Abstract Background Our institution uses Epic as its electronic medical record (EMR), and managing the complex needs of OPAT patient's has been challenging and also time-consuming with our EMR. It became imperative that the EMR be modified to capture all OPAT patients and manage them efficiently. We describe the development of EMR tools to facilitate OPAT management. Methods The infectious diseases (ID) physician and pharmacist identified multiple ways in which OPAT patient care could be improved by modifying the EMR. In 2016, a multidisciplinary team at URMC created software modifications in Epic to meet the needs of the OPAT program. Results A shared system list and communication tools used by ID physicians, nurses, and pharmacists were created. As soon as an inpatient is identified as an OPAT discharge, an OPAT "Plan of care" note is created by an ID fellow, note is sent to the OPAT team members (OPAT nurse, nurse practitioner, and ID pharmacist) and the patient is added to the shared list. An order set was built to facilitate accurate electronic prescribing of antimicrobials, supplies for home infusions, and pertinent laboratory tests. The order set sends an automatic message to OPAT team members, a back-up method for identifying OPAT patients. A comprehensive patient report, the "OPAT monitoring" view, was designed to facilitate patient care. The view displays OPAT relevant data from multiple sections of the patient chart onto one screen (ID notes, laboratory results, medications, appointments, free text box, etc.) without entering each patient's chart. These EMR modifications significantly reduced the time needed for weekly case reviews and facilitates more efficient management of 90–100 patients weekly. Conclusion Modifications made to the Epic EMR at our institution have improved patient safety and efficiency of the OPAT program. Fewer patients are missed, patient monitoring is enhanced, clinician time is saved, and ordering is more accurate. Physician satisfaction was improved by creating tools that were designed with workflow efficiency in mind. These modifications were independent of and predate the recommendations made in the Epic "OPAT setup and support guide," and provide more enhancements for efficient patient management, and could easily be made by other Epic users. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Oral hygiene behavior was surveyed in June 1971 by interviews with a sample comprising 1063 persons drawn to cover the total Finnish population aged 15 years and over. The interview revealed that the frequency of brushing as reported by dentulous interviewees was distributed as follows: less than once a day (32%), once a day (25%) and more than once a day (43%). Six percent of the interviewees stated that they did not brush their teeth. Most commonly the brushing was performed either as the last thing before retiring for the night (67%) or immediately after waking up in the morning (47%). There was a strong positive correlation between high socioeconomic status and high frequency of toothbrushing. Freshening of the breath and mouth was the most common (55%) reason for brushing the teeth and forgetfulness was the most frequent reason for neglecting it (56%). The investigation showed tha the dental health behavior of the Finnish people with respect to brushing of the teeth has much room for improvement.


High-risk surgically resected primary or loco-regional cutaneous malignant melanoma, although uncommon, can be associated with less than 50% 5-year survival; adjuvant therapy of proven efficacy is therefore appropriate. Since immunological control mechanisms seem to be important in the natural history of melanoma, biological agents have been the subject of many adjuvant studies. Most popular has been recombinant interferon. Well over 4000 patients have been entered into randomized studies. Results suggest that there may be a clinical benefit, most clearly in relapse-free but also perhaps in overall survival. More precise estimates of the magnitude of any benefits are needed. The doses, schedules and cost-benefits have yet to be fully evaluated. Interferon cannot yet be recommended as standard adjuvant therapy in high-risk malignant melanoma.


The sudden loss of U.S. dollars has triggered a two-part crisis at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). How UNESCO responds will determine the fate of its roughly $120-million-a-year science portfolio. The organization9s first and most pressing predicament is its short-term cash flow. Specifically, officials at the Paris-based organization are scrambling to get through the rest of 2011 without $80 million they were expecting from the United States and Israel. The two nations pulled monetary support for UNESCO after its 31 October vote to accept Palestine as a member.


In this paper, at first, a more realistic formulation of the economic dispatch (ED) problem is proposed, which considers more practical constraints and nonlinear characteristics than previous works in the area. The proposed ED formulation includes ramp rate limits, prohibited operating zones (POZs), system spinning reserve, valve loading effects, and multiple fuel options, which usually are found simultaneously in realistic power systems. In the next stage, security constraints of the power system are also included in the proposed model, which leads to nonconvex ED problem with AC constraints. To solve this problem a new real-coded genetic algorithm (RCGA) with arithmetic-average-bound crossover (AABX) and hybrid mutation (HM) is presented. HM of the proposed RCGA is composed of wavelet and Michalewicz mutations. The effectiveness of the proposed RCGA to solve both the ED and ED with AC constraints is shown on different test systems and compared with some of the most recently published research works in the area.


The miscible displacement in CO2 injection is a process where the oil in the reservoir
completely mixes with the injected CO2. To see and understand the process of the
CO2 miscible injection, the simulator is the essential tool for engineering design.
Normally, a compositional simulator is used for a detailed simulation by solving the
equation of states for fluids and calculating the partitioning fluid between phases.
However, the method is time consuming that the Black Oil Model would take a
greater advantage as a simpler method for simulation.
In this study, the simulation of Black Oil Model for CO2 Miscible Injection using the
Water Alternating Gas Injection Technique, was carried out to investigate its ability
and accuracy compared with the compositional simulator with the range of models
and scenarios. All reservoir characteristics were kept constant in order to pay an
attention on the PVT Properties of the fluids in the Black Oil and Peng-Robinson
fluid characterization in Compositional Simulator. Schlumberger ECLIPSE 100 and
ECLIPSE 300 were the main tools used for comparing the two simulations.
It is found that the Black Oil simulator is capable to predict the similar trends of Oil
Recovery Factor, Total Oil Production and Reservoir Pressure to the Compositional
Simulator in certain cases, however, there are the obvious differences in values
between two simulators depending on the reservoir models and WAG scenarios
examined. The gas injection rate is found to be an important parameter in
determining the accuracy of Black Oil comparing to Compositional simulators.
In agreement with other studies, Black Oil simulator is found to have 6.45 speed up
factor comparing to the Compositional simulator.
Keywords: Miscible CO2 WAG Injection, Black Oil Model, Compositional Model


Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has deepened our understanding of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Genetic mutations of TET2 were common in MDS and were also detected in asymptomatic elder persons, which were defined as aged related clonal haematopoiesis (ARCH) and considered as a myelodysplastic syndrome precursor state. In this study, we analyzed the mutation profiles of TET2 in 770 newly-diagnosed MDS subjects. 73 mutations were found in 67 of 770(8.7%) subjects. 14.9% were frame shifts, 29.9% were nonsense, 44.8% were missense and 10.7% harbored 2 TET2 mutations. TET2MT subjects were older than TET2WT subjects (P=0.024) and the variant allele frequency (VAF) of TET2 was positively correlated with age (r=0.318, P=0.009). Clonal architecture was determined using a copy number-adjusted VAF difference between 2 mutation events in 49 TET2MT subjects with 2 or more mutations. 19 (38.3%) were TET2ancestral and 30(61.2%) were TET2subclonal. TET2ancestral subjects were significantly older than TET2WT subjects (P=0.013) while no difference was found between TET2subclonal subjects and TET2WT subjects (P=0.509). The frequency of cytosine-to-thymine (C→T) transition was significantly higher in TET2ancestralsubjects compared with TET2subclonal subjects (P=0.029), which was considered to be a somatic mutational signature of aging, indicating that MDS driven by TET2ancestral was likely derived from TET2MT ARCH. The most common upstream mutations in TET2subclonal subjects were U2AF1 (16.7%) and ASXL1 (13.3%), and the most common downstream mutations in TET2ancestral subjects were ASXL1 (21.1%) and RUNX1 (15.8%). TET2 mutations rarely existed alone in TET2ancestral subjects (14.3%) and were always accompanied by another mutations like U2AF1, SF3B1 and ASXL1, suggesting that the acquisition of another mutation led to the progress of ARCH to MDS in TET2ancestral subjects. TET2MT had no impact on survivals in overall cohort (P=0.218) while predicted poorer survivals in IPSS-R lower risk group (P=0.004). Additional ASXL1, U2AF1 and RUNX1 mutations in TET2MT subjects indicated poorer prognosis compared with TET2WT subjects (P=0.005; P=0.04; P<0.001) .There was no significant difference in OS of TET2MT subjects with different clonal architecture (P=0.76). Subjects with TET2 VAF≥30% had poorer survivals compared with TET2WT subjects (P=0.057). In conclusion, TET2MT MDS subjects with different clonal architectures may have different origins. TET2ancestral subjects may be derived from ARCH and progressed to MDS after secondary hits. The effects of TET2 mutation on the prognosis depended on the accompanying mutations and clonal burdens.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


A problem with a demonstrable Ume-space trade-off Is exhibited The problem is to compile a straight-line program for a certain unmterprted expression; time ~s reckoned as the number of mstrucUons m the program, space as the number of registers referred to There are programs using linear space and linear tune, but any program using less than linear space uses more than linear rune


a return to a normal appearance of the lungs, was in all cases checked by x-ray examination. For details of dosage, etc., Schliephake's book, which has recently been translated into English, should be consulted, but only apparatus of high power is suited for the treatment of these deep-seated lesions, as it is essential to keep the glass-covered electrodes at a distance of 10 to 20 cm. from the patient's body; wave-lengths of from 6 to 8 metres appeared most efficacious; the patient should only have a very slight sensation of warmth. The duration of the treatment is for five to ten minutes on the first and second days, quickly rising to twenty to thirty minutes once or even twice daily. Subjective improvement, with the return of sleep and reduction of cough and of weakness, is usually evident after the first one or two treatments ; then the sputum loses its offensive smell in the gangrenous cases and lessens in amount, and within eight to ten days there is usually marked objective improvement in the physical signs and the x-ray appearances. In those cases in which the treatment leads at first to an increase in the amount of sputum with a rise of temperature, etc., the treatment should not be discontinued, or at most only for a day or so, as the favourable course as outlined above will nearly always follow the initial exacerbation of symptoms. Finally, it must be stressed that with suitable arrangements this treatment does not cause the slightest discomfort or exhaustion to the patient. -I am, etc., Blackpool, Oct. 27. W. UNGER.


