Electrocardiogram (ECG) is used to record the electrical activity of heart. If the instrument monitoring the signal for a long time, it will produce large amount of data. So, the effective lossless ECG compression system can help to reduce the storage space. This brief presents a hardware architecture of multi-channel lossless ECG compression system. The system is based on the algorithm including multi-channel linear prediction and adaptive linear prediction. Also, Golomb rice code (GRC) is used for entropy coding. The hardware implementation has been designed with low hardware complexity usage while using optimum hardware resources. And the architecture can process multiple channels in parallel that can obtain the high throughput. PTB database has been used for verification and testing purposes. This design was implemented in TSMC 180nm. The implementation results show the gate count is 476K and power consumption is $69.18\mu \text{W}$ while working frequency is 1 KHz.


Chapter 6 from the forthcoming Inclusive Wealth Report 2022 looks at human capital in greater detail, based on the latest human capital estimates from the Inclusive Wealth Report (IWR) project. In the chapter, which is repeated here, the growth of human capital and several of its constituent factors are broken down by gender and by region, and in some cases also by income, since apparently, human capital in the world is not evenly distributed across different regions or countries by income, or between educated males and females, although in almost all country cases total and per capita human capital have grown over time. The purpose is to identify the sources of human capital growth by region, gender, and various determining factors over the observed time period, 1990-2020.


Vehicle to Vehicle data dissemination is a major area of concern in VANETS as nodes are highly dynamic in nature. Communication between nodes has become a favourable field of research with enabling applications like crash avoidance, alert messages.  Researchers have introduced several techniques to address the problem of broadcast storm. To overcome this problem of vehicular communication this paper proposes a multi-hop broadcast mechanism based on target nodes distance and direction from the source node. This method enhances the data transmission and lowers the packet loss. It also takes advantage of a push based communication model, where information is distributed to a group of selected nodes. The mechanism used to broadcast the packets is an enhanced unidirectional flooding method where next forwarding nodes are selected based on certain criteria. This method is to be applied at the infrastructural support of inter-vehicle, inter-roadside and vehicle-to-roadside communications.


Tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) molecules have been linked together to form dimers, using two positions of the phenyl groups at which the linking chain, which consisted mostly of 5 atoms, is attached (ortho or para position). The resulting dimers have different relative orientations of the porphyrin macrocycles w.r.t. each other and different centre-to-centre distances. Using standard procedures, metal ions have been inserted into the porphyrin ring; depending on the type of experiment different metal ions have been chosen. This thesis describes the effect of varying the geometry of these dimers on singlet-singlet energy transfer, excitonic- and spin-spin interaction and triplet state parameters.Using the optically detected magnetic resonance technique and the fluorescence fading method, the zero field splitting parameters (D and E) and the kinetic constants of the lowest excited triplet state have been determined for homo-dimers of the free base (H 2 TPP) 2 , of the zinc- compound (ZnTPP) 2 and for mixed dimers. These triplet state parameters can be compared with the results for both monomers. It is found that for the homodimers the results are the same as for the corresponding monomers. Also, no singlet-singlet energy transfer is observed, due to a very small overlap of the fluorescence and absorption spectra. For the mixed dimers we find the same triplet state parameters as for H 2 TPP, due to efficient singlet-singlet energy transfer (vide infra). From our results it can be concluded that the triplet states of both macrocycles in a TPP dimer can be considered as isolated from each other. This is not unexpected, since the triplet excitonic interaction is predicted to be small, due to the small S 0 -T 0 oscillator strength. Thus triplet-triplet energy transfer is unlikely to occur. Triplet excitonic interactions are expected to be observable by magnetic resonance techniques for much shorter distances between both porphyrin rings, than occur in our dimers.The average distance between the centres of both porphyrin macrocycles can be determined, using the spin-spin interaction between two paramagnetic ions, inserted into each of the porphyrin rings. This interaction is observable as a broadening in the solid state EPR powder spectra of Cu-Cu dimers. From these measurements the distances between ring centres in apolar solvents can be determined as: para-para (p,p) dimer 2.7, ortho-para (o,p) dimer 2.2 and ortho-ortho (o,o) dimer 2.1 nm. In polar solvents the relatively apolar porphyrin macrocycles are forced together, resulting in a shorter ring-ring distance. Steric hindrance of the phenyl groups can prevent this folding, however, for some of the dimers. The results obtained by this method are in good agreement with the distances derived from space filling models. It can also be concluded that an endoconformation (cofacial) for the o,o dimer is highly unlikely and that the preferential orientation is the exo- conformation, a situation very similar to the p,p dimer. These results are also confirmed by NMR measurements.We have performed a theoretical analysis of excitonic interaction on the Soret absorptionband. From this analysis, taking into account the presence of proton tautomers in free base porphyrin monomers and -dimers, the energy level shifts are determined as a function of the rotational angle around the linking chain. Comparing the theoretical and experimental data, the preferential orientation, determined from the shift and/or splitting of the absorption band, and the rotational angular distribution, determined by the bandwidth w.r.t. that of the monomer, can be found. For the p,p dimer the porphyrin macrocycles are approximately coplanar with a narrow orientational distribution; the o,o dimer has an exo-conformation and also coplanar macrocycles with a very narrow angular distribution. For the o,p dimer the result is an average perpendicular position of the porphyrin rings, but with a large rotational freedom. Because of steric effects of the bulky phenyl groups the spread in rotation does not extend over the full 2πrange.In covalently linked metal porphyrins, containing two different metal ions or consisting of a mixed metallo-free base porphyrin, singlet- singlet energy transfer occurs. We have analyzed S-S energy transfer between the zinc-containing and free base moieties in TPP dimers by emission spectroscopy and fluorescence kinetics. From fluorescence and fluorescence-excitation spectra the energy transfer efficiency, the rate of energy transfer, the lifetime of the donor fluorescence and the donor- acceptor distance can be calculated and compared with the results from fluorescence decay experiments. Both sets of values are in very good agreement. The donor-acceptor distance is also in agreement with the distance found by other methods. For the dimers the energy transfer rate constant is ≈2 magnitudes higher than that for intersystem crossing and the fluorescence decay, corresponding to an energy transfer efficiency of ≈85%. The energy transfer rate constant is dependent on -6 >, as well as on the relative orientation of the transition dipole moments. Due to the perpendicular position of both porphyrin macrocycles in the o,p dimer the energy transfer rate constant is lower than in the p,p dimer, although the distance between both rings is much shorter.From all measurements, it can be concluded that the properties of the singlet and triplet states of the o,o dimer, are very similar to those of the p,p dimer, apart from the distance effect. The o,p dimer has in some cases a different behaviour, due to the different position and orientation of the porphyrin macrocycles w.r.t. each other in comparison with the other two dimers.The appendices contain the mathematical formalism for the fluorescence fading method (appendix 1) and triplet decay in the presence of triplet- triplet energy tranfer (appendix 2) are presented.


We have used Hα CCD imaging to map the distribution and intensity of massive star formation (MSF) in AM 0644-741, a large southern ring galaxy. MSF is restricted to a pair of interlocked 30 kpc diameter rings, with less than 1% contributed by a nuclear point source. Fifty percent of the total Hα emission originates in a crescent-shaped region defining the southwest quadrant of the most prominent ring ("A-ring"). North of the nucleus, MSF bifurcates into closely spaced rings of H II complexes. Particularly strong MSF occurs where they intersect. A broad continuum ring spans the disk south of the nucleus ("B-ring"). No diffuse MSF is found over the enclosed disk above an SFR per unit area of 0.15 M☉ Gyr-1 pc-2 (3 σ), which is similar to limits set in the disks of S0 galaxies. However, low Hα surface brightness (ΣHα) complexes are found beyond the southwest A-ring. We derive a total Hα luminosity (LHα) of 3.0 × 1041 ergs s-1 (H0 = 100 km s-1 Mpc-1), and a total SFR of 3 M☉ yr-1. Both values are significantly larger than those of field spirals and comparable to those found in interacting disk systems. The integrated Hα equivalent width (EWHα) is 14 Å, which is similar to values derived for noninteracting spirals. Systematic changes in LHα and EWHα with ring position angle were found in the A-ring, although much less pronounced than the Cartwheel's (Higdon 1995). Both A-rings and B-rings show only small azimuthal changes in red continuum. We have measured LHα and EWHα for 54 ring H II complexes. While their LHα tend to be higher than those commonly found in spiral galaxies, their EWHα are very similar. The H II luminosity function possesses a flat slope and large peak LHα, similar to those of irregular galaxies. We conclude that MSF in AM 0644-741 has been enhanced (~3×) and redistributed as a result of the intruder's passage and that the ring galaxy was originally an Sa-Sab spiral. We interpret the distribution of ΣHα around the rings and faint Hα emission beyond the southwest A-ring in terms of MSF triggered on the outer edge of a primarily gaseous ring density wave. We suggest that the unique double-ring structure reflects strong caustics along the inner and outer edges of a single-ring density wave. The much less extreme MSF properties in AM 0644 relative to the Cartwheel likely arise from a combination of a weaker orbit crowding in the ring, higher metallicity, and a thicker precollision disk. We compare our results with ring galaxy models, where we find mixed results: the basic distribution and kinematics of material in ring galaxies appear to be described reasonably well. However, recent models fail to reproduce the observed distribution of star forming regions.


Abstract SYNOPSIS The Army, recognizing the necessity of having men training in meteorological work, to supervise and carry on such work in the military service, has established a course in meteorology in the Signal Corps School at Camp Alfred Vail, N. J. As this is the only school in the United States giving a vocational course in meteorology, the results included in a considerable period of time may be watched with great interest. To date a large majority of the men who took this course in the school are doing excellent work on the Signal Corps stations.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the cost-effectiveness of empirical outpatient treatment options for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in France, the USA and Germany, representing high, moderate and low antimicrobial resistance prevalence, respectively.

