Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner produces protein crystals that act effectively on the control of pests for several relevant crops. The cry genes codes for these proteins are named Cry proteins. The cry gene profile can potentially set each bacterial isolate as a potential pest control agent. Aiming to analyze new isolates for the controlling of pests belonging to the orders Lepidop- tera and Coleoptera, 76 samples were molecularly analyzed and had their potential for control evaluated through bioassays with larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), Sphenophorus levis Vaurie and Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus. Based on molecular analysis data, 11 samples (14.5%) were able to control lepidopteran specific pests due to their cry genes content, and 17 samples (22.37%) exhibited coleopteran specific cry genes. The bioassays results indicated two samples with highly effec - tive against S. frugiperda, one against S. levis and six with high toxicity against T. molitor larvae development. The selected B. thuringiensis isolates may be promising for the biological control of these pests.


Three endo bicyclooctadienol dimers corresponding to kingianins A and H, D, and F and J were obtained by the intermolecular radical cation Diels-Alder (RCDA) reaction. Each isomer was cleanly isolated without the aid of preparative HPLC. Kingianins D, F, H, and J were prepared by way of these intermediates from commercially available materials in 10, 13, 9, and 17 steps, respectively. Kingianin A has already been prepared from one of these compounds. Completion of the synthesis of kingianin H relied on Manchand's one-step, three-carbon homologation.


The nature of a phase transition plays an important role in controlling the kinetics of reaction of an electrode material in a lithium-ion battery. The actual phase transition path can be affected by particle size and cycling rate. In this study, we investigated the phase transition process during the electrochemical Li intercalation of anatase TiO2 as a function of particle size (25 nm and 100 nm), cycling rate (1C, 2C, 5C, 10C, 20C) and temperature (room temperature and 80 C) by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The phase transition was found to be affected by the particle size: the 100 nm particles react simultaneously via a conventional nucleation and growth, i.e. two-phase, mechanism, while the 25 nm particles react sequentially via a two-phase mechanism. The Li miscibility gap decreases with increasing cycling rate, yet the phase separation was not suppressed even at a cycle rate of 20C. An increase in temperature from room temperature to 80 C significantly improves the electrode's electrochemical performance despite undergoing a two-phase reaction. The failure to observe a continuous structural transition from tetragonal TiO2 to orthorhombic Li0.5TiO2 even at high rates and elevated temperature was attributed to the high energy barrier of a continuous phase transition path.


Experiments were conducted to know the effect of recommended dose of fungicides (Propiconazole, Carbendazim and Hexaconazole), bio-agents and botanicals on incidence and severity of spot blotch disease and seed yield of wheat. Two sprays of Carbendazim at 0.1% at tillering and boot leaf stage resulted in the maximum reduction in spot blotch incidence and severity followed by two applications of Propiconazole at tillering and boot leaf stage. Propiconazole was also found to be quite effective in reducing the level of disease and enhancing crop yield followed by Carbendazim and Hexaconazole. However, Carbendazim, Propiconazole and Hexaconazole were almost equally effective against spot blotch of wheat and may be used as an alternative to each other for management of disease. Two applications of Carbendazim at tillering and boot leaf stages resulted in highest grain yield. Out of the two bio-agents tested against spot blotch of wheat under field conditions, Pseudomonas fluorescence followed by Trichoderma harzianum resulted in the highest reduction in disease incidence. However, both of these bio-agents were comparatively less effective in minimizing the disease as compared to chemical fungicides. Out of four plant extracts two applications of aqueous Eucalyptus leaf extract at tillering and boot leaf stage resulted in the highest wheat yield as compared to other botanical extracts.

 Key words: Fungicides, bio-agents, Pseudomonas fluorescence, botanicals, Bipolaris sorokiniana, spot blotch, Triticum aestivum.


Impurity-free intermixing of InGaAsP multiple quantum wells (MQW) using sputtering Cu/SiO2 layers followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP) is demonstrated. The bandgap energy could be modulated by varying the sputtering power and time of Cu, RTP temperature and time to satisfy the demands for lasers, modulators, photodetector, and passive waveguides for the photonic integrated circuits with a simple procedure. The blueshift of the bandgap wavelength of MQW is experimentally investigated on different sputtering and annealing conditions. It is obvious that the introduction of the Cu layer could increase the blueshift more greatly than the common impurity free vacancy disordering technique. A maximum bandgap blueshift of 172 nm is realized with an annealing condition of 750°C and 200s. The improved technique is promising for the fabrication of the active/passive optoelectronic components on a single wafer with simple process and low cost.


The organic crystals of potassium hydrogen phthalate (KAP) (or rubidium hydrogen phthalate(RAP)) and thallium hydrogen phthalate(TAP) crystallize out in the same space group of P21ab. The growth morphological change between them has been studied via defective observation and growth theoretical calculation, which indicates that the crystals of KAP and RAP grow through the 2D mechanism and the growth mechanism of (001) faces in TAP changes to defect mechanism. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental ones.


The results of examination of 932 schoolchildren who study at school of different types are presented. They show that the physical and sexual developments of children depend on the type of school. Harmonious development is observed in Lyceum schoolchildren while dysharmonious one is more common in children from general educational schools. Physical development is associated with socioeconomic and ethnic factors.


Objective: To assess the extent to which acoustic and phonetic change-detection processes contribute to the mismatch negativity (MMN) to linguistic pitch contours. Design: MMN was elicited from Mandarin and English speakers using a passive oddball paradigm. Two oddball conditions were constructed. In one condition (T1/T2i), the Mandarin high-level tone (T1) was compared with a convex high-rising tone (inverted T2, henceforth referred to as T2i) that occurs as a contextual variant of T1 in running speech. In the other (T2/T2i), the concave high-rising tone (T2) was compared with T2i. Phonetically, T1/T2i represents a within-category contrast for native speakers, whereas T2/T2i represents a between-category contrast. The between-category pair (T2/T2i), however, is more similar acoustically than the within-category pair (T1/T2i). In an attention-demanding behavioral paradigm, the same speakers also performed an auditory discrimination task to determine the perceptual distinctiveness of the two tonal pairs. Results: Results revealed that the Chinese group, relative to the English, showed larger MMN responses and earlier peak latencies for both conditions, indicating experience-dependent enhancement in representing linguistically relevant pitch contours. At attentive stages of processing, however, the Chinese group was less accurate than the English in discriminating the within-category contrast (T1–T2i). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that experience-dependent neural effects at early preattentive stages of processing may be driven primarily by acoustic features of pitch contours that occur in natural speech. At attentive stages of processing, perception is strongly influenced by tonal categories and their relations to one another. The MMN is a useful index for examining long-term plasticity to linguistically relevant acoustic features.


The 2020, 06/01 issue will deal with Science Fiction and Religion.
Even more than other film genres, science fiction movies confront viewers with societal problems and make experimentation with other models possible. Science fiction can thus be connected to explorations of religion, faith, and belief.Does a machine (a robot, a computer, an android, or a ship) have a soul? What about the concepts of determinism and free will, the bounds between faith, magic, and experimentation? How do films deal with God and the figure of the saviour, or with prophets, priests, imams, and rabbis? How can ideas of time travel and the afterlife be linked with religious beliefs? How can science be related to faith? What about notions of the future? Why are angels and demons and concepts of good and evil (related to theodicy) so popular in science fictionmovies? What is the significance of fictional forms of religion and what is their link to theocracies and dystopian universes?


We report continuous wave operation of SiO2 sandwiched colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum-dot microdisk lasers at room temperature. The SiO2 sandwiched quantum dot structure is formed first and then the disk patterns are defined by e-beam lithography. The benefits of introducing the sandwich structure are two folds: one to increase the confinement factor and the other to reduce the photo-oxidation of quantum dots. The luminescence stability of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots is much improved after they are sandwiched in silicon dioxide. We observe whispering gallery modes spatially and spectrally in the microdisks. We also fabricated Si3N4 microdisks for comparison. The result shows that Si3N4 microdisks are severely damaged when operating under continuous wave excitation while SiO2 microdisks demonstrate stable lasing behavior at the same excitation condition. Therefore, SiO2 microdisks are more suitable for high excitation and/or continuous wave applications such as lasers. This device structure shows great potentials to be applied to other wavelength in the visible range.


We document the surge of economic nationalist and radical-right parties in western Europe between the early 1990s and 2016. We discuss how economic shocks contribute to explaining this political shift, looking in turn at theory and evidence on the political effects of globalization, technological change, the financial and sovereign debt crises of 2008–2009 and 2011–2013, and immigration. The main message that emerges is that failures in addressing the distributional consequences of economic shocks are a key factor behind the success of nationalist and radical-right parties. We discuss how the economic explanations compete with and complement the "cultural backlash" view. We reflect on possible future political developments, which depend on the evolving intensities of economic shocks, on the strength and persistence of adjustment costs, and on changes on the supply side of politics.


Background Injuries are a leading cause of death among children aged 18 years and under. However, there is a lack of policies on effective child injury prevention interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and on the systematic evaluation of such policies. Objectives This study presents results from a pilot test of a systematic approach to assess and track policies on effective child injury prevention interventions at the national level in selected countries. Method A literature review was conducted to identify conceptual models for injury policy assessment. Domains and indicators focusing on evidence-supported interventions for child injury prevention were proposed to target the leading causes of child injury mortality globally and were organized into a self-administered questionnaire, the Assessment of Child Injury Prevention Policies (A-CHIPP) questionnaire, comprising of 22 questions. The questionnaire was modified based on reviews by experts in child injury prevention. For an initial test of the approach, 13 countries from all six WHO regions were selected to examine the accuracy, usefulness and ease of understanding of the A-CHIPP questionnaire. Findings Data on the A-CHIPP questionnaire were received from nine countries. Road traffic injuries and drowning were among the leading causes of child injury for most countries. Two countries reported asphyxiation as the leading cause of child injury mortality. Most countries lacked national policies and program on evidence-supported interventions for child injury primary prevention; financial support and leadership were also lacking. All countries rated the questionnaire very highly on its relevance for assessment of injury prevention policies. Conclusion and policy implications The A-CHIPP questionnaire is useful for national assessment of child injury policies, and such as assessment could benefit stakeholders in addressing policy gaps and supporting progress in child injury prevention.


