In this dissertation I examine the forms and possibilities of truth-speaking in contemporary Italian news and media industry. I ask the following questions: 1) What does an Italian contemporary journalist need to do in order to be acknowledged as a truth-teller? 2) How does technological innovation, and in particular portable video-technology, influence self-reflexivity? 3) What kind of relation to the political present does truth-telling enable? I assume Italy's news and media industry as a case-study rather than as a self-enclosed field because my focus is on a problem rather than on a culture . The approach followed in this dissertation is thus a conceptual one: rather than highlighting the Italian cultural specificity, I seek to conceptually articulate problems in news and media that, while more manifest in Italy, belong to contemporary news and media industry per se. Approaching Italian journalism as a case-study enables the author to address a more general topic: the transformation of contemporary forms of self-reflexivity in the sway of technological and political change, and, in particular, of that quintessential form of self-reflexivity that is truth-speaking. Since I adopt a conceptual approach, I explore, where I find it necessary, cases seemingly far away from the field , such as the semiotics of all-news channel Aljazeera's website (Chapter II); the ethics of BBC's treatment of the Libyan revolution (Chapter III); or the use of portable media in the Libyan revolution itself (Chapter IV). Every chapter focuses on a specific aspect of truth-speaking: its relation to self-reflexivity, to economy, to technology, and to aesthetics.


We derive fundamental precision bounds for single-point axial localization. For Gaussian beams, this ultimate limit can be achieved with a single intensity scan, provided the camera is placed at one of two optimal transverse detection planes. Hence, for axial localization there is no need of more complicated detection schemes. The theory is verified with an experimental demonstration of axial resolution 3 orders of magnitude below the classical depth of focus.


Since age-relatedmacular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of severe vision loss in the Western Hemisphere, it is likely that all ophthalmologists will examine increasing numbers of patients with AMD as the population ages. Unlike the patient with cataract for whom treatment usually improves vision and the patient with diabetic retinopathy for whom treatment usually stabilizes vision, the majority of patients with the neovascular form of AMD cannot expect their vision to improve or stabilize with or without treatment. 1,2 Nevertheless, ophthalmologists can provide an accurate description of the condition, reasonably precise prognostic information, access to low vision rehabilitation services, and a great deal of compassion. Occasionally, we can offer treatment. What follows is my approach to counseling a patient who presents with monocular loss of vision from the neovascular complications of AMD. I begin by confirming the diagnosis to the patient and family members. I emphasize that


Logistics cost is an important contributor to the overall cost in a supply chain system. By using collapsible containers, the frequency of return freight can be reduced and the return of containers can be optimized, leading to potential logistic cost savings. However, the dynamic behavior of container flows due to demand, inventory, storage, and repair requirements make it difficult to accurately analyze container system performance. An accurate estimation of this collapsible container usage impact is of great importance for decision-making.This paper describes the development of a mathematical model of the container dynamic flow system by using the collapsible containers. A continuous time, discrete space Markov process is used for stochastic scenario. The model determines the total cost savings, based on the collapsible rate, the number of collapsible containers, the performance of the factory and the supplier and the transportation environment. The presented mathematical formulation enables the evaluation of the system performance. A case study of collapsible container supply chain system demonstrates the advantages of this methodology. In addition, a simulation model of this stochastic system is presented to verify the mathematical model. Simulation tests are conducted to demonstrate the potential logistics cost savings in the closed-loop supply chain system.Copyright © 2015 by ASME and General Motors


The complex laser therapy with the use of a helium-neon laser was employed in 115 patients with bacterial destruction of the lungs at the age of from 3 mos to 14 years. The indications for endothoracic, external and intravascular laser therapy and their combination are substantiated. The calculations of the optimal parameters of laser influence, depending on the stage of the disease and optical characteristics of the damaged lung surface, are presented.


Aiming to solve the problems of inaccuracy in temperature control and the slow reaction in condensing system in the automated distillation analyzer, an approach which combining electrical fan and thermoelectric cooler was put forward, using STM32 as the control unit; accurate temperature control during the distillation process was realized, data collection and processing can be completed by the control unit, and the wireless module can accomplish communication and control the analyzer under the instructions of computer. With this temperature control method, the automation and test accuracy of distillation analyzer can be enhanced, thus ensuring better ratio of performance-to-price and control performance.


ADAM23, a member of a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) family, has been reported to be expressed in several types of tumours. The exact role of ADAM23 and the possible mechanisms in which it is involved in non‐small‐cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the expression of ADAM23 and its correlation with promoter methylation in NSCLC. Immunohistochemistry and RT‐PCR together with Western blotting methods were used to analyse the expression of ADAM23 in 52 cancer tissue samples and eight benign pulmonary lesions as well as four cell lines. The methylated status of ADAM23 gene was determined with methylation‐specific PCR (MSP). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of ADAM23 protein was lower in NSCLC than that in corresponding normal tissues and benign pulmonary lesions (38.5%vs. 86.5% and 87.5%, P < 0.05), and decreased as NSCLC progressed. Meanwhile, methylation of ADAM23 gene was observed in 21 of 52 NSCLC tissues (40.4%), much higher than that of adjacent normal tissues (7.6%) and benign pulmonary lesions (0/8). In the cancer tissues of ADAM23‐negative samples, the rate of ADAM23 gene methylation was 50.3% (17/32). ADAM23 expression and its promoter methylation were negatively associated (r = −0.328, P = 0.017). Moreover, weak expression of ADAM23 in methylated cancer cells increased after treatment with 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine (5‐Aza‐2′‐dC), confirming that methylation was responsible for the gene downregulation. Our results demonstrate that the expression level of ADAM23 is likely to be involved in the progression of NSCLC and its downregulation is probably correlated with promoter methylation. These findings may provide potential diagnostic and prognostic information about NSCLC.


An email based 'virtual MDT' allowed professionals to support a patient and her family in the final months of her life. This is an example of a model we have developed that works well in coordinating the highly personalised packages of care needed to deliver palliative care and end of life care. A 17 year old girl had been diagnosed 8 years previously with a brain ependymoma. She developed 3 mid to lower spinal relapses, and no further curative treatment was possible. Over the following 6 weeks, her disease progressed causing paraplegia, irregular bowel and bladder function. She lived with her parents, and was now having regular contact with the community children's nurses and her local young people's hospice. This was supported by the wider team, but key individuals were emerging. We started an email thread including 16 of the key professionals. It was recognised that the time course of her deterioration had potential to be both lengthy and complex and this approach was felt to give the best opportunity to provide sustainable support. Individual secure email addresses were used to facilitate communication. Consent was obtained and documented at the start of the thread, with a protocol for communication. Over the next 3 months, a total of 75 emails were sent on this thread. They included updates on discussions, care plans, visits, practical issues, questions for general consideration, highlighting potential issues or worries, or issues flagged up by the family. Replying to subsets of the group was discouraged, but forwarding updates to local teams strongly encouraged. Symptom plans, prescriptions and her Advance Care plan were included. This model of care provides a way for geographically and professionally separate team members to work collaboratively in supporting families. Email will never replace to need for face to face and verbal contact. Rather it provides the support structure for these critical contacts to be timely, expert and patient focussed. The family expressed their satisfaction with this way of working, particularly saying that they had felt that all the professionals were really listening to them and communicating with them and each other, something that was unusual in their experience.


We establish that the rheological curve of dry granular media is nonmonotonic, both in the presence and absence of external mechanical agitations. In the presence of weak vibrations, the nonmonotonic flow curves govern a hysteretic transition between slow but steady and fast, inertial flows. In the absence of vibrations, the nonmonotonic flow curve governs the yielding behavior of granular media. Finally, we show that nonmonotonic flow curves can be seen in at least two different flow geometries and for several granular materials.


The intention of this article is to summon up novel thinking about the concept of Learning-Disabilities by scrutinizing the historical and social context in which it is embedded. The first part of the article presents the theoretical underpinnings of the sociological and cultural discourse on the field of disabilities, and reveals the obscurity that surrounds the concept of learning-disabilities through a short historical presentation of the evolution of the discourse and the various critiques that developed from it. In the second part, the researcher examines the definitions accepted in the Israeli disabilities discourse in comparison to that discourse in other countries. In contrast to the united front that the local field presents, it becomes apparent that the global discourse is heterogeneous and is characterized by a variety of opinions and disagreements. In the third part, the researcher examines one idiom which forms the basis for the Israeli disabilities discourse: the etiological one that deals with the connections between the disability and its neurological source. Through a discourse analysis of major texts of the Israeli disabilities field and of interviews with professionals, it becomes clear how central assertions were shaped into "medical and scientific facts", even when their scientific foundations were quite shaky.


Pregnancy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is considered a high-risk pregnancy. It is complicated by preeclampsia, premature labour and miscarriage more frequently than in the general population. Improved prognosis depends on low disease activity during conception and on appropriate medical care (SLE activity monitoring, selection of therapy safe for the mother and the developing foetus, advances in neonatology). Because symptoms of physiological pregnancy and SLE exacerbation are similar, their correct interpretation is essential for skin lesions, arthralgias, arterial hypertension or results of laboratory tests: proteinuria, thrombocytopenia or leucopenia observed in the patient. In order to standardise the assessment of SLE activity during pregnancy, scores of this activity are used. In the past, scores validated on non-pregnant populations (including male patients) were used: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM), European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurment (ECLAM). Only recently have SLE activity scores been introduced that are specific for pregnant women: Lupus Activity Index In Pregnancy (LAI-P), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Pregnancy Disease Activity Index (SLEPDAI), modified--Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (m-SLAM) and a visual three-grade score modified--Physician Global Assessment (m-PGA). So far, only scores LAI-P and m-PGA have been validated. According to the LAI-P score, clinical data are divided into 4 groups. Group 1 includes mild clinical symptoms, group 2--symptoms of involvement of internal organs, group 3 pertains to modifications of treatment and group 4 to laboratory parameters. Point values are ascribed to individual parameters depending on their intensity.


