The technique of joint analysis of heterogeneous time series of geophysical monitoring systems for the purpose of detecting time intervals and specific periods of bursts of synchronous behavior is presented. The technique is based on the use of the Fourier‐aggregated signals and spectral measures of coherent behavior of multivariate time series, estimated in moving time windows. The article presents results of the analysis of data of underground electrical surveys at stations located in Kamchatka, Altai and Italy; the data were analysed together with torsion pendulum movements in Tula (Russia) and the time series of seismic noise parameters at the Japanese islands for the interval 2012–2015. The analysis identified a number of significant bursts of coherent behavior for these observations, some of which are presumably due to the strong mantle Okhotsk Sea earthquake of 24 May 2013. The coherent behavior of various geophysical fields before and after strong earthquakes is interpreted as a manifestation of the general pattern of increasing synchronization of fluctuations of complex systems at their approach to the rapid changes in their properties.


Abstract Symptomatic urolithiasis in the pregnant patient presents a diagnostic challenge to the clinician and radiologist. The presentation can mimic multiple other disease processes, including pathology unique to the gravid patient. The objective of this article was to describe challenges in sonographic imaging of urolithiasis in pregnant patients. Ultrasonography is the imaging modality of choice in pregnant patients with suspected urolithiasis. Signs of urinary collecting system obstruction that are usually reliable in nonpregnant patients may not be reliable in pregnant patients. Normal physiological changes of pregnancy can mimic ureteral obstruction on imaging. Utilization of endovaginal scanning techniques and intrarenal resistive index determination may help improve the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in symptomatic patients.


The bacterial actin-homolog MreB is a key player in bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis and is required for the maintenance of the rod-like morphology of Escherichia coli. However, how MreB cellular levels are adjusted to growth conditions is poorly understood. Here, we show that DsrA, an E. coli small noncoding RNA (sRNA), is involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of mreB. DsrA is required for the downregulation of MreB cellular concentration during environmentally induced slow growth-rates, mainly growth at low temperature and during the stationary phase. DsrA interacts in an Hfq-dependent manner with the 5' region of mreB mRNA, which contains signals for translation initiation and thereby affects mreB translation and stability. Moreover, as DsrA is also involved in the regulation of two transcriptional regulators, σ(S) and the nucleoid associated protein H-NS, which negatively regulate mreB transcription, it also indirectly contributes to mreB transcriptional down-regulation. By using quantitative analyses, our results evidence the complexity of this regulation and the tangled interplay between transcriptional and post-transcriptional control. As transcription factors and sRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulators use different timescales, we propose that the sRNA pathway helps to adapt to changes in temperature, but also indirectly mediates long-term regulation of MreB concentration. The tight regulation and fine-tuning of mreB gene expression in response to cellular stresses is discussed in regard to the effect of the MreB protein on cell elongation.


The purpose of the study is to determine the consumer satisfaction of service quality offered at supermarket in Mysore city. The data was collected from 200 respondents through structures questionnaire by using five point likert scale and was analyzed using one sample t test and multiple regression. The five dimensions such as tangibles, customer knowledge, responsiveness, convenience (dependent dimension) and competence. The finding showed that the dimensions of service quality such as tangibles, customer knowledge, convenience Competence were positively related to customer satisfaction. The management should focus on competence dimensions to be ahead of the competitor


Many interpretations of fandom communities as religious focus on fandom in relation to the "world religions" and the institutional authority they carry. By way of contrast, the author aims to interpret fandom based on religious practice, primarily the Christian Cult of the Saints as a practice of religious devotion. The perspective of religious practice emphasizes that the communities that form as fandom often exist in tension with more traditional religious networks, similar to saint cults. To demonstrate this parallelism, the author explores community formation around saints and fantasy characters as serious play expressed in books of hours and fanzines.


The aim of the present project was to investigate accommodative behavior in young adults and adolescents fitted with an aspheric multifocal (center distance) contact lens with focus on evaluating whether these lenses can be an alternative treatment for subjects in which a reduced level of blur and thereby accommodation in near vision is aimed at. Twenty normal subjects aged between 21 and 35 years participated in the study. Aberrometry was perfomed using a Zywave™ aberrometer, first on the uncorrected eyes of all subjects, and again while the subjects wore a multifocal contact lens with a +1.00 add. A Shin-Nippon N Vision-K 5001 Autoref-Keratometer was used to measure accommodative response with two different refractive corrections: (1) habitual spectacle correction only, and (2) habitual correction and a aspheric multifocal (center distance) contact lens. Four hours of adaptation to the lens was allowed. The lag when wearing only the habitual spectacles was compared with the lag while wearing both the habitual spectacles and the aspheric multifocal contact lens. The mean lag of accommodation for the subject group was 0.85 D (±0.57 SD) and 0.75 D (±0.52 SD) without and with the multifocal lens, respectively. Statistical analyses showed no difference in lag (t = 0.8479, p = 0.407) with and without the lens. In conclusion, young normal subjects do not relax accommodation when fitted with aspheric multifocal center distance lenses when the addition is +1.00. It is therefore unlikely that subjects with accommodative ability, in whom the treatment purpose is to reduce blur and thereby accommodation, can be effectively treated with such lenses.


: Packet dropping is common attacks occur in wireless Ad hoc Network. This threat occurs when the data is transmitted from one source to destination. The attack may be classified into two types one is malicious packet dropping. And another one is link error. This can be overcome by the proposed scheme by implementing Homomorphic Linear Authenticator (HLA). It is the public auditing scheme to detect the malicious node in WANET. HLA act like an auditor to detect the packet losing schemes in the network. The main advantage of this scheme will securely transmit the data in WANET. The packet dropping rate is comparable to the channel error rate, conventional algorithms that are based on detecting the packet loss rate cannot achieve satisfactory detection accuracy. To improve the detection accuracy, the correlations between lost packets is identified. HLA based public auditing architecture is developed to verify the truthfulness of the packet loss information reported by nodes. Thus the implementation is useful to avoid packet dropping attack in Wireless Ad hoc Network.


Talent Management (TM) is a management policy which leaders have used for decades in managing and motivating their workforce. Talent Management is about attracting, developing, sustaining and retaining human capital but first and foremost about leadership and belongs to top management. This research is conducted on how well top management and HR managers in Icelandic companies are conducting TM practices. The results show that only a minority of the companies in Iceland are actively conducting TM practices while the majority is still conducting basic HR practices. The author investigates and places much emphasis on assessment procedures in general, talent identification and if systematic actions are taken to various problems such as insufficient performances. Leaders and managers in Icelandic companies are somewhat becoming more aware of TM practices including the importance of talent identification, but fail however to maximize the employees performances due to the lack of TM strategies and assessment procedures. There are several companies, although a minority, who are outperforming the majority in TM practices who also do take systematic actions on various issues and challenges. Icelandic leaders should in general get more familiar with TM practices and investigate the different challenges that companies are dealing with around the world, where the biggest challenges are talent shortages. They should also be prepared for generational shifts in the workforce and prepare their talent pipelines accordingly.


The essence of modelling is to reflect the studied piece of reality in such a way that best describes the selected elements of the designed system. A model is used in design to optimize the structure and parameters of the constructed object and is a tool for assessing the quality of construction, eliminating weak links and ensuring adequate safety components. In view of the aim of modelling, it can be divided into functional modelling, showing the complexity of the object, and reliability modelling, specifying its states at variable threshold values. In design, modelling allows for significant savings in resources that would otherwise be spent because of problems appearing at the prototype stage, but also during production or in the course of using the product. In the practice of ergonomic design many problems could be avoided if early enough in the design process the values of parameters and their relations would be taken into account through modelling. On the other hand, the modelling process can be costly and time-consuming to carry out, and against the currently pervasive lean production it is a highly undesirable factor. Therefore, the modelling process should be supported with the use of appropriate cognitive techniques namely ethnography design, which would determine inadequacies of existing models as well as indicate the equivalent conditions for modelling. The justification of the use of this technique results both from the possibility of providing additional information, as well as the opportunity to "test" the phenomena affecting the design process. Ergonomic modelling tests developed solutions towards their adaptation to users' anthropometric, biomechanical and psychomotor characteristics, as well as behaviour patterns. However, knowledge of the latter and achieving a sufficient ergonomic and functional quality of proposed solutions often requires the use of the ethnography design approach. The aim of this article is to test the practical application of ethnography design methodology in product design and to analyse the benefits of its use. The analysis is based on effects of its application with the support of product design from various industries, along with a discussion of the method's limitations. Among benefits of ethnography design, the greatest proved to be providing knowledge of nonspecific user behaviour previously unknown to designers, which when rendered by models allowed to develop innovative solutions.


Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) is an important crop worldwide. Tontonaka, Aroma and Benihoppe, are most popular cultivars in Taiwan, especially cv. Aroma is dominated in the market. In September 2021, the target spot outbreak occurred on the leaves of cv. Aroma and Benihoppe in Nantou County. In a greenhouse, the target spot incidents were estimated at 90-100% and 40-50% in Aroma and Benihoppe, respectively, and caused 2~5% plants lost. Between April and June of 2022, the target spot occurred in another greenhouse where the target spot incidents were 90% and 5-8% in Aroma and Benihoppe, respectively. Early symptoms were small and circular to irregular brown spot on the leaves with its diameter at 1-2 mm. Then the brown lesion expanded to 2-5 mm in diameter with pale green halo. Some lesions appeared with gray center, and 2-3 spots might merge into one lesion, and some lesions were surrounded with yellow tissues later. The round to oval brown spots were also observed on stems. Ten symptomatic leaves and stems each were collected for pathogen isolation. Pieces of tissue from the edge of the brown lesion on leaf were cut and disinfested with 0.6% NaOCl for 30 sec, and rinsed three times with sterile distilled water (SDW) followed by being placed on 2% water agar. The isolates obtained from symptomatic leaves/stems of Aroma and Benihoppe showed same colonies with 100% isolation rate. Isolates from cv. Benihoppe (Cos21-1) and Aroma (Cos21-2) were selected for further observation and tests. Colonies on potato dextrose agar exhibited gray aerial mycelium at 28 °C in dark after 7-day. Conidiophores were brown, single or in clustered, unbranched, 2 to 11 septa. Conidia were 5.6-6.7× 28.1-270.0 μm (n=50) in size with obclavate to cylindrical shape, 1 to 16 septa, and olivaceous to dark brown. Based on the morphology, two fungal isolates were identified as Corynespora cassiicola. Four regions, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin, translation elongation factor (TEF), and actin, were used to confirm the two isolates. Sequences of ITS and β-tululin shared 100% identity to ITS (MZ093622) and β-tululin (MW961419) of C. cassiicola in GenBank. Sequences of TEF and actin shared 99.60% and 99.70% identity to C. cassiicola (MK882240 and FJ853005), respectively. For the pathogenicity test, the conidial suspension (1x105 spores/ ml) of Cos21-1 and Cos21-2 was sprayed on leaves of two-month-old strawberry cv. Benihoppe and Aroma without wounds, respectively. Three plants each with more than two leaves were spray-inoculated with the selected isolates whereas three plants with SDW as controls and the test was repeated once. Inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags in the greenhouse, then removed when the initial symptoms were observed on leaves 5 days after inoculation whereas symptoms on stems were observed within 7 days. Re-isolation of the pathogens from the symptomatic leaves/stems demonstrated that the pathogen was C. cassiicola. The leaf spot or target spot caused by C. cassiicola on strawberry has been reported in Mainland China and North America. To our knowledge, this is the first report of target spot disease of strawberry caused by C. cassiicola in Taiwan.


Alunite ore containing a significant amount of aluminum, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and other valuable components (Ga – 0.003 wt%, V – 0.0315 wt.%) is the main raw material for the production of alumina and promising raw material for the production of gallium and vanadium. This paper studies the dynamics of the distribution of gallium and vanadium in the liquid phase during the dissolution of raw alunite in an alkaline solution are studied. The results have showed that alkali concentration, leaching temperature, liquid-to-solid ratio have a significant effect on the degree of extraction of these elements from solution. It has been found that when raw alunite ore is leached with a 5% NaOH solution (S:L=1:6) for 2 hours, the degree of extraction of Ga and V is, respectively, 50.2 and 59.23% of their total content in the rock


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Infections are the most common noncardiovascular causes of death after kidney transplantation. We analyzed the current infection-related mortality among kidney transplant recipients in a nationwide cohort in Finland.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
Altogether, 3249 adult recipients of a first kidney transplant from 1990 to 2012 were included. Infectious causes of death were analyzed, and the mortality rates for infections were compared between two eras (1990-1999 and 2000-2012). Risk factors for infectious deaths were analyzed with Cox regression and competing risk analyses.

RESULTS
Altogether, 953 patients (29%) died during the follow-up, with 204 infection-related deaths. Mortality rate (per 1000 patient-years) due to infections was lower in the more recent cohort (4.6; 95% confidence interval, 3.5 to 6.1) compared with the older cohort (9.1; 95% confidence interval, 7.6 to 10.7); the incidence rate ratio of infectious mortality was 0.51 (95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.68). The main causes of infectious deaths were common bacterial infections: septicemia in 38% and pulmonary infections in 45%. Viral and fungal infections caused only 2% and 3% of infectious deaths, respectively (such as individual patients with Cytomegalovirus pneumonia, Herpes simplex virus meningoencephalitis, Varicella zoster virus encephalitis, and Pneumocystis jirovecii infection). Similarly, opportunistic bacterial infections rarely caused death; only one death was caused by Listeria monocytogenes, and two were caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Only 23 (11%) of infection-related deaths occurred during the first post-transplant year. Older recipient age, higher plasma creatinine concentration at the end of the first post-transplant year, diabetes as a cause of ESKD, longer pretransplant dialysis duration, acute rejection, low albumin level, and earlier era of transplantation were associated with increased risk of infectious death in multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSIONS
The risk of death due to infectious causes after kidney transplantation in Finland dropped by one half since the 1990s. Common bacterial infections remained the most frequent cause of infection-related mortality, whereas opportunistic viral, fungal, or unconventional bacterial infections rarely caused deaths after kidney transplantation.


Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity but with limited effective disease-modifying therapies. The challenges and disability of patients living with OA may not poorly recognised. Objectives We conducted a systematic search to identify consumer perceived needs for other services (not related to the provision of health information or health services) related to OA. Methods Medline, PsychINFO, Embase and CINAHL were searched electronically from 1990–2015 using a combination of MeSH terms and key words to capture consumer perceived needs in adults related to "other services" and "osteoarthritis". Articles were identified from the comprehensive search, with reference lists of reviews also examined. From relevant manuscripts, pertinent themes were identified and evidentiary data extracted to provide a systematic review of the current literature. Results 931 papers were identified, of which 5 investigated consumer perceived needs for other services amongst people with OA using qualitative methods (semi-structured interviews and focus groups). Participants were predominantly female 49.6–65 years, recruited from the outpatient setting. Joints involved were knee or hand. Six key areas of perceived need emerged, identified in at least 2 manuscripts, including; 1) assistance for activities of daily living: consumers' ability to perform daily activities was limited by pain, thus requiring reliance on others and support from partners, use of gadgets and assistive devices to improve function; 2) assistance to perform exercise/leisure activities: consumers identified an inability to continue activities due to pain, becoming more sedentary; 3) facilitation of social participation: consumers identified barriers that could be overcome to improve this, including limited transport options, lack of understanding from families and community and poor profile of OA in the media; 4) financial security: cost of health-seeking behaviour and impact of reduced work; 5) occupational needs: the requirement for flexibility of scheduling and the work environment; 6) transport: was noted to be limited relating to person transport, with hand OA limiting the ability to drive and also public transport due to poor mobility. Conclusions This demonstrates the breadth of impact that OA has on daily life. This work was limited as no studies focussed on the perceived need for services, but rather on problems experienced by participants. Thus perceived needs can only be extrapolated, as they have not been directly assessed. This highlights the dearth of data pertaining to knowledge of consumer perceived needs relating to other needs required to combat difficulty in performing daily tasks and social functioning, which may often be overlooked by the health care system. A better understanding of consumer perceived needs of other services is required for the health care system and support groups to better meet consumers' needs relating to OA. Acknowledgement This work was supported by arthritis and osteoporosis Victoria. AE Wluka is the recipient of an Nhmrc career development fellowship (clinical level 2). Disclosure of Interest None declared


The influence of intratumor administration of OK-432 on the tumor-selective antitumor effect of 5'-DFUR was studied in 49 patients with advanced gastric cancer. The patients were divided into 4 groups that received oral 5'-DFUR, intratumor OK-432, oral 5'-DFUR plus intratumor and intracutaneous OK-432, or no therapy before operation. Using surgical specimens, the PyNPase activity and 5-FU content were measured, and the localization of PyNPase was determined immunohistologically. The results were as follows: 1) 5'-DFUR therapy decreased intratumor PyNPase activity whereas administration of OK-432 increased it. 2) PyNPase activity was higher in cancer tissue than in normal tissue for all groups. 3) The 5-FU content of cancer tissue was higher in patients receiving OK-432 plus 5'-DFUR than in patients receiving 5'-DFUR alone. 4) In the resected tumors, PyNPase was mainly localized in the cancer cells of some patients and in the stromal cells of others. Thus, the localization of PyNPase showed two major patterns.


Sickling can be produced in the blood of young Negro babies with sickle-cell trait. The percentage of cells showing this change is low but will increase as the infant matures. The homozygous state is present from birth; however, recognition of the symptomatic condition is rare in infants under the age of 4 months. Investigation of the literature reveals only four case reports in infants less than 3 months of age. These cases predate the period when electrophoretic and biochemical procedures could be applied. This article concerns case reports of two infants with sickle-cell anemia who were studied with these methods. Methods The erythrocyte and leukocyte counts were made by routine methods. Hemoglobin was determined as cyanmethemoglobin with a Klett-Summerson photoelectric colorimeter. 1 The hematocrit values were determined by the Wintrobe method. Tests for sickling were performed by the sealed cover-slip method, with use of sodium metabisulfite as a reducing agent.


This paper proposes a model for multilateral contracting, where contracts are written and renegotiated over time, and where contracts may impose externalities on other agents. Equilibria always exist and the equilibrium value function is linear and monotonically increasing on the contracts. If the grand coalition, or contracting among all agents, is inefficient, we show that bargaining delays arise in positive-externality games and equilibrium inefficiency may remain bounded away from zero even as bargaining frictions converge to zero. Otherwise, if the grand coalition is efficient, there are no bargaining delays, convergence to the grand coalition occurs in a finite number of contracting rounds, and the outcome becomes efficient as players become more patient. Copyright The Econometric Society 2005.


Presents a new class of algorithm for penalized-likelihood reconstruction of attenuation maps from low-count transmission scans. The authors derive the algorithms by applying to the transmission log-likelihood a variation of the convexity technique developed by De Pierro for the emission case. The new algorithms overcome several limitations associated with previous algorithms. (1) Fewer exponentiations are required than in the transmission EM algorithm or in coordinate-ascent algorithms. (2) The algorithms intrinsically accommodate nonnegativity constraints, unlike many gradient-based methods. (3) The algorithms are easily parallelizable, unlike coordinate-ascent algorithms and perhaps line-search algorithms. The authors show that the algorithms converge faster than several alternatives, even on conventional workstations. They give examples from low-count PET transmission scans and from truncated fan-beam SPECT transmission scans.