In this paper, we analyze the feasibility of linear interference alignment (IA) for multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) interference broadcast channel (MIMO-IBC) with constant coefficients. We pose and prove the necessary conditions of linear IA feasibility for general MIMO-IBC. Except for the proper condition, we find another necessary condition to ensure a kind of irreducible interference to be eliminated. We then prove the necessary and sufficient conditions for a special class of MIMO-IBC, where the numbers of antennas are divisible by the number of data streams per user. Since finding an invertible Jacobian matrix is crucial for the sufficiency proof, we first analyze the impact of sparse structure and repeated structure of the Jacobian matrix. Considering that for the MIMO-IBC the sub-matrices of the Jacobian matrix corresponding to the transmit and receive matrices have different repeated structure, we find an invertible Jacobian matrix by constructing the two sub-matrices separately. We show that for the MIMO-IBC where each user has one desired data stream, a proper system is feasible. For symmetric MIMO-IBC, we provide proper but infeasible region of antenna configurations by analyzing the difference between the necessary conditions and the sufficient conditions of linear IA feasibility.


Abstract. A comparative study of the equatorial spread F occurrence was conducted at different longitudes during 2009 or 2010 and 2011 or 2013 which represents the low (LSA) and moderate (MSA) solar activity periods respectively. The ionogram data were recorded at low latitude stations including Jicamarca (JIC; 75.76° W, 8.17° S), Peru; Fortaleza (FZA; 38.52° W, 3.73° S), Brazil; Ilorin (ILR; 7.55° E, 9.93° N), Nigeria; Chumphon (CPN; 88.46° E, 11° N), Thailand and Kwajalein (KWA; 167.73° E, 8.72° N), Marshal Island. The range type spread F (RSF) occurrence was manually recorded at an hour interval between 18:00–06:00 LT and a monthly average of the RSF occurrence was estimated for each of the seasons. The observed features of the RSF occurrence and its longitudinal distribution at different seasons include the difference in the onset time, duration and peak of occurrence. The significant observations include the asymmetric RSF occurrence distribution during the equinoctial season at most of the longitudes, while during the solstice seasons there are cases of discrepancy in the RSF occurrence with respect to the sunset terminator-magnetic field alignment. The inconsistent pattern of the RSF occurrence percentage and the post-sunset rise of the F layer in relation to the sunset time lag were analyzed. While the possible role of the seed perturbation effect was discussed with respect to some of the peculiar features observed in the longitudinal/seasonal distribution of the spread F occurrence percentage.


The method of the noncontacting speed measurement of a moving conductive slab is to use the eddy current effect. The slab speed can be measured by the variation of the electromotive force of a detecting coil which is arranged in the neighbourhood of an exciting coil. In the paper, we propose an eddy-current speed meter which consists of one exciting coil and one detecting coil, perpendicular to each other. We carried out a theoretical analysis of this speed meter and confirmed validity of the theoretical formula by experiment. We also obtained some theoretical predictions by the calculation examples. Since this type of speed meter is of a simple structure, and capable of being miniaturised, it is very useful for the continuous manufacturing process, etc.


Applications of superconductivity will be needed in each of the three magnetic confinement systems being developed in the AEC controlled thermonuclear research program. Fusion plasmas must be confined by magnetic fields instead of solid walls. The tokamak and magnetic mirror confinement systems will need superconducting magnets to produce the confining magnetic field. The theta-pinch confinement system will need superconducting energy storage coils and homopolar machines to provide energy for pulsed magnetic fields. The AEC is supporting developments for these three systems but it is not yet known which magnetic confinement systems will be used in fusion power reactors. The technology problems associated with these applications of superconductivity are described in the paper.


The temperature differences across glass or plastic shield causes fogging which ultimately reduce visibility for workers at workplaces particularly in industry particularly transportation. The research implicated the development of a promising anti-fog agent in order to reduce the risks of accidents due to poor visibility. Anti-fog agent was developed in laboratory through varying formulation of ingredients such as deionized water, Iso propyl alcohol, non-ionic surfactants, sodium lauryl ether sulfate 33%, silicone wacker and alkane sulphonate. After achieving successful results at laboratory and pilot through standard testing, anti-fog agent was provided to drivers of local transport at commercial scale and their responses were obtained through questionnaires. The results revealed significant (P<0.05) satisfaction of drivers for wind screens of cars, coasters buses as well as helmet screen of bikers. This study provided a promising solution for one of the most important concerns of fogging in transportation causing accidents. Further, this anti-fog agent can be replicated in other industries facing visual problems as a result of fogging. It is recommended that this anti-fog agent should be supplied at commercial scale after approval from concerning government department to avoid future loss.


The aim of this research project is the development of durability of concrete in which integrated bacteria promote self-healing of cracks. Traditional concrete does usually show some selfhealing capacity what is due to excess non-hydrated cement particles present in the material matrix. These particles can undergo secondary hydration by crack ingress water resulting in formation of fresh hydration products which can seal or heal smaller cracks. However, the integration of excess cement in concrete is unwanted from both an economical and environmental viewpoint. Cement is expensive and moreover, its production contributes significantly to global atmospheric CO2 emissions. In this study durability of concrete is developed by self-healing system in which bacteria converts the metabolic organic compounds to calcite. The result has been expected that the ingress water channeled through freshly formed cracks activate present bacteria which through metabolic conversion of organic mineral-precursor compounds produce copious amounts of calcite. The self-healing capacity of this system is currently being quantified what should result in an estimate of the materials durability increase. A self-healing concrete may be beneficial for both economical and environmental reasons. The bacteria based concrete proposed here could substantially reduce maintenance, repair and premature structure degradation what not only saves money but also reduces atmospheric CO 2 emissions considerably as less cement is needed for this type of self-healing concrete.


The molecular superconductor kappa -(BEDT TTF)2Cu(NCS)2, which has a superconducting transmission temperature, Tc, as high as 10.5 K, exhibits a very high resistivity at ambient pressure ( approximately=10-1 Omega cm at room temperature) which rises on cooling to reach a maximum near 90 K. The authors find that with the application of pressures of up to 2.5 kbar this peak remains strong and is progressively sharpened, but that above 2.5 kbar the size of the resistive peak falls very quickly. In their crystals the resistively measured Tc is 7 K at ambient pressure and remains constant up to 3 kbar, before falling steeply at 1.8 K kbar-1 above this pressure. The authors attribute the unusual temperature dependence of the normal state conductivity to a structural phase transition which at pressures below about 3 kbar couples to the conduction electrons. They discuss whether or not the superconducting properties are affected by the proximity of the material to the phase transition.


We have considered theoretically the main properties of layered periodical structures [one-dimensional photonic band gap (PBG) structures] that include layers of so-called backward-wave material (BW), whose both permittivity and permeability are negative. Each period consists of one layer of a usual material and one layer of a BW medium. Eigenwaves in infinite photonic band-gap structures and reflective and transmitting properties of finite-length structures are considered. Our analysis has shown that the usage of the negative material makes it possible to dramatically widen the band gap of one-dimensional layered PBG structures.


New edition of one of Rattigan's best-known plays to coincide with major revival starring Corin Redgrave in the role made famous by his father Michael Redgrave The Browning Version is the story of an unpopular and unloved classics master at a public school in the 1940s. Deserted by his wife and on the verge of retirement, Crocker-Harris finds a form of redemption in an unexpected parting gift from a previously unregarded pupil - a secondhand copy of Robert Browning's translation of the Agamemnon. Filmed twice, with Michael Redgrave in 1951 and Albert Finney in 1994, this new edition of The Browning Version is published alongside a major revival on stage starring Corin Redgrave. Complete with an extensive introduction by the Rattigan expert, Dan Rebellato, it is one of the titles in the definitive edition of the plays of Rattigan published by Nick Hern Books. Also included in the volume is the farce, Harlequinade, written to accompany The Browning Version in a double-bill.


Rapid assembly of saturated nitrogen heterocycles-the synthetically more challenging variants of their aromatic relatives-can expedite the synthesis of biologically relevant molecules. Starting from a benzylic alcohol tethered to an unactivated alkene, an iron-catalyzed tandem alcohol substitution and hydroamination provides access to tetrahydroisoquinolines in a single synthetic step. Using a mild iron-based catalyst, the combination of these operations forms two carbon-nitrogen bonds and provides a unique annulation strategy to access this valuable core.


To provide information including the trend of gynecological malignancies in Japan, we hereby present the Annual Patient Report for 2017 and the Annual Treatment Report for 2012, on the outcomes of patients who started treatment in 2012.


Reconstruction of the successive mammalian faunas in the Paris basin results in delineation of a stratigraphic sequence that begins with the Cernay-les-Reins conglomerate, containing the oldest Eocene fauna (composed of multituberculate forms) in France. The series continues with the Sparnacian Meudon conglomerate with Coryphodon and Pachaena, the upper Cuisian sands with Lophiodon larteti and the first expansion of artiodactyls, and the Montmartre gypsum in which the first paleotheres appeared. Isolated fossil occurrences give only an indication of other phases--the Sparnacian Soissonnais lignites and the Bartonian Saint-Ouen limestone.


The aim of this paper is to show that the extent to which British consumers acquire their goods new through formal retail outlets is not as all-pervasive as some might believe. Analysing how 200 households in relatively deprived areas of Southampton last acquired six goods (furniture, DIY tools, clothes, fridge, cooker and car), it finds that a large proportion of goods were acquired either informally and/or second-hand, especially amongst households excluded from the formal labour market, due to their financial circumstances. Given this reliance on informal and second-hand modes of goods acquisition, it concludes that public policy should seek to develop initiatives for the distribution of such goods, especially electrical goods, in a more regulated environment. Without such developments, the socially excluded will remain dependent on modes of acquisition in which there is little or no regulation of the quality of the products.


