A method for the simultaneous determination of 17 cephalosporinsin milk powder by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS) has been developed. After dissolution in water, the homogenized milk powder samples were extracted with acetonitrile to remove impurities such as proteins and the extract was further purified by high-speed centrifugation at low temperature. A C8 chromatographic column was employed to separate the analytes. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed in Q Exactive Full-MS/dd-MS2 scan mode. The results revealed an excellent linear correlation over a wide range of analyte mass concentrations (5-200 μg/L) with coefficients of determination (r2) greater than 0.99 in all cases. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) were in the range of 0.0060-0.014 μg/L and 0.71-4.62 μg/kg, respectively. The overall average recoveries were 69.6%-101.4% with RSDs<10%. This method presents the advantages of simple operation, good repeatability, and high resolution, being suitable for the qualitative and quantitative screening of 17 cephalosporin residues in infant formula milk powder.


Measles vaccination: Targeted and non-targeted benefits: CDC reports: 2-dose regimen of chickenpox vaccine is a success: Positive preliminary results from the CAPiTA study: Seasonal flu vaccine associate with reduced stroke risk: HPV vaccine shown to halve cervical abnormalities: Global prize for mobile mast vaccine storage project: Developmental pathway of potent HIV-neutralizing antibodies: Burkholderia vaccine: US Dep of Defense collaborates with Bavarian Nordic.


Several reports have appeared on the use of combined radioimmunotherapy (RAIT) and chemotherapy. The choice of drug to use with RAIT and how to space the two treatments has not been completely addressed. Because every patient's cancer presents with a specific molecular phenotype, we hypothesized that it may be necessary to tailor therapy based on specific gene expression. We addressed how the form of expression of a single gene, the p53 tumor suppressor, would impact the choice of agents, as well as sequence and spacing of agents. p53 regulates cell cycle arrest to allow for DNA repair after therapy‐induced small DNA damage or induction of apoptosis if damage is great and has been shown to affect chemo‐ and radiosensitivity of cancer cells. We established 3 stable p53 transfectants of the SKOV‐3 p53null parental line (p53wt, p53143mut or p53273mut). p53 expression was confirmed using flow cytometry, using the DO1 pan‐p53 Ab and the PAb240 anti‐p53mut Ab. The colorimetric MTT assay was then used to measure dose‐dependent growth inhibition from single modality chemotherapy (doxorubicin, carboplatin, paclitaxel or topotecan) or radioimmunotherapy (90Y‐RS‐7 IgG anti‐EGP1). The % survival vs. log [drug] were plotted to obtain the IC50. We then used a matrix design in which we varied the sequence of the first and second modality of treatment and the spacing between the 2 treatments to determine the most synergistic and antagonistic combinations for the parental SKOV‐3 and each of the 3 transfectants. The IC50 for each therapeutic agent varied as a function of the form of p53 expressed. For example, of the 4 lines, the p53wt transfectant was the most resistant to topotecan and the 143mut was the most resistant to carboplatin. The 273mut was quite sensitive to both doxorubicin and paclitaxel, whereas the p53null and wt were not. For multimodal treatments, most combinations of RAIT and chemotherapy resulted in a 30–40% growth inhibition (GI) and were either additive or moderately antagonistic. The 3 best (>60% GI) and 3 worst (<25% GI) combinations were identified and were unique to the parental p53null and to the 3 transfectants. Certain combinations showed clear synergy and others were antagonistic, with the first treatment modality blocking the growth inhibitory effects of the second treatment modality. The form of p53 expressed affects chemosensitivity and radiosensitivity and will influence optimal multimodal therapy with RAIT and chemotherapy and the dose‐schedule (sequential with RAIT first or with drug first) when more than 1 agent is used. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


With recent advances in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), renal transplantation is no longer considered a contraindication in properly selected HIV-positive patients. Several studies have demonstrated comparable patient and graft outcomes between HIV-negative and HIV-positive renal transplant recipients. Most of the information on outcomes of HIV-positive to HIV-positive transplantation is based on data from deceased donors. There are only a handful of case reports about living donor renal transplantation in an HIV-positive patient from an HIV-positive donor. Furthermore, there is no report in the world of preemptive living donor renal transplantation in this setting. Here, we report a case of successful preemptive renal transplantation in an HIV-positive recipient from an HIV-positive living donor performed at our center.


Muscadine grapes accumulate higher amounts of bioactive phenolics compared with other grape species. To identify the molecular events associated with polyphenolic accumulation that influence antioxidant capacity, two contrasting muscadine genotypes (C5 and C6) with varied phenolic/flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were investigated via RNA-sequencing during berry development. The results showed that berry development is concomitant with transcriptome profile changes, which was more pronounced at the véraison (V) stage. Despite that the downregulation pattern of gene expression dominated the upregulation through berry development, the C5 genotype maintained higher expression levels. Comparative transcript profiling allowed the identification of 94 differentially expressed genes with potential relevance in regulating fruit secondary metabolism, including 18 transcription factors and 76 structural genes. The genes underlying the critical enzymes in the modification reactions of polyphenolics biosynthetic pathway, including hydroxylation, methylation, and glycosylation were more pronounced during the immature stages of prevéraison (PrV), V, and postvéraison (PoV) in the C5 genotype, resulting in more accumulation of biologically active phenolic/flavonoid derivatives. The results suggested that muscadine grapes, as in bunch grapes (Vitis sp.); possess a similar mechanism that organizes polyphenolics accumulation; however, the set of total flavonoids (TFs) and structural genes coordinating the pathway varies between the two species.


Synthetic polymers are the most extensively manufactured material on earth. The exponential increase in the production and application of synthetic polymers has led to growing concerns such as, depletion of fossil fuels. Due to this, there is a growing research interest in the development of sustainable, safe, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly plastics from renewable resources. Until recently, inorganic waste for functional renewable materials had been overlooked. Sulfur is a highly abundant element and is also produced as a by-product of the petrochemicals industry. Over 70 million tonnes of sulfur is produced annually, with only a small fraction of this being used to produce commodity chemicals, such as sulfuric acid and fertilisers. This leaves huge unused stockpiles around the world, meaning sulfur is a cheap waste by-product. However, until recently, it has not been conventionally used to produce functional materials because polymeric sulfur is unstable and decomposes back to crystalline sulfur (S8). In 2013 Pyun and co-workers discovered inverse vulcanisation which allows polymeric sulfur to be stabilised by a small alkene crosslinker. This work explores different inverse vulcanised sulfur polymers for functional materials and focuses on both discovering and improving the physical properties for different functions. The effect of crosslinker structure on the resultant polymer is assessed; the materials' mechanical properties are explored; the antibacterial activity of the materials is investigated, and catalyst/accelerators are explored to improve reaction conditions.


Objective: Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) can be used to determine hypervolemia and malnutrition in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. In this prospective observational study, we investigated the survival predictability of impedance ratio (IR) calculated by BIS in HD patients (Clinical Trials Gov Identifier: NCT01468363). Materials and Methods: A total of 430 chronic HD patients, out of 500 prevalent chronic HD patients from the city of Zonguldak who met the inclusion criteria, were included in the study. With a mean follow-up of 32.2±14.4 months, BIS was performed in all patients. The IR percentage (IR%) was calculated by dividing the resistance values using the 200 kHz and 5 kHz impulses. Student's t-test, Cox regression analysis, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis were performed, and a p<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: The mean age of 430 patients was 59±15 (10-92) years, and 54% of patients were male. By the end of the study, 125 (29%) patients died. Diabetes mellitus was observed in 46% of patients. Sixty-seven percent of patients used erythropoietin, and 41% used diuretics. The mean systolic blood pressure of patients before the dyalisis was 133±26 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure was 79±12 mmHg. The IR values ranged between 73.2% and 94.1%. A multi-regression analysis that used the IR and included diabetes mellitus, age, gender, and albumin and hemoglobin levels showed that the mortality risk increased 16% (p<0.001). Evaluation using the quartiles showed decreased survival. Survival in the first quartile group was 42.8 months compared to 30.6 months in the last quartile group. Conclusion: The IR calculated using BIS data is a useful tool that can be employed to predict the survival in chronic HD patients. An early awareness of this increased mortality risk is important in terms of a close follow-up and appropriate treatment of these patients.


Low contrast and non-uniform illumination in retinal images hinders the process of accurate lesion detection. Edge- based Texture Histogram Equalization (ETHE) has been of significant importance with its ability to correct the contrast and illumination problems. In this paper, ETHE has been employed on retinal images to enhance the quality of the images. A new image quality model Blind\Referenceless Image Spatial Quality Evaluator (BRISQUE) which employs natural scene statistics has been used to detect the image quality. The image quality is improved by 15.125% with ETHE across four different databases. ETHE is comparable in performance with Dominant Orientation based Histogram Equalization (DOTHE), both providing similar image quality improvement. However, the average simulation time of ETHE is less than DOTHE.


Gas/liquid ratios (GLRs) typically increase later in the life of a sucker rod-pumped well, and unconventional reservoirs may have high GLRs from the beginning of production. How to handle that gas production is important for sucker rod pumps, as the efficiency is reduced when gas enters the pump. A project was undertaken to quantify several methods used to handle gas production with sucker rod pumps and the effectiveness of each.
 This project focused on three areas of design or operation intended to improve gas handling: Gas separator design: The sizing of downhole gas separators was reviewed, and steps were taken to match the pumping system with the proper separator. In cases where the separator was not pulled, the pump displacement was adjusted to ensure it was within the capacity of the existing separator. Where there was an opportunity to replace the separator, the design was modified to ensure the separator capacity matched the expected well production.Variable speed drives: Horizontal wells do not provide consistent inflow, but rather exhibit slugging behavior as portions of the lateral load up with liquid or gas. This makes pump-off control difficult with conventional rod pump controllers, which stop the pump completely when there is a lack of fluid at the pump. The performance of variable speed drives was studied to determine if continuous operation while adjusting the speed to accommodate slugging would improve production.Backpressure valves: Backpressure has been used as a method to improve the performance of wells with gas interference, but the benefits have been questionable compared to the negative impacts on equipment loading. Wells with elevated tubing backpressure were identified, the backpressure was reduced to line pressure, and the impact on performance was monitored.


