For the development of functional edible packaging that will not lead to rejection by the consumer, it is needed to analyze the interactions between ingredients in the packaging matrix. The aim of this study was to develop edible chitosan-based coatings that have been enriched with red grape extracts, zinc, silver, and titanium nanoparticles. The organoleptic properties of the produced edible packaging were described by quantitative descriptive analysis and consumer acceptability was verified by hedonic analysis. By image analysis, color parameters in the CIELab system, opacity, Whiteness and Yellowness Index were described. The microstructure was described by scanning electron microscopy. The hedonic evaluation revealed that the addition of nanometals and their increasing concentration caused a deterioration in sample acceptability. The overall evaluation was higher than 5 in 50% of the samples containing nanometals. The addition of nanometals also caused statistically significant changes in L*, a*, and b* values. The sample transparency generally decreased with the increasing concentration of nanoparticle addition. Scanning electron microscopy showed, that the addition of nanometals does not disrupt the protective function of the packaging. From a sensory point of view, the addition of ZnO nanoparticles in concentrations of 0.05 and 0.2% appeared to be the most favorable of all nanometals.


This article aimed to describe Principal's leadership and to describe about the leadership style. Because the leadership style of a principal can determine the success of all activities in the school including the learning process in the classroom. This leadership style would be reflected in how teachers carry out their basic duties as educators. With the qualitative method, the collective data used documentation and observation. The result showed Employee R1, leader S1. The leadership style in this scenario was top-down as R1 that associated with low skill as well as commitment. By directing and telling as clearly as possible what to do, leaders can control the outcome. Subordinates were also easier to complete the task. Employee R2, leader S2. Subordinates show a willingness to do tasks, but did not have enough skills. Thus, the leader was more in the role of supervisor or coach. Leaders can help subordinates gain experience and confidence. Employee R3, leader S3. In this scenario, subordinates already have skills and skills that were qualified but relatively low commitment. Therefore, the role of leaders was not to tell them what to do. Leaders were there to motivate and support to boost their confidence. Leaders also play a role in providing help and feedback on employee performance, but only when it's really needed. Employee S4, leader S4. Subordinates already have high skills supported with a high commitment to completing tasks. Therefore, the role of the leader was as a supervisor who monitors everything already goes according to plan.


Were astronauts forced to land on the surface of Mars using manual control of their vehicle, they would not have familiar gravitational cues because Mars' gravity is only 0.38 g. They could become susceptible to spatial disorientation, potentially causing mission ending crashes. In our earlier studies, we secured blindfolded participants into a Multi-Axis Rotation System (MARS) device that was programmed to behave like an inverted pendulum. Participants used a joystick to stabilize around the balance point. We created a spaceflight analog condition by having participants dynamically balance in the horizontal roll plane, where they did not tilt relative to the gravitational vertical and therefore could not use gravitational cues to determine their position. We found 90% of participants in our spaceflight analog condition reported spatial disorientation and all of them showed it in their data. There was a high rate of crashing into boundaries that were set at ± 60° from the balance point. Our goal was to see whether we could use deep learning to predict the occurrence of crashes before they happened. We used stacked gated recurrent units (GRU) to predict crash events 800 ms in advance with an AUC (area under the curve) value of 99%. When we prioritized reducing false negatives we found it resulted in more false positives. We found that false negatives occurred when participants made destabilizing joystick deflections that rapidly moved the MARS away from the balance point. These unpredictable destabilizing joystick deflections, which occurred in the duration of time after the input data, are likely a result of spatial disorientation. If our model could work in real time, we calculated that immediate human action would result in the prevention of 80.7% of crashes, however, if we accounted for human reaction times (∼400 ms), only 30.3% of crashes could be prevented, suggesting that one solution could be an AI taking temporary control of the spacecraft during these moments.


[reaction: see text] Thermolysis of 2-methoxy-2-triphenylsiloxy-5,5-dimethyl-Delta(3)-1,3, 4-oxadiazoline affords methyl triphenylsilylformate and methyl triphenylsilyl ether via methoxytriphenylsiloxycarbene. Kinetics show that the carbene undergoes reversible 1,2-triphenylsilyl migration (Brook rearrangement) as well as irreversible decarbonylation. Computed transition states and activation energies (B3LYP/6-31+G) suggest that the migration of the silyl group from oxygen to carbon occurs through an "in plane" transition state with the carbene lone pair forming a new bond to silicon. Decarbonylation involves a four-membered ring, achieved by nucleophilic attack of the oxygen atom of the methoxy group at silicon.


Primary mediastino pulmonary tuberculosis in infancy is increasing in France. Bacteriological diagnosis is difficult. The aim of the study is to assess the value of chest radiograph and CTscan for diagnosis of tuberculosis. We studied 15 infants, 3 month old to 18 month old, between November 1990 and June 1992. On plain film, lymphadenopathies were present in 13 cases and parenchymal disease in 10 cases, parenchymal nodular densities in 6 cases and pleural effusion in one case, displacement of the trachea in 6 cases. We found CTscan to be useful in delineating the lymphadenopathies and parenchymal changes. In 2 cases lymphadenopathies and in 2 cases alveolar condensation were discovered on CTscan as plain film was normal. In all cases lymphadenopathies were present in CTscan, often in right side and in all cases, lymphadenopathies were hypodense with peripheral enhancement. In conclusion, the association of right paratracheal nodes with displacement of trachea and alveolar consolidation is common in tuberculosis in infants. These findings when seen on chest radiographs must lead to perform a CTscan and suggest the diagnosis.


Enzymes are biocatalysts produced by living cells to bring about specific biochemical reactions generally forming parts of the metabolic processes of the cells. Enzymes are highly specific in their action on substrates and often many different enzymes are required to bring about, by concerted action, the sequence of metabolic reactions performed by the living cell. All enzymes which have been purified are protein in nature, and may or may not possess a nonprotein prosthetic group. The practical application and industrial use of enzymes to accomplish certain reactions apart from the cell dates back many centuries and was practiced long before the nature or function of enzymes was understood. Use of barley malt for starch conversion in brewing, and of dung for bating of hides in leather making, are examples of ancient use of enzymes. It was not until nearly the turn of this century that the causative agents or enzymes responsible for bringing about such biochemical reactions became known. Then crude preparations from certain animal tissues such as pancreas and stomach mucosa, or from plant tissues such as malt and papaya fruit, were prepared which found technical applications in the textile, leather, brewing, and other industries. Once the favorable results of employing such enzyme preparations were established, a search began for better, less expensive, and more readily available sources of such enzymes. It was found that certain microorganisms produce enzymes similar in action to the amylases of malt and pancreas, or to the proteases of the pancreas and papaya fruit. This led to the development of processes for producing such microbial enzymes on a commercial scale. Dr. Jokichi Takamine (1894, 1914) was the first person to realize the technical possibility of cultivated enzymes and to introduce them to industry. He was mainly concerned with fungal enzymes, whereas Boidin and Effront (1917) in France pioneered in the production of bacterial enzymes about 20 years later. Technological progress in this field during the last decades has been so great that, for many uses, micro-


In an effort to enhance the dialog between the literature on casualty sensitivity and that on civilian control, this article offers an integrative analysis that shows how high levels of casualty sensitivity affect the balance of power between civilians and the military. By drawing on the case of Israel during the Second Lebanon War (2006) and the Gaza War (2009), the article demonstrates that casualty sensitivity has a double effect. Initially, it restrains military action because the military internalizes this casualty shyness and, in response, adopts policies of casualty aversion. Thus, casualty sensitivity empowers civilians (at least, dovish civilians) vis a vis the military. However, the military and political leaders' efforts to compensate for these restraints ultimately give the military even more latitude. These efforts involve military doctrines that allow rapid decision making, contingency plans that weaken civilian control, and the military's control over the cost-informed discourse. Casualty aversion thus affects civilian control.


Wavelength routed optical networks have emerged as a technology that can effectively utilize the enormous bandwidth of the optical fiber. Wavelength converters play an important role in enhancing the fiber utilization and reducing the overall call blocking probability of the network. As the distortion of the optical signal increases with the increase in the range of wavelength conversion in optical wavelength converters, limited range wavelength conversion assumes importance. Placement of wavelength converters is a NP complete problem in an arbitrary mesh network. In this paper, we investigate heuristics for placing limited range wavelength converters in arbitrary mesh wavelength routed optical networks. The objective is to achieve near optimal placement of limited range wavelength converters resulting in reduced blocking probabilities and low distortion of the optical signal. The proposed heuristic is to place limited range wavelength converters at the most congested nodes, nodes which lie on the long lightpaths and nodes where conversion of the optical signals is significantly high. We observe that limited range converters at a few nodes can provide almost the entire improvement in the blocking probability as the full range wavelength converters placed at all the nodes. Congestion control in the network is brought about by dynamically adjusting the weights of the channels in the link thereby balancing the load and reducing the average delay of the traffic in the entire network. Simulations have been carried out on a 12-node ring network, 14-node NSFNET, 19-node European Optical Network (EON), 30-node INET network and the results agree with the analysis.


Coenzyme A concentration and the activity of the succinic dehydrogenase system in rodent adrenals are both circadian periodic functions; both apparently can be synchronized with a 24-hour periodic regimen of alternating light and darkness. Such light-synchronized periodicity analysis reveals that circadian changes in succinic dehydrogenase activity are roughly in phase with changes in serum corticosterone and, perhaps, also in phase with the corticosterone rhythm of the adrenal itself. The circadian rhythm of adrenal CoA, in turn, shows a significant phase difference when compared either to corticosterone concentration or to the activity of the succinic dehydrogenase system. Circadian periodic changes in total biotin concentration in adrenals of rats and mice were not detected.