Irrigation networks of open-water channels are used throughout the world to support agricultural activity. By and large, these networks are managed in open loop. To achieve closed-loop water distribution management, it is necessary to augment these civil engineering systems with an appropriate information infrastructureVsensors, actuators, information processing, and communication resources. Recent pilot projects in Australia demonstrate the significant potential of closed-loop management, which can yield a significant improvement in the quality of service, while achieving improved water distribution efficiency. This paper focuses on the modelling and closed-loop control of open-water channels from the perspective of large-scale irrigation network man- agement. Several feedback information structures are dis- cussed and the key design tradeoffs identified.


Intrathymic differentiation of T lymphocytes begins as early as intrauterine stage, yet the T cell lineage decisions of human fetal thymocytes at different gestational ages are not currently understood. Here, we performed integrative single-cell analyses of thymocytes across gestational ages. We identified conserved candidates underlying the selection of T cell receptor (TCR) lineages in different human fetal stages. The trajectory of early thymocyte commitment during fetal growth was also characterized. Comparisons with mouse data revealed conserved and species-specific transcriptional dynamics of thymocyte proliferation, apoptosis and selection. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data associated with multiple autoimmune disorders were analyzed to characterize susceptibility genes that are highly expressed at specific stages during fetal thymocyte development. In summary, our integrative map describes previously underappreciated aspects of human thymocyte development, and provides a comprehensive reference for understanding T cell lymphopoiesis in a self-tolerant and functional adaptive immune system.


Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether public corruption influences entrepreneurial activity in the USA. Because the true underlying level of corruption is inherently unobservable, it cannot be factored into business venturing decisions. The authors hypothesize, therefore, that new business venturing should be related to the expected corruption level. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors follow Cordis (2009) to calculate the expected rate of public corruption given observed levels of public corruption. The authors embed the expected level of corruption in a relatively standard model of business venturing, which the authors estimate using a cross section of the US states covering the period of 1986-2009. Findings - – Using a relatively standard model of business venturing that accounts for variation in predicted corruption levels, the authors find that entrepreneurs launch more businesses in states with higher predicted corruption. Originality/value - – To the knowledge, no one has previously tested the impact of expected corruption on entrepreneurial activity.


Epidemiological, wildlife, and laboratory studies have pointed to the possible adverse health effects of chlorotriazine herbicide (i.e. , atrazine, simazine, and cyanazine) exposure. However, the cellular mechanism(s) of action of these compounds remains unknown. Recently, it was reported by Cooper et al. (2000, Toxicol. Sci. 53, 297-307) that atrazine disrupts ovarian function by altering hypothalamic catecholamine concentrations and subsequently the regulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin (PRL) secretion by the pituitary. In this study, we examined the effect of three chlorotriazines on catecholamine metabolism in vitro using PC12 cells. Intracellular norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) concentrations and spontaneous NE release were measured following treatment with different concentrations of atrazine, simazine (0, 12. 5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 microM) and cyanazine (0, 25, 50, 100, and 400 microM) for 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 h. Atrazine and simazine significantly decreased intracellular DA concentration in a concentration-dependent manner. Intracellular NE concentration was also significantly decreased by 100 and 200 microM atrazine and 200 microM simazine. Similarly, there was a dose-dependent inhibition of NE release with 100 and 200 microM concentrations of both compounds. Although 100 and 400 microM cyanazine increased intracellular NE concentration, 50, 100, and 400 microM cyanazine significantly increased NE release at 24 and 36 h. In contrast, intracellular DA concentration was decreased by cyanazine, but only at 400 microM. The GABA(A)-receptor agonist, muscimol (0, 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 microM) had no effect on either the release or on intracellular catecholamine concentrations from 6 through 24 h of treatment. Cell viability was somewhat lower in the groups exposed to 100 and 200 microM atrazine and simazine. However, the reduction in viability was significant only in the highest dose of atrazine used (200 microM) at 24 h. Cyanazine did not have an effect on the viability at any of the doses tested, and the cells were functional, even up to 48 h of exposure. These data indicate that both atrazine and simazine inhibit the cellular synthesis of DA mediated by the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and NE mediated by dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DbetaH), and, as a result, there is a partial or significant inhibition of NE release. Cyanazine, on the other hand, stimulated the synthesis of intracellular NE, and not DA. Thus, chlorotriazine compounds presumably act at the enzymatic steps or sites of CA biosynthesis to modulate monoaminergic activity in PC12 cells.


BACKGROUND
Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily.Recent evidence supports a relationship between serum OPG level and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association of OPG with the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), its severity and prognosis in patients with chest pain and suspected coronary stenosis.

METHODS
In this cross-sectional analytic study, 180 candidates of elective coronary artery angiography were recruited. Serum level of OPG was measured by ELISA method in all patients and its relation with presence and severity of CAD based on a coronary atherosclerosis score (CAS) was assessed. Patients were followed for a mean period of about 24 ± 3.2 months and the relationship between OPG levels and future cardiac events were evaluated.

RESULTS
The mean serum level of OPG was 1637 ± 226 pg/mL in those with CAD and 1295 ± 185 pg/mL (nonparametric p = 0.001) in those without it. There was a significant direct correlation between the level of serum OPG and CAS (rho = 0.225, p = 0.002). The optimalcut-off point for predicting a significant coronary artery obstruction was a serum level of≥ 1412 pg/mL with a sensitivity and specificity of 60% and 57.8%, respectively. Major adversecardiac events (MACE) including cardiovascular death, admission with acute coronary syndrome,or heart failure, was significantly higher in those with higher OPG levels (22 [34.3%]vs. 15 [16%], p = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS
There was a direct and significant correlation between the serum level of OPG and CAS. MACE occurred more commonly in those with higher baseline OPG levels.


In order to justify the possibility of performing microsurgical restorative operations on the ileocecal valve 151 objects (21 dogs and 130 corpses of people) were examined. Two series of experiments were carried out: intraluminal sphincteroplastics of the bauhin's valve by microsurgical technique was per-formed on 12 animals and traditional technique was used in 9 dogs. The restorative operation was made on the 8th day after creating the model of the ileocecal valve insufficiency. On the basis of the obtained data on the morphological characteristics, morphometrical parameters and microsurgical anatomy of the ileocecal valve a mode of intraluminal correction of the ileocecal valve insufficiency has been developed by using microsurgical methods. New findings on the dynamics of healing of the ileocecal sphincter in different terms after restorative operation by microsurgical technique were obtained, morphological and functional characteristics of the ileocecal sphincter in different terms after the operation were defined. The received data show that the use of microsurgical technique in per-forming the restorative operation on the ileocecal sphincter makes it possible to improve the results of the operation thanks to the restoration of sphincter and antireflux properties. The risk of development of incompetent sutures is minimized due to favorably proceeding reparative processes.


Senior Design Capstone is a required component of many undergraduate engineering programs. The School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma has incorporated industry sponsored design projects, with Experiential Learning as the model, to develop technical and meta-competencies through the Senior Design Practicum Program. The Mechanical Engineering Capstone program has been developed to provide a learning environment, where students in teams work closely with an industry sponsor and a faculty advisor. The student teams work as a consulting group to produce useful results on an open-ended project to the sponsors' satisfaction within the constraints of time and budget. Three major program elements, are (1) Student teams to learn and perform the tasks to achieve the desired goals of the project (2) Sponsor to define the problem, guide and accept or reject the results, and (3) Faculty to advise, coordinate, and evaluate. The Capstone program has targeted the energy industry, with a focus on oil and gas, which has a very strong presence in the region. The program, working closely with industry partners as mentors, prepares students for the energy industry. The student outcome and program are evaluated with extensive participation from industry. The program was implemented during 2002–2003. Over the last 10-years the program been able to sustain and grow. The plan that was used to sustain the program relied on developing a learning community of students, faculty and industry to support development of student competencies.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Physical inactivity was characterised as a global pandemic in the 2012 Lancet series on physical activity and health.1 The extent of the pandemic, causes and potential solutions were further explored in other papers in the 2012 and 2016 series, and recommendations derived from these papers and an associated workshop are summarised by Ding et al. 2 This paper builds on these syntheses of global knowledge and assesses progress or the lack thereof in addressing the global pandemic of physical inactivity. Ding et al noted the substantial growth of research on physical activity and public health, progress in integrating physical activity into public health policy and practice and make recommendations for closing still important gaps in knowledge. However, population level advances in public health programmes and policies lag behind those seen in equivalently important areas of public health such as HIV prevention, maternal mortality and tobacco control. Clearly, one of the reasons for lack of progress is that physical inactivity, much like diet, obesity and diabetes, is a complex problem requiring solutions across many sectors and at many levels. There is no silver bullet for physical activity promotion. In the current editorial, we examine whether we are failing to implement proven strategies or do not yet truly understand what works to increase population levels of physical activity and close with recommendations for researchers and policymakers.