Hepatocellular carcinoma is a heterogeneous disease with distinct tumor sub-types based on expression of markers for hepatocytes and adult liver progenitor cells, also known as oval cells. HCCs expressing progenitor cell markers have a poor prognosis. Relatively little is known about the signaling pathways underlying the molecular pathogenesis of these tumors. We have previously identified the mTOR pathway as playing a critical role in the proliferation of oval cells in rodents. In this study, we investigated the temporal activation of mTOR in a rodent animal model of progenitor marker-positive HCC. Rats were placed on the Solt-Farber protocol to induce hepatic carcinogenesis and mTOR activity assessed in preneoplastic and persistent focal lesions. Robust mTORC1 activity was found in early preneoplastic focal lesions with persistent focal lesions displaying minimal mTOR activity. Continuous administration of rapamycin resulted in a significant decrease in focal lesion burden, but led to an increase in PI3K signaling. Administration of rapamycin during the window of maximal mTOR activation significantly reduced focal lesion burden that was indistinguishable from that seen with continuous rapamycin administration. However, unlike continuous administration, short-term rapamycin administration did not result in compensatory activation of either PI3K or Erk1/2 signaling. We have also characterized the effect of short-term mTOR inhibition on the gene expression signature of the persistent preneoplastic foci. We conclude that mTOR activation is critical to the expansion and promotion of preneoplastic focal lesions in a rodent model of progenitor marker-positive HCC. These results raise the possibility that inhibition of mTOR early in the process of progenitor-derived hepatic carcinogenesis might serve as an effective preventative strategy for HCC. Citation Format: Heather Francois-Vaughan, Kate Brilliant, Adeola O. Adebayo, Nicola M.A. Parry, Philip A. Gruppuso, Jennifer A. Sanders. mTOR signaling is critical to the development and expansion of preneoplastic foci in a rodent model of progenitor-marker positive hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Targeting the PI3K-mTOR Network in Cancer; Sep 14-17, 2014; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(7 Suppl):Abstract nr B55.


The 30th anniversary of Richard Dawkins's The selfish gene coincides with the opening for historical scholarship of the production files of the book's first edition at the archives of Oxford University Press. Using the information collected in the files, the essay reconstructs the Press history of the book, the author's and his enthusiastic editor's pre-publication expectations, and the early reception and subsequent career of the book, which made an impact on the scientific debate on behaviour and evolution as well as on the popular market. It also reflects on the changing notions of popularization and the place of The selfish gene in those debates.


in the article, the authors came to the conclusion that the phenomenon ceases to be itself. Quality coincides with the essence. by managing quality, we get the opportunity to influence the essence, participate in its evolution, and direct its development in accordance with our interests. The problem of managing the quality of economic activity became relevant with the emphasis on handicraft and the emergence of a shop form of production, but it became particularly important at a time when the transition to mass industrial production was made. It was the Industrial revolution that made it possible to put a scientifically sound base under management, which, in turn, led to the corresponding requirements for the theory and practical organization of management.


Intravenous digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was used to evaluate 22 patients with Leriche syndrome. The technique successfully demonstrated both the level of obstruction and the reconstitution of arterial flow to the lower extremities. In view of the relative safety of DSA, compared with the axillary approach in standard angiography, the authors believe that it should be the initial procedure for presurgical evaluation of Leriche syndrome.


Electrically-evoked low-frequency (submaximal) force is increased immediately following high-frequency stimulation in human skeletal muscle. Although central mechanisms have been suggested to be the major cause of this low-frequency force potentiation, intramuscular factors might contribute. Thus, we hypothesized that two intramuscular Ca2+-dependent mechanisms can contribute to the low-frequency force potentiation: increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release and increased myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity. Experiments in humans were performed on the plantar flexor muscles at a shortened, intermediate, and long muscle length and electrically evoked contractile force and membrane excitability (i.e., M-wave amplitude) were recorded during a stimulation protocol. Low-frequency force potentiation was assessed by stimulating with a low-frequency tetanus (25 Hz, 2 s duration), followed by a high-frequency tetanus (100 Hz, 2 s duration), and finally followed by another low-frequency (25 Hz, 2 s duration) tetanus. Similar stimulation protocols were performed on intact mouse single fibers from flexor digitorum brevis muscle, whereby force and myoplasmic free [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) were assessed. Our data show a low-frequency force potentiation that was not muscle length-dependent in human muscle and it was not accompanied by any increase in M-wave amplitude. A length-independent low-frequency force potentiation could be replicated in mouse single fibers, supporting an intramuscular mechanism. We show that at physiological temperature (31°C) this low-frequency force potentiation in mouse fibers corresponded with an increase in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release. When mimicking the slower contractile properties of human muscle by cooling mouse single fibers to 18°C, the low-frequency force potentiation was accompanied by minimally increased SR Ca2+ release and hence it could be explained by increased myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity. Finally, introducing a brief 200 ms pause between the high- and low-frequency tetanus in human and mouse muscle revealed that the low-frequency force potentiation is abolished, arguing that increased myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity is the main intramuscular mechanism underlying the low-frequency force potentiation in humans.


The creation and the advance development of the Internet have led to the dissemination
of various data sources and the enhanced access of users. Analogous to the
development of the Internet is the growing number of the content that is disseminated
over the web. This content is –most of the times– heterogeneous due to the fact that it is
aiming to fulfil extremely "wide" or "sophisticated" informational needs of communities
of users. In all cases, the main goal of efficient search and retrieval that come from heterogeneous
data sources is hard to achieve.
In order to cope with this issue, the scientific field of Data Integration studies the design of
information systems, which provide searching and retrieving of data from collection of
autonomous and heterogeneous data sources as if these sources constitute –as a whole–
a single data source. In other words, via a data integration system, the user can execute
only one query and retrieve results from different data sources.
Nowadays, due to the development of the Semantic Web and data integration systems,
there has been a great interest to solve Semantic Integration issues. The field of semantic
integration is oriented to solve semantic heterogeneity problems, which emerge as a result
of using different terms in order to state the same concept, both in the schema level and
in the data level.
The role of semantic web technologies, such as ontologies, is of crucial importance so as to
semantically integrate data. Given that ontologies are defined as an explicit specification
of a conceptualization, they can be used as a tool to promote interoperability among different
information systems.
The particular research effort presents an overview of the semantic integration problem,
emphasizing in data integration technologies using ontologies. Moreover, our research
presents open issues of the particular field and approaches of our team to meet them.


IntroductionSouth African universities are increasingly enrolling students from a variety of educational backgrounds. This brings in diversity in levels of language and learning ability and universities face the challenge of adjusting their curricula to meet the academic needs of the different learners. The objective of this paper is to document the experiences of students and teachers on a course that was introduced to address student diversity and integrative learning in a higher institution of learning.Methods The course was evaluated through two ways. Firstly, a student feedback questionnaire was administered to 250 students at the end of the first and second semesters during the first two years of introduction of the course. Secondly, students' reflections were extracted from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions during the 4th and 5th years of implementation of the course. ResultsDue to the diversity in entry level learning and language skills, some units of the course were not rated favourably by about 50% of the students who struggled to see the relevance. However, many students' experiences with the value of the course in enabling integrative learning were positive. Some students reported that they acquired lifelong skills in critical thinking and problem solving. Conclusion This paper demonstrates that a course that focusses on helping students to integrate learning is invaluable. Further research is required on the types of strategies and how to implement them to meet the varied needs of students from diverse backgrounds.


Background: It is widely believed that venous ulcers result from venous insufficiency related to venous valve damages. To further investigate the pathogenesis of venous ulcers, we compared the influence of oxidative stress in venous valvular tissue on stasis ulcer formation in patients with venous ulcers secondary to superficial venous reflux disease. Methods: Thirty-nine consecutive patients with superficial venous reflux who underwent saphenectomy were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with healed venous ulcers (group 1, n = 15) and without ulcers (group 2, n = 24). All patients were preoperatively evaluated with duplex ultrasound scanning and their blood samples were obtained to examine leukocyte count, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. All patients underwent standard above-knee saphenectomy. Extracted saphenous vein segments were from the saphenofemoral junction, the first valve along. The biochemical analysis of the valve tissues included matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-2, IL-6, TNF-α, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO) studies. Results: There was no significant difference between patients in terms of age, gender, hospital stay, and preoperative blood levels of leukocyte, IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP (P > .05). Biochemical examination of valve tissue showed that the levels of MMP-9, MMP-2, IL-6, TNF-α, SOD, MDA, and NO in patients with healing venous ulcer were higher than those of the second group. Conclusion: A higher oxidative stress in the valvular tissue may contribute to venous stasis ulcer formation.


