In dispersed acini from guinea pig pancreas two inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, Ro 20-1724 and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), augmented the increase in amylase secretion caused by supramaximal concentrations of cholecystokinin but did not alter the stimulation of enzyme secretion caused by bombesin. The augmentations of the action of cholecystokinin caused by Ro 20-1724 or IBMX could be reproduced by 8-bromo-cAMP. When tested alone or with theophylline, cholecystokinin did not alter cAMP in pancreatic acini; however, with Ro 20-1724 or IBMX, concentrations of cholecystokinin that were supramaximal for stimulating amylase secretion caused a significant increase in cellular cAMP. These findings indicate that Ro 20-1724 and IBMX augment the action of cholecystokinin on enzyme secretion by inhibiting cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and allowing a significant cholecystokinin-induced increase in cellular cAMP. IBMX but not Ro 20-1724 caused a parallel rightward shift in the dose-response curve for the stimulation of amylase secretion caused by carbachol. IBMX also caused a parallel rightward shift in the dose-response curve for the stimulation of outflux of 45Ca caused by carbachol. These results indicate that IBMX, but not Ro 20-1724, can function as a muscarinic cholinergic antagonist.


The construction of a modern mountain hut nearthe mountains Matterhorn and Dufourspitze in the Swiss Alps is investigated from an environmental point of view. A prospective environmental assessment was performed to minimize the environmental impact already in the planning phase of the new building; construction will start in autumn 2008. An energy balance of the existing hut was made to detect optimization potentials and to predict the necessary energy generating systems of the new building. In addition to energy supply, the environmental impacts of materials and processes were compared and evaluated with the help of Life Cycle Assessment Although energy use will increase in the new building, mainly due to the installation of a wastewater purification system, total greenhouse gas emissions will decrease.


The solution of the Dirichlet problem for the Laplace equation is looked for in the form of the sum of a single layer and a double layer potentials with the same density f . The original problem is reduced to the solving of the integral equation with an unknown density f . The solution f of this integral equation is given by the Neumann series.


Accredited education institutions, nonprofit organizations and NASA centers can join the adventure and challenges of space while helping the agency achieve its exploration goals through the next round of the agency's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). Applicants must submit proposals by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 22.


The brightness temperature distribution of microwave emission in a solar active region generally shows a ring structure, with a dip at the centre. However, no dip was found in the Nobeyama Radioheliograph left handed circular polarization (LCP) image on 1992 August 18; instead, there was a peak. This is a completely LCP source with zero right-handed circular polarization (RCP). We examine this structure in terms of the joint effect of gyroresonance and bremsstrahlung mechanism with a raised electron density above the central part of the sunspot, and the commonly assumed temperature and vertical dipole magnetic field models. The raised electron density is found to be 1.4 x 10(11) cm(-3) at the chromosphere base.


ABSTRACT Several gene sequences of parasitic protozoa belonging to protein kinase gene families and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like peptides, which act via binding to receptor tyrosine kinases of the EGF receptor (EGFR) family, appear to mediate host-protozoan interactions. As a clue to EGFR protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) mediation and a novel approach for identifying anticoccidial agents, activities against Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora caninum, and Cryptosporidium parvum grown in BM and HCT-8 cell cultures of 52 EGFR PTK inhibitor isoflavone analogs (dihydroxyisoflavone and trihydroxydeoxybenzoine derivatives) were investigated. Their cytotoxicities against host cells were either absent, mild, or moderate by a nitroblue tetrazolium test. At concentrations ranging from 5 to 10 μg/ml, 20 and 5 analogs, including RM-6427 and RM-6428, exhibited an in vitro inhibitory effect of ≥95% against at least one parasite or against all three, respectively. In immunosuppressed Cryptosporidium parvum-infected Mongolian gerbils orally treated with either 200 or 400 mg of agent RM-6427/kg of body weight/day for 8 days, fecal microscopic oocyst shedding was abolished in 6/10 animals (P of <0.001 versus untreated controls) and mean shedding was reduced by 90.5% (P of <0.0001) and 92.0% (P of <0.0001), respectively, higher levels of inhibition than after nitazoxanide (200 mg/kg/day for 8 days) or paromomycin (100 mg/kg/day for 8 days) treatment (55.0%, P of <0.001, and 17.5%, P of >0.05, respectively). After RM-6427 therapy (200 mg/kg/day for 8 days), the reduction in the ratio of animals with intracellular parasites was nearly significant in ileum (P = 0.067) and more marked in the biliary tract (P < 0.0013) than after nitazoxanide or paromomycin treatment (0.05 < P < 0.004). RM-6428 treatment at a regimen of 400 mg/kg/day for 12 days inhibited oocyst shedding, measured using flow cytometry from day 4 (P < 0.05) to day 12 (P < 0.02) of therapy, when 2/15 animals had no shedding (P < 0.0001) and 11/15 were free of gut and/or biliary tract parasites (P < 0.01). No mucosal alteration was microscopically observed for treated or untreated infected gerbils. To our knowledge, this report is the first to suggest that the isoflavone class of agents has the potential for anticoccidial therapy.


Accessing and interviewing older people in residential and nursing homes (care homes) presents a number of methodological challenges. Such challenges were encountered and, in many respects, overcome in a recent survey of more than 900 residents undertaken for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). This survey helped underpin a broader review of care homes that reflected the OFT's concerns about the 'potential for detriment' in the position of residents as consumers of services.Notable are the ways in which an attempt was made to maximise the inclusion of people with cognitive impairments through the devising of what was regarded as an appropriate screening test that reflected the demands of the planned interviews. A discussion of the potential for using proxies (for those failing the screening test) points to their inability to fairly represent the views of cognitively impaired residents. Also explored is the way in which access was obtained to residents and issues concerning the gate‐keeping role of home owne...


This book deals with the performance measurement of TCP variants in wired network and the improvement of its performance over wireless environment. TCP includes eleven variants as source and five as destination. Recently published works considered a few network parameters like Congestion Window, Throughput, and Delay for five variants only whereas this book covers all the supported variants to observe their nature regarding to five new perspectives in details. Along with this, an effective approach has been proposed to overcome the situation where TCP packets become corrupted over wireless unfair noisy channel. This book will be actively helpful especially to the researchers of the discipline of Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Communication Engineering and ICT intended to analyze the performance of TCP over wired and wireless network.


For pt.I see ibid., vol.26, p.371-8 (1993). Thermoluminescence spectra have been recorded for a variety of germanosilicate optical fibres over the temperature range 70 to 700 K. The signals from the small central fibre core are more intense than those from the larger substrate. Hence variations in core composition influence the spectra and glow peaks, although there are many features common to all the fibres. Activation energies of the glow peaks are reported. Emission bands are variously identified with recombination at Ge sites giving the 400 nm band, intrinsic e--h+ recombination giving the 460 nm band and rare earth dopants provide characteristic line emission. There are some examples of microcrystallites within the fibre cores. The thermoluminescence response alters slightly with irradiation dose and heating. Minor effects of drawing temperature and draw speed are noted. Overall, thermoluminescence is shown to be a sensitive monitor of impurities and imperfections within optical fibres.


BACKGROUND
Chiropractors have long claimed to affect scoliotic curves, and case studies abound reporting on successful outcomes. No clinical trials exist, however, that evaluate chiropractic's effectiveness in the management of scoliotic curves.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of chiropractic intervention in the management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in curves less than 20 degrees.

DESIGN
Cohort time-series trial with all subjects electing chiropractic care. Entry-level Cobb angle was compared with postmanagement curve.

METHODS
Forty-two subjects completed the program of chiropractic intervention. Age range at entry was 6 to 12 years, and patients were included if their entry-level x-ray films revealed curves of 6 degrees to 20 degrees. Participants had adjustments performed for 1 year before follow-up. Full-spine osseous adjustments were the major form of intervention, but heel lifts and postural and lifestyle counseling were used as well.

RESULTS
There was no discernable effect on the severity of the curves as a function of age, initial curve severity, frequency of care, or attending physician.

CONCLUSION
Full-spine chiropractic adjustments with heel lifts and postural and lifestyle counseling are not effective in reducing the severity of scoliotic curves.


Lord COHEN OF BIRKENHEAD delivered the 26th Stephen Paget memorial lecture to the Research Defence Society in London on November 28. His title was "Some Reflections on Animal Experiments." This lecture, said Lord Cohen, had been delivered by our foremost physiologists, pathologists, veterinarians, leaders in tropical medicine and public health, and even by three surgeons. He was the first physician to be chosen for this distinction, and yet the triumphs of animal experiment were exemplified perhaps more clearly in the daily work of the physician, which brought him into intimate contact with personal suffering, and no one could appreciate more fully the contribution animal experiment had made to the prevention, cure, and alleviation of disease.


We present a transmission scheme for Internet video streaming that provides an acceptable video quality over a wide range of connection qualities. The proposed system consists of a scalable video coder which uses a fully standard compatible H.263 coder in its base layer. The scalable video coder is combined with unequal error protection using Reed-Solomon codes applied across packets. A theoretical framework which relates packet loss of an unequally protected layered video stream to picture quality at the decoder is presented. Simulation results show that, with our approach, the picture quality of a streamed video degrades gracefully as the packet loss probability of an Internet connection increases. Packet Video Workshop 99, April 1999, New York


Fracture behavior under multiaxial stress state of polycrystalline alumina was studied from the view point of an artificial crack propagation and fracture from a natural flaw. The former was studied by mixed-mode fracture toughness tests; asymmetric four-point bending and diametral compression techniques were carried out using precracked and notched specimens. The latter was studied by biaxial fracture tests in compression and torsion loading; multiaxial fracture statistics was applied to the measured fracture envelope. The ratio KIIC/KIC obtained from the biaxial tests was higher than that obtained by the mixed-mode fracture toughness tests. It revealed that the fracture from an artificial flaw does not simulate the fracture from a naturall flaw in polycrystalline ceramics.


