Abstract. The contribution from different emission sources and atmospheric processes to gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), particulate bound mercury (PBM) and mercury deposition in eastern China were quantified using the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ-Hg) modeling system run with a nested domain. Natural sources (NAT) and six categories of anthropogenic mercury sources (ANTH) including cement production (CEM), domestic life (DOM), industrial boilers (IND), metal production (MET), coal-fired power plants (PP) and traffic (TRA) were considered for source apportionment. NAT were responsible for 36.6 % of annual averaged GEM concentration, which was regarded as the most important source for GEM in spite of obvious seasonal variation. Among ANTH, the influence of MET and PP on GEM were most evident especially in winter. ANTH dominated the variations of GOM and PBM concentrations with contributions of 86.7 and 79.1 %, respectively. Among ANTH, IND were the largest contributor for GOM (57.5 %) and PBM (34.4 %) so that most mercury deposition came from IND. The effect of mercury emitted from out of China was indicated by a > 30 % contribution to GEM concentration and wet deposition. The contributions from nine processes – consisting of emissions (EMIS), gas-phase chemical production/loss (CHEM), horizontal advection (HADV), vertical advection (ZADV), horizontal advection (HDIF), vertical diffusion (VDIF), dry deposition (DDEP), cloud processes (CLDS) and aerosol processes (AERO) – were calculated for process analysis with their comparison in urban and non-urban regions of the Yangtze River delta (YRD). EMIS and VDIF affected surface GEM and PBM concentrations most and tended to compensate each other all the time in both urban and non-urban areas. However, DDEP was the most important removal process for GOM with 7.3 and 2.9 ng m−3 reduced in the surface of urban and non-urban areas, respectively, in 1 day. The diurnal profile variation of processes revealed the transportation of GOM from urban area to non-urban areas and the importance of CHEM/AERO in higher altitudes which partly caused diffusion of GOM downwards to non-urban areas. Most of the anthropogenic mercury was transported and diffused away from urban areas by HADV and VDIF and increased mercury concentrations in non-urban areas by HADV. Natural emissions only influenced CHEM and AERO more significantly than anthropogenic. Local emissions in the YRD contributed 8.5 % more to GEM and ~ 30 % more to GOM and PBM in urban areas compared to non-urban areas.


Three intrapelvic urethral anastomosis techniques were performed on 12 mature male dogs to compare the degree of stricture. The intrapelvic urethra was transected 1 cm caudal to the prostate, and anastomosis was performed using either suturing of the urethra over an indwelling catheter, suturing of the urethra without an indwelling catheter, or apposition of the urethra without sutures over an indwelling catheter. Postoperatively, the dogs were evaluated using clinical urination patterns, biochemical tests, radiography, and pathology. Three of four suture-catheter dogs and one of four catheter-only dogs had normal urinary patterns. Stricture (25-84%) with urethral dilation or fistulas tracts was visible on retrograde, positive contrast urethrograms of 3 of 12 intact dogs 20 weeks after surgery, and on all 12 excised lower urinary tracts. Suture-catheter dogs subjectively had the least amount of stricture. All eight dogs (1 suture-catheter dog, 4 suture-only dogs, and 3 catheter-only dogs) with severe stricture (greater than 60% lumen diameter reduction) had histopathologic signs of chronic, inflammatory urinary tract disease, including four with chronic, ascending lymphocytic pyelonephritis. Hydroureter and hydronephrosis developed in two catheter-only dogs. Complete urethral transection resulted in some degree of stricture, regardless of technique used for anastomosis. Urethral anastomosis over an indwelling catheter appeared to result in a lesser degree of stricture and clinical and histopathologic derangement.


Colorectal cancer and rectal prolapse occur more frequently in elderly patients. Although the relationship between complete rectal prolapse and colorectal cancer has not yet been clarified, when both diseases develop simultaneously in a patient, it may be due to just coincidence or to a promotion of prolapse due to accelerated constipation caused by cancer. Thus, patients with a sudden onset of rectal prolapse should be screened for colorectal cancer. We report a case of complete rectal prolapse combined with early rectal cancer in a 75 year-old woman who was successfully treated with a perineal rectosigmoidectomy.


We examine the physical properties of volcaniclastic sediments in the forearc and backarc of the Izu-Bonin arc region. Based on our analyses of these and other deposits in the area, we conclude that, with the possible exception of pumice-rich material, unlithified volcaniclastics behave much like detrital deep-sea sediments. In contrast, lithified volcaniclastic sediments display unique physical properties, such as higher electrical resistivity and velocity than expected from porosity values. The primary cause of these phenomena is a lack of interconnectedness of the pore spaces and cementation of the volcaniclastic particles.


Russian thistle (Salsola kali), the most common plant referred to as "tumbleweed" in the western United States, can cause a dermatitis in persons who come into direct contract with it. Tests were conducted to determine the mechanism of this dermatitis. Mechanical contact with plant branches, as well as scratch, patch, and photopatch tests with Russian thistle extract and scratch tests with 1.5% potassium nitrate, a plant constituent, were employed. These tests, along with transparent adhesive tape preparations and a skin biopsy, showed that in nonsensitized persons, dermatitis was due only to mechanical irritation of plant floral bracts. In sensitized individuals, Russian thistle floral bracts pierced the skin and stimulated an urticarial reaction.


Consumption of processed meat products has greatly increased due to availability and accessibility of ready to eat meat products. Despite increased patronage of ready to eat meat products, food safety implication of processed ready-to-eat-meat products is of global concern. Against this background, this study was aimed at assessing the quality and safety of processed ready to eat meat products sold in Ibadan. Samples of asun, suya and kundi were randomly collected from four selected markets in Ibadan metropolis and subjected to chemical analyses. The total cholesterol content in suya (1538.00 mg/100mg) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than in asun (1277.60 mg/100mg) and kundi (1277.60 mg/100mg). Kundi had significantly (P<0.005) higher crude protein (70.66 %) and ether extract (23.42 %) than asun with 20.17 % and 10.85 % ether extract, respectively. Lipid peroxidation of suya (6.18 mg/MDA/kg) at day 28 was significantly higher (P<0.05) than kundi (4.50 mg/MDA/kg) and asun (4.19 mg/MDA/kg). The total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH) was 5.31μg/kg in suya, 2.02μg/kg in asun and 1.55μg/kg in kundi. The total heterocyclic aromatic amine (THAA) was 51.66 ng/g in suya, 28.12 ng/g in asun and 23.70 ng/g in kundi. The total heterotrophic bacteria count in suya (28.17 ×10-3cfu/g) was higher than in kundi (11.19 ×10-3cfu/g) and asun (3.99×10-3cfu/g). Therefore, safe keeping and quality of suya in Ibadan metropolis was low based on the above parameters measured.


Manufactures always face a big challenge to obtain the sufficient reliability information for high‐quality products when only a relatively short time period is available for an internal life testing. Fortunately, if QCs exists, whose degradation over time can be related to reliability, an approach is suggested to collect sufficient degradation data for estimating the product's lifetime distribution more accurately. In numerical applications, the gamma process (GP) is commonly used when the degradation path is strictly increasing. However, in some circumstances, the GP is not able to successfully capture the degradation path. One resolution to tackle this problem is to consider the random effect into the GP model. In this paper, we propose a trend gamma process (TGP), which integrated the merits of trend function into a GP model, as an alternative approach to overcome this obstacle. The proposed TGP model is a generalized formulation of GP model, and it is attempted to transform a monotonic stochastic process into a GP. The results based on simulation studies and real data examples illustrate that our proposed TGP model is suitable for widely use when the degradation path is monotonically increasing.


M D Hirsch (1999 Nonlinearity 12 1545-53) has shown that an area-preserving flow on a closed surface M has a dense orbit if it has no periodic orbits and the graph of singular orbits does not separate M. The aim of this paper is to give a simple proof of this result, and to discuss the open questions given by Hirsch.


We show the settling behaviors of flocculated, magnetic and nonmagnetic iron oxide suspensions. It is unique, since in the literature on settling of model submicron flocculated particulate suspensions there is no direct visualization of the structures and how they change during settling. Channeling, cracking, and a novel collapse phenomenon were detected during settling. Causes were investigated using lapse videorecording for side and top views. The effect of air bubbles was shown to contribute to the accelerated settling of the suspension by creating channels that conduct oil to the settling front. Settling heights were recorded for long periods of time (up to a year) for iron oxide suspensions of different concentrations. Decreasing tube diameters delayed settling, and magnetic interparticle forces produced smaller final settling heights. The effect of magnetic forces was interpreted in terms of a floc model. The model find magnetic flocs 1.3 to 1.4 times denser than their nonmagnetic analogs. Finally, a mechanism is put forth to interpret the settling behavior observed


