A method has been described for the labeling, separation, and estimation of radioactivity in samples of DFP32-tagged neutrophilic granulocytes. Studies were performed to identify the potential errors of this procedure, and it was then applied to a group of 12 normal men. A mean of 43% of transfused, labeled neutrophilic granulocytes was found in the circulation, resulting in the calculation of a mean maximum of 0.68 x 109/kg neutrophilic granulocytes in the total peripheral vascular pool. The mean half-time of disappearance of these cells was 3.8 hr, and a mean maximum neutrophile turnover rate through peripheral blood of 3.2 x 109/kg per day was calculated. The failure of labeled cells to disappear from the blood at an exponential rate suggested that the instantaneously equilibrating blood neutrophile pools may be in slower equilibrium with a larger, extravascular neutrophile compartment.

Note:

(With the Technical Assistance of Yvonne Betson and Ruth Henderson)

DFP32; liquid scintillation counting of granulocytes; circulating and noncirculating blood neutrophile pools; extravascular neutrophile pool; neutrophilic granulocyte turnover

Submitted on August 31, 1964


Carbon quantum dots (CQDs or CDs) recently have attracted attention due to their unique optical and chemical properties. Herein we demonstrate a facile protocol to synthesize CDs via the microwave-assisted method. In this research, we use citric acid as carbon source and urea as nitrogen source. The UV-vis absorption of CDs show two peaks at 326 and 408 nm respectively correspond to the π→π∗ transition of C=C bonds and n→π∗ transition of C=O or other bonds on the CDs surface. The CDs solution emit green color emission at wavelength 521 nm λexcitation = 365 nm), which the highest PL intensity is achieved by the CDs heated in microwave for 15 min. Moreover, we also conducted a preliminary study of the CDs as sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on TiO2 nanocrystalline. The power conversion efficiency (η), fill factor (FF) and short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 0.29%, 0.31 and 0.36 mA/cm2, respectively, are achieved for the CDs based cell. This research suggests that the CDs have the potential application as sensitizers in DSSCs.


A new epitaxial growth process was developed using phosphine modulation using conventional metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). With this method, phosphine was switched off a short time in each cycle and provided a metal-rich growth surface. With higher surface mobility of indium atoms than that of InP molecules, crystal quality was improved significantly. Photoluminescence full width at half maximum of 5.6 meV at 77 K was achieved under optimum growth conditions.<<ETX>>


Abstract. The HLA antigenic system was studied in Yemenite Jews with genetic neutropenia. No deviation in antigen frequency was observed when compared with matched controls from the same ethnic group. HLA antigen frequency and common haplotypes of the Yemenite Jews were found entirely different from those of the African blacks, known to have the same anomaly.


Introduction: There are very few published reports on the heath status of tea garden workers of West Bengal, while reports on cardiorespiratory fineness and body composition of male tea factory workers is almost scanty.
Purpose: The present study was carried out in the Dooars region of the Cooch Behar district, West Bengal to evaluate the physical fitness and morphological characteristics due to the physio-logical workload of respondents engaged in processing of tea leaves in factories within the tea-estates.
Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in 18-25 years' young male tea-garden workers (n=15) by random selection from Cooch Behar District, West Bengal (mean age 20.1) and college students (n=15) of Kolkata (mean age 21.9), who served as controls. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated in terms of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) and physical fitness index (PFI),
while morphological characters were estimated by means of physical anthropometric measures.
Results: A significant difference in body surface area, body mass index, percentage of body fat (% fat), blood pressure, physical fitness index, energy expenditure, anaerobic power, mean upper arm circumference, thigh circumference, waist circum-ference and buttock circumference were found (p<0.05) in tea garden workers. No significant difference was observed in calf circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).
Conclusions: On the basis of the findings of the present study using morphometric indicators and fitness markers it can be concluded that, the majority of respondents had an ectomorph stature but have good physical fitness level.


Weather radar is well recognized as an effective sensor for obtaining the microphysical and dynamical properties of precipitation at high spatial and temporal resolution. Radar calibration is one of the most important prerequisites for achieving accurate observations. In this article, a portable, cost-effective and repeatable radar calibration technique, namely, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-aided radar calibration, is proposed. A UAV serves as the stable aerial platform carrying a metal sphere, flying over the radar illumination areas to complete the calibration process. The flying routine of the UAV can be pre-programmed, and thus, the antenna pattern regarding different elevation and azimuth angles can be retrieved. To obtain the position of the sphere, the real-time single-frequency precise point positioning-type global navigation satellite system solution is developed. In addition, the radar constant is calculated in the range-Doppler domain, and only the data where the metal sphere separates from clutter and other objects are selected. The S-band polarimetric Doppler transportable atmospheric radar (TARA) is used in the calibration campaign. The experiments demonstrate the following results: 1) antenna pointing calibration can be completed and 2) antenna pattern can be retrieved and weather radar constant can be accurately calculated.


Financial crises generate injurious macroeconomic effects that finish affecting the standard of life of the majority of the population. Identification, prevention, or minimization of their effects is task of the economic authorities that use different tools for diagnosis. In this article the methodology of Goldstein, Kaminsky and Reinhart for the construction of indicators of early warning system of financial crises is explained, introducing some innovating concepts for the accomplishment of the analysis and, in addition, it is designed to be applied in the developing countries so-called emerging markets.


The nature of playing video streams over a network in a real time requires that the transmitted frames are sent in a bounded delay. Also, video frames need to be displayed at a certain rate; therefore, sending and receiving encrypted packets must be sent in a certain amount of time in order to utilize the admissible delay. There are two main components for securing multimedia transmissions. Key management protocols such as Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol is used as cryptographic protocol that provides security and data integrity for communications over IP Networks. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is used as a symmetric block cipher, that can encrypt (encipher) and decrypt (decipher) video frames. The Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) protocol is used as a standardized packet format for delivering video over the IP Networks. This makes secure video encryption feasible for real-time applications without any extra dedicated hard-ware. In this paper; we studied the impact of frame rate on a secured real time transmission of video over IP networks. Through this paper, we will try to find the most suitable frame rate in order to achieve better data rate and fewer frame and packet loss. This is done via java as a programming language for implementation.


In this paper, novel direct yaw moment control and anti-skid control are proposed for electrical vehicles with two in-wheel motors. The proposed controllers are composed of double disturbance observers. The inner-loop observer controls the vehicle traction, and outer-loop observer stabilizes the yawing motion. The advantages of these approaches are 1) the stability robustness for road condition is guaranteed and 2) the proposed controllers require no immeasurable parameters. The experiments demonstrate the performance of these controllers under snowy conditions, and the stability is theoretically analyzed as inertia variation and dead-time system.


Today's electronic devices have multiple communication technologies available at any time. Currently, the application layer or the user needs to manually switch between them, depending on the networks in range. No holistic and adaptive approach exists that can manage all technologies and devices at once. To this extent, we previously proposed the inter-technology management framework ORCHESTRA. The framework is the first of its kind in providing fine-grained packet-level control across different network technologies in a network-wide manner. In this paper, we present a real-life implementation of this framework and show that it can cope well with mobility requirements of users by offering seamless inter-technology handovers.


The signals from photoreceptors modify plant morphogenesis and regulate the timing of flowering. In the long-day plant petunia, flowering is accelerated under blue (B) and white (W) light compared to red (R) light. In Arabidopsis thaliana L., ELF genes are involved in circadian clock-associated regulation of flowering under different light conditions. In this study, we aimed to assess the involvement of ELF genes in control of flowering by light quality in petunia. Two ELF4-like genes, PhELF4-1 and PhELF4-2 with 76% and 70% similarity to orthologues in pepper but low overall similarity to ELF genes in A. thaliana L., were characterized in petunia and their expression patterns studied under different light qualities. Both genes showed a rhythmic expression pattern and higher expression under B light from light emitting diodes (LED) and W light from fluorescent lamps than under R LED light from LED. For both genes, the expression peaked towards the end of the day, 12 h after start of a 14 h photoperiod. Compared with PhELF4-2, PhELF4-1 expression showed higher amplitude with significantly higher peak expression. As investigated for PhELF4-1, such an expression rhythm was kept for two days after transfer of the plants to continuous lighting using B LED, indicating a circadian rhythm. PhELF4-1 also responded with a phase shift after transfer to short days of an 8 h photoperiod. These results indicate that PhELF4-like genes in petunia are under photoperiodic control involving a circadian clock and play a role in signal transduction from one or more B light photoreceptors.


This paper presents the design and implementation of a turtle hydrofoil for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The final design of the AUV must have navigation performance like a turtle, which has also been the biomimetic inspiration for the design of the hydrofoil and propulsion system. The hydrofoil design is based on a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 0014 hydrodynamic profile. During the design stage, four different propulsion systems were compared in terms of propulsion path, compactness, sealing and required power. The final implementation is based on a ball-and-socket mechanism because it is very compact and provides three degrees of freedom (DoF) to the hydrofoil with very few restrictions on the propulsion path. The propulsion obtained with the final implementation of the hydrofoil has been empirically evaluated in a water channel comparing different motion strategies. The results obtained have confirmed that the proposed turtle hydrofoil controlled with a mechanism with three DoF generates can be used in the future implementation of the planned AUV.