METHODS
A decision analytic model was developed for mild-to-moderate CAP outpatient treatment. Treatment algorithms incorporated follow-up after treatment failure due to resistance or other reasons. First-line treatment included moxifloxacin, beta-lactams, macrolides or doxycycline; second-line treatment used a different antimicrobial class. Country-specific resistance and co-resistance prevalences to first- and second-line therapy for the major CAP pathogens were derived from surveillance studies. Clinical failure rates due to antimicrobial-susceptible and -resistant pathogens were obtained from the literature or estimated. Total costs were estimated using standard sources and a third-party payer perspective. Outcome measures included first-line clinical failures avoided, second-line treatments avoided and hospitalizations avoided. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated.

RESULTS
First-line moxifloxacin treatment followed by co-amoxiclav dominated all other treatments in France, the USA and in Germany for all outcome measures. Sensitivity analyses maintained moxifloxacin dominance in France and the USA but affected ICERs in some cases in Germany.

CONCLUSIONS
Antimicrobial resistance/spectrum have a significant impact on outcomes and costs in empirical outpatient CAP treatment. Despite low acquisition costs for generic antibiotics, first-line treatment effective against the major CAP pathogens, including strains resistant to other antimicrobials, resulted in better clinical outcomes in all countries and lower treatment costs for all.


In this Editor's Review, articles published in 2018 are organized by category and summarized. We provide a brief reflection of the research and progress in artificial organs intended to advance and better human life while providing insight for continued application of these technologies and methods. Artificial Organs continues in the original mission of its founders "to foster communications in the field of artificial organs on an international level." Artificial Organs continues to publish developments and clinical applications of artificial organ technologies in this broad and expanding field of organ Replacement, Recovery, and Regeneration from all over the world. Peer-reviewed special issues this year included contributions from the 13th International Conference on Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Systems and Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Perfusion edited by Dr. Akif Undar, and the 25th Congress of the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support edited by Dr. Marvin Slepian. Additionally, many editorials highlighted the worldwide survival differences in hemodialysis and perspectives on mechanical circulatory support and stem cell therapies for cardiac support. We take this time also to express our gratitude to our authors for offering their work to this journal. We offer our very special thanks to our reviewers who give so generously of time and expertise to review, critique, and especially provide meaningful suggestions to the author's work whether eventually accepted or rejected. Without these excellent and dedicated reviewers the quality expected from such a journal could not be possible. We also express our special thanks to our Publisher, John Wiley & Sons for their expert attention and support in the production and marketing of Artificial Organs. We look forward to reporting further advances in the coming years.


An intelligent sliding-mode speed controller for achieving favourable decoupling control and high-precision speed tracking performance of permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives is proposed. The intelligent controller consists of a sliding-mode controller (SMC) in the feedback loop in addition to an online trained wavelet-neural-network controller (WNNC) connected in parallel with the SMC to construct a robust wavelet-neural-network sliding-mode controller (RWNNSMC). The RWNNSMC controller combines the merits of the SMC with robust characteristics and the WNNC which combines the capability of artificial neural networks for online learning ability and the capability of wavelet decomposition for identification ability. The theoretical analyses of both SMC and WNNC speed controllers are developed. The WNN bound observer is utilised to predict the uncertain system dynamics to relax the requirement of uncertainty bound in the design of SMC. A computer simulation is developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed intelligent sliding-mode speed controller. An experimental system is established to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control system. All control algorithms are implemented in a TMS320C31 digital signal processor-based control computer. The simulated and experimental results confirm that the proposed RWNNSMC grants robust performance and precise response regardless of load disturbances and PMSM parameter uncertainties.


The international, phase III, multi-centre AZA-001 trial demonstrated azacitidine (AZA) is the first treatment to significantly extend overall survival (OS) in higher risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients (Fenaux (2007) Blood 110 817). The current treatment paradigm, which is based on a relationship between complete remission (CR) and survival, is increasingly being questioned (Cheson (2006) Blood 108 419). Results of AZA-001 show CR is sufficient but not necessary to prolong OS (List (2008) Clin Oncol 26 7006). Indeed, the AZA CR rate in AZA-001 was modest (17%), while partial remission (PR, 12%) and haematological improvement (HI, 49%) were also predictive of prolonged survival. This analysis was conducted to assess the median number of AZA treatment cycles associated with achievement of first response, as measured by IWG 2000-defined CR, PR or HI (major + minor). The number of treatment cycles from first response to best response was also measured.


We investigate the effects of the efficient production of cosmic rays (CRs) on the evolution of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the adiabatic Sedov–Taylor phase. We model the SNR by coupling the hydrodynamic evolution with nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) and track self-consistently the ionization state of the shock-heated plasma. Using a plasma emissivity code and the results of the model, we predict the thermal X-ray emission and combine it with the non-thermal component in order to obtain the complete spectrum in this energy range. Hence, we study how the interpretation of thermal X-ray observations is affected by the efficiency of the DSA process, and find that, compared to test particle cases, the efficient DSA example yields a smaller shock radius and speed, a larger compression ratio, and lower intensity X-ray thermal emission. We also find that a model where the shock is not assumed to produce CRs can fit the X-ray observational properties of an example with efficient particle acceleration, with a different set of input parameters, and in particular a much lower explosion energy. Additionally, we model the broadband non-thermal emission and investigate what signatures result from the acceleration of particles.


In the research, three kinds composite materials of biomimetic laminated boards made from cross-linking starch/maize stalk fiber—the single layer jute fiber reinforced maize stalk fiber boards, the dual layer jute fiber reinforced maize stalk fiber boards, the jute fiber hybrid reinforced maize stalk fiber boards were obtained according to the formulation of cross-linking maize starch adhesive and the preparation process of composite materials. The hygroscopicity variation of the biomimetic laminated boards made from cross-linking starch/maize stalk fiber was investigated under different relative humidity conditions. The moisture absorption rate and the variation velocity were used as important evaluation indexes to evaluate the moisture absorption properties of the straw fiber composites. The mathematical models of the moisture absorption rate and the variation velocity were established. The hygroscopicity variation curves of three kinds of composite materials were measured under the five different relative humidity conditions. The results showed that the three kinds composites had low moisture absorption rate compared with other stalk fiber composites which were good at water resistance and the waterproof property of the three kinds stalk fibers were excellent under the experimental conditions. The research provides a useful reference to improve the water resistance of fiber composites and a new idea on the development and application of the biodegradable composites, especially the straw fiber reinforced composites.
Keywords: straw, stalk fiber, starch, composite, moisture absorption property, laminated boards
DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20150802.1495


Introduction. Implantation of cardioverter-de fi brillator (ICD) is an acknowledged strategy in primary prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD). The aim of this study was to assess the number and adequacy of ICD interventions and occurrence of modi fi cations of device parameters and pharmacotherapy changes, in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy receiving primary SCD prevention. Material and methods. Retrospective analysis included 138 consecutive patients (123 males, 15 females) with ischaemic (IDCM) and non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM), who underwent ICD implantation. The analysis comprised the number of ventricular tachyarrhythmia episodes, the number and appropriateness of ICD interventions, occurrence of ICD reprogramming and pharmacotherapy changes. Results. ICD interventions occurred in 28% of subjects, pharmacotherapy changes in 27,5% and device parameters modi fi cations in 55,8%. Patient's age and absence of atrial fi brillation appeared to be signi fi cant factors decreasing the risk of ICD interventions. AF presence was connected with high percentage of inadequate interventions. Ventricular arrhythmias presence and device parameters changes appeared to be more frequent in patients with NIDCM than with IDCM. NIDCM appeared to be an independent risk factor for ICD reprogramming. Conclusions. ICD interventions are relatively rare in patients receiving primary SCD prevention. Patient's age and absence of atrial fi brillation appeared to be signi fi cant factors decreasing the risk of ICD interventions. Ventricular arrhythmias presence and device parameters changes appeared to be more frequent in patients with NIDCM than with IDCM.


The role of preoperative biliary drainage in malignant obstructive jaundice has been controversial. Laboratory studies suggest that relief of jaundice prior to major pancreatic resection would be associated with improved morbidity and mortality. However, clinical experience has not supported the laboratory results. Obstructive jaundice can be relieved preoperatively via an endoprosthesis introduced either percutaneously or endoscopically. Cohort studies have not shown any clinical benefit and in some the endoprostheses have been implicated in postoperative complications. The only randomized study has shown no benefit in preoperative drainage, but one recent study has confirmed that endoscopic drainage, whilst not conferring an advantage, did no harm. Hence, whilst preoperative drainage is not recommended, if for any reason operation needs to be delayed, endoscopic drainage via an endoprosthesis can be used without fear of adversely influencing the outcome.


This brief commentary reviews the concept of nest fouling, and advances the view that a different approach to giving expert testimony (that of impartially assisting the court) will largely negate nest-fouling issues.


The authors investigate the most efficient implementations of the charge (mass) assignment and force interpolation tasks of a particle-in-cell code on the SIMD architecture of the MasPar MP2. Three different approaches were tested. The first emphasized uniform computational (not necessarily communication) load balance and ease of programming. The second exploited the speed of the Xnet interprocessor communication network using a particle data migration strategy. The third used sorting and vector scan-add operations on the particle dataset to minimize the communication traffic required between the particle and mesh data structures. Algorithm efficiencies were measured as a function of the degree of spatial clustering of the particles, and as a function of the total number of particles. The sort/scan-add strategy gave the best performance for a broad range of degree of spatial clustering. It was only beaten by the migration strategy in the regime of weak clustering. Their results indicate how a hybrid algorithm combining the migration and sort/scan-add strategies can set an upper limit on the performance degradation associated with the spatial clustering of particles.