INTRODUCTION:
Congenital heart defect (CHD) is the most common defect among all birth defects representing a major global health problem. Twenty-eight percent of all major congenital anomalies comprise of heart defects. Congenital heart disease (Cyanotic and Acyanotic) occurs in approximately 0.8% of live births.In India, the prevalence of CHD is not uniform across the country and varies from 0.8 to 5.2/1000 patients in community-based studies while the prevalence ranges between 3.9 and 26.4/1000 live births in hospital-based studies in India, which is not uniform across the country. The burden of CHD is high in developing countries like India, due to the high birth rate and critical nature of CHD requiring expensive surgical and non-surgical interventions. CHD is considered a real challenge because of the complex interplay between medical, surgical, dietetic and socio-economic factors.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
1. To find out the Nutritional Status in children (1-12years) with congenital heart
disease by using anthropometric measurements, clinical assessment and dietary evaluation.
2. To assess degree and type of Anemia in children with congenital heart disease using assessment of hemoglobin, red cell indices, red cell distribution width and peripheral smear.
METHODS:
We conducted an cross sectional study of 80 children aged 1-12 years of age with congenital heart disease chosen by purposive sampling technique,attending as Outpatient and Inpatient in the Department of Peadiatrics, Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences, Kulasekharam. over a period of 18 months.
RESULTS:
In this study on 80 children, 63.8 % were in the age group 1-12 years whereas 36.2% belonged to age group 12mon-59mon.The male to female ratio was 1:1. 81.3% had ACHD; out of which VSD was the most common (35%).18.7% had CCHD, out of which TOF was the most common (13.7%).69.2% of ACHD were underweight in comparison to 35.7% in CCHD.with significant p value 0.025,42.9% of ACHD were stunted in comparison to 57.1% in CCHD with significant p value of 0.004, 80% of ACHD were wasted in comparion to 20% wasted in CCHD. 21.3% of ACHD had anemia 17.5% of CCHD had polycythemia. 21.2% had decreased red cell indices indicating microcytic hypochromic and 36.2% had increased RDW with p value 0.000 indicating nutritional anemia. According to Peripheral smear, 16.2% had microcytic
hypochromic anemia.
CONCLUSION:
Congenital heart defect (CHD) is the most common congenital malformation among all birth defects leading to morbidity and mortality among children. The burden of CHD is high in developing countries like India, due to the high birth rate and critical nature of CHD requiring expensive surgical and non-surgical interventions. Malnutrition and anemia is rampant among children with CHD with a significant impact on the intervention and the outcome of intervention. The high proportion of malnutrition and anemia among children with CHD warrants proper evaluation and early intervention. This is of utmost importance as majority of CHD are likely to get surgical and non surgical intervention under the RBSK scheme. The RBSK scheme also focuses on malnutrition and deficiency disorder. Accreditation of private institution under the RBSK scheme for intervention of CHD is a big boon to the community.


Neutron scattering by the superionic conductor Na3Cr2P3012 has magnetic contributions from the cr3+ ion. Crystallographic, integral and energy resolved measurements show antiferromagnetic order below 10 K, which is identified as magnetic by spin analysis.


Lampenflora consists of phototrophic organisms which grow near artificial light. In caves with artificial lighting, a vegetation of aerophytic cyanobacteria and algae, bryophytes and ferns can be found around lamps; these communities represent an alteration of the underground environment and may cause damages both to speleothems and cave fauna. The development of lampenflora is a typical problem for show cave management. A floristic research of bryophytes and ferns (land plants) of lampenflora was carried out in 2012 in Grotta Gigante, a very well-known show cave of the Trieste Karst (NE Italy), in order to compile a species inventory. 26 sites near artificial lights of different kinds were sampled in the dark zone of the show cave. 16 moss species and 2 ferns were found; no liverworts were observed. The most common species are the mosses Eucladium verticillatum, Fissidens bryoides, Oxyrrhynchium schleicheri, Rhynchostegiella tenella and the fern Asplenium trichomanes ; 7 moss species were found only in one to two sites. Some moss species belong to the flora of natural cave entrances of the Italian Karst, while other are typical of disturbed, open habitats. Various moss species and A. trichomanes are colonizing areas around LEDs and fluorescent lamps installed in 2009 along the cave's pathways for safety lighting. Species richness of bryophytes and ferns of lampenflora in Grotta Gigante is the highest compared to other recently investigated show caves in the neighbouring Slovenia. Lampenflora of Grotta Gigante conforms to that found in other Slovenian show caves starting from the '40. The main ecological factors affecting lampenflora identified in this work are: light intensity, water availability, type of substrate, morphological features of surfaces, presence of clay. Aspects of species ecology and distribution in the cave are discussed.


Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a medical emergence that results in high medical costs and death. Management of this disease requires ascertaining the cause of bleeding. The cause of bleeding is classified into esophageal and gastric causes. Based on health survey data, this study compares the accuracy of the naive Bayes classifier and an instance based learner in the classification of the cause of bleeding. The two classifiers are learned and trained on data collected from patients admitted for upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The naive Bayes classifier achieves a classification accuracy of 71% accuracy compared to 68% of the instance based learner.

 Keywords: Naive Bayes classifier; Gastrointestinal bleeding; IBk classifier; Peptic Ulcer disease.

 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 62C10 ;secondary 62P10


ABSTRACT There are limited reports on the relationship between spirituality and mental stress in People living with HIV (PLWH) in China, who may be subject to anti-religious pressures from the government. In this study, we aimed to understand whether spirituality influences Chinese PLWH's mental stress and, if so, at what level. We recruited 200 PLWHs from Beijing's Ditan Hospital to complete a cross-sectional survey inquiring about their practice of spirituality as well as their level of mental stress. The study found that PLWH who presented with a mid-level of spirituality have the highest mental stress when compared to those who have a low level of spiritual beliefs or a high level of spiritual beliefs. This study points to the utility of healthcare providers taking PLWH's potential spirituality into consideration, perhaps in particular for those with a moderate level of spirituality, in order to provide the most comprehensive care possible.


Background The theoretical landscape of health disparities research now emphasizes health inequities and the role that social determinants of health (SDOH) play in creating and perpetuating them. Whether National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding patterns reflect this theoretical shift is unknown. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the National Institute of Nursing Research's (NINR) funding for research focused on health disparities, health inequities, and SDOH, relative to other key NIH institutes. Methods Data on 32,968 projects funded by NINR, the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) during the years 2000 through 2016 were downloaded from NIH RePORTER; those with health disparities, health inequity, or SDOH terms used in the abstract were identified. Descriptive statistics and a general linear model approach were used to assess differences in cumulative project counts and funding proportions, and funding trends over time. Results Overall, funding for health disparities projects was 14–19 times greater than for health inequity and SDOH projects and was more concentrated in centers and institutional training than in individual research projects. NINR's proportion of funding for disparities projects was consistently greater than that of the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, but not for inequities and SDOH projects. NIMHD's proportion of funding for disparities, and inequities and SDOH projects (combined) was 2–30 times greater than that of other institutes. Over the 16-year period, funding for disparities, inequity, and SDOH projects each increased (all ps < .05); however, growth in inequities and SDOH funding was not evident in more recent years. Discussion Funding for projects focused on health equities and the SDOH lag behind theoretical shifts in the broader health disparities research arena. With the exception of NIMHD, there is a disconnect between funding for projects with a disparities orientation in institutional training and center projects relative to individual research projects. These trends have implications for nurse scientists seeking NIH funding to support health equity-oriented research.


Sézary syndrome is an extremely rare form of cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma. It presents suddenly and is associated with a poor prognosis. Clinical recognition is crucial for the diagnostic process and initiation of appropriate treatment. Plantar keratoderma is usually pathognomonic for Sézary syndrome and clinicians should be alerted to its presence.


A theoretical treatment of the frequency distribution of chiasmata along a chromosome is developed, based on Darlington's postulate of relating crossing-over to chromosome coiling. Each chromatid is assumed to be an elastic thread subject to torsion and longitudinal stress, which is liable to break (but not yield) at a definite breaking load. It is supposed further that when an interchange occurs after a break, the consequential relief of torsional strain is confined to a small region round the location of the break, resulting in a lowering of the probability of a further break. The assumption about the effect of a break is formulated in a suitable way and an expression for the distribution function is thence derived. It is shown that in the limit of no interference this distribution goes over to the Poisson type, in conformity with Haldane's conclusions. Expressions are calculated for the mean and the standard deviation of the distribution; the former gives the relation between the mean chiasma frequency and chromosome-length.


The household expectation of car-sharing is simple. Households access, as needed, a fleet of shared-use vehicles. Individuals gain the benefit of private car use without the costs and responsibilities of ownership, and society gains large economic, environmental, and social benefits as a result of more efficient vehicle usage. Management mobility can influence the car-sharing usage and establishment.


With picosecond transient absorption techniques we have investigated photolysis of the Ru(lI) octaethylporphyrin 1r cation radicals Ru(OEP+·)CO(L): L = EtOH (4a). py (4b). 1m (4c). Br- (4d). Excitation with 35-ps flashes at 532 nm results in the formation and decay of transient states having lifetimes less than the flash duration. The transient lifetimes for 2A!u ground-state 1r cation radicals are shorter than those observed after excitation of species with the 2A 2u ground state. The transient behavior is rationalized in terms of both release of CO followed by rapid geminate recombination and of rapid radiationless decay via nondissociative states. The latter process seems more likely, but the former cannot be ruled out. Low-lying (d. 1r) charge-transfer states of the 1r cation radicals might provide effective routes for deactivation. Photolysis with 355-nm flashes results in the formation of similar short-lived transients. However. in the case of 4a and 4b. having mainly the 2A 2u ground state. a longer-lived photo product is observed. This new transient could be the carbonyl-free 1r cation radical. but it is more likely the Ru(lIl) species obtained upon release of the CO followed by internal electron transfer from metal to ring. The quantum yield of the long-lived photoproduct appears to be low «25%). Decarbonylation with 355-nm pump pulses is ascribed to the population of a dissociative state. such as (d .... dz2). not accessible with the lower energy 532-nm excitation flashes. Apparently. rapid deactivation to the ground state competes favorably with ligand release even in these cases. The behavior is discussed in terms of the electronic states of the ring. metal, and ligands. The relevance of these findings to the release of ligands by hemoglobin and myoglobin as well as by other transition metal porphyrin complexes is considered.