Physical activity is now widely accepted as a global public health issue with many countries including it within national public health plans. Unfortunately, physical activity is often treated as a secondary factor hidden in broad non-communicable disease planning efforts. The 2018 WHO Global Action Plan for Physical Activity (GAPPA) may be the best manifestation of physical activity joining the mainstream of public health.3 It is well elucidated, evidence-based and engages multiple sectors, strategies and …


Background: Computed tomography (CT) has remained an important tool in medical diagnosis. However the radiation dose imparted to patients, especially to radiosensitive organs during a CT scan, continues to raise concern. Our aim was to determine the radiation dose to the ovary and the uterus during routine abdomen/pelvis CT examinations at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria using appropriate dose computational methods. Materials and Methods: Technical factors and parameters were obtained for three groups of 60 randomly selected patients who had abdominal CT examinations using three machines, namely; the CT/e, BrightSpeed S and Toshiba Aquilion 64. The scanning parameters were used to estimate the patient organ doses using measurements of CT dose indexes and organ doses obtained with the aid of the ImPACT CT Dosimetry Calculator SpreadSheet based on National Radiological Protection Board conversion factors. Results: The mean total organ dose from the CT/e machine to the ovary was 11.15 ±2.48 (mGy) and to the uterus was 12.10 ±2.57 (mGy), and the mean total organ dose from the BrightSpeed S machine to the ovary was 39.2 ± 22.66 (mGy) and to the uterus was 43.05 ±24.88 (mGy), while the mean total organ dose from the Toshiba Aquilion 64 to the ovary was 33.07 ±16.86 (mGy) and to the uterus was 33.85 ±18.58 (mGy). These values were mostly comparable to but slightly higher than values of similar organ doses reported in the literature for Tanzania, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. The doses to the ovary and uterus obtained varied from other international surveys by 3.8–12.9 mGy and 3.17–15.07 mGy, respectively, representing a 25–50% dose increase. Conclusion: The organ doses to the ovary and the uterus at our facility are higher than those obtainable in other countries; however, this could be substantially minimized through optimization of CT scanning protocols.


Lattice frequencies and crystallographic thermal parameters are calculated for some azahydrocarbons with the external Born-von Karman formalism using an atom-atom potential model which accounts explicitly for electrostatic interactions modelled as atomic point charges. Results are satisfactory, encouraging the application of this procedure to a wider range of molecular crystals. Comparison of calculated thermal parameters with experimental data obtained with different techniques increases the need for reliable experimental thermal parameters in order to make meaningful deductions.


The acceptable water quality standard varies based on the intended use of water. Therefore, the standard will be dramatically decreased while moving from Drinking, domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. Water quality modeling software Aquachem and ArcGIS10.3 were used to analyze data sets of 12 samples from four different wells located around the Mafraq area in order to investigate its suitability for drinking. The results revealed that hydrochemistry of groundwater recorded a wide range in total dissolve solid (TDS) and the chloride is found to be most predominating. Generally, groundwater in the University and Zatari areas has high concentrations of nitrate. The major element's data were plotted on the Piper's diagram for working of hydrogeochemical facies. Mixed CaMgCl are the most prominent facies. The pH part of the Durov diagram reveals that groundwater in the study area is alkaline and electrical conductivity of most of samples lies in the range of drinking water standards adopted in Jordan.


Author looks into the statutory regulation in the field of protecting rights and interests of indigenous peoples of the North. He investigates principles and content of the legal regulation of issues regarding the Sami people in Norway. For the purpose of the study, author analyses the official Norwegian policy approach to the institution of citizenship taking into account interests of ethnic minorities. The article contains author's translation of Act No. 56 concerning the Sameting (the Sami Parliament), passed by the Norwegian Parliament on 12 June 1987, from English into Russian considering recent version in Norwegian.


At present, screening of active ingredients from natural products for pharmacological and clinical research is mostly time-consuming and costly. In this study, a molecular network (MN) guided high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-fluorescence detector (HPLC-UV-FLD) method was carried out to profile the global antioxidant activity compounds, including the trace amount ingredients in Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC). Firstly, HPLC-UV-FLD postcolumn derivatization system was utilized to screen the antioxidants. Then the MN of CNC was established via mass spectrometry (MS) data for getting the connection between ingredient structures. As a result, HPLC-UV-FLD indicated three antioxidant ingredients: gallic acid (126.3 mg/g), catechin (564.8 mg/g), and salicylic acid (24.3 mg/g). Combined with the MN, the actives' precise location and connection relationship were clarified based on the structural similarities. A new antioxidant ingredient, okicamelliaside, was suggested and evaluated at free radical scavenging and enzymatic protection. The novel method of activity and structural correlation analysis based on MN could provide a useful guide for screening trace active ingredients in natural products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Three main ingredients were screened out from Camellia nitidissima Chi by HPLC-UV-FLD postcolumn derivatization system. Integrated molecular network and HPLC-UV-FLD analysis, a new type of antioxidant okicamelliaside was selected. The novel method of activity and structural correlation analysis based on molecular network could provide a useful guide for screening trace active ingredients in natural products.


Aims. We investigate the non-equilibrium chemistry of the inner winds of AGB stars for different stages of stellar evolution, choosing a standard AGB stellar model and changing photospheric C/O ratios, to describe winds of M, S, and C stars. Chemical formation pathways for several important molecules and the chemistry of S stars and its implications for the nature of the dust forming in these objects are discussed. Methods. The inner wind standard model ( ≡ gas density, temperature, and velocity) is derived from taking into account the effect of shocks induced by stellar pulsation on the gas. The chemistry consists of 68 elements and molecules and 752 chemical reactions. Molecular concentration profiles are derived by solving a system of non-linear, stiff, ordinary, coupled differential equations applied to the wind model gas parameters. Results. We find that unexpected molecules are present in the inner winds, as a result of non-equilibrium chemistry due to shock propagation. In particular, there exists a group of molecules always formed in the inner wind of AGBs, whatever the stage of evolution of the star, i.e., CO, HCN, CS, and SiO, while other groups of species are typical of a O-rich or C-rich chemistry. The shocked regions above the photosphere, where thermal equilibrium does not apply, act as true molecular factories.


Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) promotes not only osteogenesis but also matrix production in chondrocytes and tenocytes. However, because of its short half-life, maintaining local concentrations of BMP-7 is difficult. We examined the use of a gelatin hydrogel sheet (GHS) for the sustained release of BMP-7 in stimulating rotator cuff repair at the tendon-to-bone insertion. Twelve-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Radiolabeled BMP-7 ((125)I-BMP-7) was injected into the subacromial bursa in the (125)I-BMP-7 group, whereas a GHS impregnated with (125)I-BMP-7 was implanted on the tendon attached to the tendon-to-bone insertion in the (125)I-BMP-7+GHS group. Levels of (125)I-BMP-7 in the tendon-to-bone insertion were assessed at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 postoperative days. The BMP-7 concentrations were significantly higher in the (125)I-BMP-7+GHS group than in the (125)I-BMP-7 group. Next, the bilateral supraspinatus tendons were resected and sutured to the greater tuberosity of the humerus using the Mason-Allen technique. Treatment groups were created as follows: either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or BMP-7 was injected into the subacromial bursa in the PBS and BMP-7 groups, whereas a GHS impregnated with either PBS or BMP-7 was implanted on the repaired tendon attached to the tendon-to-bone insertion in the PBS+GHS and BMP-7+GHS groups. The resected specimens were stained at 2, 4, and 8 postoperative weeks with hematoxylin and eosin as well as Safranin O, and tissue repair was evaluated histologically by using the tendon-to-bone maturing score. Tissue repair was assessed biomechanically at 4 and 8 postoperative weeks. The BMP-7+GHS group at 8 postoperative weeks demonstrated a favorable cartilage matrix production and tendon orientation; moreover, the tendon-to-bone maturing score and the ultimate force-to-failure were the highest in this group. The ability of GHS to provide controlled release of various growth factors has been previously reported. We confirmed that the GHS releases BMP-7 in a sustained manner in the rat shoulder joint. At 8 postoperative weeks, the repaired tissue was mostly restored, both histologically and biomechanically, in the BMP-7+GHS group. We therefore conclude that the sustained release of BMP-7 from a GHS can stimulate rotator cuff repair.


