BACKGROUND Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are capable of shifting the microglia/macrophages phenotype from M1 to M2, contributing to BMSCs-induced brain repair. However, the regulatory mechanism of BMSCs on microglia/macrophages after ischemic stroke is unclear. Recent evidence suggests that mesencephalic astrocyte–derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) and platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA)/MANF signaling regulate M1/M2 macrophage polarization. AIM To investigate whether and how MANF or PDGF-AA/MANF signaling influences BMSCs-mediated M2 polarization. METHODS We identified the secretion of MANF by BMSCs and developed transgenic BMSCs using a targeting small interfering RNA for knockdown of MANF expression. Using a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model transplanted by BMSCs and BMSCs–microglia Transwell coculture system, the effect of BMSCs-induced downregulation of MANF expression on the phenotype of microglia/macrophages was tested by Western blot, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence. Additionally, microglia were transfected with mimics of miR-30a*, which influenced expression of X-box binding protein (XBP) 1, a key transcription factor that synergized with activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) to govern MANF expression. We examined the levels of miR-30a*, ATF6, XBP1, and MANF after PDGF-AA treatment in the activated microglia. RESULTS Inhibition of MANF attenuated BMSCs-induced functional recovery and decreased M2 marker production, but increased M1 marker expression in vivo or in vitro. Furthermore, PDGF-AA treatment decreased miR-30a* expression, had no influence on the levels of ATF6, but enhanced expression of both XBP1 and MANF. CONCLUSION BMSCs-mediated MANF paracrine signaling, in particular the PDGF-AA/miR-30a*/XBP1/MANF pathway, synergistically mediates BMSCs-induced M2 polarization.


This thesis looks at the asylum policy of Turkey, on its path to EU accession. This thesis accepts the hypothesis that a rigid nation state practice is a hindrance to the development of human rights and examines this issue in the context of Turkey. The research question of this thesis asks; is there a possibility to gain decent life conditions for refugees in Turkey? Is the EU membership/accession process a way to transform the Turkish nation-state practice to a direction where having a decent, human rights-based asylum/migration policy is possible?

The thesis begins with a glance at the historical background of asylum in Turkey and how the policy has developed from the time of the establishment of Turkey as a nation state, until the current time.

This thesis then examines the current situation of asylum seekers in Turkey; their access to asylum procedures and their access to rights. It looks at national legislation governing asylum seekers and analyses these laws in light of the international human rights law responsibilities of Turkey.

The next section examines whether the EU policy on asylum and migration, which Turkey should harmonize its legislation with, can remedy the human rights deficiencies found in Turkish asylum and refugee legislation. Furthermore, it examines related EU acquis in the field of asylum and migration, looking at issues of Europeanization and securitization of the migration/asylum field.

The final part of this thesis takes the principles contained in the Common European Asylum System, the common "area of freedom, security and justice" policy, and questions whose freedom, whose justice and whose security is being talked about.

This thesis concludes, after having analyzed the relevant policies of the EU and Turkey relating to asylum and refugees, that the EU acquis will work to partly develop the field of asylum in Turkey, however to avoid the trap of securitization, the thesis highlights the importance of Turkey taking a human rights policy over a nation state based approach.


Judicial fact-finders are commonly instructed to determine the reliability and weight of any evidence, be it direct or circumstantial, without prejudice to the latter. Nonetheless, studies have shown that people are reluctant to impose liability based on circumstantial evidence alone, even when this evidence is more reliable than direct evidence. Proposed explanations for this reluctance have focused on factors such as the statistical nature of some circumstantial evidence and the tendency of fact-finders to assign low subjective probabilities to circumstantial evidence. However, a recent experimental study has demonstrated that even when such factors are controlled for, the disinclination to impose liability based on non-direct evidence — dubbed the anti-inference bias — remains. The present Article describes seven new experiments that explore the scope and resilience of the anti-inference bias. Intriguingly, it shows that this bias is significantly reduced when legal decision-makers confer benefits, rather than impose liability. In so doing, the Article points to a new legal implication of the psychological phenomenon of loss aversion. In contrast, the Article finds no support for the hypothesis that the reluctance to impose legal liability on the basis of circumstantial evidence correlates with the severity of the legal sanctions. It thus casts doubt on the common belief that sanction severity affects the inclination to impose legal liability. Finally, the Article demonstrates the robustness of the anti-inference bias and its resilience to simple debiasing techniques. These and other findings reported in the Article show that the anti-inference bias reflects primarily normative intuitions, rather than merely epistemological ones, and that it reflects conscious intuitions, rather than wholly unconscious ones. The Article discusses the policy implications of the new findings for procedural and substantive legal norms.


Tor and i2p networks are two of the most popular darknets. Both darknets have become an area of illegal activities highlighting the necessity to study and analyze them to identify and report illegal content to law enforcement agencies (LEAs). This article analyzes the connections between the Tor network and the i2p network. We created the first dataset that combines information from Tor and i2p networks. The dataset contains more than 49k darknet services. The process of building and analyzing the dataset shows that it is not possible to explore one of the networks without considering the other. Both networks work as an ecosystem and there are clear paths between them. Using graph analysis, we also identified the most relevant domains, the prominent types of services in each network, and their relations. Findings are relevant to LEAs and researchers aiming to crawl and investigate i2p and Tor networks.


This thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the role of mountain building in the carbon cycle. The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere due to metamorphic processes is largely unknown. To constrain the quantity of CO2 released, fluid-driven reactions in metamorphic rocks can be studied by tracking fluid-rock interactions along ancient fluid flow pathways. The thesis is divided into two parts: 1) modeling of fluid flow rates and durations within shear zones and fractures during greenschist- and blueschist-facies metamorphism and 2) the assessment of possible mechanisms of fluid infiltration into rocks during greenschist- to epidote-amphibolite-facies metamorphism and controlling chemical and mineralogical factors of reaction front propagation.On the island Syros, Greece, fluid-rock interaction was examined along a shear zone and within brittle fractures to calculate fluid flux rates, flow velocities and durations. Petrological, geochemical and thermodynamic evidence show that the flux of CO2-bearing fluids along the shear zone was 100-2000 times larger than the fluid flux in the surrounding rocks. The time-averaged fluid flow velocity and flow duration along brittle fractures was calculated by using a governing equation for one-dimensional transport (advection and diffusion) and field-based parameterization. This study shows that fluid flow along fractures on Syros was rapid and short lived.Mechanisms and controlling factors of fluid infiltration were studied in greenschist- to epidote-amphibolite-facies metabasalts in SW Scotland. Fluid infiltration into metabasaltic sills was unassisted by deformation and occurred along grain boundaries of hydrous minerals (e.g. amphibole) while other minerals (e.g. quartz) prevent fluid infiltration. Petrological, mineralogical and chemical studies of the sills show that the availability of reactant minerals and mechanical factors, e.g. volume change in epidote, are primary controls of reaction front propagation.


Structural studies of membrane proteins are challenging. Their heterogeneous membrane environment leads to purification problems. Membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to crystallize, in part because of their hydrophobic nature, and in part because of the presence of detergents from the purification procedures, while solution NMR spectroscopy is limited by the larger apparent size of the proteins that is added by the detergent micelles. Solid-state NMR is an emerging technology in membrane protein research that can overcome some of these problems, as it is sensitive to the chemical environment of individual molecules, but does not require large, well-ordered crystals. In our work, we have solved the structure of a transmembrane domain of a bacterial autotransporter, using solid-state NMR. For the first time, microcrystals were used to directly obtain a membrane protein structure at high resolution.


OBJECTIVE
To characterize the genetic aberrations in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODS
Ninety ALL cases were enrolled in the study from January 2009 to November 2011. Chromosome banding analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to detect genetic aberrations.

RESULTS
(1) Chromosome analysis: 35 (53.0%) of 66 cases who had metaphase were abnormal, and 24 cases had no metaphase. (2) FISH analysis: among the 31 cases who had normal karyotypes and 24 who had no metaphase detected by chromosome banding technique, 7 (22.6%) and 14 (58.3%) cases were abnormal detected by FISH, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences compared with chromosome analysis (P = 0.655). Among these 55 ALL cases TEL/AML1, bcr-abl and MLL fusion genes were observed in 16 (29.1%), 3(5.5%) and 2(3.6%) cases, respectively. (3) Cytogenetic aberration was observed in 56 of total 90 ALL cases (62.2%).

CONCLUSIONS
Cytogenetic changes are common in childhood ALL. Conventional cytogenetic study could reliably detected chromosomal abnormalities for ALL with assessable metaphase. FISH should be used as a complementary method for ALL patients who have poor chromosomal morphology or no metaphase cells, and combination of both methods can improve the detection rate of genetic abnormalities in childhood leukemia.


Hence at t {ana) s and s's not obtaining both obtain; but that is impossible {dSvvazov TO cvfiftalvov). Thus on the supposition that s always obtains, there is an impossible state of affairs which obtains if j 's not obtaining obtains (viz., the conjunctive state consisting of the obtaining both of s and of s's not obtaining). Hence on the supposition that s always obtains, s's not obtaining is not possible and s is necessary. Q..E.D. Aristotle does not 'assimilate' (D) to (PP), as H. accuses him of doing; rather, he tacitly uses (D) in an argument for half of (T). That argument is surely valid; and (D) is eminently plausible—as a truth about possibility, if not as a definition of that notion. The argument is, of course, unsound; but its flaws are remarkably hard to pinpoint: if Aristotle did not argue for (PP), he did produce an excellently bright argument for a related thesis.


The field emission (FE) properties of vertically aligned graphene sheets (VAGSs) grown on different SiC substrates are reported. The VAGSs grown on nonpolar SiC (10-10) substrate show an ordered alignment with the graphene basal plane-parallel to each other, and show better FE features, with a lower turn-on field and a larger field enhancement factor. The VAGSs grown on polar SiC (000-1) substrate reveal a random petaloid-shaped arrangement and stable current emission over 8 hours with a maximum emission current fluctuation of only 4%. The reasons behind the differing FE characteristics of the VAGSs on different SiC substrates are analyzed and discussed.