The journey of robotics is a real wonder and astonishingly can be considered as a scientific rainbow showering surprising priceless power in the era of future technologies. The astonishing seven technologies discussed in this paper are da Vinci Robotic surgical system and sperm sorters for infertility, Veebot for blood investigation, Hanako the robotic dental patient for simulating the dental patient and helping a trainee dentist, RP-7 robot who is around-the-clock physician connecting the physician and patient, Robot for Interactive Body Assistance (RIBA) who is a RIBA serving as a nurse, Bushbot serving as a brilliant surgeon, and Virtibot helping in virtual autopsy. Thus, robotics in medicine is a budding field contributing a great lot to human life from before birth to afterlife in seven forms thus gracefully portraying a scientific rainbow in hospital environment.


Photothermal lens spectrometry is a powerful optical detection technique that can be used to investigate biomolecules. In this work, for the first time to our knowledge, photothermal lens spectrometry was used for determination of nanomolar concentrations of three distinct deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands using methylene blue as a labeling dye. Methylene blue interacts with phosphate groups of the DNA in lower DNA concentrations. It was observed that phosphate-methylene blue interaction had no obvious effect on methylene blue absorption and fluorescence spectra, but the photothermal lens spectrometry signal of methylene blue increased with DNA concentration. For this purpose, to evaluate the performance of the presented method, herring sperm DNA, Escherichia coli bacteria DNA, and partial 16S rRNA genes were examined. Under optimum conditions, photothermal lens spectrometry intensity of methylene blue increased linearly with DNA concentration when herring sperm DNA, Escherichia coli DNA, and 16S rRNA gene concentrations increased in the ranges of 0.1-250, 1-700, and 1-800  nmol L-1, respectively. The corresponding detection limits were found to be 0.07, 0.71, and 0.56  nmol L-1, respectively, and relative standard deviations for 50  nmol L-1 of the tested samples were 2.59%, 4.95%, and 4.57%, respectively.


Dr Aletta Henriette Jacobs (9 February 1854 to 10 August 1929) was a Dutch physician and advocate of modern-day women's rights, being among the first female clinicians and to formally enrol at a Dutch university. She bolstered the Dutch and international women's movements and pioneered as the first woman to develop a clinic based on contraceptive principles in 1882 internationally. Her legacy has become paramount in the progression of modern-day feminism, where her vigour for equality and diversity has stipulated campaigns to demand women's voting rights, deregulate acts of prostitution, improve working conditions for women, and promote world peace through her work.


Developing a spontaneous speech corpus would be beneficial for spoken language processing and understanding. We present a speech corpus named the SMASH corpus, which includes spontaneous speech of two Japanese male commentators that made third-person audio commentaries during the gameplay of a fighting game. Each commentator ad-libbed while watching the gameplay with various topics covering not only explanations of each moment to convey the information on the fight but also comments to entertain listeners. We made transcriptions and topic tags as annotations on the recorded commentaries with our two-step method. We first made automatic and manual transcriptions of the commentaries and then manually annotated the topic tags. This paper describes how we constructed the SMASH corpus and reports some results of the annotations.


The scientific term "amphidrome" is usually associated with tides in oceanography. The dozen tidal amphidromes observed in the ocean are critical points that determine the fundamental pattern of the global tidal system. Exploration of recently available satellite data with an unprecedented 1-2 decades duration suggests that an amphidrome is not a tide-only phenomenon in the ocean. Analysis of altimeter-derived sea level anomaly (SLA) data and radiometer-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data allows ten amphidromic points to be clearly identified in annual SLA and SST variations. These amphidromes are located in the tropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Their existence implies that the annual cycle (in time) of the atmosphere-ocean system is translated into a rotary variation (in space) for many of the geophysical parameters. It can be concluded that annual amphidromes are common, the knowledge of which is of particular interest, given their annually "constant" nature, for the monitoring and understanding of oceanic, climatic, as well as biological variabilities at seasonal to decadal scales, which strongly affect many aspects of the natural and societal activities on the globe.


This article explores the changing aspirations, economic positions, and social concepts of urban, young, educated, working women in India. This exploration focuses on how these Indian women are imagined and re-imagined in advertisements for personal care and beauty aid products, specifically those for Lakmé cosmetics. The article is based on the advertisements for Lakmé cosmetics, an Indian cosmetics brand, from the fall 2008 through the summer 2009 and six months of fieldwork in 2009 at the Mumbai-based advertising agency that created these advertisements. The advertisements are discussed within the broader context of the Indian economy, consumerism, and representation of women in the media. Furthermore, by focusing on the beliefs and experience of the female advertisers who helped to create Lakmé's advertisements, the article seeks to understand how working Indian women perceive themselves vis-à-vis these advertising images.


Background: Explaining targeted therapies to oncology patients is a challenging task for most health care professionals (HCPs). This discussion may need to include the schedule, side effects, benefits, mechanism of action and the rationale of these medications. Despite the high frequency with which HCPs counsel these patients, there is no standardized set of information that serves to meet the challenge of providing this information in a simple, easy to understand format yet, is also amenable to individualization. Informal pictorial patient education by simply drawing on the exam table paper (a picture is better than thousand words) had been used to bridge this gap of information. This experience formed the basis for development of the hand held computer applications. Design/Methods: Three applications (Apps), one each for tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors (AI9s) and Herceptin™ were created, utilizing the IPhone platform with subsequent conversion to the I Pad. The content of these Apps was approved through the LRCP Breast Disease Site Team and Patient Education Committee. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the University of Western Ontario. All adult patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant treatments with tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors and/or Herceptin™ were considered eligible. The study was described to patients and consent obtained. The Apps use animated cartoons with limited text to designate the receptors or the medications. The information was verbally reviewed with patients as the HCP showed the animated cartoons through the App. In order to gauge the impact of using these apps as an education tool with patients, a satisfaction survey was designed with 5 questions, using a visual analogue scale where 1 indicated poor agreement and 7 complete agreement. To evaluate the level of understanding achieved, the patients were asked two "exam" questions with a multiple-choice answer format after each App was used by a HCP Results: A total of 64 patients participated, 33 with the AI App, 19 with the tamoxifen App and 12 with the Herceptin™ App. For the "exam questions" segment, there were no wrong answers given by any of the patients using one of the three Apps. The survey questions evaluated the patient9s understanding of the mechanism of action, benefits, side effects and the dosing schedule. The App was evaluated for overall preference for the pictorial App presentation format, likelihood of recommending the App to other patients, and feeling more knowledgeable post presentation. The vast majority of patients rated the Apps very highly on all questions with the mean for these questions ranging between 6.67 to 7 on the visual analogue scale. Conclusions: The use of Apps is a novel and effective approach to educate oncology patients regarding complex molecularly targeted treatments. These Apps are quick, easy to use, readily available and demonstrable with smart phones or an I-pad. It also reminds and helps HCPs to provide pertinent information in simple language. From our results, it is quite apparent that patients liked this approach of providing education and counseling and actually understood the contents explained to them. Citation Format: Younus J, Lyn K. Patient education for targeted therapies with apps. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-09-06.


Accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major histological change in glomerular diseases that progress to chronic renal failure. Such accumulation can be mediated by increased production of molecular signal such as cytokines. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) has a combined effect of enhancing the synthesis of ECM, while inhibiting the proteolytic degradation of newly formed matrix proteins. TG1-F beta 1 has stimulative effects on the production of ECM by cultured rat mesangial cells. In an experimental glomerulonephritis, there was a close association between elevated expression of the TGF-beta 1 mRNA and development of glomerulonephritis. Treatment of glomerulonephritic rats with antiserum directed to a synthetic peptide from mature TGF-beta 1 prevented the histological accumulation of ECM in glomeruli. These results suggest that TGF-beta 1 may participate in glomerular matrix expansion.


Wiener filter is an important tool in many signal processing applications. This paper proposes a fast inverse free method based on mean-square-error (MSE) criterion for the design of Wiener filters when both the given signal and the desired signal are wide-sense stationary random processes. Specifically, we present several approaches for tracking Wiener filter using gradient descent, line search, and adaptive methods. A new framework for computing the full rank Wiener filter and order update for reduced rank Wiener filter serially is presented. Emphasis is placed on methods that require least amount of matrix inversion including Rayleigh Quotient like methods. Simulations are also presented to examine the performance of the proposed methods.


At the beginning of the XX century music's aesthetic is not an autonomous discipline with defined borders. Scholars dealing with it are neither philosophers in the strict sense nor merely historians or critics of music. In this paper, I wonder about the possibility of finding the traces of the first Italian aesthetics of music among the folds of a composite and ongoing reflection and through the study of some generally-considered musicological production also having some philosophical profile. Along this path, some figures of particular interest emerge such as that of Fausto Acanfora Torrefranca, a "non-aligned" intellectual, who firmly tried to give musical studies an aesthetic-philosophical basis, on the one hand, and a much needed rigor in the early twentieth century Italy on the other.


In an era characterised by a volatile economy, intense competition, and rising energy and material costs, improving operational efficiency has become a necessity for margin purposes and long-term business success. This research study attempts to develop a model for process operations variability reduction that integrates the fundamental drivers, the intermediate measures and the four traditional competitive capabilities: quality, cost, delivery reliability and speed of delivery. In addition, it highlights the precise mechanisms in plants that lead to multiple competitive capabilities development. The concept of a routine-based approach to capabilities development provides a nexus between the earlier actions by the organisation and competitive advantage. Using longitudinal data from the Manufacturing Circle of South Africa, a statistical analysis was conducted to support the model, and path analysis models were developed which confirmed that the performance frontier is really a surface that spans many different dimensions. It is observed that the model clearly outlines pathways to process operations variability reduction through better execution of the routines concerned with maintaining the performance by current processes, improving existing processes, and transforming or changing to new processes.