The purpose of this study was to determine differences in effect learning to use tools long jump rope and circle as high stimulation and distance gradually towards results learn long jump squat style. This study used an experimental method. Experiment by using pre and post test. The study consisted of two groups: tools strap (A) and the group as a circle high stimulation (B). This study population is third grade Elementary School 1 Panggung Barat Magetan 2015. The average results of the study group pretest tools strap (A) amounted to 84.1 and group as circle high stimulation 82.4 (B), initial conditions showed two groups with similar capabilities. The average post test group tools strap (A) amounted to 156.8 and the group as a circle high stimulation 151.4 (B). Based on the results obtained the following conclusions there is a significant difference between the long jump learning using 2 tools and circle as high stimulation and distance gradually towards learning outcomes long jump squat style on third grade Elementary School 1 Panggung Barat Magetan 2012/2013. By p (0.034 < 0.05). Long jump teaching methods using tools ropes with better results.


INTRODUCTION
Fear of flying among potential passengers is rather common. In order to treat fear of flying most efficiently, it is important to find out which aspects are related to flight anxiety. The objective of the present study was to examine the extent to which various cognitive coping strategies in response to a flight were used by airline passengers and their relationship with anxiety symptoms.

METHOD
A total of 261 persons who were all seeking treatment for fear of flying filled in the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the anxiety subscales of the Symptom Check List (SCL-90), the Flight Anxiety Situations questionnaire, and the Flight Anxiety Modality questionnaire.

RESULTS
Respondents reported using refocus on planning, rumination, putting into perspective to the highest extent and catastrophizing and other-blame to the lowest extent. Furthermore, respondents who reported using self-blame, acceptance, rumination, and/or catastrophizing to a higher extent also reported significantly higher levels of anxiety.

DISCUSSION
As the present study suggests that several cognitive coping strategies are related to anxiety, intervention programs should pay attention to these aspects. The present study gives important clues about which cognitive coping strategies should be challenged in treatment of flight anxiety.


Starting from the 8-acetyl-4-methyl-6-nitro-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl benzoate I, 8-(3-arylacryloyl)-4-methyl6-nitro-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl benzoates (chalcones) II were synthesized and further used for the synthesis of two new series of 8-(2-imino/oxo/thioxo pyrimidin-4-yl)-4-methyl-6-nitro-2-oxo-2H-chromen7-yl benzoates III-V and 8-(pyrazol-3-yl)-4-methyl-6-nitro-2-oxo-2H-chromen-7-yl benzoates VI and VII. All of the synthesized compounds were assessed for their anti-inflammatory activity using the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema method. The 8-acetyl coumarin I exhibited the most potent activity with 24.12% inhibition 2 h post carrageenan injection and 16.38% inhibition 3 h post carrageenan injection. In addition, an in silico comparative COX1 and COX2 docking study was performed in order to explain the possible interactions and the docking scores of all the compounds into the crystal structure of cyclooxygenases (Cox1 and Cox2) enzymes using Autodock 4.2 program. The results revealed more selective COX2 binding affinities of all the compounds over Cox1, whereas, only compound IVc exhibited non-selective COX1 and COX2 fitting.


1. The effects of insolation and evaporation upon the internal temperature of the woodlice, Ligia oceanica, Oniscus asellus, Porcellio scaber and Armadillidium vulgare , and of the cockroach, Blatta orientalis , were investigated.

2. During insolation, the temperature of a thoroughly dry Ligia remains within 0.5° C. of that of a freshly killed specimen covered with beeswax. Dry specimens do not, therefore, differ significantly in shape from living ones, and are valid as controls when estimating the effect of evaporation from living animals.

3. Living, freshly killed, and dead, dry animals were exposed together for periods of 30 min. or more upon insolated rock in the natural habitat, upon slate, and upon wooden blocks which could be moved from shade to sun. Their temperatures, and those of the surrounding air and ground, were measured by fine thermocouples; humidity was measured by a small electric hygrometer, and air speed was estimated approximately.

4. In the sun, the temperature of a dead, dry animal is usually near that of the ground, and always higher than that of a living or a freshly killed specimen. The air temperature, 5 mm. above ground, may be either above or below that of Ligia , but it is always below that of the other species.

5. The amount of the temperature differences between ground, air, living and dry specimens of any one species varied from one exposure to another according to the intensity of radiation, the temperature and himidity of the air, and its velocity.

6. When all species were exposed together, they showed, during a stable period, approximately the following temperature depressions (from ground temperature): Ligia , 8.0° C.; Oniscus , 4-5° C.; Porcellio , 2-3° C.; Armadillidium , 4° C. The species stand in the same order as they do in respect of rates of evaporation, except for Armadillidium , and it is suggested that this species absorbs less radiant energy per unit area by reason of its shiny surface and arched dorsum. Blatta shows a temperature depression between those of Porcellio and Oniscus .

7. Measurements made in the natural habitats of Porcellio and Ligia suggest that these animals are exposed to the sun, ( a ) when the resulting increase in body temperature brings it nearer the optimum for development, and ( b ) when insolation is incurred during locomotion from hot, saturated microcimates (e.g. under insolated stones) to more favourable ones. During exposures of type ( b ), rapid evaporation is advantageous, as a means of avoiding dangerously high temperatures.

8. Radiation, conduction, convection, evaporation and metabolism are considered with regard to their effect upon equilibrium temperature. Conduction and metabolism are shown to be negligible during exposure to direct sunlight. Heat exchange balances, applying to Ligia and Blatta during particular exposures, and involving radiation, convection and evaporation, are estimated in terms of milliwatts/cm.2. If evaporation is eliminated, the effect upon the two remaining terms, and the temperature at which a new balance is reached, can be calculated approximately. The temperature of a dry Ligia , so calculated, corresponds with the experimentally measured temperature.

9. The results are compared with what is known of the effects of insolation upon the temperature of insects. Evaporation is likely to play a more important part in determining the temperature of woodlice than of arthropods with an impermeable cuticle.


—Despite the known large natural bitumen accumulations and oil seeps in several kimberlite pipes along the periphery of the Sukhana sedimentary basin, interpreted as direct evidence of petroleum potential, the basin still remains one of the least studied (by geological and geophysical methods) regions of the Siberian Platform. The platform cover of the basin is composed by Riphean, Vendian, and Cambrian clastic (terrigenous) and carbonate deposits reaching 5.5–6 km in thickness in the central part of the basin. The hydrogeological specifics of the basin is largely governed by its location within the northern geocryological zone (Olenek cryoartesian basin) and is expressed as a continuous distribution of permafrost aggraded into the permafrost zone of unique thickness. Direct indicators of ore and gas presence are the East Anabar, Central Olenek, and Siligir–Markha fields of natural bitumen and oil shows in kimberlite pipes of the Daldyn–Alakit region (Udachnaya pipe). The bituminous-carbonate sediments of the Khatyspyt Formation (Vendian, Ediacaran) and the highly carbonaceous carbonate–siliceous–shaly sediments of the Kuonamka Formation (lower–middle Cambrian) are the Sukhana source rock complexes. The geochemically substantiated genetic relationship between the natural bitumen deposits of the East Anabar field and the organic matter of the Vendian Khatyspyt Formation makes it possible to estimate the area of the spread of the latter far to the west, beyond the axial part of the basin. Gammacerane, inherited from the organic matter of the Khatyspyt Formation and ranking as well-preserved and most characteristic biomarker of these bitumens, provides a compelling evidence of their consanguinity. The bitumen and oil of kimberlite pipes in the south of the basin, in the area of reefs of the Siligir–Markha bar, are similar in all geochemical criteria to oils of the Nepa–Botuobiya anteclise. In particular, in primary geochemical characteristics (12- and 13-monomethylalkanes, unique secosteranes, identical carbon isotope composition, etc.) the oils of the Udachnaya pipe are identical to the Irelyakh oils (oil field in the Mirnyi arch). No accumulations of oil or natural bitumen genetically related to the highly carbonaceous Kuonamka Formation have been found within the basin. At the same time, "intraformational" shows of viscous oil, solid bitumen, and allochthonous bitumen (bitumen extracted with chloroform) were documented directly in the sections of the formation, which makes the sedimentary basin a very attractive target for "shale oil" exploration. As for the regional assessment of the petroleum potential of the entire basin, its axial part (Sukhana depression) complicated by local uplifts is of the greatest interest. Both the Khatyspyt and Kuonamka Formations are widespread there, with the thermal maturity of their organic matter corresponding to the oil window. In addition, the regional reservoirs at the Vendian–Cambrian boundary have good petrophysical properties on both the western and the eastern flanks of the basin.


Pre-Conference Workshop in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Geriatrics Society of America San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA, USA, 14 November 2012 In 2004, the NIH awarded contracts to initiate the development of high-quality psychological and neuropsychological outcome measures for the improved assessment of health-related outcomes. The workshop introduced these measurement development initiatives, the measures created and the NIH-supported resource (Assessment Center) for internet or tablet-based test administration and scoring. Presentations covered item response theory and assessment of test bias, construction of item banks and computerized adaptive testing, and the different ways in which qualitative analyses contribute to the definition of construct domains and the refinement of outcome constructs. The panel discussion included questions about representativeness of samples and the assessment of cultural bias.