In this fast-changing society, the youth unemployment rate is high and the knowledge learnt in schools is inadequate to equip students to compete in the competitive marketplace. For many school leavers who do not have the marks to go to university, a vocational institute is an obvious choice for them to continue their studies. In this situation, would it be possible for the institutes to provide entrepreneurship training programs for this group of young people? Do these students have the right kind of education credentials to increase their employability or to start their own business? This study attempts to investigate whether Entrepreneurship Education should be provided to business students in a vocational institute as part of their study program. The results suggest that Entrepreneurship Education would have a positive impact on the strength of the students' entrepreneurial spirit in terms of starting-up a new business, and a high percentage of students acknowledged that the entrepreneurial knowledge they had acquired would be useful to them.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
In this editorial, we seek to critically analyse currently available options for the treatment of gliomas in order to provide guidance for evidence-based therapeutic decisions.

RECENT FINDINGS
Several recently reported trials in gliomas have investigated ways of optimizing traditional treatments (i.e. radiotherapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy), as well as novel approaches such as molecularly targeted therapy.

SUMMARY
Chemotherapy with temozolomide concomitant with radiotherapy remains a standard of care for glioblastoma, but current efforts are concentrated on confirming phase II results of protracted temozolomide schedules. The role of chemotherapy for grade III and II gliomas lacks phase III evidence but several trials are ongoing. Such trials are stratified by (or designed separately according to) chromosomes 1p/19q codeletion status, and such genetic analysis will thus be essential for therapeutic decisions in the future. The single positive results with targeted therapy remain to date the high response rates with bevacizumab and irinotecan in a phase II trial for recurrent malignant gliomas. Several questions regarding survival benefits and toxicity remain, however. Results of randomized trials of bevacizumab-based combinations are eagerly awaited, and if positive, they will point to antiangiogenesis strategies as the most promising current investigation venue in gliomas.


The association of sedation with analgesia in endoscopic procedures represents the ideal combination of anesthetic drugs, which allows these exploratory procedures to be carried out safely, in an outpatient setting. The aim of this study is to compare the results of the use of simple Propofol or Propofol associated with Fentanyl in order to ensure optimal sedation necessary for the detection of benign or malignant lesions of the digestive tract. In this study, 80 patients aged between 18 and 80 years were included, 40 in Group 1 who were administered Propofol alone and 40 in Group 2 in which Propofol was administered associated with Fentanyl. The onset of anesthetic sleep was 19.3±5.1 seconds in Lot 2 versus 29.6±9.1 seconds in Lot 1. The average dose of Propofol used was 203.6±82.8 mg in Lot 1 and in Lot 2 it was lower, 166.3±8.3mg. Cardio respiratory changes were more frequent in Lot 2. The wake-up time was 3.2±1.2 minutes in Lot 1 as a result of the administration of Propofol alone and 7±1.4 minutes in Lot 2. The discharge time was equal for patients in both groups. The degree of postanesthesia safisfaction was 10 for all patients from Lot 2, due to the analgesia provided by the administration of Fentanyl. The use of Propofol associated with Fentanyl in gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures is associated with a rapid recovery of cognitive function at the time of discharge and minimal adverse events, ensuring optimal conditions of analgesia and stability of vital functions.


In 1946, Eric Bentley published The Playwright as Thinker, a revolutionary study of modern drama that helped to create the intellectual climate in which serious American theatre would thrive in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1964 Robert Brustein published an equally influential study of modern drama entitled The Theatre of Revolt. And in 1966, Stanley Kauffmann began a brief, combative stint as first-string theatre critic for the New York Times. Kauffmann's short-lived tenure at the Times dramatized the enormous gap that had arisen between mainstream taste and the alternative vision of the theatre that he shared with Bentley and Brustein. Collectively, these three critics championed the European modern dramatists, like Pirandello, Brecht, Beckett, and Genet, whose plays were rarely if ever performed on Broadway. They also embraced the early work of performance groups such as Julian Beck and Judith Malina's Living Theater when they were either ignored or deplored by most mainstream reviewers. Above all, they challenged the time-honoured idea that the primary goal of the theatre is to provide the audience with an emotional catharsis achieved by realistically identifying with the dramatic protagonist. By contrast, Bentley, Brustein, and Kauffmann championed a theatre that emphasized poetic stylization, intellectual seriousness, and social engagement. The discussion which follows, held on 27 October 2007 at the Philoctetes Center, New York, examines the legacy of these leading American theatre critics of the past fifty years. Bert Cardullo, who transcribed and edited the discussion, was Stanley Kauffmann's student at the Yale School of Drama and is the author, editor, or translator of many books, among them Theater of the Avant-Garde, 1889–1950, What Is Dramaturgy?, and American Drama/Critics: Writings and Readings.


The in vitro production of granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by mononuclear cells from the peripheral blood of patients with bronchial asthma (BA) was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In 3 of 12 cases studied, mononuclear cells from BA patients produced GM-CSF without stimulation. And in 5 of 12 cases studied, mononuclear cells from BA patients produced GM-CSF in response to IL-2. Mononuclear cells from patients with other diseases (n = 13) and healthy volunteers (n = 6) did not release any detectable (> or = 7.5 pg/ml) GM-CSF. The culture media of mononuclear cells from BA patients showed activities for stimulating the proliferation and survival of eosinophils, and these activities were partially inhibited by anti-GM-CSF antibodies. GM-CSF production by mononuclear cells from BA patients treated with prednisolone was lower than that of mononuclear cells from untreated BA patients. And prednisolone showed a reduction in the GM-CSF production from mononuclear cells in response to IL-2. These results suggest that GM-CSF production by mononuclear cells may play a role in the pathogenesis of BA.


Background Lung cancer ranks first both in morbidity and mortality in malignancies, but prognostic biological markers are lacking. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was proposed as a convenient biological marker. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of NLR in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods This retrospective study screened patients admitted from October 2007 to October 2014. Patients had histopathologically confirmed, treatment-naïve, metastatic NSCLC, and were prescribed platinum doublet chemotherapy. NLR and demographic data were collected, together with the outcome of chemotherapy. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model. Results A total of 325 patients were enrolled. The cutoff value for NLR (3.19) was determined by receiver operator characteristic analysis. Patients were dichotomized into high (≥3.19) and low (<3.19) NLR groups. Both groups had similar demographic features. However, the low-NLR group had longer PFS (6.1 months) and OS (22.3 months) than the high-NLR group (5.1 months, p = 0.002; 13.1 months, p<0.001, respectively). Multivariate analysis confirmed that NLR was inversely related to the prognosis of these patients (HR = 1.684, 95%: 1.297-2.185, p<0.001). Conclusions This study argues that NLR is a convenient prognostic biological marker for advanced NSCLC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy and warrants further validation.


To investigate the effects of alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation (ADI) on the morphological characteristics and root hydraulic conductivity of apple seedlings, three irrigation modes, i.e., fixed partial root-zone drip irrigation (FDI, fixed watering on one side of the seedling root zone), controlled alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation (ADI, alternate watering on both sides of the seedling root zone), and conventional drip irrigation (CDI, watering cling to the seedling base), and three irrigation quotas, i. e., each irrigation amount of FDI and ADI was 10, 20 and 30 mm, and that of CDI was 20, 30 and 40 mm, respectively, were designed. In treatment ADI, the soil moisture content on the both sides of the root zone appeared a repeated alternation of dry and wet process; while in treatment CDI, the soil moisture content had less difference. At the same irrigation quotas, the soil moisture content at the watering sides had no significant difference under the three drip irrigation modes. At irrigation quota 30 mm, the root-shoot ratio, healthy index of seedlings, and root hydraulic conductivity in treatment ADI increased by 31.6% and 47.1%, 34.2% and 53.6%, and 9.0% and 11.0%, respectively, as compared with those in treatments CDI and FDI. The root dry mass and leaf area had a positive linear correlation with root hydraulic conductivity. It was suggested that controlled alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation had obvious compensatory effects on the root hydraulic conductivity of apple seedlings, improved the soil water use by the roots, benefited the equilibrated dry matter allocation in seedling organs, and markedly enhanced the root-shoot ratio and healthy index of the seedlings.


Mechanotransduction, the conversion of mechanical cues into biochemical signals, is crucial for many biological processes in plants and animals1,2. In mammals, some mechanosensory processes such as touch sensation and vascular development are mediated by the PIEZO family of mechanically activated (MA) ion channels3-5. In plants, the impact of gravity or soil properties on root development, wind on stem growth, and turgor pressure on plant-cell size and shape are proposed to involve activation of MA ion channels6,7. Homologues of the bacterial MA channel MscS (MSLs) exist in plants, and MSL8 is shown to be involved in pollen hydration8; however, the identity of the MA channels required for most mechanotransduction processes in plants have remained elusive9. Here, we identify various members of the 15 OSCA proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana (previously reported as hyperosmolarity sensors10,11) as MA ion channels. Purification and reconstitution of OSCA1.2 in liposomes induced stretch-activated currents, suggesting that OSCAs are inherently mechanosensitive, pore-forming ion channels. This conclusion is confirmed by a high-resolution electron microscopy structure of OSCA1.2 described in a companion paper12. Beyond plants, we present evidence that fruit fly, mouse, and human TMEM63 family of proteins, homologues of OSCAs, induce MA currents when expressed in naïve cells. Our results suggest that OSCA/TMEM63 proteins are the largest family of MA ion channels identified, and are conserved across eukaryotes. We anticipate that further characterization of OSCA isoforms which have diverse biophysical properties, will help gain substantial insight on the molecular mechanism of MA ion channel gating and permeation. OSCA1.1 mutant plants have impaired leaf and root growth under stress, potentially linking this ion channel to a mechanosensory role11. We expect future studies to uncover novel roles of OSCA/TMEM63 channels in mechanosensory processes across plants and animals.