We present our results of a MACOP-B regimen in a series of 46 patients with high-grade NHL. The complete remission rate was 74% for patients with advanced stage disease. The excellent tolerance allowed this regimen to be given on an outpatient basis in the majority of cases. The median follow-up for the living patients is 28 months. Although some patients received additional treatment that could influence the results, the predicted DFS (disease-free survival) at 45 months of 57% compares favorably with the best results published so far with more toxic regimens.


Certain IFN regulatory factor (IRF) transcription factors indirectly influence T helper (Th) cell differentiation by regulating the production of IL-12. Here, we show that IRF4 directly regulates Th cell differentiation in vitro and in vivo during murine leishmaniasis. In the absence of IRF4, IL-12-induced Th1 cell differentiation was compromised, while IL-4 failed to induce Th2 cell differentiation. Instead, IL-4 tended to induce Th1 cells, defined by production of IFN-γ and TNF. Although early IL-4 signaling was normal in IRF4−/− Th cells, the protein GATA-3, a transcription factor critical for Th2 development, was not up-regulated following IL-4 treatment. Retroviral overexpression of GATA-3 rescued Th2 differentiation. Therefore, IRF4 deficiency manifests itself as severely dysregulated Th cell differentiation.


Our work utilized sol-gel auto combustion method for M-type ferrites synthesis with hexagonal orientation having chemical composition Ca (1-X) AlXCo2Fe16O22. Annealing of the samples was performed for 8 hours at 1200oC. Structural properties and grain morphology of the synthesized samples included X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforming infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy techniques and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The XRD analysis verified that all samples exhibited single-phase crystalline hexagonal w-type structure at a temperature range of 1200oC without impurity level. The approximate grain size from SEM images is within the range of 76-139 nm, which confirms nanocrystal line structure of hexagonal samples. The spectral analysis of the FT-IR showed that the band of absorption ranged from 450 cm-1 to 650 cm-1. FTIR spectra of prepared samples disclosed proof of positive formation of hex ferrites. The presence of metal oxygen bonding at octahedral site and tetrahedral site indicates that all manufactured samples show hexagonal ferrites w-type hexagonal ferrites are ideal for application with high frequency applications, such as microwave systems.


Basic income is a policy concept that has garnered considerable research attention over the past decade. However, very few studies have explored the concept from the perspectives of frontline service providers and anti-poverty activists. Grounded in structural social work and intersectionality theories, this qualitative study centres the insights of six individuals working and organizing in various community roles, including frontline social workers and grassroots anti-poverty activists. The findings from this study, gathered through a focus group, suggest that community responders to poverty are deeply unhappy with the current welfare state, possess mixed feelings about the possibilities of a basic income strategy, and are highly skeptical about the ethical implications and political motivations behind the Ontario government's basic income pilot study. It is hoped that the findings from this research will complicate and deepen perspectives on a basic income while simultaneously contributing to the momentum behind this emerging policy intervention.


Crustal plateaus are Venusian highlands characterized by tectonized terrains. It is commonly interpreted that their topography is isostatically supported and that they represent fossils of an extinct tectonic regime. Using gravity and topography we perform a comprehensive investigation of the lithospheric structure of six crustal plateaus. We computed the admittance (gravity to topography wavelength‐dependent ratio) for each region and compared them to modeled admittances. Three compensation scenarios were tested: Airy isostasy, a surface‐loading flexural model, and a flexural model with surface and subsurface loads. Our results show that the topography of most plateaus is supported by crustal thickening and that the addition of a mantle support component is not necessary at the investigated wavelengths. The elastic thickness was constrained to be less than 35 km with a best‐fitting average of 15 km, confirming that these regions are consistent with an isostatic regime. The average crustal thickness of the plateaus ranges from 15 to 34 km, and if they are in Airy isostasy, this implies that the global average crustal thickness of Venus is about 20 km. Phoebe Regio is the sole exception of our analysis in that crustal thicknesses that are compatible with the other plateaus are obtained only when a buoyant layer is included. Heat flow estimations computed from the elastic thickness indicate that the plateaus formed under higher heat flow conditions compared to the current global average and could have caused localized melting. Present‐day heat flow predictions suggest that eclogitization could occur where the crust is thickest.


In this paper, the wavelet transform based lossless image compression algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm transforms the input image using 9/7 ICFB and S+P filter, and eliminates the spacious correlation of the sub band coefficients, applying the context modeling predictive technique based on the multi-resolution structure and the feedback of the prediction error. The prediction context exploits the subordination and direction property of the different level subband in the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal subband coefficients. The simulation result of the high frequency images such as PEPPERS, BOAT, and AIRPLANE shows that the proposed algorithm efficiently predicts the edge area of each multi-resolution subband.


Current phylogenetic clustering approaches for identifying pathogen transmission clusters are centrally limited by their dependency on arbitrarily-defined genetic distance thresholds for within-cluster divergence. Incomplete knowledge of a pathogen's underlying dynamics often reduces the choice of distance threshold to an exploratory, ad-hoc exercise that is difficult to standardise across studies. Phydelity is a new tool for the identification of transmission clusters in pathogen phylogenies. It identifies groups of sequences that are more closely-related than the ensemble distribution of the phylogeny under a statistically-principled and phylogeny-informed framework, without the introduction of arbitrary distance thresholds. In simulated phylogenies, Phydelity achieves higher rates of correspondence to ground-truth clusters than current model-based methods, and comparable results to parametric methods without the need for parameter calibration. Availability and implementation Phydelity is available at http://github.com/alvinxhan/Phydelity.


Our previous study found that KLU 11.16, isolated from shrimp waste secreted chitinolytic enzymes. The crude enzyme was interesting since their chitooligosccharide was able to inhibit some pathogenic bacteria. In this study we report a purification and characterization of the chitosanase enzyme produced and the identification of the KLU 11.16. Purification of the enzyme was done two steps by ion exchange chromatography followed by gel filtration. Two out of 4 peaks from Gel Filtration step, i.e. fraction 16 and 33 were capable of hydrolyzing 100% deacetylated chitosan, indicating that both fractions contained chitosanase enzyme. The enzyme from fraction 16 had approximate molecular weight of 98.3 kDa. The enzyme worked optimally at temperature of 300C, and pH 6. Addition of Ca2+, Fe2+, K+, Na+ ions in the form of Cl2 salt and detergent Triton X-100 increased the enzyme activity, while Co2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+ ions in the same concentration decreased the enzyme acitivity. Addition of EDTA and SDS significantly decreased the enzyme activity. Molecular based identification revealed that KLU 11.16 was 99% similar to Aeromonas media.


The desire to control Covid 19 pandemic has continued to exist in the Mbala district of Zambia, with the latest trend showing a significant increase in a number of people testing positive, with a corresponding increase in vaccines (AZ, JJ) hesitancy resulting in a low (2.8 %) vaccination rate in the district. Thus, the need to probe further on covert factors under acceptability (myths, AEFs) and accessibility (vaccines availability, adequacy of vaccination sites) that could be reducing Covid 19 vaccine uptake in Mbala district. The study used a cross-sectional survey, a mixed (quantitative & qualitative) method in eliciting information from data sources covering a period of six months (April – September 2021). In all, 341 research respondents were interviewed through self-administered questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression under SPSS v16. Study findings provide sufficient evidence that high myth (89.8%) reduced acceptability levels, while a low number of vaccination sites (59%) reduced accessibility, resulting in a low uptake rate in Mbala district. Therefore, the study recommended; building up of well-financed District Covid 19 task forces with educational aims on acceptability and accessibility, Governments to introduce specific funding lines for Covid 19 vaccination campaign and enshrine it into monthly grants for routine-outreach Covid 19 vaccination services, and Local Governments through the directorate of Public Health to introduce by-laws on mandatory Covid 19 vaccination passports for the public. With proper implementation of all these study recommendations, Covid 19 vaccination coverage rates can increase drastically across all districts of northern Zambia.


The monolithic integration of micromechanical devices with their controlling electronics offers potential increases in performance as well as decreased cost for these devices. Analog Devices has demonstrated the commercial viability of this integration by interleaving micromechanical fabrication steps with microelectronic fabrication steps to produce a single-axis accelerometer on a chip. A next-generation integrated technology developed at Sandia National Laboratories eliminates many of the constraints associated with Analog`s process. This new technology enables the manufacture of complex micromachined sensor systems on a chip. An overview of Sandia`s micromachined system-on-a-chip technology along with application of the technology to inertial sensor systems designed by researchers at U.C. Berkeley will be given.


Within the framework of Einstein—Cartan theory, we obtain a general condition leading to singularity and inflation for all Bianchi cosmological models. If the spin energy is smaller than anisotropic energy density (i.e. S2 − σ2 ≤ 0), the Universe can not avoid singularity. If (ρv is vacuum energy density), the Universe can undergo an inflation phase. Examples of Bianchi type-K, I and V cosmological models are discussed.


Trust plays a critical role in nearly every aspect of social life. Parental investment theory and social role theory predict that women trust less than men due to a higher sensitivity to risk and betrayal, while men trust more than women to maximize resources and to signal their willingness to lose something. However, the underlying neuropsychological underpinnings for this gender difference are still obscure. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural signatures of gender differences in trust by simultaneously scanning 11 male and 11 female same-gender, fixed dyads who played a multi-round binary trust game with varying levels of payoff (low/moderate/high) as an indicator of social risk. Our results showed that men trusted more than women and payoff level moderated the effect of gender on trust. While men trusted the same at all payoff levels, women trusted less with higher payoff levels. This pattern was supported by our neuroimaging finding: men showed a higher activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex) and right precuneus than women, indicating that men exert more effort to inhibit the information of payoff levels and to use self-referencing to infer the strategies of partners with the goal of maximizing profit. Furthermore, men showed equivalent activation in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex across payoff levels, whereas women showed a decreased activation with increasing payoff level – indicating decreased group bonding with higher risk in women. In conclusion, our results imply that women are more sensitive to social risk while trusting, which has implications for financial interactions, interpersonal relationships, and social involvement.