We consider pervasive computing applications that process and aggregate data-streams emanating from highly distributed data sources to produce a stream of updates that have an implicit business-value. Middleware that enables such aggregation of data-streams must support scalable and efficient self-management to deal with changes in the operating conditions and should have an embedded business-sense. In this paper, we present a novel self-adaptation algorithm that has been designed to scale efficiently for thousands of streams and aims to maximize the overall business utility attained from running middleware-based applications. The outcome is that the middleware not only deals with changing network conditions or resource requirements, but also responds appropriately to changes in business policies. An important feature of the algorithm is a hierarchical node-partitioning scheme that decentralizes reconfiguration and suitably localizes its impact. Extensive simulation experiments and benchmarks attained with actual enterprise operational data corroborate this paper's claims


In the last decade, the UK's media have highlighted an apparent rise in the number of homes below the recommended Nationally Described Space Standard for a one-person, one-bed home. However, evidence for the growth of 'micro-apartments' is mixed, with existing data making it difficult to map the geographies of sub-standard homes below the Local Authority scale. Focussing on London, this paper uses Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) as a source of floorspace data, matching this to the Land Registry's Price Paid Data (PPD) and information from the London Planning Database. It quantifies the number of sub-standard homes in London registered for an EPC 2010–21, maps their location at the MSOA (neighbourhood) level, and compares property prices for small and larger homes. Focusing on newly-built homes, it shows that the numbers of small homes doubled across this period with growth in select outer London 'hotspots' accounting for much of this. It also demonstrates the overall numbers of small homes rose despite the formal incorporation of NDSS in the London Plan 2016, with the by-passing of space standards in property conversions under Permitted Development Rights, 2013–21 appearing relatively insignificant in explaining these temporal and spatial trends. Finally, it shows that the price per square metre of small homes often far exceeds that of much larger homes in the same area. While recognising the limitations of EPC data, our findings point to the need for further exploration of the enforcement of space standards, not least because it is often assumed that building more, smaller homes in the capital will create more affordable homes for Londoners.


Abstract. Determining reliable probability distributions for ice sheet mass change over the coming century is critical to refining uncertainties in sea-level rise projections. Bayesian calibration, a method for constraining projection uncertainty using observations, has been previously applied to ice sheet projections but the impact of the chosen observation type on the calibrated posterior probability distributions has not been quantified. Here, we perform three separate Bayesian calibrations to constrain uncertainty in Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) simulations of the committed mass loss in 2100 under the current climate, using observations of velocity change, dynamic ice thickness change, and mass change. Comparing the posterior probability distributions shows that the median ice sheet mass change can differ by 119 % for the particular model ensemble that we used, depending on the observation type used in the calibration. More importantly for risk-averse sea-level planning, posterior probabilities of high-end mass change scenarios are highly sensitive to the observation selected for calibration. Furthermore, we show that using mass change observations alone may result in model simulations that overestimate flow acceleration and underestimate dynamic thinning around the margin of the ice sheet. Finally, we look ahead and present ideas for ways to improve Bayesian calibration of ice sheet projections.


The purpose of this study is to propose a framework drawing on theoretical and empirical science education research that explains the common prominent field-based components of the handful of persistent and successful Earth science education programs designed for indigenous communities in North America. These programs are primarily designed for adult learners, either in a postsecondary or in a technical education setting and all include active collaboration between local indigenous communities and geoscientists from nearby universities. Successful Earth science curricula for indigenous learners share in common an explicit emphasis on outdoor education, a place and problem-based structure, and the explicit inclusion of traditional indigenous knowledge in the instruction. Programs sharing this basic design have proven successful and popular for a wide range of indigenous cultures across North America. We present an analysis of common field-based elements to yield insight into indigenous Earth science education. We provide an explanation for the success of this design based in research on field-based learning, Native American learning styles research, and theoretical and empirical research into the nature and structure of indigenous knowledge. We also provide future research directions that can test and further refine our understanding of best practices in indigenous Earth science education. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed, 89:296–313, 2005


Immunological responses are tightly controlled through a balance between stimulatory and inhibitory cytokines. This is used therapeutically in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease, where anti-cytokine therapy has proven to be useful. Furthermore, stimulatory cytokines are used in treatment of some malignant diseases. However, both anti-cytokine therapy and cytokine therapy are systemic treatments with severe side-effects: thus local delivery of the treatment may improve the therapeutic efficacy and reduce the systemic side-effects. We therefore propose the concept of local delivery using secretory lysosomes of hematopoietic cells as vehicles. A secretory lysosome is a compartment with a dual function of storage and degradation found in secretory cells, e.g. in neutrophils and lymphocytes. The secretory lysosomes are released by degranulation at sites of inflammation or infection. Therapeutically-active protein could be induced for expression and storage in secretory lysosomes and thereby be locally released by degranulation resulting in local delivery of therapeutically active protein. In support of this concept, we have shown that: I) gene transfer and granule loading can be achieved using the soluble TNF-a receptor (sTNFR1) after cDNA expression in hematopoietic cell lines and hematopoietic progenitor cells; II) endoplasmic reticulum export can be facilitated by the addition of a transmembrane domain; III) constitutive secretion can be prevented by incorporating a cytosol-sorting signal resulting in secretory lysosome targeting; IV) the sTNFR1 is released from the transmembrane domain into the secretory lysosome by proteolytic cleavage; V) regulated sTNFR1-secretion can be triggered by activation or calcium signal. In vivo investigations are currently determining the feasibility of local protein delivery at sites of inflammation or malignancy.


Poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) is a polyester from ethylene glycol and 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid which has gained increasing interest due to its excellent properties compared to chemically similar PET. This paper presents an estimation of the crystallization enthalpy, the crystalline and amorphous density and the crystallization kinetics of PEF. Using Avrami and the Hoffman-Lauritzen theory, Hoffman-Lauritzen parameters are proposed that relate crystal growth rate of catalyst-free PEF to temperature and molecular weight. Characteristic is a higher activation energy for chain diffusion (U*) for PEF compared PET, which can be attributed to more restricted chain conformational changes. Finally, the crystallization rate of PEF is shown to be significantly affected by catalyst type.


The use of a mixture of dl- and meso-divinylethylene carbonate as an electrophile in palladium-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions is reported. From the diastereomeric mixture of meso and chiral racemic starting materials, a single product is obtained in high optical purity employing either oxygen or nitrogen nucleophiles. The resulting dienes have proven to be versatile synthetic intermediates as each carbon is functionalized for further transformation and differentiated by virtue of the reaction. A mechanism for this intriguing transformation is proposed and a concise enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-australine hydrochloride is reported as well as a formal synthesis of isoaltholactone.


At the turn of the eighteenth century, the newcomers of the Fontana family settled in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and eventually rallied a clan of architects and engineers based on family ties. In the middle of the eighteenth century, some of the individuals connected by familial ties resided in Warsaw and worked in the milieu of the royal court, but the zone of their activity and influence covered almost the whole territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the historiography of Polish art, the Fontanas and other architects related to them have been studied in some detail, but those family members who resided and worked in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania have not been adequately researched. The phenomenon of this clan is not featured in the circulation of the history of Lithuanian art, nor has its role in the evolution of eighteenth-century architecture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania been assessed. The biographical information on the Fontana family and the data on their architectural activities suggest that the Fontana family of architects, which operated in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, comprised a group based on kinship that consciously sought to firmly establish themselves and assert leadership in the field of architecture. In the eighteenth century, the architects of the Fontana family introduced the stylistic trend of "Classicist" Baroque to the architecture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This style encompassed the echoes of Northern Italian mannerism, ascetic and austere traditions of mature baroque of Rome, as well as ideas and variations of forms transformed in the milieu of Warsaw triggered by following such precursors as Tylman van Gameren. Classicist Baroque stimulated a wide response. In the eighteenth-century arena of baroque architecture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, it was competing against its main rival, the school of Vilnius Baroque.


Burnt-out diabetes is a state in which diabetic patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) experience hypoglycemic episodes accompanied by a normalization of Glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Here we present a case of 'burnt-out diabetes' in a female patient who went into sudden cardiac arrest during hemodialysis. Patient reverted and after intubation was admitted under intensive care. Investigations revealed severe Chronic Renal Failure (CRF), mild concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and mild pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). She was treated with intravenous antibiotics, diuretics, antihypertensives. She had four sittings of hemodialysis during her hospital stay and was later discharged and advised regular hemodialysis. In conclusion, this is a case that involves interplay of diabetes and kidney disease. This emphasizes the need to evaluate the risks associated with the overestimation of glycemic control in ESRD patients on hemodialysis and for the use of alternative indicators of glycemic control such as Glycated Albumin (GA).


Robots can make surgery quicker, cheaper and safer. So why aren't they in every operating theatre? Basic technological development is still required, an understandably conservative medical profession has to be 'won over', and healthcare planners must be convinced of the financial benefits. Perhaps the best hope for the medical robotics business is the increasing role of market forces within healthcare systems. In an increasingly competitive healthcare sector, robots could offer hospitals a way of attracting potential patients. Last, but not least, patients must be convinced that they'll be safe in a robot's care.


The number of patients supported with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is rising rapidly, and noncardiac surgery (NCS) in these patients presents unique challenges. Given the controversy regarding the safety and timing of elective NCS, we performed a systematic review examining the perioperative morbidity and mortality of NCS in stable patients with LVADs. The published literature was searched using strategies created by a medical librarian. All reports involving five or more patients with implanted LVAD undergoing NCS were eligible for inclusion. One hundred and sixty one patients who underwent 252 surgeries were included from seven studies. Cohort size ranged from 8 to 47 patients undergoing 12 to 67 NCS. Median age ranged from 50.1 to 68 years and 75 to 100% were male. Thirty day postoperative mortality ranged from 6.4 to 16.7%, although four studies reported no deaths. Due to the small number of included studies with relative few patients and widely heterogeneous reporting of outcomes a formal quantitative meta-analysis was not performed. Noncardiac surgery in patients with LVADs appears to be safe and feasible in select patients. Future studies should use standard study design and reporting parameters to facilitate the systematic examination of safety and outcomes for elective NCS in LVAD patients.