Iron is an essential micronutrient for hematopoiesis and previous research suggested that iron deficiency in the pregnant female could cause anemia in the offspring. Since the development of all embryonic and adult blood cells begins in the embryo, we aimed to resolve the role of iron in embryonic hematopoiesis. For this purpose, we used an experimental system of mouse embryonic stem cells differentiation into embryonic hematopoietic progenitors. We modulated the iron status in cultures by adding either an iron chelator DFO for iron deficiency, or ferric ammonium citrate for iron excess, and followed the emergence of developing hematopoietic progenitors by flow cytometry. We found interestingly that iron deficiency by DFO did not block the endothelial to hematopoietic transition, the first step of hematopoiesis. However, it had a differential effect on the proliferation, survival and clonogenic capacity of hematopoietic progenitors. Surprisingly, iron deficiency affected erythro-myeloid Kitpos CD41+ progenitors significantly more than the primitive erythroid Kitneg CD41+. The Kitpos progenitors paradoxically died more, proliferated less and had more reduction in colony formation than Kitneg after 24 hours of DFO treatment. Kitpos progenitors expressed less transferrin-receptor on the cell surface and had less labile iron compared to Kitneg, which could reduce their capacity to compete for scarce iron and survive iron deficiency. We suggest that iron deficiency could disturb hematopoiesis already at an early embryonic stage by compromising survival, proliferation and differentiation of definitive hematopoietic progenitors.


Electron cyclotron emission imaging on EAST provides direct measurements of the 2-D electron temperature dynamics in a continuous large observation area with high temporal and spatial resolution. Besides the normal MHD investigation, a system with a view field large enough to cover the core plasma region has been applied to extract more plasma information, such as the plasma center location, the deposition location of auxiliary heating, and the core toroidal rotation speed. These results solely based on electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) data are consistent with the results of the equilibrium fitting (EFIT), numerical code, and other diagnostics, which indicate the powerful diagnostic capacity of this ECEI system.


ISIS 141923 is a model compound of 2'-O-(2-methoxyethyl) (2'-MOE) modified antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). The purpose of this study is to determine whether ISIS 141923 is a substrate or an inhibitor against a panel of nine major uptake or efflux drug transporters, namely breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), P-glycoprotein (P-gp), organic anion transporter (OAT)1, OAT3, organic cation transporter (OCT)1, OCT2, organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B (OATP1B)1, OATP1B3, and bile salt export pump (BSEP), in vitro. The uptake test system for transporters in the solute carrier (SLC) family (OAT1, OAT3, OCT1, OCT2, OATP1B1, and OATP1B3) was studied in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK)-II cells transfected to express the transporters of interest. BCRP was studied using carcinoma colon-2 (Caco-2) cells with endogenously expressed BCRP. P-gp transporter was studied in MDCK-multi-drug resistance 1 (MDR1) cells, while BSEP was studied using Spodoptera frugiperda 9 (Sf9) membrane vesicles containing human BSEP. The ISIS 141293 concentrations evaluated were 10 and 100 μM for the substrate and inhibition study, respectively. Cellular uptake of ISIS 141923 was analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method, while concentrations of known substrates (used as positive controls) of each transporters evaluated were determined by radiometric detection. At 10 μM ISIS 141923, there was no significant transporter-mediated uptake of ISIS 141923 (P > 0.05) in the SLC family, and the efflux ratios were not above 2.0 for either BCRP or P-gp. Therefore, no transporter-mediated uptake of ISIS 141923 was observed by any of the nine transporters studied. At 100 μM ISIS 141923, the % inhibition was in the range of -16.0% to 19.0% for the nine transporters evaluated. Therefore, ISIS 141923 is not considered as an inhibitor of the nine transporters studied. Overall, the results from this study suggest that it is unlikely that ISIS 141923 or similar 2'-MOE ASOs would interact with small molecule drugs either as a victim (substrate) or perpetrator (inhibitor) of major transporters in humans. The results from available clinical drug-drug interaction studies conducted with this class of compounds to date are also supportive of this conclusion.


Background and objective : To patient radiation dose in a group of patients who underwent 128-row multidetector coronary computed tomography angiography  (CCTA) performed with prospective electrocardiographic (ECG) triggering with radiation dose in a group of patients  who underwent CCTA performed with retrospective ECG-triggering. Method: We performed a retrospective review of 233 consecutive patients referred for CCTA. CCTAs was performed using different scanning protocols depend on patient's heart rate. The effective radiation dose was calculated for each patient. Results: Depending on different dose saving techniques and heart rate, the effective whole-body dose of a cardiac scan ranged from 2.8 to 11.5mSv. Prospective ECG-triggering (PT) has the greatest potential to reduce the effective dose to 64 %, compared to a comparable scan protocol with retrospective ECG-triggering (RT). Conclusion: Due to this broad variability in radiation exposure of coronary CTA, the radiologist and technician should be aware of the different dose reduction strategies. Keywords: Radiation exposure, Coronary CTA, CT angiography, Computed Tomography


Wood-based composites are widely used in consumer products, either in structural or non-structural applications. One of the basic elements for wood-based composites is the binder itself. Recent years have seen great development and trends in the field of eco-friendly binders in woodbased composite. There have been many concerns on the effects of formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOC) released from wood-based products. Researchers have put lot of effort into developing environmental friendly products with enhanced sustainability. Binder materials with a focus on geopolymers (i.e., alumino-silicates) are discussed in this publication. The development and utilization of geopolymeric binders is relatively new in the field of wood-based composites. Up to the present there has been insufficient information regarding the manufacturing conditions and properties of wood-nonwood composite materials prepared using a geopolymeric binder. This paper considers the background of geopolymer materials and the possibilities of producing inorganic-bonded wood composite using geopolymer.


In this paper, we study the placement of phasor measurement units (PMU) for enhancing hybrid state estimation via the traditional Gauss-Newton method, which uses measurements from both PMU devices and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. To compare the impact of PMU placements, we introduce a useful metric which accounts for three important requirements in power system state estimation: convergence, observability and performance (COP). Our COP metric can be used to evaluate the estimation performance and numerical stability of the state estimator, which is later used to optimize the PMU locations. In particular, we cast the optimal placement problem in a unified formulation as a semi-definite program (SDP) with integer variables and constraints that guarantee observability in case of measurements loss. Last but not least, we propose a relaxation scheme of the original integer-constrained SDP with randomization techniques, which closely approximates the optimum deployment. Simulations of the IEEE-30 and 118 systems corroborate our analysis, showing that the proposed scheme improves the convergence of the state estimator, while maintaining optimal asymptotic performance.


Optimum sites for low-temperature (<150 °C) geothermal resource development in the technically stable eastern United States will probably be associated with crustal igneous rocks containing relatively high concentrations of radiogenic heat-producing elements concealed beneath insulating blankets of sediments. Granitic rocks crop out over a large area of the central and southern Appalachian Piedmont and Blue Ridge and presumably extend eastward beneath the sedimentary cover of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Choice of a site in the Atlantic Coastal Plain with a high geothermal resource potential depends on favorable (1) concentration of radiogenic elements in granitic rocks beneath a sedimentary insulator, (2) thermal conductivity of the sedimentary insulator, (3) thickness of the sedimentary insulator, and (4) reservoir conditions in the sedimentary rocks overlying the radioactive heat source. Values of heat generation for granitic rocks in the Piedmont are known to be at least as high as 17 HGU (1 heat generation unit = 10-13 cal/cm3 sec. Using the linear relationship between heat flow and heat generation observed for the southeastern United States, a heat generation of 14 HGU in granitic rocks beneath sediments with an average thermal conductivity of 4.2 x 10−3 cal/sec-cm- °C and a thickness of 2 km would yield a temperature of nearly 100°C at the base of the sedimentary section and a gradient of about 40°C/km in the sediments. We have logged approximately 250 wells in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with temperature gradients in the range 15–45°C/km. Preliminary results suggest that the higher gradients are associated with negative Bouguer gravity anomalies and therefore probably with concealed granitic plutons.


This research was a classroom action research using a peer tutor learning model to improve physics learning outcomes. Peer tutor learning is a learning that utilizes classmates who have more ability to help their friends in carrying out an activity or understanding the concept of learning. The problem to be solved is the low physics learning outcomes of class XI IPA 3 in SMA 3 Bengkalis. This study consisted of three cycles, in each cycle consisting of four stages, namely Planning, Implementation, Observation and Reflection. This research involved 21 students which are consisting of 13 female students and 8 male students. In the pre-cycle process, the percentage of learning completeness was 19.05%, then after learning the first cycle using the peer tutoring model there was an increase in the percentage of learning completeness to 42.89%. In the second cycle, it increased again to 61.91% and in the third cycle, it succeeded in achieving the percentage of learning completeness of 85.71%. The results showed that an increase in student learning outcomes along with the application of peer tutoring models. Thus, the results of the study indicate that the use of peer tutoring models can improve the physics learning outcomes of XI IPA 3 students in SMA 3 Bengkalis. Keyword: Bengkalis, Learning outcome, Peer tutor learning model


Abstract The attributes of the housing environment constitute an important part of the quality of living. Flats and houses, as other products, fulfill the complex needs of users, starting with the provision of shelter and a sense of safety, to satisfaction associated with the social context of occupancy and the perception of its aesthetic values. The housing environment, more than other functional aspects of architecture, shapes the structure of modern cities, and its high quality standards are reflected in the urban potential that promotes economic growth. The new paradigm of sustainable consumption, which is becoming widely popular all over the world, affects housing needs and modifies the housing preferences in Poland. Changes should be monitored in reference to current housing needs in Poland, to have a better view on new trends, as present-day housing conditions affect consumers' needs and preferences. Knowledge of the relations between the qualitative aspects of housing conditions and expectations should support architects, urban planners and local authorities in creating a functional and aesthetic housing environment endowed with the attributes attractive to occupants. The paper is focused on presenting certain aspects of the present-day housing conditions in Poland. Out of extensive research material resulting from empirical studies, issues that concern the types of settlements, occupancy period, form of ownership (flats or houses) and utilized space have been selected. The derived information enables the evaluation and interpretation of the quality of the housing environment and the occupants' aspirations.


official' for Tribonian. But it is grammatically as well as factually dubious to call the Senate 'a paragon' (p. 38), and the description of the cautio Muciana (p. 60) is seriously confusing. Enough of cavilling. The whole book is well aimed at a level where there has hitherto been a gap, since Kunkel's Introduction to Roman Legal and Constitutional History is rather daunting for an elementary course focussed on Roman private law. This book has taken a definite place on my reading lists, and, at its reasonable price, will be of invaluable assistance to many students.