Building on the theory of causal discovery from observational data, we study interactions between multiple (sets of) random variables in a linear structural equation model with non-Gaussian error terms. We give a correspondence between structure in the higher order cumulants and combinatorial structure in the causal graph. It has previously been shown that low rank of the covariance matrix corresponds to trek separation in the graph. Generalizing this criterion to multiple sets of vertices, we characterize when determinants of subtensors of the higher order cumulant tensors vanish. This criterion applies when hidden variables are present as well. For instance, it allows us to identify the presence of a hidden common cause of k of the observed variables.


The transcription factor sensitive to proton rhizotoxicity 1 (STOP1) regulates multiple stress tolerances. In this study, we confirmed its involvement in NaCl and drought tolerance. The root growth of the T-DNA insertion mutant of STOP1 (stop1) was sensitive to NaCl-containing solidified MS media. Transcriptome analysis of stop1 under NaCl stress revealed that STOP1 regulates several genes related to salt tolerance, including CIPK23. Among all available homozygous T-DNA insertion mutants of the genes suppressed in stop1, only cipk23 showed a NaCl-sensitive root growth phenotype comparable to stop1. The CIPK23 promoter had a functional STOP1-binding site, suggesting a strong CIPK23 suppression led to NaCl sensitivity of stop1. This possibility was supported by in planta complementation of CIPK23 in the stop1 background, which rescued the short root phenotype under NaCl. Both stop1 and cipk23 exhibited a drought tolerant phenotype and increased ABA-regulated stomatal closure, while the complementation of CIPK23 in stop1 reversed these traits. Our findings uncover additional pleiotropic roles of STOP1 mediated by CIPK23 which regulates various ion transporters including those regulating K+-homeostasis, which may induce a trade-off between drought tolerance and other traits.


This paper is aimed at using up-hole method of seismic refraction survey to investigate the thickness of the weathering layer as well as the velocity of seismic waves through the layer. The first events to arrive at the geophones on a refraction profile had travelled by refraction along the top of the high speed zone just below the weathering layer. Using the time- offset curves of the first arrivals for shots from different charge depths; the thickness of the weathering layer was calculated by conventional seismic refraction methods. Such a survey was carried out using a TD500 top drive drilling machine mounted on a 6 × 6 m truck. The depth of the weathering layer as well as the velocities of seismic waves in the weathering layer and the refractor, were calculated from critically refracted arrivals using flat layer models. Using the time-intercept method for interpretation, the thickness of the low velocity weathering layer in the area varied from 15 to 20 m with a regional average of 18.15 m. The p-wave velocity in the uppermost layer varied from 1385 to 800 m/s with an average value of 1092 m/s. This is a direct experimental proof of low velocity zone confirming the weathered nature of the area.

 Key words: Up-hole survey, seismic refraction, p-wave velocity, weathering layer, consolidated layer.


Background: It has been proved by different research works that examination is a stress factor for students. Medical curriculum is as such stressful for students. Thus, in this study, researchers proposed to observe the changes in blood sugar level owing to examination stress in medical students. Materials and Methods: A general questionnaire was distributed among 1st year MBBS students for selection of subjects. The questionnaire included demographic data, history of diseases, history of drug abuse, and family history of diseases. After the return of questionnaires, 49 1st year MBBS students were selected for this study. Baseline data of heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were observed 1 month before beginning of the first professional examination. Then, the second setting of the same data as baseline was observed on the day of practical and viva examination. Data analysis was done by paired t-test to find out the effect of examination on different parameters. P< 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: Examination stress was responsible to raise HR, systolic and diastolic BP, and FBS from baseline significantly at P< 0.001. Conclusion: As shown in results, the effect of examination raises HR and BP from baseline, confirming that examination creates some stress on students. Thus, it was assumed that examination stress is responsible to raise blood sugar level that is essential to supply extra energy to vital organs.


Epoxy resins are routinely used as adhesives, coatings, encapsulates, casting materials, and as matrix in composites. Their high crosslinking supposes too much rigidity, resulting in low toughness. Nano-filled addition could modify toughness, but it could also modify the curing process of the resin. Quality requirements of nano-composite (NC) imply a control of their curing process to ensure the mechanical properties of the material. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study the influence of carbon-based nano-fillers in the kinetics of curing of an epoxy resin. Three different methods are used in this work, Kissinger, Kamal and Model Free (MFK). The methods are complementary and provide information on the curing process of the nano-composites.


The vulnerability to contamination of the aquifer at Osubi, Niger Delta, was assessed in order to develop a foundation strategy for safeguarding its groundwater resources using the DRASTIC model and geographic information system (GIS). Using GIS, data corresponding to the seven DRASTIC model parameters were collected and translated into seven thematic maps. The DRASTIC map was created using these maps, which describe the depth to water level (D), net recharge (R), aquifer media (A), soil media (S), topography (T), influence of the vadose zone (I), and hydraulic conductivity (C). The results obtained from this study showed that 7% of the area was classified as very-high vulnerability to pollution, 18% was classified as high vulnerability, 60% was classified as moderate vulnerability and 15% as low vulnerability. The most vulnerable areas occur around waste dumpsites, and some septic systems in residential areas. Policies should be put in place to make it easier to close possible pollution sources in high-vulnerability areas, such as open dump sites, leaking underground storage tanks at fuel stations, effluent discharge from industries, and pit latrines/sewage disposal units.


The principal physiologic mechanism underlying the formation of negative pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) is thought to be the creation of excessive negative intrathoracic force from inspiration against a critical obstruction of the upper airway. The increased subatmospheric transpulmonary pressures result in transudation of fluid from the pulmonary capillaries to the interstitium and alveoli. The clinical picture is that of pulmonary edema. Aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic intervention can be avoided if the syndrome is recognized early. This report highlights the clinical features of NPPE and serves as a reminder to the clinician that although NPPE can cause significant morbidity, conservative supportive therapy typically results in a good outcome.


Data mining as a cross-discipline, it promotes people's application of data from low-level simple queries to mining data from data and provides decision support. The reform of computer education teaching model based on data mining can help teachers provide effective guidance and decision-making information, and provide powerful data support for students' development. This paper analyzes in detail the existing computer education and teaching modes, and the application of data mining in computer education and teaching mode.


The contemporary architecture is often based on our usual methods of energy-focused sustainable buildings. These seem to strive toward excessive insulation and mechanical ventilation to create a sustainable building. It is driven by adding technical measures later in the project rather than creating sustainable architecture. In this report I designed a home which goes beyond the usual methods. The design is based on the Japanase architecture. It is a building that reduces the demand of energy in a less superficial way than most of the contemporary architecture.


There is a necessity for the communication between intelligent robots and human beings because of wide spread use of them. Gesture recognition is currently being studied in regards to better conversing. On the basis of previous research, however, the gesture recognition algorithms appear to require not only complicated algorisms but also separate training process for high recognition rates. This study suggests a gesture recognition algorithm based on computer vision system, which is relatively simple and more efficient in recognizing various human gestures. After tracing the hand gesture using a marker, direction changes of the gesture trajectory were analyzed to determine the simple gesture code that has minimal information to recognize. A map is developed to recognize the gestures that can be expressed with different gesture codes. Through the use of numerical and geometrical trajectory, the advantages and disadvantages of the suggested algorithm was determined.


High-level synthesis (HLS) has received significant attention in recent years, improving programmability for FPGAs. PolyMage is a domain-specific language (DSL) for image processing pipelines that also has a HLS backend to translate the input DSL into an equivalent circuit that can be synthesized on FPGAs, while leveraging an HLS suite. The data at each stage of a pipeline is stored using a fixed-point data type (alpha,beta) where alpha and beta denote the number of integral and fractional bits. The power and area savings while performing arithmetic operations on fixed-point data type is known to be significant over using floating point. In this paper, we first propose an interval-arithmetic based range analysis (alpha-analysis) algorithm to estimate the number of bits required to store the integral part of the data at each stage of an image processing pipeline. The analysis algorithm uses the homogeneity of pixel signals at each stage to cluster them and perform a combined range analysis. Secondly, we propose a software architecture for easily deploying any kind of interval/affine arithmetic based range analyses in the DSL compiler. Thirdly, we propose a new range analysis technique using Satisfiability Modulo Theory (SMT) solvers, and show that the range estimates obtained through it are very close to the lower bounds obtained through profile-driven analysis.We evaluated our bitwidth analysis algorithms on four image processing benchmarks listed in the order of increasing complexity: Unsharp Mask, Down-Up Sampling, Harris Corner Detection and Horn-Schunck Optical Flow. For example, on Optical Flow, the interval analysis based approach showed an 1.4x and 1.14x improvement on area and power metrics over floating-point representation respectively; whereas the SMT solver based approach showed 2.49x and 1.58x improvement on area and power metrics when compared to interval analysis.


The paper develops a mathematical theory in the spirit of categorical algebra that provides a model theory for second-order and dependently-sorted syntax. The theory embodies notions such as alpha-equivalence, variable binding, capture-avoiding simultaneous substitution, term metavariable, meta-substitution, mono and multi sorting, and sort dependency. As a matter of illustration, a model is used to extract a second-order syntactic theory, which is thus guaranteed to be correct by construction.