Purpose. To determine the visual adaptation and retinal eccentricity profiles for red flickering and static test stimuli and report a clinical implementation of these stimuli in visual perimetry. Methods. The adaptation profile for red-on-white perimetry stimuli was measured using a threshold vs. intensity (TvI) paradigm at 0 degree and 12 degrees eccentricity and by comparing the eccentricity-related sensitivity change for red and white, static, and flickering targets in young normal trichromats (n = 5) and a group of dichromats (n = 5). A group of older normal control observers (n = 30) were tested and retinal disease was evaluated in persons having age-related maculopathy (n = 35) and diabetes (n = 12). Results. Adaptation and eccentricity profiles indicate red static and flickering targets are detected by two mechanisms in the paramacular region, and a single mechanism for >5 degrees eccentricity. The group data for the older normal observers has a high level of inter-observer variability with a generalized reduction in sensitivity across the entire visual field. Group data for the participants with age-related maculopathy show reduced sensitivities that were pronounced in the central retina. The group data for the diabetic observers showed sensitivities that were reduced at all eccentricities. The disease-related sensitivity decline was more apparent with red than white stimuli. Conclusions. The adaptation profile and change in sensitivity with retinal eccentricity for the red-on-white perimetric stimuli are consistent with two detection processes. In the macula, the putative detection mechanism is color-opponent with static targets and non-opponent with flickering targets. At peripheral field locations, the putative detection mechanism is non-opponent for both static and flicker targets. The long-wavelength stimuli are less affected by the preretinal absorption common to aging. Red-on-white static and flicker perimetry may be useful for monitoring retinal disease, revealing greater abnormalities compared with conventional white-on-white perimetry, especially in the macula where two detection mechanisms are found.


In the early 1980s, anticipated labour migration caused concerns in the European Community (EC). The problem mainly arose from granting the right of free movement to workers from Greece, Spain and Portugal at the time of the accession of these countries. Factors such as income differentials, unemployment and geographical proximity, combined with a long tradition of emigration towards the West, raised an expectation of cheap labour flooding the existing nine countries of the European Community (EC-9) as soon as these countries were given member status. This led to a widespread belief that labour migration from Turkey should, at least temporarily, be avoided, as by now the EC had enough on its plate dealing with the Southern migration episode. Following the inclusion of Greece, Spain and Portugal by 1986, the movement of Turkish labour was actually prohibited and no attempt was made to fulfil the promise that had been made earlier within the EC's legal framework. The assumption that granting the right of free movement to workers would lead to massive flows from Greece, Spain and Portugal at the time of the accession of these countries to the EC may hold true, since the most significant decrease in the number of Turkish workers in the 1980s was recorded when the Southern enlargement occurred. The accession of Greece, Spain and Portugal could provide some basis for theorizing about the extent to which various receiving countries took a restrictive stand, which might, at the very least, be desirable from an economic standpoint.


After the financial and economic crisis the principle of the ability to pay has regained importance as a principle shaping the structure of income tax. This article deals with the question whether that principle has any role to play in the application of EU tax rules. It analyses whether there is a legal basis to apply this principle in EU law and the way in which this principle is applied in cross-border situations. The conclusion is that although ability to pay is part of the general principles of EU law, there is no clear legal basis in the treaties for the principle to be applied. The absence of this legal basis combined with the one country approach of the ECJ in discrimination cases results in an occasional and inconsistent application of the ability to pay principle.


We report the case of a 70-year old man who presented the classical cutaneous signs of chronic arsenicism : palmo-plantar keratoses and lesions of Bowen's disease. Within a few months, the patient developed multiple large superficial basal cell carcinomas on the trunk and several invasive squamous cell carcinomas. A pulmonary cancer with cerebral metastases was also identified. The complications of chronic arsenicism are nowadays rarely encountered. The cutaneous changes should be recongized because they allow to reveal the etiology of some internal lesions. Indeed, the notion of past arsenicism is often missing in the patient records. The recognition of the cutaneous warning signs allows to focus on the overall cancer risk of these patients.


Author(s): Radovic Fanta, Jelena | Advisor(s): Patterson, Thomas C. | Abstract: This dissertation investigates how the aggressive implementation of neoliberal policies and practices in the agrarian sector of the Chilean economy from the late 1970s onwards has affected the ways in which female workers in the fruit industry navigate a labor regime marked by instability, high seasonal unemployment during the winter months, and structural constraints of the political and economic arenas in which they live. Specifically, it is concerned with how female seasonal workers (temporeras), who constitute seventy percent of the agribusiness workforce, reconfigure their notions of personhood and create contested spaces as they enter and leave the fragmented agribusiness labor cycle in Chile's Aconcagua Valley. It explores the articulations between the inherently unequal structures created by the neoliberal policies and practices of both the government and the agribusinesses of the Aconcagua Valley; the ways in which the state, agribusiness, and the workers themselves deploy notions of citizenship and responsibility; and the forms of negotiations employed by female workers as they forge social identities and quotidian practices during the fragmented labor cycle. With the understanding that the expressions of neoliberalism are both varied and contested, the dissertation approaches the analysis dialectically. The first domain considers how the neoliberal policies and practices underpinning Chile's fruit export industry were implemented in the early 70s and reinforced after the transition to democracy in the early 90s. Second, the research gives voice to the temporeras as they engage with enabling and disabling attributes of flexibility, forging their personhood while confronting varying constructions of morality, sexuality, and citizenship in the work environment and national discourse. Third, the dissertation examines how female workers respond to disciplinary practices in the packing plants, employ technologies of self, and engage in strategies of making do throughout the winter months, frequently recurring to debt as a way of making ends meet.


18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a useful functional image technique to evaluate the disease extent in many cancers, as well as differentiate benign disease from malignant metastasis. We report the case of a 49-year-old woman with breast cancer and suspected lung metastasis by conventional images. After FDG-PET/CT demonstrating faint, or even no FDG uptake in bilateral pulmonary nodules, accompanied with obvious uterine fibroids, benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) of the lung was included in a differential diagnosis and finally confirmed by surgical pathology. FDG PET/CT showed its value in the diagnosis of BML in the breast cancer patient who was misleading as lung metastasis during outpatient follow-up.


Glycan-protein interactions play important biological roles in biological processes. Although there are some methods such as glycan arrays that may elucidate recognition events between carbohydrates and protein as well as screen the important glycan-binding proteins, there is a lack of simple effectively separate method to purify them from complex samples. In proteomics studies, fractionation of samples can help to reduce their complexity and to enrich specific classes of proteins for subsequent downstream analyses. Herein, a rapid simple method for purification of glycan-binding proteins from proteomic samples was developed using hydroxyl-coated magnetic particles coupled with underivatized carbohydrate. Firstly, the epoxy-coated magnetic particles were further hydroxyl functionalized with 4-hydroxybenzhydrazide, then the carbohydrates were efficiently immobilized on hydroxyl functionalized surface of magnetic particles by formation of glycosidic bond with the hemiacetal group at the reducing end of the suitable carbohydrates via condensation. All conditions of this method were optimized. The magnetic particle-carbohydrate conjugates were used to purify the glycan-binding proteins from human serum. The fractionated glycan-binding protein population was displayed by SDS-PAGE. The result showed that the amount of 1 mg magnetic particles coupled with mannose in acetate buffer (pH 5.4) was 10 micromol. The fractionated glycan-binding protein population in human serum could be eluted from the magnetic particle-mannose conjugates by 0.1% SDS. The methodology could work together with the glycan microarrays for screening and purification of the important GBPs from complex protein samples.


An efficient ring closing metathesis (RCM.) reaction based approach was developed for the spiroannulation of cyclopentanes and cyclohexanes and its utility demonstrated in the formal synthesis of the spirosesquiterpenes acorones.


We present observations of the early X-ray emission for a sample of 40 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) obtained using the Swift satellite, for which the narrow-field instruments were pointed at the burst within 10 minutes of the trigger. Using data from the Burst Alert Telescope and the X-Ray Telescope, we show that the X-ray light curve can be well described by an exponential that relaxes into a power law, often with flares superimposed. The transition time between the exponential and the power law provides a physically defined timescale for the burst duration. In most bursts, the power law breaks to a shallower decay within the first hour, and a late emission "hump" is observed, which can last for many hours. In other GRBs the hump is weak or absent. The observed variety in the shape of the early X-ray light curve can be explained as a combination of three components: prompt emission from the central engine, afterglow, and the late hump. In this scenario, afterglow emission begins during or soon after the burst, and the observed shape of the X-ray light curve depends on the relative strengths of the emission due to the central engine and that of the afterglow. There is a strong correlation such that those GRBs with stronger afterglow components have brighter early optical emission. The late emission hump can have a total fluence equivalent to that of the prompt phase. GRBs with the strongest late humps have weak or no X-ray flares.


The study of pastures, pests (rabbits and caterpillars) and sheep productivity by Barlow (1987; New Zeal J Ecol 10: 43-55) is reviewed, updated and extended. Pasture growth was modelled as a dynamic process, though sheep and rabbit abundance were not dynamic. The model predicted that there was a parabolic relationship between sheep productivity and sheep stocking rate with the effects of rabbits being to shift the relationship lower and to the left. The relationship is analogous to a model of sustained harvest of a wild population, and the shape parameter of each has similar numerical values (2 to 3). The Barlow model also predicted a negative relationship between sheep productivity and rabbit abundance, with the relationship being curved with fixed stocking rates. Analysis of data from an independent experimental study shows more support for a negative quadratic (concave down, R 2 = 0.509) than a negative linear (R 2 = 0.416, ∆AICc = 2.770) relationship. The Barlow (1987) study assumed a positive linear relationship between the area of denuded pasture and pest abundance. A model selection analysis of a priori models of disturbance by feral pigs provides support for a positive curved relationship (R 2 = 0.854) and a positive linear relationship (R 2 = 0.357; ∆AICc = 0.03) between the area of denuded pasture (as disturbed ground) and pig abundance. The general results and their implications are discussed.