With an increased use of the press-through package (PTP) tablet, there has also been an increase in mis-swallowing cases, especially in elderly patients. We report a rare case of PTP-induced small bowel perforation and fistula formation with adjacent small bowel in a healthy elderly patient, who experienced persistent abdominal pain of unknown cause. A 62-year-old healthy man was admitted to our hospital with left abdominal pain that started one month ago. Neither abdominal tenderness nor rebound tenderness was present on physical examination. His vital signs and all other test results were within normal limits. However, a 2.5 cm curved radiopaque material within his thickened small intestine was incidentally detected on an abdominal computed tomography. He underwent laparoscopic small bowel resection, which revealed foreign body in the distal small intestine. Edema, perforation, and adhesions with the surrounding tissues were also noticed in the distal small intestine. Foreign body was turned out to be PTP, and this was considered to be responsible for the small bowel perforation and fistula formation. Precautions regarding PTP usage are necessary to prevent inadvertent PTP ingestion and its related complications, such as perforation, especially in the elderly population.


UNLABELLED
Overexpression of the multidrug resistance (MDR1) P-glycoprotein (Pgp) correlates with cancer chemotherapeutic failure. Lipophilic cationic radiopharmaceuticals such as 99mTc-sestamibi, 99mTc-tetrofosmin and 99Tc-furifosmin (Tc-Q12) have been validated as transport substrates for the MDR1 Pgp and may enable functional imaging of the MDR phenotype in cancer by observing enhanced washout rates of the tracers in those tumor areas expressing Pgp. To further explore and optimize the Pgp recognition properties of Schiff base phosphine mixed-ligand complexes of the Tc-Q series of nonreducible (Tc(III) cations, a variety of Tc-Q complexes were synthesized and tested in vitro for recognition as transport substrates by the human MDR1 Pgp.

METHODS
Tracer assays with human drug-sensitive KB-3-1 epidermal carcinoma and MDR KB-8-5 cells expressing nonimmunodetectable and modest levels of MDR1 Pgp, respectively, were used to screen and pharmacologically characterize 37 novel 99mTc-Q analogs.

RESULTS
The ideal agent should have low nonspecific binding, high distinction in net uptake between drug-sensitive cells and MDR tumor cells, and high enhancement of uptake in resistant cells after treatment with an MDR modulator, indicating selective blockade of Pgp-mediated efflux of the radiotracer. Three analogs, trans-[5,5'-(1,2-ethanediyldiimino)bis(2-OEt-2-Me-4-penten-3 -one)]bis[dimethyl(3-OMe-1-propyl)phosphine]99mTc(III) (99mTc-Q63) and two trans-[bis(methyl-bis(3-OMe-1-propyl)phosphine)] analogs (99mTc-Q57 and 99mTc-Q58) displayed transport distinctions between drug-sensitive and MDR cell lines that were equal to or greater than all previously available agents. Cyclosporin A, an MDR modulator, had no significant effect in KB-3-1 cells for these 99mTc-complexes but enhanced tracer accumulations in KB-8-5 cells with IC50 values of approximately 1 microM. In contrast, the non-MDR agents methotrexate and cisplatin had no effect on accumulation of 99mTc-Q complexes and 99mTc-sestamibi in KB-8-5 cells.

CONCLUSION
Technetium-99m-Q57, 99mTc-Q58 and 99mTc-Q63 are avid transport substrates recognized by the human MDR1 Pgp, and have enhanced in vitro properties that may enable functional imaging of Pgp in vivo with improved signal-to-noise ratios and tissue contrast compared to currently available agents.


This article develops a random effects quantile regression model for panel data that allows for increased distributional flexibility, multivariate heterogeneity, and time-invariant covariates in situations where mean regression may be unsuitable. Our approach is Bayesian and builds upon the generalized asymmetric Laplace distribution to decouple the modeling of skewness from the quantile parameter. We derive an efficient simulation-based estimation algorithm, demonstrate its properties and performance in targeted simulation studies, and employ it in the computation of marginal likelihoods to enable formal Bayesian model comparisons. The methodology is applied in a study of U.S. residential rental rates following the Global Financial Crisis. Our empirical results provide interesting insights on the interaction between rents and economic, demographic and policy variables, weigh in on key modeling features, and overwhelmingly support the additional flexibility at nearly all quantiles and across several sub-samples. The practical differences that arise as a result of allowing for flexible modeling can be nontrivial, especially for quantiles away from the median.


The research was conducted to investigate the effect of salinity on rapeseed. Furthermore, the protein pattern of genotypes was investigated to support the greenhouse evaluation. Twelve genotypes of rapeseed were treated with zero, 175 and 350 mM of NaCl in hydroponic culture system. Protein pattern of the genotypes were visualized by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) method. Most of the traits were significantly influenced by salinity. Cluster analysis identified Hyola308 and RGS003 as the most tolerant genotypes. Wild cat, Option500, Cracker, SW500, Comet and Olga are clustered together as salinity susceptible group. Twenty five reproducible bands were identified by SDS-PAGE in which fourteen were polymorphic. These results indicate a valuable genetic variability between the genotypes. Accumulation of K+ in shoot instead of proline might be a way in which the genotypes perform osmotic adjustment under salinity. By identification of contrasting genotypes, molecular dissection of salinity stress by genomics/proteomics approaches would be amenable in details.

 Key words: Brassica napus, cluster analysis, physiological characteristics, proline, salt stress, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).


Educational clusters, combining pedagogical universities, schools and business, provide an entirely new scientific and educational space of practice-oriented professional training of future teachers and schoolchildren based on modern cloud and distance technologies. Despite the successful functioning, their activity is still not reflected in the net and is practically inaccessible to the general public. The article substantiates the need to develop an information and educational site for the educational cluster «school - teacher training University – business» to position it on the Internet in order to attract public attention, to ensure information transparency and transparency of its activities. Its structure, composition and content of information materials published on its pages are given, the requirements for content are described.


With the production of the first High-Throughput Alpha Tools, Electron Beam Projection Lithography (EPL) is entering the commercialization phase. Here, we report on the realization of the electron column modules for the SCALPEL HT/Alpha EPL systems, designed to demonstrate high wafer throughput at resolutions at and below 100 nm. We describe our highly modular setup of each electron optical component targeted at maximum flexibility and enabling a fast and smooth evolution towards higher throughput and resolution. By applying strict design and process rules we were able to set-up the complete production flow from the design, construction and manufacturing of the components of the ferrite/dielectric deflector based projection optics up to established qualification schemes within less than one year. A crucial point for the overall tool performance is the timely availability of system alignment and metrology strategies. Here we adapt state-of-the-art techniques from light optical lens manufacturing to a maximum amount. We discuss our metrology and alignment approach based on aerial image analysis combined with extensive electron optical imaging simulations and present first theoretical and experimental sub-100 nm results.


Purpose: This study compared the temporal artery temperature (TAT) measured by infrared temporal artery thermometers to the axillary temperature (AT) measured by standard mercury-in-glass thermometers, and evaluated accuracy of the TAT measurement for clinical practice. Methods: A total of 247 adult inpatients in general wards in a tertiary medical center located in Seoul participated in the study. The TAT was measured within one minute after the AT measurement. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, linear regression, and the Bland-Altman plot. Results: There was a significant difference in mean temperature between AT and TAT, 36.89 (SD=0.70) versus 37.35 (SD=0.72). The Bland-Altman plots demonstrated the difference between the AT and TAT as -1.29 to +0.33. The specificity and sensitivity of the TAT in detecting fever were high. The positive predictive values were 57.5% and 71.0% when the AT were higher than 38.0 and the TAT fever cutoff levels were 38.0 and 38.3 respectively. Conclusion: TAT and AT were highly correlated and agreeable, indicating that TAT is as accurate as AT. The findings suggested that TAT measurement can be used in clinical practice. For accurate communication between medical personnel, medical institutions need to provide guidelines for temperature measurement, especially for the use of thermometer and measurement sites.


The Janus tyrosine kinases (JAKs) have shown great promise as therapeutic protein targets in the treatment of cancer and inflammation diseases. This study used pharmacophore modeling to identify potential inhibitors of Janus kinase 3 (JAK3). A pharmacophore model was developed based on a known JAK3 inhibitor (1NX) and was employed to search for potential JAK3 inhibitors against Indonesian herbal compounds. Among 28 hit molecules that were identified and subjected to a molecular docking protocol against JAK3, the three compounds that had the highest affinities toward JAK3 were camelliaside B, 3-O-galloylepicatechin-(4beta-6)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, and mesuaferrone B. These were then each subjected to a 50-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Analysis of RMSD and RMSF values indicated that the three compounds reached stability during the MD simulation. Interestingly, all three compounds had lower binding energies than 1NX against JAK3, as predicted by the MM-PBSA binding energy calculation.


SIR, Several authors have reported the possible association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the HLA-DR4 antigen.'`7 The most recent report has appeared in your columns.7 Some of the studies suggested that RA patients with HLA-DR4 more often had positive latex tests for rheumatoid factor, with higher titres than the other patients.3`6 HLA-DR4 might thus operate in relation to IgM rheumatoid factor production rather than rheumatoid arthritis. As healthy persons have low amounts of rheumatoid factors in their sera,' we therefore investigated whether those with HLA-DR4 had more rhematoid factors than the others. Rheumatoid factors were measured quantitatively in the


Earlier equations for calculating the release ports of gear pumps were derived without considering changes in running conditions which are apt to occur in field applications. Therefore, gear pumps designed using these equations gave lower efficiencies in some or most running conditions. With the support of theory, the authors found new release ports suitable for the gear pumps to be operated under various running conditions. Experiments were conducted using two helical gear pumps with conventional and new release-ports. The pump with the new release ports brought about larger deliveries and also higher efficiencies. The reason for this is explained by the theoretical characteristics of the gear pumps.