Polycrystalline sample of Ba5HoTi3V7O30 was prepared using solid-state reaction technique. X-ray structural analysis indicated a single-phase formation with orthorhombic structure. Microstructural study by SEM showed non-uniform distribution of grains over the surface of the sample. Impedance and modulus spectroscopy studies were carried out, as functions of frequency (42 Hz - 5 MHz) and temperature (RT-773K). The Nyquist plots clearly showed the presence of both bulk and grain boundary effect in the compound. Electrical phenomena in the material can appropriately be modeled in terms of an equivalent circuit with R, C and CPE in parallel. The fitting procedure used here allows us to determine the value of R and C with good precision. Here R2 and R3 correspond to the resistance contributed from the grain boundary and bulk, respectively. C1 and C2 correspond to the capacitance contributed from the grain boundary and bulk, respectively. The real part of electrical modulus shows that the material is highly capacitive. The asymmetric peak of the imaginary part of electric modulus M″, predicts a non Debye type relaxation. The activation energy of the compound (calculated both from impedance and modulus spectrum) is same, and hence the relaxation process may be attributed to the same type of charge carriers.


Harmonic scalpel is popular for use in a variety of surgical procedures including thyroid surgery. Proposed advantages of the harmonic scalpel include less lateral thermal tissue damage with no electrical energy transferred to the patient, no neuromuscular stimulation, less smoke formation as compared with electrocautery. Objectives: Our aim was to compare outcomes following thyroid surgery in terms of operative time, postoperative pain, drainage volume, recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid gland injury with the use of the Harmonic Scalpel compared to conventional methods of hemostasis. Study Design: Randomized control trial. Setting: Surgical Department Lahore General Hospital. Period: Twelve Months June 2016 to June 2017. Material & Methods: 60 patients, 30 in each group. Patients were randomized in each group by balloting method. Operative time, postoperative pain and drainage volume was assessed during hospital stay. Recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid gland injury was assessed during hospital stay and follow-up. Results: There was no significant difference in development of hoarseness of voice in both groups, p-value > 0.05. The mean operative time for group A was 69.47 ± 15.44 minutes and for group B it was 54.93 ± 11.56 minutes, p-value <0.05. The overall blood loss in group-A and group-B was 118.73 ± 50.72 ml and 44.60±10.70 ml, p-value<0.05. The mean post-op pain observed at 2nd day for group B was 2.93 ±3.57 and for group A it was 3.57±0.77, p-value < 0.05. Conclusion: Use of Harmonic Scalpel has better results in thyroid surgery in terms of less operative time, less postoperative pain, less drainage volume, while no RLN & parathyroid injury detected in either group.


D. The value of shear wave elastography and velocity standard deviation value in the differentiation of subacute thyroiditis and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis. Cerrahpaşa Med J. 2021;XX:1-6. Abstract Objective: To evaluate the possibility of distinguishing between subacute thyroiditis and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, which can mimic each other in terms of clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings with shear wave elastography. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with subacute thyroiditis according to their clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics (Group 1) and patients using drugs for chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (Group 2) were included in the study. All patients underwent shear wave elastography examination after thyroid ultrasonography. V mean and velocity standard deviation ( V sd ) values were measured in both lobes with shear wave elastography. Grayscale and Doppler sonography imaging features of the patients (parenchymal heterogeneity, perithyroidal lymph node, parenchymal vascularity) and laboratory values (TSH, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody, anti-thyroglobulin) were recorded. It was evaluated statistically whether there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of these parameters and shear wave elastography values. Results: Although there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of clinical, laboratory, and radiological features, the total thyroid gland volume was higher in Group 1. The rate of parenchymal heterogeneity and hypovascularity was higher in Group 1. No significant difference was found in terms of elastographic parameters. The elastographic stiffness was higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 for both lobes. Conclusion: In the presence of hypovascular heterogeneous patchy areas with increased thyroid gland sizes, it is more possible to support the diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis by ultrasonography. The V sd value of 0.4 and above with elastography strengthens the diagnosis in terms of subacute thyroiditis.


PART ONE: THE DEVELOPING HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK One of the most significant developments in refugee law jurisprudence in recent years has been the well-documented move towards an understanding of 'being persecuted', as well as other elements of the definition, that is informed and understood in the context of international human rights standards. This approach to interpretation was advocated as early as 1953, when Vernant suggested that 'persecution' should be equated 'with severe sanctions and measures of an arbitrary nature, incompatible with the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights'. However its widespread acceptance is undoubtedly a result of the ground-breaking analysis produced by Hathaway in 1991, in which he proposed that persecution is best understood as the 'sustained or systemic violation of basic human rights demonstrative of a failure of state protection'. Hathaway proposed that the treaties comprising the 'International Bill of Rights' ('IBR') – the UDHR, the ICCPR and the ICESCR – could provide a framework for measuring whether the nature and seriousness of harm in a specific case amounts to 'being persecuted'. This development has been extremely significant in a number of ways and has been central to the ability of the Refugee Convention to be interpreted in a progressive manner in order to encompass claims involving, for example, gender-based persecution. It is particularly important in light of the central thesis of this book, in that the inclusion of socio-economic rights in both the UDHR and ICESCR provides persuasive authority for the view that violations of socio-economic rights may amount to persecution.


The relatively simple question posed by this title turns out to be complicated in its implementation, for a number of reasons: First, ecosystems have changed in response to changing climate throughout history - however this has not normally been qualified as "vulnerability". Second, most changes in 26 ecosystems have multiple forcings, climate change being only one of them. Third, whether changes in ecosystem functioning qualify as "vulnerability" depends largely on the human point of view. Resolving the issue is very urgent today, because it is indisputable that rapid changes are taking place and that some of these are considered "negative impacts of climate change". Given the complexity of European landscapes, simple extrapolation of observations will not provide the answer in time and with sufficient reliability - instead an integrated experimental and modelling approach has been developed in cooperation with stakeholders. I will present this approach and its latest stages of development which forms the conceptual core of past, present and (hopefully) future integrated projects within the EU framework programmes.


It has become apparent that the models for WLAN interworking with cellular networks and W-ISP networks have started to diverge. This potentially results in a situation where WLAN hotspots are unable to simultaneously support both 3G and W-ISP subscribers. The paper discusses this issue in detail and suggests solutions to allow the co-existence of 3G and W-ISP subscribers within the same WLAN hotspot. The first section of this paper provides a brief overview of the functionality required to support the roaming of users between different service provider networks and highlights some of the current interworking techniques to support them. The next section outlines current state of the art interworking proposals that have been developed by various collaborative projects and technical bodies, and summarises the requirements each solution places on the hotspot. The areas where these solutions are incomplete or prevent co-existence are highlighted. The final section discusses how these approaches could be combined to produce a single generic interworking architecture that can be applied to both 3G and W-ISP roaming, and outlines continuing standardisation work in this area.


Nucleolus-forming 5.8S, 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) loci were assigned by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to the distal half of the short arms of a large-sized submetacentric pair in the Alaskan char (Salvelinus malma) and to the distal region of the long arms of a medium-sized submetacentric pair in the chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), respectively. In each species, heteromorphic FISH signals, spanning whole satellite region and secondary constriction, imply an intraspecific variation in the size of rDNA loci. Size variation of silver-stained nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) was also apparent between or within the assigned rDNA loci in each species, suggesting a possible inter- or intralocus inactivation of rDNAs. C-band positivity of assigned rDNA loci and AgNORs unequivocally showed their association with heterochromatin in these species.


Listeners identify voices more accurately in their native language than an unknown, foreign language, in a phenomenon known as the language-familiarity effect in talker identification. This effect has been reliably observed for a wide range of different language pairings and using a variety of different methodologies, including voice line-ups, talker identification training, and talker discrimination. What do listeners know about their native language that helps them recognize voices more accurately? Do listeners gain access to this knowledge when they learn a second language? Is linguistic competence necessary, or can mere exposure to a foreign language help listeners identify voices more accurately? In this chapter, I review the more than three decades of research on the language-familiarity effect in talker identification with an emphasis on how attention to this phenomenon can inform not only better psychological and neural models of memory for voices, but also better models of speech processing.


We calculated the entropy of a class of inhomogeneous dust universes. Allowing spherical symmetry, we proposed a holographic principle by reflecting all physical freedoms on the surface of the apparent horizon. In contrast to flat homogeneous counterparts, the principle may break down in some models. We refined fractal parabolic solutions to have a reasonable entropy value for the present observable universe and found that the holographic principle always holds in the realistic cases.