Afghanistan's agricultural sector is extremely important. It provides livelihoods for almost 80% of the population; however, due to 25 years of conflict, Afghanistan's agricultural sector has been left in ruins. After the fall of the Taliban regime, the world has taken a more proactive approach in rebuilding the country. The Afghan government and NGOs have started to create programs that enhance agricultural production throughout the country. This paper is a synthesis of the literature spanning 2000-2008 pertaining to what has been done thus far in the country and what entities were responsible for those outcomes. This study describes the role of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Land's Division of Extension and how that division has addressed problems in the agricultural sector. The literature suggests that NGOs play a vital role in Extension program implementation, while the Ministry of Agriculture serves primarily as a regulatory body.


Global inequity in access to and availability of essential mental health services is well recognized. The mental health treatment gap is approximately 50% in all countries, with up to 90% of people in the lowest-income countries lacking access to required mental health services. Increased investment in global mental health (GMH) has increased innovation in mental health service delivery in LMICs. Situational analyses in areas where mental health services and systems are poorly developed and resourced are essential when planning for research and implementation, however, little guidance is available to inform methodological approaches to conducting these types of studies. This scoping review provides an analysis of methodological approaches to situational analysis in GMH, including an assessment of the extent to which situational analyses include equity in study designs. It is intended as a resource that identifies current gaps and areas for future development in GMH. Formative research, including situational analysis, is an essential first step in conducting robust implementation research, an essential area of study in GMH that will help to promote improved availability of, access to and reach of mental health services for people living with mental illness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While strong leadership in this field exists, there remain significant opportunities for enhanced research representing different LMICs and regions.


Pollen analysis of Late Holocene lacustrine sediments from Jore-Pokhari, a temperate lake of eastern Himalaya, has revealed that around 2500 yr B.P. mixed broad-leaved Oak forests existed, reflecting to a warm-temperate and humid climate in the region. Between 1600- and 1000-year B.P. a short-term cool-oscillation is witnessed as evidenced by decline in broad-leaved tree taxa and a simultaneous increase in the conifers. The anthropogenic activities have also been noticed during this period as evidenced by the increase in grasses together with culture pollen such as Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Artemisia and Asteraceae as well as appearance of Cerealia type pollen. Between 1000- and 300-year B.P. the improvement in the broad-leaved taxa, viz., Quercus, Betula and Alnus and reappearance of Rhododenrdron as well as simultaneous decline in Pinus indicate the amelioration of climate which became warm-temperate the humid once again.


Concepts of cancer biology normal and cancer cell biology etiology of neoplasia molecular biology of cancer genetics tumor immunology molecular biology of tumor progression concepts of cancer evaluation epidemiology, prevention and screening patient evaluation and staging techniques of pathological evaluation-overview diagnostic imaging in cancer diagnosis concepts of cancer therapy kinetics and trials design principles of surgical therapy radiation therpay chemo-therapy other therapeutic approaches to specific neoplasms thoracic neoplasms breast cancer neoplasms of the alimentary tract and its appendages gynecologic cancer genito-urinary cancer tumors of the head and neck bone and soft tissue sarcoma hematologic neoplasms lymphatic system acquired immune deficiency syndrome intracranial tumors in adults skin and skin appendages endocrine neoplasms cardiovascular neoplasms childhood cancer cancer of unknown primary complications of neoplasia and its treatment ethical and socio-economic issues. Appendices: current international staging system cancer chemotherapy - disease, drugs, dose, route, schedule, including combination index.


Currently, on optimization processes requirements focusing on several parameters are emphasized. Algorithms allowing to find an optimal (near-optimal) solution, are in most cases moving in the large area of possible solutions. Their running requires strong computational support and hunger solution programs to run on multi-core workstation, clusters, grid and clouds. In this article serial and parallel computing of the Job-Shop scheduling problem by using MATLAB distributed computing server is compared.


Let K be a compact semi-simple Lie group, and let N be a maximal unipotent subgroup of the complexified group KC. In this paper, we classify all the K-invariant Kaehler structures on KC/N . For each Kaehler structure ω, let L be the line bundle with connection whose curvature is ω. We then study the holomorphic sections of L, which constitute a K-representation space.


4 Abstract: Genetic diversity studies that utilize phenotypic and genetic information are informative when formulating breeding and conservation plans. The present study utilizes sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region of 232 village chickens from Southern and Northern Nigeria to determine the origin and diversity of Nigerian local chickens. Thirty-six polymorphic sites which generate 35 haplotypes are identified. Phylogenetic analyses group Nigerian local chickens to a single clade and 97.8% of the total maternal variation occurs within populations. Reference sequences representing the major chicken mtDNA lineages from Asia indicate the Indian subcontinent to be the likely main center of origin of Nigerian village chicken. Lack of phylogeograph ic structure among Nigerian village chickens suggest extensive genetic intermixing within the country.


Background: COVID-19 with high infectivity and high concealment has been widely spread around the world. This major public health event has caused anxiety among the public, including pregnant women. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of anxiety symptoms in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic and its influencing factors.Methods: Using an ongoing prospective pregnancy registry, we performed a single center cross-sectional analysis to investigate the overall prevalence of anxiety symptoms among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online questionnaires were used to collect information including sociodemographic data, physical activity and economic situations. The Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. The univariate regression analysis was performed to detect factors potentially influencing anxiety symptoms among pregnant women. The multivariate regression analysis was also conducted to analyze the association of physical exercise and economic burden with anxiety symptoms by adjusting for other variables.Results: A total of 1,517 pregnant women entered the analysis. The study reported that 31.64% of the respondents had anxiety symptoms. Those with bank loans were at higher odds of suffering from anxiety symptoms compared to those without bank loans [(adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.494, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.181~1.889]. Those who took 2,000~5,000 steps/day (aOR 0.825, 95% CI 0.603~0.875) and >5,000 steps/day (aOR 0.924, 95% CI 0.439~0.945) were at lower odds of suffering from anxiety symptoms compared to those who took <500 steps/day. Similarly, the adjusted odds ratios for anxiety symptoms was 0.750 (95% CI 0.663~0.790) and 0.800 (95% CI 0.226~0.889) lower in participants with exercise frequencies of 4-6, and ≥7 times/week, compared to those with a frequency of <2 times/week.Conclusions: Three in ten pregnant women experienced anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, and anxiety symptoms showed association with bank loans and physical exercise. To prevent anxiety of pregnant women, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, improvement of mental health services, and expansion of social support should be implemented during epidemics. In parallel, the integration of psycho-educational interventions with mental health services among public health centers is required to minimize anxiety symptoms in pregnancy women.


In Cloud computing focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the sharing of resources. It is not only shared by multiple users but can also dynamically reallocating as per demand. Personal data stored in the cloud may contain account number, password, notes and other important information that could be used and misused by a miscreant, a competitor or a court of law. These data are cached, copied and archived by Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), often without user authorization and control. To overcome this problem to propose a Self Destruction method is protecting the user data privacy through Shamir Secret sharing algorithm, which can generate a pair of keys. Self Destruction method is associated with Time to Live (TTL) property to specify the life time of the keys. TTL trigger the Self Destruction operation, then the keys becomes destructed or unreadable after a user specified period. User can decrypt after timeout, either the user give correct keys. Shamir algorithm generates new keys to the user. Self Destruction mechanism reduces the overhead during upload and download file in the cloud. The result demonstrates that Self Destruction is practical to use and meet all privacy preserving goals.


In this paper, the capability index is introduced in order to improve the reliability of new concept machine tools and the method to improve the machine accuracy from the analysis of cutting process, statistical methodology and influence factors are proposed. In addition, the rib structure of bed and column in machine tools is analyzed by using the thermal impact method in order to analogize the rib pattern which has the small thermal deformation under thermal boundary condition. In the analysis of column rib structure, thermal boundary condition is separated to heat conduction and heat transfer to appropriate real boundary condition. Finally, performance chart of bed and column rib structure is provided for designer to estimate each rib pattern and select rib structure appropriating to thermal condition.


ABSTRACT Objective: Mental health clinicians have struggled to recognise the need to understand an Aboriginal worldview and how human interactions are shaped by social relationships in kin-based societies. This paper considers the findings of Looking Forward Project, a participatory action research study aimed at investigating the serious disconnection between mental health and drug and alcohol service providers and Aboriginal families living in Perth, Western Australia. Method: Our research methods and knowledge exchange were premised on the shared storytelling between Aboriginal Elders, researchers, senior management and clinicians. Study participants included eighteen local Elders and approximately seventy staff across eleven mental health and drug and alcohol organisations, over four years. Elders have been the primary drivers of the research design. This paper is shaped by the storying process. Results: The study revealed the lack of trust between service providers and Aboriginal families is predominantly due to the lack of understanding by service providers of the critical difference in social relationships. The lack of trust creates a barrier to accessing services and compromises the quality of response by services. Humility, inquisitiveness and openness are essential qualities for meaningful engagement and sustainable relationships. Discussion: The rebuilding of trust requires the development of meaningful relationships in order to break down the barriers so as to increase access and develop culturally secure responses by services. When clinicians adopt these essential qualities they will develop a reflective practice that enables them to be more adaptable in their work with Aboriginal clients and their families.