Two different boron layers, flat (graphene-like) and puckered (phosphorene-like), found in the crystal structure of Mo2B4 show drastically different activities for hydrogen evolution, according to Gibbs free energy calculations of H-adsorption on Mo2B4. The graphene-like B layer is highly active, whereas the phosphorene-like B layer performs very poorly for hydrogen evolution. A new Sn-flux synthesis permits the rapid single-phase synthesis of Mo2B4, and electrochemical analyses show that it is one of the best hydrogen evolution reaction active bulk materials with good long-term cycle stability under acidic conditions. Mo2B4 compensates its smaller density of active sites if compared with highly active bulk MoB2 (which contains only the more active graphene-like boron layers) by a 5-times increase of its surface area.


The endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) is expressed by endothelial cells of large blood vessels and by hematopoietic stem cells. DNaseI hypersensitive (DH) site mapping across 38 kb of the human EPCR gene (hEPCR) locus identified 3 potential regulatory elements. By itself, the DH region spanning the proximal promoter (PP) was unable to direct cell-specific transcription in transgenic mice. A second DH element, located upstream of PP and termed -5.5HS was hypersensitive only in endothelial cells (ECs) and immature hematopoietic cell lines. Transgenes expressing LacZ under the control of -5.5HS coupled to either PP or the SV40 promoter were able to direct beta-galactosidase activity to the endothelium of large vessels during embryogenesis and adulthood. The -5.5HS exhibited enhancer activity that was conferred by the interplay of transcription factors interacting with conserved Ets and composite GATA/Tal1 motifs. The third DH element, located in intron 2, was primarily hypersensitive in EPCR-negative cells, and capable of initiating antisense transcription, suggesting a role in hEPCR silencing. This study identifies critical elements required for the tissue specificity of hEPCR and suggests a mechanism for endothelial and hematopoietic stem cell-specific transcriptional regulation that reflects the common origin of these cell types.


This paper explains the capability theory of how HFT firms make allocation decisions under uncertainty, and shows how capability maximization is precisely consistent with utility theory. The issue, however, is how these firms actually make allocation decisions in practice. Using the Gioia methodology, this paper presents evidence from interviews with HFT professionals and specialist media that suggest that these firms are capability satisficers. Capability theory is also consistent with bounded rationality and the adaptive markets hypothesis, and defines the point at which these firms reach a satisfactory solution. Thus, capability reconciles mainstream theory and the more realistic, behavioral theories based on observation of industry practice. The methodology developed can be applied to any firm that makes algorithmic decisions under uncertainty.


Three of the main components that contribute to the establishment of specifications relate to manufacturing consistency, clinical experience, and assay performance. The validation of an analytical control system for biotechnology pharmaceutical products represents a diverse analytical challenge. This paper focusses on the key components of assay validation and how they influence specification design. In particular, issues relating to precision, accuracy, and specificity are discussed in the context of their influence and impact on specification design. Specific examples are presented that encompass assays that are used for purity and potency and their interrelationships.


OBJECTIVE
There is evidence that core narcissism and the narcissistic defenses have a role in the emotions and cognitions associated with the eating disorders. However, there is little understanding of its relationship with behaviors seen in this population. This study aimed to examine the relationship between narcissism and eating-disordered behaviors (e.g., bingeing and purging).

METHOD
The participants, 110 women presenting with an eating disorder, completed measures of narcissism and eating disorder psychopathology.

RESULTS
Associations were found between patients who engaged in excessive exercise and levels of narcissism. There were also dimensional associations between eating-disordered behaviors and specific aspects of narcissism.

DISCUSSION
Clinical implications and limitations of the study are discussed, and future directions for research suggested.


Over 8,000 altitude deviations are reported to NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System each year. This is almost one an hour. The narratives of pilot incidents relate how errors made in the automation-assisted altitude change task are caused by the difficulty pilots are having interacting with automatic systems. This paper discusses the impact of increased automation in glass-cockpit airliners on the altitude deviations reported by pilots. By observing the way information is processed by the cockpit system, the author suggests that the philosophies of design and training need to change in order to facilitate, not debilitate, the aircrew.<<ETX>>


Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive sight threatening diabetic complication. The prognosis seems to be related to largely modifiable risk factors. Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify factors that could be associated with progression of DR. among adult diabetic patients attending primary health care centers in Kuwait. Methods: The current study is a part of a larger multi-centric one that included 704 diabetic patients. A nested case-control study was used whereas all patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (case group, n = 33) were compared with all other diabetic patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) (control group, n = 183) to determine the associated factors with cases. A pre-designed questionnaire included socio-demographic, clinical data, laboratory investigations, in addition to health care characteristics and personal practice. Basically univariate analyses were followed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Out of 704 diabetic patients participated in the study 216 were diagnosed as having DR with an overall 30.7% prevalence rate. Among 216 patients with DR, 33 were diagnosed as PDR (4.7%) and 183 were diagnosed as NPDR (26.0%). Of the personal factors examined, nationality was the only significant determinant of PDR (OR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.71 – 0.9). Among clinical factors, patients with type 2 – insulin treated diabetes were more prone to have PDR as compared to type 1 (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1 – 1.4). Duration of diabetes > 20 years was a significant predictor of PDR (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1 – 1.5). Also, poor hyperglycemia and hypertension were significantly modifiable risk factors (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1 – 1.3) and (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1 – 1.4) respectively. Ex-smoking was significantly associated with PDR (OR = 8.3, 95% CI: 3.3 – 23.8). Conclusion: Hyperglycemia and hypertension are the strongest modifiable risk factor for PDR. Patients with longer duration of diabetes particularly those with type 2-insulin treated diabetes were more prone for PDR and should be regularly screened for DR. Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy - progression - associated factors


The numerous reforms to the Convention system of the past two decades have unquestionably had an effect on applicants' means to access justice in the system. It is, however, open to question how these changes should be evaluated: with reference to the individual right to petition, or with reference to a more substantive and general conception of access to justice. This article explores these two approaches to the notion of access to justice both generally and for the Convention system specifically. The main argument of the article is to show the value of taking a substantive approach to access to justice in the Convention system. Thus, it challenges the centrality of the individual right to petition in discussions on reform of the system. Further, to show how taking a different perspective on access to justice may lead to different analyses, an evaluation in the light of both approaches is made of five sets of central changes to the Court's procedure and its working method. This includes the revised Rule 47, single-judge formations and the priority policy.


Mice, deficient for vascular endothelial growth factor VEGF-A in pancreatic islets, have reduced insulin gene expression levels and an impaired glucose tolerance. Here, we investigated whether VEGF-A was required for physiological glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and insulin content. We performed in situ pancreas perfusions and islet perifusions on mice lacking VEGF-A in the pancreatic epithelium in order to study their ability to secrete insulin in response to glucose. We identified insulin secretion defects in the pancreata of VEGF-A deficient mice, including a delayed and blunted response to glucose. Islet perifusion experiments revealed a missing first phase and weaker second phase of insulin secretion, in two of three VEGF-A deficient mice. On average, insulin content in VEGF-A deficient islets was significantly reduced when compared with control islets. We conclude that VEGF-A is required in pancreatic islets for normal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and physiological insulin content. Thus, VEGF-A is a key factor for pancreatic islet function.


The device consists of four bars of adjustable useful length and with adjustable angles. These bars can be set in a combination to represent the vector diagram of voltages in a motor with any desired constants. By moving the bars to vary the load, complete performance characteristics of the motor can be obtained, including the speed, the torque, the power factor, etc. An additional device called the impedometer permits to take into account the impedance drop in the machine. An adjustable saturation curve made of soft wire is used in connection with the secomor, to enable one to investigate the effect of saturation. A brief graphical theory of the motor precedes the description of the secomor to make its action understandable.


The dielectric properties of a polarizable particle can be characterized by measuring the frequency dependence of the torque in a rotating electric field. Measurements performed using planar electrodes indicate a spatial variation in the torque across the dimensions of the array. In this paper the variation in rotation rate of elliptical latex beads was measured in 203 discrete positions within a 400 µm × 400 µm polynomial electrorotation electrode array. It is shown that torque variations across the electrode array can exceed 50% of the mean value at the centre. Data averaging and smoothing were performed to reveal trends that match theoretical predictions made using numerical models. The results indicate that the torque depends on variations in both the magnitude and phase of the electric field.


The objective of this case study is to predict whether 5 years of water-flood production from a thinly layered Gulf of Mexico reservoir will change its seismic amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO) response in a detectable manner. Density and velocity profiles were computed from in situ wireline logs for 100% oil, gas, and brine saturations and for a 5-year prediction that was based on a fluid-flow and production simulation. Analytical AVO curves for simple half-space models did not match AVO curves extracted from synthetic seismograms computed with a full-waveform layer-stack algorithm. Several different amplitude corrections were tried to reduce the AVO curves from the synthetic data to the analytical ones, but, ultimately, none was deemed satisfactory. Instead, AVO change attributes based on relative changes, polarity changes, or ratios were used. Attributes based on the change of AVO gradient were perceived to be most diagnostic of the water flood, but they were also overly sensitive to interference noise and amplitude correction errors. For field data from the study area, a large decrease in intercept magnitude may be the best indicator of the waterfront.


Background: Obesity, a public health problem in many countries, was related to cardiovascular risk. High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and elevated in inflammatory diseases.

Objective: To investigate the association between hs-CRP and obesity among Thais.