Of 64 patients, who had undergone operation because of a carpal tunnel syndrome in the years 1982 to 1984, 39 patients could be reinvestigated. The measurement of the distal motor latency was useful as well in the diagnosis as in the course of the CTS. After operation the distal motor latency was normal in about 70.7% of the cases. A subjective improvement showed 69.9% of the patients. Patients with preoperative normal motor latency reached similar postoperative results. The diagnosis cannot made only on the basis of electrophysiologic pathological values, but has to take into account the clinical picture and neurological findings. Phalen's and Tinel's signs are useful helps in the diagnosis of CTS. The results after decompression of the median nerve depend on the length of history.


Thirty-four patients with rheumatoid arthritis were treated with oral methotrexate for 6 months. Methotrexate was given as a single weekly dose of 7.5-10 mg. A correlation between serum concentration of CRP and proportion of CD8+ lymphocytes in peripheral blood was found in this group of patients. This correlation can be described by a linear regression equation. According to the results obtained, CRP suppresses lymphocyte function in patients with RA. This is the consequence of the stimulating effect on suppressor mechanisms.


Empirical studies of inequality and poverty are usually based on disposable cash incomes, disregarding incomes in-kind (non-cash incomes). Since individuals also derive utility from the consumption of goods and services provided in-kind monetary income is not always a good indicator of an individual's utility or ?command over resources?. Thus, distributional analysis based on cash incomes may be seriously biased. Inclusion of non-cash incomes (arising from private sources or from public provision of services such as health, housing and education) may allow for better targeting and allocation of resources in fighting poverty and social exclusion. The present paper focuses on non-cash incomes arising from publicly provided education in seven European countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK), as part of a broader research project (AIM-AP Accurate Income Measurement for the Assessment of Policy) investigating the distributional implications of including elements of non-cash income in the measurement of wider resources. In all countries under examination public education transfers account for a considerable proportion of the total transfers of the state to the citizens. The paper uses static incidence analysis under the assumption that public education transfers do not create noticeable externalities, combining the information of existing nationwide income surveys with external information on spending per student in particular levels of the education system. In all countries public education transfers are found to reduce aggregate inequality. These effects are driven by the impact of primary and, especially, secondary education transfers at the time of their receipt and assuming benefits are valued at cost by recipients. In a static framework, transfers in the field of tertiary education appear to have a small distributional impact while the size and the sign of this impact depend on the treatment of tertiary education students living away from the parental home.


Is there wage differential by parenthood? If then, how is it different by gender and cohort? This study is to study motherhood penalty and fatherhood premium in South Korea using the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS) data. In the essence of the study overall, men have gained the fatherhood premium, while women do not. In addition, the fatherhood premium is getting weaker, but the motherhood penalty is getting stronger in Korean case. It shows that young generation including young men are suffering from wage penalty due to parenthood.


With ALMA making it possible to resolve giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in other galaxies, it is becoming necessary to quantify the observational bias on measured GMC properties. Using a hydrodynamical simulation of a barred spiral galaxy, we compared the physical properties of GMCs formed in position-position-position space (PPP) to the observational position-position-velocity space (PPV). We assessed the effect of disc inclination: face-on (PPV_face) and edge-on (PPV_edge), and resolution: 1.5 pc versus 24 pc, on GMC properties and the further implications of using Larson's scaling relations for mass-radius and velocity dispersion-radius. The low-resolution PPV data are generated by simulating ALMA Cycle 3 observations using the CASA package. Results show that the median properties do not differ strongly between PPP and PPV_face under both resolutions, but PPV_edge clouds deviate from these two. The differences become magnified when switching to the lower, but more realistic resolution. The discrepancy can lead to opposite results for the virial parameter's measure of gravitational binding, and therefore the dynamical state of the clouds. The power-law indices for the two Larson's scaling relations decrease going from PPP, PPV_face to PPV_edge and decrease from high to low resolutions. We conclude that the relations are not entirely driven by the underlying physical origin and therefore have to be used with caution when considering the environmental dependence, dynamical state, and the extragalactic CO-to-H2 conversion factor of GMCs.


Pharmaceuticals, among the emerging contaminants, are pseudopersistent and recently of serious concern due to universal use, toxicity, and resistance development at low concentrations. )is study was aimed at assessing the prevalence and risk of eight pharmaceuticals in surface water used for vegetable irrigation in Ghana's Kumasi and Sunyani metropolises, which are influenced by hospitals, sewage treatment facilities, and market effluents. Samples were concentrated via solid-phase extraction (SPE) while liquid chromatography was used to identify and quantify the analytes. Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and diclofenac were the detected analgesics in this study, with concentrations stretching from below detection limit (not detected) to 319.0 ng/L, while amoxicillin, trimethoprim, and cefuroxime were the detected antibiotics with a concentration range of no detection to 840.0 ng/L. Based on the available long-term data, an environmental risk assessment was conducted. Because of the presence of ibuprofen, the lowest trophic level and fish were shown to be at risk.)e estimated risk quotient values for antibiotics resistance were above 1 for all the antibiotics investigated in surface water impacted by the wastewater of hospitals and pharmaceutical companies' except surface water impacted by sewage treatment plants (STPs) and market wastewater. )e existence of these pharmaceuticals in surface water does not only point to a general concern for the environment but also a potential health risk on humans and other lives as a result of their impact on drinking water and vegetable production in Ghana.


A reproducible, rapid procedure for the extraction, labelling and separation of human hair proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) has been developed. Hair proteins were extracted in 8 M urea, containing 0.2 M mercaptoethanol, followed by sonication. Extracts were neutralised with Tris and incubated with either labelled (14C) or unlabelled iodoacetic acid to S‐carboxymethylate cysteine groups. Proteins were separated on 12.5% SDS‐polyacrylamide gels and gels stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue and/or silver nitrate to reveal major protein bands. Gels were then treated with a fluorographic agent, dried and autoradiographed to reveal major sites of S‐carboxymethylation. A given gel was scanned by laser densitometry after Coomassie and/or silver stain to quantitate the protein content of each major protein zone. An autoradiogram of the same gel was scanned to estimate the cysteine content of each major zone. In this way it was possible to partially characterise rapidly and reproducibly many different protein zones in different individual samples on one gel at the same time. By calculating the ratio of autoradiograph absorbance to Coomassie Blue absorbance, protein zones could be assigned to four different categories, viz: very high cysteine (VHC) proteins, high cysteine (HC) proteins, low cysteine (LC) proteins and very low cysteine (VLC) proteins. The method described is reproducible, rapid and inexpensive enough to be suitable for mass screening. Overall the results were more informative than previously reported one‐dimensional separations and indeed this technique may well be more suited to forensic and/or population investigations than the much more laborious and time‐consuming two‐dimensional techniques.


Poor environmental sanitation affects environmental quality and health. Ghana is a developing country whose sanitation profile has been one of the lowest in the world in recent years. This has prompted various views regarding effective approaches for improving sanitation in Ghana for better environmental quality and health. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of National Sanitation Day (NSD) as a model for improving environmental sanitation in the Edina Traditional Area (ETA), Ghana.,The study used key informant interviews and focus group discussions to collect qualitative data from purposively selected participants from predominantly fishing and farming communities in the ETA, Ghana. Data were analysed thematically and presented using interpretive narratives and most significant stories.,Results showed a high level of community awareness of the model but low participation in the intervention, culminating in the model's ineffectiveness to make any meaningful impact on improved sanitation in the study area. Key factors responsible for the model's ineffectiveness include apathy, inadequate logistics, politics and attitude.,Government should engage more effectively with the municipal assembly, private sanitation companies and community level authorities to address the political, logistical, attitudinal and institutional challenges associated with the model to ensure effective participation in the NSD for better sanitation outcomes, leading to improved environmental quality and health for sustainable development.,This is one of the few studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of the NSD in Ghana since the model was introduced in the country in 2014. The outcome of the study could inform sanitation management policy, practice and research in Ghana as well as other developing countries that may adopt or adapt Ghana's model.


Eight isolates of Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) were made from calves with severe respiratory disease on seven farms in one region of Britain. Genetic analysis of the viruses showed that seven, which were isolated between 1997 and 1999 were almost identical and were distinguishable from an earlier 1991 isolate. When compared with the available sequences of BRSVs from other countries, the recent British isolates were more closely related to US isolates than to earlier British and current mainland European isolates.


BACKGROUND: Achieving a pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation improves prognosis in rectal cancer. Statin therapy has been shown to enhance the impact of treatment in several malignancies, but little is known regarding the impact on rectal cancer response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether statin use during neoadjuvant chemoradiation improves pathologic response in rectal cancer. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study based on data from a prospectively maintained colorectal cancer database. The 2 cohorts were defined by statin use during neoadjuvant chemoradiation. SETTING: This study was performed at a single tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Four hundred seven patients with primary rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy then proctectomy between 2000 and 2012 were included. Ninety-nine patients (24.3%) took a statin throughout the entire course of neoadjuvant therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy as defined by the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor regression grading system, grades 0 to 3. RESULTS: Patients in the statin cohort had a lower median regression grade (1 vs 2, p = 0.01) and were more likely to have a better response (grades 0–1 vs 2–3) than those not taking a statin (65.7% vs 48.7%, p = 0.004). Statin use remained a significant predictor of an American Joint Committee on Cancer grade 0 to 1 (OR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.33–3.82) in multivariate analyses. Although statin use itself did not significantly improve oncologic outcomes, an American Joint Committee on Cancer grade 0 to 1 response was associated with statistically significant improvements in overall survival, disease-free survival, cancer-specific mortality, and local recurrence. LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective study and subject to nonrandomization of patients and incorporated patients on variable statin agents and doses. CONCLUSIONS: Statin therapy is associated with an improved response of rectal cancer to neoadjuvant chemoradiation. These data provide the foundation for a prospective clinical trial.


Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are an alternative to chemical insecticides or fertilizers, and there is an urgent need to extend the application of AM fungi to woody plants. This study aims to investigate the growth and resistance against the gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar) in Glomus intraradices-colonized Populus alba × P. berolinensis seedlings, and to unravel the transcriptome and metabolome phenotypes recruited by AM fungus colonization that affect plant growth and insect resistance. Our results showed a positive mycorrhizal growth response, i.e., growth and biomass of mycorrhizal seedlings were enhanced. However, AM fungus inoculation reduced the resistance of poplar to gypsy moth larvae, as evidenced by the decreased carbon/nitrogen ratio in leaves, as well as the increased larval growth and shortened larval developmental duration. Transcriptome analysis revealed that in both auxin and gibberellin signaling transductions, all nodes were responsive to AM symbiosis and most differentially expressed genes belonging to effectors were up-regulated in mycorrhizal seedlings. Furthermore, the two key enzymes (4-coumarate-CoA ligase and trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase) involved in the synthesis of p-Coumaroyl-CoA, an initial metabolite in flavonoid biosynthesis and the first rate-limiting enzyme (chalcone synthase) in flavonoid biosynthesis, were down-regulated at the transcriptional level. Consistent with the transcriptome results, metabolome analysis found that the amounts of all differentially accumulated flavonoid compounds (e.g., catechin and quercetin) identified in mycorrhizal seedlings were decreased. Taken together, these findings highlight the diverse outcomes of AM fungi-host plant-insect interaction and reveal the regulatory network of the positive mycorrhizal growth response and mycorrhizal-induced reduction of insect resistance in poplar.


The Arabian Sea, influenced by the Indian monsoon, has many unique features including its basin scale seasonally reversing surface circulation and the Great Whirl, a seasonal anti-cyclonic system appearing during the southwest monsoon close to the western boundary. To establish a comprehensive dynamical picture of the Arabian Sea, we utilize numerical model output and design a full vorticity budget that includes a fully-decomposed nonlinear term. The ocean general circulation model has 0.1° resolution and is mesoscale eddy-resolving in the region. In the western boundary current system, we highlight the role of nonlinear eddies in the life cycle of the Great Whirl. The nonlinear eddy term is of leading order importance in this feature's vorticity balance. Specifically, it contributes to the Great Whirl's persistence in boreal fall after the weakening of the southwesterly winds. In the open ocean, Sverdrup dynamics and annual Rossby waves are found to dominate the vorticity balance; the latter is considered as a key factor in the formation of the Great Whirl and the sea-sonal reversal of the western boundary current. In addition, we discuss different forms of vertically-integrated vorticity equations in the model and argue that the bottom pressure torque term can be interpreted analogously as friction in the western boundary and vortex stretching in the open ocean.


Periapical granulomas have been investigated histologically, immunohistologically using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, as well as electronmicroscopically. Lesions were formed by inflammatory granulation tissue frequently with foci of purulent exudation and fibrosis. Most numerous were plasma cells usually in cellular regions of the granulation tissue where they were tightly pressed. Of other cellular types were numerous lymphocytes, fibroblasts, less frequent were macrophages, scattered granulocytes and mast cells. More than a half of the plasma cells were IgG positive, about 20% IgA positive, up to 10% IgM, rarely IgE and sporadically IgD positive cells. In the vascular walls and their surrounding as well as in the phagocytes fine granular to granular positivities of C3 and C4 components of the complement were present. The majority of lymphocytes beared markers of T lymphocytes of which the T-suppressor markedly prevailed over the T-helper lymphocytes. In electron microscopy the plasma cells were most frequent. They were usually close to each other, sometimes with a disintegrated cytoplasmic membrane and non-damaged organelles being free around the nucleus. Mast cells were numerous and did not show any signs of marked degranulation. Rich production of immunoglobulins as well as the presence of IgG and IgM positive material in phagocytes, and the presence of positivities of the C3 and C4 components of the complement in the surrounding of the vessels and in phagocytes on the other hand supported the presumption that immune complexes participate in the pathogenesis of periapical granulomas. In spite of the presence of the IgE producing cells the morphological picture of mast cells did not suggest the presence of anaphylactic reaction in periapical lesions. Diffuse distribution of T lymphocytes, moreover with the prevalence of T-suppressor/cytotoxic over T-helper lymphocytes and not numerous macrophages in the inflammatory infiltrates did not suggest the participation of a typical cell-mediated immunity reaction in the development of periapical granulomas. Numerous T-suppressor/cytotoxic lymphocytes and low numbers of macrophages can be important factors of the chronicity of periapical inflammatory diseases.


New analytical strategies and techniques are necessary to meet requirements of modern technologies and new materials. In this sense, this book provides a thorough review of current analytical approaches, industrial practices, and strategies in Fourier transform application.


A point spread function (PSF) for the blurring component in positron emission tomography (PET) is studied. The PSF matrix is derived from the single photon incidence response function. A statistical iterative reconstruction (IR) method based on the system matrix containing the PSF is developed. More specifically, the gamma photon incidence upon a crystal array is simulated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, and then the single photon incidence response functions are calculated. Subsequently, the single photon incidence response functions are used to compute the coincidence blurring factor according to the physical process of PET coincidence detection. Through weighting the ordinary system matrix response by the coincidence blurring factors, the IR system matrix containing the PSF is finally established. By using this system matrix, the image is reconstructed by an ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed system matrix can substantially improve the image radial resolution, contrast, and noise property. Furthermore, the simulated single gamma-ray incidence response function depends only on the crystal configuration, so the method could be extended to any PET scanner with the same detector crystal configuration.


INTRODUCTION Worldwide, the rising of caesarean section rates is a major public health issue. Little is known regarding birth attitudes held by students who are the next generation of parents. The aim of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Adolescents Intentions towards Birth Options Scale (AIBOS), a self-report and short instrument assessing intentions towards birth options in young adolescents. METHODS The AIBOS was framed by Ajzen's theory of planned behavior and developed in a three-phase process using an integrated mixed-methods approach that included literature reviews, professional focus groups, and a psychometric survey evaluation. The psychometric evaluation was conducted by recruiting a sample of 480 high school students. Content validity, exploratory factor analysis, discriminant and construct validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were explored. RESULTS The expert panel determined that the content validity was satisfactory. The final 17-item scale consisted of five factors explaining 48.9% of the total variance in the data. Discriminant validity was satisfactory. Cronbach's α coefficient was over 0.7 for each factor, indicating acceptable internal consistency of the questionnaire. There was significant agreement in all subscales as emerged from test-retest. CONCLUSIONS The AIBOS demonstrated good content validity, an easily interpretable five-factor structure, acceptable internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and satisfactory discriminant and construct validity with sample characteristics. It is an easily comprehensible, easily completed tool, which matches the culture of young adolescents.

http://www.europeanjournalofmidwifery.eu/pdf-145968-73041?filename=The development and the.pdf


BACKGROUND
Spasticity affects 54% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients at disease onset, but this rate gradually increases with disease progression. Spasticity does not fully respond to standard treatment in one-third of the patients.

OBJECTIVE
Our systematic review and meta-analysis assessed whether add-on nabiximols, can improve MS-associated refractory spasticity.

METHODS
The systematic literature search was performed in Web of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus, CEN- TRAL, and Embase, on 15/10/2021, without restrictions. We included in the review blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of nabiximols in adult MS patients with refractory spas- ticity, by comparison with placebo. The primary outcome was responder rate by spasticity numerical rat- ing scale (NRS). Secondary outcomes were spasticity-related parameters. We used random effect models to calculate odds ratios (OR) or mean differences and the corresponding 95% CI. Bias-factors were as- sessed with Cochrane risk of bias tool (RoB2). (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021282177).

RESULTS
We identified 9 eligible articles, of which 7 (1128 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. The spasticity numerical rating scale (NRS) was significantly higher in the nabiximols group than in the placebo group (OR 2.41 (95% CI 1.39; 4.18)). Secondary outcomes were in accordance with our primary results. At least some concerns were detected in the risk of bias analysis.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that nabiximols is efficient in MS associated spasticity, refractory to standard treatment and it may be considered as add-on symptomatic therapy. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to establish the optimal treatment protocol - dose, duration, moment of initiation, disease type.


Giribet, G. 2010. A new dimension in combining data? The use of morphology and phylogenomic data in metazoan systematics. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 11–19

Animal phylogenies have been traditionally inferred by using the character state information derived from the observation of a diverse array of morphological and anatomical features, but the incorporation of molecular data into the toolkit of phylogenetic characters has shifted drastically the way researchers infer phylogenies. A main reason for this is the ease at which molecular data can be obtained, compared to, e.g., traditional histological and microscopical techniques. Researchers now routinely use genomic data for reconstructing relationships among animal phyla (using whole genomes or Expressed Sequence Tags) but the amount of morphological data available to study the same phylogenetic patterns has not grown accordingly. Given the disparity between the amounts of molecular and morphological data, some authors have questioned entire morphological programs. In this review I discuss issues related to the combinability of genomic and morphological data, the informativeness of each set of characters, and conclude with a discussion of how morphology could be made scalable by utilizing new techniques that allow for non-intrusive examination of large amounts of preserved museum specimens. Morphology should therefore remains a strong field in evolutionary and comparative biology, as it continues to provide information for inferring phylogenetic patterns, is an important complement for the patterns derived from the molecular data, and it is the common nexus that allows studying fossil taxa with large data sets of molecular data.