Theoretical and experimental work on sound propagation in suspensions and emulsions is reviewed. Three theoretical approaches are identified: scattering theory, coupled phase theory and porous media theory. Coupled phase theory is extended and compared analytically and numerically to scattering and porous media theory.
Important regimes of scattering theory - the lossless and viscothermal scattering, single and multiple scattering and incoherent scattering regimes - are examined. Experimental data is used to corroborate lossless multiple scattering theory in the short wavelength, high volume fraction region.
Previous coupled phase theories have modelled sound propagation in two phase media (i) with heat transfer assuming incompressible particles and (ii) with a compressible particulate phase neglecting heat transfer. Type (i) models are examined analytically and compared to scattering theory. Types (i) and (ii) are compared and brought together in a more general coupled phase theory. The new theory provides an alternative model to scattering theory for sound propagation in emulsions. Predictions of the new theory are compared to experimental data and predictions of scattering theory.
Conditions for the equivalence of the frameless Biot porous media theory and coupled phase theory are identified. Predictions of the two approaches are compared to experimental data. New measurements of pore size distribution are used to predict measured acoustical properties of air saturated glass beads.
Other extensions to coupled phase theory are reviewed and developed. Predictions including the effect of high volume fraction on the drag and the induced mass force are compared to experimental data and predictions of porous media theory. Coupled phase theory including heat transfer is extended to include particle size distributions; predictions of tl-ds are compared to measurements. The effect of non-spherical particles is investigated. Using the theory of Culick, frequency shifts for modes in an enclosure into which a suspension has been introduced are calculated. These are compared to the predictions of an intuitive approach. The method of Margulies and Schwartz for modelling particle diffusion is discussed.
Areas where further work is required are identified.


Thermally induced skyrmion dynamics, as well as skyrmion pinning effects, in thin films have attracted significant interest. While pinning poses challenges in deterministic skyrmion devices and slows down skyrmion diffusion, for applications in non‐conventional computing, both pinning of an appropriate strength and skyrmion diffusion speed are key. Here, periodic field excitations are employed to realize an increase of the skyrmion diffusion by more than two orders of magnitude. Amplifying the excitation, a drastic reduction of the effective skyrmion pinning, is reported, and a transition from pinning‐dominated diffusive hopping to dynamics approaching free diffusion is observed. By tailoring the field oscillation frequency and amplitude, a continuous tuning of the effective pinning and skyrmion dynamics is demonstrated, which is a key asset and enabler for non‐conventional computing applications. It is found that the periodic excitations additionally allow stabilization of skyrmions at different sizes for field values that are inaccessible in static systems, opening up new approaches to ultrafast skyrmion motion by transiently exciting moving skyrmions.


A large number of evaluation methods, called semantics, have been proposed in the literature for assessing strength of arguments. This paper investigates their equivalence.

It argues that for being equivalent, two semantics should have compatible evaluations of both individual arguments and pairs of arguments. The first requirement ensures that the

two semantics judge an argument in the same way, while the second states that they provide the same ranking of arguments. We show that the two requirements are completely independent.

The paper introduces three novel relations between semantics based on their rankings of arguments: weak equivalence, strong equivalence and refinement.

They state respectively that two semantics do not disagree on their strict rankings; the rankings of the semantics coincide; one semantics agrees with the strict

comparisons of the second and it may break some of its ties. We investigate the properties of the three relations and their links with existing

principles of semantics, and study the nature of relations between most of the existing semantics. The results show that the main extensions semantics are pairwise weakly equivalent.

The gradual semantics we considered are pairwise incompatible, however some pairs are strongly equivalent in case of flat graphs including Max-based (Mbs)

and Euler-based (Ebs), for which we provide full characterizations in terms respectively of Fibonacci numbers and the numbers of an exponential series.

Furthermore, we show that both semantics (Mbs, EMbs) refine the grounded semantics, and are weakly equivalent with the other extension semantics.

We show also that in case of flat graphs, the two gradual semantics Trust-based and Iterative Schema characterize the grounded semantics,

making thus bridges between gradual semantics and extension semantics. Finally, the other gradual semantics are incompatible with extension semantics.


The precise progenitor system of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), whether it is a white dwarf (WD) close to the Chandrasekhar limit or substantially less massive, has been a matter of debate for decades. Recent research by our group on the accretion and simmering phases preceding the explosion of a massive WD has shown that the central density at thermal runaway lies in the range 3.6 − 6.3 × 109 g cm−3 for reasonable choices of accretion rate on to the WD and progenitor metallicity. In this work, we have computed one-dimensional simulations of the explosion of such WDs, with special emphasis on the chemical composition of the ejecta, which in all cases is extremely rich in neutronized isotopes of chromium (54Cr) and titanium (50Ti). We show that, in order to reconcile such a nucleosynthesis with the isotopic abundances of the Solar system, Chandrasekhar-mass WDs can account for at most 26 per cent of normal-luminosity SNe Ia, or at most 20 per cent of all SNe Ia.


Cigarette smoking is arguably the major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the developed world. The Department of Health and Human Services in the United States classifies cigarette smoking as a chronic, often relapsing disease. Like most complex diseases, genetic and environmental factors play important roles and contribute to both smoking initiation and persistence. This review summarizes pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions for smoking cessation and provides references to evidence-based guidelines and support material. As smoking is an etiologic and exacerbating factor for lung diseases, the pulmonary physician should be particularly expert in smoking cessation interventions.


A central issue in the design of a general-purpose parallel computer is the choice of an interconnection network and an associated algorithm for routing messages through it. The main results of this thesis are two new interconnection networks, the pruned butterfly and the sorting fat-tree, and deterministic routing algorithms for them. Both networks are area-universal, i.e.,they can simulate any other routing network fitting in similar VLSI chip area with only polylogarithmic slowdown. Previous area-universal networks were either for the off-line problem, where the message set to be routed is known in advance and substantial precomputation is permitted, or involved randomization, yielding results that hold only with high probability. The two networks introduced here are the first that are simultaneously deterministic and on-line, and they use two substantially different routing techniques. The performance of the routing algorithms depends on the difficulty of the problem instance, which is measured by a quantity $\lambda$ known as the load factor. The pruned butterfly algorithm runs in time O($\lambda\log\sp2 N$), where N is the number of possible sources and destinations for messages and $\lambda$ is assumed to be polynomial in N. The sorting fat-tree algorithm runs in O($\lambda\log N + \log\sp2 N$) time for a restricted class of message sets including partial permutations.
Several related results are also presented in this thesis. A nontrivial lower bound on wire area is proven for a class of tree-based networks that includes some known area-universal networks. Routing networks that do not modify the content of messages are shown to be subject to an area-time tradeoff. This lower bound implies the sorting fat-tree's area-time performance is optimal for a wide range of possible values for $\lambda$. Other results of this work include a new type of sorting circuit and an area-universal VLSI circuit.


To follow up country work supported by the Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing, the World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support projects to scale up the promotion of handwashing with soap (HWWS) in Peru, Senegal, Tanzania, and Vietnam. The major project objectives of the handwashing Initiative are: (i) inculcate the HWWS habit among millions of mothers and children in these countries; (ii) use a strong monitoring and evaluation (ME and (iii) establish sustainable programs that will continue and expand after this four-year grant ends. Evaluation of actual impact on knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding HWWS shows some positive and some inconclusive findings. However, the study team feels that much excellent groundwork for the expanded program in Peru has been solidly laid by efforts to date and that, in combination with strong political will from the national government and a certain level of guaranteed funding, the outlook for effective expansion is very good. The Peruvian program implemented activities at the national level and developed partnerships and activities in 14 of Peru's 24 regions. Preliminary monitoring and evaluation showed mixed but promising improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and practices, particularly in handwashing before eating and preparing food. Fostering partnerships at the national, regional, and local levels has been a key project strategy. Although this has been difficult and demanding at times, it has also been a major reason for progress. Both interpersonal communication (in schools and communities) and mass media (mostly print and radio) made important contributions to changing knowledge, attitudes, and practices.


Our contemporary life is said to be in conformity with what we do. People tend to be honest and trustworthy unlike those in the past - in the Victorian times, for example, when there were elements of hypocrisy and conventional behaviour among citizens. Many people nowadays live their lives according to their own subjective beliefs; and they speak openly about their both good and bad deeds – even if some of them were kept secret to the public. And the public is equally open to tolerate or even accept them.
An analysis of many cases in which people follow their own moral beliefs shows that this category of people are not always honest – only then, when their system of moral values is in accord with the objective system of moral values. Individual moral beliefs can be a result of false or relative moral theories, or even constructed to fit one's moral attitude. Behaviour in which one respects the established principles, though may seem genuine, does not need to be considered honest. Following this kind of thinking, a man does not have any motivation or need to control himself – human-beings can dispense with self-development. The Victorian hypocrite had at least a due respect for moral values and knew that he had done wrong. His honesty followed what was good in his life but his deeds were all in all doomed to failure. Failure on the way of applying the right moral principles in life is not dishonesty. Every attempt to follow them inspires humans to undertake some spiritual efforts and gives opportunity to one's own personal development.


Essential oils (EOs) extracted form herbs contain terpenes, terpenoids and polyphenols which show inhibitory effects on seed germination and seedling growth of weeds. Therefore, EOs are potential sources for the development of new bioherbicides. A previous study carried out by the authors has found EOs extracted from Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav., Mentha x piperita L., and Santolina chamaecyparissus L. were able to reduce the emergence and seedling growth of many weeds. However, due to their potential antimicrobial activity, EOs could affect all soil processes mediated by microorganisms. Since EOs impacts seem to be rather complex as they have been found not only to inhibit but also stimulate microbial activities, thus, elucidating the interactions between soil microorganisms and EOs was the goal of this study.
To this end, the EOs extracted from T. capitata, M. piperita and S. chamaecyparissus were applied to a soil at different concentrations.
Before applying the EOs, soil aliquots were moistened up to 2/3 of 50% of their water holding capacity (WHC). Then, they were brought up to 50% of their WHC by adding a solution containing the EOs, so reaching a concentration of 31, 67, 93 µl/mL 100 g-1 of soil for M. piperita and S. chamaecyparissus, and 93, 123, 154 µl/mL 100 g-1 of soil for T. capitata EO.
Fitoil was used to emulsify the EOs at a concentration of 0.05% (v/v). The soil used was the topsoil (0-10cm) collected in a citrus orchard never treated with herbicides. Four replicates per treatment were run.
Soil samples were analyzed to determine microbial biomass C and N, and microbial community structure (through ELFAs fingerprints) after one week, one month, and two months of incubation. In parallel, glass jars with 20 g of soil were incubated to measure CO2 released by soil respiration for 60 days.
Preliminary results reveal that EOs were able to kill some soil microorganisms, thereby providing substrate easily decomposable by the surviving ones, but also that EOs were assimilated by some soil microorganisms as C and energy sources.