Despite the known impact of clothing on social identity and self-expression, the impact of hospital clothing on patient wellbeing has been widely overlooked. In the UK a 'one size fits all', backless gown, held together with ties at the back, is commonly used to provide access to medical professionals for examination and medical investigations. We were interested in exploring the impact of wearing this gown on patient wellbeing during a time of medical vulnerability. We led this work in collaboration with Dr Georgiadis, Sports and Exercise Psychologist, University of Suffolk. Using a multi-method approach, consisting of two studies, we considered the impact of the hospital gown on wellbeing among adults with and without chronic health conditions. The first study consisted of conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 10) with adults living with a lifelong chronic health condition (Congenital Heart Disease). The second study was a cross-sectional, online survey exploring adults' views (n = 928) and experiences of wearing the hospital gown.


INTRODUCTION: DNA repair defects are found in mCRPC and are therapeutically actionable; germline BRCA mutation-associated (gBRCA) prostate cancer has a poor prognosis. We hypothesized that metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is enriched for germline DNA repair mutations and that these may be relevant to patient outcome. METHODS: Targeted-sequencing for DNA repair genes was conducted in germline DNA from patients consenting to 3 clinical trials between 2013-2015. Germline DNA was extracted from saliva or buccal swabs using the Oragene kit; libraries were constructed using a customized Qiagen panel and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq. Family history and clinical data were prospectively collected. For time to event analyses unadjusted Cox regression models were used and comparisons were made using log-rank tests. RESULTS: Germline samples from 154 mCRPC patients were available. Median age at diagnosis was 61years (y), median time to castration-resistance was 14.5 months (m) and median overall survival (OS) from initial diagnosis of prostate cancer was 106.8m; 69% (91/131; 24 N/A) of patients were initially diagnosed with Gleason≥8 tumors. 130/154 (84.4%) and 131/154 (85.0%) received Docetaxel and Abiraterone respectively. Of 154 patients, 4 were previously known to be gBRCA2 mutation carriers and were removed from the prevalence analysis but included in the clinical analyses; 22/150 (14.7%, 95%CI 9.4-21.4%) harboured a truncating or frameshift mutation in a DNA repair gene (9 BRCA2, 6%; 4 ATM, 2.7%; 2 PALB2, 1.3%, 1 each for CHEK2, FANCI, MRE11A, NBN, RAD51C, RAD51D and MSH6). Overall, patients with any germline DNA repair aberrations had a worse median OS (75.8 vs 106.8 m; log-rank p = 0.04). Time to resistance to primary hormonal ablation was shorter specifically for gBRCA2 mutations carriers (11.0 vs 14.8 m; log-rank p = 0.01) but not for non-BRCA2 repair aberrations. Age at diagnosis was similar in patients with or without DNA repair germline mutations (median 61.3 vs 61.7y, Mann-Whitney p = 0.41) as well as frequency of Gleason≥8 tumors (16/21 [76%] vs 75/109 [68%]; Mann-Whitney p = 0.23) Response rates to Docetaxel (14/18 [77.8%] vs 64/94 [68.1%]; Fisher exact p = 0.67) and Abiraterone (10/21 [47.6%] vs 44/94 [46.8%]; Fisher exact p = 0.73) were similar among individuals with and without mutations. Family cancer history was collected in 125/154 cases (81%). While having cases of ovarian/prostate/breast/pancreas cancers in these patients' families associated with a higher likelihood of finding a germline mutation (Odds Ratio 3.36, p = 0.03), 5 of 68 (7.4%) men with no cases of ovarian/prostate/breast/pancreas cancers registered in their families carried a germline mutation in a DNA repair gene. CONCLUSIONS: mCRPC is enriched for patients with germline mutations in DNA repair genes (15%), with 6% having gBRCA2 mutation. Germline DNA repair aberrations are associated with a worse prognosis from mCRPC. Citation Format: JOAQUIN MATEO, Suzanne Carreira, Helen Mossop, Pasquale Rescigno, Michael Kolinsky, Elena Castro, Ada Balasopoulou, Jo Hunt, Desamparados Roda, Claudia Bertan, Jane Goodall, Susana Miranda, Penny Flohr, Nuria Porta, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, David Olmos, Christopher J. Lord, Emma Hall, Ros Eeles, Johann S. de Bono. DNA repair genes aberrations in germline DNA in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4340.


Tuberculosis of the mandible, although heretofore considered to be rare, has been observed not infrequently. Of the fourteen cases reported in this paper, eight were seen within a period of two and one-half years. The majority of the patients belonged to the second and third decades of life. Swelling, discharging sinuses, and, occasionally, trismus of the jaw were the chief complaints. About 43 per cent. of the patients in this series had tuberculous lesions in other bones of the body, and tuberculosis of the skull was coexistent in 29 per cent. In ten of the cases in which the chest was studied roentgenographically, evidence of tuberculosis either in the lungs (eight cases) or in the pleura (two cases) was seen in 100 per cent. Pathogenically, it appears that the tuberculous infection of the mandible is almost always hematogenous, originating from a primary focus elsewhere in the body, most likely in the lungs, although the mandible may be involved from extension of a tuberculous lesion of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity or from infected gingivae about carious teeth. Rational therapy must emphasize general antituberculous measures in addition to local treatment of the tuberculous lesion of the mandible.


The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of videogames in comparison to simulations in a higher education environment and with regard to their attributes, motivation, and learning outcomes, as three of the main dimensions that play a role in the effectiveness of digital game-based learning. Results demonstrate significant differences between the attributes and motivation dimensions, while no significant differences were found for the learning outcomes. This would imply that although both instructional tools lead students to the desired level of knowledge acquisition, the motivation generated, together with the set of features provided by the games complement each other, leading to a superior learning experience. These results support the inclusion of videogames as a complement to simulations in higher education accounting and business environments and allow us to propose a blended approach that provides the learner with the 'best of both worlds'. © 2016 ASEPUC. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). ¿Merece la pena considerar los videojuegos en la enseñanza de contabilidad? Comparación de una simulación y un videojuego respecto a atributos, motivación y resultados de aprendizaje


In human spatial recognition, right and left are not recognized symmetrically. Although there have been many studies on the hemispheric asymmetry of the human brain, asymmetries in high‐level recognition (such as independence from input or output hemisphere) have not been studied extensively. We found that the human brain recognizes right and left asymmetrically in high‐level recognition. Experiments were performed in which participants crossed their hands and were required to judge the side of a tactile stimulus on the index finger in two different contexts: 'which hand was touched' or 'on which side of the space the touched hand was located'. The right inferior frontal region was significantly more activated by the 'contextually defined right' stimulus (right‐hand stimulation in the 'which hand' context and right‐space stimulation in the 'which space' context) than by the 'contextually defined left' stimulus. However, no activation that was more activated by the 'contextually defined left' than by the 'contextually defined right' was found. This asymmetric activation suggests that 'right' is the more outstanding side for human spatial recognition.


We investigated the role of filament length of the toxic cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii on the grazing of Daphnia magna by providing different food mixtures. It was hypothesized that longer C. raciborskii filaments would reduce the clearance rates of D. magna more than shorter ones. Also, C. raciborskii was expected to have a stronger negative impact on the grazing of larger animals. The clearance rates of two D. magna size classes (smaller, 2.0 ± 0.1 mm and larger, 3.1 ± 0.06 mm) were measured in short-term laboratory grazing experiments using individuals fed with two different monocultures of a saxitoxin producer C. raciborskii strain distinguished by filament lengths (average 137 and 61 µm). The cyanobacteria were offered as the sole food source and as a mixture (1:1) with Scenedesmus obliquus. A treatment with only S. obliquus was also applied. The length of C. raciborskii filaments did not have a clear influence on the clearance rates of D. magna within the range we tested. Thus, longer C. raciborskii filaments may not necessarily cause stronger feeding inhibition than shorter ones. Most of the grazing reduction occurred when C. raciborskii was the sole food for either size of D. magna. Larger animals experienced increased feeding inhibition by the addition of C. raciborskii to the diet. The proportion of C. raciborskii relative to suitable food may be a key factor for the outcome of feeding performance of D. magna. We encourage other authors to test the validity of these conclusions over a larger range of filament lengths and on strains with different biochemical makeup.


Given the contours of the island of Borneo are numerous plateaus, allowing roads to be constructed in mountainous areas or hilly, it can be seen on the streets shaft North Kalimantan namely Tanjung Selor – Tana Tidung road on the path Tanjung Selor – Tana Tidung road there is a level of steepness high whitout made retaining wall can be causing landslides that could be dangerous for road users and surrounding residents. This can occur as a result of soil instability especially when coupled with high rainfall, It is necessary to retaining that handy to withstand the preassures in the soil so that the soil does not move and headed towards the bottom. With the development of science, the more ways you can use to avoid or rectify the land / area avalanche of one of them by making a retaining wall.