The beta-blocker role in arterial hypertension treatment is surveyed from the positions of evidence based medicine and international clinical guidelines. Data of last randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses are discussed.


In this paper, we show that for STC (Space-Time Coded) Hybrid-ARQ (Automatic Repeat reQuest) schemes with (re)transmission power control over independent Rayleigh block fading channels, the problem of optimizing energy efficiency with a PER (Packet Error Rate) constraint can be solved as a geometric programming problem. The optimum transmit power increases super-linearly with each requested retransmission and the fraction of the average power optimally allocated to each ARQ round only depends on the incremental diversity gain. The energy savings increases with a decrease in the PER targets and decreases with an increase in the diversity gain.


The article examines the book as a communication device. It analyses the impact of the invention of print on the European civilization in the 15th and 16th century. Drastically larger amount of available data and new ways of data retrieval were the main differences between cultures of print and medieval manuscript culture. In other words, »post-Gutenberg« European scholars and clerics dealt with much larger amounts of available information than their predecessors. Even more, preservation of data with memorizing and copying manuscripts was substituted by comparison of data. As a result, patterns of intellectual life were drastically changed. As such, consequences of the invention of print could be considered as an information revolution, which was one of the main preconditions of European enlightenment and reformation movements. With analysing the beginnings of book publishing, one thus analyses the roots of contemporary information societies. From this point of view, book and publishing history becomes an integral part not only of education of book professionals, but also of humanities and social studies.


The title compns., with good adhesion, contain polyolefins and polyhedral, oligomeric Si-O cluster compds. Stirring 2.5 mol iso-BuSi(OMe)3 in acetone with 0.11 mol aq. KOH at 30 Deg for 3 days gave 96% iso-Bu8Si8O12, reaction of which (12.6 mmol) with 2.0 mL (MeO)3SiCH:CH2 in THF contg. 1.2 mmol Et4N+ OH- gave 57% iso-Bu7Si8O12(CH:CH2), reaction of which (5.9 mmol) with 6.4 mmol (EtO)SiH in PhMe contg. a Pt catalyst at 20 Deg gave 100% iso-Bu7Si8O12Si(OEt)3 (I). A 90:10 mixt. of poly-a-olefin (Vestoplast 708) and I had softening point 105 Deg. Use of the compns. as adhesives and carpet backings is exemplified. [on SciFinder (R)]


Mechanical and electrical properties of a DDV(Direct Drive servo Valve) with electric feedback are analysed via reverse analysis technique in this work. The DDV is disassembled and mechanical parameters, such as spool mass, spring stiffness and port size are identified. The servo amplifier, which is built in the valve, is reversely analysed and the control scheme and gains for several control actions are also identified. The electrical feedback for spool displacement improves much better the valve performance, such as hysteresis and dynamic bandwidth frequency, than an ordinary mechanical feedback valve. Integrating control action with very large gain was adopted in the valve amplifier, and it seemed to give high performance.


In this latest collection of essays, Clive James tackles burning issues and shining personalities from Barry Humphries to Barry Manilow and Michael Jackson to Michael Foot. He discusses the nuances of Kung Fu cinema, the lyrical footwork of Torvill and Dean and the charms of the Statue of Liberty. Among Clive James' many books are "Unreliable Memoirs", "Falling Towards England" and two novels, "Brilliant Creatures" and "The Remake".


We propose a system for the derivation of algorithms which allows us to use "factual knowledge" for the development of concurrent programs. From preliminary program versions the system can derive new versions which have higher performances and can be evaluated by communicating agents in a parallel architecture. The knowledge about the facts or properties of the programs is also used for the improvement of the system itself.


Nanocapsules appear a promising approach as a drug system for topical application. However, the transport mechanism of nanocapsule-associated drug through the skin is still being questioned. In the present study, the transport of chlorhexidine-loaded poly(Ε-caprolactone) nanocapsules through full-thickness and stripped hairless rat skin was investigated in static-diffusion cell. The chlorhexidine permeation profiles fitting the Fickian diffusion model showed that the drug encapsulation reduced the percutaneous drug absorption through stripped skin. Possible nanocapsule transport within skin conducts was suggested from the analysis of permeation parameters and confirmed by confocal laser microscopy studies. Furthermore, the chlorhexidine permeation and drug release data were highly correlated, suggesting that the magnitude of percutaneous absorption was controlled by the diffusion across the polymeric carrier. The behavior of nanocapsules at the skin interface was investigated by contact angle and surface tension measurements. The small 'wetting' of the nanocapsule on the stratum corneum surface preserved the mechanical integrity of the carrier characterized by a high specific surface at the skin interface. The flexibility of the nanocapsules assured a satisfying bioadhesion to the skin, whereas the rigidity of the carrier limited the molecular 'spill' into the skin and controlled the drug delivery to the skin.


Communication systems involve streaming media including video conferencing, television services, and web-based video applications. This real-time traffic is carried using the Real-time Transfer Protocol (RTP). The Real-time Transmission Control Protocol (RTCP) is used to provide feedback on the Quality of Service (QoS) and information about the network. The increasing number of packets in the network causes bufferbloat. Bufferbloat occurs when routers buffer too much data. There has been significant research in Active Queue Management (AQM) to overcome bufferbloat issues. In this project, two different scheduling schemes, namely Controlled Delay (CoDel) and Deficit Round Robin (DRR) are investigated for an RTP/RTCP environment. CoDel was introduced recently by Nicholas and Jacobson [3]. In the past, CoDel was evaluated using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) traffic. In this project, the performance of CoDel and DRR is evaluated using the RTP/RTCP protocols.


The University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Joint Program in Mixed-Signal VLSI and Monolithic Sensors is described. This program is organized around four major components: 1) joint research; 2) a joint graduate program; 3) a summer intern program for undergraduates; and 4) an annual workshop on mixed-signal VLSI and monolithic sensors. There are typically 5-7 research programs that support 10-15 graduate students each year. Industry participates in this program by providing financial support for Industrial Fellows that are selected from Joint Program applicants.


As a part of a management program we captured 39 capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in an agroecosystem at the east central region of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil from March 2001 to May 2002. Average adult male body mass was 54.1 ± 8.05 kg, and average adult female body mass was 62.0 ± 12.03 kg. Average juvenile male body mass was 23.0 ± 8.28 kg, and average juvenile female body mass was 26.7 ± 5.86 kg. Males and females presented a significant variation in the allometric relation between body mass and body length. Body mass and body length had a high correlation for both adult males and adult females. These results from capybaras in agroecosystem might be relevant for further management programs.


The role of intracellular signals in the regulation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release was studied using the isolated perfused rat heart. The phorbol ester, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), known to activate the protein kinase C pathway, produced a dose-dependent increase in perfusate ANP immunoreactivity. Bay k8644, a putative calcium channel activator, and forskolin, which stimulates adenylate cyclase, induced a sustained increase in ANP secretory rate. TPA in combination with either Bay k8644 or forskolin induced higher ANP secretion than the calculated additive value for each agent. 8-bromo-cyclic GMP and sodium nitroprusside, when given alone, had no effect on ANP secretion, but delayed the TPA-stimulated increase in perfusate ANP. ANP secretion appears therefore to be mediated both by the phosphoinositide and the cAMP system, whereas the cGMP pathway may be inhibitory.


We used SNP arrays to identify and characterize genomic alterations associated with colorectal cancer (CRC). Laser microdissected cancer cells from 15 adenocarinomas were investigated by Affymetrix Mapping 10K SNP arrays. Analysis of the data extracted from the SNP arrays revealed multiple regions with copy number alterations and loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Novel LOH areas were identified at chromosomes 13, 14 and 15. Combined analysis of the LOH and copy number data revealed genomic structures that could not have been identified analyzing either data type alone. Half of the identified LOH regions showed no evidence of a reduced copy number, indicating the presence of uniparental structures. The distribution of these structures was non-random, primarily involving 8q, 13q and 20q. This finding was supported by analysis of an independent set of array-based transcriptional profiles, consisting of 17 normal mucosa and 66 adenocarcinoma samples. The transcriptional analysis revealed an unchanged expression level in areas with intact copy number, including regions with uniparental disomy, and a reduced expression level in the LOH regions representing factual losses (including 5q, 8p and 17p). The analysis also showed that genes in regions with increased copy number (including 7p and 20q) were predominantly upregulated. Further analyses of the SNP data revealed a subset of the identified alterations to be specifically associated with TP53 inactivation (including 8q gain and 17p loss) and lymph node metastasis status (gain of 7q and 13q). Another subset of the identified alterations was shown to represent intratumor heterogeneity. In conclusion, we demonstrate that uniparental disomy is frequent in CRC, and identify genomic alterations associated with TP53 inactivation and lymph node status.


Computer architects continue to push the limits of modern microprocessors. By using techniques such as out-of-order execution, branch prediction, and dynamic scheduling, designers have found ways to speed execution. However, growing architectural complexity has led to unsustained development and testing times. Shrinking feature sizes are causing increased wire resistances and signal propagation, thereby limiting a design's scalability. Indeed, the method of exploiting instruction-level parallelism (ILP) within applications is reaching a point of diminishing returns. One approach to the aforementioned challenges is the Single-Chip Message-Passing (SCMP) Parallel Computer, developed at Virginia Tech. SCMP is a unique, tiled architecture aimed at thread-level parallelism (TLP). Identical cores are replicated across the chip, and global wire traces have been eliminated. The nodes are connected via a 2-D grid network and each contains a local memory bank. This thesis presents the design and analysis of three high-performance applications for SCMP. The results show that the architecture proves itself as a formidable opponent to several current systems.