Two new species, Cataglyphis stigmatus sp. nov. and C. pubescens sp. nov. are described based on workers from Iran. The first species belongs to the bicolor species- group and clearly differs from all known species of this group by its yellow colour (except of C. lunaticus), but well distinguishes from the latter by the longer scape, by the lower propodeum, which dorsal surface is distinctly longer than the posterior one, by the less abundant standing hairs on the alitrunk and petiole, and especially by the much longer propodeal spiracles. Taxonomic position of C. pubescens is less clear, it shares features of the cursor-, emeryi- and emmae-groups, while differs from all species of these groups by the dense and long depressed pubescence on the head and alitrunk.


BACKGROUND Local intradermal injection of botulinum toxin Type A has become a recognized treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis. This study has investigated the efficacy of this method of treatment in terms of symptom-free interval between treatments and patients' satisfaction. We also investigated the reliance on patients' subjective assessment of the recurrence of symptoms in determining the timing of repeat injections. METHODS All patients referred to our clinic between May 2001 and December 2005 with a diagnosis of focal primary axillary hyperhidrosis were included in this study. Data were collected prospectively in a standard proforma. Every patient received a questionnaire to complete over a 4-week period. The questionnaire included visual analogue scales for periprocedural pain, degree of dryness, satisfaction, regret, and complications. Final symptom-free interval was recorded when the patient requested a repeat injection. The data were recorded on a spreadsheet and analyzed using standard statistical methods. RESULTS A total of 52 consecutive patients and 238 axillary injections were analyzed. The symptom-free interval ranged from 3 to 14 months with a median of 5.97 months. There were no significant complications from this treatment modality. A total of 97% of the patients were highly satisfied with only 1 patient regretting the treatment. CONCLUSION Botulinum toxin Type A is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis. Timing of repeat injections as determined subjectively by patients is comparable to studies using colorimetric and gravimetric techniques to quantify the severity of sweating prior to the administration of repeat injections.


Perspective on the paper by Jackson et al ( see 298 )

The study by Jackson et al 1 represents a significant contribution to our knowledge in the area of hypertension research and related clinical practice. The definition of national blood pressure references for children and young adults, aged 4–23 years, living in Great Britain provides important, complementary information to the updated US guidelines on the management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents aged 1–17 years,2 as well as to earlier attempts to define normative blood pressure values from other countries.3–,7 In addition, these centiles will integrate existing charts in the UK regarding other important parameters (eg, body mass index), thereby allowing a more comprehensive characterisation of the health of children. Some distinctive aspects of the study by Jackson et al 1 should be highlighted: the representative and large sample size of the seven surveys from which blood pressure data were drawn; the consistent method applied for blood pressure measurements; the use of a statistical technique such as the LMS method to construct blood pressure centiles, which accounts for the skewness (L), median (M), and coefficient of variation (S) of the blood pressure distribution.8 Indeed, this statistical tool had been previously used in a German study to derive normalised reference values for the 24-h ambulatory blood pressure in children and adolescents aged 5–20 years.7

In addition to the statistical value of their contribution, the study by Jackson et al is particularly relevant because it gives emphasis to a significant problem in the medical field: hypertension in childhood. In the past few decades, the definition of …


DARWALL, Stephen. Honor, History, & Relationship: Essays in Second-Personal Ethics II. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. 285 pp. Cloth, $99.00; paper, $29.95--This volume comprises eleven previously published journal articles and book chapters. Each essay stands on its own, and small differences in the essays' introductions to "second-personal ethics" complement each other to clarify Darwall's position. The volume offers samples of an approach rather than a thorough treatment of his theory; for that account, Darwall directs his readers to The Second-Person Standpoint: Morality, Respect, and Accountability (Harvard University Press, 2006). Darwall struggles with a problem in modern moral philosophy. On the one hand, he accepts with Grotius the notion "that morality (natural law) creates 'obligations' whose binding force cannot be reduced to reasons or 'counsels' of any kind." On the other hand, Darwall accepts Anscombe's critique of modern theories of moral law: "a law of any kind necessarily requires a legislator." Like Anscombe, Darwall rejects efforts to justify the moral law either through third-person appeals to abstract moral norms or through first-person self-legislation. For Darwall, the solution to the problem of justifying a secular, nonteleological morality of obligation rests in second-personal relationships of mutual accountability. According to Darwall, moral obligation arises from the authority each person has as a rational agent to make second-personal demands on another. This authority is reciprocal: in recognizing the other as a rational agent, I acknowledge the authority of the other to make demands on me and, in making demands on the other, I acknowledge the other's capacity to fulfill those demands as a rational agent. Morality arises among the members of moral communities. "Moral obligations, on this conception, are what we have standing as such members to demand of one another and ourselves. Accordingly, when people violate moral obligations and rights, they fail adequately to respect this authority." The collection has three parts. Chapters one through four introduce the second-personal perspective in ethics as a development of P. F. Strawson's argument in "Freedom and Resentment" (1968) that moral demands are made only within relationships of mutual respect among equals. Chapters five through seven argue that the morality of human relationships is best understood in terms of second-personal ethics. Chapters eight through eleven argue that second-personal ethics can solve problems of justification and interpretation that arise from canonical texts of modern moral philosophy. Chapter eight stands out as the strongest chapter in the book; it presents the problem that second-person ethics is intended to solve. Here Darwall locates the shift to a secular theory of moral obligation in the work of Hugo Grotius. …


Caricature can be defined as an art engage which aims to transmit a social or political message. In order to achieve this goal, the satirical picture triggers an emotional reaction in the audience and guides it through a cathartic coming-of-awareness process. The feelings evoked by caricature must not necessarily be expressed through laughter; but they are a joyful or indignant shock reaction to gazing at something absurd. William A. Coupe, following Schiller, therefore defines the nature of caricature as the outcome of a dialectical struggle between the ideal and the real: 'This conflict of ideal and real may, however, be seen and expressed in two different ways, in an emotional and serious or in a humorous and jesting fashion.'


The papillomavirus 16, 18 vaccine, like the papillomavirus 6, 11, 16, 18 vaccine, reduces the risk of high-grade cervical dysplasia due to all viral genotypes by about 40% in young women who are not yet infected at the time of vaccination. The vaccine does not seem to provoke any serious adverse effects, but there is no proof that it reduces the risk of cancer.


Atomic surface tensions are parameterized for use with solvation models in which the electrostatic part of the calculation is based on the conductor‐like screening model (COSMO) and the semiempirical molecular orbital methods AM1, PM3, and MNDO/d. The convergence of the calculated polarization free energies with respect to the numerical parameters of the electrostatic calculations is first examined. The accuracy and precision of the calculated values are improved significantly by adjusting two parameters that control the segmentation of the solvent‐accessible surface that is used for the calculations. The accuracy of COSMO calculations is further improved by adopting an optimized set of empirical electrostatic atomic radii. Finally, the electrostatic calculation is combined with SM5‐type atomic surface tension functionals that are used to compute the nonelectrostatic portions of the solvation free energy. All parameterizations are carried out using rigid (R) gas‐phase geometries; this combination (SM5‐type surface tensions, COSMO electrostatics, and rigid geometries) is called SM5CR. Six air–water and 76 water–solvent partition coefficients are added to the training set of air–solvent data points previously used to parameterize the SM5 suite of solvation models, thereby bringing the total number of data points in the training set to 2266. The model yields free energies of solvation and transfer with mean unsigned errors of 0.63, 0.59, and 0.61 kcal/mol for AM1, PM3, and MNDO/d, respectively, over all 2217 data points for neutral solutes in the training set and mean unsigned errors of 3.0, 2.7, and 3.1 kcal/mol, respectively, for 49 data points for the ions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 21: 340–366, 2000


In the last decades, the increase in global industrialization and the consequent technological progress have damaged the quality of the environment. As a consequence, the high levels of hazardous compounds such as metals and gases released in the atmosphere and water, have raised several concerns about the health of living organisms. Today, many analytical techniques are available with the aim to detect pollutant chemical species. However, a lot of them are not affordable due to the expensive instrumentations, time-consuming processes and high reagents volumes. Last but not least, their use is exclusive to trained operators. Contrarily, colorimetric sensing devices, including paper-based devices, are easy to use, providing results in a short time, without particular specializations to interpret the results. In addition, the colorimetric response is suitable for fast detection, especially in resource-limited environments or underdeveloped countries. Among different chemical species, transition and heavy metals such as iron Fe(II) and copper Cu(II) as well as volatile compounds, such as ammonia (NH3) and acetaldehyde (C2H4O) are widespread mainly in industrialized geographical areas. In this work, we developed a colorimetric paper-based analytical device (PAD) to detect different contaminants, including Fe2+ and Cu2+ ions in water, and NH3 and C2H4O in air at low concentrations. This study is a "proof of concept" of a new paper sensor in which the intensity of the colorimetric response is proportional to the concentration of a detected pollutant species. The sensor model could be further implemented in other technologies, such as drones, individual protection devices or wearable apparatus to monitor the exposure to toxic species in both indoor and outdoor environments.


Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) was used to identify candidate language processing areas in the intact human brain. Language was defined broadly to include both phonological and lexical–semantic functions and to exclude sensory, motor, and general executive functions. The language activation task required phonetic and semantic analysis of aurally presented words and was compared with a control task involving perceptual analysis of nonlinguistic sounds. Functional maps of the entire brain were obtained from 30 right-handed subjects. These maps were averaged in standard stereotaxic space to produce a robust "average activation map" that proved reliable in a split-half analysis. As predicted from classical models of language organization based on lesion data, cortical activation associated with language processing was strongly lateralized to the left cerebral hemisphere and involved a network of regions in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. Less consistent with classical models were (1) the existence of left hemisphere temporoparietal language areas outside the traditional "Wernicke area," namely, in the middle temporal, inferior temporal, fusiform, and angular gyri; (2) extensive left prefrontal language areas outside the classical "Broca area"; and (3) clear participation of these left frontal areas in a task emphasizing "receptive" language functions. Although partly in conflict with the classical model of language localization, these findings are generally compatible with reported lesion data and provide additional support for ongoing efforts to refine and extend the classical model.