The elemental boron and boron-containing compounds hold a unique place in chemistry, physics, and materials science (Greenwood, 1973; Donohue, 1974; Matkovich, 1977; Emin, 1987; Albert & Hillebrecht, 2009). In general, they are composed of various multi-atom boron clusters, such as graphitic layer, octahedral B6 and icosahedral B12, among which the 12-atom B12 icosahedral cluster is the most common form (Greenwood, 1973; Donohue, 1974; Matkovich, 1977; Emin, 1987; Albert & Hillebrecht, 2009). The electronic properties of these boron clusters are characterized by the three-center electron-deficient bond, which presents some analogy with metallic bonding because electron deficiency forces electrons to be shared at the cluster surface(Greenwood, 1973; Donohue, 1974; Emin, 1987). Whereas these clusters are linked together by two-center covalent bonds, which lead to the intra-cluster and inter-cluster bonds have comparable strength (Greenwood, 1973; Donohue, 1974; Emin, 1987; Nelmes et al., 1995; Vast et al., 1997; Fujimori et al., 1999). These features make boronbased materials exhibit a wide variety of electronic properties ranging from semiconducting to superconducting. Furthermore, the boron clusters as structural units may be stacked in many different ways. This fact, coupled with the small size and high affinity of boron atoms, make boron-related materials form a unique family with an astonishing number of members.


After the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), there is an increasing need to monitor pollutant concentrations entering surfaces waters. This concerns all kinds of effluents, as well as urban waters (i.e., wastewater and stormwater). This study provides the first database on the occurrence of 88 individual substances in urban water and highlights direct discharges of these substances to the aquatic environment. Indeed, these hazardous pollutants, listed or not in the WFD, could be released without any treatment to watercourses during a storm.


An examination of outpatient referrals for psychological consultation at a psychiatric hospital in South Africa was undertaken. Over an 18-month period, 87.1% of a total of 31 children were referred with problems of poor school performance. Behaviour problems were underrepresented. The results are discussed in the context of inadequate community mental health services, which are implicated in the under-detection of childhood psychopathology.


ABSTRACT Although empowerment is frequently invoked in social work discourse, it is nevertheless a complicated and contested practice method. A critical minority of social work theorists and practitioners point to the paradox of empowerment practice that reifies power differences and infringes upon client self-determination (Gruber & Trickett, 1987; Hartman, 1992; Pease, 2002; Simon, 1990). Despite the acuity of this critique, it has neither fully penetrated the discourse of social work practice nor been employed in close analyses of empowerment interventions. In order to address this gap, we conducted an ethnographic study of a feminist empowerment program for young adolescent girls. Our findings suggest that despite some evidence of success, there were also noteworthy instances in which program staff subverted the goal of empowering participants' voices and instead disciplined girls' talk along particular discursive lines. This study explores these practices and discourses and based on this illustration, calls for incorporation of critical reflection into empowerment-based social work practice.


The features of spark plasma sintering of submicron Al2O3 powders with different contents (0, 0.5, 1.5, 5 vol.%) of -SiC nanoparticles have been studied. The microstructure and hardness of Al2O3 + 5 vol.% SiC ceramics obtained by sintering Al2O3 powders with -SiC particles of various types (nanoparticles, submicron particles, fibers) have been studied. Sintering was carried out at heating rates (Vh) from 10 to 700 °C/min. The sintering process of Al2O3 + SiC ceramics with low heating rates (Vh = 10–50 °C/min) has a complex three-stage character, with a flat area in the temperature range of 1200–1300 °C. At high heating rates (Vh > 250 °C /min), the usual three-stage character of sintering is observed. The analysis of temperature dependences of compaction was carried out using the Young-Cutler model; It was found that the kinetics of powder sintering is limited by the intensity of grain boundary diffusion. It is shown that the dependence of the hardness of Al2O3 + SiC ceramics on Vh has a nonmonotonic character, with a maximum. In the case of pure alumina, an increase in Vh leads to a monotonic decrease in hardness.


The remarkable capabilities of pretrained image diffusion models have been utilized not only for generating fixed-size images but also for creating panoramas. However, naive stitching of multiple images often results in visible seams. Recent techniques have attempted to address this issue by performing joint diffusions in multiple windows and averaging latent features in overlapping regions. However, these approaches, which focus on seamless montage generation, often yield incoherent outputs by blending different scenes within a single image. To overcome this limitation, we propose SyncDiffusion, a plug-and-play module that synchronizes multiple diffusions through gradient descent from a perceptual similarity loss. Specifically, we compute the gradient of the perceptual loss using the predicted denoised images at each denoising step, providing meaningful guidance for achieving coherent montages. Our experimental results demonstrate that our method produces significantly more coherent outputs compared to previous methods (66.35% vs. 33.65% in our user study) while still maintaining fidelity (as assessed by GIQA) and compatibility with the input prompt (as measured by CLIP score). We further demonstrate the versatility of our method across three plug-and-play applications: layout-guided image generation, conditional image generation and 360-degree panorama generation. Our project page is at https://syncdiffusion.github.io.


The potential toxicity of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) for humans and the environment represents an emerging issue. Since the aquatic environment represents the ultimate sink for NP deposition, the development of suitable assays is needed to evaluate the potential impact of NPs on aquatic biota. The immune system is a sensitive target for NPs, and conservation of innate immunity represents an useful basis for studying common biological responses to NPs. Suspension-feeding invertebrates, such as bivalves, are particularly at risk to NP exposure, since they have extremely developed systems for uptake of nano and microscale particles integral to intracellular digestion and cellular immunity. Evaluation of the effects of NPs on functional parameters of bivalve immunocytes, the hemocytes, may help understanding the major toxic mechanisms and modes of actions that could be relevant for different NP types in aquatic organisms.In this work, a battery of assays was applied to the hemocytes of the marine bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis to compare the in vitro effects of different n-oxides (n-TiO2, n-SiO2, n-ZnO, n-CeO2) chosen on the basis of their commercial and environmental relevance. Physico-chemical characterization of both primary particles and NP suspensions in artificial sea water-ASW was performed. Hemocyte lysosomal and mitochondrial parameters, oxyradical and nitric oxide production, phagocytic activity, as well as NP uptake, were evaluated. The results show that different n-oxides rapidly elicited differential responses hemocytes in relation to their chemical properties, concentration, behavior in sea water, and interactions with subcellular compartments. These represent the most extensive data so far available on the effects of NPs in the cells of aquatic organisms. The results indicate that Mytilus hemocytes can be utilized as a suitable model for screening the potential effects of NPs in the cells of aquatic invertebrates, and may provide a basis for future experimental work for designing environmentally safer nanomaterials.


The study was performed to determine the reliability and validity of the 'Qi Blood Yin Yang Deficiency Questionnaire (Qi Blood Yin Yang DQ)' for the 100 subjects with chronic fatigue. After 100 subjects respond to the 'Qi Blood Yin Yang DQ', Korean medical doctor classified the subjects into 4 groups such as Qi deficiency group, Blood deficiency group, Yin deficiency group and Yang deficiency group. 100 subjects were retested in the same way after 3 weeks. The reliability and the validity of the questionnaire were inspected. Internal consistency of the 'Qi Blood Yin Yang DQ' was excellent (Cronbach alpha 0.916). Test-retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation coefficient 0.699). Construct validity analyzed by exploratory factor analysis produced 4 factors, which were selected from eigenvalues that are greater than 1.0. The 'Qi Blood Yin Yang DQ' consisted of 4 factors. The factor 1, 2, 3 and 4 showed 'Qi deficiency', 'Yin deficiency', 'Yang deficiency' and 'Blood deficiency' respectively. The 'Qi Blood Yin Yang DQ' restructured in this study may provide a fundamental questionnaire and a further study is required for a more advanced, standardized and statistically proven questionnaire. 


: The method of anomalous viscosity time dependencies was used to investigated the influence of extremely low frequency alternating and static magnetic field on the genome conformational state of E. coli K12 AB1157 cells. The physical model was developed on the base of obtained results to describe effects of weak static and alternating magnetic fields on the living cells. In this model the high frequency of oscillations of a charged nucleoid are considered with a classical approach. The wave-like dependence of maximum effect on magnetic induction within the range from 0 to 110 microT was established.