The objective of the NASA Aviation Safety Program is to improve the safety of current and future aircraft operating in the National Airspace System. Research under this program has focused on vehicle design, construction, operation and maintenance. Reducing aircraft loss of control accidents is critical to increasing aviation safety as it is the largest and most fatal aircraft accident category. Loss of control accidents result in aircraft operation outside the normal flight envelope in regions where aerodynamic data is either poorly characterized or unavailable. Hence it is important to monitor, in real-time, aircraft states and environmental conditions to assess the current state of the aircraft flight envelope. This paper describes the development of algorithms for dynamic flight envelope assessment using reachable set and nonlinear region of attraction techniques and their application to the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM). The ability to estimate a safe envelope around various operating trim points is demonstrated.


An investigation was carried out on the distribution of yeast species amongst some ripe Nigerian fruits of economic importance with a view to selecting good strains of industrial yeasts for Nigerian bakeries, breweries and wineries. The fruits examined included Anarcadium occidentale (Cashew-Pulp), Annona muricata (Sour-sop), Carica papaya (Paw-Paw), Citrus sinensis (Orange), Irvingia smithii (African apple), Mangifera indica (Mango) Musa sapientum (Banana) and Psidium guajava (Guava). Six yeast isolation methods were employed. The experimental fruits were analyzed for their percentage sugar contents, percentage moisture contents and the range of pH of their juices. Experiments were also carried out on the abilities of the various species of yeast isolated to grow on media formulated out of the fruit juices. This included the ability of these species of yeast to utilize the fruit juices in such media as the sole sources of Carbon, Nitrogen and Vitamins. Thirty four species of yeast belonging to 7 genera were isolated from the fruits. The implications of these results with regards to the development of alcoholic beverages and bakery industries in Nigeria have been discussed.


Reports of permethrin resistance of Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis are emerging. We propose that this may be pseudoresistance. The resistance is due to inadequate counselling by physicians, incorrect treatment (insufficient quantity of permethrin; too short length of treatment), and poor adherence and compliance by patients. Other reasons include single application of permethrin, suggestion to apply the drug for 6-8 hours, failed application on subungual folds, irritant contact dermatitis, in particular on genitals, for which some patients stop the treatment, and unexplainable use of permethrin in post-scabies prurigo. Thus, we believe that several cases of resistance to permethrin are actually cases of pseudoresistance.


Experience in surgical treatment of 186 patients with funnel chest deformity (FCD) is generalized. With consideration for the great variety of the forms of deformity of the plastron, simple and complicated forms of FCD are distinguished. The simple forms include isolated, symmetrical, low (beginning from the level of the fourth rib) II-III degree deformities, the complicated forms include wide, II-III degree deformities beginning from the level of the second rib, and flat asymmetrical deformities. The use of a metal plate as a stabilizer in complicated forms of FCD is suggested. The optimal method of treatment in simple forms of the deformity is thoracoplasty with fixation of the sternum in the corrected position by means of a nitinol clip.


Structural engineers, whether they are designers, contractors or academics, are frequently faced with the problem of introducing innovation into practice through research, such as for the development of new structures or the use of new materials such as fibre reinforced polymer. Hence, research is pivotal to the introduction of innovation. How research is applied is invariably a very complex and often costly problem and consequently needs careful examination to be effective. All engineers do research but by the very nature of research we all do research in different ways. This paper is the author's reflections on research procedures and approaches often used in structural engineering. These approaches are then illustrated using the author's research particularly on developing a generic failure model for reinforced concrete which can be applied to the seemingly disparate reinforced concrete problems of moment-rotation, shear capacity and the effect of confinement. Numerous concepts are introduced in this paper such as: the use of empirical modelling in plugging the gaps in the structural mechanics models; the elusive concept that is pivotal to understanding and should not be confused with the illusive concept; and categorisation of researchers to help sort out the mass of information available.


The horseshoe kidney is the most common anatomical renal variation. It represents a fusion anomaly, mainly at the lower poles, occurring between the 4th and 6th week of gestation. Horseshoe kidneys display a great variation in origin, number and size of the vasculature. Transplantation of these deviant kidneys can be done en bloc or they can be split into two halves and transplanted into two recipients, depending on the number of vessels and the anatomy of the urinary collecting system. A literature review reveals 31 case histories, published between 1975 and 1998. Of these 21 were transplanted into 38 recipients after division and ten were implanted en bloc. Nineteen grafts (41%) showed immediate function and 21 grafts (46%) showed delayed function. Thrombosis and acute rejection, leading to non‐function was seen in six grafts (13%). The overall success rate was 87% with a mean follow‐up of 22 months. The results of horseshoe kidney transplantation are good, provided that attention is paid to certain technical details. Because of donor scarcity, horseshoe kidneys should be used for transplantation.


Much work has been done todate to improve the response delay of rule based systems, specially through the parallelization of the inference mechanism. In this paper, we present a novel approach founded on an evolutionnary computing in a rule based system (RBS). Our aim is to deal with the problem of parallel computation of a RBS in a distributed evolving environment, ightly coupled with the problem of dynamic load balancing by the mean of a self organizationnal approach.


Threshold secret sharing schemes encode data into several shares such that a threshold number of shares can be used to recover the data. Such schemes provide confidentiality of stored data without using encryption, thus avoiding the problems associated with key management. To provide long-term confidentiality, proactive secret sharing techniques can be used, where shares are refreshed or renewed periodically so that an adversary who obtains fewer than the threshold shares in each time period does not learn any information on the encoded data. Share renewal is an expensive process, in terms of the computation and network communication involved. In the proactive model, this share renewal process must complete as soon as possible so that an adversary who compromises servers in the present time period does not learn shares stored in the last time period. This paper proposes an algorithm where the shares of all the stored data are renewed by the share renewal of only one secret. The computation and network communication overheads are thus drastically reduced, allowing for the share renewal of all the stored data to complete quickly. These benefits are gained at the expense of some performance penalty during reads and writes, which is shown to be worthwhile.


Synopsis : Recently, the price of coke has increased, so low coke rate operation has been required in the blast furnace. On the other hand, coke layer thickness decreases in low coke rate operation. It is known that gas permeability of the blast furnace becomes worse in thin coke layer thickness. So it is important to know minimum coke layer thickness. But minimum coke layer thickness has not been clear. That's because there were no equipment to measure the effect of coke layer thickness on permeability. In this study, to clarify the minimum coke layer thickness, new experiment equipment called cohesive zone simulator was developed. In a cohesive zone, gas flow along with coke layer, horizontally. To measure the effect of coke layer thickness on permeability, horizontal gas flow should be simulated. Therefore this simulator simulates horizontal gas flow. Next, the effect of coke layer thickness was quantified by using the cohesive zone simulator. By the results, melting ore was penetrating into coke layer and closed part of layer. These phenomena caused increasing permeability in thin coke layer thickness condition. Finally, pressure drop estimation model considering melting ore penetration was developed for the aim of quantifying minimum coke slit thickness.


Large-scale data is of crucial importance for learning semantic segmentation models, but annotating per-pixel masks is a tedious and inefficient procedure. We note that for the topic of interactive image segmentation, scribbles are very widely used in academic research and commercial software, and are recognized as one of the most userfriendly ways of interacting. In this paper, we propose to use scribbles to annotate images, and develop an algorithm to train convolutional networks for semantic segmentation supervised by scribbles. Our algorithm is based on a graphical model that jointly propagates information from scribbles to unmarked pixels and learns network parameters. We present competitive object semantic segmentation results on the PASCAL VOC dataset by using scribbles as annotations. Scribbles are also favored for annotating stuff (e.g., water, sky, grass) that has no well-defined shape, and our method shows excellent results on the PASCALCONTEXT dataset thanks to extra inexpensive scribble annotations. Our scribble annotations on PASCAL VOC are available at http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/ people/jifdai/downloads/scribble_sup.


In this paper, a one-pass budget allocation algorithm is proposed for hybrid video coding. Taking the percentage of skipped MBs as the measure of inter-frame dependency, the optimal budget allocation is first modeled for a two-frame case. Then this model is extended to a practical method in slow movement scenario, where the information of inter-frame dependency is predicted based on the previously coded frames. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the recommended MB and frame level rate control algorithms in H.264/AVC reference software JM 15.1. For eight CIF sequences with slow movement, significant gains of 0.91 dB and 0.43 dB on average (1.66 dB and 1.49 dB at maximum) were obtained over the reference MB and frame level rate control, respectively. Considering that the computational complexity by the proposed algorithm is quite low (less than 1% of the total coding time when fast motion estimation algorithm is enabled), it is quite appealing for real-time video applications.


A Chaotic Iterative Method, which is a form of totally asynchronous linear equation-system solver, is implemented within an open-source framework. The solver is similar to simple Jacobi or Gauss-Seidel methods, but is highly optimized for massively-parallel computations. Processes or threads are free to run computations regardless of the current state of other processes, iterating individual equations with no limitations on the state of the variables which they use. Each individual iteration may pull variables from the same iteration, the previous iteration, or indeed any iteration. This effectively removes all synchronization from the Jacobi or Gauss-Seidel algorithm, allowing computations to run efficiently with high concurrency. The trade-off is that the numerical convergence rate of these simple algorithms is slower compared to the classical Krylov Subspace methods, which are popular today. However, unique features of the computational fluid dynamics algorithm work in favour of Chaotic methods, allowing the fluid dynamics field to exploit these algorithms when other's cannot. The results of the Chaotic solver are presented, verifying the numerical results and benchmarking performance against the Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) solver and a Pipelined GMRES solver. The results show that, under certain circumstances, Chaotic methods could be used as a standalone solver due to their superior scalability. The potential to use Chaotic methods as a pre-conditioner or hybrid solver is also revealed.