Materials and Methods: The present study was cross-sectional study. One hundred eleven adults were randomly recruited, and the anthropometric parameters were measured. Obesity indices, such as body mass index (BMI), body adiposity index (BAI), and waist to hip ratio (WHR) were calculated to estimate the obesity. Spearman's correlation was used to evaluate the association between hs-CRP and obesity indices. The subjects were divided into three CVD risk groups according to hs-CRP levels. The hs-CRP less than 1 mg/L (n=31), the hs-CRP 1 to 3 mg/L (n=54), and the hs-CRP more than 3 mg/L (n=26) determined the low, intermediate, and high CVD risk groups, respectively. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the significant differences of obesity indices among the low, intermediate, and high CVD risk groups.

Results: The present study showed a positive correlation between hs-CRP and obesity indices such as waist circumference (p<0.001, r=0.416), weight (p=0.001, r=0.311), hip circumference (p<0.001, r=0.376), WHR (p=0.024, r=0.214), BMI (p<0.001, r=0.383), and BAI (p<0.001, r=0.334). The results demonstrated that values of all obesity indices were elevated in intermediate and high CVD risk groups. BMI, waist circumference, and WHR expressed significant differences among low, intermediate, and high-risk groups (p<0.05). In addition, hs-CRP was significantly elevated in obese people compared with non-obese people.

Conclusion: The hs-CRP positively correlated with obesity indices indicating the association between high level of hs-CRP and obesity.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, High sensitive C-reactive protein, Obesity, Obesity indices


The next generation of wireless networks are already being deployed in advanced markets. This 5th generation wireless technology promises to improve network performance by factors of 10-1000's, thus providing unlimited potential in consumer and enterprise segments. In this paper, I will try to explain how 5G aims to reach its planned capabilities through use of new technologies such as mmWave, Network Virtualization, Edge computing and Network Slicing


Dialkylcarbamoylchloride (DACC)‐coated cotton acetate dressing works directly through hydrophobic interaction to reduce the number of bacteria without the risk of resistance. It is easy to use and therefore expected to improve patient's compliance. This study aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of DACC‐coated cotton acetate dressing compared to a combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment. A single‐blind controlled trial was conducted and included 14 infected epidermolysis bullosa (EB) wounds which were divided into two groups. Group I received DACC‐coated cotton acetate dressing, and Group II received the combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment. Study results showed that the average time required for complete wound closure was 8.6 and 11.1 days in Groups I and II, respectively (p = .014), which was statistically significant. Both groups showed complete bacterial elimination on Day 3 based on negative Gram stain results and on Day 6 based on clearance of clinical manifestations (p = 1.000). This is a novel study in EB‐infected wounds, which shows that DACC‐coated cotton acetate dressing promotes faster wound closure and is as effective as the combination of normal saline dressing and 2% mupirocin ointment in eliminating bacterial infection.


We estimate a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model of the French economy. The econometric method originates in Blanchard and Perotti [Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2002] but owes also extensively to the fiscal theory of the price level (FTPL) that investigates the interactions between government surplus, debt accumulation and price dynamics. We have the objective, on the one hand, of assessing the effects of fiscal and monetary policy shocks on the economy; and, on the other, of studying the strategic interactions between fiscal and monetary authorities. As a consequence, the theoretical restrictions to identify our model are derived from a FTPL framework. Our estimations reveal so-called Keynesian features of fiscal and monetary shocks; meanwhile, they are consistent with the prediction of the FTPL as regards price dynamics. Although the first part of our findings agree with most of the recent literature on the subject, the non-rejection of the FTPL is an originality.


Objectives Recombinant activated factor VII has been used for the treatment of hemophilia, factor VII deficiency, and Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. Off-label uses have recently been increasing, and there are reports that recombinant activated factor VII is effective for the treatment of excessive bleeding during or after cardiovascular surgery. We retrospectively reviewed the effectiveness of recombinant activated factor VII and its influence on the coagulation system as a treatment for uncontrollable bleeding during cardiovascular surgery. Methods Between April 2009 and May 2015, recombinant activated factor VII was used to treat uncontrollable bleeding during cardiovascular surgery in 17 patients at our hospital. The indications for recombinant activated factor VII administration were critical uncontrollable bleeding during surgery and normal platelet and fibrinogen levels. Results Blood loss significantly decreased in every case after recombinant activated factor VII administration (p < 0.05). No adverse thromboembolic events were encountered. The prothrombin time-international normalized ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrin degradation product and D-dimer levels decreased significantly after recombinant activated factor VII administration. One day later, all blood coagulation test values were almost within the normal ranges. Conclusions Recombinant activated factor VII has a strong hemostatic action, but it is necessary to exclude surgical bleeding to exhibit the hemostatic effect. Administration that does not comply with the indications for recombinant activated factor VII may lead to serious complications such as thromboembolism. In properly selected patients, recombinant activated factor VII is an effective agent for the treatment of uncontrollable bleeding during cardiovascular surgery.


A community of small mammals, Clethrionomys glareolus, Arvicola terrestris, Microtus arvalis, M. agrestis, M. subterraneus, Apodemus spp. and Sorex spp., was studied as hosts of Frenkelia glareoli and F. microti in Fronche-Comté (France). They were monitored in spring, summer and autumn on an area of about 1,350 ha comprising open field, hedgerow network and forest. Among 1,714 small mammals examined between July 1992 and October 1993, 47% (178/376) of C. glareolus, 9.9% (14/139) of A. terrestris and 1.3% (4/311) of Apodemus spp. were infected by F. glareoli. The prevalence of infection with F. microti was 9.2% (66/716) in M. arvalis and 8.2% (6/73) in M. agrestis. M. subterraneus and Sorex spp. were not infected. The maintenance of each parasite in a rural landscape is assured both by a forest and a grassland host. Multiple logistic regression showed that prevalence was highly age-dependent, with an apparent seasonal pattern. Prevalence varied between 30% in summer and 60% in early spring for F. glareoli in C. glareolus and between 3% in autumn to 30% in early spring for F. microti in M. arvalis. The year, habitat, host sex, relative density had no impact on prevalence. In M. arvalis only, sexually active voles were preferentially uninfected, indicating a possible impact of this parasitism on fertility.


In optimal QoS provisioning all traffic flows are distributed among LSPs (label switching path) related to service classes. The congestion of concurrent flows (traversing the network simultaneously) can appear. For LSP creation the IGP (interior getaway protocol) uses simple on-line routing algorithms (e.g. OSPFS, IS-IS) based on shortest path methodology. In highly loaded networks it becomes insufficient technique. On other hand, constraint based explicit routing (CR) ensures traffic engineering (TE) capabilities. It may find a longer but lightly loaded path, taking care of congestion possibility. In this approach LSP can be pre-computed much earlier, possibly during SLA (service level agreement) negotiation process. An effective algorithm for congestion control is developed. It could be a very good solution for congestion avoidance and for better load-balancing purpose where links are running close to capacity. Significant improvements are possible through heuristic approach based on restrictions for capacity state value. Comparisons of results are discussed.


Purpose: Some of the benefits of physical activity may result from effects on hemostasis. However, the increased burden of cardiovascular complications and sudden death occurring during and immediately after exercise prompts investigation to elucidate the biological relationship between physical exercise and hemostatic function. The aim of this study was to determine effects of one bout exhaustive aerobic exercise and resistance training on the clotting times in healthy young women student. Material: Thirty trained volunteer female students of physical education were selected objectively and availability. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups of aerobic (n=15) and resistance training (n=15). Aerobic group performed exhaustive workout program on treadmill intensity 65 to75% VO2max on treadmill. The resistance group completed three sets of 5-7 repetitions of six exercises at an intensity corresponding to 80% of 1RM. Following 12 to 14 hours of nightly fasting, venous blood samples (5 cc) were collected pre, immediately after exercise and after 60 min of recovery and analyzed for PT (Prothrombin Time) and aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) times. Participants were matched according to anthropometric measurements, age and VO2max. Hypothesizes were tested by using independent t, repeated measures and post-hoc test (p≤0.05). Results: One bout of the exhaustive aerobic exercise and resistance training caused significantly shortening in PT (p<0.001) and aPTT (p=0.006, p<0.001 respectively) times at immediately after exercise. Also aPTT (p=0.005, p<0.001 respectively) times significantly increased after recovery in comparison with baseline levels in two groups. No significantly differences observed in PT and aPTT between two groups in all stages. The results show that exhaustive aerobic exercise and resistance training lead to mild and transit increase in coagulation system and induced shortening clotting times. Exercise-related hypercoagulability is mainly due to an increase in coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) with no parallel alterations of other clotting factors. Conclusions: Similar to endurance exercise, FVIII activity raises following resistance exercise, and appears to be positively correlated with the volume of weight lifted. The ß-adrenergic pathway has been implicated as a possible pathway mediating an exercise- induced increase in FVIII and decease clotting time.


This work explores new ways of communicating architecture and three dimensional space through graphic design. An innovative graphic object in itself, the book challenges the potentials of print as a medium for communicating 3D. Using special Pantone colours and fold-out pages, it is based on the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Ljubljana, Slovenia by Sadar and Vuga Architects.


Although communication scholars have been exploring the role of partner communication in sexual health promotion since the 1960s, the term safer sex, and its corollary safer sex communication, emerged in the late 1980s in the wake of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which was and still is disproportionately affecting queer individuals. Numerous studies, along with some meta-analyses, point to the protective potential of safer sex discussions, defined here as the communicative management of health concerns with sex partners. Despite scholarly agreement regarding its importance, the term safer sex communication has received little explication, and much of what is known about it comes from studies with predominantly heterosexual samples. A review of the literature on queer safer sex communication points to some key issues related to age, race, trauma history, place, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and suggests important considerations for future research efforts.