3. Linhart A, Lubanda JC, Palecek T, Bultas J, Karetová D, Ledvinová J, et al. Cardiac manifestations in Fabry disease. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2001;24 Suppl 2:75-83. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012428009627 Anderson-Fabry disease is a hereditary defect of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase, characterized by the accumulation of glycosphingolipids in lysosomes. Patients with Fabry disease are not able to catabolize the membrane neutral glycosphingolipids, especially globotriaosylceramide, which therefore accumulates mainly in the heart, skin, kidneys, blood vessels and central nervous system. The disease is recessive and sex-linked, it is being transmitted with the X chromosome. Characteristic symptoms and signs of Fabry disease are the presence of angiokeratomas (the occurrence of vascular skin lesions), acroparesthesias (periodic painful crises in the extremities), hypohidrosis (the inability to sweat) and the characteristic blurring of the cornea. The disease starts at birth, during childhood it is usually without clinical significance, organ damages become manifest during the fourth decade of life in males and during fifth decade in females. The heart manifestations of the disease are a result of accumulated globotriazilceramides in cardiomyocytes, conduction system cells and valves, with the main consequence being hypertrophic cardiomyopathy of the left or both ventricles. In an advanced stage of the disease, the cardiac muscle changes can lead to heart attack, cardiomyopathy and conduction disturbances. Echocardiography is an excellent noninvasive diagnostic method for the detection of Fabry disease (left ventricular hypertrophy, state of the heart valves and dimension of cardiac chambers). Doctors' and nurse technicians' coordination is obligatory for optimal echocardiographic examination, detection and further follow up of the disease. In patients with Fabry disease suspicion, fingerstick or venous blood samples were taken. After the drying process, samples were sent for enzymatic activity and genetic testing. The follow-up of the disease is carried out by the echo controls, determination of biomarkers (GL3, Lyso GL3) and antibodies during the application of enzymatic replacement therapy.1-3 Tanja Mikulandra*, Mihaela Roguljić, Andrijana Erak


Biodegradability of cotton/polyester blend fabric was investigated employing activated sluge test, soil burial test and enzyme hydrolysis. Surface changes of the degraded sample were observed through a microscopy. Changes in X-ray diffraction patterns and crystallinity were examined using X-ray diffractometer. Experimental results revealed that biodegradability of cotton/polyester blend fabric was proportional to the blending ratio of cotton, not showing any synergy effect. Polyester 100% hardly degraded in this study. Through the comparison of the experimental method it was shown that the biodegradabilities determined from activated sludge test and enzymatic hydrolysis except soil burial test were linearly related to the blending ratio of cotton in the blent fabrics. It is probably because the biodegradability determined from the retention of tensile strength of fabrics buried in soil was affected by the stress distribution of polyesters throughout the fabric. From the microscopic observations it was revealed that fungi were grown on the fabric surface and the colors turned yellow, brown and black. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the heights of crystalline peak coming from cotton part in blend fabrics decreased whereas those coming from polyester part increased comperatively as time passed by. Crystallinities of cotton 100% fabric increased slightly at the begining and then decreased continuously.


Field experiment of nitrogen leaching loss in a dry direct-seeding rice paddy was conducted in Danyang region of Taihu Lake Basin.Results show that the nitrogen leaching loss is mainly occurred during the early stage of rice growing season under local water and fertilizer management,especially for the seedling fertilization.The base fertilization has not rapidly hydrolyzed without standing water in about two weeks after rice sown,that resulted in part of the fertilizers still exists in surface soil.Even though part of the base fertilizers is transformed into nitrate-nitrogen in wet soil,the nitrate nitrogen still resides in surface soil without downward water-leaching.Both the residual base fertilizers and the added seedling fertilizers increase the chance of nitrogen leaching loss when irrigation or precipitation occurred.The mean concentrations of ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen,at 40 cm soil depth,are 5.79 and 0.49 mg/L respectively,and nitrate-nitrogen is the main part of nitrogen loss through leaching,whose maximal concentration is 21.8 mg/L on day 7 after the seedling fertilization.The mean quantities of leaching loss of ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen at soil depth of 40 cm,in the whole rice growing season,are about N 3.8 and 28.4 kg/ha respectively,which indicate that the nitrate-nitrogen accounts for a majority proportion.As a result,in direct-seeding rice paddies,the superposition effect of both base and seedling fertilizers should be paid more attention.Due to the low nitrogen-uptake of rice at its seedling stage,the prophase fertilizers may be advisably reduced to decrease the risk of nitrogen leaching.


The Ilisu Dam and HEPP Project, on the Tigris River in the South-Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, has been under debate for more than half a century due to its possible adverse effects on the environment. In particular, the proposed inundation of the archaeological sites around Hasankeyf has prompted strong criticism from national and international organizations. The primary reason for the administration's insistence on construction of the dam is its energy production capacity. The present study is an assessment of an alternative solution that not only saves Hasankeyf with its countless ancient monuments from inundation but also supplies the projected energy production of Ilisu Dam.


During early to middle Miocene times a sudden opening of the Ulleung (Tsushima) back-arc basin in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) led to the development of intraslope basins along the rifted southwestern margin (southeast Korea). Abrupt subsidence resulted in the deposition of the 200 m thick Hunghae Formation (middle Miocene), a sand/mudstone sequence that can be divided into five facies. Facies I (sand and mudstone couplet) and II (coarse sand) are turbiditic in origin, as evidenced by massive, graded, crudely-layered and parallel-laminated sand beds. Facies III (homogeneous mudstone) is characterized by various lignite and plant fragments, clastic and biogenic grains that are randomly oriented, suggestive of hemipelagic deposition. Facies IV (chaotic deposit) is characterized by the disruption of beds, the presence of isolated siltstone blocks (or balls) and large clasts in the muddy matrix, indicative of retrogressive rockfall and slide/slump. Facies V (conglomerate) is of debris flow origin, as evidenced by clast- and matrix-supported features, floating large clasts and absence of traction structures.

Individual facies are organized into two types of facies association: (1) homogeneous mudstone (facies III) associated randomly with the rest (facies I, II, IV and V), indicative of hemipelagic and episodic sediment-gravity flow processes, respectively; (2) conglomerate (facies V), coarse sand (facies II) and sand/mudstone couplet (facies I), representing the flow transformation from debris flow to high- and low-concentration turbidity currents. These facies associations are similar in many respects to modern and ancient debris (or slope) aprons found elsewhere. Numerous isolated slide/slump blocks, wedged conglomerates with armoured mudstone balls, discontinuous lignite-containing sand/mudstone beds, chaotic structure and growth faults suggest that the deposition occurred on a steep slope (intraslope basin) off coalescing fan-deltas, mainly by unchannellized sediment-gravity flows. Ancient deposits with irregular facies sequences can be viewed as debris-apron systems, which provide alternatives to submarine-fan models in many clastic basins with a line rather than point source.


We analyze, for the first time, the performance of a serial-search algorithm for optical code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems using optical orthogonal codes (OOC). For our analysis, we use advance photon-counting methods and we consider the effect of shot noise and dark current and multi-access interference (MAI). We introduce a new method for modeling the effect of MAI, then we use two approaches to consider this effect on the performance of the synchronization system. For the first approach, we consider the average effect of interference in our analysis, while for the second approach two specific forms of interference are taken into account where one form represents a heavily localized interference pattern and the other shows a uniformly distributed one. The effects of different parameters of the system including system threshold, number of active users in the network, and mean number of photons in each optical pulse on the performance of the synchronization system are evaluated and discussed.


Speech perception refers to how understandable speech produced by a speaker would be by a listener. The human auditory system usually interprets this information using both envelope (ENV) and temporal fine structure (TFS) cues. While ENV is sufficient for understanding speech in quiet, TFS cues are necessary for speech segregation in noisy conditions. In general, ENV can be recovered from the TFS (known as recovered ENV); however, the degree of ENV recovery and its significance on speech perception are not clearly known/understood. In order to systematically assess the relative contribution of the recovered ENV for speech perception, this study proposes a new speech perception metric. The proposed metric employs a phenomenological model of the auditory periphery developed by Zilany and colleagues (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126, 283–286, 2014) to simulate the responses of the auditory nerve fibers to both original and recovered ENV cues. The performance of the proposed metric was evaluated under different types of noise (both steady-state and fluctuating noise), as well as several classes of distortion (e.g., peak-clipping, center-clipping, and phase jitter). Finally, to validate the proposed metric, the predicted scores were compared with subjective evaluation scores from behavioral studies. The proposed metric indicates a statistically significant correlation for all cases and accounts for a wider dynamic range compared to the existing metrics.


Foreign language proficiency is an unequally distributed form of linguistic capital that is becoming increasingly important in contemporary societies: first, it enables persons to participate transnationally in educational activities and in labor markets beyond the national institutions of their home country. It is also crucial for integrating an increasing share of the population with a migration background into the labor market. Thus, this article focuses on the explanation of language proficiency. Its main aim is to enrich the discussion in this field by deriving hypotheses from the sociological theory of reproduction and the discourse on migrant integration. Variables are included which have not been tested in a broad fashion in previous empirical research. We use data on different groups of migrants and non-migrants in multilingual Switzerland, where we could study the determinants of the unequal distribution of language proficiency in three official languages and foreign language repertoire in general. Our main results show that the hypotheses derived from the two theoretical discussions are empirically supported overall and contribute substantially to the explanation of language proficiency. However, most of these variables indicate the importance of unequally distributed opportunities for learning languages, thus highlighting that language learning may be part of the general process of reproducing social inequality structures.


We report here the operation, at 5 Hz, of a multipass flashlamp pumped Cr:LiSAF ultrashort pulse amplifier, presenting peak powers over 0.3 TW. This unusual high repetition rate was obtained by using two‐flashlamp pumping scheme, aiming the minimization of the thermal load on the gain medium by the use of intracavity absorption filters. This cavity was used as a four‐passes multipass amplifier in a hybrid Ti:Sapphire/Cr:LiSAF system. The maximum amplification factor was 150, and the compressed pulse duration was 60 fs.


