be achieved in the near future


Through interactive dialogue with Evangelical scholars and through an assessment of their interpretive methods, one may identify an 'apostolic age' hermeneutic which intrinsically imposes questionable assumptions upon Luke's two-volume work and upon Paul. The result may be termed Lukan and Pauline cessationism. For Luke, narrative disconnectedness replaces narrative-rhetorical cohesion. His examples and precedents of reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit by disciple-believer-witnesses either undergo mass extinction or reinterpretation, reinterpretation which serves the traditional presupposition of an 'apostolic age' instead of the narrative sequencing and personification of Lukan characters. Luke's fulfilment of prophecy theme is totally ignored. For Paul, similar discursive description of pneumatological experience which Paul assumes is understandable to his selected addressees—language perhaps being urgently and pastorally clari- fied by Luke's conventional use of examples and precedents—is disconnected from the common oral and cognitive environment shared within the Jerusalem/Petrine Christianity portrayed by Luke. Via discussion, reflection, and testimony perhaps the coherency and validity of traditional 'apostolic age' hermeneutics might be explored on the battlefield of biblical interpretation.


This article examines the origins and development of citizenship and equal rights by the Reconstruction Congress (1865–1875) to determine if it created a new constitutional order that is color blind and thus prohibits the use of racial classifications by government to achieve school desegregation and affirmative action programs. The theory of color-blind constitutionalism, although pursued relentlessly by a small cadre of radical Republicans, stood in marked contrast to the views of the moderate-conservative majority, a group virtually obsessed with the ways in which race affected fundamental questions of citizenship, civil equality, and political power. Only through a multiethnic history can we comprehend the variegated and profound ways in which racial ideology shaped the beliefs and behavior of the Reconstruction Congress and the ways in which Congress carefully crafted the meaning and intent of citizenship and equality in the new constitutional order, one that serves as the legal foundation for contemporary debates over race-conscious educational policies.


Introduction: Mechanical forces may greatly affect the ability and propensity of cancer cells to metastasize. Tumor cells are subject to many mechanical forces within their microenvironment in vivo. These mechanical forces may play a role in cancer cell regulation in combination with biochemical signals. However, much less is known about the role of mechanical forces in regulation of cancer cells. We have recently developed a novel high throughput mechanofluidic platform for assaying cancer cell adhesion under flow in a 96-well format. This device functions like a cone and plate viscometer in each well by inducing shear stress on cells cultured in a standard 96-well plate. We have used this device to study how the mechanics of the tumor microenvironment or applied mechanical forces alter a cancer cells propensity to adhere during metastatic extravasation. Mechanical compliance of the microenvironment regulates circulating tumor cell adhesion. We first examined how the compliance of the tumor environment can alter the adhesion of cancer cells during metastasis. MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were cultured on hydrogels with stiffnesses ranging from 0.2-50 kPa for the Young9s modulus. Using the high throughput flow system we conducted adhesion assays to endothelial cells under flow followed by a detachment assay in which we increased the applied shear stress to determine the strength of attachment. We found that the compliance of the substrate cancer cells were grown on did not alter the initial adhesion to activated endothelial cells but markedly altered the strength of adhesion. The cells grown on 0.2 kPa substrates remained adhered under high stress (20 dynes/cm2) five-fold more than cells grown on 50 kPa substrates. We also examined whether compliance of the microenvironment of the endothelial cells could regulate their ability to recruit circulated tumor cells. We grew endothelial cells on substrates of varying compliance and then examined the adhesion of cancer cells grown on standard culture plates. In endothelial cells grown on compliant substrates (0.2 and 0.5 kPa) we found that cancer cells adhered less than to endothelial cells on stiffer substrates. Applied mechanical forces regulate circulating tumor cell adhesion to endothelial cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). We next examined how application of a cyclic stretching force to cancer cells would alter their adhesion to endothelial cells (ECs) and ECM. We applied a cyclic physiological strain to cancer cells for 24 hours and then performed adhesion assays with breast cancer cells to activated ECs, non-activated ECs, and purified ECM. We found that cyclic strain caused more cancer cells to adhere to activated ECs than their non-strained counterparts, however the strained cancer cells did not adhere as strongly to the activated ECs. Strained cancer cells adhered more to collagen I, laminin, and vitronectin, while they adhered less to collagen II and fibronectin than non-strained cells. The strength of adhesion to ECM was increased for collagen II, fibronectin, and laminin, but not for collagen I or vitronectin. To determine which integrins were involved in the strain-induced change in adhesion, a small library of integrin inhibitors was used to treat cancer cells while applying strain for 24 hours. Cilengitide, P11, ATN-161, Bio 1211, and RGDS peptides reduced the adhesion of cancer cells back to the level of non-strained cancer cells, indicating the role of αvβ3, αvβ5, α5β1, and α4β1 integrins in cancer cell sensing and reaction to the applied cyclic strain. Conclusion: Our studies have shown that application of mechanical forces such as the stiffness of the substrate that cancer cells and endothelial cells are cultured on or the application of cyclic strain can alter the adhesiveness and strength of adhesion of cancer cells to an endothelial monolayer or ECM under shear stress. Citation Format: Adrianne Spencer, Zhiying Zhu, Katerina Lee, Jason Lee, Chris Spruell, Chad Williams, Peter Voyvodic, Ashwin Ramaswami, Ning Jiang, Aaron Baker. Biomechanical preconditioning of circulating tumor cell adhesion during metastasis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Metastasis; 2015 Nov 30-Dec 3; Austin, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(7 Suppl):Abstract nr PR08.