In this paper we describe the complete design and implementation of a digital controller for a dc-dc buck converter working in Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) using classical control techniques. The converter operates at a switching frequency of 500 KHz. The controller is designed on the basis of digital redesign approach and standard bode plot techniques. The design is then evaluated by taking into account the computation delay. Matlab/Simulink simulated results for the fixed and variable loads are shown to validate the design.


Genetic aberrations in the regulatory circuits that govern transit through the G1 phase of the cell cycle occur frequently in human cancer and overexpression of the G1 phase cyclin, cyclin D1, is one of the most commonly observed alterations. Cyclin D1 accumulates and activates its cognate CDK (CDK4/6) in response to mitogenic growth factors in early to mid G1 phase. The resulting cyclin D1-dependent kinase initiates the phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein. Mitogen-dependent activation of the cyclin D1 kinase occurs through increased transcription, protein accumulation, cyclin/CDK assembly, reduced cyclin proteolysis, and decreased nuclear export. Perturbations at any step, which result in reduced growth factor requirements for cyclin D1/CDK activation, will provide cells with a distinct growth advantage over their normal counterparts and thus likely represents an early event in neoplasia.


Uptake and incorporation of choline into adult Schistosoma mansoni was examined in the presence of serum from known permissive and non-permissive hosts. Uptake of choline was not significantly different for paired, male or female worms in any one treatment. The presence of serum from uninfected rat, hamster and human sources and from infected rat and hamster sources did not significantly affect choline uptake. Heat-inactivation of these sera before addition to the culture medium also had no effect on choline uptake. The incorporation of choline into phosphatidylcholine appeared similar in all of the sera until 30-min incubation at which point some significant differences could be demonstrated. Increased incorporation could be shown with the addition of serum from uninfected rat, hamster and human sources. Heat-inactivation of these sera abrogated this effect. The stimulation of choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine is discussed in relation to the heat labile components of serum. Host permissiveness to infection did not alter choline uptake or incorporation into phosphatidylcholine.


Principles of Editing Historical Sources at the Time of the Digital Revolution This article proposes to examine the essence of editing historical sources at a time when rendering the contents of a source available and outfitting it with a scientific apparatus do not call for its copying and printing. The fundamental form of a publication should be the manuscript's digital facsimile. On the other hand, its edition involves predominantly the preparation of instruments for studying the contents of the given monument and its initial interpretations. The suitable form for geographic indices as well as those of persons and objects consists of mutually connected databases corresponding to their specificity. An initial analysis of a source encompasses, first and foremost, its proper complete or partial deciphering; the ensuing effect should entail, i.a. a transcription of suitable parts of the texts and a source studies introduction. The edition of a single source is not a completed effort but a process involving also the recipient and, at the same time, comprising part of a wider undertaking, i.e. the construction of a joint base of source knowledge about the past.


This paper discusses the implementation of a concurrent-engineering view of microsystem design. The proposed concurrent-engineering or mechatronic approach to the design of hybrid microsystems is illustrated by three case studies. First, the design of an advanced computer writing tool is discussed. The design of this consumer product requires a mechatronic approach at different functional levels and at different levels of miniaturization. Another illustration of this approach is the design of an implantable drug delivery device. A device for solid drug delivery, as well as a device for liquid drug delivery, are presented. It is demonstrated that miniaturization can be obtained by a combination of functions in a single component. The multiplication of functions in a single component automatically leads to a concurrent-engineering approach far the design. Finally, the micromanufacturing of silicon parts by electrodischarge machining is described. It is demonstrated that electrodischarge machining of silicon is not only feasible, but forms an interesting and complementary technology to traditional silicon micromachining. Therefore, this powerful manufacturing technique opens the way for concurrent engineering of real three-dimensional micromechanical sensors and actuators with integrated processing electronics on the same wafer.


Abstract Lyophilized Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) vaccines are generally rehydrated and diluted with distilled or chlorine-free water as per manufacturer recommendations. However, as mycoplasma species lack a cell wall, this can lead to decreased viability of live vaccine during administration. The ability of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to prevent losses in live vaccine viability was examined. It was shown that a concentration of 1× PBS prevented the two–fourfold decrease in MG viability seen when the vaccines were diluted with water alone.


English law lacks a general principle of equality of the kind found in constitutional texts in some other European countries. Legislation embodies a principle of non-discrimination in employment on grounds of sex, race and disability. This body of law stresses formal rather than substantive equality, and defines discrimination in terms of the asymmetrical treatment of individuals rather than by reference to the structural sources of group disadvantage. These conceptual weaknesses are part of the explanation for the relatively limited impact of the legislation on the UK labour market, which continues to be characterized by occupational segregation and persistent pay inequality.


BackgroundEngagement and participation are vital for including experiences, opinions, or expertise regarding the need for action and specifying goals of relevant stakeholders. In recent years, engagement processes have significantly gained in prominence especially in the field of healthcare; and participation has been actively demanded by public health agencies as well as by health research funding organizations. Despite numerous international work and wide agreement on the benefits of stakeholder engagement, there is still limited published empirical evidence on methodological best practices for stakeholder approaches and even less on evaluation or outcomes in the process of developing policy.MethodsOn the basis of previous research on stakeholder discourses and with the German case study at hand, I inferred normative criteria for the evaluation of discourse processes. For the methodological examination, my manuscript presents a comprehensive framework of normative criteria relevant to stakeholder engagement planning, implementation, evaluation and reporting, and to illustrate different evaluation and reporting needs for research on stakeholder engagement, namely, depth of participation, legitimate selection of stakeholders, representativeness, process management, output, role definition, and transparency. ResultsThe developed normative evaluation criteria make the evaluation of an engagement process with a large amount of material possible. My analysis indicates the key facilitating elements and also barriers of this participatory approach, demonstrating the importance of especially deploying the following evaluation criteria: output, representativeness, process management, and transparency.ConclusionThe seven developed evaluation criteria have been effective for the evaluation of the stakeholder discourse on dementia prediction. These evaluation criteria may also be conducive to the evaluation of engagement processes on other health research topics with a large corpus of material. To date and to my knowledge, a comprehensive evaluation framework for engagement processes with experts in the field of assessing biomedical issues is missing in the literature and my work aims at bridging this gap.


Introduction: This study aims to elucidate the possible ameliorative effect of Cymbopogon citratus (CC), i.e. lemon grass, in a Doxorubicin (Dox)-induced male testicular damage and infertility model. Moreover, the anticancer role of the main active constituents of CC (Apigenin and Quercetin) was evaluated on prostatic and colon cancer (PC-3 and HCT-116 carcinoma cell lines, respectively).
Methods: In vitro studies of the cell lines were carried out to determine the IC50 of each active constituent of CC, in order to select the most suitable dose for in vivo studies. For the in vivo studies, 24 rats were divided into 4 groups: Group 1 received saline treatment (negative control), Group 2 received treatment with CC (300 mg/kg body weight (b.w.)), Group 3 received Dox treatment (25 mg/kg b.w. intraperitoneally (i.p.)) on day 9 of the study, and Group 4 received CC treatment followed by Dox treatment on day 9 of the study. All the treatments were administered orally for 10 consecutive days.
Results: The data revealed that Apigenin and Quercetin (AQ) had greater potency against PC-3 cells than HCT-116 cells. In vivo studies demonstrated that Dox treatment induced testicular damage and increased nitrosative stress, inflammation, and cell death, while decreasing cell energy markers for testes. In contrast, rats treated with CC only, or in parallel with Dox, showed ameliorative responses against Dox; they also showed greater testicular activity than normal, which reflected the ability of CC to significantly improve reproductive health performance.
Conclusion: In conclusion, CC inhibits the activity and growth of PC-3 and HCT-116 carcinoma cell lines and, moreover, the whole extract of CC ameliorates testicular dysfunction induced by Dox.


The crude methanol extracts of four Philippine medicinal plants namely Brucea amarissima (Lour.) Merr. Bark, Intsia bijuga (Coebr.) O. Kuntze, Laportea meyeniana Warb, and Pipturus arborescens (Link) C.B. Rob leaves were examined for their antioxidant (radical scavenging) activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, and cytotoxicity using brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA). LC50 values for BSLA ranged from 37.7 to 89.5 µg/ml, with B. amarissima having the lowest value and therefore the most potent, and L. meyeniana having the highest value. EC50 values for DPPH radical scavenging activity ranged from 343 to 1846 µg/ml, with B. amarissima and I. bijuga having the lowest and highest values, respectively. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes, steroids, anthraquinones, anthrones, flavonoid glycosides, and coumarins, which could be responsible for the bioactivities shown by these plants.

 Key words: Philippine medicinal plants, DPPH radical scavenging activity, brine shrimp lethality assay, phytochemical screening.


We present three voice activity detection (VAD) algorithms that are suitable for the off-line processing of noisy speech and compare their performance on SPINE-2 evaluation data using speech recognition error rate as the quality metric. One VAD system is a simple HMM-based segmenter that uses normalized log-energy and a degree of voicing measure as raw features. The other two VAD systems focus on frequency-localized temporal information in the speech signal using a TempoRAl PatternS (TRAPS) classifier. They differ only in the processing of the TRAPS output. One VAD system uses median filtering to generate segment hypotheses, while the other is a hybrid system that uses a Viterbi search identical to that used in the HMM segmenter. Recognition on the hybrid HMM/TRAPS segmentation is more accurate than recognition on the other two segmentations by 1% absolute. This difference is statistically significant at a 99% confidence level according to a matched pairs sentence-segment word error test.