Several firmware update mechanisms in microcontrollers still make use of confidentiality-only block cipher modes, ultimately lulling the users into a false sense of security. In this work we show how easy it is to apply well known malleability attacks to successfully inject arbitrary code into an encrypted firmware image. We demonstrate this vulnerability by attacking the Advanced Encryption Standard in Cipher Block Chaining mode on an ARM-based microcontroller. The attack makes use of patterns in the structure of the firmware image to obtain known-plaintexts which may be used to modify an encrypted image. Subsequently, malicious code may be injected to extract the memory contents of the device. This work shall help motivate the use of authenticated encryption modes even in resource constrained devices.


Replacement of perennial grasses with non‐native annual grasses in California's Central Valley grasslands and foothills has increased deep soil water availability. Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), a deep‐rooted invasive thistle, can use this water to invade annual grasslands. Native perennial bunchgrasses, such as Purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra), also use deep soil water, so there is an overlap in resource use between N. pulchra and C. solstitialis. Restoration of N. pulchra to annual grasslands could result in strong competitive interactions between N. pulchra and C. solstitialis, which may reduce survival, growth, and reproduction of the invader. The strength of this competitive interaction can increase as N. pulchra plants mature, increase in size, and develop more extensive root systems. We studied how the size of N. pulchra affected the success of C. solstitialis invasion over 2 years. We allowed C. solstitialis seed to fall naturally into plots containing N. pulchra plants. For each plot, we measured the number of C. solstitialis seedlings and mature plants, as well as C. solstitialis biomass and seedhead production. In both years of the study, C. solstitialis number, biomass, and seedhead production declined significantly as N. pulchra size increased. However, even C. solstitialis grown with the largest N. pulchra plants produced some seed, especially during the higher rainfall year. We conclude that restoration plantings with larger, established N. pulchra plants will be more resistant to invasion by C. solstitialis than young N. pulchra plantings, but site management must continue as long as a C. solstitialis seed source is present.


We propose a totally new approach toward assessing sovereign risk by examining rigorously the health and aggregate default risk of a nation's private corporate sector. Models such as our new Z-Metrics™ approach can be utilized to measure the median probability of default of the non-financial sector cumulatively for five years, both as an absolute measure of corporate risk vulnerability and a relative measure compared to other sovereigns and to the market's assessment via the now liquid credit-default-swap market. Specifically, we measure the default probabilities of listed corporate entities in eleven European countries, and the U.S., as of 2008-2010. These periods coincide with the significant rise in concern with sovereign default risk in the euro country sphere. We conclude that our corporate health index of the private sector measured at periods prior to the explicit recognition by most credit professionals, not only gave an effective early warning indicator but provided a mostly appropriate hierarchy of relative sovereign risk. Policy officials should, we believe, nurture, not penalize, the tax revenue paying and jobs generating private sector when considering austerity measures of distressed sovereigns.


Sunflower (PSH 569) was used to obtain textured defatted meal. Proximate analysis, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), fat absorption capacities (FAC), foaming capacity (FC), and bulk density (BD) were determined. The objective of the study was the optimization of extrusion conditions for production of textured defatted sunflower meal using response surface methodology (RSM) by evaluating functional properties. It was dried, grinded, and sieved to eliminate hull and fibre. Numerical optimization provided eight solutions with desirability value varying from 0.81 to 0.82. Range of predicted values of FAC (80.96–90.49), WHC (1.95–2.12), WSI (3.22–3.36), WAI (2.84–3.08), bulk density (0.31–0.36), and foaming capacity (14.39–16.30) were used for numerical optimization. Best extrusion conditions were 16.36% feed moisture, 300 r.p.m. screw speed, and 149.40 °C barrel temperature. Textured sunflower defatted meal was prepared using the above optimized conditions.


Federated Learning (FL) is a distributed learning framework that can deal with the distributed issue in machine learning and still guarantee high learning performance. However, it is impractical that all users will sacrifice their resources to join the FL algorithm. This motivates us to study the incentive mechanism design for FL. In this paper, we consider a FL system that involves one base station (BS) and multiple mobile users. The mobile users use their own data to train the local machine learning model, and then send the trained models to the BS, which generates the initial model, collects local models and constructs the global model. Then, we formulate the incentive mechanism between the BS and mobile users as an auction game where the BS is an auctioneer and the mobile users are the sellers. In the proposed game, each mobile user submits its bids according to the minimal energy cost that the mobile users experiences in participating in FL. To decide winners in the auction and maximize social welfare, we propose the primal-dual greedy auction mechanism. The proposed mechanism can guarantee three economic properties, namely, truthfulness, individual rationality and efficiency. Finally, numerical results are shown to demonstrate the performance effectiveness of our proposed mechanism.


BACKGROUND
There are contradictory reports about the relationship between fetuin-A and atherosclerotic process. Coronary artery disease is the most important cause of mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to investigate the association of serum fetuin-A level with mean carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and ankle-brachial index (ABI) in COPD.

METHODS
We evaluated the association of serum fetuin-A level, mean cIMT and ABI in normotensive subjects with COPD (n = 65) and with non-COPD (n = 50).

RESULTS
Fetuin-A level was significantly lower (63.5 ± 19.8 ng/mL, 72.9 ± 16.2 ng/mL, p = 0.035) and C-reactive protein level higher (4 [1-10] vs. 3 [1-12] mg/dL, p = 0.034) in COPD patients than the control group. Compared to controls, fetuin-A level was significantly lower (63.5 ± 19.8 ng/mL, 72.9 ± 16.2 ng/mL, p = 0.035) and mean cIMT higher (0.69 [0.50-0.98] vs. 0.62 [0.44-0.98] mm, p = 0.034, respectively) in the COPD group. There was a significant negative correlation between mean cIMT and fetuin-A levels (r = -0.320, p = 0.032). Age (b ± SE: 0.002 ± 0.001, p = 0.008) and fetuin-A (b ± SE: -0.002 ± 0.001, p = 0.035) were decisive for the mean cIMT.

CONCLUSIONS
There are increased cIMT values, decreased fetuin-A levels, but unchanged ABI values in patients with normotensive COPD. Age and fetuin-A were predictors for cIMT, while fetuin-A was negatively correlated with cIMT.


Pollution of inhabited geographic landscapes is often a public health concern. Ascertaining the degree and scope of such pollution is a difficult task and frequently involves analysis of soil samples. This article describes ways to statistically analyze the geographic distribution of soil samples to better understand polluted landscapes, in part to determine whether more samples are needed; special reference is made to lead. The soundness of this description rests on the identically distributed assumption of statistical analysis as well as attributes of soil samples supporting evaluations of constant variance; methods are outlined for assessing both. Empirical findings are summarized regarding the distribution of soil lead concentration in the environment extracted from three types of geographic landscapes: an urban area, superfund sites, and a flood plain. These regions are described in terms of the statistical frequency distribution of soil lead concentration and the nature and degree of spatial autocorrelation latent in the geographic distribution of soil lead concentration. The importance of knowing such results is demonstrated by examining three concerns: 1) why a spatial analysis of soil samples is worth undertaking; 2) the cost-effectiveness of spatial sampling; and 3) the ability to predict soil lead contamination at unsampled locations based on data from sampled locations.


We suggest a multifragmentation scenario in which fragments are pro- duced at an early, high temperature and high density, stage of the reaction. In this scenario, self-bound clusters of particles in the hot and dense uid are the precursors of the observed fragments. This solves a number of re- current problems concerning the kinetic energies and the temperature of the fragments, encountered with the standard low density fragmentation picture. The possibility to recover the initial thermodynamic parameters (T and ) from the inspection of the asymptotic fragment size and kinetic energy distributions is discussed.


People are major contributors of particle contamination in cleanrooms and therefore must wear occlusive clothing to reduce their dispersion. Three tests are described which assess the effectiveness of fabrics in filtering body emissions. Also described is a dispersal chamber in which the dispersal rate of a person can be ascertained.Results from tests on a number of fabrics are given that demonstrate the ineffectiveness of many fabrics. The pore size dia of woven fabrics range from 17 to 103 μm and their removal efficiency against ⩾ 0.5 μm particles from a few percent to 75 percent. A comparison of clothing made from different fabrics in a dispersal chamber showed the close-woven fabrics and non-woven fabrics to be more effective. Fabrics with a low air permeability pumped out unfiltered body emission if care was not exercised in the design of the garment closures.The greater importance of particles passing through fabrics compared to those coming off fabrics was demonstrated, as was the deterioration of ...


The United States (U.S.) geothermal industry has a 45-year history. Early developments were centered on a geothermal resource in northern California known as The Geysers. Today, most of the geothermal power currently produced in the U.S. is generated in California and Nevada. The majority of geothermal capacity came on line during the 1980s when stable market conditions created by the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) in 1978 and tax incentives worked together to create a wave of geothermal development that lasted until the early 1990s. However, by the mid-1990s, the market for new geothermal power plants began to disappear because the high power prices paid under many PURPA contracts switched to a lower price based on an avoided cost calculation that reflected the low fossil fuel-prices of the early 1990s. Today, market and non-market forces appear to be aligning once again to create an environment in which geothermal energy has the potential to play an important role in meeting the nation's energy needs. One potentially attractive incentive for the geothermal industry is the Production Tax Credit (PTC). The current PTC, which was enacted as part of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) (P.L. 102-486), provides an inflation-adjusted 1.5more » cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) federal tax credit for electricity produced from wind and closed-loop biomass resources. Proposed expansions would make the credit available to geothermal and solar energy projects. This report focuses on the project-level financial impacts of the proposed PTC expansion to geothermal power plants.« less


Depth maps are playing an important role in the multi-view system. For multi-view, depth maps can be used not only for image-based rendering (IBR), but also for multi-view stereo reconstruction by merging depth maps into 3D models. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to recover depth maps for multi-view. The most contribution of our work is the combination of a robust photo-consistency metric and the belief propagation algorithm, which results in several advantages. First, with the robust photo-consistency metric, our approach effectively utilizes the depth information from the multiple views and solves the occlusion problem as well. Second, the depth values of pixels in textureless regions can be effectively computed by belief propagation with depth discontinuity concerned. Finally, the proposed approach can deal with various scenes. The experimental results show that our approach can recover satisfactory depth maps.