Background: There is an urgent need to identify new and economical ways to utilize diverse types of lignocellulosic biomass. Ganoderma lucidum is well-known edible medicinal fungus that has an excellent ability to degrade a wide range of cellulosic biomass, and its nutrient utilization is closely related to the production of extracellular cellulase. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a nutritional sensor molecule, can respond to nutritional states and regulate cellular metabolism, and nicotinamide mononucleotide adenyltransferase (nmnat) is the key enzyme that catalyses the biosynthesis of NAD+.Results: In this study, a homologue of the gene encoding nmnat was cloned from G. lucidum. The Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) method was used to construct two G. lucidum overexpression strains, OE::nmnat4 and OE::nmnat19, in which the nmnat gene transcript levels and the NAD+ content were significantly increased. Glnmnat overexpression strains showed dramatically increased colony growth on different carbon sources, and the intracellular Ca2+ concentration was increased by 3.95- and 2.10-fold in the G. lucidum OE::nmnat4 and OE::nmnat19 strains, respectively, compared with that observed in the WT strain. The CMCase activity increased by approximately 2.8- and 3-fold, and that of pNPGase increased by approximately 1.9- and 2.1-fold in the G. lucidum OE::nmnat4 and OE::nmnat19 strains, respectively, compared with that observed in the WT strain. Furthermore, NAD+ was observed to potentially induce cellulase production by regulating the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration.Conclusions: Taken together, for the first time, our results revealed that NAD+ can stimulate cellulase production and increase the transcript levels of cellulase genes via increasing the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in G. lucidum. This research also provides a theoretical basis for conducting cellulase-related work in other basidiomycetes.


Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of a novel hormone therapy, drospirenone combined with 17-&bgr;-estradiol (DRSP/E2) in postmenopausal hypertensive women. Design and Method: A systemic literature search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science (up to Oct. 2015) was performed. Studies were screened independently by two researchers according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria which included only the randomized controlled trials (RCT) about the drospirenone with 17-&bgr;-estradiol for postmenopausal women with hypertension. The methodological quality was evaluated by Cochrane handbook 5.1.0 and meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3.0 software. Results: Five RCTs involved 1121 patients who met the eligibility criteria. Clinical SBP and DBP of DRSP/E2 group reduced by −5.74/−2.61 mmHg (95% CI −7.67 to −3.82, P < 0.00001; 95% CI −3.82 to −1.41, P < 0.00001), which was statistically significant difference compared with placebo group. The meta-analysis of comparative studies found that the 24-h mean systolic blood pressure reduced −5.77 mmHg (95% CI −7.85 to −3.68, P < 0.00001) and the 24-h mean diastolic blood pressure reduced −3.59 mmHg (95% CI −4.92 to −2.27, P < 0.00001). Overall, DRSP/E2 group was superior in reducing clinical blood pressure (BP) and 24-h mean BP. There was no significant change in potassium levels on DRSP/E2 group versus control group, suggesting probability potassium sparing effect of this hormone therapy. The incidences of adverse events were low and similar. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrates that a new hormone therapy with aldosterone receptor blocking activity, DRSP/3 mg combined E2/1 mg is effective for lowering clinical BP and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in postmenopausal hypertensive women. All included participants could well tolerate this hormone therapy. In conclusion, data from recurrent studies support that DRSP/E2 is an effective and safe hormone combination therapy that could be used in postmenopausal hypertension.


Shaghayegh Rezaei Mohammad Ebrahim Aghababaei Abstract In inefficient markets, returns are not distributed normally and they have serial correlations. It is obvious that the price changes are not independent, so there is a pattern in price changes which help investors to gain unusual benefits. One of the patterns which are concerned with an inefficient market is the lead-lag effect . This research investigates the existence of this effect between small and large size portfolios in Tehran Stock Exchange during the period of 2011-2017. This relationship was examined both in shortrun by using cross-correlation approach and vector auto-regressive model and long-run by employing cointegration methodology. Cross-correlation matrices imply that there is a lead-lag effect in short-run. Existence profiles and variance decomposition are used for further validation, the results show that all of the shocks were fully absorbed after three weeks but there is no pattern for big portfolios indicating that they absorbed the shocks more rapidly than small portfolios, and also overreaction is observed only in one out of two small portfolios of the sample.With confirming the existence of lead-lag effect in longrun by Cointegration approach, the ability of ECM models in out of sample forecasting is concerned which is measured by root mean squared error and Wilcoxon's signed-rank test. However, the results indicate that the error correction model has superior forecasting performance relative to models without the error correction terms but the Wilcoxon's signed-rank test does not reject the null hypothesis that the two RMSEs are the equal.


This paper analyzes the asymptotic performance of maximum likelihood (ML) channel estimation algorithms in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) scenarios. We concentrate on systems with periodic spreading sequences (period larger than or equal to the symbol span) where the transmitted signal contains a code division multiplexed pilot for channel estimation. First, the asymptotic covariances of the training-only, semi-blind conditional maximum likelihood (CML) and semi-blind Gaussian maximum likelihood (GML) channel estimators are derived. Then, these formulas are further simplified assuming randomized spreading and training sequences under the approximation of high spreading, factors and high number of codes. The results provide a useful tool to describe the performance of the channel estimators as a function of basic system parameters such as number of codes, spreading factors, or traffic to training power ratio.


This study aims to investigate the influence of transformational leadership and organizational commitment on performance-based budgeting systems of Indonesian universities. It also examines the impact of performance-based budgeting systems on universities' performance and the role of performance-based budgeting as an intervening variable. The population in this study was private universities registered in Indonesian Higher Education Service Institutions (or Lembaga Layanan Pendidikan Tinggi / LLDikti) region XIII Aceh, Indonesia. The samples were selected using convenience sampling method. There were 130 completed questionnaires collected and analyzed using Partial Least Square. This study found that transformational leadership and organizational commitment have no direct effect on university performance, while the performance-based budgeting system has a significant positive effect on the performance of universities. This study also found that a performance-based budgeting system serves as an intervening variable in the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment concerning higher education performance.


The objective of this study was to determine if intraarticular pressure, elastance of the soft tissue forming the dorsal pouch, and range of motion in flexion measurements are significantly different in Thoroughbred metacarpophalangeal joints with clinical evidence of idiopathic synovitis, primary synovitis, synovitis/capsulitis, or osteoarthritis relative to clinically normal joints. Forty-two metacarpophalangeal joints, in 25 active or retired Thoroughbred racehorses, were categorised by palpation and visual inspection of the palmar pouch into one of 4 increasing grades of distention. Intra-articular pressures were then measured using 2 pressure transducers attached to 22-gauge needles from both the dorsal and palmar pouches simultaneously while the horses stood squarely under mild sedation. After obtaining baseline pressure measurements, a third needle was inserted into the dorsal pouch, and 0.5 ml increments of saline solution were added every 10 s to perform a pressure/volume (elastance) study of the dorsal pouch. The elastance study for each joint ended when leakage into the palmar pouch was detected by the pressure transducer placed in that region. A lateral radiographic view was taken of each metacarpophalangeal joint in maximal flexion. The maximum angle of flexion was measured from the radiograph, and this angle was subtracted from 180 degrees to acquire the range of motion in flexion. In this study, all Thoroughbreds with clinical evidence of lameness and/or sensitivity to flexion, referable to the metacarpophalangeal joint region, had fluid distention of the palmar pouch (grade 2 or 3 distention). The 16 metacarpophalangeal joints with no clinical abnormalities had a mean palmar pouch pressure of -1.25 mmHg. Joints afflicted with synovitis/capsulitis had the highest intraarticular pressures (mean +51.00 mmHg); however, joints with idiopathic synovitis (mean +15.71 mmHg), primary synovitis (mean +28.33 mmHg) and osteoarthritis (mean +26.20 mmHg) also had significantly elevated intraarticular pressures relative to the clinically normal group. Thoroughbred metacarpophalangeal joints diagnosed with synovitis/capsulitis, or osteoarthritis, had significantly increased elastance (stiffness) of the soft tissue forming the dorsal pouch relative to the normal group and, probably, as a result significantly decreased range of motion in flexion. The presence of primary synovitis alone did not have a significant immediate effect on elastance of the dorsal pouch and range of motion in flexion. The 16 Thoroughbred metacarpophalangeal joints assessed as having no clinical abnormalities had a mean range of motion in flexion of 60.81 degrees. The mean range of motion in flexion of Thoroughbred metacarpophalangeal joints with a clinical diagnosis of primary synovitis was 53.67 degrees; idiopathic synovitis 52.14 degrees; synovitis/capsulitis 44.20 degrees; and those with radiographic evidence of moderate to marked osteoarthritis 30.80 degrees. This study demonstrated that, as the severity of the clinical evidence of metacarpophalangeal joint injury/disease increased, the range of motion in flexion decreased.