This article describes the problem associated with the modernization of the education, one of which is the realization of the conditions of continuity between the pre-school educational institutions and schools; the essence and features of the problems of continuity in the work of pre-school educational institutions and schools as a basis for practical continuity in the education system «preschool educational institution – primary school», with the purpose of successful adaptation of children to education; discusses the methods and forms of the relationship between adjacent links continuity in the system education «preschool educational establishment – primary school» for a successful adaptation of children»; disclosed principles of continuity; substantiates the practical significance of the application of the system of work continuity of pre-school educational institutions and schools as an important component of comprehensively developed personality of a preschooler; discloses educational approach and technologies of organization of educational activities in preschool institution to ensure successful adaptation of children to education; the prospects of work continuity in the education system «preschool educational institution – primary school» and describes the work of the continuity of experience activities.


ED FROM O'Leary-Barrett M, Mackie CJ, Castellanos-Ryan N, et al. Personality-targeted interventions delay uptake of drinking and decrease risk of alcohol-related problems when delivered by teachers. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2010;49:954–63.e1. Correspondence to: Patricia Conrod, Institute of psychiatry, King's College London, 4 Windsor Walk, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK; firstname.lastname@example.com Source of funding: Action on Addiction.


Resistance to chemotherapy is a major complication during treatment of cancer patients. Hypermethylation of the MGMT gene alters DNA repair and is associated with longer survival of glioblastoma patients treated with alkylating agents. Therefore, MGMT promoter methylation plays an important role as a predictive biomarker for chemotherapy resistance. To adopt this established correlation into a molecular diagnosis procedure, we compared and optimized three experimental techniques [combined bisulfite restriction analysis, a primer extension- and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography-based method named SIRPH (SNuPE ion pair-reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography), and pyrosequencing] with regard to their accuracy of detecting MGMT promoter methylation. Initially, bisulfite sequencing was used to obtain a comprehensive methylation profile of the MGMT promoter region in 22 glioblastoma samples and in three normal brain controls. Next, we statistically identified CpG sites that best discriminate between methylated and unmethylated MGMT promoters. These results were then used to design optimal combined bisulfite restriction analysis, SIRPH, and pyrosequencing assays for accurate and cost-efficient assessment of MGMT promoter methylation. We compared all three techniques with regard to their reliability and reproducibility on well-characterized tumor samples. The optimized pyrosequencing assay performed best and provides a sensitive, robust, and easy-to-use method for quantitative assessment of MGMT methylation, for both snap-frozen and paraffin-embedded specimens.


ABSTRACT Westminster ratified the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act in 2022. It provides that: (a) PMs' ability to dissolve parliament through the monarch is restored. (b) Writs for general elections are bestowed upon the executive. (c) Some applications of the royal prerogative are non-justiciable. This article presents a critical summary of the history and content of the act, and it discusses its implications. (1) The repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act re-introduces flexibility vis-à-vis election timing. (2) The DCPA implies a transfer of dissolution authority from parliament back to governments. (3) The elimination of statutory confidence motions implies a return to the convention-based confidence procedure. This article argues that the bill rekindles cabinet supremacy. (i) Elections can be more easily strategically scheduled to the ruling party's advantage. (ii) PMs can substantiate the employment of confidence votes with the threat of dissolution again. (iii) Leaders might capitalise on the absence of judicial review to further their agenda or elude the test of confidence. Altogether, the bill reshapes the relationship between the government and the legislature by deepening executive dominance to pre-FTPA levels and perhaps even higher, given the non-justiciability clause, at least as long as elections produce single-party majority cabinets.


Background Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has greatly advanced the treatment of melanoma. A key component of ICB is the stimulation of CD8+ T cells in the tumor. However, ICB therapy only benefits a subset of patients and a reliable prediction method that does not require invasive biopsies is still a major challenge in the field. Methods We conducted a set of comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic analyses of CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood (mPBL) and tumors (mTIL) from 8 patients with metastatic melanoma. Results Compared to circulating CD8+ T cells from healthy donors (hPBL), mPBLs contained subsets resembling certain features of mTIL. More importantly, three clusters (2, 6 and 15) were represented in both mPBL and mTIL. Cluster 2 was the major subset of the majority of hPBL, which phenocopied hallmark parameters of resting T cells. Cluster 6 and 15 were uniquely presented in melanoma patients. Cluster 15 had the highest PD-1 levels, with elevated markers of both activation and dysfunction/exhaustion; while Cluster 6 was enriched for 'dormant' cells with overall toned-down transcriptional activity except PPAR signaling, a known suppressor for T cell activation. Interestingly, unlike other mTIL clusters that would classically be defined as exhausted, Cluster 15 exhibited the highest metabolic activity (oxidative-phosphorylation and glycolysis). We further analyzed total sc-transcriptomics using cell trajectory algorithms and identified that these three clusters were the most distinct subtypes of CD8 T cells from each other, representing: resting (cluster 2), metabolically active-dysfunctional (cluster 15), and dormant phenotypes (cluster 6). Further, three unique intracellular programs in melanoma drive the transition of resting CD8+ T cells (cluster 2) to both metabolic/dysfunctional (cluster 15) and dormant states (cluster 6) that are unique to tumor bearing conditions. Based on these high-resolution analyses, we developed original algorithms to build a novel ICB response predictive model using immune-blockade co-expression gene patterns. The model was trained and tested using previously published GEO datasets containing CD8 T cells from anti-PD-1 treated patients and presented an AUC of 0.82, with 92% and 89% accuracy of ICB response in the two datasets. Conclusions We identified and analyzed unique populations of CD8+ T cells in circulation and tumor using high-resolution single-cell transcriptomics to define the landscape of CD8+ T cell states, revealing critical subsets with shared features in PBLs and TILs. Most importantly, we established an innovative model for ICB response prediction by using peripheral blood lymphocytes. Ethics Approval This study was performed under an IRB approved protocol.


We consider a D2-brane in the pp-wave backgrounds obtained from AdS{sub 4}xCP{sup 3} when electric and magnetic fields have been turned on. Upon fixing the light-cone gauge, light-cone Hamiltonian and Bogomolni-Prasad-Sommerfield configurations are obtained. In particular we study Bogomolni-Prasad-Sommerfield configurations with an electric dipole on the two-sphere giant and a giant graviton rotating in transverse directions. Moreover we show that the gauge field living on the D2-brane is replaced by a scalar field in the light-cone Hamiltonian. We also present a matrix model by regularizing (quantizing) 2-brane theory.


For a GI/G/c queue, a full busy period is a period commencing when an arrival finds c − 1 customers in the system and ending when, for the first time after that, a departure leaves behind c − 1 customers in the system. We show that given a full busy period is found to be in progress at a random epoch, the remaining full busy period has the equilibrium distribution. Moreover, we demonstrate that this property is typical for a broad class of stationary random processes.


We present a lattice formulation of non-commutative Yang-Mills theory in arbitrary even dimensionality. The UV/IR mixing characteristic of non-commutative field theories is demonstrated at a completely non-perturbative level. We prove a discrete Morita equivalence between ordinary Yang-Mills theory with multi-valued gauge fields and non-commutative Yang-Mills theory with periodic gauge fields. Using this equivalence, we show that generic non-commutative gauge theories in the continuum can be regularized non perturbatively by means of ordinary lattice gauge theory with 't Hooft flux. In the case of irrational non-commutativity parameters, the rank of the gauge group of the commutative lattice theory must be sent to infinity in the continuum limit. As a special case, the construction includes the recent description of non-commutative Yang-Mills theories using twisted large-N reduced models. We study the coupling of non-commutative gauge fields to matter fields in the fundamental representation of the gauge group using the lattice formalism. The large mass expansion is used to describe the physical meaning of Wilson loops in non-commutative gauge theories. We also demonstrate Morita equivalence in the presence of fundamental matter fields and use this property to comment on the calculation of the beta-function in non-commutative quantum electrodynamics.


Hormones mediate the expression of suites of correlated traits and hence may act either to facilitate or constrain adaptive evolution. Selection on one trait within a hormone-mediated suite of traits may lead to a change in the strength of the hormone signal, causing changes in correlated traits. Growing evidence suggests that melanization, which is in part regulated by hormonal signals, is tightly linked to other traits, such as aggression and stress physiology. Here, we examine six populations of Sceloporus occidentalis lizards differing in degree of melanization (three dark higher-elevation populations and three less-melanized lower-elevation populations) to investigate potential correlations between behavior, hormones, and parasites. We measured aggression by recording behavioral responses of males to staged territorial intrusions; behavior was summarized by two principal components. Analysis revealed that males in the three darker populations signaled aggression less often and made more physical contact than males in the lighter populations. Analyses of plasma steroid hormones (corticosterone and testosterone) revealed significant population differences, but counter to expectation higher aggression was associated with lower testosterone compared across populations. Finally, the three darker populations had higher mean mite loads than the three lighter populations. Overall, this array of phenotypic correlations does not parallel patterns of within-population differences in melanization found in other vertebrates, suggesting that hormonal correlations do not constrain phenotype variation across populations in this species. Given this contradiction between population- and individual-level variation, we urge more study at both levels of variation in traits potentially associated with melanization in other vertebrates.