Objectives: To evaluate the impact of upper eyelid blepharoplasty on contrast sensitivity in dermatochalasis patients. Materials and Methods: Best corrected visual acuity, ophthalmologic examination, eyelid examination, lash ptosis, contrast sensitivity using sine-wave contrast sensitivity chart, keratometric parameters, and corneal aberrations of 34 eyes of 34 patients who underwent upper eyelid blepharoplasty due to dermatochalasis in our clinic between the years 2014 and 2018 were evaluated preoperatively and at postoperative 3 months. Results: Twenty-three (68%) of the patients were females and 11 (32%) were males. Mean age was 63.1±7 (52-81) years. Mean best corrected visual acuity was 0.036±0.06 (0-0.15) logMAR preoperatively and postoperatively (p>0.05). Contrast sensitivity values of the patients at the frequencies of 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree were 44.38±19.5, 59.03±27.2, 41.44±34.1, 15.15±19.3, and 5.15±4.26 preoperatively and 44.80±20.9, 76.85±33.4, 63.21±46.4, 28.21±31.1, and 10.5±9.5 postoperatively, respectively. The difference between contrast sensitivity values was statistically significant at the frequencies of 3, 6, 12, and 18 cpd (p=0.005, =0.001, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively). Although lash ptosis of the patients improved significantly after the surgery, there was no correlation between lash ptosis improvement and change in contrast sensitivity (p>0.05). Keratometric values and corneal high order aberrations did not change significantly after the surgery (p>0.05). Conclusion: Contrast sensitivity significantly increases after upper eyelid blepharoplasty, especially at higher spatial frequencies which are known to deteriorate due to age-related changes in the lens and retina in older adults. Our results show that blepharoplasty may have additional functional indications for elderly dermatochalasis patients in terms of improving the functions such as performing daily tasks and reading.


RESULTS: Participants exercised 3 days/wk for 12 weeks with 83% compliance. Mobility improved for chair stand (26%), arm curl (35%), aerobic endurance (25%), and flexibility in both legs (4% right, 2% left). Participants showed no changes for weight or BMI, but successfully maintained "weight neutral" during the 12-week. Participants trended toward an increase in physical activity (9%), over baseline. " Participant opinions revealed they "Liked" the program overall" (75%), said they "Felt good" (70%), was "Convenient to do" (85%), "Liked the flash drive delivery" (85%) and would "Continue the program" (85%). CONCLUSIONS: Participants complied to and enjoyed the home-based, dumbbell and CLX resistance band short-burst workouts delivered via flash drive videos and illustrated handouts, resulting in improved mobility and aerobic endurance. Further study is needed to determine longterm impact on adherence, weight and health. Support for this study provided by Performance Health, Akron, OH.


The motion of vacuum arc cathode spots under the influence of self-generated azimuthal and externally applied axial magnetic fields has been investigated for several metals at currents up to about 10 kA. The spot motion was recorded by means of a high-speed framing camera, and the self-generated magnetic field was measured with an inductive magnetic probe. The axial magnetic field was applied by means of two coils round the vacuum chamber in an approximate Helmholtz arrangement. The data have been used to determine the relationships between the retrograde (anti-Amperian) spot velocity and the self and axial magnetic flux densities. At low self-generated fields, the velocity is directly proportional to the flux density but at high fields velocity saturation is observed in some cases. An axial magnetic field decreased the retrograde velocities on all metals investigated. The spontaneous spot formation observed with high rates of current rise is analysed; the velocity saturation phenomenon is explained semiquantitatively and the influence of the axial magnetic field on the cathode spot velocity discussed.


The aim of the investigation was to determine the effect of different food on growth and survival of Nandus nandus larvae. The experiment was conducted for 20 days in twelve (12) cisterns (9× 6×2.5ft) to assess the effect of Zooplankton, Artemia, Tubifex and Brand Nursery Feed on growth and survival of N. nandus larvae in cistern condition. The growth of N. nandus larvae varied significantly (P<0.05) with live feed and artificial feed. Zooplankton treatment showed the best growth performance and Brand Nursery Feed showed the poorest. There was significant difference in final weight of larvae fed with live and artificial feed. Final weight of live feed Zooplankton was 241.79±17.25g, Artemia-210.37±20.16g, Tubifex-226.36±15.72g and Brand Nursery Feedwas195.08±15.53g respectively. Specific growth rate (%) and percentage (%) weight gain were also best in case of Zooplankton fed N. nandus larvae. Different water quality parameters were more or less same in different treatments. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2017, 3(1): 114-119


Advances in mobile technology, due to the rapid growth of mobile wireless systems, coupled with stringent selectivity requirements, have led to the need for smaller and lighter high quality filters. The slotted cylindrical ring resonator is one resonator considered promising in the development of high quality compact filters for mobile communication systems due to its small size and medium to high Q-factor [1]. In this paper the Transmission Line Modeling method is used to determine the effects of using a high dielectric constant material on the size and coupling constant of the resonator. Modeling and simulations are done using Microstripes, a commercial TLM field solver from Flomerics. The paper shows that by placing a high dielectric constant material in the resonator gap the resonant size is decreased and the coupling improved. Keywords: Slotted cylindrical ring resonator, resonant frequency, electric coupling, magnetic coupling, Transmission line modeling


Numerous case studies and exploitation of the working condition surveys have concluded to a work intensification in Europe during the past decade. Some studies in Economics, Sociology or Psychology aim to find determinants of this intensification. Three scenarios emerge : technological and organisational determinism, de-unionisation, and fear of firing. This paper provides first an analytic review of these hypotheses. Second, we give an original exploitation of the French Working Condition survey to test the impact of the fear of losing job.


Horticulture is among the fastest growing agricultural activities in Australia; with production valued at A$3.2 billion in 1995. It is also the second largest agricultural industry, after meat. Yet while Australia's horticultural producers are intensive users of land, water and farm chemicals, few economic research efforts have investigated the environmental problems associated with fruit and vegetable production. Since the early 1990s, Australia's growing focus on sustainable agriculture has led to greater scrutiny of horticultural activities, revealing several important trends and issues. These include: high and growing domestic demand for and consumption of horticultural products; increasingly health and nutrition conscious consumers concerned more and more with the quality and safety of their food; the expanding share of Australia's horticultural exports going to Asia; and growing domestic and international pressure on policymakers to address agriculture-related environmental problems and to devise measures to promote more sustainable practices. The common outcome of these interrelated trends is further intensification of land use each year as producers convert land to fruit and vegetable farming from other, less valuable production, and as they open up new lands for fruits and vegetables, especially in the tropical north of the country. This expansion on the ground has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in water, fertiliser and chemical use. Research has identified two broad types of environmental problems linked to Australia's fruit and vegetable production practices: (1) pollution and contamination of soil, water, air and food resulting from the use of farm chemicals; and (2) degradation of natural resources, especially the deterioration in the available quantity and quality of soil and water. More recently, fruit and vegetable production has been indirectly associated with disturbance and reduction of biotopes and wildlife habitats (e.g. on the Great Barrier Reef) and with reduction in wildlife species and loss of biological and genetic diversity of plants and animals. After reviewing these linkages between horticultural production and the environment, this paper examines the types of environmental policies that local, state and national level policymakers are using to address environmental degradation caused by horticultural production. These approaches include persuasion, education, regulation, economic incentives and property rights systems.


Potassium, Ca, Mg, Na, and Zn were determined in 'Marsh' grapefruit peel during 2 growing seasons from September through May. Peel mineral concentrations, measured as mg·g-1 fresh peel weight, were: K (2.79-3.52), Ca (0.55-0.96), Mg (0.18-0.28), Na (0.003-0.034), and Zn (0.001-0.002). Freezing temperatures resulted in higher peel concentrations for K but lower concentrations for Ca and Mg.


As the number of applications for human-robot teaming continue to rise, there is an increasing need for planning technologies that can guide robots in such teaming scenarios. In this article, we focus on adapting planning technology to Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) with a human-robot team. We start by showing that several aspects of state-of-the-art planning technology, including temporal planning, partial satisfaction planning, and replanning, can be gainfully adapted to this scenario. We then note that human-robot teaming also throws up an additional critical challenge, namely, enabling existing planners, which work under closed-world assumptions, to cope with the open worlds that are characteristic of teaming problems such as USAR. In response, we discuss the notion of conditional goals, and describe how we represent and handle a specific class of them called open world quantified goals. Finally, we describe how the planner, and its open world extensions, are integrated into a robot control architecture, and provide an empirical evaluation over USAR experimental runs to establish the effectiveness of the planning components.


OBJECTIVE
Pediatric cancer survivors have historically struggled to receive adequate educational supports. In Spring 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced an emergency switch from traditional in-person education models to distance education, but little information is available regarding experiences of pediatric survivors' coping with schooling since that time.

METHODS
This article presents exploratory mixed methods findings from a quality improvement project including qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey conducted with parents of pediatric oncology survivors identified through neuropsychological assessment, and the use of school-based services as having educationally relevant neurocognitive impacts of disease or treatment. The interviews explored experiences of education and instructional delivery during the COVID-19 school closures in spring of 2020 and the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year and served as the foundation for a quantitative survey to determine the generalizability of findings.

RESULTS
Qualitative interviews highlighted 3 emergent themes regarding the shared experiences of distance schooling for children with cancer during the COVID-19 school closures: (a) attention, (b) mental health, and (c) access to instruction. A follow-up quantitative survey supported the qualitative findings and their generalizability to the schooling experiences of other children with cancer during the pandemic.

CONCLUSION
This article describes and explores each theme and offers suggestions for pediatric supports and changes to provider service delivery (including weblinks to access project-developed resources) as a result of ongoing pandemic-related schooling needs.