Abstract Objective To evaluate the relationship between spiritual well-being (SpWB) and quality of life (QoL) in cancer (CA) survivors. Methods The current study was conducted in the oncology center at a university hospital in Central Anatolia/Turkey. In this study, a descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. The data collected included: a questionnaire form, the current study was conducted in the oncology center at a university hospital in Central Anatolia/Turkey. In this study, a descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. SpWB was assessed by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale, version 4 (FACIT-Sp12, v. 4), including Meaning, Peace, and Faith subscales. The QoL was evaluated using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General scale (FACT-G, v. 4). The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, independent sample t-test, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results One hundred fifty patients participated in this study: 61.30% female, 78% 45 years of age or older, 94.70% married, 46% had finished, and 69% had gastrointestinal tract CA. The mean age was 53.48 (SD = 9.43). The majority of participants (96.7%) endorsed "a force pushing them a will to live" while 59.3% supported "the power of relationships with others." There was a positive, strong correlation between overall QoL and SpWB (r = 0.619, p < 0.01). The Meaning dimensions of SpWB with Functional Well-Being (FWB) and overall QoL (r = 0.512; 0.595, p < 0.000 respectively), Peace with Emotional Well-Being (EWB) and FWB (r = 0.598; 0.540, p < 0.000 respectively) dimensions of FACT-G and overall QoL (r = 0.609, p < 0.001) were strong correlated. Faith and QoL were not significantly correlated. Significance of results This study demonstrates that SpWB positively contributed to the QoL of CA survivors. SpWB is not necessarily limited to any specific types of beliefs or practices. For some people, faith in self, others and/or God constitutes, in large part, the meaning, purpose, and fulfillment they find in life.


This paper presents a stochastic model based on Monte Carlo simulation techniques for measuring the performance of recommenders. A general procedure to assess the accuracy of recommendation predictions is presented and implemented in a typical case study where input parameters are treated as random values and recommender errors are estimated using sensitive analysis. The results obtained are presented and a new perspective to the evaluation and assessment of recommender systems is discussed. Author


An LMMSE channel prediction algorithm based on sinusoidal modeling is proposed for SIMO systems, assuming random amplitudes and equal mean powers. The potentially ill-conditioned LS estimates of the complex amplitudes is mitigated by regularization. This is interpreted as an LMMSE prediction, where the complex amplitudes are modeled as random (Rayleigh fading). Evaluated by simulations in SISO scenarios without loss of generality the LMMSE predictor presents a similar performance to the non-regularized LS prediction. The CRB of the frequency estimate of the sinusoidal modeling is derived. The performance of the LMMSE prediction with frequencies estimated by Unitary-ESPRIT is very close to those using the "best possible" frequency estimates according to the CRB. It also outperforms by far the AR modeling based linear prediction in the investigated scenarios.


Background: Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecologic disorders. It is a complex trait and both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated in its pathogenesis. There is growing evidence indicating that exposure to environmental contaminants is a risk factor for endometriosis. Glutathione-S-Transferase M1 (GSTM1) is one of the genes involved in detoxification of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Objective: Several studies have indicated an association between GSTM1 null mutation and endometriosis. In this study, the possible association between the GSTM1 gene null genotype and susceptibility to endometriosis in woman from central and southern Iran was investigated. Materials and Methods: One hundred and one unrelated premenopausal women with endometriosis and 142 unrelated healthy premenopausal women without endometriosis were enrolled in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from Peripheral blood in all subjects. GSTM1 null genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: There was no significant difference between frequencies of GSTM1 null genotype in case and control groups (50.5% Vs. 52.1%, p=0.804). Furthermore, this genotype was not associated with severity of endometriosis in our sample (p=0.77). Conclusion : further studies involving gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, particularly combination of GSTM1 and other GST gene family polymorphisms are needed.


The authors have developed a special tube for an arc in corrosive gases suited for 'end-on' interferometric measurements and describe a method to measure index of refraction profiles and their gradients in these tubes using holographic interferometry and differential interferometry. Holography is used to determine the difference of the optical path lengths and their gradients in identical arc tubes with different lengths to eliminate the contribution of the inhomogeneous end spaces.


This article examines policy capacity in relation to climate change adaptation in the Canadian finance sector. Through a meso-level analysis focused on the level of integration of the finance policy network and a survey of policy professionals in the area regarding climate change issues, the article illustrates both challenges to operationalizing the concept of "policy capacity" and limitations to effective policy capacity on climate change in this policy domain. Though a central concern for governments, improvements in policy capacity require more attention to network integration and governance arrangements if governments are to effectively respond to the unique challenges posed by climate change adaptation.


Architectural cooperative design as well as information modeling have been active research areas for several decades. The use of systems adapted to the cooperative design assistance for the building domain is complex. This results from the complexity of the cooperative work (difficulties in tracking actor's work, lack of most of the required information, coordination problems, implicit nature of most of the construction activities, etc.) The main objective of our research in these domains is to develop a tool that helps the management of a building project and aids cooperative design. So, in the first part of this article, we propose to view the exchanging data mode and cooperation tools in the building domain. The second part of this article illustrates the existing cooperative design models. Then we justify the interest shown in a new model of cooperative design where the relational organization of the project and the semantic meaning of works are taken into account. Finally, we use this new model for defining a design-aided tool, to deduce advantages and limits of the "Virtual Cooperative Project".


BACKGROUND
A new congenital hair-shaft abnormality resembling the lanceolate hair phenotype of rodents is described in a litter of four domestic short hair (DSH) cats. Data relating to hair shaft and follicle disorders remain scarce in veterinary medicine.

OBJECTIVES
To describe and compare structural abnormalities in these cats with other hair dystrophies in cats and other mammals.

ANIMALS
A DSH cat litter with progressive noninflammatory alopecia.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
Histopathological evaluation, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray based element analysis defined the hair and skin changes in cats born with alopecia. Findings were compared to archival data from normal cats and lanceolate hair (Dsg4lahJ ) and Keratin 75 (Krt75tm1Der ) mutant mice.

RESULTS
Light and scanning electron microscopy of the hairs revealed lance- or spear-head shaped defects of the hair tip. Histological findings were swollen hair shafts, initially above the hair bulb matrix and later found in the distal parts of the telogen hair follicles, similar to those observed in Dsg4lahJ Krt75tm1Der mutant mice. Transmission electron microscopy of the hair shaft and hair follicles showed a loss in the normal structure of the guard hairs in the alopecic cats. There was a statistically significant decrease in sulfur content just below the defects in the hair shafts (trichothiodystrophy).

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
A rare form of congenital alopecia resulting in follicular dystrophy is described in cats which is similar to hair follicle and hair-shaft changes reported in several mutant mouse strains with single gene mutations in adhesion molecules or keratin genes.


In every field, scholars find an increasing availability of electronic resources. Studies have shown that humanities scholars use and cite fewer electronic resources than their science and technology counterparts. Moreover, humanities scholars prefer monographs to periodicals or other resources. They continue to use ancient books and documents. In the digital era, many full-text databases of ancient Chinese books and documents have been created. In this study, ten professors of Chinese literature or history are interviewed to answer the following: What are the purposes of using the databases? How do they search the databases? How do they compare the databases to paper versions? What are the impacts of those databases on research in the humanities? All ten scholars report that they use digital databases of ancient Chinese books in both teaching and research. They find the databases easy to access and time-saving when retrieving documents. Most report that databases do not change their research methods or research interests. The scholars suggest that the coverage, quality and search interface should be improved to make the databases even more useful. In conclusion, however, they disagree about whether or not these databases will replace the paper versions.


Atrial fibrillation (AF) has in recent years been the subject of intense investigation in terms of obtaining a better understanding of its mechanism and improving its management. Despite the advances made, AF remains a challenge for the clinician, and it is uncertain whether these theoretical advances have resulted in a significant improvement in the way the vast majority of patients are managed in general practice. Several reasons may account for this situation. One possible reason is incomplete knowledge of the complex mechanism of this common arrhythmia. Another possible reason is the heterogeneous clinical presentation of the arrhythmia. Still, the numerous publications and clinical trials devoted to AF have dealt with this arrhythmia as if it were a single entity. Furthermore, the abundant terminology used to characterize various subsets of AF and the absence of consistency in the definitions have added to the difficulty in communication.1 Consequently, it has become difficult to compare the results of pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic therapies because different classifications have been used, and the difficulty in characterizing the patient population has not allowed easy or appropriate comparison. The Working Group of Arrhythmia of the European Society of Cardiology (WGA-ESC) and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE) have recognized the need to create a Study Group in an attempt to achieve a consensus on the terminology and classification of AF. This document reports the conclusions reached by this Study Group during a meeting held on June, 13, 2000, and completed by the members soon thereafter. The definitions and classification resulting from this consen-


Introduction. Urinoma is a rare pathology of childhood, which manifests itself in the accumulation of urine in the perirenal space. In most cases, the cause of urinoma is an obstruction of the urinary system at some level (from the ureteropelvic segment to the urethra). The mechanism of the development of urinoma is damage of the collecting system of the kidney is related to an increase in intrarenal pressure above 35-40 cm of water column, while urine can accumulate both retroperitoneally and intraperitoneally or even in the pleural cavity by extravasation or as a result of damage of the parietal peritoneum. Due to the rare occurrence of this pathology, unified approaches to the treatment of patients with urinoma have not been developed. Materials and methods. On the basis of St. Petersburg GBUZ DGM KSTSVMT in the period from 2007 to 2020, 7 newborn patients with this diagnosis were treated. Of all the patients, 5 were transferred from the maternity hospital to the neonatal pathology department due to the prenatally diagnosed pathology of the urinary system. However, only one child was suspected of urinoma against the background of hydronephrosis. Results and discussion. The cause of urinoma in 1 case (14%) was obstructive megaureter, in 3 patients (43%) – hydronephrosis, in 2 (29%) – posterior urethral valve. In 1 patient (14%), the cause of the urinoma was not identified. It should be noted that cystic dysplasia of one or both kidneys was detected in 3 children against the background of the underlying pathology. Clinical manifestations of urinoma ranged from the absence of any symptoms (in 1 case) to the presence of a palpable mass in the abdominal cavity and lumbar region, which caused concern to the child (in 3 patients). CT was performed in 4 patients in order to clarify the nature, location, and possible connection of the cystic formation visualized by ultrasound with the collecting system or the kidney parenchyma. The tactics of treating urinoma were different depending on the specific case. Open intervention was required in 6 children (86%). Findings. The rarity of such a pathology as urinoma leads to the lack of a single tactic for its diagnosis and treatment. Applied methods of visual determination of perirenal accumulation of urine, such as ultrasound and CT, can not always help to reliably differentiate urinoma from a kidney/abdominal cyst or severe hydronephrosis. In most cases, preference is given to puncture techniques and radical treatment of the underlying uropathy.