A case of a periosteal chondroma arising in the fifth toe is reported. A 19-year-old man presented a palpable mass of his left fifth toe with pain for 2 years. Plain radiographs showed mild irregularity of the cortical bone of the fifth proximal phalanx. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumour attached to the fifth proximal phalanx with low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images without intramedullary extension. The tumour was enhanced heterogeneously after intravenous injection of gadolinium diethylene triamine penta-acetic (GD-DTPA). The tumour was removed, together with the covering periosteum. It was diagnosed as periosteal chondroma histologically.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary hepatic tumor, is highly prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region, including Thailand. Many genetic and epigenetic alterations in HCC have been elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine whether aberrant methylation of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 gene (SOCS1) occurs in HCCs. Methylation specific-PCR assays were performed to identify the methylation status of SOCS1 in 29 tumors and their corresponding normal liver tissues. An abnormal methylation status was detected in 17 (59%), with a higher prevalence of aberrant SOCS1 methylation significantly correlating with HCC treated without chemotherapy (OR=0.04, 95%CI=0.01-0.31; P=0.001). This study suggests that epigenetic aberrant SOCS1 methylation may be a predictive marker for HCC patients.


Software misconfiguration is responsible for a substantial part of today's system failures, causing about one quarter of all user-reported issues. Identifying their root causes can be costly in terms of time and human resources. To reduce the effort, researchers from industry and academia have developed many techniques to assist software engineers in troubleshooting software configuration.

Unfortunately, there exist some challenges in applying these techniques to diagnose software misconfigurations considering that data or operations they require are difficult to achieve in practice. For instance, some techniques rely on a data base of configuration data, which is often not publicly available for reasons of data privacy. Some techniques heavily rely on runtime information of a failure run, which requires to reproduce a configuration error and rerun misconfigured systems. Reproducing a configuration error is costly since misconfiguration is highly relevant to operating environment. Some other techniques need testing oracles, which challenges ordinary end users.

This thesis explores techniques for diagnosing configuration errors which can be deployed in practice. We develop techniques for troubleshooting software configuration, which rely on static analysis of a software system and do not need to execute the application. The source code and configuration documents of a system required by the techniques are often available, especially for open source software programs. Our techniques can be deployed as third-party services.

The first technique addresses configuration errors due to erroneous option values. Our technique analyzes software programs and infer whether there exists an possible execution path from where an option value is loaded to the code location where the failure becomes visible. Options whose values might flow into such a crashing site are considered possible root causes of the error. Finally, we compute the correlation degrees of these options with the error using stack traces information of the error and rank them. The top-ranked options are more likely to be the root cause of the error. Our evaluation shows the technique is highly effective in diagnosing the root causes of configuration errors.

The second technique automatically extracts names of options read by a program and their read points in the source code. We first identify statements loading option values, then infer which options are read by each statement, and finally output a map of these options and their read points. With the map, we are able to detect options in the documents which are not read by the corresponding version of the program. This allows locating configuration errors due to inconsistencies between configuration documents and source code. Our evaluation shows that the technique can precisely identify option read points and infer option names, and discovers multiple previously unknown inconsistencies between documented options and source code.


Order picking errors have an adverse effect on performance because they contribute to lost time, resources and customer loyalty. Therefore, it is imperative that organizations reduce errors as much as possible. However, organizations cannot effectively reduce errors until they understand the factors that determine and influence them and can isolate the sources of those errors. Product distribution at Frito Lay is very critical in the supply chain activities of the company and understanding and managing the level of errors that occur at the distribution phase of operations is critical for the firm's long term sustained competitiveness. This study examines Frito Lay's order filling processes and how order volumes affect the level of errors. The company uses two types of order picking technologies: prepick and bulk order, conventionally also known as pick-to-light and voice-pick technology respectively. The main objectives of the study are: (a) to examine the impact of size of volume processed at the distribution center on errors recorded for each order pick technology and (b) the impact of regional and seasonal differences across Frito Lay's distribution network. The data pertaining to pre-pick volume, pre-pick error, bulk volume and bulk error were collected for ten consecutive quarters time period ranging from first quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2011 and across 16 divisional distribution centers in four regions of the U.S. The data were organized into a panel for analyses using Stata® 12.1. With no a priori foundation for choosing any particular structural equation form, a number of structural equations were estimated and compared to consistency with economic theory and internal consistency. Two different sets of models were estimated: one for each technology. The regression results from the analysis from the pre-pick order picking technology models showed the quadratic model was the "best" model, whereas the linear model turned out to be the "best" structural form for bulk order picking system. This research provides valuable information to management in attempt to address errors in the order fulfillment system. Because errors may be human, and these human errors may emanate from lack of knowledge or poor skills, they can be addressed with training and education. The human errors may also be a result of processes in the plant. These could be addressed by the reconfiguration of processes and educating people about those processes. Finally, the errors may be motivational, leading to poor focus in executing responsibilities. To address these types of errors, management may choose to implement both positive and negative incentives. Positive incentives will provide rewards to employees who meet error reduction targets that are established at the beginning of certain periods. Negative incentives may include penalties for exceeding pre-specified error thresholds. The Frito Lay system would benefit more from this research if the data had included human resource demographic data as well as economic information. It would have allowed the research to estimate the effect of errors on the economic performance of the different distribution centers and help determine the economically optimal level of errors at the different centers.


Brentano's Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint and Freud's early metapsychology, particularly the Project for a Scientific Psychology, show some interesting similarities. In psychological theory, both men stressed the motivated nature of thought and a conception of a "psychological reality" that is superior to "material reality." Both saw consciousness of one's own mental activity as arising retrospectively and having a calming effect on emotions. Both emphasized a process of "judgment" or "reality testing," made possible only by the presence of a strong unity of consciousness of ego. Methodologically, both agreed that the retrospective analysis of subjective experience is the principal tool of psychology. Freud eventually agreed with Brentano that psychology proceeds best when separated from physiology. They applied similar criteria to "proofs" of the unconscious, with Brentano concluding negatively, and Freud, positvely, after considering new evidence. This article considers the similarities and concludes that they suggest some sort of influence of Brentano on Freud.


This paper presents a behavioural modelling technique for micromechanical beam resonators that enables the simulation of MEMS resonator model in Analog Hardware Description Language (AHDL) format within a system-level circuit simulation. A 1.13 MHz clamped-clamped beam and a 10.4 MHz free-free beam resonators have been modelled into Verilog-A code and successfully simulated with Spectre in Cadence. Analysis has shown that both models behave well and their electrical characteristics are in agreement with the theory.


Aim: Polymicrogyria is a developmental cortical malformation, characterized by very small and prominent curling sulci that cause irregular vision at cortical surface and at the junction of cortex and white matter. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging findings of patients who have different polymicrogyria patterns were presented. Method: Eight women and 1 men, total 9 patients, whom were prediagnosed as motor mental retardation or different epilepsy types between 2008 and 2011 were enrolled in this study. All petients were radiologically imaged by 1,5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging device. Results: Bilateral perisylvian and bilateral parasagittal parieto-occipital polymicrogyria which were common types, detected in two patients. Rare types were detected in seven patients which were as follows; the left temporal common polymicrogyria, polymicrogyria from the left parasagittal, parietally, elongates to posterosuperior perisylvian cortical surfaces, left closed lip schizencephaly and in the neighborhood of perisylvian surface and schizencephaly line and with the parietooccipital polymicrogyria parietooccipital sulcus in the right and parasagittal occipital polymicrogyria, open-lipped on the left and closed lipped on the right schizencephaly and adjacent cortical surfaces with perisylvian polymicrogyria at the right, parasagittal paracingulate polymicrogyria, encephalocele sac at the anterior to the right frontal region with polymicrogyria elongates from adjacent cortical surfaces of forntal lob to insular cortex. Conclusion: As one of the most common types of developmental cortical malformations, polymicrogyria can be seen in patients who are presented with clinical findings, such as epilepsy, mental motor retardation and spasticity and polymicrogyria may present in very different types. MRI is an effective imaging technique in patients presenting with cortical developmental malformations such as polymicrogyria


Multi-view detection incorporates multiple camera views to alleviate occlusion in crowded scenes, where the state-of-the-art approaches adopt homography transformations to project multi-view features to the ground plane. However, we find that these 2D transformations do not take into account the object's height, and with this neglection features along the vertical direction of same object are likely not projected onto the same ground plane point, leading to impure ground-plane features. To solve this problem, we propose VFA, voxelized 3D feature aggregation, for feature transformation and aggregation in multi-view detection. Specifically, we voxelize the 3D space, project the voxels onto each camera view, and associate 2D features with these projected voxels. This allows us to identify and then aggregate 2D features along the same vertical line, alleviating projection distortions to a large extent. Additionally, because different kinds of objects (human vs. cattle) have different shapes on the ground plane, we introduce the oriented Gaussian encoding to match such shapes, leading to increased accuracy and efficiency. We perform experiments on multiview 2D detection and multiview 3D detection problems. Results on four datasets (including a newly introduced MultiviewC dataset) show that our system is very competitive compared with the state-of-the-art approaches. %Our code and data will be open-sourced.Code and MultiviewC are released at https://github.com/Robert-Mar/VFA.