Analytic solutions of the current distribution, the k-/spl beta/ diagram, and the cutoff frequencies are obtained for electromagnetic waves propagating on an infinite Yagi-Uda structure. All quantities are expressed in terms of tabulated functions without involving numerical integrations. Theoretical limits of various passbands are also calculated.


Parliamentary systems can be characterised by particular patterns of interaction between the executive, the majority parties and the opposition parties in parliament. The basic argument outlined in this paper is that in order to understand the impact of European integration on national parliamentary democracies we have to find out how these patterns are adjusted. The article starts by identifying the basic social mechanisms that drive the interaction of the mentioned groups of actors and by describing how they are modified in European multi-level governance. In this context, members of national parliaments are faced with a dilemma: Successful scrutiny can undermine the effectiveness of European governance whereas a permissive parliament causes a legitimacy deficit. Through case studies on the Europeanisation of the parliamentary systems in the UK, in Denmark and in Germany, the authors show how members of parliaments cope with this challenge and which strategies they apply to avoid the dilemma.


The studies described here explored the staining of acute leukemia cells with acridine orange (AO). The red fluorescence curve of AML specimens was usually bimodal, suggesting the presence of subpopulations of cells which have different RNA contents. In almost every AML specimen, small leukemic blast cells comprised at least part of the "low RNA content" subpopulation. Residual granulocytes and lymphocytes also contributed to this population. Frequently, the green fluorescence, indicative of the binding of AO to DNA, was slightly less in these cells than in the majority of cells present. There was no evidence however, that the leukemia cells with these characteristics represented a G0 or kinetically quiescent population of cells. In ALL specimens, the presence of multiple cytogenetically distinct clones was easily detectable in AO stained specimens. The red fluorescence curve of G0/G1 ALL cells was unimodal.


Damage monitoring under time-varying structural boundary condition is one of the most difficult tasks in piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) and Lamb wave based SHM methods for engineering applications. Because the structural boundary changes such as variations in the tightness of bolts between structures can lead to false monitoring result even the structure is in health state. This paper proposes a Lamb wave based on-line continuous updating Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) to study the problem. Based on the baseline GMM constructed by features of Lamb wave signals in structural health state, an on-line continuous updating GMM is studied to learn the dynamic changes of Lamb wave monitoring signals without any prior knowledge of damage patterns. The KullbackÐLeibler (KL) divergence is used as a degradation index to estimate the structural damage by measuring the difference between the baseline GMM and the on-line GMM. The proposed method is validated on an aircraft steel beam. The validation results show that the method is effective for bolt hole crack growth monitoring under the time-varying changes in the tightness degree of the bolts.


Powders of the Al92Fe3Cr2Mn3 quaternary alloy were produced by spray atomization processing; then they were processed by warm extrusion to obtain extruded ingots. The results revealed that in both the powder particles and the extruded bulk samples, α-Al, quasicrystalline and intermetallic phases coexist. The quasicrystalline phase was observed as aggregates and its decomposition to crystalline phase occurs above 500 °C. Microstructural changes after extrusion were not observed, indicating that the quasicrystalline phase and the intermetallic compounds are stable against coarsening during the time and temperature of extrusion. The presence of microporosities after the extrusion is attributed to the spherical form of the powders and mainly to the high volume of intermetallic faceted-particles.


Non-typhoidal Salmonella spp. are common food-associated pathogens, and Salmonella infections are one of the most common causes of death associated with food-associated illness, especially in developing countries. As in many other developing countries, raw food hygiene and antimicrobial resistance epidemiology are in their infancy in Vietnam. In addition, the lack of stringent controls on antimicrobial usage in human health and particularly in animal production systems increases the risk of food-borne pathogens harbouring and disseminating antibiotic resistance genes. For countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries, Salmonella vaccination is a more cost-effective way of controlling Salmonella in food production animals than the use of antibiotic therapy.


In Miller v. Alabama (2012), the U.S. Supreme Court imposed special requirements for sentencing juveniles who have been transferred to criminal court for conviction and sentencing as adults. Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016) also required that all juveniles sentenced to life without parole in the past must be resentenced. For these cases, the Court required that consideration of life without parole and any alternative sentences must include a review of potentially mitigating factors associated with a youth's developmental immaturity. This is the first book to offer guidance to forensic mental health examiners when performing evaluations to assist attorneys and judges in Miller sentencing and resentencing cases. The first three chapters review relevant legal, conceptual, and research background for examiners. The Court's specific developmental factors are defined, as well as relevant case law and legal process for juvenile sentencing cases. Then psychological concepts and theory related to those developmental factors are reviewed, and a chapter identifies research that examiners can use to inform their assessment and interpretation process. With that conceptual background, the next four chapters offer recommendations for conducting these evaluations. Preparation for the evaluation is described, including managing the requirements and expectations of referring parties. Then the process of data collection is outlined, including interviews and psychological and developmental testing tailored for this type of evaluation. Final chapters offer guidance for interpreting the data to address the law's relevant developmental factors, as well as an outline and advice for written reports and oral testimony in juvenile sentencing cases.


We report a case of stage IE non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the testis including the sonographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. A 68-year-old male noticed a painless swelling of his right scrotal contents. The serum alpha-fetoprotein and beta-HCG levels were within the normal ranges. Scrotal ultra-sonography revealed a hypoechoic lesion in the right testis. This tumor showed isointensity on T1-weighted imaging and also showed low intensity on T2-weighted imaging. A high orchiectomy was performed and the histological diagnosis was non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and predonisolone) was administered. At 6 months postoperatively, this patient shows no signs of recurrence.


Uncertainty in the mass flux for advection dominated solute movement in heterogeneous porous media is investigated using the Lagrangian framework developed in paper 1 by Dagan et al. (this issue). Expressions for the covariance of the mass flux and cumulative mass flux are derived as functions of the injection volume and sampling area size relative to the scale of heterogeneity. The result is illustrated for solute advection in three types of heterogeneous porous media: stratified formations, two- and three-dimensional porous media; small perturbation approximation is used for the two- and three-dimensional cases. Variances of the mass flux and cumulative mass flux are evaluated as functions of the injection volume (area) scale versus log-hydraulic conductivity integral scale. The greatest decrease in coefficient of variation (CV) of the mass flux is for the source scale 1–5 times the hydraulic conductivity integral scale; further increase in the source size decreases CV comparatively less. The variance of the cumulative mass flux (or total discharge) indicates that for the source size of 20 hydraulic conductivity integral scales, the transport conditions are almost ergodic. The present results also indicate that the cumulative mass flux is a relatively robust quantity for describing field-scale solute transport.


A co-production system based on FT synthesis reactor and gas turbine was simulated and analyzed. Syngas from entrained bed coal gasification was used as feedstock of low temperature slurry phase Fischer-Tropsch reactor. Raw synthetic liquid produced was fractioned and upgraded to diesel, gasoline and LPG. Tail gas composed of unconverted syngas and F-T light component was fed to gas turbine. Supplemental fuel (NG, or refinery mine gas) might be necessary, which was dependent on gas turbine capacity, expander through flow capacity, etc. FT yield information was important to the simulation of this co-production system. A correlation model based on Mobil's two step pilot plant was applied. This model proposed triple chain-length-dependent chain growth factors and set up correlations among reaction temperature with wax yield, methane yield, and C2 -C22 paraffin and olefin yields. Oxygenates in hydrocarbon phase, water phase and vapor phase were also correlated with methane yield. It was suitable for syngas, iron catalyst and slurry bed. It can show the effect of temperature on products' selectivity and distribution. Deviations of C5+ components yields and distributions with reference data were less than 3%. To light gas components were less than 2%. User models available to predict product yields, distributions, cooperate with other units and do sensitive studies were embedded into Aspen plus simulation. Performance prediction of syngas fired gas turbine was the other key of this system. The increase in mass flow through the turbine affects the match between compressor and turbine operating conditions. The calculation was carried out by GS software developed by Politecnico Di Milano and Princeton University. The simulated performance assumed that the expander operates under choked conditions and turbine inlet temperature equals to NG fired gas turbine. A "F" technology gas turbine was selected to generate power. Various cases were investigated so as to match FT synthesis island, power island and gasification island in co-production systems. Effects of CO2 removal/LPG recovery, co-firing, CH4 content variation were studied. Simulation results indicated that more than 50% of input energy was converted to electricity and FT products. Total yield of gasoline, diesel and LPG was 136g-155g/NM3 (CO+H2 ). At coal feed 21.9kg/s, net electricity exported to grid was higher than 100MW. Total production of diesel and gasoline (and LPG) was 118,000 tons(134,000tons)/Year. Under economic analysis conditions assumed in this paper, co-production system was economic feasible. The after tax profits can research 17 million EURO. Payback times were ranged from 6-7 years.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