Viruses are a major constraint to cowpea production in sub-Saharan Africa. Host plant resistance is the most effective and reliable method of managing viral diseases. In order to identify the source of resistance or tolerance, 38 cowpea genotypes were screened for virus infection under field conditions during the 2016 wet and dry seasons. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications in both seasons. Disease severity was assessed fortnightly based on disease symptom using 1-5 visual scale (1=symptomless, and 5= very severe symptom). The cowpea genotypes exhibited varying reactions to viral infections with mean disease incidence ranging from 17.7% in the fourth week to 29.2% in the eighth week for the wet season and from 34.4% to 53.1% for the fourth and eighth week, respectively in the dry season. Symptoms observed were leaf mosaic (86.7%), leaf mottling (86.7%), chlorotic spots (34.2%), vein clearing (28.9%), leaf curl (26.3%), necrotic lesions (15.8%) and stunting (10.5%). Symptom severity in the rainy season ranged from symptomless (severity score of 1) in IT10K-819-4 and IT07K-297-13 to moderate symptom (severity score of 2.9) in Apagbaala. However, in the dry season, the symptom severity score ranged from 1.11 (mild symptom) in Marfo Tuya to a score of 2.4 (moderate symptom) in IT07K-298-9, thus demonstrating a significant genotype x season interaction effect. Incidence and severity were significantly higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. There was a strong positive correlation between the disease incidence and disease severity as well as AUDPC and no correlation between the cowpea incidence and the seed yield and plant height in the wet season. There was a negative correlation between the incidence and plant height in the dry season. Six genotypes (IT07-210-1-1, IT07K-297-13, IT08K-193- 14, IT09-456, IT10K-817-3 and IT10K-819-4) exhibited mild symptoms and gave high yields in both seasons, thus demonstrating a stable G x E interaction effect. These disease resistant genotypes could be evaluated further before release to farmers. Keywords: Area Under Disease Progress Curve, Host resistance, Vigna unguiculata, Viral diseases


OBJECTIVE
Nonfearful panic disorder meets the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder but is not associated with subjective fear and anxiety. The authors determined its prevalence in a group of neurology patients and assessed its diagnostic validity as a panic disorder subtype by evaluating the response of the patients with nonfearful panic disorder to sodium lactate and antipanic pharmacotherapy.

METHOD
The subjects were all neurology patients referred over 1 year to a university hospital's psychiatric consultation service because of negative medical workups for their symptoms (N = 48). Patients who met the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder but did not report subjective anxiety or fear during panic episodes were diagnosed as having nonfearful panic disorder. Afterward, each of those patients received a sodium lactate infusion and, 5 hours later, a sodium chloride infusion. They were then treated with antipanic medication and followed for at least 6 months.

RESULTS
Of the 48 neurology patients referred for psychiatric evaluation, 11 (23%) met the criteria for panic disorder, and all 11 met the criteria for nonfearful panic disorder. All 11 responded positively to lactate but not to placebo, and they each experienced an at least 75% reduction in symptoms during the 6-month follow-up period. Detailed case reports of three of these patients are presented.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings support the construct and predictive diagnostic validity of nonfearful panic disorder as a subtype of panic disorder and suggest that a lack of attention to this group leads to both the underestimation of the prevalence of panic disorder and to the withholding of potentially successful treatments for this group.


159 strains of group D streptococci isolated from clinical specimens were examinated for plasmids content. Our objective was to study some characters carried by plasmids: drug-resistance, hemolysins and bacteriocin activity. 73,6% of the strains were antibiotic resistant and in 69% of these, the drug-resistance was transferable by conjugation. In mating of S. faecalis subsp. zymogenes strains we could also isolate three different types of transconjugants in hemolytic activity. The interpretation of this observation was facilitated by the research of bacteriocin activity. We also classified the bacteriocins found in our strains into different types.


The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write. Braille generally consists of cells of raised dots arranged in a grid. The presence or absence of dots can be sensed by the blind people's fingertips to give them the coding for the symbol. The electronic revolution is changing the way Braille is produced, stored and retrieved, making it easier to use in the work place. All kinds of materials can be put into Braille, from bank statements, bus timetables, maps to music. But it is still difficult to produce an error-free Braille for complex materials. In this paper, the ability of the neural networks will be tested to be used for translating scanned text pages, books or lectures from English language into Grade I Braille; so that blind people can deal with it. An artificial neural network is designed with minimum structure and tested to convert the English characters into grade I literary Braille code. English characters will be assumed to be affected by noise of mean variant between 0 and 0.4.The output of the N.N can be stored in a data file that can be sent into a Braille printer or a Braille display.


Objectives: The purposes of this study were to determine the relationship between the prevalence of allergic diseases and urinary cadmium concentration among children from six to 12 years of age, and to evaluate the association between cadmium in urine and other immunologically related factors in two elementary schools with different environmental conditions. Methods: Data on physician-diagnosed prevalence over the past 12 months and potential risk factors for allergic disease were collected from survey results drawn from 236 children living in different regions (central urban vs. suburban) from April to July in 2014 by an ISAAC questionnaire. We analyzed cytokine levels in serum through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and urinary cadmium concentration by use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results: Concentrations of urinary cadmium in suburban and central urban children were 0.11±0.11 ug/L, 0.14±0.17 ug/L, respectively (p>0.05). Results from the analysis of the t-test and chi-square test showed that urinary cadmium levels were positively associated with environmental factors (paternal smoking status, passive smoking, traffic volume and experiences of outdoor odors) and individual genetic factors (parental allergic disease). Cadmium concentrations in urine were also positively associated with the prevalence of allergic disease and immune-related cytokines (eosinophils, IgE, IL-5, IL-33, IL-17). Conclusion: This study suggests that genetic factors (parental history of allergic diseases), environmental factors, and regional status (suburban and central urban) should be considered as probable factors increasing the concentration of urinary cadmium, which has the potential to influence the allergic disease prevalence of school-age children.


Objectives: To compare outcomes of laparoscopic surgery versus open surgery for colorectal carcinoma in terms of hospital stay and post-operative complications.
Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of General Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from Mar 2020 to Mar 2021.
Methodology: We studied a total of 114 patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and met the sample selection criteria. Patients with metastatic disease or previous history of abdominal surgery were excluded from the study. Patients were documented for hospital stay and followed for six months for the development of complications. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 26.
Results: We studied a population where 45 (39.5%) were male while 69 (60.5%) were female. The mean age of the sample was 46.96 ± 14.47 years. The study showed that the mean hospital stay was shorter in Group A: 5.40 ± 1.88 days versus 6.59 ± 1.68 days in Group B (p=0.001). Mean blood loss was 65.99 ± 16.41 mL in Group A versus 366.93 ± 95.36 in Group B (p<0.001). The complication rates in Group A and B were 6 (10.5%) and 11 (19.2%), respectively (p=0.18), while the rate of incisional hernia formation was 0 (0%) and 4 (6.9%) (p=0.042).
Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery is superior to open surgery is the management in terms of shorter in-hospital stay and postoperative complications.


This is the third of three related volumes on number theory. (The first two volumes were also published in the Iwanami Series in Modern Mathematics, as volumes 186 and 240.) The two main topics of this book are Iwasawa theory and modular forms. The presentation of the theory of modular forms starts with several beautiful relations discovered by Ramanujan and leads to a discussion of several important ingredients, including the zeta-regularized products, Kronecker's limit formula, and the Selberg trace formula. The presentation of Iwasawa theory focuses on the Iwasawa main conjecture, which establishes far-reaching relations between a $p$-adic analytic zeta function and a determinant defined from a Galois action on some ideal class groups. This book also contains a short exposition on the arithmetic of elliptic curves and the proof of Fermat's last theorem by Wiles. Together with the first two volumes, this book is a good resource for anyone learning or teaching modern algebraic number theory.


This extended abstract outlines my dissertation work, to assemble a toolkit for facilitating accessible design workshops with blind people. I first exemplify how inclusive design strategies don't always provide accessible tools and techniques but instead focus on accessible end products. I continue with proposed activities beginning with an exploration of current making practice by blind people. I then propose distilling toolkit content by incorporating findings from blind makers into workshops where blind and sighted people, including industry designers, make together.


In this work we are analyzing a way to use argon plasma etching method in order to make the prototype of high LIDT (Laser Induced Damage Threshold) fixed beam expander suitable for UV laser micromachining systems. We tested 5 most popular fused silicas (FS) in photonics market - Corning 7980 0F, Corning 8655 0F, Suprasil 300, Suprasil 1 and JGS1. Different thickness (from 0 nm to 150 nm) of commercially polished various fused silica glasses were removed and optical-physical properties were investigated. Each substrate was tested in the LIDT measuring setup. Experimental results showed that optimal etching depth for various fused silica substrates is - 100 ± 7 nm. LIDT (1000-on-1 at 355 nm) of developed beam expander with etched substrates was 17.7±2.9 J/cm2. In comparison, LIDT of beam expander with non-etched FS substrates has only 4.9 ± 1.7 J/cm2.


The demand for heart transplantation far exceeds the supply. This shortage is mainly due to the high percentage of discarded hearts and the narrow time window of only six hours that the current standard preservation method, static cold storage (SCS), allows for completing the entire procedure from donor to recipient patient. An alternative method called ex-vivo heart perfusion (EVHP) maintains a human donor heart beating outside the body for the time preceding transplantation surgery. By keeping the donor heart beating in a quasi-physiological mode of operation and assessing its functions, the organ's health can be monitored so that, ultimately, the transplant time window can be extended to increase the geographic availability of donors. In order to improve and optimize the EVHP system, fundamental understanding of the system physics is needed. To achieve this, the present work aims to investigate the relationship between pulsatile flow and compliance, evaluating the near wall region of a compliant tube with a particular focus on the formation of the viscous boundary layer. Thus, an experimental setup was designed to replicate the flow loop of the EVHP system and an optical transparent compliant tube that mimics the functioning of the body's largest and most compliant artery, the aorta, was custom-made to allow optical access to the flow field matching the refractive index of the working fluid. A pulsatile waveform is generated using a computer-controlled mechanical diaphragm pump, also equipped with a tri-leaf exit valve to simulate the physiological working condition of the heart. In the present work, the flow field is assessed by first performing stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) on the bulk flow to investigate the large-scale phenomena within a compliant tube and the results of these experiments will be further used as a guide to interrogate smaller near-wall regions of interest in the flow. The preliminary results show, in addition to the general characteristics of a pulsatile flow through a compliant tube, a potential complex fluid-structure relationship between the pulsatile flow and the moving wall of the tube has been observed. The presentation of this work will discuss the experimental setup and review the preliminary results presented here in addition to others findings that are still being analyzed, data processing is underway to do so.