The antidepressant paroxetine affects epigenetic regulation of Bdnf. This Podcast features an interview with Theo Rein, author of a Research Article that appears in the 24 November 2015 issue of Science Signaling, about how antidepressants can affect gene transcription. Epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, have been implicated in both stress-related psychiatric disorders and the action of antidepressant drugs. Gassen et al. found that the antidepressant paroxetine affected epigenetic regulation of the gene encoding brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is important for learning and memory. Paroxetine influenced which of two closely related molecular chaperones bound to CDK5, a kinase that activates DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). Paroxetine treatment reduced DNMT1 activity and DNA methylation and increased the expression of Bdnf. Whether patients responded to paroxetine treatment for depression correlated with the ability of paroxetine to induce Bdnf expression in blood cells cultured from the patients. Listen to Podcast


Abstract Senior leaders in the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as nuclear strategists and academics, have argued that the advent of nuclear weapons is associated with a dramatic decrease in wartime fatalities. This assessment is often supported by an evolving series of figures that show a marked drop in wartime fatalities as a percentage of world population after 1945 to levels well below those of the prior centuries. The goal of this article is not to ascertain whether nuclear weapons are associated with or have led to a decrease in wartime fatalities, but rather to critique the supporting statistical evidence. We assess these wartime fatality figures and find that they are both irreproducible and misleading. We perform a more rigorous and traceable analysis and discover that post-1945 wartime fatalities as a percentage of world population are consistent with those of many other historical periods. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


Tropic responses.-In working out the phototropic responses of Avenla saliva, ARISZIO believes he has shown that the terms reaction time, presentation time, threshold of stimulation, etc., do not represent any well-determined end points in tropic responses. Quotations from his paper present his conclusions: "Each quantity of energy reacts on the plant and is expressed by a curvature of definite maximum strength." "If we once more trace how far the above investigations influence our conception of the process of stimulation, it is clear that the similarity to physico-chemical processes becomes more and more marked. The existence of a threshold of stimulation can no longer be maintained, for not only is each quantity of energy perceived, but it is clear now that a reaction will always take place. The time which intervenes between the application of the stimulus and the beginning of the curvature, the 'reaction time,' was found to be experimentally undeterminable. Thus the latter cannot serve as a measure of sensitivenesss." We are urged, then, in this stronghold of stimulus physiology (tropisms), to abandon the stimulus conception for the physico-chemical. BLACKMAN had earlier urged such a shift of viewpoint in the study of metabolic processes of plants.-WILLIAM CROCKER.


Splicing is a complex process regulated by sequence at the classical splice sites and other motifs in exons and introns with an enhancing or silencing effect. In addition, specific histone modifications on nucleosomes positioned over the exons have been shown to correlate both positively and negatively with exon expression. Here, we trained a model of "IF … THEN …" rules to predict exon inclusion levels in a transcript from histone modification patterns. Furthermore, we showed that combinations of histone modifications, in particular those residing on nucleosomes preceding or succeeding the exon, are better predictors of exon inclusion levels than single modifications. The resulting model was evaluated with cross validation and had an average accuracy of 72% for 27% of the exons, which demonstrates that epigenetic signals substantially mark alternative splicing.


The effects of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction were examined before and after accessory pathway (AP) ablation, with emphasis on assessment of the complication of dual atrioventricular (AV) node pathway. By evaluating the differences in the response to ATP of APs and other pathways, we assessed the usefulness and problems of this method. Of 59 patients who underwent AP ablation, 31 showed pre-excitation and 28 had concealed APs. A dual AV node pathway was found in 9 patients (15.3%) before ablation. After ablation, a dual AV node pathway was newly found in 9 patients. Thus, the total number of patients with a dual AV node pathway was 18 (30.5%). VA conduction over APs was not blocked in 26 of 29 patients, but the remaining 3 APs were blocked transiently by ATP. ATP caused VA block over the AV node in 15 of 16 patients and a dual AV node pathway in all 11 patients. In contrast, VA conduction over the retrograde fast pathway was blocked in 9 of 14 patients with AV node re-entrant tachycardia. ATP has little effect on APs, so observation of the response to ATP provides a more reliable and useful means of evaluating successful ablation. With this method, however, it is important to consider the possibility of the presence of ATP-sensitive APs and ATP-resistant retrograde fast pathways. The influence of ablation-induced injury has not been fully clarified. It is therefore essential to take into account various data, including the comparison between data obtained before and after ablation.


The energy consumption used to dry green pine dimension lumber in a 1,200-board-foot-capacity experimental kiln was studied at various operating conditions. Energy consumed by the steam-heated kiln was measured with the aid of a system of condensers and holding tanks that separated and collected the steam condensate. Results show that charges dried at high temperature (240 F) required 12% less energy than similar charges dried in a similar way at 190 F, and 15% less energy than charges dried at temperatures between 165 and 175 F. Data are presented to illustrate that differences in energy for drying at different temperatures are the result of increased heat lost by radiation during the longer kiln residence required when drying at lower temperatures.


Treatment for diffuse pleural mesothelioma is very difficult. A retrospective study is established for analyzing the experiences in management of such a rare but fatal disease. From May 1960 to August 1996, 17 patients underwent treatment for pathologically confirmed malignant pleural mesothelioma at Veteran General Hospital-Taipei. The chart records were carefully reviewed and surgical specimens were reconfirmed by the pathologist. Single or combined treatment protocols with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy had been used according to the clinical situation. Pathological staging was recorded according to the Butchart staging system. Gender, smoking, asbestos exposure, histology, and survival were analyzed. There were 17 patients in total, including 15 males and 2 females with a mean age of 62 years. The most common symptoms were chest pain, cough, dyspnea and weight loss. For getting definite pathological diagnosis, the most sensitive procedures were video-assisted thoracic biopsy and open lung biopsy. In spite of trying multiple different treatment protocols, disease staging ( p = 0.0186) and the epithelial pathological type ( p = 0.0353) were the significant prognostic factors in our series. Prognosis of diffuse pleural mesothelioma is very poor. It was predominant in nen and no definite relationship with smoking or asbestos exposure was noted in our series, but it was relatively better in patients with early-stage and epithelial-type disease. Further efforts to improve the survival should be delivered on more aggressive cytoreductive surgery with early postoperative concurrent chemo-radiotherapy.


Hindus considered Bhatara Kumara in Bali as a protector or guardian deity for newborn children. Offering and worshiping Bhatara Kumara is very important to do every day to protect or give children gifts. However, in Tutur Kumara Tatwa, Bhatara Kumara teachings are not only for children but for all people. The teachings conveyed are a form of self-control in this life. The teaching or education in Tutur Kumara Tatwa certainly has implications for human life, especially in Bali. Children's education is essential to do from an early age to develop good character. Good character is not only for children but also applies to all human beings. According to Tutur Kumara Tatwa, character education from Bhatara Siwa to Bhatara Kumara originated from a field where Bhatara Kumara was grazing called Argakuruksana. Bhatara Kumara felt like life in solitude. During his life as a shepherd, he had experienced many ups and downs. It is what can be learned as teaching or values in life that can affect human life. Bhatara Kumara was blessed or awarded by Bhatara Shiva to stay young, achieving eternal happiness. Bhatara Kumara is represented as the god of a baby. It means that babies should have received character education from their parents. Bhatara Kumara's role in human life, especially for Bali's Hindu community, is seen as the God of children from birth to Telung Oton's age (630 days). Bhatara Kumara is placed in Pelangkiran and is believed to be the child's protector or guardian


The problem of radar tracking a civilian maneuvering aircraft utilizing on board available measurements of the aircraft roll angle is addressed. Two algorithms belonging to the family of adaptive multimodel partitioning algorithms are designed for this problem and evaluated via simulation experiments with regards to their performance. It is found that these algorithms perform very well in tracking a maneuvering aircraft, and, naturally, far better than previously reported non-adaptive algorithms.<<ETX>>


We analyze the metabolomes of humans, chimpanzees and macaques in muscle, kidney and three different regions of the brain. Whereas several compounds in amino acid metabolism occur at either higher or lower concentrations in humans than in the other primates, metabolites in oxidative phosphorylation and purine biosynthesis are consistently present in lower concentrations in the brains of humans. In particular, metabolites downstream of adenylosuccinate lyase, which catalyzes two reactions in purine synthesis, occur at lower concentrations in humans. This enzyme carries an amino acid substitution that is present in all humans today but absent in Neandertals. By introducing the modern human substitution into the genomes of mice, as well as the ancestral, Neandertal-like substitution into the genomes of human cells, we show that this amino acid substitution is responsible for much or all of the reduction of de novo synthesis of purines in humans.


Abstract Educational aspirations play an important role in shaping students' educational trajectories and destinations. Drawing on longitudinal data from the TREE2 study, this paper investigates the effect of tracking on the formation and adjustment of the educational aspirations of Swiss students upon leaving compulsory school. We show that educational aspirations are highly responsive to the educational track attended in upper secondary education. While students in general education tend to stick to their aspirations, their counterparts in vocational programmes exhibit less stable aspirations.


This paper presents a new yokeless Linear Switch Reluctance Machine (LSRM) for Urban Rail Transit System (URTS) which primary and secondary sides both feature modular structure. The primary side consists of independent cores of different width with the bigger core wound by a simple concentric winding while the smaller core remains unwound. The secondary, i.e. the stator of the LSRM includes series of faro-magnetic segments which are magnetically and mechanically isolated with each other. The modular characteristics of the presented LSRM gains a superiority over the conventional teeth type LSRM in terms of high thrust density and low cost as long stroke linear driver. FEM model is established and employed to analyze and evaluate the machine performance which gives a fair comparison with the teeth type LSRM in terms of force density and force ripple.