Intended to promote effective application of the biodiversity Convention in coastal and marine environments. It is based in large part on the recommendation of the "Jakarta Mandate" agreed to by the Parties to the Convention at their Second Conference in Jakarta in November 1995 and which identified the major threats to marine and coastal biodiversity and the principal legal and policy measures needed to address them. The report explains the challenges that marine and coastal biodiversity pose for the achievement of the Convention objectives and identifies the policy tools that will be most effective for implementing the Convention in marine and coastal areas.


Background Published data has demonstrated that collegiate athletes sustain significantly higher game than practice injury rates (13.8 vs 4.0 injuries per 1000 A-Es). Review of this data demonstrates disparities within the practice injury rates with pre-season practice injury rates being significantly higher than in-season and post-season practice rates. Objective Our a priori primary hypothesis was that Fall sports would show the largest differential in pre-season compared to in-season practice injury rates. Our secondary hypothesis was that Division I would report higher rates of pre-season practice injury rates compared to Divisions II and III. Setting National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Participants 250 NCAA Injury Surveillance System participating schools with 182 000 injuries with 1 300 000 exposures. Assessment of risk factors The dependent variables are sport, season and division. Main outcome measure The independent variable is injury; defined as time loss of 1 day or more from a scheduled athletic activity. Results Pre-season practice consistently resulted in the highest injury rates across all Divisions regardless of season. Men's football (Fall) had the highest rate ratio of pre-season to in-season practice injury (3.47 (3.40, 3.54)). Men's and Women's soccer (Fall) were next (3.28 (3.11, 3.45), 3.27 (3.09, 3.45). Women's Division 1 soccer, had the greatest differential between pre-season and in-season practice injury as well as the highest pre-season practice injury rate for all sports except Division 1 men's wrestling (Winter). There was no consistent injury pattern demonstrated across season when sports were analyzed by Division. Conclusion Pre-season practices are responsible for a disproportionate share of practice injuries. Fall sports demonstrate the highest within sport practice injury rates. Attention should be paid to this finding in order to ensure that practices are conducted in a safe manner for the athletes and all potential injury prevention options taken advantage of.


ABSTRACT In 2015, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) proposed a new name and set of clinical criteria for what had previously been referred to as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). This committee recommended the adoption of the term systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID) and clinical criteria that required specific symptoms such as post-exertional malaise and unrefreshing sleep. This article reviews efforts to evaluate the revised criteria as well as reactions to the new criteria and name. Since these recommendations have been made, the proposed name change has not been widely adopted by the scientific or patient community. Even though the IOM's proposed criteria were intended to be a clinical rather than a research case definition, over the past few years, an increasing number of studies have employed these criteria for research purposes. One unwitting consequence of the IOM criteria, which excludes few other illnesses, is the broadening of the number of individuals who are diagnosed and included in research studies. There is still a need to implement the IOM's recommendation to form a multidisciplinary committee to review research and policy changes following the release of the new criteria. We conclude by presenting a possible roadmap for overcoming barriers in order to make progress on developing a consensus for a name and criteria.


The protocols for Methods 7470 and 7471 in the SW-846 methods manual are designed for the cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometric (CV-AAS) determination of total mercury in aqueous (extracts, wastewater, ground water, etc.) and solid (soils, sediments, sludges, etc.) materials, respectively. Aqueous samples are digested with a combination of nitric and sulfuric acid plus permanganate and persulfate solutions at elevated temperature; solid samples are heated either on a steam bath with aqua regia and permanganate, or in an autoclave with sulfuric acid, nitric acid and permanganate. The mercuric ions in the digests are then reduced with hydroxylamine, and the elemental mercury is aerated into the AAS cell, either in a closed (recirculating) or an open system, where the absorption at 253.7 nm is determined. The topics of this presentation are the results of a performance evaluation study of these methods conducted, without and with changes, by the Battelle Columbus Division Laboratory. The methods were evaluated using aqueous and solid environmental samples of homogeneous and known compositions in order to assess the accuracy and precision of the methods without introducing uncertainties due to sample inhomogeneities. The methods, as originally written, were satisfactory for the analyses of samples containing relatively high concentrations of mercury. However, the method quantification limits for the closed and open systems were inadequate for the determination of mercury in environmental samples such as ground-water samples, when low concentrations were encountered. Spectral interferences which are caused by nonspecific absorption of the analytical radiation degraded the accuracy of the recirculating CV-AAS method. The protocols in Methods 7470 and 7471 were modified to improve mercury detectability and to minimize the additive effect of nonspecific background absorption. The use of an amalgamation CV-AAS system operated in an open configuration resulted in an improvement of one order of magnitude in instrumental detection limit for mercury over the recirculating method. The results of the analyses of four reference sediment materials and a simulated aqueous waste sample by the amalgamation CV-AAS method indicated acceptable accuracy and precision for most of the environmental samples tested. As expected, the amalgamation CV-AAS method revealed no spectral interferences resulting from nonspecific absorption of the analytical radiation by organic vapors. The modified protocols are at present the subject of a multilaboratory evaluation with the Battelle Columbus Division Laboratory as the coordinating laboratory. Seven laboratories are participating in this study.


In this study the author attempts to widen our understanding of language and thought construction by using Chinese ideograms as a model. This allows us to understand how concrete internal objects can coalesce to form abstract internal objects, e.g. concepts, ideas, symbols, and metaphors. One can establish a pictorial language that antedates verbal language. This is the case in the dream work that we routinely study. Thus, this study delves into the physiology of the alpha function. To this end the author not only relies on psychoanalytic concepts but also on concepts from philosophy and from language itself. The author presents the ideograms not only for discussion but also for their visual impact. If we really want to understand pictorial images, they must be seen and not just discussed from a theoretical point of view. Based on this understanding the author advances a proposal for the technique used in treating patients who cannot establish mental representations for their affect. And the technical proposal is illustrated in two clinical cases.


Four strains of cold-adapted, strictly aerobic and facultative oligotrophic bacteria were isolated from polar seas and investigated using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Two strains (LMG 21857T and LMG 21854) derive from Arctic sea water whereas the other two strains (LMG 21855 and LMG 21858) were isolated from Antarctic sea water. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that these strains belong to the gamma-subclass of the Proteobacteria and are related to the genus Glaciecola, with 98.0-99.7 % sequence similarity to Glaciecola mesophila and 94.2-95.3 % sequence similarity to Glaciecola punicea, their nearest phylogenetic neighbours. Two strains (LMG 21855 and LMG 21858) were identified as G. mesophila, whereas DNA-DNA hybridization results and differences in phenotypic characteristics showed that the other two strains (LMG 21857T and LMG 21854) constitute a novel species within the genus Glaciecola, with a DNA G + C content of 44.0 mol%. The isolates are Gram-negative, chemoheterotrophic, motile, rod-shaped cells that are psychrotolerant and moderately halophilic. Buds can be produced on mother cells and on prosthecae. Branch formation of prosthecae occurs. Whole-cell fatty acid profiles of the isolates are very similar and include C(16 : 0) and C(16 : 1)omega7c as the major fatty acid components. On the basis of genotypic and phenotypic properties, a novel species of the genus Glaciecola is described, for which the name Glaciecola polaris sp. nov. is proposed, with isolate LMG 21857T (= CIP 108324T = ARK 150T) as the type strain. An emended description of the genus Glaciecola is presented.


INCOTERMS conditions are internationally recognized delivery clauses. Their advantage is comprehensibility and uniform interpretation by the contracting parties, as well as easy incorporation into the contract. An undeniable advantage is the regular update. The individual updates reflect trends in international business practice and therefore clarify or repeal existing clauses or introduce new ones as needed. The aim of the article is to evaluate the development of the INCOTERMS clauses on their historical development and their impact on international commercial law relations, and through this to outline possible future developments. The authors also consider whether, given the rapid technological progress, the current ten-year cycle of revision of the INCOTERMS clauses is appropriate or whether it is too long. Among the new trends, the authors point to new types of transport, especially unmanned drones, and the continuing trend of a transparent and secure logistics chain.


There is mixed evidence in the literature of a clear relationship between income inequality and economic growth. Most of that work has focused almost exclusively on developed economies. In what we believe to be a first effort, our emphasis is solely on developing economics, which we classify as high-income and low-income developing countries (HIDC and LIDC). We make such distinction on theoretical and empirical grounds. Empirically, the World Bank has classified developing economies in this manner since 1978. The data in our sample are also supportive of such classifications. We provide theoretical scaffolding that uses asymmetric credit constraints as a premise for separating developing economies in such a way. We find strong evidence of a negative relationship between income inequality and economic growth in LIDC to be in stark contrast with a positive inequality–growth relationship for HIDC. Both correlations are statistically significant across multiple econometric specifications. Using international data from 1960 to 2010, this article explores the effect of income inequality on economic growth using dynamic panel technique, such as system generalized method of moments (GMM) that is believed to mitigate endogenous problem. These results are strikingly contrasting to the previous estimation results of Forbes (2000) displaying significant positive correlation between two variables in the short to medium term.