Introduction Community pharmacies nationwide have adopted new strategies to combat the opioid epidemic. One strategy to prevent opioid misuse and accidental overdose is patient screening to identify those at risk. The purpose of our study was to determine whether such screening in community pharmacies led pharmacy personnel to intervene with patients at risk and to describe the proportion of patients they identified as at risk. Methods We implemented the Opioid and Naloxone Education (ONE) program in North Dakota to give community pharmacies and pharmacists training and tools to provide preventive screening for opioid misuse and accidental overdose before dispensing a prescribed opioid. Data were collected and analyzed from September 15, 2018, through May 15, 2021, to evaluate overall patient risk characteristics for opioid misuse and accidental overdose. Results Of 8,217 patients screened, 3.9% were identified as at high risk for opioid misuse, and 18.3% at risk for accidental overdose. Nearly 1 of 3 screenings (31.7%) indicated opioid medication use in the past 60 days. Pharmacists delivered 1 or more risk-factor–dependent interventions to 41.1% of patients in the study. Following screening, naloxone dispensing in pharmacies increased to 6 times the national average. Conclusion Pharmacy-based patient screening for risk of opioid misuse and accidental overdose led to risk-dependent interventions targeted to individual patients. The tools and risk-dependent interventions applied in the ONE program increased patient awareness of opioid risks and ways to reduce risk. Future studies should examine long-term outcomes, including reduction in overdose, treatment of opioid use disorder, and reduced opioid-related acute care.


SIR,-My attention has been drawn to the interesting article on lymphangioplasty by Mr. Harold Hartley and Dr. R. A. Kemp Harper in your issue of November 27 last (p. 1066). It is some testimony to the vitality and value of my operation that thirty years after its introduction it is the subject of an article in your columns, and that I have recently been.asked to write a chapter on the subject for an American book. My own opinion on the operation as regards the lower extremity is that it has been superseded by Kondoleon's operation of fenestration of the deep fascia, which gives the lymph of the superficial tissues access to the subfascial (muscular) tissues where the lymphatic vessels are usually intact and able to absorb it. The valves of the deep lymphatics combined with intermittent muscular contractions form a pump mechanism which can overcome the action of gravity. In lymphangioplasty no such pump action comes into play, and gravity in the lower limb is too powerful to be overcome by the wick action of the buried silk threads. For these reasons, while congratulating Mr. Harold Hartley on the brilliant success of his case, I am half inclined to agree with his modest conclusion that his operation had nothing to do with it. But such a verdict is against the weight of the evidence, for after the operation the condition of the patient, previously static or deteriorating, steadily improved. Mr. Hartley fails to consider the possibility-a very important one-that the operation may in favourable cases exert a permanent effect by breaking a vicious circle. When a tissue is in a state of solid oedema the pressure upon the veins of the exuded fluid, and of the fibrous hypertrophy which follows, must greatly increase transudation and so continually aggravate the oedema. If by silk dratnage this pressure is relieved, even if only temporarily, transudation from the blood vessels will decrease, pressure upon any remaining patent lymphatics will diminish, and the " vis medicatrix naturae," to which Mr. Hartley gives all the credit, may complete the good work by the formation of new lymphatic vessels. Dr. Kemp Harper's radiological evidence shows that silk threads may remain unabsorbed in the tissues for twentyfour years " without causing the slightest trouble," and is good criticism of Madden, Ibrahim, and Ferguson's conclusion that the wick action of the silk would soon cease owing to absorption of the silk. Madden's conclusion that silk as soon as it became encysted by fibrous tissue would lose its wick action is a pure hypothesis. Let us now consider the upper extremity. Broadly speaking, the operation is only required for severe brawny oedema of the arm due to breast cancer. It must only be used for carefully selected cases where pressure on nerves is not present, where the threads will not have to pass through cancerous tissue, and where pleural effusion is absent. In such cases lymphangioplasty gives immediate relief from pain and restores the use of the arm for a period determined by the intrathoracic progress of the disease. The period may be short, but even so the relief is precious. It may be as long as five years. In these cases Kondoleon's operation is inapplicable, since all the lymphatics round the shoulder-joint, deep as well as superficial, have probably been reduced to solid fibrous threads by permeation.-I am, etc.,


We present a short overview on the application of fractional cyclic and linear canonical transformations to optical signal processing and dedicate some of the discussions to the particular features found in the fractional Fourier transform domain.


The review deals with therapeutic aspects of optic nerve diseases. Attention is given to the lack of established guidelines for treatment of different optic neuropathies. In fact, there are no sure protocols in the literature for infective, inflammatory and vascular disorders. The authors present some new drugs and discuss the efficacy of related therapy, in particular for vascular disorders. The differentiated therapy for arteritic and non-arteritic AION is discussed. Treatment of vascular occlusion in the acute phase, in the post-occlusive state and prophylaxis is reported. The usefulness of anticoagulants is examined. In the conclusion, the authors stress the necessity to carry out properly controlled multicenter trials to obtain valid knowledge that allows rational and effective therapy protocols.


Obtaining sub-10 pm spatial resolution by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is required in many important fields of research, such as lattice distortion studies in colossal magnetic resistance materials, high-temperature superconductivity materials etc. However, based on the existing EXAFS data analysis methods, EXAFS has a spatial resolution limit of π/2Δk which is larger than 0.1 Å. In this paper a new data analysis method which can easily achieve sub-10 pm resolution is introduced. Theoretically, the resolution limit of the method is three times better than that normally available. The method is examined by numerical simulation and experimental data. As a demonstration, the LaFe1-xCrxO3 system (x = 0, 1/3, 2/3) is studied and the structural information of FeO6 octahedral distortion as a function of Cr doping is resolved directly from EXAFS, where a resolution better than 0.074 Å is achieved.


Importance Although anatomic level of mesh attachment to the sacrum varied during minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy with a large proportion above S1, this was not associated with pelvic organ prolapse recurrence. Objective This study aimed to describe the anatomic level of sacral mesh attachment and its association with prolapse recurrence after minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy. Study Design This study included a retrospective cohort of women who underwent minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy with subsequent abdominal and pelvic imaging (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography) between 2010 and 2019 at a single academic institution. Anatomic level of attachment was determined by a radiologist. Prolapse recurrence was defined as a composite of self-reported bulge symptoms, any prolapse measure beyond the hymen, and any retreatment with pessary or surgery. χ2 Tests were used for comparative outcomes. Results Analyses included 212 women. The mean ± SD age was 58.8 ± 9.9 years, the majority have preoperative stage III/IV prolapse (81.1%), and the median follow-up was 269 days (interquartile range, 57–825 days). Mesh was attached using titanium tacks (n = 136 [64.2%]) and suture (n = 76 [35.8%]) at the level of the L5-S1 intervertebral space (n = 113 [53.3%]) or overlying S1 (n = 89 [42.0%]).The surgical approach was significantly associated with attachment location with a greater proportion of laparoscopy cases demonstrating mesh attachment above S1 (85 [62.5%] vs robotically, 30 [39.5%]; P < 0.01). Dichotomized level of attachment was not associated with composite prolapse recurrence (above S1, n = 18 [22.2%] vs below S1, n = 24 [24.7%]; P = 0.69) or any compartment recurrence (P ≥ 0.36). Conclusions Mesh was primarily attached to the anterior longitudinal ligament at the level of the L5-S1 intervertebral space or S1. Level of mesh attachment was not associated with composite prolapse recurrence.


This paper investigates the effects of local regulatory effort on ground level ozone air quality and on industrial location. Local regulatory effort varies by annual air quality attainment status and by state attitudes towards the environment. A switch from attainment to non-attainment status induces greater regulatory effort in a county, leading to an improvement in air quality. Air quality readings for ground level ozone improve by 3-8% depending on the exact air quality measure, following a switch to non-attainment status. Pro-environment states, which ceteris paribus, spend relatively more on pollution abatement also have cleaner air. A 1% increase in typical annual state pollution abatement expenditures leads to about a .04% improvement in local ozone readings. Heavily polluting industries show a tendency to move to counties with a record of clean air, where they are less likely to be hassled. A county switching to having a three-year record of attainment experiences a 7-9% growth in the number of heavily polluting establishments. This implies polluting industries are spreading out geographically moving from non- attainment (polluted) areas to attainment (initially less polluted) areas. Finally, for ozone, localities may improve the annual hourly extreme value reading used to measure officially local air quality, without improving measures (mean, medians, medians of daily maximum) of more typical ozone conditions. This occurs by spreading out economic activity over the day to dampen peaks of ozone inducing activity and subsequent daily ozone peaks.


Of 30 chrysopine species from the Amazon region, 10 have been described previously. We record 1 species of Chrysoperla, 2 of Chrysopa (Plesiochrysa), both with extensive ranges. Ceraeochrysa is represented by 15 species, 9 undescribed, and Chrysopodes by 12 species, 11 undescribed. Suarius is not represented, nor are the species group of Chrysopodes distinguished by blunt-tipped mandibles, or the cordi Heran genus Meleoma. The only genera with Old World connections, Chrysoperla and Plesiochrysa, are represented by few (3) wide ranging species; there appears to be no generic level taxon restricted to the Amazon Basin. Cuticular characters of the bursa and bursal duct are used, and technique of examination briefly described.


OBJECTIVE
It has been reported that obesity-related high blood pressure was partly associated with increased aldosterone secretion and/or activity, but detailed mechanisms are not known. Our previous study suggested that different salt contents in each diet would affect the aldosterone levels. In this study, we investigated the change of aldosterone secretion and MR sensitivity of obesity mice by high fat diet under equally-adjusted salt intake.