The effects of lumbar epidural and general anesthesia given for caesarean section on intervillous blood flow were studied in 19 healthy women during the last few weeks of normal pregnancy by using a new intravenous 133Xe method. In lumbar epidural anesthesia, the mean decrease of intervillous blood flow was not significant. After the induction of general anesthesia, the decrease of intervillous blood flow was highly significant. The mean percentage change of intervillous blood flow after epidural anesthesia was −13%; after general anesthesia, −35%. These percentage changes did not significantly differ statistically from each other.


This paper aims to analyze the roots of the sovereign debt crisis around the Eurozone countries. Furthermore, it seeks to deconstruct the orthodox argument which states the crisis is caused by fiscal indiscipline of some of its members. In doing so, the article bears on the political economy tradition, integrating the elements of hierarchy and asymmetry among the various actors, and poses the hypothesis that the crisis in the Eurozone is due to three highly correlated causes: (1) the unfolding of the 2007 crisis that originated in the United States, (2) the financialization of the global economy, and (3) the intra-Eurozone imbalances, a legacy of the neoliberal institutional framework of the last decades. To associate the Euro crisis with this neoliberal architecture, moreover, the main tendencies of contemporary capitalism are described, pointing to the theoretical contribution of Marx, particularly regarding his hypothesis of a tendential fall of the profit rate. Finally, some concluding remarks are considered, stressing alternatives to the budget austerity measures and to the necessary ruptures with this neoliberal institutional framework. JEL Classification: B51; P16; H63; N14


PEN1, one of the plasma membrane (PM) syntaxins, comprises an immune exocytic pathway by forming the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex with SNAP33 and VAMP721/722 in plants. Although this secretory pathway is also involved in plant growth and development, how plants control their exocytic activity is as yet poorly understood. Since constitutive PEN1 cycling between the PM and endocytosed vesicles is critical for its immune activity, we studied here the relationship of PEN1 to synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1) that is known to regulate endocytosis at the PM. Interestingly, syt1 plants showed enhanced disease resistance to the Arabidopsis-adapted Golovinomyces orontii fungus, and elevated protein but not transcript levels of PEN1 Calcium-dependent promotion of PEN1-SYT1 interaction suggests that SYT1 controls defense activities of the PEN1-associated secretory pathway by post-translationally modulating PEN1. Increased PEN1-SYT1 interaction and inhibited PEN1 SNARE complex induction by G. orontii additionally suggest that the adaption of phytopathogens to host plants might partly result from effective suppression of the PEN1-related secretory pathway. Further genetic analyses revealed that SYT1 also regulates the atypical peroxisomal myrosinase PEN2-associated secretory pathway.


Three types of adhesives, urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin, phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin, and polymeric methylene bis(phenyl isocyanate) (pMDI) were used to bond particleboard during the investigation ofthe effect ofhot-pressing variables on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. The variables examined included press temperature, press time, mat moisture content, resin content, and panel density. The VOCs emitted during particleboard hot-pressing with southern pine furnish were collected with two chilled scrubbers filled with water and methylene chloride, respectively. The solution in the aqueous scrubber was analyzed for formaldehyde using a colorimetric method. The other VOCs contained in the scrubbers were extracted with methylene chloride and characterized and quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Formaldehyde emissions were significantly affected by press temperature and press time for panels pressed with all three adhesives. For panels pressed with both UF and PF resins, mat moisture content significantly affected formaldehyde emission, but mat resin content and panel density did not have a significant effect on formaldehyde emissions. Formaldehyde emissions correlated well with the amount of water vapor collected for panels pressed with UF and pMDI, but not for panels pressed with PF resin. An additive in the PF resin decreased formaldehyde emissions during pressing of panels with PF, so that pressing panels with the PF resin yielded lower formaldehyde emissions than pressing with pMDI resin. Other compounds emitted during pressing were terpenes and their derivatives, lower molecular weight aldehydes, ketones, and some high boiling point linear alkanes. The emissions of high molecular weight VOCs (HMwVOC [defined as compounds with boiling points greater than 40°C]) were significantly affected by press temperature for all three adhesive types, and by press time for the UF and PF resins. Moisture content also significantly increased HMwVOC emissions for pMDI. While application ofUF and PF to the wood furnish did not significantly affect HMwVOC emissions, application of pMDI caused a significant decrease in HMwVOC emissions. Changes in pinene emissions with press conditions were similar to the changes seen in HMwVOC emissions.


Abstract The reproductive biology of female Dungeness crabs was studied with crab-pot and dive-transect sampling in five bays within or near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, southeastern Alaska, in April and September yearly from 1992 to 1998. A large percentage of nonovigerous, mature females was found in April, a time when females were expected to be brooding eggs that hatch in May and June. Our study examined differences between ovigerous and nonovigerous females collected in April and September samples to corroborate our previous laboratory study in which we found nonannual egg extrusion among Dungeness crabs. Seasonal differences in the catches of ovigerous and nonovigerous females, crab sizes, shell condition, and appendage injury were examined. Additionally, all crabs collected from two bays were tagged beginning in the fall of 1995; tagging was conducted twice annually. Our pot and dive data indicate that females, particularly larger ones, do not extrude eggs annually. Larger females have lower molting probabilities, which limits mating potential and increases reliance on stored sperm. The tagging study confirmed that at least some females do not extrude eggs in one year and then extrude eggs at a later time without molting, thus skipping at least one reproductive season. A reproductive cycle of Dungeness crabs in Alaska is introduced which includes earlier egg extrusion by larger females and nonannual egg extrusion.


Formula SAE (FSAE) vehicle systems are very complex. Understanding how subsystems effect the overall vehicle is essential for making design trade-offs. FSAE is a competitive environment. Teams need to have reliable and high performing vehicles to do well in competition. The Virginia Tech (VT) FSAE team has produced a prototype electric powertrain (EPT) vehicle, VTM16e, and will take their first EPT vehicle, VTM17e, to competition in 2017. The use of model-based design (MBD) for an EPT FSAE vehicle is investigated through this thesis. The goal of the research is to build the framework of a full vehicle simulation to take knowledge gained from the VTM16e prototype vehicle, and apply it to the VTM17e competition vehicle. A top-down, bottom-up approach is taken to build a full vehicle model of an EPT FSAE vehicle. A full vehicle simulation is built with subsystems to establish an overall structure and subsystem interactions. Individual subsystems are then focused on for testing and validation. Breaking the vehicle down into subsystems allows the overall model to be incrementally improved. The battery subsystem is focused on in this thesis. Extensive testing is performed on the batteries to characterize their performance. Empirical computer models are generated from data through parameter estimation techniques. Validation of the battery models is performed and the resulting model is incorporated into the overall vehicle model. Performance limits of the vehicle are determined through model exploration, and design modifications to increase the reliability and performance for the VTM17e vehicle are proposed. Model-Based Design of an Electric Powertrain Vehicle; Focus on Physical Modeling of Lithium-ion Batteries.


Background In 2005 a cluster of 53 HIV-infected patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) was detected in the Msinga sub-district, the catchment area for the Church of Scotland Hospital (CoSH) in Tugela Ferry, in KwaZulu-Natal province (KZN), South Africa. KZN is divided into 11 healthcare districts. We sought to determine the distribution of XDR TB cases in the province in relation to population density. Methods In this cross-sectional study, the KZN tuberculosis laboratory database was analysed. Results of all patients with a sputum culture positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis from January 2006 to June 2007 were included. Drug-susceptibility test results for isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, streptomycin, kanamycin and ofloxacin were available for all patients as well as the location of the hospital where their clinical diagnosis was made. Findings In total, 20858 patients attending one of 73 hospitals or their adjacent clinics had cultures positive for M. tuberculosis. Of these, 4170 (20%) were MDR-TB cases. Four hundred and forty three (11%) of the MDR tuberculosis cases displayed the XDR tuberculosis susceptibility profile. Only 1429 (34%) of the MDR-TB patients were seen at the provincial referral hospital for treatment. The proportion of XDR-TB amongst culture-confirmed cases was highest in the Msinga sub-district (19.6%), followed by the remaining part of the Umzinyati district (5.9%) and the other 10 districts (1.1%). The number of hospitals with at least one XDR-TB case increased from 18 (25%) to 58 (80%) during the study period. Interpretation XDR-TB is present throughout KZN. More than 65% of all diagnosed MDR-TB cases, including XDR-TB patients, were left untreated and likely remained in the community as a source of infection.


Abstract Radar power returned from the basal interface along a 42 km long profile over an ice-rise promontory and the adjacent Roi Baudouin ice shelf, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, is analyzed to infer spatial variations in basal reflectivity and hence the basal environment. Extracting basal reflectivity from basal returned power requires an englacial attenuation model. We estimate attenuation in two ways: (1) using a temperature-dependent model with input from thermomechanical ice-flow models; and (2) using a radar method that linearly approximates the geometrically corrected returned power with ice thickness. The two methods give different results. We argue that attenuation calculated using a modeled temperature profile is more robust than the widely used radar method, especially in locations where depth-averaged attenuation varies spatially or where the patterns of basal reflectivity correlate with the patterns of the ice thickness.


In this paper we consider a certain kind of linear programming problems. This kind, in which fuzzy complex number is the coefficient of the objective function, is called fuzzy complex linear programming problem. Solutions of this kind of problems will be characterized by deriving its fuzzy Kuhn-Tucker conditions. The results include a duality relation between α -cut programming and its dual are discussed. Also, we introduce the proof of Kuhn-Tucker stationarypoint necessary optimality theorem for our problem.