Dark Days, White Nights is the InSEA Congress exhibition,
opening a platform for artistic participation in the congress
with its emphasis on the dialogue betwewn acacemic and artistic
practice. The exhibition title refers to two thematic schemata.
First, in Finland, conditions of light vary widely according to
the season. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set
around midsummer and does not rise at all during midwinter.
Light and the lack of light define the conditions of human
existence to a great extent. Secondly, Dark Days, White Nights
refers to the ongoing changes in the world. Coincident with the
rise in the number of refugees, right-wing populism has become
stronger than ever since World War II. In this way, the title
can be taken as a social, psychological and political metaphor.
Dark Days, White Nights encourages wide interpretation of the
title and a variety of critical artistic approaches. How do we
experience light as a condition of life and as an environmental
living condition? How does art reflect cultural and political
changes locally and globally? In line with the congress themes,
the exhibition focuses on cultural diversity, post-humanism and
eco-justice.


Magnetic nanoparticles actually play important roles as negative MRI contrast agent in T2-weighted imaging, thus several magnetic nanoparticles formulations have been approved for uses in image and drug delivery simultaneously. For efficient colon cancer therapy, the combine agents were proven activity in clinical applications such as irinotecan and avastin. SN-38 (7-Ethyl-10-Hydroxycamptothecin) derived from irinotecan hydrochloride (CPT-11) which had 100-1000 times more active than irinotecan; avastin is monoclonal antibody that could inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The combination of SN-38 and VEGF siRNA may enhance the antitumor effect, thus magnetic micelles as VEGF siRNA and SN-38 carriers have been developed for magnetic resonance imaging and colon cancer therapy.
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a double-stranded RNA with short base pairs that can be unstable and degraded by enzyme in environments full of serum or plasma proteins, low transfection efficiency may even happened. To solve this problem, siRNA can be conjugated with PEG (siRNA-PEG) to improve its stability and to prolong its blood circulation time after intravenous administration. PEG can also protect nanoparticles from fast blood stream removal by reticulo-endothelial system (RES).
In this study, PDMA-b-PCL mixed mPEG-PCL micelles with a positive charge were synthesized as USPIO, SN-38, and VEGF siRNA nano-carrier. The magnetic micelles loaded with SN38 were then labeled with siRNA-PEG via charge neutralization and used Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect to accumulate in tumor. Characterization of micelles, the size and zeta-potential of magnetic micelles loaded SN-38 with siRNA-PEG binding were approximately 222.1 nm and 21.2 mV, although PDMA-b-PCL polymer had high positive charge but RBC hemolysis and protein aggregations would not occur. In addition, with the existence of protonated amino groups, PDMA-b-PCL mixed mPEG-PCL micelles would cause pH-dependent endosomal disruption. The MTT cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that micelles encapsulated with USPIO and SN-38 would not affect the cytotoxicity of SN-38 compared with free drugs. In vivo study, the PDMA-b-PCL mixed with mPEG-PCL micelles were used due to its stability and lower zeta-potential, but it's not influenced the siRNA-PEG binding efficiently. This results obtained show that magnetic micelles could be developed as VEGF siRNA and SN-38 carrier and innovated micelles have both imaging and therapeutic capabilities for colon cancer.


Improvement of risk prediction for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is needed. Both ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and biomarkers amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and cystatin C improve risk prediction but they have not been evaluated in relation to each other. We analyzed whether NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or cystatin C improved risk prediction beyond traditional ASCVD risk factors combined with 24-hour systolic BP (SBP). Secondary aim was to evaluate whether ABP improved risk prediction when compared with models with the biomarkers. We followed up 907 70-year-old men, free of baseline disease, for incident ASCVD defined as fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction or fatal or nonfatal stroke for a median of 10 years. Cox regression was used to estimate the association between variables in the models and incident ASCVD. Biomarkers were added to a model containing both traditional risk factors and ABP and the models were compared on C-statistics and net reclassification improvement. Twenty-four hour SBP improved discrimination for incident ASCVD when compared with office SBP in a traditional risk factor model (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, +2.4%). NT-proBNP further improved reclassification (+18.7%–19.9%; P<0.01) when added to ABP models, whereas high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and cystatin C did not. Twenty-four hour SBP significantly improved net reclassification when added to a traditional risk factor model that included NT-proBNP. The combination of 24-hour SBP and NT-proBNP improved discrimination and net reclassification for incident ASCVD when compared with office SBP in elderly men. NT-proBNP, but not high-sensitivity C-reactive protein or cystatin C, improved risk prediction and discrimination when added to a model that included ABP.


Analysis of variable-temperature fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime data for per(difluoroboro)tetrakis(pyrophosphito)diplatinate(II) ([Pt(2)(μ-P(2)O(5)(BF(2))(2))(4)](4-), abbreviated Pt(pop-BF(2))), yields a radiative decay rate (k(r) = 1.7 × 10(8) s(-1)) an order of magnitude greater than that of the parent complex, Pt(pop). Its temperature-independent and activated intersystem crossing (ISC) pathways are at least 18 and 142 times slower than those of Pt(pop) [ISC activation energies: 2230 cm(-1) for Pt(pop-BF(2)); 1190 cm(-1) for Pt(pop)]. The slowdown in the temperature-independent ISC channel is attributed to two factors: (1) reduced spin-orbit coupling between the (1)A(2u) state and the mediating triplet(s), owing to increases of LMCT energies relative to the excited singlet; and (2) diminished access to solvent, which for Pt(pop) facilitates dissipation of the excess energy into solvent vibrational modes. The dramatic increase in E(a) is attributed to increased P-O-P framework rigidity, which impedes symmetry-lowering distortions, in particular asymmetric vibrations in the Pt(2)(P-O-P)(4) core that would allow direct (1)A(2u)-(3)A(2u) spin-orbit coupling.


Using an unusual case of a democratic and militant shipbuilding union in 1960s South Korea as a window on society, this article explores the politics and ethos of the first decade of Park Chung Hee's rule. Pronounced public support for the union in the region, dense links between the unionists and local progressives, and the surprisingly optimistic and positive expectations of the military government that shipyard workers exhibited in this period all call our attention to the still quite fluid and open terrain of politics before the full-blown authoritarianism of the 1970s. These dynamic aspects of the 1960s, when both elites and non-elites engaged major postcolonial questions of democracy, development, and unification, are mostly hidden from view today, overwhelmed by the power of the dominant minju discourse that became hegemonic in the democracy movement during the 1980s and 1990s. Excavating the forgotten alliance between an important union and the progressives surrounding it thus opens a space for alternative understandings of South Korean development and democratization.


Objectives Over the past decades new international guidelines recommend that pregnant Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are monitored closely in a multi-professional team throughout pregnancy. The importance of low disease activity before pregnancy and continued treatment during pregnancy has been established. However, there is still a high risk of adverse pregnancy outcome (APO). The APO in a Danish SLE cohort was evaluated and compared with the results in a previous study cohort from the same centre and referral area. Methods This retrospective cohort study used the local patient registry to identify pregnancies in SLE patients followed at the Department of Rheumatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, from January 2010 to October 2020. In total, 66 pregnancies were registered in 41 women. Data were compared with a previous retrospective study (1990–2010) from the same hospital. Results Adverse pregnancy outcome occurred in 65% of pregnancies. Forty-seven pregnancies resulted in a live birth, while 15 ended in miscarriages. Compared to the 1990–2010 cohort, a numerical reduction in preterm deliveries (7.58% vs. 17.9%) and emergent caesarean (6.1% vs. 15.5%) was observed, although not reaching statistical significance (p = .07 in both cases). Further, a higher average birth weight (3045 g vs. 2870 g) as well as a higher number of pregnancies and live births per year were observed. Gestational hypertension was significantly reduced from 23.8% to 13.6% (p = .05). Significantly more patients were treated with prednisolone (66.7% vs 35.7%, p = .0002), hydroxychloroquine (6% vs. 73.4%, p < .0001) and acetylsalicylic acid (39.3% vs. 73.1%, p = .0001) in 2010–2020 compared to the 1990–2010. Conclusion We observed significant improvements in the frequency of some APOs in the recent 2010–2020 cohort compared with the previous cohort followed from 1990 to 2010. However, even though a specialized multi-professional team closely follows SLE patients through their pregnancies, pregnancy in SLE still carries a high risk of APO.


Great-grandson of a crofter and son-in-law of a Duke, Harold Macmillan (1894-1986) was both complex as a person and influential as a politician. Marked by terrible experiences in the trenches in the First World War and by his work as an MP during the Depression, he was a Tory rebel - an outspoken backbencher, opposing the economic policies of the 1930s and the appeasement policies of his own government. Churchill gave him responsibility during the Second World War with executive command as 'Viceroy of the Mediterrranean'. After the War, in opposition, Macmillan overhauled the Conservatives on progressive and radical lines; after 1951, in government, he served as Minister of Housing, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He became Prime Minister after the Suez Crisis, and between 1957 and 1963 presided over Great Britain's transition from the age of austerity to that of affluence. He also proved himself one of the great publishers of his generation. The culmination of 35 years of research by one of our most respected historians, "Supermac" gives an unforgettable portrait of a turbulent age. It is a magisterial biography destined to become a classic.