DESIGN AND METHOD
We prepared normal fat diet (NFD, 10% lard) and high fat diet (HFD, 60% lard) with equal amount of salt based on the amount of food intake of C57BL/6J mice. The 4-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed with NFD or HFD until sacrificed for analysis. Animals were monitored with various physiological parameters and measured plasma renin and aldosterone, urinary albumin, electrolytes, and aldosterone. Messenger RNA levels of steroidogenic enzyme genes in adrenal glands and MR target genes in kidneys were quantitated by real-time RT-PCR assay.

RESULTS
We confirmed that salt intake was equally-adjusted in two groups by measuring amount of food intake and urine sodium excretion. There was no significant difference in plasma aldosterone concentrations between HFD mice and NFD mice at any time point. Cyp11b2 expression was increased in 8-week HFD mice, however, not changed in 16-week and older HFD mice. Body weight and systolic BP were expectedly higher in HFD mice than in NFD mice. Sgk1 expression and urinary albumin were increased in 28-week and 42-week HFD mice compared with NFD mice.

CONCLUSIONS
Sgk1 expression was increased in HFD mice though there was no difference in aldosterone secretion between NFD mice and HFD mice. Our salt-adjusted models in this study revealed that MR sensitivity is enhanced in HFD mice. Therefore they can be good models to study detailed mechanisms of enhanced MR sensitivity in obesity-related hypertension, which is a clinically observed hypertension well-controlled by MR antagonists.


The topic of decommissioning economics is not an isolated activity. As Gordon MacKerron shows in this chapter, decommissioning economics are linked to other, often national considerations. The advanced age of the British reactors, plus the government's desire to privatize the entire electrical utility industry, brought decommissioning to the front of public debate unexpectedly early in Britain. As decommissioning estimates have come under closer attention, they have tended to rise from early estimates. Today, the estimated costs are much higher than in the U.S. So far, the funds for this activity are only paper provisions. It appears that one source of higher costs will be increased regulatory requirements. Titus, nonengineering factors are beginning to affect decommissioning costs, as they have other nuclear costs in Britain and elsewhere. MacKerron concludes that the final costs of decommissioning are likely to be higher than estimated originally.


Objective: To investigate the expression levels of Caveolin-1 and Ki-67 in normal cervical tissue,cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical carcinoma and its correlation with HPV16/18 infection, and the feasibility of the above indicators as a new effective indicator in diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer. Methods: Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression levels of Caveolin-1, Ki-67 and HPV16/18 in 15 samples of normal cervical tissue,35 samples of CIN tissue, 50 samples of cervical cancer. Results: There were significant differences in the levels of Caveolin-1 and Ki-67 between normal cervical tissue, CIN tissue and cervical cancer tissue. The positive expression rate of Caveolin-1 was lower in patients of cervical cancer with high clinical stages than that of patients with low clinical stage, and the positive rate of high differentiation degree was higher than that of low differentiation degree. But the positive expression rate of Ki-67 was in contrast with the expression of Caveolin-1.In addition, positive expression rate of Caveolin-1 was higher in patients without lymph node metastasis than that of metastatic patients. The positive rate of HPV16/18 was higher in cervical cancer tissue than that of CIN tissue and normal cervical tissue, but the expression of HPV16/18 was not related with clinical stages, tumor grades, age of patients and lymph node metastasis. The abnormal expression of Caveolin-1 and Ki-67 in cervical cancer tissue was correlated with HPV16/18 infection. Conclusion: Combined detection of Caveolin-1, Ki-67 and HPV16/18 can be a favorable target of screening cervical cancer and prognosis.


Energetic thermoplastic elastomers (ETPEs) are futuristic binders for propellant/explosive formulations. Poly(glycidyl nitrate) (PGN)-based ETPEs have excellent performance, including a high energy and high oxygen content. PGN-based ETPEs were synthesized on PGN as a soft segment and hexamethylene diisocyanate extended 1,4-butanediol as a hard segment by a prepolymerization method. The thermal behavior of the PGN-based ETPEs was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and derivative thermogravimetry. A fitting strategy was adopted to study every stage of decomposition. The results show that the ETPEs had four main decomposition processes, and the peaks of each stage were at 212, 262, 322, and 414°C. The gas products were tested by TGA/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy/mass spectrometry, and the main gas products of the samples were N2O, CH2O, C2H4O, and CO2. The previous results indicate the proposed mechanism of thermal decomposition. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40965.


Background: Medulloblastoma is the most frequent primary solid central nervous system tumour in children. The 5-year survival rate is at present at about 60%. Height in general is severely compromised in survivors. The present study is an extension of the investigation by the author's group of the effect of exogenous growth hormone (GH) among medulloblastoma patients. Methods: A total of 113 patients with medulloblastoma (out of 682 cases documented in KIGS, Pfizer International Growth Database) were treated with GH till final height was achieved. At the start of GH therapy (median dose 0.18 mg/kg/week), patients were 8.9 years old and had a median height SDS of –1.6. Results: After 6.8 years of GH, final height SDS was –1.9, reflecting an overall loss in height of 0.3 SDS. This contrasted with an age-matched group of patients with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (iGHD, n = 1,986), whose gain in height was 1.6 SDS on the same dose. The index of responsiveness averaged –0.9 during the first prepubertal year and –2.0 during total pubertal growth, thus indicating a major impairment in responsiveness to GH as compared to iGHD. Height at GH start, which correlated positively with the age at disease onset, was found to be the major determinant of final height. Conclusions: Our findings show that attempts to improve the height outcome in medulloblastoma must involve earlier recognition and treatment with higher-than-replacement doses of GH; additionally, modifications in cancer treatment programs need to be considered, such as lowering the dose of craniospinal irradiation or avoiding it as far as possible.


Abstract Importance Bipolar disorder (BD) overlaps schizophrenia in its clinical presentation and genetic liability. Alternative approaches to patient stratification beyond current diagnostic categories are needed to understand the underlying disease processes/mechanisms. Objectives To investigate the relationship between common-variant liability for schizophrenia, indexed by polygenic risk scores (PRS) and psychotic presentations of BD, using clinical descriptions which consider both occurrence and level of mood-incongruent psychotic features. Design Case-control design: using multinomial logistic regression, to estimate differential associations of PRS across categories of cases and controls. Settings & Participants 4399 BDcases, mean [sd] age-at-interview 46[12] years, of which 2966 were woman (67%) from the BD Research Network (BDRN) were included in the final analyses, with data for 4976 schizophrenia cases and 9012 controls from the Type-1 diabetes genetics consortium and Generation Scotland included for comparison. Exposure Standardised PRS, calculated using alleles with an association p-value threshold < 0.05 in the second

Psychiatric Genomics Consortium genome-wide association study of schizophrenia, adjusted for the first 10 population principal components and genotyping-platform. Main outcome measure Multinomial logit models estimated PRS associations with BD stratified by (1) Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) BD subtypes (2) Lifetime occurrence of psychosis.(3) Lifetime mood-incongruent psychotic features and (4) ordinal logistic regression examined PRS associations across levels of mood-incongruence. Ratings were derived from the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry interview (SCAN) and the Bipolar Affective Disorder Dimension Scale (BADDS). Results Across clinical phenotypes, there was an exposure-response gradient with the strongest PRS association for schizophrenia (RR=1.94, (95% C.I. 1.86, 2.01)), then schizoaffective BD (RR=1.37, (95% C.I. 1.22, 1.54)), BD I (RR= 1.30, (95% C.I. 1.24, 1.36)) and BD II (RR=1.04, (95% C.I. 0.97, 1.11)). Within BD cases, there was an effect gradient, indexed by the nature of psychosis, with prominent mood-incongruent psychotic features having the strongest association (RR=1.46, (95% C.I. 1.36, 1.57)), followed by mood-congruent psychosis (RR= 1.24, (95% C.I. 1.17, 1.33)) and lastly, BD cases with no history of psychosis (RR=1.09, (95% C.I. 1.04, 1.15)). Conclusion We show for the first time a polygenic-risk gradient, across schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, indexed by the occurrence and level of mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms.


We have studied nonlinear effects in the resistance of a two-dimensional system with a large localization length on both sides of the crossover from weak to strong localization. It is shown that nonlinearity in the hopping regime is due to electron overheating rather than the field effects. This qualitatively new behavior is a signature of a two-dimensional hopping transport with a large localization length.


The histopathological study of the digestive mucosae has a great diagnostic value. It appreciates lymphoid tissue; it may suggest AIDS when it discloses rare inflammatory or tumoral lesions; it may disclose an infectious and/or Kaposi sarcoma lesion which may be the first manifestation of AIDS in a seropositive LAV patient or may be an additional lesion in a patient known to have AIDS. The autopsies have shown the spread of the extension and the evolution of these lesions. The discussion of the histopathological lesions must always include the extra-digestive localisations as well as the "non opportunistic" associated infections.


Permendur in laminated form is often used in magnetic cores of machines and transformers where it might be subjected to mechanical stress. Measurements have been made to determine to what extent the a.c. iron loss and magnetostriction are affected by such linear stress. Magnetic properties were found to be dependent on heat treatment over the temperature range 400°C to 900°C. The loss of material annealed above 710°C rose steeply when compressive stress up to 100 MN/m2was applied, whereas under tension it first dropped slightly and then rose steadily as the stress was increased to 300 MN/m2. The iron loss of material annealed below 710°C was high, but its stress sensitivity was low; there was a more significant drop in loss under tension and only a marginal increase under compression. The magnetostriction was found to decrease rapidly under tension and its stress sensitivity did not vary greatly with heat treatment.


This review summarises nutrition and mental health research in Australia and New Zealand between 1986 and 2006. The method used to identify papers for inclusion was a search of computerised databases: Medline, Cinahl and Meditext 1986–2006, with subsequent bibliographical review. Key search words were nutrition, diet, mental disorder, mental illness, weight, physical health, Australia and New Zealand. Inclusion criteria included: English language, original data in peer reviewed journals, and examination of some component of nutrition in people with a mental illness. The review of thirteen papers found that the evidence base for dietetic practice in mental health has developed through small assessment and interventional research, often with multidisciplinary collaboration. Future research should include quality and outcome measures with intersectoral partnerships. Dietitians are well positioned to lead and participate in mental health research and to implement research findings to improve the nutritional status of this vulnerable group.