"In two and a half centuries Concepcion went from colonial city to metropolization. Though this metropolization remains quite limited, since the urban area does not exceed 700-800 000 inhabitants, it nevertheless links the contemporary Grand Concepcion to the market in a world that is now globalized. Four cultural and ideological forms of development representations have followed one another in this southern part of central Chile since the middle of the 18th Century : the colonial and postcolonial Frontier ; the industrial city of the strategic development area (aimed at replacing imports by national productions) ; the region fitting into a neoliberal economy imposed and controlled by the military dictatorship ; the mobile metropolis, partly converted to the service sector and to consumerism, but drowned under the mystifying discourse of sustainable development that the prevailing seismic risk tends to make into a mythologize. Using the method of socio-spatial formations and through the lens of successive representations of development, this research tries to throw light on the varied reasoning that led to the territorial construction of a network-linked metropolitan area, globalized but doing little to give its region direction."


Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) is one of the most commonly used technologies to obtain a snapshot of the proteome at any specific time. However, its application to study the Plasmodial (malaria parasite) proteome is still limited due to inefficient extraction and detection methods and the extraordinarily large size of some proteins. Here, we report an optimized protein extraction method, the most appropriate methods for Plasmodial protein quantification and 2-DE detection, and finally protein identification by mass spectrometry (MS). Linear detection of Plasmodial proteins in a optimized lysis buffer was only possible with the 2-D Quant kit, and of the four stains investigated, Flamingo Pink was superior regarding sensitivity, linearity, and excellent MS-compatibility. 2-DE analyses of the Plasmodial proteome using this methodology resulted in the reliable detection of 349 spots and a 95% success rate in MS/MS identification. Subsequent application to the analyses of the Plasmodial ring and trophozoite proteomes ultimately resulted in the identification of 125 protein spots, which constituted 57 and 49 proteins from the Plasmodial ring and trophozoite stages, respectively. This study additionally highlights the presence of various isoforms within the Plasmodial proteome, which is of significant biological importance within the Plasmodial parasite during development in the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle.


The Internet of Things (IoT) is prone to malware assaults due to its simple installation and autonomous operating qualities. IoT devices have become the most tempting targets of malware due to well-known vulnerabilities such as weak, guessable, or hard-coded passwords, a lack of secure update procedures, and unsecured network connections. Traditional static IoT malware detection and analysis methods have been shown to be unsatisfactory solutions to understanding IoT malware behavior for mitigation and prevention. Deep learning models have made huge strides in the realm of cybersecurity in recent years, thanks to their tremendous data mining, learning, and expression capabilities, thus easing the burden on malware analysts. In this context, a novel detection and multi-classification vision-based approach for IoT-malware is proposed. This approach makes use of the benefits of deep transfer learning methodology and incorporates the fine-tuning method and various ensembling strategies to increase detection and classification performance without having to develop the training models from scratch. It adopts the fusion of 3 CNNs, ResNet18, MobileNetV2, and DenseNet161, by using the random forest voting strategy. Experiments are carried out using a publicly available dataset, MaleVis, to assess and validate the suggested approach. MaleVis contains 14,226 RGB converted images representing 25 malware classes and one benign class. The obtained findings show that our suggested approach outperforms the existing state-of-the-art solutions in terms of detection and classification performance; it achieves a precision of 98.74%, recall of 98.67%, a specificity of 98.79%, F1-score of 98.70%, MCC of 98.65%, an accuracy of 98.68%, and an average processing time per malware classification of 672 ms.


Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow obstruction caused by emphysema or airway narrowing, or both. Recently airway dimensions have been measured using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). To evaluate large and small airway dimensions by HRCT and compare them with pulmonary function tests in patients with COPD and in smokers with or without airflow obstruction. Methods: We used HRCT scanning to measure airway wall thickness at the segmental and sub-segmental levels in COPD patients (group II, stage II, n = 17, and group III, stage III, n = 5), healthy current smokers (group I, n = 10) and healthy non-smokers (group 0, n = 10). Results: FEV1 was lower in patients with severe or moderate COPD than in healthy current smokers and non-smokers. FEV1 was lower in group I than group 0 (p < 0.005). There was no statistically significant difference between patients with moderate COPD and severe COPD in the ratio of airway wall thickness to outer diameter (T/D ratio) or the percentage wall area (WA%). Both groups II and III had higher T/D ratios than group I (p < 0.01), and group I had a higher T/D ratio than group 0 (p < 0.001). Both groups II and III had higher WA% than group I (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), and group I had a higher WA% than group 0 (p < 0.001). A negative correlation was found between airway wall thickness and FEV1. Conclusions: Computed tomography measurements of large and small airway dimensions are useful for evaluating lung function in patients with COPD and healthy current smokers. Airway wall thickening is inversely related to the degree of airflow obstruction and positively related to cumulative smoking history.


This paper presents a fully complex-valued functional link network (CFLN). The CFLN is a single-layered neural network, which introduces nonlinearity in the input layer using nonlinear functions of the original input variables. In this study, we consider multivariate polynomials as the nonlinear functions. Unlike multilayer neural networks, the CFLN is free from local minima problem, and it offers very fast learning in parameters because of its linear structure. In the complex domain, polynomial based CFLN has an additional advantage of not requiring activation functions, which is a major concern in the complex-valued neural networks. However, it is important to select a smaller subset of polynomial terms (monomials) for faster and better performance, since the number of all possible monomials may be quite large. In this paper, we use the orthogonal least squares method in a constructive fashion (starting from lower degree to higher) for the selection of a parsimonious subset of monomials. Simulation results demonstrate that computing CFLN in purely complex domain is advantageous than in double-dimensional real domain, in terms of number of connection parameters, faster design, and possibly generalization performance. Moreover, our proposed CFLN compares favorably with several other multilayer networks in the complex domain.


We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel zeolite‐hydroxyapatite composite coating on titanium alloys and stainless steel. The zeolite‐hydroxyapatite coating is superhydrophilic and outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art Ti6Al4V alloys in corrosion resistance tests in aggressive pitting NaCl media, phosphate buffer solution with BSA protein, as well as highly complex DMEM cell culture media. And the composite coating also eliminates the elastic modulus mismatch between coating and bone. In addition, the composite coating has an osteoconductive and osteoinductive effect on hFOBs, indicating that it may enhance osteointegration of implants and speed up post‐surgical recovery, and thus reduce the need for recurring implant replacement surgeries. Replacing titanium with zeolite‐hydroxyapatite coated steel can also significantly reduce implant cost while improving implant lifespan.


The flow pattern in a two-dimensional lid-driven semi-circular cavity is analyzed using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The treatment of curved boundary with second-order accuracy is used. The streamline contours as well as dimensionless velocity component along the central line of a semi-circular cavity are obtained for different Reynolds numbers. The numerical results show that the LBM can capture the formation of primary, secondary and tertiary vortices exactly as the Reynolds number increases and has a great agreement with those of current literatures.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Migraine is the most common brain disorder, affecting approximately 14% of the adult population, but its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. We report the results of a meta-analysis across 29 genome-wide association studies, including a total of 23 285 migraine cases and 95 425 population-matched controls. We identified 12 loci associated with migraine susceptibility (P < 5 × 10−8). Five loci are new (near AJAP1 on 1p36, near


PURPOSE
To determine the frequency, clinical characteristics, and radiologic findings of bronchogenic carcinoma in patients surviving more than 1 month after lung transplantation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study population was composed of 2,168 consecutive patients at seven lung transplantation centers who survived longer than 1 month after lung transplantation. Medical records, chest radiographs, and computed tomographic (CT) scans obtained at the time of diagnosis and prior images when available were reviewed for various items of information and imaging features.

RESULTS
Twenty-four (1%) of the 2,168 patients, all with single-lung transplants, developed cancer in the native lung. Eighteen patients had emphysema, and six had pulmonary fibrosis. The frequencies of cancer in patients with emphysema and fibrosis were 2% (18 of 859 patients) and 4% (six of 147 patients), respectively. Twelve (50%) of their 24 cancers were detected at chest radiography. Fourteen (58%) patients had clinical symptoms. Twenty-one (88%) of the 24 patients had one (n = 11) or more (n = 10) nodules, and nine (38%) had one (n = 8) or more (n = 1) masses visible on CT scans. Nodules and masses were visible on 12 (50%) and seven (29%) of 24 chest radiographs, respectively. Eleven (48%) of 23 cancers for which prior chest radiographs were available were seen retrospectively on prior chest radiographs.

CONCLUSION
Bronchogenic carcinoma develops in the native lung of transplant recipients with emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis with frequencies of 2% and 4%, respectively. The carcinomas most commonly manifest as a pulmonary nodule or mass on chest radiographs, with more nodules seen on CT scans.


QuickXSort is a strategy to combine Quicksort with another sorting method X, so that the result has essentially the same comparison cost as X in isolation, but sorts in place even when X requires a linear-size buffer. We solve the recurrence for QuickXSort precisely up to the linear term including the optimization to choose pivots from a sample of k elements. This allows to immediately obtain overall average costs using only the average costs of sorting method X (as if run in isolation). We thereby extend and greatly simplify the analysis of QuickHeapsort and QuickMergesort with practically efficient pivot selection, and give the first tight upper bounds including the linear term for such methods.


The results of a study on the uplift capacity of helical anchors in clay and silt are presented. Full-scale field tests and one-quarter scale laboratory tests were conducted in each soil type. Both field and laboratory tests were performed with anchors installed at various embedment depths. During anchor pullout testing, anchor displacement, anchor resistance, and soil surface deflection were measured. Test results indicate that a similar failure surface developed for all tests. Based on laboratory and field test results, a method for estimating the uplift capacity of helical anchors is presented. Predicted ultimate capacities are compared with observed ultimate capacities for full-scale field tests, and agreement is within 15 to 20 percent.