Abstract : The accuracy of International Atomic Time TAI is based on a small number of primary frequency standards (PFS) that aim at realizing the SI second, the unit of proper time. Following the 14th meeting of the Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (April 1999), the BIPM time section is reconsidering how the PFS comparisons are used for evaluating the duration of the scale unit of TAI, uTAI, and how they are reported in Circular T and other BIPM publications. In the new procedure, it is proposed to break down the estimation of the uncertainty of the comparison in several elementary components and to report all of them in the BIPM publications in order to make the uncertainty evaluation more transparent and traceable. The BIPM also regularly computes an estimation of the duration of the scale unit of TAI using an accuracy algorithm combining the data of all PFS. The parameters used in this algorithm are re-evaluated and a new estimation of u(TAI) has been carried out over the recent years. The standard uncertainty on this value is now estimated to be 3x10(-15).


ABSTRACT Acute hypokalemic paralysis is a rare cause of acute weakness. Morbidity and mortality associated with unrecognized disease can occur and include respiratory failure and possibly death. Common causes of hypokalemic paralysis include thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) which is a disorder most frequently seen in Asian males. TPP is characterized by sudden onset of hypokalemia and paralysis that primarily affects the lower extremities. Treatment of TPP includes replacing potassium rapidly, using nonselective beta-blockade and correcting the underlying hyperthyroidism as soon as possible. TPP is curable once euthyroid state is achieved. It is vital for physicians to be able to differentiate TPP from familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis, a more common cause of periodic paralysis in Caucasians and western countries. We describe a 19-year-old Caucasian man who presented with acute onset lower extremity paralysis secondary to acute hypokalemia and was found to have new onset Graves' disease. Abbreviations: TPP: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis


. Abstract ! In symptomatic patients (NYHA functional class II – IV) with mod-erate to severe reduction in LVEF mortality and morbidity is reduced by ACE inhibitors (or ARBs respectively), beta-blockers and MRA, with each having different targets, which result in ad-ditive beneficial effects. According to the ESC guidelines updated in 2012 these three are the basic therapy in HFREF (class IA recommendation). In symptomatic patients additional loop diuret-ics are required, with the dosage individually adapted to the current clinical needs. In patients with sinus rhythm and a heart rate ≥ 70 bpm, despite " optimized " beta-blocker therapy, ivabradin reduces hospitalization for heart failure and improves quality of life (class IIa B recommendation). In HFREF statins are loosing their prognostic efficiency, whereas n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have a significant but weak prognostic benefit (class IIb B recommendation). Glitazones, most calcium channel block-ers (with the exception of amlodipin, felodipin and lercanidi-pine), as well as non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs and COX2 inhibitors should not be used in heart failure; adding an ARB to the combination of an ACE inhibitor and a MRA is also not recommended (all class III recommendations). In patients with HFPEF a prognostic benefit for a specific therapeutic regi-men has yet to be shown.


We aimed to make censuses of Puffinus yelkouan at the Dardanelles and to evaluate the movements at the Aegean and the Marmara Sea during the early breeding period. Field studies were carried out in the morning and afternoon for 40 days between 6 February and 22 March 2019. In the censuses, the highest number of birds, passing in both directions in a day was 78145 individuals; 56451 of them were counted in the direction of the Aegean Sea on 17 February, which is the highest number counted in one direction in a day. As a result, the number of birds crossing to the Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles in the afternoon is significantly higher than the number of birds crossing to the Aegean Sea in the morning. In the afternoon, the number of birds flying towards the Aegean Sea is significantly higher than the number of birds flying towards the Marmara Sea. Considering that the species visits the breeding colonies at night, this movement pattern could be related to the fact that the shearwater breeding population is predominantly found in the Aegean or in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, some issues, such as how long the birds stay in these sea regions after flying to the Aegean Sea or the Marmara Sea, which route they follow or how the flocks mix require further investigation.


The exploration of novel inhibitors of the HCV NS4B protein that are based on a 2-oxadiazoloquinoline scaffold is described. Optimization to incorporate activity across genotypes led to a potent new series with broad activity, of which inhibitor 1 displayed the following EC50 values: 1a, 0.08 nM; 1b, 0.10 nM; 2a, 3 nM; 2b, 0.6 nM, 3a, 3.7 nM; 4a, 0.9 nM; 6a, 3.1 nM.


Human Rights as basic rights that are inherently inherent in human beings with universal nature, need to be protected, respected, and maintained, so that the protection and human rights of vulnerable groups, especially persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities also have the same right in employment opportunities to obtain welfare through equal employment opportunities without discrimination. Although the Government has paid attention to the rights of workers with disabilities at work including protection of accessibility, but unfortunately in reality these regulations do not work properly. People with disabilities are not unable to work but are not given the opportunity so they cannot work, persons with disabilities are not because of their will but it is God's will and does not mean they cannot do anything when there are disabilities who cannot see but they can walk, can hear , and so forth. Basically in the world of employment already has a legal umbrella, namely Law No. 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower, which in it regulates, all matters relating to labor in the time before, during, and after the work period. The law also regulates the rights and obligations of business actors, the State and workers / laborers. So in this case concerning the rights of persons with disabilities who have equality and equality with other humans, especially in terms of work. The author would like to further analyze the rights of persons with disabilities to obtain employment in terms of their benefit, namely using the Islamic legal method Maslahah Mursalah.


We prove that in the setting of operator spaces the result of Davis, Figiel, Johnson and Pelczy´nski on factoring weakly compact operators holds accordingly. Though not related directly to the main theorem we add a remark on the description of weakly compact subsets in the dual of noncommutative vector valued L 1 .


The leukotrienes (LTs) are a family of lipid mediators that play important roles in a variety of allergic and inflammatory reactions (1, 2). These molecules are formed by leukocytes and are divided into two classes, the spasmogenic cysteinyl leukotrienes and LTB4, which is a classical chemoattractant that triggers adherence and aggregation of leukocytes to the endothelium at nanomolar concentrations. Recent data also indicate that LTB4 is a chemoattractant for T-cells, creating a functional link between early innate and late adaptive immune responses to inflammation (3–5). In addition, LTB4 participates in the host defense against infections (6) and is a key mediator of platelet-activating factor-induced lethal shock (7). Because of these powerful biological effects, LTB4 is regarded as an important chemical mediator in a variety of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, e.g. nephritis, arthritis, dermatitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (8). Moreover, only recently, several lines of pharmacological, morphological, biochemical, and genetic evidence have been gathered implicating LTs, in particular LTB4, as a mediator of vascular inflammation and arteriosclerosis (9). This article gives an overview of the biochemical, structural, and catalytic properties of LTA4 hydrolase (LTA4H), which catalyzes the final and committed step in LTB4 biosynthesis. LTA4 Hydrolase Is a Key Enzyme in the 5-Lipoxygenase Pathway In cellular biosynthesis of LTs, 5-lipoxygenase, assisted by 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein, converts arachidonic acid into the unstable epoxide LTA4, which in turn may be enzymatically conjugated with GSH to form LTC4, the parent compound of the cysteinyl leukotrienes, or hydrolyzed into LTB4 by LTA4H (Fig. 1). Leukotrienes can also be formed via transcellular routes, where LTA4 is donated from an activated leukocyte to a recipient cell for further metabolism by downstream enzymes, a process that was recently shown to occur in vivo (10). LTB4 signals via a specific, high affinity, G-protein-coupled receptor (BLT1) (11). In addition, a second receptor for LTB4 (BLT2) has been discovered, the functional role of which is presently not known (12). Interestingly, LTB4 is also a natural ligand of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor class of nuclear receptors and has been suggested to play a role in lipid homeostasis (13).


Objective: To describe cardiovascular risk factors in Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in relation with ischaemic
diseases in an emergency service.
Methodology: Cross-sectional study of patients with AF attended in the (ES) of the HUAV during 2016.
Epidemiological and clinical data and their CVRF were analysed. The statistical association was made
through the Chi-Square or Mann-Whitney test. The risk factors associated with AF were adjusted with
logistic regression models, calculating OR.
Results: We evaluated 552 patients with 46% men and (54%) women with an average age of 72.9 years. In
57 patients (10.3%), the detection of AF was coincidental. The younger patients presented with more
frequent palpitations (p <0.05) and the older patients had dyspnea (p <0.05). The older patients are the ones
that take longer to consult (p <0.05). 17% (94) of patients with AF have a heart attack before, during or after
the episode of AF, with a higher prevalence among men (p <0.05). The probability of diagnosing ischaemic
heart disease in a male patient with AF, hypertensive and diabetic is 71%.
Conclusion: In men with hypertension and DM a correct diagnostic and therapeutic management, should
consider the diagnostic possibility that AF is related to the presence of ischaemic disease. AF can be
considered as an anginal equivalent in patients who meet the three conditions: being male, with hypertension
and DM.


A composite interaction potential for a broad range of distances was proposed. It is proposed to express the interaction force as F = Mm (γ × R-2 + δ × R-1), where γ is the gravitation constant, δ = 2.7 × 10-31 m2 × kg-1 × s-2 is an additional fundamental constant. This approach allows one to keep the description of planet rotation is star systems almost unchanged, and to explain the anomalies of the motion of stars and galaxies without attracting the notions of so-called dark matter or universal acceleration. This approach is naturally built into the general physical picture of the world in which the significance of fundamental interactions changes while the size of objects changes, from elementary particles to galaxies. This picture is based on the interdependence of fundamental interactions and the size of material objects. Thus, weak and strong coupling determine the structure and properties of elementary particles and atomic nuclei. The existence of atoms, molecules, liquids and solids is due to electromagnetic coupling. Gravitational interaction promoted the formation of star systems, while the additional interaction δ promoted the formation of galaxies. It was demonstrated by means of thermodynamics that the formation of stable orbital systems with attraction forces F~Rn is possible within the range -3 ≤ n ≤ -1.