The engineering of composite surfaces and interfaces of materials at the micro/nano-hierarchical level with multiple functionalities is attracting increasing attention due to their biomimetic technological applications, especially the self-cleaning with gas bubbles, gas sensing and sustainable anti-friction performances. Herein, the ternary MoS2/SnO2/CNF (CNF: carbon nanofiber) was designed and assembled by an in situ facile method. Interestingly, its microstructure exhibits a necklace-like morphology. The MoS2/SnO2/CNF shows desirable bubble phobicity under water and in a PAO4 environment on various substrates, an acceptable gas-sensing ability to target gas with a detection limit of 5 ppm and fascinating tribological performances for additives in different kinds of base/lubricating oils. These results demonstrate that the necklace-like ternary MoS2/SnO2/CNF structure could have numerous applications in one system and may provide a new perspective in composite surface and interface materials engineering.


Objectives: In this present work, we have compared titanium dioxide nanocrystals synthesized by both chemical method and biological method from Titanium tetra isopropoxide as precursor. The biological method was performed by using the aqueous root extract of Desmodium gangeticum and further they were characterized and checked for their biological activities.


The international conference on ''Robust Manufacturing Control—Innovative and Interdisciplinary Approaches for Global Networks'' (RoMaC 2012) was held on the campus of Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. As expressed by the title, one major intention of the conference is to focus on transdisciplinary approaches toward robustness in manufacturing. The conference was sponsored by the International Production Engineering Academy (CIRP) and the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Foundation, to both of which I am very thankful. Today, Global Production Networks (i.e., the nexus of interconnected material and information flows through which products and services are manufactured, assembled, and distributed) are confronted with and expected to adapt to:


To determine the intensity of helminth infection and egg output with regard to age and sex of wild boar, stomachs and intestines of 124, lungs of 62, and livers of 39 animals from 5 enclosures in Southern Germany were examined. The evaluation of the intensity of infection showed 579.4 worms per animal for Hyostrongylus rubidus, 510.4 for Globocephalus longemucronatus, 476.9 for Oesophagostomum dentatum, 476.9 for O. quadrispinulatum, 254.2 for Metastrongylus pudendotectus, 176.9 for M. salmi, 140 for Physocephalus sexalatus, 56.9 for M. apri, 45.4 for Trichuris suis, and 3.3 for Ascaris suum. 33.6 liver flukes per infected wild boar were also found. Additionally 2 metacestodes of Taenia hydatigena on the serous liver coat of an adult sow were found. The worm burden with respect to age of the animals showed no or only minimal age related differences, whereas a large number of O. dentatum and O. quadrispinulatum was found in adults compared to younger wild boars. The evaluation of the intensity of infection with regard to sex of the animals showed higher values only for H. rubidus, O. dentatum, O. quadrispinulatum and P. sexalatus in males compared to female wild boars. The egg output intensity in the samples taken from the rectum was in average 3300 EpG for A. suum, 450.4 EpG for Oesophagostomum, 445.9 EpG for Globocephalus, 220 EpG for Trichuris, 207.9 EpG for Metastrongylus, 190.8 EpG for Hyostrongylus and 67 EpG for Capillaris. The egg output with respect to age showed higher values in younger wild boars than in adults.


A short test series was run on the Mascotte cryogenic test facility of Onera, with the objective to demonstrate the feasibility of applying several diagnostics to the characterization of liquid oxygen/methane combustion in the range of low mixture ratios typical of gas generator operation. Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy and emission spectroscopy were used to investigate the gas mixture in the near injector region, while particle sampling was applied to the characterization of soot.


Infections by the obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis cause infertility in women of childbearing age. Currently infections caused by the pathogen are treated with antimicrobial therapy. Bacterial ghosts offer a cost-effective, long-term, protective therapy as vaccine delivery vectors. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that factors contained in culture supernatant exhibit anti-chlamydial activity. THP-1 monocytes were differentiated into macrophages (Mdm) by incubating with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Activated Mdm were pulsed with Vibrio cholerae ghosts (VCG) for 24 h, followed by the addition of murine splenocytes for an additional 48 h. After 72 h the supernatant was collected and assayed for cytokine concentration. Samples presented observable levels of immunostimulatory factors necessary for containing or clearing infections with chlamydia. Following these assay results, Chlamydia pneumonia (MoPn) elementary bodies (EBs) were suspended in VCG-pulsed THP-1 Mdm supernatant (conditioned media) and used to culture HeLa cells. As a positive control, MoPn was suspended in Earle's MEM - a medium used for HeLa cell culture. Immunostimulatory factors contained in the conditioned media prevented the development of Chlamydia infection forming units (5.87%) vs. our positive control (94.1%). These results indicate that immunostimulatory factors induced by VCG confer protective immunity against the development cycle of Chlamydia.


This paper describes a system, the Web Access Control Front End (WACFE) for managing security on World Wide Web applications. The system was patented in the United States in November of 1995. Another patent, dealing with this topic, is pending and is anticipated to be awarded shortly. The system provides a method for managing the security of applications consisting of many files located in many directories with a minimum of effort on the part of the system administrators. Knowledge of the file access control system is not required when using WACFE to administer access control.


. This paper addresses a methodology to compute homoclinic and heteroclinic orbits between hyperbolic invariant tori of Hamiltonian systems. To illustrate the procedure, we focus the presentation on an aspect of libration point mission design, where zero cost transfer trajectories (heteroclinic orbits) are of special relevance.


Abstract Collecting peritoneal dialysis fluid for culture in patients who received Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) have culture negative rate higher than standard criteria. Therefore this diagnostic study has an interest in determining the consistency of the peitoneal dialysis fluid examining the effects of pathogen growth in patients with peritonitis between 5 ml. and 10 ml. at the Dialysis Unit, Nakornping Hospital. Samples were recruited specimens from 37 patients. The consistency was tested by using Kappa statistic analysis and the difference of proportion was tested by using McNemar's test. The results showed that most of the samples were male (70.3%). The average age was 60.05 ± 11.56 years, the comorbidity was hypertension (97.3%). The CAPD initiation time to peritonitis was 36.92 ± 34.70 months. The number of peritonitis was 2.41 ± 1.98 episodes. The duration of peritonitis from previous episode 5.81 ± 8.49 months. The results of peitoneal dialysis fluid culture amount 5 ml. and 10 ml. found culture positive 78.4% and 73.0%, respectively. The most common pathogens were the Gram-positive bacteria, 55.2% and 55.6%, respectively. Consistency was found that the kappa coefficient was 0.85 (95% CI 0.66-1.00) showing that the peitoneal dialysis fluid culture test using a volume of 5 ml. can be highly consistent with the 10 ml. However, no significant changes of the results (p = 0.157) may be due to inadequacy of the testing power. In addition, the average treatment time was 20.73 ± 5.95 days, with an average cost of 4,537 ± 6.68 baht and most samples recovered from peritonitis by returning to CAPD (86.5%). This study found consistency of the two peritoneal dialysis fluid volume toward the culture positivity. Although there is no significant differences of proportions, 5 ml. of the peitoneal dialysis fluid solution is recommended for examination.


Single sign on mechanism allow users to sign on using single credential and to enjoy the services provided by the multiple service providers in a distributed computer network. This mechanism includes, after obtaining a credential from a trusted authority, each legal user's authentication agent can use that credential to complete authentication on behalf of the user and can then access multiple service providers. A detailed up-to-date discussion and various techniques on Single Sign-On mechanism in distributed computer networks have been done. This paper introduces a SSO mechanism that uses Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) to avoid the communication overheads as well as the workload of both the users and the service providers in the network. ECC is an alternative mechanism for implementing public-key cryptography. Public-key algorithms create a mechanism for sharing keys among large numbers of participants in a complex information system. Unlike other popular algorithms such as RSA, ECC is based on discrete logarithms that are much more difficult to challenge. Since ECC helps to establish equivalent security with smaller key size, lower computing power and battery resource usage, it can also be widely used for mobile applications.


Abstract. In order to overcome the troubles of the crisis in the seventies, North African countries have adopted financial liberalization policies to enhance their economic growth. Moreover, these policies have affected the stability of their banking systems. The purpose of this study is to test the impact of financial liberalization on the probability of appearance of banking crises which covers a sample of four countries of the North Africa region during the period 1970-2003 by using a panel logit model. The empirical analysis of this study suggests that (a) the degree of financial liberalization impact significantly the occurrence of banking crises in the countries of the region, (b) the order of financial liberalization between internal and external financial liberalization is also crucial for the emergence of banking crises. Keywords. Financial liberalization, Banking crises, North African countries, Panel logit model, Order of financial liberalization, Degree of financial liberalization. JEL. F36, G18, F37, G15, C33.


A 1.35 ns random access and 1.7 ns-random-cycle SOI embedded-DRAM macro has been developed for the POWER7™ high-performance microprocessor. The macro employs a 6 transistor micro sense-amplifier architecture with extended precharge scheme to enhance the sensing margin for product quality. The detailed study shows a 67% bit-line power reduction with only 1.7% area overhead, while improving a read zero margin by more than 500ps. The array voltage window is improved by the programmable BL voltage generator, allowing the embedded DRAM to operate reliably without constraining of the microprocessor voltage supply windows. The 2.5nm gate oxide transistor cell with deep-trench capacitor is accessed by the 1.7 V wordline high voltage (VPP) with V WL low voltage (VWL), and both are generated internally within the microprocessor. This results in a 32 MB on-chip L3 on-chip-cache for 8 cores in a 567 mm POWER7™ die.