There has been interest in the past years in the visible luminescence properties of germanium nanocrystals. Most of the previous works refer to Ge nanocrystals embedded in an oxide matrix. In this work nanocrystalline germanium has been prepared by high-energy ball milling of Ge single crystals and Ge powder. The structure of the milled samples has been assessed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) while the luminescence has been investigated by cathodoluminescence (CL) in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The samples consist of a powder of particles with sizes of hundreds of nanometres, normally aggregated to form larger particles. TEM reveals that the particles consist of nanocrystals with a wide range of sizes including crystallites of some nanometres. Milled Ge shows two CL bands at about 2.4–2.5 eV and 3.1 eV, respectively. Both emissions appear to be related to the presence of Ge nanocrystals. The CL of untreated and milled GeO2 powder has been also investigated for comparison.


Purpose: This paper aims to review literature in the area of obesity phenomena and solution for identifying existing research themes and future opportunities to better understand the relationship between factors that affect the obesity and Intervention done and make compassion on what is done globally and in GCC. Approach: This paper reviews articles related to obesity factors in GCC such as behavioural and cultural and its effect on behaviours outcomes. This review attempted to identify the main trends in the literature on obesity focussing on environmental, people's eating habits and their attitude toward western foods, governance and policies, socio-economic and socio-cultural causes. Findings: Risk factors associated with being overweight or obese are similar in GCC and the rest of the world. However, as the literature indicates that high family income associated with obesity, lack of physical activity and time spent in sedentary activities such as TV watching is significantly associated with an increase in the risk of overweight or obesity in GCC.
Keywords: obesity/overweight, obesity causes, obesity intervention, obesity rate, obesity socio-behavioural/cultural factors, obesity barriers, actions towards obesity framework


Higher and higher process temperatures in the power, hydrocarbon and chemical process industries are employed to quicken production and synthesize new materials. Ultra-high temperatures range from 850°F (454°C) to 1800°F (982°C). The choice of ultra-high temperature non-metallic sealing materials has been limited. Traditionally sealing materials for these extremes have been made with ceramics (e.g., aluminum silicate based) and mica. Recent developments utilized vermiculite and most recently talc. This paper will present the latest development of talc based material. Comparative physical properties and well as functional attributes of creep and sealing ability will be presented. Experience with the talc based material in solid oxide fuel cells, exhaust and gasification systems are highlighted.Paper published with permission.Compilation Copyright © 2014 ASME


This treatise, concise and didactic yet pleasantly readable, presents the pathological anatomy of the heart and attempts to correlate morphologic and clinical manifestations of cardiac diseases. The first part describes the technique recommended for microscopic examination; the histology, cytology, and general pathology of the myocardium, including chapters on hypertrophy, endocardial changes secondary to abnormal flow and to carcinoid. Part 2 deals with acquired diseases; myocardial infarction and rheumatic carditis are extensively presented. Due to space limitation, the description of other diseases tends to be little more than a catalog. The congenital malformations are presented in the third part, which is conveniently divided into chapters according to practical criteria. Part 4 discusses cardiomyopathies, primary or associated to systemic disease; pulmonary hypertension; cardiac tumors; and rejection of cardiac transplants. The author states his aim: to provide the practicing cardiologist with the essential information on anatomic pathology of the heart. The need for


SUMMARY In this paper, the FRBR model is approached through Umberto Eco's semiotic analysis of the translation notion as developed in his Dire quasi la stessa cosa: esperienze di traduzione. Eco's taxonomy of forms of interpretation is used as a basis for a tentative abstract definition of what constitutes a mere expression of a given musical work and what constitutes a new, distinct musical work. The issues of aggregates of musical works, fragments of musical works, and works of vocal music, are also addressed. FRBR can be used as a basis for a model for the complex processes involved in the production and reception of musical works. And FRBR highlights complex bibliographic relationships that put musical works at the very center of myriads of interrelated systems that make up the catalog, which is viewed as a set of circular objects such as atoms or solar systems rather than as a straight linear listing.


The problem of how to relate brain injury thresholds observed in animal head injury experiments to equivalent thresholds for humans is explored through study of a highly idealized model of the head. The fundamental assumption is that shear strains of sufficient magnitude cause brain injury, and that the deleterious effect of head acceleration stems from the character and severity of strain wave propagation through the brain. This paper focuses on the role of tissue mechanics in determining wave motion. The problem studied is a Maxwell-type viscoelastic cylinder subjected to a sinusoidally varying angular acceleration. The solution for the mechanical response of the cylinder yields two dimensionless groupings that fully dictate the character and severity of straining that results from this loading. Application of this model to humans is discussed.


Moderate leaf rolling is important in ideotype breeding, as it improves photosynthetic efficiency and therefore increases crop yields. To understand the regulatory network of leaf rolling in Brassica napus, a down-curved leaf mutant ( Bndcl1) has been investigated. Physiological analyses indicated that the chlorophyll contents and antioxidant enzyme activities were remarkably increased and the photosynthetic performance was significantly improved in Bndcl1. Consistent with these findings, 943 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified in the Bndcl1 mutant and its wild-type plants using iTRAQ-based comparative proteomic analyses. Enrichment analysis of proteins with higher abundance in Bndcl1 revealed that the functional category "photosynthesis" was significantly overrepresented. Moreover, proteins associated with oxidative stress response and photosystem II repairing were also up-accumulated in Bndcl1, which might help the mutant to sustain the photosynthetic efficiency under unfavorable conditions. Histological observation showed that the mutant displayed defects in adaxial-abaxial patterning. Important DAPs associated with leaf polarity establishment were detected in Bndcl1, including ribosomal proteins, proteins involved in post-transcriptional gene silencing, and proteins related to brassinosteroid. Together, our findings may help clarify the mechanisms underlying leaf rolling and its physiological effects on plants and may facilitate ideotype breeding in Brassica napus.


The termini of nascent adenovirus DNA molecules synthesized in vivo are covalently bound to a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 80,000. This protein represents a precursor to the 55,000-dalton protein known to be bound to the 5' termini of mature adenovirus genomes. Processing of the 80-kilodalton precursor to the 55-kilodalton terminal protein is not required for continued adenovirus DNA replication and is probably accomplished during a late stage of virion maturation.


Dipterocarps are one of the best known and commercially important groups of tropical trees. They preside over some of the most magnificent forest formations in the world. Exploitation of dipterocarp-dominated tropical rain forests has expanded rapidly in the past 20 years. Efforts to develop and implement sustainable management practices are being intensified and there is a pressing need for high quality information on which to base management decisions and reorient research. This book is a critical compilation of the results of research spanning 150 years on the taxonomy, ecology, silviculture and non-timber forest products of these trees. The 13 authors are internationally recognised as specialists in their fields, and the 10 chapters provide comprehensive digests of information and identification of priority research needs.


Species–energy theory can account for spatial variation in the abundance and community composition of animals, though the mechanisms of species–energy theory are under contention. We evaluated three competing mechanisms at the local spatial scale by conducting an in vivo light manipulation over supplemental ant nests placed in the leaf litter of a Costa Rican tropical rainforest. We found that the light environment did not alter the 10% rate of occupation of the supplemental nests, but light did alter the size of colonies and the genus-level composition of the community. Light levels in the foraging range were positively associated with colony sizes of all ants, whereas light levels directly on the nest site were predictive of the occurrence of ant genera. Colonies of specialized predators, dacetine ants, were larger in more shaded foraging environments, and the functional group of generalized myrmicines exhibited an opposite pattern, with smaller-sized colonies in response to shading. Responses of twig-dwelling ants to the light environment were most consistent with the metabolic cost hypothesis as a mechanism of species–energy theory. We found mixed support for the thermal energy availability hypothesis, and scant support for the chemical energy hypothesis, as the litter depth, a measure of prey density, was not predictive of ant responses. In summary, at the local scale, we found patterns in colony size and life history are governed by light-dependent mechanisms.


Abstract Factors influencing the distribution and abundance of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies are of interest to rangeland managers because of the significant influence prairie dogs can exert on both livestock and biodiversity. We examined the influence of 4 prescribed burns and one wildfire on the rate and direction of prairie dog colony expansion in shortgrass steppe of southeastern Colorado. Our study was conducted during 2 years with below-average precipitation, when prairie dog colonies were expanding throughout the study area. Under these dry conditions, the rate of black-tailed prairie dog colony expansion into burned grassland (X ¯  =  2.6 ha · 100-m perimeter−1 · y−1; range  =  0.8–5.9 ha · 100-m perimeter−1 · y−1; N  =  5 colonies) was marginally greater than the expansion rate into unburned grassland (X ¯  =  1.3 ha · 100-m perimeter−1 · y−1; range  =  0.2–4.9 ha · 100-m perimeter−1 · y−1; N  =  23 colonies; P  =  0.066). For 3 colonies that were burned on only a portion of their perimeter, we documented consistently high rates of expansion into the adjacent burned grassland (38%–42% of available burned habitat colonized) but variable expansion rates into the adjacent unburned grassland (2%–39% of available unburned habitat colonized). While our results provide evidence that burning can increase colony expansion rate even under conditions of low vegetative structure, this effect was minor at the scale of the overall colony complex because some unburned colonies were also able to expand at high rates. This result highlights the need to evaluate effects of fire on colony expansion during above-average rainfall years, when expansion into unburned grassland may be considerably lower.