Vulnerability to cavitation in leaves is the result of highly adaptive anatomical and physiological traits that can be linked to water availability in a species' climate of origin. Despite similar gross leaf morphology, eucalypt species are often confined to specific climate envelopes across the variable rainfall environments of Australia. In this study, we investigate how the progression of cavitation differs among eucalypts and whether this is related to other hydraulic and physical leaf traits. We used the Optical Visualisation technique to capture cavitation progression across the leaves of eight eucalypt species (Angophora crassifolia, Corymbia tessellaris, Eucalyptus atrata, Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus laevopinea, Eucalyptus longifolia, Eucalyptus macrandra, Eucalyptus tereticornis) from a wide range of climates and grown in a common garden setting. Vulnerability to cavitation, represented by the leaf water potential required for 50% cavitation of leaf vessels, varied significantly among species (−3.48 MPa to −8.25 MPa) and correlated linearly with home climate precipitation and leaf SLA (R2 of 0.64 and 0.75, respectively). P12-P88, the range of water potentials between which 12% to 88% of cavitation occurs, was decoupled from P50 but also correlated with leaf SLA (R2 of 0.72). We suggest the magnitude of P12-P88 may be representative of a species' drought strategy – a large P12-P88 signifying leaves that exhibit drought tolerance (retention of leaves under drought conditions) and a small P12-P88 signifying drought avoidance (leaf shedding after a threshold of drought is reached). Our results agree with other studies that highlight these cavitation metrics as genetically fixed traits. Turgor loss point, on the other hand, may be more plastic, as evidenced by the low variability of this trait across these eucalypt species grown in a common garden environment. Further study will help to establish the SLA-related anatomical traits that impart cavitation resistance and to extend these conclusions to a greater number of species and home climates.


The author describes how her recent installation work combines video, velvet, and interactivity into an opportunity for intimate navigation over the skin of a composite body. She discusses how the installation engages the senses using touchscreens, virtual projectors, and the human form to contrast private space with public space.


This statement was written under the auspices of the World Gastroenterology Organization's Guidelines Committee. The authors are members of the Review Team of the WGO Endoscope Disinfection Guideline and have experience in endoscopy, endoscope reprocessing, and microbiology, including biofilms. During the preparation of the WGO Update on Endoscope Disinfection Guidelines, concerns about simethicone on endoscope channel surfaces compromising cleaning and disinfection were raised. Publications on simethicone, including modes of delivery, effectiveness, and risks, have been reviewed. The paper was written as a companion to the new guidelines with a focus on minimizing the risks of simethicone in endoscope reprocessing.


OBJECTIVES--To investigate differing patterns and associations of osteoarthritis of the knee in patients referred to hospital. METHODS--Two hundred and fifty two consecutive patients (161 women, 91 men; mean age 70 years, range 34-91 years) referred to hospital with osteoarthritis of the knee underwent clinical, radiographic, and synovial fluid screening. RESULTS--Radiographic changes of osteoarthritis of the knee (definite narrowing with or without osteoarthritic features) were bilateral in 85% of patients. Of 470 knees affected, 277 (59%) were affected in two compartments and 28 (6%) in three compartments. Unilateral and isolated medial tibiofemoral osteoarthritis were more common in men. Calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition was common (synovial fluid identification in 132 (28%) knees; knee chondrocalcinosis in 76 (30%) patients) and associated with disability, bilateral, multicompartmental and severe radiographic osteoarthritis, marked osteophytosis, attrition, and cysts. Multiple clinical nodes (58 (23%) patients) and radiographic polyarticular interphalangeal osteoarthritis (66 (26%) patients) were associated with a higher frequency of inactivity pain, disability, multicompartmental and severe radiographic change. Forestier's disease predominated in men but showed no other associations. CONCLUSIONS--In a group of patients referred to hospital osteoarthritis of the knee is usually bilateral and affects more than one compartment. Severe and multicompartmental radiographic changes are associated with calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition, nodal change, and polyarticular interphalangeal osteoarthritis.


Purpose: Few studies have suggested that sarcoidosis may be associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and fragility fractures. However, studies on bone mineral loss or fractures in sarcoidosis are conflicting. This study aimed to evaluate: 1) the history of fragility fractures in patients with sarcoidosis; 2) the correlation of bone fragility with severity of sarcoidosis disease. Methods: We selected 252 sarcoidosis patients (54.7 ± 12.1 years) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We evaluated BMD at the lumbar spine (BMD-LS), femoral neck, and total hip (BMD-TH), and also the occurrence of any fracture. Forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity, and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were also assessed. Results: BMD T-scores were lower in sarcoidosis patients than in healthy controls, but the difference was statistically significant only for BMD-LS (p < 0.01) and BMD-TH (p < 0.05). Moreover, BMD-LS and BMD-TH values were significantly associated with DLCO (%) (p < 0.05). The prevalence of fragility fracture was higher in patients with sarcoidosis than in controls (30.6% vs. 12.3%). The sarcoidosis patients with a higher number of vertebral fractures (>3) also showed reduced values on pulmonary function test parameters, particularly DLCO (%). Conclusions: This study shows that fragility fractures are significantly more frequent in patients with sarcoidosis than in control subjects. Furthermore, a greater number of vertebral fractures was linked to worse pulmonary function tests.


The molecular origins of the common ion effect and the salting out of nonpolar molecules from aqueous solutions are investigated. Thermodynamic stability criteria for a common ion mixture in a polar solvent are derived. Kirkwood–Buff statistical thermodynamics is used to make the connection with the microscopic pair correlation functions. The observed sensitivity of the compositional stability with respect to ionic strength indicates that a demixing transition is the primary cause of the instability for the common ion effect for our model Lennard‐Jones plus Coulomb Hamiltonian.


In this paper we examine the role played by environmental externalities in shaping the dynamics of a small open economy with two sectors (a farming sector and an industrial one), free inter-sectoral labor mobility and heterogeneous agents (workers/farmers and industrial entrepreneurs). We find that the stability properties of the equilibria and their features in terms of environmental preservation, welfare outcomes and sectoral allocation of labor are sensitive to the relative level of carrying capacity with respect to the rate of environmental pressure of the economic activities. We show that an endogenous process of industrialization associated to a reduction in farmers/workers' welfare can emerge


The winged helix transcription factor Qin is the avian homolog of the mammalian brain factor 1 (BF-1) and has the potential to act as an oncogenic protein. We used representational difference analysis to identify genes that are differentially expressed in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) transformed by Qin. One of the up-regulated Qin targets identified in this analysis is a serine-threonine kinase termed Qik (Qin-induced kinase). Qik belongs to the AMPK/SNF1 kinase family. It is a ubiquitously expressed protein and is upregulated rapidly after a hormone-regulated form of Qin is activated. In vitro kinase tests demonstrate that Qik is capable of autophosphorylation. Elevated levels of Qik transcripts are also observed in Src-transformed cells, suggesting that Src and Qin share some targets.


The femoral and popliteal arteries are least affected by atherosclerosis where they cross the hip and knee joint. We evaluated possible reasons for this by studying the changes in arterial length and diameter, and the patterns of blood flow in these arteries. The changes of length due to bending of human and canine popliteal arteries were determined radiographically and changes in arterial resistance and diameter were deduced from simultaneous measurements of pressure and flow in the artery above and below the canine knee joint in different degrees of flexion. Flow patterns were assessed in the canine popliteal artery during bending by radiographic screening of a streamline. Equivalent observations were made in a mechanical model. During flexion of the knee joint, the adjacent artery shortens by as much as 20%, but the arterial diameter remains effectively unchanged. The results of the flow pattern experiments suggest that turbulent flow is generated in the distal position of an artery crossing a bending joint. We suggest that these changes may be responsible for the lack of atherosclerosis in the segments of arteries that cross joints. Circ Res 46: 41-47, 1979


Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by a mutation in the TYMP gene encoding thymidine phosphorylase. MNGIE causes gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms in homozygous individuals and is often misdiagnosed as anorexia nervosa, inflammatory bowel disease, or celiac disease. We present the case of a 26-year-old female with MNGIE, who was initially diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and Crohn's disease. The diagnosis of MNGIE was established by biochemical confirmation of elevated serum and urine thymidine and deoxyuridine levels after multiple examinations and several years of disease progression and ineffective treatment. Subsequent molecular genetic testing demonstrated a homozygous TYMP gene mutation. MNGIE should be considered in patients with unexplained malnutrition, intestinal dysmotility, and atypical neurological symptoms.


Traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension and being overweight have received considerable attention in recent years, whereas physical activity as a preventive strategy does not enjoy the same public attention. In recent years the level of physical activity has decreased dramatically in children and adolescents in favor of time spent on the internet and in front of the TV. If this trend is allowed to develop along the same direction, a sharp increase in cardiovascular disease can be anticipated. The protective action of physical activity on the cardiovascular system has been well documented in large numbers of patients, and the basic physiological mechanisms have been elucidated. Metabolic changes comprise loss of weight, reduction in triglyceride and LDL levels, as well as an increase in HDL. Insulin sensitivity is enhanced in all tissues postponing the manifestation of diabetes mellitus. Shear forces created by physical activity induce ecNOS within the endothelial lining of the arteries. This enzyme is responsible for controlling vasomotion through the elaboration of NO which causes vasodilation in the smooth muscle within the vessel wall. Utilization of preformed collateral vessels has been postulated repeatedly; so far, however, it only could be documented in animals, not in humans. Nearly all studies concerned with primary prevention have shown a significant negative correlation between energy expenditure during exercise and cardiovascular mortality, even light and moderate exercise will result in a lower incidence. In order to eliminate a sendentary life style in children and adolescents, adequate programs should be initiated in all schools; they should aim for 60 min of physical activity on a daily basis.


Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) can obfuscate the maintenance of a conventional schedule of sunitinib in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Accordingly, alternative schedules seeking to improve the safety profile of sunitinib have been tested. Recently, two meta-analyses similarly described improved safety profiles favoring a two weeks on and one week off (2/1) schedule, but with conflicting results for survival outcomes. Therefore, we conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, including all recently published studies and using complementary statistical methods. Endpoints included progression-free survival, overall survival, and AEs of 15 types. Eleven articles were included in this meta-analysis. Using adjusted findings, we noted statistically better results in progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.39–0.84; p = 0.005), but no difference in overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–1.04; p = 0.08). Moreover, the 2/1 schedule was beneficial for reducing the incidence of several AEs. Conclusively, our meta-analysis suggests that the 2/1 schedule holds promise as an alternative means of reducing AEs and maintaining patient quality of life. While the survival outcomes of the 2/1 schedule seem also to be favorable, the level of evidence for this was low, and the interpretation of these findings should warrant caution. Large scale randomized trials are needed to support these results.