Background Weight gain and obesity after brain damage have been described in both children and adults. Most commonly, they are caused by damage to the hypothalamus. We report here a case of hyperphagia and rapid weight gain after surgical removal of brainstem cavernoma, followed by resolution after gastric bypass surgery. Case Presentation A 30-year-old woman presented with acute onset of facial paresthesias, left-side weakness, and double vision. Brain MRI disclosed a 1.5 × 1.7 × 2.3 cm heterogeneous lesion in the posterior right pons with signs of recent bleeding and an intact hypothalamus. The lesion was resected, and the histologic examination confirmed the suspected diagnosis of cavernous hemangioma. Immediately after surgery, she noted onset of a voracious appetite and lack of satiety. She had no symptoms suggestive of hypothalamic dysfunction, such as abnormal thermoregulation, water balance, sleep-wake cycles, and aggressive behavior. Despite extreme dietary counseling, 10 months postoperatively, her weight had increased 120 pounds, at a rate of 10 to 15 pounds per month. Her brain MRI revealed hypertrophic olivary degeneration with no hypothalamic damage. Treatment with centrally acting stimulants, phentermine and sibutramine, partially decreased her appetite but only lowered the rate of weight gain to 2 lb per month. One and a half years after initial surgery, she underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGP), followed by immediate resolution of hyperphagia, weight loss, and return to baseline body weight within 3 years. Discussions Energy homeostasis involves interactions between afferent hormonal and neuronal signals, the central nervous system and brainstem, and efferent pathways. Unregulated appetite and weight gain after brain damage have, until now, been exclusively reported in those with ventromedial hypothalamus lesions. Previous reports of brainstem lesions often described paraparesis and weight loss. This is the first report of unwanted weight gain in humans with an exclusive brainstem lesion. Destruction of the brainstem ventral noradrenergic bundle (VNAB) has been shown to cause hyperphagia and obesity in rats. Therefore, we hypothesize that the surgery resulted in damage to the VNAB, or its ascending projections to the hypothalamus. Other potential mechanisms may involve damage to the nucleus of solitary or vagal projections carrying satiety signals from the gut (CCK, GLP-1, PYY, oxyntomodulin) to the NTS. Restoration of satiety and body weight after RYGP suggests correction of this defect via alterations in the levels of gut hormones, vagal signaling, or both.


Background: One‐third of patients with steroid‐refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) do not respond to cyclosporine and require colectomy. Since alternative pharmacological treatments for this condition are available, it is pertinent to identify factors that predict response. The objective of this study was to determine predictive factors of response prior to cyclosporine administration, with validation in an independent cohort. Methods: The 2 cohorts of patients were identified from prospectively established databases. All patients had received 1 mg/kg/day prednisolone or equivalent for at least 5 days before cyclosporine. The efficacy measure was need of early surgery (within 3 months). Results: From 1998 to 2005, 34 patients were treated in 1 institution (derivation cohort) and 38 patients in the second institution (validation cohort). Eleven patients in the derivation cohort and 9 patients in the validation cohort underwent early colectomy. Univariate analysis in the derivation cohort demonstrated a significant association of colectomy with C‐reactive protein (P = 0.012) and the Ho index before initiation of cyclosporine (P = 0.013). Regression analysis showed that only the Ho index (P = 0.011) had an independent predictive value. The Ho index predicted need of colectomy, with an area under the characteristic receiver operating curve of 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59–0.99) in the derivation cohort and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.53–0.96) in the validation cohort. The cutoff point with the best sensitivity and specificity ratio was ≥5. Conclusions: The Ho‐based predictive score is a good predictor of response to cyclosporine and avoidance of colectomy, and may aid in the indication of this treatment for management of steroid‐resistant UC.


The viscosity of biofluids can be used to acquire meaningful medical information on the conditions of a patient but has seldom been utilized in clinical practices owing to cumbersome measurement procedures and the need for large sample volumes. We present a colorimetric method to measure the viscosity of blood plasma using a paper-based viscometer developed in this study specifically for clinical diagnosis. The proposed analytical device consists of multilayered papers with fluid-loading, -mixing, and -measuring regions, and it can be fabricated readily in a simple manner using three-layered paper channels and tape. Moreover, the colorimetric analysis enables viscosity estimations by analyzing a single optical image. To validate the device performance, we measured the viscosities of fluids such as glycerin aqueous solutions, bovine-serum-albumin solution, dimethyl sulfoxide, and blood plasma. We found that the measured viscosities were in good agreement with the reference values. Finally, we developed a simple smartphone application for the viscosity measurements that helped enhance the convenience and utility of the paper-based viscometer while maintaining the measurement accuracy.


A variety of federal programs have provided financial assistance to public and college libraries since enactment of the original Library Services Act in 1956, or even the initiation of the federal depository library system in 1859. Although continued federal funding for most of these programs has been questioned, the programs have continued, and some of the smaller ones have experienced a modest expansion in appropriation levels and authorized activities. This article provides background information on these programs, including brief information on their structure, authorized activities, funding levels, available program evaluations, and issues.


With the growth in the usage of social media, it has become increasingly common for people to hide behind a mask and abuse others. We have attempted to detect such tweets and comments that are malicious in intent, which either targets an individual or a group. Our best classifier for identifying offensive tweets for SubTask A (Classifying offensive vs. nonoffensive) has an accuracy of 83.14% and a f1- score of 0.7565 on the actual test data. For SubTask B, to identify if an offensive tweet is targeted (If targeted towards an individual or a group), the classifier performs with an accuracy of 89.17% and f1-score of 0.5885. The paper talks about how we generated linguistic and semantic features to build an ensemble machine learning model. By training with more extracts from different sources (Facebook, and more tweets), the paper shows how the accuracy changes with additional training data.


Visible Light Cure (VLC) is a blue light used in dentistry as an activator for restorative material and fixed orthodontic bonding. The wavelength of VLC is between 400-500 nm and considered non-ionizing radiation that can produce free radicals. According to previous research, the light at wavelength < 500 nm could inhibit cells mitosis, cause cells damage, and reduce cells growth and inflammation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of VLC exposure on gingival epithelial thickness, total neutrophil and macrophage count of gingival connective tissue of Sprague dawley rats. The subjects of this study consisted of 20 Sprague dawley rats, in 2-3 months of age and divided into 4 groups. Each group was 5 rats. The rats in each group were sacrificed before (0 day, as group A) and after 1 st (group B), 3 rd  (group C), 5 th  (group D) day of VLC exposure, respectively. The exposure of VLC was done in labial aspect of cervical anterior teeth of mandible. The distance of exposure was as thick as 2 layers of celluloid strip and the histological specimens were stained by Hematoxylin Eosin. Each specimen was measured for its gingival epithelial thickness by using a micrometer and the number of neutrophil and macrophage were counted. The data of gingival epithelial thickness from 4 groups were analyzed by Kruskal Wallis. The number of neutrophil and macrophage were analyzed by u sing one way ANOVA. The results of this study showed that there were significant differences among groups on the thickness of gingival epithelial, the number of neutrophil and macrophage in the gingival connective tissue of Sprague dawley rats. The result of this study indicated that VLC exposure might decrease the thickness of gingival epithelial but increase the number of neutrophil and macrophage of gingival connective tissue of Sprague dawley rats.


Impulse Radio Ultra-Wideband (IR-UWB) exhibits strong advantages in low power and low cost applications such as RFID and Wireless Sensor Networks. This paper presents an on-off keying (OOK) based energy detection IR-UWB receiver with focus on the back-end design. In order to optimize the receiver performance according to different multi-path environment, variable integration interval and adaptive threshold optimization are considered in the proposed back-end which is composed by a programmable timing circuit and a reconfigurable baseband processor. The timing circuit is able to generate multi-phased integration windows with wide-range variable integration interval and is implemented in 90 nm CMOS process. Novel schemes on synchronization and optimum threshold estimation are suggested for baseband processing. The proposed synchronization scheme is based on maximum energy variance (between symbol '0' and '1') detection, covering both the pulse level and symbol level synchronization. And the scheme for optimum threshold estimation is based on look up table, enabling low complexity implementation. System simulation with IEEE 802.15.4a channel models shows an appreciable improvement on the bit error rate (BER) performance compared with the conventional scheme.


Totally 48 cases with diagnosed as community-acquired pneumonia who were treated in intensive care units of two different university hospital included to the study. The mean age of cases was 67.8, 29 were males and 19 females. Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), Acute Physiology Assesment and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score (SOFA) of 46 cases were determined. The most common comorbid disease was cerebrovascular disease. We determined that microbiological tests were made in 30 cases and pathogen agent was established in 7 cases of them. The mean lenght of stay in hospital and intensive care unit were 16.1 days and 8.8 days respectively. The mean GCS was 11.4, the mean PSI was 130.7 and 38 cases were in high risk classes. The mean APACHE II and SOFA scores were 20.7 and 4.4 respectively. We determined that hypotension and intubation increased the mortality risk. The mean blood urea nitrogen, %PNL and respiratory rate were higher in cases who were died. The mortality rate in group 3b and group 4 were respectively 41.2% and 44.0%. Totally 20 (41.7%) cases died.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. The mechanisms underlying PD remain to be fully elucidated, and research into treatments for this condition is ongoing. Recent advances in genetic research have shed light on the mechanisms underlying PD. In this study, we used PD and control mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from adipose tissues to confirm the differences between groups at the cellular and molecular levels. The results revealed that in PD MSCs, cell viability was clearly lower, and the rate of cell senescence was higher compared to the controls. Next, to compare the gene expression in PD and control cells, transcriptome analysis was performed. Genes in pathways, including extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction, P53 signaling, and focal adhesion, were down-regulated in PD. Among genes related to ECM receptor interaction, RELN gene expression was markedly decreased in PD cells; however, after being treated with recombinant Reelin protein, a significant increase in cell viability and a decrease in α-Synuclein aggregation and cell senescence were observed. In conclusion, Reelin affects PD by positively influencing the cell characteristics. Our findings will facilitate research into new treatments for PD.