Abstract: Spider webs were gathered from residential and industrial areas to found the order of heavy suspended metals in the air. The treatment of spider webs were done with nitric acid and digested by atomic absorption spectrophotometer before analysis (AAS). The average value of several heavy metals concentration were observed to be meaningfully great at p < 0.05 in suspended ingredients in industrial zones including, Cadmium (Cd) 0.15 ± 0.05 and Lead (Pb) 0.53 ± 0.09 µgg-1, respectively. The average values of concentration of Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni) and Zinc (Zn) were not meaningfully changed from residential, industrial and control zones. It was observed that, the heavy metals concentration reduces when the web specimens were collected more away from the road.


Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent condition with growing interest in traditional medicine (TM) treatment. However, there is a dearth of TM epidemiological data on GERD in Vietnam. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of TM patterns and evaluate their association with the severity of GERD to lay the groundwork for clinical practice.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, from December 2021 to May 2022. GERD patients diagnosed by gastroenterologists were enrolled in the survey. The PIGERD tool was used to classify patients into TM patterns. Demographic characteristics and GERD questionnaire (GERDQ) scores were also collected. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the proportion of each TM pattern and the distribution of GERDQ scores within each pattern.

Results: Among the 384 surveyed GERD patients, the Liver qi invading Stomach (LQIS) pattern had the highest proportion (49.2%), followed by Spleen-Stomach weakness (24.7%), Spleen-Stomach dampness-heat (13.3%), and Stomach yin deficiency (12.8%). The LQIS pattern also exhibited the highest GERDQ score (median [interquartile range] of 9 [7, 10]), which significantly differed from the other patterns (p=0.0001). The remaining three patterns had lower GERDQ scores, and the differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05).

Conclusions: LQIS pattern was the most prevalent among GERD patients and had the highest severity. Further multicenter studies are recommended to confirm these findings.


A coating apparatus 1 with which it is possible to cause a film-forming liquid to be coated to a small, uniform film thickness on peripheral edge sections of a substrate that include the end faces, and with which it is possible to stably form a coating film with little variation in film thickness; wherein the apparatus is provided with: a support table 10 for supporting the substrate 2; a coating unit 20 provided with a pair of coating heads 21; a movement unit 40 for moving the coating unit 20; a liquid supply unit 50 for supplying the film-forming liquid 51 to the coating heads 21; and a control unit 70 for controlling the movement unit 40 so that the coating heads 21 are caused to move along the peripheral edge sections of the substrate 2 with the end section of the substrate 2 having been inserted into the gap between the coating heads 21, the application heads 21 being equipped with liquid-storage sections 22a, 23a for storing the film-forming liquid 51, and coating units 22c, 22d, 23c, 23d for applying, as a thin film, the film-forming liquid 51 that has adhered to the end section of the substrate 2 that has passed through the liquid-storage sections 22a, 23a.


BACKGROUND
Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the salivary gland is a rare entity. Review of the literature from 1991 to 1999 revealed no previous reports on its cytologic features.

CASE
A 25-year-old man had a slowly growing, painless mass in the left parotid gland. Fine needle aspiration biopsy, performed prior to surgical excision, showed clusters of minimally atypical epithelial cells in which occasional vacuolated cells containing mucin could be seen. Pathologic evaluation of the resected parotid mass showed it to be a mucinous cystadenocarcinoma.

CONCLUSION
The cytologic differential diagnosis of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma is with low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma and with mucinous adenocarcinoma. Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma must be cystic; cysts may be present in low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma, but their size and prominence varies. Mucinous adenocarcinoma is not cystic but gelatinous. Nuclei are bland in both mucinous cystadenocarcinoma and low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma but are atypical in mucinous adenocarcinoma. There is no squamous differentiation in either mucinous cystadenocarcinoma or mucinous adenocarcinoma, but it is subtle in low grade mucoepidermoid carcinomas. Mucinous cystadenocarcinoma should be considered a potential candidate in the differential diagnosis of mucinous lesions that can occur in the salivary gland.


A plasmid carrying the lambda PL promoter was constructed to express efficiently unfused human alpha D-interferon (HuIFN-alpha D) in Escherichia coli using a TGATG site in its signal sequence, which occurs also in the lambda DNA sequence. The unfused nature of HuIFN-alpha D expressed by pBV867 in E. coli (BMH 71-18) was confirmed by the following evidence: first, the purified IFN showed a single band of 19.5K in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE); a 27K band, representing lambda N-HuIFN-alpha D fusion protein, was not detected. Second, the peak of IFN activity coincided with the 19.5K protein. Third, the peak of absorbent material for human leukocyte IFN antibody coincided with that of IFN activity. Finally, amino-terminal sequencing of purified IFN demonstrated an unfused HuIFN-alpha D. This suggests that E. coli is able to process the signal sequence of HuIFN-alpha D. Studies on the mechanism of "translational coupling" initiation of gene expression were carried out by the construction of two hybrid plasmids and titration of the IFN activities produced by them. The level of expression by the ATG-TGATG initiation mode was found to be six times higher than that of the single ATG mode.


The pathogenesis and progression of heart failure (HF) involves multiple mechanisms, including the increased activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, apoptosis and differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs). Our previous study revealed an increase in miR‑31a‑5p levels in the failing hearts of a rat HF model. In the present study, whether and how miR‑31a‑5p mediates angiotensin II (AngII)‑induced apoptosis in the cardiac H9C2 cell line, was investigated using molecular biological approaches, including reverse transcription followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, RNA arrays, and mutagenesis. It was demonstrated that AngII stimulation increased apoptosis and decreased miR‑31a‑5p expression, which coincided with increased tumor protein p53 (Tp53) levels. Overexpression of miR‑31a‑5p significantly suppressed the AngII‑induced apoptotic rate and caspase‑3 activity, while suppression of miR‑31a‑5p did the opposite. A total of 16 proapoptotic genes that were downregulated and 4 antiapoptotic genes that were upregulated in the miR‑31a‑5p‑overexpressed cells were identified. It was also revealed that Tp53 mRNA contained the seed sequence in its 3'‑untranslated region for miR‑31a‑5p binding. The luciferase reporter analysis showed that miR‑31a‑5p repressed the luciferase activity of the wild‑type seed sequence, but not the mutated seed sequence fused to a reporter construct. Thus, it was demonstrated that miR‑31a‑5p mediated AngII‑triggered apoptosis in myocardial cells at least partially through targeting Tp53. These findings advance the understanding of the functional interaction between miRNAs and Tp53 in the setting of cardiac diseases. Further work is required to explore whether miR‑31a‑5p can serve as a therapeutic target for HF treatment in vivo.


The purpose of this research was to compare the use of PCR method and histological examination to diagnose toxoplasmosis in tissues of Balb/c mice infected with sporulated oocysts through drinking water. A total of 20 male Balb/c mice aged approximately 2 months were used in this experiment. Each mouse was infected with 1x10 3 Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites intraperitoneally. Tissue samples (liver, lung, heart, kidney, and brain) were collected from 5 mice on day 1, day 5, day 7, and day 9 after infection. Samples were then examined by PCR and histological methods. The data collected were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that PCR method was more sensitive than histological examination. PCR examination using primer invitrogen gen can amplify DNA T. gondii at 436 bp of the samples from liver, lung, heart and brain on Day 7 and Day 9 after infection. The histological examination showed that the cyst of toxoplasma was found in the brain while mononuclear cells infiltration was found in other internal organs.


Abstract In this study, we describe refinements of an accepted technique made by a single surgeon for trapeziectomy and suture suspension arthroplasty for thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis after 220 cases over 4 years. Results are derived from 77 patients who underwent treatment using this technique comparing postoperative results with preoperative assessment and had sufficient data for inclusion. The surgical technique is described, including tips and modifications to avoid known possible complications. All patients in this study had advanced Eaton stage III or IV osteoarthritis. Grip strength and key pinch showed statistically significant improvement, and the improvement in palmar pinch approached significance. Pain scores were significantly decreased with over 50% of the patients rating their pain at 0 postoperatively. The overall complication rate was very low, and improvements in technique were made to mitigate future occurrence. This surgical technique for the treatment of thumb CMC arthritis achieved pain relief and recreated ligamentous support of the base of the first metacarpal to resist proximal migration after trapeziectomy, providing an increase in grip strength and key pinch with return of range of motion early in the postoperative period. Refinements on this technique through a large volume single surgeon experience provide technical tips for optimizing outcomes.


Dutch bucket hydroponic trials were conducted with the aim to evaluate the effects of different hydroponic fertilizers (5N-4.8P-21.6K, 5N-5.2P-21.6K, and 7N-3.9P-4.1K) on growth, fruit production, and the fruit quality (fruit shape index) parameters of two cultivars of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and on two cultivars of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). For sweet pepper yield, the 5N-4.8P-21.6K fertilizer was responsible for the greatest yield for both cultivars. For sweet pepper fresh and dry shoot weight interaction, the 'Orangella' cultivar had greater growth in 5N-4.8P-21.6K and 5N-5.2P-21.6K fertilizers, whereas there was no difference among cultivars in 7N-3.9P-4.1K. Shape index was not affected by fertilizers or cultivars. For the eggplant yield, there was no main effect nor interaction between fertilizers and cultivars for fruit yield, while the interaction between fertilizers and cultivars was significant for shoot fresh weight production. Shoot fresh weight was greater for 'Angela' than 'Jaylo' in 5N-4.8P-21.6K and 7N-3.9P-4.1K. Furthermore, both eggplant cultivars were affected with yellowing of fruits in all fertilizer treatments after 2 months, which was probably due to the accumulation of nutrients in the closed hydroponic system. Therefore, hydroponic producers could select 5N-4.8P-21.6K and 5N-5.2P-21.6K fertilizers for the cultivation of the 'Orangella' cultivar of sweet pepper based on yield. It is important to evaluate more fertilizers and cultivars for eggplant hydroponic cultivation.