Abstract Introduction The current paper presents an examination of the emerging role of deep learning-based simulation software in enhancing preprocedural planning for intracranial aneurysm treatment using flow diverters. Intracranial aneurysms pose significant risk due to their potential rupture leading to life-threatening subarachnoid hemorrhage. Innovative endovascular treatment options like flow diverters, which redirect blood flow and promote healing, are gaining attention. The role of simulation software in optimizing these procedures is becoming increasingly crucial. Case presentation This study involves a 47-year-old female patient diagnosed with an intracranial aneurysm. Through diagnostic angiography and 3D rotational angiography imaging, the complex aneurysm anatomy was determined and the need for flow diverter placement ascertained. The Sim&Size™ software was used to simulate the size and placement of the flow diverter, based on the patient's specific vascular anatomy. The procedure, including the placement of the flow diverter as per the simulation, was successful. Conclusion The Sim&Size™ simulation software significantly contributes to the enhancement of intracranial aneurysm treatment planning. By providing patient-specific simulations, it improves procedural precision and reduces the risk of complications, thus potentially optimizing patient outcomes. However, the quality of the simulation is contingent on the accuracy of the input data, and it does not account for physiological dynamics. Despite these limitations, this tool represents a promising development in neurointerventional practice.


Radar simulator is an effective tool for performance assessment of radar systems by accurately reproducing echo signals from complicated environment. This paper presents a design of fast multi-waveform radar echo generation based on deconvolution method. First, scene information is retrieved from outfield data based on improved conjugate gradient algorithm. Then, the new radar echoes are generated through convolution of new transmitted signal and restored scene information. A fast and area-efficient field programmable gate array realization is provided to meet the real-time requirement of radar echo simulation. Finally, a series of experiments are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of proposed radar simulation instrument.


We derived maps of the solar wind outflow velocity of coronal neutral hydrogen atoms at solar minimum in the altitude range 1.5–4.0 R⊙. We applied the Doppler dimming technique to coronagraphic observations in the UV H I Lyα line at 121.6 nm. The technique exploits the intensity reduction in the coronal line with increasing velocities of the outflowing plasma to determine the solar wind velocity by iterative modelling. The Lyα line intensity is sensitive to the wind outflow velocity and also depends on the physical properties of coronal particles and underlying chromospheric emission. Measurements of irradiance by the chromospheric Lyα radiation in the corona are required for a rigorous application of the Doppler dimming technique, but they are not provided by past and current instrumentations. A correlation function between the H I 121.6 nm and He II 30.4 nm line intensities was used to construct Carrington rotation maps of the non-uniform solar chromospheric Lyα radiation and thus to compute the Lyα line irradiance throughout the outer corona. Approximations concerning the temperature of the scattering H I atoms and exciting solar disc radiation were also adopted to significantly reduce the computational time and obtain a faster procedure for a quick-look data analysis of future coronagraphic observations. The effect of the chromospheric Lyα brightness distribution on the resulting H I outflow velocities was quantified. In particular, we found that the usual uniform-disc approximation systematically leads to an overestimated velocity in the polar and mid-latitude coronal regions up to a maximum of about 50−60 km s−1 closer to the Sun. This difference decreases at higher altitudes, where an increasingly larger chromospheric portion, including both brighter and darker disc features, contributes to illuminate the solar corona, and the non-uniform radiation condition progressively approaches the uniform-disc approximation.


The secretion of lutenizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thyrotrophin (TSH) and prolactin (PRL, was studied in 17 women suffering from anorexia nervosa. The mean basal serum LH was reduced (8.4 +/- 0.8 SE mIU/ml; P less than 0.001 vs normal controls), while LH increase after gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (LH-RH) appeared to be normal in 9 cases and impaired in 6 cases. The mean basal FSH did not significantly differ from normal subjects (3.9 +/- 0.5 mIU/ml), while LH-RH administration elicited an exaggerated increase in 7 cases and a normal increase in 8 cases: the mean FSH response was significantly higher than in controls (P less than 0.02). Plasma oestradiol-17beta was reduced (20.4 +/- 0.4 pg/ml; P less than 0.001) while the serum testosterone levels were normal (0.73 +/- 0.09 ng/ml). Clomiphene administration induced an increase in gonadotrophins in only 1 out of 7 patients. The mean serum TSH concentration was normal (2.3 +/- 0.4 muU/ml), while serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine and free thyroxine index, thought generally in the normal range, were significantly lower than values obtained in a control group (6.1 +/- 0.4 mug/100 ml, P less than 0.005; 102.3 +/- 7.7 ng/100 ml, P less than 0.005; 3.8 +/- 0.3, P less than 0.05). Though the mean serum TSH increase after thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) was normal (12.0 +/- 2.3 muU/ml), there were 4 impaired and 1 exaggerated increases, and 8 patients showed a delayed and frequently prolonged response. The increase in serum T3 after TRH appeared lower than in normal subjects (36.3 +/- 1.8 ng/100 ml, P less than 0.001). Serum PRL levels in basal conditions were higher than in the controls (19.4 +/- 4.1 ng/ml, P less than 0.001) while the increase in PRL after TRH was exaggerated in only 2 patients. The present data suggest that the primary failure in gonadotrophin secretion in anorexia nervosa occurs at hypothalamic level; moreover the data on TSH and PRL secretion also point to the existence of a hypothalamic disorder in this disease.


This Thesis investigates immobilised metal- and biocatalysts for continuous reactions in scC02. Chemical transformations with high atom economy and low E-factor (amount of waste per kg of product) are highly desired in the green chemical viewpoint. One of the approaches to decrease the production of waste is the use of catalysis (possibly highly selective). Another approach is the use of a 'green' reaction medium as a substitute for traditional solvents that can reduce the production of harmful solvent waste. How this Thesis encompasses by these topics is discussed in Chapter 1.
The details of the apparatus, experimental and analytical equipment and procedures are reported in Chapter 2.
The field of asymmetric catalytic hydrogenation is a currently important and expanding field of research. In Chapters 3 and 4, the continuous asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate is covered. High enantioselectivity (ees up to 83 %) was obtained in the continuous asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate catalysed by supported homogeneous chiral Rh catalysts on alumina in SCC02 (Chapter 3). This is one of the first examples of the use of chiral catalyst in a continuous flow system without the need for the addition of the chiral modifier. The continuous asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate was also examined with chiral Rh catalysts immobilised in ionic liquids in a biphasic system ionic liquid/scC02 (Chapter 4). High enantioselectivity was achieved in the continuous flow system: ees up to 76 %.
Chapter 5 describes the kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols catalysed by immobilised Candida antarctica lipase B (Cal B) in a continuous flow scC02 system. The continuous kinetic resolution of a-tetralol with Cal B immobilised in the form of Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregate (CLEA) gave excellent enantioselectivity (eeR to 99 %). Different acyl donors (vinyl acetate, phenyl acetate and p-nitrophenyl acetate) were investigated, and were shown to influence the enantioselectivity of the reaction.
In Chapter 6, a two step catalytic cascade reaction is described in a continuous flow scC02 system: hydrogenation of acetophenone with a Pd catalyst (Pd Type 31) followed by the kinetic resolution of the product with Cal B CLEA.
The series reaction gave good results even when un-optimised:
• Step 1 (hydrogenation of acetophenone): conversion up to 91 %
• Step 2 (kinetic resolution of (R/S)-l-phenylethanol): conversion of (R)-l-phenylethanol up to 22 %, enantioselectivity (R) > 99 %.
Chapter 7 details the preparation of cholesterol oxidase CLEA and combi-CLEA of cholesterol oxidase and catalase, and their application for the continuous oxidation of cholesterol in scC02 with 'in-flow' cholesterol extraction. CLEA were successfully prepared with high retained activity:
• Individual cholesterol oxidase CLEA: cholesterol oxidase activity up to 99 % (relative to native),
• Combi-CLEA: cholesterol oxidase activity up to 99 % (relative to native), catalase activity up to 53 % (relative to native).
Unfortunately, the activity of the CLEA in the continuous oxidation was low, however, the findings of this work will aid in improving the performance of the continuous catalytic oxidation of cholesterol in the future.
The possible future directions of this research are presented in Chapter 8.


Background and Objectives. The code team course is a 3-hour, interactive course that follows a 4-phase brain-based lesson plan for simulation. Interprofessional teams receive instruction and practice in evidence-based teamwork, communication, and individual skills. Methods. This quantitative research included a pre-test and post-test design in an urban Department of Medicine. Sixteen groups (n=109) participated in the course over a period of eight weeks. Classroom metrics included pre- and post-course High-Quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and code team didactic knowledge assessed by Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. In addition, four in-situ mock code simulations were conducted to provide the researchers with baseline and post-intervention data. Code team performance assessment scores were tallied and compared between baseline and post-intervention by Fisher's Exact Test. Results. The classroom metrics produced significant results. High-Quality CPR scores were higher post-training than pre-training (median score 4 vs. 3, respectively; p=0.006). Didactic knowledge test scores were also significantly higher (median score 90 vs. 70, respectively; p <0.001). In-situ team performance improved in several areas. There was a significant improvement in the area of cardiac code management in the day shift group. The percent "done well" improved from 25% (5/20) to 100% (20/20) (p= <0.001). Conclusion. The results of this pilot study suggest that code team training using the 4-phase BBL plan for simulation is associated with improvements in interprofessional team knowledge and performance during cardiac emergencies. It is equally important that the training is conducted over a short period in order to ensure that all team members are properly prepared.