The studies were conducted in the Department of Applied Entomology at Warsaw University of Life Sciences, in the field and laboratory conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of aphids on the process of photosynthesis of blackcurrant cultivar Titania (attacked mainly by Aphis schneideri Born.) and high bush blueberry cultivar Patriot (attacked by Myzus persicae Sulz and Aphis fabae Scop.). The chlorophyll content in the leaves was also estimated. The significant decrease of photosynthesis intensity was found in the leaves of blackcurrant and high bush blueberry as a result of aphid feeding, as compared to healthy ones, 32 and 27% respectively. The tendency for the increase of photosynthesis intensity in black currant leaves, not injured by aphids but originated from attacked shoots, in comparison with the leaves from healthy shoots, was observed. Chlorophyll content in the leaves of both experimental plants significantly decreased as a result of aphid feeding, especially in the case of black currant (decrease in chlorophyll a + b about 32%).


The aim of this research was to study the effect of aerobic physical exercises on the performance and heart structure of diabetic mice. Thus, 48 male mice from Sprague Dawley race with the weight of 150–300 g were bought and divided randomly in four groups, each including 12 mice. These four groups consisted of the control group with physical exercise, the control group without physical exercise, diabetic group without physical exercise and diabetic group with physical exercise. These mice were affected by diabetes by the injection of streptozotocin. The exercise protocol included three procedures: the first 4 weeks with the speed of 12 m in a minute during the time of 10 min, the second 4 weeks with the speed of 22–23 m in a minute during the time of 40 min and the final 4 weeks with the speed of 23–25 m on a minute during the time of 1 h. In this research, the levels of blood sugar and the lipoproteins were measured by enzyme method and the blood pressure, thickness and cavity of heart by sensitive electrodes and echocardiography. The results showed that after 4 weeks of physical exercise, the levels of sugar, blood pressure and lipoproteins had not changed anyway but after 12 weeks of physical exercise, it was determined that the levels of blood sugar and blood pressure in diabetic group with physical exercise have decreased meaningfully (p<0.05). In addition, this low blood sugar and low blood pressure had a positive and meaningful relation with each other. Also the thickness and cavity of the ventricle in the diabetic group with physical exercise had increased but the changes in blood sugar had just meaningful relation with the changes in the thickness of the ventricle (p<0.05).


Monitoring of chronic degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in individual patients represents one of the most important challenges for clinicians. MS evolves over decades, but therapeutic decisions are based on short-term, risk-benefit analyses. In addition, in all areas of medicine, therapeutics often develop in conjunction with the means for measuring their efficacy. As an example, highly active antiretroviral therapies were able to be developed for the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus because of the development of CD4 count and viral load as outcomes that could be targeted for treatment. Although T2 lesion load and new gadolinium-enhancing lesions are very useful metrics for measuring inflammatory activity in MS, they only have a modest correspondence with disability. For these reasons, developing biomarkers that reflect the degree of neurologic injury and predict the future course of the disease is a high priority for personalizing health care for people with MS.1 Internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) is commonly found in patients with MS due to plaques in the medial longitudinal fasciculus and imposes substantial disability.2,3 A previous study using MRI and the new technology of infrared oculography found a well-defined mapping between damage of the medial longitudinal fasciculus in the brainstem and INO.4


Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) employing the [Co(bpy)3](3+/2+) redox mediator have recently attained efficiencies in excess of 12%, increasing the attractiveness of DSCs as an alternative to conventional photovoltaics. Heterogeneous electron transfer from dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 to [Co(bpy)3](3+) ions in solution, a process known as recombination in the context of DSC operation, is an important loss mechanism in these solar cells. Here, we employ impedance spectroscopy over a range of temperatures to characterize electron storage, transport, and recombination in efficient DSCs based on the [Co(bpy)3](3+/2+) redox mediator, with either the amphiphillic ruthenium sensitizer Z907 or the state-of-the-art organic sensitizer Y123. The temperature dependence of the electron-transport resistance indicates that transport occurs via states at energies lower than commonly assumed for the TiO2 conduction band edge. We show that a non-exponential dependence of capacitance, transport resistance, and recombination resistance on photovoltage can be interpreted as evidence for partial unpinning of the TiO2 energy levels. We also find that the nature of the sensitizing dye determines the predominant recombination route: via the conduction band for Y123 and via band gap states for Z907, which is the main reason for the superior performance of Y123. The different mechanisms appear to arise from changes in electronic coupling between TiO2 donor states and [Co(bpy)3](3+) acceptor states, as opposed to changes in the density of TiO2 states or their energetic matching with the acceptor-state distribution. These findings have implications for modeling heterogeneous electron transfer at dye-sensitized semiconductor-solution interfaces in general and for the optimization of DSCs.