In this part, two new species and four genera of nematodes which is new record in China seas are reported. Other marine fish parasitic nematode found in Taiwan Strait include Cucullanellus pleuronectidis (Yamaguti,1935), Contracaecum zenopsis Yamaguti, 1961, Ascarophis epinepheli Wang, 1984, Indocucullanus muraenesocis Yin et Zhang, 1983, Terranova sp.,and Acanthocheilus sp. The diagnoses of the new species are as follow.[WT5HZ][WT5HX]1 Indocucullanus hapalogenyusi[WT5HZ] sp. nov. (Figs.1-4) The species obtained from the intestine of Hapalogenyus mucronatus . Male. Body length 3.55*!mm and 0.19 mm at greatest width; nerve ring lies 0.18*!mm from the head end. Esophagus length 0.49 and 0.07*!mm wide at its middle. Right spicule 1.33 and left one 1.07*!mm long. There are 11 pairs of caudal papillae, of which pre-anal papillae 3 pairs, para-anal papillae 4 and post-anal 4 pairs. The present worm resembles I. ariusi Srivatava et Gupta, 1976 most on that the spicule length are about 1/3 of their body length, but differs from it mainly in the number of caudal papillae, that is the latter has 7 pairs caudal papillae. Holotype ♂,collected from the inteseine of Hapalogenyus mucronatus from northwest to west(23.2°-23.8°N, 117.5°-118°E) of Minnan-Taiwan Bank Fishing Ground, 15 Mar. 1996, by LUO Da-Min. [WT5HZ][WT5HX]2 Aliascaris aetoplateae [WT5HZ] sp. nov. (Figs. 14-18)The new species obtained from the stomach of Orectolobus maculatus and Aetoplatea zonura differs from Aliascaris indica Kalyankar, 1971 mainly in that there are not any papillae on the surface of its body and the excretory pore between two subventral lips. Female. Body length 20.98(8.68-32.31) and 1.12(0.60-1.95)mm at greatest width; the nerve ring and neck papillae lie 0.44(0.32-0.58)mm and 0.51(0.35-0.63)mm from the head end respectively. Esophagus length 1.68(1.20-3.65)mm. Ventriculus appendage 0.08(0.08-0.09)mm long. Vulva opening is 35.03%(32.40%-39.42%) of the body length from the anterior end. Holotype♀, paratypes 1♀,collected from the stomach of Aetoplatea zonura and 2 ♂♂ collected from the stomach of Orectolobus maculatus , all of them from south (22.2-22.8°N, 118°-118.5°E) of Minnan-Taiwan Bank Fishing Groud, 13 Jun. 1996, by LUO Da-Min.


Organic waste stream will be excluded from the landfill in close future, and infrastructure for collection of organic waste established in coming years, therefore it is critical to foresee alternative biotreatment options. As planned, in Estonia local municipalities will be responsible for organizing biotreatment, which will be based on large-scale composting. Although economically beneficial, this will concentrate waste treatment into a few waste treatment sites, making a system unsustainable because of a need for massive transportation. Another alternative solution would be onsite farm-composting. By nature, composting of solid waste is similar to composting of manure, being well known to farmers, but not to solid waste companies. Farmland is also the market for end product – compost. Composting does not need everyday care and can be managed as an extra job. Farmers may have spare time between regular agricultural routines. Farmers may have equipment that can be modified to mix and shred organics. Also, there is plenty of space for storing mature compost. Compost farms can be seen as an alternative farming, providing additional income for farmers, creating jobs, and contributing to local development. Biotreatment of organic waste is the only waste management option, which can be fully organised by local authorities. By promoting onsite farm-composting, the municipalities will get a tool for controlling the cost for waste treatment. This is especially important in small and remote municipalities.


In order to exploit the full potential of the Advanced Hydrotest Facility (AHF) facility to produce a time sequence of proton transmission radiographs throughout the dynamic event, a kicker/modulator for extraction from the 50 GeV ring that is capable of generating a string of 25 pulse pairs at arbitrary times within a total time duration of 100 microseconds or more is desired. The full range of desired pulse-train requirements cannot be met with the commonly used pulse-forming cables or networks (PFNs) switched with thyratrons. The preferred modulator design approach at present is a transformer voltage-adder concept with primary-side pulses formed with MOSFET-switched capacitors. This modulator will be a scale-up of an existing modulator that has been developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for use in DARHT, an electron induction accelerator facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Before the voltage-adder concept can be adopted for use in AHF, a working prototype that meets the AHF requirements for the pulse voltage, current, rise and fall time, and total pulse number must be built and tested. Additional requirements for pulse-to-pulse flattop height variation and baseline shift must also be met. A development and testing plan for the voltage-adder kicker modulator for AHF is described.


Accurate image reconstruction is crucial for photoacoustic (PA) computed tomography (PACT). Recently, deep learning has been used to reconstruct the PA image with a supervised scheme, which requires high-quality images as ground truth labels. In practice, there are inevitable trade-offs between cost and performance since the use of more channels is an expensive strategy to access more measurements. Here, we propose a cross-domain unsupervised reconstruction (CDUR) strategy with a pure transformer model, which overcomes the lack of ground truth labels from limited PA measurements. The proposed approach exploits the equivariance of PACT to achieve high performance with a smaller number of channels. We implement a self-supervised reconstruction in a model-based form. Meanwhile, we also leverage the self-supervision to enforce the measurement and image consistency on three partitions of measured PA data, by randomly masking different channels. We find that dynamically masking a high proportion of the channels, e.g., 80%, yields nontrivial self-supervisors in both image and signal domains, which decrease the multiplicity of the pseudo solution to efficiently reconstruct the image from fewer PA measurements with minimum error of the image. Experimental results on in-vivo PACT dataset of mice demonstrate the potential of our unsupervised framework. In addition, our method shows a high performance (0.83 structural similarity index (SSIM) in the extreme sparse case with 13 channels), which is close to that of supervised scheme (0.77 SSIM with 16 channels). On top of all the advantages, our method may be deployed on different trainable models in an end-to-end manner.


The purpose is to evaluate the effect of UV irradiation on the bond strength between epoxy-based glass fiber posts and resin cement. Twelve epoxy-based glass fiber posts were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (Cont.): No surface treatment. Group 2 (Low-UV): UV irradiation was conducted from a distance of 10 cm for 10 min. Group 3 (High-UV): UV irradiation was conducted from a distance of 1 cm for 3 min. A resin cement (CLEARFIL SA LUTING) was used for the post cementation to form resin slabs which contained fiber posts in the center. Microtensile bond strengths were tested and the mean bond strengths (MPa) were 18.81 for Cont. group, 23.65 for Low-UV group, 34.75 for High-UV group. UV irradiation had a significant effect on the bond strength (p<0.05). UV irradiation demonstrates its capability to improve the bond strength between epoxy-based glass fiber posts and resin cement.


We are dealing with the influence of Hopkinson effect on magnetocaloric effect in glass-coated Ni-Mn-In-Co microwires in the given contribution. We have shown that although the entropy change is smaller in low fields, the refrigerant capacity per unit of applied field is three times higher for low field (300 Oe) comparing to that of 30 kOe. This points to the fact that Hopkinson effect can be employed to increase the efficiency of magnetocaloric effect.


In this work we address the problem of landmark localization in 3D point clouds by extending the convolutional pose machine (CPM) architecture to facilitate landmark localization in 3D point clouds. Making use of PointNet++,we are able to construct an architecture that is invariant tothe ordering of an input point cloud. The sequential CPM architecture facilitates allows initial heatmaps to be iteratively refined in a series of point convolutional stages to yield robust landmark predictions. We propose to evaluate our approach for 3D facial landmark localization on benchmark face databases, BU-3DFE, BP4D-Spontaneous and BP4D+. The robustness of the approach to the size of the input point cloud will be assessed, and the contribution of the CPM stages will be evaluated in an ablation study.


CONTEXT
[corrected] Diabetes is an important, complex, expensive, and increasingly frequent disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the diabetes mellitus prevalence and evolution in the Adalusian population between 1994 and 2000.

METHODS
We used and indirect method for estimating the rate of prevalence of the disease based on antidiabetic drug consumption data at regional level, using the official billing data, and the annual population data.

RESULTS
The prevalence estimated for diabetes mellitus in Andalusia was, 4.41%. This prevalence ranged from 2.47% in 1994 up to 4.41% in 2000. Oral antidiabetics/insulin use ratio was 2.31. The study shows an important variability of the prescription habits in diabetic patients in Andalucía.

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence observed in diabetes mellitus in Andalucía increased between 1994 and 2000. An important variability was observed among the different provinces.


Author(s): Poulin, Nathan Daniel | Advisor(s): Hetts, Steven W.; Zhang, Xiaoliang | Abstract: The positioning of surface receiver coils limits the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of MRI. Endovascular RF imaging coils placed at or near the region of interest can image at greatly enhanced SNR compared with surface coils. Treatment protocols for neurovascular and cardiovascular diseases and conditions would benefit from better image quality. A series of numerical simulations using the Finite Element Method (FEM) of the electric and magnetic fields of endovascular RF probes of the looped and loopless (antenna) kinds were performed in order to assess their imaging performances and to improve their designs at the imaging strength of 3T. Safety of the probes was also considered. Emphasis is placed on simulations of a loopless coil, with and without the addition of an extremely high dielectric coating. A new design concept for actively tracking the distal end of a loopless coil is proposed, where signal dropout normally prevents its visualization and localization. This would be one of the few available multi-functional coils which could be used for imaging and tracking. The design consists of a corkscrew shaped inductive loop placed at the end of the loopless coil (maintaining an open circuit), with its axis oriented in the xy plane, allowing for signal gain in the axis of the loop. Electric and magnetic fields were mapped and preliminary SNRs and Specific Absorption Rates (SARs) are presented, showing the corkscrew's viability as a potential active tracking mechanism.