Acanthamoeba castellanii is the etiological agent of amoebic keratitis and is present in the environment in trophozoite or cyst forms. Both forms can infect the vertebrate host and colonize different tissues. The high resistance of cysts to standard drugs used in clinics contributes to the lack of effective treatments. Therefore, in this context, studies have emerged to understand cyst physiology and metabolism. Phosphate transporters are proteins responsible for the uptake of extracellular inorganic phosphate and transport to the cytosol. This work aims to verify the relationship between Pi transport and energetic metabolism in cysts of A. castellanii. The phosphate uptake ratio was higher in cysts compared with trophozoites. Recently, three sequences related to phosphate transporters have been identified in the A. castellanii genome (AcPHS1, AcPHS2, and AcPHS3); the messenger RNA expression levels of which differ depending on the amoeba life form. Pi uptake in cysts displayed peak activity at alkaline pH, whereas Pi transport in trophozoites was not affected in the same pH ranges. Cysts harbor a low‐affinity Pi transport system (K0,5 and Vmax values of 1.76 ± 0.26 mM and 104.6 ± 6.3 nmol Pi × h−1 × 106 cells) compared to the trophozoite phosphate transport system. Pi transport seems important for anaerobic adenosine triphosphate synthesis in cysts, which initially occurs through the glycolytic pathway and subsequently through the pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase pathway. Altogether, these results suggest that contrary to that previously postulated, cysts are active metabolic forms, and, as noted in trophozoites, phosphate uptake is important for energetic metabolism.


The systematic histologic examination of the pancreas of aging Syrian golden hamsters revealed distinct alterations that affected the exocrine, endocrine, and supporting tissues. Some of these lesions showed a significant relationship to age and/or sex of the animal. Specific alterations that affected the ductules and islets represented a characteristic, probably genetically linked, process of the hamster pancreas and may have been the decisive factors for the unique carcinogenic response of this species to specific carcinogens.


We investigate the reliability of individual differences of four quantities measured by magnetic resonance imaging based multiparameter mapping (MPM): magnetization transfer (MT), proton density (PD), longitudinal relaxation rate (R1), and effective transverse relaxation rate (R2*). A total of four MPM datasets, two on each of two consecutive days, were acquired in healthy young adults. On Day 1, no repositioning occurred; on Day 2, participants were repositioned between MPM datasets. Using intra-class correlation effect decomposition (ICED), we assessed the contributions of session-specific, day-specific, and residual sources of measurement error. For whole-brain gray and white matter, all four MPM parameters showed high reproducibility and high reliability, as indexed by the coefficient of variation (CoV) and the intra-class correlation (ICC). However, MT, PD, R1, and R2* differed markedly in the extent to which reliability varied across brain regions. MT and PD showed high reliability in almost all regions. In contrast, R1 and R2* showed low reliability in some regions outside the basal ganglia, such that the sum of the measurement error estimates in our structural equation model was higher than estimates of between-person differences. In sum, in this sample of healthy young adults, the four MPM parameters showed very little variability over four measurements over two days but differed in how well they could assess between-person differences. We conclude that R1 and R2* might carry only limited person-specific information in samples of healthy young adults, and, by implication, might be of restricted utility for studying associations to between-person differences in behavior.


Olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus is one of the most target fish for aquaculture and national stock enhancement program in Korea. In order to find more information about hatchery fish stocking for stock enhancement we investigated the sex ratio of wild-caught fish populations which were artificially released into wild seas. The recapture rate was 9.0% to 94.5% in studied areas. The proportion of sex ratio ranged from 7.8% to 64.6% in female and from 34.4% to 92.1% in male respectively. This result suggests that the sex ratio of wild populations might be effected by the released fish. So we need more careful stocking program of the fish to preserve the balance of the sex ratio in the wild population.


Chains of impact craters, or catenae, have been identified in Voyager images of Callisto and Ganymede. Although these resemble in some respects secondary crater chains, the source craters and basins for the catenae cannot be identified. The best explanation, proposed by Melosh and Schenk, is a phenomenon similar to that displayed by former comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9: tidal (or other) breakup close to Jupiter followed by gradual orbital separation of the fragments and collision with a Galilean satellite on the outbound leg of the trajectory. Because the trajectories must pass close to Jupiter, this constrains the impact geometry (velocity and impact angle) of the individual fragments. For the dominant classes of impactors, short-period Jupiter-family comets and asteroids, velocities at Callisto and Ganymede are dominated by jovian gravity and a satellite's orbital motion, and are insensitive to the pre-fragmentation heliocentric velocity; velocities are insensitive to satellite gravity for all impactor classes. Complex crater shapes on Callisto and Ganymede are determined from Voyager images and Schmidt-Holsapple scaling is used to back out individual fragment masses. We find that comet fragment radii are generally less than ∼500 m (for ice densities), but can be larger. These estimates can be compared with those for the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impactors.


Extreme heat events caused by climate change have serious adverse effects on residents' health in many coastal metropolises in southeast China. Adaptive capacity (AC) is crucial to reduce heat vulnerability in the human-environment system. However, it is unclear whether changes in individual characteristics and socioeconomic conditions likely amplify or attenuate the impacts of residents' heat adaptive capacity (HAC) changes. Moreover, which public policies can be implemented by the authorities to improve the HAC of vulnerable groups remains unknown. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 630 residents of Xiamen, a typical coastal metropolis, in 2018. The effects of individual and household characteristics, and government actions on the residents' HAC were examined by using ordinal logistic regression analysis. Results show that the majority (48.10%) of Xiamen residents had a "medium" HAC level, followed by a "high" level (37.14%). On Xiamen Island, residents who settled locally for one–three years and spent less than one hour outdoors might report weaker HAC, and their HAC would not improve with increased air conditioning units in household. In other areas of Xiamen, residents with more rooms in their households, no educational experience, and building areas <50 m2 might report better HAC. Further, vulnerable groups, such as local residents and outdoor workers on Xiamen Island, people lacking educational experience and renters in other areas of Xiamen, showed better AC to hot weather than those in previous studies. Low-income groups should be given more attention by local governments and community groups as monthly household income played a positive role in improving Xiamen residents' HAC. Rational green spaces planning and cooling services, such as street sprinkling operations, provided by municipal departments can effectively bring benefits to Xiamen residents. Identification of basic conditions of AC has significant implications for practical promoting targeted measures or policies to reduce health damages and livelihood losses of urban residents during extreme heat events.


The present invention provides a light emitting element and the light portion of the light receiving element having the element portion. An optical element of the present invention (100) comprising: a light emitting element section (140); provided on the light emitting element section (140) having an optical surface of the light receiving element (108) (120). The optical device (100), and at least the stacking direction of the light receiving element (120) emits light in the light emitting element portion (140). And, at least (108) disposed on the optical surface of the optical member (160).


A study was carried out in Araruna County, State of Parana, to understand the relationship between the total dry matter yield and its proportion allocated to the storage roots of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) plants in the second vegetative cycle. The experimental design was a randomized complete block in split-plot scheme with four replications. The plots consisted of the Mico, IAC 13 and IAC 14 cultivars and the monthly harvesting dates were assessed in the sub-plots. The results showed that the Mico and IAC 13 cultivars were more efficient in allocating dry matter to the storage roots. The IAC 14 cultivar allocated a higher proportion of assimilates to stems compared with the other two cultivars. With regard to the influence of harvesting time, the lowest harvest indexes were observed in the periods of more intense vegetative growth. However, the highest carbohydrate proportions were allocated to the storage roots during periods of low vegetative growth.


We consider i.i.d. random variables $\omega=\{\omega(b)\}$ parameterized by the family of bonds in $\mathbb{Z}^d$, $d > 1$. The random variable $\omega(b)$ is thought of as the conductance of bond $b$ and it ranges in a finite interval $[0,c_0]$. Assuming the probability of the event $\{\omega(b) > 0\}$ to be supercritical and denoting by $C(\omega)$ the unique infinite cluster associated to the bonds with positive conductance, we study the zero range process on $C(\omega)$ with $\omega(b)$-proportional probability rate of jumps along bond $b$. For almost all realizations of the environment we prove that the hydrodynamic behavior of the zero range process is governed by a nonlinear heat equation, independent from $\omega$. As byproduct of the above result and the blocking effect of the finite clusters, we discuss the bulk behavior of the zero range process on $\mathbb{Z}^d$ with conductance field $\omega$. We do not require any ellipticity condition.


BACKGROUND
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a rare neurodegenerative disease. The ophthalmologic findings, typically necrotizing retinitis, often precede other neurologic signs and symptoms. Ocular findings are helpful for early diagnosis, but the findings of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in an active phase of retinitis have never been reported. We report unique findings of OCT images in a case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

PATIENT AND METHODS
A 13-year-old boy was referred to our hospital complaining of visual loss and other neurologic symptoms.

RESULTS
The fundus examination showed necrotizing retinitis. The OCT images showed empty spaces involving all layers of retina except the inner limiting membrane and hyperreflective lesion in inner retina. The diagnosis of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis was made from the blood and the spinal cerebral fluid test.

DISCUSSION
This is the first report on OCT images of necrotizing retinitis in an active stage of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis case. The unique findings of OCT images as in this case help to diagnose the rare devastating disease.