Extensive research has been done on learning-oriented assessment practices in higher education. Keywords such as formative assessment, peer-assessment and feedback dominate the scholarly discourses of assessment. This research, however, argues that not enough attention has been paid to the relationship between assessment policy, power in assessment and the effects of assessment policy and practice on academic and student subjectivities. This is particularly the case in neoliberalised universities where institutional policies are constantly reshaped and developed for the sake of quality assurance and accountability.
Guided by Michel Foucault's work on discipline and governmentality, this doctoral research explores the ways in which assessment policies have been constructed in two European universities with different historical, political and social backgrounds: the University of Glasgow and Tallinn University. Furthermore, the study explores assessment as an institutional technology that can act on academics and students and shape their experience of their work and studies. In addition to policy analysis, the study involves interviews and focus groups with academics, graduate teaching assistants, students and assessment policy makers in both universities, as well as expert conversations with leading authors in the field. The analytic framework for the study is derived from Fairclough's approach to discourse analysis. By exploring various discourses, the study traces the ways that assessment policies shape academics and students, and how they are negotiated and resisted by the participants.
The research findings demonstrate that assessment policy and practice draw on wider higher education policy discourses such as the discourses of neoliberalism. The study argues that student assessment is highly complex in neoliberalised universities: it not only operates as a disciplinary technology through which the assessor dominates over the assessed, but can become a neoliberal technology of government that relies on a high number of (ambiguous) regulations and self-governance of academics and students. The
issues of governmentality are particularly characteristic to a highly neoliberalised policy context in the University of Glasgow that shapes complex academic and student subjectivities. Both students and academics feel constrained and controlled in assessment processes, and they tend to accept rather than actively resist the institutional assessment policy and practice developments. However, some evidence of covert resistance was found. This can be conceptualised as a Foucauldian understanding of a subject who is not passively created through power relations but who has opportunities to create him/herself to some extent. As the study captured an early stage of neoliberalisation in Tallinn University, assessment can also be seen as operating, in this context, as a more traditional technology of discipline: little regulated, designed by academics and experienced by students as a subjective process. The findings demonstrate that a more traditional operation of assessment in Tallinn offers significant opportunities for individual pro-activeness and resistance, such as academics managing their practices and students manoeuvring within these practice contexts. These findings lead to the conclusion that assessment in higher education is not only an educational process but an institutional technology related to the issues of discipline and governmentality. Furthermore, they demonstrate that subjectification of academics and students through assessment policy and practice is complex and context-specific in which neoliberal policies tend to have a more constraining effect than that of the traditional understanding of assessment as the domain of the teacher.


The composition and ecology of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEUK) are essential for microbial food web functioning. We hypothesize that the simultaneous use of flow cytometry (FCM) and High-Performance-Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC) tools will aid in discerning the dominant PPEUK groups contributing to abundance and biomass under prevailing environmental conditions. The PPEUK seasonal community abundance and pigment biomass were investigated from a south-west monsoon influenced tropical bay from June 2015-May 2016. A size-fractionated (< 3 µm) approach using FCM and HPLC revealed five and six PPEUK groups, respectively. Picocryptophytes dominated the PPEUK biomass under varied environmental conditions, whereas Picodiatoms contributed substantially, being abundant under turbulent, low-temperature, nutrient (NO3−, SiO44−) enriched conditions. The Picochlorophytes dominated the community numerically. The relatively higher abundance and biomass of Picoprasinophytes and a positive correlation with NO3− and NH4+ imply proliferation under higher nutrient concentrations. The least contributors to biomass were Picodinoflagellates and Picoprymnesiophytes. The relatively larger cell size of Picocryptophytes and Picodiatoms resulted in higher cumulative biomass, signifying their role in the microbial food web. Our study proposes incorporation of additional indicator pigments in algorithms used to estimate coastal picophytoplankton contribution to total phytoplankton biomass to avoid discrepancies.


Optical power limiters (OPLs) are "smart materials" that follow passive approaches to provide laser protection. They have the potential for protecting optical sensors and possibly even human eyes from laser-pulse damage. Optical power limiting has been a subject of increasing interest for more than two decades now. The interest is due to the increasingly large number of applications based on lasers that are currently available. Several research groups have been attempting to develop novel OPL materials based on nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores. As a result, there are a large number of publications and patents on this subject. To date, however, there is not a single OPL material available which, taken individually, can provide ideal and smooth attenuation of an output beam. Therefore, the design and development of radically new types of materials for OPL is urgently required. During the last few years, materials containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have established themselves as some of the best-performing optical limiters; however, such materials are difficult to prepare and have issues with stability. In this review, the origin of OPL as well as the mechanisms of OPL are discussed. Ways to modify CNTs to make them suitable for OPL applications is also discussed.


The authors found that the order of attribute presentation had a stronger effect on judgment in English than in Chinese. In Experiment 1, with a sample of 102 female and 63 male bilingual Singaporeans, the authors found that participants' memory-based judgments showed a stronger primacy effect in English than in Chinese that was mediated by recall from long-term memory. In contrast, participants' online (immediate) judgments showed a primacy effect in both languages that was unmediated by recall from short-term memory. In Experiment 2, with a sample of 67 female and 53 male bilingual Singaporeans, the authors found that participants' online judgments were more influenced by the attribute order of a previously seen competitive advertisement in English than in Chinese. A cross-cultural field study in Mainland China and the United Kingdom provided external validity for the experimental results.


The "Heuristics and Biases" research program led by economist A. Tversky (who died in 1996) and by the Nobel Prize winning psychologist D. Kahneman, has provided since 1971 an alternative approach to the Expected Utility Model in the field of decision making. Assertions of this descriptive theory focused on the psychological aspects affecting individual choice, called "The Prospect Theory", question the normative status of Rational Choice Theory, its underlying assumptions and it predictive pretension. This article aims to provide a contrast between the two theories.


Current approaches to summarising large arrays of data for presentation and communication mostly comprise reporting means with, e.g., Bar-charts. These methods are well-suited for unimodal, ideally normally-or near-normally distributed data, but are misleading for long-tail distributions that comprise most of the Big Data. We propose a succinct visualisation format, parallel in simplicity to bar-charts, that is suitable for communicating the gist of long-tail distributions, and show its efficiency empirically.


The potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of water and ethanol extracts from Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer (FVS) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and LPS-induced oxidative damage in PC-12 and RAW264.7 cells were investigated. The DPPH radical scavenging activities of the water extract from FVS was the highest, and the 50% inhibitory concentration value was 0.388 mg/mL. Also, the antioxidant activities of water and ethanol extracts were determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power, 2,2"-azino-bis-(3-ethybenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging activity. In addition, water extract from FVS showed a strongly inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation by measuring ferric thiocyanate values. The water extract decreased cell apoptosis in PC-12 cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage. In addition, FVS extracts exhibited the strongest nitric oxide (NO) inhibition activity. It was also found that FVS extract inhibited LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression in RAW264.7 cells. The findings of the present study suggest that extracts of FVS exhibit anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activity against oxidative stress and/or stimulated cells.


SUMMARY Objective: To evaluate the role of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients with interstitial lung disease associated to antisynthetase syndrome. Methods: We describe 5 patients, anti-Jo1 positive, with interstitial lung disease (lung fibrosis and/or diffusion capacity of CO <80%). Patients were monitored with lung function tests every 6 months, with high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) every 12 months, and with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at baseline and in the subsequent follow-up. Patients were treated as follows: a) azathioprine with colchicine, or cyclosporine alone b) cyclophosphamide when high neutrophil or eosinophil count on BAL was observed. Only low-dose steroids were used for mild muscular or articular involvement. Results: Pulmonary involvement remained stable in all patients at months +24. Lung function remained unchanged compared to the baseline evaluation; HRCT was stable in patients with fibrosis and no progression into fibrosis was observed in patients with ground glass areas at baseline. Bacterial pneumonia occurred in one patient treated with cyclophosphamide and resolved after antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: Clinical manifestations, instrumental tests and BAL may be of value to choice the best immunosuppressive therapy in the single case. An early less aggressive approach (azathioprine with colchicine, or cyclosporine alone) may be useful. BAL could be performed when a progression of the lung involvement is demonstrated in the subsequent follow-up. Cyclophosphamide may be a valid alternative treatment in the presence of a neutrophilic or eosinophilic alveolitis. Efficacy and safety of the aforementioned immunosuppressive approach were observed in our series, avoiding prolonged high-dose steroid administration.


We analyze the Two-Higgs-Doublet Models (2HDMs) of Type I and II for consistency with the latest measurements of the ~125.5 GeV Higgs-like signal at the LHC. To this end, we perform scans of the 2HDM parameter space taking into account all relevant pre-LHC constraints as well as the most recent limits coming from searches for heavy Higgs-like states at the LHC. The current status of the 2HDMs of Type I and II is discussed assuming that the observed 125.5 GeV state is one of the two CP-even Higgs bosons, either the lighter h or the heavier H. Implications for future experiments, including expectations regarding other lighter or heavier Higgs bosons are given. The possible importance of heavier Higgs bosons feeding the signals for the 125.5 GeV state is also evaluated.


Internationalization in higher education is a complex process derived from the new social, cultural, and economic dynamics that was generated in national and international context. It was conceived as a strategy to guarantee society with better job opportunities. It starts with the social relevance of the curriculum and the development of institutional programs that favors it. For Higher Education Institutions (IES) to enter into this dynamic process, Knight (1994) describes the integration of the international and intercultural dimensions in the teaching, research, and service functions of the institution. In this sense, the objective of the present investigation is to study the incursion of the Autonomous Juarez University of Tabasco (UJAT) based on the process of internationalization. This is done by analyzing the statistical information of the institutional program of the mobility of undergraduate students in period 2012-2016. The research approach is qualitative based on the documental analysis of the information contained in the Institutional Development Plans (IDP) 2012-2016 and 2016-2020, as well as in the annual reports of activities included in the study period. Statistics show that each year, the number of students increased with an increase of 69.6% when comparing the first year of the study with the year 2016. In order to determine the results of this study in absolute terms, the total enrollment of the UJAT in undergraduate degree in the years 2012 and 2016 was compared with the number of participating students, resulting in 0.17% and 0.53%, respectively.