In electrodynamic field computations the continuous Maxwell equations are typically discretized in the space variables, i. e the continuous space is mapped onto a finite set of discrete elements leading to a system of differential equations constituting the Maxwell grid equations. These dynamical systems can be very large. Due to limited computational, accuracy and storage capabilities, simplified models, obtained by means of model order reduction (MOR) methods, which capture the main features of the original model are then successfully used instead of the original models. Most commonly MOR via projection is used. Variation of model parameters like geometrical or material parameters give rise to multivariate dynamical systems. It is aimed that also the simplified models keep this parameter dependence. In this work, MOR methods are presented for multivariate systems based on the finite integration technique (FIT). The methods are applied to numerical examples with both geometrical and material variations.


UNLABELLED
Ca(2+) channels play a key role in the basic working of the heart. There is one particular type of Ca(2+) channel in cardiac cells (L-type) whose gating is affected in different ways by beta-adrenoceptors and 1,4-dihydropyridines. In this study, we used ex vivo studies and PET to evaluate and compare the myocardial kinetics of the enantiomers labeled with (11)C (the more active: S12968, absolute configuration S; the less active: S12967, absolute configuration R) of the L-type Ca(2+) channel antagonist S11568 (3-ethyl 5-methyl (+/-)-2-[(2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethoxy) methyl]-4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-6-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate).

METHODS
[(11)C]S12968 was injected into the tail vein of rats (0.22 kBq--5.92 MBq) to assess the relationship between injected dose and myocardial uptake. A series of 5 rats was pretreated with 4 micromol unlabeled S12968 5 min before injection of 2.2 kBq [(11)C]S12968. In another series of 5 rats, unlabeled S12698 (4 micromol) was injected 5 min after injection of 2.2 kBq [(11)C]S12968. The animals were killed 15 min later, and the myocardial radioactivity was assessed in a gamma well counter. Beagle dogs received injections of 5-15 nmol [(11)C]S12968 or [(11)C]S12967 and were imaged with PET. Presaturation and displacement experiments using 2 micromol/kg unlabeled S12968 or 6 mol/kg S12967 were performed.

RESULTS
In rats, a statistically significant relationship between myocardial uptake and injected dose of S12968 was observed. Pretreatment or displacement with unlabeled S12968 reduced myocardial radioactivity by 75% and 70%, respectively. In dogs, after injection of 5 nmol of each enantiomer, myocardial radioactivity plateaued within 3 min and the clearance from blood was rapid. Injection of 13--15 nmol [(11)C]S12968 led to a higher myocardial uptake and a more rapid washout, which were related to an increased coronary blood flow as shown by the linear relationship between k(1)--an estimate of coronary blood flow--and the mass of S12968 injected. Presaturation and displacement experiments showed that 70%--80% of S12968 binding was specific. This specificity was not observed with S12967. Plasma metabolite analysis showed that 70% of the compound was unchanged 20 min after injection.

CONCLUSION
These results show the feasibility of imaging myocardial L-type Ca(2+) channels in vivo using [(11)C]S12968.


Grading papers is a "tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming" undertaking, one that invites the sort of sympathies one might receive upon the "death of a pet" (Baker, 2014, p. 36). Perhaps, though, the only thing more distasteful for an English professor than having to grade hundreds of essays each semester is having to hand the job over to the likes of a mindless software program. Automated Essay Evaluation (AEE), the process of scoring essays by computer, was developed in the 1960s but has mostly aroused suspicion and derogation from the composition community. The parable of the blindfolded villagers describing the same elephant from different parts of its body serves as an apt metaphor for how rhetorical choices screen in or screen out different facts about AEE. Each research camp reports on a different facet of AEE, but it is possible for these multiple realities to describe the same beast. This dissertation seeks to: (1) describe the rhetorical contours of arguments for and against AEE, both currently and historically, exposing their limitations and motivations; (2) explore through a small study how differential frames of data analysis affect interpretations of AEE's utility, namely how error analysis adds an emphasis on individual students rather than student-aggregates; and (3) sketch ways that attention to errors is instructive in understanding the pitfalls of both human and machine scoring of essays. Because human scoring—despite its drawbacks—is still the superior method, I end by suggesting that AEE would be best used when the economic choice is between machine scoring and feedback, or no scoring and feedback at all. The context of online learning in globally disadvantaged populations is one such example.


The main aim of this study is to introduce an implicit personality assessment method (e.g., implicit association test) to Kuwait. We adapted an existing personality-related implicit association test (IAT; Big Five IAT), while also constructed the first trait EI IAT based on Petrides' four-factor model. We investigated the psychometric properties of the implicit association test through assessing the reliability of scores and also their relationship with their corresponding explicit measures. The measures were administered to 1458 university students in Kuwait. The zero-order correlations showed that the explicit and implicit measurement approaches led to non-converging constructs in the case of both trait EI and the Big Five. Lastly, we believe that we were successfully able to introduce the concept of personality-related implicit association tests to the Kuwaiti sample. Subsequently, the IATs presented in our study will allow researchers to study a relatively new personality field, that is the implicit personality.


Spatial association measures for univariate static spatial data are widely used. When the data is in the form of a collection of spatial vectors with the same temporal domain of interest, we construct a measure of similarity between the regions' series, using Bergsma's correlation coefficient $\rho$. Due to the special properties of $\rho$, unlike other spatial association measures which test for spatial randomness, our statistic can account for spatial pairwise independence. We have derived the asymptotic behavior of our statistic under null (independence of the regions) and alternate cases (the regions are dependent). We explore the alternate scenario of spatial dependence further, using simulations for the SAR and SMA dependence models. Finally, we provide application to modelling and testing for the presence of spatial association in COVID-19 incidence data, by using our statistic on the residuals obtained after model fitting.


In this work we investigate the interplay between coherent and incoherent charge transport in cytosine-guanine (GC) rich DNA molecules. Our objective is to introduce physically grounded approach to dephasing in large molecules and to understand the length dependent charge transport characteristics and especially the crossover from coherent tunneling to incoherent hopping regime at different temperatures. Therefore, we apply the vibronic dephasing model and compare the results to the B\"uttiker probe model which is commonly used to describe decoherence effects in charge transport. Using the full ladder model and simplified 1D model of DNA, we consider molecular junctions with alternating and stacked GC sequences and compare our results to recent experimental measurements.


To investigate the sequentially plasma-activated bonding (SPAB) mechanism of silicon/silicon wafers, the surface hydrophilicity, and the interface voids, nanostructures and chemical compositions that control the bonding quality, such as bonding strength, have been observed. Although the sequentially plasma-activated surfaces are hydrophilic, the SPAB mechanism is not identical to the hydrophilic bonding. SPAB shows high bonding strength at room temperature and water rearrangement below 150°C, which removes the water from the interface to the bulk. This results in a thinner amorphous silicon oxide layer at the interface. Further heating of the bonded wafers desorbs water from the bulk. The heating at 225°C starts producing hillocks at the interface, which turn into voids at temperatures above 400°C for absorbing the hydrogen gas produced from the desorbed water at the interface. The new and bigger voids are due to the hydrogen gas at 600°C and start accumulating at 800°C, resulting in bubbles caused by the accumulation of voids at the preferential sites. No nitrogen exists either in silicon or in the amorphous SiO2 layer at the interface. The Si-L2, 3 edges from the amorphous silicon oxide at the bonded interface are identical to those of the standard SiO2.


We explore the implications of labour demand constraints on the propensity to experience poverty. Since these constraints can manifest themselves in terms of both prices and quantities, we focus particularly on the relative contributions of underemployment and underpayment. Our analysis suggests that there has been a significant increase in working poverty in Britain over the period 1985-1996, the majority of which can be attributed to underpayment. Underemployment, however, is seen to represent a significant, and increasing, constraint on the ability of employees to escape poverty.


This paper reports for the first time the experimentally obtained piezoresistive coefficients of microcrystalline silicon-germanium (mucSiGe), which is proposed as a new structural material for piezoresistive micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). We measure the resistance variation of several piezoresistors under a uniform and uniaxial stress provided by a four point bending (4 PB) fixture. The stress values are determined both by theory and from finite elements (FE) simulations. FE simulations are done as well to investigate the potential of using mucSiGe for a piezoresistive pressure sensor application.


Reverse matrix converters, which can step up voltages, are suitable for applications with source voltages that are lower than load voltages, such as generator systems. Reverse matrix converter topologies are advantageous because they do not require additional components to conventional matrix converters. In this paper, a detection method and a post-fault modulation strategy to operate a converter as close as possible to its desired normal operation under the open-switch fault condition in the rectifier stage are proposed. An open-switch fault in the rectifier stage of a reverse matrix converter causes current distortions and voltage ripples in the system. Therefore, fault-tolerant control for open-switch faults is required to improve the reliability of a system. The proposed strategy determines the appropriate switching stages from among the remaining healthy switches of the converter. This is done based on reference currents or voltages. The performance of the proposed strategy is experimentally verified.