Two hundred and thirty strains of various gram-positive cocci were tested for quantitative, nonimmune binding of radiolabeled human polyclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG). The majority of coagulase-positive staphylococci and streptococci belonging to serogroups C and G showed a high uptake of IgG. The binding of immunoglobulin to group A streptococci was considerably less, with a number of strains completely negative. None of the pneumococcal or the group B or D streptococcal strains displayed any binding capacity. Heterogeneity of the IgG reactivity of various reactive strains was studied in an inhibition assay using 10 different animal serum pools. Three different inhibition patterns were seen, each of them revealing a striking degree of homogeneity within single bacterial species. Staphylococcus aureus and group A streptococci, respectively, constituted two homogeneous groups which differed markedly from each other and from C and G streptococci. No differences were observed between group C and G streptococci. Based on the profound differences between these homogeneous groups, three major types of Fc receptors could be defined. Type I and II Fc receptors were found on S. aureus and on group A streptococci, respectively. Fc receptor type III represented the immunoglobulin-binding structure of both group C and G streptococci.


BackgroundMetabolic engineering strategies enabling the production of specific target metabolites by host strains can be identified in silico through the use of metabolic network analysis such as flux balance analysis. This type of metabolic redesign is based on the computation of reactions that should be deleted from the original network representing the metabolism of the host strain to enable the production of the target metabolites while still ensuring its growth (the concept of growth coupling). In this context, it is important to use algorithms that enable this growth-coupled reaction deletions identification for any metabolic network topologies and any potential target metabolites. A recent method using a strong growth coupling assumption has been shown to be able to identify such computational redesign for nearly all metabolites included in the genome-scale metabolic models of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae when cultivated under aerobic conditions. However, this approach enables the computational redesign of S. cerevisiae for only 3.9% of all metabolites if under anaerobic conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop algorithms able to perform for various culture conditions.ResultsThe author developed an algorithm that could calculate the reaction deletions that achieve the coupling of growth and production for 91.3% metabolites in genome-scale models of S. cerevisiae under anaerobic conditions. Computational experiments showed that the proposed algorithm is efficient also for aerobic conditions and Escherichia coli. In these analyses, the least target production rates were evaluated using flux variability analysis when multiple fluxes yield the highest growth rate. To demonstrate the feasibility of the coupling, the author derived appropriate reaction deletions using the new algorithm for target production in which the search space was divided into small cubes (CubeProd).ConclusionsThe author developed a novel algorithm, CubeProd, to demonstrate that growth coupling is possible for most metabolites in S.cerevisiae under anaerobic conditions. This may imply that growth coupling is possible by reaction deletions for most target metabolites in any genome-scale constraint-based metabolic networks. The developed software, CubeProd, implemented in MATLAB, and the obtained reaction deletion strategies are freely available.


Industry analysis and Company analysis are two types of case study methods among many types of Case-based research analysis in Research Methodology. A case study based management research and teaching pedagogy are adopted by many business schools with the belief that it is a most powerful way to study and learn new lessons required to identify, understand, and solve the problems in the process of managing and leading the organizations. Analysing business cases of industries force students to grapple with exactly the kinds of situations, decisions, and dilemmas managers confront every day. Industry analysis is a powerful tool in developing both research case study and teaching case study in business management subject. Through industry analysis students and researchers can study various aspects of an industry and its components to enrich their knowledge in the core area of business including organizational management, environmental management, functional areas of business, strategic management, new idea generation as well as effective decision making. The issues or problems identified in a given industry and the efforts made by organizations to handle such issues or solve such problems are learning opportunities for students and researchers in business management institutions. In this paper, we have discussed the procedure of writing case studies based on industry analysis framework. We also recommend the Industry analysis as a class of case study methodology in management research for developing research case studies as a first step for budding researchers.


Background: Mapping of resources helps us in identifying those resources which can be used more pragmatically, for interventions and programs related to human health especially during emergency conditions. Resource mapping identifies the resources that can realistically be used for health related interventions, programs and during an emergency. Aim and Objectives: The primary objective was to locate the basic healthcare related resources available in that area. Secondary objectives were to Understand and compare these resources along certain important dimensions using qualitative research methods and to identify possible existing gaps, share the results with the local stakeholders and suggest effective interventions. Material & Methods: Manual mapping method was used to locate the available healthcare related services in urban slum area. FGDs were held to compare utilization of resources along eight dimensions. In depth interviews were held with existing healthcare service providers, stakeholders and local residents to assess their utilization and needs. Results Existing health services used by community were local herbal clinic, district hospital, Anganwadi Centre, mobile clinic, wellness clinic and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur. Conclusions The manual mapping and qualitative techniques used showed that existing resources lacked in (a) providing in situ primary care (b) clinical services by a female gynecologist (c) health education services to address existing drug addiction and substance abuse.This exercise helped in rapid need assessment and prioritizing of interventions.


Abstract Production activities of companies significantly impact society and environment. It is high time to re-think many of industry's practices and to change manufacturing processes in a way that allow the company to increase its competitiveness, while at the same time help to achieve sustainable growth. The sustainable production is a concept that is able to strengthen such transformation. The aim of this paper is to present empirical evidence of implementation of the sustainable production practices in the selected company from metal industry. The principles of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production (LCSP) are used as a model to assess the main aspects of sustainable production in practices of the company. Empirical evidence shows that in each of the analysed issue some practices have been implemented, however there were identified some deficit areas. Therefore, at the end of the paper the improvements actions were proposed that could be implemented in the analysed company as part of the sustainable management programme.


The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC), conducted each year in January, is a waterbird and wetland monitoring programme initiated in 1987 within the framework of the International Waterbird Census. This report summarises the results of the AWC from 1987 to 2007, comprising counts at 6,705 sites in 27 countries. A total of 1,387 sites met at least one of two criteria of internationally important sites according to the Ramsar Convention. Of these, 312 sites were reported to support more than 20,000 waterbirds, and 1,382 sites recorded more than 1 percent of the biogeographic population of at least one species of waterbird. In the most recent five years (from 2003-2007), a total of 2,963 sites were counted and 673 were identified as internationally important sites. A total of 671 sites recorded more than 1 percent of the biogeographic population of at least one species of waterbird, and 137 supported more than 20,000 waterbirds. Totals of 349 waterbird species and 74 wetland-dependent species were recorded during this period. Brief status accounts, accompanied by 328 maps, are presented for 396 species, including 52 Globally Threatened species and 24 Near Threatened species. Preliminary trend analyses using the statistical package TRIM suggest that four of the eight most numerous dabbling duck species in East Asia are in decline.


The conventional sources to assess cortisol levels are saliva, plasma or urine specimens, which are subject to a variety of factors and provide only momentary cortisol exposure. A rather new technique is the analysis of hair cortisol which might overcome some of the methodological issues associated with the other specimens. The aim of the PhD was two-fold. Firstly, I investigated the associations between hair cortisol concentration and different socioeconomic factors, work-related stress and psychosocial factors. Study I employed a design with two time points four years apart and therefore was able to evaluate psychosocial and socioeconomic factors cross-sectionally and as a dynamic entity. Lower income and worsening income change was associated with elevated hair cortisol. Moreover, an effect of status incongruity, a mismatch between education and income, on hair cortisol was found. Study III looked at the impact of examination stress on cortisol in hair and saliva in medical and law students. The student groups differed slightly in their hair cortisol levels at baseline and also in levels of anxiety, impeding proper conclusive findings. Perceived stress and anxiety were not related to hair cortisol but to salivary cortisol. The use of avoidant coping mechanisms was associated with elevated hair cortisol levels. My second aim was to evaluate the long-term consistency of cortisol in saliva and hair and also saliva-hair correlations over corresponding time-intervals. Using two distinct longitudinal studies (Study I and II), the findings indicate that a flatter rate of decline in salivary cortisol over the day was associated with elevated hair cortisol concentrations several years later, 4 (female sample) and 8 years ago (in men only), while no relationship could be found between hair cortisol in relation to the AUC and the CAR. Another dataset (Study III) assessing salivary and hair cortisol over corresponding intervals revealed positive associations between the AUC and hair cortisol.


There is ample evidence that physical restraint reduction does not lead to increased falls or injuries. This study tests the effect of removing nighttime restraints by comparing two groups: Restrained in bed at pre- but not postintervention (n = 51), or restrained in bed at both pre- and post-intervention (n = 11). No differences in nighttime fall rates between the two groups were detected. Nighttime physical restraint removal does not lead to increases in falls from bed in older nursing home residents. Although markedly reduced in nursing homes, restraint use remains a common practice among hospitalized older adults. We should continue to focus efforts on developing new, individualized approaches to reduce risk of falling from bed among frail elders.


In recent years, a kind of teaching mode which stimulate students autonomous learning ability -Flipped Classroom-arises at the historic moment, the basic process is: Teachers released in videos on teaching content or new knowledge by the information technology and layout related task before class, students completed and submitted before the class; In class, teachers give priority to the internalization of knowledge and skill training. They mainly provide cooperation, exploration and interaction to help student's complete real independent learning. From the perspective of theory and practice, this paper summarizes the research results of FC at home and abroad, so as to provide references for the further research of FC.