We report the results of low-temperature photoluminescence, room-temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) and scanning CL and electron microscopy of self-organized CdTe/ZnTe quantum dot (QD) structure. The in-depth profiling CL investigations were used to identify the microscopic origin of the CL emissions observed at 2.13, 2.0-2.1 and 2.25 eV. In particular, we distinguish between CL emissions originating from the QD region of the structure and from the underlying buffer layers. Based on these measurements we assign the 2.13 eV CL band to the wetting layer and the 2.0-2.1 eV band to the QD emission. From the study of the in-plane and in-depth CL characteristics we demonstrate large in-plane fluctuations of the CL intensity and discuss their origin.


One of TWUSM piezoelectric motors design steps is dimensioning the stator, based on its electrical and mechanical characteristics. The approach for some parameters determination like diameter of PZT disc, and teeth/slit width ratio is discussed in some papers [1], [2]. However, a procedure for finding the thickness of the piezoelectric layer in the stator, and its relations to the electrical or mechanical characteristics are not clearly presented yet. So, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the relations between PZT thickness and TWUSM characteristics.


Major depressive disorder (mdd) is the disorder with the most important global burden in terms of disability-adjusted life years. Objetive: to determine the current prevalence of mdd in the general population in Bucaramanga, Colombia, and to explore the risk factors associated with them. Methodology: this is a cross-sectional survey with a population random sampling that involved 18-65 year-old people living in Bucaramanga. A psychiatric diagnosis of a mdd during last month was accomplished using Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I diagnoses (scid-i) according to the dsm-iv-tr criteria issued by the American Psychiatric Association. Results: a total amount of 266 people were selected (57,1% women). Their mean age were 37,4 years and the formal education years were 9,8. A total of 12,0% was unemployed, 56,1% had a stable couple, and 51,2% lived in medium socioeconomic strata. The prevalence of mdd was 16,5% (95% ci 12,3-21,6). A significant association was identified between the fact of not having a stable couple (pr = 2,11) and the and level of education (pr = 0,41, for 6-11 cursed years, and pr = 0,28, for 12 or more cursed years, compared to five or lesser years of schooling) and the mdd. Discussion: the current prevalence of mdd is high among adult general population from Bucaramanga. This implies the necessity to develop better strategies for an early detection and an integral treatment of mdd cases in order to decrease social and economical costs of mdd. ----------


The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of perceived family competence on late adolescent problem-solving abilities, family relationships, and affective experience. Specific areas of interest were perceived confidence in problem-solving and approach rather than avoidance of problems; intergenerational intimacy, intergenerational individuation, and personal authority in the family system as the adolescent relates to parents; and level of depression. Subjects were 256 late adolescents whose parents were still married and living together. Results indicated that perceived family competence had an effect on the dependent variables in the expected directions. Specifically, individuals who scored high on perceived family competence were high on perceived problem-solving confidence, approached problem-solving, were high on intergenerational intimacy, intergenerational individuation, and personal authority in relation to parents, and had less depression than individuals low on perceived family competence. Several sex differences were noted. Females had significantly higher approach to problem-solving than did males. Women reported significantly higher intergenerational intimacy with parents than did men. There was a significant interaction on personal authority such that for the high perceived family competence group, women scored higher than men. However, there were no significant differences between males and females in the low perceived family competence group.


GEOSECS (Geochemical Ocean Section Study) is a global base line data acquisition project, involving geochemists and oceanographers from institutions in USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy India. This programme was instituted at a suggestion of Prof. Henry Stommel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He expressed the desirability to obtain coordinated physicochemical data for the oceans, to delineate the important oceanic mixing processes. Many of these processes are at present understood only qualitatively. Stommel's idea was warmly welcomed by scientists all over the world, and an ad-hoc committee, set up to study this project, recommended the following. (1) The basic task of the GEOSECS programme would be the measurement of the oceanic constituents along three traverses, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Such an analysis of the chemical constituents of the ocean water would provide data for the first time for quantitative studies of oceanic mixing, air-sea exchange etc. The most important aspect of this programme is that all these measurements would be made in the same water sample. (2) Maximum emphasis should be given to the self consistency and accuracy of the results. (To attain consistency and highest accuracy in results, detailed sampling programmes and intercalibration studies have been carried out. (3) GEOSECS programme should be treated as a world wide cooperative study, open to all scientists and institutions working in this field


ABSTRACT In this article we elaborate on an inpatient clinical group program for couples suffering from nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders, personality disorders, and/or complex partner relational problems. In general, one of the partners has a long history in mental health care. The intervention history often includes at least some sessions of couple therapy but without sufficient success. These couples are part of that group of mental health patients that can be described as, or describe themselves as, "everything was done but nothing really helped." The clinical inpatient couple group program was initiated in 1991 and to date (February 2004) 415 couples have been treated in 91 groups. Although our Center for Relational Problems is situated in a rural area in the northern part of the Netherlands, these couples are referred from all over the country. This proves that there is a need for highly intensive couple treatment in an inpatient setting. Nevertheless, as far as we know, this type of treatment does not exist anywhere else in the world. In this article we give details of the program and the rationale behind it.


Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the U.S., with an increasing incidence likely secondary to the obesity epidemic. Surgery is usually the primary treatment for early stage endometrial cancer, followed by adjuvant therapy in selected cases. This includes radiation therapy [RT] with or without chemotherapy, based on stratification of patients into categories dependent on their future recurrence risk. Several prospective trials (PORTEC-1, GOG#99, and PORTEC-2) have shown that the use of adjuvant RT in the intermediate risk (IR) and the high-intermediate risk (HIR) groups decreases locoregional recurrence (LRR) but has no effect on overall survival. The ad hoc analyses from these studies have shown that an even larger LRR risk reduction was seen within the HIR group compared with the IR group. Vaginal brachytherapy is as good as external beam radiotherapy in controlling vaginal relapse where the majority of recurrence occur, and with less toxicity. In the high-risk group, multimodality therapy (chemotherapy and RT) may play a significant role. Although adjuvant RT has been evaluated in many cost-effectiveness studies, high-quality data in this area are still lacking. The uptake of the above prospective trial results in the U.S. has not been promising. Factors that are driving current practices and defining quality-of-care measures for patients with early-stage disease are what future studies need to address.


Fig. 19.?Astrocytoma.?Showing several large swollen cells with homogeneous or finely granular cytoplasm and excentric nucleus. Nuclei when not pycnotic are diffusely and finely chromatinic, but there are parts in which there is a typical neurofibrillar feltwork separating the discrete astrocytes. Blood vessels are not seen and, in any case, are few. There are no mitotic figures. C.G., N.S., S. 18, N. 192.


This article presents a real time Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs 3D pose estimation method using planar object tracking, in order to be used on the control system of a UAV. The method explodes the rich information obtained by a projective transformation of planar objects on a calibrated camera. The algorithm obtains the metric and projective components of a reference object (landmark or helipad) with respect to the UAV camera coordinate system, using a robust real time object tracking based on homographies. The algorithm is validated on real flights that compare the estimated data against that obtained by the inertial measurement unit IMU, showing that the proposed method robustly estimates the helicopter's 3D position with respect to a reference landmark, with a high quality on the position and orientation estimation when the aircraft is flying at low altitudes, a situation in which the GPS information is often inaccurate. The obtained results indicate that the proposed algorithm is suitable for complex control tasks, such as autonomous landing, accurate low altitude positioning and dropping of payloads.


The present study was designed to formulate and evaluate different formulae of topical gel containing Clarithromycin for treatment of skin infections. The gel was formulated by using different polymers with different concentrations of HPMC K4M, carbopol 934 and sodium alginate. Twelve different formulae were prepared and characterized physically in terms of color, pH, homogeneity, spreadability, drug content, viscosity and invitro drug release. Clarithromycin -excipients compatibility studies were confirmed by carrying out FTIR studies. In-vitro drug release study through dialysis membrane using a modified Franz diffusion cell was performed. The results of in-vitro release studies showed that the highest values was from F9 (90.6% of drug released after 12hrs). Also F9 formulation revealed that the viscosity was very less compared to other formulations and it was concluded that sodium alginate gel (F9) containing Clarithromycin showed good consistency, spreadability and homogeneity. Moreover, the stability study results of F9 formulation revealed no significant difference between before and after storage for selected formula.


Decision to revascularize a patient with stable coronary artery disease should be based on the detection of myocardial ischemia. If this decision can be straightforward with significant stenosis or in non-significant stenosis, the decision with intermediate stenosis is far more difficult and require invasive measures of functional impact of coronary stenosis on maximal blood (flow fractional flow reserve=FFR). A recent computer based method has been developed and is able to measure FFR with data acquired during a standard coronary CT-scan (FFRcT). Two recent clinical studies (DeFACTO and DISCOVER-FLOW) show that diagnostic performance of FFRcT was associated with improved diagnostic accuracy versus standard coronary CT-scan for the detection of myocardial ischemia although FFRcT need further development.