Wide-azimuth datasets allow us to incorporate more dimensions into data regularisation. Using a multi-dimensional Fourier transform that handles irregular data we can either output traces on a regular grid or interpolate additional source and receiver lines. This allows us to fill holes more effectively and regularise in the offset and azimuth directions whilst preserving amplitude variation with offset and azimuth (AVO and AVAz). We show how the anti-leakage Fourier transform can be used with four spatial dimensions and use OBC and land data examples to highlight improvement in continuity and accurate reconstruction of missing data.


Five coordination polymers and one hexanuclear cluster have been obtained, and their crystal structures were determined upon reaction of Cu(I) or Ag(I) precursors with pyrazine (Pyz) or piperazine (Ppz). Five complexes are mixed-imine-ligand with anionic-fluorinated pyrazolate [3,5-(CF3)2Pz]- ([PzF]-) besides Pyz or Ppz, whereas the sixth had the neutral diimine as a single chromophore. Complexes 1-3 are isomers of the same Cu/PzF/Pyz composition with the same or different unit cell stoichiometry, namely, {Cu6[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]6(Pyz)3(CH2Cl2)}∞ (1·CH2Cl2), {Cu2[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]}2(Pyz)2·toluene}∞ (2·toluene), and {Cu3[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]3(Pyz)1.5·1.5benzene}∞ (3·1.5benzene), respectively. Altering only the metal attains {Ag6[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]6(Pyz)2·2benzene} (4·2benzene), while also changing the neutral diimine attains {Ag2[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]2(Ppz)}∞ (5). Using Pyz without an anionic imine yields {[Cu(Pyz)(MeCN)2][BF4]}∞ (6). The crystal structure of 1 shows two trimers linked together with two pyrazine ligands. Crystals of 2 represent a metal-organic framework (MOF-TW1) with significant surface area (1278 m2/g) and porosity (23.7% void volume) without considering toluene adsorbates in channels. MOF-TW1 was obtained serendipitously upon a reaction attempt to attain a mixed-metal product, instead attaining a Cu(I)-only product with interconnected four-coordinate dinuclear units. Likewise, 3 was obtained through a transmetalation of all Ag atoms in 4 to replace them by Cu atoms. Three reactions (to obtain 1, 4, and 5) were successfully carried out by both solvent-mediated and solventless transformations, whereas 2 and 3 were obtained only by solvent-mediated reactions, while 6 was attainable only by solventless transformations. The solventless transformations occurred either by sublimation and vapor diffusion or by mechanical grinding at ambient laboratory conditions-without the aid of heating, high pressure, vacuum, or any automated equipment. All transformations could be monitored by the human eye as the reaction progresses, as evidenced by progressive discoloration and/or luminescence changes. All crystal structures were obtained with the aid of conventional crystal growth methods from organic solvents for bulk products obtained from both solvelntless and solvent-mediated reactions. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to compare bulk products with one another and the crystallographic products. All Cu(I) products are colored and nonluminescent; the progress of their vapor diffusion-based solventless reactions can be followed by gradual discoloration of white solid reactants and/or quenching precursor's phosphorescence. Both Ag(I) products were colorless with 4 being luminescent but not 5.


Electing a single committee of a small size is a classical and well-understood voting situation. Being interested in a sequence of committees, we introduce two time-dependent multistage models based on simple scoring-based voting. Therein, we are given a sequence of voting profiles (stages) over the same set of agents and candidates, and our task is to find a small committee for each stage of high score. In the conservative model we additionally require that any two consecutive committees have a small symmetric difference. Analogously, in the revolutionary model we require large symmetric differences. We prove both models to be NP-hard even for a constant number of agents, and, based on this, initiate a parameterized complexity analysis for the most natural parameters and combinations thereof. Among other results, we prove both models to be in XP yet W[1]-hard regarding the number of stages, and that being revolutionary seems to be "easier" than being conservative.


Whilst the training of healthcare staff is seen as a key element to the prevention and management of violence and aggression, questions remain as to the effectiveness of these programmes in preparing staff to apply this to clinical practice. To date there is a relative paucity of well-designed studies into the effectiveness of the training to prevent and manage violence and aggression in healthcare settings. Within this context a study was conceived to examine the effectiveness of two aggression management training programmes in preparing staff for clinical practice.

In order to provide a meaningful and evidence-based evaluation of the two programmes, Pawson and Tilley's Realistic Evaluation model was adopted for use in this study. In keeping with the chosen methodology, data was collected using a combination of methods including surveys, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation of training. A total of 64 participants were eligible for inclusion in the study; which ran over the course of a calendar year.

 The research highlighted that training should have relevance to the staff group undergoing instruction. That training should be conducted wherever possible in staff groups, tackling real problems, with participants reflecting and learning from their experience and from each other. It should also provide measures of competency that describe both workplace and organisational outcomes and describe the requirements of assessment. That training should be engaging and integrate decision-making, planning, organization and skill building and cover a range of interventions. Most importantly, was the need to help staff transfer what they had learnt as part of training to clinical practice. These factors are brought together in a model of training devised as part of this study called the PROMPTS Aggression Management Training Model ©.

As the first study to apply realistic evaluation in aggression management research, it was a good fit, particularly given the growing emphasis on understanding how context influences evidence-based practice. The strengths and limitations of the approach are considered, including how to operationalize it. This approach provided a useful interpretive framework with which to make sense of the multiple factors that were simultaneously at play and being observed through various data sources, and for developing explanatory theory about aggression management training and its implementation in practice.


The LL(finite) parsing strategy for parsing of LL(k) grammars where k needs not to be known is presented. The strategy parses input in linear time, uses arbitrary but always minimal lookahead necessary to disambiguate between alternatives of nonterminals, and it is optimal in the number of lookahead terminal scans performed. Modifications to the algorithm are shown that allow for resolution of grammar ambiguities by precedence -- effectively interpreting the input as a parsing expression grammar -- as well as for the use of predicates, and a proof of concept, the open-source parser generator Astir, employs the LL(finite) strategy in the output it generates.


Background and objectives Clonally expanded CD8+ lymphocytes are known to exist in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Interestingly, in large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukaemia (a haematological malignancy with indolent disease course), CD8+ lymphocytes expand and the expanded clones harbour somatic mutations. LGL leukaemia patients with STAT3 mutated CD8+ lymphocytes have significantly increased risk of developing autoimmune manifestations, RA being a common autoimmune co-morbidity. As somatic mutations in CD8+ lymphocytes associate with autoimmunity in LGL leukaemia, we wanted to examine if similar phenomenon exists in newly diagnosed RA patients without known LGL lymphoproliferation. Materials and methods Lymphocyte clonality was analysed by flow cytometry using vbβ -staining kit (Beckman Coulter) and the major clones were confirmed by TCR deep sequencing. Deep sequencing of 986 selected immune-related genes was performed from CD8+ T cells using CD4+ lymphocytes as germline control. The coverage was 200–6000x enabling reliable calling of low frequency mutations. Candidate mutations were validated using targeted deep amplicon sequencing. Results 43% (n = 31) of the newly diagnosed RA patients in our patient cohort (n = 68) had CD8+ lymphocyte expansions exceeding 10% of the total CD8+ T cells. The largest clones were subjected to targeted deep sequencing. We identified somatic gene variants in five (n = 5) patients and in one healthy control. Most of these variants were non-synonymous coding single nucleotide changes in genes important for immune functions (C5, PADI4, IRF1, SLAMF6, BST1 and CLEC10A), or proliferation (PTPRO, PADI4, PROM1, CDK12 and CLIP2). Sequencing of FACS sorted CD8+ lymphocytes confirmed that the expanded clone harboured the identified mutations. Conclusions In RA patients, somatic mutations accumulate in the CD8+ T cells during clonal expansion. Related findings have recently been reported in the myeloid lineage, where somatic variants are found to accumulate even in healthy subjects in a process called clonal haematopoiesis. Importantly, we focused on CD8+ lymphocytes that have undergone thymic education and thus we report acquired somatic variants in mature cytotoxic lymphocytes in a non-malignant set-up. Although more research is needed to address the possible pathogenicity of the identified mutations, these findings provide an interesting link between autoimmunity and cancer.


Specimens from the whole range of Elaphe longissima were analyzed for geographical variation of plasma proteins and DNA fingerprint loci. Albumins were identical throughout the range of the species, except for Sicilian specimens of E. l. romana which share bands with E. persica rather than with E. longissima. Transferrins indicate that Central European populations originate from the East, whereas Western European populations are indistinguishable from Northern Italian ones. DNA fingerprints reveal a low effective population size in Central European isolates with only few bands that could be informative for intraspecific groupings. Most of the repeated sequences are located on the female w-chromosome.


There are certain inventions that are rightly termed "Game Changers". Personal computers, mobile phones, digital cameras can all be placed in this category. In the field of diagnostic radiology there have also been many such innovations. The multi slice CT scanner, the humble ultrasound and ofcourse the Magnetic Resonance Imaging immediately come to mind. There is another such game changer which has been around for over a decade but only just making its appearance on the Pakistani scene. This is Picture Archiving and Communication Systems or simply PACS. PACS has revolutionised how radiological images are stored, reported and distributed. Not only has radiology work flow and patient care been changed forever it has also had a huge impact on education and evaluation of trainees not only in radiological sciences but in all clinical disciplines.1 The global impact is evident however as PACS is in its early period of evolution in Pakistan, its impact here has been limited. This article sets out to describe the basic components of a PACS system and describe how it may be able to achieve cost savings along with improving service, education and research in Radiology.