So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. . . . They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden


The importance of active learning and higher order thinking skills among students at higher learning institutions have steered lecturers to employ the flipped classroom approach in their classes. The move is hoped to assist students to become active recipients of knowledge and break away from the traditional learning method where knowledge is only imparted by lecturers. A study was conducted to investigate: (1) the TESL students' ability to research and present their findings related to a teaching method via group posters when the flipped classroom approach is utilized in their Methodology in TESL 1 subject, and (2) their views on the feasibility of using flipped classroom approach for other TESL subjects. This study had adopted the mixed method approach in which an interview guide was used to address the first research question and a questionnaire was used to address the second research question. From the interview, it is found that majority of the TESL students had managed to research the teaching method assigned to them, had understood what they were reading, and were able to present the teaching method in the form of a poster. From the questionnaire data, it was found that majority of the TESL students agreed the flipped classroom approach can be implemented for other TESL subjects although a few of them felt that it might only be suitable for certain topics or subtopics as they were afraid of inaccurate knowledge being transferred if there is no proper guidance from the lecturer. Nevertheless, for this study, it can be concluded that the flipped classroom approach had enhanced the students' understanding of the given topic, and it is feasible for other TESL subjects.


Precision and recall are two widely accepted measures to Information Retrieval (IR) system performance. Different search strategies can yield different precisions and recalls for the same IR system, search engine or website. Therefore, precision and recall can also be used to measure search strategy effectiveness. YouTube® is a popular social media website which hosts the largest number of user-generated videos on the web. The YouTube® search engine only provides text words search function and search results are retrieved through the system matching these search terms to video descriptions, tags, comments, etc. Therefore, precision and recall can also be used to measure search strategy effectiveness. This paper aims to test if a search strategy using multiple search terms is effective by analyzing the relevance of the retrieved YouTube® videos on Smokeless Tobacco Products (STP) and YouTube® provided video usage statistics and community engagement statistics.

17 search terms were used to retrieve YouTube® videos on STP which were recorded in a master file. All duplicate videos from the retrieved results were excluded. Unique videos were then selected based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the research team. A sample of 440 unique videos was randomly selected for data analysis. SPSS 19.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive analysis, precisions and recalls, logistic regression, and odds ratio test results are reported. The study found that only a few search terms out of the total 17 terms are more effective in terms of relevance of the retrieved videos. Also, YouTube® provided video usage statistics and community engagement statistics did not have significant association with the relevance of the retrieved videos. Recommendations for potential solutions on designing more effective search strategies are provided.


The determination of intracellular drug concentrations can provide a better understanding of the drug function and efficacy. Ideally, this should be performed nondestructively, with no modification of either the drug or the target, and with the capability to detect low amounts of the molecule of interest, in many cases in the μM to nM range (pmol to fmol per million cells). Unfortunately, it is currently challenging to have an experimental technique that provides direct quantitative measurements of intracellular drug concentrations that simultaneously satisfies these requirements. Here, we show that magic-angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS DNP) can be used to fulfill these requirements. We apply a quantitative 15N MAS DNP approach in combination with 15N labeling to quantify the intracellular amount of the drug [15N]CHIR-98014, an activator of the Wingless and Int-1 signaling pathway, determining intracellular drug amounts in the range of tens to hundreds of picomoles per million cells. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that MAS DNP has been used to successfully estimate intracellular drug amounts.


To combat vitamin deficiencies in populations whose dietary staple is maize, the fortification of maize meal with riboflavin and nicotinamide has been recommended. Subsequently, part of the milling industry has voluntarily fortified the meal with these two vitamins. In the present study, the concentrations of added riboflavin and nicotinamide were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography in 43 samples from a wide area. With the exception of three samples, concentrations of these vitamins were below the recommended level, and most were less than half this amount. Fortification programmes require regular monitoring by an independent authority.


Pomegranate (PMG; Punica granatum L.) fruits possess a well-balanced nutrient/phytochemical composition, with proven adjuvant benefits in experimental cancer chemotherapy; however, such bioactivity could be affected by PMG's phenogenotype (varietal). Here, the chemical and phytochemical (UPLC-DAD-MS2) composition, antioxidant capacity and anticancer potential [in vitro (MTT assay) and in silico (foodinformatics)] of three PMG fruits of different aryl color [red (cv. Wonderful), pink (cv. Molar de Elche), and white (cv. Indian)] were evaluated. The macro/micronutrient (ascorbic acid, tocols, carotenoids), organic acid (citric/malic), and polyphenol content were changed by PMG's varietal and total antioxidant activity (ABTS, alcoholic > hexane extract) in the order of red > pink > white. However, their in vitro cytotoxicity was the same (IC50 > 200 μg.mL−1) against normal (retinal) and cancer (breast, lung, colorectal) cell lines. Sixteen major phytochemicals were tentatively identified, four of them with a high GI absorption/bioavailability score [Ellagic (pink), vanillic (red), gallic (white) acids, D-(+)-catechin (white)] and three of them with multiple molecular targets [Ellagic (52) > vanillic (32) > gallic (23)] associated with anticancer (at initiation and promotion stages) activity. The anticancer potential of the PMG fruit is phenogenotype-specific, although it could be more effective in nutraceutical formulations (concentrates).


PROBLEM
Providing trainees with data and benchmarks on their own patient populations is an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core residency requirement. Leveraging electronic health records (EHRs) for this purpose relies on correctly attributing patients to the trainees responsible for their care. EHR activity logs are useful for attributing interns to inpatients but not for attributing supervising residents, who often have no inpatient EHR usage obligations, and therefore may generate no digital "footprints" on a given patient-day from which to ascertain attribution.

APPROACH
The authors developed and tested a novel team-centered binary logistic regression model leveraging EHR activity logs from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, for pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) supervising residents at the University of California, San Francisco. Unlike patient-centered models that determine daily attribution according to the trainee generating the greatest relative activity in individual patients' charts, the team-centered approach predicts daily attribution based on the trainee generating EHR activity across the greatest proportion of a team's patients. To assess generalizability, the authors similarly modeled supervising resident attribution in adult hospital medicine (AHM) and orthopedic surgery (OS).

OUTCOMES
For PHM, AHM, and OS, 1,100, 1,399, and 803 unique patient encounters and 29, 62, and 10 unique supervising residents were included, respectively. Team-centered models outperformed patient-centered models for the 3 specialties, with respective accuracies of 85.4% versus 72.4% (PHM), 88.7% versus 75.4% (AHM), and 69.3% versus 51.6% (OS; P < .001 for all). AHM and PHM models demonstrated relative generalizability to one another while OS did not.

NEXT STEPS
Validation at other institutions will be essential to understanding the potential for generalizability of this approach. Accurately attributed data are likely to be trusted more by trainees, enabling programs to operationalize feedback for use cases including performance measurement, case mix assessment, and postdischarge opportunities for follow-up learning.


Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) is a phenomenon in which aberrant oncogene expression causes non-transformed cells to enter a non-proliferative state. Cells undergoing OIS display phenotypic heterogeneity, with some cells senescing and others remaining proliferative. The causes of the heterogeneity remain poorly understood. We studied the sources of heterogeneity in the responses of human epithelial cells to oncogenic BRAFV600E expression. We found that a narrow expression range of BRAFV600E generated a wide range of activities of its downstream effector ERK. In population-level and single cell assays, ERK activity displayed a non-monotonic relationship to proliferation, with intermediate ERK activities leading to maximal proliferation. We profiled gene expression across a range of ERK activities over time and characterized four distinct ERK response classes, which we propose act in concert to generate the unique ERK-proliferation response. Altogether, our studies mapped the input-output relationships between ERK activity and proliferation providing important insights into how heterogeneity can be generated during OIS.


Despite the critical need to improve degraded herbaceous understory conditions in many semiarid ecosystems, the influence of soil properties on seedling emergence of species seeded in shrubland plant communities is largely unexplored. We evaluated emergence patterns of 6 restoration species in soils from wyomingensis (i.e., Wyoming big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis [Beetle & A. Young] S.L. Welsh) and vaseyana (i.e., mountain big sagebrush, A. t. ssp. vaseyana [Rydb.] Beetle) plant communities that differed in soil texture, soil organic matter content, and soil water-holding capacity. We conducted 2 separate experiments that regularly wetted soils to standardized soil water potentials (i.e., field capacity; −0.03 MPa) and allowed differences in evaporation to create distinct wet-dry watering pattern cycles over a 26–29 d period. Our objectives were to compare soil attributes of wyomingensis and vaseyana soils, evaluate whether emergence patterns of restoration species vary within these soils, and determine how these patterns are altered by soil water-content levels. We found differences in soil texture and organic matter between soils and thus soil water-holding capacity: finer-textured vaseyana soils held roughly twofold more water than coarse-textured wyomingensis soils. Seeds in vaseyana soils were exposed to fewer wet-dry cycles compared to wyomingensis soils because of the greater capacity of vaseyana soils to retain water. Restoration species also collectively exhibited greater emergence in vaseyana soils than in wyomingensis soils, yet emergence patterns were vastly different among species, and differences between soils became more pronounced under low soil water for only 2 species. We conclude that the manner in which soils and water uniquely influenced emergence patterns provides new insights into species suitability for restoration sites and how inherent soil differences may constrain seeding success.


12-bit 800-MS/s DAC implemented in 90-nm CMOS is presented. The design uses three interleaved, pipelined, switched-capacitor cores followed by an open-loop output driver. The driver is linearized using digital predistortion. Measured SFDR is greater than 58 dB for signal frequencies below 200 MHz, and greater than 53 dB for signal frequencies below 400 MHz, all with output swings as large as 2.9 V, peak-to-peak differential. Power dissipation is 103 mW when delivering a full-scale signal current of 16 mA.