In this paper, a multi-objective optimization problem is investigated for a class of nonlinear continuous-time systems with time-varying delays. The controlled plant is supposed to have nonlinear dynamics and time delays which exist simultaneously in the state, the input and the measured output. To present the compatible mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// control problem, the generalized H/sub /spl infin// performance index is firstly introduced for the nonlinear delay systems instead of the standard H/sub /spl infin// performance one. As such, the novel mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// optimization problem can be formulated and the solvability conditions can be provided via convex computation approaches. After some algebraic transformations and decompositions, the involved nonlinear constraints can be eliminated and LMI-based convex algorithms can be given for the both state feedback and the output feedback design. These results can cover many previous works on the pure guaranteed cost control and the standard H/sub /spl infin// control, and can be generalized to other multiple objective optimization problems with quadratic performance indexes.


Detecting the anomaly of human behavior is paramount to timely recog-nizing endangering situations, such as street fights or elderly falls. However, anomaly detection is complex, since anomalous events are rare and because it is an open set recognition task, i.e., what is anomalous at inference has not been observed at training. We propose COSKAD, a novel model which en-codes skeletal human motion by an efficient graph convolutional network and learns to COntract SKeletal kinematic embeddings onto a latent hypersphere of minimum volume for Anomaly Detection. We propose and analyze three latent space designs for COSKAD: the commonly-adopted Euclidean, and the new spherical-radial and hyperbolic volumes. All three variants outperform the state-of-the-art, including video-based techniques, on the ShangaiTechCampus , the Avenue , and on the most recent UBnormal dataset, for which we con-tribute novel skeleton annotations and the selection of human-related videos. The source code and dataset will be released upon acceptance.


Objective:  This study explored 12-month outcome and its associations to social adjustment-related variables in patients with first-episode non-affective psychosis in Finland and Spain.

Methods:  Forty-nine Finnish and 37 Spanish patients were evaluated at admission on various characteristics of social adjustment. Outcome was measured for 68 (79%) patients by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Global Assessment Scale, and Grip on Life.

Results:  One-fourth of the patients experienced psychotic symptoms at follow-up. Sixty per cent of the patients showed good global functioning and Grip on Life. In both patient groups, poor earlier global functioning, weak social network, poor Grip on Life, and psychological dependence on family of origin were associated with poor outcome. In the Finnish group, few social contacts, lack of social recreational activities, and lack of stability in couple relations were related to poor outcome. In the Spanish group, low parental criticism was associated with poor outcome.

Conclusion:  Our findings support the notion that the level of earlier social adjustment is important in recovery from first-episode psychosis. However, different aspects of social adjustment, i.e., peer relations in the Finnish group and family relations in the Spanish group, appear to have prognostic importance in these two social environments.


In this paper we fix our attention, on hadron structure, and show that also the strong interaction strength alpha_S, ordinarily called the "(perturbative) coupling--constant square}", can be evaluated within our theory, and found to decrease (increase) as the "distance" r decreases (increases). This yields both the confinement of the hadron constituents, and their asymptotic freedom: in qualitative agreement with the experimental evidence. In other terms, our approach leads us, on a purely theoretical ground, to a dependence of alpha_S on r which had been previously found only on phenomenological and heuristic grounds. We expect the above agreement to be also quantitative, on the basis of a few checks performed in this work.


Partitioning the variance of a response by design levels is challenging for binomial and other discrete outcomes. Goldstein (2003) proposed four definitions for variance partitioning coefficients (VPC) under a two-level logistic regression model. In this study, we explicitly derived formulae for multi-level logistic regression model and subsequently studied the distributional properties of the calculated VPCs. Using simulations and a vegetation dataset, we demonstrated associations between different VPC definitions, the importance of methods for estimating VPCs (by comparing VPC obtained using Laplace and penalized quasilikehood methods), and bivariate dependence between VPCs calculated at different levels. Such an empirical study lends an immediate support to wider applications of VPC in scientific data analysis.


This report documents and presents the results of a study for evaluating the performance of Managed Lane (ML) facilities on freeways. A methodological framework is for analyzing freeway facilities with ML and General Purpose (GP) lanes operated in parallel. The framework acknowledges that the composition and behavior characteristics of the ML traffic stream are expected to be quite different from those for the GP lanes in terms of traffic volume, free-flow speed, capacity, vehicle type, etc. It further considers that there may still be certain levels of interactions between these two lane groups, especially for those facilities that do not have physical (barrier) separations, either en route or at access points, between them. Within that framework, different modules were developed based on sensor-measured or simulation-generated data, including the characterization of ML speed-flow relationship, the frictional effect of adjacent lane traffic speed, the adjustment for cross-weave effects, and the development of side-by-side facility-wide ML and GP performance measures. Thus, the proposed methodology is sensitive to different GP and ML segment types (basic, weaving, etc.) and separation styles (none, buffer, barrier), and is capable of analyzing extended facilities across multiple time periods.


It has been sustained that the sticky traps present in some carnivorous plants could have evolved from ancestor species bearing leaves covered with secreting glands formerly associated with a defensive function. In this study, we evaluated the interaction of the carnivorous plant Pinguicula moranensis with its insect herbivores to assess the defensive role of the glandular trichomes. Firstly, we estimated the standing levels of insect herbivory in field conditions. We also evaluated the response of herbivore insects to the removal of the secreting glands from the leaves of P. moranensis in field and laboratory conditions. The mean damage was 1.61 %, and half of the sampled plants showed no damage. The low level of herbivory in the field suggests that P. moranensis has an efficient defense ability. In the field experiment, after 25 d of exposure to natural damage, treated glandless plants received 18 times more damage than control plants. In the laboratory, the consumption of glandless tissue was three times higher during a 6 h evaluation period. Overall, our results provide evidence that secreting trichomes in Pinguicula are not only associated with prey capture but also have a defensive role. The defensive function could have favored the evolution of the sticky traps, the most extended prey-capture strategy among carnivorous plants.


The so-called receiver operating characteristic technique is used as a tool in an optimization procedure for the improvement and assessment of a filter-based methodology for the location of hot spots in protein sequences and exons in DNA sequences. By optimizing the characteristic values of the nucleotides, high efficiency as well as improved accuracy can be achieved relative to results obtained with the electron-ion interaction potentials. On the other hand, by using the proposed filter-based methodology with binary sequences, improved accuracy can be achieved although the efficiency is somewhat compromised relative to that achieved using the optimized characteristic values. Extensive experimental results, evaluated using measures such as the g-mean, the Matthews correlation coefficient, and the chi-square statistic, show that the filter-based methodology performs much better than existing techniques using the short-time discrete Fourier transform, particularly in applications where short exons are involved.


4066 Background: CheckMate 649 (NCT02872116) is a randomized, open label phase 3 study in first line (1L) GC/GEJC/EAC. Prespecified interim results showed statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for N+C vs C in all randomized pts and pts whose tumors expressed programmed death-ligand 1 combined positive score (CPS) ≥ 5. We present interim HRQOL results for CPS ≥ 5 pts, included as exploratory in the study. Methods: HRQOL was assessed using EQ-5D-3L (EQ-5D) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Gastric Cancer (FACT-Ga). Assessments were performed at baseline (BL), every 6 weeks during treatment, and during follow-up. Change from BL EQ-5D Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Utility Index (UI) and FACT-Ga scores were analyzed using mixed models. Time to first symptom deterioration (TTSD), time until definitive deterioration (TuDD), and time to improvement (TTI) were estimated with Kaplan-Meier estimators and stratified Cox models; deterioration/improvement was based on prespecified meaningful change thresholds. Results: 1,581 pts were randomized to N+C (n = 789) and C (n = 792); of those, 955 pts had CPS ≥ 5 (N+C [n = 473] and C [n = 482]). Among 821 pts with BL and post BL PROs (N+C [n = 421] and C [n = 400]), BL scores for FACT-Ga total were similar for N+C and C. Least-squares mean differences from BL favored N+C at most visits for EQ-5D and FACT-Ga total and GaCS, and were comparable for other FACT subscales (data not shown). TTI largely favored N+C (most hazard ratios (HR) > 1) but was not significantly different between treatments. For TTSD, pts treated with N+C had decreased risk of deterioration (HR < 1) in EQ-5D UI, FACT-Ga total, and GaCS. TuDD showed statistically significant delays in deterioration (HR with confidence intervals [CI] < 1) for all scores. Conclusions: Pts with 1L GC/GEJC/EAC experienced better HRQOL with N+C compared with C alone. Change from BL in EQ-5D and FACT-Ga total and GaCS favored N+C at most visits. N+C decreased deterioration risk compared to C with OS and PFS improvement, suggesting favorable benefits in 1L GC/GEJC/EAC pts with CPS ≥ 5. Clinical trial information: NCT02872116. [Table: see text]


A nurse once told me that my patient would need a PhD in analogy to understand the explanation that I had given. She probably had a point; I have been known to overdo it, but analogies do have their uses. They can explain, mislead, and provide illuminating insights.

Organisations have long been likened to organisms and can be seen as having disease

Comparing heart failure from fast atrial fibrillation to the inefficiency of an over-revved engine helps patients with a mechanical background to understand what has gone wrong, as do many other mechanical analogies involving pumps, valves, and pipework of various sorts. However, one sometimes feels that there was more fun derived in developing the analogy than information actually imparted. Try working backwards from what patients say they were told to what the doctor actually said originally.