OBJECTIVE: To investigate the causes and characteristics of the adverse drug reactions( ADRs) in Dongguan Houjie Hospital( hereinafter referred to as "our hospital") so as to promote clinical rational use of drugs.METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 388 ADR cases in our hospital from 2011 to 2014 was carried out. RESULTS:Of the total 388 cases,males showed higher proportion than did females( 227 males versus 161 females); patients aged from 20 years to less than 40 years showed the highest proportion( 194 cases,50. 00%); ADR was caused mainly by intravenous injections( 287 cases,accounted for 63. 08%); in terms of dosage forms,injection and power injection showed the highest proportion; the ADRs were mostly induced by anti-infective drugs( 241 /455,52. 97%) and then by the Chinese patent medicines; the ADRs manifested mostly as damage of skin and its appendages( 205 /455 cases,45.05%). CONCLUSIONS: Anti-infective drugs and Chinese patent medicines should be the focus of the ADR monitoring. It is important to strengthen ADR monitoring among special populations,intravenously administered and key drugs so as to improve the level of rational use of drugs and reduce the incidence of drug-induced disease.


An article deals with the application of vortex granulators in technology of ammonium nitrate obtaining. The review of the main methods of granulation is carried out. The basic advantages of suspended layer granulators are presented. The basic methods of intensification of heat and mass transfer processes during the granulation in weighted layer granulators are shown. An article presents a short description of the modern vortex type granulation equipment and its main disadvantages. An article describes the problem of waste management in the production of ammonium nitrate. A description of the main methods of waste utilization in production of ammonium nitrate (flue gas and substandard granules of ammonium nitrate) by using vortex granulators is presented. Separate class of weighted layer granulator is the vortex granulators with variable cross-sectional area of the working space. Environmental benefits of such devices are the possibility of classifying the granules in the working volume and internal circulation of small granules. The main advantages of the original constructions of suspended layer vortex granulators are presented. These advantages reduce the amount of small fraction granules and ammonium nitrate dust.


Results of first-principles electronic structure calculations for the isotypic compounds GdAuX (ZrNiAl type, X = Mg, Cd, and In) are presented. We report on a systematic examination of the electronic structure and nature of the bonding in these intermetallics. Our calculations indicate a metallic state for all of the compounds. We find that the indium in GdAuIn and magnesium in GdAuMg have significant bonding interactions with Au. We have also identified In s lone pair in GdAuIn has more localized behaviour as compared with Mg s in GdAuMg. The magnetic properties are well described within the local density approximation.


INTRODUCTION: Repeated ischemic preconditioning (IPC) can improve muscle and pulmonary oxygen on-kinetics, blood flow, and exercise efficiency, but these effects have not been investigated in severe hypoxia. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of 7 d of IPC on resting and exercising muscle and cardio-pulmonary responses to severe hypoxia.METHODS: A total of 14 subjects received either: 1) 7 d of repeated lower-limb occlusion (4 × 5 min, 217 ± 30 mmHg) at limb occlusive pressure (IPC) or SHAM (4 × 5 min, 20 mmHg). Subjects were tested for resting limb blood flow, relative microvascular deoxyhemoglobin concentration ([HHB]), and pulmonary oxygen (Vo2p) responses to steady state and incremental exercise to exhaustion in hypoxia (fractional inspired O₂ = 0.103), which was followed by 7 d of IPC or SHAM and retesting 72 h post-intervention.RESULTS: There were no effects of IPC on maximal oxygen consumption, time to exhaustion during the incremental test, or minute ventilation and arterial oxygen saturation. However, the IPC group had higher delta efficiency based on pooled results and lower steady state Δ[HHB] (IPC ∼24% vs. SHAM ∼6% pre to post), as well as slowing the [HHB] time constant (IPC ∼26% vs. SHAM ∼3% pre to post) and reducing the overshoot in [HHB]: Vo₂ ratio during exercise onset.CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results demonstrate that muscle O₂ efficiency and microvascular O₂ distribution can be improved by repeated IPC, but there are no effects on maximal exercise capacity in severe hypoxia.Chopra K, Jeffries O, Tallent J, Heffernan S, Kilduff L, Gray A, Waldron M. Repeated ischemic preconditioning effects on physiological responses to hypoxic exercise. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2022; 93(1):13-21.


The article deals with the analysis of religious conflict from the theological point of view. The topic invites a closer attention due to the increasing tensions between the members of multi-confessional communities. These tensions result in the population's acute interest towards various religious aspects. They also challenge the efficiency of the established relations between the state and the Church and may result in bloody conflicts. Many specialists in the study of conflicts consider therefore the present century as a turning point, which inevitably has to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of a conflict.


("lancinating") pain in the distribution of one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve (1). The attacks, which typically last a few seconds each, arise either spontaneously or in response to a triggering stimulus, such as light touch in the cutaneous distribution of the trigeminal nerve, chewing, speaking, swallowing, or tooth-brushing. The pain is disabling and causes marked suffering; often, the sufferer is no longer able to eat. Thus, all patients with trigeminal neuralgia should be started on pharmacological treatment as soon as the condition is diagnosed. Between attacks, the patients are asymptomatic. Multiple attacks can occur daily for periods of weeks or months; in the early stage of the condition, they can also remit spontaneously for periods of weeks or months. The condition usually becomes increasingly severe over time. 29% of patients have only one episode in their lifetime, while 28% have three or more. 21% of patients have attacks every year in the first 5 years after the onset of the condition (2). There are no known factors enabling the physician to predict the long-term prognosis at the onset of the disease. So-called idiopathic or classic trigeminal neuralgia is caused by vascular compression of the trigeminal nerve at its origin from the pons. The vascular compression hypothesis is now generally accepted, both because of the intraoperative findings, which are often impressive, and because of the long-term results of decompressive surgery, which are better than those of other surgical techniques (3, 4). The compressing vessel is usually the superior cerebellar artery; less commonly, it is an elongated and dilated basilar artery or a persistent primitive trigeminal artery. Modern magnetic resonance imaging can often detect a pathological neurovascular contact preoperatively (5). Symptomatic (secondary) trigeminal neuralgia occurs in demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis and as a manifestation of mass lesions such as nerve tumors, particularly acoustic neuroma, and metastases. It can also be caused by local ischemia or vascular malformations in the brainstem (6). No more than 10% of all cases of trigeminal neuralgia are due to tumors or demyelinating diseases (7).


The majority of nurses surveyed used the library on a regular but limited basis to obtain information needed in caring for or making decisions about their patients. A minority indicated that the libraries in their own institutions totally met their information needs. In fact, only 4% depended on the library to stay abreast of new information and developments in the field. Many of the nurses had their own journal subscriptions, which could account in part for the limited use of libraries and the popularity of the professional journal as the key information source. This finding correlates with the research of Binger and Huntsman, who found that 95% of staff development educators relied on professional journal literature to keep up with current information in the field, and only 45% regularly monitored indexing-and-abstracting services. The present study also revealed that nurses seek information from colleagues more than from any other source, supporting the findings of Corcoran-Perry and Graves. Further research is necessary to clarify why nurses use libraries on a limited basis. It appears, as Bunyan and Lutz contend, that a more aggressive approach to marketing the library to nurses is needed. Further research should include an assessment of how the library can meet the information needs of nurses for both research and patient care. Options to be considered include offering library orientation sessions for new staff nurses, providing current-awareness services by circulating photocopied table-of-contents pages, sending out reviews of new monographs, inviting nurses to submit search requests on a topic, scheduling seminars and workshops that teach CD-ROM and online search strategies, and providing information about electronic databases covering topics related to nursing. Information on databases may be particularly important in light of the present study's finding that databases available in CD-ROM format are consulted very little. Nursing education programs should be expanded to include curricula bibliographic sessions where the librarian, in cooperation with the teaching faculty, visits the classroom to explain all pertinent information sources or invites the class to the library for hands-on demonstration and practice. Nurses who gain working knowledge of the tools that open the doors to retrieval of research findings and who have information about new innovations in medicine and medical technology have superior chances for success in their chosen profession.


The functionalization of the fibrous scaffolds including drug loading and release is of significance in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Our previous results have shown that the shish-kebab structure-modified fibrous scaffold shows a completely different microenvironment that mimics the topography of the collagen fibers, which interestingly facilitates the cell adhesion and migration. However, the functionalization of the unique structure needs to be further investigated. In this study, we modified the heparin-loaded fiber with a shish-kebab structure and tuned the kebab structure as the barrier for the sustained release of heparin. The introduction of the kebab structure increases the diffusion energy barrier by extending the diffusion distance. Moreover, the discontinued surface topography of the shish-kebab structure altered the surface chemistry from hydrophobic for the original poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers to hydrophilic for the PCL nanofibers with the shish-kebab structure, which might have inhibited the activation of fibrinogen and thus improved the anticoagulant ability. This synergistic effect of heparin and the kebab structure significantly promotes the endothelial cell affinity and antithrombogenicity. This method might be a viable and versatile drug delivery strategy in vascular tissue engineering.


Сalanoid copepods of the genus Pseudocalanus play an important role in the plankton communities of the Arctic and boreal seas, often dominating in numbers and constituting a significant proportion of the biomass of zooplankton. Despite their high presence and significance in the shelf plankton communities, species-specific studies of the biology of these are significantly hampered by extremely small morphological differences between them, especially at the juvenile stages, at which they are virtually indistinguishable. In this paper, we describe a new, routine and low-cost molecular method for identifying all Pseudocalanus species found in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic: the Arctic P. acuspes, P. minutus and the boreal P. moultoni and P. elongatus, and apply it to describe the relative distribution of these species in four locations of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. With this method, species-specific polymerase chain reaction (ssPCR), mass identification of individuals of any developmental stage, including nauplii, is possible. This method can serve as an excellent tool for studying the species-specific biology of this group, describing their life cycles, as well as monitoring changes in Arctic marine ecosystems under the influence of changing climate.