Background : Neonatal immune thrombocytopenia (NITP) is a well described complication in newborns of women with ITP. It is reported to occur in about 15% to 30% of neonates. Previous pregnancies with NITP or ITP refractory to splenectomy have been described as associated with NITP mostly in retrospective studies. Methods: We conducted a nationwide prospective multicenter observational case-control study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02892630). Thirty-three centers including in the network of ITP experts in France participated in the study. Over a two years period, we enrolled 180 pregnant women with a history of ITP diagnosed before pregnancy and 171 of them were followed up until the delivery. Neonatal platelet counts were available for 136 newborns. Risk factor for developing NITP were evaluated as well as NITP treatment and complications. Results: NITP defined as a platelet count < 100 x 109/L was observed in 37 newborns (27.2%). More severe NITP with platelet counts < 50 x 109/L and < 30 x 109/L, were reported in 19 (14%) and 13 (9.6%) newborns respectively. Intravenous immune globulins were given to 18 newborns. Their median platelet count was 25.5 x 109/L (6; 56). Platelet transfusion was used for 8 newborns with a median platelet count of 13.5 x 109/L (6; 50). NITP was complicated by a hemorrhagic event in only 2 newborns, with a fatal bleeding in 1. Decline in disease ITP status in the mother during pregnancy and previous history of NITP were identified as predictors of NITP < 50 x 109/L by a univariate analysis while only previous history of NITP was confirmed in multivariate analysis (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.48-13.92; p= 0.008). Decline in ITP disease status in the mother during pregnancy was the sole predictive factor for severe NITP defined as platelet < 30 x 109/L in multivariate analysis (adjusted OR 3.99; 95% CI 1.04-15.36; p = 0.044). Conclusion: Our study confirms that for ITP women with several pregnancies, a previous history of NITP is a risk factor for NITP. We also identify for the first time worsening of disease status during pregnancy to be a novel risk factor of severe NITP. In contrast, we did not confirm that a history of splenectomy was associated with an increased risk of NITP as suggested in retrospective studies (Loustau et al, Br J Haematol 2014; 166 929-35). Our results support that pregnancy in women with ITP is associated with an acceptable risk of severe bleeding in the newborn with NITP which is low but yet existing. Hence, close monitoring of pregnancy and delivery of mothers with ITP and their newborns is required, mainly in women who have a previous history of NITP or experienced a worsening of ITP during the pregnancy.

 Haioun: Takeda: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; Servier: Honoraria; Miltenyi: Honoraria. Mahevas:GSK: Research Funding. Michel:Rigel: Consultancy; Bioverativ: Consultancy; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Godeau:Novartis: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Amgen: Research Funding; LFB: Honoraria.


In this study, callus cultures from leaves and young shoots of Taxus baccata L.were established in Gamborg's B5 medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxiacetic acid (2 mg/L), kinetin (0.5 mg/L) and gibberellic acid (0.25 mg/L). Callus growth and taxane production were evaluated using two culture media: Woody Plant Medium and Gamborg's B5 supplemented with picloram (2 mg/L), kinetin (0.1 mg/L) and gibberellic acid (0.5 mg/L). The effect of the inoculum size (50, 100 and 150 g FW/L) and culture media (Woody Plant Medium and Gamborg's B5) with and without the presence of methyl jasmonate (100 M) on T. baccata cell suspensions was assessed. Taxane analysis revealed that the calus in Gamborg's B5 produced taxol (50 g/g DW), baccatin III, 10-deacetyl baccatin III and 10deacetyl taxol. Woody Plant Medium also induced the production of taxol, although to a lesser extent. The optimum inoculum size was 50 g FW/L. In cell suspension cultures, both media had a significant effect on taxane production when supplemented with methyl jasmonate. In WPM, at day 14, a total concentration of 185.35 g/L of taxol, 172.98 g/L of baccatin III, 658.97 g/L of 10-deacetyl baccatin III and 259.75 g/L 10-deacetyl taxol were obtained, with total excretion of baccatin III and 10-deacetyl taxol to the culture medium. The best culture conditions for producing taxol were found to be WPM supplemented with MeJ. The taxol level achieved in these conditions was 3.4 higher than in the same medium without elicitation and over 9 times higher than in the cultures grown in B5, elicited or not.


This chapter focuses on chemical liquid deposition methods that involve controlled covering of surfaces with a chemical liquid solution, the sol-gel solution, of known composition. The techniques include dip coating, spin coating, roll-to-roll coating, droplet-assisted deposition and electro-assisted deposition. The chapter presents briefly the different steps involved in the process of thin film formation that are common to all techniques. To have a better understanding, all available liquid deposition techniques are usually described with an identical sequence of successive steps: initial chemical solution formulation, solution spreading on the surface of the substrate, evaporation of the liquid solution layer, layer post-processing, and final treatment of the layer for stabilization. These steps can be addressed individually because they are separated in time. Important progress made in the past few decades highlights the importance of the evaporation conditions in controlling the structure of the coating, which is better achieved in dip coating.


Cell-to-cell communication is the basis of coordinated cellular activity and thus fundamental for the functioning of biological systems. In a recently published research article by Chaban et al. (Am. J. Transl. Res., 5(1), 69-79), the authors report on interesting new experimental findings supporting a neuro-hormonal independent, non-diffusible cell-to-cell signaling. Our paper aims to (i) discuss some critical notions used by the authors to describe their findings, and (ii) briefly review related experimental work performed so far but not discussed in the original work of Chaban et al. In our opinion, the research on principles of non-chemical and non-contact cell-to-cell communication has the potential to offer new fundamental insights into biological processes. With this paper, we want to encourage future research on this topic by discussing critical issues and giving an overview of the current state of research.


Microbial sulfate reduction (MSR) in both freshwater and marine ecosystems is a pathway for the decomposition of sedimentary organic matter (OM) after oxygen has been consumed. In experimental freshwater wetland mesocosms, sulfate additions allowed MSR to mineralize OM that would not otherwise have been decomposed. The mineralization of OM by MSR increased surface water concentrations of ecologically important constituents of OM: dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, total mercury, and methylmercury. Increases in surface water concentrations, except for methylmercury, were in proportion to cumulative sulfate reduction, which was estimated by sulfate loss from the surface water into the sediments. Stoichiometric analysis shows that the increases were less than would be predicted from ratios with carbon in sediment, indicating that there are processes that limit P, N, and Hg mobilization to, or retention in, surface water. The highest sulfate treatment produced high levels of sulfide that retarded the methylation of mercury but simultaneously mobilized sedimentary inorganic mercury into surface water. As a result, the proportion of mercury in the surface water as methylmercury peaked at intermediate pore water sulfide concentrations. The mesocosms have a relatively high ratio of wall and sediment surfaces to the volume of overlying water, perhaps enhancing the removal of nutrients and mercury to periphyton. The presence of wild rice decreased sediment sulfide concentrations by 30%, which was most likely a result of oxygen release from the wild rice roots. An additional consequence of the enhanced MSR was that sulfate additions produced phytotoxic levels of sulfide in sediment pore water.


Abstract Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) record interstitial glucose levels 'continuously', producing a sequence of measurements for each participant (e.g. the average glucose level every 5 min over several days, both day and night). To analyse these data, researchers tend to derive summary variables such as the area under the curve (AUC), to then use in subsequent analyses. To date, a lack of consistency and transparency of precise definitions used for these summary variables has hindered interpretation, replication and comparison of results across studies. We present GLU, an open-source software package for deriving a consistent set of summary variables from CGM data. GLU performs quality control of each CGM sample (e.g. addressing missing data), derives a diverse set of summary variables (e.g. AUC and proportion of time spent in hypo-, normo- and hyper- glycaemic levels) covering six broad domains, and outputs these (with quality control information) to the user. GLU is implemented in R and is available on GitHub at https://github.com/MRCIEU/GLU. Git tag v0.2 corresponds to the version presented here.


Feature inheritance provides evidence that properties of an invisible target stimulus can be attached to a following mask. We apply a systemslevel model of attention and decision making to explore the influence of memory and feedback connections in feature inheritance. We find that the presence of feedback loops alone is sufficient to account for feature inheritance. Although our simulations do not cover all experimental variations and focus only on the general principle, our result appears of specific interest since the model was designed for a completely different purpose than to explain feature inheritance. We suggest that feedback is an important property in visual perception and provide a description of its mechanism and its role in perception.


Background & Aim: Job stress is considered a major factor in disease development and job absence among nurses. In order to have high quality care, it is necessary to use strategies for the physical and mental health of nurses by identifying factors affecting stress. Given the unclear relationship between personality traits and occupational stress and psychosomatic symptoms among nurses, the study aimed to determine the relationship between personality type D and occupational stress with symptoms of mental disorders in nurses. Materials & Methods: This descriptive, correlational research was performed on 320 randomly selected nurses working in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran (2016). Data were collected using the type-D scale, nursing stress scale revised, and SDQ-20 questionnaire. In addition, data analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: In this study, personality type D had a significant effect on the changes in the psychosomatic symptoms (P=0.001). Moreover, the level of job stress variable was able to predict a significant ratio of the variance of psychosomatic symptoms after controlling the variable of personality type D (P=0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, nurses with personality type D have high psychosomatic symptoms. Considering the important role and responsibilities of nurses in maintaining the health and well-being of patients, it is essential to reduce the stressors and improve the quality of life of nurses.