Analogies can also be subversive. You can derail any seminar threatening to uncover the true depths of your ignorance with a well timed obscure statement such as "So, the …


An optimal algorithm for the detection of noisy filtered discrete semi-Markov chains is presented. Estimation of the underlying model parameters is also considered. For a given path of the discrete semi-Markov chain the optimum estimates of the model parameters obtained by the maximum likelihood method are expressed as functions of the path. These functions are then used to derive a single maximum a posteriori criterion for the optimal detection of the unknown single path. The final optimization is carried out numerically by a combination of gradient, divide-and-conquer, and search techniques. This set of techniques is referred to as the integer most likely search detector. Experimental results, using synthetic data, demonstrate the potential of the algorithm. >


Objective To determine whether peak expiratory flow rate changes with pregnancy and advancing gestation. Methods We measured the peak expiratory flow rate in 57 women during each trimester of pregnancy and postpartum. During four visits, all subjects exhaled forcefully three times into a peak flow meter. For each visit, the best of three attempts defined their peak expiratory flow rate. Using accepted standard nomograms, we normalized peak expiratory flow rate with respect to height and age. Using analysis of variance, we compared the mean normalized peak expiratory flow rates in each of the trimesters and postpartum. Results The subjects' peak expiratory flow rates did not change significantly during the three trimesters and postpartum (P = .317). The mean peak expiratory flow rates for the three trimesters and postpartum were 434 ± 18, 452 ± 16,444 ± 15, and 450 ± 16 (values in liters per minute ± 95% confidence intervals [CIs]). The mean normalized peak expiratory flow rates for the three trimesters and postpartum were 0.92 ± 0.036, 0.95 ± 0.032, 0.94 ± 0.030, and 0.95 ± 0.031 (values ± 95% CI). Conclusions This study demonstrates that peak expiratory flow rate does not change with pregnancy and advancing gestation. Therefore, testing peak expiratory flow rate in pregnancy is valid, and physicians can use peak expiratory flow rate accurately and reliably in the management of pregnant women with asthma.


Recent experiments on ultracold Bose gases in two dimensions have provided evidence for the existence of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase via analysis of the interference between two independent systems. In this work we study the two-dimensional quantum degenerate Bose gas at finite temperature using the projected Gross-Pitaevskii equation classical field method. Although this describes the highly occupied modes of the gas below a momentum cutoff, we have developed a method to incorporate the higher momentum states in our model. We concentrate on finite-sized homogeneous systems in order to simplify the analysis of the vortex pairing. We determine the dependence of the condensate fraction on temperature and compare this to the calculated superfluid fraction. By measuring the first order correlation function we determine the boundary of the Bose-Einstein condensate and BKT phases, and find it is consistent with the superfluid fraction decreasing to zero. We reveal the characteristic unbinding of vortex pairs above the BKT transition via a coarse-graining procedure. Finally, we model the procedure used in experiments to infer system correlations [Hadzibabic et al., Nature 441, 1118 (2006)], and quantify its level of agreement with directly calculated in situ correlation functions.


Background. The spread of infection and disease of SARS-CoV-2 is in all the world affecting more than 200 countries. Mexico has high new cases of disease and death for COVID-19. Although Guanajuato state also has a high number of new cases, the fatality of cases is below the mean in Mexico.Methods. It was a cross-sectional design, using the database of National Epidemiological Surveillance System in Mexico. It was collected data about age, sex, comorbidities (diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, immunosuppression, chronic kidney disease, obesity and smoking), date of death, and real-time reverse transcription polymerase test. The statistical analysis was using Case Fatality Ratio, Chi squared test and P-value to show relationship among variables and Odds Ratio and confidence intervals at 95% to show the effect of comorbidities on death due to COVID-19.Results. There were 100,109 suspected cases, 41.69% were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Age from 50 or higher and male sex had higher effect on fatality by COVID-19. In Guanajuato state, 48.68% of deaths occurred in Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, with a case fatality ratio 15.63% and in the Secretaría de Salud del estado de Guanajuato occurred 42.10% of the deaths with a case fatality ratio of 4.14%. Diabetes (OR 5.16, CI95% 4.77–5.59), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 6.34, CI95% 5.37–7.49), immunosuppression (OR 2.85, CI95% 2.17–3.76), cardiovascular disease (OR 4.20, CI95% 3.51–5.02), hypertension (OR 4.74, CI95% 4.39–5.11), chronic kidney disease (OR 6.27, CI95% 5.30–7.42), obesity (OR 1.87, CI95% 1.72–2.03), and smoking (OR 1.60, CI95% 1.41–1.81) had effect on death by COVID-19. In all cases age and male sex, acted as confounder. Asthma had a preventive effect on death by COVID-19 (OR=0.72, CI95% 0.54–0.97) Conclusion. Among the Guanajuato population with COVID-19, the main risk factor for dying were advanced age and male sex; diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunosuppression, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and smoking are risk factors for dying from COVID-19. HIV/AIDS has no effect on fatality from SARS-CoV-2 disease. Asthma is shown as a protective factor for dying from COVID-19.


A series of R-SMS-Phos ligands was evaluated in the Rh(I)-catalyzed hydrogenation of a set of olefins showing a marked influence of the cyclic nature and structure of the R groups. Overall, cPen- and Cy-SMS-Phos performed efficiently, while Ph- and Bn-SMS-Phos exhibited slower kinetics and furnished lower ee's also compared with C(6)F(5)CH(2)-SMS-Phos. The Rh(I)-(Cy-SMS-Phos) catalyst was screened under mild conditions displaying excellent enantioselectivities and high TOFs. Cases of catalysis under catalyst or substrate control were identified.


The optically active cobalt(III) complex with chiral cyclen, (2S,5S,8S,11S)-2,5,8,11-tetraethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane, preferentially binds to D-phenylglycine (D-Phg) or D-t-leucine (D-t-Leu) rather than L-Phg or L-t-Leu, respectively, with 20% de in dimethyl sulfoxide at 293 K. Comparative studies on the crystal structures of cobalt(III) complexes with d-Phg and l-Phg revealed that the diastereoselectivity is due to the difference in the steric hindrance that should occur between the amino group of Phg and the ethyl group of cyclen.


Human capital investments in Pakistan are performing poorly; school enrollment is low, the high school dropout rate is high, and there is a definite gender gap in education. The authors conducted field surveys in 25 Pakistani villages and integrated their field observations, economic theory, and econometric analysis to investigate the sequential nature of education decisions--because current outcomes depend not only on current decisions but also on past decisions. Their full-information maximum likelihood estimate of the sequential schooling decision model reveals important dynamics affecting the gender gap in education, the effects of transitory income and wealth, and intrahousehold resource allocation patterns. They find, among other things, that in rural Pakistan: 1) There is a high educational retention rate, conditional on school entry, and that male and female schooling progression rates become comparable at higher levels of education. 2) A household's human and physical assets and changes in its income significantly affect children's education patterns. Birth order affects siblings' competition for resources. 3) Serious supply-side constraints on village girls' primary education suggest the importance of supply-side policy interventions in Pakistan's rural primary education--for example, providing more girls' primary schools close to villages and employing more female teachers.


2109 The EWS-FLI1 fusion oncoprotein is the driving force in the pathogenesis of Ewing´s sarcoma family tumors (ESFT). It acts as an aberrant transcriptional regulator conferring tumorigenic properties to several transfected cell types including bone marrow mesenchymal progenitor cells, and is required for sustained growth of ESFT cells in-vitro and in-vivo. Silencing of EWS-FLI1 expression in ESFT cell lines leads to growth arrest and eventually to cell death or senescence. We have observed transcriptional stimulation of p21CDKN1A expression in six wildtype p53 ESFT cell lines upon RNAi-mediated EWS-FLI1 silencing. This induction was p53 dependent. Among the genes upregulated by EWS-FLI1 suppression we identified the hairy enhancer of split (HES) family transcription factor gene HEY1, which has recently been shown to positively modulate p53 protein levels in human colon cancer HCT116 cells. In fact, silencing of EWS-FLI1 in ESFT cells resulted in p53 stabilization and Ser15 phosphorylation, which were inhibited by siRNA to HEY1. Since HES transcription factors are downstream effectors of NOTCH signalling, we investigated the expression and the activation status of NOTCH signalling components in ESFT cells before and after EWS-FLI1 knock-down by RNAi. A strong induction of the NOTCH ligand JAG1 and variable increases in the expression of NOTCH receptors 2 and 3 were consistently observed upon silencing of EWS-FLI1. Concomitantly, NOTCH pathway activation by gamma secretase dependent proteolytic receptor cleavage leading to nuclear translocation of the NOTCH intracellular domain (NICD) was detected. Modulation of JAG1 induction by specific siRNA and inhibition of NOTCH processing by either a chemical gamma secretase inhibitor or ectopic expression of the physiologic NOTCH inhibitory docking protein NUMB1 inhibited p53 and p21CDKN1A induction. These results indicate that suppression of EWS-FLI1 expression reactivates NOTCH signalling in ESFT resulting in p53 dependent cell cycle arrest. Gene expression profiling of 27 primary tumors and 12 cell lines revealed consistent expression of NOTCH2 by ESFT. Since ectopic JAG1 expression sufficed to activate the p53 checkpoint via NOTCH pathway stimulation, we hypothesize that homing of ESFT cells to a NOTCH ligand-expressing compartment like the trabecular bone and the bone marrow may slow-down ESFT growth, possibly providing a molecular basis for dormant disease and late relapse. Supported by the Austrian Genome Research Programme GEN-AU (grant 200.136/1-VI/1/2005 "GEN-AU-Ch.I.L.D."), the European commission (grant EC-FP6 STREP 503036 "PROTHETS"), and the Austrian Research Fund, grants 16067-B04 and 18046-B12.


Vertebral body tuberculosis with involvement of the posterior element was studied by computed tomography in six patients. They ranged in age from 4 to 70 years. The ratio of male to female was 1:1. The spinal segments involved were from T2 to 51. The posterior element involvement consisted of pedicle, transverse process, articular process, lamina, spinous process, and vertebral part of rib. Of these six patients, spastic paraparesis was found in three patients; paraparesis, monoparesis, and no neurologic deficit each in one. The cold abscess extended dorsally, reaching the surface in three patients. All surgical specimens were confirmed as tuberculous infection by histologic examination.