As a part of the long‐term prospective follow‐up study conducted in our clinic since 1981 for women with cervical HPV (Human papillomavirus) infections (either with or without cervical intra‐epithelial neoplasia, HPV‐CIN and HPV‐NCIN, respectively) the colposcopic data on 292 consecutive patients with a mean follow‐up of 16 months are reported. the results are based on 786 colposcopies performed at 6‐month intervals according to conventional methods. Colposcopic findings are categorized into one of the following patterns: normal, warty, punctate, mosaic, leukoplakia, and combination. Colposcopic pattern bore an excellent correlation to the natural history (clinical course) of the HPV lesions, in that colposcopy was normal in 75% of the regressing lesions, in 38% of the persistors, and in only 16% of the progressors. the percentage of regression increased parallel with the frequency of normal pattern during the follow‐up. Leukoplakia and combination were the two most frequent (55.7%) patterns in progressor lesions, as compared with only 12.9% in regressors and in 33.2% of the persistors. the same was true of the 15 lesions progressing into carcinoma in situ (CIS), and treated by cone. in the progressor lesions, an abnormal colposcopy pattern was disclosed in 65–100%, as compared with 14–35% only in the regressors. the present study provides evidence that colposcopy is an applicable and relatively accurate diagnostic method for assessing cervical HPV lesions. Colposcopy also seems to have some prognostic value in the follow‐up of these lesions, as shown by the fact that normal colposcopic pattern is frequently associated with regression, whereas leukoplakia and combination are encountered more frequently than others in HPV lesions with CIN, shown to be more prone to progress during the follow‐up


Amino acid transport across cellular membranes is mediated by multiple transporters with overlapping specificities. We recently have identified the vertebrate proteins which mediate Na+‐independent exchange of large neutral amino acids corresponding to transport system L. This transporter consists of a novel amino acid permease‐related protein (LAT1 or AmAT‐L‐lc) which for surface expression and function requires formation of disulfide‐linked heterodimers with the glycosylated heavy chain of the h4F2/CD98 surface antigen. We show that h4F2hc also associates with other mammalian light chains, e.g. y+LAT1 from mouse and human which are ∼48% identical with LAT1 and thus belong to the same family of glycoprotein‐associated amino acid transporters. The novel heterodimers form exchangers which mediate the cellular efflux of cationic amino acids and the Na+‐dependent uptake of large neutral amino acids. These transport characteristics and kinetic and pharmacological fingerprints identify them as y+L‐type transport systems. The mRNA encoding my+LAT1 is detectable in most adult tissues and expressed at high levels in kidney cortex and intestine. This suggests that the y+LAT1–4F2hc heterodimer, besides participating in amino acid uptake/secretion in many cell types, is the basolateral amino acid exchanger involved in transepithelial reabsorption of cationic amino acids; hence, its defect might be the cause of the human genetic disease lysinuric protein intolerance.


It was shown, that local influence of galvanic current upon the lung angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in spontaneously hypertensive rats led to a decrease of systemic blood pressure in consequence of reduced peripheral vascular resistance. The development of the hemodynamic alteration was accompanied by variations of physiological and biochemical indices of the lung ACE-activity. These results indicate that the ACE-dependent processes in the lung play on important role in the mechanisms of vasoconstriction, increase in vascular resistance and development of arterial hypertension.


The greatest global root of irremediable amaurosis in the venerable is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a complex eye condition. Clinically, AMD is characterized as being in an early stage to late stage and initially affects the macula, which is the center of the retina (advanced AMD). Age-related cellular and metabolic imbalance are made worse by the creation of excessive amounts of free radical species, which causes mitochondrial malfunction. As a result, in AMD-affected eyes, the deprivation of melanocytes, confection, and eventually atrophy within the retinal tissue are caused by the continued proliferation of oxidative stress caused by systemic antioxidant capacity depletion. In the urbanized, industrialized world, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the major causes of central vision loss in the older age group. Although several causes and mechanisms for the dysfunction and degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have previously been identified, the condition's symptoms are still not fully understood. Etiopathogenesis is still not entirely understood. As a result, the RPE fails, allowing an accumulation of aberrant misfolded proteins, due to the loss of anatomical control over oppression, altered homeostasis, dysfunctional lipid homeostasis, and failure of mitochondria. Due to the multitude of interconnected processes, numerous complicated therapy combinations will probably be the best option to deliver the best visual outcomes; these combinations will vary depending on the kind and degree of the condition being treated. Undoubtedly, this will lead to the development of customized preventative medications and, hopefully, the revelation of a potential cure. All the mechanisms involved in the etiology of AMD should be continuously probed to create covariates for other contemporaneous or future problems.


Single-photon interference is a beautiful manifestation of the wave–particle duality of light and the double-slit Gedankenexperiment is a standard lecture example for introducing quantum mechanical reality. Interference arises only if each photon can follow several (classical) paths from the source to the detector, and if one does not have the possibility to determine which specific path the photon has taken. Attaching a specific label to the photon traveling along a specific path destroys the interference. However, in some cases those labels can be erased from the photon between leaving the apparatus and being detected, by which interference can be restored, a phenomenon called quantum erasing. We present lecture demonstration experiments that illustrate the wave–particle duality of light and the phenomenon of quantum erasing. Both experiments are first shown with strong light and, in a second step, on a photon-by-photon basis. The smooth transition from the quantum to the classical case can be shown in real time by varying the incident light intensity.


Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) development is associated with global immunodeficiency including T-cell exhaustion. We hypothesise that repairing T cell functions would improve outcome and decrease infectious complications which cause significant morbidity in CLL patients. Chronic B-cell receptor (BCR) activation as well as close interactions with the tumour microenvironment promote survival of malignant CLL B-cells, supporting their ability to induce immune suppression. To date, the most clinically successful approach to BCR-signalling inhibition is by the use of BTK inhibitors (BTKi). It has been suggested that the BTKi Ibrutinib has the ability to modulate T-helper cell polarity from Th2 to Th1 and thus would be a step towards repairing CLL associated T-cell defects (1). We were therefore interested to determine whether the second generation BTKi Acalabrutinib which has no reported inhibitory capacity towards ITK would have similar effects than Ibrutinib in modulating T cell responses.
 Materials and Methods: To address this question in vivo C57/Bl6 animals 2.5 months of age were injected with 40x10e6 purified CLL B-cells pooled from Eµ-TCL1 mice with CLL. When peripheral blood CLL load reached >10% animals were randomized (mean day 14) to either vehicle treatment (2% HPBD) or Acalabrutinib treatment (0.15 mg/l in 2% HPBC) for 21 days. 17 animals were group were analysed. Splenic cells were isolated, the cellular component characterized by CyTOF and T cell function assessed by multi-parameter flow cytometry and T-cell synapse formation assay.
 Results: Treatment with Acalabrutinib resulted in increased expression of IL2 (p<0.0001) in CD4+ T cells and decreased expression of IL4 among both CD4+ T cells (p=0.0016) but not CD8+ T-cells. There was a reduction in Interferon gamma production in both CD4 T-cells (p=0.0463) and CD8+ T-cells (p=0.0064) with Acalabrutinib treatment. In addition, treatment resulted in an increase in CD107a+/CD107a- ratio among both CD44+ and CD44- CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells. This effect was pronounced in the antigen experienced CD44+ cytotoxic T-cells (p<0.0001) but only moderate (p=0.0056) in the CD44- cytotoxic T-cells. Lastly, we find a statistically significant increase in T-cell synapse area (p<0.0001) with Acalabrutinib treatment (Figure 1).
 Conclusion: We find that treatment with both Ibrutinib and Acalabrutinib result in a similar shift of T cell function with cytokine secretion with increased IL2 and decreased IL4. T-cells in CLL have increased Interferon gamma production (2) and the observed decrease seen with Acalabrutinib is in keeping with a normalization of T cell function. Moreover, overall CD8+ T-cell function is increased with Acalabrutinib treatment as evidenced by an increase in cytotoxic T-cell function and immune synapse formation. We speculate that inhibition of ITK is not the leading cause for this phenomenon as Acalabrutinib does not have inhibitory capacity toward this kinase. These changes suggest that BTKi modulate T cell mediated immune responses indirectly via either their effects in the CLL B-cell or myeloid cells in the tumour microenvironment.
 References Dubovsky JA, Beckwith KA, Natarajan G, Woyach JA, Jaglowski S, Zhong Y, et al. Ibrutinib is an irreversible molecular inhibitor of ITK driving a Th1-selective pressure in T lymphocytes. Blood. 2013;122(15):2539-49. Riches JC, Davies JK, McClanahan F, Fatah R, Iqbal S, Agrawal S, et al. T cells from CLL patients exhibit features of T-cell exhaustion but retain capacity for cytokine production. Blood. 2013;121(9):1612-21.

 Frigault: Acerta Pharma: Employment. Gribben:Abbvie: Honoraria; Acerta Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Wellcome Trust: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Unum: Equity Ownership; Roche: Honoraria; TG Therapeutics: Honoraria; NIH: Research Funding; Medical Research Council: Research Funding; Cancer Research UK: Research Funding; Kite: Honoraria; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria.


Increases in total factor productivity (TFP) are commonly associated with accumulation of knowledge through technological innovation and investment in R&D. However, organizational innovations also improve productivity through the reduction of transaction costs. The main purpose of the paper is to assess the effect of trade innovations (aiming at decreasing transactions costs related to trade), labor qualification levels (or R&D) on the growth rate of TFP in Tunisian and Egyptian manufacturing industries. Empirical results show that trade innovations reduce transactions costs and lead to increases in TFP. Trade innovations and labor qualifications are more significant than investments in R&D. However, for the case of Tunisia, this growth rate is positively associated to trade innovations when the reduction of transaction costs is important enough.