We study the discovery potential of the flavor-changing neutral coupling (FCNC) htc of the Higgs boson and the top quark through the rare tree-body decay h{yields}Wbc at muon colliders for a light Higgs boson with mass 114{<=}m{sub h{<=}}145 GeV. This decay mode may compete with the standard model (SM) background induced by the hWW coupling in some models with a tree-level htc coupling and with models that predict this coupling at the one-loop level in the range 10{sup -2}-10{sup -1}. A future muon collider could test the scalar FCNC decay t{yields}hc via Higgs decay h{yields}t*c{yields}bW{sup +}c down to values of the coupling g{sub tc}=0.5[that are equivalent to BR(t{yields}hc){approx}5x10{sup -3}]. The LHC could probe values of g{sub tc} 1 order of magnitude smaller, unless other processes beyond the SM appear that through intense multijet activity may clutter the t{yields}hc signal.


ABSTRACT Despite the worldwide proliferation of suicide-prevention crisis-line networks, there is limited in-depth knowledge of how the volunteer call responders experience and manage emotional stressors. The study's purpose was to explore emotional stressors related to operating a diaconal suicide-prevention crisis line, and how these are managed in daily operations. In this qualitative study, 27 volunteers were interviewed in four focus groups. The material was analysed using systematic text condensation. The participants experienced emotional stressors related to being unable to actively intervene, encountering traumatised callers and feeling uncertain about representing the Church. They used a combination of personal coping strategies and organisational support factors. Implications for training and practice are further discussed.


Widespread occurrence of stromatolitic horizons is documented in the middle part of Mulussa Formation, of the Gaara depression western of Iraq. These stromatolitic horizons are associated with intertidal channels, fenestral (birdseye) porosity, trace fossils of Rhizocorallium, as well as chert nodules with varnished evaporites. دؤاد ناميلس اللها دبع و ناوغا قازرلا دبع رماث 93 The main petrographics constituent appeared to be calcite with radial pattern enclosed between dark algal walls, later replacement by dolomite and silica is common. Based on the sedimentary attributes and characteristic features of these stromatolitic horizons and their comparison with recent and ancient analogous, an intertidal-lagoonal environment is inferred during their deposition. ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ ـ ــــــــــــــــــــــ


Abstract The adjoint method to retrieve the three-dimensional wind and thermodynamic fields is applied to single-Doppler observations of a gust front measured during the Phoenix II experiment. This method uses a fluid dynamics model and its adjoint, and combines the retrieval with data assimilation into the prediction model. The wind and thermodynamic variables are determined by minimizing the difference between the model solution and the observations. Experiments are conducted first with radial velocity alone and then with both radial velocity and reflectivity to examine the quality of the retrieval with respect to radar location, boundary conditions, length of assimilation, data filtering, smoothing enforced by penalty functions, and model accuracy. Verification of these experiments is provided by a dual-Doppler analysis. Test results show that the adjoint method is able to retrieve the wind and thermodynamic fields of the gust front. The retrieved horizontal wind agrees very well with the dual-Doppler ...


Efficient broadband absorption of visible and near-infrared light by low quality-factor metal-insulator-metal (MIM) resonators using refractory materials is reported. Omnidirectional absorption of incident light for broad angles of incidence and polarization insensitivity are observed for the fabricated MIM resonator. Excellent thermal stability of the absorber is demonstrated at high operating temperatures (800 °C). The experimental broadband absorption spectra show good agreement with simulations. The resonator with 12 nm top tungsten and 100 nm alumina spacer film shows absorbance above 95% in the range of 650 to 1750 nm. The absorption window is tunable in terms of the center wavelength, bandwidth, and the value of maximum absorbance (~98%) by simple variation of appropriate layer thicknesses. Owing to their flexibility, ease of fabrication and low cost, the presented absorbers have the potential for a wide range of applications, including the use in commonly used infrared bands or absorbers for (solar) thermo-photovoltaic energy conversion, where high absorbance and simultaneously low (thermal) re-radiation is of paramount importance.


An indirect fluorescent antibody test was developed to detect serum antibody to avian reovirus strain WVU2937. This test employed small multiple well plastic plates (8 x 5.5 cm) which readily fitted into the standard mechanical stage mechanism of an incident light fluorescence microscope. The small wells of the plates required minimal (10 muL) volumes of reagents. In tests on 18 sera in which the indirect fluorescent antibody, agar gel precipitin and plaque reduction methods were compared sera which gave negative results in the agar gel precipitin test were sometimes positive in the indirect fluorescent antibody and plaque reduction test, but indirect fluorescent antibody titers were lower than plaque reduction test titers. No false positive reactions were detected in 46 sera from uninoculated specific pathogen free chicks of up to eight weeks of age.


ABSTRACT In this paper we study epistemological transitions across an intended engineering curriculum and recommend strategies to assist students in attaining the increasingly complex concepts and insights that are necessary for transition to advanced levels of study. We draw on Legitimation Code Theory [Maton, Karl. 2014, Knowledge and Knowers: Towards a Realist Sociology of Education. Abingdon: Routledge], in particular the dimensions of sematic gravity and semantic density, to explain these transitions. Data for the study was obtained from a curriculum renewal project that reveals how engineers understand engineering knowledge. We find an interdependent relationship between semantic gravity and semantic density in the intended engineering curriculum. The complexity of the context and the problems that arise from it pose strong cognitive challenges. The semantic gravity wave rises and falls across the engineering curriculum s, enabling both abstraction and a focus on 'real world' problems in specialised knowledge fields. Control of the semantic gravity wave is key to the provision of 'epistemological access' [Morrow, Wally, ed. (2003) 2009. Bounds of Democracy: Epistemological Access in Higher Education. Reprint, Pretoria: HSRC Press] to engineering knowledge.


PROGRESSIVE external ophthalmoplegia (PEO) is a slowly advancing, often hereditary disorder in which increasing weakness of the extraocular muscles (EOMs) often results in severe ptosis of the eyelids and paresis of ocular movements. This condition is of interest not only because of its fairly frequent occurrence among the neuromuscular disorders, and its interesting association with degenerations within the nervous system and elsewhere, but also because it was once considered to be a neurogenic paralysis ("progressive nuclear ophthalmoplegia"1-4), and is now accepted as a primary disorder of muscle ("ocular myopathy"; the Kiloh-Nevin syndrome5-16). The major bases for its acceptance as a myopathic disorder have been the occurrence of "myopathic" changes seen on histologic examination of ocular muscles obtained at biopsy or autopsy, and the occasional occurrence of similar histologic changes in muscles of the limb girdles, along with proximal weakness. Additional, less direct evidence has included the mildness or


Early detection of AF is essential and emphasizes the significance of AF screening. However, AF detection in screening ECGs, usually recorded by handheld and portable devices, is limited because of their high susceptibility to noise. In this study, the feasibility of applying a machine learning-based quality control stage, inserted between the QRS detector and AF detector blocks, is investigated with the aim to improve AF detection. A convolutional neural network was trained to classify the detections into either true or false. False detections were excluded and an updated series of QRS complexes was fed to the AF detector. The results show that the convolutional neural network-based quality control reduces the number of false alarms by 26.5% at the cost of 1.5% decrease in sensitivity compared to AF detection without any quality control.


Background: Colorectal adenoma (CRA) to cancer (CRC) progression involves epigenetic changes including DNA methylation. Here we performed whole genome Bisulfite Next-Generation Sequencing (WGBNGS) on a normal, a tubular adenoma and a tumor patients' tissue DNA to elucidate epigenetic drivers in normal to cancer progression. Patients and Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from fresh frozen tissues from a patient with normal colon, from a tubular adenoma lesion (20X depth was performed on these DNA samples., Alignment, mapping and CpG methylation analyses were done. Pyrosequencing and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to confirm selected methylation target genes. Results: We identified 94 unique CpG sites hypermethylated in 4 novel genes in adenoma compared to normal and 180 unique CpG sites in 7 genes in cancer. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) showed that the methylated genes including a novel gene ATXN7L1 were involved in WNT pathway, ubiquitination process and cross-talk with B-catenin, in the adenoma. Three of the hypermethylated genes in cancer were, Loc100506436: a novel gene with 17 unique CpG sites (EGFR pathway, cRNA CpG site hypermethylated is part of MEK1/2), GPNMB with 7 unique CpG sites (membrane protein likely in complexes with integrins) and TNFAIP2 with 8 unique CpG sites (its role was noted in Head and neck cancer). IHC confirmed the lack of GPNMB expression in cancer tissues. Conclusion: This work provides insight into differential CpG island methylation profiles in CRA, CRC vs. normal colon tissue and provides a window into the more complex factors, including alteration of known and novel genes as multiple CpG methylation drivers in colorectal carcinogenesis. Investigations into the possible roles of the novel genes targets in the context of early and prognostic methylation biomarker are underway. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 994. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-994


The past few years have witnessed a surge of interest towards deep reinforcement learning (DRL) in computer networks. With extraordinary ability of feature extraction, DRL has the potential to re-engineer the fundamental resource allocation problems in networking without relying on pre-programmed models or assumptions about dynamic environments. However, such black-box systems suffer from poor robustness, showing high performance variance and poor tail performance. In this work, we propose a unified Teacher-Student learning framework that harnesses rich domain knowledge to improve robustness. The domain-specific algorithms, less performant but more trustable than DRL, play the role of teachers providing advice at critical states; the student neural network is steered to maximize the expected reward as usual and mimic the teacher's advice meanwhile. The Teacher-Student method comprises of three modules where the confidence check module locates wrong decisions and risky decisions, the reward shaping module designs a new updating function to stimulate the learning of student network, and the prioritized experience replay module to effectively utilize the advised actions. We further implement our Teacher-Student framework in existing video streaming (Pensieve), load balancing (DeepLB), and TCP congestion control (Aurora). Experimental results manifest that the proposed approach reduces the performance standard deviation of DeepLB by 37%; it improves the 90th, 95th, and 99th tail performance of Pensieve by 7.6%, 8.8%, and 10.7% respectively; and it accelerates the growth rate of Aurora by 2x at the initial stage, and achieves a more stable performance in dynamic environments.