The rapid three-fold enlargement of the hominin brain1,2 began about 2.3 million years ago (myr) as Africa dried and grass replaced brush, creating great savannas3. Seeking an amplifying feedback loop, I analyzed the lightning-brush-fire ecology for grazing animals in a grassy burn scar4. Discovering the new grass by exploring brush byways could promote a population boom–but only after grass-specialized herbivores evolved from mixed feeders5 at 2.4 myr. When the brush returned several decades later, the grazer boom would turn to bust, squeezing numerous descendants back into the core grasslands. Meat-eating Homo species would boom and bust when grazers did, enriching the core in whatever alleles were earlier concentrated in the brush fringe catchment zone for that boom. This return migration for Homo is what creates the amplifying feedback loop that speeds brain enlargement rate, likely up to the mutation rate limit. It also promotes trait hitchhiking: any brush-relevant allele, not just those for hunting, can experience amplifying feedback merely by hanging out in the catchment zone4. The shade offered by brush would have been the default location for cooperative nurseries, time-consuming food preparation, and toolmaking. Increased behavioral versatility correlates with larger brain size and the more versatile brains of a current generation need only spend more-than-average time in the boom's catchment zone for this recursive evolutionary process to keep average brain size increasing via assortative mating. This helps account for the time when enlargement began, why it was linear, when it ended, and why it slowed in Neanderthals and in Asian Homo erectus. Without utilizing Darwin's selective survival, the feedback loop makes advance room for "free" future functionality in the cerebral cortex, likely relevant to the evolutionary emergence of our structured intellectual functions6 such as syntax, contingent planning, games, and logic.


From the 1940s, a period where the National Party (NP) came into power and destabilized African and Southern Africa's political dynamics, South Africa became a pariah state and isolated from both the African and African political realms and, to some extent, global spectrum(s). The domestic political transition period (1990-1994) from apartheid to democracy further changed Pretoria's continental political stance. After the first-ever democratic elections in 1994, where the African National Congress (ANC) was victorious, South Africa was regarded as a regional and continental hegemon capable of re-uniting itself with continental and global politics and importantly uniting African states because of its relatively robust economy. However, the demise of apartheid brought immense opportunities for other African migrants to come and settle in South Africa for diverse reasons and bring a new enemy in xenophobia. Post-1994, xenophobia has rattled South Africa driven (albeit not entirely) by escalating domestic social ills and foreign nationals often being blamed for this. Using a qualitative methodology supplemented by secondary data, this article ponders xenophobia in post-democratization South Africa and what setbacks this has had on its hegemonic standpoint in Africa post the apartheid era.


The debate over the future of the health care delivery system evolves around the policy issue of what constitutes a fair distribution of the medical services which are considered essential to prolonging life, curing disease, and relieving pain. A case can be made that a socially equitable distribution implies that consumption of medical services is independent of the consumer's income and payment for them unrelated to utilization. The present paper examines to what extent the provisions for financing a national health insurance system are likely to advance or hinder the fair distribution of health care services. Almost all bills specify a mix of direct (cost-shared) and indirect (prepaid) financing. When cost-sharing is based on the quantity of services or on the level of medical expenditure, it helps divert medical care and health insurance benefits to high-income persons at the expense of their low-or moderate-income counterparts. When indirect payments or premium levels are determined by insurance risks rather than by income, they may be too high for persons with moderate means, and are likely to exclude such persons from the national insurance program. When health insurance is tied to salaried employment, it discriminates against the unemployed and the self-employed. To rectify such inequities, some NHI proposals specify separate insurance plans for the disadvantaged. Such programs, which require income-testing to determine eligibility, are likely to be plagued by administrative complications currently engulfing other means-tested social welfare programs. The present paper makes some recommendations for the purpose of avoiding these difficulties and fostering equity in health care.


This study aimed to examine the effect caused by the variable accountability, leadership styles, financial compensation, and locus of control tax inspectors in the performens of inspector in KPP Madya Pekanbaru, KPP Pratama Pekanbaru Tampan, KPP Pratama Pekanbaru Senapelan dan KPP Pratama Bangkinang. Respondents in this research were 51 tax inspectors. Data collection techniques in this study is in the form of questionnaires, while data analysis technique used is multiple regression analysis were processed with SPSS version 20.0 for Windows. From the results of the testing that has been done, simultaneous regression test (F test) showed that all independent variables studied have a simultaneous effect on the variable performens of inspector. Partial regression test (t test) showed that independent variables accountability, leadership styles, financial compensation had partial effect on the variable performens of inspector. Meanwhile variable locus of control haa not effect. The magnitude of the effect caused by Adjusted R2 by four variables together against the dependent variable 64.9%, while the remaining 35.1% is influenced by other variables not examined in this study. Keywords: Accountability, Leadership,Compensation, Locus of Control, and Tax Inspectors.


Background: Artificial dermis has been used successfully for coverage of full-thickness wounds with a well-vascularized surgical bed. However, the use of artificial dermis in the reconstruction of partial- and full-thickness scalp defects has not been well documented. Methods: Seven patients (six men and one woman; mean age, 70 ± 14 years) with partial-thickness (three patients) and full-thickness (four patients) soft-tissue defects of the scalp (mean defect area, 97 ± 58 cm2) following resection of recurrent malignant tumors and/or previous failed reconstructions underwent staged scalp reconstruction with a bilaminate skin substitute (Integra). After adequate débridement of scalp wounds, including burring the outer table of the calvaria down to bleeding bone for full-thickness defects, Integra was scored and applied unexpanded. A split-thickness skin graft (0.011 ± 0.0 inch in thickness) was placed on the operative site at postoperative day 36 ± 15 after removal of the silicone layer of the artificial dermis. Two patients required repeated applications of artificial dermis to compensate for contour deficits before skin grafting. Results: Clinically, all reconstructed areas showed well-vascularized neodermis before skin grafting. There was a 100 percent take of the skin grafts, with no infections or other complications noted. All reconstructive procedures were performed in less than 3 hours of combined operative time, with the last stage performed on an outpatient basis. Conclusions: Artificial dermis can be used successfully for reconstruction of complex scalp defects following oncologic resection, offering minimal donor-site morbidity, expedient operative time, and when needed, temporary quality closure until final pathologic results are known. Integra skin may offer another option for definitive management of extensive full-thickness scalp defects.


The common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is widely distributed and represents an important part of the currently exploited fishery resources. This species' feeding behaviour, however, is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the feeding behaviour of dolphinfish and the effect of body size (and the consequently aggregated learning experience) on the strategies used for capturing their prey. Observations were made from an oil platform in north-eastern Brazil. Dolphinfish length was visually estimated and classified into three size classes. The following foraging strategies were observed in our study: 'active chasing', 'leaping out', 'swimming in circles', 'surf', 'using floating objects' and 'cleaning turtle carapaces'. The most frequently used foraging strategy was 'active chasing', suggesting a strong preference of dolphinfish in using visual cues during predation. Smaller size-classes of dolphinfish did not perform the 'swimming in circles' and 'surf' strategy, probably due to a lack of learning experience, since further social interactions could be needed in order to show this strategy. Smaller dolphinfish regularly showed the 'using floating objects' as a foraging strategy, probably reflecting an opportunistic behaviour. The smallest individuals were using more simple strategies, to chase smaller prey that could have different and less complex escape strategies. It indicates learning experience could play an important role into the dolphinfish ontogeny, moving towards more complex foraging strategies throughout their lives. Independently of the age class, the dolphinfish displayed a varied repertory of foraging strategies, maximizing hunting success in the open ocean, a hostile pelagic environment with a low prey availability.


Instructions are this paper is the cost analysis of different sources of electricity for an educational institute in Peshawar. The technical and cost analysis of different system is done for the case study so that a system could be recommended for the site which can fulfill the demand requirement by least net present cost. By using HOMER software load profile is created and cost analysis is done for a project life time of 15 years. Five different configurations is studied in this paper for techno economic analysis of the system. These configurations are made by selected different combination of solar, generator, battery storage and diesel generator. HOMER software simulate these configuration find out a system which have least net present cost. By analysis of result obtain from different configuration a hybrid system consists of solar photo voltaic cells of 77 Kw, diesel generator of 50kva, a battery storage of 8 strings of 4 batteries can fulfill our need a least net present which is the recommended system to be install for our system. The system will have a net present cost of 24.6 million, level zed cost of energy is 29.04Rs. Keywords— electricity, educational institute, loads shedding, HOMER software, net present cost, level zed cost of energy.


Introduction: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major world health problem. All U.S. states have advised their cystic fibrosis (CF) populations to socially isolate. Major health care payors such as Medicare and most private insurance companies have agreed to reimburse health care providers for telemedicine and telephone visits. Methods: The CF adult team at the University of Virginia (UVA) transitioned from face-to-face clinics to multidisciplinary telemedicine clinics by using WebEx® (Cisco Systems, San Jose, CA), a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) compliant platform. Interventions: Patients were contacted before scheduled visits and triaged into: (1) patients eligible for the multidisciplinary telemedicine clinic, (2) patients to be seen in clinic urgently due to acute needs, and (3) stable patients who can be rescheduled at a later time. Ineligible patients for the telemedicine clinic due to lack of access to technology were followed up via telephone. Results: A total of 63 patients were scheduled to be seen in the UVA clinic over 4 weeks, 10 clinic days. Of these patients, 20 (32%) rescheduled their appointment. In addition, 2 patients (3%) were seen in clinic for acute needs and 38 (60%) were seen by the multidisciplinary team through telemedicine. Conclusions: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing a telemedicine clinic process that serves the needs of a multidisciplinary care team is paramount to preserving the CF care model. Through a systematic design and test process, a feasible and sustainable program was created that can be utilized by other multidisciplinary programs to adapt to their context.