This booklet commemorates the foundation of Exeter Cathedral Library in 1072, or, more precisely, the reception by the cathedral of 66 volumes bequeathed by Bishop Leofric (d. 1072). The collection included the now celebrated Exeter Book of Poetry and the Leofric Missal. Professor Barlow contributes an exhaustive and valuable survey of the bishop's life and background, Kathleen Dexter, formerly Lecturer in English at Exeter, discusses the collection of poetry, L. J. Lloyd, Librarian to both cathedral and university, considers the books as reflecting Leofric's career and tastes, and Audrey Erskine, Lecturer in palaeography and cathedral archivist, reviews the subsequent development of the medieval library. There are eight half-tone plates of manuscripts illustrating the subject. DAVID KNOWLES


Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are an excellent fit for regression problems where sequential data are the norm since their recurrent internal structure can analyse and process data for long. However, RNNs are prone to the phenomenal vanishing gradient problem (VGP) that causes the network to stop learning and generate poor prediction accuracy, especially in long-term dependencies. Originally, gated units such as long short-term memory (LSTM) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) were created to address this problem. However, VGP was and still is an unsolved problem, even in gated units. This problem occurs during the backpropagation process when the recurrent network weights tend to vanishingly reduce and hinder the network from learning the correlation between temporally distant events (long-term dependencies), that results in slow or no network convergence. This study aims to provide an empirical analysis of LSTM networks with an emphasis on inefficiency in long-term dependencies convergence because of VGP. Case studies on NASA's turbofan engine degradation are examined and empirically analysed.


AIMS
To investigate the characteristics of published trials in order to establish the origin of the differing results obtained in trials of platelet inhibitors after peripheral bypass procedures.

METHODS
Analysis of the information from 11 randomised, controlled trials of platelet inhibitors after peripheral bypass procedures published up until 1999 and involving 2302 patients undergoing peripheral bypass operations, 1250 of whom were treated with platelet inhibitors.

RESULTS
There is a significant treatment benefit of platelet inhibitors on meta-analysis of the trials, but a significant heterogeneity amongst the individual trial results. The proportion of patients in a trial with prosthetic grafts was a significant factor in explaining the heterogeneity. Proportion of prosthetic grafts was associated with sample size and with the proportion of grafts above the knee, but these were not found to make an independent contribution to the heterogeneity observed. The platelet inhibitor regimen used, the severity of ischaemic symptoms and the proportion of smokers included were also not found to be important.

CONCLUSIONS
The improvement of graft patency by aspirin and related platelet inhibitors in clinical trials in peripheral bypass procedures can be attributed to an effect on patients with prosthetic grafts. There is little evidence that these agents prevent occlusion of vein grafts. The conclusion of an earlier meta-analysis that antiplatelet agents should be used for all bypasses is not supported.


Reconfiguration of a distribution system is an approach to minimize the losses and improve the reliability of an electrical system. However, such modifications can cause relay maloperation. With the use of digital relay and advanced communication techniques, the settings of the relay can be changed which would enable them to respond to real time network conditions. We propose a scheme to prevent relay maloperation through current measurement in different branches and changing the time setting and plug setting of the relay. Using this method the relay coordination also improved. The approach was tested on a 33-bus radial distribution network for different types of fault, fault resistances and found to be correct.


When the 150MW steam turbine generator set of a power plant operates normally, the pressure of EH oil system gradually decreases and the fuel level drops in the tank, then switching to standby EH oil pump, the pressure of EH oil system continues to drop to the protection action, and the unit shutdown. Through on-site inspection and inspection of maintenance records, it was found that there was serious oil leakage at the oil outlet of mobile oil filter and the oil outlet pipe of EH oil cooling pump. The cause of the fault was analyzed accurately. Effective measures such as changing the connection mode between mobile oil filter and EH oilto eliminate the potential safety hazards in equipment operation.


The first quarter of the twentieth century in Portugal was characterised by a series of important historical and political events: the Regicide (1 February 1908), the fall of the Monarchy and establishment of the Republic (5 October 1910), and the First World War (1914-1918). By this time, women could not yet vote and they were systematically ignored in the debate of crucial social issues. Therefore, the main question here addressed is how poetry as free embodiment can take part in a gender revolution, promoting the feminist turn. The answer lies in the consequent breakout of female sentimental literature, which entitled women to reveal themselves, by enabling the poetic scrutiny of their intimacy through a particular focus on the body as prime referent. In this way, they dared to expose dreams, desires, fulfilments and despairs, firming an identity pact through poetry, and engendering a collective voice with social meaning. The published poems here analysed convey the idea that being a woman was something valuable and unique, and, at the same time, manage to inscribe female poets such as Virgínia Vitorino and Zulmira Falcarreira in the Portuguese intellectual mainstream.


Disrupting B cell receptor- (BCR-) induced signaling by inhibiting the spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) represents a novel therapeutic approach in CLL. R406 is an ATP-competitive SYK inhibitor, and its prodrug, R788 (Fostamatinib disodium), displays clinical activity in patients with B cell lymphoma and CLL (Friedberg J. et al. Ann Oncol. 2008 Jun; 19 Suppl 4). In normal lymphocytes BCR engagement and SYK activation modulate cell adhesion and migration, suggesting that this pathway affects chemokine receptor and adhesion molecule function/signaling. The effects of SYK on CLL cell migration, activation and survival are largely unknown. Therefore, we examined the effects of BCR stimulation and its inhibition with R406 on CLL cell chemotaxis, expression of adhesion- and costimulatory- molecules, and survival. Activation of BCR with polyclonal goat F(ab')2 fragments to human IgM significantly increased chemotaxis towards CXCL12 to 135.4% ±5.2% of controls and towards CXCL13 to 170.5% ± 31.5% of controls (Mean ± SEM, n=15). Engagement of BCR also significantly increased expression of CD40, CD44, CD54, and CD62L and decreased the expression of CXCR4. Pre-treatment with R406, which was kindly provided by Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., abrogated the increased chemotaxis, adhesion- and co-stimulatory molecule expression, and pro-survival signals seen in response to BCR engagement. As displayed in Fig. 1, CLL cell viability at 24 hours was significantly increased to 60±5.2% with anti-IgM, compared to controls (41.8±6.7%) or CLL cells treated with anti-IgM plus R406 5 μM (39±6.6%, mean± SEM, n=9). Moreover, we found that R406 induced apoptosis in CLL cells in suspension culture and co-cultures with nurselike cells (NLC) and marrow stromal cells (MSC). When compared to CLL cells cultured with NLC (100%), the mean relative viability of CLL cells at 48h was reduced to 71.2±6.4% with 5 μM R406 and to 75.4±5.6% with 2.5 μM R406, whereas the same CLL samples cultured without NLC displayed a mean relative viability of 87±2.9% in controls, 58.9±6.8% with 5 μM R406, and 59.9±7.3%% with 2.5 μM R406 (mean±SEM, n=10). Similar levels of apoptosis were observed when CLL cells were incubated with R406 in MSC co-cultures. Collectively, this study demonstrates that BCR engagement increases CLL cell migration, adhesion- and co-stimulatory-molecule expression, and survival. R406 effectively antagonizes these responses and induces CLL cells apoptosis, providing an explanation for the clinical activity of R406 in CLL patients.


The main aim of this study is to present homelessness against international human rights law, whilst assessing the state of regulations in force and pointing out whether they sufficiently protect homeless persons as a group which requires special legal protection. At the same time, the analysis will confirm or falsify the research hypothesis which asks us to ponder on whether (and if yes – why) homelessness violates the principle of indivisibility of human rights in a particular way and whether it should be examined as such. Does homelessness per se – violating inherent human dignity – negate the essence of human rights and de facto exclude the possibility of exercising some of them? Formulation of this hypothesis implicates a question about the relationship between homelessness and indivisibility of human rights. Verification of the above hypothesis will outline the scope of further reflections carried out on the basis of the analytical method and by interpretation of the law in force, supported by the statistical method.


Symbiotes can be transmitted from parents to offspring or horizontally from unrelated hosts or the environment. A key question is whether symbiote transmission is similar enough to Mendelian gene transmission to generate and maintain coevolutionary associations between host and symbiote genes. Recent papers come to opposite conclusions, with some suggesting that any horizontal transmission eliminates genetic association. These studies are hard to compare owing to arbitrary differences in modeling approach, parameter values, and assumptions about selection. I show that associations between host and symbiote genes (extra-genomic associations) can be described by the same dynamic model as conventional linkage disequilibria between genes in the same genome. Thus, covariance between host and symbiote genomes depends on population history, geographic structure, selection, and co-transmission rate, just as covariance between genes within a genome. The conclusion that horizontal transmission rapidly erodes extra-genomic associations is equivalent to the conclusion that recombination rapidly erodes associations between genes within a genome. The conclusion is correct in the absence of population structure or selection. However, population structure can maintain spatial associations between host and symbiote traits, and non-additive selection (interspecific epistasis) can generate covariances between host and symbiote genotypes. These results can also be applied to cultural or other non-genetic traits. This work contributes to a growing consensus that genomic, symbiotic, and gene-culture evolution can be analyzed under a common theoretical framework. In terms of coevolutionary potential, symbiotes can be viewed as lying on a continuum between the intimacy of genes and the indifference of casually co-occurring species.