Pregnant swine were immunized parenterally with purified heat-stable Escherichia coli enterotoxin that was made antigenic by coupling it to bovine immunoglobulin G. Immunized swine had high titers of antitoxin in serum and colostrum as measured by radioimmunoassay. However, the heat-stable enterotoxin neutralizing titers of the serum and colostrum from immunized swine were comparatively low. Newborn pigs suckling their immunized dams were not protected against challenge with porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli that produce heat-stable toxin but do not produce heat-labile toxin.


Schwannomas are benign tumors derived from the sheath of Schwann cells. Though it is common to see schwannomas in the head and neck region, auricular schwannomas are rare and only few cases have been reported. There are no distinguishing clinical findings or images; therefore, the histopathological diagnosis is mandatory. We describe a case of auricular schwannoma with clinical pictures and discuss the differential diagnoses according to histopathologic findings.


The near-optimal test-point set selection for an analog fault dictionary is formulated as a heuristic depth-first graph search problem. Then, the test point selection process becomes a graph-node-expanding process. During the process of graph expansion, the information-theoretic concepts of entropy are used to develop the criterion for how to choose an intermediate node to expand. If a graph node has already isolated those faults that are hard isolate, then the residual faults can easily be isolated. The difficulty of isolating a given fault is evaluated by the information-theoretic concept of entropy. The harder that a fault is isolated, the larger the entropy value it will have. Statistical experimental results indicate that the proposed method more accurately finds the global minimum set of test points than other methods; therefore, it is a good solution to minimize the size of the test point set.


Shanghai, as a coastal city, is vulnerable to various types of flooding. The floodwalls along the Huangpu River provide protection against typhoon-induced flooding. However, there is limited insight into the actual safety level of the flood defences in Shanghai, and recent failures have highlighted their vulnerability. Therefore, the aims of this paper are to derive a series of new flood frequency curves for the Huangpu River, and to evaluate the level of protection of the floodwall system. This paper analysed over 100 years (1912–2013) of annual maximum water levels for three stations at near-sea, mid-stream and inland locations along the Huangpu River. Best-fit curves were determined for a number of selected probability distributions using statistical performance indicators. As a result, new flood frequency curves of the water levels for different storm surge return periods were produced. The results showed that generalised extreme value (GEV) was identified as the most suitable probability distribution for the datasets. Analysis showed that the current design water levels correspond to exceedance probabilities of 1/500 per year at the near-sea and mid-stream stations, and no more than 1/50 per year at the inland station of the Huangpu River, whereas the intended safety standard is 1/1000 per year. A comparison of the findings with a dataset of the crest heights of the floodwalls showed that the current protection level of the floodwalls along the Huangpu River is expected to be around 1/50 per year in terms of overtopping for the lowest sections. The results of this study can be utilized to provide future recommendations for flood risk management in Shanghai


Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) has been detected in major pig-producing countries around the world since its first report in the US in 2016. Most current studies have focused on epidemiological investigations and detection methods of PCV3 because of lack of live virus strains for research on its pathogenesis in porcine cells or even in pigs. We constructed a recombinant plasmid pCMV-Cap carrying the PCV3 orf2 gene to investigate the effects of capsid (Cap) protein expression on autophagic response in human embryonic kidney cell line 293T (HEK293T). We demonstrate that PCV3 Cap protein induced complete autophagy shown as formation of autophagosomes and autophagosome-like vesicles as well as LC3-II conversion from LC3-I via inhibiting phosphorylation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in HEK293T cells. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is also involved in the autophagy process. These findings provide insight for further exploration of PCV3 pathogenetic mechanisms in porcine cells.


On the basis of literature and own experience is reported on principle and practice of a new method of tissue glueing with fibron gluten. The fibrin gluten is a first-class possibility also for blood-stanching. In the transvesical adenomectomy the author used for blood-stanching is the prostatic loge with good success fibrin gluten. Thus is became possible to perform a simultaneous "miniheparin"-thrombosis prevention without having the risk of a secondary hemorrhage.


The recent epidemic of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 was declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern. The absence of an approved vaccine or a specific antiviral drug has made bioinformatic tools crucial for the identification of potential therapeutic targets and drugs for its control. As in other RNA viruses, the protease 3C-like and the RNA-polymerase are two of the SARS-CoV-2 targets to test drugs that can be analyzed in silico. In the present study, compounds derived from plants, fungi, and nucleoside 5'-triphosphate or uridine nucleotide analogs, with anti-DENV activity in vitro or in vivo, were analyzed by molecular docking as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs. Anthraquinone, with a DENV NS3 protease inhibitory activity; Balapiravir, Fisetin, Hyperoside, and Sofosbuvir, with a DENV NS5 RNA-polymerase inhibitory activity; and Quercetin, with both anti-NS3-NS5 activities, were tested against 3C-like protease and RNA-polymerase of SARS-CoV-2. All these drugs demonstrated a high affinity for the corresponding SARS-CoV-2 proteins, representing excellent candidates for the treatment of COVID-19. Therefore, in vitro or in vivo studies should be carried out using these compounds on models for SARS-CoV-2 infection.


We construct the partition function of 1/8 BPS dyons in type II string theory on T6 from counting of microstates of a D1-D5 system in Taub-NUT space. Our analysis extends the earlier ones by Shih, Strominger and Yin and by Pioline by taking into account the walls of marginal stability on which a 1/8 BPS dyon can decay into a pair of half-BPS dyons. Across these walls the dyon spectrum changes discontinuously, and as a result the spectrum is not manifestly invariant under S-duality transformation of the charges. However the partition function is manifestly S-duality invariant and takes the same form in all domains of the moduli space separated by walls of marginal stability, the spectra in different domains being obtained by choosing different integration contours along which we carry out the Fourier transform of the partition function. The jump in the spectrum across a wall of marginal stability, calculated from the behaviour of the partition function at an appropriate pole, reproduces the expected wall crossing formula.


It has been evaluated the genetic variability through the use of RAPD molecular markers on the following passionflower species: Passiflora amethystina, P. caerulea, P. cincinnata, P. coccinea, P. serrato digitata, P. foetida, P. maliformis, P. alata, P. giberti, P. laurifolia, P. macrocarpa, P. nitida, P. setacea, P. suberosa, P. ligularis, P. capsularis, P. edulis Sims and its botanical variety P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg. In this research work, the analyses of the random amplified polymorphic DNA products (RAPD) were employed to estimate the genetic diversity and the taxonomic linkage within the species above. The total of 21 primers were used in this study which generated 270 different polymorphic products. It was possible to detect that the Passiflora species had shown a similarity of 17,3%, and between Passiflora edulis Sims and Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa a similarity of 34,35% has been found. The rate of similarity within edulis specie is low, making it clear that a large variability between the yellow and the purple forms exists.


ABSTRACT Constructed landscapes are composed of diverse communities, representing different social strata and perspectives of a place. In turn, the risks associated with inhabiting unpredictable environments are disproportionately felt across urban and rural landscapes. The mitigation and management of risks often fall on farming and smallholder communities, influencing decentralized strategies. These themes are explored in an archaeological context surrounding the confluence of the Upper Usumacinta and Lacantún Rivers in the neotropical Maya lowlands of Chiapas, Mexico. LiDAR data collected recently with the GatorEye unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) and NASA's GLiHT system have aided in the mapping of the archaeological urban centre of Benemérito de las Américas, Primera Sección and the surrounding landscape. These data have revealed coupled settlement with land management, in the form of wetland fields, reservoirs, and riverways, emphasizing the interconnectivity of household practice and land use in the region.


The gram-positive and spore-forming bacterium Brevibacillus laterosporus (Bl) belongs to the Brevibacillus brevis phylogenetic cluster. Isolates of the species have demonstrated pesticidal potency against a wide range of invertebrate pests and plant diseases. Two New Zealand isolates, Bl 1821L and Bl 1951, are under development as biopesticides for control of diamondback moth and other pests. However, due to often restricted growth of these endemic isolates, production can be an issue. During investigations of the cause of the disrupted growth, electron micrographs of crude lysate of Bl 1821L showed the presence of phages tail-like structures. PEG 8000 precipitated lysate harbouring the putative phage tail-like particles demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against several gram-positive bacteria. SDS-PAGE of purified and concentrated lysate showed a prominent protein band of ∼48 kD from where transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of polysheath-like structures. N-terminal sequencing of the ∼48 kD protein mapped to a gene with weak predicted amino acid homology to a Bacillus PBSX phage-like element xkdK, the translated product of which shared >90% amino acid similarity to the phage tail-sheath protein of another Bl published genome, LMG15441. An xkdK homolog was also identified in the Bl 1951 genome. However, genome comparison of the region around the xkdK gene between Bl 1821L and Bl 1951 found differences including two glycine rich protein encoding genes which contain imperfect repeats (1700 bp) in Bl 1951, while a putative phage region resides in the analogous Bl 1821L region. Although comparative analysis of the genomic organisation of Bl 1821L and Bl 1951 PBSX-like region with the defective phages PBSX, PBSZ, and PBP 180 of Bacillus subtilis isolates 168 and W23, and Bacillus phage PBP180 revealed low amino acids similarity, the genes encode similar functional proteins in similar arrangements, including phage tail-sheath (XkdK), tail (XkdO), holin (XhlB), and N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine (XlyA). AMPA analysis identified a bactericidal stretch of 13 amino acids in the ∼48 kD sequenced protein of Bl 1821L. Assays of purified ∼48 kD protein of Bl 1821L caused a decrease of 34.2% in the number of viable cells of Bl 1951, 18 hours after treatment as compared to the control. Significance of the study This study for the first time isolated, purified, and characterised putative phage tail-like bacteriocins (PTLBs) from the insect pathogenic isolates of Brevibacillus laterosporus. Identified PTLBs caused a decrease in the number of viable cells of Bl 195, 18 hours after treatment as compared to control. Therefore, it is likely that the putative PTLBs might have implications in harnessing the insecticidal potential of this useful bacterium.


BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine is an α2-receptor agonist used for sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although dexmedetomidine is labeled for sedation in critically ill patients at doses up to 0.7 μg/kg/h, recent studies have used more liberal dosing regimens. However, to our knowledge, no study has assessed the clinical impact of doses greater than 0.7 μg/kg/h when compared to doses within the Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling. OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of high (HD) and low (LD) dses of dexmedetomidine for sedation in the ICU. METHODS: This retrospective study included a sample of patients who received dexmedetomidine in medical, surgical, medical/surgical, and cardiothoracic ICUs between January 1, 2008, and December 1, 2009. Patients were included in the LD group if their maximum dose was less than 0.7 μg/kg/h or in the HD group if any dose was more than 0.7 μg/kg/h. Efficacy was determined by the percentage of Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) scores for each patient maintained at goal sedation (-1 to +1), and safety was determined by the incidence of hypotension and bradycardia. RESULTS: Forty-three of 133 patients received HD dexmedetomidine. Patients in the LD group had a significantly higher percentage of RASS scores at goal (60.0% vs 48.6%; p = 0.03), while those in the HD group experienced a higher percentage of RASS scores classified as undersedated (19.2% vs 4.9%; p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of hypotension or bradycardia between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated with HD dexmedetomidine had fewer RASS scores at goal. Our data suggest that increasing the dose of dexmedetomidine may not enhance sedation efficacy or lead to an increased incidence of adverse effects. Patients who have not achieved goal sedation at doses of 0.7 μg/kg/h or less may not respond further to increased doses.


This study was aimed to establish an optimized method to observe the synchronous changes of vascular tension and intracellular Ca2+ signal in the third-order branches of mesenteric arteries (sMA, diameter: 100-300 μm). The vascular tension and intracellular Ca2+ signal changes in response to potassium chloride (KCl), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and Gd3+ were detected using confocal wire myograph system and confocal laser scanning microscopy imaging technique, respectively. The experimental results were analyzed to explore the optimal experimental conditions. The results showed that KCl caused contraction in sMA significantly, and the intracellular Ca2+ level of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was also increased under 20× and 40× objective lens. Compared with those under the 40× objective lens, the Ca2+ signal change was larger and the fluorescence value was more stable under the 20× objective lens, whereas the Ca2+ signal change was not obvious under the 10× objective lens. ET-1 (1-10 nmol/L) caused concentration dependent contraction in sMA significantly, and the intracellular Ca2+ signal of VSMCs was also enhanced in a concentration dependent manner. Additionally, Gd3+ significantly reduced the contraction of sMA and the intracellular Ca2+ signal of VSMCs caused by ET-1. The results suggest that the intracellular Ca2+ signal of VSMCs changes with vascular contraction or relaxation caused by the agonists or antagonists of Ca2+ channels. We successfully recorded both changes synchronously using confocal wire myograph system and confocal laser scanning microscopy imaging technique at the same time. Based on the analysis of the experimental results, we concluded that 20× objective lens provides the best experimental condition. Compared to combination of vascular tone detection method and real-time cellular fluorescence imaging technique, the present synchronous method is convenient and helpful to reduce experimental error.


The structure of amorphous selenium prepared by quenching from molten selenium at 620 K to room temperature has been studied by X-ray diffraction. The diffraction intensity of monochromatized Ag Kα radiation was determined to be s=22.0 Å-1. The mean coordination numbers of neighbouring atoms with an interval of 0.1 Å at the distances of the crystalline forms were calculated and compared with the observed radial distribution curves. Theoretical diffraction intensities were also calculated for these structures. By comparison with the observed data, the mesh parameters could be estimated on the assumption that the strain distributions in the sample are Gaussian and the standard deviations of interatomic distances are linearly proportional to their mean distances and are larger for interchain (or -ring) atoms than for intrachain (or -ring) atoms. The β-monoclinic structure best fitted the obtained data.


In a sample of 444 university students, the subjective quality of sleep was analyzed and compared between smokers and non-smokers. Nicotine dependence was assessed using the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence and the subjective quality of sleep was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Of the sample, 41.2% admitted to smoking daily. Poor sleep quality was reported by 45.7% of the sample (scores of > 5 on the PSQI). Smokers presented a risk of poor sleep quality that was greater than that of non-smokers with an Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.42 (95% CI [.990-2.074]). Smokers appear to have an increased risk of long sleep latencies with an OR = 1.50 (95% CI [1.018-2.213]). Moreover, smokers have a greater risk of showing high sleep disturbance with an OR = 2.45 (95% CI [1.391-4.304]). It is necessary to extend the studies that link sleep with cigarette smoking, and to explore the factors that modulate these causal relationships.


Na-ion batteries offer an attractive low-cost alternative to Li-ion batteries. Although graphite is used as the negative electrode in conventional Li-ion batteries, attempts to use it in Na-ion batteries have been hampered by the inability of Na to form graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) under moderate conditions. It is generally considered that this is due to the size mismatch between Na and the graphite interlayer spacings, but here we show with detailed first-principles calculations of Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs GICs that the major reason is the change in chemical bonding between alkali metal (AM) ion and C atoms. van der Waals correction terms are introduced to better reproduce the layered graphite structure, and calculated formation energies of GICs AMC6, where AM = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, are found to become less negative (less stable) as ion size decreases from Cs to Na as a result of weakening ionic bonding, until the formation energy of NaC6 becomes positive. The much smaller Li ion represents an exception to this trend, as its bonds with C atoms contain a covalent component, resulting in a negative formation energy. These subtle differences in staging for the different alkali metals explain why graphite is a good intercalation material for Li and K but not for Na.


In the history of curative education, the figure of Kaspar Hauser is given much prominence in both philosophical anthropology and psychology. The observations made about him offered plentiful food for thought as to the conditions of language acquisition as well as the social and cognitive development of the child. From his first arrival in Nuremberg on Whitsunday of 1828, Kaspar Hauser's enigmatic fate famously attracted an unusual degree of public attention, and still does to this day. Many artists made him their subject matter, both in fact and in fiction, through poetry, novel, drama and film. He is portrayed as the epitome of man, or rather of a particular human condition: In many ways, he is the abandoned stranger with no knowledge of his past or control of his own destiny. For Karl König, curative pedagogue and founder of the Camphill movement, Kaspar Hauser, Victor von Aveyron and others stood at the very beginning of curative education, representing the fate of children who are, for a multitude of reasons, prevented from developing their individuality and participating in social life.1


Two series of flexible polyurethane foams were fabricated by substituting conventional petroleum-based polyols with increasing amounts of soy-based polyols (SBP) having different hydroxyl numbers. The mechanical properties of the foams were characterized by stress–strain analysis in the compression mode and DMA in tension mode, the cellular morphology was analyzed by SEM and the microphase-separation of the foams was noted by SAXS. Our results showed that the cellular morphology and mechanical properties of the flexible foams were affected significantly by the foam fabrication method and SBP hydroxyl numbers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


Phytophthora are a genus of microbial, filamentous eukaryotes that morphologically resemble fungi but belong to the Oomycete class. Phytophthora species include some of the most destructive pathogens of plants, including many economically important crops and forest species. They represent one of the biggest threats to worldwide food security and natural ecosystems. Phytophthora are notorious for secreting large arsenals of effector proteins which facilitate infection by degrading host cell components, exploiting host nutrients, dampening host immune responses and inducing necrosis. Compared to other taxonomic groups, there is a paucity of OMICs data available to study Phytophthora species. To this end, we have used an LC-MS/MS strategy to perform the first large-scale profiling of the secretomes of three Phytophthora species that are an increasing threat to global forest ecosystems: Ph. chlamydospora, Ph. gonapodyides and Ph. pseudosyringae. Together, Ph. gonapodyides and Ph. chlamydospor are present the two most widespread Phytophthora species, having been found in a wide range of habitats globally. Ph. pseudosyringae has been identified as the cause of oak and beech decline across Europe and America. Here, we use mass spectrometry to characterise the secretome of these Phytophthora species by identifying proteins secreted into different growth media. We detect a number of important effector families including proteins involved in the breakdown of plant cell wall carbohydrates (CAZymes) and toxin families such as necrosis-inducing proteins. Our results provide important insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms of Phytophthora infection.


During the early Mesozoic two mass-extinction events profoundly reshaped the world's biota. The first
of these took place at the end of the Triassic and affected both marine organisms and terrestrial floras. The second
occurred as an oceanic anoxic event during the early Toarcian. Although the Late Triassic floral assemblages of
Australia have been the focus of many studies, there have been few investigations of the recovery succession of the
following Jurassic period. This study investigates an Early Jurassic terrestrial fossil assemblage from the Inverleigh
quarry, Clarence-Moreton Basin, eastern Australia, deposited between these events. The Inverleigh sediments belong
to the Marburg Subgroup, an entirely non-marine succession characterised by a low diversity flora. The assemblage
is overwhelmingly dominated by a single conifer taxon, Allocladus helgei sp. nov, but ferns and possible
lycophytes occur in low numbers. The macroflora is supplemented by an array of dispersed cuticle fragments with
well preserved stomata and charcoalified wood. Other mesofossils include five megaspore species, here described
under open nomenclature. Additionally, a small assemblage of clitellate annelid cocoons was recovered from the
organic residues.
The palaeoenvironment is interpreted as waterlogged or frequently inundated floodplain based on the dominant
fine-grained lithology and the presence in the fossil assemblage of many free-sporing ferns and isoetaleans, which
are dependent on moisture for reproduction. The frequent exposure to flooding would have imposed environmental
stresses on the plants growing at the site. This resulted in a low diversity plant community, dominated by species
adapted to moist, high-latitude conditions.