High-resolution patterning of periodic structures over large areas has several applications in science and technology. One such method, based on the long-known Talbot effect observed with diffraction gratings, is achromatic Talbot lithography (ATL). This method offers many advantages over other techniques, such as high resolution, large depth-of-focus, and high throughput. Although the technique has been studied in the past, its limits have not yet been explored. Increasing the efficiency and the resolution of the method is essential and might enable many applications in science and technology. In this work, the authors combine this technique with spatially coherent and quasimonochromatic light at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths and explore new mask design schemes in order to enhance its throughput and resolution. They report on simulations of various mask designs in order to explore their efficiency. Advanced and optimized nanofabrication techniques have to be utilized to achieve high quality and efficient masks for ATL. Exposures using coherent EUV radiation from the Swiss light source have been performed, pushing the resolution limits of the technique for dense hole or dot patterning down to 40 nm pitch. In addition, through extensive simulations, alternative mask designs with rings instead of holes are explored for the efficient patterning of hole/dot arrays. They show that these rings exhibit similar aerial images to hole arrays, while enabling higher efficiency and thereby increased throughput for ATL exposures. The mask designs with rings show that they are less prone to problems associated with pattern collapse during the nanofabrication process and therefore are promising for achieving higher resolution.High-resolution patterning of periodic structures over large areas has several applications in science and technology. One such method, based on the long-known Talbot effect observed with diffraction gratings, is achromatic Talbot lithography (ATL). This method offers many advantages over other techniques, such as high resolution, large depth-of-focus, and high throughput. Although the technique has been studied in the past, its limits have not yet been explored. Increasing the efficiency and the resolution of the method is essential and might enable many applications in science and technology. In this work, the authors combine this technique with spatially coherent and quasimonochromatic light at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths and explore new mask design schemes in order to enhance its throughput and resolution. They report on simulations of various mask designs in order to explore their efficiency. Advanced and optimized nanofabrication techniques have to be utilized to achieve high quality and e...


Vitamin D plays an essential role in cognitive functions as well as regulating calcium homeostasis and the immune system. Many epidemiological studies have also shown the close relationship between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and the risk of schizophrenia. Cortical gamma-band oscillations (GBO) are associated with cognitive functions, such as attention and memory. Patients with schizophrenia show abnormal GBO with increased spontaneous GBO and decreased evoked GBO. However, the direct effect of VDD on GBO remains unknown. Parvalbumin interneurons, which predominantly contribute to the generation of GBO, are surrounded by perineuronal nets (PNN). We sought to investigate the associations among VDD, PNN, and GBO. Here, we injected a viral vector (AAV5-DIO-ChR2-eYFP) into the basal forebrain stereotaxically and implanted electrodes for electroencephalogram (EEG). At baseline, the evoked and spontaneous EEG power at the gamma frequency band was measured in 4-month-old male PV-Cre mice. After six and twenty weeks of vitamin D deficient food administration, the power of GBO was measured in the VDD condition. Next, we injected the chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) enzyme into the frontal cortex to eliminate PNN. We found that the VDD group showed decreased power of both optogenetically- and auditory-evoked GBO, whereas the spontaneous GBO increased. Enzymatic digestion of PNN showed similar changes in GBO. Taken together, we suggest that VDD could result in decreased PNN and, consequently, increase the spontaneous GBO and decrease the evoked GBO, reminiscent of the aberrant GBO in schizophrenia. These results show that VDD might increase the risk of schizophrenia and aggravate the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia.


PURPOSE
To investigate the relationships between external and internal workloads using a comprehensive selection of variables during basketball training and games.

METHODS
Eight semiprofessional, male basketball players were monitored during training and games for an entire season. External workload was determined as PlayerLoad™: total and high-intensity accelerations, decelerations, changes of direction, and jumps and total low-intensity, medium-intensity, high-intensity, and overall inertial movement analysis events. Internal workload was determined using the summated-heart-rate zones and session rating of perceived exertion models. The relationships between external and internal workload variables were separately calculated for training and games using repeated-measures correlations with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS
PlayerLoad was more strongly related to summated-heart-rate zones (r = .88 ± .03, very large [training]; r = .69 ± .09, large [games]) and session rating of perceived exertion (r = .74 ± .06, very large [training]; r = .53 ± .12, large [games]) than other external workload variables (P < .05). Correlations between total and high-intensity accelerations, decelerations, changes of direction, and jumps and total low-intensity, medium-intensity, high-intensity, and overall inertial movement analysis events and internal workloads were stronger during training (r = .44-.88) than during games (r = .15-.69).

CONCLUSIONS
PlayerLoad and summated-heart-rate zones possess the strongest dose-response relationship among a comprehensive selection of external and internal workload variables in basketball, particularly during training sessions compared with games. Basketball practitioners may therefore be able to best anticipate player responses when prescribing training drills using these variables for optimal workload management across the season.


Five new chalcohalides, Ba3GaS4X (X = Cl, Br), Ba3MSe4Cl (M = Ga, In), and Ba7In2Se6F8, have been synthesized by conventional high-temperature solid-state method. These compounds crystallize in three different interesting structure types. Ba3GaQ4X (Q = S, X = Cl, Br; Q = Se, X = Cl) contain zigzag BaX pseudolayers and isolated GaQ4 tetrahedra, while Ba3InSe4Cl possesses one Ba-In-Se pseudolayer and one Ba-Cl pseudolayer, which are stacked alternately along the c-direction. Ba7In2Se6F8 is comprised of one-dimensional 1∞[InSe3]3- chains and unique [Ba7F8]6+ chains. In all those mixed anion compounds, the halide anions are only connected to alkaline-earth metal through strong ionic bonding, while the M (M = Ga, In) cations are only connected to chalcogenide anions through covalent bonding. UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy measurements indicate that Ba3GaQ4X (Q = S, X = Cl, Br; Q = Se, X = Cl) have band gaps of 2.14, 1.80, and 2.05 eV, respectively.


In healthy cot‐nursed Tanzanian neonates (n= 92, gestation 26–42 weeks) measurements of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and weight change were performed during the first 24 h after birth at an average ambient humidity of 70% and an environmental temperature of 32°C. Urine production on day 1 (ml/kg per 24h) was documented for a subgroup of 13 preterm and 8 term infants. In a limited group of preterm infants (n= 5) TEWL measurements, weight and 24 h urine volume measurements were repeated daily for 7 days. Maximum weight loss was determined in 7 preterm (gestational age 30–36 weeks) and 6 term infants. TEWL was estimated by measuring the evaporation rate at three sites of the body using the water vapour pressure gradient method. On day 1, TEWL was highest in the most preterm infants, whereas TEWL and urine production were higher in large for gestational age infants as compared to appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants of the same gestational age (31–36 weeks). For the whole group, weight loss on day 1 was correlated with TEWL (r= 0.49, p<0.05). At follow‐up TEWL in preterm infants remained almost constant during the first 4 days and decreased after the fourth day, at which time weight gain commenced. Preterm AGA infants (gestational age 24–37 weeks) showed a mean postnatal weight loss of 4.4% of the birth weight, while in term infants this loss was only 2.6%. A reduced postnatal weight loss as compared to Caucasian infants may be explained by a lower water loss during the first days after birth, through both skin evaporation and urine excretion.


This book explores the challenges of applying disability theory and policy, including the social model of disability, to madness and distress. It brings together leading scholars and activists from Europe, North America, Australia and India, to explore the relationship between madness, distress and disability. Whether mental health problems should be viewed as disabilities is a pressing concern, especially since the inclusion of psychosocial disability in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This book will appeal to policy makers, practitioners, activists and academics. - See more at: http://www.policypress.co.uk


ABSTRACT Real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) is a widely used method for Newcastle disease virus (NDV) diagnosis and classification. The virus matrix (M) gene is usually used for general NDV identification and the fusion (F) gene for virulence differentiation. This method is rapid and sensitive, but the high mutation rate of the viral genome is a source of concern, as it may cause diagnostic failure. In late 2019, we encountered a problem classifying virulent NDV in samples from a few poultry flocks in which clinical signs were observed. Although the general NDV identification test was positive, the rRT-PCR virulence differentiation test gave negative results or higher cycle threshold values (Ct) than expected. Partial F gene sequencing for unclassified clinical NDV samples was used to investigate the cause of the rRT-PCR virulence differentiation test failure. The cause of the diagnostic failure was found to be a mismatch at the 3′ end of the reverse primer and adjustments were made to the diagnostic assay. The partial sequencing also allowed us to differentiate the virus as virulent according to the amino acid sequence of the F gene cleavage site and to genetically classify the virus as sub-genotype VII.2 NDV. After realizing that this is a resurgence event of sub-genotype VII.2 virus in an already endemic area of sub-genotype VII.1, we traced the spread of the new virus for several months. In addition, whole-genome sequencing of two 2020 sub-genotype VII.2 isolates was performed. GenBank search yielded related sequences from Jordan (2018) and Pakistan (2015–2016). RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS In 2019, there was a resurgence of NDV from sub-genotype VII.2 in Israel, in an already endemic area of sub-genotype VII.1. A mismatch at the 3′ end of the reverse primer caused a diagnostic failure of the NDV virulence differentiation rRT-PCR assay. The 2019 NDV sub-genotype VII.2 virus is genetically close to viruses from Jordan (2018) and Pakistan (2015–2016).


—A document network refers to a data type that can be represented as a graph of vertices, where each vertex is associated with a text document. Examples of such a data type include hyperlinked Web pages, academic publications with citations, and user profiles in social networks. Such data have very high-dimensional representations, in terms of text as well as network connectivity. In this paper, we study the problem of embedding, or finding a low-dimensional representation of a document network that "preserves" the data as much as possible. These embedded representations are useful for various applications driven by dimensionality reduction, such as visualization or feature selection. While previous works in embedding have mostly focused on either the textual aspect or the network aspect, we advocate a holistic approach by finding a unified low-rank representation for both aspects. Moreover, to lend semantic inter- pretability to the low-rank representation, we further propose to integrate topic modeling and embedding within a joint model. The gist is to join the various representations of a document (words, links, topics, and coordinates) within a generative model, and to estimate the hidden representations through MAP estimation. We validate our model on real-life document networks, showing that it outperforms comparable baselines comprehensively on objective evaluation metrics.