In this work, we investigated very high quality carbon-doped two-dimensional hole gases (2DHGs). The first part deal with high-mobility GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs). Optimizing the heterostructure design, the hole mobility was extremely increased. Quantum Hall effect, photoconductivity effect, Rashba spin splitting, fractional quantum Hall effect (revealing interesting anisotropy in the thermally activated transport) and the band structure were investigated. In the second part, we studied InAs/InGaAs/InAlAs QWs with high spin-orbit coupling. A great success was the preparation of a carbon p-type doping in QWs with high indium content. A conductivity type inversion from p- to n-type with changing composition was observed. The heterostructures exhibit weak-antilocalization, hole-hole interaction effect and strong transport anisotropy. The spin splitting can be engineered providing small changes in the structure design. Both topics are of major interest for spintronics research.


Background/Aims: The endothelium has been recognized as a key component in the regulation of blood vessels. We designed a simple procedure to separate endothelial and smooth muscle RNA from rat aorta and mesenteric artery and used this method to establish the distribution of Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit isoforms (NaKα1, NaKα2 and NaKα3) within the arterial wall. Methods: Rat aorta was perfused with Tripure, a reagent for RNA isolation, yielding 3 successive RNA fractions (E1–E3) and the remaining tissular RNA (Ao[E–]). A similar procedure was applied to the mesenteric artery. Gene expression was studied by semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: Compared to unperfused aorta (Ao[E+]), typical endothelial mRNAs were enriched 3- to 5-fold in E1–E3 but almost absent in Ao[E–], whereas smooth muscle mRNAs were low in E1–E3 but similarly expressed in Ao[E–] and Ao[E+]. NaKα1 was uniformly expressed in all fractions, NaKα2 closely followed the expression pattern of smooth muscle markers and NaKα3 expression was weak and attributable to blood contamination. Comparable results were obtained with the mesenteric artery. Conclusion: We conclude that, in aorta and mesenteric artery, Tripure perfusion allows for a rapid and reliable separation of endothelial mRNA from smooth muscle mRNA, and that endothelium only expresses NaKα1, whereas smooth muscle expresses NaKα1 and NaKα2, but not NaKα3.


Branded food composition databases (BFCDs) are valuable information tools that meet multiple user needs. Recently, recognising allergies and intolerances as an emerging concern for various stakeholders, BFCDs evolve to embed information on allergens. This study aims to expand the Greek BFCD, HelTH, to include allergen information for its 4002 products. A new file was added to the structure of HelTH, and data were curated to record label information. In 68.4% of products, at least one allergen was present in the ingredient list and in 38.9% at least one allergen in a precautionary statement. Milk (38.8%), gluten (32.7%), and soybeans (17.4%) were most commonly declared in the ingredient list; nuts (18.3%), eggs (13.1%), and milk (12.2%) were most commonly declared in precautionary statements. Allergen-free claims were present in 5.3% of the products and referred mostly on gluten and milk. In general, no statistically significant differences were identified between the nutritional composition of allergen-free claimed products and their equivalents. This study delivers an expanded BFCD that provides organised and detailed allergen information; new insights on the presence of food allergens in branded foods and issues of concern regarding allergen declaration that need to be addressed in order to improve label information.


Abstract Objective. To examine whether it is possible to further specify what is meant when we maintain that patient-centredness as a communication skill is a value-based clinical procedure. Design and main outcome measures. Since a core element in patient-centredness is associated with patients feeling respected, a study regarding encounters where patients felt respected was analysed. Results: Similarities were found between the core elements of patient-centredness in terms of inviting, listening, and summarizing, and patients feeling respected in terms of listening, having their questions answered, and believing in what they tell their GP. Conclusion: Even though what is respected cannot be specified, the authors' analysis indicates that feeling respected is frequently and strongly associated with encounters reflecting core aspects of patient-centredness. In this sense, patient-centredness might be considered value-based. Future research might shed light on what is actually respected: is it the patient's autonomy, integrity, dignity, or honour?


Digital agriculture proposes to revolutionize the processes of production, marketing, and consumption within food systems through the use of tools that collect, store, analyze, and share information digitally. While its proponents emphasize potential benefits, such as improved technical efficiency, resource allocation, and reduced transaction costs, the understanding of the risks and challenges associated with its implementation remains limited. This qualitative study focuses on exploring the social and ethical implications of digital agriculture technologies and their specific impact on small-scale farmers. Digital agriculture operates at the intersection of technology and food systems, presenting a critical challenge due to the non-neutrality of technology intersecting with an already highly concentrated, centralized, and globalized food system. Understanding how these technologies can effectively serve resource-limited small-scale farmers and prevent further marginalization is urgent. This study investigates the current state of digital agriculture technologies available in Colombia and analyzes the perspectives of Colombian promoters regarding the promises, dangers, and implications of these technologies. The review of the Colombian case reveals an emerging sector with a variety of digital products and services, driven by a mix of public and private actors, including startups, medium-sized enterprises, and large corporations. The perspectives of Colombian promoters predominantly align with an optimistic narrative, emphasizing the positive outcomes of efficiency and productivity for adopting farmers. This thesis provides applicable knowledge for academia, practitioners, and the community alike. Its aim is to empower those with less power and agency, especially small-scale farmers, by shedding light on the broader implications of digital agriculture that must be taken into account. This work underscores the importance of addressing access to these technologies and implementing appropriate governance to ensure equitable distribution of benefits within the agricultural sector.


A novel process of welding GMAW-CW (Gas Metal Arc Welding-Cold Wire) had been developed with it resemblance to the GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding), the GMAW-CW has an additional wire fed into de weld pool, allowing better deposition rates, while maintaining weld characteristics. However, there is a more complex situation related to the HAZ (Heat Affected Zone) and weld geometry prediction than the GMAW conventional. The welding energy is a high metallurgical important parameter because together with the geometric characteristics of the gasket and the preheat level is decisive in thermal cycles imposed to the material, and therefore in the possible microstructural transformations and behavior of the joint. The behavior of representative curves of thermal cycling reflects important aspects regarding the conditions used in welding. Usually such factors as the type of process, use or non- pre or post- heating, heat input, multipass welding, are able to establish differences in the form of a heat cycle curve. In this work, it was applied the dual ellipsoidal model of heat input, adapted to the GMAW-CW and compared to the same model over the GMAW, using existing experimental data and predicting the HAZ dimensions in function of weld and welding parameters. The results found had less than 10% error from experimental data in a more refined version of the model, whereas the difficulties to predict cold wire addition influences were not trivial.


PurposeThe development of circular construction supply chains (CCSCs) is impeded by various barriers, but the current literature overlooks the interrelationships among these barriers and the varying nature of associated countermeasures with the growth of circular economy (CE). This paper aims to develop new perspectives about the transition to CCSCs through the lens of supply-push (SP)/demand-pull (DP) strategies and related underpinning theories.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review including 136 journal articles was undertaken to identify barriers to CCSCs and associated countermeasures that are analysed for their relevance to SP/DP. The interplay between SP/DP approaches was discussed using the "technology acceptance" and "innovation chain" models.Findings(1) Thirty-five barriers were identified and organised into nine main barrier factors; (2) the predominant factors are knowledge and awareness, policy and regulations, technological capabilities, and incentives; (3) CCSCs transition is SP-configured primarily driven by actors above the project network; (4) "push" measures are devised to gradually create a "pull" environment and can be revoked when demand for circularity is created, suggesting a new "push-to-pull" perspective of CCSCs; and (5) a complex adaptative system is witnessed in relationships between barriers and countermeasures, and interactions among actors at all levels.Practical implicationsThe findings offer practitioners countermeasures to barriers encountered in CE initiatives. It also informs policymakers of adjusting policies to accommodate the SP-DP movement in steering the circular transition.Originality/valueThis study uses theoretical models to interpret the dynamics in CCSCs transition and proposes a new definition of CCSCs highlighting their complex and dual transitional/transformational nature.


The frequency synthesizer with two LC-VCOs is fully integrated in a 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. In supporting dual bands, all building blocks except VCOs are shared. A current compensation scheme using a replica charge pump improves the linearity of the frequency synthesizer and, thus, suppresses spurious tones. To reduce the quantization noise from a /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulator and the noise from the building blocks except the VCO, the proposed architecture uses a frequency doubler with a noise-insensitive duty-cycle correction circuit (DCC) in the reference clock path. Power consumption is 37.8 mW with a 2.7-V supply. The proposed frequency synthesizer supports 10-kHz channel spacing with the measured phase noise of -114 dBc/Hz and -141 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz and 1.25-MHz offsets, respectively, in the PCS band. The fractional spurious tone at 10-kHz offset is under -54 dBc.


This letter presents a W-band high-power direct-conversion transmitter using digital predistortion techniques for digital modulation applications. The transmitter is a direct-conversion configuration that employs a reflection-type IQ modulator module and a power amplifier module. With the predistortion function in digital signal processing (DSP), this transmitter demonstrated an output channel power of greater than 19 dBm, and the adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) was improved by 10 and 18 dB for QPSK and /spl pi//4-DQPSK modulation, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of linearization techniques for W-band high-power digital modulation transmitters.


One of the main weaknesses of studies on older Internet users is a lack of differentiation among users. This study sought to explore whether gerontographics, an approach to segmentation of older adults based on individual psychological and physical well-being, is applicable in research on older Internet users. For that purpose, the study examined members of online communities for senior citizens. An online survey was conducted with 218 members of sixteen such English language-based communities and subsequent analysis demonstrated that their members may indeed be segmented according to their reported health and subjective well-being. Moreover, the results displayed significant differences among the groups in their background characteristics, interests, and perceived benefits of participation in the communities. These findings showed that online activities may be differently experienced by audience segments with dissimilar physical and psychological well-being. Consequently, they constitute powerful evidence of the value of the gerontographics in studies of Internet use and successful aging.