This paper describes the principal diagnostic systems installed or planned for plasma measurements on the H-1NF heliac at the ANU. Emphasis is given to diagnostics that are either novel in concept or which exploit the excellent diagnostic access available in H-1NF.


Crop efficiencies associated with intercepted radiation, conversion into biomass and allocation to edible organs are essential for yield improvement strategies that would enhance genetic properties to maximize carbon gain without increasing crop inputs. The production of 20 potato landraces—never studied before—was analyzed for radiation interception (εi), conversion (εc) and partitioning (εp) efficiencies. Additionally, other physiological traits related to senescence delay (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)slp), tuberization precocity (tu), photosynthetic performance and dry tuber yield per plant (TY) were also assessed. Vegetation reflectance was remotely acquired and the efficiencies estimated through a process-based model parameterized by a time-series of airborne imageries. The combination of εi and εc, closely associated with an early tuber maturity and a NDVIslp explained 39% of the variability grouping the most productive genotypes. TY was closely correlated to senescence delay (rPearson = 0.74), indicating the usefulness of remote sensing methods for potato yield diversity characterization. About 89% of TY was explained by the first three principal components, associated mainly to tu, εc and εi, respectively. When comparing potato with other major crops, its εp is very close to the theoretical maximum. These findings suggest that there is room for improving εi and εc to enhance potato production.


Protein-losing gastroenteropathy is a rare syndrome of protein loss from the gastrointestinal system. It manifests with hypoproteinemic edema, which may be due to either lymphatic leakage due to increased interstitial pressure or leakage of protein-rich fluids due to intestinal disorders. Our case describes a 65-year-old female with life-threatening protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) requiring multiple transfers to intensive care unit for vasopressor support. In this rare instance, her extensive initial workup did not reveal any etiology for PLE, but she was later found to have underlying Crohn's colitis. Protein-losing enteropathy is an underdiagnosed complication of inflammatory bowel disease and must be considered while treating patients with colitis.


Maize is an important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa but production is adversely affected by maize streak virus disease (MSVD). In Ghana, re-occurrence of the disease has been reported in several regions, therefore, necessitating the development of resistant hybrids as the most sustainable and economical option. The objectives of the study were to identify parents and hybrids that combine MSVD resistance with high yield and determine the influence of maternal effect on the inheritance of MSVD resistance. To achieve these, five parental inbred lines namely: TZEI-4, TZEI-7, TZEI-22, TZEI-31 and TZEI-157 were crossed in a full diallel mating design during the major season of 2015. The resulting F1 hybrids were evaluated under natural and artificial infestations during the minor and major seasons of 2015/2016 using 9 x 3 alpha-lattice design with three replications. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) mean squares were significant for MSVD severity mean score and only SCA for grain yield. Additive gene effect was preponderant for MSVD severity mean score, whereas grain yield was influenced by non-additive gene effect. Maternal effect had no significant contribution to the inheritance of MSVD resistance. GCA by environment and SCA by environment mean squares were significant for MSVD severity mean score. GCA effects revealed that inbreds TZEI-7 and TZEI-22 were resistant to MSVD. They could be good combiners for grain yield in addition to TZEI-31 and TZEI-157. Hybrids TZEI-4*TZEI-22 and TZEI-4*TZEI-31 showed resistance to MSVD as revealed by their SCA effects and heterotic values. TZEI-7*TZEI-157, TZEI-31*TZEI-157, TZEI-22*TZEI-157 and TZEI-4*TZEI-22 had positive and significant SCA effect, mid-parent heterosis and high parent heterosis for grain yield. Promising hybrids TZEI-4*TZEI-22, TZEI-22*TZEI-157, TZEI-7*TZEI-157 and TZEI-31*TZEI-157 identified in this study should be further tested in multi-locations across Ghana to determine their stability and adaptability.

 Key words: Maize streak virus disease, grain yield, resistance, full diallel, general combining ability, specific combining ability.


We use a dynamical model of galactic fountain to study the neutral extraplanar gas (EPG) in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2403. We have modelled the EPG as a combination of material ejected from the disc by stellar feedback (i.e. galactic fountain) and gas accreting from the inner circumgalactic medium (CGM). This accretion is expected to occur because of cooling/condensation of the hot CGM (corona) triggered by the fountain. Our dynamical model reproduces the distribution and kinematics of the EPG H i emission in NGC 2403 remarkably well and suggests a total EPG mass of $4.7^{+1.2}_{-0.9}\times 10^8\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$, with a typical scale height of around 1 kpc and a vertical gradient of the rotation velocity of −10.0 ± 2.7 km s−1 kpc−1. The best-fitting model requires a characteristic outflow velocity of 50 ± 10 km s−1. The outflowing gas starts out mostly ionised and only becomes neutral later in the trajectory. The accretion rate from the condensation of the inner hot CGM inferred by the model is 0.8 M⊙ yr−1, approximately equal to the star formation rate in this galaxy (0.6 M⊙ yr−1). We show that the accretion profile, which peaks at a radius of about 4.5 kpc, predicts a disc growth rate compatible with the observed value. Our results indicate that fountain-driven corona condensation is a likely mechanism to sustain star formation as well as the disc inside-out growth in local disc galaxies.


A novel broadband bi-directional electromagnetic metamaterial absorber (EMM) unit cell is proposed. This cell consists of a double layered E-LC structure sharing a common wide wire in between, whose operating bandwidth is broadened very significantly through the interaction of the magnetic resonance with high lossy substrate, and in which the incident electromagnetic waves along two opposite directions can be damped greatly in the operating frequency range because of its symmetric layout. Furthermore, the related simulations together with an automated phase correction (APC) algorithm to retrieve effective optical parameters of metamaterial media clearly show that this type of EMM absorber has a negative electric permittivity (NEP) as well as a very large imaginary part of the refractive index, and these properties are quite well suited to design excellent absorbers.


Pax5 encodes BSAP, a member of the paired box domain transcription factors, whose expression is restricted to B lymphocyte lineage cells. Pax5−/− mice have a developmental arrest of the B cell lineage at the pro-B cell stage. We show here that Pax5−/− mice are severely osteopenic, missing 60% of their bone mass. The osteopenia can be accounted for by a >100% increase in the number of osteoclasts in bone measured histomorphometrically. This is not due to a lack of B cells, because other strains of B cell-deficient mice do not exhibit this phenotype. There was no difference in the number of osteoclasts produced in vitro by wild-type and Pax5−/− bone marrow cells. In contrast, spleen cells from Pax5−/− mice produce as much as five times the number of osteoclasts as control spleen cells. Culture of Pax5−/− spleen cells yields a population of adherent cells that grow spontaneously in culture without added growth factors for >4 wk. These cells have a monocyte phenotype, produce large numbers of osteoclasts when induced in vitro, and therefore are highly enriched in osteoclast precursors. These data demonstrate a previously unsuspected connection between B cell and osteoclast development and a key role for Pax5 in the control of osteoclast development.


OBJECTIVE
The number of cochlear implant (CI) users is ever increasing worldwide, as is the utilization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a key diagnostic modality for pathology of the brain and surrounding structures. Despite advances in MRI compatibility with CI, metal artefact remains a significant issue that needs to be addressed. We test our hypothesis that the slice encoding for metal artefact correction and view angle tilting (SEMAC-VAT) metal artefact reduction technique improves demonstration of posterior fossa structures on MRI in CI recipients.

STUDY DESIGN
A retrospective case review.

SETTING
A tertiary referral hearing implant and skull base center.

INTERVENTIONS
Dedicated MRI of the posterior fossa using T1 spin echo post-gadolinium sequences with and without the application of SEMAC-VAT in CI recipients.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Extent and severity of the artefact and visualization of surrounding anatomic structures with and without the application of SEMAC-VAT, allowing for direct comparison.

RESULTS
Eight CI recipients with nine CI devices were analyzed. We noted a significant reduction in signal void and improved visibility of the ipsilateral hemisphere in every case. Penumbra size increased although there was improved visibility through the penumbra. There was improved visualization of key intracranial structures, such as the ipsilateral internal auditory canal, cerebellopontine angle, cerebellar hemisphere, and brainstem.

CONCLUSIONS
Application of SEMAC-VAT produces a significant reduction in signal void and improved visualization of key structures within the temporal bone and posterior cranial fossa in patients with CIs without the need for removal of the internal magnet.


Mobile information retrieval is an evolving branch of information retrieval that is centered on mobile and ubiquitous environments. In general, mobile devices are characterized by lightweight, low power, small memory, small display, limited input/output, low bandwidth, and so on. Some of these characteristics make it impossible to apply general information retrieval to mobile environments without any modification. In order to relieve this problem, we design and implement an information retrieval system for mobile devices like wireless phones, PDA and handheld devices. We use document summarization techniques to alleviate the limitation of small display and user profiles to retrieve the most proper documents for each individual user for personalized search. Futhermore we use meta-search to lighten some burdens visiting several portal sites. In this paper, we have implemented and demonstrated the proposed mobile information retrieval system on the domain of travel and received good evaluation from users subjectively.


The medullary sponge kidney is also known as Lenarduzzi's kidney or Cacchi and Ricci's disease from the first Italian authors who described its main features. A review of the scientific literature underlines particular rarity of the association of MSK with developmental abnormalities of the lower urinary tract and genital tract such as hypospadias and bilateral cryptorchidism. The work presented is the only one in the scientific literature that shows the association between the medullary sponge kidney and the testicular dysgenesis syndrome. A question still remains unanswered: are the MSK and TDS completely independent malformation syndromes occurring, in this case, simultaneously for a rare event or are they different phenotypic expressions of a common malformative mechanism? In the future we hope that these questions will be clarified.