ABSTRACT The purpose of this review is to determine why consumers may not be adopting or engaging in the use of health information technology to successfully improve or maintain their health status. A literature search was completed to find articles related to consumer engagement in the use of health information technology. The literature found was then categorized based on a patient engagement framework defined by the National eHealth Collaborative. The barriers to engagement, issues with types of technology, and problems in study methodology were then synthesized for understanding consumer engagement. The results of the review showed the major barriers related to engaging consumers in the use of health information technology, including privacy, education, cost, literacy, accuracy of information, trust, meeting consumer needs, measures, integration, and policy. The most prevalent of these issues is that health information technology is often not designed with accurate and detailed user requirements in mind. Issues of the methodologies used to show how consumer health information technology is consumed relate to studies that are not aligned with the original purpose of the experiment. Additional work and research is needed to ensure that the design of consumer health information technology meets the consumer's needs. Improved designs and methods of achieving these designs will create technology that consumers find appealing to use in order to better manage their health. If consumers find value in the technology, they will be more likely to engage and adopt it for additional use.


The review analyzes telomere lengthening mechanisms in cancer cells of two different tumor types--carcinomas and sarcomas. Basic attention is given to sarcomas which cells lengthen their telomeres through alternative mechanisms for lengthening telomeres (ALT). The features of ALT mechanisms functioning in these cells have been examined in detail. Moreover, the actually existing anti-telomerase drugs and their efficiency in carcinomas treatment were analyzed. The experimental data showing that, contrary to theoretical expectations, activation of ALT was not observed on a background of such anti-telomerase, are presented. This portends a good prognosis in the treatment of the patients with carcinoma. Finally, on the basis of the data analyzed the candidates for a role of targets are proposed for development of anti-ALT antineoplastic therapy. Expected efficiency and toxicity of such drugs are considered in detail.


The capture and inspiral of compact stellar objects into massive black holes is an important source of low-frequency gravitational waves (with frequencies ~1-100 mHz), such as those that might be detected by the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Simulations of stellar clusters designed to study this problem typically rely on simple treatments of the black hole encounter that neglect some important features of orbits around black holes, such as the minimum radii of stable, nonplunging orbits. Incorporating an accurate representation of the orbital dynamics near a black hole has been avoided due to the large computational overhead. This paper provides new, more accurate expressions for the energy and angular momentum lost by a compact object during a parabolic encounter with a nonspinning black hole, and the subsequent inspiral lifetime. These results improve on the Keplerian expressions that are now commonly used and will allow efficient computational simulations to be performed that account for the relativistic nature of the spacetime around the central black hole in the system.


. In the 1950s and 1960s computers became part and parcel of the great modernization project – the creation of the modern welfare state. The ability to control and rationalize provided by the digital technology proved indispensable for the expanding public sector as well as for trade and business. At the turn of the decade, the effects of the new technology on Swedish society became increasingly apparent. This paper examines the debate on computer and politics in Sweden during the 1970s and the 1980s. It particularly discusses two issues that were hotly debated: integrity and jobs. The debate was occupied with the centralized solutions and systemic effects large-scale computing implied. In this debate computing technology was perceived as a threat, but at the same time there was a widely shared belief amongst debaters that it was possible to take control of the technology.


The period following Poland's accession to the European Union saw significant changes in the migration patterns of the country's population. There was an unprecedented increase in scale: in just three years the number of Polish citizens staying temporarily abroad rose from 1 million to over 2.3 million, or 6.6% of the total population. Migration dynamics changed as well, including choice of destination and migrants' skills. Theoretically, such a massive supply shock should lead to severe adjustments on the sending labour market. Available empirical evidence, however, indicates that there were no significant effects in either the short term (employment/unemployment) or the medium term (wages). This chapter argues that the labour market situation in Poland was only moderately affected by the recent outflow. Nevertheless, serious long-term impacts may be in store, particularly in terms of demographic structures and regional allocation of labour on the domestic market.


The multidimensional destructions caused by Covid-19 have been compared to that of World War II. What makes the situation even more complicated is the ambiguity regarding the duration and the final size of the pandemic. It is critical especially for the governments, healthcare systems, and economic sectors to have an estimation of the future of this disaster. Using a dynamic model, we have here simulated the epidemic in Isfahan province, Iran for the episode of Feb 14th to April 11th and also have forecasted the remaining course with three scenarios which differ in terms of the stringency of social distancing. Results of this study indicate that in a "good scenario", the epidemic could be overcome by following a strict lockdown for some weeks. Notably, even partial restrictions in the "feasible scenario" decline hospital admissions and mortality rates by one third compared to the "bad scenario" in which no limitation is imposed. Taken together, inattention to preventive strategies will result in a dramatic increase of the medical, social, and economical burden of the outbreak.


We present the KMOS Galaxy Evolution Survey (KGES), a K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS) study of the Hα and [N ii] emission from 288 K band-selected galaxies at 1.2 . z . 1.8, with stellar masses in the range log10(M∗/M ) ≈ 9 – 11.5. In this paper, we describe the survey design, present the sample, and discuss the key properties of the KGES galaxies. We combine KGES with appropriately matched samples at lower redshifts from the KMOS Redshift One Spectroscopic Survey (KROSS) and the SAMI Galaxy Survey. Accounting for the effects of sample selection, data quality, and analysis techniques between surveys, we examine the kinematic characteristics and angular momentum content of star-forming galaxies at z ≈ 1.5, ≈ 1 and ≈ 0. We find that stellar mass, rather than redshift, most strongly correlates with the disc fraction amongst star-forming galaxies at z . 1.5, observing only a modest increase in the prevalence of discs between z ≈ 1.5 and z ≈ 0.04 at fixed stellar mass. Furthermore, typical star-forming galaxies follow the same median relation between specific angular momentum and stellar mass, regardless of their redshift, with the normalisation of the relation depending more strongly on how disc-like a galaxy's kinematics are. This suggests that massive star-forming discs form in a very similar manner across the ≈ 10 Gyr encompassed by our study and that the inferred link between the angular momentum of galaxies and their haloes does not change significantly across the stellar mass and redshift ranges probed in this work.


Pectin is a polysaccharide used as rheology modifier in products such as food and beverages. This work assessed the effect of UV light, pH and temperature on the thickening property of pectin extracted from banana, orange and lime peels. Pectin was extracted using alcohol precipitation method and was analyzed using FT – IR spectrometer and GCMS. pH and UV light degradation/depolymerization of pectin solutions were carried out using viscometric and statistical methods. Increase in temperature negatively affects the viscosity of the samples. The viscosity of the banana, orange and lime pectin samples decreased on exposure to UV light for both 30 and 60 days. The observed decrease in the kinematic viscosity of the samples might be attributable to depolymerization which might have occurred with the samples on exposure to the UV light. The viscosity of the samples remained the same at the pH of 4, 7 and 10. Analysis of variance (one way) indicated significant difference in the kinematic viscosity measured to determine the effect of ultraviolet light and temperature (p 0.05). Therefore, exposure to sunlight of pectin containing food drinks can cause decline in the quality of the product. Keywords : Pectin, viscosity, temperature, UV light, pH


This paper assesses the over time performance of a custom electronic nose (eNose) composed of an array of commercial low-cost and single-type miniature metal-oxide (MOX) semiconductor gas sensors. The eNose uses 16 BME680 versatile sensor devices, each including an embedded non-selective MOX gas sensor that was originally proposed to measure the total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) in the air. This custom eNose has been used previously to detect ethanol and acetone, obtaining initial promising classification results that worsened over time because of sensor drift. The current paper assesses the over time performance of different classification methods applied to process the information gathered from the eNose. The best classification results have been obtained when applying a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to the normalized conductance of the sensing layer of the 16 MOX gas sensors available in the eNose. The LDA procedure by itself has reduced the influence of drift in the classification performance of this single-type eNose during an evaluation period of three months.


The study aimed to find out the effect of type II diabetes on fucose and some values of antioxidants compared to healthy people, as 30 blood samples were collected from patients with type II diabetes, their ages ranged from 30-55 years, while 20 blood samples were collected from healthy people of the same age group and for both sexes., Where the fucose level was measured, a significant increase was found in the patient group by 0.01 compared to healthy people, and the efficacy of the enzyme catalase was measured, and a significant decrease was found at the probability level of 0.05. Also, glutathione recorded a decrease of 0.01 in patients with diabetes mellitus compared to healthy people, while vitamin C, Malondialdehyde and Peroxynitrite were recorded. An increase in the patient group compared to the healthy group at the 0.01 level. While vitamin A and Glutathione-S-transferase were increased in the group of patients compared to the healthy group, with the probability level 0.05. The study also included the measurement of urea, creatinine, uric acid and basic phosphatase. Urea, creatinine, and basic phosphatase all recorded an increase in the group of people with type II diabetes at a probability level of 0.01 compared to the healthy group, while uric acid recorded a significant decrease at the probability level 0.01. compared to healthy controls.


Ah.·'ifru('I--3D scene system is an important part of computer imitation system. and its fidelity determines if an imitation system stands or falls. At present. such algorithms han been perfected, but a good algorithm is always so complicated that can not achieve the demands of calculation during the time required. So it is necessary to find a fast algorithm applied in the real time system. Fractal Geometry is a PO\\ ertul tool to describe the complicated and anomalistic geometrical objects. A method of bivariable fractal interpolation combined with objects polyhedral technique to construct polyhedrons and vertex data of mountains in distributed simulation system is proposed. The implementing method and steps an.' given as well.