In bioengineering, the majority of the hard tissues may be modeled as viscoelastic solids with time-dependent responses. However, influences of the viscoelastic constitutive equations of the biological tissues on damping the vibration have been seldom considered rigorously during the simulation stage. Present paper develops a mathematical approach for the analysis of free vibration of human skull, considering its viscoelastic behavior. A better understanding of ranges of the natural frequencies can be employed to provide new medical facilities or technology to avoid the brain injuries. In this regard, three-dimensional theory of viscoelasticity is used in terms of the Navier eigenvectors. The fundamental equation was solved numerically and the natural frequencies are presented in the diagrams and are discussed.


BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation outcomes of COVID-19 patients are unknown. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe COVID-19 patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation and their rehabilitation outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective observational cohort study of all inpatients from a rehabilitation hospital between March 1 and September 30, 2020. Inclusion criteria are: ≥18 years of age and admission and discharge within the study time frame. The initial search yielded 920 patients; 896 met the inclusion criteria. Data was derived from the eRehabData database. Subjects were stratified by COVID-19 status and rehabilitation impairment. Data included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), length of stay (LOS), discharge location, and functional ability measures for self-care and mobility (FA-SC, FA-Mob). Descriptive statistics included age, BMI, gender, LOS, and discharge location. One-sample t-tests were used to assess the difference of age, BMI, LOS, FA-SC, FA-Mob, and FA efficiency between COVID-19+ and COVID-19- patients. RESULTS: COVID-19+ patients were younger (59·4 years vs 62·9 years; t(894)= -2·05, p=0·04) with a higher mean BMI (32 vs 28; t(894)= 3·51, p<0·01) than COVID-19- patients. COVID-19+ patients had equivalent or superior improvements in FA-SC and FA-Mob, functional change efficiency, and LOS than COVID-19- patients. Comparing Medically Complex patients, those with COVID-19 had greater FA-SC and FA-Mob efficiencies than COVID-19- patients. COVID-19+ patients had similar rates of return to the community. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with COVID-19 who meet the admission criteria for inpatient rehabilitation can benefit from inpatient rehabilitation similarly to their non-COVID-19 counterparts with similar rehabilitation-specific diagnoses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The fluorescent probe 1-pyrenemethoxyethanol (PyMeEGOH) was designed to replace commercially available 1-pyrenebutanol (PyButOH) as an alternative fluorescent label to probe the internal dynamics and interior polarity of macromolecules by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence. While excimer formation and sensitivity to solvent polarity are two well-recognized properties of pyrene, much less known is that these properties are often mutually exclusive when a 1-pyrenebutyl derivative is used to prepare pyrene-labeled macromolecules (PyLMs). As the sensitivity of pyrene to solvent polarity is a result of its symmetry, attaching a butyl group to pyrene breaks the symmetry of pyrene, so that the 1-pyrenebutyl derivatives are much less sensitive to the polarity of their environment compared to unmodified pyrene. This report demonstrates that replacement of a methylene group in the β-position of PyButOH by an oxygen atom, such as in PyMeEGOH, restores the sensitivity of this pyrene derivative to the polarity of its local environment to the same level as that of molecular pyrene without impeding pyrene excimer formation upon incorporation into PyLMs.


Even as an insect pathologist, the prospect of reading an entire book on the proper performance and data analysis of arthropod bioassays was not a task I envisionedmyself absolutely enjoying. Although the topic is one that I amverymuch interested in, at least forme, it was not the type of book that I expected to have trouble putting down. Much to my surprise, I found Bioassays with Arthropods, 2nd Edition to be not only tremendously informative but also a pleasure to read. In the preface, Jacqueline L. Robertson outlines the authorsO desire towrite a textbook that enhances readability and keeps readers interested in the subject matter. Mission accomplished! Each chapter of the text begins with the main character, Dr. Paula Maven, in a somewhat eccentric situation. Dr. Maven is a factious character with no previous experience in pest management, but she has accepted a research appointment to establish an integrated pest management program for tomatoes. Our introduction to Dr. Maven begins in chapter 1 where she is interested inperformingherÞrst bioassay toÞnd a dose of insect growth regulator to control populationsofAscalaphagiganticus; a factious insect resulting frombioterrorism that is wreaking havoc on tomatoes. This undertaking sounds deceivingly simple enough. However, Paula quickly encounters the most basic of problemswhenperforming a laboratorybioassay, how to keep the insects alive in the laboratory and how to collect or rear them in sufÞcient numbers to perform meaningful bioassays. PaulaOs Þrst bioassay is a complete failure in terms of establishing a doseÐresponse relationship, but it is successful in helping her identify her deÞciencies. Help is available in the form of Dr. Garland Tarleton. Paula attends Dr. TarletonOs 1-d workshop where the lesson is on quantal response bioassays. From this workshop, Paula gains an appreciation for the basics of performing a bioassay, including experimental design, experimental units, randomization, treatments, controls, replication, order of treatments within a replication and the use of computer programs to lighten the burden of data analysis. From the basic knowledge and experience gained from Dr. TarletonOs course, Paula and her assistant begin down the road of gathering bioassay data useful in the development of a control program for A. giganticus. At Þrst, the questions can be addressed with simple binary quantal response bioassays with one explanatory variable. As the infestation worsens and A. giganticus becomes an ever-increasing problem for tomato growers, Dr. Maven is forced to answer additional questions, including natural variation in response, quarantine statistics, pesticide resistance, chemical mixtures, speed of kill, binary quantal response with multiple explanatory variables, effect of erroneous assumptions about body weight, and Þnally multinomial quantal response. Throughout the process Dr. MavenOs knowledge builds on her previous set of experiments, just as it does for all of us genuine scientists performing bioassays. As Paula leads us through each type of assay, the reader is provided not only with the correct design but also statistical equations with clear explanations of their meaning. The authors also provide guidance on the use of LeOra Software, including PoloPlus, PoloMix, PoloDose, and PoloEncore, for straightforward, user-friendly statistical analysis. It is this step by step process throughout the book that is so helpful in tying all of these complex topics together into a story that is fun to read. I found myself anxious to see how Paula would avert the next obstacle thatA. giganticus put in her way. Robertson, Russell, Preisler, and Saven have put together a wonderful reference text for both beginning and experienced researchers. As they state in chapter 1, "Mindless experimental design that results in data subjected to equally mindless analyses is a waste of time and resources." This text is a good reminder for all of us performing bioassays that assumptionsmade in the pastmay ormay not be true, and not all data sets can be subjected to the same analyses that were used previously simply becausewe knowhow to perform them.


The purpose of this study was to determine the stability of two concentrations (1000 units/mL and 40,000 units/mL) of heparin sodium when individually prefilled in CADD-Micro pump syringes (Sims Deltec, Inc., St Paul MN) and stored at near-body (30 deg C) temperature for extended periods of time, up to 30 days. Three syringes were prepared for each sample period and each concentration. Following aseptic filling, the syringes were capped and stored under controlled temperatures for the duration of the study. The contents of each of three syringes per sample set were expelled individually into screw-cap, glass sample vials at designated sample times. Samples were immediately stored at -70 deg C until the time of analysis. The results of the study indicate that, when prefilled in CADD-Micro pump polypropylene syringes and maintained at 30 deg C for up to 30 days, both concentrations of heparin sodium studied retained greater thatn 95% of the intact drug.


We study the generalized supersymmetric t-J model with Kondo impurities in the boundaries. We first construct the higher spin operator K-matrix for the XXZ Heisenberg chain. Setting the boundary parameter to be a special value, we find a higher spin reflecting K-matrix for the supersymmetric t-J model. By using the Quantum Inverse Scattering Method, we obtain the eigenvalue and the corresponding Bethe ansatz equations.


The paper presents SmartNetSolve, an extension of NetSolve, the programming system for high performance grid computing. The extension is aimed at higher performance of grid applications by improving the mapping of remote tasks and allowing them to communicate directly. To achieve more optimal mapping SmartNetSolve allows a group of tasks to be scheduled collectively, meanwhile NetSolve only allows for individual and independent mapping of remote tasks. SmartNetSolve also extends the communication model of the application by allowing remote tasks to communicate directly. The paper presents the overall design of the SmartNetSolve programming system with particular focus on its motivation and the underlying execution and communication models


INTRODUCTION
The low-grade inflammation and insulin resistance are two events that could be present in varying degrees, on obesity and chronic diseases. The degree of subclinical inflammation can be gauged by measuring the concentrations of some inflammatory biomarkers, including the hepatic origin ones. Some of those biomarkers are sialic acid, α1-antitrypsin and the C-terminal fragment of alpha1-antitrypsin, ceruloplasmin, fibrinogen, haptoglobin, homocystein and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

OBJECTIVES
To approach the relation between adiposity and hepatic inflammatory markers, and to assess the possible associations between hepatic inflammatory biomarkers and obesity, as well as their capacity of predicting chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and atherotrombotic cardiovascular diseases.

METHODS
We used electronic scientific databases to select articles without restricting publication year.

RESULTS
The sialic acid predicts the chance increase to become type 2 diabetic independently of BMI. Moreover, the α1-antitripsin, ceruloplasmin, fibrinogen and haptoglobulin biomarkers, seem predict the chance increase to become type 2 diabetic, dependently, of BMI. So, this process could be aggravated by obesity. The concentrations of fibrinogen, homocystein and PAI-1 increase proportionally to insulin resistance, showing its relation with metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance state) and with type 2 diabetes. In relation to cardiovascular diseases, every biomarkers reported in this review seem to increase the risk, becoming useful in add important prognostic.

CONCLUSION
This review integrates the knowledge concerning the possible interactions of inflammatory mediators, in isolation or in conjunction, with obesity and chronic diseases, since these biomarkers play different functions and follow diverse biochemical routes in human body metabolism.