The problem that exists in the company today is about training. Many employees do not respond to existing activity in the company. Therefore, the lack of interest in training is a problem that enterprises in the future must address. Based on this description, this study aims to analyze the effect of exercise and compensation on employee performance at PT Spinmill Indah Industry Tangerang. This study used a saturated sampling technique involving a sample of 65 employee respondents. The Data Analysis Technique Used in This Research Is Multiple Regression Analysis and Correlation Test with SPSS Version 20 software. The results showed that the correlation value was 94.1 percent. The Adjusted R Square Determination Coefficient valueis 88.6 percent, which means that all independent variables, namely training and compensation, have an enormous contribution together.


Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a nuceli (Nuclear) specific spectroscopy that has far reaching applications throughout the physical sciences and industry. NMR uses a large magnet (Magnetic) to probe the intrinsic spin properties of atomic nuclei. Like all spectroscopies, NMR uses a component of electromagnetic radiation (radio frequency waves) to promote transitions between nuclear energy levels (Resonance). Most chemists use NMR for structure determination of small molecules.


Ac system strength indicated by short circuit ratio (SCR) and its impact on commutation failure in HVDC transmission system are studied. SCR is varying along with ac system operation mode, grid configuration, load characteristics and reactive power compensation devices at inverter station. Quasi-steady state calculations show that SCR increases commutation reactance and consequently increases the overlap angle of the inverter. Commutation failure occurs when inverter extinction angle is less than the minimum critical Value. Digital Simulation of a two-terminal HVDC transmission system using Matlab/Simulink program is presented. HVDC controllers are simulated and Voltage Dependent Current Limits (VDCL) function is added to increase the system stability.


We have studied two related issues in the design, execution and debugging of shared memory parallel programs: memory consistency and techniques to detect synchronization failure in parallel programs. Overlapping execution of operations from a thread is an efficient way to effectively tolerate memory latency in shared memory multiprocessor systems. for a programmer to reason about his program, a sequentially consistent machine with full generality must execute memory operations sequentially in program order, leading to poor performance. We propose Link Consistency which still preserves Sequential Consistency for parallel programs that contain no data race or synchronization failure while permitting out of (program) order execution of operations. By classifying synchronization operations according to whether they satisfy some distinct conditions ( Exclusive Producer and Exclusive Consumer ), Link Consistency allows richer relaxation of program orders than some previous work such as Release Consistency. Compared to other work that also tries to improve upon Release Consistency such as PLpc, Link Consistency is conceptually clearer for programmer, and possesses a rigorous basis for reasoning. We also address the following Synchronization Failure detection problem: Given a trace set from a complete (i.e. successful ) execution, whether there exists another execution that can be derived from the same trace set and is incomplete. The answer to the problem is useful in debugging parallel programs. After showing that the problem is NP-complete, we present some techniques to tackle the problem in practice. These include Trace Reduction, Local Failure Validation, and Partial Order Checking. Trace Reduction may reduce the size of a trace set up to a small fraction of its original size while still preserving its failure property. Local Failure Validation explores a heuristic that is based on individual semaphores rather than all semaphores together. Compared to detecting strategies based on interleaving semantics, Partial Order Checking completely avoids the state explosion problem caused by the large amount of concurrence in trace sets. Our experimental result shows that for many trace sets with synchronization failures, the above techniques solve the detection problem in time linear to the trace set sizes, which are measured by N n , the number of events or by N s x N t , the product of the number of semaphores by the number of program threads, in a trace set.


Shunt active power filter (SAPF) belongs to the class of custom power devices (CPDs) and offers compensation to harmonics originated owing to customer side nonlinear loads, reactive power and unbalance in the distribution power networks functioning in current control mode (CCM). The performance of a SAPF as a harmonic compensator entirely relies on the control technique i.e. the precise detection of the harmonic current components of load that are necessary to be compensated. In the present work, a 3-phase SAPF, inspired by a Lyapunov function based control approach, has been designed for compensation of harmonics resulted in the feeder current owing to the customer side nonlinearity. A control law is determined in the proposed strategy which makes the derivative of the Lyapunov function consistently a negative one for an entire set of stable states. The DC-link capacitor voltage is regulated at constant reference through the proportional-integral (PI) controller. In this method rating of the shunt active power filter is considerably reduced than the other two broadly employed conventional methods. Furthermore, the harmonic compensation efficacy of the proposed Lyapunov function based SAPF is compared with the one based on other two conventional approaches under four different system scenarios namely a simple nonlinear load with and without utility side voltage distortion, a modified IEEE 13 bus test distribution system loaded with a 3-phase chopper fed direct current (DC) motor drive at a single bus and last especially for increasing the harmonic-constrained penetration level of renewable energy. Results obtained through simulation performed in MATLAB/Simulink shows that total harmonic distortion (THD) of source current and dynamic, as well as steady-state performance with Lyapunov function based controller, is significantly improved than the other two conventional methods. Also, the robust compensation performance of the SAPF empowers it to deal with the high penetration of renewable energy.