Phytoplankton biomass in relation to some environmental and nutritional parameters at Watch Tower Station of Tanguar and Rauar Station has been studied. Since the Haor is a Ramsar Site, it is a globally important aquatic ecosystem. In the present investigation, the structure of the phytoplankton and the water quality factors were worked out and the data were compared Rauar Station with having the same ecosystem. Though weaker, a difference among alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), Secchi disc transparency, soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP), soluble reactive silicate (SRS), NO3-N, NH4+, chlorophyll-a and phytoplankton population density was found between the Watch Tower and the Rauar Station of Tanguar Haor. The mean values of the aforsaid parameters were found to some extent higher in the Watch Tower Station. The Watch Tower Station was deeper and perennial, where the depth of water varied from 3.0 - 9.5 m annually with a mean of 6.72 m. In the studied station, air and water temperature varied from 22.6 - 30.6 and 22.7 - 30.3°C, respectively. Water transparency ranged from 2.08 - 3.0 m. From December to March the pH remained 8.1-9.7 and alkalinity from 0.73 - 1.35 meq/l. However, from April to September these two parameters ranged from 7.5 - 7.7 and 0.33 - 1.35 meq/l, respectively. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and free CO2 concentration ranged from 2.5 - 6.09 and 0.084 - 0.087 mg/l, respectively. During April to September the Chlorophyll-a value ranged from 5.5 - 7.5 μg/l while the range of SRP was 24.23 - 30.05 μg/l during the same period. At the latter part of the study year i.e., during the dry period (December to March) those two parameters were relatively low in concentration. In April a high concentration of NH4+ (1380 μg/l) was reported from the haor, at other times this parameter ranged from 690 - 820 μg/l. The NO3-N ranged from 0.25 - 0.75 mg/l. High density of phytoplankton population (2690 ind./l) was reported at the time of high concentration of SRP (30.05 μg/l ) of the haor water. The chlorophyll-a value (7.5 μg/l) was also highest at that time. So, it could be said that SRP concentration in Tanguar haor has been playing a vital role in regulating the standing crop of phytoplankton. To find the variation on a spatial scale, the data of the present investigation were compared with another study station of the haor namely, Rauar Station. No significant difference was observed among the concentrations of different parameters. However, a slight increasing trend in the concentrations of DO, alkalinity, SRP, NO3-N, SRS, NH4+ and total phytoplankton density was observed in the Watch Tower Station compared to Rauar Station. Watch Tower Station is also relatively deeper with an improved light climate as it had been revealed by the mean value of the Secchi depth. The water quality of Tanguar Haor has been classified as mesotrophic.
Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 29(1): 9-18, 2020 (January)


Objective: To evaluate the clinical application effect of Kanglaite combined with DCF chemotherapy program in the patients with gastric cancer. Methods: 86 cases who were all the gastric cancer patients admitted to our hospital from February 2014 to June 2016 were selected, according to randomly divided into two groups, control group and experimental group. The control group was treated with DCF treatment, and the experimental group were treated with Kanglaite combined DCF chemotherapy program, and the therapeutic effects, the quality of life of patients and incidence rate of adverse reactions in two groups were observed and compared. Result: Compared with the control group, the total effective rate and the quality of life score of the experimental group were significantly higher, and the incidence of adverse reactions was less (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In clinic, Kanglaite combined with DCF chemotherapy program on patients with gastric cancer, can improve the treatment effect and life quality of patients, with less adverse reaction and high application value.


Truss layout design, namely finding a lightweight truss layout satisfying all the physical constraints, is a fundamental problem in the building industry. Generating the optimal layout is a challenging combinatorial optimization problem, which can be extremely expensive to solve by exhaustive search. Directly applying end-to-end reinforcement learning (RL) methods to truss layout design is infeasible either, since only a tiny portion of the entire layout space is valid under the physical constraints, leading to particularly sparse rewards for RL training.

In this paper, we develop AutoTruss, a two-stage framework to efficiently generate both lightweight and valid truss layouts. AutoTruss first adopts Monte Carlo tree search to discover a diverse collection of valid layouts. Then RL is applied to iteratively refine the valid solutions. We conduct experiments and ablation studies in popular truss layout design test cases in both 2D and 3D settings. AutoTruss outperforms the best-reported layouts by 25.1% in the most challenging 3D test cases, resulting in the first effective deep-RL-based approach in the truss layout design literature.


Turner's syndrome is associated with multiple skeletal abnormalities, including osteoporosis. We evaluated the hypothesis that girls with Turner's syndrome may have deficient bone density before the expected age of pubertal onset (9-13 yr) by comparing the bone mineral content of the wrist and lumbar spine in 78 girls with Turner's syndrome (4-13 yr old) and 28 normal prepubertal girls who were matched for age, bone age, body mass index, or height age. The bone mineral content of the wrist and spine was measured by single photon absorptiometry (SPA) and dual photon absorptiometry (DPA), respectively. SPA values for girls with Turner's syndrome vs. normal subjects (4-6.9, 7-9.9, and 10-12.9 yr old) were (mean +/- SD) 0.27 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.05, 0.35 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.41 +/- 0.06, and 0.41 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.45 +/- 0.03 g/cm2, respectively. SPA values in the Turner's syndrome girls were decreased compared to those in normal prepubertal girls, matched for age (P less than 0.0001), bone age, (P less than 0.001), and body mass index (BMI; P less than 0.0001), but not for height age. DPA values for girls with Turner's syndrome vs. normal girls in the same age categories were 0.65 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.70 +/- 0.09, 0.77 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.79 +/- 0.09, and 0.83 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.78 +/- 0.07 g/cm2. DPA values in Turner's syndrome girls (as a group) were decreased compared to those in normal prepubertal girls matched for age (P less than 0.05) and BMI (P less than 0.02), but not for bone age or height age. The annual incidence rate of wrist fractures in Turner's syndrome girls (9.1 of 1000) was significantly increased compared to the reported annual incidence rate in normal children (3.5 of 1000; P less than 0.003). We conclude that prepubertal-aged girls with Turner's syndrome (less than 13 yr old) have normal bone density for height age, but significantly decreased bone density of the wrist for chronological age, bone age, and BMI. They also have significantly more wrist fractures than normal girls, but it is not clear that this is related to their bone density.


The objective of this work was to carry through the evaluation of microbiological dangers in 15 cooled samples of beefburguer and 15 cooled samples of grounded meat in 15 butcher's shop in Diamantina, MG. There was carried through the research of Salmonella sp., aerobic organisms and Staphylococcus. At the moment of the collection of the samples of meat, information related in a check-list with the adoption of good manufacture practices and procedures of slaughter, transport, distribution and commercialization conducted the establishment to be classified in low, medium and high risk. The results of the laboratorial analysis showed that the Salmonella sp was absent in 15 samples beefburguer and in 20% of the samples of grounded meat. The average count of the aerobic organisms was about 5 x 105 CFU/g e 26 x 105 CFU/g, in beefburguer and grounded meat, respectively. The Staphylococcus was detected in 60% of the grounded meat samples, and in 40% of the beefburguer samples. The average count was about 26 x 105 CFU/g and 8 x 105 CFU/g, respectively. According to the evaluation of the practices adopted to the manipulation and commercialization of meat, the conclusion of this work, classified in high risk (100%) in all the butcher's shop studied. The data obtained revealed the presence of serious dangers for the health of the cooled cattle meat commercialized in Diamantina, MG.

Keywords: Meat contamination, sanitary inspections, food safety.


: Foreign language competence has recently been one of the most important competences for Vietnamese students to easily integrate and compete to other students in the international arena. In the recent years, the demand for learning English has dramatically increased in Vietnam. Many different teaching methods were applied to improve foreign language competence for students, and among those methods, using songs while teaching English as well as curriculum such as Chemistry, Physics, and Math is considered as a good choice for teachers. Music lyrics and song not only provide tools to strengthen and reinforce vocabulary, comprehension, and writing, but increase learning and grammatical variations with auditory skills and rhythm. This study was formulated to discover the improvement in student´s foreign language competence by using English songs in teaching Biology 10. The post-test was administered with both groups at the end of treatment period. The data obtained were used to show the changes between the experimental and the control classes. Observations were also carried out during the Biology lessons for both classes to provide in-depth knowledge of findings. An investigation on the status of teaching Biology in English was carried out at some high schools in Hanoi. The English songs used in teaching Biology grade 10 were collected and downloaded on some reputed Youtube channels in educational field. The data were collected through the test and analyzed by excel software. The pedagogical results showed that English songs draws students more attention on lesson, makes lesson more interesting but still well convey the knowledge of the lesson. Moreover, it helps student better in English skills and easily remember biological terms. Thus this research may suggest that the use of songs should be used routinely in each learning activity because in the activity the students would be able to comprehend what they learn. It is recommended that the use of songs which are simple, enjoyable, pleasurable, comfortable, and easy to learn may help students' learning. However, this study should expand the samples to get more reliable results and to get a wider generalization, research of similar kind should be done with different chapters of Biology program and different subjects.


Sexual offences prevention orders were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2003. These civil orders were designed to limit and monitor the behaviour of particular individuals in the interests of public protection. At the same time, legislation was introduced that allowed the imposition of a life sentence or an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP). While these developments were taking place in the United Kingdom another draconian development was taking place in Australia. In 2003, the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act (DPA) was introduced in Queensland. This was followed by the introduction of similar regimes in Western Australia (the "DSO") and New South Wales (the "CSO") in 2006. These legislative regimes provide for the preventive detention or, alternatively, ongoing supervision of "dangerous sexual offenders" at the expiration of their sentence. Between 2003 and 2007, applications were made in relation to 45 individuals in Queensland. From 2006 to 2007 applications were made in relation to 8 individuals in New South Wales and 10 in Western Australia. Almost always, applications result in either a detention or long term supervision order being granted. This article explores the operation of the Australian preventive detention regimes for sexual offenders and discusses the ongoing concerns about the regimes. Post-sentence preventive detention does not, at this stage, apply to sex offenders who have completed their sentence in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless the development of such regimes seems possible, especially given the wide powers that now exist for the detention of terror suspects without charge and a continuing focus in recent literature on what an appropriate preventive detention model might look like, not whether such regimes should be developed. The Australian experience provides an instructive example for those in the United Kingdom considering such regimes.


Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) has been documented in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since the first reports of this disease. In the absence of vaccines or direct therapy for COVID-19, extracorporeal blood treatment (EBT) could represent an option for the removal of cytokines and may be beneficial to improve the clinical outcome of critically ill patients. Intermittent haemodialysis (IHD), using high flux (HF) or high cut-off membranes, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) could be used for blood purification in COVID-19 patients with CSS. To the best of our knowledge, cytokine kinetics during and after different types of EBT on COVID-19 patients have never been studied. In this study, we describe cytokine variation and removal during and after IHD and CRRT in COVID-19 patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: Patients with COVID-19-related AKI according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria and admitted at Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were studied. Blood samples were collected at the start and end of both IHD using HF membranes (10 patients) and continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration (CVVHDF: 10 patients) in two sessions for measuring 13 different plasma interleukins and calculating the cytokine removal rate. Results: We evaluated cytokine removal in patients with COVID-19-related AKI undergoing either prolonged IHD (10 patients) or CRRT (CVVHDF: 10 patients). There was no difference between the IHD and CVVHDF groups regarding mechanical ventilation, vasoactive drug use, age or prognostic scores. Patients treated by CRRT presented higher levels of IL-2 and IL-8 than patients treated by prolonged IHD at the start of dialysis. Cytokine removal ranged from 9–78%. Patients treated by CRRT presented higher cytokine removal rates than those treated by prolonged IHD for IL-2, IL-6 IL-8, IP-10 and TNF. The removal rates of IL-4, IL-10, IL-1β, IL-17A, IFN, MCP-1 and free active TGF-B1 were similar in the two groups. After one session of CVVHDF (24 h) the IL-2 and IL-1β levels did not vary significantly, whereas IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF, IFN, IP-10, MCP-1, IL-12p70 and free active TGF-B1 decreased by 33.8–76%, and this decrease was maintained over the next 24 h. In the prolonged IHD groups, IL-2, IL-6, TNF, IP-10 and IL-1β levels did not decrease significantly whereas IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, IFN, MCP-1, IL-12p70 and free active TGF-B1 decreased by 21.8–72%. However, all cytokine levels returned to their initial values after 24 h, despite their removal. Conclusions: Cytokine removal is lower using prolonged IHD with HF membranes than by using CVVHDF, and IHD allows a transient and selective decrease in cytokines that can be correlated with mortality during CSS-related COVID-19.


Calibration and validation of process based hydrological models are two major processes while simulating the water balance components of watershed systems. However, these processes need a better understanding of the parameters which influence hydrologic processes within the system. In this study, we used SWAT model to simulate the stream flow for Skunk Creek (SK) watershed in South Dakota for the period from 1980-2000. Model calibration and validation were performed for both daily and monthly time periods using SUFI-2 within SWAT-CUP using 24 parameters selected from past available literature. Our calibration outputs for the period from 1987-1994 showed a good correlation between observed and model simulated values with NSE=0.56 and R2=0.70 for daily simulation. However, the model showed a better performance for monthly simulation with NSE and R2 values of 0.84 and 0.84 respectively. During validation period (1995-2000), the NSE and r2 values were 0.55 and 0.44, respectively for daily simulation and these statistical values were 0.76 and 0.77, respectively for monthly time step. Following calibration, the overall effect of each parameter used was ranked using global sensitivity function within SWAT-CUP. From the analysis, SOL_AWC was found to be the most sensitive parameter with absolute t-value of 17.50 and p-value of 0.00 to simulate the stream flow of the SK watershed. The CH_K2 was observed as the least sensitive parameter with t-statistic and p-value of 0.02 and 0.97, respectively. It was concluded from the study that coupling of the SWAT and SWAT-CUP made the calibration process quicker and reliable to simulate local hydrology within the watershed.


Abstract. A frequency-domain distributed temperature/strain sensor based on a longitudinally graded optical fiber (LGF) is proposed and evaluated. In an LGF, the Brillouin scattering frequency, νB, changes (i.e., is chirped) lengthwise monotonically and thus every position along the fiber has a unique νB. Any change locally (at some position) in the fiber environment will result in a measurable change in the shape of the Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) near the frequency component mapped to that position. This is demonstrated via measurements and modeling for an LGF with local heating. The LGF is one with ∼100  MHz Brillouin frequency gradient over 16.7 m, with 1.1 and 1.7 m segments heated up to 40 K above ambient. A measurement of the BGS can enable the determination of a thermal (or strain) distribution along a sensor fiber, thus rendering the system one that is in the frequency domain. A sensitivity analysis is also presented for both coherent and pump-probe BGS measurement schemes. The modeling results suggest that the frequency-domain systems based on fibers with a chirped Brillouin frequency are highly suited as inexpensive event sensors (alarms) and have the potential to reach submeter position determination with sub-1-K temperature accuracies at >1  kHz sampling rates. Limitations to the technique are discussed.


In order to address the complexity and extensiveness of technology, Cloud Computing is utilized with four main service models. The most recent service model, function-as-a-service, enables developers to develop their application in a function-based structure and then deploy it to the Cloud. Using an optimum elastic auto-scaling, the performance of executing an application over FaaS Cloud, overcomes the extra overhead and reduces the total cost. However, researchers need a simple and well-documented FaaS Cloud manager in order to implement their proposed Auto-scaling algorithms. In this paper, we represent the openCoT platform and explain its building blocks and details. Experimental results show that executing a function (invoking and passing arguments) and returning the result using openCoT takes 21 ms over a remote connection. The source code of openCoT is available in the GitHub repository of the project (\code{www.github.com/adanayi/opencot}) for public usage.


the "Investigations" department features children's hands-on and minds-on explorations in mathematics and presents teachers with open-ended investigations to enhance mathematics instruction. These tasks invoke problem solving and reasoning, require communication skills, and connect various mathematical concepts and principles. The ideas presented here have been tested in classroom settings. A mathematics investigation—


Background: There is currently no viable pharmaceutical therapy for COVID-19 illness that has been validated. The use of remdesivir is one of the medications for which there is no consistent evidence of a significant therapeutic benefit or a meaningful effect on survival. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the role of age and comorbidities on the outcome of confirmed clinically critical COVID-19 patients treated with remdesivir at Indonesia's National Referral Hospital. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was used in this study. The subjects in this study were confirmed clinically critical COVID-19 patients who were treated at Dr. M Djamil Hospital Padang, one of Indonesia's national referral hospitals, from January 2 to June 30, 2021. The number of sample size in this study was 90 patients. The variables of this study were divided into three independent variables (age, comorbidities, and a number of comorbidities). A dependent variable was the outcome of confirmed clinically critical COVID-19 patients. The Chi-square test was performed in bivariate analysis, and the odds ratio was calculated. SPSS version 17.0 was used to analyze the data. Results: The results of this study found that there was an association between ages 50-59 years (OR = 10.23, 95% CI 1.89-55.53), 60-69 years (OR = 4.58, 95% CI 1.25-16.76), and > 70 years (OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.38 -9.59), comorbid diabetes mellitus (OR = 9.78, 95% CI 1.23-77.66), the number of comorbid > 1 (OR = 10.97, 95% CI 2.19-54.96, and the number of comorbid 1 (OR = 5.69, 95% CI 1.59- 20.41) with the outcome of confirmed clinically critical COVID-19 patients treated with remdesivir. Conclusion: The significance of age and comorbidities on the outcome of COVID-19 patients treated with remdesivir at Indonesia's national referral hospital was confirmed in this study. This study could assist in the management of patient therapy, potentially decreasing morbidity and even patient mortality.


This paper presents a local disparity calculation algorithm on calibrated stereo images based on cost aggregation. Unlike most of the existing cost aggregation methods which are mainly based on the grouping of colour similarities, the proposed algorithm is grouped by local cost similarities. The proposed algorithm also applies a bilateral filter to enhance the normalised cost volume and, then, uses the winner-take-all technique to select the correspondence candidates. Finally, a quadratic polynomial interpolation is performed using the candidates and their neighbourhood values to achieve sub-pixel disparity resolution. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm is able to provide dense disparity maps with sub-pixel resolution and achieves better accuracy compared to two similar stereo matching algorithms.


Athletes born at the beginning of the year may present the advantage of physical characteristics, motor ability or cognitive knowledge that could increase their chances for selection against their peers. This circumstance could lead to the over-representation of older athletes in an age-defined competition which is commonly referred to as relative age effect (RAE). Although, a number of studies have demonstrated that RAE is apparent in youth soccer, such studies barely investigates the performance advantage that may likely exists across the birth month of the athletes. The current study aims to determine the presence of RAE in the under 16 Asian Football Confederation Championship (AFC), investigate the effect of RAE on the team qualification success as well as ascertain the existence of RAE in the playing position amongst the soccer players. Data of the 2018 AFC under 16 qualifications matches were obtained from the AFC. A total of 719 players from 32 countries participated in the qualification competitions. Chi-square for goodness fit is used to determine the existence of the RAE across the players' month of birth while logistic regression is applied to analyze the differences of the quartiles' distribution with respect to the quartile, qualification status (qualifier or non-qualifier) as well as the playing position of the players. The results demonstrate the presence of RAE in the AFC under 16 soccer tournaments [χ2(4) = 21.53; p < 0.001] with the largest number of older players dominating the qualified team. Likewise, a substantial difference is observed with regards to the quartile and various playing position of the players p < 0.05.